We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lisa Ruby. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lisa below.

Alright, Lisa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’re complete cheeseballs and so we love asking folks to share the most heartwarming moment from their career – do you have a touching moment you can share with us?

At a bike camp a teen boy came to bike camp to learn to ride. He had younger siblings that both rode a two-wheeler around the neighborhood with other neighborhood children. His mother said he would stand in the driveway and cry as his siblings rode away with the others. His parents tried for many years to help him learn to ride. They tried everything without success. The first day of camp the mother came inside in tears and said her son was in the car, crying and she couldn’t get him to come in. She said he was afraid to fail again. I went out with her and luckily was able to convince him to give it a try and if he didn’t like it then he could stop. That brave boy came in and gave it a try. Not only did he try, he learned to ride a two wheel bike just like all the other kids in his family and neighborhood. On Friday his father, his siblings and his grandparents came to camp to see him ride. That young man was beaming! His parents and grandparents were crying and everyone was cheering him on. I will never forget the absolute light of this boy. This happened 15 years ago, yet his bravery and determination inspire me even today.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Lisa Ruby, Founder & Executive Director of the 501c3 nonprofit organization iCan Shine and the driving force behind the development of the iCan programs and protocol. iCan Shine currently offers three weeklong recreational programs for individuals with disabilities, iCan Bike, iCan Swim and iCan Dance. All Shine programs create a safe and supportive environment where each person is empowered to maximize their individual abilities, an environment where everyone shines.

For an individual with a disability learning to ride a two-wheel bicycle, swim, or dance on stage in front of an audience allows many benefits including an increase in self-esteem and self-confidence that spills over into other areas of their life, having new physical activities to chose from, and inclusion with their peers, family and friends. For many of our participants learning to ride a bike creates independent transportation and opportunities for more challenging events like long distance rides, fundraising rides, and mountain biking. Learning to bike and swim lead to competitive events and even triathlons. One iCan Bike graduate went on to become the first person with Down syndrome to complete the Ironman!

Seeing the people that we serve go from an ‘iCan’t’ to an ‘iCan’ mentality fills my heart with pride. Hiring young staff that blossom and grow with the experiences at our programs, working with volunteers of varying ages to show them the potential of every human and to see that we are all more alike than different, and knowing the ripple effects that occur for all of these people and their families is incredibly fulfilling, giving me great hope for the future.

Being instrumental in the creation and growth of the organization from it’s start in 2007 through the record breaking year of 2023 serving approximately 3,000 people with over 100 programs in 35 US states and 3 Canadian Provinces has been the biggest blessing of my life. I believe that play is the purest form of therapy the world has to offer us all, and physical play the most beneficial for body, mind and soul. Having this opportunity to create a more even playing field for people with differing abilities brings me great joy and indescribable satisfaction. To know that we are saving lives through water safety and basic swim skills is truly the most impactful work I can imagine.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I spent 16 years in the corporate world, specifically in Information Technology (IT). I started an IT consulting business in Seattle that was quite successful for 6 years. During this time I was able to do something I love, volunteer. I volunteered at a transitional school for homeless children. The nonprofit’s mission was to identify children living on the street, help the family obtain temporary shelter, assist the adult with finding a job, provide counseling, medical care, whatever was needed, while bringing the child(ren) into a school setting, serving three meals a day and preparing them to enter or re-enter the public school system. Working with these children I had an epiphany that my calling was to work for and with children with no child being excluded for any reason. At the time I thought that meant ‘global’ inclusion, perhaps organizations like Save The Children or Oxfam International. After researching where the majority of the jobs for these world organizations were I spent the summer visiting three cities, Boston, New York City and Washington, DC. I felt strongly that DC was where I should start. I went back to Seattle, sold my business and my house and rented an apartment in DC for 6 months. I had no contacts in DC, no friends, no family, but I took that risk. The second week I was there I had my first connection to children with disabilities with a volunteer opportunity at my local Parks & Rec. Little did I know this encounter would lead me to where I am today. The lesson i learned is to take risks, they do pay off.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

Being resilient, overcoming fear of the unknown, taking risks, working hard, learning from everyone you encounter (even the tiniest humans have something to teach you), sharing what you learn and always striving to learn are all vitally important to success. Belief in yourself and in others paves a path for great outcomes. Working with individuals with disabilities and their families has taught me that while we may communicate differently, have different perspectives, different challenges, different limitations, we are ALL unique, beautiful and invaluable.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://icanshine.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/icanshine/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iCanShine.org/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-ruby-a9286574/