Tom Lenoble’s story is a powerful combination of leadership, resilience, and personal transformation. In this inspiring interview, Tom reflects on his remarkable career leading global customer operations for major brands like MCI, Walmart.com, Palm, and Facebook, where he helped build the company’s first customer operations organization during its explosive early growth.
Beyond his Silicon Valley leadership achievements, Tom opens up about surviving two life-threatening illnesses, living with HIV, and battling metastatic cancer for 13 years while continuing to lead, inspire, and thrive. His bestselling memoir, My Life in Business Suits, Hospital Gowns, and High Heels, reveals the deeply human side of his journey — from corporate success to vulnerability, healing, and purpose. Today, Tom is a sought-after leadership coach, speaker, and CEO of the Academy for Coaching Excellence, helping others discover strength, clarity, and meaning in life’s most difficult chapters. This episode is a powerful reminder that resilience, courage, and authenticity can transform even the hardest experiences into incredible “gifts.”
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In this powerful episode of We’re Not Stumped, Mike sits down with Lindsay Hicks to share her courageous decision to choose amputation at age 22 — and the emotional and physical challenges that followed. Lindsay opens up about navigating identity after limb loss, the support of her parents, and the mindset that helped her move forward. She shares how setting a goal to walk unassisted by Christmas gave her focus during recovery and how resilience continues to shape her life today. The conversation also explores her prosthetic journey, serious medical complications including liver failure and infection, and the determination that helped her regain mobility after two years on crutches.
What if surgery and virtual reality could dramatically reduce phantom limb pain? On this episode of We’re Not Stumped, host Mike Bolland sits down with Dr. Glenn Gaston, orthopedic hand and upper-extremity surgeon, to explore groundbreaking innovations in amputee care — including the Starfish Procedure and a virtual reality treatment for phantom limb pain. Dr. Gaston shares how a life-changing patient experience led him to build a dedicated amputee clinic and push beyond century-old methods of care He also shares his journey into amputee care, the inspiration behind his innovations, and why collaboration between surgeons, prosthetists, therapists, and mental health professionals is shaping the future of limb loss recovery.
Lera Doederlein joins Mike Bolland on We’re Not Stumped to share a powerful story of choosing possibility. Born with AMC (arthrogryposis multiplex congenita), Lera grew up in Phoenix using braces and forearm crutches while navigating school, friendships, and the quiet realization that sports might look different for her. As a teenager, she made the bold decision to pursue double above-knee amputations in order to gain independence and improve long-term mobility—and it transformed her life. Lera walks us through the realities of recovery and physical therapy, learning to use prosthetics, and the moment a clinician pushed her beyond her comfort zone—encouraging her to run just a week after she started walking. She also shares why community matters so much, from Camp No Limits to Hanger events and amputee boot camps that helped her build confidence and momentum.
