77: I am, I can, I will with Ryan Harris

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Ryan Harris won Superbowl 50 as a starting offensive lineman for the Denver Broncos. He retired after a long career in the NFL and inspires others throughout the world with his message of “I am, I can, I will.” In this episode:

  • The lessons in life that football taught Ryan
  • “I became a better Muslim at Notre Dame.” Staying true to his faith through college.
  • Overcoming three back surgeries during his football career
  • The biggest failure during his time in the NFL: getting released in his fifth year because of arrogance
  • Unwillingness is a blanket over arrogance
  • Trying to win a championship with every fiber of his body and every action of his life
  • Utilizing proper breathing techniques
  • Winning Superbowl 50 with the Denver Broncos – What he believed became knowledge
  • Receiving the Lombardi Trophy for the first time from Peyton Manning
  • Transitioning to life as a broadcaster, motivational speaker, and a financial coach
  • I am, I can, I will

You can find out more about Ryan at ryanharris68.com and you can follow him on Instagram @ryanharris_68

76: Mountaineering NFL Veteran with Mark Pattison

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Mark Pattison played in the NFL for 5 years before he embarked on a journey to become the first NFL veteran to climb the 7 Summits. He completed 6 and has one more to go. In this episode:

  • Becoming an All-American at WR and QB in high school, and playing WR at University of Washington
  • Transitioning to college ball and playing against NFL talent in the Pac-10
  • Getting drafted by the LA Raiders and playing in the NFL for 5 years
  • How his career in the NFL translated to mountaineering
  • Launching businesses after his career in international trade business
  • Going through a messy divorce and deciding to become the first NFL veteran to climb the 7 summits
  • Going from “How did I get here?” to “What am I going to do about it?”
  • Stories of hardship on the tallest mountains in the world
  • Almost getting to the top of Mt. Denali to make a decision for survival and turn around in -80 degree weather
  • Preparing physically and mentally to go back to Denali and summit it successfully
  • The only remaining mountain on Mark’s 7 Summits List: Mt. Everest
  • Mark’s podcast, Finding Your Summit Podcast, which interviews people who have overcome extreme adversity to find the highest level of achievement
  • It takes a little more to become a champion

You can follow Mark at markpattisonnfl.com and @markpattisonnfl on IG and Twitter.

75: Homeless to Yale with Chelesa Fearce

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Chelesa Fearce grew up homeless in Atlanta throughout high school. Even in the midst of that hardship, she was a dedicated student and graduated as the valedictorian of her class. She is pursuing a dual degree in medicine at Yale University. In this episode:

  • Pursuing dual degrees in medical school in research and child psychiatry
  • Living in and out of homeless shelters and hotels for eight years as a teenager
  • Moving to Mississippi when her mother was diagnosed with cancer
  • The worst experience she had from homelessness
  • Recognizing her duty as a role model to her younger siblings
  • Why Chelesa looks up to her mother
  • Receiving a full scholarship to Spelman College
  • Why Chelesa chose Yale for medical school among many other elite schools she was accepted to
  • Her key to limiting stress while creating an environment of meaningful studying
  • Why she wants to become a child psychiatrist: to give a voice to children who can’t speak up for themselves, and to design medical drugs that help kids throughout the world
  • Her advice to other homeless people: It is temporary, it is not your identity, and you deserve to be loved

You can follow Chelesa on Instagram and Facebook @chelesafearce

74: Hammer Driven Athlete with Steph Hammerman

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Steph Hammerman was born with Cerebral Palsy. She became the first adaptive trainer athlete sponsored by Nike due to her Crossfit expertise. In this episode:

  • Wanting to become a teacher ever since she was a little girl
  • Her doctors told her parents that Steph may never be able to read, speak, or write, however she graduated high school and college
  • Steph lives a fulfilled life with cerebral palsy. She does not suffer from cerebral palsy
  • The most difficult part of having CP – getting out of bed in the morning.
  • The best part of having CP – the perspective she has gained on life
  • The question her trainer asked her that transformed her life, “What do you want to accomplish?”
  • Overcoming bloody, ripped hands and fatigue to finish her first hand cycling marathon
  • How the passing of her friend inspired her to carry on his athletic legacy
  • The starting pieces of her journey to becoming a CrossFit athlete and certified trainer
  • Why Steph has the power to tell someone about something verbally and watch them accomplish their workout even though Steph can’t do the same movement herself
  • Battling Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Stage 3B in 2016
  • Becoming the first Nike sponsored adaptive training athlete
  • Opening up Hammer Driven Fitness and the challenges that come with running a business

You can follow Steph on Instagram @stephthehammer

73: The Naval Archer with Andre Shelby

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Andre Shelby served in the Navy for 18 years. He lost his mobility from the chest down in a motorcycle accident. He picked up archery after he finished recovery and won a Gold Medal in the 2016 Paralympics. In this episode:

  • Joining the Navy and becoming a seaman; involved with the deck maintenance of the ship and the cargo
  • The most important lesson learned from 18 years in the Navy – how to interact and manage different types of people
  • Losing all mobility from the chest down after a motorcycle accident
  • How Andre and his family found help through a veteran that served in a different branch of the military
  • How Andre went from a man with no experience in archery to a Paralympic Gold Medalist
  • How the point system in archery works
  • His time at the Olympics and the experience of it all

You can follow Andre on Facebook.