There was a foundation being built in my life long before I ever knew I would need it.

In this episode of Resilience with Tasha Schuh, I take you back to my childhood — growing up in a small town, surrounded by family, community, and experiences that were quietly shaping who I was becoming.

From early medical challenges… to moments that tested my confidence… to lessons that pushed me to keep going even when I didn’t want to — this episode begins to uncover the roots of the resilience I would one day rely on.

At the time, these moments felt ordinary. Some felt frustrating. Some felt awkward. Some felt hard.

But looking back now… I can see they were anything but random.

They were preparing me.

In this episode, I share pieces of my story that reveal how resilience is built long before life falls apart — often in ways we don’t even recognize at the time.

Because resilience doesn’t just show up in crisis.

It’s built long before the storm ever comes.

In this episode:

• Early challenges that introduced me to adversity at a young age
 • The mindset that shaped how I handled pressure and difficulty
 • Moments that built confidence — and moments that broke it
 • The quiet lessons that would later carry me through everything

This episode is a reminder that the experiences you’re living right now — even the ones that feel small or difficult — may be shaping you for something ahead.

Because the hardest part of my journey…

Was still ahead.

In the next episode, I’ll take you into one of the most difficult seasons of my life — rehabilitation.

“Rebuilding Me – The Fight of Rehabilitation  (Part 1: The Physical Battle)”

We’ll step into the reality of rehab, the emotional weight I didn’t expect, and the perseverance it took to begin rebuilding my life.

Learn more about my resilience coaching and speaking at: https://TashaSchuh.com

I would also love to hear from you. If there are topics you’d like me to cover or guests you’d love to hear from, please reach out and share your ideas with me at: [email protected]

If this episode encouraged you, please subscribe to the podcast and share it with someone who could use hope and resilience today.

There was a moment when the doctors told my family I was not going to live.

In this episode of Resilience with Tasha Schuh, I take you inside one of the most critical and life-threatening chapters of my journey following my 16-hour neck surgery.

As I returned to the ICU, complications quickly arose. My body began to crash, my lungs filled with fluid, and no one could fully explain what was happening. While I was heavily sedated and later placed into a coma, my family was being told to prepare for the worst.

In this episode, I share what I’ve come to understand about those days — through my family, the medical team, and the pieces I experienced as I began to wake up. I take you into the code blue, the uncertainty, and the power of prayer and perseverance when everything pointed to the end.

I also open up about the hallucinations, fear, and confusion I experienced as I began to wake up, along with the emotional moment I realized just how close I had come to losing my life.

This part of my story explores the space between life and death… and the fight that continued even when I didn’t know it was happening.

In this episode:

• My 16-hour neck surgery and what followed in the ICU
 • The moment my body crashed and a code blue was called
 • Being placed into a coma during a life-threatening crisis
 • The power of prayer, family, and refusing to give up
 • The hallucinations, fear, and confusion as I began to wake up
 • Coming off the ventilator and preparing for the next phase of recovery

This is Part 2 of my ICU story. In the next episode, I’ll take you back to my childhood and share the foundation that shaped who I was before the accident — and why that matters so much in the journey ahead.

Learn more about my resilience coaching and speaking at: https://TashaSchuh.com

I would also love to hear from you. If there are topics you’d like me to cover or guests you’d love to hear from, please reach out and share your ideas with me at: [email protected]

If this episode encouraged you, please subscribe to the podcast and share it with someone who could use hope and resilience today.

What happens when your life changes in a single moment?

In this episode of Resilience with Tasha Schuh, I take you inside the first days after my devastating accident as I was rushed to the neurological ICU at Saint Marys Hospital at Mayo Clinic.

At just sixteen years old, I began to realize the seriousness of my injuries as doctors delivered a life-altering prognosis: a C5 spinal cord injury that would leave me paralyzed from the chest down.

In this episode, I share what those early hours in the ICU were really like — the tests, the uncertainty, the emotional shock, and the moment I began to understand that my life might never look the same.

This part of my story explores the fragile space between survival and surrender, and the beginning of a resilience journey that would shape the rest of my life.

In this episode:

• The first hours in the ICU after my traumatic accident
 • Hearing a life-changing spinal cord injury diagnosis at sixteen
 • The emotional impact of realizing my life may never look the same
 • The strength of family, friends, and community during a crisis

This is Part 1 of my ICU story. In the next episode, I’ll share what happened during my 16-hour neck surgery and how close I came to losing my life.

Learn more about my resilience coaching and speaking at: https://TashaSchuh.com

I would also love to hear from you. If there are topics you’d like me to cover or guests you’d love to hear from, please reach out and share your ideas with me at: [email protected]

If this episode encouraged you, please subscribe to the podcast and share it with someone who could use hope and resilience today.

On November 11, 1997, an ordinary Tuesday became the day that changed my life forever.

In this episode of Resilience with Tasha Schuh, part of the “My Story” series, I take you back to the exact day of my accident—set during opening week for The Wizard of Oz and a rehearsal at the historic Sheldon Theatre in Red Wing, Minnesota. What began as a typical high school evening quickly turned into a terrifying moment that would lead to a spinal cord injury and the beginning of a completely new life. 

I share what I remember clearly, what became fuzzy, and what I’ve learned over time from others who were there. This episode focuses only on the day of the accident—what it felt like in the moments before, during, and immediately after—ending as I’m airlifted to the hospital.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

• The emotional weight I was carrying that day
• The split-second moment that changed everything
• The fear and uncertainty that followed
• The ambulance, the helicopter, and the realization that nothing was in my control

Next episode:
ICU – Life on the Edge (Part 1: The Prognosis)
In the next episode, I’ll take you into the intensive care unit after the helicopter lands, and share what the doctors said—the moment everything became real.

Learn more about my resilience coaching and speaking at: https://TashaSchuh.com

I would also love to hear from you. If there are topics you’d like me to cover or guests you’d love to hear from, please reach out and share your ideas with me at: [email protected]

If this episode encouraged you, please subscribe to the podcast and share it with someone who could use hope and resilience today.

What is resilience — and why does it matter so much for your mental health, purpose, and peace?

Welcome to the very first episode of Resilience with Tasha Schuh. In this opening episode, I share the heart behind this podcast, why it has been months in the making, and what you can expect from Season One. I also introduce my “My Story” series, where I open up about the experiences that shaped my journey; moments of challenge, growth, and resilience.

At 16 years old, a theater accident left me a quadriplegic and changed my life forever. Since then, I’ve spent my life learning, living, and teaching resilience — first through speaking full-time beginning in 2007, and now through resilience coaching and education-based mental health work.

Alongside my husband Doug, we’ve had the honor of speaking to more than 120,000 students and educators and thousands more about resilience, hope, and mental health — and that work continues to grow.

In this episode, I share:

• Why I launched this podcast
 • What resilience really means (and why we aren’t born with it)
 • How resilience supports emotional well-being and mental health
 • The connection between challenge and growth
 • A breakdown of the 30-episode journey of Season One

Season One includes:
 Part 1: My Story of Resilience
 Part 2: The PATH to Resilience (Purpose, Attitude, Team, Hope)
 Part 3: Resilience in Action — practical tools and guest stories

Each episode is designed to be around 20–30 minutes — deep enough to matter, but still doable for your busy life.

If you’re navigating a life-changing challenge, burnout, loss, identity shifts, or simply want to build stronger resilience skills, this podcast is for you.

Lastly, be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss the next episode: The Day That Changed Everything — the story of the accident that reshaped my life.

There is always hope. And you can love your life, even when it doesn’t look the way you expected.

Learn more about my resilience coaching and speaking at: https://TashaSchuh.com

I would also love to hear from you. If there are topics you’d like me to cover or guests you’d love to hear from, please reach out and share your ideas with me at: [email protected]

If this episode encouraged you, please subscribe to the podcast and share it with someone who could use hope and resilience today.

One of the best things that has come from my life-changing accident is being able to help others find strength through life’s unexpected twists and turns. 

Hi, I’m Tasha Schuh, resilience coach, speaker, and author. As someone who unexpectedly became a quadriplegic at 16, I look to help those who are trying to navigate life-changing challenges and diagnoses. You are not alone in your challenges, and it’s my honor to share survival tools and life-giving strategies. I've learned from my own challenges to help empower you to thrive in life, not just survive. 

This podcast is about helping you to learn how to love your life despite your circumstances and find balance. You can have peace, purpose, and joy again. See you on the podcast!

Learn more about my resilience coaching and speaking at: https://TashaSchuh.com

I would also love to hear from you. If there are topics you’d like me to cover or guests you’d love to hear from, please reach out and share your ideas with me at: [email protected]

If this episode encouraged you, please subscribe to the podcast and share it with someone who could use hope and resilience today.