NFL Player to Man in a Van (ft. Joe Hawley)

NFL Player to Man in a Van (ft. Joe Hawley)

How giving up the things you don’t need gives you more of the things that matter most

OPENING QUOTE:

“In that moment I was really filled with regret because I was waiting for an opportunity to be handed to me. In that moment, I was about to be on the streets, my dreams squandered without a job, and that was the first moment in my life that I was just filled with regret, like a visceral feeling of regret. I knew I didn’t give it all I had. So, through some different circumstances they ended up keeping me on the team and that was a big shift not only in my football career, but my entire life because I promised myself from that moment, I knew that eventually my time in the NFL would be done, but it’s not going to be because I didn’t give it everything that I had.” —Joe Hawley

GUEST BIO:

Joe Hawley is a former NFL player who played eight seasons with the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In 2017, he decided to walk away from pro football on his own terms, giving everything he owned to charity and setting out in a van with his dog on a cross-country trip that transformed his life. Now he’s on a journey to inspire others and help them find themselves.

Learn more about Joe Hawley:

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CORE TOPICS + DETAILS:

[10:00] - Control Your Controllables

When you’re in the driver’s seat, what do you do?

There will always be things that are outside our control, for better and for worse. But it’s what we do with the things we can control that defines our lives— and we can control how we show up and respond to the events that we can’t control.

[19:00] - The Power of Showing Up

Want to Succeed? Get up and go.

When it comes to football, it’s not about who has the most money, the nicest helmet, or the best area code. It’s about who shows up. Life is the same. The people that consistently keep putting themselves where they need to be are the ones that make it to that next level.

[30:02] - The Addiction of Comfort

Why are choices like the one Joe made so hard?

When we come to crossroads in life, our instinct is always to choose what’s comfortable and familiar. But usually, our greatest breakthroughs lie somewhere down the dark, foggy, unknown path— like the thought of hopping in a van alone and touring the nation fresh off a pro football career.

[40:39] - Playing a Leader vs. Being a Leader

Leadership isn’t all inspiring speeches

There come moments when we’re given a vision of creating something truly meaningful with and for the people around us, and those are the moments where true leadership emerges. It’s when we put aside fear and say, “This is bigger than me and it wants to be created through me.”

[47:38] - The Service Mindset Pushes Forward

Need motivation? Look to the person beside you

When Joe Hawley needed motivation to push through to the next level and couldn’t find it within, he found it in the person next to him. Every athlete knows that sometimes it’s the thought of not wanting to let down your teammate that gets you through that hard play, hard game, or hard practice. Sometimes it’s about showing up for someone else until you can learn to show up for yourself.

RESOURCES:

[0:30] - The Power of Playing Offense[6:12] - The Hart Collective[20:17] - Rich Diviney, Playmakers Episode

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Learn more about Joe Hawley

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ABOUT THE HOST:

Paul Epstein may not be a hard charging running back on the actual football field, but his list of high-profile wins in the world of sports will have you thinking that he could be.

Paul has spent nearly 15 years as a pro sports executive for multiple NFL and NBA teams, a global sports agency, and the NFL league office. He’s transformed numerous NBA teams from the absolute bottom in league revenue to top-two in financial performance. He’s broken every premium revenue metric in Super Bowl history as the NFL’s sales leader. He’s opened a billion-dollar stadium, helped save the New Orleans NBA franchise, and founded the San Francisco 49ers Talent Academy.

He's since installed his leadership and high-performance playbook with Fortune 500 leaders, Founders and CEOs, MBAs, and professional athletes.

Now, as Founder of Purpose Labs, keynote speaker, bestselling author, and host of the Playmakers: Impact Unleashed podcast, Paul explores how living and working with a focus on leadership, culture, and purpose can transform organizations and individuals anywhere to unleash their full potential.

Learn more about Paul at PaulEpsteinSpeaks.comOrder Paul’s new bookThe Power of Playing Offense

CREDITS:

Paul Epstein: Host | [email protected]Connor Trombley: Executive Producer | [email protected]