Amy Purdy on How to Overcome Adversity and Bounce Forward

(Airs 6/1/2026)How do you overcome adversity when your entire life changes overnight? In this episode of John Mile's Passion Struck , Amy Purdy shares her extraordinary story of resilience, emotional resilience, and transformation after surviving a life-threatening illness that resulted in the loss of both legs below the knee. Amy Purdy explains how to overcome adversity through intentional action, gratitude, purpose-driven growth, and resilience tools that helped her rebuild her life after trauma. Her new book, Bounce Forward, explores how to build resilience after trauma, navigate uncertainty, and create meaning through adversity. This Amy Purdy podcast episode dives deep into overcoming adversity, post-traumatic growth, identity after trauma, and the powerful mindset shifts that helped Amy Purdy become a Paralympic medalist, adaptive athlete, bestselling author, and global advocate for resilience. Listeners will learn why bouncing forward, rather than bouncing back, creates lasting emotional resilience and how gratitude changes their mindset during life’s hardest moments.
In This Episode, You’ll Learn About How to Overcome Adversity

How Amy Purdy transformed adversity into purpose and possibility
Why emotional resilience matters during hardship and uncertainty
How to overcome adversity through small intentional actions
Why bouncing forward instead of bouncing back changes your perspective on resilience
How to build resilience after trauma and identity loss
What lessons from Paralympians teach us about determination and purpose
How gratitude changes your mindset during difficult seasons
Why navigating uncertainty can lead to transformation and growth
How adaptive athletes redefine possibility after trauma
Practical resilience tools for emotional healing and post-traumatic growth

If you’ve ever struggled with uncertainty, emotional pain, identity after trauma, burnout, or major life setbacks, this Amy Purdy podcast conversation offers practical and inspiring insights on overcoming adversity and creating a more meaningful life.
Who Is Amy Purdy?
Amy Purdy is one of the world’s most recognized adaptive athletes and advocates for emotional resilience and post-traumatic growth. After surviving meningococcal meningitis at age 19, Amy Purdy lost both legs below the knee, experienced kidney failure, and faced overwhelming uncertainty about her future. Despite these life-changing challenges, Amy Purdy rebuilt her life through adaptive snowboarding, eventually becoming a three-time Paralympic medalist and helping pioneer adaptive snowboarding worldwide. Her journey of overcoming adversity later led her to become the first Paralympian to compete on Dancing with the Stars, where she inspired millions through her resilience and creativity. Today, Amy Purdy continues teaching audiences how to overcome adversity through emotional resilience, gratitude, purpose, and intentional growth.

Explore More: The Ignited Life Newsletter If today’s episode sparked something in you, you’ll love The Ignited Life—our free Substack newsletter created to fuel your growth between episodes. Join thousands of high-performers, purpose-seekers, and change-makers who are shifting from autopilot to alignment—one intentional insight at a time. Each edition delivers fresh insights on intentional living, resilience, and emotional mastery

Practical tools like the L.E.N.S. method and micro-habits to ignite change
Behind-the-scenes reflections from Passion Struck episodes
Guest wisdom distilled into real-life applications
Curated resources, quotes, and frameworks to help you live like you matter
Want to learn the 12 philosophies that the most successful people use to create a limitless life? Order John R. Miles’s new book, Passion Struck: Twelve Powerful Principles to Unlock Your Purpose and Ignite Your Most Intentional Life.

Learn More and Connect
👉 All episode links, my books You Matter, Luma, and Passion Struck, The Ignited Life newsletter, and the Start Mattering store are here: linktr.ee/John_R_Miles
🛍️ StartMattering.com | 🔗 TheIgnitedLife.net

#johnrmiles #passionstruck #livelifebetter #author #tampabay #radio #radiostpete #theignitedlife #dancoyle #startmattering #thematterverse #amypurdy