Every once in a while I have the opportunity to sit across from someone whose story reminds me why I started this podcast in the first place. Dr. David Hausmann is one of those people. Before his life changed forever, David spent more than a decade helping people heal as a chiropractor and functional medicine practitioner. Then a rare flesh eating bacterial infection took him from physician to patient, leaving him fighting for his life, facing amputation, and questioning everything he thought he knew about strength, healing, and identity.

What resonated with me throughout this conversation was David's honesty. We didn't spend our time talking about simply overcoming adversity. Instead, we explored the parts of recovery that most people never see. We talked about the emotional weight of losing the life you knew, the challenge of rebuilding your identity, and the courage it takes to embrace a future that looks nothing like the one you had planned. This is a conversation about resilience in its truest form and the work that begins long after the surgeries are over.

Today, David has transformed his experience into a mission to improve prosthetic care and advocate for others navigating life after limb loss. His perspective reaches far beyond the amputee community because, at its core, this episode is about rebuilding after life has completely changed direction. I hope you'll listen with an open mind and hear the lessons that apply to all of us.

Thank you for joining me on The AMP'D UP211 Podcast, where we continue to bring the human side of limb loss to audiences around the world. My goal has always been to tell stories that challenge perceptions, create understanding, and remind us that resilience is not about what we've lost but what we're willing to build next. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who could benefit from David's remarkable journey.

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.