Normal 40: The Podcast

About Normal 40: The Podcast

Hosted by Lon Stroschein I walked away from the career I built—at the top—because it was costing me my life. Now, I help high performers make The Trade. This podcast is for the ones who have everything… and still feel like something’s missing. Real stories. Raw truth. No more waiting. Let’s Ramble. normal40.substack.com (https://normal40.substack.com/s/normal-40-the-podcast?utm_medium=podcast)

Publisher

Lon Stroschein

Category

education · health & fitness

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

31 Aug 2022

Latest episode

5 Jun 2026

Latest episodes

5 of 91 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   5 Jun 2026

   #88: The Diagnosis: Fighting Stage 4 Colon Cancer with Chris Bertrand

   A lot of people come to Normal 40 because they feel a pull. Not because they hate their life or because they've failed. Because something inside them keeps whispering: "There's more." This conversation begins there. For more than 30 years, Chris Bertrand built a successful career in healthcare. He helped people. He built relationships. He did meaningful work. And like many of us, he reached a point where he began asking bigger questions about purpose, impact, and what the next chapter might look like. Then everything changed. A routine doctor's visit became a diagnosis. Stage 4 colon cancer. In an instant, the trade he thought he was preparing for disappeared, replaced by one he never would have chosen. But what Chris has done since is extraordinary. Instead of retreating, he chose to share the journey openly. He chose to use his second resume—the hardship, uncertainty, fear, faith, and resilience that most people keep hidden—as a platform to help others. This is not a conversation about cancer. It's a conversation about life. It's about what becomes important when time feels different. It's about how quickly titles, careers, and plans fall away when reality arrives. It's about finding purpose inside a fight you never asked for. And it's about the quiet courage of deciding that if you're going through something hard, maybe somebody else needs your story too. IN THIS EPISODE --How a Stage 4 colon cancer diagnosis changed everything overnight --The difference between your first resume and your second resume --What Chris learned after losing both of his parents at a young age --Why helping others remained central to his identity after diagnosis --The role faith plays when life becomes uncertain --How perspective changes when every day feels more valuable --Why advocacy and early screening matter more than most people realize KEY TAKEAWAYS → Your second resume often prepares you for your most meaningful work. → Sometimes the chapter you never wanted becomes the one that changes lives. → Purpose doesn't disappear when life gets hard. Often, it becomes clearer. → People need stories more than advice. → The smallest moments become the most meaningful when time feels finite. → Keep freaking going. WHAT'S NEXT? Chris didn't ask for this diagnosis. But he made a decision that many people never do: To use it. To share it. To help someone else feel less alone. If this conversation moves you, don't keep it to yourself. Share it with someone who needs perspective or someone facing a health battle. And if you're carrying a second resume story of your own, maybe it's time to start telling it. Because somebody is waiting for it. You can follow and connect with Chris on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok at Chris Bertrand. And if you’re ready to stop drifting and start living intentionally, join us inside the Normal 40 community.  You can find everything related to Normal 40 here: https://linktr.ee/lon.stroschein (https://linktr.ee/lon.stroschein) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit normal40.substack.com (https://normal40.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

2. 

   15 May 2026TRANSCRIPT

   #87: The Scorecard: What Are You Really Measuring?

   Host [Host Name] and community members explore redefining personal success metrics beyond traditional career achievements, offering a framework for a more meaningful life.

3. 

   24 Apr 2026TRANSCRIPT

   The Return: A father and son conversation about Faith, Growth, Obedience, Becoming and What Happened Next

   Most people never realize when they’re living a “last.” They just move through the day.Answer emails. Take the call. Say “we’ll catch up soon.” And then it’s gone. 18 months ago, Lon sat on a beach in Kona with his son Dawson on the last day of something they’d always known—father and son, in its simplest form. The next morning, Dawson would leave for a journey neither of them fully understood. Dawson was 19.He didn’t know where he was going.He just knew he had to go. That episode captured the moment before everything changed. This one is what happened next. Dawson shares what it actually looks like to follow something you don’t fully understand yet. From cramped living quarters in Hawaii…to underground ministry in Vietnam…to teaching English and faith in a small town in Mexico he found through a single connection… Nothing about this path was planned. But everything about it moved. And what becomes clear in this conversation is simple: When you take a trip with God—or with your gut, your calling, your truth, you don’t get clarity first. You get movement. IN THIS EPISODE --What Dawson actually learned after leaving home at 19 --Why “get comfortable being uncomfortable” stops being a cliché and becomes survival --The moment a single photo changed the trajectory of his life --What it feels like to arrive somewhere you don’t belong and stay anyway --How faith grows when it’s tested, not taught --The difference between doing something for others and realizing it’s changing you Why the hardest part isn’t leaving — it’s what comes after KEY TAKEAWAYS → You don’t need clarity to start. You need trust. → The path rarely looks logical when you’re on it. → Growth doesn’t come from comfort. It comes from commitment. → The experiences you think are for others are often for you. → Every first becomes a last… and every last becomes a new beginning. WHAT’S NEXT If you listened to Episode 85, this is the continuation. If you didn’t — go back. Because this isn’t just a follow-up. It’s proof. Proof of what happens when someone says yes before they’re ready. And if something in you is pulling you toward your own next step… You don’t need the full plan. You just need to move. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit normal40.substack.com (https://normal40.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

Inside a recent episode

#87: The Scorecard: What Are You Really Measuring?

Published 15 May 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] People have shorter fuses for when they expect responses. There's a natural collision that's happening there. So I want to focus on that control. So I'm trying to find metrics that allow me to understand and measure that control. How many hours a week am I putting in? How much spillover is there into what I would describe as protected time? What does my energy level look like at the end of a day or at the end of a week? Am I putting myself in a kind of unnatural position that will add to my stress and potentially hurt my ability to bring my best to whatever my engagement is at that time? And then for me, it was this big question of real work versus performative, right? […]

Who has been a guest on Normal 40: The Podcast

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Luke DePron
• Justin McMenamy
• Laverne McKinnon
• Rob Cressy
• Tait Arend

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.9 / 5

72 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

29 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 62 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

91

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

82

Contact Normal 40: The Podcast

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Questions about Normal 40: The Podcast