For as long as he can remember, Mario Bonfante has lived for speed — from BMX tracks and motocross jumps to the smooth pavement of road racing. By the time he was sixteen, he had earned his pro card, chasing the dream of becoming one of the best. But in September of 2006, a BMX crash changed everything.

The accident left him paralyzed — but not powerless.

After months in the hospital and years of intense physical therapy in San Diego, Mario refused to let his injury define his limits. He wasn’t just rebuilding his body; he was rebuilding his future.

When racing seemed out of reach, he decided to engineer his way back. With the same creativity and relentless drive that fueled his racing career, Mario taught himself how to design and build his own adaptive hand controls — custom setups that would let him get back behind the wheel. What started in his garage turned into a symbol of what’s possible when passion meets innovation.

Now back in the Bay Area, Mario continues to push boundaries — whether it’s refining his designs, chasing new projects, or inspiring others to redefine what’s possible. For him, life is 5% physical and 95% mental. Tell him he can’t, and he’ll not only prove you wrong — he’ll figure out how to do it better.

This is the story of Mario Bonfante — racer, engineer, and proof that no crash can stop someone who’s built to keep moving forward.

At just 18 years old, Armando Ramirez’s life changed in an instant. What began as an ordinary night ended in tragedy when a drive-by shooting left him fighting for his life. His heart stopped for 12 minutes. Doctors said the odds were slim — but Armando had other plans.

Now living with a T9–T10 spinal cord injury, Armando has defied every expectation. From countless surgeries and rehab at Craig Hospital to rediscovering his love for painting cars and earning his real estate license, he’s proven that resilience runs deeper than muscle.

In this powerful episode, Armando opens up about survival, faith, heartbreak, and the journey of finding purpose after trauma. His story is a reminder that even when life stops your heart, purpose can start it beating again.

In this episode, we sit down with Corey Lee — better known as Pheez. At just 18 years old, Corey joined the Navy on September 6, 2001, only five days before 9/11 changed the world. What he thought would be a four-year enlistment turned into deployments, life-altering experiences, and a path he never expected.

Corey opens up about his time serving and the diving accident that left him paralyzed from the neck down. From that life-changing moment, he embarked on a journey of survival, resilience, and rediscovering purpose. Despite the challenges, he found love after his injury, bought an ADA-accessible home at the age of 24, and is now a proud father of two. Corey is also active in nonprofit organizations advocating for people with disabilities and has built an established music career, with several albums streaming on all platforms.

His story is raw, unfiltered, and full of powerful lessons about facing tragedy head-on, thriving beyond it, and redefining what it means to live a meaningful life.

Note for listeners: There are a few parts of the conversation with poor audio quality that couldn’t be fully fixed in post-production. We decided to keep them in because Corey’s story is too important not to share. Thank you for your understanding as you listen to this moving and impactful episode.