There have been just a few times during the 199 episodes of my podcast that I’ve wished it was video, so you could see what I see.

Watching Ali Stroker’s joy-filled smile as she talks about living out her dreams is at the top of that list.

But many of you saw that smile already when you watched her hold her Tony Award up high this past June, when she won for her turn as Ado Annie in Oklahoma!.

What’s truly amazing about Ali, is that her smile seemingly never leaves her face, even when she talks about her struggles after the accident that confined her to a wheelchair since the age of two.  That’s right, when most kids are just learning how to walk, she was told she wasn’t going to anymore.

But as you’ll hear in this incredible episode, thanks to a pair of parents cut right out of the “perfect parenting handbook”, she turned that trauma around, and turned it into a ferocious energy, drive and will to succeed, no matter effin’ what.

And guess, what . . . despite having to work harder than most of us . . . it worked.

This is where I’d usually put some bullet points of key points Ali makes during our discussion.

I’m skipping that this week, because everything she says is so inspirational and so important.

Enjoy.

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This week’s #SongWriterOfTheWeek is Carmel Dean. Featuring the song “The BeanStalk” from the musical Renascence and written by Edna St. Vincent Millay and Dick Scanlan. The full album is available on iTunes and Spotify.

This episode is sponsored by Curtain Call! Curtain Call is the platform for all theatre professionals; onstage or backstage, creative or cast, producer or theatre. You can network easily AND look for work. You can view and apply for jobs directly through the platform. Just go to curtaincallonline.com to sign up. They also have an awesome Instagram page – with incredible photography @curtaincall.