PHOENIX — Arizona's celebrity fitness coach became a household name on ABC's Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition.
Chris Powell appeared to be on top of the world but he was struggling privately as his 10-year marriage was falling apart.
"I couldn't feel sadness. I couldn't feel anger," he told ABC15. "I just couldn't feel. It was emptiness. I couldn't get myself out of bed to work out —and that's been my life for 20 years!"
Knowing he couldn't possibly be alone, Powell set out to learn more about his own mental health when he found a new way to help others find clarity and happiness.
"It was a little bit stressful at first opening up about my mental health journey."
Turning to his long-time friend Mathew Blades, a morning radio personality and motivational speaker, these Arizona dads created a podcast to talk openly about real-life struggles called "I Needed That!"
ABC15 asked Blades about the project, who said, "like how many times have you had to work out and it's like, 'oh my Gawd! I needed that!' Maybe it's a great talk with a friend or a good cry or something. That is exactly how we want you to feel when you listen to one of our episodes!"
Talking with guests on the podcast, they also share helpful tools for emotional wellness. Their goal is to help listeners make sense of real emotions.
"Have you ever lost control of your emotions and did something in the heat of the moment that you later regretted?" Powell asked. "Maybe you've 'lost it' or blown up at someone in a way that wasn't called for? If so, you've probably been hijacked by your amygdala."
"Here in Arizona, they make you actually take a course as you're going through a divorce," he shared. "They teach you about the amygdala hijack. They warn that you will get extremely irritable. When the amygdala hijacks your brain, it shuts off your prefrontal cortex. So now, there's no more clear rational thought behind your actions. Everything is reflexive. So when it starts to happen, and you get that reflexive, the claws come out."
"But when you know it exists, you can actually do things in the moment like breathing," Powell added. "I know it's...this isn't much of woo-woo stuff. This really helps you make sense of why you may feel the way you feel during a divorce."
Emphasizing the importance of happiness, Blades also shared the importance of trading shame for hope.
"There are so many folks listening right now who wake up wondering why? Why did this happen? Why did that have to happen? And what if the answer is simply so that you can help somebody else?"
Catch ABC15's Kaley O'Kelley's interview on episode 14 of 'I Needed That'.
O'Kelley and Powell share the process and learning experiences during their divorces. They also talk about their lowest moments and how they finally found a new way to get happy again.
New podcast episodes of 'I Needed That' drop every week where you find your favorite podcasts!
