Ep 23 Travis Mills: A Quadruple Amputee Inspires Others with His Sense of Humor and Unbeatable Spirit

Clear Choices Podcast

Today we have the awesome privilege to hear from Travis Mills, a US Army Staff Sergeant, who in 2012 suffered a catastrophic injury that left him as a quadruple amputee. That’s right, he has no arms or legs and is one of only five servicemen from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan ever to survive quadruple amputee injuries. I reached out to him when I started this podcast back in October because I had seen him speak and was incredibly inspired by his positivity, hopefulness, and most importantly, his sense of humor. We finally have him on the show- and it is so timely and poignant- as we are all going through the COVID-19 challenge and so much of the scary and unknown. Travis is someone who faced challenges that were scary and unknown, and his perspective on how he handled these challenges will be so valuable to us as we go through this pandemic.

After his injury and retiring from the Army, Travis has become a speaker, a NY Times best-selling author of Tough As They Come, and founder of the Travis Mills Foundation, a nonprofit organization that benefits and assists wounded and injured veterans. His story inspires, encourages, challenges, and motivates audiences to move forward. He illustrates how resilient the human spirit is, how unbreakable the will is when pressed with difficult demands, and how triumphant a person can be when tasked with the seemingly impossible. His story has been featured on local and national news including Fox News’ Happening Now with Jenna Lee, The O’Reilly Factor with Bill O’Reilly, CNN with Barbara Starr, and The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

“And I guess just finding out like, okay, well my military days are done. I’m not, you know, the guy they call on to go on on missions and get the bad guys anymore but I still have a positive life I can live.”

“The clear choice for me was just like, I’ve got my wife and my kids, let’s push forward, find a new purpose, new normal, and get moving.”

“No matter what situation you find yourself in, whether you’re COVID-19 sitting at home, scared of everything or maybe you’ve had a problem at work today, just understand you’re in charge of your attitude and it’s all about looking at the positives, pushing forward in life, and getting after it every day.”

In this episode, you will hear:

- Travis recounts how he was injured and how he got his growth mindset and motto “Never Give Up, Never Quit”

- His biggest blessings from his injury and the powerful life lessons he has learned

- The advice he gives for all of us going through this challenging time

Thank you so much for listening! Please subscribe to the show, leave a review, and share it with a friend.

Clear Choices Podcast is now on Instagram! Follow me @clearchoicespodcast.

Come be a part of our Clear Choices community on Facebook . Ask questions and get inspired and motivated to make conscious, clear choices!

If you have a guest idea or want to connect with me, please visit my website www.clearchoices.live. I am also available for speaking engagements.

Other resources and links mentioned in this episode:

https://travismillsfoundation.org/

Find his book Tough as They Come on his website https://www.travismills.org/

“We Bought a Lodge” reality TV show on Fox Nation

Find Travis on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook @ssgtravismills

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KW0xLl4m--M

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-relief/art-20044456