Glider Spotlight: Meet Julia Winstead

In this monthly series, we put the spotlight on our Gliders community to celebrate individuals who inspire us. This month, we’re highlighting Julia Winstead... also known as the "Happy Hooper"!

‍

Tell us a bit about where you grew up...

My parents met in Maryland, where my dad was stationed in the Army. My mom was from a small island in Maine called Stonington, and my dad was from Los Angeles. I grew up in L.A., one mile from The Forum and Hollywood Park, which is now SoFi Stadium.

My dad worked for the phone company, and my mom was a stay-at-home mom. On a phone company salary, my dad was able to purchase 13 homes on the same block.

‍

What was your upbringing like?

We spent many summers driving across the country to see my grandparents. Four kids, my parents, and a dog driving three days and three nights, only stopping for gas and bathroom breaks. We were pretty ripe by the time we arrived—lol!

When I was 18 months old, I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and put on insulin injections. They used to sharpen the needles on a stone!

Like Amos, I started losing my vision in my early twenties due to diabetic retinopathy. This is when my creativity really kicked in. At 28, I went to get my first guide dog. I attended the Braille Institute two days a week for three months, where I learned braille, cane mobility, and most importantly… basket weaving.

I then got a job in a flower shop. Being a blind crafter in a sighted world opened many doors for me.

I was hired by the largest commercial printing company in Orange County. In the 1990s, I worked in their Fulfillment and Distribution Center doing hand labor such as collating, making boxes, counting postcards, and testing batteries in flashlights. After nine months, I was put on the phone and became the receptionist for eight years.

I was making $7.00 an hour and qualified for a $50,000 loan. I purchased a one-bedroom condo for $43,000. In the early 2000s, I sold my condo at the top of the market and moved back to the South Bay to be closer to my family.

To keep my brain stimulated, I took on many crafting projects, including making hula hoops, air fresheners, pickling, jewelry making, flower arranging, knitting hats, and crocheting blankets.

My air fresheners were made in canning jars and were long-lasting. I carried a large basket with nine air fresheners in it. When a cab driver picked me up and was closing my door, I would pick up the basket and blow on it to get the scent up front. There are plenty of taxi drivers around with “Julia’s Making Scents” in their cars.

‍

We've heard you're called the "Happy Hooper. Please explain...!

In my 50s, I became known as the Happy Hooper. I always had several weighted hoops that I made on my shoulder when I went out in public. By this point, I was totally blind.

I performed at senior centers, meet-ups at local parks, and parties. I always brought plenty of hoops so people could join me!

At the gym, I practiced in the racquetball court. I had the court all to myself and would get lost in the music and the feel of the hoop, as if we were one. I practiced there regularly, and that’s where I filmed my YouTube videos, Happy Hooper Gone Wild.

One day, after hooping for 45 minutes, I was sitting up front waiting for my ride when a very large gentleman approached me and politely introduced himself. I stood up and shook his hand, and he said, “I was watching you in the racquetball court, and you brought back memories of my childhood. You had it going here, and there, and everywhere… you were poetry in motion.”

I started laughing when he said, “I told my friend, ‘You should see what she does with that thing!’” His friend replied, “Get this… she’s blind.” He said he almost fell on the floor. Lol!

Hula hooping led to me being featured in several magazines, including Torrance Memorial Pulse and South Bay Health.

Going for long walks with my guide dog or to the gym has always been a release for me. At the gym, I move from machine to machine, and they call me “the Energizer Bunny.” Occasionally, someone comes over and says, “I didn’t want to be here today, but seeing you here is such an inspiration.”

‍

What are you up to these days?

Now I’m dyeing beads for jewelry making. I have a passion for color and have developed my own style.

Be My Eyes is a big part of my dyeing process. I call several times a day while I’m cooking the beads because there’s a certain look I’m going for. That usually leads to them asking, “What do you do with those?” I show them the trays and baskets in front of a fan, where they dry for three days. Then I show them my inventory hanging on the wall or the belt I wear when I go out, with 50 bracelets hanging from it.

I’ve made many friends from around the world and have shipped bracelets all over the country.

I have 30 colors and many themes: sports (NFL, baseball, basketball, hockey, and soccer), kittens, paws, bunnies with charms, hearts, daisies, owls, dice, shamrocks, fish, skulls, butterflies, and college colors.

‍

What would you do if you won the lottery?

I would move to the Seattle “Clubhouse!” Lol!

‍

What would you like to say to the Glidance community?

I have so much passion for the Glide. People say my face lights up when I talk about it. It’s going to bring so much independence and freedom back into my life. It’s also going to bring lots of attention—and I’m sure many more orders!

‍