Podcast Ep207 Adam Popp
Didrik Johnck: Welcome, welcome to The No Barriers Podcast, hosted by the legendary adventurer himself, Erik Weihenmayer. You'll hear from him in just a moment. Before we get into this episode, just a quick announcement. Erik invites you. Yay you, your friends, your family to join him for the annual, What's Your Everest event?
What is it? Well, once a year a big group of us gather for an unforgettable day of all abilities, hiking. Yes. This is for everyone, regardless of ability or background. Ever see a wheelchair, climb a mountain at what's your Everest? You will. You'll join a team with a common purpose, inspire people to turn their challenges into changes and tackle obstacles head on. And work together to get to the top safely and fully supported by our No Barriers teams. September 6th is the day Winter Park Colorado is the place. Learn more at nobarrierspodcast.com and click on events. Now onto the show.
Meet Adam Popp an ultra marathoner, military veteran, and above the knee amputee who opens up about resilience, purpose and taking bold action when life knocks you flat. From losing his leg in Afghanistan to breaking Guinness World Records and starring in a moving tribute to his own hero, Terry Fox. Adam's journey is raw, honest, and packed with hard earned wisdom. You'll hear about how Adam went from 'couch to 100', literally from years on the sidelines to crushing a hundred mile ultra marathons.
And if you've ever wondered how to transform surviving into thriving or what it really takes to live a No Barriers life this episode's got you. Let's get into it. I'm Producer Didrik Johnck, and this is The No Barriers podcast.
Erik Weihenmayer: It's easy to talk about the successes, but what doesn't get talked about enough is the struggle. My name is Erik Weihenmayer. I've gotten the chance to ascend Mount Everest, to climb the tallest mountain in every continent, to kayak the Grand Canyon, and I happen to be blind. It's been a struggle to live what I call a no barriers life, to define it, to push the parameters of what it means.
And part of the equation is diving into the learning process and trying to illuminate the universal elements that exist along the way. And that unexplored terrain between those dark places we find ourselves in and the summit exists a map. That map, that way forward is what we call No Barriers.
Hey everyone, this is Erik Weihenmayer. Welcome to the No Barriers Podcast. And you know, look, I'm always excited about the podcast guests, but this one I'm really excited about because, uh, I am the biggest. Terry Fox fan boy. Maybe in the world. And, uh, Adam, we're gonna talk all about that. But I think one cool thing that I wanna start with is just like this wild connection, is that I interview people all over the world and I'm in Golden, Colorado, right at the foothills of the Rockies.
And you lived there too. Uh, you lived here for several years, right? Like a mile from my house.
Adam Popp: That's right. Yeah. And like I said, uh, we were chatting right before we, uh, jumped in here and um, I just moved in November, just a 30 minute north, north of where you're at now. But um, yeah, we still have, still have a house in Golden and, and love it there and love all Golden has to offer.
Erik Weihenmayer: Oh my gosh. This is like the, for a runner like you, this is like the mecca of it is training. It's just so great, you know?
Adam Popp: Yeah. I had to drive back down there yesterday to get a run in on North Table, so
Erik Weihenmayer: We are just so lucky to live in such a beautiful place that has a, uh, an ethic and a love for the outdoors.
So yeah, I can agree more, but we'll move on here to starting with this Terry Fox film that you were the star in. And it was to benefit, I think the Fox Foundation. I just wanna read a, uh, a quote that, by the way, Adam being blind listening to that film. I love the music, but I had to get somebody to visually describe like all the amazing visuals.
'cause it's very visual commercial.
Yeah, totally.
Yeah. But I wanna just read the quote that Terry said in the end. I listened to it about 50 times, trying to get the exact quote. He said, "I've told people before that I'm gonna do my me best to make it happen. I'll never give up. And that's true, but I may not make it. And if I don't. The Marathon of Hope better continue."
Did I get it right?
Adam Popp: It sounded right to me.
Erik Weihenmayer: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, and it sure has man like Terry Fox, this guy who was diagnosed with cancer, bone cancer, uh, in the hospital in Canada. He decides that he's gonna run across Canada as part of this project called Marathon of Hope, east to West, thousands of miles, a marathon a day.
To raise a dollar for every Canadian citizen, which at the time was like $24 million. I watched his story when I was about 12 years old. I think it was probably like 1981 or two. He was covered on this TV show called. That's incredible. And they talked about his marathon of Hope and they interviewed him.
I think he had actually died maybe at that point because it got into his lungs and came back and killed him, and he never finished his run. But I believe Terry's legacy has raised almost a million dollars of cancer research. And there are Terry Fox runs all around the world. So when he says like, I hope this Marathon of hope continues, my God, I'm going to cry.
It sure has, hasn't it?
Adam Popp: Yeah, it has. And I, and, and, and I think I wanna correct you, I think it was a, it's close to a billion, a billion dollars with a B, um, at this point, you know, a billion dollars, 45 years later, whatever. It's
Erik Weihenmayer: Wow. Right? I mean, so he didn't get much time on earth. Right. But he. His, his legacy was massive, right?
Adam Popp: Yeah. And it's still impacting people today. Yeah. I mean, um, I didn't learn about him and, and you know, I talked to a lot of Americans who never knew or, or heard of his story, but I learned about him, you know, after I lost my own, my own leg and, um, started running and just trying to research other amputees who had done marathons and running and there wasn't a lot of information at the time in 2015 of other above knee amputees like me doing.
Things like, you know, Terry or Dick Trauma or these other guys who kind of paved the way for, uh, amputees like me, and I found his story. A ESPN, 30 for 30 called Into the Wind and watched it, which is...
Erik Weihenmayer: yeah, amazing documentary. We should recommend that to everyone, right?
Adam Popp: Insane. And I was completely blown away and that really impacted me, um, early in my running journey and, and my, uh, journey towards, this like no barriers idea that, that you embody and, and preach.
Um. And it really impacted me early on in that, that transformation of my life, my own life.
Erik Weihenmayer: Yeah. When I was 12, I sat there because I could barely see I was going blind at the time. Mm-hmm. And, uh, I eventually lost all my sight, but, uh, I sat there with my face pressed against the screen.
You're like maybe 10 or 15 years younger than me. But like back then, TVs had static electricity. I had to get so close to the tv, static electricity would actually zap my nose as I was trying to follow the what was happening and just watched him run across Canada. And he was an above the knee amputee, and I think that's really important, right, to distinguish because a below the knee amputee, life's a lot easier.
You're an above the knee amputee like Terry, right?
Yeah, that's correct. And I wouldn't say maybe a lot easier, but uh, we all, we all have our own challenges even. Yeah. I guess we all have our own challenges.
I should, I shouldn't make a value judgment, but Yeah. Even people with to, you have to have a, a bionic or a, uh, or, or, or a knee that, like a knee joint that's mechanical.
Adam Popp: That's correct. That's correct. So I can't really articulate it. And then, you know, there's definitely some like muscle loss and other things that I can't physically do on that amputated side. But, um, yeah, I think, you know, even people with two legs have their own challenges and, but there is kind of a, um, a, a joke within the leg amputee community between AKs and BKs and we, we.
Kind of pick on each other and, um,
Erik Weihenmayer: of course, like the army and the air force or something.
Adam Popp: That's right. Yeah. Totally, totally, totally. But it's all in good love. And you know, where, you know, I think especially the people in my community who represent ultra running and trail running and marathoning as, uh, amputees who are all out there just trying to be, um, better people and do the best we can with what we got.
Erik Weihenmayer: I remember, and you correct me a little bit here and and clarify, but I remember when I could see, I could, you know, as I mentioned, seeing that, that, uh, show where Terry was running, um, he had this kind of crazy gait. It was a very awkward gait. It didn't seem very natural. Like it seemed like one leg would step and then the other one would kind of swing around.
I don't know. That's what kind of I remember. I mean, but we're talking like 40, you know, five years ago. What I remember.
Adam Popp: Yeah, that's, that's an incredible recollection and, uh, a good, good perspective that you picked up on. He did have a very unique gait, and I have like, kind of a, a funny story around that, but he, it was also partially because of the equipment he was using.
So the prosthetics at the time weren't, um, near what I have today that the access I have today. And he, um, used this, uh, mechanical knee with a spring in it. It wasn't very fluid. He used a, like a wooden foot that he carved out. Um, and just a simple metal pylon that connected the foot and the knee together.
My prosthetist here in Denver recreated that, um, that running prosthetic that he used, you know, in the eighties, um, for me to run on for this, uh, film and campaign that you mentioned. And I got the chance to run on, uh, the exact equipment he used and, um, it was very difficult just to run, you know, a few hours a day for that filming.
But also I had to relearn his exact gate to mimic exactly what he was doing. The gait I use to run now is very ingrained over the 10 years of running that I, that I've been doing. So I had that very deeply ingrained in my, um, in my mind and, and physically and then I had to relearn his gait, which was, uh, for this commercial, which was very difficult and took a lot of time.
And I worked with a stunt coordinator and a body movement coach and took several days to do it. And, um, I think the production crew was a little bit worried that I could. Pull that off. But, uh, in the end, I think
Erik Weihenmayer: it's, you looked too good. That's probably the problem, right? You like, 'cause I imagine with your ma with your modern, uh, prosthetic, you run like very naturally, right?
Adam Popp: Yeah. Pretty close. That's a good way to put it. Like too good. But it's, um, you know, he was doing, again, like incredible things with a very, um, basic prosthetic that, that wasn't what I have today or what, what most amputees have today.
Erik Weihenmayer: How did he physically do it, you think? Like, because that gait, I was just thinking that guy must have had a blister over his entire stump. How did he run a marathon a day for thousands of miles. . How did that stump not break down? I mean, I'm sure Well, I, I've heard stories that it actually gave me, excuse me, residual limb. My buddy who's amputee told me, don't say stump.
Adam Popp: Yeah. Um, I think he did have a lot of, uh, a lot of physical challenges with his, um, amputated side and, and breakdown and fit. And there's stories of him like breaking prosthetics and like having all these issues and trying to go get repairs and repair his skin and wear, he was like wearing a sock over it.
And um, so I think he did have a lot of these challenges. It's just not as we all do. There's a bigger part to that story than, than all those like little, like listen and they're not little, don't get me wrong, but, um Right. You know, all the things that went on behind the scenes.
If you.
Erik Weihenmayer: Yeah, but I mean, as you know, ultra running, like the little things are the things that add up, like those thousand cuts, right? Yeah. That, that get you in the end. So it's amazing that he was able to continue day after day. And the other thing that always blows me away about his story is there was no internet back then.
Right? He started out in pretty much obscurity. Like nobody knew what he was doing or probably even cared, and he just was running down these lonely roads. And the way I understand it is people would like call Hey, this guy's running through the village and go check him out in the next village.
And then mm-hmm. He somehow got some attention, I think through like a football game that maybe they announced him at. Mm-hmm. At the soccer game. Was that right? And uh,
Adam Popp: It was like news stories. Uh, he was just, yeah, news stories. Uh, football games, uh, yeah. Like all these little stops along the way. He was just interacting with and doing interviews and it just, yeah, you're right.
He started, um, on the East coast and it just, with, with him and his buddy and just picked up steam over time and, you know, several days into it, it, it really started to pick up steam.
Erik Weihenmayer: Yeah. Can I just tell you like just literally having met you like 10 minutes ago, how much you actually weirdly remind me of Terry in terms of like your honesty and sincerity and just like a genuineness.
Adam Popp: Well, appreciate that.
Erik Weihenmayer: Yeah, I mean really it's pretty, it's pretty cool. Why do you think they picked you? I mean, obviously you're a badass ultra marathoner and we'll talk about that going down the road, but uh, I bet there are other connections, right?
Adam Popp: Well, yeah, I think, uh, they were, they had a very small selection pool, right.
So they had to look, okay. They had, they had to look for, uh, somebody with a right side amputation like mine above the knee. Um, similar build and, you know, someone who could physically do, uh, the act of, um, you know, filming for a 12 hour day and, and running constantly for, for, I think I ran 10, 10 hours that day nonstop.
Um,
wow.
And it was just like very short. Burst. But, um, you know, it's, and early on they asked me, do you wanna stand in for this? You, we could like, start with someone standing in for, um, the early parts of this filming. And then I said, no, like, let's just do it. 10, 12 hours later, I was completely exhausted at the end of that filming, filming day.
But, um, you know, I, like I said, I think it's a pretty small pool and, um, I, I would like to think that my running resume like contributed to that as well.
Mm-hmm.
Erik Weihenmayer: Uh, any highlights from, from making the film you just mentioned some fun highlights, like, I was just curious, like, did you get to meet, uh, Terry's mom?
I believe she's still alive, right?
Adam Popp: I didn't meet his mom, his brothers, I wanna meet her. Yeah. His family had a very, um, big role in making sure everything looked right. Of course, they wanna protect his, his name and, um. So they had a big, uh, uh, a big role in approving the final product and steps along the way and, and watching kind of the filming to see, um, to make sure it looked the way they remember and the way they wanted it to look and the, the story and, and image they wanted to put out.
But the coolest part was, um, weeks after filming, his brother sent me his biography, his carrie's biography with a, you know, a handwritten note from Fred. And, um, that was just, uh, meant, meant the world to me because, like I said, this, this story and this, uh, person and this family has meant, um, the world to my transformation and recovery and, and running journey over the past 10 years.
Yeah.
Erik Weihenmayer: Hey everybody, this is Erik and I want to take a little break from our interview to tell you about No Barriers. Obviously, we're interviewing these amazing No Barriers pioneers, but behind this podcast is an organization called No Barriers, predicated on the idea that what's within us is stronger than what's in our way.
Our mission at No Barriers is to help people. With disabilities to break through barriers, to tap into the light of the human spirit and to reclaim their lives, sometimes to reclaim their potential. In the business of shifting mindsets and it's proud work and I hope you'll get involved. Learn more about us. Check out our newsletter. NoBarriersUSA.org. nobarrierspodcast.com.
I. Uh, why did, why did they make the film like, you know, 40 something years later? Why now? What was the reason?
Adam Popp: I think there was an anniversary for cancer research, but also, um, you know, as you mentioned earlier, this continuing, this Marathon of Hope.
The campaign and film was meant to show that similar story where, you know, I, Terry I was running on this lonely road road by myself. Um, and then, uh, you know, as the camera pans around, it's like all these people who joined his marathon, his mission, his, his, uh,
Erik Weihenmayer: like people of every color and shape and size and disability, they're all running.
Right?
Adam Popp: That's right. Within, and, and, and it's, you know, in this 92nd film, it's meant to mimic his 3000 mile journey. Um, and then it's like up to us now to pick up where he left off and continue like moving forward. So, you know, as the camera kind of cuts away, like Terry fades to the distance, but it's up to the people who, um, you know, are alive today to continue carrying this flag, carrying this flag forward and this idea and this message that, um, you know, there, there, there can be some hope around such a terrible disease.
Erik Weihenmayer: Yeah. You had heard about Terry before that? Right? 'cause you said you watched the films and things like that in your journey. That's correct. So you were already familiar with him. I must, you must have been quite honored.
Adam Popp: Yeah, I was, that's an understatement. I, I was completely like, shocked and honored. My wife had a sabbatical in 2024 and we were, um, in New Zealand at the time. We spent a month in New Zealand and I got an email through my website and it was, uh, one of the casting agents was like, Hey, uh, we had this thing going on.
We'd like you to apply for it. Um, and you know, with any of those, uh, roles, they ask for a, um. Like a, a reel, um, you know, showing they wanted to see like me running and seeing my body type and all this other stuff. So it's like putting this reel together in, uh, in New Zealand, um, on the fly and like submit it to them.
And then, um, once I got back to the States, we started having more discussions and then they kind of told me what the whole idea was about and then I met the director and, um, virtually, and then it was like, all right, can we get to work on a prosthetic? So it like moved very quickly. Um. From, you know, me being halfway around the world and getting back home and, um, trying to get all these pieces together to, to go to Canada and I spent a couple weeks in Canada for... The whole production was insane of like 3D body scans and all the visual effects and makeup and hair and prosthetic.
Erik Weihenmayer: Because they wanted you to look like him, like really look like him, right?
Adam Popp: Yeah. It was the, the level of detail was incredible. Um, yeah, just aging the shoe that I wore to make it look like the shoe, you know, he wore. At the end of his, um, run and putting like dirt and glue and everything else, like, I guess he used glue to hold the sole together.
So it was like the, the level of detail was like nothing I had ever seen before. Huh.
Erik Weihenmayer: And we touched on prosthetics. I mean, his pretty old fashioned prosthetic. Right. But like it do, when you were running, are you just like, thank god prosthetics technology has evolved?
Adam Popp: Yeah, totally. I was like, I couldn't, I mean, yeah, you, I think about, you know, running a marathon a day or even like um, and then think about just trying to do it on Yeah, that, and I don't see, again, like I, I'm with you. I don't know how he did it. It's really incredible.
Erik Weihenmayer: And do you run like with one of those like high tech razor legs or tell me about your leg that you, that you race on.
Adam Popp: Yeah, it's a carbon fiber bl uh, running blade.
Blade runner. Sorry, I didn't mean a razor. That's, yeah, that's all good. Um, yeah. But yeah, it's a, it's a carbon fiber blade that, you know, most of the people in the Paralympics use. And, you know,
Erik Weihenmayer: Oscar Histor, I think Pistorius. That's right. Pistorius. Thank you. He was, uh, I think he's kind of made that like famous, right?
Adam Popp: Yeah, yeah. Yeah.
Erik Weihenmayer: Cool. Do you use any bionics in your knees or anything
Adam Popp: My walking leg has a microprocessor computer in it, so, um, it's pretty high tech. I started using a leg like that in 2008, um, and it was the second or third version of that, that, that leg.
Um, and I just got the latest version. Which is probably like four, four iterations from the one I initially had. And yeah, they keep getting better, but it's a microprocessor knee that takes a lot of the guesswork and thinking out of walking for me. So, um, you know, if I take a misstep and go to stumble, it kind of catches me or, um, I'm able to walk downstairs or upstairs pretty smoothly or, or steep grades, uh, up and down, pretty smoothly. And it takes a lot of the guesswork out. Has a bunch of different modes that you can set for, uh, carrying furniture or bicycling or flying a plane. Um, you can preprogram all this to, to do the activ activities and, uh, the lifestyle you live. Yeah.
Erik Weihenmayer: Amazing. I understand like those bionic knees will think like hundreds if not thousands of times a second, like exactly. Adjusting and so forth. My, uh, friend Hugh Herr, I just saw him last week. He's an MIT scientist who builds prosthetics and he's one of the co-founders of No Barriers, so we're really lucky to know Hugh.
Adam Popp: Yeah. Cool. I, I work with one of his colleagues here in, uh, at CU Boulder. Um, I've done some testing with her. Elena, grab Grabowski. Oh yeah, yeah. Uhhuh. So I've never met Hugh, but I know about him through her. Yeah.
Erik Weihenmayer: And you lost your leg, obviously. I mean, uh, Terry lost his leg, uh, from cancer. You lost your leg. You were an explosive ordinance disposal unit technician. You were in, in, in Iraq as well as Afghanistan. And, uh, you know, IED, uh, blew, blew your leg off. I, I heard the story on one of the podcasts that you were interviewed mm-hmm. On, yeah. Yep,
Adam Popp: that's correct. Correct. 2007, um, in Afghanistan. Yep.
Erik Weihenmayer: And you went off to, they flew you off to Germany and then to Walter Reed, uh, in Washington. And what I, I was like, God, just thinking how, what a journey, 'cause not only do they do one surgery, but it sounds like you were doing surgeries like every other day, like scraping, like more ma sorry to get graphic, but scraping more material and just making sure there wasn't infection. So it's not just one surgery you went through, you went through a lot. Right.
Adam Popp: Yeah. Uh, on my leg and, and my arm as well.
Erik Weihenmayer: And your arm. Excuse me.
Adam Popp: Yeah. Yeah. And my hip, I mean, my, my whole right side of my body was pretty tore up, so Yeah, you're right. I got to my, my injury happened on December 7th, so obviously, like I had surgeries that day to stabilize me and, um, you know, get the amputation stabilized and my arm stabilized.
But then, yeah, you're right. I flew to Germany for a couple surgeries there and then, um. And then Walter Reed. So basically from December 7th to mid-February, I was having surgeries two or three times a week, um, just to get everything stable and hardware in and skin grafts and, um, make sure everything was clean.
And, you know, I couldn't really start a, a true recovery until all that took place and Right. You know, it started around mid, mid-February probably is when I actually went to do physical therapy and occupational therapy and, you know, spent the next year plus, um, going through that whole, whole entire process.
Amazing.
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Erik Weihenmayer: So Adam, one of the cool things is I was kind of blown away.
After you did recover, you went back to Afghanistan as a defense contractor. I love the way you phrased it. You know, you wanted to kind of go back and leave on under your own terms instead of being carried, off, you know, I thought that was really powerful, pretty brave act. Now, how did that come about?
Adam Popp: Yeah, it, I, I went to work for a defense contractor shortly after I got outta the military. Shortly after I medically retired, actually like five days after I medically retired, I was working for this defense contractor. And looking back at it, I think I was trying to, um, replace a lot of the things the military gave me.
So that sense of purpose and the community. Yeah. Um, so that's like a natural progression for a lot of military members once they uh, finish their service to, you know, try to find something similar. Um, I don't know. At least for me it, it, it made sense and was a very.
Erik Weihenmayer: Yeah, it felt familiar enough, right?
Adam Popp: Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Um, but then, you know, I get get, and I, what actually happened, I was as, I was sitting behind a desk all day every day, right? And it was nothing like what I knew and very uncomfortable. Um, and this opportunity came up to, um, deploy with a, uh, a reconnaissance plane back to Afghanistan.
So, you know, my boss came to me and he said, you know, you have experience in Afghanistan and um, deployments. And he was a former Air Force guy as well. And he just pitched the idea to me and I was like, yeah, I'd love to go do that. You know, maybe six or eight months after working for this company, I was in, uh, deployment preparation phases to go back to Afghanistan with this 30 man team of, um mostly civilian civilians and engineers, but a few military guys as well. Um, to go back or to go to Afghanistan, set up, uh, base of operations there and fly this surveillance plane. And my role in that was to be a liaison between my civilian company and the, the military guys on the ground. So it gave me a lot of those things I was looking for, but, um, and, and, and as you mentioned, you know, the ability to kind of leave on my own terms and, and kind of wrap up, you know, unfinished business there.
Um, and once that was done, I was like, all right, I could like put that chapter behind me and kind of move on, which I think for the most part, um, you know, I, I really appreciated and, and got a lot out of that experience.
Erik Weihenmayer: Hmm. Well, you have moved on. We're gonna talk about that next phase of your life. Um, I thought it was really cool.
You know, one of the things that really impressed me about Terry was like, I, I understood it was like pretty early on in his injury, watching kids younger than him die of cancer, that he made this commitment that he was gonna run across Canada, that he was gonna begin this marathon of hope. You know? Um mm-hmm.
And, and that was really powerful And, uh. , He's kind of what At No Barriers we call an Alchemist, you know, these, one of these people that like takes the experience and says, I'm not gonna make this like something that's, has destroyed my life. I'm gonna make it into something meaningful.
I'm gonna make it into something that gives me purpose and meaning and figure out what that journey looks like. You know, turn lead into gold and you made a pledge at Walter Reed that you were going to use your experiences, your wisdom, your compassion, all the things that you learned through your injury and along the way to help others with physical and emotional challenges.
Mm-hmm. Te telling you there's a lot of connections here with you and Terry beyond just the fact that you guys don't have a leg.
Adam Popp: Yeah. Well, I, I, I would never make that, but it's a huge compliment and um, uh, I appreciate you saying that.
Erik Weihenmayer: Yeah. So tell me about that kind of pledge in that moment, or if, you know, maybe just it was a building idea.
Adam Popp: Yeah, I think it was, that's a good way to put a very building idea of, you know, laying in the hospital bed. And I'm sure you could relate of, you know, going through this huge life transformation, um, and being, you know, a very able-bodied, you know, a physically fit person, and then one day relying on help and laying in a hospital bed.
And you have people who enter your life during those times who are incredibly helpful. Um, and, and showing you the way, um, and helping you through that, either physically or mentally. Um, and there's a lot of people during those initial months who made, uh, huge impact on my life. And I realized at that time and, and there, and conversely, there were people who came in the rooms like, just like, please get outta my room.
You're not, you're not helping this situation. Right. Um, right. Yeah. And you know, I I,
Erik Weihenmayer: it's kind of black and white. It seems like there's always like kind of door openers and door closers, right?
Adam Popp: Yeah, exactly. And, you know, I, I wanted to be one of those door openers, you know, um, because of the, the impact those people made on my life.
And during my hospital stay, I was recommended to go to this peer visitor classes, what they called it. Um, but it's teaching you how to be a good peer visitor for other amputees and people who had suffered severe injuries in combat. And I went through this class and, um, got connected with a, a nonprofit organization called the EOD Warrior Foundation.
And mainly I was just, uh, tagging along with the lady who visited me on days three or four at the hospital to visit other injured EOD service members. Um, and, you know, was to do nothing more than lend a ear, um, support where I could. Um, and it started there. So the building block, as you mentioned, um, started there and then snowballed into years later.
Uh. Working for that organization and taking, uh, the EOD men and women on, um, trips throughout the country to do different types of retreats or physical activities or relay races, um, to aid in their recovery. And then it went to pursuing a, a master's degree in clinical counseling to work with people who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder or depression or anxiety.
Um, and then eventually led to another master's degree in support and performance psychology that, you know, focused on, um, athletes who were trying to be, you know, the top of their game and, you know, experiencing injury or, um, setbacks physically and mentally, um, and just trying to help them, uh, be the best version of themself, the best athlete they aspire to be.
So that was a, you know, 10, 15 year process in the making. But, um, along the way I was doing a lot of work on my own end and figuring things out, and then, uh, had a lot of experiential, experiential knowledge, but then also, uh, kind of putting those, uh, degrees in place to help bolster my, my messaging and my knowledge and my, my work with others.
Erik Weihenmayer: The mentor thing is really powerful, isn't it? I know. I mean, it can like. Be a cliche, like my mentors and so forth, but like, it really is this archetypal thing, right? When you're in need and you have these amazing people that come into your life. Like, you know, for me it's like, I think about like, guys like Didrik who produces this podcast, who took months out of their lives to help me get to the summit of Everest, you know?
Mm-hmm. And I, and, and that does have a profound effect on you, right? Because you want to be that person that then, you know, uh, keeps multiplying that. That new mindset right into the world and the best you can, right? Like it does make you step up. Right?
Adam Popp: Yeah. I couldn't agree more. I mean, I, I, I think, again, looking back to my hospital stay and that, that pivotal moment in my life and huge transform transformation, those people who stepped up in those moments and who had, you know, done the work authentically and been there and done that and coming in the room and saying like, look, I was in that bed at one point. And, um, you know, it's not always gonna be as bad as you think it is today. And, and here's how we can get you to, you know, the next day or the next step or, or whatever that look looks like for the person in that situation. And again, it's, it's leading by example in a lot of cases.
And, um, there were times when I was great at that and times I, you know, I probably wasn't so great, but, um, you know, the better we can be the club. Yeah. Right. So yeah, it is just a continuing process, right? So I still have mentors and there's people who are still, um, coming to me for advice and, you know, we're all better people because of that and because of these people and, and mentors in our lives.
Erik Weihenmayer: Yeah. And then related to those mentors, a lot of organizations came into your life, right? Like you went out into the world, I think you went to Vail Vets, which I'm a friend, I, I say an acquaintance of Of Gerald. Of Cheryl Jensen.
Adam Popp: Mm-hmm.
Erik Weihenmayer: Who as the founder of Vail Vets. And you skied with those guys and did all kinds of cool adventures and kind of got even more motivated, right.
Adam Popp: Yeah, that's right. And I, yeah, I think Cheryl's an acquaintance or friend of a, a lot of people, especially in Colorado, like a lot of people Oh yeah.
Erik Weihenmayer: She's a big influencer.
Adam Popp: Yeah. Um, so yeah, I, I, I was injured December 7th and I was with Vail Vets Skiing and Vail. Um, about four, three and a half, four, four months later, I was still in the wheelchair.
Um, I was out on, uh, one of those bi-skis with, you know, you're sitting down and had outriggers and, um, you know, I couldn't even walk yet, but I was out on the. Mountains skiing, veil, and, um, it's just, yeah, an incredible organization and opportunity to, um, open your eyes for holy cow was just in a hospital at that, like skiing.
Skiing, like what else is there out there?
Erik Weihenmayer: And then you went on to a mono ski, and then you're, I think now you're, you're standing up, right? Like you're, you, you're just skiing with one leg and like tracks on both, uh, instead of poles you have these like little track skis, right? That's how it works.
Adam Popp: Yeah, that's, that's correct. I actually wear a amazing, I actually wear a, a, a skiing prosthetic.
Erik Weihenmayer: Uh oh, you do. So you ski with, you have two skis then? That's correct? Yeah, that's correct. Okay, cool. I see people used to not do that, right. But now it seems like they're doing that more and more.
Adam Popp: Yeah, I think, uh, it's, you know, ev as with anything, it's kind of individual preference, right?
Um, and a lot of people do what they call three track, right? Where it's one ski, no prosthetic, and two outriggers. That seems hard. Um, yeah, that seems, I mean, that seems really hard. And, and those guys crush it. I mean, um, I probably can't keep up with most of them. And you know, for me it was, um, the ability to kind of to, to walk once I got done skiing on a prosthetic. And um, yeah, used two legs to balance. And that's just how I learned and how I prefer at this point.
Erik Weihenmayer: And then to jump a little bit, it went from those adventures to now being, uh, and I understood an eight time Guinness World record holder, like, you know, the fastest, uh, above the knee amputee, uh, a hundred mile ultra marathons. I mean, just like the list goes on and on. I can't even list them all. We'll list them in your bio, but like really crazy.
Adam Popp: Yeah, it is cra I mean, yeah, 10, 10 years ago at this point, I was pretty much sitting on the couch not doing much to, so to see um, yeah, what you can do in a short amount of time. It, it is crazy.
'Cause a lot of times I don't even feel like this is me who did it. Right? It's like some other guy. But it, it's easy to look now and say, oh, is these, these are so many, you know, amazing accomplishments or whatever. But, um, you know, it, it started 10 years ago and it was very, uh, it's been a lot of work over 10 years and it started very slowly and it wasn't glamorous.
Um, but you know. Starting back on April 15th, uh, my, my first like steps as a runner, um, and, you know, using a harness and falling down and, you know, I wasn't doing it for any of these accolades or, or records or times, right. Um, I was just doing, doing it for me, um, how it made me feel, the people around me just trying to be better.
Um, and yeah, it, it did lead, lead to some pretty incredible adventures and, and things, uh, quote unquote in the long run. But, um. But yeah, it's, at the end of the day, it's not why I do it and probably not why you do a lot of the things. Um, you do either.
Erik Weihenmayer: God, I'm just relating so viscerally because, you know, my dad was interviewed, uh, he passed away three years ago, but he was interviewed and they said, oh, this blind guy's, broken all these records.
My dad said, I never thought once about records. Mm-hmm. I just thought I wanted them to live a fulfilling life. Yeah, exactly. And yeah, it sounds similar, doesn't it?
Adam Popp: Yeah, exactly. And that's, um, you know, I have kids now and that's all I could ever wish for them too. Like, I, I couldn't care less about you know, degrees or accomplishments, but yeah.
Fulfilling life.
Erik Weihenmayer: And it just happens. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. The, the accomplishments and the records just happen. Mm-hmm. As a result of that fulfillment,
Didrik Johnck: No Barriers would like to thank Maison Hennessy, a partner since 2023 for supporting our projects and closely collaborating with us to promote diversity and inclusion amongst their employees.
Fueled by team spirit and collaboration. Hennessy believes that its rope team is its greatest strength and its greatest responsibility. This year, the world's leading cognac will celebrate 260 years of successes and challenges overcome through the strength of its employees, partners, and consumers across more than 160 countries.
To mark this milestone, Hennessy has commissioned an art piece from John Bramblett, a longtime friend of No Bear's. Thank you Maison Hennessy, for leaning into this no barriers life.
Erik Weihenmayer: So you got two master's degrees and along the way you observed I think a lot of people that were struggling with, you know, PTSD and physical challenges and, and so that was a part of it too, right?
Being a mentor now to so many, do you have some highlights of, of people that you met along the way that you, you know, that maybe inspired you?
Adam Popp: Yeah. I mean, they're countless. Yeah. Long story short, they're countless. And, you know, I met a lot of 'em through the work I did with organizations where, again, they're newly injured, they're at the hospital bed.
Um, and to watch them from the, the early days to see where they're at. Now, I know you've had Brad Snyder on here. He's the one that would mm-hmm. You know, spent, um, spent a short amount of time at Walter Re, but I met him through you know, that peer mentoring, uh, EOD Warrior Foundation visitation and, and there's so many countless others who, you know, literally their worst day you're there for it or, or one of their worst days.
Um, and then just to see kind of where they're at now, uh, flash forward 10, 15 years later, um, I mean, they're, they're countless.
Erik Weihenmayer: But now, so you've observed people, you've been through the experience a and experience yourself of, of working through trauma and injury. You've gotten master's degrees, you've met people along the way.
So I, is there anything like common, like universal archetypal about these people that go through challenges that get the shit kicked outta 'em, get shattered, and then want to come back and emerge into the world in some kind of profound way? That must be something you think about a lot because we think about that at No Barriers a lot.
Like what is the map, uh, this universal map that there we're all trying to build, to navigate our lives forward, right?
Adam Popp: Yeah, totally. And, and I mean, maybe I can use my own experience and, and some, some of my observations as well from others, but ma mainly speaking from my own experience, um, it seems to revolve a lot around action and actually doing as opposed to, um, you know, thinking or, or talking about this is what is important to me.
Um, okay, that's all good and well, but what is the action behind moving towards that person that You know, you, you aspire to be or, or you value or you think you, um, want to be. And for a long time, for me it was talking about it and thinking about it, but not doing a lot of action. Um, and as I mentioned earlier, it's like 2015 is when I started to put a lot of action around it.
Um, so it started with, you know, those first running steps and then snowballed into going back to school and, um, snowballed into, to cultivating and, and. Creating relationships and, and meaningful relationships and, um, a wife and kids and, you know, um, so it's, it's, it's a lot. It revolves a lot around action for me.
Um, and I think, you know, you see anybody who does really big things, um, there's so much action and work behind the scenes. Um, and that's for the most part why they are who they are and where they, and why they are, where they are. Um. And you know, there's, conversely there's people who I've met who have these great ideas and this is who I want to be. Um, but there's something getting in the way of block or a challenge getting in the way that, um, doesn't allow them to put actions behind the words.
Erik Weihenmayer: And those barriers getting in the way can be a myriad of things, right? It could be your own mind, it could be you know, your circumstances, your economic situation, right?
Like right.
Adam Popp: So yeah, totally couldn't agree more. Um, yeah, it, it could be so many things. Um, and yeah, I, I'll be the first to admit, I had a, a lot of, and you called a lot of them out, uh, uh, a lot of opportunities and, and accessibility to, to things that others don't have. And, um, that help helped me along the way for sure.
The, the nonprofits and organizations and prosthetic care and, uh, uh, medical care at Walter Reed and my support system. Right. Um, so I think all that's important too. That's like the ba the baseline in, in a lot of cases. Um, and then again, at the end of the day, it's up to the individual to, to capitalize on those and do the work and, um, and put, yeah, a lot of action around, around these ideas.
Erik Weihenmayer: And it's really cool. 'cause I, I was really, I'm really thinking as I'm listening to you, you know, like you actually started with the first stumbly falling down step with a harness on. Mm-hmm. And it's led to all these things. So when you first commit to that action, uh, you, maybe you can't see the future, but like, it snowballs as you, as I'm stealing your phrase, right?
Like, it one thing snowballs into the next
Adam Popp: Yeah. Let me be clear. Um, it, it goes the other way too, right? So. 2015 is when that, like first step was taken. Um, but my injury happened in December, 2007 and it took, you know, seven and a half, eight years to get to that point where I was ready to take, um, some action or at least a lot of action towards that direction of the person I wanted to be.
And, and yeah, to your point, I didn't know exactly, uh, who or what I wanted to be, but I knew, um, at least partially the direction I was, I wanted to be headed, uh, wanted to be headed in.
Erik Weihenmayer: So you now do a lot of speaking and a lot of coaching, I believe, and you talk a lot about how you go from surviving to thriving. Um, you have a cool company, I believe, or a project called Couch to 100, is that what it's called?
Adam Popp: Yeah, that's, that's my company's name and it's just, uh, yeah, born from my own experience of literally sitting on the couch for seven years to to couch to 100. Yeah. To doing a hundred mile, you know, it's the whole like couch to 5K thing.
But, uh, yeah, you know, I went from the couch to a hundred mile, uh, ultra in 19 months and, you know, the a hundred doesn't necessarily mean like a distance or a hundred miles, but, um, just being the. The, as close to, or, or, or striving for that, uh, a hundred percent of yourself.
Erik Weihenmayer: Mm-hmm. And so in your coaching, do you have people that say, Hey man, I'm surviving, but I'm not thriving quite yet and I want to sort of figure out how to do that.
And is it mostly around sports?
Adam Popp: It's mostly around sport now, right? So I, I, I did start towards the clinical path and, and worked with a lot of, uh, you know, uh, clients who were, um, you know, had clinical depression or clinical anxiety. Um, and that's what my initial degree was in, was clinical counseling. But more recently, yeah, I did start focusing more on athletes and um, working with athletes who wanted to be better on and off the field of play.
Erik Weihenmayer: And do you work with, uh, able-bodied and disabled athletes?
Adam Popp: Yeah, that's right. I mean, the large majority of my clients are able-bodied athletes. Um, but I do, I do work quite a bit with, um, athletes with disabilities and organizations such as like Dare to Try and Achilles, um, Achilles International, you probably know, um, and, and work with some of their athletes.
And do, you know, some, some presentations and, and seminars around what I do and how that links to athletes with disabilities.
Erik Weihenmayer: And so somebody's, you know, just kind of, they have big goals, right? For whatever their, uh, sports goal is. And they want to go beyond that, right? Like, whatever they're doing just isn't quite bringing them the fulfillment that they want.
Right? And so you put like a plan around it. Tell me just a tiny bit about that.
Adam Popp: Yeah. Fulfillment can be part, part of the plan, right? But yeah, it, it, it's working with individuals and understanding exactly what that individual needs. 'cause the, the individual needs can range from person to person, right.
Like, as you know. So it's working with them to understand what the challenge might be. Um, and then similar to physical training, it's putting together the, the, the training on the, the mental side to try out some skills and techniques that, um, can alleviate or, or help them overcome challenges. Just like with physical training or equipment or, you know, like we talked about mono skiing versus three tracking and four tracking. Um, it's so individually based and up to the person who is doing the work to understand how these skills or, or at least learn and train the skills, um, that are right for them through exploration and trial and error.
And, um, and then yeah, at the end of the day, we come up with, with some things to try out. And put a plan together and they go try it out and, you know,
Erik Weihenmayer: Sounds really fun. 'cause you're problem solving and it's, every situation is different, right?
Adam Popp: Yeah, exactly. And it's awareness building and understanding what happened in the past, like races and, uh, it is a lot of problem solving, a lot of, um, you know, hearing their story and, and kind of what the wall or barrier is. Um, and then helping like, come up with creative solutions and. Things from
Erik Weihenmayer: and how to motivate people. 'cause people are motivated in different ways too, right?
Adam Popp: Yeah. That's part of it too. Yeah. Huh? Mm-hmm.
Erik Weihenmayer: Well, it's really cool work and uh, yeah, uh, it sounds super amazing and, uh, and how long have you been doing that?
Adam Popp: Uh, I've been doing it for, well, it's a good question. Well, yeah, I mean, yeah, I've been, yeah, that's a hard answer. Yeah, I've been doing it, you know, basically since I was at the hospital in some form or another. So 2007. Right. But, um, you know, the athlete specific focus stuff has been in the last, uh, three-ish years, four-ish years.
Erik Weihenmayer: Well, good luck to you. I didn't, luck is the wrong word, but best to you and I hope that you grow that business and help a ton of people, uh, reach their goals and dreams.
Adam Popp: Yeah. I was just gonna say, a lot of people don't even, or, or, you know, they think of like sports psychology or mental performance and, um, oh, that's like something the pros use or, or, uh, the Olympians use.
But, um, I think it's invaluable to all walks of life and all levels of, uh, athlete.
Erik Weihenmayer: Yeah. Oh my gosh. Yeah. I mean, I'm relating to that. I mean, I've gone through so much in my athletic adventure career of, you know, working through fear and mm-hmm. Trying to figure out how to. Build that map of like your, you know, how to get from point A to point B.
It's, yeah, it's, you could spend a lifetime studying this stuff. Yeah. Well, cool. Adam, thank you so much. You are full, no barriers. I really enjoyed learning about you and, uh, we'll make sure we, you know, promote the Terry Fox film and, uh, I'm really glad to, to meet you. Thank you so much. Yeah, we're, we're neighbors so hopefully maybe we could, uh, go for a hike on North table or something in the near future.
Adam Popp: Yeah, that would be incredible. I hope to meet in person soon.
Erik Weihenmayer: Alright, cool. Thanks Adam. Thank you. No Barriers to everyone. Thanks everyone.
Didrik Johnck: The production team behind this podcast includes producer Didrik Johnck, that's me, an audio engineer, Tyler Kottman. Special thanks to the Dan Ryan Band for our intro song guidance, and thanks to all of you for listening. If you enjoyed this show, please subscribe, share it, and hey. We'd be thrilled for a review.
Show notes can be found at nobarrierspodcast.com. There's also a link there to shoot me an email with any suggestions or guest ideas for the show. Thanks so much and have a great day.
Music: And.
