Manasi Joshi has won 10 gold, 9 silver and 15 bronze medals at level 1 international tournaments. She’s a former World Champion (SL3), an engineer, an Arjuna award winner, Aspen Fellow, and has spoken at Harvard.

As Manasi approaches the Paris Paralympics, she’s feeling “stronger than ever.” That said, she’s pauses to flag HOW she hopes journalists and the media should talk about her, or rather how they shouldn’t. She shares, “I don’t want to be called inspirational because I happen to play the sport with a disability. I want to be called inspirational because I put in the same amount of time and effort and show up every day.” Manasi shares that she’d rather have a short column than pages in a magazine focusing on how she’s an inspiration because of her disability.

She’s more than a headline that pulls at people’s heartstrings: she’s an elite athlete who dominates international tournaments and puts in the blood, sweat and tears to make it to the top.

Anastasia is a 3x World Champion and a 2X Paralympian on a mission to change how people ‘see’ the visually impaired. To truly see them as they are, not stereotypes. When asked to describe a blind person, Anastasia offers that “most people think of a man walking around like a zombie, big dark glasses, and a cane, but that’s not how visual impairment is for me.”

Anastasia is a bubbly, stylish, world-class athlete who many often don’t realize has a disability when briefly looking at her or quickly perusing her Instagram page. As Anastasia shares, “I don’t have to be in that box that you put me in.” And as Anastasia has won medal after medal and gained hundreds thousands of social media followers, she’s proven that she doesn’t fit in any one box.

As Anastasia looks to the future, she focuses on what she can control: herself and how she shows up. She’s extremely intentional about her partners and sponsors saying, “I try to only make sure that I work with people who really stand with what I believe in.” On a daily basis, she focuses on the things she can do, not on what she can’t. She asks herself “what is one thing I can do today that will make me feel and be more successful?” and then she does it!
In today’s conversation, we elevate Anastasia’s work in and out of the pool, and discuss how everyone can be an ally to para athletes.

Growing up, Claire was drawn to creative and artistic pursuits: piano and trumpet, drawing, reading. At 17, her life changed when she started experiencing mobility issues. Two years later she was diagnosed with dystonia, a neurological condition characterized by involuntary muscle contractions and spasms.

Claire found boccia at a local club, and credits Great Britain’s coaches with inviting her to a Talent Event in 2015 that served as a turning point in her career. During this event, Claire was selected to participate in the World Class Programme at Boccia UK, marking a dramatic increase in trainings per week (jumping from 1 to 4).

In Rio 2016, Claire made history becoming the first Boccia athlete from Northern Ireland to compete in the Paralympics. She went on to represent Great Britain in Tokyo2020(1), and becoming World Champion at the 2022 World Championships.

That said, there’s been a lot of ups and downs along the way and she shares about some of the challenges she’s faced as an athlete with dystonia. When we asked Claire what she wished she knew earlier, she was quick to point to the generations before sharing, “people who have already been through this experience are great foundations of knowledge that we can rely on.” She went further, encouraging young athletes to “find your community of people who will help and support you.”

Heading into her third Paralympics, Claire is hoping to “enjoy the experience as then I will play the best that I can.” When we asked her about her legacy and what she wants to be known she shares how “I want to be an inspiration for what I do on the boccia court.”