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Cracking Helmets, Commanding Screens: Isaac Keys Unplugged

Mick Unplugged

Thu Dec 18 2025

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Cracking Helmets, Commanding Screens: Isaac Keys Unplugged"

Podcast: Mick Unplugged
Host: Mick Hunt (with guest host Rudy Rush)
Guest: Isaac Keys (Actor, Former NFL Linebacker, Author)
Date: December 18, 2025

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode of Mick Unplugged features an in-depth conversation with Isaac Keys, charting his unique journey from standout college football player and NFL athlete to actor, mental health advocate, and now author. The discussion explores the evolution of personal purpose—moving past traditional motivation (“why”) to embrace a deeper calling (“because”). Keys shares insights on masculinity, vulnerability, evolving one's circle, and the continuous grind required to stay resilient and impactful, both on and off the field.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Value of Self-Acknowledgment and Vulnerability (03:12 – 05:47)

Mental Health and Self-Celebration:
- All three men reflect on the difficulty, especially for Black men, of accepting praise and being vulnerable.
- Isaac Keys:
  
  “As men we've been taught…to take on so much…It's not about us. It's about providing…But I think there's room for balance. You need to be celebrated…or resentment develops.” (04:36)
Vulnerability as Strength:
- Isaac and the hosts agree that current and future generations must learn that there is strength—not weakness—in being open and emotionally honest.

2. Discovering the ‘Because’ – Motivation On a Deeper Level (05:47 – 08:26)

‘Because’ vs. ‘Why’:
- Host Mick Hunt distinguishes between a “why” (family, job, traditional motivators) and a “because”—the animating reason that fuels persistence and resilience.
- Isaac’s ‘Because’:
  
  “I just had this strong drive of just wanting more for myself…afraid of not living up to my potential…my parents had a higher standard. I couldn’t take mediocre. That’s a mirror effect—it’s me talking to myself too.” (06:26)

3. The Grind Never Stops—It Changes (08:26 – 10:07; 13:19 – 15:20)

Origin and Meaning of His Book Title:
- Isaac’s forthcoming book, The Grind Don’t Stop, It Just Changes, was inspired by life experience and a line from The Wire, adapted to fit his personal philosophy.
- The “grind” manifests in different arenas—sports, corporate life, acting, personal growth—but each new chapter demands adaptation, not stagnation.
- Isaac:
  
  “When you sit back and look at the process, you’re like, wow.” (10:07)
Importance of Adaptability:
- Growth requires more than just “adjusting”—sometimes outright change is necessary when circumstances shift dramatically.

4. Stories of Pivotal Change & Resilience (17:47 – 22:12)

Overcoming Adversity in Sports:
- Isaac narrates formative moments: moving from linebacker to offensive line in high school, walking on in college (despite setbacks and being asked to play different positions).
- Isaac:
  
  “My daddy and my mom didn’t raise no quitter...If you’re going to flip burgers, be the best burger flipper there is.” (18:15)

5. Evolving Circles – Your Environment Shapes Your Trajectory (22:12 – 25:49)

The People Around You Must Change as You Evolve:
- The hosts discuss how personal and professional standards shift over time, requiring your “circle” to grow—or be shed.
- Isaac:
  
  “Sometimes when you’re trying to let go of your past, other people want to hold on because it benefits them...if you have nine friends being bad, you’ll be the tenth.” (23:06)
- Reflects on the real risks of “becoming a product of your environment.”

6. From Athlete to Actor: Identity Reinvention (26:05 – 35:30)

Transitioning to Acting:
- After the NFL, acting was not the obvious next step; Isaac tried multiple paths before serendipitously finding his stride in entertainment, motivated by seeing Black men portrayed powerfully on TV.
- A startling turning point was his role in Jurassic World, observing Chris Pratt and realizing, “I can do that.”
- Isaac:
  
  “Acting became my therapy...It was a place of outlet for me to be able to let go of some of the internal things.” (33:29)
Process, Persistence, and Therapy:
- The acting grind is compared to sports—showing up, doing the work, being persistent, and using adversity for self-discovery.

7. The Book & Its Launch (35:30 – 37:19)

The Book's Purpose:
- A deep dive into Isaac’s vulnerabilities, failures, and hard-earned lessons, aiming to help others in relatable ways.
Community Support:
- The hosts pledge to buy multiple copies for their networks, advocating the book’s impact and Isaac’s message.

Memorable Quotes & Moments

On Vulnerability:

"There's strength in vulnerability." – Isaac Keys (05:47)
On Adapting vs. Just Adjusting:

"Sometimes adjusting isn't enough, right? When you're going up against that big, 320-pound left tackle … Life is adjusting with you." – Mick Hunt (15:01)
On Evolving Circles:

"Your environment—your support group—is key. Because we all need to be supported." – Isaac Keys (25:49)
On Acting as Healing:

"Acting became my therapy...It freed me up. Now I can go in there and cry if I need to or be silly...It helped me find out who I am." – Isaac Keys (33:29)
On Legacy:

"Happy. I think it’s just going to be…yeah. You find happiness along the journey." – Isaac Keys (38:56)

Notable Sections & Timestamps

The Power of Receiving Flowers / Mental Health: 03:12 – 05:47
What is Your ‘Because’: 05:47 – 08:26
Book Inspiration & The Nature of the Grind: 08:26 – 10:07; 13:19 – 15:20
Pivotal High School & College Football Stories: 17:47 – 22:12
Environmental Influence & Changing Circles: 22:12 – 25:49
Reinvention & Acting Career: 26:05 – 35:30
Book Launch Details & Community Buy-in: 35:30 – 37:19
Rapid Fire Questions (light-hearted closing): 37:32 – 39:18
- Notable: Dream role is an action hero or major military/civil rights ensemble, biggest influence is his father, post-filming meal is ribeye with mac & cheese and spinach.

Tone & Style

Warm, real, grounded in storytelling.
Keeps a supportive, brotherly energy with frankness about struggle and growth, and moments of humor and nostalgia.
Mix of deep introspection and actionable advice.

For New Listeners

This episode is a masterclass in resilient leadership, personal reinvention, and the real work behind public success. Isaac Keys’ story offers relatable lessons for anyone seeking to rediscover, redefine, or recommit to their own ‘because.’ The takeaways are practical, honest, and delivered with heart—whether you’re facing a career pivot, questioning your circle, or learning to accept your own flowers.

Summary prepared by an expert podcast summarizer
(All timestamps in MM:SS format. Quotes attributed as in original.)

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Transcript

Mick Hunt (0:00)

If you're like me, you've probably seen the headlineswildfires, floods, melting ice caps and thought, where's the hope? Well, this show brings it back. It's called Planet Visionaries, hosted by Alex Honnold. Yeah, the Alex from Free Solo. But now he's climbing a different mountain, saving the only planet we've got. Every episode reminds us that optimism isn't naive, it's a strategy. You'll hear from explorers and scientists and storytellers who aren't talking about the problem, they're living the solution. I want you to check out the upcoming episode with Mark Ruffalo, actor, conservationist and all around force of good as he and Alex break down how storytelling can spark real change and move communities to action. Because if leadership is about vision, then this is what modern leadership looks courageous. Clarity and a belief that progress is possible. In partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, this is Planet Visionaries. Listen or watch now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you're tuned in right now. Here's something most people never talk about. Half of young people will face psychosexual challenges at some point.

Rudy Rush (1:16)

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Mick Hunt (1:19)

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Rudy Rush (1:43)

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Mick Hunt (1:52)

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Rudy Rush (2:17)

In this episode, I sit down with actor, former athlete, new author Isaac Keys. And you're going to get to know the real Isaac Keys. Like we talk about so much. We talk about his journey, we talk about his because we talk about the depth of why he decided to write this book and to write it. And we're gonna talk about if he could really understand 50 Cent or not the first time he met him. Ladies and gentlemen, I present my friend, Isaac Keith.

Rudy Rush (2:47)

Isaac Keys (6:26)

I love that question. I love the deafness of it. I started off with having, you know, I just had this strong drive of just wanting more for myself. And as I started to kind of put the words together, I knew I was just. I was afraid. Not living up to my potential. My potential, not anybody else's, my potential. Like, I didn't want my life to be a waste. I saw so much coming up, growing up, of people who become a product of their environment or just made excuses for not accomplishing goals or becoming the best person they could possibly be. And I think it probably instilled from my Parents, they had a higher standard for me and for my sister to be better be the best version of ourselves that we possibly could be. And I always carried that with me. And I was always attracted to people who had that same type of ambition or same type of goals that I didn't like to be around. People who were lethargic or wanted. Wanted to be a victim or, you know, decided to blame everything on someone else. I also learned the phrase later on in life is that, you know, blame starts with you. So once you take the blame on yourself, then it makes look outlook on everything else a lot easier. Well, what could I have done different in that situation that I probably could have learned from? Like, ah, okay. It just helps you. You're taking it on in that aspect. And I think it's just my wiseness. I just had to. You know what I mean? And my. Because. Because I just wanted to be. I wanted more for myself and once I had one for myself that, I mean, I could spread it out to others, my loved ones and to other people around and they can see what I went through and what I accomplished and what I didn't accomplish and learn from it. And I think that was important to me. And even to this day, it's like, they still drive fat. You know, we get older a little bit now, you know, we'd be like, you know, I ain't hitting the gym as hard, you know, I don't have that same fire as I did when I played, but I'm still in the gym, you know, and it's like, so, you know, and I always. That's the other part. I just never wanted to just, just settle. I just couldn't take settle and mediocrity. And I don't even like you ask my friends, they get mad at me because I'm like, no, that ain't it, you know, like. Like, you do more, let's do more. And that's. That's also a mirror effect. It's me talking through the mirror. Talking to myself too, man.

Isaac Keys (15:20)

I think my journey is full of changes and I don't think we'd ever stop. And I think if you're not changing, adapting, adjusting, then you're not growing. And if you're not growing, then you're dying. And that's not what we look for. I look forward to. Some people are very scared to change. They're very, you know, timid of like, oh, I don't want to change. Or then people say, well, they said I changed. Well, I mean, depending on your circumstance and your situation, you should change. Well, let's say evolve, you know, okay, you can still have your core of who you are, but as time goes on, your values change, your morals and things like that. Some things may remain the same, but your values change because now you have a kid, now you have to. You live life a little different when you have children or, you know, you lost a loved one, you lost your parent or lost some significant other. You're different now. And it's okay to be different. It's just as long as you start to have understanding of what your, your difference is now. And you know, this is not, I'm not an expert in any of this. This is my life experiences that make it unique to me and it's like it works and it helps to be able to talk it out like we talk it right now. So I welcome change because change brings more experiences. It brings moments and experiences and then experiences create more life. So, you know, I just, I look forward to it. You know, sometimes all changes aren't as good as others, but when you change the mindset, it's like, well, you know, okay. Acceptance is probably one of my biggest things that helped me and hindered me in the time because you had to learn when to use it. Not accepting a lot of things pushed me to walk on in college because I wanted to say football not once but twice. It pushed me to, you know, when I could. They told me I had to sit out a year and I just didn't. I didn't hear the car like I didn't hear them. I just kept going to practice in spring practice at Morehouse NFL not being picked up in the draft like I thought I was going to be. I didn't get picked up to a month later, which I talk about all this in the book and I put it in layers. I could have stopped. I could accept that, but I didn't accept it. And now when I look at acceptance is now in relationships because I was so much intact and so indulged into what I was trying to accomplish as a person that I was emotionally unavailable for relationships outside of that. And I tap into the. How that affected relationships and how one of my dating scenes and all those type of things. You know, I really tap into this book. Like this book is the deep dive in the vulnerability of just my stories in life that I think that we all similarity go through. We just don't always talk about it.

Isaac Keys (18:15)

Right? You know, the. The caveat side is that that started before. Like, I walked on to University of North Alabama as my official freshman year. And I walked on because in high school I was playing out of position. My senior year, I played linebacker all the way up, and I had a passion and a drive to play linebacker. Waiting my turn, waiting for my time to start. Senior year comes along, the coaches say, you know what? We're gonna move your offensive line. I say, what, coach? Move me off the line. You told me if I did this, this and this over the summer and came back with this type of physicality, speed and everything, then linebacker position, mine. I paid my dues. I earned my way up to this point. And now you're moving me to an offensive line. And I had a decision to make. I had a decision to make at that time to whether I'm going to continue playing football either with my friends, the camaraderie, or I'm just going to say, no, I'm not getting my way. I'm just going to quit. Like you say, my daddy and my mom didn't raise no quitter. And my dad. I say this in the book. My dad said, if you're going to flip burgers, be the best burger flip there is. You going to do fries, whatever it may be, do the best you do. So I made a choice at that point, and I'll get to where we go into Morehouse. And I just think it's important to build and again, share it in the book is that I made a choice and I said, I'll be the best center on offensive line. Being undersized, you know, underweight, in a sense, be the best center I possibly could be. And I ended up making all conference that year as a center. And our team was successful. You know, we lost eventually in the playoffs, but we were successful. And that led me to want to go to college. I still want to go to college. I want to play football in college. North Alabama came about because a best friend of mine was going there. I said, I want to walk on. What did they say they wanted to do? I'm saying I'm playing linebacker. Said, no, we're going to have you play tight end.

Isaac Keys (19:56)

I just don't have no say so in the matter. I guess so, you know, and then again, I made a decision and I was not a good tight end at first, but as the year progressed and I committed myself to it, I became a good tight end and they red shirt me that year. But I was going to be in competition for the next year of playing, you know, starting tight end. I just didn't like the school. It didn't feel like college. It was too fold for me. I feel like, you know, my college dad always say college would be the best time of your life should be. And I agree, you know, so I think when I was going to college, I didn't feel that way. Football was starting to come along, but I was still not playing positions I wanted to play and it didn't feel like college to me. And that's how Morehouse started coming visually into the picture. And eventually I ended up going there. And to allude to your story, the part that you were talking about earlier is I had to sit out there. First year I came into Morehouse transferring and they told me how to sit out a year because I couldn't transfer laterally. Division two, Division two, even though they were totally different conferences. Later on in life, I find out that I could have played that year, but that's how God works. I didn't play that year, that season, transferring to Morehouse. Thought I was. So I was a Joe student. Whole chapter in the book about being a Joe student, because that's a different type of life, especially if you've never been one. You play sports all your life now. You just see the students different. So spring came. I went off to spring practice. Spring started weightlifting and drills. And he said, coach came out, new coach, new coach came into the school, said, if you weren't here last year, then go ahead and go home and then come back when training camp starts. I saw guys starting to pack up their stuff, getting their shoes, having their head down, like, okay, last year I just looked, I just looked away and I just. I don't know what came on me, what, where I had the fortitude, the gumption to be able to like, he ain't talking to me, he ain't talking to me. And I just kept going to workouts. Nobody said anything. I don't know if the coaches pay attention and knew nobody said anything. I just kept putting, putting the work in. It's like myself and one, one other guy who became successful in Morehouse too. A safety. Sean Caldwell, still one of my best friends to this day. But I bring it up because he had the same type of mindset. And that's why I think we became so close as well, too, because, again, being around people that can sharpen the iron, you know, that you're around, that you have some of the same ambitions with. And so, yeah, I kept going. And that's how Mohawk's career started.

Isaac Keys (23:06)

It's one thing that. About the change you're speaking of, that gravitate me to the character of Diamond Sampson on Paul Brute Force was that when he came out, he wanted to be a changed person. He didn't want to do the same things he did before. But sometimes when you're trying to let go of your past, the other people want to hold on to it because your past benefits them who you were before benefits them. Because either, one, they're stuck and they want to have misery, loves company, or two, they just know that, hey, they don't want to see you be better than them, in a sense. And those are the people that you can't be around. I remember being high school, I would, you know, during football season, I was with my athletes. We had to be worn the same program. Well, come basketball season, I wasn't playing basketball. I was waiting for baseball season to start. So during basketball season, it was like my off season at the time. And next thing you know, the allure of street activities, I was hanging out with more friends who had more gang affiliation or more street allure. You know, listen, it was putting me into a whole other environment that I was attracted to that I was all into as well. As well. As time goes on, you realize, you know, at a young age you're very immature. In the fact of what your value of life is. And I remember a point my senior year when a friend of mine got murdered. And it could have easily been me, but it set off something in my head that was like. You know, you talk about what pivotal moments have changed like that. It set off something in my head that was like, okay, that could have been me. So there's some changes that I need to make in my life about where I'm at, who I'm with. And I go about it, especially if I want to have a future, because it's made me feel like I was like anybody else. I was no different. You know, I can have a great honor roll, but still be out here doing some stuff in the streets I have no business doing. And, you know, I make sure I tell those stories because I think they're relatable to our young generation, because I tell them all the time, if you have ten friends, I mean, if you have ten friends being bad, you'll be the ninth. Like, you. Like nine friends being bad, you'll be the tenth. You know, it's like your environment, you'll become a product of your environment, even if just by an accessory, because you were just there. You may have not even done it, but we have a lot of people that's in the cemetery or in prison right now just because they were in the same place at the wrong time. And I think it's so important that you. It's about your support group, because we all be supported to talk about what we talked about earlier. Giving each other flowers. You need to see people that value you, that want to see you do well, to say, hey, Ike, you know what, man, you might be a little drunk, but some at this point, we're going to get to the crib, you know what I'm saying? Like, take you home. Because they value who you are and what you look like. The simplest thing is that. But also celebrate. You celebrate, because I'm on this show, because I'm also going to celebrate them. They got a promotion, you know, so I think that the change that, you know, the product of the product, your environment is key. Is very key.

Isaac Keys (30:06)

I still wanted to play the game and I was still willing to do everything that I possibly could to get back on the field to give somebody an opportunity. Cause I said I had so much left in the tank that I was so much reserved because they didn't allow me to play as much as I wanted to and as much as I wanted to or sometimes they said that I should have. And it was frustrating. I was angry and I was like, I still wanted to prove myself in this sport. So acting came about by default because again, being around some people in a good group, being around some other actors, which was like at a panel discussion in Essence Festival, I was around some actors and I just was watching. I saw how they move and I just saw it. And just seeing some black men doing their thing on the TV screen and representing black men, well, I started to kind of have this fixation with, okay, well, let me do acting. People look at me like, oh, you just wanna do acting? You gotta take acting class. At first, I'm okay, fine, you know, I have no problem because I understood that from the game, football and life. So it took a while because I'm telling you, I used to be in acting classes. And finally we go to la. I would drive out there from Phoenix, where my house was, and overnight and try to fit in, sit on, sleep on my friend's couches or cousin couch and, you know, watch out. Do audition or go to acting class. And I would be intimidated in class because it'd be. People in there were really good. They already almost had the lines memorized. We just got them the way. They knew so much more than I did. It was intimidating at first, and I still didn't know at that point the act was gonna be for me, but it was. I just put both feet forward into it, jumped into it. It probably took a role. A couple. It did a couple roles. But when I got the role on Get Shorty, I got that role. But honestly, I'm telling you, Jurassic World, I played the control room security guard, Jurassic World. And I saw and had a scene with Chris Pratt, and I saw how he commanded the room. I saw how he came into presence, and I was like, I can do that. I want to do that. And if you don't, I tell these actors that are, you know, maybe doing extra work or just getting in the game right now, I say, if you don't look at me or look at other actors and say, I can do that, then you're in the wrong business. What you gonna do? You should. There's nothing wrong with saying, I can do that, because there's roles out here for everybody. It's just, how long can you sustain until that role comes for you in your life? So probably Jurassic World, then Get Shorty, because it's longer. We did three seasons with Get Shorty, and I was able to develop the character that they probably didn't think was going to be there the whole time, all three seasons that they felt like, wow, we never say much, but he commands the scenes, and he has a presence. And let's give him more lines. Give him more lines. And that's all you can ask for as an actor, man.

Isaac Keys (33:35)

I thank you and I receive that. And I'd like the fans and also that it is like, again, I would second. That is very competitive. For instance, like, we shot probably for Force's final season. We finished July of last, end of July of 2024. So it's been over a year. It's been almost 18 months since I've worked on that show. I picked up a role here, you know, Will Trent and, you know, some things like that. But, you know, it's like, also, again, the grind on stop. It just changes. Because if that's not working in acting, then what else can I do? I can't just be in that box. So then the books start coming around. It's like, oh, I should write the book and share this story where I can go take a deep dive into all of these instances and questions that people really ask me. Take a deep dive into it also be my therapy because I'm sharing my story and looking into it and realizing, like, wow, that's why I do that, or that's why I act this way, or, you know, whatever it may be. But this game is something. The acting world is something I chose because it became my therapy as well, because it was a place of outlet for me to be able to let go of some of the internal things that I made struggle or challenge with through character. But I also learned how to substitute my emotions to bring this character to life. But also I was able to be able to let go of a lot of things because now it makes. It freed me up. We talked earlier about how we walk around with this image and this, you know, how we had to be this angry or this tough guy. Well, acting created a safe place for me where I could go in here and cry if I need to cry, or I could be as silly as I want to be in this acting world. But it opened me up to feel more free and open to find out who I am as a person and then be confident with it, because that's the big thing. We find out who we are as a person. But are you confident with it? Are you able to understand that's who you are and walk in your. Your life? Acting helped me do that, and I become a better person. And, you know, you talk about. You get these flowers is. It's much appreciated. But again, it's like the process has kind of allowed me to be that, to be as we talked about earlier again, is that to be the best person I possibly be?