Off The Beaten Path Season 2- Episode 7 - Monica Pruitt

Sedona Dave sits down with Monica Pruitt to talk about life, adventure, and identity as a blind traveler and athlete. Monica shares her personal journey with hearing aids since childhood, limited peripheral vision, and her reliance on a white cane—along with how she’s built resilience through movement, storytelling, and advocacy.

They dive into Monica’s $10,000 travel grant experience visiting national parks as a blind person, exploring what accessibility actually looks like on the ground—and how parks could better communicate trail difficulty based on terrain rather than pavement. 

Together they explore the deeper side of vision loss: diagnosis, identity, and the pressure society puts on blind people to “stay safe” rather than stay alive.

Monica speaks openly about assistive tech like Aira, the power of asking for help, and why accepting support can be an act of strength. She also shares her experience with aerial acrobatics—how it builds trust, confidence, communication, balance, and body awareness—even with vestibular challenges from Usher syndrome.

This is an episode that was so fun to do I know you will love it! 

More about Monica

Monica Pruitt, 33, was diagnosed with Usher Syndrome Type 2, a rare genetic condition that causes both hearing loss and progressive vision loss at age 29. She’s worn hearing aids since toddlerhood and, with less than 20 degrees of peripheral vision, uses a white cane to navigate her world today. 

Monica grew up in Maryland and earned her B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Though she no longer works in a lab, Monica continues to explore the science of resilience, through social media and circus arts like flying trapeze and acro yoga.

Now based in St. Petersburg, Florida, Monica blends storytelling and movement to spark connection and awareness by highlighting the beauty of inclusion, adventure, and self-trust.  Her experiences since her diagnosis prove that freedom doesn’t come from perfect vision, but from clear purpose.   

Connect with Monica

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bendyblindblonde 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BendyBlindBlonde

Thanks for listening! Off The Beaten Path is brought to you by Dave Epstein and Awarewolf Gear, makers of the All Terrain Cane and the Urban Xplorer. To purchase a cane or find out more visit https://awarewolfgear.com/awghome

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