Inspiring Conversations with Whitney West

Today we’d like to introduce you to Whitney West.

Hi Whitney, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
In 2013, I started noticing some differences in my body and my ability. So, I decided to get checked out. A lot of my concerns were brushed off because I was plus-sized but I was very aware of this bias and pushed back especially because I had just lost almost 100 lbs at that point. Even though the doctor performed the tests, he would not respond to requests to review the tests. Months later, I ended up in the hospital and I almost died because my oxygen levels mysteriously decreased to deadly levels. I was on a ventilator for over a week and when I eventually left the hospital, I was using supplemental oxygen.

I went through months and months of testing. Other women who look like me usually go years without a diagnosis. I had the gift and the curse of my circumstances being so odd and inexplicable that it caught the eye of several top doctors in the hospital system that I was in and that expedited my testing. Even still, it was not until my second hospitalization that year that I got a preliminary diagnosis. The diagnosis is of a rare chronic illness that only a few hundred people have.

I was confused, frustrated, alone and depressed. My family was unable to come up when I was hospitalized the second time because my mother had a major stroke the month before. I didn’t truly understand what was going on with me and why it was happening to me. I felt that everything that I had planned for my life was taken away in that moment. I was lost and had no idea what I was supposed to do, everything was all over the place. I had planned to go back to work but had no clue how I would even do basic day to day things.

When I went back to work, I had a lenient boss but I still felt like something needed to change to go back to a sense of normalcy. I faced my fears and started looking for jobs closer to my house even though I was going to be taking a pay cut and I came to the realization that life is not going to look the same as it did before and I had to adjust. Once at my new job, I slowly decided to use my time to better myself. I looked into more degree programs, got serious about blogging, traveled abroad for the first time, and decided that I had to have a don’t wait mentality and pursue the things that I thought would make my life a life that I wanted to live.

After a few years, I decided to move back down south after I realized that living up north in the cold was hard on my lungs. I also made the decision in order to be closer to stronger support system with friends and family. When I did that, I knew that I was in a place where I had truly accepted my diagnosis and had begun designing a life that works for me unapologetically. I also noticed that there were many women with chronic illnesses who were struggling with this and who messaged me to talk. There was also a lack of safe spaces for black women with chronic illnesses to share and talk. So, I knew I had to create ways to assist with both of those issues.

Now I’m at a job I love, speaking about disability inclusion, and in the last year of my doctoral program and my dissertation focuses on the intersection of disability, race, and gender.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Learning to live with a rare chronic illness is not easy at all. Not only does it come with having to deal with new physical and mental restrictions and issues, you’re also dealing with confusion and sadness. The people around you may not even be able to fully understand what is going on with you or understand that the you that they have known for so long is no longer the same.

I’ve really pushed myself along the way and sometimes it’s because I’m an overachiever and sometimes it’s ableism. None of this has been easy but it’s been great doing something that I love and being able to use my circumstances for positive change.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
My company is The Whitney West. I am a speaker and a coach. My mission is to help chronically ill women strategize ways to redesign their lives and successfully overcome obstacles as well as speak to higher education institutions and organizations about disability awareness and rectifying conversations around DEI.

I’m most proud of the way I have been able to merge my life circumstances with my business and with my 9-5 career. Sometimes we don’t know exactly where we are headed or how things work together but as long as we continue to do things for the right reasons and work hard, it will start to make sense. Things make sense for me now!

Currently, my coaching services are paused due to the final stages of my dissertation writing. however, I am accepting speaking engagements around disability inclusion, accommodations, and DEI. https://www.thewhitneywest.com/speaking

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
I’d like everyone to know that change is constant. Big and small things will happen in life and you can always adjust and go with the change. Don’t hold on to how things were because the past will always be the past. Things will always change.

Pricing:

• Speaking – $3000 and up
• Coaching – $1000 and up
• Group Program – $500 and up

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.thewhitneywest.com/
• Instagram: http://instagram.com/thewhitneywest
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewhitneywest

Image Credits
Trish Kirkland DeVonte Williford