Be-YOU-tiful Adaptive Warrior

The Leg is Fake   “Humor can alter any situation and help us cope at the very instant we are laughing.” -Allen Klein If I didn’t laugh I would cry… Oh wait, I did cry! Yep, it was that kind of week for me. It happens, and I wanted you to hear what it’s like for me when I fall on hard times, because it does happen. I began doing some treadmill work last week and b...

Finding Your Path Through the Challenges Do you have a challenging road ahead? Do you struggle with fears of what’s to come and if you are strong enough to manage your circumstance? We all face challenges, every day, yet some are so huge we struggle to see past them. We may cave to fear and shrink back from the challenge that lies in front of us. Through my personal journey with 5 years of surgery...

A Mindfulness Journey to Healing Taking time to stop and hit the pause button. Taking time to sit quietly and reflect. Being present and mindful, living in the moment. This is how a horse lives, and this is what we can do to help ourselves heal and live healthy, full, and rich lives. Quiet, mindfulness time with my sweet girl😍     How often do you find yourself saying, “Where has...

Picking a Prosthetist You Can Grow Old With…It’s YOUR Choice! Today’s topic is one of those decisions we must all make if we decide to, or get thrusted into, becoming an amputee. We know that it won’t grow back, and we know our bodies change as we get older, so it only makes sense to find a prosthetist that you can rely on, trust, and connect with, after all, he (or she) wi...

Walking a Mile in My Leg     You never really know what people are going through, and the idea of “walking a mile in someone else’s shoes” is how we best “try” to understand and empathize or learn from their journey. Join me today as I walk you through a typical day of being an amputee (pun intended), from what my mornings look like to midnight runs to the b...

Just Be YOU!!   If you are like so many people, you spend time looking at social media. It’s where we turn to for updates on old friends and what’s happening in the world, it can bring us closer together…or make us feel insignificant. From IG posts, to Facebook groups, to Tweets. The problem comes when we start seeing things and situations that we wished we had or were in. We see others havin...

An Everyday Love Story Filled With Healing     Have you ever been around someone who just made you feel so comfortable and you were able to be your true self? What about someone who makes you uneasy and on edge? We each carry ourselves differently based on who we are AND how we are on any particular day. What I found out about myself on this given day was astonishing! How I thought I was...

You are Special and Deserve It!   What do you do when you’re struggling? Maybe you are like me and lost a limb. Maybe you have a plethora of other medical issues and have been wheelchair bound. Or maybe you just can’t get out of your own way and headspace. Is this you? I know you want more from life. You may have even questioned, “Is this all there is for me?” Don’t give up! Dream! Chase answ...

New Year, New Season: Welcome to Season 3! Wow! It’s 2023 and we are on to season 3 for Be-YOU-tiful Adaptive Warrior! Welcome back, and a special welcome to first timers! I hope you take a listen to some of my old episodes and find some help or comfort in my words on the journey you are on. I am an above knee amputee trying my best to empower others to live their best lives, despite their circums...

  It’s that time of year again. Everyone is out shopping and preparing for the holidays season of giving. If you’re like me, you can sometimes struggle with what to give some people in your life, and worse, not sure what others can get for you, especially if you are struggling with mobility, pain, or lack of strength. I decided to let you in on my all-time FAVORITE gifts that I ha...

Serve and Be Served   What we put out into the world is what we get back. Have you ever noticed people who seem to have it all together, are happy, productive, and have good things happen to them? …have you ever REALLY looked at them? Ever notice their attitude? Even though no one goes without troubles and hard knocks, in life, these people keep their chin up, hunker down and weather the stor...

Living Life With Gratitude     Life is hard. You can choose to lay down and have it destroy you or you can reframe your thinking and how you view your circumstance by finding things and people in your life for which you can be grateful. It’s that time of year when we hear people say they are thankful for their life, we see trinkets in our homes that say, “Grateful, thankful, blessed”, an...

To Party.. I mean, for Medical Insurance Sorry, I had the Beastie Boys song stuck in my head. But, for real, do what they say and FIGHT for your rights!!!! They know what’s up!   The Beastie Boys had it right when they sang, “You’ve got to fight, for your right to party” however I’d say you should also fight for your right to having appropriate medical coverage, and for us amputees, the...

  Life is never truly easy, for anyone. Sometimes it feels like everything is going our way when out of the blue a bomb drops. Maybe your job or family life is struggling, or maybe your health.  Then you can feel overwhelmed and defeated. But don’t fret. We all go through these moments. We all have valleys we must trudge through. What I have learned through life is that the valleys don&...

“How long did it take for you to learn to walk?” “Was it hard to learn to walk in a prosthetic?” “What helped you get use to your prosthetic?” I get these questions on a weekly basis from curious onlookers to amputees in wheelchairs. It took time and commitment. Some would say courage, as well, because it’s hard to learn a basic skill all over again, and the fear of falling, and failing, is so gre...

What inspires you? Who inspires you? Did you know that you, too, are an inspiration? Yep, you are! Each of us has the ability to impact another person’s life and outlook just by the way we carry ourselves, how we behave, speak, and interact with the people around us. A simple smile could give someone just the boost they need when they are struggling. Having grace and forgiveness may give another p...

Some people might tell you it’s impolite to ask amputees questions, or rude to allow your kiddos to stare or question why an amputee is the way they are but I will tell you that I love sharing my story and informing people about “life as an amputee”.  If we can inform, then we are educating. When people are educated about something they can have compassion, sympathy/empathy, and be better able to...

Forgiveness and Grace   No one knows what our future holds, and for sure, I never expected to become an amputee, but here I am. And quite frankly I am a better person for it, have met amazing people through it, and grown in ways I never would have if I never went through it. I found acceptance of my circumstance BEFORE going under the knife, and that has helped me embrace, love, and move forw...

  If we could only see the damage within ourselves from past experiences, like we can see the physical damage done from surgery, we would understand the importance of healing within ourselves.  If you are hurting, feeling discouraged, broken, sad, anxious, angry, then you really need to focus on your inner YOU before you can heal and build up your physical YOU. When we feel great, happy, cont...

Making Your Dreams Become Reality     If you can dream it, you can do it. We’ve all heard that saying before and maybe even been told that by someone trying to cheer you on.  It’s true, to an extent. Dreams become reality when we have the vision to imagine them, and the mental and physical strength to follow through to accomplish them. Dreams aren’t easy to accomplish,...

Positive Mental Attitude for a Better Life Join me today on the road in Las Vegas as I discuss how our attitude can make or break our day to day lives and ultimately leads to our feelings of success or failure. This past week I met someone who was struggling with their quality of life and wanting more. We discussed PMA and I talked about how goal setting and how surrounding myself with good people...

Extreme Nerve Pain aka Phantom Pain   Oh, it’s real alright!! I experienced 3 days and nights of non-stop STABBING pain.   It’s MASSIVE pain, no way to control it, mentally exhausting and disabling pain like no other!  It attacks when you least expect it and can make itself at home for days, or weeks on end. I am not talking about what I feel everyday-yes, I said “every...

What Happens When It’s YOUR Decision??   Hi there! Remember me?😉   I’m back from a much-needed break and ready to bring you some amazing episodes! Won’t you join me by subscribing to my website, podcasts, or YouTube channel?? Here we are 3 1/2 years after my ELECTED amputation and I had someone ask me, “How hard was it for you to decide to amputate? Because I&#82...

Traveling, and Enjoying It, Despite Your Circumstance   I’m back after a much needed 3-week break. Traveling is so much fun but can be really hard when you’re dealing with a “disability”. I’m going to take you through my vacation, what I packed, how I adapted, and the pitfalls- because of course, there are always a few. If you’re planning on traveling anyti...

What gets you moving in the morning? What lights a fire under you? What keeps you moving forward when you feel like giving up? Our mindset and goal setting allows us to find success. They give us the direction and purpose we need to press forward and reach levels of success that might not have been possible otherwise. I make sure that I have a clear image in my head of what the next day will look...