Victoria Arlen on Surviving the Impossible & How Animals Helped Her Heal
ESPN host, Paralympic gold medalist and Dancing with the Stars alum Victoria Arlen joins Jill Rappaport for an extraordinary conversation about surviving the impossible, overcoming trauma and discovering the healing power of animals.
At just 11 years old, Victoria was diagnosed with two rare neurological disorders that left her in a vegetative state. She ultimately defied the odds, went on to win Paralympic gold for Team USA, competed on Dancing with the Stars and built a successful broadcasting career. But behind those remarkable accomplishments, Victoria was quietly struggling with anxiety, depression and PTSD from everything she had endured.
Victoria opens up about that hidden struggle and her book, The View Is Worth It, which chronicles her journey through trauma, mental health challenges, serious medical relapses and learning that sometimes surviving is only the beginning of healing.
Animals have also played an extraordinary role in Victoria's recovery. As an ambassador for Horses for Mental Health, she shares how equine therapy helped her both physically and emotionally. She also tells the touching story of Bear, the dog who unexpectedly came into her life during a period of grief and became her “soul dog”—even sensing a panic attack and refusing to take his head off her chest until she was okay.
Jill also shares a deeply personal tribute to two beloved animals she recently lost—her senior rescue dog Nathan and her horse Bling—and explains why the heartbreak of losing an older pet will never outweigh the extraordinary gift of giving that animal a loving home.
Plus, cat correspondent Deborah Cribbs visits Perfect Day Cat Cafe in Covington, Kentucky, to explore how the booming cat cafe movement is helping thousands of homeless cats meet their future families and find forever homes.
It's an inspiring and emotional conversation about resilience, grief, mental health, senior pet adoption and the remarkable ability of animals to help us heal.
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Listen to Episode #82 Now:
BIO:
Victoria Arlen is an accomplished TV host/reporter, motivational speaker, author, gold-medalist, and co-founder of the Victoria's Victory Foundation. Her TV career has spanned more than a decade and started at the age of twenty while still in a wheelchair, Victoria has achieved far more than ever imagined, especially after not being expected to live to 15 years old and facing obstacle after obstacle and achieving the impossible.
Her achievements and story of survival have been recognized internationally and nationally, including by the prestigious Forbes 30 Under 30 list.
Transcript:
"Rappaport to the Rescue" Theme Song Written & Produced by Mark Winter
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