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Published Jan 12, 2024

Taking the First Step with Sam Schaefer - Chief Endurance Officer - Episode # 039

Sam Schaefer, Chief Endurance Officer, reveals his revolutionary approach to adaptive coaching, harnessing resilience through endurance and adversity. He shares personal insights on pain management, including his transformative experience with complex regional pain syndrome and the empowering choice of elective amputation, emphasizing empathy and tailored training for both adaptive athletes and the general public.
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Episode Highlights

  • Living with CRPS

    Living with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) presents a unique set of challenges, as shares his personal journey. He describes the relentless pain that persisted for nine years, affecting his ability to sleep and focus, and how it varied in intensity and location 1. Despite the severity of his condition, Sam found ways to cope, emphasizing the importance of resilience and the power of perspective in overcoming adversity.

    I wish I could give a good explanation of it, because I know it would be really helpful if somebody could really explain it well, because it would help a lot of people.

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    His experience underscores the unpredictable nature of CRPS and the need for a tailored approach to managing its symptoms.

       

    Embracing Pain

    Sam's philosophy on pain revolves around experiencing it rather than being consumed by it. He believes that embracing pain as a temporary experience can transform one's mindset and aid in coping with chronic conditions 2. This perspective has allowed him to develop tools for stress management and problem-solving, which he shares with others through his coaching 3.

    You're not in pain, you're experiencing pain and experiences will end.

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    Sam's approach highlights the importance of staying present and using adversity as a catalyst for growth.

       

    Elective Amputation

    The decision to undergo elective amputation was a pivotal moment in Sam's life. After years of enduring unbearable pain and failed treatments, he chose amputation as a means to reclaim his life and pursue a future he could bear to live 4. Sam describes the emotional journey leading up to this decision, emphasizing the clarity and determination it brought him 5.

    Amputation, life as an amputee is very hard. I have the unique perspective that it's only the second hardest thing I've ever done.

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    His story is a testament to the strength required to make such a life-altering choice and the resilience needed to embrace change.

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