
The Masters Athlete Survival Guide
We explore thriving as an athlete after 40. Each episode, we’ll dive into tips, hacks, and inspiring stories from seasoned athletes and our personal experience. Whether you’re a weekend warrior or a competitive pro, this podcast is your playbook for staying fit, strong, and motivated
The Masters Athlete Survival Guide
Overcoming Adversity with Heart: Jesse Titus' Journey
This episode explores the inspiring journey of Jesse Titus, who shares his experiences as a master's athlete facing health challenges, including an AFib diagnosis. The conversation emphasizes the importance of community support, mental resilience, and adapting one's athletic goals for sustainable well-being and longevity.
• Jesse's background and athletic journey, transitioning from strongman competitor to mindful athlete
• The significance of community in supporting athletic growth and health
• Personal health challenges, including Jesse's diagnosis of atrial fibrillation (AFib)
• Navigating the balance between competing and caring for one's body
• Setting new fitness goals while focusing on long-term health and well-being
• The power of sharing experiences and learning from one another in the athletic community
• Encouragement for listeners to prioritize their health and seek help proactively
If you enjoyed this episode and you'd like to help support the podcast, please share it with others, post it on your social media or leave a review.
@masters_athlete_survival_guide on IG
New episodes come out every other Thursday!
Welcome to the Master's Athlete Survival Guide, where we explore the secrets to thriving in sports after 40. I'm John Catalinas and, along with Scott Fyke, we'll dive into training tips, nutrition hacks and inspiring stories from seasoned athletes who defy age limits. Whether you're a weekend warrior or a competitive pro, this podcast is your playbook for staying fit, strong and motivated. Let's get started and we're back. Hey, I'm John, I'm Scott and we have our friend Jesse Titus with us today. Hey, jesse, hello. Hey. Jesse reached out to me because he is at that incredible threshold that every master's athlete has kind of gone through, where he used to just be a big, strong kid who could eat cheeseburgers and lift in his sleep and uh, you know now, now life has caught up a little and he's got a couple of health things and uh, he's wondering how one transitions to a older, fitter, more mindful athlete. So we thought it would be good to uh have him on talk about his the beginning of the second part of his journey and maybe offer some sage advice from on top of Old man Mountain.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because John and I have lived on Old man Mountain, are living on Old man Mountain and are clinging to Old man Mountain trying to make sure we don't fall off. Yeah, so there, jesse, why don't you tell everybody a little bit about yourself, tell what, what your athletic journey has been, and uh, then we'll sort of move into the threshold you find yourself at now okay, well, you know, I uh want to make sure I don't want to give you my, my whole life story.
Speaker 3:I know everybody's done that, since they were like kids, but, um, you know, for me, I want your whole life story. I want everybody's done that, since they were like kids, but, um, you know, for me, I want your whole life story.
Speaker 1:I want to know like when you were three. Like did you date? Like little sally next door and like pull her pigtails and all that stuff jesse, you can leave out little sally and the pigtails well, when I was five, I moved in next to my wife.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's a cool story that wasn't that far off, john nice pull now now you're from ohio, so you didn't actually marry your wife.
Speaker 1:Then did you, because I know that's an option I did not.
Speaker 3:That's actually well, that's part of my uh, you know, fitness journey too. So, um, you know, her family lived down the street from me and her dad was a old trainer and me and her brothers started working out a lot and that's kind of how I ended up in the weightlifting. But before that, you know like, and I want to tell you a few things, just because when I get to the second half of my fitness journey, you know, and what you guys talk about camaraderie in the sport and having partners and stuff, and I want you to know how much that means to me is, uh, you know, I grew up in ohio. I'm originally from lake county. It's on right, right on northeast ohio. Um, for you guys, it's probably a good reference I'm about an hour west of your epa so and okay, 30 minutes from cle.
Speaker 3:So if you take, you guys probably passed me on the way to Columbus on route 90 there and um, you know, not a whole lot going on there, but I grew up there and you know, in my I had a, not exactly. You know, when I listen to people on your podcast and stuff and they have these backgrounds and stuff, mine was a little different. Um and stuff and they have these backgrounds and stuff. Mine was a little different.
Speaker 3:Um, grew up in a pretty hostile household um parents weren't really, uh, you know, very happy, you know, and a lot of anger, a lot of aggression and stuff, and uh, for me, you know, school didn't really work out all the way from the beginning of school, but but I did do wrestling, I did do baseball, I did do soccer. Um, you know, one of the things that I I deal with personally is I actually have tourette's syndrome and I've always had it. And uh, I know now that dealing with stuff as a child and behavior issues that, like you know, nobody had a clue how to deal with, um, comes with a lot of anxiety, a lot of uh, you know, pressure, I guess what I'd say here or fixation, it's tied in with ocd is it?
Speaker 1:you know, can we, can we talk a little bit about more like that? Just because I don't want to gloss over it, because I feel like like when I was a kid, tourette's was just a joke and you just said f-bombs, um yeah but, as you know, as the world has expanded and I understand life a little more it presents itself in a lot of different ways. That's true, right. I mean how? How is the syndrome work out for you?
Speaker 3:um, it does. So I've always had like facial tics and little, uh, you know, audio tics and stuff, never really the swearing. I know the attention for all the big, flagrant, you know gestures and stuff that people deal with gets a lot of attention. But, uh, you know, you're supposed to actually grow out of it by the time you're 20, but that wasn't me and, um, you know it was hard to deal with. Nobody really knew what, what was going on.
Speaker 3:Um, you know, they put you on medication that hasn't even pretty serious stuff actually and it hasn't really improved over the last 30 years, you know, and and it's just, it was just really hard to deal with. And as an adult dealing with some of the things, like when I have like fixation issues, I get upset, like I get an idea, I get a like a bad idea, or I get in a bad space Like I cannot let it go. You know, and that's stuff that I deal with and I couldn't deal with when I was younger and I deal with now. And you know I haven't passed Tourette's down to any of my kids.
Speaker 1:Oh, that must have been scary, considering having children and being concerned with that.
Speaker 3:It was. But I, I, I see, you know, like some of the anxiety issues, some of the obsession issues, some of the you know like fixation issues kind of goes on with them and I know a lot more about it now, you know. But all I can really say about it is that, you know, I don't take any medication for it. The stuff they they have for it is pretty debilitating. Yeah, is it one of those?
Speaker 3:is it one of those drugs that just kind of like totally flatten out your like personality and existence and, in hopes, yeah, the uh main drugs that I understand are, and what I took as a kid was how doll and were spared all and uh. Both of those are pretty not effective for Tourette's, so I think, but they, yeah, they sure wipe you out. There. There's stuff.
Speaker 1:they give it heavier doses to people with some real problems and uh you know well I think this is a good place to interject that Scott and I have met you a handful of times and interacted with you online often and. I gotta say you are a fine example of a man. So the stuff you've gone through with your family, your own personal Tourette's challenges, you've overcome them to the casual observer that is Scott and I. So congratulations and welcome man.
Speaker 2:Most definitely I mean, you would never know, and that is a positive statement in a society where people find or look for the smallest things.
Speaker 3:So great job yeah well, you have to sit in a room quietly, quietly with me for a minute before you notice. And and there is sometimes, especially with the weight lifting like um and strongman learning about my like um, our group focuses on, uh, you know, central nervous system and and stuff like that. We learned all about that and we, you know it's not great for the Tourette's when you're all worked out and and you're you're running on caffeine and you've been going heavy and stuff and I I can't have my moments yeah, oh so like a heavy workout kind of exacerbates some of your symptoms and some of your feelings yeah.
Speaker 3:So especially if you're like, if you're really training hard and you know life gets in the way and you're working and you're sneaking in, you know three workouts a week and you're going, so you can't go anymore, and then everything just kind of gets depressed and you don't sleep and then, and then I can have like a big, big episode, yeah. And it takes a couple days to calm down and that's one of the first things. My uh, my training partners saw me. I had to go in and be like I'm okay, but please don't ask me if I'm okay.
Speaker 1:Yeah right, I understand you know, and I gotta tell you to, just the normal old man athlete, while your symptoms and and the results are magnified for sure I think a lot of us suffer from, if you've had a hard week and you just are, you know you push yourself too hard in the gym. It is very typical for all of us to sit in a dark room and just perseverate on everything that's bad in our lives. I think that's why Scott and I do come back to the community thing sometime, because even people that are quote unquote healthy can go down that route. I know I'm more than likely to do that if I'm exhausted and it just takes that one thing to tell myself you know I am a piece of shit. Why? You know? Why do I deserve to be whomever?
Speaker 3:I am right yeah, I don't know if I really like I would say I could, I would say the.
Speaker 3:the exercise helps if I can exhaust myself, like if I just need, like it helps with the anxiety and the fixation and actually gives me something positive to spin out about sometimes you know where I'm looking at a program, or I want a piece of equipment, or I'm waiting for some result to come in from Rogue or something, and I'm checking my email every 30 minutes and whatever. And it's better than something bad, yes, so it gives me something to redirect on and that part is helpful. It's just the physical part can sometimes be pretty rough.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think Scott refers to those as the little wins in the gym.
Speaker 2:Scott refers to those as the little wins in the gym, like you know, if life is coming at you from 11 different directions, the ability to go in there and just pick up an Atlas stone that you couldn't before and deal with it does kind of take the edges off. Yeah, those small victories, those little wins, I think we underestimate just how important they are in our lives because, like you've said and like John was alluding to, we don't celebrate them enough, and I think they're incredibly important. But, you know, sometimes we have to set ourselves up for them too.
Speaker 3:So sometimes you got to take the little wins because that's all you're going to get, amen, so, but, um, so, anyway, back to, if that's okay, if I can go back.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah Kind of keep on track. So, growing up like that, you know I did the sports got, you know, practices, football, you know parents got divorced about 13, 14, football you know parents got divorced about 13, 14. And then school kind of really tanked for me and uh, by 16 I was, I was pretty much done. So I made it to like the beginning of my junior year. I was getting in trouble left and right and we're evolving door out of the judicial system and all kinds of stuff in that area and uh, you know, I didn't really quite make it through that.
Speaker 3:But strangely enough, you know, I kept doing like some exercises. When you go to like different programs they send you to, they actually work you out pretty good. I played a lot of volleyball on the side and stuff. But at 16, my father died and I really really just kind of flew out of control for several, several years. But even then, you know, uh, during that time I started lifting down on my now my father-in-law's garage with his sons and uh, it was really really helpful and uh, we were just trying to, you know, look good and get laid and uh, and it worked.
Speaker 1:You know that's. That's what being a teenage boy is all about, as far as I know.
Speaker 3:Yeah, but then I had a son when I was 19 and that didn't work out but, um, you know, just kept on working out and stuff and kind of trying to make it up there and you know really didn't have any money, not a lot of options and stuff and really wasn't going anywhere. You know, and uh, I, you know, I know you guys talk about moments in your life when you're like on the couch yep, you know, cheetos baby, not a sponsor yeah, well, well for me, you know, you know I had my son and stuff and I'm like man, I gotta start
Speaker 3:making like some real money here and I wasn't qualified for anything. You know, I got my gd but, um, I hopped up on a moving truck, like on a moving company, and I did that for a couple years and I didn't work out, I didn't lift and you would think that, like that kind of business, that kind of job gives you a lot of exercise and stuff makes you strong and it does. But in the meantime you're living like a wild lifestyle with in, not like luxury wildlife, so it's filled with people that are just some of the craziest human beings that you're ever going to work with.
Speaker 1:So wait, are you talking uh moving or strongman?
Speaker 3:moving, yeah, at least sometimes in strongman. It's really positive and moving. I don't think any of it's positive. You're just. You know you're eating out and you're on the road a lot and you know everybody's drinking and partying and stuff.
Speaker 2:And once again, I still wasn't going anywhere.
Speaker 3:So, uh, things got worse for me in town. My, my wife, who wasn't my wife at the time was in college and she got out of college and I was single and she was single and nobody wanted to stay there and we had talked about you know, we've been friends forever and we decided that we're going to do this, we're going to do it now, and we got together and we moved down to Columbus, so, you know, got back on the furniture truck, started moving for a furniture delivery company. I did that for like 13 years and uh, but when I was about 23 years old, I got a little time. She got a job at the ymca and with that comes a membership and I started lifting again and uh kind of used that forever.
Speaker 3:But, um, that's kind of where I was. I was just a gym guy just going to the y doing the best I can. The only thing I can say or well, I can say a lot of things, but the one thing, the most important part of working out and like my father-in-law's garage with his sons, other than a lot of weightlifting, bad habits that as amateurs we really picked up and are still hard to shake to this day, yep, is, uh, he, he was the first guy, he me. He came in there and he told me he said, whatever you do, don't come in here and just do some of this and do some of that. Like get a program. And he gave me a program and do the program. And I really responded to that structure. So I did that, even when his sons weren't working, I still let me come down there.
Speaker 3:And uh, you know, when I was younger, then when I got to on my own, just going to the Y, all the time I I had structure, I knew how to do, you know, look up some programs and run them, and that was very helpful and I got much stronger. But, um, I did the furniture job for 13 years and they went out of business and, uh, that was 2019. 13 years and they went out of business, and that was 2019. And I found that once I moved on from a labor job like that, I could really really focus on the gym and stuff. So, um, I'll tell you this story. So COVID happened, you know, right in 2020. And right there in January 2020, I signed up for my first Strongman show with some guy back from Northeast Ohio, a friend of mine that I saw on Facebook and he was doing a show at do you guys know, mark Valenti's place?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I actually train. I know Mark through Highland. I actually drove up there to train with him for with Highland at a clinic once. Sure so blind dog gym right.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah. So I did a show there in the novice class. I had no idea what I was doing and it was right before COVID happened, so it was January 2020. And there were two people in the novice class and one master, and that's why, like a good friend of mine now, nick rosendahl okay, he was there and he beat the socks off me, but it it turned out that he lived about a mile from my house and, uh, he's got you know so. But anyway, I thought that I had kind of weirded him out or whatever, because I'm always that guy that's going to come ask you questions. I wanted so much help all those years in the YMCA and some people don't want to help you.
Speaker 1:Yep true.
Speaker 3:But I don't really know. I didn't really know what I was doing, you know. So I thought I knew what I was doing and I did not, and looking for that information, but anyway, everything shut down down and the ymca shut down and I hadn't talked to nick or anything, you know, since the competition just had him on facebook and I was in my garage.
Speaker 3:I think I couldn't find any weight equipment that was affordable. I had a rock and like a rope that I tied around it and that I was doing like all kinds of weird stuff with. I ended up making kettlebells out of protein cans and concrete Nice, it's whatever I could get my hands on. And I was watching Nick on Facebook and I said, hey, he's got a stone mold sitting right there in his garage. And I called him and he said, sure, I'll let you use it. And I think he was checking to see if I successfully made the stone. But he came back a couple days and I've shown him the stone. He's like well, you know, man, if you ever want to like, you know, come over and work out at my place, you can. So I started doing that and uh, he's. That's how I got hooked up with uh team boss, which is our training group out here.
Speaker 3:A lot of great guys. Uh, rick freetag runs it out of his garage now it was at his uh warehouse in his company. He he owns a construction company and he literally had like a whole strongman room dedicated it for years. And uh, really lucky to meet these guys. And brad audrey as kind of his right hand man on that and runs our group and I've been competing with them for the last five years and I really learned so much Like I was no longer the guy in the gym that didn't know what was going on, like they taught me so much and got a couple of good master's athletes there. And you know, I'm going to be 42 in a couple weeks, kid, so I started competing. I know that's part of the problem too. I'm going to be 42 in a couple of weeks Kid, so I started competing. I know that's part of the problem too. I'm having these health issues and I kind of thought I had a few more years to go. You do.
Speaker 3:Before I had to deal with them.
Speaker 1:You do. You might have to pivot, but you do. You have lots of years, so don't don't panic, you may not. I mean, you know, I don't know if you, if you cyber stalk my facebook enough, you'll see my arc where at one point I weighed 340. I won a national championship throwing the 300 pound weight. Uh, did really well in highland. And then the doctor told me you know your, your cholesterol is 1100 and your blood sugar is at 13. You may want to consider some changes, and I did and it sucked and you and I talked about this online. You know you got to make those health choices and you got to swallow some ego. But your journey is far from over because I mean, I've done a lot since not being Giant John.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but to John's point, you know, know you had mentioned earlier and john and I talk about it all the time that idea of community. You never know where the community is going to come from and when you finally find it, the things you learn, the things you gain, the sort of steps that you take, I mean think about it. The relationship that you, john, and I have are just, we were in a couple of competitions together and now, you know, reaching out to each other for some sort of thoughts, some advice, some venting, because we've been there, you know. I mean you lose what you think you've got in terms of time with health issues. Well, like john said, you've got time. I mean there's there's so much more and so many different things we can do nowadays and that that sort of family, outside of blood, really does help us along that trail.
Speaker 3:Yeah, the guys have been great. I don't know what I'd do without them and that's like one of the things I wanted to mention. You know, when I was growing up and I was in a dead end town and being a dead end guy, you know it meant the world to me to get with these guys and have like positive people. That and they were. You know they're going places and and part of you know me staying on the straight and narrow and keeping my stuff together is being around people like that.
Speaker 3:I I I go back home sometimes and there's family members and there's friends and stuff. I look at them and they're stuck in time like it might as well have been 25 years ago, you know, 20 years ago, and they're in the same spot doing the same thing, and it's not that I'm better than them, it's that I'm just like them. You know, and I'm so close, I feel like me personally, I'm so close at any time to just going back to, to just going nowhere. You know, sometimes I know I'm not going to do that and I'm driven now, but it's a whole different world when you know we've got guys that are, you know, corrections officers and science teacher, and you know these guys have jobs and lives and families and they're moving forward and they're doing things and that's really important to me to keep people like that in my life.
Speaker 2:Well, that's it. That's that village that you need in your life, regardless of you know it being physical or anything else. You know we've talked quite often about the mental health side of things. When you deal with, you know, the masculine in today's society, you see those memes on Facebook or Instagram or whatever your social media event is that show a man, just he's not supposed to say anything, he's supposed to be tough all the time. And inside, when somebody says, how are you doing, how are you feeling? And the answer is I'm okay, because that's what we're taught to say. Is I'm okay because that's what we're taught to say? We combat that now as men in society, I think by doing what you're doing, by getting those right people in our tribe, because they're the ones that when your brain wants to fuck off, they're the ones that say knock it off. This is what we're doing, and it might just be by their physical presence, it doesn't have to be, you know, some literal statement they make. So kudos to you, man, for finding that tribe and for taking those steps.
Speaker 3:Yeah, oh yeah, and I would recommend to anybody you know like even you know the worst people can say is no, and maybe you look like a fool, but like, reach out every chance you get. You never know. You know like and here I've gotten to meet some great people like we've been very lucky with team boss to you know, have you know steve slater has us on the arnold crew and you know half of, I think.
Speaker 3:I think six of us were at Oktoberfest last year with Urquhart and you know, steve Schmidt and Chad Clark and in Columbus, pretty much like if there's a show, they start calling around the team boss and asking us if we want to come, and we usually do so. Yeah, and you know what? We're pretty good, so most of the time we're winning Excellent. Well, here's wisdom number one from Old man Mountain. We were pretty good, so most of the time we're winning so excellent. Well, here's, here's.
Speaker 1:Here's a wisdom number one from old man mountain. So one of the things that in the next phase of your life that you will get the most joy from is to be able to apply everything you just said and look somebody else square in the eye and go. I've been where you are and it can be better. Because that, as much as you say, asking questions is important, recognizing in others that they they're going through the shit and you've been through the shit and hey, sometimes you just need to hear hey, you're not the only person that's going through stuff.
Speaker 3:So yeah, and you know it's another thing too. You know, I'm glad to have those guys and stuff and and this is part of the problem like if we get to, uh, you know what's going on with me and whatnot. It's like trying to pivot in this. I, you know, I saw your facebook and social media posts and I knew you were a big guy. That made a change. That's why I reached out to you and I and the first thing you said was ego and I was like man. That is exactly what it is, because I've always walked around thinking I'm the big guy and then it's kind of hard not to think you're the big guy when you're throwing stones around, you're looking at people and you're like man. I used to be that guy and now I'm kicking ass and I started, you know, and uh, and I started having some success in strongman. You know, actually I was. I came in as a non-master and competed at 275 and got my ass kicked pretty pretty solid all the way around because I was 37 years old you
Speaker 3:know, and uh, I was really excited to be in the masters and I started having success. And uh, you know, I went out to nationals and ran into Scott and you know, I went out there and if I would have known it might be my last nationals. I'm not a trained a little harder, you know so, but you know it's also. The guys are there for me. But one of the things that is going to be hard for me is being in a group like that, where we're all competing, they're all competing, they're all competing, they're all competing, they're still competing, everything's competing it. Yes, they, they can be, you know, supportive and tell you not to do this. And the other thing, there's another part of them that's just like let's go, yeah, you know. And uh, I'm gonna have to learn how to mitigate that. Not that they're pushing me, but I want to go with them, I want to be there, right with them. That's one of the things I'm going to have to learn how to deal with.
Speaker 2:You know it's funny that you went there. I got one statement that I want to throw my kudos to John.
Speaker 1:Wait what?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I know that's a shock in and of itself.
Speaker 1:He just choked on his words.
Speaker 2:Literally, john still has an ego. There was a picture from Columbus Oktoberfest two years ago and it was the Columbus picture of the year that somehow, miraculously, is now hanging in my gym at the compound of John with the face of determination, throwing the Atlas stone. You remember?
Speaker 3:the stone. I know that picture. Yeah, everybody does. Everybody knows that picture. You know I've got an ego picture myself, yep john did one for me.
Speaker 2:That is now a six foot tall banner, so so my eagle has been, uh, justly stroked, so to speak. All right, you said and this is the thing that we all fight we get to that point where, you know, and you're crossing that road right now. John has been there. I'm there, you know, with my shoulder a little bit in some instances. You're in the gym and your tribe is pushing you and you're trying to do the best you can, but there's limitations. You know.
Speaker 2:How do you say to yourself all right, I'm here, I'm with those that I love and they're, and they're here to support me. And you know they're going hard, they're going full out. I want to go full out. I mean, that's one of the hardest things that it is for me. John will joke when we're doing old man training on Sunday and he'll make the statement I don't know which Scott I'm going to get today. I'm going to get either the Scott that's a wise ass all the time, or I'm going to get the Scott that is so driven that you know you start sweating and breathing heavy the second you walk into the gym, because it's never enough weight, it's never enough repetitions, it's never enough speed. Those are the times that are hard to sort of say to yourself drop the ego, do what I can do. Just do you know that's the hard part there. Just do you know, that's the hard part there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I think, jesse, before we, before we transition to sort of what your you know what your current status is, let's talk a little. Let's shine a light on something that I think is important that none of us do. What are you worried about, like, what, what, what is keeping you up at night when it comes to your athletic journey? Right now, before we get into your challenges Me personally.
Speaker 3:The stuff that I'm dealing with is, you know, I have my daughters, I have a son. I have, you know, I'm full tilt right now. I'm 42. I've got an 8-year-old, 11-year-old, a 23-year-old. He's on his own but, like you know, we're raising the kids, we're into hockey, like we're making it. We do okay, you know, but, like you know, my dad died when I was 40, when he was 43 years old, and I know, and I know what that did.
Speaker 3:You know, I was 16, my brother was 12, my sister was eight and I know what that does to a family and that's that's what keeps me up at night, because some of the health issues, you know, when it like, I'm not quite there yet I'm in the middle of it, I'm just starting out.
Speaker 3:I don't know where it's going to go, but I can tell you when it was bad, when it was bad, when I had a bad the last time before I really shut down the exercise for a while and started getting serious about what's going on with me, you know, there were moments like I was laying down in bed and I'm like I'm not going to wake up tomorrow, you know, and that really, really sucks. And and the other part of it is that I'm pretty sure I just did it to myself. You know, like that, when Scott says about you know, hey, where's that moment in your training? And you don't want to go with these guys, guys, and you got to shut it down, but you want to. I didn't do that when I should have and I passed the point where, like maybe I could have got a control of some things and, uh, I didn't. You know the, you know the best, and I just wanted to go.
Speaker 1:The best time to make changes is 20 years ago. The second best time to make changes is right now. Um, don't beat yourself up, because you're just piling on your own crap and that's unnecessary, but um you know, I, I get that and and and I, I like, I, I like.
Speaker 3:I said, you know I'm turning 42. You know, I thought I had some more years left.
Speaker 1:You do.
Speaker 3:You know I want to be a 50 plus master competitor. You will that may or may not happen, maybe, maybe not in strongman.
Speaker 1:Well, you know, right, I mean look at athlete to a pretty decent Highland athlete to a really bad strongman. Athlete to a, you know, a pretty decent grip athlete. World record holder, world record. Thank you, scott, I didn't want to say it but you know now that you bring it up, I did hold a world record for a year. You were second in the world too. I was.
Speaker 3:And I know what second in the world feels like.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but I mean that's the thing, yeah, but you know you're going to pivot where you like it, or not uh, even if you had no challenges and just, I mean, think all the you know there's old strong men and there's non-broken strong men, but there's very few old, non-broken strong men. Uh, it's a rough sport to have longevity in. I mean you, you can see the pros that do, but I bet you they spend a hundred thousand dollars on themselves every year.
Speaker 3:Just, yeah, I never really thought of it that way with the money on that, like yeah you know, they have a lot more resources absolutely I remember one time we were having a conversation about owen haugen and yep haugen and and our guy rick, you know, our fearless leader.
Speaker 3:He's like look guys, you know, he's, he's in his 50s and he's he. You know, he had a pro card at one time and he's real about, like you know, this is exactly what you're talking about, like this is what I do now, you know. And he said something about oh, he said, you know, he can, he does some amazing things. And then he said but there's definitely things that he won't do. You know, yeah, absolutely I've. You know, yeah, absolutely I've.
Speaker 1:I've trained at his gym and his grip is beyond comparison with a lot of people. But if you look back through his career.
Speaker 3:It's like running around. But there was the iron db. Yeah, yeah, there's another humongous there's another humongous dude, but um you know, look at ode in his 20s.
Speaker 1:I mean wsm competitor, right. What is brian shaw gonna look like when he's 60? He's still gonna be a humongously strong, giant individual, uh. But he's gonna have limitations, and to, to we, mere mortals, those limitations just show up a little earlier. All right, so we we've been alluding to it, but we should probably get into the weeds of so why are we so freaked out about being a master and where we are with exercise, or lack thereof, right now?
Speaker 3:so about a year ago, um, I don't know what started happening now. I I just started passing out like or getting really lightheaded during like big lifts and stuff, and I was doing big bench. And in this last year, 2024, I I decided to just compete my butt off. So you know, I did a Madewell show out in Dane that was just like bench press and log in March, nationals in June Did Stones of Strength in Dublin in August, oktoberfest in September, and then I did another show out in October and then I was going to do a grip show here in November.
Speaker 3:But I kept on passing out and my heart would start racing and stuff. And I went to the doctor and I actually asked him for a referral a couple of times and he wouldn't give it to me for some reason. And you know, I'm already on blood pressure medicine. I'm on cholesterol medicine. You know I'm about 300 pounds, I'm five nine. You know. Know, if I don't watch it I can get up to 320, you know. And uh, I was just running around being real strong and stuff, but I knew something was wrong and uh, I finally got into the cardiologist and they said I had afib, which is atrial fibrillation. And for people that don't know. Um, something's wrong with, uh, the nervous signals that go to my heart that keep it beating regular. So when I go into an AFib episode, the top chambers of my heart, the atrial or I forget what they call them the atrium uh, they beat anywhere from like 130 to 160 beats per minute, whether I'm sitting down or not.
Speaker 1:Oh, so the top works different than the bottom for a while.
Speaker 3:Yeah. So, it's real irregular and it's real fast. Now, if your bottom, if your ventricles start beating out a little bit like that, that's real bad, then you just die.
Speaker 1:Oh.
Speaker 3:So now, afib won't kill you directly. The big danger is that your heart doesn't pump efficiently, so that's you're not getting oxygen in the brain, but clots can form in your heart. You'll have a stroke and that's it for you.
Speaker 2:So um.
Speaker 3:I didn't know any of this. Um, I, you know, went to a regular cardiologist. They said oh, we'll refer you to the clinic and get an appointment in three months. I just did internet research and you know, bro, science I'm familiar.
Speaker 1:You're doing some right now actually.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and I just got got. You know, I thought, oh man, it's just like when I do this exercise or I'll just go get up, it's got to do something with the nerves in my neck and I apparently I handled it in the absolute worst way I could. Um, so I did not know that AFib is you can trigger it real bad with stuff stress, caffeine, alcohol, uh, you know, excessive exercise, strangely enough, endurance exercise. So I do some of that. I do, like you know I go backpacking. I like long back bike rides, you know I I've ran a half marathon before, wow.
Speaker 1:Um.
Speaker 3:I, I like to see how far I can go. You know so and also you know strong man, on Saturday with the guys is three hours long, seven o'clock till 10 in the morning. At least you know as hard as you can go every week. So, um, what I did not know is that AFib is persistent and progressive. So every time that I kept on getting into these episodes and pounding away at it where they had started, where I was like a little and, by the way, try explaining to a cardiologist that you're passing out more than usual so they didn't really understand where I'm coming from with it.
Speaker 3:And I didn't want to look at it and I didn't want to stop competing and I said, oh, I'll deal with it, I'll deal with this. And then I kept on having episodes, episodes, triggering and triggering, and I ended up having a five-day-long episode and ended up not in the hospital, but they rushed me up to the AFib clinic, like my appointment, and had to check me in there. And it's at the hospital and my appointment got moved up and then they explained to me exactly how dangerous the situation I put myself in and they were going to electroshock my heart to get it back into rhythm. But fortunately the machine wasn't available that day and by the time they scheduled me two days later, I come out of a fifth episode and my heart started beating back to normal. So, um, that is what I'm dealing with now. So I immediately I took off.
Speaker 3:I was going to take off three months. I ended up. I couldn't stand it. I couldn't stand not lifting weights, so I just got back in. Last week was the first time with the guys and I really have to watch it.
Speaker 1:I have like a polar heart monitor and I can't let my heart go over like 120 and stuff like that no, where's your, where's your doctor on all this, like do you have one of those doctors that tells you to like stop doing everything and lay on the floor motionless, or do you have a doctor that's?
Speaker 3:working with your goals. I don't really have a doctor yet, so I I'm still waiting on the appointment on, you know, the end of march, with the electrophysiologist, or super duper specialist as I like to call him, and, uh, we'll see what they say. But as far as you know, it's, it's tough, because you go talk to them, you're like I'm, you know, I I don't look it to you, but I'm an athlete, you know, I'm a competitor, right, and I want to do this and like this is what I'm doing, what can I do? And they say oh well, you know, you can, you can work out, you just can't lift too heavy, okay.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's not what we do, yeah.
Speaker 3:That's not. Well, yeah, so there's that. And then, well, what can I do? Well, you can go on long walks. Yeah, oh, geez, you know. So I'm not really anywhere. I'm really in the beginning stages of this. I have seen some improvement. They changed my medicine. I have been walking.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's good.
Speaker 3:And you know, afib can be triggered. I can go into these episodes Now. Here's the thing If you progress it far enough, you eventually end up in permanent AFib where your heart never goes back to normal.
Speaker 1:Oh then, what do you do then? Like, does that pacemaker? What is that?
Speaker 3:They can do pacemakers, they can do ablationsations, which is like a catheter insert into your heart where they burn off. So afib is, you know the electricity, but your heart changes and it develops cells and, uh, they can go in that you know are out of rhythm and get those electrical signals all wonky. And they can actually go in and cauterize it, like you know how they do the through your leg for like a heart heart attack stent. Yeah, it's the same thing. So they go in there and they freeze off the tissue. Um, I don't know, I'm definitely not there yet. I'm incredibly young for it, are you?
Speaker 1:I was gonna ask at some point like you know, is this an old man disease is? Is this?
Speaker 3:a juvenile disease. I was the only person under 70 in the waiting room. Oh, so you're an overachiever is what you're saying.
Speaker 1:Yeah, congratulations, that's true, thank you. It's how you frame things, man, it's how you frame things.
Speaker 3:I always said I was going to. You know I'm never going to quit, but I'm not going to quit until I get taken out. I've been taken out.
Speaker 1:Well, no, here we go, here's, here's the here's, here's advice number two from old man mountain yeah you. You're gonna have to pivot, maybe, but you're not done, you're not done yeah you're not done there's something out there even. Do you want to talk pickleball, because this is the longest I've gone in an episode without talking pickleball?
Speaker 3:please say no jesse please say no, so there is a chance. So, of course, if you look up what causes afib, it's everything that I've ever done. It's, it's diet, weight, uh, endurance, uh the heavy lifting, um blood sugar, cholesterol, alcohol. You know, I don't actually drink that much, you know, but I used to and now I'm not at all. Caffeine, you know you, you can't just slam a bunch of pre-workout. Well, you can't.
Speaker 2:You haven't talked to john john's record is nine in one day at the ar, nine cans of wine.
Speaker 3:Luckily I've never really been too bad with the caffeine because of the Tourette's.
Speaker 1:Oh, is that a trigger? Is that a Tourette's trigger? Oh my God, you don't want to see.
Speaker 3:If I drank nine things I'd be like in that movie Awakening where they can't move, they're shaking, so much.
Speaker 1:I think honestly, nine may have induced Tourette's in me, awakenings where they can't move. Yeah, they're shaking. So I think honestly. I think honestly nine may have induced Tourette's in me.
Speaker 3:I don't know, I was vibrating for a while, for sure, yeah, you definitely vibrate, yeah, but you know so it's all about strain on the heart. So right now, currently, you know the plan and and, of course, this week, I, you know my the plan and and I, of course, this week, I, you know, my doctor just put me on metformin.
Speaker 1:Welcome to the club, brother.
Speaker 3:Welcome to the club. Right, but I'm not that far along. I think my A1C was a seven. Oh, amateur.
Speaker 1:Those are amateur numbers.
Speaker 3:I know Well, we're trying to catch it. I know I don't want to get those numbers up.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's great.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so, hopefully, hopefully, in you know, in my head I'm still like man, I could do this. I just need to be reborn as a lightweight. Yeah, you know, just show a level of dedication and stuff that I've never exhibited in my life and well, first of all, that is anybody that's listened in the last 42 minutes.
Speaker 1:Uh, you're lying to yourself.
Speaker 1:You have accomplished a shit ton yeah of mental fortitude in in so much adversity for someone your age, um, this is where I say you know neither scott nor I. Well, scott's sort of a doctor, but he's the wrong kind of doctor. I'm a fake doctor. We are not medical doctors, but I I do want to encourage you because this is where I am. On my diabetic journey, it took me like four doctors to find someone that understood what it felt like to be a master's athlete and yet still dial in my blood work. Because the first, the first advice I got from the first doctor was you should stop and you should eat salads, and I'll see you when you're 80.
Speaker 3:Um well, don't, don't give up on getting an answer that helps you and your goals again, you probably can't go full bore.
Speaker 1:I'm an animal like I'm 30, but there's there's a better answer than giving up and feeling defeated, because you know there's a quality of life question there too. I mean to to live, just to live, and be miserable, is not?
Speaker 2:you know you're gonna die somewhere else then yeah, and the big thing here is john and I have these conversations. You know we've been very open about them in the podcast, but we also have them, you know, outside of the podcast. You know, outside of the podcast, you know, at least the diabetic journey is very individualized. You know where you're at in the journey. What you have, the sort of as John calls it superpower to, you know, hold yourself to, to not hold yourself to, you know, friend, you know, is realizing that if I adjust the medication down, my numbers are getting better. So that journey in it has to be that individualized sort of process. And you're right, you know, and john hit on it find the doctor. That's right.
Speaker 2:I'm doing that, for for another issue that I'm dealing with, and I went from one doctor who is top of his field I mean, he does work for the professional sports teams around here and through a mutual friend of mine and john's, he said you know what, go to see this guy. The guy that you're at right now is exceptional. This guy's even better because he specializes in what you have and, to use his words, he's a meathead like us. So right, you've got to find that person that isn't going to say stop doing everything, sit back down on the couch, take up knitting nothing wrong with knitting, and you know. Watch the fish and say woosah, there's got to be something more to that. That quality of life is so important, especially in a master's athlete.
Speaker 3:Well, I don't know. You know, the doctors that I've been dealing with are pretty good. Once I got to the actual above, like your general health doctor, like once I got to the specialist, they seemed a lot more attentive, and you know so. So with the AFib, they have a dedicated AFib clinic here in town.
Speaker 1:That's good.
Speaker 3:Riverside hospital. And then the doctor man. I just walked up the stairs and that's one of the things too, like everything's kind of harder now, like it definitely did damage to my heart or limitations, and I just walked up the stairs. I'm, oh, man, you know, yeah, but um, so hopefully I can get some answers. It is hard to find a doctor that deals with athletes. We do have one in town. Everybody talks about eric serrano, um, but I don't know. The waiting list is a long time with him and expensive and whatnot. So I'm going to see what they say, um, but you know, it's all about strain on your heart, apparently. You know, I've lost this kind of weight before, honestly. So, yeah, I mean that?
Speaker 1:that's the thing I was going to say. Is that because you alluded jokingly to trying to be a lightweight? No, I meant it yeah, brother, it may just be time to drop the 100 pounds and to slowly build whatever you can build within the disease to get healthier you know before you start worrying about which athlete's stone you can lift over a bar.
Speaker 3:That was one of the weird things too is that there's definitely triggers. That was one of the things that confused me the most was, you know, I thought there was just some, like stones was a real big problem. Like almost every time I picked them up my heart would start being funny, you know, and I thought it was just a nervous issue in my back or something straining something, and that kind of gave me like a rationalization to push even further when I should have stopped.
Speaker 1:Okay, Well here's old man mountain advice again. What are we on three? Um, you need to listen a little louder to that voice.
Speaker 1:Um, while I while I appreciate your intestinal fortitude and your desire to go forward, you do actually have a medical condition that you need to listen to way above cause. Here's the deal you win a strongman event. I mean, talk to man on the street. They don't know who brian shaw is, you know? Oh, world's strongest man? Yeah, I think I saw that in the 70s. It wasn't, uh, wasn't bill casmeyer doing that? You know, they don't know anybody anymore. So ken patera, baby, yeah. So I mean the, the wins are important to you, but you know, you got. You got little people in your life and a wife that loves you and that that comes way before all this. I mean, this is the master's athlete survival guide. I think step one, keyword survival is to survive, is to thrive in with people who love you and your family, and and scott and I you know we're here to support you.
Speaker 2:No, so thank you. So, jesse, let me sort of transition. You, you painted a journey for us, you told us. You know, unfortunately you know the card that got dealt to you right now and, point blank, those cards suck. But yeah, it's not a death, no. So I guess you know. The question that john and I have are what are your goals? Now? You know, you know you've got sort of a limitation in place that you're gonna have to work with. What are the goals that you're setting for yourself for the next year, five years?
Speaker 3:well, first off, I just gotta lose the weight. Um, it's really hard, it's. It's involving working out in a way that I don't like you, so, um. So, for afib hit, you know, high intensity interval training is the worst thing you can do, which is strong man. Max lifting is the worst thing you can do, which is strong man, and, uh like, long sessions are the worst things you can do, which is strong man, and uh like long sessions are the worst things you can do, which is also strong. So, um, so I'm, I'm definitely just starting to get back at it. Um, so the goal is to lose, hopefully, a hundred pounds, but we'll see what starts with 30, you know, um, see if I can get to 270. Got to change the diet and right now I'm just working on I'm going to talk to a dietician so I get some more information on that's wise outlook on this, because I feel that I'm at an advantage.
Speaker 3:Um, because I know structure and I know building. You know it's like like, I got into, you know strongman five years ago and you know I was getting my butt kicked here, and you go from like okay, you know, all right, I showed up, all right, so now I don't want to make any, so don't make mistakes. Okay, then you go to your next competition and you're like all right, I made less mistakes, okay, now I'm not making mistakes, okay, so now let's get stronger, let's win. And then you start winning and you start getting ahead and you know and, uh, I'm just going to apply all that to this and I have a good support group and, uh, I'm going to try to listen to my doctors and listen to my body, and that's actually not as hard at. You know, there is a kind of a silver lining to it. You know, I did have a very scary, scary episode Really shocked me into you know where I need to be, hopefully to get ahold of it. But um, oh man, I lost my train of thought.
Speaker 1:That's fine. Scott was just asking you about your, your goals and your plan going forward.
Speaker 3:I'm lucky that, in a way that I always thought that I was going to end up having to pivot and change due to some catastrophic injury. Like I thought, the knee was going to go, the shoulder was going to go, the spine is going to go and I'm pretty much intact Nice. So that's going to serve me well on what I do.
Speaker 3:So I'm you know, waiting for the weather to change, get on on the bike, try to find a safe way to hike, and my goal, my goal, is to get my body into enough condition and light enough where, hopefully, I can start competing again.
Speaker 1:Yeah, at least, let, let let's remove competing Cause I know that that's a subtext of that as strong man, let's just go with and compete. Compete at something, because I'm yeah, you clearly have that in you like, you will not be happy in a life where you don't have some sport, where you test yourself, and I applaud that. Uh, it may not be strongman, or maybe strongman where you know I mean, we had a great time at oktoberfest, right? Do you remember what place I came in? Oh, that, that would be last. Do you remember whose picture made the Columbus dispatch for the picture of the year? That would also be me, dude, someday. It pivots and it's no longer about winning, it's showing up and competing is winning.
Speaker 3:That is a hard mindset for you to take Amen.
Speaker 1:You're not wrong.
Speaker 3:And you know the reason that I wanted to tell you. You know I had so much trouble growing up and stuff. This is kind of my. You know I ended up being just a delivery truck driver and and that's fine and I like my job and I like my family and and my life is is great.
Speaker 3:Like this was my way of you know, like I always thought I was billy badass and this was kind of my way to run around and be billy badass, you know, and and I, I just I just need it so much and I enjoyed it so but yes, maybe it won't be strong man, but you know I flirted with highland and uh, you know that's, that's good and we have a good uh community here in columbus for it.
Speaker 3:And uh, of course, I'm know a grip nerd myself. I do have short fingers and fat hands, yeah, it happens. So there's a bit of a disadvantage, but I, you know, I have a lot going on with that and we, you know, so I mean I can still compete at something that's important.
Speaker 2:That's it. You know, like John said, and like you've said, that, pivot once you find it. It's important. I mean, john and I, I think, are slowly moving into a new one ourselves, towards a slightly different strength. Yeah, some strength, sport, I don't know, but it is one of those things that you do have to look at as you get, get older and you know you've had a hell of a journey so far and the fact that you're still here, you're, you're sharing it and hopefully some other people can can get out of it. You know, I mean, one of the big things that I took from our conversation this far has been, you know what, listen to the body, listen to what it says. You know it. It had to kick you a few times and god knows in my journey it's, it's done more than just kick. It's sort of like that sledge hammer to the head because I'm thick skulled.
Speaker 3:But listen to what the body has to say there's one thing I really wanted to say about that actually, and I'm glad you kind of reminded is that you know dealing with this and I reach out and when I start talking to people and stuff this, these kinds of heart problems are actually I think people are having a lot of it and they're not talking about it.
Speaker 1:It's quite possible, everybody.
Speaker 3:I reached out to they know a guy. Oh, this happened to me, you know, and they're really ignoring it and anybody listening to it whether you're 50, 40, 30, start getting checked out, go to the doctor, do not ignore it, because you're going to push past where you should be and you can really, really really cause some, some problems and uh, you know, I know you want to compete and stuff, but that's the thing. If you get a hold of it early and you start taking care of it and making the right decisions, it might not be that big a deal. You know, and don't do what I did and just start like. I heard you, I listened to you a lot of the episodes of the podcast getting ready for this, and you guys are talking about Oktoberfest, which a wonderful, awesome show.
Speaker 2:I love it and I've done it four, four years in a row.
Speaker 3:I'm not going to be doing it this year, but you know, talking about that like hopping into a show where it's one class and all the weights are the same and stuff like that's. I want to do that, I want to do well and I have an ego for that. But maybe going forward, myself or anybody that's having problems really need to look and pick and choose on what they do. You can't, can't keep up with these 29 year olds.
Speaker 3:That's 340 pounds we've learned that ourselves being in our 50s and you know, competing at that Oktoberfest, you get some absolute juggernaut monsters going through there last year one of our guys the guy who won Jordan, one of our team boss guys took the 400 pound stone and pretty much threw it off the stage and I was like you know. And then the next day after that and I was sitting there just hurting and I was like you know, I don't know if this is worth it for 12th place, man, like. So I got a lot of decisions to make on that kind of stuff too, and I'm gonna have to start watching that yeah, but I love where your head is.
Speaker 1:Like you're, you're going into this with both eyes open. Uh, you know nothing I've said to you today. I'm sure you haven't already thought of Um. I mean you, you've heard us talk about community. I mean, you're part of our community now. Um, we are always here to listen, support, ask questions, point you at resources we might have. Um, you're gonna have to pivot and you need to be realistic with what that pivot might be. I mean, if strongman is really important to you, you know this may be your sign to it's time to give back to the sport and help at events and organize events and coach other, other kids, because that can be as rewarding as getting after it yourself, if not more so, yeah, absolutely, and that's my plan for the year too.
Speaker 3:I mean, I'm sure that they'll let me help at Oktoberfest. I'm sure that they'll let me help. They always want help, and so I really do want to get on to the other side of that and see how that runs a little more, where I can focus on that, and then, yeah, put on shows one day, or coach, or you know Something. That would be great. Yeah, yeah, I already thought of that. At the very least, that's what I'm going to do.
Speaker 1:Cool. I think this is a good place to consider wrapping up Well.
Speaker 3:I had one thing that.
Speaker 1:I really wanted to say to Scott Absolutely.
Speaker 3:Say it to scott. So. So I ran you. So, scott, you know, I ran into you, you know, at two october fests, yep, and uh, you know, uh, I actually kind of thought I was like man, this guy is like kind of short and not like, not not like height wise, but like I was like man, this guy's got, you know, know, like he's not, I don't want, I don't want to say you want to be, you weren't a jerk, but I was like man, he's like a little aggressive when he talks to you and stuff. And then then I saw you out at nationals. This is what happened. I was out of nationals, I was all finished up, the master class was running long and I just sat there and I'm like, oh, scott's probably going to want a video, you know.
Speaker 3:And I didn't know his first name. I saw Fike on the back of the shirt and I took the video. I came up to Scott I said hey, man, I got this video, you know, and let me send it to you over a messenger. And uh, you know, I said hey, man, are you, are you Ben? And he got real quiet and he's like okay, you know, I say the video and sky, I just want to tell you, you know, getting to know you and see you on meeting with your foundation and and everything you've gone through. And now I realize, when I look back, that you were in the middle of dealing with that. When you're competing and you spoke about, you know, or posted how you're.
Speaker 3:You know, that's your journey to, to really do that, and it's a very amazing and inspiring thing, man and uh, an intense amount of fortitude for you to do that and, uh, you know it's been great, great to see I um oh, look, you made scott at a loss for words.
Speaker 1:No, you know, we we joke on this podcast and scott will collect himself at some point. But here's the reality. We have been through the shit and we don't always talk about the shit we've been through, but that, that is why we're doing it and that's why I am inspired by you, because you are us 10 years removed. You are are facing something that seems terrifying. You know, your dad died. You want to be there for your kids. Uh, I'm sure some of your, some of your sport journey feels selfish at times, like I really want to do this but I could die. Um, yeah, I, we get all of it, brother. So you know for you to recognize that. And scott, um, and the reality is that when Scott competes, sometimes he can be a bit of a dick, but it's because he's hyper-focused and he you know he carries a burden like the rest of us.
Speaker 3:Well, I don't feel that way about him now, and now I realize why, why he was like that. Yeah, you get used to him after a while. You know, jesse, I appreciate that and I'd be glad.
Speaker 2:I appreciate that. John's right. When I get to a competition I sort of zone in. I don't, I'm not as outgoing as I normally am. I always with me. I want to do the best I can. I'm never satisfied with what I do, but I always want to see somebody else push themselves. I'm happy if somebody can beat me because they're better. That aggression was a lot different about three years ago but like you alluded to and I don't talk about it much- I know I'm sorry.
Speaker 3:No, I'm sorry, no, no, no, no, no you're you're perfectly fine.
Speaker 2:I don't hide it either. Um, you know, many people know my son died a little over two years ago and it's changed the way that I look at things and, you know, in adopting some of his mannerisms, and that's why you know. You mentioned our foundation, the love like Ben foundation. That's why we do it.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and that's uh, that's sort of at the uh, that's at the end of the. You know what? What drives this podcast is? We're here to help because, again, we've been down through it. So you know, I'd be happy to be you guys in 10 years and, and you will be, and we're going to call you on it because I'm still going to be doing this and being even older and crotchety, or in 10 years excellent, excellent and still electrifying.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and still electrifying. Oh, you are my favorite man. Thank you. All right, let's wrap things up here. Jesse For Scott, I am John. This was Jesse. We had a great conversation. Jesse, I really appreciate your time, and let's check back in in the future and see where your journey has gone, okay.
Speaker 3:All right.
Speaker 1:Thank you, all right, thank you for having me. Thanks, brother, talk to you later. Bye, thanks for listening. If you enjoyed this episode and you'd like to help support the podcast, please share it with others, post it on your social media or leave a review. To catch all the latest from us, you can follow us on instagram at masters athlete survival guide. Thanks again. Now get off our lawn, you damn kids.