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A model, dancer, motivational speaker and author, Briana Walker became a model just a year after her injury. When she was 23, her entire world changed after she fainted behind the wheel, becoming a T11-12 paraplegic as a result.
And Briana went on to bigger gigs. Whether you know her from Overstock.com commercials, saw her dance at the Abilities Expo or she came to your school to speak, Briana has done some amazing things since her injury. Read on for her story.
Why She’s Fearless
After Briana landed a disability magazine cover post-injury, another modeling opportunity landed in her lap – she was chosen to be the ‘Krypto Girl’ for Colours Wheelchairs. While modeling for Colours, she met Auti Angel, a fellow SCI Superstar, paraplegic and hip-hop dancer.
She brought Briana into the dancing fold and they formed a dance team called Colours InMotion that made appearances at schools, conferences and the Abilities Expo. The duo even got the attention of the rapper Ludacris in 2008. He had them dance on-stage while he performed at the Vibe Music Awards. Dancing and engaging people at her performances also got Briana interested in motivational speaking.
She now speaks about perseverance, setting goals and ‘dancing on’ no matter what life throws at you. She also wrote the book, Dance Anyways, where she opens up about her injury; moving on and the life lessons she’s learned her car accident.
In 2007, Briana was also chosen as the spokesperson for Overstock.com and was featured in their print ads and commercials around the world. Briana is also a fan of extreme sports, and has gone skydiving, surfing, skiing, bungee jumping and has completed several triathlons post-injury. She was also an ambassador for Life Rolls On, helping promote their adapted surfing and skateboarding programs.
What’s Next?
Briana was the Vice President of Ralph Rider’s Association, a non-profit dedicated to providing peer guidance in Southern California, for a year until meeting her husband Marc and getting married in 2014. Two years later, her daughter Katelyn was born. She also has a second daughter, Hartley. Briana continues to speak occasionally while living the life of an unconventional housewife at her home in California.
ideas@spinalpedia.com
