The Meat Mafia Podcast

This is part 2 of our 2 part series. Christian Dyer is a professional rugby player for Team USA and the Houston SaberCats and host of 'The Chase' podcast, and Dylan Vanderveer is a professional golfer. Both athletes share their unique journeys in sports, highlighting their dedication to optimal health and peak performance. Christian and Dylan delve into the benefits of an animal-based diet for their athletic pursuits, recovery techniques, and the importance of sleep and individualized nutrition strategies. Their contrasting sports—rugby and golf—offer fascinating and highly applicable insights into how they tailor their health practices to achieve excellence in not only their respective sports, but everyday life. 

Key topics discussed:
  • Quality ingredients in supplements (grass-fed livestock, freeze-drying).
  • Community and relationships for growth and support.
  • Fitness practices: run clubs, red light therapy, cold plunging, fasting.
  • Confidence, mental preparation, and resilience in sports.
  • Faith, personal values, and purpose in overcoming obstacles.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Building Relationships in the Supplement Industry
(06:28) The Power of Authentic Relationships
(10:49) Health, Community, and Innovation in Austin
(17:56) Building Confidence in Sports and Life
(31:13) Journey to Success
(40:35) Uncovering Gratitude Through Life's Challenges


*** LINKS***


Check out our Newsletter - Food for Thought - to dramatically improve your health this year!

Join The Meat Mafia community Telegram group for daily conversations to keep up with what’s happening between episodes of the show.

Connect with Christian Dyer:

Instagram
YouTube
TikTok

Connect with Dylan VanderVeer:

TikTok
Instagram

Connect with Meat Mafia:

Instagram - Meat Mafia
Twitter - Meat Mafia
YouTube - Meat Mafia

Connect with Noble Protein:

Website - Noble Protein
Twitter - Noble Protein
Instagram - Noble Protein

AFFILIATES
  1. LMNT - Electrolyte salts to supplement minerals on low-carb diet
  2. The Carnivore Bar - Use Code 'MEATMAFIA' for 10% OFF - Delicious & convenient Pemmican Bar
  3. Perennial Pastures - Use CODE 'MEATMAFIA' 10% OFF - Regeneratively raised, grass-fed & grass-finished beef from California & Montana
  4. Farrow Skincare - Use CODE 'MEATMAFIA' at checkout for 20% OFF
  5. Heart & Soil - CODE ‘MEATMAFIA’ for 10% OFF - enhanced nutrition to replace daily vitamins!
  6. Carnivore Snax - Use CODE 'MEATMAFIA' Crispy, airy meat chips that melt in your mouth. Regeneratively raised in the USA.
  7. Pluck Seasoning - 15% OFF - Nutrient-dense seasoning with INSANE flavor! Use CODE: MEATMAFIA
  8. We Feed Raw 25% OFF your first order - ancestrally consistent food for your dog! Use CODE 'MEATMAFIA'
  9. Fond Bone Broth - 15% OFF - REAL bone broth with HIGH-QUALITY ingredients! It’s a daily product for us! Use CODE: MAFIA

Creators & Guests

Host
Brett Ender 🥩⚡️
The food system is corrupt and trying to poison us... I will teach you how to fight back. Co-Host of @themeatmafiapod 🥩
Host
Harry Gray 🥩⚡️
Leading the Red Meat Renaissance 🥩 ⚡️| Co-Host of @themeatmafiapod

What is The Meat Mafia Podcast?

The Meat Mafia Podcast is hosted by @MeatMafiaBrett and @MeatMafiaHarry with the mission of addressing fundamental problems in our food and healthcare system. Our concerns with our healthcare system can be drawn back to issues in our food system as far back as soil health. Our principles are simple: eat real foods, buy locally, and cook your own meals.

When you listen to our podcast, you will hear stories and conversations from people working on the fringes of the food and healthcare system to address the major crises overshadowing modern society: how do we become healthy again?

themeatmafiapodcast.substack.com

Part_2_C&D
===

Speaker 9: [00:00:00] What's it been like working with you? with the farms in New Zealand for Noble.

Speaker 8: It's been good. I mean, it's, it's, um, we still need to go over there and meet them and, like, build that relationship. But, um, like, the supplement side of things, like, the industry itself is run through, like, a few major farms over there that New Zealand's interesting because they actually do things the right way.

Like, very big grass fed industry. Their standards are way different. And they also have the freeze drying capabilities to, uh, Actually do like massive amount of, of the productizing, um, of some of those raw materials. So that's why most, if you look at most supplements are coming from New Zealand, Australia, uh, Switzerland, they have like the industry behind it, like the industrial process behind it.

So. Ideally, we would be sourcing from the US, but there really aren't that many like there are almost no freeze drying capabilities But just finding grass fed sources over there is actually a lot easier than you would think yeah Yeah,

Speaker 9: and they don't call it [00:01:00] grass fed do they

Speaker 8: what they call them that that's just what it is.

Yeah. Yeah, so it's it's cool Yeah, I think there's a shift happening like heart and soil just drops a product. That's American made grass fed beef liver, which for the industry itself is huge, like, and they're, they're going to benefit from that because a lot of people want to be buying local and want to be buying American, uh, made products, but it's just, it's the industry is just hasn't been able to facilitate that in the past.

And, um, I think it'd be really cool seeing this transition happen where, you know, supplements are, are good supplements are great. Like, I think there's a. Certain place for him like we own a supplement business, but every single day. I'll tell you to eat real foods before you start supplementing It's just that we've gotten to this point where you know it is challenging to get all of your protein if you're a mom running around with four kids and Needing to feed all of them and make sure you're prioritizing the right foods Like that's a challenge a different set of problems than you know what I have which is you know [00:02:00] I've built a lifestyle where I can cook most of my meals and take care of myself in a certain way But for most people they're struggling with the convenience factor so I think from there, it's like, okay, these supplements do, do play a, a critical role in helping people start to make these steps.

Like, we, we call our product a bridge product because so many people are just living on the wrong side of the fence right now. Like, eating all the garbage, not even thinking that red meat's good. Like, not even thinking about organ meats. Like, that's nature's multivitamin. Like, if you started, like, like you were saying, Dylan, if you start incorporating a little bit of, Like a micro dose of organs into your diet, you're going to see your energy improve.

Yeah. So what I like about what we've done with noble is like, let's just simplify it for people. And as they make these steps, they can start letting go of the Doritos and Oreos and garbage that they're feeding their kids. They can start giving them some high protein, nutritious foods in the form of a supplement or adding it into yogurt.

And then, you know, eventually. You know, maybe your whole diet is just whole real foods, um, but it's all [00:03:00] spectrum. Like, that's why I like, I do think the supplement industry is tricky because there's a lot of bad supplements out there. But when you find supplements that are serving you and helping steer you towards the right direction, I think it can be really powerful.

Like that's how I've used them in the past.

Speaker 9: What I love that you guys are doing with Noble Meat Mafia podcast is you're just building a community. Yeah. And that's the coolest thing ever. Because I know you've had events where you have panel. Panel speakers come up. You, you invite people to come and listen and collaborate and network.

And that, that for me is where I get my most energy in life, where I feel my best is just surrounded by. Friends and family that, you know, we're all on our individual missions, but at the end of the day, we love community. We're chasing a dream. How can what you're good at impact what I need and my strengths compliment your weaknesses.

I think that's really where the magic in life comes from.

Speaker 8: Yeah. I was going to ask you guys about that. Cause both of you guys have mentioned relationships and community and as athletes, I feel like it can be a little isolating outside of your team. Like people don't [00:04:00] really. Realize the commitment level that you guys are like putting yourselves through like you you have to be all in and so Like having people that understand you even outside of your team.

I think is incredibly important like Just able to like lift you up You know tell you be the person you call late at night when it's like, oh, I feel like I feel like crap I have this i'm going to the mr getting an mri tomorrow Like those are phone calls that a lot of people Like, don't really necessarily have communities to tap into to, to lean on.

And, um, yeah, I think that community is, you asked earlier, you know, what tricks or what, what things am I doing that I've tapped into recently? I think community is 100 percent one of them. Um, just building out people that are on the same path, who want the same things, who have the same values. Yeah. Um, It's like this, you know, the multiplicative effect of building something out like that, where people really are on the same page is [00:05:00] profound.

Like,

Speaker 9: Dylan and I, we call each other every day. Yeah. Sometimes one time, sometimes five times. It doesn't matter. And it's like, just having a guy who, regardless of what's happening in my life, still gonna love me. Doesn't care if I had a great game or a poor game. If I'm injured, he's calling me. If I'm fit and playing, he's calling me.

It's just like, having a bud, like, I think it's such a special thing in life. And not everybody in this life has that, or has those relationships with their parents. But, I mean, I know Dylan, him and his dad are just like me and my dad. We're best friends. And we BS all day long. I call my dad twice a day, but like, I know I'm so lucky to have that because if I need something, boom, I call him and there's no judgment.

And it's, it's a really, really humbling and special feeling that you get if you're fortunate enough to have relationships like that. But if you could go even one step further and start building a community out of that, like you never know the impact you're going to have on somebody else's life. And that's why I always preach.

Like when you walk into a door, stand tall, smile, go greet someone because they could be having a horrible day. But just by you, you. That gesture [00:06:00] of being interested and we were just talking about the book how to win friends and influence people It's like just have a genuine curiosity in someone else's life and stop just thinking about yourself.

Speaker 11: Yeah Yeah, it's it's pretty cool to sometimes I kind of look around and i'm like I have some really cool friends around me like people that I look up to I look up to all of them in different ways Like I got people like Chris who's at the highest highest level of what he's doing But Christian will text me after every tournament round I play, and it doesn't matter if I said, he's like, how'd you play?

I go, I played great. He goes, yep. How'd you play? Played like shit. He goes, yep. Get a memorial. I'm like, it's so cool. Like, I'll play the worst tournament of my life. My dad will be like, the good news is I still love you. Like my brother, my, all my friends. It's, it's super cool. And like, I'm around a lot of athletes, a lot of high performers, but At the end of the day, I don't really, I don't, I don't care if they, they go out [00:07:00] there and freaking fail.

Like, I, I like being around them because they're good guys and the people that they don't need to be some athlete or doing this or that to, to, to be my friend and like, I don't know, I just feel like I'm not that cool, but I have a lot of cool people around me, which is pretty cool feeling. But I also know people

Speaker 9: who they'll reach out or ask for things when something big in my life happens.

Say I had a really cool guy on the podcast. Oh, dude, can you connect to me with him? Or I got this brand deal too. Can I get a bunch of free stuff? I'm like this This is when you reach out to me. Yeah, like where's the loyalty lie?

Speaker 8: Yeah, your true color show in those moments It's like all right, like i've i've been here this whole time, you know, you could have reached out just say what's up.

Yep.

Speaker 9: Yep

Speaker 8: um the the book think and grow rich comes to mind because I think a lot of people see that title and think about the word rich and think that that book is all about just making Money, but it's actually just about how to treat people and how to how to come like approach life from a very [00:08:00] authentic way know that the richness of life is through relationship and What I love about that book is it totally reframed a lot of things for me where I used to think that I needed a lot of money in order to give to people like in order to Get to a certain point where then I could give back.

Yeah, it's like dude I could sit here You After this podcast for 30 minutes and write a handwritten note to like someone I haven't talked to in a while And send that to them and that would be worth more to them than a million dollars You know so spot on right and and I think that was a reframe for me Where and I saw like god working in my life where I was just in this little trap of thinking that I needed I needed certain things in order to give and that's just so so wrong The foundation of it all is giving your time and attention to people You

Speaker 9: It's funny the the power of just shooting someone a text randomly Does I mean say you haven't talked to him for two years if you just be like, hey, man, what's up?

Hope you're doing well. Just thinking of you. It's like whoa when you receive that message I've gotten it a couple times and i'm like, [00:09:00] why are they thinking about me? But it's such a refresher It's so cool It's like if you say you just start doing that once a week And then maybe that turns into a couple times a week like that has a huge impact on somebody else's lives and All you have to do is spend five seconds creating a text message and press and send.

Speaker 8: Yeah Yeah at the end of the day like Time is, time is the currency, you know, so being able to show people that you're willing to spend your time And that's what we've noticed in Austin It's like, you know creating a space for people to come and maybe it's Maybe the events that we're hosting are for people or they show up and they're like, well, that wasn't for me But the amount of people that I've seen connect through our events just like I'll randomly see two of my friends, so I'm like, Oh, I know that they connected through a run that, like, we put on.

Yeah. That's the coolest feeling ever. Like, knowing that you're, you're able to like, almost passively create these connections with people, and just being like, This is, these are the type of people who will be here. You'll meet some like minded folks. [00:10:00] Like, there's so much power in that.

Speaker 9: Matt Choi brought me to a run club back when I was here when I met you and I mean we showed up at 6 a.

m. For like a 10 mile run and there was a hundred and something people Just a vibe was so electric and then we had coffee after then we had breakfast tacos after and I was meeting people Who live in Austin now, but they're from Austin All these various parts of the US, but it was a really cool feeling being in a community That all shares a similar passion of taking care of their health meeting new people Um, and and that's the power of the health community and I find it really really special here in austin Yeah, because I feel like i'm missing out in houston a bit.

I really haven't found that community dallas I think it's better than Houston. But when I every time I come to Austin, I go to the collective or I do a run club. I'm just like, Whoa, this, this is so cool. And I really wish I had this in my everyday life.

Speaker 8: Yeah, it's really interesting. Kevin moved here from Boston.

I didn't have it in Boston at all. Like a community around, just centered around community and health. And [00:11:00] um, getting down here, it's, I've like, asked myself that question a bunch. Why is Austin this way? Like, why does Austin facilitate this vibe of openness and prioritizing other people and then also prioritizing your health?

And it is like this transient city, so a lot of people are like, move here and they're like, Yeah, I'm not sure if Austin's long term, but like, I want to meet a lot of people. It's like, okay, so community is very important here. And then, the lifestyle of just like, being on, like, near the trail. Like, that trail has probably facilitated more relationships in Austin.

But, it's cool. Like, the creative juices that are happening in Austin right now, it seems like there's like a bit of a renaissance happening.

Speaker 9: I mean, you should see Newport Beach where Dylan lives. Newport Beach Run Club, there's Pickleball. Really? Yeah. Just being outside, active, with good people.

Speaker 11: Yeah, you were talking about getting, making sure you get enough sun.

I was like, literally in the sun for 10 hours a day. Every single day. I mean. That's so cool. Uh, but yeah. The Newport Beach Run Club meets [00:12:00] on Wednesdays at 6. I've never been a part of it. My brother has.

Speaker 13: Mmm.

Speaker 11: Um, but there's like hundreds of people that go and then they all go.

Speaker 13: Mmm.

Speaker 11: Go to a restaurant. Yeah.

Um, or it's a bar, Helmsman, I think, and it's packed out Wednesday night, just people kicking it, meeting, meeting people with like minded ideas, like, yeah. Just people that they would have things in common with and then the pickleball club. You can't go between 330 and 6. It's yeah 40 courts you can't get on like but yeah, it's pretty cool.

Pickleball is wild. Pickleball is awesome. It's like blowing

Speaker 8: up. I know.

Speaker 11: Have you ever played it?

Speaker 8: Yes, and I'm like, I'm like one foot in one foot out because I know it'll just take up it well I'm like this. I know I know how I'll do how I'll be with this I'm

Speaker 11: like telling people like don't invite me to

Speaker 10: pickleball cuz I will come I'll go way too hard Right, it's like a drug.

Yeah,

Speaker 8: it's awesome. I love it. Yeah, you guys have both mentioned some Products [00:13:00] like element and whoop. Are there any things that you guys? Or like tinkering with now, just these little things to implement.

Speaker 9: Yeah. I mean, I'll go, um, I'm working with a company now called timeline. They're a Swiss biotech company.

Um, they got like the first patented dose of, uh, urolithin A. Which really stimulates mitophagy in your cells and helps mitochondrial function and energy production and views them for about a month now Seen really good increases in just overall energy and they say by like three or four month mark there can be big impacts in Inflammation strength even even though there's no changes in workout routine.

So that's one supplement. I'm dabbling with Um, I'm learning more and more about red light therapy. So, obviously using it in the morning and then going to a center to do um, another session in one of those beds that cost 180, 000. The Thor bed? I don't know what it's called. It's

Speaker 11: probably called Thor. We're both

Speaker 9: really big on cold plunging.

Yeah. And I don't do it for inflammation or anything. I just do it for how I feel mentally. The feel. It's a [00:14:00] dopamine. It's my drug of choice. It's

Speaker 11: crazy afterwards. It's so gnarly. Have you guys lifted after it? Yeah, that's all I did when I was living in Dallas. Cold plunge, lift. Cold plunge, lift, sauna. I didn't know that was

Speaker 8: the way until like, probably a few months back.

And then, I just decided to do it one day. I was like, I feel like I took, like, some steroid or something. You don't even want a cold

Speaker 11: plunge after a lift. Directly after, I would I don't do that. Yeah. There's been some studies that say you want to wait like three or four hours after a lift to get in full cold water, um, just because it kind of like takes away the whole lift you did.

Oh yeah,

Speaker 9: it stunts your inflammation response after a lift, which is what you want. What else are we doing? Um, I dabble with fasting here and there, you know, the days where I don't have a hard training in the morning, I'll fast and I just feel light. Really, really good mentally. Um,

Speaker 8: is that more of like a wind down thing?

Like when you have space away from actually needing to perform, it's like, you know, so if [00:15:00] I have a light session

Speaker 9: in the morning, I'll fast. Um, if I have a team training session where I know it's going to be, there's going to be tackles and high impact and a lot of sprinting and whatnot, I won't obviously want to fuel up for that.

Um, but just days where I know they're a little more low key, I'll just fast in the morning and I feel great. Um, I don't go down the rabbit hole of all the research and the science of do's and don'ts. I just, I listen to my body. The days I want to, I do. Yeah. Um Christian did a, you did a three day fast? Oh yeah, I did the three day one fast.

That was insane. I was like Yeah, it was tough. I mean, I felt, I felt good. Day three, I did it as a challenge and also kind of like a reset because Gary Brekka was, was doing this three day water fast. Um, I don't know enough about it to, to tell you all the research and the data behind her order, even recommend it.

I just, I tried it. I felt pretty good, but I was starving. But yeah, people say they feel like texting

Speaker 11: me like every 20 minutes. Like, dude, I need a burger. I'm like, Hey, people are like, you're good coach.

Speaker 9: You feel like super Superman. And maybe some people do. I felt good. Didn't feel like Superman. [00:16:00] I mentioned it before, microdosing psilocybin, which is a pretty taboo topic in today's society, but I know it's grown popularity, especially in the Austin community.

Um, I know a lot of people who have done it. Devin Levesque, um, that Allie who runs Allie Schaefer.

Speaker 8: Yeah, we had her on the pod.

Speaker 9: Yeah, and I've listened to a lot of her. Yeah. She's, she's brilliant. Um, and it just, it makes everything in life a little more objective. Like, decisions are made faster. I think I have a little less anxiety, um, going through life.

I feel great, mentally really sharp, and Um, I do it a lot for just creativity. Mm-Hmm. So when I'm plan planning podcasts or, or I'm in this like overload of cognitive, you know, function where I need to really, really dive into my work, I'll do it. Um, I'm trying to learn more and more about it from the experts Yeah.

And really how to properly dose and, and do it. So I'm getting the maximum benefit from it. Right. But it's something that's impacted my life tremendously since I started and I think it's changed kind of how I, I look at life and the things I go on a day-to-day basis. And when I was doing it, I was in a really good [00:17:00] routine.

And there was times in my life where I'd be in a good routine, and then I would slip away from it. But it's really ingrained the habits and the non negotiables in my life that I know work for me best.

Speaker 8: Mmm. That's cool. Yeah, the people that we've had on the podcast have spoken to it from more of like the expert standpoint.

It's really interesting to see how it is growing. Like people like Tim Ferriss and Michael Pollan have Started to really introduce the idea of using it as a tool. Yeah. Um, but I think all these things kind of play into a topic that we haven't really touched on too much, which is just building this, all this stuff up to have the mental side of things really dialed in.

Yeah. And as two athletes, I feel like you guys, both your sports are different, but you gotta, you gotta be so dialed in mentally. So like, how do you see these things kind of helping you, like all the different things you guys are tinkering with, helping you guys mentally? Yeah.

Speaker 9: Same with you it all comes down to confidence.

Yeah,

Speaker 11: you're talking about this last night Confidence is the crazy thing and it's I think I mean, it's what [00:18:00] separates people at our level for sure I mean Christian's at a higher level than I am just comparatively But I think I mean at least for my level especially professional golf the difference is just like it's literally a quarter a quarter shot a day and you lose but so confidence is just like doing all these little things that we're talking about today and And just knowing that you're doing putting yourself in the best position to be ready to go It doesn't even mean that you're gonna play good especially in golf like I mean the the difference between having a great day out there and a bad day is So negligible.

It's just like one swing there which causes momentum or like a bounce here or Making a putt there like but just doing all this stuff and then being like, yeah, I'm ready to go I I believe in my work. I believe in my like preparation my routine And then just kind of going subconscious and just doing the thing you've done your whole life.

It's like, that's [00:19:00] what I think all this kind of things that we've talked about today has been the most beneficial for me. It's just like increasing the confidence and that I'm ready to go when I need to be. Yeah,

Speaker 9: because I think confidence comes from doing the things you say you're going to do. And a lot of people fall short of, they say they want to get up at 6am, but they snooze the alarm clock three times.

Or they say they're going to follow this diet. Two weeks later, they fall off and they say they're going to train for a marathon and they ended up bailing out of it. And I don't know how you can look in the mirror confident and proud of yourself when you keep compromising and all these promises you're going to make with yourself.

And so. When it comes to like my confidence in the game comes down to obviously training and preparation So got a notebook on sundays. I write out my week. I need to do x y and z recover Do these things, you know one two and three and eat this way And so at the end of the day, i'm just checking it off.

Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom So when it comes to game time preparations done, I know i've done everything in my power To have a great game and put myself in the [00:20:00] position to play my best and something Dylan and I Will text each other before games and just be like, let's see how great you can be today Because at the end of the day, we're just we're trying to obviously chase perfection and excellence Knowing we're never going to have a perfect round of golf or a perfect rugby game but we're just trying to test our limits and I think when we approach it in the lens of curiosity of like Where could I where could I go?

Where can I be? What type of athlete can I be? Then it I think it takes some pressure off of yourself from telling yourself I need to shoot this today or I need to score this amount of tries in and make this amount of tackles It's like no like all that is going to be taken care of by your preparation now It's like go out there have fun and just see the limits that

Speaker 11: you

Speaker 9: can

Speaker 11: push and that question the How good can I be right now?

How great can I be today? It takes you off of result focused, which is for golf, for me specifically, a horrible place to be, right? You have an eight footer. Oh, I have to make it. That's not, you don't want to do that. Yeah. Good luck. There's cause you're, you're playing on a organic [00:21:00] surface. Like it's not indoor out of basketball gym, where if you shoot a free throw, there's no wind, there's no nothing.

It's going in. If you, if you shoot it, whatever, 10, you got variables, 15 feet, whatever. So for golf, like when I play my best, it's completely throwing away the result. Just being like. Cool. I have a nine footer to shoot 64. Let's see how good of a putt I can hit. Let's see if I could hit this seven iron the way I want to like, and just going out there and doing that 65 times, hopefully 70 times, whatever it is.

And just being like, I have an opportunity to do something great. Let's see what I can do.

Speaker 8: Yeah.

Speaker 11: It's a whole

Speaker 8: podcast on the, the mental side of golf. Cause it's like, it truly is life encompassed in a game. Oh yeah. You need precision to a point of like a scientific level to hit, like, in, in the practice.

It's a millimeters on a golf club. Like, you're actually practicing to a point where like, you can make that same swing every single time. But then you also need to live in this [00:22:00] creative space where it's like, How can I pull myself out of thinking that I need to be a robot to play this game well? It's, it's so fascinating.

It is, it is a very,

Speaker 9: We work, we, we'll talk about August, like we work with the same sports psychologist and he has this, this reference, the yin and the yang. So if maybe I'm getting it wrong, but it's the black with the white dot and then the white with the black dot. And a lot of athletes are in that space where they're so focused on not getting it wrong.

Like they're hyper focused on not missing it. So they get to the point. They're like, I can't miss this. I can't miss this. Whereas on the flip side, when you're living in the yang, you're, you're completely Like you're completely aware of everything that could go wrong. August's definition. You want to go?

Speaker 11: Yeah, August's definition of confidence is the ability to be wrong. Like, if I'm wrong here, is that going to be shattering to my ego, to my confidence, to my anything but. If you're truly confident, you can, you can be wrong and just be like, [00:23:00] okay, that's fine. Yeah. I'll try to be right the next time.

Speaker 9: Yeah. So you're, you're like embracing, I could miss it or I could drop a pass or miss a kick.

But my focus is on just getting it right. So it changes the lens of where you're, you know, you're focusing.

Speaker 8: Yeah. My brother says to me once, and I forget the context completely, but he was taught, he was talking about a life example through golf. And he was like, so, If you're standing in the tee box and there's a pond right in front of you And then there's a fairway on the other side and all you're thinking about is the pond You're nervous about hitting the water.

You're not gonna hit the fairway like your aim is totally off

Speaker 11: 100 percent

Speaker 8: And

Speaker 11: i've seen that happen in practice like in tournaments happens to me a lot. Yeah, it's crazy.

Speaker 8: I hit the pond. Yeah Me too. Yeah But it's funny. Yeah, sometimes it's out of your control But I blame his clubs It does Golf, golf though, is so, it's, it's so great in the sense that it humbles you too.

And I'm assuming, I mean, I haven't played rugby, played football, but, [00:24:00] you know, it's the same way where like, sometimes you did bring your best and it was just, something happened.

Speaker 9: And those moments suck. I don't, I don't want to sit here and try to act like I have it all figured out. And if I have a bad performance, I'm so confident and I don't think about it.

Like, yeah, it's, I dwell on it. And I hate the fact that I didn't perform at my best. But. I just try to remind myself like number one. There's a plan for everything in my life So if I if I miss today, there's probably a reason I miss let's learn from it And let's try to get it right the next time. So, um, and it's yeah, it's perspective

Speaker 11: something that i've been focusing on recently in the last couple months is like Let's you you play horrible and then you're like damn am I not good enough?

Am I this am I that but being aware of those thoughts? Everyone has those thoughts. Everyone gets nervous everyone Is Will doubt themselves but being aware of those thoughts and reframing them to being like I don't want to like I want to stop the negative cycle the downward spiral. So then you go in your journal Affirmations gratitude all this [00:25:00] stuff and then you kind of start thinking yourself out of it But it takes you have to be cognizant of the negative Thoughts the downward spiral in order to reverse it and go back up Because I mean the only thing that matters to me like if I have confidence, I know I'll play good Mm hmm.

It's not the changes in my swing. It's not the way I'm hitting my putter. It's nothing like technical, right? I've put in enough hours and I'm sure it's the same with Christian like If you're in a good spot mentally, you'll play good because you're confident and you don't, you don't need to force anything.

You just let it come.

Speaker 9: Same

Speaker 11: goes

Speaker 9: for every, every single person in this world, like love to know where your confidence comes from. Um, how you generate it, how you maintain it, and when, when say you're feeling less confident, what are the things you're doing to get out of that?

Speaker 8: It's so similar to what you guys are talking about.

Yeah, I've totally used the frame of athletics to apply to life after sports where it's, you know, Very much having a [00:26:00] plan and committing to the plan and I get a lot of my confidence just from the routines that I put Myself through every single day I get a lot of confidence from the people I surround myself with all positive people People who I can pull on when I know I need to and knowing that there's people there that Like are gonna step up if I need them to and then Yeah, also, I mean, more recently, just have been on a really powerful faith journey and getting closer to God.

I feel like that, for me, when I was in high school, I had a, I definitely had a relationship with God. Um, big Tim Tebow fan, admired him, but I didn't understand the relationship to the degree that I do now, after having taken a big risk and put, you know, Jeopardy! is like my future, in some ways. Like, I've bet my future on what I'm doing right now, and everyone's doing that.

Like full stop. Yep. Everyone is betting their future on what they're doing right now, whether they know it or not But you know, I chose to make a commitment down this path [00:27:00] and for me Just knowing that I was getting away from structure. I found that you know risk pulled me a lot closer to god and understanding the truth and understanding that you know, there is there is um Just there there's power that I can tap into outside of my own control You If I believe, and if I have faith in God and higher power that all things are working for me, working for my good, everything will be a positive, um, as long as I have that faith.

And I think ultimately that has been a huge, I mean, that's been the biggest game changer for me.

Speaker 9: It's a good feeling when you just let go. Yeah. Cause we hold on to everything. Anger, anxiety, um, frustration. But when you can just sit there and just be like, it's gonna be okay.

Speaker 11: That was such a good point you just made.

Unbelievable. I mean, the confidence that that gives you and me and Christian is amazing. Just be like, it's not really my plan. I'm out here trying my best, [00:28:00] but

Speaker 8: God, it's, he already wrote it. Totally. Like, I could give tons of examples in my life, but I always think that, you know, we end up trying to, like, we fixate on something, we get these goals, we start to idolize certain things, and then the outcome actually Is hindered by that, um in a lot of ways And we try to make it like our own our own Um thing like we get really prideful and try to think that it's all in our control Yeah, but the power comes from that It's like hitting a baseball or hitting a golf shot when you know Like you've got the right grip and you've just like you are like totally at ease of what's going to happen like the result will just come and I think god definitely fills that void and giving me that foundation knowing that Alright, like, if Noble were to fail tomorrow, that was the stepping stone to get to the next thing that was going to work.

Or if this podcast, no one listens to it, alright, like, I've, the amount of, and, and [00:29:00] also knowing that the amount of work was, that we've put into both of those have been full hearted and wholehearted efforts that, that in itself is, is also like induced a lot of confidence knowing that my heart was in it.

Like I can look back and be like, it failed and I can see my role in that failure, but I can also attribute this to my next success.

Speaker 9: But it only failed in just say one metric. Yeah. So if you go under financially, it failed financially, but. You gain something. You met people. You learned something. You, you know, you taught yourself something that you never knew existed.

And that's why I love the book, The Alchemist. I don't know if you've read it. No read it. Yeah, but it's about this. I think I have it So good, but it's about this this kid's journey Who's a shepherd and he keeps having this recurring vision of traveling to foreign destination and finding this jackpot?

And along the way of going there he gets pulled in every single different direction He's supposed to get there just in a year. It ended up taking six or seven years, but on each stop of the journey, [00:30:00] he met someone else that taught him something about life. He got a new job, which paid for something else, which then gave him an interest in another part of life.

And then he finally got to the destination. But the journey of getting pulled in different directions, facing so many setbacks in meeting incredible people was worth every single moment of it. And also worth every single moment of doubt, which we're all going to have doubt in this, this world, but it's like having faith in yourself.

Having faith in something, maybe it's God in our world or some other power in somebody else's world, but just trusting yourself and knowing that the outcome is, is going to happen regardless. It may not be the perfect outcome that you envision today. But there's going to be so many blessings along the way and it's just having trust in yourself and the people around you and then it comes down to day to day habits, day to day behaviors, which we've spoken a lot about.

Speaker 8: Yeah. I also think a lot about, you know, what's going to make me happy in 20 years. And it's going to be thinking about the shots that we took, the chances we tried to turn into something real. [00:31:00] And like, I love the concept of like sitting around a campfire one day with Like my kids and Brett's and just telling stories about the stuff we were doing right now, you know, and like the Belief and vision and things that went well and things that didn't like, you know I think from the outside looking it's probably very similar to you guys where you guys are performing In your metric of success.

It's like you guys are professional athletes You guys could legitimately hang your hat on that and people are just impressed But there's so much struggle going on behind the scenes and it's the same thing with you know, launching a business It's like yeah, we have a business but every day there's something going on where we're like, okay We need to figure out a way to either get ourselves out of this or solve some certain problem Put this fire out and there's a lot of dynamics happening behind the scenes that you know from the outside looking in It's like how they're professional athletes.

Their life must just be like dandy, but

Speaker 9: we could have a whole episode on that Yeah, we're athletes but that's not Who we are at our core. Yeah. And I think that's something we, we always need to try to remind ourselves, especially when [00:32:00] say we're not performing at our best is I'm a human and I'm also going through life for the very first time.

So I'm going to get it wrong.

Speaker 11: You'd be like, you, it could get really dark when you're not playing good. Yeah. Like, and then you just be like, if your whole identity is in athletics, then what are you, if you're not playing good? Yeah. It's like, like putting your faith in God, um, having identity in the way you treat people.

Uh, other things that you're passionate about, stuff like that's really massive as well.

Speaker 8: Yeah. Yeah, the, the identity is a key component of what I was missing in my early 20s and why I felt like I wasn't pursuing what I should be pursuing versus now where I feel like I'm, living in my divine purpose, which is I'm just following my heart and knowing that things will work out and that identity in Christ, knowing that there's a playbook out there on how to treat people, how to overcome certain periods of struggle.

Like that's [00:33:00] just, you know, it's there. There's an example for you. And I think that identity is a key component to success. Like the people who are succeeding at the highest levels, they have really strong identity. Um, And yeah, I think right now what I see is like a lot of young guys not really knowing who they are and that kind of being the The foundation of them ultimately not getting to where they can get to

Speaker 9: how'd

Speaker 8: you get there

Speaker 9: though?

I I know a lot of people that they're stuck in their nine to five wishing or dreaming that they're pursuing some other interest But they're just scared to take that jump.

Speaker 8: Yeah, it was again help from friends People I could trust there was one of my buddies who I was living with You He was, he was always kind of pointing me on the right path, like seeing things that I didn't see in myself.

And when I was in my job, he's like, dude, you are clearly like, you're just like not living up to your potential as a person, but also Like I can tell you don't like doing this stuff. And for me, it was like, well, you know, I'm [00:34:00] doing this stuff. It's kind of a means to an end. And it wasn't really, I just heard myself say that enough where it like, wasn't a good enough excuse at a certain point.

And then he just made a bet to me after I had gotten to the point where I started interviewing for other jobs, he just made a bet. He was like, all right, we're going out for steak dinners on Friday. And if you quit your job, uh, I'll pay and if you don't then you have to pay I was like well, I'm not gonna lose the bet Yeah, so that was like that was the kick that I needed truly like something that stupid Yeah to make me feel like I was gonna be okay Like just gamifying a little bit cuz I felt like a lot of you know Um, weird pressure that I was just putting on myself, honestly, um, and it was mostly just fear of the unknown and fear of, um, you know, like, where's the money going to come from a bad relationship with money, like just thinking that I really needed to be tied to a job in order to be happy, successful, secure.

And um, yeah, it was that little trick that [00:35:00] I played with him, um, that got me over the hump. And then after that. It was just like a flood of why did I actually put myself in that fear prison, you know In that job thinking that this was like kind of all the opportunities. I was gonna have for myself Um, and then once I got kind of just out on my own I just started taking a lot more chances which to me when you work in that corporate environment You stop taking chances and that's when you start growing distant from god different distance from your potential You You start kind of just living in that bubble, and everything you do is defined in that bubble, but, um, just taking some shots is worth it.

And I was comfortable at that point to be like, alright, I'm just, I don't give a crap, I will go to zero, I just want to know, after two years, that I've found the thing that I want to work on for the rest of my life, or, you know, for the next extended period of time, just pour my heart into. And that, to me, was a bet worth taking.

Like, [00:36:00] I don't want to be the person who's just starting a family and doesn't love, or doesn't see the purpose in my life outside of that, you know?

Speaker 9: Well said. Well said. The unknown's a scary place, but rewarding.

Speaker 8: Yeah. Yeah. So, you two, what's next for you guys in terms of your careers? I would love to know, you know, how you guys are thinking about things.

Speaker 9: You can start us off. Let me start. Um, yeah, um, timeline wise, I'm not sure how much longer I'm gonna play. Not saying I'm retiring tomorrow. Not saying I'm gonna retire in five years. I'm just, I'm enjoying it right now. I'm obsessed with the lifestyle that I live. Um, definitely comes down to how my body holds up in the next few years.

But, um, we have the World Cup, 2027. Which, ever since I started playing rugby when I was 13, has been a dream. Um, I represent the USA right now, which, one of life's greatest honors and privileges for me, but to play at a World Cup is It's the Mecca of international rugby. So that's three years away. We're building the, my [00:37:00] podcast, building my personal brand.

Um, I definitely want to start getting into coaching people, especially like younger athletes, both from a, like a physical standpoint, but also like a lifestyle and mental standpoint. Just cause. I mean, there's a quote, you're most powerfully positioned to serve the person you once were. And I was a young kid wishing I had some sort of mentor doing what I'm doing now that was in my corner, helping me out, guiding me.

And so I feel like because I've, I've built my name and my brand and you know, I have some accolades behind my name, I think I could be a credible source and some sort of inspiration to the next up and coming athlete. So that's something where my head's at, um, and just continue building. A community of, of amazing people.

I mean, that's really all I care about right now is good memories, traveling a lot. Um, and it all comes down to like, just having no regrets later in life.

Speaker 8: I can see you being an incredible coach. We'll love it. Appreciate that. Yeah,

Speaker 9: this could be my first uh, first guy. I wouldn't go that far.

Speaker 11: [00:38:00] No, I learned a lot from Christian, uh, all the time.

Very, very lucky to have him in my life and be able to bounce ideas off of him. But, uh, yeah, I'm kind of kind of in a similar boat. I'm just kind of pedal to the metal on golf. See where it takes me. Um, Just work as hard as I can and go for as long as I can Like the average age of a PGA tour rookie, I think is 32.

Mm hmm. So it's really really hard to get there Yeah, I didn't realize that but like I Feel like I'm super blessed in just my day to day Mm hmm, like like how you were saying life's not about how much money you have in the bank Like I get it. I get a travel for work. I get to see all these crazy places You Um, and then just, I think it's a really a privilege to be able to like, see, to face challenges all the time and like, just see how far I can go, how good I can get at something.

Um, like I get to wake up every day and just see how good I can get, which is [00:39:00] really, really cool. And, um, so it's, it's really exciting. I mean, I have Q school coming up in a couple of weeks. Uh, and then Monday qualifiers, just playing golf. It's, it's really just me versus me, kind of. I know it's a cliche, but it's, it's, it's literally like how good can you get and how far can you go?

So, um, that's as far as golf, and then My brother's starting a business, my dad's an entrepreneur, my brother's following in the footsteps. Nice.

Speaker 10: Just not, not a lot of structure from those two, or, or me really, but,

Speaker 11: Um, he's starting a business called Lit Flask, it's uh, It's a water bottle with a screw in speaker and phone charger Um, so it's been really cool to see all the work and like all the behind the scenes thing of creating a product That's sweet and taking it to market and just trying to blow it up.

So I help out with that as much as I can and um just To be part of that journey with my brother [00:40:00] like my favorite person on earth is a super cool thing and then like christian said just I mean my mom taught me when I was really young like People, relationships with people is really all that matters.

Like, you can be a billionaire sitting on a 20 million dollar boat, but if you're by yourself, it's not gonna be fun. Yeah. So you gotta have friends, you gotta have people to laugh with, and frickin just test, test yourself with. Be there for you in the good times and the bad. It's pretty, it's pretty impactful to be around people that I'm, that I am lucky enough to be around.

I don't know how I stumbled into this position, but I somehow did so

Speaker 8: it's a superpower.

Speaker 11: Definitely grateful.

Speaker 8: Yeah. Yeah, you said, um, you know what the challenges that you get to face and actually having gratitude for it. Such a powerful unlock. Like if you can just appreciate the challenges that are presented in front of you.

Like, life becomes a lot easier. My

Speaker 11: dad's so big on that. Yeah. My dad is [00:41:00] like, this, this is all that matters. It's a good thing. Like when you look back, this is what the cool part is.

Speaker 8: Yeah.

Speaker 11: Yeah. When you're, you're, you have no idea what's about to happen, right? You're going to look back on this and be like, wow, that was really crazy.

And it's, I mean, looking back on it already, like I didn't have a illustrious junior golf career. Um, played good enough at the end of high school to, to go D1 and then didn't have a great. Start to my college career, started making progress, started getting better. And it's just like, well, if I didn't like everything that happens, I really believe that everything happens for a reason.

And, and I can know that because I look back at my life and be like, wow, if that didn't happen, then this wouldn't have happened. Like it's hard to connect the dots going forward, but it's really easy going backwards.

Speaker 8: Yeah.

Speaker 11: So

Speaker 8: unreal. Yeah. Fellas, it's been awesome.

Speaker 9: It's

Speaker 8: been good. Yeah. Great having you guys in Austin.

Thanks for having us. We've got to get a lift in here.

Speaker 9: Tomorrow.

Speaker 8: Yeah.

Speaker 9: We'll hit the springs. I [00:42:00] am. Get a lift tomorrow.

Speaker 8: Yeah.

Speaker 9: Push some weight.

Speaker 8: I just got Have some fun. I got some unfortunate news. Apparently the springs are closed every Thursday for cleaning. Can you believe that? was a river. Yeah. I'm like, no, no, it's um, a fenced off little part in Austin.

I mean, we could, we could go in the river.

Speaker 9: Go in the river or go to the hotel pool. One of the two.

Speaker 8: Yeah. Um, pleasure having you guys. Thanks for having us, bro. Yeah, I really appreciate this. That was just

Speaker 9: sick.