Episode 20: Rebuilding to Win Within with Chris Cullen

Episode 20: Rebuilding to Win Within with Chris Cullen

In this episode of Convergence, I sit down with a very special guest and familiar voice—Chris Cullen—for a real, unfiltered conversation about life beyond the surface. Chris is an author, speaker, mindset coach, and Ironman athlete, and he’s also my first repeat guest on the show. While his background spans collegiate and minor league baseball and over a decade in a successful corporate career, this conversation goes far beyond the résumé. We focus on what’s happening internally—the mindset shifts, life transitions, and experiences that actually shape who we become. A big part of this conversation centers around Chris’s recent surgery and recovery, and what that process has challenged him to confront. We talk about the mental side of slowing down, the identity shifts that come with being temporarily sidelined, and what it looks like to stay grounded and intentional when your normal routines and physical outlets are taken away. Because of our friendship, this conversation is honest, reflective, and grounded in authenticity. We explore the tension between external success and internal fulfillment, what it really looks like to pivot in life, and how to navigate change in a way that actually aligns with who you are. If you’re navigating a transition, working through a setback, or redefining what success looks like for you, this episode is for you. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Episode 19: Bouncing Foward (Not Back!) with Lindsey Wilkins

This week on Convergence, I’m recording from Austin, Texas with one of my closest friends, Lindsey Wilkins. Lindsey is a photographer, creative entrepreneur, former CrossFit coach, and now a first-time mom to her six-month-old son. We sit down for an honest conversation about identity, fitness, motherhood, business, and what it really means to move forward instead of “bounce back.” Lindsey shares how her fitness journey started in college, how she built a career in personal training, and how the pandemic pushed her to pivot into creative work and social media. We talk about the pressure of comparison—especially postpartum—what it’s like to run your own business without maternity leave, and how becoming a mom reshaped her definition of success. One of the biggest themes in this episode is identity. Lindsey opens up about still seeing herself as an athlete even when her body looks different, learning to focus on habits over outcomes, and redefining health in a way that supports longevity, presence, and joy—not just aesthetics. We also get into: * The reality of pregnancy and postpartum (and why no one fully understands it until they’re in it) * Social media, comparison, and how to curate your algorithm for your mental health * Process-based goals vs. outcome-based goals * Building resilience through hard seasons * Why you don’t need a comeback—you need a step forward * This conversation is raw, reflective, and full of perspective on growth, friendship, and embracing new seasons of life. Whether you’re navigating motherhood, a career shift, an injury, or any kind of life transition, I think you’ll walk away feeling seen—and reminded that hard things often shape us into stronger versions of ourselves. So grateful you’re here. Let’s dive in. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Episode 18: Where Strength Meets Surrender with Carter Gonzales

What happens when your body forces you to stop — and you don’t know if you trust it enough to start again? I sat down with my friend Carter to talk about injury and recovery, but what we really talked about was identity. A single moment on a flag football field led to both of his patellar tendons rupturing at the same time. Weeks in the hospital. Learning how to walk again. And just as he began to feel like himself, a second surgery that sent him back to the beginning. As an athletic trainer, Carter understood the mechanics of his injury. As a human, he still had to face the fear, frustration, and grief that came with losing trust in his own body. We talk about the parts of recovery that don’t get posted online — the mental weight, the quiet loneliness, the fear of reinjury, and the question that lingers long after the scars heal: Is going back worth it? This conversation isn’t about sport. It’s about patience. Community. Faith. And learning how to stay present when progress is slow and the future feels uncertain. If you’ve ever been sidelined — physically or emotionally — this episode is a reminder that healing isn’t linear, and you don’t have to navigate it alone. Stay tuned to follow along Carter's recovery journey alongside mine! ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Episode 17: Backstory: The Injury That Changed Everything

In this season premiere, I’m sharing the full story of what’s been happening in my life over the past few months—and why this season is all about recovery, resilience, and the comeback. I took a break after season one without knowing that when I returned, I’d be coming back with the biggest and most humbling story of my life so far. What started as mild back pain after a workout quickly spiraled into something far more serious. I pushed through pain, ran a 10K I probably shouldn’t have, and tried to convince myself I was fine—until everything came to a complete halt. Within weeks, I went from training and living an extremely active life to being unable to move, sleeping on couches in excruciating pain, and making multiple urgent care and emergency room visits. This episode walks through the moment everything changed: worsening numbness, a middle-of-the-night ambulance ride, an MRI that revealed a severely herniated L4–L5 disc, and the realization that I needed emergency spinal surgery that same day. I talk about learning that my condition—cauda equina syndrome—was a medical emergency that could have led to permanent nerve damage or paralysis if left untreated. And somehow, that still wasn’t the end of it. After surgery, I faced unexpected complications, including blood clots in both legs and both lungs, repeated hospital stays, intense chest pain, fainting episodes, and a difficult recovery process that tested me physically and mentally. I share what it felt like to wake up pain-free after surgery, only to be met with new challenges, uncertainty, and fear around my body and my future. This episode is about more than injury and surgery—it’s about identity, independence, and being forced to slow down when your life has always revolved around movement. I talk about the mental toll of recovery, the exhaustion of starting over, the vulnerability of asking for and receiving help, and the deep gratitude I feel for my family, friends, and medical team who carried me through the hardest weeks. Season two will be me documenting this recovery in real time—physical therapy, mindset shifts, rebuilding trust in my body, and redefining what strength and success look like moving forward. I’ll also be bringing on guests who are navigating their own difficult seasons, so we can explore what recovery really looks like in all its forms. If you’re going through something hard, feeling stuck in your body, or wondering how to come back after everything falls apart, this season is for you. This is Convergence. This is season two. And this is the comeback. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Episode 16: The Art of Making Life Awesome with Jacob Showers

In this episode, I’m hanging out with Jacob Showers, founder of AION Training and the most energetic and genuine person in any room. Jacob shares how his journey went from selling hoodies in college to coaching at various gyms, launching a virtual running club, and eventually creating AION, a community built on energy, intentionality, and making life as awesome as possible. We talk about what it really takes to grow a movement; from taking killer photos and connecting with people daily to building a culture that keeps the right people coming back. Jacob shares his perspective about the balance between discipline and fun, the value of saying what’s on your mind, and why he doesn’t believe in limiting yourself, ever. This conversation is part story, part mindset shift, and full of ideas on how to create a life (and community) that’s worth showing up for every day. Instagram: @aiontraining__ @jacobshowers__ Website: aiontraining.co ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.