Chris Campbell’s fortitude propelled him to unretire and win an Olympic medal

The Invisible Men

In this episode, Ian and Nique are joined by Chris Campbell — world champion wrestler, Olympic bronze medalist, and a practicing attorney. Chris shares how a deeply-engrained sense of intestinal fortitude empowered him to push through academic and athletic barriers and carve a pathway to success in wrestling and law. For example, Chris was unable to compete in high-school wrestling his junior year after his mother declined to sign a permission slip, so he travelled 45 minutes every day to a local junior college to train with men. In his senior year of high school wrestling he won a state championship and was recruited by Olympic champion Dan Gable. Later, Chris persevered through academic challenges and doubt to earn an amazing score on the LSAT and gain admissions to law school even as several people told him he wasn’t cut out to be an attorney.

Chris also shares how his school’s emphasis on providing all students with exposure to holistic opportunities in academic, athletics, and music at a young age opened the door for Chris to identify his passion for athletics. In particular, it was one little league football coach who shaped Chris’s love for sports through his quiet, character-based approach to coaching. Tune in to the full episode to learn more of Chris’s story and hear his words of advice for “Darryl.”

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