Paralympic star and Queen of the pool Anastasia Pagonis lost her sight at the age of 14, sending her into a spiral of despair. She talks openly to Matt “The Armless Archer” Stutzman and Olympic legend Michael Johnson about her struggles with mental health and how swimming offered her a freedom and sense of control she lacked on dry land.
The twenty-year-old from Long Island explains how her “partner in crime”, her beloved guide dog Radar has helped boost her confidence and how she aims to raise the profile of blind people while humorously dispelling myths through her wildly popular social media channels.
Anastasia brought back a gold and a bronze from the Tokyo Paralympics and is determined to increase her medal haul at the Paralympic Games this summer; but that’s not before she chooses the color of her blackout goggles and posts a carwash themed TikTok with Matt.
In Rising Phoenix: What Does It Take? Matt and Michael explore the hard work, drive, dedication and sacrifice required to become an elite Paralympian. Come back next time when they’re joined by track and social media star Hunter Woodhall.
Brought to you by the creators of Emmy Award winning Rising Phoenix. Supported by global partners Procter & Gamble - the makers of Oral-B, Pampers and Gillette Venus - and adidas.
“Rising Phoenix” - Written by Daniel Pemberton, Keith Jones, Toni Hickman and George Doman
Performed by Daniel Pemberton, Toni Hickman, georgetragic, and Keith Jones. Published by Alika’s Publishing, Doman Development, Moncur Street Music Limited, administered by peermusic (UK) Ltd.
You can watch the video version of this episode on the Rising Phoenix Youtube channel here
This is a Persephonica production in partnership with Harder Than You Think.
Hosts: Michael Johnson and Matt Stutzman
Producers: Marilyn Rust and Calum Campbell
Director of video: Oliver Geraghty
Video production: Dan Pape
Executive Producers: Greg Nugent and Ellie Clifford
Archive: IPC Tokyo 2020, Procter & Gamble,TikTok Anastasia Pagonis (@anastasia_k_p) Official Instagram @anastasia_k_p
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Law & Order: Criminal Justice System - Season 1 & Season 2
Season Two Out Now! Law & Order: Criminal Justice System tells the real stories behind the landmark cases that have shaped how the most dangerous and influential criminals in America are prosecuted. In its second season, the series tackles the threat of terrorism in the United States. From the rise of extremist political groups in the 60s to domestic lone wolves in the modern day, we explore how organizations like the FBI and Joint Terrorism Take Force have evolved to fight back against a multitude of terrorist threats.