S1E49 - Bouncing Forward with Paralympic Snowboarder Amy Purdy

06/29/21 • 70 min

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Joining Laura on the podcast this week is the top-ranked female adaptive snowboarder in the U.S., Amy Purdy. Diagnosed with meningococcal meningitis at the age of 19, Amy has gone on to become a three-time World Cup para-snowboard gold medalist, the 2014 Paralympic bronze medalist, and the founder of Adaptive Action Sports, a nonprofit organization that helps youth, young adults, and wounded veterans with physical disabilities get involved with action sports. She is a professional motivational speaker who has been featured at both TEDx and Pop Tech, and is also an actress, model, dancer, clothing designer, and an experienced product spokesperson. In addition to all this, Amy was also the breakout star and a finalist on season 18 of 'Dancing with the Stars'. A true inspiration to us all, Amy shares her incredible story with Laura and her listeners here today.

Amy starts by discussing her love for snowboarding during her teenage years. She then discusses her struggle with her medical condition and how she rose above her hardships through her self-belief. As you listen, you’ll learn of Amy’s many accomplishments, such as securing brand deals and winning a bronze medal. Along the way, you’ll understand Amy’s positive contributions to athletes with disabilities/special needs, and the lessons you learn from this podcast will definitely inspire you to look at difficulties in a whole new way.

Episode Highlights:

Amy’s early days when she snowboarded with her friends
How meningococcal meningitis impacted Amy
Amy’s struggle with self-doubt
How Amy discovered a creative solution to help her snowboard
How Amy co-founded Adaptive Action Sports
Amy’s successes with snowboarding
How Amy’s injury complications changed her life
Amy’s experiences and how she connects with her audience

Quotes

“So yeah, so snowboarding really was my passion. That’s what pulled me through my darkest days. And then you know, who would have thought that it would become almost my purpose, right?”
“And when I woke up from this coma, a few days later, I still have this respirator down my throat. And so, I couldn’t talk. But I wrote out on a piece of paper that I was given a choice and I chose to stay.’’
“I was just hanging on, and also incredibly grateful, like to have the opportunity to hang on and fight. And so, gratitude became a big part of not just a practice, but to be honest, like a very natural organic thing for me, because every day I woke up and I was alive, I was grateful whether I’d lost my legs or not.’’
“And I remember at one point saying, ‘I don’t know if I can do this, but if anybody can, it’s going to be me.’ ‘’
“I needed a community of people who are like me, and it didn’t really exist and needed something to pull it together.’’
“It’s like going through the valleys of despair and like finding your way out and having these real realizations of what’s really important in life, and how do we get through challenges. And I’ve decided to share the journey along the way.’’

Show Links

The Pursuit of Gold Homepage Life at 10 Meters: Lessons from an Olympic Champion 5 Smart Strategies to Confidence Conquer Your Fear in 5 Days

Laura’s Social Media: Laura's Instagram Laura's Facebook page

Connect With Amy: Bouncing Forward with Amy Purdy (Spotify) Adaptive Action Sports Homepage Amy Purdy on Instagram

Resources: On My Own Feet: The Journey from Losing My Legs to Learning the Dance of Life (2014)

Episode Highlights:

Amy’s early days when she snowboarded with her friends
How meningococcal meningitis impacted Amy
Amy’s struggle with self-doubt
How Amy discovered a creative solution to help her snowboard
How Amy co-founded Adaptive Action Sports
Amy’s successes with snowboarding
How Amy’s injury complications changed her life
Amy’s experiences and how she connects with her audience

Quotes

“So yeah, so snowboarding really was my passion. That’s what pulled me through my darkest days. And then you know, who would have thought that it would become almost my purpose, right?”
“And when I woke up from this coma, a few days later, I still have this respirator down my throat. And so, I couldn’t talk. But I wrote out on a piece of paper that I was given a choice and I chose to stay.’’
“I was just hanging on, and also incredibly grateful, like to have the opportunity to hang on and fight. And so, gratitude became a big part of not just a practice, but to be honest, like a very natural organic thing for me, because every day I woke up and I was alive, I was grateful whether I’d lost my legs or not.’’
“And I remember at one point saying, ‘I don’t know if I can do this, but if anybody can, it’s going to be me.’ ‘’
“I needed a community of people who are like me, and it didn’t really exist and needed something to pull it together.’’
“It’s like going through the valleys of despair and like finding your way out and having these real realizations of what’s really important in life, and how do we get through challenges. And I’ve decided to share the journey along the way.’’

Show Links

The Pursuit of Gold Homepage Life at 10 Meters: Lessons from an Olympic Champion 5 Smart Strategies to Confidence Conquer Your Fear in 5 Days

Laura’s Social Media: Laura's Instagram Laura's Facebook page

Connect With Amy: Bouncing Forward with Amy Purdy (Spotify) Adaptive Action Sports Homepage Amy Purdy on Instagram

Resources: On My Own Feet: The Journey from Losing My Legs to Learning the Dance of Life (2014)

Previous Episode

S1E48 - How to Have a Championship Mindset with Chad Busick

Joining Laura on the podcast this week is Chad Busick, owner of Championship Mindset, an organization that works with both corporate and athletic teams. Chad is a Master Facilitator with Advance Sports Technology, working with college teams at the DI, DII, DIII and NAIA levels as well as high school and competitive teams across various sports. In addition, he is a certified trainer for The Power of Positive Leadership training with The Jon Gordon Companies. Chad is also the host of ‘The Championship Mindset Podcast’ as well as the author of his new book, The Rock Tumbler. Laura begins by sharing some exciting information about her own new book, and then Chad details his background and his journey to the work he does now, including some of the principles and techniques he employs in that work. Along the way, he shares a number of excellent resources and examples of his philosophy in action, offers valuable advice to athletes and parents alike, and provides a glimpse into his new book. As you will hear, Laura resonates with so much of Chad’s work, and you will undoubtedly do the same with the many lessons revealed here today regarding the world of sport, and, indeed, life in general.

Episode Highlights:

Laura’s new book
Chad’s background and his journey to the work he does now
The Ten Principles of Entelechy and sports mindset
His Championship Mindset brand and company
The hardest part of achieving the championship mindset
Emotional safety
‘Taking change by the hand’ during the pandemic
Jon Gordon’s The Power of Positive Leadership
Mark Batterson’s Win the Day
Chad’s Championship Mindset chart and how to apply it
Working with a team vs. working with an individual
Chad’s The Rock Tumbler and his favorite lessons from it
His advice regarding parental involvement
Jessica Lahey’s The Gift of Failure

Quotes:

“It's the seven fundamentals of mental fitness. I've been a master facilitator with that for the last six or seven years, which has led me now to start my own company called Championship Mindset, and a lot of other things.”
“Whether we're working with corporate clients, whether we're working with athletes, coaches, teams, it's really just focusing on helping them be the best that they can be.”
“This championship mindset is the formula for success in all areas of our lives.”
“At the end of the day, it really comes down to our talent, our hard work, our attitude, our mental toughness, our teamwork, and our passion into everything that we do.”
“The things that I've learned through diving are the very things that helped me in my life outside of the pool.”
“I would say everything for me starts with culture, we have to have the right culture.”
“The first thing that we have to build is we have to build emotional safety.”
“Players don't care about how much you know, until they know about how much you care about them.”
“When we really think about what we've gone through this last 14 to 16 months, what we've really been doing is, we've been grieving.”
“Just be there for your students be there for your players in this moment.”
“It's okay to grieve the dream, but don't stay there.”
“Regardless of those tough events that we go through, we still get to choose how we respond.”
“How you do anything is how you do everything - and to me, that's the core of the championship mindset.”
“How we view the world and more importantly, how we interact with the world, greatly affects what you get out of the world.”
“If you have to go through it, you might as well grow through it.”
“Own your journey, it's your journey, own it to the best that you can.”
“We need to let our kids fail.”
“The most powerful thing that you can say to your athlete when they're done competing is, ‘I love watching you compete. I love watching you play.’ ”

Links: The Pursuit of Gold Homepage Life at 10 Meters: Lessons from an Olympic Champion 5 Smart Strategies to Confidence Conquer Your Fear in 5 Days Laura’s Social Media: Laura's Instagram Laura's Facebook page Connect with Chad:

Next Episode

S1E50 - Worth the Risk with Aerial Skiing Olympian Emily Cook

Joining Laura on the podcast this week is 3 time Olympian and 6 time National Champion in Aerial Skiing, Emily Cook. Currently the manager of sport and human potential at Skullcandy, Emily also manages programming for the non-profit, Classroom Champions, coaches young athletes at the Utah Olympic Park through the US Ski Team’s Elite Aerial Development Program, and is an ambassador for Right to Play and Kids Play International. Throughout her career, Emily has routinely demonstrated her ability to overcome obstacles and elevate her game to new levels, and she shares her inspirational story with listeners here today. In today’s episode, Emily discusses her commitment towards her sport, her experiences at the World Cup and the Olympics, and the multiple emotions she went through while training. She also delves into dealing with injuries, making difficult decisions, and compares being a coach to being an athlete. She brings the conversation to a close by sharing details about the important work she does these days. An inspiring model of perseverance, Emily has so very much to share here today that is sure to motivate all who listen.

Episode Highlights:

Emily’s realization of her love for aerial skiing
Dealing with injuries as an athlete
Her experiences at the Olympics
Emily’s work at The Speedy Foundation
How she had trust in her coach
Emily’s commitments in the sports sphere
Being a coach vs. being an athlete
Emily’s work outside the sports sphere

Quotes:

“So, I always determined before a training block, whether it was a three-week training block or something, what my negative thought stoppers would be, and, you know, exactly what mindset I wanted to be in on the hill. I use music a lot as well.’’
“And then, every once in a while, like, as humans, we’re just not reliable, we’re not reliable to our own commitments.”
“But regardless of who’s there watching, you know...you’ve accomplished something that you set out to do so many years earlier, and it’s an incredible feeling.’’
“And so, it was a daily choice, it was a choice of showing up and showing up 100% no matter what, no matter what my mood was, no matter what was going on around me.’’
“In the end of the day, knowing exactly what I wanted to accomplish, and then debriefing exactly what I did accomplish, so that I knew what I needed to change the next day in order to perform even better.’’