Kassidy Brewer
Kassidy Brewer is an author, speaker, and Mt. San Jacinto College graduate from Murrieta, California. Growing up, Brewer was a horseback rider, a cross-country athlete, a soccer star, and a first-degree black belt in taekwondo. However, on August 4, 2008, Brewer lost consciousness, an incident which revealed that she had a rare birth defect called an arteriovenous malformation. As a result of one of the surgeries she underwent to address her AVM rupture, Brewer also suffered a stroke that left her with severe ataxia on her left side. Although Brewer now faces challenges in her balance, left-side ataxia, double vision, and a hearing impairment, she remains healthy and active. Despite these challenges, Brewer graduated with her associate’s degree from MSJC. Brewer also studied at the American College of Healthcare Sciences and earned a Certificate in Holistic Wellness Coaching, as well as a Certificate in Christian Health Mentoring. Most recently, Brewer published her book titled Blameless: Death Was Never The End, It Was My Beginning. She also continues to share her story through talks at local venues, podcasts, and now through TEDxMSJC. Brewer shares her story because she feels that even if she can inspire just one person to overcome a difficult situation, it has all been worth it.
Failure: A Starting Point for Belonging
Just because you try something once and it doesn’t work, it doesn’t mean you failed. It just means the next time, you can tweak it a little bit and try it again, and if that doesn’t work, try and try again! As someone who has suffered from both an AVM rupture and the many challenges that come along with recovering from one, Brewer knows first-hand what it means to have to try and try again. In her talk, Brewer draws from her experiences to explore how failure often teaches us more than success ever can, and perhaps more importantly, she discusses how failure may play a role in our journey to belonging.