ARDRA SHEPHARD OF TRIPPING ON AIR: Calling BS on How Society Views Mobility Aids
When the opportunity arose to have today's guest on the podcast, I was more than elated. She's an absolute superstar in the MS space. From her award-winning blog, Tripping on Air, that chronicles her life with MS, to her Instagram presence, to the recent WebMD documentary featuring her, Ardra Shephard is calling bullshit on how society views differently-abled individuals. Her content is overflowing with upfront, often comically deadpan observations about living with MS and, equally as important, living with mobility devices. Mobility devices, and learning how to live with them with confidence, grace and style for days is her jam. In today's episode, Ardra shares with us how she threw her vanity to the wind and said screw it. If there's nobody else out there representing what I want to accomplish with MS, and while using a mobility device, I'm going to be that person. And that's exactly what she's done.
EPISODE NOTES
- Why a blog?
- When an invisible disease becomes visible
- Clearing the air by writing
- Looking for a role model that didn't exist
- The evolution of an Instagram feed
- Deciding to be the example
- Where are the people like me?
- The lack of resources on mobility device use
- Naming her device
- The guy with the fedora
- I can still be a badass with a mobility device
- You can't control what others think about disability
- Not everyone's an asshole
- MS DOES have you
- Giving yourself permission to say "This sucks!"
- The dictator that lives in your body
- When people forget you have MS
- Fixing the disabled = "less than" mentality
- When disability is marginalized
- #babeswithmobilityaids
- Don't feel sorry for me
- Dreaming about walking
- Disability is expensive
- Comparing mobility devices
- A shift toward better design
- How your presence makes others feel
- Insensitive things people say
- Opting to live beyond the safety of your home
- Living a life less lived because you opted not use a mobility aid
- Social media for representation & information
- The Selma Blair effect
- Being an influencer can be a good thing
- 2020 is the year of clarity
- What Ardra's working on
- A television show based on Ardra's blog
LINKS:
Ardra's website: https://trippingonair.com/
Ardra's WebMD Documentary -
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wW7yXFp563A&feature=youtu.be
Ardra in Momentum Magazine -
http://momentummagazineonline.com/awesome-aliases/
Ardra's Optimus Prime (snazzy rollator) -
https://rollz.com/en/
THE EPSTEIN BARR VIRUS - MS CONNECTION: An Interview with Dr. Bianca Weinstock-Guttman
Mastering Your Mindset: A Journey Through Disability To Find Joy
ADDICTED TO MS: When Your MS Consumes Your Thoughts & Your Life
Illness & Identity: Moving from Isolation to Inspiration
PANDEMIC PONDERINGS: What Have We Learned?
What words are you speaking over yourself in 2021?
A YEAR OF EVOLUTION INSIDE THE MS GYM: A Chat with Ken Allen on What to Expect in 2021 & Beyond
Wonder Working Woman! Balancing work, exercise & family
A TALE OF TWO HSCT FACILITIES : Two Veterans Compare Notes on Their HSCT Experiences in Russia & Mexico
Cultivating Community Through Coffee Chats
ACCESSIBLE TRAVEL with Sylvia Longmire of Spintheglobe.net: Traveling Fearlessly with a Disability
MS, Mayhem & Motherhood: A Journey from Unsuspecting to Expecting
RADICAL ACCEPTANCE: Acknowledging your current reality at the present moment
CLINICAL TRIALS, MEDICAL TREATMENT AND THE BLACK MS COMMUNITY: A History Lesson with Dr. Mitzi Joi Williams, Damian Washington & Jenna Green
AN UPDATE AND AN INVITATION!
LIVING IN THE "NOW" AND "NOT YET": Why Crystal Balling is Futile
COVID-19: THE UNEXPECTED EQUALIZER
CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19: Weighing Your Risks with MS
INSIDE BUDDY GROUPS: Connection, Accountability and Support
STARTING WHERE YOU'RE AT: Why Tackling Things All at Once is a Formula for Failure
Copyright © 2006-2021 Podbean.com