“Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.” - C. S. Lewis. Kimberly’s life took a devastating turn when a car accident ended her career as a professional athlete and her dream of being part of the United States Equestrian Team. The traumatic brain injury from the accident required her to relearn talking, reading and walking which she did with sheer courage and will. Later when Kimberly was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis she once again rose to the challenge life had given her. Today she shares the same Champion-Building™ strategies and tools that have helped her with audiences through her public speaking engagements. Kimberly has received various recognitions including the Freemont Exceptional Woman award, Garden State Woman of the Year award nomination, Outstanding Burlington County Woman nomination and has been honored by the state for New Jersey for her work with “Girl Force.

Can you tell us about your role as a motivational speaker/champion builder?K: My role as a motivational speaker/Champion builder was placed upon me via my challenges. After my accident, I struggled with major cognitive issues, including speaking. I was partnered with a service dog to help me navigate the world that no longer accommodated me. He pulled my wheelchair, alerted to my seizures and taught me how to walk again. Most importantly, he taught me how to live again. I was shocked when several public locations would say, “you can’t bring that dog in here.” Unable to speak the words needed to educate, I returned back home; back to the prison of my disabilities. It was after one very emotional access denial that I’d had enough. I summoned up the courage of my athletic training, willed my slurred, dyslexic speech to cooperate and stood up for my rights, and the rights of other service dog handlers.
That night in bed, I prayed for a way to overcome this seemingly impossible challenge. I was awoke in the night with an idea. I would go back to all the business/places that had denied me access, demonstrate my dog’s tasks and educate them to the laws that protect the rights of people with disabilities who utilize service animals.
In one of these programs, the local press was there. They interviewed me and covered my story. Before I knew it, I was being booked as a motivational speaker. I recognized the opportunity to create a new career from the rubble of the one I’d lost. Speaking has been the only disability-accommodating thing that I’ve been able to do since my accident. And so, a branding manager dubbed me, “The Champion-Builder,” after hearing my speech and seeing how my athletic training helped me integrate back to semi-normal life when traditional therapies left me with gaps in my recovery. I utilized my athlete training again when delivering my speeches to help my audiences learn how to overcome the hurdles in their own lives. I realized that these techniques transcend every arena of life and can be utilized to become a champion…in business, school and life.

What challenges did you face after you met with an accident? What motivated you to face those challenges?K: I think the above statement answers this question for the most part. But in addition, I was diagnosed with Multiple sclerosis several months after I had my brain injury. The two disabilities combined make it nearly impossible to “keep up” with life. I go into remission and start new projects, but end up getting sick and things slide. I feel like I’m forever like a hamster on a wheel; always in survival mode--never quite able to catch up to live a normal life.

What life decisions have helped you to reach where you are today?K: I believe that every decision we make, big or small, leads us to where we currently reside. That being said, my “stand-out” decisions that ultimately led me here to Colorado (which for me, was totally unplanned!) was when I felt God tell me to sell everything I owned and go on the road for a year-long, cross-country brain injury awareness tour. For a single mom with multiple disabilities, this was a HUGE leap of faith, and one that led me here to Colorado.
We had started in Nashville, TN and drove many miles to get to one of our big stops: Denver, CO. I ended up having a heart attack and multiple pulmonary embolisms (from the increase in altitude). I was in the hospital for over a month, and was told I couldn’t travel for at least a year until my lungs healed. We ended up making Colorado our home.

You have received plenty of awards and recognition. Which award is closest to your heart and why?K: Awards and recognition are always nice. It kind of lets you know that all the sacrifices, difficulties and challenges that you’ve overcome have not been in vain. My absolute favorite type of recognition though are the hand-make cards and letters that I get from my youth audience members! I adore them! Kids speak from the heart, and they don’t hold anything back. Their heartfelt words often keep me going when I come out of remission and face a long journey back to wellness.

Who is your inspiration?K: Honestly, this is going to sound very strange, but my inspiration are my service dog and therapy animals. (I have both an equine and canine therapy program designed to help others through animal-assisted therapy….” Equine Ability Program” and “K9 Ability”). Animals are so pure, so loving and so loyal. They give of themselves freely and joyously, never holding back or judging our shortcomings. They don’t see disability—they only see the person who needs love, and provide that accordingly. These are all traits I strive to emulate in my own life.

What is your favorite place that you would like to visit and why?K: I want to someday finish the “Butterfly Express” brain injury awareness tour we set off on, but didn’t get to complete due to my health emergency. Brain injury is known as the silent epidemic. This is because many survivors are so wrapped up in survival mode each day, there is no way for them to share their story. We contacted survivors from around the world, assigned them a cardboard butterfly and shared their individual stories wherever we went. This gave them, and their families, the voice that had been silenced for so long.

What is your suggestion for families of children with disabilities to empower their children?K: The suggestion to families with children with disabilities is: never give up on your child! Doctors are wonderful, but their training doesn’t take into account a person’s faith and inner strength. Don’t accept the limitations anyone may try to put on your child’s recovery. Seek out things your child CAN do well and build upon that. Allow your child to grow independently of any yard stick or measurement of time and celebrate the little victories; as ultimately, these are huge award-worthy ones.

What tips/advice do you have for those in our community who want to overcome challenges?K: My tips to overcome challenges is book one of my programs! LOL… all kidding aside, overcoming challenges is purely a mental feat; one we have complete control of, but are often not taught this unless we are in a professional sport, corporate America, or in life-altering situations.
Eliminating negative self-talk is key to overcome challenges. You are never going to have positive results with a negative mindset. I promise you that. We program our minds much the way we program our computers. What we put in will be the program that is run. So, if we only program negative self-talk, it’s like we’re programming a virus on our computer. Turning negatives into positives in our minds and speech program what we get out of life in a positive way. Positive self-talk = positive results. The old athlete adage, “Fake it (or faith it) till ya make it” is rooted in truth. You have to continue to speak positivity (even if you don’t believe it yet) until you do. Words are such powerful things! We truly can speak what we want (or don’t want) into existence. We need to ensure that the things we’re speaking, thinking and acting upon are the things we truly want.
Tunnel vision: In order to be a successful jumper rider, one of the first things we’re taught is to envision jumping a clear round, and no matter what happens: keep our eyes on the next fence. If we accidently hit a rail or worry about not getting the correct distance on the fence we just jumped, we end up taking that anxiety to the next fence, and so on and so forth. It becomes a domino effect.
In life, we have to do what we can, with what we currently have and then let it go….keep our eyes on the next obstacle. Tunnel vision to the next challenge knowing that we’ve done all we can, and that what will be will be; trusting ourselves to have the grit and determination needed to overcome what ever stands in our way. We often get so wrapped up in the “what if’s” and “if only’s” of our past that we can’t focus on creating a better future. The past serves as a lesson for our future; not a life sentence. Take the lesson and move on, always keeping your eyes on the next fence.

Any special message for our community?K: Living life with disabilities is hard. I don’t need to tell any of you that. But sometimes when life is hard, we’re given a gift. A gift of learning just how strong we are through the bumpy road we’ve been given to navigate. This is gift we didn’t want, but one we’ve been given nonetheless. What are you going to do with the challenge of disability? Are you going to succumb to it and let it drag you down--or are you going to use it as a stepping stone to make you stronger so that you are able to help others with what you’ve learned on your journey? I challenge you to take the Champion-building journey---to a better you, and those around you! Speak up for those who can’t, stand up for those who can’t, and turn to one another in times of need; because we all have days where we feel like we can’t go on. Knowing that there are others who “get it” and are willing to help lift us up is what this life we’ve been given is all about.