I don’t meet many people who love their bodies. It could be their thighs, their boobs are too small, and their belly is too big. We all have our insecurities. This life. This also has nothing to do with the onset of social media, although it’s made insecurities for millions worse, but what constitutes beauty has been dictated by different societies for thousands of years. In the 1920s, it was beautiful to be voluptuous … In the mid-90s being an anorexic stick figure was apparently attractive. Who dictated these trends? Well, another topic for another time. I decided to do a little experimen ..read more

I’m excited to share an episode of Hustle + Gather, “Going Beyond Your Limits.” I had the distinct pleasure to be a host on Courtney and Dana’s podcast live where we get raw and real about life. We chat about the good, the bad, and the ugly — more than that we talk about the opportunity presented in life when we all go through Challenging times. Podcast Description: “Get ready to be inspired and entertained as Ali Ingersoll takes you on an unforgettable roller coaster ride of resilience and redemption! Join Courtney and Dana as they dive deep into Ali’s whirlwind life journey, from globe-trot ..read more

BEST 41ST Birthday Present EVER! On my birthday, March 1, I received the most exciting news! I was selected to be 1 of 10 TEDx speakers at University of North Carolina (UNC) in Pembroke out of hundreds of applicants. Since I started speaking years ago this is been a dream of mine. A big one. With the help of so many supportive people in my life I applied in February. One of my 2024 goals for the year! I will be speaking on April 20. For those who are not speakers, it’s quite incredible the dozens and dozens of hours speakers put into 1 hour of speaking – the prep, research, practicing, iterat ..read more

Watch YouTube Video – https://youtu.be/yL0UUi8IoQE A few weeks ago I spoke about disability, sexuality, safe bedroom positions, and more.  Well, with the help of my fantastic caregivers, we made an instructional video of several safe positions for those you to explore further.  We had a blast and there were many laughs and a lot of bloopers.  There are, of course, many more positions, but we thought we would start out with these ones.  For anyone that does try these, please note that I am not advocating for you to try something that does not work for your body.  Pract ..read more

It was such an honor to be on Michael Hingson – Author, Speaker, Podcaster, Website Accessibility Consultant podcast called the Unstoppable Mindset. Where there are visible challenges there are boundless invisible opportunities right in front of us each and every day. We each have a story. We each have a journey. How we get there will likely never work out the way we had originally anticipated. It’s about mindset, the journey, being the scientist in your life through constant growth mindset experimentation, and so much more. Enjoy! I know I had such a blast hearing Michael’s back story as well ..read more

Online dating can be akin to navigating new territory in the 1800s in the wild wild West.  You are searching for gold and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, which spans across hundreds of miles.  Sound familiar? How many times have you swiped left to find your person only to go on so many bad dates that you probably have a list going by now?  I know I do. Since becoming divorced in December of 2023, I started to join the online dating world the last several months.  Do you think of online dating as the wild wild West?  Well, try adding a physical disability with a whee ..read more

Bowel and bladder and sex oh my.  All topics that are woefully under discussed and talked about.  I wrote an article about sex last week and will be filming a video for safe sex positions (PG style of course) in the coming week.  However, it dawned on me that bowel and bladder care are just as important to millions of folks around the globe who do not have control or minimal control of these functions. I did a video on bowel care, but let’s talk about my bladder.  I have something called a neurogenic bladder.  With all of the bladder and bowel and sex nerves wraparoun ..read more

The Early Years of Sexuality Up there on the list with chatting about money and politics, sex is such a taboo topic.  I grew up in Europe with a very open-minded family and a very open culture with respect to talking about sexuality and running around half naked until I was in my mid-20s.   I never used to wear a bikini top because my German mother told me that tan lines were unattractive.  I believed her.  I went around most my life with no bikini top until I went on spring break in college and my girlfriend told me that if one more guy looks at my breasts, they’re going ..read more

Online dating.  Those two words.  I would wager a bet they are evoking quite a few emotions for many of you – either positive or negative.  As a newly divorced quadriplegic I’m back in the dating game.  I never thought I would be here actually.  You never get married to think you are going to be divorced.  Life happens, people change, directions shift, and we all have our own story. Be that as may, the way of the world today is online dating.  Unless you’re going to a late-night bar for a one-night stand, it’s really challenging to meet people organically.&n ..read more

WHAT’S WORSE THAN BEING PARALYZED?  Sleep Deprivation – Millions Sharing a collective pain together I’ve commented before that paralysis itself is not innately the biggest challenge with living a life in a wheelchair. It’s the secondary complications associated with it.  This is true for many complex diagnoses.  For example, being paralyzed is quite easy, all I have to do is sit there.  The biggest challenges include things such as urinary tract infections, sensitive skin leading to pressure sores, respiratory infections, etc.  These sneaky complications can knock you ..read more