Thank you for considering supporting the next generation of wrestlers and athletes!

My name is Owen Braungardt, and I am raising support to help publish my first book, The Inner Circle.

I grew up in a small town in southern Kansas, where wrestling became part of my life at five years old. What started as a sport passed down from my dad became one of the greatest teachers God has ever used in my life.

Through wrestling, I became a Kansas state champion, four-time college All-American, two-time national finalist, and 2023 NAIA National Champion. From the outside, those accomplishments may look like the whole story.

But they are not.

Behind the wins, titles, and recognition, I battled perfectionism, self-doubt, fear of failure, fear of success, pressure, identity struggles, and seasons where I felt like I was losing the fight inside my mind.

That is why I wrote The Inner Circle.

This book is not just about wrestling. It is about the battle every athlete faces when their sport becomes tied to their worth. Think about it. Even after athletes have their hand raised, they are still frustrated with their performance. That is a problem.

The Inner Circle is about learning how to handle pressure, develop resilience, walk in faith, pursue excellence, and remember that who you are is much bigger than what you accomplish.

The Inner Circle shares my journey through wrestling, faith, mindset, and personal growth over my entire wrestling career of 19 years. More than a story of athletic success, this book is designed to help athletes recognize, develop, and use their God-given gifts to make a lasting impact in the world.

My goal is to fully launch this book on September 29, my birthday.

To do that with excellence, I am raising $20,000 to help cover the editing, marketing, publishing, design, launch materials, and distribution needed to get this book into the hands of athletes, coaches, parents, teams, FCA groups, and families who need this message.

This project means so much to me because I know there are athletes who look successful on the outside but feel broken on the inside.

- There are athletes who are winning but still feel empty.

- There are athletes who are carrying pressure they do not know how to explain.

- There are athletes who love their sport but have lost joy because their identity has become wrapped up in performance.

I was one of them. And, by God’s grace, I believe my story can help someone else walk through that same battle with more hope, wisdom, and purpose than I had at the time.

This is more than a book launch to me.

It is a mission to help athletes win the match that matters most.

If you feel led to support this project, I would be incredibly grateful for any donation of any size. Your gift will help bring The Inner Circle to life and allow this message to reach the people it was written for.

And if you are unable to give right now, sharing this campaign with someone else would still be extremely impactful!

Thank you for believing in me, supporting this mission, and helping me put a message of faith, discipline, resilience, and purpose into the hands of athletes who need it.