Adaptive Sports & Beyond: Katherine Beattie’s journey to Team USA

You blow my mind I don't know if you know yet.

Hey, everybody. I'm Amy from Bodyfit by Amy. And this is the be where you are today podcast, where we connect with professionals in the fitness and nutrition space to help you wherever you are in your journey. We also like to connect and chat with many of our own community members here in the Body Fit community and other athletes. And I'm very excited that today I am talking with my good friend and training client, Catherine Beatty. Welcome to the podcast, Katherine.

Thank you. I'm excited to be here.

So Katherine is a TV writer here in Los Angeles. She also is an adaptive athlete in surfing and wcmx and she's super strong. So I always love training with her because she will do whatever I ask. She's always willing to try new things, and that is like a trainer's dream. So thank you for that.

You're welcome.

I just want to start with talking about, like, your strength training journey. When I met you many years ago, I think it was before both kids, right?

Oh, yeah.

Training in my old space, you had already been strength training for years and you were lifting super heavy in the gym and we got to really expound upon that. But I would love to hear just more about your journey of getting into strength training.

Yeah, I think so. I. My twin sister is Sarah, who got you a lot of your original clients, I think. And you were training Sarah and several of your friends. Several of my friends. Your mom, my mom, my friends, moms, everyone I knew, and everybody was, you gotta work out with Amy. And I resisted for a long time because I was like, I already go to the gym five days a week. Like, I don't need. And at the time, like you said, I was really into strength training, lifting pretty heavy. I tend to have, like, an obsessive personality. Yes. And I don't know why I started following these, like, vegan bodybuilders. And obviously when you're vegan, working out and maintaining muscle mass and a proper diet is really important. And so I started following these people and it wasn't like I wanted to be a bodybuilder, but I found with strength training, I got really into the progression of it. I would be hardly able to go to sleep the night before I went to the gym because, like, oh, tomorrow I'm going to do the 35s or whatever. And so I got, like, really hooked on that progression.

And.

And then I've never been a cardio gal. Yeah. Really more strength training. I also have cerebral palsy, which makes cardio difficult just because I get fatigued a lot. And then also I tend to get a lot of overuse injuries, so I haven't found a cardio exercise that has allowed me to stay injury free. So anyway, I just really was, like, hooked on that strength training. And so I was like, I don't need a trainer. I already know what I'm doing. Turns out everybody can benefit from a trainer.

Everybody can.

Yes. So. So we started working together and yeah, that was a long time ago. It was.

I know, it's so crazy. We. I definitely called that time in my training still six degrees of Sarah, because her twin sister Sarah did refer David and Jeannie, who most of our community knows. Jeanne's been on the podcast. They still train with me monthly. And then we, A lot of us did bootcamp together. And yeah, you came in, you were already lifting heavy, super strong. But you were also, I think, at the time, getting into your athlete journey. And we focused a lot on, like, core strength, on core mobility, on things that maybe you weren't doing as much on your own in the gym.

For sure.

Yeah. So I would love to hear more about, like, your journey as an athlete with wcmx. And now you're doing a lot of surfing. Yeah, yeah. Because I think also that world as a para athlete, a lot of us.

Aren'T as familiar, fascinating, and don't know maybe what the kind of things you need to do to train.

Yes.

More athletes. So you want to train like an athlete, but it's a little different. And WC Max is wheelchair motocross, like a play on bmx. So it's anything you would do on a skateboard or a bike, but on a wheelchair. And I just, being from Los Angeles, I, like, grew up in the mid-90s, just obsessed with skateboarding. Like, everyone was here and have always loved action sports, but was obviously no good at them. Even though I thought I was gonna go to the X Games when I was a kid, I was so delusional. But anyway, so I got older and wanted to transition into using a wheelchair just in everyday life. And then I real, like, people were actually, like, taking wheelchairs into skate parks. And it's a. It makes sense. You've got four wheels, so why not? So I got a wheelchair and the first thing I did was go to a skate park. And at the time there was. I was maybe 10 or 12 people like, around the country that were doing this. The sport has grown a lot since then, but back then it was. And it was. This was before you could post videos on Instagram, even. So we would post, like, YouTube videos of us just. I just picked up. Post videos of me, like, falling and be like, help.

I.

Like, I don't know, you had to, like, crowdsource, like, how to do it. Because I didn't know anyone out here who did that sport and stuff. So, yeah, just taught myself. And it was a lot of going to the skate park and falling and getting back up. And it's the same thing on a skateboard. When you're doing a trick, you're gonna fall, and that's a big part of the sport and just learning that. And then as the sport grew, it became a little easier just to train and figure things out with other people. But it's so different from a lot of sports because when you're doing wheelchair sports, you're just pushing all the time. So, yeah, really strong, like, chest and, like, triceps and stuff. But it was like, oh, it started working with you. And it's like you have all these other muscles that could be activating and you're not. So. Yeah. So that when we started working together, yeah, we really did focus a lot on core and those muscles that maybe I'm not using when I'm doing that sport, but because I am using the other ones, like, they were underdeveloped.

Right.

Because I was so focused on what I needed for my sport. So it's less. Make you a better athlete, but let's also balance out your routine so you're just like, a healthier. Yeah.

Getting a lot more pull since you're not doing that as much. And just. Man, I remember watching a lot of your videos at the skate park, and they were hard to watch. And I remember training your mom at the time being like, can you watch those? Because she's just falling and falling. But, yeah, so tough. And you're right. Like, it's the same on the skateboard.

Yeah.

And I have to brag on you a little that Catherine is. Was the first woman to do a wheelchair backflip on a ramp. And there's a video, and it's amazing. It's so fun to watch.

You know what? I. My friend Joe, who you actually know, texted me. He was there when I did the first backflip, and he texted me this morning, and that was 10 years ago today. Oh, my gosh. Happy anniversary. I really rested on that. Laurel. Yeah. Yeah. No, but my mom has always been, like, super down, and I would post videos and she would then text me and be like, oh, that was. So that video that you Hosted was so cool. And then my dad would text me like, you're going to break your neck. Stop doing this. So, yeah, I love that.

Yeah, that was so fun because I remember that was the goal. You posted a lot of videos, I think, of training for that. And it was like, you're going to get this. But that was a lot of what we talked about with working core of when you're in the air, you only have your core to. For landings and things like that. And I think that's the part that the rest of us. Obviously, I'm not going to do a back flip of any kind.

Yeah, no, it's. If you watch the videos. So for me, with my particular disability, I have no idea where my body is in space, especially if I'm upside down.

Yeah.

So it's basically like landing blind. I don't know what's happening. And then there's a lot of videos. Well, you'll see my face, hit my knees. Because my. Like. Like, that's. You really do need to engage that core.

Yeah.

So, yeah, it's so important. And it's. You wouldn't think. You would think all you need to be good at wheelchair sports is strong arms. But it's like everything is connected, and that's like, something. Now I've transitioned more into surfing for various reasons. But, like, with surfing, I'm so now aware of how connected everything in your body is. Like, it's like you doing something with your left hand, but that could be affecting what's happening with your right knee. Just because it's all like a chain.

Yeah.

So it's really important to look at your body, like, holistically. Yeah. Okay. Maybe I'm not using this muscle for this task, but it's still important because that's gonna have a domino effect on the rest of your body.

Yeah, totally. I feel like that's a mistake that a lot of athletes make. I often have trained runners who are only running for a marathon, only running and doing, like, lunges, but not doing any lateral work or things that you're not using in your sport. But you certainly need for overall, having to keep your joints safe and to prevent injuries and things like that. So that's such a good point. But, yeah, it's been so fun to watch. So tell us more about surfing because you competed for the USA team.

Yeah. So surfing is another sport that I've loved since I was Southern California kindergarten, I think. And our friend Viv, who you trained, she and I went to surf camp when we were like, 12 and I was like, it was my dream come true. And. And then the next summer, I had a surgery on my legs. And my parents were very much okay, if she has this surgery, is she going to be able to go to surf camp and skateboard? And that's all that's very important to her. And my doctor said, oh, no. Yes, no problem. It's real easy. The recovery is not hard. And I was never able to get on a board again. Actually, that's a lie. I did get on. I did snowboard like, twice after that, but I got stuck in 3 inches of powder and was like with board sports. So, yeah, so that was an abrupt end to my action sports career. And then actually, through adaptive skateboarding and WC Max, I found this organization called Life Rolls on, which their main thing is they take people with various disabilities, but mostly like spinal cord injury and mobility disabilities, surfing three times a year just to, like, experience getting out into the water. Because for a lot of disabled people, like, even getting to the beach is like, such a huge barrier, right. To experience these sports. So having that experience was just amazing. And so I did Life Rules on for many years. First just surfing on my stomach with someone else on the back of the board and then progressing to. People would push me in. And I was surfing by myself and eventually got my own board and was really into it. And then Covid hit, which kind of derailed my progress. But I had been training with another group in Oceanside called Waves for All. And So this was 2021, I guess, and it was November. And the guy, John, who runs Wave4All, he is a spotter for one of the blind surfers on Team usa. For the blind surfers, they obviously can't see. So they're out there with a sighted person, and the sighted person will tell them, like, okay, there's a wave coming. Paddle, paddle to your left. That kind of thing. So John worked with the team, and he called me up and said, hey, we need, like, another woman on Team usa. I think you can do it. There's no pressure to win a medal. You just need to go out there and it's in three weeks and no freshness. I'm just. I'll just.

Yeah, just do it.

I just say yes to things.

Yeah.

And at the time it was Covid. So we were working remotely. And so I was able to not really tell my job that I was going to Pismo beach for a week. So I joined Team usa, went up to Pismo beach and surfed unassisted. And this is really I would say the first time I like seriously surfed by myself, I was out there alone. I had to catch the waves on my own. I had no idea what I was doing. None. Oh my gosh, zero business being out there. But by some miracle I managed to sneak into the finals and I got a copper medal. There's four medals in surfing, so that's fourth place. Yeah. And so then after that I was just hooked on not only surfing but the camaraderie of being on Team USA and just the whole like kind of adaptive surfing community. And so it then became really important for me to earn my spot on the team after that because I was just a late addition. Yeah. So then yeah, started really training and saying okay, if I'm going to make this team next year, like I want it to be because I'm a decent to good surfer and not just because I'm a woman and I need more points. So yeah, so then, and that was in 2021 and I've been on Team USA ever since. Yeah. And we've had a lot of success. My second year I got a silver medal actually far surpassing anyone's expectations, including my own. The following two years have not gone well. I've surfed terribly. But yeah, we have some team gold medals and silver medals and yeah, it's just you kind of like dream of as a kid like representing your country and like the Olympics or whatever sporting events you're watching but you never think it's gonna actually happen.

Yeah.

So yeah, so just to have the opportunity to be on Team USA has been super, super cool.

I bet. And it's been really fun to watch because I've watched you a few different times. We were able to watch online or on TV and it, I'm not a surfer. I love to swim and I love the ocean. These waves are intense and I like to look at it from a trainer perspective of just. Yeah. The amount of total body strength you have to be fighting against the water. You're not just moving your body through space, you're moving your body against an external force. And what has changed with your training in terms of surfing would you say?

Yeah, so I started working with our coach for team from Team usa. We're working one on one now and she's a professional server herself so she, she like really knows the surf specific.

Yeah.

Things that you need to do. And so for me it's been a lot of focus on the smaller muscles and not exactly like lifting the heaviest thing I can lift because I'm the kind of person who's let me lift the heaviest weight or let me go on the steepest wave and sometimes that's not what you need to do. So it's a lot of cable work and just again, trying to figure out like what we are working on with WCMX even is that core connection.

Yeah.

Because it's so important. And then with having cp, I actually don't have a lot of core control because my legs are so tight that they, anytime I like try to do anything, my legs will just take over. We'll do crunches and I'll be like, I need to hold a weight, I need to, I need some counterbalance and stuff. Yeah, yeah. So it's been still a focus on, on weight training, but more to develop those like paddle muscles and your back and stuff because like, for me and for any surfer, it's about being a strong paddler because not only do you have to paddle onto waves, but like you said, you have to fight currents. And yes, even just getting out to where the waves are breaking can sometimes be a massive challenge. So. Yeah, so it's working on those muscles, it's working on your breathing and it's much more of an endurance sport than I've ever done before because even though it's a 25 minute heat and you're not surfing for 25 minutes, you're constantly moving and you're constantly having to remain calm, not panic, not panic. The ocean can kill you. So, yeah, it's, it's, it's been like a slight shift, I think, but just little modifications here and there. And of course, like what we work on with you a lot is always good form. I think that's paramount. Yeah. So really focusing on those movements and not just powering through them to get, to get to the end of your exercise.

Yeah. And that's the thing, like we, we talk about this a lot. Right. Of you could hold a plank and your legs might take over your quad, your hip flex, your low back because they're stronger muscles and that's true for everybody. But again, I think with your legs and more tightness in general of like, how do we really make sure that you're engaging your core, you're not just holding the plank, you're not just doing the sit up or whatever it is. We're making sure that you're using the muscles that we want to be working that moment.

Yeah. And that's why I think it's like a trainer is so beneficial because even you're watching me do a plank and I could think I'm engaging my core, but you could like, then just tap me and be like over here and just remind like, you're actually not, you're actually not doing what you think you're doing. Like, I'm here to make sure that, that you're staying on point and on task. So that's been, it's been huge for my whole fitness journey, just having support.

That's great. And that's such a good reminder for all of us, myself, trainers included. But I love it. I'm not surprised that you're so successful in these high intensity, like dangerous sports because you have the right personality, like willing and determined and you are going to listen to your body, but you're going to go for it. And I think that's something we all can learn from. But I always love that about you as a client too, because I can be like, nope, let's do this and you'll do it.

Yeah, yeah.

It's, yeah. It's also a matter of just trusting you're the athlete. But we all need help. I'm always telling my kids this when they get frustrated. They're just getting into some sports, like even professional athletes, they all train, they all have coaches, they all are constantly learning and improving and it's just, it never stops. So you're also a tv, right? You've worked on many different shows and say ncis, the New Orleans.

Did you work on one of the other ones? I did just NCIS New Orleans and the Mothership as we call it. The regular.

Yes, the regular one.

Yeah. The og so those written on a kids animated show for pbs and those are as a professional writer. I started my career as an assistant, as so many of us so often do, and did a lot of work for like Showtime and kind of cable shows and stuff.

Yeah.

But yeah, I've been writing now. I think I've joined the writers Guild in 2017. Oh yeah. So, yeah. So almost a day.

I feel like I've been along for a lot of that journey, just like it is. And I think a lot of people outside of Hollywood don't know, like the intensity of just working your way up. And you've totally done that.

It's.

And it's an intense schedule. Right. So I remember being like, maybe something social was happening and Sarah and I were like, katherine, come. And you're like, it's Friday night, I have to finish this, I have to finish this.

Or even when I was an assistant, I'd be like, I can come, but I have to bring My computer?

Yes.

Like work might strike at 11pm on a Friday night, you know. Yeah. So it is. It can be a real grind.

Yeah. So that's the question then. How do you balance that intense schedule with an equally intense schedule of being an athlete?

Yeah, not very well, I think. And as just with your career and kurtz and stuff in this business, you're like expected to live your life when you're not working.

Exactly, yes.

Luckily for the. From the beginning of my surfing career, it was Covid, so we were working remotely. So I snuck away from that. And then that was a kind of a special case where we didn't meet every day, which is very unusual for television. In the beginning, even, like when I was an assistant, it was a lot of hitting the road at five in the morning so I could get to Venice skate Park at 6am and then skate until 8 and then go to work and that kind of stuff. It's harder to do that with surfing because I surf mostly in Orange county, which is not close to where we live and even further from where I work. So when I'm working, I'm more of a weekend warrior. I haven't been working for quite some time now. I quit my job at NCIS last spring, so about a year ago and had a great job in the summer. But it was a short gig.

I think people don't realize that. That a lot of these industry gigs are temporary. Yeah, most of them. And it may be a. It may be a long several months or a few years or it may be like a couple months.

Yeah. That ended in September. And I keep thinking I'm gonna get a job. There was a strike and there was.

A. Yeah, there was a lot going on here in Los Angeles.

Yeah. So while I'm not working, I'm just really focused on using this opportunity to surf and do my sports and stuff. I was actually living at the beach for six weeks in Orange county and because my house burned down in the fires that we had here. But this opportunity to live in Orange county presented itself and to live 15 minutes from where I surface. But while I have this time, I'm leaning into that and enjoying it as much as I can in general. If I can get out like three days a week, it's really. It's nice.

That's awesome.

But I think for anyone in our business, it's very difficult to find that work, life balance. Your work has to be something you're very passionate about to make that many sacrifices for it.

We certainly know enough people living here in la who have sacrificed their health or the job.

Right.

You have to find some sort of balance. And it might be when you're in the writer's room and you have a really intense schedule, it might be just really increasing on the weekend and getting something in during the week. And then when you have a hiatus, you're getting more. I think you've always been really good at prioritizing that, even if it means just adjusting your schedule or. We used. When we used to work out in my here too, we worked out at 6:00am yeah. It was always early because then you would go to work or then you would be off to the beach. And so I think you've done a really good job of managing that. But we living in this town and knowing lots of people in the industry, it's hard. I think this is most people who have jobs. High pressure. Most people have jobs and lives, families and like all of the responsibilities. Yeah.

It's hard to fit in and exercise. But so important, so important for. For everyone's overall health, especially for me, like being disabled. And it's really easy for me to not want to move. And my favorite activity is laying on the couch.

Yeah.

I do that most to my Instagram makes it seem like I'm very active, but I'm pretty sedentary. But because of that, I really try to be intentional about exercise. So for me, it's really important for everyone. Like in creative. We're in this creative job and we're like, using our brains so much, but we're also just sitting all day long. It's funny, like at the start of a room in the summer, everybody's like, fit and we're having a good time and it can be a grind. And there's also a lot of constant access to. To free food and all sitting there, like, racking our brains and eating free food. And so then by the end of the gig, everybody's, I need to get back in. So it's really important to kind of keep that up the whole time. Because you don't want to dig yourself into a hole.

Exactly.

It becomes really difficult to get out. Yes.

And I think a key part for you two is enjoying exercise. Finding like surfing or things that you really. That's what I tell people all the time. Whether it's hiking or pickleball or whatever. Like also finding ways that are more enjoyable to get active.

Yeah.

And more social.

Like.

Like getting to be surf around other people and being at the skate park. That is a big part of it.

Yeah. I think it's about finding that motivator for you. I love picking up new things because I'm really bad at them, and then I can get to see that improvement. And then for me, like, competition is a big driver. And so I think it's. If you don't like running on a treadmill, which I don't, it's. Find that thing that you're going to be able to stick with, even if it's not a conventional method of exercise.

Yeah. And I think it's just also a good example of I would never want you to run on a treadmill. But. But I also would say to someone without CP to be like, if you hate running on a treadmill, let's not do it.

Let's not. But even, like, when I was, like, working at the Ellen DeGeneres show in my 20s, everybody was running, so I used to go on runs because I would have to run across the lot. And I was like, everybody's running, so I should be a runner. And, like, it's very clear that I'm not a runner, but I just felt everybody is. That's what I had to do. So I think it's just. You gotta. Don't really pay attention about what other people are doing and find what it is that works for you.

Yeah.

And whatever you're. Whatever that is that you're gonna be, like, consistent with, because, you know, that's.

What we want, Consistency for the long term.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Okay.

So we've talked about your disability, and I will say, personally, I. One, I've loved training you because it's been fun. I have had one other client with cerebral palsy before when I lived in Chicago, and his limitations were very different than yours. I think everybody is different. Right. Two people are the same. So I've loved, from a training perspective, looking at the tightnesses and the weaknesses and the overcompensation and the underdeveloped. But I also will say on a personal level, I have learned so much for you about how we talk about the disabled community. Even things I've asked you before, like, how do I talk to my kids about it? Because they have these great books and TV shows and things with disabled characters. This little girl has crutches. One's in a wheelchair, and they very much normalize it, which I think is great. But then my kids have questions, and so we're like, how do we talk about it? If my daughter says Catherine's coming, why is she using her crutches and not her wheelchair?

Yeah.

So I would love for you to enlighten our community, because I know it's been really helpful for me on just coming from the community. Like, what. What should we not see? Say, what would you. What do you wish more people knew?

Yes. Like, how much time.

I know, right?

This is a whole nother podcast episode.

Yes.

For. I've always been disabled and. And. But it wasn't until I was in my 20s, probably, that I really started to accept that, because there is a real stigma, again, becoming or being disabled, and especially, like, using mobility devices and that kind of thing. So I would say one thing that I really learned, and I wish that more people would realize, is that disability is a natural part of human diversity, and everyone will become disabled if they live long enough. So it's just. It's part of life. And so it's not. It's not sad. Being disabled. Having a disability itself is not sad. The thing that is possibly sad is the fact that we have to live in this world that doesn't accommodate us. And so it's like when you see a disabled athlete, a disabled person, we don't need your pity. Everybody says, oh, I'm so sorry, but what good does you being sorry do for me at all? Be sorry. Be active in contributing to, like, change. Right. Oh, I'm so sorry that this building is not accessible. Do you maybe you want to call that business and ask them why they're not like, that kind of thing? Like, we can all make those, like, little changes, but I think especially coming from the athlete's perspective, and this is not something that I really keyed into until I started doing sports. But there's this idea of what we call, like, inspiration porn, which is that's basically like those posters that'll have a disabled person. It'll be like, the only disability is a bad attitude. And that's actually not true. And the whole idea of seeing disabled people as an inspiration kind of boils down to, oh, they're so inspiring, because, wow, they're disabled and they left the house. So I see that person as an athlete, as a writer, as a person, and not just, like, somebody to inspire you because you don't have their challenges and because we all have challenges, whether they're physical, mental, and. Yeah. So I think it's just taking a step back and realizing, like, disability that just. It is part of our world and our experience as humans. So get comfortable with it, because if it's not going to happen to you, it's going to happen to somebody. And unfortunately, I think a lot of people don't think about these things until it happens to them, and then that's a really difficult adjustment.

Thank you. That's really helpful because I think people think, oh, we're. We're lifting them up. We're praising people. But it's like, I can be inspired by you as an athlete.

Yeah.

As I would any athlete. And it doesn't have to be about your disability.

Yeah. So often, like, I'll be at a skate park and somebody will come up and be like, so good to see you out here. I'm like, I haven't done anything. I'm like, I'm just sitting here. So, you know, it's like that kind of thing. And. And, yeah. And I am constantly inspired by the athletes on my team. And it's not that, like, we don't do inspirational things, but we're not there to inspire people. We're there to be athletes. And that.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, that's helpful. I think that is just something that a lot of it is just we've grown up in this society that did stigmatize it and make it very different. And I think we can acknowledge it as a thing. And I know you grew up with that, of trying to be normal without acknowledging, oh, this is just who I am.

Yeah. Yeah. It is challenging. I had to quit my job because of a lack of accessibility at my office, which was awful frustrating. But there's. And so obviously I wish I didn't have that experience, but right now, that's part of life. So it's. How do we change people's perspectives and attitudes towards disability so that doesn't happen to more.

And it shouldn't be all on the disabled community to be the ones making the calls, being like, this is not accessible or this is. We all can get involved in that.

Yeah.

Cuz yeah. I think this happens to a lot of moms where all of a sudden we're pushing strollers and we're like, wow, yes. So much of the world is hard to get around with wheels.

Yeah. And you're like, oh, my gosh, I'm at the mall, but the elevator is on the other side of the mall, and I don't want to walk back there. It's like, that's the other thing about accessibility is that it benefits everyone, not just disabled people.

Exactly. Moms with strollers, people who can't climb stairs for another reason. Like it.

Yeah.

Yeah. Good call to action for all of us. And I will, of course, be tagging you and listing your socials and stuff. Katherine is a really good follow for just learning about. All of this has been a. A good place for me, and especially as a parent, again, trying to talk to my kids where we don't ignore it.

Yeah.

We don't make it a bigger thing than it is, that it's just a part of life. And in the same way that we have other differences.

Yeah, I'm sure. And this is. I don't want to get off topic, but I'm sure you have a lot of moms that follow you and dads.

Yes.

Because it's such a huge part of your platform. And I think, like, when you're talking to kids about disability, like, kids are curious and that's fine. But especially for adults, you don't need to go up to a person and ask them what happened to them or why they're disabled. Not only is it not your business, but it doesn't matter. And so it's not. It's not that you can be curious about somebody's disability, but the more, like, appropriate question is, oh, how does this impact you? And how can I keep that in mind so I can make your life easier? My life easier. And the specifics of why they're in that condition or situation aren't important. Doesn't matter, because you never know. I don't mind talking about my disability now, but you never know if you might see somebody in a wheelchair and they're in a wheelchair because they had horrific car accident. And if you go and ask them what happened now, you're forcing them to relive that experience to satisfy your own curiosity. So, again, that's the actual, like, disability is not important. It just boils down to the accessibility and making everybody feel included, which is. We've made strides in my lifetime, but we have a long way to go.

A long way to go. Yeah. Yeah. Thank you for that. We always close the podcast with a segment we called where are you today? Be where you are today. I do it with everybody, and essentially, it's just. We would love to hear from you. Where are you today? You did mention that you lost your house in a fire and you're in the process of rebuilding. So with all of that going on, where are you with your workouts and I guess just with life in general.

Yeah. I won't lie. It's been a challenge. When my house first burned down the day of, I was talking to my uncle, and I'm like, it's just gonna be such a hassle to rebuild it. And I was like. And let me tell you, it's Way more than a hassle. And, yeah, so that's been difficult. I have been consistent in working out. Obviously, I was not consistent right after it happened. And we were even that week. We were trying to get in together and work out because I was like, I know I need to. I just. And, yeah, I've lost about £15 since then, which is. It's such a bummer because you work so hard to put on that muscle mass, especially as women. And as we age, we know that's important.

It's harder and it's harder to do.

Yeah, you can lose it like that. So I'm really trying now to get to focus more on working out and straight training and building back up. I did just move into an apartment with a gym in the complex, which was great. So, yeah, so just working out, working with my surf coach as much as possible. Have some surf competitions coming up. Actually quite a few. I just got back from Australia. We had a competition there.

Amazing.

I have west coast championships next Sunday and then a competition in Hawaii and U.S. nationals in June. All of these are contingent upon me not having a job, which, considering the state of the industry, it seems like I'll probably be attending these. But, yeah, just. Just trying to establish, like, some kind of normal. And. And for me, anytime I'm going through something, like when we met, right around then was when my dad died, very unexpectedly. Unexpectedly.

Yeah.

And I really dove into skateboarding then. I skateboarded almost every day just because it was, like, something I could do where my mind was, like, clear and stuff. And, like, surfing for me is that now I have so many things to do, just administratively and all this stuff with everything. But I can go out in the ocean for two hours and think about nothing else other than trying to stay alive in the ocean, which. Yeah. So just trying to. And now that I have this time and this flexibility, use that to my advantage and. And stay as active as possible.

Amazing. Good luck with that. I love that you get to go to all these fun places and they're clearly. They're all beaches, which is like my happy place.

It's funny, I am not a beach person. I hate the beach. Sand is my nemesis. It's very difficult to walk on or to roll. Yes, I'm wearing a sweatshirt, but I'm very pale, so the sun doesn't like me either. But I have just fallen in love with surfing, so you got to sacrifice to do it. It's true. It's true.

And you wear a wetsuit.

Right.

So that is good. Sun.

Sun protection is important.

Yeah, please.

Yeah.

Can't stress that enough. But especially when you're like on the water and you're there a lot of time. Thank you so much for joining me, Catherine. After this we're going to work out, so get excited.

Can't wait.

I know. And hopefully we can have you back and there's. I'm sure we'll have lots more.

Oh, absolutely. I love to talk, so. I know. Me too. Yeah. Thank you so much for having me. It was super fun. Yeah.

Thanks for being there and thank you all so much for joining us today for the be where you are today podcast. As a reminder, you can find clips of this podcast and any other podcast that we have done on my YouTube channel as well as anywhere else that you get your podcast. I'm Amy, just reminding you to show up, keep moving and be where you are today.