← Stay Tranquilo
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- [00:01]
VRBO Narrator
At vrbo, we understand that even the best of plans sometimes need a little support. So we plan for the plot twists. Every booking is automatically backed by our VRBO Care guarantee, giving you confidence from the very start. Whenever you need help, it's ready before your stay, through the moments in between, and after your trip. Because a great trip starts with peace of mind and maybe a good playlist, but we've got the peace of mind part covered.
- [00:28]
Teron Armstead
Education and reps, it's the same in football. You learn how to do a technique, then you rep it over and over. So it's the same thing. Like, you get educated in these spaces. You want to get into real estate, let's learn real estate and then go get reps. Sitting. Sit in a meeting. Sit in an investment meeting or whatever the case may be, you get reps. That's how you get familiar, you get comfortable. Same way in your playing career. Education reps.
- [00:58]
Cam Wolfe
We are here at Pac Accelerate. I'm Cam Wolfe, this is Dre Dunan, and I'm here with two of the best dudes I've got the privilege of knowing in the NFL. Aaron Brewer, Dolphin center, and former Pro Bowler Teron Armstead, now host of the Set. I want to start you guys with this. So much of what you guys have done, football wise, is about on the field. A lot of this is off and what's after life. I'm curious throughout your time in the NFL, how you've evolved the maybe business aspect and how you think about life after football and what that vision looks like for each of y'. All.
- [01:35]
Aaron Brewer
You want to start? Don't matter. I popped off. Me personally, it really all started when I first came into league. Kind of like you hear all these stories of all the grace that come before you, and you hear all the stories of pro athletes having all this money and going bankrupt or losing all their money when they come down a lot. So just hearing those stories in itself, me coming into the league, my mindset is, I'm just gonna hold on to my money. I'm save my money.
- [02:00]
Teron Armstead
Yeah.
- [02:01]
Aaron Brewer
And so as time went on, you talking to the wealthiest of the people, like, period, pack, like, you got so many CEOs, millionaires, billionaire companies, and they telling you, like, it's not just about saving, it's about investing. And so I say over the time, from just being a young dude getting the money, I didn't come from much. So when I got that first check, I'm just getting training camp for sure. 3K. I'm feeling like, oh, yeah, this, this it right here.
- [02:25]
Teron Armstead
Yeah.
- [02:26]
Cam Wolfe
What I'm about to spend, I'm like,
- [02:27]
Aaron Brewer
yeah, I'm not, I'm not spending nothing. That's my mindset. I'm gonna hold on to it. And so just from that time, from just rookie year and moving forward, just having them conversation with older players, CEOs, like just the mindset that they have of investing their money and put it in different places like that, it grew on me over time.
- [02:47]
Cam Wolfe
Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely. What about you, Tstead?
- [02:50]
Teron Armstead
For me, it was a bit of a different process starting off in the league 15 years ago now. We didn't talk about anything off, off the field. So no business conversations, no investment dealings, None. No finance, nothing. That wasn't the climate in the league. In the locker room, it was more so just shut up and play. And me going to New Orleans. Drew Brees was like the only person doing any business. And he never talked about it, really never talked about it at all. But he was everywhere as far as business. Commercials, billboards, everything. But it's been interesting and it's been great to watch the evolution of the conversation change in the locker room. The topics of discussion, me and Brew, in our last years playing together in Miami, having these type conversations, talking investment, talking pro athlete community, which was a huge integral part to changing those conversations. It's been amazing to see. I think we're trending in the right direction as far as, as far as that. Because the conversation could help certain people avoid failures, avoid bad investment, avoid certain people scammers out there in the world. I love the direction we're going to.
- [04:05]
Moderator/Interviewer
So, yeah, I got to kind of add to that. Right. What would kind of be the advice of these young guys? Right? Because obviously you guys, high profile athletes, high demand, right? Everyone wants to kind of be in business with you guys, right? But you talk about those bad deals. What's that advice that you would give to some of these younger guys saying, hey, although they might be giving you good advice, it may not be the best advice. So how do you kind of protect yourself in that process, making sure that one, you're taking care of you and you're kind of avoiding some of that bad business that you could get into.
- [04:35]
Aaron Brewer
Me personally, I say educate yourself and get uncomfortable, go to these different events, meet these different people, build relationships with different people from different backgrounds. And to get the knowledge of. It's so much more than what you've seen in your life. And so when you just expose yourself to much more, you're able to gain much knowledge. You get to Gain different perspectives of the possibilities it is out there. And so once you do that, like, and you have your core values on what you built on, you can kind of weave through the people and be able to just maneuver through different deals and talk to different people, understand what you care about in life or which direction you want to go with. Absolutely.
- [05:15]
Teron Armstead
It'll be the exact same for me. Education and reps. Yeah, education and reps. It's the same in football. You learn how to do a technique, then you rep it over and over. So it's the same thing. Like, you get educated in these spaces. You want to get into real estate, let's learn real estate and then go get reps. Sitting. Sit in a meeting. Sit in an investment meeting or whatever the case may be, you get reps. That's how you get familiar, you get comfortable. Same way in your playing, in. In your playing career. Education, reps.
- [05:44]
Cam Wolfe
So the education of reps is so interesting to me, and I want to start with you brew and bring it real world, because you're in the middle of the game. Right. And I'll just call it what it is. You coming off a great year, you in a situation where you're underpaid compared to what your value is on the field, but you're still under contract.
- [06:04]
Teron Armstead
How do.
- [06:05]
Cam Wolfe
Does your education, maybe the reps you learn in this space help you navigate this space of how do I go into these rooms, where do I tell my agent, and how we handle these spaces? Like, how. How do you keep yourself business savvy while still trying to do what they always tell you to do? Focus just on the ball.
- [06:25]
Aaron Brewer
I'll say it's pretty. It's a pretty, like, easy balance for me, you know, Like, I've been playing football more than I've known about business. I've been playing football since I was six years old. Right. And so just from the technique, the work ethic, like, I got the recipe for the success in football. I know how to stay disciplined, go to sleep, wake up, eat right, work right, spend, study. Like, I got those qualities already. Yep. And so having to understand that, what I'm doing right now, I'm gonna continue to do that. I can do that in my sleep almost. You know what I'm saying? It's very intentional, but I can do it in my sleep. Right. And so understanding that my career, it doesn't last that long, I might finish my real, what, 32, 33. Right. And I have so much life after that. Yeah. I lived at 60, 70, 80. Like, that's another 30, 40, 50 years for sure of life. I have to figure out.
- [07:16]
Cam Wolfe
Yeah.
- [07:16]
Aaron Brewer
And so I feel like it's always better to start earlier. So right now, it's a time. It's never too late or too early to get into the game of business and wealth.
- [07:25]
Cam Wolfe
For sure. So. So I guess in your current situation, how do you handle the business?
- [07:30]
Aaron Brewer
I tried to. I try to dive into everything I can.
- [07:32]
Teron Armstead
Like, I see what you're doing. I see what you're doing.
- [07:35]
Aaron Brewer
I handle bib. It's just like in this off season, like, I'm here right now.
- [07:38]
Moderator/Interviewer
Yeah.
- [07:39]
Aaron Brewer
The time I do have, I dedicated to both. I can go get to work in the morning, go train in the morning. And as you know, I got nothing but time. Right. So I apply in both directions.
- [07:49]
Cam Wolfe
Let me ask you this. In the locker room, Y' all have both been in locker rooms?
- [07:52]
Aaron Brewer
Yeah.
- [07:52]
Cam Wolfe
How much do y' all talk money, the process and what you're dealing with individually, whether it's with your contract or whether there's business or whether it's like, do you guys share? Because like you said, you guys might be from places, you know, I'm from Mississippi, you're from Texas. You got Texas folks here, people who might not have came from anything, who might not have been educated on these spaces. Do you feel like y' all share enough or do you feel like the league is maybe protective of your own individual money, your own individual experiences?
- [08:21]
Aaron Brewer
I feel now a lot of players share, like how Stale was saying earlier, like, you said, what, 15 years ago, like, people were having no conversations. But that's a common conversation out. There's a lot of dudes off the field, like, having different sponsorship, having different business deal investing this business and that business. And so when dudes come in young and they just hungry for that information, you gotta go out and seek it. Like, nothing is really going to come to you.
- [08:45]
Teron Armstead
Right.
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Aaron Brewer
So once you ask them certain questions or having them certain conversations, that's when the topics are brought up and you can be able to dive deep into those conversations with older veterans who've been through what you've been through and started out where you started out. So I feel like it's pretty. It's an open, open floor for them, conversations in the modern room.
- [09:04]
Cam Wolfe
That's good because I think for. For me, I know when I share with people in my field in journalism, I often feel like the best way that they can grow is through me telling mistakes that I've made. Right. And so, like, I think all of us have gone through places where we may have made mistakes and we're like, hey, I don't, I wish I could have done that differently or I don't want the next group to do it differently. For each of you guys, is there something that maybe you've learned from in your own journey off the field that you feel like you could give advice to another player or you can give. If you could do it differently, you know, now. What do you know now you, you would do it.
- [09:40]
Teron Armstead
Yeah. For me, I mean, I sit in an advisory position.
- [09:44]
Aaron Brewer
Yep.
- [09:44]
Teron Armstead
Being retired, playing for 12 years, being a captain seven, eight times, you know, I mean, like I sit in the, a position of advisory even here at Pack, I'm on the, on the advisory board and it comes from my failures. That's why you should listen to me.
- [09:59]
Aaron Brewer
Yeah.
- [09:59]
Teron Armstead
That's why my advice. I'm, I'm confident when I share and give advice on next steps because I've been there and to see you avoid the same. There's no reason for you to make the same mistakes that I made. Right. And now if you go make a new mistake, cool. And come tell me about it. So I'll make it. You know what I mean? So I've taken Ls in investment, I've lost money in investment, I lost money in taxes. Just not having that business in order too. So that's why I'm able to advise through experience.
- [10:29]
Cam Wolfe
Absolutely.
- [10:31]
Moderator/Interviewer
You got anything or.
- [10:33]
Aaron Brewer
Nah, he good. Nail on the head, to be honest.
- [10:35]
Moderator/Interviewer
Well, we've, we've talked, obviously, Ball, We've talked, you know, finances, business. But one thing that we haven't talked about is the human. Right. Like who you guys are. Who is Taron Armstead off the field? Who is Aaron Brewer off the field? Right. Because people see you, they see you as a football player. Right. But we want to, we want to highlight the human at the end of the day. Like that. That's what this is all about. That's what, that's why we're here. We're all connected because we're in the same space with same mindset, same type of goals. But tell us who you guys are off the field.
- [11:07]
Aaron Brewer
Just to break it down, I just say, I'm a God fearing man, I'm a family man and I'm a hardworking man. You know, I just love to show love. I'm a man of service and so that's really why I try to live my everyday life on like pointed to one of these buckets, you know what I'm saying? Whether it's My fate, my family, my fitness, or my career. I'm pointing to one of those buckets in one way or another. And so that's who Aaron Brewer is. Off the field. I'm trying to just give back to my community. Like just recently hopping on the board of donors for a program back home. So it's called Future Leaders Program. It was a program I was in as a child, like probably sixth, seventh grade. But they took us from a school in South Dallas, like, not the best area. So they'll take us to a charter school. And I feel like I'm going to Disneyland, you know what I'm saying? So I'm going to this charter school and it's like, super nice.
- [11:58]
Moderator/Interviewer
Yeah.
- [11:59]
Aaron Brewer
Got all these, like, nice computers, classrooms, bunch of nice resources for us. And so just going through that, like, I'm reflecting on it not too long, I'm like, that is what opened my mind to see, like, if more possibilities in the world. Right? And so now I'm trying to get into a position where I can give that to kids, give them that exposure to see anything is possible. They all start with a vision. You got a vision, it ain't nothing you can't accomplish.
- [12:25]
Moderator/Interviewer
Amen.
- [12:25]
Aaron Brewer
So that's Aaron Brewer right now.
- [12:27]
Moderator/Interviewer
Love it.
- [12:28]
Cam Wolfe
Love that.
- [12:28]
Moderator/Interviewer
I love it.
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Aaron Brewer
I love it, I love it. I love it.
- [12:29]
Teron Armstead
No, for sure that it makes me smile. It makes me happy to see young Brew have his security and who he is off the field and the passion to help others and all that. And I feel like watching him do that, it goes into who I am as somebody that was a mentor to Brew, you know what I mean? And like got into the community with Brew and we spend time together and learn each other. So me, I'm a father first, God fearing man, but I'm a servant leader. I lead in different spaces that I need to, and I serve in different spaces that I need to. So ensure that. I think it summarizes me perfectly. I'm a servant leader. I could be frontline. I can make the call. We go left or right, but I can also grab a mop in the bucket and get busy. So that. That describes me.
- [13:25]
Cam Wolfe
So as I hear each of you guys talk about yourself individually, I'm happy about it because sometimes you see players whose identities are so much trapped only into what they do in those 60 minutes. And I just want to keep it real on this, this question because we see a lot of brothers that look like us that have had troubling situations in the last year. You see Rondell Moore Fell into a period of mental struggle, you know, and Marshawn Nealon, the mental health element has been something that I feel like we've been trying to catch up to as a league, especially for. For us, for black men. I'm curious how much you guys have learned about that space and maybe how you've been able to help or see teammates who have gone through their struggles and particularly with injuries. And I know, Tstead, you've gone through. Through that journey of, like, yeah, feeling alone when you're going through that type of rehab. Can you maybe take us through what that looks like inside the locker room?
- [14:24]
Teron Armstead
The mental aspect, I think. I think everyone's journey is unique. No two stories the same. Even if you have similarities. No two stories the same. So I think that vulnerability is. Is a big. Is a big word when it comes to mental health, because you gotta be vulnerable in order to seek help.
- [14:48]
Cam Wolfe
Yep.
- [14:48]
Teron Armstead
Seek help.
- [14:49]
Moderator/Interviewer
Yep.
- [14:49]
Teron Armstead
You know what I mean? You gotta be vulnerable in order to tell Brew, I'm going through what I'm going through. Because we see each other as strong alpha men who go to battle, and you know what I mean? So can't be affected by nothing. Can't show a weak moment. But it takes a moment of weakness, quote, unquote, in order to gain the strength that I need from him to get back to my strength.
- [15:10]
Aaron Brewer
Right.
- [15:10]
Teron Armstead
And I don't think it's weak at all. I think it is a strength to be vulnerable. So changing that narrative of us seeing people having these conversations or being open about what their struggles are, challenges are. Changing the climate around that is a huge component into changing how much people are able to seek help and seek growth mentally.
- [15:35]
Cam Wolfe
Sure. You got anything?
- [15:36]
Moderator/Interviewer
You got. You got final. I know we got to wrap it up here, but. Yeah. Any final thoughts?
- [15:40]
Aaron Brewer
But I say, like, it's a. It's a duty on both ends. Yeah. So I say, like, just people as a people, we gotta really start actually checking in with people. Like, yeah. Hey, what's up? How you doing? Oh, good, good.
- [15:54]
Moderator/Interviewer
Like, bro, 100.
- [15:55]
Aaron Brewer
Like, what's going on? And that's real. You know, talk to a little bit. And like, even with that, like, people, like, it's still, like, they closed off a little bit. Yeah. But you. You got to make yourself uncomfortable. Like, you have to be vulnerable in those states to get through them. Tough times. Because tough times don't last forever. Like, you hear every great story.
- [16:13]
Moderator/Interviewer
Yeah.
- [16:13]
Aaron Brewer
That's where the greatness comes, is through the tough times. You all gonna see the daylight on the other End. Right. And so I think that's what people just got to go through. And like they gotta lean on faith to understand like the world not over. And as you were saying, like people get tied up in identity. Football is my identity. But it's the qualities that make you successful in football that make you who you are. Right. So if you plug in your quality, whatever, like you, this one, you can see the hard working. You plug those same qualities into a different role, you have the same success you had in football.
- [16:42]
Cam Wolfe
Yep.
- [16:43]
Aaron Brewer
And so that just I feel like people got to understand that separation and us as a people like to. To do our service intentionally check up with each other.
- [16:51]
Cam Wolfe
Yeah, sure.
- [16:52]
Moderator/Interviewer
I just like one quick thing on that. You don't realize also how many people sometimes need it. Right. And I think that's just living by example. Right. Leading by example. Just doing the things of positivity and putting that positive message out there because somebody might see it and be like, I needed that really bad.
- [17:10]
Aaron Brewer
Right.
- [17:10]
Moderator/Interviewer
And sometimes they don't even know it. Right. Because it's that lack of awareness, but it's being that, that guiding light for people that may not even know that they need it. And then that's. That's a trigger for them to get out of that darkness. And you guys obviously have amazing platforms, right. Podcasting is a form of a platform. Right. But if we can use it for good, even if you help that one person, you've already done enough to change the dynamic of that person's life. So I think all in all the priority is like you guys mentioned, right. Service like that. Lead with service and the world will become a better place.
- [17:42]
Cam Wolfe
I love it. I love it. I will end with this because we've got one of the Dolphins best players and leaders, one of the Dolphins great players of a long time and a big Dolphins fan here.
- [17:53]
Moderator/Interviewer
Big fans, fan, baby. Let's go.
- [17:54]
Cam Wolfe
A really interesting point of Dolphins, the Dolphins franchise, right? No. To a new head coach, new general manager, Jalen Waddle traded. I'll start with you, Brew, as a current player and I'll ask you, Tstead as an analyst, a former player, how do you go into the season mentally knowing where you guys were 23, 24 to where you guys are now and maybe what's ahead with starting up in a rebuild with a new quarterback that you know really well.
- [18:23]
Aaron Brewer
Right. You know, so I didn't have this conversation a couple times now and I tried to dive in it with the Metallics I have for myself, like I'm a glass half full type of guy. And so when I see what we going into it with, that's how I see it. Like I don't see it as a rebuild. Yes, we call it a rebuild, but this NFL, you don't know which team or who is going to be that year when it comes around. Yep. And so I feel like the approach going to the off season is a treat as such. I don't care if you're on a one year deal, two year, three year deal. You put your all into it. You're not here for no reason.
- [18:55]
Teron Armstead
You do it.
- [18:56]
Aaron Brewer
You take every day with passion, coming here with attention to be great, to go win. And so that's my goal as a captain and leader for the, the scene to point to the team. And so people don't have that mindset because, you know, the media and everybody, oh, it's a rebuild. Rebuild. So I feel like people can get into. They hear that again to like a chill. Like we just rebuild it. Yeah, we, we going after every year. That's how you build a foundation in the course of. For the rebuild. Yeah. And so that's my outlook on it right now.
- [19:23]
Cam Wolfe
You can be one of those guys that set the tone, you know. Absolutely. I've heard the coach, the GM single you out and say you wanted the foundation.
- [19:30]
Aaron Brewer
Yeah.
- [19:30]
Cam Wolfe
Blocks you could you feel comfortable doing that vocally for a young team?
- [19:34]
Aaron Brewer
Absolutely. That's what it takes. Just take a couple words, words of encouragement. But I can say these words. But I got to lead by example. My actions every day, how I show up, how coming to me, how we have practice workouts, like how I'm working. Y' all gonna see it and I'm gonna tell you so you're gonna know exactly what to do. No room for confusion. Yep.
- [19:54]
Cam Wolfe
Instead you're on the outside. Now you were in that locker room. How do you view it? You know where the roster is and where they're going.
- [20:02]
Teron Armstead
Yeah. I just think it goes down to the individuals you got in the locker room, the individuals you got on the roster, all of those guys taking that step back and really just understand you're living a dream. You playing an NFL?
- [20:20]
Aaron Brewer
Yep.
- [20:21]
Teron Armstead
For not one moment could it ever be sacrificed or taken for granted. No matter what the team outlook is or how far y' all going individually, that film gonna turn on and your film is your resume.
- [20:33]
Aaron Brewer
Right.
- [20:34]
Teron Armstead
So it don't come with the context. Jeff Halfley, first year tour is gone. Traded Jalen Waddle. That film not gonna show none of that. It's gonna have play 12, number 72 for the. For the Miami Dolphins. And it's gonna roll.
- [20:48]
Aaron Brewer
Yep.
- [20:48]
Teron Armstead
So what you putting out there? That's your resume. That's gonna live forever.
- [20:51]
Aaron Brewer
Yep.
- [20:52]
Teron Armstead
So understand that. And this. The window to play is so small. You can't take a time. You can't take any year or time for. For granted. It'll be over.
- [21:02]
Cam Wolfe
Absolutely. You have any thoughts to close this?
- [21:04]
Moderator/Interviewer
I got one thought. Thirty years, Finn's fans, it's always fans up. That's all that matters. Let's go.
- [21:11]
Aaron Brewer
Let's go.
- [21:12]
Cam Wolfe
Well, thank you all again for joining us here at Pack Accelerate. Great time to be able to pour into yourselves individually and invest in yourselves as you go forward. And thank you for sharing a little time with us here on the couch.
- [21:23]
Aaron Brewer
Absolutely. Appreciate you.
- [21:24]
Teron Armstead
Appreciate it, boys.
- [21:25]
Aaron Brewer
Yes, sir.