Jothy's Story Part I: From Childhood Cancer and Amputation to Startup Grit

Designing Successful Startups

Summary

In Part I, Jothy shares his personal story of grit and resilience after losing his leg to bone cancer. He discusses how his grit developed through overcoming challenges and setbacks, such as learning to walk on crutches and eventually climb mountains on crutches. Then he had to deal with the other shoe dropping as the cancer spread three years later to his left lung which had to be removed. He had chemo and was told he had zero chance of survival. He did survive and went on to get a PhD in computer science from Duke where he then taught for five years.

Takeaways

• Grit and resilience can be developed through overcoming challenges and setbacks.
• People with disabilities often exhibit traits such as insecurity, exceptionalism, and discipline, which contribute to their overachievement.
• The motto 'Who says I can't' can serve as a powerful motivator and rallying cry.

Sound Bites

"I love talking about other people's grit, but I rarely get a chance to talk about how my grit came about."

"If I just focused and worked hard on something, even something that seemed as simple as crutch walking, I could actually do better at it than anyone ever anticipated."

"Who says I can’t is my rallying cry. It’s not a question. It has an exclamation point."

Chapters

00:00 Introduction: Jothy Rosenberg's Personal Story of Grit

08:21 Overcoming Challenges: From Amputation to Crutch Walking