—Systemic change begins with personal change—
Josh Martin is an entrepreneur who was an outside linebacker with the Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New Orleans Saints, and New York Jets. He also played at our shared university: Columbia.
In Josh's words from his About page:
The Power of Community
Here’s the basics: I’m the oldest of 6 kids. Originally from the suburbs of Houston, Texas, but moved to the outskirts of Denver, Colorado when I was 10. Culture shock might not have been something I completely understood back then. I just knew I was surrounded by fewer faces that looked like mine and had a growing desire to belong. They say you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone, and without the family I’d gotten so used to having close by, I wondered if I could find that same feeling of belonging anywhere else. And, I tried. From martial arts to band, I spent most of my middle school years building any community I could, but nothing was lasting. Then football came along.
The Power of Team
My first shot at playing competitively came in high school when my family moved across town. I was starting all over again in a new school, but this time I had a plan. Despite the fact that I’d spent more time carrying a trombone than a football, I wanted in. It turns out when you’re known for giving your best, people want you on their team. Football was originally a way for me to make friends before classes started, but it quickly turned into something bigger. I not only found community and belonging, but I also discovered the power of teamwork–what was possible when working together towards a common goal. With lessons like these from the game, I felt like I couldn’t lose. That was powerful.
Josh Martin started to do his commitment to shop at the farmers market, but it didn't connect. I think we didn't connect it to his experience of the environment. We decided to find a new commitment by connecting more intrinsically. We spoke on sustainability, nutrition, health, sports, and many things, him from the position of an entrepreneur former athlete, me from a troubleshooting perspective. The result was covering many topics, eventually leading to a new commitment. My read from his tone at the end is that the new one resonates more for him. One of the main discoveries of this podcast is that with rare exception, everyone cares about the environment. What's separating most people from acting isn't a lack of facts or lists of "ten little things" they could do for the environment. The lack leadership, meaning the tools leaders use, especially connecting with their intrinsic motivations. In the case of the environment, everyone has intrinsic motivation. Hitting people over the head with facts, numbers, and what to do devalues their intrinsic motivation. I find the opposite works better: listening, empathizing, stories, and such.
Regular listeners know I love talking with professional athletes. They open themselves to failure every time they compete. They often make incredible feats look so simple and natural, we forget the years of dedication and effort that made it possible. Whether you want to play professional sports or not, you can adopt from them to reach your potential, which is one of my definitions of competition. I love talking to them because they share what happened behind the scenes. Almost always, as with Josh Martin, it means hard work for a long time, but that view is too simple. What enabled working so hard? They aren't gluttons for punishment, nor automatons. What's their mindset? What's their physical attitude? Josh shares these things from behind the scenes: how he started not playing football and not doing well in school to playing at Columbia, then the NFL. It wasn't easy. He failed over and over, didn't fit in, struggled academically, and struggled athletically. Listen to hear what carried him through. Since he lives in Brooklyn, we recorded in person, one of my first since the pandemic, which makes the conversation more friendly (my apartment looks a lot smaller with an NFL linebacker in it). Today he's an entrepreneur, which we reach at the end, and you can learn more at his home page.