Podcast Appearances
Sergio Cardenas: Guest on Intrepid storytelling podcast
How do you save everyone else when you’re quietly drowning yourself?
Sergio Cardenas grew up navigating the challenges of a strict upbringing, childhood poverty, and moving across borders to escape the 1992 LA riots. Despite early academic struggles and a denied dream of becoming a doctor, he eventually found his true calling in emergency medicine.
For years, Sergio served as a dedicated firefighter and flight nurse, even becoming the medical hero who helped save co-host Denise Powell's life in the back of a helicopter after her near-fatal car crash. As Sergio realized he had saves lives as a flight nurse, he had neglected his own. Hitting rock bottom, he felt feelings of identity crisis and suicidal thoughts, he knew he needed to confront them. Connecting with a past colleague who had started working in somatic breathwork and reiki healing, Sergio found his new calling. Listen as he talks about his awakening to this new chapter of finding his worth and purpose-driven work.
Sergio Cardenas: Guest on Let That shift go podcast; Between Identities: The Sacred In‑Between
Sergio takes us inside the seasons of his healing: year one’s excavation of old stories, year two’s rebuild through gratitude, acceptance, and somatic tools.
He names the hero archetype that once defined him and how it muted other parts of self. When his wife says, “I don’t need you to protect me anymore,” the sting reveals a deeper need to be needed. Breathwork and nervous system literacy turn that trigger into a teacher. We also get practical. Sergio shares his daily foundation: no phone for the first hour, water, 100 push‑ups and squats, five minutes of silence, a 108‑bead gratitude round, journaling, a brief up‑ and down‑regulating breath sequence, and a cold plunge.
It’s not flashy, it’s consistent—and that consistency ends imposter syndrome because you can’t argue with embodiment.
Sergio Cardenas: Guest on Let That shift go podcast; Shift on deck
Sergio's experiences unfold a narrative that many of us can relate to - the protector, the provider, the unwavering support system for others,
often at the expense of our own emotional availability. Together, we traverse the paths from emotional unavailability to presence in our relationships, illustrating the paradoxical truth that sometimes, to gain control, we must first let go.
The stories we share, from recognizing the unconditional love surrounding us to the life-changing conversations with loved ones, emphasize the unmistakable strength found in openness and self-reflection.
Sergio Cardenas: Guest on Let That shift go podcast; What If Closure Is Something You Write, Not Receive
Sergio walks us through the moment he realized “I’ve let it go” wasn’t the whole truth, and how a sauna, slow breathing, and a carefully written message opened space for compassion.
He didn’t write to win or to fix; he wrote to tell the truth, own his part, and set down a heavy pack. The reply he received wasn’t the point—but it held humanity he didn’t expect, reflecting shared grief and care from the other side.
That single exchange sparked a second wave of healing through unsent letters to others involved, proving that closure is an inside job.