Balancing It All: Living with a Disability While Being a Mom, Full-Time Employee, Founder, and Advocate
Finding Purpose and Resilience When Life Takes an Unexpected Turn
When Life Changes, So Does the Way We Define Success
People often ask me, “How do you do it all?”
The truth is… I don’t.
At least, not every day.
Like many people living with a disability or chronic health condition, I’ve learned that balance isn’t about doing everything perfectly. It’s about learning what matters most, adapting when life changes, and giving yourself permission to have difficult days.
Before septic shock changed my life, I rarely thought about the energy required to complete everyday tasks. Today, every decision involves a different calculation.
How much energy do I have?
How much walking will this require?
What appointments are on my calendar?
How will my body feel tomorrow?
Living with a disability means planning in ways I never imagined.
At the same time, life doesn’t stop.
- I’m a wife.
- I’m a mom.
- I work full-time.
- I’m building two healthcare technology companies.
- I’m an author.
- I’m a speaker.
- I’m a patient advocate.
Those roles don’t disappear because I have a disability. They simply require me to approach them differently.
I’ve learned that asking for help isn’t weakness.
It’s wisdom.
I’ve learned that resting is productive.
I’ve learned that saying “not today” doesn’t mean “never.”
Most importantly, I’ve learned that success doesn’t have to look the way it once did.
Some days, my biggest accomplishment is making it through a busy workday while managing pain.
Other days, it’s preparing for a keynote speech, meeting with healthcare leaders, or working late into the evening on Phoenix Health Compass and Phoenix Navigator because I believe patients deserve better tools to navigate healthcare.
There are days when I feel unstoppable.
There are also days when my body reminds me that healing is still an ongoing journey.
Both can be true.
Being an entrepreneur while living with a disability has taught me to build with empathy. Every feature I design, every article I write, and every conversation I have with patients is influenced by lived experience. I don’t create solutions based on assumptions—I create them based on challenges I’ve personally faced.
Being a mom has taught me something equally important.
Our children aren’t looking for perfect parents.
They’re watching how we respond to adversity.
My hope is that my son doesn’t just see what happened to me. I hope he sees what I chose to do next.
I hope he sees resilience.
I hope he sees compassion.
I hope he sees purpose.
Most of all, I hope he learns that even when life doesn’t go according to plan, we still have the power to create something meaningful.
If you’re living with a disability, caring for a loved one, balancing work and family, or simply trying to make it through another challenging day, know this:
- You don’t have to do everything at once.
- You don’t have to prove your worth by pushing yourself beyond your limits.
- Progress isn’t measured by how much you accomplish in a single day.
- Sometimes, progress is simply refusing to give up.
My journey has taught me that resilience isn’t about pretending life is easy.
It’s about continuing to move forward—even when the path looks different from what you expected.
And sometimes, the life you build after everything changes becomes more meaningful than the one you originally planned.
