by Lon Stroschein
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. <br/><br/><a href="https://normal40.substack.com/s/normal-40-the-podcast?utm_medium=podcast">normal40.substack.com</a>
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Publishing Since
8/31/2022
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June 5, 2026
<p>A lot of people come to Normal 40 because they feel a pull.</p><p>Not because they hate their life or because they've failed.</p><p>Because something inside them keeps whispering:</p><p>"There's more."</p><p>This conversation begins there.</p><p>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.</p><p>Then everything changed.</p><p>A routine doctor's visit became a diagnosis.</p><p>Stage 4 colon cancer.</p><p>In an instant, the trade he thought he was preparing for disappeared, replaced by one he never would have chosen.</p><p>But what Chris has done since is extraordinary.</p><p>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.</p><p>This is not a conversation about cancer.</p><p>It's a conversation about life.</p><p>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.</p><p>And it's about the quiet courage of deciding that if you're going through something hard, maybe somebody else needs your story too.</p><p><strong>IN THIS EPISODE</strong></p><p>--How a Stage 4 colon cancer diagnosis changed everything overnight</p><p>--The difference between your first resume and your second resume</p><p>--What Chris learned after losing both of his parents at a young age</p><p>--Why helping others remained central to his identity after diagnosis</p><p>--The role faith plays when life becomes uncertain</p><p>--How perspective changes when every day feels more valuable</p><p>--Why advocacy and early screening matter more than most people realize</p><p><strong>KEY TAKEAWAYS</strong></p><p>→ Your second resume often prepares you for your most meaningful work.</p><p>→ Sometimes the chapter you never wanted becomes the one that changes lives.</p><p>→ Purpose doesn't disappear when life gets hard. Often, it becomes clearer.</p><p>→ People need stories more than advice.</p><p>→ The smallest moments become the most meaningful when time feels finite.</p><p>→ Keep freaking going.</p><p><strong>WHAT'S NEXT?</strong></p><p>Chris didn't ask for this diagnosis.</p><p>But he made a decision that many people never do:</p><p>To use it. To share it. To help someone else feel less alone.</p><p>If this conversation moves you, don't keep it to yourself.</p><p>Share it with someone who needs perspective or someone facing a health battle.</p><p>And if you're carrying a second resume story of your own, maybe it's time to start telling it.</p><p>Because somebody is waiting for it.</p><p>You can follow and connect with Chris on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok at <strong>Chris Bertrand</strong>. </p><p>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: <a target="_blank" href="https://linktr.ee/lon.stroschein"><strong>https://linktr.ee/lon.stroschein</strong></a></p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://normal40.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1">normal40.substack.com</a>
May 15, 2026
Host [Host Name] and community members explore redefining personal success metrics beyond traditional career achievements, offering a framework for a more meaningful life.
April 24, 2026
<p>Most people never realize when they’re living a “last.”</p><p>They just move through the day.Answer emails. Take the call. Say “we’ll catch up soon.”</p><p>And then it’s gone.</p><p>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.</p><p>Dawson was 19.He didn’t know where he was going.He just knew he had to go.</p><p>That episode captured the moment before everything changed.</p><p>This one is what happened next.</p><p>Dawson shares what it actually looks like to follow something you don’t fully understand yet.</p><p>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…</p><p>Nothing about this path was planned.</p><p>But everything about it moved.</p><p>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.</p><p>You get movement.</p><p><strong>IN THIS EPISODE</strong></p><p>--What Dawson actually learned after leaving home at 19</p><p>--Why “get comfortable being uncomfortable” stops being a cliché and becomes survival</p><p>--The moment a single photo changed the trajectory of his life</p><p>--What it feels like to arrive somewhere you don’t belong and stay anyway</p><p>--How faith grows when it’s tested, not taught</p><p>--The difference between doing something for others and realizing it’s changing you</p><p>Why the hardest part isn’t leaving — it’s what comes after</p><p><strong>KEY TAKEAWAYS</strong></p><p>→ You don’t need clarity to start. You need trust.</p><p>→ The path rarely looks logical when you’re on it.</p><p>→ Growth doesn’t come from comfort. It comes from commitment.</p><p>→ The experiences you think are for others are often for you.</p><p>→ Every first becomes a last… and every last becomes a new beginning.</p><p><strong>WHAT’S NEXT</strong></p><p>If you listened to Episode 85, this is the continuation.</p><p>If you didn’t — go back.</p><p>Because this isn’t just a follow-up.</p><p>It’s proof.</p><p>Proof of what happens when someone says yes before they’re ready.</p><p>And if something in you is pulling you toward your own next step… You don’t need the full plan.</p><p>You just need to move.</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://normal40.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1">normal40.substack.com</a>
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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. <br/><br/><a href="https://normal40.substack.com/s/normal-40-the-podcast?utm_medium=podcast">normal40.substack.com</a>
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