What does it take to turn a life challenge into a lifelong passion for sports and coaching?
On this episode of We’re Not Stumped, host Mike Bolland talks with Marc Burkom, a double below-knee amputee born with fibular hemimelia who has built a life around athletics, coaching, and helping others reach their potential.
Marc shares how his parents made the difficult decision to amputate his feet when he was just two months old — a choice that allowed him to grow up active in sports like soccer, baseball, and basketball.
Today, Marc works in coaching education and advocates for expanding opportunities for adaptive and amputee athletes. In this conversation, Marc and Mike discuss growing up with prosthetics, the role sports played in building confidence, coaching amputee soccer, adaptive sports like amputee basketball, and how prosthetic technology has evolved over the years.
Marc also shares why amputee athletes should be treated as athletes first — not charity cases — and his vision for future prosthetic innovation.
Mike also introduces Enable Review, a platform where amputees can share honest experiences about prosthetists to help others navigating limb loss find better care.
This episode is a powerful conversation about resilience, sport, leadership, and redefining what’s possible.
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In this episode of the We're Not Stumped Podcast, Mike Bolland welcomes Lynn Jensen, author of Best Kept Secrets for Travelers With Sight Loss, to share her remarkable journey from sudden blindness to living an independent, adventurous life filled with travel, purpose, and humor. Lynn discusses the challenges she faced after losing her vision, from relearning everyday tasks to navigating the world with guide dogs. She shares practical travel tips for people with sight loss, explains common misconceptions about blindness, and discusses how independence looks different for everyone.
Over the past few days, I was fortunate to be featured by ABC15 and Arizona's Family as I prepare for my return to PBA competition after more than 30 years away from the sport. The television stories were fantastic, but as anyone who has ever done an interview knows, there's always more that doesn't make the final cut. In this special solo episode of the We're Not Stumped podcast, I share some of the stories, organizations, and experiences that didn't make it into the TV segments, including: • The mission behind the We're Not Stumped podcast • Joe & Marie Bolland's Helping Hands and supporting people with limb loss and limb differences • Enable Review and helping people make informed prosthetic care decisions • Why this comeback is about much more than bowling
Rachel Kubicki, Executive Director of the Hanger Foundation, joins Mike Bolland to discuss the organization's mission of empowering people with physical challenges to live life as fully as possible. With more than 20 years of nonprofit leadership experience, Rachel shares how the Foundation has expanded its impact through scholarships, nonprofit grants, community events, and innovative fundraising efforts. She discusses Move to Inspire, EmpowerFest, and the upcoming Night to Inspire event in Nashville, all designed to create opportunities, build connections, and inspire achievement within the limb loss and limb difference community. Rachel also shares powerful stories of individuals who have overcome obstacles, reached unexpected milestones, and discovered the life-changing value of community support.
