Throughout my life I have frequently been told I am too disabled to fit into the able bodied population and too able bodied to fit into the disabled population. As a result I grew up feeling like I had a foot in each population. On the outside I looked like I belonged in the disability population, but mentally I felt like I belonged in the able bodied population.

From day one of life I have faced adversity. From day one I had doctors, healthcare professionals, family members and society telling me what I was capable of; trying to put me into a nice little box labeled “Disabled”. As a result, from day one I developed this extremely strong sense of determination. I was determined to show people that only I knew what I was capable of, and that I refused to be labeled or put into a box to make others feel comfortable.

This led me to continuously break down barriers throughout life. I was born with Spina Bifida, but it has not defined who I am. I have never let how I was born hold me back in any way. I have always looked at my life through the lens of a completely able bodied person who is 100% capable. I believe that your mindset determines how you live your life, so whenever I was told that I couldn’t do something I was determined to show that I could. Whether that be learning to ride horses and compete in jumping competitions, learning to drive a car, graduate university with a degree in psychology, and even lose 100lbs when the pandemic hit. Whatever I had my mind set on I knew I was going to achieve.

This has led to the creation of Limitless, where we help veterans who also may feel like they have one foot in each population, and who have that same determination to achieve what they want in life. Injured veterans may return home feeling like they are less of a person due to their injuries. This is not the case. At Limitless, we operate with a purpose driven service. Merging the important factors of mental health, physical health, and camaraderie which are all essential to helping veterans foster a new identity and purpose in life. We help veterans shift their identity into a person who is capable of significant things despite having an injury. Life will always throw challenges your way and there is nothing you can do about that, but what you do have control over is your mindset.