I hung onto my athlete identity for far longer than I should have after suffering a career-ending injury in a high school football game. For years I attempted to hold onto something that I knew was over when my surgeon told me I would never set foot on a football field again. When he told me that, my platform for proving my worth to the world was gone. This is a very scary and lonely place for athletes to be. I wish I could have talked to episode 109 guest and former Tennessee Volunteer, Derrick Furlow Jr. back in 2007 to learn how to translate the same qualities that made me a successful athlete into a success in other areas of my life. At one point during our interview, Derrick said that sports are "a temporary platform for a permanent purpose." Sports end for everyone, but success and happiness don't need to after your athletic career does. Derrick provides us with a roadmap on how to transition like a champion in his new book Whats Next?

Topics of conversation from episode 109 are listed below:

Where the inspiration for writing Whats Next? How to Transition Like a Champion came from.
Why non-athletes can also benefit from this book.
The struggles Derrick has seen a lot of his teammates and friends go through in their transitions.
How Derrick helps athletes apply lessons they learned in sports to the next phase of their life and applying skillsets.
What happened when Derrick sent text messages to 100 guys and 100 females asking what they learned from sports.

"If you cant manage small paper, you can't manage tall paper"

Why it is important to learn how to manage money even when you don’t have a lot of money.
The story of Derrick’s ACL injury which forced him to miss his senior season of high school football and the translatable skills learned from that experience.
The role that faith played in Derrick's life and athletic career and why adversity forces you to listen to God's plan.
Derrick’s strategy for earning a scholarship at the University of Tennessee and the power of adding value in every facet of your life.
Inky Johnson’s Injury (below) and the impact it had on Derrick and his teammates. Inky is definitely someone we need to have on the show in 2018!

How to get out of what Derrick calls "identity jail."

"You see a little, you see a lot. you see a lot, you see nothing."

Lessons learned from playing under coach Lane Kiffin.
Derrick's thoughts on health and safety in the sport of football.
Why it's better to be the hunter rather than the hunted if you want to stay healthy.
Why you need to get your mind right before you get your grind right in your transition to life after sports.