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When she’s not coaching athletes at ZOOZ, Allison Norlian is behind the camera, directing and producing films through her production company, BirdMine — a company she co-founded with longtime friend and collaborator Kody Leibowitz to spotlight stories from underrepresented communities, especially the disability community.

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Last Saturday, Allison reached a major milestone: the world premiere of her debut feature documentary, Meandering Scars, at the iconic TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood as part of the prestigious Dances With Films festival.

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Nearly five years in the making, Meandering Scars follows the remarkable journey of Erika Bogan, a wheelchair user, CrossFit and Spartan athlete, and survivor of domestic violence. The film documents Erika’s daring attempt to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, the tallest freestanding mountain in the world, not just as a physical feat, but as a deeply personal mission to raise awareness of the mental health crisis within the disability community.

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The story begins in Charlotte, North Carolina, where a violent domestic incident left Erika paralyzed from the waist down. Years later, she found strength and purpose through fitness and adaptive athletics — but the scars of trauma remained. Erika, like many people with disabilities, struggled with depression and suicidal ideation. Tragically, she also lost several friends with disabilities to suicide.

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Her climb was not just for herself. It was to honor those friends, confront stigma, and call attention to a crisis that remains largely unspoken and under-researched.

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“From the moment my business partner Kody and I met Erika, we felt an undeniable connection to her story,” said Allison. “Her journey reflects resilience, vulnerability, and the urgent need for inclusion — values at the core of everything we do at BirdMine.”

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The filmmaking process was physically and emotionally demanding. Allison and Kody not only filmed Erika’s journey — they climbed the mountain alongside her.

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BirdMine was born in 2020, founded by Allison and Kody, both former journalists with a shared passion for long-form, socially conscious storytelling. They launched the company to create space for narratives often overlooked by mainstream media — stories that challenge perceptions and foster empathy.

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For Allison, the work is deeply personal. A three-time Emmy nominee, she’s also a lifelong disability rights advocate, inspired by her sister, who has a profound developmental disability, and her grandmother, who lived with multiple sclerosis and used a wheelchair full-time. Kody brings his own connection: a background in investigative journalism and personal experiences with disability and domestic violence in his family, including the loss of his mother to epilepsy at a young age.

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The Meandering Scars premiere drew a strong showing of support — including from the ZOOZ family. Founders Jake and Shahar, along with trainers Jared, Emma, and Ben, were all in attendance.

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“It was incredible and beyond emotional,” said Emma. “It included joy and love and laughter and struggle and pain — it was beautifully done, especially given the weight of the subject matter. It felt meaningful to everyone in the audience.”

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“You crafted a beautiful piece of art,” added Ben. “You told a magnetic and compelling story. It was amazing to be there and witness it.”

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Meandering Scars isn’t BirdMine’s only success. Their debut short film, Thirteen, recently secured educational distribution through New Day Films and Kanopy. The short — also centered on disability — tells the story of a mother’s fight to hold a Bat Mitzvah for her profoundly disabled, non-verbal daughter in a synagogue unwilling to break from tradition. It has screened internationally and won multiple awards, including Best Actress and Best Original Score at the 2024 Independent Shorts Awards.

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This week, Allison is back at ZOOZ, returning to one-on-one sessions and group classes with the athletes she trains. Her experience filming Meandering Scars didn’t just shape her as a filmmaker — it also deepened her connection to the role fitness plays in healing, especially within the disability community.

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“Working on this documentary opened my eyes to the powerful link between physical and mental health,” Allison shared. “I’ve always been passionate about filmmaking, disability advocacy, and fitness — but it wasn’t until Meandering Scars that I realized I could actually merge those passions in meaningful ways.”

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Her work at ZOOZ has become a natural extension of that mission.

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“I’m incredibly grateful to be part of a space like ZOOZ, where I get to witness the real-life impact of movement and community on people’s mental and physical well-being — including those with disabilities,” she said. “And I’m so thankful to have such supportive bosses, Jake and Shahar, who are flexible and encouraging, allowing me to live both of my dreams. I don’t take that for granted.”

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To follow Allison’s journey and the future of Meandering Scars, you can find updates on Instagram and Facebook at @meanderingscars and @birdminestories.

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With Meandering Scars now launched into the world and several new projects in development, BirdMine continues to expand its slate of inclusive, impact-driven films — elevating voices that deserve to be heard, and stories that need to be told.