Vincent Van de Broeck was given just a 10% chance of survival after a devastating e-scooter accident left him with a severe traumatic brain injury. After spending three weeks in a coma, surviving was only the beginning.
In this episode of We’re Not Stumped, host Mike Bolland talks with Vincent about his extraordinary recovery—relearning how to walk, talk, eat, and handle everyday tasks most of us take for granted.
Vincent shares what it was really like to gradually wake from a coma, the difficult prognosis his family faced, and the extensive damage to his skull that eventually required a custom 3D-printed implant.
He also discusses the people who refused to give up on him, particularly his wife and family, who lived through weeks of uncertainty while Vincent was unconscious.
Through his recovery, Vincent came to see resilience not simply as something you’re born with, but as something you can develop and strengthen. That experience also helped shape the ideas behind his book, Everything Feels Impossible Until It’s Done (https://www.amazon.com/Everything-Feels-Impossible-Until-Done/dp/1911774360) .
In this episode:
• Surviving a severe traumatic brain injury
• Being given a 10% chance of survival
• What waking from a three-week coma was really like
• Relearning how to walk, talk, eat, and live independently
• Reconstructing his skull with a 3D-printed implant
• The impact on Vincent’s wife and family
• Why hope mattered when the prognosis was bleak
• Developing resilience through adversity
• The role of mindset and consistent action
• The story behind Everything Feels Impossible Until It’s Done
Vincent’s story is a powerful reminder that something feeling impossible doesn’t mean it will stay that way.
Subscribe to We’re Not Stumped for conversations about disability, resilience, recovery, self-advocacy, and people facing extraordinary challenges.
Listen on Apple Podcasts
Watch on YouTube
Listen on Spotify
Today, I’m honored to sit down once again with Brooke Brown — an “ink weaver of life, faith, and fiction,” an honors graduate of ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism, Ms. Wheelchair Arizona 2022, and founder of Brooke’s Butterfly Touch, a ministry that helps individuals discover the power and purpose of their own stories. Brooke is also the author of Rolling in Grace: Volume 1 — A Foundation of Faith and Imagination, now available in audio format. Having read it myself, I can promise you: it’s full of relatable, uplifting, and beautifully practical stories. Living with cerebral palsy and using an augmentative communication app, Brooke demonstrates that every voice — every single one — can inspire hope, healing, and opportunity. This is her second appearance on the show, so after watching, don’t forget to visit WereNotStumped.com to catch her first episode.
In this inspiring episode of We’re Not Stumped, host Mike Bolland sits down with Caitlin Conner, founder of Be More Adaptive, to explore how she’s building a global hub for disability resources designed to empower people with disabilities to live fulfilling, confident, and sustainable lives. Caitlin shares her powerful journey — from surviving a life-changing motorcycle accident while pregnant to becoming a Paralympic-level athlete, model, and outspoken disability advocate. She talks candidly about adapting to life as an amputee, the importance of self-advocacy, and how adaptive sports helped her rebuild her identity, purpose, and strength.
When Drew Ann Long, a stay-at-home mom from Birmingham, Alabama, discovered there were no shopping carts designed for her daughter Caroline — who has Rett syndrome and cannot walk or talk — she decided to create one herself. In this inspiring episode of We’re Not Stumped, host Mike Bolland sits down with Drew Ann to discuss her journey from frustrated mom to inventor of Caroline’s Cart, an adaptive shopping cart now featured in over 15,000 stores across eight countries, including Walmart, Target, Kroger, and Lowe’s. Drew Ann opens up about overcoming rejection, financial struggles, and even a hacked social media page — all while pursuing her mission to bring dignity and inclusion to families with disabilities.
