We were lucky to catch up with Sydni Dupre recently and have shared our conversation below.

Sydni, appreciate you joining us today. One of the toughest things about progressing in a creative career or as an entrepreneur is that there are almost always unexpected problems that come up – problems that you often can’t read about in advance, can’t prepare for, etc. Have you had such and experience and if so, can you tell us the story of one of those unexpected problems you’ve encountered?

I started creating fun and silly video content on my social media platform in 2019. Once I started gaining more of a following in 2020, people could obviously see in my videos that I am a wheelchair user. When people saw a young adult using a wheelchair, naturally that came with lots of curiosity. People were commenting, “Why are you in a wheelchair?” “What’s wrong with you?” “Why can’t you walk?” I also constantly receive hate comments from people trying to bully me for my disability. Because I started receiving hundreds to thousands of these comments, I unexpectedly decided to make a shift in my content creation. I started to make more educational videos and answering questions about my disability. I have a rare neuromuscular disease called Friedreich’s Ataxia. I was born with this hereditary condition, however it is progressive so my symptoms worsen over time. I was diagnosed with FA around the time my symptoms became noticeable at age 10. I slowly lost my ability to walk and became wheelchair-bound when I was 15 years old. Today, I am a 24 year old influencer with over 1 million followers who still likes to make funny videos while also raising awareness for my rare disease!

Sydni, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a video content creator with over 1 million followers on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook. I enjoy making fun videos that showcase my personality while also raising awareness for my rare disability. I love interacting with my fans and answering any question- no matter how uncomfortable- about my disability for people who genuinely want to learn more about it. My main goal is to not only spread awareness for Friedreich’s Ataxia, but also to normalize physical disabilities for everyone and show that I am just like anyone else, with the same interests, passions, and intellect.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

In order to become a successful influencer, I had to unlearn being embarrassed by my disability. In a way, being a content creator and sharing my life with the world really helped me to embrace my disability and not shy away from the “haters”, online and in real life.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being a disabled influencer is when other people with disabilities tell me that they are inspired by my resiliency and that I helped them become more confident in themselves.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sydnindupre/profilecard/?igsh=MXNkbWp3YjFyOHhwag==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/15dTJwhD4g/?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@sydnigdupre?si=auxDh_YFfxJHEifX
• Other: TikTok
  https://www.tiktok.com/@sydnidupre?_t=8sBtqdTULgU&_r=1