Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Anthony Sanchez. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Anthony, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

I’m blessed to be in the position I’m in as a T-4 spinal cord injury survivor so every project is meaningful but there are a few that really stand out. After I broke my back, I lost my ex, lost my job, and lost myself. On top of all that, I had also recently found out my ex was pregnant with my daughter. Being in the state of self loathing and self pity and fighting through those months of pain and solitude compelled me to start to make real and lasting changes, starting with my health. Hours turned into days, days turned into weeks, weeks months, and months into years and I started to feel good and look even better. Throughout that time, I grew my social media presence and following into what it is today and landed my first modeling gig, then another and another. The work I did with JC Penny to launch their adaptive line of clothing was special because there were kids there, with similar disabilities that I was able to connect to. I always feel like a regular guy but they looked at me like a celebrity. I was also able to invited to participate in Visit Fort Worth’s annual breakfast gala and was featured in their promotional video. I made a lot of great connections that day that will impact plans I have for the near future.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

As I said, I experienced a life altering motorcycle accident that left me physically paralyzed and temporarily mentally paralyzed. I had to take ownership of where I was and decide to take action about where I wanted to be in life. My mind was still sharp and I gained a sense of perspective I never had before. When you’re young and making more money than you know what to do with, you feel invincible. It wasn’t until I had my wreck did I come to grips with how fragile life can be and how my life is so much bigger than what I can give to myself. My purpose now is to inspire people from all walks of life that if “Ant Can, I Can.” I’m a father who takes care of his daughter so I go to the dance recitals, dress up with her for Halloween, drive her around myself, cook for her, and invest in her life. In addition to modeling and acting, I fill up my hours with dedicated high impact gym sessions and I produce much of my own content for Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. I’m also forming my non-profit which will launch at the end of summer. Our focus is to help minimize the adjustment and transition period for spinal cord patients to get back into the world and live a full life. We do this through an array of initiatives that make us unique in this space so I don’t want to give anything away just yet. Follow me on my social channels for the latest details. I’m not defined by my wheelchair. Instead, I use it as a platform to help the world whether able bodied or disabled to ditch the excuses and get to work on making impactful changes.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I built my audience on social media by not forcefully trying to become social media famous/an influencer. I feel the social media space is one where people can fabricate their own reality and persona that is insincere. People also see what the hot trend is and will then duplicate it in hopes of attaining similar fame. You see it all the time with dance trends, voiceover trends, filters, and the like. I do it for the people, not the likes. My biggest advice is to be genuine, be sincere, be yourself. I began posting as a way to track my progress, get encouragement, and to provide inspiration. I never did it to say “look at me and how great I am.” People took notice and the follows and audience grew tremendously. At the end of the day, I know my audience is there because they want to be there and I love them for it!

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My one lofty goal is to be the best to ever do it from a wheelchair. What does that mean? It means I want to be the best father, actor, model, public speaker, and CEO ever who just so happens to be in a wheelchair. I’ve overcome so many obstacles and hurdles to get where I am now, it only makes sense that I continue to reach for the next level on my journey. I don’t foresee anything that is capable of slowing me down. So long as I have the support of my family, my daughter, my BTC team, and my followers, I have no ceiling on my trajectory, not even the sky is high enough.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.theanthonysanchez.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/wheelchairpapi
• Youtube: Behind The Chair A. Sanchez
• Other: TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@wheelchairpapi