Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio.
Good Morning, This is Laura, Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's episode is going to be a longer one part of the series where I interview fascinating people about how they take their days from great to awesome and any advice they have for the rest of us. So today, I'm delighted to welcome Cedric Thompson to the show. Cedric has pivoted from a career in professional football to content creation, sharing his videos on family life on social media with millions of people.
So Cedric, welcome to the show.
Hey, Laura, thank you so much for having me.
Yeah, so, why don't you tell our listeners just a little bit about you the quick bio?
Okay, well, my name is Cedric. A lot of people call me said, I'm emerging from California and I moved out to Minnesota because they got a Flora scholarships. Played football out here. I met my then girlfriend freshman year, who is now my wife, and we have three daughters, three beautiful daughters. I was drafted to the NFL and twenty thirteen. Played for a few years, and now I transitioned over to doing full time content and I share.
There's my perspective on fatherhood and family and marriage and self development, and I really enjoy what I do.
Yeah, well, I love that you've made this career pivot. A lot of people have to make pivots in life. But obvious, say, football isn't the kind of thing that people can do forever. You know, our bodies won't won't allow that. But so I'm curious how you decided what you were going to pivot to and what that process was like.
So it's interesting. That's a great question, and we can go.
Man, we can talk for hours on that, I'm sure.
So I'm from California, like I said, but I'm from the inner city. I was born in Englewood, raised in content, like moved around and like sports were something that we were put into, like essentially stay out of trouble. And I just happened to be athletic and I enjoyed being a captain, and I just kind of kept doing it and it worked. It obviously worked out for me, but it wasn't. My goal was never to go to the NFL.
I didn't really understand what that really was. It was just to work hard and being around my teammates, and I loved the community aspect of being on a team. It wasn't until my junior year when I was in college where NFL scouts will come to see the juniors and they realized, oh, this guy has potential, and I was like, oh, I got potential. Okay, cool, I guess the next thing is the NFL. So then I went
to the NFL, worked really hard to got drafted. Only is like zero point one person that people get drafted. And when I got to the NFL, that's when I realized that, Oh, I did what I wanted to do. And when I got there, I was just like, ah, this doesn't feel like me, you know, like it just feels like I'm kind of living in a dream that a lot of my period growing up said that we
were supposed to do. When I got there, I saw how political it was, how it was all about money and status and not really the camaraderie of being around the team a team, you know, And I kept playing for a couple of years when I didn't want to play, I just kept doing it because it was kind of all that I knew and part of pivoting from it was scary. My last team I was with was with
the Cincinnati Bengals, and I ended up getting hurt. And when I got hurt, my first daughter was born too, got around two weeks before I was injured, and then I got hurt. Was able to come back to Minneapolis and raise her the first seven months of her life, and I was like, I'm done, Like, I just want to do this, so my daughter, long as you're gonna say my daughter, I was just like, I just wanted to be a dad and just raise my babies. Yeah.
And so then you decided to make videos.
About it, yeah I did, oh so yeah. So when I was aimed. When I was playing, I was with the Patriots at one point and I got cut from the team. I was like, oh, this can be over with at any point. So I was let me just figure out what else I wanted to do, and because football was all I ever did, and I was like, let me just pick up a camera and start recording
videos and to see what happens. That a lot of it was for me to just distract myself from not knowing that I wasn't playing outside of training, and I told myself when I got online, I'm here to be myself and tell my story from my perspective, because news blogs or sports analyst always told people and I never said it from my own perspective. And then I started making videos on YouTube and that just did really well in the beginning because I always was really authentic, which
is like a rare thing online for whatever reason. And yeah, I've been doing it ever since.
That's awesome.
Yeah, well, people definitely flock to these videos. They've been very, very popular. So we got to talk to each other a little bit before this. I got to do a Cedric's podcast. We talked about how when you were playing football, schedule was very very set. I wonder if you could just tell people, like what a day in the life of NFL.
Training look.
Yeah, yeah, So you wake up and it's around like, you know, six and nine every morning, and when you go in, you don't have to worry about anything because everything is taken care of. So you walk in and there's monitors everywhere and from you're there from you know, six, seven in the morning till about eight at night, and every single minute and I'm not over exaggerating, every single minute.
And I told you on my pack on my podcast, you get in there, it's seven fifteen, seven thirty five, check in, seveno forty to eight fifteen, meeting one, eight twenty to eight to nine o'clock, Lift one. And it just goes like that the entire time. And that's really it. So you don't really have time. You don't have to worry about anything. That's the simplest way to put it. Somebody all the food's made for you. You walk in up to practice of smoothies right there they have but
your your beat, juice, everything that's just done for you. You got to just show up and perform and be ready to work.
Yeah, and that's different from your life now, I think, yeah, yeah, So what is your schedule looking like now?
They say, nobody's handing you a smoothie at a fifteen am.
Nobody hands me a smoothie. Nobody likes making by meals for me. Nobody's telling me I need to work out. There's no consequences if I don't get I'm on time. Like everything is all on me. Everything is all on me. It's not on somebody else making a schedule or meal plan or smoothie or whatever.
But you've had to figure out then a schedule that works for you and I one of the things I understand from your videos is you actually do get up pretty early in the morning. Is that right, Okay, tell us a little bit about your morning routine.
So yeah, so I get up early in the morning, and you know, depending on what I'm working on, I'm really into self development, and for me, self development means understanding like where I came from and the thing that I learned from my parents and the way that I was brought up and challenging those things to figure out what it is that I actually truly want to hold onto and something that to let go and like build new skills to be a better husband, to be a
better father, and to be a better person. So most of the time, I get up early in the morning, and I had a set of questions that I ask myself, and I break it down by marriage, it's faith, self and relationships, and I separate family from that relationship with friends and stuff, and I write about it and I kind of have a goal in mind that I want
to be thinking about actively doing in those relationships. Actually, I have a sauna in the could hub at my house, and depending on the day and the weather, I'll get in there if I'm feel like it I feel like and if I don't, I won't and then after that it's pretty much my well that's that's my morning routine.
Yeah, and then the rest of the day is sort of split with running your business. You're doing content creation, representing brands and and fatherhood. I'm curious how you sort of make those different pieces fit together.
Well, I'll plan on Friday, that's the first thing.
That's a good idea.
Yeah, this is great. So what I do is like I think of my life kind of in pillars. So in every pillar there's X amount of things that I need to do, and some have more priorities, some that I don't have others and minds have a deadline. I will put that thing first, because typically if there's a deadline, something bad will happen if I don't get it done. And to me, it's really that simple. It's like deadlines. Get those in there, what do I want to do?
Put those in there, and then that's it. And it's so funny that I'm explaining it's so simply now. It was not like that in the beginning. It was really difficult in.
The chaotic at the beginning. Yeah, yeah, well that's true.
It could happen. We're going to take one quick ad break and then we will be back. Well, I am back with Cedric Thompson, who is sharing about his schedule, how he has pivoted from a career in football to an in content creation, talking about how he balances running his business with time with family.
So I have to I'm very curious.
You know, when you put lots of videos out in the world, sometimes you get reactions you thought you'd get. Sometimes you get reactions you really didn't think you I'm curious if you have any videos you put out there that you were just like, I did not see that coming.
Oh yeah, I mean, what take your choice. Man. It's like when you like with my content, I'm sharing things that I'm really going through and doing my best to articulate it in sixty seconds. Nothing takes sixty seconds to really explain. So I might say something that comes off in a way that isn't necessarily what I mean, and I could have articulated better. But that's part of the reps.
In the practice, I made a video about helping my wife like clean the house, right, and what I was trying to say was that we have a lot going on the house is a mess. I'm going to just clean the whole thing for the both of us, and people took it as if I were saying, like, my wife ain't doing nothing, I'm cleaning house. I'm like, that is not what I'm saying. What I'm saying, so yeah, and then people just said they just they just came
after me. I was like, my bad, Like that was not what I was saying, and that happens a lot, and like, you know, I can't the message is going to be for everybody. In the fact of the matter is everybody couldn't say something. You know, what I mean is just the name of the game. But it happens more times than I was like.
Well, I find I feel like people on the internet are looking to be offended about something. I like, I mean one of your videos that I was sort of amazed at the response. I guess you had been parenting solo for a week or something while your your wife was out of the country, and people there was a mix like some people.
Were like, oh, this is great.
You know, he's taking a nice video about how he's he could run the household while while his wife is away, and then others were like, why are you acting like you, you know, saved the world by taking care of your own kids for a week.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, And that was another video that I was going to mention. It's like when I posted that. When I was making I was like, I know exactly what's going to happen. I was like, this video's going to do well because you know, you don't really see fathers doing this. But it's also be another of my
wife's gone. I'm like, oh, I got no choice. I gotta do this, Whereas, like honest with you, I could have help, but I genuinely wanted to do this because my wife always expresses me mental load and I never could really understand it. So I was like, you know what you're going for ten days, I'm about to just do this for myself. I want to help you your mom. I don't want to help you nobody. I want to help with a schedule. I just want to do it by like day one and a half.
I was like, all right, because your mom busy.
Yeah yeah, and then just like powering through to finish it. It gave me this new respect for my wife and the things he tried to explain to me to give me to understand for a long time, and for me, I'm somebody I want to kind of like put myself in people's shoes so I can't have empathy and understand that like that's what happens. I mean, I've been doing that about my life is through sports, you know.
Yeah, well, let's talk a little bit about that about you know, empathy and communication because one of the things you do talk a lot about it is about trying to communicate well yeah, with the people in your life. And I'm curious, you know how how that's been as it's developed in your life, Like where you think you've learned communication skills?
Are the ones you're still working on?
Oh man, that's a really good question. I had a really long talk with about managers today this about communication because it's so it's so fascinating because I have this idea that like I realized that, you know, there's one word, right, let's call the word love. People kind of have their own definition of love than the one that's in the Webster's dictionary. And when you realize that, it's like, that's why communicating is so important to understand. Okay, where are
we at? Like what are we saying? You know what I mean, and you almost have to come up with your own definitions within this word or this topic or this whatever. And what I've learned is that you have to really become a good listener one and you kind
of I mean not kind of. You have to take emotion out of it most of the time, and just being able to listen for words, listen and take words for what they are and almost try to understand each word that your partner, or your child, or your friend or the person down the street who's upset because you
cut them off or whatever are saying. And from that not being emotional, you're able to really understand the root of what people actually want and then you get to choose if you want to give that to them or Now that's the that's like the and that's for every relationship, me and my wife, me and my kids, my friends, people online, it's like, oh, I understand what they're saying, but it's okay, Well, but how do you.
I mean, that's that's easier said than done, because how do you take I mean, it is very hard to take the emotion out of it. Of your your neighbors mad, like you're you're you don't want to jump in to defend.
Yourself for something, you know.
How is there a process you have for kind of calming yourself down in these moments.
So I've tried, Like I've read a book called non Violent Communication, and it talked about how you basically have to become a good listener and understand what people actually want to be honest with you. The only way that you really get good at it is by putting yourself out there to have conversations. Because my problem was I'll be somebody who just shut down, and I had to learn how to not shut it down and give myself the chance to be able to give myself the opportunity
to communicate with someone. Like I said, in the morning, I get up and I write questions. I'm focusing on how to be a better communicator in those questions, and I'm being intentional about I want to be warmer towards my wife today, and that in itself supposed to me look at her through a different lens, and I can ignore that the house is dirty or that like we're tired or whatever, because I'm choosing to look at her and a lens of warmth and she's my wife and
I love her. Et cetera, et cetera. I really feel, just from my experience that you don't It's easier said than done, but you really get good at it by giving yourself the opportunity to have those tough conversations or to even just start a conversation about something I have no idea that made Yeah, it did it.
It makes sense. And I'm curious.
I mean, your kids are still pretty little, right, They're they're into yes, but I'm kind of curious, like how you think about spending time with your kids and like what are your favorite things you like to do with your kids in the course of your regular schedule.
I mean, I mean, I'm such like, like, what do you guys want to do? And like, let's try to make it happen. But my kids are in a lot of sports, they are in a lot of activities, so they are always are busy, and most of the time I know that they kind of have like, you know, busy lives because we keep them busy. Most of the time. I'm just trying to wind down with them and figure out what they want to do. Like anytime, like we went to California last week, I'm like, what do you
want to do? What's going on? We want to do nothing? Okay, like let's not let's not do anything. So for me, it's more about like what what do they want to do? And then if I've had like if I have things that I want them to do, then we'll make plans to make it happen. Like uh yeah, That's how I approach parentsing with my kids. Because to be honest with you, my wife is really big on like camp ten minute soccer, softball, rock camp.
I'm like, all right, you're the chill parent. You're like the sit around on the couch par Yeah.
Yeah, yeah, it's like I want to go outside and go to the park. All right, let's do it.
Let's do it.
All right, Well, we're going to take one more quick ad break and then we'll be back with more with Cedric Thompson. So I am curious obviously, you know anyone who's had a career in professional athletics that's been a major part of their life obviously their physical fitness, and then you're adjusting to life afterwards where where no one's requiring you to do anything. What is your exercise routine looking like now? And where do where do you make space for that? In your life.
Well, I think the first thing is realizing that I did not have to work out howard I want to play. That was the first thing, is like I was out like running crazy sprints, like I'm going to like go out there and like tackle people again. So it was for so for a long time. I had to learn like, hey, you can just jaw like it's all right, you don't have to like sprint around the lake, you know what
I mean. So that was the first thing, and now it's really it took it took a lot of research for me to realize what it actually takes to just live have a healthy life and a healthy body, you know. So now it's gone to two to three times a week of like I would say, like string you with things, you know, like lift like I don't wait anyone. I didn't want to such a waiting my life again because that's all I ever did. So like I'll do like calistemics where it's like pull ups, push ups and stuff
like that. Not a runner don't like running, so I don't run. So my cardiovasplas evers like sauna. It's like the closest that I'll get and I'll try to jog. We have a I'll ride by a lake. I'll try to drag around the lake sometimes if only I'm invited, I won't go out there by myself.
You're putting it in a different a different place in your life. You spend a lot of time on it earlier. If you spend a little less time on it now, how do you I'm curious how you see your business developing over the next few years? Is your you know, get all these people watching your videos? Where do you see this this going?
Well? Now, you know, for a long time, I've just been expressing how I felt, and I knew people resonated with it, and through that, you know, I've gotten a lot of reason. It's giving me great opportunities to work with like really big brands, and that's been that's been awesome. But now I feel like I have something that I want to get to the world that I've always felt in my core and in my being, and it's I call it harmony. That we're all looking for harmony out
in our lives. When you think about an orchestra, all the people who are doing everything that they can and leaning in their strengths to make these beautiful sounds and I think about my life and how many things are constantly moving around. All I'm ever trying to do is just find harmony for myself. So I can find harmony from out, give the best, give myself the best opportunity find to have harmony with my wife and my kids and my friends. And it's so reassuring to me because
it's something that you always have to work on. So now these ideas and these philosophies of like how I get up in the morning, or how I think about fitness, how I think about time, all goes back to like this idea of having harmony and always working to have that harmony. So now I'm finding myself wanting to speak like I'm doing the podcast and I'm starting a clothing brand that's called Harmony to bring people back to this
way of thinking about our lives. So that's why you see myself focusing on.
Now son any different extension that you can come up from this concept of harmony basically.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
We'll keep it sharing it with a broader audience for sure. Yeah.
So I always ask people, what is something you have done recently to take a day from great to awesome?
You know, I think a lot of like my shift from going from great to awesome, it's all based on like how I look at something more than like something that I put in my planner to do and it changed and I it was a better day for me, like the more like deep thinking and writing that I do. It's all about how I look at things more so than like something drastically changing for me to have an awesome day, because you know, I used to hear people say, like you every day was great every day. I'm like, well,
that's really hard for me to like to accept. But when I changed my mindset, it was easy for me to realize, you know, like life is good and like everything's okay. So for me, it's more of a mindset shift to have more consistent awesome days by the way that I just view, I guess being appreciative of doing things that I enjoy.
Well, I'm curious, was there any time recently that you know, objectively, the day wasn't looking all that great and you were able to to shift your mindset about it?
Hm? I mean it's like, what kid, do I want to choose? Yeah, well, actually this is you. This morning, So my youngest daughter, Quincy came in here, and you know, when I'm in the morning, it's like, I don't know me. I'm trying to answer these questions like I want my time, and she came in here, and she came in here to talk to me, and typically it'll be really easy for me to be like Quincy like that leave daddy alone,
like it kind of knocks me off. And then I was able to like be patient with her and like sit with her and still do my thing. And right then it clicked to me, like, oh, like I still can't get the writing done. It's just about shifting a little bit and making sure that she's commed. If I don't give her the love that she's looking for, it's just it's going to be more tough. She's too, she's
gonna keep coming back. She's understanding I'm sitting there writing, so I would say, and for me, if I have a bad morning, it's really hard for me to have a bad day. So that's little shift in mindset there. I would say, too, not even a great day, like it could have been a bad day to an awesome day, just by realizing what was going on with my two year old.
Yeah that's great.
Yeah, no, you can't really push off a two year old and expect them to understand like, oh, oh, I see you had something else you were doing. Go yeah, pardon me, Yeah, it's all good, Okay, Yeah.
What are you looking forward to right now?
I think building out harmony for me, like now that I understand like all the things that I've been going through all these years, that I have a way to conceptualize it and give it to the world, it really excites me. And I feel like I'm really at a point in my life where I'm getting up and I'm
doing something that doesn't feel like work. It's just like I'm doing something that I want to like give to the world because I really know how much has helped me, and I think it can help other people because just like with you do, there's it's practical, but it takes work and I think that is the magic formula and that's just really exciting for me.
Awesome, awesome. Well where can people find you?
They can find me on Instagram That's where I'm mainly has just said CEB and then on my podcast or just conversations with said and YouTube take talking soolow is my name's well said.
Thank you so much. For joining us. Thank you to everyone for listening. If you have questions about this or any other episode, you can always reach me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com and in the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most.
Of our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.