From Addiction and a Stroke to One of the Strongest Adaptive Lifters Alive

She was broken all the way down; then she decided the story was hers to write.

Arlyn Smith returns to the podcast after years away, now one of the strongest female adaptive lifters in the world and fresh off the USPC ParaNationals. Her road here ran through addiction, a stroke, ataxia, and profound battles with her mental health; and the turn came when she stopped letting anyone else define her and claimed her own narrative. This conversation is a masterclass in the Impossible mindset: why you have to hold unruly Faith in your own Potential; why the gift was never the 500-pound squat but the individual it builds; why all pain is relative, so your hardest thing counts as much as anyone's; and why the antidote to the hardship you didn't choose is the hardship you choose, on purpose, on a regular basis.

And a reframe on fear worth the whole episode: stop trying to make fear disappear. Emotion isn't good or bad; it's your humanity speaking. Build peace within it, and aim it at something worth becoming. Nothing you've survived was wasted; it's the proof of what you can survive next.

Make your worldview small; move forward, one manageable task at a time; and foster unruly faith in the impossible version of yourself waiting on the other side of the challenge.

Arlyn's story is shared in her own words; not medical advice. If you're struggling: the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7, and eating-disorder support is available through the National Alliance for Eating Disorders.

Arlyn is now a coach on the Impossible app (NASM CPT, adaptive and Parkinson's specializations); her landing page and our new "Limitations Do Not Exist" apparel are linked below.
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