Play From Your Heart | Scott Martin on Losing His Hands and Rebuilding Through Sport

Send us Fan MailIn Episode 98, Sid Bensalah sits down with Scott Martin, an award-winning soccer coach, educator, and author of Play From Your Heart.After a life-threatening infection led to septic shock, a month-long coma, and the loss of both hands and parts of his feet, Scott was forced to rebuild his life from the ground up. What followed is a powerful journey of resilience, leadership, and rediscovering purpose through sport.Scott shares how coaching is not about control, but about putting players in a position to learn. He reflects on identity, confidence, parenting, and what it means to lead with empathy and accountability. From raising five adopted children to returning to the sidelines with prosthetics, his story is raw, honest, and deeply human.This episode explores leadership beyond the game, adaptive sports, and why playing from the heart changes everything.Timestamps00:00 Play From Your Heart01:04 Coaching as Learning02:48 Parenting and Leadership07:20 Life Changed Overnight10:29 Driven Before Illness14:25 Coaching Philosophy19:46 Mentors and Culture31:31 Illness Warning Signs35:10 Coma and Wake Up38:36 Identity and Grief50:01 Adoption Journey59:38 Return to Coaching01:14:03 Writing the Book01:18:53 Disability Advocacy01:20:46 Paralympics and Media01:30:05 Building a Winning Team01:35:36 Empathy and Accountability01:40:00 Lightning RoundLearn more about Scott here.Support the show☞ Stay Connected with Pre-Zero Sports Talk!Join host Sid Bensalah and the Pre-Zero Sports Talk community for real conversations beyond the game, where sport meets leadership, faith, performance, purpose, identity, community, and impact.Follow & Engage 🔹 Spotify Video → Watch Full Episodes🔹 YouTube → Subscribe & Join the Conversation🔹 X → @PreZeroST🔹 Instagram → @PreZeroSportsTalk🔹 LinkedIn → Connect with the Community🔹 TikTok → @PreZeroSportsTalk🔹 Substack → Get Exclusive UpdatesYour Voice Matters!🎤 Got feedback or a topic idea?We’d love to hear from you → Send your thoughts here💡 Support the Podcast 👉 Donate.