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RSS Feed Episode 324: Adaptability, Identity, and Choosing What Matters w/ David Hiler
David Hiler’s answer to “What does it mean to be growth ready? ”is simple—and hard-earned: adapt to whatever comes your way.
A lifelong runner and hospitality entrepreneur, David’s life changed fast when a knee issue turned into cancer. Faced with two paths—an invasive rebuild with uncertain outcomes or amputation with a clear shot at living fully—he chose the decision that protected what mattered most: movement, presence, and the life he wanted to keep saying yes to.
Then came the second wave: recovering during COVID while trying to keep multiple hospitality businesses alive. What followed wasn’t just a comeback story. It was a full reset.
In this conversation, David shares what it looked like to let go of the “more, bigger, next” mindset, selling the house, exiting the businesses, and trading a life of constant pressure for a life built around freedom, health, and daily happiness. Along the way, he talks candidly about the hard days too: the frustration, the self-consciousness, the work of journaling when you don’t feel like it, and the discipline of choosing yourself before life forces the issue.
About the Guest:
David Hiler is a former hospitality operator who built and ran multiple businesses, including a restaurant and brewery, before stepping into a new chapter after losing his leg to cancer.
Today, David works as a consultant for bed & breakfasts and country inns, while traveling full-time with his wife in an RV—building a life around movement, simplicity, and the places that make them feel most alive.
He’s also an advocate for accessible mobility through So Everybody Can Move, supporting efforts to improve insurance coverage for prosthetic options that help amputees live fully (including water legs, running blades, and sport-specific prosthetics).
Connect with David:
- Instagram: @davidheiler
- Advocacy: https://soeverybodycanmove.org
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Consultant
I’m an active person. Up until last year I owned and operated a 200-seat restaurant, 15 barrel brewery and a 45-site campground, in Brattleboro, Vermont. I enjoy hiking, biking, kayaking, traveling and generally being outdoors. I loved to ride my ‘76 BMW motorcycle. One of my biggest joys, though, is running. For most people running is not a “joy”, but for me, its my solitude, my meditation, my focus, my “unplugged” time. I ran four marathons from 2013 to 2016, all under 3 1/2 hours. In 2016 after a half marathon I noticed a lump on the side of my left knee. I was a little concerned. “No problem” my doctor said, “its Synovial Chondromatosis, a benign cartilage disease. If it gets bigger, starts to hurt, then come back and see me”. Two years later after another lump and some softer tissues on the back and side of my knee, my doctor saw a problem. She recommended I see an oncologist in Boston, even though she assured me it was not cancer. It was cancer. I had a rare form of bone cancer called Chondrosarcoma. Luckily, it was isolated to my knee. Unluckily, it was all over my knee. The options were to try to save the leg and face the prospect of chemotherapy / radiation and lots of follow up operations, all with the best case scenario of having a “tube with a foot”. OR, amputate above the knee and begin a new life as an active amputee with a prosthetic leg. It was a no brainer.
To say it's been easy would be untruthful. Reading through my journals from those early days is a strong reminder of how miserable I was in the beginning. But I had the incredible suppo… Read More