#295 The Crash That Saved My Life with Jesi Stracham

The Crash That Saved My Life with Jesi Stracham

Can a tragedy actually save your life? It is a paradoxical question, but for Jesi Stracham, the moment that broke her body was the catalyst that fixed her life. In 2015, a motorcycle accident resulted in a T4 complete spinal cord injury, stripping away her physical mobility but granting her a sudden, terrifying clarity. Jesi transitioned from a reckless lifestyle to facing the raw, unglamorous reality of paralysis, a shift that forced her to take extreme ownership of a future she hadn't planned for.

Louise and Jesi discuss the disorienting first 30 days following a spinal cord injury, exploring what happens inside the body and how the understanding of such a permanent change evolves in real time. They talk about the ripple effects of trauma on family and relationships, and the pivotal moment when survival mode must transform into active rebuilding. Jesi opens up about how she channeled her innate competitiveness into becoming the first paraplegic to complete the World’s Toughest Mudder 24-hour obstacle course and how that drive led her to found the Wheel With Me Foundation. Now an author, Jesi details her journey in her new book, The Power of the Roll & Throttle, sharing the mindset required to reclaim agency and the unexpected motivation discovered through injury.

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Resources

Jesi Stracham's new Book: https://www.amazon.com/Power-Roll-Throttle-Spinal-Injury/dp/1476698511

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BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel. Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com