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Not Built for Normal

Not Built for Normal

By: Phoenyx Powell
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Not Built for Normal is for lives that don’t run on default settings, and the people making them work anyway.

This is what happens when you stop pretending everything’s fine and start telling the truth about disabled life, accessible travel, chronic illness, sensory overload, medical side quests, identity shifts, burnout, and trying to exist in a world that still acts shocked when humans have needs.

  • 🫟 We’re talking about the messy parts.
  • 😖 The frustrating parts.
  • 🎁 The parts that don’t fit into neat, inspiring little soundbites wrapped in a bow and shoved into a TED Talk.

Some episodes will feel like a deep exhale. Others might feel a little too real. Both are kind of the point.

Hosted by Phoenyx, an amputee, TBI survivor, travel writer, and disability advocate, this show gets into the reality of rebuilding your life after everything changes.

We’re talking about leaving the house, planning the trip, asking for help, managing your body, protecting your energy, and making backup plans before everything turns into a full side quest.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re rebuilding your life from scratch, trying to travel with needs no one planned for, or just attempting to make it through the day without losing your mind in public, you’re in the right place.

Less inspiration. More real life.

2026 Phoenyx Powell Hygiene & Healthy Living Social Sciences Travel Writing & Commentary
Episodes
  • How a Mom Defied Doctors Expectations and Turned Tragedy Into a Movement of Hope

    How a Mom Defied Doctors Expectations and Turned Tragedy Into a Movement of Hope
    Apr 6 2026

    When life throws the unthinkable at you, what if your response could rewrite what’s possible? Amy Tarpein’s story, and her journey with Elijah’s Baby Bucket List, is a powerful testament to defying doctors’ expectations and designing a life rooted in love, resilience, and community.

    After being told her son Elijah wouldn’t survive past two, Amy chose to show him the world instead of waiting for it to end. Today, Elijah has surpassed those grim predictions, living joyfully and inspiring others along the way.

    In this candid conversation, Amy shares how her diagnosis transformed her perspective, revealing the unbreakable strength that emerges when we decide to thrive amid hardship.

    You’ll discover how she built a movement to make travel accessible for families with complex medical needs, and the practical systems she developed to navigate chaos with organization and community support.

    From her surprising favorite destinations to the accessible adventures on her bucket list, Amy illustrates how choosing joy shapes a meaningful life — even when circumstances feel insurmountable.We break down:

    • How Amy redefines “a good life” through resilience and love
    • The everyday realities and creative hacks of traveling with a medically complex child
    • The powerful mindset shift from grief to gratitude, and how it fuels her mission
    • Her new projects, including an accessible guide to America’s roads and a passport treasure hunt for families
    • Why community and vulnerability are essential to navigating life’s hardest moments

    This episode is perfect for parents facing medical challenges, caregivers seeking inspiration, or anyone ready to reimagine resilience.

    If you believe life’s setbacks are the start of a new chapter, not the end, Amy’s story will move you to choose joy today.Amy Tarpein is the visionary founder of Elijah’s Baby Bucket List, empowering families to embrace adventure regardless of medical complexity, and an advocate for accessibility and community. Her story proves that even in the face of terminal diagnoses, love, laughter, and shared memories create an extraordinary life.

    Get inspired to face your challenges head-on and discover how purposeful living can transform despair into hope. Because no matter what, your story is still being written, so make it unforgettable.
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    21 mins
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