Todd Cherches: “My wife had wanted dogs for many years. I put it off for a variety of reasons and finally caved during the pandemic. That was the best decision we ever made. Our dogs reduce stress. They also cause some stress, but the stress reduction outweighs the stress they cause. I grew up in Queens, New York. I have one brother and he is five years younger than me. Our family lived in a small apartment until I was twelve. We moved into a house on Long Island and lived in the suburbs. I went to college in Albany, New York and then moved out to LA where I worked for ten years in the TV industry.

I started playing Little League at age eight. Even though I learned to play baseball very young, I wasn't very good that first year. I was so scared of swinging and missing that I didn't swing at all. There's a classic quote by Babe Ruth who said, ‘Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game’. That’s a great stress reducer right there. That's a great philosophy. You can 'not do anything' and 'fail automatically' or you can 'try' and maybe you'll actually hit the ball. 

I became a good hitter over time and I'm still playing softball on a couple of teams, although I missed this season due to a back injury.

My father was very laid back. His priorities were: don't get hurt, have fun, just try your best.”

*

Have a listen as I interview my special guest, Todd Cherches.