Nathan Gutierrez · 47 min
Born with spina bifida, surviving kidney failure, and rebuilding from dialysis, Nathan Gutierrez turned a life of compounding adversity into a mission to close the support gap for people with physical disabilities.
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Nathan Gutierrez was born with spina bifida, a condition that meant he would live his life in a wheelchair. His mother had other ideas about what that would look like. She made him army crawl up fourteen stairs every night to get to his bedroom, building independence through sheer force of will. It felt like climbing Mount Everest. Looking back, Nathan is grateful for it.
By second grade, Nathan was fully mainstreamed into regular school, where his peers treated him as just Nathan, not as the boy in the wheelchair. He played wheelchair basketball with the Rolling Chariots, a team of adults who became his first friends with disabilities and taught him how to live. He ran for student body spokesperson in seventh grade with a campaign built around the spokes on his wheelchair and won. He debated in high school. He was good at arguing.
Then, just as he was starting university, his kidneys began to fail. For three years, he was on dialysis three hours a day, three days a week, fighting his insurance company while trying to complete a degree. The life he had imagined, becoming a tall basketball player people would respect, fell away the moment he got sick. When survival becomes the only priority, other dreams stop mattering. A new protocol at Cedars-Sinai and a living kidney donation from his father saved his life in 2009.
Nathan went on to direct a youth sports league for kids with disabilities, oversee California's first universally accessible baseball field, and work for county and city government on disability employment initiatives. He spoke at the White House. But it was a blind communications professor named Dr. Chuck Wall who asked him the question that changed everything: have you considered professional speaking? Nathan launched Wheel Life Enterprises to fill the support gap for people with physical disabilities that he wished had existed for him growing up. He still has days where he is depressed and unsure. He is transparent about that because he believes you can help another person even when you don't have everything figured out yourself.
“even though you have major challenges in life with the right people supporting you and the right mindset you can achieve anything you want to achieve”
“you really need that community that support you it's hard to do things alone believe me I've tried”
“people with physical disabilities are I think underrepresented when it comes to receiving help”
The hero, today
Nathan's parents' tough love, especially his mother insisting he climb the stairs to build character, shaped his independence and determination in ways he's grateful for now, even though it felt hard at the time. When Nathan faced kidney failure in college, his childhood obsession with being a tall basketball player to earn respect collapsed, and that loss forced him to recalibrate what mattered: survival first, identity second. Nathan credits Dr. Chuck Wall, a blind professor who mentored him in college, with asking the question that shifted his whole direction: have you ever considered professional speaking as a career? Nathan says he's not trying to be inspirational or a spectacle; he's just living his life, and if people get something from witnessing that, he's willing to show up and share because it might reach someone who needs it. Nathan built his coaching business specifically to support people with physical disabilities because he sees them as underrepresented in funding and resources, and he wants to fill the gap that he wishes had existed for him growing up. Nathan still has days where he's depressed, sad, and unsure of himself, and he's transparent about that struggle because he believes you can help another person even when you don't have everything figured out yourself.
Yes. Nathan Gutierrez is a real person who shared their own story in their own words. Kintsugi Heroes is a not-for-profit that shares first-person stories of overcoming adversity, told with the person's consent.
Kintsugi Heroes, a registered Australian not-for-profit. Every story is shared with the hero's own consent and reviewed under Kintsugi Heroes' trauma-informed content standard before it goes public.
Nathan's parents' tough love, especially his mother insisting he climb the stairs to build character, shaped his independence and determination in ways he's grateful for now, even though it felt hard at the time.
When Nathan faced kidney failure in college, his childhood obsession with being a tall basketball player to earn respect collapsed, and that loss forced him to recalibrate what mattered: survival first, identity second.
Nathan credits Dr. Chuck Wall, a blind professor who mentored him in college, with asking the question that shifted his whole direction: have you ever considered professional speaking as a career?
Aveline Clark (Host) · 00:07
Welcome to the Kintsugi Heroes podcast, where we share inspirational stories of everyday people going through different challenges and how they overcome them. Please be aware that the story you're about to hear may have moments of deeply felt emotions and personal experiences. If anything you hear has a triggering effect, please reach out to someone who can help keep you safe. If you love this conversation, we'd love you to like and share it with your friends so we can continue to share more inspiration and hope to as many people as possible. Now listen up for our next hero story. This conversation is with Nathan Gutierrez. Nathan is a fighter. He's just filled with such spirit and strength, and his story is one that we can all take something from because there's not many of us who have had to spend our lives in a wheelchair. He was born with spina bifida. He talks of the challenges that that brought to him as a child in school. He shares this story that's really strong where his father really made him learn what it meant to overcome his disability. He talks about, you know, when his kidney failed, uh, going into treatments and having a kidney transplant and beyond, and how he's rebuilt or built his life around his disability and how he just goes from strength to strength. He's a 2x TEDx speaker, just a beautiful soul, beautiful human, and I was really grateful to have spent time with him, and I know you're going to enjoy this conversation with Nathan. Well, here we are. It's another episode of Kintsugi Heroes. Welcome! I am here today with Nathan Gutierrez. Nathan, welcome. Thank you for joining me. And have I pronounced your surname correctly?
Nathan Gutierriez (Guest) · 02:09
Thank you for having me. And yes, yes, you did.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 02:12
Yay! It's lovely to have you. Thank you for coming along and being so willing to share your story. I really appreciate it. I know it's not easy to share stories, and I like to honor every guest when they come, they come on just to thank them for taking the time, for giving of themselves and their story and, and going to that place that might not have been that easy. Uh, definitely probably wasn't easy, and it takes a lot of courage and vulnerability to go there. So I just want to honor you for that and thank you for giving of your story so that you can give inspiration and hope to other people.
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Nathan says he's not trying to be inspirational or a spectacle; he's just living his life, and if people get something from witnessing that, he's willing to show up and share because it might reach someone who needs it.
This conversation includes born with spina bifida, fourteen stairs every night, mainstream school and real friendships, the wheelchair joke that won an election, kidney failure at the edge of adulthood and the abo incompatible transplant.
Nathan Gutierriez (Guest) · 02:45
Absolutely. Thank you for having me.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 02:48
Well, let's, let's get started, shall we? Um, I'm gonna literally hand the mic over to you and ask you to take us back, like take us to the beginning and tell us about your story and where does that begin?
Nathan Gutierriez (Guest) · 03:01
Um, so I'm almost 40 years old. Um, I was born to two very loving, very supportive parents. I'm the first of two children. I have a younger sister, Tyanne. She's 3 years younger than me. I was born with a physical disability called spina bifida. And I'm not sure if you're familiar with it. I'm not sure if you're familiar or your listeners are familiar with it. But basically what it is, I was born with a hole in my back, in my spine, and at the L1 level in my case. There are 3 different types of spina bifida. I won't go into all the specific details, but mine is considered the most severe. And that is because I'm in a wheelchair full-time. I have no feeling past about the mid-thigh level. The spinal area where the injury is located is at L1, lumbar 1. And so there are people— the reason why I say that it's the most severe is because there are people walking around today. You may have encountered one at some point in your life without even realizing it who have spina bifida and they don't even know it. In fact, I met a couple of people in my life who didn't know that they had it, a form of it, until they went to their doctor and just got an annual physical exam. And there was a spot on their X-ray, and it turns out they had a very mild form. But when you meet me, I'm in a chair, and it's very obvious. But you know what? I've never let it stop me. And my parents have always been very supportive and ensuring that I would be as independent as possible. Growing up, I had house chores like any other child. There are certain things I couldn't do. Mowing the lawn, you know, that's a perfect example. Not that we didn't try though. My dad did try and hook the dog leash up to the lawn mower. Didn't quite work out, but that's okay. But we did, we did, you know, I did do what I could do, or I, let me rephrase that, I did what I was capable of doing. And, you know, and that's really the reason why I'm here today is because of the the tough parenting that I had, the tough, the tough love, but the very supportive love as well. So growing up, you know, it was pretty typical for the most part, with the exception of going to doctor's appointments frequently just to check on my health, make sure everything was okay. I went to physical therapy when I was a child just to keep my strength up. And, you know, I didn't like it. You know, it was one of those things that I had to do just to keep me healthy. Keep me independent. But looking back, I think it was probably one of those things that was necessary. So I was born in Los Angeles, California, here in the U.S. When I was about 5, we moved up north a couple of hours just to a smaller community, just safer. And families are moving to, you know, raise their families. And for some reason, my dad decided he wanted to move into a 2-story home. It was a single family home. And of course my bedroom, like all of, uh, like my parents and my sister, it was upstairs, unfortunately. And so what did my mom do? She made me army crawl those stairs every night. And let me tell you, it was like I might as well have climbed Mount Everest because that's how it felt every night. And, uh, and I can tell you to this day, there were 14 stairs on that staircase. And I knew that. Because for 4 years I counted every one of those stairs. So let me tell you, when I, when I got in trouble for talking back to my mom as a child, it was double punishment because then I had to climb the stairs just to go to my room. So it's okay. You know, looking back, it built a lot of character, but at the time it was not pleasant. Uh, in fact, and I know if my mom were to watch this, she may not like this part, uh, because we have talked about it, but I called her the, the general or the drill sergeant because that's what she was. And nothing, you know, nothing in a mean way or anything, but it was in a way to make me independent because she saw that potential I had in me. Uh, my dad, on the other hand, when I was, you know, that age, little, uh, he would feel sorry for me and he'd carry me up the stairs and my mom would get mad at him and say, you know, Nathan needs to be independent and it's tough to watch. It's tough for him to go through, but it's going to build character and he's going to be better off for it. And she was right. But, you know, when you're 7, 8 years old climbing stairs, army crawling, it's not the easiest or most fun thing in the world. But looking back, I'm grateful that I had that opportunity. But anyway, I was in special education until 7th or 2nd grade, really 1st grade. So it was like half day for mainstream education and half day special education. By 2nd grade, I was fully mainstreamed into regular education. I had pretty good friends at my first school, my mainstream school. In fact, many of them I'm still friends with today. And they always treated me as just one of the other kids. I was Nathan. I was not the boy in the wheelchair, you know, the weird kid that nobody wanted to talk to or anything like that. I was just one of their friends. And that's something that even today at this age, I always carry with me and I appreciate because I think that really was instrumental in my development socially and that I had friends who liked me and who accepted me for who I was, disability and all. So my education was pretty normal going through school, through grade school. Got to junior high, it was a little tougher because at that point, that's when you start going to different classes for different subjects. And so traversing through the hallways with all of these kids trying to get to class in 5, 6 minutes, that was a tougher challenge because kids, you know, they don't always look around, they don't acknowledge their surroundings. So I'd run into kids every once in a while, but after a little while they knew to look out for me, otherwise they were going to have some injuries to their shins. Um, academically, you know, junior high was when it got tough. Uh, I really, I struggled a lot academically, and I think a lot of it had to do with the social struggles that I had because not only was I no longer Nathan, you know, that a lot of the kids knew in elementary school, but now I was the kid in the wheelchair that at least half the school didn't know because there were kids coming in from all different schools. That freshman year, I decided that I wanted to do a little something different because I wanted to get to know people and I wanted to try and be a little more social just to get out there a little bit more. So what I did is I ran for ASB, which is the Associated Student Body office. And so there was a position called the publicity spokesperson or, yeah, spokesperson. And I thought, well, spokes, I'm in a wheelchair, I have spokes on my wheels. That works great. And so for my campaign, my mom drew a little wheelchair and I had a couple of friends who were on my campaign committee and And it really worked out. I was the chairperson, and I was elected, and it was really cool at the time because not only was I the only 7th grader on the board, I was also the only 7th grade boy on the board. So it was me and a bunch of 8th grade girls, and for a teenage boy, that's pretty exciting. So I was really thrilled about that, and I'm still friends with a few of those girls as of today. So Really, really good experience. Again, you know, I struggled academically. It was, it was probably the toughest time for me in the classroom during that time. Junior high is a very strange time in a teenager's life. So needless to say, I was very glad to get out of there and go to high school because I thought, all right, high school is a new beginning. That's when things are going to change. Well, I got to high school and it was just a bigger campus, still going to different classes. Still struggled a lot, unfortunately. My freshman year, I decided that I wanted to get involved in athletics in some kind of way because I've always been real sporty growing up. I always watched the LA Lakers. My dad was a big fan. Basketball was always a big part of my life. I guess I should mention that when we moved to my hometown, a few of my first friends were in wheelchairs and they were all adults.. And they were called the Rolling Chariots, and it was a sports team. So it was a bunch of adults and then me. And so I joined them when I was about 6, so I've known them most of my life. And it was a co-ed team. It was mostly men, but there were a couple of women on the team too. And they were really the first friends that I had in my hometown, definitely the first friends with disabilities as well. And so they taught me from 6 years old on how to grow up with a disability. In fact, a couple of them were brave enough and maybe not smart enough, but brave enough to let me go into their car when I was learning how to drive in high school. And to this day, they don't even want to drive with me. 20, 20-plus years later, I'm a good driver and they still don't want to get in the car. But so that was a story in my high school years. It was fun and I really appreciated it. But I played wheelchair basketball with them for years. So when I got into high school, I thought, well, I can't join the team, but what if I was a student manager? So my freshman year I was the varsity boys manager. It was a lot of fun. I got to hang out with the guys, with the coaches, learned a lot. I felt included. But I was only able to do that for that first year just because I needed to keep up with schoolwork. I was determined to do better than I had in junior high, but it was, it was a real struggle and I had to work for everything that I had. Um, but I also had a lazy streak and I also was trying to have a social life. So again, as you know, high school is a very awkward time of life. Uh, I also tried debate in high school. It turns out I was pretty good at it. I got a lot of practice arguing with my mom growing up. Uh, because I could never, I could never run away or I could never do the typical things that teenagers do by going out and partying because I didn't have that mobility. I didn't have friends with cars or I didn't have a car when I was in high school when I was of age. So I'd argue a lot and turns out I was, I was pretty decent except I never wanted to argue with my mom. And, uh, as of today, I don't think I've won an argument with my mom. So, you know, needless to say, uh, I tried. Um, but it turns out I was pretty good in debates, so I really enjoyed that in high school. Um, my sophomore year, I actually became the first, and maybe to this day only, um, basketball manager for the girls' team. And again, it kind of goes back to teenage boy hanging out with a bunch of girls. Pretty exciting stuff. Um, again, I was doing debate later on in high school. Uh, after I graduated, I went into junior college. And to, I guess, date myself, um, 2 weeks into college was when 9/11 happened here in the US. And of course, that was a very tough time, um, for the United States and for the world. But, uh, anyway, just to give you a time reference. College was a little bit better just because I, you know, we were all adults by that point. I met a bunch of new people. Professors were nice to me. I was a student assistant in the athletics department, the athletic marketing department. That was a lot of fun for me. Again, trying to stay involved with sports. You know, I wasn't playing that much anymore, wheelchair basketball, just simply because I didn't have the time, but I wanted to stay involved in athletics somehow. So I thought athletic marketing at college level would be great. And I really thought that's where my career was going to take me once I got my degree. That I, I wanted to do marketing, sponsorships, administration, something like that. That was my goal. So I was on the Lifetime Plan in, in junior college. You know, they always say it's a 2-year school, but I decided to go much longer than that. Just simply because I, I again, wasn't applying myself as much as I could have been. And looking back, if I could go back, I'd change a lot. But I'm very happy that I met the people that I did. One of the professors I met in the junior college was a professor named Dr. Chuck Wall. Unfortunately, he passed a couple of years ago. But he was a communications professor. And he had spoken all over the world. He had spoken to the Pope. He had worked for, uh, one of the presidents of the United States. I can't remember which one. Uh, he had spoken on the Oprah Winfrey Show. I mean, he was world-renowned. And what he was really known for was the kindness movement. And he had a quote that said, "Today I will commit one random act of senseless kindness. Will you?" And, uh, a lot of people around the world actually heard about this. This was in the early '90s, long before I was in college. But, um, the other remarkable thing about this professor was that he was blind. He had an eye condition that blinded him, uh, when he was, um, I think he was 18 or 19 when he went blind. And, uh, he was the first student to go— actually, no, I think it was several years before that that he went blind.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 16:37
Maybe.
Nathan Gutierriez (Guest) · 16:38
Anyway, I honestly don't remember the details on that, but he had been the first blind student at this junior college that I attended, and then he became a professor. So I met him pretty early on. He would stay after school, after class to meet with me, to talk with me, to encourage me. I think he knew that I needed that. Um, he was one of the best mentors I'd ever had in my life up to today even. And, um, he just really inspired me and encouraged me to go after what I wanted. He asked me what I wanted to do. I told him sports, that was my thing. And he had asked me, well, have you ever considered speaking for a career as a professional speaker? And he told me about his career. And I thought, you know, I never considered that. And he said, well, you know, you're in my class now, just think about it. So I did. And let me tell you, when I graduated or when I left that class, I got a B in that class. And I thought, oh. I don't know if that was intentional because he wanted me to continue to progress, but I, I really thought I should have had an A, but that's okay. I still think about that D sometimes, that there's always room for improvement. But Dr. Wall was really the person who pushed me as a young adult to move into that speaking and coaching realm that I'm, I'm moving towards today. Right as I was moving over into the university, I had probably the biggest challenge in my life. Uh, and that was, I remember vividly waking up for a period of about 2 weeks. My body just didn't feel right. I was just perpetually sick. Um, I'd sleep 10, 12 hours a night, which I suppose for teenagers, pretty normal. Uh, but when I woke up, I'd immediately get sick, even if I hadn't eaten anything. And this went on for about 2 weeks. Uh, still living at home. And my mom said, look, I know you're an adult, but there's something wrong with you and we need to take you to the hospital. And she did, luckily. And it saved my life because I found out about a week later that I was in renal failure or kidney failure. And it was not a mild kidney failure. By that time, my kidneys were severely damaged, I guess you could say. And we never really knew specifically what caused it other than it had something to do with my disability. We always knew that one kidney worked at about 50 or 75%. The other one worked at about 25%. And by this time they were both under, well under 20%. So when I got this news, I called my dad who lived and worked in L.A. My parents divorced when I was 9, and so it had been a number of years by that time, about 10 years or so, maybe a little longer. And, um, he came up and got me, and that led me on a 3-year journey of being on dialysis 3 days a week for 3 hours a day. And, um, I did that while going to school full-time. Did that for about a year and a half, and then I almost passed out on the university campus one time. Was going across campus one day, and I had a meeting with a couple of my professors, and I said, look, I I can't keep doing this for my health. And they said, you know, you need to take care of yourself. So leave, do whatever you need to do to get healthy again, come back, get your degree and just move on with your life. But your health is the number one priority. I was devastated because I really had worked hard, I think, up to that point, especially at the university level in trying to obtain my degree. So I did. I left for about a year and a half. I was on dialysis again, 3 hours a day, 3 days a week. And during this time, I had to fight my insurance because they wanted to do a specific kind of transplant. And I, during that time, I'd done a lot of research. I had a couple of local news stories done on me, and Google Alerts were a big thing back then. They still are today, but it was a new thing back then. And it turns out a mother-daughter a mother and daughter, I should say, up from the San Francisco Bay Area. They got a Google alert about me and that we were going to have a fundraiser to help me help my family get some bills paid while I was going through treatment, trying to find a solution with respect to transplant. So they called us and they said, hey, you need to get over to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. I wasn't at Cedars-Sinai at the time. I was at another transplant center. And they had said that there's a new program at Cedars and it was called the ABO, the letters which are also the blood types. It was an ABO blood incompatible kidney transplant program at Cedars, and it was pretty, pretty new, but it was very successful. And the doctor there, Dr. Stanley Jordan, had created the Cedars protocol and they had a 98% plus success rate. With this protocol. And so I won't go into all the details, but basically what the ABO incompatible transplant program is all about is that in a regular transplant, you have to have blood compatible blood types. I'm, I'm O, so I can be— I'm the universal donor, so I can give to anybody, but I can only get O in return. So that makes it much more challenging. But with this program at Cedars, it was a pre-transplant protocol involving IV therapies and things like that. But it would allow me to accept a kidney from any type of blood. And so after 3 years of fighting it with insurance, they finally got me over to Cedars and I was the first person from this insurance to be transplanted at Cedars-Sinai. And from what I was told, I was the 16th person in Cedars history. And again, I don't have anything to verify this, but they also said I'm one of the top or one of the first 100 in United States history to have this type of transplant done. This was back in 2009. My dad was actually my living kidney donor. And so he got healthy. He was smoking. And so he had to quit in order to make this work. And he did. And as of today, he still doesn't smoke. Gave me my transplant in March of 2009. So we're coming up on almost 14 years and it saved my life. Sorry for the interruption. This is Ian Westmoreland, the founder of Katsuki Heroes, and thank you for listening to this story from one of our amazing heroes. Our mission is for these stories to provide hope and inspiration to people experiencing life challenges and to also educate the broader community on how best to provide support. If you would like to help us to continue to produce more hero stories and cover more diversity themes, we would welcome all donations. These can be made via our website, kintsugiheroes.com.au. The donate function is at the bottom of the home page. We'd also welcome any feedback. You can email me direct using ian@kintsugiheroes.com.au. Now let's get back to the story. So a few months after that, you know, I recovered and I went back to school. And 9 years after this whole journey began, I went back and I, I graduated my degree in business. Shortly after that, I was just looking for a volunteer opportunity to, you know, help people. And it turns out that I had a conversation with an old neighbor of mine who was a physical therapist. He had his own company and And he said, hey, I have a nonprofit organization called the League of Dreams. And what it is, it's a youth sports league for kids with special needs. Would you like to come in and be the director of the program? And so at 27 years old, you know, I was a little bit older for a college grad, but that was my first job after I graduated. So I was the director for about a year and a half. During that time, I expanded the league from about 60 participants to over 100. During that time, I also oversaw a project to build the very first universally accessible baseball field in California, or one of the first. It was a small field, it was about the size of a T-ball field, but it was very exciting because that had never been done in my hometown. Again, it was one of the first in the state. After that, I had some medical issues coming up, nothing related to my kidney or anything. That was all fine, but something I had to take care of. And so I actually had to quit that job, which was unfortunate. I had other responsibilities with the for-profit side of the company too, marketing and things like that. But so it was a lot. But I left. I had to, unfortunately. I had to deal with this health thing for about a year and a half. So it was a while. Once that was taken care of, thankfully, I was hired with the county government where I live, and I was a business services specialist in the healthcare industry where I helped hospitals and doctors' offices find staffing. It was basically staffing. From there, I was also an instructor on— instructor for people who were older adults who had been unemployed for a long time. So I was teaching them about resumes and and helping them find employment. That was very, very successful. And then I was moved up to an analyst position where I oversaw budgets for high school programs who were helping youth who had dropped out of school for one reason or another. We're trying to get them back into school so they can graduate, get good jobs, and so forth. And I think the crowning achievement in that job was we had an issue, a challenge that was issued by the United States Department of Labor. And they said, hey, we want you to put a program together to help people with disabilities, you know, help them become employed. So that was right up my alley. So the director of the department put me in charge and they said, put a team together, even of people in supervisory positions who were, you know, above me. And we were one of 14 teams in the United States to be recognized by the Department of Labor. We flew out to Washington, D.C., to the White House, and I was appointed as the spokesperson for our team. So I got to speak with Department of Labor officials. That was really awesome. I'd never been out there before, so that was exciting. And then after that, I ended up getting a job with the city government, same, same community. And, you know, I still work with them today and I work on a bunch of initiatives. So I was working on stuff with the pandemic and with ADA access, Americans with Disabilities activities, things like that, a bunch of other things too. And then just a couple of other things that I've done. I've done two TEDx talks, not the TED, but the X stands for the local version of TED. And so every city can have one. So I've done two. One of them you can still find online on YouTube. Not sure where the other one went. I don't think they ever recorded it, unfortunately. So those were, those are pretty exciting to do. The first one, the one that was not recorded, I wish it was, I actually got to do with my old college professor, the one I was telling you about earlier. And there's no record of it. And I'm really bummed about it because that was the one and only time we ever got to speak at the same event. And, but he did get to see me and that That was awesome. Um, you know, ever since then I've decided I wanted to go into professional speaking. Um, I've been trained by one of the top million-dollar earning, uh, professional speakers in the world, and, uh, I'm now certified, uh, as a corporate speaker, and I'm just looking to launch my speaking career and, and do some life and success coaching. Um, and then I started my own business, or I'm in the process of starting my own business. Called Wheel Life Enterprises, and that's wheel as in a wheelchair. So I really want to help people with disabilities figure out how they can become more independent, even if they've never, you know, moved in that direction or even if they don't know how. So I know that's a lot to digest, but that's pretty much my story. And, you know, I really hope people take something positive away from that. That even though you have major challenges in life, with the right people supporting you and the right mindset, you can achieve anything you want to achieve.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 29:34
Well, thank you so much, Nathan. Uh, it's really inspiring, really truly is. And you know, I wish you could find that recording of that, that talk you did with your former professor too. I could only imagine how beautiful that would be to have that as a keepsake and It feels, sounds to me that you, he planted the seed in you all those years ago. And like you said, you're now taking those steps to becoming that professional speaker and bringing your voice to the world in a way that helps others even more.
Nathan Gutierriez (Guest) · 30:09
Absolutely. You know, I've, I've had a lot of parental support. I've had a lot of family and friends support, and I know that's not the case for other people. You know, I, I don't want to say it's uncommon, but I don't think it's as common as it should be. And, you know, in this, in this, in this thing we call life, we're all just trying to figure it out. There's no instruction guide on how to do it. Regardless of what some people may say, that they're the experts on everything in life. They're really not. We're all taking it day by day. You know, something new comes up. But I really want to take the experiences that I've had and I really want to help other people, again, specifically those people with spina bifida, spinal cord injuries, and any kind of physical disability, because those are the ones who— they have the potential, they just don't know how or where to start. And oftentimes it really starts with their family and their friends. So if I can be that person to really provide that assistance to them, uh, you know, I, I want to do what I can to help because they— everybody has something to contribute to the world whether or not they think they do.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 31:22
I couldn't agree more with you on that, Nathan. I'm wondering if you were to look back on the journey, um, probably to your childhood, was there an event or a person or group of people that was kind of like the, maybe a turning point or the, the, the thing, the catalyst that showed you the way through or helped pull you through? Was there something?
Nathan Gutierriez (Guest) · 31:50
Yeah, well, I, I, I don't think I can narrow it down to one, but I think there were several. You know, number one, living in that two-story house when I was 6, 7 years old. Climbing up that Mount Everest of 14 stairs. I think that was the beginning of building character for me. Um, you know, another one was definitely when I got sick in college. That was not easy. And you know, the funny thing about that was that before that day I got sick, the biggest concern or worry for me was I want to be a tall basketball player who could dunk. Because I thought that's how people will like me. That's how people will respect me. Uh, that's, that's what the girls like, you know, they want a tall big guy. And I just, I was never going to become that. And it frustrated me because I thought if, if I didn't have that, that physical stature, who was I? You know, what was I? I was nothing, right? Or I didn't feel like I was. But the moment I got sick with a life-threatening kidney disease, that went out the window. That went out the window quickly because I realized if I don't take care of my health and if I don't deal with this, there's not going to be a life at all. And, you know, I can't tell you how close to death I was, but I was very sick and You know, I think about that often. You know, today I don't do everything right. My priorities are much more clear. In fact, when I was 31 years old, I'm a Christian and I respect those who have different beliefs. So it's not, you know, I'm not pushing that on anybody. But at 31, I went back to church. It was really the first time I'd gone to church as an adult. You know, I tried different churches in my family when I was little. Um, but at 31, I met some people, met some friends, and I told them, I said, look, I, I had bad experiences at church with other people before. I'll come to your church one time, and if I don't like it, I'm done, and you're never going to see me here again. Well, that was what, almost 9 years ago, and I'm still going to that church. And, um, you know, Jesus never said follow another Christian. He said follow me. That's what I'm trying to do. So it really, it renewed the strength that I'd always had, but it wasn't the strength within me. You know, it was, it was a strength that I got from my beliefs in Jesus Christ. And, um, again, if you're listening and you disagree, I, I totally respect that. Um, again, I'm not trying to convert anybody here. I'm just telling you what has really helped me. And so to have a foundation of faith in whatever and having that support of family, friends, community, that's where it starts. And it's not easy. You know, a lot of people without knowing the story that I told you, and again, I told a very broad story. I didn't give all the details, but people who don't know that story think that I've just had it easy and things have come to me and That's not even close to the truth. It's taken a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, and sometimes literal.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 35:14
I love the way you have such a clear articulation of the journey, the challenges, what you've learned, also what's grounded you and kept you going, kept you strong, and having that faith. I think it's really important for all of us to have some kind of faith. You've got to have a belief in yourself. Especially when you go through these events that literally are, uh, are life-critical, you know, and, and life-changing. You've got to get through. Uh, many people, of course, have fallen into depressions, dark places, and without the faith, without the support, it's, it's very difficult to get through.
Nathan Gutierriez (Guest) · 35:56
Absolutely. And you know what? I still have days where I'm depressed, where I'm sad, where I'm unsure of myself, or I'm unclear of my direction. And, you know, you ask my family and friends, they'll tell you. I mean, that's the truth. It is. You know, just because you have faith doesn't mean that everything is peachy and happy all the time. It's not. It's— it helps you bounce back faster. But my life is nowhere near perfect. But if I can help people, even through my struggle, my daily struggle, you know, that it makes it worth it. I think a lot of people think that if they see a speaker on stage or a coach that they're working with or a celebrity on TV, even the nicest ones that we all know, you know, know, love, and cherish, they have bad days too. You may not see it because social media and television and It's all polished, but believe me, they have bad days too. Um, but I feel that being transparent and saying, hey, you know, I'm struggling today, that doesn't mean that I can't help you, you know, help another individual because I have it all figured out, because I don't. But what I can share is maybe I don't understand your struggle specifically, but I understand struggle. And here's what I've done. Here's what's worked for me. I don't know if that's going to work for you with the same way, but let me offer that to you, that help to you, and let's see what we can do to help you pull you out of where you are and point you in the right direction to where you want to go.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 37:39
Beautifully said. There's so much to be inspired by, you know, just in this short time we've, we've had together and the story that you've shared. I'm wondering, um, Nathan, how you would position this. I guess if there's someone listening to this who has a physical disability— let's be broad with that, physical disability— whether they're in a wheelchair or they've got something else, and they're listening to your story and they can align with it, they've got— there's elements of that that they can— they're experiencing. What would you say to them right now?
Nathan Gutierriez (Guest) · 38:15
You're not alone. There are a lot of people out there who understand exactly what you're going through. Reach out. You really need that community, that support. It's hard to do things alone. Believe me, I've tried. And I think having that alone time, that solitude, is very important because, I mean, ask anybody who knows me really well. I love my alone time. I do. I need it to recharge my batteries. But at the same time, I also know it's important to be surrounded by people who know me, who support me, who love me, who are willing to set me straight when I need to be set straight, and who are there just to listen when I need to vent. You may not have 100 friends, but if you just have 1 or 2 good friends, and those are the friends you'd invite to your house who you will let them see your vulnerability, then you have what you need. If you don't have that for whatever reason, reach out, reach out to somebody. Somebody will be there for you. You know, I'll be there for you. That's what I'm hoping to accomplish with my coaching business. You know, and again, some of you may be asking, you know, why physical disabilities? I've got a couple of reasons for that. Number 1, I have a physical disability, spina bifida, so it's what I know. I've known about it for almost 40 years because I live the life every day. Number 2, people with physical disabilities are, I think, underrepresented when it comes to receiving help. And when I, when I say receiving help, I mean it in a few different ways. Number 1, financial help because there are so many programs out there for different disabilities. But to be quite direct and quite honest, those programs aren't always geared towards people with physical disabilities. I don't know why. I think they figure out that if you have certain physical disabilities, you can overcome them. And overcoming is not even a good word to use because you never overcome it. You just handle it to the best of your ability. Number 2, I think that there are so many other disabilities that are visible or not, but they have taken— I don't want to say priority, but they've become more important to society. And I'm not blaming, I'm not bashing other disabilities or causes. They're all important. But I think that the resources are so so stretched thin that people like me tend to fall through the cracks. And let me tell you, I, I have found very few resources over the course of my life that help people like me. So that's why I wanted to start this business. I'm basically trying to fill in the gap that I wish had been filled for me growing up. And I think it is so important to help those people who just need a little nudge in the right direction to get going. You know, I can't, you know, with my coaching, I can't solve miracles. I'm not a miracle worker. But if you just need that little support, that encouragement, a plan to get you moving in that direction that'll help you become successful, that's what I'm hoping to accomplish for this specific audience who really need it.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 41:42
I love that. Well done. Congrats to you for, for Finding your purpose and finding the path and it having come out of your own journey, which is often the way when people have gone through some level of challenge at some point in their life or their whole life. And it, and it shines the light and creates the, the gap for them to feel moving forward. And that's exactly what you're doing. And it's just beautiful. And I wish you all the best with that and congratulate you. And for those that are listening to you, Hopefully you, you're hearing this, that you are not alone. There is help and there's people like yourself, Nathan, that are here to help others.
Nathan Gutierriez (Guest) · 42:22
Yeah, absolutely. And if I may just say one more thing, I'm not seeking to be an inspiration directly. I get up in the morning, I live my life. I'm not doing it for the attention or the spotlight. That's not the right reason to be doing that. But if somebody out there gets something from it and it helps them, I'm happy that it does. And the reason why I bring that up is because right now there's a battle going on in the disability community. Excuse the term. They call it inspirational porn. And they're basically saying that I don't want to be an inspiring person I get up, I get dressed, I do what I do every day. I don't want to inspire people. I don't— that's not my problem. It's not my responsibility. Maybe not. But at the same time, if you can help other people without intentionally trying to be this inspirational celebrity or whatever the case may be, I think it really is our duty. I think it really is our responsibility. Whether or not we have a disability, uh, what— whether or not we have a certain challenge, if by you just living your life, if somebody gets something positive out of that, what's the harm? And I think people find that it's too much pressure for them to handle, that they have to act a certain way and do a certain something, and they don't. You know, every day you might be inspiring somebody that you will never know. They may not come up to you ever. And that's okay. Just live your life and you don't have to do this grandiose thing. I've always felt a sense of responsibility. And if there's something that I could do or something that I could say that will help somebody else, then I'm going to do that. You know, there's nothing that says I have to be on this podcast or any other podcast. But again, if there's just one person watching this who gets something positive out of it, then it's been worth it. It's been worth spending that time with you today in doing this. So why wouldn't I do it?
Aveline Clark (Host) · 44:34
Exactly. Your heart's in the right place. And thank you. Thank you for being you. Thank you for showing up and, you know, doing the things that you do every day, whether they're small or large, doesn't matter. But, you know, using platforms is really important. That's how we reach people. That's how you can reach the people that need to hear your story. And I just want to thank you for the way that you've shared it today, for the energy, the passion, and also your authenticity. Just being you, you know, you're not trying to be anybody else. You gave up the dream of being the tall basketball a long time ago. Thank goodness, because we all have these silly visions of who we think we should be as we're a teenager, and we have this crushing moment where it's like, actually, I'm— I can't be that person. So accepting ourselves is one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves, and I feel like you've accepted yourself, and now you're able to give all of you to the world to hopefully allow them the courage to find themselves too.
Nathan Gutierriez (Guest) · 45:38
Absolutely.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 45:39
Thank you, Nathan. It's been a privilege and a pleasure to speak with you today.
Nathan Gutierriez (Guest) · 45:45
Well, thank you again for having me, and I, I'd love to come back in the future if there's anything I can do to help serve your audience further.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 45:51
Absolutely. Have a wonderful day.
Nathan Gutierriez (Guest) · 45:53
Thank you as well.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 45:59
We hope you've enjoyed this episode of Kintsugi Heroes. Please like and share the show to your friends so we can get this out to even more people. If you have a story you'd like to share with us, please reach out using the contact details below. And join us next week for our next hero's story. Until then, keep being you, and remember that we are all heroes in our own unique way.
Nathan Gutierriez (Guest) · 46:26
Only when it's broken Only when it's broken, when it hits you in the middle of the night and the truth burns so bright. Only when it's broken, only when it's broken. Take pride in those cries, it's only Only for tonight, and then you rise. Only when you're broken. Only when you're broken. Only when you're broken.
You don't have to be in crisis to call.
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