We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Anna Montaldo a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Anna, appreciate you joining us today. Any advice for creating a more inclusive workplace?

When I was in high school my junior and senior year my peers were all applying for classes that were going to help them get accepted into college. Since I have cerebral palsy a disability that affects me physically and makes my entire life revolve around my support staff and their ability to help with everything I didn’t feel comfortable starting a college journey. In 2017 I started my own disability awareness brand on social media by the name of CP Life my mission was to pave the way to a more inclusive world for everyone with disabilities and to provide a possible income for myself. Over the years, CP Life has had over 60,000 views of our vlogs of daily life with cerebral palsy, interviews, and disability awareness videos. Approximately 1000 of those people are subscribed to YouTube, and another 1200+ on Tik Tok. In addition to video content, Anna runs CP Life Facebook and Instagram accounts that focus on written disability awareness outreach, featuring referrals to disability friends’ Facebook and Instagram groups. Today I’m proud to say that I now have a part time position at a state developmental disability council as their communications coordinator . I believe that if I had taken the college route I might not be as far as I am today.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Anna Montaldo, a dynamic young adult thriving with cerebral palsy, is the visionary founder of CP Life. In 2020, she proudly graduated from high school in St. Louis, marking a significant milestone in her journey that began with the launch of CP Life in 2017. Anna is an alumna of the Boundless Babe Society, an international women-owned group committed to empowering women with disabilities.

As the dedicated executive director of the Community Power Project and the 2023-2024 Sartac fellow and the communications coordinator for Missouri developmental Disabilities council , Anna is at the forefront of grassroots advocacy, leading initiatives that make a lasting impact. She holds certifications in person-centered planning, CTLC Ambassador Stakeholder facilitation, and Good Life group facilitation.

CP Life is a personal social media disability awareness brand. Anna created CP Life in the summer of 2017, in an effort to show those with and without disabilities that living with a disability doesn’t have to be limiting!

Over the years, CP Life has had over 60,000 views of our vlogs of daily life with cerebral palsy, interviews, and disability awareness videos. Approximately 1000 of those people are subscribed to YouTube, and another 1200+ on Tik Tok. In addition to video content, Anna runs CP Life Facebook and Instagram accounts that focus on written disability awareness outreach, featuring referrals to disability friends’ Facebook and Instagram groups.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I wish I knew about LifeCourse online. LIFECOURSE online is a planning tool for those who have disabilities. This tool allows them to think about all aspects of their lives and really explore the possibilities for them personally weather then have someone else make their decisions for them. https://www.lifecoursetools.com/

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

I Started CP Life as an opportunity to connect with others who have disabilities and teach them that their voices and experiences are capable of having a quote on quote normal life. As I started producing content I didn’t anticipate that it would reach anyone outside of my family and friends but to my surprise it did grow outside of my circle. As people began to realize that I had a passion and talent for disability advocacy I got offers from universities, disability advocacy groups, conferences and other organizations to share my experiences with a disability. Eventually I decided to attempt to enter the workforce and work part time for the Missouri developmental disability council where I am today.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.gocplife.com