Health, Disability Representation, and Dance: Alaina Hall's POTS Journey
What is it like to live and perform with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS)? On this episode of YMyHealth Podcast, Co-Host Julie Woon speaks with disabled performer and chronic illness creator Alaina Hall about how POTS affects daily life, mobility, and performance.
Alaina shares her experience of diagnosis and symptom management, the role mobility aids can play, and the emotional challenges of living with an invisible disability. She and Julie also discuss adapting dance and performance, grieving changes in physical ability, listening to the body, and advocating for greater disability visibility and representation in the arts.
🎧Listen to hear Alaina's perspective on living and performing with POTS, adapting to changing abilities, and advocating for disability representation in the arts.
Highlights:
(00:00) Introduction to the Podcast and Guest
(01:10) Understanding POTS and Its Impact
(04:10) Personal Experiences with POTS
(07:24) Managing Energy and Mobility
(10:40) Navigating Daily Life with POTS
(12:31) Explaining Disability to Others
(16:12) Mobility Aids and Their Importance
(19:16) Emotional Aspects of Using Mobility Aids
(22:41) Independence Through Mobility Aids
(23:34) Performing Arts and Disability Representation
(24:03) Adapting Performance: A New Approach to Dance
(30:09) The Importance of Disability Representation in the Arts
(32:25) Grieving Physical Abilities: A Journey of Acceptance
(39:12) Lessons from POTS: Understanding Body Intelligence
(42:29) Embracing Disability Visibility: A New Perspective
(44:44) Practical Tips for Managing POTS Symptoms
Links:
Are you a millennial interested in learning more about healthcare issues specifically related to your generation? Start here: https://www.ymyhealth.com/ and follow us on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/ymyhealth_/
Connect with this episode's guest, Alaina Hall @alaina_potsie on Instagram and on TikTok.
Interested in sponsoring the YMyHealth podcast? We'd love to partner with brands and organizations that align with our mission of providing healthcare education to millennials. Contact us at ymyhealthpodcast@gmail.com for sponsorship opportunities.
Thank You to Our Sponsors**
Dr. Sarah Diekman, Director of Diekman Dysautonomia! If you’d like to learn more about our sponsor and her practice that provides care to patients with POTS and Long COVID, go to https://dysautonomiaexpert.com
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