Tag: mental health

Images of Denise Thomas and Sara WIlkinson with text A DIFFERENT LOOK AT CHAD1000X thumbnail

Sara Wilkinson: “Grief Is Love With Nowhere to Go” (EP. 051)

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On November 10, 2025

In The CrossFit Podcast

You’ve probably heard of the workout CHAD1000X (1,000 weighted step-ups for time) and The Step Up Foundation – the organization using fitness to raise awareness for mental health and veteran suicide prevention. 

In this episode, we get to know the selfless leader behind both: Sara Wilkinson. After losing her husband, Navy SEAL Chad Wilkinson, to suicide in 2018, Sara turned grief into purpose, creating a global movement that’s brought thousands together each year to honor his legacy and support others who are struggling.

She opens up about what it means to carry grief, how community heals, and the importance of looking people in the eye and asking, “How are you, really?”

Topics Included

  • The story behind Chad1000X and its growth into a global movement
  • How Sara transformed grief into purpose through The Step Up Foundation
  • Compassion, resilience, and the power of community in healing
  • Suicide awareness, mental health, and the language we use around loss
  • The realities of military life, brain injury (CTE), and post-service transition
  • The importance of small acts of kindness and connection

Resources Mentioned

Community Highlight

Cory and Sara Fulana don’t just run two gyms — they run on purpose.

At Silk City CrossFit and CrossFit Hartford, service is part of the workout. Every month, they rally their community for something bigger — suicide awareness events with Uplift, women’s WODs supporting local female-owned businesses, Toys for Tots drives, marathon rows for the Boys and Girls Club, and Hero WODs that honor those who have served.

Their question is always the same: How can we give back?

Because for Cory and Sara, CrossFit isn’t just about fitness — it’s about using strength to serve others.

Know someone you think deserves to be highlighted? Nominate them here.

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This Rehab Has a Secret Weapon: CrossFit (EP. 023)

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On July 15, 2025

In The CrossFit Podcast

Episode Description Angie Manson is the CEO of Elevate Addiction Services, a residential rehab program that integrates CrossFit into daily life. In this conversation with Denise Thomas, Angie opens up about her own recovery, what CrossFit gave her, and why every coach needs to understand addiction.

Angie explains how EAS operates — from an on-site CrossFit affiliate to community classes to post-rehab support — and what she’s learned after helping thousands of people rebuild their lives. This episode is about fitness, but it’s also about humanity, hope, and second chances.

Topics Included

  • Angie’s story of addiction, recovery, and finding CrossFit
  • How Elevate Addiction Services integrates CrossFit
  • Why structure, challenge, and community matter in rehab
  • The coach’s role in supporting people in recovery
  • Building trust, habits, and a new identity
  • How affiliates and coaches can get involved

Resources Mentioned

  • Elevate Addiction Services (Santa Cruz + Tahoe)
  • CrossFit EAS (on-site affiliate)
  • The Phoenix
  • Narcotics Anonymous (NA)
  • Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)

RESOURCES FOR ADDICTION

Elevate Addiction Services – https://elevaterehab.org/

Immediate Help

  • SAMHSA National Helpline (U.S.): 1-800-662-HELP (4357)
    Free, confidential, 24/7 treatment referral and information.
    https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline

Treatment & Recovery Resources

  • Substance Abuse Treatment Locator (SAMHSA):
    Find nearby treatment facilities for substance use and mental health issues.
    https://findtreatment.gov
  • Shatterproof:
    A nonprofit focused on science-based addiction resources and stigma reduction.
    https://www.shatterproof.org
  • Partnership to End Addiction:
    Offers support for families navigating a loved one’s substance use.
    https://drugfree.org

Peer Support Communities

Community Highlight

Tammi Saunders is the head coach at The Barbell Saves Project — a nonprofit CrossFit affiliate in Phoenix, Arizona, offering free classes to anyone in recovery.

The only requirements: 48 hours sober and a commitment to keep showing up.⠀Every coach on staff, including Tammi, is in recovery. They run five community classes a day, plus sessions for sober-living homes and treatment centers. But fitness is just the beginning.

What they’re building is trust, discipline, and integrity – under stress, in community.Tammi has helped develop seven Level 1 trainers through the program, many straight out of prison or early sobriety. She’s built a trauma-informed culture rooted in empathy and consent.

She still remembers walking into a gym for the first time: smoking two packs a day, struggling with disordered eating, unsure what came next. Now she’s a Certified CrossFit Level 3 Trainer, trauma-informed, and a Masters Games athlete.“If I can become this version of myself,” she says, “anyone can.”

This is what it looks like to hold the door open for the next person.Know someone you think deserves to be highlighted? Nominate them here.

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