Always Looking Up

In this week’s episode I am sitting down with Colleen Ditro. Colleen is a Doctor of Nursing Practice, certified nurse practitioner, and the lead Advanced Practice Registered Nurse for the orthopedics, pain and wound care teams at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children. In addition, she serves on the medical advisory board of Little People of America and is the camp nurse at Camp Seneb- a s...

In this week’s episode I am sitting down with Kristina Thibault. Kristina has always been someone I’ve looked up to and is practically a big sister to me. She just got married in March so we are talking about dating, wedding, and marriage. Specifically, we discuss the struggles and successes of dating as an LP, planning a wedding, and the happily ever after. Follow Kristina: Instagram: @kristinath...

In this week’s episode I am sitting down with Sophia Herzog, a Paralympic Silver Medalist and a swimmer for the US Paralympic team. At the time of this recording, Sophia is preparing to leave for Tokyo to compete in her second Paralympic games. We discuss her journey to the games, what she's most looking forward to in Tokyo, and what it means to be a Paralympian. Follow Sophia: Instagram: @sophiah...

In this week’s episode I am sitting down with Zach Shattuck, a swimmer for the US Paralympic team. At the time of this recording, Zach is preparing to leave for Tokyo to compete in the 2020 Paralympics. We discuss his journey to the games, what he’s most looking forward to in Tokyo and what it means to him to be a Paralympian.   Follow Zach: Instagram: @zshattuck96  Follow US Paraly...

In this week’s episode I am sitting down with someone who is not a little person but has grown up in this world, my younger brother Ben. Ben grew up going to LPA conventions with me and lived in a house with sideways sinks and too many stools. He could be the biggest pain in the butt, cracking the good joke whenever he can, but he is also one of my biggest (no pun intended) supporters. I sat down...

In this week’s episode I am sitting down with Camila Falquez. Camila is a photographer whose work has appeared in The New York Times, Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue Italia, Vogue Spain along with many other publications. She photographed Jillian Mercado for Teen Vogue, Secretary Deborah Haaland for InStyle Magazine, and President Biden and Vice President Harris for TIME Magazine. Earlier this year she rea...

In this episode I am sitting down with Dave Duminuco. Dave is my personal trainer at Equinox and today we are talking all things health and fitness. I am the first little person he has ever had as a client and it has been quite an adventure for the two of us. We discuss how I came to be his client, his approach to training me, and what we’ve both learned from this experience so far. Follow Dave: I...

In this week’s episode I am sitting down with not one, but two badass, beautiful women- Christina Chambers and Liv Hope Bender. Both in wheelchairs, they host the podcast Sit The Fuck Down where they talk about what it means to be disabled. We discuss our similar and different disabled experiences, along with the changes we want to see and make in order to make the world accessible. Listen to Sit...

In this week’s episode I am sitting down with Lakshmi Shyamakrishnan. Lakshmi is a writer, a TED conference speaker, and an advocate within the little person community. She is currently an MS Candidate for the Marketing Analytics program at the University of Maryland and was recognized in 2021 as a Disability:IN Next Gen leader. We discuss the issue of public accommodations, her work advocating fo...

In this week’s episode I am talking to Michaela Healy. Ever since being diagnosed with hydrocephalus, water on the brain, at the age of one, she has been giving Wonder Woman a run for her money. Simply put, she is the strongest person I know and, through a series of very fortunate events we became best friends. She has survived over 300 surgeries, the halls of Washington Township High School, and...

This week  I am sitting down with Rebecca Cokley, someone I have always looked up to in the little person and disabled communities. Rebecca is currently serving as a program officer in the President’s Office of the Ford Foundation, a global grant-making philanthropy that challenges inequality, where she is developing the U.S. disability rights program strategy. Prior to joining the Ford Found...

In this week’s episode I am sitting down with Shelby Holloway. We met at the LPA national convention in Brooklyn twelve years ago and she instantly became a best friend and big sister. Though she lives 3,000 miles away, she has always been there for me through times of laughter, tears, and everything in between. Today we are discussing Little People Of America- what it is, what it means to us, and...

In this week's episode I am sitting down with Becky Kekula, a mentor of mine in Little People Of America and an advocate for disability inclusion. Becky currently serves as the Disability Equality Index Director at Disability:IN, a non-profit organization that advocates and provides resources for business disability inclusion on a global scale. In addition, she currently serves as the LPA Employme...

In this week's episode I am sitting down with Lauren Humphries. Lauren is someone I have always looked up to in the little person community. For the past few years she has helped organize the annual LPA fashion show and is a brand ambassador for the German fashion label AUF AUGENHOEHE, one of the first fashion labels that design for little people. In this week’s episode we discuss the current stat...

In this week's episode I am sitting down with Mackenzie Trush. Mackenzie is one a million, living with Spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia, an incredibly rare form of dwarfism. We discuss her diagnosis, how she makes her world accessible, and how she harnessed the power of social media to have her voice heard. Watch BORN DIFFERENT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u41ApfQbpT8 Follow Mackenzie Trush: Insta...

In the premiere episode I sit down with Lydia Barber. Lydia and I became fast friends, practically sisters, in 2005 at an LPA convention in Orlando. We discuss what it means to be a little person in 2021 and how that definition has changed over time. We talk about our struggles and successes with making our world more accessible. We end our conversation by exploring the topics of weight, body imag...