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 ON A ROLL 
Produced by Joanne Caputo, in association with the Independent Television Service, with funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
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 Tuesday, October 25, 2005 Greetings from Xenia Ohio.Life has been very stressful and hectic since the hurricane. Now, I'm making some marked progress in rebuilding my business while my family rebuilds our home, which was flooded in the storm. I wish I had been journaling throughout the ordeal, but through much of it, I was confined to a bed, a manual wheelchair, or a loaned power chair that did not fit me, making it more than uncomfortable to sit upright and type. You see, the day before Katrina, my family evacuated our Ocean Springs, Mississippi home, but I left my power wheelchair and modified mini-van in the garage, confident that they would be safe. The 25 foot storm surge claimed both, and my radio studio, 13 years of my radio show archives, not to mention home videos of the births of my children!! I'll begin my Katrina story on August 24, a big day for my family. It was the day of the player evaluations at the Ocean Springs Mississippi Parks and Recreation Youth Football League. Last year, my father Jim and I coached my oldest son Greg's football team. While we didn't win a lot of games, we learned a lot about selecting and coaching kids and vowed that the next year, with my son Donovan at the helm as quarterback we'd give our boys several victories to go along with the important life lessons we would teach. On draft day, we selected a great combination of size and speed... a good mix of eleven and twelve year olds. After selecting our boys and getting our uniforms, our first practice was Thursday, August 25. It was very revealing. We identified who our line would be. We learned who wanted to play the various skill positions, and who brought the most speed to the team. We also learned a lot about our kids attitudes and desire to be competitive, and we were impressed with our stable of horses. "Good practice boys," I said. "On Monday, I want you all to come back in full pads. It will be a wet field because of the hurricane blowing through this weekend, but if it isn't raining and lightning, I expect you here on Monday at 6:30!" For the first week after the storm, I was totally dependent on my parents for mobility inside my uncle's house, without electricity, without a power chair, without air conditioning, I needed help going to the bathroom and moving anywhere in the house. And the most stressful part was waiting... Waiting to find out how bad the damage was and fearing the worst. Finally, after three days, my uncle got a generator and because he had satellite television, we were able to learn what the rest of the world was learning about the horrors of Katrina on CNN.
Tuesday, June 21, 2005 I'm sorry it has been such a long gap between blog entries. Things have been so busy. As you probably already know, I finished my autobiography and have had a hectic speaking schedule of late. For the remainder of June, I am free from travel so I can get a little rest in, mixed with some strategic planning for how I am going to take my life to the next level. So many exciting things are happening.My book, "On A Roll: Reflections from America's Wheelchair Dude with the Winning Attitude," has been accepted by Biblio Distribution! I learned this last Friday afternoon. This means that bookstores across the nation will be able to sell my book. I'm new to the publication business, but I'm told that is pretty good for a first time self-published author. My documentary, "On A Roll: Family, Disability and the American Dream" will be shown at a film festival at the National Association of Black Journalists Convention in Atlanta! This means 600 journalist will see the film, hear me speak and learn about my book. Hopefully, they'll report on my work in the national media. (Note: I didn't make the movie. Joanne Caputo did, but I feel compelled to call it my documentary sometimes! Check out Joanne's site at http://www.onarolldocumentary.com) I'm still having discussions with high level people in broadcasting regarding elevating my show to a new level, either on radio or televison or both. So I work hard every day from a very optimistic mindset. I get frustrated sometimes because I usually want more to happen with each day than I have time or energy for. Yet I know I'm on the right path. This past week's show was very interesting. You'll be able to hear it online tomorrow. It was inspired by some email I've been receiving from people with disabilities who are reaching out for help. People who can't get a break. I can relate because I never got the breaks I wanted early in my career so I made my own break. I started my own business. I'm so glad that I didn't get those breaks years ago because that has created the success I enjoy today. I would like to share that pattern with others, so I invited my favorite Internet business guru, Tom Antion to come onthe show and mentor one of my new friends, Nikki Reese, who was one of those who wrote a letter reaching out for help. Tom inspired her and gave her advice about how she can earn money on the Internet with her own web site. If you'd like to tap into Tom's secrets as I have, check out http://www.antion.com. Keep checking back. I'll blog more frequently.
Tuesday, April 12, 2005 Last week, I took on one of the most ambitious voyages of my speaking career. Several months ago, I accepted a speaking engagement for "Overcomers Ministries" in Nashville, Tennessee to speak to a group of parents of children in special education in the Nashville area and offer some encouragement. A few weeks ago, I received a call from a law student at the University of Florida named Bethany. She was staging a disability rights/pride event and contacted me about joining my friend, Dr. Mitch Tepper as one of the keynote speakers. I decided to accept the engagement, despite the fact that it meant I would have to drive six hours from Ocean Springs, Mississippi to Gainesville for the first speech, spend the night on campus, and fly from there to Nashville, by way of Charlotte, North Carolina. In Nashville, upon arrival, I would moderate a panel discussion Friday evening, then give a keynote speech Saturday morning. Then I would be wisked to the airport to return to Gainesville to begin the six hour drive back home. That I'm typing these words means I made it home safely.While I was gone, my dad took advangage of my absence to construct a fully accessible wall-mounted desk in my office. We also put tile on the floor, replacing the wheelchair worn carpeting. So my entire office/studio/bedroom was moved out. Everything had to go. Now, it is all put together again, as you can see here.  Here's my dad, Jim Smith, who along with his buddy Roscoe Brown, built this desk in three days. They got "all into it" and take great pride in the craftsmanship. It really is a pretty amazing desk. On the top shelf, left to right, you'll find a picture of me scuba diving in St. Thomas, various awards - mostly sports trophies from my kids, a picture of me and Tennessee Volunteers head football coach Phillip Fulmer, and another picture of the scuba group. Keep checking back. I think I'm gonna post a lot more pictures here in the blog.
Friday, April 01, 2005 Things are going unbelieveably well. Thanks to my support system (family, friends and co-workers) the work we're doing here is destined to have a huge impact. I got a look at the final layout of my autobiography this week. It rocks! The colors pop on the cover and the insides are crisp and sharp. You'll love the typeface and the photos sprinkled throughout. I'm very proud of it. My mom, a retired English teacher, and I spent 2 whole days re-reading it and sifting out the missing commas, bad grammar and spelling errors. It goes to the printer next week and will be available to you the first or second week in May! Here's a sneak peak of the cover spread!ROLL_cvr_spread.jpg
Friday, March 25, 2005 Life is a beautiful thing. The gnats that we swat at while fishing, who live for less than a day would think it pretty pompous to throw away human life in a "persistent vegetative state." Life is very rare in the universe and the gnat appreciates his half day existence.It is not surprising that most Americans want to see Terri die. They fear disability. Most Americans would rather die than be a person with my kind of MD. They fear disability because they're not exposed to it enough to be comfortable with it. They don't know that like the gnat, we have an appreciation of the miracle of life. I'm hanging on to mine in any form.
Tuesday, March 15, 2005 This week's guest is Ronan Tynan, the amazing "Irish Tenor" who sings at the Yankees games, sang at the funerals of 911 victims, and at Ronald Reagan's funeral. You know his voice. Did you know he's a double amputee? He's also a doctor. I'm thrilled to have him as a guest and plan to pick his brain for the source of his determination.The Strength Team met today for the first time via teleconference. It was an amazing meeting and I'm so confident about our ability to have a profound impact on the world. Stay tuned....
Saturday, March 05, 2005 STRENGTHENING AMERICA. That's our mission here. We'll do it through the media by sending a message of inner strength for every individual who hears the radio show, watches the TV shows, sees the movies, reads the magazines and the books. We'll teach people how to get stronger by embracing and lifting the weights of life's challenges.We'll also strengthen our nation by encouraging everyone to empower teammates with different backgrounds and experiences. In football, running backs don't hate linemen because they're different. They encourage them to BE different and they depend on the unique skills that come directly from those differences. As a society, we need to do that. We need to do more listening and less telling, so we can understand where people are coming from. Embracing diversity and listening to what other people have to say is a source of strength. I've been doing a lot of listening in my life. I'm ready to do some "telling!" Do you think people are ready to do some "hearing?" LOL.
Wednesday, March 02, 2005 We've been talking a lot today about the movie Million Dollar Baby. I thought long and hard about coming out with the tough talk toward Clint Eastwood before posting the update to our site. I considered that it may not be wise to come out against the pinnacle of popularity... a man who just won the entertainment industry's highest honor. But to not do so would be against my mission. Eastwood has every right to make movies that send whatever messages he pleases. And I have a right to promote my messages as well.My message is an appeal to you. Please don't think that just because you have a severe disability that life is not worth living. No, I am not a C1 or C2 quadriplegic. I have muscular dystrophy and can move all of my muscles. But I know quite a few very happy high level quads. In this movie, the protagonst was never exposed to peer counselors at the local independent living center. There was no counseling. No encouragement to do anything other than die. And in the end, there is no manhunt. Everything is ok. The poor cripple is put out of her misery and the killer is a hero. I sped out of the theatre in anger. This week on the show, we're going to talk about this movie with Jay Forry, "The Blind Movie Critic" and others. Mike Ervin and I are still designing this week's show. It will be an interesting dialogue.
Tuesday, March 01, 2005 The pace of my business reminds me of my days in the late 80's early 90's at KTAR 620 NewsTalk Radio. Today, I had a conference call with a couple television producers and an editor in Los Angeles. Tomorrow, I'll be talking to a producer in New York about a second, completely different concept. Oprah is being contacted from several different allies in the television industry. My book will be out in May.My buddy Murv, the tv reporter who morphed into a comedian, says we always gotta be "Keepin' it REAL!" So that's what I've decided to do with every aspect of my work from here on up! Keepin it Real fact #1. I need help. I need a modern day swanky office surrounding me, giving me the resources to do my important work. My work is outgrowing the current setup in this office/bedroom/radio studio/kids playroom all in one. I need production people. I need sales people. I need an office manager to run the business. I need a Gail, our business manager from KTAR! I need a Ruthie (our office manager) a Kirk or a Paddy (our sales managers) a Stan (production) and a Dean (engineering). I don't even have a hybrid in this studio to record interviews! I have the equipment but couldn't get an engineer to hook it up right). Keepin it Real fact #2. If I had resources and structure, I could create a multimedia empire that would strengthen the world by bringing disability into the mainstream of pop culture. I would also do it by furthering racial harmony, from my unique perspective of having been born black and raised kinda "whitey." I can see deeper into both experiences. And I can see how both experiences meld with the disability experience. As I twist it all around in my head, I'm convinced that we can STRENGHEN AMERICA by respecting our teammates whose appearances or ways of life are nothing like our own. Keepin' it Real fact #3. My plan is to become a star, and create stars with disabilities. My plan is to create a niche for "keepin' it real" style motion pictures, television shows, reality shows, radio shows, news coverage, music talent that include the disability voice. My plan is to cure the greatest disability of all... people's unbelievable ignornance about disability. I say ignorance without meaning to insult. People have never been exposed to it until now. The media doesn't show you that one in five Americans has a disability. The media had never shown somebody getting on an airplane using the "Hanibal Lechter chair." They'd never shown somebody trying to get a wheelchair cab in DC! They'd never shown a gimp trying to turn of a lamp! Keepin it Real fact #4. LOL. People wanna see that stuff! The response to the documentary has been amazing! Joanne Caputo told me today that WGBH told her to expect to sell no more than "a handful" of DVDs from the toll-free number displayed at the end of the broadcast. 5 or 6 tops. They've sold 75! I need to follow up and find out how well that ranks. Is it a record. We need a Greg Smith (Research Director) to find that out! Keepin' it Real fact #5. I have a vision. I see what I want and I want what I see. I see a daily syndicated "Strength Coach" television show and a major motion picture about the On A Roll/ Strength Coach story. I see both as blockbuster successes, leading to an American disability lovefest, and an opportunity to finally be heard. If we keep it real, we have nothing to fear. Martin Luther King had a dream. I have a vision. In my vision, pity will be kaput! Homes will be visitable. Nursing homes will be replaced. Jobs will be plenty. The media can make it real. If the truth gets out, people will finally understand! We'll live in a world where I can go to a Cubs game with my boys, and we'll have a chance at getting on WGN! I've NEVER seen a shot of fans waving from the wheelchair section in a lifetime of watching baseball!!! Betcha never thought about that. Who'll be first? Today, an aquaintance who occasionally prepares my caramel lates smiled widely at me as she told me that had never even thought about a person with a disability having sex until she saw Joanne's movie. "It'd never crossed my mind!" she exclaimed with enthusiasm and excitement, having been offered some knowledge and insight. She was giddy to be less ignorant! It was cool. Keepin it Real fact #6. You can help make the vision a reality. Please spread the word about our site. Let's send site traffic through the roof. Please buy the DVD of Joanne's movie. If we sell it in record numbers, that's a huge message for television syndicators, networks and advertisers. Please buy the CD now! Go to http://www.thestrengthcoach.com/catalog.html It's late, but these evenings, my mind is racing and I can't sleep. Pray for me. Greg
Thursday, February 24, 2005 Let's elevate our self-expectations. We can start with two fundamental questions:"What is possible?" "What do we want?" Both questions are good for the mind, but after the amazing show of support I've received following the nationwide broadcast of the documentary, I've decided to focus exclusively on the second question. No longer will I limit myself to the confines of what I perceive outside forces will allow me to have in life. From now on, I will consider myself the authority on my dreams and my realities. I realize now that anything is possible. So the question to answer is, "What do I want?" I encourage you to do the same. I encourage you to believe that your dreams are within reach. Empowered by that belief, and mixed with discipline, hard work and encouragment, eventually, you'll get there. I'm not there yet, but I can see the goal line from here. It is very exciting. What do I want? My own syndicated television talk show is as real as the folder I created and put on my desk with the words "TV Show" scribbled on the tab. I received a call from a network television producer who saw Joanne's film and believes that the mix of characteristics that combine to create my identity put me in a unique position to do cutting edge television. And (to my base) can you imagine the impact a syndicated television show can have for all aspects of disability culture? So you grab the remote and you flip on "The Strength Coach." What do you see? What is the set like? Who are the guests? What are the topics? What kind of inforamation are you getting? What kinds of emotions do you feel as you watch this new hit show? I have ideas, but I'm seeking to plug into the collective wisdom.
Saturday, February 19, 2005 Wow! Joanne Caputo's film was like an atomic bomb, dropped on the enemy of devaluation, disregard, ignorance and oppression. I have received hundreds of e-mails, phone calls, marriage proposals (just kidding!). LOL. The honesty in these messages clearly communicates a hunger for a sharing of our common experiences and our uncommon ones as human beings. I think we can all learn a great deal about ourselves by understanding people who are completely different, and maybe that is the purpose for the wonderful diversity that exists in humanity.I'm going to answer every email. It might take me a month to do so, but it will be done. I have a plan, but it is a flexible one and I think that's good. God has a better plan. I'm still processing what this all means... this unbelievable feedback. Maybe there is a remaining breath of life in my old "On A Roll Radio" concept. Maybe I need to focus on expanding the Strength Coach show to more markets and really aggressively hit the radio industry with my concept. Maybe there's a home for my work in television. These answers and opportunities will reveal themselves as the coming weeks and months unwind. I thank you for your support and urge you to continue to reach deep inside yourself and find your inner strength. If my story can inspire you to do so, I'm doing my job.
Wednesday, February 09, 2005 While most of my community was going crazy today for Mardi Gras, I spent the day in front of this computer sending email and making phone calls to the media. As a person who was not raised here in Mississippi or in New Orleans, I just don't "get it" when it comes to Mardi Gras. And I've found that other people who aren't from here don't "get it" either. But I respect it.The highlight of my day was my interview with Eric Deggans of the St. Petersburg Times. He asked some very thought provoking questions about the film and his piece in the Times should be outstanding. I'll let you know when it runs and post a link if possible. Today, Joanne Caputo, the filmmaker told me about the fact that the PBS station in Columbus had decided they were only going to air "On A Roll" once: at 4 AM on Feb 20! We're talkin' the CAPITOL of the HOME STATE of the film! She made calls to senators and citizens of Columbus and learned today that the station has changed its mind and will broadcast it at 11pm on the 15th. The squeaky wheel does get the grease. That story motivated me. I will keep calling Larry King, Oprah, Montel and everybody else! PBS launched the web site for the film today. You can access it at http://www.pbs.org/onaroll.
Monday, February 07, 2005 I'm keeping track of the media articles and features written about the movie. So far, only the Mississippi Press, The Sun Herald (Biloxi), and the Clarion Ledger (Jackson) have interviewed me. I really appreciate the coverage, and I'm certain their readers will appreciate the heads up on Joanne's film. I'm also appreciative of coverage that will be appearing in the St. Petersburg Times and on the Paul Gallo Show on Mississippi Supertalk, statewide in my home state.Meanwhile, I'm also thinking "Where's Oprah? Where's Tavis Smiley? Where's Larry King? It's not too late, and I'm working hard to get their attention. Here's an e-mail I sent to Tavis' Smiley's staff today: -- Tavis' Team, HEAR these words from a strong black man's deep, resonating voice. He is educated and articulate. He is personable, warm, energetic and humorous. He is non-threatening. He is inviting. He is saying new things. He has our attention. Now fade from black: Greg Smith is sitting next to Tavis in a power wheelchair. He is severely disabled with muscular dystrophy. He is handsome. He has a broad smile and a dimple on his right cheek. He is confident. He is the subject of an award-winning documentary film by Joanne Caputo, which will air nationwide on PBS February 15. http://www.onarolldocumentary.com/. http://www.thestrengthcoach.com/ Tavis is intrigued by his passion and perspective: "Tavis, if you wanted to invite me over to your house, would I be able to come in without it being a major ordeal? This is one of the hardest parts of being in a wheelchair. Friendships, relationships, business partnerships often develop in people's homes! But we can't get in. A long-term solution is to mandate that every new home -- not existing homes -- but every new home be constructed with at least one level entrance! Why not? And yet this idea is fought every time by the home building industry!" On discrimination: "I've felt discrimination from whites because I'm black. I've felt discrimination from blacks because I was raised in a white community... Called an Oreo! But the most painful discrimination I've faced is when black people disregard me because of my disability. The entire disability rights movement models itself after the civil rights struggle, and when I'm devalued, underestimated or marginalized by my own people, it hurts. Disability is not weakness. From my disability comes my greatest strength." On awareness: "How many stars with disabilities can you name? Chances are your list includes people who were stars already when they acquired their disability. People are afraid of disability because at first glance, we remind them of their own vulnerability, their own mortality. But we have the potential to remind them of the strength of the human spirit, of creativity, of the beauty of diversity. We need to develop some stars in the disability community so that we can get in America's living room. After being the radio voice of our movement for 13 years, I feel a responsibility to become a star. It is the greatest thing I could do for my people." -- Similar e-mail are being sent to all the big-time news and talk shows. But if anybody has a "hook-up," please call me at 877-331-7563.
Friday, February 04, 2005 I'm very tired right now. I got on the road at 6:30 this morning to drive my van 3 hours to Jackson, Mississippi, where I had two appointments today.First stop: The studios of Mississippi Supertalk where I co-hosted the statewide version of my radio show with Matt Nalker, Executive Director of the ARC of Mississippi. Each week, I do two shows... the syndicated verision of "The Strength Coach with Greg Smith" and a statewide version of the show which airs on Mississippi Supertalk. That show is funded by the Mississippi Developmental Disabilities Council as a part of a three year grant I was awarded in October 2003. Matt and I interviewed Kearney Waits of the ARC about his passion for scuba diving and how he developed a program to introduce people with disabilities to the world of scuba. Good show. Matt Nalker is starting to catch on to co-hosting and looks like a pro in studio. And it is always good to visit my friends at Mississippi Supertalk in the luxurious Farm Bureau building! Second Stop: As a part of the grant initiative this year, I'm training self advocates on how to be better public speakers. Immediately after leaving the radio station, Matt Nalker and I went to his conference room at the ARC of Mississippi and I had the privilege of conducting our first speaker training workshop. I found the room filled with aspiring speakers, eager to learn how to structure their message and offer their wisdom to the world. It was an energetic meeting. I gave them all homework... write an introduction to their speech and three main points about their unique area of expertise. I'm looking forward to our next session. It is a quiet house. My children are in New Orleans visiting their mother who is in town for Mardi Gras, so maybe I'll get some rest and relaxation in this weekend. I'm going to need it. The next couple of weeks could be very busy.
Wednesday, February 02, 2005 Today was a travel recovery day. I spoke Monday night at the Idaho Statewide Independent Living Council annual conference in Boise. It is always a pleasure to address an audience of people with disabilities. They can relate. I don't have to worry about being as politically correct and I can be more free and open with my humor.The speech was about discrimmination, and conveniently, I was the only African American in the room. I used that fact to begin my speech and cover the various types of discrimmination I have faced as an African American, as a person with a disability, and as a person raised in a mostly white community. I've experienced discrimination from black and white people (and all people) because of my disabilty. I've experienced it from white people because of my race. I've experienced it from black people because of my cultural upbringing, being referred to as an "Oreo" on more than one occasion. (Black on the outside, white on the inside.) But my message was an inspirational one. All of that discrimmination has made me stronger. That's my whole theme. We all get stronger by lifting the weights of life's challenges. I want to thank Kelly Buckland for inviting me. A special treat was meeting Bobbi Ball. I remembered her name from an "On A Roll" radio show many years ago in which she was a caller. That particular show involved stories of people falling out of their wheelchairs. In that show, she called in with a story about her getting stuck under her desk, unable to reach a computer mouse she had dropped, and accidently tilting her chair back, which forced her head to raise the desk up! It was a classic "On A Roll" call. She was surprised that I remembered that call, which was made in 1997. During my speech, I acknowledged her from the platform and the audience laughed! After my speech, disability rights leader Sarah Triano took the platform and delivered a powerful, passionate oration. It had been a while since I heard her speak. She was good then. She is great now. Tom Olin, the disability rights movement's photographer was there, as was Jim Ward from ADA watch. After Sarah's speech the four of us went out to a restaurant and had a great time! It is always good to see my brothers and sisters in the disability rights movement.
Sunday, January 30, 2005 "I don't know how you do it all."I hear that a lot from people who are amazed at the volume of work I do. But tonight, I'm proud of the fact that despite knowing I had to finish writing a speech and an article for a magazine, and edit a press release, I took the time away from this computer to take my kids to the movies. We saw "Are We There Yet?" We laughed out loud together! We ate popcorn and candy. On the way home, we played Snoop Dogg at the maximum volume in the van, with the bass pumped up so the doors were vibrating. (The kids love doing that!) And the theme of the movie energized me and ackowledged my decisions about how I spent my time today: family is the most important thing in the world. Despite all this work I had to get done today on a Saturday, I watched my son play a basketball game and I took my kids to the movies. The speech is not as polished as it will be by Monday. The magazine article was a copy/paste from one of the chapters in my book. The press release didn't get edited, but the most important work of the day was completed. Now, I'm going to bed. Tomorrow, I'll do what I can before getting on a plane.
Friday, January 28, 2005 What a great day! I recorded Sunday's show, interviewing Gale Sayers, the legendary NFL Hall of Fame running back. We talked about his book, "I Am Third," which was the inspiration for the movie "Brian's Song." We discussed the lessons that movie taught about race relations, determination, overcoming setbacks, and family support. We talked about the "On A Roll" movie and how it can teach similar lessons. We also talked a lot of football! Producer Mike Ervin and I are such Bears fans that Mike decided to listen in on the interview and feed me suggestions for questions while we were recording. It was a great show. I was prepared with a lot of questions and designed a show-prep sheet using Mind Manager software. http://www.mindjet.com/us/. You'll be entertained by our discussion if you tune in on Sunday night.After the interview, Virginia Lanham from the Mississippi Press came over and intereviewed me for an article that will run on the front page of the paper on Monday. Today was very cold for us down here on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, but they wanted to take a picture down by the pier, so I rolled my chair ouside with no coat on to pose for the shot! I guess I was getting prepared for my trip to Boise, Idaho next week!
Thursday, January 27, 2005 I'm not one who normally celebrates things, but on the night the movie debuts, my family will be hosting a celebration at the Beau Rivage Casino Resort. We'll be inviting 150 of our closest friends to watch the film and share the thrill of seeing Joanne Caputo's film finally hit the airwaves after six years in production.Ed Butler, Director of the Mississippi Council on Developmental Disabilities has been a tremendous supporter. Today he informed me that he sent information about the documentary to his DD Council Director counterparts in every state, urging them to get the word out about the film. He is also sending information and a press release about the movie to all of the major media outlets in the state. I can't say enough about how well my work has been received and supported here in my home state of Mississippi. My schedule calls for a bit of travel next week. On Sunday, I fly to Boise, Idaho where I'll be speaking at the Statewide Conference on Independent Living for Idahoans with Disabilities. My speech will be about discrimination, comparing racism and able-ism. Then next Friday, I'll be giving a workshop on public speaking to self advocates who are participating in the "My Voice My Choice" program through the ARC of Mississippi. I'm looking forward to completing the book. I'm pretty much done writing. Steve Cohn, my editor is going through it with a fine toothed comb and by the end of the week, we'll have a manuscript. Writing the book has been great therapy for me, and I would encourage everyone to write their memoirs. It has helped me sort through feelings I had in the past, and seeing over 260 pages about your life gives you a sense of accomplishment. It serves as an acknowledgement that you are experienced and know what you're doing. I think everyone's life is a book waiting to be written. This week, we welcome two great radio stations to "The Strength Coach" lineup. WTNI 1640 AM in Biloxi now carries the show on the Mississippi Gulf Coast! And I welcome KSEK-AM 1340 in Pittsburg, KS!
Monday, January 24, 2005 Things are happening so rapidly that I thought you might enjoy a play-by-play of The Strength Coach's rise to stardom. I say that with humility and responsibility because after hosting "On A Roll- Talk Radio on Life & Disability" for so many years, and seeing all of the changes that need to be made to enable folks with disabilities equal access to the American dream, I think the best thing I can do for the disability movement is to become a star! Only from a platform that high and that powerful can I make the kind of difference I feel I am destined to. I was inspired by Larry Thompson, a recent guest and author of the book "SHINE: A POWERFUL 4 STEP PLAN FOR BEING A STAR IN ANYTHING YOU DO!" His book says you need four things: Talent, Rage, Team and Luck. I'm working hard on all four.I also wanted to blog because I've been in the habit of writing a lot lately. I just turned in the manuscript for my autobiography and can't slow down the keyboard momentum. The book is done. The cover is almost complete. I'm waiting for approval from other "stars" to use quotes from them on the back cover. Hopefully it will be out sometime in March. In this blog, I'm going to write a lot about the behind the scenes work that is being done, the people I'm working with, and my hopes, dreams, fears and challenges. I'm confident that you'll find yourself checking back to see what transpires and that you'll be inspired to work harder for your own stardom in whatever it is you do.
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 Born with muscular dystrophy, raised by a football coach, Greg's inner strength message is woven into all of his programs: "In any situation, great opportunity exists for victory." 
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