Connect With Us

Kaitlin Pais

https://www.instagram.com/kreationsbykittles/

Chad Williams

https://www.instagram.com/chadwillia1/

Daryl Perry

https://www.instagram.com/daryltperry/

Episode Description

In this episode of the Cerebral Palsy Perspective, Chad Williams and I are joined by Kaitlin Pais for a conversation about cerebral palsy, adaptive fitness, mental health, community, and what it means to keep showing up for yourself.

Kaitlin recently completed a HYROX competition alongside her twin sister, something she once never imagined herself doing. She shares how she went from being able to handle one workout class a week to consistently training four or five days a week, including HYROX specific training.

We talk about how she adapts movements because cerebral palsy affects the entire left side of her body, including using an adaptive grip for lifting and modifying the wall ball portion of HYROX while still completing as much of the competition as possible alongside able bodied athletes.

But this conversation goes much deeper than one race.

Kaitlin opens up about growing up as a twin with cerebral palsy, constantly being compared to her sister, feeling different as a child, navigating anxiety, and learning how those childhood experiences can continue showing up well into adulthood.

She also talks about something many adults with cerebral palsy understand, reaching adulthood and suddenly feeling like the medical system that supported you as a child disappears.

We get into the importance of staying active as we age, finding doctors and treatments that work for us, and learning from other people with cerebral palsy who understand experiences that can be difficult to explain to anyone else.

Kaitlin also shares how starting her Instagram account changed her relationship with cerebral palsy. What began as a way to work on using her left hand eventually became a place to share her journey and connect with other disabled people.

There were times she wanted to stop posting. There were times she felt uncomfortable watching herself on video. There were times anxiety made her question whether she should share something at all.

Then someone would message her and say, “That is exactly how I feel.”

And that reminder kept her going.

One of my favorite parts of this conversation is Kaitlin’s perspective on progress.

You do not have to start by working out five days a week.

Kaitlin started with one.

Then she built from there.

The same idea applies far beyond fitness.

Start somewhere you can succeed. Give yourself something manageable to work toward. Adapt when you need to. Keep showing up.

Kaitlin’s HYROX finish represents something much bigger than finishing a competition.

It represents discovering what becomes possible when you stop measuring yourself against everyone else and start building from your own level.

James Mooney joins us on the Cerebral Palsy Perspective to share his story of growing up with cerebral palsy, navigating major surgeries, building a career, becoming a husband and father, staying active, and developing the mindset that continues to carry him forward.

James takes us back to childhood and talks about the surgeries that shaped his mobility, including a major procedure in fifth grade that involved multiple muscle groups in his legs and required him to essentially learn how to walk again.

But this conversation is about much more than surgeries or physical limitations.

James talks about the importance of attitude, resilience, gratitude, and surrounding yourself with people who remind you what is possible. He shares how cerebral palsy has made him more resourceful, more creative in solving problems, and more willing to work through challenges that other people might never have to think about.

We also get into work, fitness, aging with cerebral palsy, family, and the little everyday tasks that can require far more energy than most people realize.

One of the most powerful parts of the conversation comes when James talks about his family. He shares what it means to have a wife who supports him without hesitation, what parenthood has helped him understand about everything his own parents went through, and a moment with his youngest son that completely changed the way he thought about how his son sees him.

James also talks openly about the importance of movement, going to the gym, challenging himself physically, and doing what he can to stay ahead of some of the changes that can come with cerebral palsy as we get older.

Through all of it, one idea keeps coming back.

Cerebral palsy may shape how we move through the world, but it can also build resilience, problem solving, gratitude, and perspective.

James does not view cerebral palsy as something that prevented him from building the life he wanted. In many ways, he believes it helped make him the person capable of building it.

Connect With Us

James Mooney:

https://www.instagram.com/jamesmooney31/

Chad Williams:

https://www.instagram.com/chadwillia1/

Daryl Perry:

https://www.instagram.com/daryltperry/

In this episode of the Cerebral Palsy Perspective Podcast, Chad Williams and I catch up on everything that has been happening in his world, and there has been a lot.

Chad shares how the second annual Doing Hard Things My Way event continued to grow, including an 89 percent increase in donations, expanded support, a corporate sponsor, and an in-person 5K in Portland with Cerebral Palsy Strong.

What started as an idea a couple of years ago has continued to grow into something that is creating a real impact within the cerebral palsy community.

That leads us into a bigger conversation about taking chances.

Neither of us believes you have to wait until you feel completely confident before trying something. The uncertainty, anxiety, and “what ifs” do not necessarily disappear as something becomes more successful. Sometimes you simply become more comfortable moving forward while those feelings are still there.

We also talk about Chad’s upcoming races, the knee pain he has been navigating for months, and why continuing to advocate for yourself can matter when the first explanation or treatment does not seem to be working.

For both of us, living with cerebral palsy means constantly learning our own bodies, adapting, experimenting, and figuring out what allows us to stay active without feeling like we are constantly fighting ourselves.

Sometimes the answer is simply to try it and see.

Connect with us on Instagram:

Chad Williams:

instagram.com/chadwillia1

Daryl Perry:

instagram.com/daryltperry