Topic: Work & Career

Aimee Mullins is an athlete, fashion model and activist. She also stars in the hugely successful, Emmy-nominated Netflix series Stranger Things. Aimee’s film debut was a starring role in the highly acclaimed film Cremaster 3, by contemporary artist Matthew Barney, first presented in the US at the Guggenheim Museum in 2003. The Guardian called it “one of the most imaginative and brilliant achievements in the history of avant-garde cinema.”

She continued her work with Barney in River of Fundament, an adaptation of Norman Mailer’s novel ‘Ancient Evenings’, in which she starred as Isis. Chronicling the seven stages of a soul’s journey from death to rebirth, each filmed chapter is also accompanied by a one-time only live performance. The work, a six-hour operatic epic, premiered at Brooklyn Academy of Music in February 2014.

Aimee first received worldwide media attention as an athlete. Born without fibula in both legs, Aimee’s medical prognosis was discouraging; she was told she would never walk and would likely spend the rest of her life using a wheelchair. In an attempt for an outside chance at independent mobility, doctors amputated both her legs below the knee on her first birthday. The decision paid off. By age two, she had learned to walk on prosthetic legs, and spent her childhood swimming, biking, skiing, playing softball and soccer with everyone else.

After graduating high school with honors, Aimee was one of three students in the US chosen for a full academic scholarship from the Department of Defense, and at age 17 became the youngest person to hold a top-secret security clearance at the Pentagon, where she worked as an intelligence analyst.

While a dean’s list student at the prestigious School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, she set her sights on making the US Team for the 1996 Atlanta Games. She enlisted the expertise of Frank Gagliano, one of the country’s most respected track coaches. Through this partnership, she became the first woman with a “disability” to compete in the NCAA, doing so on Georgetown’s nationally ranked Division I track team.

Aimee set her sights on becoming the fastest woman in the world on prosthetic legs and began to wonder why legs made for sprinting wouldn’t be modeled on those of the fastest land animal, rather than just those of a human. Working in collaboration with a cutting-edge biomedical engineer and a visionary prosthetist she went on to set World Records in the 100 meter, the 200 meter, and the long jump, outfitted with woven carbon-fiber prostheses that were modeled after the hind legs of a cheetah.

These legs, which Aimee was the first to wear, are now the international standard for amputee runners.

After a profile in Life magazine showcased her in the starting blocks at Atlanta, the world took notice. Aimee soon landed a 10-page feature in the inaugural issue of Sports Illustrated for Women, which led to her accepting numerous invitations to speak at international design conferences.

The discourse regarding aesthetic principles sparked Aimee’s interest in issues relating to body image and how fashion advertising impacted standard notions of femininity and beauty. In 1998, Aimee made her runway debut in London at the invitation of one of the world’s most celebrated fashion designers, Alexander McQueen. Walking alongside the supermodels of the world, Aimee’s groundbreaking, triumphant turn propelled her onto the magazine covers of ID and Dazed and Confused.

An influential voice in today’s culture, she is regularly invited to share her ideas at global conferences, such as the world-famous TED conferences, where she is one of their most popular speakers and was named a TED All-Star. Her talks have been translated into 41 languages and have been seen by millions of viewers worldwide.

In 2012, she was designated a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. In 2017, Aimee was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame joining fellow honorees “whose leadership and achievements have changed the course of American history.”

Aimee serves on the boards of various non-profit organizations, most notably the Women’s Sports Foundation, founded by Billie Jean King, of which Aimee was elected President from 2007 to 2009. Aimee also had four years as Vice-President for the nation’s oldest non-profit employment service for persons with disabilities, ‘Just One Break’. She was the first woman on the board since the organization was founded in 1947 by Eleanor Roosevelt. As Secretary of State in 2012, Hillary Clinton appointed her to the State Department’s ‘Council to Empower Women and Girls Through Sports’.

Aimee’s impact on modern society and her influence on future generations is undeniable. Her likeness has been immortalized in exhibits at institutions such as the Smithsonian, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the NCAA Hall of Fame, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Tate Modern, the Track and Field Hall of Fame, and the Women’s Museum, where she is honored for her contribution to sport among the “Greatest American Women of the 20th Century.” In 2017, the National Women’s Hall of Fame inducted Aimee, making her one of the youngest honorees ever to receive this distinction. In 2018, she received an Honorary Doctorate from Northeastern University and delivered their commencement speech which garnered a standing ovation from the audience of 22,000. In 2019, Aimee delivered the commencement speech at Concordia University and inducted Jane Fonda into the National Women’s Hall of Fame.

Interviewed by our Different & Able President and Founder, Alexandra Nicklas, Aimee shares how she uses her medical condition to inspire others and how she has broken boundaries to become a record-breaking athlete, model and film star. Alexandra and Aimee also talk about what defines beauty, Aimee’s twelve pairs of prosthetic legs, and how her incredibly diverse career has helped her, and others re-imagine the limits of one’s potential. Aimee states, “Adversity isn’t an obstacle that we need to get around in order to resume living our life. It’s part of our life.”

Jared Hillman has built an impressive career in Hollywood as both an actor and filmmaker, but what you won’t see on his resume is the daily negotiation that comes with living with Crohn’s disease. Diagnosed over two decades ago, Jared knows firsthand what it means to navigate a demanding, high-pressure industry while managing an illness that is invisible to everyone around him. His story is one of adaptation, resilience, and the quiet strength it takes to keep showing up when your body is asking you to stop.

About Jared Hillman

Raised in New York and based in Los Angeles, Jared Hillman studied at New York University and Ithaca College before being accepted to Brown University. He went on to earn a scholarship to the University of South Carolina School of Cinematic Arts, where he graduated magna cum laude from the production program, a foundation that would fuel both sides of a dual career in front of and behind the camera.

As an actor, Jared has guest-starred on some of television’s most recognized series, including Psych, iCarly, NCIS: LA, Castle, Major Crimes, and Without a Trace. He also has a supporting role in The Social Network, one of the most acclaimed films of the last two decades.

Behind the camera, Jared has written and directed commercials, narrative short films, and digital series. As one half of the creative duo Hillman/Helfgott, he co-produced and directed the award-winning short films Tandem, The Listing Agent, and The Fake. His other directing work includes The Jennies, the pilot The Pick-Up Sticks for New Form Digital, and The Escort, starring Doris Roberts. He is also the co-creator and director of the AwesomenessTV series A Teen Survival Guide, which was later expanded for Verizon, and the director of L.O.L. Surprise Unboxed!, a branded series with over 250 million views. Most recently, Jared served as live-action director of the Amazon Originals holiday film L.O.L. Surprise Winter Disco. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife, actress Natalie Lander.

Living with Crohn’s Disease

Crohn’s disease is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that causes inflammation of the digestive tract. Symptoms can include severe abdominal pain, persistent diarrhea, fatigue, weight loss, and malnutrition, and they can appear and disappear unpredictably, making planning and consistency a daily challenge. What makes Crohn’s particularly difficult is that it is an invisible illness, from the outside, a person living with it may look completely fine, even when they are not.

Jared was first diagnosed with Crohn’s disease more than twenty years ago. Since then, he has moved through its many phases, both physical and emotional. There are periods of relative stability and periods of significant difficulty, and through all of it, Jared has been continuously learning what his body needs and adapting accordingly. Living with an invisible illness in an industry that runs on energy, availability, and performance is its own particular challenge, one that Jared speaks about with honesty and without self-pity.

In this interview with D&A President and Founder Alexandra Nicklas, Jared speaks openly about being diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and what it means to live every day with an invisible illness. He discusses the hardest parts of working in the entertainment industry while managing his condition, and shares practical resources and advice for others living with Crohn’s or similar conditions.

What Jared Wants You to Know

• Invisible illness is real illness. Just because someone looks well does not mean they are.
• Living with Crohn’s disease is an ongoing process of adaptation — there is no single moment where you figure it out and move on.
• Working in a demanding industry with a chronic condition is possible, but it requires honesty with yourself about what your body needs.
• Community matters. Connecting with others who understand your experience can make an enormous difference.
• If you are living with Crohn’s or a similar condition, you are not alone — and your experience is worth talking about.

Jared Hillman’s story is proof that an invisible illness does not have to mean an invisible life.

John Quinn’s path to self actualization is magnificent. He is a decorated U.S. Veteran, who served as the Administrative Leading Chief on the USS John C. Stennis and the Assistant Ship Secretary on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. John served for 20 years in the U.S. Navy. He is now a retired Senior Chief Petty Officer, advocate, motivational speaker, and author of Someone Like Me: An Unlikely Story of Challenge and Triumph Over Cerebral Palsy.

At the age of four, John started to walk. Abruptly, after this amazing childhood milestone, he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy by a medical professional. Cerebral Palsy affected his gait, balance, reflex, posture, vision, and he was born with two different sized feet. John was part of a large family, as he was one of eight children. His parents decided early on that John would be treated the same way as the rest of their children. This parenting approach, a push for determination to overcome daily obstacles, required John to understand the importance of independence at a young age.

John reached a point of paramount significance. He enlisted in the Navy and never disclosed that he had been diagnosed with cerebral palsy. John did not want to be treated differently; he wanted to be recognized for his hard-work and perseverance. Over the course of 20 years, John kept his disability a secret; he received multiple military decorations including four Navy Commendation Medals, Joint Service Achievement Medal, and four Navy Achievement Medals. John is also authorized to wear the Enlisted Surface Warfare breast insignia.

In the interview with our Different & Able President and Founder, Alexandra Nicklas, John shares his triumphant coming of age story. From the challenges John faced as a young child to his struggles in adult life, he is a role model who epitomizes perseverance and dedication. John’s hope for a fully inclusive society is achievable, as he has stated, “Together we can do great things.”

Aaron Fisher is a director, editor, writer, and actor. He graduated from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Aaron is known for his work in the short film Love Out of Mind (2014), the television mini-series Single and Baller (2018), and recently the film Inside the Rain (2019). Inside the Rain is a loosely based autobiographical rom-com film; the main character Ben, played by Aaron himself, struggles with the roller-coaster like challenges of bipolar disorder.

Aaron’s successful film industry career and his journey with bipolar disorder attracted the attention of our Different & Able President and Founder, Alexandra Nicklas. In the interview, Aaron narrates the challenges he has had while living with bipolar disorder. Aaron discusses his medication struggles, his past hospitalizations, the voluntary ECT treatments he sought after, the college discrimination he endured, and the stigma that surrounds mental illness.

Aaron’s personality gleams when he talks about breaking into the film industry. His awe-inspiring success story is truly impressive. Aaron has stated, “If you’re not thinking about success from day one, then you’re not going to make it.” Inspired by Aaron’s success story that he shares with Alexandra, we only have one more question to pose, “Can we have your autograph?”

Trevon Jenifer was born without limbs due to a rare disease called Congenital Phocomelia. He has 3 brothers (2 older, 1 younger) and 1 older sister. He is the only one with a disability. Trevon’s biological father left him and his mother when he saw that Trevon did not have legs. When Trevon was 4 years old, his stepdad (Eric Brown) came into his life and helped raise him. All of Trevon’s siblings were participating in sports, so Eric found an organization that offered Wheelchair Track and Wheelchair Basketball. Trevon broke and still holds the records in the 100, 200, 400 and 800 meter races for Wheelchair Track in the U11 and U14 age groups. He competed in Wheelchair Track and Basketball until the age of 12, he then changed Schools. Trevon grew up in a high crime area, where he could not play outside or at the playgrounds due to broken glass and violence. When he was 15 years old, his stepdad moved them to the country and he competed in Wrestling his junior and senior year in High School. His senior year he finished 3rd in the State of Maryland and had a record of 32-8. Trevon was inducted into the Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2006. In 2006, Trevon wrote an autobiography about his life called, From the Ground Up.

From 2006-2011, Trevon attended Edinboro University of Pennsylvania where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in Sociology. He was a member of the Edinboro University Wheelchair Basketball Team, where he went from being the 8th man on an 8 man roster to the best player on the Team by 2009. He was a 2x All-American (2010 and 2011) and Captain from 2009-2011. Trevon made his first Team USA appearance in 2009 when he was on the U23 Team that took Gold in Junior World’s Championship. He then made the Men’s National Team in 2010 and has been a member ever since. He has won Gold in the Parapan American Games in 2011 (Guadalajara, Mexico) and 2015 (Toronto, Canada). Trevon won two Silver in the Worlds Championship Games in 2014 in Incheon, South Korea and in Hamburg, Germany in 2018. He is a 2X Paralympic medalist, winning a Bronze Medal in the 2012 Paralympic Games in London (this was the first time they medaled in 12 years) and Gold Medalist in the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio (this was the first time in 28 years that they won Gold). In 2013-2015, Trevon played professional Wheelchair Basketball in the south of France.

In October of 2015, Trevon became a father to a baby girl named Saraeya. While being a fulltime father, Trevon is also an active member in his community, where he volunteers as an assistant coach for the Edinboro University Wheelchair Basketball Team. He does countless demonstrations and motivational speeches, for schools (elementary and up), ADA, FBI, YMCA, etc. all over the United States, speaking on topics that cover perseverance, Paralympic movement, bullying and adaptive/disability awareness.

In this interview, with our Different & Able President and Founder, Alexandra Nicklas, Trevon shares his story of determination, explains Congenital Phocomelia, and his love for sports. Trevon also discusses employment opportunities for the differently abled and his position at the U.S Secret Service as a Personnel Security Specialist in the Security Management Division. When Trevon is not playing, working, or spending time with family, he continues to inspire others through motivational speaking. “You have to find what motivates you, as it’s different for every person. We have to understand why it motivates us, so we don’t lose our focus while attempting to achieve our goals. Continue to fight for it,” Trevon states.