After Party Podcast - MOVE FOR LEX - Episode 44

awesome trees are good to go yes I'm ready brilliant okay well everybody welcome to this week's episode of the after party podcast today we have a very special guest we usually have cracker athletes week in week out but this one is uh probably one of the most inspiring athletes uh that we've had on the Pod um I'm sure a lot of people have been following her movement uh mood for Lex and uh we've got on today triathlete and soon to be opal gold medalist paralympian Alexa Leary how you going today Lex good how are you yeah fantastic had a bit of a big one last night so the best oh well Lex I've been absolutely seeing you kill it lately and um I know you've been training your socks off how's training been going off so so far yeah it's been really really good like obviously I no longer do triathlons anymore because of my accident yeah so I now swim and with my swimming yeah I train morning night morning night like every single day but it's good because um yeah I'm off to Mexico and I've just been taken uh this little agreement with I made the Australian team and stuff and I don't know it's awesome it's awesome yeah that's fantastic and so for those that um don't know I'll just let everyone know so last year you were competing in triathlons and then had a bit of a gnarly stack on the bike which uh uh ended up setting you back a little bit there and you've had one of the best recoveries I've seen like out of anyone do it you've beaten all the odds so what were some of the challenges uh coming out of like hospital and getting back on your feet and getting training again um it's been really hard because I've only been out of hospital for about six or seven months and I was in hospital for seven months and in the place because my brain's so bad but um yeah it was really hard because in my brain injury I have memory loss so I couldn't even tell you what I did yesterday like it's really sad but it's okay because I'm just like Lex you really damaged your brain really hard so yeah so like obviously I have a book and I print everything out and do what I did in yesterday or the day every single day to remind myself what I did yeah it's actually quite cool but yeah that's what I have to do yeah all right for sure and I can imagine um your athlete's spirit and you uh started to get you uh training immediately again so I mean talk about some of the support that you had around you I know your family was really big in helping you get back out on your feet Yes amazing honestly my mum and dad sat at that hospital every single day and they even got a place in Brisbane and lived there with while I was in hospital for seven six months yeah like amazing so did Will Will did the same yeah and um yeah because I think uh one of one of my Mates is uh good friends with your dad he was telling me he's not around town is the big dog oh yeah [Music] [Laughter] yeah so I mean at the hospital and everything like that I'm I'm sure um some of the training what were some of the earliest training that you did in the hospital or like in the hospital and kind of coming out oh well in the hospital most of the time obviously because I have memory loss but I know my mom and dad tell me this every day to remind my brain of what I was doing but um yeah because um I was in ICU for a whole month because I was so bad and they never stitched my knee or my hand or anything for a long time because they were like she's gone away I can't Stitch her now they Institute for two weeks so it was bad but it's okay and then at the same time like I don't know I got out of ICU and I couldn't walk like I could not walk at all like it took me a long time to walk that's why there's so many videos on me for likes of me trying to walk um I did a lot of physio in the hospital actually because this doesn't work properly this one goes ah I'm going to stretch it out and then it goes down it doesn't work so okay yeah that's all good you're gonna just get keep the rehab going but it's still early days so you're killing it so far and I know you're in a Noosa local and um the support from there has been fantastic as well and I saw you had a big uh day down at the Noosa tigers um down at the main Bell Club there and have you loved uh being around those guys and all the stuff yeah as well they're awesome they're just like I don't know they're so supportive and they're just like oh I love the footy boys I prep them up when when before they game I get out there and say pump it out or you bet in or I'll lose my [ __ ] so funny I just rev into them oh that's so good and um this episode of the after party podcast was brought to you by the lad Collective so Lex my my best mates in the world they've started up their own company and basically what they do right is they reckon boys just can't get their bloody sheets in the bedroom all sort of their bed sheets so what they've done is they've made it super easy so they've got bottom left bottom right top left top right tags um and you can strap them all in and so that the boys just don't wig out and they can finally get their sheets all sorted how's uh for you how's uh been doing like bed sheets and stuff like that at the moment do you keep it clean in the bedroom or oh yeah that's uh just doesn't happen um thanks to my mama she asked my sheets and [ __ ] obviously I know like stretch it out and it just bends down I'm like okay I can't really do much but it's fine um what's fantastic about these well you know what's great we're going to get us a pair sent out to you so we'll get a pair of sheets sent out to you but it actually has been um great in uh for people with disabilities as well because they've got the straps to pull it on so it actually is a lot easier to hold than it's like so good they've got magnetic pillowcases everything's yes super easy to use I love that yeah that's great we'll we'll get a plan sent out to you you're gonna have to I'll I'll text you all the colors you have to show me your favorite color that you want and we'll get a pair sent out through to you there in news of the three oh I love that that's so nice of you guys no that's all good that's great and um for any one of our listeners that also uh would like to uh get a pair of the lad Collective sheets use the code afp20 to get 20 bucks off your first order at checkout it must be pretty cool I I know that um there are heaps of sport teams around that uh were wearing uh the move uh Flex wristbands as well during their games yeah there's a lot of people that are yeah are doing that it's so light that's so nice of them for doing that yeah yeah for sure and are there any athletes at all that have been inspiring you uh throughout this process as well um well you know the surfer um I forget his name he's uh he was the first I went to the Olympics and got um bronze his name I think it's I'll win yeah um he did this big post about me and my accident saying let's like you've got to push through like one accident just happened he did this big post and I was like oh my God like he was told that he could never do swim and like surfing again and he went and got Bronze in the Olympics like he's so amazing and I actually talked to him a fair bit on Instagram because he's always helping me with my brain and because he's brain injury as well so he's like very very supportive oh that's so cool yeah Big Island right fans that's awesome yeah and I've seen you've been uh getting around lately and you love your singing lately and uh you've been uh enjoying that jail for the most part jumping around uh singing how much uh do you love the music and uh are there any songs or artists or anything that you uh get revs you up for training love music the funniest thing everyone thinks that should be a D-Day and I agree to it I said yeah I'm good with bangers uh doing I'm gonna start getting um someone to come in and teach me I'm gonna get like a thing to start doing it I did the DJ stuff going no no it's gonna we've got a DJ like coming in soon that's gonna teach me exactly all of it yeah Lex is gonna be the guy oh yeah I think I think I saw you last weekend that uh the Burley path and you were cutting Shades yeah I love it I just don't stop dancing even at gym and F5 I'm always pumping it out playing my music because they're bangers yeah oh that's awesome well I I'm Keen to see you are on the decks and stuff I'm so ready for that I just want to do it now but obviously I have to wait fantastic and so now you mentioned that you've been in the pool specifically uh for the most part um how has that been uh going and what what events are you uh mainly looking to compete in uh in the pool um so I have been racing and I secretly just broke a world record but I'm legally not meant to be telling anyone but you know what who cares we're in Australia because that's why I think I've been told to go over to Mexico and get reclassified I'm in S9 because uh this side I can't even lift it or anything yeah I can't sadly I can't do backstroke butterfly or breaststroke but that's okay and I only breathed right-sided when I'm doing freestyle because this side is so bad but yeah I broke world record and I was like oh yeah let's go how awesome and and what particular um what particular distance are you looking at do you think you can beat it I do 200 yeah 100 the hundreds where the I broke all records and the three star and 50. so my Hundred I just did 59. record I was like yeah yeah smashing it motoring yeah I've done really good quick times for free stuff yeah that's so sick and um do you have a good team around you at the moment how's your coaching and everything going as well like yeah amazing like honestly like I met him so I only got out of the hospital six months ago and Mum and Dad took me to do little swims so like just to help my help me my body move and stuff and then all of a sudden I was like Mom and Dad I love it and they're like what what do you mean they said I was like I want to keep doing it I want to keep doing it like okay we're going to get you classified so I went to Brisbane got classified then I went over to Adelaide and I raced and I did I did well I was like a bit slow up at a the Australian team knew that our swimming still quick not still quick but quick up to the Australian level so I was like oh my God like they put me on the team and I when I went to the Gold Coast I was like I have a full uniform like that's why I'm going there this Sunday I go to Canberra and then I go to Mexico for swimming for the Australian team oh great so it is Canberra where you're doing a lot of your training yeah that's no that's where they're taking me over because they're just doing they just do a weak thing um a few times in the year they do weak things so it was at the Gold Coast near Mother's Day we had a week thing and I stay with a lady another lady that has oh another lady another girl that has like a disability like she yeah she has a disability and then I was with her and then um yeah it was like I don't know we just like we're so cool I loved it yeah definitely and uh is it fun to also sort of train and uh work with people that sort of have had similar are sort of problems when it comes to yeah and all that it's easier when you've got a lot of people around you that are sort of in the same boat yes so like from the category it goes from like S3 to S10 of physical like me I'm physical I'm not in the I'm I have got a brain injury but they're only classify me in physical because like I'm pretty bad physically like this size ah yes I'm S9 and then from S11 to S I think 17 S11 is fully blind that was the girl I was with and she has a dog that takes her everywhere and um yeah it goes from like s 12 to s13s Blind and then S14 I think it's like a I don't know how to explain it like I I like a bit of a like autism or something I don't know like something or it's to do with your brain though yeah I think that is like a bit flipped out and then yeah that's what it goes to it's not physical that side but yeah yeah oh great so the training's all going well and I saw you also recently uh you get back on the on the bike as well that was that um a bit of a challenge uh getting back on the bike and uh jumping back into that side of things oh that wasn't that was the day my action happened oh that was the day that accident happened yeah apologies I didn't know that sorry yeah no you're fine like yeah that was actually like the date of the accident obviously they never filmed they never got the video of me stacking it but yeah that was like literally the day like my a guy came over that was in my bunch when we did it and he brought that over and said I always wanted to show you like this is you and I was like oh my God that's me and what apparently in the accident when I had the biggest stack my whole outfit was ripped and off me and that was my favorite definitely yeah no I could imagine it's very very rough there um yeah so are there any are you doing any training as well in Mexico are you going to Mexico how cool is that oh it's gonna be lit yeah I'm away from my new sir Goldust and stuff for a whole month or so because um I'd like to tell you a little secret yeah so I go to camp for a week with the Australian team and then only three people out of the Australian team got picked to go to Mexico for two weeks I was one of them I was like yeah tacos come at me and then yeah and then after that I head to Sydney and I have you know Charlie Teo I'm not familiar um he's a brain surgeon person he lives over in Spain wow yeah he um he's actually because he says that my brain is so bad that they've put this thing on my head and they try to clear all the because with my brain on the lines the slash like the slashed out yeah and pretty bad they're trying to fix it all together so I can have my memory back there I'm gonna have this they said I won't fully be I have this for life but they said it's gonna get it better so he's fantastic yeah they say that I might be on 60 Minutes again because I my brain's so bad when they do this whole thing to my head in October at the end of October they're gonna fix this baby have a memory please yeah very relaxing no swearing yeah don't worry I'm a big square of myself okay now all I do is like [ __ ] this [ __ ] yeah yeah and then I say c word and I'm like don't say it Alexa unfortunately with my brain my new brain it just Clips out and says everything even when I'm not meant to it says yeah [ __ ] it and I'm like well actually don't say that oh yeah [ __ ] I can't help it oh well if you listen to any of our other episodes that's me all the time I'm glad he can't help myself as well um so Lex are there any um particular events in particular that are coming up that you've got going on that you're competing in um so yeah like um I do have more races but you know as I don't have a memory I can tell you when sadly I just go I you know what my biggest goal is this is a big one and I'm gonna make it happen I know I will um I want to go so obviously I've race like my times that's why I get reclassified again because I can't believe I just broke world record and stuff that's why I go over to Mexico in the world I've been classified in Australia but I need to be classified in the world I want to go to the Paralympics and win a gold [ __ ] medal let's go all right you can definitely do that and so the next Paralympics is in 2024 I believe in France yeah no yeah it's in Paris yeah Paris have you ever been there before yeah it's gonna be I've been there before I like yeah yeah that food over there is lit I mean between bloody uh Mexico and Paris you're gonna be eating good for a while um so [Laughter] a little fatty join the club um and so um what do you need to do uh do you think to kind of get to the Paralympics and what sort of training and people around you do you need to get that one sorted yeah so um obviously I've been training at um St kilda's in the Gold Coast because um one of the guys John he picked me he's like oh my God like no he didn't pick me I actually approached him first when we're at a camp and I said I need someone to help me train because I've been training like Noosa with the triathlon Squad that's not anything so that's why I feel like clocked in and it took me I just trained basically he he's a school teacher like not school teach like swimming school he's been doing it for like he's a younger but because he like noticed me he trains me so he's always clocking me and all that stuff he's amazing he's the best coach you'd ever bloody witness yeah yeah I go to him you're the reason why I break the world record because you pushed me so [ __ ] hard yeah so like yeah and um he talks to me like even been home in Noosa now he talks to me every day like calls me and he gives me sets he's giving me my set for today because I'm having a week in Noosa and then I leave to Canberra I see him in Canberra too because he's a part of the paralympic side so yeah yeah I'm like yes I got my coach with me yes yeah that's so good so you've just been smashing training yeah and you've got a lot more uh to come there that's fantastic hard [ __ ] yeah oh yeah I'm always in pain but it's all right well at least you get you're smashing the times and that's all that matters yeah so as well I know you work with uh is it a sunshine butterflies yeah I was for a little bit yeah do you want to talk about that program a little bit yeah okay so um in that accident obviously I was told that like yes I do have a disability because my brain injury is a disability it's like yeah like my brain isn't fully like functional like it doesn't really function very straight like most people so I my dad's sister Marie has cerebral palsy like very badly and she's always calling me like always even before the action always call Marie until I should go hi yaza I said oh hi Marie we'd always talk and I don't know I've always had a really big heart for people with disabilities like I always have and that's why I asked to go out to Sunshine butterflies and volunteer and which I did I loved it I don't know like the people there are just oh I just love it like we do paintings coloring in and all that stuff there and I just oh it's amazing yeah that's fantastic that's so good yeah it's great that that program's uh going ahead and there's so many people getting involved and not helping out including yourself talking about I'd imagine to everyone there you would be the biggest inspiration uh for sure with how well you're doing and what you're looking forward to as well so that's great yeah they've actually made me and because they'll say because I literally can't now because like I've like gone into a Gold Coast training I've got so much on my plate like I just occasionally go out there and visit all of them because they all know who I am oh they're so cute I love it it's the best oh that's so good and you you've taken the World by storm obviously everyone's getting around you and you've got your uh movement move relax and what what exactly is that you would like to inspire for people is it just to get out and start moving and exercising yeah so like move for like started from my sister and my family when I was in ICU and they um oh I got goosebumps because it freaks me ill okay and they um yeah so like in hospital they would fit all the footage they would put into like post it on new flex to say oh my God she's improving to make sure I'd improved every single day because I was so bad but yeah it just like kind of blew and it like obviously I lived in a wheelchair for oh five months because I couldn't walk so I was always in a wheelchair so my sister bridged it out and said move for Lex like literally go out there and move because she can't right now so that's why I like to inspire others now I'm like I am moving I've got my legs back I've got I have my this leg still glitches out I've got to hit it out a bit but that's okay at least I'm still walking in disarm too but yeah like whenever I see people like I went to the hospital and saw a girl about two months ago they asked off move for Lex if Lex can go see a girl in a hospital and I went because I wanted to and I it was amazing and I gave her some inspiration and I was like come on girl I know you're I know it's really hard for you with her accident and everything but I was pushing her through it and she loved it it was good oh that's so good because yeah I think a lot of people don't really realize how good they've got it until you unfortunately have to have an accident like yourself but so many people do uh have that ability to get out there go have fun go play some sport or yeah as simple as go for a run or a bike ride or get back in the pool or whatever it is yeah and you know like the weirdest thing is that like I had such a severe accident I have a burning you for life like I've been told straight up to my face like I go to the neuro neurologist like every once a month all the time because I have to double check me and um they've just said you're not allowed to work for three years no working for three years they made it straight to my face no working and I was like what why and they obviously they explained like the reasoning because I have anger burnouts so if I get so angry if I was working in a cafe and someone goes oh I don't like this coffee I'd go [ __ ] you then leave like I can't help it everything comes out of my mouth it's just because my brain but yeah yeah said like let's say no working or anything so I was just like great that's why swimming is now my job that's my job [ __ ] yeah oh how good yeah well I I reckon uh swimming's a much cooler job there anyway you know yeah totally and then don't don't forget you remember you'll be a pro DJ soon as well so I just put some yeah it's gonna be eight oh fantastic well um let's I'll I'll let you go because I know you're gonna go see your grandma today and I'm sure you've got a bunch of training uh cracking on yeah so how can everyone uh follow you and get around and get around you um just literally type up move for Lex and you'll have a look and there's obviously videos of my my accent like me in recovery and all that stuff in the hospital and then you can have a look as it goes I learned to get the I don't know I just come out and like oh my God Alex you can still move you can still work help others so that's why it's like they can watch on there'll be things like off obviously off to Mexico so they'll be posted me going in Mexico lady as [ __ ] for them to see my progress that's really it but yeah I'd love for more people to have a look at it and follow it and be like holy [ __ ] yeah like my survival really so yeah it's good oh fantastic well we love you here at the after party you've been in such a bloody inspiration for me I think I thought you're gonna go get sweat this hangover off and go get on the bike today I reckon and uh start uh putting some work in myself oh yeah really too easy well thanks for that Lex and thanks to everyone for listening go check her out on uh on Instagram at mood for Lex and uh as always uh go check out some of the other uh after party uh episodes awesome