That time I accidentally achieved a bucket list dream

When I was young, I wanted to be either an actor or a late night show comedy writer (among a few other things, but those two were constants).

I loved watching talk show monologues and SNL, and I had a bucket list dream of one day getting laughs in a comedy club (I definitely considered myself too shy for stand-up back then, but I did admire them!).

Over the 15-20 years since then, I mostly forgot about that dream. I didn’t even think about it when I got asked to be part of a love-themed storytelling show, Once Upon a Woman, that was happening in a comedy club last year.

The day of the show I was SO stressed. I knew my 8-minute story by heart - the story of matching with my now-boyfriend online during the pandemic, telling him about my muscle disability for the first time on our second date, and becoming an invisible disability speaker on resilience and belonging - but was super self-conscious about still having a cough from a cold that was ending.

I’d never performed under these conditions before, and I wasn’t even sure I COULD get through 5 minutes of talking without a coughing fit, let alone 8.

Eventually my time slot came, and miraculously I made it through without a single cough. Getting off stage I felt a huge wave of relief, followed by a spike of excitement at another realization - I had just gotten SO MANY LAUGHS at a comedy club! The bucket list goal I hadn’t thought about for 15+ years actually happened!

Little Lauren would have been shocked, and maybe initially horrified, but probably eventually proud. Because little Lauren never talked about her disability. She thought if she shared it too early, it could scare people off. She never would have imagined achieving one of her bucket list goals by sharing a dating story where she had to own who she is.

If there’s anything I’ve learned from my journey of being open about my muscle disability, it’s that it’s a lot easier to work WITH who you are, as opposed to trying to work against who you are. And I really hope that as more people see my story, they can embrace this lesson too 🫶🏽✨

PS - I didn’t get a good video at that show, but I told the same story at a Replay Storytelling show and got so many laughs there too - you can watch the video on YouTube here!

Two of the best days of my life aren’t what I ever expected them to be

Last week I told someone that two of the best days of my life were the day I became the #2 Inspirational Speaker of the Year at the Speaker Slam Grand Slam, and the day I gave that same speech at @giovannimarsicoofficial's DestinyFest (formerly Archangel Summit) to an audience of 1,000+.

Both days I wore an absurdly sparkly top, received a standing ovation (!), and was celebrated by incredibly kind audience members. All of those make for a good day by themselves.

But the part that I still can’t believe is that two of the best days of my life involved telling HUNDREDS of people about the disability I was born with, and hid as much as I could for 30+ years.

I’ve been ✨open✨ about my muscle disability for 2.5ish years now, but I still remember what a scary, nerve-wracking transition it was.

There used to be a time I figured I’d never talk about it - and I was fine with that. I didn’t see the point of talking about it, I didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything - that was just life.

I thought if people knew about my muscle disability, they’d think I was using it as an excuse or see me as less capable.

But I can see now that I wasn’t nervous about existing with a disability and people knowing about it - I was nervous about their assumptions and ableism. I was nervous they’d ONLY see me as a person with a disability, as opposed to a person with a
✨personality✨

Now, through my speaking, I love that I get to share my perspectives on life with a disability, and encourage others to embrace what they’re hiding about themselves to share their own unique perspectives too.

Because every time someone steps up and says who they are, the world becomes a better, more interesting place. 💫

Disability Pride Month is a time to normalize discussions around disability and listen to how people feel about and live with their own, so I’m excited to see more recognition of it in July! 💃🏽💞✨

My first Rick Hansen Foundation School Program presentation - 900 students later!

Last Friday morning, I did my first virtual presentation as an Ambassador for the Rick Hansen Foundation School Program, and I’m still not over it. 40 classes in the Renfrew County Catholic District School Board signed in, and they estimated that over 900 grade 5-8 students attended! 🎉

The chat was overflowing with questions from the students, and it was so heartwarming to know they were so engaged. From “Did you ever feel left out at recess?” to “What different mental health strategies do you use to block out the negative comments towards your condition?” to “How does your disability affect your future choices?” and “Have you written a book?” (🥹), the idea that I got so many students thinking about how other people experience the world, and the different things that can be going on with them, feels exciting.

In one section of the presentation, where other ambassadors can talk about the mobility aids and adaptations they use in their day-to-day, I talked about having to pace myself to be able to get things done, and about the daily yay. Absolutely surreal to think I could share that with hundreds of students and 40 teachers to end off National AccessAbility Week!

The school year is coming to an end soon, but I’m definitely looking forward to my next presentation to help create a more inclusive, empathetic world 🫶🏽✨

National AccessAbility Week recap

National AccessAbility Week has ended, and what a week it was! On Monday I was in the studio audience of The Social to watch Lindsey Mazza (@thelindseymazza) talk about what kids with disabilities should know, on Tuesday I got to watch Patti Bevilacqua (@fearlesswithms), who I’m a huge fan of, win second place at Speaker Slam, and on Wednesday I was the guest speaker at an Ableism workshop for 25-30 students at Monsignor John Pereyma Catholic Secondary School in Oshawa and got some great feedback.

On Friday, I had my first virtual presentation for the Rick Hansen Foundation School Program, for all the grade 5-8s in the Renfrew County Catholic District School Board, and they estimated that around 900 students attended! 40 classes signed in, and the coordinator from the school board said he’s done a lot of virtual live presentations, and has never seen the chat that active with questions for the speaker, to the point that it was overwhelming LOL. Yay! 🥹

The week was a bit of a whirlwind but also so exciting.Maybe I’ll finally rest a bit in June 🙃💃🏽✨

New presentation for schools and youth: Everyday Ableism and How to Recognize It

When I was first asked to be a guest speaker at a workshop for high school students on ableism, the final workshop in a 4-part series on discrimination, the organizer said she wanted the students to be aware of ableist experiences in everyday life.

I had the idea to share some of the personal experiences of ableist comments I’ve gotten before and how I’ve felt internalized ableism, but thought “would I really have enough examples to make that work?”

Turns out the answer was yes 🙃 from “do you think your ex broke up with you because he thought you wouldn’t be able to keep a house clean?” from a family member, to “So laziness is a disability?” from a random internet man on YouTube, to somehow both wondering if I have “enough” of a disability AND feeling like someone without my disability might be better at my job last summer - let’s just say when I thought about it, the content was definitely there. 🥲

Yesterday I spoke to students at Monsignor John Pereyma Catholic Secondary School in Oshawa with my newest presentation, Everyday Ableism and How to Recognize It, for Red Shirt Day of Action for Accessibility and Inclusion. I got some beautiful comments in the student feedback, and I’m excited to bring this presentation to more schools or youth organizations!💃🏽✨

Rethinking Disabilities Toronto at Arta Gallery

This past Thursday, I was one of the speakers at Rethinking Disabilities Toronto, an event for HR leaders, talent acquisition specialists and DEI practitioners, where I led a session on What We Don’t See: Supporting Invisible Disabilities at Work. As someone who hid my muscle disability as much as I could for 30+ years, it was exciting to be in a space full of disability advocates, sharing my perspective and chatting with people advancing disability inclusion.

From connecting with an attendee who was also diagnosed later in life, to hearing another attendee’s story of how she was only able to explore getting a diagnosis after hearing someone else’s similar story - as one kind attendee said about my session, it was such a life-affirming night. Thanks to Scale HR for having me, I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for future events! 🎉✨