What is up guys? I am so excited to talk to you guys for a second today it just about how amazing and super friendly and easy. Anchor is I have a lot of people that reach out to me and asked me. Hey, how did you start your podcast? What did you use? What are some tips and tricks? And honestly, I love anchor because of her a couple things. It's free. I'm all about free 99 and there's a ton of tools that you can use that you can just like go in you can edit your podcast. You can do it from your cell phone. You can do it from your computer. It's just like super accessible for anywhere that you're at also itAmazing is that you just have to submit it into anchor and then anchor puts it everywhere. So it can be heard on Spotify Apple podcast like anything that has a ton of different places that it goes to so, it's super simple and easy for you. Also you can make money from your podcast if you want to with no minimum listenership, so you don't have to have a certain amount of people listening to you. Just get out there do it and anchor will help you all the way with it and the thing that you need to make a podcast all in one place, which is super amazing. So if you've been wanting to make a podcast, but maybe you have some Limiting beliefs about it saying that why you can't do it. I promise you anchor it super easy for you to use. Go ahead. Just go out there. Get your message out there. There's a reason you have it on your heart. So go try it out. You can download the free incre app or go to incurred FM to get started. I'm super excited for you. Go. Try it out. What is up everybody? Thank you so much for tuning in to just talking with stuff Island. I am so excited for this podcast and to Bri bring it to you every single week to be just talking about all the things that life has to offer us right. I'm hoping that I can bring you some insights some laughter. So amazing interviews with some awesome power houses who have let go of fear who have totally stepped into themselves who are living their best life so you can learn from them. I want to be talking you every single week as well about For things that are going on in my life as a self love coach as a mom as a woman as someone who is dating and like the whole dating scene and how it's so important that we date was self-love. So we don't ruin our own self love how to create, you know, amazing habits that truly stick with you for a lifetime to become your best self. So you can become your inner power house and how to just let go of fear and fully stuff into you. So every week I'm going to be bringing different topics that align with that different interviews with different amazing people and we're just going to be talking about it and having the best Time, so thank you so much for joining into just talking with Steph Island. What is up? Everybody at stuff? I left thank you so much for tuning into just talking today. I am so stoked for this amazing s that I have today Sarah Foley who is just seriously like beyond amazing. I would just have chills right now. Just looking at her beautiful face. Just talking with her. I met her at Tony Robbins. We were there just let three weeks ago. It wasn't that long ago and like not long ago, like her energy literally just pulled me towards her. I was like, I need to know her which will go to that story a little bit too, but she's just so amazing. So she My vertical blonde on Instagram and I'll go ahead and tag all that so you guys can get to know her and follow her because she's amazing and inspiring but her mission is really to create a community of disability icons who are rewriting The Stereotype of what it looks like to live with a disability and it is just a beautiful powerful message. I get like just chills even thinking about it. And so Sarah take it away. Tell us a little bit about you babe. Well, thank you so much for that introduction. I'm so incredibly grateful to be here on your podcast and with you. Yeah, I think it was such a meant to be moment when we met there at upw and we've got our mutual friend Ellie who kind of set the stage I think of you know looking for one another at least. So yeah, you know, it really does sum up what my entire mission is. I was injured now about seven years ago. It'll be seven years in September on the on a four-wheeler and I was that morning. I had gone for a hike with my husband who has been my boy. And of only six months like we were very early phases of dating and we went on top of the mountain and I said have my life just perfect right now. There's nothing about it. I chained and then we went along on four-wheelers a few hours later and through a chain of events. I was going up the hill as he was coming down to let me know that was actually safe our other friend had kind of been on top of the hill saying come on up come on up and so I went out and I froze when I saw him him, I just panicked and he had gone off the like kind of gone off to the side soon as he saw me that if I just went straight over been great, but I went off the trail. I hit a ditch flipped over broke my back and paralyzed me right away. It was instant paralysis and you know, you kind of first of all you go into Fast Forward Motion for your relationship, you know, you get really close really quickly being very ugly sides of life being in there. The hospital but you know, one of the first things that went through my head was all of these horrible stereotype I have about what it looked like to be with a disability and all I'd ever seen was weak and poor and overweight and not attractive definitely not sexy, you know, and they weren't successful and these obviously a very limiting belief and limiting vision of what I had but that's all I've really experienced. I've never been in contact. With someone that was just vibrant and full of life and happen to have a disability as well. And so, you know those thoughts go through your head and they create a pretty ugly reality and you start to almost think into that of what you're supposed to look like if you think okay. Well that's what I'm destined for now. And so, you know life it took a long time to get where I'm at. It took a lot of hard work and you know, and for when people kind of Look At Me movie God baby for you, you're pretty first of all, I think that's bullshit and I guess we're on here all the things. This is just exactly where they're coming from. I understand that so after a lot of hard work about four years of denial, which is there is for Saul solid years of denial there is a big happy face on the outside and I would get home close that door I would actually so I went back to work within 5 months of running us Bob Park City Resort, and I went back to work within five months when really quickly so committed to getting back to reality almost pretending like it didn't happen and I would just get through the day and I would just wait like count down the seconds until Out from my office to the elevator down to the garage into the car door would close and they my eyes would just started bawling absolutely falling. I was just a wreck. I was holding it together and being really strong for my staff for my family trying not to be a burden to people trying to still maintain good looks and things like that, but I was just a wreck on the inside. So the four years ago miles so many people are really just dying inside but we try to pretend so much on the outside of what we think we should be like or how we should be a mic especially this the future traumatic situation just happened to you. You're like, no I'm going to persevere like everything's going to be fine. And I actually been a person to where you like you lied to yourself and you're just like it's fine. It's fine. It's great inside. You're like, holy shit balls like someone please help me like I don't know what to do, but it's so hard to get to that point. We're okay to say like, hey help me a mic you want the help for it? Yeah that you need help but I think that's a really really good point that I've just been going through life knowing that everyone has something that has that hits them as soon as the door closes always and that's what you have to show love and compassion to everybody because you truly don't know what season of Life they're in our what's really going on inside their head or what's going on their heart or what phone call or text. They may have just got and how they're trying to keep face for the world because I have to hold it together for the next. Ten more minutes and then they go break down and it's like what if we just show that love and compassion to people because we've been in those situations too and I think that's when life can really come full circle as the more aware you get of yourself the more where you get of others and how you just you truly do show them love and light versus like any judgment or anything like that, but it takes time to get there. You have to go through your own inner process. So what was that like the four years of dying inside to what decided what was the switch for you where you're like, you know what? Enough's enough. Like I want to be real I want to like Hill and I want to go and like deal with my my wounds and like figure it out because everybody needs to do that. But I think everybody has a different moment in life where they're finally like, okay. I'm ready to do it and do the inner work like the hard work and you have to like take yourself through Harvard of yourself and like get to know you and like what you're really about and Dillon Hill and that's scary and hard is probably scariest thing you'll ever do in your life. But what got you to that point. You know what? It was actually the move to Hawaii. And so what happened was we had actually gone to Maui for My Best Friend's Wedding. And while we were there my husband got offered a job transfer he got off of this job because he was already working for the hotel company. We got a job transfer offer and we went home and we were like third packing up her life and then I got cold feet. I was like if I'm not a saw director, who am I like that was a Stacy That for me, right? He's like he's like you could have light and he's like do physical therapy like, you know, just just because like you don't even have to work just go enjoy yourself. And so we got over there after actually a lot of tugging and pulling on his part, you know, and he's just kept telling me he's like listen to your body when we were in Hawaii, man, my body just felt so good the warmth and the heat and humidity. Everything was just working for me, but Islands really are healing and so I'm pretty sure it really is just feel it and then the healing energy of the ocean and they actually call it Mana here. Mana is the healing energy of the island maaaaan a and so I mean, it's really palpable when you tap into it. So we got over here and you know, we've got our little boy he just turned to at the time and so Which child birth on a very side note was the easiest thing to do when you can't feel the lower house is how and I don't know if I can ask you this, but I'm going to like how is sex like for you if you're willing to talk about that like can't like and then like how was childbirth and being pregnant and stuff too. Like so both of them are very different very very different so childbirth that's kind of the easier conversation. So childbirth is you know, I had had actually a couple false. Arms, and that I'd been in the hospital and they kind of like told me and let me feel within my body. What a contraction would feel like it was just tightness. All I felt was just kind of tightness and release. So in the middle of the night one night, this was he was five weeks early. So I wake up in the middle night 307 and I'm like honey, honey. Like my body feels like really tight weird and like I'll go back to bed. Like they just totally busted almost like and know I think something's going on weird. Different so we flipped on the light and my water had already broken. So we bolted to the hospital. So we woke up at 3:07. We got to the hospital to let us see check my cervix and our eyes pop out of her head. She's like, I like just like test his hair so they got me right back and I was able to lift right out. Yes. My son is talking about compassion and understanding where other people are coming from at 4 years old. Now, it is mind-blowing the awareness he had for their people for how they're feeling. He is so in tune and he's so in tune when people need help. Like if I put has fallen off of my chair Hills like come over and put it back up on the footplate. Like he's Beyond special. Well beyond. Yeah, it's really cool. And then and then the sexuality part this is actually really great because we're going to be doing a lot of this work at the workshop which will be played out but it's very different. I don't I don't necessarily feel from my injury level down, which is T4. So along your spine. T4 is like right where your bra strap goes around your chest? Okay, so like right around there. So from there down, it's numb. Wow, go from here to here. Yeah still when I have to go to the bathroom. Yeah, I can't feel backs in the same way. It's all very different. And so you have to really tap into your other senses of it's It's a mental game your mindset though. You write like and firm. I mean, this is also just like a ball of the themes about whatever we talked about but I think sex gets better the older you get because you understand your mindset more and you understand like it's a muscle to like your sexuality is a muscle and you learn how to turn it on and how to like like, oh, I like this. I don't like this you like that Tony Robbins when he had us like talking to like certain errors and then like like what your turns you on what your doesn't turn you on and like I was like, okay, but it's crazy how you have to tune into all that. Those different senses. I love that you talk about that and how it really is just more mental, you know, it really mental. And so I think you know when I went to work with girls, it's very much about you know, when you even say the word sex like what does what do you feel? You know, are you do 10 steps? Are you there? Shame around it? Are you excited or are you kind of free? Like I personally kind of have an inner. Patent leather side. I guess that's how you'd like. So I think you kind of have to really turn into you know, what what does your mind go to when you think of that and then really really playing on that and because you very open and honest with your partner, so that's completely honest with you because I love that you said shame comes up for sex with women. Because there's just like this thing around sex that you should just have sex to have babies and like that's not the case. God made you to have an orgasm and you can have that and it's a beautiful thing and it's great and you can do that and I love that you're teaching that to take away the shame from that and I'm sure there's probably a lot of women especially because that's what you help women who have some any sort disabilities like is that something that's hard for them? But if like that's hard for them to go and like date or connect because they're so afraid about is that a lot of shame that surround that or it's going to help them. Thing that actually comes up more than anything is feeling like you're a burden. Okay. So because you need things differently done because we have to now talk about it differently because we even have to talk about it, you know, you know, we have helped doing put into a bit different positions is a very big it's a lot of communication and when you have a disability, there's a huge huge kind of elephant in the room of Burden. You don't want to be a Burden, you're sick of asking for help you I do this bill and I have to really like remind myself to speak up for myself. You know, I went to Tony Robbins actually with the Big Goal because I had this lump in my throat. There's a physical lump and it was just all this denial or every time that I didn't speak up that I wanted something different like anytime. I wanted to say get into the pool, but I needed help. So I didn't every time I miss out on an opportunity. That made me You know baby joy that once was getting bigger and bigger and so that's really magnified in the bedroom. You know, you don't want to put people out and I think people even just resist the idea of dating. They don't think that they are worthy. They don't think that they are beautiful. So my biggest thing about creating this community of icons as I call them. It's if it's going to change the stereotype it has to start with them first. Yeah. With them actually looking in the mirror and seeing something different. Yes, they have to be able to see differently. And so we give them a lot of tools of even just the act of dressing up, you know, pretty Glam girl, and I'm totally owning it owning it probably more that so the next ever done in my life because it's who I am and that lump was bigger because I made myself small and you know, that looks ridiculous. I can't be sexy in a wheelchair that's stupid would have those conversations with myself all the time. I'm so really if we're gonna break those up. We have to start with the individual and I started so go back to kind of the healing of the island. Once I got here. I had this idea in my head that I was going to walk again. Stop back to the islands are calling my name. There's gonna steal me I'm going to get to the island and I'm going to walk again. I'm going to was here a couple walking Miracle so I get here and obviously I'm still not walking. It's been two years but What I do you're walking into who you're meant to be now. So like that's the key right amen. So what I did but they ended up starting this blog and I was I was like, I'm just going to talk about my experience. You know, I've always got this inner bright side. I could I can find a bright side in any situation. It's a gift had a my entire life. I can always find it no matter what there is a sliver of light. So I was going to write this one as I got come up with a great name and I'm very committed to the words. We use all about the words we use and so I was just started playing with these words and I came and I got to this idea of vertical ambition thought that was really cool, but it was taken and like I'm really still really like that name that word vertical there's something really powerful about that and if I'm going to get up and stand and walk I got to be vertical. So if I keep telling myself that I'm vertical and vertical and vertical one day of I'm going to happen. Right like I'm just everything that I think about my focus is all going to be about being vertical and blond will end is known for my blond hair. So, I mean, it's always been white my entire life. You have beautiful hair. Thank you. I do love my blonde lat so so I came up with vertical blond and I thought was really catchy and really great and it was all about the verbage and what happened was it's this This mindset emerged from it this idea of living vertically and this idea that every single thing that happens in our life is a stepping stone higher and higher and higher. It's all elevating us if we see it that way there's there is a filter person I choose to see the world differently. You literally see the world completely different. It's literally as if you were blind and you put on glasses here like this is the world that I choose to see and that's a choice every single day that we get to choose to have like what parrot what glasses you want to put on today and how do you want to see the world because you can view the world. However, you want to see it can be gloomy and terrible or it can be bright and amazing and light and love but you got to choose that first and your mind, right? Yeah, and you know, our filters are a mixture of everything that's happened to us, right everything that's been told to us everyday experience. We've had how we've experienced. Experience everything is creating that filter and so we're always going to think see things differently whether you know, you see a hurdle or a challenge is that another means to grow or is that something that's going to break you down like and just saying with this accident? I mean I look at my life now and everything that I've learned from it from therapy to group therapy to even go to a now go to Kodak codependents Anonymous stop having control over people and trying to think that I have any control over people to even dance and doing aerial yoga pushing my mind and my body and in so many different ways and absolutely breaking down these things that I once thought was impossible. So, you know this whole idea of living vertically, it just makes so much sense. You know, it's and my husband died. Because I've got a convertible and so we call it Bert life like everything is like vert life, you know, and and it's great because now every chance that I have any encounter out there even just like cruising to Starbucks. I know that I'm making an impact and it's up to me what kind of impact I want to make that's so I take it very seriously every time I get ready for the day I make sure even if I don't even think I'm going to leave the house anybody. D like I am camera ready and game on I'm ready to rock and roll because no matter what happens that day. I'm setting a standard and sent in a stereotype because if I would have seen me before I got injured I probably would have had that for years of denial and struggle as much so obviously I think that that denial really does serve a purpose. So even that was really nice so how to go through that because also it teaches you how you can help every that you're helping with to is Because you understand what they've gone through you understand what the pain is what that mindset is and I love that you about like that just like how your throat chakra was closed up because you weren't speaking your truth. And I think that happens to anybody not that to everybody and I have that happen for me as well as like when you're not really speaking to being who you are or what your true needs are even to yourself first off and then two others that does it closes up for you and it becomes like this lump and you could argue what you might try to talk about like it you get choked up on it or you're afraid to even say your word. Words and it's crazy how we don't even say that to ourselves. So who won't even let ourselves speak Our Truth ourselves even be seen. How can we expect the world to see us for how we want to be seeing either what what really helped you to be able to finally like open that up and like to really speak your truth to that. And then how do you help your clients do that, too? So it's it was a it was a process and it still is the process every day. Obviously, you know, I'm really committed to doing the work therapy. Why is I go every single Friday 130 like everyone knows where I'm at. There's nothing even if I'm out of town. I'll still do it on my phone with her because this woman and I told her I said, you know, there's nowhere that I feel safe or more empowered than when I'm in her 4 Walls and it's great because no matter like like she over anyone else in my entire life. My my mom my husband. Anyway, she knows me better and she loves me more because of it and that was really transformative. Well, that's up to you realize you could be love no matter what right like having her show you that you're like, oh I'm so worth it. And I think that's the beauty like people are so afraid of therapy or having coaches or accountability Partners, but it's like you need that and I will help you out with yourself. There's a reason why your life still the same way. It has been before so go. Someone who's going to help you there's nothing wrong with that and think about that for you. Just what you just said is like that taught you the best gift you could have because then not like that like once you love yourself you allow others to love you too, because they are really believe the amount of love that you have for yourself as the amount of love you let yourself received and so like you might not fully let your kids even love you your husband. Love you, you'll push them away. You'll try to make them feel small because you don't feel like you deserve it and then when you deserve it, you're like, oh yeah Pour Some Sugar On Me Baby like love on me like I want it, you know and that becomes the different place and being able to receive that without guilt. I think sir, you know me it goes back to that bird and thing. Yes, really low. It's all this guilt like we have to worry about me again, or do you have to love me again? Like it was just it just Builds on it and now I don't have to be guilty about that. And now I understand that that safety in that and that that sense that I get within her 4 Walls. I know how powerful. There's to recede so now I'm able to do that for other women in a coaching aspect. And so it's great because everything I'm doing has come completely out of what I've done for myself, right? And I think I think that's the best lesson that the gametes you actually experience. Yeah, and we can think that we've got big Big Dreams or goals or whatever. But until we really know that it's coming from the heart like we've done the work we have no way to pass it on and oh, it's like when people are like well, I don't know what to do with my life. Then then you give to yourself and you pour it up. Yep wants me to work. You'll know what the impact is you're meant to do because until you know you yeah, you don't know what you're supposed to do yet because you don't even know who you are yet sisters like figure out who you are exactly exactly. So, you know, I had gone and I've done all this some I've done all this therapy and stuff before and I Physical therapy and I was kind of getting burnt out on that and I been driving by the gym every single day and at this point it has been five years and I had not set foot into its traditional gym since I've been injured it is only been physical therapy and I had gotten to this point where I was just like I just want to look good in a bikini again, but I don't care about the transfers getting in and out of bed like it's got all that nails. I just want to look good in a bikini. Yeah, and so I had like driven by the gym like over and over and over and over again. I was like, I just am terrified looking like an idiot like not no. Can I use a machine? You know, I'm in a wheelchair and doing it in a seated position when I'd ask for help. I'm gonna have to be a burden and ask for help, you know, all these things that go through your head because I'm gonna Jam drive by the trim gym and something actually really beautiful happened my son broke his foot. You again like saying the bright side, right? So he's out of preschool for a month. And because he couldn't even walk on it try to keep a three-year-old off of their foot. Yeah, right. I was like, oh my God, this is so hard. Don't know if you've seen it on my Instagram yet, but it's amazing amazing pretty Sensational just inspirational to because I and I mean getting into fitness really can change anybody's life and it helps you realize that I truly believe if you start to work on your body. It's so much easier to realize how easy it is to work on your mind because you see how quickly your mind has to be right for your body to get right to and you see the physiology changes. So you're like, well what else could I change? I just had to change how I thought about this or like let go of I might look dumb in front of the he's weights or whatever but who cares like I'm doing it for me. And so you find all this different like self and dependency and like you felt like self-love through it and stuff and like self-confidence through it and it becomes like this awesome gift that helps you level up your mind to it changes so much of that the totally experience with that well, and you know, it became really clear upw was that the whole thing about working out is that you're getting yourself in a peak State? Yes, like of course it's easier. Work on your mind because your body is finally elevated. So that was extremely empowering and the quickness of it was fascinating. I mean, it was like 6 and 12 weeks. I was like, what the heck is this incredible? And I had really strong Wyatt that point I had and this is what I try and get across to the girls. I'm like if you're just going into work out don't expect something drastic to change, but if you have something you're working Words then boom you're going to do it but two things that was going through my mind one was that I've just been crowned Miss wheelchair Hawaii and I was going to compete for myself. Yeah. I was super excited about that and I wanted to look really incredible. And then the second one was that the artist wanted to do a portrait of me this artist actually to back up a little bit more. Had already done some work with me. I met her she does this beautiful soul portraits and I said and she does these mer kind of mermaid fantasy ones of you as a mermaid or a goddess. I said my fantasies just walk on the beach again. She said I can totally paint that with let's rock and roll so we did this photo shoot so she could capture my features and I wore nothing but this very sheer kind of Loi not even a top. It's kind of like a piece of material. It was very see crew and I was nude underneath a very and while she's taking my photo I just was like well like I feel sexy again. Yeah, that's me in my wheelchair. Welcome to that point to give you a sense of the denial of my chair on our wedding day for our wedding video. I specifically told the guitar Booker and videographer. My chair is not allowed in a single photo or video. Like I was in such denial that that chair even existed and then to go and have this like moment we're inside this big piece of metal that felt very cold and masculine I felt sexier. Again, Michael so beautiful and so because of that I'm so proud of you that now I do the vertical Beauty project where we give women makeovers and photo shoots that have a disability. So yeah, it is like my big my heart like that. I want to go into nonprofit that one I really want to have a special place in this world. And so So she got in contact with me again, and there was this big it actually ended up not taking place. Maybe just not yet. But this was a wife or the for working out you wanted to do kind of this dominating disability kind of idea and almost a little dominatrix like in the chair and not wearing a whole lot and she wanted to paint that and so I was like, well, I'm going to make sure my body looks Nothing in life is not just those two things I've been through the good standard crunch is very difficult. You have to engage almost in your mind. So I would work out with my eyes closed a lot to actually just visualize these muscles working in the the next thing is you got to visualize it. If you can't even see it in your mind, you're not going to achieve it and I love that. You just said the mental vision of it and like that's why I Also, enjoy working out is I found the muscle mind memory and how you can really close close your eyes because it looked up 5 pounds and you can make it feel like it's 500 pounds by just like turning it on and engaging that muscle and focusing on it and like that mind power that mind like it's just it's crazy. So I love that will you guide us kind of through that then implies kind of cut you off but like continue about know you're good at the way I completely agree who was kind of cool about all of this was that Everything that I was doing now, I understand how important all those steps are, but it was literally like I can flow you're just doing automatically. Yeah, like I just kind of a fun accident. So but after I put up that photo of the before and after I got flooded I'm talking hundreds of messages saying, how do I get rid of this wheelchair? Tummy. How do I do it tell me the way and so it was difficult. Because that photo was so in your face because like there is a lot of work that went on behind the scenes like you don't like what happened to get there. Like yeah, it was beyond diet and exercise maybe was it was it was all the mental game it was even therapy that went into play because like, how do I put all of that together? Yes, you know, how do I make that a package? And so Jake the trainer has I had already been doing online training, so he already had Program set up. So what we did was we just went into the gym. We filmed every single workout with some and every single exercise and we put together a program. It was all online. And what we do is we take these girls through six weeks. So we do group called once a week. They also get one on one coaching with both me and Jake they get a personalized nutrition plan and then they get the workouts that you know, like an hour a day four days a week and that's all I did and so So you can have those kind of results when the commitments there when the why is there when then everything in your life starts to go right to your mind sets there, you know exactly what you want. And I love it. You're saying envisioning it. I'm so big on like doing it's like write it down make a vision board see it for yourself. You'll be able to achieve it. You can make it happen. It's in your mindset. You know why you're working towards it. You have some sort of plan a reason for it. You have the accountability and then you have then you're amazing. Unity of women who are wondering the same thing who are just like yes, like let's do it together. Let's rise together and there's power in that Force. There's power and wanting to do it together and that's why you go to the gym and people like make friends at the gym and stuff is because it helps you you create a community there too. So you're like as it's a part of me in it and you want to feel good you want to feel healthy and stuff and it just becomes who you are and naturally and every single person I've talked to who is elevated their life or change their life has also changed their body because it just automatically comes with your mindset. You automatically shift because you're like I want to be the best me in everything that I do no matter what so I love this. So talking about like the community that you've created by creating these programs and just that is this so beautiful of what you're doing with this community to I think it's so amazing this community has oh my God, my heart just took clothes, I think about these women, you know, we've got women that have lost 40 plus pounds. We've got this one girl that could Big Goal was Just like I just want me again. I miss me so much, you know and she had gotten and she's young. She's like 22 and she had gotten a stroke on her spine and because of all this steroids and and trial and errors and I was such as games like all this way to floss her hair and she's just like, I don't even know who I am anymore and she was terrified even like post a single photo on social media this woman. Has lost 43 pounds and she just launched her own blog. I had totally totally ashamed literally got one girl is at the court. And one thing I want to point out here is it's not because you're changing your outer body that all the sudden you've you feel confident in your life changing is because you're teaching them the inner work you're teaching them to deal with the inner work how to find themselves how to love themselves and through that your body automatically changes and for women when we don't love our bodies it literally carries out and it bleeds into everything that we do because Society has such a way of what women should look like and how they should be. Great, and so there's so much, you know inner damage that we do to ourselves we talk so maybe it negatively to ourselves about what we think we should look like but it's really just finding love for yourself you end up really loving all of you no matter what and just like the prime example, like loving you and your wheelchair and feeling sexy new wheelchair like you love all of you and my my experience was like learning how to love my stretch marks and learning how to like, you know going from what your body is before kids to after kids like that is a total different thing. And so Like it's just but it's I think people have the wrong idea that like, oh if I finally lose weight, I'll feel happier. I love myself. That's not there. It's that combined with the inner work with a mental with a mental game of it with the self-discipline. That's what's creating that and it's and then it's learning how to show up for the world that how you want to be seen because you're creating this community of women to help them see each other for who they really are and you're given so just like how your ability to go to you said that she helps you be seen in love like you're creating that same atmosphere in this community. You're telling them to have a show each other love and how to be seen and like rise together. And so they're like, oh it's okay to be me and I'm love Mom enough no matter what and then they go do that in the world. Am I that how you change the world? That's how you become this game changer, and I just I love what you're doing. I just think it's so so so amazing. It's beautiful. So thank you and my feeling that you know, like honestly it's amazing because it's powerful its powerful work. And if you would have asked me when this injury happened, you know what I'd be doing with my life and how you know, what I'd be doing with it. This is not what I would have expected. You know, my you know that day I thought my life was perfect. But my life was really easy up until this point it was it last growth Alaska purpose contribution. I did everything just to be significant. You know, I just I was an attention getter my whole life. You know, how do I have I keep people's attention so that they don't leave me. I had a hole in my heart, you know, it's a longer story, but with my dad leaving out the divorce and I just was just speaking. It's overachiever as a way to keep people around and keep people's attention. Now, there's it's not for the significant it is for that fulfillment that comes when I get that conversation with the girl and she is just beside herself. Happily were her life is gone and that is just like it multiplies and people get to see that and now and I give them all a pretty pretty big speech at the beginning of their six weeks. But okay once this is over you now have a responsibility with your life to carry this on not just six weeks and it's over it's six weeks jumpstart to your life. Like now it is to go out and to spread this and could see a light for other people. All and to really own your purpose and your own calling and figuring that out with that is that's the funnest part like that exploration now, it's great because my life coaching the fitness coaching and now our event it's all comes. So organically it is just about me going out and doing this work and realizing that people want that as well. And so I got the bechler lesson there at upw. The first one was this woman that meant me within moments and she had actually brought me down to the floor for gas. So when I arrived at upw I went in the doors, I was the very first person they loud in the doors getting grounded thousand people. Keep in mind. There is a mile of line outside and they I'm like number 5 in line, but they brought me up because the wheelchair and I got around whatever there are a lot of perks that come. The wheelchair I'm going to say there is like VIP moments left and right if you feel that way, they are VIPs. So I got in the door and it was still a few minutes before I could even get in the curtain but I'm super excited and this guy Steve and he's like there to help me to my feet I get up there and the Ada the handicap seating is the very back against the wall. Like this is shit, right? This sucks our community. Let us what is the back? Yeah. Feeding stocks and I'm like this is stupid. And so I asked even like how do I get to the floor? What are going to do and he's like, I don't think that's going to happen like you got to be someone guests to be down there. That's like, oh why am I will and and he's like an it's like I know you're here with your business partners. My business Cartman take the pits personal trainer. He came with me. Yeah. He said there's no way I see it. Both of you down and said, well, I kind of had a feeling I'd be going further than Jake because I gave him Bill, and I said Jake if you can go further go don't wait for me and vice versa if I can go further Uncle further because awesome. So when he saw the a defeating he's like bye Felicia I'm going further is like you get as close as your cat. Yeah. So then I'm like Steve could see what you can do. Well, he actually said it I mean a little cocky now because I'm really excited what happened how it all transpired but he's like, I'm gonna see what I could do, but I am not making a single promise and about 20 minutes. Later, he comes up me to give me the nod and the smile and he's like, let's go. Let's go. He's like, I'm gonna introduce you to somebody there's a chance that she could bring you down as your guests as her gas. Again, I am not making a single promise and her and I met and within like second. She's like I want you to be my guest. I love it and she said but she says but this weekend you get out of here you get out of your head and you play from your heart. Yeah. And then anytime you need it. It's already inside of you and then she introduces me to Brian the floor manager and she says Brian this is Sarah my seats over here, but she can sit wherever she wants. Aunt I love it's getting me right now he's like, where do you want to go I said I want to touch the stage. Yeah, so he took me up to the front row and he puts the Seal white piece of tape on it acts on the floor and he's like, this is your spot girl. Like welcome. I love it. Oh my God, like there was a magnetic pole that stage the moment I got in there. I could feel it in my soul and that experience. So I did I made a very big commitment. Start to Nyla Medlock. She's the woman that brought me at the desk and I in my head. I was like this is I am beyond gratitude and I need to show it by playing Fallout and I am I'm cutting off all my responsibility for anybody else in this room, which is very big for someone that struggles with like codependents and worrying about other people feeling like feeling like you're a burden and she like, okay, I'm going to now I'm just going to be me like that's a gift in itself. And I love that you were like, this is a lesson. I want to learn right now. That's so amazing totally fair. Like I'm going to play harder and more clout than I've ever played in my life. And I lost myself. I lost it be emotion that's poured out of me. I it was 37 years of pressure Unleashed of every time that I said, no when I wanted to say, yes, and I put that in my lump in my throat right into my body. It was completely unleash that we can and maybe harder I played below. For myself every single break. I would have a line of people wanting just a photo with me because they said that when they saw me on the screen or next to them going hard it pushed them to go harder. Well it did and that's the IQ energetic. We've pushed me to like Foley go out for me. Like I had an amazing experience there too. Just like letting go so much different shame and stuff, but it's like they kept showing her on camera. So I'm trying to explain this to you guys because as we have a mutual friend, And and our mutual friend had said so this is kind of a great backup little bit about Sarah is I was supposed I was going to Tony Robbins in our mutual friend was like, oh my gosh, we have to meet this girl Sara like you guys are totally gonna revive. I'm like, there's no way I can meet her at 8,000 people and then literally the same second. I said that Sarah shows up on the screen just like Girl, because we just have to and you and I didn't mean till the very last day the very very great walking out the doors and it was just like I walked into you literally walk into you but it was kept getting showed up on screen and it was just like amazing and beautiful and you form played out and thank you for doing that because you did you gave us every bills permission and do that and like in fact even a guy hugged her so hard she fell out of her wheelchair and like you'll crush it like you were so crazy and I loved it. But it was just like before energetically like drawing so much of that room and like helping people just be loved and like so you did you made it happen from it was pretty cool. So I got to replace a really big belief there and the belief that I've been touring was play small to keep people comfortable like clay, it's not like why you got a baby shine no matter what and that's what you and I talked about when we met. I was just like just shining and allowing yourself. In yourself that permission to shine because when you do that you let other people shine too. So it's the vert its opposite right when we play small we make other people play small but if we start to play Big we get them to play Big to like Anna gonna lie. It's so cool. So now the verbage and the words and beliefs that I have replaced it with is my light is needed. So every time I feel myself getting small I can say that I can actually say those words and it flips the switch. Which nope they're like needed don't you dare break all my burden know my light is needed and I do want to ask you if you believe in the power of affirmations and just like a manifesting and stuff like that. And do you look like that to help you on your journey as well. It really has and you know, I think that even more so with that formations, it's just the words that we use right, you know, even even around my body, you know, I used to say well I don't feel from here down and now I say I feel differently from here down. You know and so it's like even just the words that you're saying can have a big impact. So but you know and to play into kind of always seeing the bright side, I think now I'm just really magnifying that so it's a lot of gratitude and it's the lot of you know, I do a lot of I have very big Visions a very big bowls I envisioned myself on a very big stage and but I also understand that there's a lot Brewing going underneath the surface that we're not quite aware of that will play a role at some point. Yes. And so I do a lot of this whenever I have my vision, I'll have my vision. Oh hold it over my head and then I'll set it free will have the vision and let it go. I love this that really allows you to take place. Yeah, it does but then it also allows you to really take in and tap into whatever coming to understand that there's a Listen to real meaning behind it that's happening for you. So this may look like someone saying no, but it means that somewhere else is having a yes. What means that I need to get better and clearer and bigger with what I need to do or you know that something needs to be adjusted if I'm getting a door closed here. It just keeps it just means it's not like this hot for you right now. So just move on to the next that's all that it is and it's a blessing every time you get a no. No, I love that. Yeah, tell us about what it is. You have this amazing event coming up that I just want to totally help you because you're just so freaking amazing and you're trying to inspire all these women and this like and it's going to be an event that's here in Utah. So you're currently in Hawaii, but you're coming back here for it. So talk to us about what this event is like what you want people to experience their how I can help support that hard listeners can help support you with that what you still need for it? How many tickets you have? Like tell us all the things? Okay, perfect. I like jumping out of my chest. Like your energy I just love it. Love it. Love it. Love it. I love it. I love it. So it's called vertically and my whole goal is that I want these women to leave vertically like they are going to then go on and pursue their lives vertically and I am super excited because on a screw selfish note. We are going back to the resort that I worked up for those flyers up Landry. We want full circle and it is also happening the same week of my accident and Versary the lucky part. Okay, that's awesome. Yes. So my anniversary is September 22nd, which we actually then got married on September 22nd again, we want to make it a bad day or a good date on the bad day. But I love that he'll I spoke with my husband like I kind of want my day back like two weeks just renew our vows on another day because now I kind of like my bait. Yeah, that's kind of a side note. So we're going back to the resort. It's Park City Resort up in obviously Park City will be It's a Summit Hotel. And so we've got three day passed tickets available. And then we also have a really really great group great at their one of their three properties up there. There's summat Silverado and Sundial that you can stay out. There's great rates up there to use so our all-inclusive tickets. We are all sold out. So an all-inclusive that included food and lodging and not very VIP we're going to do show them what VIP looks like but because of such a big high demand, we also are we opened up our tickets? So we went from ten women are gold now is 50 women and we want to fill those pops. We really want to fill those spots and so at this point because we're only a few weeks away. It's all about the local clientele. So can you are someone or you know somebody that would really benefit from this head over to Vertical blond.com. / vertically. There's also a thing on the Front page of it too, but when I post all this as well, so that they perfect you as well. That's also your just want to make sure it's all women and women with physical disabilities. I do believe in my heart that everyone's got a disability something that disables them if they've allow it and so at one point in the future, I do Envision this to open up for all women and even men to bring their disability to kind of rip up and get rid of but As of now this is my community and this is what we're going for. So Physical disabilities anyone it's like a cognitive issue or mental disabilities that one contact me to see if this will be a good fit or not. But so it's going to be great three days. We open up that first night with a really great welcome reception and kind of party and then we get right to work and what I kind of explained it as as like say to his then we break it down to Rebels and then the next day Use all that Rubble we bring build it up to what we really want to see because it's still our life like with still have all the rubble, you know, and we still have all these tools and resources that we've gained over the years and what do we want to do with them? So we are going to have incredible speakers. We're going to do some group healing really tap into the stuff. That is help me. I mean kind of do some really great processing all there with some really great supports. We've got a woman Hillary skoglund. She has actually facilitated a lot of my work shoes. An energy worker energy kind of group practitioners who really deals with trauma fabulous really really well known in her community. And then we've also got Maggie Anderson. Maggie is also a spinal cord injury as well and she is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in women's sexuality. So he's really diving into that sexuality super excited about that and we are going to be igniting their inner kind. 16 and kind of feminine power so and then a lot of dancing and elevation and bringing up that that great state will do the fitness classes all the disability Icon Fitness classes. Jake coming to leave those got adopted yoga. We've got some really great stretching really really tapping into our bodies giving them love feeding them to nutrition. And then we also are going to be doing the photo shoot. So I've got Vishu for everybody. It is in part for everyone. Yeah, so I'm super excited about that will be doing photo shoots women are going to be able to see them and it's beautiful new light it once if you want to go over to YouTube you can link this one as well. There's one on the vertical Beauty project that we did last year. We did for ten women there in Salt Lake City. That one was a full day of full makeovers like these grandiose photo shoots, so Ben the event we've actually got some things in store that are a surprise for some of the girls but cat quite really talked about that yet, but we'll just say that the photo shoots are going to be absolutely life-changing. So I'm really excited. And then the that last day will just have a fun little brunch in a workout and then send them on their way. So I love that and it's going to be so healing so powerful you get to have a community of women all come together. They're going to make these lifelong bonds that are going to Have forever and it's just going to be powerful and I used to fully support that so anybody who's listening if you guys want to offer anything up for this event to you're still taking sponsorship stuff, right like yeah sponsorship and one thing that's come up a lot actually is people saying, you know, I obviously don't have a disability, but I would like to sponsor someone to go. Okay. So this is a really great way if you want to purchase a ticket if there's someone that you know that you want to give it to or women are starting to write in as Why they must be there and they may not have the resources of a financial resource, but they have something else to offer or they really need to be there. So that I think is a really beautiful way for your listeners if they do want to purchase a ticket for anyone that would be my recommendation. But if you want to do anything for gift bags, obviously, we're gonna do some swag some giveaways even some Raffles if you want to just donate one or two of Whatever item that you offer. Yeah work. There's anything entertainmentwise that you want to offer, you know that last night. I kind of envisioned a little bit of a party but there's anything like that but you want to donate that would be really helpful and then obviously Financial donations are very helpful. This is our first one and so it's personally financed to make this happen. And then oh, I almost forgot the two biggest thing but one is that we're filming Entire event for a documentary a documentary which is like the cool thing of all time so fun. So I've had some filming already downed of need up the planning process because until now I've been like a one-woman show. Yeah, even the website project proposals putting the event together. I mean everything has been just from me and so now I've got that support and then we have a research crew from the India the University of Indiana. So they're going to be actually following the women and do Doing a whole research study on how this impacts the quality of life short and long term the great thing about that is that in the future? We're going to have something very very substantial. I kind of have a feeling once those researches going to say but it's great to have that backing so that we can take this and really watch it grow. I would love to travel as well. So I'm really really pumped and I I'm super blessed. I've had people, you know one woman offered. We just a full-on event planner free of charge. She just wants to get involved. I'm so grateful and it's a big reminder that people just want to help. Yeah, like they want to get behind something that has passion and they can actually make a change people crave that it would be part of something bigger. We all need it. It's literally a I mean with that. Yeah, absolutely and you're allowing people to do that to which is it just a gift in itself to so it's just amazing how your goal it's all beautiful. I love it. It's really great. Yeah, it's really really special. I've got two girls. They have been with me since one girl was literally the very first person that purchased the fitness program. So she's been with me since October her Quarry and then Diana is the other and they just wanted to help in any Patti so they've been kind of working as my assistant handling volunteer schedules and reaching out to sponsors. They've just been super helpful. So a very big salad pcori and be who are there my rocks they even the day that I'm like, I don't know what I'm doing there like, yes, you do know, it's just the beginning. I love it. I'm so so proud of you. I'm so honored to have met you and just be connecting. With you and I support this 1000% I got you girl. Like I will send you all the stuff I can get for you because your mission is just incredible. It's amazing. I'm all about like woman anything anyways, and just like and just about anybody finding self-love not just women but we all need it. We all crave it. We all need to like do that in her work and this love it and I just love that you said going from being a burden to saying that I'm needed to shine and like that in itself. I mean, I just keep getting that chills, but it's like it's so beautiful and it's so amazing and thank you just for sharing that. Was everybody today and sharing your love and your light and Mike your story and how you're able to find a gift and all of that and a lesson and all of that in the beauty and all of that and sharing that with us helps me be inspired to so thank you so so much for just even being on today and talking with me and talk about all the things and just like being so open and vulnerable and beautiful with it. And where can I listeners find you so vertically blond on Instagram. So go ahead and do that and then you have like your YouTube and I'll upload your website and stuff to use anything and other ways people can Find you or get a hold of you. You know, I think Instagram is always the best, you know, vertical blond on Instagram is really an easy way again, then we always are doing the coaching as well. So yeah, so filled out I like your Fitness coaching programs and stuff. Yep, and then spoon also will be offering a financial program. So this one will be geared towards not even just with people with disabilities but really Guild geared towards that females so, you know taking them from a place of Is this empowerment to something that they have absolute power and control of so, really? So cold I can look at my hand on the fire. I got to the end. I realized I'm the only one that looked at the fire and still want to cross and still went with so much veracity and conviction. Like my expense is so much better than anybody else here like talk about completely overcoming your fear. It was very powerful moment. So powerful, but you deserve that right? Well, babe. Thank you so much for being on here. Here and just being you being a white inspiring me just being amazing. I freaking love you. I think you're so awesome. And I wasn't so much value from you. So thank you. Thank you. Thank you and I'll link up everything for your event and how people can reach out to you and get to know you and we're going to keep making some magic happen sister. I love it haebang. Thank you so much. Yes, I understand that every single experience is there to serve you and to take you vertically. I love that beautiful. All right. Thanks guys. Have a blessed day of your lives.
Sarah literally shines in any area or space she is in, she is magnetic. She is someone you want in your space to learn from and to help you see the beauty in all of life. Sarah talks about her journey of self love, finding herself, learning to see life is happening FOR her and find authentic happiness. She went from thinking she was a burden to knowing she was meant to shine! Sarah is gearing up to host her first 3 day event, which will be a total mind, body, spirit reset. Women from all over the United States and Canada will be joining her to jumpstart their lives in every way, not to mention make new new friends with other women who are becoming the new icons for the disability community. Sarah currently resides in Maui with her husband and son. She is the owner of VerticalBlonde.com and Disability Icon Life, Fitness and Financial Transformation Programs. She is the Founder of the Vertical Beauty Project and Vertically Events and is available for booking as a motivational speaker. Her aspirations include a documentary and adaptive apparel and home products. You can find her at VerticalBlonde.com and on Facebook/Instagram as @VerticalBlonde. BIO Vertical Blonde, Sarah Foley, is on a mission to redefine what disability looks like for persons living with physical disabilities. She is a wife, mother, motivational speaker and elevation coach and believes the only way to create change is to change the way people see themselves and their circumstances. After an ATV accident left her paralyzed almost 7 years ago, she was committed to heal herself emotionally and physically. This personal work opened her up to incredible self-love and opportunities to offer healing and elevation for others going through similar situations. ---   This episode is sponsored by  · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. 