We're Not Stumped | Survival Stories, Disability Stories & Recovery Journeys Podcast

In this solo episode of We're Not Stumped, I take you behind the scenes of the podcast and share what it really takes to create a show from the ground up.

After producing more than 200 episodes featuring inspiring guests from the limb loss, disability, healthcare, and advocacy communities, I've learned a lot—both about podcasting and about telling meaningful stories.

In this episode, I discuss:

•  Why I started We're Not ...

What happens when a life-changing injury becomes the catalyst for changing thousands of lives?

In this episode of We're Not Stumped, Mike Bolland welcomes entrepreneur and NextStep founder Janne Kouri. After a spinal cord injury left him paralyzed in 2006, Janne discovered activity-based rehabilitation that transformed his recovery—and inspired him to create a nonprofit dedicated to helping others access the same life-changing...

Access to the resources, support, and equipment needed after limb loss can change a person's life—but for many, those essentials remain out of reach.

In this episode of We're Not Stumped, host Mike Bolland spotlights Amputee Aid and A Leg Forever, two organizations dedicated to helping people with limb loss reclaim independence, confidence, and hope. While each organization has its own unique mission, both are committed to...

What does it really take to learn to walk again after an amputation?

In this episode of We're Not Stumped, Mike Bolland welcomes physical therapist John Lottes, DPT, Clinical Supervisor at First Step Physical Therapy and an adjunct professor who specializes in prosthetic rehabilitation.

John shares how an unexpected career path led him to working with individuals with limb loss and explains why the biggest hurdle in recovery often is...

Sometimes, the biggest changes don't happen in a lab—they happen with a few carefully chosen words.

In this episode of the We're Not Stumped podcast, I want to personally thank the LN-4 Hand Project (https://ln4handproject.org/) for updating its mission statement to better reflect the entire upper limb limb loss community.

For many years, organizations have understandably focused on a specific group of individuals. But recogniz...

What happens when disability advocates from across the country come together to shape the future of independent living and accessibility?

In this solo episode of We're Not Stumped, I share my personal reflections after attending the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL) Annual Conference in Washington, D.C., where I represented Ability360 as a member of its Board of Directors.

 Learn More: https://ncil.org/ 

From cel...

In this episode of We're Not Stumped, Mike Bolland sits down with Karen Morales, a wheelchair user and leader of Fora Travel's Accessibility Initiative, to discuss how the travel industry can become more inclusive for everyone.

After becoming a wheelchair user in 2020, Karen quickly discovered that planning an accessible trip often meant endless phone calls, unanswered questions, and uncertainty about whether hotels, transportation,...

What if success isn't measured by where you finish—but by having the courage to start?

After more than 35 years away from professional bowling, I returned to compete in the PBA60 World Series of Bowling at age 61. I knew the odds weren't in my favor. My body had changed. The equipment had changed. The competition had changed.

But this episode isn't really about bowling.

It's about the voice inside all of us that says we're too o...

What happens when people underestimate your potential your entire life—and you refuse to let them define your future?

On this episode of the We're Not Stumped podcast, host Mike Bolland sits down with Denny Burke, a licensed master social worker, disability advocate, and speaker whose life is a testament to resilience, determination, and the power of self-advocacy.

Growing up legally blind while facing additional disabilities, ...

What happens when a life-changing accident forces you to redefine what's possible?

On this episode of the We're Not Stumped podcast, host Mike Bolland sits down with Dr. Kirsten Ludwig—a biomedical researcher, educator, former professional polo player, and advocate for disability inclusion in healthcare.

In 2021, Dr. Ludwig was paralyzed from the neck down during a horseback riding accident. Through determination, rehabilitatio...

What is it really like to live with hearing loss? .

In this episode of the We're Not Stumped Podcast, Mike Bolland sits down with Janelle Parker, founder of TAMCO Learning, to discuss her lifelong journey with hearing loss and the lessons she's learned along the way. 

Janelle shares how she was born with a unique "cookie bite" hearing loss, received her first hearing aid before age four, and adapted to life in a world designed f...

Three years after her first appearance on We're Not Stumped, Rose Booth returns to the podcast to share an extraordinary journey of resilience, faith, and new beginnings.

After enduring 14 surgeries, multiple episodes of sepsis, a heart attack, and the loss of her right leg above the knee, Rose found herself on a path she never expected. A former technology executive, she left corporate America behind and discovered a passion for wr...

Over the years, I've been asked a lot of questions—some serious, some funny, and some I've heard more times than I can count.

In this solo episode of the We're Not Stumped Podcast, I'm answering five of the questions I get asked a lot.

Do I wear a prosthesis? How do I bowl with one hand? Have I always had a positive attitude? Do people still stare? And what keeps me motivated?

I'll share some stories from growing up with a limb ...

 What happens when you lose your sight at just 27 years old? 

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 relearni...

Over the past few weeks, 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 expe...

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 Insp...

After more than 30 years away from competitive bowling, I’m discovering that some things have changed—and some things haven’t.

In this solo episode of We’re Not Stumped, I share three things that surprised me as I prepare for my return to competition at the 2026 PBA60 World Championship.

•  The body doesn’t work quite the same at 61. 
•  Some instincts and memories never really leave. 
• ...

From Vision Loss to Inspiration | Helen Keller Achievement Award Recipient Kathy Nimmer

What happens when you begin losing your vision as a child—and refuse to let it define your future?

In this inspiring episode of We're Not Stumped, host Mike Bolland welcomes Kathy Nimmer, recipient of the prestigious Helen Keller Achievement Award, author, speaker, and retired high school English teacher who spent nearly three decades educat...

Host Mike Bolland welcomes Whitney Lavender — Miss Wheelchair Tennessee 2026, author, advocate, and host of the Wits Grit podcast — for an inspiring conversation about resilience, purpose, and overcoming unimaginable challenges.

After a devastating fall led to a diagnosis of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), Whitney faced years of severe pain, countless treatments, and ultimately bilateral leg amputations. Rather th...