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Gordy Gronkowski
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Shawn French
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Gordy Gronkowski
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Shawn French
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Gordy Gronkowski
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Shawn French
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Gordy Gronkowski
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Shawn French
Visit shopify.com to upgrade your selling. Today, people are saying if you walk around Publix or grocery store with a pineapple where the kid sits, it means you're a swinger.
Gordy Gronkowski
Oh, I have seen stuff on that. Like, up.
Shawn French
So Gordy's like, I am going to Publix every freaking day and I am looking for pineapples.
Gordy Gronkowski
I need to find a girlfriend first. But I guess you don't have to have a girlfriend. You could have a couple girls.
Shawn French
You could.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah, you could rent one. Yeah, that's true.
Shawn French
I don't think that's legal here, though.
Gordy Gronkowski
Don't you feel like if you're bringing someone out and paying all that money for dinner, is that the same thing as running one or no?
Shawn French
I love this conversation so much.
Unknown Artist
Sharp French. What up? This one. Luck. I let the pain inspire me. I put my all in. Everything I'm doing up until it's done, I mean, for the entirety. I put it in over time, I'll be working. Just know I'mma go for mine cause I earned it. They watch and I know it's time I confirmed it. The whole society Determined determin.
Shawn French
What's up, everybody? Welcome back. I am your host, Shawn French, and this is the Determined Society. If this your first time listening, please go subscribe to all the channels of Spotify, Apple, YouTube. Leave a comment, let us know what you want to hear. Today I have an amazing guest. My boy, Gordy Gronkowski. He's a co owner of Gronk Fitness and he's the. He's. He's just a. Look at him. He's just a fun guy. Welcome to the show, buddy.
Gordy Gronkowski
I'm only fun right now because I got my workout in this morning.
Shawn French
You did?
Gordy Gronkowski
I know if you asked my mom yesterday, you know, I was kind of going through the motions. She didn't realize I didn't work out in the morning. But I was just like, I was all foggy and then I ate all her food.
Shawn French
You ate all the rum cake?
Gordy Gronkowski
I did. And it's on. Unbelievable. The problem is she always thinks, like, I'm gonna, like, have a girlfriend with me or, you know, more. All the brothers are coming at once and she Literally cooks for, like, all of us.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
So then I gotta make up for eating not just for myself, but for all them. And I can't just have a piece of any of her desserts. I have to eat at least half of it.
Shawn French
And you have to eat for the girlfriend that you didn't bring, too.
Gordy Gronkowski
Exactly.
Shawn French
Exactly.
Gordy Gronkowski
Especially, you know, what is. You know, she could be a. Well, and could help me eat it. You know, she could never.
Shawn French
She could be a chubby one.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah.
Shawn French
No one would judge you.
Gordy Gronkowski
No, not at all.
Shawn French
If she has a cute face, though.
Gordy Gronkowski
Hey, she's got something nice on. I can find a reason to like her.
Shawn French
Exactly.
Gordy Gronkowski
It might be really smart.
Shawn French
Dude, there's. There's beautiful things about everybody.
Gordy Gronkowski
Exactly.
Shawn French
Right?
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah.
Shawn French
It's amazing. It's funny. Yeah. Dude. No, it's nice to have you on, man.
Gordy Gronkowski
No, thanks for having me on this morning. This is crazy. You know how. Especially how we came together and how we know so many mutual friends, bro.
Shawn French
Okay, so Ryan, Sherry.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah. Well, come on, that's.
Shawn French
Yeah. I mean, let's just.
Gordy Gronkowski
Should we stop there?
Shawn French
I mean. No, because we got Pat.
Gordy Gronkowski
I have Pat Sickens, my teammate. I know. I was just kidding. I was gonna say stop there and talk about Cherry.
Shawn French
We wanna talk. You want to talk about Sherbert?
Gordy Gronkowski
No, I did. I mean, what a character who doesn't know Share Bear.
Shawn French
Wild.
Gordy Gronkowski
Did you hear how the last time he won his pro pickleball tournament.
Shawn French
No.
Gordy Gronkowski
He was at Gronk Beach. Are you familiar with Gronk Beach?
Shawn French
Tell me about it.
Gordy Gronkowski
It's. So Gronk beach is the official party of the super bowl. Outdoor.
Shawn French
Oh, really?
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah. And we do it usually in warm weather places for either the draft or the Super Bowl. So Share Bear, Brandon, the whole team, the legacy team, comes out. And, you know, the great thing about them is they helped my brothers win their disability cases after they were in the NFL, which is absolutely incredible, what they do for people and how they help people with mental health after their pro sports careers are over in the NFL. So, anyways, we're all great friends. They want to come to grand beach, no problem. We take care of them, they come cheer. Bear is having the time of his life. He's on stage. He probably didn't even remember being up there because he was having so much fun.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
Manages to catch a flight to go play in his pro pickleball tournament the next morning. Didn't sleep yet, gets there somehow, wins the first few matches. Okay, that's. That's kind of impressive, right?
Shawn French
Yeah. For sure.
Gordy Gronkowski
Then he goes out that night. So he still hasn't slept.
Shawn French
Yeah. Yeah, Sounds like him.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah. So he's out all night. He said he had one of the best times, you know, with all the girls he was with and dancing and still didn't sleep. Goes right to his pickleball tournament on day two. Wins those matches, probably didn't even remember who he beat, and then manages to make it to the finals. The dude wins the tournament.
Shawn French
Good Lord. On. Zero sleep.
Gordy Gronkowski
Zero sleep. And. And he thanked Gronk beach and all the Gronk brothers of. For why he won the tournament. He.
Shawn French
You guys made him forget about what he's about to go do.
Gordy Gronkowski
Exactly.
Shawn French
And he just conscious, baby.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah. Being unconscious.
Shawn French
Did you hear about Worlds?
Gordy Gronkowski
No, I needed.
Shawn French
You didn't hear about Worlds? What happened?
Gordy Gronkowski
Tell me this one.
Shawn French
This guy goes out there. Okay, Sherry. Dude, he goes out there. Okay, ready?
Gordy Gronkowski
I can't wait to hear this. I can't wait to hear this.
Shawn French
The night before, the night before his first match, he's crushing Blue Bell Ice Cream.
Gordy Gronkowski
Oh, my gosh.
Shawn French
He slept in and he didn't make.
Gordy Gronkowski
His match, and now he has a sponsorship deal.
Shawn French
Yeah. Now they send him ice cream. I'm like, wait a second, dude. You're missing out on this. They're sending you ice cream. Tell them to send you money.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah.
Shawn French
I mean, come on, dude. They're getting off.
Gordy Gronkowski
He's got to learn to, like, how to negotiate it.
Shawn French
I know he does.
Gordy Gronkowski
Endorsement deal.
Shawn French
He does.
Gordy Gronkowski
Maybe he should use you.
Shawn French
I don't know, man. I don't know. I might eat the ice cream, bro.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah, see, now you see why you didn't get paid the money. He wants the ice cream.
Shawn French
He wants the ice cream.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah. So that's actually crazy. I did read that story as well.
Shawn French
Okay.
Gordy Gronkowski
He got put. He said he was in an ice cream coma.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
He didn't go out the night before. He actually ate too much ice cream to miss the tournament.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
So not only, you know, did he miss the tournament, his partner had to forfeit because Ryan never showed up to the pickleball courts to play in the tournament. So his partner, who prepared all those months, who was ready to play, had a forfeit. And Ryan had over 200 missed calls over ice cream. Yeah.
Shawn French
Ice cream. Like, break this down. Ice cream. How much ice cream?
Gordy Gronkowski
Like, the night before?
Shawn French
Like, maybe, like, that would.
Gordy Gronkowski
That would have been doing that with chicks.
Shawn French
Like, but that would have been.
Gordy Gronkowski
But that would have made sense.
Shawn French
Yes. Yes. You know, like, you got JLo and you're sitting there for 15 hours. I'm not going to the court. Yeah, that. Okay, Ryan, I get it. But ice cream?
Gordy Gronkowski
I know.
Shawn French
That's a. That's a phenomenal.
Gordy Gronkowski
Hey, you know what? Good for him. He got a new partnership deal.
Shawn French
He did?
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah.
Shawn French
It was all.
Gordy Gronkowski
He knows how to do it stage. Yeah.
Shawn French
Just like the Dyson. Just like the Tyson fight. Do you think the thing was staged?
Gordy Gronkowski
I did talk to some people in Puerto Rico who are on Jake Paul's board. I'll just leave it at that.
Shawn French
Okay. Yeah, don't. Don't. Yeah, don't get killed, dude. I don't need your legs broken. Dude, you are tall. How. Taller.
Gordy Gronkowski
Hey, by the way. Yeah, I am six. Six.
Shawn French
That's.
Gordy Gronkowski
But by the way, I've. I actually had an exhibition match versus Jake Paul's brother Logan before he boxed Mayweather.
Shawn French
Really?
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah.
Shawn French
How'd it go? Terrible for him.
Gordy Gronkowski
No, no, for me. Yeah, for you. But, hey, I like how you reverse that real quick.
Shawn French
Hey, man, I got confidence in you, dude.
Gordy Gronkowski
I practice two times.
Shawn French
Okay.
Gordy Gronkowski
I had a mouth guard from Dick's Sporting Goods that never fit.
Shawn French
Oh, Jesus.
Gordy Gronkowski
So one punch, I would already been knocked out.
Shawn French
So you were like that kid that showed up for, like, Little League tryouts that clearly had no place, had nothing, like, with shorts and.
Gordy Gronkowski
Exactly.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
And then we were like, oh, we're gonna. You know, so this is. This is what happened. So we. We were. I forgot. Oh, you know what? We went on Logan's podcast. All of us, all the brothers. First of all, like, the Internet was so bad. It was so choppy. I couldn't even, like, see what was going on from when I was doing it from my phone. But me, I don't really say much because obviously they want all the other brothers on there because they all play in the NFL. I'm just this little, like, the oldest brother no one knows. Minor league baseball player, which is great, you know? Yeah. I have four brothers, all playing the NFL.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
Which is awesome.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
So just to be able to go on these shows is a big deal at Ju. Zacksonville University, the Harvard of the South.
Shawn French
Dude, you're right.
Gordy Gronkowski
That was a big deal there. Yeah.
Shawn French
I mean, yeah, you had Murph, you had Pat.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah, we did have a great team.
Shawn French
Dude, Murph called Pat on my show. The Godfather of Ju. You're actually in Pat's new book coming up.
Gordy Gronkowski
I can't wait to read it, people. Should I have read that first? My section after I wrote it out, or. No, he wrote it out.
Shawn French
Okay. So he did it.
Gordy Gronkowski
I approved it.
Shawn French
You approved it. I'm excited for that to come out.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah, me too. I'm excited to read my own section next year.
Shawn French
Next year, next year. Anyway, so we got sidetracked, so.
Gordy Gronkowski
So we'll go back to how it started. So, yeah, somehow I end up on Logan's podcast because of my brothers and I have like, I barely say anything and the only thing I said is maybe we should have a bros match boxing match, like us bros against, you know, them. Weeks later, they actually wanted to do it, but like an exhibition so he could warm up to the fight. Mayweather. Yeah, I didn't really think this was going to be a thing. We were just kind of messing around. Well, we got some big sponsors who wanted to sponsor the exhibition match, so I was like, whoa, this is wild. We're actually going to do this thing. So they put it together, the sponsors, you know, put it together. Next thing, you know, like, this is probably four weeks before he fights Mayweather, so think of how massive we are as brothers too.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
So that, like, he probably wanted the ring. Like, dude, yeah, Mayweather's fast, but like, what's this?
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
You know what I mean?
Shawn French
Of course.
Gordy Gronkowski
So we're like, all right, here we go. So I, I went and got two practice rounds and thought it would be, you know, that would be sustainable.
Shawn French
Of course. Yeah. You were prepared.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah, I was, I was prepared mentally for myself. I thought I would at least be able to get a punch in, like do something, you know what I mean? He walks in, Chris looks at me and I mean my, you know, if, you know my brother Chris, if you don't know him, the kid, six three and absolutely diced up, weighs more than me. Founder of Ice Shaker and played in the NFL and just took massive hits as a fullback. Just laying people out his whole career. So Chris ain't, you know, he ain't scared to go on Chris anyone, you know, Chris is nuts. So he walks in and when Chris turns to me and goes, look at Logan right now. And I look over the dudes in his, you know, the, the boxing shorts, perfect gear. And he's doing thousands of jumping jacks or, and jump rope a row.
Shawn French
And you're, and at that point you're.
Gordy Gronkowski
Like, at that point he goes, I think we're screwed. When he came in that, like he came in as if he was going to, you know, do a real, like, boxing match, you know what I mean? So I look over and I'm like, yeah, we're done. And I. And then I thought at first, like, if Chris is saying that now, my confidence, I'm at, like, zero right now.
Shawn French
Yeah, you might. Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
Literally, I'm. I'm like, dude, I'm. I'm going to be laying on the ground. I'm going to be the one laying on the ground.
Shawn French
You're going to the hospital.
Gordy Gronkowski
I was thinking I might be there.
Shawn French
Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
Gordy Gronkowski
Absolutely. Yeah, for sure.
Shawn French
Did you. Did you go to the hospital?
Gordy Gronkowski
I didn't. But listen, this is. Even gets better. So you're like, who. Guess who the referee is? I'll give you. I'll give you. Just like, oh, dude. Michael Buffer close.
Shawn French
Britney Spears.
Gordy Gronkowski
That would have been really good.
Shawn French
That would have been cool. Like. Like new Britney Spears. Like, wild, crazy Britney Spears.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah.
Shawn French
You don't know what you're gonna get. No, that'd be cool, though.
Gordy Gronkowski
Just rips the wig off and go. She's.
Shawn French
Yeah, he's up here.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah, that would have actually been. Yeah, that might have actually been better. But it was actually big Rob.
Shawn French
No way.
Gordy Gronkowski
It was. Rob was our ref. So each brother went one round against slogan, while Rob. Ref.
Shawn French
Oh, my God. Oh, my God.
Gordy Gronkowski
So Rob's the referee because he didn't want to box at the time. I think he was planning on coming out of retirement. That's why. And wanted, you know, so he's like, sure, I'll be the referee. Which is hilarious.
Shawn French
Yes.
Gordy Gronkowski
And thank the Lord he had our best interest of brothers, because I didn't know if he would or wouldn't, you.
Shawn French
Know, it could have been a prank thing.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah, exactly.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
So who. Glenn goes in first. And actually, Glenn did pretty good, you know.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
But we just need to make it one round. One of us. Glenn's done. He doesn't make it. What is it, 2 minutes and 30 seconds? Three minutes?
Shawn French
He got knocked out.
Gordy Gronkowski
No, he didn't. But, you know, once he was throwing and then you don't realize how. How quickly you get out of breath.
Shawn French
Oh, I can imagine.
Gordy Gronkowski
Like, when you're not. Not about. You're. And you're trying to be all tense.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
Moving like.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
I was like, whoa, this is way too much energy. Yeah. Glenn got a few hits in. Or not a few hits. Like, he got hit. He got hit.
Shawn French
Okay.
Gordy Gronkowski
And then. Then Chris went in and, you know, Chris is a beast dude. And Chris is just throwing haymakers. He's going out. Yeah, he's going ham and, like, flexing and, like, going nuts. And he's just missing left and right. And I think he was like, the closest one to. He might have kind of landed one. But then he couldn't make it the whole round either, because he was so tired. So Dan goes in. Dude. Dan gets lit up. Dude, His. His eyes are all swollen.
Shawn French
Oh, dude.
Gordy Gronkowski
Black and blue. Almost knocked out. Logan landed one right on the right side of. You know. And then I'm last, and I'm like. I didn't even want to at that.
Shawn French
How much anxiety did you have watching your brothers getting beat up? You're like, okay, now I gotta go in there. I'm excited now. This is good.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah. At that point, I thought I was. I should have just went first.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
And then it would have been over with, but I might. But I also could have been knocked out right away.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
Well, now Logan's got a lot of confidence, too, you know, because none of us have made. I got to make it around because. Just one. Just one round. Like, we got to make it one round.
Shawn French
How long? Was around three minutes.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah. What's a boxing round? Three or five?
Shawn French
Three.
Gordy Gronkowski
I think we were doing three. I think we cut it down to maybe two and a half or two. We still couldn't make it.
Shawn French
So you're in there now.
Gordy Gronkowski
I'm in there, and I'm like. I'm, like, jabbing and. And you gotta. You know, you have, like, winky. Right. You know, and those guys who were helping us, like, understand our form.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
You know, So I was like, all right. I was like, I got this. So I'm, like, jabbing because I got long arms.
Shawn French
Yeah, dude.
Gordy Gronkowski
I was already. My arms started, like, falling down after, like, 35 seconds. Because, you know, that's wild, that tired how it is.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
So now. Now he goes, all right. He starts. You know, his confidence is through the roof. Plus, his confidence was already probably through the roof. But then I'm in there, and now I'm like, myself. You know what I mean?
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
And we have the number, which is.
Shawn French
What I would have literally done so I could get out of the ring. Yeah, I would have just.
Gordy Gronkowski
Just. Yeah, actually, that would have been. Yeah. But I think I already, like, a bunch right before I got in the ring.
Shawn French
You guys already got to prepare better next time, dude.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah, I know.
Shawn French
You got to leave it in.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah, I got to.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
Especially I get hit once. Shit, I'm out.
Shawn French
Right? See ya. So thanks for the fame. About.
Gordy Gronkowski
So he, like, I get in the corner. He gets me, backs me in, and now he just starts talking shit. Rob, I knock your brother out. Super bowl tickets do for me. And I'm like, oh, I can't get knocked out.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
So I was like, this sucks. He's just yelling all this stuff. I'm going to. I thought I was going to, like, this is like, I'm done. He's going to knock me out. One uppercut with this mouth guard in. That wasn't even really in my mouth. My teeth are going to hit. They're going to break. So I'm going around. I look over at my dad. My dad's like, yeah, you're gonna. Might be dead.
Shawn French
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
So he gets me in the corner. I'm like, I'm trying to hit. He's like, gloves up, gloves up. Well, I. Dude, these gloves are from, like, you know, played against sports.
Shawn French
Oh, that's.
Gordy Gronkowski
You know what I mean? They don't even fit my hands. They're not comfortable. I have terrible mouth guard. They threw, like, this headset on that's not even connecting, you know, at my chin. It's like. It's the worst gear in the world. Not that if I had good gear, it was gonna matter. Like, let's be honest. You know what I mean?
Shawn French
It would hurt less, though.
Gordy Gronkowski
Exactly.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
So I turned my head, which you're not even, like, really supposed to do, I guess, and I get smoke back here, and I'm already like this. I'm like, well, okay, here we go. Rob's like, break it up. He's in the corner. Like, you can't be on the ring. I looked over, and I'm like, dude, that's it. They're like, no, I need to knock you out. I need super bowl tickets. I'm like, no, I'm good. My dad's like, yeah, you're good. You're good. You're so.
Shawn French
So you were done.
Gordy Gronkowski
I got. I got ripped once in the back of the head. I felt that, and I was done. And that was it. I think I made it, like. Well, the only reason I made it, like, 50 seconds, because he was dancing around the first 45.
Shawn French
Well, dude, it gives you a different appreciation for, you know, these fighters and what they. The punishment they take.
Gordy Gronkowski
Absolutely, absolutely.
Shawn French
Especially those UFC guys. Good God.
Gordy Gronkowski
And the thing about it. The thing about it, too, is right after he said, guys, because what's. So. What I appreciate about, like, the Paul brothers is they don't. Now. They talk to hype things up, obviously.
Shawn French
Yeah, of course.
Gordy Gronkowski
But they already did all the work behind the scenes that no one's seen, so they don't. They're not really talking about it. They're actually being about it because they already, they are so prepared.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
And don't let anyone know what they've been doing. They're so Logan's like, I've trained for three years, six days a week with a pro boxing trainer, dude.
Shawn French
And then before then he got in the ring.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah, then we got in the ring. So he's been training all those times. They've been training over and over and over and over. Like you got to do with any sport. Like if Logan were to get into, you know, like playing pro baseball like me, if he were to get in and someone threw 95, dude, he's not even going to smell it.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
You know, he'll never even touch a baseball.
Shawn French
Look like a little pill.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah. So I mean that's the appreciation of other people's sports and like became like I appreciate what other people do already. But that was just to a whole nother level.
Shawn French
Absolutely.
Gordy Gronkowski
You know, but that was crazy to hear how much he's trained before he even, like even before we even did the pre match with him.
Shawn French
That, that's, that's something that I want the listeners to really pay attention to and to write down and to reflect upon because there's so many times in our lives that we want to do something and we think okay, I'll practice for a little bit. But then I just got to go. When the reality is like you really need to perfect something. You need to really do the work behind the scenes consistently before you can even go be successful at anything. I just think it's a very good lesson. If you know the Paul brothers are doing it, then you know, Johnny and Nebraska can frickin do it too, man. God dang. Man.
Gordy Gronkowski
It's like there's a lot of Johnny's out there.
Shawn French
There's a lot of Johnny's. He knows who I'm talking about, you know, but like dude, do the work behind the scenes, man.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah. You know, so that gave me a whole new appreciation for what those guys are doing. And when I, when he got in that ring, I actually should have just. I didn't bet. We all went to his match.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
And you know, he put us up in the box and it was an unbelievable experience. All the brothers went, we were all supporting him. You know, when he, when he fought my weather and to go out there, I mean he had to be. How nervous could you. He prepped so he probably wasn't as nervous because obviously if you prep you feel good, but still you're getting that rush. I don't care what anyone says, you know, you're fighting someone who's done this their whole career.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
You did it for three years and you warmed up against the Gronk brothers.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
You know, I mean, you guys gave us.
Shawn French
You guys gave him a scare, though.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah, we did. Big time. I don't think we landed.
Shawn French
That would have been a cool. That would have been a cool event to go to, man. That would have been. That have been so cool.
Gordy Gronkowski
It is. And actually, yeah, it was. We put on our YouTube and he posted it too. We did. You know, it was kind of different. It was a different way to go about putting the. The pre match out there.
Shawn French
That's cool.
Gordy Gronkowski
But it did have the most views in the world on his channel for what he was doing.
Shawn French
Check it out.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah, it was cool. It's funny, dude. I don't think there's much of me in there, but at least.
Shawn French
At least one hit.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah. One hit. One hit on me.
Shawn French
Yeah. I mean, it's fine, dude.
Gordy Gronkowski
I'm trying to cross my legs like you right now, but I'm. I'm just way too big.
Shawn French
Really?
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah. This is so uncle you say? I was like, junk is way too. Every time. Every time I see like, you know, these podcasts and people like this, I'm like, I'm gonna try it. So I finally try it right now. It's not comfortable at all.
Shawn French
Who says I'm comfortable?
Gordy Gronkowski
I have to be like this.
Shawn French
You have to be like this. See, this is like. I don't know, man. Like, this is fine for me, you know? Yeah, fine.
Gordy Gronkowski
It looks like, super comfy and I.
Shawn French
Look really cool, though.
Gordy Gronkowski
I need like a chair up here with, like massage boots on my legs or something.
Shawn French
Yeah, yeah, like some.
Gordy Gronkowski
The Normatec boots.
Shawn French
Yes, yes. That'd be cool.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah.
Shawn French
I mean. Oh, that.
Gordy Gronkowski
That's how we should do podcasts moving forward.
Shawn French
Dude. We're just like laying in bed.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah. Why sit on a chair and just like, you know, it's cool. These chairs are comfortable. They're comfortable. They move back to the back. Yeah.
Shawn French
Like a grandpa rocking chair. You see this? This is nice. This is nice. Dude. Talk to me about Gronk Fitness, man. You guys are a big distributor, I think the biggest distributor for you guys outfit, gyms and specialty boutiques and things like that. Talk to us about that.
Gordy Gronkowski
You know what? Grog Fitness was started. Well, let's take it back a step. So our father started G and G Fitness 35 years ago. G and G Fitness was just one retail store and, you know, now that you're losing all this weight and getting into shape and been getting, I'm not.
Shawn French
Going to lie, I'm so damn proud of myself.
Gordy Gronkowski
I'm happy for you too.
Shawn French
Thank you.
Gordy Gronkowski
And this is just the first step to your journey and you're already feeling great and your energy levels are crazy. So my. Our father, Gordy Sr. Played at Syracuse football. So four year starter. And what happened was, think of colleges, most big colleges have great gyms, you know, so when he got done, he's like, dude, I want a gym in my house. That's dope. And he's, you know, we're born and raised in Buffalo. He's from Buffalo. He's like, you know what, I need to go find something for the house that's legit. I'm a big dude. I can't use this stuff at Dixon Sears. I'm gonna break right through.
Shawn French
It's Sears.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah, yeah. So. Oh, man. So it took him to Pittsburgh. He found a store that actually did what he wanted, high end fitness equipment. So while he was running an oil sales company and doing sales for them, he was like, you know what, I'm gonna try this concept with fitness and get a retail store. Well, meanwhile, he's working all those hours. They got the five of us kids, you know. Yeah, well, they had four at the time because he opened it pretty much the year Rob was born. Then our brother Glenn four years later. So it was like, dude, one little retail store. While you're trying to do oil sales, you're doing the deliveries, you're doing the service, and you're like, is this ever going to work? Is what, you know, pretty much what he told us. Five years later, no money really being made. You're not really home much with the fam, you know, as much as you could try to coach and be with the brothers. And mom's bringing us everywhere 24 7. We all play three to four sports. So it's controlled chaos.
Shawn French
Sure.
Gordy Gronkowski
Of course, you know, especially with five of us boys two years apart for the most part. And finally like five years into it, turned the corner a little bit, he was able to bring this guy on who's still with our company for commercial sales. So what he started doing was we started doing gyms and like colleges and high schools. And so that added a whole new dimension to our business because retail, you know, you have, you have all the inventory you got to buy all the equipment to put on your showroom floor. You know, you have all the employees you're paying. So it's really challenging to make money.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
And then commercial side, you're really commission based because when you get a job, you don't get paid till the equipment gets delivered.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
So that started to grow our business. At that point, you know, he was able to open up more retail stores. One in Syracuse, where he went to college, Rochester, New York. Um, then we were able to expand to Pittsburgh. Took over Pennsylvania because. And, and all those stores that were down there that he originally went, we then came in and took them over. And then, you know, from there, we're talking 35 years later. Now fast forwarding, and we have 12, 13, 14 retail stores throughout the Northeast. We run 13 states with commercial. And we're one of the biggest distributors of fitness equipment in the United States.
Shawn French
You guys make your own equipment too?
Gordy Gronkowski
We do. That's actually a great point. So half the reason, when I got done with pro baseball and I moved to Boston, Rob wanted to have kind of a cool fitness line for kids, too.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
And so when you think of that, you're just thinking like accessories, you know, like bands, kettle bells.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
Plyo box.
Shawn French
You're applying habits, you're helping them learn.
Gordy Gronkowski
Exactly. And, and you can really relate to that. You're not. You see his logo on it, you get excited, especially if you're a kid from the Northeast or New England. You know, you're like, hey, this is how Big Rob trains. This is how the brothers train. This is how they all made it to the NFL. That's the way we train, is using a lot of those functional fitness equipment products. So he's like, let's create our own line that's more affordable, you know, for kids.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
And, and, and for high schools. And that's what we did. So we have our own product line as well. So truly, from delivery or from design? We design first to delivery. We deck out colleges, high schools, fire stations. Just did 12 new Boston Police and fire stations. Yeah.
Shawn French
That's really cool.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah. So it's awesome. And our designs are so beautiful. Top of the line. And then our customer service is the best. And it's our employees that really drive our company who believe in helping others out to reach their dreams and research goals through health and fitness.
Shawn French
Well, you guys, if your employees are doing that much work and they're that big of a piece, it means you guys have built a great culture and they feel like it's a home for them. Right. Not just a job. How have you guys gone about building that culture to where these employees feel special enough to execute the work that they need to for you guys.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah. The culture all starts with from the top, you know, with our leadership team and, and with my dad. The cool thing is when you look at our leadership board and our team, they have been with my dad probably an average of 25 plus years.
Shawn French
That's badass, dude.
Gordy Gronkowski
Like, you don't see that much with companies anymore. You know what I mean? And so it says a lot about our team. You know, there's. There's things now which I think my brother Dan and I have brought because we haven't even been there as long as our leadership team seen us grow up, they've seen us go to college, they've seen us all play pro sports. Not ever thinking that that was ever going to happen. Right?
Shawn French
Yes.
Gordy Gronkowski
You know, our parents goal was probably like, hey, maybe we can get these guys to, you know, college play sports and get a full scholarship so we don't have to pay. Yeah, I mean, that's. Most parents like dream if someone's in sports. Right.
Shawn French
Sure of.
Gordy Gronkowski
Cool. And then from there it's just a bonus. So for all five of us to play pro sports is obviously a wild bro. And coming from Buffalo, New York, where no one recruited us.
Shawn French
Yeah, that's wild.
Gordy Gronkowski
It's truly wild. So I know years ago, Rob and my dad wrote a book on just the odds of that happening growing up Gronk. It was a New York Times bestseller. Real easy read. My mom just came out with a book called Outnumbered, which is hysterical because it's five of us that look like each other on our front cover, but as animated characters with her holding like huge refrigerators and, you know, freezers with us all like kind of popping up around it out of the fridge, you know, as like animated characters.
Shawn French
So.
Gordy Gronkowski
But the odds, I don't know, I think it was like one in 30 million.
Shawn French
I did.
Gordy Gronkowski
It's wild, you know, which is insane to even think about. And most people don't even realize that my other three brothers actually play in the NFL too. And our youngest brother Glenn won a Super bowl with rob on that 283 miracle comeback versus Atlanta.
Shawn French
Dude, that was wild, bro.
Gordy Gronkowski
That was the most insane thing.
Shawn French
That was shocking.
Gordy Gronkowski
You want to know what's interesting about that, too, is at halftime when they were down, Glenn actually said that they weren't going to bring. Because Glenn wasn't playing. He was the backup fullback at the time. So he didn't actually dress for that game, but he was on the team because there's like six guys who don't dress okay. So unfortunately, he didn't play in the game, but he was part of the team all year. He said at halftime that they actually weren't going to bring him back down to the field because they were so. They were so embarrassed about how bad they were getting blown out. And they did. They brought him down to the field anyways. But he was at. They were actually told that at one point and they actually. They came back and that was the. That was the craziest thing that maybe ever that could happen.
Shawn French
They weren't going to bring them back.
Gordy Gronkowski
To the field, just the players. So they were just going to keep them up in the box seats.
Shawn French
Oh, the six. The six, dude.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah. The six or eight guys who didn't dress for the game and the guys who were injured.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
Instead of having all these guys on the sideline, like, you know, maybe to mix it up. Yeah. But very interesting that, you know, like. But it's so cool to see that Glenn was the only brother who never played a high school sport or a pro sport because he was four years apart from Rob. So he never got to play on any of Rob's teams. Rob played with Chris, Chris played with Dan, Dan played on my teams. And then they all played in college together, too, which was pretty cool. That's just, you know, Chris played with Dan in college. Dan's first ever touchdown pass was Chris's first ever play at the University of Maryland. So, like, the photo we have of them two chest bumping in the end zone, I think they went 12 and three that year. 11 and three. Something ridiculous at Maryland when Maryland was absolutely crushing it with Burn and Davis and those guys.
Shawn French
Yeah, yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
And then Chris transferred with Rob to the University of Arizona, and then them two started together there and then both went to the NFL the same year together.
Shawn French
Dude, that is. That's a bloodline, bro.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah. But you know what it comes down to? Like, we're from, like. Like I said, we're from Buffalo, New York. It's like coming from up north. Like, no one really recruited any of us but you. You know, I gotta thank my mom and dad for. They really helped us understand that if you guys want to take it to the next level, that's truly what you want. You really can't be playing those sports here in Buffalo.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
Especially me with baseball.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
You know, they're like, hey, you're a good baseball player. Cool. You're, you know, Buffalo All American. Whoopy do.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
That don't mean. You know what I mean? Like, you think it does. You Think you're all good, you're in this little newspaper like now go down south and when I went there, you know, and to meet, you know, some of your friends because you're here, who happened to go to college with me, which is out of control. Yeah, that's, that's a whole different world, dude.
Shawn French
It's crazy.
Gordy Gronkowski
These guys are playing year round. These guys are drafted out of high school, they decide to go to college to move up in the rankings for their drafts, to make more money, to take full scholarships, to get education. And you're like, what, what is going on? Right, right. And so you got, you got to, you got to find a way to fit in and to get the respect. And the cool thing is, is, you know, my. None of my brothers, we're not like rah rah guys as far as speaking. We're more of doing. And I, and I just think that's really important because people will follow you based on what you're, how you're doing things, if you're doing them the right way. Right.
Shawn French
People always look at actions, man. You know, yeah, you can say one thing and you can say it till you're blue in the face, but until that moment where you start acting on these things is when people start to really realize, okay, that dude's it or she's it. But also what it does internally is, gives you that confidence, right, that, that you are it. Right. If you just sit there and talk, man, you ain't going to get very far.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah, for the most part. Yeah, most of the time. Now some of these guys got so their motivational speeches. Like I seen like one of Dan's teammates who was in a wwe, Mojo Raleigh, his speeches before games, Ray Lewis. Those guys are so good at motivational speeches that I just want them to stand next to me and yell at me before the game. Absolutely. You know, those are like, those are insane.
Shawn French
Well, there's a place for it, man.
Gordy Gronkowski
Exactly. And you need those guys too. But yeah, live on it.
Shawn French
You can live on it.
Gordy Gronkowski
But then they also need people like us who are going to be the first ones there who are going to put in extra time, who are going to make people better because they're in the classroom whether you want to go or not, whether you like it or not, they're going to find a way to go because you're, you're creating more energy because they're seeing your success. Right.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
So I think that was, that's the best way to kind of lead.
Shawn French
I, I agree, I agree. Lead by action.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah, absolutely.
Shawn French
You know, I think lead leadership, it's so funny because people get. They think management and leadership are the same things and they're. They couldn't be more polar opposite. Right. Manager manages numbers and a manager manages actions over and over and over again. A leadership coaches and empowers.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah, that's a great point.
Shawn French
You know, it's a massive difference. And that's why your dad's board members have been with him for 25 years. That's why you guys have built the culture within Gronk Fitness to where it's at right now, because there's real leadership. And real leadership is something that, to me, is dying and it needs to be brought back because there's too many people out there doing this instead of showing.
Gordy Gronkowski
Exactly.
Shawn French
Yeah. Yeah. It's wild, man.
Gordy Gronkowski
What is it? Don't talk about it, be about it. Yeah, there it is. That's what it is. That's what they say. That's what they always say.
Shawn French
Right. And it's so funny because it's like every aspect of your life, right, you're either on or you're off. Right. And you can be on in so many different areas. And for so long, I was on with this show, right. And I talk about this a lot. And I was off with my, you know, internal belief system about what I deserve to look like, what I deserved, what kind of shape I deserve to be in. And finally I was like, okay, well, I got to get this on par with everything else in my life. And the moment that I did that, I'm noticing, like, my interviews are even better. Like, my mind's working clear.
Gordy Gronkowski
Isn't that crazy?
Shawn French
It's not. So I'm like, okay, well, if we were here with the show before, I mean, we're going to be way up here.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah.
Shawn French
Like, I, Hey, I'm excited to go through 2025 and see where everything ends up, but also like, hey, let me get that crystal ball. Let me look and see what the. The end looks like, because I think it's going to be massive.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah, that's awesome. And to come from where you came from, too. I mean, it's. It's very similar, but in a different way. Right. And that's what's so cool. It doesn't have to be about sports.
Shawn French
No.
Gordy Gronkowski
It can be about business and be about what, you know, whatever it is that you want to achieve.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
You know, the people that, you know are going to fail, like, they're going to find a way, and that's what you're going to. You're going to hear from them is, I failed so many times, you know, over and over and over. But they're not. They're going to find a way to still get to the top.
Shawn French
I think people fear failure way too much. Like, if you're going to be really good at something, you're going to be a big failure.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah. And sometimes the best way to actually learn what I think personally is to fail or to have someone tell me, I can't do it.
Shawn French
Oh, I love when they.
Gordy Gronkowski
You know, that's the best. My motivation levels go through. If someone tells me I can't do something, like, it changes. I actually need that still. I do.
Shawn French
It's a chip on the shoulder.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah.
Shawn French
Yeah. You know, I've learned to control it a little bit, but at the same time, like, I. You know how, like.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah, you got to control it to a point.
Shawn French
You have to.
Gordy Gronkowski
I like. I like that because even when things are going really well and they're going too well, it's almost like I need that.
Shawn French
You need that limbic system to be messed with.
Gordy Gronkowski
Exactly.
Shawn French
A little bit. It's funny, like, and I'm not comparing myself or you to Michael Jordan, but Michael Jordan was like that, too. He. It was. It's rumored, I don't know if it's true, that he would make things up on the court. Like, someone just.
Gordy Gronkowski
I wouldn't be surprised.
Shawn French
Just so he can go out and show out. Right. And so for me, like, even when someone says something positive like, hey, man, like, by the end of the year, I think you could be here. I'm like, see you in six months.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah.
Shawn French
And then in my mind, I'm going, I'm gonna be there in three. Right. Because if I. If I. If I hold that discipline and I push and I push and I push, then I know I can get there before six months. But. But, but again, it's like doing it and not holding that grudge. Like, I remember people telling me back in the day, you're not ready to have this individual on the show or whatever. And, oh, it would eat me up. But what I did was I said, okay, you said that out of love, but we're gonna get there.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah.
Shawn French
And we got there.
Gordy Gronkowski
You know, that's amazing. And now look where you're at now. And you're still going, right? And you're still learning and you're trying to connect with the right people.
Shawn French
Exactly.
Gordy Gronkowski
For the right reasons.
Shawn French
Yeah, man. I think, you know, as great as the show did in 2020, four. You know, like, we're filming it in 2020.
Gordy Gronkowski
You're only warming up, baby. You're only coming up.
Shawn French
This will come out in January. So people listening now have already gone through the holidays, but, I mean, do we. We crushed 1.2 mil. We hit a million downloads in November. And yesterday, December 21st. Yeah, we're at 1.2.
Gordy Gronkowski
That's incredible.
Shawn French
So we're pacing two.
Gordy Gronkowski
But, you know, that. That says a lot about your team around you, a lot about you and believing in it and doing the right things and, you know, and you kept putting effort into it, but that failure helped you get to where you are, too.
Shawn French
So many starts and stops.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah.
Shawn French
A lot of tears. Not gonna lie. A lot of, like, what the hell am I doing? But like you said, my team, you know, my partners, you know, Pat, you know, and. And my. My production team, you know, Ryan and Mike and Jamie, they. They. They just. They get me. And the show is starting to really take shape in, like, just everything exciting. I can even listen. I can even listen to myself now. I remember back in the day, dude, I used to listen to. Oh, man. You ever look back at your old. You're like, God, I'm surprised people even paid attention to me, man.
Gordy Gronkowski
You know what? I actually. My college roommates just. I was just visiting them in Philly. That's funny that you said that. And my best friend Brian, who played Division 1 basketball at Jacksonville University, too, he gave me this video. It's on a cassette tape, so I have not turned it over to a DVD yet.
Shawn French
Okay.
Gordy Gronkowski
Or whatever you got to do. USB or for your computer. Yeah, I need to see what was on that, because I would love to actually watch that based on.
Shawn French
Dude, you got it.
Gordy Gronkowski
But when I still look in the past. Yeah, absolutely. There's times I look at, like, you know, where I gained a lot of weight to 265, playing baseball, thinking it's for the right reasons, and it wasn't.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
And I'm like, wait, what was I even doing?
Shawn French
Or like, 265.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah. I'm like 218 now.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
Like, lean and mean.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
But I also change 9%.
Shawn French
7.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
I won't take my shirt off now because I don't have any ladies around us.
Shawn French
It'd be weird. It'd be weird.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah. It would be a little bit. You know, just in a room on a Sunday morning, like, when the cameras.
Shawn French
Go off, we'll take our.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah, all right, perfect. We'll do it after. We won't tell Anyone?
Shawn French
We'll cuddle. It's fine.
Gordy Gronkowski
All right, cool. We'll do it right down there.
Shawn French
Right down in there? Yeah, right down there.
Gordy Gronkowski
And then you can do your before and after next to me, too. No, that'll. That'll. Now that you're already down £20, that'll be like.
Shawn French
That'll be like you getting in the. In the ring with the Pauls. Like, I'm not doing that to myself. I probably wouldn't need another meal for three days.
Gordy Gronkowski
Now we got to do it, and we'll just do it, like, the whole grind fitness thing with you. So then now when you're diced up at 10, oh, man.
Shawn French
You'd be like, hey, now, My goal is 12 on a DEXA, though. So if I'm 12 on a DEXA, I might be 7.
Gordy Gronkowski
There you go. That's all that matters.
Shawn French
But I'm going to be honest with you and honest with all you people. I don't know if I want to be seven. I don't know if I want to do.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah, you might get too shredded.
Shawn French
Yeah, I mean, like, I don't know if my wife would get off me at that point, you know? Like, that'd be uncomfortable. I'm like, babe, there's kids around.
Gordy Gronkowski
I know. It's crazy. You can't even do, like, hang out with the kids anymore.
Shawn French
Can't even clean the pool in peace.
Gordy Gronkowski
That. That's crazy.
Shawn French
Can't even go to Publix without somebody putting a pineapple on the. On the. On the golf cart. Did you hear about that?
Gordy Gronkowski
I didn't hear about that one.
Shawn French
I don't know if it's true. So people are saying if you walk around Publix or grocery store. Grocery store with a pineapple where the kid sits, it means you're a swinger.
Gordy Gronkowski
Oh, I have seen stuff on that. Like, up.
Shawn French
So Gordy's like, I am going to Publix every freaking day, and I am looking for pineapples.
Gordy Gronkowski
I need to find a girlfriend first. But I guess you don't have to have a girlfriend. You could have a couple girls.
Shawn French
You could.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah, you could rent one. Yeah, that's true.
Shawn French
I don't think that's legal here, though.
Gordy Gronkowski
Don't you feel like if you're bringing someone out and paying all that money for dinner, is that the same thing as running one or No?
Shawn French
I love this conversation so much, and I just. You're paying for it either way, baby.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah. For them to leave, too, Robert. What was. What was that? Who said that? Was it it was you.
Shawn French
You just said that.
Gordy Gronkowski
No, Charlie. Was it Charlie.
Shawn French
Charlie Sheen.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah.
Shawn French
Oh, my God. Tiger blood.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah, I think he said that one. He's a g. Yeah, that's. It was pretty funny. I'm paying for them to leave. Yeah, it was nice.
Shawn French
Hey, I mean, perspective.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah, it's a perspective. However you want to look at it.
Shawn French
Exactly. So you have a crazy travel schedule coming up. Dude.
Gordy Gronkowski
You know, I'm fortunate enough to be able to do so many cool things. Sometimes I have to take a step back and realize how awesome it is. Because a lot. It's a lot. It can be a lot. And you want to be on most of the time. Especially when you're with, like, your bros. Yeah. You know, and it's like, how do you do that? Right? And. And I think the biggest thing for me is I have to work out in the morning. I missed the workout yesterday morning, and I know my mom was feeling it, and then I ate all her food after. For eight people Now.
Shawn French
Do you get drunk off rum cake, though?
Gordy Gronkowski
You. After all the rum cake I ate, I was buzzed a little bit. I had to go for a walk, and I'm like, whoa, look.
Shawn French
Whoa.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah. How much did you put in here? Well, you can't eat a whole cake.
Shawn French
Yeah, you can eat. Okay. But there were shrooms in there.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah. And whatever else you put in, she probably didn't even know she put them in there. I had mushrooms on the. On the steak yesterday. Okay.
Shawn French
Well, I mean, depends. Depends what kind they were. Depends what kind they were.
Gordy Gronkowski
Exactly.
Shawn French
Dude. It's funny. I. Today was actually my rest day. I hadn't rested in, like, eight days.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah.
Shawn French
And started feeling a little bit in my chest, you know, Like. You know, I'm like, okay. I don't know if I'm getting sick or not. So I took today off, man. But I'll be back at it tomorrow.
Gordy Gronkowski
You still have more than half the day left. You might. You might not take it.
Shawn French
I still might go for a while.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah. That's crazy. Almost. You shouldn't. That's way too knots. You go. That's nuts. Holy gosh. I can't believe you're conducting.
Shawn French
Prick.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah. You probably shouldn't that. You might.
Shawn French
I might. I might end up in the hospital.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah. That might be too much for your chest today.
Shawn French
Might be. I know. I'm not running. I know I'm not running today. That's for damn certain. I'm not doing that. But. Yeah, you got. You do a lot of cool things, man. What's the what's the most fun thing that you do out of all the cool things that you got going?
Gordy Gronkowski
I know, I know we talked about it a little bit because I brought it up earlier just because of the share bear conversation. But I think one of the coolest things we do as brothers is we haven't really done Christmas or Easter since high school together. The five of us, we are all either in college and, you know, in college season for the brothers, there's bowl games.
Shawn French
Yeah, of course.
Gordy Gronkowski
And they. Every year they were in a bowl game. Every single year. I don't think there was a year they ever didn't go to a bowl because they played at such amazing schools. University of Maryland, Arizona, and go and played at Kansas State. So they were always great and it was fun. The competition was insane. So I think there's a couple of things. One, going to their college games is probably one of the coolest experiences of my life. You know, getting to see them. I would always go near the field right before the game. They would see me. I always send them a text of motivation right before. And then we get crazy. I hug them, go nuts, get the quick video of them.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
And then there they are, they're out on the field playing in front of thousands and thousands of people. 70 plus thousand a game, you know, and. And all their divisions are great. So they're always playing such amazing schools.
Shawn French
Great football.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah. Unbelievable football I got to watch almost my whole life, you know, until they just all finally retired from the NFL. That's probably one of the coolest experiences of my life. But I think it's brothers right now. We, since we didn't do Christmas and Easter all those years is Gronk Beach.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
We always said, hey, we want the hottest artists, hottest DJs, we want to be cool with people we like to be around. And we want to throw a party.
Shawn French
That's in February.
Gordy Gronkowski
Well, it is when the super bowl or the draft is in Vegas or a really warm place. Yes. It would be in New Orleans. People are probably going to get upset because we're not doing it this year in New Orleans. Unfortunately, there's. Well, we just won't do it at all, you know.
Shawn French
Damn it.
Gordy Gronkowski
I know. Because we're going to have to get you at one of them.
Shawn French
I want to go.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah. They're wild.
Shawn French
I'm all fired.
Gordy Gronkowski
We did Miami, we did Arizona for a Super bowl last year. We did a couple in Vegas for the draft party and for the super bowl as well. So that's amazing because we all Come together. And the five of us. I forgot how many years it was, like there would be four together and three and two and at different events. But, you know, my brother started having kids, you know, between Robin, Dan and Chris. Had nine kids now over the last 10 years. So as soon as you think you're gonna get together, you still truly never get together.
Shawn French
Yeah, they get sick, too.
Gordy Gronkowski
Kids get sick a lot, so it's hard to bring them to Grant beach, too, you know? Yeah. Yeah, they got. They got a few more years, so.
Shawn French
Especially if Sherry's there.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah, exactly.
Shawn French
Good God.
Gordy Gronkowski
So that. I think as brothers, that's probably one of the coolest things we've ever did. And to be on stage with some of the most electric artists and DJs in the world.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
Who, like, respect us, too. And you just never look at it like that, because the music you listen to and the. The people you meet, like, now you're on stage with them and you're doing cool things. We said we wanted. Always do, we're doing. Yeah. So I think that's pretty powerful. Just because we don't do his brother's Christmas or Easter anymore. I don't know if we ever will. Just because, you know.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
Some of the brothers live on one side of the country, and on the other, when there's events, half of us try to. We try to do our best to get there, but it's just so hard to get all five of us there.
Shawn French
I mean, it happens, man.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah, it happens.
Shawn French
Families. Look at this.
Gordy Gronkowski
Visiting mom down here. Then my dad and brother's up in Buffalo back to Texas.
Shawn French
That's. That's your flight plan? That's like, literally.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah.
Shawn French
You're. You're gonna go do a cooking video with your mom.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah. Right after this.
Shawn French
What are you guys gonna do?
Gordy Gronkowski
You know what? We're gonna. Ma's gonna cook because she's one of the best cooks ever. And we actually have something funny since I don't cook. And I get my meals made for me weekly.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
At home, which is so much easier to do. That's nice, because they're already prepped for me. My buddy has an incredible company called New Tray.
Shawn French
Okay.
Gordy Gronkowski
Valentino, shout out to him. He makes such great meals. And they're at your door when you get home, which is even easier for me. And they're already ready. They're already prepped.
Shawn French
You stow them in the microwave and you're good, right?
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah. Or you throw them on a pan.
Shawn French
There you go. Pan's better.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah, it is. Better.
Shawn French
Yeah. The radiation's not good. You know, Shout out to Valentino.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah. Hey, I love that. So we brought nutri meals down here.
Shawn French
Okay.
Gordy Gronkowski
So I, you know, Mom's gonna cook her bomb meal. I'm gonna try, but then I'm gonna. On the side. She doesn't know. I'm just gonna pull out one of the meals.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
And you say, hey, look how good I did. How much better it is.
Shawn French
Yeah, exactly. Look how good I really.
Gordy Gronkowski
I just heated it up.
Shawn French
That's genius. That's genius.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah. So. So that's gonna be fun. We'll see how she re.
Shawn French
She's gonna backhand you.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah, probably.
Shawn French
You try to show up. Show up, mama girl.
Gordy Gronkowski
I'm gonna try. We'll see what happens.
Shawn French
Unbelievable. It's gonna be a fun video, man.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah.
Shawn French
You know what she's making?
Gordy Gronkowski
I. I don't. I don't even know she can make anything. So whatever we tell. Hey, we're doing a lunch thing, so. All right, here we go.
Shawn French
Is that what it is? It's a lunch. She's making it.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah. We're gonna. We were gonna do dinner, but I was. I told you I didn't work out yesterday, so I was a little foggy. It was the first time in four weeks I was not. I would, you know, like you said, if. If I don't come in with my mind. Right. I'm not ready to do that stuff. I just wanted to eat all her food instead. Especially the rum cake.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
And her chicken souffle, which is her special that she makes, that she talks about in our book, too. And how to make it souffle. Yeah. In her book, outnumber. It's insane. She's made it for us as kids, like, every single week, and it was a battle. The who got the food, and if you weren't home on time, you didn't get it, you know, because all the brothers ate it. Yeah.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
It was gone fast. You had to, like, make two of them, and they were still gone.
Shawn French
That's amazing.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah. You'll have to try it sometime. It's something. You're right down the street from Mama Grant.
Shawn French
I think I am. I think I am. Yeah. I'm like. Right? Don't. Yeah, don't do that, dude. That would be a good outpouring.
Gordy Gronkowski
Right on me.
Shawn French
Put that. Put that in the outtake. Yeah. Because I'm right by Gulf Coast Town Center.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah, perfect.
Shawn French
Yeah, right there. But I would love to.
Gordy Gronkowski
I'd love to be fun. She's awesome, and it's just fun, you know, that's what she loves doing. You know, she's. We never ate out as kids, and she always cooked for us. Incredible with the coupons and saving money to make sure that you could take care of five of us.
Shawn French
I mean, because, I mean, I would imagine you guys put away some food.
Gordy Gronkowski
We put away some food. We also put a heavy bill, I bet. You know, dude. Damn. It's almost like that food bill was insane.
Shawn French
Equity line of credit every week, just.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah. I couldn't even imagine, like, what that. Like, that bill would be right now. Oh, dude, we should actually bring her shopping. As if she's gonna shop for five of us. Oh, we should do that and just see what the bill would actually be now. As if she was still buying the same stuff back then.
Shawn French
1500.
Gordy Gronkowski
I know. That's what I would think it would be, too. It was six back in the day. 600?
Shawn French
Yeah. Oh, yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
It's got to be tripled now. Right?
Shawn French
I remember. I. It has to be. So I have. Like I said, I have three kids and the wife. Right. So a family of five.
Gordy Gronkowski
So when.
Shawn French
Before COVID or before the last hike or whatever it was when. Anyway, groceries were, like 200 bucks, like, for a week. And now if I go back and do the same thing, I'm paying like 500, 600 bucks.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah. So we're probably at least 1500.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Unknown Artist
Wow.
Shawn French
That's like a horse. You're like. It's like.
Gordy Gronkowski
No, it's cow. So you buy whole cows?
Shawn French
Yeah. Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
Have to.
Shawn French
You probably have to keep them in your backyard.
Gordy Gronkowski
Four. What? Four freezers. I think we had full freezers, not just a half ones. Yeah.
Shawn French
Really?
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah.
Shawn French
Full freezers.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah. Two full ones in the garage. The one inside. Yeah. And who knows? There's another one probably in her room just because we wouldn't go in there.
Shawn French
And for her food.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah. She had a lock that she had to lock the master.
Shawn French
Yeah. Because, I mean, she'd have to go about the master bedroom because you guys ate all the damn food.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah, exactly.
Shawn French
I mean, you guys grew.
Gordy Gronkowski
We did. We grew a little bit. She's five. Six.
Shawn French
You're the tallest one, right?
Gordy Gronkowski
Barely.
Shawn French
Barely.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah, barely.
Shawn French
Next.
Gordy Gronkowski
It's. So Dan. Dan, Rob and I are all like, six. Six and a half.
Shawn French
Okay.
Gordy Gronkowski
Same size shoe, 16, which is ridiculous.
Shawn French
Freaking ski.
Gordy Gronkowski
Because I was just at my dad's, and I actually had to go to event, and I can't fit extra shoes in my suitcase, and I don't like to check a big suitcase, so I Only can I have to pick.
Shawn French
Are those your dad's shoes?
Gordy Gronkowski
No, these ones are actually mine.
Shawn French
I was gonna say your dad's a G bro. If those are his shoes.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah, that would actually be wild. But he's. But him, Chris and Glenn are all 13s.
Shawn French
Okay.
Gordy Gronkowski
So. And they're all the same height. They're six three.
Shawn French
Okay.
Gordy Gronkowski
So it makes it really convenient when you need clothes or you don't bring a lot. So even though I'm traveling from Boston to Tampa to Fort Myers to Buffalo to Boston to Texas, I have a very small suitcase because at each location I can wash my clothes.
Shawn French
Yes.
Gordy Gronkowski
And I. And I. I also know that there's stuff at each location of my brothers, so I don't need to bring everything with me.
Shawn French
It's huge, man.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah, it actually helps out a lot.
Shawn French
You should. You should consult with people when they pack.
Gordy Gronkowski
The only thing I forgot was coming down here was my shorts to work out in. Just like it's warm down here and it can be warm. You know what?
Shawn French
Respect.
Gordy Gronkowski
I could just go buy those. And that's the only thing we didn't have down here. We're like more casual shorts. Not just the workouts. Well, of course there's workout shorts here because that's all my brothers do is work out 24 7.
Shawn French
I mean, much respect. I know you, you're up in Boston, but like for Florida guy that. This morning was frigid.
Gordy Gronkowski
It was. I went to the gym at 6:30. It was chilly.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
I did wear shorts and I did have a long sleeve shirt on today.
Shawn French
Okay.
Gordy Gronkowski
To the gym. But I walked to the gym in my mom's neighborhood. Yeah, it was frigid.
Shawn French
Yeah, it's not.
Gordy Gronkowski
But it's gonna still like it. When it hits midday though, It'll be like seven. It feels like 97.
Shawn French
Terrible. It's like. Okay. That's how people get sick.
Gordy Gronkowski
I actually felt in my throat yesterday. I. Like I was getting cold.
Shawn French
Like my chest.
Gordy Gronkowski
Is that where you. Yeah, that was weird. That's the first time I felt that.
Shawn French
Yeah, I take some immune defense.
Gordy Gronkowski
That's smart.
Shawn French
Good. Well, I'm not good.
Gordy Gronkowski
Maybe I need. What immune defense are you taking that? You're gonna.
Shawn French
Jeff Delaney gave it to me from the new Viva clinic I was telling you about.
Gordy Gronkowski
Okay.
Shawn French
Yeah, he gave it to me. Gives me all my all in ones. They're like those big old horse pills. I've taken like 10 of them a day. I swear.
Gordy Gronkowski
That might just hurt your throat alone.
Shawn French
That might be. It might be scratched. I Might. I might have some damage to my trachea for my freaking vitamins. Good God. But, hey, it's working, man. It's working.
Gordy Gronkowski
That's what matters.
Shawn French
Well, look, dude, I'm super jacked. Thank you for coming on.
Gordy Gronkowski
I know you are getting super jacked. You lost 20 pounds.
Shawn French
Oh, hey, dude, I'm just trying to catch up. I'm just trying to catch up, okay? I'm trying to catch up to. To the gronk. The gronk man here.
Gordy Gronkowski
Look at you leaning me, brother. I'm the baseball player, so I'm leaning mean.
Shawn French
Yeah. So funny story. We were talking about height. Sorry, I want to go back, so I want to clear up something on the air. My wife makes fun of me when she sees my license.
Gordy Gronkowski
I can't wait to hear why.
Shawn French
You are not. You are not. You are not six foot. I said, listen, in college when I put cleats on. Yeah, I was six foot.
Gordy Gronkowski
That's fair.
Shawn French
That's what I go by for football.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah, your football cleats.
Shawn French
Yeah, baseball.
Gordy Gronkowski
Baseball cleats. Lsu.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Gordy Gronkowski
I thought you're a football athlete.
Shawn French
No. Well, I was my freshman year and I got hit once. I'm like, I don't like this.
Gordy Gronkowski
That's funny because I played football either.
Shawn French
That running back came through the gap and just laid me on my ass. I'm like, this isn't fun.
Gordy Gronkowski
That's actually funny. We kind of have similar stories.
Shawn French
Do you really?
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah. Well, when I was trying out my senior year for football, my brother Dan already was starting quarterback and wide receiver. The starting quarterback at the time, who was a senior in my grade, him and Dan threw me like two passes in a row and my fingers were already jammed and I was done.
Shawn French
Done.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah. Didn't even make it a full practice.
Shawn French
It's not fun.
Gordy Gronkowski
It was good in the cold.
Shawn French
Yes, I'm good. Yeah, no, it's. No, no, thank you. So back to my height. I said, look, with cleats on, I was five. I was f. I was six foot. And she goes, how big were the spikes? You're 5 10. No, I'm not. My height and weight, I got measured at the clinic. Yeah, I am every bit of 511 on the dot.
Gordy Gronkowski
That's fair.
Shawn French
I mean, it's not six six, but, like, I'm not five ten.
Gordy Gronkowski
Well, we'll have to find you six inch. Yeah, you know what? The cleat on like six inches somewhere.
Shawn French
I mean, come on.
Gordy Gronkowski
Most people would. Yeah.
Shawn French
I mean, hey, if we're donating, we're doing. I'll take an inch or two. Whatever.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah.
Shawn French
But I do. Thanks for coming on, man.
Gordy Gronkowski
No, thanks for having me. What a great Sunday morning. Sunday fund. Really, What a great morning.
Shawn French
And I know we'll have to do something together.
Gordy Gronkowski
Enjoy your walk later.
Shawn French
Yes. You know what? I'll probably start walking and then get pissed at you and then run.
Gordy Gronkowski
Perfect.
Shawn French
Yeah, exactly. Thank you, man, much.
Gordy Gronkowski
Thanks for having me. Holidays shout out to you, Sean. Thanks for having me on. What a great show this morning to start off the day.
Shawn French
Yes. Where can the audience find you, man?
Gordy Gronkowski
Gordy Gronk. That's pretty much it. G O, R, D, I, E. My dad spells A G O, R, D Y.
Shawn French
Interesting.
Gordy Gronkowski
Pretty much all over my social platform.
Shawn French
So your website.
Gordy Gronkowski
Website. Gronk Fitness dot com.
Shawn French
Boom. Easy.
Gordy Gronkowski
Yeah.
Shawn French
Anything else?
Gordy Gronkowski
YouTube. Gronk Brothers, the grogs.
Shawn French
He doesn't even his own YouTube.
Gordy Gronkowski
Don't worry, Ryan.
Shawn French
Put the in the show notes.
Gordy Gronkowski
It's all good. I don't Even know my YouTube channel or our YouTube channel, you know, but it's all good. I'm not. I'm not a massive social media person. I'm sorry.
Shawn French
No, I know you still haven't followed.
Gordy Gronkowski
Me back, so maybe I will do that right now.
Shawn French
Maybe we should get on.
Gordy Gronkowski
Hey, can we. Can we get that done over? Make sure we're gonna be on the show together. Make sure we get that.
Shawn French
I love it, man. No, dude. Thanks again, man. Happy holidays and we'll be seeing you soon.
Gordy Gronkowski
Happy holidays.
Shawn French
Hey, guys. Be determined. See you next time.
Unknown Artist
This one luck. I let the pain inspire me I put my all in Everything I'm doing up until it's done I'm me for the entirety I put it in overtime I'll be working Just know I'm a go for mine because I earned it they watch and I know it's time I confirmed it the whole society determined, determined.
Podcast Summary: The Determined Society with Shawn French - "Inside the Wild World of Gronk Fitness and Gronk Beach | Shawn French Talks with Gordie Gronkowski"
Release Date: January 6, 2025
Introduction
In this vibrant episode of The Determined Society, host Shawn French engages in an insightful and entertaining conversation with Gordie Gronkowski, co-owner of Gronk Fitness. The episode delves deep into the dynamic world of Gronk Fitness, the exhilarating parties at Gronk Beach, and the remarkable journey of the Gronkowski family in the realm of sports and business.
Personal Anecdotes and Daily Life
The episode opens with Gordie sharing humorous tidbits about his daily life, including his commitment to morning workouts and the playful struggles of managing his family's expectations. Gordie humorously recounts feeding his mother's desserts to make up for missing workouts:
Gordie Gronkowski [01:43]: "I was just like, I was all foggy and then I ate all her food."
Shawn and Gordie engage in light-hearted banter about the quirky notion that carrying a pineapple in a grocery store signifies a swinger lifestyle. This playful exchange sets a relaxed and relatable tone for the episode.
The Genesis and Growth of Gronk Fitness
Gronk Fitness, originally founded by Gordie's father Gordy Sr., has evolved significantly over 35 years. What began as a single retail store specializing in high-end fitness equipment has expanded into a nationwide distributor with over 14 retail locations and operations in 13 states. Gordie provides a comprehensive overview of the company's growth trajectory:
Gordie Gronkowski [22:46]: "Now fast forwarding, and we have 12, 13, 14 retail stores throughout the Northeast. We run 13 states with commercial. And we're one of the biggest distributors of fitness equipment in the United States."
He highlights the strategic shift from retail to commercial sales, detailing how partnering with educational institutions and organizations like fire stations has been pivotal in scaling the business.
Gronk Beach: The Ultimate Party Experience
A significant portion of the discussion revolves around Gronk Beach, known as the official party destination for major events like the Super Bowl and the NFL Draft. Gordie describes Gronk Beach as a melting pot of sports enthusiasm and top-tier entertainment, featuring renowned DJs and artists. The events are strategically held in warm-weather locales to enhance the attendee experience.
Gordie Gronkowski [03:09]: "It's the official party of the Super Bowl outdoor... We take care of them, they come cheer."
He shares memorable moments, including interacting with athletes like Logan Paul and orchestrating exhibition matches that blend sports and entertainment seamlessly.
Exhibition Boxing Matches and Sports Insights
Gronkowski recounts an entertaining yet intense experience involving an exhibition boxing match with Logan Paul. Despite initial confidence, Gordie and his brothers faced unexpected challenges due to Logan's rigorous training regimen. The narrative underscores the importance of preparation and resilience in sports:
Gordie Gronkowski [10:56]: "Literally, I'm at zero right now."
Shawn reflects on the physical and mental demands of such events, drawing parallels to the broader sports industry and the dedication required to excel.
Leadership, Culture, and Company Values
A pivotal segment of the conversation focuses on the leadership philosophy driving Gronk Fitness. Gordie emphasizes the significance of leading by example and fostering a culture of dedication and excellence. He attributes the company's enduring success to the long-term commitment of the leadership team, many of whom have been with the company for over 25 years.
Gordie Gronkowski [25:09]: "The culture all starts with from the top... how you do things, if you're doing them the right way."
Shawn complements this by discussing the vital distinction between management and true leadership, highlighting how Gronk Fitness exemplifies authentic leadership that empowers and motivates employees.
Personal Development and Overcoming Challenges
Throughout the episode, Gordie shares valuable insights on personal development, the significance of perseverance, and learning from failures. He underscores that true success often stems from overcoming adversity and maintaining unwavering determination:
Gordie Gronkowski [33:32]: "Sometimes the best way to actually learn... is to fail or to have someone tell me, I can't do it."
Shawn echoes this sentiment, reinforcing the idea that action, rather than merely words, drives true progress and self-improvement.
Family Dynamics and Sports Legacy
The conversation takes a heartfelt turn as Gordie delves into the Gronkowski family’s sports legacy. He reminisces about the camaraderie and competitive spirit shared among his brothers, many of whom have made significant strides in the NFL. Stories of their shared experiences on college teams and the incredible odds they’ve all achieved provide an inspiring backdrop to their collective success.
Grodie Gronkowski [26:10]: "Most of us have played pro sports is obviously a wild bro."
He also touches on the support system provided by their parents, particularly their mother’s unwavering dedication to feeding and nurturing five active sons, highlighting the balance between disciplined training and family life.
Gronk Fitness Product Line and Innovation
Expanding on the business aspect, Gordie discusses the development of Gronk Fitness's proprietary product line aimed at making functional fitness equipment more accessible and affordable, especially for kids and educational institutions. This initiative reflects the company's commitment to fostering healthy habits from a young age and supporting high schools and colleges in achieving their fitness goals.
Grodie Gronkowski [23:33]: "So half the reason, when I got done with pro baseball and I moved to Boston, Rob wanted to have kind of a cool fitness line for kids, too."
Health, Fitness, and Lifestyle
Towards the end of the episode, Gordie and Shawn engage in a candid conversation about their personal fitness routines, dietary habits, and the challenges of maintaining health amidst busy schedules. Gordie shares his strategies for staying fit while traveling, including efficient packing and prioritizing morning workouts.
Grodie Gronkowski [39:54]: "The biggest thing for me is I have to work out in the morning."
Shawn discusses his own fitness journey, acknowledging the positive impact it has had on his professional life and mental clarity, further emphasizing the podcast's theme of personal development.
Fun Anecdotes and Light-Hearted Moments
The episode is peppered with humorous exchanges and light-hearted moments that showcase the genuine rapport between Shawn and Gordie. From playful debates about workout attire to amusing stories about family life, these segments add warmth and relatability to the conversation.
Shawn French [39:14]: "Do you get drunk off rum cake, though?"
Conclusion
The episode concludes with Gordie extending his gratitude and sharing ways for listeners to connect with him and Gronk Fitness. Shawn wraps up with reflections on the importance of dedication and the transformative power of consistent effort, leaving listeners inspired and motivated.
Shawn French [53:09]: "See you next time."
Notable Quotes with Timestamps
Final Thoughts
This episode offers a rich tapestry of entrepreneurship, sportsmanship, family dynamics, and personal growth. Gordie Gronkowski’s stories and insights provide listeners with valuable lessons on building a successful business, fostering a positive company culture, and the relentless pursuit of personal excellence. Through engaging dialogue and authentic storytelling, Shawn French and Gordie create an inspiring narrative that resonates with anyone interested in personal development and overcoming challenges.