Life to the Max Podcast
Welcome to 'Life to the Max Podcast,' where resilience meets inspiration!
Join us on a transformative journey through the life stories of remarkable individuals, including Quadriplegic Army Veteran Maximilian Gross. In this empowering podcast, we dive into tales of triumph, courage, and the human spirit's unwavering ability to overcome obstacles.
Our show is a celebration of diverse narratives, from awe-inspiring achievements to the darkest of traumas. 'Life to the Max' is a testament to the power of living authentically, no matter the circumstances. We believe that everyone has a unique story worth sharing, and we invite individuals from all walks of life to join us.
Discover the profound meaning of living 'Life to the Max'—a concept that resonates differently with each storyteller. It's a journey of perspective, resilience, and finding joy amidst life's challenges. Tune in to be inspired, motivated, and reminded that there's strength in every story.
Ready to redefine what it means to live life to the fullest? Share your story with us and become a part of this uplifting community. Because, at 'Life to the Max,' every story matters.
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Life to the Max Podcast
Speedcast: Curb Free with Cory Lee | Reinventing the Wheelchair Travel Experience
"Travel isn't meant to be easy—it's meant to be worth it." These words could easily be the mantra of Cory Lee, an extraordinary traveler who has visited 52 countries and all seven continents while navigating the world in a power wheelchair. In this intimate conversation recorded at the 2025 Abilities Expo in Chicago, Cory shares his remarkable journey with spinal muscular atrophy and how it became his motivation rather than limitation.
When Cory launched his blog "Curb Free with Cory Lee" in 2013, accessible travel resources were virtually non-existent online. What began as a modest attempt to fill this gap has evolved into a movement reshaping how the travel industry approaches accessibility. From humble beginnings where attraction passes felt like golden tickets to now being paid by destinations worldwide to showcase their accessibility features, Cory's trajectory mirrors the growing recognition of travelers with disabilities as a vital market segment.
The conversation takes us through the very real challenges of wheelchair travel—particularly the anxiety-inducing experience of air travel, where the fear of wheelchair damage looms large with every flight. Yet despite these obstacles, Cory's adventures span from feeding elephants in Thailand to receiving traditional tattoos from monks by riverside temples. His children's book series featuring "CorCor," a wheelchair-using explorer, is educating the next generation about both the possibilities and practicalities of accessible travel. Whether you're a wheelchair user seeking travel inspiration or simply someone who believes in exploring beyond perceived limitations, this conversation will transform how you view travel, accessibility, and human potential.
Ready to see the world from a new perspective? Follow Cory's adventures on Instagram @curbfreecorylee or visit his award-winning blog at curbfreewithcorylee.com to discover how accessible the world can truly be when we refuse to accept barriers.
What's up, guys? As you can see, we're not in the studio at home. We're actually at the Abilities Expo in Chicago, and this podcast is going to be a little different. It's going to be like a speedcast. The sound is not going to be as great because of how wide open this space is, but I hope you guys enjoy it. Please enjoy this. Life to the Max speedcast. What's up, everybody. It's Life to the Max podcast. We are at the abilities expo in schaumburg, lmr. It is june 21st 2025 and today I have a very special guest with me kurt brie, cory lee yeah, thanks so much for having me.
Speaker 2:I really appreciate the opportunity to be on your podcast.
Speaker 1:Dude, I thank you so much for coming. I know you've been so busy at the expo.
Speaker 2:Yeah, of course I'm happy to be here. It's been a fun weekend so far.
Speaker 1:We were talking earlier. You have muscular dystrophy, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I have a form of muscular dystrophy called spinal muscular atrophy, which basically means that my muscles, like are very weak and they do degenerate over time. So I like probably won't have the same abilities 10 years from now that I do today. So that really kind of serves like, I think, as a constant motivator for me to travel like now, while I'm undoubtedly more able than I will be in the future. So I'm like on a mission to like do as much as I can now while you know I'm the most able I'll probably ever be.
Speaker 1:Do you think you are? Do you think there's research out there that could help you out?
Speaker 2:I mean there are new medications that are coming out. We actually just got like the first medication just a few years ago for SMA and I mean they're constantly like new advancements being made. So I mean I don't really know what the future may hold Like. I mean, the research is looking promising but it could be like a decade away, you know, before we see real change, or more than that. How old are you, corey? I'm 35.
Speaker 1:Promising, but it could be like a decade away, you know, before we see real change, or more than that. I am 35, I'm 29, about to nice, almost 30, and I don't know if it all goes downhill at 30. Well, let's, let's talk about something good. So you started curve free with cory lee in 2013.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I started in 2013 and I I really started just from realizing that there was a lack of accessible travel resources on the internet, and so I wanted to create a website where other wheelchair users could go to and hopefully, you know find out what's accessible around the world.
Speaker 1:How did you like reinvent the wheel?
Speaker 2:I mean honestly, like when I started, there weren't really a lot of accessible travel blogs, even Like there were only two or three out there and they were mostly focused on traveling in the US or so like national parks within the US, and so there wasn't really a space where people were, you know, covering international travel or travel really even that frequently, like the ones that existed weren't just like weren't publishing frequently enough, I guess, and I just wanted, like there was really an opportunity there that I saw that just wasn't being taken back in 2013.
Speaker 1:Okay, so explain the progression from 2013 to 2025.
Speaker 2:Oh, it's been a wild ride. I mean, it really took a couple of years for me to like kind of get my foot in the door and have any kind of an audience at all on social media. So for those first couple of years, I mean I was trying to publish content every single day, build up my audience on Facebook, to publish content every single day, build up my audience on Facebook, instagram, the blog, and then, after a couple years, like I started reaching out to destinations and to different travel companies and asking if they would be open to collaborating or partnering and luckily, a few of them like said yes and like I remember one of the first destinations I ever worked with was Pigeon Forge, tennessee, and they were like we'll give you an attractions pass and you can go to these.
Speaker 2:like, like, I remember one of the first destinations I ever worked with was Pigeon Forge, tennessee, and they were like we'll give you an attractions pass and you can go to these like attractions for free If you'll route like two blog posts and do social media content, and I just thought that was like the best thing in the world Like to get to go to a free attraction. You know Now, though, like destinations are like covering hotels flights. Well, they're paying me to come out and create content and work with them to really showcase accessibility. So I mean, it's grown beyond my wildest dreams, honestly.
Speaker 1:How does it feel like from your first flight? So like, can you explain your first flight to me?
Speaker 2:Yeah, my first ever flight. Well, I did my first flight when I was 13 years old, and it was a Make-A-Wish trip actually, and I went to Los Angeles and I was a presenter on the Teen Choice Awards. Really, yeah, at the age of 13. I mean that was like the greatest thing in the world To get to be a presenter on the Teen Choice Awards, and I presented an award to Kelly Clarkson on TV and it was like the most epic make-a-wish of all time, I think. But you know, I had so much fun doing that, but I mean it was definitely scary, like to take that first flight, you know, but I was so young that it just didn't really bother me, like I had no fear about anything at that point. And, uh, sadly, though, like air travel hasn't really gotten much better in the past 22 years. Can you explain?
Speaker 1:that Well, the air travel.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean air travel. I mean it's by far the part of traveling that I dread the most. I mean undoubtedly. But I mean there are things that you know I do to help prevent any damages, like a bubble wrap, the wheelchair. I take parts of the wheelchair off and put them in a carry-on bag to take on the plane with me. But I'm really hopeful that my ultimate dream would be that one day I can just roll on the plane and stay in my wheelchair. I mean, that would be a game changer.
Speaker 1:So you've traveled to over 100 countries is that correct?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I wish I'm trying to get there, but I've been to 52 countries so far and all seven continents.
Speaker 1:Wow. So what was it like actually going overseas for the first time?
Speaker 2:Yeah, the first overseas trip that I took was a cruise to the Bahamas. Actually. So not like anything too daunting, but, um, that trip, I mean it really like it was only like a three night cruise to the Bahamas, but it was the first time that I was able to experience a different culture and like try new foods and meet new people, and I mean it really sparked something inside of me. I did that when I was 15 years old, um, and it sparked something inside of me. I did that when I was 15 years old and it sparked something inside of me that just made me think, you know, like if the Bahamas can be this close and this easy to get to, then what would somewhere like India be like, or Australia, or South Africa or all of these far flung places around the globe?
Speaker 1:And so that really motivated me to see more of the world the globe, and so that really motivated me to see more of the world. Dude, that's absolutely beautiful because so many people are so for me like I want to fly, but I'm terrified that my wheelchair is gonna get messed up.
Speaker 2:and trust me, I completely get it. I mean, every single time that I fly, I mean I'm like stressing myself out so much, like Like even the day before the flight, then I'm like maybe I shouldn't even go on this trip, like is it even worth it to go, you know? But I try to just like constantly remind myself, like you know, there are people out there that need to see wheelchair users and unfamiliar territory and then new places around the world, and we're so often seen as like not being able to travel, like that's the perception, so why not travel internationally? And I just want to like shatter that sometimes we're seeing us like, not people oh, absolutely, which I hate?
Speaker 2:yeah, for sure I mean even here in like our own country, I feel, like you know, and when we travel internationally, like a lot of times I remember when I was in India, I mean, people rushed up to me and said it was the first time they had ever seen a power wheelchair, and so they were like crying and could not believe that a power wheelchair even existed. And one guy told me so my brother is at home and he's never left the house in like 20 years because we don't know how to get him out like how much is this power chair? And he like wanted to get one. And when I told him the price which, as you know, like they're stupid expenses yeah, um, he like started crying again because he was so discouraged and like it shouldn't be that case like around the world to be so difficult to be able to move it's all bureaucracy here, it's it's a really really that really sucks.
Speaker 1:Can you recommend like a airline, like the best airline?
Speaker 2:yeah, so for me. I mean, I usually fly with delta, uh, but I'm based near atlanta, which is delta's home base, uh, so they have more non-stop flights out of out of Atlanta than any other airline. But statistically, delta actually damages the least amount of wheelchairs compared to every other airline. So Delta is statistically the best. And then the worst airline is Spirit Spirit, yeah, spirit damages the most.
Speaker 1:So my sister's a flight attendant. She works for Frontier.
Speaker 2:She absolutely hates how they treat disabled people I've never flown with frontier but they are like one of the lowest, like statistically as well, with like damaging the most wheelchairs 100 percent, dude, uh.
Speaker 1:So what was your favorite vacation? I know you you've been to a bunch of places, but what place really lit you up?
Speaker 2:I mean it's hard for me to choose one, so I'll give a top three. Top three, I would say Thailand. I mean I went just a couple months ago to Bangkok and Khmer, thani, bari and Wuhan. I mean it's such an amazing country and the people are like the friendliest in the world. I was able to go to an elephant sanctuary and feed elephants.
Speaker 2:I got a tattoo from a monk in thailand, which was pretty awesome and I know you have a lot of tattoos, uh and like, and you would probably love this story. But in exchange for the tattoo, they gave me the tattoo outside by a river, um, at us, at um, a temple actually, and a monk did it, and in exchange for the tattoo, all I had to give them was a pack of cigarettes and some flowers. So it was a wild experience, but definitely one of the most memorable. And then, for the other two destinations that I really love, I would also say India and Morocco, and I think I would choose them just because they're unlike anywhere else in the world.
Speaker 1:That is amazing man. And what places would you not recommend for people in wheelchairs? Like you know, like the, you know, progressed with wheelchair accessibility.
Speaker 2:Because I think you know, I mean, obviously there are places that it's not possible to travel with a power wheelchair Like, because I need adapted transportation and things like that, and that just doesn't exist in some places, but in the majority of destinations that I've even, like, researched or been interested in visiting, there is a way to go there. There are companies that specialize in accessible travel. There is a way to go there. There are companies that specialize in accessible travel. So I mean, but I personally had the worst experience in Paris, perhaps and I went back in 2011, and it was just incredibly difficult to get around the city, but I've heard that it has gotten much better since then. So I mean, I would like to go back one day and hopefully, you know, see, it has improved I can imagine the eu has a proof and my brother told me like he went.
Speaker 1:He went to germany a few times he told me that um that it's. It is not eda accessible yeah. But there are places that are accessible.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah.
Speaker 1:You put the name of accessible in a lot of places because you're reinventing the wheel, yeah well, thank you. Yeah, it's a beautiful thing. So you said that you wrote a children's book. Can you explain that?
Speaker 2:Yeah, back in 2020, my mom and I co-wr wrote a children's book. Can you explain that? Yeah, back in 2020, my mom and I co-wrote a children's book called let's Explore with Corkor, and it's all about a kid in a wheelchair that travels the world, and every destination that is featured in the book is one that I've actually been to. So they are accessible destinations and I really just hope that the book is showing, like kids with disabilities what's possible, but I also hope that it's showing, like kids that are able-bodied, that wheelchair users can get out there and have these really incredible experiences around the world.
Speaker 1:How's that like uh come about? Like since, like uh, like how's uh the people the validation been?
Speaker 2:yeah, I mean it's been incredible just to like see the response and I mean meet the kids that have like read the book and see their reactions to it, and it's uh definitely like heartwarming. Whenever I meet a kid that's like, oh, like I love corcor and I want to go these places because corcor went.
Speaker 1:You know, like it's a really special thing to hear so, dude, that you're gonna make me feel like I'm like that is so.
Speaker 2:That's so gruffly sweet, but now you're making it in your book as well yeah, yeah, we're working on the second book and we are almost done with it and it's going to be called let's soar with core core and it's all about core core's first flight. So I mean, as we were talking about, yeah yeah, just like we were talking about.
Speaker 2:Like I mean, I know there's so many fears about flying as a wheelchair user and I mean I want, like in the in, let's soar with core core. It's going to really walk through the entire flying experience for Corcor and so I hope that you know it'll help eliminate some of those fears but also answer questions about how can travel be easier if you use the wheelchair.
Speaker 1:So for a first-time traveler, what would you recommend for someone in a wheelchair to go to?
Speaker 2:Like a destination. No just any trip, Just a tip.
Speaker 1:Like a cruise.
Speaker 2:I mean, I definitely think cruises are probably the easiest way to travel if you're a wheelchair user, because everything that you need is right there on the ship, so you don't have to worry about finding an accessible taxi just to go to dinner or just to go see a broadway quality show, or the pools are accessible on many ships, like they have a pool lift, so there's so much that you can enjoy right there on the ship without having to worry about finding accessible transportation, which is always like. My biggest worry whenever I get to a destination is well, now I'm here, like how am I going to get around? And is it actually going to show up and get me? You know?
Speaker 1:That terrifies me because I'm on a flight of Uber. So I'm like crap man, like what am I going to do, like, if there's no like accessible, like you know, like taxis or ubers.
Speaker 2:It is scary yeah, it's definitely a concern for me as well, yeah how do you like your life?
Speaker 1:your life's kind of an enigma man, like you uh started 2013. Now you're making books and you're uh changing the world. That's something I'm trying to do. What advice would you give me?
Speaker 2:I mean I think just keep pushing forward, like I mean, there in this journey, I mean in my journey, I there have been many, many days when I've been like is it even worth it? Like should I give up? Is anybody listening? Like is the industry ever going to change and become more accessible? But I mean I think the longer that we keep at it and we keep fighting and like pushing forward, like the more change that we can create.
Speaker 2:And I know, like in the past 12 years since I started, like I have seen a change within the travel industry and there are now more destinations that are caring about accessibility and focusing on it than there ever have been before. And I mean just here at Abilities Expo, like I see the impact that, you know, people with disabilities are having within the world. I mean it's really incredible to see. And I mean if we're not out there trying to do this and create change, then nobody's going to. So I mean I think it's really up to people like us to get the word out and just, you know, make a change.
Speaker 1:Corey, what are you most grateful for?
Speaker 2:Ah, I mean I am I would say I'm most grateful that's a good question, for I mean just for the ability to be able to travel, I mean despite having a disability, like yeah, yeah, it's hard, like it's tremendously difficult, but the fact that I can do that and have some kind of an impact within this, within the travel industry, I mean it's something that I'm thankful for every single day and it never gets old. But when someone reaches out to me and they're like hey, I traveled to Iceland because I saw that you went there, like just meeting people that have, like you know that I've influenced to travel for the first time, like there's nothing better than that.
Speaker 1:That is absolutely beautiful man. I want to thank you so much for taking the time to come on my show.
Speaker 2:Yeah, of course. Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1:I know you're like like super busy. You've got to go in like several minutes. I really appreciate it and I'm sure do you have anything you would want to say to the people out there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean. If anybody is watching or listening and has any questions about traveling as a WorldTour user, feel free to reach out to me on instagram at curb free cory lee, or you can read along on my blog at curb free with cory leecom all right.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much, man. For everybody who likes this content, please like, comment and subscribe and, as always, take a breath for me. Thank you so much. Currently, I really appreciate you making the time yeah, thanks for having me max.
Speaker 2:I really appreciate it.