Hey everyone!

I wanted to say a big thank you for choosing to be part of my story as I embark on this journey to showcase to friends, supporters, and loved ones what it is like daily to be an athlete chasing after their dreams, getting ready for the season, but also a glimpse of what I like to do outside of sports and the things I hope to work towards.

The life of an athlete requires a lot of sacrifice and commitment... What I am hoping to achieve by sharing my message, posts, videos, etc. with you guys, is to see the why behind my dreams and why I continue to strive towards what I set out to accomplish. At the same time be an inspiration to others. A lot of people, not just athletes, chase after their aspirations in life. Along the way, you may be hit by some challenges and adversities, where you may need a little boost to keep you going, and I want to be that boost for you, someone you can relate to and not hesitate to ask any questions. 

Although most of my posts may be related to Bobsleigh, there are other exciting things I do outside of sports that I am working towards. Most recently I wrote an article with Unsinkable, where I opened up about my speech impediment and how it had affected me since I was young. The point of writing the article was not to share with others how I was affected by it, but mostly how I learned to accept who I am, not let the naysayers affect me, and decide whether or not I chose to go after a certain career, accept a job interview, etc. The message I wanted to get across was; everyone is unique in their ways and that's what separates you from others.

I did speech therapy in the past at iStar Edmonton and recently took it up again, as I wanted to get back to learning the techniques and get comfortable speaking publicly to others. Today after my speech therapy session, I had the opportunity to speak with the Teen group who are doing their summer intensive program at iStar. I was moved if I am honest, by being able to connect with others I can relate to and sharing my experiences. I won't go on a blurb, but the message I wanted to get across to the group was;

'' Life is not always fair, but that's just how it is. There are some things you can't control, but what you can control is how you decide to view yourself as someone with a speech impediment and what you will do going forward as someone who stutters. I was not going to let someone tell me what I can and cannot do because of my speech impediment, and that's the same thing I want for you guys. Everyone in this room has a talent of their own and something you are good at, use that to your advantage. Continue to work on your craft and the sky's the limit. Luckily for me, it was sports and I am grateful for that to this day, but for you, it can be a school subject, playing an instrument, singing, etc. Whatever it may be, use that to show others despite my differences I too am fully capable of doing and achieving what others have or continue to achieve.''