Who Are You: The Life Lessons of Sports

Billy Joe Tolliver is one of a kind. This interview absolutely cannot be missed. Joe’s story will captivate you like it did me. With his humor and his 110% open and honest approach to every word he says, Joe shares his amazing journey of growing up in the small town of Boyd, TX with 800 people, many whom had houses with dirt floors. He also allows us into his childhood where he had a father with an incredible work-ethic, but, as Joe shares, a little heavy on the bottle, a loving mother with an incredible sense of humor and lastly, the day when all of his brothers and sisters all spent Thanksgiving day in jail.

While growing up was potentially dissimilar to many others’ experiences as a child, Joe didn't know any different until he headed off to College.  It is no secret that the work Joe put into both sports and the physical work he did in his job (as a teenager), in order to help make a living for the family, shaped his drive and mindset forever. A drive that ultimately dominated nearly every free second of his day to either work or play, paving the way for a 12-year career in the NFL.

Joe provides fantastic stories of the San Diego Chargers, his prominence in baseball including throwing 12 no-hitters in High School, and so many familiar names in sports: Mike Ditka, Jerry Rice, Bobby Beathard, Tommy Lasorda, Jason Sehorn, Trent Dilfer, Andre Rison, Quadry Ismael, and even commentary on the current NFL Playoffs* and quarterbacks such as Tom Brady, Colin Kaepernick, Russell Wilson and Peyton Manning. Joe shares his insights on what the one's role should be; as well as how to be a great parent and coach and the importance of practice and commitment. Simply said, this is a great episode with Billy Joe Tolliver.

Joe is a "throw back guy" and his brutal but open honesty is guaranteed to make a positive impression on all of Who Are You Nation! At the very least, I will assure you of one thing...you will laugh at almost every story he tells as Joe shares his narrative like no other guest to date.

*This interview was conducted right before Super Bowl XLVIII, hosted in New York City at Giants Stadium

Why it's important when athletes and celebrities take the time to stop, engage and interact with their fans. It's really what being a fan and athlete is all about! 

Roy Scott is the CEO of H3 (Healthy Hip Hop) Enterprises, and also a talented writer, producer, rapper and entertainer. After choosing the streets over sports in high school Roy made a name for himself as the hip-hop artist, "Marcc James".

Listening to music with his son, Roy decided to shift his talents to send a positive message and make a serious adjustment to his approach, recognizing that the world is not all about him. Roy partnered with former Podcast Guest,  Reggie Gray, also knows as "Reggie Regg The Magic Man" to form H3TV, promoting healthy music and a healthy lifestyle. Now H3TV has partnered with The LeBron James Family Foundation to promote healthy living through movement and music.

Who Are You Nation: Join in as we speak with Roy and discuss his ideas for living healthy; and possibly see if we can get him to come up with a new jingle for our Podcast.

David shares a story of when his team took a trip to Rome, but when they were about to head back, they had realize a coach was missing.

David Hobson works for Manchester United as one of their top scouts. He went from delivering milk for eggs and not even liking "soccer" as a child to being a scout for an international powerhouse team. Manchester has 365 Million supporters around the "world" and is one of the most well known brands in the "sports world."

Listen to David share stories about his early soccer experience, his life-changing event after a bout with bacterial meningitis and what it takes to bounce back from such a scary situation. David also breaks down the "United States" vs. the "United Kingdom" approach of "parenting" and "coaching," as he explains the basics.

Who Are You Nation: prepare to gain some wonderful insight into the world of soccer from both a coaching and scouting perspective. To be the best, learn from the best, so you may want to take David’s advice: “Always aim as high as you can, and ensure that you always do to the best of your ability.”

Charles shares the story of the day his son, Cameron decided on his own, to leave the house and pursue a career in Hollywood...without telling mom or dad.

Ron shares a story of sitting down with the kind and big-hearted baseball star, Kirby Puckett in the clubhouse.

"Ron Shapiro" When I reason with a man, I spend 1/3 of my time thinking about what I will say and 2/3 thinking about what he will say." by Abraham Lincoln.

Working for his father as a child, in the basement of his father’s company warehouse, Ron’s DNA and fabric is melded by understanding the meaning of hard work and growing up in the “school of hard knocks.”As a first generation American, Ron has had a significant impact on so many people, companies and foundations that it’s not a secret his success comes from being a great listener and knowing how to speak and negotiate with others by following the mantra of the great Stoic Philosopher Epictetus who said, “God gave us two ears and one mouth, therefore we should listen twice as much as we talk.”

In this exclusive interview, Ron reflects on the life lessons he learned growing up in Baltimore, MD enjoying his childhood and playing “Wire Ball” and “Step Ball”, as well as the tools he that he learned to eventually align him with incredible people and sport’s legends such as Brooks Robinson, Cal Ripken Jr., Kirby Puckett, Jim Palmer and Joe Mauer.

While All Stars and Hall of Famers are significant, Ron truly believes they are not to be overshadowed by the most important part of life, which is being a good person but following the message and phrase he coined, “Dumb is Smart and Smart is Dumb.” Join Ron as this episode takes us on a journey from childhood to playing baseball at Haverford to present day, where Ron has recently written popular and soon to be bestselling book, “Perfecting Your Pitch.”

When it all gets boiled down, Ron is a team player in every sense of the word; and as Ron graciously states during the interview, “if I am going to be considered a success, I will only be so because of the people I work with.”

Jerry, a humble man, shares that he is a man of consistency and one based entirely off of the concept of being a team player.