Brad Smeele was a world champion wakeboarder at the top of his game. His life was an endless summer of travel, competing, modelling, building and meeting women when a catastrophic accident changed his life and left him a quadriplegic in 2014.

Brad talks about the astonishingly raw and honest book about his journey – Owning It – The Ride That Changed My Life. The mental and physical challenges of losing mobility, the realities of life without the use of limbs, his sex-life, what it looks like now and why he included so much of it in the book, the darkest thoughts he had – and how he overcame them, and his incredible path to happiness, fulfilment and being present. And how he got there.

This is a chat that really left us speechless. Brad suffered just about the worst possible thing that could happen to a young man in the prime of his life – and has found a way to turn it into a positive. It certainly put our own struggles into perspective and we both left the episode feeling incredibly inspired.

Show notes | Episode 95 | Brad Smeele

2:03 A busy week for Brad Smeele: the book launch, media appearances, and going head-to-head with Ross Taylor

5:00 Sex (and other reflections on the book)

11:42 Painting a picture of pre-accident Brad Smeele

21:59 A pause for breakdown on naming conventions for wakeboard tricks

24:29 A preamble to the accident: opening up, shitting yourself, and having real conversations with your mates

31:40 The accident

40:16 The initial recovery post-accident

53:12 Steve loops back to sex chat

55:36 Finding inspiration from tragedy: transitioning back to life in New Zealand

1:13:33 Helping other people deal with their shit

1:17:46 Owning It: the process of writing, editing, and launching the book (and Steve triples down on sex chat!)

1:22:30 Looking back at the accident

1:26:05 Last words from Steven, Seamus and Brad

Brad Smeele was a world champion wakeboarder at the top of his game. His life was an endless summer of travel, competing, modelling, building and meeting women when a catastrophic accident changed his life and left him a quadriplegic in 2014.
Brad talks about the astonishingly raw and honest book about his journey – Owning It – The Ride That Changed My Life. The mental and physical challenges of losing mobility, the realities of life without the use of limbs, his sex-life, what it looks like now and why he included so much of it in the book, the darkest thoughts he had – and how he overcame them, and his incredible path to happiness, fulfilment and being present. And how he got there.
This is a chat that really left us speechless. Brad suffered just about the worst possible thing that could happen to a young man in the prime of his life – and has found a way to turn it into a positive. It certainly put our own struggles into perspective and we both left the episode feeling incredibly inspired.
Show notes | Episode 95 | Brad Smeele
2:03 A busy week for Brad Smeele: the book launch, media appearances, and going head-to-head with Ross Taylor
5:00 Sex (and other reflections on the book)
11:42 Painting a picture of pre-accident Brad Smeele
21:59 A pause for breakdown on naming conventions for wakeboard tricks
24:29 A preamble to the accident: opening up, shitting yourself, and having real conversations with your mates
31:40 The accident
40:16 The initial recovery post-accident
53:12 Steve loops back to sex chat
55:36 Finding inspiration from tragedy: transitioning back to life in New Zealand
1:13:33 Helping other people deal with their shit
1:17:46 Owning It: the process of writing, editing, and launching the book (and Steve triples down on sex chat!)
1:22:30 Looking back at the accident
1:26:05 Last words from Steven, Seamus and Brad

Good questions. Great guests. Few beers... Steve and Seamus like asking good questions. And they love good answers. After over 20 years of friendship, they bought a microphone and started a podcast, allowing them to sit with, and learn from, the most interesting people they can access.

From Kiwi legend Marc Ellis, to media personalities Jeremy Wells and Paddy Gower, Rugby coach extraordinaire Wayne Smith, sexologist Morgan Penn, and Olympian Dame Lisa Carrington...  Between Two Beers has produced countless hours of incredible stories, career highs, lows and moments of raw vulnerability. And it’s only the beginning.

iHeartRadio NZ Podcast Network

Good questions. Great guests. Few beers... Steve and Seamus like asking good questions. And they love good answers. After over 20 years of friendship, they bought a microphone and started a podcast, allowing them to sit with, and learn from, the most interesting people they can access.
From Kiwi legend Marc Ellis, to media personalities Jeremy Wells and Paddy Gower, Rugby coach extraordinaire Wayne Smith, sexologist Morgan Penn, and Olympian Dame Lisa Carrington...  Between Two Beers has produced countless hours of incredible stories, career highs, lows and moments of raw vulnerability. And it’s only the beginning.
iHeartRadio NZ Podcast Network

Good questions. Great guests. Few beers....

Between Two Beers Podcast

Good questions. Great guests. Few beers... Steve and Seamus like asking good questions. And they love good answers. After over 20 years of friendship, they bought a microphone and started a podcast; allowing them to sit with, and learn from, the most interesting people they can access. 

From Kiwi legend Marc Ellis, to media personalities Jeremy Wells and Paddy Gower, Rugby coach extraordinaire Wayne Smith, sexologist Morgan Penn, and Olympian Dame Lisa Carrington...  Between Two Beers has produced countless hours of incredible stories, career highs, lows and moments of raw vulnerability. And it’s only the beginning.

Good questions. Great guests. Few beers... Steve and Seamus like asking good questions. And they love good answers. After over 20 years of friendship, they bought a microphone and started a podcast; allowing them to sit with, and learn from, the most interesting people they can access. From Kiwi legend Marc Ellis, to media personalities Jeremy Wells and Paddy Gower, Rugby coach extraordinaire Wayne Smith, sexologist Morgan Penn, and Olympian Dame Lisa Carrington...  Between Two Beers has produced countless hours of incredible stories, career highs, lows and moments of raw vulnerability. And it’s only the beginning.

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