He grew up in poverty. His childhood was marred by savage abuse. Violence soon followed. And it wasn't long before the prison doors slammed shut.

His future, it seemed, was cemented.

But Frank Shamrock didn't just find a way out. He transformed himself wholesale.

This is his story.

As unimaginable as it is inspiring, it's a tale about the fortitude required to face a set of circumstances so dire, a state of affairs so poisonous, it would have buried the best of us. Instead, Frank prevailed. With the support of the father that adopted him, he ultimately transcended inconceivable obstacles to emerge as one of the world's greatest mixed martial arts fighters — a heroic pioneer of modern combat sports.

Dubbed The Legend during the emergent era of MMA, a time in which there were no gloves, no weight classes and basically no rules, Frank was the first true breakout champion and widely considered the sport’s first complete mixed martial arts fighter. He was the world’s first UFC Middleweight Champion. He was the first Mexican-American MMA Champion. And when the dust settled, he walked away from his career with four world titles, two world records (for the fastest championship victories in history) and the only athlete in sports history to win every major league title in MMA.

Post-retirement, Frank has had successful runs as a fight commentator, a fight promoter, a UFC and Strikeforce spokesperson, a public speaker, an entrepreneur, a mentor, a philanthropist, and the author of two books, Mixed Martial Arts for Dummies* and his memoir, Uncaged: My Life as a Champion MMA Fighter* (with a foreword by Mickey Rourke).

Frank's accomplishments in the cage are amazing. But what is far more compelling is the extraordinary journey he undertook to overcome his past.

This a conversation about that journey. It's about how he did it, and what can be gleaned from his experience that can inform how we perceive and approach our own limiters, both external and internal, to achieve our potential in any area of life, irrespective of circumstances.

Frank calls it the Shamrock Way. I call it unleashing your best, most authentic self.

You can call it whatever you like. I ask only that you listen with an open heart.

Podcast is also viewable on YouTube here.

I sincerely hope you enjoy the exchange.

Peace + Plants,

Rich