Confidence Classic: Tackle Life’s Biggest Challenges with Eric Wood, Former NFL Player

19:34Eric Wood:And it was unfamiliar too. I had played every single game in college, started for my freshman year on and never missed the game. 49 consecutive starts. I go into the NFL and I start my very first game in the NFL and we're 11 games in and I get hurt for the first time in my life. And I don't just get nicked up. I do the Joe Theismann leg break. So for those out there that are even casual football fans may remember the Joe Theismann leg break because it was on Monday night football and Lawrence Taylor dove through the side of his leg and did the compound tib-fib fracture. And so I go straight from the field to an ambulance into emergency surgery for my first ever injury.

20:10Eric Wood:And I battle my way back from that. I get hurt my second year and do a high ankle sprain. My third year, I tear my ACL, my MCL, my lateral meniscus. And then my fourth year, I tear my other MCL. And I'm thinking, God, what are you trying to teach me in this moment? And I say that now, in the moment, I'm thinking I'm cursed. Something's up. I have to change something. And really, God was trying to teach me a lot through those moments. And so luckily, the Bills had confidence in me. They rewarded me with a very nice contract that was heavily incentive-based based upon playing time understandably so and I agreed with them well then I go on to start 52 straight games and then I break my other leg on Monday night football and so that was 2016 and then I battled back from that one and end up playing every single snap of the 2017 season which would be my last season but you know you learn a lot through tough times you learn the most in tough times and had my career went on cruise control to use that terminology again had I just floated by and everything went perfectly maybe I make more money maybe I make more pro bowl teams but I would not have learned nearly as much about myself and being able to push through tough times and to be able to constantly prove myself that I could get out back up off the mat there were countless games that I was playing in and I never felt like myself again after some of those injuries but to go out and prove it to myself means a lot now.

21:36Eric Wood:And I discuss a lot of that perspective in the book because during times of challenge, it can be very difficult. And there's people that are listening that are going through unimaginable circumstances right now. At some point in those circumstances, you have to be thinking to yourself, what can I learn through this experience? Because ultimately, I'm going to come out of this stronger. Your ultimate test will become your testimony. I wouldn't be on this podcast right now if my career hadn't ended after the 2017 season. I wouldn't be here. I wouldn't have these opportunities. Now, I may be playing on the number one team in the NFL with the Bills right now, as good as they look, but I wouldn't have these opportunities.

22:16Eric Wood:There is something that God is showing you, the higher power, whatever you believe in. The universe is showing you something through these challenges, and the quicker that you can gain some perspective through that, the easier it's going to be to transition into that next chapter of your life.

22:32Heather Monahan:Did you have someone to model yourself against or like that was leading you through these hardships? Because for me listening to this, I can't believe you didn't get depressed. I can't believe you didn't become a victim. And maybe you did for a minute or two. I don't know. But I wonder how were you able to know how to be that resilient to reframe and see it so differently, especially because you're in physical pain too, right? Everybody listening has dealt with challenges and I've dealt with mine, but to deal with physical pain, plus the actual pain of not being able to play, not knowing is my career over, not knowing what lies ahead of you.

23:09Heather Monahan:That's massively hard.

23:11Eric Wood:Yeah, you're right. And I appreciate you saying that. And there was, there was so many times in those first four years where I was down in the dumps and, you know, I'd be dehydrated laying in my bed and have to go back into the hospital. I rode in an ambulance for the second time in my life right after that leg break again because I had got severe dehydration and I just thought everybody should be in a certain amount of pain if you break your leg in half well I had let it go on so long that my body went into shock and yes there was some really tough times through all of that but when you're going through those really tough times whether it's physical or emotional pain when your why is bigger and I wish I could tell you my why was bigger than man I want to go be the best center in the NFL again I want to lead the Bills out of this long playoff drought we're in.

23:57Eric Wood:That was what was getting me up and off the mat each and every day to go in and do countless hours of rehab. And when you hit that NFL offseason and now it's time for everybody to travel a little bit, take some time off, I'm still in that same rehab room every single day and truly went four seasons without a single offseason. That being said, I wanted to get back out on the field so bad that that drove me every single day. And I'm not going to discount that, one, my faith in God. I truly believe that God had a bigger plan for me and that these injuries I could overcome. And then I've been so blessed with just tremendous support from loving parents and my wife now, who was my girlfriend at the time, and countless friends and coaches and trainers.

24:39Eric Wood:It's never a one-man or one-woman journey to success, and I know you can attest to that.

24:44Heather Monahan:What do you say to the people listening that say, yeah, it was easy for Eric to find a why he played on an NFL team? I mean, that's an easy why. How do you advise people to find their why if they haven't been able to identify with it yet?

24:58Eric Wood:That's a great question. And that's something that everyone's going to have to do a deep internal drive for. So many people are motivated by different things. Some it's by faith, some it's loved ones. It's to provide a better life for your children. It's to honor your wife. there's so many different whys out there but discovering that is what's going to lead you each and every day because motivation on a day-to-day basis is going to come and go there's going to be some days you don't sleep as well there's going to be days where everything goes awry and if you don't have a bigger why in your life it's going to be really tough to push through those times and you know I think about now my goal now isn't to be the best center in the NFL I physically cannot play in the NFL again.

25:42Eric Wood:I'll never pass a physical. So that being said, what does my why become now? Well, I want to honor God for giving me the gifts he has given me. I want to honor my family. I want to give them a great life. I want to model for my children what a hardworking Christian provider of a family looks like.

25:59Heather Monahan:That's a very important why, and I appreciate you sharing that. I know my road to why since I've been fired has been, it didn't happen overnight. It definitely was a journey of discovery of, you know, am I going down the right path? And maybe I am, maybe I'm not. And then seeing a sign and then maybe getting feedback. So for anyone listening right now that feels discouraged, just keep going, keep testing, keep trying and stay open to it and ask those questions. You will get answers inevitably. Okay. You have brought up God and faith a number of times so far on this podcast. Take me into when did you find your faith?

26:34Heather Monahan:What role has that played in this entire journey for you?

26:37Eric Wood:Yeah, so I grew up Catholic, but didn't really have any type of relationship with God. And you talk about modeling, people modeling the way for me. For me, it was so much easier for me to buy into Christianity when I got to college and I got to observe our FCA director, Chris Morgan. I got to observe him on a day-to-day basis and watch how he treated his wife and treated us and served our team. And then I get to the NFL and there are certain guys on the team just act a little bit different. But these are the stars of our team. These are the rock star husbands and dads. And they're the people that are getting the contract extensions.

27:12Eric Wood:And maybe for not the most pure reasons, I was thinking, what do all these people have? You know, I come from a divorced household and these guys have successful marriages and they're there. They have such healthy families and success in their careers. What's the common denominator here? I'm like, okay, these guys are all Christians. Let me give this a look. And so over time, there was no big moment. I would love to tell you I broke my leg in Jacksonville, Florida. I got in the ambulance and God said, Eric, I've humbled you. Now commit your life to me and I will bring you peace and success. That never happened.

27:47Eric Wood:It was a gradual shift over time. And when I was first asked to speak at an FCA group, I asked my wife, I said, what's different in me now than even before to where this testimony even makes any sense? And she said, well, you have better patience and, you know, you treat others better. And, you know, on a day-to-day basis, you seem to live with more contentment. And so for me, there was no huge moment. There was no road to Damascus, Paul moment where my whole life converted. But over time and being able to deserve people allowed me to go all in to where now I've been baptized. 10 years ago.

28:24Heather Monahan:I love that you shared, maybe not for the most pure reasons. I was looking at these people wondering what it was they were doing so right, and that you found that common thread was their faith. I think that's really important for everybody listening, and for those listening who grew up like Eric and I in the Catholic Church and did not have a strong relationship with God, it is never too late to explore how that relationship can be different today. And like you mentioned earlier too, for those who are opposed to having this idea that they don't want to have a relationship with God right now, being open to that there is something much larger, more powerful than all of us out there, whatever you want to call it.

29:01Heather Monahan:I know Eric, you said the universe before, whatever word you want to use, but it is never too late to take a second look at the power that is out there. I call it God, but for whoever wants to call it universe or, or anything else, definitely ask your questions to something and someone so much more powerful than you, and you will find answers so much more quickly. Okay, now I want to get to what that big moment in your life was like when you had that neck injury and found out you weren't going to be able to play in the NFL again in a weird way. And this is not fair to you. It's like the day that I got fired when you all of a sudden wake up from something that you think is your whole life and you feel like it's taken away and that hit mentally and for you physically too.

29:44Heather Monahan:What was that like?

29:45Eric Wood:Yeah, I've heard your story as well and it resonated perfectly with me. And so for me, before the 2017 season, the Buffalo Bills are now in the longest playoff drought in all of professional sports. And I'm the dummy that signs the contract extension before the season. I said, there's no way I can leave here. And then the Bills make the playoffs. I have to be here when we make the playoffs. And so 2017, I mentioned earlier, I'm the only player on the team to play every single snap that season. One of the only players in the NFL because you can get taken out of a game in the NFL for a number of reasons.

30:17Eric Wood:You get hurt. Your shoe could come off. You could be beating a team too bad. You could be losing too bad. Well, I played every single snap that year. We make the playoffs, which was absolutely incredible. I'll never win a Super Bowl as a player, but making the playoffs and ending that playoff drought in Buffalo was incredibly special. And so we lose our first round playoff game to the Jaguars. Terrible memories down there in that stadium, but because that's the same place I broke my leg, but I come back to Buffalo. Everyone's got to get an exit physical and then you're free to go for the off season.

30:48Eric Wood:And I went to the exit physical. I said, look, I'm the only player that played every single snap this year. Clear me for the Pro Bowl. I'm going to go back to Louisville. My son's about to be born. We had already had a daughter at the time. And my wife and daughter were back in Louisville. And that's where she was going to give birth to Garrett. And so they said, hey, you had some stingers this year. Get an MRI on your neck. And then you can go back to Louisville. I said, stingers, my high school buddy's got stingers playing football. It's a nervy sensation that goes down your arm. You lose some feeling.

31:16Eric Wood:You can be a little bit painful. but it's common in football. It's common in sports that have head collisions. And so I get an MRI on my neck, don't think anything of it, drive back to Louisville, and 50 minutes before my son is born, while we're sitting in the delivery room, I get the call that my career is over. No matter what, even with surgery, I can never return to the football field. And so that set us on a whirlwind of emotions in the moment, as you can imagine. And so my wife starts crying and nurse comes in And she says, oh, honey, it's not going to hurt that bad. And my wife's like, it's not about the baby.

31:51Eric Wood:Come on. And so we laugh about that now. But in the time, it wasn't quite as funny. But that put me on a path to figure out what's next for me. And look, it was not all sunshine and rainbows. When I've committed everything career-wise to one thing, to be the best center in the NFL. And I feel like I'm there. I feel like I'm so close. And the Bills are so close. And there's so much positive momentum. We're getting ready to draft Josh Allen in the draft. who's an absolute superstar now. All these things are going so right. And now it's stripped completely from me. And I just felt like of all the guys, I feel like I've committed as much as anybody to this.

32:29Eric Wood:I've sacrificed. I haven't cheated the game once. Why me? And that was my initial perspective from the counsel of many just important mentors in my life, people that have come on the podcast, so many people that I've learned from. I truly believe that no matter what the circumstances are in your life, you can make the next chapter in your life the best yet. And I talk about it all the time on my podcast. How do you make your what's next the best yet? And so that's a lot of what the book entails. And it's my story of transitioning out of the NFL. And yes, I understand that I may not make as much as I did in the NFL in this career journey I'm on now.

33:06Eric Wood:I may, that's fine. That's not necessarily the goal. Your best yet can be a life of fulfillment, a life of joy, and just having incredible experiences. And that's what I feel like I've been on these last four years.

33:20Heather Monahan:Meet a different guest each week. Confidence creator. Are you ready to take your business's marketing to the next level? Meet Brevo, the all-in-one marketing and CRM platform built to help you connect with customers, boost engagement, and grow your business smarter. With Brevo, you can manage all your customer interactions in one place. nurture leads with their built-in CRM, reach your audience through email and SMS, and keep them coming back with powerful automations. But here's where it gets really exciting. Meet Aura, Brevo's AI assistant. Aura helps you craft smarter campaigns by suggesting personalized content, optimizing send times, and even analyzing performance data to help you improve your strategy in real time.

34:03Heather Monahan:It's like having a marketing expert on your team 24-7. And of course, Brevo offers advanced analytics, seamless integrations, and AI-driven personalization. Everything you need to create multi-channel campaigns that hit the mark every time. Get started for free today or use code CONFIDENCE50 to save 50 % on starter and standard plans for the first three months of an annual subscription. Just head to www.brevo.com slash confidence and take your marketing further with Brevo and Aura. Chime is changing the way people bank. Be free and smarter banking built for you. Not like the old school banks where you had to check and see what you're getting charged for all the time.

34:50Heather Monahan:This is built for you, not the 1%. Chime isn't just another banking app. They unlock smarter banking for everyday people with products like MyPay, giving you access to up to$500 of your paycheck anytime and getting paid up to two days early with direct deposit. Some old banks still don't do this. Forget overdraft fees, minimum balance fees, and monthly fees. Chime turns everyday spending into real rewards and progress. Bank fee-free plus overdraft coverage you can count on. Helps you build credit history stress-free. The younger me needed this. Get paid when you say up to$500. Earn up to 3 % APY on savings seven times higher than a traditional bank.

35:34Heather Monahan:It's the new way to build credit history with your own money and get rewarded every single day. My younger self would have benefited so much from this and I could have built credit so many years sooner than I did. Chime is not just smarter banking. It is the most rewarding way to bank. Join the millions who are already banking fee free today. It just takes a few minutes to sign up. Head to chime.com slash confidence. That's chime.com slash confidence. Chime is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services, a secured Chime Visa credit card, and MyPay line of credit provided by the Bancor Bank NA or Stride Bank NA.

36:12Heather Monahan:MyPay eligibility requirements apply, and credit limit ranges$20 to$500. Optional services and products may have fees or charges. See chime.com slash fees info. Advertised annual percentage yield with Chime Plus status only. Otherwise, 1.00 % APY applies. No min balance required. Chime card on-time payment history may have a positive impact on your credit score. Results may vary. See Chime.com for details and applicable terms.

36:55Heather Monahan:I can't tell you how much I am loving my new cashmere sweater. It's a staple for sure. And I can't wait to give one to one of my best friends for her birthday this month. Refresh your wardrobe with Quince. Go to quince.com slash confidence for free shipping on your order. And 365 day returns now available in Canada too. That's q-u-i-n-c-e dot com slash confidence to get free shipping and 365 day returns. quince.com slash confidence.

37:34Heather Monahan:I completely agree with you that while in certain times in your life, in certain career moments, the financial impact is definitely the focus and focal point and means so much. And I don't think there's anything wrong with that. I don't judge anyone for that. I've definitely had moments like that in my life. However, when I got fired and then started over, I found my calling, my purpose to be a human on this earth more than just, you know, a parent to a child. And for me, that has changed my perspective on how I see the world, on legacy, on so many massively important things. I know for you, this transition has been that powerful for you too.

38:11Heather Monahan:What steps specifically did you take? Because I know people listening who are saying, okay, one thing's ending my life. Maybe it's a relationship, maybe it's a career, maybe it's a health issue. What steps did you take to get yourself back up to reframe this into that this best is yet to come?

38:29Eric Wood:Yeah, so for me, I had to start out with forming a routine. And so for so long, my routine was structured for me, I went straight from high school, where every hour of your days, pretty much accounted for to college, same way to the NFL, same way, I had to create a new routine. And one that was going to set me up for success. I talked about it all the time with former athletes that are on my podcast we all get in this who gives a crap mode because in the first time in our life you're not trying to be the best at your position in the NFL or whatever that may be you now got to find a reason to get in a routine you got to find a reason to go work out for so long was working out was to be better at football well why is working out important now why is eating healthy otherwise you'll see these guys let themselves go and they catch these terrible ruts.

39:14Eric Wood:And so you've got to find a routine for yourself that sets you up for success. You've got to create a new vision, because your vision is not going to be the same as it was. And so finding a new vision that you can strive for. And there was a lot of days where my vision for the day was walking around my house with some joy as a dad and a husband, because career wise, I'm not fulfilled in this moment. But but I got to create this vision. And how am I going to show up this day that has shifted since but creating a vision focusing on your health to where you can show up as your best self and as you're meeting people you're you're a presentable because you know as you're transitioning out of the NFL it could be a rough ride as people have transitioned from a job loss maybe through COVID or a loss of a loved one there's so many enormous transition in life that are much more significant than football but in those moments you gotta you You got to focus on your health.

40:10Eric Wood:What's your morning routines specifically like? Are you stacking wins each and every day that are going to pay off down the road? And we can go through a number of these things. But for me, it's being coachable again. You know, it's so easy to be coachable in the NFL. You're surrounded by maybe the best coaches in the world. Okay, well, now how can you be coachable where it's not necessarily a sport? It's this game of life. It's your career, this new career that you're now stepping into.

40:38Heather Monahan:So you mentioned that you hired an executive coach. How did you decide to make that investment in yourself and take that leap?

40:45Eric Wood:This was one of the luckier things that has happened to be in my life. And so prior to my last season in the NFL, a teammate of mine had to get an executive coach. He actually needed a therapist, but they hired an executive coach for him and he needed an accountability buddy, an accountability partner that could report back to this executive coach that was on the West Coast. And so I became that person. And eventually I asked him, his name is James McParlin. I said, Mac, if we were to work together, where would we start? He said, well, you talk about your daughter a lot. I'd start this way. Okay, she's two years old, 15 years from now, she introduces you to her high school student body, and you're going to give a talk in front of everybody.

41:26Eric Wood:How does she introduce you? And I was like, well, I don't know exactly in this moment. He goes, well, we would just I would just help you kind of figure that out, figure out where exactly you want to get to over these next five, 10, 15 years. And we can kind of reverse that reverse engineer and work backward from there. But we need to create some steps and routines in your life, some habits that get you to the point where she may say, this is my dad, Eric Wood. He played in the NFL. He's a great businessman. man, he'll teach you how to be successful in life. Or this is my dad, Eric Wood, and he played in the NFL, but he's the best dad in the world.

42:01Eric Wood:He's never missed a recital. He's never missed a game. He takes me on dates and lunches all the time. Those are two great things. But like we talked about earlier, don't arrive at one by accident, living your life on autopilot and wish you were the other. Don't build this life of success that's based on striving for money when you wish you had those intentional moments with your kids. And so in that moment, I hired Mac, and I started working with him six months to my career ending, not knowing that he would coach me through this transition. And I give Mac a ton of credit in the book and speaking gigs.

42:34Eric Wood:But there's been so many individuals that have coached me through this new chapter of life.

42:40Heather Monahan:That was brilliant. I love that question that he asked you. And that's a great question for everyone listening right now to ask yourself, fast forward 15, 20 years from now, and how do you want to be introduced by your child? That is really, really powerful. And I see why you hired him and thank goodness you did. So take us through what that looked like, because I know for me, I didn't even know there was a speaking business five years ago. I had no idea, right? When you live, you were living in this NFL bubble, I was living in the media bubble. I only knew the business sector and contacts that I had.

43:12Heather Monahan:So stepping into that unknown is incredibly scary because you don't know what's ahead of you. And then you find out there is a speaking business, but why am I qualified, you know, more so than someone else? And can I compete with these other people? And what does pricing look like? And what does availability look like? And for you getting off the field and then starting to call the plays and that's such a huge shift. What did that look like? And what did that feel like for you when you took that on?

43:38Eric Wood:It was definitely foreign. And so immediately I got into broadcasting and started doing sports media work because that was natural. And as an offensive lineman playing his whole career in Western New York for a team that rarely won, if I didn't get right into the media field, they probably would forgot about me really quick. And so I still call games for the Buffalo Bills, but I've called games for Fox and CBS and ESPN and ACC network. And I really enjoy being around football because I always say it's good for my soul because I wasn't ready to be done with it. So I hopped into there, which is a very foreign field.

44:11Eric Wood:And a lot of people don't realize the amount of sacrifice that goes into that. And I tell people all the time that are transitioning there or into business, you have to approach it just like you approach day-to-day business in the NFL, because there are so many people whose livelihoods rely on this. Think back to that practice squad guy who's fighting every day to take your job as a starter. Well, that's what you're you're essentially that practice while guy fighting your way in now you have to take that undrafted mentality each and every day and so that being the case I went all in on broadcasting I started a podcast called what's next with Eric Wood which I still release an episode weekly which I interview individuals just like yourself where I'm just trying to learn I'm trying to be a constant learner and then when it comes to speaking anytime I was ever asked to speak prior to leaving the NFL it would be a Q &A.

45:04Eric Wood:It's all interviews. And so learning how to be on the other side of the microphone and be able to ask questions has been so valuable through the podcast, through speaking gigs, because that shows tremendous fruit in the broadcasting. It's all encompassing. I often think back to when I was in the NFL. And when you play for the Buffalo Bills, let's say, and you go to a dinner, it's just constant peppering of questions about the team and how do you like the city? And you really don't nurture your skills of being able to ask questions and carry on a conversation. And so I had to learn all those things.

45:36Eric Wood:And it's been a fun journey. Not all sunshine and rainbows, like I said earlier, it never is. But it's been a fun journey. And for me, finding something that gives you butterflies that you get excited about, but also makes you a little bit nervous. Like, that's what makes life fun. And yes, stepping up on a stage, you may get that imposter syndrome. but just to put yourself in that situation to get those butterflies again yes it may not be running out of an NFL tunnel but I also don't feel like crap the next day after a speaking gig like I did

46:07Heather Monahan:the day after a football game oh my gosh it's funny but thank you for explaining that because I can totally see how when you were in the NFL everything's coming at you and you're just responding your own truth you know that's that's not that hard however when you look conversely at preparing a speech, rehearsing a speech, and then getting on a stage where no one's asking you any questions, you are carrying everything. That is incredibly different and a tremendous amount of pressure. So kudos to you to make that transition.

46:39Eric Wood:And I'll often craft a talk almost like an interview. Like, why am I here to talk to you? What can this former NFL player bring to your business? And I may not say it out loud, but that's how I'm starting. And then I am almost, as I'm preparing, I'm almost treating it as, okay, what would they ask me where I can do it? And I do a lot of Q &A afterwards. And you know, we go right back to who's the hardest player to block in the NFL, who talks the most trash, which is not funny, but it just, you know, when you play the most popular sport in the world, people are fans and they want to know kind of the behind the scenes access.

47:14Heather Monahan:Well, what's funny is most speakers, this is every speaker agent I work with tells me this, have the hardest time with the live Q &A. So that's something that you have a gift and a lot of prior years doing it. So good for you. That definitely separates you from most speakers. All right, let's talk about your new book, which just came out, Tackle What's Next, Own Your Story, Stack Wins and Achieve Your Goals in Business and Life. Why did you write this book?

47:38Eric Wood:I wrote this book because as I was analyzing everything that was going on in my life through COVID, through the pandemic, through others' lives that I was getting access to, I just felt that my transition, although you may not be going from a transition from pro sports out, it could apply to so many different people and help some. And if it helps one person, then it was worth the time. If it changes one person's life to allow them to make their what's next in life their best yet, then it was well worth the journey of writing a book. It was another tremendous learning experience, something completely foreign to what we did in the NFL, working with a publishing company and working with a PR company.

48:20Eric Wood:It's been eye-opening along this journey, but I truly feel like my journey out, as I've talked to people that are former military, former CFOs, former athletes, former businessmen and women, whoever it may be, the transition, no matter what, there's so many commonalities. And like I mentioned earlier, a lot of these ideas aren't my own. These are things that I picked up along the way of my journey. I honor many of them throughout the book. I felt like I was fortunate enough to learn so many lessons that I was more than excited to pass along.

48:52Heather Monahan:You know, and one thing that I've learned having written two books now is that the feedback that you get from people when you hear that you change someone's life by a story that you shared or a tactic that you shared with the reader, that feeling of, oh my gosh, if you impact one person, it was all so worth it. You're obviously impacting so many more than just one person. So I'm so proud of you for taking this leap yet again into the unknown, definitely taking on some butterflies. You know, like you said, with putting a book out there, which is so different than these other things that you've done, but continuing to grow and model for others what's possible, even though it might be scary at times.

49:32Heather Monahan:So just wanted to say congratulations on that leap. Congratulations on the book. And where can people find you and where can they get the book?

49:40Eric Wood:Yeah, on social media, I'm at eWood70. I'm most active on Instagram, and that's the easiest way to shoot me a message. And I try and respond to all in some timely fashion that respond on there. My website is ericwoodmedia.com. It's been a fun journey. I appreciate anybody out there that does go out and get this book that follows along. I have my podcast, What's Next with Eric. What I try and make myself as available as possible nowadays. And it's been fun to get out there a little bit. This is a guy that when I was playing in the NFL, my Instagram was private. I treated it like, you know, I want to keep up with my friends, kids, and I'm going to post pictures of my family.

50:18Eric Wood:And then I came to a point early on in my media career, I realized, one, I should probably open up all my social media. That'll be the best thing to do. And then two, if I can model for someone, yes, yes, I'm not super comfortable always posting pictures of my family. But if I can show them that I'm taking them to Disneyland last week before the Bills play the Rams, and I can show them that we're going to church together. I'm taking my daughter on dates. If I can model what being a good dad looks like, then I'm kind of robbing my audience or I'm kind of robbing the followers if I don't give them access to that.

50:50Eric Wood:So I've completely changed my style on that. Now, I'd probably have a lot more followers if it was open when I was still playing for the Bills, but that's all right.

50:59Heather Monahan:Live and learn. We can only connect the dots when we are looking back. Eric, thank you so much for being here today. Thank you for all the amazing work you're doing. And I will link everything that Eric just shared with you, the book, his site, his Instagram, everything's in the show notes. Eric, best of luck to you.

51:14Eric Wood:Yeah, thank you very much. Thanks for having me. You do an incredible job. I've loved hearing you on so many different platforms, including your own. So keep up the great work.

51:22Heather Monahan:Thank you so much. And guys, we'll see you next week. Until then, keep creating your confidence.

51:36Heather Monahan:start learning and growing. Inevitably, something will happen. No one succeeds alone. You don't stop and look around once in a while. You could miss it. I'm on this journey with me.