When You Have to Be Your Best Self with Chris Waddell

What happens when life takes an unexpected turn and you’re forced to redefine everything? Chris Waddell was a competitive skier in college when a devastating accident left him paralyzed from the waist down. Less than a year later, he was back on the mountain—this time as a monoskier—beginning a journey that would make him the most decorated male mono-skier in U.S. history. But Chris’s story isn’t just about athletic triumph; it’s about the reinvention that happens when you decide to show up fully for your own life.

In this episode, Chris shares how recovery was just the first step in his healing journey. That accident and his resilience took him places he never imagined: from the Paralympics podium to being a published author and from the ski slopes to a soap opera set. He reminds us that our best self isn’t a fixed point—it is who we become in response to life’s hardest moments. This conversation is about grit, possibility, and the magic of saying yes to the unexpected.

Bio

Chris Waddell’s 12 Paralympic skiing medals are more than any man in US history. He’s a Hall of Famer, a World Champion in wheelchair track, and the first “nearly unassisted” paraplegic to summit 19,340-foot Mt Kilimanjaro. His ski popped off competing in college, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. 362 days later, Chris monoskied and soon became the fastest in the world. The Dalai Lama honored him as an “Unsung Hero of Compassion,” Skiing Magazine dubbed him one of 25 Greatest Skiers in North America and People Magazine named him one of “The 50 Most Beautiful People.”

https://chriswaddellinc.com/