Mandy Salas - Speaker, Writer, Mom

At 16, Mandy Salas was a nationally ranked soccer player, eagerly preparing to submit college applications and step into the next exciting phase of her life. All signs were a go to continue her soccer career — most likely at Stanford — until an event occurring during a summer trip to Argentina abruptly altered this trajectory. In her candid conversation with Ryan, Mandy reflects on her time in Argentina, the accident that left her a quadriplegic, and the profound adjustments she had to accept of her new reality. Mandy candidly shares the challenges she faced returning to America, grappling with a loss of identity and struggling to find her place among her peers without the ability to compete athletically. Despite these obstacles, Mandy’s story is one of perseverance! Now, married with two kids of her own, we discover that Mandy is on a mission to convey that the human spirit remains strong in all of us.