Filmmaker and podcaster Chris Winterbauer has spent his life chasing structure, discipline, and flow — first through competitive tennis, then corporate finance, and eventually through the uncharted waters of film school at USC. Along the way, running became both a release and a teacher: a way to process, to reset, and to understand that progress comes not from racing every mile but from learning to love the process. In this episode, Chris talks about his journey from the Pacific Northwest to Los Angeles, the parallels between marathon training and screenwriting, and how running helps him break down scripts, solve creative problems, and protect his focus. We explore how athletic family roots instilled an obsession with training, the challenges of dramatizing sports on screen, and the lessons of patience, consistency, and resilience that running keeps teaching him. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

Transcript

Related