Bouncing Forward with Amy Purdy

In the final episode of We Have a Goal, we explore how sport can contribute to achieving Sustainable Development Goals, with an emphasis on the environmental dimension. Team USA Paralympic medalist Amy Purdy and IOC Young Leaders discuss ways in which to consider sustainability practices at an individual and collective level using sport as a catalyst and helping link our everyday activities with the bigger impact of climate change.

Reducing inequality is key in creating more inclusive communities. In this third episode of We Have a Goal, Team USA Paralympic medalist Amy Purdy and IOC Young Leaders discuss the inequalities which currently exist for individuals and groups, with a special focus on those with disabilities. A subject close to Amy’s heart, we pay particular attention to how sport can play a positive role in designing and making inclusive spaces for the benefit of both individuals and communities.

The second in the four-episode podcast series “We Have a Goal” focuses on promoting peace through sport. 

Paralympian Amy Purdy is joined by three inspiring IOC Young Leaders: Sophia Papamichalopoulos, OLY (Cyprus), Waleed Abu Nada (Jordan) and Elena Mercedes Haro Lima (Guatemala). They discuss how, through using sport as a catalyst, their IOC Young Leader projects contribute to peacebuilding in their respective communities. Their inspirational stories bring to life how sport can play a powerful role in securing sustainable and peaceful futures for all, which is the global theme of the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace 2022.

How does sport help us change the world for the better? In We Have a Goal, a four-episode podcast series supported by Worldwide Olympic Partner Panasonic, Paralympian and motivational speaker Amy Purdy talks to IOC Young Leaders about their own journeys and how they’re driving change in the areas of gender equality, inclusion, sustainability and peacebuilding.

The first out of four episodes of the podcast series “We Have a Goal” focuses on gender equality. Paralympian Amy Purdy is joined by three inspiring IOC Young Leaders Aneta Grabmüllerová, Olympian Jemima Montag, and Adriana Escobar as they share how they are working towards gender balance in sport, on and off the field of play.

Amy's guest Susie Moore has three things you can do right now to immediately lower your stress level.  This episode is less than 4 minutes long and well worth the listen so you're ready to push stress away the next time in creeps into your life.

Amy welcomes you back to season two of her podcast.

This season has a theme: LIVE INSPIRED.  All episodes are focused on finding, keeping, and spreading inspiration.

Thank you for listening to BOUNCING FORWARD!

1. Subscribe and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. This greatly helps me grow the show and impact more people!

2. Download, download, download. This also greatly helps me grow the show and impact more people!

3. Give me feedback! What do you want to see more or less of on the podcast?

4. Keep in touch with me on Instagram: @AmyPurdyGurl. Just because we won't spend time weekly together on the podcast, we can spend time daily together over on my Instagram!

And that's a wrap for Season 1 of Bouncing Forward! I can't believe we are 45 episodes down – truly amazing! I'll be revamping the podcast and relaunching this fall, with ambitions to make it bigger and better than before! In the meantime, I have three favors to ask you...

1. Subscribe and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. This greatly helps me grow the show and impact more people!

2. Download, download, download. This also greatly helps me grow the show and impact more people!

3. Give me feedback! What do you want to see more or less of on the podcast? 

4. Keep in touch with me on Instagram: @AmyPurdyGurl. Just because we won't spend time weekly together on the podcast, we can spend time daily together over on my Instagram!

I cannot thank you enough for your love and support and can't wait to bring the show back this fall!

In this episode of Bouncing Forward, I answer your questions! I posted a question box on my Instagram recently and decided to expand on my answers here on the podcast. If you aren’t yet following me on Instagram, @amypurdygurl, be sure to do so now so you don’t miss out on getting your question answered! Here’s a sneak peek into the questions I answer in this episode…

3:00 - What is my skincare routine?

13:00 - Have I ever been in so much pain I didn’t think I could get through it and if yes, how did I get through it?

22:00 - What is my favorite place to travel that I think everyone should go to?

25:00 - Have I ever considered osseointegration?

29:00 - If I could get my legs back, would I?

33:00 - Have I ever been on antidepressants?

This week is my “Alive Day”. It’s the day my family and I celebrate because it’s not only the day my life changed forever, but it’s more importantly the day I got a second chance at life. In this episode of Bouncing Forward, I share exactly what that day was like for me: from living my regular day-to-day life to being told I only have 2 hours left to live. I also share the number one thing that helped me not give up when I lost the life I knew, and that one thing was gratitude. Plus, I share how I find gratitude in my darkest moments and how you can cultivate it too when you need it most.

Welcome to Thursday's bonus episode of Bouncing Forward. In this episode, I share my favorite key takeaway from Monday's episode. So if you're short on time, but are committed to bouncing forward, this episode is for you!

In this episode, I chat with you about managing our inner voice. When it comes to our inner critic, we all have a coach and a critic and I explain how I shift my mindset to give my inner coach more control than my inner critic.

This episode is a little different than usual! Instead of hearing me interview other thought-leaders, you will hear me get interviewed by the amazing Sherri Salata.

Together we chat about “Beautiful No’s”. This is when life suddenly takes us in a different direction and leads us to our destiny. I believe losing both of my legs – as hard as it was – brought me to exactly where I wanted and needed to be…just in a completely different way than I ever could have imagined.

We also about about managing our inner voice. When it comes to our inner critic, we all have a coach and a critic and I explain how I shift my mindset to give my inner coach more control than my inner critic.

Lastly, we chat about something fun many of you have probably never heard me talk about: I was casted as a lead actress in a huge Hollywood movie!

Sheri is not only a great friend of mine but she was the executive producer of the Oprah Winfrey Show, the Co-President of the Oprah Winfrey Network and Harpo production, and the amazing author of Beautiful No.

What we discuss:

02:55: Amy’s mission in life

04:44: Did Amy make the right decision to start a podcast?

05:27: Amy’s power word of the year: Connection

07:07: How teaching what Amy knows is different from living and experiencing it

09:18: Amy’s first “Beautiful No”

16:15: Amy’s second “Beautiful No”

20:33: What Amy wants others to see in themselves

21:57: What is the inside chatter?

23:03: Recognizing the difference between what our inner critic is saying and what we feel

26: 42: The biggest realization Amy had from her podcast

28:46: How we’re all connected together

Welcome to Thursday's bonus episode of Bouncing Forward. In this episode, I share my favorite key takeaway from Monday's episode. So if you're short on time, but are committed to bouncing forward, this episode is for you!

Anxiety arises when we are living in the future, grief arises when we are living in the past, but our lives are lived in the present. When we remain in the present, neither can exist, and that's why it's imperative to our bouncing forward journey to remain in the present. In this episode of Bouncing Forward, I explain what it means to live more presently and give you 5 practical steps for you to incorporate presence into your daily life. No matter what you are going through – a lot or nothing at all – we can all benefit from living in the HERE and NOW.

Anxiety arises when we are living in the future, grief arises when we are living in the past, but our lives are lived in the present. When we remain in the present, neither can exist, and that's why it's imperative to our bouncing forward journey to remain in the present. In this episode of Bouncing Forward, I explain what it means to live more presently and give you 5 practical steps for you to incorporate presence into your daily life. No matter what you are going through – a lot or nothing at all – we can all benefit from living in the HERE and NOW.

Welcome to Thursday's bonus episode of Bouncing Forward. In this episode, I share my favorite key takeaway from Monday's episode. So if you're short on time, but are committed to bouncing forward, this episode is for you!

Lately, I've been feeling SO overwhelmed in my life. I feel like I'm completely out of control and I can't seem to find any light in the fog I'm stuck in. Thankfully, I found the solution and in this episode of Bouncing Forward I share exactly what I did with you. So if you're finding yourself experiencing the same, I challenge you to take advantage of this simple hack!

Download the Bouncing Forward Diagram here: https://us-ms.gr-cdn.com/getresponse-zqOf7/documents/4f61bd1a-94f1-4385-bdbe-bb103dd94453.pdf

I finally just pulled myself out of the darkest hole I've been stuck in. Believe it or not, my darkest days weren't when I lose both my legs. My darkest days were this past year. From dealing with health issues, relationship issues, and confidence issues and more, to feeling completely overwhelmed and lacking control of my own life, I desperately needed to pull myself out of this dark place I had found myself in. Thankfully, I found the solution and in this episode of Bouncing Forward I share exactly what I did with you. So if you're finding yourself experiencing darkness in your life, I challenge you to take advantage of this simple hack!

Download the Bouncing Forward Diagram here: https://us-ms.gr-cdn.com/getresponse-zqOf7/documents/4f61bd1a-94f1-4385-bdbe-bb103dd94453.pdf

Resiliency is a nice word, but what does it actually mean? What characteristics does a resilient person hold? What do we need to do to become more resilient?

In this episode of Bouncing Forward, Hassan Khan takes over as host for me (as I’m in recovery from a series of surgeries) and answers these questions with clarity and depth.

When looking for a substitute host, I instantly knew Hassan would be perfect. He is a human performance coach and founder of Limitless Humans. He works with elite performers across a number of industries, and provides evidence based solutions to help them build their capabilities, perform at the highest level, and unlock their potential. Hassan holds an Economics degree, a Law degree, a Research Masters degree in Innovation, and a Master of Business Administration degree, and he is an alumni and graduate of Harvard Business School and the University of Cambridge. Pretty amazing, right?!

I know you’ll be blown away by the insight and actionable steps Hassan shares in this episode!

Find more from Hassan:

Instagram: @hasskhan

Twitter: @hassankhan99

What pain are you experiencing right now? Is it physical, mental, emotional? Whatever it is, you CAN transform it into something greater and in this episode of Bouncing Forward, my guest and amazing friend, Ashleigh Di Lello, is here to teach you how!

Ashleigh shares how we can overcome our physical and emotional pain by tapping into our subconscious minds. Everything she teaches is backed by neuroscience and has helped her overcome her own chronic pain.

My favorite thing she shared in this episode was, “What is now, doesn’t always have to be.” I think this is something we often forget or fail to believe. And I know after listen you’ll realize that whatever you are experiencing right now that is bringing you suffering or pain, doesn’t always have to be.

Ashleigh is a Professional Dancer on Broadway and TV shows like So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing With The Stars. At age 13, she was suddenly faced with a life-threatening illness that led to years of chronic pain, a broken metabolism, rapid weight gain, and a destructive relationship with her body and food. Through her study of neuroscience and a 20-year journey, she was able to conquer the emotional, physical, and mental battle in her life to become a successful Professional Dancer.  Then in 2016, a failed hip surgery launched her body into widespread chronic pain and dysfunction. And for the last 4 years, she’s seen her body suffer the depths of unimaginable pain only to bounce forward from what was thought to be “impossible.”

Right now I'm facing one of the toughest decisions I've had to ever make. And here's the thing, there is absolutely zero clarity on which decision is better! No matter what, making life-altering decisions are hard, but when neither choice seems to feel right, what are we supposed to do? How are we supposed to know which decision to make? This is exactly what I've been facing! That's why I decided to do some research of my own and develop a 5-step process that can help with making any tough life decisions. 

Welcome to Thursday's bonus episode of Bouncing Forward. In this episode, I share my favorite key takeaway from Monday's episode. So if you're short on time, but are committed to bouncing forward, this episode is for you! Today I share a little bit about giving yourself some grace! And, when you slow down to actually acknowledge everything you've done, you'll become aware that you're doing way more than you realize. You are enough and what you are doing is enough! 

I haven’t been motivated to do much of anything. I've been so hard on myself for not being productive. And then, I realized the most productive thing I can do for myself sometimes is this: Give myself some damn grace!

Because here’s the thing, we simply don’t give it to ourselves enough. We give it to others, yet we never even think about giving it to ourselves. Why is that?! But the truth is, it’s by far the best gift we could ever give ourselves.

So in this episode of Bouncing Forward, I share the exact five ways I gave myself grace. Plus, I talk about what grace is and how to actually give it to yourself. 

Can I steal three minutes of your time?! Because this is a bonus episode of Bouncing Forward where I share my favorite clip and golden nugget from this week's episode: Bibian Mentel: 15-Time Cancer Survivor on Living Life to the Fullest and Sustaining a Positive Mindset. This clip highlights how Bibian continues to bounce forward through her darkest days.

To me, there is no one who captures Bouncing Forward more than Bibian. She is a 15-time cancer survivor, living 21 years with cancer, and bouncing forward from 1 leg operation, 1 leg amputee, 5 lunge operations, 3 neck operations, 4 back operations, and 128 radiations. Being a single leg amputee didn't stop her and she become the most badass snowboarder I know, winning 3x Paralympic Gold Medalist and a 7x World Champion snowboarder. And most important of all, she's the biggest inspiration of my life.

Tune into the full episode here: 

https://anchor.fm/amy-purdy1/episodes/13-Bibian-Mentel-15-Time-Cancer-Survivor-on-Living-Life-to-the-Fullest-and-Sustaining-a-Positive-Mindset-esk2rm

We're always told to set goals for ourselves, right? But what if we are boxing ourselves with these goals? What if these goals are placing limits on ourselves and preventing us from exploring our full potential? In this bonus episode, guest Jonathon Koch shares why being purpose-oriented instead of goal-oriented could get us further on our journey of bouncing forward. 

In this episode, I’m joined by the amazing Jonathon Koch. His story has inspired me more than anything else and that’s why I’m so grateful to have him here on Bouncing Forward.

Jonathon is world-renown producer and director, having worked on films like American Gangster, The peacemaker, and Fearless, and the miniseries The Kennedys. While in Washington In Koch became desperately ill and in order to save his life, doctors had to place him in a coma. A few weeks later when Koch woke up with his mind completely intact, he learned that he had survived septic shock, but his body had been severely compromised – he lost his right leg and left hand in the process.

Koch spent the next 18 months rebuilding himself with several painful surgeries, multiple prosthetic fittings, and endless rehabilitation appointments. His dedication to bouncing forward far exceeded his doctors’ expectations. They recognized his mental and physical strength to successfully receive the first human hand transplant EVER. One year later, Koch made medical history by making it through successfully. The doctors said takes several years to learn how to use a new hand, but only four months later, Jonathan was already back on the tennis court.

Jonathon discusses why we should be purpose oriented instead setting goals, the reason why people survive, how to change our perspective, and daily practices that helped him succeed.

My favorite quote from Jonathon in this episode is, “Don’t wait for something catastrophic to happen before you live in a way that you are ready for anything.” Are you living your life this way?

What we discuss:

[00:04:53] What does success look like today compared to early on in John’s life

[00:05:36] Setting goals = setting limits

[00:07:50] Being able vs being capable

[00:09:16] Jonathon's story

[00:12:42] Being in induced comma

[00:17:56] John’s initial reaction after waking up from comma

[00:20:38] The reason why people survive

[00:21:25] Did John ever victimised himself?

[00:24:19] Amy after the comma - the small things that got her moving her forward

[00:26:35] Dealing with uncertainty with the decision about the hand transplant

[00:31:23] John’s Limb transplant

[00:36:07] Would John change his situation going back if he could?

[00:42:18] Was there one particular thing that flipped John’s perspective to help him go forward

[00:44:07] Daily practices to keep John going and succeed

[00:54:04] One things that helped John succeed

[00:54:52] One thing about life that john to be true

[00:58:23] Resilience is earned

In this episode of Bouncing Forward, I’m joined by the amazing Liz Gilbert. Not only is she an amazing human, but she is also an amazing friend. She is best known for her memoir, EAT PRAY LOVE, which chronicled her journey alone around the world,  after a difficult divorce. The book was an international bestseller, translated into over thirty languages, with over 12 million copies sold worldwide. In 2010, EAT PRAY LOVE was made into a film starring Julia Roberts. The book became so popular that Time Magazine named Elizabeth as one of the 100 most influential people in the world and outside of that, she has been one of the most influential people in my life as well.

Together we dive into discussing her divorce 20 years ago as one of the most difficult moments of her life and how she got through it. She speaks about the difference between forgiveness and mercy, why it’s important to invest your yourself to your fight whatever that may be but not invest your spirit into an outcome, and she speaks of how to give yourself unconditional love when you need it most.

Before you dive into this episode,  if you press pause and subscribe to Bouncing Forward more people will hear this amazing conversation today plus it will ensure our continued journey together.

What we discuss: 

[00:03:34] How Liz has been an inspiration for Amy

[00:06:57] One of the greatest challenges / hardships Liz experienced in her life

[00:11:32] How Liz got through this challenge

[00:14:05] Experiencing the dilemma of humanity - finding mercy

[00:18:01] Empathy and grace towards ourselves

[00:19:20] The teachings of pain

[00:22:18] Giving our spirit vs. our mind and heart

[00:28:26] Despair is the false idea that tomorrow is going to be exactly like today

[00:32:27] Cultivating the best relationship with ourselves

[00:39:02] What does Liz attribute career success to?

[00:51:19] One thing Liz knows for sure

P.S. After I went back and listened to this episode, I got even more from it than when I did the interview. Elizabeth Gilbert is brilliant!

Doesn't it feel like when it rains it pours? For me, it always feels like I get hit not with one stressor, but multiple stressors all at one time. Where do I begin? How do I navigate through it? It feels impossible, overwhelming, and down-right stressful. I know I'm not alone in feeling these things, and that's why in this episode I share a simple trick on how I started to compartmentalize my problems to make it easier to navigate and overcome! 

In this episode of Bouncing Forward, I interview one of the most important people in my life: My mom. Without her, I wouldn’t be where I am today. That’s why I wanted to bring her onto the podcast, for her to share her best insight into bouncing forward.

We specifically chat about my upbringing and how it shaped the work ethic I have today, how we both rely on positive thinking and visualization to get through hard times, and why it’s so important to allow people to take care of you when you need it most.

What we discuss:

00:46 - Describing Amy's mom in 3 words

02:18 - Describing Amy in 3 words

04:58 - Was there anything about Amy's work that surprised her mom

06:05 - How Amy's upbringing shaped her work ethics

10:30 - When Amy was in the hospital, why didn't her mom allowed in the room nyone who

cried?

13:32 - How Amy's mom dealt with the kidney's transplant surgery

17:06 - The best part of taking care of Amy

21:25 - How Amy's mom takes care of herself

22:20 - What hobbies Amy and her mom do together

23:56 - Advice for someone going through challenging times

25:40 - Rapid fire questions

Sometimes when we are experiencing adversity, it feels like we are facing the end of the world, right? I know for me, fighting to walk again for the second time in my life, it's so easy for me to fall into that mindset of believing "It's the end of the world." Although, this mindset isn't going to help me bounce forward. In this episode, I explain how I overcome this toxic mindset through putting my life into perspective. So if you are feeling like "it's the end of the world", this episode is for you!

During my last surgery, while isolated in the hospital alone for days, I had the most amazing epiphany  It finally became so clear to me what the key is for getting inspired and getting motivated – something I recently had been struggling with and I know something that many of you struggle with as well.

In this episode of Bouncing Forward, I share the amazing revelation I had on getting inspired and motivated. I dive into why we should allow ourselves to get bored so we trigger ourselves to daydream, why it’s important to be in an environment with no distractions, and why it’s up to us to create that environment and avoid all distractions possible for at least an hour each day.

What I discuss:

2:23: What Amy I did/didn’t do with my time in the hospital

3:49: The power of procrastinating

4:27: How I got so inspired

4:54: The obstacle of distraction

7:43: The importance of daydreaming

8:43: How we disable daydreaming when we pick up our phone

9:20: The importance of the environment we are in

11:49: Why we don't day dream more

If you follow me on social, you might believe I'm always positive, but let me tell you, that's not always the case. In fact, I don't believe it's healthy to always be positive. I think it's important for us to feel all of our feelings, whether they are positive or negative. And in this bonus episode, I explain why!

We hang on to things that they may not be right for us just to avoid the worst case scenario. But sometimes it’s the very thing we’re holding onto that is holding us back and it’s the worst-case scenario that we need to actually bounce forward.

In this episode of Bouncing Forward, I share an amazing thing I learned from my latest surgery: Sometimes the worst-case scenario is actually the best-case scenario. I also discuss the amazing adaptability of the human body and how having spiritual faith provides us with strength and comfort.

What I discuss:

[02:10] My grandfather passing as I’m going into surgery

[03:46] Connecting with my grandfather as I head into surgery

[04:59] My realization post-surgery on the “worst-case scenario”

[09:07] The incredible adaptability of the human body

[12:13] What I learned about being afraid of a change

Who would have thought at the age of 40 I would be fighting to walk again for the second time in my life? Definitely not me. Once was more than enough. But here I am, whether I like it or not this is the situation I am in.

In this episode, I share with you why I currently can’t walk, the hard choices I’ve had to make in order to bounce forward to walk again, the journey of my latest surgery, and how I’m currently dealing with the uncertainty of it all.

The biggest takeaway from this episode is that we can’t allow ourselves to sit in the worry of uncertainty and instead, we need to face it head on.

What I discuss:

The number one question I get asked is how I rose above my greatest setback of losing both my legs at the age of 19 to turning it into my greatest successes.

Looking back on my life, the challenges I've faced and the accomplishments I've had, I realized none of it would have happened had I have not lost my legs. And had I not faced some of the biggest challenges of my life, I wouldn’t have gone on to have some of the greatest experiences of my life.

So in this episode of Bouncing Forward, I share my entire story of how I not only bounced back from my adversity, but how I used it to my advantage to actually bounced forward. I know the mindset shifts and perspective changes I share in this episode will help you do the same.

After losing both my legs at the age of 19 I bounced forward to become a 3-time Paralympic medalist, one of Oprah’s top 100 thought leaders, a New York Times best-selling author, a Dancing with the Stars runner up, and a world-renown motivational speaker.

I’m here to challenge you with one thing: How can you use your current situation to get ahead? How can you not just survive the challenges you are facing but  actually thrive because of them. After all, it's not about bouncing back to who we once were, it's about bouncing forward to all that we can be.

In this podcast, we are doing something a bit different we aren't focusing on everything that's gone right.  We are divinginto everything that has gone wrong and figure out how we can use our adversity to our advantage. 

I not only be sharing my own journey, the lessons I’ve learned, and the practices I’ve adopted that have gotten me to where I am at today, but I also want to learn alongside all of you. That's why, I also interview the worlds top thought leaders, athletes, and artists, as well as some people you may have never heard of before, who have all faced adversity, yet went on to rise above.

Welcome to Bouncing Forward.