Title:
Victor Griggs | Changing Perspectives with Poetry and Purpose

Subtitle:
From Publishing to Public Speaking to Inspiring Dreams: Victor Griggs’ Journey

Transcript:

Alycia Anderson: Welcome to Pushing Forward with Alycia, a podcast that gives disability a voice. Each week we will explore topics like confidence, ambition, resilience, and finding success against all odds. We are creating a collective community that believes that all things are possible for all people. Open hearts, clear paths.

Let’s go.

Welcome back to Pushing Forward with Alycia. I’m Alycia Anderson. And before I introduce today’s guest, I wanna start the show off a little bit differently because we have a poet in the house, who is a published writer of this book of poetry that is titled, “Rolling Through Life: Thoughts about Life Told Through Poetry and Prose.”

This book is incredible. And this book paints a picture for so many of us that we can relate to. It’s beautiful, it’s romantic, it’s raw. It has so much advocacy in it. I really wanna start with one of the strongest pieces that is in this book. I wanna read it to you, so you get a little taste of this amazing writer and artist that we have on the show today.

This poem is called racism. “I’ve experienced racism, not for the color of my skin, but because of the metal that you see me in. People talk to me like I’m retarded, and I haven’t even started talking. People speak to me like I can’t hear, and maybe it’s out of fear. Maybe they don’t know better, whatever. Think about how you would like to be treated if you were me. If we all did that, the world would be a better place for all to see.” This poetry book is incredible. Powerful pieces of work are in this book. You have to buy it. We’re gonna leave the links in our show notes. The author is named Victor Griggs, and he and I met at a conference where we were both keynote speakers.

We passed each other in our medal. As we were rolling down the hallway, we started to talk and we met and I started to learn about his incredible story. And he’s gonna share that with us today. Victor, thank you so much for gracing this show with your amazing presence, your talents, and your book of poetry.

It’s incredible to see you again. Welcome.

Victor Griggs: Thank you for having me. It’s a pleasure to be here.

Alycia Anderson: Can we start with that poem just for a minute? I think it’s such a powerful thing that you’re comparing racism to navigating life in a piece of metal. Both of us do. Can you talk a little bit about that? The comparison, what that means to you, why you wrote that piece specifically.

Victor Griggs: Basically because I wanted people to know how I feel when it comes to being in the chair and having the disability. Like I wrote in the poem, I haven’t faced racism from the color of my skin, but I’ve experienced the people not knowing how to treat me because of the chair. People tend to not know how to react because some people haven’t been around people with disabilities, so they talk loud. They think you’re mentally challenged, so I wanted to let people know from my perspective what it feels like. And hopefully after people read my poetry, they’ll know how to treat people with disabilities and everyone they run into with respect and dignity, because we all deserve that no matter what our situation is.

Alycia Anderson: Dignity. That word absolutely reminds me of the story that you correlate to this poem in your book about when you were traveling on an airplane, and some man spoke down to you like you were a little boy. You talk about you being a man, and that you need society to treat you and see you in that way because that is what you are.

Just because you’re disabled doesn’t mean you’re a little boy. And I think that this book of poetry articulates a lot of those themes. Not only being a man from a strength standpoint and being able to use your voice standpoint, advocacy speaker, but it’s romantic, too. You talk a lot about love and finding the one.It’s a beautiful, raw peak into the lived experience of disability, specifically being a man and navigating all of this. And I think you do a very good job. Very good job.

Victor Griggs: Thank you very much.

Alycia Anderson: Yeah. I can see why you’re on stages, for sure.

Victor Griggs: Thank you.

Alycia Anderson: Yeah. Let’s talk about your disability if you’re comfortable. Whatever you’re comfortable with.

Victor Griggs: Yeah, so we can talk about anything.

Alycia Anderson: Okay, let’s talk about it. Let’s talk about your upbringing. Maybe explain what your disability is, if you don’t mind, or whatever you’re comfortable with. And how has that path and your upbringing shaped you to where you are today?

Victor Griggs: So my disability is cerebral palsy. It affects the motor part of your brain. Basically affects your motor skills, your walking, speech. That’s why you hear a little bit of a accent, probably because it affects my voice. What sticks out to me as an early memory, I think really speaks to my history is, I loved two things. When I was a kid, basketball and Star Trek. I have one particular memory of watching kids play basketball when I was in grade school, going out to watch them play basketball. And for a split second, I was depressed because obviously I couldn’t play basketball like the kids that I saw in school. But then I thought to myself, “Can I control what happened to me? No. Can I control my disability? No.” So I thought I might as well do the very best I can with my situation, and be happy and positive.

Alycia Anderson: I think you do that. I think you exude that a lot. And I think a lot of us had that experience with disabilities at a young age. Kind of feeling like we’re on the sidelines and wishing, hoping like, “How do I have those opportunities?” Sometimes we find a path, and sometimes we don’t. Depending on where you are in the season of your life, it’s how you are able to digest that and move forward with other things.

So I think that’s super powerful. Yeah. We were talking about Star Trek. You’ve got Star Trek autographs all behind you. For anybody who’s watching this, we can see this. Basketball and Star Trek were your favorite things growing up. Basketball, because, one word

Victor Griggs: I had a favorite player growing up, Michael Jordan. And watching him just be determined to be the best at what he does reallyimpact me. So I would use that one word, determination.

Alycia Anderson: Oh, I like it. Michael Jordan’s inspired a lot of people. And you’re the second person that’s been on the show, with a disability, Been inspired by Michael Jordan in some way, is now a public speaker on stages, Dustin Giannelli. So I love it that Michael Jordan was your inspiration. That’s awesome.

What about Star Trek? Talk about that. What made that one of your favorite things as a child?

Victor Griggs: Just how they worked together as a team. It didn’t matter what your physical attributes were, it mattered what you could contribute to the team. It didn’t matter what your outer appearance was, it was about, “What can you do to help the crew to succeed?”

Alycia Anderson: I love that. Now that I’m thinking about Star Trek, it’s pretty diverse, isn’t it? In the characters and they do look very different from each other. And I’m sure have various different skills and expertise because of that. So that’s interesting. I’m gonna have to go back and watch. Now you’re making me wanna watch.

Victor Griggs: Yeah. Start with Next Generation. That’s my favorite.

Alycia Anderson: Okay. Tip of the Day. Next Generation on Star Trek. We’ll be doing that this weekend. So can we talk a little bit about your inspiration for your poetry book? I know that you wrote this book during the pandemic, and it influenced your creative process. Can you talk about that a little bit?

Victor Griggs: Yeah, so it was a team effort really. I always loved writing, but I was scared to do it because I thought, “Oh, I’m no good. No one would like when.” During the pandemic, we were all stuck inside with nothing to do. So I’m like, “I can’t sit here for who knows how long and just watch TV.” I would die of boredom. I decided to go after my dream and start writing. I shared with a friend of mine, whose name is Aaron Winch. Shout out to him if he’s listening right now.

Alycia Anderson: Shout out Aaron.

Victor Griggs: Yeah, I wouldn’t be here without him because he encouraged me to publish my book. I shared with him what I was writing and he said, “You should publish your book. What you write, you would encourage a lot of people.” And I thought, “I’m not talented enough.” He told me two things. He said, “Do you enjoy what you write?” I said, “Yes.” And he said, “Do you think what you have to say is important?” I said, “Yes.” He said, “That’s what matters. Of course we want people to enjoy what we write. It’s only natural. But the important thing is, do you enjoy what you write, and do you feel you have something important to say? If that’s the case, you should go after your dreams.”

Alycia Anderson: That is such an important lesson. I’ve had many people in my life encourage me to do things way before I had enough courage to do it myself. And they maybe gave me the kick in the butt to take the first step or to go for it, even when I honestly didn’t know how to accomplish something, or I had so much imposter syndrome.

I think a lot of us think, “I’m not good enough. Somebody else is better. I see other people doing this. No way can I do that. I’m still not accomplished enough.” All those things that we put in our head that stop us that are blockers. And I think that’s a really important story because I, too, had somebody in my life that said, “You should.” And I did.

Then things happen. If we lean into the people that love us that are suggesting something or see in us something, usually big opportunities can come of that. If we don’t just push it over to the side and say, “Oh, I’ll do that tomorrow, or maybe next year, or maybe never.” So, that’s a great story. That’s amazing.

Victor Griggs: Thank you. I allowed fear and insecurity to get in the way for so long. To me, it was more crippling than my disability because I allowed fear and insecurities to cripple me, and not my disability.

Alycia Anderson: Fear and insecurities are crippling. A hundred percent. I agree. And that’s a universal thing for everybody, whether there’s a disability or not. Our fear will literally stop us in our tracks. Yeah. Speaking of self-doubt and pushing through barriers, you and I share a lot of beliefs about our challenges fueling purpose. And I wonder, what was one of the dreams that you’ve accomplished outside of the book that you had to push through, battle through, fight for, that you accomplished? And what were some of the barriers that you had to overcome and advice that you could give to somebody else that’s listening to this?

Victor Griggs: After my book, I wanted to encourage everyone, especially young people to, despite their circumstances, go after their dreams. I wanted to be a public speaker. But because of my disability, and my accent, and my voice, I didn’t think that would be obstacles to my dreams. I’ve been able to do a little bit of public speaking and poetry reading to really see that it is possible that people do understand me and get what I’m trying to say.

So that’s been another thing that the book has opened the door for me and accomplishing my dream.

Alycia Anderson: What were some of the barriers you had to push through to land your first speaking deal, or have the courage to go after some of those opportunities? Was it still fear? What was it?

Victor Griggs: Yeah. Even after some of my accomplishments, that fear still gets in my way sometimes. I just have to work through that and still try to accomplish my dream.

Alycia Anderson: I think that if it’s helpful for you. You have a great reputation for the work that you do on stage. When we were at that event, I was doing something else with the client. I didn’t get to see you speak, unfortunately. I will next time. But when my space was clear and I was just wandering around the conference, I got stopped so many times and they’re like, “Have you met Victor yet? Have you met Victor yet? You’re gonna love him. He’s a poet. He’s so great on stage.” Just one speaker to the next, you have an energy that’s translating to your audiences that they’re talking about to others when you’re not in the room, which is half the battle. That’s amazing.

So you’re very talented and you’re really good at what you do, because it’s buzzing. It buzzes around people who are navigating conferences, which is a big deal.

Victor Griggs: Thank you.

Alycia Anderson: Yeah.

You did all that. You did that work, that you have buzz, and buzz is a big deal.

Victor Griggs: I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my mom.

Alycia Anderson: Yeah.

Victor Griggs: Because she always taught me that despite your circumstances, you might have to go about it a different way, but don’t be afraid to go after your dreams. She was a single mom raising a son with a disability. Credit goes to her, ’cause without her, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

Alycia Anderson: Aww. Our moms, they’re the leaders of us. I swear. They are the ones that give us our footing, or our wheels to make things happen. Your mom is wonderful. I got to meet her too. That was really amazing. You have a multi intersectionalidentity.

How has that played a part in your advocacy and in the work that you’re doing?

Victor Griggs: I think it’s played a role. I notice with anybody with a disability, if they see somebody trying to do something or accomplish a goal, it makes more of an impact. I’m trying to use what I have to encourage others to go after their dreams and accomplish whatever they wanna accomplish.

Alycia Anderson: I love it. Can we shift a little bit? ‘Cause I know that you created a platform that’s called Future Legs. Can you talk about what that is, where this idea came from, and the work that you’re doing with this platform?

Victor Griggs: Okay, so the name Future Legs actually came from a friend of mine. I was searching a long time ago for a email address, and a friend of mine mentioned, ” Why don’t you name the email address Future Legs.” Then I thought, “That’s a good idea.” With the book, I decided to start a business, and that was the name I thought of for my business. So the goal for my business is to just do the same thing, to encourage people to follow their dreams. And despite their circumstances, to go after their dreams. And if they see me doing it, then hopefully more people will want to go out there. And my goal is a lofty goal, but my philosophy is I don’t want to be eighty years old and say, “What if?” I’m working on a second book. It’s a sci-fi book about a virus that hits the world that everyone gets a disability, and they have to find a way to work through it. And it follows a man and his family. I don’t wanna give too much away, but he is a basketball star and then a virus hits him.You have to find a way to deal with it, and eventually affects the whole world. And I want something done with the book. I hope to make a movie out of it. So we’ll see what happens.

Alycia Anderson: Oh, it sounds like a movie, number one. And number two, I love that. That is so original. Wow. Leveling the playing field. The opposite side, so that’s very interesting. You are so creative. I remember sitting with you at that conference. I have a book in me, too. I just don’t know how to get started. The fear of the imposter syndrome.

Victor Griggs: That would be awesome if you wrote a book.

Alycia Anderson: Yeah, but like you, I don’t know how to start. I don’t know how to make it happen. All those things. I have a lot of imposter syndrome. When you started talking about how you got going on your book and how you feared it for a while, it did a lot for me, too. It’s been in my mind. I’ve started, but you could teach a lot of people how to take the first push, the first step, the first role into accomplishing goals like that.

And now you’re going on your second one. That’s amazing. Is it your second or do you have another one?

Victor Griggs: No, just been my second one.

Alycia Anderson: Gosh, then you’re gonna be booking stadiums everywhere.

Victor Griggs: That would be awesome.

Alycia Anderson: I love it. So what’s next? It sounds like the book.

Victor Griggs: Yeah, just working on my second book, trying to get that done. My hope is to get it done sometime in 2026.

Alycia Anderson: I love it. I love it. So keep our ears open for the release of book number two.

Victor Griggs: Yeah.

Alycia Anderson: So, advice for somebody who’s listening right now that might be thinking things like, “My goals are too big, my limitations are too heavy.” What can you tell them?

Victor Griggs: Getting past your fear is the biggest obstacle. But if you do, you get past your fear. You can not only improve yourself and your attitude about yourself, but you can encourage others to do the same thing. The biggest thing is to work past your fear, and that is the biggest obstacle. But if you have a good team around you, you can succeed.

Alycia Anderson: I love that. Did we miss anything?

Victor Griggs: I would just like to mention my website.

Alycia Anderson: Yes, please.

Victor Griggs: Futurelegs.com. Net, sorry.

Alycia Anderson: Futurelegs.net. We’re gonna leave the links to your website, to all of your social media, to your book for everybody to buy a copy. And how to follow you, support you, book you to speak. Any of my clients out there that are listening, call Victor. He’s open to book. We will definitely leave everything, so people can find you for sure.

Victor Griggs: Thank you. And my goal is not fame or money. All the money would be nice, but my goal is to encourage others to follow their dreams and go after their goal.

Alycia Anderson: And I think when you have goals like that and you work really hard for them, you not only accomplish your goals, but the money and maybe a little fame will follow as well. So, I think you’re well on your way, Mr. Victor. Okay, so I warned you. Before we wrap up the show, we always do a pushing forward moment, a little quote, a mantra, something that you live by.

Can you gift that away to our Pushing Forward universe before we wrap up?

Victor Griggs: Despite your circumstances, don’t be afraid to go after your dreams. You might have to go about it differently than everybody else, but don’t be afraid to go after your goals and your dreams. And if you do, you might be surprised where you end up.

Alycia Anderson: Ugh. I love it. And my pushing forward moment is buy the book. Here it is so everybody can see it. It’s called Rolling Through Life. It’s a beautiful, powerful book of poetry, and everybody needs a copy of this. Victor, thank you so much for coming on the show. I’m so happy that our paths crossed in 2025, and I know we’re gonna be friends for life moving forward. And I’m so excited to support you on your speaking journey.

Maybe one day we’ll even share the stage. That might be kind of fun.

Victor Griggs: That would be awesome.

Alycia Anderson: Yeah.

Victor Griggs: Thank you so much, Alycia. Honored to be here tonight. I’m honored to be a part of your journey, and thank you for what you do. It’s very important, so you keep up the good work.

Alycia Anderson: Thank you. All right. I’m gonna wrap up. Thank you to our community for showing up again. Make sure to share, subscribe, review, all of the things to help grow this show. We are doing so good. We’re in 2000 cities around the world. Let’s keep the growth going, help us, support us, share us. This has been Pushing Forward with Victor and Alycia.

And that is literally how we roll on this podcast. We will see you next week.