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March 18, 2022

Emeka Nnaka: An Advocate for Hope- His Journey

Emeka Nnaka: An Advocate for Hope- His Journey

I am proud to share the 200th episode of #thePOZcast with all of you. I want to take a moment to thank all of my listeners for joining me on my journey and I truly hope that you can learn something from each episode. The goal of the show for me is to showcase amazing humans and shine a light on their journey, and that light reflects back on me.

This is my art, my passion and I deeply appreciate all of you. With that, I am thrilled to share this episode that resonated so deeply with me as I got to spend 3 days with Emeka this past October in Newark. This episode is what the show is all about. Thank you! 


Emeka Nnaka is a keynote speaker, therapist, and advocate for hope. Emeka suffered a severe injury playing for the Oklahoma Thunder semi-professional football team in 2009 that would leave permanent damage to his spinal cord. Emeka has been a returning guest on the Ellen Degeneres Show where he was recognized for his service to the community and resilience through life’s challenges.

As a speaker, coach, therapist, and advocate, Emeka makes it his mission to inspire hope and by doing so, invite others to live beyond the labels of their circumstances. 

This Episode’s Heavy-hitter’s:
Emeka’s injury was the toughest time of his life, and unfortunately, he was very mentally present during it and remembers a lot of the direct aftermath clearly.
One of the hardest parts of the recovery process was losing friends as Emeka adjusted to his post-injury life. There was a lot of blame and personal guilt that he felt at that time as he tried to process the extent of the accident.
Although Emeka is RELENTLESSLY positive, he still has those human moments where he’s watching football and it gets to him. The toughest part is watching the cuts to the sideline, and the pre and post game coverage where you get to see the camaraderie on display.
One of the most positive influences in the recovery process for Emeka has been helping people. He started attending a church where he’d volunteer his time and experiences with the kids there.
Emeka found himself on the Ellen Show through a “series of unfortunate events” including crashing his very expensive personal van, his father who is his caretaker breaking his ankle, and losing his apartment in a fire all within a month’s span of time.

Learn more about Meka: https://emekannaka.com/

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Thank you for listening and please check out more at www.thePOZcast.com


1:25 - Sports Weekend (End of January)
2:51 - Prediction for Next Week (Football)
3:45 - Adam and Emeka meetup
5:22 - Emeka before injury
8:26 - The incident/accident
11:40 - Family/friends during diagnosis
12:50 - Rehab and Body State now
14:13 - Deep Dark Thoughts
16:39 - The Hard Time ' Losing Relationship'
17:16 - Lack of Support
22:56 - What is Life?
26:49 - Moment of Sunshine
31:01 - Going back to school
26:14 - Direction and Purpose
39:22 - The Ellen Show
44:09 - What's on the Horizon
46:56 - Single Greatest Piece of advice
48:56 - Emeka's North Star