Irrepressible

Janira Obregon is a model, activist, and influencer who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and spastic quadriplegia as an infant. However, these things have not stopped her from striving for her goals. She has persevered in the midst of obstacles and continues to challenge perceptions of beauty in the fashion industry.

In this episode, I chat with Janira about growing up and excelling with a disability, supporting and being a voice for others, challenging traditional beauty standards, and realizing that everyone has something to offer.

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Courtney Schutze has used her journey with Lyme disease to develop community and offer support for others who are dealing with similar things. Through Splash of Lyme and her Crushing Lyme campaign, she is transparent about life with chronic illness and welcomes others to join her in her journey.

In this episode, I chat with Courtney about her journey with Lyme disease, the importance of having community, the campaign behind the Crushing Lyme tattoo, and ways to get through chronic illness flares.

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Brittani Coury is a Paralympic snowboarder and registered nurse, but her journey to get to where she is hasn’t always been smooth sailing. As she has walked through challenging seasons of life, she has learned not to let the tough situations define who she is but to allow them to teach her and help her find her purpose. 

In this episode, I chat with Brittani about her passion for snowboarding and what it is like to compete on the world stage at the Paralympics, the reasons she decided to pursue a career as a registered nurse, what it looks like to be a real hero, and how to find the good in the difficult things.  

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Ashley Jones embodies what it means to maintain a good perspective. In 2016, she lost her arm after an ATV accident, but she has not let that dampen her positivity or her drive to excel in sports and in life. As she finds strength in her community and in her faith, Ashley is learning what it means to be unstoppable. 

In this episode, I chat with Ashley about her athletic pursuits as a runner and paratriathlete, the power of community as a catalyst for encouragement, how she has found hope and purpose through her Christian faith, and what it means to stay positive and be unstoppable. 

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Shaye Kaessner is a photographer and writer who has embraced community and learned to see things from a different perspective. As she walks through the day-to-day with type 1 diabetes and other chronic illness, there are plenty of new bends in the road. But in the midst of it all, Shaye knows how meaningful it is to have people beside her to share the load, and she is choosing to make a difference by sharing her story and encouragement with others. 

In this episode, I chat with Shaye about her journey as a photographer, the importance of being in community and finding joy in the small things, the power of sharing stories, and the impact of passing the torch and being a mentor.

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Katya Buresh is an avid reader, writer, and explorer of various creative outlets. Having been diagnosed with Grave’s disease right after high school, and later fibromyalgia, she is no stranger to chronic illness. But through all of it, she has adapted, grown, and learned to appreciate things differently. While she is honest about her struggles, she is also open about the new opportunities that she has found in their midst.

In this episode, I chat with Katya about how she has adapted to living with chronic illness, how she finds control in uncertain situations, her recent struggle with an eating disorder, and the ways in which creative expression has helped her to develop unique perspectives and explore her place in the world.

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Abby Shepard has made it her mission to connect people with the outdoors through her work with Delaware State Parks, but also through her own personal pursuits as a writer, photographer, and traveler. When she was 19, she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, an inflammatory autoimmune disorder, but she has learned to focus on the cans instead of the cannots while spreading a very contagious enthusiasm.

In this episode, I chat with Abby about her passion for sharing the outdoors with others, how she balances life and health, her insights into navigating some of the obstacles that come with chronic conditions, and, of course, her love for horseshoe crabs.

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Becky Marcelliano understands very well what it means to embrace the outdoors in work and play, challenges and triumphs. About ten years ago, she began her health journey with chronic autoimmune disease, and she has since decided to open up about her own story after hearing other people share theirs. Becky is all about welcoming women of many different backgrounds and abilities to play outside, and she is redefining—or undefining—what it means to be a woman in the outdoors.

In this episode, I chat with Becky about her deep-rooted love for the outdoors, what it is like to navigate an autoimmune diagnosis while dwelling on the positive things, the benefits of building each other up, and how women can take their first steps toward experiencing the outdoors for themselves.

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