Meet Your Denver OM Ambassador, Amanda

We are so excited to have OM members and sisters - Lisa and Amanda Avram - as our new Denver OM Ambassadors. Their Live Big spirit is contagious, and they have some great ideas for fun and unique Meetup events in Denver! Article below was submitted by Amanda Avram.

What’s up, party people!  My name is Amanda.  I’m Lisa’s sister.  I like to think of us as the Dynamic Duo of Neurological Awesomeness. I am also born and raised in Ohio, but I’ve been out here in Denver for 8 years… I think.  Maybe it’s 7 years? I don’t know, somewhere between 7-9 years. I am a Senior Educator at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. I teach everything from Dinosaurs to brain dissections and to every age from Pre-K to Pre-service teachers. It’s ridiculously fun. I feel like I get paid to play, which is nice!

I consider Colorado to be the most epic playground one could ever imagine.  Rock climbing, hiking, camping, backpacking, snowshoeing, mountaineering, cycling, blah, blah, blah all right outside your door. Not only that, but you get to do it with this stupid awesome backdrop of mountainous goodness all around you. It’s surreal at times (especially when you grew up in Ohio), and it is very zen-like and restorative. Clearly, I love doing all those things. Like my sister, I love climbing the Colorado 14ers and pretty much anything high altitude. I have climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro and, recently, went to Argentina to attempt Mt. Aconcagua. I had to turn around at 21,000 ft because of cold. It was a difficult decision to make, but I don’t regret it. I sort of need my fingers and toes. Priorities, I guess! I’d love to go back and give it another go.

Apparently, Epilepsy runs in our family. I grew up with it, our Mom grew up with it, and now Lisa has it!  Hey, sharing is caring. I learned that in pre-school. My seizures started when I was in 1^st or 2^nd grade, and I had them through High School. My favorite seizure story starts with, “This one time at band camp…”

My latest neurological adventure is my TBI diagnoses. It happened 5 years ago. I was traveling back from Nevada with a group of friends when our vehicle was struck by a double trailer semi-truck. I can now legitimately say I know what it feels like to get hit by a truck. So, I have that going for me.

What are my hopes for Meet-ups: I just want to get as many people out doing as many super fun things as possible. I really want to get the Outdoor Mindset Organization out there in the public eye as much as possible. So many people can benefit from this organization, and I want them to hear about it!

Not surprising facts about me: If you haven’t figured it out, I like to keep things light. Laughter really is the best medicine for me. I’m pretty fun-loving and easy going. I just like having a good time.

If I were a cheese, what kind of cheese would I be? If I were a cheese, I’d probably be like a Taleggio or something like that. It’s slightly stinky; but, if you can get past the smell, it’s really delicious!

If I were a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, which one would I be: Michaelangelo, DUH!  He’s goofy and slightly stupid at times, but can wield a nasty set of nunchucks when necessary! Also, he loves pizza as much as I do.