One Steve Alexy and I definitely didn’t disappear! If anyone has not met Steve, they will , forthwith at the United States Powerlifting Coalition Americas!He is my infinity and my gym partner. Also Para/Masters (CP/M50-54). Former OCB body builder.He’s instructed me in heavy equipment mechanics and one might add: also the best dad to our cats😻🥰 Steve had shoulder surgery about 2 years ago. This guy is a warrior to a T!!!💪🥰🥰💚#cerebralpalsywarrior #AtaxiaAwareness #powerliftingmotivation #ParaPowerlifting #masterspowerlifting #gymcouple #supermanandwonderwoman🥰 #notimpossible
There are moments in life that feel like they should end you—physically, mentally, completely. A body that won’t cooperate. Balance thrown off, strength stripped away, pain settling deep into your bones. Years lost to addiction, to disorder, to battles that leave both your mind and your body exhausted. And then comes the choice: stay down, or rebuild—slowly, painfully, deliberately. Muscles that once weakened begin to fire again. Stability returns one step at a time. Strength is forged rep by rep, day by day. Not all at once. Not perfectly. But relentlessly. Because real strength isn’t just something you feel—it’s something you physically earn through effort, through sweat, through refusing to let your body give up on you—at any age.
So keep going. No matter how slow it feels. No matter how heavy it gets. Because the truth is, you are stronger than you think—both inside and out, no matter when you begin. The same person who survived the worst days is the one capable of rebuilding a powerful body and an unbreakable mind. Every step forward, every lift, every moment you choose to rise again is proof. You don’t need perfect conditions. You don’t need certainty. You need persistence. Keep going until your strength is undeniable—in your mind, in your body, and in the way you carry yourself through the world. #ParaPowerlifting #powerliftingmotivation #masterspowerlifting #strokesurvivorsneverquit #recoverywarrior #powerliftingwomen #TrueStrength #mentalhealthmatters #KeepGoingNeverGiveUp #virginia #eatingDisorderRecovery #ataxiaawareness #notimpossible #weareallwonderwomen @uspc_para@theplatformao@impossible.performance
When life knocks you down, get up.So facts: I am 45, sober 12 years, a cerebellar stroke survivor, have ataxia, dysphasia, suicide survivor.. anorexia and bulimia survivor.You know what else? 4xNASM certs (CES,SFS,Parkinson’s ), heavy equipment mechanic, philosophy major, journalism minor,mental illness peer counselor and advocate, 90s hardcore kid (reference Dillinger Escape Plan and Skinny Puppy) . A cat mom ( to a senior who is an amputee (osteosarcoma) . Wife of @stevethefitone (53) cerebral palsy warrior(also a Master/Para powerlifter, retired OCB bodybuilder, heavy equipment mechanic ).The thing is this: people are multifaceted and generally have much more inside than observed with basic perception . Despite all outward appearances. Strength lies far deeper than assumption,@theplatformao@uspcpara@impossible.performance #notimpossible #masterspowerlifting #parapowerlifting #recoverywarrior #weareallwonderwomen
Without challenging and pursuing that which is perceived impossible: growth can cease. I have ataxia, had a cerebellar stroke at age 23, am 45 years old. And am trying to reach the requirements for Ranger. Scratch that. Not trying. Will. Strength is found at any age. In adaptive athletes. In Masters. In women. In heart . #recoverywarrior #ataxiaawareness #strokesurvivorsneverquit #strongwomen #mastersathlete @impossible.performance@uspc_para@theplatformao
True strength is not what you lift in your hands.
The world sees effort. It never sees the war.
It’s the voice that turns on you when you’re already breaking. It’s the weight of everything you’ve survived pressing down at once. It’s doubt that doesn’t ask permission—it takes ground and calls it truth.
So you take it back.
Not with noise. Not with motivation. With decision.
Because true strength is the refusal to abandon yourself in the middle of the fight.
The platform doesn’t care about your story—but it reveals what you’ve done with it. Every rep is a decision. Every set is a line drawn: stay or quit. And I don’t quit.
The only thing you have to drop is doubt.
Everything else—you carry, you face, you work through.
In its place, you pick up something far heavier and far more powerful: the relentless ability to adapt and overcome—even in situations that look, feel, and are labeled as impossible.
Anyone can act strong when things align.
Real strength is forged when everything misaligns—when your mind fractures, your emotions surge, your body resists, and your past tries to reclaim you—and you still decide:
Not today.
No applause. No validation. No guarantee.
Just you—still standing, still fighting, still choosing.
I didn’t come back to survive.
I came back to be strong. It’s not impossible.
I’m not playing small.Never will again. Not only for myself. For all of the other survivors turned thrivers. For those who don’t believe it is possible for themselves. It is.
I am 45 years old, now. Was a philosophy major and journalism minor before the stroke. At 23, I survived an overdose -and had a cerebellar stroke, paralysis, and years of rebuilding what most people take for granted. Before that: addiction, anorexia, self-destruction, and losing my father to suicide at age 48. Attempted getting a PhD in Psychology. Could not stay on course long enough to complete the required Business degree required as a prerequisite.
I couldn’t stay sober long enough to finish what I started. Until I did.
At 33, I made a decision: live.
Still in a walker, I earned 4 NASM certifications. Kept going. Became a certified mental health peer counselor and advocate. Kept going. Got my AA. Wrote articles for Newsweek International. Contributed to various publications.Even when an MRI showed my cerebellum had atrophied—75% too small. Began a relationship with a man who is also a Para/Master powerlifter, who had just retired from bodybuilding. Relocated to work as a heavy equipment mechanic along with him. Grew both inside and outside.
Now? I’m ranked 8th in the world in deadlift for my class. Challenge myself daily to do or learn something new. Staying complacent leads to stagnation. And that’s not a pleasant place to dwell:stuck. Steve and I will be together for 5 years on Father’s Day of this year. Life contains both beautiful and tragic moments. If we’re not here we don’t get the chance to experience either.
So when someone says something is impossible—I don’t debate it.
I break it.
And I’ve seen too many people sit on strength they’re too afraid to claim. Simply give up.
Don’t be one of them. Keep going. Stay the course. Light the match. Set the world ablaze with fire within. @impossible.performance@theplatformao #parapowerlifting #masterspowerlifting #warriorwomen @uspc_para@uspc.americas #strokesurvivorsneverquit #recoverywarrior
“You are stronger than you believe. You have greater powers than you know” WW
Stroke at 23. Ataxia. Addiction. Years of destruction. Anorexia. Ataxia. Paralysis. Dysphagia. Coma. Now 45. There was nothing glamorous about coming back. It was ugly. Slow. Humbling. Learning to stand. Learning to move. Doing things no one claps for.
That’s where strength is built.
Not on the platform. Not in the spotlight. In the moments where quitting would be easy—and you don’t.
So understand this clearly:
Strength is not something you’re missing.
It’s something you’ve been avoiding.
The same force that pulled me from a walker to a barbell exists in you. You’re not too late. You’re not too broken. You’re not the exception.
You’re the decision.
Decide—and watch what happens
@shira_pop and @theplatformao and my @uspc_para friends and #masters and #adaptiveathlete and #parapowerlifting friends and #thrivingnotsurviving and #recoverywarrior friends @impossible.performance friends and Phoenix: Monsters are on the rise! 💪❤️🔥 Let’s go everyone! USPC Paranationals LFG🔥 @stevethefitone
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MY LOVE @stevethefitone
⸻
“53 years of strength… and I don’t just mean what Steve lifts.
Strength is who he is—at home, in the gym, at work, in every moment no one else sees.
It’s in the way he shows up every single day. The way he carries responsibility without complaint. The way he gives, protects, supports, and keeps moving forward no matter what life puts in front of him.
When I look at Steve, I don’t see any kind of limitations—I see one of the strongest, most courageous, intelligent, handsome, and genuinely incredible human beings I have ever known in my entire life.
There’s a quiet power in him that most people don’t fully understand. Not loud. Not for attention. Just steady. Unshakable.
He does more than anyone realizes… and he does it without needing recognition. But I see it. I feel it. Every single day.
And I don’t say it enough—but I am so grateful for him.
For his strength. His heart. His resilience. His presence in my life.
53 years… and still one of the strongest men I’ve ever known—inside and out.
I love you, Steve.”**
