55. Maxx Crosby On Sobriety, Chasing Greatness, & Business Lessons from Dana White

Let's go, Max Crosby.

I want to be the best. You know, the biggest shift for me was after my second year in the league. That was the COVID year.

Entire NFL is pushing back against a.

Coronavirus outbreak, and it was probably one of the craziest years I've ever had. Literally, I woke up one morning, I looked myself in the mirror, and I didn't recognize who I was. I reevaluated everything. This is not what I came into the NFL to do. Have an average career. Like, what do I need to do to be the best, the best version of myself? So I said, I don't care what the food tastes like. I just want the best food possible. Just literally every box, I wanted to make sure it's checked. Handsome. I didn't understand how good I can feel until I started doing all this on a daily basis.

Amen.

And super consistent with it. I'm like, holy, I can run for days.

Max Crosby, he comes off and I mean, this guy is amazing.

Like, I know there's another level, and I know I'm going to be there. And guys like you and Dana and met real mentors that, you know, understand how real adversity is.

Talk a little bit about that transition for you. And what was the tipping point for you when you said, I either got to beat this addiction or battle this demon, or it's going to take my career?

Ultimate Human.

Hey, guys, welcome back to the Ultimate Human podcast. I'm your host, human biologist Gary Brecker. Where we go down the road, everything anti aging, longevity, biohacking, and everything in between. You know, the guest we got on today, I'm actually super pumped for this podcast. He's slowly becoming a friend. I met him through Dana White, and, and I'm going to talk about our first meeting how something that he did on the plane ride just really struck me. And I said, this guy is woke to wellness and deserves a. A voice on the ultimate Human platform. So welcome to the Ultimate Human. Max Crosby. What's up, brother?

My guy. I appreciate you, brother. It's an honor to be on here.

Yeah, absolutely. So, so we actually, I mean, I, I, I think we distantly knew each other, but I mean, we really first met and got to know each other on a flight. Dana sent us on a plane from Vegas to Miami for the, for, for the fights.

Yeah.

And, and I remember when you got on the plane, I was like, the first thing that struck me was like, dude, this guy brought his own meals on board. He knows what's up, you know?

Yeah. They looked at me crazy when I did it too. They're like, are you sure? What do you got? I'm like, I need this. I need this. And I'm like, I got to stay on point. So, yeah, you know, it's, it's 24 7.

So I, I was, I noticed that you brought your own meals on, on board. And then everybody found their spots on the plane, and we kind of sat down next to each other and we locked arms on and we just started talking about nutrition and recovery and training. And you know, what's fascinating to me is, you know, I had a, had a conversation with Tom Brady the other day, and he was talking to me about, you know, these billion dollar franchises in this league and all the opportunity that these athletes have and that the, the real recovery and the nutrition is kind of left up to the athlete. Yeah, right. And, and so, I mean, clearly you're on that train now, right? Maybe bringing your own meals on the plane. So, I mean, talk to me a little bit about your, your journey with the, you know, in the NFL and professional sports and like, what, what sort of things are you taking into your own hands in terms of your recovery and nutrition?

Yeah, I think, you know, the biggest shift for me was after my second year in the league. That was the COVID year, and it was probably one of the craziest years I've ever had as far as just no fans. You know, I was getting clean myself. I got, you know, I got sober, had to go through that whole deal.

Yeah, we're gonna dig into that.

So, yeah, that was my first year sober. So that year I was, like, trying to fill a hole that, you know, I was, you know, with food or whatever it was trying to just stay sober and stay afloat. So I had a down, down year my second year in the NFL and I didn't feel like myself. I felt heavy, didn't feel right. I couldn't sleep. Right. And I re evaluated everything after that year. I was like, listen, this is not, you know, this is not what I came into the NFL to do. You know, just be a good story, have an average career. Like, I want to be the best at what I do. And I sat down with my team, a nutritionist, strength staff, coaches, and like, listen, what do you. What do I need to do to be the best version of myself? So I said, I don't care what the food tastes like. I just want the best food possible for my body. I want. How do I need to sleep? How do I need to recover? Cold plunge Sauna, everything. Just literally every box. I wanted to make sure it's checked and some. So that's when it started going into my third year, and I had injuries, too. After that second year, I played through a torn labrum, my handles broke, and I had. I was going through all that. So after that year, after that second year, my whole career changed. I changed. This is what, 20. This is going into the 2021 season.

2021 season, yep.

And then I just took off. I didn't know, you know, exactly what was going to happen. I felt incredible. The best I've ever felt, my life. And I took off. It became an all pro, my third year, and I got a big contract. And then now I was like, okay, very big contract. It was very, very good. Yeah, very good.

Everybody knows about that contract.

Yeah, yeah, it's done well. But, you know, at the end of the day, it's okay. We did that. Now what's the next step? And for me, that third year, that was just my first year really diving into, you know, my health and wellness and my recovery. And I've ever, ever since then. I'm going on my fourth year doing it now, and it's only getting better. And it's just refining and fine tuning and finding what works best for me.

Yeah.

Because my, my personality, I'm obsessive. Like, I've. I want to. There's nothing more than I want to be, than the greatest to do it. I do it every single day, everywhere I go. And like you said, you see me on the, on the flight, if I'm traveling. I got my meals. Yeah, I got my normatex is every detail matters. So it's just refining that every day. So I get, you know, I've been getting better and better every single season and I know I'm not even close to my potential. So that's how it started for me because I became obsessed with that feeling of feeling the best version of myself. So, yeah, it's been incredible. You know, in the NFL, you can do everything to be at, you know, closest to your absolute best, and you still can get hurt.

Yeah.

Like last year I played, you know, we talked about it. My knee, I mean, I had the. I had knee surgery and was going through that whole deal and I had to drain it every single week. And people were concerned. You were keeping concern, like, what are you doing? Like, what. What is going on? But I'm like, I can't. Like, I. The only way to make it stop, you know, filling up with fluid is not. Do Anything, you can drain it, but it's still the more pounding. It's just going to keep doing it. So my point is, even though I do everything every day, from cold plunge every day, I got the sauna and cold blunge at the house now, so I could do it on the weekends, in the off season, like, it's seven days, 365, but you still can get hurt. And that's why I want to stay ahead of the curve at all times, because I know not everybody's doing that and willing to do that. So, yeah, you know, that's kind of where it started for me. And it's only, you know, getting better and better. And that's why I feel like my career is just continuing to ascend because I'm just dialed in on the smallest details.

Yeah.

Just want to perfect my craft.

I mean, I think it's the same way in business. And, you know, what was astounding to me was, you know, when Tom told me, he's like, take a guess at what, you know, they were feeding us before, like, a Super bowl championship game. And I was like, it's got to be lean chicken, you know, steamed veggies, you know, spring water. And he was like, no. Breaded Mac and cheese, chicken wings, reheated pizza. And I mean, that just fascinated me because I think that, you know, so much of. Of our time looking at athletes is like, you know, thinking about how do they train, you know, how do they train for their position, how do they train for speed, agility, timing, hand, eye coordination, strength, all of those things. And I think. I think clearly that's dialed in, but science has moved so much further in the. In the, you know, the art of recovery. And you can't enhance performance, quote, unquote, but you can enhance recovery. And recovery is directly related to performance. Yeah, 100%, you know, red, red light. The, you know, lymphatic drainage, all of these things. So where. Where are you getting this nutrition advice from? Is it. Is. Is the league actually providing somebody that's like, max, here's, here's. Here's the meals we're going to put together. And you got a chef and they're.

Yeah, so we have a. Our nutritionist name is Ricky, and he's incredible what he does. He's from Canada. And, you know, not every team is blessed with. To have a staff like that.

And not a lot of good things come out of Canada. So that's good. I'm happy.

Exactly. Sorry, Ricky.

Sorry, Ricky. I'm sure you're good.

Dud timing in the rough. But yeah, he's, I mean, he's been incredible. He, I sat down with him. This dude's dialed in on a daily basis and he helped me go through and explain every single thing I need to do. All right, we're going to be. This is the amount of macros. This is what you need to take this to the exact time of every day. So it's like I have six meals a day and I eat at the same exact time. And I'm not breaking that for nothing. And he's like.

Like a robot.

Yeah, like a robot. But that's what works for me. And it's, it's funny because you hear about Tom Brady talking about what they feed the guys and this is what they ate at the Patriots and things like that. Like, that's real. That's all around the league, but it's on the player. Once you're a professional, it's on you. At the end of the day, you're responsible for your body and your body is your number one. It's your meal ticket. Yeah. It's your temple. It's your whole business. So you think you feel good when you're young and you just eat pizza and do whatever, but that's your version of good. I didn't understand how good I can feel until I started doing all this on a daily basis.

Amen.

And super consistent with it. I'm like, holy fuck, I can run for days. And people see it. Like, I play more snaps than anybody in the league in my position by far.

Yeah.

And I've had, I mean, more tackles.

For a loss than anyone in the league.

Tag, all that stuff. But that I'm able to do that because of my everyday regimen. And it starts with nutrition. It's my guy, Rick Slade in the weight room. The guy, he had 25 years in MLB. He's going on a seventh year in the NFL. Well, this dude, he's a huge fan of you as well. He would be fired up.

Get him on the podcast.

Yeah, we got to get him. But yeah, he's incredible. And he's another guy that's in that building. A lot of people are like, kind of duck him when they walk into the weight room because he's going to make you do three extra warm up sets so you get ready for the actual sets. And he's so detail oriented. And if we're doing eccentrics, like three second lowers, things like that, it's like seven seconds. But he pushes you in, pushes you past the uncomfortable Point. And, you know, having guys like that and Ricky and, you know, the whole staff, it's like you have those resources, but it's up to the player to really go and utilize them. So for me, like, they have a meal room, but I pay, I pay for my meals so I get the extra meal prep and I could stay dialed in. And I was doing that before I got paid. Yeah, it's like, it's not cheap.

It's. It's not cheap, but it's also not that expensive.

Like, it's not that bad. And at the end of the day, it's an investment. It's like any other investment. All right, where am I going to put my money? I'm a professional football player. Like you said, my body is a temple. If I'm paying 2500amonth for meals for my career, you'd be crazy to be like, I don't know, that's too much, or I don't know if it's worth it. Yeah, your body is everything. If you can't run, you can't go, then what's the point? And that's why before I even got paid like that, I was like, I don't care what it costs. Like, I'm trying to get right and get on point. I know it'll pay off in the long run and it absolutely has, and it's only gotten bigger and better. So.

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Yeah, you know, the, the staff over there with the Raiders, I love them and they've helped me so much. And it's just really about putting yourself out there and being vulnerable. Be like, listen, it's discipline. At the end of the day, you can say you're going to over motivation. Yeah. All day there's no motivation. Can only get you so far. Disciplines will get you to. Gets you to where you want to go, and it's going to take you past to where you even think you can go. And that's where I'm at in my career. Like, I'm 26 years old and, you know, I get a lot of pats on the bags. Max, you're killing it. Like, I know there's another level and I know I'm going to be there. It's just a matter of time. And that's what pushed me. Every single day is just outdoing my own self. I look myself in the mirror, there's nobody I'm worried about. The T.J. watts and Nick Boses, respect the hell out of them. But I'm battling myself every day, and if I'm the best version of me, that's all I can control.

That is so awesome, man. I mean, I, I often talk about how we, we actually need this invisible fence around ourself and we need to filter our environment before it makes it to the temple.

Yeah.

And so many, you know, times we just let the temple be the filter. We don't filter our water. Well, if you drink tap water, you know, your body's going to filter out the fluoride, the chlorine, the microplastics, the pharmaceuticals. It'll do it for you at a cost. Right. And the cost is inflammation. And, you know, when we talk about sports performance and recovery, I mean, a lot of people don't realize that, you know, about 7, 8% of our circulatory system is arteries. About 14, 15% of it is, is. Is veins. The rest of it is microvascular circulation. Our heart's not even capable of pumping blood in that area of our body. About 70% of our blood flow, the heart can't even reach. And it's, you know, it's called vasomotor activity and inflammation and pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, preservatives, all these little microtoxins that we put into our body just Start nibbling away at your performance. And, and I wish that more athletes would, would wake up to that. I think we'd see a lot less non contact injuries. I mean, you're not supposed to be engag a normal explosive motion and blow an ACL or blow a hamstring. You know, that's usually because you haven't, you know, you haven't prepped. Right. And it's, it's a shame to see so many, you know, you know, rising careers that either cut short or not see their full potential because they're not just doing that extra little, little bit personally to, you know, to, to make that change. You know, it's, it's, it's out there in the public domain, your, your struggle and your recovery from, you know, from alcoholism. But I, I don't think that addiction gets enough of a stage of a platform because I think that very often the way that society looks at addicts is that there's something wrong with them or that an addict woke up one day and said, I just want to get really banged up.

Yeah.

My, my true belief after, after being in this space for 22 years is that an addict didn't just wake up one day and say, I want to get really banged up. They woke up one day and said, I want to feel normal.

Yeah.

And whatever it was that made them feel normal, Alcohol, nicotine, Peru, gambling, you know, work, alic, workaholic. That, that addiction was the search for normaly. And then eventually they started running from a low, not necessarily running towards a high.

Yeah.

Would you agree with that? I mean, talk, talk a little bit about that, that transition for you and what was the tipping point for you when you said, I either gotta beat this addiction or, you know, battle this demon or it's gonna, it's gonna take my career.

Yeah. You know, first off, the, the battle is every day and it's still to this day, every day I wake up, it's the first thing I do is pray, do my prayers before I go to bed. I do the same thing. And it's important. I think at the end of the day, there's millions of people that go through addiction. When I was in it, I thought I was the only one on the planet. I thought I had the worst problems in the world and I thought I was the only one going through it.

Nobody understood.

Yeah, nobody understood me. Nobody. Everybody's against me. Everyone's trying to, you know, everybody that wanted to help me, I pushed them as far as away as possible. But that's the, you know, Insanity of addiction. But for me, yeah, I literally, I woke up one morning, I looked myself in the mirror and I didn't recognize who I was. I was like, I do not, I don't. I didn't even know who I was looking at. And that was a scary feeling. And I was like, yeah, I'm done with this. This is. I can't do this anymore. It's not going to last long. And like you said, you're running from the lows or chasing the highs. That's what it was. You know, I start when I was young. Like, I was an insecure kid. I was a redhead, didn't get all the girls. Like, I was trying to find that thing, you know, to walk up to.

The beard.

Yeah. Didn't have a nice beard, you know, baby face, jumpsuit, none of that. But yeah, I was, you know, I was an insecure kid. So, like, I was always, always wanted to fit in and be a part of something, you know, be a part of a friend group or be popular, whatever it was. I had my first drink and I was like, I got a personality, I'm confident, blah, blah. And I was like, this is the greatest thing ever.

Yeah.

You know what I mean? So at first it was like, like you said, I wanted to be normal, I want to be like everybody else. But at the end of the day, I couldn't just have one drink and it just one led to another. You know what I mean? So, yeah, they always say it's not the 15th drink, it's the first drink.

Yeah.

You know, you got to stay away from the first drink. And that's what I, you know, I've been sober over four years now, and I have the best circle around possibly have. And guys like you and Dana and me, real mentors that, you know, understand how real adversity is and how to get through things. And my circle is very small, a very tight knit circle.

So funny you say that.

Yeah, I got my guys here. Like, I went to college with them. They took me under the wing since day one. My cousin's here. There's not many people outside of that. Like, I love these dudes to death. I love my circle and they know what I, I go through. But at the end of the day, I'm still me. When you get clean, you don't, you know, a lot of people are like, you know, I gotta change who I am as a person. Like, no, I'm still a big kid. At the end of the day, I still love what I do. I'm still Extremely passionate. I might have a little bit of temper still. It's still in there.

I might have a little bit.

Yeah, just a little bit. But that's who I am. You know what I mean? I don't run from that. I know exactly who I am now. And every day I wake up, it's a blessing. So, yeah, that's kind of my approach on life. It's just like, I'm just trying to find ways to improve and fill that, you know, that emptiness, that hole that I had and like, the thing that I was always running from and trying to be something I wasn't or just be cool to be a part of. Like, I'm just happy with me and I don't need everybody's approval. I don't need any of that. Like, at the end of the day, all that matters is the ones that I'm with every day. And people are going to have opinions, you know, no matter what.

Yeah.

The more, you know, fame and like that, you know how it is.

Yeah.

Every. The second you start having success, they're like, he's fake.

He's not from the haters. I got a whole.

Yeah. And I love, like, I used to really let it bother me, but now it's like they're talking about me for a reason. I'm doing something right. At the end of the day, not everyone's gonna love you.

Right.

Is what it is. You know what I mean? They're. They're talking about you for a reason. So. Yeah, that's.

Yeah, it's really interesting. One of the greatest piece of advice I ever got was that if you want to. If you want to shrink your problems, just grow your purpose.

Yeah.

And so your purpose is to be the greatest of all time. And that makes every other problem so, so much smaller. I mean, you get some hate on social media, you know, you get some hate on Instagram or, you know, on some. Some sportscast, you know, the. You know, you. You. You just blow right past it because the purpose is so big, you know, Interestingly, you know, I've dedicated the balance of my adult lifetime to the. To the study of genetics and epigenetics. And one of the interesting things that's. That's come from this field of medicine is that there's a. There's an emerging theory that, you know, addiction is a. It's complicated. You know, it's a complicated issue. But one. One of the facets is a deficit in. In dopamine. And dopamine is the main driver of behavior. Right. So when you get low in dopamine, you. You engage in dopamine seeking behavior. And so when you replace alcohol, which was giving you back that dopamine, the addiction hasn't really gone away. It's just shifted. Right. So it can shift into a healthy area, like workaholic, work alcoholic. You know, you're. You're now so dedicated to your career. So. So where has that shift gone? Like, where is it pointed now?

Yeah, yeah. You know, I'm still an addict. I'm a recovering addict. You know what I mean? That doesn't change. That's who I am. That's how I was born. You know what I mean? So at the end of the day, that energy, like you said, I. All my energy that I have that I, you know, used to have was going to the club at night and doing my thing and then trying to recover and come back to life. And I was wasting so much time.

I can't imagine trying to perform after that.

Yeah. And I'm playing in the NFL and doing all it was. My life was unmanageable. Now all my energy is. Is shifted into making real change. Everything I do in my life, whether that's for others or whether it's myself, I'm trying to help everybody around me and inspire people. I don't, you know, I'm not sitting here, you know, here's a handout. I got money now. Here's this, everybody. No, like, I, I really want to put people in positions that guys like Shaq and you know, a guy like Rick Ross even, like, yeah, they're really tapped into the business world, but they're also putting other people on and putting them in positions and like, guy like Dana White. That's why I love Dana. So.

I love you too, man.

He. He's the same way. And I just see how he is when, whenever he travels, he hands every bellman hundreds of dollars. He walks, he's like, I asked him, like, why do you do that to everybody? He's like, I truly believe, like, it always comes back in the end. And my coach, Gus Bradley, a couple years ago, he always say that. He's like, you give with no intent to receive. It's always going to come back twofold. And I live by that, you guys. You know, any restaurant I go to, I beyond bless the waitresses, my friends, family, I always, I, that's how I am. But I love doing that. And that's where that energy, you know, is being shifted. And it's also with my career, there's nothing more important to me right now than being the best football player I could possibly be. So that's my number one. I've been tapping into the business world like we talked about, getting equity in different. Different businesses and things like that. The afterlife, that's like that new, new high for me, and I love it and enjoy it, and it comes with real work, and it comes with ups and downs and failures, peaks and valleys. But I love that because it's just another. I'm a competitive human being. Like, I. No matter what I'm doing, I'm like, if I lose in a game of 2K, like, my night is ruined. I will not go to sleep until I win, and then I'll be good. Like, that's how I am. So I love. That's what I love about business. That's what I love about football. Like, even being in the weight room or running gassers. Like, I'm not running gasses with the D lineman. I'm running with the skill guys, the receivers, the DBs, and I'm beating them. You know what I mean? Because I love. That's who I am. You know what I mean? I want to push myself to that brink, and that's where my energy shifted to just becoming the best complete version of myself on and off the field.

Yeah. I mean, so talk a little bit about that, because at some point.

Yeah.

You know, the career is going to wind down at some point in your life and preparing for that afterlife. Right. What you're talking about, like, you're. Some of the business decisions you're making now. I mean, the stats for professional athletes are not good. Right. You know, and, you know, they. They make a lot of money in a short period of time, and then the percentage of them that go bankrupt, I think it's even north of 80%. So where are your business interests now? I mean, how are you. How are you evaluating deals? What kind of brands are you associating with? You know, what. What does that side of the Max Crosby look like off the field?

Yeah. You know, it. Again, it starts with Dana.

Mine does, too, by the way. Can I just give a huge shout out to Dana White? I mean, the most material change in my career and the impact that I was able to make on humanity. Absolutely, unequivocally, Dana White. I mean, initially, my partner, Grant Cardone, for acquiring a business, but Dana. And the reason why is there's two things about Dana. Number one, he is the most loyal human being on the planet. If he is in your circle, you know, if he's not in your circle, you know, there's not a lot of gray area. And then secondly, if he's on your team, he is really on your team.

100.

You know, I wish I could say in the public arena, you know, some of the. Some of the calls that we've had, some of the, you know, he'll come to my house by himself before these UFC fights. We'll sit and we'll just talk for hours. He's just so full of wisdom. He's so real, so visceral, so authentic, and I think it rubs a lot of people the wrong way.

Yeah.

But the people that know him, that on that inner circle are like, man, it's just so blessed to be associated with him because he. When I did this thing for him, he was like, I am forever on your. On your team.

I'm in debt.

And he is not shaken. Dude.

Yeah.

I'm telling you, I wake up some mornings, he's been hammering haters on my social media.

Oh, yeah.

I look at him, like 2:00 in the morning, 2:30 in the morning. He's like crushing, you know, Crushing him.

Yeah.

So, I mean, what. What has he done for you? I mean, he's. He's the one that introduced us. We wrote on his plane.

Yeah.

From Vegas.

That wasn't even expected, you know, there and talk for hours. And now, you know, he put us on it.

He wasn't even on it.

100. It's crazy. Crazy. But that's just the type of guy he is.

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You know, to go back on your point with investments, Dana was the first guy that I got. Got in with my first investment with Slate Milk. He took me, by the way, I'm.

A huge fan of Slate.

Yeah, I appreciate it.

He ran the ingredients by me. I mean, it's. It's legit.

Yeah. Legitimate product. I use it every single day. So it's, you know, not something I'm just go drink Slate Milk and I'm, you know, it's just sitting in the. In the garage. You know, it's something I love. And it started with, you know, Dana. He took me to Boston. We flew out to Boston for a week and did a bunch of stuff. We had a blast. And he met. He introduced me to these guys named Manny and Josh, the owners of Slate. And Dana invested already. And he's. He was convincing me. Dana's like, bro, I'm telling you, just do it. Yeah, just do it. Get your guy on the phone. He's like, we're gonna do numbers. We're gonna, you know, trust me. And so 100. I was like, it's no brainer. I trust Dana. I, you know, looked into the product and everything. I was like, yeah, let's do it. So, yeah, started with Slade, and now I got, you know, Zen water, a few other ones that, you know. Awesome. Yeah, water. Those guys are incredible. You know, so jc, He's. He's the guy that got in with. With me and he's, you know, I got James Harden, a couple other. Couple other big players. Yeah, I got the. The hardened shoes on. But, yeah, me and him, I got the Travis Scott.

Yeah.

Yeah. Hell, yeah. So, you know, at the end of the day, I've been venturing, you know, going out and, you know, searching in that world. And my podcast as well. You know, I started the Rush podcast. Tune in, subscribe if you haven't already. But, yeah, you know, me and my buddies, we've been talking about it for years now, and, you know, we were back and forth. What are we going to do? And we finally were like, screw it. Like, let's do some post game reactions. Like, not like the Draymond controversial. Let's get the real, like, let's talk the game. Let's, you know, Be straightforward, be informational, but also give, you know, guys a platform that usually don't get talked about enough. So, you know, that's kind of what we did, you know, giving back to the game and showing the respect to the guys that, you know, really don't get the love in the media like that. So we started our podcast. We recently just signed with Shaquille o', Neill's, you know, joint venture with Playmaker. So we've been out here, you know, shooting episodes and things like that. But, you know, that's kind of, you know, when you talk about post football, I've been planting seeds in all different type of, you know, areas. So whether it's business, getting private equity, a wellness center. I'm taking these guys over there. We're opening a wellness center. Marty Cordova, me and him and Dana's, you know, good friend. We're. We're opening a place right down here in Summerlin, so.

Oh, dude. I'll definitely give you guys some love.

Yeah, you gotta come. You already know we're gonna talk after this. But, yeah, you know, we're doing all type of stuff. But for me, it's like, I want to. Guys like Shaq and Dana, those dudes truly have. What's the word I'm trying to find? It's. It's a cache. Yeah, cache. A real empire. Like, they build an empire by creating real relationships, being genuine, helping people out with no intent to receive. And that stuff comes back, and that's truly what I've been building. I know I'm young, but guys usually wait till they're done. They're like, all right, what am I going to do? Right? Like, when I'm done, I want to have 30 different franchises. And whether that's, you know, restaurants or, you know, wellness centers, I want to. You know, I already got equity in a lot of businesses. I got my podcast that I plan on doing for a long time and just kind of plan those seeds so when I'm done, I can pick and choose what I want to do.

Yeah.

And I'll have a lot more time where I can go out and you know what I mean? I'm not going to be training the way I train, because I'm in there eight hours every morning. These dudes are like, get to the damn studio where the fuck you had. I'm like, I'm getting. My work comes first. Yeah. None of this happens without that. But, yeah, I'm just. I just planting seeds on a daily basis.

Yeah. You know, before the podcast, we actually were Sitting here, and we. We had a. We had to talk about the authenticity of the. Of the brands, you know, in my industry, I think a lot of guys, you know, get at the top of the biohacking pile, and then, for lack of better words, they become a prostitute for every. Just product or service. And you kind of start to see it happen, and it's just. Here's a. Here's a link for this and a link for that, and. And it becomes very inauthentic. And we talked about the fact that most of what you're associating with are things you use every day in your daily life, things that you. You really feel that you can stand behind. And I think that message resonates because people are very sensitive to whether or not you're just flipping something for money or actually does. Is this something that he actually believes in and uses every day in his daily life? You know, Interesting. We share another love, maybe our first love or both. We've. We both got daughters.

Oh, yeah.

So yours has more recently come into your life than. Than mine. She's. She's my angel. She's my greatest gift from God, my, you know, my firstborn. Talk a little bit about, you know, what happened to you, you know, as. As a man. When she came into your life, how did. How did your priority shifts? You still got a lot of time that you got to commit to the league, especially during the season. I mean, I'm. I. You got to be gone 12, 14 hours a day.

Yeah, at least. At least.

So how's. How's fatherhood changed Max Crosby?

I mean, it's changed me in so many different ways. Everybody's, like, told me and gives you that advice. You probably heard the same, like, your whole life's gonna change.

I know. I actually was scared when I. When my wife was like, we're pregnant. I was like, I don't know if I was that excited about it. You're like, I'm gonna get a lot of for this. But I was like, yikes. Yeah, we're actually really gonna have a kid.

Yeah. No, it's real. Like, I. I couldn't believe it. Rachel, like, set up a camera. She did the same thing. She walked in and got my reaction. I'm, like, in shock. I'm like, are you with me right now? What's going on?

When she show you the line?

Oh, yeah. She had. She had a little box or whatever, and then it was like, it was hidden under. She's like, open it. And it was the test. And I was like, no way. But it's changed me for all the better. My girl is a little rock star. Like she's, yeah, she's a cartoon character. She walks around the house with black, like pink, black shades and has her little, little drink. She walks around, hangs out. She's running around the house wild. Demands everything. And I, there's nothing more pure than seeing your daughter smile and, and just enjoy life because like, you don't understand. Like, you have a different appreciation for your parents and things like that once you become a parent, like, you don't really understand what that kind of love is. And I remember, you know, being in high school, you go out and party and your parents bothering you, where you at? Are you good? Blah, blah. And I was like, shut up, I'm good. Like, but now I can't even imagine, you know, being a parent, like, seeing her grow. Like, I'm so protective of her, but at the same time, like, I look forward to it every single day. Like just teaching her and helping her grow. Like, she's so smart and she picks up on everything and it's been one of the coolest things ever. And like you said, like, I already have so much time dedicated every single day. Yeah, to my craft, into business. And I'm working literally 24 7. But I still, at the end of the day, I have to find time for, and I always will. And to the day I'm gone, I will. She's my number one priority. So, yeah, my girls are everything. I come home, I got my wife, my daughter, and I got three crazy ass pit bulls. But we have an incredible house and like, there's nothing more, more pure than that.

And I just, I don't ever give advice on fatherhood, but I will just tell you, man, it just gets better and better and better. My oldest is, my oldest girl is 25. My youngest is 16 girls. And then my, my sons, I've got two sons in the middle and just my, my, my oldest daughter, firstborn. Like, you know, I've, since the day that she was 4 years old, I've taken her on date nights. And so, you know, we used to go in Chicago, we would go to like the Ferris wheel or we would go to movie nights or we would go to dinner or sometimes we would just stay home and chill and watch a movie. Went to the Grammys one time. And she's 25 now. We still go on date nights. And, and since her fourth birthday, she knows this. She found this out. But since her fourth birthday, I, I, I saved every Ferris wheel Ferris wheel receipt. Every dinner ticket, every. Every movie ticket, every picture from every date night. I built this file. I called it Sunshine file. She's 25 now, so it's pretty thick. Like, we even went to. To dinner, like, three nights ago at the Greek restaurant. I just grabbed. Grabbed the receipt and saved the receipt. So on her wedding day, I'm going to give her, like, 25 years of date nights, you know?

That's incredible. That's incredible.

But, dude, that's. That's. That's the greatest gift that God will ever give you. Because I remember my mom telling me, you know, you're gonna have this kid, and there's a whole person inside of you that you've never met yet.

Yeah.

And you've never loved anything more than you loved yourself. And I was like, okay, Mom, I mean, that's a great advice. You know, like, that's what you're supposed to say, grandma. And. And, dude, it's just so true, man. It's just so true. But, you know, you've got a lot of, you know, other than your daughter, you got another really strong woman in your life that was actually there, you know, before football and. I mean, before the NFL and, And. And before you conquered the addiction. I mean, so talk a little bit about that. You know that foundation that comes from your family, from Rachel, you know, like, what kind of foundation is she for you in your life?

Yes. I mean, she's my number one supporter at the end of the day. She was with me before I ever made a sack or tfl or any of that. And she see me. She see me at my lowest. She's seen me at my dark side. Yeah, she's seen everything. And, yeah, more than my family, more than anybody, because she was with me every day. Like, we've been living together since college, so me and her. I mean, she helped me. I mean, the first person to introduce the meal prep stuff to me was her. Really used to cook me meals and drop them off to me before she's on the, well, wellness bandwagon, big time. I mean, she just did the test with.

Yeah, I'm doing a review. I think it's this week.

Yeah. So she's all for it. But at the end of the day, like, she's. She's my ride or die. She'll do anything. She'll go to the end of the world. It's not about the money. She wears the same black tights and black tanks. Yeah, so does my wife.

Same thing.

She's. She doesn't need anything she's just a great mother, and she's there whenever I need her, and sometimes I don't want to hear it.

Yeah.

So she's always going to have the truth. She's always going to be blunt and honest, you know? But it's perfect for me, and it works for us because it's not easy. And in my circle, in my life, there's a lot of people that want to be a part of it that aren't there for the right reasons. And she spots them out. Like, she's spot on every single time. She's like, watch out for them. Watch out. I'm telling you.

What are you telling me? The same way, dude. And they're always right.

Every single time. And it almost pisses me.

We don't see it, dude.

It almost pisses me off. Yeah. I'm like, what the. I'm like, no way. He's good. But. And then two months later, I'm like, oh, yeah, you got taking the knife.

Out of your back.

Yeah. Literally taking the knife. I'm like, these. But I'm like, rachel is right every time. I was talking to Angie. Angie works in the kitchen. She always gives my meals every day. And I'm like, angie, Rachel is always right. She's like, I love Rachel. She's like, she's gonna be straight up honest.

It's women in general. You know, I actually. I actually studied this. Believe it or not. There's something called the Spain scale of emotion, the scale of positive and negative emotion. And. And it's. And, you know, we say women are more intuitive. They're actually not more intuitive. They're more sensitive to frequency. And, like, when someone's being authentic, they can sense it.

Yeah.

When someone's being inauthentic, they. They can sense it.

They sniff it out.

And then sometimes they sniff it out, and they. And. And sometimes they'll say, I can't put a finger on it. Thumbs up with that dude. I'm like, what, baby? He's got great shoes. He's so cool.

It's like, watch out.

And then, bang.

Dude, you get every time. It's every time, like, 100% success. Right?

You know, you. You. You. You talk a lot about getting to this place and. And. And. And the humility and the gratitude that you have and that, you know, the. The idea about giving back, especially about giving, you know, without the expectation of receipt. So talk to me a little bit about the Max Crosby Foundation. You know, what was the impetus for that? And I know you made a major donation to The Max Crosby Foundation. I mean, I think that says a lot about who you are. But what's the. What's the vision for that and what's the What' to come out of that foundation?

You know, it's. It's my whole purpose at the end of the day. Like I talked about in the beginning, like, I want to create change. And it's not only, you know, for my life. You know, I have to have my stuff in order to make change. And that's what, you know, my sobriety starts with my. My routine, everything I do. Being a father, being a husband. But at the end of the day, I want to help others, and that's what this is all about. You know, teens going through substance abuse like I did, you know, animal rescue. I'm a huge dog person. I've. I have two rescues myself, three pits. So I'm a big animal person, and I love giving back and helping people in need. So for me, you know, everybody's not. Doesn't have a white picket fence and grow up everybody's cookie cutter clean and whatever. Like, I. I'm not saying I grew up in a terrible, you know, neighborhood or anything like that, or my, you know, my parents were together, you know, things like that. But. But I had some ups and downs in my childhood. You know, I went through a lot. And at the end of the day, I want to help those kids in need. And that's what it's about. That's what it's about. Inspiring the youth and inspiring the future of this country and. And people involved, because not everybody has that platform. Nobody can. A lot of these kids go home and don't have two parents in the house, and I know how that is. Like, my. Both my parents worked when I was a kid. They're always working. Like, me and my brother were alone a lot of the time.

Yeah.

And, you know, it's real. And, you know, kids were going through worse than I went through, and I still had, you know, a lot of issues. So at the end of the day, the main purpose for this foundation is create real change. And, you know, not only donating my own money, but getting guys like Dana. Like, Dana made crazy donations at. At our gala that we did recently. That's so awesome. And, you know, they're just like, you know, people like that. That's why I want to evolve, because Dana has. Is. Has a real heart.

He does.

He has the biggest heart that I've met. And, like, I'm like that, too. Like, I'll go to the end of the world. If I love you, if I truly respect you and I'm loyal to you, I mean, you could ask anybody, like, I'll go to the end of the world for you. So that's, you know, that's what it's about. You know.

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So it hasn't, it's not fully baked yet and we'll talk a little bit about it off camera but I'll, I'll make the announcement here. We, I got approached by one of the largest social media platforms in the world and they, they, we're looking for an influencer and we think you're the one to, to break a social media record which is a million dollars in sales and social media in one day on this particular platform. And so they were going back and forth about, you know, ideas of how we would do it. And I said, look, I'll do it on two, two conditions. Number one, that every, every dollar that we, that we raised that day to break this record, we're going to donate to charity. And then number two, you guys are going to dollar match it. And so they agreed. I'm going to make the announcement here very soon. We're actually use social media for a lot of good. But I wanted to let you know that you were one of the charities that we chose. There's three other ones. They're very, very, very big names. You're going to be excited to be alongside of them, some of them mentioned on this podcast. And, and the idea is in 24 hours, and we have major brand sponsors and product sponsors that the audience is going to get two for one on every dollar they spend. If they buy nitrogen bottle, they're gonna get two. If they buy cold plunge, they get two. If they buy perfect aminos, they get two. Maybe if they buy a slate, they get two and they'll be able to double their money. And that money is going to go into, into charities like yours. And then this social media platform is going to match it and we're going to break the Internet for good meaning for a good cause. And we're going to show that, you know, athletes, entertainers, celebrities, a listers and average people can all come together and just make a, make a massive difference. So I'm, I'm excited to have. The Max Crosby foundation is one, one of the ones that we chose. So I'm pumped to do that with you.

I appreciate you, brother. It means a lot. Yeah, we're gonna, absolutely, we're gonna blow this up, dude. No doubt. No, it's just, just the beginning. There's so much, so much we can do and so much change out there and you know, people need to take, it's about footwork at the end of the day. I want to make sure you got to be in the neighborhoods, you got to go see the kids, you got to be involved to make real change. And I love that.

Yeah, I mean, we always talk about, you know, making an impact and what does it really mean to make an, you know, an impact and are you, are you really leading a life of significance or are you leading a life of service? And when you're in service, like, you know, it comes back to you a hundredfold. Like, I, I, I say it all the time. I feel Like, I live somebody else's life. I mean, just the fact that I'm sitting down with, you know, Max Crosby and we're chopping it up and, and this doesn't feel like work to me.

No.

You know, and I mean, sometimes you got to look at your life and be like, like, wow. I mean, I, I feel like I, I love somebody else's life, too. I'm, I'm blessed and, you know, just taking that time to give, to give back and, and, and say thanks. So, so what's, what's next for Max Crosby is you're. You. You. You talk about wanting to be the, you know, the best in league and, and, and be the best version of yourself. What's the next two, three years look. Look like for you? I mean, where. What is your. Your purpose, your passion? Like, what's, what's that light that you're focused on? It'? You.

Yeah. One of the greatest coaches I've ever been around is Rob Marinelli and Rich Passaccia. They were with me a few years ago. They helped me grow as a person, as a player, probably more than anybody I've ever been around the NFL. And he always, they both always talk about this, but the microscope and the telescope. The microscope is the day to day. That's the most important. Not over 90% of the time, you're focused on the microscope. The telescope is the future. The two, the two to three years from now, what's your ultimate goal? What do you see yourself? How am I going to get to that point? You just peek at that from time to time. You think about it at night a little bit. You think about it in the morning, think about it after a workout. Like, that's why I did that. You know what I mean? That's why I push myself, because I'm getting to that and one step closer. Yeah. But majority of the time, I'm in the microscope. And that's something. That's another big thing I learned in sobriety. You know, it's cliche, but at the end of the day, it's how I live my life. And it's one day at a time. All that matters is being here and being where my feet are. So, you know, it starts with, you know, 9:00am, me and you doing this. And I'm a worry about whatever I got to do next when it, when it's time for that. But that's what's helped me gain so much ground, because I'm not worried about the future. I'm not worried about the past. I'M just worried about right now. And I've learned and realized that I could be so much more productive just by being present. Instead of worrying about, oh, where do I got to be next? It's like, no, just be where you're at and then when you got to get there, you'll be fine. And at the end of the day, if you put all that unnecessary stress on yourself, you're eventually just going to burn yourself out. I stay present at all times. And my energy, we always joke about if you got to have elite energy today on the podcast, we gotta, it's like elite energy, elite energy at all times. Like, that's how we, we care ourselves. It's like a competition. But that's the only way to do that is if you're present. You can't be sitting here worried about the next podcast.

And if you're taking care of the temple.

Yeah. If you're not taking care of your body, if you're not sleeping, if you're not, you know, feeding your body the right way, getting in the cold plunge. 365, you know what I mean?

Right before you came on the podcast, you sent me a picture of yourself. I'll be there at nine. And here I am in the cold. Watch. I'm like, I just got out, dude. I had a cattle truck.

I showed you my cattle in the shower. This dude's got a steel freaking. I don't even know, a tank.

It's, it's to feed cattle. But I, I don't know. First of all, we're at the Red Rock in Las Vegas. I don't know where the hell they.

Got a cattle trough, but they had no idea that'. But like you said, it's all about, it's all about taking care of yourself and just bringing and being present at all times. And that's how I carry myself. So I know where I want to go. I know my ultimate goals. I want to be a Super bowl champion. I want to be an mvp. A Super bowl mvp. I want to be a defensive Player of the year. I want to be a Hall of Famer. Those are my long term. Those are my.

You're hearing it right here, dude. It's all going to come to fruition. He's speaking it into existence right now.

I see it. And I've been talking like that since I was in college when I was on scout team. I was 18 years old. I was 220 pounds out there on scout team trying to destroy their offense every day. He was the starting quarterback Brogan DT was a lineman, and they hated it. But, like, I. I legitimately have been talking about this since day one. And the thing is, I don't like to say, you know, this is what I'm gonna get. It's because I. I believe I'm limitless of what I can do if I. If I stay present and do what I do. So. So, yeah, I'm just focused on the day to day. And, yeah, you know, my. I don't believe in a ceiling or any of that.

That's so awesome.

Yeah, I'm excited.

Max, dude, you're. You're. You're an og, man. I can't even begin to thank you enough for coming on the podcast today. I know you got a tight schedule, so I'm gonna be respectful of that. I'm gonna have you back on as you start to reach these milestones so people can see that you speak it into existence and you put in the work every day, take care of the temple. You're gonna get. You're. I'm zero doubt that you're gonna accomplish all of those things, man. I appreciate it. So where can people find out more about the. The foundation? If they. If they're interested in your foundation, where can they find out more about you? How do they. How do they find Max Crosby?

Yep. You can go to, you know, my Instagram right now. There's a link in my bio. MadMax.com. mad Max organization. I don't want to say it wrong, but it's in my bio. Okay, we'll. We'll plug that on the show. But, yeah, I got my website. We have our own Instagram. Instagram page, the Mad Max Foundation. And yeah, you can find me on all social medias at Crosby. Max, if you want to donate to my foundation, you got any more questions, it's all right there. And I got the Rush podcast going on with my. With my boys.

Absolutely. Check that out. We'll put a link to that in the show notes, too.

Yeah, definitely. Got to check that out a lot. A lot of great guests, like you said. Dana. I think Dana was the one with Dana.

It was funny.

He's incredible, dude. Dude's the best.

You guys talked about the trip to Miami, too, which was funny as. Because you guys. This was right after our flight.

This is right after the flight. And it was. Yeah, it was all time.

You guys went to, like, anatomy or something and walked in. It was a bunch of naked dudes. And.

Yeah, just walking around. We're like.

Dana was like.

Is going on. Dana's like, we're leaving.

Backed it up. Then you came to my apartment. You came to my. Came to my condo.

And Dana was pissed. Yeah, Dana was pissed. He's like, you didn't tell me it's your house. No, just use the red light. Use the cobalt. You're. He's like. Like, I feel like such a. He's like, I just gotta go. I gotta go. He was so flustered, and I was.

Like, where can I get a cold plunge and a red light? I'm like, come over here, dude. I mean, he goes, okay, text me the address. I text him the address. You guys get off the elevator. I'm like, every. It's like nine. You're like, nine deep.

You rolled in this beautiful condo where. He's like, this is your house.

I'm like, yeah, you're my boy, man. It's my house, dude. Go use the red light. Go use the. You know, go use the hypermax. Use the pmf, you know? Yeah, jump in the. Jumbling the cold blunt, she's like, no, this is one. Not what I had in mind. No, you guys were 0 for 2 that day.

Yeah, over 2. But you're a real one. That just shows who you are. Guys like you and Dana, you open open doors, your own house, you know, to. Of course, to let people get better. And that's, you know, that's what it's all about, being loyal to people.

That was such a funny day. I was like. I was like, what's up, Max? We just got off the plane.

What up?

Yeah, we just left the room full of sausages, and now we're in your condo, dude, this is not working out for us. This is. It's.

Yeah, it's a tough afternoon.

Tough afternoon. So I wind down every podcast by asking guests the same question. There's no right or wrong answer to this, but what does it mean to you to be an ultimate human?

To me, like, like I said, is being present being the best version of myself. There's always room for improvement. I always. Every post you see, I always am saying, more is required, improve more. Just. I put those words on everything. I have the back of my phone, my locker. That's what it's about to me, is there's always room for improvement. And that doesn't mean I need to do 20 more things every single day. My schedule is already packed from 5:30am all the way to 9. But it's about refining those things and. And being adventurous in. In your thought process, because there's always room for improvement at all times. And you can't just be. You can't be stubborn. That's the biggest thing I've learned about being the ultimate human. Yeah, you cannot be stubborn. You always got to be learning. No matter if you're a football player, you're in business, whether you're in whatever it is, it's. You constantly have to be curious and learning at all times, because that's the only way you're going to improve. And you have to be humble enough and grateful enough for what you already have to continue to grow. And that's the way I live my life, and that's how I, you know, try to inspire the people around me and. And, you know, all the people following me and watching me during my career.

It's awesome, man.

You got to be humble, man.

I'm gonna grab the popcorn and watch this next next round from Max Crosby. Man, I appreciate you so much, man. Thank you for coming on the human podcast. And as always, guys, that's just science.