THE ED MYLETT SHOW - Walking Miracle: Mindset That Overcame Paralysis w/ Ryan Shazier

Episode Date: September 20, 2022

here are NO GUARANTEES in life.  There are only TRIUMPHS and SETBACKS.  My guest this week, RYAN SHAZIER, knows this all too well.  His story is EXTRAORDINARY.  In a single moment, he went from living his best life as an NFL linebacker to the challenge of simply trying to walk again.If you’ve ever had sudden and traumatic challenges turn your life upside down, you must hear Ryan’s story.  Because this week, you’re going to learn how one man turned a potential tragedy into a NEW BEGINNING.  Ryan was an Ohio State Buckeye who was a first-round draft pick at linebacker by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2014.  He quickly starred in the league, earning a trip to the PRO BOWL in 2016.  But during the 2017 season, he made a headfirst tackle that left him unable to move his legs.  Ryan underwent spinal stabilization surgery giving him the tools he needed to heal.His new book, WALKING MIRACLE, goes into detail about what he went through and was a must read for me as soon as I got a copy.Ryan spares no details in what he had to deal with after hearing news that he was paralyzed.  But along with his mom and dad, Ryan worked hard to create the POSITIVE MINDSET he would need to start healing.The GOOD NEWS is that surgery worked, and eventually Ryan did walk again.  In fact, 17 months after the injury he danced at his own wedding.But his NFL career was over.  His identity was stripped away.  And while he experienced the SUPREME TRIUMPH OF WALKING AGAIN, the setback of no longer playing the game he loved meant he had to pivot.  Ryan’s account of how he went from a pro athlete to a businessman is full of lessons you can use in your own life.  He’ll tell you how he was NEVER RESENTFUL and why that was so critical to MOVE FORWARD, instead of living in a past that no longer existed.  There are so many great nuggets of WISDOM in his words that you must hear, especially Ryan’s advice for making a COMEBACK after a traumatic life experience.Ryan Shazier embodies what it takes to OVERCOME tragic events in your life.His story will move you, and for those of you who need it, also help HEAL you too.

This is The End My Let's Show. Okay, welcome back to the show everybody. Today I have a man who is literally a walking miracle on my show. And I was a huge, huge fan of this man before a particular injury affected him, but I've become a hundred times bigger fan after it. And it's one of the most remarkable stories you're ever going to hear in your life by one of the most remarkable people you will ever hear from in your life with some of the best tips and insights of how to overcome adversity and frankly how to make a comeback in your life. So he's

got a new book out called Walking Miracle, How Faith Positive Thinking and Passion for a football brought me back from paralysis and helped me find my purpose. Ryan Seizier, welcome to the show today, brother. How you doing, man? I really appreciate you having me. I'm really excited to be on. I am too. You guys, this is a great athlete, first round draft pick,

a player that all offenses in the NFL feared. And then take us, Ryan, let's just go right to it. December 4th, 2017, your life changed. Yeah, so December 4th, like you said, 2017, we played a Cincinnati, Bangle's, and Cincinnati. It was a Monday night football game. And the one thing I was really interested about this game is that the year is prior,

this was my four year in the NFL. The year is prior, every year I had, I was hurt for either nine games, you know, this was my four-year NFL, the years prior, every year I had, I was hurt for either nine games, seven games, you know, three games. So I told myself this year, I'm like, no matter what, I'm sticking, I'm making, I'm playing every game. Unless I have a significant injury, I'm playing every single game. So I end up, we were playing, we were playing the Green Bay Packers and around as they played his game. And we ended up being them. And we were being a pretty solid like I didn't really have to be in the game towards the end of the game.

I didn't have to, like, it was like a last-thed a game. I didn't really have to go as hard as I did. I just wanted to kind of get that last tackling. And you know, just, you know, you know, Ed just go one more. You know, so to get that edge here, that edge a little, a edge a little bit in. And then when I did that, somebody actually stepped on my ankle and caused me to kind of spray my ankle.

And when that happened, when you spray your ankles, it was really tough to kind of bounce back from. But through that whole week, I didn't practice. Not one day that week and one thing that I always did, I didn't practice not one day that week and one thing that I always did when I didn't practice, or even when I did practice, I still didn't have back of practice in terms of mental reps. So like I was still, still about there and if I'm not actually taking the physical with, I'll actually like think about all the steps I have to take, take like one or two practice steps. So that's what I was doing and just rehabbing. And so me and coach Aaron talk and he was like Ryan is going to be a

game time decision for this for this game. And so before the game, I talked to my wife, I talked to my father in law, I talked to my dad. And my wife and my father in law, my father and I was a nurse at the time. He was like Ryan, I don't think he should play. So but my dad, you know, he grew up, he like he helped me be where I was at. Like he's been my, you know, my right of dacinus all for the kid.

He was like Ryan, like whatever you want to do is up to you, you know, he's like, you know your body better than anybody and I understand that you don't want him to listen to the games. If you want to go out there, go out there. So I, so it was, I probably like 20 minutes before the game, I told him, because time and I, I'm good to go, I warmed't go and I wasn't 100% but I was I'm gonna be all right So the game start off first quarter

I think it was the second first driver second drive I already have four tacos and and I don't know like I don't know how long you play football Like you played in football and but when you have four tacos on defense in the first quarter That you already thinking in your head, this is gonna be a good game. Yep, yep. You know, because you do four times three, just 12 tacos minimum.

So I was like, I'm about to have a good game. And then I forgot what guy is acting name, but somebody else was shooting for the Cincinnati Bangalov, he did a drag route. So a drag route is basically, if you haven't lost right up, and he runs all the way across the field, like right up and he runs all the way across the field Like take one step and go all the way across the field and I was like, oh, this isn't gonna be that all the protectors Not a difficult task for I've made this tackle a thousand times in my life and

He ran it up and when he ran it up In a field is implementing like not him not hitting people with their helmets not hitting people with your head It's not try to be really safe when you're talking to people. So in this situation, I never thought about like, Hey, how am I going to tackle anybody? I always just, I won't hit them in, you know, they fall, how they make, you know, it's just so, um, in this situation, I just like to try to put my head across and actually avoid him and with my head. And when this happened, he was running a little bit faster than I thought he was.

And when I put my head out, my head hit exactly towards him. And if I could have fractured my body, my back, yeah. What did it feel like? You're now your one minute, you're the best player. I'm a brag for you, but you're the leader on your defense. You're the best player on the field. You're having the best game on the field. And a millimeter second later, you're on your back. Can you, can you not move at all? And are you starting to go, oh, oh, something major just happened here?

Yeah. So in that moment, I was pretty much paralyzed from the waist down. And in my head, I was thinking more of like, oh, this is a stinker. So people that played football before, a stinger is if you're talking somebody, you hit somebody, you hit on which your shoulder feels numb. And it's like almost burning like a, like a stingy sensation, that's what it's called a stinker. But it's like numb, but it eventually comes back. Like most football players that I just been looking for. So I thought it was like, I'm having somewhere like a stinker,

but just for my legs, you know? So I was thinking that at first and I was kind of in the now. And then they came and started talking to my legs. And when they were talking to my legs, I really couldn't feel anything. And I was like, are you talking like, do you feel that I'm like, you're not touching me? So it kind of scared me.

And then they put me on the gurney and then into the ambulance. And my daughter was with me the whole time. And I and being into the ambulance. And my daughter was with me the whole time and I just kept asking the questions. I'm like, how long am I gonna be hurt? Like, would I be playing again? Would I be ready for Christmas? Cause I remember that we were playing the Houston Times and the end Christmas

and I was in my family, like my wife's family's from Texas. So I was really looking forward to that game. So it was like a lot of the stuff going on and I kept asking questions about like when am I going to be okay? Am I going to be okay? Am I going to be okay? And it was more and not like am I going to be okay? Like I'm not going to walk again. It's more like how so do you think I'm going to be a football game? Because I just really did now me actually not. Right. Even with your teammates around you because I was watching that game. It was Monday night football. I recall was not. It was Monday around you, because I, I was watching that game.

It was Monday night football. I could recall. It was not. It was Monday night football game. Yeah. I was watching the game and you could tell by the announcers when they came back from commercial like, oh, no. And then the guys on your team were around you and you could see some of them praying, right? And I saw some of them talking to you. And I remember my heart rates changing right now. I'm not kidding you. Actually, remembering this and it's not even me. It was you. But you're saying even in that moment, you're not thinking, nah, I'm not going to walk again. You're thinking, I got to get back for the Texans game, even in that moment. Because I was just like, I'm hurt pretty bad. I'm hurt pretty bad. But like, I'm like, all right.

I'm going to figure this out. I'm probably going probably be back in like two, three weeks. You know, like, I never really thought, because I tell people this all the time, especially even individuals with spinal cord injuries, because I know I'm having a spinal cord injury. Now I tell people this all the time. I was like, people see somebody in a wheelchair almost every day or, you know, or once a week, most people do, especially people outside.

You'll see somebody in a wheelchair once a week or you'll see somebody in the wheelchair and you'd be like, man, I wonder how they got there. But unfortunately, I'm in that position and I hope they, you know, I hope they are right. That's most, most people, most common person, that's what they think about when they see somebody in the wheelchair. But they know, they never, they never know how that person got into that situation. You know, so I never really thought about being paralyzed on parallelcy, so anything like that.

So when I got injured, that was the last thing in my mind. I was never walking it. Because I had more of my- I had had Eric LaGrand on my show, who's a friend of mine. And so when your injury happened, I'll be honest with you, I thought about Eric, you know, almost immediately when it happened. And Eric ended up being, you know, paralyzed, you know, become a great friend

of mine as one of the most inspirational people on the planet. But I'm curious, when did it dawn on you? Was it when you were in the hospital that someone said, Hey, you probably are not going to walk again here. When did that actually happen? It really dawned on me like, probably almost like a week later, like a week or like almost almost two weeks later. And the reason I say that is because, like, I don't know about most people, but when you play a sport and then like a professional sport, every professional athlete,

probably it's probably like one or two athletes in the whole, in all the sports that were told when they were younger, you're not going to make it. It's not possible. Like you're, you're, it's less than 1% of people that can do this. Like, like, I don't know any kid from the moment they were born that everybody told them, Hey, you're going to do it. You're going to make it. You're the best. Like, you know, it's maybe LeBron, maybe one or two dudes, you're right to do it. You're going to make it. You're the best. Like, you know, it's maybe LeBron, maybe one or two dudes. You're right, right?

Maybe LeBron, but almost nobody. Right. You're almost nobody. So that kind of was in my hands. Like, all right, people, like, when I got hurt, people are going to tell me stuff that I already know that I'm not going to believe. Like, I already know in my head that I'm going to walk again.

I'm going to play football again. I'm gonna walk again. I'm gonna play football again. I'm gonna be where I wanna be at again. And then it's so like once, it was one doctor that talked to my wife when my head right now has like a 20% chance to walk and he probably would never walk again. And she like, cussed her out. Like she was like really mad.

And my wife, because she's Latina, she's kind of a hot head sometimes, but she's great. Yeah, but she like, she cussed her out but she's great. Yeah, but she cuts her out. And then what she wanted to cut her out, and then like, what really, when it really hit me is I have my brother and my cousin, he went to Duquesne here. Duquesne is like a smaller college year at Pittsburgh.

And he used to come to all my games. He used to work out me in the summer. And he was just at the hospital with me when I was laying in the bed. And I ended up getting like a, like I'm like a urinary traction patient, like a really bad fever and flu. And when I was laying next to him,

I mean, I'm not feeling good. Like I just sort of, I'm not feeling good right now, but I was so hurt in the moment, I couldn't like really move as much. And you know how on the beds, they have the gargreels on the side of the bed. Yes.

And so you can't fall out of the bed. But when I couldn't move over, so I ended up throwing up on the gargreel and they slapped me back in my face. Like so it would be back in my face. And when that happened, I really said, like, yeah, right. I am, I'm I'm I'm pretty bad. Yeah. Oh, that's a low point for you. Cause you had

clots also, right? You ended up with clots and clotting. Yeah. Yeah. So like the blood clot. And so a lot of people, you know, if you know, when you go on YouTube and other other sources, like sometimes people just come up with their own reason and they're like, why this happened, or why it's hurt like that. So with me, I have blood clots in my back, but if I didn't have a blood clots, I probably would have never had surgery.

And the reason is because, so I have scoliosis and a lot of people don't know this, but scoliosis is like a curvature in your spine but when you have a spinal cord, like when your spine is basically like a it's like a stream that goes straight down your back but your vertebrae is like this is your vertebrae right here and this is your spinal cord so it's like, this is your vertebrae right here, and it's just spinal cord. So it's like straight down the middle of your back. It's not touching anything. But with a spinal cord, it's like touching it. So when I fractured it, it called bruising on my spinal cord.

But you know, most people on YouTube are like, oh, he's severing his spinal cord, this or that. So it bruised my spinal cord. And when it bruised my spinal cord, it wasn't in the middle. So it caused inflammation on that side of the bruise and I basically pinched my spinal cord against my vertebrae to not allow it to basically breathe, in which caused, and that's what those blood clots did.

So that made the doc to see that because the night of my injury, I was actually starting to move my toes, I was starting to wiggle and like my feet a little bit. And there's the old he's progressing and then probably like a week, like like later that morning, the next morning, like two days later, the doctor was like, oh, like Ryan needs to have surgery now because I started to be aggressive again because of the blood blood. Unbelievable.

So you guys, that's what you all picture this. you're one of the top athletes in the world playing for one of the most storied franchises in the world. And in one second, you are now a couple weeks later going, you're 80% chance you're not going to walk, you know, clotting, throwing up, hitting your head. I mean, imagine what that does to your to your mindset. Yet, brother, you end up coming back and walking across the stage, not that long after this to announce the draft pick for the freaking Steelers. Take me from the moments when you were your lowest then to walking again. First, you were using like a walker or

like the crutches thing all the way up to walking up for the draft pick. But what was it? Was it your mindset? I think a lot of times people watch pro athletes say, all right. And even I do this. And a lot of them would become friends. they go, all right. And even I do this and a lot of them would become friends and I'm like, well, he's physically just gifted. Not everybody is six, three, two, 40 and runs a four, five, 40, right?

So they got a lot of blessing. But I think what is discounted is mental toughness is overcome an adversity, right? Like, what, how did you get from there throwing up, hitting your head, clots, you're not going to walk 80% to now in your life, you're got an agency, you got other businesses, you got all this stuff. What was the mental process like for you during those really hard weeks? So like, I love how you said that. So I like to use two people and these two people are good friends of ours. And then obviously everybody's gonna say that's who they have let it, but they're not the most

athletic guys. They're not the most gifted guys, but they're the two best in the world right now. Right. And Aaron Donald and TJ Watt. So both of them are tremendously blessed. I'm not going to lie. They're both tremendously blessed. But Aaron's not the strongest guy. He's not the fastest guy. He's not the biggest guy. You know what I'm saying? Definitely not the tallest guy. He's definitely not the fastest guy. He's not the biggest guy, you know what I'm saying? Definitely not the tallest guy. He's definitely not the tallest guy, but he outwills everybody, literally outwills everybody. And TJ is the same way. Like if you really look at TJ and his brother, his brother is the one that's the really big one. He's the bigger one. You know, he's the

mutt of two super physically gifted dudes, but he's the mutt of the two of them for sure. Right, right, right. And, and you know, TJ, he's super athletic, but he, you know, he had two ACL tears when he was in college, you know, and he just literally just outhustles everybody. And so, like, when I think about me and how I made it to the NFL, it's just like, literally, my whole life, people told me I couldn't do something. So, it's just like, my whole life, I was like,'t do something. So it's like my whole life I was like I don't care what you say I'm going to do this.

Like I'm going to do this. And then I just I'm really positive with everything I do. Like I tell people all the time I don't know anybody that's successful and then believe in themselves. Yeah. You know like like you have to have a positive mindset like sometimes you might be realistic but you still have to have a positive mindset and Like sometimes you might be realistic, but you still have to have a positive mindset and really believe in what you want to achieve.

Like a lot of times a lot of people, they're like, hey, I wanna be a millionaire, I wanna be a billionaire, but they really don't believe that. Yes. Like, you know, when the doctor told me, I wouldn't walk again, I really believed in my head. Like, I don't care what you say, I'm gonna walk again. I really feel I was going to play football again.

And I was, you know, and I'm really close to being where I could have been playing football again. But another thing with me is where I was at, I felt like it was like for me to get back to where I was at, it was going to be such a tough hill to climb. I just, I didn't want to get back on the field and not be the same guy. Yeah. So like, because he got to the point, you guys, where he actually probably physically could have played again. If there wasn't a threat for re-injury or anything like that, it's actually, it's unbelievable. And I just think like it sounds good now, right? Like they're listening to like, all right, so they told him he couldn't walk again. He's

like, I don't believe you. I'm'm gonna walk again. But actually everybody puts yourself in that situation like just you're driving right now. You're on the treadmill. Whatever you do. Slow down for a second. I want you to picture this. You've worked your entire damn life for your dream. Right? Your whole life. Everyone's told you not gonna make you worked all the weights, all the reps, all the up and downs, all the drills, all the games, the draft college high school everything. You get to the NFL, even first round picks, don't make it in the NFL half the damn time. Now is he make it?

He's a pro bowler. He's dominating on his team. He was the best player on a great defense. And now it's gone. It's gone, right? I want you to imagine that we're being threatened to to be gone and then a doctor goes, and not only is it gone, you're probably not going to walk. And then in that moment to go, no, no, no, no, no, I don't think you know me.

I'm going to walk. Why do I repeat it back to you in my version and not just Ryan's version? Because he's humble. And I want you to hear it from somebody who's an outsider looking at my level of admiration for somebody who does not crumble under that type of, because I know a lot of you right now like, man, I'm going broke or I'm going through a divorce or I've got this thing or my dream's not happening. You're going through your version of divorce, but what if you had got to your dream, it's

snatch from you and you're told you can't walk again and you're an athlete on top of it and your whole life surrounds this stuff. Everybody, you know, it's guys, it's more than that. It's your friends know you play, right? Your family knows you play and that's where I wanna go next is your parents. So I'm reading in your book and by the way, you guys gotta get this book, okay? Let me just tell you, just remember this walking miracle,

perfect title by the way. But is it true your mom would sit outside your hospital room brother and would make sure nobody cried when they'd come in to see you because she wanted to protect your mindset because I think everything in life is mindset, right? And it's that I'm gonna go to your dad in a minute, but your mom, my understanding was she would sit outside your hospital room. I think I said hotel room, hospital room. And she would basically make sure, but poor people don't you go in there and cry in front of him. Don't you hurt his mindset? Don't

you make him feel down? That's true, right? No, it's very true. Like, like, the thing is, I didn't know this until later on. Right. Like, because everybody would come in and just be like, in a good mood. Obviously, most people want to like, whenever you hung out with me, you're in a good mood. Like, I just, I like the joke around. I like to laugh. Everybody would be in a good mood. Everybody would, they're never really talking about my injury. They're just always talking about this. Like, all right, when this happens, when that happens, I talk about it to team within my parents and my wife told me, like, didn't let anybody in there that didn't believe in what I

believe in. So like if you came in the visibly and you thought, like, I was going to walk again, you weren't coming to that room. Well, see, listen, everyone, this is that thing about who you're around and who you let infiltrate your mind and your spirit in your space. That's the ultimate version of this. I love what you just said. If you didn't think I was going to walk again, you don't get to come around.

Like, and by the way, you don't think my dream is going to happen. You don't get to come around. You don't want to support me what I'm doing. You don't get to come around me anymore. This is how you protect your dream. Tell you protect your mind. Tell you protect your thinking. Now your dad had this quote, by the way, his dad was a part-time chaplain for the dolphins.

But your dad said this, a dream without sacrifice and discipline is just vanity. It's just empty words. Your dad talked like that a lot around you. Is that where you get your mindset from? Is this like really things your father would like? My dad did not talk like that. Your dad actually talked like this? Yeah, he does talk like that.

And the thing that's so funny is like when we go to family functions, come in with my uncles, his brothers began bad. Cause he's like, just because you read all these damn books and know everything you know, but it's awesome because like my whole life, my dad just been pouring wisdom into me. So like, even when I was playing, like my dad, I remember my dad when I first went to high school, he was like, right, I'm gonna tell you right now, when you get into high school, the first thing is gonna be like three or four things

that everybody talks about. Everybody talks about when in high school. He's like, kids are gonna talk about money, they're gonna talk about drugs, alcohol, kids are gonna talk about money. They're gonna talk about drugs, alcohol, they're gonna talk about women. And then, like, those, he's a those are three to 14 things people gonna be talking about while they're in high school. And he's a, it doesn't change until you,

even while you're as a grown man. And he's like, it's like, one thing I'm gonna tell you right now is don't allow those people to allow to you and make you feel that you don't have the things that you want just because of, of basically, of their lives. And then another thing that he also told me was everybody has a trash bag. And he's like, everybody life is a trash bag. And he's like, the difference is some people trash bags is a little bit heavier than others. So whenever you're getting the situation, you know, when, like, your mom, she's cool taking out the trash. But when the trash gets heavy, I got to take it out.

And he was like, if you ever get in the situation when you're getting recruited or NFL team wants you, or it's a girl talking to you, it's like, they're, but should look at both of these trash bags, and like, which bag do I want to deal with less or more? Like when you have more baggage, people, less people want to deal with you. Oh my gosh. It then like when I, when he told me that when I was younger, I was like, all right, cool. And then, and then when I, when I got hurt, I started spending time with the stillers. And I actually started scouting players.

And you started seeing guys that was exactly the same type of player and they're like, oh, yeah, this guy has this, this, this, this, this, this. So they'll drop this guy. Oh my gosh, that's so good, brother. That is so real, too, right? It's true in business, too. There's two totally, you know, two people have equal talent, equal ability, equal whatever. But one dude's trash bag is bigger. I want that other guy. I want the guy with the lighter bag, right? It's true in business too. There's two totally, you know, two people have equal talent, equal ability, equal whatever, but one dude's trash bag is bigger. I want that other guy. I want

the guy with the lighter bag, right? I want the dude who who can perform and you're, this is so good. See, it's interesting because I'm a person who's a person of faith. Sometimes I think, you know, God doesn't give us anything. We're not capable of handling and sometimes he gives great adversity to people that he knows are either going to be strong or are gonna discover a strength they didn't know they had. And so as I'm reading your story in reverse, so everything, all wisdom is hindsight, right? But I'm reading your story in reverse.

I'm like, so if all the players in the NFL, if God has a plan, he chooses Ryan as the guy who's gonna have this spinal cord injury of all the guys in the league, right? And then you go, no, why would he choose him? Then I start reading about your mom. Then I start reading about your dad. I start reading about your mental toughness already.

I'm like, because he knew he was the one who could handle it, because he was the one who could have a lot of the guys, their trash bag was too full to be able to handle this. But I want to read something to you. This man's deep, you guys. This man's deep. In the hospital when he developed the UTI, he got it from a catheter, antibiotics weren't working during all of it And he threw up like he talked about earlier and he said I hated for him to see me my cousin to see me sick and weak He said later. I'd see the wisdom in the Eckart toly quote. It's amazing to me. I fell dude, quote, and Eckarttoly, right? All stress is about wanting the what is to be what is not.

I was suffering because I was fixated on this old image of myself, a strong warrior laying down an example from my cousin. I was obsessing over the what is not. And I think that's a life lesson. I think comparison is the thief of joy and Passion and sometimes we all do this where we're out in our life. I want you to speak to this Because this could be easy for you to do right now today Hey, man, you know if this didn't happen to me. I'll be in camp right now probably getting ready for another season

Maybe I've got a $10 million deal. I got I've signed per year, right? I'm making it up. When we compare ourselves to other people's lives, we compare ourselves to what we see on social media. But one little and serious form of comparison is we compare ourselves to our former situation. I used to be in this relationship, I used to look this way, I used to do that. Are you, do you have to guard against that Ryan not to compare where you are now to where you were or where you might think you could have been had this adversity not taking place. You have to protect your mind that way. Man, man, hey, you're great, man, because you ask, you ask questions that, that people don't normally ask, you know, so I really appreciate that. And so the reason, the reason I say that

is because I definitely do have the guard against that. And the reason it is not even just me guarding against it, it's other people asking me the question. Like, man, what was it like playing when you played? So it's like it's almost hard not to get back to feeling like that. Or how much money would you have guy in for this or that. So when I first got injured, it was really hard for me not to think about that, not to cry about situations. I remember my first game back at Hansfield, I sat in the parking lot for like 30 minutes

before I actually walked into the locker room with the team. Because I literally was just crying, because I was so fixated on the guy that I used to be. And then now a lot of my friends are like, man, I don't understand how you have like jerseys that open everything and run your house because that was still bothering me. You know, they think about all that. And it's like I have to just grab myself from you.

Like I understand that right now it's not my time to be a coach. And some people may say, Ryan, like you'll be a great coach, but if I was a coach, I would think more about when I play, then actually helping guys lead them to being their best self. Yeah. You know, so I just, I really guard myself from that because when you, I tell people all the time What you're thinking about the past the past and not gonna lead you to a better future. Oh God. That's good That's why we did the show right there right there. That's what we did the show

See I even I'm going through something right now I'm gonna need to on the show But like I kind of need that too and this idea of comparing to another time It's so dangerous in our life. It's so dangerous or even if you're like in a new relationship Don't compare that one to the one you used to be and you're killing the one you're in when you do it. The other thing that you, I forget the term you use because I can't find it right now,

but you talk about like having your identity stolen from you when football was gone. Like identity, thievery, right? And I always say that I think sometimes we make a mistake is people were, we tire identity up in like what we do. Like I am a football player, right? Or I, or my identity is tied to my wealth or my identity is tied to my beauty

and it's tied to the external, right? As opposed to our identity being tied to who we are inside as a spirit, as a soul as a person. Did you have to kind of re about, it's very easy when you're a pro athlete to just allow all your identity into being a pro athlete. Every restaurant you walk in, every airport, every club, in your own family, you're the stud,

you're the athlete, you're the guy. It's easy just to surrender your identity. It's easy when you're starting to have success. I just, I'm the rich guy, I'm the successful guy and you let your identity be these, what I think are really low vibrational frequency things that are fleeting that'll go away at some point anyway. Did you have to fight that with your identity being a football player? Yeah, I had to fight that in multiple ways. And so it was in one way of everybody, which is like, Ryan Shays here, the football player. And I had to start, especially as you become a businessman,

Ryan Shay is there to football player can help you get into doors, but it doesn't help you get business. You know, like it can help you get into doors, but then you still got to be a good businessman. Like it give you more opportunities, but and they, if you don't capitalize on opportunities, it then help you at all. And then another way that it really hurt is,

when you're a professional athlete, I still get some of the perks of being, Ryan Shayzer, which is a blessing, if I go to a restaurant, I can meet and get into a restaurant early, or I can meet certain people, which is still an awesome opportunity. I'm not gonna knock that at all.

But the one thing that it is tough is being a professional athlete, the income is a lot different. So like hanging out with other professional athletes before it was things that you could do or things that you'll be open to doing that, you know, you know, I'm going to go back on the field and make this right back. Or I could do this or I could do that. When you're not playing, you have to really be smart because it's like, hey, as a player, I used to be able to do that, but it's actually a smart move for me and my family right now.

You know, so like that's where I had to really started to pay attention a little bit more, just for me financially because I was just like, hey, Ryan, you used to play, you used to be a first-rounder, but you're not anymore. That's not who you are anymore. You're, you know, a father or two, a husband, you used to be a first runner, but you're not anymore. That's not who you are anymore. You're a father or two, a husband, you're a business owner, and you have to start making smarter decisions as a business owner. You can't just make a radic decisions as a football player.

Yeah, and by the way, he's helped people do that now. He's got an agency. He's got his own agency where he does that. And he's also, you know, what I'm probably most admire about you, I think, is it's hard enough to make one dream come true in your life. And I just really admire people when their first dream ends that they don't, that they don't. And so many people in life when their first dream ends, they just keep telling the story of the almost or what they did in that dream. It takes real courage to start writing a whole new chapter.

I doubt, you know, when you were rehabbing that ankle the week before the game, you're like, you know what, in three years, I'm going to be in the financial business or I'm going to have these other businesses. You were not ready to do any of that yet. You pivoted pretty damn quickly, right? You were able to pivot pretty quickly. What caused you to be able to make that pivot? Like was it just necessity?

Like, Hey, I've got to still make money? Or was it like, I want another purpose. Like, purpose is what gives our life meaning, right? And I'm sure you had to find a purpose. It's in the book. I just want you to talk about it. So, so this is one thing that it's a real big quote in football.

Almost only works in horse shoes and horse shoes and hand grenades. Right, right. Almost got there. Almost work, you know, it only works in horseshoes and hand grenades. So that's a football quote. I love that. But to me, you know, I honestly, I feel like my purpose, I just, I feel like I got a great purpose.

So, you know, God works in mysterious ways. I feel it was multiple purposes because to me, when I was eating a plant, I felt like football was a platform. Football was a platform to help you get to another place. And like every step of our life is a different challenge than a different platform. And it just depending on how you use that platform to continue to build offer what you did before.

So football always felt that football was a platform and I always wanted to get into business but I didn't know it would be four years after I got injured. So I feel like my purpose was to really be able to provide for my family, help my family, but then also help other people. Help other people when they came to have my individuals with spinal cord injuries like

myself, when it comes to individuals just helping change their lives. I'm not agency, I'm talking to a lot of young cats and a lot of young people helping change their lives right now, you know, before when they weren't able to do that, but even those people with spinal cord injuries, there's a lot of individuals with spinal cord injuries that weren't blessed with the same amount of rehab as myself, that weren't blessed with the same amount of support as myself. And I felt like my purpose was to allow me, or to allow God to use me to help find my purpose to help other people. Such a beautiful man. How do you, how do you not? Hard question.

I just admire you a lot. And now that I'm talking to you, I'm like, I get it now. So I read the book in a night. I read your whole book in one night, cover to cover, every word, and I already knew you were like, I said, I was a fan. I was like, this dude's a stud. This dude was a player. Just the way you played your aggressive, you hit hard, all these things. This is love the way that you played. But then I read the book and I'm curious though, like being real, do you find yourself

or how do you not become angry or resentful in your life? Now, I mean, you got a beautiful family. You got so many blessings. You're good looking dude. You got a gorgeous wife. You got a couple beautiful kids. You can still walk in a restaurant. I get all that, but it's not what you thought it was gonna be. It's different. The God had other plans for you.

Do you find yourself resentful and angry sometimes? And if you do, how do you get out of it? So I used to sometimes get really angry. Sometimes I'll be really sad. I have really strong people around me like my mom, my dad, my wife, one of my best friends. So when I have days that I am really mad, really angry, like we talked before, I have really strong people around me

that I can talk to. So I remember when I was rehabbing a lot to get back the start playing football game. So I remember when I was rehabbing a lot to get back to the start playing football game. And I'll be rehabbing and then sometimes the team will still be out there practicing while I'm rehabbing close by. And I was watching and we had,

and then during rehab, I just stopped rehabbing. I just tell my trainer, I can't do this right now. Like, and I just start crying. Or like, I'll say this isn't fair. I don't understand. Like in a lot of people didn't hear me say why me when I was going through my injury. My trainer is in my family heard me hearing there, but I would never go tell a regular person.

Like nobody else like, you know, why am I going through this? You know, because then a day coach Thomas to tell us people, people don't, he said stop complaining. He's like, because people either happy, people either happy you complaining or they don't care. They don't care. Yeah, you're right.

I appreciate you being vulnerable to admitting. I think some guys go, I never got down. You know, I never, and I just don't think you inspire people by being perfect. I think you inspire people by showing them your imperfections. And it's, it's, it's cool to hear you say, Hey, man, I'd be hard. You're rehabbing this injury and you can literally see your old team practicing when you're doing it I have to imagine that so I appreciate you being you know really real How did you create a new playbook for your life?

It's okay. It now becomes a point you're like, all right football is gonna be over How does one pivot so now you're doing that what made you choose the financial business and you got some other stuff You're doing too, but like what made you choose that how does one start got some other stuff you're doing too, but like, what made you choose it? How does one start over? So someone's listening to this right now, they're like, you know what? My thing didn't work out. I've kind of been treading water for a while.

You know, how does one begin again? What did you do? So honestly, this is probably one of the hardest things. This is probably one of the hardest things for me. And I talked to a lot of, I talked to the stillers a lot about this still, Kevin Corwin, I'm pretty close with him where I like he's a former things person.

And I talked to him a lot about this. And it was this pivoting transition from an NFL, transmission from sports, transition, and life is, I feel it's probably one of the hardest things to do. And the reason is because I tell people, like my whole life, and most people, like you shouldn't have your whole life tailored

to something like that. But my whole life is tailored to playing football. Like watching the Hall of Fame, sometimes, to this day, it still makes me cry. Because everybody that knows me truly knows that was a goal of mine. Some people in the Hall of Fame, like I never thought I would make you hear.

Not a me personally, that was my goal. If I Some people in the Hall of Fame were like, I never thought I would make you here. Not a me personally, that was my goal. If I wouldn't made a Hall of Fame, I would have been like, I worked every day for the C-Mode. So that's how it was for me. And when I started to try to really figure out what I want to do, I took a year to see what was important to me, what did I like to do? And I spent a time coaching and scouting.

And I was like, this is not for me. And then I ended up spending some time just really thinking and talking to my wife about these woes and next steps. And I was vulnerable. Like I said before, I started to really connect with people that weren't in the sports world anymore. Because when you're playing sports, your friends,

and who you have around you is awesome. But everybody will tell you in the sports world, most of the people that you meet in the sports world, like I still have a lot of really good friends. T.J. Y. Cam, Heyward, Tyson, Vince Williams, Buddy Prela, I still have a lot of really good friends. But the one thing I would say is, everybody will tell you is very short live.

Sure is. Like your friendships aren't, like a lot of them are more acquaintances than friendships. Very true. And you're your work, your work, your work, your work, but you know, so when I started, when I got injured, I wasn't around those guys as much and I started really get, started talking to people and introducing myself to people that I didn't play sports. And I really started gaining real friendships. And like I said, before I was just vulnerable with them, but we all went out one day and we were all really close.

And I was just like, hey guys, right now I'm just, I'm really stuck in a hardest part. I really don't know what's next. Like I'm trying to figure out what's next. And I started to talk to a few of my friends and they just say, hey, Ryan, you know, come to spend time with this and you know, just where I know you want to be a business owner. So like I'll show you what I do. I'll show you what I do. And then I start talking to a few different ones. And then you know, one helped me started learn more about real estate. So I know actually I'm the owner of real estate properties that I wasn't doing before. Then I started a trucking company and then really close friend of mine. He's doing really well in insurance industry, his name is Simon Areas.

And he's a American income life. Then I started talking to him and then we just started working together and starting a partnership. And I just recently started and it's been doing great. So I'm really blessed because I have people around me that really care about me, but I feel like the one thing that I did that a lot of men don't do was I was actually vulnerable enough to tell people around me, like, hey, I'm not scared, but I'm nervous.

I don't, I need to figure out what's next. Dude, I love you. I love you. Strong man is one who's vulnerable and asks for help. I love that. A couple of things went unpacked. They're one of vulnerability. Please, peace is huge.

You know, you're going to find out everybody in life. More people want to help you than you realize. People actually do want to help people, especially people that are vulnerable. Hey, man, I don't know. I don't know. Right? So that's number one. Number two thing is I watched the NFL Hall of Fame ceremony whenever it was last weekend.

Knowing we were gonna do this, I swear to you, brother, this confirmation we're supposed to do this interview, I could not get you off my mind. Now I have a couple of buddies that are in that hall of fame that are really good friends, we were talking about off camera, but I actually thought about you during that.

I wonder if it is hard to watch. It's amazing that you just said that. And then the third piece of your advice that I totally agree with is you gotta keep moving. Meaning try different, this is a metaphor everybody. It's amazing that you just said that. And then the third piece of your advice that I totally agree with is you got to keep moving, meaning try different, this is a metaphor everybody. It's not real. Try different suits on and see if they fit. I'm telling my kids this too when they're getting in a call, it's like try go try things. See if that suit fits, if that suit doesn't fit, put a different suit on, but you got to keep trying things. Too many people are sitting around waiting for inspiration, sitting around waiting for the perfect situation, something that fits them. And by the way, what

you're going to pivot into, you're not going to love all of it. That's the fallacy. Would you agree with that? Like you didn't love every single thing about football. There was something you didn't like, whether it was stretching or weights or, you know, waiting in between quarters when they take TV breaks, whatever the heck it is, right? Like, and then somehow when the first dream ends, we're like, well, I don't like that part of it. Well, you didn't like that part of the other thing either.

Would you agree with that? You don't like everything about the trucking business. You don't like everything about the financial business. It's whether it fits. Most of it fits and doesn't have to be all of it. Would you agree with that? I could please agree. I could please agree. A lot of people, they give up on to be all of it. Would you agree with that? Well, I completely agree.

I completely agree. A lot of people, they give up on the dream just because it didn't work. Like I remember, I remember when I was in a high state, me and my dad had a tongue. And my dad probably thought it was crazy when I had this talk with him. But I was like, hey, man, dad,

it was my junior year already was like, already with like locked in, the possibility to be like a second round draft pay. And I was like, hey, dad, like, man, I don't know, man, I don't know if this is for me anymore, right? It's like, because it's like the school, you know, just like the workouts, like it's like the, the all season workouts are workouts, like,

I don't know if I can do this anymore. So like, so they said, I don't know if I can do this anymore. And my dad's like, you worked your whole life with this. He's like, he's like, I understand this part of your season is terrible, but just like, this, like, not season, but just like season in your life. I know this part of your season, your life is terrible, but he's like, just push through it. Yeah. Everything you work for is going to pan through.

And then I'm going 15th overall. Yeah, pretty good. But he was just like, Ryan, like, like obviously, I understand this such right now in this moment, but it's gonna be all, all be worth it. And my, near my dad, love this quote in the Bible is say, fake, fake throughout works is dead. He was like, I know a lot of people

that look in, that look at a newspaper and like, man, I need a job, I need a job, I need a job and constantly looking at a newspaper, constantly, well, back in the day, he needs to be newspapers, constantly looking at the newspaper and like man I need a job, I need a job, I need a job. And constantly looking at the newspaper, constantly, well back in the day he needs to be newspapers. Constantly looking newspaper, constantly putting up a job post, but then we'll never do an interview. And he was like, how you gonna get a job if you don't actually go try to find one? And he was like, that's the type of the same thing. He's like a lot of people want something. They want to be a man and they want to have a job. They want to have kids. They want to

have a good relationship, but they actually not trying to put the work in. You know, like God wants it for you. But in the day, like, I would not got better if I didn't put the work in. God wanted me to get better and help me be able to be a voice for him. That couldn't be a voice for him if I didn't do my job. I didn't do my part. Well, I love you. The work that it took to become a professional football player and then a first round pick and then a pro bowler. That's one thing.

Then the work where you're being told you're not going to walk, amount of work that had to go in to getting your body back to where you could walk. And then actually almost play football again. Had you really decided to is an unbelievable amount of work. And then when that's over to go, nope, I'm going back to work again. I'm going to do it again for my family.

I'm going to build multiple careers. It's something that I think you're one of the most inspiring people. Like people say inspiring things. And then there are people who live inspiring lives. Those are two different things. And then a third thing is someone who has both. And you're unique that you're both. You say inspiring lives. Those are two different things. And then a third thing is someone who has both. And you're unique that you're both. You say inspiring things. If you all read this book or listen to this interview, but you've lived an inspiring life, it's a unbelievable your story and who you are,

brother. I'm a huge, huge believer in you. Last thing I want to ask you, by the way, we could go hours on this because I just, it's obvious to me and everyone that, everyone listening to this, like God did choose you to handle this adversity. You did have a father who poured into you this way. You did have a mother who did. You did have, you do have a wonderful wife who probably thought she was going to marry a 15 year NFL football veteran and ends up now standing by your side as you make this transition. Maybe the gift of, you would have never known the depth of how much she loved you or why side as you make this transition. Maybe the gift of you would have never known the depth of how much she loved you or why she loved you until this adversity hit and now you know, right? So there's these hidden gifts and blessings that maybe you would have never known had you

played 15 years in the NFL. Now you know this woman loves me, right? This woman believes in me. So there are these unbelievable blessings. Just watching your face change when I say that tells me that I'm right about it. Today's a birthday. Oh, man, tell her happy birthday. At least I ordered her on her birthday, right? At least I got the right time. So let me ask you this last, you know, it would be a privilege for anybody to meet you. But you meet someone right now who says, hey, listen, man, your story is just bananas inspiring. This is a literally, you're a walking miracle, right? And you've come back so many different times in your life. And I want to make a comeback.

You know, I'm going to point my life where, you know what? Now that I don't want to come back, I want to do something better than I've ever done before in my life. And I just don't know where to begin. I'm just not sure where to start. What would you say to that person? Here's some advice I'd give you on where to begin your comeback. What would you tell them? So one thing I normally tell people is when whenever they're trying to

start a comeback, when everybody, the first problem that they go through is they always say why me? Why me? And the one thing I always tell people is, go from stop, stop acting and why me, and start acting and why not me. Every, because the thing is, a lot of people are like, why me, why me, why me? Well, you're saying why me, that you're basically saying why not David, why not Ed,

why not Susie? You know what I'm saying? So I try to tell people like, think think about like why not me and then show everybody why you are the one to overcome this. And then another thing I like to tell people is read the book, the off school is the way by Ryan Holiday, because that book really helped me understand, it's like, hey, just because you got an injury, just because you went through something, don't allow that to change you for the bad, allow it to change you for the good, allow that to be come the way that you should see and continue to move on. A lot of people think, you might get,

you might fall off a bike or you might lose your job and now you're thinking, oh, then I just lost my job, I don't know what I'm gonna do. I can't bounce back from this. You might find out that the job that you just lost, just opened up an opportunity for a much better job, a much better opportunity, a much better way. So I tell people, so that book really helps out a lot.

It didn't last thing, I tell people, it just be just think, like, I know a lot of people try to think of worst case scenario. When you're trying to overcome something, you have to start thinking of the best case scenario. Thinking of the best case of where you want to be in life. Because when you're thinking of worst case scenario and you're already down, you just want to stay down.

Mm, so good. By the way, that book's about stoicism everybody. And there are more and more people I meet that really believe stoicism is really affected their life in a positive way. And when we were prepping for this, I saw that you did too. So, brother, like, there's a depth to you that I'm so glad I've discovered, you know, I knew what a remarkable human being you were, but there's a depth to you that I just feel like you're at the beginning of some great time in your life right now. And I'm super grateful we agreed to do this today with one another because I know it's really shifted a lot of people's perspective.

You're a walking perspective shifter. Is really what you are. You know what? You truly are. By the way, if you're wondering whether I'm telling you the truth, my producers in the back are all nodding agreeing with me right now that you just changed people's perspective instantly with who you are and your story. So you got a friend here. You got my number. You know, we're going to be doing some stuff together after this too. So

thank you. By the way, guys got to go get walking miracle. We don't follow you on social that the best place to go follow you. Yeah, you can follow me on social at just Shazier at Shazier on Instagram and then write Shazier on Twitter. You guys, this is a man that will absolutely make a difference. You're like, I know y'all listening to this right now going, I need to share this with somebody. This show should be heard by somebody that I want to have inspired who's gonna make a comeback, who wants to overcome adversity,

who thinks they're going through a difficult time. You think you're gonna do a difficult time. This man's gone through multiple difficult times and come out the other side of champion many, many times over and you can as well. Make sure you get the power of one more. Also, my book, number one book in the world. Follow Ryan. Make sure you're sharing our show. Make sure you're watching my new show on Nozy Change with Ed Mylet. It will change your life. You'll check that out as well. God bless all of you. Max out your life. This is The End My Let's Show.