Participation Over Perfection: One Step at a Time

Inspiring Possible

Participation Over Perfection: Leanna Scaglione's Journey of Resilience, Running, and Redefining What's Possible

What do you do when life doesn't go as planned—and your dreams are rewritten by a diagnosis?

In this inspiring episode, Christy sits down with Leanna Scaglione, marathon runner, rare disease advocate, and unstoppable force, as she shares her powerful journey living with NF2-related schwannomatosis, a rare genetic disorder that causes tumors along the nervous system.

Diagnosed at 16 while training to become a professional ballerina, Leanna's life took an unexpected turn—marked by nerve damage, multiple spinal surgeries, and a season spent in a wheelchair. But that was just the beginning of her story.

Join Christy and Leanna as they explore:

• How Leanna found her strength through running—despite being told it might never be possible

• The mental and emotional journey of navigating grief, uncertainty, and physical pain

• How the pandemic led to a turning point—and the first steps (literally) of a marathon journey

• What connecting with the Children's Tumor Foundation meant for her purpose and community

• Her audacious goal to become the first person with NF2 to complete all six World Major Marathons

• Why perfection isn't the goal—and how showing up, at your own pace, is the real victory

Whether you're facing a personal setback, living with a diagnosis, or just in need of a reminder that resilience is built one step at a time, this episode will leave you moved, motivated, and inspired to keep going.

For more on Leanna's journey, follow her on Instagram @leanna_runningNF2.

To learn more about NF2 and how to support rare disease research, visit ctf.org — the Children's Tumor Foundation.

🎧 For more information about this episode, visit christypennison.com.