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An Odyssey of Resilience: Biking from Alaska to Argentina | Sam Maddaus

When it comes to pushing through and achieving the unimaginable, our minds will give out well before our bodies. The question is: can you control the mind and overcome the doubts that it produces?

After losing his leg in a motorcycle accident, Sam Maddaus made a decision few people would consider and even fewer would attempt: he set out alone to ride a bicycle 16,000 miles from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska to Ushuaia, Argentina using a prosthetic leg.

Over the course of 21 months, Sam crossed continents, endured physical pain, navigated uncertainty, confronted isolation, and repeatedly faced moments that could have ended the journey. Instead, he kept moving.

In this episode of 12 Geniuses, we explore not only the expedition—but the operating system behind Sam’s extraordinary endurance.

Sam shares how he prepared physically, mentally, and emotionally for an audacious goal with no guarantees. He reflects on the confidence required to begin, the role of identity after loss, and whether prior achievements mattered when facing a challenge of this scale.

The conversation then turns to lessons every leader, founder, executive, and decision-maker can apply:

• How resilience is built

• The power and limits of self-talk

• What doubt sounds like in real time

• How to continue when quitting feels rational

• Distinguishing between discomfort and pain

• Reinvention after disruption

• What extreme adversity reveals about character, capability, and purpose

• How small wins build on each other to create character, confidence, and exceptional resilience

This is a conversation about endurance, adaptation, and discovering that your perceived limits may not be where you think they are.

For global business leaders navigating volatility, change, and high-stakes decisions, Sam’s story offers a rare look at what sustained resilience actually requires.

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Meet Your Host, Don MacPherson

Don MacPherson is the founder, CEO, and Host of 12 Geniuses

Don MacPherson is host of 12 Geniuses - a podcast for curious and voracious learners. A six-time entrepreneur, Don spent 25 years researching the employee and customer experiences, the attributes of great leadership, and how healthy organizational cultures are created and sustained. Now, Don interviews geniuses from around the world about the trends shaping the way we live and work. From AI to biotechnology, aging to addiction, cybersecurity to privacy, and climate change to space travel, Don uses these insights to help business leaders better understand what these trends are, how they are positioned to disrupt companies and industries, and how new value can be created for those willing to make the necessary changes.

An avid traveler and volunteer, Don has visited every corner of the world and been a Big Brother mentor for more than 20 years. He is the former executive director Think2Perform Research Institute where he helped to create the organization’s Future Leaders Academy. Don is a board member of Leadership Garden, an organization that helps young people develop the life skills needed to make a positive difference in their community. In October 2024, Don co-founded Home at Home - an organization that enables seniors to age gracefully, safely, and vibrantly in the comfort of their own homes.