 Hello, everyone. Welcome and happy Kwanzaa. I'm Sharon Thomas Yarbrough, host of Sister Power. Sister Power's VIP guest today is Anne Yushita. Born raised in Hawaii, she has always had a love of outdoor activities, especially water sports. In February 2000, after an accident, left her paralyzed, Anne has been competitive in various sports. However, she specializes in water sports such as adaptive surfing and spring kayak. Join us as we discuss, life is being extraordinary. Welcome, Anne. How are you? I'm great. Thank you for having me here. Oh, I'm so glad you're here. Very, very happy that you are here. And I'm just moving our Kwanzaa information over and we have finally made it. We're here. Yeah. And we have to give a shout out to our friend Anne Howland for putting us together. And this is so exciting for me, the water sports. Just tell us a little bit about yourself. Wait, Aloha, Marianne. Oh, that's right. Aloha, Marianne. Oh. Like you said, you know, I grew up here. But what's exciting now is that I'm really, I moved back home about a year ago and, you know, starting a career and setting up roots now. So I'm feeling pretty excited about the things that I'm doing in the sporting world, but also in my career as occupational therapist. And today was a special day. I mean, you look like you just, you just came off the runway. But tell us about the exciting news from today this morning. Oh, yeah. I just competed in the Hollywood International Open. It's out there for people sponsored by Hurley and Volcom. And I got to compete in an accessor or adaptive surfing heats. And I won. Congratulations. Congratulations. Thank you. The waves are big. Is what? The waves are big. The waves were big. How big? Oh, like four to six. Forty-six? Four to six feet. Oh, four to six feet. Yeah. All right. Okay. Thank you. That's like overhead for me. Yeah, sure. Well, and you competed in Para Canoe at the Rio Paralympics. I did. Becoming the first female native Hawaiian. What is Para Paralympics and why are the Paralympics important? The Paralympics were actually out of 1970s where people with disabilities were coming out and doing sports, and they wanted some recognition and opportunity to compete against people across the world, just like the Olympics. So Paralympics meaning parallel to the Olympics. So two weeks after every Olympics, the Paralympics come in and people with all kinds of physical disabilities go out and compete in their various sports. There's summer Olympic sports and there's winter Olympic sports. So that's why I'm wearing the jacket here today. Oh, wow. United States Paralympics team. Yeah. And these are beautiful accessories. So tell me about the one on your lapel to my right. Yeah. So this was from the U.S. Some, we were in Rio and the U.S. State Department was there. They had to go with us everywhere we went in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil for security reasons. So I got to know a lot of those guys and they came surfing with me and got a little pin out there. And we trade pins. It's kind of a fun little get to know people and then ice breaker. And then these are just, you know, Hawaii and the U.S. because they participate with them and end up with the stamp for the Paralympics. Wow. Wow. Well, express your feelings in being the first woman, Paralympian, of native Hawaiian descent to compete in Para Canoe at the Rio Paralympic Games. That was the first year the sport was included in the games, am I correct? It was. It was. How do you prepare for this type of sport, mentally, emotionally and physically? Yeah. It's, ooh, lots of preparation, years, years and years of preparation. I was preparing for the, I never started competing actually until 2011-ish in paddling and I found out that, you know, I had some, you know, I went to a world championship and ended up getting the bronze medal. Is one of the medals here? No. Okay. A lot of those medals that I get, this is just from this year, but a lot of the medals that I got back in the day, I would come home and give that to someone who supported me throughout the time, because it was momentum for them, you know. Oh, how generous. You would give your medals to someone. Yeah. So let's, this spotlight, let's talk about some of the medals you have here. Tell me about that. Well, you tell me where you want to start. Yeah. So I just came back from California representing Hawaii as an adaptive surfer team, in the team Hawaii, as an adaptive surfer. And so this is the gold medal. I won gold medals. Beautiful. I'm a world champion again. I defended my title and Ann's style is I do buzzer beaters, which is at the last minute of the heat, after a 20-minute heat, I get the last wave of the heat and I usually win the competition with that last one. You go, girl. So, and I was fortunate. That's not something I want to do. I don't plan to do it that way. Okay. But it's really exciting, you know. Yeah. So I got the world championship by defending my title and got that. And then our team Hawaii, we got a fourth in the world. So we're the top fourth, the fourth in the world for adaptive surfers team. And then this one is just recently, we have a Hawaii adaptive surf championships here in Hawaii at Duke's Ocean Fest, but also at Queen's Freight. Oh, sure. So we have that every year. And this year, we're actually, access surf is hosted in July or in June. And then this is the second. So I competed in the open division, which is both male and female. And I was, I think, one of two women in the group and ended up getting second to the world champion. One of two women? Yeah. How many people are competing? Maybe about 16 in our division. Yeah. And then this one was kind of fun, Dahui. It's a local race, but it's a paddle board race. And what's fun about this is I got third place. Usually, I'm not so excited about third place, but that's in my division for all abilities. So I was competing against people all my age. So it tells me either one, there's not enough people my age that are competing. Or, you know, I just got lucky. No, you're blessed, totally blessed. And I was, we were speaking early, today is the second day of Kwanzaa, and it's about self-determination. And you're the perfect woman for this show for the second day of Kwanzaa. So thank you for being here. And we actually have a video of you surfing in. And I want the viewers from Sister Power to see that video. It's just absolutely soothing and gorgeous of you surfing. And then you can tell us a little bit about it. And that should be shown soon. Okay. All right. You can talk about it afterwards. Here we are. All right. We'll come back to the video. What I want to ask you, you are native Hawaiian, a woman, and you have visible disability. How do you re-educate people in order to break down stigma and barriers? I think you have to, when you have a marginalized community, I feel that you have to kind of target it on all different sides. Not only through education, but just being you, you know, and getting out there and not letting the labels that people put on you stop you from being yourself. I think a lot of times, like, I like to connect with people. And if I let every time someone told me no or someone told me that I have this disability I'm different and, you know, like, what's wrong with me or something, if I let any of those times tell me that I couldn't connect to people, then I wouldn't connect to anyone, you know, because people tell me that a lot. But I think, like, so I think you just got to be you, but also education, in that just understanding that there is life and an amazing life, an extraordinary life outside of being a woman or in a marginalized community. Well, our title, our theme today, Life is Being Extraordinary, and you have a model that you always tell people. Tell us about that model. So the model is when I focus on being normal, I exclude the possibility of being extraordinary. Say that again. When I focus on being normal, I exclude the possibility of being extraordinary. I like that. Yeah. I came across this, it just came in my head at maybe five years ago or six years ago when I was competing at the Paralympics, but also when I was competing in the World Championships, there is so much mental fortitude that has to, you have to train yourself to go through, that you need to tell yourself every day at your breaking point that you're going to get up tomorrow and do it again, you know, and break those things down. So the mental and spiritual components of training is just as important as the physical training. But that's wonderful. Now we're going to take a look at that video now and watch you surf the way. This is one of our divisions that is the elimination type of final. So these surfers advanced through Heats to Be Here, and that is Ann Yoshida. We could do a full show a couple hours long on just her accomplishments, her road to recovery, and also her upcoming induction to the Hawaiian Waterman Hall of Fame. Beautiful. Thank you. Beautiful, beautiful. That's at Queens right before Hurricane Harvey was about to hit or something. We had the Hawaii Adapter Surf Championships, and that was one of the waves that I got to get. In that, that wave actually won the heat for, so I won that heat. But, you know, there's a couple of heats before you actually win the whole competition. Wow. So at that moment. How many people are in your team that help you prepare for the championship? Well, we have the Hawaii Adapter Surf Team. That's about 25 people, about 16 people. There's 16 spots about that go and represent Hawaii in the World Championships every year. And this year was held at La Jolla Shores, and we had great surf. But in my personal team, you know, there's an individual team, too, because it is individual sport, too. I need one or two people to help me get in and out of the water, to help me get my board in and out. But once I'm in the water, hands off, don't touch me. You're ready to go. Yeah. Unless you have a jet ski. I'll jump on a jet ski. So do you have a special canoe that is made just for you? Yeah. You know, everything's better with people, right? So I don't ever go in the water alone. And I think that's something I had to break down when I was first injured, is that I would do these things all by myself all the time, you know? And so I had to, one, be okay with myself and not have to prove myself to everyone and just know that I can ask for help. And then, two, it's always funer with a group of people. So I can, you know, invite people to come along with me and I have just as much fun as if I were doing it alone. Sometimes even more fun. Wow. Well, that's wonderful. What we're going to do is take a short break. Yeah. And we're going to come back and speak more with you about surfing. Thank you. When I was growing up, I was among the one in six American kids who struggle with hunger and hungry mornings make tired days, grumpy days, kind of days. But with the power of breakfast, the kids in your neighborhood can think big and be more. When we're not hungry for breakfast, we're hungry for more, more ideas, more dreams, more fun. When kids aren't hungry for breakfast, they can be hungry for more. Go to hungeris.org and lend your time or your voice to make breakfast happen for kids in your neighborhood. Welcome back to Sister Power and my special VIP guest is Ann Yushida. And today's title is Life is Being Extraordinary. And what are the biggest obstacles? And how do you overcome them? The biggest obstacles, like in my life now? Well, you know, you are a competitor. You compete in the Paralympics. So are there obstacles in preparing for it? I'm sure. What are they? Oh, wow. Everything. Everything. I mean. What is the biggest one? Everything, really. So I think the one thing I learned the most, actually, when I competed for the Paralympics was just the mental training that needs to go on. Because I think as women, we feel not enough sometimes, you know? Yeah. You know what I mean? Like, there's sometimes I kind of feel a little bit not enough or less than what I should be, especially being in minority groups. You kind of feel like you're not enough, right? But I think that that mental fortitude was so important for me to train. Like, just one positive thought that I can repeat in my mind can change my game five seconds less. You know, my one-minute race is, you know, now, you know, 55 seconds. Yeah. You know, women, as women, we are so hard on ourselves. We can do, oh, if you can feel it, you can do it. Right. And that's what I say. Who are your role models? Oh, my gosh. So many, you know, Dukahonamoku, but Real Sun, I grew up with Real Sun, watching her as a woman with breast cancer and all of that stuff, and as a surfer. And what she did for all the keiki, she really developed surfing for children, you know? And so I grew up watching that as a little kid. So I think, you know, she was definitely one of my role models, but really when it comes down to it, my grandmother and my mother, they were both very big water women, and they taught me to love the ocean. And I wouldn't be where I'm at without them. Well, your family, your entire family is the one that motivated you, inspired you to just respect the water. Yes. I grew up in the water. So my dad as a fisherman and my mom as a swimmer and surfer and snorkeler and all of that stuff. And I think just everybody, you know, being in the water or in the ocean is part of our culture. Yeah. And so I grew up respecting it, you know, and I grew up knowing that it can overpower me at any point in time, and I need to be humble in what I do because the next day it could be totally different. Totally different. Life is a challenge. And we have some beautiful pictures of you and various activities. I want people to see the different looks of Ann Yushida out there in the water. That is just so beautiful. Now tell me about that, that you're in a canoe. Yeah. That's in a kayak, a K-1. Oh, a kayak. Yep. And that's the sprint kayak that I went to the Paralympics in. I jumped off of my va-a, which is an outrigger canoe, and I started doing kayaking because they put that in the Paralympics. So I started training actually kind of late, but that's what a K-1 looks like. And I had to learn, it's a total different strip, even though it's a boat and it's in the water and it's a paddle, it's a total different technique and a different way to be in the water. So it's a learning curve. It was a learning curve at least. School is never out. School is never out. What advice would you give to aspiring athletes? So I give this advice to everyone really. It doesn't matter if you're an athlete or if you're getting out of, into the community for the first time after being in a wheelchair or whatever, just one step at a time. Whatever it is, one second at a time, one minute at a time. This past competition that I was at in California, I had gotten, my leg strap came off and I got to a sweat across the beach in like 15 minutes in a 25 minute heat. And so I was far away from the lineup and I just had one paddle at a time, one paddle at a time. I got myself back into that lineup and caught perfect waves, came to me and I jumped on it and traveled into the waves. But I think just understanding that you can trust and have faith that what is out there is going to be enough for you, but also what, what is out there is going to be what makes you your extraordinary. I like that. What's next for you? Oh, I have a lot of big dreams, but this year I'm planning a world tour. So it's really exciting. Planning a world tour, starting when? So I think the first time I'm going to go out is in May-ish and it's 10 to 14 different countries across the world. I'm going to compete and hopefully work on surf clinics. Adaptive surfing, I feel is empowering to everyone no matter who you are. So if you jump in the water and you, even if it's just to get in the water and feel the dynamic environment of the ocean, that's enough to give you some kind of power. I also feel that, you know, the salt water is the closest to our body composition than anything else is. So we feel more at home in the salt water. So I think like being able to put on these surf clinics across the world, and in part my knowledge, you know, as occupational therapists, but also as a competitive athlete in the sport. So you're doing a world tour starting May. So are you looking for sponsors? Are you doing any type of fundraising? Yeah. So I haven't, this will be my debut, I haven't really like told anyone yet. Oh well. The world knows now. Yeah, the world knows now. Yeah. So I am fundraising for that world tour. I'm not sponsored or anything like that, so I'm looking for sponsors too. But I would love to go across the world and share that knowledge that I have in adaptive surfing to a lot of everyone. Really it's really to empower women in sport and to promote inclusion in competition. So Ann Yushita is planning a world tour. And so everyone who's listening out there, our audience is across the world, contact Ann Yushita. Give us your email address. What information can they contact you? So you could just contact me lifeaccessed at gmail.com or lifeaccess.com is my website. All right. The website is up. So check out the website and contact you and this is going to happen. So how many days? What's going to happen no matter what? Absolutely, of course. The world tour would take place. It's 14 different countries. Every different country has a different competition that takes three to five days. And then one day before or after, we usually put on some kind of thing for the community to do a surf clinic or something. That sounds exciting going to various countries. Have you partnered with any sports brand as representatives? No. We need to work on that. Absolutely. You should definitely be a representative of one of the major sports brands. So what brand would be the perfect brand for you right now, especially with May coming up as a world tour? Well, I actually like smaller brands for some reason. OEV, I wear their rash guards all the time. Even though they're a paddling company, they actually are a perfect fit for me. And so I wear their stuff. And a bigger company would be like Patagonia or Atleto, I wear those clothes too. Okay, they've heard it. They hear you. So I'm sure that's coming. Where do you see yourself in five years? Oh gosh, well next year I see myself embracing this world tour. Absolutely. And that's going to be annual. I'm sure that's going to be an annual event. Yeah. So I don't really look that far ahead. I used to back in the day. Yeah. I used to have like a five year plan and a 10 year plan and it never really like happened, you know. I think it's not that it, you know, it was just better, you know, like what happened was better. So I just every year I try to live better. So I don't know how I can top this past year, but hopefully next year that'll be good. Well, it was just your enthusiasm and your determination to achieve, you know, you're inspiring all of us and all of the viewers. I really admire you. I kind of feel though like, like everything that's come into my life has been, it came into my life. You know, I had the faith to jump on those, you know, like opportunities, right? So the opportunities came into my life. A lot of people don't see those opportunities. They don't even see them as opportunities. They see them as fear, you know, indicators or something like this. But I look at it and I'm like, oh, that's an opportunity. I'm going to jump on that. And you know, I don't have kids or anything like that. So there's not a lot of things holding me back and I have a great support system. So I could jump in those opportunities and it really has been an amazing ride. Okay. Amazing ride for you. It has. Free fall. What's the craziest question you've ever been asked? I don't know. You don't know? No. This is probably one. One of them. Yeah. Nobody asked me what's the craziest question. I mean, like people ask me all kinds of things, you know, I have like these set little monologues in my head, you know, when someone asks questions. A lot of times people, you know, come and come up to talk to me for the first time because they see my dog. Oh, she's just, Joe, I wish the audience could see her. She's darling. Before her, you know, I had ECHO and I didn't actually move away from home until I got ECHO, my service dog. So he gave me that strength to be able to jump out and move away from home and then move in abroad actually and teach in Korea. Ah, you moved abroad to Korea for a long time. I did. For four years I taught in occupational therapy, which is why I have a doctorate in occupational therapy. And we, time is almost out over. I want you to, and look into the camera and in one minute, just inspire the people about what you're doing, that give them the courage to do what you're doing, especially people who love the sports, who live here in Hawaii. Oh. So there's so many people that actually, you know, go out in the water and ocean. But I think the one thing that I could say for everyone is just don't wait until tomorrow. Do it today. Like, get one step closer to where you want to be. It doesn't matter where it is, as long as you get that one step closer. So it took me a long time, you know, to get out of bed, you know, when I first got injured. Sure. I didn't even, like, get up out of bed. And so that, I don't think about that anymore. It becomes my normal, you know, or the way I drive, it becomes my normal. The way I take my wheelchair out of the car, you know, 20 times a day, it becomes my normal. I don't even think about those things anymore. The way I put my beach wheelchair, you know, out of my truck, and then I ask and summon for help at some random tourist guy, and I say, can you help me in the water? I don't even think about those things anymore, because it's so normal in my life. But it becomes that routine. And so just one step at a time. Get out closer to where you were than yesterday, and you'll get there. Well, thank you so much, Ann, for joining Sister Power and motivating us and educating us and inspiring us. And I want to thank our audience and happy Kwanzaa, Happy New Year, and everyone be kind to one another. Aloha.