The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast Episode Summary

Episode Title: "Choosing the Hard Things on Purpose"

Guests: Heath and Chrissy Evans (BUILTREADY)
Host: Jenny Urich (That Sounds Fun Network)
Date: November 16, 2025

Overview

This episode dives into the powerful story of Heath and Chrissy Evans—a couple who have both overcome tremendous personal challenges (Heath, a former NFL player and TV analyst, and Chrissy, who lost 150 pounds and kept it off). The conversation centers around purposeful decision-making, faith, resilience, adoption, health advocacy, and redefining what it means to "choose the hard things" for a life of growth, purpose, and service. Their shared journey underscores the importance of faith, discipline, and willingness to step into difficult paths for meaning and impact, especially within family and holistic health.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Rock Bottoms and Personal Transformations

• Chrissy’s Weight Loss Journey
  • Explores failures of quick fixes and weight loss surgery.
  • Realization that sustainable change comes from deep-rooted discipline and mindset shift rather than shortcuts.

  “I was going to be on a billboard for weight loss surgery failures. ...I haven’t fixed any of my issues. I’m as unhappy as I ever was.” – Chrissy (04:22)

• Heath’s NFL and Career Crisis
  • After a successful NFL career and transition to TV, faces a wrongful accusation scandal that forced life re-evaluation.
  • Faith and personal failures led him to deeper purpose beyond accolades.

  “Super Bowl rings and, you know, big weight loss hero company. This stuff just doesn’t satisfy a human soul... we need our sins forgiven and we need the love of the Lord.” – Heath (06:04)

Meeting, Marriage, and Blended Family

• Unique How-They-Met Story:
  • Slid into DMs; connected quickly around faith and health.
  • Married in ~100 days during COVID, emphasizing simplicity, transparency, and wise counsel.

  “When you know, you know. We knew and we met and we got married. ...If you’re considering getting married, you’ve only known someone 100 days—you should probably do it.” – Chrissy (08:23)

• Blending Families and Adoption:
  • Chrissy became "bonus mom" to Heath's teenage daughters.
  • Decided to adopt four children—sibling group from foster care—rooted in biblical vision for caring for the fatherless.

Adoption, Foster Care, and Bethesda Ranch

• God-Driven Motivation:
  • Continuously drawn to the scriptural command to care for orphans and the fatherless.
  • Founded the Bethesda Ranch nonprofit, visioning a safe, nurturing environment for foster kids:

  “I want to take over the foster care system in the state of Texas. I want all 45,000 of these kids to be under our care... put them out in the sun.” – Heath (14:08)

• Choosing Hard Adoptions:
  • Opted for "legal risk" placements and large sibling groups often considered unadoptable due to trauma or behavioral risk.
  • Faced systemic foster care obstacles and failures but persevered with faith-driven commitment and practical tools:

  “We had to look at each other and we’re like, we’ll figure it out. ...We’ll take a fire starter. ...But it’s such a humbling thing because... my sin’s been no less gnarly. And yet God loves me, God saved me.” – Chrissy (16:06)

Parenting Philosophy and Overcoming Fear

• Faith as Foundation for Risk and Resilience:
  • Their approach: embrace hard paths, trust God's plan, and parent with truth and transparency, even when it's difficult for the children to hear.
  • Reject fear-based living, teaching kids that safety and identity come from faith, not circumstances.

  “Everything God asks his children to do is impossible... but he strengthens us to do it.” – Heath (28:00)

• Healing Trauma with Truth and Love:
  • Honest conversations about biological parents and the realities of their past, rather than soothing lies prescribed by the system.

  “We’re going to grieve with them. ...We are going to have hard, hard, hard conversations and the truth of God’s word always bears fruit.” – Heath (29:22)

• Overcoming Fear in Children:
  • Instilling confidence by modeling faith and reliability, building trust through consistent love.

  “I want to raise fearless young men and a fearless little girl. ...They were scared of their own shadows when they got here. Now we're having to reel them back.” – Heath (31:52)

Disciplined Living, Health, and Holistic Advocacy

• Lessons from the NFL:
  • Team mentality, humility, and the limits of worldly success.

  “To accomplish something together is way better than to accomplish something all by yourself. ...All by yourself is lonely.” – Heath (33:34)

• Critique of Big Pharma and Processed Food:
  • Advocates for moving away from over-medication and ultra-processed foods.
  • Encourages seeking root causes, using whole foods, simplified supplements, and lifestyle changes.

  "Culture really wants you weak... big pharma’s goal is to get you just enough better to keep coming back for more.” – Chrissy (41:24)

• Personal Health Choices:
  • Experience overcoming dependence on birth control and antidepressants.
  • Emphasizes side effects and masked symptoms, advocating for informed, faith-centered health decisions.

  “There is a steadiness and a peace that no anxiety pill can give you.” – Chrissy (53:27)

BUILTREADY, Viceroy Nutrition & Their Mission

• BuiltReady:
  • Offers health coaching for sustainable lifestyle change, combining professional sports nutrition with real-world experience.

  “We want to be… that company that helps people get healthy for the glory of God. ...Slow and steady. We preach more food, not less food. We want well fed, because well fed... will sleep well, think well, love well.” – Heath (54:00)

• Viceroy Nutrition:
  • Provides specialized supplements—the best-quality protein, minerals, and hydration support.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On true discipline:

  “Success, discipline, they suck. But being unsuccessful and undisciplined sucks way worse.” – Heath (05:07)

• On faith and doing the impossible:

  “Everything God asks his children to do is impossible. ...We can’t do it, but he strengthens us to do it.” – Heath (28:00)

• On the reality behind foster care decisions:

  “What are we going to say no to? ...We’re just like, oh yeah, we’ll just take everything, I guess.” – Chrissy (16:39)

• On how trauma shapes "hard kids":

  “I know I’ve had such season of dysfunction where people had to be patient for me...my sin’s been no less gnarly.” – Chrissy (16:08)

• On purpose and wealth in the NFL world:

  “I’ve been in this position of power and prestige... you see a whole bunch of unhappy, unsettled, discontent people, and yet they have everything the world says they need to be happy.” – Heath (35:22)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:41 – On personal wake-up calls and ongoing process of change
• 02:23 – Chrissy describes the pain and lessons from weight loss surgery failure
• 06:44 – Heath describes his NFL-to-TV crisis and how pain led him to deeper faith
• 07:15 – The story of meeting and marrying quickly during COVID
• 13:04 – Discussing blended family, adoption, and founding Bethesda Ranch
• 16:39 – Deciding not to place limits on what type of kids they’d adopt
• 18:23 – Adjusting to parenting kids with trauma, but finding gratitude and resilience
• 26:29 – On faith driving their bold life choices and risk-taking
• 28:00 – The impossibility of faith-driven tasks and how God strengthens
• 29:19 – On establishing honest, loving discipline and overcoming kids’ trauma
• 32:25 – Teaching children to overcome fear through modeled faith
• 33:34 – Lessons from professional sports about teamwork and happiness
• 39:47 – Critique of big pharma, processed foods, and shifting to whole health
• 44:41 – Chrissy on getting off pharmaceuticals and regaining true peace
• 54:00 – Launching BuiltReady and practical nutrition advice

Childhood Outdoor Memories

• Heath: Football from early childhood; connection with his dad ("all my joyous moments were me and dad throwing the ball...").
• Chrissy: Nostalgic outdoor play with neighbor, using "Ninja Turtles walkie talkies" for hide and seek.

Final Notes

• Heath and Chrissy encourage embracing purposeful discipline, honest self-appraisal, and undaunted faith, challenging the cultural currents of fear and comfort-seeking.
• Their story underscores that choosing “the hard things on purpose” yields deep rewards—including overcoming personal struggle, building resilient families, and making a difference for vulnerable children.
• Follow their coaching and health initiatives through BUILTREADY, Viceroy Nutrition, and Bethesda Ranch for practical guidance and inspiration.

For more:
Find links to Heath & Chrissy’s organizations in the episode show notes.

Host Praise:
“Thank you for all that you’re putting out into the world… you’re not afraid, you’re gonna go, you’re gonna try things and you’re gonna leave your mark on the world.” – Jenny Urich (56:13)

Heath’s Parting Compliment:
“You’re really good at what you do. ...It’s a gift. To be good behind the camera and on the mic is tough and you did really well.” – Heath (57:41)