Grief, Vulnerability, and Staying Here | Enduring Minds Guest: Cody Bradley
When the Armor Comes Off
When Evan and I started Enduring Minds, we weren’t trying to create another endurance podcast. We were trying to create space. Space for men, especially men in endurance sports, to take the armor off and talk about what’s really going on underneath the splits, the miles, and the finish-line smiles.
Episode 11 of Season 2, our conversation with Cody Bradley, reminded me exactly why this matters.
Showing, Not Explaining
From the moment Cody joined us, I could feel it. It was that nervous energy that comes with telling the truth out loud. But what stood out wasn’t nerves. It was honesty. Cody didn’t hide behind credentials or advice. He talked about his life as it is: ultra-runner, father, husband, entrepreneur, crossing guard, window cleaner. A full human, not a highlight reel.
And then the conversation went somewhere deeper.
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Grief Doesn’t Care About Timing
Cody shared a moment that stopped me in my tracks. It was the moment when he considered taking his own life. Four months after losing his father. A brand-new marriage. A newborn daughter. Joy on paper. Grief everywhere else.
What pulled him back was his daughter’s face.
As he spoke, I felt my own history rise up. 15 years sober, and years of unprocessed grief around my own father’s death. I realized, again, how easy it is to carry pain quietly while taking care of everyone else.
The Power of Sitting With Pain
Evn I didn’t try to fix Cody’s story. We didn’t offer advice. Instead we listened and held space. And in that space, something shifted,,,,,for all of us.
That’s something endurance sports rarely teach us: that presence is often more powerful than solutions.
Breaking Cycles, One Conversation at a Time
Our conversation naturally moved into parenting, emotional expression, and breaking generational trauma. Cody talked about apologizing to his kids. Letting them ask questions. Modeling accountability. This is not something we see as weakness. We believe that is leadership.
His project, Running With Purpose 314, named after his brother’s birthday, exists for one simple reason: to help even one person stay.
Why Enduring Minds Exists
This is what Enduring Minds is about. Real people who struggle and present hope.
You’re not broken for feeling this way.
And you’re definitely not alone.
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