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Kaitlin Pais

https://www.instagram.com/kreationsbykittles/

Chad Williams

https://www.instagram.com/chadwillia1/

Daryl Perry

https://www.instagram.com/daryltperry/

Episode Description

In this episode of the Cerebral Palsy Perspective, Chad Williams and I are joined by Kaitlin Pais for a conversation about cerebral palsy, adaptive fitness, mental health, community, and what it means to keep showing up for yourself.

Kaitlin recently completed a HYROX competition alongside her twin sister, something she once never imagined herself doing. She shares how she went from being able to handle one workout class a week to consistently training four or five days a week, including HYROX specific training.

We talk about how she adapts movements because cerebral palsy affects the entire left side of her body, including using an adaptive grip for lifting and modifying the wall ball portion of HYROX while still completing as much of the competition as possible alongside able bodied athletes.

But this conversation goes much deeper than one race.

Kaitlin opens up about growing up as a twin with cerebral palsy, constantly being compared to her sister, feeling different as a child, navigating anxiety, and learning how those childhood experiences can continue showing up well into adulthood.

She also talks about something many adults with cerebral palsy understand, reaching adulthood and suddenly feeling like the medical system that supported you as a child disappears.

We get into the importance of staying active as we age, finding doctors and treatments that work for us, and learning from other people with cerebral palsy who understand experiences that can be difficult to explain to anyone else.

Kaitlin also shares how starting her Instagram account changed her relationship with cerebral palsy. What began as a way to work on using her left hand eventually became a place to share her journey and connect with other disabled people.

There were times she wanted to stop posting. There were times she felt uncomfortable watching herself on video. There were times anxiety made her question whether she should share something at all.

Then someone would message her and say, “That is exactly how I feel.”

And that reminder kept her going.

One of my favorite parts of this conversation is Kaitlin’s perspective on progress.

You do not have to start by working out five days a week.

Kaitlin started with one.

Then she built from there.

The same idea applies far beyond fitness.

Start somewhere you can succeed. Give yourself something manageable to work toward. Adapt when you need to. Keep showing up.

Kaitlin’s HYROX finish represents something much bigger than finishing a competition.

It represents discovering what becomes possible when you stop measuring yourself against everyone else and start building from your own level.