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
Hilary Pham's "Equibility": Adaptive Style, Real Independence
We sit down with Hilary, founder of Equability, to explore how adaptive alterations turn the clothes you already love into accessible wear that restores independence without sacrificing style. Think magnets hidden behind button plackets, Velcro that disappears into seams, and cropped jacket backs that stay clean over wheels—subtle details that add up to dignity and ease.
Hilary’s spark came from home: watching her mom, who lives with arthritis and carpal tunnel, take longer to dress while refusing to ask for help. The first win wasn’t about sales; it was her mom’s smile when a shirt finally closed with ease. For disabled veterans, older adults, and anyone with limited dexterity, these quiet changes make formal moments and daily routines simpler and more comfortable.
We talk about inclusive design, the power of keeping personal style, and the deeper goal that sits behind every alteration: independence. When you can dress yourself without struggle, you begin your day with confidence—and that changes everything.
If this story resonates, follow the journey, share it with a friend who could use adaptive alterations, and hit subscribe so you never miss a conversation about design that listens.
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 to the Max speedcast.
SPEAKER_00:Live to the Max Don't live it twice. Couple green thumbs on ice cats.
SPEAKER_01:What is up everybody? It is Life to the Max podcast, and we are live at the Abilities Expo in Chicago, Illinois. It is June 22nd, 2025. It's day I'm with someone very special. My neighbor uh at the expo, uh Hillary. And uh she has an amazing company that we're gonna talk about. Hilary, it's thank you for coming on the show. Thanks for having me. So can you explain uh this company that you can need, plus?
SPEAKER_02:Sure. So it's called Equability. We don't make any new clothes. People send their clothes to us and we'll adapt it for them.
SPEAKER_01:Wow.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, so we'll take things like jackets, jeans, button-down shirts, and we'll add magnets, velcro snaps to make them easier to wear.
SPEAKER_01:That is that could help me a lot with like suits and stuff. Because I wear like tuxedos.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, so we've done things like cropping the back of jackets for special clothes because sometimes it can get dirty with wheels. Um or we'll add like magnets to button-down shirts to make them easier. So yeah, we do special occasion clothes all the time.
SPEAKER_01:When did uh you find this company? Sure.
SPEAKER_02:Um, so we're super small still and very uh early in our in our growth. I started it because my mom has a Twice and Kerbal tunnel. So in 2020, I was home a lot. Um, and I just noticed she was taking a lot longer getting dressed. She would never ask us for help. Um, but just watching her like struggle with her jacket, struggle with um button-down shirts. Yeah, so that's kind of how the idea came to be.
SPEAKER_01:And you just went gong like, did you make the clothing yourself?
SPEAKER_02:So we don't make the clothes. Um, people send the clothes to us. Uh, but you know what's really funny? I don't know how to sew. Uh, but my best friend since seventh grade, she went to fashion school, so she knows how to like make patterns and make clothes. So I went to her and I said, Hey, I've noticed that a lot of people are struggling with these things with clothes. Is there anything we can do? Um, so we went to Joanne Fabrics, we got some magnets, we got some clips, figured out what it would look like, and it really just took off from there.
SPEAKER_01:What did it feel like? What did your mom feel when she finally was able to put her clothes on a lot easier?
SPEAKER_02:I think my mom is an extraordinarily independent woman, and she like does not ask for help ever.
SPEAKER_01:Okay.
SPEAKER_02:So I think when she was able to put her own shirt on again, she just like smiled and looked really proud of herself.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. I mean, it's when you have a disability, like that's like the biggest thing. Is when you can do something independently, it's it's the most amazing thing. Absolutely. And I think what you're doing is great. Uh I I didn't know uh I didn't I I I put this wall up for people, so I didn't really know what was going on behind on the other side of the spectrum. Is there like uh any uh hardships you've gone through in the past few years?
SPEAKER_02:Sure, yeah. So we are very, very early stage, so we've only been around for about a year and a half. Um so just getting our name out there has been the biggest thing. And I do think we're a very new concept. Um, so I totally get it that it's hard for like someone to send their favorite pair of jeans to some online company they've never heard of before. Yeah. Um, so I think just doing more in-person expos, doing more social media to get people to trust us with their clothes.
SPEAKER_01:I forgot to ask you what is your company called?
SPEAKER_02:It's called Equability.
SPEAKER_01:Equability, I love that. And I will definitely be sending some clothes to you until I can like retrofit it because there are some like dress clothes, like when I want to go like to like a gala or something, like I have to like put on regular clothes, and it's like or like my military outfit, like it's super hard to put on. Yeah, I'm a disabled vet, by the way.
SPEAKER_02:So perfect, yeah. Yeah, we've done a lot of uniforms actually of like vets who are getting older and can't do buttons. Um, so yeah, that's right up our alley. That'd be great.
SPEAKER_01:That's awesome. Yeah, um I'll make sure we believe equal ability in the comments full. Do you have any uh questions for me?
SPEAKER_02:No, this was awesome. Thank you for having us on.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, absolutely. And uh I just uh want to say I think it's great what you're doing, and it's and don't give up. Okay, like uh it's well I'll try to get Shiny out there, and then other than that, I I hope and wish the best for you.
SPEAKER_02:Thank you. Thank you so much.
SPEAKER_01:Do you have anything you would like to say to the people?
SPEAKER_02:I love how inclusive you are. I love how many people you've invited onto your show, and I think that is really special, so thank you.
SPEAKER_01:Well, thank you. So for everybody listening, if you enjoyed this content, please like and comment and subscribe. And as always, take a breath from it. Thank you so much, Holly. Thank you.
SPEAKER_00:Never really dreaming, try my best to stay focused. I try to keep it cool, are you lames? I head on a swivel, looking out for the locus. I'm hungry, so I was trying to dive my ponies. Am I the next best thing? But I think I'm the closest.