#10 - Gary Weiland

If You Denton Know Gary Weiland, now you do.After a freak knee injury at a Thanksgiving turkey bowl in 2018, Denton firefighter Gary Weiland woke up to the news that his leg would be amputated. In this episode, Gary shares how that moment turned his world upside down and how choosing to “Adapt and Overcome” led him back to full duty firefighting, onto the American Ninja Warrior course, into Team USA para athletics, and into classrooms and stages around the country as a speaker and author.From family, faith, and the Denton fire community rallying around him to the mindset shift from “Why did this happen to me?” to “Why did this happen for me?”, Gary’s story is a masterclass in resilience and purpose.In this episodeGrowing up in Illinois and how he ended up in DentonWhy he walked away from retail to serve his community as a firefighterThe 2018 turkey bowl injury that led to emergency surgery and amputationProcessing shock, fear, and identity when life changes overnightHow the Denton Fire Department, leadership, and crew rallied around himLearning to walk, run, gear up, climb ladders, pull dummies, and fight fire on a prosthetic legDiscovering para sports, the Endeavor Games, and bobsled in Lake Placid and NorwayGetting hooked on ninja competitions and eventually competing on American Ninja WarriorWhat it felt like to clear obstacles on national TV and inspire people around the worldSpeaking to thousands of students and adults about overcoming adversityWriting Fischer’s Accident and using children’s books to normalize amputees and differencesThe heart behind his A&O brand and the “Adapt and Overcome” mindsetHow faith, his wife, and his kids anchor him on the hard daysSeeing his amputation as a blessing that opened unexpected doorsConnect with GaryWebsite: garyweiland.comSocial: Facebook @Gary Weiland and Instagram @gary_weilandA&O merch and partnerships: aye-n-o.comIf Gary’s story resonates, consider bringing him in to speak to your school, business, team, or community group, or partnering with his Adapt and Overcome brand to share the message that you can do hard things.