They call her the muse of Rio de Janeiro's Carnival. She insists she's a missionary

Raquel Potí has become the preeminent face of Rio’s Carnival street parties.

Potí, who sees herself not as a muse, but as a missionary, has trained more than 1,000 kids and adults over the past decade .

She says stilt walking is much more than a show; it's ancestral and ritualistic, and a springboard for people to radically change their lives and themselves.

Forcing them to reckon with their vulnerabilities is key, Potí says.

The stilt walkers interviewed by the AP describe Potí as someone who opens doors and awakens people.

Potí juggles her endeavors as a single mother raising a 7-year-old boy.

She wishes more people would look beyond her, to her causes and change she's seeking to bring about.