The School of Greatness

The Mindset That Took Her From 2% Survival Odds to the Paralympics | Amy Purdy

February 20, 2026

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  • Amy Purdy's near-death experience with meningococcal meningitis at age 19, which led to her becoming a double-leg amputee, instilled a quiet certainty that 'everything would make sense in the end,' forming the foundation for her recovery and future success. 
  • Survival mode can involve a temporary emotional detachment from trauma, allowing an individual to focus purely on the necessary steps for survival, as demonstrated by Amy's calm acceptance of her necessary amputation. 
  • Amy Purdy's initial goals after losing her legs—snowboarding that year and later helping others—provided the necessary control and motivation to move forward from a life-altering event. 
  • Embracing limitations as a launchpad, as demonstrated by Amy Purdy's journey discussed in "The Mindset That Took Her From 2% Survival Odds to the Paralympics | Amy Purdy" on The School of Greatness, allows for the discovery of endless possibilities through hard work. 
  • The power of intention and clearly stating goals, such as Purdy's goal to be on The School of Greatness podcast and become an international speaker, helps align the universe and opportunities to make those dreams a reality. 
  • The three core truths derived from Amy Purdy's life experience are that everything is ultimately about love (in all its forms), limitations should be used as something to push off of, and everything will make sense in the end. 

Segments

Amy’s Near-Death Experience
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(00:06:28)
  • Key Takeaway: Meningococcal meningitis caused Amy Purdy to enter septic shock within 24 hours, leading to organ failure and a less than 2% chance of survival.
  • Summary: The illness, bacterial meningococcal meningitis, is airborne and carried by 25% of the population, but Amy’s immune system failed to fight it off. Septic shock caused her body to pull blood from extremities like her feet and hands to save vital organs. Her last memory before an induced coma was demanding to see her feet, which were purple and freezing due to lack of circulation.
Waking Up and Amputation Decision
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(00:11:23)
  • Key Takeaway: Amy awoke from the coma still on life support, aware of her critical condition, before doctors determined amputation was necessary to prevent gangrene spread.
  • Summary: After two and a half weeks in an induced coma, Amy woke up aware but still dependent on machines due to kidney failure and collapsed lungs. Her feet were black and dead from lack of circulation, and doctors gave her a day’s notice before amputating both legs just above the ankles. Despite being an emotional person, Amy reacted with calm acceptance, telling the doctor to ‘do what you have to do so I can get out of here.’
Near-Death Experience Details
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(00:19:36)
  • Key Takeaway: During her coma, Amy experienced an out-of-body moment during emergency spleen surgery where she was told she could stay or go, choosing to stay based on her belief in love.
  • Summary: Amy recalls hearing Dr. Abby whisper to focus on her belief system before surgery to remove her enlarged spleen, which was causing internal bleeding. She focused on the belief in ’love’ as the creator of everything, feeling her heart flutter violently before experiencing a space with three silhouettes beckoning her. A bright light then conveyed that although life would have ‘mountaintops and valleys,’ it would ‘all make sense in the end.’
Post-Amputation Goals and Snowboarding
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(00:31:17)
  • Key Takeaway: As she was wheeled into surgery for amputation, Amy set three goals, including snowboarding that same year, to regain a sense of control over her future.
  • Summary: Amy visualized only negative outcomes (like Vietnam vets in wheelchairs) before the surgery, prompting her to set immediate, tangible goals for control. She successfully snowboarded seven months after losing her legs, about four months after getting her prosthetics, despite the stiffness of her prosthetic ankles limiting natural movement. This initial snowboarding attempt was difficult, resulting in her legs detaching from her board after hitting a bump.
Prosthetic Limitations and Innovation
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(00:40:25)
  • Key Takeaway: There were no specialized snowboard feet available 16 years ago, forcing Amy to innovate her own equipment to achieve the dynamic movements required for the sport.
  • Summary: Amy found that standard prosthetic feet, even those with advanced features like computerized ankles, were too limiting or uncontrollable for snowboarding because they lack natural ankle flexion. She realized that limited ankle motion restricts knee movement, making dynamic sports challenging. She ultimately created her own basic feet for snowboarding, preferring control over high-tech features that caused unpredictable bouncing.
Path to Paralympic Competition
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(00:45:08)
  • Key Takeaway: Amy and her husband founded Adaptive Action Sports to bring action sports like snowboarding to people with disabilities, leading their efforts to get snowboarding included in the Paralympic Games.
  • Summary: Snowboarding was not a Paralympic sport when Amy began competing, so she and her partner started a non-profit to introduce adaptive action sports to youth and veterans. They successfully pushed for adaptive divisions in events like the X Games and achieved their goal of getting snowboarding into the 2014 Sochi Paralympics. Amy competed in the Boardercross event, ultimately winning a bronze medal based on time trials due to classification complexities.
TED Talk Preparation and Theme
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(00:57:45)
  • Key Takeaway: A specific theme, like TED’s ‘Beyond Borders,’ is crucial for structuring a compelling story from a vast life experience.
  • Summary: Amy Purdy initially waited for the ‘right time’ to deliver a speech but ultimately created her best talk by jumping in and focusing on the theme provided. Her initial hour-and-a-half draft was condensed by centering it around the theme ‘Beyond Borders,’ which she interpreted as her personal limitations. This hard work paid off, as the resulting viral talk launched her into a corporate speaking career.
Dancing with the Stars Experience
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(01:00:43)
  • Key Takeaway: Competing on Dancing with the Stars reinforced Purdy’s capability to push through extreme pressure, injury, and fear.
  • Summary: The invitation to join Dancing with the Stars came just two weeks before the 2014 Sochi Paralympics, and Purdy initially expected to be eliminated early. She and her partner, Derek Hough, worked intensely to create dynamic routines, specifically avoiding the perception that she was only good ‘for a girl with prosthetics.’ Making it to the semifinals, where she placed second, proved to her that she was capable of overcoming immense physical and mental challenges.
Post-Show Opportunities and Serendipity
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(01:07:33)
  • Key Takeaway: Overcoming high-pressure challenges like Dancing with the Stars can lead to unexpected, high-level opportunities, such as touring with Oprah.
  • Summary: The exposure from Dancing with the Stars helped bring Amy Purdy’s story to wider attention, leading to a speaking tour with Oprah Winfrey’s ‘The Life You Want Tour.’ This tour coincidentally placed her alongside figures she admired during her lowest points, like Elizabeth Gilbert and Deepak Chopra, both of whom endorsed her book, On My Own Two Feet.
Future Mission and Intentionality
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(01:09:34)
  • Key Takeaway: Living a passionate, inspired life involves actively stating goals and putting intentions out into the world to manifest experiences.
  • Summary: Purdy’s current mission is simply to live a passionate and inspired life, which she achieves by pursuing things that inspire her and surrounding herself with inspiring people. She actively uses the power of intention, having set a goal at the start of the year to be on The School of Greatness podcast and become an international speaker. This intentionality has already led to speaking engagements in Japan, Singapore, China, and Europe.
Final Truths and Gratitude
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(01:12:52)
  • Key Takeaway: Consistent gratitude for health, especially following a kidney transplant, fuels the drive to maximize every moment.
  • Summary: Amy Purdy is most grateful for her current health, receiving regular blood tests that confirm her transplanted kidney is functioning well, which she views as a ’new lease on life’ every three months. Her three final truths are: everything is about love, use limitations to push off of, and it will all make sense in the end. Greatness is defined as absolutely being the best one can be using the circumstances one has.