Podcast Summary: "Rising When Life Falls Apart: Dr. Toby Brooks on Performance, Purpose, and Perspective"

Podcast: What Are You Made Of?
Host: Mike "C-Roc" Ciorrocco
Guest: Dr. Toby Brooks
Date: January 27, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Mike "C-Roc" welcomes Dr. Toby Brooks, professor, administrator, and host of the "Becoming Undone" podcast, to discuss resilience, performance, and the lessons that come from adversity. Together, they delve into the roots of work ethic, the value of letting go, health optimization, and strategies for personal and professional growth. Dr. Brooks reflects on navigating setbacks and helping others turn hardship into renewed purpose.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Foundations of Grit and Hard Work

• Dr. Brooks' upbringing:
  • Raised in rural Illinois by a coal miner father and a painter grandfather, Brooks learned early the importance of grit and determination.
  • "If you wanted something, you had to work for it." (Brooks, 01:08)
  • Juggled multiple jobs from a young age, including demanding roles as an athletic trainer.
• Value of hard work—But not at any cost:
  • Both agree on the importance of work ethic but discuss the necessity of balance and not pushing to diminishing returns.
  • Host Mike: "[Sometimes] you have to just let things flow and kind of let the control go and surrender. You work with that topic as well?" (C-Roc, 03:02)

2. Learning to Let Go: “Let the Paint Dry” Story

• Brooks' lesson in patience and letting go:
  • At age 11, trying to achieve perfection painting windows, his grandfather told him to “let it dry and we’ll come back tomorrow.”
  • "Sometimes you just have to let the paint dry. Sometimes you gotta let things settle. The more you screw with it, the more you screw it up." (Brooks, 03:56)
  • Both discuss how applying relentless effort, without stepping back, can sabotage progress.

3. Measuring Progress Beyond Simple Metrics

• Data-driven self-improvement:
  • Brooks recounts tracking his weight and health metrics, learning that scale numbers alone don’t tell the whole story. Muscle gain and body composition reflected real progress.
  • "If I would have just looked at the number on the scale, I was actually gaining a little weight... but when you dig into the data, you realize... that number is not reflective of the change that's really going on." (Brooks, 08:06)
  • C-Roc echoes this with his own body optimization efforts, emphasizing the importance of nuanced measurement.

4. Biohacking, Peptides, and Individual Protocols

• Exploring health optimization:
  • Both share personal experiences with peptides, nutrition courses, and tailoring health routines.
  • C-Roc: "As you get older, everything's a little tougher, right. Things move slower and [peptides] just help speed up the process." (C-Roc, 09:47)
  • Emphasis on individualized protocols instead of a one-size-fits-all approach:
    • "There's protocols for each individual person... everybody's different... where are you?... It might not work for them right now." (C-Roc, 12:20)
• Stigma around performance supplementation:
  • Brooks addresses misconceptions: "People who have used substances... get castigated... as shortcutting. But the folks I know... they're doing that so they can work out harder and longer and more often... Not so they can sit on the couch, stick a needle in their arm and magically get muscles." (Brooks, 13:04)

5. Navigating the Entrepreneur/Side-Hustle Balance

• Helping others transition and grow:
  • Brooks discusses coaching former students (especially athletic trainers) on building sustainable careers beyond low-paying, high-hour jobs.
  • "Anyone who's kind of tired of maybe not getting the most out of life, who are looking for ways to be strategic in their purpose... My role is to come alongside and help you engineer that." (Brooks, 17:37)
• Balancing security and ambition:
  • The challenge of leaving a steady job for uncertain entrepreneurial paths—sacrifice, side hustles, and the right timing.
  • "You got a day job and a recurring income stream... that ransom amount just keeps creeping up, and if that's what's keeping you from going all in... then it gets really, really hard." (Brooks, 19:04)
  • Gary Vee reference: "You're not gonna fall into the job that you're dreaming of. You gotta nights and weekends... grind away for years sometimes." (C-Roc, 20:04)

6. College Football & the Changing Landscape

• NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) and transformation in college sports:
  • Conversation on player incentives and boosters’ role in shifting power (Texas Tech, Duke quarterback’s contract story).
  • Brooks provides insider perspective as a former Texas Tech staffer (22:04).

7. The Meaning of “Becoming Undone”

• Core philosophy:
  • Brooks’ podcast and upcoming book are built on the premise that adversity is the fuel for future achievement.
  • "The real focus is how oftentimes setbacks and adversity that suck in the moment are actually the fuel that lights the fire that leads us to new success." (Brooks, 24:18)
  • “We go from being undone to realizing that I’ve got a purpose left unfulfilled and I’m not yet done.” (Brooks, 26:45)
  • Use of sports injury and career flop analogies to highlight universal truth: True growth seldom comes without chaos or failure.

8. Persistence, Self-Reflection, and Notable Quotes

• Memorable metaphor:
  • C-Roc: "Storing it in your tank instead of your trunk and converting it into rocket fuel." (C-Roc, 26:31)
• Personal development via podcasting:
  • Both reflect on podcasting itself as a transformative endeavor.
  • "Even if nobody else is listening. I am. And I'm better for it." (Brooks, 29:36)
  • On learning and parenting: "They won't listen to you. So you've got to put people in their path that will tell them the message you want them to hear and let them hear it from somebody else." (Brooks, 30:31)

Important Timestamps

• Intro & Brooks’ background: 00:00–03:00
• Let the Paint Dry story: 03:08–04:39
• Discussion on work-life balance: 05:10–06:46
• Optimizing health and data-driven change: 06:46–09:23
• Biohacking and peptides: 09:58–15:23
• Career advice/coaching: 17:01–20:04
• Entrepreneurial sacrifice: 20:04–22:04
• NIL/College sports stories: 21:26–22:34
• Meaning/message of ‘Becoming Undone’: 24:18–26:45
• Closing thoughts on podcasting and learning: 28:09–30:43

Where to Find Dr. Toby Brooks

• Website: tobybrooksphd.com
• Podcast: undonepodcast.com
• Linktree: linktr.ee/TobyBrooksPhD

Tone & Style

• Conversation is open, relatable, and practical.
• Both host and guest speak candidly, drawing heavily on personal stories, humor, and real-world analogies to make the episode engaging and accessible.

Summary prepared for listeners seeking actionable insights, inspiration, and a deeper understanding of resilience and personal development as told through the journeys of Dr. Toby Brooks and Mike "C-Roc" Ciorrocco.