← The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show
The Truth with Lisa Boothe: Rebuilding Through Faith & Football | Coach Scott Cochran on Addiction, Recovery & Mentorship
00:35:52
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- [00:00]
Valpak/Vizio Announcer
This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.
- [00:04]
Valpak Announcer
It's the most wonderful time of the year, and Valpak is here to make it even better. This month, as you sift through holiday mail, don't miss the blue Valpak envelope. From dining to holiday shopping, there's a slate full of savings in your mailbox, plus a chance to instantly win $100. That's right, you can find $100 Christmas cash inside. Want to save even more money on what you love? Go to valpak.com for local coupons and offers. It pays to open Valpak. No purchase necessary for instant win. VOIP prohibited are randomly inserted. See specially marked Valpak envelopes for details.
- [00:35]
Whimsound Announcer
Bring incredible sound into every corner of your home this holiday with the new Whimsound smart speaker. Get high resolution audio with a 1.8-inch touchscreen, smart control and modern design in one powerful speaker for just $2.99. From quiet mornings to lively holiday gatherings, WinSound makes every moment sound better and feel better too. Get the gift of the season for the music enthusiast in your life or for yourself. Whimsound Beautifully designed, effortlessly connected. Shop now at Amazon and search Whimsound. That's wiimsound.
- [01:06]
Valpak/Vizio Announcer
This holiday season, give the gift of incredible sound with Vizio's full Soundbar lineup available at Walmart. Transform any living room into a home theater with rich, immersive audio that brings every movie, show and song to life. Whether you're gifting a loved one or upgrading your own setup. Vizio soundbars deliver powerful, crystal clear sound that turns ordinary watching into extraordinary experiences. Sound Stream your favorite holiday Playlist with the iHeartRadio app and discover how good your music can truly sound. Head to Walmart.com and find your perfect Vizio soundbar.
- [01:36]
Chelsea Handler
Today I have some very exciting news about an ethical phone carrier I just switched to this is Chelsea Handler from Dear Chelsea. Forget about all these other phone companies. Forget about Verizon, forget about AT&T. Forget about T Mobile. There's this new carrier called Noble Mobile and they actually pay you to stay off your phone, you can earn real money, up to 20 bucks back every month. Don't just for putting your phone away. If you're like me and you're tired of feeling controlled by your phone, social media, or just disgusted by those screen time alerts, this is the answer. Go to noblemobile.com Chelsea and try it for $10.
- [02:11]
Scott Cochran
That's noblemobile.com Chelsea owning a home is full of surprises.
- [02:17]
HomeServe Announcer
Some wonderful, some not so much. And when Something breaks, it can feel like the whole day unravels. That's why HomeServe exists for as little as 4.99amonth. You'll always have someone to call a trusted ready to help. Bringing peace of mind to four and a half million homeowners nationwide. For plans starting at just 4.99amonth, go to homeserve.com that's homeserve.com not available everywhere. Most plans range between 4.99 to 11.99amonth. Your first year terms apply on covered repairs.
- [02:45]
Lisa Booth
Welcome to the Truth with Lisa Booth where we get to the heart of the issues that matter to you. Today I talk to legendary college football strength coach Scott Cochran, known as Coach, yeah, the man behind eight national championships with Alabama and Georgia. He' now the head coach at Western Alabama. He gets brutally honest with us about his new book Skull Session, Mastering the Mental Game in Sports, Work and Life. Opening up about his battle with opioid addiction, his near fatal overdose and the spiritual reawakening that led to lasting recovery and helped him rebuild the foundations of his life. We'll also dive into those school sessions. What are they? What do you need to know and how do they help build champions that he has worked with as well? We'll also talk about behind the scenes stories from his work with legendary football coaches Nick Saban and Kirby Smart. Those dynasties and how these principles apply to your life as well and to anyone that has hit rock bottom and is looking to recover. Stay tuned for coach Scott Cochran. Coach Scott Cochra, appreciate you for making the time to come on the show. Looking forward to just digging into your life story and then also, you know, talking a little bit football since we're, you know, heading into playoff season and I got the super bowl on the horizon. I'm sure, I'm sure you're watching so.
- [04:15]
Scott Cochran
Yes, of course I'm watching. Come on now. Always watching. I wish I was still playing but D2 ball ended about two weeks ago. So yeah, so now I look forward to my, the college and the Super Bowl. So yeah, it's a good time. Thanks for having me on. Really excited to be on.
- [04:31]
Lisa Booth
Well, I appreciate you coming on. So your book school session, Mastering the mental game in Sports, Work and Life. I mean you've had a, you know, do this on your own as well with your, your own battle in your life with an opioid addiction and the near fatal overdose that really changed your life. What made you decide to lead with such a raw and personal story right from the start in Your book and open up about your own. Your own battle.
- [05:01]
Scott Cochran
You know, I just. This country is really having a hard time with addiction. I think, whether it's alcohol, whether it's gambling, whether it's, you know, drugs. Like I was, you know, mine were opiates. And, you know, I just. I think it's really important that people understand that they're not alone, that the struggle is real and it can happen to anyone. You know, because I was at the height of my career, you know, in some people's eyes, you know, obviously, I. I think my height is still coming.
- [05:34]
Lisa Booth
I like that. Yeah.
- [05:35]
Scott Cochran
You know, I still. I still think I'm climbing. But I was extremely successful. And on the outside, it looked like I had it all. You know, I was financially set. I had the, you know, the white picket fence, kids in private school, all the things and thriving on the outside, but no one knew. Underneath, I had this crazy, awful addiction. And it all came to a head April 10, 2020, when I got. Got my hands on some fentanyl, thinking it was something else, and had an accidental overdose. And my wife found me and got me back to. Got me back to this side of the planet, this side of the world, you know.
- [06:17]
Lisa Booth
Why do you think, you know, sort of what led to your addiction? Because to your point, I mean, there's so many people in this country, in this world, and we don't know what's happening behind the scenes. We don't know the struggles in their lives and what they're being faced with. What was it for you? You know, why do you think that, you know, what was sort of your turn to addiction?
- [06:36]
Scott Cochran
Yeah, so, you know, I was a yeller and a screamer right in the weight room. I was the strength coach for 20 years. And when I would yell and scream for long periods of time, I would get these just gut wrenching, painful headaches. They were migraines that were just unstoppable. It literally felt like a vice between my temples. And every time I yelled or screamed, it would just get worse. And so I was like, man, this isn't right. I got to find out, you know, how to prevent this or how to fix this problem. And so I went to a doctor, and it was a really, really outstanding doc. And he started me off on, you know, because I was taking Advil, you know, and he started me off with, like, muscle relaxers or, you know, blood thinners, beta blockers. He tried all these different things, and nothing worked. Absolutely nothing worked. And so finally, you know, he said, hey, and this is about 2010, 2011, he said, hey, why don't you try oxy or Vicodin? I tried the Vicodin, it was okay. And then I was like, it's still not lasting long enough. He goes, here, try this Oxycodone. And I was like, I was in my early 30s and I was on top of the world and you're gonna tell me that a pill is gonna rearrange my whole life? Like he said, hey, you gotta be careful with these things because they can be addictive. You don't even listen to that. Right. I just remember him saying that. Like, I didn' him.
- [08:21]
Lisa Booth
I did not.
- [08:21]
Scott Cochran
I'm like, get out of here, dude. I'm not going to get addicted to a pill. Come on, get out of here. But sure enough, within. Within six months, that doc stopped writing me and said, this is not a route you want to take. You're taking too many. You have to shut this down. And so I just, you know, stopped talking to that doc and went to other docs to get what I needed.
- [08:44]
Lisa Booth
So talk about that interim, that period of time, you know, before or the near fatal overdose, you know, that time between you started taking these up until the point of the near fatal overdose. What was that period of addiction like? Like walk us through sort of like the challenges and how that life disruption that it.
- [09:03]
Scott Cochran
Yeah, it was, it was really bad because my days started off at about 6am every day. And so every morning I would get up and I would. At first I was just taking them orally before that first group, and then I'd have to take after that group, I'd have to take a couple more, and then I'll take a couple more before every group. And then we'd have practice and I'd take a couple more. And then before I went home, I would take a couple. You know, it just kept turning into more and more and more. And then 2016, it turned into, instead of taking them orally, I was like, you know what, I could chop these up and snort them and it'll get there faster. And so I for sure won't have a headache now. And looking back at it, it's so disgusting and it's so awful just to talk about. Like, I hate even, you know, I hate that I have to bring this up, but it's just very embarrassing and shameful, but I just feel like being honest is going to help somebody else. And so my life revolved around these pills. I had two separate doctors, one in the state of Alabama, one in the state of Mississippi, that wrote me scripts, and that still wasn't enough. And they were writing, you know, 90amonth, and that still wasn't enough. I had to go to find dealers that could get me larger amounts. And it was a constant cycle. Like, you couldn't take a day off because you'd go through withdrawals. So it was every single day for about eight to 10 years, and it was relentless, you know? So in 2019, I was disgusted with myself. I was sick of it. And so I was like, you know, what would fix it is if I change jobs. If I moved out of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and went to a different job, I won't have to yell as much. Maybe I'll do special teams. So I decided to become a special teams coordinator. I called up my good buddy Kirby Smart at Georgia uga, and he said, come on, man, for sure. Come be my special teams coordinator, and I get the job there. And in my mind, I'm like, you know, I'm gonna put these down. This is it. I'm gonna try to wean myself off of it. I'm only gonna take with me a certain amount. And as soon as I get there, Covid starts. So I'm in the building for a week. I don't even know who the players are yet. I'm starting to wean off. I think I have a, you know, good plan. And then Covid hits and sends me basically right back in the danger zone, because I took the job in. In March or late February of 2020, Covid hits. And then April 10, Good Friday, I had an overdose.
- [12:03]
Lisa Booth
And it sounds like your wife really hung in there, you know, and really helped fight for you and your family and your kids, you know?
- [12:12]
Scott Cochran
Oh, yeah.
- [12:13]
Lisa Booth
You know, I'm sure this. You know, this had been a really hard period for her and for your kids as well. You know, talk about the impact of that and just the. The importance of sort of like, a wife's love in this too.
- [12:26]
Scott Cochran
Yes. I mean, what an angel. She has been through this. I mean, when you talk about a rock star, to stand in the fire and just say, I'm not quitting on you is, you know, a blessing that I could never comprehend, and I could never be grateful enough, you know, to show my gratitude to her for that. But she stuck in there in the fire and said, I'm not quitting. And it's. It's really tough on the spouse, you know, and that's another reason why I wrote the book, was because I wanted the people, the family members, this disease Affects the entire family, and it affects friends, everyone. You think that you're hiding your alcoholism or your addiction. You think you're hiding it from people, but they're getting torn up from it, and all they want to do is help, right? Like, the hardest thing for, I feel like, especially a man, right, a male, is to raise his hand and say, I need help. I'm sure it's the same way for females. But speaking from my experience, that was the hardest thing, is to raise my hand and said, hey, I need some help. I can no longer live my life like this. But, you know, my kids at the time were pretty young when it all went down. My son was probably 13. My daughter was 11, and my other daughter would have been 8 when I finally said, hey, I need to tell him. Because after the overdose, I went straight to rehab because it was Covid, right? I'm working for uga. I'm the special teams coordinator. Everything's done on Zoom. And so I went to rehab in Massachusetts and a place called Heron Wellness. And I just told my kids at the time, and, you know, it was the right thing to do at the moment, but I told my kids at the time, hey, I'm going away for. It's like a camp, you know, because they understood camps, right? They had gone to a weak camp or something. I'm going to go away for camp to, you know, to make myself better. And that was a really good time of healing for me. But it was just the beginning because that was just the first time I went to rehab. I've gone to. Done three stints in rehab now. I've had. I've had relapses and setbacks. That's what they're called now. Setbacks. Yeah, you can't say relapse because people get mad. But I've had multiple setbacks, and I've had two years of sobriety. I've had, you know, at one point, it was really white knuckling it, and that was really tough for my wife and my family. When I was really struggling to stay sober, I had no peace, no comfort. It was a battle every single day. But this time, I'm about to hit two years next month. So in, like, 20 days, I'll have two years. But this time, I feel like my recovery has been so much easier, so much better. I'm happy to be in recovery. I enjoy the life I live today. I enjoy what I'm doing. But just going back to the family piece, you know, this thing's hard sometimes. Sometimes, you know, family Members need to make the decision to cut the addict off, and that's okay. And sometimes, you know, it's, it's good to stay in the fire, like my wife did, you know, but it's on the addict to reach out for help. It is not on the spouse. It's not on the family member. They have to. The best way I can tell family members is treat this like cancer. If your family member that's struggling with addiction, if they had cancer, how would you treat them? Every time they relapsed, every time they, they fell down, every time. So, you know, cancer goes into remission. Right. And then sometimes it comes back. Right. Well, this is the same deal. It's a disease. It's proven scientifically that it's a disease, you know, and there's, there's no magic pill to fix it. That's the coolest part, which makes me, you know, which, which makes it really difficult in the beginning. But once you find that peace and that freedom and you start getting honest with yourself, it is just a beautiful thing.
- [16:49]
Lisa Booth
Gotta take a quick commercial break. More with Scott Cochran on the other side.
- [16:54]
Valpak Announcer
It's the most wonderful time of the year and Valpak is here to make it even better this month as you sip through holiday mail, don't miss the blue Valpak envelope. From dining to holiday shopping, there's a sleigh full of savings in your mailbox, plus a chance to instantly win $100. That's right, you can find $100 Christmas cash inside. Want to save even more money on what you love? Go to valpak.com for local coupons and offers. It pays to open Valpak. No purchase necessary for instant Win voiper prohibited prices are randomly inserted. See specially marked Valpak envelopes for details.
- [17:25]
Whimsound Announcer
Bring incredible sound into every corner of your home this holiday with the new Whimsound smart speaker. Get high resolution Audio with a 1.8-inch touchscreen, smart control and modern design in one powerful speaker for just 299. From Quiet Mornings to lively holiday gatherings, Winsound makes every moment sound better and fun. Feel better too. Get the gift of the season for the music enthusiast in your life or for yourself. Whim sound Beautifully designed, effortlessly connected. Shop now at Amazon and search Whimsound. That's wiimsound.
- [17:56]
Valpak/Vizio Announcer
This holiday season, give the gift. Everyone will gather around a Vizio Smart TV now available at Walmart. From a super sized 100 inch TV to QLED TVs of all sizes, Vizio delivers breathtaking color and crystal clear picture quality that takes entertainment to the next level. Plus, with Watch Free plus built in, they can enjoy free live and on demand TV right out of the box. Have a music lover on your list. They can stream their favorite music on the iHeartRadio app ready to go on every Vizio TV. The perfect gift is waiting. Head to Walmart.com and discover Vizio TVs.
- [18:26]
Chelsea Handler
Today I have some very exciting news about an ethical phone carrier. I just switched to this is Chelsea Handler from Dear Chelsea. Forget about all these other phone companies. Forget about Verizon, forget about AT&T, forget about T Mobile. There's this new carrier called Noble Mobile and they actually pay you to stay off your phone. You can earn real money, up to 20 bucks back every month just for putting your phone away. If you're like me and you're tired of feeling controlled by your phone, social media, or just disgusted by those screen time alerts, this is the answer. Go to noblemobile.com Chelsea and try it for $10. That's noblemobile.com Chelsea hello.
- [19:05]
Greg Jenner
Greg Jenner here, host of youf're Dead to Me. In my new family friendly podcast series, Dead Funny History, Histor historical figures come back to life for just about long enough to argue with me, tell us their life stories and sometimes get on my nerves. There's 15 lovely episodes to unwrap, including the life of Ramses the Great Josephine Baker and the history of football. Plus much, much more. So this Christmas, give your ears a treat with Dead Funny History. You can find it in the youe're Dead to me feed on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [19:36]
Lisa Booth
What role did faith and your faith play in finding that peace and that freedom?
- [19:43]
Scott Cochran
Oh, here we go. It was everything for me. You know, the first time that I went into the rehab that I went to, they didn't believe in giving you any kind of medication to go through withdrawals. They didn't believe. There's, there's a ton of medications now you can take that are very helpful to get through withdrawals, especially opioid withdrawals because they're so, they can't, they won't, it won't kill you. Like alcohol withdrawals can kill you. You can get seizures. But opiate withdrawals, you want to die, but you literally, it's hard to actually die from it. So the place I went to didn't believe in giving any of those meds. So I had about a 20 day period where I felt like I had the flu. My stomach was torn up. I was kind of dead man walking is how it felt. And I remember not getting any sleep. I had a Fitbit at the time, and I looked at my sleep and in like a five day period, I had like eight hours of total sleep. So I was a zombie. And, you know, I'm catholic, so I'll throw some hail Marys out there and I'll throw some our fathers and stuff like that. Well, I was, I was. And still getting no sleep, no relief. And then probably about the sixth night, I decided to just talk to God a little bit, like, hey, this is where I am. I really need you right now. There's no pill that's going to fix my sleep. There's no medicine I can take to get me some sleep. If you could just give me a couple of hours tonight, you know, I'd be grateful. And I got like 30 minutes. I was like, okay, there's something to it. And I just, I kept doing it. And each night it just got a little bit better and my body started to recover, you know, and so that was one of the first kind of miracles in my mind. The second one, I was. I went to rehab for the second time and there was no getting around it. I had to tell the head coach, my boss at Georgia, I had to tell him, hey, I'm in rehab and I can't come back to work. We had like a meditation at the recovery at the wellness center. And I was freaking out. I was like, man, these people want me to stay here for six months. I've never missed a day of work. I was just going to come here on vacation for a couple of weeks, but they want me here for a long term. There's no way I can do that. And in that meditation, this just peace came over me. And it was like God kind of put his hand on me and just basically all I heard was, I got you. Just trust in me. I got you. I've led you this far. I'm not gonna stop now. And just complete peace came over me. And so I felt his presence more than ever in that moment. And I was able to wake up the next morning, call up coach Smart, and tell him, hey, I'm in recovery. I need to step away from football until I can get my hands on this. And I think God jumped in right then in that conversation because, listen, he's running an organization, he's trying to win games. You know, at the time we had not. He had not won a championship. So he wasn't on the hot seat, so to speak, but he was still like Trying to prove that he's. He is as good of a coach as he is. And when I called him, like, you know, I said, hey, I'm about to drop a bomb on you. His first response was, would you lose a recruit? Do you lose a player? And I was like, oh, my God, I wish that was problem. You know, the problem is way bigger than that. I'm in rehab right now. You hired a drug addict. And his first response was, how can I help you and your family? Like, what. Who does that in this world? No one.
- [23:46]
Lisa Booth
You know, what do you feel like? You know, obviously he was there for you and, you know, supporting you and recovery. And now as a head coach of West Alabama, I. How do you think all of this has helped you as a coach? And I would imagine that a lot of these young guys feel comfortable coming to you with sort of challenges, right? Because, like, when you see someone with a redemption story, it makes you feel okay. It's okay that I have problems too, you know, it's okay that I'm working through things, right? So it's like, how do you think that's shaped you as a coach? And, like, being able to mentor some of these young men?
- [24:27]
Scott Cochran
I think it's helped. I mean, exponentially. I mean, the amount of guys that I have counseled through something since this has happened has been. I mean, I couldn't count it on all my hands and all my fingers and toes. And, you know, a lot of times it's a family member, like, hey, my aunt or my grandfather or my uncle or my brother or my whoever. And sometimes it's personal to them. But what it. What it's taught me is, you know, empathy, which in the past, I don't know if I had much of that because there was no time for all that in my mind. There wasn't.
- [25:04]
Lisa Booth
Right competitive, you know, like, it's like you're focused on the game, you know, so.
- [25:08]
Scott Cochran
Yeah, and so when. When somebody's going through something now, I can. I can literally, I'm able to. Trying to drop all of the things that are going on and kind of get in the mud with them, right? Get in the ditch, get in that hole with them and say, hey, this is. I do the feel felt found method. You know, I tell them, hey, I feel where you're coming from. I have felt the same way when such and such happened to me. I found that this works better than that. So I've always. I learned the feel felt found through Coach Sabin. Really. He always talked about this method, and so I really use it now more than ever when a player comes to me stressing, like I can easily say, hey, I feel where you're coming from. I have felt the same way in a little different situation. I found that doing this helps, doing this hurts. But you have to create your own way, you know, you have to give. You know, these kids don't just like myself, very hard headed. You're going to learn the lesson your own way. You know, it's all in God's time, not ours. But yes, I feel like because of my recovery, because of the scars that I have, I'm able to really help guys and walk them through life.
- [26:37]
Lisa Booth
You know, the title of the book is Skull Sessions. It walk us through a skull session.
- [26:42]
Scott Cochran
So a skull session, you know, in football you have all the workouts, you have all the off season training. It's, it's the conditioning till you throw up. It's the lifting weights till you can't walk. A skull session is a classroom setting where you bring in the players and coaches and you discuss how to get from where you are now to your ultimate goal. So, you know, one of the lessons is how to write your goals. You know, everybody's got their method of writing their goals, right? But I give two really good examples of how to write your goals and how to make them actually possible. Because everybody wants to be great, right? Every organization, every CEO of every organization, they want to take their company to a new level. Shoot, New Year's is coming. Everybody's gonna have these New Year's resolutions, right? And how many of those actually work? I think 90% fail, right. Well, one of the Skull sessions is about how to set those goals and it's called smart goals, right? How to set smart goals and how to set long term visions so that you can accomplish things, you know, because everybody that plays football, the ultimate dream, the ultimate goal is to get to the NFL, right? Well, the NFL stands for not for long.
- [28:08]
Lisa Booth
Yeah.
- [28:09]
Scott Cochran
You know, and so, and I'm at D2 level, so I really. It's about teaching them how to set a goal, right? How do you even do that? Right. Another, another different part of a skull session would be sitting there and learning how to talk to yourself, right? Positive self talk, you know, they're very simple things. But in each lesson, right. I give a little story of how it worked, right? And then I give the exact example of how to use it with your team, right. Whether it's an organization or a sports team, either one. So that's really what a Skull Session is. It's taking the brawn out, it's taking the out, and it's opening up the mind. That's why we call it skull session.
- [29:00]
Lisa Booth
How much do you think. You know, I've never played football, obviously, but I played, you know, Phil, hockey and lacrosse very competitively. How much do you think, sort of having that background in football that, like, competitive nature, the mental fortitude, how much do you think that has helped you in fighting this addiction?
- [29:19]
Scott Cochran
100%. And that's really why I wrote the book, because as I was going through my recovery, I was like, wait. Every single lesson in, you know, some of these meeting rooms in recovery, every single lesson is basically a skull session that we do with the players. And so I basically just bridged the gap, right? The same stuff that I've been teaching since my days when I coached at lsu, when I coached at Alabama, when I got to Georgia, those same exact lessons that we're doing in the. In the classroom, we just called them skull sessions or mental development. They were in line with my recovery. So it was perfect to say, okay, let's do this a little bit easier, right? There's an easier, softer way through recovery. Right. You know, are long, but the years are short. So how do we maximize the day? Right. The moment. Because when you're first getting into recovery, those days are really, really long, and they're very difficult. So if you can find some form of faith or some way of helping, that's where a skull session can come into play. And the same exact lesson you learn in recovery, those same lessons could be used for a team of executives or another sports team trying to achieve greatness.
- [30:51]
Lisa Booth
Quick break. Stay with us. If you like what you're hearing, please send it to your family and friends or maybe share it on social media.
- [30:59]
Valpak Announcer
It's the most wonderful time of the year, and Valpak is here to make it even better. This month as you sip through holiday mail, don't miss the blue Valpak envelope. From dining to holiday shopping, there's a slate full of savings in your mailbox, plus a chance to instantly win $100. That's right. You can find $100 Christmas cash inside. Want to save even more money on what you love? Go to valpak.com for local coupons and offers. It pays to open Valpak. No purchase necessary for instant win. Voip prohibited prices are randomly inserted. See specially marked Valpak envelopes for details.
- [31:29]
Whimsound Announcer
Bring incredible sound into every corner of your home this holiday. With the new Whimsound smart speaker, get high resolution Audio with a 1.8-inch touchscreen, smart control and modern design in one powerful speaker for just $2.99. From Quiet Mornings to lively holiday gatherings, Wim Sound makes every moment sound better and feel better too. Get the Gift of the Season for the music enthusiast in your life or for yourself, Whim sound Beautifully designed, effortlessly connected. Shop now at Amazon and search whimsound. That's wiimsound.
- [32:00]
Valpak/Vizio Announcer
This holiday season give the gift. Everyone will gather around a Vizio Smart TV now available at Walmart. From a super sized 100 inch TV to QLED TVs of all sizes, Vizio delivers breathtaking color and crystal clear picture quality that takes entertainment to the next level. Plus with Watch Free plus built in, they can enjoy free live and on demand TV right out of the box. Have a music lover on your list. They can stream their favorite music on the iHeartRadio app ready to go on every Vizio TV. The perfect gift is waiting. Head to Walmart.com and discover Vizio TVs.
- [32:30]
Chelsea Handler
Today I have some very exciting news about an ethical phone carrier I just switched to this is Chelsea Handler from Dear Chelsea. Forget about all these other phone companies. Forget about Verizon, forget about AT&T. Forget about T Mobile. There's this new carrier called Noble Mobile and they actually pay you to stay off your phone. You can earn real money, up to 20 bucks back every month just for putting your phone away. If you're like me and you're tired of feeling controlled by your phone, social media, or just disgusted by those screen time alerts, this is the answer. Go to noblemobile.com Chelsea and try it for $10. That's noblemobile.com Chelsea hello, Greg Jenner here.
- [33:10]
Greg Jenner
Host of youf're Dead to Me. In my new family friendly podcast series Dead Funny History, historical figures come back to life for just about long enough to argue with me, tell us their life stories, and sometimes get on my nerves. There's 15 lovely episodes to unwrap, including the life of Ramses the Great Josephine Baker and the History of football. Plus much, much more. So this Christmas, give your ears a treat with Dead Funny History. You can find it in the youe're Dead to me feed on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [33:40]
Lisa Booth
You've worked with a lot of elite elite talents and football. What trait, like what mental trait would you say that a lot of these champions possess?
- [33:52]
Scott Cochran
Obviously grit would be the first thing that comes to mind. Grit. And it's almost a self doubt when you're Training, it's almost a. Like, I'm not good enough, so I have to work harder. If you have that mindset of, like, there's no way I will be good enough to do this until you build the confidence through reps, through repetition, through, you know, going through investing your time into your. Your craft. Right. But grit would be the first thing. And then. And then there's also that there's a piece that just I have to do extra because I'm not as talented as the next guy.
- [34:38]
Lisa Booth
You know, you spent a lot of time building some of these major college dynasties. You talked a little about Kirby Smart and how he was so helpful to you and your recovery and really encouraged that. Let's also talk about Nick Saban. Went to the University of Tennessee, but I can recognize, you know, I see one. Which. Nick Saban, Alabama or previews at Alabama, obviously, massive legend. Now we watch him on, you know, college game day on espn. Give us a little bit behind the scenes, maybe a little story or give us a little bit of color from your time with him.
- [35:14]
Scott Cochran
Oh, for sure. That's. That's always my favorite. I. I want to tell you this, though, before I do as a coach. I'm 220 against Tennessee. Just wanted to let you know, I'm going to drop that. I'm going to leave. I'm going to leave that. I'm going to leave that. I'm going to leave that to the side. And I'm going to tell you, that was unnecessary. I had to put it out there.
- [35:37]
Greg Jenner
I know.
- [35:38]
Scott Cochran
So my favorite story is when I was. So I worked with him at lsu, and then we won a national championship at lsu. And the next year I went to the NBA. I coached for the New Orleans Hornets at the time. So I'm there for two and a half seasons. Coach Saban went to the Dolphins during this time. So he gets the job at Alabama 2007. The next day, he calls my phone and says, hey, I don't know if you know, but I just took the Alabama job. And I'm like, yeah, no kidding, Coach. You're all over espn. Like, come on now.
- [36:22]
Lisa Booth
I know.
- [36:23]
Scott Cochran
No doubt. Like, got it. And he said, I need you to come over here and run my weight room and. And do what you do as a coach. And I was like, heck, yeah. I'm all, you know, I. I have one problem. And he's like, there is no problem. Just get your butt here. And I was like, okay, you can't cuss me out yet because I don't work for you yet. And so we were playing the Hawks that night. We were in Atlanta, and all I had was a velour sweatsuit. And so I told Coach, I said, coach, I don't have, like, I don't have the proper attire. I need to go back home, and then I can come to you. And he's like, look, just get here as soon as you can. So I was like, man, this guy's impatient. So he's like, look, I'm not hiring you to be my banker. I'm hiring you to be my strength coach. I was like, yes, sir. Yes, sir. And so after the game, we play the Hawks, we whoop them. And then after the game, I grabbed Chris Paul, and I'm like, hey, let me try your suit on. It didn't fit. Bobby Jackson was another guy on the team. Hey, let me try your suit. It didn't fit. And so I get to the hotel, team leaves. I'm going to drive over to Tuscaloosa in the morning, and I just can't sleep. Obviously, I'm about to interview with the goat, and I'm just restless, you know, So I go to Walmart at 2am and go spend $96 on a white shirt, red tie, navy blue sports coat, khakis, belt, shoes, total of 96 bucks. I walk in the door, Coach Dave is like, I thought you were going to be in a velour sweatsuit. What are you. He goes, what are you. Some. You going to some Catholic church? But it just gave you the example of who he is. Like, of course he said, I don't want you to be my banker. But he also demands excellence. And so obviously it was a test. And he obviously said this was part of the reason why you're perfect for the job. Because you understand, even though I may have said it was okay, I needed you in this sports coat. And so I got real lucky that I remembered the lessons I learned at lsu. But that's just one good story of his. You know, demand of excellence carries over not just to the players, but to the staff, too.
- [38:52]
Lisa Booth
I bet it's interesting to watch. I love seeing his dynamic on college game day with Pat McAfee, because, you know.
- [39:00]
Chelsea Handler
Yeah.
- [39:00]
Lisa Booth
And then, like, I feel like Nick Saban, like, I've always looked at him as, like, very serious and, you know, like, intense. Right. And so is it kind of, like, fun to sort of see him on college game day and like, you know, having a little bit more fun and.
- [39:14]
Robert Ince
Or.
- [39:14]
Lisa Booth
Or did you get that behind the scenes? Like, I don't know what, what do you make of when you get to watch him on college game day since you actually know the guy?
- [39:21]
Scott Cochran
You know, I think everyone gets to see who he really is because that's who he is. When you see him up there, when he was the head coach, the perception was so important, like our brand, the A was so important to him and to the organization that he would let loose with us. But it was very rare, right? I mean, I worked for him for 18 years, so I got to see a lot of it. But it is so good to see him in his element, because when. When we had talked before about, you know, people are saying, you're going to retire, coach. People are saying, you, what are you thinking? And he's like, well, I tried radio, I tried tv, because there was a game, I think it was when Auburn played Oregon for the national championship, or it was Florida State. I'm not sure which game it was. But he went and did the college game day and we all, like, pumped him up like, coach, go do that. That'll help us in recruiting. And he came back from that and he's like, I hated it. That's definitely not something I want to do. And so when he retired and did it, I was like, man, that surprises me. But see, I get to see Coach Saban at church every. Every once in a while. We are, you know, there's a few times you can go to in the morning, I catch him at. At Mass, and I always catch him afterwards. And I'm like, yeah, Coach, you're not good at picking, picking the winner when you're on college game day. And he goes, well, look, there's no accountability, so it really doesn't matter what I pick.
- [40:52]
Lisa Booth
That's funny.
- [40:54]
Scott Cochran
It's always good before we go.
- [40:57]
Lisa Booth
Obviously, we're heading into playoff season for college football and for the NFL. What are you watching? Any predictions? Oh, wow.
- [41:07]
Scott Cochran
Predictions. I predict that it's really cool because I worked with Kurt Signetti, I worked with Dan Lanning, I worked with Mario Cristobal, I worked obviously with Kirby Smart, another close friend. So I have a lot of connections that are in the championship run. And so Pete Golding, you know, Lane Kiffin, all those guys are close friends. And so it's really difficult for me to pick who's going to win. I'm just going to say, I'm going to say this. Ohio State is probably the scariest team to play. And if Georgia and Ohio State go head to head, whoever wins that game is taking home the trophy, because that is Going to be a war for the ages if it all works out right. Everybody's got to play somebody. But I just, I've seen Ohio State after they've lost to Michigan. I've had to face them and they were nasty. So I'm just, I'm thinking that there's, there's the team. Ohio State is going to be hard to beat and I don't know any of the coaches there, so it's, it stinks to say that I hope that Alabama and Georgia are in the finals. That would be a dream come true for me. Or even if Oregon or my Miami's in it or Signetti, that would be great because they're friends. But I know that I see Ohio State and I see Georgia and I'm like, they are loaded with players and if they can get their heads a little bit with a, what we call a mad on, it's like a mean on, they're going to be really tough to beat. So. And it's hard for me to go against the Eagles in the NFL because they've got more players on that team that I've coached than any other team. Between Georgia and Alabama, guys, it's almost like the Eagles are the team.
- [43:02]
Lisa Booth
I do have a bone to pick with your friend Lane Kiffin. That's because you do it over Tennessee. We're not, we're not fans of his, but that's a, that's a conversation for another day. Coach Scott Cochran, author of Skull Session, Mastering the Mental Game and Sports, Work and Life. Appreciate you opening up to us and telling us about your story and the book and your time coaching.
- [43:27]
Scott Cochran
Yes, I appreciate you. Thank you for having me on. Y' all have a happy new year.
- [43:31]
Lisa Booth
You too, sir. Happy New Year. Thanks so much.
- [43:33]
Scott Cochran
Thank you.
- [43:34]
Lisa Booth
That was coach Scott Cochran, head coach at West Alabama and also author of the book the new book School Session, Mastering the Mental Game and Sports Work and Life. Appreciate him for making the time. Appreciate you guys at home every Tuesday and Thursday, but you can listen throughout the week. Also want to thank John Cassio, my producer, for putting the show together. Until next time.
- [43:58]
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- [44:28]
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- [45:28]
Chelsea Handler
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- [46:18]
Scott Cochran
That's noblemobile.com Chelsea the Infinite Monkey Cage returns imminently.
- [46:25]
Robert Ince
I am Robert Ince and I'm sat next to Brian Cox, who has so much to tell you about what's on the new series, primarily Eels and what else. It was fascinating though. The eels. But we're not just doing eels, are we? We're doing a bit with brain computer interfaces, timekeeping, fusion, monkey business, cloud signs of the North Pole and eels. Did I mention the eels? Is this ever since you bought that timeshare underneath the Sargasso sea. Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [46:51]
Valpak/Vizio Announcer
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