Podcast Summary: Keep it Positive, Sweetie

Episode Title: Embracing the Pivot with Chester Tre' Rogers
Host: Crystal Renee Hayslett
Guest: Chester "Tre’" Rogers
Release Date: April 2, 2024

Overview

In this candid and heartfelt episode, host Crystal Renee Hayslett sits down with actor, NFL player, entrepreneur, and investor Chester "Tre’" Rogers. Their conversation delves into Chester's remarkable life journey of reinvention—from childhood acting in Hollywood to walking on to an HBCU football team and eventually making it to the NFL and back into acting. The episode explores themes of transitions, faith, family sacrifice, perseverance, underdog resilience, self-worth, overcoming rejection, and the importance of staying positive and focused through life’s pivots.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Navigating Life’s Hallways—Transitions and Pivots

• Crystal opens the episode reflecting on transitions:

  “When one door closes, another one opens, but rarely about the hallway. The transition, the in between where you are and where you're headed... It can be a space of massive transformation, great memories, and peace. And that's where I feel like you are right now.” [00:38]

• Tre’ agrees, noting his life has been marked by continuous pivots and embracing uncertainty.

2. Early Years: Child Actor to Life in LA

• Tre’ shares his unlikely start as a child actor after seeing an open call audition on local TV at age ten and landing a role in Constellation as young Billy Dee Williams.
• The move to Los Angeles meant splitting up his tight-knit family for his career. He reflects on the sacrifices, especially by his mother:

  “She sacrificed her life for me.” [03:47]

• Tre’ describes the culture shock of moving from Alabama to LA and becoming part of the Oakwood Apartments community for child actors.

Notable Missed Opportunities and Lessons

• Tre’ nearly landed the lead in Everybody Hates Chris and a major part on House of Payne, but both times was recast at the final hour:

  “That was a tough blow... I got used to no’s in this industry.” [06:04]

• These early setbacks affected him but also gave him perspective:

  “Whatever God got for me, he got for me. And I don't know how I had that mindset at that age, but I did.” [06:54]

3. Coming Home: Reclaiming Lost Childhood

• After several years in Hollywood, Tre’ asked to return to Huntsville and simply “be a kid”—playing sports, hanging out with friends:

  “I just wanted to be a kid. Be a kid.” [08:19]

• Tre’ and Crystal discuss the challenges of child actors missing out on normal development and how that’s shaped his view on parenting and protecting his own son from the industry’s pitfalls.

4. From Sports Setbacks to NFL—The Underdog Grit

• Tre’ started playing football seriously in high school, not as a child, and overcame multiple setbacks, including a traumatic facial injury in his senior year that derailed his recruitment chances:

  “I ran face to face with another player and I shattered... everything.” [11:28]

• Forced to walk on at Grambling State University, he worked relentlessly for his spot and eventually attracted NFL attention, though he went undrafted.

The Support System

• Tre’ emphasizes how his family’s belief in him kept him going:

  “At times, honestly, they believed in me more than I believed in myself.” [14:42]

5. NFL Highs and Unimaginable Family Lows

• Tre’ reaches the NFL via the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent. But as his professional dream begins, his family is hit by a series of traumas:
  • Their house is robbed.
  • His father is nearly robbed at gunpoint.
  • His father is incarcerated, all within five weeks during Tre's rookie season. [17:24]
• The emotional toll included depression and survivor's guilt:

  “I felt like I brought this attention to the family... so I was just walking around depressed for the longest because I lost my father figure... I needed him and he was gone for three years.” [18:22]

Insights on Mental Health

• Crystal and Tre’ discuss how depression is still stigmatized, especially for Black men and athletes, and the importance of seeking help and allowing oneself to not be okay:

  “It’s okay not to be okay. Like, we’re human.” [20:51]

6. Pivot to Acting (Again): BMF and Divine Opportunity

• Tre’ shares the serendipitous story of how he landed his role as Sterling Black on BMF:
  • Met the show’s producer Ian Wolf by chance at a breakfast spot in Atlanta during NFL off-season.
  • Shot his shot for an audition and got a callback within an hour.

  “Legit, two weeks later, I’m in Houston with my son... audition due in 48 hours... I got hit back in probably like an hour.” [23:56, 24:16]

• Tre’ talks about the challenges and pressure portraying a real-life (and nearly anonymous) character, researching through court documents and—eventually—connecting with people who knew Sterling.

7. Balancing Faith, Family, and Career

• Both reflect on balancing their roles as actors with faith and real-life identity, especially when their characters’ actions conflict with personal values:

  “After I’m done with it and my grandparents have to go watch it... I’m like, oh please, Grandmama, it’s not me for real.” [28:47]

8. Overcoming the Spirit of Rejection and Impostor Syndrome

• Tre’ opens up about battling lifelong rejection and doubt, its impact on relationships and self-worth:

  “I definitely have a lot of insecurities... never knowing if I'm good enough... I just have to fight that all the time. Even in relationships, just wondering if you're good enough for somebody... you are the catch. You are him.” [34:28]

• They also address coping with rejection in the high-stakes worlds of acting and athletics:

  “You can play yourself out of position... when you're too humble... you gotta be a little full of yourself in certain situations.” [35:39–36:01]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the hallway of transition:
  Crystal: "The hallway doesn't have to be a scary, dark, endless confusion. It can be a space of massive transformation, great memories, and peace." [00:38]

• On family sacrifice:
  Tre': “She sacrificed her life for me.” [03:47]

• On missed roles and overcoming ‘no’s:’
  Tre': “You get a lot of no’s in this industry... after I lost that last one, I told my mom that I was ready to go back to Huntsville and be a kid again.” [06:06–07:23]

• On survivor’s guilt and loss:
  Tre': “I walked around depressed for like the longest because I lost my father figure...I needed him and he was gone for three years, so it was tough.” [18:22]

• On rejection leading to insecurity:
  Tre': “I have to period. Like, you know, you gotta tell yourself, like, you are the catch. You are him. You good enough. Stop doubting yourself.” [34:28]

• On balancing success and faith:
  Crystal: “Making sure that as I’m trying to progress, that I keep God’s presence in my life and that I seek that first.” [44:48]

• Advice for listeners facing adversity:
  Tre': "God's not gonna take you out of a storm that he can develop you in... Not, oh, why me? But, okay, why am I here? What can I learn from it?" [42:08 & 42:30]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:38] Crystal on "the hallway" of transition
• [01:52-03:12] Tre’ describes booking ‘Constellation’ and moving to LA
• [06:04, 06:41-07:23] Early rejections: Everybody Hates Chris and House of Payne
• [10:00–10:16] On maturity and being a child actor, missing out on childhood
• [11:28–12:19] High school football setback—traumatic injury before senior year
• [14:19–14:50] Family support, belief in self
• [16:23–18:45] Rookie NFL year: House robbery, father’s incarceration, depression
• [20:51] It’s okay not to be okay and importance of therapy
• [23:56–24:16] Auditioning for BMF after chance encounter with the producer
• [28:47–29:21] Navigating character choices conflicting with faith/family
• [34:28–36:01] Discussing rejection, insecurity, need for confidence
• [42:08–43:30] Listener letter: Surviving setbacks, faith, and keeping going
• [44:48–45:51] Both hosts share what they’re growing through now
• [45:51–46:18] The “Keep it ___, Sweetie” segment: Keep it persistent; keep it focused

Closing Wisdom (“Keep it ___, Sweetie” Segment)

• Crystal: “Keep it persistent, sweetie.”
• Tre’: “Keep it focused, sweetie.” [45:51–45:52]

Episode Takeaways

• Embrace transitions as opportunities for growth—don’t fear the “hallway.”
• No’s are inevitable; persistence, faith, and strong support systems keep you resilient.
• Your path will have setbacks and unexpected detours; trust divine timing.
• Stay self-aware, address mental health early, and let go of shame in seeking help.
• Never forget your worth—remind yourself, ‘You are the catch.’
• Be persistent and focused on your journey, and don’t compare your chapter with others’.

For Listeners

If you'd like advice or to share your story, write in to keepitpositive.sweetie@gmail.com.
Follow Crystal at @lovechristorenee and Tre' at @Tripp (with three p’s) on Instagram.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone navigating life's pivots, chasing dreams amidst adversity, or needing a reminder to “keep it positive, sweetie.”