Sparking Joy Through Adversity: Amberly Lago's Journey from Tragedy to Resilience

In this inspiring episode of The Nathan Newberry Show, bestselling author and motivational speaker Amberly Lago shares her remarkable journey of resilience after a devastating motorcycle accident left her with an incurable nerve disease and facing possible leg amputation. From her new book "Joy Through the Journey" to her insights on finding purpose in pain, Amberly reveals how she transformed tragedy into a platform that empowers others to find joy regardless of their circumstances.

Introduction: Redefining High Performance Through Self-Care

What does high performance truly mean? For Amberly Lago, it's not just about achievement—it's about holistic well-being.

"Being at your best mentally, spiritually, and physically...if you are a high performer, you're taking care of your health," Amberly explains. After surviving a life-altering accident that resulted in 34 surgeries and left her with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (dubbed "the suicide disease"), Amberly realized that true high performance requires creating "a life that you don't want to escape from."

This powerful perspective shapes her work today as an author, speaker, and coach who travels the world empowering others. Despite facing medical professionals who told her she'd never walk or work again, Amberly clung to the 1% chance of saving her leg and defied all expectations. Now, through her new book "Joy Through the Journey" and her Unstoppable Life Mastermind, she helps others—particularly female entrepreneurs—develop the same resilience that transformed her own life.

The Transformative Power of Tragedy: From Fitness Professional to Purpose-Driven Speaker

Fifteen years ago, Amberly Lago's life looked completely different. As a successful fitness professional with 26 years in the industry, she was sponsored by Nike, appeared in fitness videos and infomercials, and even graced vitamin labels. Everything changed when she was hit by an SUV while riding her motorcycle.

"My femoral artery was severed," Amberly shares. "I was in the hospital for months...in a coma. When I woke up out of a coma, they said, 'We're so sorry we're going to have to amputate your leg.'"

For someone whose identity and livelihood were tied to physical fitness, this news was devastating. Yet Amberly refused to accept the prognosis: "I had a 1% chance of saving it, so I hung on to that 1% and it took months, but they were able to finally save my leg, piece by piece, put it back together."

The aftermath was equally challenging:

• Out of work for a year and a half as the main breadwinner
• $2.9 million in medical expenses
• A lien placed on her home
• Diagnosis of an incurable nerve disease

Despite these overwhelming circumstances, Amberly made a profound decision: "I think that we are not defined by our circumstances, but we are defined by our resilience, and then we get to choose to have a life of joy."

The Grit Behind the Growth

Amberly credits her childhood with building the foundational grit that helped her survive this ordeal. "Every hard thing that I went through as a child taught me grit and taught me that I was capable of having the life that I want if I'm willing to do the work and put the work in," she explains.

This perspective aligns with research from Angela Duckworth, whom Amberly quotes: "Grit is the key predictor in success. It's not how good-looking you are, how much money you have...it's your ability to work hard for long periods of time."

However, Amberly's journey taught her that grit alone can be dangerous. When she found herself in the ICU after pushing too hard, a doctor delivered a wake-up call: "If you would have waited one more day, you would have been dead."

This sobering moment forced her to reassess her understanding of resilience: "I mistook health scares for heroic acts and sacrifice for success and stubbornness for strength and fear for function. And I called this grit and convinced myself it was good until I was on the brink of burnout."

The Difference Between Happiness and Joy: Finding Purpose in Pain

A central theme in Amberly's philosophy and her new book is the distinction between happiness and joy—a difference that has profound implications for how we navigate life's challenges.

"Happiness is fleeting. It's kind of a feeling," Amberly explains. "Joy comes from God. I think it comes from deep within you."

This distinction became crystal clear when Amberly was experiencing the external "happiness" of career success—appearances on The Today Show, The Doctors TV, and Hallmark. When she shared her excitement with her father, his response was simple but profound: "Don't forget to enjoy the journey."

Choosing Joy in the Present Moment

For Amberly, joy isn't something we achieve when we reach a destination or milestone. It's a choice we make in the present moment:

"I think sometimes people think, 'Oh, well, I'll be happy when,' or 'I'll have joy when I get the job,' or 'I reach the destination,' or 'I marry that guy,' or 'I marry that girl,' or 'I make all that money.' But really, it's about choosing joy in the present moment by embracing gratitude and embracing your purpose."

This perspective is especially remarkable considering Amberly lives with constant chronic pain. Her approach to managing this daily challenge reveals practical wisdom for anyone facing persistent difficulties:

"The minute I wake up in the morning, sometimes the pain wakes me up, sometimes I'm already in pain, sometimes it's with the first step I take. And I could easily have that inner critic, that inner bully saying, 'See, Amberly, you can't even walk without a limp today. Maybe you should just give up.'"

Instead, Amberly turns to gratitude as her antidote: "Gratitude is alchemy. It really shifts the way you feel, and it changes what you can't do into what you can do and what you don't have into what you do have."

Creating a Joyful Ritual

Amberly emphasizes the importance of establishing personal joy rituals—consistent practices that ground you in gratitude and purpose:

"I think it's important to have a joyful ritual, and that's different for me than it is for you...really pause and ask yourself what brings you joy."

For Amberly, these rituals include:

• Listening to gospel music on the way to the gym
• "Rocking out to AC/DC" while working out
• Spending time in nature
• Noticing sunrises and sunsets
• Playing with her puppy (aptly named "Nugget"—"a little nugget of Joy")

By intentionally incorporating these small moments of joy into her daily routine, Amberly creates a buffer against pain and negativity, proving that joy is a choice we can make regardless of circumstances.

Building an Authentic Platform: Balancing Ambition with Self-Care

As a successful speaker, author, and coach, Amberly now helps others—particularly female entrepreneurs—build their own platforms while maintaining balance and authenticity.

Through her Unstoppable Life Mastermind, she helps women develop their speaking skills, launch podcasts, and write books. "I really want to see more females step into their power, speaking on more stages, sharing their message," she explains.

What makes her approach unique is that she doesn't just teach—she creates opportunities: "I put my Mastermind members on stage...sometimes that's all you need is that one chance to get on stage and say, 'Here I am on stage being a speaker,' and here's my sizzle reel, and I shared the stage with this person."

The Delicate Balance of High Performance

Amberly's own journey has taught her valuable lessons about sustainable high performance. After finding herself doing "Zoom marathons" (once spending 12 hours straight on video calls), she's developed clear boundaries around her energy:

• Having an assistant who blocks off her calendar from 5:00-7:00 AM daily for personal time
• Limiting herself to one keynote per day
• Doing no more than three interviews per day
• Using the acronym HALT: "Never get too Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired"

She also emphasizes the importance of getting regular wellness treatments and surrounding yourself with people who will hold you accountable: "I am grateful I have good people around me that will say, 'Amberly, you're starting to crash again. Do you need to have the nurse come over and give you an IV treatment?'"

Authenticity as the Foundation of Growth

When asked what has contributed most to her growth, Amberly points to authenticity: "You're going to connect with people more and really find who you need to connect with online, in life, when you are being authentically yourself. You're not trying to be like somebody else."

This authenticity was deepened through her recovery journey. After her accident, Amberly turned to alcohol to manage her pain, eventually becoming an alcoholic. Getting sober in 2016 required "radical honesty" with herself and others.

"I think that's helped me just because I don't know any other way other than just to keep it real," she reflects. "Isn't life a little easier if you just tell the truth?"

Conclusion: Turning Pain into Purpose

Amberly Lago's story is a powerful testament to the human capacity for resilience and joy even in the face of overwhelming adversity. From a devastating motorcycle accident that nearly cost her her leg to building a life and career helping others find their own strength, she exemplifies what it means to transform pain into purpose.

Her journey reminds us that high performance isn't just about external achievements—it's about creating a sustainable life that nourishes us mentally, physically, and spiritually. By choosing gratitude, establishing joy rituals, and embracing authenticity, we can all find moments of joy regardless of our circumstances.

As Amberly puts it, "This journey that I'm on, it's turned pain into purpose for me." Her newly released book, "Joy Through the Journey: Shift Your Mindset, Embrace the Present Moment, and Cultivate Resilience Amidst Life's Ups and Downs," offers readers the tools to do the same.