We recently had the chance to connect with Mackenzie Granzow and have shared our conversation below.
Mackenzie, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What is a normal day like for you right now?
Right now, I’m preparing for a pretty major surgery called a periacetabular osteotomy (PAO). A PAO is a hip surgery that involves a surgeon making multiple cuts into the pelvis and repositioning a section of it to correct hip dysplasia. This is the next step in a series of surgeries I plan to have completed before I age out of my health insurance.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Mackenzie Granzow, and my life is a mix of music, art, technology, nature, activism, and medicine. At any given time, I have a whole smorgasbord of different projects. I’m a sound engineer, a creative, and a nerd at heart. I’m also disabled and queer, and I think these identities give me a beautiful perspective to walk through the world with. I believe there’s an inherent level of creativity that exists within both the disabled and queer communities due to a life of learning to adapt, and it shows up in such magnificent ways.
For a little insight into my medical conditions, I have a collection of different diagnoses that go hand in hand with each other (aka comorbidities). I have Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), which ultimately most of my diagnoses, if not all, are related to. I also have Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS), Chiari Malformation, Tethered Cord Malformation, Hip Dysplasia, as well as other diagnoses. EDS is a connective tissue disorder that can impact many different functions of the human body. For most of my life, there has been very little awareness of these disorders. However, great strides have been made over the last 5-10 years, especially relating to EDS and POTS. Some incredible people have spoken about their experience with Ehlers-Danlos and have used their platforms to spread awareness in the process. For example, Rebecca Yarros, a New York Times bestselling author, also has EDS and POTS, and created the Empyrean book series that features a heroine with the same diagnoses. This has led to countless people finding validation, receiving their own diagnoses, being filled with hope, as well as triggering a massive wave of awareness. I am eternally grateful to Rebecca Yarros for showing the world that “not all strength is physical.”
Right now, I’m currently focusing on a few different projects. One of them is a medical passion project of mine that combines the lived experiences of disabled people with various forms of art. I also co-host a podcast with my sister Meghan called I’d Pick The Bear. We discuss survivor stories and all things related to gender-based violence. In the background of all of these projects lies my inability to stop reading and writing, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
I think, like many people, I have parts of my brain that act as my protectors. With the wonders of therapy, I’ve had the ability to dissect my coping mechanisms, identify what no longer serves me, and learn new ones that will benefit me in the next part of my life. Our minds have such an impressive way of keeping us safe, and it never hurts to have an expert guide you through the process of learning how to work with your brain.
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
Up until very recently, around the winter of 2025, I have been relatively quiet about my experiences with physical pain. I think, for the majority of my life, my disability has been more or less invisible, and that comes with a certain set of privileges. I also am a woman in a very physically demanding and male-dominated field, so I have felt the need to prove my “strength.” However, throughout this year, I’ve finally started letting that go. I’ve been a pretty open book about emotional pain throughout my life, and something finally clicked, allowing me to feel free enough to be honest about the state of my health. This is the most apparent my illnesses have been in my adult life, so I decided to stop pretending and downplaying my reality, and to use this as a chance to educate people about my experiences with a dynamic disability. I think existing with such a high level of pain all the time also comes with such great insight that I feel the need to contribute to the world, and I’m now fully leaning into that.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
There are a few projects on my bucket list that I promised myself I will see come to fruition. One of which is the organization that focuses on combining the lived experiences of people with disabilities with various forms of art. This is something I’ve wanted to create since I was a small child, so I look forward to the day I get to share this concept with the world (more on this at a later date!). Another is my dream to have at least one book of my own published. I hope one day I’ll look back on this article and make 25-year-old Mackenzie proud.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: When do you feel most at peace?
Certain music and writing bring me specific types of peace, but nothing brings me full peace (body and mind) like being in the ocean. All large bodies of water bring me joy, but there’s something about being in the ocean that is unmatched. One aspect of it is the fact that being fully submerged, especially in salt water, is the one time there is weight lifted off my joints and my body can relax. There’s also the element of living with a very loud mind and experiencing something that has this otherworldly ability to quiet it. I try to incorporate the ocean into my life as much as possible for this exact reason.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/idpickthebear?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=2fbdb70d-53f0-4a7c-a2f2-146a04671060 & https://linktr.ee/mackenziegranzow?utm_source=linktree_admin_share
- Instagram: @hypermobilehijinks & @idpickthebear & @blusnomusic
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mackenzie-granzow-3b414b267?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@idpickthebear?si=yqSs2M3muWVFTH3Z
- Other: GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/89265cef7
Image Credits
Jamie Jackson, Stella Yang, Horace J. Knowles
