Jess Quinn on Normalizing Different, Motherhood as an Amputee, and Learning to Love Her Body

We sat down with Jess Quinn on set for our 2026 Changemakers campaign. A creator, advocate and women's health founder, Jess lost her leg to cancer at eight, spent years hiding it, then went viral with a single photo shoot. She's since used her platform to show the world that being different is okay. In this conversation, she talks about the day she finally put on the shorts, the toddler tantrum over who got to wear her leg, the small, unseen challenges of motherhood as an amputee, and why it's hard not to love a body that grew a human.

What experiences have led you to where you are today?

The journey to where I am today has been very unexpected. It started with losing my leg to cancer when I was eight. Then, when I was older, I did a photo shoot that showed my leg and a running blade, and it went completely viral. I landed in this online world, which I never expected, but it's been incredible. I've done some really awesome things, like modelling around the world, being on Dancing with the Stars and some epic photo shoots. But the main point of what I do online is to normalise different. I just want people to know that being different is okay.

You spent years hiding your prosthetic before deciding, one day, to put on the shorts. What changed, and how has that decision shaped everything you've built since?

For the first eight years of being an amputee, I hid my leg completely. I'd be in long pants and high-top sneakers in the middle of summer, just to hide as much as I could. As a teenager, I'd go to events and find myself hiding my leg behind furniture while I was having conversations.

Then one day I was by the pool with a whole lot of friends, and they encouraged me to throw on some shorts. It was the first time in a very long time I'd properly shown my leg in a group. That's when I realised I was the only person holding me back. I was making a bigger deal of it than I needed to, and my life was going to be so much better if I just embraced my differences.

You've said Marla doesn't yet grasp why you need your leg to walk. She's even tried to put it on herself. What do you want her to understand about that as she gets older?

It's been really interesting stepping into motherhood and seeing how a toddler navigates people who are different. It's so cool that Marla gets to grow up with that being normal. One of our first tantrums was because she couldn't put on my leg that day. She wanted to wear it instead of me! So we've already had some really interesting moments. I just want it to be normal in our house, which luckily it will be, so that she walks out into the world understanding that people are different.

You've been open about the toll of chronic pain and sleep deprivation as a new mom, including the practical struggle of getting up quickly in the night. How do you hold onto self-compassion in those harder moments?

I always knew becoming a mum would be really challenging. I almost didn't become one because I thought it might be too hard, and it has been really challenging. The good has far outweighed the hard times, but there are little moments people wouldn't even imagine. Marla calls out in the middle of the night and only wants Mum, so I have to put on my leg, and then my husband feels guilty lying there while I'm getting up and putting on a leg. But sometimes kids just want their mums.

Then there's music class, where all the mums are sitting cross-legged and my prosthetic is just sticking out, tripping up all the kids. Carrying Marla around is challenging too, especially now that I'm pregnant. But it's always worth it in the end, and we just adapt. That's one thing I'm really grateful for. I've been an amputee since I was eight, so I've spent my whole life adapting, and I'm used to life being a little bit more challenging. Motherhood has just been another part of that journey.

You co-founded The Cyclist to build community for women navigating health challenges so they don't feel alone. Has becoming a mother changed the kind of community you look for, or the kind you want to build?

I co-founded The Cyclist, a women's health community, and Cadence, a women's health supplement company, at the same time I became a mum. So I've been navigating the juggle of motherhood and running a business, and it's changed the way I show up for the community. I've definitely changed a lot as a person since becoming a mum. You just see people differently. I've been having deeper conversations with my audience and learning what they're going through, from birth to motherhood and all the different areas of women's health. It's been incredible to be both a mother and a founder in the women's health space.

You've said all that really matters is what you think of yourself, not what anyone else thinks. Is that a harder or easier lesson to hold onto now that you're raising a daughter?

I've said a lot that all that really matters is how you see yourself. How other people see you doesn't really matter. That's something I've navigated in my personal life, being in a different body, and as someone who shows up online. It's only deepened since I became a mother, and a wife, because I feel even more comfortable in my own body. We'll go on holiday and I'll walk around in my bikini, even though my leg looks so different.

I want to be that example for Marla. I also want to be that example for the person I'm walking past at the pool who might be feeling a bit insecure in their bikini. I want to show people that we can celebrate our bodies and our differences, and not spend our whole lives worried about the way we look. Motherhood has changed that a lot. I've seen my body grow a human and give birth to a human, so it's really hard to look at that body and not love it, because it's done something so incredible for our family.

What do the first 10 minutes of your morning actually look like?

It depends on the day. Most of the time my husband gets Marla out of bed, which gives me time to shower and put my leg on for the day. But a lot of the time at the moment, with her parental preferences, she's calling out for me. So I'll crawl down the hallway and have a chat with her, or I'll put on my leg, get out of bed, then shower and put my leg back on for the day. The priorities are usually Marla and getting my leg on. The order really depends on Marla!

What's a moment with Marla that's completely changed how you see your own body or your own strength?

There have been so many. Just being her mum day to day has been really eye-opening about my strength and how much I can do with a body that's differently abled. But the coolest thing has been the way she's accepted my leg. Even now that she can talk, she's not asking lots of questions. I know they'll come, and I welcome them. But one of the most amazing things has been the way she doesn't even notice my leg.

I won't lie, when I'm walking down the street in shorts, everyone stares at my leg. I've just got used to it. But kids just get on with it. She'll say, "Your leg's so cool, Mama," or, "Can I have a leg like yours?" The innocence of that really boosts my confidence, because it reminds me how we should probably all act with people who are different.

What's your favorite way to treat yourself?

Honestly, a bath in the evening with the very smutty books I'm reading. If I really want to treat myself, it's a facial or a massage, or just some alone time in silence, in the dark. But honestly, the bath and the smutty book do it for me.

What does rest mean to you right now?

Rest means a lot to me right now. It's something I've had to navigate throughout my whole career and journey, and I didn't used to be very good at it. I'm proof that if you don't rest when you need to, your body will force you to at some point, and that's happened at different stages of my life. I developed a panic disorder at the beginning of Marla's life, while I was also launching my women's health businesses. So I've had to learn to juggle those two massive things while prioritising rest. As a mum that's really hard, but it's something I prioritise a lot.

What are you most hopeful about for the future?

So much. I'm in a phase of life where I feel so grateful for everything I have. I've been able to grow a family, I've got an amazing partner and an incredible career. I just hope it continues, that everyone around me stays happy and healthy, and that we get to deliver another healthy little bub.

What does being a Changemaker mean to you?

Even saying it, that imposter syndrome instantly creeps in! But it feels like a massive honour to be seen in that light, because I take my role advocating for different bodies, and everything else I talk about online, really seriously. The fact that it's being seen in a positive way and helping other people is something I don't take for granted at all.

Read more about the Changemakers here.