Paralympic Medalist Mallory Weggemann on How We Can All Be 'Limitless'

It's no stretch to say that Mallory Weggemann has widened the scope of possibility. A successful competitive swimmer since the age of 7, Weggemann became a paraplegic at 18 when a routine injection for back pain left her paralyzed from the abdomen down. That was January 21, 2008, a date most would view as the end of Weggemann's swimming career. Quite the opposite. Three months later Weggemann plunged back into the pool. Since then she's broken 34 American records and 15 World records. At the London 2012 Games she became a two Paralympic Medalist.The grit that Weggemann has brought to her athletic career has been a constant in her adult life. Every aspect of how she approached her sport had to be recalibrated. Now, with her new memoir, Limitless, Weggemann is moving from displaying her strength in the water to sharing it on the page. 'It's about keeping faith in the bigger picture and in the journey, " she tells me by phone from her Minnesota home, 'to know that regardless of how long we find ourselves on this difficult path, we will find the light." 

A Conversation with Mallory Weggemann

 

In the opening pages of your book you write, 'you, reader, are worthy of all things splendid.” What is layered in these words?

A lot of why I wrote Limitless is rooted in knowing the depths of life. Obviously, my journey is not the same as everyone's, but I do believe we all have our unique journey. We all know heartbreak, we all know adversity, and we all know the depths. With that, we have all had our seasons that have been all-consuming, no matter how positive they are, or how happy of a life we have. We've all seen the other side of that coin. I wanted to say that whoever you are, wherever you find yourself, and whatever it is that you're navigating in your own journey, remember: You are worthy. It's so easy for life to beat us down and tell us that we're not worthy. If we could all remind ourselves of that, think how powerful that sentiment would be. If we looked in the mirror and instead of saying the million things that were wrong with that reflection we said, you are worthy.I don't care if you remember a single thing I did. But If you feel empowered reading the book, that's the golden ticket. 

After your paralysis you reinvented the way you swim, turn, and even take breaths while in the water. How has this changed the way you look at challenges?

Hardship is unavoidable. I don't mean that in a negative way. We cannot control certain aspects of life. I, by all means, didn't sign up for what happened on January 21, 2008. But that was in the deck of cards for me and there was nothing I could do to change that. What I found in moving through it and finding my way forward was that early on I thought to go back. I mentally stayed stuck on wanting to have life the way it was on January 20, 2008, the day before I was injured. I realized that it's not obtainable. You can't go back. But at the same time, I'm better because of January 21. I'm better because I know the depths of heartbreak and trauma and grief.Ultimately, it is my hope that people hear my story in a way that empowers them to sit back and reflect on their own journey. I do believe that if we all can find the strength to honor our truths and honor where we've been and what we've survived and navigated, we will be stronger people for it. We will be better people for it.I find myself sitting back, reflecting, and realizing how grateful I am that I've had to pivot and go back to the little things of how am I going to do the turn or breathe, or put on a pair of pants. How am I going to do this and this? Even in the height of it, there were things I enjoyed about that period of pivoting. I enjoyed finding the creativity to allow myself to reinvent and to adapt and to expand.My perspective totally changed when I was paralyzed. And my perspective changed again in 2014 when I had my arm injury. It will change again at some point in my life. It's not a one-and-done game with hardship and adversity. 

You reflect on things that you took for granted and were suddenly stripped away. What would you like readers to know about having gratitude?

It's interesting: When our world gets flipped upside down, it's not the big things we miss, it's the little things.At the same time, when we go through our daily lives, it's the big things that distract us from enjoying the little things. It's interesting how the two fight each other. As a result of that, I've really worked on forcing myself to slow down. To enjoy the little simple nuances of life. I miss how sand felt between my toes when you're on the beach. I realized that was one of those little things I missed. And in all honesty, and I know this might sound really strange, it's not walking that I miss. It's the feeling of being grounded on the ball of your feet when you stand tall. Or taking a stop out the threshold of your door.  Those little nuances that you don't think twice about in the moment. That's a perspective I could wish for people to have. I would love for someone to read this and think, I don't need to wait for my world to get flipped upside down to let myself slow down, in this moment, and enjoy what's around me versus getting caught up in chasing what's in front of me.There's power to that.

You write that you can change the world but you can't do it alone. How can we find the courage to lean on others and to ask for help?

I am fortunate to have an amazing community around me. I have two loving parents, two phenomenal sisters, a husband who is there unconditionally. I will say that I even struggle, no matter how supportive they all are, in asking for help. That's pride and wanting to be independent. When we're going through difficult seasons in life, we dig our heels into the ground. What I have found with time, especially over the most difficult years, that leaning on other people and allowing them to be your strength when you need it doesn't make you weak. It's the most courageous thing you can do. It's okay to ask for help. That's why we have communities.I look to when I was injured in the hospital. Those walls were all white and sterile. But slowly those walls became filled with color, which came from pictures, flowers, and cards. I looked at that idea and realized that color has surrounded me every day since.When you surround yourself with the right people, they're there for you on every end. Not just in the moment of success; they're there for your depths of hardship. The ultimate goal is to surround yourself with people who are there for you…not for what you can produce, but for you…and let them in. To learn more about Mallory Weggemann visit malloryweggemannusa.com. And order her new book, Limitless: The Power of Hope and Resilience to Overcome Circumstance, HERE.