At the beginning of 2022 we were still building, putting in full-time hours, & pouring everything we had into this mission while juggling our actual full-time jobs. We had the passion, the process, & a growing number of families beginning to believe in this path of unlocking their child’s hidden potential. & that belief carried throughout the organization & into the lives of Josh & Riley, two of our first-ever athletes, who went on to do something no one thought possible.
Josh, who had already shocked the world by completing his first gravel race in 2021, came back the next year & rode 75 miles in an off-road gravel bike race. Riley, whose mom was told by doctors that he would never be able to ride a two-wheel bike due to his level 3 autism, completed a 31-mile bike race at Big Sugar, one of the toughest courses in the country.
These weren’t just races. Josh became an official AFA coach & started helping us teach other adventure athletes how to ride a two-wheel bike & Riley got into the best shape of his life, losing closer to 50lbs. He started speaking more. His Tourette’s symptoms calmed when he rode. & most of all, you could see it in both of their faces, they believed in themselves. That belief wasn’t given or taught. It was earned.
These experiences gave Josh & Riley the opportunity to redefine their potential & conquer feats that any of us would look at & think “could I do that”. That question creates reflection & reflection is the starting point to shifting perceptions & belief systems.
It became clear: our method works. Our process builds independent skills. The emails started rolling in. The calls. The hope. The movement was ignited. & as 2023 approached, a new fire was lit inside of me. I knew 2023 would have to be the year we risked everything to take this mission further than Sarasota, FL. At that moment, I wasn’t afraid. I was so certain in the direction we needed to go. Because these stories weren’t just milestones. They were momentum to real change for these families & their exceptional children.
So we leaned in with an intuition first, business second mentality & said yes to taking on the biggest risk to date.
Suggestion: If you haven’t had the opportunity to watch ‘FINISH’ the documentary of Riley & his journey or ‘Unstoppable’ the short film of Josh completing his first ever gravel bike race, then I suggest visiting our films page & experiencing it.
