Show Notes
Welcome to Episode 125!
We are all one traumatic event or one illness away from having our lives turned upside down, when the way we move through the world might have to be renavigated, renegotiated, and sometimes even reimagined. In this episode, I talk with Jenna Udenberg, an author, disability advocate, and accessibility educator who has lived that reality since childhood.
Through the revealing stories behind her book, Within My Spokes: A Tapestry of Pain, Growth and Freedom, we journey through Jenna’s early childhood and into a life of music, education, and the necessary advocate she’s become. It’s a serious conversation, but also an entertaining and uplifting one. Her advocacy is admirable, her courage is contagious, and our talk was an eye-opener in the best way!
The video version of this episode will be available next week on our YouTube channel!
Enjoy the show!
About this week’s guest, Jenna Udenberg
Jenna Udenberg is an author, disability advocate, and accessibility educator from Minnesota’s North Shore, where she has lived her whole life. Diagnosed with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis as a young child, she has used a manual wheelchair since the age of eight. That experience, and the resilience it required, now shapes her mission to create more inclusive, accessible spaces for everyone.
Before devoting herself to advocacy, Jenna spent 19 years as a music educator. She was named a Blandin Foundation Community Leader in 2017 and a Bush Fellow in 2020, and she went on to found the nonprofit Above & Beyond With U, which champions inclusion and works to break down barriers.
Jenna is the author of Within My Spokes: A Tapestry of Pain, Growth and Freedom, a collection of heartfelt stories about perseverance, healing, and the relationships that shaped her journey. In her Lake County Press column, Local View from 4′ 2″, she invites readers to share in life from the seated perspective and encourages openness about lived experience.
When she’s not writing or advocating, Jenna can be found on paved trails, fishing with friends, or gathered around a table for board and card games. She also coaches the Robo Dweebs, a LEGO robotics team.