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  • Pain, Perseverance & Possibility

    Pain, Perseverance & Possibility
    2025/11/26
    A Thanksgiving Message For Anyone Struggling Thanksgiving week always makes me pause, breathe, and step back into gratitude, but this year, that feeling hit me in a much deeper way. Maybe it was the timing, maybe it was the experience itself, or maybe it was because of everything that led me here—but this past week in Vegas reminded me exactly why I chose this life, and why I continue to push myself to live amplified, even when it hurts. Our family goes to the Formula One races every year—this was our third—and while we love the energy, the cars, and the whole spectacle of it, it is absolutely not an easy environment for someone with mobility challenges. As an above-knee amputee, I’ve learned that accessibility can be a coin toss on a good day. Vegas during F1 weekend takes that to a whole different level. Elevators that don’t work. Escalators that suddenly shut down. Crowds compressed shoulder to shoulder. Long detours around track barriers. Rain. Stairs. More stairs. But this year came with a twist. Not only did we pack in a full day of walking, navigating the Strip, dodging people, climbing stairs, and exploring all the fanfare, but that night, after all of that, I finally checked off something that had been sitting on my bucket list for years: going to a Vegas nightclub. And I didn’t just go. I went all in—heels, dancing, crowds, the whole thing. What made the night more meaningful was the backdrop of everything my body was going through. My newest socket, trimmed higher because I’d lost some femur during surgery, still hasn’t fully broken in. The rubbing along my groin becomes a four-inch strip of fire by the end of the day, the kind of raw, stinging pain that makes even a shower burn. Think blister-on-your-heel level pain, except in a place you can never bandage. Add rain, cold weather, slick sidewalks, and 36,000 steps—the most I’ve ever walked in a single day even when I had two legs—and you can imagine how I felt by the time we walked into the club. But then the music hit. And the energy shifted. Surrounded by my husband and my kids—my favorite people—and swallowed up in the beat and the lights, I felt alive. Not amputee alive. Not “making the best of it” alive. Just fully, completely alive. In that moment, I didn’t care that no one around me knew I was an amputee. I didn’t care that all my weight was sinking into my good foot, making my toes tingle with pressure. I didn’t care that I had a raw mark on my inner thigh or that I was balancing on heels after a marathon day of movement. I was simply living the moment I had dreamed of for years. And when I finally got home, when I finally took my leg off and felt that flood of relief wash over my whole body, I laid in bed and thought, “This… this is why I chose amputation.” I didn’t take my leg off to watch life happen from the sidelines. I didn’t choose this path to let pain, friction, or inconvenience dictate my happiness. I chose it to reclaim my life. And nights like that one remind me why I fought so hard to get here. But here’s the part I don’t ever want people to misunderstand: none of this is easy. I’ve had people say I make it look effortless, or that they shouldn’t complain about their injuries because I “went through so much worse.” But I don’t see it that way. I don’t compare. I don’t downplay anyone’s struggle. And I definitely don’t wake up immune to the hard parts of this life. What I do wake up with is a mindset that says: I chose this path, so I’m going to show up for it. That mindset is the difference between living fully and shrinking back from life. It doesn’t mean there aren’t setbacks. There absolutely are. I have blisters. I have raw skin. I have days where I struggle to put my leg on. I have moments where the socket fit isn’t perfect. I have times where the thought of stairs makes my stomach drop. But the alternative—the idea of sitting in a hotel room,
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    26 分
  • Just Get Started

    Just Get Started
    2025/11/19
    Momentum Begins with One Step As the holidays creep up—and let’s be honest, sprint toward us—I always feel that yearly tug in a million different directions. I tell myself, This is the year I’ll slow down. This is the year I’ll savor the moments. And every year, without fail, I’m suddenly overscheduled, overtired, and fully submerged in the holiday hustle. Maybe you feel that too: the pull to do everything, be everything, and somehow stay balanced through it all. So today, I want to dig into something that feels especially timely: getting started. Not after the holidays, not when life slows down—because we both know it won’t—not when it feels convenient or perfect, but now. Because “someday” is the biggest dream-killer we let linger in our lives. If you’ve followed me through the last five and a half years of this podcast, you already know I’m not a New Year’s resolutions girl. I don’t believe in them. The moment we attach the idea of January 1st to our goals, we create an escape hatch where quitting feels expected. And most people do quit. Not because their goals weren’t worthy, but because the whole concept of a resolution is built around hype, not habit. So let’s shift the mindset. Let’s reclaim the idea that today is always the right day to begin. It took a lot of practice in safe areas before I could navigate rugged, mountain terrain. There’s a quote I love by Zig Ziglar: “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” And it hits me hard every time because I’ve lived that truth. I think of my husband explaining his work to our boys. Half the time I’m listening like he’s speaking another language. I’m not dumb—I’m just not educated in his world. And he’d be just as lost if I handed him a halter and asked him to read a horse’s body language. Greatness, skill, confidence—they aren’t innate. They’re built through countless clumsy, uncertain beginnings. And yet, I’ll be honest with you: I’ve held myself back from starting things I deeply want to do, simply because I wanted to be great before daring to begin. I didn’t want to stumble. I didn’t want to look foolish. I didn’t want to muddle through the awkward first steps. Sound familiar? But the truth is this: we must begin before we’re ready. We must risk the messy beginnings. We must accept that expertise is the reward of showing up, not the prerequisite. And nowhere has this been more true for me than in my life as an amputee. Arthur Ashe said, “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” If that doesn’t describe the amputee journey, I don’t know what does. Where you are right now might be a hospital bed. It might be a physical therapy room. It might be your living room floor trying to figure out how to put on your first liner. You might be in the trust stage with your prosthesis—or the frustration stage. Maybe both. But wherever you are, you have something you can begin with. Even in the hospital bed I was journaling, goal setting and reading about ways to attack my goals and letting go of the "Hurry". When I was recovering from surgery this summer, stuck in a hospital bed, I couldn’t walk. I couldn’t train. I couldn’t be in my prosthesis. But I could start lining up appointments. I could coordinate with insurance. I could talk to my prosthetist and prepare for the moment my surgeon cleared me. I wasn’t waiting for life to happen to me—I was setting the stage. And when that first prosthesis went on, and it felt like a ten-pound concrete block strapped to my body, all that preparation mattered. My muscles were weak. My endurance was gone. And I had absolutely NO idea how exhausting simply walking to the end of my block would be. But that’s where starting came in. I didn’t begin by walking miles. I began by walking houses. I didn’t build strength through ease. I built it through effort.
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    20 分
  • Fittings and Sockets and Legs, Oh My!

    Fittings and Sockets and Legs, Oh My!
    2025/11/12
    Traveling The Yellow Brick Road of Amputee Life In this episode, I want to talk about one of the biggest learning curves after limb loss — getting fitted for a prosthesis. Nobody really tells you how challenging this part can be. You think, “Okay, I’ll get my prosthetic leg or arm, strap it on, and get back to life.” But if only it were that simple, right? The truth is, it’s a process — one that takes time, patience, and a whole lot of communication with your prosthetist. When I first started, I honestly thought it was going to be pretty straightforward. They’d take some measurements, make the socket, I’d try it on, and off I’d go. But wow, did I learn quickly that’s not how it works. Every limb is unique. Every body changes — sometimes from morning to night. So that “perfect fit” we all hope for doesn’t just happen once and stay that way. It’s something that evolves. And that means working with your prosthetist becomes this back-and-forth relationship. There’s a lot of give and take involved. They’re the experts in design and fit, but you are the expert in how it feels — and that matters just as much. Now, I’ll admit — in the beginning, I had my fair share of frustration. When the socket rubbed wrong or my limb was sore, I’d get upset and think, “Why isn’t this working?” It was easy to blame the prosthesis or think the prosthetist did something wrong. But with time, I started realizing there was a little user error in there too. Sometimes I wasn’t putting it on right. Sometimes I didn’t pay attention to small aches that turned into bigger problems. And sometimes… I just didn’t know what I didn’t know. That’s a big part of this journey — learning to take accountability where it’s due. Not in a shameful way, but in an empowering way. Once we start owning our part in the process, things really start improving. We ask more questions. We write down what we are feeling. We pay attention to pressure spots and skin changes. And most importantly, we communicate all of that clearly with our prosthetist. Change happens! Teamwork and communication are key! Because here’s the thing — they can’t feel what you feel. They can’t fix what they don’t know about. So, if something doesn’t feel right, say it. Speak up. Be honest, even if it feels awkward. That’s how you get the best outcome. If you’re new to being an amputee, remember this: it’s okay to not have it all figured out. You’re learning. This whole process — from fitting to comfort to walking confidently again — it’s a marathon, not a sprint. You’ll get there. Just keep showing up, keep asking questions, and keep working with your prosthetist as a team. Because at the end of the day, this isn’t just about a prosthesis fitting right — it’s about you finding your rhythm again, your confidence, your life. You are a warrior! It’s time to unleash that warrior and gain back your independence. Have a beautiful week ahead, and as always, Be Healthy, Be Happy, Be YOU!!! Much love,
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    28 分
  • Take the Drive-Roll Down the Windows

    Take the Drive-Roll Down the Windows
    2025/11/05
    Enjoying Your Life RIGHT NOW "Want to go for a drive?" This simple phrase sends my pups into a frenzy! Their excitement is overflowing and their joy is tangible! This energy is what we should be living for each day, but when we are struggling we find ourselves consumed and can only see the problems, to the positives. I remember coming back home after losing my mom. I had spent a full month back in Illinois helping my family navigate our loss and returning to my life here in Arizona seemed surreal. My mom and I were best friends, I called her everyday, mostly just for small talk but she was a great listener in times of need. I vividly remember one day, not long after the funeral, driving in my car and thinking, "I need to call monad tell her about...." when my heart dropped and I realized for the first time that she wasn't ever going to be there again for my call. At that moment I felt the whole world must see the tears streaming down my face and hear my heart ripping in two. At the red light I looked to my left and to my right at the cars on either side of me. I knew they had to be seeing my pain, wondering what could be making me this sad, but instead I saw people in their own world, signing along to music, talking on their phone, laughing with their friends. No one saw my pain! They were living their life, and my life was at a stand still. That was the moment that I realized that no matter what I was going thro9ugh, the world kept going, the hours kept passing, the days kept moving forward. I have never felt so alone in my sorrow as I did in that split second at a red light. What I learned was that no matter what was happening in my life, the world kept turning and I was there and I had purpose. I firmly believe that each morning I wake and have breath in my lungs that I am to serve a purpose. That is the day when my thinking changed and for the better. Yes, I need to deal with my pain, but I cannot let it run my life and destroy my and my goals. Even when things had hit rock bottom for me, with my mom's passing, I had a family, healthy sons, a loving husband, my father. I may have had a bum leg, but I also had creativity, energy, drive, and passion. My dogs, here, just living in the present. No looking back and no worrying about tomorrow. My point: No matter what struggles we face in life, we have even more things to be grateful for. We have people in our lives worth fighting for, and we have PURPOSE! So often we forget to find joy in the simple things, especially when we feel frustrated, in pain, or fearful, but they are still their, it's just that our focus has shifted away from good and positive to negativity and al that is falling apart. This week, I want you to find your joy again. I want you to see past your pain and struggles and find the purpose joy my dogs find in an open window on a drive. Find the beauty in the little things and count your blessings! This week our battlecry is simple: Seek the positive and blessings in your life. Find joy in the small things, don't allow negativity, pain, and fear to derail you so much that you forget to see all the good around you. This is a choice, and one we must profess everyday, lest we forget. Be strong, dear warriors, and find your purpose and passion. This valley will end, as all cycles do in life, just don't sit their waiting for the struggle to end to find happiness, you must seek it now, and when you do you will find that your situation won't feel as bleak and hope will rise up in you. So get after it and seek the positive. Don't wait to enjoy the drive. Get out there, roll down those windows and let the wind hit your face. I bet you'll feel more alive than ever and find inspiration in your life once again. I pray you find joy in the little things this week and until next time, Be Healthy, Be Happy, Be YOU!!! Much love,
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    24 分
  • Despite The Circumstances

    Despite The Circumstances
    2025/10/22
    Navigating Life When It Falls Off The Rails Sometimes life takes a turn you never saw coming. One moment everything feels steady, predictable, maybe even comfortable — and then suddenly, the tracks shift, and you’re left wondering how to move forward. As an amputee, I’ve had my share of moments where life completely fell off the rails. Moments that tested not just my strength, but my heart. Let's talk about what it really feels like when life doesn’t go the way you hoped, and how I’ve learned to keep a positive heart posture even in the middle of the mess. I’ll share the honest truth — that staying positive isn’t about pretending everything’s fine. It’s about choosing, every single day, to look for the light even when the darkness feels closer. It’s about deciding to see possibility instead of limitation, hope instead of defeat. I talk about what helped me shift my mindset from frustration to faith, from “why me?” to “what now?” Because life isn’t about avoiding the derailments — it’s about how we respond when they happen. I’ve discovered that when we meet life with an open heart, even the hardest seasons can become our greatest teachers. Having a positive heart posture doesn’t mean you won’t have bad days. It means you show up anyway. You breathe through the pain, you give yourself grace, and you keep moving forward — even if it’s just one step at a time. Through tears, laughter, and maybe a few tough lessons, I’ve learned that our strength isn’t built when everything’s going right; it’s built in the moments when everything feels like it’s falling apart. My hope is that this episode reminds you that no matter where you are in your journey, you can start again. You can choose to rebuild, to believe, and to live with a heart that stays open to joy, even when life doesn’t go as planned. Because sometimes, when life falls off the rails, it’s just leading us to a new and unexpected destination — one that’s even more beautiful than before. This week I want you to end your day writing down 3 things you are grateful for. Do this every day and see if it doesn't help you shift your perspective and get you into a more positive mindset and heart posture. Who knows, this may become your new norm and a habit you carry through life! Sometimes you'll find it hard, in the midst of struggle, to see the positive but if you really search I know you can find 3 things that are positives in your life. Dig deep and search your heart. I pray you have a blessed week ahead, and as always, Be Healthy, Be Happy, Be YOU!! Much love,
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    24 分
  • Finding Success

    Finding Success
    2025/10/15
    Defining Success As An Amputee What is success? Can any one person define success for the world? Of course not! As an amputee we need to remember that. Success id what you make of your life and where you'll find contentment and happiness behind what you do and accomplish. For some of us it's walking for the first time without assistance. For others it's wearing their prosthesis all day long. And yet for others, it's getting back to work, or the gym. Facing fears has become our new norm. I remember, when I first got my leg, that every time I went walking inside or outside of my house I had fear well up inside of me and I had to battle it so it didn't paralyze me and leave me stuck, immobile. It takes time. It takes courage, but remember your journey is yours. I know people see amputees walking around in the world like it's a piece of cake but the reality is we all start over and learn to walk again. Some people charge forward determined to walk again while others are fearful and apprehensive to don their new leg and trust it. It takes time. It takes practice. This was my very first test socket, using parallel bars for support, and yes, I was scared! So what's the difference on those who walk and those who struggle? First is mindset, the voice inside your head that is stubborn and tells you, "Yes, you can!" That's a great voice to have, a positive one. Listen to that voice. Second, those who find success not only have that positive mindset they also set goals with timelines/deadlines. They are determined to accomplish, despite fears (and yes, we have fears when trying new things, failing, picking ourselves up and trying again-that's how we learn and improve). Third, they don't compare themselves to others. They find joy in their own accomplishments as they improve each day, whatever their goals may be. What you CAN do are endless possibilities. Like the caterpillar, you need time to become that butterfly. You can do whatever you put your mind too. However, make sure you are realistic with your goals and timelines. After amputation you may feel stuck or defeated because you had no idea how long healing would take, or how a socket would feel on your own flesh, or even how heavy it would be to manipulate because you got weak while you waited to heal. Just because you were an amazing walker with 2 legs doesn't mean post amputation is going to be like riding a bike (by the way, post amputation biking riding is also a new challenge, like everything else). You must relearn how to walk because it IS different than before. Cut yourself some slack. Understand that fears are common and the only way to your goal will be through some of those fears. But I can promise you, facing fears to reach your goals, no matter how big or small they are, will be one of the most rewarding things you'll feel. Just don't give up. Dig deep and know you are capable. You may be needing to take baby steps to push through, but take them. You will fail and you will fall, but that is how you learn. Pick yourself back up and go at it again, and again, and again. Hiking is my favorite activity but is exhausting. The terrain is uncertain but I worked hard to be able to get to this point. Let's do this! Change your mindset to positive mode! Decide what you most want to achieve. WRITE IT DOWN! Set that goal and a plan on how to achieve it. If you want to wear your leg all day but aren't wearing it at all now then start by saying: Day 1 I will wear it 2 hours around the house (use assistive devices if you are concerned) but wear it! Sit in it, stand in it, mosey around your house with it on. Day 2 wear it for more time, don't take it off, even if you only wear it 10 minutes longer than yesterday you still improved! Continue on that path. Always adding more time, staying in it longer and walking where you are safe.
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    29 分
  • The Journey of a Thousand Legs

    The Journey of a Thousand Legs
    2025/10/01
    Let's Get Real You've been through a lot. You had an amputation, you've healed, you've gotten fitted for your first socket. Today you go in to put it all together and walk out the door and on with your life, right? Easy Peasy! Yes! It's the most exciting, most freeing day in an amputee's life, for most people, however it doesn't end there, and it doesn't just magically take you back to "normal". Managing expectations and understanding how the journey is different for everyone will be helpful for your mental game. First off, you need to understand that sockets make or break your experience with using a prosthesis. Just because you have the best foot or microprocessor knee (MPK) doesn't mean you'll be successful or walk better. Many aspects will factor in to how you handle your prosthesis. Your prosthetist and his/her skills at listening to you, observing you and creating a socket that is best suited for you is so very important. Also important is your volume change, healing, and pain level. Even if you have the best, most attentive prosthetist (like my guys, Randy and David at The Limb Center) who have created the most intimate socket for you, taking into account your contours and sensitivity, doesn't mean that when you get your final socket you'll be off and running. There are many aspects of those first 1-2 weeks of wearing the new socket that you will have to work through. First, putting it on for the first time will take practice and more practice. Putting it on and off multiple times each morning wouldn't be uncommon. It is not Lego pieces that snap together perfectly, your limb will conform and fill your new socket better over time and your inner socket will mold to your limb over time and make it easier to put it on correctly the first time each morning. Next, you will find that anything manmade isn't perfect, even a remake of your test socket into a final socket, even though the same mold is used. This means that even if your test socket is feeling like the right fit, you'll find that your final socket is a little different. It feels different, fits different, and can cause new rubs and rashes. It's crazy, but by the end of my very first day in my brand new socket it was falling off....even though I was wearing my test sockets everyday, all day, for several weeks. My volume changed! Finally, the best thing you can do is to continue to wear your socket to see what it's doing, how it's fitting, where it rubs or creates issues on your skin. My prosthetist always says 72 hours is a good gauge of how it REALLY is going to fit you. In 72 hours you can really test it and find how it functions in different situations and at different times of the day. Let's face it, our bodies change throughout the day, and from day to day. To truly be able to communicate clearly what changes need to be made to your socket you have to put it to the test and make notes of what and where you are feeling things. It would be so nice to receive your brand new leg and be off to the races but that is not reality for amputees. So many things can change and alter our fit, from one socket to the next, and from day to day and hour to hour. All you can do is learn patience and communicate clearly to your prosthetist so they know what you are feeling and what you need. I went back to my guys two times, already, after wearing my brand new leg for 5 days. This is a process. When you know this you can avoid some of the frustrations associated with socket fitting, and avoid feeling all alone in this journey. We all have some sort of adjustment to make once we get our "final"socket. And the fact is, when you are in your first 2-3 years post-amputation as soon as you get a socket you'll have outgrown it so quickly that you'll feel like you never even had a chance to really break it in and get use to it before it's time for a new one.
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    31 分
  • A Work In Progress

    A Work In Progress
    2025/09/24
    Taking Action During "Construction" We are all a work in progress. That's life, right? We all have those moments where you feel you are working on something in your life. Your health, a career, or relationships, you name it. But what do you do in these moments? How do you continue to grow and better yourself during the construction? It all starts within you. We begin by working on ourselves. Right now, while I would rather be working out, being with my horses, and hiking, I can barely walk around my house due to having to use a test socket that is uncomfortable and rubbing me raw. And during this time, I am feeling miserable! I was trying to kick start my health since surgery but have hit moments where I need to work on patience, and heal. Now I feel so far removed from being in shape and that takes a toll on my mental game. Now that I'm in this situation I cannot get to my horses because it's too hard to walk on normal surfaces, imagine walking across uneven ground of rock, sand and dirt. This is my time to focus on my thoughts and heart. This is a time I am put into a slow down phase and being led to work on what I can. How do we go about working on ourselves? We start with seeing the good in the world, seeing the good in our situation and finding joy in the moment despite your circumstances. Next we can assume the best, meaning when we assume the best in a person we can control our emotions much better which leads us to less anger and frustration and more joy. Finally, we must act! This week we must ACT! Not when we feel it or when joyfulness is in us, but rather right now! Maybe you are struggling or hurting right now. This is the time to look outside of yourself and your situation and reach out to another human, your neighbor, to spread joy and positivity. Maybe you check in on a neighbor, share a conversation and a smile. Take care of your support system around you: your spouse, family member, a friend. Let them know you care and are grateful for all they have done for you. Maybe you see someone struggling in a parking lot, getting groceries in their car. Spend time spreading love and helpfulness by giving them a hand. It doesn't take money or a lot of time, it just takes your attention and to show someone, "Hey, I see you. Thank you for all you do. Let me help you". Whatever you do, do in love, with patience, kindness, and selflessly. When we give of ourselves, we share love, we show our humanity, and we spread goodness into the world. The world could use that right about now. Imagine if everyone looked inward and made changes on themselves. Imagine the kind of world we would live in with that kind of kindness being spread! Wouldn't that be something! So, Dear Warriors, what are you going to do while you are under construction this week? How can you make a difference in spite of your circumstances? When you focus on others you take the focus off of yourself and it allows you to get out of your own head and release what has been holding you back in your "construction time" and place it elsewhere. What you will see is that your life will be enriched and fuller. Your joy will overflow when you bring joy to others. Try it and get back to me! Let me know how it's going. I'm rooting for you, Warriors! You are strong. You are special. You are loved! Have a blessed week ahead, and as always, Be Healthy, Be Happy, Be YOU!!! Much love,
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    26 分