Amy Purdy

“The quality of your life comes down to the stories you choose to believe.”
— Amy Purdy

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The Mindset Tat Turned Losing Both Legs Into a Paralympic Medal | Amy Purdy

Amy Purdy walked into an operating room at 19 about to lose both legs, and instead of collapsing into fear, she gave herself three goals before the anesthesia took hold.

You know that feeling when life pulls the ground out from under you and every identity you had disappears overnight? Amy has lived that more than once, and what she discovered is that the challenges you most want to escape are actually moving you closer to your purpose, not away from it.

The key is learning to lean into problems rather than run, to find the smallest sliver of possibility and let it grow.

In this conversation, you will walk away with practical tools for building a new identity after loss, understanding why your struggles are not obstacles but doorways, and discovering how staying present transforms the way you compete, create, and connect.

Amy’s books:

Amy on Instagram

“What we focus on grows. So if we're focused on problems, the problems that we see are going to grow. And if we're focused on, well, what can I learn from the problem I'm going through? It can teach us so much.” — Amy Purdy

And now let’s jump into episode 1918 of The School of Greatness!

Some Questions I Ask:

What was the thing that allowed you to get out of the victim mindset that a lot of people go through when challenges occur or when life sets them back?
What would you say to someone who’s going through just a challenge in life where they don’t see a greater future, where they’re unable to latch onto some type of positive vision for their life because things are so challenging right now?
How can someone think that way, who is in the middle of so much pain and sadness right now in their own personal life? How do they start to believe maybe this is happening for me, I just don’t know what it’s for yet?
How did you learn to step into a new identity that you didn’t even know you had because the old one was taken from you?
If you try to run from your problems, what usually happens?
With all the wisdom you have now for the last 25 years, if you could go back to the 19, 20-year-old who just lost her legs and her kidney and her spleen, what are three pieces of advice you would say to her?
Why do you think there’s a certain amount of athletes, specifically at the Olympic level, that once they accomplish their dream or they go to the Olympics or they medal, there’s a certain amount who have gone through extreme depression afterwards?
If you could go 25 years in the future and give yourself advice today from your future self, what do you think she would say to you right now with where you’re at?

In this episode, you will learn:

Learn how to set a north star in the middle of crisis so fear does not get to make your decisions
Discover why leaning into your problems instead of avoiding them is the only way to find real strength
Understand how to step into a new identity after loss without pretending the old one did not matter
Recognize the hidden reason so many high achievers crash after reaching their biggest goals
Find out how shifting your focus from outcome to contribution changes everything about why you show up
Plus much more…

Show Notes: