00:00I knew instantly in the air that something really bad was going to happen. I never blacked out,
00:04but all I could hear was my coach in the corner just yelling at me to get back up.
00:09I used to be a Canadian national gymnast, and on July 15, 2008, I went to a very regular day
00:16of
00:16training. And my coach, who had been my coach for many years, asked me to do a skill that I
00:21had
00:21never heard of. It was something that we definitely fought about back and forth over the course of an
00:27hour. But because of the dynamics in our gym and me appreciating and respecting authority,
00:33I eventually broke down. And unfortunately, the second time I tried that skill, I landed headfirst,
00:40falling from the high bar, breaking my neck and instantly becoming paralyzed. I was also a teenager
00:46who was going through so many changes and seeing my friends have a lot of firsts and me not experiencing
00:54some of those milestones. So it was really difficult to love the people around me, but also
01:00struggle to see them live a full life that I would probably not be able to experience in the same
01:06way. In high school, I had an amazing teacher who suggested that I join the Toronto Metropolitan
01:14University program for radio and television arts. But I realized that the landscape for somebody with a
01:21disability at that time, this was about 10 years ago, wasn't necessarily set up for a person with a
01:27disability to succeed and really thrive in an entertainment reporting position. So that's when
01:34I decided to start my own podcast. I feel so lucky that I can call this a job because it
01:41really does blend
01:42all the worlds that I love. It's storytelling, it's reporting, it's content creating, it's accessibility,
01:52it's advocating for my community, it's, I love it.
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