Not all recovery looks the way you think it should.

Sometimes it is structured, disciplined, and built one step at a time. It is early mornings, hard conversations, and doing the work when no one is watching. And sometimes, it shows up in a completely unexpected way through laughter, connection, and yes… even a blue puppet named Bubbles.

I met John Cooper, a Physical Therapy Assistant, and Robert Jones out in Vegas at the Amputee Coalition Conference, and I will be honest, I did not see this one coming. These two come from very different worlds. John lives in the clinical side of recovery, helping people rebuild strength, movement, and confidence through consistent work. Robert brings something entirely different. As a veteran and storyteller, he connects with people in a way that cuts through the noise, and through Bubbles, he creates moments that disarm, open people up, and remind them that they are still human in the middle of everything they are going through.

And that is where this gets interesting.

Because when you see them together, it just works. Not in a forced way, not in a gimmick, but in a way that feels real. The kind of real that makes you stop and think about what recovery actually looks like and what might be missing from the way we talk about it. There is a physical side to this journey, and there is an emotional side, and too often they live in separate worlds. This conversation brings those two sides together.

This episode is fun, it is different, and it has a lot of heart. You are going to hear stories that make you smile, moments that catch you off guard, and perspectives that might shift the way you see recovery altogether.

If you are new here, this is AMP’D UP211, a podcast built around real conversations with people navigating life after limb loss, adversity, and everything that comes with it. This is not about perfection, and it is not about pretending to have it all figured out. It is about honesty, resilience, and the people who find a way to keep moving forward in their own way.

-Rick Bontkowski

In this episode, I sit down with Darren Richardson, a firefighter and paramedic, mindset and mental performance coach, and amputee whose story comes down to one thing, refusing to shrink when life hits hard.

Darren’s journey starts at 13 years old when a hiking accident crushed his right foot and changed everything. Years later, after a long career serving others in the fire service, the invisible weight of trauma caught up with him, and PTSD pulled him into a dark place he could not tough his way through. Then came another major turning point, a second amputation that forced him to rebuild again, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

What I respect about Darren is how real he is. We talk about the stuff people do not always want to admit out loud, identity, depression, the impact trauma has on families, and what it actually looks like to ask for help and climb your way back. We also get into the mindset tools he uses now, and why he has dedicated his life to helping first responders, veterans, and amputees turn pain into purpose.

This episode is called STILL STANDING for a reason.

If you have ever felt like you lost a part of yourself, if you have been battling your own mind, or if you love someone who is carrying more than they say, I want you to hear this conversation.

-Rick Bontkowski

Some guests bring a great story. Others bring a perspective that challenges the way we think about the world around us. Angelina Martinson brings both.

In this episode of The AMP’D UP211 Podcast, I sit down with Angelina, the creator of Adaptive Amputees, a biomedical engineer, athlete, and one of the fastest-growing voices in the limb loss community online. Born in Russia with a limb difference and adopted into the United States at a young age, Angelina has spent much of her life redefining what it means to live fully after limb loss.

But this conversation goes deeper than accomplishments. We talk about growing up different, the role movement and sport played in building confidence, and how she unexpectedly found herself becoming a voice for amputees on social media. Angelina also speaks candidly about something that doesn’t get discussed nearly enough: the criticism and comparison that sometimes happens within the amputee community itself, and how navigating the internet has complicated the way amputees see each other. It’s an honest conversation about identity, resilience, advocacy, and the realities of living with limb loss in a connected world.

About The AMP’D UP211 Podcast

The AMP’D UP211 Podcast is where I sit down with people from across the limb loss community to talk about life, adversity, and what it really means to move forward after losing a limb. Some stories are inspiring, some are difficult, and many are unexpectedly funny. But they all share one thing in common: real people finding their way forward.

If you or someone you love has experienced limb loss, these conversations are for you.
-Rick Bontkowski