In this episode of the We’re Not Stumped podcast, host Mike Bolland sits down with Janne Kouri, entrepreneur, founder of NextStep, and co-founder of Lencaro Finnish Long Drink.
Janne shares the incredible story of how a spinal cord injury from a swimming accident in 2006 changed the course of his life. After spending two months in the ICU battling paralysis, pneumonia, and a 104-degree fever, he traveled more than 2,000 miles to receive groundbreaking activity-based rehabilitation that wasn’t covered by insurance—but changed everything.
That experience inspired him to create NextStep, a nonprofit rehabilitation center that helps people living with paralysis access advanced therapy long after traditional insurance benefits end.
In this inspiring conversation, you’ll learn:
His 3,100-mile power wheelchair journey from California to Washington, D.C.
How he balances leading a nonprofit with building Loncaro Finnish Long Drink (https://loncaro.com/)
His vision for the future of rehabilitation and recovery
Whether you’re living with paralysis, navigating rehabilitation, supporting a loved one, or simply looking for a story of resilience and purpose, this conversation offers hope, practical insight, and inspiration.
Learn more about NextStep: https://www.nextstepfitness.org
Listen on Apple Podcasts
Watch on YouTube
Listen on Spotify
What happens when lived experience meets entrepreneurship? In this episode of We’re Not Stumped, Mike Bolland sits down with Owen Kent, an entrepreneur living with muscular dystrophy who is reshaping the future of assistive technology. After facing limited access to effective rehabilitation tools, Owen co-founded a company to develop a simple, home-based exoskeleton designed to make recovery more accessible. From customer discovery and design thinking to universal design principles, Owen shares how building technology for underserved communities requires more than innovation — it requires empathy.
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.
