← Miracle Mentality with Tim Storey (Motivation, Self Help, and Mental Health)
Miracle Mentality with Tim Storey (Motivation, Self Help, and Mental Health)
Sam Acho: How to Lead With Faith, Purpose, and Confidence | Leadership | E47
00:40:21
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- [00:00]
A
Welcome to the Miracle Mentality podcast. Thank you guys for doing those things people do, like subscribe, telling people, and you guys comment all the time. Thank you for keeping me in the top 10 in our category on all the lists. Says a lot. Says a lot about the guests and about you guys for telling people about it. Today I'm going to have a lot of fun because I like sports, I like purpose driven life, I like the subject of faith, and I like a person that keeps a high standard. So Sam Acho is that type of person. Former NFL linebacker, ESPN analyst, author, speaker, and probably does some modeling on the side. Sam, good to see you.
- [00:53]
B
Good to see you too, Tim. I have been in a couple, you know, Uniqlo did a photo shoot with a Lululemon. I don't, you know, so I've been in a couple things here and there.
- [01:02]
A
See, I told you. All right, so the great thing is, you know, I love sports. So for you to play, I believe, at the University of Texas, is that correct?
- [01:15]
B
Correct.
- [01:16]
A
Not easy for that to happen. So how, how well did you do senior year of high school and what city were you in and what position did you play in high school?
- [01:29]
B
Phenomenal question. So I gotta start a little bit before that. So my parents were both born and raised in Nigeria, Tim, and so when they heard the term football, they were thinking soccer. Now mind you, I was born here in Dallas, Texas. I grew up in Dallas and you know, we started off playing soccer and basketball and you know, handball, some of these different sports. And then I saw my younger brother start to play football and I said, man, I want to play too. So I played in about fifth, sixth grade and kind of kept on playing. And then really, it wasn't until right before my senior year where I went to a football camp at usc and back then, University of Southern California, Pete Carroll and Reggie Bush and Matt Leinert, they had won back to back national championships and they had just lost their third going to be a third straight to University of Texas. And long story short, they were the cream of the crop. Will I show up to this football camp? And it was an invite only camp and I didn't realize that we weren't invited, but we still went there. And essentially that's kind of where I got discovered going into my senior year. And so they started offering at a bunch of different schools. And so the school that I was at in Dallas, Texas was a small private school called the St. Mark School of Texas. Had about 80 something people in my graduating class. So not a football school. By any means. But there were definitely a lot of eyeballs on me, especially that senior year after all the offers started to come about.
- [02:43]
A
No, Sam, that's amazing because you obviously had the height, right? You had the height and the size. So were you a defensive end to start with or linebacker in high school? What position?
- [02:56]
B
So I was a defensive end and a tight end in high school. And I was a big kid in high school. I was about 6, 2 in high school, about 2:45 in high school. So I was a bigger kid. And I was playing, you know, I started off playing offensive line in sixth grade and that I was one of the bigger kids in seventh grade. Went to defensive tackle and then, you know, freshman year was defensive end and tight end and, and kind of finished my career in high school. Defensive end and tight end.
- [03:19]
A
And then you start as a starter at UT in what, what, what year? I have no idea.
- [03:26]
B
Yeah, no, for sure. So I went to. So I ended up committing to the University of Texas and they had just won a national championship about the year before I, I decided to commit to, really two years prior. And I came in as a freshman, a three star recruit. Wasn't this big recruit guy. But I ended up, and my coaches said I was going to redshirt, so I didn't think I was going to play a lot my freshman year. I ended up playing as a freshman and playing a little bit more as a sophomore, but didn't really start until my junior year. We had a bunch of guys go to the NFL and my coach brought me into this room and said, hey, Sam, this is your turn, this is your time. And so junior year is when I first started to start.
- [04:01]
A
Okay, all right. And then, I mean, Sam, it's amazing to, to make in the NFL. You don't know this about me, but I've been a therapist life coach forever and I work with some of the best NFL players we got going now and ones we've had in the past. I've been doing that for over 30 years. So for you to get in the NFL, were you intimidated or were you motivated your rookie season when you first went into the NFL?
- [04:31]
B
I was definitely motivated. I think the intimidation piece was in college. Cause in college I went from a school of, you know, we had, you know, 50 people in the stands pretty much to, you know, 50,000 undergrad, 50,000 students. And so high school to college is a big transition NFL. There's more of a motivation just because. And I'm sure you heard some of the stories, but my story was Similar. I thought I was gonna get drafted a lot higher than I did. And so really got to a point where I was waiting and waiting and waiting on that draft day. You know, Thursday's the first day, and nobody called Fridays. Rounds two, rounds three, nothing. So finally, I was just praying, God, just give me a chance, like, if I just get an opportunity. And so when I got that chance, it was really more of a motivation to try and show. Not even show that I belonged, but just honor God with the opportunity that he gave me.
- [05:20]
A
Let's go to your background a little bit, because in 2023, you wrote a book called Change Starts with you. And so you understand about change. In 2020, you wrote a book, Let the World See you. The Nigerian culture. I know to a degree. I've been to Nigeria five different times. Love so much about the country, the people. A lot of Nigerians I know are very disciplined. What was it like being raised in your family? What were your parents like as they were raising young Sam?
- [06:01]
B
Yeah, they were the same that you probably hear from the other Nigerian friends and family that you have. I mean, discipline was huge. But more than that. And I've talked to my dad about this and even my mom a little bit, but the foundation was faith. Like, the foundation is. Is Christ. Like, that's the foundation. But in addition to that, we always talk about. At least he always talked about education being the way that many of the Nigerian people were able to go and expand beyond their borders. Right. That's one thing he says, man. Education. Nobody can take that away from you. And so education was extremely important in our household. Yeah, we were big and played a lot of sports, but if the grades weren't right, then. I remember going into my senior year, in my senior year, I believe it was. I was getting offered by all these schools, and. And I got maybe a B minus, probably a C plus, C plus on a class, on a grade. And my dad was like, if I see another C on this, I'm taking you out of football.
- [06:58]
A
No. Just amazing.
- [07:00]
B
And I'm like, no, no, dad, I'm getting offered. I'm like, dude, I'm getting offered by all this. He's like, I don't care. And maybe that's just the standard for him. And also, he knew, like, I love learning academics. So my point is, we did not mess around with our faith in the Lord. Didn't mess around with academics and also discipline. Like, we weren't doing all the. All the stuff all the friends are doing. It was like, no, man. Like, we Are, you know, we were just. He was very. It was very. Growing up young, Sam was very. Had to be disciplined. I try to reach that. That, you know. Yeah, that mindset. But yeah, definitely. Discipline for sure.
- [07:34]
A
No, but I want to give this shout out to your background and your culture because I think that a lot of people only know so much about Nigeria. And the fact that so many of my friends from your culture, their families taught a lot of discipline, education and the fact of your connection to Jesus Christ, which I'm really, really excited about, the fact that you keep that front and center, even in your messaging. But as you know, because we're doing things in the quote unquote, secular world so much is that you don't always have to, like, give a Bible and a verse. It's just showing up and being that light that God has called you to be. So, Sam, when did you start to realize you wanted to get involved in communication as far as being on television after or during football? When did you decide that?
- [08:30]
B
I think it was decided for me, if that makes any sense. So my dad is a pastor, pastors a church in Dallas, and he also is a doctor in mental health and, you know, missionary, all this stuff. But so we would do stuff, you know, with the missionary work in Nigeria and we'd be doing events and, you know, fundraisers or, you know, we'd have like a charity event. And I remember like 12, 13 years old. Hey, son, come up here and talk to this audience. And I'm like, wait, what? You know, and I'll be over there. Hey, guys, this is what we do in Nigeria. And you know, 15 years old. Hey, son. So I was very much. I think I got used to. I think I got used to being in front of on stages. But then also, for whatever reason, anytime I got a chance to do something on camera, it felt like I would just light up. When that camera came on, apparently some people get really, you know, nervous or uncomfortable. For me, it was just like, we'll just lock in. And so that was always in me. And then senior year in college, getting ready to go to the NFL, I spoke at an event and this broadcast agent said, hey, you should get into tv. And I was like, yeah, we'll be in touch about that. But I do remember every interview that I ever did, you know, in the locker room after games. I just really tried to refine my skills and try to take it seriously and try to really be thoughtful with my answers and not just say what was the first thing that came to my mind, per Se. So it was really that. And then lastly, it took a major injury. My third year in the NFL after starting with the Arizona Cardinals, I had a season ending ankle injury. I broke my leg. People say break a leg. I actually did. I broke a leg. And most people disappear when they get injured. I had a friend of mine who's like, what happens when NFL players get injured? He's like, honest. I told him, honestly, the ships that sail, most guys disappear. He said, well, that probably is not wise to do. He said, how about you suffer with the city? And I said, what do you mean by that? He said, man, you're not the only one going through suffering. People in this town are going through suffering as well. Go and spend time with them. And he also said, hey, you always said you wanted to be on tv. You like being on camera? How about you call up a local station and see if they want to bring a camera in? So they did. They said yes. So Channel 12 news in Arizona started following me around. We did this segment called Sam in the City, where we'd go to, yeah, hospitals and homeless shelters, but also we'd go to some other interesting places in the city because most pro athletes, as you know, don't get a chance to explore the city that they live in. And so that series of events really led to an opportunity to get more comfortable on camera.
- [10:51]
A
I like this Sam in the City. So because you're a Bible Guy, Ephesians 4. One, as you know, because your dad's pastoring says, walk worthy of the calling you received. So to walk worthy of the calling means to step up to the standard. So interesting thing for you, as I studied you, it's like your calling and career is flowing together. Because a lot of times I see somebody, they have a calling. It's over here. Career is over here. Talk to me about your calling that you feel like God has called you to do now. Because not only you on the air all the time, but you're also teaching people, tutoring people how to live their best life.
- [11:39]
B
Bible guy, right? So like Ecclesiastes talks a lot about finding work that you love. Yeah, like doing work that you love. Like, there's nothing better than, yes, you're gonna work and you're gonna toil, you're gonna fight. But if it's something that you enjoy and that you love, man, that's good. And so, yes, playing football, I enjoyed it. It was fun playing sports. Enjoyed it. Even being on tv, I love being on tv. I'm actually right after this. As soon as we end, I'll be taking these headphones out, turning my camera on and doing a show for ESPN like minutes. So I love being on tv. I love speaking, I love it, love, love writing. But one of the things, as far as that calling piece I've talked about, I've thought about this. Maybe not publicly, but ESPN for me is a platform. I would not say that it is my purpose. It's a platform for me to do my purpose. I think my purpose is helping to mentor and be a guide and a Sherpa for athletes to help them learn how to win without losing it all. How to win. When it comes to faith and family and football or whatever sports they play, and also financially, I want them to not fall into the same traps that I fell into or that I've seen people fall into. And so I love the platform that being on TV gives me. But it's not my purpose. Right. It's a part of what I do. But there's so much more. Gives me a chance to walk in purpose.
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A
Talk to me about the favor of God. Because there's so many people that would like to be on espn. But you obviously you've trained biblically, as you know, do you see a person skilled at their work, they will be ushered into the great, they will not be obscure. So you work the skill, but you also are walking in God's favor. There you are on ESPN doing what you're doing. I like how you're saying it. It's a, it's, it's a place where people can see you. But now you have this God idea where you want to go change people. What is the demographic that you're after? What is the message that you want to share with that demographic?
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B
So I'm after athletes, really young men. When you talk about athletes between, call it 19 years old, even that college, you can go down to 17 if you want to because we're seeing it in high school all the way to your 30s. And it's like man, you're thinking about an athlete who has gained the world, but they still want to keep their soul.
- [14:06]
A
Yes.
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B
So that's my message. How do you gain the world and still keep your soul? The Bible talks about man. What does it profit a man to gain the world and lose his soul? Well, these athletes, even from a collegiate level, with name, image and likeness, even at a high school level, five star recruit and going to all these visits at a professional level, a lot of these athletes are gaining the world, signing hundred million dollar contracts, $200 million contract contracts, access to everything. How do you gain the world and still keep your soul? Sometimes success can bring darkness.
- [14:35]
A
Yes.
- [14:36]
B
So how do you be a light? And so my message is, is if you want to leave a legacy, if you want to be a. A lot of people talk about being a father, right? Leaving a legacy that is doable. And I'd rather have you leave a legacy than necessarily being quote, unquote, like, oh, I'm a former player. No, you're not a former. You're a legend. Right. You're a leader. Right. A failure. No, you're not a failure because your career got injured. No, you're a good father.
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A
Yes.
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B
So that's the messaging to these young men, right? I said you can go to 17, 18 year old man going into college, in college and even professionally. How do you gain the world and still keep your soul?
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A
Love what you're saying. So we're staying on the spiritual tip. And this whole idea of the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life is so much a part of the entertainment business, but it's also so much a part of sports. And let's say back in the day when athletes for college were not legally getting paid, it's so changed. How have you seen the change? Because you're on the inside and the outside. You've been there, done that. How does the change feel to you now that college athletes can be paid?
- [15:58]
B
It just seems as if everything has been expedited. Think about it. You go to the post office, write a letter, write. It might take, I don't know, five days, depending on how far you're sending that letter to five, six days, maybe a week. Right? You might send a book, right. Media mail might take 10 to 14 days. But there's also this thing where you could actually overnight it. You could send something like same day, it'll be there tomorrow morning, Amazon shoot. There it is right there. Right? Pay a little fee, you'll get it in the same day. So it's almost as if the, the, our lives have been expedited. Yes, you're gonna have that success, but now it's coming sooner. You're gonna have that fame, but now it's coming more immediate, man. You're gonna have financial money, you're gonna have money, but now you're getting it at 17, 18, 19. In large portions.
- [16:45]
A
Yes.
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B
So I don't think that the young men and young women, these athletes, I don't think they've changed, but it's just such a brighter light. Things have Come to them quicker. And now you're 17 years old trying to navigate a hundred thousand dollars or better yet, you're 19 trying to navigate a couple million or now you're 20 something navigating 100 million.
- [17:08]
A
Yes.
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B
And then all the lights and social media and so those are the things where you do need a guide and a Sherpa and someone who has been through there. Maybe not the exact same numbers, but also the, you know, maybe it may not have been overnight, but it might have been two to three day shipping. Right? It might have, it might have been. You know what I mean? So that's, that's what I'm seeing as I'm in the space that's so good
- [17:28]
A
because I think that. And I, I've had many guys that I've coached as a life coach that had played for someone like a Nick Saban. And back in the day it was almost like you were a little bit intimidated by Nick Saban. And now I see some of these guys who play for somebody at a coach, like a coach at that level, but they're not as intimidated. It's just an interesting thing because they see it as a business and there is something about respecting authority. Talk to me a little bit about that then I want to get into your last book that you wrote about respecting authority.
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B
Yeah, no, I love that. The point. I love the point you're making. The question you're asking, Tim, because you're talking about rules, right? You're talking about rules, man. There's. There's discipline. And discipline is good, right? Discipline equals. Can equal freedom. But my dad would always say, and I'm sure other people say this as well, my dad would always say that rules without relationship equals to rebellion. Rules without relationship equals rebellion.
- [18:31]
A
That's very good.
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B
And so you could have as many rules as you want. And hey, the disciplinarian. And I'm Nick Saban and I have. Look at all the five stars I've produced and look at all the national championship. But if you don't have the relationship, especially now, Tim, in the digital age that we're living in, where there's access to people digitally and virtually and you feel like you know everybody and they've got your phone number and your text message and Snapchat and Instagram and. But there's no relationship. We are still humans created for relationship. We serve a triune God, right? A God of community. Right. So we need relationship. And so I think one thing that some coaches are missing is the need for relationship. Yes, it is A business. And that's become abundantly clear, especially in this world of collegiate athletics. But there's still the human side, right? That human centered piece that even if you have the pedigree, a lot of players may not respect it nor may they get it because they didn't know. Right. A lot of these kids think about if you're, if you're, if a 16 year old kid right now could have been born in 2000 or 2010. Excuse me, 2010?
- [19:37]
A
Yeah.
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B
So they don't, they don't. Nick Saban's first national championship was what, 2010 or I guess the 09 season as a head coach at Alabama. I know. Cause I was on the other side at Texas and they beat us, right? He, they, they don't know. A 16 year old may not know Nick Saban and his history and all the things. So the relationship piece matters a lot.
- [19:57]
A
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- [21:24]
B
So the truth is we're all looking left and right for things to change in our lives, in our families, in our careers, in our faith. And we love to either blame others or look to someone else. And the fact of the matter is, the change that you want to see or that you hope for, it's not about anybody else anywhere else. It's about you. Yeah, What I mean by that is, man, I want to grow in my faith. Okay, well, the things that you've been doing, how about you put those things down and pick up the Bible and not just like, oh, I'm just, you know, I prayed for before my meal. No, like actually go see God. Right. Bible says in James 4, 8, you draw near to me, I'll draw near to you. That's what God says. Right? Man, I want to grow in my faith, man. I want to. I want to be a better father. Right. A more faithful husband. Okay, well, there's certain decisions and places that you're putting yourself in that probably aren't best for you. Or, hey, I know you got work and I know there's stuff. But man, take those 5, 10, 15 minutes with your kids. Right? And oh, by the way, man, I want to make change in the community and change in the world. Okay, how about you go and do the thing that God maybe put on your heart and you actually go and do it.
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A
Very good.
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B
Right. You are the answer to somebody else's prayers.
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A
Yes.
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B
And so the change that you hope for and you want to see, it's not out there. It's in here. It starts with you.
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A
I have a question for you. How do you stay steady in unsteady times? So, you know, there's people like, within the family, things can be going well. And then unsteady times hit. Okay. Within a career, you're steady. And then unsteady times hit. How does one stay steady in unsteady times?
- [23:05]
B
Well, I got two answers. First, I'll answer my experience. And I know everyone's not me. The Bible says a man who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord. And one of my experiences, it's the unsteady time. Like, my wife was a big help. I remember getting released by the Bears. First time I'd ever been cut in my entire life from anything. Wow.
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A
Yeah.
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B
And it was my eighth year in the NFL. I just signed a two year contract and I'd gotten injured, tore my pec, was out for the season. So one year into a two year contract, get a call in the off season from the head coach, the general manager, hey, Sam, we're releasing you. And I mean, I was blown away. And I hung up the phone and my wife, she looked at me, of course, right. And she looked at me. And I didn't know what to do in that moment, but she looked at me and she said, no shaking. We're not shaking. Like on Christ's solid rock, we stand. So that was a benefit for me in that time, having someone around me who knew God, who knows God, who I could be open with and honest with and let into some of my struggle, let into some of my pain, some of my. I mean, chaos. That's powerful and they could handle it. Powerful, yeah, because that's the thing. We don't want to let people in. We wanna try to handle it on our own. The Bible says a man who isolates himself rages against all sound judgment. No, don't isolate yourself. Right. So anyway, so that was a piece of it. But I understand not everyone can go to their wife as that rock or source, right? Some people that their significant other may be the cause of some of their chaos. And so how do you keep yourself steady in times that aren't steady? Know that you're not alone. Meaning it's been some other people who have gone through some stuff, right? Think about Joshua and the battle of Jericho. God had to tell him multiple times, hey, man, be strong, courageous. Be strong, courageous. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous? Think about Abraham. I mean, you go to, like, just go biblically, right? And then go to people's stories who are like, don't even go biblically. Just go. Even to people who have actually gone through life. I understand on social media it might look all pretty and put together, but get some people who've gone through some life before, and then you talk to those people. One of my closest friends lost his wife to cancer three years ago. Married for almost 30 years, has four grown kids, right? They love the Lord. He loves the Lord. Like, talk to a guy like that who's gone through some stuff, and all of a sudden you start realizing that, oh, you thought you were alone. You're definitely not alone. And so even if it's not your significant other, find somebody who you can let into your mess and watch what happens. My first book, Let the World See you, That's what it's about, man. I let one of my buddy Lucas into my mess like it was a dude. I feel like I'm a wreck right now. I used to kind of hide and put this smile on. Everything is good. And I finally shared with him, and he was like. He actually told me, he said, man, it's actually good to see you. The real you. And all of a sudden, that began this journey. So that's how you stay steady. And times of uncertainty, finding people you can trust.
- [26:08]
A
Sam, what you did with that is powerful about this. Let people into your mess. Because we're taught almost as a culture that when things get messy, almost isolate yourself. And you're talking about how isolation is not good, and you're talking up the power of partnership. And I love also how you're shouting out your wife. Because I think we're also living in a day of everybody being so excited about, like, I'm my own man. I'm my own man. But in this case, you're like, saying, man, I needed my wife to say something solid to me. Tell me a little bit more about that type of connection you have with her.
- [26:50]
B
You've heard the saying, behind every good man is a strong woman or every strong man is a stronger woman. And, I mean, I think there's some truth to that. And it's not always, like, hear me, it's not always perfect, nor is it always easy.
- [27:05]
A
Yeah.
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B
Nor will it always be linear. Like, life is hard. My dad is a marriage counselor by trade. Like, life is hard.
- [27:17]
A
Yeah.
- [27:18]
B
But if you want to make that change, okay. God, where do I. How do I fit in this? Where do I need to speak up more? Where do I need to defer? Where do I need to get on my knees and pray? Right? So for me, like, that's been a huge. My wife has been. I mean, you look at. We do. We pray together, all those things. But, like, some stuff. She'll pray. She'll pray for me. Like, she's like, man, I want my husband's ex wife. She'll pray for me. And there's power there. So as a leader, yes, you got to lead, but if no one's following you, are you really leading?
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A
Yeah. Sam, let's talk a little bit about an assignment. So, you know, biblically, it says, for God knows the end from the beginning, and he knows what is yet to come. That idea of yet to come means yet to unfold. I was watching LeBron James on an interview on ESPN this morning. I give him credit for the answer that he gave in this interview. They said, is this your last All Star Game? He says, man, I'm just living life. And really, that's how it should be. We should just be living life fully present, fully feeling fully alive, realizing that God has a plan for us. That's unfolding. Talk to us about how you have confidence in God's assignment for you now and how confidence on how it's unfolding.
- [28:47]
B
You know, I think about, like, a map, like a roadmap. Some people got Waze, whatever you use.
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A
Yeah.
- [28:55]
B
You will know where you want to go, but you have no idea what that journey looks like until you go through it.
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A
So good.
- [29:06]
B
So I know, okay, turn left here and turn right here and for three miles or four miles. But, like, the things that you see on your journey and you learn on your journey, you cannot get from just looking at the map, right? The map is there. The map exists. It's going to get you point A to point B. And there might be some bumps along the journey, some bruises along the journey. Might be a. You might stop for gas, stop for food. Might be a flat tire. Right. Road trip, but you're still going somewhere. Yeah, but if you just completely stop on that journey because the tire went flat or because you ran out of gas or because no, man fix the tire. Go get some gas. Right. All kids are hungry. Go eat. Right. We were traveling a couple years ago, and one of my youngest. I'm getting graphic. Not too graphic, but, like, threw up in the car. Yeah, right. And we had to change. You know, you got little kids, right. We didn't stop just because that happened. There was somewhere we needed to go because we were going for a purpose. I don't want to stop what God's doing just because there's a. An impediment. Right. Think about hurdling, right? The Olympics are on, right? I want to be able to, like, jump over that hurdle. You got to be trained, all those things. And so for me, the journey. I don't want to go to heaven. I heard somebody say this. I don't remember who it was. I don't want to go to heaven. You know, of course you want to hear, well done, my good and faithful servant, but I don't want to go there. And then God be like, man, like, awesome job, but, man, you were supposed to have been a. Wow, the best sports agent in the world. You were supposed to have, man, that thing that I put in your heart that I planted, that you were afraid I wanted you there. My dad preached on this the other day about Lot and his wife. And then, you know, God was gonna, you know, fire and brimstone outside of Gomorrah. And he said, lot, get out, get out. And Lot was. And then the angel said, hey, go to the mountains. Go to the mountains. And Lot's like, man, the mountains is far and it's a lot. I'm not gonna make it there. Can I just go to this other city that's close by? And like, the angel of the Lord kind of showed him mercy, said, okay, fine, I won't destroy that other close by city. Just get there. But what did God have for Lot in the mountain?
- [31:06]
A
Wow.
- [31:07]
B
Like, what did God have for. What did God have for Lot's wife? Remember, she looked back, turned to a pillar of salt. What did God have for Lot?
- [31:14]
A
Oh, yeah.
- [31:14]
B
In that mountain. And what I don't want to do is because I'm like, oh, no, God is too far. Or it's a mountain and it's scary. Nobody's been there. Like, I'm looking back. No, I want to get to heaven. And it'd be like, yes, you did the thing I was called the map that you couldn't see. The map you couldn't see. You actually went, yes. So well done,
- [31:39]
A
Sam. You sounded like a preacher today. All right, so we're almost done because you got to do your job here on ESPN in just a few minutes. Best way for people to get a hold of you then. I have a question for you. Are you speaking in churches and secular places, too? If a great church wants you or secular speaking, are you open to that?
- [32:08]
B
Yeah. So first, the first question. I love what you asked about. Best way to people to get in touch with me. The easiest way is to go to Sammacho.com, right? That's the easy way to get in touch. Or even on social media. T H E the and then Samacho S A M A C H O That's the best way to get in touch with me. A lot of the stuff that I talk about that I care about, it's there, right? Can't be everywhere, but a lot of it, it's there, right? Podcasts, et cetera, right? It's there. And as far as speaking, like, I love, love, love to speak. And I feel like God gave me a gift to speak and to encourage. And a lot of that has happened in churches. A lot of that has happened in secular spaces. And that's one of the things. And that's something I do a lot with athletes as well, right. I like to, like, speak into their lives because I've been there. And so some, some are informal, right? One on one with athletes, but oftentimes it is formal churches or events, different companies have brought me in to speak. And so I. Do you love using that gift as well?
- [33:02]
A
No, you're fantastic as a communicator. So to so many people that are having these great conferences that follow me, contact Sam. I mean, he's phenomenal in what he's doing. I think even if he just taught on the subject of change starts with you, that's powerful in itself. All right, so last thing I want to see, if you would do just for 60 seconds, 90 seconds, encourage people any way you would like, and then you could go do your other job at espn.
- [33:36]
B
Well, before I do that, Tim, I want to ask you Right. You've been prepping all this stuff on me.
- [33:41]
A
Yeah.
- [33:42]
B
Who is your audience you talked about? Who is my target? Who is your audience? So I can know even more specifically, specifically how to encourage the people who are listening, tuning in. I know some of the numbers, but yeah.
- [33:53]
A
So I think my audience just very quickly. I started off in ministry, and back in the day, it was me, a guy named T.D. jakes, and a guy named Miles Monroe, and we were just running the circuit. And I've been to 93 countries of the world speaking, biggest crowd, 85,000 people. And I was getting a thousand invitations a year to speak. And probably 25 years ago, John Maxwell started speaking to me, saying, tim, you got it for the church, but man, the secular world loves you. Be a Bill Bridger. And that's what happened for me. Oprah Winfrey started opening doors for me 17 years ago, being on her show many, many times. And so I think that I have a Christian audience, but also a lot of seekers that are spiritual, but they're looking for their pathway. And God has opened up that big door for me to help people to find God.
- [34:54]
B
That's so good. That's so good. Yeah. Some of those names that you mentioned, I know some of them I've heard of. And it's so cool to see the favor that God has put on your life over these last decades.
- [35:05]
A
Thank you for that. Thank you for the legacy.
- [35:09]
B
So what I would say to those listening is, don't be afraid. There's a pull on your heart, a tug, like a longing that you know. And that of course it's trying to get suppressed or distracted, and you go to different things to distract yourself from that pull. But there is a pull. There is a tug, there is a hope. There is more that you know is there. And what's keeping you at times is fear of going to the mountain. It's like, man, but I don't know what's over there. And it's like, but there's good things for you there. It's good things. And so my encouragement, my reminder is like, God is a God of mercy and he's a good father. Do not get that twisted. He is a good father that wants good things for you, but he's not gonna give em to you. It's hard for him to give if you're just like, I actually don't want it. So open up your hands, open up your hearts, and realize that that tug is not an accident. That longing is not fake. There is a God who hears you, who sees you sent his son Jesus to die for you so that there's no more sting in death. There's no more fear anymore. But you gotta, gotta believe. Open your hands and believe. And so that would be my message to those people who are on the fence of like, yeah, this sounds good, and miracle mentality. And I cool with Tim and Oprah and all the things. And it's like, nah, dude, there's a guy who wants to be cool with you so much so that he sent everything that you talked about. And I'll end here. Tim, you talked about us being in isolation and wanting to hide our sin. There was a woman in the Bible, a prostitute, who was caught in the act and was getting ready to be stoned. And long story short, Jesus comes and says, let he who was without sin cast the first stone. And one by one, all the people from oldest to youngest dropped their stones, walked away. And Jesus met this woman in her sin, and he looked at her and he says, hey, woman, where have your accusers gone? They were all gone. There was no one there. He said, neither do I accuse you. Now go and sin no more. If you hide it, you say you haven't done anything wrong. It's hard to get healing, but if you go to the doctor, you'll prescribe some good old medicine that'll get you right. So that would be my message, man, we're all hurting. We all need healing. We all need help. Show up to the doctor.
- [37:48]
A
So powerful. So powerful. Sam, I'm going to go direct the camera, but I appreciate you, man. I'm so proud of you. You guys, that was one of my favorite interviews. Just to see his heart, see Sam's heart, the call on his life. And look, what he's talking about is that in the world of life hacks and getting ahead so quick and beating the sun up, he's talking about trusting in God. And look at the platform that he's in, the calling that he has, the favor that he's walking in, but also telling us that life is not always easy. Sometimes it's difficult, but you can stay steady in unsteady times. Continue to follow him. Sam. Acho. All the information we'll leave right there. And I'm telling you, some of you that have these big conferences, make sure and invite him. I think he is phenomenal as a communicator and continue to watch him on espn. So for those watching the miracle mentality all the time, continue to, like, subscribe, comment on this podcast. Keep telling people, don't ever forget this. You may not be what you want to be, but thank God you're not what you used to be. Life is good. Thank you for sharing space with me on this episode of Miracle Mentality with Tim Story. If today sparked your courage or helped you understand why you're created for success, I invite you to carry that miracle mentality forward. Visit me@timstory.com that story with an ey on the end. Until next time, walk by faith, embrace possibility, and create your own comeback. Story.