⚠️ Content Note: This episode contains brief discussions mentioning suicide, family dynamics, childhood, and sexual abuse.
If you or someone you love is struggling, please know that you are not alone. Help is available.
📞 Call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline—free, 24/7, and confidential.

Welcome to another episode of The Unworthy Leader Podcast with host Kendra Dahlstrom, trusted advisor to Fortune 50 leaders. This week, Kendra sits down with Chris Downing—celebrated fitness expert, transformational coach, and creator of a high-impact training platform featuring more than 300 on-demand workouts. But Chris is more than a trainer; he’s a heart-first leader whose unique coaching style blends fitness, mindset, and humor to help people unlock their true potential.

In this candid and powerful conversation, Chris opens up about his journey from a traumatic childhood to becoming a global voice for resilience, growth, and presence. Together, Kendra and Chris explore how self-doubt, forgiveness, and mindset shifts shape leadership roles both inside and outside the gym. From tackling imposter thoughts to redefining what success looks like, this episode is a masterclass in choosing authenticity over perfection.

💡 Key Topics & Takeaways

✨ Potential Is Unlocked, Not Created
Chris shares how most people carry untapped potential—waiting for the right blueprint and the belief to activate it. His coaching helps clients see what they couldn’t see in themselves.

✨ Mindset Shifts for Real Change
True transformation isn’t about doing more reps—it’s about changing your identity. Chris highlights how shifting self-worth creates outcomes that no workout plan alone can deliver.

✨ Forgiveness as Freedom
One of the rawest moments of the episode: Chris explains how forgiving those who hurt him wasn’t for them—it was for his own liberation. Without forgiveness, growth and leadership accountability can’t take root.

✨ A Unique Coaching Style
Chris blends fitness and personal growth, creating a safe space where clients can make mistakes in leadership, reset, and rebuild. His philosophy? Progress > perfection, always.

🎧 Tune In & Take Action
If you’ve ever wrestled with self-doubt, struggled to forgive, or felt stuck in old patterns, this episode will show you how to move forward with heart, humor, and hope.

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Connect with Chris: Website | Instagram | YouTube

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