Episode 13: The Essential Ingredient is Hope: How to Heal, Recover and Get Back Up Stronger Than Ever

Grey Matters Now

Happy New Year everyone!

Meet John Abate a true beacon of light and hope. John is also a huge advocate for safer roads, believes and practices wellness through nutrition and MSBR (UCSD trained) and….if that is not enough…is the Co-Founder and CEO of JoJe Bars. If you have not tried JoJe Bars, you are missing out – they are SO delicious that it is hard to believe they are packed with all the nutrients your body needs to perform at its best! He is an avid cyclist, outdoorsman and all around super cool and positive guy. He generously took time out of his busy Holiday schedule to record a podcast episode for Grey Matters Now on the first day of Winter Solstice. Winter Solstice is the beginning of new and more light every day and the Holidays we celebrate during this season are all about light and hope. We both felt an urgency to record this ASAP so that John can spread his message of hope through his first hand experiences! A living breathing, walking, cycling, stronger than ever, example of how to manifest hope and healing, provides those fighting for their lives or recovering from accidents and illnesses the tools and light they need to be warriors. He first reached out to me and Grey Matters Now in July as he was interested in having a conversation about mindfulness and sharing his personal journey. I was super intrigued and excited to set up a future conversation and podcast recording. Fast forward to December 15th when John and I officially met through a community cycling event to support our neighbor Roberta Walker who was critically injured on her bicycle when struck by a truck a block from my house and less than a block from Roberta’s on PCH 101. Roberta is one of our communities’ strong advocates for cycling and pedestrian safety and repeatedly stated “it is just a matter of time, someone IS going to get hit by a vehicle here”. Unfortunately, tragically and ironically, she was the one that was hit. John was a speaker and he was the hope component to this “Ride For Roberta” event. John and I connected very quickly and both felt a strong pull from the universe to release this episode ASAP for the New Year!

This episode goes out to you Roberta Walker and my dear friend Jessica Kimbrough and all that know and love you both....keep up the fight- you ladies are a warriors!! While most of the world was celebrating Winter Solstice, Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year’s, both of these strong women, along with countless others, were in the hospital bravely going through and recovering from major surgical procedures to save their lives! Their fight is not over but I am happy to say both women are getting stronger every day!!! John and I’s wishes are that his story provides anyone fighting to be well the extra hope, tools to heal, and the faith that you can come back even stronger than before!!!

JoJe Bars www.jojebar.com

UCSD Center For Mindfulness https://health.ucsd.edu/specialties/mindfulness/Pages/default.aspx

Thanks always to my recording, recording studio and editing wizard Bram Kaprow of Arden Records in Encinitas. Contact me if you ever need information about an amazing recording studio!

This episode is dedicated to these 2 female warriors actively fighting and healing:

Roberta Walker Advocate for safer road sharing Recovering warrior fighting back from critical injuries after being struck by a vehicle while cycling

Jessica KimbroughAdvocate for affordable women’s health care and breast exams Recovering warrior fighting breast cancer and mastectomy

John Abate and I