From Shark Attack to Paralympian to Marathoner, the unbreakable Ali Truwit

Summary

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Welcome to the Party – Episode Summary

From Shark Attack to Paralympian to Marathoner: The Unbreakable Ali Truwit

Date: November 6, 2025
Hosts: Abby Wambach, Julie Foudy, Billie Jean King
Guest: Ali Truwit

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Episode Overview

This episode features the incredible journey of Ali Truwit—a shark attack survivor, Yale graduate, Paralympic swimmer, marathon finisher, and passionate advocate. Abby Wambach, Julie Foudy, and Billie Jean King guide a conversation exploring Ali’s physical and mental recovery after a devastating injury, her meteoric rise to the Paralympics, the founding of her nonprofit Stronger Than You Think, and her triumphant marathon run less than three years post-injury. Throughout, Ali shares her story with candor, humor, and deep insight into resilience, healing, and the power of community.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Ali's Story: Overview and Immediate Response

• [07:22] Julie Foudy introduces Ali’s journey—from a shark attack days after Yale graduation, to winning Paralympic medals, setting American swimming records, being featured in Sports Illustrated, and running the NYC Marathon with her mom and friend Sophie (who saved her life).
• Ali recounts the attack ([16:15]):

  “We were snorkeling in a very common shallow tourist area, and a shark appeared seemingly out of nowhere... next thing I knew, it had bitten off my foot and part of my leg, and I was bleeding out... we made the split second decision to swim for our lives back to the boat, which was roughly 75 yards away.”
  —Ali Truwit

• Sophie’s heroism: She applied a tourniquet to Ali's leg on the boat, saving her life.

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2. Returning to Sport, Redefining Recovery

• First thoughts post-injury:

  “Even on the boat ride back from the Shark Attack, I looked up at the first responder and was like, well, at least I got my marathon in before this. And he... looked back at me and was like, ‘you're gonna run another one?’”
  —Ali Truwit ([06:06])

• Running again:
  • 10 days before the attack, she ran a marathon with her mom.
  • Six months post-attack, she ran a Turkey Trot with an everyday prosthetic: "It was, like, painful and hard and upsetting and frustrating... For a year, I gave up running entirely."
  • After earning her running blade post-Paralympics, the idea of running the marathon returned:

    "Maybe the first responder was right. Maybe I could get back to running and do something like this."
    —Ali Truwit ([12:51])

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3. The Power of Community and Support

• Many individuals played life-saving roles:
  • Sophie, who saved Ali’s life in Turks and Caicos.
  • Hannah, a friend and med student, present at the Miami trauma center.
  • Family and friends who ran the NYC Marathon alongside her.
• Ali’s perspective:

  "My journey is a testament to the power of community and support to pull someone through... I knew early on I cannot wait until I can pay this forward."
  —Ali Truwit ([18:53])

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4. Stronger Than You Think Foundation and Advocacy

• Mission: Fundraising to provide young women and girls with prosthetic running blades, typically not covered by insurance.
• Achievements:
  • $220,000 raised ([10:30]).

  “Most insurances don't cover running blades, so we raised $220,000 for more young women and girls to get access to prosthetic running blades so that they can experience that freedom and joy of running, too.”
  —Ali Truwit ([10:41])

  • Blades can cost $10,000–$35,000 or more, with some going as high as $100,000 ([12:17]).

  “It’s called ‘Stronger Than You Think’... it was great to be able to fundraise for that so that we can give those prosthetics.”
  —Ali Truwit ([10:58])

• Motivation: Her phone background features women and girls helped so far, for inspiration during the marathon ([11:19]).

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5. From Trauma to Purpose: Mental Health and Vulnerability

• Radical acceptance and choosing meaning:

  “We can't control what happens to us, but we can control how we respond and react and make meaning... I had to get to that place of a little radical acceptance... it's happened. And now I'm going to do my best to make meaning of it.”
  —Ali Truwit ([18:53])

• Mental health, grief, and transparency:
  Ali speaks openly about setbacks and trauma:

  “If you see the shining moment, if you see me making Team USA, if you see me on the top of the podium, I want you to know that's possible for you, too. ...I had that too, and also ended up in this place. I didn't want it to be just the ending. I wanted to show, really, the authentic full journey.”
  —Ali Truwit ([29:00])

• Support systems:
  • Ali credits 50 friends and family who traveled to Paris as helping her through hard times in the Paralympics ([26:40]).
  • Working with sports psychologists, openness with loved ones.

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6. Paralympic Journey & Joy in Sport

• Path to Paris:
  • Less than a year from injury to competing and medaling at the Paralympics.
  • Facing trauma triggers—the underwater camera at the Paralympics resembled a shark, prompting an emotional response ([24:30]).
• Healing through athletic goals:

  "The power of athletics to, like, heal us and show us what we're capable of is so strong... Here's what I still have possible for me in this new body as an amputee, I can still compete."
  —Ali Truwit ([21:25])

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7. Resilience, Gratitude, and "Why Me": Shifting Perspective

• On asking 'Why me?':

  “If you ask, why me? Make sure you're asking it in both directions... Why did I get to survive? Why do I have friends and family who pulled me through?... Every time I ask one why me? Let me counter it with the other. And it's just a complete shift.”
  —Ali Truwit ([31:05])

• Abby on reframing perspective:

  "All you need to do is change the emphasis on a different word, and it changes the meaning. Like, why did this happen to me? Why did this happen to me? Why did this happen to me? Why did this happen to me? And so it just is a total different question if you have a different emphasis on a different word."
  —Abby Wambach ([32:27])

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8. Marathon Milestones and Family Bonds

• Running with her mother, Sophie, and friends:
  The NYC Marathon became a full-circle moment—Ali, her mother, her life-saving friend, and her support network all running together ([12:51], [15:37]).
• Mother-daughter pride and humor:

  "We both cried. Just an incredibly full circle moment... there's no manual on how to get your child through a shark attack. I don't know. I can't imagine how hard it was to get that kind of call as a parent in a different country... to have gone through this together and then just finish with another marathon two years later... was so, so special."
  —Ali Truwit ([33:23])

• Sibling rivalry:
  [34:56] Ali jokes about her dad and mom’s marathon competition and brothers cheering but not running:

  "They were like, that's not my truth, but we support you."

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9. Looking Forward

• Ali's next chapter:
  • Took time off competition to train for the marathon; now focusing on returning to swimming and aiming for LA 2028 ([35:32]).

  “I'm going to train and compete with eyes towards making that team in '28.”
  —Ali Truwit ([36:01])

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10. Hosts’ Reflections and Closing Thoughts

• Hosts are deeply inspired:

  "Ali Truitt, everybody. Ali Truitt. She's just badass."
  —Abby Wambach ([00:00]) "Young woman, amazing... to see her emotional and mental strength has just been the best."
  —Billie Jean King ([37:03]) "She blew my mind."
  —Julie Foudy ([37:07])

• Acknowledgement of struggle:

  "She showed the hard... there were many practices where she would be dumping tears out of her goggles."
  —Julie Foudy ([37:49])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote/Highlight | |------------|--------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 06:06 | Ali Truwit | "Even on the boat ride back from the Shark Attack... well, at least I got my marathon in before this." | | 10:41 | Ali Truwit | "Most insurances don't cover running blades, so we raised $220,000..." | | 12:51 | Ali Truwit | "10 days before I lost my foot in the Shark Attack, I ran the Copenhagen Marathon with my mom..." | | 18:53 | Ali Truwit | "We can't control what happens to us, but we can control how we respond and react and make meaning." | | 21:25 | Ali Truwit | "I'm not going to, to the best of my ability, live it ruled by fear." | | 24:30 | Ali Truwit | "I got to the Paralympics and... there was this, as you said, large black underwater camera... it was in shallow blue water, crystal clear... it was another moment where I really leaned on the support around me." | | 29:00 | Ali Truwit | "If you see the shining moment ... I want you to know that's possible for you, too. ...If you find yourself in a low... that's there also." | | 31:05 | Ali Truwit | "If you ask, why me? Make sure you're asking it in both directions..." | | 33:23 | Ali Truwit | "Just an incredibly full circle moment... there's no manual on how to get your child through a shark attack." | | 37:07 | Julie Foudy | "She blew my mind." | | 37:31 | Billie Jean King | "She's such a great badass." | | 37:49 | Julie Foudy | "She showed the hard... many practices where she would be dumping tears out of her goggles." |

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Episode Timeline and Timestamps

• [07:22] Julie introduces Ali’s backstory and journey
• [09:48] Ali shares post-marathon feelings and fundraising milestone
• [12:51] Ali details the full-circle motivation behind running the NYC Marathon
• [15:37] Story of the shark attack and immediate aftermath
• [18:53] Ali discusses radical acceptance and building her foundation
• [21:25] On mental shifts from trauma to purpose, embracing a fearless mindset
• [24:30] Overcoming trauma triggers at the Paralympics
• [29:00] Balancing visibility and vulnerability, sharing the authentic journey
• [31:05] Shifting from “Why me?” to gratitude and meaning
• [33:23] Emotional impact of running the marathon with her mom
• [35:32] Balancing marathon and swimming training; looking towards LA 2028
• [37:03+] Hosts reflect on Ali’s strength and impact

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Summary Conclusion

Ali Truwit’s story is one of extraordinary resilience, humor, and hope—transforming personal trauma into collective empowerment. Through athletics, advocacy, and radical vulnerability, Ali not only recovered but soared, illuminating the importance of community and mindset for both healing and high achievement. This episode is rich with practical wisdom for anyone facing adversity, plus heartfelt celebrations of family, friendship, and women’s sports.

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For more on Ali Truwit or to contribute:
Visit strongerthanyouthink.org

Host closing thoughts:
"Turning pain into purpose, which is so remarkable."
—Julie Foudy

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Transcript

[Abby Wambach]

Ali Truitt, everybody. Ali Truitt. She's just badass.

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

She's great. Badass.

[Ali Truitt]

On the boat ride back from the shark attack, I looked up at the first responder and was like, well, at least I got my marathon in before this. He, in that moment, looked back at me and was like, you're gonna run another one?

[Julie Foudy]

Oh, shush.

[Ali Truitt]

Attention, the party is about to commence.

[Julie Foudy]

Welcome to the what's up, party people? I'm Julie Foudy.

[Abby Wambach]

And I'm Abby Wambach.

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

And I'm Billie Jean King Kinger.

[Julie Foudy]

I have been dying to ask you, with your Dodger gear on, your swag on, let's talk the Dodgers. Oh, my gosh. How crazy. Oh, look, you got your ball. How crazy was all this, that whole series back to back?

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

It's the greatest series I've ever seen, and I'll never forget it. And of course, Ilana and I are part of the ownership group, so you can imagine with the other owners and all that, how excited we are as well. But more importantly for, you know, Los Angeles people and the Southern California people. But the way they played. I mean, the plays that make. And I feel so bad for the Blue Jays as well, though, because they really thought they had it all the way than we thought they did.

[Abby Wambach]

Some of the.

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

I have never seen a ball get stuck. Yeah, that's a first. Nobody's. And the kid was gonna. Who was. It was center. No, it was left field. Was gonna pick it up, and he had the whiskey from center fields going, don't touch it. Don't touch it because it's an automatic double. So they didn't score because otherwise they would have scored. So that. And there's all these different possibilities throughout the series. And one night was, what, 18 innings, and this last one was 10.

[Julie Foudy]

Did you stay up for the 18? I was dancing.

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

Oh, yeah, I sure did. Are you kidding me? I'm like that for anything. If I was watching you guys. If I were watching you guys perform, I'm all in, or else I don't do it. But it's just for the community and all that. It's just amazing. 40 million people watch. I mean.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah.

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

And think about Japan now, Yamamoto. And I know.

[Julie Foudy]

I wonder what the numbers were there.

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

I kept thinking, maybe that's what they were talking. I don't know. But the defense on both teams and the way the teams hit. Actually, Toronto hit better than we did. But it's. It's sad for Canada, but, boy, for. And that's two in a row now. We're up to nine World Series. Thank you so much.

[Julie Foudy]

You have to update your jacket.

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

I have this gear that has so much stuff on it. World Series on the back. It's got. It's got eight World Series and now we're gonna have nine.

[Abby Wambach]

That's awesome.

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

I've got all these different World Series. The years. The different years. Oh, my God, this thing is so fun to look at.

[Abby Wambach]

I'm so happy.

[Julie Foudy]

Anyway, you know what's so cool? My. My 16 year old who watches no baseball sends this amazing video. It's Halloween, right? It's Friday night. Wait, when was the finals? Game seven was Halloween. No, Saturday. Okay, so it's Saturday night. He's having this Halloween party and it's all young kids, but all you see is people, people dancing, right? And in the background, all these young people. And in the background is the game is up and it's the final double play and they're dancing, dancing, dancing. And then they make the double play and the whole place is going crazy. You just see like black arms. And I'm like, These are all 16 year olds who probably don't watch a ton. But like, everyone was locked in.

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

Everybody was watching.

[Abby Wambach]

Admit.

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

And Kirk hits it, the. And the bat breaks in half. Yeah. Double play.

[Abby Wambach]

Yeah.

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

Oh, my God. And then it dawns on you. We won.

[Abby Wambach]

Yeah.

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

Oh, my gosh.

[Abby Wambach]

I was. But anyway, I was happy. I was happy for la. And I also. I also was sad because I have a family friend on the Blue Jays, Ernie Clement. He is their.

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

Clement was such clutch.

[Abby Wambach]

He was their third baseman for the Blue Jays. He had a chance to win it in the bottom of the ninth where it's that wild play where he hits a ball to the track and the Two outfielders collide. 1. The center fielder like basically grabbed it.

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

He kicked him out of the way.

[Julie Foudy]

He caught him.

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

I know, but you know, my. My brother who just passed away last August, he. His last year professional baseball was with the Blue Jays. And he absolutely loved playing in Canada. He loved Bobby Cox, the manager, he loved the owners. And even this last year, he'd have his Blue Jays hat on quite often. We played 10 years with the San Francisco Giants, so we have a lot of Giant stuff too. But then I was angry with the Dodgers because they didn't draft him back in the old days. But wherever my bro played, I was for him. That was it. We grew up Dodger freaks, you know, because we were born, raised in Long Beach. But Randy, my brother, he just loved the Blue Jays so much. So I Had. I had a lot of thoughts and feelings going on during the baseball season this year because of him passing. So it was amazing. It just couldn't have been more amazing. I just wish he were still alive and he could have seen it.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah. Yeah. Well, we will continue with the amazing because we have Ali Truitt.

[Abby Wambach]

That's right.

[Julie Foudy]

Shark attack survivor, Paralympic swimmer, advocate coming up. Okay, abs, here's something I've learned from years of competing. Here's what we know. You do not get there alone. There's no way. Even the best players, you need a coach. You need someone who sees the big picture, who keeps you accountable, maybe helps you make your next right move. We need that support. That's what we know. We've known that.

[Abby Wambach]

I mean, and also, while you might not be chasing an actual championship, you. You are chasing a meaningful life. And that's where Strawberry me comes in. They really have made high quality career coaching accessible for everyone. Matching you with a certified coach who is very invested in your, in your growth.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah. And what's really cool is that together with this coach, you can clarify your goals. You can break through in terms of maybe what's holding you back, which we all have those things that are holding us back. You can be build like real confidence, not just for your next job, of course, but for the life that you want. And I think it's important to remember your future shouldn't just happen to you. With the right coach, you get to actually write it, you get to shape it, you get to write that next chapter on your terms.

[Abby Wambach]

All right? And if you're ready to get unstuck, visit Strawberry Me. WelcomeToTheParty to claim a special offer and to get started today. That is Strawberry Me. Welcome to the party. Stop settling, folks. Start building the career and the life you actually want.

[Julie Foudy]

Okay, party people. And now to the partiest part of our party. There are comeback stories and then there is Ali Truett. Ali is a 25 year old shark attack survivor, paralympic swimmer, marathoner and advocate whose story literally redefines what it means to face trauma and live with it. So rewind to May of 2023, two days after graduating from Yale University as a D1 swimmer. There, Ali was snorkeling with her close friend Sophie, who is also formerly a Yale swimmer. And they were snorkeling off the coast of Turks and Caicos when everything changed. Literally in an instant. A shark attacked, taking Allie's left foot, leaving her bleeding and needing to swim 75 yards back to the boat. And Sophie, her friend, swam alongside her, and once in the boat, tied a tourniquet around her leg to stop her bleeding out, which saved Ali's life. Doctors amputated her leg below the knee. And for most people, that would have marked the end of one very dark chapter. But for Allie, it was the moment she started rewriting her story. Within months and she was back in the water, not just swimming again, but training to compete. And by the next year, she won two silver medals for Team USA Swimming at the Paris Paralympics, setting American records and appearing in Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue. But it doesn't stop there. No, it doesn't. Of course it doesn't. On Sunday, Ali ran the New York City Marathon with her mom. A full circle moment, I think I just discovered. She ran it with Sophie as well, who was with her at Turks and Caicos. And this is literally almost two and a half years after that shark attack. And really full circle moment for all of them, as the last marathon Ally ran was with her mom ten days before the shark attack. And Ali's redefining what it means to move through fear, and not the absence of fear, but the decision to keep showing up anyway and to keep running and swimming toward joy. We are beyond excited for y' all to hear Ali's remarkable story. Ali Truitt, welcome to the.

[Abby Wambach]

True.

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

Hi. Yeah, baby. How are you feeling post marathon here? Yeah.

[Ali Truitt]

Oh, I am over the moon. It was such a special day with so many friends and family. I'm definitely feeling it a little bit today. A little sore, but really, you finished in.

[Julie Foudy]

What Was your time? 4:14. Come on.

[Abby Wambach]

Come on.

[Ali Truitt]

Yeah, it was. Crowds really are amazing.

[Abby Wambach]

I was tracking you the whole morning. Oh, that's so I was watching you the whole morning, and I took a screenshot of your finishing time, and I was very invested yesterday. What was your.

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

What was your goal?

[Ali Truitt]

What was your goal was to finish. And I had a fundraising goal. And we hit our fundraising goal, which is really exciting.

[Julie Foudy]

Yes.

[Ali Truitt]

We raised $220,000.

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

What?

[Ali Truitt]

For young women and girls prosthetic blades so they can run, too, which is.

[Julie Foudy]

Wait, say that again. That's amazing. 4.

[Ali Truitt]

Most insurances don't cover running blades, so we raised $220,000 for more young women and girls to get access to prosthetic running blades so that they can experience that freedom and joy of running, too.

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

That's great. And it's called stronger than you think, right?

[Ali Truitt]

Called stronger than you think. Yeah. So it was great to be able to fundraise for that so that we can give those Prosthetics. And I had. Wait, let's see. I'll try to show you my phone background. I changed it to the women and girls that we've been able to support so far. So that's motivation. When I was running, I could just like, look down and be like, okay, I'm doing it for that.

[Abby Wambach]

Okay, that's really something. I. Is listening to music. Um, okay. And, and, and these prosthetics that you are helping raise money for are oftentimes really expensive right there. They could be upwards of like $10,000 a piece to give somebody back the access to their. Their sport that they want to participate in. So I think it's really important and I just want you to know that we will, for the listeners, provide in our show notes the link to the stronger than you than you think foundation that you run so that people can go on there and donate. And I want to want you to know that I have already donated to this cause and also so has, and so will. Welcome to the party. This. This show. We're totally going to be a part of this. We want.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah.

[Abby Wambach]

How much does. How much. How much does it take for one kid to get a prosthetic? What's like, the average donation needed?

[Ali Truitt]

Yeah, it really does depend on the person, if you're an above knee or below knee amputee and what those pieces cost. But it can range from 10, $15,000 to like $100,000. So most running blades are like, I would say 10 to 30, 35K, but crazy expensive for coming out of pocket. So I'm really grateful for your donations and your support. Thank you.

[Julie Foudy]

Wow. Tell us about this full circle moment and why you decided to run the New York City Marathon. Set that up for us, if you would.

[Ali Truitt]

So 10 days before I lost my foot and part of my leg in the Shark Attack, I ran the Copenhagen Marathon with my mom on Mother's Day. Coming out of the Shark Attack, it was top of mind because I had just run this marathon and also just as a lifelong athlete, was that something I had just lost? And even on the boat ride back from the Shark Attack, I looked up at the first responder and was like, well, at least I got my marathon in before this. And he, in that moment, looked back at me and was like, you're gonna run another one? And he was actually at the finish line and gave me my medal, which is, oh, shit, that's fantastic. Yeah. But for me, it was like, even on the boat right back, am I gonna get back to running? I didn't even think. I mean, at that point, I didn't know if I was gonna survive. I didn't think I could walk again. And I was like, running is definitely out the window. And for him to give me that confidence and then through recovery, for me to kind of work on building back to first walking. And then I tried to run a year. I basically tried to run pretty early into my recovery. My family's a Turkey trot family, so the turkey trot was six months out the attack. Yeah. And I was like, I'm going to run it. And I ran it in my, like, everyday prosthetic, which is different than the blade. And I did it, but it was, like, painful and hard and upsetting and frustrating. And I was like, oh, this is something I've just lost in the attack. Like, this life love is gone. And for a year, I gave up running entirely. Like, I didn't even try to learn. I was like, that's just something that's not there for me. And then when I came back from the Paralympics, I got a running blade. And it still obviously has its challenges and frustrations, but it does work with you a lot more. And it's a way easier way to run than on the everyday prosthetic. It's a cat. Accounting for the fact that you don't have an ankle, it, like, returns some energy back to you. And that was when I was like, maybe the first responder was right. Maybe I could get back to running and do something like this. I first just started on trying to learn how to run and see if I could reclaim, like, runners high and the joy I got from running. And then the idea kind of came back, and I just thought, I enjoy a big goal. I think working towards them helps me. Me achieve along the way more than I thought possible and get up and feel excited to learn. So I set the goal, and I had so many incredible friends and family who just fell in line and were like, we're doing it with you. So my mom and dad ran with me, which was so special. Yeah. And then Sophie, who was in the water with me during the attack and applied the tourniquet on my leg, ran with me. Hannah, who, when I was airlifted to a trauma center in Miami, she was coincidentally in medical school rotations there. And she was another college team.

[Julie Foudy]

She ran.

[Ali Truitt]

And then my best friend, three. It was just, like, an incredible group of people who helped me rebuild my life. So to do it with them, it truly was like this victory lap of. Of what they helped make possible, too.

[Julie Foudy]

Let's rewind to give our listeners some context, too, on. On how this all happened. So if you would. You've just graduated from Yale. You were a swimmer there. Of course, your friend Sophie had also swam at Yale, but had just graduated from med school. Correct. So the two of you decide to go on this trip right post graduation to Turks and Caicos.

[Abby Wambach]

Yes.

[Julie Foudy]

And then what happened there?

[Ali Truitt]

Yeah. So two days after my college graduation, roughly two years ago, we were on just a celebratory graduation trip in Turks and Caicos, and we were snorkeling in a very common shallow tourist area, and a shark appeared seemingly out of nowhere and started attacking us. And we kicked and punched and fought back, but pretty quickly it got my leg in its mouth, and the next thing I knew, it had bitten off my foot and part of my leg, and I was bleeding out. And we screamed for help, like waving our snorkeling gear, but no help came. So we made the split second decision to swim for our lives back to the boat, which was roughly 75 yards away. Yeah. And immediately on the vote, Sophie applied the tourniquet on my leg and stopped the bleeding and saved my life, which I just, like, am in constant awe of who she is and who she was in that moment and the composure and selflessness and skill to save your best friend's life. And from Turks and Caicos, I was airlifted to Miami and then New York City, and I had an amputation on my 23rd birthday. And I've spent the past two years kind of relearning life as an amputee.

[Julie Foudy]

So literally on your 23rd birthday was when you had the amputation. And am I right in this as well is Sophie was with you on the boat. And then Hannah, the other friend you mentioned, who's also in med school, was at the hospital that you got medved to Right on the other side.

[Ali Truitt]

So Sophie and Hannah were seniors my freshman year on the Yale swim team. And we just kind of immediately became they were already best friends. And then they took me in, and we were super close all of college. And then Sophie was the one who applied the tourniquet on my leg on the boat. And then when I was airlifted to the Miami trauma center, Hannah was coincidentally in medical school rotations at that exact trauma center. And she was with me in her recitation room and through my life saving surgery. And it's like, what are the odds really, that, like, two of your best friends and college teammates are going to help save your life in two different countries? They're Incredible. And also just the miracle of how that all played out is incredible. And now to be able to do this with them, the marathon is so special.

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

When did you go from, like, worrying about your recovery and all this, and then you went to purpose with your foundation stronger than you think. How did that evolve?

[Ali Truitt]

I think a few things. The first is that I read this book called When Bad Things Happen to Good People. And in the book, the author kind of argues, we can't control what happens to us, but we can control how we respond and react and make meaning. And I read that super early on in my recovery and just decided, I'm gonna make meaning of this. I had to get to that place of a little radical acceptance. As much as I don't like that this happened and wish it had never happened, it's happened. And now I'm going to do my best to make meaning of it and to move forward and to be grateful for the life that I've been spared. And then also, I think for me, like, my journey is a testament to the power of community and support to pull someone through. And I am so grateful for all the support I've been given. And I knew early on I cannot wait until I can pay this forward. And becoming an amputee and realizing the challenges that we face, especially with costs of prosthetics, which are our mobility, our ability to reclaim our life passions, and go play sports and live this full life, I just really wanted to do something about it. So I kind of got through my own healing, and I'm still healing, but. But a few months in, I decided that I wanted to do something to help. And I think, you know, through this journey and throughout my whole life, but especially through this, realizing how healing, helping us, like the work of the nonprofit, is the most healing thing for me to be doing right now, to be able to take this bad thing and make sense of it by using it for good.

[Abby Wambach]

And I think something that, you know, when. When I watched your doc, I was laughing and then. And then crying and then chills because I'm just, like, so inspired. And you had the attack happened, and just like a couple months later, you're back in the pool swimming because you've now switched your purpose and your focus to the Paralympics and. And qualifying for the Paralympics. And I know a lot of suffering and stress and questioning and why. Why me mentality can sink into the average person. Your mom being like that, she's also a therapist was probably really crucial during this time. My question is, what is the thing that Gets you to decide, oh, okay, this. This thing happened. I'm now going to become a paralympian. How do you. How do you make that mental switch?

[Ali Truitt]

I think for me, I. Pretty early on, it wasn't, I'm going to become a paralympian right away, but it was, I have a second chance at life right now, and I'm going to make the most of it. I'm not going to, to the best of my ability, live it ruled by fear. And also for me, it was. I knew that these first two years for me, for a few years, were an opportunity to set the precedent for myself, that what just happened to me was not going to dictate the rest of my life and stop me from going for these things I wanted to go for. And so I was consciously making choices to show myself that I was still going to have this amazing life and still going to go do the things I wanted to do and set these big goals. So initially, I got back in because I was like, I've always loved the water. There's a chance I can reclaim it right now. And some of this stuff I'm never getting back. Like, my foot's gone, and if I can get it back, let me go for it. And so that started as just this goal of, like, let me feel joy in the water again, this thing I loved my whole life. And then from there, it was like, okay, now I'm feeling, like, strong and competitive, which I didn't know if I was going to be able to get back to. And I think, you know, I'm speaking to you three superstars. The power of athletics to, like, heal us and show us what we're capable of is so strong. And that was what I was finding. This healing it of, like, hey, here's what I still have possible for me in this new body as an amputee, I can still compete. I can still swim times that are close to the times I swim with two legs. And it was so encouraging for me that that was where it unfolded of, like, what if I could pull off the Paralympics in a year? And the Paralympic movement is so, so incredible in helping. I mean, for me, it was such a great decision for my first year of recovery, because I was like, oh, here's all I still have, and here's all I can still do. And I could look to so many Paralympic greats to give me that courage and confidence, too.

[Julie Foudy]

To have the perspective you have at such a young age is like, I kept watching and going, oh, my gosh, if this Was my kid, I would have been like, holy shit, this kid.

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

This kid.

[Julie Foudy]

Like, I was having so much pride and you're not my kid. I was like, her. Your ability to take all this trauma. Because there was, let's be clear, there was a lot of lingering trauma surrounding what you. What happened to you. And obviously, so, like, I don't. I don't want people to hear this story and think that you just, you know, turned the page and it was fine. Right? Like, even the moment when you had on such a tight timeline to make the Paralympics, and you get in the Paralympics and you're swimming, but then you get to this pinnacle and in the pool is a camera that they show, this drone shot is this black camera which reminded you of the shark. So in that moment again, when you're at the point where you're like, I've made it, I'm here, then you're having to mentally process all of that. Take us to that moment again.

[Ali Truitt]

Yeah. I feel like for me, I had trained. It was like pulling a rabbit out of hat to try to make Team USA within nine months. Being back in the water after a shark attack and an amputation. And I knew that and I felt a lot of pressure around it. I typically work in silence, and I like that. And just the nature of this goal made it so that the media knew my story and all my friends and family knew what I was going for. And it was external pressure I had never felt before. And I felt like I had worked through that. I had worked with a sports psychologist. Like, I was putting all this work in. I felt so proud to have made it and so excited. And I got to the Paralympics and night one, watching finals, felt this pit in my stomach because I was watching this, as you said, like, large black underwater camera move underneath the swimmers and chase them as they're swimming as hard as they can. And so it essentially was like the exact conditions of the shark attack for me. And it was in shallow blue water, crystal clear. Like, it was very much this, like, kind of reenactment. And I had a traumatic bodily response to it, like chest tightening, tears. Like it was hard for me to get back in something that felt like that attack. And it was another moment where I really leaned on the support around me. And also where, to your point, I've tried to be pretty authentic about this journey and that, yes, there are the shining great moments and there is this, like, full, amazing life post trauma, but that doesn't mean it doesn't come without so many lows and setbacks and challenges along the way and getting to this space of, like, those will be there and so will the other side. And so when I have them, it is frustrating and upsetting. And those challenges, just like I feel them, I take a moment and I'm like, this stinks. But also, I know that this can be here and coexist with something beautiful and amazing and leaving room for both of those. And doing my best to kind of switch that mindset, but I do credit so much of that to the people around me, too, to really, really pull me through. I had 50 friends and family in Paris who had flown to cheer, and I don't think they'll ever know how much that support got me through that tough moment.

[Abby Wambach]

I mean, this is the thing that I think that was so beautiful about your doc. And by the way, are we going to be able to see this documentary out in the. In the world yet? Do we know if it will? I know that it's been in the newer. The. The Newport Film Festival. How is it going? Tell us firstly, like, if people can watch this doc somewhere, when and how.

[Ali Truitt]

Thank you. Yeah, right now it's in the film festival circuits, but we will see. But it premiered in Nashville, Newport beach and Austin.

[Abby Wambach]

Okay.

[Ali Truitt]

Really exciting.

[Abby Wambach]

Okay, we'll keep a lookout for that. And in the doc.

[Julie Foudy]

Stronger than you think.

[Abby Wambach]

Yes.

[Julie Foudy]

If it does actually get out there, we will. We will pump that up because it should be out there. It's so good.

[Abby Wambach]

We just need to. We need somebody to buy it up, is what we need. Come on, Apple.

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

Yeah, that's exactly what's happening.

[Abby Wambach]

Netflix, whoever you are, any of them.

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

It's Go Disney.

[Abby Wambach]

One of the things I loved about this, that you let the crew into filming, is this. This paradox that a lot of us athletes find ourselves in at times where we have such a strong purpose that sometimes we don't allow ourselves the space to grieve. Especially in your circumstance where you. You, like, just jumped, you know, headfirst into, like, this Paralympic search. I'm trying to make this team. And then a year to the day of the attack, there was this beautiful moment that you spent and you made sure your body was in the pool during the training for that year anniversary. And that you kind of acknowledge that maybe you had some unprocessed grief because you might have jumped so headfirst into. Into the training. And I think that that is such an important thing for all athletes to really embody. We don't talk enough about some of the things that we don't process. Athletes Are very good at pushing things down. Oh, that doesn't hurt. Oh, I can go harder. Oh, you know, all of these things and your ability to talk about mental health and working through the trauma of it, I just really wanted to commend you for that because I think that. I think that that's important. Where do you think you get the strength to do that publicly and, like, in front of cameras and let the world in on it?

[Ali Truitt]

Thank you. I think, you know, for me, my perspective has changed after this attack. I think before I was a really. I still would probably consider myself a private person, but it's in a new way. But. But before, I didn't share anything, and, you know, online, I wasn't super big in any of that. And I think the nature of this attack and finding that that could be healing to someone else is healing to me. And I started kind of getting more vulnerable and sharing. And through that vulnerability, just realized, like, the power and vulnerability, the way that it allows people to connect and relate and maybe get through their own struggles. Also, the way that your friends and family can show up for you and that they want to show up for you, that it's not a burden, that that makes them happy. To be able to support you in that way was a learning lesson for me that I learned. And through that, I was like, okay, this is a moment I'm having. That's a struggle. And if you see the shiny moment, if you see me making Team usa, if you see me on the top of the podium, I want you to know that's possible for you, too. And if you find yourself in a low, low grieving, having a mental health struggle, whatever it is, that's there also. I had that too, and also ended up in this place. I didn't want it to be just the ending. I wanted to show, really, the authentic full journey. And I think that was what gave me, I guess the confidence to open up in that way was like, if I'm sharing this story, let's share all the sides of the story, not just the shiny happy birds.

[Julie Foudy]

It would have been really easy, though, I imagine, to keep asking, why me? There was a stat that you gave that said there was only two unprovoked shark attacks in Turks and Caicos since 1749. Right. But you also talked about the. The flip side of why me? And can you explain that? I thought that was just so brilliant because it would. It must be, you know, an easy thing to slip into. Like, what the hell? How did I get so unlucky? Why me?

[Ali Truitt]

It is incredibly easy to slip into. And especially in the early weeks, I found myself slipping into it a lot, and especially with a statistic like that. Right? Like, exactly, why me? And two days after I was on this, like, I felt like I had never been at a more high point in my life. I had graduated college, run this marathon with my mom. My whole life was ahead of me. I had a job lined up. And then something like that happens. And it was, why me? And my mom is amazing and has always told us, if you ask, why me? Make sure you're asking it in both directions so you can say why me? In the sad way. Why me? Why did I get attacked by a shark when that statistic is so low? Why me? Why did I lose my leg and I have to be an amputee for the rest of my life? Why me? But also, let's ask the flip side of that. Why me? Why did I get to survive? Why do I have friends and family who pulled me through this every step of the way and showed up time and time again when it was definitely inconvenient for them and hard for them to go through that too? Why did I get to grow up never worrying about food on the table? Like, I have a million why me's? And so every time I ask one why me? Let me counter it with the other. And it's just a complete shift.

[Abby Wambach]

Like, it.

[Ali Truitt]

It fills you with gratitude and, like, really takes your mind from the place of, I'm acknowledging the bad. Why me?

[Abby Wambach]

It's not.

[Ali Truitt]

Not there. But I'm gonna couple it with also all of the goodness in my life that I can choose to focus on.

[Julie Foudy]

Wow.

[Abby Wambach]

Can I.

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

Her mom really asked the right question.

[Abby Wambach]

So I had a friend once, and she said, when we ask, why, why did. Why did this happen to me? All you need to do is change the. The emphasis on a different word, and it changes the meaning. Like, why did this happen to me? Why did this happen to me? Why did this happen to me? Why did this happen to me? And so it just is a total different question if you have a different emphasis on a different word. And I think that that's kind of what you're driving home. And we. I fell in love with your mom, Jodi, so much during this freaking documentary. Like, I. She was just so awesome. And she also completed the marathon. You hugged her crossing the finish line. What was that moment, like, so special.

[Ali Truitt]

We both cried. Just an incredibly full circle moment. And to know that we ran one right before I lost my leg, to know what We've been through over these two years, like, this has been an incredibly difficult journey for me. But also, as a parent, I can't imagine what that's like. There's no manual on how to get your child through a shark attack. I don't know. I can't imagine how hard it was to get that kind of call as a parent in a different country. Like, this has been so hard for her, too. And so to have gone through this together and then just finish with another marathon two years later and show ourselves kind of what we've been pulled through was so, so special. And to get to hug her at the end, like, the entire thing, to run step by step with her when that's what she's been this entire time for me, again, like, just these irreplaceable moments that I will carry with me forever. Really fun, too, because we love female athletes. And my mom and dad were in a little competition. We all started running together, but they were like, you might, like, need to leave us. We're. We're a little later in our running careers here. And so they ran the New York city Marathon together 10 years ago, and they were supposed to run together. And my dad was like, I can feel that you want to go? Just go. So my mom ended up beating him by, like, almost an hour. Let's go around. She was injured, so my dad was like, this is my time. I'm gonna win. Like, it's redemption. All these jokes. Like, I'm gonna slow down for you. Like, whatever. And of course, on her injury, she beat him again by, like.

[Julie Foudy]

She's like, boom.

[Abby Wambach]

Peace out. Awesome.

[Julie Foudy]

See you an hour later when I've had pizza and beer in me.

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

Yeah, exactly.

[Abby Wambach]

Yeah.

[Julie Foudy]

Wait, where were all your brothers? They were cheering on the. On the sidelines. Why weren't they running?

[Ali Truitt]

I know. We gotta ask them. I don't know. They were like, that's not my truth, but we support you.

[Abby Wambach]

Ali. I'm curious. How does it. How. How does it work training for the New York City Marathon and your training in the pool? Are you still training in the pool right now? What's going on with that?

[Ali Truitt]

I took this year off competing to focus on the marathon training. It's just a lot. I got my blade when I came home for the Paralympics, so I've had it for a year. So it was, again, quite a tight timeline to turn around and learn how to use it and train, so. So I threw everything at that. And now that that marathon is completed, I'll get back into competing for Swimming and home games is going to be so special, so I'm excited for that. I'm going to train and compete with eyes towards making that team in 28.

[Julie Foudy]

That's awesome.

[Ali Truitt]

Great.

[Abby Wambach]

I'm going to come watch. We live in la.

[Ali Truitt]

I live in la, so I love la. Southern California is so nice.

[Abby Wambach]

Let's go. Get over here.

[Julie Foudy]

Come on. Come on over here.

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

I'm from there.

[Julie Foudy]

Let's go. King.

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

Southern California is fantastic.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah, yeah.

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

I'm New York in California now. I love it.

[Julie Foudy]

She. You're covering both coasts, Kinger.

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

Yeah. I love the post. Yeah. They're best of both worlds.

[Julie Foudy]

All right. Last thing we do is we take a party pose on the podcast. Ally. And you can do any pose you want at the count of three. All right.

[Ali Truitt]

Party pose.

[Abby Wambach]

Yeah.

[Julie Foudy]

Yep.

[Abby Wambach]

Just like, pretend it's gonna, like, end up in a photo.

[Ali Truitt]

All right, I'm right.

[Julie Foudy]

They're gonna. They're gonna freeze frame it. All right. One, two, three. Perfect.

[Abby Wambach]

Got it.

[Julie Foudy]

Perfect. All right, Ally.

[Abby Wambach]

True it, everybody. Ali Truett.

[Julie Foudy]

Oh, my goodness.

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

Unbelievable.

[Julie Foudy]

Young woman, amazing.

[Abby Wambach]

She's 25.

[Julie Foudy]

She blew my mind.

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

And she has perspective already at 25. I'm like, what?

[Abby Wambach]

Tell you what, good parents right there.

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

Great parents. That is a great friends, great parents. It's all about relationships. I'm telling you. It really makes a big difference. And to see her emotional and mental strength has just been the, you know, the best.

[Abby Wambach]

The badass. Like, she's just badass.

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

Like, just to be like, she's such a great badass.

[Abby Wambach]

She's just like, shark attack. Fine. Gonna fine. Let's just get back into the water Paralympics. Is.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah.

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

Yeah. I think I'll run a marathon.

[Abby Wambach]

Marathon. Another school. Just like, just check. Just check her. Just love her.

[Julie Foudy]

But it was hard too. Like, she showed the hard.

[Abby Wambach]

Yeah.

[Julie Foudy]

The coach even said, like, there were many practices where she would be dumping tears out of her goggles. Right? Like dumping full goggle. Full tears. And I was like, oh, my God.

[Abby Wambach]

Gosh.

[Julie Foudy]

So, so good. So good. Thank you, Ally, for coming on and sharing your story. And we know the party people will be equally inspired. And we are going to go to strongerthanyou think.org to give back and help with what she's doing and turning pain into purpose, which is so remarkable. Party people, do not forget to subscribe to the welcome to the party YouTube channel where you get to see Kingers dodger jackets. You can't see that on the audio version, although out.

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

I wish you guys that are just listening could see this.

[Julie Foudy]

You got to see the jackets it's got. You got to go with the blue glasses matching it. Come on. Click that little bell icon once you do. Subscribe to our welcome to the party YouTube channel because it'll give you updates on when you can see Kinger's fabulous glasses and jackets.

[Abby Wambach]

And my favorite pastime, Jules and Billy, is to read the podcast. The Apple podcast reviews. It's my favorite thing to do.

[Julie Foudy]

Oh, I'm gonna check.

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

Read your clippings. I've never been allowed to since I was 15. To read our.

[Julie Foudy]

Yes, tell me. So good about.

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

What do they say? Tell me.

[Julie Foudy]

Wait, I'm gonna go right now. I'm gonna go. I'm gonna tell you what we're at while you're talking.

[Abby Wambach]

Go ahead.

[Julie Foudy]

Okay. Keep going, Keep going. I'm gonna find out where.

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

No, but my dad always told me I wasn't allowed to read my clippings anymore because that's in the old days with newspapers and television. Now they have social and everything's instant.

[Abby Wambach]

Billy, you can just go to Apple podcast and you can read all the comments you can. You can subscribe and also tell us what you want. We want to. We want this podcast to be.

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

That's what I want.

[Abby Wambach]

I want to know. Right?

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

That's. That's what I want.

[Abby Wambach]

Go to Tik Tok Instagram. Follow us there at. Welcome to the party show. And it's where Billy, Julie and I will bring the party straight to your feed. We love Kate Diaz cuz she made the music. And isn't the music the best? We love it so much.

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

Excellent.

[Julie Foudy]

Okay, Kinger, here's the update. We have a bet on this. We want to know where you fall. Okay.

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

Okay.

[Julie Foudy]

We are at 685 star ratings. Okay. We. I think so. This episode airs on Thursday. Oh, it's gonna be tight. We've got about three weeks before Thanksgiving. I think we can top the 1,000 mark by Thanksgiving. Abby thinks it will take us to Christmas to get to a thousand. We're at six.

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

I don't know. Let's see. We've had ten weeks.

[Abby Wambach]

680.

[Julie Foudy]

We gotta get to a thousand. What do you say? Because Kinger knows.

[Abby Wambach]

All right.

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

I don't know.

[Abby Wambach]

Billy's playing.

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

We're almost at Thanksgiving though, aren't we? How fast? I don't know what the rating is three weeks away.

[Abby Wambach]

Billy's playing the odds. She's doing some math right now on a note card.

[Julie Foudy]

Meanwhile.

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

Okay, I know what's going to happen with me. I'm going to pray for Thanksgiving, but that's really, really stretching it. But I am so used to never reading anything like this. I get kind of, like, hives if I start reading about ourselves. Really?

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah. Okay, I'll just give you one. One thing. Because they're so.

[Abby Wambach]

It's like.

[Julie Foudy]

And we want to hear from the people, like, what do you like? They don't always have to be perfectly positive, although we do love the perfectly positive ones.

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

But I want the truth.

[Julie Foudy]

This one is, like, fun. Feel good. Interesting. Keep up the awesome work. I love that. I can count on every episode to be great. Hands down, one of my favorite podcasts. Best energy booster for my afternoon walks.

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

Okay.

[Abby Wambach]

Right. See?

[Ali Truitt]

Look at.

[Julie Foudy]

Come on.

[Abby Wambach]

All right, party people, we will see you next time. Let's do the oosa. Billy, do you want to do the oosa on. On three?

[Billie Jean King Kinger]

Yeah, let's do. Ready?

[Abby Wambach]

Yep.

[Ali Truitt]

One, two, three.

[Abby Wambach]

Welcome to the Party is an independent production brought to you by Treat Media. Treat Media makes art for humans who want to stay human. Silver Tribe is our production partner, and you can also watch our full conversations on the welcome to the party YouTube channel and follow us at welcome to the Party show on Instagram and TikTok.