Introducing Frankie York: Seize Your Adventure Intern

I'm happy to announce that Seize Your Adventure is getting bigger. Francesca York (who luckily goes by Frankie to stop any confusion!) has volunteered her help over the next few months as an SYA Intern and it will be great to get her fresh eyes/ears on things. I'll be taking her through the process of creating an independent podcast, and teaching her some skills that she'll be able to apply in her future placements and work.

So far, she's hot out of the gates and I'm looking forward to helping her own her story with a future episode...

Lying on her surfboard, Frankie is wearing her ‘game face’ as she paddles back to the line-up after catching a wave.

Here's a little bit more about Frankie, and why she offered to help me, in her own words:

"Hi all, I wanted to take this time to introduce myself. I’m Frankie, and for the past six years I have suffered frequent and debilitating seizures that have threatened my independent lifestyle, education and my ability to indulge in one of my greatest passions, surfing. SYA has had a profound impact on my wellbeing and attitude towards my condition. I have found solace, support and inspiration in Fran and the fantastic community of adventurers she has cultivated.

There was a time when the fear of my condition stopped me from surfing entirely but SYA has helped me regain that confidence and understand how to better manage my health. I can proudly say now that I am happy to surf in all weather and swell conditions with a diminished sense of vulnerability in the water due to my seizures. I understand I’ll always be at a greater risk than my companions in the water, but this notion doesn’t scare me anymore, instead I use fear as a driving force to take better care of myself.

Thanks to the support of incredible people around me (and VNS therapy - or vagal nerve stimulation) I have been free of seizures since October 2019. Now, I am seizing a new adventure, learning some new skills and trying to give back to both Fran and the incredible adventure community that has given me so much."

Frankie sitting at a table in a cafe, smiling and eating a bowl of fruit

Thank you so much Frankie for your support and your time. I will work hard to make sure this internship is fruitful for you! (I'm not even sorry about the pun...)

You can find out more about Frankie on her LinkedIn profile, and you can follow her on Instagram.