S02-Ep08_Kyle_and_Brent_Pease

Disabled Lives Matter

Season 02, Episode 08
Co-Hosts: Nadine Vogel & Norma Stanley
Guest: Kyle and Brent Pease

Intro: [Music playing in background] Disabled Lives Matter... here we go!

Voiceover: Hello and welcome to this week's episode of the Disabled Lives Matter Podcast. Let's welcome co-hosts Nadine Vogel and Norma Stanley!

Nadine Vogel: Hello Hello everyone, this is nadine vogel I am joined by my co-host Norma Stanley. hey norma.

Norma: hey everybody.

Nadine Vogel: And we're here today, bringing you another episode of disabled lives matter, so we are more than just a podcast we are a movement.

Nadine Vogel: And joining us today are brothers Brent Pease and Kyle Pease to talk to us about some of the absolutely astonishing.

Nadine Vogel: astonishing physical things they do that in my wildest dreams, I could not imagine doin.g so let's start with kyle let's let's start with you you're I think a four time iron man triathlete. Is that correct.

Kyle Pease: i'm actually a five time iron man triathlete.

Nadine Vogel: I can't even imagine doing one so well congratulations and in total i've heard that you've done like. i don't know is it 70, 80 races.

Kyle Pease: Yeah that's it right there, I say we both lost count of how many we've done.

Nadine Vogel: Wow

Norma: And they do it together, so this is really awesome I got a chance to hear your story at the International disabilities day that Coca Cola had, and I was like.

Norma: These people live, right here in Georgia and I didn't really know that and I need to talk to them.

Nadine Vogel: You never know your neighbors absolutely so kyle you were born with cerebral palsy and use a wheelchair, if I understand correctly.

Kyle Pease: yes. that is correct. I have spastic quadriplegia and I use a motorized wheelchair.

Nadine Vogel: Okay. All right, well let's come back to you that you, you got you into college where was it kennesaw state.

Kyle Pease: yeah yeah. yeah. kennesaw state.

Nadine Vogel: And you majored in what.

Kyle Pease: I majored in sports management.

Nadine Vogel: Huh. Okay. Things are starting to make sense.

Kyle Pease: yeah.

Nadine Vogel: yeah all right well let's go back to you and let's go to Brent your brother so so read for you, my understanding is you don't have any physical disabilities but you've been involved in fitness and training for a long time.

Brent Pease: yeah that's correct.

Brent Pease: No, no physical limitations, except at the end of an iron man.

Nadine Vogel: Okay yeah.

Nadine Vogel: i'd be dead after and iron man, if I did that, and I believe you've done is it 10 or 11 iron mans.

Brent Pease: I guess now it's a 11.

Nadine Vogel: Oh yeah Okay, that is just that's that's that's beyond human.

Nadine Vogel: So talk to us about how the two of you came together to start doing races these ironman races together.

Nadine Vogel: And then you know what what kind of came into your hands and say hey why don't we go ahead and do something together like that.

Brent Pease: Go ahead. Kyle.

Kyle Pease: So Brett is my older brother.

Kyle Pease: by two years. and I also have a twin brother but Brent was always there because he's the big brother.

Kyle Pease: So he always looked out for me and I.

Kyle Pease: When he got out of college he started taking up 5K.

Kyle Pease: And 10Ks, to work his way up to iron man and he did the 10 at louisville and he invited the whole family to attend.

Kyle Pease: And I don't get it all and memorized, but all Brent did that day and all the other athletes and it really reminded me of my life, and what I go through on a daily basis of the highs, the lows.

Kyle Pease: The joy you get at the end of his very long day that day um I asked Brent a lot of questions.

Kyle Pease: And then the last question I asked was can people in wheelchairs do the ironman. So the whole journey started.

Kyle Pease: And I we never looked back since.

Nadine Vogel: And I think wasn't it in 20 2018 that you guys like made history as the first brother duo to compete in the iron man.

Kyle Pease: Yes.

Nadine Vogel: that's that's incredible.

Brent Pease: Well that's That was the ironman World Championships in kona Hawaii so.

Brent Pease: I came in at the tail end of a conversation we're getting started and I heard.

Brent Pease: Somebody talking about being in Florida and.

Brent Pease: Kyle and i've done iron man in Florida, and I just want to state for the record that we much prefer to race in Hawaii than Florida.

Norma: [laughter.]

Nadine Vogel: Okay. I'm not going to take this personally.

[All laughing.]

Norma: Hawaii is beautiful. well we can understand that.

Nadine Vogel: i'll tell you i'd rather race in Hawaii than in Florida too.

Nadine Vogel: So do you're doing this together, but I think that you actually kind of you've gone beyond in racing together you guys have developed and formed the foundation, the kyle pease foundation so tell us a little bit about that, and it we'll come back to more of the specifics of the racing itself.

Nadine Vogel: Who wants to take that one on.

Brent Pease: yeah so um.

Brent Pease: Really when kyle finished his first race, you know we were just sports fanatics we've been doing sports our whole lives it's just.

Brent Pease: No, no different than a lot of young young boys that were into everything at the time football baseball basketball, you name it.

Brent Pease: But none of those really had the full inclusively that endurance sports offers and so when kyle experienced that first endurance activity.

Brent Pease: and realized that it challenged him physically and mentally in ways that he had never been pushed from an athletic perspective, certainly i'm sure as you've experienced with many of your guests, you know living with a disability, has its own challenges.

Brent Pease: And kyle kyle has experienced many of those but what he had never experienced was what is life like as an athlete.

Brent Pease: And really the best way I can describe it to you is is the iron man that it takes kyle and I 14 to 16 hours to finish this.

Brent Pease: And throughout that process it for me there's a there's a physical demand of carrying another human being 140.6 miles, but for kyle he has to keep me engaged i've quit thousands of times in the middle of a race thousand.

Brent Pease: Where i've turned to kyle and begged him to stop or i've grunted and made noises and make gestures, where he can tell that I was trying to find a way to make the date easier.

Brent Pease: But kyle's experiences of living with a disability taught him how to overcome a lot of that and so.

Brent Pease: For him, though he mentally has to be positive for 14 to 16 hours to keep me engaged physically but.

Brent Pease: it's also a challenge on his body, you know he goes from sitting in a wheelchair all day to getting bounced around and push physically.

Brent Pease: In an iron man and so that experience for kyle he wanted other people to have that and that was where the Foundation came in.

Brent Pease: And we were just fortunate that there was other people in the country that had had done or were doing.

Brent Pease: What we were doing from a supporting people with disabilities standpoint, so you know we quickly found the right equipment, you know you can find some of the stuff on Amazon, like everything else.

Brent Pease: A lot of it is just like so much in the disabled, the disability community we get custom chairs actually right here in Georgia and snellville Georgia.

Brent Pease: From a company called eagle sports chairs and then there's another wonderful company in Tacoma Washington called adaptive adaptive star mobility.

Brent Pease: So, most of our adaptive equipment comes from those two companies, and then the bikes come from a company in in winnipeg called freedom concepts so.

Brent Pease: it's a really cool way for us to to teach people with disabilities about not only how to be an endurance athlete but how to do it, like everybody else there's just there's no limitations when it comes to that.

Nadine Vogel: Right. And is your focus children, is it adults, is it kind of all across.

Kyle Pease: um yeah.

Kyle Pease: So we serve all at all ages and all types of disabilities too.

Kyle Pease: We had a child at the age of four to participate.

Kyle Pease: And we had.

Kyle Pease: A gentleman in his 50s to participate in a race. so we accept all ages, all abilities, and ages and abilities to join us.

Nadine Vogel: That that's that's amazing so so kyle if I may how do you manage your CP during a race, I mean, I have to, I have to believe that is above and beyond the things that you need to do to keep yourself going.

Kyle Pease: yeah no absolutely I think the first thing that I had to.

Kyle Pease: manage it.

Kyle Pease: Remain in the moment and.

Kyle Pease: Remember to breathe.

Kyle Pease: We really helped me get though all my spasms you know that, so if I don't breathe my spasms are all over the place i'm really had to the breathing and then focus on.

Kyle Pease: drinking water.

Kyle Pease: Because i'm very bad at drining water.

Norma: And so am I.

Nadine Vogel: Me too.

Kyle Pease: So, So you're going through a race completely going through a race I'm really focus on my.

Kyle Pease: hydration and my nutrition.

Kyle Pease: to make sure that i'm at my best on race day, so I you know I never really been asked that question, so thank you for asking that question.

Kyle Pease: People you know, they need to know that on race day.

Kyle Pease: my cerebral palsy doesn't stop.

Kyle Pease: You know, I maintain but but I never let my disability define, who I am.

Kyle Pease: And I that's very important.

Kyle Pease: And that .

Kyle Pease: Regarless of how my day is going i'm going to go to the starting line with my head held high and.

Kyle Pease: show the world and to motivate my brother.

Nadine Vogel: So with your head held high, tell me where is your head like what is it you have to focus on think about you know to motivate yourself and then we'll talk about motivating brother let's start with you.

Kyle Pease: I you know I I you know I meditate a lot throughout the course of the day and.

Kyle Pease: You know I might say a prayer or I might say something that motivates me to get me over the hurdle, because, there are so many ups and downs in a race.

Kyle Pease: That you really have to experience them and when we're in a low point you have to go there for a second, you have to go to the low, but how do you get yourself.

Kyle Pease: Back on the high what you say, to yourself, so you know I have my motivational quote that I say and um eventually I get back get back on the horse and in focus, on what we do.

Nadine Vogel: Okay, and so that's for you and what do you do to kick your brother in the pants.

Nadine Vogel: And keep him motivated during the race.

Brent Pease: Do you do you guys have an explicit rating on this podcast before he answers that. question.

Nadine Vogel: Nah, nah, go for it.

[laughter.]

Brent Pease: You know what.

Brent Pease: i'll just jump in real quick, I think one of the benefits of being brothers and being such good friends, is that we just both know how the other operates.

Brent Pease: Maybe even think about E-T right that there's this sixth sense of.

Brent Pease: Of of what the other needs and it's usually kyle figuring out what I need and there's times, where there's the calming voice and presence of a.

Brent Pease: loving, caring brother and there's other times, where he cracks the whip and he screams and yells and he pushes and does everything it is to get me going and.

Brent Pease: And you know that's usually in those really tough moments like think about climbing up a hill you know the bike when Kyle and I are on the bike, together with the weight of the bike it's about 365 pounds.

Brent Pease: So imagine pushing.

Brent Pease: 365 pounds up um up the side of a mountain.

Nadine Vogel: I can't imageine.

Brent Pease: It's excruciating we're going four or five miles an hour.

Brent Pease: And in those moments it's screaming and there's some four letter words that come out over and over again.

Brent Pease: But it's it's part of what we both love like we don't come away from those experiences going gosh I don't want to race with you anymore it's.

Brent Pease: Like you are awesome out there, you know you screamed and yelled and then that other time you you basically reached up and told me to you know hold your hand for a second.

Norma: [laughter.]

Brent Pease: It's just, it's just you figure it out and just like everything else.

Brent Pease: in life, especially for people with disabilities, that you figure it out, you know they don't always put the ramp at the front of the building, but you can always find a way to get into that building.

Norma: that's. right.

Nadine Vogel: You know that it, that is for sure you know Norma I both have adult daughters with disabilities, and so we you're speaking our language we totally get it.

Nadine Vogel: Um kyle anything you want to add to that before we go on a quick commercial break.

Kyle Pease: yeah obviouisly we do it differently before we go to commercial you know the cards that we dealt arenot ideal, but you have to play like a winner everyday so regardless of the challenge regardless of the spasms or whatever in may be, but you have to move forward.

Kyle Pease: And focus on the good things in your life and that's what I try to remember.

Kyle Pease: When we're out on the race course together.

Nadine Vogel: All right, well let's take a short commercial break for our listeners do not go anywhere, we are talking with kyle and brent pease and talking about their foundation and norma we'll be right back.

Norma: Okay.

Voiceover: And now it's time for a commercial break.

[COMMERCIAL]
Have you attended a springboard Consulting event? Well, you should, we have the best events and our 2022 events are just under way. Firstly is the Brg Summit happening on Tuesday, April 26th, and then following that is Disability Matters. North America Conference and Awards that's happening Wednesday and Thursday, April, 27 and 28. Both events are being delivered by a live stream. If interested in attending, please visit www.consultspringboard.com for more information.

Voiceover: And now back to our show.

Nadine Vogel: Hello everyone, this is nadine vogel i'm joined by co-host norma Stanley and we're back today to talk with Brent and Kyle Pease.

Nadine Vogel: You know, when we talk about disabled lives matter, I think you guys certainly could be the poster you know brothers.

Nadine Vogel: for for this, because I think that it's important to realize that you know disability is not a cause to support.

Nadine Vogel: That it's a I think kyle you said it earlier, you know it's a part of who you are it doesn't define you.

Nadine Vogel: Right, yes, it makes life more difficult for different things, but you go way beyond.

Nadine Vogel: And when I say way i'm way beyond so i'm wondering, and whoever wants to take this one on for those who maybe have not experienced either be in an iron man or have watched it can one of you share exactly what goes on to compete in an iron man all the components of it.

Kyle Pease: I like.

Kyle Pease: To. It's a 2.4 mile swim.

Kyle Pease: followed by a 112 mile bike.

Kyle Pease: and then followed by a 26.2 marathon.

Kyle Pease: So I do 114 miles 112 mile bike and the 2.4 mile swim.

Norma: So it's like three or four different. Competitive.

Nadine Vogel: Right. Three different events right.

Norma: Okay wow.

Nadine Vogel: and and how long typically does this take you two to complete.

Kyle Pease: So no it could take more than one day.

Kyle Pease: so once it starts. you do not stop until you did it.

Kyle Pease: So normally brent and I take anywhere from 14 and a half to 15 hours.

Norma: Wow.

Nadine Vogel: and and. You know it's not just the day of competition right, I mean I can't even imagine what the training is you do.

Norma: Right.

Nadine Vogel: To prepare for this do you want to give us a little insight into that grueling process.

Brent Pease: yeah so it's I mean look it's a lot um.

Brent Pease: So for an iron man it's you know 20 to 25 hours a week or it's kind of like the big volume which.

Brent Pease: You know doesn't happen till you're in the kind of the final 16 weeks or so, but you know generally i'm training 10 to 16 hours every week non stop you know around the clock year round.

Brent Pease: But that usually 10 to 12 weeks out from a race, we can make sure kyle's involved because, as we talked about earlier.

Brent Pease: it's a demand on his body physically to even though a lot of the physical, even though, when you look at it, it looks like i'm doing all the physical work it's not something kyle's body is acustomed to or even build for.

Brent Pease: And we have to have him ready, because to be out there for that long if you need him to be mentally present if he's not physically able to handle it.

Brent Pease: it's hard to stay in that in that mindset so it's it's a it's a non stop and it's a part time job for both of us, and I, and I.

Brent Pease: I don't say that as a burden, because we're very fortunate that we both work in a world in a in a in a profession that allows us to to serve people with disabilities, but also to serve each other and to be together and do all those things and we're really fortunate in that regard.

Norma: Beautiful.

Nadine Vogel: So brent let me ask. you know.

Nadine Vogel: Having having kyle as a brother, with a disability what has that just on a personal note taught you, has that changed you in in some way either as a husband a parent a brother, you know in any of those roles.

Brent Pease: I mean, I mean it's changed me and all of those roles, I mean, I think it had a profound impact on me as a as a young child.

Brent Pease: And it gave me compassion and patience that still live with me today, and all that I do it certainly helps with kyle and all of the athletes and families that we serve through the Kyle Pease Foundation in all the ways that we try to.

Brent Pease: enrich their life and their experiences and especially in sports, but as a parent and as a husband to be able to.

Brent Pease: step back and be patient and be compassionate instead of thinking solely about my needs are what I you know we all do it it's natural we're taking care of ourselves, but to understand caring for another human like that.

Brent Pease: i'm very blessed and incredibly fortunate that you know, having kyle as a brother gave me so many of those skill sets that I think are somebody would tell you that was if you were asking somebody else would say that you know those are some of the qualities that they admire that I possess.

Nadine Vogel: That's great. Thank you, so if we think about the kyle pease foundation what you know what's your obviously your multiple messages here, but you know what is it.

Nadine Vogel: But let's let's break it up, what is your message to others with a disability and then, what is your message to everyone else, as a result of the Foundation.

Kyle Pease: That that great great question, I think.

Kyle Pease: My message to all of our athletes that we serve. just just.

Kyle Pease: to remember that we all have our unique challenges that we face.

Kyle Pease: When they come to the kyle pease foundation when they come to a race, I really want them to forget about that eventhough it is a part of them. I want to.

Kyle Pease: make them feel comfortable and want them to know it's okay to be yourself, you don't.

Kyle Pease: Have to pretend to be anybody else, just be yourself. I think you know that goes with. you know it goes with inclusion because we fight for inclusion everyday of our lives.

Kyle Pease: To be. To be valued, you know to fell part of. to enrich others and to leave this place better than we saw it yesterday, and I think you know where we do that, then it's guide the winner for ourself.

Nadine Vogel: Right. Thank you. And then, for you know the parents, the family, the other family members siblings anybody who then doesn't have a disability what's your message.

Kyle Pease: To kind of watch us.

Nadine Vogel: [laughter.]

Kyle Pease: It really it, be it be is to.

Kyle Pease: The way that we do life because we do do it differently. but we have a great we have a great time doing it. you.

Kyle Pease: know and then at the very end of the day, we all have one goal and that is to get to the finish line of the race. and I think that we give. I mean, you know that are. that we get by with a little help from our friends.

Kyle Pease: that what we do with the volunteers with. the parents.

Kyle Pease: You know, they don't help, but they do the critical work but brent does the physical work.

Kyle Pease: But I'm with him 100 percent.

Kyle Pease: I think that that's what we had to focus on that, we all need help and some more noticable than others, but we all need help. to reach out goals.

Nadine Vogel: And and I guess it's it's being comfortable asking for the help and then at some point being able to articulate what kind of help you need right because I think that's a process as well.

Nadine Vogel: And and for Brent what would you say what's your message that you know as as the brother of that you want to get out to folks who may be siblings of or parents of individuals with disabilities.

Brent Pease: say what my dad said to one of our first board members and that's that it's going to be okay.

Brent Pease: And I think so many times, you know when you experience that I mean I experienced at a very early age, I mean those are my earliest memories of kyle.

Brent Pease: And it's going to be okay it doesn't mean that it's going to always be easy or that it won't be hard and challenging at times but it's going to be okay.

Brent Pease: And and somebody like kyle or any of the athletes of the kyle pease foundation are living embodiments of that and and what they accomplished every single day of their lives.

Brent Pease: And it's going to be okay.

Nadine Vogel: Thank you. Thank you. and those involved with the foundation um are they from all over the world, all over the country geographically.

Nadine Vogel: How is that spread out.

Kyle Pease: Yeah so most of them are from, mid counties, but we do have people for Texas and Pennsylvania that come down and join us. so we do have a spread all over the country.

Kyle Pease: And everybody's, welcome to join us.

Nadine Vogel: Thaks great. Well, unfortunately, we are out of time, but what I really want to make sure that our listeners our audience knows how to get ahold of you.

Nadine Vogel: So either you know they want to join you in a race, they are disabled athlete and or they want to help fund, they want to fundraise for you guys. How should they get in touch with you.

Brent Pease: website is always a great place kylepeasefoundation.org.

Brent Pease: um. that's a good place to start that will connect you to all our social media channels. um there's a way to join us as a volunteer as an athlete.

Brent Pease: there's a way to sign up for our newsletter great get great updates on everything that we're doing we just sent out our bicycle kits today actually on our newsletter so you can order your sweet kyle piese foundation bike Jersey.

Nadine Vogel: Woo hoo.

Brent Pease: Which is. Very fashion forward with the big white shoulders, like all the cyclists are wearing today.

Nadine Vogel: I like that.

Brent Pease: But yeah I mean I would start with the website because that's got everything every possible different way to follow and or join our team.

Nadine Vogel: Excellent excellent.

Norma: Awesome.

Nadine Vogel: Well guys I can't say enough Thank you so much, I am just delighted to know more about you and what you're doing and share what you're doing with with the world I that's just me I want the world to know what you're doing and how amazing it is so thank you both very much.

Brent Pease: Thank you.

Nadine Vogel: To our listeners, I know you enjoyed this as much as Norma I did, and we look forward to seeing you on another episode of disabled lives matter more than a podcast it's a movement.

Norma: Amen. Be blessed.

Norma: Everybody. We look forward to the next episode.

Nadine Vogel: Bye bye.

Closing comment: [Music playing in background.] Thank you for listening to this week's episode of disabled lives matter. We look forward to seeing you next Thursday. Have a great week!

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