Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: All right. All right.
[00:00:01] Speaker B: That was.
[00:00:02] Speaker A: We had to figure that one out.
[00:00:03] Speaker C: That was a good clap.
[00:00:04] Speaker A: Sorry about that. We had to figure it out. Out. Hey, top of the morning. Top of the morning. This is your boy IG. We are on the Transition podcast. And I'm excited about this because, I mean, this is, this is place based right here. This is the real deal. We are in the Mayweather gym with two of my guys. Two of my guys. We got Kenny Wiggins. Hey, yeah, that's, that's Kenny for sure. Here we got TP Tyler P. What's going on, brother? I'm excited about this because again, our goal for this conversation is to be able to impact generations, to inspire greatness, to really prepare athletes for life after sports, and also create space for athletes who have already went through the transition who've already went through the transition of coming out of sports into the real working world, whatever that looks like. So we're going to dive in a little bit, man. Just tell me a little bit about yourself, man. I had the opportunity to play with Kenny Wiggins at Fresno State. Is a multitude of things.
You're a joy to be around, bro. You're a joy to be around, man. So just tell me a little bit about your story, man. So you grew up at El Grove and sac, came over to Fresno State. Tell me a little bit about your story, man, how you got to the league and tell me about that journey, bro.
[00:01:20] Speaker B: I mean, went to Fresno State, played there for five years, didn't really get to play until the latter half of my career there.
Did some growing for sure, then got the opportunity to play in the NFL, didn't get drafted, went undrafted, played for five teams, the Chargers, the Niners, the Ravens, the Lions, the Giants, and then stuck around for parts of eleven years in the league, which is a lot more than I thought I was going to get. Outlived my football life by a lot. And yeah, man, it was a blessing to have that opportunity to change the narrative of my life, my family's life. And that was one of the driving forces of me trying to stick it out and seeing it all the way through because a lot of people in my situation didn't, didn't have the mental capacity or even the want to. To stick it out with all the times I've been cut and all that kind of stuff. And it was, it was definitely a journey, for sure, but made me a better person for, for who I am now. And the, the journey is, is the good, is the good part, too. The, it's the. The hard times. What makes. What makes it better?
[00:02:35] Speaker A: Yeah. Period. Eleven years, huh?
[00:02:37] Speaker B: Eleven years.
[00:02:37] Speaker A: You did that? Wait, so I got my boy TP over here. So he did eleven in the league.
Tell me about your journey, man. Cause you played baseball.
[00:02:45] Speaker C: Yeah, I played baseball. I was drafted by the Houston Astros in 2011, and I played all the way until 2022, the 2020 season. We didn't get to play. Kind of got canceled right there in spring training. Only the big league team played, and that's when I was playing New Mexico. So I played with the Houston Astros until 2017. Played in Chicago indie ball for a little bit, and then signed and played in Mexico.
20, 1920. Didn't really get to play in 2021, 22. And, yeah, baseball is a different sport. It's a different beast, man.
It's tough because it's a grind. It's not as physical and tough on your body in the actual game as basketball or football, for sure, but it's just the grind of every single day. Being away from your family, flying, landing, playing a game, getting on a bus, getting off the bus, playing a game. It's just, like, more of a mental grind than it is. But then on the back end of your career, you're kind of feeling it, right? Like, shoulders are falling apart, knees feel bad. But then you kind of. You kind of find a second win in life. Like, you get, you know, inspired to do something else. There is a little bit of a struggle, as you know, because that. That's what this podcast is all about.
But baseball is one of those things where it teaches you life lessons every single game, because you get your. You get your butt kicked, and you have good times, you have bad times, but you meet good people and you learn from traveling, you learn from experiences. And I don't think there's any school, there's any, you know, education program better than just going out and doing it, experiencing life, experiencing other people. Other people. So I'm very grateful for the time that I had and was able to play.
[00:04:25] Speaker A: That's raw. Hey, y'all really. Y'all really. Let me ask all this. Did you have goals and aspirations to go to the league?
[00:04:31] Speaker B: 100%.
[00:04:32] Speaker A: 100%. What about you?
[00:04:33] Speaker C: 100%.
[00:04:34] Speaker A: 100%. So, was there any point in your journey where you're like, damn, I don't know if I'm gonna be able to.
[00:04:39] Speaker C: Do you every other day?
[00:04:44] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:04:45] Speaker B: I mean, I remember when I first got to Fresno, I was just 260. Like, going against.
[00:04:50] Speaker C: Going against.
[00:04:50] Speaker B: These guys are like grown men. I'm just. I'm 17.
[00:04:53] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:04:53] Speaker B: And I'm like, I don't know if I can do this.
[00:04:56] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:04:56] Speaker B: But then you just grow. You keep. You put your head down and you work and. And just keep getting better and better every day. And that was kind of the mindset I had. Like, I knew I was going to come in and be one of the. One of the guys in the beginning, and I had to work, and that's kind of how my whole entire career went. I just had to get better and better, just a little bit better and prove that I can still grow. And my ceiling wasn't capped out at a certain height, so I just had to keep doing that. And it was.
That's kind of how I kept it sticking around.
[00:05:22] Speaker A: So at what point did you know? Like, because again, right? Cause we all. We laughed at that. But that's the real honest to God truth. Like, you. You come through high school, you come up here and play your collegiate sport, and you're like, damn, you know, everybody's good. Like, I'm good. Don't get it twisted. Like, I'm still good. I'm still a guy. But, you know, everybody's a guy. You just. Fast.
[00:05:43] Speaker C: That's it.
[00:05:43] Speaker A: Oh, I was.
[00:05:44] Speaker B: I was a dog, too.
[00:05:45] Speaker A: Tv. Hold on. Ask your boy. Look, so.
[00:05:48] Speaker B: No, don't start.
[00:05:50] Speaker A: Don't start.
[00:05:51] Speaker B: Don't ask me. No, don't ask.
[00:05:53] Speaker A: You know, bro. You know, so, look, so at what point.
At what point were you in your journey where you were really convinced when you knew you had the opportunity to go play in the league?
[00:06:07] Speaker B: I mean, I think when I started playing, like, when I became the starter at Fresno State and I started playing against guys that I knew that were, like, going to get opportunity to play in the next level.
Come to Fre. Come to Fresno State. You play a few teams every year. That ain't too many guys gonna make it to the league. But then you play a few teams that are like, all right, because we played Wisconsin, we played Cincinnati, we played UCLA, we played all these. All these big teams that were. There's NFL caliber guys on the team, and I'm sitting there holding my own. I'm like, okay, maybe I got a shot, right? Maybe I got a shot. Let me see how far I can take this. Like, yeah. And then it was. And then it was all in. And then you. There's no plan b.
[00:06:51] Speaker A: It's.
[00:06:52] Speaker B: It's you. You're going to the league, and. And that's the kind of mindset you have to have, especially coming from a school like Fresno State, like we did, where where, like, we're going to get looked at like we're. We're less than no matter what just because of where we come from. But that's not always the case because, like, especially our group, when, when we got into the league, no matter if we were drafted in the first round or we were undrafted, we stuck around because teams knew that we knew what it was like to practice like a pro facts. And, like, when we got to NFL training camp, it was like, this is old hat, bro.
[00:07:26] Speaker A: Eddie, this is it. This is ready.
[00:07:27] Speaker B: This is normal.
[00:07:28] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:07:28] Speaker B: And then all the other teams, like kids coming from Oregon and shit. It's just a Pat hill thing, 100% for sure.
[00:07:35] Speaker A: He ran it.
[00:07:36] Speaker B: He ran it like a college program, for sure. Like a NFL program. And that's like the best thing that we could, like, we were in there running the ball like, these other schools, like, didn't put their hand on the ground. Like, they're in two point stances the whole time. So these were NFL got caliber, but we're NFL ready.
[00:07:53] Speaker C: Right.
[00:07:53] Speaker B: We know the mindset to have, but we just didn't have the talent like some of these guys did, and.
[00:07:58] Speaker A: But that kind of who they had a talent. What you talking?
[00:08:01] Speaker B: I'm just saying, like, against the Alabama's and those kind of guys, but when you get to that level playing field where you're all on the same level, the work passes, the talent, and that's kind of, that's kind of what happened with. With me and a lot of the guys that we kind of grew up with.
[00:08:18] Speaker A: So my first stop was Buffalo. My first stop was Buffalo. And to your point, I think Pat really did run an NFL style program because I was. Soon as I got to Buffalo, it was like we were running quarters defense, and it was cake. I was like, oh, we've been doing this for four years. Right? And so it was really easy to pick up. It was really easy to understand the schemes. It was really easy to just really acclimate to the league. And I, you know, I was really shocked in a sense of, like, damn, how prepared I really was to be able to hold my own in that space. Shocked in the sense of damn. I thought it was gonna be more than this, honestly. No. You know, so what about you, TP? Like, at what point did you know that you were that caliber guy of, okay, I can. I can go pro, man.
[00:09:07] Speaker C: I don't know if I ever really knew it. I just thought that that was the only thing that I could do to be successful, you know, playing sports, growing up and being the best player on the. On the team. You know, I grew up in Hanford, you know, small town. I got to play basketball, football, and baseball and be, like, one of the better players on the team. So it's like I'm looking, you know, on tv, you know, MTV Cribs. MTV cribs. And all the. All the people on there that I thought were successful were rappers, athletes, and movie stars. That's the only thing that I thought to where I can be rich and successful and people know my name and people respect me. That's the only thing that I thought was in that successful life. So when I was in high school and I was getting letters from teams and maybe getting drafted when I was in high school, that's like, okay, I'm gonna put all my eggs into baseball because that's what I was. That's what I was best at.
And then I think, you know, when you get drafted, you're like, all right, I'm here. You know, like, I made it. Like, this is now my opportunity to go show yourself. And then you get thrown down in, like, short season a ball, and then you're like, dang. Then I got to go to a ball, and then I got to go to high a ball, and then I got to go aa, triple A, and then the big league. So then you're like, man, I've made it. And then you're like, no, you haven't. You got to go prove yourself. You got to go work. You got to go do it. So I always had the belief in myself that this is what I was going to do, and I knew that I was good enough to do it. I just didn't know the journey. I didn't know how light the road was going to be, which I feel like it is for everything.
God puts this vision and where he sees you for the plan, but he doesn't show you the road to get there, because if he did, you would stop.
If on the day I was drafted, if they say, you got to do this, this, you're going to get hurt. You're going to miss this season. You're going to do all this in order to, by the end of your career, you're gonna be here, do you still wanna go? I'd be like, no, nobody wants to do that.
[00:11:09] Speaker A: Right?
[00:11:10] Speaker C: But that's the whole point. And everything that I learned from there, struggling and doing good and doing bad, it's kind of where I was meant to be. It's a spot that you're put into where you're supposed to learn and grow as a human, but if you don't go through it, then you don't really know what you're even capable of. But at a. At a young age, I knew that I had the opportunity and. And had the.
Had the talents to do it. I think just because everybody else told me that I could and I didn't have. I never really had belief in myself until other people told me, and then other people told me, then I'm like, okay, I can do it.
[00:11:47] Speaker A: That's real. That's real. Hey, you gotta. And this, as we move forward in this, like, journey of playing sports, because you two. There are two common themes that I saw here, right? One, there was no plan b.
Right. For you. You know, you mentioned this is something that I visually saw on a day to day basis. It was sports, it was music. And what was the other one? Very. The opportunities were slim based off of what I saw. Right? So putting. You reference putting all my eggs in one basket, right? So, as athletes, you know, same thing for me, bruh. Like, there was no plan b. There's a question that we frequently got asked growing up. What's your plan b? What's your plan b? Like, what are you gonna do if sports doesn't work out? Right?
[00:12:37] Speaker C: Can't have one.
[00:12:37] Speaker A: You don't have one. You can't have one. You're putting all your eggs in this one basket. Because, again, in order to be the best of the best, you. You really have to be centrally focused. Like, this is what I want to do. And I'm giving everything to this, right? So really quick, give me a story, bruh. Like, and I'm asking y'all, cuz y'all played in the league. A lot of our listeners either may have played in the league, have not played in the league, just have y'all. When y'all got to the league, were y'all, like, starstruck by anybody?
[00:13:06] Speaker B: 100%.
[00:13:07] Speaker A: Really, bro, I was.
[00:13:08] Speaker B: So it was my. So my first year was in training camp because all I have was training camp. We didn't have any otas or anything. It was a lockout year. So went to training camp.
So, like, my first. Really, like otas. My next year, I was in training camp with Randy Moss.
[00:13:24] Speaker A: Oh, shit.
[00:13:25] Speaker B: He was with us in the 49 ers.
[00:13:27] Speaker A: Edit that.
[00:13:28] Speaker B: And so we're sitting there. I'm on the second team. I'm playing second team, right tackle. And the first rings out there, and I'm standing right next to Randy, right? And Alex throws a ball, Crabtree goes up and catches it over a DB, and I'm like, oh, dang. That guy just got lost not even thinking about it, right? And Randy turns to me. He's like, really Wiggins? Really? And I'm like, bro, like, that's the. Like, that's the verb that's used for that. That play right there because of him, literally. And I was just like, man. Like, I was like, this is cool. Like, that was one of, like, the, like, wow. Like, I'm really playing amongst these dudes that are, like, legends right now, which. Now it's now their peers, when, like, when I was growing up, they were, like, bigger than life and. And, like, untouchable, right? And now I'm, like, sitting there in the huddle with him, too. So it's like, it's cool, man. That was one of the, like, okay. Like, this is pretty. This is pretty sick.
[00:14:22] Speaker A: That's tough that way. Ready? Moss was cold. What about you, TP, man?
[00:14:28] Speaker C: It's. It's. It's a little bit different, because baseball, you just get thrown into the minor leagues. You don't really get around the big league guys until you go to spring training or you get invited to big league camp. But there was a time, I wouldn't say it was starstruck. Cause they weren't as famous as they are now at the time, but to see somebody so small, Jose El tuve so small. One of the best players in the league now, but he had only been in the big leagues for maybe, like, one year at the time. And I see this dude working his butt off. He's like five. Five dudes putting up, like, 405 on the squat rack. He's working. He told guys that he was going to the big leagues that year when he got called up to the big leagues, like, one of the most confident people that I've ever met. Not cocky, very humble.
Just, like, an amazing guy to be around. And when you see somebody like that, like, having the success that they had in the big leagues that small, but they have that much confidence and be okay. I don't have as much confidence in myself as he has. If I just have a quarter of it, then, like, I'll get better. But, man, watching him work was. Was pretty amazing.
[00:15:30] Speaker A: Yeah, that's dope. That's dope. You know who had that much confidence? I was around Antonio Brown. I would not lie. I don't know where my boy.
[00:15:37] Speaker B: Really? I don't know.
[00:15:38] Speaker A: I don't know where my boy. No, I'm telling you, bro, like, when I got to Pittsburgh. So I started off in, I started off in Buffalo, right? And so when I got to Buffalo's locker room, it was Vince Young for me. Yeah, it was Vince Young, bro. Like, I grew up a USC fan and Vince Young and the Texas boys came down there and took that natty from us, I was hot. But when I walked in, when I walked in the Buffalo Bills locker room and I see Vince Young and I'm like, damn, I'm here with the guys.
[00:16:06] Speaker B: Are you there with Mario Williams, too?
[00:16:08] Speaker A: Out there with Mario Williams? I was there with Mario Williams, bro. I was there with. I mean, Stephan Gilmore got drafted that same year.
We had, we had. Stevie Johnson was there. Like, we had, we had guys, bro. Like, we, like, we had guys. And so.
But Ab was. Ab was confident, bro. Like, Ab was confident. He didn't. I mean, he went to like eastern Michigan or something like that. And I remember latter half of my first year just being around him and like, hearing a little bit of his story prior to me getting there, it was, he wasn't a starter. He didn't come in, you know, just taking over, but he just knew that's what he wanted to do and that's who he was and he just worked at it. When I say he was a workhorse, like, a lot of people probably don't know this based off of just perception, what they see now, but he was probably one of the hardest working individuals, you know what I mean? If not the hardest working individual that I came across, you know, in Pittsburgh, which was hella dope. We got some, we got some phone ringers. Because if you don't know, like, live in the gym, live, we literally live in the gym. We literally live in a gym. So when you talk about not having a plan b, when you talk about putting all your eggs in one basket, like, nobody really, and I won't say this, nobody realist, but I wasn't prepared for my transition out of sports.
I wasn't trained. I wasn't prepared for my transition.
[00:17:33] Speaker B: I don't know if you can be.
[00:17:34] Speaker A: Okay, say more.
[00:17:36] Speaker B: Because a lot of people, cuz, cuz especially for football, right, you, you've been doing it since you were little, right? You've been doing the same thing over and over again while all your other buddies and all your other friends, family members in the same, the same area of life are doing, they're starting their careers. Like, we're still doing the same thing we were doing in high school, right? So it's like you, you go the entire time. I mean, even baseball is even worse. Worse, too, because you don't go to college.
[00:18:03] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:18:03] Speaker B: You know what I mean? Like, you. You have all this time where you. You have to just dedicate everything just to football, and you don't really get to explore, like, anything outside of football, right. Because if you're. If you're in football, like, you're in it, like, you can't. You can't half ass football. You can't put 1ft in, 1ft out, because then you're gonna be out.
[00:18:24] Speaker A: Quick fact.
[00:18:25] Speaker B: So, I mean, that's. That's kind of what I'm talking about. And it's. It's. It's crazy that luckily, I had a long enough career that when. When that time did come and I kind of knew when that was happening, I could kind of be like, okay, what's. What's. What's next? Let me kind of figure something out. Let me. Let me try some new things, but still, like, to this day, I mean, I'm almost three years out, and I still don't, like, know my transition plan. Like, it's the truth. And I'm trying a bunch of different things and seeing what sticks and what I like, and it's just. That's the hard part, too, is. Is finding something that's the same level of, like, passion towards football, right. Because there's never going to be another football. There's never going to be something that I care that much about other than my family, which is, like, giving, right? Like, I love being a dad. I love. I love my wife. I love, like, making a home in here, in Fresno, but there's never going to be anything that I pour myself into. Like, I did football because I did that already, you know? I mean, like, you got to find what's next. You got to find something that you can kind of trans, like you say, transition to, but it's never gonna be.
[00:19:35] Speaker C: You can't replace it.
[00:19:36] Speaker B: Can't replace football, right?
[00:19:38] Speaker A: You can't.
[00:19:38] Speaker B: You can't replace the feeling that you. That you have when you go out on the field and hit somebody for the first time on a Sunday, like, irreplaceable. I'm getting goosebumps right now talking about it, like, oh, so it's like. It's the. It's the feeling of trying to find that. It's almost like a drug addict, right? You're like. You're trying to chase that high.
[00:19:57] Speaker A: Yeah. You need some help.
[00:19:58] Speaker B: It's the truth, though. No, it really is, though. I chase that high. You're like, you're like, first time these. These crackheads smoke some crack. Like, okay, yeah, that's it.
[00:20:10] Speaker A: It's a high.
[00:20:11] Speaker B: It's the high.
[00:20:12] Speaker A: And you.
[00:20:13] Speaker B: You have to. You're trying to chase that in, and it's pretty impossible to find. Yeah, some people are lucky and they can find it, but, like, I haven't found it yet, so that the search still continues.
[00:20:24] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:20:24] Speaker B: So it's kind of crazy to think about which.
[00:20:26] Speaker A: What about you, TP? Which is interesting when you're talking about trying to chase that high, because there is nothing like playing at the pinnacle of your sport. Like, we've been doing this to you all's points since we were kids, 8910 years old, and we had one goal, like, hey, this is what I want to do. And you'd spend the majority of your life, your early childhood life. You go through your teenage years or collegiate years, like, chasing this. I'm not even gonna say chasing, but pursuing this goal, putting all your eggs in one basket, there is no plan B. You're singularly focused. You get there, you go through the journey of having. Going through this league and triple a and aa and single a and getting cut and just moving through this journey, which we have really no idea how it was going to be. And all of a sudden, it's just.
[00:21:15] Speaker C: Yeah, and that's the hardest part, right. Is it's like you. You think that you're going to be successful in whatever you do after the fact because there's very, very, very few people, even in the league, in the big leagues, in the NFL that have made enough money to. Where they don't have to do anything.
[00:21:30] Speaker A: Right.
[00:21:30] Speaker C: Everybody thinks just because you're an NFL, you're an MLB, you just have millions and millions of dollars. And when you're done, you just, you know, set off into the sunset and do that. Like, that's rare. Like, 1% of the 1% are actually able to do that. So somebody, you. You have to find something after number one, like, to continue to live the lifestyle and to make money. But then number two is actually have the life and create a life that. That. That you want to live. And how I've kind of been dealing with it. Cause this is last year, 2023 was the first year that I didn't play a sport since I was probably like three or four years old. Damn right. And it was a lot harder than I thought because I got to a point to where I couldn't wait to be done. I couldn't wait to be. I couldn't wait for that moment, not to leave my wife, not to leave my kids. You know, like, later in my career, you know, it started with mom and dad and friends, then it became girlfriend, then it became wife, and then it became wife and kids and dog. And then, like, you're saying to people, and that moment sucks. And, like, I know that you guys have been there, so I couldn't wait for that moment to where I didn't have to leave, I didn't have to prepare, I didn't have to go and throw, I didn't have to deal with a sore arm. Always not feeling good, but I didn't know how hard it was gonna be mentally to put something else in that place. Like, put another drug, as we're talking about drug addict, like, find another drug. Like, we're not literally doing drugs, but that's kind of how it is as you're searching for something. And the guy that's helped me the most, actually, Rob golden, really, because he said it, and he said it to a t. One time, him and I were talking, and then he actually said it because we had him come in and speak at Iron Key, and he said it exactly because they were like, was there a time when you were transitioning, you know, starting your school?
[00:23:13] Speaker A: After.
[00:23:13] Speaker C: After you were playing, he was talking about being in, like, a depressed stage for like a, you know, like a year, trying to find himself. And it's, you know, because he's the man that's kind of got it all figured out. Like, when we look at him and when you talk to him, he's like, I don't, man. Like, there's days that are hard, but I have my faith, I have my kids, I have all this stuff. So he said it perfectly. That clicked to me because I was always trying to figure out what I gotta do, right? You know? Cause real estate's not an easy game. You gotta kinda make your own schedule. You gotta get out there, you gotta hustle. You got a lot of learning to do. And he basically, like, said that we're so used to they tell you when to show up, they tell you what to do, how many reps to do, what to eat, when to eat, when the flight is, what time the game is, the game's over. Bus is leaving. At this time. We never have to do anything for ourselves, ever. Now I have to do everything for myself, right? And that's the hard part. Like, the work is not hard. Showing up early, struggling, failing, that's not hard. But I went through this phase of not knowing what to do. Because everybody else always did something for me. They packed my bag, they unloaded my bag and put it in my locker. Like, I forgot what it was like to even pack up all my baseball stuff because somebody else did it for me, right? So now when you're doing all that yourself, you feel like you're a bum because you're, like, you're used to other people doing is like, why do I feel like this? Why do I feel like this?
So that was, like, the hardest part for me. But then how I've had success, not really success, but just getting over that point is to, like, it's out of my hands, like, now. And I wish I had this mindset when I was playing more that it's not in my hands, it's in God's hands now, right? Like, more of, like, use me, God. Like, if you want me to be in this struggle, okay? There's a reason why I'm here, right? Like, now I understand that when I have hard days, when I have struggled days, those are actually the good times, okay? Because I know that during my playing career, when I was at my worst, I kept working. I kept working and I was like, man, why am I not getting the results? And all of a sudden they hit and I started having success, and I was having the most fun, but I never stopped what I was doing.
[00:25:20] Speaker A: That's good.
[00:25:20] Speaker C: It was the same work ethic every single day, but consistency. Exactly. And I've realized now that there's time that I have to give myself, time that I have to give myself grace. I have to watch the judge inside of me because we are our own worst critics. Athletes judge themselves more than everybody else. They can do something that everybody else thinks is perfect and good. And we're going to judge. We're going to be like, that wasn't as good. I could have done better. The result was good. And there's things that we can't control that we get better at. But I have to realize that there was a time that it took me to learn how to play baseball, even at the professional level. Right? Like, I played baseball for 15 years before I got drafted. I still don't know how to play baseball. I played twelve years and still don't know how to play baseball. You're always learning. So I remember there was a period my first couple years playing. I didn't know what a routine was. I didn't know what hard work was. I didn't know what setting a schedule was. So I have to allow myself that there is time that you have to learn. I didn't show up day one and know to do this, this, this. So now, after my career, that transition, you got to give yourself a little bit of grace. You can't just hit the ground running and go. Because I tried to prepare the best I can after my career because I didn't make. I didn't make very much money playing. Like, when I went to Mexico a couple years, we won a championship. I made enough money to where, like, I can live comfortably. But, like, I still gotta work, I still gotta grow. I still have aspirations of doing things after playing, but it does take a little bit of time. You do have to. Have to learn. I thought that I would just hit the ground running and going, but as.
[00:26:55] Speaker A: Athletes, that's what we are so accustomed to, right? Like, we're accustomed to hitting the ground running.
[00:27:01] Speaker C: And you're good at everything, like, as an athlete. And when you're not good at something, you're like, man, this sucks. But I learned. Yes, exactly.
[00:27:10] Speaker B: Figure it out.
[00:27:10] Speaker A: And I have the confidence enough to know that I can figure it out. Right? And so there's a lot of gems that you said that you. That you said there, because even Kenny Wiggins in, you know, in the conversations that we've had talked about the power of the schedule, right? And once our sport ended, it was we didn't have a schedule set up for us.
[00:27:30] Speaker C: That's the hardest part. It's so hard.
[00:27:32] Speaker A: We didn't have a people to realize.
[00:27:33] Speaker C: How hard that is, man.
[00:27:35] Speaker A: Like, you know what I mean? And then you talked about having to have it to. You said the word success, and you kind of backtrack a little bit. And so I'm curious when we're talking about success, because, I mean, you're, you know, you. You're real estate now. You're a father. You know, you're a husband, Kenny. I mean, we're sitting in the. In the. In the Mayweather, the boxing gym. You know what I mean? Like this. In somebody else's eyes who may not know, your journey is, like, successful.
You know what I mean? So you talk about that inner judge and that inner critic, because we've been so accustomed to doing everything at a high level. It's when we get out of the pinnacle, like, literally, dog, we were in the pinnacle of what we did. The pinnacle. There is no. I mean, there's levels to the pinnacle. Don't get it twisted. But we did that only 1% or have the ability to do that and have that. Have to have the chance to do that. And so, like, as we're sitting in your boxing gym, man, shout out to Mayweather boxing gym.
You know, come get your hands right.
Come get your hands right.
[00:28:35] Speaker C: This episode is sponsored by Mayweather boxing and fitness, Clovis, California. Come try a free class.
[00:28:39] Speaker A: Come on, now. Stop playing with us.
And if you need a house, my boy got you.
But when you're talking about success, man, like, you know, on our last episode, you know, a friend of mine, Marty Reid, she talked about athletes having to redefine what success looks like. And I'm gonna be honest with y'all. I had a tough week. I had a tough week this week.
[00:29:01] Speaker C: Good.
[00:29:01] Speaker A: Really, really, really tough week. Good. It was good because it's challenging, you know what I mean? Going from being on the field every day now, I'm, you know, I work in a nonprofit sector, and I love what I do because I have the ability to serve people, and that's something that I had to lean into when you're talking about trying to find that purpose. But, damn, I'm at the. I'm at the computer most of the time, and I'm like. I'm now, like, trying to figure out how do I get into a space where I do what I love and I love what I do, and that's building relationships with people. And I had a big win this week, y'all. I had a really big win this week, and I had to realize redefine what success and what those big wins look like for me in this space. So we were talking about big wins and redefine and success. Success. What does that look like for y'all? And how important is it for athletes transitioning out of sports to give themselves grace and redefining what success looks like? How important is that?
[00:29:55] Speaker B: I mean, I think it's huge because, like you said, we're so accustomed to, like, the big wins, right? We're so accustomed to, like, hey, I made the 53, like, you know what I mean? Like, huge win, right? Win. Hey, I got my first start. Like, that's a huge win. Like, hey, I got this. This signing bonus. Like, right? Like, so when you step back and go into the real world, and it's like, hey, I got my kids to sleep at bedtime, right? That's. That's a win, you know? Like, that's a win because that's the. That's the. That's the level of life we're at right now, right? Like, there is no more training camp. There is no more. There is no more, like, getting ready for a Sunday. Like, my life is so different now that, hey, it's a win when my kid eats his old breakfast. You know what I mean? Like, and hopefully, those. Those wins change down the road when I can kind of be like, okay. Like, hey, I did this deal in it, and it made my. My family some money and all that kind of stuff, which. Which, again, is the whole goal is to provide for your family as a man. Right. And.
But, yeah, man, like, like, finding those small wins is. Is tough right now. Like, because you're so accustomed to the big ones.
[00:31:05] Speaker A: Yeah. Right?
[00:31:05] Speaker B: Like, you. You don't think, oh, like, I just signed my deal in Detroit. That's a huge. That's a huge win. But now I'm like, hey, like, I haven't done anything like that in the last two years or three years. So, like, am I, like, am I less of a man? Am I less of a. Am I less of a provider or whatever? But it's. It's a different. It's a different time of life, and you kind of have to sit back and say, okay, it's not always going to be like that. It's not always going to be like this. We have to kind of find the small victories. Cause a whole bunch of small victories add up to big victories.
[00:31:39] Speaker A: That's good. That's good. And the small victories, you have to really learn how to identify those small victims.
[00:31:46] Speaker B: No doubt.
[00:31:46] Speaker A: You know what I mean? Like, so I'm gonna ask you all this. What was a small victory for you this week?
[00:31:53] Speaker C: Man? I think that there's victories in every single day, every single opportunity, but I've kind of realized to not really search for the victories, just. Just be grateful for the stuff that you have and just understand that, like, everything could be, you know, hitting the fan, and you got to kind of look back, be like, okay, like, am I good? Am I healthy? Am I here? Is my wife good? Are my kids good? We got a house. Okay, I'm good. Like, I'm. I'm thankful for that. Instead of always searching for the victory, searching for this. Like, honestly, man, sometimes the goal and the. And the victory for that day is just, you know, not to get an argument with somebody or not to just, you know, fully quit what you're doing, right? There's. There's little wins and there's big wins and everything, but if you're searching for those wins and you do get it, then you're gonna get all excited and you're gonna get up, and the higher you go, the higher you fall, it doesn't matter how much, you know, how much success you have. So, like, I feel, first you have to. You have to define what success is to you. Is it more money? Is it to be famous? Is it, you know, to be, you know, spiritually sound with God, whatever it is. So you have to define success for yourself, and then, at the same time, understand that success is not where you are. Success is how far you've come.
[00:33:10] Speaker A: That's good.
[00:33:10] Speaker C: So don't. Don't forget your past. Like when. When I look back, being raised by two parents that didn't graduate high school, didn't have anything poor, watching them work and then watching where they came and then raising two kids and now helping us raise grandkids, right? Like, these kids needs help.
And to see their success. They're not rich and famous and have all this stuff, but to see where they came from having nothing and to have a kid that they got to go travel around the world and play. And my. And my, you know, two sisters are very, very successful. Successful to me now is making them proud and then making my kids proud to look up and have a father, a leader of the household, all that stuff. So everything changes quick when you have kids.
[00:33:55] Speaker B: Yep.
[00:33:55] Speaker C: And, you know. You know, Kenny knows this for sure. It's all right, man. Isaiah will find, you know, him a good lady, settled down one of these days. But, you know, stuff changes, man. And it'll be a lady.
[00:34:10] Speaker A: It has to be a lady. I won't. Yes, but I hear you. No respect. Yeah, but no.
[00:34:15] Speaker C: Hey, man, Kitty's got a cut. Got a couple more kids. You could probably. You could probably borrow one of his. Man.
[00:34:19] Speaker A: Man, I have his kids upside down, spanking the hell out of kids, man. I'm your uncle.
[00:34:25] Speaker B: They probably come out whooping you already.
[00:34:27] Speaker A: They probably would.
[00:34:28] Speaker B: Just like Daddy did.
[00:34:31] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:34:32] Speaker C: Oh, now we're getting to the good stuff.
[00:34:34] Speaker A: Hey, man, I'm not even gonna go there with you right now, tp. I appreciate that, kitty, man. Like, what's a win this week for you?
[00:34:41] Speaker B: I mean, we just went. Me and the wife just went on a little anniversary vacation. Ten year anniversary naps are a win, man, for sure. And, like, the ability to get away and spend some, like, quality time with your. With your wife, with the hustle and bustle. We got a four year old and a one year old, and they're just, like, crazy all the time.
[00:35:02] Speaker C: And.
[00:35:02] Speaker B: And the. The ability to get away and spend some, like, quality time with just, like, your wife and to grow and just to have that little. That little like, escape. Right? Like, I love my kids to death. I want to spend every minute I can with them. But just to have, like, that one on one with your wife, I mean, that's just. That's a huge win to keep the marriage strong and to keep the love alive and the spark going. And it was a nice reset and nice kind of rejuvenation, and it was a lot of fun. So we got to go down to San Diego for a few days and hang out. That was. That was a win for sure.
[00:35:40] Speaker A: I love that I'm dealing with family men here. I aspire to be like you, man, one day, and I know for the sake of time, we got some folks coming in, getting ready to beat these bags up a little bit. I love that on a Sunday. We still working really quick, man. Just two more questions for you all. When we're talking about just transitioning out of sports, how.
How was it transitioning out of sports?
How was that effect on your family? Like, how was it when you're transitioning, going through everything, you went through the challenges, you know, when you're talking about having to redefine success, having to redefine and search again for a new purpose and just that some of the things that you had to deal with. How was that as family men, how was that transition?
[00:36:21] Speaker B: I think it was. I think that was the easy part.
[00:36:23] Speaker A: That's good.
[00:36:24] Speaker B: That was the one where it's like, okay, I'm home now. Like, I don't have to rely on my wife and put all this. All this pressure on her to take care of the kids and take care of the house when I'm like, all right, see you later. I'll see you in a couple months. I'm going to Ota's or whatever it is. That was the easy part because. Because now I'm here, I can be involved. I can. I can be. Be a dad and do all that stuff, which, which I was when I was. When I was able to. But now we don't have that season of life where, all right, pack the house. Let's move to Detroit. Or, you know, I mean, like, it's.
[00:36:54] Speaker C: Just going back and forth so hard to.
[00:36:56] Speaker B: Man.
[00:36:57] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:36:57] Speaker B: It's so hard to move your family across the country in. And luckily, we had a place there, so we didn't have to move everything. We just pack a few bags and then load in. But. And then it was. Got released in the middle of the season, and then we had to move middle of the season to New York, and we have a two year, one year old, two year old. And it's just, like, during COVID and it's just like, man, like, this is a whole entire, like, thing where now it's like, all right, we're here. We're putting roots down. We're creating relationships because, like, you know how it is. Like, you're in Fresno for, what, two or three months. You can't really, like, create a relationship with friends or whatever like that. Like, lucky we had the gym relationship, too, but, like, Tyson would be gone in whenever. Like, we would always, like, overlap each other, like, for, like, a month, you know? So it was like, it's that weird thing where it's, like, now you're creating relationships with friends, and your. Your kids are having friends now. And, I mean, my kid asked about his kids all the time. Like, when are we seeing Jaco and Joe? Like, all the time.
[00:37:52] Speaker A: And.
[00:37:52] Speaker B: And so it's. It's fun to kind of have that, like, relief and.
[00:37:59] Speaker A: And.
[00:37:59] Speaker B: And easier for our family, too, because now they. They know we're gonna be. They know the schedule. They know, like, what's gonna happen. I mean, I could have been cut and traded and all that kind of stuff. They didn't know, you know? So now it's. We're here. We're stuck. Not stuck, but we're. We're together all the time. Right?
[00:38:15] Speaker A: So that's.
[00:38:15] Speaker B: That's been the easy part.
[00:38:16] Speaker A: Love that y'all stuck with each other. Y'all go stuff, stick with each other, like, too. Love that. What about you, man? How was that transition as a family, man? How was that transition for you?
[00:38:24] Speaker C: I think it's easier on them and harder on us, right? Because we're trying to, like, we've talked about search for that, you know, hole or void that we have, so sometimes we might not always bring our best self to them, which they don't deserve that, right? So being able to understand, you know, to leave that stuff at the door, just like we were taught to leave it at the field, you know, go and leave. And that right there is just straight B's. You don't leave it at the field when you're talking about that. So, like, if you're an athlete and somebody says, oh, leave it at the field. Leave it in the locker room, then go it. It's. It's not gonna work. It's. It's not that easy. It's on your mind 24/7 right? That stuff doesn't work. But to be able to switch it around and leave that stuff at the door so you don't pass it on to your kids or your wife because it is easier being home. It's harder on us because we're used to being away. We can't run anymore. That's like, so when we have the bad days with the kids, we're in it. Like, you're in it. And I think that that's the hardest part about the transition, is having two young kids, trying to make a career afterwards, but then being a father for them, being a husband for your wife, being a good son for your kids, being a leader, being, you know, a role model to where now, like, success is just me being him. I have this kind of, like, quote unquote him. Like, be that person. Be the leader. You don't get frustrated when, you know, stuff happens. You don't talk like that about other people. You're. You're that person that somebody can go to and you can kind of, like, help change their day to where, like, success is, like, being that person every day. And if I can be that a little bit, then all is all the goals and everything that I have will just kind of fall into place instead of just searching for this, trying to accomplish that. Trying to accomplish that. Because at the same time, like, I'm coming home, I'm not himself, I'm not the dad, but him is the father. He's the entrepreneur. He's the business owner. He's the gym. Like, he's all of that stuff. If you're him. If you're not, it's easy to slip in and out of all these things where your mind is not there. So when I'm with my kids, I'm dad, I'm the husband, I'm that person.
[00:40:25] Speaker A: That's good, man. That's really good. And we got some folks still trickling in, and I love that energy because this is why we're doing it, because this is real life stuff right now. And so, man, that's really good. Be him, continue to be him, because y'all are both him.
And, dude, you know, that was one of my struggles. I'd say coming out of the transition is I couldn't find him. You know what I mean? My identity was so wrapped up in him on the field that coming out of it, it was, damn, how do I be him for anybody else? You know, when I.
[00:40:53] Speaker C: And it's hard. Like, I'm not there. Like, it's a. It's a battle every day.
[00:40:56] Speaker A: Every day. Yeah, every day, man. And so, you know, I want to just continue to, you know, we'll wrap it up here because I know some folks coming in. But, man, I just want to say thank you both for just really being committed to the journey, really being committed to the process. And we never arrived because we're still moving and still growing and still developing, just like we did as athletes going from Pop Warner to high school to college to the pros, we've always continued to evolve. And I know that even in this transition, this, as it may have been, you know, we will continue to commit because some people don't make it out of the transition, bro. I mean, you know, rest in peace, Devon Wiley. I don't know the whole story, but it's, you know, some of our. Some of our brothers have fallen to the challenges and some of the missteps in the transition. You know what I mean? So I just want to salute you to bless you, too, as you transition. So, one more thing is, as we speak to current athletes who may be, you know, not thinking about their transition or collegiate athletes who may not be thinking about their transition, you know, what are some words of advice for them? And then the second thing is athletes who have already been through the transition who may be still transitioning, what would you say? So, that's a two part question.
[00:42:15] Speaker B: I would just say for both questions, just be consistent. Like, find something that you can. You can do consistent, whether it's working out, whether it's like going on a walk, whatever it is, find something. There's. There's consistency in, especially in the transition, right. Like, find something that you can kind of be, like, put yourself in. It doesn't have to be much, but just have that routine. Right. Find that routine, because that's what we're used to as athletes, right?
[00:42:39] Speaker A: Is that.
[00:42:40] Speaker B: Is that routine and that what worked for us? And I know you probably had the same. You did that. You put the socks. Your socks on the same way every single day. Like, you had, like, your little rituals that you would do. Find those little things that, like, in daily life that, like, keep you sharp, because that's. Because that's what I do. Like, I'm. I'm always trying to, like, all right, I got to get a workout in. I got to do this. I got to do that. Like, I still, like, put myself to bed the same way every night. Like, so it's like, find those little things where it's, like. It has a little bit of that football like mentality, right, where it's the. The edge of. Okay, like, I got a schedule. I got a routine, and I got. This is my ritual before I go play basketball or whatever it is, like, that's kind of what keeps me, like, in the mindset of I'm still an athlete. Cause you never want to lose that, right. You never want that to escape. And that's the kind of thing that, like, keeps me, like, I'm still an athlete. I haven't played football in two and a half years, but I'm still an athlete. Like, that's, that's my, like, I'm not. I'm not athletic, but I'm an athlete.
[00:43:40] Speaker A: You know what I mean? Yeah. It's still in you. Yeah, absolutely.
[00:43:43] Speaker C: Yeah. A couple key points that, that Kenny hit on, too, I think. Number one, stay in the gym, stay an athlete. Stay an athlete. Right. You know, stay working out. You might, you don't have to lift the heavy weights anymore, but stay there because it's so good for your, you know, for your mental health. Right. And then, man, number two, have attitude. Of attitude of gratitude. Be thankful for everything. Like, just be thankful. Everything that you do have, and God, the universe will bless you with more to be thankful for. But if you're not grateful for what you have, you're not even gonna, you're not even gonna know when. When opportunity comes. That's, that's actually gonna help you.
So, man, stay in the gym, stay healthy, be grateful, have a goal, and don't just, you know, go into something that's, you know, comfortable because everybody else is doing it, right. Find something that's gonna challenge you. Find something that you actually do want to do, do want to do. And don't lie to yourself and don't let other people tell you, oh, man, that's hard to do. You shouldn't do that. Go and do it. Find a mentor. Have him help you learn from them. Intern, whatever it is, because you're going to learn more, and then your life is going to be a lot more successful after sports instead of just having that comfortable job because has, you know, a paycheck and because now you're not living your life, you completely changed who you are afterwards. So stay, man, just stay with it and find something hard to do.
[00:45:02] Speaker A: I love that. I'll conclude it by saying, you know, I agree with both of these men.
Trust the process. Trust the process. It's going to be a journey. It's going to be a journey. There's going to be a lot of ups. There's going to be a lot of downs. Stay consistent. Find those mentors.
Stick to that schedule. Work out your athlete. Stay athlete. You're never going to not be athlete. You may not be out here. You may not be out here running for twos. You know what I mean?
[00:45:32] Speaker B: Who did that? I just got that.
[00:45:35] Speaker A: Just saying, you know what I mean?
On a bad. That's on a slow day.
But trust the process. Trust the journey.
I've always leaned into my faith like, lord. Even though this transition was hard, it was challenging. I didn't know what to do. The first thing I leaned into was, what do I enjoy doing? I want to serve people. So how do I serve people? You know, I started working in a residential home because that's where I started, and it felt like I had to start over, but that's where I started. And the journey just kind of moved forward from there. And I just do believe that God gives us a vision. And even though the vision may be bleak at times, even though we may not know the whole journey, the whole process, like, just keep going. If you can't run, walk. And if you can't walk, crawl. I only got one rule is you don't quit. You do not quit, man. So I want to say thank you, gentlemen, for allowing me space to share with y'all here on the transition podcast. What is that?
That's a Kenny Wiggins film, bro.
[00:46:46] Speaker B: What are you doing?
[00:46:47] Speaker A: Yes, you can, because this is your gym. This is your gym, man. We are in. Shout out. Shout out to gym, bro. Seamus, plug.
[00:46:57] Speaker C: Free classes.
[00:46:58] Speaker B: Take a free class.
[00:46:59] Speaker A: My boy started a gym, bruh. Let's do it now.
[00:47:02] Speaker C: He didn't start a gym. He just bought a gym.
[00:47:04] Speaker A: He's bought money like they bought the gym. We bought a zoom. Hey, man, I appreciate it. Shout out to my boy Jerry Kelly for coming through, man, with a lifesaver. Appreciate you, brother.
And yeah, man. Transition podcast, where we are looking to prepare athletes for life after sports. We create space for our athletes who have already went through the transition to really just dive in and talk about it, man. We're here to impact generations, inspire greatness, and this is what we do. Because we are him and you are, too, and you are her. So let's get it. God bless, and we out.
