Through her own heart-wrenching story, Victoria shares her BREAKTHROUGH FORMULA for overcoming even life’s darkest challenges.
She talks about finding gratitude, alternative perspective, creating hope, and the power of unrelenting effort.
She shares her recipe for using the obstacles in life to create leverage for long lasting, meaningful change through a story your audience will never forget.
Victoria Arlen is an acclaimed motivational speaker, ESPN television host, Paralympic gold medalist, author, and relentless advocate for possibility. Her life story is one of the most remarkable modern examples of resilience. At age eleven, she was diagnosed with Transverse Myelitis and Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis, conditions that left her unable to speak, eat, walk, or move. Trapped in a vegetative state for nearly four years, Victoria heard everything happening around her but could not communicate—a reality she later described with profound honesty and emotional clarity. Despite doctors giving her little chance of survival, Victoria began an extraordinary recovery in 2010, relearning basic functions and eventually reclaiming every part of her life.
Her return led her to the international stage. At the 2012 London Paralympic Games, she won one gold and three silver medals and set multiple World, American, and Pan American records in swimming. In 2015 she joined ESPN as one of the network’s youngest on-air talents, quickly earning a reputation for her insight, authenticity, and charismatic presence across digital, studio, and live platforms. Victoria went on to defy expectations again in 2016 when she learned to walk after nearly a decade in a wheelchair, and later danced on Season 25 of Dancing with the Stars.
Victoria Arlen’s life story is one of remarkable resilience and triumph over adversity. At the tender age of eleven, her world was turned upside down when she was diagnosed with two rare conditions, Transverse Myelitis and Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis. This devastating diagnosis robbed Victoria of her ability to speak, eat, walk, and move, plunging her into a vegetative state.
Doctors initially gave little hope for her survival, let alone recovery, yet Victoria’s indomitable spirit refused to surrender. After nearly four years of being trapped within her own body, she began the arduous journey back to life in 2010, defying the odds and relearning basic functions such as speaking and moving.
Despite facing unimaginable challenges, Victoria Arlen not only recovered but went on to achieve extraordinary success in various fields. As an accomplished Motivational Speaker, Television Host, and Swimmer, Victoria’s story serves as a beacon of hope and inspiration to countless individuals around the world. Her swimming prowess earned her three Silver and a Gold medal at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, along with numerous World, American, and Pan American Records.
In April 2015, Victoria transitioned from professional athlete to sportscaster, joining ESPN as one of the youngest on-air talents in the company’s history. Her versatility and magnetic presence have made her a beloved figure across all platforms, captivating audiences with her insights and enthusiasm. Moreover, Victoria’s journey took another remarkable turn in the Spring of 2016 when, after nearly a decade in a wheelchair, she defied expectations once again by learning to walk and eventually dance on Season 25 of Dancing with the Stars, alongside her dance partner Val Chmerkovskiy.
Victoria’s background as a Paralympic athlete and sports commentator adds depth and credibility to her speaking engagements, allowing her to share valuable lessons learned from the world of competitive sports. Her achievements on the international stage serve as tangible evidence of what can be accomplished with determination, discipline, and a positive mindset. By weaving together personal anecdotes, practical strategies, and universal truths, Victoria empowers her audience to embrace challenges, set ambitious goals, and pursue their dreams with unwavering determination.
As an accomplished Motivational Speaker, Television Host, and Paralympic athlete, Victoria brings a unique blend of authenticity, empathy, and passion to every speaking engagement. Her ability to connect with audiences on a deeply personal level, combined with her diverse expertise and magnetic personality, makes her a sought-after speaker for events of all types and sizes. Whether addressing corporate gatherings, educational institutions, or community organizations, Victoria’s message of hope, perseverance, and empowerment resonates with people from all walks of life, leaving a lasting impact on all who have the privilege of hearing her speak.
Victoria Arlen has become world famous not only for her story and accomplishments but for her message:
“Face It, Embrace It, Defy It, Conquer It” ™
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A gripping, emotional short documentary recounting Victoria Arlen’s descent into paralysis, years of being locked inside her own body, and her astonishing journey back to life, mobility, and purpose.
This Goalcast documentary tells the powerful true story of Victoria Arlen, who at age eleven suddenly lost her ability to move, speak, eat, or communicate due to two rare autoimmune conditions. Doctors misdiagnosed her symptoms, assumed she was seeking attention, and ultimately declared that she would never recover — and that her family should accept she would die.
For almost four years, Victoria lay in a vegetative state, fully conscious but unable to signal to anyone that she was “still in there.” She describes the terror of being trapped inside her own body, the pain of watching her family suffer, and the fear of being given up on. Her parents recount the agony of watching their daughter deteriorate while experts offered no answers.
A turning point came when a medication briefly reduced her constant seizures, giving her enough physical stillness to blink on command — the first sign to her mother that Victoria was conscious. This breakthrough began her long fight back: relearning basic movement, returning to school in a wheelchair, and eventually reclaiming her life piece by piece. Though doctors insisted her spinal damage was permanent, Victoria and her family refused to accept that limit.
Nearly a decade after becoming paralyzed, she experienced a tiny but life-changing muscle flicker. That “spark” launched years of focused rehabilitation that ultimately allowed her to stand, walk, and eventually dance on Dancing with the Stars. The film ends with Victoria’s message of hope: that gratitude fuels resilience, and that holding on — even when there is no clear path forward — can lead to miracles.
In this emotional TEDx talk, Victoria Arlen recounts her journey from total paralysis and years trapped inside her own body to reclaiming her life, athletic dreams, and purpose — and the mindset that fueled her transformation.
Victoria Arlen opens by asking the audience to imagine losing the ability to speak, move, or remember — the terrifying reality she lived for three and a half years as a child after two rare neurological conditions shut down nearly every function of her body. She describes the pain of watching her abilities slowly slip away, being misdiagnosed, and being written off by doctors who told her family she would never recover.
Despite being fully conscious but unable to communicate, Victoria fought internally every day to survive and reassure her family she was still “in there.” A breakthrough came when, after years in a vegetative state, she blinked purposefully — a tiny signal that reconnected her with her family and became the first step in her long climb back.
She recounts relearning basic skills like smiling, tracking with her eyes, moving her fingers, and speaking. Returning to school with a fifth-grade education while her triplet brothers were sophomores, she set a bold goal to graduate with them — and did.
Her brothers pushed her back into the pool — literally — sparking her return to swimming and a path toward the Paralympics. Despite starting years later than her competitors and being repeatedly told she couldn’t succeed, Victoria claimed one gold and three silver medals at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
Victoria then shares the four-part mindset that carried her through her darkest moments and continues to guide her life: Face it. Embrace it. Defy it. Conquer it. Instead of giving in to bitterness or despair, she used acceptance, determination, and the belief of her small inner circle to defy medical expectations and societal limitations. She closes by encouraging the audience to consider their own setbacks and how adopting this mindset could transform their challenges into victories.
03:14–04:08 Fully conscious but trapped — her determination to survive.
04:09–05:07 Doctors tell her family to give up; Victoria fights internally.
05:08–05:42 Breakthrough moment: blinking becomes her first communication.
05:43–06:41 Relearning basic functions; humorous stories about early speech attempts.
06:42–07:33 Returning to school; setting the goal to graduate with her brothers.
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