Playing Hurt

In Playing Hurt, renowned performance coach, motivational speaker, and former world-class athlete Almon Gunter delivers a powerful message about what it means to keep moving forward when life doesn’t go according to plan. Drawing on nearly three decades of experience helping athletes, leaders, students, and high achievers perform at their best, Gunter explores one of life’s most important lessons: you don’t have to feel your best, have everything figured out, or have every obstacle removed to keep playing the game.

Playing Hurt is about resilience, perseverance, and the courage to keep showing up when you're hurting—physically, emotionally, mentally, or professionally. Gunter challenges readers to stop allowing pain, disappointment, setbacks, and adversity to define their future. Instead, he provides the mindset and practical principles needed to:

Playing Hurt is more than a book about overcoming adversity. It's a reminder that being hurt doesn't mean you're finished. Sometimes the greatest victories come from the moments when you have every reason to quit—but choose to keep going.

Because in the game of life, you may get hurt, you may get knocked down, and you may even have to change the way you play—but you don't have to stop playing.

If you're ready to turn your pain into purpose, your setbacks into strength, and your struggles into your greatest comeback, Playing Hurt is your playbook.