Category Archives: Speaking

What Chronic Illness Taught Me About “Uncertain Times”

14 Mar

Here’s the thing about not having a diagnosis: It’s very challenging to move forward. I couldn’t get a clear treatment plan, because we didn’t know what we were treating. I couldn’t explain to friends and coworkers what was going on, because I didn’t know myself. I couldn’t connect with other people who were sharing my experience because I didn’t know who they were. And maybe most importantly, I couldn’t properly grieve. Because I didn’t know what I was grieving.

How to Tell People About an Invisible Disability

12 Feb

This came up as a question from a student when I was presenting at a university last fall. The student was recently diagnosed with a cognitive condition and asked me, “How do I tell people about it?” I happen to … Read More »

Documinitary: Disabled Dog Teaches Her Favorite Coping Skill … on an Epic Adventure

5 Jun

#Amicasmells: The Movie Last year, my dog Amica and I wandered around the United States (mostly the wild west) for 10 weeks. There were plenty of reasons behind the trip, some I knew going in, and some I didn’t know … Read More »

My livelihood caught coronavirus … and died from it.

13 Mar

I would rather have the coronavirus than have what it has done to me. I’m used to my body enduring illness. It’s my everyday life. Having something that’ll actually go away sounds nice. What coronavirus has done to me is … Read More »

Invisible Illness as an Excuse?

20 Feb

“You use that as an excuse for everything,” she said. We were on the phone, and I was struggling to speak, stumbling and just getting words wrong. She teased me about it, and I told her it was because of … Read More »

Documinitary: Adenturing to Tennessee to Speak at My Alma Mater

10 Jan

Last September was a dream come true. As a professional speaker at colleges, it was logically a goal to speak at my alma mater, and I finally had the chance to do so. Not only did I get to speak … Read More »

What “Passing” Means to a Disabled Person

24 Oct

My busy season has yielded some great ideas. More than ever, I’m actively revising and tweaking my presentations before each college visit. These changes come out of things like Q&A sessions, special advance requests, ad libs while I’m speaking … … Read More »

What’s Your Motivation Style?

10 Oct

My newest speaking program on disabilities covers universal design. With that existing, a trend in my bookings this fall is colleges and universities asking me to incorporate my content on universal design with my flagship awareness program, as an extended … Read More »

What is “Illness Shaming”? … and How to Knock It Off

6 Sep

I want to talk about stigma. When I do my presentations, I actually come out and outright reject the word stigma, because the actual definition is something like, “a mark of disgrace.” Yeah, that this someone has an actual mark … Read More »