THE CALL THAT KEPT HIM OUT OF THE TWIN TOWERS

Why This Guest Matters

SPEAKER_01 0:05

Okay, so welcome to our podcast. This is a little bit different today because this podcast is a spin-off of our radio show. So I got this podcast now. Okay, that's blowing up. Really? The highly successful judge event.

SPEAKER_00 0:29

That's not surprising to me.

SPEAKER_01 0:30

So I've been interviewing, I started, I just started interviewing the people that I find fascinating, interesting, and you were always on my list. You were always on my list to get to. And you know, I we've text a little bit and try to go to lunch. And then during the lunch, my plan was to actually be on a podcast, but you never follow through.

SPEAKER_00 0:45

So Bro, you're on my mind. You're on my mind all the time. Isn't it a song like that?

SPEAKER_01 0:51

So last week I'm interviewing this guy that I I he's in the peptide world. Wow. Right? So you know the peptides are blowing up. I know what it is, man. I know what it is. And I've known this guy for 10 years. Yeah. So I've known him really well. So we're talking during the podcast. And he says, he says to me, he says something because you played baseball at GCU. He goes, and that's how I know Chuck. And I went, Chuck Howard? And he goes, yeah. It's not Will. It's Will. Will!

SPEAKER_00 1:13

Will my man Will. He has legendary prep. Scottsdale. Yes. That's what we talked about. That dude.

SPEAKER_01 1:19

I was like, there's a Chuck Howard connection.

SPEAKER_00 1:22

Oh man. Will is a fascinating guy. He sure is. And he has done really as an entrepreneur. I mean, you could see it. He he worked for me as a uh as an assistant in the fitness world when I was a GCU. And you could tell, you know, I'm talent searching all the time. And yeah, that that dude, he's got it going on. He's got it going on. He's got it going on.

SPEAKER_01 1:42

Yeah, so I was really interested in that. Wow. So that's when your name popped up. And then I was like, well, that's a sign. That's a sign. I'm just going to text and say, come on my podcast instead of doing the lunch and asking you to come on the podcast. But like I wanted to talk to you about a bunch of things, you know, not only because you're a dad of three successful boys in the basketball world, but you yourself. But I kind of want to start from what I think is the beginning.

9/11 And The Move West

SPEAKER_01 2:01

I want to talk about, because I love the story about how you ended up in Arizona. And I don't, I mean, get, you know, get religious, get whatever, believe in the power of God, get involved.

SPEAKER_00 2:12

Yeah, yeah. And again, you know, I don't want to over-spiritualize it, but you know, when you're connected in a spiritual way, you learn to be obedient. And so I was working in in New Jersey, and I had three boys, um, very young, eight, six, and three. And um, and I worked for I I did corporate wellness for a while for a place called Atlantic Mutual. They actually ensured the Titanic had survived. So there was a good company. We had an office on 195, and we had one in Giralda Farms, which is in Madison, New Jersey. Really nice place. And I would go back and forth, and I was doing a health fair on 9-11, which is 9-11, as we all know. And a month before that, they said, Hey, can you move to the 18th because of something? I said, No problem. Well, lo and behold, thank God it saved my life. Because if I would have been in that building on 9-11, I wouldn't be here speaking to you right now. And at that point, I knew something was going on. You know, I'd go back to the that day I went back to, I was in the building, and you know, I got all these calls because we we had a spiritual, we had a Christian group of people that prayed together and they said, Hey, Joe, go upstairs, man. Somebody's crying, there's something going on. And I went up there and and and this employee couldn't find her, her, they couldn't find her husband. And so we started praying, and all of a sudden the phone rang and it was her husband. She's a believer now. And so so all that went down, and I was like, man, there's something more. So I came out here for a fitness conference in March, and I was sitting on I was I was in the Hyatt and I was looking at Chase Field, and something, uh it wasn't something, was God prompted me to say, hey, you need to be here. And I moved here. Three boys, a dog, a cat, believe it or not. No connections there. Well, I had a connection. I worked for Brett Fisher, who was at Fisher Sports. He's the head, he's the head performance guy at um for the Detroit Lions. I learned a lot from him and a guy named Gary Gray, who is a father of function. And um and and and he that first year here was the most worst, it's the worst year. My pastor passed away. My best friend's son died of leukemia. But I was here and I had to provide for my family, and and lo and behold, I've been here 22 years. I love Arizona. And but but but they showed me that, hey, listen, when God calls you to do something, to move here, it's for a reason. And I've been here 22 years. I have three boys, um, all successful. My oldest son's a trainer. Um, my middle son, right now, by the way, is in a hospital getting ready to deliver, they're getting ready to deliver his first son. She's in labor right now, Jordan Jordan. Jordan. And and and Marcus is home for um the summer from Spain. He plays professional basketball over there, has a son, and he's gonna have another one in about a month. So, so I said all that to say this is that I was placed here for a reason. Right. And and and I met you for a reason at a time in your life where you had three boys, too, and we had a lot in common, right?

SPEAKER_01 5:11

Yeah, no, I remember I I went to the gym. Yeah, and I poked my head. I was going to the facility because my son was gonna start playing basketball. Right, right, right. And there was a little room where it's in the gym, and I poked my head in, and he went, hey! And you screamed, and I walked in and you blew my mind. And that's what I'm saying.

SPEAKER_00 5:27

Well, you know, and I don't look at Instagram, but I I I I I was looking at it and I saw this dude named John Jay, and bro, this dude was posting like like crazy. I go, who is this dude? And and I had no idea who you were. And if I did know who you were, it wasn't gonna make any difference because I knew your heart. And and that's when, like, and we have a love for animals, like we have a love for dogs, you know, and and we have so many things in common that you know, there's no matter what happens, you're gonna always be a very important man in my life. Oh, well, thank you. Always, always. Blake, Dutch, Jake, yeah, they're all right, and Ken, but like we spent a lot of time together. I was telling the Marcus today, I go, dude, that dude was a part of the family. He was I saw him, I mean, he would see him every day. And we were talking about you guys, and it is, it's a special bond that you've created with people, and I'm all about community and building community, you know?

SPEAKER_01 6:19

No, I think you're amazing. You're an amazing father, uh, businessman, trainer, spiritual

Pump And Praise For Real Talk

SPEAKER_01 6:23

guy. I mean, I remember, you know, you talked me into doing pump and praise.

SPEAKER_00 6:27

312 right now.

SPEAKER_01 6:28

You do 312 Sundays or Pump and Praise.

SPEAKER_00 6:30

Saturday morning is set at 6 a.m. I bring men together free of charge. I never charged it. And and basically we just come together, we share, and we work out together. Yeah. And it's pump and praise. And and the community of men and the transformation of lives through that, man, I don't get up on Saturday morning. Right, I know. I'm up at three every morning, and then you know, Saturday morning, I'm putting the message together, blah, blah, blah, blah. But when I get there, and when men start sharing, bro, it's it's like I can't stop it. What why do you do that? You know, I I think it's for me too, you know. Like, I get a lot, like I prepare a message like last this week we're gonna talk about endurance, you know, being able to endure life, being able to overcome um what you feel. You know, like I don't feel like doing it, but I have to do it and overcome that feeling so I can be successful, so I can go on. And and again, we as men, we have so many things that we have to do. We have to provide for our family, we have to be the spiritual leader, we have to be the financial leader. And and and and we don't have anybody to talk to. Not women, females, they like to talk. But they can go. But us guys, we just hold it in and we just do our thing. Yeah, that's true. But when we get together and we open up and you hear people's test like people share, we always go, we'll share peak of the week in your pit. And when we talk about our peaks and what our pits are, and people, man, I ain't alone. I'm I'm dealing with the same stuff you're dealing with. I had a guy the other day, man, he's just he's struggling in his marriage, man. He's struggling. And and and and we and we talked about that, and and everybody's like, dude, I've been I've I've been there. There's there's a comfort in that.

SPEAKER_01 8:11

Yeah, marriage it's got the ups and downs, right? I mean, you've been married a long time. How long have you been there?

SPEAKER_00 8:15

36 years, man. 36 years, wow. And and and I've been married to her and I've been married to my job. Uh-huh. And I'll be honest with you, there's a point that my wife said, Listen, do you want me or the job? Bro, papers right there. Really? Yes. And I and I did, because

The Vision Behind Iron Prep

SPEAKER_00 8:34

I started this school. It's called Iron Prep Academy. Um, and I and God gave me a vision of because hey, listen, I'm not poo-pooing on public schools. They're doing the best they can. But I have this school where young men are learning life. And I and I'm pouring into that. And my wife is like, man, you want another thing on your plate? Yeah, you got a lot on your plate. I go, I go, man, I gotta do this because kids, I talk to kids about school and they go, What do you I mean, what I don't like school. Why? Because it's boring. Anything we do, we don't. I said, no, I'm gonna change that. Our boys go to school, each of them have a have a business outside of basketball. Basketball, everybody wants to go to NBA. How many of you really go into NBA? What are you gonna do after? What's your transition plan? Nobody even knows. If I ask a young man, what are you gonna do after if you don't have basketball? What are you gonna do? I don't know. That's a problem. So, what's the name of the academy?

SPEAKER_01 9:26

It's called Iron Prep Academy. Iron Prep Academy. And you started it, it's yours.

SPEAKER_00 9:30

It's I started it um with Iron Quartz. Um, um, Dr. Albert Armini is the owner of Albert Court uh Iron Quartz and and a great um faith man based. He um he's a cancer surgeon, but he has three boys too. Oh wow. All these people come to me with three boys. Like, I go like I get the hint.

SPEAKER_01 9:49

I think there's a bond. There's something special about having boys. Three boys. I know. You know what it is.

SPEAKER_00 9:53

I know, I know. You know, I want to be the dad that I never had. Right. I love my dad. My dad was great. He passed away. My dad was great, but I knew there was more. Like I never gotten an in-depth, like my dad never prayed for me. Right. My dad never said, Hey man, what are you struggling with? You know, and so I I wanted to start this school because you know, if I do, if I do a seminar, you know what it's gonna be called? You probably know I've already talked to it. Get a clue. Get a clue. Hey, listen, when you see somebody shake their hand, look them in the eye. That's the first thing our kids learn. Yeah. Stand up when you meet a woman. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, and and so, and so our our our school is based upon finding out what your purpose is. But is your school accredited when people go to school? Yes, yes. We our online um partner, uh, it's online school. They have live lessons and it's premiere prep, the same at where we were before. Uh-huh. Right? Well, have you talked to Will about this? Well, he knows. I mean, me and Will spoke about this. I went to Will to see how he's doing it because I was doing it. I'm going to do it.

SPEAKER_01 10:54

You know what happened to him? Have you heard about him? What happened with his baseball academy? Have you heard? Kim Kardashian picked it up, did a reality show. No, she didn't. Yeah, it comes out in September.

SPEAKER_00 11:05

Why don't you come down to the East Side, man?

SPEAKER_01 11:07

I got something special happening. You do you? What do you mean? Something else? What do you mean? No, this school is special. Well, so it started already.

SPEAKER_00 11:14

Look, check it out. So all of our boys have their businesses started. Okay. They got to come up with a business? That's part of the program. Okay. Not a real business, but a business. Yes, a real business. An entrepreneur program. How many kids are there? We have we have 17. We're going to take 20. Um, it's an elite basketball program. We look at elite basketball, but it's not about basketball. If you're coming to Iron Prep Academy

Businesses Before Basketball Dreams

SPEAKER_00 11:35

for basketball, it's not the right place. Okay. You're coming to become a man. You're going to become to grow your character. You know, also, so we did a four-week um Dave Ramsey entrepreneur course, and all, and I'm connected with GCU, of course. And and they have an unbelievable entrepreneur program. And so the task outside of school, you know, they're taking their math, they're taking their science, they're taking their English, they're doing all that. But what they really need is how are you gonna make a living after you get out of school? How are you gonna make a living when you see when you when you don't get that D1 scholarship and you and you hurt your knee or something and you can't, what are you gonna do? You're gonna do this? And and folks out there, I'm putting my hand up and down like stacking shelves. Nothing wrong with it. But if you want a career, not a job, something you can hey, are you are you at work right now? Me? Are you at work? No. No, you know, having fun. No, it's a career. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. And you're getting paid to do it. Not this. Well, I'm just saying, but not. But but but what but what you do is what you love. Yeah, yeah. You're getting paid for it. Yeah, yeah. Do you know what I'm saying? So, so so we're teaching our kids that and and like we have a uh the other day, the best thing that happened to me, one of my students came up to me and said, Hey man, check this out. And he showed me his bank account. He had over a thousand dollars. He has a business called Holy Bins. What he goes, he goes, they go out, they clean trash cans and get paid to change. I got another, this other flesh flow filters. They go in, they change filters out, they change um uh fire uh alarms out for all.

SPEAKER_01 13:07

So you're teaching them a trade, you're making them come up with a trade or business.

SPEAKER_00 13:11

Absolutely. Why?

SPEAKER_01 13:12

Right, because the is is is the schools doing that? No, no, there's a big problem with that whole thing. No, and then and and and you're also teaching so so like like Will's Academy, yeah, it's two hours of normal school and then 15 hours of basketball or baseball.

SPEAKER_00 13:25

Yeah, and and similar. We do are you what's your role in this?

A School Day Built For Growth

SPEAKER_00 13:29

So so I'm the director. So you come to school 8 to 8:30, you're doing a devotional, I'm making them shakes, we're getting a good breakfast. On Mondays, they'd have mental skills for an hour, learn the mental part of the game in life. And then from there, they'll do performance training, and then after that, they'll do an hour of school. After that, they do basketball training, and at a half an hour, 11:30 to 12, they have lunch. And that's the only time they have their phone. Because you know what?

unknown 13:55

J.

SPEAKER_00 13:55

Cole says, pride is the devil, it's got, but you know what I say? The phone is the devil, it's got to hold on all of them. I haven't seen anything on Instagram that's been bad. No, that's why.

SPEAKER_01 14:05

I haven't seen a missed shot or nothing. Will said that he lock up their phones when they go to the show.

SPEAKER_00 14:09

Well, they get a half an hour phone at lunch, and then from uh 12 to 1.30 they have school, and from 133 they have basketball practice. So they're getting so if I'm a true sport athlete and I play football, I got a couple kids that do that. They can do basketball, they won't lose their basketball skills, and they go to football at night. If I'm a basketball player, I don't have to go to another training class, I don't have to go to another practice. I'm done at three, so I have family time. How old are the students? Um, seventh and eighth grade. And this is the thing that you know, the most of these prep schools are taking high school students from uh other countries and things like that. And I wanted to do that, but God gave me another vision. Seventh and eighth grade is where you're gonna have the most influence on them, and it's the toughest, it's the toughest time. But what happens at ninth grade? They go back to public school, they can go to public school or maybe you organically grow it.

SPEAKER_01 15:01

And how do people sign up if they want to? I know you have only three spots left.

SPEAKER_00 15:04

Yeah, just see me. Hey, contact Chuck Howard 480 452-3850, and we can talk about it. Yeah, really? So you want people to call you? Oh, yeah. No, it's an iron pressure. I'm I am the one that's gonna interview them. I'm gonna send it to my my my head basketball coach. He's gonna, and then we're gonna decide. Like, we're not only interviewing the kids, they're parents too. Unfortunately. There are. We have we we have some some folks, and we're looking for other businesses that are interested in investing in this program. But and we're talking a lot about this school. You know why? Because it's really important. Because kids, these young adults need to understand that if you want to be a professional basketball player, the chances of that happening right now, and even the chances of getting a D1 scholarship, D2, are very limited now. It's not like when Kemp went to school, it isn't like when Marcus went to school. This is a time where there's transfer portals and they're not taking high school kids. No, my son got really lucky. No, no, no, no. I wouldn't say lucky, he was not only blessed, but he worked for it. No, he worked his buttons. No, no, no. He worked for it. And that's the thing I'm gonna get across that this thing is not easy. And you have to be, and we are I'm talking a lot about endurance to my kids right now. You have to endure things when you don't even feel like it. You know, you can't be moved by your feelings because if you're moved by your feelings, it's up and down. You gotta be focused and desire the process. Are your kids at all involved with this program? Uh yeah. Marcus, Marcus is involved, Jordan's involved. Desmond is um one of the trainers. He trains the boys and they love him. Um Marcus financially donates, and he always, when he's home, he's only home like for three months out of the year because he's in Spain playing. Does he make a bank right now? Your husband, your son? He is doing really well. He's doing really well. He's doing really well. But but but the life of an overseas basketball, nobody gets a four-year contract overseas. He got a four-year contract with a team that's had since he's been there, he's been there six years, six, six different coaches. Oh, wow. It's not, it's not, it's not what you think it is.

SPEAKER_01 17:12

Is it like the minor leagues baseball here? Like you see him traveling on the ball, no, no, no.

SPEAKER_00 17:16

But it is the MBA of Europe.

Overseas Pro Life And Sacrifice

SPEAKER_00 17:18

Right, okay. But when you say it's not like it is here, what do you mean? No, it's it's like it. It is like it is here. It's like it's what you can do for me lately. And and and if you're an American player stress in every job. Every job. But over there, you're away from your family. Um, they can only play a certain amount of Americans. Um, the language barrier, boom. I mean, you're away, and you know, this is different. I mean, I go over there, I go over there every year to see him, and you know what? I go there and I come back. I say, I love America. I love I love America. Where is he in Spain? What's his? It's called Bisconia, it's Victoria, it's northern Spain. Beautiful place, really nice. Um, and they treat him well and they paid him well. But you know what? Over there, it's just a it's tough. It's tough. You're away from your family. You stay away from your family, because his wife and kids are there. Yeah, they're they're there. So you guys aren't there. No, we're not there. Right, right, right, right. Yeah, and he's he's making a sacrifice and an investment for his future.

SPEAKER_01 18:16

Oh, totally.

unknown 18:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:17

Well, I want to jump back to something when you said you were starting the school. Yeah. You said your wife said, Here are the papers. So it got it got that. Hey, listen. What? It got it got deep.

SPEAKER_00 18:27

Really? It got deep. Yeah, she's she's a strong woman. You know my wife. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. So we've been married 36 years. She's my best friend. Um, and you know, when you when your kids are grown and they leave the house, it's it's like deja vu. It's me and her and the dog. That's how we started. Right. Home projects. I mean, and we're we're living our best life right now. Like yesterday I had the best. I mean, probably if I if I left this earth today, I'd be good because I had the best day with my boys. Me and my me and Marcus did a devotional in the morning, and he has a son, Kylo, who is just like him. Um, and then uh we went and played top golf with the boys. We hung out and came to my house and we had dinner, and it was just great. It's a great job. It was a great day. And um, and then um, but Jordan couldn't come because Tay was contracting, the baby's coming, and it's crazy.

SPEAKER_01 19:19

But your wife's like, hey man, you're picking up another project.

SPEAKER_00 19:22

Yeah, and and and you know, and and guys out there, you know, you got to be truthful with your wife. Like, like I haven't been always truthful with my wife because I've been hesitant with the response. Like I know what she's gonna say. Why are you doing this? But she but and and I get it, I get it, but the impact that you're making in people's lives can't supersede your relationship with your wife. So she eventually understood, yes. Yeah, yeah, and and and and and I told her, I said, listen, number one, there's no separation, no divorce in our family. I ain't doing that. I'll I'll I'll I'll just step away. I'll quit right now. And that's how we worked it out. But but there is, you know, she's right. Like, I need to put more emphasis on us than it. She probably thought the kids are gone, yeah, you guys can go travel and do stuff. Absolutely. Yeah, yeah, and we're gonna do that. Um, but she understands, and and like last year we had a young man um and he lost his father in September. Like, could you imagine a 12-year-old kid losing his father? And I trained this young man for several years before this. I didn't know the dad. I met him a couple times, knew the mom, but um, how how can you walk away from a kid like that? Like, like I spent time with him and poured into this kid. Um and and she doesn't she sees it, but she doesn't feel it. You know what I'm saying? She doesn't know the impact because I've been around. She does, she does, she does know it, but she hears it and and she's probably feeling what about me? Yeah. What do you mean? Is she working or she's yeah, she's uh she's she um works at GCU still, she's uh in HR. I mean, she's such a uh an amazing woman. Right. She's so I mean she you know, she's she serves me so well, is like the other day we're eating, and you know, I was almost done with my meal. I'm almost done, but she took up my plate. I go, man, I'm not done. And she goes, Oh, I'm sorry. I go, well, when you come back, can you bring the check? That's what kind of serve, and you know, and and you can't duplicate that. And so I appreciate that, and she knows that. And I and and I tell her that, but I need to do better, you know. I need to be better. You know, we all need to be better as men towards our wife. We need to hold them up higher and not take it them for granted. I don't I'm not saying I take it for granted, but maybe I do. I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 21:48

Do you still do? I remember there was one night a week or one. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It was lunch or date, a date night. What was it?

SPEAKER_00 21:52

Yeah, man, we spend a lot of time together.

SPEAKER_01 21:55

You still do?

SPEAKER_00 21:56

Yeah. Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:57

Okay, so even with this new project.

SPEAKER_00 21:58

Yeah, we spend a lot of time. Like, Like together all the time.

unknown 22:02

I can always think so much of that.

SPEAKER_00 22:04

But you feel it.

SPEAKER_01 22:06

No, I know. My wife calls it John Jay Times. She likes John J Times.

SPEAKER_00 22:09

You know that. And and Blake and Nomi. Blake is so chill though. Is she chill? She's chill.

SPEAKER_01 22:18

She wanted to be here today, but she had she had two other things pop up. She was always going to be here.

SPEAKER_00 22:21

And let me tell you, she's, I mean, you got a you got a great family. Like, and you're a great dad. No, look, the thing I that really stood out to me when we first met is how much you love your kids and how much you love your dad and your mom, and how much they were a part of your life, but you still want to do different, right? Right. You know what I'm saying? Like and we have that opportunity as dads. That's, I mean, that's the thing. Like, I said this. I want to be the dad that I always wanted. Um, even though my dad was great, but there were some things that I wish he would have done, and I'm doing them big time with my boys.

SPEAKER_01 22:57

So even now with your boys being grown up, immature and having careers, you're still very involved as your dad.

SPEAKER_00 23:02

Oh my God. Every day. And and even like my son Marcus, he just got his master's in theology.

SPEAKER_01 23:08

Um after he graduated from Marquette?

SPEAKER_00 23:12

Oh, yeah. During his season. He was going to school? He was doing his master's during the season. I think that's what saved him. He had a he had a real he had probably one of the most challenging years this year as a basketball player. Um, but through it all, because of his faith, and it distracted him to a point where he got closer to God and was able to deal with these things and poured into me.

SPEAKER_01 23:34

Is it a different level of is the same kind of problems? Like the coach didn't do this, like they didn't put me in. Like, you know, the same in high school, my son Kemp had these issues. In college, he had these issues. Oh, it's the same, it's the same thing.

SPEAKER_00 23:44

Check this out. So he's the highest paid kid on the team. And and because he you could only play two American players, they had like six American players on the team. And the coach chose not to play him in lieu of these other guys. I don't know why, because the last time he played, he had 21 points and he just, I mean, he just dominated. But I don't know what it was. And he didn't know what it was. But you know what he did? He loved on that coach. He said, What can I pray for you? What can I do for you? Like he served, even though he didn't want to. And um, and he's getting paid, so I mean, I guess it's easier to do that. Does that coach have kids?

SPEAKER_01 24:17

I believe he does. Oh, because I have like a theory on coaches that don't have kids. It's different. It's different, like no, no, no, no.

SPEAKER_00 24:24

They have no idea.

SPEAKER_01 24:25

Yeah. They have no idea, they can't relate. Um Well, let me let me ask you this about Marcus.

Integrity Under Pressure And Support

SPEAKER_01 24:30

I think about this a lot now because I that whole NIL stuff. And I remember with you when Marcus was a junior and he was thinking about going in the in the NBA draft. I remember you and I you and I talking. And I was like, to me, why not stay, you know, and get your degree from Marquette and you're a star player. And they just retired into Jersey. I saw that. Yeah, yeah. He stayed and scored 50 coin. He had the 50 point game, the pink shoes. I got the pink shoes. Bro, you you can't get a big thing. He broke all these records and stuff, right? So then it's like, and then the NIL started, right? Yeah. Because that dude could have made some money in college. Millions. Isn't that crazy?

SPEAKER_00 25:07

Millions, yeah. And um, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:09

Because he was the top in Marquette, he's broken every record, right?

SPEAKER_00 25:12

He's like the all-time leading scorer in Marquette's history and the big East. So you're talking, you know, with Connecticut and St. John's, like he is number one.

SPEAKER_01 25:21

And if this was now, he'd be making millions.

SPEAKER_00 25:24

Oh, yeah. But he wouldn't he wouldn't transfer.

SPEAKER_01 25:27

He wouldn't transfer, no. No, even for the money, he wouldn't. Integrity, morals, integrity.

SPEAKER_00 25:32

He started FC, a fellowship of Christian athletes at Marquette. He has such a um a desire for the community. Um that's what makes him different. And I think that's what challenges him or challenges him with other coaches or players, is that, you know, I I remember watching him this year, and you know, this dude can shoot it, right? And he's open and they don't pass it to him, you know, and and and it was just like, wow, there's a lot of jealousy and envy. You know, and um it's just that now it's just it just always happens in in the in normal jobs, right? Right, yeah, yeah. It happens in normal life. And so, so, you know, you have to be number one, you have to have a great support system. No, you gotta be confident in your own abilities. But you do need that support system to tell you, man, you're doing okay, you can push. You need that encouragement, right? You know, in the Bible, you know, Paul was a um uh he was a mighty man of God, but he had this dude named Barnabas, and Barnabas was an encourager. This dude was going through all kinds of stuff, people hated him, but Barnabas just helped him. He encouraged him every day. He gave him the vision that he knew he had, but he forgot maybe. Um, and that's what we need to do with people. Like uh, like anybody, I don't care if they're a D1 or they're not even an athlete. You had to pour into people's lives and know that they care. I have a guy named his name is Josh, and he's autistic. And he comes to our adult group training sessions. And and and you remember Freddie. Oh, yeah, Freddie. You know, Freddie. Freddie, that was one of Freddie's guys. Uh anyway, and and so Freddie used to chain him in a separate room because he was autistic and he didn't want to be around groups. And Freddie said, like, dude, if we're gonna do this, you're gonna have to pay one-on-one, and that's triple the price. Right. And he goes, I can't afford that. I go, well, Freddie said, Well, you're gonna have to get integrated. And let me tell you, and he's been coming to pump and praise, this autistic guy, which you know, he knows he's autistic when you walk in the room. He looks like he's kind of funny, and all that. Right. But bro, this guy has like people have embraced him. Like, like when you have a community of people that really care and you're doing something together, this dude, I mean, he has risen above all his circumstances. And you can tell that I mean, he sends me texts, like long tests. Do I read them? Not really, but they're doing but he's living life much better.

SPEAKER_01 27:53

So he's integrated in the group now and he's doing it.

SPEAKER_00 27:55

Oh my god. In a way.

SPEAKER_01 27:57

You poured into him and you've seen the benefits. He's seen the benefits.

SPEAKER_00 27:59

All the yes.

SPEAKER_01 28:00

Right.

SPEAKER_00 28:01

And that and then and that encourages me because I really haven't worked with an autistic person like that. He's a highly functioning, he's like a math teacher, but he's a highly functioning autistic person who, yeah. Yeah, he's he he he's different.

SPEAKER_01 28:18

But when when it comes to your son, Marcus, do you think like I I I look at it like like with my son Kemp. Yeah, he's worked so hard and then this doesn't happen. He works so hard and then this doesn't happen. Like Marcus, he worked so hard, yeah, and then COVID hit. Oh, you remember, yeah, he worked in the city. NIL is now available. Yeah, yeah. He works so hard, now he's overseas. It's like something's gonna land in that kid's lap. I mean, he's doing great right now, but I mean, don't you think something's coming?

SPEAKER_00 28:47

I told him his best basketball's ahead.

SPEAKER_01 28:49

Um but what if it's even off the court? What if it's a coach?

SPEAKER_00 28:51

What if it's a man, a coach, a mentor, a pastor? I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 28:56

What if he could be the next Steve Kerr, better than Steve Kerr?

SPEAKER_00 28:58

Absolutely. And the and the thing about it is that we need to know what we're passionate about, and we need to find avenues to be able to activate

Four Rules To Live By

SPEAKER_00 29:06

that. And and and and we have you have a gift for gap. You have listen, I have four principles in life. You want to know what they are? One is play. Okay. If you're not having fun, why do it? Right. You have a lot of fun. I do have a lot of fun. You no, no, you are fun. Uh huh. If I had to put a a label like fun, right? So play is number one. Number two is you gotta choose your attitude. Like when my athletes come in, I want you to be as as excited to train with me as I am with you. Right? So you gotta choose the right attitude. You gotta be there, be focused. Now, my wife thinks I'm not there all the time. Can you can you relate to that? Yeah, my wife says to me, be where your feet are. Yeah, right, right. So you gotta be there. Like, like I said, you're like, be present. So you play, right? You choose the right attitude, right? You be there, you be present. Don't be on this thing. This ain't to kill you. What's the fourth one? Make someone's day. Make someone's day. If you can make some, and you do all those things, you're gonna make someone's day.

SPEAKER_01 30:11

I had this this there's this uh uh church I go to, and I remember once the priest or the preacher, whatever pastor said something about try to inconvenience yourself for 15 minutes to help other people a day. And I tried that, and it's hard. Because then you I'll do help somebody you gotta plan. Yeah, but no, I might help somebody, and I'll be like, man, that was only six minutes. I gotta help somebody, I got another 11 minutes left. I gotta go find somebody else.

SPEAKER_00 30:34

That's a great, that's a great skill. I mean, or that's a great exercise.

SPEAKER_01 30:38

Yeah, it is. It is to try to you so you try to help, then I started doing it like, well, I would bring it up on the radio. Yeah. And if I could help a lot of people and tally up those minutes.

SPEAKER_00 30:48

Yeah. No, you you have a great opportunity to make somebody's day.

SPEAKER_01 30:52

I try to all the time. I try to do that. Oh, no, you do, no, you do.

SPEAKER_00 30:54

Like, I mean, you listen to your viewers, they say, man, John Jay, man, I listen to you all the time. You and you don't even know it. You just do it.

SPEAKER_01 31:02

Well, I try. I try to do it.

SPEAKER_00 31:03

No, no, no, you do it.

SPEAKER_01 31:04

I try to be it. Get in the cold

Health Shifts And Seeing Clearly

SPEAKER_01 31:06

plunge. You get at-co-plunge before I came here. Hey, what are you doing with your health? Because you look, you look the best I've seen you look. Really? Yeah, I mean, I always thought you look great before. Did you really have cataract surgery?

SPEAKER_00 31:16

Bro, one eye or both eyes? Both eyes, man. Hey, I was blind and I can see. I can see clearly now. No, bro, when I went in there and when they told me I had a cataract, I and and they've told me, like, hey, this is the most common surgery. I go, okay, whatever. Man, I was I was having such a hard time seeing, bro. I was like, did it look like frustrating?

SPEAKER_01 31:36

Was it like you had sunglasses on all the time?

SPEAKER_00 31:38

No, it was like I was in, I was, I was like blind. Like I was fuzzy.

SPEAKER_01 31:42

I had cataract surgery. Dude, like both of them. Both of my eyes. And after you had it, like, whoa. Well, I to me, it always I always felt that like I had one eye, it felt like I had one sunglass on. Everything was darker. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Or fuzzy? Yeah, just darker for me. It's like I always had sunglasses. Did yours happen like all of a sudden? It was it was like a year or two. So then they did one eye and they told me to wait another year and then they did the other eye. I did one on Tuesday and the other on Thursday. Oh, yeah? And now, and you can see it's amazing, right? Oh my, it was they said I would so were you, too young for this. That usually happened to people in their 80s. Yeah. Well, I'll Okay, but what about overall health?

SPEAKER_00 32:14

Because you look different. I feel great. Um, you know, I'm just eating better. Um, I'm working. I mean, it's just like this, man. I'm on the you know, you look at your your life and say a football game. It's four quarters, man. And the first quarter, you know, you're you're you're alive, you're awake, and you're you're young and you're you're experienced, and then the second quarter is like you reach prepuberty and and and now you're going in, you know, getting ready for h for college, and and then your third and third quarter is like long. It's like, you know, you're you're you're done with college and you start a family and you're going. But your fourth quarter has to be the best. You raised your kids, you have you're establishing your job, you have so many experiences that you can share so much. Like I feel that way. And and so are you in the fourth quarter now? I'm in the fourth quarter, bro. But you're eating right and you're exercising. I've exercising, eating right. Um, just enjoying life. Now, look, I get up at three in the morning.

SPEAKER_01 33:10

Yeah, me too. You know, so your overall health is great.

SPEAKER_00 33:13

I yes.

SPEAKER_01 33:14

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 33:15

My health is great. Um, that looks it. No, you look just look different. You look you look healthy, you look younger. Yeah, man. And you know, and and and I think I think what it is is that you know, when you get to this point in your life and your kids are gone, a lot of that stress is behind you.

SPEAKER_01 33:35

Yeah, well, you have different like my stress right now is what are they gonna do?

SPEAKER_00 33:41

And that's why I do this school.

SPEAKER_01 33:42

Like Jake just started a job. Jake just started a construction job. Really? Yeah, he's doing construction and he's like hands-on construction. Hands-on, he's he's doing not building houses, he's building, he's he's part of this company called McCarthy Building, and he's building uh like putting wires and stuff, and I mean he's really good at it and he loves it.

SPEAKER_00 34:01

That's a big thing.

SPEAKER_01 34:02

He loves it. He gets up before me. I wake up in the morning and he's in the kitchen having a cup of coffee. He goes to work before me. Yeah, he comes home after me. That doesn't surprise me. And he goes to bed after me. But that doesn't surprise me about him. No, he's a workaholic, and he's doing great. He's only one of those. Different than the other two. Totally different.

SPEAKER_00 34:21

But but but man, he like I could see when he was you know, when he got his his his his fitness, like start really getting into fitness, and he went to U of A, and that changed. I think that changed him. He's still into fitness, he exercised all the time. But do you know what I'm saying? And and that changed, like our kids are they they mature and they grow in different ways. So we can't put them all in the same category. You know, you can't treat them all the same. Right. Like all three of my boys are different, right? And you have to meet their needs where they're at. And you did that with Jake. You did that with Jake really well. And Dutch, if I had to put a title on Dutch, is Joy.

SPEAKER_01 34:57

Is he still joyful? The dude Blake and I were talking about that yesterday. That kid always, always has a great time. Always. No, I can I can I can easily not want to be somewhere. Well, of course, he'll go.

SPEAKER_00 35:10

Of course, because you're always with people.

SPEAKER_01 35:11

Wherever he goes, he has a great time.

SPEAKER_00 35:13

Dude, that but you remember when he used to train with us, always joking around. I mean, he wasn't really serious, and and but he was having fun all the time.

SPEAKER_01 35:22

You should ask uh, because he works out with Koa. You know, Koa Pete. They were on the UBA basketball team.

SPEAKER_00 35:27

Yeah, you know, um oh, I gotta say, I gotta tell, I saw Koa today. Co, you know, tomorrow's a big day for him. Oh yeah, tomorrow is the draft, yeah. And and you know, Koa's Koa's been a very it's been very a special relationship. I trained all the all the family, the boys.

SPEAKER_01 35:44

Yeah, I remember you were training him way young, even his brother. I remember I remember working out with his brother one time.

SPEAKER_00 35:48

Yeah, and and Keone, yeah, and um that family's just amazing. And I was talking to him today, and you know, this has been you know accumulation of years and years, but you know, um I did a I did a video montage of us, the training, and I started with him in 2022. And um, I've always was waiting for that I'm too big for this, or I'm gonna go somewhere else, or unfaithful. You know, a lot of times these athletes will hang out with you for a while and they'll train and they'll do great things, and then all of a sudden somebody says, Oh, go over there. This dude has been like like part of the family and part of the I mean, he's a giver. He he is such a giver. And so um the point is is that you know, he's the kind of athlete that you always want to have. He's what I what I call a whatever athlete. Now, some athletes are high level, they're not a winner. Whatever you need, coach, I got you.

SPEAKER_01 36:41

So, how come he didn't stay? Well, I guess there's a lot of other factors in people who try to it's like when I was talking to you about when you and I talked about Marcus, staying like to me, in my opinion, and you can't really say you're you can't really put your until you're in the shoes of the person and the dad. Yes, because I heard his dad is ill. So I was like, you probably man, awesome man. Okay. That's what I've heard. But to so to me, it was like stay at U of A and be close to your family. But then again, you also want to be like, you want your dad to be like, oh man, my son made in the NBA.

SPEAKER_00 37:13

It wasn't, it's not even like that. I don't know. I'm just going off. It's like this, it's like this. It's like I'm betting on myself. I've worked all these years for this. It's my time.

SPEAKER_01 37:23

Yeah, but also I like I remember I so I interviewed a couple of uh coaches like Sean Miller. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I think it was him when I was talking to him where he talked, was it him, or it might have been somebody Lloyd? No, uh the players that did four years of college have a longer life in the NBA than players. Only a very few that did one and done are in it for a long time, like a LeBron.

SPEAKER_00 37:47

Yeah, and you look back at those those individuals and you look at their families and you look at their upbringing and look at them as an individual. Uh-huh. So Coe has been raised right. He's he he he he prepares right, um, his mind is right, he knows what he wants to do after basketball. Um so why not take advantage of it now? They can go back next year and tear ACL. That's true. You never know. And and so he's still going to the draft if he tour is ACL. Man, let me tell you, let me tell you. But I really like him. I I remember, you know, I played football in Indiana in 81 to 86, and we didn't we didn't we didn't have a dollar dubs like those guys had last year. I mean, I mean, to see Indiana football be undefeated, win the national championship, have the Heisman Trophy winner, that was never in our picture when I played. You know, we were basketball school. Um But I remember just wanting to get out and start my life. And I think a lot of athletes want to do that. They want to start their life, they want to make their they want to make a living and they want to have a family.

SPEAKER_01 38:53

But they're so young. Oh, but Dutch, my son Dutch thinks the world of him. He loves every single person I see.

SPEAKER_00 38:58

Listen, listen, he's the kind of guy where you expect him to be um kind of distant or maybe too good. No, man, that dude is like so humble. And and he and and let me tell you, you know how we train. Like, I would say that all my athletes are the fittest athletes, um, hardest working athletes, most consistent athletes, because we create an environment that you want to do, that enjoy. We compete. I mean, and and we become a family. Do you still run at the park?

SPEAKER_01 39:31

Oh, yeah. Rock Hill? Remember Rock Hill? Yeah, it's funny because I have a video that pops up every once in a while. And it's uh Marcus, your son. Yep. Oso, who plays for the Suns. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 39:41

You know, Oso and I talk every day.

SPEAKER_01 39:42

My son Kemp and you guys, they're running. They're running that park.

SPEAKER_00 39:45

Bro, and and we and we had some legendary, I call them legendary workouts. You know, and um, you know, remember Kemp, man, like you remember when he first came, he had the long hair, just a different, but always worked hard. And it's almost like when he cut that hair, he got strength.

SPEAKER_01 40:01

He's a beast, man.

SPEAKER_00 40:02

No, no, no, he was always and and now to see him speak, like you remember when he didn't speak. Yeah, I know. It's crazy. He didn't speak. And and I just, you know, like any young athlete that you see out there now, and you get if you're here listening, just understand, find your own voice. You don't have to be someone you're not.

SPEAKER_01 40:21

Well, that's what I tell my three kids. I'm like, everybody's got their own path. You can't follow somebody else's path. You know what I do every day because of you? Because of you. Oh, come on now. I I you gave me a coach's Bible. Come on, dude. I read it every morning. Bro, everybody. Every morning.

SPEAKER_00 40:34

So, so hey, listen, my job is done. But you just had to do it.

SPEAKER_01 40:39

And and and the thing, the thing is, is that you know, you know, Kemp reads the Bible you gave him. He started a Bible study, he did men's group in Hawaii.

SPEAKER_00 40:46

Bro, I I my hair standing when you tell me that.

SPEAKER_01 40:49

You make an impact on people, man.

SPEAKER_00 40:50

Well, I mean, it's it takes two. You had to, I mean, you had to join in, but I'm gonna be there for you no matter what. I know you're gonna be. And for Kemp, like anything he needs ever in life, like man, I would hire him because of who you because he knows. I I hired a kid, uh, his name is Cade Berger. He he he went to Air Force, transferred to NAU, just graduated from NAU, is interning with me, and he's gonna start his career and he's gonna be a performance trainer. He's doing you heard the thing high rocks training? Yeah, bro, like that's this. It's that thing. This thing is hot, man. Did you do it? I ain't doing it. But I'm training folks to do it, and he's gonna be my poster child because he's gonna do it.

SPEAKER_01 41:31

Ex-athlete, strong, and that's when they run and they pull and then they pull the K weights, they do the rowing machine.

SPEAKER_00 41:37

Bro, it is so it's grueling. Bro, it's crueling. Yeah, I'm not into that.

SPEAKER_01 41:41

No, no, no, no. I'm not about exercise. I'm into coaching then, but I ain't doing it. My exercise now is about longevity. Bro, you know what I mean? But you look good. I feel good.

SPEAKER_00 41:49

I got my body fat down to 12%. Dude, you've always wanted that.

SPEAKER_01 41:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 41:53

And you got it. Finally got it. Hold on to it.

SPEAKER_01 41:56

Yeah, right now I'm doing it, I feel like I'm doing it right now.

SPEAKER_00 41:59

Now, how many days a week do you work out?

SPEAKER_01 42:00

Do you work out at all? Like, you may not even work out looking at it. No, I work out four days a week. I mean, I'm sorry, five days a week. Do you like it? I love it. There you go. I love it. That's all that matters. I but I get up at three. Yeah. And I do my own. I have a gym in my house. I do my own. I know upstairs. Yeah, I do, I do some training in there in the morning. I like it. I like it. I do some weights. I do the pumpkin.

SPEAKER_00 42:19

We gotta get it. We gotta do a workout together. Hey, you gotta do this. You gotta promise it. Everybody listen to this. You gotta come do a pump and praise.

SPEAKER_01 42:26

But that's what the what the problem I have with you pumping praise. It's at 6 a.m. It's 6 a.m. And you get up at 3 every day. No, I got one day. Our new spots in our touchy, man. Oh, yeah. So tell me about this new spot.

New Facility And How To Reach Us

SPEAKER_01 42:35

Oh, bro.

SPEAKER_00 42:35

Iron, it's called Iron Iron Courts, um, powered by LLC, uh, League of Champions. Um, it's a beautiful place. Hey, listen, you know what's crazy about this thing? In 2002, when I moved here, I worked with Brett Fisher for a year, and um, I moved on and I became the GM of the LA Fitness that we're in right now.

SPEAKER_01 42:57

Oh, so your place is in an LA Fitness?

SPEAKER_00 42:59

Old LA Fitness, renovated, like Oh, so it's not an LA Fitness. No, it's an old LA Fitness. We gutted it. We have six basketball courts, we have a great um uh performance center, we have a recovery center, we do red light therapy, we go cryotherapy. We got one stuff. You got the cryother? Huh? Cryos herp? Full body? Wow. And red lights therapy, you sit in that thing like a tan in bed, boys. Oh, yeah, I do that every day. I love it, man.

SPEAKER_01 43:22

And so so it's just a beautiful place. Do the kids get to do it part of the school? Heck yeah. So if you're going, where are you taking out the 10? Get off where, Ray? Right on uh no, Chandler. Get off the 14th Chandler. Wow, man. It's a nice place.

SPEAKER_00 43:34

That's awesome. It's a beautiful place. And you know, like H3 when we had H3, it's kind of like that, our performance. Oh, wow. You gotta come, bro. We we we gotta we gotta do a family workout. We have to do that. We have to do a remake. I would love to. We know we have to. I would love to. Can we do that?

SPEAKER_01 43:49

Yeah. Then we go across the street at Waffle House. Okay, so so to get to to sign up to go to your school. Yeah, yeah. Do you want to get there's not a website? There's nothing.

SPEAKER_00 43:57

Just go to Chuck Howard. You can go to LOC Training on Instagram? Yeah, Instagram, and just just hit me up, and then uh, you know, I'll I'll I'll do the rest. All right.

SPEAKER_01 44:06

Well, hey, thanks for rearranging your day to come in and do my podcast.

SPEAKER_00 44:09

Bro, I will rearrange any day to do this with you. See, I just like talking to you. I like talking to you too. All right, Chuck Howard. Yes, sir.

SPEAKER_01 44:22

Okay, so welcome to our podcast. This is a little bit different today because this podcast is a spin-off of our radio show.