Connecting Disability

Connecting Disability to… Paralympic sports, dog training and reinvention with Jess Tuomela

Episode Summary

There are so many things to say about this month’s guest. Jess Tuomela is a four-time Paralympian who has worked as a massage therapist and now as a dog trainer, training dogs in scent discriminate trailing. But while she’s made headlines for her athletic career and dog training, my favourite thing about Jess is the time I got to spend with her several years ago. There’s a lot of laughter in this episode. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did – and Jess, I really hope we get to meet in-person again soon! Learn more about True North Canine, Jess’s dog training company, here: https://truenorthk9dogs.com/ More on Jess and Lucy’s work locating an elderly woman: https://www.vancouverislandfreedaily.com/news/saanich-paralympian-finds-missing-person-with-the-help-of-her-dog/ Jess also works as a mental performance strategist: https://www.jessicatuomela.com/ Jess was featured on an episode of the CBC podcast, Player’s Own Voice. Catch that here: https://www.cbc.ca/listen/cbc-podcasts/202-players-own-voice/episode/15796615-jessica-tuomela-paratriathlete-trains-through-the-trials We talk about the CNIB Lake Joseph Centre a lot on this podcast. You can learn more about the camp here: https://www.cnib.ca/en/programs-and-services/play/cnib-lake-joe?region=on