The MASH Movement:

A chat with Kasha Mitton and Maggie Aynsley

In this week’s episode, I am chatting with Kasha Mitton and Maggie Aynsley. They are the founders of The MASH Movement, a platform that raises awareness about Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). They inspire and mobilize their community with a focus on movement, awareness, service, and health.

Kasha’s son is living with DMD, and she helps us understand disease, where Canada stands in fighting it, and the importance of creating awareness. They explain their mission of being the voice of DMD and supporting patients and families.

Kasha and Maggie are incredible humans, and I am so honoured to be introducing them to you.

What You Will Learn:

[1:00] Get to know both Kasha Mitton and Maggie Aynsley and what they do!
[2:58] Why they started the MASH movement to raise awareness for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
[5:31] Understanding the DMD disease and why there’s a need to create awareness.
[10:18] Kasha on her son Jude living with DMD, plus the condition of the disease in Canada.
[17:50] The importance of supporting and being on the journey with DMD families.
[19:23] Kasha explains the place where you can find and fund the movement.
[21:42] The importance of giving hope, plus the DMD awareness day.
[32:25] Some resources to help you learn more about DMD and change how you see the world.
[42:26] Kasha describes her biggest lesson as a mom as the ability to pause and be.
[43:28] Maggie describes her biggest lesson as the power of being present for her kids and others.

About The MASH Movement:

Our WHY.

Alone we are Maggie and Kasha, together we are the MASH movement. Mashing over 35 years of experience in education, healthcare, fitness, and community work, as moms, wives, speakers, authors and change-makers. MASH = Movement, Awareness, Service and Health. These core values are the drivers of our social platform and international fundraising events. We aim to help end Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a rare and fatal disease handed to Kasha’s son Jude. One spontaneous mutation in his X chromosome means he cannot produce the protein needed to keep his muscles intact. For him, time is muscle.

So what do you do when life hands you hardship?

Find your people.

Our story is about the power of MASHing with others. We are two life-long friends, sisters and determined women. The two female X ‘s in our logo represent the Greek symbol of Inguz which translates to: where there’s a will there’s a way. These words serve as our guiding mantra as we fight for those who need us.

Our work is rooted in bringing agency to the social inequities that exist in the arena of rare disease and disability. Our mission however, extends beyond rare disease. We connect communities from East to West, encouraging people to move for those who can’t while building a community that supports each other physically, mentally and emotionally along the way. We create space for people to live in the MOVEMENT of life.

We believe in hope, not just for those suffering from Duchenne but for anyone who is journeying through hardship. No matter what you are carrying, know we are always here for you, waiting and ready to MASH. We truly believe in connection.

Connect with Kasha & Maggie: