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Earning It Back - Matt Swartz
What does it take to lose everything, and then earn it all back? In this episode of The AMP’D UP211 Podcast, Rick Bontkowski sits down with Deputy Sheriff Matt Swartz, a military veteran, law enforcement veteran, instructor, and amputee who returned to full-duty police work after a catastrophic cras...
What Real Advocacy Looks Like - Gini Thomas
In this episode of The AMP’D UP211 Podcast , I sit down with Gini Thomas , a creator, advocate, and unapologetically real voice in the amputee community. Gini is best known for her transparent, often humorous look into life as an amputee. Through social media, she educates, challenges assumptions, a...
Full Circle - Mark Watson
On this episode of The AMP’D UP211 Podcast , host Rick Bontkowski; amputee, advocate, drummer, and storyteller, sits down with one of the most unexpectedly extraordinary people you’ll ever meet: Mark Watson . Mark isn’t a celebrity. He isn’t a decorated athlete. He isn’t a world-traveling motivation...
Breaking the Mold - Viktoria Modesta
She didn’t just rewrite the rules, she built an entirely new playbook. Viktoria Modesta, the world’s first amputee pop star and one of the most iconic creative forces in modern culture, sits down with Rick Bontkowski for a rare, revealing conversation. From medical trauma to global stages… From sil...
From Prosthetics to Purpose - Jason Dickens
What if a retired prosthetic could be more than a memory? What if it could become a knife that honors a veteran’s story… or fund a child’s new leg… or even help an amputee climb a 14,000-foot mountain? In this inspiring episode, Rick Bontkowski sits down with Jason Dickens, founder of ReDefined Pros...
Surviving the Unthinkable - Katy Grainger
On this episode of The AMP’D UP211 Podcast, host Rick Bontkowski welcomes Katy Grainger, a sepsis survivor whose life changed forever in the span of just a few days. What began as a small cut on her thumb quickly escalated into septic shock, organ failure, and a medically induced coma. When Katy awo...
Firefighter. Amputee. History Maker - Michael Laughlin
What does it take to return to one of the most physically demanding jobs on earth, after losing your leg ? In this unforgettable episode of The AMP’D UP211 Podcast , host Rick Bontkowski sits down with Michael Laughlin , Canada’s first amputee firefighter, whose story is as courageous as the job he’...
The Comeback Kid - Parker Byrd
In this powerful episode of The AMP’D UP211 Podcast , host Rick Bontkowski sits down with Parker Byrd, a standout athlete, college baseball player, and the first NCAA Division I player to compete with a prosthetic leg. After a life-altering boating accident took his leg, Parker defied every odd and ...