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Emily’s notes from this episode:
Dana Liesegang’s inspiration
- My boot camp’s commanding officer said, “If you have a positive attitude and you smile when you do your job, you’re going to go far in the Navy”. I took that attitude into life, in general.
- Your attitude is your luck in life. If you have a positive attitude and you go to work with a smile, and get out of bed with a smile, or being grateful that you woke up this morning, it’s going to take you a long way.
The gifts of her journey
- It’s been a journey of finding myself, finding my own voice, and now I get to help others find their voice.
- It was the worst thing and the greatest gift in my life because it allows me to wake up in the morning and say, how may I serve?
- I truly enjoy life. I don’t see being in a wheelchair as a punishment or suffering. It’s been a gift of finding out who I really am, finding out the true grit of me.
- Had I not made the choice to forgive, I would not have so many amazing people in my life, and the experiences that I’ve had.
A choice to forgive
- Forgiveness liberated me from continuing to break. If I wanted to heal completely, I had to let go of the anger, let go of that hate.
- Make that choice of forgiveness for you. You’re not going to forget, but you can move forward.
- When you forgive, you get to find that love within and then you get to project it forward.
Her realizations
- I’ve had a lot of setbacks along the way, so you have to also look at where you have managed to get. So now I know where I have been. I know that I can get back to that and go beyond.
- If you set your mind to it, if you believe it in your heart, if you feel it in your body, if you know it from the depth of your soul. Nothing is impossible.
- My biggest superpower is leading by example. And staying positive in the face of adversity.
About Dana Liesegang
Dana Liesegang is a small-town girl in Oregon who loves to be outdoors with her dog. She is an author, inspirational speaker, coach, and a self-made expert in Spinal Cord Recovery.
At the age of 18, she joined the Navy and have had a traumatic experience that caused her paralysis from the neck down. The doctors gave no hope for her recovery but she proved them wrong. Her mother said the doctors didn’t know the spirit inside of her.
Despite what happened, Dana is grateful to have discovered her determination and strength within: a gift from the tragedy. She tells about this amazing experience in her book Falling Up: My Wild Ride from Victim to Kick-ass Victory. On her journey, Dana has found the gift to overcome the hate and shame and transform it into healing and forgiveness that has liberated her to be who she is today. She is now committed to inspiring others to find their inner grit and voice.
Dana Liesegang has spoken for adaptive sports organizations, Veterans Hospitals and has been one of the panel speakers of Dr. Wayne Dyer. She said her purpose in life is to be the voice for those who have been a victim of rape and child molestation.
“Many things take our voices away. Maybe there’s someone who told you your voice wasn’t worth hearing. And over time, I’ve realized that my story isn’t mine to keep but to share.” – Dana Liesegang
Her Book:
Falling Up: My Wild Ride from Victim to Kick-ass Victory
How to reach Dana Liesegang
Episode Credits:
- Voiceovers by Jim Sidoti.
