Phoenyx Powell of Greenville, NC on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We recently had the chance to connect with Phoenyx Powell and have shared our conversation below.

Phoenyx, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
This may sound cliché coming from a travel creator, but the thing that makes me lose track of time — and find myself again — is travel.

After my motorcycle accident, coma, and brain injury, I had no idea who the “new me” was. The personality shift from the TBI made old passions feel empty. Painting frustrated me. Movies felt flat. Life was just…meh. I was existing, not living.

Then came a trip to Oahu to get a tattoo to cover the scarring on my leg. The second I landed, I felt this spark I hadn’t felt in six years. I wanted to know everything — the history, the culture, the legends. For the first time since the accident, I felt alive again. That trip gave me a new purpose: to show others with disabilities that travel isn’t impossible.

Three years later — even after another chronic illness diagnosis and amputation — travel still grounds me, fuels me, and keeps me chasing life instead of just going through the motions. It’s not just what I do; it’s who I am.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Phoenyx, the one-legged, brain-injured, ADHD-fueled human behind Phoenyx Travels. After a motorcycle accident in 2016 left me with a traumatic brain injury and eventually an amputation, travel became my way back to myself.

What started as a solo trip to Oahu for a tattoo cover-up turned into a full-blown blog and community where I share real travel — not influencer gloss. I cover solo travel, accessibility tips, and destination guides with the honesty I wish I’d had when I was first trying to figure out how the hell to keep exploring.

What makes Phoenyx Travels different? I don’t sugarcoat the chaos. I’ll tell you if a “wheelchair accessible” hotel has a ramp that leads to a heavy door that an able-bodied grown man would struggle with and no button to open it, or if TSA is going to pat down your prosthetic leg three times before asking for your number.

I include accessibility notes because that’s my life — but I don’t make it the whole story. It’s about proving travel doesn’t have to look one way.

Right now, I’m working on expanding my guides and launching digital resources like a Solo Travel Starter Kit and accessible travel toolkits — because confidence shouldn’t be gate-kept behind glossy brochures or perfect bodies.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who taught you the most about work?
My grandfather, ‘Pawpaw’ affectionately nicknamed after Baloo’s song in the Jungle Book, was an absolute legend. He was the rock and glue for our family and losing him was a tragedy for us. With a gruff and rough exterior, most people would never guess that he had such an amazing heart.

While our family was struggling with my mom being a single parent of three and having to move back in with my grandparents, he would work 2, sometimes 3 jobs to keep everything afloat. He would wake up with the sun, drink his Coca-Cola and watch tv. Much to his annoyance, as soon as I heard him turn the handle on his doorknob to his room, I would shoot straight out of bed and sit in his armchair with him from the time I could walk all the way to 14 years old when he passed.

He would let me work with him to earn money when I was twelve by letting me vacuum the meat market he cleaned at night to earn $20. It would take him over two hours to complete the job with me making it longer, I’m sure. The work ethic he instilled in me at such a young age stuck with me even today.

When my accident happened and I couldn’t work anymore in psychology, go to school, or do much else due to pain, I was so lost. So when I found purpose again writing for my accessible travel blog, Phoenyx Travels, life became clearer and there was a path again. I owe my grandfather so much – being my father figure, teaching me the value in hard work, and staying stoic when everything crumbles.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
This is a really hard question to answer because I try not to think about it. It’s too raw, painful, and hard.

The first month and a half after my accident, I had amnesia and the brain of a four year old. All of my friends left and I was in the care of someone who was truly cruel. Life was so incredibly dark. If I’m being completely honest, I didn’t much care if I lived or died.

But then one day, I ‘woke up’. I remembered around 25% of my memories and got my ability to communicate back. No longer was I going to continue being the victim, but instead take charge in my life. Just less than 3 months later, I was walking again, going back to work, and independently on my own with my children right beside me.

Now, I tell my story so that others who may be in the same situation can feel empowered to take control of their own lives regardless of how it looks.

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Is the public version of you the real you?
Absolutely. After 26 years of people-pleasing and bending myself into whatever shape other people needed, I hit a point where there was nothing left of me — and everyone left anyway. What survived was the real me: brutally honest, unfiltered, and maybe a little unhinged.

That’s all anyone gets now, whether you’re a friend, family, or a brand I’m working with. Authenticity isn’t just part of my brand — it’s the only way I know how to show up. Pretending to be polished or perfect isn’t sustainable, and frankly, it’s boring.

Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
Human understanding. That’s probably the one thing I grasp more deeply than most. My background in psychology — paired with some pretty brutal lived experiences — taught me how to look past the surface.

I’ve dealt with abusive caregivers after my accident, strangers blowing up on me online, and people whose actions left scars I’ll carry forever. Instead of just writing them off as “monsters,” I learned to ask why. Not to excuse it, but to understand the perspective, the life circumstances, the pain behind it.

That same mindset shows up in how I travel. When I land somewhere new, I want to know the stories behind the culture, the legends, and yes, even the struggles. Travel isn’t just about postcard views — it’s about learning how people live, why they believe what they do, and what their history taught them.

If more of us could put ourselves in someone else’s shoes — whether that’s the person lashing out on a bad day or a community carrying generational trauma — we’d see each other more fully. And that understanding makes both relationships and travel a lot more human.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://phoenyxtravels.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/phoenyxtravels/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phoenyxpowell/
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/phoenyxtravels
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@phoenyxtravels