How To Create Your Own Opportunities, with Former NFL Superstar JJ Birden!

Speaker A: Okay, Nick, you got this. Don't leave points at the pump. Every fill up is a chance to score.

Speaker B: What's the play, coach?

Speaker A: You're gonna drive straight to 76, you're gonna use the fuel forward app, and then you're just 8 gallons away from your chance to win a Seahawks VIP game day experience.

Speaker B: Got it, coach.

Speaker A: Get in there. Clock's ticking. And don't forget me if you win, because you can take three threats.

Speaker B: I won't let you down.

Speaker A: Terms and conditions apply. So see the official rules@76.com Seahawks rules. Now let's make something happen. Come on.

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Speaker G: Sao everyone. And welcome to another elite episode of the Get Authentic with Marcus show. I'm your host, Marcus Ogden. On today's episode, we are joined by a great friend and NFL brother, Mr. J.J. burden. And you know what? Let's bring him on down. How you doing there, jj?

Speaker H: What's up, Marcus? Doing good, man. Doing good. Excited to be on your Podcast. And, um, like I said earlier, just congratulations on what you're doing.

Speaker G: Appreciate you, my friend, everybody. I've known JJ for a long time. Great speaker, great guy, great player in the National Football League. But before all that, jj, first question. Sir, what does the word authentic authenticity mean to you?

Speaker H: M. Good question. To start out with, I would say when I think of the word authentic, I think about being true to yourself, you know, being who you are, knowing who you are and being confident about it and not allowing someone's opinion or their viewpoints of you kind of dictate the route you want to take. And that's sort of like one of the things I try to do. I try to stay in my lane and be, uh, authentic to what I know and teach from what I personally experienced.

Speaker G: I love it. Ladies and gentlemen, stay in your lane, teach to what you know and, and use your personal experience as your holy grail, as your blueprint, as what you should be following to take control of your life. Love that. Jj, for people that don't know you, for people that don't know your story, please tell our global audience a little bit more about yourself, your journey, and then of course, your time in the National Football League and that what you're doing now with your amazing career.

Speaker H: Absolutely. Well, let's see. Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, and I was the number one high school wide receiver in the state of Oregon, but I was 133 pounds, so no Division 1 school recruited me in football, but I was a pretty good track athlete and I knew I would get a scholarship and so I went to the University of Oregon to run track. But also because that was the only D1 school that didn't think it was a crazy idea if I try to walk on the football team at some point. And I did that, Marcus. Uh, the second year I begged my head coach, he said, okay, I made the team and, you know, the career took off college wise. But my focus was really track. I was never trying to play in the NFL. That was not my dream. I was a 1988 Olympic trials qualifying a long jump. So that was what I was focusing on. Somehow I got drafted by the Browns and I say somehow because I had one touchdown, four years in college, I didn't have the stats. But, um, I went ahead and went to the Browns minicamp the following week, third practice, tore my ACL ligament. And Marcus, that's kind of when everything shifted. Track was over and I thought, well, let's give the NFL a try. And, you know, having some doubt, not Believing in myself that first year. But when I finally did and I got healthy, I hooked up with the Chiefs and then went on to play nine years in the NFL. And, and my claim to fame is I played at £157, so you don't find a lot of former players playing that light, if you know what I mean.

Speaker G: Love it, love it, love it. Ladies and gentlemen, I hope you heard in JJ's brief segment a moment ago that he always believed in himself. Right? He got an opportunity to go run track in Oregon. Great school. But he always said, well, I want to play football, I want to walk on. And he kept after his dream. He did not let anyone or anything deter him from, from doing that. And there's a lesson to be learned there in life. Everybody's not going to like the things that you do. They're going to say, why are you doing this? Why are you doing that? You should be doing this, you should be doing that. And again, you heard JJ say he was 157 pounds, playing wide receiver in Division 1 football and the National Football League. Most people would say, what are you thinking about playing football at that size? But it didn't deter him. He had a knee injury, first year rehab, got with the Chiefs, had a nine year run with a phenomenal football team being the Kansas City Chiefs. Jj, can you please tell our audience, during your time with the Chiefs, you play with some great people, uh, including one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, Mr. Joe Montana. Can you please tell our audience what it was like for you, being around greatness? Like I said, one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, Mr. Joe Montan, and other amazing players. I know you probably play with guys like, oh, God, the defensive end, um, uh, Derek Thomas. Yeah, I mean, like, what was it like playing with greatness? And what did that do to help you become the greatest player that you could and the greatest human being that you could as well?

Speaker H: Yeah, great question. I think first, I have to admit, I was a little starstruck when Montana joined our team, because I'm like, I was in eighth grade watching him throw touchdown passes in San Francisco. And so once I got over that, like you, I'm a learner. I want to learn from other people. And what's that saying? Success leaves clues. So I thought, here's Joe Montana, he's 15 years in the NFL, he's won four Super Bowls. What can I learn from Joe? And I watched him like a hawk. And the thing that impressed me was that he didn't rest on his laurels, he didn't fall into the complacency trap. I mean, Marcus, right away, he came in, he studied like a rookie. He. He prepared like a veteran, and he led like a pro. And his leadership catapulted us to right to the AFC Championship game, which was the closest I got to the Super Bowl. So. But yeah, you just see guys like him. Marcus Allen, Derrick Thomas, Will Shields. I mean, I was in a Hall of Fame huddle. You know, these guys are now in the hall of Fame, but you could clearly see why they were great at what they did and how they continue to raise the bar and challenge themselves and continue to be successful.

Speaker G: Ladies and gentlemen, when you are around greatness, they leave clues. You heard J.J. say it. In life, if you want to be a great leader, you have to learn how to serve. I was watching Troy the other day in a great, great movie. And the king, uh, um, uh, Odysseus told Achilles is, sometimes you have to serve you in order to lead. And I love what you said about Joe Montana. Came in right away. Didn't rest on his past success, his past Super Bowls. He studied hard, he trained hard, he practiced hard, he played hard, which took you all right to the top. It's amazing how one person can help you to create a culture, because guys like Will Shields bought in, Marcus Allen bought in, you bought in, Derek Thomas, so on and so forth. It only takes one authentic leader to create a culture where everybody is deemed to be great. And that's a great lesson for sports, for business, and for life. So, jj, let's now talk about your time after the National Football League. What was your transition like after football? And then talk to us now about your amazing career as a speaker and author. And you have a new book that's coming out that just came out not that long ago as well.

Speaker H: Yeah. Thank you. No, the. The transition, I think Marquez was, Was. Was unique for me because I never wanted to play in the NFL. I mean, that was never my dream. But when it happened, I'm like, okay, I'm here. Let me see if I can get the year four. Because back then, that was when NFL players were vested. And I. Once I reached year four, I was like, well, let me see if I can get to year five. Let me see if you can get to year six. But the whole time, Marcus, behind the scenes, I was planning for the transition. I was always planning for life after game, uh, for instance, was with the Chiefs during the off season. I was the hurdle track coach at the local high school for Three off seasons. I also did, um, I was a substitute teacher during the off season for PE Classes because I wanted to see if coaching and teaching was the route I would take. But I networked with some doctors and some other people with, uh, contacts. And so once my career ended, my last year in Atlanta, which is interesting because I thought, you know what? I just recovered from this other knee injury. I'm healthy. Let's step out of the game while we can. And I just retired and moved on. But it was nice to have some options, you know? And I ended up getting involved in the medical industry with some doctors, pulmonologists for a while, and I had some medical companies in Kansas City, and I did some coaching. But one day I just thought, you know, we used to do something very unique. How many people get to play in the NFL, let alone play that long, let alone weigh 157 pounds? And I'm thinking there's probably a lot of people in this world that have dealt with challenges, obstacles, negative thinking, people not believing in them. And that was my journey, but I was able to overcome it. That's when I started thinking about, how about becoming a professional speaker. Because now I can take my experiences, my lessons, my wins, my losses, and teach other people and help them achieve the goals that are important to them.

Speaker G: You know what? This is really fantastic because, ladies and gentlemen, when you think about helping other people with your story, when you think about sharing your journey to inspire, to enlighten, to light the path for other people who have struggled or had hardship or gone through difficulty, that's when you get truly fired up. Uh, because what happens is you create for yourself and an ability where you're helping other people. And when you're inspiring other people to become the best version of themselves, then that's when greatness truly happens. So love that the NBA's back on prize picks. Pick a shootout in the west and a boards battle in the East. Pick it all on prize picks available nationwide. So what are you waiting for? I can't wait to watch LeBron and the 76ers light it up this season. But just because the NBA is back doesn't mean football is slowing down. Make your NBA picks like points and rebounds, then add your football picks like touchdowns and passing yards. Put them all in the same lineup. The line possibilities are almost endless because everyone and everything is on prize picks. On prize picks, you can simply pick two to six players, pick more or less on their stat projections and submit your lineup. Then sweat it out as you watch your prize Pick players, play live. It's the best way to get out there and get more locked into the sports action all season long. Download the app today and use Code authentic to get $150 instantly in lineups if you win your first $5 lineup. Again, download the app today and use Code Authentic to get instantly in lineups if you win your first final lineup. Prize picks, run your game.

Speaker A: Okay, Nick, you got this. Don't leave points at the pump. Every fill up is a chance to score.

Speaker B: What's the play, Coach?

Speaker A: You're gonna drive straight to 76. You're gonna use the Fuel Forward app, and then you're just 8 gallons away from your chance to win a Seahawks VIP game day experience.

Speaker B: Got it, coach.

Speaker A: Get in there, clock's ticking. And don't forget me if you win, because you can take three threats.

Speaker B: I won't let you down.

Speaker A: Terms and conditions apply. So see the official rules@76.com Seahawks rules. Now let's make something happen. Come on.

Speaker G: So, JJ, before we get into your new book that just got released, talk to us more about the speaking aspect. What do you like to speak on? What would you say is your signature keynote that you'd like to deliver? And who are some different types of audiences that that you like to deliver your keynote speeches for?

Speaker H: Yeah, so I've been now, I think a professional speaker, paid 11 years now, and once I reached, I think it was year, year nine, Marcus, I, uh, realized that if I want to make it to the next level, I need to have a tighter brand. I need to have a hook, I need to have something that's authentic to me, that I could build this, you know, speaking platform or my new book. And, uh, sitting down with some experts and they said, hey, your job as a wide receiver was what? You had to beat the coverage every day, right? Right. And I said, yeah, they're like, that's your. That's your new brand. Beat the coverage. And I love that because, as you know, as a wide receiver, coverage is what stood between me and the end zone. But think about this. We all face coverage. We all face that competition, that challenge, that negative mindset, the economy, whatever it is. And so from there, I started building this new speaking platform. And so I've had the privilege of giving my signature keynote seizure opportunities for quite some time. But now my new keynote, Beat the Covered six Strategic steps to Winning Business and Life, really reflects the new message I have now. And that's why I wrote the book, to be able to be an extension of that keynote presentation I've been given. So. But no, I've had the privilege of speaking in front of so many different companies and I've. And you probably you can relate to this is I'm, I haven't like typecast myself and said I only speak to this industry. I wanted to create a universal message that could still apply to any business professional. So it didn't matter to the industry. And so far it's, it's gone really well.

Speaker G: Yeah, very good. I agree. So like, we do a lot in finance or insurance and, or technology, real estate, mortgages. But right before this awesome podcast interview, we booked a, uh, a speaking job in Chicago with an awesome mastermind group. And it's interesting, the lady that's putting it on with a personal friend, I'm actually coaching two women that are actually in her group already. So we're going to do like a fireside chat style talk. And it's interesting. Ladies and gentlemen, love JJ's new direction of Beat the Coverage because what we have done, we have that for ourselves where we've developed our new signature. Signature talk around the bison. So the bison is the only animal that charges directly to the eye of the storm. Well, I'm a Howard University Bison graduate and so we have an acronym for bison. We have a call, we have a talk around how to, how to thrive through the storm Storm. Strategic, tenacious, observant, resilient, malleable. And we also get into a new book coming out shortly called Built for the Storm, the Bison operating system. So I love what JJ is doing around his new branding or rebranding because again, I've been a paid speaker now for a decade, so we're about the exact same time he had his one talk. We had a lot of options around like we called it from, uh, the eight figure mistake, from eight figures to 825 per hour. Now we're going more towards the bison because exactly what JJ's talking about. You want to always stay fresh with your content and keep up with the times. Love that. So jj, let's now talk about the book. Talk to us about Beat the Coverage. What can people expect to gain from reading this awesome new book?

Speaker H: Yeah, I think the biggest thing with my new book, Marcus, is the simple fact that it's built on a framework where my other keynote did not have a framework. My first book did not have a framework. Now I have a framework. So it's a six step framework that people can use one. That's what I basically use to survive nine years in the NFL. But they can also follow this framework to help them overcome challenges, achieve their goals, or just whatever's between them and the results that they want. And so it's nice to like you're doing with the Bison, you know, theme too. It's nice to have a framework that they can say, okay, here's step one, here's step two, here's step three, and all the way up to six. So just excited that I can have that now to share to audiences as well as in my book too.

Speaker G: So jj, let me ask you this question. So like when we talk about the Bison, right? And I love what you said about the framework. I'm big on framework. I call it action steps. Mel Robbins, who had the pleasure of being in her audiobook in 2018, Kick Ass with Mel. Mel said if you just tell your story and that's all you're doing, you are a motivational speaker and those burn out and those end up getting fizzled. She said if you want to be an inspirational speaker, tell a story and give people framework, as you call it, or action steps they can apply in their own lives to move the needle forward. Right. So what I did with the Bison is it's boldness, integrity, self awareness, ownership, Never ever quit is a five step process to help you thrive through any storm. Be bold or innovative, have integrity, be self aware of what you do well, what you need to work on. Take ownership of everything that happens in your life and never ever quit. So that's one of the biggest takeaways we now deliver in our talk. What would you say is the biggest takeaway people can expect to gain from hearing your awesome new signature keynote presentation?

Speaker H: I think you make a great point, Marcus, because when I first was speaking, I was a motivational speaker, you know, telling stories, making people feel good. But as you know, as we evolve at speakers, we understand the importance of teaching, giving them value, giving them something that they can apply and run with. So I evolved from that to more like if I'm going to tell a story, make the point and give them an action step. And so throughout my book I share personal stories. Some are, some are ones when I won and some are ones when I failed because. But there's still a lesson there. So every story in my book, you're always going to have something that you can take away. And that was really the main good. The main goal was, as you know, motivation is limited and uh, inspiration is limited too. But when someone reads my book or someone hears me give that keynote, I want them to know exactly the steps they need to follow to beat their coverage, to deal with whatever they're faced with that's in the way of them hitting their goals.

Speaker G: You know what's really interesting, right, judge? You talk about motivation fades out. Inspiration, if done properly, should pass on to the next person and the next person. And that's going to keep you moving in the right direction. But what I heard, and I think you'll agree with this, discipline is what truly means everything. I always say discipline executes when motivation fades. But you said something I'm going to bring more light to. Ladies and gentlemen, I hope you heard JJ say in his book, he has stories of when he won, and he has stories of when he lost. There's always lessons to be learned in both the wins and the losses. Can you explain to people, jj, how important it is in life to not just talk about all their highs, all their achievements, all their greatness, but to also bring in the struggles, the hardship, the lessons learned, failures, as you call them, to really show people that they're human and that there's somebody that's worked through a challenge.

Speaker H: Yeah, absolutely. Well said. Yeah. First, like. Like you already shared. We should share. Share the stories when we win, you know, because there's a good lesson there. You put in the work, you got the results you want. Great. What's the teaching point? Celebrate the success, but then say, what's next? Keep raising the bar so you don't become complacent. But like you mentioned, the failures, the adversities, the loss, that's where the big lessons are. Because there's always an opportunity to grow. And one of the things I've taught, and I do, m Marcus, is whenever I experience adversity, I quickly ask three questions. Why did this happen? What can I learn from it? How can I turn this into an opportunity? Because there's always an opportunity to get better. And for you and I who play the NFL, and we're speakers, we're more relatable to the audience when they find out that, yeah, I got cut by several NFL teams. Yeah, I tore my ACL. Yes. When I first started speaking, I got 22 no's, you know, because people can relate to that. But the teaching point is, what did we do after we got cut, after we got the rejection? And you and I, you know, hey, we did whatever it takes to be better prepared for the next opportunity. So I just think, especially as former NFL players, we become more humanized, more relatable when. When people see that, yeah, we made mistakes, we had adversity, we made bad decisions, but we also overcame them, too. And there's a powerful lesson there,

Speaker G: ladies and gentlemen. The ability to overcome adversity, hardship, and challenges is everything. The ability to climb to the next summit in life is everything. I always tell people, when you reach a summit, find a new summit to climb. Don't just. I tell people, don't do what I did with my construction company. I set a goal, I achieved a goal, and I stopped. Versus today. I set a goal. I achieve a goal. We set a new goal. Our podcast is hitting amazing numbers. Ben and I are not slowing down because we understand, just like Joe Montana with this whole setup, don't rest on your past laurels or your past success or your past greatness. Keep making new greatness, new things to be proud of, new something that you have reached, and keep progressing and going forward towards great new opportunities. JJ Two more questions, my friend. First one, what does authenticity look like for you when no one is clapping for it?

Speaker H: I think for me, it's one of the things as an NFL player which you understand. We have to be very disciplined NFL players. We have to be willing to do the work when nobody's watching. We have to be willing to do the work when it's uncomfortable, when we don't feel like it. And I've tried to, um, live by that as a speaker, as a father, as a husband, to always live in a manner that, hey, here's the goal. Great. What is it going to take to get there? I'm always willing to do what it takes. It might not be glamorous, it might not be pretty, but I'm going to do what it takes to achieve it. So when I think about authenticity, I want to be the person that talks, to talk, and walk the walk. When people look at me and they go to my social media and they see me talking about this and that, I want them to know that I live this stuff. This is what I do. So, as you know, there's a lot of pretenders out there, but I want to make sure I'm not one of those.

Speaker G: And, ladies and gentlemen, this is why with our podcast, we're never going to stop doing what we do, because we never want to be seen as a pretender or someone that had a great podcast. The next thing they know, they fell off the wagon. They stopped working hard, they stopped doing what got them to that whole process of the top or that summit. And you got to use what's got you to that. In fact, that summit to the next summit, to the next summit. So jj, how can our global audience get in touch with you and. Or how can they support you and buy your new book?

Speaker H: Yeah. Thank you. Best place is my website, jjbirdon.com. that's the hub. Anybody wants to hire me for speaking or to my book. I got a new coaching program where I'm working on too, which will be out in the next couple months. I'm all over social media. Uh, you know, but if they want to order my book, the quickest way is just go to beatthecoverage.com. that'll take you right to the Amazon page.

Speaker G: Love it, ladies and gentlemen. We'll be sure to have that information in the show notes. Again, great interview. Great man. Great. Great perseverance, great ability to overcome adversity and just keep pushing forward no matter what. And the authentic tip of this great interview, as JJ said, it's all about doing the things that you don't want to do that you know you have to do to get what you know you want in life. Again, uh, doing what you know you have to do that you know that you want, that you don't want to do to get what you know you want in life. Think about that. And remember, discipline executes when motivation fades. Again. My name is Marcus Ogden. I am the host of, uh, the Get Authentic with Marcus show. Thanks for tuning in. Have a fantastic day.

Speaker A: Okay, Nick, you got this. Don't leave points at the pump. Every fill up is a chance to score.

Speaker B: What's the play, coach?

Speaker A: You're going to drive straight to 76. You're gonna use the fuel forward app, and then you're just 8 gallons away from your chance to win a Seahawks VIP game day experience.

Speaker B: Got it, coach.

Speaker A: Get in there. Clock's ticking. And don't forget me if you win, because you can take three threats.

Speaker B: I won't let you down.

Speaker A: Terms and conditions apply, so see the official rules@76.com Seahawks rules. Now let's make something happen. Come on.

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