Podcast Summary: Becoming UnDone

Episode 154 | Courageous Career Changes: Embracing Uncertainty and New Beginnings with Pastor & Coach Chris McCormick

Host: Dr. Toby Brooks
Guest: Chris McCormick (Lead Pastor, Reliant Church; Former Division 1 Strength & Conditioning Coach)
Date: April 12, 2026

Main Theme

This episode explores the deeply personal journey of Chris McCormick, who transitioned from a demanding career as a Division 1 strength and conditioning coach to full-time pastoral ministry. The conversation centers on identity, burnout, and the courage to make life-altering career pivots—even when it means leaving behind an identity you've spent years building. Through raw discussion and vulnerable reflection, Chris and Toby illuminate the tension between calling, career, and cost, especially in high-achieving, high-burnout professions.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Allure and Toll of High Achievement in College Sports

• Chris' Early Aspirations and the Coaching Grind

  • Chris originally aimed to be a pediatrician, but his passion for sports and psychology led him to coaching. (04:20)
  • Coaching at Gardner-Webb was his “dream job” but quickly became overwhelming due to travel, long hours, and constant pressure.
  • Quote ([07:15]):

    “You could easily take the blame, but you don’t get the praise as much and just the sheer hours… I’d get off the bus at 2am and we’d have football at 5:30 in the morning. And that was a constant, constant thing.”
    — Chris McCormick

• Burnout and Unsustainable Lifestyles

  • Both host and guest reflect on how the profession's demands often conflict with family and financial well-being.

  • Quote ([09:11]):

    “If you don’t love every single thing about it, you will get swallowed up… if you’re not about that life, then you’ll get chewed up and spit out.”
    — Chris McCormick

  • The culture of “doing it for the kids” collides with the reality of chronic under-compensation, especially at Christian institutions—“The running joke: it’s a ministry, so they pay you about 20% less.”

The Catalyst for Change: New Priorities and Breaking Points

• A Shift in Identity and the Reality of Sunk Cost

  • Chris recounts reaching the pinnacle of his goal (“everything I ever wanted”), only to realize it didn’t bring the fulfillment he had anticipated.

  • Quote ([15:39]):

    “Garter Webb was like everything I ever wanted in a job, and it was like it wasn’t what I wanted it to be… That kind of sent me reeling.”
    — Chris McCormick

  • Toby adds perspective:

    “First, I grieved the mistake… Secondly, I grieved the sunk cost… When you stop and consider the possibility that you were all wrong about how that dream role would make you feel, many times you grieve.”
    — Toby Brooks ([15:39])

• External Factors: Faith, Family, and Foster Care

  • Joining foster care and adoption with his family shifted Chris’ priorities, making full-time ministry more appealing ([19:54]).
  • The COVID-19 pandemic became a pivot point—forcing reflection and providing space to discern a new direction ([21:52]):

    “It essentially made me go home with my family for the first time and was like, okay, I’m forced to sit here… and that’s where the idea of church planting… really became prevalent.”
    — Chris McCormick

Letting Go and Embracing a New Calling

• Walking Away: Emotional and Spiritual Dimensions

  • Initially, the transition to ministry was exciting—a “clean slate.”
  • The complexity set in later, especially after FAU (his former team) made the Final Four, triggering nostalgia and FOMO ([25:48]).
  • Quote ([26:03]):

    “It took a lot of unwinding… Realizing how much my identity was actually wrapped up in being a coach.”
    — Chris McCormick

• Identity Beyond the Profession

  • The tension between the “coach” and “pastor” identities is ongoing. The skill set from coaching transitioned naturally into pastoring—especially in leadership, discipline, and relational dynamics ([28:48]).

Transferable Skills: Coaching to Ministry

• Relational and Leadership Parallels

  • Building environments for growth, understanding that growth isn’t always formulaic—“I cannot control the growth, but I can cultivate the environments…” ([28:48])
  • Lessons from the weight room apply in ministry:

    “You can invest and pour seed in certain places… but only a portion produces fruit. It’s like athletes: some are all in, others aren’t—and it’s the same with people in the church.”
    — Chris McCormick ([31:39])

• Data, Measurement, and the Limits of Control

  • Chris notes the difficulty in measuring spiritual growth versus physical development ([34:12]). He cautions that data can only help if the right questions are being asked—a lesson common to both fields ([35:42]).

Advice for Professionals Facing Burnout or Career Change

• On Pressure and Identity

  • Quote ([36:46]):

    “Pressure… is going to essentially expose what’s forming you. And if that’s burnout, that’s a fruit of probably bad roots.”
    — Chris McCormick

• You Are More Than Your Job

  • Chris stresses the importance of separating self-worth from profession and nurturing a supportive community ([40:45]):

    “You are not your job, and you will be replaced in a heartbeat… you need to take care of yourself, and you need to have people around you who truly do have your best interest.”

• On Lessons Learned and Helping Others

  • Chris aspires to leverage his experiences to support coaches and their families, aiming to create resources for better work-life balance and less burnout ([46:45]).

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On life pivoting and identity loss:

  “Sent me reeling… when you finally get everything you thought you ever wanted and yet you still find yourself unhappy…” — Toby Brooks ([15:39])

• On sunk cost:

  “Years of life… tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars get poured in to make you eligible, only to arrive and discover that you didn’t really want it after all.” — Toby Brooks

• On transferable skills:

  “You’re not abandoning a skill set… What you’ve learned in that setting actually applies in a whole heck of a lot of places.” — Toby Brooks ([27:55])

• On measuring what matters:

  “You can collect a lot of data and not actually be solving the right problems. And I think that’s inevitable in any profession.” — Chris McCormick ([35:42])

• On burnout as a symptom:

  “If that’s burnout, that’s a fruit of probably bad roots.” — Chris McCormick ([37:46])

• On the continuing purpose:

  “I might actually be able to help coaches now and actually holistically help them and give them maybe more than what they need… The Lord has had to take me through some things…” — Chris McCormick ([41:52])

• On what remains undone:

  "What I’m undone is the state of our profession… There has to be a better way… more resources… more conferences about your family and outside of work… So many things. If there was more resources and my ego probably wasn’t in the way… it would have saved a lot of heartache…” — Chris McCormick ([46:45])

Timestamps for Significant Segments

• Chris Introduces His Story / First Signs of Change
  [00:09] – [03:53]
• The Culture and Toll of College Coaching
  [05:19] – [11:05]
• Identity, Burnout, and Sunk Cost
  [13:25] – [15:39]
• COVID, Family, and the Pivot to Ministry
  [21:52] – [24:50]
• Experiences as a Pastor and Linking Skills
  [28:48] – [31:14]
• Lessons from Coaching, Measurement, and Data
  [31:39] – [35:42]
• Advice to Burned-Out Professionals
  [36:46] – [41:32]
• Reflecting on God’s Plan, Purpose, and the Journey
  [41:52] – [43:28]
• On What Remains Undone / Future Hopes
  [46:45] – [47:57]
• Final Reflections and Not Closing the Door to Others
  [47:57] – [50:27]

Episode Highlights and Memorable Moments

• Chris' vivid description of hearing his shoes squeak in the hallway—an emblem of his relentless drive ([05:46])
• The stark relatability of “grinding” with little reward and questioning the impact on one’s own family ([09:29])
• The metaphor: “Burnout is a fruit of bad roots”—prompting a personal analogy from Toby about mowing around bitter crabapple trees ([37:46])
• Candid recognition that the skillset and toughness gained in coaching doesn't expire, and can transform and serve new purposes ([27:55], [28:48])
• Chris’ vision for leveraging his unique path to help coaching families—pushing for more holistic support, not just career advancement ([46:45])

Closing Reflection

This episode offers a deeply honest look at the messy, often painful, and ultimately hopeful process of letting go of a long-held identity when it no longer fits your life’s trajectory. Chris McCormick’s journey affirms that while unraveling is inevitable, it is also the beginning of greater clarity and new purpose. Listeners are reminded that their skill sets persist even as titles change, and that with support, courage, and faith, the next chapter can hold more fulfillment than the last.

For More

• Full episode notes, links, and mixtape: undonepodcast.com/ep154
• Connect with Dr. Toby Brooks and Becoming UnDone on social (@becomingundonepod)
• Learn about Chris McCormick’s current work at Reliant Church and in supporting coaching families

“Sometimes becoming undone isn’t about losing everything... Instead, maybe it’s about finally seeing what remains and the value that it holds.”
— Dr. Toby Brooks