Natalea Watkins spent decades building her career in television news. She was actually the very first female anchor in Oklahoma and also served as the Assistant News Director at WJZ in Baltimore when Oprah was a news anchor and talk show host there. One life changing day in 2000, a terrible car accident left Natalea paralyzed. She fractured her spine in 10 places, broke six ribs and her collarbone, collapsed a lung and received a brain concussion. 'But I only broke one nail!' Natalea jokes. That single sentence illustrates her infectious attitude perfectly. In a split second her entire life was changed, but instead of allowing this to stop her she has continued to impact her community.
She took up Therapeutic Riding as a “third career” after her car accident put her on what she likes to refer to as an “electric horse” and became the first tv reporter in a wheelchair in Baltimore. She has a prestigious award named after her, is a Special Olympics coach and a PATH certified therapeutic horsemanship instructor to name just a few of her many accomplishments. Natalea is full of grit and determination. She lives her life by focusing forward and paying it forward.
