Let’s Get Real with Jena Burris
Welcome to Let’s Get Real, the podcast for women who feel like they’re holding it all together on the outside… but falling apart on the inside.
If you’re exhausted from pretending, overwhelmed by the pressure to be everything for everyone, or unsure who you even are anymore—you’re not alone. And you’re not crazy.
Let’s Get Real is where we have honest conversations about the struggles most people avoid—healing emotional wounds, losing yourself in motherhood, rebuilding your identity, and learning how to live whole again.
I’m Jena Burris—wife, mom, and your host. With a background in marriage and family therapy, life coaching, and years spent navigating life behind the scenes of the NFL and Hollywood, I’m passionate about creating a space where real conversations lead to real healing.
Each week, you’ll hear real stories, practical tools, and the reminder that freedom is closer than you think. Because I believe that in order to heal, we have to get real.
New episodes every Tuesday. Real talk. Real tools. Real healing.
For speaking inquiries, brand partnerships, or workshop opportunities, visit www.jenaburris.com or email jena@jenaburris.com.
Let’s Get Real with Jena Burris
The NFL Was Just the Beginning—Now She’s Changing the Game (Part 1) with Xia Chekwa
I’ve been sitting with this question a lot lately:
“Who am I now?”
Not who I was when I had the title…
Not who I used to be when life felt more certain or clear...
But right now—in this new chapter, in the messy middle, in the sacred space between what was and what’s next.
And if you’re asking yourself that same question, I want you to know you’re not alone.
Not even close.
This week’s conversation with my longtime friend Xia Chekwa is one of those episodes that reached into my chest and grabbed my heart. It reminded me how much we carry as women, especially in those moments when we feel invisible in someone else’s spotlight.
Xia knows that feeling. She lived it.
And she tells the truth about it—with so much wisdom and tenderness.
When I think back to our early days together—both of us freshly married, trying to figure out life in the NFL with husbands chasing big dreams—I can still feel the swirl of excitement and confusion. There was so much access, so much pressure, and no real manual for how to hold on to yourself in the middle of it all.
Xia shares what it was like being 23, far from home, newly married, and suddenly seen only as “the wife.” She opens up about the unexpected identity crisis that followed, the depression she faced quietly, and the slow, courageous process of coming home to herself.
“Everywhere we went, people asked what I did. And all I could think was, I don’t know anymore. I thought I knew. But I don’t know where I fit in now.”
Same, girl.
I felt that.
But more than anything, this episode is about identity.
About what happens when your title shifts, your dreams get delayed, or life looks nothing like what you imagined—and how to still believe there's purpose and power in your story.
It’s raw. It’s hilarious in parts (wait until you hear the car story).
And it’s healing.
Listen if you’ve ever:
- Lost yourself in someone else’s dream
- Felt like you were “just” the supportive one
- Wondered what it means to be you when everything around you changes
- Or quietly asked, Is there more for me?
Because friend, there is more for you.
And Xia’s story is living proof of that.
👉 Part 2 drops next week—and you’re going to want to hear how things begin to shift for her. (Spoiler: it’s so good.)
In the meantime… connect with Xia:
- Instagram: Xia Chekwa (@xiac5)
- Real Moms Too Podcast
- Root 3 Sports
If this episode made you laugh, cry, or breathe a little easier—would you share it with someone else who needs it?
This space is for us.
The real us.
No masks, no titles required.
Let’s keep getting real together.
Connect with Jena:
Instagram: @jenaburris
Get your FREE Overwhelmed Moms Guide here:
👉 The Overwhelmed Mom’s Guide – 10 Small Ways to Start Feeling Like You Again.
It’s free, gentle, and designed to help you reconnect with yourself, one small, meaningful moment at a time.