139: Passion, Purpose, and the Next Step with Kyle & Brent Pease
In Part 2, Kyle and Brent Pease go beyond the race course and into the harder terrain — the screaming match in a New York City taxi after a broken wheelchair nearly ended their marathon, the board member who called every morning during school drop-off, and what it actually takes to build an organization that can run without you.
This is where the mission meets the mechanics, and where two brothers figure out how to grow up together in public.
In this episode:
- How Kyle and Brent built the Kyle Pease Foundation from scratch — including the nine months it took to help their very first family, the decision to race at least once a month to create visibility, and how they've grown from six events in 2013 to 64 events across 14 states last year
- The New York City Marathon story: the wheelchair broke mid-race, Brent spent an hour trying to fix it with help from the NYPD, and eventually told Kyle he was done — and what Kyle said back that got them across the finish line
- Brent's framework for hiring in a nonprofit: passion for the mission matters more than fit for the role, and for every non-disabled hire, he wants to add another employee with a disability doing real work — not stuffing envelopes
- The Dick Hoyt lesson — the father behind the famous push-assist duo called Brent before the 2018 IRONMAN World Championship and gave him these words of advice: "just keep pushing the pedals"
- How Kyle became the athlete-coach he is today: years of sitting on the sidelines, listening to adults talk, and watching his brother compete gave him an observer's precision that most coaches never develop
Support the Kyle Pease Foundation Dwayne is matching donations — up to $5,000 total. Every dollar counts twice right now: 👉 Donate here: https://kyle-pease-foundation-inc.networkforgood.com/events/99987-the-dwayne-kerrigan-podcast
Episode Highlights:
00:00 - Purpose Meets Passion
00:22 - Podcast Intro And Setup
01:25 - Priorities And Time Juggling
03:13 - Scaling A Mission Nonprofit
05:52 - Mentors And Running It Like Business
08:51 - Spreading The Mission Through Racing
12:42 - Measuring Impact And Growth
14:25 - Adaptive Equipment And Inclusion
19:00 - Speaking And Education Programs
21:58 - Kona Gear Innovation
24:46 - When Things Break And Tempers Flare
28:26 - Brotherhood Evolved
29:00 - Humanity in Relationships
30:44 - Keep Pushing Pedals
33:47 - Fiercely Experience It
34:12 - Hawaii Cutoff Heartbreak
35:51 - Still Growing Forward
37:33 - Family Balance and Kids
39:17 - Twin Brother Dynamics
41:16 - Parenting and Inclusion
44:43 - Kyle as Coach
49:20 - Scaling Beyond Racing
53:06 - Volunteer and Donation Match
55:51 - Closing Thanks and Disclaimers
Resources mentioned:
- Beyond the Finish — Kyle and Brent Pease’s book
- The Kyle Pease Foundation — kylepeasefoundation.org
- TED Talk: The Way We Think About Charity Is Dead Wrong — Dan Pallotta
- The Hoyt family — Dick and Rick Hoyt, pioneer push-assist racing duo
- Field of Dreams — film referenced by Kyle and Brent
- Tony Robbins — referenced by Dwayne: "emotion is motion"
- Alvin Law — thalidomide survivor and speaker referenced by Dwayne
- IRONMAN World Championship, Kona, Hawaii
Quotes:
“ It does not have to be something that we fiercely protect. You know, it's something that we can all fiercely experience.” - Brent Pease
“ I think that we're still growing. We're still evolving. When you stop growing, that's when you need to walk away from whatever you’re doing.” - Kyle Pease
“It got the point where I basically just looked at him. I was like, dude, I'm done. I'm out. This isn't us. I dunno what we're doing. And Kyle said, well, you can quit, but I'm gonna finish.” - Brent Pease
"These small lessons inside of our relationships that teach us about humanity — a lot of times what's missing in the world, and you guys are sharing it through stories like that, which I think is supremely powerful.” - Dwayne Kerrigan
“ Because finding people who love what the mission is, like, that's more critical to me than finding the person who fits the exact role. Because if you have somebody who loves what you do and believes in it - a true believer if you will - then they're gonna be able to lean into whatever the task is and grow because they're willing to do it for the people that we serve.” - Brent Pease
About Kyle and Brent Pease: Kyle Pease is a six-time IRONMAN finisher and co-founder of The Kyle Pease Foundation (KPF), born with cerebral palsy and widely regarded as one of the most compelling voices on disability inclusion in the country. Brent Pease is an endurance athlete, coach, and Executive Director of KPF, who has raced alongside Kyle in over 100 events including six IRONMAN triathlons.
Together they made history as the first push-assist brother team to complete the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona in 2018, and have since helped raise well over $10 million in support of athletes with disabilities.
Connect with the Kyle Pease Foundation: https://kylepeasefoundation.org/
Connect with Dwayne Kerrigan:
Disclaimer: The views, information, or opinions expressed by guests during The Dwayne Kerrigan Podcast are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of Dwayne Kerrigan and his affiliates. Dwayne Kerrigan or The Dwayne Kerrigan Podcast is not responsible for and does not verify the accuracy of any of the information contained in the podcast series. The primary purpose of this podcast is to educate and inform. Listeners are advised to consult with a qualified professional or specialist before making any decisions based on the content of this podcast.