The Blind Chick

By: Aftersight
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  • Summary

  • Welcome to "The Blind Chick," where hosts Penn and Moses Street navigate the world of vision loss with humor, heart, and resilience. Penn, who began her journey into vision loss at the age of nine, is joined weekly by amazing members of the blind community sharing stories of hope, love, and triumph. Conversations range from informative insights to tales of denial and grief, forming a supportive community. Join us to discover that life doesn't end with vision loss; it's an opportunity to thrive. Subscribe now for a podcast that goes beyond challenges to showcase the vibrant and resilient lives led by "The Blind Chick" community. It's time to embrace life, laugh, and learn that there is indeed life "AFTER sight." This service is made possible by generous donations. Consider supporting us at www.aftersight.org to help keep these resources free. Aftersight also provides free white canes, support groups, and more, all thanks to contributions from our community.
    2021
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Social Sciences
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Episodes
  • Locked, Loaded, and Listening: Hunting, Healing, and Hearing Loss with Darren Zenger

    Locked, Loaded, and Listening: Hunting, Healing, and Hearing Loss with Darren Zenger
    Apr 24 2025
    In this episode of The Blind Chick, hosts Penn and Moses sit down with therapist and avid hunter Darren Zenger for a powerful, raw, and deeply insightful conversation. Darren shares his journey of vision and hearing loss, recovery through the 12-step program, and how he rediscovered his love for the outdoors and hunting using adaptive tech and strong community support.
    The conversation dives into trauma, addiction, neuroplasticity, and the importance of family systems in healing. Darren's story reveals how blindness and deafness don’t limit one's identity—they demand innovation, patience, and community. Plus, you won’t want to miss the story of how Darren bagged a deer at over 500 yards using adaptive hunting gear.

    ⏱️ Chapter Markers
    00:00 – Welcome to The Blind Chick
    00:28 – Meet Darren Zenger: Therapist, hunter, and mental health advocate
    01:45 – The link between trauma and addiction
    02:50 – Vision loss and its role in addiction risk
    04:10 – Medications and treatments for curbing addiction
    05:15 – The importance of mental health in recovery
    06:00 – Brain spotting, neuroplasticity, and healing the unseen
    09:45 – The blind brain: how sensory loss rewires neural activity
    11:20 – Family systems and community in recovery
    12:15 – The opposite of addiction is connection
    13:30 – Everyday trauma in the blind community
    14:10 – Can blind people hunt? (Short answer: YES!)
    16:00 – Adaptive hunting: crossbows, scopes, and 5-inch monitors
    18:50 – Taking the shot: a 525-yard success
    21:15 – Hunting as healing and connection
    23:40 – Final thoughts: resilience, community, and not letting blindness define you
    25:35 – Closing remarks: Be kind to yourself—and someone else

    📞 Contact Info
    Website: aftersight.org
    Email: feedback@aftersight.org
    Phone: (720) 712-8856
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    27 mins
  • Healing Beyond Words: Trauma, Sobriety, and Brain-spotting with Darran Zenger

    Healing Beyond Words: Trauma, Sobriety, and Brain-spotting with Darran Zenger
    Apr 17 2025
    In this powerful and heartfelt episode of The Blind Chick, hosts Penn and Moses Street sit down with Darran Zenger, a licensed clinical social worker at Cirque Lodge in Utah. Darran shares his personal journey with Usher Syndrome, his experience with cochlear implants, and how his own life challenges led him to become a trauma-informed addiction counselor. He introduces us to brainspotting, a groundbreaking therapeutic approach rooted in EMDR, and explains how it helps clients unlock stored trauma in the nervous system. This episode is a deep dive into resilience, recovery, and redefining life after trauma.

    ⏱️ Chapter Markers:
    00:00 – Welcome to The Blind Chick
    00:28 – Meet the hosts + Moses’s “muse” confession
    01:30 – Intro to guest Darran Zenger
    02:36 – Darran’s background and where he’s from
    05:01 – Living with Usher Syndrome and hearing loss
    07:20 – Public school with accessibility support
    09:19 – Becoming a stay-at-home dad & finding his calling
    10:37 – Fear, faith & the journey to cochlear implant
    12:44 – Music, retraining the brain & the power of sound
    15:10 – Adjusting to dual cochlear implants
    17:38 – Discovering social work & substance use counseling
    20:00 – Working at the Moran Eye Center
    22:02 – Brainspotting: What it is and how it works
    24:27 – Real stories of healing through brainspotting
    27:00 – The miracle moments of trauma therapy
    29:00 – Closing thoughts & feedback invitation

    📞 Contact Info:
    Email us: feedback@aftersight.org
    Call us: (720) 712-8856
    Website: aftersight.org
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    27 mins
  • If You Can Do It, Do It – Part Two with Steven Vine

    If You Can Do It, Do It – Part Two with Steven Vine
    Apr 10 2025
    In Part Two of this powerful and heartfelt interview, The Blind Chick welcomes back Canadian disability advocate and podcaster Steven Vine, host of Disability Diaries. This episode dives deeper into Steven’s journey navigating life with blindness, a prosthetic leg, chronic pain, and a passion for podcasting.
    Steven shares how self-teaching and mentorship helped him master his smartphone, the critical role that asking for help has played in his life, and why he transitioned from being an individual in need of advocacy to becoming an advocate himself. He offers a glimpse into the Canadian disability landscape and challenges both able-bodied individuals and the disability community to stop underestimating what is possible.
    Steven’s words—“If you can do it, do it”—echo throughout this episode as a rallying cry to push past limitations and find purpose through adversity. His humor, sincerity, and resilience shine as he talks podcasting, politics, and the power of community.

    Chapter Markers:
    00:00 – Opening and Welcome Back to Steven Vine
    00:42 – Learning Technology as a Blind Person
    02:20 – The Power of Asking for Help
    03:15 – Living with Chronic Pain and Wheelchair Use
    04:37 – Positivity, Potential, and the Birth of His Podcast
    06:58 – Becoming a Podcaster: Purpose and Passion
    09:18 – Building a Show that Advocates and Educates
    11:31 – Featuring Diverse Guests from Politicians to Artists
    13:53 – The Shift from Needing an Advocate to Being One
    16:16 – Empowering the Disability Community from Within
    18:30 – Where to Find Steven Vine and His Podcast
    20:42 – Clarifying Canadian-American Relations and Booing at Hockey Games
    22:46 – Focusing on What You Can Control
    24:00 – Final Thoughts from Steven Vine
    25:00 – Closing Remarks and Listener Call to Action

    Where to Find Steven Vine:
    Podcast: Disability Diaries with Steven Vine (available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Buzzsprout, and more)
    Facebook: Disability Diaries with Steven Vine
    Email: sgv44isback@gmail.com
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    27 mins
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Profile Image for Matthew Kissane

Inspirational!

Man, this is good. The hosts really engage with their guests. Penn Street really knows the people of the low-vision/blind community and presents us with very inspirational life stories. You do not have to have vision impairment to be inspired by these interview guests.

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