Latest / Books4Guys / How Former NFL Wide Receiver JJ Birden Beat the Odds in Business and Life

Transcript

How Former NFL Wide Receiver JJ Birden Beat the Odds in Business and Life · Books4Guys

• 0:14
  SPEAKER_01: That's right.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_01: You played college ball at Oregon.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: Born and raised in Portland, then I moved here in 2010.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_01: So played at Oregon, played, got drafted, played for the Chiefs and the Falcons.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_01: So that's pretty cool.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_01: I used to live in Atlanta for a little bit.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_01: So I know I know Falcons fans.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_01: I got a lot of Falcons friends down there.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_01: But I'm from Northwest Arkansas, and a lot of Chiefs fans are in that area.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_01: Where are you living now?
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_01: I'm in Nashville.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_01: But I was just in Phoenix about a month ago.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_01: So small world, I was out there golfing.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: I was just talking to a buddy.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: He was like, I was just out there golfing, you know.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_00: And then he goes, like, you're living in the mecca, the golf mecca of the world.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_01: We had to take advantage of the uh summer discount rates.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_01: I know.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't the heat doesn't bother me.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm like, I'll get out there in June, July.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_01: That don't matter to me.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: I know.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: Fees are dropping.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: I think I played the other day.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: It was like, I think it was like 40 bucks.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: And this, of course, that during the fall, it'll go to like 140 or something.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: You know, it's crazy.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_01: It's crazy.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_01: It's crazy.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_01: But no, JJ, man, I'm so excited to have you on the Books for Guys podcast.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_01: As we were talking a little bit right before I push record, man.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_01: Your book is officially out, and it is out for everyone to go find.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_01: And I've got it on the Books for Guys website already.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_01: Beat the coverage, six strategic steps to win in business and life.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_01: And man, how excited are you that your book is officially out there?
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: Man, I'm excited.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: You know, the the the idea started last year, last April, you know, and so it's nice to see it come to a completion.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: Where it's all, you know, we dotted I's, we crossed our T's, we did everything, and now it's published.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm just excited for everybody to get their hands on it because I really poured a lot into it.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: And I think readers are going to get a lot of value out of it.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_01: No, I think so too.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_01: I've been doing a lot.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_01: I I haven't read it yet, but I was looking through like the six steps and what you talk about and and what your high-level spotlight points are in this book.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_01: And man, I think it's it's important for everybody, especially right now, just where life is, what people are dealing with.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_01: There's something that I think everybody could probably take away and utilize or or help it to help you to create a certain thought process to get through just different scenarios that's going on with everybody.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_01: But man, talk a little bit about I want to start kind of before the book, just just growing up a little bit.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_01: Obviously, man, football guy, track guy, you know, but a little undersized for uh for what someone would think of as someone to be successful in the NFL.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_01: But man, you spent nine seasons in the league.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_01: And uh a lot of people don't get to do that and get that opportunity.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_01: But man, talk about just your story a little bit and then how it transitioned into into just, man, you you've you've been in leadership roles, you've been founder of companies, and now you're an author.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, how did all that progression take place and how did it lead to where you're at now?
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, great question, great place to start.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: And uh, Chris, I would just say where I was raised, I was raised in Portland, Oregon.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: Single parent mom, drop, dropped out of high school, relatives were struggling, and in an early age, I said, I'm going to write a different story for my family.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: I just made up my mind that I'm breaking the cycle, you know, and I realized that athletics was a way to create some opportunities and good football player, good track athlete.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_00: And what's interesting in football, I was the number one wide receiver in the state, but I was 133 pounds.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_00: And so no Division I school would recruit me.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_00: They thought I was too small.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_00: So I had a game plan.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: I'm going to get a track scholarship and I'm going to walk on somewhere.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_00: And I got the scholarship to Oregon.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_00: My second year, I begged the coach like crazy, and he finally said, you can walk on this fall.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_00: And I just was trying to prove people wrong.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_00: I was not trying to play in the NFL, but I made the team and, you know, the rest is history.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_00: Got drafted.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_00: And uh, it's just one of the things I try to impress upon people that, you know, if you want something, you got to go create the opportunity.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_00: Because I went and bugged the coach.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: The coach didn't bug me.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: And the thing is, is that if you put the work in and you're serious and you're committed, you never know where it's going to take you because I never thought I would play nine years in the NFL.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_01: Well, and then I think that message is so prevalent right now because I talk about this sometimes, especially with a lot of former athletes or even current-day athletes.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_01: Everyone wants kind of an easy path.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_01: We've got a lot of this automation.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_01: We're a lot, and we're comfortable.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_01: Life gets we're so comfortable and lucky.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_01: You can the things we have, the technology we have, the cars we drive now, like everything's geared to make life easier, to make us, in a way, a little bit lazier.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_01: And you just kind of forget how to get uncomfortable sometimes and how to push to go get what you want.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_01: Although we see the people that are successful doing that every day.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_01: And so it's it, but it's like a constant reminder that we gotta keep having to be able to do that.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_01: And and you did it, man.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_01: You got uncomfortable in a sense and just kind of pushed.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, you just ran through the brick wall.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_01: You didn't wait for anyone to give it to you or, you know, carve a path.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_01: You went and made your own path.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_00: And it was filled with challenges, obstacles, adversities.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_00: But it's like I said at the beginning, my why, my reason for doing was so strong that I didn't care what the roadblock was.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_00: I was gonna figure out how to conquer it.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: And I've I've been able to do that.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_00: And it was, like I said, I was rejected by several NFL teams.
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_00: I got cut a couple of times, I tore my ACL ligament up, but I knew I could make it.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_00: I just, it was a matter of getting healthy, getting in the right spot, which eventually happened.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that's one of the differences between me and some people is like some when they have those those challenges, they're they're using the blame game.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_00: They're making excuses and they blame this person, that person.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, okay, why did this happen?
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_00: What can I learn from it?
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_00: How can I turn this into an opportunity?
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that mindset has always helped me anytime I ran into some type of challenge.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_01: No, of course.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_01: So what you talk about, obviously, single parent home.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_01: You you wanted to change, you know, the direction of your family and your path.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_01: But what were some of the other, I mean, at such a young age, like there had to have been somebody there that's that's helping influence you to say, or that you're looking up to, whether that be an athlete or a business person, a teacher.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_01: But who was it in your life where you were like, I want to be like that?
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_01: I don't want to be like this, or or you know, like this other group of people that I see every day.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_01: I want to get somewhere better.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_01: Who were some of the people that in that had influence on you and motivated you to get to a different part?
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_00: That's a very interesting question.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna give you a very interesting answer because I was involved when I was young.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_00: I was raised in the inner cities.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_00: In sixth grade, my mom got me involved in the busing program.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_00: So I was busing out to a very affluent suburb called Lake Aswego.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_00: That's where all the money was.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_00: And when I went into the, I remember going to the first school and meeting all my friends, and I saw how they were living.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, I want some of that.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_00: You know, so it was just being exposed to a different culture, a different income level.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_00: And it just motivated me.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_00: I wanted that.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_00: And that was really the beginning of it because I saw what was possible.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_00: And it just, it was the fire I needed.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_01: Man, I'm so glad you said that because I had a high school coach on this podcast yesterday.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_01: He it's one of the programs that were doing their player of the week awards for this all.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_01: So they'll pick a player, player of the game, player of the week, and we'll send them a book of their choice.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_01: And we were talking about this exact thing.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, we were talking about how a lot of kids, depending on where they grow up or whatever, they may not see what success looks like.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_01: And they don't get to see like what actually we would consider as cool.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_01: You know, sometimes as an athlete growing up, you think cool is kind of just being dumb and being good at sports and like you don't care about people and you want to have an attitude.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_01: But he's trying to instill in his players, he's like, you know what's cool?
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_01: Being able to pay for dinner, take your friends out, take your family out.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_01: Or as you get to another level, uh, rent a beach house for a week and it's all on you, and just being able to bless and take care of others.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_01: He's like, there's not a better feeling, but to do that, you gotta level up, you gotta learn, you gotta build, you gotta go do things, and you can't just act like Mr.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_01: Cool and you know, not go, you just that's not gonna work.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm so glad you said that.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_01: You saw what success in your mind looked like, and you were like, okay, what do I gotta do to go get this?
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's why I like these conversations because a lot of people, I know like these high school kids, they're gonna watch some of these podcast episodes with former NFL players, and I hope they get that too.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_01: Like, huh, if that guy came from a situation similar to me, he made it to the league, he's had businesses, he's written a book.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, like what do I need, what what steps do I need to do like he did, so I can get there too.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_01: So I love that you said that and just were just kind of spat.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_01: I saw other people who had money, I want that too.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_00: I love that you asked asked that because I don't think I've ever been asked that.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_00: But that's I even talk about that in my book because I hadn't really shared that much, but that's a part of my journey.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_00: And it was like, I was, it was a it was a total different culture for me, but I've always been able to adapt.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_00: It's like, how do I adapt?
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_00: How do I, you know, how do I fit in?
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_00: But I'm very competitive.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_00: And I saw how smart these kids were, I saw how they were living.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, I want some of that.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_00: And it and it actually, I I became a better student.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_00: I I worked harder.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_00: I went from C's to A's.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_00: It just it was such an impact, but it all comes down to how you take advantage of opportunities because there were other kids that were a part of that busing program, but they they kind of rebelled.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_00: They didn't like it, they didn't, they didn't see the benefit of it.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_00: And and but myself, I took advantage of it and it made me better in so many different ways.
• 10:24
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_01: No, and you're right, not everyone's gonna catch on and and you can't make people do things, but as long as the cool part is you got exposed to it and something in you clicked that said, I I want to be better.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_01: And that's what that program was built for, for someone like you who's gonna take advantage of that and learn and go make something happen, which is it's really cool to talk to you now because you look back and you're you're like, woo, that was the moment right there.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_00: I know.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_00: That's what was so cool, Chris, is about writing my book.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_00: Because I had a I create what I call a story bank.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_00: So every story, everything that's happened in my life, I had them in a document and I would like categorize them.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_00: And this was one of the stories I had never shared, but I'm hoping that the variety of stories I share, because I teach from all of them, that one or two or three will resonate with someone.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe somebody hears a story of the school, maybe somebody hears when I walked on, maybe something in there will resonate, like you said, and they'll think, man, if he did it, why can't I do it?
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_01: That's right.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I love that.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_01: Jumping into your book a little bit, JJ, I love how a lot of it you have like football-related, just language to it, which for me, I was like, oh yeah, this is a book for me.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_01: And uh a lot of my friends and people I know, that's kind of the the style of book they like too.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_01: They like business, but they like sports.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_01: So when you put it both together, it's just like a it's a perfect match.
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_01: But talk a little bit about the steps because I like how it comes from your perspective as being a little bit of maybe at a disadvantage in how do you, when when there's all this talent or people have a perfect height and speed, like how do you, how do you find your way through that to be successful?
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_01: So how did you, how did you come up with the six steps?
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_01: And and if you don't have to go into too much detail on them, but like what are some of the breakdowns of those steps?
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, well, the steps were really birthed because of my NFL wake up call.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_00: Every player has an NFL wake up call.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_00: In my first training camp, I come in, I'm 4-3, uh, 4-3 speed.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_00: I'm thinking I'm gonna run all over these DBs.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_00: And I went against this veteran defensive back named Hanford Dixon.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_00: He was an all-pro, but at this point he's older.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_00: I figure I'm gonna run by him.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_00: Chris, he locked me up and he threw me on the ground.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_00: And and then I said, like, man, dude, it's just practice.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_00: And he said something I never forgot.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_00: He stood over me, said, Rookie, this is the NFL.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_00: And every day is game day.
• 12:51
  SPEAKER_00: If you don't figure out how to beat man-to-man coverage, the NFL for you will stand for not for long.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_00: And I realized at that moment was I realized that it didn't matter how fast you were, you know, how smart are you, how much studying are you doing?
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_00: Are you using your talents and gifts?
• 13:07
  SPEAKER_00: Because at 157 pounds, if a defensive back gets their hands on me, they could take me out of the play.
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_00: So that whole, you know, situation was where beat the coverage came from because I spent time learning how to beat man-to-man coverage.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_00: But then I thought how everybody faces coverage.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_00: Everyone faces something that's in the way of them achieving the goals that they want.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_00: And so the goal was to take the framework that I use to survive nine years and make it relatable to every single person based on what they're trying to achieve.
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_00: So the framework, like you said, it's know the field.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_00: And I think you understand this football, we study film.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_00: That's how we know what they're doing.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_00: I'm encouraging people to know what are you up against?
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_00: You know, have that awareness.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_00: And the next is find the hole.
• 13:56
  SPEAKER_00: There in football, there's always a crack in the coverage, and we were always trying to find the hole.
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_00: Same applies in life.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_00: There's always an opportunity or somewhere if you look for it.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_00: And then it's play to your strengths, but cover your weeks, protect your weak spots.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_00: And that came from I knew what my strengths were in the NFL, but my weakness was my weight.
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_00: I could not get bigger.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_00: So I built a system around protecting it.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_00: So it's just it's sending that message, protect your weak spots.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_00: You don't have to, you know, just know what you can and cannot do.
• 14:28
  SPEAKER_00: Then it's draw up the game plan, which is pretty self-explanatory, always have a strategy.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_00: And my last two are my favorite: put in the reps.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_00: That's the difference maker.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of people want success, but not everyone's willing to do what it takes behind the scenes to get it.
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_00: And that's the reps.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_00: And then lastly, it's execute and adjust.
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_00: You gotta produce, but the reminder is life throws your curveballs.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_00: You better be ready to adjust on the fly.
• 14:53
  SPEAKER_00: And so, but yeah, that's the framework.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm excited for people to absorb it and just see how they can use it.
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I love the put in the reps one because I I've had tons of conversations, and it always at some point boils down to, man, you just gotta put in the work.
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_01: Like at the end of the day, you just have to put in the work.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_01: If somebody's gonna go put in 50 hours of work to your 30, at some point, even if you're better right now, they are going to surpass you at some point because of their determination and the work they put in.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm sitting here laughing though, JJ, from just a football standpoint.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_01: So I played safety, and I can tell you without a doubt, I hated guarding players like you who were small and fast.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_01: Because I was a little big, I'm 6'1, you know, 210, strong safety type.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_01: Put me up, put me up to guard the run all day.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_01: But if I got to guard someone like you, I was toast, man.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_00: That was the beauty of playing.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_00: It's like uh, you know, when you when I got when I really got good and confident around my fourth year, you could see the eyes of the cornerback sometimes when they're in man-to-man.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_00: You they were a little worried, you know, because they know that I remember, Chris, when I played against the Saints, one of my buddies played for on their defense, and I said, Hey, what so what's what's in the scouting report for me?
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_00: You know, he goes, You know what's in the scouting report for you?
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_00: It said this.
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_00: He's a little guy, very light.
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_00: If you can get his hands on him, you can take him out of the play.
• 16:22
  SPEAKER_00: But if you miss him, he's gone.
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, okay, that's pretty accurate.
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_01: And you see it, you even see it today.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_01: I think more and more, I think NFL teams love smaller, faster guys.
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_01: You're thinking like the Tyreek Hills and the Waddles, and there's just something about being shifty.
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_01: It's just hard to guard.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_01: And with rules now, too, not being able to touch as much.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_01: Man, it's hard to guard players who are fast and quick.
• 16:47
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, if you were playing today, you probably have 1,500 yards and 10 touchdowns every year.
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_00: You ever think about that?
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I and what I look at is I look at the schemes today, the offensive schemes.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_00: I look at empty.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_00: We never played empty.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm thinking you got five guys going out, the mismatches you can create there, and there's always a guy in motion, so you know if it's man or zone.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_00: But and then, like you said, the luxury of not having DBs be as physical as they were when I played, and safety's like Ronnie Lott taking your head off, you know.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, it'd have been nice to play today.
• 17:24
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 17:24
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, well, still good memories, but yeah, I think about that now.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like, man, receivers got it so easy right now.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_01: Wow.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_01: They can just run and do whatever they want.
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_01: But JJ, as you're as you got done with football and you got out, what were some of the things that, I don't know, continued to motivate you to be a successful person?
• 17:44
  SPEAKER_01: Because obviously we see a lot of times we see players, they leave a profession, they were successful, they don't know what to do next.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_01: That was all they had, that's what they lived for every day, and the transition is difficult.
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_01: Others, they thrive.
• 17:56
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I even follow like DeAndre Hopkins right now, who's not officially retired, doing a lot on LinkedIn, talking about becoming financially responsible and learning how deals work.
• 18:05
  SPEAKER_01: And you see guys, Larry Fitzgerald's another one.
• 18:07
  SPEAKER_01: Like they dive in and do all these things.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_01: What motivated you to kind of go into the business route?
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_01: And then all of a sudden, you know, public speaking, you've been doing that for a while now, and then, you know, the book too.
• 18:19
  SPEAKER_01: But how did how did that transition happen for you?
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_01: And what were some of the struggles and things that kept you from going in the other direction?
• 18:27
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think that's I think I have an advantage.
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_00: I always say I have an advantage because because I never expected to play in the NFL, when I got there, I just I expect I I looked at it as such a privilege.
• 18:39
  SPEAKER_00: So this is my job.
• 18:41
  SPEAKER_00: And because I was there, I didn't think I was better than anyone else.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_00: Just how I take care of my family.
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_00: And I always kept that in perspective, you know, treated the fans like I want to be treated.
• 18:50
  SPEAKER_00: And as I continued to accumulate years, I was like, oh my goodness, year four.
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, I'm vested now.
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_00: Let's see if we can go to five.
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_00: Let's see if we can go to six.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_00: By the time I got to nine, Chris, I had already been preparing for life after the game.
• 19:04
  SPEAKER_00: I had I did some coaching locally at the high school there.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_00: I used to be a substitute teacher during the offseason to see if I wanted to get into teaching because I knew I wanted to teach or coach.
• 19:14
  SPEAKER_00: So by the time I retired, I had options.
• 19:17
  SPEAKER_00: I had a lot of options.
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_00: The where I made the mistake is I had my hand in too many pots.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_00: I was trying to do too much because hoping something would take off.
• 19:27
  SPEAKER_00: And eventually I came to my senses, eliminated everything, and focused on one thing.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_00: But uh, but yeah, I just think planning for life after the game, well, your rookie year.
• 19:38
  SPEAKER_00: I always tell players, start planning for life after the game as soon as you get to the NFL, you know, so you're ready.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that's what was one of the advantages for me.
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and it seems like we had another guy we had on recently, uh, Jedediah Collins, he played in the league for a while, and he goes and talks to these rookies about, you know, being being smart with finances and planning from day one, because you know, think things are like they seem.
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_01: You just sign a contract and it's all yours.
• 20:04
  SPEAKER_01: There's a lot of things you got to build towards.
• 20:06
  SPEAKER_01: And like you said, your career, you're not guaranteed tomorrow.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_01: And an injury could happen and you're done, and then you you can be lost, and not know what direction to go in and and start building those relationships and networking now.
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_01: Cause yeah, there's so and then I think about this now.
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_01: The older I get, I'm like, man, there's so life is short, but it's also long when you're looking at your career as an athlete.
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_01: You only get so many years to be an athlete, and so those days they will end sooner than you think.
• 20:34
  unknown: Yeah.
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I I it's funny you said that.
• 20:37
  SPEAKER_00: I looked up AI and I I asked AI, I said, what would a nine-year wide receiver career be equivalent to the regular job work, the job market?
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_00: It said, playing nine years is like playing being in a position in a company for 30 years.
• 20:56
  SPEAKER_00: And it said, because what you guys do in the NFL in terms of everything you deal with, it's like it's compressed in a short period of time.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_00: And I thought, yeah, that makes sense because we deal with, oh my goodness, you name it, we've dealt with it.
• 21:09
  SPEAKER_00: And someone who works a normal job, they probably don't deal with that as much as us, maybe over a 30-year period.
• 21:17
  SPEAKER_00: So I just thought that was an interesting comparison.
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that is interesting.
• 21:21
  SPEAKER_01: I've never thought about that, but it makes sense.
• 21:23
  SPEAKER_01: Who who were the quarterbacks you played with?
• 21:26
  SPEAKER_01: Who did who was your quarterback in Kansas City?
• 21:29
  SPEAKER_00: Steve DeBerg, Dave Craig, and then Joe Montana.
• 21:33
  SPEAKER_01: Joe Montana.
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, I was curious to know if you got to play a little bit with him.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, he was a great guy.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_01: Who was your coach?
• 21:39
  SPEAKER_00: Was it my coach was Marty Schottenheimer.
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_01: Schottenheimer.
• 21:43
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, cool.
• 21:43
  SPEAKER_01: That's what I thought.
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_01: I was looking back through the years and trying to line up who who you would have been playing with, which leads me to my question of during your time in the NFL, who were some of the guys that really had a lasting impact on you, whether that be their work ethic, the way they treat you?
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_01: Treated people, the like who did you take the most away from that you've been able to utilize in your life, you know, since being in the league?
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_00: I think Stephon Page.
• 22:11
  SPEAKER_00: Stefan Page, when I joined the Chiefs, he was like the seven, eighth year veteran wide receiver.
• 22:17
  SPEAKER_00: And I had been on a couple of teams before, like Dallas for one year, and the receivers weren't willing to help you.
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_00: You know, they felt threatened.
• 22:26
  SPEAKER_00: When I went to Kansas City, Stephon was like, okay, how can I make you better?
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_00: He puts his arm around me.
• 22:31
  SPEAKER_00: And he wasn't threatened.
• 22:33
  SPEAKER_00: He he poured into me.
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_00: He helped me so much.
• 22:35
  SPEAKER_00: And I never forgot that because, like I said, that's not common.
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_00: So when I became the veteran receiver, I was always willing to help the young guys because I wasn't threatened.
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_00: I was doing my work.
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_00: I knew what I was capable of.
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_00: And I think the the joy of that is now when I see some of these wide receivers like Lake Dawson and Chris Penn, they'll say, Man, I never got to thank you, but thank you so much for helping me when I joined the cheese.
• 23:02
  SPEAKER_00: They're like, I couldn't believe you did that.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_00: You know, but it just made me feel good because someone helped me and I wanted to pay it forward.
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_01: Well, I think that's a that's what a good leader does.
• 23:12
  SPEAKER_01: You know, and I hear I again I've talked to a lot of people and they always say, like, send the elevator back down.
• 23:17
  SPEAKER_01: Like, help people, if people helped you, you didn't do it by yourself, help others do it the same way.
• 23:22
  SPEAKER_01: There's nothing more rewarding than seeing someone else be successful in that light bulb click of something that maybe you were able to provide or teach that person.
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_01: And I don't think enough people, like you said, man, it's kind of weird.
• 23:33
  SPEAKER_01: A lot of people feel threatened for one reason or another.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_01: And uh, I'm like, man, you're just not happy that way.
• 23:38
  SPEAKER_01: Like, there's it it that's not a way to live life.
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_01: Like everybody, everybody can help in some way, and there's not, again, there's not a better like feeling of it either.
• 23:47
  SPEAKER_01: But it's just interesting how people have that kind of opposite approach a lot of times.
• 23:51
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 23:52
  SPEAKER_00: And I I I even noticed in my industry as a professional speaker, you know, speakers are you know threatened by other speakers.
• 23:59
  SPEAKER_00: And I and I just like I I I pour kindness into all those guys.
• 24:03
  SPEAKER_00: I I love seeing other speakers win because I believe there's enough for us to go around for all of us, you know.
• 24:09
  SPEAKER_00: So it's it's a shame that some are like that, but no, I just hey, I just want to see everybody win.
• 24:15
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 24:16
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I mean, there's tons of companies.
• 24:17
  SPEAKER_01: There's tons of speaking engagements out there.
• 24:19
  SPEAKER_01: Like, don't need to be threatened.
• 24:21
  SPEAKER_00: I know we need all you.
• 24:22
  SPEAKER_00: I know.
• 24:23
  SPEAKER_00: It's like I'm not gonna be right.
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_00: I lose a lot of speaking engagements, you know, because a lot of times companies will reach out and then they're trying to compare you to three other, four other speakers, and I might not be right for every event, you know, but the right ones do come along.
• 24:37
  SPEAKER_00: And like you said, there's just so many opportunities out there.
• 24:40
  SPEAKER_00: They should not feel threatened, but some do.
• 24:42
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 24:43
  SPEAKER_01: Well, two more questions for you, JJ.
• 24:45
  SPEAKER_01: One is, you know, going back to your book, man, I'm excited.
• 24:48
  SPEAKER_01: I I know it just came out, but it's really cool talking to you like as it's been published.
• 24:53
  SPEAKER_01: But as people read the book, you know, if they don't take more than one or two things away from it, what do you hope the main message is they get from it?
• 25:02
  SPEAKER_01: Or what's that one nugget you hope they take and are able to apply in their life?
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_00: Great question.
• 25:09
  SPEAKER_00: And I think the main thing I want to see them take home from that is really just the power to accomplish anything you want.
• 25:18
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I want people to gain that confidence, that clarity, and be better prepared for whatever they're pursuing.
• 25:26
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm hoping this framework can help them because the sky's the limit.
• 25:31
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, anything you want, you want to achieve, it's possible if you're willing to have the right mindset, if you're willing to be disciplined, if you're willing to put in the work.
• 25:40
  SPEAKER_00: And the caution in the book is that even when you are successful, celebrate the moments, but say what's next.
• 25:46
  SPEAKER_00: Don't fall into the complacency trap.
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_00: You know, make sure you continue to raise the bar and keep challenging yourself.
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_01: I love that.
• 25:54
  SPEAKER_01: I love that.
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_01: That's something I've been focusing on recently myself, as far as kind of finding that fine line of aspiration, but also content, but knowing that the goalpost always moves.
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_01: So when you score a touchdown, the game's not over.
• 26:10
  SPEAKER_01: You gotta you gotta go back on defense or you gotta score again.
• 26:14
  SPEAKER_01: So when you do one moment, that's not done.
• 26:17
  SPEAKER_01: That means someone's coming for you.
• 26:18
  SPEAKER_01: So you gotta go keep chipping away and in and trying to maximize the one life that you have.
• 26:23
  SPEAKER_01: So I love that.
• 26:24
  SPEAKER_01: As that's something I've been processing in my mind a lot recently, just as I filled out books for guys and try to do, you know, impactful things.
• 26:31
  SPEAKER_01: So that really resonates with me.
• 26:34
  SPEAKER_01: Last question for you, JJ, because I ask everyone that comes on the podcast this particular question, uh, just from a book standpoint.
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_01: But I'm always curious to know what is a book or two that has meant a lot to you personally, and what's a book that you love to recommend to other people?
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_00: Ooh, man, I've been reading a lot of books up until my book being released.
• 26:53
  SPEAKER_00: I I I still think my favorite is Shoe Dog, Shoe Dog.
• 26:58
  SPEAKER_00: The Nike story.
• 26:58
  SPEAKER_00: I I still love that because I mean, I'm from Oregon.
• 27:02
  SPEAKER_00: I we were sponsored by Nike.
• 27:04
  SPEAKER_00: I was right there, but I had no idea the journey that Phil Knight went on and the and how close he was from failing.
• 27:13
  SPEAKER_00: And I just I think that's a great book of resilience, perseverance, determination, you know, believing in yourself when others don't.
• 27:21
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's a that's my favorite book right now when it comes to like personal development.
• 27:26
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 27:26
  SPEAKER_01: That's a good recommendation too, because even people who don't like to sit down and read, for some reason, that book is one that people will talk about.
• 27:37
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I don't read books, but I read that one.
• 27:39
  SPEAKER_01: And it was because I I don't know, maybe it's because we wear a lot of I'm wearing Nike right now.
• 27:43
  SPEAKER_01: Geez.
• 27:43
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't even notice that.
• 27:45
  SPEAKER_01: And they're not even that old of a company, you know.
• 27:47
  SPEAKER_01: It's crazy that it's it's not you you think of like the the GEs and and Walmarts and stuff that have been around a long time, but like Nike in the grand scheme.
• 27:56
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's it's the perfect that saying of you see the glory, but you don't know the story.
• 28:02
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I didn't people don't know what they went through to get going, and that whole process just it just it fascinated me.
• 28:10
  SPEAKER_00: Even like I said, I'm I I'm from Oregon.
• 28:13
  SPEAKER_00: We were Nike.
• 28:13
  SPEAKER_00: That's so Nike, Nike, Nike, you know, but I had no idea of the struggle early on.
• 28:19
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 28:20
  SPEAKER_01: I should have known you were gonna say that book, being from being from Oregon and then going to Oregon.
• 28:25
  SPEAKER_01: I should have guessed that.
• 28:26
  SPEAKER_01: But JJ, no, man, this has been, man, thank you for coming on here and having this conversation with us.
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_01: Because again, I want to spotlight guys like you who have, again, I as a sports fan, just having that background, but but someone that that your story didn't stop there.
• 28:42
  SPEAKER_01: You've been doing so many, probably more incredible things since then, and you continue to do so, and one of those being with your new book.
• 28:49
  SPEAKER_01: And so very proud and honored to spotlight it and share that with our audience.
• 28:54
  SPEAKER_01: And uh man, now that we know each other, I cannot wait to see all the other amazing things that you continue to do.
• 29:01
  SPEAKER_01: So just keep doing it, man.
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_01: I love to see it.
• 29:03
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you, Chris.
• 29:04
  SPEAKER_00: I I I consider it a privilege.
• 29:06
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for having me on.
• 29:08
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for allowing me to pour into the audience.
• 29:10
  SPEAKER_00: And uh yeah, like you said, beat the coverage.
• 29:13
  SPEAKER_00: It's available, beathecoverage.com.
• 29:16
  SPEAKER_00: Go pick it up.
• 29:16
  SPEAKER_00: And if you pick it up, I want to know what you like best.
• 29:20
  SPEAKER_01: That's right.
• 29:20
  SPEAKER_01: We'll make sure the links are in the notes where everybody can go find it.
• 29:24
  SPEAKER_01: And yeah, go go tell JJ what you think about it, send him a picture of you holding the book up and let him know you read it so he can talk to you more about it.
• 29:31
  SPEAKER_01: So no, appreciate it, JJ.