Latest / Scene Projects Sports Network / Leo Herrera on Golfing Career, Community Trips, and Building The Connected Golfer Brand

Transcript

Leo Herrera on Golfing Career, Community Trips, and Building The Connected Golfer Brand · Scene Projects Sports Network

• 0:15
  Welcome into the Scene Project Sports Network.
• 0:18
  I am your host, Bubba Starts, and with me today, the connected golfer, Leo Herrera.
• 0:23
  Leo, welcome to the show.
• 0:24
  Bubba, what a pleasure to be here.
• 0:27
  Yeah.
• 0:28
  Well, I I wish your Uber, woulda got you all the way to your destination, but we'll walk
• 0:33
  with you today, buddy.
• 0:34
  Doesn't bother us one bit.
• 0:36
  Hey.
• 0:36
  Just like we gotta play golf.
• 0:38
  Walking, man.
• 0:39
  Everybody's taking the cards.
• 0:40
  We gotta stay connected one step at a time.
• 0:44
  Yep.
• 0:44
  And and one one foot in front of the other, so to speak.
• 0:48
  So I know you're up in New York.
• 0:49
  You got a big event today.
• 0:51
  You're gonna be working.
• 0:52
  I appreciate you jumping on with me for a few minutes today and at least getting this initial
• 0:57
  done.
• 0:58
  I know we already have plans to do a lot more stuff out into the future, but today's really
• 1:03
  just giving everyone a chance to get to know you a little bit.
• 1:06
  So let's start there.
• 1:07
  We'll get a little bit of your backstory, Leo, and then we'll pick it up from there.
• 1:14
  Those three.
• 1:16
  My parents Venezuela and, born in in Miami, specifically Doral, which, was a great golf
• 1:25
  course and, hosted a PGA Tour event every year.
• 1:29
  So as a kid, like, I was always inspired to play the game at the highest level.
• 1:34
  And I started competing when I was seven.
• 1:37
  My parents put me into karate as well, and I was just doing karate and golf, like, every
• 1:42
  day.
• 1:44
  And I became a black belt in karate.
• 1:47
  I was you know, played tons of junior golf tournaments, ended up being, like, top 20 in
• 1:52
  the country for for a bit, and I played division one golf at UCF.
• 1:57
  And it was during COVID, which was kind of a weird year for all of us and definitely a weird
• 2:02
  year to be in college, for the first time.
• 2:04
  And I don't know.
• 2:06
  Everything kinda felt off, so I I kinda decided to to move on.
• 2:10
  But during that one year of college there, like, I really locked in, like, mentally on
• 2:17
  what I really wanted to do with my life and, you know, at least center myself and connect to
• 2:22
  the moment.
• 2:23
  So I started doing a lot of meditation, breath work, yoga, and changed my life.
• 2:29
  It really just connected me to to the present, to the truth, and to my heart, which really has
• 2:36
  allowed me to to be brave enough to to take on, you know, a new life.
• 2:41
  And, like, right after that first year, like, I dropped out of college.
• 2:45
  You know?
• 2:45
  And I had a scholarship to play division one golf.
• 2:49
  Like, it wasn't like, I it wasn't any resistance on the financial side.
• 2:53
  It was just, like, the environment didn't fill me.
• 2:57
  And I I felt like it was right to move on.
• 3:01
  And two weeks later, I win the USGA four ball at Chambers Bay, my first ever USGA event I
• 3:07
  ever participated in.
• 3:09
  And I made a 20 footer on the last hole to to win.
• 3:13
  And it's just, like, one of the most unbelievable experiences of my life.
• 3:18
  Kind of everything I put into my, you know, my practice in college, like, led me and I turned
• 3:27
  pro after that.
• 3:28
  And I started making content because I needed to get sponsored to to play pro golf.
• 3:34
  So I was like, if I make content, I I could probably get somebody to to help me out.
• 3:41
  And, you know, it didn't really work that way.
• 3:44
  But I got good at making content and, started building my page, and I was, like, just helping
• 3:51
  people.
• 3:51
  Because I was like, that that was the easiest way to get more exposure was, like, giving
• 3:55
  tips.
• 3:56
  So I just started just sharing tips, and I, I found the connected golfer, like, identity.
• 4:02
  I was like, that's what what I wanna go with because I feel like the world meet needs more
• 4:06
  connection.
• 4:08
  And, you know, it's been been a cool ride so far.
• 4:12
  Like, I I've had opportunities to to play professional golf, but the more and more that
• 4:17
  I've leaned into this this world, I've realized, you know, what I can create.
• 4:25
  You know?
• 4:25
  It's and it's cool.
• 4:26
  It's cool to, like, build your own community, build a brand, create something meaningful that
• 4:32
  actually leaves people, like, impacted.
• 4:35
  Like, that's that's what it's all about for me.
• 4:38
  It's beyond just winning tournaments anymore.
• 4:40
  It's it's about leaving a a better system for the game so we can all stay connected and play
• 4:49
  better golf and have have a better time.
• 4:52
  Yeah.
• 4:53
  And it's so few people on this planet are ever going to achieve e even the level that you
• 5:00
  reached.
• 5:00
  Right?
• 5:01
  Playing professionally, much less winning and playing in majors and all of those things.
• 5:05
  A lot of us are playing this game for the connection, whether it's to our family or our
• 5:10
  friends or just the game, a way to connect with ourselves.
• 5:15
  So I I really love the brands, everything that you're really embodying.
• 5:19
  And the way that you're able to bring the things that you use to stay grounded and stay
• 5:25
  in the moment while you're competing, bringing those to, you know, your fans and the people
• 5:31
  who are consuming all of the content that you're creating, but also bringing that into
• 5:36
  community.
• 5:37
  Right?
• 5:37
  Nothing is done in a vacuum.
• 5:39
  We very seldomly go through life doing something completely on our own.
• 5:44
  There's always some, at the very least, someone that inspires us, and I love that you are one
• 5:49
  of those people that are really up at the top of that mountain for people to look up to and
• 5:54
  to go, I wanna be more like him.
• 5:57
  I think you're a great role model for that, for a a golfer or a person of any age.
• 6:04
  Thank you, man.
• 6:05
  No.
• 6:05
  I appreciate it.
• 6:05
  And that's honestly been the intention.
• 6:08
  You gotta lead by example.
• 6:09
  You know?
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  It's like, that's the the one kind of thing I've always been telling myself.
• 6:15
  It's like, you could say everything you want, but, like, if you're not doing it, you're not
• 6:18
  leading by example, then what does it really mean?
• 6:21
  So, like, I know at the end of the day, like, what I'm building is beyond just, a community.
• 6:26
  It's it's a culture, and a culture has values.
• 6:29
  And, you know, those are the type of things that we gotta stand up for.
• 6:34
  So, yeah, lead by example is is huge.
• 6:37
  And with golf, it's like it it tests your behavior every day.
• 6:41
  It tests your character every day.
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  And, you know, if you don't lead by example there, you're you're gonna get disconnected
• 6:49
  real quick, and it happens to a lot of us.
• 6:52
  And that's what I try to help people, you know, avoid.
• 6:55
  It's like, there's a there's a better way to behave as a golfer, that I call connected
• 7:02
  golfer, that would make more connected decisions, feel more connected in the moment,
• 7:08
  and, ultimately, like, you know, just play knowing they're the best golfer in the
• 7:13
  universe, not hoping they could shoot a certain score.
• 7:16
  Feel like everybody is, like, out there trying to shoot a score, break 80, break 90, whatever
• 7:21
  it is.
• 7:22
  Like, why don't you just go out there and, like, transform?
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  Like, become somebody and, like, you know, just behave that way.
• 7:30
  And whatever happens, happens, but you leave that round more confident, more calm, more
• 7:35
  certain.
• 7:36
  That'll help you in every aspect of your life, and and that's what what I'm trying to create
• 7:41
  is all about.
• 7:43
  Yeah.
• 7:43
  I think it's incredible.
• 7:44
  There there's so much that the game of golf can teach us about life and, that life can teach us
• 7:51
  about the game of golf as well.
• 7:54
  And leading by example, I think even your day to day.
• 7:57
  Right?
• 7:58
  New phone, Uber's broken, can't get where you need to go, but you're making it happen and
• 8:05
  pulling double duty, appearing on a podcast, and walking to your destination at the same
• 8:10
  time, very few people and doing it with a smile on your face.
• 8:14
  Right?
• 8:14
  I I think there's so many people that get kind of overcome by such small things.
• 8:20
  Right?
• 8:20
  A twenty minute walk.
• 8:22
  I go out and walk forty five minutes to an hour Yeah.
• 8:24
  Every day of my life now and have done for quite some time.
• 8:30
  So for me, ones like you, oh, it's a twenty five minute walk.
• 8:34
  No big deal.
• 8:35
  Let's get moving.
• 8:36
  Some people would look at that as an almost insurmountable act.
• 8:39
  Like, they were having to climb Mount Everest to get to their destination.
• 8:43
  And it's like, it's literally just a walk.
• 8:45
  I'm I'm walking from, like, here to over there.
• 8:48
  But so few people in in society walk at all.
• 8:52
  Right?
• 8:53
  They might walk from the parking lot through the grocery store or to their cubicle at work,
• 8:58
  and it's small changes in your life that can have really massive, massive, you know,
• 9:06
  benefits to them both on the physical side, but also on the mentality side.
• 9:10
  Once you've been able to accomplish some small thing Absolutely.
• 9:14
  Give you more confidence to believe that you can accomplish larger things.
• 9:20
  Yeah.
• 9:20
  One thing I started integrating this year into my lifestyle has been five minutes of lunges
• 9:26
  every day.
• 9:27
  So, you know, I've I've kinda, like, put that in there.
• 9:30
  I started with two minutes.
• 9:32
  And, like, at first, it was like it was like climbing Mount Everest.
• 9:36
  So I was like, holy shit.
• 9:37
  This this is how am I gonna do five minutes, let alone every day?
• 9:41
  And I I just kept doing it gradually increased.
• 9:44
  And now it's like, the five minutes are easy to do every day, and it's like it's transformed
• 9:50
  who I like, how I've shown up in my day to day.
• 9:52
  I've just felt more energy, like, more resilience.
• 9:55
  Because you're going through the process, and it's like something as little as, like, just
• 9:59
  five minutes a day can make a huge shift.
• 10:02
  And that's that's kinda how I've built everything in my lifestyle.
• 10:05
  Like, I do ten minutes of breath work every morning where, you know, it's like it's just
• 10:10
  ten minutes, but every morning makes a huge difference.
• 10:14
  And I'm all about building the daily habits because if you have that if you can match your
• 10:19
  behavior to who you wanna be, you'll become that that identity, that person.
• 10:24
  So, you know, I I wanted to feel more connected in my life.
• 10:27
  So I was like, probably gotta breathe every day.
• 10:30
  I should move every day.
• 10:31
  You know, I should meditate every day.
• 10:34
  Like, I those are the little basic things that would make me feel more connected.
• 10:38
  And, you know, people ask me, like, how did you come up with the the flip and the the karate
• 10:44
  golf move and the connected dance and, you know, all this this stuff.
• 10:48
  And I'm like, it just came to me.
• 10:50
  Even the connected golfer, like, it just came to me.
• 10:52
  And I was like, alright.
• 10:54
  I'll just and that's what happens when you stay connected.
• 10:57
  Like, life just flows through you, and it's a it's a beautiful state to be in.
• 11:04
  And it's a beautiful state to play golf in, and that's really fun to play golf in that state.
• 11:10
  Yeah.
• 11:11
  Because you're in that flow.
• 11:12
  You're you're in the zone as they would say.
• 11:15
  And and inside of those moments are when the greatest moments of our life happen.
• 11:21
  And for me, I I I've experienced that in the musical world, being on stage and performing my
• 11:27
  own music that I have written, things that just came to me as well, Leo, in very much the same
• 11:33
  way that a lot of things come to you.
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  When you are in that moment and you're living an inspired life, it's very easy to grab things
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  and then to go with it.
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  And I think that that's what makes you such a a creative individual.
• 11:47
  I know that you're an athlete, but you're an extremely creative individual.
• 11:51
  And to have that mentality of just kind of going with it.
• 11:55
  Right?
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  If that's where the moment is leading, then let's lean into that and not try to fight it to
• 12:01
  mold it into something, a a vision that we have for everything.
• 12:05
  You don't have to stranglehold the moment to be a part of it and and to have it do really, the
• 12:12
  greatest good and work towards the greatest will, instead of maybe just our own very
• 12:17
  limited vision of that.
• 12:19
  Absolutely, man.
• 12:21
  100%.
• 12:22
  That's what it's all about.
• 12:28
  Every day.
• 12:28
  So, Leo, tell us a little bit about you got some really great trips that you're gonna be
• 12:32
  taking and really bringing the community out together.
• 12:35
  I know it's relatively new in your world.
• 12:37
  I think you've done one of these so far, but you have plans for a lot more of them.
• 12:42
  Talk about bringing the connected golfers, out there, fans of yours that are, you know,
• 12:48
  consuming the content, and how you're bringing them together physically to not just hit golf
• 12:52
  balls and to be together, but also to to become more connected with themselves and others.
• 12:59
  Yeah.
• 13:00
  Well, first of all, like, I'm on a mission to create, you know, experiences that light people
• 13:06
  up and systems that keep them lit.
• 13:08
  That's my mantra.
• 13:09
  It's like, how can I do that for the rest of my life?
• 13:13
  And on the system side, like, I have a twelve week online program that pretty much lays out
• 13:19
  all the routines that I have to stay connected to the best version of myself and and
• 13:24
  ultimately become a connected golfer and show up as a connected golfer every day.
• 13:29
  But on the experiences side, I was like, there's still something there that that's gotta
• 13:35
  happen in order to really make it all click.
• 13:40
  The more I thought about it, I realized that, you know, it's more about providing the
• 13:46
  ultimate experience than providing, like, one off kind of experiences.
• 13:50
  And that's what, like, ultimately gravitated me towards doing these golf trips that are three
• 13:55
  days and, you know, four nights for now.
• 13:59
  And, like, ultimately, it can extend, and, like, you never know where it could go.
• 14:02
  But, the idea is to create to to go all in, to just kinda create everything they need to to
• 14:09
  transform that week.
• 14:12
  And for right now, it's it's playing golf with me and going through my process from beginning
• 14:19
  to end, from morning to to sundown.
• 14:22
  But as it grows, as it kinda eventually compounds, the goal is to bring in more experts
• 14:27
  that each fill in a certain gap and can really bring in their expertise and and expand their
• 14:36
  knowledge and their ability to to progress, like the people that are coming on these trips,
• 14:42
  and then make content that can bring brands in and and ultimately, like, help everybody
• 14:47
  involved.
• 14:47
  I think there's a cool element to traveling, to playing golf, and to getting dialed in and
• 14:52
  creating a space with intention.
• 14:55
  That's kind of the the the goal here with with the trips is there's there's intention in
• 15:01
  everything that we do, for each one of the days and nights, and, like, it's meant to to take
• 15:06
  you through the process to stay connected.
• 15:10
  And I think having you there as an example and to show that you are living that, it's so
• 15:15
  important, especially in the early going.
• 15:18
  As it grows, will you be able to attend all of the hundreds of events that hopefully you're
• 15:22
  putting on during the year?
• 15:23
  Maybe not, but you you are at the very ground level of building these systems and these
• 15:29
  processes that eventually you can teach to others.
• 15:33
  And right now, it's very small, and I that's why I'm extremely grateful to connect with you
• 15:37
  now.
• 15:38
  You've already achieved so much, a a a pretty substantial following, obviously, your success
• 15:44
  in professional golf and and in the amateur ranks as well to now knowing who you are,
• 15:50
  knowing who you want to help, and knowing how to go about doing that.
• 15:54
  And not that some of those things may not change over time, but you're going for it.
• 15:59
  You're not waiting for the perfect moment or or the perfect experience in building that.
• 16:04
  You're just going for it knowing that everything is malleable.
• 16:07
  Everything can be changed and tweaked and made better over time.
• 16:11
  But let's get together.
• 16:12
  Let's get connected and then see what happens from there.
• 16:16
  Yeah.
• 16:16
  A 100%, man.
• 16:18
  Everything you want is at the other side of of embarrassment is is a quote somebody told me
• 16:24
  not too long ago, and it, like, really resonates because, you know, once you get past
• 16:29
  the fear of failure and the fear of, like, looking bad, then you just do it.
• 16:33
  Have no expectations, but do it with, like, you know, big John says, all heart.
• 16:39
  You kinda gotta you gotta go all in.
• 16:41
  You gotta you gotta really have a passion in it, and and the big thing is, like, having no
• 16:45
  expectations.
• 16:46
  And, honestly, what's gotten me to this point is the way I play golf.
• 16:51
  Like, I play golf every single day, you know, getting deeper and deeper into that state where
• 16:56
  I'm just letting go, trusting the shots.
• 16:59
  Like, no expectations, but full focus, intention, and heart into the shot.
• 17:04
  And, yeah, that's what that's what it's all about because it it changes you as a person.
• 17:09
  Like, you just become more effortless and, like, you know, it's it's it's a great vibe to
• 17:14
  be in.
• 17:15
  You you'll you'll vibe much higher, and it's fun to be that way, at least for me.
• 17:21
  Leo, do you think there's ever a chance that given the right opportunity that you would try
• 17:26
  to get back into professional golf and pursuing that as a career as well, or are you fully
• 17:32
  invested into what you're building and growing aside from that?
• 17:36
  I'm fully invested in what I'm growing aside from that.
• 17:40
  I'm not opposed to the opportunity to play in, in some of these events to be able to showcase,
• 17:47
  my skills.
• 17:48
  But I'm not banking on making it on the PGA Tour to make a living.
• 17:55
  Like, being on the PGA Tour would be an enhancement to what I'm currently building, and
• 17:59
  I would see it as an opportunity where who knows?
• 18:02
  Like, I could get a sponsor's invite to an event.
• 18:04
  And now all of a sudden, like, I'm gonna do the connected dance on every shot.
• 18:08
  It's not like I'm just gonna start being serious now and, you know, focus on every I
• 18:12
  mean, not that I'm not focused, but it's like, I'm gonna stick with my my style.
• 18:16
  And whether that, you know, means I missed the cut or not, like, it doesn't matter.
• 18:21
  Like, what matters to me is that I stay connected to my identity and and and and do
• 18:26
  that.
• 18:26
  And I think the more I do that, like, the more opportunities I'll have.
• 18:29
  Like, my goal is to to create kind of a new ecosystem that, has new sets of rules and new
• 18:36
  ways of being because, like, I don't really align with the current system.
• 18:40
  I want more people playing connected golf.
• 18:42
  That's what I'm passionate about, and that's what I see myself doing for the rest of my
• 18:47
  life.
• 18:47
  Being on a tour event would give me great exposure to do that, but I'm not gonna bank on
• 18:51
  just being a pro golfer.
• 18:55
  I love it.
• 18:56
  And after seeing, I I spent the last five days out at a PGA Tour of America's event up in
• 19:01
  Brainerd, Minnesota, the CRMC championship.
• 19:05
  Getting to know, you know, some of the players, getting to watch them play, still incredibly
• 19:11
  talented young men out there hitting the ball around, but to see their families still out
• 19:16
  there supporting them, to see how much is behind it, and you're talking about something
• 19:21
  that is even below the Korn Ferry tour as far as professional golf goes and out there chasing
• 19:28
  their dreams, there's a lot of space.
• 19:30
  There's a lot of space out there, and I I think that you have a a decided advantage because you
• 19:35
  were very focused on building the personal brand before having to kind of be the letting
• 19:42
  golf build your brand, if that makes sense.
• 19:45
  Right?
• 19:45
  You built your brand around golf instead of letting golf build a brand around you, and I
• 19:49
  think that's really a huge kudos to you, and you never know.
• 19:53
  Hey.
• 19:53
  Now we're friends with some sponsors.
• 19:55
  Maybe we can get you on one of these.
• 19:57
  Yeah, man.
• 19:58
  A 100%.
• 19:59
  And, well, like, you you nailed it there.
• 20:01
  Like, it's really about that.
• 20:03
  It's about the fact that, like, I can take responsibility for my career and my life.
• 20:09
  Like, I by going out to golf course, like, you know, in what obviously, I'd picked the worst
• 20:14
  spot to show, but it's a beautiful track.
• 20:17
  And, like, filming videos and being able to monetize that, you know, experience, it's taken
• 20:22
  a while to figure out.
• 20:23
  But, like, now that I'm in that that state, like, it's awesome.
• 20:28
  And it's, like, it's giving me the the power.
• 20:31
  Like, I feel like a lot of the tours sometimes, you know, disempower a lot of the players.
• 20:38
  And, you know, I don't really wanna be a part of that.
• 20:41
  I I'm all for empowering the players, and, you know, I think there's so much talent out there.
• 20:47
  I know there's so much talent out there.
• 20:49
  I have interviewed a ton of them, and I have played with a ton of them.
• 20:55
  And there's there's a gap that needs to be filled right now in in all of this.
• 21:00
  And the more we do stuff like this, the more we fill that gap.
• 21:03
  So I'm excited to keep building with you, Bubba, and, you know, stay connected.
• 21:10
  Yeah.
• 21:10
  I'm envisioning creator getaways where we just get out on the course, we get connected, and we
• 21:16
  just shoot nonstop content and teach some of these golfers how to be creatives, which you
• 21:22
  have done and to help them build their personal brand.
• 21:24
  I think there's a, a great opportunity for us to use our skills that we've developed both on
• 21:30
  the golf and the creation side and really help a lot of younger players to achieve a a
• 21:37
  different level of success rather than just banking everything on wins at the end of the
• 21:43
  weekend.
• 21:43
  So, Leo, I know you're at the golf course, man.
• 21:46
  You got a job to do.
• 21:47
  Absolutely beautiful.
• 21:48
  It looks incredible out there.
• 21:50
  I'll look for the invite next time.
• 21:52
  We can get out there together, man.
• 21:55
  Anything we missed, everyone check out the connectedgolfer.com.
• 21:59
  Connect with Leo everywhere social media, the connected golfer.
• 22:02
  He's everywhere.
• 22:03
  Anything I miss, Leo?
• 22:06
  No.
• 22:06
  Just stay connected.
• 22:08
  Well,
• 22:10
  we're all gonna get connected and stay right there.
• 22:12
  I can't wait to get together with you in person, person, have you help me improve my
• 22:17
  golf game, and, maybe help me work on some breath work, and I might get ninety seconds of
• 22:22
  lunges in with you.
• 22:24
  Hey.
• 22:25
  Better than nothing, man.
• 22:26
  We gotta start somewhere.
• 22:28
  I love it, man.
• 22:29
  Well, thank you so much, Leo, for being on the show today.
• 22:32
  Thank you for being part of the scene.
• 22:34
  We'll catch up to you real soon.
• 22:36
  Thank you.