Get Up Eight Times: Rob Semerano on Baseball, Faith & the Comeback Nobody Saw Coming

He was drafted by the Oakland A's, heard his name called while a picnic table sat waiting to be painted, and spent the next two decades fighting through Tommy John surgery, a knee replacement, a hip replacement, a divorce, and the quiet question of whether the dream still had a pulse. Jessica Curtis turns the mic on her partner Rob Semerano — former professional pitcher, father, and founder of Big League Talent — for a conversation about what baseball taught him about life, why God had him in the basement before his earthly father came down the stairs with good news, and what it means to still be throwing in your mid-forties because something keeps telling you not to stop. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:01

I'm Jessica Curtis, and this is the Progress Report, a show about real people making real change across America. Today's guest on the Progress Report usually sits beside me as my co-host. But today, Rob Samorano is in the guest chair. Rob, a native of Port Jervis, New York, same as me, uh, former professional pitcher, Fordham University standout, and founder of Somarano's Aces. He was drafted by the Oakland A's and in 2004 went on to spend years in professional baseball with stops connected to the A's, the Yankees, Astros, and Independent Ball as well. But Rob's story is much more than baseball. It's a story of injuries, surgeries, setbacks, faith, fatherhood, recovery, and refusing to believe that a dream has an expiration date. After a myriad of surgeries, Tommy John surgery, arm injuries, knee replacements, years away from affiliated baseball, and even the knee replacement I mentioned, Rob found himself back on the mound in his 40s, throwing harder than ever and inspiring others with his comeback. Today, he's using that experience to coach and mentor young athletes through Samarano's Aces, helping them develop not only as players, but as people and young men. So today we're talking about the game, the grind, the comeback, and what it means to keep showing up when life gives you every reason to walk away. Rob, thank you for being uh the the guest de jour today and and letting us uh do a little behind the scenes interview of my Bravo co-host.

SPEAKER_00 1:47

My pleasure being on the show. And uh thank you for that wonderful intro.

SPEAKER_01 1:51

Absolutely. So you you grew up, we we grew up in the same hometown of Port Jervis, New York, uh which I I mean I can say myself was a wonderful childhood. So right out of the gate, when you look back, what did the community around you in Port Jervis and the tri-state area give you that still shapes who you are today?

SPEAKER_00 2:14

I think one of the things that um always resonated with me was you know being willing to get in the trenches to get things done if you have to. That you you're willing to, you know, roll up your sleeves and uh get after it. And even if you get knocked down, you get right back up, even when uh, you know, maybe other other surrounding towns looked looked down on us or thought we were smaller than they were and you know couldn't compete, we always stood up and competed. And and I think that kind of uh you know, quasi-chip on your shoulder or edge is is something that really resonated with me. I mean, obviously I had a lot of great times and and fond memories of the town as well that were, you know, on the fun side, but in terms of in terms of how it shaped me as uh as an athlete and some of the trials and tribulations I had to go through, um, I think that that toughness and that uh that grit to keep going is definitely something that I took I took from there.

SPEAKER_01 3:12

Very cool. Um so I mean baseball has been a a huge part of your life for a long time. And anybody that has listened to our podcast over the last, you know, almost a year, we're rolling up on. Um notice a bit of your background, but you know, talk a little bit about your dad's background and and connection to the game, and then really beyond that, what it was like for you growing up in a baseball family.

SPEAKER_00 3:41

Well, you know, it's funny because I've had people ask me that where, you know, did you ever feel pressure from your dad or that you know you had to live up to, and I honestly never did. I don't I don't really know why. I'm sure it was partially with the way my mom and dad raised me that I just never felt any of that. If anything, I felt blessed that you know that that my dad did what he did and and that, you know, I'm gonna do that someday. And it just kind of was was something where I just almost felt like it was uh you know bestowed upon me in some way, which is probably good to have that type because looking back on it, you know, you realize there's a lot of hard work that goes into it. And it's not just an automatic just because you have, you know, a dad that played pro ball. And I really should mention it's not just my dad, my mom was a phenomenal athlete too. So I really came from really good stock with both of them. And um, but never felt, you know, in any kind of way that I had to live up to something or you know, make them proud. It was more just I love doing it. I love playing baseball. And, you know, um, I know my parents saw that and they saw my passion. So because of that, they supported me and you know, wanted it for me. And I would have people ask me that, that you know, do your parents want it more than you do? I said, I don't really know. I don't know how you quantify wanting something more or not. I said, but all I know is I want it a lot, so it really doesn't matter, you know, how much anybody else wants it, because I want it too. And uh and you know, I feel very blessed that they both were great athletes, both very competitive, both were, you know, I don't want to say tough on me, but they made me tough, I guess is a good way to put it. That they, you know, they they never allowed for um taking the easy way out and and didn't weren't parents that kind of softened things. They just were real with me. And uh and that helped me a lot. And you know, I I can remember very fondly as a little boy listening to the stories that my parents would tell about their playing days, my dad at pro baseball, my mom in high school with her tennis and softball. And um, you know, I'm proud of them, and I and I love I love hearing those old stories, and and hopefully uh I've made enough that I can share with my boys and that they enjoy them someday too.

SPEAKER_01 5:57

Absolutely. So take us back to when you were drafted by the A's. What what do you remember most about that moment?

SPEAKER_00 6:10

So it's funny. There was two days of the draft, and right before the draft, I had sprained my ankle really badly, and it kind of hurt my slot. I was I was projected to go rounds four to seven, and I think the fact that I couldn't perform at I was invited to Yankee Stadium, Fenway Park, and Shea Stadium for the Mets at the time. And I got to pitch, I was able to pitch in Fenway and I was able to pitch in Shea, but I was doing it in an aircast. And uh, you know, I had hopped out at 96, 97 miles an hour. And when I went to those workouts with the aircast on, I still hit 93, which I think everybody was impressed with that wow, he's still throwing hard. And but the fact of the matter was, had I been able to throw 97 in front of them, in front of the brass and everything else, probably would have, you know, kept me in that round four to seven slot. So anyway, the first day I I you know got dressed up real nice. My family was all home. I think my dad even may have taken off from school to be home. And 19 round or 18 rounds go by and my name's never called. So man. The end of that, it was like, what's going on? Is it does that mean I'm just not getting drafted? And um so then we got a we had gotten a call that night from the Oakland A scout that had been following me and said, We're gonna probably draft him in the second round tomorrow, first one of the first two rounds tomorrow. And he they always want to call to find out your signability because they don't want to waste a draft pick on you if you know they're with what they're gonna pay you and everything is not to your liking. And and at the time I did have some leverage that I could have gone back to play college ball still. So the next day, though, there was none of that, you know, getting dressed up and it was just kind of like, you know what, we're just gonna live our day. I said, I'm listening to the first round. I said, after that, I said, no, I said I'll listen to the first two rounds because that's what they told me. The first two rounds. I said, after that, I'm going outside. I remember I had a picnic table I had to paint. So I said, I'm just gonna go paint the picnic table. I said, I'm I'm not I'm not doing this, I'm not spending four hours sitting in front of a computer. And um so anyway, it was so funny because I got the phone call, and then right after that, they announced it on the computer, and you and you heard my name, and and I had gotten the phone call probably a couple minutes before that, that it looks like Oakland's gonna draft you. So we start scrambling to try to find the video camera. Now, this is before it's 2004, so this is before phones could film and everything.

SPEAKER_02 8:39

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 8:39

And I just remember that the on the video, when you watch it, we always joked it looked like an episode of cops because like Marcy's running with the camera, and then she's calling dad in the house. I'm running over here, like we're just you know, like we're just going in in all different directions, and then finally she zooms it out on the computer and they call my name and we all go nuts. And it was it's it's it's amazing, even when you know something, you know, you're pretty sure something's gonna happen when it finally actually happens, and you realize I'm a pro baseball player now. Yeah, and I I remember the exact moment that it really hit me. My dad was home on lunch from ASK, which is was an elementary school in our in our hometown. And I drove down to ASK after he went back because he said, you know, he said, I told our principal here, and he's gonna make an announcement to everybody, congratulating you. He said, if you want to be here to hear it, I said, Oh, yeah, be cool. And I just remember walking across the lawn of ASK as my dad was outside with his gym class, and I just remember feeling so special at that moment that it was like I remember being one of these little kids and dreaming about this day, and now here it is. I've I've I've done it. And uh and it was yeah, it was it was it was a surreal moment that I'll never forget, and definitely one of the most exhilarating moments of my life for sure.

SPEAKER_01 10:07

I love it. And you know, I I I've I've said this multiple times, you've heard me say this, but they're the reason why I became a producer. I love the behind the scenes stuff and like seeing what's going on that nobody else gets to see. So, you know, kind of in line with that, right? Being a fly on the wall in your house when when that happened, right? And watching kind of just the excitement. So a lot of people see the highlights, right? The draft, pro teams, the radar gun, but not the grind that goes into it behind the scenes. What did your journey in professional ball teach you about discipline and sacrifice?

SPEAKER_00 10:50

Well, you know, one of the best pieces of advice my dad gave me when I went to go play Pro Bowl was don't get caught up in personalities, is he said that you're gonna you're gonna meet a lot of people that are just totally different personalities, totally different cultures. And at times, you know, what one culture doesn't see as anything, another culture sees as rude or you know, and vice versa, in the other direction, too. So you just have to, you know, just be accepting of everybody's different personalities. Doesn't mean you have to, you know, partake in whatever traditions they may have or beliefs they may have, but you know, don't let that become too consuming because uh it, you know, you you are dealing with a lot of different people. You'll deal with guys that are competitive in the wrong way where there's a certain amount of jealousy and and you know, trying to you both fight for the same spot. And my dad gave me the advice of if you have major league talent, you'll get you'll get there. You may not get there with the A's, but you may be involved in a trade and get there with another team. So you're not gonna get there because you're hoping other guys screw up so that you can move up. That's just if you don't have the talent and none of the other guys do either, they're gonna have other people come in there that do. And and that was always uh, you know, that kind of took care of like the social side of it. Because that is if if I didn't kind of go in with that attitude, um, I could see how people could get caught up in that. That, you know, we're well, we're going for the same job. But if you realize we're really not, we're all just going for a job in the big leagues, and right there may be a lot of different avenues you have to go down to get there. And I think that always helped me be a good teammate and helped me get along with guys. The fact that I could speak Spanish helped, you know, there's a lot of Spanish-speaking uh ball players. Um, but you know, there is that barrier at times where there's some things that are lost in translation, or maybe you didn't say it exactly right, and you're trying to, you know, figure out what's what's being said. Um, the the bus rides, the travel, you know, some of that stuff can be very uh very challenging. But again, it kind of goes back to your original question is I would I was raised by two parents that came from very hardworking parents themselves, my grandparents, and you know, they were they they grabbed their lunch pail every day, went to work, whether they felt good, whether they slept well, or whether they didn't sleep well, whether they felt bad or felt good, whatever. And that's what I had learned about that is that you, you know, regardless of how you may have sat on the bus, you got to figure out a way to loosen up. And and you know, if you're a little bit tired, you gotta find a way to get yourself up to go out there and compete because that's your job. And you and you you owe it to you yourself, you owe it to your teammates, uh, you owe it to the game to give it your best. Absolutely. Yeah, like you said, it's not always the most glamorous, but as I always say, you know, you're putting a lot of that non-glamorous time in for those those moments where you're out there and you hear the crowd explode because of something you did well, or you quiet a crowd down on the road. I mean, that's one of the greatest feelings, is is um, you know, I can remember one time in particular, I was in Peoria, Illinois, pitching against the Cubs single-A affiliate, and where the bullpen was was right next to the fans, and I was hearing everything as I was warming up. I don't know whether it was a thirsty Thursday or what, but these these guys were they were all over me for being Italian, being from New York, and you know, just saying things about my family and everything, you know, just crazy, crazy stuff. And I just remember it was a very raucous crowd that night, and I came into the game and we were winning one-nothing, and I just remember striking out the side and the crowd, it went, it went from this roar to just silence. And that was that was as as exhilarating as pitching at home and striking out the side and hearing the crowd cheer for you. Yeah. But um, but you know, I I loved all that. I really did. I loved I I loved going into hostile territory and and knowing that I could handle it, you know, it was it was fun for me. Yeah. And I guess growing up a uh WWF fan at the time, you know, when I was a little kid, I I was used to there being the uh, you know, the heel and the baby face, and and sure, you know, sometimes it's fun to play the bad guy a little bit.

SPEAKER_01 15:13

Sure, absolutely, absolutely. So I mentioned in the intro, and and you've talked about it on on different episodes of of the progress report with with varying guests we've had on, but your your career has been hit with some pretty serious injuries, and in particular Tommy John surgery. So tell us about what it's like when you're a pitcher and your arm gives gives out. Like, what does that do to you mentally?

SPEAKER_00 15:41

It's it's a scary moment because you know, you go there was other injuries that I've had, like with my back or my leg, and and you you still feel like your arm's moving fast, you're just not generating as much power from the lower half. But when you actually feel your arm, you know, something tear in there, and your arm actually starts to feel floppy because there's nothing attaching the ulna and the humerus anymore, it's a very scary feeling. Um, and like you said, I think the biggest challenge was the mental, emotional challenge more than the physical. Because I I knew I was willing to put the work in. That was not gonna be a problem. Right. And and I knew that the surgeon I went to was a very, you know, well-respected surgeon that had done thousands upon thousands of these surgeries and and had a lot of success with them. But it was more the fact of, okay, you're gonna be out of the game now for over a year. And, you know, and just knowing what that feeling felt like and being able to mentally overcome worrying about that feeling coming back, you know, because it is kind of scary when you throw the ball. And I I remember the one day when I had torn it, um, and I didn't know what was going on. I didn't know why my arm was hurting me. And we decided, my trainer and I, we said, well, maybe it's a piece of scar tissue that needs to be broken up. And sometimes the best way to do that is just let it rip, and you'll feel the scar tissue kind of you know release, and then everything's better. But it was basically like, but if it's not, then well, and I remember I tried to just gas one up and it was so painful. It was the one time I had ever experienced pain where I actually felt sick sick to my stomach afterwards. So um, you know, it it was a very uh very challenging time to accept that okay, this is this is what needs to be done, and and to to try to as a, you know, I the first time I tore it was in tw 2001. I tore it right around 9-11, 2001. And I so I missed all of 2002 and then didn't come back to play again until 2003, and I had to, you know, kind of just accept that fact that that's what it was gonna be. And that's that helped me through a lot of the other injuries, you know, with with knowing, okay, I got through that. I came back throwing even harder after that. And and that's it's helped me in life bounce back from different things. And and as I've said, I feel like baseball is a very intense microcosm of life where it it really magnifies those things in life that you're gonna have to go through and and prepares you for them. Absolutely, you know, it is a grind for sure.

SPEAKER_01 18:33

It is a grind, and you know, it bouncing back, what you know, and and you just mentioned it coming back and and throwing harder than ever, what did that come back mean to you personally?

SPEAKER_00 18:49

Well, it was obviously very rewarding to put all that time in, to miss out, and then and then to see that okay, not only am I back, but I'm back better than ever now. And at the time, you know, where I was in college, I knew that with the velocities I'm throwing the ball now, there's a very good chance I'm gonna get drafted. And that's so exciting to know that, to know that you're you're you went, you know, you walked through the shadow of death, so to speak, and handled everything, and now you're seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and and and you're better than you were before. And it's very, it's very empowering when you can do that. And I I could say that for a lot of the uh different trials and tribulations in life and in baseball, that you know it sucks going through it, but as uh as a wise man once said, if you can embrace the suck, you do come out much stronger and much uh much better equipped to handle anything. And it's very actually very empowering in that regard because you you you find that things that you've maybe feared before, you don't find you don't fear them anymore because you know I can handle that, and that's that's a pretty pretty cool feeling.

SPEAKER_01 20:00

Absolutely. And you know, just thinking you being a parent, how how much that comeback really showed your your two boys that something painful can still be something really powerful, you know.

SPEAKER_00 20:16

Um and they they've been my motivation these last five years that you know, when and I I've gone through in the last five years, I've gone through a divorce, a total knee replacement on my right knee, a total hip replacement on my left hip, and they still see me out there training and trying to get myself strong and healthy. And um and I hope, if nothing else, I've shown them that you know there's there's never a time to just roll over. It it things can get real tough and you can bounce back and actually come back even better than ever if you really stick to it and if you have strong faith. And that's a big part of you know my journey as well. And and and ironically, you know, the day that I I I grew up Catholic and went to church, and and but there was you know, there was a moment I would say truly as an adult that I felt myself get a calling from from God. It was the day before I was drafted, believe it or not. And it was such a such a symbolic moment. It was I was down in my basement at my home in Port Jervis. Uh-huh. And I was literally down in my basement and figuratively down in the basement. Because I the whole day passed. I didn't know why I wasn't drafted. I was obviously upset by it. And and I remember having the feeling of, what if I don't get drafted? And then I had the feeling of, but what if I do get drafted? Am I ready for this? And it was almost, it was like I'm actually getting like goosebumps now thinking about it again. But it was it was like at that moment I heard God saying, You need me in your life, because you don't you can't handle either one of these things without me. And literally at that moment, as I was getting that message from my heavenly father, again, it sounds almost made up, but this is. Exactly what had happened. I was by the I hear the door open to the basement, and it's my dad upstairs yelling down. My so my my earthly father yelling down to the basement to me with good news that he had just gotten off the phone with the scout from the Oakland A's and that they're going to draft me in the first two rounds the next day. And I think sometimes God has you go through those moments because he realizes you're not going to turn to him unless he has you go through that. And he needed me to go through that to make sure I was fully equipped to handle what he had before me. And I'm eternally grateful for that because it's not only helped me through that, but helped me through a lot of other things as well. And hopefully helped me be a better dad.

SPEAKER_01 22:42

Yeah, yeah, which is which is job and priority number one. And and I you you are uh from you you are a wonderful father from from uh you know from me being not only your co-host but a a friend and someone that's known you since I mean the the early mid 80s. So uh you know at at at this point in your life, Rob, what what does baseball mean to you now compared to what it meant when you were younger? Has it changed?

SPEAKER_00 23:13

It has. It has changed. Um I think my my goals and my aspirations when I was younger, like a lot of kids, were very self-centered and and selfish, so to speak. You know, you think about the fame, you think about that car you're gonna have, the house you're gonna have. I I did always, uh, you know, to be to be fair, I also I also thought about all the things I wanted to be able to do to help others. And and you know, you you just but it's it's very much about about you. And I really feel like now I've found such joy in the game, in just every bit of it in terms of just enjoying doing it. I don't I don't look at the end result as much as I just know that I can enjoy that right now. That it's not I'm not going to throw a bullpen just because I'm trying to attain something. I'm doing it because I love it. Yeah, and I always loved it back then too, but there was definitely more of a side of getting to the end goal, where now I have an end goal that pulls me in a certain direction, but I'm enjoying every, you know, every rose that I smell along the way on that journey. And and I it's become throwing a ball and and holding a ball and just you know, working on my craft has become therapeutic for me. Yeah, um, it's become a real passion. And I think ultimately it's also become a calling where I feel, you know, the as I've said to people, as much as I love doing it, it it is challenging physically sometimes to go through some of the things to be able to generate that type of velocity. And my life would be a lot easier and less complicated if I just kind of put a put closure to that. But because there's something still burning in me, I see it as a calling from God that He's saying to you, No, Rob, I want you doing this. And and instead of me looking at it like I want you doing this because I want you to have fame and fortune and everything, I'm just totally taking it by faith and saying, He wants me doing it, so for that reason, I'm gonna keep doing it. And I love it every time I do it too. It's you know, yeah, as tough as it may be, I still love it. But I think that love is just an example of he's put that love in you. There's a reason why he makes you love doing that, and I have to listen to that, and I have to listen and be more obedient to the calling from God than just looking at the the you know, the self-absorbed aspects of it. And sure, you know, it's uh I I I would say I actually probably love the game and love my craft more now than at any other point in my life. And again, I don't know how you quantify those types of things, but I certainly, you know, I I do remember feeling at times where I needed a break, you know, and I kind of where I don't feel that anymore. I just love it. Every time I do it, I love it. And uh it's it's it's it's it's a cool feeling to be, you know, closing in on my 45th birthday and to still have something that I loved when I was as young as two years old and all the way through that I still love that much. And and for that, um I feel extremely blessed.

SPEAKER_01 26:24

Yeah, yeah. And you know, it it's super cool because you you have your your um hand in a lot of different jars and things that you do. So, you know, one one one is is mentoring and and working with young athletes. So why don't you tell us a little bit about Semerano's Aces and what the mission is behind it and what what you guys are doing? Because that that's you know, not only being a wonderful role model to your sons, but also to all of the the young athletes that come through your program. What a wonderful example you are to them.

SPEAKER_00 27:02

Well, thank you for that. Um, yeah, so the name of my academy is Big League Talent. Um, our team is the Aces. Uh, the name Aces was derived from my poppy Somerano. Uh he had passed in the fall of 2016. We started our teams in the fall of 2017, and I was trying to think of a name for our teams. And, you know, as I was kind of going through names, I was like, well, I don't I don't want to pick an animal. And there's a lot of baseball names that are very much, you know, uh hitter related, like the sluggers or the bombers or you know, things like that. I said, what's something I could name our team that's kind of related to a pitcher? And I was trying to, and then the term ace, you know, the ace of the staff. And then I thought about it and I said, you know what? My grandfather's nickname was Ace. And, you know, ace, ace Semerano, Ace S. So Aces, that's how it, that's how it came about. And uh, you know, and ironically, the very first game our team ever won was on September 21st, um, 2017. And September 21st was my poppy's birthday, uh-huh. And the first tournament we ever won was on October 7th of 2018. And October 7th was the day my grandfather had passed away in 2016. So, you know, it was you know, I don't I don't find stuff like that just coincidental, but um but anyway, with the Academy Big League talent, with our teams, the aces, I definitely find myself incorporating the things I've learned in my career that, you know, obviously you're teaching the things that worked for you and the things that were good, and and you know, uh physically the biomechanics of the game that you you're teaching that. But I've also found myself teaching a lot of lessons that I learned along the way that had I had, you know, a strictly rosy path all the way through my career, I probably would not be able to relate to some of the players' anxieties, um, even depression at times from the game with with how it can knock you down, either with an injury or with poor performance and feeling like you know you're losing a part of yourself because you can't perform at the level you want. Um and I and I definitely use that to try to try to get through to my players and to relate to them.

SPEAKER_01 29:28

How do you wish more parents understood about youth sports pressure and player development from from you know being being the player side and also on the coach side of things?

SPEAKER_00 29:41

So I I think one of the most important things to understand is that to really fully develop the player, you want them to experience a spectrum, you know, the full spectrum of experiences. And what I mean by that is you want them to experience success, you want them to experience failure, you want to have them experience uh fairness, but you want to have them experience unfairness because that's part of it. There's times where you're not gonna bat in the order where you believe you should bat in the order. There's times where you're not gonna play at the position you think you should play at. You're not gonna get the call from the umpire you want. Now, obviously, I think there's also a time where if that's happening too consistently, then it should be something that's talked about, dealt with into some regard. But I feel like that triggers pulled very, very frequently and it's way too early by parents a lot of times. And because of that, they stunt the growth of their athlete. Because those moments are actually valuable moments, valuable opportunities to learn from and to grow. And, you know, even as they get older, I I've had different moments that no one would ever see as an opportunity, but there is there is a little opportunity in there that you can grab from it. For instance, you know, a team is getting pounded in a game, and it's a very easy time for a player's morale to go down, for their maybe their energy and their effort level to go down, because it's like we're getting smoked right now, there's no coming back, who cares? But if you look at the opportunity there, if a college coach sees you in a game where you're losing by 15 runs and you come up and you, you know, smoke a ball to the gap and you bust your butt getting down the line and you turn that into a double, sliding to second base, and you're still playing hard, that's an opportunity. It's easy to do that kind of stuff when your team is in a close game or you're winning by a lot. But if you could show a team that you can do that when you're getting your butt handed to you, um that's a huge feather in your cap. So my point is there's opportunity in everything. There's in you, and I think that the players need to learn that. And I think a lot of times that starts with the parents encouraging them, you know, that okay, it's it's 40 degrees out today, and we got to play this game. And you know, maybe everybody else on the car ride to the field is complaining. I can't believe we're playing in this, this is ridiculous. And now that kid gets out and he's shivering, he's complaining and has lost his focus on what he's gonna do. And a parent can play a huge role in hey, it's cold for both teams. You know, we've prepared you with warm clothing and hand warmers and everything else to keep you warm as best we can. Now let's go deal with it and and produce. And I think that's you know a valuable lesson to learn in the game. And I think the more parents can do that, um, they're doing their kids a much greater service.

SPEAKER_01 32:38

Good deal. So, Rob, when people hear your story, what do you hope that they take away from it listening to this episode of the progress report?

SPEAKER_00 32:47

Well, I would say, you know, the biggest message is, you know, the the simple message of if you get knocked down seven times, make sure you just get up eight times, that you always keep getting back up. I think the other thing I hope to get across to people is God has put certain things in your heart that you that you love, that you are passionate about. And there's a reason why. There's a re and there's a reason why not everybody's passionate about the same thing. And that's that's something very specific and personal to you. And you should listen to those desires and those those passions because I I truly believe they're they're coming directly from God to you, that that He wants you to do this for some reason. And it may not always be a reason that needs to become monetized. Who knows what that reason is, you know. Um, but whatever the case may be, if you love something, find a way to do it, find a way to incorporate it, incorporate it into your daily life, even if it's for 10 minutes a day, 15 minutes a day, whatever it might be.

SPEAKER_02 33:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 33:50

And if it is something ultimately that you can, you know, make a career out of and monetize, great. But don't do it for that reason. Do it because you love it and do it because you know uh it's it's your calling, and it's something very spread special and precious to you. And I think that's what I would hope to get across to people because I know myself, I feel incredibly blessed that I was given something that I love so much like that. That was really something that helped me through some really tough times. And, you know, I think I think we all have that in us. And I think that sometimes when we're not connected to that, that's when you hear about people resorting to other ways of trying to, you know, find a sense of peace or find, and and so sometimes those other ways are not the most beneficial to your to your body and to your to your brain. And um, yeah, I would I I would hope people get that from this that hey, you know what? I love doing this, I'm gonna start doing that. I see this guy over here throwing a ball. He's still 45 years old and he wants to throw like he's pitching in the big leagues. Well, I want to do this and I'm gonna pursue it. And if I can you know inspire some people to to do that, then then I feel like I've I've had a had a good impact.

SPEAKER_01 35:06

Amen. Amen. Well, this has been uh fun fun for me to interview you, and you've been saying for quite some time we should we should interview each other. So um just thank you for uh getting in the hot seat for half hour and and um letting letting our our awesome audience listen to your story and and really you know what what has gotten you where you're at. And and um, you know, thanks for being such a fabulous co-host on this uh podcast adventure that we're on. And uh to our listeners, you can catch Rob and I on the Progress Report every Wednesday talking to all sorts of different people about their journey uh in positivity and overcoming challenges, and just uh hope you continue to ride the ride with us as we continue to grow uh grow the progress report. And um thank you, thank you, Rob. Uh thank you, our audience, for listening. And and uh we'll catch you, we'll catch you on the next episode. And maybe the next episode will be Rob interviewing me. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 36:19

That sounds great. And and this has been such a great journey the whole time. I really have loved every second of it. It's really been a fun, you know, fun little project that we're doing, and and it's cool to see the the progress of the progress report.

SPEAKER_01 36:33

Amen. Every week we find the stories worth sharing and remind you that America is still moving forward. Thanks for listening to the Progress Report.