From Tragedy to Triumph with Noelle Lambert | Beyond the Shades Ep. 1

What happens when your entire future changes in an instant?

In the debut episode of Beyond the Shades, Shady Rays founder Chris Ratterman sits down with Paralympian, motivational speaker, and Survivor contestant Noelle Lambert-Beirne to discuss one of the most inspiring comeback stories you'll ever hear.

After a devastating moped accident resulted in the loss of her leg while she was a collegiate athlete, Noelle faced a choice: allow tragedy to define her or create a new path forward. She chose the latter. Today, she is a Paralympic track and field athlete, founder of the Born to Run Foundation, accomplished speaker, and fan-favorite competitor from Survivor 43.

Chris and Noelle discuss resilience, overcoming adversity, competing at the highest level, the lessons learned from Survivor, and how maintaining the right mindset can help anyone navigate life's toughest challenges.

This is a conversation about grit, perseverance, and discovering what's possible when you refuse to let obstacles define your future.

#BeyondTheShades #NoelleLambert #Paralympics #Survivor43 #ShadyRays

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:02

Living a life of adventure is about going for it. Not just living life, but pushing it with a purpose. I'm Chris Radderman, founder and CEO of Shady Ray Sunglasses. And in this podcast, Beyond the Shades, we let you see life through the lens of extraordinary people and the stories that shape it. Let's get into it. We're excited to have Noelle Lambert here today. She is a Division I lacrosse player. She is a Paralympian bronze medalist. And we'll get to talk a little bit about Survivor today because uh because she you might, if you're a watcher, have seen her there. So, Noelle, thank you so much for joining me. Thank you so much for having me. Excited to be here. It's an amazing story you have of grit, perseverance. I know you are a fierce competitor. And fun fact, you hail from New Hampshire, which happens to be one of the very top states. I think it's actually number one in terms of Shady Ray's sales per capita in the population. So um Oh my god, I love that.

SPEAKER_00 1:05

I love that. I'm gonna take credit for that. I'm just kidding, no.

SPEAKER_01 1:08

Yes, you are the lightning rod for success in New Hampshire. But um, but maybe if you could start, give us a little bit of your backstory, um, what got you to where you are today, and tell everybody a little about yourself.

SPEAKER_00 1:22

Absolutely, yeah. So I grew up um a great athlete. I have three older brothers, incredible parents. And so that really is what drew me to fall in love with being an athlete and having that competitive spirit. It really was the only thing that came naturally to me. Um, and it was the only thing that got me excited when I was when I was in school, was I was always looking forward to the end of the day. So I could head to whatever practice it was with whatever sport. And I earned myself a Division I scholarship to play lacrosse at UMass Lowell. And after my freshman year, I was involved in a moped accident that caused me to lose my left leg above the knee. And I just had this mindset very early on in the beginning that I didn't want to let this accident define who I was. And luckily, the community that was behind me, they were helping me through everything, all the difficult times and the difficult moments. And I just knew that this wasn't going to be the rest of my story. So I ended up working my way back on the lacrosse field, becoming the first above-the-knee amputee to ever play collegiate collegiate lacrosse. And then when I graduated, is when I transitioned to track and field, never competed in an individual sport in my life. I hated running, but I thought, you know what, this could be an incredible opportunity to represent my country, to see if this is something I could make a career out of. And I had pretty, pretty early success. Um, and I always credit that to, you know, my teammates that I had in lacrosse. Every single time we did a run test, you know, it got very competitive. And I always wanted to try to keep up with them. And I think just my competitive mindset really helped me transition to the sport of track and field. And that doesn't mean it came easy. I mean, obviously, I was I was very new at a brand new sport, competing alongside, you know, the best athletes in the world for my classification group, above the knee amputees. Um, and so every season I look at it as just an opportunity to grow and get better. I've been to two Paralympic Games, um, two or three world championships. It's kind of spacing in my head right now. And yeah, I mean, I always just have that mindset of just I'm always looking towards that next best thing. I'm always looking towards that gold medal. And that's why I I don't think I'll ever retire until I get that gold medal. So now we are currently training for LA 2028. Um, but I'm also 28 weeks pregnant right now. So taking a little bit of a, I don't even want to say step back in my training. I'm still, I'm still training throughout this whole pregnancy. Um, just for the mental standpoint of, you know, keeping sane. Um, but yeah, we have we have our mindset on LA and uh and bringing home a gold medal.

SPEAKER_01 3:59

You have a little bit on your plate right now, it sounds like.

SPEAKER_00 4:03

Yeah, you know, I mean, luckily I have an incredible husband that takes care of literally everything else um that I need him to do. And so I just need to show up every day in the gym or the track. Just, I mean, I'm not trying to break any PRs, I'm not trying to hit any um highs in the weight room. I'm just trying to maintain everything because, you know, we do have world championships in 2027, and I need to be ready for that. But um, I think the thing I'm focusing on most right now is just keeping my body healthy and putting my putting giving my body the best that I can for my uh baby girl that I will be giving birth to in July. So very exciting. Also, you know, just tons of what ifs and things that we're gonna have to learn along the way. But luckily, I do have an incredible community behind me, incredible family that can that can get uh get us to where we need to.

SPEAKER_01 4:53

Well, congratulations on on the baby coming soon. Thank you. Such an amazing blessing. So it was fascinating to hear how you shifted to track and field. Is it true that that you started from from zero on on track and field? You had not done that at all prior to ending up wanting to compete at a high level.

SPEAKER_00 5:13

Yeah, I never came out of the starting blocks, especially with two legs. So it was right when I graduated college, is when I transitioned, and I didn't even have a track coach. I was honestly just showing up at the at the track and trying to Google above the knee APTs, kind of coming out of starting blocks. And, you know, I wasn't really getting a lot of success with that. And so I just showed up for my very first race. But in my first race, I was able to beat the reigning national champion and hit the qualifying times to be a part of the US Paralympic national track and field team. And again, always credit that to my teammates because I was running alongside people with two legs the two years prior to that. So that was preparing me for this one race. Um, you know, I didn't it didn't look pretty. I didn't have the best running form, you know, compared to everything that I've learned now and what I can bring to the table. It's it's it's crazy how much um how much it's changed, but that just comes with coaching.

SPEAKER_01 6:05

What did your training regimen look like to be able to have success that quickly in track and field?

SPEAKER_00 6:10

I mean, luckily I was uh coming off of a division one sport, and you know, that can be very demanding with uh the training schedule. I mean, we had 6 a.m. lifts and practice every and every single day. We had lifts three times a week. So that prepared me into realizing the work ethic that I needed to have to be successful in the sport. So I was just, I mean, early on, I was working with uh my personal trainer who I literally was working with. Um, you know, the summer I lost my leg, she was, you know, the person that really taught me how to run, like taught me how to uh start my footwork, get back in the weight room. So we were kind of learning as we went. She didn't really know a lot about track and field either. She's mostly um a lacrosse and field hockey uh background. So we were just showing up and trying to figure it out. But I think um, you know, every single day I just showed up and I tried to be better than I was the day, the day before. I tried to get comfortable, but again, I had no expectations. It wasn't until after my first track meet that I finally found a coach in Boston. And so I was commuting back and forth every single day. And that's really when I started understanding and realizing, you know, the running form and how important it is with sprinting mechanics. And um, I had another mentor, she's a below-the-knee amputee, Famita and Beku. She took me under her wing and introduced me to the sport. So I was learning so much from her because she's a two-time Paralympian. So I was just doing whatever she did. Um, and lifting was like three, four times a week on top of practice, and you know, with one or two days recovery. So it was just something that I was already used to, luckily, with uh competing in college. But, you know, that's just it it helped me along the way just having that support from um from my coach in Boston and my teammate Famita.

SPEAKER_01 7:59

You seem to show so much strength with seeming ease as you've you've continued on your journey. Take me through some of the highs and lows that you experienced and the different ways that you needed to think about your mindset going forward after your accident and and and transitioning into track and field.

SPEAKER_00 8:21

Yeah, I mean, I would say, you know, during my lacrosse days and trying to work my way back on the field. Luckily, I had an incredible assistant coach, Carly O'Connell, who took the time and the energy every single day with me. I mean, we would we would work out before and after practice, working on footwork drills. And so that's really when I struggled a lot because, you know, what I realized is that I'm going to have to fail tons of times before I'm gonna actually be able to accomplish something. And I just needed to continue to show up every single day. But I think the most difficult part for me was I was never that type of person to rely on others. You know, I want to do everything on my own. I had that tough, tough mindset of never wanting to ask for help because, you know, I never wanted the pity, especially after my accident. I never wanted people looking at me as if, you know, I had a disability or them feeling sorry for me. But I was so lucky that I had teammates and coaches, you know, never letting me use my disability as an excuse or a reason to quit. Um, and so that's really in those, in those couple years after my accident, that's really when I figured out um, you know, not only the physical side of it, but how important mental health is and how important mentally you have to be, you you have to be willing to want something and you can't just show up and go through the motions or you're not going to be able to accomplish something. And so transitioning to track and field, you know, a lot of people argue and say track and field is, you know, mostly mental. You know, it's it's a physical, so it's physical, but I mean, if you're not mentally locked in, it can it can be a detriment to your game. So I already had that mental toughness from trying to return to play lacrosse and I was trying to transition it to track and field. But what I was struggling with was having, you know, it being an individual sport and having all the pressure be on me was something that I wasn't comfortable with and I wasn't used to. So it was just really showing up and realizing that you have to be okay with failure and you have to use failure as fuel to help drive you and to help motivate you to show up the next day and want to be better than you were the day before. And I really, I, I really give that all to, you know, the community that you have around you, the coaches you have around you, the strength coaches you have around you. They're really, you know, the people that make or break your game. And they're really the people that help you believe in yourself on those tough days and they get you through those tough days because they're showing up every single day just like you are. So luckily, I had an incredible team behind me. And it just came with the learning curve and it just came with, you know what? Be, I mean, showing up and realizing that I'm gonna fall on the track, I'm gonna trip, but just keep picking myself up, especially if this is something that I want and something that I want to fight for, then I have to realize that, you know, when you when you achieve great things, it's failure is going to come, but it's failure I don't I don't view as a bad thing. I feel I feel like it shapes a person.

SPEAKER_01 11:21

So, how would you describe your purpose in life now and what your goals ultimately are?

SPEAKER_00 11:28

I think my purpose in life, you know, it changes all the time, of course. You know, now that I'm becoming a mother, I think my purpose purpose in life is to, you know, set that um great example for my for my daughter and any future kids that I have. But I think the purpose that I always have wanted, have have wanted to have, um, especially after losing my leg, is just being there and being that positive outlook for the disabled community, for people who are going through difficult times, difficult moments. If I can overcome my amputation, my accident, and still live out the life that I want and do things with my life now that I could have never imagined before my accident with two legs, and 100% so can anybody else. So I just want to be that positive, uh, positive outlook for, you know, not only the disabled community, but everybody else in this world going through a difficult uh difficult time that can take something out of my story that can kind of help them go through a difficult time or a difficult moment. I think that's always been something that I've been passionate about, especially after, you know, returning to play lacrosse and continuing to play uh or compete in track and field. I just I want to show amputees out there that if I can do it, then 100% so can anybody else.

SPEAKER_01 12:42

And you have a foundation that's helping support work in that area too. Tell us a little bit about that.

SPEAKER_00 12:48

Yeah, I started the Born to Run Foundation with the help of my incredible family back in 2018, I believe. I was, you know, going through my senior year of college. And the reason why I wanted to start the foundation was because I had received uh two or three specialized prosthetics from two or three incredible foundations out there. And what a lot of people don't realize when what amputees struggle with and they deal with when they want to be active and they want to, you know, live an active lifestyle is insurance companies will only cover an everyday walking prosthetic. They will not cover a running blade or something like a waterproof, waterproof prosthetic if you wanted to go to the beach with your friends, because a lot of these everyday walking prosthetics are not waterproof. And what I realized, you know, quickly after becoming an amputee is if I wanted to return to play lacrosse, if I wanted to live the life that I want, go to the beach with my friends, I needed to have these foundations donate to me because these prosthetics can range anywhere from $10,000 to $30,000, depending on what type of leg you want. And of course, that's very expensive, and not everybody has the this type of these types of funds to, you know, allow them to be successful in getting these prosthetic legs. So that was really a huge reason why I wanted to start my own nonprofit, was because I saw the incredible work that these other foundations do for other amputees, and it really resonated with me. And it means it made me realize this is something I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to be able to give back everything that I've learned and create a community within the within the disabled community. Um, and so people can rely on each other. I just I always thought it was an incredible thing to be able to give back, especially after you do succeed in something to help others. I think that's that's huge. And um, you know, the world could uh you can never receive too much of it. So that's why we were very passionate about starting the Borns Around Foundation.

SPEAKER_01 14:49

It's incredible. It's incredible. And when when we started talking to you about building a collaboration together, I think what was amazing to learn in this area where there's so much need is only one in ten people have access to the prosthetics they need, which is around 27 million people. Usually it's due to cost, and you're talking about 10,000 to $30,000. I mean, it's it's it's extreme, and not everybody is able to get it. And for you to be able to support that directly is unbelievable. And so we're we're excited to work with you on something.

SPEAKER_00 15:20

Yeah, no, I mean that's why I was so so grateful and happy to be working with Shady Rays. But like you said, like but a lot of people don't realize that they have these types of resources when they do lose their leg. They don't realize that they have foundations out there that will support them because of just the community that that they're in. They're not they're the only amputees that they know, they're the only disabled people that they know. So that's why it's so important to be able to share our message. So thank you so much to Shady Rays. I mean, they're helping they're helping us do that so that we can hopefully help help as many amputees as we can.

SPEAKER_01 15:55

Yeah, we're working on an exciting program for next year with Noelle that people will learn about later, but supporting her cause with the Born Around Foundation and everything that Noelle's passionate about. So a lot of exciting things in the mix. Switching gears a little bit, uh, you're a TV star as well.

SPEAKER_00 16:15

I wouldn't say a TV star. I mean, I had my my 15 seconds of fame on reality television.

SPEAKER_01 16:21

But we saw you competing. Was it season season 42 or 43?

SPEAKER_00 16:25

It was season 43. Yeah. The crazy thing about it is I um, you know, my mother is the biggest diehard survivor fan there is. Never miss a season, never miss an episode. So I've obviously been watching for years, never thought about applying. I mean, my mom would tell me, she'd be like, you should apply for this show. And then she would circle back, be like, actually, you know what? When you're hungry and you're tired, you're a nightmare to be around. So maybe this isn't the show for you. So obviously, like I never had the intention of going on Survivor, but while I was in Tokyo for the Tokyo Paralympics, I had casting director reached out to me asking if I've ever thought about applying. And of course, with my mother and the survivor background that I have, like I couldn't, I couldn't give up that opportunity. But I honestly thought that they were never going to going to cast me. You know, they've had two below-the-knee amputees on in the past, but I am an above-the-knee amputee, and they had never had an above-the-knee amputee on before. And so the difference with it being is these two below-the-knee amputees, you know, they just had to bring one prosthetic leg and they were good to go. They could kind of do everything with it. I needed to bring a waterproof prosthetic and a running blade, and I needed to be able to switch them back and forth so that I can run and that, you know, I can live in the elements of Survivor, you know, with living on the beach and being in the salt water. So I was really thinking that they were not going to cast me because of it, but luckily Survivor gave me that shot. And I had the sole purpose of just going out there, uh, creating a positive, um, kind of that positive light on the amputee community and showing the world what what amputees are capable of. But I was scared to death to call on the show. Obviously, you know, it's a Survivor is a strategic game. So I thought I was gonna be voted off pretty early because people were either gonna doubt my capabilities of helping the tribe win, or nobody was gonna want to sit next to me at the end because they thought that they would just hand me the million dollars. But luckily, I had an incredible cast that I played with. Um, definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and it was crazy. I mean, the things that I mean, I I can't even like think back on it and and say that I did because I don't believe it. Like, luckily, there's a whole season that I can go watch if I'm not if I don't believe it. But I mean, it was it was an incredible experience.

SPEAKER_01 18:46

Yeah, I mean, that's the real deal. You're out in the elements, you're competing, you have the mental strategy. I mean, it brings so many things together. And like you said, good thing you had a strong cast because you don't know who you're who you're going to film with and what that experience is gonna look like.

SPEAKER_00 19:00

I mean, I could have had somebody on the season saying, get this girl out of there. I mean, who is it? Like, I don't want, I mean, I get it. Like, I wouldn't want to sit next to somebody with an incredible story. That's just that's how Survivor is nowadays. But I was just trying to downplay everything. I was lying to everybody out there. I didn't tell anybody I was a Paralympian, I didn't tell anybody I was a motivational speaker. I was I told everyone I was a lacrosse coach, and everyone believed it. So luckily that that I had that going for me. But um, no, the crazy thing was, you know, when you're out there and you're in the elements, you're obviously not eating. Um, you you receive absolutely zero food. And when I lose weight, that means my leg loses weight. So it was it was crazy trying to figure out how to keep my prosthetic legs sectioned onto my body while doing all these physically grueling challenges, you know, on top of trying to maintain a perfect social game. It was that was what I really struggled with before I went out there was how am I going to be able to do this? Luckily, I have an incredible process back at home, and we were coming up with different ideas and different ways that I can um kind of adapt out there. And, you know, the producers and the whole casting team said, you know, whatever you need to bring, as long as it's not going to benefit you in the game, like we will allow you to have. So, like I had a prosthetic box behind camp. So when I lost my leg, I could put pads in my socket to kind of tighten it up for me. I had backup screws, I had backup legs just in case, because you know, being out there in the salt water, you know, things tend to rust and things can break. And I mean, luckily, I just they were very supportive in that aspect and they they kind of helped me through everything with whatever I needed. But other than that, I got zero special treatment and they treated me just like everybody else. You know, they didn't modify any challenges for me, which I loved. You know, I wanted to do the hardest things possible, even if I was scared to do it. I just wanted to be able to say I did it, I was able to overcome it. And, you know, that's exactly what I did for a lot of these challenges.

SPEAKER_01 21:00

How long were you all out there filming?

SPEAKER_00 21:03

So nowadays, since after COVID, it's uh 26-day season. Um, so I mean, I was gone for about a month and a half, but I think I made it 19, 20 days out of 26. So I made it pretty far. I I made it pretty far. Um, you know, I was starting to gain momentum um in the end, and I was starting to make moves a little bit. And then my number one kind of saw saw what I was trying to accomplish and he he voted me off. But I mean, again, I thought I was gonna be first or second boot. So to be able to make the jury, to kind of make it as far as I did, um, and have moments, I I had a lot of vulnerable moments on that show. And it's crazy because, you know, I'm that person that I don't like to cry in front of anybody, and I was crying, you know, on national television in front of millions of people. But there was this one challenge where I was in dead last and I was able to uh, you know, work my way back uh and fighting and competing, and I ended up beating everybody. For that, for that one challenge. And I think once my castmates saw me overcome something like that, that's when I got voted off. They were like, all right, we've given this girl enough time. Let's get her out.

SPEAKER_01 22:11

I watched that. That was the zigzag uh platform. The balance beam. The balance beam. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:17

I was so happy they put that in there because I just I didn't want people to have any sense of okay, they're taking it easy on her or they're modifying challenges because of I wanted, I wanted tough things to do. Even though I was cursing in my head at Jeff Probe saying, why would you put a zigzag balance beam uh for an amputee? You know, I was grateful for it because of course it, you know, I doubted myself immediately what I saw, and I I wrote myself off. I said, There's no way I'm winning this challenge, but um I just kept telling myself to continue to go through with it. Don't quit, don't give up. And it believe me, I was about to quit and give up, and I had incredible castmates who were trying to win for themselves. I heard them cheering cheering me on. So that was that was a really cool moment as well.

SPEAKER_01 23:02

Yeah, it's an incredible clip. So outside of training, uh preparing to be a mom, um, occasionally being on TV, uh, what do you like to do outside to have fun, to go on adventures, play other sports? What are your favorite things to do outdoors?

SPEAKER_00 23:20

Yeah, I mean, I kind of love to do anything and everything. Um, luckily, I have an incredible husband who is just as adventurous as me. Uh, so we love to travel. He taught me how to snowboard back in 2021, I believe. And I actually spent a season competing in Paralympic snowboarding. Um, and I was able to qualify for world championships in my first season. And I got I got last place, but that's besides the fact. I mean, it was my first season, but I had I had a hell of a time doing that. Um, you know, my husband loves to hike, so I'm trying to, I'm trying to find the love for it. You know, being above the knee amputee and hiking, sometimes it's difficult. But uh no, we love the outdoors, we love going to the lake, we love going to the beach, we love traveling to new places. Um, you know, I think before my husband met me, he had never been out of the country. And so since then we've been to some incredible places. But I just, you know, all of the that adventure stuff, but I also like having, you know, downtime and doing absolutely nothing. I love, you know, just laying on the couch, being lazy. I love going to the movies. You know, the movies will always be my childhood, so I'm always a big movie person. Um, and just spending time with family and friends.

SPEAKER_01 24:37

Yeah, a little bit everything. I love it. We need to get you some shady rays snow goggles for the winter games.

SPEAKER_00 24:43

Oh, I have them. I have them. Yeah. I they're they're awesome. They're incredible. I actually I went to I went to Cortina, Italy for the winter games, uh, just as a content creator. And you know, I couldn't, I couldn't snowboard because I was 20 weeks pregnant, but I was still rocking my shady rays. You know, I was I was ready. I was I was I I put a clip on social media saying, You guys sure you don't need me to jump in? I'll compete, no problem.

SPEAKER_01 25:09

Yeah, you gotta love the snow goggles because the logo's huge, it's on the strap.

SPEAKER_00 25:14

Oh my god, all the different colors, they're it's they're awesome, they're incredible. My husband has actually gotten a chance to use them while snowboarding and he loves them. He thinks they're great.

SPEAKER_01 25:24

Yeah, they're a fun product to innovate on and um come up with new things for different light conditions and the non-polarized lenses and all the things that that we build in for for winter, so that's always a lot of fun. Yeah, absolutely. All right, let's move to a final lightning round here. All right, and the last since you've been competing in track and field um from that big first day till now, what's the hardest day mentally that you've had to face?

SPEAKER_00 26:02

I would say the hardest day mentally that I've had to face in starting track and field, you know, was when I was learning how to long jump. Uh what a lot of people, you know, don't realize for amputees and long jump is we actually jump off of our prosthetic blades. Um, and me being an above-the-knee amputee, I don't have a hundred percent control of you know my prosthetic running blade. You know, it's all about the strength and um the muscle that you have in the limb that you have left to be able to create force, um, to be able to jump uh at a at a at a far distance. So, you know, learning how to jump off of a prosthetic leg that isn't completely mine, that was that was probably the toughest thing mentally. Uh, but you know, once you get over that mental hump of actually realizing, okay, like I, it's it's I'm landing in a sandpit. It's not like I'm landing, you know, on the track. Like this is, it's not gonna hurt that, it's not gonna hurt at all as long as long as you're jumping the correct way. That was definitely um, you know, the learning curve mentally that I had to kind of figure out. And then I would say the second toughest day is when you actually do know what you're doing and a little too much, and then you start to overthink everything. And then you're because if you start overthinking or you start thinking too much in track and field, you're immediately that you should just take yourself out of the race or out of the competition because it's that can be a detriment um to your competition or or to your game. So that's you know, just something that I've learned along the way. Um, you know, writing things down in a journal absolutely helps. You know, talking with a uh sports psychologist absolutely helps, but just finding different ways to not get too much in your head is huge.

SPEAKER_01 27:51

What is one moment you're very proud of, but no one saw?

SPEAKER_00 27:56

One moment that I'm very proud of that no one saw. Um, this is a tough one. I would say probably when I jumped the furthest I've ever jumped in my life. Um, I think I jumped, it was probably like a 5.3 uh meter jump in practice. I mean, my coach saw it, of course, but that was something I was really proud of. And it made me realize, okay, this isn't my first season. I'm only like six or seven months into this. And the world record, I believe, is 5.46. So we're right there. Um I think once I jump that world record in practice, you know, I'm gonna be a little pissed that I didn't do it in a comp I didn't do it in a competition yet, but it's just gonna fire me up even more.

SPEAKER_01 28:41

And when you're out there pushing the limits, uh, what style of shades are you putting on? Sport frames, lifestyle frames, shields.

SPEAKER_00 28:48

Yeah, I got the uh, I mean, I love both, obviously, but uh the rivals are definitely my go-to for any sports because they just they look so cool with all the different colorways. Uh, they're so comfortable to run with. Um, and then I have to say that you know, when I'm going to the beach, um, just any of the lifestyle brands, and I think the best part about Shady Rays is the the fact that the non-tangle uh when you put your sunglasses on top of your head, that is huge. I I can't tell you, like when I have my hair in a ponytail and I put my sunglasses on top of my head and they don't get caught, and so I don't have to take my hair out, put it back in. I think that's one of the best things. Um, that shady rays, I mean, those lifestyle, those lifestyle shades are awesome. Um, and they're so comfortable and they look great, they make you feel great. It's it's awesome.

SPEAKER_01 29:40

We need to send you a couple of our newest two launches because our last two launches was one Rival Shift, which is a frameless bottom rival with an upgraded lens. Yeah, and then we did the tangle-free and a hex, more of a diagonal new style with the tangle free. Oh my god. But pretty much everything we launch now, uh, as much as possible, we make a tangle-free because that's just been huge for people.

SPEAKER_00 30:04

It's huge. Oh my god, yeah, because that was like the worst thing about wearing sunglasses, and it really made me not want to wear sunglasses. But yeah, please send those to me. I would love those. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 30:16

Well, we're excited to continue to work for with you and help support your foundation, do some really cool innovative things. Thank you, Noelle, for for joining me today. And uh, this is this is Beyond the Shades. I'm Chris Radderman. Thanks for joining.

SPEAKER_00 30:33

Thanks for having me.