We were lucky to catch up with Tucker Cunningham recently and have shared our conversation below.

Tucker, appreciate you joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

At 31 years old, I have been living with a condition known as Scoliosis. There are two types of scoliosis, one with a C curve and an S Curve. I live with the S curve. I was diagnosed at the age of 13 and was given two options, to move forward with surgery and put two steel rods in my spine, or wear a back brace for the next four to five years. My parents chose the alternative route and decided to wear the brace. As such an active kid, the brace brought uncertainty and physical and mental pain and struggle during that time. During this year, I was very involved in sports, which then meant I had to wear my brace to practice and take it off in front of my teammates. I was extremely embarrassed and instead would go to the nurses office and hide my brace in there and then head to practice. Sports helped keep my spince healthy by actively doing something. I wore my brace day in and day out and still struggled with this emotional and physical pain. I thought I was the only kid in the world that had to deal with wearing a brace. I tried less hard to make the middle school basketball team because I was scared of wearing my brace in front of other people. I ended up only wearing the brace for about a year and I was fed up. I’ll never forget being in Middle School and my best friend Billy was one of the few of my friends that knew I was wearing a brace. He would always tell me I had abs of steel and would boost my confidence. We’re still best friends to this day. As I reached High School, I chose to join the swim team and track and field team. Swimming was (and still is) great for my back and I just happened to have long legs and so I also became a hurdler. Without ever wearing my brace in High School, I unded up becoming a star track and field athlete at my high school and set multiple hurdle and 400m records that are still set to this day. Not once did I ever think that I had Scoliois. After High School, I attended Roanoke College, joined their libral arts program and also Track and Field team. I ran for about two years and felt I wasn’t sure what my purpose was and was seeking something different. I left college and spent a few months at home where I discovered the National Outdoor Leadership School, “NOL:S” Next thing I knew, I was off for the next three months hiking, sailing, and sea kayaking in Baja Mexico. Before this trip, I had never slept or camped in the outdoors for more than three days and found myself camping for the next 80 days. Growing up near the water in PA, I was eager to learn how to sail. This course taught me leadership dynamics, and outdoor skills, and also gained college credit. Upon graduating from NOLS, I lived and worked on a Tall Ship in Chicago for the next four summers. There is a point to all of these experiences just wait. From the desert to Chicago, I became a tall ship sailor. Living and working on a tall ship as a crew member, I was living my dream. I never knew I would be doing something like this before. I had felt like my scoliosis didn’t even exist at this time. I was so focused on how awesome life was, exploring, adventure, education, and tourism, I was immersed in it all. I loved what I was doing. My goal was to work here but also finish college. I always wanted to move to Colorado and I found a degree that I was already living in working in, Natural Resources Recreation and Tourism. So, In the summers I would sail, and during the school season, I would head to Fort Collins, CO, and attend school at Colorado State University. Not a bad life. I ended up graduating from CSU and moved on to one more season on the Tall Ship and then moved to Denver. I began to establish roots in Colorado, working and living in Denver in the events and hospitality industry. After 5+ years of working in events, I found myself working in event production and the music industry and became a DJ. Music and movement began to resonate with me as it began to help heal my back pain. I realized that this is something that I need to be doing for the rest of my life which is being a part of alternative movements that help heal my spine, espeically over my lifetime. I am entering into a career path I never thought I would experience but am very thankful that this is the next chapter of my life. This new chapter opens up to working with people who have Scoliosis, especially youth, who believe that they can’t try out for their basketball team because they now have a condition. My goal is to be a leader for youth to allow them to pursue their dreams and let them know that everything is going to be okay. Looking back on all of my experiences, from track and field star to my NOLS course, to living and working on a sailing ship to going to college, to working events, having Scoliosis never stopped me. To this day, I continue to move and stretch and work on strengthening my spine as I am even more passionate about helping others do the same. I appreciate your time reading my story, if you or a family member is suffering from living with pain from Scoliosis, I’d love to connect.

Sincerely,
Tucker Cunningham

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.

Hey! Tucker here, I am writing to you from Denver, Colorado. I have lived and worked here for the past ten years and am now beginning a new chapter in my life. All of my life experiences have led me to where I am today and am passionate about diving deeper into working with people and youth living with scoliosis., This idea began to spark after becoming a DJ and realizing that music and dance can heal people and that’s exactly what I love to do as well. I call my business, Swerv. Swerv is what you do for your entire life. You are swerving through life. Adventures, experiences, challenges, obstacles, career paths, and movements. Everyone says we are a part of Swerv and face what life provides for us and we must figure out how to get to the next step. My passion to begin Swerv came from connecting deeper with myself and recognizing that even though I have this condition, I still can do the things that I want to do. My mission is to provide the same for people living with this condition and bring hope to those who think their lives are restricted from getting out there and doing what they love to do.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

The goal that is driving my creative journey is to help youth overcome living with Scoliosis. As a young kid, it is terrifying to know that you are diagnosed with something, especially something that can impact you physically. I plan to create a positive impact on youth struggling with scoliosis and be their mentor/coach to lead a more impactful and motivating life for them.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist or creative is that whenever I enter into that space, I feel that I am my highest self and can be myself around others which is where my true light shines. I truly believe that being yourself around others allows you to flow into your creative space even deeper where I have also found other creative people as well.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: _Swerv