Inspiring Conversations with The Woad

Today we’d like to introduce you to The Woad.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Being visually impaired since the age of seven has always hindered me from contact sports. But I always had a passion for wrestling. I started training in 2010, first at WWA4 (Mr. Hughes) then Platinum Championship Wrestling (Jay Fury). After returning to WWA4 in 2017, I began training with AR Fox and began working at SHINE Wrestling. I then discovered I had a severe cataract in the only eye I could see out, and in 12/2018 I underwent surgery to have it removed. For the first time in a long time, I could see clearly and I felt reborn. But I was still in pain. The doctors informed me that my left eye was a dud, a “dead eye”. And because it was causing me so much pain, the best decision was to have it removed. So then in 2019, I underwent another surgery to have my left eye inoculated. I still kept my blindness a secret, as I felt no one would understand. But I realized that this was a story that needed to be told. This was my journey, my FIGHT, my life, my EVERYTHING. Later that year, I revealed to the world I was half-blind. The 1 Eyed Thick Thighed WOAD was born and here to stay! Since revealing my blindness, I realized I was making history in the wrestling world by being the FIRST & ONLY (to my knowledge) half-blind female wrestler. I even wear an eye patch in every match to remind me of how far I’ve come and how much more I need to do. I want to inspire people to live their dream no matter what disability. I want to motivate everyone to love and accept themselves no matter what insecurities you may have. It’s what makes you, you… it’s your story, and only you can tell it. Now I train at Deep South Wrestling under Nick Patrick and traveled many states, making history wherever I go. I’m so thankful and grateful for my story, and I’m just getting started. Watch out for The WOAD!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No, it hasn’t been a smooth ride. First, I NEVER got support from my family. They saw it as a joke and my dad even made me leave home for wanting to pursue my dream. Eventually, they came around and I love the support I get from them. I tried so hard to be what the wrestling business wanted me to be, but I couldn’t. I struggled with my weight, loving and accepting myself, and I even took diet pills to help lose weight. Nothing helped me because I wasn’t accepting myself for who I am. Trying to find myself in the wrestling world was extremely hard because there weren’t a lot of black female wrestlers- let alone CURVY black female wrestlers. Wrestling in Georgia showed me I could/would never succeed there, and I’d always be the one to put the less talented white girls ahead. It didn’t matter that I was clearly better, more talented, fan favorite in their eyes, I just wasn’t the “right fit for their promotion” because I was the wrong shade… I had to go and create my own lane because I just couldn’t/wouldn’t fit in theirs.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
The WOAD is all about accepting individuality. We’re all different, so why should we try to be all the same- we can’t. And that’s what The WOAD is about: loving and accepting your flaws, insecurities, disabilities and using them in the most powerful way. To show the world that you are an ultimate, strong weapon, and no one can break you down. I want the world to know The WOAD is about body positivity and empowerment, to never give up on your dreams, and NEVER try to fit society’s mold. What really sets me apart from others is that I’m making history wherever I go by being the first half-blind female wrestler. When everybody told me no I couldn’t, I succeeded.

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
Global. Worldwide. I know The WOAD is bigger than wrestling and my success won’t end there. In fact, wrestling is just the beginning for the 1 Eyed Thick Thighed WOAD.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @the_woad
• Facebook: The WOAD
• Twitter: @_TheWOAD
• Youtube: The WOAD

Image Credits
Corey Tatum Edwin (edwin1017 on Twitter)