Tag: Limb Loss

Robert Rodriguez Returns to the Amp’d Up211 Podcast!

What happens after you’ve spent a lifetime proving what’s possible?

In this powerful in-studio conversation, Robert Rodriguez returns to the Amp’d Up211 Podcast to discuss the next chapter of his remarkable journey. While many know Robert as a member of the USA Amputee Soccer Team, a national-level Para triathlete, adaptive sports pioneer, and disability rights advocate, this episode goes far beyond athletic accomplishments.

Together, we explore the realities of living with limb loss after the applause fades. Robert shares his thoughts on identity, purpose, advocacy, and the responsibility that comes with becoming a role model for an entire community. We also discuss the fight for better access to prosthetic care, why representation matters, and how adaptive sports can transform lives far beyond the playing field.

Whether you’re living with limb loss, supporting someone who is, or simply looking for a conversation about resilience, leadership, and purpose, this episode offers valuable insights that extend well beyond disability.

This isn’t just a story about overcoming adversity, it’s a conversation about building a meaningful life and helping others do the same.

The Amp’d Up211 Podcast is dedicated to changing the way the world views limb loss. Through authentic conversations with amputees, caregivers, clinicians, athletes, innovators, and advocates, we highlight stories of resilience, recovery, innovation, and hope.

We all have a story that changes the course of our lives. For Dr. Jokima Hiller, that story wasn’t simply about losing a limb, it was about discovering a new way to see herself, and ultimately, a new way to help others see disability.

When I sat down with Jokima, I expected to hear about her incredible accomplishments as an educator, entrepreneur, and hospitality leader. What I didn’t expect was the remarkable story behind “Sabrina”, the name of her prosthetic leg. What began as a way to cope with grief, phantom pain, and an uncertain future gradually became something much bigger: a symbol of hope, creativity, and resilience that has inspired books, children, families, and countless conversations about what it truly means to live with a disability.

In this episode, we talk about identity, purpose, and finding the courage to reinvent yourself after life takes an unexpected turn. We explore the power of humor, the importance of perspective, and why some of our greatest challenges often become the very thing that allows us to impact others. More than anything, this is a conversation about embracing who we are, not despite our differences, but because of them.

Jokima’s story is thoughtful, inspiring, and deeply human. I believe you’ll come away with a greater appreciation for the strength it takes to rebuild, the courage it takes to be vulnerable, and the incredible things that can happen when we choose purpose over circumstance.

The AMP’D UP211 Podcast exists to change the way the world views limb loss and disability by sharing authentic conversations with remarkable people who refuse to let adversity define them. Every episode goes beyond the diagnosis to uncover the person, the purpose, and the journey, reminding us that while every story is different, hope, resilience, and possibility are experiences we all share.

Five Paralymic gold medals. Four world championships. World records. ESPY recognition.

Those are the things you’ll find when you search Jeremy Campbell’s name.

But that’s not the conversation I wanted to have.

When I sat down with Jeremy for this episode of the AMP’D UP211 Podcast, I wasn’t nearly as interested in the medals as I was in the man who earned them. What happens after the podium? After the national anthem? After the crowds go home and the cheering stops?

We live in a world that loves accomplishments. We celebrate the highlights, the victories, and the moments that make headlines. What we don’t often talk about are the spaces in between. The pressure. The expectations. The sacrifices. The discipline required to keep showing up long after the excitement fades.

Jeremy grew up on a Texas farm where hard work wasn’t optional, and excuses weren’t part of the culture. That mindset helped shape one of the most accomplished careers in Paralympic history, but what struck me most during our conversation was his perspective on excellence, purpose, and the responsibility that comes with pursuing something bigger than yourself.

This episode isn’t really about sports. It’s about mindset. It’s about identity. It’s about what it takes to sustain greatness over time and how easy it is for the world to reduce people to inspiration while missing the very human journey behind the achievement.

Jeremy’s accomplishments are remarkable.

His perspective is what you’ll remember.

Some stories change you while you’re listening to them. This is one of those episodes.

In Episode 80 of AMP’D UP211, I sit down with author, amputee, and sepsis survivor Katy Grainger for an incredibly honest conversation about trauma, survival, identity, and rebuilding a life after everything changes. Many people know Katy’s story from the medical event that led to the loss of both of her legs and fingers, but this conversation goes much deeper. We talk about the emotional aftermath, the process of writing her powerful new memoir Finding Solid Footing: Thriving Beyond the Unimaginable, and what it was like to revisit some of the darkest moments of her life to help others heal through her words.

This episode is not just about limb loss. It’s about purpose, resilience, fear, reinvention, and the difficult work of finding yourself again after life takes a direction you never saw coming. Katy speaks with incredible vulnerability about grief, recovery, motherhood, faith, and the emotional reconstruction that happens long after the physical healing begins. If you’ve ever faced adversity, struggled with change, or wondered how people find the strength to move forward after devastating circumstances, this conversation will stay with you.

AMP’D UP211 exists to tell authentic stories from the amputee and disability community while breaking down stereotypes and showing the humanity behind these journeys. Whether you are an amputee, a caregiver, someone navigating trauma, or simply looking for perspective and inspiration, Episode 80 with Katy Grainger is a conversation you do not want to miss.

What happens after survival?

On this episode of The AMP’D UP211 Podcast, I sit down once again with Josh Reed for a powerful in-studio conversation about what life really looks like after trauma. Last time, we talked about the accident, the amputation, and the fight to survive. This time, we go deeper into purpose, faith, growth, and the mindset it takes to rebuild your life mentally, physically, and spiritually.

Josh opens up about the struggles, the breakthroughs, and how his journey is now leading him into public speaking, where he hopes to encourage others facing adversity to keep pushing forward and never give up on themselves.

The AMP’D UP211 Podcast is all about real conversations from the limb loss community, stories of resilience, recovery, growth, and refusing to be defined by what we’ve lost.

Some people tell stories.

Others live them.

And then there are people like Stuart St Paul… who have done both.

From working in high-risk stunt environments… to directing award-winning films… to building a career around storytelling, Stuart has lived a life that most people only see on screen. But what makes this conversation different isn’t just where he’s been… it’s where his work has taken him now.

In his latest project, Strictly Human, Stuart steps into a space that hits close to home for this community. The story centers around an amputee navigating identity, technology, and what it means to remain human in a world that’s constantly evolving. It’s not a personal story from lived limb loss… but it is a perspective. And that perspective opens the door to a bigger conversation.

What does it mean to tell a story about a community you’re not part of?

What responsibility comes with that?

And what happens when the line between human and machine starts to blur?

This episode goes beyond film, beyond writing, and into something deeper. It’s about reinvention, resilience, and the power of storytelling to shape how people understand adversity and identity.

If you’re new here, this is AMP’D UP211, a podcast built around real conversations with people navigating life after limb loss, trauma, and the unexpected turns that come with it. No scripts, no filters… just honest dialogue and perspectives that matter.

This one is different. It’s thoughtful, it’s a little provocative, and it might just change the way you think about the stories we tell, and who gets to tell them.

-Rick Bontkowski

Not all recovery looks the way you think it should.

Sometimes it is structured, disciplined, and built one step at a time. It is early mornings, hard conversations, and doing the work when no one is watching. And sometimes, it shows up in a completely unexpected way through laughter, connection, and yes… even a blue puppet named Bubbles.

I met John Cooper, a Physical Therapy Assistant, and Robert Jones out in Vegas at the Amputee Coalition Conference, and I will be honest, I did not see this one coming. These two come from very different worlds. John lives in the clinical side of recovery, helping people rebuild strength, movement, and confidence through consistent work. Robert brings something entirely different. As a veteran and storyteller, he connects with people in a way that cuts through the noise, and through Bubbles, he creates moments that disarm, open people up, and remind them that they are still human in the middle of everything they are going through.

And that is where this gets interesting.

Because when you see them together, it just works. Not in a forced way, not in a gimmick, but in a way that feels real. The kind of real that makes you stop and think about what recovery actually looks like and what might be missing from the way we talk about it. There is a physical side to this journey, and there is an emotional side, and too often they live in separate worlds. This conversation brings those two sides together.

This episode is fun, it is different, and it has a lot of heart. You are going to hear stories that make you smile, moments that catch you off guard, and perspectives that might shift the way you see recovery altogether.

If you are new here, this is AMP’D UP211, a podcast built around real conversations with people navigating life after limb loss, adversity, and everything that comes with it. This is not about perfection, and it is not about pretending to have it all figured out. It is about honesty, resilience, and the people who find a way to keep moving forward in their own way.

-Rick Bontkowski

In this episode, I sit down with Darren Richardson, a firefighter and paramedic, mindset and mental performance coach, and amputee whose story comes down to one thing, refusing to shrink when life hits hard.

Darren’s journey starts at 13 years old when a hiking accident crushed his right foot and changed everything. Years later, after a long career serving others in the fire service, the invisible weight of trauma caught up with him, and PTSD pulled him into a dark place he could not tough his way through. Then came another major turning point, a second amputation that forced him to rebuild again, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

What I respect about Darren is how real he is. We talk about the stuff people do not always want to admit out loud, identity, depression, the impact trauma has on families, and what it actually looks like to ask for help and climb your way back. We also get into the mindset tools he uses now, and why he has dedicated his life to helping first responders, veterans, and amputees turn pain into purpose.

This episode is called STILL STANDING for a reason.

If you have ever felt like you lost a part of yourself, if you have been battling your own mind, or if you love someone who is carrying more than they say, I want you to hear this conversation.

-Rick Bontkowski

Some guests bring a great story. Others bring a perspective that challenges the way we think about the world around us. Angelina Martinson brings both.

In this episode of The AMP’D UP211 Podcast, I sit down with Angelina, the creator of Adaptive Amputees, a biomedical engineer, athlete, and one of the fastest-growing voices in the limb loss community online. Born in Russia with a limb difference and adopted into the United States at a young age, Angelina has spent much of her life redefining what it means to live fully after limb loss.

But this conversation goes deeper than accomplishments. We talk about growing up different, the role movement and sport played in building confidence, and how she unexpectedly found herself becoming a voice for amputees on social media. Angelina also speaks candidly about something that doesn’t get discussed nearly enough: the criticism and comparison that sometimes happens within the amputee community itself, and how navigating the internet has complicated the way amputees see each other. It’s an honest conversation about identity, resilience, advocacy, and the realities of living with limb loss in a connected world.

About The AMP’D UP211 Podcast

The AMP’D UP211 Podcast is where I sit down with people from across the limb loss community to talk about life, adversity, and what it really means to move forward after losing a limb. Some stories are inspiring, some are difficult, and many are unexpectedly funny. But they all share one thing in common: real people finding their way forward.

If you or someone you love has experienced limb loss, these conversations are for you.
-Rick Bontkowski

Twenty days. That’s how long Chef Zack Wannawong lay in a medically induced coma while surgeons fought a rare and aggressive infection that was tearing through his body. When he finally woke up, his right leg was gone. Just months earlier, Zack was a rising force in the culinary world, leading kitchens, creating award winning dishes, and building a future that felt certain. Overnight, that certainty disappeared. What followed was not just physical recovery. It was an identity reckoning.

In this episode, Zack and I talk honestly about what happens after survival. The depression. The financial strain. The anger. The quiet fear of wondering whether the life you built is simply over. We talk about fatherhood when your child is watching how you respond. We talk about discipline, pride, ego, and what it means to rebuild when there is no blueprint. This is not a highlight reel comeback story. It is a real conversation about loss, resilience, and choosing who you become next.

If you are new here, welcome to The AMP’D UP211 Podcast. I am Rick Bontkowski, amputee, entrepreneur, and someone deeply committed to honest conversations about life beyond limb loss. This show exists to move past surface level inspiration and explore the real human experience of rebuilding after trauma. Whether you are living with limb loss, supporting someone who is, or navigating your own unexpected life changes, this episode is for you.