Closing the Gaps: The Road from Desperation to Transformation with Shawn Langwell
Release Date: 12/01/2025
Honoring Love, Loss and The Life You're Meant to Live with Steve Gamlin
Balance & Breakthroughs
In this powerful and deeply human episode of Balance & Breakthrough, host Will Singleton sits down with Steve Gamlin for a conversation that goes far beyond goal-setting and motivation. This episode explores what it really means to rebuild your life with intention—after failure, after fear, and even after profound loss. Steve Gamlin’s journey includes a radio career, stand-up comedy, personal setbacks, reinvention, and a lifelong commitment to intentional living. He doesn’t just teach mindset and visualization—he has lived it, rebuilt his life with it, and now helps others do the...
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The Power of Movement: How Rhythm Brings Us Back to Ourselves with Anastasia "Stacy" Alexander
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In this deeply moving episode of Balance and Breakthroughs, host Wil Singleton welcomes his close friend Anastasia “Stacy” Alexander—founder of The Creative Movement and creator of the immersive stage experience Candilandia—for a conversation that explores healing, leadership, and the power of embodied movement. Stacy shares her journey from classically trained dancer to movement facilitator, revealing how rhythm, music, and presence can help both children and adults reconnect with themselves in a world that keeps us stuck in our heads. Together, Wil and Stacy unpack how creative...
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Faith, Focus, and the Fight for Sustainable Excellence with Terry Tucker
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In this powerful episode of Balance and Breakthroughs with Wil Singleton, Wil sits down with Terry Tucker—former NCAA Division I athlete, SWAT hostage negotiator, business leader, cancer survivor, author, and motivational speaker—to explore what it truly means to live with resilience and purpose. Terry shares his remarkable journey from growing up on Chicago’s south side in a supportive, service-driven family to becoming the first in his family to graduate from college despite multiple knee surgeries. After a successful career in corporate marketing at Wendy’s International, Terry made...
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The Many Faces of Healing: Breaking the Silence Around Dissociative Identity Disorder with Mike Cuevas
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In this deeply moving episode of Balance and Breakthroughs with Wil, host Wil Singleton sits down with author, father, and mental health advocate Mike Cuevas, whose story challenges everything we think we know about identity, healing, and strength. Mike is the author of The Many Faces of Me, a raw and courageous memoir about living with dissociative identity disorder (DID). Formerly known as multiple personality disorder, DID is often misunderstood and stigmatized—and Mike is here to change that narrative. With honesty, vulnerability, and profound insight, he shares how trauma shaped...
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Grit, Growth and Gutters: A Story of Resilience with Kelli McCullough
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In this compelling episode of the Balance and Breakthroughs podcast, Kelli McCullough shares her powerful life and business journey rooted in grit, resilience, and reinvention. Growing up in a small Ohio town, Kelli once dreamed of a career in medicine before life led her down a very different path—one marked by determination, entrepreneurship, and hard-earned lessons. Kelli reflects on spending a decade in retail while raising three children as a single mother, doing whatever it took to support their dreams—including washing airplanes to help her child Kelsey pursue pilot training....
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From Revenge Body to Real Healing: Beyond the Before & After with Melissa DeGraft
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In this powerful and honest episode, Melissa DeGraft shares her nearly three-year fitness transformation—one that began with personal pain and the pursuit of a “revenge body” after a difficult marriage, but evolved into something far deeper. Melissa opens up about the psychological challenges of body image, the dangers of using exercise as self-punishment, and why true transformation requires inner healing, self-love, and patience—not just physical change. The conversation explores navigating societal judgment, shifting social circles, and learning to honor and trust your body while...
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A Love Story by God: A Story of Faith, Loss and Healing with Tara Tann
Balance & Breakthroughs
In this deeply personal and emotional episode of Balance and Breakthroughs, Wil sits down with special guest Tara Tan to explore her profound journey through love, loss, faith, and healing. Tara shares the powerful story of how she met her late husband, Craig—an unexpected love that entered her life after heartbreak and at a time when she had completely stopped looking. Tara describes Craig’s gentle persistence, his integrity, and the faith-centered connection that drew them together. Their relationship blossomed through shared spirituality, sincerity, and mutual respect. She recounts...
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Closing the Gaps: The Road from Desperation to Transformation with Shawn Langwell
Balance & Breakthroughs
In this powerful and deeply personal episode, Wil sits down with Shawn Langwell — an inspirational author, speaker, and executive mindset coach whose story of redemption and resilience is nothing short of transformative. With more than three decades in advertising and marketing sales, and leadership roles including past president of the California Writers Club and Toastmasters of Petaluma, Shawn brings a rare mix of professional depth, lived wisdom, and spiritual insight to the conversation. Shawn opens up about his journey from addiction to long-term recovery, revealing the profound impact...
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Breaking the Silence: From Rock Bottom to Real Connection with Josh O'Bier
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In this powerful and deeply honest episode, Will welcomes Josh O’Bier to the show for a conversation that unpacks the real, often unspoken experiences of men in relationships—and the societal misconceptions that follow them. Josh opens up about his upbringing on a farm in Delaware, growing up with strong family values and a father whose career in law enforcement shaped much of his worldview. At just 17, Josh’s life took a dramatic turn after a severe back injury left him in unmanaged pain for months. With no medical guidance and caught in the height of the pill epidemic, he slipped into...
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Deep Waters: Faith Beyond the Comfort Zone with Marie Purnell
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In this honest and heartfelt conversation, Will and Marie reunite to revisit the mission behind Deep Waters—addressing the unspoken questions and church wounds many believers carry. They dig into the controversy surrounding Will’s decision to become a bartender despite a family history of alcoholism, sparking deeper questions about ministry, judgment, and where faith is allowed to show up. The two challenge restrictive church traditions, highlight biblical examples of flawed individuals called by God, and advocate for a faith that steps beyond comfort zones into real, messy places....
info_outlineIn this powerful and deeply personal episode, Wil sits down with Shawn Langwell — an inspirational author, speaker, and executive mindset coach whose story of redemption and resilience is nothing short of transformative. With more than three decades in advertising and marketing sales, and leadership roles including past president of the California Writers Club and Toastmasters of Petaluma, Shawn brings a rare mix of professional depth, lived wisdom, and spiritual insight to the conversation.
Shawn opens up about his journey from addiction to long-term recovery, revealing the profound impact of grace, love, forgiveness, and willingness in rebuilding a life once defined by chaos. A near-fatal accident at age 21 and a heartfelt plea from his mother became the turning points that led him to rehab on October 10, 1986—and ultimately, to sobriety. His reflections on forgiving his father, releasing anger, and learning to love himself illuminate the emotional and spiritual work behind genuine transformation.
We explore Shawn’s books, Beyond Recovery and 10 Seconds of Boldness, which offer practical strategies for facing fear, building confidence, and taking courageous micro-actions that lead to meaningful change. These ideas form the foundation of his coaching philosophy, including his signature framework: the Gap Mindset.
Shawn explains how “gaps”—those spaces between who we are and who we want to be—often stem from belief and confidence barriers. His coaching helps individuals honestly identify these gaps, confront the fears behind them, and bridge them with internal motivation, rigorous honesty, and intentional action. As he puts it, everyone has gaps, but with willingness, courage, and a clear plan, change is absolutely possible.
A highlight of the conversation is Shawn’s distinction between the “gift of desperation”—the force that pushes us toward growth—and the “curse of despair,” which keeps us stuck in victimhood. His method for moving forward includes five essential steps: identifying the problem or opportunity, deciding what you want, identifying your “why,” writing a clear plan, and working that plan with persistence and heart.
Shawn also speaks candidly about imposter syndrome, spirituality, and the role of external support—reminding us that while help is valuable, the real transformation begins within. Looking ahead, he shares his upcoming projects, including the 10-year relaunch of Beyond Recovery, new workshops, and his developing Soulful Sales Method, which integrates recovery principles with mindset and sales coaching.
This episode is an uplifting, actionable roadmap for anyone seeking healing, confidence, and personal or professional breakthroughs. Shawn’s mission is simple yet profound: to inspire others by sharing his story—and to equip them with tools to rewrite their own.
Tune in for an honest, heartfelt, and empowering conversation that proves no gap is too wide when you’re willing to take the first step.
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