Determined Society with Shawn French | Adversity & Mindset - Building Winning Cultures: The Key to Success in Sports and Life with Ryan Theriot

Episode Date: October 9, 2023

Does this sound familiar? You've been told that to succeed in sports, you need to solely focus on your physical abilities and technical skills. But here's the painful truth: no matter how hard you train, you're still not seeing the results you desire. The missing piece? Relationships and team culture. In this episode, we'll explore how cultivating strong connections and fostering a positive environment can be the game-changer you've been searching for. Get ready to unlock the true power of relationships and culture in sports teams. The culture in those three clubhouses were all the same. We trusted each other, the ownership, the management, the coaches. We wanted each other to succeed more than we wanted ourselves to succeed. - Ryan Theriot Ryan Theriot, former professional baseball player, joins Shawn French on this episode of The Determined Society to discuss the importance of relationships and culture in sports teams. As a seasoned athlete, Ryan understands firsthand the significance of the environment within a clubhouse. Whether it was his time in St. Louis, San Francisco, or LSU, Ryan highlights the common thread that tied these successful teams together: trust. From players to coaches to management, the foundation of these teams was built on a deep sense of trust and a genuine love for one another's success. Ryan also shares personal anecdotes about his journey, including the sacrifices he made to pursue his dreams and his experience transitioning from sports to the business world. Through it all, Ryan emphasizes the power of visualization, reverse engineering goals, and being prepared for the future. This conversation is a valuable resource for aspiring athletes and individuals seeking success in any field, reminding us all that relationships and culture play a pivotal role in achieving greatness. Unleash your full potential by harnessing the power of mindset and visualization. Foster a winning culture and build strong relationships within your sports team for greater success. Achieve your goals by visualizing success and reinforcing positive thoughts. Develop a clear vision and reverse engineer your journey to achieve success. Overcome limiting beliefs and persistently pursue your goals with unwavering determination. Timestamped summary of this episode: 00:00:02 - The Importance of Relationships and Culture, Ryan Theriot emphasizes the importance of relationships and culture within a clubhouse or team. He believes that trust and love among players, ownership, management, and coaches are crucial for success. 00:00:59 - Introduction and Background, Shawn French introduces Ryan as a guest who embodies the mental presence of an athlete. He discusses Theriot's successful career, including winning world championships in baseball and a national championship in college. Terrio is also the owner of Traction Performance and HUDCO roofing. 00:02:30 - Ryan Theriot's Mullet Haircut, Theriot shares the story of his mullet haircut and how he shaved it during COVID. He jokes about his appearance and how his wife didn't mind the mullet because it deterred other women from hitting on him. 00:05:04 - LSU Baseball and Current Success, The conversation briefly touches on LSU baseball's current success and the energy within the program. They mention a specific player, Blake Money, who loves the program and predicts LSU's return to the top. 00:07:00 - Visualizing Goals and Making Sacrifices, Theriot discusses the importance of visualizing goals and understanding the sacrifices required to achieve them. He shares how his father supported his baseball dreams but also made him aware of the sacrifices he would have to make. He applies this mindset to other aspects of life, such as business and relationships. 00:14:51 - Overcoming Self-Doubt in Visualization, The guest discusses the difficulty of visualizing success and fighting against subconscious thoughts during the visualization process. He emphasizes the importance of silencing negative thoughts and choosing to think positively to achieve success. 00:15:46 - Building Traction as a Backup Plan, The guest shares his experience of building Traction, a dream he had for a long time, as a backup plan in case his baseball career didn't pan out. He invested his signing bonus in the venture and highlights the importance of having a plan B and being prepared for the future. 00:17:47 - NIL Deals in College Sports, The conversation shifts to the topic of NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) deals in college sports. The guest explains how these deals can provide real-life business experience and prepare student-athletes for the future. He believes that despite the controversy, NIL deals are valuable in teaching life and business skills. 00:19:35 - The Importance of Preparation, The guest and the host discuss the importance of preparation in achieving success. They highlight the need to be prepared for the real world and to learn from experiences rather than being thrown into situations unprepared. The guest shares his belief that preparation is crucial for personal and professional growth. 00:23:23 - The Power of Belief and Overcoming Limiting Beliefs, The guest talks about his mindset of believing in himself and his ability to achieve anything. He shares his constant pursuit of new 00:30:04 - The Journey from Bat Boy to Starting Shortstop, Ryan Theriot talks about his journey from being a bat boy to becoming the starting shortstop for the Cubs and winning two World Series. He emphasizes the importance of the minor leagues and the grind it takes to make it to the big leagues. 00:31:41 - Believing in Himself and Finding Success in the Major Leagues, Theriot shares that he quickly realized he belonged in the major leagues once he started playing and seeing success. He talks about the importance of confidence and the support he received from teammates like Derek Lee. 00:35:40 - Impacting Lives and Giving Back, Theriot reflects on the impact he can make on the lives of others through his career in baseball. He shares how he took that for granted in his early days but now sees the value in using his platform to positively influence others, especially college players. 00:37:33 - Winning Championships and the Importance of Team Culture, Theriot discusses the importance of team culture in winning championships. He highlights the trust, love, and camaraderie among teammates as essential components for success. He compares the cultures in St. Louis, San Francisco, and LSU and emphasizes the role of leadership in creating a winning atmosphere. 00:40:07 - The Secret Sauce of Team Building, Theriot emphasizes the importance of having a mix of personalities on a team. He mentions the significance of class clowns, keeping things loose, and laughing at oneself.     Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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I think the culture in those three clubhouses were all the same. I think the players trusted each other. We trusted ownership. We trusted management. We trusted the coaches. You know, the one similarity on all three of those teams were, was that. And we loved each other. We wanted each other to succeed more than we wanted ourselves to succeed. Southwest Florida is one of the most beautiful places on the planet to live. Those of you that are thinking of moving from other states to come to Florida or even just moving to a different part of the state, I want you to think of a big, beautiful luxury home. Contact legacy luxury builders.

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Join us today and elevate your game to new heights. Peak mental performance program where champions are forged in the mind. Email me today, shan.french at thedeterminedsociety.com for more information. See you inside. What's up, guys. How's it going? Sean French here with another episode of the podcast of Determined Society. Today I have a very special guest with us, guys, a guy that I played ball with back at LSU

you who just embodies the mental presence of any athletes you could possibly imagine. This man, Ryan Terrio, they called him the riot. And I'm going to tell you something. He was a riot on the field. He was a riot in the locker room. But more than anything, he was a riot in his fucking mind and anything that this gentleman said he was going to do, he did. I watched this guy, his senior year, have this hitting streak in the Division I

baseball that really hasn't been touched and it was a special thing. And we'll definitely dive into that. His multiple world world championships won in 2011 with the Cardinals and then right thereafter in 2012 with the San Francisco Giants. Let's not forget his amazing national championship with our beloved LSU Tigers of the image of Ryan Terrio crossing the plate against Stanford in the year 2000 and chucking his helmet in the air, creating an epic moment for LSU fans to admire and enjoy forever. He is a father. He is a husband and he is the owner of traction performance where they train the highest athletes in the world and HUDCO roofing. Welcome Ryan Terro to the show. What's up, brother? Hey, Sean. Appreciate you having me, man. Just fired up to be on this thing,

bro. Let's do it. Dude, I'm fired up, man. It's good to see your face. I'm used to, I'm going to tell you something. I didn't know what I was going to get. I'm used to seeing some good flip, bro. Big league flip. And you're cleaned up, man. Well, I went, so the hair was super long. And then I got COVID.

No big deal. I was good. But I didn't feel great. So my hair was all in my face. And I went in the bathroom. No joke. Shaved a mullet. So I went, you can kind of still see a little bit of it.

I see the mullet. So I went huge, like short on the, side long in the back and uh and i thought it was sexy and i loved it my kids didn't think it was very funny and so i ended up just cutting it all short so that's what i'm going with right now you know listen man if anybody can pull off a mull and it's you what did jana what did jana think about it she didn't mind it i mean listen bro let's be honest she's in this thing for the long haul now he has been yeah she's in it so so yeah she was just like whatever dude just do your thing she probably liked it because it looks so bad you know no no chicks were going to hit on me

Yeah, totally. It's a good thing. Yeah. I think it's a little, you know, and since you've cut it, it's probably a little less Matt Stairs-ish. Very true. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's probably more like right now, it's probably more Tom Cruise than anything.

I was thinking Tom Cruise. Well, you're much better looking at Tom Cruise. So. Dangerous like Tom Cruise, too, and all the double sevens and stuff. So, yeah, it's all good, man. Now, appreciate you having me on, dude. I'm fired up to the rap for a little while. Hell yeah, man.

It's an honor. in a privilege of mine, and I'm super excited to tell the world more about Ryan Terrio. But for those of the people that are going to be watching this on YouTube, you will see that Ryan Terrio is in the best dugout in the United States of America, LSU at Alex Box Stadium. Man, there's some good memories there. Obviously, we played in the Alex Box Stadium prior to this one. But, man, some amazing moments.

Oh, yeah, now this place is special. This is, you know, you can see it. I'll pull us around. I'm going to mess up. Can you see the intimidator out there? Yeah, buddy. You see all the national titles on that thing? That's what we do.

Yeah, it's beautiful. Here we go. Nothing like it. Yeah. Nothing like it. Thanks for showing everybody. You come to LSU. That's what happens.

That's what's up, man. I mean, listen, they got some great stuff going on right now. Jay is an absolute juggernaut. The kids love them. I've got a buddy that I've known since he was like three. We're buddies now. Blake Money. He's a softener there.

He's from, from Northport, Florida. So we're really close. We communicate on a regular basis. And he absolutely loves the energy that's going on through that program right now. And they are going to be back on top. And world, watch out because LSU is coming to your living room.

That's what's happening. Absolutely. So as much as I would love for this to be about LSU, this is really about Ryan. and Terrio. Ryan, you know, I was talking to you a little bit about this before the show, but I wanted to let the listeners know this. Ryan Terrio was not only just a great baseball player and a great teammate and a great friend. He was somebody that would pick me up on a day-to-day basis because I wasn't mentally strong back then. And he did his best and his and his pa-paw

did as well to to rub some positivity off on me and to let me know. that I could truly do it and that I had the talent. But back then, I just didn't have it between the years. Those six inches in between the years was the most dangerous neighborhood I've ever had. And I never wanted to walk through that neighborhood alone again. Since then, I have perfected the mindset. And I wanted to have Ryan on because although those amazing things about Ryan as an athlete, he was truly special, the biggest talent Ryan had from Jump Street was creating

the reality that he wanted in his mind prior to things happening and understanding that all the failures and all the adversity in between was just a part of the process. So I'd like for him to talk about his journey in the mindset and how it played a role in his life and his career. Yeah, no, I think, you know, and I'm fortunate to be able to talk to kids and kind of do something similar with the LSU athletes, not just baseball, but, you know, football and basketball, all the kids that are going to play at the next level. It's traction has afforded me that, that, you know, that opportunity to help these kids and kind of teach them and train them to be pros.

And, you know, you touched on something, Sean, that's super important. You know, you have to see it and visualize it and understand what it is that you want. You know, so often in life, we get caught in that rut of just repetitive, you know, you wake up, you drink your coffee, whatever it is that you do, and then you go to work. And it turns into groundhog. day and you really don't know what it is that you're working for what you're trying to accomplish you know um in first grade and i can remember the teacher's name uh joan corona miss corona and we had career day at barma elementary and you know the the guy next to me

wanted to be a fireman and he had his poster and all this crap and then the girl next to me said she wanted to be an astronaut and i made fun of both of them uh because i was an asshole and then i had i had my i had my poster of cow rickin jr and i said i'm i'm going to play in the major leagues and all laughed and made fun of me. You know, my dad, Randy, did something for me as a young child that I've done for mine. And I think every parent should do their best to do. But he loved my goal and my passion and my want. But he was very clear on the sacrifices I would have to make in order to achieve them.

And, you know, he told me, he said, you know, are you okay not going to prom or the dances or the parties? you know, are you okay going to bed early and waking up, you know, before the sun comes up? Are you okay, you know, missing out on things? We can't go hunting in the fall because you need to, you know, if this is what you want to do, you got to grind, dude. And if it's not what you want to do, that's okay. I still love you. But these are the sacrifices you have to make in order to achieve, you know, what it is that you want to do.

And so, man, he was very clear and up front with the, those things for me as a child. And so I knew, I mean, I knew what I had to do. It wasn't, you know, LSU was a love for me, but LSU in reality was a means to the minor leagues. And AA was a means to AAA, and AAA was a means to the major leagues. And, you know, at the end of the day, it was checking those boxes. And, you know, and so identifying what it is, I think, Sean,

really understanding what it is and then and then working backwards. Same thing applies in business. Same thing applies in relationships. You know, what is it that you want out of a relationship? And, you know, if you don't know the end goal, the end game, you're just spinning your freaking wheels, bro. You know, it's funny that you mentioned that because I always talk and I'm the type of person people laugh at too, right?

Because they ask me what I'm doing with my podcast. So I'll hop on Zoom calls and people laugh at me because I have this microphone or, you know, I'm doing all this stuff on social media. And it's just like, I see a bigger picture. Here's what I'm going to be. And what I do is, I find that what that angle is, and I reverse engineer. Right. And I know the sacrifices and or investments I need to make in myself in order to make this thing happen.

Am I going to bed at, you know, 10 o'clock now? No, I'm going to bed at one or two because I have to do that. I have to get this shit ready, right? I have to be on for Orion Terrio. I can't come here with no energy. I can't come here with nothing to say or do, right? I have to be so dialed in on what the end process is and embody that person right now that's going to create that result out there in the world.

And I think that, you know, that's exactly what you were able to do as a player at LSU. You know, the one thing that I remember one of the first things I spoke to you about when I got to LSU was right after you guys won the 2000 World Series is you were talking about visualization, right? And you saw that moment, that very moment of you crossing the plate in a Rios-esque fashion. Can you talk to our listeners about that, please? Yeah, you know, Coach Burtman was unique in the fact that he videoed everything. And so we would watch these videos, all positive reinforcement, literally every day.

And yeah, you're correct. There was a clip where Armando Rios, he was a guy that as a child, I watched him play at LSU. But there was a moment where he slid across some plate to win the college world series, and he fires his helmet, you know, over the netting into the stands. And, you know, you see it so often, but it doesn't, like, sink in, but it becomes a reality, you know, in what you do. And I promised you, rounding third base, it was not going through my mind. Hey, fire your helmet in the stands like a moron, you know, and it just, it just happened.

And if you side by side, those two videos of Armando and then myself, you know, it's the same thing. It's the slide helmet off, chunk it in the stands. You know, and I ended up the friend in him when I was playing professionally. And, you know, we talked about that. And he loved it. But the visualization piece, you know, I don't want to just talk about sports with it because I believe it's easy in sports. It's easy for a kid, not easy, it's easier for a kid or a young athlete to go, hey, I want to be Alex Breggman. You know, he's 5-11.

He's 190 pounds. I'm just as big as he is. You know, I can do it. I can do what he does. That's easy because you can see it. You can touch it. It's tangible. You know, the challenge that I had for about four or five years post

retirement was taking that same thought mindset into the business world, into your everyday work, into like the real world, not sports, but, you know, you know, and I would watch people that would kind of spin their wheels. And then I would watch others that are so Uber successful. And they just, they did what we're talking about. about. You know, they had their dream and their vision. What did you call reverse engineering? They reverse, they reverse engineered back and went, okay, this is where I want to be. This is what I want to do. Okay. Now, how do I get, how do I get there? Like, you know, nobody wants to sit in a cubicle all day long and make, you know, a middle, middle of the road salary and retire when they're, you know, 65. And, you know, that does.

doesn't sound exciting to me. And I would say in a in a honest moment, it's probably not exciting to anybody. It's just what they settled for. You know, yeah, man, here's the other thing. That's like another topic, right? That is subscribing to a narrative that is placed on you as a child, right? We all go through these, these parts of reality, right? Where we're told that we have to graduate college and get a salary paying job. And at the end of the day, we get there. We're like, wait a second. I'm following the narrative that was sold to me. This isn't my higher self.

My higher self is doing X, Y, Z. There's a version of myself right fucking now, living my reality. Now I got to go meet that motherfucker. And for me, you're right. This isn't just about sports. Sports is easy to sit there, easier like you say, to sit there and visualize a fastball, you know, coming in on you and turn it and burn on that bitch. That's, okay, that's cool, right?

Because you've been through those moments many, many times. It is much more difficult to sit there and visualize and fight your subconscious during this visualization process because there's going to be moments where you're your subconscious and all the shit that you've heard about yourself, that you can't do something is going to start firing when you're looking to find that in gold. I think what's very, very special about people that are very successful and you've done it with traction and you're doing it with Huckco roofing right now is you're able. able to silence that thought, right? Because we're going to get random thoughts throughout the day. But really, the secret sauce is, how are we choosing to think? Right? That's the difference. So walk me through because, you know, how far after retirement did you build traction?

So I, I mean, I spent every penny of my signing bonus on the dirt. So when I was in the minor leagues, you know, I bought the dirt in the minor leagues and traction was my plan B. You know, it was a it was a dream that I'd wanted that I'd had for a long time helping kids in Baton Rouge and I knew I could monetize it. And, you know, John and I were engaged to be married, you know, that first year out. And I just needed a backup plan, you know, in case I didn't get to the show, I needed to know I could provide for her in an arena that I loved. And so I spent, like I said, I spent all my signing bonus. I've been broke before. Shit, I'll be broke again, right?

And so that was, you know, that was my plan B. And, you know, I didn't focus all my energy on it, but I definitely focused a little bit on it, you know, and it was something that I was growing as I was growing my baseball career. You know, and I'll say, it's kind of like a swing. You know, I tell my hitters this all the time. I was actually having this discussion, and Daniel Cabrera, who will be in the big league.

next year with the Tigers great play. But I told Daniel, I said, you know, it's very rare that you have your A swing every game. The great hitters, they have a B swing or even a C swing or approach that they can bring every A.B. It may not be as aggressive. It may not be as powerful. It may not be, you know, your best swing, but it's good enough. That's your plan B.

You know, the ones that struggle, they just have one plan, one swing, and that's, you know, sit and you know you're going to face a Justin Verlander or you know Walker Bueller and he's going to get you out there's nothing you can do about that right so you have to have a plan B and the same thing applies in life I think and when you're when you're talking about preparing for the future and that mindset it's good to be prepared you know an interesting thing going on right now Frenchie is the you know the NIL stuff in college sports yeah yeah and And so I'm fortunate to sit on a few boards and we're doing some stuff with LSU baseball. And I brought this up the other day in one of our meetings.

We're talking about raising money for the kids. And, you know, I mean, you can pay them now. It's the craziest thing in the world. Yeah. You just give them the money. I mean, literally, all they have to do is take a picture and you can give them 100 grand or a million. Like it's so I told him, I said, you know, there's something else in this that I think is important. I'm signing kids to NIL deals with HUDCO roofing and extensive.

left and right. They are gaining real life experience from a business standpoint, contract negotiations, you know, things that you and I didn't get in college, you know, and it's preparing them for the next step because the truth is they're not going to play in the major. I mean, some of them may be. Right. You know, and so that's, this is, although it's getting a lot of bad press in IL, you're going to see kids that are prepared for the real world better than you and I've

because they've had these situations. I think preparation is super important. I mean, I really do. Yeah, I think, you know, I think the public has a lot of opinions about NIL because they don't truly understand it and really truly understand behind the scenes of what's going on. And with anything, it's how we choose to deal with something and bring it to market. And what you're doing and what Coach Johnson's doing with LSU. you is we're taking a business approach to NIL and teaching these kids something and preparing

them for life and business because, you know, without that, they have to learn that out in the real world and get stepped on first and then learn the hard way. My one question was back to the launch pad of that initial question of, of visualizing going through business, is were there any points in time where you were seeing something, thing on the movie screen of your mind, right? Your mind's conceiving it and you can see it. And then at one point during that meditation or that visualization, whatever you want to call it, right, because it's all the same.

Did that mind say, Ryan, hold on, bro. What are you doing? This isn't possible. Walk, walk, walk me through that. I would say my blessing and my curse is that, you know, I am a, I am a dreamer. I am an idea guy. If you looked it up the definition and the dictionary, like that, that's my face. Like, it's with everything that I do, you know, it's never good enough.

And so I'm always going, okay, what if, what if? My partners, my business partners hate me because it's honestly, it's nonstop. I'm like, hey, bro, I got an idea. Call me, you know, or whatever. You know, when it's interesting if you ask that. I mean, and that's a good question. The answer is probably no. It's amazing.

It's so weird. I'm trying to think of an instance where I was like, yeah, yeah, you're probably right. But no, man. I mean, I just always look for, I'm a big what if guy, you know, and it's never know you can't do it. It's okay, how do you figure it out? you know, and I don't take no for an answer very well. I'm pretty aggravating to people, I'm sure. I mean, and but we took a batting cage,

we took a youth sports facility that nobody makes money in that. And it's, I'm not going to go into detail, but it's pretty damn profitable. You know, and how did you do it? Well, we partnered with the largest, with the largest sanctioning body in the world in perfect game. We hired the best youth sports director on the planet, Brad Cresden. Yes, absolutely.

We kept building fields. You know, when everybody else said it was stupid, we have 12 turf fields. Now we have 17 turf fields. Now, you know, okay, what next? Physical therapy. Why? Because I can bill insurance. Why is that important?

Because I'm not asking the parent for money. Okay, we can scale therapy. therapy clinics. All right, let's go. Let's build them, build them, build them, you know. And so it's the same thing with roofing. And I think my mind works in a manner like, okay, you know, once I feel like I got it figured out, I'm moving on to the next one. I'm moving. And like I say, it's a blessing and a curse because my biggest downfall, and this is just being honest, is I struggle seeing it through all the way. And I know that. You know, and so what I have to do, Sean, is surround myself with people that are good at that, you know, the operators that, you know, if I'm

smart enough to go, okay, I need somebody, I've got a business partner with my construction stuff, who's phenomenal. And he is detail oriented, and he is, you know, by the book as they come. And I'm the complete opposite. I'm freaking all over the place, you know, and so with the relationship works. But no, man, I mean, I don't think. think there's anything I couldn't do. You know, if I really wanted to. That's amazing because, you know, back then, I had a lot of those limiting beliefs.

Now I get caught up on the how, right? To me, to me, like, and to me, if you were to ask me where I'm going to be in a year, I will sit there dead in your face and look at you and tell you, right? Of where this is going, right? You know, I see myself on stage. I see myself in big programs. I see myself right next to you at Traction,

you guys. Sure. I'm telling you. Like, I mean, dude, like, I see a ton of coaching clients. And so for me, that believability is there, right? I get caught up on the how. And the how, right, is the one thing that could really hinder us in getting there, right? Because what we need to realize, and this is why I come out and I tell people what I struggle with, because people need to realize that we're not perfect. We have these same things that go on. The how is not important. What's important is the intention, right? What are we putting out in the world? What are we doing?

Is what I'm doing right now at this moment with Ryan Terrio helping me? Is it helping kids? Is it helping Ryan? Is it helping people all over the world? The answer to me is undoubtedly yes. Absolutely. 100% yes. Like this is in alignment.

This is in integrity. And I think what people need to realize is no matter what their goals, are whatever sacrifice or an investment they have to make in themselves they have to truly believe it and they have to move for it every single day if you're not getting out of bed and jumping at the opportunity to be your ultimate self you are dying where you stand let me tell you something there are peaks and valance yep you know and everybody goes through and if if somebody sits in front of a camera in front of a microphone and says they have it they're a freaking lie everybody goes through the ups and the downs, the peaks of the valley, the seasons of their life where

everything's clicking on all cylinders, mentally, physically, relationships, the whole deal. And then there's peaks where it sucks. And I've gone through them. You've gone through them. We all have gone through them. And the good news is, if you stay the course and just weather the storm, you learn from that. It makes you stronger, right?

don't succumb to it. Don't start creating bad habits to get you out of it. It's okay. Everybody does it. Look, it was a few years ago during the COVID stuff, which sucked for me. There was a lot of crap I couldn't do.

There was a lot of uncertainty. Business was brutal. And so, and that was a valley. And, you know, I think knowing that it was going to be okay. You know,

my grandmother, but she used to always say that. She's like, you know, she said, it's going to all work out. It always does. You know, that was her thing. You know, it's going to all work out. It always does. And that's true.

You know, I think for me, Sean, my, my relationship with God and spiritually was super important during those times. And understanding that, that I had, I had a, I had a, I had something I could go to for answers. You know what I mean? Sure. Without self-medicating, without doing these things that people, I mean, listen, bro, it happens, you know? And, and so yeah, man, the valleys are important. They are super important because without the valleys, you can't have peace. You can't. And I think it's super important where you're going through those valleys to understand and appreciate them. As hard as it is, right? It is something that is the hardest thing to do to appreciate when things aren't clicking on all cylinders in your business, in your,

in your game, in your relationship, maybe a marriage, right? Because we all go through seasons where all of those things suffer because we're human beings. But to find the true appreciation and the opportunity to build strength to come out of that even better, I think is an opportunity that, you know, all too often that we underlook as human beings. So I'm with you on all of that, brother. And I think those are. really, really good points that you're not going to, you're not going to be clicking on all similar as at all times. Right. And, and we need to, we need to know that, right? And we need to prepare it. We need to be ready to respond, not react. And I would imagine, and I would imagine

going through the farm system and into the big leagues is, is a lot like that. And I really, because I think this topic will take about 10, 15 minutes, and I know you got some things to do. So I do want to hit this. Like walk me through that. Walk me through that process because once you get to, once you get to double A, I mean, really the only separators is that six inches between the years. To the big. I wanted, I wanted to quit. Like, I had made up my mind in 2004 that I was done. No shit. John, we were, John and I were married. She was pregnant with my first son, Houston. And I wasn't on the 40 man roster. I wasn't a prospect. I can remember. calling my buddy Adam Greenberg and saying Greenie, you know, I think this is it, man.

I don't think I'm coming to spring training this year. I was at traction. And he goes, he goes, do it again, do it one more year for you. Don't play for the Cubs. Don't play for anybody else. Play for you, you know, your family and all those, you know, and so I went back. This is a great story, but I went back to spring training that year, not on the roster, nothing.

Like, I'm just a guy. Just a guy. And I was switch hitting at the time, which sucked. And it was brutal. And our farm director, I went to him onary Fleeter, and I said, hey, Fleet, you know, I think I just want to hit right-hand. He says, well, we don't see you as a prospect unless you're a switch hitter. I said, well, I'm not a prospect now, bro. Like, y'all don't see me as that now.

So whatever. He goes, I'll make a deal with you. If you hit 300 all right-handed, I'll call you up to the major leagues. But if you don't, I'm releasing you and you'll never play baseball again. And so I shook his hand that spring training. I said, deal. Because what did I have to lose? House money, bro.

House money. I was prepared to retire anyway. I got a hot wife who's pregnant. I got a facility. Like, I'm good. And, bro, I hit 304. And he called me up to the show. non-roster

nobody knew who I was Greg Maddox true story asked me if I was the bat boy when I walked in the clubhouse promise you he goes you're a little bit old to be a bat boy aren't you I said oh gosh oh shit and so so yes

I mean it happened that fast to where I was prepared to give and then the next year I'm the starting shortstop for the Cubs and you know 10 years later I've got two rings and, you know, it just happened that fast. So, yeah, man, the valley of the minor leagues

was as deep and dark as it could be. Right. But without those moments, the major leagues would have meant nothing to me. You know, and, you know, it wasn't about the money or any of that. It was just about, it was about knowing that I really and truly had to grind to get there. And, and, you know, once you get there, it's even harder to stay, you know,

everybody's trying to take your job every day. You got some guy from Puerto Rico that's throwing a billion and, you know. But, but yeah, man, the grind of the minor leagues and that valley is a deep, dark one for sure. Yeah, I mean, everybody talks about it, right? But very few people really go through it and prosper through it to make it to the big leagues. Yeah. Was there ever a moment in your mind where, and I know your answer to be like, hell no, man, I wasn't satisfied. And I'm not even asking you to say that. But to a point to where you're like, you took a deep breath and you're like, all right, man, I've made it.

I'm in a career here. I'm a big leaguer. And this is where I belong in. This is where I'm going to stay. What was that moment like for you? What did it feel like? I mean, once I, it didn't take long. You know, once I got out there and played a couple games and got a few hits and made a few plays. I'm like, okay, this isn't much different. You know, my numbers were actually better in the major leagues than they were in the minor leagues. Yeah, you were Lifetime 281 hitter in the big leagues.

In minor leagues, I sucked, you know. And so, dude, it didn't take long. I think, you know, you face like, I remember Derek Lee telling me one day, he's like, bro, you can hit that. And then I'm like, my first year, I was like, I always knew I could play defense. you know but but the hitting thing once he said that I was like okay this is an all-star you know that's he doesn't have to say that to me but yeah man I mean it it didn't it didn't take long bro

and then once you know you're there once you know you belong then it's like all right you know how do I get better and how do I parlay this into five years six years eight years 10 years you know whatever um yeah man it was a it was a crazy journey no doubt What were some of the favorite outside of the World Series championships? Because I'm going to get to that, right? Because I can tie that into everyday life for other people, right? What were some of your favorite moments? You know, the call up was awesome, getting that call.

I was in AA and so I got called up from AA. So that, you know, John, was due to have, actually she, Houston was born a month and a half before that. So, yeah, so that was cool. You know, the World Series is great. You know, getting through arbitration, you know, off of your rookie contract is important. Then you're kind of a guy at that point. You know, the World Series, you can't beat that.

But just their bonds and relationships you form too along the way, you know, being able to come back and talk to these LSU kids about the journey, you know, is a cool thing for me that I can continue to, to capitalize on. That's pretty awesome, man. The one thing that I really like about you, and I always have, is you've always been about other people. And, you know, you just told the whole world,

yet again, who you are as a person. And that comes from great parents and great grandparents, who I know personally. So I know what that family structure looks like. I know the terrios. And, you know, the big thing was, is you ended it with I get to come back and talk to these boys at LSU. It wasn't about anything else.

It was about him being successful in his career so we can continue to make an impact in college baseball and in youth baseball. And dude, like that that's my favorite thing about you. Well, the biggest, the biggest gift, and I didn't know it was a gift when I was going through it. I realized later on in my career, post-career, too, the biggest gift that I was ever given was the ability to affect millions of lives on a daily basis in a positive man. And when you're in the heat of the moment, when you're in the battle, you don't realize that.

My dad, Randy, actually said that one day. He's like, why are you so pissed off? He was in Chicago. Why are you so pissed off? I'm like, because I suck. He's like, bro, if you go make a play or get some knocks, you'll make millions of people smile. What other job in the world can do that? you know and so we take that for granted when we're in the heat of the moment dude i tell these kids

that every day i'm like bro y'all don't understand you don't even have to do good just when the camera's on you make a funny face do something you know like that's the gift and i took that for granted i never will again and i'd be i'm sure to pass that along to all these kids like you know yeah it's great dylan cruz to be the best player in the world and you are you're a really nice he is yes But, man, can you imagine the lives you can affect in a positive manner in the next 15 years of your life? Holy crap. What a blessing, dude. You know what I mean?

Yeah. That's something that I really overlooked while I was at LSU. Yeah. Right? We all did. I mean, we all did, especially, you know, somebody like me who didn't really reach the potential of what I felt I could have been. And I just, I look back at it now going out there and Aaron, the little Aaron, Hugh, Dan, And then you have Bridget and all these other, you know, Miss Marquita and all these other people that had such amazing impacts in our lives. And we were able to impact them. And it was it was something that I took for granted then. And I will never take that. I didn't take them for granted. I took the experience for granted. And, you know, ultimately it hurt me, right? At that level. But the one thing that it did is it turned.

me into the human being I am now. And I can go back. And now I can give back to kids at the, at the college level and say, hey, listen, I've been here. I've been at LSU. And someone in this room right now is feeling like this. I'm here to tell you, it's not going to serve you. That's right. And here's how we get through it. So, you know, to close out, you were able to win, not just a national championship, but two World Series championships. It's the ultimate. It's the pinnacle, right? Everybody wants to do it. Every kid grows up, you know, simulating a three, two count, bottom of nine, bases loaded, you know, walk off hit to win the World Series. You've won three, you've won three big championships. Talk to us about that feeling and in the grittiness that it

takes to achieve something like that. You know, it doesn't have anything to do with, I mean, excuse me, I take that back. It has a little bit to do with the team. It has more to do with the relationships in the clubhouse and the way that the people get along. I think that's, I think that is the most important thing. I think culture, you know, winning in St. Louis and San Francisco and LSU, I think the culture in those three clubhouses were all the same. I think the players trusted each other. We trusted ownership. We trusted management. We trusted the coaches. You know, the one similarity on all three of those teams were was that and and we loved each other. We wanted each other to succeed more than we wanted ourselves to succeed. And I've been on more talented team. Chicago

in 07 and 08 was the best. Yeah. We had number one offense and defense and baseball and best pitching staff and but we couldn't win. And so, you know, culture is so, so important. You know, how do you create it? What do you do to create it? How do you maintain it? That's the secret sauce. Yeah. And you have to have a mixture of superstars and class clowns. And dudes that beat everybody up. And then guys that'll put their arm around you and tell you they love you and, you know, how great you are.

But you've got to have that mixture. It's like making a gumbo, dude. And, you know, that's the question. I mean, how do you do it? Some people have figured it out. Nick Savans figured it out. Yeah. Burtman figured it out.

You know, and so that's the one similarity. Sean, and, you know, the whole thing, it starts at the top, it truly does. Your leader is the most important part of that, the Tony LaRoucces of the world, the Bruce Bochis, the Skip Burtmans, the Nick Sabins, like I said, those are the ones, man. You know, you want to have a cool guest on, you know, get one of those guys, you know, and in an honest moment, after a few brown waters, let them tell you what it is, you know, because I'll say it's the class. clowns. Yeah. People keep it loose. Make everybody laugh.

Yeah. You were that, you were that clown. I can't talk. I can't talk about it on the air. Oh my God. Dude, I mean,

stupidest crap you've ever seen. Absolutely. Oh, dude. Like, yeah. The best. And they loved it because it's so serious, dude.

It's like it's not that serious, man. Laf it yourself. Do something stupid. Like, so, but no, man, that's the secret sauce. And,

but it's not just, in sports. I think it's in business too. When I construct a team of, you know, and from a business standpoint, you know, I look for that too. And you can't just have a team full of all stars, man. You know, you got to have all kind of different personalities. So I've got literally 1% left. Okay, so let's do this. Guys, listen up here. I want you guys to understand something. You had an opportunity to listen to one of the best in Ryan Terrier, one of the best human beings, best baseball players I ever had opportunity to play with. Ryan, thank you again. The listeners are going to love this episode. Hang out for a second, please. I want to say something to you before I hop off. We're out, guys.

Share this episode with all your friends. That's how we're growing right now before I start to bug you with all of the ads from Traction Performance and Hudco roofing. Don't worry. We'll get them on. So anyway, guys, love you all. Have a good one. Thank you, Sean. Thank you. Southwest Florida is one of the most beautiful places on the planet to live. For those of you that are thinking of moving from other states to come to Florida or even just moving to a different part of the state, I want you to think of a big, beautiful luxury home. Contact legacy luxury builders.

They are a family owned and operated luxury residential construction company. As a family-owned business, they believe in the power of building not just homes, but legacies. Contact legacy luxury builders. unlock your true potential on the field and court with our peak mental performance program for athletes train your mind to conquer challenges stay focused under pressure and achieve unparalleled success our expert coaches will guide you through personalized techniques enhancing concentration resilience and confidence picture yourself outperforming your rivals making split second decisions with clarity and achieving victory like never before join us today and elevate your game to new heights peak mental performance program where champions are forged in the mind email me today sean dot french at the determined society.com for more information see inside