The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk - 071: Nate Boyer – Green Beret, Texas Football, The NFL, Making Films

Starting point is 00:00:00 Honestly, one of the biggest firefights I've ever been in was just a couple weeks before I was in training camp. And so it was really, it was a surreal experience. But like I said, I embraced that change in those transitions. I'm very fortunate my mind works in that way. So every year it got easier and easier. Are leaders born or are they made? Our host, Ryan Hawk, believes that leaders can be made through determined, focused work on learning the art and science behind the makeup of other successful leaders. Now it's time to inhale knowledge and exhale success. You're listening to The Learning

Starting point is 00:00:35 Leader Show with Ryan Hawk. Hey and welcome to the Learning Leader Show. I am Ryan Hawk, and I'm extremely honored to have spoken with tonight's featured leader. It's with American hero Nate Boyer. In 2005, Nate joined the Army, and specifically he joined a special 18-month program to go into special forces. More than 140 soldiers began that class, and only 11 of them finished it. Nate was one of those 11, and he became a green beret.

Starting point is 00:01:22 He is deployed all over the world, including Afghanistan and Iraq. However, then at the age of 29, he decided that he wanted to walk on to the University of Texas' football team. Incredible story. He eventually earned the long snapping job, We did that for more than three years of his college career, despite never having played football at all prior to college.

Starting point is 00:01:45 Didn't play in high school, didn't play at all growing up. Incredible story. In our conversation tonight, we discussed what it means to have zero compromise when striving for your vision. And then the specific examples of how Nate has done this over and over and over. And then an incredible story of him being in one of the biggest firefights of his life, just, weeks before he had to come home for a football training camp. So think about that. While most football guys are just kind of lifting weights and running, getting ready for camp,

Starting point is 00:02:19 Nate is overseas fighting, defending our country, and one of the biggest firefighters of his life thinking, I'm about to go to a National Football League training camp here in a few weeks. I'm just blown away by this guy. I absolutely love it. It was honored to talk to him. And then we also discussed that call he got from the Seattle Seahawks telling him that they wanted to sign him as an undrafted free agent after his college career was over,

Starting point is 00:02:42 while he still was a soldier who was deploying during the summer. Again, there are just certain people you talk to where you're kind of in all of them because of everything that they've done, because they're heroes, because of the way they defended our country, and I hold our soldiers just in the highest of light, and Nate is right there with him. I love his story. I love this conversation.

Starting point is 00:03:02 I know you guys will too. Ladies and gentlemen, it's Nate Boyer. All right, Nate, extremely excited and incredibly honored to have you here on the Learning Leader Show. You've done some huge things in your live. You have an incredible story. And to get a start, I got a question around high achievers, people who have done big things in their lives. And you've been fortunate to spend time around some world-class performers, some extremely high achievers. And you yourself are one of those.

Starting point is 00:03:44 I'm curious, what are some of the common? characteristics that those people all seem to share? Well, first of all, thank you for having me on, Ryan, and I really appreciate the call. And, you know, I don't even know if I see myself as a high achiever yet, but I'm getting there. I'm pursuing it. Okay. But I would say the number one characteristic, because a lot of these guys are different people from different, like you said, different walks of life and different goals, different values,

Starting point is 00:04:15 all that stuff but the one common thing I really see is that zero compromise you know there's there's just there's no room for it if you really have that passion and that and that goal and that thing and it's a clear picture of what you want to do

Starting point is 00:04:31 and why you want to do it you can't compromise you have to stick to why you know inside you inside you why you're doing it what is driving you and remembering that every day because there's going to be people that come into the situation that can help you.

Starting point is 00:04:47 And sometimes those people want something a little different than what you want. And sometimes it's not always the best avenue to approach. And it might not be the best relationship for what you're trying to get done. And it's a tough one because for me personally, I've had people, you know, coming to my life that are very successful and have had made some big things happen, you know. And it's not always, you can't always go with that just because they have that high-level of success and those connections and maybe the ability to get you a place you want to go.

Starting point is 00:05:19 Because if it doesn't, if it's not right in line with what you want and why you want to do it, it's not always best. You just can't compromise. And I just noticed that among very successful people that they won't compromise. I love it, man. And I haven't heard the phrase zero compromise from a leader yet. And I've asked that question a lot. Can you think of some examples of people when you've seen that in action, some names that

Starting point is 00:05:41 popped to mind? I mean, they might not be famous or anybody that we know, but just people and the way that they've handled situations to where you're like, wow, that guy or girl shows zero compromise. They're focused. They completely understand their vision and their mission, and they don't compromise. Well, I mean, one of the big ones that pops in my head, and, you know, he's very famous. He was a world, changed the world in a lot of ways. And I never met the guy.

Starting point is 00:06:09 And I'm willing to bet maybe everybody listening to this never met the guy. But Gandhi is one that pops up, you know. I mean, that guy, it's an amazing story. He was an amazing man. And, you know, you can agree or disagree with his values in politics and whatever you want to call it. But he did not compromise. And that is inspiring in itself. You know, it's not always people that inspire me in my life, they haven't always been people that I necessarily agree with everything they do.

Starting point is 00:06:38 Sometimes I disagree with a lot of what they do. But he stuck to his guns. That's, wow, that's pretty funny. I said that because, but you know what I mean? Yeah. He didn't compromise with anything. It was, this is what he believed and why he believed it. And that drove everything that he did.

Starting point is 00:06:57 I love this topping, this little thread that we're on. So talk about now, let's bring it to your life. So if you've witnessed this or you viewed it from afar, high achievers, world-class performers, don't compromise. How do you try to implement into that, that into your life? whether it was in your past or what you're currently doing? Well, essentially every mission or goal that I have in my life, and I've had a lot of different ones that sometimes you would think are

Starting point is 00:07:29 disconnected and not related in any way. But they're all, almost all of them, what they do have, the connection they do have is they're very difficult things. They're very challenging. And that's what drives me. That's what motivates me, that challenge. but also that that passion to I guess to lead by example and by actions and open people's eyes to the fact that that we can literally do anything that we want to do especially as Americans

Starting point is 00:07:58 we have these opportunities we have you know this empty canvas and we can paint whatever we want to paint on it and that's just it's amazing to be so fortunate I wasn't I didn't I don't deserve that you know I just was lucky enough to be born here and Most of the people listening probably are the very same way. We didn't really earn that. So it's almost, I feel like it's almost a duty that we have. And obviously a privilege, you know, it's not a right, a privilege to go pursue those things that motivate us and at the highest level, too. I mean, if it's easy, if it's something that's comfortable, at least for me, it doesn't motivate me.

Starting point is 00:08:40 It doesn't. It's not that, it's not what's, what's, what's, what's. pushing me and show I don't find fulfillment in that. I find fulfillment in doing this seemingly impossible, you know, and as long as it's something that's in line with my values and what what I'm drawn to and what I'm passionate about and what I love, then I'm going to do it and I'm going to try to do it better and bigger than everybody else. It's awesome. And your story, let's dive into your story now. So there's so much to get to that we could talk for hours. But I want to I'll hit on a few parts and I'll let you explain it.

Starting point is 00:09:17 But talk to me about, let's take me back to 2004 and you're reading a Time magazine article and you're seeing pictures that are having a big effect on you. What did you decide to do once you were reading that magazine and you saw some of those pictures of a Sudan refugee camp or pictures of kids to take us back there? Yeah. I mean, at that time of my life, I'd never been to a third world country. I'd never really, I'd never at all personally experienced oppression, you know. I was fortunate.

Starting point is 00:09:54 Like I said, I grew up in a good family and a good country, great country. And in a good, you know, we always did, we didn't always have a lot of money. But my parents, the way they set their example for us, for me and my brother and sister, where how hard they worked and everything that they did was for us. And so I had that, you know, I guess it's not that I didn't appreciate it, but I didn't realize that it's not like that for most people in the world. And I think that's a common theme among Americans. You know, we realize that these other situations are going on in the world in these conflicts, but we don't, we can't really sympathize with it because we've never seen it. We've never been around it. We've never experienced it.

Starting point is 00:10:33 And so, yeah, this magazine article just struck a chord with me. hit that nerve that never been hit before. And I don't know why it was that. And maybe it was where I was in my life. And I felt like I didn't have a purpose or anything that I was really doing that mattered. It made a difference. And so I just was drawn to go over there and do something. So I figured out how to get over there.

Starting point is 00:10:58 You know, it was a series of events that took place to get me over there to working at the refugee camps in the Darfur region. And, you know, I called all the NGOs out there. and I couldn't, none of them were taking guys without college degrees and didn't have a special set of skills that seemed to matter to them. And I said, well, look, I'm willing to do anything. I want to get down on my hands and knees with the local people and, you know, help build the camps and, you know, dig a well or assist in the medical facilities. It doesn't matter. Like, on the hired hand, I'll do whatever and I'll fly myself over there. And I still couldn't, I couldn't get anybody to take me on.

Starting point is 00:11:35 And so I just, I just went myself. I just went to the AAA. and bought a plane ticket for a city called Jemena in Chad, which is a neighboring country, and that's where the refugee camps were on the border of Sudan over there. And so I just flew into the capital and then literally talked my way onto a UN flight that was flying out to the refugee camps

Starting point is 00:11:58 and then just sort of showed up, and they had to let me help then, which was, that's a long story in itself, kind of going through that whole process. but I just I had it in my mind. I wasn't going to compromise. That's how we can circle back to that. But it was,

Starting point is 00:12:14 I wasn't taking no for an answer. I was going to, I was going to help no matter what it took. And that was the first time of my life that I committed myself to something like that. And it changed me, you know, not only because I was able to do it, but just those people and seeing how generous people like that

Starting point is 00:12:32 in a place where they don't have anything, it just, it blew me away. It's just, it's funny. how, you know, the more stuff that you have and I guess the less, the less you remember about what's important in life, you know, that stuff starts to own you a little bit and it, and it becomes less about, you know, your family and your friends and the people that you love. And those people, that's what their whole life is about. It's about their, you know, when you go visit their home and their home may be a little mud hut with a mat on the floor, but they,

Starting point is 00:13:07 you're getting the best pot on that mat and they're giving you the biggest plate of food and they're not accepting anything from you even if you're trying to give them money or whatever they're like that's not what we're about it's not what we're doing so that just it really changed me and moving forward with the rest of my life it's giving me this

Starting point is 00:13:23 different perspective and throughout my time in the military and everything it all started there that was the first word that was popped in my mind when you were talking about that is the I can't imagine the perspective that that creates within you when you go from, as you said, this great country where we have so much.

Starting point is 00:13:44 And it's so easy to take it, take things for granted. And all of us have had moments where we've done that to then go over there and experience that to these giving people. I remember either watching a video or seeing an article of you state that you couldn't, the smiles on their faces. blew you away, especially given the situation that they were all in, but they had that perspective where they still were smiling and enjoying their life. When you look at it from an American who comes over and you're thinking, wow, like, if this little kid's smiling or having a good time, then what am I thinking about, you know? Right.

Starting point is 00:14:29 I mean, you can ask anybody out there in any country in the world, what's the most important thing to them and they will say their family and their friends and all that but i don't know if that's always necessarily true uh at the end of the day it's true but those people over there literally every minute and every second of every day that is the most important thing you know protecting their family and providing for their family and that's it it's very simple that's you know it's a roof over it's a roof over their head if if that's even possible it's food in their mouth you know it's clean water. It's basic, you know, keeping their family

Starting point is 00:15:08 healthy and trying to teach them something in education. Those like basic core things for their family is the most important thing and is all that matters and if they have that, they're happy, you know? And if they have almost, and even if they don't have that, they're happy in the fact that

Starting point is 00:15:24 they have some of that. And that's where you mean you get that perspective. It's insane. It's unbelievable and it'll change you. And I encourage anybody listen if they haven't gone to a place like that and done and done something for those people and it doesn't even

Starting point is 00:15:39 I don't know I'm really torn on that because you know there's a lot of people go on mission trips and do those type of things and it's not a bad thing but there's so much more to be done in those places and if you have the ability and an opportunity to go over and do something like that and help those people in any way

Starting point is 00:15:58 just to experience that it'll change you forever and I think it'll most people that go over there they They feel captivated to continue in that mission and trying to help those people in some way because there's a lot of great people in this world that are born into unfortunate circumstances and they need us. Yeah. So we fast forward a little bit. You come home and you make the decision to join the Army and not only join the Army, but a special 18-month program to go into special forces where, correct me if I'm wrong. wrong on my my my facts that I did in my preparation but a hundred more than 140 soldiers began and when the class finished there were 11 guys left standing and you were one of those 11 talk to us

Starting point is 00:16:47 about that take us through that aspect of joining the army why you wanted to do it what happened during those 18 months and how you were one of the select few who was left standing well that that 145 was from my track, I guess. So I was called an 18 X-ray. Okay. In the special forces. So that means those are guys,

Starting point is 00:17:11 most of the special forces are made up of guys that have been in the military for a while. You know, and a lot of them are infantry men. Some of them aren't from all aspects of the military. But most of them

Starting point is 00:17:21 have been in for anywhere from two years to 10 years already, you know, or maybe more. And this is something that, you know, they want to take their

Starting point is 00:17:32 service to the next level. And so for me and a lot of other guys, you know, back in 2004, I believe, 2003 or 2004, they opened this program up called the 18 X-Rae program because they wanted to fill some of the ranks and the special forces with guys that had a different background. Not necessarily all guys that joined at the age of 18

Starting point is 00:17:52 out of high school, you know, guys that had spent some time maybe in college were out there working in the business world or any type of job. And there was a lot of guys that were in my program that had those experiences. There's guys that came off of Wall Street, you know.

Starting point is 00:18:08 It was such a diverse group, but they wanted those different background, a different, I guess, perspective in some ways. Because when we're over there working, I mean, it's a lot of outside the box thinking, and it's the problem solving at a high level with a small group of guys. You know, you're on 12-man teams,

Starting point is 00:18:26 and it's just you and the indigenous forces that you're working with. Anyway, so they open this program up and you could come in off the street and go through basic training in airborne school and then you go to a selection and if you made selection then you start your training to become a green beret and yeah the attrition rate was very high for us and so a lot of those guys those guys that didn't make it all the way through and get their green beret they are still very good soldiers a lot of them they went on to become

Starting point is 00:18:57 airborne infantrymen or rangers or did something else at an elite level in the military. But yeah, I mean, it was, it's not necessarily that we were the best of the best. It's just that we weren't going to quit. There we go. Again, about this compromising thing. We weren't going to compromise. We were committed to making this happen no matter what it took. And, you know, and that's the sort of people that make it through something like that. I mean, special forces, you know, they call it the SFQC, Special Forces Qualification course. And while you're, while you're in it, you know, they say that SFF, you know, they say that SFF, stands for suckfest because that's really what it is it's putting up with a lot and they

Starting point is 00:19:37 push you through the ringer and it's the most difficult some of the most difficult things you'll ever do and they make the training that hard because they know when you deploy they want that training to be more miserable and worse than anything that you'll do over there obviously it's not you know there's not real bullets flying around all the time and you're not a real combat situation not losing losing guys in training but they want to know that you can mentally can handle anything that's thrown away. So, I mean, it was fascinated by all the, you know, you, again, deciding to not only join to protect our country and defend it, but then going to this, this fast track program, which then

Starting point is 00:20:19 sent you in multiple places all over the world, deployments to some really, I know you probably can't talk about all of them, but to some really dangerous places on some incredible missions. And so I'd love it to dig into some of those. But also because your story, just people who don't know you yet are going to be saying, is this guy serious? Like you just keep the story is only just the beginning. So we'll go back and forth between some of the military stuff and then the next thing I'm about to talk about. So at the age of 29, I believe, you decided you wanted to walk on at the University of Texas to play football.

Starting point is 00:20:57 Is that correct? That's correct. And so as if you haven't done enough, you go over to the Darfur region to help. You then say, I think I'm going to go try to be an elite special forces soldier, and you've accomplished that goal. And now at 29, while you're still, I don't know the exact phrase, still involved with the, I think it's a reserve at that time. Is that what they call it? Yeah, I ended up transitioning into the National Guard. National Guard.

Starting point is 00:21:26 So then you decide to walk on to the team. team, but still had to deploy over the summer, I believe, while you're a college student. So talk to us about one, why, and what in the world was that like at 29, a freshman walk on to the football team? How were you received? What was that like? What was your thought process going into all of it? You know, a lot of that was the fact that growing up, I never played football, and I loved it. It's my favorite sport to watch. I always just, I couldn't believe that I never played. As I got older, I was like, man, what were you thinking?

Starting point is 00:22:05 You know, and the high school I ended up graduating from actually didn't have a football team, so that was part of it. But even when I was younger than that, I had opportunities to play, and I just didn't, you know, when I was real young, it was, I was so into other sports. And I think my parents didn't want me to play really young because it means of a violent sport, and they wanted to wait until I was a little bit older and bigger. I guess I was sort of a lay bloomer. I don't know.

Starting point is 00:22:29 A lot of reasons. But then, yeah, it was so I had that regret, you know, and I was coming off of active duty at 29. I knew I wanted to go to college, and it was kind of a now or never moment with that. If I don't go now, I'm probably never going to go. I'm already a much older student. And so I decided that if I was going to go,

Starting point is 00:22:48 then I was just going to try out for the football team and see what happened. And, you know, I ended up going to University of Texas, which is a challenge to make that team. Yeah, you could have picked a much easier team to make. Right. Yeah, but that's not what I'm about. Exactly.

Starting point is 00:23:03 You know, Austin is a great city. Yeah, what made you pick Texas? It's a great school. A lot, everything. I mean, it's just, it's a great university in a great town. I love Austin. And that state, too, is very supportive of veterans. And I just love change and something different.

Starting point is 00:23:18 You know, I'd never lived in Texas before. I'd only been to Austin one time. But, yeah, it's just, just that challenge and something new. I mean, I've always just embraced change. And I love, I love transitions like that where, I mean, I guess it's just another challenge. And so that's why. And it just, it just, there was all kinds of random signs, you know, I'm one of those people that I,

Starting point is 00:23:44 I don't sit there and read horoscopes or anything like that. But if something's, you know, moving inside me and then I feel drawing to something, and then it just seems right or there's a certain you know a certain kind of feeling I get about it or I hear somebody say something about it or whatever any kind of sign.

Starting point is 00:24:05 I try to listen to that stuff because that's the reason a lot of times I'm inspired and motivated to even look into something and then when that stuff sort of lines up I just was like this is why this is right I'm supposed to do this I got to do this and then I just kind of go for it and it was the only place

Starting point is 00:24:21 I applied when I got in And I just said, that's where I'm going. I'm just going to make it happen. And then you tell Coach Mack Brown that you're going to teach yourself to be the long snapper. And part of the way that you taught yourself was watching YouTube videos, I heard. And so I'm just like, this is, like I said, the story just keeps going. And so in between when you had to, you're still deploying over the summer, you're coming back. So that's the one thing that I think just blows me away.

Starting point is 00:24:48 Because, you know, I played college football. So I understand like the drudgery of going to camp in August, you know, of being like, oh, man, it's going to be hot where we're wearing full pads. And it's just these you don't really enjoy that part. You enjoy the Saturdays and playing the games and the crowd and the TV and all that stuff. But the two days. But for you, you fly home from Afghanistan. You trade in, you know, bulletproof vest and a helmet and a gun for your. football gear. I just can't, I mean, and usually the turnaround time was was very short. It's not like

Starting point is 00:25:26 you had any time to rest. Talk to me about that transition and what that was like. Yeah. Well, I mean, my first year on the team, when I got to Texas, honestly, I didn't even know what long snapper was. I'm not going to lie. I knew somebody snapped the ball to the punter and the holder on kicks, but I just assumed it was the center or something. I didn't know because I never played. And that first year on the team, you know, I walked on and made it, which was amazing in itself just to be a part of that. And I was a safety. You know, I was a third string safety, but I was a safety. And I mean, I was always a decent athlete and I worked really hard, so I figured things out.

Starting point is 00:26:07 You know, I was on the scout team and they traveled me to a couple games and I got to, you know, play on a kickoff my first year. And I caught that bug playing in a game just for just with that experience. And I was like, man, I got to get on the field. I got to find a position that makes sense. I got to start. I got to find a way to help this team more than just being a voice in the locker room. Because I think in order to be that voice, you have to be one of the guys playing. Regardless of your background, it just, that's what I believe.

Starting point is 00:26:37 And so, you know, I knew that the Long Snapper was graduating. He was a senior. And I knew that that would be an opportunity. There was other guys in the team that did it. And also they were recruiting a guy. But I wanted to, I said if I could just figure out how to do that, maybe I can compete for that job. You know, I grew up playing baseball and basketball. And so in baseball, I was, you know, I pitched and played outfield.

Starting point is 00:26:59 And I had pretty good arm. And I'd heard that if you can throw it, you can snap it, you just got to mess with it. So that summer, I went overseas and I brought a football with me. Yeah, and I told Coach Brown far, I left, I said, coach, I'm going to learn a long snap. And, you know, when I come back, well, I get an opportunity to compete for the position. position if I figured this thing out. At the time, he said, yeah, of course. And later he would tell me about in his mind, he was like, oh, I love you, kid, but you're, you're dreaming. I mean, this is, this is Texas, you know. But I was committed to it. And I went over there and I built a target out of plywood.

Starting point is 00:27:35 And I would snap every, you know, 30 minutes a day, anytime I had an opportunity and some free time between missions and everything else we were doing. And you got going over there. You got a busy schedule but you know you don't have that time to plop down in front of the TV and just veg out so all that time those little gaps and it's time a lot of guys would relax or go smoke a cigar or play Xbox or something I would go over and snap the football and I just yeah I'm watching YouTube videos and just trying to figure out how to do it and mess with it and eventually I got it down pretty decent and I came back and competed for that job in the first game. I didn't start the first game, but the snapper had a little trouble on a couple snaps.

Starting point is 00:28:24 And they gave me an opportunity to compete that week for who was going to start. And I won the job at practice. And so I started from then until, you know, through the next three years. And it was incredible, just how it worked out. Wow, it's incredible. And so, but still every summer you were being deployed somewhere. Is that correct? Yeah.

Starting point is 00:28:48 So, you know, I wanted to go. I wanted to go over it because look, there's guys that have seven deployments and more. You know, and these guys, a lot of these guys have families with kids and they're dedicated and committed to what they're doing. And they know they don't want to let their brothers and arms down. So they keep doing it. But, you know, there's so a lot of those guys need a break. And that's where my thinking was on that. Like, look, just I would take my finals early and just send me over there for, you know, even just three or four months.

Starting point is 00:29:20 And let me just help out because I want to go. I want to continue to serve. And then they would, they'd fly me back commercially. I fly in commercial to the capital there in Afghanistan to Kabul in late April. And then they would fly me back the day before training camp, essentially. And so, you know, my last appointment was just last summer. And honestly, one of the biggest firefighters I've ever been in was just a couple weeks before I was in training camp. And so it was really, it was a surreal experience.

Starting point is 00:29:54 But like I said, I embraced that change in those transitions. I'm very fortunate. My mind works in that way. So every year it got easier and easier, you know, to come back and do that. Obviously, your perspective changes and, you know, you come back and hear what some of the things. of the, not only the players, but some of the students around campus are complaining about or what sounds, what's important to them just inside you just like, oh my gosh, you're kidding me.

Starting point is 00:30:18 But I just got used to that, you know, I guess it's just two different lives you're kind of living. Yeah, I just can't imagine the differences. And I feel, you know, as a former player, it almost just makes you feel, I think of Pat tell them a little bit too, but you feel like almost worthless to complain about the heat or the pads when a couple weeks prior to us putting all that gear on,

Starting point is 00:30:45 you are in one of the biggest firefighters of your life, literally a life or death situation. It's got to, again, I come back to that word perspective. It's got to really change it because it probably doesn't make the half gasser's or the conditioning

Starting point is 00:31:01 tests seem that bad. When you get back on campus as if a few weeks before bullets are literally flying and you're fighting the enemy with your, with your brothers. I just can't imagine the perspective that that has afforded you. Yeah, I mean, I'll be completely honest with you. Even me in that situation, when you come back here to the States, I fall under that trap too.

Starting point is 00:31:27 I'm guilty of it where I start to, you know, we just, we have so much. And we still, it's like the more we have, the more we have, the more we, kind of whine about for whatever reason. And it happens to me. I'll fall in that in that rut essentially where I'm like, you know, oh, this sucks. I can't believe we were doing.

Starting point is 00:31:46 Oh, we got full pads today. And then I stop and think and I'm, you know, just like, dude, you still got your buddies over there fighting for the opportunity for you to put these pads on. Yeah. And go play a game in the heat. You know, what are you crying about? So I can't, I'm not blaming other people.

Starting point is 00:32:05 before that because that's just that's human nature it just happens yeah that's what that's what uh luxury does to us yeah i could see that and so but not only that so you get done you start for basically your entire college career in the summers and and starting on april you're being deployed during that whole time you get to live the life of a college student as a 30-some-year-old guy which is i'm sure the like the 32-year-olds listening now that are married with kids are like saying like oh man that would be sweet. But you're doing that. But you get done and the Seattle Seahawks sign you an undrafted free agent and that's where you spent training camp just this year. Talk to us about what that phone call was like. I believe I saw the video of you getting that call online.

Starting point is 00:32:51 Pete Carroll, you know, one of the best coaches in the NFL. I saw him just to speak just glowingly of you and what was it like going up to Seattle getting an opportunity to be an NFL player to compete for that job. I mean, I got to believe that was just incredible. No, it really was. Yeah, just to get, like you said, just to get that opportunity. And, I mean, just to get that call. And actually, when it came down to it, you know, having to make a decision, I had a couple teams that were interested in one of the, you know, I wanted to sign me and having to,

Starting point is 00:33:25 having to pick which NFL team I want to go play for. It's kind of weird. Wow. It's a way, considering I'm not an incredible athlete, and I just started playing the game really four years before that. It's funny. It was very, very surreal, but it's something that I dreamed about as a kid, you know, when you're a little kid, a lot of guys can relate to this.

Starting point is 00:33:52 I want to be a professional athlete. And then to finally have that opportunity at the age of 34 as a rookie was just, I guess strange, but it didn't feel strange to me because it's my life, you know. That's the only way I've lived it. So I can't really, it's hard for me to relate to any other way. And, but it was so, it was so great to get that opportunity. And I had an amazing time up in Seattle. That locker room's incredible.

Starting point is 00:34:20 There's a lot of really good guys that play there and that are just good people. And they couldn't ask for anything more. And just the opportunity to play in a, play in a, even It was just a preseason game, you know, to play. And really words are tough to describe that. But it was an amazing feeling, just being a part of the whole experience, especially in a town like that. I mean, they sold out the preseason game.

Starting point is 00:34:45 That's incredible. You know? Yeah. It's just nuts. Yeah. And so I think about like what you're doing now. So at the end of camp, you got released. And so you're still, I know, actively training out there in L.A.

Starting point is 00:34:57 at Unbreakable Performance Center, I know, which is owned by Jay Glazer. Brian Erlacher and I've been the good fortune to spend some time around Brian Erlacker and he's just an incredible guy seeing even Jay Glazer a little bit which I know you guys are pretty close Yeah he's been you know I'm not just plugging him here like

Starting point is 00:35:14 Jay is very selfless He's a big supporter of veterans Yeah he has done a lot for me And I'm actually sitting in his living room right now Talking to him. Is he there? No he's not here He's not here I was going to say

Starting point is 00:35:29 No If I was here, he'd be making fun of me for talking him up. Because he's, but now he's an incredible guy. And, yeah, there's just, there's not enough to say for him, but he's done a lot for me. And I'll always be appreciative of what he's done and what he stands for and what he's trying to do. There's not a lot of people in public figures in his position that actually do something and stand for something. And he's one of those people. Yeah, I think it's awesome.

Starting point is 00:36:00 I love what he's doing. So a couple other things you're doing right now. You interned at Pete Berg's production company, which I, we could, again, I could talk to you for an hour about that. And also your project, the Kimmongaro project, that you're going to hike up Mount Kimmongaro with a veteran, I believe, who was wounded to raise money for clean water wells. And I'll let you describe exactly what that project is. But I think, again, another thing where it sounds like you have zero compromise, you've raised the goal, from the initial goal from what it was to now, I believe you said a million dollar goal, which is incredible. But feel free. I'd love to hear more about those pursuits right now.

Starting point is 00:36:47 Yeah. So as far as the film stuff, I'll touch on that real quick. That's something that I kind of always had a passion about and never really pursued. Like I should have, you know, but now I'm in a position where I'm afforded that opportunity and I've learned so much for my time and a service and just in life about what it takes to get something done and to accomplish a mission and the grit, determination and the zero compromise you need to get where you want to go. And so now I'm ready to really attack that and I'm excited about that but yeah i got the opportunity to intern at film 44 with peter bird and now i i'm not going to

Starting point is 00:37:32 get into the specifics of some of the opportunities that that are arising but you know some definitely some some film opportunities out there doing a lot of different things a little bit in front of the camera but mostly behind it just in being involved in some of these projects uh right now it's mostly kind of military things that we're looking at but uh i'm just i'm really excited to work in that industry just because the platform it provides and we need more veterans out here in businesses like this where I mean it's an influential

Starting point is 00:38:06 it's an influential industry and you can really do a lot with a film and say a lot and stand for something and I'm not talking about vets just working on military projects you know that that separation between the civilians and the veterans needs to go way. We're problem solvers. We know how to get things done. And I just had the opportunity to meet a guy named Hank Hughes last week who was an infantryman in the Army. And then he went to them, got his

Starting point is 00:38:39 masters at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles. He made a short film that's just incredible. And he's going to be huge. He's going to be a big-time director. I know it. And it's just really cool that he's a vet, you know, and that he fought for his country. And that, And he's passionate about what he does. And he's not, you meet the guy, it's not this, this comic book caricature of what a veteran is like. You know, he's just a guy with passions. And it's cool to be around that and to, you know, we're not going to take over Hollywood. We just want to be a part of it, you know.

Starting point is 00:39:15 And anyway. And then with his other thing, with this Kilimanjaro deal. So Chris Long, who's defensive end for the Rams. and he started an organization called waterboys.org, and I believe your brother is part part of that. He's one of the water boys. And so the day after I got cut, Chris called me and told me about this thing. I hadn't heard about it.

Starting point is 00:39:38 And I looked it up and he said, hey, man, with your time in the Darfur and your service, I feel like there's a connection here. And I'd love you to be an ambassador for us or something. And if you have any ideas or something you want to do, I don't know what that would be, but just let me know if you want to be involved in some way. So I thought about it. I called him back and I told him about this buddy of mine, Blake Watson, who his first deployment, he took a knee on an IED. He was a Marine and he lost his leg completely.

Starting point is 00:40:09 And it was hard on him. It changed his life, obviously. I can't even imagine. And I think for about three years, he was in a tough place. He was mentally not in a good place. And then, you know, he snapped out of it. He was fortunate enough to be one of those guys that snap out of it. You know, 22 veterans a day are losing the battle with suicide.

Starting point is 00:40:30 And it's way higher than it should be. You know, obviously it should be zero. And he was on that, he was on that path, unfortunately. And he was lucky enough to snap out of that. And he changed his life and started getting back. in the gym and getting healthy. The reason that number is so high that 22 a day is the purpose, the fact that we don't have anything to fight for anymore.

Starting point is 00:40:58 We served our country at the highest level, and that's who we are as people. And when that's kind of taken away from us, and we come back here, we're not just going to fit into society because we're different, you know? We're just cut from a different cloth. We need a challenge. We need something to pursue and something to fight for it in a way to consider. to serve. And so, you know, I told Chris, I said, hey, man, I think what I'm going to do is I want to take this guy Blake and we want to go climb Kilimanjaro to help raise money for, you know,

Starting point is 00:41:31 water boys in that clean water project. And at first I set the goal at 100,000 because that would be enough for two wells. We can each dedicate one. And we were very lucky to get Microsoft on board. And so we had an event within just a couple days ago. And we raised over 100,000 already so you know I had to quickly change that goal and so now we're setting it at a million which is sounds like a lot of money it is a lot of money but we're going to raise a million dollars and if you divide those clean water wells the ones that we're putting in are or they're amazing I mean there's solar powered and they're very legit they cost $45,000 a piece and if you divide a million dollars by $45,000 it's 22.2 repeating so that's 22 wells and you know with the

Starting point is 00:42:16 with the 22 guys a day they're losing that battle it's just that symbolism I was talking about earlier it just made sense and I was like we're doing that I'm not turning back

Starting point is 00:42:26 I'm committing to it and so that's what we're looking at now and that's what we're going to do and you know 22 22 kills another organization I work with and it's a veteran

Starting point is 00:42:38 veteran run organization and it's all about empowering vets and you know entrepreneurship and And while I was talking about that purpose, it's the same thing. You know, finding a way to beat that.

Starting point is 00:42:51 It's not just giving us things. We don't need a handout. We don't need someone to just kind of pet us and tell us, you know, thanks for everything that you did. It was great. You don't need to do anything else now. You can just relax and enjoy your life because we're not built that way, you know? And so anyway, I'll start rambling on forever about that. I love it.

Starting point is 00:43:11 It's awesome. I know we're up against it. So I really appreciate your time. investment here because I know you got people pulling you in every way, which way possible. And I'm just so grateful. And thank you truly for your service. I know you probably hear that a lot. But I hope I just, I want to say that because I'm truly grateful for you and all the, the, the men and women who have fought and continue to do so.

Starting point is 00:43:36 Yeah. And there's a, there's battles going on right now. Oh, yeah. Overseas and at home, too, with a lot of these vets. Exactly. But yeah, the guys overseas. I mean, today was actually a big day. in the news.

Starting point is 00:43:47 We've got special operations. I'm going to be back over in Syria, and we're already back in Iraq, and it's just, it's crazy, but it's necessary. Those places need, they need us. Yeah. Where can everybody go to find you online? Well, I'm on Twitter at Nate Boyer 37.

Starting point is 00:44:07 I actually have a website to Nateboyer.com. But yeah, if you want to donate to that cause or help out in any way at one, Waterboys.org, the name of the mission, our campaign is Conquering Killie. So I think if you go under the donate tab, Conquering Killie is a way that you can donate and help support us and reaching our goal under waterboys.org. Yeah, I think that's... Perfect.

Starting point is 00:44:30 All that will be linked up in the show notes on learning leader.com as well as in the notes here in iTunes if you're listening through iTunes. So, Nate, thank you so much for being here, man. Again, I can't say it enough. Very honored to have this conversation. I definitely want to continue this. dialogue as we both progress because there's a lot, a lot of work still to be done. And I know, especially for you, a guy who will not compromise and as soon as you accomplish this a million

Starting point is 00:44:55 dollar challenge, I know you'll probably already have four or five others on your plate, man. So I'm excited to continue talking and to hear the upcoming challenges after you accomplish these goals. All right. Thanks, man. Thanks a lot for having me on. Of course. I really appreciate it. Absolutely. Thanks, man. All right. Talk to you soon. This episode of The Learning Leader Show is over. But we have plenty more. to keep you locked in until next time. Head over to learningleadershow.com for more information and to request your favorite entrepreneur, CEO,

Starting point is 00:45:24 world class athlete, or anyone else that inspires you. You can also talk to Ryan directly by reaching out to him on Twitter at Ryan Hawk 12. Thanks again, and we'll see you next time on the Learning Leader Show.

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk - 071: Nate Boyer – Green Beret, Texas Football, The NFL, Making Films

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