Adaptive Fitness as a Catalyst for Inclusion and Belonging

Special Olympics Virginia is a statewide nonprofit dedicated to empowering children and adults with intellectual disabilities through year-round sports training, competition, and health-focused initiatives. Beyond athletics, the organization builds inclusive communities by fostering confidence, leadership, physical well-being, and meaningful connection. Through programs like their Fitness Collaborative, Special Olympics Virginia brings together athletes, families, coaches, fitness professionals, and allies to advance inclusive health, movement, and opportunity for all, proving that sport is a powerful catalyst for belonging and lifelong impact.

When Belief Meets Opportunity

The year could not have started in a more aligned way. Kicking off 2026 with Special Olympics Virginia and their Fitness Collaborative felt like standing in the exact sweet spot of everything I love and everything I am privileged to do. Advocacy. Community. Fitness. Adaptive sports. Workplace inclusion. Storytelling. Belonging. All of it brought together in one space with people who are deeply committed to advancing opportunity and inclusion for disabled people.

But like so many meaningful moments, this one began quietly, long before a stage or a microphone.

In early December, a message came through our website from Casey Joyce, Director of Fitness and Events for Special Olympics Virginia. She shared that each year they host a two-day Fitness Collaborative where athletes, coaches, fitness professionals, gym owners, and parents come together to learn about adaptive fitness, healthy lifestyles, and what it truly means to center inclusion in health. They were looking for a keynote speaker who was bold, informative, and inspiring. Someone who could light a fire under an already impassioned community and move them toward bigger and better action around inclusive health.

That description felt like home.

What followed was a conversation many people never see but that matters deeply, especially for those who want to step into speaking or those who book speakers. Casey was honest from the start. She shared openly that their speaking budget was small and that the event itself was not large. She didn’t want to waste time planning something that might not work financially. That level of transparency is rare and deeply respected. These are the moments where values meet reality, and where decisions are not just about numbers, but about belief.

The logistics that follow those conversations are always a story in themselves. What mattered most was that Casey felt strongly that I was the right fit for this community and this moment. She believed the message mattered enough to find a way to make it happen. And she did. That kind of belief is not something I ever take lightly.

The Journey Behind the Stage

Fast forward to January. The alarm went off at 2:30 a.m., and by 3:30 Marty and I were out the door, beginning a nonstop 48-hour journey from Sacramento to Culpeper, Virginia. Our first stop was my sister’s house to drop off our precious Milo, who immediately began his own vacation with Ella and Fredo while we headed east. From there it was on to SFO, a nonstop flight to DCA, a rental car, and a 90-minute drive that finally landed us at our hotel around 7:30 p.m. EST.

Then came one of those small but telling moments that so often accompany life on the road. The hotel room didn’t have a full-length mirror. For many people, that’s an inconvenience. For wheelchair users, it’s an access issue. On speech days, being able to see yourself fully matters. So we did what we always do. We went out, bought a mirror, and donated it to the hotel, asking that it stay in the room for future wheelchair users so they could see themselves too. The management was grateful for the insight and even shared contact information to continue the conversation at a corporate level. Inclusion often starts with moments exactly like that.

By 6:30 the next morning, we were back at it. Running through my keynote. Checking emails. Handling business opportunities. Getting ready. Reviewing logistics together. By 10:00 a.m., we arrived at the Culpeper Field House for tech check and setup. Marty seamlessly merged Casey’s slides with mine so the event would flow without interruption. Years of partnership and trust at work.

The Heart of Inclusion in Action

But the real reason for the journey wasn’t the travel, the logistics, or even the speaking. It was the people. There is something uniquely powerful about speaking when the community is in the room. Athletes. Disabled people. Coaches. Trainers. Gym owners. Parents. Allies. Leaders who are doing the work every single day. When I share The Heart of Inclusion in spaces like this, I always carry a quiet hope that someone in the audience sees something reflected back at them that reminds them they belong. That they are capable. That their dreams matter.

That hope became real in one unforgettable moment.

Just before I went on stage, a Special Olympics athlete came into the room and sat quietly in the front row. She was shy, visibly nervous, head down, unsure of her place in the space. Something about her caught my attention, and I kept her in my heart throughout the talk. After I finished speaking, I opened the room for conversation and questions. I noticed her look up at me. I could tell she wanted to speak but wasn’t sure she could. I gently asked if she wanted to, and she raised her hand.

Then she stood up. She walked onto the stage with me. She shared her story. She talked about her disability, her achievements, and how sports had shaped her confidence and her life. She said she could see herself in my story. In that moment, hesitation turned into courage. That is inclusion in action. That is why this work exists.

Her coach was there too, the founder of YOUniquely Fit, a nonprofit dedicated to inclusive fitness. Suddenly, the room felt like home. Athletes. Advocates. Leaders. Community. All lifting one another higher.

I want to offer a special thank you to Marsha, whose generosity helped secure the funding that made my presence there possible. That belief matters more than people realize.

I went a little over time, cutting slightly into lunch, but no one seemed to mind. After a quick interview offstage to help document the day, it was straight back into motion. Rental car returned. Airport rushed. A brief delay due to a plane issue. Even so, we landed back at SFO only minutes later than planned. Marty drove the three-hour loop to pick up Milo, and we finally hit our pillows at home at 2:30 a.m., exactly 24 hours after waking up the day before.

Forty-eight hours. Coast to coast. Purpose fulfilled.

I write these blogs as a living journal. A record of what it takes to build a life and career rooted in disability, advocacy, and impact. For those who want to be speakers, for those who book them, and for myself, as a reminder of how far this journey has carried me. Leveraging over fifty years of lived disability experience into work that sustains my livelihood and feeds my soul is not ordinary. It is challenging, humbling, and deeply meaningful.

This is how 2026 began. With community. With belief. With inclusion at the center.

Chico, San Jose, Reno and Las Vegas are next.
And the heart of inclusion continues to lead the way.