Valentina or ‘The Lioness’ grew up in Italy as a ‘very competitive child’ with her three sisters and one brother. She describes her heritage as “the perfect mix” of cultures, crediting each of her parents and their respective origins with various parts of who she is today (her Dad is from Italy and her Mom is from the Ivory Coast).

Victoria considers herself a proud “Puerto Rican American.” Having grown up in the Houston, Texas area, she “was considered a Latina,” but then when she went to Puerto Rico, she “was seen as American.” According to Victoria, for some, her personal identity falls in a bit of a “gray area.” In today’s interview, we spotlight Taekwondo superstar Victoria Stambaugh. She talks about her Puerto Rican identity, and strong faith being her guide. Victoria opens up about how she primarily identifies as a child of God and what this means to her. Massive thank you to Victoria for trusting us to elevate her story!

Yip Pin Xiu is a “born and bred city girl’, having grown up in Singapore with her close-knit family flying kites, playing in the sand pool, and at five, getting in the with her brothers. Swimming started as a family activity. Fast forward to 2008, and Pin Xiu became Singapore’s first ever Paralympic gold medalist. She now has 5 Paralympic golds and 5 World Championships. She was the first para-athlete in Singapore’s Sports Hall of Fame (2015) and a proud inductee of the Women’s Hall of Fame (2014). And while Pin Xiu changed the face of sport in Singapore, her impact hasn’t been limited to the pool. Yes, Pin Xiu has all of the honors and titles one can dream of, but she talks more about her commitment to inclusion for all than the medals around her neck. Having grown up in a time when there wasn’t a lot of representation for people with disabilities, Pin Xiu is determined to be a voice people hear and a body people see. According to Pin Xiu, “being disabled does not mean unable. Being disabled does not disqualify me” and she hopes to be a voice not for” just the disabled community, but also the sporting community, women, everyone.”

Zahra Nemati is arguably Iran’s most popular female athlete. While she grew up competing in taekwondo, after a car accident left her legs paralyzed, she decided to pick up a bow and arrow at the age of 21. Zahra’s physical disability allows her to qualify for the Paralympics, but she also was also the first to beat out many able-bodied athletes to additionally qualify for the Iranian Olympic team.

To kick off Season 2, we speak with 2x Russian Paralympian (soon to be 3x), biathlete and wheelchair racer, Akzhana Abdikarmova. She shares what it means to represent the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) and sheds light on the invisibility of disability in Russia, how it has evolved, and how it hasn’t over the past 30 years.

Akzhana grew up with spina bifida and is constantly looking for ways to inspire local youth with disabilities; that’s why she started several Instagram accounts amplifying the experiences of disabled athletes (@Gromova Team and @Gromovateam_junior) . Akzhana says that young para athletes are the individuals who motivate her the most, especially throughout the pandemic when she’s been largely isolated: “I need to be their motivation and their role model. I’m doing this for them.”