Son of two elite athletes, as a division one athlete at high school and a two-time state champion in his junior year, being a track runner was more than something Jarryd Wallace loved to do; it was part of his identity. He had the potential to become a professional athlete. 

But destiny had something different in mind for him. He had a chronic exertional compartment syndrome, which required surgery to solve. The surgery went wrong; he had complications. After 10 reconstructive surgeries and more than a year and a half of suffering from chronic pain, 17-year-old Jarryd had to face the decision to get his leg amputated. 

Joining us today is the three-time Paralympian, Tokyo 2020 bronze medalist, and Co-Founder and CEO of Rival, Jarryd Wallace. We had a fantastic conversation about resilience, identity, the life of a Paralympic athlete, and marketing. Jarryd shared his journey from having a promising future as a professional athlete to looking at amputation as hope for a painless life and becoming an elite Paralympic athlete. We also talked about the barriers to access prosthetic equipment, the importance of authenticity, the complicated world of sponsorship for athletes, and much more. 

Resources:

Visit Jarryd’s website: https://www.jarrydwallace.com/

Connect with Jarryd on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jarryd-wallace-3a70b586/

or follow him on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wallace_jarryd/

Full Episode Breakdown:

1:25 – Jarryd talks about his journey before and after the amputation, and he offers a bit of perspective on adapted sports.

4:01 – Jarryd shares his life before the amputation and his goals for his athletic career. 

6:21 – Jarryd describes how it felt to lose his identity when he went through amputation.

8:56 – Amputation was hope. Jarryd talks about the pain he was feeling 24/7 before the amputation, his dependence on painkillers, and why having his leg amputated seemed like a real chance for a normal life.

14:51 – John and Jarryd talk about the seasons of life, and Jarryd shares his view on the positive side of the current season he is going through. 

17:48 – Jarryd shares his take on why he thinks getting access to prosthetic equipment is hard for people. 

22:27 – Jarryd explains his company’s approach to the production of prosthetic equipment and what he would like to improve in that market.

30:31 – Jarryd shares his incredible experience traveling to Japan, and after being himself and having conversations with lots of people, learning he had himself a sponsorship from Toyota. 

35:09 – John and Jarryd talk about how hard it is to get sponsored for athletes and how wonderful it is when they get it. 

40:26 – Jarryd talks about his training routine as a Paralympic athlete and how different it is from a conventional athlete’s routine.

45:29 – Jarryd explains the limitations the Olympic Committee establishes for prosthetic equipment. 

49:38 – You either continue to complain about the problems around the world, or you can choose to change them. Jarryd shares his take on what people can do to change the things that stop them from achieving their goals.