• Using Your “Brokenness” to Break Boundaries

    Experiencing pain, grief, trauma and seemingly insurmountable challenges are inevitable to the human condition. But what if “being broken” – a “misfit” – serves as a catalyst for liberation and greater purpose? (Click to Tweet!) As a trailblazing wellness pioneer I explore my own life-changing physical illness… and share the story of a dramatic shift in thinking that incited a destiny I never could have imagined. Please watch, and share with all those feeling broken and stuck, with the outsiders who want to shift into trail blazers.   Tweetables Using your “brokenness” to break boundaries #TEDx http://bit.ly/1MblhwN Living day to day as yourself, and loving yourself exactly as you are, is…

  • Reflections on the UK Election From A Disabled Entrepreneur

    Something big is happening. Something seismic that may affect me, and everyone I love. With the exception of a postal vote, I have no say in how it will shake out. Perhaps you’re in the same boat, feeling helpless, unheard, unnoticed, unsafe – often disrespected – by a system of government set to vote on issues central to your wellbeing. Your life. I generally don’t write about politics here. But there is so much fear at the moment. And I’ve never been one to ignore the difficult parts. It takes a certain type of privilege to be able to cut funding and support for those with disability and illness. The…

  • Disability Creativity: Co-opting Clothing for Accessibility Part 2

    Living with disability can ignite creativity – at least it has for me in terms of my wardrobe. Check out Disability Creativity: Co-opting Clothing for Accessibility Part 1 – Outerwear here. Companies design clothes for people with disabilities, however, most of those clothes are what I imagine the companies think ‘elderly’ people will wear. But I’m sure most of us will value style and self expression, as well as comfort, at every age. (Click to Tweet!) Clothes that work for your body and life can be challenging to find. Maybe you need Velcro, not buttons, or perhaps things that are easy to pull on and off, or don’t get caught…

  • Disability Creativity: Co-opting Clothing for Accessibility

    Peek inside my wardrobe and you’ll see the evidence of a life spent in pursuit of adventure. From wetsuits and jodhpurs to ski wear and jewel-bright dresses. But the mix is misleading – they’re all ideas I’ve borrowed from other disciplines to make living with disability and dressing for wheelchair use easier. What’s neoprene got to do with life on wheels? Read on… I’ve lived with disability for 13 years and learned to get creative. Disability doesn’t have to mean dismal dressing. (Click to Tweet!) I’ve yet to find disability clothing brands that suit my sense of style, so instead I’ve co-opted clothes from other areas that work for wheelchairs…

  • Loving My Body: An Act of Resistance

    I had a realisation in yoga recently, while I was struggling into a pose my newly numbed limbs couldn’t quite reach: I love my body. It doesn’t have to work the right way for me to love it. It doesn’t have to look a certain way. I will love my body and take care of it. I love myself, in fact. Always and always. And I love you, wherever you are in your journey with your body too. However, I have, sadly, spent many years acting like this wasn’t the case, and pushing my beautiful body to go further than she could. I’ve been angry at my perceived ‘failures’, and…