Amberly Lago on using resilience to turn tragedy into triumph.
Release Date: 05/26/2019
Erin Pheil: Discovering the root cause behind what is holding you back.
Dreaming of Cooperstown
So, this podcast is about sharing inspiring stories of people doing meaningful work. The stories of people making a positive difference in the lives of others. And, if you are a regular listener or if you know me personally, you know that I believe that each of us has a story to share. A story that can help others. But you know what’s way more important than what I believe? It’s what you believe. Too many people are stuck and their best self is not showing up each day. Why? Often it’s because that best self is shrouded in ego, fears, limiting beliefs and other delusions. And that is why...
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Empowering teens to become leaders with Michelle Pagtakhan of You Run This Town Foundation.
Dreaming of Cooperstown
Today’s guest, Michelle Pagtakhan co-founded You Run This Town Foundation with Fred Noya. "You Run This Town Foundation is committed to developing the next generation of leaders by providing underserved youth with enrichment programs, work-study internships, scholarships and community partner engagement projects." Her passion is to empower youth and provide them with key skills to succeed in life. Michelle is a small business owner with a big heart and a big vision for serving others. Michelle is a great example of how businesses of all sizes can find meaningful ways to enrich others and...
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Team Matters: A Special Episode for National Diabetes Awareness Month
Dreaming of Cooperstown
November is National Diabetes Awareness Month. I’ve decided to focus my attention on the positive things happening within the T1D community including important lessons I have learned. In this episode I discuss how the T1D community has taught me that my personal and professional growth is impacted by who I let on my “team”. scottrmorris.com
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Cathy Heying is changing the world one car at a time.
Dreaming of Cooperstown
My guest today, Cathy Heying, founded The Lift Garage an affordable, non-profit auto repair service for people of limited means. It's an innovative idea that meets a pressing need. Working with people experiencing homelessness, Cathy repeatedly saw how devastating the prohibitive cost of commercial car repair could be. In a domino effect, people who couldn’t afford to get their cars fixed couldn’t get to work and so lost their jobs. Without jobs, they lacked the money to pay for housing and ended up in shelter or on the streets. It was also evident that many people who could not afford the...
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Kristyn Stillwell with H.O.P.E. Haven
Dreaming of Cooperstown
My guest today, Kristyn Stillwell, is the Executive Director of H.O.P.E. Haven. Hope Haven seeks to move people from crisis to lifelong self-sufficiency. Their mission is to help the homeless find a path off the streets and to mentor them throughout their life journey to succeed and thrive as contributing members of their community. Hope Haven builds relationships with individuals on the streets as a means to inspire a sense of purpose that empowers them to achieve stability and change in their lives. They work with each client to create a personalized plan to get off the streets and...
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Seniors With Skills wants to end social isolation of seniors | Jaya Manjunath
Dreaming of Cooperstown
Do you have a senior friend or perhaps a parent or grandparent that you fear is feeling lonely or isolated? There are serious physiological and psychological components to loneliness and isolation. Studies have found that socially isolated elders are twice as likely to die prematurely, with a mortality rate comparable to smoking. Some studies even show that loneliness is nearly twice as dangerous as obesity. It can wreak havoc with your immune system and increase inflammation, leading to diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, and other serious health conditions. My guest today, Jaya Manjunath,...
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Ciera Granger and Koala Corps is spreading care, compassion and cuddles.
Dreaming of Cooperstown
As you listen to today’s episode, there are children with life-threatening illnesses sitting alone, in a hospital bed, without a parent or loved one nearby to comfort them. Sadly, many of these parents cannot be fully present for their child at this critical time, often because they are single, working, or have other children to care for as well. Despite the tremendous efforts by nurses and staff at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, there are simply not enough hands to hold these children at a time when they need it most. Babies need human touch and to be held. Especially, as a means of...
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For Goodness Cakes
Dreaming of Cooperstown
FOR SOME KIDS, BIRTHDAYS ARE OFTEN OVERLOOKED. Imagine that. No presents. No birthday cake. No candles to blow out. No well wishes. No celebration. That didn’t sit well with Jaime Lehman so she decided to take action. Jaime founded For Goodness Cakes, a non-profit organization that matches volunteers to make and hand-deliver birthday cakes to foster children and at-risk youth on their special day. The mission at For Goodness Cakes is to give individual youth at least one special moment that is about them. By providing a child a treat made especially for them, it gives them some much...
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Change4Children's - Get a jar. Fill it up. Change a life.
Dreaming of Cooperstown
Change4Children’s was never a grand plan—just a simple idea that is growing bigger and more impactful by the day. It is the brainchild of three families, all of whom have had kids treated at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. When Jeff Kreshek’s son Eli was there for back surgery, Jeff spent four nights with him. He was always at the cafeteria getting a cup of coffee or something to eat. At the end of each day, he would throw his change in his overnight bag. “I have always been a bit of a hoarder of change and always donated it to some sort of charity,” says Jeff. “On the way home...
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Grit Matters
Dreaming of Cooperstown
In this episode of Dreaming of Cooperstown I share the greatest lesson I have learned thus far from my guests, the importance of grit. Listen to discover: What is grit? How grit and resilience differ. Why we need grit. Is grit available to everyone? Four keys to developing grit. The importance of our community and how it relates to grit. Grit begins with awareness and choice. More on Angela Duckworth and her book can be found at, https://angeladuckworth.com/
info_outlineMy guest today is Amberly Lago an expert in the field of resilience, transformation, and health and wellness. She’s the author of True Grit and Grace which tells her inspiring story of how she turned a tragedy into triumph.
Amberly is a former professional dancer, athlete, and fitness trainer whose life was turned upside down in 2010 when she was hit by an SUV while riding her motorcycle. Her multiple injuries included nearly shattering her right leg and severing the femoral artery. Amberly’s doctors informed her she had about a 1% chance of saving her leg and amputation was something she needed to prepare for.
Amberly chose instead to fight and endured 34 surgeries to save her leg. In the process, however, she was diagnosed with CRPS, Complex Regional Pain syndrome (or what is sometimes referred to as the suicide disease because the chronic pain is so intense). Not surprisingly, she spiraled into depression.
Amberly tried anything and everything to deal with her pain and depression but nothing seemed to work until she discovered and embraced the one thing that she credits with turning her life around: resilience. And while resilience does not get rid of her pain or make her challenges disappear she has discovered that resilience and grit is the superpower that will get her through any obstacle.
Through her best-selling book, keynote speeches, workshops, and podcast Amberly is teaching and empowering others to tap into, nurture and flex their “grit muscle” to persevere through any challenge. And, in today’s episode she shares the five tools that each of us can use to thrive through our struggles and live life to the fullest.
Other important lessons that Amberly learned during her transformation from a near death experience to living the fullest life she could have ever imagined today:
- Each of us can thrive despite our circumstances.
- RESILIENCE isn’t related to one single event that we experience. It’s a way of approaching life, day in and day out.
- Courage is contagious—so is fear. Surround yourself with courageous, fierce people.
- Fortunately, perfection is not a requirement, only progress.
- Happiness is a choice and so is despair....choose wisely.
- Gratitude turns denial into acceptance, makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates hope for tomorrow.
- God will never let what you lost be the best you ever had. Your best is yet to come!
If you want to read more about her personal battle and the courage to work through tragedy and transform it into triumph, you can grab a copy of her book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1733809007?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860
Amberly’s website, https://amberlylago.com/
Amberly's TEDTalk, https://youtu.be/V3gEfdAcO_8
Follow Amberly on Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/amberlylagomotivation/