·S4 E98
Play From Your Heart | Scott Martin on Losing His Hands and Rebuilding Through Sport
Episode Description
In 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.
Timestamps
00:00 Play From Your Heart
01:04 Coaching as Learning
02:48 Parenting and Leadership
07:20 Life Changed Overnight
10:29 Driven Before Illness
14:25 Coaching Philosophy
19:46 Mentors and Culture
31:31 Illness Warning Signs
35:10 Coma and Wake Up
38:36 Identity and Grief
50:01 Adoption Journey
59:38 Return to Coaching
01:14:03 Writing the Book
01:18:53 Disability Advocacy
01:20:46 Paralympics and Media
01:30:05 Building a Winning Team
01:35:36 Empathy and Accountability
01:40:00 Lightning Round
Learn more about Scott here.
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