Episode 22: Lolo Spencer - Sitting Pretty and Positive As An Actress With ALS

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Hello, beautiful humans.
Welcome to another episode of

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Role Models.
She's the conversations with

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beautiful humans.
I'm Jennifer Norman founder of

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the human Beauty movement and
your host, this podcast thrives

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on your support.
So if you like what you hear,

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follow us rate US review us
share this episode with

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everyone, you know, across all
of your networks there.

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There are a lot of
misconceptions about disability

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and my next guest is here to
tell her story and bust a ton of

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notes.
The incomparable low Spencer is

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a film independent Spirit award
nominated actress a model, a

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public speaker and a social
media content creator.

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She currently stars as Jocelyn
in HBO Max's.

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Sex lives of college girls
executive-produced by Mindy

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Kaling and she has a YouTube
channel where she showcases the

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On such points of what her life
experiences are.

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As a person with a disability
while in high school Lola

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received a diagnosis of ALS more
on that later.

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But despite using a wheelchair
for her Mobility, she is not

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about the pity party and is all
about sitting pretty.

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This is a Fearless gal, who
lives her life.

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Does it with vibrant, SASS and
style and shares a ton of

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inspiration with others.
Welcome, Lolo.

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Oh my gosh, I was An amazing
intro.

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I can I steal that to use in
another place.

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It smells deserved.
I might add well deserved.

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Thank you so much for having me.
I'm very excited for this

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conversation.
Yeah.

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And OMG the glow up that you
have had over the last few

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years.
You've got to tell us all about

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your origin story.
Yes, you know, I was born in

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Stockton, California.
Ha ha.

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Right.
That's the initial origin.

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My existence, start.
In a town, fact in California,

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that's where I was born and
raised.

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And, you know, I was really
blessed to have like an amazing

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group of family and friends and
life was always good for me,

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honestly, like I have no
complaints, you know, we were

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definitely in the family that
probably was living in a level

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of poverty, but never knew it
just because we had so much fun

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and joy and laughter.
Laughter in our home.

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You know, you don't realize it
may be until you're like a

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teenager and you're like, wait a
minute, why are we eating the

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same thing for two weeks
straight, you know, those kind

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of things but my family is full
of love, you know, I have a

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younger brother and an older
sister mom, stepdad and we just

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had a good time growing up.
That is amazing.

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Amazing.
So now when you were 14, you

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started to feel a bit of
fatigue.

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Again, a little bit of hardship
with moving, can you tell us

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about how that was and you were
in high school, right?

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Yeah.
So I was freshman in high

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school.
Well, I really started to feel

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some slight differences more
towards the end of my eighth

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grade year because it was so
long ago, but it's and of my

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eighth grade year because, you
know, I used to, like, play

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street hockey that was one of
the activities at our school

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and, like dodgeball and
tetherball and all These things.

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So I was pretty active.
I wouldn't call myself an

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athlete.
It was just one of the things,

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we'll, all the homies are
playing over here.

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So, let me go play with them to
kind of thing.

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And then I started noticing the
fatigue.

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So, as we started going into
high school, I started to feel

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it more.
Because I was like, walking

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around campus, all on my own
this time.

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And obviously, a high school
campus is much larger than a

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middle school campus.
And that's when I started

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noticing that.
And then It was one night, the

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memory that sticks out the most
is one night, I was well, making

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my plate for dinner, which was
one of the things.

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My mom was all that, y'all make
your own plates, so go in the

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kitchen and I reached up in the
cabinet for a plate and my whole

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arm dropped to the counter, but
I didn't drop the plate.

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So I was kind of confused
because I was like I felt my

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whole like like my whole body
just like went this way.

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And I was like, but I did drop
the plate.

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Like what just happened?
Like, I was like, really kind of

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confused and up until recently,
when I was working on my book, I

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had a, you know, referred to my
mom for a lot of my memories

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during that time because I was a
teenager, I had my brain was all

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over the place and she said that
one day I came to her and I

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said, Mom, I can't jump as high
as I used to.

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I don't know what's going on and
that kind of triggered her to be

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like, okay, well, Let's start
going to these doctors offices.

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And then, from there, we went on
a journey for at least a year,

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maybe a little over a year of
going doctor to doctor this

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specialist that Specialists,
even to the point, where it

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started to feel abnormal.
Because I was like, why are we

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seeing another doctor?
Like a part of me was like, I'm

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not tripping because I don't
have to go to class today, but

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the other part of me started to
feel like, okay, well, Well what

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what are we doing now?
Mom?

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Like okay, but again, not being
able to go to class rained more

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important to me at that time.
So I was like, cool.

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We're going to have 0 and I get
to eat off campus events.

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It's a thing, another doctor's
office for sure, Mom.

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Glad to come with you and then
we finally landed at UCSF ALS

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Center.
And then, that's when I got my

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diagnosis, my mom was the one
who told me at home From there,

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it just kind of been a journey
ever since, what was your

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reaction when you did get that
diagnosis?

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To be honest, I didn't have
really a reaction only because I

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was the only person, and even
then the word and term

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disability wasn't even used in
the conversation.

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So, I didn't know anybody with a
disability, there was nobody in

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my family with the disability.
They, you know, so, My mom was

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telling me that it's a condition
where your muscles will weaken

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over time.
And all this other stuff, I was

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kind of like, okay, like it
didn't even trigger to me like

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the severity of the condition
that doctors were trying to say

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that I had at that time and I
really just attributed to being

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a teenager and be like I don't
care what you talking about my

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mom trying to go back and watch
106 & Park.

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You're going to make me miss,
what the number one video is

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this week.
This conversation, I'm not

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comprehending.
And yeah, so that was really my

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reaction.
I wanted to go back and watch TV

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cuz I was like, okay, cool, mom,
whatever you say.

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And so did you find that over
the course of years?

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Your muscle started to weaken a
little bit.

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At what point did you find that
you needed to have some

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assistance with walking and
whatnot.

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So it was still freshman year of
high school, right?

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Because I had Noticed like my
legs were getting tired and all

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these different symptoms.
And so, then that's when it was

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recommended for me to use afos
to help lift my feet.

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So I didn't trip over it and
then we started making certain

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accommodations they don't know.
Afos are like these Orthopedic

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booties.
There would like boots.

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My son actually has teeth.
He's growing and so, we have

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Stacks and stacks of afos
because he's been growing, but

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yeah, they are these supportive
boots that you kind of strap.

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On and help your ankle stay in a
specific position and they're

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helpful for walking.
Yes.

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Exactly.
And at the time, I didn't know

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that's what they were called.
So I just called them a Forrest

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Gump legs like, because that was
the only reference I had right

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is to, you know, I'm not gonna
marry like force.

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Go like the show like, who
cares?

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But yeah.
And so that's when I started

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using afos and then certain
accommodations at my high school

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or made thankfully, because my
guidance counselor, Was

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incredibly supportive.
Shout out to mr.

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Bradbury.
He was incredibly incredibly

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supportive because again with
this whole conversation my mom

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none of us knowing what any of
this means, never going through

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this process.
You know, my God is counselor,

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he was just like, okay, so would
you want Lauren to start going

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to the classes with other
students with disabilities and

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everything else?
And they would ask me and I was

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like, no, I want to be where my
friends are at, you know?

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Again, being 14, not really
having the understanding of why

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the classes were even separated
to begin with or anything like

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that.
You know.

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I think I probably would have
made a different decision.

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Had, I known, right?
But I was like, no, I want to be

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with where all my friends are
at.

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I don't want to be separated and
so my guidance counselor, we

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found Solutions, he was like,
okay, well then Lauren, we're

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going to allow you to show up to
your classes, you know, an extra

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10 minutes late because we know
it.

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Owing to take you a little
longer.

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We'll assign one of your friends
to walk, you arm-in-arm to

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class.
And so those were kind of some

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of the accommodations that were
made.

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Now of course, because I was 14
that little 10-minute leeway, I

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might have took in a little bit
more time to eat at lunch and it

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made it to fit period when I
made it to fit period.

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But it was one of those things,
right?

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Where it was those
accommodations were made this.

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Port was there?
The school nurse would give me a

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ride home because I couldn't
drive.

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We didn't know what that would
take to drive.

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So I was like, I don't want to
drive, so those kind of

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accommodations were made at that
time, amazing.

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And it sounds like with your
family and with everybody at

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school, like this was not a doom
and gloom sentence seemed like,

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okay, this is what's going on.
This is how we're going to deal

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with it and we're going to give
you the support that you need

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when possible to be able to
assist you so that you can

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continue living your Life in the
most productive way.

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Exactly.
And honestly, it's because of

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that Foundation that I feel like
has been able to attribute to my

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success as an adult.
When I did end up leaving the

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house and moving away from my
hometown like that training,

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that Foundation, that advocacy,
that I knew, when I went to

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college, what to ask for, what
my needs were and to not budge

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until I got it.
Yeah.

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You said that like your mom was
a little nervous about you

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moving away from home, but you
were like, know if I'm going to

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live I'm gonna live and I'm
gonna do this right?

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You, 100%, And granted for good
reason.

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My mom had to be nervous, right?
Because I was only 19 at the

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time and up until that point, I
had always lived at home with my

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mom.
My mom was the one who took care

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of me.
You know, it was down to the

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point where I was like, oh, I'm
actually going to have to go to

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a nail salon to keep my Nails
together because my mom always

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did my nails for me, those like,
she's single mom at this point

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or did when she remarried, well,
she wasn't necessarily remarry,

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but my brother's father was
there.

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And so, there was always that
support.

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But my mom, my mom is one of
those.

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She is a mom's mom.
Like she is a mama bear.

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Don't you mess with her Cubs?
Don't you come close to trying

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to mess with her Cubs.
You guys know To this day and

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all three of us are incredibly
like my brother's 28.

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We are grown grown.
But my mom, if we're like, yo,

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mom, we need help with this Mom,
something happened that she is

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Full Throttle.
Yeah, so independent and so it

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didn't really develop in an
unhealthy codependency.

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It seems like, even despite her
being there for you, she let you

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live your life.
Yeah, exactly.

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And I think a big part Part of
it, you know, especially for me

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is because she saw that desire
in me.

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She knew I wanted it, she knew
so she was like, okay I can't

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keep her under the roof much
longer, otherwise she's probably

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going to start rebelling.
And I was at that point where I

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was going to be like, Mama, go
help me or I'm going to find a

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way to help myself.
So, you know, we had that

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discussion and my mom is one of
those people to like, I would

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love to support you but you have
to make it make sense to her.

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So I had to prove to her that I
was serious about it.

225
00:13:07,300 --> 00:13:10,400
So every day when she would come
home from work I would have

226
00:13:10,500 --> 00:13:13,900
printouts of all these different
apartments that are already pre

227
00:13:13,900 --> 00:13:17,900
called and figure this out and
bad out how close was it to

228
00:13:17,900 --> 00:13:20,600
this, how close was it?
That and all those different

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00:13:20,600 --> 00:13:22,600
things and shoulder.
Look mom, here are all the

230
00:13:22,600 --> 00:13:25,400
places that I can live?
Here are the schools that I can

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00:13:25,400 --> 00:13:28,800
transfer to.
Like I'm serious about this.

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And so So we came up with the
plan and made it happen.

233
00:13:32,400 --> 00:13:34,300
Yeah.
And for you, it's always been

234
00:13:34,300 --> 00:13:38,100
about your ability, not about
your disability and you've even

235
00:13:38,100 --> 00:13:41,600
started putting yourself out
there on videos on YouTube, you

236
00:13:41,600 --> 00:13:43,900
have your channel, which is Lola
sitting pretty.

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00:13:43,900 --> 00:13:47,300
Can you tell us what inspired
you to all of a sudden starts

238
00:13:47,600 --> 00:13:51,100
creating this content that would
help to inspire other people,

239
00:13:51,400 --> 00:13:53,500
truthfully?
I started the channel because I

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00:13:53,508 --> 00:13:56,800
was working, a job, the boss at
that time.

241
00:13:57,600 --> 00:13:59,600
We ended up having this meeting
one-on-one.

242
00:13:59,800 --> 00:14:03,500
And it was giving the energy of
Mike Lauren.

243
00:14:03,500 --> 00:14:08,500
If you don't change how you
work, you're not going to be

244
00:14:08,500 --> 00:14:12,300
here much longer.
And I was so pissed because I

245
00:14:12,308 --> 00:14:17,100
was like, I was doing my job, I
was meeting my deadlines but

246
00:14:17,100 --> 00:14:20,700
because I wasn't doing it.
The way they wanted me to do it.

247
00:14:20,700 --> 00:14:24,400
All of a sudden, you're going to
take away my income, my

248
00:14:24,400 --> 00:14:29,600
independent, my health benefits.
You are threatening me in.

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In a way that I don't even think
you recognize how much of a

250
00:14:32,800 --> 00:14:36,000
threat that is for someone in my
position.

251
00:14:36,200 --> 00:14:41,200
And so I was like, I don't ever
want this to happen to me again

252
00:14:41,400 --> 00:14:45,500
and I didn't get fired, but it
was just the threat alone made

253
00:14:45,500 --> 00:14:48,800
me be like, I'm not about to
have this happen to me again.

254
00:14:49,200 --> 00:14:53,400
So me and my mom talked about it
and was like, well, what can I

255
00:14:53,400 --> 00:14:58,800
do to start taking advantage of
my own life and my own

256
00:14:58,800 --> 00:15:01,500
livelihood?
And then I was like, well, I

257
00:15:01,508 --> 00:15:05,500
have a degree in video
production, I heard that people

258
00:15:05,500 --> 00:15:08,100
are making crazy money off of
YouTube.

259
00:15:09,100 --> 00:15:11,400
Maybe I should start a YouTube
channel and then it was like,

260
00:15:11,400 --> 00:15:12,800
well, what am I going to talk
about?

261
00:15:12,800 --> 00:15:16,200
And I was like, well, maybe I'll
just talk about living life as a

262
00:15:16,208 --> 00:15:18,300
wheelchair user.
Again, the word disability

263
00:15:18,300 --> 00:15:21,700
didn't even cross my vocabulary
at this time and I'm a grown-ass

264
00:15:21,700 --> 00:15:25,600
woman and so maybe I'll talk
about being in a wheelchair.

265
00:15:25,600 --> 00:15:31,000
Everyone is so amazed by how I
live Positively and go out and

266
00:15:31,000 --> 00:15:32,700
do this.
Maybe I could start showing

267
00:15:32,700 --> 00:15:37,000
people that this is how you do
it, and this is what it looks

268
00:15:37,000 --> 00:15:41,100
like and that it's possible.
And so that's kind of where all

269
00:15:41,100 --> 00:15:43,700
the content started.
Amazing.

270
00:15:43,700 --> 00:15:47,500
I remember back when I was going
to Georgetown in my MBA class,

271
00:15:47,800 --> 00:15:51,500
there was an entrepreneur class
and we had to break up into

272
00:15:51,500 --> 00:15:54,100
groups.
And one of my group members was

273
00:15:54,100 --> 00:15:57,000
in a wheelchair, and she had to
get around, all these Hills, all

274
00:15:57,000 --> 00:16:00,000
these things in her scooter, but
I remember her, Badly.

275
00:16:00,000 --> 00:16:02,900
Because she was saying, like,
when she gets a class back,

276
00:16:02,900 --> 00:16:06,000
then, you know, East Coast.
It was always raining and she

277
00:16:06,000 --> 00:16:08,600
get wet.
And, so, we thought our group

278
00:16:08,600 --> 00:16:13,100
project for entrepreneurship
was, can we come up with these

279
00:16:13,100 --> 00:16:16,900
concepts for wheelchair users
that would help them in their

280
00:16:16,900 --> 00:16:18,600
comfort?
So, it would be things like, you

281
00:16:18,608 --> 00:16:20,700
know, these umbrellas that would
attach and back then there

282
00:16:20,700 --> 00:16:22,900
really wasn't that much stuff.
And so we thought it was a

283
00:16:22,908 --> 00:16:26,700
pretty Innovative when we
presented it, the people who

284
00:16:26,700 --> 00:16:29,200
were actually entrepreneurs and
were actually going to be

285
00:16:29,200 --> 00:16:30,700
funding.
And some of the projects were

286
00:16:30,700 --> 00:16:32,800
like.
Yeah, that's a really cute idea.

287
00:16:32,800 --> 00:16:36,200
Good luck with that.
It was really very patronizing,

288
00:16:36,300 --> 00:16:38,400
you know, they wanted the ones
that were like oh there's a

289
00:16:38,400 --> 00:16:41,800
billion dollar industry and
there's going to be all of this

290
00:16:41,800 --> 00:16:45,700
you know, payback when you guys
get there was no opportunity,

291
00:16:45,800 --> 00:16:50,900
see, a market opportunity scene
for people in wheelchairs.

292
00:16:50,900 --> 00:16:55,400
And so it just shows you that in
terms of just like business and

293
00:16:55,400 --> 00:16:59,500
it was an unspoken about area
that almost was a little bit.

294
00:17:00,200 --> 00:17:01,500
Oh, I'm so sorry.
You know.

295
00:17:01,600 --> 00:17:06,200
Yeah, nice idea but and now it's
like the times have changed.

296
00:17:06,200 --> 00:17:08,400
It's so great.
Being able to see people

297
00:17:08,400 --> 00:17:12,200
advocating for their needs.
And for companies to finally be

298
00:17:12,200 --> 00:17:13,900
innovating.
I mean, I know that you work

299
00:17:13,900 --> 00:17:16,099
with a lot of them which is so
cool.

300
00:17:16,300 --> 00:17:18,700
Yeah.
Thanks some really cool shit.

301
00:17:18,700 --> 00:17:22,599
I think that's like yeah, like
evolution of the wheelchair over

302
00:17:22,599 --> 00:17:27,200
the past 25 years, samia's like,
astounding amazing.

303
00:17:27,200 --> 00:17:30,500
Like even for myself like I
started Using my wheelchair,

304
00:17:30,500 --> 00:17:35,500
when I was 19.
And I moved to LA because I told

305
00:17:35,500 --> 00:17:38,700
myself, I was like, well, the
first time I used a wheelchair,

306
00:17:38,700 --> 00:17:43,200
an electric wheelchair was grad
night, Disneyland as a senior in

307
00:17:43,200 --> 00:17:45,600
high school because my nurse
told me she was like, you're

308
00:17:45,600 --> 00:17:48,800
going to exhaust yourself if you
stay in these braces trying to

309
00:17:48,800 --> 00:17:51,800
walk around Disneyland.
So I was like, okay well what's

310
00:17:51,800 --> 00:17:53,800
my solution?
And so she was like, well, we

311
00:17:53,800 --> 00:17:56,700
could get you an electric
wheelchair and I was just like

312
00:17:56,700 --> 00:17:59,500
and of course, not knowing
disability culture at all.

313
00:18:00,100 --> 00:18:04,300
Well, ciao, know about that.
Like, that's doing too much.

314
00:18:04,300 --> 00:18:07,600
Like I was like the way I
internalized it at that time,

315
00:18:07,600 --> 00:18:11,200
was like, now, you're really
trying to make me look like a

316
00:18:11,200 --> 00:18:16,500
person with a disability again.
Not knowing anything about what

317
00:18:16,500 --> 00:18:20,200
it means to be disabled my own
internalized ableism, right?

318
00:18:20,500 --> 00:18:24,800
So initials I will try it out.
See how you like it first and

319
00:18:24,800 --> 00:18:29,000
then see if you want to do it.
Girl, I got now wheelchair and

320
00:18:29,000 --> 00:18:31,700
saw how fast Fast.
I could go far.

321
00:18:31,700 --> 00:18:35,800
I could go and I wasn't tired.
I said, oh yeah, sure about this

322
00:18:35,800 --> 00:18:39,400
to me sooner like I just wasn't
like, oh my gosh, this is the

323
00:18:39,400 --> 00:18:43,900
best thing ever a literally
ever.

324
00:18:43,900 --> 00:18:47,500
And so my whole mind shifted on
what it meant to use a

325
00:18:47,500 --> 00:18:50,700
wheelchair.
And so so that was the first

326
00:18:50,700 --> 00:18:54,100
time I used this, so at 19, when
I moved to LA, it ended up

327
00:18:54,100 --> 00:18:57,400
becoming my main form of getting
around.

328
00:18:57,500 --> 00:19:05,000
And so from And now I'm 35, you
know, the evolution of the

329
00:19:05,000 --> 00:19:08,600
wheelchair and learning about
the chairs that could like, the

330
00:19:08,600 --> 00:19:10,300
one that's actually in the
background.

331
00:19:10,500 --> 00:19:16,900
That's the will Model F and that
one collapses, but still an

332
00:19:16,908 --> 00:19:20,500
electric chair.
So I still get my Independence.

333
00:19:20,800 --> 00:19:24,400
It collapses.
It's no more than I think 45 or

334
00:19:24,400 --> 00:19:26,800
50 pounds.
You still relatively

335
00:19:26,800 --> 00:19:29,500
lightweight, I have friends,
they throw it in.

336
00:19:29,600 --> 00:19:31,900
They back seat of their cars,
they put it in the trunk

337
00:19:31,900 --> 00:19:34,900
wherever it is, and we can go
around.

338
00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:38,100
Now, I don't have to get pushed
around and have to worry about

339
00:19:38,100 --> 00:19:41,000
all those things.
So that wasn't there when I was

340
00:19:41,000 --> 00:19:46,400
19 because my God if it was the
places would have went with my

341
00:19:46,400 --> 00:19:50,400
friends to a whole other level
of experience.

342
00:19:50,700 --> 00:19:54,800
So exactly what you're saying
that evolution is real.

343
00:19:55,100 --> 00:20:00,100
And I think now people are
starting to slowly Surely

344
00:20:00,100 --> 00:20:05,100
recognize the disabled Community
as a viable Market income

345
00:20:05,100 --> 00:20:09,800
because entrepreneurship and
business is motivated by the

346
00:20:09,800 --> 00:20:12,700
money.
No matter how philanthropic the

347
00:20:12,700 --> 00:20:15,200
idea might be, if it's not
making money, people aren't

348
00:20:15,200 --> 00:20:17,100
going to be interested in it.
True, true.

349
00:20:17,500 --> 00:20:22,000
And honestly, it is so nice to
see the kinds of Innovations

350
00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:24,900
with my son, for example, you
know, he continues to grow so

351
00:20:24,900 --> 00:20:26,600
he's probably had about five or
six.

352
00:20:26,600 --> 00:20:30,500
Wheelchairs, the wheelchair that
he has right now is Is like a

353
00:20:30,500 --> 00:20:33,100
sofa on Wheels.
It's like, you know, look it's

354
00:20:33,100 --> 00:20:36,500
got customization because he has
a very severe scoliosis

355
00:20:36,500 --> 00:20:40,300
curvature in his spine like 30
degrees and so they had to

356
00:20:40,300 --> 00:20:42,800
custom make and custom cut out
the foam in his.

357
00:20:42,800 --> 00:20:46,700
See, the angles that it goes.
It's not electric because he

358
00:20:46,700 --> 00:20:49,900
doesn't have the mobility to be
able to maneuver a specific

359
00:20:49,900 --> 00:20:51,400
switch or anything like that
himself.

360
00:20:51,400 --> 00:20:55,500
So we do still push him and they
had to literally they

361
00:20:55,500 --> 00:20:58,700
jerry-rigged it so that they
could put bicycle brakes on it.

362
00:20:58,700 --> 00:21:01,800
Because his Wheelchairs didn't
have brakes and so we'd go like

363
00:21:01,800 --> 00:21:05,500
down a hill on every like, you
know, it's like, you know, like

364
00:21:05,600 --> 00:21:08,500
100 pounds and you trying to
like, you know, hold it back to

365
00:21:08,500 --> 00:21:11,000
go down and any amount of
incline was frightening.

366
00:21:11,000 --> 00:21:15,200
So yeah, it was literally very,
very customized.

367
00:21:15,200 --> 00:21:18,700
It was really like to me the
heart and soul that people put

368
00:21:18,700 --> 00:21:23,400
into actually creating these two
suit individuals and to make

369
00:21:23,400 --> 00:21:26,200
sure that they're comfortable is
just, it's been really wonderful

370
00:21:26,200 --> 00:21:27,800
to see how things have come
along.

371
00:21:28,100 --> 00:21:31,800
I love that I love Love to hear
that and yeah, in a matter is,

372
00:21:31,800 --> 00:21:36,200
you know, I think the next big
innovation for me that I've been

373
00:21:36,200 --> 00:21:38,700
you know considering and
thinking about is now the

374
00:21:38,700 --> 00:21:42,400
aesthetic of these chairs right?
Like yeah let's make them look

375
00:21:42,400 --> 00:21:45,600
real good looks like you don't
know me I'm a fashion style.

376
00:21:45,600 --> 00:21:49,600
Yeah.
Yeah I'm a fashion style on the

377
00:21:49,600 --> 00:21:53,900
one fast, you know.
So we were working on that next

378
00:21:54,200 --> 00:21:56,400
for sure.
I mean I wanted to point out

379
00:21:56,400 --> 00:21:59,200
your shirt which says F stairs.
Yeah.

380
00:21:59,300 --> 00:22:01,000
You know.
Certainly, there are I have seen

381
00:22:01,000 --> 00:22:03,800
these new things that actually
will go up and down stairs.

382
00:22:03,800 --> 00:22:06,300
They look frightening to me.
But I was like, oh my God.

383
00:22:06,300 --> 00:22:10,200
That is so cool.
But I also live in LA and there

384
00:22:10,200 --> 00:22:12,500
is quite a lot of accessibility
in Allah.

385
00:22:12,700 --> 00:22:17,600
I guess that's when it comes to
houses and we'll let can I tell

386
00:22:17,600 --> 00:22:20,300
you?
When I have been on the home,

387
00:22:20,300 --> 00:22:23,500
search for me and my son, it
brings me to tears.

388
00:22:23,500 --> 00:22:27,800
It absolutely brings me to tears
because the stairs and the

389
00:22:27,800 --> 00:22:31,400
narrow hallways, especially Like
the older like some of the newer

390
00:22:31,400 --> 00:22:33,100
homes.
Yeah they've got the doors that

391
00:22:33,100 --> 00:22:37,600
are 30 32 inches wide, but
hundreds and hundreds of houses.

392
00:22:37,600 --> 00:22:41,800
I've had to try to go into and
look for and it's just no, I

393
00:22:41,800 --> 00:22:43,700
walk in and I walk out I'm like
nope.

394
00:22:43,700 --> 00:22:45,500
Nope, nope.
No, like, they're there it's

395
00:22:45,500 --> 00:22:49,500
just would not work for him and
it takes such a long time to

396
00:22:49,500 --> 00:22:51,200
find something that is just,
right?

397
00:22:51,200 --> 00:22:53,200
Even with the amount of stuffs
that's around.

398
00:22:53,200 --> 00:22:57,200
Its and so you know I'm just
like for me and my advocacy is

399
00:22:57,200 --> 00:23:00,300
like whatever B's home.
Builders Can do because, you

400
00:23:00,300 --> 00:23:04,700
know, obviously the Ada is in
place for public places and for

401
00:23:04,800 --> 00:23:07,400
commercial buildings and things
like that and apartment

402
00:23:07,400 --> 00:23:11,300
buildings but when it comes to
homes, it's like do something

403
00:23:11,300 --> 00:23:13,400
about this.
You know, I'm so glad you said

404
00:23:13,400 --> 00:23:16,800
that because that's always been
one of the challenges living in

405
00:23:16,800 --> 00:23:22,200
l.a. independently is finding
apartments that are accessible

406
00:23:22,200 --> 00:23:25,900
or housing, that's accessible
because even though the Ada

407
00:23:25,900 --> 00:23:28,400
exist for, like you said
commercials and apartments is of

408
00:23:28,900 --> 00:23:31,300
that, doesn't Mean that these
people are following these

409
00:23:31,300 --> 00:23:34,400
rules.
Yeah, condos no yeah the older

410
00:23:34,400 --> 00:23:40,900
Windows, no still Apartments.
Like I was it takes forever.

411
00:23:41,100 --> 00:23:44,600
When I need to move to find
something that's accessible

412
00:23:44,600 --> 00:23:47,600
because there are certain levels
of accessibility, right?

413
00:23:47,600 --> 00:23:51,400
Like, it may be accessible, like
you could get in the building,

414
00:23:51,500 --> 00:23:54,500
but that's the only entrance and
exit, right?

415
00:23:54,500 --> 00:23:58,600
So like in the event of an
emergency, why is this the only

416
00:23:58,600 --> 00:24:00,600
way that I can get in?
Now and technically I still

417
00:24:00,600 --> 00:24:04,200
can't even get out.
Yeah, you know, that's a good

418
00:24:04,200 --> 00:24:06,500
thing.
Yeah, with LA because we have so

419
00:24:06,500 --> 00:24:10,300
many earthquakes, the power is
always going out and fun lives

420
00:24:10,300 --> 00:24:12,400
on life support.
You know, he's got a ventilator

421
00:24:12,400 --> 00:24:15,500
that needs to be plugged in.
It does have battery life on it,

422
00:24:15,500 --> 00:24:20,000
but when the power goes out, it
is an emergency landing in a

423
00:24:20,008 --> 00:24:22,900
place with an elevator.
I cannot carry him.

424
00:24:22,900 --> 00:24:25,300
He's 16 years old.
I cannot carry him down.

425
00:24:25,300 --> 00:24:27,600
Five flights of stairs.
I can't even carry him down.

426
00:24:27,600 --> 00:24:30,700
One flight of stairs and so too.
Find an apartment that's on our

427
00:24:30,700 --> 00:24:33,600
ground level, with an emergency
exit, where I can get him out to

428
00:24:33,600 --> 00:24:36,000
a road, so that I can get him
into a car so that we can plug

429
00:24:36,000 --> 00:24:38,800
it into the, you know, figure
out later so that he can

430
00:24:38,800 --> 00:24:40,900
breathe.
That's a big deal.

431
00:24:41,800 --> 00:24:45,400
The concern.
It's a really big deal and

432
00:24:45,400 --> 00:24:48,700
people are not thinking about it
enough, like they think, oh,

433
00:24:48,700 --> 00:24:50,600
just because there's an
elevator, but it's like.

434
00:24:51,100 --> 00:24:54,400
And then what happens when the
fire alarm goes off or like the

435
00:24:54,400 --> 00:24:57,600
power goes out, these are things
that happen on a regular basis.

436
00:24:57,600 --> 00:25:01,100
So I'm just glad that I
mentioned it because even for

437
00:25:01,100 --> 00:25:03,500
myself like I started thinking
about, okay?

438
00:25:03,500 --> 00:25:07,200
Home ownership but I'm like, am
I going to have to get to a

439
00:25:07,200 --> 00:25:10,200
point where I'm waiting until I
like I'm able to build something

440
00:25:10,200 --> 00:25:13,800
from the ground up or I have a
lot of my time to renovate

441
00:25:13,800 --> 00:25:18,000
something and you know all these
different things and so it's a

442
00:25:18,000 --> 00:25:21,400
lot to think about when it's
like most people they just get

443
00:25:21,400 --> 00:25:24,400
to go in and out and be like I
just don't like the wall.

444
00:25:24,400 --> 00:25:27,600
So I'm going to pick a different
house and it's just like yeah,

445
00:25:27,800 --> 00:25:32,000
are you lucky for you ma'am?
Yeah.

446
00:25:32,000 --> 00:25:34,500
I'm trying to make sure I could
get to the fucking bathroom

447
00:25:34,500 --> 00:25:37,400
comfortably.
Yes, yes and that's another

448
00:25:37,400 --> 00:25:39,700
thing too.
It's like infant toilet is right

449
00:25:39,700 --> 00:25:41,700
in front of the bathtub.
He's got a bath chair and we

450
00:25:41,700 --> 00:25:44,600
can't even get his bath chair in
there and so it's like, you

451
00:25:44,600 --> 00:25:47,200
know, the I look in the bathroom
and I'm like, nope, that's all

452
00:25:47,200 --> 00:25:49,700
well, that won't work either,
you know, can't get up there in

453
00:25:49,700 --> 00:25:51,200
there.
Can't get his baths are in there

454
00:25:51,200 --> 00:25:54,700
and that it stays probably 80%
of the, of the places that I see

455
00:25:54,700 --> 00:25:57,700
if not for the fact that there's
stairs or narrow hallways, or

456
00:25:57,700 --> 00:26:00,100
the doorways or too small.
And you know what's actually

457
00:26:00,100 --> 00:26:04,100
interesting In something that
I've been noticing, because I

458
00:26:04,100 --> 00:26:08,100
like to, every once in a while,
go to, like, open houses for

459
00:26:08,100 --> 00:26:11,900
like, these, like
multimillion-dollar homes, like

460
00:26:11,900 --> 00:26:15,300
heavily Hills.
I'm a dreamer.

461
00:26:16,200 --> 00:26:20,500
Let me get, let me see the
energy of this, right?

462
00:26:21,300 --> 00:26:27,600
A majority of the homes that I
visited, ironically enough with

463
00:26:27,800 --> 00:26:30,600
unbeknownst to them.
Maybe the only thing that wasn't

464
00:26:30,800 --> 00:26:32,900
Accessible was maybe like the
entrance, right?

465
00:26:32,900 --> 00:26:35,000
Maybe there's like one or two
steps or something like that.

466
00:26:35,000 --> 00:26:37,600
I always go with friends.
So we make it work.

467
00:26:37,600 --> 00:26:44,300
But those homes are majority
accessible, which is interesting

468
00:26:44,500 --> 00:26:49,500
because see the thing is about
the rich and Technology, right?

469
00:26:49,500 --> 00:26:52,900
The way we view, accessibility
is how they View convenience.

470
00:26:53,300 --> 00:27:00,600
So, how do I turn on my shower?
Let me get the shower.

471
00:27:00,700 --> 00:27:03,800
We warmed up while I'm still
down stairs.

472
00:27:04,500 --> 00:27:07,400
Let me get the remote.
Yeah right.

473
00:27:08,100 --> 00:27:13,100
Let me get the smart app.
How do I load the dishwasher?

474
00:27:13,100 --> 00:27:18,200
Oh let me just tap it and it
opens up automatically.

475
00:27:18,500 --> 00:27:21,200
How do I like all of these
different things?

476
00:27:21,300 --> 00:27:24,200
So it's like y'all aren't even
realizing.

477
00:27:24,200 --> 00:27:30,600
This is all accessibility was
then lets me know accessibility

478
00:27:31,200 --> 00:27:34,500
Isn't the problem.
It's the attitude around making

479
00:27:34,500 --> 00:27:39,300
it accessible.
That's the problem or super rich

480
00:27:39,300 --> 00:27:45,200
can afford it or only the super
rich can afford it because it's

481
00:27:45,200 --> 00:27:47,800
not that you don't know how to
make it accessible.

482
00:27:48,800 --> 00:27:51,900
Y'all know the technology it
takes to make it accessible but

483
00:27:51,900 --> 00:27:56,900
it's only accessible to the rich
because you guys have thought of

484
00:27:56,900 --> 00:28:03,000
it in a way of a privilege of
Audience versus a need for

485
00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:05,300
accessibility.
Only difference between the two

486
00:28:05,300 --> 00:28:08,000
is the attitude.
It's not really the money.

487
00:28:08,100 --> 00:28:13,700
Yeah, not really infrastructure.
It's literally the attitude and

488
00:28:13,700 --> 00:28:15,800
that was one of the biggest
things that I noticed.

489
00:28:15,800 --> 00:28:18,200
When I go to these, these
multimillion-dollar homes got

490
00:28:18,200 --> 00:28:21,300
elevators in them.
Yeah, he threw ones too.

491
00:28:21,300 --> 00:28:24,300
So if you're claustrophobic, you
can at least see through the

492
00:28:24,300 --> 00:28:27,700
glass and hopefully that lessens
the anxiety of it.

493
00:28:27,700 --> 00:28:30,400
But it's like, how is there an
elevator in this house?

494
00:28:30,400 --> 00:28:32,000
But we're I went to this
apartment building.

495
00:28:32,000 --> 00:28:37,700
That has 50 units, there's no -
yeah, you know, I don't go to

496
00:28:37,700 --> 00:28:40,800
those open houses just on a
whim, but I do scroll Tick-Tock

497
00:28:40,800 --> 00:28:43,400
and boy those places in Dubai
and Singapore.

498
00:28:43,400 --> 00:28:47,400
I like, yeah, you're right.
Some of them are like amazing to

499
00:28:47,400 --> 00:28:50,900
see all of the different gadgets
that people have in their homes

500
00:28:50,900 --> 00:28:55,200
over there.
Exactly, it's incredible to win.

501
00:28:55,200 --> 00:28:59,300
Is it's incredible to witness
open floor plans.

502
00:29:00,700 --> 00:29:04,100
In homes that don't even have
doors on them sometimes because

503
00:29:04,300 --> 00:29:08,500
they just want to and I'm like
you guys have no idea.

504
00:29:08,600 --> 00:29:13,300
Yeah, disability that mass
speaking of accessibility you

505
00:29:13,300 --> 00:29:16,500
have been a model for some
really great brands have been

506
00:29:16,500 --> 00:29:20,400
thinking about accessibility and
adaptation as well.

507
00:29:20,400 --> 00:29:22,700
Can you give a shout out to some
of your favorites?

508
00:29:23,400 --> 00:29:26,100
Well, I mean of course got a
give a shout-out to Tommy

509
00:29:26,100 --> 00:29:34,800
Hilfiger adaptive, I love them.
As they introduced me to adapt

510
00:29:34,800 --> 00:29:39,100
of clothing for sure, you know,
is the Adaptive is another one

511
00:29:39,300 --> 00:29:43,000
based out of I think, is he is
in Canada.

512
00:29:43,100 --> 00:29:46,600
She's faced out of Canada
designer but she makes adaptive

513
00:29:46,600 --> 00:29:49,500
clothing as well.
Her pants were the first adapted

514
00:29:49,500 --> 00:29:52,800
pants that I tried and then I
saw that Tommy Hilfiger had an

515
00:29:52,800 --> 00:29:55,500
adoptive mom and I was like,
what is this?

516
00:29:55,500 --> 00:29:59,300
Where did this come from?
So those as far as like fashion,

517
00:29:59,300 --> 00:30:01,800
have definitely been talk to
your kids.

518
00:30:01,800 --> 00:30:05,500
I just want to give a shout out
to Target cat and Jack they have

519
00:30:05,500 --> 00:30:10,500
amazing kids adaptive clothing
that my son loves exactly.

520
00:30:10,500 --> 00:30:14,200
Exactly.
And so, they are definitely like

521
00:30:14,200 --> 00:30:17,500
the to that stick out in my head
right now.

522
00:30:17,500 --> 00:30:21,600
As far as I captive clothing and
you have an amazing stylist who

523
00:30:21,600 --> 00:30:24,200
I have to say, I just love what
she puts you in.

524
00:30:24,200 --> 00:30:25,600
Can give a little bit of love
for her.

525
00:30:25,900 --> 00:30:29,500
Of course we always give
Stephanie Thomas, her, flowers.

526
00:30:31,100 --> 00:30:35,800
Fashion Stylist has been for
over 25 years, she specializes

527
00:30:35,800 --> 00:30:37,600
in dressing people with
disabilities.

528
00:30:37,800 --> 00:30:41,000
She's come up with her own
dressing system that allows

529
00:30:41,000 --> 00:30:45,200
people with disabilities to
dress themselves with dignity

530
00:30:45,400 --> 00:30:48,500
and pride independent.
She's come up with this system

531
00:30:48,700 --> 00:30:51,700
because we know adaptive fashion
isn't the norm yet, right?

532
00:30:51,700 --> 00:30:57,400
So her system allows you to be
able to go to any clothing store

533
00:30:57,800 --> 00:31:01,300
and know how to shop for
yourself for your Body type for

534
00:31:01,300 --> 00:31:05,500
your needs in a way that allows
you to still be stylish.

535
00:31:05,600 --> 00:31:07,800
Allows you to still dress with
the brands that you want to

536
00:31:07,800 --> 00:31:12,600
dress with and continue to just
build your own style from there.

537
00:31:12,600 --> 00:31:15,500
So, Stephanie Thomas is a living
legend.

538
00:31:15,500 --> 00:31:19,200
She's incredible.
And she changed my entire sense

539
00:31:19,200 --> 00:31:21,600
of style on a personal level and
professional.

540
00:31:21,700 --> 00:31:24,200
I love that and I love that.
She's also very much into

541
00:31:24,200 --> 00:31:25,900
sustainability.
She'll take you to Goodwill and

542
00:31:25,900 --> 00:31:28,600
it's not that you have, yes.
We're trying to find these

543
00:31:28,600 --> 00:31:30,500
things.
You can find them anywhere.

544
00:31:30,900 --> 00:31:33,700
Anywhere anywhere.
As long as you have the tools,

545
00:31:33,700 --> 00:31:35,500
you can find your clothes
anywhere.

546
00:31:35,700 --> 00:31:38,800
Yeah, let's talk about your
acting.

547
00:31:38,800 --> 00:31:43,100
Oh my goodness, you Liberty.
I saw the trailer for that

548
00:31:43,100 --> 00:31:46,400
recently and I'm like, I was in
tears just like that.

549
00:31:46,400 --> 00:31:50,400
You were nominated for a an
independent Spirit film award.

550
00:31:50,400 --> 00:31:53,600
I believe for that, right?
And now, you are also playing

551
00:31:53,600 --> 00:31:56,600
Jocelyn on the sex lives of
college.

552
00:31:56,600 --> 00:31:58,900
Girls by Mindy Kaling.
Can you tell me a little bit

553
00:31:58,900 --> 00:32:05,600
about that?
Well, well, Sex Lies is it is

554
00:32:05,600 --> 00:32:09,600
Juicy Juicy conversations.
That is Juicy.

555
00:32:10,000 --> 00:32:17,700
Yeah, Sex Lies is a wonderful
show, but no, it's a great show.

556
00:32:17,700 --> 00:32:20,500
It's full of laughs full of
Comedy.

557
00:32:20,500 --> 00:32:24,200
I just love playing Jocelyn.
You know, Mindy and Justin

558
00:32:24,200 --> 00:32:29,700
Noble, who's our showrunner have
really, really done a great job

559
00:32:29,700 --> 00:32:34,300
at developing, A character with
a disability where we are only

560
00:32:34,300 --> 00:32:38,200
learning about her personality
and her humanity and they take

561
00:32:38,200 --> 00:32:44,500
real risks with her character
and really just making her.

562
00:32:44,900 --> 00:32:48,500
The one that the main four girls
go to, to know, where the

563
00:32:48,500 --> 00:32:52,100
parties are at it.
She is their go-to person for

564
00:32:52,500 --> 00:32:56,300
anything like advice.
You know how to talk to the guys

565
00:32:56,300 --> 00:32:59,700
or whatever it is that they're
treating myself out, yeah, or

566
00:32:59,700 --> 00:33:06,000
the ladies Like Joseline is
their go-to girl, right, and

567
00:33:06,100 --> 00:33:08,400
you've just never seen that on
TV.

568
00:33:08,800 --> 00:33:12,900
Yeah.
You've never seen it on TV and

569
00:33:12,900 --> 00:33:16,300
it's just such a fun show.
It's so funny.

570
00:33:16,300 --> 00:33:20,100
It is very groans, very adult,
you know, and we're talking

571
00:33:20,100 --> 00:33:22,800
about real things that the girls
go through.

572
00:33:22,800 --> 00:33:30,300
So for my character to just be a
supporting person in their lives

573
00:33:30,300 --> 00:33:33,800
and Growth in college, it's been
amazing.

574
00:33:33,800 --> 00:33:39,900
And so, you know, Season 2 is
coming and bigger and better.

575
00:33:40,000 --> 00:33:42,600
Yeah, I was reading when trying
to cast for the role and then

576
00:33:42,600 --> 00:33:44,500
they came across you, they were
like, oh no, we're done.

577
00:33:44,500 --> 00:33:47,200
We don't need to look at anybody
else for this role because you

578
00:33:47,200 --> 00:33:50,300
are Jocelyn and Russia.
Like, yeah.

579
00:33:50,300 --> 00:33:52,200
Like, it's like you happen to be
in a wheelchair.

580
00:33:52,200 --> 00:33:56,900
You happened to he said but you
are totally totally, you know,

581
00:33:56,900 --> 00:34:00,700
out there you are.
Totally very very much I'm a

582
00:34:00,700 --> 00:34:03,500
person that just lives for life
you know with fearlessness and

583
00:34:03,500 --> 00:34:06,100
fierceness.
So exactly exactly.

584
00:34:06,100 --> 00:34:09,500
And so season 2 is going to be
bigger better and Boulder.

585
00:34:09,500 --> 00:34:12,400
That's for sure amazing.
I'll get ready for sleep.

586
00:34:14,500 --> 00:34:18,500
I am so excited but I know that
there is much more inclusivity

587
00:34:18,500 --> 00:34:21,600
nowadays in entertain you, but
how are you feeling about the

588
00:34:21,600 --> 00:34:23,800
current state and are you
thinking, like, there's still

589
00:34:23,800 --> 00:34:26,900
more that can be done?
Or it's definitely.

590
00:34:26,900 --> 00:34:29,400
There's definitely so much more
that can be done.

591
00:34:29,800 --> 00:34:32,600
I do feel like there is a shift
happening, which I'm grateful

592
00:34:32,600 --> 00:34:35,900
for, but, of course.
Yeah, so much more can be done,

593
00:34:35,900 --> 00:34:38,000
you know?
There's so many more lively

594
00:34:38,000 --> 00:34:41,000
characters that can be created.
There's so much creativity to

595
00:34:41,000 --> 00:34:44,900
still be done around.
Round actors with disabilities

596
00:34:44,900 --> 00:34:48,000
and playing Just roles that
don't necessarily have to be

597
00:34:48,000 --> 00:34:51,300
called out for disability.
But if there is a role

598
00:34:51,800 --> 00:34:56,500
specifically that encompasses a
person with the disability, then

599
00:34:56,500 --> 00:35:01,500
don't shy away from their
existence, their Humanity in the

600
00:35:01,500 --> 00:35:06,500
personality, you do not have to
create a character that one is

601
00:35:06,600 --> 00:35:09,200
surrounded.
The Crux of the story is about

602
00:35:09,200 --> 00:35:12,700
their disability or to make the
character.

603
00:35:13,100 --> 00:35:18,500
All far to the left that it's
not about their disability, that

604
00:35:18,500 --> 00:35:21,800
is unrealistic as well if that
makes sense, right?

605
00:35:21,800 --> 00:35:25,600
Because I've come across some
projects, you know it's part of

606
00:35:25,600 --> 00:35:27,000
the process being an actor
right?

607
00:35:27,000 --> 00:35:30,600
Where you know there's always
that dialogue or that monologue

608
00:35:30,600 --> 00:35:35,000
of like I'm not my disability
and I do what I want it doesn't

609
00:35:35,000 --> 00:35:37,800
that you don't have, you don't
even have to say that.

610
00:35:37,800 --> 00:35:42,000
Yeah find you hard, we don't
have to do any of that.

611
00:35:42,000 --> 00:35:44,900
Like you don't have.
To prove that this character is

612
00:35:44,900 --> 00:35:47,400
not solely.
Just identifying with their

613
00:35:47,400 --> 00:35:49,500
disability.
Like this character is just a

614
00:35:49,508 --> 00:35:52,300
character.
Like, that's all we have to do

615
00:35:52,500 --> 00:35:56,300
is just make it about the
person, the character and their

616
00:35:56,300 --> 00:35:58,700
Humanity.
Yeah, I think the first time I

617
00:35:58,700 --> 00:36:02,000
had come across, that was Glee
actually with Ryan Murphy and it

618
00:36:02,000 --> 00:36:04,200
was just like, yeah, there's the
boy in the wheelchair.

619
00:36:04,200 --> 00:36:06,600
There's the girl with downs but
it was never an apology.

620
00:36:06,600 --> 00:36:09,300
It was just like their
characters and they play a role

621
00:36:09,300 --> 00:36:11,900
just like everybody else does.
And that's life.

622
00:36:11,900 --> 00:36:14,400
Let's it doesn't need to
Tensions are called out or

623
00:36:14,400 --> 00:36:18,200
singled out, or any of that,
which I think is really a very

624
00:36:18,200 --> 00:36:22,200
classy way of doing it.
And one that you know, does

625
00:36:22,200 --> 00:36:26,100
showcase, anybody who may be
neurodivergent or have a

626
00:36:26,107 --> 00:36:29,800
physical differentiation?
It brings back the humanity.

627
00:36:29,900 --> 00:36:33,500
Just like this might be what I
am, just like my eye color, just

628
00:36:33,500 --> 00:36:35,900
like my skin tone, just like any
other difference.

629
00:36:35,900 --> 00:36:38,500
It's just, I am me and this is
how I operate.

630
00:36:38,700 --> 00:36:41,500
Exactly.
It's just that simple, it does

631
00:36:41,500 --> 00:36:44,800
not need to be this whole Whole
inspiration moment.

632
00:36:44,800 --> 00:36:48,300
You know, like I've always said
even about my own content, like,

633
00:36:48,400 --> 00:36:51,600
I never created content with the
intention to inspire.

634
00:36:52,200 --> 00:36:55,800
Hmm, if it happens to inspire
you wonderful.

635
00:36:55,900 --> 00:36:58,500
I love that.
Thank you, I'm glad firing.

636
00:36:58,600 --> 00:37:01,100
Yeah, you're just sharing.
I'm literally just sharing my

637
00:37:01,100 --> 00:37:03,800
experiences.
I literally don't brainstorm me,

638
00:37:03,800 --> 00:37:06,100
like, how am I going to inspire
the world today?

639
00:37:06,400 --> 00:37:10,700
I don't fuck if I Inspire
anybody, honestly, I'm just

640
00:37:10,700 --> 00:37:12,900
trying to share to show that
it's possible.

641
00:37:13,100 --> 00:37:15,100
I loved your most recent real
where you were.

642
00:37:15,100 --> 00:37:16,600
Like, okay.
Now you don't have to pray for

643
00:37:16,600 --> 00:37:17,000
me.
No.

644
00:37:17,000 --> 00:37:24,900
Not maybe somebody you don't,
you don't remember me.

645
00:37:25,400 --> 00:37:27,500
Yeah.
Like that's one of those things

646
00:37:27,500 --> 00:37:32,300
that people get mixed up to was
like you assume that the

647
00:37:32,300 --> 00:37:35,100
toughest thing in our life is
our disability and inside know

648
00:37:35,100 --> 00:37:38,300
it might simply be because I'm
like I can't figure out what I

649
00:37:38,308 --> 00:37:41,400
want to eat today and this is
really pissing me off.

650
00:37:45,500 --> 00:37:48,600
What about for the people who
are still living in that

651
00:37:48,600 --> 00:37:50,700
mindset, though?
I mean obviously you come across

652
00:37:50,700 --> 00:37:52,000
them all the time.
I'm sure.

653
00:37:52,400 --> 00:37:55,200
Yeah.
Like what can they do to get out

654
00:37:55,200 --> 00:37:57,100
of that?
What I would call it, I hate to

655
00:37:57,100 --> 00:37:59,700
say this because I know that
with compassion, I just want to

656
00:37:59,700 --> 00:38:01,600
use the word pity party, but I
say it with love.

657
00:38:01,600 --> 00:38:04,200
I, it's just like, you know, you
don't have to feel sorry for

658
00:38:04,200 --> 00:38:05,700
yourself, and nobody else has to
feel.

659
00:38:05,700 --> 00:38:07,600
Sorry for you either.
Exactly.

660
00:38:07,600 --> 00:38:10,500
Yeah, but if there are things
that we need to do in order to

661
00:38:10,500 --> 00:38:13,900
be aware and make life more
convenient, so that we Are an

662
00:38:13,900 --> 00:38:16,100
accessible environment then.
Yeah, that's different.

663
00:38:16,100 --> 00:38:17,600
That's different that I'm
getting pretty.

664
00:38:17,600 --> 00:38:18,900
Right.
Exactly.

665
00:38:18,900 --> 00:38:22,300
And I think you exactly touched
on that right?

666
00:38:22,300 --> 00:38:26,200
Is like, you know, you have to
if you are the particular person

667
00:38:26,200 --> 00:38:32,700
with a disability and you seem
to have a challenge breaking out

668
00:38:32,700 --> 00:38:35,400
of feeling, sorry for yourself
and feel down for each other.

669
00:38:35,400 --> 00:38:39,700
I've had real conversations with
some people, I always tell

670
00:38:39,700 --> 00:38:43,400
people first, I get it, I can
understand it, I can empathize.

671
00:38:43,400 --> 00:38:47,900
Ties with it, but also just know
that it's a process to also, get

672
00:38:47,900 --> 00:38:52,200
to where I'm at as well, right?
Don't expect yourself to go from

673
00:38:52,600 --> 00:38:56,800
feeling like you were saying
kind of like in that pity party

674
00:38:56,800 --> 00:38:59,100
world.
And then tomorrow, you're just

675
00:38:59,100 --> 00:39:02,400
all of a sudden going to be the
most proud of who you are as a

676
00:39:02,408 --> 00:39:04,300
person with a disability,
doesn't have that way.

677
00:39:04,300 --> 00:39:07,000
It's an everyday process.
There's things that still

678
00:39:07,000 --> 00:39:08,600
trigger me that pissed me off
that.

679
00:39:08,600 --> 00:39:11,500
I'm like, see if I wasn't in a
wheelchair just whenever like,

680
00:39:11,500 --> 00:39:14,800
you know, so we have to be Full
of these things but understand

681
00:39:14,800 --> 00:39:19,500
one that is a process but to the
way I look at it is doesn't make

682
00:39:19,500 --> 00:39:21,800
you feel good to be in that pity
party.

683
00:39:22,000 --> 00:39:24,300
Are you happy being there?
Yeah.

684
00:39:24,500 --> 00:39:28,400
Does it make you joyful?
You people like being around you

685
00:39:28,400 --> 00:39:33,100
when you're there, do you have
fun in that space?

686
00:39:33,200 --> 00:39:37,900
If all of those answers are no,
do whatever you think is going

687
00:39:37,900 --> 00:39:40,100
to give you the opposite
feeling.

688
00:39:41,200 --> 00:39:43,300
Oh my God!
Yes yes yes.

689
00:39:43,400 --> 00:39:47,100
Yes, disability or not.
Any human being.

690
00:39:47,100 --> 00:39:51,500
Those are your criteria.
Exactly your criteria.

691
00:39:51,500 --> 00:39:54,100
Does it make you happy?
Do you like yourself for being

692
00:39:54,100 --> 00:39:56,200
that way?
Do people like being around you?

693
00:39:56,200 --> 00:40:00,200
It does it fill you with joy?
If not change yourself, change

694
00:40:00,200 --> 00:40:05,100
the game, change it.
And that change can be as simple

695
00:40:05,100 --> 00:40:08,100
as today.
I'm going to do something that I

696
00:40:08,100 --> 00:40:12,500
want to do that change could be,
you know, when people like oh

697
00:40:12,500 --> 00:40:14,000
well you know, I'm Which are
user.

698
00:40:14,000 --> 00:40:17,600
I don't know how to get around,
Google it, find the answer, do

699
00:40:17,600 --> 00:40:23,100
whatever you think you can do,
you know, ask people that love

700
00:40:23,100 --> 00:40:26,300
you, if you have a support
system, you know, if there's a

701
00:40:26,300 --> 00:40:29,400
family member that's talking to
you a certain way and you don't

702
00:40:29,400 --> 00:40:35,200
like it, it's okay to say hey
Auntie Uncle brother sister

703
00:40:35,200 --> 00:40:35,900
cousin.
Mama.

704
00:40:35,900 --> 00:40:39,300
Daddy because it's it's a lot
mamas and daddies too.

705
00:40:39,600 --> 00:40:40,900
Yeah.
Mama daddy.

706
00:40:41,200 --> 00:40:43,300
You know what I'd really
appreciate.

707
00:40:43,400 --> 00:40:45,700
Date.
If y'all don't talk to me like

708
00:40:45,700 --> 00:40:48,200
that.
Yeah, there is a certain level

709
00:40:48,200 --> 00:40:50,000
of asking for help because you
truly need it.

710
00:40:50,000 --> 00:40:52,100
And then there's a certain
amount of enabling there's a

711
00:40:52,100 --> 00:40:55,300
certain amount of codependency
that you might be triggering in

712
00:40:55,300 --> 00:40:58,700
your family dynamic, or with
your friends that causes you to

713
00:40:58,700 --> 00:41:01,300
not do enough for yourself when
you really can.

714
00:41:01,300 --> 00:41:05,100
If you just if you just put the
effort into that self-reliance,

715
00:41:05,100 --> 00:41:07,400
to the point where you feel that
you are capable.

716
00:41:07,700 --> 00:41:09,700
Yeah.
Otherwise ask for help when you

717
00:41:09,700 --> 00:41:12,900
need it, figure it out when you
can exactly that.

718
00:41:12,900 --> 00:41:14,900
And no.
That it's not going to be easy.

719
00:41:15,400 --> 00:41:17,400
Yeah.
You're going to have to fight to

720
00:41:17,400 --> 00:41:21,200
the frustration of finding those
Solutions, but the solutions are

721
00:41:21,200 --> 00:41:23,900
out there.
There's something out there.

722
00:41:23,900 --> 00:41:28,700
It may be minimal, mmm, but it
is out there, you know, and I

723
00:41:28,707 --> 00:41:32,700
just encourage.
And even if for whatever reason,

724
00:41:33,100 --> 00:41:37,800
at the end of the day, if there
isn't like a specific, I'm just

725
00:41:37,800 --> 00:41:39,500
using Transportation as an
example.

726
00:41:39,500 --> 00:41:41,500
Maybe there isn't a
transportation service.

727
00:41:41,500 --> 00:41:43,000
I can help you right, maybe
there.

728
00:41:43,400 --> 00:41:47,800
Isn't someone that can support
you in that way, or whatever the

729
00:41:47,800 --> 00:41:54,000
case is, then find those other
ways that make you feel joyful

730
00:41:54,000 --> 00:41:56,800
to wear.
Maybe it'll drum up your

731
00:41:56,800 --> 00:41:59,100
creativity, to find a different
type of solution.

732
00:41:59,500 --> 00:42:02,300
And even if that solution as I
can we move.

733
00:42:02,400 --> 00:42:05,600
Hmm.
Can we, you know, don't limit

734
00:42:05,600 --> 00:42:08,700
yourself to think like, oh this
is the only way that it's done

735
00:42:08,900 --> 00:42:11,500
and since I can't do it, it's
the only way and it's just like

736
00:42:11,500 --> 00:42:15,100
no other worlds out there.
Let it if you explore it.

737
00:42:15,300 --> 00:42:20,000
Exactly, exactly, that exactly.
That and sometimes it's just a

738
00:42:20,008 --> 00:42:25,100
mood shift, watch a movie, eat
something you like, yeah, you

739
00:42:25,100 --> 00:42:27,500
know, those kind of simple
things.

740
00:42:27,500 --> 00:42:31,700
I'm huge on affirmations, I'm
huge on vision boards, all of

741
00:42:31,707 --> 00:42:33,600
that kind of stuff.
I mean, I know that I can go on

742
00:42:33,600 --> 00:42:36,700
a tangent on that all day long.
I don't be another episode for

743
00:42:36,700 --> 00:42:38,000
sure.
That's another episode.

744
00:42:38,000 --> 00:42:41,500
Yes.
What do you have coming up?

745
00:42:41,500 --> 00:42:43,300
You've said that, you've got a
book that you've got in.

746
00:42:43,400 --> 00:42:45,100
The works.
And you've got some more bad

747
00:42:45,100 --> 00:42:47,500
thing, I believe.
Tell us what you got planned.

748
00:42:47,700 --> 00:42:49,000
Yes.
Oh I just finished the

749
00:42:49,000 --> 00:42:52,500
manuscript for my book so it's
still going to be a little while

750
00:42:52,500 --> 00:42:55,800
until it comes out.
But I just finished writing my

751
00:42:55,800 --> 00:42:58,500
first book.
This exercise season 2 is

752
00:42:58,500 --> 00:43:01,300
happening.
It was just announced yesterday.

753
00:43:01,600 --> 00:43:06,800
I have a voice acting supporting
role in a new Disney.

754
00:43:06,800 --> 00:43:12,300
Junior animation called fire
buds, premiering on September

755
00:43:12,300 --> 00:43:16,200
21st.
So look out for that, I voiced

756
00:43:16,200 --> 00:43:21,300
the character of Jazzy and she's
the most adorable.

757
00:43:22,300 --> 00:43:24,600
Oh my gosh.
I've seen the animation of her

758
00:43:24,600 --> 00:43:33,600
and I just I screamed I love my
kitty with deal so that's

759
00:43:33,600 --> 00:43:36,500
happening, September 21st, what
else?

760
00:43:36,500 --> 00:43:40,200
I'm launching a Lifestyle brand
called live solo.

761
00:43:40,200 --> 00:43:43,000
It's a Lifestyle brand,
dedicated to young adults with

762
00:43:43,000 --> 00:43:45,300
disabilities because very,
similar to this entire

763
00:43:45,300 --> 00:43:47,500
conversation.
People have always asked me,

764
00:43:47,500 --> 00:43:50,000
like, what are your Solutions?
How did you do this?

765
00:43:50,000 --> 00:43:52,500
How did you do that?
So this is going to be my

766
00:43:52,500 --> 00:43:56,800
opportunity to share all of
those different ways that I

767
00:43:56,800 --> 00:44:00,400
found hacks.
You know, just in my own life.

768
00:44:00,500 --> 00:44:03,200
But also being able to bring in
other people with disabilities

769
00:44:03,200 --> 00:44:08,600
into the brand to write blog
posts about their hats and their

770
00:44:08,600 --> 00:44:11,800
solutions that they found based
on their particular disability.

771
00:44:11,800 --> 00:44:14,900
So that'll be launching within
the next few weeks.

772
00:44:14,900 --> 00:44:18,100
And yeah we're just going to
keep growing.

773
00:44:18,100 --> 00:44:19,500
Keep moving.
Keep.

774
00:44:19,500 --> 00:44:25,500
Oh and this is Lola.
Spencer you are a treasure to

775
00:44:25,500 --> 00:44:27,000
behold.
Oh my goodness.

776
00:44:27,000 --> 00:44:30,200
Thank you so much for being a
role model whether you wanted to

777
00:44:30,200 --> 00:44:31,900
be or not.
Not that part.

778
00:44:31,900 --> 00:44:34,700
Yeah, I'm calling you a role
model and we gotta do this again

779
00:44:34,700 --> 00:44:36,300
soon.
Absolutely.

780
00:44:36,300 --> 00:44:37,400
Absolutely.
Thank you.

781
00:44:37,400 --> 00:44:40,200
So, so much had a great time.
Thank you.