Life to the Max Podcast
Welcome to 'Life to the Max Podcast,' where resilience meets inspiration!
Join us on a transformative journey through the life stories of remarkable individuals, including Quadriplegic Army Veteran Maximilian Gross. In this empowering podcast, we dive into tales of triumph, courage, and the human spirit's unwavering ability to overcome obstacles.
Our show is a celebration of diverse narratives, from awe-inspiring achievements to the darkest of traumas. 'Life to the Max' is a testament to the power of living authentically, no matter the circumstances. We believe that everyone has a unique story worth sharing, and we invite individuals from all walks of life to join us.
Discover the profound meaning of living 'Life to the Max'—a concept that resonates differently with each storyteller. It's a journey of perspective, resilience, and finding joy amidst life's challenges. Tune in to be inspired, motivated, and reminded that there's strength in every story.
Ready to redefine what it means to live life to the fullest? Share your story with us and become a part of this uplifting community. Because, at 'Life to the Max,' every story matters.
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Life to the Max Podcast
"Everyone is a Dancer" says Miss Wheelchair Ohio
The floor hums, the crowd buzzes, and we’re right in the middle of it—broadcasting from the Abilities Expo with Miss Wheelchair Ohio 2025, Alex Martinez. From the moment Alex describes thinking her win was a prank, you feel the shift from title to purpose: turning a crown into a platform that says everyone can dance, and everyone should be seen. We dig into the pageant’s reality—serious interviews, playful prompts, an unscripted on-stage question—and how that weekend revealed the heart of her message.
Alex takes us inside her platform: the therapeutic power of dance for bodies of every kind. Movement becomes a bigger idea—head nods, eye rhythms, shoulder pulses, joystick pivots, and power chair spins that slice through a chorus. Alex’s personal story with spina bifida threads through it all, guided by parents who taught her to do the thing even if it looks different. That mindset meets a rare environment at the Expo where "walkers" are the minority and possibility feels normal.
If you care about representation in dance, theater, or media, this conversation offers practical ways to change the stage: teach by intent instead of limb, build adaptive syllabi, cast disabled dancers in lead roles, and let joy be your on-ramp. You’ll hear spontaneous hallway dance stories, cultural mashups, and the simple truth that a beat can find anyone. Come for the pageant insights, stay for the choreography ideas, and leave with a new definition of movement that honors the body you live in.
Enjoyed the conversation? Follow the show, share this episode with a friend who loves dance or cares about accessibility, and leave a quick review to help others find us.
What's up guys? As you can see, we're not in the studio at home. We're actually at the Abillies Expo in Chicago, and this podcast is gonna be a little different. It's gonna be like a speedcast. The sound is not gonna be as great because of how wide open this space is. But I hope you guys enjoy it. Please enjoy this Life Dynamics speedcast. We are live at the Abilities Expo in Shawbury, Illinois. It is June 22nd, 2025, and today I am here with uh Alex Martinez. Alex Martinez was Miss Wheelchair of Ohio of 2025. Is that correct?
SPEAKER_01:Yes, that's correct.
SPEAKER_02:That's amazing that they're like encouraging that.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02:How did how did you come about that?
SPEAKER_01:So I how did I come about that? That's a very good question. Um, I think in 2021, uh the Miss Wheelchair Ohio of that year came up to me and she was like, you should try out for Miss Ohio, like Miss Wheelchair Ohio. And I was like, oh, sure. And I thought about it for like three years, and then I came upon it on Instagram, and they were like, oh, we're looking for candidates. So I sent in an application and I became a contestant, and yeah, I I won the competition.
SPEAKER_02:What um what are the things you have to do in the competition?
SPEAKER_01:So at the competition, it was a weekend, and we had to give a speech. Um, well, the first day was a two rounds of interviews. And so the interviews ranged from like uh serious questions like what does Miss Ohio mean to you? What uh what is your platform, all that stuff, and then silly questions like if you had a thousand dollars, what would you do? Or like if what's your theme song, something like that. And then the second day was we had to give a speech, um, and uh it was uh what what our platforms are, and my platform specifically is uh the uh therapeutic benefits of dance in uh everybody, like everybody with all abilities. I didn't think anybody can dance. So yeah. And then um we had an on-stage question and that we were not prepared for. They didn't they didn't tell us we were gonna have a question, but um, yeah, and then we there was a crowding ceremony, and then I won.
SPEAKER_02:What did it feel like to win?
SPEAKER_01:It I it honestly it felt like a joke. I thought that I thought I was being pranked. I didn't think I was gonna win. I was like, oh, oh, okay, this is this is real, this is happening. I I asked like five people like over and over again. I'm like, is this a joke? Like I was so shocked, but I was so happy.
SPEAKER_02:I I uh I I couldn't imagine why they should come up with a a Mr. Wheelchair, okay? Because I want to go into that.
SPEAKER_01:I was thinking the exact same thing. There's so many men in wheelchairs who want to like compete for Mr. Oh Mr. Wheelchair. I think that's such a great idea.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. Um one thing I love that you said is that the whole dancing thing. So for me, I dance with my head. You know?
SPEAKER_01:Yes, exactly.
SPEAKER_02:Like and like my nurses always crack up when they see me dancing to certain songs, whether it's like um what's whether it's like Spanish music or lap music or just anything in general, like just I'll be like Yeah, but yeah, I think anybody can be a dancer.
SPEAKER_01:I I've been dancing since I was five years old, and I I've learned adaptive techniques from you know, just like moving your moving your arms, and you can like move your uh eyes to the beat. That's totally dancing. Not anything. It moving your head. Any if you can move your body in any way, you are a dancer. I believe that.
SPEAKER_02:100%. Yeah, I know I actually was uh there was uh Indian wedding, or uh yeah, there was an Indian wedding on Saturday. They were practicing on Friday and they were dancing in the hall, and I was like, Can I get in the middle of this and like dance with you guys? And she was like, sure. So I'm like dancing with them.
SPEAKER_01:Like Yes, totally. I love that. That's amazing.
SPEAKER_02:Um so you're an advocate for us like to like really encourage more people that are disabled to dance.
SPEAKER_01:Yes, I am. I think there needs to be more representation, disability representation in the dance community and in the in uh theaters and you know, in the arts in general. And I growing up, I didn't have a lot of representation for dancers. I did dance with the dancing real school and company, and that was my main source of representation in Ohio. Um but yeah, on TV and on like in on Broadway and anything like that, I didn't have many much representation. So I think there need still today needs to be more representation in dance for people with disabilities.
SPEAKER_02:I agree with you, Harper Berset. I I drive my chair with a joystick, and I and I'm always like moving back and forth with the joystick where I'll like spin like electric spinning while the music's going.
SPEAKER_01:So I also think that um people in manual wheelchairs, there there's some representation, but people uh with uh motorized, what are these called? The yeah, the people with uh motorized wheelchairs, I think there's not enough representation for for that. So people with you know electric electric scooters and wheelchairs like that, they can definitely dance totally.
SPEAKER_02:It's a big question for real. So what happened to you? You have a chorexol.
SPEAKER_01:No, I was actually born with a disability called spina bifida. Okay. And so I I had a essentially like a hole in my back, and my uh nerves were all like messed up when I was born. So uh I had to have surgery like on the day I was born. And I which resulted in uh uh me being paralyzed from the knees down. So I've been I've I've been a wheelchair user since I was three years old. I got my first wheelchair.
SPEAKER_02:So checkered happy.
SPEAKER_01:Thank you. Yeah, I I mean my some from day one, my my parents have always been like, you know, you can do whatever you want, you can pursue dance, you can pursue singing, you know, any anything I desired, they were like, go for it. You you have the ability. You you might look different, it might look different for you, but you you can do it. So I I've always been very confident in my ability to do things.
SPEAKER_02:People can conform, you know. They what I uh love about this uh convention is that like we're not the minority walkers.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, it's nice. Are the minority? Yeah, exactly. I'm like, hello, it's like we're we're the majority here. It's like you you're you're in our world now, you know? It's nice.
SPEAKER_02:100%. Um yeah, no, I I love your energy, and I I've I've met the most amazing people uh during this uh this convention. I love this convention. Is this your first time?
SPEAKER_01:Um, so this is my second time at the Chicago's Ability Expo. I went years ago, like when I was in high school, I think, and this is my first time representing Ohio, and my my first time like being here with such a big name that I'm like talking to everyone and you know making a name for myself, and it it's fun. So I I'm I'm very excited to be here under this platform and all that.
SPEAKER_02:So every for everybody listening out there, don't hate your situation, embrace it. That's what you should do. Definitely 100%, and I agree with you on dancing. I love that your stance on that, and I dance all the time to me.
SPEAKER_01:So yes, everyone is a dancer, everyone can dance. Yes, definitely.
SPEAKER_02:Alex, thank you so much for uh coming on the podcast. Uh uh, I hope to see you next year. Yes, thank you for having me.
SPEAKER_01:Thank you so much. Oh my gosh, it was so much fun.
SPEAKER_02:And uh, for everybody who is listening, if you enjoyed this content, please like, comment, and subscribe. And as always, take a breath from thank you so much. Thank you, Alex.
SPEAKER_00:Thank you. Yeah, as you know the spell of a bow is never really trying to try my best to stay focused. I try to keep it cool, are you lames? I head out the river looking out for the locus. Am I the next best thing?