Giacomo Bertagnolli is undoubtedly one of the greatest Para alpine skiers of all time, skiings down the mountain at rapid speed with just 5% vision.

After winning 4 medals at PyeongChang 2018 and another 4 medals at the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games, he arrives for the Milano Cortina 2026 with a new bold ambition: 5 gold medals across 5 core events. As one of the faces of the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games, the spotlight is on — and Giacomo knows it…

But Giacomo isn't just chasing medals. He is hoping to see his country change through hosting the Paralympic Winter Games for the second time. To see a new generation of disabled kids taking up Para sport, to see attitudes change, to see a meaningful legacy for disabled people across Italy.

Giacomo joins Matt from his home in northern Italy, just hours from Milano Cortina, in the final stages of his preparations. He talks to Matt the importance of his guide, what it takes to perform under pressure, his hopes for the Games, his dreams beyond Milano Cortina 2026 and much more.

Produced by the creators of the Emmy Award-winning Rising Phoenix, in official partnership with Milano Cortina 2026 and supported by Procter & Gamble, a worldwide Paralympic partner.

This is a Harder Than You Think production.

Host: Matt Stutzman

Producers: Calum Campbell and Vanessa Wheeler

Video Editor: Nic Woinilowicz

Audio Post Production: String and Tins

Sound Editor: Culum Simpson

Remote Recording Engineer: George Hinson

Audio Producer: Esi Jonuzi

Executive Producers: Greg Nugent and Barnaby Spurrier

The podcast’s soundtrack is titled “Rising Phoenix” - Written by Daniel Pemberton, Keith Jones, Toni Hickman and George Doman. Performed by Daniel Pemberton, Toni Hickman, georgetragic, and Keith Jones. Published by Alika’s Publishing, Doman Development, Moncur Street Music Limited, administered by peermusic (UK) Ltd.

For more from Rising Phoenix, follow on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok or visit risingphoenix.global

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sydney Peterson spent 6 years knowing something didn’t feel quite right, but without a full understanding of why. At the age of 19 she was diagnosed with dystonia, which changed her life.

Incredibly, soon after, Sydney shocked the world at the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games by winning multiple medals, marking a breakout moment early in her Paralympic career.

But Sydney is not just a great athlete. While training and preparing for the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games, Sydney is also working in a neuroscience lab in Utah, studying for a PhD. Balancing her training with life in the lab has been no easy feat.

Joining us from Soldier Hollow — one of the venues set to host the Utah 2034 Paralympic Winter Games — she talks to Matt about how she balances elite sport with her work and studies, what it takes to compete at the highest level, and what she’s most looking forward to as she enters the final weeks leading up to the Games.

Produced by the creators of the Emmy Award-winning Rising Phoenix, in official partnership with Milano Cortina 2026 and supported by Procter & Gamble, a worldwide Paralympic partner.

This is a Harder Than You Think production.

Host: Matt Stutzman

Producers: Calum Campbell and Vanessa Wheeler

Video Editor: Nic Woinilowicz

Audio Post Production: String and Tins

Sound Editor: Culum Simpson

Remote Recording Engineer: George Hinson

Audio Producer: Esi Jonuzi

Executive Producers: Greg Nugent and Barnaby Spurrier

The podcast’s soundtrack is titled “Rising Phoenix” - Written by Daniel Pemberton, Keith Jones, Toni Hickman and George Doman. Performed by Daniel Pemberton, Toni Hickman, georgetragic, and Keith Jones. Published by Alika’s Publishing, Doman Development, Moncur Street Music Limited, administered by peermusic (UK) Ltd.

For more from Rising Phoenix, follow on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok or visit risingphoenix.global

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s guest has built her life around two anchors: sport and music. And she’s used both to keep moving forward.

Mia Larsen Sveberg is a young, female wheelchair curler – a sport dominated by older men and defined by precision and nerve. No sweeping, no corrections. If you miss your line or your weight, that’s it. But Mia’s story starts long before the ice.

Raised in Norway by a father with a hearing impairment, sign language was her first language — and disability rights were part of everyday life. At ten, she joined her dad at protests in Oslo.

In this episode, Matt Stutzman talks with Mia about losing control of her body as a teenager, finding her way back through music and discovering wheelchair curling during lockdown — then rising fast from taking up wheelchair curling to joining the national team and then arriving at the Paralympic stage in Beijing in 2022.

We also get into the tactics of the game, competing in a mixed category and what it takes — mentally and physically — as she prepares for the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games.

Produced by the creators of the Emmy Award-winning Rising Phoenix, in official partnership with Milano Cortina 2026 and supported by Procter & Gamble, a worldwide Paralympic partner.

This is a Harder Than You Think production.

Host: Matt Stutzman

Producers: Calum Campbell and Vanessa Wheeler

Video Editor: Nic Woinilowicz

Audio Post Production: String and Tins

Sound Editor: Culum Simpson

Remote Recording Engineer: George Hinson

Audio Producer: Esi Jonuzi

Executive Producers: Greg Nugent and Barnaby Spurrier

The podcast’s soundtrack is titled “Rising Phoenix” - Written by Daniel Pemberton, Keith Jones, Toni Hickman and George Doman. Performed by Daniel Pemberton, Toni Hickman, georgetragic, and Keith Jones. Published by Alika’s Publishing, Doman Development, Moncur Street Music Limited, administered by peermusic (UK) Ltd.

For more from Rising Phoenix, follow on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok or visit risingphoenix.global

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.