Underdog

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

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.

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

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

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.

Dr. Richard Shuster is a licensed clinical psychologist, keynote speaker, CEO of MARS Industries, and the host of The Daily Helping with Dr. Richard Shuster: Food for the Brain, Knowledge from the experts, Tools to Win at Life which is regularly downloaded in over 100 countries. On his podcast, Dr. Shuster’s guests educate and inspire listeners through their stories, expertise, and passion for helping make a difference in the lives of others. His mission is to help people become the best versions of themselves and as a result, make the world a better place. A sought after media expert, Dr. Shuster’s clinical expertise and podcast have been featured in such publications as The Huffington Post, NBCNews.com, Glassdoor.com, Reader’s Digest, Men’s Health, Cosmopolitan, and others. In this episode:

• Chasing after materialistic possessions young in life
• Surviving a brutal car accident when he should have died
• Breaking his spine, suffering internal injuries, tearing every ligament and muscle in his neck, and recovering
• Shifting his mindset while recovering
• Going back to school and pursuing his phd in psychology
• Having a son who was born with physical disability but normal cognitive ability
• Creating The Daily Helping Podcast to inspire others to become the best version of themselves
• Every Kid Rocks – a nonprofit designed to give kids time-limited speech, physical, and occupational therapy that just need a boost
• The #mydailyhelping Movement
• www.SeekYourPowers.com – Code "underdog" at checkout, to receive your dream job guide for free, and use the result of the POWERS Assessment to discover the career that may be the best fit for you

You can find out more about Dr. Richard at www.drrichardshuster.com and on Instagram @dailyhelpingpodcast

Chris Norton lost his ability to walk after a brutal football injury. However, that didn't stop him from walking across the stage at his college graduation, or walking down the aisle with his wife after they got married. Today he is an inspirational speaker, an author, and a foster care parent. In this episode:

• Starting in football and embracing the physicality
• How one play gone wrong in college football changed his life forever
• The immediate aftermath of being a teenager and becoming paralyzed from the neck down
• Feeling like a prisoner in his own body
• “You will beat this.” How a physician shifted Chris’ mindset and lifted him up.
• You Will over You Can
• How teammates became brothers and helped Chris through college each day
• The toughest parts of therapy
• Relying on his faith when he could no longer rely on his own abilities
• The Chris Norton Foundation – Helping cover the medial and rehab expenses of others overcoming a traumatic spinal or musculature injury
• Meeting his wife, Emily, and pursuing her with intention from the beginning
• Finding identity in who he is, not the things he does
• How walking across the stage at his college graduation was upended by walking down the aisle with his wife after they said their vows
• The most monumental 7 yards of all time
• Dealing with mental health issues in marriage
• Why Chris and Emily choose to foster care
• Adopting 5 kids
• “I don’t want my physical paralysis to paralyze my mindset”

You can visit www.chrisnorton.org, or follow @chrisanorton16 on Instagram for more information on Chris. You can also listen to the first 2 chapters of his audio book here:

• https://soundcloud.com/harperaudio_us/the-seven-longest-yards-by-chris-and-emily-norton/s-sd07v

Amanda May was born and raised in Wisconsin. In high school and college, she started to experience pain day-in and day-out that her trainers and doctors could not provide an explanation for. As her swimming performance dropped and her medical appointments increased, she finally was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. In this episode:

• The onset of Lupus and the resulting intense pain
• How her college swimming times changed to one of the best on her team to only being able to finish with her 8th grade swim times in competitive swim meets
• Waking up one day and feeling paralyzed
• The 3 different forms of Lupus and the symptoms that they cause
• Why working out harder and working out longer did not work
• Misdiagnosed with leukemia and the emotional toll it took on her and her parents
• Becoming a Wisconsin state weightlifting champion while battling excruciating pain during training
• Best snatch – 180lbs, Best clean and jerk – 220lbs
• What Amanda does to track her training regimen while balancing her medications/therapy
• On purpose with purpose – Aligning action with goals
• Biggest advice on Lupus: Don’t necessarily believe everything you read or are told regarding limitations of the disease. You can define lupus for yourself.
• What sets your soul on fire?
• Find your freedom

You can follow Amanda on Instagram @Mayday1320 or reach out to her through email: [email protected]

Tim Rhode retired at the age of 40. He is the founder of the 1Life Fully Lived Conference and the Dare2Dream program. In this episode:

• Envisioning and writing down goals
• Struggling as a grocery clerk at 25 years old with 2 kids and transitioning to real estate
• The art of sunshine service
• What is in the 1Life Fully Lived Journal?
• The intersection of passion, talents, and opportunities
• Where do you come alive?
• Learning financial management without a mentor
• What happens at the 1Life Fully Lived Conference?
• Dare2Dream – visiting high schools for free to empower the students to learn about themselves through vision planning, finances, and wellness
• Going from victim to victor

You can learn more about Tim and his organization by emailing him at [email protected] or visiting www.1lifefullylived.org. 

The 1LifeFullyLived Conference is October 12 and 13 in Long Beach, CA. Find details and apply online.

Daniel Griggs was not heavily recruited as a football player coming out of high school, but when there is a will there is a way. Daniel played for a Division III program and contact NFL programs religiously after graduation. He earned an opportunity to workout for two NFL teams before he launched his web development business. In this episode:

• Growing up in small town America and shining as an athlete
• Never receiving an offer to play football college, so he made his own highlight video and reached out to colleges himself
• How embarrassment on the field fueled his motivation to get stronger in the weight room
• How following up and relentlessness paved the way for him to receive an opportunity to workout for NFL teams
• Blowing the biggest opportunity of his life by changing his workout routine
• Transitioning to boxing
• Starting a web design business without having any IT experience
• Creative solution solving – his greatest asset as an athlete and as an entrepreneur
• Going from the Quarterback to the Coach of his business
• Balancing the responsibilities that come with a large family and a full time entrepreneur
• Your family is never an inconvenience to your business

You can follow Daniel on Instagram @danielogriggs and can learn more about his business at www.atxwebdesigns.com