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!

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