Going Viral by Being Real with Brittney Neunzig

Welcome back to Proof It's Possible! In this conversation, Brittney Neunzig shares her inspiring journey as a paraplegic and how she transformed her life from dependency to independence. She discusses the importance of overcoming limiting beliefs, the power of vulnerability in her YouTube content, and her new coaching initiative aimed at helping newly injured individuals navigate their challenges. Brittney emphasizes the need for honest conversations about disability and the potential for a fulfilling life despite obstacles. 

Tune in to discover: 

• How Brittney struggled with her identity and independence after her injury.
• Why limiting beliefs often hold people back from reaching their potential.
• How Brittney's raw and honest discussions about disability have led to success on her YouTube channel. 
• Brittney's approach to coaching and how she empowers others.
  
  

What's a limiting belief that you have overcome? Share your thoughts with us — we’d love to hear! DM us on Instagram @dayle_sheehan_designs & @jamiedfrancis! See you next time!

This episode is sponsored by our Ultimate Girls Trip! Be sure to go to www.proofitspossible.com for more info.

Connect with Brittney: 

Website 

Youtube

Instagram 

For More Information:
• Proof It's Possible Website
• The Ultimate Girls Trip Instagram

Dayle:
• Instagram
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Website
• Interior Design

Jamie:
• Instagram
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Website

Transcript

Dayle (00:30)
Hi, welcome back to Proof It's Possible. We're so happy that you guys are here. Today we have a very special guest. It is Brittney Neunzig from the viral YouTube channel Empowered Para. And so Brittney, we love that you're here because A, we don't know anybody else that's ever had like millions of views on their YouTube. So that's very cool. But why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Jamie (00:36)
Thanks. ⁓

Dayle (00:58)
and let the listeners get to know you.

Brittney (01:01)
Sure, thanks for having me. Well, my name is Brittney and I am a paraplegic. I was hurt in an accident when I was 13 and I really struggled with life in a wheelchair and I wasn't like depressed or suicidal or any of the things that some people go through when they get paralyzed. I just was sort of stuck. I didn't really know how to be in a wheelchair and I didn't really know anybody that was in a wheelchair that could teach me from a spinal cord injury perspective. And so I just kind of like

floundered for a number of years and settled I guess for things that I thought were really safe. My mom helping me with my personal care and not really learning how to do anything independently and eventually that got really, the comfort of it got really uncomfortable and it got really embarrassing and shameful the older I got because I was 13 when I was hurt and

Jamie (01:52)
I was just

about to say like it is the world's most awkward time for every 13 year old. Like you're just like unsure of your body naturally because it's going through changes and you're like you know embarrassed about your period and all the things that are kind of happening in that time frame you're like this is the most mortifying I'm the only woman on earth that this has ever happened to. That's how I felt anyways. So I can't imagine adding like injury to it where you're exposed to like you know exposed I mean that in the kindest way but like

Brittney (02:01)
Yeah.

Yeah.

Jamie (02:21)
You you have to like let your mom see your privates and like things at 13 would have just, you know, I wouldn't have been able to handle.

Brittney (02:24)
Yeah.

And for some reason that felt safer. And as an adult looking back, being like, know, having my mom, like I had to use catheters. So having my mom do that multiple times a day is more embarrassing in hindsight than just figuring out how to do it myself. And so I don't really know where I was in my head space other than I just was ignoring the half of my body that I couldn't feel. I'm like, yeah, my mom is...

putting a catheter up my pee hole and I can't feel it so it's not happening kind of thing. So I was really just like in denial, serious denial. And then when I got old enough to move out of the house, I was like, shit, like this stuff's really happening and I don't have my mom to come to university with me. So I just kind of went through all the motions like every other person in high school was doing. And I just was like, I don't know what I'm gonna do when I move out of the house because I can't pee or poop on my own. And eventually I did move out of the house and my mom was like, okay, well I'll move in with you for a month.

And then you're going to figure it out. And so in that month, I met a bunch of people in wheelchairs because I moved to the city and there was more people in wheelchairs than where I lived. And one of them specifically, her name is Margaret and I credit her for changing my life. She was like, she's a quadriplegic, so she has less abilities than me. And she was vastly more independent. And she, I always say she called me pathetic, but she didn't, but she kind of did. She was just like, you are wasting your abilities. And

Jamie (03:47)
you

Dayle (03:48)
Hmm.

Brittney (03:52)
Like I wish I had the amount of hand dexterity that you have, so just shut up and let's get it done. And I was like, wow. And so I believed her. was like, she's been in a wheelchair for a really long time. Look at all the things she's doing. She has a job, she went to university, she's getting a master's degree. She can pee on her own. Like I was just so, it was amazing to me to see. And so after that, it was just like one of those things, limiting belief. And then the limiting belief was like blown up entirely.

And within one month, I went from being totally dependent on my mom to doing everything myself, starting university. And it was just crazy how, you know, really your mind is the thing that holds you back all of the time. Not most of the time, almost all of the time. There are circumstances for sure that can make it harder to overcome those limiting beliefs, but it's always some sort of limiting belief that you're allowing to just keep the ceiling where it is.

Dayle (04:32)
for us.

Jamie (04:32)
Thank you.

Brittney (04:44)
So that's kind of how I started. And then, you know, I went to university, I met my husband, I had two kids, which was really scary. Figured out how to be a mom in a wheelchair, got a teaching degree, started teaching, doing all of these things that I was like, wow, I'm kind of badass. then I was like, I feel like I should teach people because there's probably a lot of people who are sitting there very pathetic like I was and, you know, not knowing that they have so much potential. So I started a YouTube channel and just started being really

raw and honest about where I started and where I am now and people seem to like it. So you know, we start talking about poop and pee on the internet. Enough weirdos are going to watch that the algorithm picks it up.

Dayle (05:17)
Yeah.

Jamie (05:23)
No, when we were at our ultimate girls trip and you were there, someone posted a picture with you and that the person's friend saw the picture and was like, hey, I'm a physiotherapist and I always refer my patients, my clients to this girl's YouTube. How do you know her? So like you're more famous than you're giving yourself credit for. It's not just the weirdos looking, it's the people in the exact same situation as you that are like, I wonder what it's like to change a catheter. I wonder what it's like.

Dayle (05:31)
Thank

So.

Jamie (05:50)
to have sex, I wonder what it's like to do all these things that you're all, everyone's wondering about because their life has changed in the blink of an eye and there aren't positive role models or there aren't role models at all to mimic the changes that are about to happen or show you how to do it, the how-to kind of guide or videos to do all that. So I think it's really, really cool and I give you all the credit in the world because you're talking about some very seriously like touchy subjects.

Brittney (05:51)
Yeah.

Yeah.

Jamie (06:18)
We had a good laugh about like, you know, the Sex Positions YouTube video. Like, how does your dad feel about that one? And how you had to like give a little disclaimer to the parents where you're like, please don't watch. We don't want you watching.

Dayle (06:18)
Yeah.

video.

Brittney (06:29)
Yeah.

I struggle a lot with my mom and dad and my children, because I'm like, you know, I really want to help this community that is really underserved in terms of the amount of really good information from a like a life experience perspective. There's like medical stuff out there, but it's so dry and terrible. And I don't want anybody to think life, even though it's challenging, is dreary because there it's it's

It's everything but dreary. Like you can have the most interesting life with a disability as long as you have the right perspective. And so I just started talking about all of these really uncomfortable things. you know, occasionally your son's friends find the sex positions video and make fun of him for it. But luckily I have very awesome understanding kids and they could care less. They're like, that's gross. My mom's gross sometimes, but whatever, don't watch that. And they just kind of move on from it.

Dayle (07:21)
Yeah. ⁓

wouldn't you say that your like being vulnerable is sort of the key to your success? Like realistically opening that door is has been your superpower. It's been the difference between like you said, sort of dryly talking about like when you're in a wheelchair, you're going to need a cushion. When you're this, you're going to need that. You know, you're like, so I peed my pants today on a airplane or whatever.

Brittney (07:42)
Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah.

Dayle (07:48)
That's what gets people watching is you telling the real story, the real embarrassing thing, the real hard thing. And that vulnerability has been truly the difference between a YouTube channel that gets no views and a YouTube channel that's got millions of views. And what kind of, what prepared you to do that? Like, what was the like day that did you build up where you're like, I'm just going to start with one little topic that's kind of risque and then.

Brittney (07:50)
Yeah.

Dayle (08:15)
Next thing you know, you go to sex video on the online or what do get?

Brittney (08:17)
Yeah, I think

I did definitely build up to it because at first I was really uncomfortable talking about certain personal things like how much can I feel below my level of injury and like all of that stuff because I got very it was mostly questions. I would put something out on the internet and then people would ask specific questions like can you feel your genitals and I would be like, hmm, how do I how do I say that? Should I talk about that? So then I would try and find ways around like I can't feel

Dayle (08:41)
Yeah.

Brittney (08:43)
anything below my level of injury. And then it was just weird. I'm like, this is weird. It's so much harder to just try and like skirt around the truth than to just say the thing. And the more truth I gave, the more people were emailing me and being like, my God, I'm dealing with this exact same thing. And you're the only video that came up when I wanted to Google this. And I guess that's what keeps you going is like when you get feedback from people that it's directly helping them, then you're like, I don't care.

Dayle (08:54)
for sure.

Brittney (09:11)
I don't care who is uncomfortable with this. I'm going to say these things because somebody is really wondering about it and struggling and doesn't have anybody to ask. but I definitely had to work up to it, especially with like specific things that involved Joe, like my husband, because we weren't just like, we're going to do a sex physicians video on the internet. That's, that's our goal. it was like, would you do this? Is it weird? And he's like, yeah, it's totally weird. I hope none of my employers watch it, but let's go for it kind of thing. So, yeah.

Dayle (09:13)
Totally.

Right.

Yeah, exactly.

For sure. I, yeah, like I can't even imagine, um, all the trickle effect. you initially you think your mom and dad and your kids, but it's like exactly who thought of your husband's employer, but he did because he has to face him every day after he made the video.

Brittney (09:56)
Yeah.

That's one thing about being on the internet that I think people you you think more people from your own life are going to see your stuff than they actually do. Like it's it's only really relevant to the people that it's relevant to. And, you know, your uncles and aunts aren't just watching, you know, how to find your pee hole with a catheter video for nobody's watching that that you really care about other than the people that need to know that information, because it's it's not relevant to most people. So exactly.

Dayle (10:11)
for sure.

Yeah, exactly.

their life exactly and they're not going to take

the 30 minutes or 45 minutes to actually ⁓ watch the whole thing. ⁓ So fast forward to now, you're building a new division of this business. It's no longer just a YouTube channel and a podcast. is you're working towards and already doing.

Brittney (10:28)
Yeah.

Yeah, exactly.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Dayle (10:46)
Basically coaching for people that one-to-one coaching for people that are newly injured and what can you tell us a little bit about that and like why is that important to you?

Brittney (10:52)
Mm-hmm.

So ultimately what people need is guidance when they're paralyzed because you've never been paralyzed before. And there's very few people that have gone through this experience. And even though you have a lots of people have a really great support system, mom and dad, know, husband, kids, whatever, they've never been paralyzed before either. So they're just as confused and nobody really knows what to do, the questions to ask to help you guide your own journey through this traumatic time. And so

I just want to help people do that. I want to help people answer some questions that are going to help them figure out what is the most important thing to focus on right now? Should I spend my money on this? Should I spend my time on this? How do I get back to the things that I love without focusing on, you know, bowel and bladder and all the things that seem so overwhelming? And I just want to be able to use the experiences that I've had and, you know, the mistakes that I've made to make other people's way

smoother than mine was. that's why coaching is so important to me. And there's nobody else doing it. Like there's no rehab coach out there. So I figure why not be the first?

Dayle (11:55)
Well, exactly. Truthfully, there's

not enough qualified people that have the interest in doing it and being so vulnerable. So I think that that's part of what's amazing about it is that it's not a career that anyone can pick up. know, I, they always say that like, what start the business or the service that your former self needed. And this is exactly that, right? It's doing that in a nutshell and

Brittney (12:02)
Exactly.

No.

Yeah.

Dayle (12:22)
I feel like it's such a gift to the world and to everybody that does need this kind of guidance to offer it. I think that anyone that hires you is so lucky because what would you have done to have you who, and what's great about you too is the success story of it. You're not there to be like, your life is going downhill from here. This is the worst. You're gonna be, you

Brittney (12:38)
Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Dayle (12:45)
sad forever, you're always going to feel like you're missing out on everything that's fun. You know, just buckle up for the terribleness of it. You're going to live in poverty, like all of the things that can come with and like statistically are one side of this story. And you and I, as both wheelchair users are not that statistic. We both have decided like, we're not going to do our lives like that. We're still going to find joy. We're still going to be happy. We're still going to have careers. We're still going to, you know,

Brittney (12:53)
Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Dayle (13:13)
make money and travel to our families and do things that matter to us. that is who somebody who's 13 or 15 or 20 or 25 or 50 when they are injured need to hear. They need to hear there's like positive life experiences outside of the day that it all happened. ⁓ Where can people find you?

Brittney (13:25)
Yeah.

Yeah.

Empowered Para everywhere. I'm really mostly active on YouTube. I love long form content because obviously with the kind of content that I create, it's hard to make little snippets of things that people will find valuable. So I love long form content. It's just a better way for me to engage with the audience. Just ask valuable questions in the comments and stuff. So find me there most of the time. But I do occasionally post on Instagram and I obviously am checking like my DMs and stuff like that. I just don't post all the time there.

So Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube all the same. And then my email is the same too, empoweredpara@gmail.com. So yeah.

Dayle (14:12)
And so

if somebody wants to work with you, because I know your coaching is not totally on the site yet or whatever, but you are actively doing it, they can DM you or email you. Is that the best?

Brittney (14:17)
Yeah.

Yep, they can

email me or DM me and just ask about my coaching and I'll give them all the details.

Dayle (14:27)
Amazing. Well, thank you so much for being here. We're so proud of you. And we're just so happy that you're putting your brilliance out into the world for the people that need it, because I think that you're truly changing the world. like anyone who gets to coach reviews, very lucky, anybody that is watching your YouTube channel and getting value out of it, including me, like there's been times where you're like, do you have the right seat cushion or something? And I'm like, I don't think so.

And so I'm watching, you know, I'm like, I need to know, I really need to know. So the amazing things that you're just like educating people on are very, very fascinating, interesting. You do it in a fun way that I think is why your content goes viral and why you get so many views. yeah.

Brittney (15:10)
Well, thank you so much for having me on and thank you so much for being a role model for me because you've always been one of the people that I look up to the most in terms of how your mindset can really affect your circumstances and your outlook on life. yeah, thank you for having me.

Dayle (15:24)
Thank you.

Have a great day, everybody. Thanks for listening.