The NFL Was Just the Beginning—Now She’s Changing the Game (Part 2) with Xia Chekwa Artwork

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.

All Episodes

Let’s Get Real with Jena Burris

The NFL Was Just the Beginning—Now She’s Changing the Game (Part 2) with Xia Chekwa

August 19, 2025 • Jena Burris • Episode 15

If you’ve ever found yourself in a season of not quite this, not quite that — a space between who you used to be and who you’re becoming — this episode is for you.

In Part 2 of my conversation with Xia Chekwa, we go even deeper.

We talk about identity, depression, motherhood, transitions, grief, and what it means to walk away from something that once defined you — and then rebuild your life with intention and purpose.

And y’all... this one hit hard.

In the early NFL years, Xia felt like she was losing herself. The job title was gone. The career goals were paused. The friendships didn’t feel safe. And everyone around her seemed to be asking, What do you have to be sad about?

“People saw the money and the games... but I was coming home and crying.”

This is the side of professional sports no one talks about. The emotional toll it takes on women — not just the players. The wives. The girlfriends. The moms. The women who quietly carry the weight of someone else’s dream while trying to figure out their own.

But Xia didn’t stay stuck. She did the work. She got support. She found her people. And slowly, she started to rebuild.

And now? She and her husband, Chimdi, are taking all of that pain, all of that wisdom, and turning it into purpose through their new venture — Root 3 Sports — a multi-layered agency that helps athletes (starting in college!) and their families build holistic success from the inside out.

This episode is real and raw and redemptive in all the best ways.

One of My Favorite Moments:

“If I can find my gray… what’s for me… I’ll be at peace.”

I wasn’t expecting her to say that. But it stopped me in my tracks. Because yes. We need that reminder. It doesn’t have to be black or white. Right or wrong. Perfect or nothing. There is life in the messy, in-between middle. The gray. And it’s where so much healing happens.

Connect with Xia:

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.

If this episode spoke to your heart, will you do me a favor?

➡️ Send it to a woman in your life who might be quietly struggling with her own transition.
➡️ Subscribe & leave a review — it helps more than you know.
➡️ Tag me on Instagram @jena.burris and let me know your favorite moment. I’d love to connect with you.

Because friend, you are not alone.

We’re all just doing our best to live in the gray — and find peace in the process.

Until next time!