July 17, 2025 • 21 mins
What happens when the spotlight fades? In this episode, pro fighter Mark “The Shark” Irwin gets real about life after the cage—mental health, identity, and his mission with Athletes Journey Home, a nonprofit helping athletes transition into their next chapter. We talk legacy, ego, and what it means to keep fighting when the crowd’s gone.
🎧 Tap in. This one’s different.
#FrontPorchChronicles #MarkTheSharkIrwin #AthletesJourneyHome #LifeAfterFighting #Podcast #FighterMindset #MentalHealthMatters #EndTheStigma #YouAreNotAlone #MentalHealthAwareness
#HealingInProgress
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🎧 Front Porch Chronicles — real conversations on healing, growth, fatherhood, and fighting through it. ▶️ Full Episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thefrontporchchronicles
🤝 Collabs / Booking: (949) 933-4349 • thefrontporchchronicles1@gmail.com
🔔 Subscribe & drop a comment—tell us what hit home.
🎧 Tap in. This one’s different.
#FrontPorchChronicles #MarkTheSharkIrwin #AthletesJourneyHome #LifeAfterFighting #Podcast #FighterMindset #MentalHealthMatters #EndTheStigma #YouAreNotAlone #MentalHealthAwareness
#HealingInProgress
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-front-porch-chronicles--5999017/support.
🎧 Front Porch Chronicles — real conversations on healing, growth, fatherhood, and fighting through it. ▶️ Full Episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thefrontporchchronicles
🤝 Collabs / Booking: (949) 933-4349 • thefrontporchchronicles1@gmail.com
🔔 Subscribe & drop a comment—tell us what hit home.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Who are you when the spotlight fades, the lights go out,
and the only person left in the room is you
trying to figure out what That's what we're talking about
today on Front Porch Chronicles. I'm your host Clinton Poche
aka Ninja. Today we have on a guy that's walked
through the fire, Mark the Shark Irwin, not only a
(00:24):
leader inside the cage but outside as well, working with
athletes journey home and helping change people's life for the better.
Welcome to the Front Porch, Mark the Shark Irwin.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Thank you so much for coming on, bro. I appreciate you.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
Thanks for having me. It's good to be here, my friend.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
So a lot of people know Mark the Shark as
the fighter.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
I've had the privilege of getting to know Mark the
Shark the man, and you have my admiration.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
But tell us who you were before the case.
Speaker 4 (01:00):
You know, I mean, I started relatively late in life.
I started training in my early twenties. I think I
had my first amateur fight when I was twenty four,
So yeah, I really didn't step into the ring until
I was a young adult. But before that, you know,
to be honest with you, I was a bit of
a troublemaker as a youth. You know, got in a
(01:21):
lot of trouble with drugs and alcohol and the law
as a young man. And it really wasn't until I
found athletics and especially combat sports that it really gave
me a purpose and a passion and something that I
could put my energy into. And I think combat sports
really in a lot of ways saved my life.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
You know.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
It's funny, it gets a negative contentation with people because
whenever they hear like, oh my god, they naturally think
and this is one of the things. It's like a MythBuster,
right because they think, you guys, are these just hardcore?
And it's like I tell people all the time, combat
sports fighters are the most loving, carrying, friendly people because
(02:02):
they've been through trials and tribulations for come those things,
and so they have more of a kind, gentler heart
when it comes to these things.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
Now they can go zero to Chris Brown.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
I tell people all the time, I'm the most friendly
Southern guy, but I can go zero to Chris Brown
kind of as quick as I need to. Thinking back
to when you first started your journey in combat sports,
did you ever imagine you would get to where you
go you know.
Speaker 4 (02:31):
I mean, I think we all have daydreams and fantasies
and things like that. And I grew up watching combat
sports as a young kid, so I always looked up
to fighters and idolized them for their toughness and their bravery.
But to be honest, no, I really didn't think that
I would be where I'm at today as far as
my professional fighting career has gone.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
You know, when I started, I started really just for fun.
Speaker 4 (02:55):
My friends were taking some boxing lessons in the garage
and they brought me along one day and I beat
up all my friend and I had a good time
doing it, and I fell in love with the sport.
But I tell everybody all the time, you know, initially
I wanted to just have one amateur fight because I
felt like, you know, I was good enough to maybe
get in there and win and maybe even knock somebody out.
(03:16):
I thought it would be kind of a fun adventure
and make for a good story and a good laugh,
you know, in hindsight, And so I set out with
the aspiration I have one amateur fight, and I had
a USA boxing match I won by knockout, and then
shortly thereafter I started working in a gym teaching classes
on the weekend, and I've been training and competing ever since, and.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
Here we are today.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
The journey. The journey kind of like you. I was
in the streets and so I.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
Was always fighting. I was the guy that was off
the chain. And so I went into an MMA gym.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
I had my.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
Roommate, he was like, oh, man, you should come. You know,
it's fine. I'm like, okay, I'm from the hood. I'm
one hundred and in the streets right And I was
still never forget Matt Hopsond. I went and trained and
I remember him leg kicking me, and I remember thinking
to myself, for that first thirty seconds, I was landing
(04:12):
some things, or so I thought, but he kicked me
with that leg kick and I was gassed. And I
remember thinking to myself, I looked down at my leg
because I was like, did he hit me with a
hatchet or did he?
Speaker 2 (04:25):
And so I had two amateur MMA fights. I lost
my second one.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
One of the first one second one I lost to
jiu jitsu guy. I signed up for jiu jitsu, won
that Atlanta Open and kind of started winning a bunch
of competitions and stuff, and I was like, bro I'm.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
Too old for this. I'm leaving this to these young intenders.
And I went on about my business and the story
was rope and I went one in one. So I
was five hundred.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
As long as I'm not in the losing column, you know,
I'm okay with it.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
So you've been under a lot of.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
Tough battles, But what is it behind the scenes, what's
something that has really tested you?
Speaker 4 (05:04):
Yeah, you know, like I kind of mentioned earlier, growing up,
I had a lot of problems with drug and alcohol
addiction and problems with the law. You know, I've been jail, rehab, detalk,
you know, sober living homes.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
I've been out on the street. I've had loaded guns
pointed at my head.
Speaker 4 (05:20):
It's a miracle that I survived all those experiences and
that I'm still here today to talk about it. But ultimately,
I think it was that tough upbringing that really made
me into the person that I am today and gave
me the toughness and the tenacity that I needed in
order to be successful in combat sports. So looking back,
you know, I don't regret any of it. Like I said,
(05:43):
it made me the man that I am today, and
I don't think I'd be the fighter I am if
not for my my trouble passes of youth.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
You know, it's always crazy watching the machur ration. Right,
Sometimes you meet somebody and you don't have to say
a word.
Speaker 2 (05:59):
It's it was.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
Automatically, like on site, like Iron Sharpen's Iron.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
You know.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
I think back to a conversation that really changed, helped
change my life.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Two of them.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
One was a conversation with you, but the other one
was and you're in great company with this was Mike Tyson.
Talked to Mike Tyson and we were at his house
in Newport Coast and he we were talking about trials
and tribulations and things that have gone on, and he
said something to me that really shook me because for
a long time I questioned my faith, I questioned everything because,
(06:37):
like you, man, I've had guns pointed at me like
I literally, there's a point zero zero one percent chance
that I should be alive, or that I should be
a person that still cares about and loves and wants
to help other people.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
And this is what he told me.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
He said, God gives his toughest battles to the ones
that he knows that can handle it.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
To be a light to others.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
Bro When I say, like, ever since then, I've been
on a journey to film myself more intensely, but.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Also to align with people.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
And so that brings us to the next thing I
want to talk about. Because Athletes Journey Home you know
that you're working with man it is a game changer,
and the work and the stuff that you are doing
our next level. How did you originally get involved in
How did all of that come about?
Speaker 4 (07:37):
So? Athletes Journey Home is a nonprofit scientific research group
and our goal is to try and cure brain damage
caused by traumatic brain injuries using psychedelics. We just had
our first research project in April and Portland, Oregon, where
we put eight high profile athletes through psilocybin therapy and
integration and coaching to help them with their tvis to
(07:59):
press anxiety and other issues that are related to traumatic
brain injuries. But it started with my coach and dear friend,
Ian McCall, the former MMA World champion and UFC star.
As a young man, he was one of my favorite fighters.
He was from the same neighborhood as me. He was
in the lower weight classes like me. You know, he
(08:20):
was someone that I could kind of relate to and
see a bit of myself, and you know out here
as an adult and a pro fighter as my like
I said, my best friend in.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
My head coach.
Speaker 4 (08:28):
Like a lot of fighters, at the end of his career,
found himself to be financially broke, physically, broken, mentally, emotionally, spiritually.
Speaker 3 (08:37):
You know, he was addicted to opioids to.
Speaker 4 (08:38):
Help manage his pain from all his injuries from fighting,
and he was suicidal. And it was only because he
had a young baby girl, a daughter that he had
to look out for that he didn't take his own life,
and so he had to find another way to heal himself.
He credits psychedelics with being a huge part of that.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
You know.
Speaker 4 (08:57):
Now he's a healthy, successful entrepreneur and is the CEO
of the nonprofit athletes Journey Home, and you know, for
several years he was having trouble getting funding and getting
the project off the ground, and that's when I came
on to the team. It is something that I wanted
to get involved with as well, because you know, dramatic
brain injuries and the struggle when people's career is over
(09:18):
something that affects our entire community of fighters, and so
I came on board and in my last world title fight,
I was actually able to help raise the money thanks
to the president of my organization, Mike Basquez with BK
B bar knuckle shout out to Mike, he made a
large donation that we're able to use the money to
fund the research project and sponsor all of the therapy,
(09:39):
medicine and treatment of eight athletes from all over the world.
Speaker 3 (09:43):
So that's how I got started with it, and that's
where we're at now.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
I'm going to post the link on the YouTube for
the documentary. I had a chance to watch it, and
you know, it's it's life changing, and I think it's
something that really needs to be looked at strongly because
what we're doing for mental health in America by you know,
(10:09):
feeding pills and you know, not really addressing the issues
at hand, We're just numbing them, right, And that's where
this is.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
You know.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
The toughest step that I ever took was one that
I had to take. I've been sexually assaulted, I've been beaten.
You know, I literally if there was a type of abuse,
I've inderted and I had to look in the mirror
and I had to be realistic and it's I tell
people all the time, it's kind of like AA until
(10:41):
you can actually look in the mirror and be real
with yourself and say, hey, you know what I need help.
I've got to address and look at these things and
figure out why how I can learn to cope. You
can't change those things, and some of those things are
in great in your DNA that these things get ingrained
(11:02):
into your DNA, but it's one of those things that
you learn how to cope by admitting, acknowledging, and processing,
and this helps people do that and be able to
actually heal rather than just continue to numb and go
along and be a puppet, you know, to what the
(11:24):
world wants, you know, so that it really hits different
hearing that you know. And for athletes especially, it's hard
because a lot of times fighters are put on pedestals
and they feel like it becomes almost part of who
their identity is and who they are, and they get
(11:45):
caught up in trying to appease and trying to be
what everybody else needs and wants. And that analyzes the
problem because when the crowd's gone and the lights go
out at the.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
End of the day, it's JUICEU.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
So with all of that being said, what is some
of the support that you're helping these athletes with or
normal people so that that way, you know, the people
can help get behind you.
Speaker 4 (12:13):
Yeah, you know, as far as the research that we're doing,
we're trying to collect data to definitively prove that these
plant medicines have medical and therapeutic benefit to not just athletes,
but all people, whether they're struggling with TVIS depression, drug
addiction anxiety PTSD. The preliminary data from our research suggests
huge potential for healing as well as reversing actual damage
(12:38):
tissue in the brain. So from a scientific perspective, that's
really what we're focusing on. From a community aspect, you know,
really trying to just provide community outreach, try and provide support,
whether it's just emotional support or helping with protocols as
far as diet, nutrition, exercise, and supplementation that can bend
(13:00):
and fit people who are struggling with TVI and related issues.
So working on multiple fronts, working on it from a
medical scientific standpoint, trying to work at a communal standpoint,
and really just trying to help people.
Speaker 1 (13:13):
Do y'all have an alignment with anybody that you're working
with in Portland.
Speaker 4 (13:16):
Yeah, So we had our first retreat in April. It
was at the Experience Onward Center. It's one of only
ten legal psilocybin therapy clinics in the United States. It's
headlined by Daniel Carcio, who was a two time Stanley
Cup winner in the NHL and after a long hockey career,
I think he said he's had over one hundred and
(13:38):
fifty professional fights on the ice, he was diagnosed. Yeah,
he was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's in dementia and
they told him that there really was no cure, and
this was back in twenty fifteen. So Daniel did a
deep dive into research on his own and he started
using large doses of psilocybin. After a couple rounds, he
(14:01):
got his brain scanned again and there's no evidence of
dementia or Alzheimer's and he's effectively been able to cure
himself of neurodegenerative diseases using plant medicine. So we've linked
up with him to host our first retreat and we're
working on collaborating with him and his site on future
retreats to be able to help collect more data and
(14:22):
help more athletes and anybody struggling with TVIS.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
That is amazing.
Speaker 1 (14:26):
It's crazy thinking about the reversal. Whereas you see most
people that are going to the doctor, it's like putting
a band aid on a bullet haul, right, Like they're
just giving you medicines to not deal with what the
problems are because that's what they want is more money.
(14:47):
So it's crazy that projects like these are so overlooked
and are so important, like for people athletes, just kind
of every body in general that needs heail. You know,
looking back during your fight career, what's something that you
wish someone would have told you along your journey.
Speaker 4 (15:10):
I guess maybe just to trust the process and enjoy
the journey. You know, combat sports it's a crazy world,
and you know, it's a lot of having to face
your own fears and self doubt and things like that.
And I think a lot of times we get really
goal orientated, like I'm gonna win the world championship or
you know, whatever that goal might be, and you get
(15:32):
so caught up and looking at you know, climbing to
the peak that you forget to enjoy the journey, and
so I think I think probably that trust the process
and enjoy the journey.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
I'm not gonna throw my age out there because I'm old,
But the older I get I look back at or
think back to when people used to tell us, like,
enjoy life the way you have it now, because when
it's gone, and the older that I get, the more
I understand, and I'm like, I wish I would listen
back then and take in, but in the same sense
(16:04):
now I take each each thing. I do it with
gratitude and love, whether it's going to a kid's function
or just telling them I love them. Like those little
snippets and clips that we think are insignificant, I look
back at now and think about how important those things are.
(16:25):
And a lot of those things I wish I would
have had but didn't, but now.
Speaker 2 (16:28):
I try to pass down to my kids.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
So what's your biggest challenge that you face daily now
and how do you overcome that?
Speaker 4 (16:38):
You know, my main focus these days is just working
with the foundation. We're really trying to raise awareness and
we're trying to raise funding to help, you know, finance
future trips and future therapy for athletes, veterans and anybody
struggling with TV. So I'm really just trying to get
the word out and I'm really trying to be good
(17:00):
ambassador for the nonprofit for plant medicine and for everything
that we're advocating for, because I think there's a lot
of stigmas, a lot of preconceived misconceptions about plant medicine
and about the research that we're doing. So yeah, that's
really my main focus and my main struggle is just
(17:20):
trying to raise more money to help people and to
help change the way that people think about plant medicine
and break down a lot of those those preconceived misconceptions
and stigmas and stereotypes.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
There's so many misconceptions and stereotypes. It's like looking at
the research that you guys are doing and watching the
documentary and those things, all of those things are debunked
as far as the misconceptions, and it shows that these
things are actually helpful and beneficial and life changing to people.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
Like definitely like all trained.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
I mean, you know, I appreciate what you guys are doing,
and you know I'm here to support any way I can.
You know, you're still a fighter, just in a different arena.
Now what keeps you motivated or what motivates you Dale?
Speaker 4 (18:14):
You know, like I said, just really trying to make
this happen for athletes, journey at home, trying to help
as many people as we can.
Speaker 3 (18:21):
We got a lot of work to do.
Speaker 4 (18:23):
There's a lot of people that are struggling with traumatic
brain injuries, whether they're athletes, first responders, veterans, and everyday people.
Most of us have had a traumatic brain injury at
some point in their life, whether it's playing sports, you
fall and hit your head, you get in a car accident. Right,
life is dangerous and our brains are fragile, So you know,
(18:45):
this is something that affects a great number of people,
the vast majority of us quite frankly, the varying degrees,
some of us worse than others. But you know, we
really don't have any legal cures, therapies, protocols. So you know,
the my biggest motivation, of my biggest goal is trying
(19:06):
to advance the research and the cause and to get
rid of these antiquated, outdated laws that have prevented us
from being able to help people. Because that's my ultimate
goal is to try and help as many people as
I can, whether it's my community of combat sports, athletes,
the first responders, or anybody at large who's struggling with
traumatic brain injuries.
Speaker 1 (19:27):
The community that you and Ian have created has been
life changing to a lot of people. I know for me,
you guys being there for me and helping guide me
through and navigate life again has been truly life changing
(19:47):
for people that are going to watch this.
Speaker 2 (19:50):
Hotly suggests you go watch the.
Speaker 1 (19:52):
Documentary and pay attention to what these guys are doing.
I'll definitely have all of the links, and you know,
everybody go fin Mark on social media as well as
athletes Journey Home.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
Who else should they be following.
Speaker 4 (20:07):
Athletes Journey Home. I'm at Mark the Shark Irwin on Instagram.
Ian McCall my coach. He's the CEO and founder of
the nonprofit, and so he's always posting a lot of
content information and news pertaining to psychedelics, the research and
the legality of it.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
Man, I thank you so much for coming on brother
and everything that you guys are doing. It's amazing and
I'm truly blessed to have you guys in my corner
and I appreciate well.
Speaker 3 (20:35):
It means a lot. My friend, I sincerely appreciate it.
Speaker 4 (20:38):
And you're helping us by just helping us spread the
word and the message with your own personal testimonial, using
your podcast to help get the word out. So it
means a lot, and you're a part of the movement
now too.
Speaker 2 (20:51):
I appreciate you. Man.
Speaker 1 (20:52):
You're always welcome on the front porch and we'll see
you soon.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
Brother.
Speaker 3 (20:56):
That was good, my friend. Thanks again. I'll talk to
you soon.
Speaker 2 (20:59):
Sure.
Speaker 1 (21:00):
Here's what I hope you take away from today. The
fight doesn't start when the final bell ends. It's just
starting for a lot of us. The fight to heal,
the fight to find purpose, and the fight to help others.
Speaker 3 (21:13):
More.
Speaker 2 (21:13):
Story isn't just about grit inside the cage.
Speaker 1 (21:17):
It's about the pain and dealing with that after, how
you turn survival into service, and how you keep showing
up for others. And if you're in a season where
you feel like nobody can hear you, just know this.
You're not broken, you're not alone, and you're not dying.
Keep fighting and as always, keep it real, keep it rooted,
(21:40):
and we'll see you next week on the front porch.
Who are you when the spotlight fades, the lights go out,
and the only person left in the room is you
trying to figure out what That's what we're talking about
today on Front Porch Chronicles. I'm your host Clinton Poche
aka Ninja. Today we have on a guy that's walked
through the fire, Mark the Shark Irwin, not only a
(00:24):
leader inside the cage but outside as well, working with
athletes journey home and helping change people's life for the better.
Welcome to the Front Porch, Mark the Shark Irwin.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Thank you so much for coming on, bro. I appreciate you.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
Thanks for having me. It's good to be here, my friend.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
So a lot of people know Mark the Shark as
the fighter.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
I've had the privilege of getting to know Mark the
Shark the man, and you have my admiration.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
But tell us who you were before the case.
Speaker 4 (01:00):
You know, I mean, I started relatively late in life.
I started training in my early twenties. I think I
had my first amateur fight when I was twenty four,
So yeah, I really didn't step into the ring until
I was a young adult. But before that, you know,
to be honest with you, I was a bit of
a troublemaker as a youth. You know, got in a
(01:21):
lot of trouble with drugs and alcohol and the law
as a young man. And it really wasn't until I
found athletics and especially combat sports that it really gave
me a purpose and a passion and something that I
could put my energy into. And I think combat sports
really in a lot of ways saved my life.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
You know.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
It's funny, it gets a negative contentation with people because
whenever they hear like, oh my god, they naturally think
and this is one of the things. It's like a MythBuster,
right because they think, you guys, are these just hardcore?
And it's like I tell people all the time, combat
sports fighters are the most loving, carrying, friendly people because
(02:02):
they've been through trials and tribulations for come those things,
and so they have more of a kind, gentler heart
when it comes to these things.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
Now they can go zero to Chris Brown.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
I tell people all the time, I'm the most friendly
Southern guy, but I can go zero to Chris Brown
kind of as quick as I need to. Thinking back
to when you first started your journey in combat sports,
did you ever imagine you would get to where you
go you know.
Speaker 4 (02:31):
I mean, I think we all have daydreams and fantasies
and things like that. And I grew up watching combat
sports as a young kid, so I always looked up
to fighters and idolized them for their toughness and their bravery.
But to be honest, no, I really didn't think that
I would be where I'm at today as far as
my professional fighting career has gone.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
You know, when I started, I started really just for fun.
Speaker 4 (02:55):
My friends were taking some boxing lessons in the garage
and they brought me along one day and I beat
up all my friend and I had a good time
doing it, and I fell in love with the sport.
But I tell everybody all the time, you know, initially
I wanted to just have one amateur fight because I
felt like, you know, I was good enough to maybe
get in there and win and maybe even knock somebody out.
(03:16):
I thought it would be kind of a fun adventure
and make for a good story and a good laugh,
you know, in hindsight, And so I set out with
the aspiration I have one amateur fight, and I had
a USA boxing match I won by knockout, and then
shortly thereafter I started working in a gym teaching classes
on the weekend, and I've been training and competing ever since, and.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
Here we are today.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
The journey. The journey kind of like you. I was
in the streets and so I.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
Was always fighting. I was the guy that was off
the chain. And so I went into an MMA gym.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
I had my.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
Roommate, he was like, oh, man, you should come. You know,
it's fine. I'm like, okay, I'm from the hood. I'm
one hundred and in the streets right And I was
still never forget Matt Hopsond. I went and trained and
I remember him leg kicking me, and I remember thinking
to myself, for that first thirty seconds, I was landing
(04:12):
some things, or so I thought, but he kicked me
with that leg kick and I was gassed. And I
remember thinking to myself, I looked down at my leg
because I was like, did he hit me with a
hatchet or did he?
Speaker 2 (04:25):
And so I had two amateur MMA fights. I lost
my second one.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
One of the first one second one I lost to
jiu jitsu guy. I signed up for jiu jitsu, won
that Atlanta Open and kind of started winning a bunch
of competitions and stuff, and I was like, bro I'm.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
Too old for this. I'm leaving this to these young intenders.
And I went on about my business and the story
was rope and I went one in one. So I
was five hundred.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
As long as I'm not in the losing column, you know,
I'm okay with it.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
So you've been under a lot of.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
Tough battles, But what is it behind the scenes, what's
something that has really tested you?
Speaker 4 (05:04):
Yeah, you know, like I kind of mentioned earlier, growing up,
I had a lot of problems with drug and alcohol
addiction and problems with the law. You know, I've been jail, rehab, detalk,
you know, sober living homes.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
I've been out on the street. I've had loaded guns
pointed at my head.
Speaker 4 (05:20):
It's a miracle that I survived all those experiences and
that I'm still here today to talk about it. But ultimately,
I think it was that tough upbringing that really made
me into the person that I am today and gave
me the toughness and the tenacity that I needed in
order to be successful in combat sports. So looking back,
you know, I don't regret any of it. Like I said,
(05:43):
it made me the man that I am today, and
I don't think I'd be the fighter I am if
not for my my trouble passes of youth.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
You know, it's always crazy watching the machur ration. Right,
Sometimes you meet somebody and you don't have to say
a word.
Speaker 2 (05:59):
It's it was.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
Automatically, like on site, like Iron Sharpen's Iron.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
You know.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
I think back to a conversation that really changed, helped
change my life.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Two of them.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
One was a conversation with you, but the other one
was and you're in great company with this was Mike Tyson.
Talked to Mike Tyson and we were at his house
in Newport Coast and he we were talking about trials
and tribulations and things that have gone on, and he
said something to me that really shook me because for
a long time I questioned my faith, I questioned everything because,
(06:37):
like you, man, I've had guns pointed at me like
I literally, there's a point zero zero one percent chance
that I should be alive, or that I should be
a person that still cares about and loves and wants
to help other people.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
And this is what he told me.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
He said, God gives his toughest battles to the ones
that he knows that can handle it.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
To be a light to others.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
Bro When I say, like, ever since then, I've been
on a journey to film myself more intensely, but.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Also to align with people.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
And so that brings us to the next thing I
want to talk about. Because Athletes Journey Home you know
that you're working with man it is a game changer,
and the work and the stuff that you are doing
our next level. How did you originally get involved in
How did all of that come about?
Speaker 4 (07:37):
So? Athletes Journey Home is a nonprofit scientific research group
and our goal is to try and cure brain damage
caused by traumatic brain injuries using psychedelics. We just had
our first research project in April and Portland, Oregon, where
we put eight high profile athletes through psilocybin therapy and
integration and coaching to help them with their tvis to
(07:59):
press anxiety and other issues that are related to traumatic
brain injuries. But it started with my coach and dear friend,
Ian McCall, the former MMA World champion and UFC star.
As a young man, he was one of my favorite fighters.
He was from the same neighborhood as me. He was
in the lower weight classes like me. You know, he
(08:20):
was someone that I could kind of relate to and
see a bit of myself, and you know out here
as an adult and a pro fighter as my like
I said, my best friend in.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
My head coach.
Speaker 4 (08:28):
Like a lot of fighters, at the end of his career,
found himself to be financially broke, physically, broken, mentally, emotionally, spiritually.
Speaker 3 (08:37):
You know, he was addicted to opioids to.
Speaker 4 (08:38):
Help manage his pain from all his injuries from fighting,
and he was suicidal. And it was only because he
had a young baby girl, a daughter that he had
to look out for that he didn't take his own life,
and so he had to find another way to heal himself.
He credits psychedelics with being a huge part of that.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
You know.
Speaker 4 (08:57):
Now he's a healthy, successful entrepreneur and is the CEO
of the nonprofit athletes Journey Home, and you know, for
several years he was having trouble getting funding and getting
the project off the ground, and that's when I came
on to the team. It is something that I wanted
to get involved with as well, because you know, dramatic
brain injuries and the struggle when people's career is over
(09:18):
something that affects our entire community of fighters, and so
I came on board and in my last world title fight,
I was actually able to help raise the money thanks
to the president of my organization, Mike Basquez with BK
B bar knuckle shout out to Mike, he made a
large donation that we're able to use the money to
fund the research project and sponsor all of the therapy,
(09:39):
medicine and treatment of eight athletes from all over the world.
Speaker 3 (09:43):
So that's how I got started with it, and that's
where we're at now.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
I'm going to post the link on the YouTube for
the documentary. I had a chance to watch it, and
you know, it's it's life changing, and I think it's
something that really needs to be looked at strongly because
what we're doing for mental health in America by you know,
(10:09):
feeding pills and you know, not really addressing the issues
at hand, We're just numbing them, right, And that's where
this is.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
You know.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
The toughest step that I ever took was one that
I had to take. I've been sexually assaulted, I've been beaten.
You know, I literally if there was a type of abuse,
I've inderted and I had to look in the mirror
and I had to be realistic and it's I tell
people all the time, it's kind of like AA until
(10:41):
you can actually look in the mirror and be real
with yourself and say, hey, you know what I need help.
I've got to address and look at these things and
figure out why how I can learn to cope. You
can't change those things, and some of those things are
in great in your DNA that these things get ingrained
(11:02):
into your DNA, but it's one of those things that
you learn how to cope by admitting, acknowledging, and processing,
and this helps people do that and be able to
actually heal rather than just continue to numb and go
along and be a puppet, you know, to what the
(11:24):
world wants, you know, so that it really hits different
hearing that you know. And for athletes especially, it's hard
because a lot of times fighters are put on pedestals
and they feel like it becomes almost part of who
their identity is and who they are, and they get
(11:45):
caught up in trying to appease and trying to be
what everybody else needs and wants. And that analyzes the
problem because when the crowd's gone and the lights go
out at the.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
End of the day, it's JUICEU.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
So with all of that being said, what is some
of the support that you're helping these athletes with or
normal people so that that way, you know, the people
can help get behind you.
Speaker 4 (12:13):
Yeah, you know, as far as the research that we're doing,
we're trying to collect data to definitively prove that these
plant medicines have medical and therapeutic benefit to not just athletes,
but all people, whether they're struggling with TVIS depression, drug
addiction anxiety PTSD. The preliminary data from our research suggests
huge potential for healing as well as reversing actual damage
(12:38):
tissue in the brain. So from a scientific perspective, that's
really what we're focusing on. From a community aspect, you know,
really trying to just provide community outreach, try and provide support,
whether it's just emotional support or helping with protocols as
far as diet, nutrition, exercise, and supplementation that can bend
(13:00):
and fit people who are struggling with TVI and related issues.
So working on multiple fronts, working on it from a
medical scientific standpoint, trying to work at a communal standpoint,
and really just trying to help people.
Speaker 1 (13:13):
Do y'all have an alignment with anybody that you're working
with in Portland.
Speaker 4 (13:16):
Yeah, So we had our first retreat in April. It
was at the Experience Onward Center. It's one of only
ten legal psilocybin therapy clinics in the United States. It's
headlined by Daniel Carcio, who was a two time Stanley
Cup winner in the NHL and after a long hockey career,
I think he said he's had over one hundred and
(13:38):
fifty professional fights on the ice, he was diagnosed. Yeah,
he was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's in dementia and
they told him that there really was no cure, and
this was back in twenty fifteen. So Daniel did a
deep dive into research on his own and he started
using large doses of psilocybin. After a couple rounds, he
(14:01):
got his brain scanned again and there's no evidence of
dementia or Alzheimer's and he's effectively been able to cure
himself of neurodegenerative diseases using plant medicine. So we've linked
up with him to host our first retreat and we're
working on collaborating with him and his site on future
retreats to be able to help collect more data and
(14:22):
help more athletes and anybody struggling with TVIS.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
That is amazing.
Speaker 1 (14:26):
It's crazy thinking about the reversal. Whereas you see most
people that are going to the doctor, it's like putting
a band aid on a bullet haul, right, Like they're
just giving you medicines to not deal with what the
problems are because that's what they want is more money.
(14:47):
So it's crazy that projects like these are so overlooked
and are so important, like for people athletes, just kind
of every body in general that needs heail. You know,
looking back during your fight career, what's something that you
wish someone would have told you along your journey.
Speaker 4 (15:10):
I guess maybe just to trust the process and enjoy
the journey. You know, combat sports it's a crazy world,
and you know, it's a lot of having to face
your own fears and self doubt and things like that.
And I think a lot of times we get really
goal orientated, like I'm gonna win the world championship or
you know, whatever that goal might be, and you get
(15:32):
so caught up and looking at you know, climbing to
the peak that you forget to enjoy the journey, and
so I think I think probably that trust the process
and enjoy the journey.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
I'm not gonna throw my age out there because I'm old,
But the older I get I look back at or
think back to when people used to tell us, like,
enjoy life the way you have it now, because when
it's gone, and the older that I get, the more
I understand, and I'm like, I wish I would listen
back then and take in, but in the same sense
(16:04):
now I take each each thing. I do it with
gratitude and love, whether it's going to a kid's function
or just telling them I love them. Like those little
snippets and clips that we think are insignificant, I look
back at now and think about how important those things are.
(16:25):
And a lot of those things I wish I would
have had but didn't, but now.
Speaker 2 (16:28):
I try to pass down to my kids.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
So what's your biggest challenge that you face daily now
and how do you overcome that?
Speaker 4 (16:38):
You know, my main focus these days is just working
with the foundation. We're really trying to raise awareness and
we're trying to raise funding to help, you know, finance
future trips and future therapy for athletes, veterans and anybody
struggling with TV. So I'm really just trying to get
the word out and I'm really trying to be good
(17:00):
ambassador for the nonprofit for plant medicine and for everything
that we're advocating for, because I think there's a lot
of stigmas, a lot of preconceived misconceptions about plant medicine
and about the research that we're doing. So yeah, that's
really my main focus and my main struggle is just
(17:20):
trying to raise more money to help people and to
help change the way that people think about plant medicine
and break down a lot of those those preconceived misconceptions
and stigmas and stereotypes.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
There's so many misconceptions and stereotypes. It's like looking at
the research that you guys are doing and watching the
documentary and those things, all of those things are debunked
as far as the misconceptions, and it shows that these
things are actually helpful and beneficial and life changing to people.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
Like definitely like all trained.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
I mean, you know, I appreciate what you guys are doing,
and you know I'm here to support any way I can.
You know, you're still a fighter, just in a different arena.
Now what keeps you motivated or what motivates you Dale?
Speaker 4 (18:14):
You know, like I said, just really trying to make
this happen for athletes, journey at home, trying to help
as many people as we can.
Speaker 3 (18:21):
We got a lot of work to do.
Speaker 4 (18:23):
There's a lot of people that are struggling with traumatic
brain injuries, whether they're athletes, first responders, veterans, and everyday people.
Most of us have had a traumatic brain injury at
some point in their life, whether it's playing sports, you
fall and hit your head, you get in a car accident. Right,
life is dangerous and our brains are fragile, So you know,
(18:45):
this is something that affects a great number of people,
the vast majority of us quite frankly, the varying degrees,
some of us worse than others. But you know, we
really don't have any legal cures, therapies, protocols. So you know,
the my biggest motivation, of my biggest goal is trying
(19:06):
to advance the research and the cause and to get
rid of these antiquated, outdated laws that have prevented us
from being able to help people. Because that's my ultimate
goal is to try and help as many people as
I can, whether it's my community of combat sports, athletes,
the first responders, or anybody at large who's struggling with
traumatic brain injuries.
Speaker 1 (19:27):
The community that you and Ian have created has been
life changing to a lot of people. I know for me,
you guys being there for me and helping guide me
through and navigate life again has been truly life changing
(19:47):
for people that are going to watch this.
Speaker 2 (19:50):
Hotly suggests you go watch the.
Speaker 1 (19:52):
Documentary and pay attention to what these guys are doing.
I'll definitely have all of the links, and you know,
everybody go fin Mark on social media as well as
athletes Journey Home.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
Who else should they be following.
Speaker 4 (20:07):
Athletes Journey Home. I'm at Mark the Shark Irwin on Instagram.
Ian McCall my coach. He's the CEO and founder of
the nonprofit, and so he's always posting a lot of
content information and news pertaining to psychedelics, the research and
the legality of it.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
Man, I thank you so much for coming on brother
and everything that you guys are doing. It's amazing and
I'm truly blessed to have you guys in my corner
and I appreciate well.
Speaker 3 (20:35):
It means a lot. My friend, I sincerely appreciate it.
Speaker 4 (20:38):
And you're helping us by just helping us spread the
word and the message with your own personal testimonial, using
your podcast to help get the word out. So it
means a lot, and you're a part of the movement
now too.
Speaker 2 (20:51):
I appreciate you. Man.
Speaker 1 (20:52):
You're always welcome on the front porch and we'll see
you soon.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
Brother.
Speaker 3 (20:56):
That was good, my friend. Thanks again. I'll talk to
you soon.
Speaker 2 (20:59):
Sure.
Speaker 1 (21:00):
Here's what I hope you take away from today. The
fight doesn't start when the final bell ends. It's just
starting for a lot of us. The fight to heal,
the fight to find purpose, and the fight to help others.
Speaker 3 (21:13):
More.
Speaker 2 (21:13):
Story isn't just about grit inside the cage.
Speaker 1 (21:17):
It's about the pain and dealing with that after, how
you turn survival into service, and how you keep showing
up for others. And if you're in a season where
you feel like nobody can hear you, just know this.
You're not broken, you're not alone, and you're not dying.
Keep fighting and as always, keep it real, keep it rooted,
(21:40):
and we'll see you next week on the front porch.
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