Born Out of Survival: A 30-Year Friendship with Jenne Schwinn

Welcome back to Dying Out Loud Podcast. This week’s episode takes us on a journey back to the beginning of a 30-year friendship. Kris is joined by Jenne Schwinn to discuss the messy, traumatic, and ultimately beautiful reality of growing up together. Entering a small-town high school where all 34 other students had known each other since kindergarten, Kris and Jenne found themselves as the two ultimate outsiders. What started as a trauma bond to survive the daily drama of high school cliques quickly evolved into a zero-friction, lifelong connection. In this episode, Kris and Jenne explore: The Reality of Rural High Schools: Navigating the bullying and isolation of stepping into a school where everyone’s friend groups are already set in stone. Finding Safe Havens: From the sanctuary of drama class with Mrs. McCormick and Mrs. Thomas to memorable KU basketball games hunting down Scooter Berry's autograph. Healing Old Wounds: Jenne shares an incredible, serendipitous story about receiving an unexpected apology from her childhood bully years later. The Letters: Kris reads an emotional letter thanking Jenne for loving every version of him, and Jenne fights through tears to share her own profound gratitude for Kris’s strength, his battle with cancer, and his beautiful marriage to Anthony. This episode is a reminder that the greatest gift in life isn't the quantity of people you know, but the ones who met you when you were brand new and never stopped choosing you.