Meet Alyssa Cleland | Realtor, Amputee Advocate & Influencer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alyssa Cleland and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alyssa, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
It’s been a whirlwind trying to keep what’s important in my life, while also being able to recognize what isn’t serving me. Currently, I work full time for a prosthetic company, I work part time for a non profit, I run my own social media platforms, & I recently started a career in real estate. Add to that working out 5x a week & running 3-4x a week, volunteer at my church, & have a social life. I’m a busy gal!

There’s so much that comes to mind when it comes to balance. I think good balance is a mix of doing things you need to do, & things that bring you joy/fulfillment for your own self. Not that work doesn’t bring me that, but I do it to pay my bills & afford my lifestyle. Obviously, if I could live on a beach in HI for free, I’d be there in a heartbeat, but life doesn’t work like that, I have to work to get myself to that point.

I do love my jobs, & I don’t think I’d have so many if I didn’t enjoy them. They all kind of fell into my lap & are wonderful opportunities that I couldn’t pass up. While I am venturing into real estate, I’d love to make that my full time thing along with social media & spreading awareness about being an amputee & inspiring others to go after what they want despite their circumstances.

Working is a big part of my life, but I definitely need some ways to take a break & focus on myself, & working out is how I do that. I started working out consistently in ’21 & added running to the mix in ’22. As an amputee, it’s important to stay physically fit. My body works hard to make sure I’m able to do what I need to do, it’d be a waste if I didn’t care for it & keep it strengthened. I love working out, & don’t see myself stopping anytime soon.

While I do a lot, I have actually gotten rid of some things! I used to ride horses, but have recently given that up as I was getting anxiety from an accident I had about a year ago. I figured this was a good time to take a break while I focus on my career. I know I’d like to get back to riding eventually, however, there are bigger things to focus on right now.

Balance is about knowing when to let things go & when to add things into your life. It can suck to give some things up, but I know in the long run I’ll be better for it & not as stressed trying to achieve everything I’m trying to achieve.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Well, my art in a way, isn’t really art, but I do take all of the credit for developing Alcequine as far as it has gone. Alcequine helps to bridge the gap between amputees & two leggers. I firmly believe that the more we normalize people with disabilities, the more empathetic of a world we will be in. Also, people with disabilities will have an easier time navigating this world & be able to fully enjoy everything that it has to offer. With my social media, I just share my day to day life, but there is so much that I go through that people don’t even think about or never would have if they hadn’t seen it on social media. From how I shower as an amputee, to driving, to leg maintenance , etc… these are all very real things that I have to deal that no one else really does, & it’s so nice to be able to bring abled bodied people into my world & let them walk in my shoes a bit. Even when it comes to the social aspect of life too, dating, conversations I have with people – all of it can be used to bring more awareness to people like me & help give them an easier time in this world.

While it’s not art, I do hope it has impacted people in a way that a bold piece of art does. I hope that it makes people start to think differently, & therefore act differently towards others as well in a kinder & more accepting way. We’re all humans & we’re all just trying to figure out this crazy life that we’ve been given. Who are we to judge one another?

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I had my cousin visit me back in November, & it was so fun bringing her everywhere with me. I don’t think there’s specific places in Dallas, TX that are better than another, but I think it’s the company you bring. I literally brought her along with me to everything I did. From my workouts at Orangetheory, to my church, Upperroom, it was so nice just to share my world with her. While didn’t hit up the hotspots like Six Flags Over Texas, or the Dallas Arboretum, being able to bring her along to the small coffee shops like Ascension & Houndstooth or to fun eateries like Rodeo Goat & Bankhead Brewing Co. it was just nice to enjoy the space with her. There’s so much in Dallas that I haven’t explored myself like the Perot Museum, the Dallas Zoo, or the Dallas Museum of Art (which are all things that are on my life), I feel like I want to share those experiences with someone to fully get how great of places they are.

Website: alcequine.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alcequine/?hl=en

Youtube: https://youtube.com/c/Alcequine

Other: Tiktok: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTdu6Rc1c/

Image Credits
Rafael Jimenez, John King