Meet Jen Montzingo | Disability Advocate and Neighborhood Councilmember

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

Hi Jen, what matters most to you?
For me, gratitude matters most.

Despite being on stools thousands of times (I am 4’2”), a simple fall off of one changed everything. And I mean EVERYTHING. I fell — resulting in an incomplete spinal cord injury. Four spinal fusions led to three years living in medical facilities. For much of it I was paralyzed chest down. Life was sterile, lacking all color and connection.

My first year out it was quite overwhelming. I was learning to walk again, although minimally, but no longer able to teach. I have since gone from paralysis chest down to being able to walk 40 feet which has been a big win and required years of intensive physical and occupational therapy.

No longer being able to teach, I had a lot of inner work to do to process the fact that my identity had to shift, again. Every day I woke up with an incredibly unhealthy mindset where I would think “three years ago I was doing XYZ and now I cannot.” That was how I would start my day and the anger would burn until I went to bed at night. I was not fun to be around. I had to have some tough conversations with my family and get back into therapy. About a year later, as I was approaching a new decade I distinctly remember a conversation with my brother where I decided that I was not going to carry this accident into my next decade. Instead of waking up and playing the sick “flashback game”, I would think of three things to be grateful for. At first it was difficult but now it is automatic. I can think of many things I am grateful for. I do not live in a nursing home. I do not live on the dementia unit with a roommate dying of alzheimers. I can walk enough to get around my apartment. I am able to see my friends.

Eventually, as gratitude became an everyday practice, I exploded with creativity and purpose which led to what I am doing with my life now.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Currently, I serve on North Hollywood Neighborhood Council where I chair the Disability and Accessibility Committee. I am also working toward creating disability initiatives across all 99 Neighborhood Councils as surprisingly I have found out that our community continues to be under served. Neighborhood Councils are the closest form of local government to the people and the only local government that is completely volunteer based.

I’m most proud of my resiliency and ability to bounce back. A devastating fall led me to have an incomplete spinal cord injury and I’ve had four spinal fusions, a laminectomy and a craniectomy. I’ve learned to walk three times in my life and been able to use these lessons to deeply inform all of the work I do.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Oh my goodness! There are so many amazing spots. Aside from the obvious (Disneyland, Universal Studios, the beach). Our itinerary totally depends on their vibe and reason for coming down — do they need to relax, etc.? If they’re from my hometown of Seattle I would want to show them a little of the glitz of LA but also that LA is very much a small town inside of a big city.

The obvious is taking them to a lot of good Mexican food. Most likely they are from my hometown of Seattle so they’re going to want good coffee. For that, I love Silverlake — Intelligentsia Coffee Bar — I think it’s the best coffee in LA. Seattle is known for amazing sushi but I think Sugarfish in Studio City competes with the best of them. (Plus it’s next door to my favorite plant store, Rolling Greens). My brother and I love Bottega Louie downtown. There’s something magical about the Hollywood Bowl. The Abbey always brings me back to my early 20’s days and sometimes you really need that.

If we’re going full LA, there’s Cecconis, Craig’s — those are some of my favorites. My favorite hotel in the Mosaic Hotel in Beverly Hills and I wish I could treat everybody who visits there. But reality check, I’m bougie on a budget — who do I think I am?

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Gosh there’s too many to count! I would say my family and everyone who has been a part of my recovery journey. I’m not the most naturally trusting person so if I’ve ever confided in you then you know you deserve some major credit in my story and who I am as a person.

Instagram: jenmontzingo