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INSPIRE #251: How to Rebuild Your Life! Aaron Baker’s Inspiring Comeback Story!

Aaron Baker is a miracle man! He broke his neck & couldn’t even breathe on his own & has defied all odds. He can walk, rode across the country & even hiked Death Valley!

Listen to the podcast below!

SHOW INTRODUCTION:

Aaron Baker with cane

Photo by Michael Darter

If you’ve ever been told anything you wanted to achieve was impossible, whether your health, your wealth, career, family, sports, business, arts, or otherwise, then do we have the one-in-a-million show for you.

Today I’ll be talking with Aaron Baker, a true hero of mine, who also happens to be one of the most able-bodied recovering quadriplegic athletes, business owner’s and inspiring people out there. Since his injury, he’s walked 20 miles across death valley, ridden his bike not once, but twice across the country. Go-carted, mountain biked, and does more in a day that doctors say was ‘impossible’ than most people will do in a lifetime.

aaron baker death valley

Photo by Dominic Gill

And that’s what I want to talk with him about today. About believing in yourself no-matter what the experts tell you, to achieve the impossible…or at least give it your best shot! We’ll talk about getting started, overcoming odds, and going after your dreams like there’s no tomorrow.

Aaron Baker downhill mountain biking

Photo by Michael Darter

That, plus we’ll talk about pink training wheels, mountain-biking mammoth, go-karts and red bull, and why having your toe-nails painted all the colors of the rainbow, just may be the greatest gift in the world!

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FROM AARON BAKER:

My name is Aaron Baker, and I am a recovering quadriplegic. Prior to my injury I was a professional motocross racer. May 26, 1999 I crashed while practicing, breaking cervical vertebras 4-5-6 in my neck. Lying there in the dirt motionless and completely aware of my plight brought forth a life altering realization of my place in life. No longer a professional motorcycle rider, or skate boarder, surfer, snowboarder, mountain biker, or even a simple fisherman made me realize that I am destined to do far greater things in my life than winning championships aboard a motorcycle. Things that affect peoples lives. I can help people through my own adversity bringing hope and inspiration to those without.

While in the hospital my neurosurgeon diagnosed me as a complete quadriplegic, having only a one in a million chance of regaining any function below my level of injury. However, through my intense desire to optimize the quality of my life, through eternal optimism and exercise I have been able to focus my mind and energy resulting in a slow tedious return of function and strength.

From the moment I hit the ground I knew I was to embark on a journey of almost unimaginable power, for to overcome an injury of this magnitude takes more than just the fire inside me. I am blessed with a family and friends that have united to embrace each other turning tragedy into triumph. With the selfless support of these amazing people I have been able to set and achieve many goals for my self on my long road to complete recovery and independence.

I am an athlete, mentally, physically, and emotionally. I choose to face my challenges and to rise above and overcome with excellence! I am committed to inspiring not only through my words but my actions. I am of the philosophy that “what the mind can conceive and believe you truly can achieve”.  I am honored to have the opportunity to share my experiences and to influence people in the world of spinal cord injury and disability.

SHOW NOTES:

Aaron Baker Online: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Key Topics:

  • Overcoming Odds
  • How happy he was getting his first motorcycle at age 3
  • How he won Nationals and the World Championship
  • How Ego and Confidence blended
  • How he had the mindset to win, or the psychological edge over his competition
  • How he was in the zone, space, flow, where he was almost invincible
  • How seeing a quadriplegic friend completely unnerved him (who later became very successful with a family and working for Oracle)
  • How his subconscious knew or was foreshadowing his accident
  • What happened on the day of the accident
  • Pre-race and new gear rituals he would do
  • What happened while testing his racing motorcycle
  • How did he keep breathing after he fell
  • How he was peaceful with the experience and just allowed it to unfold.
  • What was his Near Death Experience (NDE) while in the hospital
  • How he’s come back through gratitude
  • How he was so fortunate to have a ferocious (fierce) mother that was on his side for an optimal healing environment
  • How his mom brought in nature music for his health
  • Why he wouldn’t change a thing
  • How he was allowing love to flow naturally
  • Why all we can do with our lives is to share ourselves and ‘give it away”
  • Why he had to stay so mindfully in the present, in the day-to-day, present moment
  • How he was so mindful and present – which he needed in order to survive and then to heal
  • How to stay in the moment and work on one flicker or improvement at a time
  • How having his toenails painted all the colors of the rainbow helped him turn inward, visualize and picture his toes moving again
  • How he used the law of attraction and visualization to start “rewiring and re-firing”
  • How water helped him to heal (and how scary it was being put in the water the first time)
  • How he was asking for more whenever he got treatments
  • What a clean slate means, and what it truly means to move forward
  • How the outlet for his energy became the workouts he was doing.
  • What happened when he was 1 year into his recovery
  • How he made it through when he wanted to end things…
  • How he found a miracle partner in the healing process, Taylor Kevin Isaacs
  • How they made it through financially
  • How he did a tandem bike ride across the country with his mother.
  • How he began pedaling his own bicycle!!! (And then did a SECOND bike-ride across the country, SOLO!!!)
  • What is the trike he rode across the country
  • How he debuted the trike at the LA marathon.
  • How he walked solo 20 miles across Death Valley
  • How much he’s been at peace through the process
  • How he’s become an explorer of his potential, his body’s potential, his mind’s potential, and discovering the limits of his ability to create and make things happen – incredibly inspiring!!!
  • How he qualified for the 2012 Olympics
  • How to become an explorer of our own reality
  • How much has visualization been a part of the process?
  • What’s the power of gratitude?
  • How mindful, present, and peaceful he needed to be in Death Valley
  • How he created CORE with his mother, and then brought Taylor Kevin Isaacs along.
  • What is the business he created, the rehab center CORE (Center of Restorative Exercise) in Northridge California
  • The power of “what you think about you bring about” and how positivity and positive outcome affirmations and thoughts helped bring about CORE.
  • How he met his wife
  • What is the Wings for Life World Run – Sponsored by Red Bull
  • Who are his sponsors:
  • Fox Racing & Todd Hicks
  • CORE Centers
  • Wings for Life
  • Christopher and Dana Reeves Foundation
  • Triumph Foundation
  • Life Goes On Foundation
  • Rock Racing
  • Reactive Adaptations
  • Mountain Biking – And YouTube Video Flying Down Mammoth
  • Words of wisdom for people going through this.
  • What it means to be willing to walk through the fire

Related Podcasts:

How to Throw Out Your Excuses & Live a “No Limits” Life (Kyle Maynard, ESPY Award Winner & Motivational Speaker)

INSPIRE #222: How to Live Your Life on Fire!!! (John O’Leary, “On Fire”)

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SHINE BRIGHT!

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