WEBVTT - Fuel The Front Lines 0:00:03.240 --> 0:00:07.720 Welcome to the NFL Legends Podcast, an NFL podcast for 0:00:07.840 --> 0:00:12.840 the players, by the players. Here is your host, four 0:00:12.880 --> 0:00:19.600 teen year NFL veteran and Hall of Famer Aenius Williams. Hello, 0:00:19.720 --> 0:00:23.200 Welcome to the NFL Legends Podcast. I am a Nius Williams. 0:00:23.840 --> 0:00:28.400 We're hosting our podcast series remotely during this COVID nineteen crisis, 0:00:29.160 --> 0:00:33.160 which has touched us all in some way. Today we're 0:00:33.159 --> 0:00:36.040 going to talk with a legend who is doing his 0:00:36.120 --> 0:00:39.640 part to make an impact on his community during this 0:00:39.720 --> 0:00:42.840 challenging time with us today. Is one of the people 0:00:42.880 --> 0:00:46.840 who actually helped inspire this podcast series, so I'm most 0:00:46.880 --> 0:00:52.000 grateful to him, the Great Receiver Brandon Marshall. Brandon and 0:00:52.080 --> 0:00:56.160 his wife Mishi recently created a program called Few the 0:00:56.200 --> 0:01:01.440 front Lines, which provides much needed recovery, space, tools, and 0:01:01.560 --> 0:01:08.080 nutrition to healthcare workers doing this COVID nineteen pandemic. Welcome Brandon. 0:01:08.400 --> 0:01:10.840 Thank you so much, and you're so nice. You're talking 0:01:10.880 --> 0:01:14.400 about a legend. Oh my goodness. I mean you're the 0:01:14.560 --> 0:01:17.800 ultimate legend, not only on the field but off the field. 0:01:18.120 --> 0:01:20.399 Love what you're doing in the community and and with 0:01:20.480 --> 0:01:23.520 people around the world. So thanks for having us and 0:01:23.520 --> 0:01:26.800 and thank you for paving a way for men like myself, 0:01:26.880 --> 0:01:29.280 like Shawn, what we're supposed to be like. This is 0:01:29.680 --> 0:01:31.720 like you know, you you set the example. This is 0:01:31.760 --> 0:01:34.040 what the NFL player looks like. This is what the 0:01:34.200 --> 0:01:37.360 NFL family looks like. You know. So coming in and 0:01:37.400 --> 0:01:40.160 just catching balls and and taking all the good from 0:01:40.160 --> 0:01:43.240 the NFL not giving back. Uh, it's not the way 0:01:43.280 --> 0:01:45.960 to do it. And uh, I really appreciate you. So 0:01:46.000 --> 0:01:48.680 what we're doing with few of the front lines, um, 0:01:48.720 --> 0:01:51.000 really is an extension of not only you, but all 0:01:51.000 --> 0:01:52.800 of our greats in the NFL. Don't the work that 0:01:52.840 --> 0:01:55.440 you guys have done. So you're trying to give me 0:01:55.480 --> 0:01:58.480 the cry before we even get to talk you here, right, 0:01:58.520 --> 0:02:03.640 because legs right, especially you, you know you're known to 0:02:03.680 --> 0:02:09.440 get emotional. But thank you for those kind words. But 0:02:09.639 --> 0:02:12.959 really we're living, probably doing one of the most challenging 0:02:13.040 --> 0:02:17.200 times of the central let alone our generation. So before 0:02:17.240 --> 0:02:21.600 we start, this is the first time we've had you 0:02:21.720 --> 0:02:27.280 on and it was your idea to Tracy Pearlman about 0:02:27.320 --> 0:02:31.880 recreating the experience of guys talking openly about all topics 0:02:32.520 --> 0:02:36.040 in the hot tub cold tub that helped lead us 0:02:36.120 --> 0:02:39.600 to create this podcast. So thank you for doing that. 0:02:40.200 --> 0:02:45.240 And Brandon, real quick speak, Why the I have a 0:02:45.280 --> 0:02:47.600 program I do with men I call the locker room 0:02:47.760 --> 0:02:50.919 and now the hot tub. Why don't you initially tell 0:02:50.960 --> 0:02:55.960 whoever's listening, why the that hot tub locker room experience 0:02:56.080 --> 0:02:59.160 is so important? Well, let's go back a couple of years. 0:02:59.400 --> 0:03:02.280 I was in York plan for the Jets and um 0:03:03.200 --> 0:03:06.600 calling calling Kaepernick hit right, and this was a big deal. 0:03:07.280 --> 0:03:10.360 And you know, we go through media training, we have 0:03:10.440 --> 0:03:13.360 people coming out, come out every single year to talk 0:03:13.480 --> 0:03:17.840 to teach us how to present in front of the world, 0:03:17.880 --> 0:03:22.320 in front of our beat reporters and writers, and uh, 0:03:22.360 --> 0:03:26.200 you know, this calling Kaepernick hick thing hits And we're 0:03:26.240 --> 0:03:29.040 all in the locker room as players, like, Okay, what 0:03:29.240 --> 0:03:32.320 is our message? What how do we feel about it? 0:03:32.639 --> 0:03:35.400 You know? And in the New York Jets locker room, 0:03:35.400 --> 0:03:38.240 we were trying to collectively come together and be on 0:03:38.280 --> 0:03:40.640 the same page because we didn't want a distraction. But 0:03:40.680 --> 0:03:44.680 we understood how big the topic was and how important 0:03:44.720 --> 0:03:49.040 the moment was. So I look up, you know, after 0:03:49.120 --> 0:03:51.120 a day or two of us, you know, trying to 0:03:51.200 --> 0:03:53.440 figure out like how we need to keep our team 0:03:53.480 --> 0:03:58.160 together and respect people's you know, point of view. I 0:03:58.200 --> 0:04:02.160 got myself, I got Nick main Goal, had Eric Decker. Uh, 0:04:02.200 --> 0:04:06.320 we had Ryan Fitzpatrick, we had Matt Forte. We may 0:04:06.320 --> 0:04:08.880 have had you. No, we didn't have British the brickishaw 0:04:08.920 --> 0:04:13.320 Ferguson here retired. We had these legends sitting in a 0:04:13.320 --> 0:04:18.040 hot tub before practice talking about this major moment in 0:04:18.080 --> 0:04:22.479 sports and in history. Uh. And I'm like, Wow, you 0:04:22.560 --> 0:04:26.240 have Nick Mango from somewhere in the country. You have 0:04:26.480 --> 0:04:29.880 Eric Decker from Minnesota, myself from the city, inner City, 0:04:30.200 --> 0:04:33.120 who I've seen some of the things that Kaepernick was 0:04:33.160 --> 0:04:36.599 standing up for. You have Running Fitzpatrick, this kid from Harvard. 0:04:36.839 --> 0:04:39.719 So we all have these different point of views. But 0:04:39.800 --> 0:04:43.480 we were able to have a respectful conversation where we 0:04:43.560 --> 0:04:47.280 heard each other out. And I remember back then that 0:04:47.360 --> 0:04:50.680 was the biggest thing was we weren't listening to each other. 0:04:50.839 --> 0:04:53.240 We were just yelling, screaming at each other, or we 0:04:53.240 --> 0:04:58.000 were trying to be right. And we felt like to 0:04:58.000 --> 0:05:01.200 get the get the men sitch out there and to 0:05:01.320 --> 0:05:05.919 actually be proactive and in this whole moment be beneficial 0:05:06.000 --> 0:05:08.400 for a country, for a world. We had to have 0:05:08.480 --> 0:05:12.640 the right conversations and people had to listen. So that's 0:05:12.720 --> 0:05:15.400 the whole That was the whole thing about the hot tub. 0:05:15.480 --> 0:05:18.200 We're having a real conversation. You've got you know, guys 0:05:18.240 --> 0:05:21.839 from different parts of the country coming together and we 0:05:21.839 --> 0:05:24.640 were listening. So to me, that's the hot tub and 0:05:24.640 --> 0:05:26.599 that's the locker room. That's the amazing thing about the 0:05:26.600 --> 0:05:30.400 locker room. I whatever, wherever I come from in my 0:05:30.520 --> 0:05:32.839 belief like, that's one thing. But when we come in 0:05:32.839 --> 0:05:35.719 that locker room, we respect each other and we have 0:05:35.839 --> 0:05:38.080 one mission. We have one mission that's to go win. 0:05:38.440 --> 0:05:40.880 We have one mission that's to be you know, that 0:05:41.080 --> 0:05:45.000 the the ultimate jet, that ultimate ram, that ultimate stiller. 0:05:45.520 --> 0:05:48.320 Uh So we put those things to the side and 0:05:48.320 --> 0:05:52.160 we collectively come together. And what happens, it's so magical 0:05:52.200 --> 0:05:54.880 in the locker room is when we actually come together, 0:05:55.400 --> 0:05:59.880 you know, we start understanding the other side, things that 0:06:00.000 --> 0:06:03.040 we've never seen before, things that we never even thought of, 0:06:03.480 --> 0:06:07.359 because we respect the man or the woman alongside of 0:06:07.440 --> 0:06:11.400 us through sport. You know, Brandon, all of a sudden, 0:06:11.400 --> 0:06:13.320 you got me thinking. Man. Last week I was on 0:06:13.360 --> 0:06:15.520 the call with the White House where it was a 0:06:15.560 --> 0:06:19.599 conversation about the disproportional Oh, Yeah, just just just just 0:06:19.680 --> 0:06:22.480 throw that out there. Last week I was on with 0:06:22.560 --> 0:06:25.120 the White House, like, let me tell you what I'm 0:06:25.160 --> 0:06:28.520 saying that it was really about the disproportional impact that's 0:06:28.560 --> 0:06:31.159 happening in many of our African American munity that's relates 0:06:31.160 --> 0:06:34.239 to the virus. But my point in making that so sling, 0:06:34.320 --> 0:06:36.640 like you're telling me all we gotta do is get 0:06:37.040 --> 0:06:40.960 the Democrats and the Republicans in the HOTA. That's that's right. 0:06:41.839 --> 0:06:44.400 Just get him on your podcasts and you're straight come out. 0:06:44.520 --> 0:06:50.600 I promise you. You You know. Yes, it's amazing. One of 0:06:50.600 --> 0:06:54.800 the things that sports, particularly football, it brings back the 0:06:54.839 --> 0:06:59.479 bigger crowds as relates to attendance and the diversity of 0:06:59.560 --> 0:07:03.840 social economically ethnicities all come together and then as a 0:07:03.880 --> 0:07:07.680 team just as you said, from all these different backgrounds. 0:07:07.720 --> 0:07:10.880 But to be able to learn how to listen is 0:07:10.920 --> 0:07:15.560 extremely important, particularly needed now and what we're facing in 0:07:15.600 --> 0:07:19.920 our country. But let's talk about few the front lines. 0:07:21.080 --> 0:07:24.080 Give me a description of what do you do what 0:07:24.240 --> 0:07:27.760 few the front lines? Two things, and these are things 0:07:27.760 --> 0:07:30.800 that you have done your entire Careerities are things that 0:07:30.840 --> 0:07:34.560 you coach other athletes. All these are things that Um, 0:07:34.880 --> 0:07:38.720 we do before and after practice, we recover on one 0:07:38.800 --> 0:07:43.119 end of the spectrum. Um, we're literally putting recovery rooms 0:07:43.120 --> 0:07:47.200 in hospitals. Were in over eighty hospitals, majority in the 0:07:47.280 --> 0:07:50.800 United States, but globally, we're in the UK, we're deployed 0:07:50.840 --> 0:07:54.560 in Germany, we're deployed in Canada, and we're literally putting 0:07:54.600 --> 0:07:58.880 recovery rooms in hospitals. What does that look like? Massage 0:07:58.960 --> 0:08:02.840 guns with their a gun, super simple, but making sure 0:08:03.040 --> 0:08:05.560 that the muscles and the bodies, all those eggs from 0:08:05.560 --> 0:08:09.000 standing on their feet for sixteen sometimes eighteen hours in 0:08:09.040 --> 0:08:12.000 a day, that they're able to treat themselves or treat 0:08:12.000 --> 0:08:14.040 each other. So we have these that's a mate. We 0:08:14.080 --> 0:08:18.080 have amazing content and and and and in pictures of 0:08:18.240 --> 0:08:22.000 doctors actually massaging each other with these massage guns. Still 0:08:22.040 --> 0:08:25.680 practicing social distance is amazing. Uh. And the other thing 0:08:25.800 --> 0:08:28.480 is the recovery pumps. So you guys didn't have this 0:08:28.560 --> 0:08:30.880 back in the day, but they came out with all 0:08:30.920 --> 0:08:34.280 these type of technology that helped us recover faster. And 0:08:34.360 --> 0:08:38.559 think about this, how many practices? Well you you did 0:08:38.559 --> 0:08:43.520 you have a toe injury? Yes, yeah, you had a 0:08:43.559 --> 0:08:47.040 toe injury. So you understand the importance of making sure 0:08:47.120 --> 0:08:50.200 your feet are healthy and they feel good because that 0:08:50.320 --> 0:08:53.320 literally has hurt a lot of our athletes are retired, 0:08:53.360 --> 0:08:55.839 a lot of our athletes, so you understand it. So 0:08:55.880 --> 0:08:59.599 these recovery boots, it literally pumps out all of the 0:08:59.679 --> 0:09:03.000 lack acid, all of the fluid from the feet, all 0:09:03.040 --> 0:09:05.199 the way up through the legs through the length. Note 0:09:05.440 --> 0:09:08.000 So now if you come into an NFL locker room 0:09:08.080 --> 0:09:11.439 or NBA locker room before practice, after practice, before games, 0:09:11.480 --> 0:09:14.880 after games, you'll see the entire team with these recovery 0:09:14.880 --> 0:09:17.520 boots on. It literally feels like you have new legs. 0:09:17.640 --> 0:09:20.040 Right when you do this, it literally pumps all of 0:09:20.080 --> 0:09:23.520 that gunk, all that junk out of your body through 0:09:23.520 --> 0:09:26.720 the lemp through the lymph nodes. Right. So that's the 0:09:26.760 --> 0:09:29.040 recovery rooms on the second. On the other end of 0:09:29.080 --> 0:09:32.400 the spectrum, we have to fuel them, uh, from a 0:09:32.480 --> 0:09:35.960 nutritional standpoint, the right way. So how we supplement. We 0:09:36.000 --> 0:09:39.319 talk about protein, we talk about glutamine, we talk about 0:09:39.480 --> 0:09:43.680 vitamins all the time as athletes, but now more than ever, 0:09:44.160 --> 0:09:47.960 we need our nurses, we need our doctors fueling correctly. 0:09:48.080 --> 0:09:50.840 We need them fueling like us because we still have 0:09:51.000 --> 0:09:53.920 two three months minimum to fight this thing that they're 0:09:53.920 --> 0:09:56.880 calling a beast. So if they're not, if they're not 0:09:57.040 --> 0:10:00.080 if they're not fit for the next patient, for the 0:10:00.160 --> 0:10:02.640 next month, for the next two months, what good is 0:10:02.679 --> 0:10:05.120 it to have all of these ventilators and all these 0:10:05.160 --> 0:10:07.599 resources and all these supplies when we don't have the 0:10:07.760 --> 0:10:10.760 staff to be able to use them. And that's my 0:10:10.800 --> 0:10:14.079 biggest concern, and that's where where this whole fuel of 0:10:14.120 --> 0:10:17.080 the front lines thing came from is because you know, 0:10:17.160 --> 0:10:19.160 having all the supplies and all that stuff is great, 0:10:19.240 --> 0:10:22.560 but we were already understaffed from a medical standpoint going 0:10:22.600 --> 0:10:26.120 into COVID nineteen. So think about that we have we're 0:10:26.200 --> 0:10:30.600 losing We're losing nurses and doctors daily. Uh. We have 0:10:30.840 --> 0:10:34.320 nurses and doctors rightfully, so a lot of validity, but 0:10:34.360 --> 0:10:37.280 are afraid to death because they may have, you know, 0:10:37.400 --> 0:10:39.800 an elder at home or a baby at home, so 0:10:39.920 --> 0:10:42.600 they're stopped. They're not even going to work anymore. So 0:10:42.640 --> 0:10:46.079 now we have the small population of caregivers that to 0:10:46.679 --> 0:10:49.640 in all of this pressure on their backs to to 0:10:49.640 --> 0:10:53.800 to to be the the solution to this major problem. 0:10:53.960 --> 0:10:56.120 So we need to do everything we can, not only 0:10:56.120 --> 0:10:59.439 from a supply standpoint, but also from a nutritional standpoint 0:10:59.559 --> 0:11:03.959 and a coverage standpoint, because they're literally saving our lives 0:11:04.080 --> 0:11:07.600 right now. Do you have some corporate partners that have 0:11:07.679 --> 0:11:14.319 joined in? Um? No, So it's been my wife and I. UM, 0:11:14.360 --> 0:11:16.000 it's been out my wife and I. But the NFL 0:11:16.080 --> 0:11:18.680 is doing a phenomenal job. Um. We're you know, the 0:11:18.760 --> 0:11:21.640 NFL is backing us, and they're actually giving us fifteen 0:11:21.679 --> 0:11:24.600 minutes during the NFL Draft to kind of talk about this, 0:11:24.920 --> 0:11:28.360 you know. So we're excited about the NFL getting behind us. 0:11:28.440 --> 0:11:30.880 So I would say, yes, we have one partner. Of course, 0:11:31.160 --> 0:11:33.480 it would be the NFL stepping up taking care of 0:11:33.960 --> 0:11:37.920 uh their family and and and and seeing what we're doing. Um. 0:11:37.960 --> 0:11:40.480 But what we're doing now is we're actually putting together 0:11:40.520 --> 0:11:43.560 that initiative. UM. I'm actually starting to talk about it. 0:11:43.640 --> 0:11:46.439 Before we weren't talking about it the last couple of weeks. UM. 0:11:46.480 --> 0:11:48.640 So we're going to we're setting out to raise two 0:11:48.720 --> 0:11:51.440 point five million dollars and we're just going to go 0:11:51.520 --> 0:11:55.480 to a hundred UM athletes. You know, it could be 0:11:55.520 --> 0:11:58.600 made up of a couple of athletes, a couple entertainers, 0:11:58.640 --> 0:12:02.280 a couple you know, prominent businessmen and women or families 0:12:02.360 --> 0:12:05.679 or companies, and we want a hundred hospitals that we 0:12:05.760 --> 0:12:09.160 serve daily, all right. Uh and it's it costs us 0:12:09.200 --> 0:12:12.160 around twenty two thousand per hospital. So that's what we're 0:12:12.160 --> 0:12:15.080 setting out to do. Now we're starting with, you know, 0:12:15.120 --> 0:12:19.000 the NFL Draft and bringing in others to tell this story. 0:12:19.640 --> 0:12:21.360 Do you have any players and a legends that are 0:12:21.400 --> 0:12:26.440 already connecting? Yes? So. Uh, we just made a hospital 0:12:26.520 --> 0:12:30.760 run yesterday. So we're at Memorial yesterday. Uh so Stefon 0:12:30.880 --> 0:12:35.079 Diggs came out. Uh, Jerry Judy, which is amazing. You 0:12:35.160 --> 0:12:37.640 got a kid that's probably gonna go top ten in 0:12:37.640 --> 0:12:40.480 the NFL Draft, the biggest one of the biggest moments, 0:12:40.520 --> 0:12:43.280 biggest days of his life, and the only thing on 0:12:43.360 --> 0:12:46.160 his mind right now is football is not everything right 0:12:46.160 --> 0:12:48.680 now and this kid is on the front line actually 0:12:48.720 --> 0:12:53.720 serving taking Ossai bowls and salads and ginger shots and 0:12:54.240 --> 0:12:57.840 um and different juices to our our our our nurses 0:12:57.840 --> 0:13:01.760 and doctors. You had JPP out there yesterday, so Jason 0:13:01.800 --> 0:13:06.400 Pierre Paul from Tampa Bay. Um, you have Bobby hard Man. 0:13:06.480 --> 0:13:09.000 There's so many guys. Those are just some of the guys. 0:13:09.040 --> 0:13:12.000 That came out recently, But there's so many guys down 0:13:12.040 --> 0:13:15.560 here in South Florida that is actually on the front 0:13:15.640 --> 0:13:18.720 line and helping us with this initiative. But again, you know, 0:13:18.840 --> 0:13:22.000 that's just once part of it. We're actually, you know, 0:13:22.040 --> 0:13:25.200 setting out to make an impact globally and we're in 0:13:25.320 --> 0:13:29.880 eight hospitals right now and we're excited about growing that 0:13:30.080 --> 0:13:32.920 and doing more. We don't want to just we don't 0:13:32.920 --> 0:13:34.800 want to be one of those initiatives where it's just 0:13:35.160 --> 0:13:37.440 you know, hey, we're here, just want to say thank 0:13:37.480 --> 0:13:39.640 you and just keep it moving. We're going to serve 0:13:39.720 --> 0:13:44.400 them every single day until this fight is one. Is 0:13:44.400 --> 0:13:49.199 there anywhere now Brandon where NFL players are legends or 0:13:49.360 --> 0:13:57.679 any potential corporate sponsors can connect what what you're doing? Yes? Um, 0:13:57.760 --> 0:14:00.760 all the information right now is on our our page, 0:14:01.360 --> 0:14:03.839 you know, if you scroll down, so it's the House 0:14:03.920 --> 0:14:10.000 of Athlete dot com. House of Athletes dot com And 0:14:10.040 --> 0:14:12.320 if you go down just a little bit on the website, 0:14:12.360 --> 0:14:15.520 you'll see a button where you can get involved. Also 0:14:15.720 --> 0:14:22.560 our nonprofit Project three seventy so Project three seven five 0:14:22.720 --> 0:14:27.040 dot org. You can go and you can donate. Now 0:14:27.440 --> 0:14:30.440 you can uh figure out ways where you can support 0:14:30.480 --> 0:14:34.120 and so all of the informations there, So thank you 0:14:34.200 --> 0:14:38.480 so much for that my pleasure. I can see so 0:14:38.560 --> 0:14:42.320 many guys want to get involved because just as you said, 0:14:42.880 --> 0:14:47.920 this is now those from we're we or us being 0:14:47.960 --> 0:14:52.120 stars on the field to now our truth stars and 0:14:52.240 --> 0:14:55.640 taking care of them because they're shining the most doing 0:14:55.720 --> 0:14:59.960 this challenge. Let me dovetail now and ask you how 0:15:00.000 --> 0:15:06.040 all does this initiative? How does that dove tell what 0:15:06.120 --> 0:15:10.200 your efforts regard a mental health awareness because you're a 0:15:10.200 --> 0:15:14.440 big proponent of mental mental health, so how does that 0:15:14.880 --> 0:15:19.600 connect with it? Yeah, that's a that's a great question. Um. 0:15:19.640 --> 0:15:22.320 So one of the things we actually last year we 0:15:22.320 --> 0:15:26.520 went through a bit of a transition, uh, because we 0:15:26.520 --> 0:15:31.360 we found that it's it feels and we know, through 0:15:31.400 --> 0:15:35.080 God nothing's impossible, but it feels at time it's almost 0:15:35.160 --> 0:15:39.240 impossible to make the impact or start the conversation that 0:15:39.280 --> 0:15:42.920 we need in the mental health community, uh, to actually 0:15:43.120 --> 0:15:46.320 move the needle when you're dealing with the clinical side 0:15:46.320 --> 0:15:48.880 of it, when you're dealing with the stigma side of it. 0:15:49.200 --> 0:15:51.760 So we made a shift last year before all of 0:15:51.800 --> 0:15:53.760 this where we said, you know what, we're not gonna 0:15:53.840 --> 0:15:56.200 come on this end of the spectrum and talk about 0:15:56.560 --> 0:16:00.920 you know, bipolar or depression or exact anxiety and lead 0:16:01.000 --> 0:16:03.040 with that we're actually gonna come on the end of 0:16:03.040 --> 0:16:06.040 this side of performance. Let's just unlock our full potential 0:16:06.080 --> 0:16:08.680 no matter where you're at in life. So we started 0:16:08.720 --> 0:16:13.720 this whole deal that if people if we can get 0:16:13.760 --> 0:16:15.880 people to come in and say, you know what, I 0:16:15.920 --> 0:16:18.040 want to lose weight, I want to get my cholester 0:16:18.200 --> 0:16:20.240 all down, I want to cut my body fat or 0:16:20.240 --> 0:16:23.200 my b and I in half. If we can get 0:16:23.240 --> 0:16:25.960 people in there and then start the conversation about wellness 0:16:26.000 --> 0:16:29.160 and then get them into our our yoga class, will 0:16:29.240 --> 0:16:32.200 put you know, quotation marks around that, and we started 0:16:32.240 --> 0:16:35.280 the conversation about hey, guys, um, sometimes you can be 0:16:35.320 --> 0:16:37.400 on either end of the spectrum. There's a thin line 0:16:37.400 --> 0:16:41.000 between performance and and and and impairment. You know, there 0:16:41.040 --> 0:16:43.400 may be some people dealing with anxiety, mean, some people 0:16:43.440 --> 0:16:45.600 may want to learn more about meditation or how do 0:16:45.640 --> 0:16:48.560 I get in that zone as that professional athlete zone. 0:16:49.040 --> 0:16:53.480 And through that we've made a bigger impact faster than 0:16:53.520 --> 0:16:56.440 it the ten years we spent on the nonprofit side. 0:16:56.760 --> 0:17:01.640 So we feel that the wellness conversation shi um. It 0:17:01.680 --> 0:17:04.479 needs to be a three sixty conversation. We can't just 0:17:04.560 --> 0:17:07.280 talk about mental health, Like if we want to unlock 0:17:07.320 --> 0:17:10.479 our full potential, we have to talk about five things, 0:17:10.840 --> 0:17:12.920 and these five things are the pillars, and these pillars 0:17:12.920 --> 0:17:14.520 should make up our lifes down. If you do this, 0:17:14.600 --> 0:17:17.600 you'll luck your five your your full potential. Number One, 0:17:17.600 --> 0:17:20.840 we all have to train. We were designed to move. 0:17:21.160 --> 0:17:23.720 We're not designed to be couch potatoes, were not designed 0:17:23.760 --> 0:17:25.560 to put their w own things in our body, So 0:17:25.600 --> 0:17:28.639 we preach training. The second pillar for us is fuel. 0:17:28.680 --> 0:17:31.240 We all need to fuel correctly. What are we putting 0:17:31.240 --> 0:17:35.000 in our bodies from a macro nutrient standpoint, and if 0:17:35.040 --> 0:17:38.520 you can't get all of those macronutrients through food, you 0:17:38.640 --> 0:17:41.879 have to be able to supplement. The third thing is 0:17:42.359 --> 0:17:46.040 being mentally fit. So there's that mental health component starting 0:17:46.040 --> 0:17:48.879 that conversation about no matter what in the the spectrum 0:17:48.920 --> 0:17:52.440 you are, if you surround yourself with the right people, 0:17:52.440 --> 0:17:56.399 get the right help, you can be your best self. Okay. 0:17:56.440 --> 0:17:59.840 The fourth thing is recovered. Recover is key whether you 0:17:59.880 --> 0:18:03.159 have a bad back, you have a bumpny, or if 0:18:03.200 --> 0:18:05.400 you just need to go on vacation. Recover is key, 0:18:05.640 --> 0:18:08.240 and the last thing is tried, like having a team 0:18:08.240 --> 0:18:10.439 of people you can do life with. We gotta do. 0:18:10.640 --> 0:18:13.000 We have to be in the community. We were we were, 0:18:13.080 --> 0:18:15.600 we were built to do things and do life with 0:18:15.640 --> 0:18:20.040 other people. So that mental health deal it lives in 0:18:20.200 --> 0:18:24.160 all of that. You can't do one without the other. Brandon, 0:18:24.880 --> 0:18:30.400 I've always heard about your I guess your vision when 0:18:30.400 --> 0:18:32.720 it came down to mental health. Let's let's now go 0:18:32.800 --> 0:18:38.840 back to you. Where did you grow up? Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 0:18:39.200 --> 0:18:43.840 Oh wow, Yeah, we're poor, the poorest, the poorest county 0:18:43.840 --> 0:18:48.360 in all of Pennsylvania. Pitch Bird, you mean the home 0:18:48.359 --> 0:18:54.600 of the Steelers. That's right, still city. So when did 0:18:54.680 --> 0:19:00.600 you realize you needed to get help from a mental 0:19:00.760 --> 0:19:06.960 wellness standpoint? Two thousand and eleven. Uh, just came off 0:19:07.000 --> 0:19:09.080 of signing a big deal in two thousand and ten. 0:19:09.240 --> 0:19:12.439 Four years in Denver, played there. There's some amazing things 0:19:12.920 --> 0:19:17.560 ship to my the Miami Dolphins. The first year, um 0:19:17.840 --> 0:19:19.680 was the first year. That was the first year where 0:19:20.280 --> 0:19:24.399 you know football, there was things on the field that 0:19:24.440 --> 0:19:27.480 I couldn't control. Like football. The football field was always 0:19:27.480 --> 0:19:30.439 my sanctuary. I could all no matter what was happening 0:19:30.440 --> 0:19:32.440 in the neighborhood. No matter what was happening at home, 0:19:32.720 --> 0:19:34.600 I would be able to go to the football field 0:19:34.920 --> 0:19:37.719 and just absolutely be a beast and crush it. And 0:19:37.720 --> 0:19:40.159 then there was a couple of practices where you know, 0:19:40.160 --> 0:19:42.080 I had so much going on off the field. My 0:19:42.160 --> 0:19:46.520 story is not unique at all. Probably our girls and 0:19:46.560 --> 0:19:49.840 guys deal with the same thing, but all of us, 0:19:49.920 --> 0:19:52.560 not all of us have the same coping mechanisms or 0:19:52.680 --> 0:19:55.320 have the tools and skills to be able to self regulate. 0:19:55.520 --> 0:20:00.200 I didn't have that. So two thousand and ten football 0:20:00.720 --> 0:20:03.440 something was going on there. Let's fast forward to two 0:20:03.480 --> 0:20:06.000 thousand and eleven. I go to Ricky Williams. I say, Ricky, 0:20:06.080 --> 0:20:09.080 do you think I'm bi polar? You know, because like 0:20:09.280 --> 0:20:11.680 I literally come into practice and or in the work 0:20:11.760 --> 0:20:13.640 sometimes and like I'm gonna keep my mouth so I'm 0:20:13.640 --> 0:20:16.879 not gonna say anything. And Ricky looked at me. You know, 0:20:17.640 --> 0:20:19.720 I'm sure you guys may have heard Ricky Williams before 0:20:19.720 --> 0:20:22.320 and it's like Michael Jackson voice, He's like brand. Then 0:20:22.600 --> 0:20:25.719 he said, no, I don't think you're bi polar. I 0:20:25.800 --> 0:20:28.440 just think you say the things that we all want 0:20:28.480 --> 0:20:32.640 to say but won't say, right so I'm like, okay. 0:20:32.800 --> 0:20:34.800 And the reason why it was it was important for 0:20:34.840 --> 0:20:37.080 me to go to Ricky because remember Ricky was living 0:20:37.119 --> 0:20:39.600 in a tent in Australia. He walked away from twenty 0:20:39.640 --> 0:20:43.240 something million dollars when left football, remember and that, and 0:20:43.320 --> 0:20:46.560 when he had this documentary came out and then part 0:20:46.560 --> 0:20:48.679 of the documentary he showed there was a part of 0:20:48.680 --> 0:20:52.320 it where he was on he was in Waltham, Massachusetts 0:20:52.359 --> 0:20:55.040 at this hospital working with Dr Dunderson. So I was 0:20:55.080 --> 0:20:57.000 asking about it cause I'm like, how's how does this 0:20:57.040 --> 0:21:00.000 guy go from that to now being this for nomen 0:21:00.000 --> 0:21:03.960 ain football player, phenomenal teammate, this phenomenal man. He'd be 0:21:03.960 --> 0:21:06.439 sitting in the hot tub reading a book, which was 0:21:06.480 --> 0:21:08.919 kind of like like this isn't this this the locker room? 0:21:08.960 --> 0:21:12.600 What is this? So through that I said, Ricky, well 0:21:12.600 --> 0:21:14.600 I need to connect with that doctor that worked with you. 0:21:14.760 --> 0:21:17.800 So anyways, I end up going to uh McLean Hospital. 0:21:17.880 --> 0:21:21.159 Spent three months there in the outpatient program, diagnosed with 0:21:21.200 --> 0:21:25.159 the borderline personality disorder UM and I was in dialectical 0:21:25.240 --> 0:21:30.040 behavior therapy, mentalization therapy, self assessment. I did neurological tests, 0:21:30.240 --> 0:21:33.600 I did a cognitive uh, test just to see if 0:21:33.640 --> 0:21:36.439 I was capable of change, and um, you know, I 0:21:36.480 --> 0:21:38.760 put in the work. I would literally be on campus 0:21:39.040 --> 0:21:42.080 from eight am to five pm every day. After that 0:21:42.119 --> 0:21:44.479 I'll go to re Box headquarters and work out and 0:21:44.520 --> 0:21:47.560 train because it's the year of the lockout, and um, 0:21:47.560 --> 0:21:50.159 it was. It was. It was the most phenomenal experience 0:21:50.200 --> 0:21:52.159 for me. You know, I gave my life to Christ 0:21:52.480 --> 0:21:55.200 the year before, and I thought everything was gonna be great, 0:21:55.440 --> 0:21:57.879 and I thought, Man, all my problems gonna go away. 0:21:58.119 --> 0:22:01.400 Things got harder, things got order for me. And then 0:22:01.440 --> 0:22:05.200 I found myself praying, like, Man, help me break this cycle, 0:22:05.320 --> 0:22:08.159 and you know, answer this prayer, give me clarity. And 0:22:08.200 --> 0:22:10.679 it wasn't until I was halfway through that program at 0:22:10.760 --> 0:22:13.520 McClean Hospital. I'm all my knees praying, and I well, 0:22:13.640 --> 0:22:16.800 I started my morning's pray praying and I get on 0:22:16.840 --> 0:22:20.000 my knees halfway through. Um that my time there, and 0:22:20.000 --> 0:22:22.080 I go to pray to start my day and I 0:22:22.119 --> 0:22:26.480 couldn't pray. It was just like like I was laughing. 0:22:26.680 --> 0:22:28.679 I literally was laughing. That was the first time I 0:22:28.720 --> 0:22:32.040 was able to really feel and see a prayer answer. 0:22:32.600 --> 0:22:35.000 And I was like, Wow, he's helping me. This is 0:22:35.359 --> 0:22:38.239 he's he's actually breaking the cycle right now. You know, 0:22:38.640 --> 0:22:42.399 this is this is the most clear vision I've ever had. 0:22:42.760 --> 0:22:45.359 So two thousand and eleven is when I knew, and 0:22:45.359 --> 0:22:48.280 it happened on the football field. I dropped four passes 0:22:48.320 --> 0:22:51.359 and I said, wow, that's never happened before. What is 0:22:51.400 --> 0:22:54.000 going on in my mind? What's happening to my brain? 0:22:54.280 --> 0:22:57.040 And that's when I called Dr Gunderson at McClean hospital. 0:22:59.240 --> 0:23:02.120 So as we was out branding, here's the question, because 0:23:02.640 --> 0:23:05.360