A family drives home from a swim meet thinking about Christmas plans and seconds later everything is unrecognizable. Our guest, John Ulsh, walks us through the head-on collision that nearly killed him and his entire family, the other driver’s death, and the recovery that followed: massive internal injuries, an induced coma, a nursing home stay, paralysis, and a long list of surgeries that kept coming for years.

We also talk about the parts people don’t see when they hear a “survival story” headline: survivor’s guilt, chronic pain, the loneliness of nighttime in a facility, and the moment hope feels like it disappears. John shares a near-death experience he still can’t fully explain, then gets painfully honest about what finally helped him move forward, including a simple reason he could actually believe and a willingness to rebuild his identity instead of chasing his old life.

One of the biggest pivots comes when his daughter tells him she misses her “old daddy.” That pushes John to take ownership of his rehab, find a new kind of training, and learn a powerful mindset shift: there is pain you can’t control and pain you can control, and controlled pain can become progress. From there, we get into resilience, self-advocacy in healthcare, why he’s fired doctors, how he built a personal “board of directors,” and the lessons behind his book The Upside of Down: A Survivor’s Guide to Turning Setbacks into Success.

If you care about overcoming adversity, trauma recovery, chronic pain mindset, resilience training, and turning setbacks into fuel, you’ll get a lot out of this conversation. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review with the biggest takeaway you’re applying this week.

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Welcome to The Brad Weisman Show, where we dive into the world of real people, real life, and everything in between with your host, Brad Weisman! 🎙️ Join us for candid conversations, laughter, and a fresh take on the real world. Get ready to explore the ups and downs of life with a side of humor. From property to personality, we've got it all covered. Tune in, laugh along, and let's get real! 🏡🌟 #TheBradWeismanShow #RealPeopleRealLife

Credits - The music for my podcast was written and performed by Jeff Miller.