Ep. 9: Melissa Stockwell-Choose Your Own Story

Send us Fan MailMelissa Stockwell-Choose Your Own StoryFreedom comes at a price.  War is known to cause physical wounds.  Something that might be slightly overlooked are other wounds.  For example, emotional, mental and other forms of invisible wounds. In 2004, Melissa lost her left leg to a roadside bomb in Iraq, and her life was forever changed. After being medically retired from the Army in April 2005 with a Purple Heart and bronze star, all the hard work began. She found support with her Chicago-based paratriathlon club, Dare2Tri. Melissa is the first American woman to lose a limb in active combat and also competed in the 2008 Beijing Paralympics.Since 2008, her primary focus has been firmly placed on the sport of Paratriathlon. Melissa has competed all around the world and has stood on top of many podiums, and is a three times World Champion. In 2016, Paratriathlon made its debut at the Paralympic Games and Melissa raced her way to bronze as part of a USA team and in 2017 Melissa went on to secure a silver medal at the Sarasota ITU Paratriathlon World Cup.Melissa has not let anything stop her and continues to inspire others.  Since 2004, Melissa has become a War Veteran · 3x World Champion - 2x Paralympian · Bronze Medalist · Triathlon Coach · Dare2tri Co-Founder · Motivational Speaker - First female amputee of Iraq - Mother · Patriot.Show Notes:Balancing family life (0:54)Speaking at CIA Headquarters (03:35)Life before the military (04:38)Why Melissa chose Army over any other service (05:40)Her reaction to 9/11 (06:00)Fateful day in her life- 13 April 2004 (06:55)Why she felt lucky when arriving to Walter Reed (10:40)Defining the word perspective (11:50)What society can do to help heal invisible wounds (13:48)Starting life after 2004 (16:54)Turing personal tragedy into triumph (17:20)Perception about Paralympians (21:39)Awkward questions Melissa receives about her leg and funny stories (23:23)Movie title about her life (27:05)Links:Connect with the Passing the Torch podcast:---> Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/passingthetorchwithmartinfoster/---> SUBSCRIBE on iTunes:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/passing-the-torch/id1338122884?mt=2Connect with Melissa Stockwell:Website: http://melissastockwell.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/MStockwell01/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mstockwell01/?hl=enTwitter:  https://twitter.com/MStockwell01?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5EauthorConnect with DARE2TRI:Website: http://www.dare2tri.orgQuotes: " I learned that in life, sometimes the journey is more important than the destination."More about guest:Melissa serves on the board of directors for the Wounded Warrior Project, the USAT Foundation and is the USAT Womens Committee. As a motivational speaker, she has spoken at companies such as Accenture, Hartford, Deloitte and numerous others. She talks about overcoming obstacles and living life to its fullest. She has been featured in number significant media outlets. The most recent anSupport the showConnect with Passing The Torch: Facebook and IG: @torchmartinMore Amazing Stories:Episode 41: Lee Ellis – Freeing You From Bond That Make You InsecureEpisode 81: Kurt Warner – Perseverance, Humility, and Lighting the Way Episode 90: Michelle 'MACE' Curran – How to Turn Fear into Fuel------------© 2026 TORCH LEAP®, LLC. All rights reserved.