What Makes Us Human? - Stuart St Paul

Some people tell stories. Others live them. And then there are people like Stuart St Paul… who have done both. From working in high-risk stunt environments… to directing award-winning films… to building a career around storytelling, Stuart has lived a life that most people only see on screen. But what makes this conversation different isn’t just where he’s been… it’s where his work has taken him now. In his latest project, Strictly Human, Stuart steps into a space that hits close to home for this community. The story centers around an amputee navigating identity, technology, and what it means to remain human in a world that’s constantly evolving. It’s not a personal story from lived limb loss… but it is a perspective. And that perspective opens the door to a bigger conversation. What does it mean to tell a story about a community you’re not part of? What responsibility comes with that? And what happens when the line between human and machine starts to blur? This episode goes beyond film, beyond writing, and into something deeper. It’s about reinvention, resilience, and the power of storytelling to shape how people understand adversity and identity. If you’re new here, this is AMP’D UP211, a podcast built around real conversations with people navigating life after limb loss, trauma, and the unexpected turns that come with it. No scripts, no filters… just honest dialogue and perspectives that matter. This one is different. It’s thoughtful, it’s a little provocative, and it might just change the way you think about the stories we tell, and who gets to tell them. -Rick Bontkowski