# Ali Truwit Lost Her Leg to a Shark—16 Months Later She Was on a Paralympic Podium

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/confessions-of-an-elite-athlete-with-midge-purce-7828469/ali-truwit-lost-her-leg-to-a-shark-16-months-later-she-was-on-a-paralympic-podium
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/confessions-of-an-elite-athlete-with-midge-purce-7828469/ali-truwit-lost-her-leg-to-a-shark-16-months-later-she-was-on-a-paralympic-podium.md
Podcast: [Confessions of an Elite Athlete with Midge Purce](https://stenobird.com/podcast/confessions-of-an-elite-athlete-with-midge-purce-7828469)
Published: 2026-08-18T10:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/mgln.ai/e/257/pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.megaphone.fm/VMP9848897158.mp3
Audio file: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/mgln.ai/e/257/pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.megaphone.fm/VMP9848897158.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/confessions-of-an-elite-athlete-with-midge-purce-7828469/episodes/ali-truwit-lost-her-leg-to-a-shark-16-months-later-she-was-on-a-paralympic-podium
Duration seconds: 3766

## Resource

Two days after Ali Truwit graduated from Yale University, she was attacked by a shark, fought it off and won. She lost her foot and part of her leg, yet still, somehow, swam 75 yards back to her boat. Just sixteen months later she was standing on a Paralympic podium in Paris with two silver medals. In this episode, Midge Purce sits down with Ali to discuss her path from trauma, to radical self-acceptance, to the Paralympic podium. They dive deep into how our minds can be the biggest barrier to accomplishment, overcoming negative brain loops with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and why we are all far stronger than we think. Ali and Midge also talk about how they met at Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show in Miami, overcoming body dissatisfaction, and why Ali is embracing a multi-hyphenate identify. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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## Transcript

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