Steve Serio: How Do You Deal With Not Being Okay?

Steve Serio is a Paralympic Gold Medalist for Team USA Basketball and also the kindest man in the world. Adam shares the moment he first saw Steve in the gym; he was so inspired by what he saw that he had to say hello and get to know him. More than ever, right now people need to hear good news. They need to not only hear hope but feel hope in their hearts. We hope this conversation will help you feel that.

 

Asking the Questions

• “Always treat someone like a person first. No one wants to be defined by their disability.”
• Steve encourages everyone to start conversations with people with disabilities. Don’t be afraid to ask people what their disability is but talk to them as a human first.
• “It’s through asking that we’re going to become a more inclusive society so never shy away from those questions.”
• Steve also acknowledges some of the words that can feel uncomfortable for a lot of people in the community.
• Steve acquired his disability when he was 11 months old. He had an undiagnosed benign spinal tumor that crushed his spinal cord. This caused an incomplete paralysis of his lower extremities.

 

Preparing for Paralympics

• The Paralympics are the Olympics for people with physical disabilities. Steve has been on Team USA since 2006.
• Steve unpacks the reactions people tend to have when they see wheelchair basketball for the first time.
• If you want to check out a wheelchair basketball game, the 2016 Rio Paralympic Gold Medal game is a good place to start. You can watch it here.

 

Being a Leader

• Steve and Adam reflect on conversations they had when Adam was going through his ACL healing journey and considering sharing the experience to connect with others.
• The biggest piece of advice Steve had for Adam was to not take advantage of the moment.
• Steve also shares how quarantine in this time of COVID-19 has been affecting him, specifically the way it has changed how he views his role as a leader.
• “Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve had to learn how to not be okay.”
• Steve is a mentor to others and the advice he gives to newly disabled people is to count their daily wins.

 

The Small Things Steve is Prioritizing in Quarantine

• “It’s the idea of doing small things over the course of a very long time that ultimately determine who you are going to become as a person or as an athlete or as a leader.”

1. Focusing on at-home workouts.
2. Cooking healthful meals with new ingredients he hasn’t used before.
3. Calling his family every single day just to check in and make sure his loved ones are supported and staying safe.

 

Steve’s Question For You

• “How do you deal with not being okay?”

 

Let us know over at @8daysaweekpodcast on Instagram and let’s start a conversation. You can keep up with Steve at @steveserio11 on Instagram. Make sure to subscribe on iTunes so every week the new episode will go right to your phone!