Episode 33: Liv Stone - I'm A Para Surfing Champion and Life Is Beautiful!

0:07 Hello, beautiful humans. Welcome to another episode of Role Models GC conversations with beautiful humans. I'm Jennifer Norman founder of the human Beauty movement and your host, this podcast thrives on your support. So if you like what you hear, follow us, greatest reviewers and share this episode with everyone that, you know, across your networks. So today, my guest is Olivia Stone. Live is a surfer, a Model, A disability Advocate and a four-time USA, Paris surf, gold medalist. Having been born with a congenital. Limb difference, live has shorter arms with two fingers on each arm, but despite her differences live, doesn't let anything hold her back, she rips it on the waves and off her full life.

0:53 Reflects that happiness is not based on our circumstances, it comes from with and overflows throughout luck. Live. Awesome. Thank you so much for having me. That was a beautiful by. Oh I love to that it like very quickly captured, like everything was perfect. You're so welcome. And I should be thanking you for coming on and telling us all about you. I'd love to hear about how you grew up and what your family was like. Yeah, for sure. So I grew up in Pennsylvania in a really small town in Lancaster about like 5,000 people. And I grew up with two older brothers, and two amazing parents to amazing see. Siblings and I always grew up in sports. So I always played soccer and I play like all different types of sports like hockey all different types of sports. But I really stuck with soccer for like 10 years and loved it was always really active.

1:47 A lot of my family lives in Pennsylvania and very family-oriented. Grew up, always being with my family going on trips. We always went to North Carolina for the summer vacation and Yeah, I was always really active and two older brothers, that really pushed me to be. I feel like the woman that I am today and like, no mercy type love and you know, a little picking on me here and there, but it was all out of love and they're very protective of me, and I can hold my own for sure. And yeah, two parents that have been supporting my dreams ever since I was really little. And I went to the same school growing up and always liked made friends. And I mean, a small town it's like everyone. Knows everyone.

2:30 So, yeah, from what I understand, it was Amish Country in Pennsylvania. So, very wrongly, very homegrown if you will. Exactly. Yeah. And there's like a ton of farms everywhere. It's like I'll go home and like smell, you know, the manure and the field that I was like, yep, I'm home around it actually buy a couple of farms and one of them is actually Amish. And so, I grew up all my life, seeing horse and Buggies, and carriages and Other than types. I mean it's a very interesting culture but when we grow up with it, it's like oh, that's just kind of a part of their life and it's all very like I would say. Yeah, just homey and cozy.

3:11 And yeah, I like the Amish would always bring us homemade cookies on Christmas and they make the best food and so, yeah, that sounds amazing. So now being born with a physical difference, I'm just curious from your point of view. Did you feel different when you were a kid, or was it something that you just kind? Of accepted. And it was just the way that things were. I think it was probably a little bit of both and so going back to the beginning, like, my parents had no idea that I was going to have shorter arms with two fingers on each hand, so like they didn't catch it on the ultrasound. So I came out and I was just like that, and my brothers were like, okay, yeah, this is just live. My family was like, oh, this is just the way I live is and I wasn't treated any differently with my family and a lot of my friends treated me the same as well, but Then yet again, like you go through. So like at home in my family, I didn't feel any different, but then it was interesting because then I would go out in public or I would go to school and people would stare and I would get questions and maybe people didn't, like, would it be friends with me?

4:17 And maybe I wasn't included and all the sports and all the activities or arts and crafts is a little harder for me. And so like there were like things throughout like my childhood that I'm like, wow, like I am so much different than everyone but the Same because I feel like at home I was always just live and like an athlete and a goofball and just like full of energy. So I would say when I was, I got a little older, like, starting to hit puberty that I'm like, wow, I am a lot different. Especially, you know, when I'm like interested in boys and like, you know, getting in a friend group and so then I started to be like, wow, I definitely am different and then I struggled with that for quite some time. Like I feel like it took me until I was like Holly, 15 or 16.

5:01 When I moved out here to really like accept my disability, and like be like, well, this is who I am. And then I have a purpose through that instead like it took me a while to get there for a while, I was like, oh, I live. It doesn't like, I don't not that I don't have a disability because obviously I do, but I didn't want to talk about it. And I felt really embarrassed and never wanted to even mention it. So I just threw, I think maturity and growing up. I just became like more confident in who I am. Okay. Amazing. When you are in school where there any particular accommodations that were made for you in terms of you know having I guess that you know in the classroom or work and things like that. Yeah. So when I was in like K through 12, I had a 504 plan. So it's like this document that is signed by me and my parents and my teachers that I get certain combinations. Like, for example, I'll never forget. I used to bring my own markers to school my own. Markers because I bite markers to open them and I'm like, well, I can't just be going around opening everyone's markers and then giving them another people.

6:08 So I brought my own set of markers and because that's how I opened them. And so I had my own set of markers, I had my own set of textbooks at home and textbooks in school, so I didn't have to carry them home with me as well as I had a locker closer to my classrooms that like, made sense for me, instead of like whole caring. All my books, all the way to one side of the school. And then All the way back. And then I also had I'm trying to think what else I had extended time on tests for typing and writing and yeah throughout my school like my school was very very accommodating. I had that 504. We we talked about it every year to renew it. And yeah, I think and then I also got a computer that had voice to text.

6:52 So instead of typing, I could talk to my computer and it would type out like my essay for me. Amen. For new technology. An exhaust. Now if you know just dictating help so much and the voice recognition is so good. Now, compared to what it is, he's to be a disaster but now it's actually really really Advanced. Yeah, it definitely is for sure. I don't use it as much as I like I think I'd want to I still type a lot because I think the more you voice to text the better, it recognizes your voice and the easier it gets. But like, I got kind of frustrated with it for quite some time. So I'm like, I'm just going to type right now. You're an advocate for individuals who are living with disabilities.

7:36 So did you always know that you wanted to use your voice to bring awareness and change for other people? I would say no, it like I kind of said, like when I was like 15 or 16, then I was able to kind of be like, wow, like my story can make an impact and I didn't hadn't really realized that I was always just like stoked on Sports and you know, excited to learn. I feel like It would be like, I don't know if I could say I loved school because I feel like no teenager loves school, but I like to learn. And so, like I was like, okay, I'm going to go to college. I'm gonna like play sports, I'm going to play soccer and then like my whole life kind of changed when I realized that like, I could make an impact with my story of my disability and how me just being me and sharing others.

8:20 Like what I do when I can't do like how I feel about a certain subject can actually really Inspire someone else. And so when I realized like I had that Like, I don't want to say, like gifts, but when I realized, I had that ability to spread hope and awareness for other people like me. I really tried to harness that as much as I could around like 15 or 16. Mmm. Yeah, this is. She said before, I know that a lot of people who do have physical or neurological differences, I've been interviewing quite a lot of them for my podcast and I come across a lot because my son is also disabled. And so I'm within the community and do that with a lot of people, there is a lot of shame or embarrassment and And the aspects of the fact that people are becoming more open and being more vulnerable, in sharing their stories helps so much. It helps us all to realize that we're not alone in feeling this way, and it helps other people who perhaps don't have those types of disabilities to be more understanding and accommodating and compassionate.

9:20 Frankly, and moving the world forward in a way that we can all just like live harmoniously together. Exactly. And I think too, like my dad and I were actually A just talking about this and how like who does my target audience want to be like, is it young girls with disabilities? The disability community. And I was thinking, it's like, I feel like it's Universal. Like, it can be people with disabilities because my story, like they can relate, they can connect and they could be like, wow. Like I deal with that too. But there's also people who aren't disabled that like I want to change this stereotype mindset and those like preconceived notions of people with disabilities and Even if they don't have a disability then they like learn from me.

10:03 How to treat a disabled person or visually impaired, or mentally disabled her like just any type of difference? Honestly, exactly, for sure. Now you said that, you first experience and fell in love with surfing after you had been doing soccer for quite some time but surfing seems to become the thing that just opened up your eyes and opened up your doors and that happened after you met Bethany Hamilton. Can you tell us more about it? Yeah, for sure. So when I was working or 50, and I can't remember, I'm like really bad with dates but like a while ago, I served with Bethany Hamilton. For the first time I ever was on a surfboard was with her. She does a retreat with 10 or 15 young women that have limb differences in. They do a retreat, it's faith-based and they get in the water and they get to Surf with Bethenny and it's in California.

10:49 So I flew out to California from my very first California trip. And I was also able to Surf with Bethenny, so that was like the first time I was around the surfing culture and I really loved it for Some reason I just like fell in love with it, and I like stood up on my second. Wave, it felt so natural. And like, with soccer, it was something that I felt like I was good at, but it was like, I had to, you know, work. So, so, so hard and it wasn't something like some athletes, like it's a natural ability, you know what I mean? Like, there are some people who just like born naturally, gifted at playing soccer, and I feel like that really wasn't me and so I liked it, I worked hard but like, nothing was like clicking like that. Aha.

11:29 Haha, I'm going to play in college and it was just kind of like, I don't know, it didn't feel like my thing even though I've been doing it all my life, and then when I found surfing and surf with Bethenny and then came out to California, a lot of different times after that through CIF events challenge athletes foundation, and I traveled to California again, served more and more in the more, I served. The more I fell in love with it and that's still today. I swear every time I'm out there, I just love it. More and more, and it's something that I was just felt natural. Add it, if that makes sense. And I had never felt that way with a sport. It was always like, like, we gotta run, like, we gotta have practice, where, like, surfing and psych. I'm stoked to go surfing everyday and boy you are good.

12:12 You've won metals, like, how long did it take you to get to this point? It seems like it happened so fast. It's incredible. Yeah, it happened all so fast, like, my first world championships with Team USA, and they needed a woman on their Team for the standing division, which is knee. And so I felt that spot and then the next year and I didn't, I mean, it was my first competition. I didn't do the best, and then I held my spot on Team USA throughout the next couple of years. And that's when I won my first individual gold medal, and then the following year, when my second so yeah, and the fourth. So there's two individual medals from my division and then to team Metals, 40 Beyonce, because we compete against different countries, so yeah, two world. Chips.

13:00 And a lot of hard work along the way and it did all go really fast. Like I said, I feel like it came really naturally to me and I really have worked really hard in the sport. So, yeah, did the rest of your family? Take up surfing as well. No, no, no, definitely not Marian's. Actually, no, my dad. Tried it a couple times. He says that he popped up to his feet, but I don't know. I don't believe it. No one saw it. Exactly. No one's thought. He's like my feet touch the board. I'm like, I don't know if they did. That's so that's why it was so fun. He came on a couple different times with me but my mom she doesn't serve but she comes with me every day surfing because she films me surfing. So we'll go surf like it's all routine well like wake up we'll go surf all sir for a couple hours and then she films my waves like 4 videos and so when we come back home we do a video analysis where I'm able to like, watch what I can do better. Hmm.

13:57 Kind of like football film. Yeah. Yeah, so it sounds like it was like two to three years before you said I'm starting to get good. Were you surfing everyday? Or was it something that you would do on the weekends? Yeah, I would definitely serve almost every day. I would say like four to five times a week consistently and then or six times a week or summer. It's usually every day. Yeah to me it's pretty extraordinary because here you came from Pennsylvania where I imagine you weren't close to waves or things like that at all. And it wasn't only until you came to this other area where you found, something that you really felt. Natural like a fish owner, no pun intended. But yeah, and I know that feeling of really like, working and trying hard because it was like, when I was younger, I would do dancing, or I would do piano where I do these things, but they never came as naturally to me as they came to other people. Yeah.

14:48 So, you know, that feeling you have to work twice as hard three times as hard sometimes, because you just your brain and it's almost like, you know, the neurons just don't fire in the regular. Yeah, no, exactly. Parker. Yeah. And so, it does it. Sometimes it really just takes that moments of just like, yeah, you've got to try a bunch of different things. You have an affinity for and then perhaps something will click, that's so great that popped up. So we always like I said, we went to North Carolina almost every year to the beach and it was called Emerald Isle a beautiful, little Beach town. And so I always grew up going to the beach every summer and my mom used to always call me like a mermaid, because I was always in the Water. And she taught me to swim at a very young age, like, in a pool. And like, I think I was like, I don't know, like, four years old, or five years old, and everyone was kind of like, because of my disability.

15:41 They were like, do you really think you should be getting her, like, in the pool? And I'm like, and I'm all stoked and my mom's like, yeah, she's fine. And then, I learned how to swim and I've always loved any type of water sport growing up. And I've always had like this connection with the ocean and love the beach and I know. Of people do but I loved just like going under waves and body surfing. But like I never went on a surfboard, we were only there for, you know, a couple weeks out of the year. So when I added the surfboard into the mix, I felt like that's when everything started to click. Mmm. Would you consider yourself moving towards more of like a professional Surfer angle? Oh yeah, I will. So I am technically like a professional adaptive Surfer but like they only have limited stops and limited It's so it's not like I'm like traveling every weekend or anything, but I do compete. And yeah, I would say that but also just a free Surfer that can just go travel when they want and go to different spots and get film and hang out and surf, rather feel like it's a bit of both.

16:47 That's so nice. Now you're also a side from surfing and you know keeping fit that way, you also have a lot of different workout routines and you share those on your Tick Tock and I mean, you're done. Lifting with straps, you have these different ways of being able to work out and you kind of figure out your own ways of making things more accommodating. Are there specific things that you can share user that you do that are you know, kind of interesting or different. Yeah, I use a lot of straps like for everything and so those straps I put on dumbbells and I put them on. There was other weights that have that. You can put a strap on and then I also use bands. So like working on Like my shoulders, I use bands a lot and I'm trying to think what else?

17:34 Well for a water bottle. I guess, that's Jim related, I always use a handle because like carrying it like in my Crypt arm is not really the best. So I always use a handle and I do a lot of straps. That's like the biggest thing that helps me in the gym as well. As I would say, just in general, I always buy clothes that are easy to On there's some different adaptive like tops where they're magnetic instead of buttons because I 100% cannot do buttons. I mean like I can but it like I'm they're trying to like get the little thing to go through the hole and it takes forever. So I love like magnet shirts and for shoes, I can't tie my shoes but it's not the best.

18:22 I like these noon Thorn, a key flies, that's what they're called and they have a zipper instead and a little Velcro. And I love them and I work out with them. They're so easy to put on as well as and like Comfort is a big thing so they have to be comfortable and for serving sides of things I use paddles on my hands so that I can, you know, pull water, faster and deeper. So I have aquatic Prosthetics on my arms, that I have to help me paddle and to get into the wave better as well as all my wetsuits have front zippers because a lot of wet suit They're back and you got to like kind of grab a strap and pull up, and that's very difficult. And some of them are even pull over your head, which for sure I cannot do.

19:08 So I have a couple custom-made suits with a front zipper and a little strap on it. So I can just pull up and down and get in and out of it really easily. And for driving, I use a knob on my steering wheel and which really helps like especially like spinning. The wheel is really difficult and I don't know. I think that would be. I mean, I'm sure there's a lot more that I like I'd go around the house and be like, oh, that and yeah, as far as fashion goes, I was so happy when I discovered Billy shoes, they I think Zappos sells them and Zappos is actually pretty good for adaptive. I believe that you had done some modeling for Zappos and says are so great. There's are not accessible for sure. And these Billy shoes are wonderful, because they essentially have a zipper that goes around the rim. You and allows you to place the foot right into it, and zip it back up, rather than having to worry about the tong and a lip and all of the ties and such one, especially for people, with prosthetics, Goose feet, don't bend or move at all. It's just like plastic.

20:15 And then there's people with in wheelchairs, where they're also again, their feet aren't gonna like move to get into like a boot. So, I worked with Zappos adaptive and ugh. And we created the ugh. Boot that. Zips on both sides and then folds open so that you can put your foot in so much easier because odds, I feel like even for everyone, dogs are really difficult to put on. And so those zippers really help ll have to look this up for my son to because he doesn't have eggs yet. Yeah they're perfect for winter. I mean or Southern Californians. They're like it's like 60 degrees and everyone's wearing gloves in the sweatshirt and a dogs and dogs. Exactly. It's so funny for like East Coast.

20:56 Like in the winter here we have like low Use and then in Pennsylvania, it's like snowing my dad sends us a video of shoveling the driveway. We're like going to the beach, surfing, funny difference, and you can Ski and Surf in the same day in California, and some, you know, with you. That's pretty amazing. Yeah, cool. Now, you've also posted scripture, Sunday, videos on Tick Tock, and so, it seems like your faith is a very big part of your life. Can you tell us about your relationship with God and some of your favorite Bible verses? Yeah, for sure. So, I grew up going to church and my parents are Christians. And so think I was even baptized when I was really little and, you know, accepted into the church and we've gone to a couple different churches throughout my childhood, but I was always, God was always a big part of my life growing up. I mean, I was always told that, you know, you have a relationship with Jesus and then you go to heaven and so that was always like my life.

21:59 I grew up like that. But I think around my teenage years when it becomes harder and you become like oh I don't You know, you kind of question a little, you're like, well, I don't know. Like, is that right? Is that, like, what do I do? You're kind of like, in that phase of just not. Knowing I know not, everyone goes through that. But for me, I went through that and I just kind of pushed my faith away from me. And I kind of was like, oh, I'll do this. My own way, which, like never works out. And so, I would say last year or like eight months ago, I feel like my faith has always been, like, up, and down, and up and down. And so, like, I'd be like, garnet. Churchill, I'm going and not to church and not reading my Bible and I feel like that's very normal. But I really found my faith again like eight months ago and have been really dedicated to also sharing the love of Jesus. I feel like it's really important because of the platform that I like em able to have and to share with others like that.

22:58 You know, Jesus wants to be part of your life and I'll pull up a script, one of my favorites, if that's okay. Course, let me see here. But I just started going to this small Church in Oceanside where I'm living right now and I absolutely love it. It's like 50 people on Sundays, only one service and there's like little bell that they ring every morning. It's like a steeple. I just really love it. Okay, this is my favorite. So Ephesians 3:16 through 19 and I pray that you being rooted in established in love may have the power together with all the Lord's. Holy people to grasp, how wide and how How long and how high and deep is the love of Christ and to know that this love that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

23:46 I really like that. All of you gents is really good, but yeah, I've just been great. I like, I feel like when I was younger, I didn't realize that it was like a friendship with Jesus and it's not this fear-driven religion. It's, you know, having a relationship with Jesus and being forgiven and knowing that you're gonna mess up, you know, and build. In that relationship and so good. Just it's a daily process. That's beautiful. I actually went to a Christian junior high school and I remember we used to actually memorize Bible verses and it I actually get Florida every now and then I'll sit to myself and I'll be like you know he who dwells in the secret place of the most high shall abide under the shadow palettes so they're not want he maketh me to lie down in Green Pastures, I'm like a Hiatus it's just there it kind of like spills their who yells and cheers.

24:36 So Soul and you recognize that, you know, these are actually really powerful words. Yes, I love that. Yeah, yeah, I know beautiful and so I can't help but notice and I think that everybody else probably around, you notices, that you just radiate such positivity, you've got this magnetic positive energy and so what do you attribute that to? How is it that you have been able to retain in? What would be considered somewhat difficult circumstances, right? Some sorts of challenges, but you know, what is it? That really kind of keeps you. In this mindset, I would say my mom, I mean, my mom is like one of my biggest mentors and heroes and she's always like embodied this like positive mindset and then also, like her mom.

25:17 My grandma who passed away a couple years ago. She was always chose joy and like lived life to the fullest because I feel like it takes a lot more energy to be negative and to judge, and to be down. And of course I've had my down moments but it takes more energy to like be sad than to just be. Happy all the time and like spread that joy and like, with my grandma. And my mom, like, I've seen the lives that they've impacted through their joy and through their positive mindset and also to. So, that's from growing up, that's what I've seen. And then having a disability, I have every reason to be down and to, you know, struggle with depression and I have, when I was younger and to struggle with a lot of fear and shame.

26:04 And I mean, don't get me wrong, I think everyone. Those moments and I do too but I honestly look at it as I don't know. I just like, I feel like I live a happier life when I'm more positive and that like, I don't want to waste any time, dwelling on my circumstances that I can't change because ultimately I'm not ever going to get better, like, or like grow arms. I mean, it's just not going to happen and these are the circumstances. And I have, this is how God made me. These are how my cards were dealt. And that's who I am. And then picking out like my strength. Of Surfing and spreading light through surfing and spreading light through Jesus. And honestly, I'd feel like Jesus makes me positive as well as a lot of different people in my life, the ocean and you can't help but smile when you see the water.

26:51 So I want others to feel that love and that Joy beautiful. Listen about your upcoming plans, what's going to happen in the future with you, I would say for my athletic Endeavors, the Paralympics. Hopefully is going to have Optive surfing and 20:28 in Los Angeles. So I'm really hoping that they pick up adaptive surfing because it's all like this process of the paralympic committee getting surfing. So I'd love to go to the Paralympics in the future and continue to train continued to compete as much as my schedule allows and in terms of short-term and more spiritually, just growing my relationship with Jesus with my family, with my boyfriend, my friends work, Being on those relationships, I'm in college.

27:40 So finishing my degree as well as trying to impact as many people. As I can with my story and continuing to work on my platform, taking it day by day and just allowing like a natural progression of things if that's God's plan and as well as. Yeah, just also was surfing just getting in the water and getting better and enjoying the ocean and enjoying beautiful California because I am. I'm very blessed to live here. So just I would say taking it day by day but long term would be Paralympics. That sounds really cool. I'll live Stone. Thank you so much for being my guest today. I am really happy to have been able to have this conversation with you. You are so inspirational to so many. Thank you.

28:24 Thank you so much for having me.