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There are kids back home who will literally give everything and anything to be like have the option to even work at McDonald's, and like you bring that up and some people are like, Oh, I don't want to do that.

I want to go do this. I don't want to do that. I'm like, yeah, well, you got a job and you're going to get paid but you gotta be able to do the things that you need to do. Like when I was a kid, when I first moved to the United States, I remember the first thing I said to my dad was. When can I work?

Welcome to Sweat Strategy and Success. This is the go to resource for entrepreneurs in the health and wellness industry to become the best versions of themselves, both personally and professionally. My name is Soleil Raine. I'm a marketer and passionate storyteller, and my mission is to share the untapped stories of the brilliant minds shaping health and wellness.

Here, you're going to discover inspiring stories and actionable strategies towards growing your business and cultivating a healthier, more fulfilling lifestyle.

Today we're going to learn what it takes to turn [00:01:00] unimaginable hardship into unrelentless motivation.

And today's guest, Eddie Ogamba, knows this answer better than most.

Growing up in a refugee camp in Ghana, Eddie faced challenges that most of us never encounter in our life.

Moved to the United States where a whole new set of challenges awaited him.

but Eddie's journey didn't stop there.

He's now on a mission to achieve his dream of playing professional football.

And he talks to us about navigating this competitive and cutthroat environment.

It was such a pleasure talking to Eddie in this episode about his upbringing and how his upbringing shaped his motivation and his resilience today towards achieving this Goal that very few reached throughout their career and Eddie's working his ass off to get there if you don't find this episode inspiring that I honestly don't know what will because Eddie's resilience is throughout the trials and tribulations that he's faced from being in Ghana to moving to the United States through injuries and now [00:02:00] Working every single day to achieve these goals and remaining consistent is was awe inspiring to me And I really hope it's awe inspiring to you as well

Whether you're chasing a dream of your own or you're just looking for some inspiration for your day, this episode is perfect for you. If you're listening to this episode right now, go like, save, or subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. I post every Wednesday about inspiring stories and actionable strategies towards building a business and creating a healthier, more fulfilling lifestyle.

an Eddie's story. Like so many more people that I talk to is going to prepare you to tackle the challenges that you face every day in both your professional life and your personal life. I'm super excited. So let's get started.

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Hi, Eddie. How are you doing today? I'm doing good. And you? I'm doing well. Thank you so much for joining me. I am super excited to have you on today and talk about your story [00:03:00] and all the hard work that you've been putting into your career.

Um, as I've mentioned to you before, this podcast is about entrepreneurship and, uh. I think for a lot of entrepreneurs, they want to feel motivated and to hear from athletes where that's your entire life almost is to stay motivated despite how difficult and challenging it may be. Um, it's great to have you on here and to talk a little bit more about it.

I want to start off just with like a general overview of who you are. Like, give me who is Eddie? So I grew up on a refugee camp in Ghana. For about 12 years and then moved to the United States. Originally was playing soccer my whole life and then decided to make that transition coming out of high school. Um, so I went to junior college first at Iowa Western Community College, played two years there and then transferred to Iowa State.

Got my bachelor's there, also played two years there, and then ended up finishing up at University of South Dakota. [00:04:00] And then had a stint in the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens. So, that's a little bit about myself there. Yeah, awesome. And what did you do in the Baltimore Ravens? So I was a kicker there. Um, so the brought me in for rookie mini camp, vet, vet, mini tower camp, and then, um, I had to work out outside of that.

So, and, and what does a kicker what's for people who don't know American football, what does a kicker do on a, on a football team? Well, you kick off, so you got to start with the game of us. And we, I look at it as like, we don't matter till we matter. You know, when the game is on the line, who do you call?

And that's why it's called special teams, because what we do is very detailed. It might just look like we're just kicking a ball through the field goal posts, but it's very, very detailed. You have to have guys that you trust. Um, and a lot of times that we spend, um, outside of practice with, with those people.

So. Building that bond and connection really helps out a lot to go out and do what we need to do. Okay. And you said special teams. What does that mean? Yeah. So [00:05:00] special teams is like specialists. So we're, we're not your typical receivers or quarterbacks or, um, cornerbacks. But our job, basically, it's a unique skill set, right?

So everybody, well, anybody can throw a ball. One. Anybody can, you know, like with what's taught properly, anybody can play all the positions, in my opinion, when it comes down to kicking is super specific. Um, there's so much detail oriented things that goes within those timeframe. And we only got one shot to make a kick.

You know, it's not like you have three downs to like correct something or play that went bad or went wrong. You go out there, it's like you're a sniper. It's one shot, one kill. You go out there and miss, your butt's on the line. So you gotta be able to figure it out right away. Yeah, I grew up watching American football, a big Broncos fan, [00:06:00] and I never realized how important the kicker was until I started talking to you.

Or you know those like some football games where there's like a like, how much, how much does it, how many points do you get if you get like a goal? A field goal, so a field goal is three points and then a PAT is one. Okay, yeah, you know when the, you're watching a football game and they're like two points down and the kicker comes down and you're like, oh my gosh, like, are they gonna get it or are they, and then they fucking miss or something like that?

Yeah, nerve wracking. Yeah, exactly. So, uh, that's, that's the only time that I've ever realized how important a kicker is to. You know, a football team and you kind of hold, hold it together as you said, you know, if you're not, if you get one chance to go out there and put the, put the ball through the, through the field, field goal.

Okay. See, you're going to have to help me through this episode because I am so lacking in field goal, correct? [00:07:00] Yeah. Field goal post. Yeah. Okay. Field goal post. Um, you have one opportunity and if you don't get that, then, then your ass is on the line, especially for NFL football. 100%. It's very cutthroat. It's a cutthroat business.

So you have to go out there and, um, do what you need to do. And at the end of the day, you have a job to do. You got to make kicks. And, um, you can't just leave kicks out there, you know, so. Yeah. But your, your story didn't start off in football. As you mentioned, you grew up in Ghana. What was your life like as a child living, growing up in Ghana?

Um, it was very different. I didn't grow up as a typical kid. Um, so growing up on a refugee camp is really tough. So I went to school with what's the shoes to uniform and like one notebook, like paper, basically. Um, but it was very different. I used to have to walk my house for water in the morning just to like, you know, have water to shower and stuff like that.

And, um, like never ate [00:08:00] every day. I wonder if you've seen the kids on, on Feed My Starving Children. Um, I was that kid, you know, you can see my rib cage and my bones and my body, and I had a little belly too at the time cause I was malnourished. Um, but. All of that really taught me to appreciate things a little differently than, um, a lot of people in general, you know, and it's like you, you think you have it bad, and then you take a step back sometime, and you're like, oh, wow, I'm truly blessed, you know, so, um, life was tough.

Life was really tough, but it just taught me a lot about. Patience, perseverance and being disciplined , you don't got to be motivated, but you do got to be disciplined to be able to show up and do the same thing over and over and again. So, yeah, absolutely. When you look back at that time in your life, how do you feel now?

It's funny that you ask this question. I've, I was just talking about it the, the other day to someone and one of my friends asked me, like, are you proud of [00:09:00] yourself? And that's one of the things that, things I struggle with answering sometimes. Um, but. Yes, I, I feel great now. I feel like everything that I went through as a kid really like honed my personality and as honed my character and who I am.

Obviously I've, like, I'm not a perfect person, and I've made mistakes in life and stuff like that, but, everything I've learned from, There has like really like helped my character and like helped me gain like, you know, that grit to understand like no matter how much stuff you're going through, you're, you're going to be able to push through, you know, so.

Yeah. How much of it do you remember? Do you remember like the daily challenges of it? Cause I feel like when I look at my childhood, at least I don't, I don't remember so much, but how much do you remember of your childhood in Ghana? Oh, I remember everything. I remember everything as a kid. I remember Like walking to school on a dirt patch [00:10:00] road.

I remember playing barefooted on a, on a soccer pitch, barefooted. But it's like, it's literally, you're playing on concrete, like dirt. I remember like walking for water. I remember, I remember there was this time I didn't eat for like three days. No water. I remember just all of these things, but I also remember the good stuff to like being in the moment when you don't have food on the table or water in the kitchen, right?

And you're sitting there and playing soccer and you're not hungry because for that split second, like you, I felt free and I felt like, like that was an outlet for me, you know, so, I remember a lot, a lot of things from when I was a kid, so. Yeah, that's great, because I feel as though there's a lot of people in the United States who aren't really in touch with that kind of experience, because at least for me, as you mentioned, those, uh, those commercials that they used to have of children in Africa not being able to eat and hungry.

I remember seeing those [00:11:00] videos, and even though I would feel sad, I've. Never had to experience anything like that. So I've never been able to step into the shoes of someone who's lived into a refugee camp. If you could like tell people who are listening to this podcast and kind of give more like an insight into what that was like, what would you want them to know?

Um, just, I want them to know, first of all, I want people to know that we always gotta be grateful. We've got a lot to be grateful for, throughout the day, like waking up in the morning. And I know that life is sometimes like through the curveball at us, but sometimes it's good to take a step back and like, really notice the things around you, be present, be where your feet are.

That's something I'm a firm believer in, um, but I want them to also know that like there are kids back home who will literally give everything and anything to be like have the option to even work at McDonald's, and like you bring that up and some people are like, Oh, I don't want to do that.

I want to go do this. I [00:12:00] don't want to do that. I'm like, yeah, well, you got a job and you're going to get paid and, but you gotta be able to do the things that you need to do. Like when I was a kid, when I first moved to the United States, I remember the first thing I said to my dad was. When can I work?

You know? And he's like, that's called child labor. Yeah. He can't work at this age, , you're not allowed to do that . You know, and I'm like, but it's like the, you look at the transition from there and now and, like back home, that's a regular thing. You know, I remember this lady coming to the refugee camp.

She was actually from Canada and she came and they was on ES mission trip, and she saw us like working like, you know, selling waters on the street. And she immediately started crying and we're all sitting there laughing like, why, why are you crying? And she's like, you guys are so little and in that headspace, you're not, like, you don't understand that what people is talking about.

So, but you got, you got to be able to do what you need to do to be able to survive. But. That's kind of why I want people to know, it is a tough place. It is very nitty [00:13:00] gritty. It is very cutthroat. You're on survival mode 24 hours of the day, not just a couple of hours. There's less room to breathe, half of the time.

Well, majority of the time, but, these people back home are willing to do whatever it takes to be able to, you know, get the same opportunity as we here in the U S have to be able to do what we do go to work, have a car, have a roof over our head. You know, things like that, having like water running, like you don't got to walk seven miles for some water, you can just turn your, your, your sink or faucet on and You got water flowing, you know?

So, but I just want them to know that there's a lot to be grateful for in this life. And sometimes it just takes a take, take us as humans, taking a step back and taking a deep breath and understanding like, wow, I'm truly blessed, so. I, first of all, that's, I mean, it's incredible to hear you talk about that and get that [00:14:00] perspective from you.

I think it's so funny how that woman started like crying because, because, you know, you go to like other countries around the world. I go to Mexico quite a bit. And it's very similar down there. A lot of the time you'll see like children working and handing out water bottles and like little bracelets and candies and stuff like that and you'll buy them and, you know, and then they go on their merry way.

It's just a part of life for a lot of people around the world, but not so much. Something that's common in the United States. You, you know, as somebody from the United States, I'll go to Mexico and I'll see that and I'll start like feeling sad, but just hearing that story of you and your friends, just laughing at her, just brightens my heart a little bit, you know, cause as, as a child, you're so like oblivious almost to everything else that you're just like, okay.

Why are you crying? 100%. And it's, it's funny, like, even like seeing that, but you, you, she was just like, when she left, you could tell that she wasn't the same person ever again. And I still remember, she was like, wow, [00:15:00] I am truly, blessed. Like, I have no idea. This was what people lifestyles every single day.

And like having kids were like four or five, six, like, what do you think of typical American kid was four or five, six year old does here in the U S I go to school, come home, play video games, all of that. No, there's kids back home. who if they don't work, they're not gonna eat that day. If they don't go to the mines, they're not gonna eat that day.

You know, but, but their mindset is never. It's never. Okay, cool. I have time to sit there and feel sorry for myself. I gotta always be on emotion. I always gotta do what I gotta do to be able to survive. Yeah, totally makes sense. And I want to go back to, you mentioned this twice now, both in football and growing up, how it's like cutthroat, you said, and so do you feel like because your childhood was constantly a struggle for survival that you've put yourself in a position where you're now needing to constantly survive through sports now?[00:16:00]

Um, yeah, a bit. It's just like I look at it as like an opportunity of growth. You know, I look at it as like an opportunity to be able to, you know, challenge myself a bit to do whatever I need to do to be able to succeed in life, and I've accomplished a lot of things with God being on my side.

And like, you know. And with my heart, like me putting work every single day, but it's I feel like we as humans, sometimes we get to the point where we're always like complacent and we're like, okay, cool. I got it together and it's okay, how can you challenge yourself? How can you always push yourself to be able to understand like what that true max look like for you, you know, and I feel like that's what growth comes from,

before a plant grows, it has to go through a process, right? You gotta put the seeds down, you gotta water it, you gotta look at the sunlight, you gotta come back and then water it again. It's like we're just like that, you know, so you got to be able to go to different challenges, which is the [00:17:00] process to be able to, succeed as it's like, so yes, I do put myself a lot of position to be able to, you know, grow.

So, yeah, that's great. And that's what you're continuing to do now still as well. Correct. Yes, yes. So I'm currently an NFL free agent. I don't work back to getting back into playing football. in the NFL again. But, ultimately, I'm just trusting God at this point and, like, controlling what I can control and focusing on the process of, um, just, you know, doing the daily due diligence, doing the stuff that other people don't want to do, training in cold weathers, you know, training twice a day, eating things that I don't want to eat every day.

Like, I got a mean sweet tooth and I gotta starve that sometime. So, it's just, One of those things where you got to be committed to the process for that. Yeah. So can you tell me a little bit more about what an NFL free agent means? Yeah. So NFL free agents, [00:18:00] like you get, so you get an opportunity to like play again, but you have to go through multiple process to get to that stage again.

So right now it's like, if a team calls me, I said, Hey, we'd like to bring you in for a workout. Right? So you're not on the team. That's not like, you're not like, it's not certain that you're on the team yet, but it just bring you in for a workout. Now you go in as a free agent, which again, you're like, how do I put this?

So you go, you go in and then you, you kick for them or like you do a workout for them and then they see you. They're like, okay, cool. Basically a tryout. And then they're like, okay, cool. We want to give you like high, month contract or high year contract, right? And then you sign with them. Then you become on the team officially.

But for now, it's like anything can call you, for you to be able to go in and, um. Play for them or like work out for them. So, [00:19:00] okay, that makes sense. So you're kind of like available to all these teams at any point they can call you and say, Eddie, we're looking for a new kicker. We want somebody to just , we want to see how you do and you'll go in and you'll, and you'll do that for them.

Right. Yeah. Okay, so in this like period of your life while you're an NFL free agent and you're obviously like working your ass off to try to get into the NFL, what's your what's your daily routine, I guess, in order, in order to continue that a motivation that we were talking about earlier and the opportunity to grow.

Um, it's, it's pretty, uh, it's funny you, you asked that, uh, so I have my burn class in the morning at 5am at the gym. And, um, every time they asked me, they're like, Oh, what'd you do this weekend? Uh, workout. And they were like, you need to get a life. But, um, my days usually start [00:20:00] off at, so I'm all bad, like.

four, like 3 34 in the morning. And then I'm in the gym right about 4 20 because I have class. At five a. m. Sometimes I have clients at five. And then I'll work from like 5 to about 9 10 a. m. Just depends on the day. And then I'll leave. I'll come home for a bit, eat breakfast and I'll go train at the field for about an hour or two hours.

Just like, you know, hitting different balls and stuff like that. And I have my conditioning days where I run sprints out there and I'll leave, I'll get done, I'll go back to work, finish out my day with my clients. And then once I'm done with that, I'll get my lift in, which takes usually about two hours, two and a half hours.

I get done with that and I come home, make dinner. And then usually I have like an hour film that I sit there and I watch. So I put on my TV and just kind of like pick a picker that day to watch and just kind of like, you know, Um, pick something that I see them doing in that process of like [00:21:00] picking a ball and see how that may work for me, but it's like adding tools to the bag, basically.

So just to make sure that when I do get my next opportunity, I can go out there and go lights out and not leave any crumbs on the table. Absolutely. I'm going to tell you what my day looks like as a non professional athlete. I wake up probably around like. 8am, maybe 8. 30. I go, I get myself some breakfast, , and then I sit down and it's 9 to 5.

Okay. I'll work a little bit more on my, my extra projects. I'll eat some snacks throughout the day. Consisting of some sort of chocolate dessert, because I have a mean sweet tooth as well. So I'll eat up the day without eating chocolate, um, and then I'll eat dinner, and then I'll go to sleep. That sounds fire.

What type of chocolate do you like? Oh, dark chocolate, 100%. Nice. I got you. Any kind of like dark chocolate above like 70, [00:22:00] 75%. Gotcha. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So that's like my, my go to kind of day. And on the weekends. I go out with my friends and I drink and I go to concerts. And so the reason why I'm bringing this up is just because it's obviously two very different lifestyles.

And so, for example, this morning I had to wake up really early because I had to take my little brothers to school. And I had to wake up around 6. 30 a. m., which is like early for me. That's what I'm like. And I woke up, I was like, this is not happening today. I'm not in a good mood. And I just immediately, like, you know, those thoughts that come into your head that are just like, like, why are you doing this?

Why are you doing this? How, how difficult is it for you to like, keep going and staying motivated, even though you're at the moment, just an NFL free agent. Um, I would say it has its days, it has its days where, you know, you turn on the game and you see guys missing, [00:23:00] kicks left and right, and then you're sitting there, you're like, okay, cool, I just worked out and I went 10 for 10, or I went 17 for 17, right, and I'm putting myself in this pressure situation where I'm running on and off the field like a game like situation, right, and I'm going through this process and then you turn the TV on again and then you see That's happening.

Like it, like I said, it does have his days, but, I've always been a person where, and I've learned to kind of train my mind in this way of, like, doing the uncomfortable, you know, like I said, somebody the other day, I was like, I don't believe in motivation. I just believe in, like, Discipline, like showing up and getting it done.

Cause yes, you do have like, motivation is okay, but when you don't have motivation, when you're not motivated, what are you going to do? What are you going to fall back on? Like when you don't have that, that drive or whatever that you need to have, like, like you don't have that, what are you going to do?

Are you just going to sit there and be like, you know what? I'm not feeling it today. I'm just going to sit down here and like, you know, mope around and like, [00:24:00] feel bad for myself because I'm not in the league or whatever. But those are the days where I make sure, like, I get my butt up and I'm like, dude, get your ass up, get out there, , and do whatever you need to do, right?

Go out there and, compete with yourself today, because you never know when that gawking comes, I have a backpack, literally sitting on the floor, ready to go for when I call it does end up coming, you know? Um, but, I also think when you do have a strong why, that helps. Like, it's helped me a lot.

Like, my strong wires helped me a lot to be able to, on those days where it's very hard for me, I think back to when I was a kid, I think about my mom and I'm like, yeah, cool, you got people depending on you. Get up and go out there and do whatever you need to do. Like, even if it's like negative 20 out, you got to go out there and do whatever you need to do to be able to, make sure that.

You're prepared to go out there and, playing cold games, playing games that's hot, playing windy conditions, like kicking windy conditions, you got to be able to put yourself in a comfortable state so that when you get to that stage, [00:25:00] you're going to be very comfortable. So that's what's helped me out a lot to be able to kind of sort out those things.

Yeah, and what is your why if you had to articulate it? I was there with my mom. My mom, she, that woman, oh man, she, she went through a lot, like when I was a kid and she's still going through a lot right now and she's been, like, she just taught me so much about what great means, , we wouldn't have food or water running in the house and every day she would, to make sure that we got whatever that we needed to get, like she was always there for me.

Like no matter what it was, like me being sick as a kid, like having malaria, like. Having yellow fever, like flatlining three different times, you know, and, she was always there, like right by my side. And one thing she always taught me was like, you always got to believe in yourself. You don't have to have everybody believe in you, but if

[00:26:00] she always telling me, if you're breathing and your limbs work and you can move, you better get your ass up and go out there and work, you know?

So, that's something that. I've taken the heart, but that's what my why is and my siblings to just being able to be that person that they look up to and say, Hey, I want to be like my older brother something, you know, like, Oh, I want to surpass my older brother someday. And that's all it is in my house, like, in my, my mom and dad's house.

So, like, we were very competitive, you know, all my brothers, we all don't play sports. But we're very competitive at what we do, you know, so yeah, that's great. I can just I can hear like the emotion in in your voice in the heart that you feel for your family. And I mean, at the end of the day, my if I had to pick my why it would probably be my siblings to, and like you said, showing them, there's there's so much to life.

And there's You know, be better than I am don't like, like, I want to be that support for you, but at the end of the day, I want you [00:27:00] to be better than I am. And so that's, I, I just 100 percent I feel that to the ends of the earth and back. It's just, it's just amazing. Like, especially when you have such a strong why, I feel like you're almost unstoppable.

Like you're almost like there's nothing that you will put you can put your mind to that you won't like be able to accomplish one if you do have like a strong why, you know, so that just keeps you like keep to keep going forward. Yeah, absolutely. And I mean, there's, from what you've told me there's been multiple times in your life where you've had to sit down and maybe sit with your why a little bit I know you had told me that.

You, where you went to, where'd you go to university at first again? Uh, so I went to Iowa Western Community College first. Yeah. Yeah, Iowa Western, but that was because you couldn't go because of your, an accent or something with English. Can you, can you tell me a little bit more about that? Yeah, so I took English learning classes, which, Ended up not helping me get qualified for the [00:28:00] NCAA, um, D1, , so that my initial thought was, okay, cool, I gotta go junior college, you know, and staying in the U.

S. I was like, you know what, I gotta be able to, you know, make the most out of this opportunity. So they was the first one that took a chance on me by offering me, a walk on spot to go to, go there and compete with guys and, I went there and showed up there. I think that was like eight other people who played my position.

I was like, okay, cool. We got to go to bat, but I went there and not ranked. And it was like all the guys that was ranked and I ended up starting my freshman year, you know, and then again, it goes back to like, Making that decision of okay, cool. I have a strong why now I got to work, so yeah, absolutely.

I, uh, I know you told me a little bit more about that, but can you dive into why the NCAA didn't allow you to to go like be on be on a competitive D1 team or D2 team or something like that? Yeah. So when you [00:29:00] take like English learning classes back then, I don't know about now. Now it's a little different, but when you take, um, English learning classes.

As a kid, so NCAA, like just, just starting credits that you need and those credits didn't count at all. So, and I didn't know that. So I'm thinking, okay, cool. I'm busting my butt working hard to be able to go play, division one soccer. And that ended up not working out at all. I mean, like I had schools coming to talk to me, like Marquette, Green Bay, Clemson, like all of that.

And like, The last minute, I found out, hey, you're not NCAA qualified, and I ended up taking like eight classes to try to qualify for D2 and I just made a decision that I wanted to go, you know, junior college first to see what this football thing would turn out to. Yeah, that's crazy. So ultimately, at the end of the day, though, that kind of made that a change of direction for you for how you're like now.

Yes, 100%. It was just like, [00:30:00] And that's, and that's something I always take pride in, like adjusting on your feet, like you're not gonna have the perfect, the most perfect scenario in life to be able to make the most out of everything, you know, um, but with whatever you have, you have to turn that into something.

And that's kind of why I've, like, I decided to go junior in college because I started kicking my junior year of high school, which is very late for a lot of kickers. And a lot of kids playing football, but I just knew, there was nothing that was going to stop me from getting where I wanted to go, so I just knew, , I didn't show up and work.

That was one of the things that really, helped me out a lot.

So after you went to Iowa Western and you did your community college there, where did you go after? I went to Iowa State University.

So, Ames, Iowa. They played in the Big 12 Conference. Okay, and what did you do at Iowa State? So, Iowa State, I did the same thing. I kicked, but [00:31:00] that was, I went in as the kickoff specialist. For them, ended up restaurant in my first year and then played my second year. Okay. And you, you told me at one point, that you, you had an injury there.

Can you tell me that story? Yeah. So we played against, you know, University of Oklahoma. There was total of nine kickoffs that game. Ended up tearing my quad, my six rep. I felt like a little tweak. So I think that it was partially tuned. But. I ended up playing on it. And then like finishing the game.

And then my, when I was warming up, so I took a week off going into the Texas Tech games because they just wanted to see like how I'm feeling and stuff like that. So Went to the Texas game to be able to go and kick. So I went warming up, just warming up, swinging leg and then my first full kick off.

[00:32:00] Sounds like kicked it. My leg went numb. I was like, great. Something's not right. And, I ended up going like after the game and I'm going to get an MRI and I'm asking a doctor or something like, Hey, like what's going on? Blah, blah, blah. And it was like, yeah, like you, , blah, blah, blah. Like we can't really say he was like, I couldn't tell you couldn't tell me what it was.

And then, the other, the trainers came and told me that I tore my quad. And what was that? What were you feeling when they told you that? , I went through a lot of emotions, you know, because there was a lot going on at the time. My grandma passed away that year, actually, but um, It was just like, it was really tough.

It was rough. And I just felt like that was the one time I had my feet underneath me. And like everything I worked for was like right in front of me because before even going into that game, like they brought him grad transfer. He ended up turning his squad like multiple times and I went [00:33:00] and I did kickoff, field goals, and punts during fall camp.

And that was a lot of rep on my load. And I was working like training in the evening time too, on my own, just so I can make sure that I was good. And still like, I didn't even know that I was going to play till that week. And they told me, it was like, okay, cool. You're going to start against Louisiana, raising Cajun.

So I was like, okay, that's fine. And, but I just went through like a lot of like, anger. Just asking God why, like why me and like, why everything's happening. Yeah. And I know like when I was supposed to like question God or whatever, but I just felt like this was the one time I had my feet underneath me and I just couldn't, I was just like, what is it?

Like, what lesson are you trying to teach me? So. Yeah. And what did you, what did you learn from that experience? I learned to lean more on my faith. I learned to understand, to take. Good care of my body like [00:34:00] properly. I also learned that how strong I was like I always knew I was strong But that was like though when you talk about rock bottom like I hit I hit I hate rock bottom there for a second You know You're going through that stage where you got to wake up at the same time in the morning like yeah We go by four you got be in the building, but like five Cause you got rehab and stuff and you gotta walk on a, underwater treadmill for like three weeks cause you couldn't do nothing like screeners yet.

And you go into all these emotions and things in your head and you don't know what the outcome's gonna be like. Well, I think God was trying to teach me a lesson of like patience and to understand like. He was always there with me. I just needed to see him, you know, and, that taught me to just be appreciative again of the things that's in front of me.

Not to say that I wasn't appreciative of anything, which I was, but to be even more appreciative of everything that's in front of me. And I think he was [00:35:00] just trying to add more to my story, on where I'm coming from. Not making excuses for anything and just showing up and doing the work. So, yeah, and you've talked about, you know, discipline versus motivation a lot during this, conversation and you, did you find yourself like getting into that discipline even when your motivation was lacking?

Yeah, a hundred percent. I did. I mean, like the first two days I was like, crap, man. Like, and like, I went through, like, when I tell you, I went through every single thought in my head. I went through every single thought in my head. But I always remember like fall back on like my discipline stage. So I set like smaller goals that day for myself, you know, whatever it was like reading my Bible or like investing in books and stuff, and like spending more time with my roommate.

Cause I was such a, like, so in a phase of like, trying to like win a spot, win a spot, win a spot that. Like, everything around me, it was still a ton of vision, [00:36:00] you know, but sometimes, you have to appreciate the things around you too sometimes, while you're being a ton of vision, you know, and, it just, it was just, um, yeah, it was a tough time, but it taught me, discipline, and, like, even more discipline, like, showing up and doing the work, like, I knew, like, I had to fall back on there, I knew I had to.

Um, so that's what really helped me out a lot, even on the days where I didn't feel like going in, and this was during the COVID year, on the days where I didn't feel like going in to, do stuff or get, COVID tested, like, Almost every day, you know, but that just showed me like what more like more discipline can do for you, you know, so yeah, yeah, that's great.

And were your team supportive of you in that moment? Or because as you've said, I mean, football, I mean, getting into that next stage is just so competitive. So what was your team like during that experience? My team honestly was super supportive. They're always awesome. Um, [00:37:00] like I had, I was rooming with like a couple of my teammates.

I call them my brothers, so Camilo, Landon, Akers, Conor, Sally, Corey Dunn, like they all was there for me, like through it all, like even the day I tore my quad, like the next day my teammate Landon took me to the hospital and he was just there for me like the whole, the whole time, but like I just felt so much love from them and like the, the coaching staff and, as well as like my, like the athletic training.

Department like they were just on, like there was on my case to be able to, you know, make sure that I was coming back healthy and strong again. So I was just grateful for that for those people. And I'll forever be grateful to that program and organization for everything they did for me at that time. So.

Yeah, that's incredible. I, I literally talk about this during every episode, and I think people who listen to this episode consistently might be annoyed with me at this point talking about this so much, but [00:38:00] community is just the, the end all be all for me. You can't do anything without the community around you.

And it sounds like it, like, even though it's such a competitive environment, you kind of lean on, on the people who are around you. 100%. No, yeah, you have to. And that's what, I was always in this headspace of, I don't need no one. And I think that's one of the lessons too, that I learned. Like, I don't need no one.

I can get it all done by myself. And God was like, no, you need, you need me. And I've put these people in your life for a reason, you know, and um. I just got out of that headspace and I really started, like, understanding that view, but okay, cool, it's okay to lean on people, you know, it's okay to allow people to, you know, be a part of your life, be a part of your story, it's okay to trust people a little more, than you have, because coming from where I come from, like, it's hard for you to do those things, it's hard for you to trust people, you know, and, I had to relearn that, and I'm still relearning that at my age now, in [00:39:00] my daily life, so, um, not saying, like, I'm perfect at it, it's consistent work, but, um, Like, it takes, we have an African saying, like, it takes a kid to, it takes a village to raise a kid, um, and I think that's what, like, that community kind of served, like, in my life at that time, so.

Yeah, yeah, 100%. And you're so right. It does take a village, no matter what you know you're doing. And it's beautiful to hear, you know, you had people around you to support you through such a difficult moment. And I don't know, I've been I've been interviewing some athletes here and there on this podcast so far.

And, you know, all of them have like similar stories of setbacks. And that's why I love just like talking to athletes so much because of the setbacks that are in sports. It's just, it's inevitable. You can't be like an athlete without having some sort of injury, which is like horrible to say, but like you're definitely going to have an injury.

Um, but it's, it's great, to [00:40:00] have, have your community there. Do you feel like you you've had like other tools that you've gathered, um, during your time as an athlete? And can you share that with the people who are listening about habits and discipline? And I know you said setting some micro goals or maybe journaling or what's other things that you've been working on to make sure you're staying habitual and, and getting towards your goals.

Um, I think one of the biggest factor of life that I've learned throughout like my college career and now now really took us years to like after I turned pro was the visualization process, like visualizing, you know, putting myself in like different positioning to be able to see how I cannot adjust on my feet with these things.

Um, And just like, you know, like understanding, like, okay, cool. I can walk through these things in my head. I can walk through it, close my eyes. Like I can see myself to a point of view motion. So that way I can be able to go out there and do what I need to do. I'll tell you a quick story. So when I played in the NFL VPA board game, I got to hit a game winner in the Rose Bowl stadium, which [00:41:00] at the time I didn't know how big the Rose Bowl stadium was.

Yeah. Huge Pasadena. Huge. Mm hmm. Exactly. And, like I got called last minute, flew out on Wednesday, practiced Thursday, walked through Friday, and I kicked Saturday, you know, and I'm walking out there. So I did my pregame walk. I was just picking targets. But like I usually go through the night before I go through like five different kicks in my head.

And my last kick was a 20, I think a 28 yarder in my head that day, um, before I went out to go do the walkthrough. So I get there and I walk through that and I'm going through that and then like doing the TV time I was going to feel and just like visualize myself making kicks, making kicks. And, the offense got past the halfway line and then they got the ball down and ran the clock down.

And my coach looks at me, he's like, you know, you're going to go kick this, right? I was like, yeah, that's fine. And, literally it was the same exact kick that put myself in that position to be able to go out and make, you know, and, um, you go out there and you just bury that ball down the middle, but that [00:42:00] tells you like what.

Like, you know, having like that, that lead you will that discipline enough to be able to, you know, walk through the visualization process is going to help you down the line. Also, just like, you know, doing things that are that's uncomfortable for you. You know, like, I get it. Like, we all want to be comfortable.

We all want to, you know, live that comfy lifestyle and stuff like that. But to be frank, there's no growth in that, you know, like, If you're not challenging yourself every single day, it's gonna just, you're gonna plateau, you know, and we as humans, we're meant to grow. I mean, like, somebody has a thing about this light that's on in his house, somebody has a thing about your microphone, somebody has a thing about, you know, like, different stuff to make us grow.

Feel comfortable, but how much would it pushing themselves to be able to come up with these things, you know, like how much time did it have to feel to be able to come up with these things, you know, and I think we as humans sometimes need to take a step back and like really put ourselves in a comfortable position to be able to, you know, [00:43:00] adjust on our feet.

Um, another thing I would say that's really helped me would be, like journaling. I started about, I want to say a couple of months ago, like a little more just like journaling about my day and like my daily challenges and being able to break down. And understand where am I putting my energy at, you know, like being intentional with what I'm doing, how I'm doing it and who I'm spending my energy with, you know, that's huge.

Not everybody that smile on your face every, every single day is once you're best in life, so like, like I'm a big energy person. So knowing where you're putting your energy at, that's going to help you down the line to be successful. But those are just like a couple of things that I feel like that's really helped me out a lot.

To excel my game now to the what to where is that? So, yeah, I love how you talk about the, the uncomfortability of growth because. [00:44:00] I, I a hundred percent agree with you on that. You can't grow without feeling uncomfortable. My biggest one is being like, like on the internet and like showing myself in public.

And so this podcast was so difficult for me to start. Cause it was like, Oh, like, Oh fuck, I really don't want to show my face and like on, like make content. Like that just sounds like the worst thing ever, but it's like, so important. So important at the end of the day to make sure that you're. putting yourselves in uncomfortable positions and that can go for anything, you know, like, like if it's for your job or if you need to like have a difficult conversation with your boss, if it's like for athletics, for traveling, for whatever it may be, um, being uncomfortable is, is key, which really sucks because we'd much rather be comfortable in our day to day than be uncomfortable.

No, 100%. And that that's the that's the part where I feel like once people capture that there will be able [00:45:00] to like what you're saying, like, you had to like, get comfortable doing things that you didn't want to do, you know, wasn't comfortable doing. But like, once we capture that piece, like, I feel like growth is like inevitable, you know, like you can go out there and just keep growing and growing and growing and not like saying like, you're just gonna just you know, Skyrocket through the roof, like you're gonna have to feel first and then like make that decision to pick yourself back up to be able to continue on.

Like continue growing stuff. Yeah. My favorite graphics that kind of represent this topic too is, is, you know, when we think about growth, like we think of it kind of like exponentially, like it's just going to keep going up and up and up and up and up. Fortunately, growth is anything but that it's, you know, downs and ups and it's a little climb and then it's a big drop and then it's a big climb and it's a little drop.

And things change over time too. It's not just you, you, maybe you have one big goal in your life, but all [00:46:00] of those will be added up by small little goals. And you reaching those little goals can feel like such a huge accomplishment, even if you're like making your way up towards that big goal, and you're going to go down, you're going to go up and and so there's always those like little goals in there to do 100%.

And that's why it's always good to sell them early, because then, um, Like I always try to think about it as like the process is to go, you know, like you're going through a process of like waking up in the morning and you got to go work out and you got to do this, right? And you're going to get to that ultimate goal someday, but when you don't indulge yourself in the process, like you're just going to be like result driven, you know, and the true results is what you're doing like every single day.

But people don't see it as that. They just think, okay, well, I'm going to get to this position and I'm gonna be okay. Cool. I got to my goal and then what's next, you know? So, but when you enjoy yourself in that process, um, and when you get to that [00:47:00] end result, you realize, okay, cool. That, that was the goal, you know?

So. Yeah, 100%. So tell me a little bit about where you're at right now. What are you working on? So right, right now, um, I, again, like I'm just on a routine, right? So training twice a day, kicking, lifting, running. And then, um, I'm working at this gym. You're in Colorado at his own athletic club. I've been working there for a year now, so that's what I've been doing for a while and doing like a lot of traveling, trying to get, get into the UFL.

Possibly or probably going to the Canadian Football League or even going to Europe just to make this happen, you know. And again, it goes back to like the process of this whole like end result or the ultimate goal, but you got to take those micro steps or mini steps to be able to, Make those, make your dreams come true.

So that's what I've been doing. Yeah. Yeah. You, you're talking about like [00:48:00] pivoting a little bit, right? Yeah. Like this isn't working, so what can I do? Yes. To like get to a different point at, at what point did you decide to pivot? Like what were you telling yourself that was like, okay, it's time to think about, about teaming a new goal?

Um, it was like at my, my, my last meeting with my coach and um, in Baltimore, and he just told me, he was like, you got the tools, like you got what it takes to play for a very, very long time in our league. And but he was like, you gotta be able to take like these. steps first to be able to get back here, right?

But he also told me, it was like, we need to get, get you game film so that way you can be able to come here and be like, like when I showed game film to these coaches and give them like zero reasons not to bring you back in. That's what that's like helped out with a lot.

Um, so leaving there, I knew like I had to go through a couple of steps, like, To be able to get to where I need to go to. So I've been doing like different, like camps and stuff, going to like different coaches to kind of get that [00:49:00] viewpoint and ideas on what I need to do to be able to reach that level again.

So that's kind of where my pivot comes from. It's just like, you know, adding more tools to the bag, you know, mature even more. And I just feel like my confidence is like a sky high right now. Cause in my head, I know I can compete against any of the 32 kickers in the league, you know, and I can go out there and hit.

Just as much better or even more better ball than the 32 kickers in the league. And that's not saying as a cocky, like I'm cocky or whatever, like I'm just confident in my, my daily routine and the work that I've been putting in. And in most importantly in God, because I know he believes in me. And so I have to believe in myself.

Yeah, that's a beautiful way to look at it. And, and you're right. I mean, if you, if you don't have confidence also, you're not going to be able to get anywhere. I, I actually just filmed another episode kind of talking about this, this subject also about motivation and [00:50:00] putting yourself in comfortable situations.

And something that I think people forget is that there's a step. Step one, which is your self esteem. If you don't believe that you can get somewhere, if you don't like put in the love to yourself, then ultimately all the things that you're doing, aren't going to go anywhere because you don't have that, that self esteem in order to get yourself there.

No, a hundred percent. And you're totally right. And I feel like you got to have this a smidge of delusional, you know, like a little crazy, a little smidge of delusional cause not, you're not. Like what a lot of people want to achieve in life. Like, like I heard someone the other day and was like, if a dream don't scare you, it's not big enough, you know?

And, um, you gotta be able to sit there and, uh, you know, believe in have unrelentless, believe in yourself and like have this delusional state where. You feel this, like you can literally see yourself in that [00:51:00] position and you can literally see yourself in that, in that, at that stage doing what you want to do and achieve in life.

And, you also got to take that risk. You know, a lot of people are afraid to make that jump in life. And it's like, would you rather sit there and live with that? What if in the back of your mind, or would you take that risk and see what's going to happen? Okay, cool. If it goes through. Oh, well, great. If it doesn't go through.

All right. That's a lesson learned. Now you just keep it moving. Yeah, and I think that is ultimately the separation between those who succeed and those who don't. If you're able to stay disciplined and have that confidence and reach towards your dreams and just say, you know, like, fuck it, I'm going to do it.

I'm going to go out there and I'm going to like, try my hardest to get what I want. Then, then even if you don't succeed in the material way, getting the goal, you can tell yourself that you succeeded just because you put [00:52:00] in the work to do it. And that's like less than 1 percent of people do that, you know, like, and that, and that's, what's beautiful about this.

It's like the work that you're doing less than 1 percent of the world is doing that. And, I hope, like, the people who are listening can understand that if you put in the work that you're, like, in the top 1 percent of people who are, who are doing it. No, 100%. And that, and that, that is so true. And, like, and that's why it goes back to, like, indulging yourself in the process of doing those things, you know?

I just feel like you get more confidence out of that. And, like, You don't have to fake confidence. You know, you, you, you can go out there and, you know, and with your chin up, chest up and know that, okay, cool. I'm stepping out here. I've done everything in my power to make sure that. I achieved this goal, you know, so yeah, that's great.

Well, I'm really excited to see where this takes you, Eddie. I can just tell that you're going to go incredible places. I see your, your [00:53:00] videos on Instagram, uh, you know, kicking. Yeah. Holy shit. That's crazy. It's not a short way either. Like that's, that's far away.

But that's, that's really exciting. I have one last question for you. Um, if you could go back and see yourself as a child in the refugee camp in Ghana, um, what would you, what would you tell your, your young self?

I would tell young Eddie,

sorry, I'm trying not to get emotional, but I'll tell young Eddie to continue to dream big and that it's going to be okay. Um, I would tell him to give himself a little grace. A lot of crazy. Um, I would tell him that no matter how much life the West throw at him, [00:54:00] he's going to be okay. And I would tell him to continue to try as best to be where his feet are.

You know, um, I will also tell him that to heal, right. Take time to hear from things that's happened. And I would tell him that he's loved and to always trust God and whatever he's going through. And, um, and to always like, When times are like hard to be like graceful, you know, um, I heard this the other day from, um, a MMA fighter, Dustin Poirier, he said, when times are good, be grateful, when times are bad, be graceful.

Um, but I would just tell him to like, be kind to himself and to understand, like. He's going to be okay. So yeah, 100%. And we are very grateful to have you here, Eddie. You are just incredible. And just hearing your [00:55:00] story is amazing. Um, and thank you. I appreciate it. I'm sure a little Eddie inside your heart right now feels feels very loved.

Thank you. I really appreciate you guys having me. I'm very grateful I get to share this opportunity with someone. I'm out there and, uh, and to just know, like, every day is a challenge, but it's okay, you're gonna be alright. So just keep putting one foot in front of each other, and if you do end up falling, just make sure you fall forward.

Great last words, Eddie. I love it. Fall forward and fall fast. Also, get back up. Well, thank you, Eddie. I appreciate it. Bye bye. I appreciate it.

Thank you for listening to another episode of sweat strategy and success. If you enjoyed this episode, please make sure to like, save and subscribe on your favorite platforms and share it with a friend or family member or someone, you know, who could be inspired and encouraged by this episode today. Thank you [00:56:00] again, and I'll see you next week.