The Zack Arnold Podcast Transforming Your Disabilities Into Superpowers | with Erik Stolhanske
“I never wanted anything to stop me. Not even having a wooden leg.”
- Erik Stolhanske
Erik Stolhanske is an actor, writer and producer probably best known for his role as ‘Rabbit’ in Super Troopers 1 and 2. And if you’re one of the many P90X junkies like me, you might also remember Erik as the guy with the prosthesis in the plyometrics video (yes…the guy with a wooden leg in the jumping workout!). No matter his role (and he has a lot), Erik always brings his unstoppable mindset and a tenacity to pursue the most challenging goals, no matter the obstacles. And given Erik was born with only one leg, he’s had to overcome a lot.
Whether you are battling a physical, mental, emotional, or circumstantial disadvantage in your life, this episode will leave you feeling empowered to go after your own S.T.U.P.I.D. goals (and you’ll learn all about what that means). If you’ve ever felt as if a specific disability in your life has been sabotaging you from achieving the life you dream of, you’re going to love Erik’s advice on how to not only to accept your disability (and yes, we ALL have one) but how to turn it into your superpower.
Erik will teach you how to better respond to every ‘no’ you encounter in your life (whether it’s coming from yourself or others) and frame it positively. We’ll discuss Erik’s ‘red light, green light’ game (and you’ll get to witness me in the hot seat) that is an exercise geared towards not only building resilience against the word ‘no’, but learning how to use it to activate new ideas, and you’ll also hear the inspiring story of how Super Troopers took a decade to become a reality. This is a light-hearted and humorous conversation that will no doubt leave you feeling inspired to make whatever the ‘wooden leg’ is in your life your superpower.
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Here's What You'll Learn:
- Erik’s story of what it was like growing up as a child with a wooden leg
- The mindset it takes to aim for toughest goals in life when you have a disability
- KEY TAKEAWAY: Everyone has a disability or something holding us back, but instead of letting that stop us we can find acceptance and even learn to use it as our superpower
- Why you shouldn’t believe you can actually do anything you set your mind to
- KEY TAKEAWAY: You are going to fail in life, and that’s ok
- The rise in “Toxic Positivity” and how it’s affecting us all negatively
- What it means to set S.T.U.P.I.D. goals (and why we should all be doing it)
- How the movie Super Troopers went from an Independent Film to a Blockbuster hit
- The two things it actually takes to reach your loftiest goals (neither of which is luck)
- The difference between a challenge and a disability
- The one thing it takes to embrace your disability and make it your superpower
- Why Erik originally wanted to hide his wooden leg, and what happened to change that
- The story of how Erik got on p90x and how it helped him embrace his disability
- KEY TAKEAWAY: The only way to get big results is to go for big goals (and embrace big failures)
- How to make hearing ‘No’ a positive moment that only leads to more growth
- What the game “red light, green light” is, and how you can play
Useful Resources Mentioned:
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Guest Bio:
Erik Stolhanske
Erik Stolhanske is a Hollywood comedian, actor, writer, producer, and member of the Broken Lizard Comedy Group. He is best known as "Officer Rabbit" from the 2001 cult-classic comedy Super Troopers and the 2018 sequel Super Troopers 2. As one of the five principal members of the famed sketch comedy troupe, he has starred in all of the Broken Lizard films including Beerfest (2006), The Slammin' Salmon (2009), Club Dread (2004), and Puddle Cruiser, as well as performed in The Sweetest Thing (2002) and The Onion Movie (2008). On television, he can be seen on the HBO critically acclaimed series Curb Your Enthusiasm and Six Feet Under, as well as the Comedy Central special Broken Lizard Stands Up.
Erik has written, produced and starred in all the Broken Lizard comedies, including all the Super Troopers films. Together, they collaborate on the screen-writing, acting and productions of all their films.
Show Credits:
This episode was edited by Curtis Fritsch, and the show notes were prepared by Debby Germino and published by Glen McNiel.
The original music in the opening and closing of the show is courtesy of Joe Trapanese (who is quite possibly one of the most talented composers on the face of the planet).
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