We are Leah Stodden and Lindsay Clarke. We are sisters. We are different in many ways, yet the same in all of the important ways.
We love with our whole hearts. We hope. We fail and we fall. We share the same blood. We are humans, learning and growing through this beautiful and unpredictable life together.
Our passion is sharing our thoughts and feelings along this journey. As we explore our different perspectives on growing up together, we are learning about ourselves and about each other.
The vision that we have for Upside Down is to highlight Leah’s ability (not her disability) to shift perspectives through the lens in which she views the world. It’s a non-judgmental lens focused on love, joy, and not taking life too seriously. A lens that too often, many of us have allowed to blur and harden. We also aim to inspire the potential in all individuals, regardless of circumstance. We are so excited for you to grow with us along the journey.
You can learn more about us individually below. We encourage you to contact us and connect!
About Leah:
Hi my name is Leah. I am 38 years old and live in Omaha, Nebraska. I have a beautiful and lovely life with a supporting and loving family.
The very surprising news is on Valentine’s Day 2019 my lifelong boyfriend Mark got down on one knee to ask to have a surprise engagement to me and I said yes on my own to Mark. It was a very heartfelt touching moment in time in front of my family and his family. I got very happy and excited and that moment take my breath away.
Our Forever Love Commitment Ceremony was on July 20, 2019. It was the very most special and best day of our lives. It touched our hearts and both our families hearts too. Leah and Mark are together Forever Loves in our hearts.
I want to tell you about my family. I’m really happy and lucky to have my very best parents that I have in my whole life. My Mom and My Dad have beautiful touching hearts and are truly my best friends and best buddies to hang out with and to be with together. I have two younger sisters named Megan and Lindsay. We have beautiful and special memories when we all grow up together as best friends and hang out with them. My sister Megan and Brother In-Law Paul start a family and have a baby named James. I really love to be Aunt Leah to James my nephew and my little buddy and hang out together. My family also grow bigger and now Mark’s family is my special family too.
My mom showed me how to play the piano when I was 6 years old. She showed me the keys and the sound and the music that comes out of the piano. She helped me put my hands on the piano and taught me to play.
I love to play the piano and perform for people. That makes me feel very special inside of my heart. When I play the piano beautiful music comes out of the piano. It makes me happy and I enjoy my day when I play. I want people to feel happy and feel the beautiful and fun day when I play. I have been performing in different cities for a long time.
There is a lot of things that I love to do on my days and weekends. I have been doing a lot of wonderful things all through my life and it makes me feel good and wonderful and proud. I am excited to share them with you. Thank you to join along with us for our journey together as Upside Down Sisters. If you want to learn more about me, I’d love to and be happy to talk with you.
-Leah
Leave it to Leah to bring clarity to my (Lindsay’s) understanding of what a biography should look like. When I began my “research” in summarizing who Leah was, I began with her accolades. I searched for the publications she has been featured in and their correspondent dates (people need to be impressed with her continuous recognition, right?). I looked up the committees she has participated in for Down syndrome advocacy. I began a timeline, feeling urged to illustrate how much she has accomplished – to validate her as an upstanding adult woman thriving with Down syndrome. This is what the people need, right? Wrong.
What I was compiling was a resume, not recognizing that Leah isn’t looking to update her LinkedIn. She is looking to connect with others. She wants you all to get to know who she is and what’s important to her. Leah’s biography focuses on what matters most to her: family, her Forever Love Mark, her passion for playing the piano, and her love for inspiring others. In fact, once she arrived at the part in her biography where her list of accomplishments might be listed, she simply stated that she is excited to share her stories with you. This Upside Down perspective is Leah’s normal, a perspective we can all learn and grow from.
About Lindsay:
Upside Down: growing up as Leah’s younger sister has guided this perspective and encouraged it to influence all areas of my life.
It is my vision that through our mission, your days may be a little brighter as you shift perspectives and see the potential in all individuals.
At the heartbeat of my experiences is a passion for creativity/art/music, working with children, connecting with others, and helping out wherever I am able. This has led me to dabbling in Expressive Art Therapy, teaching Preschool/volunteer coordinating at Operation Breakthrough, nannying in Paris, France, creating meaningful paintings for others, working on writing a book, and other random jobs along the way.
The B-Team has been a place I’ve found myself often, so it’s no wonder I have a soft spot for the underdog. That coupled with my relentless hope for all things good and all things love, and you’ll discover I’m quite the dreamer.
Artist. Wife/Sister/Daughter/Friend. Connector. Believer.
The greatest gift Leah has given me is she has taught me to always let people surprise me. Because of this, I have met and learned from so many beautiful, unique souls whom I may not have otherwise been so welcoming to.
Here’s to all that we can learn from each other…the best is yet to come.
Keep up with us on socials! Instagram: @upsidedown.sisters