Hey ladies! Happy PHAT Girl Friday!

I think that I have told you a million and one times how I love the internet and how I am always finding jewels to share with you. Well today, I want to introduce you to an amazing young lady that I stumbled upon while searching the hashtag #queenshit on Instagram. She was so beautiful that I stopped searching and spent the remainder of the time watching her videos and looking at her pictures (stalking). Her story was so powerful and inspiring that I had to share it, this is why today I want to introduce you to Lolo of Sitting Pretty.

Lauren, who is affectionately know as Lolo is a nearly 30 years old woman living with A.L.S (yeah the ice bucket challenge A.L.S). Since the age of 14 years old, she has battled this illness that left her disabled and in need of a wheelchair. Although she has been faced with adversity most of her life, Lolo left her home of Stockton, California for Los Angeles following high school because she refused to let anything stand in the way of her dreams.

Despite the limitations in her physical movement, she has been able to receive her BA Degree from California State University, Northridge in TV Production. Lolo pursued her passion of video editing after first learning how to edit videos on mac and currently works in the field of film distribution while simultaneously producing her own reality YouTube web-series “Sitting Pretty.”

Sitting Pretty

“Sitting Pretty” is about Lolo’s life and experiences as a physically disabled woman. With bi-weekly webisodes, Lolo shows you what her life is like, traveling, spending time with family, admitting personal insecurities, even dealing with what happens when her wheelchair needs fixing, Lolo shares it all. Her goal is to provide the world with a new view of what the disabled community looks like and how they live. She also wants to show fellow disabled people that their lives can be lived fearless and free as well. Ultimately Lolo hopes to inspire everyone to know that life is literally what you make of it despite what it may “look” like on the outside.

Lolo has made some major strides in her career industry of entertainment as well as personal strides within her own life and lives of others whom she’s inspired. “Sitting Pretty” has a message that she is striving to bring to the forefront of conversation around the globe and will not stop going until it is. When I asked Lolo about her PHAT truth, this is what she shared with me:

Passionate

I am most passionate about serving my purpose, which I feel is proving that life is what you make it, no matter your circumstance, and changing the stigmas and fears surrounding interacting with people with disabilities.

Happy

What makes me happy is simply the ability to live at the rate that I’m living. To fully have that understanding that God is in total control, he’ll never give you too much more than you can bear, and having 100% faith will bring all of the blessings you desire.

Appreciative

I am most appreciative of family, friends, and recognizing my self-worth as a woman. My support system is completely my family and friends. I could not live the life I do without their unconditional love. It took me a while to recognize my self-worth when it came to relationships, but once I was heartbroken good enough, it’s like a light bulb went off and now, not only do I truly know myself as a woman, the worth is alongside of it and I feel unstoppable.

True

How I stay true to myself is by always making my happiness a priority. By doing that, I keep myself from doing things I know in my spirit I don’t want to do, it avoids making decisions that I’m truly not ready to make, and keeps me in check with my relationship with God because anything that goes against my happiness is going against what He wants for me, and I don’t want that kind of trouble. lol. How I stay true to others is by being fearless in my truth and treating them how I know I should be treated. I can not care, worry or concern myself with what others think of me, but I can always give out what I want to attract. For those who know me personally, I stay true to them by showing them love, support, loyalty, and continuing to be authentically me.

What do you think ladies, isn’t Lolo amazing? Chime in ladies, I really want to know what you think.