Candid conversations with Chris who defied the odds

Where does one start with Chris Owens? Once 302 pounds, he put a renewed focus on his health, traveled across the country to take care of his ailing grandparents, got engaged, and now is working to get in the Army.

TAMAR:
I am so excited. I’m bringing you Chris Owens, another one of my David Goggins groupies. He and I met, but he is like the sweetest, coolest guy here. We’ll share his story, like his background, it’s really fascinating. I definitely it’s funny because Chris and I were supposed to podcast like six times, maybe more like two. But he’s had a lot of stuff going on in his life. So he’s going to share all of that. I hope I’m putting you on the spot here, but thank you so much for joining us.

Chris Owens:
I like it. I like I like getting thrown right into the lion’s den. It’s the only way to do it.

TAMAR:
That’s right. That’s right. Yeah. Yeah. So where are you physically in the world.

Chris Owens:
Physically in the world? So, depending upon where you want to start at, basically I’m just recovering from about 16 months ago now and November 4th, 2019, I had an almost fatal vehicular accident. Apparently what I was told was I had a seizure, but I don’t actually remember being told that, unfortunately. Nevertheless, I hit a semi truck on the highway fully loaded, and I’ve got pictures on Facebook and things like that, just a reminder and so forth.

Chris Owens:
But I at one point in time, like Goggins, I was 302 about six years ago, three hundred and two pounds. I had a micro lumbar discectomy. I was out of shape and just I started listening to David, a lot of the different motivational things like Admiral Craven, some different stuff, and just started trying to change my life and the impact of that semi, I’ll never forget it.

TAMAR:
Wow. Wow. So, so OK. So going back, where are you? You’re in the U.S., but where you’re like somewhere. I don’t know what time zone. What state?

Chris Owens:
Yes, ma’am, no, absolutely. I’m in Oregon. I’m in the Portland area more specifically, so Pacific.

TAMAR:
Cool. Cool. Awesome. Awesome. OK, so I don’t even, yeah, like I said, I have no idea where to start.

Chris Owens:
For sure. I can certainly go with it and take over with with whatever we need to do. So as far as my life goes, yeah. I had a real rough childhood growing up. I won’t go too much into it. But I was I was molested by my father. I was physically, emotionally abused by my stepfather, which is it’s made me a better man overall.

Chris Owens:
This made me a better father. If they were around, I would I would say thank you for doing a service and making me a better man. So that’s kind of part of my past. Where I’m at now though, is I’m in a much, much better place. I’ve I’ve forgiven the past and let go of so many issues that I held onto for so long and that stuff tears you down. You can’t do that. It’s poisonous.

TAMAR:
It is 100 percent. So you’re like a caretaker for your grandparents. Talk about that for a minute, because I think it is fascinating. That’s awesome.

Chris Owens:
Oh, thank you, ma’am. Yes, ma’am. If you go back to with me a little bit on about 30 May 2020, I left North Carolina, about the Fort Bragg area, and came out to see them, and long story short, found out how bad it was with them both having cancer and wanting to help out they needed it. So I just went ahead and said, OK, you know, you guys are OK with me coming and staying here, then more permanently, let’s do this. Thankfully, we went through a lot of chemotherapy, radiation therapy with my grandmother. She had a seven inch mass near her liver and her spine. She ended up becoming completely cancer free. So we had a lot of success in that area.

TAMAR:
So awesome. Awesome. And then you got engaged.

Chris Owens:
So I did. I did. Thanks so much for bringing that up. So kind. My girlfriend at the time proposed to me. She’s an amazing, amazing woman, the best woman I’ve ever met in my life and could ever imagine to meet. And then of course after that, after going, I’m “man, I can’t let this stand.” So I got her a ring and then I proposed to her so and she thankfully and happily said yes.

TAMAR:
So awesome. Awesome, so did you meet her in Portland or whe