Episode 265 | Five Years of The ACL Athlete Podcast + Five Lessons Learned

“I was diagnosed with a high-grade partial-thickness tear of the ACL. It was the biggest injury and shock of my life. I went to the hospital and was dismissed. I could not move my leg at all without extreme pain. I played and practiced through the pain and re-injured it multiple times before finally starting physical therapy.

I was referred to doctors and eventually scheduled for an MRI because my physio listened to me. In April, I received the MRI results and finally understood what had happened. It has been such a mental battle. It felt like no one understood how I felt, what I was going through, or how depressed I had become. Then I found your podcast.

The more I listened, the more I felt seen and heard. There were countless times I cried about my knee and then turned on your podcast. It has made an incredible impact on how I get through this. I know the odds of you seeing this are slim, but I wanted to say thank you because you truly make a difference and make me feel less scared. I am meeting my orthopedic surgeon this Tuesday, and I feel prepared because of you. Thank you for making me feel less alone and heard.”

That message came into my inbox this past year, and I saved it. I save every single one I receive. That is why I show up every week for five years. If you are new here, welcome to the ACL Athlete Podcast. If you have been here before, welcome back. I am your host, Ravi Patel, and this is episode 265.

I will be honest with you. I almost let this episode pass. Life is very full right now. I have two young kids under two years old, a business that does not slow down, and a calendar that seems to have a mind of its own. I forgot to record this when I planned to, but I could not let five years go by without sitting down and talking to you about what this has meant.

There is no perfect plan here. It is just you and me, like it has been for the past five years. I might get a little emotional because this truly means a lot to me. I need to start by saying something clearly: I am not just a clinician or a physical therapist who started a podcast about ACL rehab because it seemed like a good content strategy. I am an ACL athlete. I have lived this.

The first time I tore my ACL was in high school. Because of insurance issues, I had to wait longer than I should have. I sat with a torn knee, watching my teammates play, wondering when I would return and whether I ever truly would. I know what that waiting feels like. I know what that uncertainty does to your mind.

The second time I tore my ACL was in college. I had a $10,000 out-of-pocket maximum. For those outside the United States, that means you pay a large amount before insurance fully takes over. I was a senior in college, broke, working to pay rent and expenses. I did not have that kind of money.

I remember sitting in the surgeon’s office with my brother when they showed me what I would owe. There was an upfront charge of a few thousand dollars, and I did not even have a credit card that could cover it. My brother paid it and said we would figure it out. After surgery, I owed the full amount and paid $25 every month to avoid collections and protect my credit.

When athletes tell me finances are tough, I understand. It is not common for college students to pay $10,000 out of pocket for healthcare. I navigated that while managing school and debt. I did not want to wait years for surgery. I decided I would figure it out, like I always had.

Going through two ACL injuries did not make it easier. It made it harder because I knew what was coming. Every phase, every setback, every mental test. No two ACL journeys are the same, even on the same person. The comparison alone can get into your head.

I was fortunate to have people in my corner. After my second ACL surgery, I drove five hours home during Thanksgiving break without telling my immigrant parents ahead of time because I did not want to worry them. My mom was upset, but it was my way of protecting them. That support system carried me.

The ACL Athlete exists because of that experience. I wanted to be what I needed during those seasons. Showing up and building something from scratch did not start with me. I grew up in a small town in southeast Georgia. My parents owned and still own a small motel where we lived and worked.

As kids, my brother and I answered phones and cleaned rooms. My dad built that business from nothing after being fired from multiple jobs due to language barriers. There was no roadmap. No business coach. No shortcuts. Just consistency. I watched that every day.

My mom is one of the toughest and smartest people I know. She taught us not to quit. As an overweight Indian kid in a rural Georgia town, I struggled. Sports were hard. School was isolating. In seventh grade, I decided I would outwork everyone around me. That mindset still lives in me today.

The first episode of this podcast went live on February 4, 2021. We were in the middle of COVID. I had no audience and no strategy. I recorded that first episode more times than I want to admit. I was nervous even though no one was listening. I simply knew athletes deserved better information and support.

I genuinely thought my wife, Abigail, was responsible for most of the first 100 downloads. Then I received a message from a stranger saying the podcast helped them. That was when I realized this was real. Now I receive messages weekly, and I save every one.

One athlete wrote that they tore their ACL four months prior, completed prehab, and just had surgery. They said they would have been lost without the podcast. Another shared that every episode felt like a hug and helped them feel understood. I do not read these to celebrate myself. I read them because these people are the point.

This podcast exists for the ACLer who finished PT and feels lost. For the one in the middle of ACL rehab who feels scared. For parents, clinicians, and coaches walking alongside them. That is who I speak to every week.

Over five years, this has grown beyond anything I imagined. This is episode 265. There have been over 301,000 downloads across 157 countries and nearly 9,500 cities. When I started recording at our small kitchen island, I could not have imagined those numbers. Every download represents a person who needed this.

Now I want to share five lessons from five years.

Lesson One: Consistency Wins.
There is nothing glamorous about showing up when it feels like nothing is working. I have recorded episodes during exhausting seasons. I did not hit record because I felt motivated. I did it because I made a commitment. That is what consistency is. The results are buried in repetition.

Lesson Two: Do Not Get Too High on the Highs or Too Low on the Lows.
In business and in ACL rehab, progress is not linear. Great weeks do not mean you have everything figured out. Hard weeks do not mean you are failing. Stay anchored to the work, not your emotions. The highs and lows are data points, not verdicts.

Lesson Three: Embrace Your Support System and Ask for Help.
I am wired to do things myself, but that is not a strength. It is avoidance. Nothing I have built happened alone. The athletes who do best in ACL rehab are the ones who let people in. Asking for help is one of the highest leverage decisions you can make.

Lesson Four: Do Hard Things.
Comfort can quietly steal growth. The athletes who come out stronger are the ones who choose the hard version on purpose. Hard things build proof. That proof lives in your body and mind long after the season ends.

Lesson Five: Fear and Action Can Coexist.
Fear does not disappear before action. I was afraid when I launched this podcast, made my first hire, and made major decisions. You will feel fear when loading your knee, sprinting, or cutting again. Fear can be present, but it does not get to be in charge. Action builds trust.

When I started this podcast, I was a different version of myself. I did not have children. Now I have two sons, Asher and Liam. I want them to see their father build something that matters. Something rooted in service, consistency, and values.

To my wife, Abigail, none of this exists without your support. And to everyone who has listened, shared, or sent a message over these five years, thank you. If this podcast has helped you, share this episode with one ACLer who needs it right now.

From one ACL athlete to another, here is to five years. Let us keep going. This is your host, Ravi Patel, signing off.