WS Chronicle

Cerebral palsy has not stopped Ricole Wicks from accomplishing her dreams. While she is 100% wheelchair bound, Wicks has continued to defy expectations. Her latest achievement is creating her own shoe company and releasing her first shoe.

Cerebral palsy is a congenital disorder of movement, muscle tone or posture due to abnormal brain development, usually before birth. Wicks does not look at her condition as a disability, but more so of a challenge to overcome in route to her goals.

Design has always been an interest for Wicks and with computer programs, she is able to finally put her thoughts on paper. The design for the shoes came to her in a dream and now her dream has become a reality. Her shoe is a basketball shoe with a stylistic look.

“I’m a Christian and I believe in God and I believe that God gives us ideas and I think that sometimes we will ask God for things and God will give us an idea instead of giving us the actual thing we are asking for, so when you don’t act on that idea, you’re missing the answer to your prayer,” said Wicks.

“I got the idea for this shoe back in 2009, but I was really intimidated by it because it wasn’t something I went to school for. I get my designs pretty unusually; I dream my designs, so the shoe that I released I actually dreamed myself walking in. In my dreams, I’m rarely in my chair. I’m walking, so a lot of times I’m dreaming, I see the shoe that I am in.”

Wicks says she was shocked by the response about the shoe. Everyone was excited for Wicks and the shoe she created.

“People said that they love the shoe, and it was an awesome design and it’s awesome that I did it, because I had been talking about it forever,” she said. “The response has been awesome and it has added to my confidence to do more, because people really like what I am putting out.”

Wicks chose the name ColeMind for her shoe company and her slogan is “Your mind is your wealth” because she feels your ideas are your gems. 

Wicks is a Greensboro native and a graduate of UNC-Greensboro. She says high school was tough for her because she felt her condition as a problem, more than part of who she is. Once she overcame those thoughts, she began to set herself on a path that has led her to this point in her life.

“I love basketball, so I got my first degree in media studies because I wanted to be a sports broadcaster and I eventually want to own my own TV network,” she said of her future goals. “I was born with cerebral palsy, so I try to advocate for people with disabilities and to show them that it doesn’t have to be a barrier, it can be a door-opener.”

Wicks wants to be an inspiration to other people who may have a disability. She says it has been a mission of hers to show people that they can accomplish their dreams no matter what obstacles are placed in front of them.

“My goal was to show people that it doesn’t have to be a barrier,” she said. “There is nothing that you can’t do, because there is so much innovation and so many ways you can think outside the box to make up the gap.  

“For other people, I hope that it helps them to eliminate their excuses and make that jump. Whatever is stopping you from doing what you want, it’s usually your own fear getting in your way.”

Wicks wants to expand her ColeMind brand to include other styles of shoes, as well as clothing. She says eventually she wants to see ColeMind in brick-and-mortar stores.

Wick says her parents were apprehensive about her starting a shoe company. On the other hand, her younger family members were very encouraging toward her dream.

“My dad is a baby boomer, so he is all for a 9-to-5 and that is just not me,” she said. “I will do that, but I do it to fund the other stuff. My siblings and cousins were like ‘let’s go!’”

Wicks was able to develop her shoes through Aliveshoes.com. She stated that the site allows you to design your shoes through templates they provide and you can alter colors and materials based on your liking.

Design is not the only thing Wicks has on her table. She has her own nonprofit organization, Will Empowered, along with helping her brother with his nonprofit.

For more information about ColeMind shoes, please visit Wicks on Instagram at Cole2diamond, or on Facebook at Ricole Naturalbornfighter Wicks. You can find the link for her shoes on her social media sites.