Sunshine #590908

Bio: Estela Lugo

Estela was diagnosed with a progressive form of neuropathy called Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) at four-years-old, followed by her younger sister two years later.

Estela graduated from FIT in 2002 with a Bachelor’s in Interior Design. Her professional background in interior & product design, marketing, trend-forecasting, and creative direction brings an unexpected approach to connecting the disability community to wellness, empowerment, and health.

After volunteering for eight years, Estela joined the Hereditary Neuropathy Foundation full-time in 2018 as their Program Development Manager. Later in 2018, she testified in front of the FDA on the patient experience and importance of funding CMT studies and potential therapies.

As the moderator for the CMT-Connect webinar series, Estela enjoys sharing resources and expert information with CMT patients on a wide range of valuable topics, as well as interviewing community thought leaders as the co-host of the EmBrace It Podcast; a podcast that aims to empower women living with disabilities in all facets of life. Estela and co-host Lainie Isbia also provide an original workshop series called “How to Communicate with Anyone About Disability” and have had the honor of speaking at Pinterest Headquarters, Lockheed Martin, The Abilities Expos, and the annual Health Union Conference.

In 2019, Estela gave her first TEDx talk titled “RePurpose Your Pain” on the art of turning adversity into life’s most beautiful work. She currently co-teaches inclusive and adaptive design at the Fashion Institute of Technology for their Design for Social Impact program. She is represented by Gamut Management, an all-inclusive talent agency.