Ronnie Brown

Duo's un running back history. Ronnie Brown, Welcome to the Cut to A podcast. Man, I appreciate it from b I appreciate this. I'm Steve. You know our co star, our co host, Gerard Little John A K G. And then you know backstage Joe he's doing he does all the backstage stuff in booking. Man, we got the three amigoes. Man, we do a really I got a really good team. And then Brian bought two Chevis and Taylor up on the up on the dial and uh man got a

great team. And then Meredith Carter our producers. Well, man, we got I got a lot of got a lot of great people. Let me let me rephrase it. I got smarter people behind me. We got we brought the goones with us today. We got goons. We brought We're the goons. I'm y'all, good y'all, good y'all, some good folks. But goon is not the category album. I'm I'm gonna get my assworth if y'all my goons. I'm done in the podcast world. Yea, in the podcast world. I'm straight

in the streets. Molly Wapping is coming. So let's get into it, man, so we can get down to your to the nuts and bolts of what you're doing right now, because I'm super excited about this because we have a lot of conversation here on the podcast on business and Corporate America versus the transition, the corporate America version and how they see things, and then obviously us being athletes and how making adjustment. So we'll we'll get into that, but you know, let's let's do a little some little

ice breakers. Um. So, one thing from your childhood that you have carried into your adulthood is what man, It's I come from a small community, so it's probably just that lack of trust. Um, like you said that, you know, not really trusting a lot of people. I think that, you know, I think just looking at people for who they are. What's one of the worst jobs you've ever had? Man, I did construction right before I went off to school.

They hand me on the roof retar and roofs Ye, that's that's that's manual labor right there, that's the dark skating work right there. We're gonna lead the brown back tests. And I get Here's the thing, though, man, construction work, I don't care what you are, who you think you are. It will let you know what you ain't for sure. Yeah, and let me know I ain't cut out for that. I'll tell you that I worked construction. You want a lot of truth on how long I worked. Whoever signed

up for a man a lot of me. So the lie is, man I worked the whole summer. The truth is I worked two days and I was done. They had me in Utah working construction, and they had us doing a drill like chiseling down dirt. Well, my first day chiseling, I chisel for about two and a half three hours. I tell you, I was still shaking at lunch like I was holding it, holding the chiller. I was shaking. I said, man, I am not working. This is not me. I went to school not to do this,

and this show me. No, sir, I am not built for manual labor. I'll make I'll make food, I'll cook, I'll sweet this right here, this here, this construction. It ain't for me. I had to shake the rest of the day like I was holding the chiseler walking around, I was drying. I was like this. I was like, man, this is m all right. Last one. One thing we don't know about you that you like to share. I actually wanted to be a professional baseball player. Baseball was

my first love. Okay, what possession? Center field? Oh yeah, Well, let me tell you something. I'm thinking that little mustache you got under your lip, you need to shave it. I don't want to ask you for years anyway, like why you wear your hat like that? Why you want to be in the build up? What's up with that? Well, since we're gonna talk about questions today, Well, honestly, so, I used to wear them like you know how you used to wear the hats and you go down like

baseball player. Yeah, like baseball player. Well, hell, you can't see like you know how you turn left or turn right. And the truth is, one time I went forward and I hit my head's like the I was like, man, this ship is getting in the way. And I've been wearing hats since I was like ten years old, so I just but the point of the bat. It's my damn head. It ain't It's just like your nasty lips. It's my head. I people was asking many les, ain't got no problem with my hat collection, because they I

stayed getting a new fitted all the time. I don't know. I just like thething like that. I don't know. I mean the other didn't see. I don't know if it was a reason behind it. Yeah, because that's how I wanted it. Is it okay? Like does it bother you a little bit? Hey? Man, you liked it? I love it.

That means yes, running funny already you know it's funny, And we probably would agree this conversation and banter normally does not happen on the football field, especially with us being older and then a new generation they're cool like this. But the old generator, boy, we did not banter. We did not talk. It was professional dislike, is that is that accurate? Yeah, we ain't got nothing to talk about.

We got to talk about doing the game. This it's different, like these cats different, like they to the McDonald's Alive. I went to the McDonald's All American Game a few years ago, and usually growing up how I grew up. If you and I didn't play basketball. But if you're a guy on this side of town, you hear the guy on the other side of town supposed to be the best when you're playing. Definitely like now, like they're cool, they'd be dapping up doing they helped each other. I'm like, bro,

this game doesn't change. It's just different. A lot of friendships. Are you friends with the with the cat who's on the rival team of the school that's down the street. Now we're not. We're not friends like we might. We might play a you together, we made cross shoulders, but like you still ain't like cool cool like that, Like no, we wanted to be Brandon sets Pete. You ain't trying to be like them. You ain't. We ain't kicking it. It's a little different. It is different. Yeah, it's a

lot different. I remember having cousins on the other team, like our rival team. They were gonna get it, just like they were gonna get it first. They were gonna get it first, like hey, you you relative, so you know how it's gonna gets Look already know I know cousin Ronnie, So let me get him out the way now. Yeah. Yeah, so that's why I just I've been wearing my hats ever since. I like it this way. And I don't know as one as one social media person said, um,

I was reading comment. He said, Man, a hat company. See Steve Smith coming and they get upset. You know, you grew up in the country. You kind of rough. Oh, I tell you I did. I didn't go to the dentist. I was in the league thirteen cavities later. I'm good. I noticed that too, Bro, I love you, but I noticed we really didn't got out of the first second. Yeah, he got the most jokes ever. Watching these two dudes play, it was pretty hold on one thing. I do have

a bone the pit Cadillaci, damn ro Ronnie Brown. They're doing that. Damn what was that? What was that office? Y'allway was running wildcat the wildcat man. We tried to do that. Do that here, Carolina when I was, I was at my prime. You better get that out of here with a real receiver out there. Y'all had no receiver. I know you have to be frustrated. Frustrated I had. Our offense coordinator was Dan Henney. Yeah, bro, listen, that

was a default offense for us. You gotta understand. I played in Miami for six years and I think I had ten eleven different quarterbacks. That strategy it was. They still ain't they still ain't recover. They're still looking for a quarterback. But they still living. They still living in Marino days. Marino ain't coming back, all right. So you know, tell us where are you from? In a place you

call your hometown. So I grew up in a little tack called Cartersdal like north of Atlanta, about forty five minutes, but I had to live in like Atlanta now down south Georgia. Boy, So yeah, authentically the word, but like that's that's my word. Yeah, you know what I'm saying. Where you're from? The whole nine? Yeah, I read you said you didn't have a lot. Explain to us growing up without a lot, Because there's some folks without a lot.

It varies and it looks differently. Yeah, for me, I mean it was, I mean it was I grew up in a like I said, small town, but both of my parents, you know, had drug issues. Who you know, I'm fortunately have passed over the last year, my mom COVID and my dad from cancer. But just you know, in a situation like that, I mean, it was small town, you know, and you hear the they're saying it takes a village. Well, you know, I had cousin. I grew

up in the trailer. You know, we had the carosene heater where you had to go out and pump the little carrosene in it. And so growing up, you know, in an environment like that. Our road that I lived on was called Brown Road. So most of the people on my on my road, you know, at that time,

were relatives. Yeah, that's the story. People don't don't hear, right because they look at you and they see what you've done, who you are, and they automatically assume no, he you know what's the word that you know, he's he's entitled. He he doesn't know what hard work looks like. But there's people that, like you're saying, you kerosene heater and the trailer and there's some folks I was poor man. I ain't had no jars. And you remember that, and you remember that and you take it with you. You

never you never, you never leave that behind. No, they don't. You grew up playing baseball, like you said, But what other sports did you love as a kid. I mean it was baseball and football. For me. I had an older brother who you know, he wrestled, um, he did baseball, he did football. But you know, for me, it was I was the youngest in the family too, and so I had older cousins and so the big thing was, you know, they were gonna, you know, they beat up

on me. You know, my brother he's seven years older, and so just that whole situation and it made me tough, but it made me want to be like them, and so and it was just I stuck to them too,

and that was, you know, really my escape. You know, a lot of us say, you know, I think just realistically speaking for a lot of you know, athletes, for the majority of us, you know, we're from environments where it's not a lot there's not a lot of resources, and so you know, I like those type of guys because they have an edge to them, but more importantly, like it's just you know, I didn't I didn't think about going to college until my sophomore year when I

started to get letter letters and I'm like, oh, this might be real because neither one of my parents went to school. And so for me, my motivation, I wasn't running to the NFL. I was running from my current environment, you know what I'm saying. Like growing up, you know, both of my parents, you know, they get in the fist fights, like you know, my dad unfortunately, you know, it was a big drinker. My mom as well, you know,

the drugs and all of that stuff. So I'm like, the only way out is through this round, you know what I mean. And so you know, when you look at that, my whole motivation was I when I went to go to school, I don't want to come back to this environment. Let's it's a choice that I made that once I go to school, I gotta go back. And so just kind of keeping that as motivation, that was something that you know, I always stuck to the back of my head because I mean the other part

of people got to realize too. I was never a start running back like at all the university, my rookie year we had Rudy Johnson, he went to the league, and then the next year Cadillac comes in. He's the starter. So I'm a backup. And then to get drafted where I did, that was a bonus. And then getting in Miami. You know, I spent my whole career splitting time with Ricky, So it was just a lot different for me. And so it had to be that grind mentality. What what

what double back to? You know, you having all these stences as a running back, But who was Ronnie Brown as a kid. You've you've referenced your parents, You've referenced Brown Road. Who was Ronnie himself as a kid? I mean for me, I mean, I'm just a humble guy, small town guy, um, you know, with aspirations of being more, you know, even to this day, like after you know, going to the NFL. I didn't look at that as

a career. I just looked at it as an opportunity. Um. One the motivation was to put my parents in the better situation, but also just paying it forward like with my kids and my kids kids, just changing the trajectory of that family structure. Um, you know, whereas I didn't have the aspirations like of knowing you know what it's like to expect to go to a college or university. But now my kids, you know, my wife and I

both graduated from Harvard. So for my kids, we go to gymnastics, needs, we go to basketball games, football game. The expectation for my kids when I get to college. And so you know, my son's eight, my daughter six, and so for them to even say that, that's a win for me, you know what I mean? Man, talking about college, I didn't realize you had committed to the University of Tennessee as a linebacker. Yeah, why, How like you play running back, right, but you committed to being

a linebacker. Why? Yeah? So in in high school when you're on you know you're from a small town, you know, I mean, I wasn't from a small town. I played It's a lot of dudes that played dump, you know, both sides. Yeah yeah, So I played both ways, and so I played strong safety, and I played some lineback, and I played running back. And so you know, my first probably couple off of with the exception of you know,

Georgia Tech. Most of those guys Clemson, um, you know Tennessee, they wanted me to play linebacker, and so you know, I just wanted to rock. You know, the guys that carried the mere get to score the touchdowns, and so you know, that was what my passion was at. So when I committed to Tennessee, you know, they had Jamal Lewis and uh um, what's Travis's last? Travis Travis, And so I'm like, man, I like the way these guys running the football, and so I'm like, man, I want

to go here. And you know, they stilled they downhill approach and then when they started then coaches started talking about possible moving the linebacker and all of this stuff. I'm like, man, wait a minute, let me let me see what else out there. So I took one official visit and went to Auburn. And how I got committed the album was when I first got there, I was recruited to play baseball there as well, and so the first style was the baseball facility and then ended up

locking it. It was like a small town, ain't nothing in the aver but Alver and so I was like, man, this feels like home. And so I end up committing to Tennessee. I meant to albur or de commend from Tennessee going to Auburn like a week or so before signing day, And so, were you gonna play baseball as well? Are you just you were just set on playing football? Yeah, I thought about it. You know, in that recruiting you know how a lot of them conversations go, you hear

a lot of stuff. Yeah, a lot of stuff that might not necessarily be true when you get there. And so, you know, when I got there, it was like, oh, yeah, you can't play baseball. But since you have a football scholarship, all the obligations for football come first. So you come to win the workouts, you come to all of this stuff. Then you go to baseball practice and I'm like, man, the first year after seeing it, you know, I end up red shirting, trying to do that wasn't playing and

trying to do school. I'm like, yeah, I'm gonna be one of them tests to be back at the career real fast. So I ain't even I ain't never give it a shot. That's one of my biggest regrets though, that I didn't give it a shot. This is a non football question, but how much did college prepare you

for life? Not much at all? You know, I think the big part about it, the biggest thing that came from sports to me was, you know, I met a lot of people that I wouldn't have other otherwise met, you know, like being on this podcast, like a crossing paths with someone of you know, your statue, Meeting guys like you guys. You know, I think that was the

biggest thing that football deal for me. But outside of that, in terms of you know, me coming and going in corporate America, I had zero preparations, especially like even getting drafted. You know, I wasn't financially ready. I didn't understand that, and so, you know, whow draft day was probably one of the most exciting days. It was also one of the scariest coming from where I come from. I didn't know what to do with it. And then you gotta think somebody to give me money and take me and

put me in a city like Miami. Um, you know that was kind of how do I navigate this? And in the back of my mind and I'm thinking, I just don't want to be one of them guys that go broke and not really know what the situation or mess this situation up. Thanks for listening to my dad. And talk a lot. He loves to talk. Just give him a minute and he'll be right back. I love cut to It, and I love it even more when you download us and subscribe, and you can follow us

on social media too, Smithie, Where where at? That's at? Cut to It on Instagram? What about Twitter? At? Cut to It Facebook? Cut to It featuring Steve Smith singr? What about online? And you can follow us at cut to It podcast dot com where you can buy merch and you can subscribe to us wherever you listen to podcasts. I got all my answers questions. Um, yeah, I got all my questions answered. That's what I'm here for, a brother,

cut to a Podcast dot com. You're a financial advisor now and you get to look back at Ronnie when he got drafted. You know your story, right, and this isn't a time for us to dredge up and then try to poke hose through your story. But just to hear you're going backwards into saying like were you really set up for success? And if you were not, why

is that? Because before you answer, there are a ton of people right just you know, we can all drive past the situation and assume why that individual is there for instance, mental health, right some people mental health or even if you take an aspirin, you're take an aspirin for the symptoms. But sometimes we don't go to the root cause. And you being a financial advisor now and also being the kid with the headache when you're in

the league, you would take and asper. But now you're a financial planning you get to go to the root cause. What do you believe some of your root causes were for you in some of the financial prosperity and mistakes that you made as a young man, you know, the environment, not even knowing what wealth accumulation was. You know, I think the majority of US athletes, our exposure to to wealth is usually tied to debt initially um and so growing up, why do you think it's tied to debt?

Let's just say for me, like, let's just say one year, like for Christmas, we couldn't afford you know, Christmas presents, and so you know, luckily I have a set of god parents, you know, white family that came in and I met my god brother at six years old. Plan you know, a recreation football. But one year my mom took you know my name, and you know, I'm junior. We applied for a credit card. That was how we

got Christmas presents for that year. And so not until after I graduated and I got drafted, I paid that off. And so my initial experience with having money was dead because I didn't know how to have money because I come from an environment where, you know, I was taught to survive. I never understood the benefits of thriving. I never heard of, you know, five to nine accounts. I never heard of some of these things to set you up,

you know, even life insurance. So there were certain things that I didn't even know about that I had to educate my cell phone. And so when you come from that type of environment, you don't know and you don't know what you don't know. And so you know, when you asked me about how to school prepare you for that, it doesn't because realistically speaking, a lot of the coaches that are tied to universities, their job is to win. They're not tied to you know, you going to class

or seeing what your major is. They don't ask you that. Like the one thing that most coaches and I ain't gonna say all is like are you eligible? It ain't us your g p A or what are you majoring in or what are you planning on doing? It's are you eligible? And then I don't even think it's coincidental that when you first get to school you bugged out with a bunch of elective classes. This has nothing to do with you know what you're trying to get into.

What's happening post college. You do a bunch of electives, and I think the initial thought is let's get in, help them get transition, to keep them eligible for sports. And then the ones that showed that they've got a lot of ability, those are the ones that we're gonna keep around. But the ones that don't, that's how we weed out the process. Um and so it ain't even a good process when you start from it. And you know, you hear a lot of the arguments, oh yeah, you

got a free education. Where you got to think about it, the majority of these guys didn't even go to college to go to school. They're going because of the opportunity to use this for a way to get to where they're trying to get to. I mean, I think you brought up an interesting point. It's on one hand, I can look at my college experience and say, I meant connections that have put me into the trajectory of my career and entrepreneur journey to where you know, they open

up a spot at the table for me. But other hand, I agree with you running into where I wasn't prepared for adulthood. Through through college, you don't learn about balancing the checkbook, you don't learn about that income ratio, you don't necessarily nless. You're like an economics major, but you don't necessarily learn all those tangible things. So it's it goes both ways. But I think ultimately the root of it goes to and I think it even just extends

outside of athletes. Is just financial literacy. If that, if that isn't passed down or if it isn't taught, it can evade someone very very quickly. Yeah, and and that's most guys story. Think about it, like you come from an environment and then you go into this to play sports. You know, you don't have a coach or even just let me take a step back, growing up, like we

don't apply educational knowledge. Like my son is eight years old, and so when he goes out, everybody, oh, like Reese Brown, he's the fastest guy in third grade, like the way that they applaud that they don't do the same thing for education and information because at the same time, you know, I'm looking at him and talk about the importance of going to school, and he's like, well, I don't want to be labeled as a nerd, and so you know,

there's a negative connotation with being a smart kid, you know, And so I think that was the case even growing up, Like you didn't want to be the smart kid. So that's why a lot of guys acted out or you know, it was kind of like the envy part of because I'm not smart, I get a chance to be a bully and so make it not cool to be the smart guy. And so, you know, I think that's a that's you that's another issue in itself, like they don't apply education or it's just that people don't like you

can't pass down something that you don't have. So I think that's the other part too, that that that that that information isn't obtained, so it can't be passed down. The other layer is they're also being a distraction because some of the um some of what they're learning or being taught, it isn't registering, right, they they're they're not grasping because we've taken out home economics. We're taken out that. You know. I I remember growing up when we did

it every year. Man, we used to make this little stupid silly teddy beer. Right, used to sow it, cut it out, yarn, put the cotton in there, and you know, make a phase. I be, well, but we used to. Yeah, you used to do that and cook all of that stuff. They don't have it anymore. It's you remember drivers in used to be offered in school. I remember they took drivers at out of my high school like two years

before I got to high school. Pretty much while I didn't get a drivers like I was about twin two, because you also, I also didn't have no folks to have insurance. You couldn't take the driver's test without insurance proof of insurance, so that ain't My family wasn't signed enough to get there are get the car taken. So it's uh so what what money wise? As an as an advisor and going into corporate America, it's been the

hardest transition for you. Would you say it's hard to be in a former athlete to transition to corporate America because of how people UH view you a thousand percent, you know, and I think there's two hurdles, right, and

so making that transition. One of the hurdles was because you know, I think certain people regarding me as a I guess someone who you know had been a professional being drafted, you know, second pick, and so wondering why like why would you transition into something else following you know, a career where you know, people look at it as, oh, I know how much money you made, And so in our own cults, especially as black people, is oh, you

must to be broke since you're working. Um. But then wait till you downsize what size and your neighbors looking at you like, oh, you know, must tricked off his money. Not that I'm talking personal, just tell me what they say when you're down size, right, And so that part

of it. But then also on the other end of the spectrum, the reason I emphasized education to my kids is transitioning into corporate America, I realized people don't respect athletes in an intellect you know what I mean, because and I've had a bunch of those conversations where, you know, when I first got into this and I'm taking the licensing exams and all of these things. You know, the first question is, uh, you know, did you take the series seven? Have you taken the sixty six? And I'm

like yeah, and then like and you passed? And I'm like yeah, Like just you know. And so those comments saying what are you saying a whole because that's a that's all disrespectful. That's how they look at us. The thing that I think about is people respect you for what you do, but not for what you think. We we love, we love your talent, but we don't love your mind. I always talk about is how athletes, how we assess, how we must adjust at halftime and in practice?

Right that how the corporate classroom lacks the adjustment They lack the ability to make. Like it takes six or seven months or sometimes six or seven years to even see the residdual of making one or two decisions, where those one and two decisions are the difference between winning and losing a game. And you you'll talk about it the following Monday after less than twenty four hours of of of experience in it. So, how did foot? How

did how did play? In sports? And corporate America, Like, how did they bud heads from you being a high obtained performing individual? Yeah? Well, I think one thing is as athletes, who especially aspire to do things intellectually, you have an advantaged because, like you said, like as athletes, you learn how to deal with adversity, you learn how

to be a team player and how to sacrifice. That ain't something necessarily true when you come into corporate America because that your existence is based on individual It's like you know everything that you learned up through you know, I think that point of marriage is what do I need to do to be better? Like? How can I do this? Like? What do I need to do? How?

And so it's all pertaining to I. Whereas you learn a sense of sacrifice being an athlete, you learned how to deal with adversities, You learn how to deal with challenges. You know, I wouldn't call it failures, uh, I call it learning lessons, teachable moments, and so you learn those things. So coming into corporate America, I felt like I had an advantage. My biggest hurdle was people not wanting to allow me to grow outside of that box that they

wanted to keep me in. As you know, the second overall pick the Miami Dolphin's former running back and wanting to keep me in that space. But intellectually, you know, I feel like there's you know, certain a lot of stuff to learn, but you know what we've done. It's not many people that can accomplish that. But being able to go and educate yourself, that's the easy part of

all you have to do is apply yourself. And so, you know, I think that's what really helped me, even with going through those tests, Like those exams weren't easy, Like it's the first time in my life I ever took a six hour exam, But to sit there and be dedicated, I know what that's like. It took me twenty two years to get to the NFL or you know, we'd say probably six team because he started at six

years old when I have started playing. And so to have that and understand what it means to be dedicated determined to an end goal, not a lot of people can say that, you know, And so I feel like that was my advantage and understanding that and being willing to do you know, because the guys like yourself to be like a guy that I you know, is a

hall of fame wide receiver. There is a will the commitment that normal people A lot of people don't understand that you have to be willing to do and certain sacrifices that you have to make to get to that level of success. And so to know that you're able to do that when you know most people would have quit at certain moments like breaking your form a, certain things.

Not everybody is willing to do that, and so I'm like, man, I'm willing to do something to not I'm willing to go you know where you are to get to where I'm trying to go. And part of that probably comes from, you know, an upbringing, but the other part of it is, you know, hey, just as a competitor, that's what I enjoy,

like it's being better. What are some of the biggest misconceptions that you've seen transitioning for football into corporate America That people have things you've you have seen with your eyes because of being a football player, not allowing we call a Jedi mind trick. You know, when you're running back, you're sitting in there and the in the and you're

right next to the quarterbacks. So the quarterback in the center has to make adjustments based on the defense, and if if the full if the free safety comes down, they slide and he comes down, and now he's the he's a he's a nickel uh linebacker, you know. And so they start to do things and then the quarterback says a magical word in that offense that tells all

the other men we have to make an adjustment. How is the adjustment ability in corporate America when you compared to football and and and or sports in corporate America, Dude, I think we're starting to see the effects of that. You know, we talk about, uh, you know, all of this mental stuff that's going on. I think a huge part of that is due to these adversities and the lack of being able to make adjustments, you know. I think as an effect of that is a lot of

the mental challenges we're seeing. Like I think that's you know, not what a lot of people used to, especially like in certain environments like my kids go to private school, right, and so I think one of the challenges in those environments is you're in a bubble because everybody around you is like you, you know, everybody has some type or for the most part, everybody has prominent financial means or everyone has shared goals of you know, where they come

from where whereas you know, when you talk about getting outside of that bubble and the reality of life, not everyone can deal with that adversity. That's why I think there's you know, a huge upside to creating diverse companies or being in diverse company Like Steve see if you can put on a jacket and go a suit and tie and go into a room with a bunch of billionaires, or you can go to you know, to the middle of the hood in l A and hang out and

be just as comfortable. Not everybody has that flexibility, and so being able to be able to be comfortable in

those different environments gives you an advantage. And so a lot of times in corporate America, people don't have that flexibility and don't know how to make those you know, own side adjustments or in the moment adjustments when it comes to you know, those disappointments or those adversities when you first got onto the corporate America, did something with your ability to make the adjustments where they counterintuitive for your success originally a little bit, because I think that

the reality of it is, like you lose a little bit of yourself, especially for me, Like, you know, I think to some degree at forty years old, now I don't think that I've always organically been myself. And that's sad to say. You know what I'm saying, I feel like in certain environments, you know, I in certain environments for me to make that transition, I feel like I had to assimilate to a certain environment, which made me uncomfortable, like,

you know, going into it. You know, now I don't really wear suits, but when I first got into it, you know, I was dressing with slacks and you know, I look like a little insurance guy, but I was you know, I was trying to make everybody feel comfortable with my presence, but I was the most uncomfortable in that. So I think it made it hard because working with some athletes, they kind of looked at it like, oh,

you lame now, you know what I'm saying. But then on the other end is you know, you're trying to fit into an environment, but you you really weren't meant to fit in anyway. UMHOA, WHOA, Why weren't you meant to fit in? Because you don't need to dress like an insurance guy to be in corporate America, like, just embrace it. You are who you are, Like, that's just

not how I normally dress. So the confidence didn't even come off as such because I didn't feel comfortable with all right, man like instead of wearing you know, these these dress shoes, you know, I'm gonna come in there, I got you know, maybe some jeans and Stan Smith's and you know, maybe a button up or something, but not trying to look like everybody else when you know you're not like it, I'm not like everybody else, like, and so just getting to a point of comfortable to

say that, like, man, listen, like, I'm not like you. My journey wasn't like yours, and so what I bring to the table is something totally different. And I just finally start I'm just finally starting to get to a point where I've accepted who I am to be able to go out and have those conversations as a representative of self and not trying to be something I'm not.

How many years have you been yourself now, it's probably the first year where I'm just getting comfortable with you know, and I know where people what the saying means, like elevation requires separation, Like it's just some people that just got to get left, or some people are just not gonna accept you for who you are. But until you true to yourself, it's not really gonna matter anyway. And you so you're really not successful, even though you may

reach some level of success. But if you're not yourself, then you're not really successful. And so you know, in going out of having these conversations, I'm just getting to a point to where I'm comfortable with acknowledging that and just saying, all right, man, if you don't mess with me, you just don't mess with me. Going along. But what's video said about misconceptions? Though? What's the biggest mixed conception

that people have about money? From your perspective as financial aboster, The the more money you have, the more intelligent you are. It's a lot of dumb billionaires out there, ain't it. And and that's the exact thing that you know, and I see it all the time, especially when you talk about, you know, people with money. And then that goes back to the athletes. A lot of times for athletes, you get drafted, you get these big signing bonuses. People expect

you to be responsible. I'm like, wait a minute, like these you twenty two years old, Like if I gave you anybody at two, you know, multiple million, you're gonna mess it up, especially when you have no idea what it looks like to have it, you know what I mean? And so you know, we want to associate intelligence with well and there's a lot of dumbies out here. They can get the lottery, they got a lot of money, they don't know what to do with it. There's two

things that I associate money is. A great example is one, I say, making an nfl IS because I've had people say, you know, how could you how could you trick off? How could you mess up the lot was a great example of people messing up money. And then also too being in the nfl IS. It is equivalent to getting your tax return. How many times just for me and my family, Well we got that tax return. That thing was spent before we got it. And then other thing. As a little kid, you want to know how a

kid is gonna treat something. Give somebody, give a kid. Well, back in the day before it became electronic, and you know, like David Buster's with the car card, give a kid five or ten bucks and take them to the to the arcade. Man, I just remember getting that five dollars, a couple of dollars when it used to be a quarter. Man, Give me a dollar and go play Miss pac Man. Right, you got those four quarters and it cost you know,

three quarters to play. You don't even know. You can see a kid how they are, and you can see adult how they are is how they play video game is in a in rk with their kids. When you get those points, you get that charge card when you don't have to pay attention to it. You can you can get a charge card to David Busters for you know, five thousand points for forty bucks, and in twenty in less than ten minutes, that card is down to zero that quick because you don't have to think about it.

You just get the swite or you know covid, you know tag it or you know wanded over and all of a sudden you're done good, do good? Do it? Get down to do it? Hey, Gerard, why did you get that T shirt? Oh? Yes, I got it from cut to a podcast dot com where we have exclusive merchandise. Shout out to our guys at seven or four shot. But yeah, you can go on, buy you a T shirt, subscribe to us wherever you listen to podcasts. Hey, we'll be remissed or running if we didn't. You know, at

least talk about your football career. And you mentioned Auburn just a little bit, but everyone of course remembers that duou and cadlight william is one of the best running back duos in history. SEC y'all had that undefeated season and oh four, just what are some of your fondest memories of of playing at Auburn. You know, for me,

it was just, uh, that relationship. You know, the guys that I came in with, you know in thousand the guys I got recruited with, you know, my roommate with Jason campbell Um, you know, Cadillan and Carlos Rogers came in the following year, and so just rowing with that group of guys and establishing those buns. I think that's what's different than being in the NFL locker room. It's

because you know, you're adults. You know, everybody got responsibility, some guys got families, and so you're not really creating that camaraderie like in two thousand four. You know, over those few years, we did everything together. We went out, you know what I'm saying. We went to the bars, we hung out, we did everything, and we created, you know, an environments where we believe in each other. And then even before they is we got to know each other, you know what I mean, Like I know where you

know Steve is from. Like I got to know about his family, like what motivated him. And so when I line up beside the guy, we go through the offseason worked out, I know exactly what I'm gonna get, so when we get on the field, it's easy to trust him.

Like especially for the guy that you know that you you know just you tie it with, you know, I know exactly what I'm about to get out of them, and so creating those bonds, like that's the best part about sport for me is I'm addicted to being a competitor, Like I compete in everything. I hate to lose more than I like to win. And so being in that environment, getting to know guys, you know, that was that was

the cool part. Then Jason, you you started to mention on names, Carlos Rogers, hell of a dB right that was stacked. But Jason, Jason Campbell I think of Jason Campbell. He was a guy that didn't get a fair opportunity when you look at when you look at his college career, and then you look at his football career. Every year he had a new coordinator. He never got to a just and get comfortable and and and that's the same

thing in financial world. How can you how can you really gain any traction, have any kind of residual passive income mailbox money if you're constantly transactionally changing philosophies, you know to where it just doesn't help you. And Jason Campbell is one of those guys. When I go back and as an analyst, I go back and go, man, this dude with the forty and honors, with the with the Washington UH Washington Commanders, Washington football team. He never

had consistency. It was always he was always moving. It was always a moving target. The gold post always moved for him. Now that you are a financial planner, and now you've been on in football, mh going backwards of what you knew being a Miami Dolphin, being an Auburn Tiger, what what would you change or alter for yourself or other men or women coming out of college that can help help you stay on the right path. Yeah, I think bro, the real, the honest part of that is

understanding the power of education. You know, and I think we all hear it. Knowledge is power, but to really understand it at this space, especially as athletes, because you know, I go into these different environments and a lot of these guys look at athletes just like pray because you're gonna get a lot of money, but you don't have a lot of understanding and knowledge. So that creates opportunity to take advantage of guys. And so there's a lot

of that that happens. But just in general and life, the more knowledgeable you are, you can limit a lot of the b s, a lot of the I think bad decisions and make more educated decisions. And so you know, as individuals, we gotta be willing to educate ourselves involved and engage ourselves in the process. You know, too many times, you know, even myself. That's part of the reason I transition is there was too many times I gave people power and rain over my financial situation, you know, without

getting an understanding of it. You see guys all the time, like you're in the locker room, you ask a guy. You know, whether you don't have a lot of financial conversations, but when you do, it's like, hey, how much you pay your guy? And it's like, oh, I pay one percent. Most guys don't even know one percent of wood or how that's made up, or what the constructor how that's constructed, or you know, and getting involved in it, you hold your agent more accountable than you do your financial vious.

It's like, what's up with this deal? What's up with it? And we don't have those comments. And so we have to make it normal to educate ourselves about the stuff that we're involved in, whether it's businesses, investments, you know, life people that were involving and allowing to be a part of our circles. It's just the education that has to be there. Both both of y'all lightly touched on mental health. But Ronnie, what do you do in terms of taking care of your mental you You've mentioned both

of your parents recently passed away. I can relate to that. I just had a parent that that I lost in the past years. So what do you do to take care of yourself mentally? You know, I'm working on that, you know, and I'm acknowledging that, you know, because I

appreciate that. I appreciate that. I wish because we all have trauma from growing up, you know, certain environments, certain things that we dealt with, and that shapes us the older we get, whether it's the parenting style or different things that how we respond to certain you know, situations. And so I actually just had a conversation with my wife the last few months about I mean, I think I'm gonna go start seeing like a therapist or something just to kind get someone get some of those things

out that I know it down there before. You know, at some point if they you know, as I get older and certain things that I experienced that they started to kind of come back and and show their face. And so, you know, that's something that I want to get get more involved with. It's easy to bear it, and it's easy to pretend like it's not there. Yeah, and you know, I think jay Z his whole you know, I think his quote was, you know, you can't heal

something that you're not willing to reveal. And so I know it's some stuff down there that I just need to get out and have a conversation about. What's some of the disadvantages you have now is have ever a advisor walking into some of these meetings with sooner be athletes or sooner get drafted, or do you stay away from athletes? You know, yeah, yeah no, And working with that. The biggest part of that is thro the hurdle of

I'm not entertaining the boy ship. I'm not telling the guy man, listen, I'm gonna help you finance this car. Are like, bro, you don't need none of that stuff. And it's not shiny. It's not attractive to a lot of these young guys, especially being in those situations, because I know how that ends up for a lot of guys. I've seen it, and so and just knowing that a lot of these guys aren't for you. You know, it's a transactional relationship, you know, and we all know how

some of those relationships start. But at the end of the day, as a business guy, logically speaking, there's nothing free in life. And so if you wanted them guys, has somebody been giving you money to sign with them, you gotta understand just in the nature of business, they're gonna recoup their money first before anything happens. And so, you know, just not being willing to even have those conversations with guys. It probably cuts off a lot of

access to a lot of people. Um. But then also on the other side of it, it's being a threat to a lot of the guys that are already in it because I'm not willing to tell a guy a lie, and I'm gonna keep it, you know, a buck with them and tell them the truth about how this works because I'm not interested. I don't I don't want to share in your fame and order. I don't care about going to professional games and being on the sideline of

being on your Instagram. I got my own family, And so at the end of the day, I'm here to hopefully for you to assist you in life after this over, because it don't make no sense if you go through all of this and you finished and you ain't got nothing to show for it, like that's a sense of failure. And so you know, my whole goal is for you when you when you finish this is to kind of create a lifestyle is sustainable and not being interested in what everybody else doing. And so you know, it limits

the access um. It makes the entry point a lot harder because there's not a lot of relationships that are being created because it's not a lot of what we said earlier, authentic relationship. Has it been tough? Has it been tough for your relieving to to walk into walking too? This mean? Because I know, let's be honest, I know you didn't chat. I got my I got my combined book last last week. And in the combine book, um, they have things that you can fill out and it

has miscellaneous information. And some of the miscellaneous information is information at these young men have divulged on their own. Mm hmmm, it is some there's some well of a tails in that thing. There's some well of a tails. Yeah. Now it's been tough, you know what I mean because making the transition one a lot of us. You know, I'm in a locker room with you. Then I transitioned in a few years later, you see me as a financial visor one you already don't trust that that process.

And so strategically speaking, that's why I kind of went with a bigger firm and had to get in the credentials and all of that stuff. And then I compare that with the the real life experience of going through it. You know, I'm like, it ain't too many guys that can say they went and got drafted where I did, went through those experiences, but now on the other side

of the table to assist you through that. And so you know, now I'm somewhat of a threat to a lot of guys, not right, So I'm affecting that chain of command because it's like, wait a minute, we allow running to get in one. He can speak the language of a lot of the athletes and he understands it. But then too, he has the ability to to give them the good advice about stuff that they're gonna experience and to keep it real life experiences and not try

to hide in them. Because at the other end of that, I'm like, man, I don't even I don't need your money, you know what I mean, Like, I just it's it's exciting for me to be able to give you the game that I wish I had to know, you know.

And a lot of times, Steve, you know, like because of that pride, we don't even keep it a hundred when our advisors, our people have taken advantage of us, or we get in situations like we don't share them stories with the young guys, you know what I mean about people that are you know, wronged us or whatever? Because that pride, we don't want to let nobody know that we were ball in this situation, so we don't even speak on it. And unfortunately the next guy gets

taken advantage of. I used to my financial guy. I used to go from practice. I would go and watch him input the stocking, like just to make sure he did it right, and also that I can learn. So my financial guy, I have a good relationship where he was willing to teach me. So I actually interned. I interned. He was with U B s Ubs and then Morgan Stanley.

I interned with him for two years and learned, and I was I was kind of on my route to take my serious seven and then my wife said, no, you, you, you and these numbers y'all need to give it a rest, right And and I'm a numbers guy already. You're talking about man, I can. I can sit with a note

pad and inkpay, I can get after it. And so what what has been the most rewarding aspect of the of your of your new venture and job and and and to some degree you know, I'm not stepping on a limb here and saying it, but you do believe you're calling and what you feel like God has put you here not just to serve your family, not just be a great husband, to bring to be a great son and and and father, but just you know, also

paying it forward. Yeah, and that's that's it, man. Like I believe in servant leadership, UM, and I feel like I was called to go through that whole experience of growing up how I did, going through all and going through the NFL, just to be in this situation to you know, assist people. You know, unfortunately people whold money in such a high regard, so to see them get that that financial freedom or to at least have a strategy of plan in place to where it creates some

comfort and not you know, the pressures. You know, it's that's rewarding. And you know, I think knowledge and information only as good as your willingness to share that. And so it wouldn't do me any good to learn all this stuff if I'm not willing to share it with you know, a lot of the younger guys. You know, I work with a lot of none athletes as well, and so you know, that's that's the beauty in it, um, is being able to share that and see somebody feel

comfortable with that, that whole process. So for people who may not know, what is servant leadership and how does that differ from other types of leadership for me, because I would never tell somebody to do something that I'm not willing to do myself, you know, just the same way that you know I'm telling you know, people to do stuff. That's what I'm doing myself. You know what I mean. And so you know, in this position, a

lot of times we get it wrong. Is because as a leader, we feel like we stand in front of a group, we tell them what to do, and nobody's holding us accountable. But I'm like, man, listen, I'm in the bunker with you. You know what I mean, and so understanding, Like listen, when we when I say do this, it's from experience or it's from something that I'm doing myself. Now, will I always be right? Absolutely not. You can't always.

You can't always predict an unpredictable, especially with money, um and human error, human feelings in the business ventures or or also the economy right right, And so I'm like, you know, I never era and you I mean if you hold me account I mean, if you you know, fire me from being honest with you. You know, then I'm fine with that. But you ain't gotta worry about

me ever lying to you. You know, are trying to get over And so you know, I think when I think of servant leadership is you know, doing what I'm telling you to do myself, and you hold me just as accountable, you know, as because there's it's accountability thing. Who's the most difficult client It's the athletes because we don't know. And so there's an educational hurdle that you know, because I tell you should never invest in anything that

you don't understand. And so if I try to make it too difficult understanding, you probably should be worried about what's happening. Um and so you know, this thing should be simple. And so there's not a lot of people willing to invest the time into the education process to make sure the athletes are comfortable or to know exactly what's going on because unsfortunately in certain situations, people are

trying to hide something or there's just transparency. And so to be willing to make that commitment to educate these these young men, you know, it's a big key. And then you know, it's a time commitment and to know that, you know, my investment is seeing how well they do

after this is all said and does. And so in dealing with that client Tere group, it's a lot it's a bit of a challenge because you know, there's a trust barrier that has to be there because you know, a lot of us don't even trust this process anyway because it's so new, like we didn't know and you you should grow up. You shouldn't trust a new process, right, especially with assets that you know you hopefully, hopefully you are going to be able to rely on for the

rest of your life. And if you're doing it well enough and your advisor has the right perspective, it's generational changing, it's generational wealth. It should be uh actually, and this is my philosophy. You should you should have your money working for you to where you comfortably can take a portion out instead of aside for the next generation. So your grand your grand kids should be getting a portion

of your assets just off rip. Because for me, when I look at wealth and other cultures, that's how it is. It's generational, Like you know, I say it for me. For black folks, sometimes we get jealous at inheritance. Right, we get jealous. Uh, she didn't even earn her money. Yeah, you're right, because her her family decide it. We're going

to invest in this. So Trey, right, Steven the third, like the third, you know it's Steven Steve Smith Senior, Steve Smith Jr. And then it's Tray Steve Smith the third or the you know, the third should be reaking the benefit of me breaking my arm. Uh in New York. I just you can't trick it off in Vegas all the time. You gotta you gotta have something to show for what it just wasn't in theherage to pass along anyway. Right. So that's that's that's the other part of the whole conversation.

So um, running you you mentioned your forty where you're gonna be in the next ten years, that mean you'd be fifty and I'll be man, I think, uh, you know, for me, it's one my kids, my son you know, off the college, my daughter doing well in high school. For me personally, I don't have an end zone with

this one, Like I don't have a goal line. Like I'm trying to see how many guys I can help, how many people I can help how many families I can affect um with doing this mission and so you know who knows like, I'm gonna do it to the best of my ability and see where it takes me. But I honestly can say I don't have an end zone. I don't you know. I ain't trying to cross the goal line with this one because there is no number for it. Well appreciate you, bro, I know you. I

know you got some you got some financial careers to save. Man, and then keep doing your thing and we'll hit you. We'll link up. Man. Since you right there in Atlanta, Man, we can give your excuse to come up to Charlotte. Hey, man, I do it. You are a unique person. You are well worth it, you are competent and most of all, your lovable. I'm Steve Smith Singer, I'm Gerald Little John and this is cut to It. Cut to It with

Steve Smith, Senior. That Is Me is a production of Cut to It LLC, Balto Creative Media, The Black Effect, and I Heart Radio. For more podcast from I Heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows from Cut to It. Executive producer Steve Smith, SINGR co host Gerard Little John, talent and booking manager Joe Fusci. Social media team Wesley

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