Marc Burkom on Sports, Coaching & Amputee Athletes

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.