soleil-rain_2_09-06-2024_142132: [00:00:00] Hi Adam,

adam-manilla_1_09-06-2024_132133: Hey, Soleil.

_1_08-08-2024_161639: Hi, Jenny,

jenny_1_08-08-2024_181638: Hello.

Soleil: Hi, Linda.

Linda Melone: How are you, Soleil?

Soleil: Hi, Erika.

Erika Manilla: Hello.

video1817824343: Hi, Eddie. How are you doing today? I'm doing good. And you

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Soleil: Today I am joined by ct. CT is a former pro football player, turn trainer, and proud girl dad who's redefining what it means to stay athletic through fatherhood. He's the creator of the Athletic Dad training program, helping dads reclaim their strength, stamina, and edge so they can show up fully for their families without [00:02:00] losing themselves.

Whether he's training clients, building community, or podcasting in a cutoff with a coffee in hand. CT is on a mission to lead the anti dad BOD movement and prove that being a dad is just the beginning of peak performance ct. I'm so curious about your foundation, who you are and your identity. When you think about who you were before starting your football career, what kind of kid were you?

CT: I was curious. Um, I grew up in a family who supported and athleticism and trying new things, and I remember playing different sports every season. And my favorite sport was always the, the sport I was playing at the time. So whether I was swimming or playing soccer or playing football or basketball or baseball, that was always my favorite thing to do. And I grew up with a athletic sister who I loved. I mean, I have amazing childhood memories of going to watch her play softball. And she was a [00:03:00] track athlete. She was, she's through shot and disc, um, all the way through college at Indiana University. And so I was basically the kid. Running from sport to sport, you know, changing in the car, um, drinking orange juice for energy and then getting home and talking to my sister and seeing what she did and what athletic things that she did and accomplish that day.

And then the next morning I would go out and try to do that same thing before I then went to the next sporting event. So I was always a kid who was drawn to sports and I loved sports and, um, a super athletic family. Had a lot of friends. So whatever other friends were into, I would try. I just had honestly the, the best childhood, um, the best parents, the best family.

And I, I was very lucky to, to have that because they have been a major influence on the person that I was able to be, that I'm able to become now. And ultimately the, the husband and the coach and the father and the dog dad and everything, you know, was was because I had such a [00:04:00] great foundation growing up.

Soleil: If you could go back to when you were a kid and like just remember that feeling like what was it exactly that lit you on fire so early on in your life?

CT: Great question. Um, I really do remember wanting to everything my sister did. She was always my hero. She was somebody who I thought she was so cool and she had so many friends and she was into so many things, she's four and a half years older than me, so she could have easily picked on me. She could have easily beat me up.

She could have easily kicked me out of, you know, the, the basement when she was playing with her friends. But she didn't, I always asked her, you know, when I grew up and I started to recognize that and I, and I said, Hey, I have friends who have older sisters who. Don't have as good as relationships as we do.

You know, what, what was it and, and [00:05:00] funny story, my, my parents tell me was, um, you know, when, when, again, I'm, I'm an emotional dude. I get, I get this from my father. Um,

Soleil: No, please.

CT: you know, before, before, uh, I was, I was born, my sister bugged my parents and said, I want a baby brother. I want a baby brother. I want a baby brother. And my parents said, Hey, you know, let's give it a shot. My dad was older, my dad had me at 45 years old. My mom was in her thirties. Um, they didn't think it was possible, but my sister just bugged him enough to, to have a baby brother. So the moment I got here, um, she took it upon herself to do the best she could do to raise me.

And so again, she's somebody who I have. My arms are covered in tattoos, my back's covered in tattoos, and, um, five or six of these tattoos are for my sister. 'cause I just think she's, I mean, honestly, one of the best human beings on the planet. So, um, again, I wouldn't be the person I was today if it weren't for her, and she's always pushed me to be better and to be the best person I can be. [00:06:00] And from her telling me enough, I now have the, the confidence and the, and the competence to believe that I, I truly can make an impact. Um, and now as a father, I'm just trying to do my best to kind of walk in her footsteps and, and, you know, make her, make her proud of, of always her baby brother.

Soleil: What's your favorite tattoo of the sixth that you have for your sister?

CT: That's a great question. Um, so probably the most meaningful is I have on my wrist here, if you can see it. I've got the word inspire in her handwriting. I. And I got it because when she had her first child, Ty, who's now 15 years old, so he's grown up, he's doing his thing. He's a high school athlete.

He's amazing. I remember being over there, um, at their house and she, she was him and he wasn't, did, he wasn't having a great day. He woke up from an nap, wasn't feeling good, had to get up and get going, didn't wanna get dressed, was [00:07:00] upset, was crying. And I remember my sister just being so calm and so chill and so patient. And again, I I, at that time, I, 15 years ago, so I'm 30, you know, I was in my early twenties. I had no interest in being father, um, didn't want to be a father. I thought for a long time I wasn't gonna be interested in being a father. But there was something about that moment really inspired me to patience, to practice empathy. To practice gratitude. a couple months later, I, I had her write that word inspire and I tattooed it on me. And so I think about it all the time now. Um, so that's probably my favorite one. Um, a couple of the other, she calls me, she has called me Bud, bud, her entire life, which now at 38, I'm kind of like, you know, maybe don't have to be Bud Bud anymore, but, um, I have, I

Soleil: We can maybe step back a little bit from that.

CT: maybe, um, but I've got Bud, bud [00:08:00] in, in her handwriting, tattooed on my thumb. And my family, we always wrote a ton of notes and my dad had a thing he would write at the end of it, and I had a thing, and my sister would always just write her J So I have just the, the j from her, but again, I mean, just a huge inspiration of mine.

Um, and she's, she's the homie, so I always appreciate her so much.

Soleil: Well, I love that so much. I have five brothers in total, and if they don't get my handwriting tattooed on them in the future, I'm gonna be pissed now, honestly.

CT: right, right. Well, that's, you know, I, I, I put her in a tough spot 'cause I have a lot for her. I've got some for my dad, my mom, all their handwriting. My nieces and nephews. Not their handwriting, but their names. So a lot of pressure on them, you know. Um, I've got my wife's handwriting, I've got, again, my dog and some things for my baby.

So like everybody's pressured now to make sure that they have tattoos rep to represent either their dad or their uncle or their, or their brother. Um,

Soleil: Yeah. Right. That was great.

CT: a slippery slope that I started there, but, [00:09:00] uh, it's all good.

Soleil: No, that's great. I, I am also a tattoo person, so, but I, this is gonna make me sound bad now. I don't get anything. Actually, I have one, I have one for my brothers on my arm. It's like. Six dots. So one representing me and then five representing my brothers of course, but the rest are just like places that I've been to.

I get a tattoo for like every new country that I've been to, so I'm also a tattoo person, and I just like, I think it's like so special being able to get someone else's art put onto your body. And so at what age did you get your first tattoo?

CT: So I wanted my first tattoo at, uh, 16 when my, when my grandfather passed. And fortunately my parents weren't on board with that. And after about two years of me talking about it and talking about it and talking about it, I remember my mom saying, okay, this is something that you obviously want, and so, you know, you're 18, you can go get it if you want to. Um, but they, they allowed me to do it. And, you know, everything I have again [00:10:00] represents my family. Um, I wish I had tattoos that I could just go like tonight, go get. Um, but I overthink those things and so I, I, I never do. Um, but you know, they, they tell a story and I was never super. Creative. I was never super artistic.

Um, but now this is kind of like my expression of, of art, you know, it might be other people's artwork, um, but I think it's, every single has a story. Everything represents something. Um, you know, we could do another couple our podcast on, on what they all mean, but they're also important to me. And so they're special when I, when I see them. Um, and I know I, I love them. And again, it's just kind of every chapter of the book, I just add more and, and add more. And I'm happy where we're at now. And it was funny 'cause I remember saying a couple years ago, like, this is probably it. You know, I'm, I'm probably done. And then big life event happens and you get a tattoo to represent that and a big life event happens.

And, and so we are.

Soleil: Yeah. And at the age [00:11:00] of 16, were you also playing sports at this time? And what were you playing, if so?

CT: I was, I was, yeah. So I was a three sport athlete in, in high school. I was a football player, um, played basketball and ran track. Um, and tattoos weren't super popular. Again, this is like the, when I graduated in 2005 from high school, right? So like early two thousands, um, none of my friends had tattoos. That wasn't anything super important or that people thought about.

But, um, there's an athlete named Alan Iverson, who is, was a basketball player in kind of the nineties. Um, and he's a guy who I looked up to and he kind of changed the game of the, of the NBA with not only his play style, but his look. Um, and I, and I thought he was, um, so cool and so fun to watch. And he had tattoos.

And I remember thinking like, yeah, one day I am gonna, I'm gonna have those. And, and here I am, you know, a grownup who still appreciates athletics and still likes artwork and tattoos. And now I have, um, a bank account, like a grownup. So I'm able to spend it on things I want. And

Soleil: You can spend.

CT: some of [00:12:00] that goes to getting tattoos.

Yeah.

Soleil: Yeah. Awesome. And at this time, did you start realizing that your body and your drive could take you further into professional sports? Or at what moment did you realize that you wanted to go into professional sports?

CT: Yeah, so, know, my, so again, my sister, uh, was on the track team at Indiana University and I remember thinking it was so cool in the spring to be able to go out and watch her on, on the, you know, can't really say run track 'cause she was a thrower. But, but see the events that she did. Um, and I remember just being so impressed by the way, not only physically by the way these athletes looked, but by the way they moved, you know, you could just tell when an athlete walked that they were of doing really special things with their body.

And I remember kind of thinking about looking at everybody else else in the stands and thinking like, oh, this person moves different than everybody else. And. I wanted to be that outlier. I wanted to be the person who finished first and [00:13:00] everybody cheered for, and I was, I was shy growing up I remember the first time I scored a touchdown, cheering for me.

And I remember thinking that was so cool. Like, oh, this is people like this, you know, people like people who can put a football in the end zone. People who, like, people who can throw, throw a football for a touchdown, people like a baseball player who can hit home runs. So I always thought that was, that was so cool.

And, and the lifestyle looked pretty cool too, you know, being able to travel around and, and play sports. Um, but I knew that there were a lot of things and probably the thing that I take from it the most was. There are tons of amazing athletes. And for every story that an athlete made it and had a successful career and it was highly recognized and highly celebrated, there's another individual who had that talent, just didn't have the work ethic to line up with that. And I remember thinking, okay, whether I have the talent or not, [00:14:00] am going to be the hardest person, the hardest worker in every single room that I walk into. So in high school, I was 98 pounds, I was 5, 8, 98 pounds. You're not really gonna be a football superstar at that size. So I remember thinking, okay, I better start eating. start training. I better start the person I wanna become. And fortunately, my my best friend, um, still a best friend to this day, man at my wedding A couple years ago, he would pick me up at five in the morning and we'd go to the high school weight room and we would lift weights, and then couple hours later we would lift weights again and in weight room class.

And I remember liking the feeling of that. And I remember liking. Having people telling me that I was working hard. I remember liking, seeing what that looked like, and it was just something that I never got away from and that I was always drawn to. And so still at 38, it's something that I do all the time and I get, I get other benefits from it now.

Um, but the, the biggest moment in my, in my [00:15:00] career was when I earned a scholarship to play division one college football. And I, I actually was on the team, so I walked onto the team at Indiana University and then August 30th, 2009, I remember the day very vividly. Um, I got to tell my parents that they didn't have to pay for school anymore that somebody had recognized the hard work that I'd put in for the last 18 years and said, you know what? You've worked hard enough. You're a good enough player. We want to congratulate you with a college scholar college scholarship. And again, you can hear it in my voice. It just was so important and such an awesome day. Um. and that feeling that when I got to tell my mom and I got to tell my dad like, Hey, don't worry about paying for school anymore.

I got it. Um, was a feeling that I've kind of been chasing ever since then and been able to feel that a couple more times at, at the professional level. Um, but just being able to look at my parents and tell them basically, thank you for, for the support and for everything you did, was so impactful for me. Um, and it was a feeling that, uh, I'll never forget. And, and again, [00:16:00] something that I'm always kind of chasing.

Soleil: Yeah. Why was it so meaningful for you to, to have that opportunity to tell your parents that

CT: just done so much, you know, they'd done so much. They'd sacrificed everything. Um, in high school. You, thanks for bringing these things up. I haven't thought about these things in years. Um, there are about three years where

Soleil: I.

CT: every time I saw my father, he was asleep. And I remember thinking, am I ever gonna see my dad again? And it was because he was working four jobs.

Soleil: Wow.

CT: Because he knew that I was gonna to go play sports in college and somebody was gonna have to pay for it. And so I would see him when I got up in the morning, I would go in and say bye when I was off to school and he was asleep, and I would get home from school and he'd be asleep because he, you know, he would've to find those times to, to sleep.

And it was in the [00:17:00] day he worked overnight. He worked three jobs during the day. I mean, just unbelievable. Just an unbelievable act of kindness and, and the most unselfish thing you could ever do. And my mom worked all the time too. and so I, I just, every time I trained man, I remember thinking like, I just gotta, I just gotta, if I put in half the amount of work that they put in for me and my sister, that I would be able to them, for lack of better term. Um. Still, you know, still to this day is I'm, I'm working hard because they instilled that in me I think they're pretty proud of the, of the guy I've, I've become, at least I hope so. Um, but it's, it's just very important to me to, to be that person who they, who they work so hard for.

Soleil: Isn't that incredible? Just having parents who are willing to support you no matter what your dreams are. I, I find that a lot of the people that I talk to on this podcast have supportive parents and, [00:18:00] you know, you've become a dad recently, and I'm sure that's something that you wanna bring into your, your daughter's life as well.

But it's so, it's so special having parents that are there for you and show up for you, even if it's not physically there, but like your parents were there for you to like, follow your dreams and go after your goals. And that's showing up in a different way, but still in a beautiful way, you know?

CT: And how many things did they. Want to pursue that they didn't,

Soleil: Mm-hmm.

CT: they had my sister, when they had my brothers, when they had, when they had me, um, again, just so unselfish you don't realize it in the moment, you know? 'cause I'm sure at 10, 11, 12, sure I was annoying. I'm sure they could have just been like, you know, quiet.

Soleil: this guy.

CT: room, screw this kid. Yeah. You know, it's, it, it, I could see, I understand that style of parenting because I, I get it, but I talk to parents every day at the gym they speak so highly of their [00:19:00] kids and have and want the best for their kids and are willing to pay amounts of money for their kids.

And I never understood it. I, and I finally get it, you know, I finally get it. When you see them born, your life changes. Um, it's so impressive when you see people have success when they don't have that. That solid family foundation. 'cause there are, you know, as, as many, more individuals who are successful without a, a solid, you know, family at home, um, than, than who are, I'm just so lucky and I'm so grateful and I just have to, I remind myself every day.

I mean, the first thing I do in the morning is, is wake up and seconds, 60 seconds, whatever that is. Just like practice gratitude and, and I'm happy I woke up and I'm happy that I have another day to, to pursue greatness, for lack of better term. Um. I just know how much they, they gave up for me, and, and I know now how, how much my wife has already given up in six [00:20:00] months for our child. And I just want our daughter to know as she grows up, that she's got two parents who love her more than anything, um, and are willing to do more than anything to be able to support her hopes and her dreams. Um, and I, you know, I can only hope in 30 years that she's on a podcast saying the same thing about my wife and I, and, and I hope she is.

But we've, we've done everything that, that we could do so far. Um, and I know it's gonna get hard, you know, and I know those moments are gonna come, but we've got such a great base and a foundation of love and friendship. My wife and I do that. You know, there's, I, I think only positive things coming in in our future.

Soleil: Wow. I, I, I wanna dive deeper into this for sure, but I, I wanna go back first to your career, um, as a professional athlete. Before we get back into that, uh, can you tell me a little bit more about your transition from college to professional athlete?

CT: Yeah, so I played years at Indiana University and [00:21:00] I was fine. Um, you know, I'm playing against the best athletes on the planet, so you know, anybody to even get on the field with, with some of the guys who I was playing with that I remember thinking that was a pretty impressive thing. Um, but when I got done and I graduated, um, had a couple opportunities with NFL teams, just some conversations, some phone calls, some workouts, but nothing ever really worked out. And I got a phone call from the Arena Football League they said, Hey, we've got an opportunity for you to continue playing football professionally if that's something you'd be interested in. I said, yeah, absolutely. Um, what's the Arena Football League? Right? And I kind of was like, I'll do it. Just let me know what it is. Um, it gave me the opportunity. Opportunity to travel. So as soon as I graduated, I, I went out to Oklahoma City, then I went to Iowa, then I went to Chicago, then I went to Tulsa, then I went to Philadelphia and I worked out for all these arena football teams. And, um, had a little bit of success and some coaches liked what I did, but I didn't really fit anywhere in their offense or on their team at the time.

And so I spent a couple years kind of bouncing around and trying to figure [00:22:00] it out. And at that same time I was getting into, into fitness. And I, I did that intentionally. 'cause I knew wherever I could play, I could also train people. I could also, you know, be at a gym. 'cause there are gyms everywhere. Um, and then finally 2012, I, I, I got a, I landed a spot on the, the Iowa Barnstormers in the Arena Football League.

And I played for two years there. Um, again, just kind of a role player. Um. Uh, you know, started, played, had some success, but it wasn't until 2014 when I came to Cleveland where I'm at currently. And I worked out for a team called the Cleveland Gladiators at the time and made the team there. And over the next four years, I became one of the franchises best. Um, all time leading receivers. Played with some great quarterbacks, played on some really good teams, played for amazing coaches, um, and then kind of really, really caught my groove. Um, so played for four years there in Cleveland, 2018, they shut the team down. So I moved to Albany, New York, which is a place that I [00:23:00] thought I would never end up. And I said, I'm gonna play for six months and I'm gonna get outta here. then I get out there in 2019 and I fall in love. And now. Albany is a place that I love with all my heart and I have family out there and that's where I met my, my now wife. And we moved to Cleveland in 2020 and, um, got married in 2023 and that was after a 10 year professional football career.

Um, but just, just playing football in the arena. Football League opened so many doors for me. And the position I'm at in the gym that I'm currently at with the company I'm in, I met through playing football again. I met my wife through playing football. Um, so it's something again that I'm just so grateful for that I took that call that day and decided to really go out on a limb and try something that not a lot of people had done, not a lot of people were doing.

And that was, you know, to try to play sports at the next level. There's a crazy statistic, as I'm sure you've heard tons of times, you know, like whatever this many high school athletes play, college sports, this many college athletes play professional sports, this many athlete co [00:24:00] or professional athletes play, you know, and have a decent career professionally.

And I. You know, it wasn't, I wasn't making the type of money they're making in the NFL, but the experiences that I got, I got to play in China for a couple months. An amazing experience, which I got a

Soleil: Awesome.

CT: out there. Um, and I just, I have the, my best friends, right? Like almost my entire, well, I would say like three fourths of my, um, groomsmen in my wedding I met playing football.

Um, it just, it was just such a blessing for me, and it was, it was never a path that I thought I'd be able to pursue, but I found the right coach who put me in the right position. And again, I always relied on my, my work ethic. And I was always willing to outwork people and try to figure out ways to, to get an advantage.

Um, and I was able to do that for a long time and, and had a lot of success and just made incredible friends and amazing memories.

Soleil: For the listeners who don't know what arena football is, could you give a quick blurb?

CT: Yeah, so the kind of the height of arena football would've been the, the mid nineties. So John Elway [00:25:00] owned a team. Um, Ron Jaworski owned a team. These was kind of big, big names in the football world. Um, and what it is, it is, it was built because. The outdoor game is a little slow for football fans. Um, you know, you'll finish a game seven to 14 or 21 to 14.

You know, you'll go to a game for three or four hours and see three touchdowns. The arena game was built around high scoring offenses. So instead of having a hundred yard field, we played on a 50 yard field, so half the size instead of 22 people being on the field at once. It was 16 on the field. And we would literally play on a hockey rink or a basketball court with turf on top of it. So there's nets on either side. There's walls on either side, and. I scored in a game six touchdowns, right? So some guys in the NFL would score six touchdowns in an entire season. Uh, we were scoring 70, 80, 90 points a game, and it was really fun for the, [00:26:00] for families. You would sit right on the sideline. So I would go line up as a receiver all the way out to the wall, and I would talk to fans.

I mean, they'd be right here, you know, right next to you. Um, and it was, it's fan friendly and it is so fun. And the fans have access to players that they don't have in the NFL. You know, you're always 30 yards from the NFL players. Can't get anywhere near them. The Arena Football League, they said, you know, our, our game is based around the personalities of the players and that also fit my style too.

Um, you know, I liked that. I liked. Talking to people. And I liked wanting to know what brought people to games and I liked meeting people's friends and, and family who would come to games. And so it really fit my kind, like, kind of my style of play and my personality. And, and again, the fact that I was able for, to do it for 10 years, I mean almost injury free was, was a blessing.

Um, again, I'd mean now I have friends and family all over the place through the Arena Football League. And if you, uh, wanna see what it looks like, you can always, you know, kind of look to the stuff on, up on Google or, or on [00:27:00] YouTube. Um, and they have some leagues going on right now, some smaller leagues. Um, the Arena Football League itself hasn't been able to come back in full effect, um, since kind of post covid, but they're doing their

Soleil: Yeah.

CT: some, they've got some teams. Albany still has a team, so we try to, my wife and I still support that team. Um, but it is a really fun, really exciting, really aggressive version of the outdoor game of football.

Soleil: Yeah, that's great.

CT: Yeah,

Soleil: and I know arena football doesn't always get the same spotlight as the NFL. Did that ever impact your motivation or sense of self-worth? I.

CT: People get into the A FL to try to get to the NFL, right? It's like everybody wants to play on that stage and at that level, but there's only so many roster spots on the NFL, so I. What I appreciated so much about arena football is it gave players who had the talent, who had the skillset to be able to play on Sundays.

It gave ' em an opportunity to continue to play and to, to continue to pursue sports at a high level. And, [00:28:00] you know, I played with guys who, I was in the locker room with them on Tuesday and they got a call Tuesday night and were signed to an NFL team on Wednesday. So the difference in talent was very minimal in my mind.

It was always the difference was the opportunity that the NFL player got, that the a FL player didn't get, you know, I mean, I played with guys who would've had incredible careers in the NFL, um, but just maybe were a little too short or a little undersized or didn't play at a big enough college. But the, the talent level at the Arena Football League was, was always incredible.

Um, so you're always driven, you're always motivated to, to try to make it to the top level of whatever it is you're pursuing, but. After four or five years, the Arena Football League became my NFL. So I approached it like it was the NFLI rested and recovered and trained like I was playing for the NFL. And I had a couple times where, know, people recognize you and treat you like an NFL player.

And that was always, that was always cool. Um, but one time when I was, [00:29:00] I was 25 years old, I was actually out at a bar in Indianapolis and a gentleman came up to me and he said, you're, you're Colin Taylor, right? And I said, yeah. And he was like, um, 58 touchdowns, 2000 receiving yards last year with Cleveland, blah blah.

And I was like, yeah, yeah. You know, are you a fan? And he said, no, I'm actually a a, a scout for the Indianapolis Colts, and we've been watching you for three years. And he said, I keep trying to get you in, but the problem is your, your breakout season, you were 24 years old, you know, and that's old for the NFL.

And so it really took that one guy telling me that to say, you know what? The work that I put in was worth it. I was on somebody's board. Um, you know, but I, I don't, I don't look back and think missed opportunities. I'm just so grateful that I got to, got to do what I, what I could do for 10 years, um, and the experiences that, that I, I experienced.

So I was never upset. I didn't make it, it would've been cool, you know, but still, like the Arena Football League was my NFL, and I was, I was [00:30:00] blessed to be able to do that for so long.

Soleil: Yeah, it sounds almost like a, like an ego thing, right? Like once you can kind of put your ego behind and be like, you know what, like I'm doing this for the love of like being a athlete, then I think it becomes a different situation and something that I think a lot of people have a difficult time with is putting their ego aside, especially in athletics.

CT: Absolutely.

Soleil: ego play a role in, in your internal world during those 10 years?

CT: Yeah, it's massive. I mean, it's, it's. At 38. You know, I even try to tell myself I don't have an ego anymore, but I know I do. You know, I know when I get in the weight room, I know that's a place that I'm comfortable with. I know I can lift heavy and I know I can sprint fast and I know I can jump high and ego kind of makes sure that I stay accountable to the person that I say I am.

So, I, I leverage it as a positive thing now. But it was tough when I was younger. I, held a grudge for nine years. [00:31:00] Um, there was a specific coach at Indiana who I didn't think treated me the, the way I deserved to be treated. He didn't give me the opportunities that I deserved, uh, that I felt I deserved. I worked for, I spent my first years in the Arena football league doing everything to spite this guy because my ego was telling me I was better than him.

I was smarter than him. he would've given me the shot, I would've been able to show him what I was capable of. And, and I've told this story a couple times on some different podcasts, but I remember. I was, I scored my 100th touchdown as a professional athlete, I decided I was gonna send him the ball sarcastically and say, thank you for your support, you know? and I remember I went to FedEx and I had the ball, and I looked at it and I said, what is this guy gonna think when he gets a football in the mail from a guy that he is, he hasn't thought about in four years? He's gonna think this guy still thinks about me, I've taken this [00:32:00] much energy out of this guy's life that like he thought this was important to do. And as soon as I, as soon as I thought that, I thought, you know what? Like, this is not worth it. I need to do it because I wanna show my niece and nephew who were young at the time, that if they put their mind to something, no matter what it is, that they can accomplish it. And their uncle said he was going to play professional football, and against all odds, went out and played professional football. So from that moment on, I started playing. a frame frame of gratitude instead of from a frame of spite and anger. And it completely the trajectory of my life. And I'm so grateful that I had that moment and that I have them to thank for that. Um, I. And again, my ego was not helpful to me early on, but now that I've been able to meditate through these feelings and pray on these feelings, I've found out that it's, it's a [00:33:00] positive thing for me and it helps push me forward.

Because I also think, and you know, my wife and I were just talking about it the other day, like, I think my wife is 1% of the 1% of the 1%. But it doesn't matter if I think that she's gotta think that, you know, and as long as she knows that, then that's gonna help her in her everyday decision. She makes Just how I think I'm 1% of the 1% of the 1%.

And it's not a cocky thing, but it's, I think there's a part of you that if you say you're gonna be something, you better show up and be that person. Um, so my ego has helped me become the coach that I am. And I. When I'm writing these programs, when I wrote the athletic dad program, um, I know that this is the best program for who wanna regain athleticism because I've been able to provide that for hundreds of dads in the last 15 years.

So I have the confidence and the competence to be able to do that, and it probably is my ego that that continues to push me along. But as long as you're able to leverage it in a positive way, like I believe I've been able [00:34:00] to, I think it's, uh, an can be an amazing tool and an amazing weapon.

Soleil: Absolutely. And I, I do wanna just like dive a little bit deeper into the ego piece and that story you just told about you, you know, and ultimately not sending that football,

CT: Yeah.

Soleil: I'm trying to like step into the shoes of a young 16 to like 23, 20 4-year-old man. Right. If you had advice for them, like for you, there was a turning point that was like, oh, I am not gonna send this because I'm just giving power to this other person.

Essentially. If you were to give advice to a young man who was dealing with their ego in a sense, like in maybe a similar way that you did, what direct advice would you give to them?

CT: First thing I would say, and again, I, I can only put myself in my shoes, is me as a 16, 17, 18-year-old. Um, wanted to quit and I almost quit a couple times from whatever it was I was pursuing. You know, you, you feel like you're not enough. You feel [00:35:00] like. What you are providing is not enough for the individuals who are the ones deciding if you are providing enough and you wanna quit and you wanna stop.

And I, I ran into those people in those situations so many times. And so I would tell myself specifically to keep going because if I would've stopped, it would've completely changed its trajectory of my life. I wouldn't be here talking to you for sure. be married to the woman I'm married to currently, for sure. I wouldn't have the beautiful family that I'm so grateful for now, for sure if I would've stopped and, and changed my path. So I would, I would tell that individual to keep going. And ultimately, you are the one who's gotta look at yourself in the mirror, first thing in the morning and last thing before you go to bed.

And as long as you are happy with the individual that you're becoming, that's, that's what matters. Because I. I think I heard a quote like

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CT: the path to yes is a thousand [00:36:00] nos or something like that. So you're gonna get beat up and you're gonna get beat down. And more people are gonna tell you no than are gonna tell you yes.

But all it takes is that one person believing in what you have to provide. And when that comes up, you better be prepared to be the person that you say you are.

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CT: And if you're not, that's when you know you've gotta rework the person you are. That's when you've gotta out your values and your principles.

But as long as you continue to follow the path that you truly believe is best for you and go in the direction that you say you're going to go and that you tell people that you're gonna be, then when you get that opportunity, you're gonna explode and you're gonna end up on the moon, you know? But if you're not prepared for that opportunity, then. You won't follow that path as directly. Right. So, you know, I, I, I would tell those guys to keep going and your opinion ultimately is the only one that matters. keep [00:37:00] pursuing your dreams because I, you know, I hope to be somebody who people look up to and say again, like I, I talked about with my niece, nephew.

I hope they look at me and say he did it so I can do it. I hope my daughter grows up and says, you know what? Mom and dad did it. can do it. Um, so that's something that, that I really hope young people can connect to. And it's much harder now than it was when I was growing up because I didn't have a thousand followers on social media to tell me that I was wrong when I would do something or I would say something and now that's what they have, if not more.

So it was easier. Um, but, you know, follow your path and whatever you feel like you're drawn to, pursue that with everything you have because then when you're presented with the opportunity, you'll be able to, to shine and really show that the person that you are.

Are you a parent struggling to balance fitness, family, and your future self? Feeling like your athletic edge slipped away with parenthood? In an exclusive episode of the Sweat Strategy and Success Podcast, I sat down with ct.[00:38:00]

Former pro football player, coach and proud girl dad, to break down a 20 minute workout. You can actually fit into your week. How to stay active as a busy parent without guilt or burnout. Why dad? Life doesn't have to mean losing your edge and how to reclaim it, and the mental connection between movement and showing up for your family.

This quick actionable episode hits your inbox with a bite-sized summary so you can absorb it on a walk during nap time or in your car before the gym. Plus, when you sign up for the Sweat Strategy and Success Newsletter, you'll unlock more exclusive insights from CEOs, creative and pro athletes who are redefining what success looks like physically, mentally, and professionally.

Join now by clicking the link in the description of this episode to start building a life that's powerful and present.

Soleil: Correct me if I'm wrong, but the training work that you're doing now. A lot of the work [00:39:00] doesn't just have to do with do this many swats and, you know, do these, I'm not a, I'm not really an athletic person, so bear with me.

CT: Yeah,

Soleil: the what overhead presses, you know, like,

CT: yeah, yeah,

Soleil: involves talking to people about these subjects and talking to young people.

And, um, I, I do wanna start diving into your work with dads, talking to dads and inspiring them and motivating them. How much of your work is actual athletics versus, you know, um, more confidence and ego and sacrifice and these types of topics.

CT: a great question. So 21, 22, 23. I would've told you. It's all sets and reps. It's all exercise selection. It's all the grind, it's all hustle. It's all hard work. Now, I don't use any of those terms. I, I honestly could not care less what exercises you decide to do. and it's a big thing that, that I, I teach our interns that I teach our younger coaches [00:40:00] because coming out of school, all you are taught is sets and reps, exercise selection, energy systems. Nobody ever talks about the psychological side of training.

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CT: So I've been doing it for so long that I have been able to see the individuals who have the biggest changes, physically, mentally, um, you know, as, as, as the person who becoming the person that they're meant to become. Very, very little of. It depends on day to day those decisions that you make in the weight room. And more of it depends on mindset, attitude, your intentionality, your consistency. Everybody knows, nobody wants to talk about it, but everybody knows that the only way that you can be successful is if you are consistent at something with this kind of TikTok era where everything is fast, everybody wants something immediately.

[00:41:00] So it's so easy to sell this exercise as the, as the thing to improve your athleticism, right? Or this exercise, this is the one thing you need to do to strong, or this is the one thing that you need to do to be able to sprint fast. And it's so much more than that. Um, it's showing up consistently. It's being intentional.

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CT: When I get the question, which I'm always flattered by the question, but how do I end up like you, whether it be fit or athletic or, or whatever that is that the individual is talking about. I say, well, you have to show up and work hard a couple days a week and you gotta make the right decisions. Um, and you've gotta do that consistently for 17 years. And if you can do that. Then you'll be successful. And it's so hard for people to wrap their minds around, because in our field, what we like to do is we say, I'm gonna diagnose you with a problem, and I'm the only one who can solve that problem. So that gives me something to sell, right? Buy my training because you have a problem and I'm [00:42:00] the only one to solve it. What I've done with the athletic dad training program is I have a blueprint of the direction that an individual can take if they're interested in being the athlete that they were in high school or college before they had kids when they had all the time in the world to train before they had any other priorities.

And I've given them exercises to do and percentages and sets and reps. But my hope is, and I write about it in the ebook, that after 12 weeks, I want you to change your mindset to be the person who is athletic, who is capable of doing I. Things that you say you're gonna do, because I know that's the only way that you're ever gonna make any progress.

'cause if you, again, for example, my athletic dad training program and you do it for 12 weeks and you stick to it by training being on your schedule, you then start having to focus on sleep. You then have to start focusing on what you're eating. [00:43:00] You then have to start making sure that you are prepared for things to be different or things to be able to change. If you are doing all of this because you are doing the training, then you're ultimately getting everything out of it that, that you should be getting out of it. Um, if somebody does the, does the program and just goes through it and kind of does one day and then another day, a couple times a few weeks later, they're never gonna get anything from it. I get monetary value 'cause you bought the program. that's not what I'm, that's not the reason that I put it out. You know what I'm saying? Like, I

Soleil: Yeah.

CT: out because I want to help dads who want to achieve this certain thing. And again, in my mind, all of it comes down to mindset. And I, I actually presented two days ago, um, today, Saturday, yesterday, to a group of students, uh, high school students, and they come into the gym and we talk about what we do, and they have questions about improving speed and performance and all of those things.

And, and when I wrapped [00:44:00] up, I said, here's what I want you to take from this. This is the most important, the most important part is at some point you will stop being an athlete. You'll stop having a coach that'll tell you when you gotta show up, where you gotta be, you know, what time, game time is you're gonna be on your own. And if you have good principles set, if you have consistent habits that you've set. You need to stick to those because that is what's gonna keep you healthy and keep you fit. you're only relying on sports being the thing that's moving you forward, and that's the only motivation that you have, as soon as that ends, you are gonna stop then being that person and then you are going to fall off the wagon.

You are going to end up ultimately being somebody that you don't wanna become. So don't think, honestly, the, the, the training and the sets and reps and the physical part has any more than, I mean, if I had to put a percentage on it, five or 10%, I think 90% of it is mentally how you approach it and the [00:45:00] intentionality and everything that you do around that one hour that you're in the weight room.

I think those are the important things. But it, it took me 12, 13, 14 years in the, in the industry to be able to, to be able to say that. Um, and kind of one more story to that. I was a college strength and conditioning coach. I was fortunate enough to work with a team who was very successful. And what happened is the first three or four games of the year, we were blowing teams out like 85 to seven, like 93 to 14.

I mean, blowing teams out, right? the head coach came up to me and he said, Hey man, thanks for everything you do. Like our team is as good as we are. We're winning these games because our strength and conditioning program is so good. And I said, coach, I appreciate that. But the other team has a strength and conditioning coach also, right?

And they're scoring seven points. They're scoring 14 points. I told 'em it doesn't have anything to do with what we're doing in the weight room. What it has to do with one, the players you have [00:46:00] happen to be better. But two is we are having these conversations with these athletes about how important it is to be focused on something, on some particular goal.

For them, it's easy because they wanna be college football players. They're college football players, eventually wanna play in the NFL. So it's easy to have those conversations, but I'm talking so much deeper than that. You know, we're, we're they, they, they win a big game and then they want to come in and, you know, wear flip flops and laugh and goof off and feel like it's, you know, feel like it's all good and that they, that they did something, you know, that no team's ever done.

It's like, hey, you just, you just won a football game, right? Like, I need you to still show up and I need you to work hard. 'cause you said you were gonna work hard, right? I, I need you to be on time because you said you were gonna be on time. Right. And these are all things that, it doesn't matter if you're a football player, a basketball player, or a baseball player. Right. Like once you get outta sports, you still need to show up on time. You still need to work hard. You still need the pers be the person that you, you say you're gonna be. Um, so I think that's such an amazing question [00:47:00] because everybody in fitness wants to talk about sets and reps and macros and calories and squat prs.

Right? But it's so much, it's so much more than that and it's so much deeper than that. And it's taken years of training and months of becoming a dad and years of therapy to actually figure that stuff out.

Soleil: Yeah. Yeah. I'm, I'm great that you, I, I feel so happy that you felt so passionate about that, because I think it's so true. You know, I, my favorite show ever is Ted Lasso.

CT: Yes,

Soleil: and it is just that you gave me Ted lasso vibes right now. You know, it was never really about like, like winning or about how, like how many sets you do, how many reps you do, you were saying, you know, it's really about the emotional piece behind all of that and how you can build great athletes, and that's what you're doing now.

But instead for specific athletes, you're doing this for dads. What was the moment you knew that your mission had shifted from like, teaching these beliefs to athletes to wanting to [00:48:00] teach dads about them?

CT: absolutely. Golly, another great question. So I have recognized in the last 15 years that the fitness industry is completely missing a demographic. And that demographic is people who I have decided are the individuals who I wanna talk to, who and I wanna work with the most. again, back to my story, what happens is you're an athlete. I. So you pursue these things and you're sprinting and jumping and training hard and eating right, and then you get out of sports and you pursue other things, family and business and friendships and all of this. on the exercise side, what we tell these individuals is, Hey, I know you've been an athlete your entire life and you've enjoyed training this style.

And you know, it's changed your body composition and you know, you feel good and healthy and strong and fit and capable is always the word that I use, right? You [00:49:00] gotta be to play with these kids, you gotta be capable. You know, I heard, I hold my daughter up above my head all the time, walk around with her.

My, my wife and I were laughing today 'cause we were holding her watching a sporting event and it really, you know, it's a really hard workout on your arms, right? Like you need to be capable. what happens is we get out of this athletic pursuit and then the options we have are orange theory are burn body bootcamp, uh, our CrossFit. And not all of us wanna be competitive CrossFitters, okay? So we're not gonna go do that. all of us, right? Not all of us wanna do high intensity interval training where we just burn a ton of calories and then feel horrible the rest of the day, you know, sleep well, but then get up again the next day and then do it.

And then our knees are hurting and our feet are hurting, and our calfs are hurting, and our shoulders, and we can't figure out what the, you know, what the reason was. Um, or you get to a, again, like, again, like one of these, just like group fitness places where [00:50:00] a lot of group fitness is, is I mean, at best, right?

They've got dumbbells that go up to 25 pounds or 50 pounds and you, you move around a little bit again and you sweat, you burn some calories, but you're never truly making progress. And what I noticed in 15 years in this industry is that. are dads who want to train like how they trained in high school and college, but you're not gonna go spend a thousand dollars to go some to some academy to train like a professional athlete, You're also not gonna dedicate 5, 6, 7 days a week to training like you did when you were a college athlete. Some things change, now you have money to be able to buy food, You, you can purchase a house and purchase a bed. So becomes super important, right? So like, oh, I can, you know, I don't have to sleep on this college cot, I can purchase a bed that makes me feel better. And, um, know, the, again, the, the [00:51:00] problem is nobody is speaking to these individuals and through this experience over the last 15 years, I've always trained, 'cause I've only known this style of training, which is another thing that's been helpful is I don't know any other way to train.

Like, I don't know how to. Run a group fitness. I don't know how to run an an orange theory class. I only know how to train people like athletes. So I've always trained, I mean, one of my first clients was 86 years old. Kathy was her name. We worked together in Iowa and she was unbelievable. But we jumped and we threw medicine balls and we sprinted and we did compound movements like deadlifts and bench press. And even at 87 she came to me and she was like, ct, I'm feeling better now than I ever did when I was 60. I remember thinking again, the ego was like, I know what I'm doing. Right? But really it was because all she, nobody had given her this guidance and told her that it was okay to pick up a barbell at her age. Right. That she shouldn't be scared to do some of these movements like squats, even though she's squatting every [00:52:00] single day to reach down, to pick something up off the ground or sitting down on the couch. And so

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CT: we have completely missed. opportunity to take these fathers who want to be able to throw a football with their kid not get hurt.

Right. Or be able to play one-on-one with their son or their daughter worry about popping an Achilles or tearing an ACL or pulling a hamstring. Right. And I've just seen that happen so many times. And what happens is that that happens to people and they come to me and say, Hey, I was super active, I was a, I was a college athlete, and then 10 years later I had kids and I was playing basketball and blew my ACL out and I've never been able to train since then. know, it's like, why aren't, why is nobody talking to these people? Right. So I. All you need is three hours a week. You need a plan that makes sense, that fits your schedule. That's smart. Right? That includes things like mobility and flexibility. Um, I use, there are movements called isometrics where you're holding positions and it, and it, [00:53:00] it's really good for strengthening tissues and tendons, you know, kind of everything holding your bones and structure and muscles together. You know, if you go to Orange Theory, they're not talking about that. They just want you to get more splat points, which again, I don't have any problem with people who trained at Orange Theory. I just have talked to enough people who've done training like that, who just don't feel good, So, I finally, and I said it again the, the other day in therapy.

I said, finally, at 38 years old, I, I found my direction. I've been, I'm more clear now, now than I've ever been. I know this is a group of people who I think are underserved in the fitness community and who don't have enough. Opportunities to get solid professional level training where they can feel better because the excuse, oh, I can't train like that anymore.

I'm 40. I can't train like that anymore. I'm 45. Well, how do you think you're gonna feel when you're 50 or when you're 60 or when you're 70? Like racing my dad in his [00:54:00] seventies, he's the original athletic dad, you know, and so it, it was him, it was my experience with my father, and it's been my experience with dads over the last 15 years that I know that this, again, is an underserved community in the, in the fitness industry. And my experience, I know how to work with him. I know what they need and I understand the time constraints now of being a father. And I've been able to package all that stuff up and, and be able to provide it. And I, and I know it's gonna be able to help a lot of people and, and make a big impact.

Soleil: Why do you think athletic dads are such an overlooked group, and what do you think that they need most and what are they gonna get out of doing a training program like this?

CT: So I think a lot of people forget that these dads were athletes, that these dads were pursuing things that they wanted to pursue. You know, I talked about it earlier, your priorities go so far down the list as they should [00:55:00] being a father that you just then are comfortable with your fate, You think, ah, I'm 30, over, you know, I'm 35, I'm 40.

Life's over. I mean, how many times I've heard, oh, I could do that in my twenties. Not anymore, right? It's, it's all what people have been told what they've seen that you get older, you can't do this anymore. Stop jumping, you're gonna get hurt. And again, I think a lot of people are uncomfortable with coaching.

I. People who are not college or high school athletes doing some of these movements, sprinting, for example, But if there's a fire in your house, terrible scenario, and you've got 30 seconds to get outta the house, right? But you got 30 seconds to get outta your house, you better be able to sprint up the steps your kids.

You better be able to throw your dog over your shoulder. You better [00:56:00] be able to make sure that your wife is, is taken care of, and you better be able to get outta that house. I don't think any amount of high intensity interval training, doing burpees for 45 seconds, resting for 10 seconds and doing burpees for 45 more seconds is gonna help you survive that situation. Right? Like if daughter is on a bicycle she takes off down a hill, if I go to Sprint for the first time in 20 years, I. There's no chance that I'm gonna be able to catch her. There's no chance that I'm going to feel good capable of accomplishing the task, of running her down and grabbing her. Right? I mean, there are so many situations, and you see it all over the internet, Where there's that viral video where, um, I think a mom is pushing her, her, her baby's, um, help me with

Soleil: Like stroller.

CT: her stroller, mom's pushing her baby stroller and the stroller runs away and she [00:57:00] falls over and then another lady goes and tries to grab it and falls over.

And it's like, what a terrifying situation to be in, right? So you need to train these qualities to be able to then express 'em in daily life, right? How, how often do you would be shocked. And we, we have a rehab facility connected to our. Performance facility, which is very cool. So we, we work with athletes and parents who get hurt and then rehab and then come back and train with us.

Um, so a lot of the stuff that I I do now is kind of based in rehab. I kind of, I, I say I've kind of re like, re-engineered the rehab training, right? Where it's not just specific directed towards the injury, but it's more global, more for the, for the entire body. But how many people carry bags out of Aldi and step off a step off the, um, you know, sidewalk and tear ACL an insane amount?

How many people pick up pickleball the first time in [00:58:00] 20 years and tearing a CLI mean, it's insane. The number one injury that people, that, that, uh, rehab facilities see are, are pickleball fac, uh, pickleball injuries.

Soleil: No way. Really?

CT: really, so if everybody's getting hurt playing pickleball, why is nobody training for the demands of pickleball ball? Right? So like,

Soleil: Yeah.

CT: doing in pickleball? Okay, you're running, you're stopping, you're cutting, you're jumping, you're changing direction, right? You're squatting down, you're moving side to side dynamically. But, but nobody's doing this and everybody's getting hurt, right? So train, and the first five or six clients I had at our new gym a year, a year and a half ago when we opened were pickleball athletes. And I said, okay, you guys don't know where to go for this. I'm happy they found me. Here's, here's the training program. Here's what we're gonna do moving forward. Oh, I've never done these things. Right? I'm glad you haven't because now we're, we're, we're starting at baseline and we're gonna get you ready to be able to play pickleball, [00:59:00] right?

And just extrapolate that, you know, through everywhere else in the nation that they're playing everywhere across the world that they're playing. People just don't understand that you need to train that certain way to be able to do that. So, back to the original question. W why is it, why is it overlooked? I think it's just because people look at. as a hobby maybe as opposed to a lifestyle. I don't care how much you back squat in the weight room, you squat down to a couch and your knees hurt, right? Like, I wanna get you outta knee pain so you can play, so you can get on the ground with your kids and roll around and feel good when you do it. want you to go down on the ground and throw your back out because you're trying to pick your child up off the ground because she wants to play with you. And now you can't do that. Now you're on the couch for, for three weeks and, and can't move, right? So you need to train these qualities like speed, like power, like strength, like athleticism to be able to do these things. [01:00:00] And if you do that in training, life is so easy. But if you're not doing that stuff, then you a grocery bag and step off the sidewalk and tear your ACL.

Soleil: Yeah. Yeah. And I can hear how much your, your daughter, you know, plays a role in your motivation to teach dads. And I think that's something that I, a lot of dads can probably relate to as well, is wanting to be there for their kids. As you were saying earlier, you know how we were talking about how we wanna be able to support our kids in the best way possible to allow them to reach their goals and their dreams.

And I am gonna start wrapping up this podcast and thank you so much CT for everything that you've talked about. I really enjoy it. Normally when I end this podcast, I usually ask people what they would tell their childhood self, but I'm gonna ask you something a little bit different. If your daughter listens to this podcast 10 years from now, what do you hope she hears in your voice?

CT: [01:01:00] So this is so interesting, um, the Athletic Dad podcast. That is my final, my final question. I wish that I could go back and hear my father who is alive. I wish I could go back and hear my father talk to me a six month old baby. I wish he was able to as my family's there. Um, I wish I was able to see what he was going through. I wish I was able to see how he felt. I wish I was able to hear what he was passionate about. Um, in my hope through this pursuit, [01:02:00] through working with dads, through the Athletic Dad podcast, through the athletic dad YouTube channel, is that she can go back. And when she sees it, that she knows how much of a positive effect she had on my life. And again, I plan on being around for a long time, but she is the most important thing and the coolest thing to ever happen to me. And I want her to know that there was nothing her dad wouldn't do for her, even when she thinks I'm not cool. Even when mom is telling her she can't have sleepovers, even when dad says, know you don't wanna go to soccer practice today, but you need to go, I want her to know it's because [01:03:00] everything in my being, all of the training that I've done, everything that I've been through. The negative and the positive was to be able to give her the best opportunities that she could have in her life. And five years ago, I didn't wanna be a father. I met my wife and I realized why people become parents. And I realized the best thing that I feel as though I could give to this world is an extension of her mother, who I think is one of the best human beings on the planet. And now that she's here, I want her to know that everything we [01:04:00] do, her mother and I, every single thing we do to give her opportunities to be the best person that she can possibly be. I hope that even through those times where she's upset with us or where she dad's not very cool, or where she doesn't wanna go to the dance recital, that her mom wants her to do, that she knows we're doing these things. So she can be the best person she can possibly be. And if that happens, then everything we did was worth it.

Soleil: Yeah. Well, thank you so much, CT. I, I have just enjoyed talking to you so much today. Thank you so much for your vulnerability and your honesty about your story and the work that you're doing with dads, and it has just been so incredible talking with you today. And I, I would highly recommend that anybody who's listening goes and find ct.

Ct. What's your [01:05:00] Instagram?

CT: You can find me on Instagram at the Athletic Dad. Um, I'm also on YouTube, the Athletic Dad, and in June we will come out with the Athletic Dad podcast. So, um, again, plenty of different ways for dads to find us and for dads to be able to reach out and get help. And um, ultimately what I'm trying to do with the Athletic Dad podcast is allow people in the strength and conditioning field, a field that's very, like you said, ego driven, where it's all about beards and tattoos and big muscles. Um, I want to be, be able to provide something that they're, that they're, these dad's children can look back in 10 years and say, oh, my parents are pretty cool, or, oh, my parents do care about me, or My parents too, love me. Um, and that's the goal. 'cause I know we've all been through it. You know, our parents hate us. I don't wanna spend any more time with them. I get it now. I get it. So follow me on the athletic dad everywhere. Um, [01:06:00] you know, 'cause I just, I'm just trying to provide best information for dads who, who feel as though they are underserved in the fitness community want to be able to run around and play sports with their kids for as long as they possibly can. I'm here for it.

Soleil: Awesome. Me too. I'm so excited for all the dads out there who are about to go through this program. I, I know for like a fact that I will be sending it to my dads and be like, you don't care about me if you don't do this. So.

CT: That's true. You know, 'cause we, we gotta look out as children, right. We gotta look out for, for our parents and make sure they're, they're making the, the best decisions for sure.

Soleil: Yeah. Exactly. Exactly. Well, thank you so much, ct. It's been a pleasure. Um, and, uh, you, who knows, maybe one day we'll talk again soon on a podcast or maybe a YouTube channel or something like that. But it's been a pleasure. Thank you. Mm-hmm.

Speaker 4: Thank you again for listening to this episode of Sweat Strategy and Success. [01:07:00] If you enjoyed this episode, please make sure to follow on your favorite podcast listening platform, give it a rating and share with your friends and family. Make sure to make it back here next Wednesday. See you soon.