PUSHLiving Podcast #32: Don't Compete, Collaborate! with Jesi Stracham

We were SO EXCITED to have Jesi Stracham join us for PUSHLiving Podcast #32. Jessi is a wheelchair user who’s adventurous, athletic, capable, and an all around tough girl! She is quite the firecracker and has her plate full with tons of projects.

When she’s not directing her foundation Wheel With Me (whose mission is to bridge the gap between inpatient rehabilitation and independent living through activism), she’s training with the US Paralympic developmental curling team, attending school full-time, participating in “Tough Mudder” obstacle courses, and giving health and fitness advice on her popular social media channels. Jessi is also the CEO of her coaching business, Wheel With Me Consulting, which is dedicated to helping individuals reach their life goals and consulting big business on their wheelchair accessibility.

When riding passenger on a motorcycle in 2015, an SUV making a U-turn caused an accident that sent Jessi over the vehicle which resulted in her spinal cord injury at T4 and T7, as well as her lungs to be punctured by her broken ribs. Her massive injuries sent her to the brink of life as she coded and was resuscitated, twice. She also sustained a traumatic brain injury, which affects her to this day. Not only has she adjusted to living life in a wheelchair, she also learned how to filter and regulate her emotions, which could sometimes come across as hurtful and aggressive due to her brain trauma.

Throughout her recovery she discovered therapy, and has completely shifted her outlook, perception, and most of all, focus. She’s a big believer in learning to approach life with laughter, identifying your passion, pursuing your happiness, and focusing on what you want out of life.

In this podcast, Jessi shares her thoughts and experiences with:
The accident that caused her to join the wheelchair lifestyle community
How therapy was a game-changer for her, and why she highly recommends it
What influenced her decision to “model in a diaper”
Her outlook on bladder control and her remedies for achieving better bladder control
Why approaching life with laughter makes uncomfortable situations a lot more tolerable
How she prioritizes and focuses to maintain a healthy and happy lifestyle
What her big picture goals are for the future, and how she plans to achieve them
Having gratitude for her injury, and how appreciating it saved her from herself
The importance of supporting others (especially in the wheelchair community), and how it benefits you and your life
Her mantra of “Don’t Compete, Collaborate”, and why she feels it’s important for anyone with an injury to live by
Dating, both able-bodied men and wheelchair users (as well as her thoughts on “devotees”)
The importance of healthy diet and exercise, and how the smallest things can improve your quality of life
What she hopes to teach her audience when she’s speaking to a crowd, and the specific steps they walk away with