WHAT  IS A PENULTIMATE STEP?

When Down Is the Way Up
In the long jump, high jump, basketball before a dunk, and volleyball before a spike, the penultimate step is the second-to-last stride before takeoff. It’s the deliberate drop that generates power, setting the stage for the rise.

The same is true in life.

We all experience dips, moments of grief, burnout, failure, or depression that feel like we’re being pressed down and can’t move forward. But those low moments can serve as a powerful setup, not a permanent setback.

This keynote explores how to reframe life’s lowest points as the very place where transformation begins.

It’s not the pain that defines you; it’s your posture in the dip and your response after it.

Using stories from his journey, athletic injuries, mental health battles, and spiritual turning points, Chuck walks audiences through the power of resilience, reframing, and radical hope.

Coaches, your athletes will face setbacks, and some will suffer injuries.
Superintendents and principals, you and your educators will walk through emotional lows.
Organizational leaders, you and your teams will encounter pressure, fatigue, and frustration.

The Penultimate Step is a message that reframes those low moments as preparation, not defeat—reminding your people that being pressed down might be what’s positioning them to rise.

If your team, school, or organization needs a message of hope, resilience, and transformation,
Chuck would be honored to share this story at your next event.