<p>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.&nbsp;</p><br><p>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.</p><br><p>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.</p><br><p>In <em>Rising Phoenix: What Does It Take? </em>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.</p><br><p>Brought to you by the creators of Emmy Award winning Rising Phoenix. Supported by global partners Procter &amp; Gamble - the makers of Oral-B, Pampers and Gillette Venus - and adidas.&nbsp;</p><br><p>“Rising Phoenix” - Written by Daniel Pemberton, Keith Jones, Toni Hickman and George Doman</p><p>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.</p><br><p>You can watch the video version of this episode on the Rising Phoenix Youtube channel <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@risingphxglobal" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a></p><br><p>This is a Persephonica production in partnership with Harder Than You Think.</p><br><p>Hosts: Michael Johnson and Matt Stutzman</p><p>Producers: Marilyn Rust and Calum Campbell</p><p>Director of video: Oliver Geraghty</p><p>Video production: Dan Pape&nbsp;</p><p>Executive Producers: Greg Nugent and Ellie Clifford</p><br><p>Archive: IPC Tokyo 2020, Procter &amp; Gamble,TikTok <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@anastasia_k_p?lang=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Anastasia Pagonis (@anastasia_k_p) Official</a> Instagram @<a href="https://www.instagram.com/anastasia_k_p/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">anastasia_k_p</a></p><p><br></p><br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Rising Phoenix: What Does It Take?

Persephonica and Harder Than You Think

Anastasia Pagonis on finding freedom through swimming, Radar and the positive side of social media

AUG 23, 202428 MIN
Rising Phoenix: What Does It Take?

Anastasia Pagonis on finding freedom through swimming, Radar and the positive side of social media

AUG 23, 202428 MIN

Description

<p>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.&nbsp;</p><br><p>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.</p><br><p>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.</p><br><p>In <em>Rising Phoenix: What Does It Take? </em>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.</p><br><p>Brought to you by the creators of Emmy Award winning Rising Phoenix. Supported by global partners Procter &amp; Gamble - the makers of Oral-B, Pampers and Gillette Venus - and adidas.&nbsp;</p><br><p>“Rising Phoenix” - Written by Daniel Pemberton, Keith Jones, Toni Hickman and George Doman</p><p>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.</p><br><p>You can watch the video version of this episode on the Rising Phoenix Youtube channel <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@risingphxglobal" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a></p><br><p>This is a Persephonica production in partnership with Harder Than You Think.</p><br><p>Hosts: Michael Johnson and Matt Stutzman</p><p>Producers: Marilyn Rust and Calum Campbell</p><p>Director of video: Oliver Geraghty</p><p>Video production: Dan Pape&nbsp;</p><p>Executive Producers: Greg Nugent and Ellie Clifford</p><br><p>Archive: IPC Tokyo 2020, Procter &amp; Gamble,TikTok <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@anastasia_k_p?lang=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Anastasia Pagonis (@anastasia_k_p) Official</a> Instagram @<a href="https://www.instagram.com/anastasia_k_p/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">anastasia_k_p</a></p><p><br></p><br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>