Too many people walk through life feeling invisible — like their story doesn’t matter unless it’s polished, perfect, or profitable. But not here. This week on Front Porch Chronicles, elite trainer and former #unlv football player Brad Overand drops the mask and gets real about:
⚡️ Navigating identity beyond athletics
💥 Facing burnout and rebuilding with purpose
🙏 How faith carried him through the fire
If you’ve ever struggled with self-worth, setbacks, or finding your calling—this one’s for you. Pull up a chair. The porch is open.
#FrontPorchChronicles #BradOverand #FaithAndGrit #RealTalk #ChristianPodcast #MentalHealthMatters #faith #grit
⚡️ Navigating identity beyond athletics
💥 Facing burnout and rebuilding with purpose
🙏 How faith carried him through the fire
If you’ve ever struggled with self-worth, setbacks, or finding your calling—this one’s for you. Pull up a chair. The porch is open.
#FrontPorchChronicles #BradOverand #FaithAndGrit #RealTalk #ChristianPodcast #MentalHealthMatters #faith #grit
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
This is the Front Porch Chronicles. I'm your host, Clinton Folchet,
and this is where the real ones pull up, the
mask come off, and people tell the raw, real truth.
This show used to just be about fighters, but the
truth is we're all fighting something. So now we're inviting
anybody on the Front Porch who's walked through the fire
(00:25):
and come out refined. Today I'm chopping it up with
somebody who lives that truth daily. Brad Overend is an
elite personal trainer, former UNLV football player, and even bigger
than that, a man of faith. Ladies and gentlemen, Meet
Brad over and thank you brother so much for coming on.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Thanks thanks for having me on so much. I appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
I look back to when we met and like it
was just so organic and faith based.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
So I'm really excited that you reached out to have
me on your show.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
From the first time I met, you knew you have
this or in energy about you about you could just
feel the positivity, and so I'm super stoked to have
you own. Let me ask you this, taking it back
before faith really clicked in, back to your football days,
back to your younger days, what was it then that
(01:20):
motivating you did was it proving yourself? Like what what
did you what do you feel like was your motivating?
Speaker 3 (01:26):
You know, to be honest, I was a late bloomer.
I never keep it, keep it to the point. But
there's such a depth to the story. But like my childhood,
I didn't really like both parents were very involved in
loving towards me, but as far as like structure of like, hey,
you need to go do this. My mom was in
the hospital a lot and my dad didn't know they
(01:47):
they're split with me growing up since I was two,
So like not a lot of stuff was translated, Like
how lacking of structure my my upbringing was. By the
time I got to like, I really started growing in
my body. I'm in six five to fifty right now,
but in coming into seventh grade, I hit six foot
(02:08):
so as a big body, and my dad had always
like growing up we played catch and he kind of
primed me to be a tight end, but I never
did like speed training or anything. So I thought I
had hands, and so I thought I wanted to play football,
But looking back, I was so soft, like I had
no vision of like college, and by sophomore year, I
would say it was like survival or I knew I was.
(02:30):
I'd always been told like, this kid's big, so there's
kind of this. I didn't have heavy expectation on me
to perform, but when I would, my mom would always
introduce me as a football player inside, like I was
just doing it because I felt like that was the thing,
and that I got.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Into wrestling too and track.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
I didn't really develop an intention for the sport, specifically football.
I would say I didn't really like I wasn't really
wanting to be physical. Tell my junior year of high school,
like I was always a big, big, kind of softy,
and then my junior year things started to and I'd
say it was like, I don't want to say it
was surviving, but I wasn't in thrive mode. So I
definitely like faith was just getting introduced then, but it
(03:08):
was very very like service level at the time.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Yeah, it's it's funny how when it clicks, it finally clicks. Yeah,
but when did you did you really start to find
faith and kind of have that mindset.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
I was long done playing.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
I'll tell you that I got into coaching by that point,
Like I got officially baptized in twenty twenty though, mind
you like I finished college in twenty fourteen, graduated high
school in two thousand and nine. I red shirted at
UNLB and then I played. So I read shirted and
then I played four years a letter for three. Was
(03:49):
never in like the starting lineup for the offensive line.
I was always a special teams guy, but I was
like the sixth man. So I played tackle both sides,
guard both sides, but all those I was a huge
waight room guy.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
I was like con for power, one of the strongest
guys on the team.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
There's like two DB's and then me, I did I
did the things, you know, I just yeah, I didn't
delegate enough time to film. But faith wise, like that
didn't really fully. I had some Christian introductions in high
school and then I was involved a little bit with
FCA in college, but I didn't get baptized and like
really like crack a Bible by myself until twenty twenty.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
Yeah, So I like you when you said, like Bloomery
had been through a lot of stuff, and so for
a long time, you know, I wondered why me, God, Why?
And I felt like going to church. If I go
to church and people find out the things that I've
been through They're gonna think I'm weird or I'm going
to be condemned or whatever. But it was like one
(04:50):
of those things that sometimes you have to go through
journeys to understand the full emphasis and you know, and
fully dive in to faith and not just the surface
level like I'm a Christian. A lot of people say that,
a lot of people use that very loosely, but they
don't actually live that life. And with that, we're all
(05:14):
gonna fall short. But it's picking ourselves up and submitting
once again to his faith and knowing that whatever he's
gonna do, he's gonna do, and we just have to
have faith and believe to know it's gonna be something
better for us in the end. You know. So everybody
talks about the highlight reels. You know, we've become a
(05:38):
society where it's kind of one of those things we
talked about is social media and stuff like that. We
have to be on social media and we have to
almost put on this I don't want to say a
front because we're real, but we can't always post everything
on the ground because again, you know, we run business.
(06:00):
So let me ask you what was something in life
that really rocked you, not just physically, but like rocked
you emotionally or spiritually. That's deep, I know, I know.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
Yeah, Well, I'll try to keep it in a nutshell
because there's been layers.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
Unfortunately I learned the hard way.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
I love, I loved all the layers that you feel
comfortable with doing this. This podcast is about you.
Speaker 3 (06:25):
Well, so I graduated college in twenty fourteen, just to
give you a little backstory to like, I never really
was somebody that ever got upset with God or why
are you doing this to me? I had a really
big like imposter syndrome, like looking back, like after spending
time like not just in the word and seeking counsel
at the church, but like going to a lot of
(06:46):
therapy and getting that bridge in between, I still see.
He's a spiritual director now, so he deals with emotional trauma.
So a lot of what we're working on right now
is like kind of like writing your story, like writing
the story leading up to where you're at.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
And I'm gonna.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
Tie this all in because I think like if more
people saw their faith this way, you'd see it's not
about just doing the right thing, but it's unlearning a
lot of trauma and the most traumatic. The most traumatic
event that popped up was when I lost my stepfather
to suicide in twenty fifteen, and leading up to that,
my mom had been in and out of the hospital.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
She's had twelve hip replacements. She just got home from.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
The hospital like a week ago, So it's still it's
been a lifelong battle with that. Like the whole lack
of structure I mentioned earlier, so it was never a
lack of love, but there was a lot of like
habits I developed as a kid, like coping mechanisms of
just I really learned how to lie quickly about.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
Like, oh, yeah, my grades are good. Da da da da.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
I found weed when I was fourteen, started drinking by
the time I was fifteen. Then I was smoking pretty
regularly by the time I was sixteen seventeen and just
living in a lot of delusion. But fast forward you
get to college. I got to college.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
I actually got sober most of my senior year of
high school.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
I was like, Okay, I'm going to go into this swing,
Like I got this opportunity to play football and I
wanted to just be one of the dudes so bad.
I'll never forget coming back from fall camp. I've got
one my one of my buddies on the team. He's like,
yo oh, they they called me big oh, and he
was like he's like you cheap.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
I was like do I Like, I saw this opportunity, dude.
Speaker 3 (08:19):
I went from being sober for six months, like I
completely Like I remember, I was wearing like tight I
shirts to meetings.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
I just wanted to be that guy, you know.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
I wanted to be like Spiccolia and Fast Time as
the originally high like I was like I tried to
embody that because I just was like that's my thing,
you know.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
I wanted to just.
Speaker 3 (08:37):
Fit fast forward, like running from a lot of stuff.
So then twenty fifteen that I would just say, like
even through college, I didn't I didn't really didn't effectively
watching a film. I didn't do like the body work.
So I would show up to the weight room, I'd
lift hard. If this is anything about my character, my
football coach on the third failed drug test, he's like,
(08:59):
over Ran, I want to cut your ass, but I can't.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
He's like, you're early. Your grades aren't great, but they're
not bad.
Speaker 3 (09:07):
It's like you're early, your grades aren't great, but they're
not bad, like they're they're they're better that it's good
for what we need for football. He's like, and you're mean,
like you're a physical player. He's like, why can't you
stop smoking pot? And at the time, I was like, honestly,
coach like, but to me, I don't even feel high
when I smoke, like I it just makes me feel
like one of the guys. And I remember he just
was like he sighed, He's like, god damn it. He's like,
(09:28):
get out, like you're late for film.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
And I didn't get.
Speaker 3 (09:31):
Drug tested anymore, but all that stuff, like well he
did say, can can I have your word?
Speaker 2 (09:37):
Just stop smoking? Unfortunately, like the next day I was smoking.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
We look at like that little brief part of the
windows like I can laugh about it now, but I
was hurting, man, And like, so my mom was in
the hospital a lot. My stepfather, I grew up with him,
he was like a father to me, very close. He
got diagnosed with like a really intensive throat cancer and
it was moving pretty quickly, and my mom's health wasn't
that good, and he started to dec line more mentally,
(10:01):
and there was I remember, like so many times I'd
say I was going to go up to the house
because they lived in Anthem, like in Henderson, and I
was at U and LV and I at this point,
I was done at UNLV, and I was working night
club security and just started like strength coaching for a
gym ount and Henderson and I was just making ends me.
I was working seven days a week and I was
just like, looking back, I was in such pain, emotional trauma.
(10:22):
I was just numbing, numbing, numbing, numbing, like I had
to be high all the time. And I remember as
he got closer he passed away on December second of
twenty fifteen. I'll never forget, like the looking back the
week's leading up to that, there was all these signals
of like this is all gonna make. So he started
to get really dark with what he was saying. I
didn't I didn't even process. And then one I got
(10:42):
the call. I was training a friend of mine and
my mom was like frantic, like Steve shot himself. And
I was like, oh my good like and so I
like with my client, I was like, well, I'll be
up there.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
And I told the client like, oh my god, I
get out of here.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
And so I go up there, and that was like
looking back that was a real just ripped a big.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
Hole in my world, and I didn't really know.
Speaker 3 (11:04):
I had no I could not get sober at that
point because what had happened. They were getting evicted. The
constable was in the house while that was happening. He
went in the back room and decided he didn't want
to be here anymore. And so in that process, there
wasn't really time to process. We had to figure out
like that happened on like a Friday, I want to say,
she still had to have her stuff out by that Monday,
(11:26):
so then the whole weekend, Like my first thought, unfortunately
was like I call my buddy Mac.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
I was like, dude, bring the bag, you know.
Speaker 3 (11:35):
And I was just doing I was just trying to
get by. It's how I knew to get by. Like
if I could smoked, then I could handle things. And
that was like the relationship. So I mean fast forward.
I didn't really start to get sober until I started
to have blips. I'd wake up around twenty eighteen and
I'd be like cleaned for three months, and I'd go
down the rabbit hole with other things. Mind you, I
(11:55):
did nightclub security too, and I but the underlying theme
was like, instead of getting mad at God or mad
at other people, I would just like take everything inward
and like say, what's wrong with me? What's wrong with me?
What's wrong with me? Nowhere was I thinking about praying
or like anything like that.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
I knew God was there. I remember in uh where
he started to show up.
Speaker 3 (12:18):
I remember, I don't know if you're from you gotta
be familiar with the band Corn, Yeah, the lead singer's testimony.
One night, I was watching that on YouTube cause I
was really I was getting really dark at this point,
and I was like I didn't have plans to end
my life, but I was getting like really just like
what's the point of this?
Speaker 2 (12:35):
And was feeling really flat, Like.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
I remember in that moment before I went to work,
like I was, I was taking some shots and I
was I was smoking, and I was like, gee, I
just started talking. I was like, Jesus, you know, I
don't question that you're real. I really don't want to
be here anymore. I don't really see the point, but
I want to be here for my mom. And I
was just kind of like I never had ill will
on anybody, you know what I'm saying, Like I'm not
(12:57):
not really an angry person and but just felt so flat,
Like looking back on it now, it's like two different
people and it's so long ago. I guess how much
he's brought me through now, how much like intensive healing
I've done, like just surrendering in prayer. But I remember
in that moment, it was like twenty seventeen and just
for like a little blip, he showed up. Like it
(13:18):
wasn't I didn't hear an audible voice, but I started
to get flooded with just positive emotions, like all the
people that have invested in me, and there's all the
love that's ever shown up. And that was like the start.
I didn't get sober for a while still, I would
just ebb and flow, ebb and flow. But yeah, I
mean that suicide just really ripped a hole. And actually,
(13:39):
like in twenty sixteen, I want to say, one of
my former teammates he took his life and I was
close with him, and so for a while I wasn't
really like I had such a negative relationship with myself
that I wasn't even like, well, how could somebody do that?
Speaker 2 (13:55):
I was like I get it, you know, like this shit,
this sit sucks, like and when does it stop? Yeah,
only now can I look at that?
Speaker 3 (14:03):
And and just now that I have an appreciation for life,
Like I don't want to say I didn't have an
appreciation then now, but like I'm I got almost to
two years. I had a relapse a few months ago
where I drank one beer in one shot, but other
than that, like it was coming up on two years.
So I still wrestle, but I think that that point
like sorry, I went down the but just like tying
(14:25):
it all together because I think about where I'm at
now versus where I was, and and it's nothing short
of like, yeah, a lot of my habits changed, But
I think the condition of my heart is what God
has been transforming because once I got sober, removed the substance,
then you're dealing with the flesh like the you know,
And you hear this like with people in recovery, like
(14:46):
the substances is the very tip of the iceberg. You
remove that and then you start to learn who you
are all these things in this this darkness of like wow,
you know, because the enemy is very deceptive, and like
I always tell, I tell you, like young athletes, anybody,
really I get a chance to share the Gospel with him, Like, hey,
the way he's shown up in my life, the enemy
(15:06):
I'm talking about, he doesn't show up as like this
dude with horns, not this fiery pit. But it's like
you're these deceptive thoughts where you get like a ninety
percent truth and then the ten percent lie, and that
ten percent is very persuasive. And then like as you
learn about neuroscience, our brain naturally is attracted to crap
like negative negativity.
Speaker 2 (15:27):
And it's really like in the Philippians four.
Speaker 3 (15:30):
Six to eight, anything that's noble, anything that's pure, anything.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
That's just like the apostle.
Speaker 3 (15:35):
Paul's talking to Philippians like, let's folk, like we're literally
biblically called. So it's more than like when I when
I hear gratitude, it takes work, but it's so like
I'll never forget. In twenty twenty where things started to shift.
I was doing doorder or sales and we were told
I was told to do an affirmation card. And when
I wrote down affirmations for myself, I was like, well
that's bullshit, that's bullshit. I was like, you know, I'm
(15:56):
gonna go on the Bible and just write down scripture,
like I don't really believe in thing about myself that
I'm gonna write down, but I'm gonna start saying these
these scriptures in the mirror. And it was like the
basic ones like Philippians four thirteen, I can do all
things through Christ.
Speaker 2 (16:10):
Fesian six twelve.
Speaker 3 (16:12):
We do not fight a battle of flesh and blood,
but a lot it's a scriptual warfare, a lot of principalities.
And two Timothy Chapter one, verse seven to eight. God
did not give me a spirit of fear, but of power, love,
and self discipline. And I would say these in the mirror,
and I started to I started to feel better, but
only in the like just think about twenty twenty to
(16:34):
now it's twenty twenty five.
Speaker 2 (16:35):
It's crazy because.
Speaker 3 (16:36):
What I'm learning now is learning to just sit more,
because it's not about it's not about being up here
or staying down here. It's not really about avoiding the
low or avoiding the high. It's just like experiencing life
and just removing that veil of like the way things
should be versus where they are, and then being grateful
for where they're at. And it just it's just funny
(16:59):
because like the work of recovery never stops, and like
every every legal, every relapse has been a setup for
the comeback. And it's like clarity of like, Okay, what
led me to know what's stacked up? And if I
look at it any point where I've like been sober
and then I go back down, it's because I'm starting
to get this upper trajectory and either I start to
(17:21):
feel like I'm fixed or I mean it's not even
necessarily that I'm like fixed, but you get complacent and
then you kind of like you go back to what's
kind of normal, and I don't want to say easy,
but it's just a reminder like you can be doing
everything right and be spiritually just dry like dead.
Speaker 1 (17:37):
And I think what you said, you hit the knell
on the head with that. I think that whenever the
enemy sees you on an upward trajectory and they know
and they see that you're walking with faith, they plant
those seeds because they want us to be you know,
the enemy wants us to be complacent. He wants us
(17:59):
because if we prosper and we glorify God through that,
that's a fight that he can't win. And so he's
gonna continue to try to pull us down. You know
a lot of people check off religion like it's a ballot,
Like it's a checkbox. For you, it seems deeper. I
(18:20):
can I feel the you walking in that faith. Let
me ask you, what do you think really made that
shift happen and make it more like, Okay, I know
this is what I need to be doing.
Speaker 2 (18:36):
Was there a moment in time just perpetually?
Speaker 3 (18:39):
I mean because I would, like I said, I'd get
sober and blips and then when I would fall out
fall hard, like I mean, we're not talking like at
this point it was past marijuana and like a drink
or yeah, it was like tills how like whatever I
could do to alleviate, and that that would lead to
like me saying stuff I didn't mean into like my family.
(19:02):
I think twenty twenty two is the real wake up
call where when I relapsed then like ultimately led to
me moving out to southern California, got admitted to a
rehab facility against my will, and that was having about
having seven days in there to really reflect and having
a conversation with my dad where he was like, hey,
I love you and I'm always gonna love you, but
(19:23):
I've invested a lot of time, and it's hard for
me to watch you kind of implode and I don't
know what to.
Speaker 2 (19:28):
Do, and I think I might need to distance myself
from you.
Speaker 3 (19:32):
And that was like, you know, like, hey, I'll be
here in emergencies, but I really need to like step
away from you if you can't change, because I can't
watch this, And that.
Speaker 2 (19:42):
Was where it started to that made it very real.
I got motivated.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
I could feel fear and scared when you said it,
I could feel it.
Speaker 3 (19:51):
Yeah yeah, And then like now, if I look at now,
our relationship is better than it's ever been. And like
he asked me about it for advice because like his
trust has been burned at times by people he's invested, like.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
Family, you know, and get hurt.
Speaker 3 (20:07):
Really now, I give all the credit to God for
changing my heart, like like because if I look at
when I was addicted to narcotics, the idea of being sober,
like there's a point in my life where I couldn't
think about like three days in the future.
Speaker 2 (20:20):
And it's crazy because now I'm learning to ask for
more from God.
Speaker 3 (20:24):
Like not like I'm over here self righteous, but like damn,
I haven't dreamed I haven't even dreamed, Like, you know,
I never even did my pro days. Honestly, I never
even did my pro day as an athlete, and like
that internal view of myself was so negative and I
was so disillusioned. Yeah, and now he is he being God,
And like obviously the support of my family has been
(20:47):
I just feel very very motivated to push and let
my life be a testimony and like affirm people, like
to be a platform for man in particular.
Speaker 2 (20:58):
I feel like, you know, arcistciety in general is like
we're all.
Speaker 3 (21:02):
Under this disillusionment and it's we were so many.
Speaker 2 (21:06):
Times I find my I have found.
Speaker 3 (21:08):
Myself in a hurry to go where, like in a
hurry to go nowhere, and realizing like that there's so
much that I think it's it's in Matthew. But God
can take that pain and we'll be stripped of everything
we know and in that that's the refining process. And
I think just staying in a posture of like humility
and just continually because for me, like i haven't been
(21:33):
to an AA meeting in a while, but I'm so
intrinsically driven. To me, I'm so far removed from the
substance like even when I had a relapse in May,
I stopped. I stopped myself at a shot and a
beer and I made it was like damn, like that
was two years like that, and so instead of beating
myself up. Technically it was a relapse, but I didn't
go down the rabbit hole. But I felt that like
(21:55):
that's progress, you know, And I think the most important
part is not identifying myself or anybody listening to this
that like is in some form of recovery. Like what
I've learned is like these points where you start to
bubble up, when you start to you've made progress, and
then you start to look backwards. That's that's the point
where it's just like time to get on your knees
(22:16):
and pray and like literally just stop and ask God
to slow down, because I think that addictive nature.
Speaker 2 (22:23):
I mean now being sober, Like I love working out, I.
Speaker 3 (22:26):
Love doing the steps involved in recovery, but it's so easy,
like you said, to check boxes and forget the posture
of the heart.
Speaker 2 (22:33):
That's really I mean, if when we're believing in Jesus,
like you will transform us.
Speaker 3 (22:38):
But it's a matter of I don't even want to
say God works slow but it's can we adjust our
perspective to see the blessing of what he's doing.
Speaker 2 (22:46):
Yeah, it's it's like colostions. You can see it on
a billboard when you drive to Vegas.
Speaker 3 (22:51):
It literally says prayer changes things, and like it overlaps
with neuroscience, like you'll hear Huberman talking about it, and
like all these people are waking up. And it's it's
the part that our society, especially Western society, like I
love our country so much, but we are.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
So go, go, go, go go, And.
Speaker 3 (23:09):
It's just getting getting to the root, like getting to
the heart condition can only be done by, in my
opinion and my experience, surrendering to Christ and like learning
seeking his words. So it's like, how have I created
a more positive relationship with myself? What's been It's been
a prayer I pray all the time. Is like, help
me to see myself.
Speaker 2 (23:29):
As you see me, and help me to see other
people as you see them.
Speaker 3 (23:32):
Because like I said, once the substance went away, then
it's it's not even like fully sexualizing women, but even
in relationships, I've been like I look, I look and
reflect back, like even though I had the best intention
at times, to care for somebody. I was putting a
lot of pressure on myself, wasn't really hearing them and
all these all this time is just like the more
(23:53):
we surrender that control, then we can step back and
he shows.
Speaker 1 (23:56):
Us the head. That's that's one of the problems. I
think we've become this society where people are so like,
no offense to Dave, but googgins whatever. But people that
are like, you got to push through it, You got
to push through the pain. And I understand that to
(24:17):
a certain extent, like, yeah, you want to push through.
But I think we get these delusional things where we
start believing in trusting in people and what people are
saying to motivate us, and that's not where it needs
to go. It needs to go to God. We need
to be getting on our knees whenever we're stressed. We
(24:39):
don't need somebody telling us just buck up, just because
as men, we're not taught a lot of those things
like being able to voice our like our emotions, being
able to have open and direct conversations, and so what
happens when we're not taught those things For the coping mechanism,
(24:59):
that's the ultimate coping mechanism, which is praying. We start
looking for vices, we start looking for coping mechanisms. I
did the same thing you did, but I can tell
you ninety nine point nine percent of people do the
same thing. Whether they're overlifting, whether they're overdoing physique, whether
they're doing drugs, alcohol, sex, whatever the case may be,
(25:23):
they're looking for coping mechanisms. So that's kind of why
I wanted to do this podcast, is have people own
that talk about things that really matter. Trials and tribulations,
but bigger than that. Men who come in and say, hey,
you know what, I've been through trials and tribulations, but
at the end of the day and doing and being
(25:45):
better and that isn't because somebody told me something. That's
because I get on my knees and praying. God shows
me and that So I felt that in deep on
that one definitely. So you know, you're not just training
bodies with your personal training business, you're building people. When
do you see your purpose showing up in your work?
Speaker 3 (26:11):
I think a big thing of how I take it
into business because I'm really a lot of people have
a negative response towards religion, so I just look at
it like I mean number one, if you read the scripture,
like the religious people of the world are the ones
that crucified Jesus.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
So I read it as a.
Speaker 3 (26:28):
Book of truth, so we can It's very black and white,
and I think a lot of our emotional complexity issues,
like a lot of trauma. So to tie it into training,
what I'm getting at is I help people uncover are
they living in truth with what they say their goal
is or are you deceiving yourself? And it's deeper than
(26:49):
like a big thing. But to get into the scientific
side of it, if you're if you're a box checker
clinton right, Like, if I'm working with you and I've
been working with you for six months, you're getting a
little bit stronger.
Speaker 2 (27:00):
But every time we do every six weeks we do
an MB body scan. We look at your or shift
to people to the dex of scan. It's more accurate.
Speaker 3 (27:07):
But if your muscle mass is not really changing your body,
like you're getting stronger, but we're not gaining what we
could the body fat's not really staying. That tells me
one two things, potentially three things. Diet's not good, sleep's
not good, stress is too high. And to bring it
back to like it's a metaphysical reaction that you know,
(27:30):
like the goal of weightlifting or resistance training is to
elicit a stress response, a positive stress response, or you
get you know, when we lift weights, you're accumulating metabolites.
So then how your body gets stronger, you achieve that
super compensation where we fatigue you in the weight room.
The goal is to lift just enough to trigger that
growth response, so then the next time you lift, you
(27:51):
come back stronger. Then the easy way to track performances
as I'm just talking to people and what's helped.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
And I believe that God works through regardless.
Speaker 3 (28:00):
I think it just it's a lot more simple in
my opinion and my experience when I just centered my
life around Jesus.
Speaker 2 (28:07):
But from if somebody is.
Speaker 3 (28:08):
Not a Christian, it doesn't like hey, like come on,
you said, you gotta go like whatever, you know, it's
that relational ability and I feel like He does He
does the work, but I just and then when I
have people that I've developed relate like I've developed relationship
with all my clients, But then I have the clients
that are like I know, are Christian, I push them
on that level too, Like in between sets like ask him,
(28:29):
you know, hey, you're always in a hurry.
Speaker 2 (28:30):
You're always like coming.
Speaker 3 (28:31):
In like five minutes after the start time, Like why
do you think you're not sleeping at night?
Speaker 2 (28:35):
What's your bedtime routine?
Speaker 3 (28:36):
Oh well, I don't only have one kind of like
answering emails like well, hey, you know, we're called for stillness,
like that's where that's where like not only the spiritual
transformation occurs, but like we need rest, even God, like
in Genesis he created the world in six days and
on the seventh day he rested.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
Now I know Jesus came to abolish that.
Speaker 3 (28:56):
They tried to get on his butt for performing miracles
on the Sabbath, but just you know, to tie it
back into the physiological aspect, like it's all about it
about balance and so like I respect David God because
I love that man. I believe he is a man
of faith. He's He's helped me motivate myself at certain times. Right,
(29:17):
there was a point in my time where I couldn't
get that deep and just having that, like I would
listen to him all day long and just run and
run and run, even though I was like running from issues.
Speaker 2 (29:27):
It kept me moving it kept me so like at
the end of the day, it's just funny like when
when especially my online.
Speaker 3 (29:34):
Training, like we're talking about a ninety day or a
six month goal and I'll post my transformation, I show
like how I made my transformation in two months, And
literally all that change was the lifestyle. I wasn't tracking macros.
I just was running every day, I was lifting, and
I just got tired of my shit. So now that
I like that was one aspect that was the former
athlete of me, just like all right, Brad, you know
(29:56):
what we're going to prove to your dad. We're going
to prove to you that, like, let's not burn that bridge.
I can be accountable. And then there's levels to it,
you know, is in that that self as much as
like there is that intrinsic switch I made there, there's
been times where then I would just run into burnout, burnout, burnout,
And like I think, when we're trying to achieve great things,
(30:16):
like you're gonna get burned out.
Speaker 2 (30:17):
It's it's natural, but it's like, how do you handle that?
How do you respond to that? Yeah? How do you
how do you recharge?
Speaker 3 (30:24):
And for me, it's it's making time for stillness because
I what happens for me, I still experience burnout. Literally
what productivit would be like this, It is climbing, but
then also like the caffeine use goes up a couple
couple extras ins in a day and then you just
boom and then it's it's like seven to ten days
of climb, climb, climb, climb, climb, and then crash. So
(30:44):
it's like, how do we just live in that that plateau?
And it's just checking in with yourself and like I
think it's you know, to to tie that into how
I approach training with everybody, and it's it's I've been
fortunate to be doing this for eleven years and as
a former ath and then just like the spiritual component
is like staying just staying checked in and asking those
(31:05):
questions like what did you eat today?
Speaker 2 (31:07):
But you know, how are we sleeping and literally just
having like a personal connection to the lack thereof like
I can notice it.
Speaker 3 (31:15):
I want a client, you know, like if I know
the previous two sessions, we've hit a certain weight.
Speaker 2 (31:20):
For a certain amount of reps and then all of
a sudden, that way's hard.
Speaker 3 (31:23):
It's like okay, you're fatigued today, or you didn't like okay,
if you slept well, they probably didn't eat enough, probably
didn't need.
Speaker 2 (31:28):
Enough cars prior to the lyft and just breaking that
down and the goal of me, or.
Speaker 3 (31:33):
Like any practitioner is going to be like how do
we improve our client outcomes? Like improve them on that?
And then if somebody is repeatedly hitting a wall. I've
learned as I've grown in my faith, like I removed
the fear. It's like, hey, I love you, but I
think we should take a break if you can't change this,
because otherwise we're gonna sit here and spin our wheels.
And like your time's worth more than that. My time
is worth more than that. Like I don't want to
(31:54):
take your money.
Speaker 2 (31:55):
And I think when you hit it, hit somebody with that,
it just speaks.
Speaker 3 (31:58):
A different volume because it's not like that's not that's
not religion, that's that's just facts. Like it's kind of
like what my dad has told me that I'm saying
it the.
Speaker 1 (32:09):
Way you were saying that. I was the first thing
that popped into my mind when you said that was
what you said about what your dad said to you.
It was like, yeah, you talked about in something that
you kind of said was you had self doubt and
those things. Think for me, I feel like that was
God's way of putting you on the platform that you
(32:30):
are now and putting you to be successful those trials
and tribulations. It's kind of like one of those things
that I always told people. I feel like you and
me get along because we're the same in a lot
of ways. We went through trials and tribulations, and at
the time it felt like pain, it felt like the
(32:51):
end of the world. But I feel like God put
us through certain things to put us to where we
are now so that we can help people change lives.
Speaker 2 (33:01):
Interesting you say that, because.
Speaker 1 (33:02):
It's listening right now, who's tired, who's in the middle,
who's convinced this might be it? What would you tell me?
Speaker 2 (33:11):
Number one? Just a cliche?
Speaker 3 (33:13):
Hang in there, But know that God loves you so
deeply and his story, his version of your life, is
so much better than what you can think of. And
just ask that into your heart, and I bet my
life that he'll show up in your thoughts. And just
to take a deep breath and know that whatever you're
going through is temporary. This life is a vapor everything
(33:34):
that's going on right now. It's like a like in
our car, if the warning lights on, you need maintenance.
So if you're stuck in a habit, you're stuck in
something you feel like you can't change, just something I
love in AA and just super non.
Speaker 2 (33:46):
In it, Like just start praying, like just surrender, admit it,
admit it, admitting it, admitting.
Speaker 3 (33:51):
I'm powerless over whatever is going on in God, You're
so much greater and just can you help me see what.
Speaker 2 (33:58):
What your will is? I do this all the time
every day. Just surrender my will and it just got
to sit.
Speaker 3 (34:05):
In order to listen, you gotta be silent. So it's
like you don't even have to meditate or just don't
be on your phone or just let that. Like if
you're overwhelmed, just know like that's God's God's like calling
to you. He wants you to come home.
Speaker 1 (34:18):
I'm gonna have to go for a run after that, bro,
I felt that. You know what I love about your
story is it reminds us about strength. Not physical strength
because you're a big strong dude, But for me, it's
your strength to keep showing up. It's your grit, your
(34:40):
determination and your willingness to submit to God and use
your trials and tribulations for His will right knowing that
that's our ultimate goal is to lift him and for me,
you get all the respect. A lot of times his
men we say out of boys and pack them on
(35:02):
the back or whatever, but we don't wholeheartedly intentionally tell them.
So I want to tell you I'm very proud of
you and for you for what you're doing. And you
know forever you got a brother in Christ and me,
and if you ever need anything, I'm always here for you. Rain, summer,
(35:23):
it doesn't matter, whatever storm. I'm here. Let the people
know where they can follow you on social media so
they can follow your journey and anybody that wants to
do personal training and nutrition whatever it may be. This
man is legit.
Speaker 3 (35:40):
Thank you so much for that. Yeah, my Instagram, I
have not TikTok. I haven't mastered that one yet, so
I'll just share my Instagram. I haven't mastered Instagram yet.
Just know I know the strength and performance side of things,
so transitioning fully. But my Instagram's brad over and Fit
and b r ad ov are A and D fit
(36:01):
and I.
Speaker 1 (36:02):
Will be dropping it into link and tagging everybody. Guys,
I highly suggest you give this man a ring, a
DM whatever said it you know, and for everybody out there,
I want you to know that tough times are temporary.
It's not about getting knocked down. It's about getting up
(36:26):
and you know Brad's story and shows that you can
do that. That's it for this episode, guys, as always,
keep it real, keep it rooted, and we'll see you
next week on the front porch.
This is the Front Porch Chronicles. I'm your host, Clinton Folchet,
and this is where the real ones pull up, the
mask come off, and people tell the raw, real truth.
This show used to just be about fighters, but the
truth is we're all fighting something. So now we're inviting
anybody on the Front Porch who's walked through the fire
(00:25):
and come out refined. Today I'm chopping it up with
somebody who lives that truth daily. Brad Overend is an
elite personal trainer, former UNLV football player, and even bigger
than that, a man of faith. Ladies and gentlemen, Meet
Brad over and thank you brother so much for coming on.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Thanks thanks for having me on so much. I appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
I look back to when we met and like it
was just so organic and faith based.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
So I'm really excited that you reached out to have
me on your show.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
From the first time I met, you knew you have
this or in energy about you about you could just
feel the positivity, and so I'm super stoked to have
you own. Let me ask you this, taking it back
before faith really clicked in, back to your football days,
back to your younger days, what was it then that
(01:20):
motivating you did was it proving yourself? Like what what
did you what do you feel like was your motivating?
Speaker 3 (01:26):
You know, to be honest, I was a late bloomer.
I never keep it, keep it to the point. But
there's such a depth to the story. But like my childhood,
I didn't really like both parents were very involved in
loving towards me, but as far as like structure of like, hey,
you need to go do this. My mom was in
the hospital a lot and my dad didn't know they
(01:47):
they're split with me growing up since I was two,
So like not a lot of stuff was translated, Like
how lacking of structure my my upbringing was. By the
time I got to like, I really started growing in
my body. I'm in six five to fifty right now,
but in coming into seventh grade, I hit six foot
(02:08):
so as a big body, and my dad had always
like growing up we played catch and he kind of
primed me to be a tight end, but I never
did like speed training or anything. So I thought I
had hands, and so I thought I wanted to play football,
But looking back, I was so soft, like I had
no vision of like college, and by sophomore year, I
would say it was like survival or I knew I was.
(02:30):
I'd always been told like, this kid's big, so there's
kind of this. I didn't have heavy expectation on me
to perform, but when I would, my mom would always
introduce me as a football player inside, like I was
just doing it because I felt like that was the thing,
and that I got.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Into wrestling too and track.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
I didn't really develop an intention for the sport, specifically football.
I would say I didn't really like I wasn't really
wanting to be physical. Tell my junior year of high school,
like I was always a big, big, kind of softy,
and then my junior year things started to and I'd
say it was like, I don't want to say it
was surviving, but I wasn't in thrive mode. So I
definitely like faith was just getting introduced then, but it
(03:08):
was very very like service level at the time.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Yeah, it's it's funny how when it clicks, it finally clicks. Yeah,
but when did you did you really start to find
faith and kind of have that mindset.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
I was long done playing.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
I'll tell you that I got into coaching by that point,
Like I got officially baptized in twenty twenty though, mind
you like I finished college in twenty fourteen, graduated high
school in two thousand and nine. I red shirted at
UNLB and then I played. So I read shirted and
then I played four years a letter for three. Was
(03:49):
never in like the starting lineup for the offensive line.
I was always a special teams guy, but I was
like the sixth man. So I played tackle both sides,
guard both sides, but all those I was a huge
waight room guy.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
I was like con for power, one of the strongest
guys on the team.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
There's like two DB's and then me, I did I
did the things, you know, I just yeah, I didn't
delegate enough time to film. But faith wise, like that
didn't really fully. I had some Christian introductions in high
school and then I was involved a little bit with
FCA in college, but I didn't get baptized and like
really like crack a Bible by myself until twenty twenty.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
Yeah, So I like you when you said, like Bloomery
had been through a lot of stuff, and so for
a long time, you know, I wondered why me, God, Why?
And I felt like going to church. If I go
to church and people find out the things that I've
been through They're gonna think I'm weird or I'm going
to be condemned or whatever. But it was like one
(04:50):
of those things that sometimes you have to go through
journeys to understand the full emphasis and you know, and
fully dive in to faith and not just the surface
level like I'm a Christian. A lot of people say that,
a lot of people use that very loosely, but they
don't actually live that life. And with that, we're all
(05:14):
gonna fall short. But it's picking ourselves up and submitting
once again to his faith and knowing that whatever he's
gonna do, he's gonna do, and we just have to
have faith and believe to know it's gonna be something
better for us in the end. You know. So everybody
talks about the highlight reels. You know, we've become a
(05:38):
society where it's kind of one of those things we
talked about is social media and stuff like that. We
have to be on social media and we have to
almost put on this I don't want to say a
front because we're real, but we can't always post everything
on the ground because again, you know, we run business.
(06:00):
So let me ask you what was something in life
that really rocked you, not just physically, but like rocked
you emotionally or spiritually. That's deep, I know, I know.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
Yeah, Well, I'll try to keep it in a nutshell
because there's been layers.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
Unfortunately I learned the hard way.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
I love, I loved all the layers that you feel
comfortable with doing this. This podcast is about you.
Speaker 3 (06:25):
Well, so I graduated college in twenty fourteen, just to
give you a little backstory to like, I never really
was somebody that ever got upset with God or why
are you doing this to me? I had a really
big like imposter syndrome, like looking back, like after spending
time like not just in the word and seeking counsel
at the church, but like going to a lot of
(06:46):
therapy and getting that bridge in between, I still see.
He's a spiritual director now, so he deals with emotional trauma.
So a lot of what we're working on right now
is like kind of like writing your story, like writing
the story leading up to where you're at.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
And I'm gonna.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
Tie this all in because I think like if more
people saw their faith this way, you'd see it's not
about just doing the right thing, but it's unlearning a
lot of trauma and the most traumatic. The most traumatic
event that popped up was when I lost my stepfather
to suicide in twenty fifteen, and leading up to that,
my mom had been in and out of the hospital.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
She's had twelve hip replacements. She just got home from.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
The hospital like a week ago, So it's still it's
been a lifelong battle with that. Like the whole lack
of structure I mentioned earlier, so it was never a
lack of love, but there was a lot of like
habits I developed as a kid, like coping mechanisms of
just I really learned how to lie quickly about.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
Like, oh, yeah, my grades are good. Da da da da.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
I found weed when I was fourteen, started drinking by
the time I was fifteen. Then I was smoking pretty
regularly by the time I was sixteen seventeen and just
living in a lot of delusion. But fast forward you
get to college. I got to college.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
I actually got sober most of my senior year of
high school.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
I was like, Okay, I'm going to go into this swing,
Like I got this opportunity to play football and I
wanted to just be one of the dudes so bad.
I'll never forget coming back from fall camp. I've got
one my one of my buddies on the team. He's like,
yo oh, they they called me big oh, and he
was like he's like you cheap.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
I was like do I Like, I saw this opportunity, dude.
Speaker 3 (08:19):
I went from being sober for six months, like I
completely Like I remember, I was wearing like tight I
shirts to meetings.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
I just wanted to be that guy, you know.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
I wanted to be like Spiccolia and Fast Time as
the originally high like I was like I tried to
embody that because I just was like that's my thing,
you know.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
I wanted to just.
Speaker 3 (08:37):
Fit fast forward, like running from a lot of stuff.
So then twenty fifteen that I would just say, like
even through college, I didn't I didn't really didn't effectively
watching a film. I didn't do like the body work.
So I would show up to the weight room, I'd
lift hard. If this is anything about my character, my
football coach on the third failed drug test, he's like,
(08:59):
over Ran, I want to cut your ass, but I can't.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
He's like, you're early. Your grades aren't great, but they're
not bad.
Speaker 3 (09:07):
It's like you're early, your grades aren't great, but they're
not bad, like they're they're they're better that it's good
for what we need for football. He's like, and you're mean,
like you're a physical player. He's like, why can't you
stop smoking pot? And at the time, I was like, honestly,
coach like, but to me, I don't even feel high
when I smoke, like I it just makes me feel
like one of the guys. And I remember he just
was like he sighed, He's like, god damn it. He's like,
(09:28):
get out, like you're late for film.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
And I didn't get.
Speaker 3 (09:31):
Drug tested anymore, but all that stuff, like well he
did say, can can I have your word?
Speaker 2 (09:37):
Just stop smoking? Unfortunately, like the next day I was smoking.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
We look at like that little brief part of the
windows like I can laugh about it now, but I
was hurting, man, And like, so my mom was in
the hospital a lot. My stepfather, I grew up with him,
he was like a father to me, very close. He
got diagnosed with like a really intensive throat cancer and
it was moving pretty quickly, and my mom's health wasn't
that good, and he started to dec line more mentally,
(10:01):
and there was I remember, like so many times I'd
say I was going to go up to the house
because they lived in Anthem, like in Henderson, and I
was at U and LV and I at this point,
I was done at UNLV, and I was working night
club security and just started like strength coaching for a
gym ount and Henderson and I was just making ends me.
I was working seven days a week and I was
just like, looking back, I was in such pain, emotional trauma.
(10:22):
I was just numbing, numbing, numbing, numbing, like I had
to be high all the time. And I remember as
he got closer he passed away on December second of
twenty fifteen. I'll never forget, like the looking back the
week's leading up to that, there was all these signals
of like this is all gonna make. So he started
to get really dark with what he was saying. I
didn't I didn't even process. And then one I got
(10:42):
the call. I was training a friend of mine and
my mom was like frantic, like Steve shot himself. And
I was like, oh my good like and so I
like with my client, I was like, well, I'll be
up there.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
And I told the client like, oh my god, I
get out of here.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
And so I go up there, and that was like
looking back that was a real just ripped a big.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
Hole in my world, and I didn't really know.
Speaker 3 (11:04):
I had no I could not get sober at that
point because what had happened. They were getting evicted. The
constable was in the house while that was happening. He
went in the back room and decided he didn't want
to be here anymore. And so in that process, there
wasn't really time to process. We had to figure out
like that happened on like a Friday, I want to say,
she still had to have her stuff out by that Monday,
(11:26):
so then the whole weekend, Like my first thought, unfortunately
was like I call my buddy Mac.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
I was like, dude, bring the bag, you know.
Speaker 3 (11:35):
And I was just doing I was just trying to
get by. It's how I knew to get by. Like
if I could smoked, then I could handle things. And
that was like the relationship. So I mean fast forward.
I didn't really start to get sober until I started
to have blips. I'd wake up around twenty eighteen and
I'd be like cleaned for three months, and I'd go
down the rabbit hole with other things. Mind you, I
(11:55):
did nightclub security too, and I but the underlying theme
was like, instead of getting mad at God or mad
at other people, I would just like take everything inward
and like say, what's wrong with me? What's wrong with me?
What's wrong with me? Nowhere was I thinking about praying
or like anything like that.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
I knew God was there. I remember in uh where
he started to show up.
Speaker 3 (12:18):
I remember, I don't know if you're from you gotta
be familiar with the band Corn, Yeah, the lead singer's testimony.
One night, I was watching that on YouTube cause I
was really I was getting really dark at this point,
and I was like I didn't have plans to end
my life, but I was getting like really just like
what's the point of this?
Speaker 2 (12:35):
And was feeling really flat, Like.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
I remember in that moment before I went to work,
like I was, I was taking some shots and I
was I was smoking, and I was like, gee, I
just started talking. I was like, Jesus, you know, I
don't question that you're real. I really don't want to
be here anymore. I don't really see the point, but
I want to be here for my mom. And I
was just kind of like I never had ill will
on anybody, you know what I'm saying, Like I'm not
(12:57):
not really an angry person and but just felt so flat,
Like looking back on it now, it's like two different
people and it's so long ago. I guess how much
he's brought me through now, how much like intensive healing
I've done, like just surrendering in prayer. But I remember
in that moment, it was like twenty seventeen and just
for like a little blip, he showed up. Like it
(13:18):
wasn't I didn't hear an audible voice, but I started
to get flooded with just positive emotions, like all the
people that have invested in me, and there's all the
love that's ever shown up. And that was like the start.
I didn't get sober for a while still, I would
just ebb and flow, ebb and flow. But yeah, I
mean that suicide just really ripped a hole. And actually,
(13:39):
like in twenty sixteen, I want to say, one of
my former teammates he took his life and I was
close with him, and so for a while I wasn't
really like I had such a negative relationship with myself
that I wasn't even like, well, how could somebody do that?
Speaker 2 (13:55):
I was like I get it, you know, like this shit,
this sit sucks, like and when does it stop? Yeah,
only now can I look at that?
Speaker 3 (14:03):
And and just now that I have an appreciation for life,
Like I don't want to say I didn't have an
appreciation then now, but like I'm I got almost to
two years. I had a relapse a few months ago
where I drank one beer in one shot, but other
than that, like it was coming up on two years.
So I still wrestle, but I think that that point
like sorry, I went down the but just like tying
(14:25):
it all together because I think about where I'm at
now versus where I was, and and it's nothing short
of like, yeah, a lot of my habits changed, But
I think the condition of my heart is what God
has been transforming because once I got sober, removed the substance,
then you're dealing with the flesh like the you know,
And you hear this like with people in recovery, like
(14:46):
the substances is the very tip of the iceberg. You
remove that and then you start to learn who you
are all these things in this this darkness of like wow,
you know, because the enemy is very deceptive, and like
I always tell, I tell you, like young athletes, anybody,
really I get a chance to share the Gospel with him, Like, hey,
the way he's shown up in my life, the enemy
(15:06):
I'm talking about, he doesn't show up as like this
dude with horns, not this fiery pit. But it's like
you're these deceptive thoughts where you get like a ninety
percent truth and then the ten percent lie, and that
ten percent is very persuasive. And then like as you
learn about neuroscience, our brain naturally is attracted to crap
like negative negativity.
Speaker 2 (15:27):
And it's really like in the Philippians four.
Speaker 3 (15:30):
Six to eight, anything that's noble, anything that's pure, anything.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
That's just like the apostle.
Speaker 3 (15:35):
Paul's talking to Philippians like, let's folk, like we're literally
biblically called. So it's more than like when I when
I hear gratitude, it takes work, but it's so like
I'll never forget. In twenty twenty where things started to shift.
I was doing doorder or sales and we were told
I was told to do an affirmation card. And when
I wrote down affirmations for myself, I was like, well
that's bullshit, that's bullshit. I was like, you know, I'm
(15:56):
gonna go on the Bible and just write down scripture,
like I don't really believe in thing about myself that
I'm gonna write down, but I'm gonna start saying these
these scriptures in the mirror. And it was like the
basic ones like Philippians four thirteen, I can do all
things through Christ.
Speaker 2 (16:10):
Fesian six twelve.
Speaker 3 (16:12):
We do not fight a battle of flesh and blood,
but a lot it's a scriptual warfare, a lot of principalities.
And two Timothy Chapter one, verse seven to eight. God
did not give me a spirit of fear, but of power, love,
and self discipline. And I would say these in the mirror,
and I started to I started to feel better, but
only in the like just think about twenty twenty to
(16:34):
now it's twenty twenty five.
Speaker 2 (16:35):
It's crazy because.
Speaker 3 (16:36):
What I'm learning now is learning to just sit more,
because it's not about it's not about being up here
or staying down here. It's not really about avoiding the
low or avoiding the high. It's just like experiencing life
and just removing that veil of like the way things
should be versus where they are, and then being grateful
for where they're at. And it just it's just funny
(16:59):
because like the work of recovery never stops, and like
every every legal, every relapse has been a setup for
the comeback. And it's like clarity of like, Okay, what
led me to know what's stacked up? And if I
look at it any point where I've like been sober
and then I go back down, it's because I'm starting
to get this upper trajectory and either I start to
(17:21):
feel like I'm fixed or I mean it's not even
necessarily that I'm like fixed, but you get complacent and
then you kind of like you go back to what's
kind of normal, and I don't want to say easy,
but it's just a reminder like you can be doing
everything right and be spiritually just dry like dead.
Speaker 1 (17:37):
And I think what you said, you hit the knell
on the head with that. I think that whenever the
enemy sees you on an upward trajectory and they know
and they see that you're walking with faith, they plant
those seeds because they want us to be you know,
the enemy wants us to be complacent. He wants us
(17:59):
because if we prosper and we glorify God through that,
that's a fight that he can't win. And so he's
gonna continue to try to pull us down. You know
a lot of people check off religion like it's a ballot,
Like it's a checkbox. For you, it seems deeper. I
(18:20):
can I feel the you walking in that faith. Let
me ask you, what do you think really made that
shift happen and make it more like, Okay, I know
this is what I need to be doing.
Speaker 2 (18:36):
Was there a moment in time just perpetually?
Speaker 3 (18:39):
I mean because I would, like I said, I'd get
sober and blips and then when I would fall out
fall hard, like I mean, we're not talking like at
this point it was past marijuana and like a drink
or yeah, it was like tills how like whatever I
could do to alleviate, and that that would lead to
like me saying stuff I didn't mean into like my family.
(19:02):
I think twenty twenty two is the real wake up
call where when I relapsed then like ultimately led to
me moving out to southern California, got admitted to a
rehab facility against my will, and that was having about
having seven days in there to really reflect and having
a conversation with my dad where he was like, hey,
I love you and I'm always gonna love you, but
(19:23):
I've invested a lot of time, and it's hard for
me to watch you kind of implode and I don't
know what to.
Speaker 2 (19:28):
Do, and I think I might need to distance myself
from you.
Speaker 3 (19:32):
And that was like, you know, like, hey, I'll be
here in emergencies, but I really need to like step
away from you if you can't change, because I can't
watch this, And that.
Speaker 2 (19:42):
Was where it started to that made it very real.
I got motivated.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
I could feel fear and scared when you said it,
I could feel it.
Speaker 3 (19:51):
Yeah yeah, And then like now, if I look at now,
our relationship is better than it's ever been. And like
he asked me about it for advice because like his
trust has been burned at times by people he's invested, like.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
Family, you know, and get hurt.
Speaker 3 (20:07):
Really now, I give all the credit to God for
changing my heart, like like because if I look at
when I was addicted to narcotics, the idea of being sober,
like there's a point in my life where I couldn't
think about like three days in the future.
Speaker 2 (20:20):
And it's crazy because now I'm learning to ask for
more from God.
Speaker 3 (20:24):
Like not like I'm over here self righteous, but like damn,
I haven't dreamed I haven't even dreamed, Like, you know,
I never even did my pro days. Honestly, I never
even did my pro day as an athlete, and like
that internal view of myself was so negative and I
was so disillusioned. Yeah, and now he is he being God,
And like obviously the support of my family has been
(20:47):
I just feel very very motivated to push and let
my life be a testimony and like affirm people, like
to be a platform for man in particular.
Speaker 2 (20:58):
I feel like, you know, arcistciety in general is like
we're all.
Speaker 3 (21:02):
Under this disillusionment and it's we were so many.
Speaker 2 (21:06):
Times I find my I have found.
Speaker 3 (21:08):
Myself in a hurry to go where, like in a
hurry to go nowhere, and realizing like that there's so
much that I think it's it's in Matthew. But God
can take that pain and we'll be stripped of everything
we know and in that that's the refining process. And
I think just staying in a posture of like humility
and just continually because for me, like i haven't been
(21:33):
to an AA meeting in a while, but I'm so
intrinsically driven. To me, I'm so far removed from the
substance like even when I had a relapse in May,
I stopped. I stopped myself at a shot and a
beer and I made it was like damn, like that
was two years like that, and so instead of beating
myself up. Technically it was a relapse, but I didn't
go down the rabbit hole. But I felt that like
(21:55):
that's progress, you know, And I think the most important
part is not identifying myself or anybody listening to this
that like is in some form of recovery. Like what
I've learned is like these points where you start to
bubble up, when you start to you've made progress, and
then you start to look backwards. That's that's the point
where it's just like time to get on your knees
(22:16):
and pray and like literally just stop and ask God
to slow down, because I think that addictive nature.
Speaker 2 (22:23):
I mean now being sober, Like I love working out, I.
Speaker 3 (22:26):
Love doing the steps involved in recovery, but it's so easy,
like you said, to check boxes and forget the posture
of the heart.
Speaker 2 (22:33):
That's really I mean, if when we're believing in Jesus,
like you will transform us.
Speaker 3 (22:38):
But it's a matter of I don't even want to
say God works slow but it's can we adjust our
perspective to see the blessing of what he's doing.
Speaker 2 (22:46):
Yeah, it's it's like colostions. You can see it on
a billboard when you drive to Vegas.
Speaker 3 (22:51):
It literally says prayer changes things, and like it overlaps
with neuroscience, like you'll hear Huberman talking about it, and
like all these people are waking up. And it's it's
the part that our society, especially Western society, like I
love our country so much, but we are.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
So go, go, go, go go, And.
Speaker 3 (23:09):
It's just getting getting to the root, like getting to
the heart condition can only be done by, in my
opinion and my experience, surrendering to Christ and like learning
seeking his words. So it's like, how have I created
a more positive relationship with myself? What's been It's been
a prayer I pray all the time. Is like, help
me to see myself.
Speaker 2 (23:29):
As you see me, and help me to see other
people as you see them.
Speaker 3 (23:32):
Because like I said, once the substance went away, then
it's it's not even like fully sexualizing women, but even
in relationships, I've been like I look, I look and
reflect back, like even though I had the best intention
at times, to care for somebody. I was putting a
lot of pressure on myself, wasn't really hearing them and
all these all this time is just like the more
(23:53):
we surrender that control, then we can step back and
he shows.
Speaker 1 (23:56):
Us the head. That's that's one of the problems. I
think we've become this society where people are so like,
no offense to Dave, but googgins whatever. But people that
are like, you got to push through it, You got
to push through the pain. And I understand that to
(24:17):
a certain extent, like, yeah, you want to push through.
But I think we get these delusional things where we
start believing in trusting in people and what people are
saying to motivate us, and that's not where it needs
to go. It needs to go to God. We need
to be getting on our knees whenever we're stressed. We
(24:39):
don't need somebody telling us just buck up, just because
as men, we're not taught a lot of those things
like being able to voice our like our emotions, being
able to have open and direct conversations, and so what
happens when we're not taught those things For the coping mechanism,
(24:59):
that's the ultimate coping mechanism, which is praying. We start
looking for vices, we start looking for coping mechanisms. I
did the same thing you did, but I can tell
you ninety nine point nine percent of people do the
same thing. Whether they're overlifting, whether they're overdoing physique, whether
they're doing drugs, alcohol, sex, whatever the case may be,
(25:23):
they're looking for coping mechanisms. So that's kind of why
I wanted to do this podcast, is have people own
that talk about things that really matter. Trials and tribulations,
but bigger than that. Men who come in and say, hey,
you know what, I've been through trials and tribulations, but
at the end of the day and doing and being
(25:45):
better and that isn't because somebody told me something. That's
because I get on my knees and praying. God shows
me and that So I felt that in deep on
that one definitely. So you know, you're not just training
bodies with your personal training business, you're building people. When
do you see your purpose showing up in your work?
Speaker 3 (26:11):
I think a big thing of how I take it
into business because I'm really a lot of people have
a negative response towards religion, so I just look at
it like I mean number one, if you read the scripture,
like the religious people of the world are the ones
that crucified Jesus.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
So I read it as a.
Speaker 3 (26:28):
Book of truth, so we can It's very black and white,
and I think a lot of our emotional complexity issues,
like a lot of trauma. So to tie it into training,
what I'm getting at is I help people uncover are
they living in truth with what they say their goal
is or are you deceiving yourself? And it's deeper than
(26:49):
like a big thing. But to get into the scientific
side of it, if you're if you're a box checker
clinton right, Like, if I'm working with you and I've
been working with you for six months, you're getting a
little bit stronger.
Speaker 2 (27:00):
But every time we do every six weeks we do
an MB body scan. We look at your or shift
to people to the dex of scan. It's more accurate.
Speaker 3 (27:07):
But if your muscle mass is not really changing your body,
like you're getting stronger, but we're not gaining what we
could the body fat's not really staying. That tells me
one two things, potentially three things. Diet's not good, sleep's
not good, stress is too high. And to bring it
back to like it's a metaphysical reaction that you know,
(27:30):
like the goal of weightlifting or resistance training is to
elicit a stress response, a positive stress response, or you
get you know, when we lift weights, you're accumulating metabolites.
So then how your body gets stronger, you achieve that
super compensation where we fatigue you in the weight room.
The goal is to lift just enough to trigger that
growth response, so then the next time you lift, you
(27:51):
come back stronger. Then the easy way to track performances
as I'm just talking to people and what's helped.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
And I believe that God works through regardless.
Speaker 3 (28:00):
I think it just it's a lot more simple in
my opinion and my experience when I just centered my
life around Jesus.
Speaker 2 (28:07):
But from if somebody is.
Speaker 3 (28:08):
Not a Christian, it doesn't like hey, like come on,
you said, you gotta go like whatever, you know, it's
that relational ability and I feel like He does He
does the work, but I just and then when I
have people that I've developed relate like I've developed relationship
with all my clients, But then I have the clients
that are like I know, are Christian, I push them
on that level too, Like in between sets like ask him,
(28:29):
you know, hey, you're always in a hurry.
Speaker 2 (28:30):
You're always like coming.
Speaker 3 (28:31):
In like five minutes after the start time, Like why
do you think you're not sleeping at night?
Speaker 2 (28:35):
What's your bedtime routine?
Speaker 3 (28:36):
Oh well, I don't only have one kind of like
answering emails like well, hey, you know, we're called for stillness,
like that's where that's where like not only the spiritual
transformation occurs, but like we need rest, even God, like
in Genesis he created the world in six days and
on the seventh day he rested.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
Now I know Jesus came to abolish that.
Speaker 3 (28:56):
They tried to get on his butt for performing miracles
on the Sabbath, but just you know, to tie it
back into the physiological aspect, like it's all about it
about balance and so like I respect David God because
I love that man. I believe he is a man
of faith. He's He's helped me motivate myself at certain times. Right,
(29:17):
there was a point in my time where I couldn't
get that deep and just having that, like I would
listen to him all day long and just run and
run and run, even though I was like running from issues.
Speaker 2 (29:27):
It kept me moving it kept me so like at
the end of the day, it's just funny like when
when especially my online.
Speaker 3 (29:34):
Training, like we're talking about a ninety day or a
six month goal and I'll post my transformation, I show
like how I made my transformation in two months, And
literally all that change was the lifestyle. I wasn't tracking macros.
I just was running every day, I was lifting, and
I just got tired of my shit. So now that
I like that was one aspect that was the former
athlete of me, just like all right, Brad, you know
(29:56):
what we're going to prove to your dad. We're going
to prove to you that, like, let's not burn that bridge.
I can be accountable. And then there's levels to it,
you know, is in that that self as much as
like there is that intrinsic switch I made there, there's
been times where then I would just run into burnout, burnout, burnout,
And like I think, when we're trying to achieve great things,
(30:16):
like you're gonna get burned out.
Speaker 2 (30:17):
It's it's natural, but it's like, how do you handle that?
How do you respond to that? Yeah? How do you
how do you recharge?
Speaker 3 (30:24):
And for me, it's it's making time for stillness because
I what happens for me, I still experience burnout. Literally
what productivit would be like this, It is climbing, but
then also like the caffeine use goes up a couple
couple extras ins in a day and then you just
boom and then it's it's like seven to ten days
of climb, climb, climb, climb, climb, and then crash. So
(30:44):
it's like, how do we just live in that that plateau?
And it's just checking in with yourself and like I
think it's you know, to to tie that into how
I approach training with everybody, and it's it's I've been
fortunate to be doing this for eleven years and as
a former ath and then just like the spiritual component
is like staying just staying checked in and asking those
(31:05):
questions like what did you eat today?
Speaker 2 (31:07):
But you know, how are we sleeping and literally just
having like a personal connection to the lack thereof like
I can notice it.
Speaker 3 (31:15):
I want a client, you know, like if I know
the previous two sessions, we've hit a certain weight.
Speaker 2 (31:20):
For a certain amount of reps and then all of
a sudden, that way's hard.
Speaker 3 (31:23):
It's like okay, you're fatigued today, or you didn't like okay,
if you slept well, they probably didn't eat enough, probably
didn't need.
Speaker 2 (31:28):
Enough cars prior to the lyft and just breaking that
down and the goal of me, or.
Speaker 3 (31:33):
Like any practitioner is going to be like how do
we improve our client outcomes? Like improve them on that?
And then if somebody is repeatedly hitting a wall. I've
learned as I've grown in my faith, like I removed
the fear. It's like, hey, I love you, but I
think we should take a break if you can't change this,
because otherwise we're gonna sit here and spin our wheels.
And like your time's worth more than that. My time
is worth more than that. Like I don't want to
(31:54):
take your money.
Speaker 2 (31:55):
And I think when you hit it, hit somebody with that,
it just speaks.
Speaker 3 (31:58):
A different volume because it's not like that's not that's
not religion, that's that's just facts. Like it's kind of
like what my dad has told me that I'm saying
it the.
Speaker 1 (32:09):
Way you were saying that. I was the first thing
that popped into my mind when you said that was
what you said about what your dad said to you.
It was like, yeah, you talked about in something that
you kind of said was you had self doubt and
those things. Think for me, I feel like that was
God's way of putting you on the platform that you
(32:30):
are now and putting you to be successful those trials
and tribulations. It's kind of like one of those things
that I always told people. I feel like you and
me get along because we're the same in a lot
of ways. We went through trials and tribulations, and at
the time it felt like pain, it felt like the
(32:51):
end of the world. But I feel like God put
us through certain things to put us to where we
are now so that we can help people change lives.
Speaker 2 (33:01):
Interesting you say that, because.
Speaker 1 (33:02):
It's listening right now, who's tired, who's in the middle,
who's convinced this might be it? What would you tell me?
Speaker 2 (33:11):
Number one? Just a cliche?
Speaker 3 (33:13):
Hang in there, But know that God loves you so
deeply and his story, his version of your life, is
so much better than what you can think of. And
just ask that into your heart, and I bet my
life that he'll show up in your thoughts. And just
to take a deep breath and know that whatever you're
going through is temporary. This life is a vapor everything
(33:34):
that's going on right now. It's like a like in
our car, if the warning lights on, you need maintenance.
So if you're stuck in a habit, you're stuck in
something you feel like you can't change, just something I
love in AA and just super non.
Speaker 2 (33:46):
In it, Like just start praying, like just surrender, admit it,
admit it, admitting it, admitting.
Speaker 3 (33:51):
I'm powerless over whatever is going on in God, You're
so much greater and just can you help me see what.
Speaker 2 (33:58):
What your will is? I do this all the time
every day. Just surrender my will and it just got
to sit.
Speaker 3 (34:05):
In order to listen, you gotta be silent. So it's
like you don't even have to meditate or just don't
be on your phone or just let that. Like if
you're overwhelmed, just know like that's God's God's like calling
to you. He wants you to come home.
Speaker 1 (34:18):
I'm gonna have to go for a run after that, bro,
I felt that. You know what I love about your
story is it reminds us about strength. Not physical strength
because you're a big strong dude, But for me, it's
your strength to keep showing up. It's your grit, your
(34:40):
determination and your willingness to submit to God and use
your trials and tribulations for His will right knowing that
that's our ultimate goal is to lift him and for me,
you get all the respect. A lot of times his
men we say out of boys and pack them on
(35:02):
the back or whatever, but we don't wholeheartedly intentionally tell them.
So I want to tell you I'm very proud of
you and for you for what you're doing. And you
know forever you got a brother in Christ and me,
and if you ever need anything, I'm always here for you. Rain, summer,
(35:23):
it doesn't matter, whatever storm. I'm here. Let the people
know where they can follow you on social media so
they can follow your journey and anybody that wants to
do personal training and nutrition whatever it may be. This
man is legit.
Speaker 3 (35:40):
Thank you so much for that. Yeah, my Instagram, I
have not TikTok. I haven't mastered that one yet, so
I'll just share my Instagram. I haven't mastered Instagram yet.
Just know I know the strength and performance side of things,
so transitioning fully. But my Instagram's brad over and Fit
and b r ad ov are A and D fit
(36:01):
and I.
Speaker 1 (36:02):
Will be dropping it into link and tagging everybody. Guys,
I highly suggest you give this man a ring, a
DM whatever said it you know, and for everybody out there,
I want you to know that tough times are temporary.
It's not about getting knocked down. It's about getting up
(36:26):
and you know Brad's story and shows that you can
do that. That's it for this episode, guys, as always,
keep it real, keep it rooted, and we'll see you
next week on the front porch.
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