008 - Coach Gil - The Law of Attraction in Sports

All right, today I'm meeting with Coach Gil. He's the owner of Sling It QB there in central Arizona, central Phoenix, Arizona. Um, I'm super excited to talk to him. He has a sick profile, so you guys need to go follow him, especially if your kids are quarterbacks. He's, he's the guy to talk to. But Coach Gil, welcome.

Thank you for having me on.

Tell us a little— so I want I want to learn and I want the audience to know, tell me a little bit about your background in football.

Yeah. So I was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, a small town called El Mirage. I played football since I was 8 years old and then went to play obviously high school and then played a year of junior college football and then decided just playing wasn't really for me anymore. I wasn't really having fun with it anymore. I wrote a book on the law of attraction. If anyone is familiar with that, it's basically how the mind affects your performance just in life. But I wrote it specifically tailored for athletes. So that was back in 2019 or 2020, I believe. And then, yeah, so I started getting into just different jobs and realized that working for someone wasn't for me. So I ended up just starting my quarterback coaching business, and I've been at it for 4 years now, and it's growing really, really fast, and it's getting pretty— it's got a lot of traction, so it's really cool. That's basically all I'm doing. I'm obviously not— I've also coached at the high school level, which has been interesting experiences for me, but it's just good to, you know, learn from other guys. I've been around great coaches that have taught me a ton. My brother Phil Bates, who was a Super Bowl champion, not biological brother, but, you know, someone that I really admire.

Yeah.

Yeah. Guys that I'm really close to, just they've taught me a lot. And so I just take all that knowledge and pass it down to the kids. So here we are, just, you know, 4 years later. So, yeah.

That is so cool. What made you want to work with quarterbacks specifically? I saw you opened up on like a wide receiver. Kind of branch off of your business. But what made you specifically want to work with QBs?

Well, I played quarterback since I was 8 years old, and I played in junior college, you know, so I played it for, I don't know, about 10 years or so, a little bit over that. So it was just something that was natural for me. I think naturally I've always been sort of a leader. People look to me as a leader, and so, it was not really hard for me to transition into going, you know, just to become a coach. So, yeah, and I think it's a very special position. I think it's very unique compared to, I think, most positions in all sports because there is so much riding on you as an athlete, but more importantly as a person. And I think that when it comes to who you are and the mind, right, I think everything starts and ends in the mind. I think I'm just fascinated by how we as individuals, like, like who we are on the field is who we are off the field, right? And so I think success comes as a byproduct of that person and not the other way around. So for me, like getting kids to overcome themselves specifically through sports, like, you know, quarterbacking, That was why I did it. I think for myself, I was a very good athlete, but I didn't have the mental, emotional tools that I think would help propel me forward. I think if anything, they sent me back. So I wanted to get into the space where I can help kids to overcome themselves where I wasn't able to, you know. So that's kind of what got me to do the coaching, the quarterback stuff, and then The receiver stuff, I mean, the brand has grown a lot now. So, you know, I have a buddy who played with me at Phoenix College. He was my tight end. His name is Anthony Rodriguez. Great dude. So I'm like, man, like, we should just grow it, right? The brand is strong. We have a lot of receivers that come out anyways. Like, let's just get it rolling. So that's kind of where we're at now.

Very cool. That's awesome. I actually love what you talked about of overcoming yourself because I've thought about that as a QB. I mean, I was a point guard. I was a basketball player. I was a point guard. And there's some pressure on point guards or whatever, but like QBs are on another level. And obviously I haven't, I never played football or anything like that, but just kind of seeing and watching, that's a lot of responsibility, a lot of things to learn. And I mean, it kind of sounds cliché, but I watched the Netflix documentary, like the quarterback Netflix documentary, and it's kind of just, it opened my mind to how much quarterbacks have to know and do. And so when you talked about overcoming yourself, like, how do you teach the kids to do that? Like, how do you mentally teach them these things?

Um, so just a lot of books that I've read over the years, uh, again, just about the mind. And I think once again, like, everything is the mind, right? Starts there. So I don't think there's really a lot of separation between what I do on, on the field and what I do off the field. So these techniques and like, you know, principles or philosophies I've learned, I've just incorporated into my coaching. I've also had great coaches that have helped me just become a better person more than anything. And I think they've had my back. And I know what that feels like to have, to have a coach, like, truly love you just because they love you, you know. And so that's kind of where or how that comes about for me. As far as like, you know, teaching the mental emotional stuff, I try and sprinkle things in where, like for me, repetition is huge and like mental repetition, right? Like, so one of the things I tell the kids is like, for example, I had a girl that I was training the other day and she's like the sweetest girl. She's a beast, but she's 10 years old and I kept telling her, your body loves you. It has to listen to your instruction. And so she'd mess up again. And I said, your body loves you. It has to listen to your instructions. So I have said it a good 10 times, and it's me just trying to get her to have a different voice in her head, you know what I'm saying? Like trying to tap into her subconscious, because I think that's kind of how you reprogram yourself through repetition. And then I just try and uplift every kid as much as possible because I think the mind is wired and so influenced by emotion that You know, if I can attach a positive emotion to what we're doing, then it's going to fuel them to be, I don't know, maybe more receptive to information, or, you know, give them more of a push to want to do these things on their own. So a lot goes into it, but I try and sprinkle in as much as I can. We also do some visualization stuff with the kids. So before a session, we'll maybe like take 10-15 minutes just to slow down the brainwaves, right? Get into the mind, or get into the body. And then I'll just ask them questions like, who do you want to be? Who do you not want to be anymore? What does it look like? What does it feel like to be this new you? And I tell them like, once we're done with that exercise, right? Because it's not really so much about feeling it sitting down. Just Saturday, I'm like, what you felt in that mindfulness exercise, whatever, let's call it a meditation, whatever you felt in that meditation, you have the ability to step into when you walk onto the grass or to the field. And so I think we go unconscious so easily that we forget that vision of like, who I want to be. And so I'm just constantly reminding the kids over and over again. I mean, the sessions that we run, they go about an hour, but sometimes I'll take like 15 minutes just talking to them, you know, and I tell the kids like, this is the session. You know, it's not about throwing. You can do that anywhere. I'm not here to babysit you while you throw. I'm here to give you information to take and apply on your own. So that's what I'm really about. I think that's what separates what we do, you know, compared to most people. I have no problem or issue like taking 30 minutes to just talk to a kid because I think really that's what coaching is, I think. Yeah, I want them to be successful, you know, with their goals and like achieve whatever aspirations they have for themselves. But I'm more interested in who they are because I think if they can master themselves, they can master their lives. So that's kind of where that goes into.

Man, if I ever moved to Arizona, my kids are coming to you in a heartbeat because those are the type of coaches that everyone needs. I love that you have this perspective and this outlook on things because it's very similar to mine. Um, sports is a learning ground for life, right? Like, eventually we're all gonna throw in the towel. We, we all— like, no matter how much time you put into that quarterback position, you've played your last game, right? And it's so cool that you can, like, you can see that on the other side of things and say, like, yeah, this is gonna end, but here's some lessons that you can learn to help you become an amazing person and an amazing player. But I think that that's so cool. And so I wanted to— I want to ask you some more about the meditation kind of mindfulness side of things, because I think that this is huge, and I wish I would have had it when I was an athlete. Um, this is something that many athletes probably overlook and maybe think is a little— I don't know, I'm maybe just dumb in, in a sense that some kids are just like, meditation, like, that's dumb, like, what's gonna help me? So can you speak to the— speak to those athletes who are like, why would I meditate? Like, I want those 30 or 15, 15 to 20 extra minutes getting my reps in. Can you tell them or explain why it would be so important to focus on the mind for a time?

Yeah, so I think we all go through like mental blocks, uh, mental or emotional blocks especially. I mean, let's just talk about life, right? Um, whether it be you know, you're not able to— let me backtrack here. I think we over— I think we come against these blocks often in our life, and I think we impose those upon ourselves, right? So like, if we're thinking in regard to sports, let's talk basketball, right? If I can't hit, you know, a mid-range shot at a certain part of the court, or, you know, whatever. And I continue to tell myself over and over again, like, I just can't— I can't hit from here, right? I'd never make it from here. Or in this scenario, I can't overcome this situation. I know for myself, like, I couldn't really throw well to my right, and it was always like, oh, I suck going to my right, you know, as a quarterback. Like, I think we impose that upon ourselves, and I think that when we just look within, or when we slow down and just give the body and the mind an opportunity to like just slow down, I think we are able to— I think we are then able to like uncover deeper aspects about ourselves that we wouldn't going 100 miles an hour, right? And so one of the things for me that I struggle with, I'm just trying to give an example here, was, you know, anxiety, performance anxiety. And it was because of many reasons, but one of the things was I'm gonna fail, like I'm gonna throw a bad pass, or, you know, this defensive end is really good, or this defense is good, whatever. These are all like blocks that I'm imposing upon myself You know, that I think when you're able to think constructively, which is a skill that you acquire, I think when you're able to do that, you're able to now navigate situations or scenarios in a way that's more beneficial to you. So I would, I would say that for athletes that say like, oh, you know, mindfulness and meditation is just like, I don't have time for that. Well, if you don't have time for that, I mean, at some point everybody, as you get higher in levels and, you know, from high school to college to the pros, like everyone gets really good. Everyone becomes that, like, that guy, right? And so what's going to separate you from being good to great or great to phenomenal, I think, is this. Because everyone's fast at the next level, like everyone's tall, everyone's strong. Like, I think if you are able to tap into that deeper part of yourself where now you're empowered, now you're confident, now you feel invincible. Like, that's a dangerous person now. Um, and I think that's what makes people great. If you look at the greats, right, they were all having some sort of similar mentality. I'm the guy, I'm better than you, you can't touch me. Like, whatever the case is, whatever thought or conversations they have with themselves, like they spoke of themselves like they were— I mean, like, for lack of a better term, like a god, right? And it might sound bad, but like, if you think of Muhammad Ali, you look at his interviews, everything he said about himself was like greater, bigger than life, you know? And so people might call it arrogant. You look at Floyd Mayweather, like, yeah, to a lot of people might be arrogance, but I almost admire that to a sense because it's like they believe that, right? Like, and because they believe it, it's gonna manifest on the playing field or on the court, wherever, you know. So for me, I think if you're able to— I think if you're able to get to that point where you have unwavering belief in yourself and you truly love yourself, I think that's when you become pretty unstoppable. So I don't know if that really answers the question, but there's really a lot. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. And I, yeah, I love this stuff. Like I said, I think that this is so important for everyone and, but athletes definitely too. So I, you were talking about Floyd Mayweather and all these guys and you've talked about the law of attraction. You said you wrote a book on it. So I want to kind of unlock this, this little knowledge in your mind. But Conor McGregor, did you see the video of him recently, or the, the quote? He talked about the law of attraction and how— I don't know, did you see that? Or I can explain what it is.

Yeah, a lot of fighters talk about the law of attraction, which is really interesting to me. Um, yeah, yeah, but go ahead.

Yeah, yeah. So I, I would have to actually look up the quote to get him word for word, but basically he said, um, And many people probably are wondering what the law of attraction is, so we— I'll have you explain it in a minute. But he basically said, like, when he went face to face with his opponent, when they had, they had like the board conference thing before the fight, um, he was able to like look his opponent in the eye and he kind of told himself like what the opponent was gonna do the first, the first like move of the game, or like he's gonna throw a right jab or whatever. I'm not sure, I'm not a big fighter guru or whatever. Yeah, but, um, he kept telling himself that over and over and over again, and then it happened. And people are like, how did you do that? And he just said, law of attraction. And so explain to us kind of in simple terms, what is the law of attraction? How do you use it to your benefit?

So the, like, most simple definition that I've heard is you get what you think about. Um, and I think it's a lot more complex than that, right? But Essentially, you get what you think about. And I always tell the kids, if you think you're gonna miss, you're probably gonna miss, right? If you think you're gonna throw the ball in the right spot, more often than not, it'll be a better outcome than the latter, you know, the former. And so that's essentially what it is. Like, if I think and feel, right, because now if we're talking more complex, if I think and feel a certain way, I'm gonna probably get that result or that experience. So if I think and feel that, again, I keep missing, you know, from one spot on the court, like, I'm gonna probably get that result more often than not. Like, I'm affirming to myself and I am telling my mind and body that I can't do something. So the body's gonna say, okay, like, we can't, right? But if I can continue to tell myself something like, if I touch the ball, I catch it, and I'm thinking as a receiver, if I touch it, I catch it. If I touch it, I catch it. And I continue to work towards it and feel it and think about it and just imagine and dive into like what that would be like to touch a football and catch it wherever it is on, you know, wherever around my body, then I think that ends up happening. Um, and of course, like, you can't take it literal, right? It's not like, uh, I get what I think about. I'm not going to think about like, hey, I'm a pro athlete and not work towards it, you know, or I'm not going to think that I'm a pro athlete and not feel that way and not exemplify that person. It's a lot more complex, like I said, but in the most simple terms, I get what I think about. And if you're thinking crappy, you're going to probably get crappy results, you know, and if you're thinking in a constructive manner, your results will end up showing that too. It'll reflect. So I think, again, I think everything begins and ends in the mind. And so I think our life experience is a reflection of that. So in regard to like what Conor McGregor's saying, I don't know what he was thinking or what he said. I know what other fighters have said before that, and they speak about the law of attraction too. They've all said, if I can see it in my mind, if I can vocalize it, if I can act as if I am that person, it has to materialize. And really, that's my philosophy about life, and that is why I think things are going the way they're going. You know, just in— even about this, like, podcast, this interview, like, I wasn't expecting this, but this is eventually what I want to do for the world, is speak and just kind of give information I think will be beneficial to parents, athletes, coaches, because I think this stuff is transformative. And I just know the law of attraction is real just because I've experienced it over and over again. But you know, for a kid to really want to get into that is, I mean, it's a little far out there right now just because they're into, you know, Instagram and who gets the most likes and who gets the most followers and who's got the coolest clothes. And you know, so it's only natural, but I think the kids that are ready for it And the kids that are mature enough, they can take this information and they will see for themselves like, yo dude, this is crazy. Like, this is next level stuff. And that's what I'm trying to do with them. I just try and spoon feed them as much as I can just so that they can like get a glimpse of it so that when they come and ask me, hey coach, like, you know, I have a kid named Jace Ashley who is Man, such a great kid. He asked me questions all the time like, "Hey, how, you know, can we do a little bit more of this? You know, I want to visualize. I want to know a little bit more about what you know." Those are the kids that when they take this information are just going to go so far ahead of everybody else because, you know, they're ready for it. They are going to have that extra edge, you know, because Now it's not just the physical stuff, right? Now it's the mental, emotional, which I think most people in the world are missing. And I'm just trying to do my part in sharing what I know to help these guys like eventually change the world, right? Like I think, I think when we change ourselves, I think we're able to change others and then through that just, you know, we can now impact a big community. So yeah, kind of went off on a tangent there.

No, I love it. I love it. I think it's so cool just to think— I'm just picturing these athletes. I love what you said. Everyone is going to— you'll hit one certain level where you're on equal playing fields now. You're not the best on the team anymore. You're not the best on the field. As far as like physical stuff goes, right? They're all kind of doing the same. And I've touched on this point a lot with people through different things when we talk about separators, one being nutrition, another being recovery, like just different stuff. But the mind is probably the king of them all right now. And I think it's so cool to talk about that because you take two athletes, Athlete A, Athlete B, they have the same height, speed, agility, like all of these skills. But one has that mental edge on the other, like this athlete A is going to, to destroy athlete B because of the work, the mental work they've put in. So I think that that is very, very cool to talk about and think about. And even just planting that seed in those kids' minds right now is, is huge.

Yeah.

Did you lose me for a minute?

I think I did. Yeah. Yeah. I lost you at athlete A and B.

Oh, okay, no worries. I don't know why the connection's a little rough, um, but I was just saying like we take athlete A and athlete B and say that they have all the same skills and physical, um, everything basically, stats and everything, but athlete A has worked a lot on the mental side of things and athlete B has not. Like athlete A is going to destroy them. I every time, right? Like it's, it's not even gonna be a comparison.

Yeah, definitely.

Yeah.

And that's, that's what I try and get the kids to understand.

Yeah. So cool. Um, yeah. Sorry, it's lagging. I'm not sure why it's lagging so bad right now.

Okay. Yeah, gimme one second. One second. Hold on one second. Yo, yo, okay, all right, sorry about that.

No, you're good. Like I said, editing is my best friend. So anyway, so I, I kind of— let me know if things lag. I don't know, most of the time this platform is good, but sometimes it lags and I don't know why. So just let me know if you ever need me to repeat anything. But I kind of wanted to shift. We talked a lot about mental side of things, and you know, we might kind of circle back around to that because I just love that type of stuff. Um, yeah, but I, I think it is— just to kind of sum that up, I think it is so, so cool that you're even introducing this idea to the kids. Like, even if when kids are listening to this, if they're not quite ready to dive completely into the law of attraction and figuring out what it is. Like, just start, start feeding yourself positive thoughts. Like, I've got this, or what— like, you know, just like, I don't miss. I, I would all— I was, I was pretty good at free throws because that is one thing that my coaches instilled into me is like, you don't miss. And so it just constantly came into my mind, like, when I get to the free throw line, no matter the game, and I had coaches who helped with visualization as well. They're like, you don't miss, like, it just doesn't happen. And so therefore, like, it came to pass on, on the free throw line at least. And so I wish I would have applied that to more areas of my game, but I think it's cool that these kids can listen to this and just, I don't know, just kind of have that seed planted in their minds to begin to grow. Anyway, um, I wanted to ask you, because I see that you were with a lot of young athletes, obviously you work with some older high school, a lot of older high school athletes too, but with the young athletes who are super gifted, you were talking about that 10-year-old girl, how do you set expectations high for them, but also train them in a way that it's fun for them and they want to come back?

Yeah. I think at least for myself, I think that comes pretty natural to me because I'm, I feel like I've always been good with kids. Okay, I think the main thing is like showing them that you really care about them and showing them that you love them, right? Like, I have no problem in telling the kids, and I, I mean, it might be weird to others, but like I tell everybody, hey, I love you. Like, if you're here with me, there's a lot of love here from me for you, right? Or from me to you, because you're just simply here. And like, if you care about this game, um, if you truly care, I'm gonna give you my best. And I'm asking that you give me your best. And I always kind of start with that, and I just try my best to feed as much love and positive affirmation as I can, just so that we can start to develop trust, right? Or they can develop trust for me, because oftentimes, like, the kids like, who the heck is this guy, right? But I very rarely had kids leave after being in, like, you know, part of Sling It. And I think that's because of the way that I make them feel. I am very honest with them too. And this is now going to the other side of it, like, yeah, you got to really love them up. But then I'll be the first one to call them out. And I'll be brutally honest with 10-year-old kids, 11-year-old kids, like, and maybe some people don't like that. Maybe it looks, it might be frowned upon. I don't know. I honestly don't care because I feel that if they're with me, they're with me for a reason, and if they stay with me, then I'm gonna hold them to a very high standard, right? And that goes across the board. I'll treat a 10-year-old like I treat a 17-year-old, you know, and of course the language is different, but yeah, I will definitely call them out on things that I see because I want them to be the best expression of themselves and The way I look at it is like, if you're training with me, I'm not going to let you fail. Like, if you're training with me, I'm not going to let you be average. And I think they pick up on that. I think because they understand, like, I'm very transparent. I think they see the authenticity. Um, and as hard as I am on them, I also love them just as hard. So, you know, if I have to repeat myself 5 times in a row, I'll be like, hey, like, what's going on here, right? And oftentimes it's not nice words, or as nice, right? I'm not going to say I'm cussing kids out or anything, but it's definitely like, like, hey, I just got done telling you this 3 seconds ago and you're asking me the same question that I gave you an answer to. So either you're not listening or you don't care, and that's a problem, right? It'll be something just like that. But on the flip, you know, it's like they'll throw a great pass, they'll do it the right way, and I just, I make sure they know, like, yo, I did it right, and I want everyone in the park to know. So, you know, we do something like, uh, for the younger ones, like once they get to, once they get past 12, they're like, I'm over it. But when they do something right, I'll have them go run for a bomb. I'm like, go for a bomb, and I'll throw the ball as high as I can, and like they gotta go catch it. Like, they love that, but That to me is like just a fun thing where it's not just me having to throw a football or like, you know, I don't have to be doing things perfectly. It's now like, again, it's fun, it's football. Like I'll make jokes to the kids, I'll hop in there with them and we'll compete and stuff. And like I'm talking trash, they're talking trash back. Like, I don't know, I just think it's a great environment, but To answer your question, it is a balance of, hey, like, we're here to get things done, but also, like, let's do it in a way that's beneficial to everybody, you know?

Yeah, yeah. The high love, high expectations. I think that that's the best approach that you can have. And because I love, like, especially if they're there and they're wanting to get better, you would be doing them a disservice if if you didn't hold them to that expectation, to that standard. So I think that's super awesome that you're able to combine that and deliver that to those kids, because like we've kind of mentioned, that's, that's huge for a 10-year-old kid to be able to show up to the field that they're working with you on, or the park, and know that they're gonna get better that day, but also get a win that day. Like, who knows what's going through those kids' lives at home or at school, you know, but they know that they can show up with you and like have that, have that win. That's super cool. I love that. Yeah. Um, kind of bouncing off of just kind of talking about kids, some of the girls and stuff. So I noticed that you work with a lot of girls and I've only seen it through your social media. So I'm sure you work with a lot more than it's even on there, but girls flag football is kind of up and rising. It's becoming a thing, which is awesome. I'm jealous. I wish it would've become a thing a decade ago. But do you train the girls any different than how you train the boys or is it all the same?

So I'm still trying to navigate that. Yeah, I'm trying to navigate that because there is the same expectation, but I'm noticing that my language has to be different. And that's just, that's just me having to learn because I was, I mean, I'm a guy playing in boys' sports. So like the way that coaches talk to you is like very, I don't know what the word is, but it's different, right? Compared to maybe how a girl should be talked to because there are different emotions. I don't know, just different. Dynamic, different perspective. And so for me, like, I'm still navigating that. But the standard is the same. Like, hey, you're here to get work. If I have to tell you more than once, or sorry, yeah, more than once to work on your own, like, let's reevaluate why we're even here, you know, and I have those difficult conversations with them. I think the main thing is like, I tell everybody the truth. Um, so sometimes that hurts. Um, and I think a lot of us don't— I think just in general, society and even parents sometimes don't tell their kids the truth, like, because maybe they see through like rose-colored glasses, right? Or like, I just think that the truth is very necessary for growth and evolution. So went off on a tangent there, but to answer your question, it's the same but it's not. I think the main thing is making sure that I'm not hitting or saying things that would be maybe like offensive to them. I don't know. I don't know. Again, I don't really know. It's different, right? Like, I can't tell a boy, like, hey man, get your head out of your underwear. But do I tell a girl that? I don't know, right? Like, that, that just, that's something that I'm just trying to navigate, you know?

Yeah, tread in the waters with. So there's a good question, kind of a follow-up that I have with for you though, is we've talked about this law of attraction, we've talked about kind of just telling yourself over and over again, I'm the best, I'm the best. And you as a coach, you're instilling those words and those positive affirmations into the athletes' minds. So how— this could be for coaches, parents, athletes themselves— like, you say we got to tell the truth. So if my son one day— he's 9 months old right now, but one day he's probably gonna love sports because we love sports. And I mean, I hope he's going to love sports. And Yeah. Like how, and say that he's just not training to the expectations of his dreams or say that he's just not there and, and he's just not as good as the kids next to him. How do you do this one side of instilling this confidence in that inner voice into their mind, but at the same time be honest and tell them the truth? Like how do you do that?

Yeah. I'm glad you asked that because I've been wanting to, I've been wanting to speak about this to everyone around me. I think there's a difference between, not a difference, there is such a thing as delusion, right? And I think if you are delusional and thinking that you're the best and telling yourself over and over again, but your actions are not in alignment with that, I think that's delusion. Like, You got to be on drugs to think that you're gonna be the next MJ if you're sitting on the couch all day. Like, that's just the reality, right? On the flip side to that, let's say a kid isn't as good as the people around him, but he's now, let's say, meditating or visualizing or affirming to himself over and over again, and his actions are obsessive about being that new person. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the person is going to improve. How much, I don't know, right? Again, that goes back to like having the balance of I'm looking and working towards this thing, but I have to be honest with myself and say, hey, maybe I'm not that fast, but I have other strengths. Like maybe my leadership gets me to places where my athleticism won't. Um, I think there's a lot of different avenues and routes to take when it comes to becoming the person you want to be. And so for parents, for coaches, right, like especially parents, I think it's important for them to like take a step back and be like, okay, is my son or my daughter— are they— this kind of sounds bad, but are they really that good, or is this something that I'm just kind of like projecting, right? Because I think a lot of parents project their dreams or whatever their insecurities on their kids. And I don't think that's fair. I don't think that's fair at all to the kid. And so I think it's just a good opportunity for everyone in general to take a step back and be like, yo, like what's really going on? And what am I really working towards? And are my actions in alignment with this thing? If not, I think that's delusion. And if it is, if they are in alignment, then just keep going because something's gonna budge at some point, right? And then, you know, thinking about like some kids are just not athletically gifted or as athletically gifted as others, right? They're just not biologically like big enough or fast enough, like, and that's kind of out of your control. But again, I think there's just different avenues to get what you want and to be who you want to be. So it's a balance. Telling yourself the truth is something that I think we need to do more of. And I can say that because I have to do it every day when I'm— I mean, I meditate every day for an hour, right? Minimum. And so I have to look at myself and face myself over and over again and ask like just hard questions, difficult questions like, am I really being and showing up as the person that is whatever, right? My goals. Like, am I that? Am I showing up as a coach that's giving life to the kids? Or am I— am I— are my words affecting kids in a negative manner? Like, it is a constant process of overcoming, um, that I think that we all need to start, you know, doing a better job of doing.

Yeah, it really helps you stay No, yeah, I, I, I agree with everything you just said.

That—

thank you for answering that. It was super beneficial. And I think about meditation again, we circle back to the mindset things, but I think about the meditation and the visualization and all of that. It helps us stay conscious. All of us go unconscious, whether it with, with my kind of expertise, nutrition Like, a lot of people, when they're— they just go unconscious with food. They don't even think about the food they're eating or what it tastes like or the textures that it has. Like, they literally just, like, get a bag of chips and go to town on them, and then, like, before they know it, the bag's almost gone, and they weren't consciously there. And I feel like we do the same thing with life. And I kind of heard you say this earlier in the podcast, you people just go unconscious. We go on autopilot and we don't even experience life in a way. Like, and so I love how you have that self-reflection and it allows you, I feel, to live life to the fullest, to get the most out of yourself, to tap into the potential, um, that we all have. So I just think, I mean, it motivates me to want to be even better at this type of stuff because I've, I, I've dabbled in it, but I, I'm not I'm not doing an hour of meditation a day, but I, I could definitely start somewhere. Like, I'm not doing that yet, but I think that that would be super cool. Um, but I just, I don't know, what do you think about the conscious unconscious? How, how does that apply? Like, does, do you feel like it helps you stay present in like your life and live it to the fullest? Does that make sense at all?

Yeah, no, definitely. I think, well, there's a couple things there to unpack, but number one, I think 95% of who we are is unconscious, and I think we do go on autopilot very easily, right? Like, and especially because life is so fast-paced for some people, right? I would say it is, at least like as a business owner, right? But especially when you got a lot going on, it's easy for you just to wake up, do the same thing to do over and over again, and just it's another day. So yeah, I think that's why evolution is so hard for many people is because we don't actually take the time to look at ourselves and look within and say like, hey, this is what I need to start doing differently in order for my life to change, right? And that goes for anything— sports, business, family, whatever. The other side to that, or the other thing there that I wanted to talk about was, you talked about being present. Yeah, like being present is extremely important because I think being in the present moment allows you to just settle into what's around you. But for myself, I see meditation as a tool for transformation. I think oftentimes transformation is very uncomfortable. So it's not a butterflies and rainbows type of deal for me. It's extremely difficult to sit there with yourself for an hour and Yeah, um, I do it for different reasons than what I teach the kids to do it for. I want them to realize their dreams, and I want them to understand very critical information or important information at a young age so that their lives can be different than mine. Um, for myself, I meditate every day to overcome aspects of me that I no longer want to experience in future. And so that's often very difficult. I mean, I've sat— what I like— you sit in the fire, like you're sitting there with your eyes closed and nothing's going on, but it's like I'm sitting in fire trying to overcome this part of me that no longer serves me, right? And so you're actually, in a sense, putting a death or putting an end to that self and becoming a new self. I eventually want to do this with every athlete where I coach quarterbacks, but then we go in a room and we meditate. Because I, for myself, and I saw this, this awesome post on Instagram the other day, I don't really care who wins on Saturdays and Sundays. Like, I don't care to watch football. I only watch football because I have to, because it's my job to know what's going on and like teach it. But I don't care, like, and that's why I stopped playing too. I don't care about the game anymore. Like, let me not say that. I love the game, but I don't care about playing the game. Like, yeah, I don't care who's winning. Um, for me, it's how can I help this person, like, become the greatest expression of themselves? And I think meditation is such a great tool for that because You are finally— you're not reaching for anything outside of you anymore, right? You're not looking for, you know, food. You're not looking for a video game or a like on Instagram. You're not looking for external validation. You're actually having to go within where I think everything starts and ends. And now you can make the changes necessary to live the life that you want. So I don't even know if I answered your question, but that's kind of where I'm at with the whole, like, you know, being present and why we teach meditation and stuff like that.

So I think that that's awesome. There's no right or wrong way to answer questions either. I just think that having a conversation about this stuff and even introducing people to this, whether they be an athlete, a former athlete, or a parent, like this is all huge and like you said, transformative for people. So I love that we're speaking to this 'cause I don't think it's brought up enough, especially in sports for how— I mean, in life, obviously, but it's key. So to any parent, do some research and get your kids doing stuff like this 'cause that's so cool. So there's one more thing I kind of wanted to touch on with you and talk about. And it's kind of just gonna kind of wrap us all up here, but I'm gonna quote you. This isn't a post that you had, it was back in March, but I loved it. And it said, we often put so much emphasis on results and outcomes, we tend to overlook the crucial role of failure. Failure serves as a catalyst for learning, fostering curiosity, and unveiling new paths of self-discovery. It is through failure that we gain experience and facilitate personal growth. 'If we choose to cross the river of change.' Is that you? Is that your quote?

Um, in a way. I use ChatGPT to help me write it out because— yeah, but no, I love it.

But yeah, tell me, tell me kind of what— where those thoughts were born. What makes you believe those things?

Um, so I have a lot of So if anyone's familiar with Dr. Joe Dispenza, he's like a neuroscientist lecturer. Like, the guy's a genius. He's actually the reason why I started meditating. I read his book back in 2019, and I just was like, I fell in love with all the information. So the river of change, that part of the quote is from him, and he always talks about like crossing this river, right? Like you're on one side of the river, but you got to get to the other side. And oftentimes that getting through the water, treading through the water, is often difficult. And so in order for you to get to the other side, you're going to have to go through a lot of chaos. And like I talk about, right, like you're going to have to sit through the fire and you're gonna have to go through some turbulent times. So, um, that's where that comes from. But I think kids are so afraid to fail, especially like at the training sessions, like just You know, they're so afraid to fail that they're not willing to give up the things or habits that they are so accustomed to for something greater to occur, right? And so, for example, there's a kid that throws a great pass, right? He throws a great pass and it's a spiral and it looks great, but mechanically it's not very sound. Like, he can be a lot more efficient. And so I'll tell the kid over and over again, hey, let's try this, right? Let's try this instead. And I promise you, you're throwing a good ball already. But watch how much harder you're gonna throw if you do it this way. And I've been doing this for 4 years now, right? And I've had great coaches and people help me to develop like my throwing philosophy. But this kid will— and I'm talking this kid, all of them to some extent, right? This kid will have a hard time changing anything because he's afraid that, or she's afraid that, if they do it this way The ball's not going to come out the same way. And so yeah, the ball's coming out pretty and it's nice, but like there's a more efficient path, right? There's always a better way to do things. And so, um, because of the fear of failing, I think they're not willing to try new things. Um, and what we try to do as a staff, like with my buddy Tony, um, who coaches receivers, we tell the kids over and over again, like We don't care if you drop the ball, we don't care if you trip and fall, we don't care if you embarrass yourself out here. This is a safe place to do that because you're learning new things, right? Otherwise, you shouldn't be here. And we just try to give them a safe place to feel that like, okay, you know, I might not look great right now, but if I continue to practice this new thing, my results should end up changing, right? And so I think failure is a great catalyst to get us to evolve. I think in the moment it's very uncomfortable, but overall you end up learning a lot more about yourself, you know? And so one of the things that I have the kids do is like, you know, just to piggyback off of that is I'll have the kids teach each other. And I'll tell them, it doesn't matter if you're saying the wrong thing right now. Like, I'm gonna correct you, I'll help with that, but I want you to do your best to teach the guy next to you if he's struggling because you might learn something about yourself that you were not able to, you know, see before. And I found that very constructive and beneficial for our community because all of the kids, whether they be 12 or 10 years old or 17 or 18 years old, they're now teaching each other and What ends up happening is like, you're just, you're growing a community, number one, but you're self-discovering, right? You're discovering more about who you are, how you operate, how you move. And a lot of that comes with failure. So I just think failure is something that we shouldn't be running away from or shying away from. I think it's something that's necessary for growth. So yeah, that's it.

Yeah, failure, that's something I think even as myself, I— everyone seems to fear failure, and I think it's because we love to gain approval from people. Like you said, social media and just coaches and teachers or whatever, like we love getting the pat on the back and saying good job. Can you hear me? Did I freeze?

Yeah.

I think I froze again. Did I freeze?

Yeah, you froze.

You there, Coach?

Yeah, can you hear me?

Okay. Yeah, I'm here now. I think we're back up. But I was just kind of responding. Yeah, I was just kind of responding to what you were saying. Okay. Of failure is something we all fear, but it'd be really cool to flip it on its head and have failure be something that we almost seek for because we're pushing ourselves to be better. Like, as in, like, if I fail today, that kind of means that I succeeded today because I'm pushing myself to change.

Oh yeah. Yeah, definitely. For sure.

Yeah, I, I never had really thought of it that way, but as you were speaking and all that and, and kind of explaining your philosophy there, that kind of, that came to my head and I said, wow, like, that'd be, that'd be huge if I like, as was able to teach my kids that, like, hey, if you fail today, I'm gonna be so much happier than if you don't fail because that, that means you're trying to change.

Yeah, definitely. Yeah, it's, it's, it's a very interesting dynamic because I think like with social media, right, everyone's celebrating the successes, but like no one's really encouraging growth and development, right? And I think that's something that I try to push to the kids as much as I can, is like, yo, you're not gonna get it today, "it's okay that you don't get it today, I don't expect you to." I go, "but I expect you to get better by the next time I see you," right? Like, this is your day to fail, you're learning new information, it's going to be difficult, but then, you know, if you're working at it, then you're moving in the right direction. And I love it when a kid— oh my gosh, I love it, like more than when a kid throws a pretty ball— I love it when a kid like throws the ball 5 feet in front of me, hits the dirt, and they do it the way I'm asking them to do it, then, you know, it's just such a like, like, thank you. Like, one, thank you for trusting me, but two, thank you for trusting yourself enough to do it. Because what's going to end up happening is that ball is not going to die in the ground every time. Like, it's going to get better as you continue to rep it out.. And when you rep it out over and over and over again, your new way of doing it, when it does become this again, is going to be so much more efficient. It's going to be so much better. And like, I will celebrate every time a kid throws it over my head or it just goes left or right. I'm like, thank you, good job. Like, and I want all the kids to see that because I think that's more important than us like, you, you know, having temporary successes that really aren't, I don't wanna say they're not beneficial, right? But they are just not as, I just think there's a better way to do things. Right. And so, um, I want the kids to see that too.

You don't wanna stay in that mediocre state.

Yeah.

If you fear failure, you're, you're always gonna kind of stay mediocre.

Yeah, definitely.

K, Coach, I have one more question for you, just kind of to let you get your signature— I don't know, your signature Coach Gill moment. But, um, what would be your number one piece of advice for any athlete who aspires to play next-level sports?

We talk about this a lot. I think the most important part about realizing your dreams or goals is walking in alignment with who you say you want to be. And I tell the kids all the time, you need to walk as if you're that person. And so what does that mean? If I want to be a Division I quarterback or athlete, I can't go to sleep at 1 o'clock in the morning every night. If I want to be a Division I athlete, I can't be eating chips and Hot Cheetos and, you know, whatever else they eat. If I want to be a Division 1 athlete, I need to take time to work on my craft in every sense— weightlifting, uh, watching film, studying my, you know, my coverages, my concepts, plays, protections. Like, you need to be and embody the person that you're striving to become, and if you're not Once again, we go back to the delusion, right? I tell the kids straight up, like, you're— get away from me, get away from me, because I want to work with people that truly love what they do. I don't want to work with people that have this imposter, uh, I don't work with imposters. And so for me, The main thing that I drive home every single day to the kids is walk as if you're that guy. And if you're walking as if, at some point it's gonna end up presenting itself to you, whether that be a scholarship, or an opportunity, or starting job, there's no way around it, it has to, right? I just think it's like a law. If I am energetically this thing, it has to present itself to me. So that's my biggest thing, is walk in alignment, walk as if. There's a quote that's like something along the lines of, walk as if and it shall be, or walk as if and I shall be, something like that. And I think it just resonates a lot with me because I'm experiencing I'm experiencing it now as a coach. Like, I'm gonna have a facility soon. I have now people wanting to work with me. I have coaches from all across the country and parents across the country reaching out to me. And it's because of what I've done for 4 years. I've walked as the guy that I'm now becoming. And it's just really cool, right? Because the kids get to see it. They see me as an example. And I think when they are able to see their role model, coach, mentor, whatever they want to call me. I don't— whatever. It's like, man, if Coach can do it, I can do it, right? Like, and I think that's where greatness kind of, uh, ends up affecting others, right? It's like a— yeah, it just spreads.

Well, well, I've enjoyed this so much, Coach. Like, this has been, I think, one of my favorite podcasts up to this point, uh, just what we've talked about, what you've shared. So thank you, thank you so much for giving this your time and attention to the athletes that you're working with and to the athletes who you will never meet but who are listening to this podcast. So I appreciate that.

Yeah, thank you. I appreciate you for having me. I appreciate it.