April 4, 2025 • 32 mins
"Swimming for me was huge therapy," Matt explains. When Matt lost his beloved wife Christina in the January 2020 helicopter crash that also claimed Kobe Bryant's life, his world shattered. Just weeks later, COVID lockdowns isolated him further as he faced the daunting challenge of raising three children alone. In this profoundly moving conversation, Matt reveals how he returned to swimming—a passion from his youth—as a form of therapy during his darkest days.
From the depths of unimaginable tragedy emerges a story of remarkable resilience, as Matt Mauser—musician, author, and masters swimmer and former NCAA All-American swimmer—shares his journey of rebuilding life after devastating loss.
"Swimming for me was huge therapy," Matt explains, describing how he improvised with a harness in his jacuzzi when pools closed during lockdown. This determination to keep swimming symbolizes his broader approach to grief: showing up even when it's difficult. "I go not because I want to go, but because it's the right thing to do."
Matt's story weaves together his journey from competitive swimmer to successful musician fronting the popular Tijuana Dogs band, his marriage to Christina (whom he met at one of his performances), and their eventual connection to Kobe Bryant through basketball coaching. Through it all emerges a powerful philosophy about finding joy after loss: "Life is for the living, and I intend to live."
Now, through his heartfelt memoir "Bittersweet Treasures" and the Christina Mauser Foundation (which has provided over $100,000 in scholarships to female athletes), Matt honors Christina's legacy while embracing a future filled with purpose. For anyone struggling with grief or seeking inspiration to overcome life's challenges, this conversation offers a roadmap to finding those "treasures" that make life worth living again.
Subscribe to Champions Mojo for more stories of resilience, achievement, and the healing power of swimming in our lives.
Email us at HELLO@ChampionsMojo.com. Opinions discussed are not medical advice, please seek a medical professional for your own health concerns.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Little simple, you got it.
You just have to acknowledgethat you're being recorded, I
think, and that's all right.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Yes, this is Matt Mauser and I'm being recorded.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
Okay, yep, all right, here we go.
Hello friends, I'm Kelly Pallas, the host of the Champions Mojo
podcast.
Today I'm thrilled to introducean extraordinary guest whose
journey is as inspiring as it ismultifaceted.
Besides being a master swimmer,matt Mauser is a dynamic
(00:34):
entertainer, author and formerNCAA All-American swimmer, whose
passion for music ignited at ayoung age.
From fronting the wildlypopular party band Tijuana Dogs
to captivating audiences withhis Sinatra tribute shows,
matt's ability to blend charisma, talent and authenticity has
made him one of the West Coast'smost sought-after performers
(00:58):
Beyond the spotlight.
Matt's story takes a deeplypersonal turn After losing his
beloved wife, christina, in thetragic helicopter crash that
claimed the lives of Kobe Bryantand others.
Matt turned to music, swimmingand writing as a way to navigate
his grief.
His heartfelt memoirBittersweet Treasures A Father's
(01:18):
Journey Through Loss andHealing not only chronicles his
journey, but also supports theChristina Mauser Foundation,
which honors Christina's legacyby providing scholarships to
young female athletes.
And when Matt's not performingor writing, he finds solace in
the pool, reconnecting with hisroots as a swimmer and embracing
(01:39):
the therapeutic power of water.
Get ready for a conversationfilled with resilience, passion
and purpose.
Matt Mauser is about to take uson an unforgettable journey
Matt.
Welcome to Champions Mojo.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Kelly, thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
Well, matt, in all that introduction I didn't even
say that you were a finalist onAmerica's Got Talent 2, which is
another thing that I, that Ididn't put in there, but it was
a lot.
Your, your life story is istruly multifaceted and amazing,
and you know, we are a swimmingkind of health and wellness
(02:17):
podcast.
So we, why don't we start with?
You know where you got intoswimming?
Cause I, you know, I read thatyou also were a water polo
player in high school and thenan All-American swimmer in
college.
So how did swimming, you know,morph into music, morph into
this life that you kind of findyourself in today?
(02:39):
And, you know, leave some spacefor me to ask you questions.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
Well, it's a.
It's an interesting past, uh,and definitely an interesting
path to how I got to swimming.
My uncle, or my, my auntmarried a gentleman who was an
Olympic kayaker and a great highschool and college swimmer and
he became the swim coach at a ata very popular you know, strong
, uh, strong swimming backgroundschool called Newport Harbor
(03:05):
High School here in OrangeCounty.
So in the 80s my uncle was thehead coach at Newport Harbor.
I was, I grew up in a beachcommunity.
I was a junior lifeguard and wespent a lot of time in the
water just growing up.
My dad lived on a houseboat.
My parents separated when I wasyoung.
My dad lived on a houseboatwhen I was, you know, seven,
(03:26):
eight years old, so we wouldspend all summer, you know,
swimming around and I was alwayspretty, you know, comfortable
in the water.
I was a baseball player until Iwas about 14 years old and then
one day in a PE class I wasplaying baseball and they said
it's a hot, it's a hot day, itwas a hot September day and they
put us all in the pool and theysaid swim across the pool,
(03:49):
we're going to race.
And I won, and the water polocoach happened to be there and
pulled me out and said, hey,have you ever thought about
being a water polo player?
And I had grown up aroundswimming?
So I said, yeah, I'd give it ashot.
So I went out and gave it ashot and I was pretty good and
then it developed there I playedbaseball, I played water polo,
but swimming was something I didbecause you had to.
(04:11):
You know, I play in both thesports.
And then when my junior year oneof the teachers, one of the
coaches for this, for the swimteam, said you're a really good
swimmer, have you thought about,you know, maybe quitting
baseball, because swimming andbaseball were in the same season
and I said, no, I haven't.
He said, well, if you ever wantto make money being a lifeguard
(04:32):
or you want some kind ofscholarship, you know, unless
you're a great baseball player,you might have a pretty good
shot.
So I took his words.
I went out and I would swim inthe morning, go to baseball
practice and then go to swimpractice at night.
And I got pretty fast.
I ended up breaking the schoolrecord in the hunter backstroke.
This was 1987 or 88.
(04:55):
And uh, I got some some offersto swim in college, I got my
best offer.
All my friends were going to ajunior college, so I went there
and it just continued on fromthere.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
And where?
Where did you swim in college?
Speaker 2 (05:09):
I swam for two years at Golden West college and then
the head coach at Cal Poly, sanLuis Obispo, saw me at a meet
and I believe I won aninvitational and he said I would
love it If you.
I believe I won an invitationaland he said I would love it if
you would consider coming to CalPoly, san Luis Obispo.
So I I got a couple offers.
I was looking at UCI Pepperdinewas also on there for water
(05:36):
polo.
Believe it or not, I was also apretty strong water polo player
and I really something aboutswimming.
I had just started and I was,you know, continuing to get
faster and I just said this iswhat I want to do.
So I went to Cal Poly.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
So you're, you obviously like swimming and did
well with it.
But your, your real passion inlife seems to have been music
and you know your career pathwas music.
So how did you transition likeinto you know, the Tijuana dogs
and and really getting intomusic?
(06:12):
And then you know, eventuallygetting on America's Got Talent
and and really music is your,your career.
So what, what?
How did that happen?
And and what happened to yourswimming along the way?
With that, some people stayswimming and some people just
get out of it for 20 years andthen come back.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
Yeah, well, I did both.
I, when I was a young boy, mydad played guitar.
I come from a very musicalfamily.
My aunts were concert pianists,my great grandmother played in
the Philadelphia Philharmonic.
She also played at the WhiteHouse for Teddy Roosevelt.
So I had a long history ofclassically trained musicians
(06:54):
and I grew up around music.
I could sing on key, I wouldsing all the Elvis tunes and and
you know the Johnny B goods andstuff like that, and and I
would dance around with mylittle brother and we would, and
my dad would just play guitar,and so we had music in the in
the house, which I think it'ssuch an important thing for kids
(07:17):
just being exposed to something, not necessarily music, but
anything, if you're exposed toit, you, you, you learn it.
Necessarily music, but anything, if you're exposed to it, you,
you, you learn it.
And so as I was growing up, I,I really had an affection for
guitar.
So I would, you know, find,find pieces of music, uh, at
music stores, and I would learnthem, and just on my own,
(07:37):
everything that I did was prettymuch on my own.
Um, when I went to college, I,uh, I remember they invited me
to go to a party and I broughtmy guitar and I started doing
some songs and I remembereverybody sitting around and
just saying I said this is whatI want to do.
But nothing gave me that thrillwhen I thought of careers.
(07:58):
I was a lifeguard, I was ateacher for 20 years.
I learned Spanish and I was aSpanish teacher, but nothing
gave me that thrill likecompetition.
I loved the competition that Igot in swimming and playing in
sports, and the only thing thatgave me that same level of
adrenaline was music.
(08:20):
So when I graduated from schooland I went to look for work, I
kept my lifeguard job.
I got a job as a teacher.
I passed all the tests and Ibecame a Spanish teacher and I
said I'm going to start a band.
So at 25, 26 years old, Istarted a band and I would
invite all the people on thebeach, I would pass off flyers,
(08:42):
I would invite all my lifeguardbuddies and I would just bring a
huge crowd to every club.
I would.
I would say I'll pack yourplace and the band was was
average at best.
But I would bring, you know,two, 300 kids into the club and
you know, bar owners like tomake money.
So we would.
(09:02):
I realized it and I said thisis, this is what I want to do.
So I never was a starving artistper se.
I always maintained jobs.
So I had my teaching job.
I was lifeguarding during thesummer and then the band really
started gaining traction.
I got some great musicians inthe band and we just got really
popular.
So for for about a good 10years I was living the dream
(09:25):
here in Southern California.
I had a very popular band, Iwas a lifeguard on the weekends
and I would teach during theyear.
You know, sometimes it wouldcoincide and I'd have to kind of
figure things out.
I would be tired as a teacherand I had to, you know, kind of
find a way to make sure that thekids didn't see me tired.
But it worked out and uh,that's that's kind of when I was
(09:49):
kind of a little bit crazy,living a crazy lifestyle.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
So, obviously, one of the things that we want to hear
from you about today is, um,you know how you've dealt with
your grief and the loss of yourwife, christina, and where,
where did you meet Christina inthis journey, and what you know?
(10:15):
I read that she was a big partof your music career, and so
that must have been quite a blow.
Obviously for a number ofreasons besides being the mother
of your three children.
Quite a blow, obviously for anumber of reasons besides being,
you know, the mother of yourthree children.
You know where did you meet herand what was her connection to
you know, being on Kobe'shelicopter.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
There's a lot of moving pieces to this part.
So while the band gotpopularity, I would say we were
working three, four nights aweek.
I was teaching at a privateschool here in Newport Beach and
I was lifeguard in the summer.
And then one night, at one ofour shows, this beautiful, tall,
(10:57):
athletic woman walked in and Iwas just, you know, taken by her
.
I went up and introduced myself, she bought a T-shirt, she
bought a CD and I didn't hearfrom her for a while.
So a few months later came byand I saw her again at one of
our shows.
I asked her out.
(11:18):
She denied me, but she did giveme a dance and we talked a
little bit and then, a fewmonths later, I would say it's
probably like nine months later.
But she did give me a dance andwe talked a little bit and then
a few months later, I would sayit's probably like nine.
Nine months later from ourfirst encounter, she came
walking in again and I I saidthis is getting a little bit.
I mean you must like the bandor maybe there's more.
(11:40):
And I said I'll ask you outagain and she accepted.
So that was in 2004.
Within nine months we weremarried.
I asked her to marry me and by2005 we were married.
I didn't know much about heruntil I realized that she was
(12:00):
incredibly.
The beauty was just one part ofher.
She was incredibly bright,incredibly athletic and we had a
lot of the similar histories.
We both went to the same highschool.
We grew up, you know, within amile from each other and we
never knew.
She was a little younger than Iwas, so we we'd never met prior
(12:22):
, but once we met it felt likewe had known each other our
whole lives.
So I knew she was the right onefor me.
I asked her to marry me.
She accepted and she was afantastic basketball player, a
fantastic soccer and volleyballplayer.
In fact, for our high schoolshe was athlete of the year
three times for three differentsports.
(12:43):
She she was just an incredibleathlete, but mainly her love was
basketball.
So I was the basketball coach.
It was a small school.
We had to wear a lot of hats.
I was not only the on-site EMTSpanish teacher, carpool
director, but I was also thebasketball coach.
I wasn't super knowledgeableabout basketball, but I loved it
(13:06):
.
I was a huge Laker fan and Ilearned a lot, so I figured out
how to run defenses, how to runoffenses.
And one day I had a show and Icouldn't make practice, and I'm
sorry, it was a game and I askedChristina if she would cover my
game so I could go work.
(13:26):
She came in and the athleticdirector said who's this
coaching for you?
I said that's my wife,Christina.
I said OK.
The next day I came back.
He said she's a better coachthan you are.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
How do we get her on?
Speaker 2 (13:40):
board.
So they gave her a job.
They asked her to be the PEteacher with another wonderful
couple of people that were thehead of the department, and she
and I started coachingbasketball together.
So we coached together forabout 10 years Along that path.
It was a very well-to-do schooland Kobe Bryant's kids went to
(14:03):
our school.
His daughters both played forme.
His second daughter, gigi,showed a pretty significant
interest in basketball and I washer coach.
My wife and I were her coach,and One day Kobe came to me and
said hey, I want to start a team.
Would you want to be myassistant coach?
And we had gotten to know eachother through music.
(14:24):
He was doing some productionstuff and he asked me to do some
music for him and I became hisfull-time songwriter for his
children's podcast Not longafter that.
Speaker 1 (14:37):
Matt, I'm just having a little bit wonky internet.
My editor will cut this out ofhere, but I'm going to.
I'm just having a little bitwonky internet.
My editor will cut this out ofhere, but I'm going to.
Just I'm here, I'm just goingto stop my video so that the
bandwidth on video may I'm notin the place I usually am, so it
may pull.
It may help us, so just go.
(14:58):
So so you started working onhis podcast, so start right
there.
Speaker 2 (15:03):
There you go.
So I was working on his podcast, I was writing music for Kobe
and I got really busy.
It was a demanding schedule.
So at one point we were, wewere coaching basketball
together and I was doing music.
And he says to me and I said,hey, kobe, this is a a lot of
time.
I don't know if I can keeprunning these.
Uh, you know, I'm a lifeguard,I'm a teacher, I'm a, I'm
(15:25):
running my band and I'm writingsongs for you.
I think something's gonna give.
And he said, well, wouldChristina want to be my
assistant coach?
And I said she would bewonderful.
She's better coach than I am.
So that was kind of how thewhole thing, the genesis of her
coaching with him Originally Iwas the coach and just the fact
(15:47):
that she was better got her thejob.
And you know, they were going tocoach for three days a week,
and three soon turned into fiveand five turned into seven.
They were playing every day.
You know we had three kids.
My wife and I both quit ourteaching jobs me to just pursue
music in 2018.
And we pulled our kids out ofthe private school, we put them
(16:10):
in public school and her job waswas coach and we were extremely
happy.
It was just a wonderful time inour life.
It was just a wonderful time inour life, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
So, um, obviously, when you, you know, heard the
news of the Kobe's helicoptergoing down, I, I read the
excerpt from your book Um, andit's, you know, it's very
touching, very emotional.
What, besides reading your bookand and you know, learning all
(16:47):
the details of this, what wasjust kind of your general
feeling when you, when you hadthis happen and you know where,
where your mindset went, andmaybe what might have helped
prepare you, or was thereanything that helped prepare you
?
But what would you say topeople who might be going
(17:11):
through something similar?
Speaker 2 (17:13):
Right?
Well, as you can imagine, whenyou lose the most significant
person in your life, you areoverwhelmed.
The first feeling is shock.
I mean, everybody goes throughthat one day, I would imagine.
I was shocked, I was terrified.
(17:34):
As a father, my first thoughtwas my children.
How am I going to do thiswithout their mother?
Was my children?
How am I going to do thiswithout their mother?
And you know.
And then, putting my feelingsin there, I almost felt selfish,
putting my feelings ahead of mykids.
But I just, I just missed mywife tremendously for the first
part and so.
(17:56):
But I did have some comfort inthe fact that I was prepared.
You know, I I was teacher, so Icould teach my kids.
I knew how to deal with kids.
I was a Spanish teacher, so Icould teach them Spanish at the
very least.
But I knew I was going to getthrough it.
I didn't know how, and that wasthe scary thing.
(18:18):
So my first instinct and if youremember this was January of
2020, and less than a monthlater, by March 15th, march 13th
, we were in COVID shutdown.
So not only was that I lost mywife, but then I lost the
ability to be around people andwe were on complete lockdown and
(18:39):
the kids got sick, I got sick.
So there was some, there wassome pretty hard, hard realities
I had to face and that wasterrifying.
And that's where swimming andkind of came back into my life.
I would swim on occasion.
When Christina died, thatbecame every day and that was
(19:00):
the swimming for me was a hugetherapy.
I did therapy like where youwalk in and you sit down on the
couch and you talk, and I did itfor about three or four months
and I absolutely hated it.
I couldn't, I couldn't, Icouldn't stand it.
It just wasn't for me.
I'm not I'm not knocking it foranybody else, it just wasn't
for me.
I'm not knocking it for anybodyelse, but for me I just hated
(19:22):
it.
And they shut down every pool.
I had a jacuzzi, a good-sizedjacuzzi, so I tied a string to a
tree and I put a harness aroundmy waist and I got in that pool
every day and I swam for likehalf hour and 45 minutes.
They reopened the pools and bythat time my good buddy, who is
(19:45):
a master's coach at a local poolhere, uh said, come out and
join me.
So I went out and that's when Istarted swimming, uh,
consistently, and I haven'tstopped for the past five years.
Speaker 1 (20:13):
Were your when you got back to your master's group.
Speaker 2 (20:14):
Were you supported by your teammates or how?
How did your?
How did the whole master's kindof reignite after COVID?
For you, diego's a wonderfulguy and I said I don't want to
be with people, I just need toget in the water.
So he said I'll meet you there.
You tell me what time you wantto be there.
I said I'll be there in a halfhour so I would go.
And when it first started, Imean I could go maybe 500 to
1000 yards and it wasn't that Iwas out of shape but my
(20:38):
adrenaline was so high for a fewmonths and just in complete
defense mode.
But I would get in and you know, slowly I kind of started
getting my wind back.
Slowly I started getting my.
You know, I lost the first twoor three months.
I'm about 200 pounds.
(20:59):
You know 198, 195 at times, butI got down to 175.
I lost, I lost a legitimate 20,25 pounds in the first couple
of months.
So I was really thin and I wasjust uh, you know, was that?
Speaker 1 (21:14):
Matt, was that from swimming?
Or was that nervous?
Just nervous eating, noappetite.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
No appetite, no appetite, couldn't you know?
And my adrenaline was justgoing all the time.
I couldn't sleep, I couldn'teat.
I was just always in, you know,survival mode.
Was it like a fight or flightanxiety feeling that you were
having during that time?
Speaker 1 (21:33):
Oh, yeah, yeah, and you got to remember, you know,
we thought COVID was you know,was it like a fight or flight,
anxiety feeling that you werehaving during that time?
Speaker 2 (21:40):
Yeah, yeah, and you got to remember.
You know we were.
We thought COVID was.
You know, now we think of COVIDas being, you know, a strong
cold or a flu, but back theneverybody was, we thought
everybody was going to die.
And my kids got it and I couldget my son's temperature down
for about four days.
He was at 103, 104.
And I was convinced.
You know, I just lost my wifeand you know what else, what
(22:03):
else is going to happen.
You know so I was, I was, uh,it was a hard time.
Speaker 1 (22:10):
What else did you rely on, matt?
Um, besides the swimming andthe counseling, um, I'm sure
there were multifaceted thingsthat you did to get going.
And, matt, I'm going to ask youto stop your video, for
whatever reason, my videostopped the bandwidth.
(22:32):
We're just I'm glitchingsometimes on what you're saying
and it's just.
You know, I want to make surewe get every word.
So if you just stop your video,you know we've got enough a
video to promote if we need it.
But you know, I know you'rethere, you know I'm here.
Speaker 2 (22:49):
And I think.
Speaker 1 (22:50):
I think it'll probably give us better sign
sound.
So let's try this again.
We're so.
Besides swimming and going totherapy, what other ways did you
cope with this?
You know loss, the grief, theCOVID taking care of your kids.
You know your appetite there.
(23:10):
Just there has to be a list ofthings that you did to kind of
resurrect yourself.
Speaker 2 (23:16):
Right, right.
Well, the first thing is I madea list of the things that I
needed to do and I prioritizedmy life and the most important
thing was I needed to be a goodfather and that kind of
motivation.
You know, when you look in yourchildren's eyes and you see
just the pain and the grief thatthey're going through, you
(23:36):
realize quick that you know youneed to have some strength and I
needed to get myself together.
So my kids were my majormotivation.
My second thing was my music.
I started writing music again.
I got back in the studio and wewere shut down.
You know, we stopped playing.
Kids were on Zoom for school,but I knew that it was going to
(23:58):
come back and when it came backI wanted to be ready.
So I started writing music, Istarted preparing for the next
part of my music career.
So that was that.
That occupied my time.
And then I said I got to get.
I got to get physically fitagain, so swimming.
So those are my three thingsthe children, the music and
swimming, and in that order and,uh, they all.
(24:21):
You know I kept it reallysimple.
When, when tragedy hits you,you realize that life isn't,
doesn't need to be thatcomplicated.
You have to really focus onwhat's important and my health
and my kids and my health,included my ability to play and
perform music.
Speaker 1 (24:41):
Yeah, Were there ever mornings when you didn't want
to get out of bed and you justsaid I just got to keep it
simple and focus on those threethings.
Speaker 2 (24:49):
Kelly, kelly, every morning I felt that way.
Every morning I felt that way.
It didn't go away.
There are days where I stillfeel that way and you know, I
just want to make it real clearI just adored my wife.
I adored my wife.
(25:10):
She was everything to me and tomy kids and it just doesn't go
away.
But what you have to do is youhave to dig and you have to find
.
That's why the book is calledBittersweet Treasures.
It's like you have to go andyou have to find.
That's why the book is calledBittersweet Treasures.
It's like you have to go andyou have to force yourself to
get up and do that, just likewhen you don't want to jump in
(25:32):
the water.
I swim at night, every night,and it's cold and sometimes it's
raining, and it's 7.30 to 8.30and it's dark and I have to
leave my children with the nannyand I go, but I go not because
I want to go, but because it'sthe right thing to do.
So when you asked, was theredays I wanted to stay in bed?
(25:55):
There's still days I want tostay in bed and it's.
It doesn't just go away, butyou have to force yourself to go
and find.
Find that you know the good inlife, the treasures in life.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
Yeah, you just got to keep going.
Speaker 2 (26:10):
You don't give up.
Speaker 1 (26:11):
Yeah, you don't give up.
Well, so your book actuallyjust came out one week ago,
right March 20th.
Yes, we're recording this onthe 27th, so it's very exciting.
Now, I'm sure, for you to be anauthor, and I'm sure you're
going on a lot of podcasts andtelling your story what?
(26:33):
What is your hope for this book?
Speaker 2 (26:36):
That's a great question.
You know I want to.
Really I wanted an account formy children of what it was like
during these five years and Iwanted them to see not only how
much their mother loved them andhow much I love them, but just
you know what my life was likeprior to meeting their mother
and the things that made me whoI am.
(26:58):
You know I'm.
I'm getting up there, I'm notyoung anymore and I want my kids
to someday look back and atleast have a documented account
of what life was like.
You know my youngest, she wasthree when she lost her mom and
she doesn't have any back story.
So this is a way number one formy children, for them to have a
(27:19):
back story.
The other part is I would reallylike, like I said, with with
you know, treasures.
You have to go out and you haveto hunt.
I want people to realize thatyou can go through something
tragic, painful, devastating andstill live a beautiful life,
still get up and make life.
(27:40):
You know, life is life, issupposed to be happy.
We are not meant to besuffering all the time.
That's part of life, yes, butin the cracks in between you
have to find the ability to behappy and really it's the simple
things that make us happy yourkids, friends, smiles, being
(28:01):
able to relate with people,finding satisfaction in your job
and in your work, and thosethings, those things are
important.
Speaker 1 (28:12):
What are your thoughts on that?
When we suffer deeply, wesometimes can have joy, you know
, in the same amount.
You know in the same amountthat when we do suffer, it makes
us appreciate joy a little bitmore.
Speaker 2 (28:28):
I think, yeah, I would agree with that 100%.
My my big issue when I feel joyis allowing myself to not feel
guilty that I'm here and my wifeisn't, and that's a constant.
So, for example, my daughtershe plays water polo.
(28:49):
She got a scholarship to playwater polo at Indiana University
.
She's a really good water poloplayer.
She's at one of the strongestprograms here in Southern
California and next year she'sgot one more year of high school
and then the following yearshe'll be playing water polo in
Indiana.
She's had a tremendous amountof success.
(29:10):
She was athlete of the year,she was, you know, a junior
Olympic MVP last year, lastsummer up in Stanford.
She's had tremendous amount ofsuccess and I've just felt so
much happiness but that'speppered with this sadness and
this in this feeling of just,you know, regret that my wife
(29:32):
can't be here.
So I have to learn to be able tolet it be okay that I can feel
that sadness and then it'd beokay that I can still feel happy
.
You know, and that's and that'sokay, and I can still feel
happy, you know and that's andthat's okay, and it's the same
thing with you know, there's apart of the book which says I
wrote a letter to my wife and Isay at this point I have to let
(29:53):
you go and I have to learn tolove again, because love, like
life, is for the living.
And you know you have to acceptthat we only have a little bit
of time here and you have totake every day as a gift.
And in life, life, there's agreat saying life is for the
living and I intend to live.
(30:16):
You know, I made the choicethat I want to live, I want to
be happy and I want all thethings that are associated with
with love and life and beinghappy.
Speaker 1 (30:27):
Oh, yeah, I love that .
That's beautiful, that'sbeautiful.
So, um, before I ask you thelast question that I always ask,
the second to last question um,do you have any?
You like to compete?
Do you have any goals for yourswimming, your master's
competitive swimming?
Are we ever going to see you ina meet?
Speaker 2 (30:51):
My coach keeps asking me because I can still.
I can still bust out a prettygood time in a 50 or 100 back.
You know I, you know he's askedme to come out and compete,
usually on the days that themeets, that we've had meets.
I usually am am working.
You know my, my schedule withmy work schedule with with the
band is it's pretty crazy.
I play, performing over 150shows a year.
(31:14):
I'm on the road a lot with agreat producer named david
foster.
I don't know if you know who heis, um, but I go on the road
with him on occasion and I'm outof town.
You know I perform in a lot ofdifferent states and so if
there's a meet where I'm notworking, I will be there and I'm
looking forward to getting backinto competition.
We do compete with ourselves atpractice.
(31:36):
Um, I can still.
I can still get pretty fast inthe hunter free and the hunter
back, but, um, to me it more Iwant to be on stage and be able
to sing and not have, you know,fatigue and that's in the
swimming is the really the onlything that allows me to keep my
lung capacity and keep my windand I'm so.
(31:56):
You know there's nothing thatthat's.
That's better for you thanswimming, especially if you're a
singer like I am.
Speaker 1 (32:04):
Yeah, and you've chosen to um activities that you
can do, you know, into yournineties or a hundred.
I mean, we've got singers thatyou know stay out there and rock
the house until they're it's sofunny you say that last night I
went and saw Paul Anka.
Speaker 2 (32:19):
member.
Paul Anka.
Speaker 1 (32:20):
Yes, oh my gosh.
Yes, of course.
Speaker 2 (32:23):
I saw him last.
Last night went backstage and Igot to meet him.
My manager brought me backthere and this guy is 83 years
old and he's like a kid jumpingaround.
He says why do I do it?
He goes, I love it, but he saidhe has to stay in shape.
And he gave some great advicebecause he knew I was a singer.
And he said just keepphysically fit, it'll change
(32:46):
your life.
I said oh, paul, don't I know?
Speaker 1 (32:50):
Oh, that's beautiful.
Yeah, I mean, I know, you know,the late Tina Turner rocked it
for so long and Elton John isstill out there producing new
music and you know, there I'msure there are many, many more
that we can't even, you know,think of right now.
But yeah, and certainlyswimming, we know we've got the
elders in the sport that arestill doing great.
So well, that's wonderful.
(33:11):
Well, we hope that you know.
Before I ask you the lastquestion, you know your book
Bittersweet Treasures A Father'sJourney Through Loss and
Healing, which is published bythe CG Sports Company publishing
arm of the CG Sports Company.
So that's out and available,and can they get that on on
(33:33):
Amazon, I would imagine, oranywhere?
Speaker 2 (33:35):
Yes, they can get it under Amazon.
Just look up bittersweettreasures bittersweet treasures.
Speaker 1 (33:41):
And so the very last question before we go into a fun
sprint around, which are a fewone, one word answers that I'm
looking for?
Is there anything that I havenot asked you that you would
like to share with us?
Speaker 2 (33:55):
No, I think you've hit all the bullet points.
Get the book out there.
We want, we want everybody toread it.
The band is Tijuana Dogs.
We're a big band here in OrangeCounty.
If we're around, check us.
Check out our Instagram MattMouser Instagram or Facebook,
and other than that, you know,just stay in the water.
Speaker 1 (34:14):
Keep on swimming, and the proceeds from your book are
going to benefit your wife'sthe Christina Maurer Foundation
to provide scholarships to youngfemale athletes If.
Speaker 2 (34:26):
I could talk about that.
Yes, my wife, she loved helpingyoung women, all the girls on
her team.
A lot of them have gone on toplay in basketball very high.
They're playing in college now.
But the foundation, we've givenaway scholarships over the past
four years for young women thatwant to pursue their career in
(34:47):
athletics that might not havethe means to play.
So we've given away probably$100,000, over $100,000 in
scholarships over the past fouryears.
The Christina Mauser Foundationand 100% of the proceeds from
the book go to the foundation.
Speaker 1 (35:05):
Oh, that is awesome.
That's awesome.
Definitely going to check thatout and make a donation.
So, matt, are you ready for thesprinter round of just fun?
Speaker 2 (35:13):
questions.
Okay, let's go.
Speaker 1 (35:15):
Here we go, favorite sandwich.
Speaker 2 (35:20):
Peanut butter and jelly.
Speaker 1 (35:22):
Oh, I love it.
You know, I don't think anyonesaid that that is so great, um
wonderful, okay.
So what do you own that youshould throw out?
Speaker 2 (35:33):
Uh, too many children's, uh Barbie sets.
Speaker 1 (35:36):
Herbie sets Scariest animal to you.
Speaker 2 (35:39):
Scariest animal?
Uh, I used to swim the pier andI was always terrified of a
great white shark.
Speaker 1 (35:51):
Okay, what celebrity would you like to meet?
Kevin Costner Hardest swimmingevent in the pool 400 IM.
Favorite movie.
Speaker 2 (36:03):
Shawshank Redemption.
Favorite smell Ginger.
Speaker 1 (36:08):
Do you make your bed every morning?
Speaker 2 (36:11):
I do.
If I don't, the nanny makes it.
Speaker 1 (36:14):
Okay, kickboard or no kickboard?
Speaker 2 (36:17):
Never kickboard Backstroke, always on my back.
Speaker 1 (36:21):
If you had to listen to one song for the rest of your
life, what would it be?
Speaker 2 (36:26):
Don't worry about me by Frank Sinatra.
Don't worry about me.
Speaker 1 (36:31):
I love it, aisle or window.
Speaker 2 (36:34):
Window.
Speaker 1 (36:36):
Describe your life in five words.
Speaker 2 (36:41):
Connect the dots in retrospect Shoot.
I don't even know if that's agood one.
I I wouldn't.
Unexpectedly not what Iexpected.
Speaker 1 (36:54):
I'll take it.
I'll take it.
Speaker 2 (36:55):
Not what I expected.
Not what I expected.
Okay, Well, that's close, close, Um.
What word comes to mind whenyou dive in the water Cold?
Oh, let me think I freedom.
Speaker 1 (37:14):
Freedom.
I like it.
Oh, I always say I'm home.
Whenever I dive in the water, Isay I'm home, beautiful, all
right.
Well, matt, thanks for beingwith us today.
We really appreciate your uhstory and, uh, just keep on
swimming and singing and thankyou you got it?
Speaker 2 (37:34):
kelly, great podcast.
Where can I where we got it?
Katie says she's got it.
Okay, I want yeah should I askher when it's going to come out?
Any idea when I'm going tobroadcast?
Speaker 1 (37:45):
um, yeah, I'm going to drop it next friday.
So um, yeah, next friday youcan turn your thing on again,
because we're okay, we're goingto stop recording um.
Little simple, you got it.
You just have to acknowledgethat you're being recorded, I
think, and that's all right.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Yes, this is Matt Mauser and I'm being recorded.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
Okay, yep, all right, here we go.
Hello friends, I'm Kelly Pallas, the host of the Champions Mojo
podcast.
Today I'm thrilled to introducean extraordinary guest whose
journey is as inspiring as it ismultifaceted.
Besides being a master swimmer,matt Mauser is a dynamic
(00:34):
entertainer, author and formerNCAA All-American swimmer, whose
passion for music ignited at ayoung age.
From fronting the wildlypopular party band Tijuana Dogs
to captivating audiences withhis Sinatra tribute shows,
matt's ability to blend charisma, talent and authenticity has
made him one of the West Coast'smost sought-after performers
(00:58):
Beyond the spotlight.
Matt's story takes a deeplypersonal turn After losing his
beloved wife, christina, in thetragic helicopter crash that
claimed the lives of Kobe Bryantand others.
Matt turned to music, swimmingand writing as a way to navigate
his grief.
His heartfelt memoirBittersweet Treasures A Father's
(01:18):
Journey Through Loss andHealing not only chronicles his
journey, but also supports theChristina Mauser Foundation,
which honors Christina's legacyby providing scholarships to
young female athletes.
And when Matt's not performingor writing, he finds solace in
the pool, reconnecting with hisroots as a swimmer and embracing
(01:39):
the therapeutic power of water.
Get ready for a conversationfilled with resilience, passion
and purpose.
Matt Mauser is about to take uson an unforgettable journey
Matt.
Welcome to Champions Mojo.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Kelly, thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
Well, matt, in all that introduction I didn't even
say that you were a finalist onAmerica's Got Talent 2, which is
another thing that I, that Ididn't put in there, but it was
a lot.
Your, your life story is istruly multifaceted and amazing,
and you know, we are a swimmingkind of health and wellness
(02:17):
podcast.
So we, why don't we start with?
You know where you got intoswimming?
Cause I, you know, I read thatyou also were a water polo
player in high school and thenan All-American swimmer in
college.
So how did swimming, you know,morph into music, morph into
this life that you kind of findyourself in today?
(02:39):
And, you know, leave some spacefor me to ask you questions.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
Well, it's a.
It's an interesting past, uh,and definitely an interesting
path to how I got to swimming.
My uncle, or my, my auntmarried a gentleman who was an
Olympic kayaker and a great highschool and college swimmer and
he became the swim coach at a ata very popular you know, strong
, uh, strong swimming backgroundschool called Newport Harbor
(03:05):
High School here in OrangeCounty.
So in the 80s my uncle was thehead coach at Newport Harbor.
I was, I grew up in a beachcommunity.
I was a junior lifeguard and wespent a lot of time in the
water just growing up.
My dad lived on a houseboat.
My parents separated when I wasyoung.
My dad lived on a houseboatwhen I was, you know, seven,
(03:26):
eight years old, so we wouldspend all summer, you know,
swimming around and I was alwayspretty, you know, comfortable
in the water.
I was a baseball player until Iwas about 14 years old and then
one day in a PE class I wasplaying baseball and they said
it's a hot, it's a hot day, itwas a hot September day and they
put us all in the pool and theysaid swim across the pool,
(03:49):
we're going to race.
And I won, and the water polocoach happened to be there and
pulled me out and said, hey,have you ever thought about
being a water polo player?
And I had grown up aroundswimming?
So I said, yeah, I'd give it ashot.
So I went out and gave it ashot and I was pretty good and
then it developed there I playedbaseball, I played water polo,
but swimming was something I didbecause you had to.
(04:11):
You know, I play in both thesports.
And then when my junior year oneof the teachers, one of the
coaches for this, for the swimteam, said you're a really good
swimmer, have you thought about,you know, maybe quitting
baseball, because swimming andbaseball were in the same season
and I said, no, I haven't.
He said, well, if you ever wantto make money being a lifeguard
(04:32):
or you want some kind ofscholarship, you know, unless
you're a great baseball player,you might have a pretty good
shot.
So I took his words.
I went out and I would swim inthe morning, go to baseball
practice and then go to swimpractice at night.
And I got pretty fast.
I ended up breaking the schoolrecord in the hunter backstroke.
This was 1987 or 88.
(04:55):
And uh, I got some some offersto swim in college, I got my
best offer.
All my friends were going to ajunior college, so I went there
and it just continued on fromthere.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
And where?
Where did you swim in college?
Speaker 2 (05:09):
I swam for two years at Golden West college and then
the head coach at Cal Poly, sanLuis Obispo, saw me at a meet
and I believe I won aninvitational and he said I would
love it If you.
I believe I won an invitationaland he said I would love it if
you would consider coming to CalPoly, san Luis Obispo.
So I I got a couple offers.
I was looking at UCI Pepperdinewas also on there for water
(05:36):
polo.
Believe it or not, I was also apretty strong water polo player
and I really something aboutswimming.
I had just started and I was,you know, continuing to get
faster and I just said this iswhat I want to do.
So I went to Cal Poly.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
So you're, you obviously like swimming and did
well with it.
But your, your real passion inlife seems to have been music
and you know your career pathwas music.
So how did you transition likeinto you know, the Tijuana dogs
and and really getting intomusic?
(06:12):
And then you know, eventuallygetting on America's Got Talent
and and really music is your,your career.
So what, what?
How did that happen?
And and what happened to yourswimming along the way?
With that, some people stayswimming and some people just
get out of it for 20 years andthen come back.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
Yeah, well, I did both.
I, when I was a young boy, mydad played guitar.
I come from a very musicalfamily.
My aunts were concert pianists,my great grandmother played in
the Philadelphia Philharmonic.
She also played at the WhiteHouse for Teddy Roosevelt.
So I had a long history ofclassically trained musicians
(06:54):
and I grew up around music.
I could sing on key, I wouldsing all the Elvis tunes and and
you know the Johnny B goods andstuff like that, and and I
would dance around with mylittle brother and we would, and
my dad would just play guitar,and so we had music in the in
the house, which I think it'ssuch an important thing for kids
(07:17):
just being exposed to something, not necessarily music, but
anything, if you're exposed toit, you, you, you learn it.
Necessarily music, but anything, if you're exposed to it, you,
you, you learn it.
And so as I was growing up, I,I really had an affection for
guitar.
So I would, you know, find,find pieces of music, uh, at
music stores, and I would learnthem, and just on my own,
(07:37):
everything that I did was prettymuch on my own.
Um, when I went to college, I,uh, I remember they invited me
to go to a party and I broughtmy guitar and I started doing
some songs and I remembereverybody sitting around and
just saying I said this is whatI want to do.
But nothing gave me that thrillwhen I thought of careers.
(07:58):
I was a lifeguard, I was ateacher for 20 years.
I learned Spanish and I was aSpanish teacher, but nothing
gave me that thrill likecompetition.
I loved the competition that Igot in swimming and playing in
sports, and the only thing thatgave me that same level of
adrenaline was music.
(08:20):
So when I graduated from schooland I went to look for work, I
kept my lifeguard job.
I got a job as a teacher.
I passed all the tests and Ibecame a Spanish teacher and I
said I'm going to start a band.
So at 25, 26 years old, Istarted a band and I would
invite all the people on thebeach, I would pass off flyers,
(08:42):
I would invite all my lifeguardbuddies and I would just bring a
huge crowd to every club.
I would.
I would say I'll pack yourplace and the band was was
average at best.
But I would bring, you know,two, 300 kids into the club and
you know, bar owners like tomake money.
So we would.
(09:02):
I realized it and I said thisis, this is what I want to do.
So I never was a starving artistper se.
I always maintained jobs.
So I had my teaching job.
I was lifeguarding during thesummer and then the band really
started gaining traction.
I got some great musicians inthe band and we just got really
popular.
So for for about a good 10years I was living the dream
(09:25):
here in Southern California.
I had a very popular band, Iwas a lifeguard on the weekends
and I would teach during theyear.
You know, sometimes it wouldcoincide and I'd have to kind of
figure things out.
I would be tired as a teacherand I had to, you know, kind of
find a way to make sure that thekids didn't see me tired.
But it worked out and uh,that's that's kind of when I was
(09:49):
kind of a little bit crazy,living a crazy lifestyle.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
So, obviously, one of the things that we want to hear
from you about today is, um,you know how you've dealt with
your grief and the loss of yourwife, christina, and where,
where did you meet Christina inthis journey, and what you know?
(10:15):
I read that she was a big partof your music career, and so
that must have been quite a blow.
Obviously for a number ofreasons besides being the mother
of your three children.
Quite a blow, obviously for anumber of reasons besides being,
you know, the mother of yourthree children.
You know where did you meet herand what was her connection to
you know, being on Kobe'shelicopter.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
There's a lot of moving pieces to this part.
So while the band gotpopularity, I would say we were
working three, four nights aweek.
I was teaching at a privateschool here in Newport Beach and
I was lifeguard in the summer.
And then one night, at one ofour shows, this beautiful, tall,
(10:57):
athletic woman walked in and Iwas just, you know, taken by her
.
I went up and introduced myself, she bought a T-shirt, she
bought a CD and I didn't hearfrom her for a while.
So a few months later came byand I saw her again at one of
our shows.
I asked her out.
(11:18):
She denied me, but she did giveme a dance and we talked a
little bit and then, a fewmonths later, I would say it's
probably like nine months later.
But she did give me a dance andwe talked a little bit and then
a few months later, I would sayit's probably like nine.
Nine months later from ourfirst encounter, she came
walking in again and I I saidthis is getting a little bit.
I mean you must like the bandor maybe there's more.
(11:40):
And I said I'll ask you outagain and she accepted.
So that was in 2004.
Within nine months we weremarried.
I asked her to marry me and by2005 we were married.
I didn't know much about heruntil I realized that she was
(12:00):
incredibly.
The beauty was just one part ofher.
She was incredibly bright,incredibly athletic and we had a
lot of the similar histories.
We both went to the same highschool.
We grew up, you know, within amile from each other and we
never knew.
She was a little younger than Iwas, so we we'd never met prior
(12:22):
, but once we met it felt likewe had known each other our
whole lives.
So I knew she was the right onefor me.
I asked her to marry me.
She accepted and she was afantastic basketball player, a
fantastic soccer and volleyballplayer.
In fact, for our high schoolshe was athlete of the year
three times for three differentsports.
(12:43):
She she was just an incredibleathlete, but mainly her love was
basketball.
So I was the basketball coach.
It was a small school.
We had to wear a lot of hats.
I was not only the on-site EMTSpanish teacher, carpool
director, but I was also thebasketball coach.
I wasn't super knowledgeableabout basketball, but I loved it
(13:06):
.
I was a huge Laker fan and Ilearned a lot, so I figured out
how to run defenses, how to runoffenses.
And one day I had a show and Icouldn't make practice, and I'm
sorry, it was a game and I askedChristina if she would cover my
game so I could go work.
(13:26):
She came in and the athleticdirector said who's this
coaching for you?
I said that's my wife,Christina.
I said OK.
The next day I came back.
He said she's a better coachthan you are.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
How do we get her on?
Speaker 2 (13:40):
board.
So they gave her a job.
They asked her to be the PEteacher with another wonderful
couple of people that were thehead of the department, and she
and I started coachingbasketball together.
So we coached together forabout 10 years Along that path.
It was a very well-to-do schooland Kobe Bryant's kids went to
(14:03):
our school.
His daughters both played forme.
His second daughter, gigi,showed a pretty significant
interest in basketball and I washer coach.
My wife and I were her coach,and One day Kobe came to me and
said hey, I want to start a team.
Would you want to be myassistant coach?
And we had gotten to know eachother through music.
(14:24):
He was doing some productionstuff and he asked me to do some
music for him and I became hisfull-time songwriter for his
children's podcast Not longafter that.
Speaker 1 (14:37):
Matt, I'm just having a little bit wonky internet.
My editor will cut this out ofhere, but I'm going to.
I'm just having a little bitwonky internet.
My editor will cut this out ofhere, but I'm going to.
Just I'm here, I'm just goingto stop my video so that the
bandwidth on video may I'm notin the place I usually am, so it
may pull.
It may help us, so just go.
(14:58):
So so you started working onhis podcast, so start right
there.
Speaker 2 (15:03):
There you go.
So I was working on his podcast, I was writing music for Kobe
and I got really busy.
It was a demanding schedule.
So at one point we were, wewere coaching basketball
together and I was doing music.
And he says to me and I said,hey, kobe, this is a a lot of
time.
I don't know if I can keeprunning these.
Uh, you know, I'm a lifeguard,I'm a teacher, I'm a, I'm
(15:25):
running my band and I'm writingsongs for you.
I think something's gonna give.
And he said, well, wouldChristina want to be my
assistant coach?
And I said she would bewonderful.
She's better coach than I am.
So that was kind of how thewhole thing, the genesis of her
coaching with him Originally Iwas the coach and just the fact
(15:47):
that she was better got her thejob.
And you know, they were going tocoach for three days a week,
and three soon turned into fiveand five turned into seven.
They were playing every day.
You know we had three kids.
My wife and I both quit ourteaching jobs me to just pursue
music in 2018.
And we pulled our kids out ofthe private school, we put them
(16:10):
in public school and her job waswas coach and we were extremely
happy.
It was just a wonderful time inour life.
It was just a wonderful time inour life, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
So, um, obviously, when you, you know, heard the
news of the Kobe's helicoptergoing down, I, I read the
excerpt from your book Um, andit's, you know, it's very
touching, very emotional.
What, besides reading your bookand and you know, learning all
(16:47):
the details of this, what wasjust kind of your general
feeling when you, when you hadthis happen and you know where,
where your mindset went, andmaybe what might have helped
prepare you, or was thereanything that helped prepare you
?
But what would you say topeople who might be going
(17:11):
through something similar?
Speaker 2 (17:13):
Right?
Well, as you can imagine, whenyou lose the most significant
person in your life, you areoverwhelmed.
The first feeling is shock.
I mean, everybody goes throughthat one day, I would imagine.
I was shocked, I was terrified.
(17:34):
As a father, my first thoughtwas my children.
How am I going to do thiswithout their mother?
Was my children?
How am I going to do thiswithout their mother?
And you know.
And then, putting my feelingsin there, I almost felt selfish,
putting my feelings ahead of mykids.
But I just, I just missed mywife tremendously for the first
part and so.
(17:56):
But I did have some comfort inthe fact that I was prepared.
You know, I I was teacher, so Icould teach my kids.
I knew how to deal with kids.
I was a Spanish teacher, so Icould teach them Spanish at the
very least.
But I knew I was going to getthrough it.
I didn't know how, and that wasthe scary thing.
(18:18):
So my first instinct and if youremember this was January of
2020, and less than a monthlater, by March 15th, march 13th
, we were in COVID shutdown.
So not only was that I lost mywife, but then I lost the
ability to be around people andwe were on complete lockdown and
(18:39):
the kids got sick, I got sick.
So there was some, there wassome pretty hard, hard realities
I had to face and that wasterrifying.
And that's where swimming andkind of came back into my life.
I would swim on occasion.
When Christina died, thatbecame every day and that was
(19:00):
the swimming for me was a hugetherapy.
I did therapy like where youwalk in and you sit down on the
couch and you talk, and I did itfor about three or four months
and I absolutely hated it.
I couldn't, I couldn't, Icouldn't stand it.
It just wasn't for me.
I'm not I'm not knocking it foranybody else, it just wasn't
for me.
I'm not knocking it for anybodyelse, but for me I just hated
(19:22):
it.
And they shut down every pool.
I had a jacuzzi, a good-sizedjacuzzi, so I tied a string to a
tree and I put a harness aroundmy waist and I got in that pool
every day and I swam for likehalf hour and 45 minutes.
They reopened the pools and bythat time my good buddy, who is
(19:45):
a master's coach at a local poolhere, uh said, come out and
join me.
So I went out and that's when Istarted swimming, uh,
consistently, and I haven'tstopped for the past five years.
Speaker 1 (20:13):
Were your when you got back to your master's group.
Speaker 2 (20:14):
Were you supported by your teammates or how?
How did your?
How did the whole master's kindof reignite after COVID?
For you, diego's a wonderfulguy and I said I don't want to
be with people, I just need toget in the water.
So he said I'll meet you there.
You tell me what time you wantto be there.
I said I'll be there in a halfhour so I would go.
And when it first started, Imean I could go maybe 500 to
1000 yards and it wasn't that Iwas out of shape but my
(20:38):
adrenaline was so high for a fewmonths and just in complete
defense mode.
But I would get in and you know, slowly I kind of started
getting my wind back.
Slowly I started getting my.
You know, I lost the first twoor three months.
I'm about 200 pounds.
(20:59):
You know 198, 195 at times, butI got down to 175.
I lost, I lost a legitimate 20,25 pounds in the first couple
of months.
So I was really thin and I wasjust uh, you know, was that?
Speaker 1 (21:14):
Matt, was that from swimming?
Or was that nervous?
Just nervous eating, noappetite.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
No appetite, no appetite, couldn't you know?
And my adrenaline was justgoing all the time.
I couldn't sleep, I couldn'teat.
I was just always in, you know,survival mode.
Was it like a fight or flightanxiety feeling that you were
having during that time?
Speaker 1 (21:33):
Oh, yeah, yeah, and you got to remember, you know,
we thought COVID was you know,was it like a fight or flight,
anxiety feeling that you werehaving during that time?
Speaker 2 (21:40):
Yeah, yeah, and you got to remember.
You know we were.
We thought COVID was.
You know, now we think of COVIDas being, you know, a strong
cold or a flu, but back theneverybody was, we thought
everybody was going to die.
And my kids got it and I couldget my son's temperature down
for about four days.
He was at 103, 104.
And I was convinced.
You know, I just lost my wifeand you know what else, what
(22:03):
else is going to happen.
You know so I was, I was, uh,it was a hard time.
Speaker 1 (22:10):
What else did you rely on, matt?
Um, besides the swimming andthe counseling, um, I'm sure
there were multifaceted thingsthat you did to get going.
And, matt, I'm going to ask youto stop your video, for
whatever reason, my videostopped the bandwidth.
(22:32):
We're just I'm glitchingsometimes on what you're saying
and it's just.
You know, I want to make surewe get every word.
So if you just stop your video,you know we've got enough a
video to promote if we need it.
But you know, I know you'rethere, you know I'm here.
Speaker 2 (22:49):
And I think.
Speaker 1 (22:50):
I think it'll probably give us better sign
sound.
So let's try this again.
We're so.
Besides swimming and going totherapy, what other ways did you
cope with this?
You know loss, the grief, theCOVID taking care of your kids.
You know your appetite there.
(23:10):
Just there has to be a list ofthings that you did to kind of
resurrect yourself.
Speaker 2 (23:16):
Right, right.
Well, the first thing is I madea list of the things that I
needed to do and I prioritizedmy life and the most important
thing was I needed to be a goodfather and that kind of
motivation.
You know, when you look in yourchildren's eyes and you see
just the pain and the grief thatthey're going through, you
(23:36):
realize quick that you know youneed to have some strength and I
needed to get myself together.
So my kids were my majormotivation.
My second thing was my music.
I started writing music again.
I got back in the studio and wewere shut down.
You know, we stopped playing.
Kids were on Zoom for school,but I knew that it was going to
(23:58):
come back and when it came backI wanted to be ready.
So I started writing music, Istarted preparing for the next
part of my music career.
So that was that.
That occupied my time.
And then I said I got to get.
I got to get physically fitagain, so swimming.
So those are my three thingsthe children, the music and
swimming, and in that order and,uh, they all.
(24:21):
You know I kept it reallysimple.
When, when tragedy hits you,you realize that life isn't,
doesn't need to be thatcomplicated.
You have to really focus onwhat's important and my health
and my kids and my health,included my ability to play and
perform music.
Speaker 1 (24:41):
Yeah, Were there ever mornings when you didn't want
to get out of bed and you justsaid I just got to keep it
simple and focus on those threethings.
Speaker 2 (24:49):
Kelly, kelly, every morning I felt that way.
Every morning I felt that way.
It didn't go away.
There are days where I stillfeel that way and you know, I
just want to make it real clearI just adored my wife.
I adored my wife.
(25:10):
She was everything to me and tomy kids and it just doesn't go
away.
But what you have to do is youhave to dig and you have to find
.
That's why the book is calledBittersweet Treasures.
It's like you have to go andyou have to find.
That's why the book is calledBittersweet Treasures.
It's like you have to go andyou have to force yourself to
get up and do that, just likewhen you don't want to jump in
(25:32):
the water.
I swim at night, every night,and it's cold and sometimes it's
raining, and it's 7.30 to 8.30and it's dark and I have to
leave my children with the nannyand I go, but I go not because
I want to go, but because it'sthe right thing to do.
So when you asked, was theredays I wanted to stay in bed?
(25:55):
There's still days I want tostay in bed and it's.
It doesn't just go away, butyou have to force yourself to go
and find.
Find that you know the good inlife, the treasures in life.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
Yeah, you just got to keep going.
Speaker 2 (26:10):
You don't give up.
Speaker 1 (26:11):
Yeah, you don't give up.
Well, so your book actuallyjust came out one week ago,
right March 20th.
Yes, we're recording this onthe 27th, so it's very exciting.
Now, I'm sure, for you to be anauthor, and I'm sure you're
going on a lot of podcasts andtelling your story what?
(26:33):
What is your hope for this book?
Speaker 2 (26:36):
That's a great question.
You know I want to.
Really I wanted an account formy children of what it was like
during these five years and Iwanted them to see not only how
much their mother loved them andhow much I love them, but just
you know what my life was likeprior to meeting their mother
and the things that made me whoI am.
(26:58):
You know I'm.
I'm getting up there, I'm notyoung anymore and I want my kids
to someday look back and atleast have a documented account
of what life was like.
You know my youngest, she wasthree when she lost her mom and
she doesn't have any back story.
So this is a way number one formy children, for them to have a
(27:19):
back story.
The other part is I would reallylike, like I said, with with
you know, treasures.
You have to go out and you haveto hunt.
I want people to realize thatyou can go through something
tragic, painful, devastating andstill live a beautiful life,
still get up and make life.
(27:40):
You know, life is life, issupposed to be happy.
We are not meant to besuffering all the time.
That's part of life, yes, butin the cracks in between you
have to find the ability to behappy and really it's the simple
things that make us happy yourkids, friends, smiles, being
(28:01):
able to relate with people,finding satisfaction in your job
and in your work, and thosethings, those things are
important.
Speaker 1 (28:12):
What are your thoughts on that?
When we suffer deeply, wesometimes can have joy, you know
, in the same amount.
You know in the same amountthat when we do suffer, it makes
us appreciate joy a little bitmore.
Speaker 2 (28:28):
I think, yeah, I would agree with that 100%.
My my big issue when I feel joyis allowing myself to not feel
guilty that I'm here and my wifeisn't, and that's a constant.
So, for example, my daughtershe plays water polo.
(28:49):
She got a scholarship to playwater polo at Indiana University
.
She's a really good water poloplayer.
She's at one of the strongestprograms here in Southern
California and next year she'sgot one more year of high school
and then the following yearshe'll be playing water polo in
Indiana.
She's had a tremendous amountof success.
(29:10):
She was athlete of the year,she was, you know, a junior
Olympic MVP last year, lastsummer up in Stanford.
She's had tremendous amount ofsuccess and I've just felt so
much happiness but that'speppered with this sadness and
this in this feeling of just,you know, regret that my wife
(29:32):
can't be here.
So I have to learn to be able tolet it be okay that I can feel
that sadness and then it'd beokay that I can still feel happy
.
You know, and that's and that'sokay, and I can still feel
happy, you know and that's andthat's okay, and it's the same
thing with you know, there's apart of the book which says I
wrote a letter to my wife and Isay at this point I have to let
(29:53):
you go and I have to learn tolove again, because love, like
life, is for the living.
And you know you have to acceptthat we only have a little bit
of time here and you have totake every day as a gift.
And in life, life, there's agreat saying life is for the
living and I intend to live.
(30:16):
You know, I made the choicethat I want to live, I want to
be happy and I want all thethings that are associated with
with love and life and beinghappy.
Speaker 1 (30:27):
Oh, yeah, I love that .
That's beautiful, that'sbeautiful.
So, um, before I ask you thelast question that I always ask,
the second to last question um,do you have any?
You like to compete?
Do you have any goals for yourswimming, your master's
competitive swimming?
Are we ever going to see you ina meet?
Speaker 2 (30:51):
My coach keeps asking me because I can still.
I can still bust out a prettygood time in a 50 or 100 back.
You know I, you know he's askedme to come out and compete,
usually on the days that themeets, that we've had meets.
I usually am am working.
You know my, my schedule withmy work schedule with with the
band is it's pretty crazy.
I play, performing over 150shows a year.
(31:14):
I'm on the road a lot with agreat producer named david
foster.
I don't know if you know who heis, um, but I go on the road
with him on occasion and I'm outof town.
You know I perform in a lot ofdifferent states and so if
there's a meet where I'm notworking, I will be there and I'm
looking forward to getting backinto competition.
We do compete with ourselves atpractice.
(31:36):
Um, I can still.
I can still get pretty fast inthe hunter free and the hunter
back, but, um, to me it more Iwant to be on stage and be able
to sing and not have, you know,fatigue and that's in the
swimming is the really the onlything that allows me to keep my
lung capacity and keep my windand I'm so.
(31:56):
You know there's nothing thatthat's.
That's better for you thanswimming, especially if you're a
singer like I am.
Speaker 1 (32:04):
Yeah, and you've chosen to um activities that you
can do, you know, into yournineties or a hundred.
I mean, we've got singers thatyou know stay out there and rock
the house until they're it's sofunny you say that last night I
went and saw Paul Anka.
Speaker 2 (32:19):
member.
Paul Anka.
Speaker 1 (32:20):
Yes, oh my gosh.
Yes, of course.
Speaker 2 (32:23):
I saw him last.
Last night went backstage and Igot to meet him.
My manager brought me backthere and this guy is 83 years
old and he's like a kid jumpingaround.
He says why do I do it?
He goes, I love it, but he saidhe has to stay in shape.
And he gave some great advicebecause he knew I was a singer.
And he said just keepphysically fit, it'll change
(32:46):
your life.
I said oh, paul, don't I know?
Speaker 1 (32:50):
Oh, that's beautiful.
Yeah, I mean, I know, you know,the late Tina Turner rocked it
for so long and Elton John isstill out there producing new
music and you know, there I'msure there are many, many more
that we can't even, you know,think of right now.
But yeah, and certainlyswimming, we know we've got the
elders in the sport that arestill doing great.
So well, that's wonderful.
(33:11):
Well, we hope that you know.
Before I ask you the lastquestion, you know your book
Bittersweet Treasures A Father'sJourney Through Loss and
Healing, which is published bythe CG Sports Company publishing
arm of the CG Sports Company.
So that's out and available,and can they get that on on
(33:33):
Amazon, I would imagine, oranywhere?
Speaker 2 (33:35):
Yes, they can get it under Amazon.
Just look up bittersweettreasures bittersweet treasures.
Speaker 1 (33:41):
And so the very last question before we go into a fun
sprint around, which are a fewone, one word answers that I'm
looking for?
Is there anything that I havenot asked you that you would
like to share with us?
Speaker 2 (33:55):
No, I think you've hit all the bullet points.
Get the book out there.
We want, we want everybody toread it.
The band is Tijuana Dogs.
We're a big band here in OrangeCounty.
If we're around, check us.
Check out our Instagram MattMouser Instagram or Facebook,
and other than that, you know,just stay in the water.
Speaker 1 (34:14):
Keep on swimming, and the proceeds from your book are
going to benefit your wife'sthe Christina Maurer Foundation
to provide scholarships to youngfemale athletes If.
Speaker 2 (34:26):
I could talk about that.
Yes, my wife, she loved helpingyoung women, all the girls on
her team.
A lot of them have gone on toplay in basketball very high.
They're playing in college now.
But the foundation, we've givenaway scholarships over the past
four years for young women thatwant to pursue their career in
(34:47):
athletics that might not havethe means to play.
So we've given away probably$100,000, over $100,000 in
scholarships over the past fouryears.
The Christina Mauser Foundationand 100% of the proceeds from
the book go to the foundation.
Speaker 1 (35:05):
Oh, that is awesome.
That's awesome.
Definitely going to check thatout and make a donation.
So, matt, are you ready for thesprinter round of just fun?
Speaker 2 (35:13):
questions.
Okay, let's go.
Speaker 1 (35:15):
Here we go, favorite sandwich.
Speaker 2 (35:20):
Peanut butter and jelly.
Speaker 1 (35:22):
Oh, I love it.
You know, I don't think anyonesaid that that is so great, um
wonderful, okay.
So what do you own that youshould throw out?
Speaker 2 (35:33):
Uh, too many children's, uh Barbie sets.
Speaker 1 (35:36):
Herbie sets Scariest animal to you.
Speaker 2 (35:39):
Scariest animal?
Uh, I used to swim the pier andI was always terrified of a
great white shark.
Speaker 1 (35:51):
Okay, what celebrity would you like to meet?
Kevin Costner Hardest swimmingevent in the pool 400 IM.
Favorite movie.
Speaker 2 (36:03):
Shawshank Redemption.
Favorite smell Ginger.
Speaker 1 (36:08):
Do you make your bed every morning?
Speaker 2 (36:11):
I do.
If I don't, the nanny makes it.
Speaker 1 (36:14):
Okay, kickboard or no kickboard?
Speaker 2 (36:17):
Never kickboard Backstroke, always on my back.
Speaker 1 (36:21):
If you had to listen to one song for the rest of your
life, what would it be?
Speaker 2 (36:26):
Don't worry about me by Frank Sinatra.
Don't worry about me.
Speaker 1 (36:31):
I love it, aisle or window.
Speaker 2 (36:34):
Window.
Speaker 1 (36:36):
Describe your life in five words.
Speaker 2 (36:41):
Connect the dots in retrospect Shoot.
I don't even know if that's agood one.
I I wouldn't.
Unexpectedly not what Iexpected.
Speaker 1 (36:54):
I'll take it.
I'll take it.
Speaker 2 (36:55):
Not what I expected.
Not what I expected.
Okay, Well, that's close, close, Um.
What word comes to mind whenyou dive in the water Cold?
Oh, let me think I freedom.
Speaker 1 (37:14):
Freedom.
I like it.
Oh, I always say I'm home.
Whenever I dive in the water, Isay I'm home, beautiful, all
right.
Well, matt, thanks for beingwith us today.
We really appreciate your uhstory and, uh, just keep on
swimming and singing and thankyou you got it?
Speaker 2 (37:34):
kelly, great podcast.
Where can I where we got it?
Katie says she's got it.
Okay, I want yeah should I askher when it's going to come out?
Any idea when I'm going tobroadcast?
Speaker 1 (37:45):
um, yeah, I'm going to drop it next friday.
So um, yeah, next friday youcan turn your thing on again,
because we're okay, we're goingto stop recording um.
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