The Resilience Playbook

At 39 years old, Emily Hester found a lump. She wasn't supposed to have her first mammogram until she turned 40—but something felt off. A week after walking into that appointment with her husband Raydodd, Emily was diagnosed with triple-positive breast cancer. What followed wasn't just a medical battle—it was a test of faith, marriage, resilience, and what it actually means to keep moving forward when the unthinkable arrives at your door. This is a conversation about what happens when life splits into before and after. It's about the shock of hearing "you have cancer" while your daughters wait at home. It's about the choice to keep making memories, baking waffles, and celebrating birthdays even when your body is being pumped full of chemotherapy. And it's about a marriage that didn't crumble under the weight of fear—it grew stronger because of what they chose to do with it. Raydodd and Emily don't sugarcoat the hard parts. They talk about anger, fear, bone pain, losing hair, and the moment they had to sit their two young daughters down and tell them Mom is sick. But they also talk about gratitude for the small things, the people who showed up, and the faith that carried them through when nothing else made sense. This isn't a story about surviving cancer—it's a story about how two people chose to battle it together, one day at a time, without losing sight of who they are and what matters most. ⸻ IN THIS EPISODE • The moment Emily found the lump at 39—and the week that changed everything • How Raydodd processed the diagnosis as a husband and father of two young girls • The choice to tell their daughters the truth—and what happened when they walked through the door • Why their 15-year marriage gave them the foundation to face this together • The blessing of early detection, fast appointments, and a friend who made one phone call that saved time Emily didn't have • Starting chemotherapy on January 2nd—and what it actually feels like to lose your hair, your energy, and pieces of yourself • How they kept "business as usual" for their girls—baking cookies, celebrating Christmas, and refusing to let cancer steal their family's joy • The importance of asking for help, building a support system, and why gratitude for the little things became their lifeline • What resilience looks like when you're sitting in an infusion chair, wearing a wig, and still showing up for the people you love ⸻

• 00:00:00 Welcome and Introduction to Emily and Raydodd Hester
• 00:02:35 The Importance of Reading and Family Rituals
• 00:07:00 Raydodd's Work with Arkansas Crisis Center
• 00:21:34 Emily's Love Story: From College Friends to Marriage
• 00:26:10 Marriage Vows and Building a Foundation of Faith
• 00:30:20 Navigating Marriage Challenges and Communication
• 00:39:19 What They Love Most About Each Other
• 00:44:39 December 15, 2023: The Diagnosis
• 00:46:07 The Power of Friendship and Divine Timing
• 01:01:10 Telling the Girls and Family
• 01:12:11 Understanding Triple-Positive Breast Cancer
• 01:26:15 Surgery, Port Placement, and Preparing for Treatment
• 01:30:55 Starting Chemotherapy on January 2nd
• 01:31:50 The Emotional Journey of Losing Hair
• 01:39:36 Gratitude, Support Systems, and Looking Forward

At 19 years old, Chris Waddell was a promising ski racer at Middlebury College when a freak accident during training left him paralyzed. His ski popped off mid-turn, and in that moment, everything changed. But what happened next wasn't a story of accepting limits—it was a story of refusing to let anyone define what recovery could mean. In this conversation, Chris walks through the decision his parents made to never tell him he'd never walk again—and how that choice shaped everything. He shares what it took to become the fastest mono skier in the world despite competing against athletes with physical advantages, why his Mount Kilimanjaro climb taught him more about failure than success, and what happens when you realize that your definition of winning might be too small. This isn't a highlight reel. It's a conversation about what it actually costs to rebuild your identity after everything you thought you were gets taken away. ⸻ IN THIS EPISODE • A ski popped off at 19 years old—and the moment that split Chris's life into before and after • Why his parents chose not to tell him he'd never walk again—and how that decision shaped his recovery • Learning to mono ski with parents who'd never seen the equipment—rebuilding identity through the sport that almost took everything • Becoming the fastest mono skier in the world at Lillehammer despite competing at a physical disadvantage • The Mount Kilimanjaro climb: what happens when 100 feet of failure redefines what success actually means • Vulnerability as strength—why the hardest part of the climb became the most important story to tell • What resilience actually looks like when you don't know what's coming next ⸻

• 00:00:00 Welcome and Introduction to Chris Waddell
• 00:09:53 Early Life and Family in Massachusetts
• 00:11:45 Discovering Skiing and Early Coaching
• 00:18:33 College Skiing and The Accident
• 00:21:08 Hospital Recovery and Family Resilience
• 00:28:33 Learning to Monoski
• 00:36:37 The Path to Paralympic Competition
• 00:44:11 Breakthrough with Custom Equipment
• 00:48:08 Becoming the Fastest in the World
• 01:16:34 Paralympic Success and Track Racing
• 01:21:21 Retirement and Finding New Purpose
• 01:27:48 The Six-Year-Old Girl and Kilimanjaro
• 01:32:41 Training for Kilimanjaro
• 01:38:59 The Climb Begins
• 01:48:23 The Boulder Field and Acceptance
• 01:54:34 Defining Resilience
• 01:56:19 Where to Find Chris and Closing

At 19 years old, Chris Waddell was a promising ski racer at Middlebury College when a freak accident during training left him paralyzed. His ski popped off mid-turn, and in that moment, everything changed. But what happened next wasn't a story of accepting limits—it was a story of refusing to let anyone define what recovery could mean. In this conversation, Chris walks through the decision his parents made to never tell him he'd never walk again—and how that choice shaped everything. He shares what it took to become the fastest mono skier in the world despite competing against athletes with physical advantages, why his Mount Kilimanjaro climb taught him more about failure than success, and what happens when you realize that your definition of winning might be too small. This isn't a highlight reel. It's a conversation about what it actually costs to rebuild your identity after everything you thought you were gets taken away. ⸻ IN THIS EPISODE • A ski popped off at 19 years old—and the moment that split Chris's life into before and after • Why his parents chose not to tell him he'd never walk again—and how that decision shaped his recovery • Learning to mono ski with parents who'd never seen the equipment—rebuilding identity through the sport that almost took everything • Becoming the fastest mono skier in the world at Lillehammer despite competing at a physical disadvantage • The Mount Kilimanjaro climb: what happens when 100 feet of failure redefines what success actually means • Vulnerability as strength—why the hardest part of the climb became the most important story to tell • What resilience actually looks like when you don't know what's coming next ⸻ 00:00:00 Welcome and Introduction to Chris Waddell

• 00:09:53 Early Life and Family in Massachusetts
• 00:11:45 Discovering Skiing and Early Coaching
• 00:18:33 College Skiing and The Accident
• 00:21:08 Hospital Recovery and Family Resilience
• 00:28:33 Learning to Monoski
• 00:36:37 The Path to Paralympic Competition
• 00:44:11 Breakthrough with Custom Equipment
• 00:48:08 Becoming the Fastest in the World
• 01:16:34 Paralympic Success and Track Racing
• 01:21:21 Retirement and Finding New Purpose
• 01:27:48 The Six-Year-Old Girl and Kilimanjaro
• 01:32:41 Training for Kilimanjaro
• 01:38:59 The Climb Begins
• 01:48:23 The Boulder Field and Acceptance
• 01:54:34 Defining Resilience
• 01:56:19 Where to Find Chris and Closing ⸻ ABOUT CHRIS WADDELL Chris Waddell is a 13-time Paralympic medalist, Paralympic Hall of Fame inductee, and the most decorated male mono skier in Paralympic history. Named an "Unsung Hero of Compassion" by the Dalai Lama in 2005, Chris became the first paraplegic to summit Mount Kilimanjaro unassisted. He is the founder of One Revolution Foundation and travels internationally as a keynote speaker helping audiences unlock their potential through the lens of his own transformation. CONNECT WITH CHRIS WADDELL Website: chriswaddellinc.com Foundation: onerevolution.org Instagram: @chriswaddelllivingit Facebook: @chriswaddelllivingit ⸻ ABOUT THE RESILIENCE PLAYBOOK The Resilience Playbook is a long-form conversation series hosted by Cole Rodgers. Every episode brings you face-to-face with leaders, executives, and high-performers who've been tested—and came out the other side with something worth sharing. No highlight reels without the hard parts. Just honest conversations about resilience, faith, leadership, marriage, fatherhood, mental health, and the moments that shape who we become. New episodes drop regularly. Subscribe and turn on notifications so you don't miss a conversation. ⸻ CONNECT WITH THE SHOW Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theresilienceplaybook/ X (Twitter): https://x.com/TheResiliencePB LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-resilience-playbook/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theresilienceplaybook Listen on audio (when available): Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ShZgzjhsPCKzCLzfoWApI Support the show: https://theresilienceplaybook.com/

If you haven’t watched Part 1 yet, we recommend starting there. Part 1 covers Mark’s upbringing, path into the SEAL Teams, and the experiences that shaped who he became. Part 2 picks up where that foundation cracks—and where the real work begins.

Retired Navy SEAL sniper and bestselling author Mark Greene returns in Part 2 of this conversation to talk about what happens after the identity, structure, and mission are stripped away.

In this half of the conversation, Mark and Cole move beyond origin stories and into the hardest work of Mark’s life—owning the damage, facing the consequences of unresolved pain, and rebuilding from the inside out. This is a conversation about responsibility, faith in practice, and the long, unglamorous road of becoming whole again.

If Part 1 was about how Mark was formed, Part 2 is about how he was broken—and what it actually took to rebuild his life, his relationships, and his leadership.

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IN THIS EPISODE (PART 2)

• Transitioning out of the SEAL Teams and losing a core identity
• The danger of unmanaged success and emotional avoidance
• How shame compounds when it goes unaddressed
• The moment Mark realized the old way of living was no longer sustainable
• Faith as discipline and daily practice—not a label
• What real ownership looks like without self-destruction
• Rebuilding trust, presence, and integrity one decision at a time

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CHAPTERS (PART 2 – MARK GREENE)

• 00:00:00 Returning from the break and resetting the conversation
• 00:04:15 Leaving the Teams and the identity vacuum that followed
• 00:14:30 When success can no longer hide what’s broken
• 00:26:40 Avoidance, emotional shutdown, and delayed consequences
• 00:38:55 The moment running stopped working
• 00:50:10 Faith as obedience, not comfort
• 01:01:45 Ownership versus shame: learning the difference
• 01:13:30 Rebuilding trust through consistency and time
• 01:24:20 Fatherhood, presence, and new non-negotiables
• 01:35:10 What Mark would tell the man standing at the edge

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ABOUT MARK GREENE

Mark Greene is a retired Navy SEAL who served on both East and West Coast SEAL Teams, including time as a sniper and instructor, before transitioning into life after the military. He is the bestselling author of UnSEALed: A Navy SEAL’s Guide to Mastering Life’s Transitions, a book that walks readers through the key transition points in life and how to navigate them with resilience, honesty, and courage.

Connect with Mark:
Website: https://www.themarkgreene.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themarkgreene/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/themarkgreene

Get the book UnSEALed:
Amazon (all formats): https://www.amazon.com/Unsealed-Seals-Guide-Mastering-Transitions/dp/B0CN53CS6L

⸻

⸻

ABOUT THE RESILIENCE PLAYBOOK

The Resilience Playbook is a long-form conversation series hosted by Cole Rodgers.

Every episode brings you face-to-face with leaders, executives, and high-performers who’ve been tested — and came out the other side with something worth sharing. No highlight reels without the hard parts. Just honest conversations about resilience, faith, leadership, marriage, fatherhood, mental health, and the moments that shape who we become.

New episodes drop regularly. Subscribe and turn on notifications so you don’t miss a conversation.

⸻

⸻

CONNECT WITH THE SHOW

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theresilienceplaybook/
X (Twitter): https://x.com/TheResiliencePB
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-resilience-playbook/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theresilienceplaybook

Listen on audio:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ShZgzjhsPCKzCLzfoWApI

Support the show and get deeper resources:
https://theresilienceplaybook.com/

Retired Navy SEAL sniper and bestselling author Mark Greene has lived through combat deployments, career transitions, divorce, and rebuilding his life from the ground up. In Part 1 of this conversation, Mark sits down with Cole Rodgers to talk about identity, shame, fatherhood, and what it really takes to start over when the image everyone sees no longer matches the man you are inside. If you look strong on paper but feel the cracks in private, this is the one you watch all the way through. ⸻ IN THIS EPISODE (PART 1) • Mark’s path from sports and college to the SEAL Teams • What it actually means to serve as a Navy SEAL sniper • The hidden cost of high performance and living at full tilt • How his marriage and inner world began to come apart • Why shame keeps men isolated and silent • The moment he finally asked for help and told the truth • How faith, fatherhood, and real accountability became the foundation for rebuilding ⸻ CHAPTERS (PART 1 – MARK GREENE) 00:00:00 Welcome, how Cole and Mark connected, and why Mark is different 00:20:01 Growing up military: Philippines, Ohio, Japan, and Dad’s mysterious job 00:30:01 Losing Dad and the village that raised Mark 00:40:37 Grandfather, Negro Leagues, and falling in love with football 00:50:11 College ball, NCAA realities, and the business of players 01:00:00 Knee injury, loyalty to teammates, and leaving the NFL dream 01:10:16 Discovering the SEAL Teams and a new mission 01:23:30 Boot camp, BUD/S contract, and passing the screening test 01:30:26 First look at BUD/S: the “toughest training” in a tiny compound 01:40:23 Arriving early to BUD/S and learning to ask for help 01:50:02 Hydration punishment, cold water, and the mental games of instructors 02:00:13 Pool comp, the whammy knot, and thinking under pressure 02:10:16 SEAL Qualification Training, Team Five, and being coachable 02:20:00 Officer path, finishing his degree, and the lead-up to a life-changing jump ⸻ ABOUT MARK GREENE Mark Greene is a retired Navy SEAL who served on both East and West Coast SEAL Teams, including time as a sniper and instructor, before transitioning into life after the military. He is the bestselling author of UnSEALed: A Navy SEAL’s Guide to Mastering Life’s Transitions, a book that walks readers through the key transition points in life and how to navigate them with resilience, honesty, and courage. Connect with Mark: Website: https://www.themarkgreene.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themarkgreene/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/themarkgreene Get the book UnSEALed: Amazon (all formats): https://www.amazon.com/Unsealed-Seals-Guide-Mastering-Transitions/dp/B0CN53CS6L ⸻ ABOUT THE RESILIENCE PLAYBOOK The Resilience Playbook is a long-form conversation series hosted by Cole Rodgers. Every episode brings you face-to-face with leaders, executives, and high-performers who’ve been tested — and came out the other side with something worth sharing. No highlight reels without the hard parts. Just honest conversations about resilience, faith, leadership, marriage, fatherhood, mental health, and the moments that shape who we become. New episodes drop regularly. Subscribe and turn on notifications so you don’t miss a conversation. ⸻ CONNECT WITH THE SHOW Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theresilienceplaybook/ X (Twitter): https://x.com/TheResiliencePB LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-resilience-playbook/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theresilienceplaybook Listen on audio: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ShZgzjhsPCKzCLzfoWApI Support the show and get deeper resources: https://theresilienceplaybook.com/

Retired Navy SEAL sniper and bestselling author Mark Greene has lived through combat deployments, career transitions, divorce, and rebuilding his life from the ground up. In Part 1 of this conversation, Mark sits down with Cole Rodgers to talk about identity, shame, fatherhood, and what it really takes to start over when the image everyone sees no longer matches the man you are inside. If you look strong on paper but feel the cracks in private, this is the one you watch all the way through. ⸻ IN THIS EPISODE (PART 1) • Mark’s path from sports and college to the SEAL Teams • What it actually means to serve as a Navy SEAL sniper • The hidden cost of high performance and living at full tilt • How his marriage and inner world began to come apart • Why shame keeps men isolated and silent • The moment he finally asked for help and told the truth • How faith, fatherhood, and real accountability became the foundation for rebuilding ⸻ CHAPTERS (PART 1 – MARK GREENE) 00:00:00 Welcome, how Cole and Mark connected, and why Mark is different 00:20:01 Growing up military: Philippines, Ohio, Japan, and Dad’s mysterious job 00:30:01 Losing Dad and the village that raised Mark 00:40:37 Grandfather, Negro Leagues, and falling in love with football 00:50:11 College ball, NCAA realities, and the business of players 01:00:00 Knee injury, loyalty to teammates, and leaving the NFL dream 01:10:16 Discovering the SEAL Teams and a new mission 01:23:30 Boot camp, BUD/S contract, and passing the screening test 01:30:26 First look at BUD/S: the “toughest training” in a tiny compound 01:40:23 Arriving early to BUD/S and learning to ask for help 01:50:02 Hydration punishment, cold water, and the mental games of instructors 02:00:13 Pool comp, the whammy knot, and thinking under pressure 02:10:16 SEAL Qualification Training, Team Five, and being coachable 02:20:00 Officer path, finishing his degree, and the lead-up to a life-changing jump ⸻ ABOUT MARK GREENE Mark Greene is a retired Navy SEAL who served on both East and West Coast SEAL Teams, including time as a sniper and instructor, before transitioning into life after the military. He is the bestselling author of UnSEALed: A Navy SEAL’s Guide to Mastering Life’s Transitions, a book that walks readers through the key transition points in life and how to navigate them with resilience, honesty, and courage. Connect with Mark: Website: https://www.themarkgreene.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themarkgreene/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/themarkgreene Get the book UnSEALed: Amazon (all formats): https://www.amazon.com/Unsealed-Seals-Guide-Mastering-Transitions/dp/B0CN53CS6L ⸻ ABOUT THE RESILIENCE PLAYBOOK The Resilience Playbook is a long-form conversation series hosted by Cole Rodgers. Every episode brings you face-to-face with leaders, executives, and high-performers who’ve been tested — and came out the other side with something worth sharing. No highlight reels without the hard parts. Just honest conversations about resilience, faith, leadership, marriage, fatherhood, mental health, and the moments that shape who we become. New episodes drop regularly. Subscribe and turn on notifications so you don’t miss a conversation. ⸻ CONNECT WITH THE SHOW Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theresilienceplaybook/ X (Twitter): https://x.com/TheResiliencePB LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-resilience-playbook/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theresilienceplaybook Listen on audio: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ShZgzjhsPCKzCLzfoWApI Support the show and get deeper resources: https://theresilienceplaybook.com/

The Resilience Playbook is a long-form conversation series hosted by Cole Rodgers, created for the people who quietly carry a lot—leaders, executives, parents, and high-performers who look strong on paper but feel the weight in private.

In this launch trailer, Cole lays out what you can expect from the show: honest, unpolished conversations about resilience, faith, leadership, marriage, fatherhood, mental health, and the moments that force us to decide who we’re going to be.

Subscribe now to The Resilience Playbook and be ready for Part 1 of our first full episode with retired Navy SEAL sniper and bestselling author Mark Greene, dropping December 15.