I Aint Makin Salt and Pepper Shakers: Zach Tidwell Part 2

What this episode covers

In this raw and inspiring continuation of Zach Tidwell’s story, The Blind Chick dives deeper into Zach’s journey of survival, addiction, recovery, and resilience. After surviving a self-inflicted gunshot wound and waking up totally blind, Zach faced cognitive dissonance, identity loss, and multiple layers of trauma—but he also found something unexpected: purpose. Zach walks us through the blurry, painful months of relearning everything from brushing his teeth to walking again, confronting the reality of permanent blindness, and battling crippling depression—all while defying odds. His path includes learning to snowboard, going back to college, coding an award-winning app, and discovering a new identity through service to the blind and disabled community. He candidly shares his relapse into alcoholism and how he ultimately found the strength to get sober, develop accessible tech, and start a podcast and book that continue to help others. Zach’s story reminds us that failure isn’t final and that purpose can be forged in even the darkest fires. ⏱️ Chapter Markers: 00:00 – Intro + Welcome Back to Part 2 00:28 – Zach’s Awakening + Immediate Aftermath of Attempt 02:54 – ICU, Life Support, and “He’s Still in There” 05:13 – Learning He’s Totally Blind + Initial Reactions 07:16 – Blind Rehab, Adaptive Sports, and Getting Back Up 09:39 – Depression Despite Independence + Sobriety Struggle 12:03 – The Turning Point: Speaking Up to a Therapist 14:19 – The Trigger: Statistics Class + Alcohol Relapse 16:41 – Dropping Out to Code: Creating Accessible Tech 19:04 – Battling Huntington’s Diagnosis + Deeper Addiction 21:20 – Zanagrams: Building the First Fully Accessible Game 22:44 – Sobriety, Speaking, and a Future Reclaimed 24:51 – Final Words: Speak Up + Adapt to Thrive 27:07 – Where to Find Zach + Outro

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