The Higher Valleys Podcast
Welcome to the Higher Valleys Podcast, where former NFL teammates Spencer Paysinger and Jelani Jenkins trade real conversations about fatherhood, sports, ambition, identity, and life after the game.
Each week, we unpack the tension ambitious fathers face: chasing success, strengthening marriages, and raising emotionally secure kids… without losing ourselves along the way.
The Higher Valleys Podcast
PAC: SOUL Cole
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Episode Summary
Jelani and Spencer sit down for a live Higher Valleys conversation with mindfulness leader and former NFL player Soul Cole, recorded at the Pro Athlete Community Accelerate conference in Phoenix. They open with real-life updates—ten-year anniversaries, LA proximity to fame, and what it means to be “in the mix” without being starstruck—before shifting into the deeper work of presence and grounding. From self-talk in the mirror to breathwork, storytelling, and emotional intelligence for underserved youth, the episode explores how to help high-performing athletes regulate, reconnect to their source, and carry those tools back into their families and communities.
Topics Covered
- Ten-year anniversaries, simple family-centered celebrations, and building rituals at home
- Growing up in LA, proximity to celebrity, and how “just more reps” changes what feels normal
- First live Higher Valleys recording: context from the Pro Athlete Community conference in Phoenix
- Who Soul Cole is: former NFL player, coach, author, breathwork and mindfulness facilitator
- Soul Impact: his nonprofit work bringing mindfulness and emotional intelligence to underserved youth
- Children’s storytelling and Mighty Soul Adventures as an entry point into mindfulness for kids
- Being a “father figure” and role model even before becoming a parent
- Supporting high-performing athletes who are always in motion, performance mode, and comparison
- Using breathwork and grounding practices to reconnect athletes to their source
- How Soul Cole's approach began: talking to himself in the mirror with intention and authority
- Bringing that same intentional self-talk and presence into peer-to-peer work with other athletes
Highlight Quotes
- “We just have more reps than most people—it’s the concept of proximity.”
- “This podcast is about fatherhood, and even though you’re not a father yet, you’re a father figure for so many.”
- “My approach started with me literally talking to myself in the mirror with intention and authority—now I’m saying that to my peers the same way.”
Tap in with SOUL
https://soulimpactfoundation.org/
https://www.soulcolethebrand.com/
https://www.instagram.com/b_cole16
https://www.linkedin.com/in/soulcole
Where to Find Us
Instagram: @highervalleyspodcast
TikTok: @highervalleys