Tragedy froze her growth at 4'4” & left her on crutches - then she trekked up Machu Picchu! Michelle Kuei shares how she overcomes setbacks, turning limitations into resilience (Ep 002)

What if the toughest days of your life could lead to your BEST ones? At age 11, a devastating accident changed Michelle Kuei’s life forever, leading her on a path with 13 surgeries and challenges that would intimidate the strongest spirits. Despite these hurdles, Michelle didn’t just learn to adapt—she thrived. Now standing strong at 4’4", she moves through life with her crutches, a symbol not of limitation but of her unstoppable resilience. From completing the challenging Inca Trail up to Machu Picchu on crutches to becoming an entrepreneur, author, and inspirational speaker, Michelle’s story isn’t just about overcoming. It’s about transforming adversity into opportunity. Host Wes Linden asks the questions as Michelle shares her incredible mental strength and strategies for turning negatives into positives. She also reveals the secrets behind her awe-inspiring resilience, with simple lessons that you can apply to your own journey, no matter what field you’re in. 00:00 Intro 01:46 Tell us about the accident and your disabilities? 04:58 Your teenage years must have been a huge test on your mental strength? 06:29 What would you say in hindsight you learned about yourself from that period? 09:58 Is society more accepting of disabilities? 12:15 You’ve suffered from feeling shame. What can people learn from how you overcome this? 16:02 You had other things against you too including being an immigrant into a country without being able to speak, speak their language. How did you navigate that? 20:39 You have so many tools for dealing with challenges. Can these approaches overlap? 22:37 You challenged yourself to trek up Machu Picchu. How did that come about? 27:53 What happened when you arrived in Peru? 32:18 Was this a time where you felt part of something? 34:48 Thought on how to make people feel good. 37:01 Tell us about the invisibility cloak… do you still have one? 40:04 What do you say to yourself when you think of quitting or stopping or procrastinating? 43:04 Social media shows so much perfection. How can people navigate through that? 46:41 Do you ever have moments of imposter syndrome and how do you get over those? 50:32 Tell us about the Barbie doll you have on display! 52:02 How do you overcome self-pity? 54:37 How can start to turn around any problems they are facing now? 57:53 What question did I not ask that you think I might have done? 59:19 What would you say about resilience that people need to hear? Follow me: https://beacons.ai/theresilienceproject Order Michelle’s book ‘Perfectly Normal’ on Amazon (UK): https://amzn.to/4anGLs8 Order Michelle’s book ‘Perfectly Normal’ on Amazon (USA): https://a.co/d/hHVhstr Find Wes on social: Instagram.com/weslinden LinkedIn.com/weslinden Never miss an episode: weslinden.com/podcast