Sense of Soul - Be Coachable

Episode Date: August 30, 2021

We had a great conversation with Britt Gusmus, he is an author, teacher, coach, and expert in personal development. He is a husband, a Dad and fellow sports enthusiast. Britt is inspiring and impacting schools, teams, communities, and organizations with motivation and compassionate leadership.  He was the Co-Author of the book, “The Impact of Influence” a #1 Best Seller on Amazon.  In this episode he shares with us, his new upcoming book, “The Oak Tree Source, How to Become A Man Of Strength, Substance, and Spirituality Today.” We hope you enjoy our conversation and that you find motivation from Britt's contagious energy.   Learn more about Britt Gusmus, at his website and find out more about his upcoming book “The Oak Tree Source,” below at the book website. https://brittgusmus.com/ https://theoaktreesource.com/ Follow Britt’s journey on social media, at the following links:  https://www.instagram.com/brittgusmus711/ https://twitter.com/BrittGusmus https://www.facebook.com/britt.gusmus Where you can follow him weekly on his video blog called Fired Up, Friday and Sunday Encouragement.   Check out our new Sense of Soul Patreon, where you can access exclusive episodes, sacred circles, monthly group readings and more! https://www.patreon.com/senseofsoul Also visit us at  www.mysenseofsoul.com, to check out workshops, coaching, courses, merch and more!

Welcome to the Sense of Soul podcast. We are your hosts, Shanna and Mandy. Grab your coffee, open your mind, heart and soul. It's time to awaken. Today on Sense of Soul, we are super excited to have a longtime friend of mine on by the name of Britt L. Gusmas. He is a coach, an author and a keynote speaker. I have had the pleasure of watching his incredibly powerful Facebook videos over the last couple of years. He speaks straight from the heart and he is so passionate about what he does. He's a huge influencer in our community. He's a high school football coach and a teacher. He's impacting and influencing student athletes through rational leadership principles that create connection, belonging, and high performance.

He has recently released a book called The Oak Tree Source on how to become a man of strength, substance, and spirituality starting today. He's helping men go deeper spiritually, mentally, and emotionally so they can create meaningful strength and rational substance that reveals their purpose and passion. And our listeners know that Shanna and I are all about helping people find their passion. Welcome to Sense the Soul, Grant. What's up? This is Shanna. Shanna, so nice to meet you. How are you? I'm good. How are you? Excellent. Excellent. Excellent. We are so excited to have you on. Thank you so much, Mandy. Well, I remember when the podcast first started and thinking to

myself, I'm like, when am I going to get my shot? We have known each other for too long and have gone through too much and live and do the same things and believe the same things that I can't get a shot here. And so I am very excited to be here, very happy to be here. So thank you, ladies, so much for having me. Oh, thanks so much. Such a pleasure to meet you. You too, Shanna. Are you born and raised in Colorado?

No. So most of my life I have been. So my mom and dad, they came out to Denver in 1973. I think the year after I was born, my dad got Rocky mountain fever and said, we are moving to Colorado. And so I, we came out here in 1976 and I have been here the whole time since. So I've been here over 40 years. So, and you played every sport as a child, from what I understand, you were a jock. There's no doubt about it. And when I first found out that I could throw a ball far and I could shoot a ball and I could hit a ball really far and really hard. I'm like, I'm going to do that because that was what made me feel good. And that's what really was a good thing. And maybe a less fortunate thing as I got older, that's where performance helped me be loved. That worked really well in some ways and didn't work well at others, but yes,

grew up on the scene playing ball and went to Cherry Creek High School and did a lot of good things. And that's why I'm still around it today as a football coach and teacher pouring into these young lives because that was what I was made for. And it took me a little bit to figure out that I should be doing that.

But we have a really good and loving God who kept nudging me and kept giving me little signs along the way. And I finally said, let's go. I am doing exactly what he made me to do. And it has been awesome. So did you play for the legendary Mark Johnson? I certainly did. I certainly did. And we reconnected over the last couple of years and I am so happy for him and he deserves it. Boy, he has grown that program to have so many good ballplayers come through there and nurtured and mentored them. And obviously the longevity

that he's been able to sustain has given him a record setting career. So I am so happy for him and really glad that we reconnected. We've, man, I could tell you stories for days with that, but maybe we'll, we'll talk about that a little bit later. I know I was a real thorn in his side off the field and oh man. Oh boy. But anyway. Yeah. I mean, but those big coaches are successful because they have something that is magical with these young men. You know, I mean, he is a very good coach because he is a good mentor or he would have been gone a long time ago. I couldn't agree more. I couldn't agree more in that because that's first and foremost, it doesn't matter if you're the head coach of the Denver Broncos or you're coaching your son or

daughter's flag football or softball team. It's all about connection first. And that's, and so for me, that is one of the giftings that God had given me, no matter if I was at my darkest point, or no matter if shame was taking over, and I couldn't be myself, I could still find a way to connect. And so using that to connect with kids, young men and women, teaching them the game of football, teaching them about everything else. It's all about connection. And Mark has done an amazing job at that. No doubt. So as a child, loving to throw the ball, shoot the ball, loving the ball, what kind of influence did coaches have on you? That's my first question. And my second

question is, have you always loved God as much as you do? Because I will tell you, it just, it pours out of you, your love for God. So let's talk about those two things. Thank you. Yes. And so man, coaches had such an impact on me. They weren't always joyful, loving, touchy feely experiences. And so there's that, as we know, that idea of tough love. And so one story that I've told my son time and time again. So I tell my son and my daughter, who are 10 and 11. Isabel is my daughter. Colton is my son, who is 10.

And they always want to hear stories when I put them to bed. And the one that I've told a couple of times, so my first year playing football when I was 11 years old, and this was a totally different time than we live in now, but our coaches in the AYL league, we used to do bull in the ring drills where you'd be the one man in the ring and everybody would be around you and he would point to somebody and they would just come and smack you. And then the other drill that we did was the hamburger drill. You basically were paired up with one guy and you just beat the crap out of each other with your pads on. They loved it. And it was obviously in football, it was a, it was a something to build

toughness in you. And I remember the first day, the first time I did it, I did it with our best player on the team, biggest, strongest guy. And I'm like, so he just throws me to the ground and starts punching me in the chest and my head. And I'm like, well, I'm either, I'm either going to, you know, let this happen or I'm going to get mine. And so I got him over and we just went at it for about five minutes. And then the drill was over, but I learned very quickly that they're not going to come break it up. They're not, nobody's going to come break this life up for you. Nobody's going to come save you most of the time. And so coaches, not only did they love me and they were demanding of me, there was a sense of toughness and grit and determination that they instilled in me from a very young age that I carry to this day.

And that would really that really coupled with some of my natural instinct abilities. And they helped bring that out. And so I can you know, there's a long list of football coaches who helped bring that out. And so I can, you know, there's a long list of football coaches who helped bring that out. And then baseball coaches as well. And Mark in specific, who there were so many times where he came up alongside of me. He wasn't confrontational. He wasn't in my face until he absolutely had to be when my behavior constituted that. And so, but the fondest memories I have of Mark are him coming up alongside of me and saying, Britt, how can I support you? How can I support you? Sophomore year when I was playing varsity baseball and was the only sophomore who played on a number one team in the state in my first two games.

As a 16-year-old, I hit three home runs in those two games. And the scouts were talking to my mom and dad. And there was a lot of buzz around there. And two weeks later, I was ineligible. I couldn't. My grades weren't good enough. And so I remember him coming to me and just saying, Britt, how do we support you? How do we support you? How do we support you?

How can I help? And so some of those, those are some of my fondest memories. And then my senior year when things just were out of control. And we were in Anaheim, California at the Upper Deck Baseball Classic. And this, in my mind, was the time that I would show everybody across the country how good I was. There was nobody better. Because I mean, I carried myself with an aura of confidence as a ball player. But inside, I was dying in classic Jekyll and Hyde.

And so I went out to the West Coast, was going to show them how great I was. My first at bat, I rolled my ankle in a, the worst field setup you'll ever see. I rolled my ankle. My first at bat ended up missing the next three games. And what did I do at 18 years old salt went to the AM PM, bought vodka and Southern comfort and drank, put my ankle on ice so I could possibly get back for that last game and ended up in some other behaviors that forced Coach Johnson to say,

Britt, look me right in the eyes and confront me and say, you're a bad apple, Britt. You're a bad apple. As an 18-year-old who had a lot going on inside that didn't really feel good man that didn't feel good and so to to kind of back up to the point he was my greatest advocate and then he was direct when he needed to be um he was demanding when he needed to be and he was honest all the time and so coaches were always that way with me. And even in some of my darkest, most rebellious moments, I was still coachable. I was still coachable. And even though my behavior outside the game was pitiful at times, I was always respectful and coachable inside the lines.

And I think they respected that. And so they, they helped me as much as I could. And, and I did as well as I could with what I could do, so to speak. And there's times where I wonder if like Mandy said, I had that relationship with God when I was 16, 17, 18 years old, my life would have maybe been different. Maybe it wouldn't have, there are no guarantees in this life, but I would have liked to have known what I could have accomplished had shame not taken over my heart. Had I not have such a negative self image inside and, and my insides not matching my outsides. And so that leads me to really, Mandy, it wasn't until I was brought to my knees

at 31 years old and with nowhere else to go in the greatest pain emotionally, mentally, spiritually that I've ever experienced, did I cry out to the name of Jesus. And he helped me crawl into an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting 16 years ago. Actually, more than that. That's where that love started to come through. That's where his spirit opened its doors or I opened my heart just that little bit. Man, he knocked that door down. He knocked it down. And so what you see 16 and a half years later is a guy who is born of that spirit and lives that out with a with an absolute fire. Yes, you do. And congratulations on that on 16 years. That is amazing. I got chills all over. I love it. Thank you. You bet. You know, one thing that stuck out that you said is you said you were coachable, right?

You may have even went off the track, but you were coachable. And of course, being on Mark Johnson's team as a senior, you definitely, if you weren't coachable, you wouldn't have been. But I remember someone telling me one time that my son was coachable. And I thought that that was such a unique comment, but it was like one of the best comments I think someone could say about somebody because that means they're almost in some way a little bit humble, that they're willing to learn, and they've got this space to grow and be influenced as well in a positive way, hopefully, and carry that out into your life. So some of those lessons as a player, obviously stayed with you and made you the man you are today. There's no doubt about it. There's no doubt about it. And I, and I appreciate you saying that. And yeah, there was, yeah, that was that one thing, that little sliver of hope um that in me you know during those times where it was really difficult was like okay there i can still hear i can still hear you um and today

living out the proper use of my will i the the more i know the more I know that I don't know. And so I am open to take direction. I take direction so much better than I used to. You can ask Carrie about that. She might scoff at that sometimes, but I'm so much better than I used to be. I am a sponge. And so this, you know, the, the whole God has been, God has done such an amazing work because I went back to school. And so I never, so my school experience in high school was horrendous at times. And I, and I did'm going to hold your hand. I'm going to walk you through all of that. I'm going to bring you through to where you graduate college, magna cum laude, and you're going to graduate and you're going to get your master's degree. And so you want to talk about a loving God who restores, who redeems, who loves us more than we could ever love ourselves. That's, that's the experience I had. And so if I wasn't open and coachable in those moments, and as I am still today, I wouldn't have been able to experience that.

Wow. I don't know that I even knew that about you as far as, wow. Thank you. When you say things like, God said to me, I'm going to walk you through this. How does God speak to you? So it's a great question. And I think it's, it's one we all want to know. Right. We all want to be in closer touch with, and, and really, so that process for me has been a lot of uncovering. So uncovering the behaviors that keep me away from him, discovering his voice, his spirit in my life through reading his word, through interacting with his people, through being open and teachable and coachable to what he's doing in my life and then acting on those things. So in my life, I believe it's very distinct when I can feel him nudging me. And so that started to happen. But as far as going

back to school and really feeling his voice and spirit nudging me, it was almost like a gentle hand actually moving me to a certain extent. And so I, so it's in its thoughts, it's thoughts coming into your mind. Britt, what did, you know, I was, I was working in sales at the time in 2009 and I thought that was going to be what I was going to do. I was going to do, I'm going to be the best salesman I can be. I'm going to still coach and be around the game because I love it so much. And I, and I love impacting lives. And then that little nudge kept coming. Well, are you satisfied with that? Or is this, is there something more? Is there something more? And then life started to tell me really loudly in the form of a project

manager on the job I was managing, your, your guys are parking in the wrong spot. Your hollow metal doors don't fit. I'm just like, oh my God. I mean, there's got to be something more than this. I had always told myself, I'm like, I'm not going back to school. I am not. I'm not doing it. I'm not doing it. And then all of a sudden, I find myself sitting in front of the computer, registering at Regis University, writing the entrance essay. And they're like, okay, here we go. And then it's just those sequence of events, of nudgings, of thoughts, of his spirit rising in me that we all have. And then really listening as a result of a deepening relationship with him. And then those doors continue to open. And then we do our best to discern what that voice is and then make the

best decisions that we can along those lines. And I mean, I've got some other stories that it felt like it was really loud that, I mean, there was no doubt. How does someone go from being in such a shameful place? You, you mentioned the word shame twice. How did you handle that shame? And then how did you align your integrity with who you are? Man, what a great question. It came to a point where, so the pain of not changing was greater than the pain of actually going through change. And so for so long, I had told you guys a little bit earlier about performance and how the messaging I got when I was a boy, when I was younger was, if you perform well, you

will be loved. And there were many, many moments where I felt loved if I performed well. But when I didn't, I felt the effects of that. I felt the effects of, well, you weren't good enough. You weren't enough. And so I internalized that. I internalized that. Or the narrative, you know, the tape started playing.

Well, you were the cause of this, Britt, between mom and dad. You caused this. It was your fault. The only saving grace I had was to be able to compete. I mean, obviously sports was an outlet for the shame, but in every other area of my life, I could not process it and it stuck. And it brought me to that point where I was on my knees and finally became broken. And so as I started to understand the difference, started to gain the wisdom to know the difference between who I naturally am and who I truly am and what those old behaviors were, I am relentless in making sure that my insides match my outsides. If there's anything,

if there's anything that I can offer this world, the rest of my life is alignment. And so for me, that alignment of my thoughts, attitudes, behaviors, and emotions inside and what I present outside if those are in alignment that means I'm acting in integrity and so I found so Mandy I found that as really one of the top things besides my relationship with God and then wanting to actually capitalize on this life and living my passion out that's really the one thing that really had to happen. It had to happen. Or I was not going to be in the relationship with the love of my life. I wasn't going to have a thriving marriage and children. I was not going to live out these blessings in my life, which I do today. And so I am very aware, very aware, and maybe too aware sometimes of when

maybe things that I say are not in alignment with who I am or something new that I learn or some little pain or insecurity or fear or whatever comes up. And I'm like, Ooh, okay. How can we align that with the spirit of God and what he teaches me? So, yeah. So that was really one of the biggest things that I knew I needed to, to work on that. And so it's been a process as you know. And so I feel like that root, that root of integrity is really strong today in my life. And in that, in that oak tree is starting to continue to build and continue to grow and branches is starting to continue to build and continue to grow. And branches are starting to continue to reach more folks. So when you're trying to say, I'm aligned, right?

I'm aligned with my truth and all this. Are you feeling something in your body that's saying yes? You know what I mean? Are you feeling it, mind, body, and soul? No doubt about it. Yeah. Yeah. I would agree with that statement. And so it's, it's funny. It's funny that you say that because I just recently had an opportunity

to become a head football coach in Omaha, Nebraska. And so when you talk about alignment and then feeling that in your mind, body, and soul, there were so many signs and I'm getting goosebumps now, but there were so many signs and goosebumps where it's like, okay, this is it. This is the deal. But what wasn't settled in my soul. And we under, we know that unsettled feeling, right? Is that my family, we were going to be split up. And so I was probably at the outset that first year going to be commuting. And that was really unsettling to me. Heavy, heavy, heavy is exactly the word. So you should, you should have seen me. I'm like, Oh my God, I've worked my tail off for this opportunity. I knew it.

It wasn't going to happen. And so that unsettled feeling, that heavy feeling like, oh my gosh, it was the spirit versus the vessel. It really is what it is. And so, and then there's been times where, and so that was one example where it was heavy and unsettling and, but on it did, but in one aspect, it was exciting. And, you know, my spirit rose to a certain degree, but it wasn't in alignment. There have been other instances where I have connected with people and everything

has been in alignment. Or when Carrie, I said, we should get married after three weeks. We've known each other for years before that. And so when we first started dating, everything, mind, body, and soul, like full blast. Yes. Let's go. Let's go. And so that was exhilarating. That was exhilarating. That was exhilarating. And so, yeah, so I think

definitely every piece of us is connected. Do you feel like men have a hard time connecting to that more than women? Of course. I feel like the revelation from God was, was exactly that for me in this book. And so the thing is that it's so funny guys may be more emotional than women. You know it, you know it. Right. And so it's like, but no, no, no, no, no, no. I, and so it's, it's a respect thing. It's obviously, like you said, it's, it's a vulnerability thing where it's like, okay, I can only keep you so far. And so when I talk about sarcasm, sarcasm is the perfect metaphor to say, okay, hey, I can be sharp and witty and funny and smart. And that's how I kind of connect with you. But man, my sarcasm keeps you here. And so it's almost like the

Heisman Trophy pose. You're only going to get so close to me with that being said, the greatest growth I've had is when I've been able to be with men who are able to go there. Yeah. You know, it's really funny. We just started these women's circles. I saw that, you know, and I have had like this, like not so good feeling about excluding anyone because I'm just I'm I don't agree in anything that separates us from each other. And so I I've had a little conflict inside of me about it. I talked to other people about it and I said, God, I wish I could find a man to maybe lead like some circles, you know, and offer this space to other men. And me and this girl just laughed and, and I said, well, maybe we could find like a feminine man. Totally. But then I imagined the man group, but it doesn't matter what I imagine. Us women need this. Do men need that? There's no

doubt in my mind. And so, yes. And so there, so there are certain tags, certain stereotypes that we have of gender specificity. And so obviously those are being challenged more and more as we evolve and progress. So with that being said, there is no doubt that men need those. Now, does it look different? Does it look different for men? I'm picturing a round table of like the Knights Templar now though. Exactly.

Well, right. And then, yeah, everybody putting their sword down. Do men do it as easily as women? No. But do they need it? Yes. Because they're dying. But when you don't have a venue, a support system, outlet for the disrespect you're receiving out there in the world, or the lack of connection that you're receiving, or those behaviors that you engage in that allow you to escape, but then ultimately they come back up because you're not dealing with them constructively or that Mr. Hyde inside your heart that is destroying your life around every corner. Yeah, there's reconciliation that needs to happen. There's no doubt in my mind that we can expect more from ourselves as men. And so like I started to say, some of my most explosive growth early on in sobriety was sitting around at men's meetings with guys not afraid to say, man, I am not doing well here, or I'm feeling this. I'm feeling this. What do I do? Or just the mere action of speaking it, it loses its power, right?

How many times have, you know, we've been locked inside of our head thinking we were the only one that was thinking this? It kills us. And so I totally agree. And I hope to, once the Oak Tree Source comes out, to be doing workshops, to be teaching on this. Oh yeah, no doubt about it. That's part of the plan and we'll see how it progresses. And it's, I mean, and you know, there are guys out there who have this, the same bit of theme and they're going through a Navy SEAL bootcamp. And it's like, okay, that's great. That's great. You get in that tense place and that really challenging place, but then what do you do when Monday comes? You know, what do you do when you go back to your life? Are you just going to go to the bootcamp again, the next weekend? You know, as we know, it's an inside job and it takes time and to really grow

in any particularly emotional, mentally, spiritual realm, it takes time. And too often our society wants that, right? Yeah. Yeah. They want a weekend, man. I got a weekend with the guys. They challenged me. I'm ready. Yeah. And then your boss says, where's that report? Or your wife says, man, I thought you were going to do this. The space, in my opinion, is so needed. And especially in young men, in young men, because we obviously, the way our fathers led us, the way the fathers led them, perpetuates some of this stuff as well. Yeah. The generational conditions that have fallen down, which are so much looser now. And so I wonder how you feel about that as a coach, when we were in high school things, you know, coaches probably had a little bit more respect from their players. Yes,

sir. You know, stuff like that. They probably were a little bit more coachable. Kids these days have their own opinions, and they feel very open to and they are a little less conditioned they don't believe everything they've been told you know more curious about worldly things as they should be as they should be i mean our history is a bunch of bs what do you teach so i teach american government and world you want to hear something interesting yes but one of my son's teachers who was um also that he was my son and daughter's teacher i think even twice he said you know what a few years ago i was wrong about a few things and now i'm finding out a little bit more, you know, in reading and doing some research on my own,

that says a lot about a person. Like I may have taught my students like the wrong thing because I was told to teach them this. No, yeah, no doubt about it. And that, yeah. I mean, our, our curriculum is, you know, schools have that obviously in public school, it is more prescribed, so to speak. And so I teach at Mullen High School, which is a private high school. And so we are able to have a, I wouldn't say more leeway. And we, I mean, we do, and we have our curriculum that teaches

the basics, the foundation of whatever subject that is, which is a starting place. And so it is a great thing when teachers can think about their own thinking and think about how the world's changed. And so a perfect example of that ladies is in my honors gov class, we just finished reading a book called the case against the Supreme court. And so the kids' final project was a research paper discussing their own evaluation of the court. And so the book does a great job of taking cases from all the way throughout history. And so, yes, were there some really bad decisions

during the minority rights era and upholding things like separate but equal in the Plessy versus Ferguson case and Dred Scott versus Sanford, all of these examples, right? And so the beautiful thing about this book and what we get to see is the hindsight. And so now in the 1950s and through 1969, the Earl Warren court ended all of separate but equal in the Brown v. Board of Education case and gave more rights to people who are accused of crimes and stopping gerrymandering. All these things that we get to see, kind of like you're talking about, is, wow, okay, maybe there were things that I didn't know that I know better now that I can actually look at and say and I can do those things a different way. And so, I mean, I hope that we are all in that posture and I hope that we are all more. Precisely. That's it. That's our word for the day. Right. Is right. I love it. It's coachable. And so my kids, anyway, have gotten a great understanding of what that looked like around

the Civil War era and just before, and then what it looked like when it was amended, and then what it looks like today and going forward. I didn't seek this knowledge because I wanted to learn about history. I was learning my ancestry and found these things out. And as I did, I was like, wow, why don't we know these things? Why don't we spend more time talking about it? I think that had we, we all might be a little different, you know, here in America. I would agree.

I would agree. And there's part of what has made this country great is that boldness is that ability to stand up for yourself and in those rights in our declaration of independence um and so with that being said there's healing to do in my estimation uh but that doesn't mean we are still not the united states of america boy it's it's a tough situation right now, as much division as we have. And so I know my job as a high school teacher is not to take one side of the other, but to be that guide on the side who says, here are both sides, especially with their minds being impressionable the way they are. And so the greatest compliment, Shanna, that I get

is during parent-teacher conferences, when parents come up to me or they say to me on the Zoom this year, but in the past, they've said, Mr. Gusmus, our son or daughter comes home and we talk about these things at the dinner table. And those are the things that make me the proudest because hopefully by them thinking and seeing both sides of it, because we know that we are influenced by our parents and our parents have that big influence on us on many things, which is awesome, which, which makes our job that much more important as parents, but then they can see. They can see more of a broad view like you're talking about, and then they can hopefully come to the table and say, well, I'm learning this, and what do you think about that? And so I get that quite a bit,

and really it's the greatest compliment I get. We are still a great country, and our values are strong, but there's healing that needs to happen. Yeah. I have a question. Do you get to talk openly and do you try to implement in your coaching and in your classrooms to your students about the importance of strength, substance, and spirituality? Do you get that opportunity? Because I think about my son. My son said something and we've all heard it, but he always says, I was taught not to cry on the mound, that you go out there and you suck it up. And so Connor has always been coached

to keep those feelings tucked away. As a coach, what does that look like for you? What do you teach? Great question. And yes, you will get ridiculed even today or run the risk of being ridiculed if you're too emotional. And so as far as my coaching philosophy is this, I am demanding. I am demanding to a standard of excellence that we are trying to get through through every day in our preparation. But I'm going to be the first one to hug you when it doesn't go well.

And if you emote in that moment, I'm going to love you all the harder. And so with that being said, it is still taboo. And is there a time and space to emote in a real genuine way? You bet there is. You bet there is. You bet there is. How many times have you seen a team that loses in the championship? Those guys are crying. Those guys are crying.

I have seen professional ballplayers as jaded as they can be crying. Every game is an emotional game and it is played with high emotion. Those same coaches who would maybe look at you a certain way, if you emoted in a way that they didn't like, tell you to play with high emotion because you have to play with passion. So it's all in the same category for me. So not only I will be demanding and demand your best, but I'm going to love you first and foremost., right? Because kids can do that as well. But if you are genuinely emoting because you put it all on the line and you came up short, or it didn't work out the way you thought it would, because we all know in sports, I mean, it's very black and white. There are winners and losers, right? And when you put your heart and soul into something and it doesn't work out the way you thought it would,

I hope you'll be emotional. I hope you'll be emotional. Yeah. We talked about connection a little bit earlier. That's how you connect. Yeah. That's how you connect. That's how you motivate.

As someone who is very loud and proud of where you stand with god i'm just curious do you feel like you have to simmer down your faith and where you stand in your christianity in classrooms and on the field he's a mullet i know and that's no but that's okay and that um and it's still a great question um no i i don't um and so in you know in on the football field um you know am i openly preaching um scripture and those type of things no um No. I have had the good fortune though, to give pregame talks and I've given talks completely from scripture, whether it was Benaiah fighting the lion in a pit on a snowy day, one of David's warriors, or if it's, you know, in Matthew

515, you know, not putting your light under a shade. I have never been bashful about it. Now, obviously, you know, Shannon made a great point of being a mullin. It happens. It happens more openly, but I have never felt like I've had to squelch it or keep it under wraps. Yeah. The reason I asked is because I think that's part of integrity and letting go of that shame. Once you own it and you know who you are and you're, when you're aligned with your purpose, I mean, we are just out there. You know, that's why I feel like I'm so raw in my posts on Facebook because I own it and I love it and it's me. And what you see is what you get. And that's what I really admire about you too. Yeah. And thank you for that.

And obviously it love your ability to connect and be honest and vulnerable as you are because people are craving it is, is what is what I'm getting and they may not like it. They may not like it all the time. Yeah. I may not get oodles and oodles of likes and shares and those types of things, but I get people tell me all the time, man, I love your content all the time. I love your content. So Mandy, to your point, John Eldridge, the author has had a quote from a book years ago. And the quote is this, let him feel the weight of who you are and then let him deal with it. And I'm like, that's it.

This is what you're getting. Getting relentless positivity. You're getting a message that has substance and strength. If it bugs you, if it irritates you, then there's something going on in you. So just continuing to be the mirror, just being the mirror for everything. And am I perfect?

No chance. But I've been shown another way. I am surging with energy and love and passion, enthusiasm that needs to be shared. And so I don't care. I, you, you may have seen me with eye patches on my eyes. Have you seen a couple of posts where I've had my, so at 48 years old, uh, my eyes are starting to get a little baggy. And so there are times where, uh, before school or, uh, I've got the little cool patches on my eyes and I'm doing a message. And so it's

exactly, I'm owning it. It is what it is. And so I I'm taking, I'm taking care of myself too. It's a, it's a good message. Brett, I want to jump into your book. So earlier you had talked about how you had roots and this tree and the branches were slowly developing. Is that how you chose the name of your book? The Oak Tree Source. Source, baby. And so this is where God continued to speak to me. And so there was a certain point where I had gotten done with school, was teaching and still really living in that mindset of, well, it's got to look a certain way for me. It's got to look a certain way in our marriage. I've got to be this and that. And so a little backstory, Carrie, my wife is an incredibly successful professional in finance. She's had a distinguished career. She runs her own company. And so she is amazing in so many ways. And so I found myself questioning what my role was because I was looking through this traditional lens of,

well, you're Mr. Athlete, you're Mr. Coach, you know, you, it's got to look a certain way. And so I started writing and God just kept giving me revelation. And I have had a couple of friends over the years tell me, Britt, you should write a book. And so in the midst of journaling, I'm like, I think I've got a book here. And so with that being said, really doing the work, discovering these things in my traditional view of what life is supposed to look like, God said, well, if you really want to be more like Jesus, like you say, you're going to be the starting point. You're going to be the foundation. You're going to be the source of leadership in your family. And so our typical Western view of leadership is what

we're at the top, right? You know, so whether you're the CEO, you're the head coach, you're this, you're that. And Jesus came into the world and basically flipped that on its head. And so he, the head of the church, right? Like it says in Ephesians 5, 22 and 5, 23, but he is the source. He's the starting point. He's the foundation. And so that was one revelation he gave to me as I started to write. And so Paul in writing Ephesians to the Greek church way back then in Ephesus used the word kafale. And so kafale means head, but it's the source. And so that resonated with me huge. As the idea started to continue, I was like, what am I going to call this? What is this book going to be called? So it's, I'm going to be a

source. And that is what Jesus calls me to be. And so I'm jogging one day. And in 2005, early in my sobriety, I was part of a church with good buddies of mine, and we were in a spiritual group and we prophesied over each other on one evening. And this woman said, Brit, you are going to grow strong like an Oak tree. And I'm like, that's it. That's it. Oak tree source, the oak tree source. And so it started to take off after then. And I had some fits and starts in writing. I mean, it's not, it's just not easy to, to sit and write all the time. And so the title was there. And then I had an amazing experience in New Orleans, Louisiana. One of my best buddies, his name is John Brooks. I went down to visit him after the school got out. I think it was 2018. And he's like, dude, I need to show you something.

And so New Orleans has a lot of oak trees. There is an oak tree that was planted or originated in like 1740. It's called the Tree of Life in New Orleans. And maybe you guys have seen. So some of my content and imagery is of this tree of life. It is the biggest, thickest oak tree you have ever seen. And the branches are huge and thick. And I'm like, oh, my God. If guys could only set deep roots in integrity and knowledge and passion and wisdom and things of God and be that foundation, be that source leadership, they could grow strong and have a presence like this oak tree. And it kept going. Like I said, before the pandemic hit, I was having some problems staying consistent with writing. The week before the country was shut down, I had started writing again.

I'm having coffee with a couple students. This guy out of the blue comes up and starts talking to us and he starts telling us his story out of the blue. Basically, I felt like he was screaming in a megaphone at me. He's like, tell your story. Tell your story. And I'm like, what? What? I'm like, oh, my God. This is what your conscience.

Yeah, exactly. I was totally listening. And there's no doubt in my mind that God was saying, tell that story. Tell your story. And so it took me, you know, you know, basically every day of writing, getting that specific time to, to write that I got the manuscript done. Like we've talked about, I think it's a very necessary message. I think it's one that guys can understand and get with that. They don't lose. There's nothing to lose. You're not losing your masculinity. If anything, you're growing in respect and honor and reverence. And it's like,

what does every guy want? Respect. And what do we do? We look at it either pointing the finger or pointing the finger back at us. The spotlight's got to be on me. And so if there's anything that Jesus teaches is if you continue to pour out and you continue to give and you continue to be that foundation, that source of spreading those seeds of love and passion and goodness, it will be given back to you tenfold. And so that's the message really. And, and, and it's my it's my story of how that has, has come to be in my life and hopefully some lessons around compartmentalization and becoming that source and really letting God build his kingdom within us. So that's it, really. Wow, that's beautiful.

I'm from New Orleans. I know that tree. But you know, I can just sit with the tree. I have many. And you can absolutely see everything, the roots, you know, anchoring us here to earth and to be strong and have a great foundation and strength and to accept impermanence that everything changes and having strong branches to weather the storms. But yet knowing that tomorrow's another day, there's another season

that as above, so below. Yes, no doubt about it. And yeah, and that's, season that as above so below yes no doubt about it and yeah and that's and that's where trees sustain and protect and give security and safety exactly the wisdom of the old tree no doubt no doubt and there's one other connection that i that i wanted to share with you guys in regards to uh the whole journey here and what I believe God was speaking to me through. Trees have what's called tannin as well. It's a chemical that creates their bark and the beauty of their bark and the protective mechanism of their bark. And so when we talk about substance, it's like tannin, it's like that chemical in us that creates our glow, that creates our, you know, that strong piece of who

we are. When I did the research on that, I'm like, oh man, how awesome is that? My family and I, we did a little road trip during the pandemic, which was awesome. And we drove, flew into Houston, drove New Orleans, saw my buddy John, and then drove south on I-10 and ended up in Orange Beach, Alabama, which was really cool. And so we stayed at a VRBO. And so it was a little walkway to the beach from the little community. And so we're walking over there as we pulled into town and you have to walk through this gate and the sign on the gate said Tannin, Tannin Beach. All of these signs, right? Right. And you talk about God speaking to you. There's just no doubt in my mind. Yeah. We talk about that all the time. Synchronicities are the way that God speaks to you. Yeah.

Amen. I'm just so grateful to have had this, you know, hour and a half with you. You have been nothing short of always kind to me since the day I met you, even back when you felt like you were a little shit. Your presence has always been of a very kindful, loving soul. And I am incredibly grateful that we have you here in Colorado in our community. Listeners, pick up this book, The Oak Tree Source. I can tell you one thing, even though I haven't had the pleasure of reading it yet, is that it was written with pure love and love as the center of intention,

because that's what I know about this man. Where can our listeners find this book and where else can you direct them to just learn more about you? Yeah. And so thank you so much, Mandy. And yes, it is great to connect with you. We've always had that kindred spirit, I believe. And so it's awesome, awesome to connect and I appreciate it. And so with that being said, you can go to the website, theoaktreesource.com. And so the book itself is finishing editing. And so it's not on the marketplace yet, but you can go to the oaktreesource.com and get a collection of blogs that tell a lot about the story. And then you can reach me, Britt Gusmus on Facebook,

at Britt Gusmus or Britt Gusmus 711 on Instagram, and then at BritGusmas on Twitter.com. So when it's launched, when it goes live, I will let you guys know where it can be purchased on my website as well. And now it's time for Break That shit down. Welcome to the Sense of Soul podcast. We are your hosts, Shanna and Mandy. Grab your coffee, open your mind, heart, and soul. It's time to awaken. For everybody listening out there who might be carrying a weight, who might be carrying something more than you were ever

meant to carry. It is not yours to carry. You can let go of whatever that weight is, whatever that thing is that is heavy on your heart, that sits heavy on your chest, whatever it is, you don't have to carry it anymore because your worth is not tied to or doesn't come from what you do or what you don't do. Your worth and your value come from the amazing and beautiful and strong you because you were created by a loving creator who knew everything about you before you came into this world and he loves you more than you could ever imagine. There is nothing, there is nothing in our lives that can't be overcome when we understand our value, when we understand that we are absolute love, and that when we are rooted strong in love and joy and compassion, and we spread those seeds and we give those away, there is nothing that we can't withstand. There is no other strength that we can endure. There's nothing that we can't do when we do it from love. That's what I've got. That was awesome. Thank you so much for being with us. And actually,

you softened my heart a little bit about the United States. Good, good, good. Good. Putting this together. Yeah. You made me think I am free to speak my mind and to share these things. And as a woman, that's a privilege in other places, unfortunately. So, yeah. No doubt.

Yeah. Yeah. Thank you. Shannon, you bet. It was so great to meet you. And I finally, finally connected here and got a spot on Sense of Soul. So I am so grateful. You want to know why you got a spot on Sense of Soul? Because I've always sensed your soul. I've always been able to sense your soul and your soul has

always been nothing but love. And I'm so grateful for that. And I can't wait to see where life takes you. It has been nothing but pure joy to watch you grow in your love and in your faith and to watch you and your beautiful family and the way you're touching these athletes and these men and our community and Colorado as a whole and the world as a light. So thank you for what you do. You bet Mandy. And it's so great to connect with you and thank you so much for having me. Bye. Hi, this is Shanna with Sense of Soul. Every family has a story and this is mine. Join me on my ancestral journey as I untangle my roots and set out to uncover

the stories of a forgotten culture and discover true history never told. You can find my special mini-series on my ancestral journey on Sense of Soul Patreon. Along with many other benefits and episodes, monthly readings, women's circles, and much more. Thanks for being with us today. We hope you will come back next week. circles, and much more.