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020 - Beyond the Diamond: The Power of Going 100% in All Aspects of Life with Ro Coleman
22 Plays10 months ago
In this episode, Reggie Ford welcomes his soul brother, Ro Coleman, former MLB and #VandyBoys baseball player, to discuss their deep bond and personal growth, focusing on the powerful impact of sports and community. Ro shares his experiences growing up on the tough west side of Chicago, the life-changing role of baseball, and the challenges and triumphs of transitioning to Vanderbilt University. As a coach and co-host of The Two Percent podcast, Ro emphasizes going 100% in all aspects of life, from academics to athletics to personal relationships, and highlights the transformative impact of therapy. He discusses themes of resilience, mentorship, and the importance of authenticity, consistency, and patience, while also delving into his experiences with grief, his father's legacy, and his passion for helping others.
Highlights:
- Reggie expresses gratitude for Ro's presence in his life, highlighting the profound impact Ro has had on him.
- Ro reminisces about attending a baseball game with his father, reflecting on the special bond they shared over the sport.
- Ro shares the significance of Wisconsin baseball and Vanderbilt University in his life, acknowledging the pivotal role they played in his development.
- Ro delves into his upbringing on Chicago's West Side, discussing the challenges and resilience within his community.
- Ro shares the challenges he faced transitioning to Vanderbilt academically, underscoring the importance of support and preparation for student-athletes.
- Drawing from his experience as a scout and recruiter, Ro offers advice on navigating the academic and athletic demands of college life.
- Ro emphasizes the importance of giving 100% effort in all areas of life, including academics, athletics, and relationships.
- He shares his transformative experience with therapy and the freedom he found in vulnerability.
- Reflecting on the passing of his father, Ro discusses the challenges he faced and the importance of supportive relationships during difficult times.
- Ro highlights the need for greater representation of African Americans in baseball and shares his role in promoting diversity within the sport.
- As a coach at Vanderbilt University under Tim Corbin’s leadership, Ro discusses his commitment to authenticity and the importance of being true to oneself in professional settings.
__________
Connect with Reggie
IG - https://instagram.com/reggiedford
LI - https://linkedin.com/in/reggiedford
Website - https://reggiedford.com
__________
Connect with Ro:
IG - https://www.instagram.com/coachro1coleman/
X - https://x.com/CoachRo1Coleman
Two Percent Podcast - https://www.youtube.com/@TheTwoPercentPodcast
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Transcript
Introduction to Vulnerability Muscle Podcast
00:00:00
Speaker
Once that happened with my father, it got to a point where everything was just moving so fast and I'm just not really processing everything how I should have been. I got to a point where, man,
00:00:18
Speaker
I was really crashing out in life. Welcome to Vulnerability Muscle, the empowering podcast challenging norms and guiding you to find strength and power through vulnerability. I'm your host, Reggie D. Ford.
00:00:32
Speaker
In a world that often portrays vulnerability as a sign of weakness, I believe it is a source of tremendous strength and authenticity. Through insightful conversations and thought-provoking interviews, Vulnerability Muscle aims to redefine vulnerability and help listeners develop a new perspective on their own lives. Each episode of Vulnerability Muscle delves into a variety of topics such as mental health, social issues, and mindset shifts.
00:00:57
Speaker
We explore the power of vulnerability and healing, building resilience and promoting personal growth, as well as fostering meaningful connections.
Guest Introduction: Rode Coleman
00:01:06
Speaker
This podcast provides practical tools and strategies to navigate life's challenges, overcome adversity and create more inclusive and just environments for all people. And this episode, we got my brother, Rode Coleman. Rode, how you doing, bro? Man, I'm all good. Happy to be on. Appreciate you having me. Man, it's a blessing. It's a blessing to have you.
00:01:27
Speaker
Not just on the podcast, but in my life. I want to start that off, start this off by saying you've been a blessing in my life in relatively short amount of time. I think we met back in like 2019, 2020, sometime around there. And to become the brother that you are to me is a testament to who you are because I do not let people in like that. So I love you, bro. You know how I feel about you.
00:01:55
Speaker
you that big brother that I always wish I had. Like I got a lot of cat that's older than me that I kind of look up to you too, but not as close in age in life too.
Managing Stress and Understanding Vulnerability
00:02:07
Speaker
For you to be such a close age to me and like just a big role model to me and I appreciate you. Man, appreciate that bro. I'm gonna kick it off right now with some rapid response. I'm gonna hop into a little bit about you, what you got going on. So first question, what is one thing you do to relax when you feeling stressed?
00:02:27
Speaker
turn on some music or I either if I'm not if I can't do music I try to just take a few deep breaths and just really try to calm every day down and that's something that like started therapy on this past August that's something that we just been working on and just really trying to just be calm and just feel everything and honestly like let my thoughts
00:02:52
Speaker
go free and just let whatever I'm thinking just be there and just calm down. So like for me, that's just like really just focusing on my breathing. That's a good thing for me. Yeah. What comes to mind when you hit a word vulnerability? Man, bro. A few years ago, I'll be like, I don't know what that means. But now,
00:03:21
Speaker
Just to be open with yourself, man. To be open to be really truly in touch with your emotions, the positive and the negative ones.
Baseball and Family Influence
00:03:30
Speaker
And I think the more you can do that, the more you learn about yourself, but also the more you're getting opened up to others that you really are close with and really take a deeper dive into who you really are. That's real. I like that. Last question. What is one of your favorite childhood memories?
00:03:51
Speaker
favorite childhood memories. Man, me and my Pops, we went to the All-Star Game. 2003, it might be All-Star Game, at the White Sox Stadium. Man, that was just crazy. Like, the boy and kids, seeing all those guys that I love watching on TV and just to see them in that stadium. And the city I grew up in, it was amazing. I mean, baseball was the biggest thing that me and my Pops really bonded on. And like, to be able to shut that mumble with him was special.
00:04:22
Speaker
Mm, that is special. I got chills just listening to that. So for people who are not watching, Roserock and the Vanderbilt University have the Roe Coleman baseball sweatshirt. Can you tell us the significance of both of those institutions in your life? Yeah, man. The hoodie I got on was the Roe Coleman special. That kind of started my dad.
00:04:49
Speaker
He was a big baseball mentor, coach, trainer in the Chicago land, like Midwest area. You could say across the whole country. One of the organizations I played with, the Wisconsin Headers, he was a coach with them. RJ Furgis, he's like an uncle to me. I definitely say he's a big, one of the big reasons why I ended up at Vanderbilt because he was a white guy from Wisconsin, but he,
00:05:16
Speaker
wasn't afraid to come to the city and take kids from the city and, and exposed us to playing travel ball at a high level in front of the bigger schools and, um, playing with him got me seen by Vanville, but like, eventually him and my dad started coaching together and they start winning tournaments. So whenever they win tournaments, my dad, it's videos out there on YouTube and all that. And I'm talking about the rope coping special, baby. So like, this is just, um, my dad, um,
00:05:46
Speaker
with this hoodie and then Vandy, man. I changed my life, bro. When I speak of Vandy, but it's so special because places like Vandy, you think of it as something that's so surreal. And to be where we come from, and he coming from the west side of Chicago, and just the things I went through in life,
00:06:15
Speaker
I would have never imagined me being in a place like Vanderbilt as a kid.
Challenges and Community on Chicago's West Side
00:06:20
Speaker
Obviously, you think in baseball, they'll take me. I'm going to get drafted right out of high school, whatever, or I'm going to go play somewhere else. I didn't even know what Vanderbilt University was until, honestly, I started getting recruited by them, just because we don't talk about prestigious academic schools like that in a type of environment that I grew up in.
00:06:44
Speaker
being able to not only play for one of the best baseball programs in the country, but getting that degree from there and just the relationships I was able to build and form, it was just different, man. And I just truly appreciate it. And Vanderbilt changed my life and all of that was to say Vanderbilt saved my life. If I didn't end up going to Vandy, I don't know if I'll be where I am right now. That's honestly true.
00:07:13
Speaker
Man, that's beautiful, man. And I echo that. Vandy is a special place in my life and my story as well. I grew up in the city knowing about Vanderbilt, but even still, I think it was so distant in terms of the exposure that I had to it that I felt like I could go there. But in the back of my mind, I knew it was home for me. It was home.
00:07:37
Speaker
And I'm glad that it saved your life, brought you to Nashville, brought you in my life, and it definitely has saved my life as well. So that's huge, man. You talked about the West side of Chicago, which I heard is the side of Chicago that ain't got no style. One of my...
00:07:59
Speaker
One of the people that I've interviewed is from the South side and said West side is just weirdos. But talk about West side of Chicago, what that was like growing up for you. Yeah. So in Chicago, you got the South side, you got over East. East side, we call it over the East. And then you got out West. And we call it the Wild, Wild West. It's the smallest, it's smaller than the South side.
00:08:24
Speaker
And I would say we have less resources. So honestly, like sometimes some parks, you'll go out west, you'll be like, well, it's like a third world country. And it's pockets like that on the south side and all that as well. But like, it's just different. Like, it's real gritty. It's grimy. I mean, it's tough. Like the neighborhood I grew up in, you see the police siren that
00:08:49
Speaker
you go across a lot of inner cities in America, like my neighborhood was one of the first places to have the police signs. I mean, the police camera's up. Like that's how wild it is. And dog, like growing up at four years old, you get in a gun, put to your head while you're playing on a porch and things like that. You don't realize how traumatizing and how that really affects you.
00:09:17
Speaker
impact your life at that age. And now just looking back and I'm like, bro, all this stuff was just normalized. Like I remember from a stress point, I don't know how many days and rows, like we knew at nine o'clock it was you can't sleep in your bed. You got to sleep on the floor. They shooting outside every single day because it's game wars and just things going on like that. But it's awesome. And it's it made me want him like. It ain't it's not all
00:09:46
Speaker
bad things because, I mean, we are faced with these difficult things to overcome in life, but I would say I had a very positive village around me that, like my dad, my mom, and my uncles, and grandparents, they really supported me and pushed me to just be the best version I can be. And I said, like, man, you grew up in a
00:10:15
Speaker
In the city you go, they will dabble in a few things here and there, but like they, my village around me really supported me and just tried to provide me with the best resources that they had at the moment to help me just get to the next stages in life. Definitely. Definitely, man. That's, it's amazing, bro. I applied your journey and the way that your perspective on looking back at life, because I think it's easy to look at all the things that we've gone through.
00:10:44
Speaker
And say, man, all these negative things, they, they hurt me in these many ways, but to have a gratitude for those experiences as well, to shape you, to be the person that you are is, is a sign of wisdom for sure. Cause I feel like you've learned from each and every one of those moments. What like, tell me, you know, four years old gun to your head. What is the situation like?
00:11:08
Speaker
leading up to something like that, or how do you before or after deal with that? Is there conflict before? Is there resolution after? Is there conversation after? What was, if you can remember? Man, I remember sparks of it. I just know I'm on a
00:11:27
Speaker
porch me and my grandma and I'm just playing and you just see two guys walk over guns like they getting like getting a house. My mom and my uncle in the crib and they coming to crib. They start ripping the phone cords out and all that. And just, bro, honestly, it's like when you get punched in the head and like your ears just, just a flaring up and stuff like that. So it's like, you don't really hear what's going on.
00:11:56
Speaker
And it's like, man, this is so scary. But then at the same time afterwards, I feel like for me,
Pursuing Baseball and Academic Challenges
00:12:10
Speaker
I knew at a very early age what life was. And I probably would say that really shaped me to be like, all right,
00:12:23
Speaker
And I don't like to speak like this, but it's the truth. I'm like, man, you either gonna be a wolf out here or you gonna be a sheep. And that's what, from that day on, that's what that hardness came of. Like, man, look, ain't nothing gonna ever break me. And obviously because of what the situation like my family and stuff had at the time,
00:12:51
Speaker
I understood, I started to understand what was really going on, like in the streets and things like that. So it was just, it wasn't really no, like my mom and grandma like shouting, see if I'm okay. But it's like, that's normal life. Right. Right. I could just remember another time, you know, my mom literally pulled up to the crib. I'm six years old and we literally looking in our house, seeing our house get robbed.
00:13:19
Speaker
And we just waiting for them to leave so we can just go in the house and go to sleep. That's unsettling. Oh, man. But I'm just like, you get to that phone, he's just like, man, it's life. And it's so traumatizing. You don't realize that at the time, but it's so traumatizing because you look back and you're like, dang, dog. And I understand why.
00:13:48
Speaker
in our neighborhoods, in our communities, why people do the things they do because of just everything we face with on a daily basis. What do you mean? Just talking about you're just getting robbed and guns and just not the lack of positive resources.
00:14:10
Speaker
And everything you just see is negative, negative, negative. If you don't have those right people in your life to just push you away from that, even if they are doing negative things, it's still hard. I think, personally, you have to, and everybody doesn't have that, you have to have their own switch within yourself to be like, man, I don't want that.
00:14:37
Speaker
And it's not easy at all. Like, it's not easy because going left is right outside the door every single day. Yeah. And even going right. What kept you on the steady? Man, baseball. Yeah. So when I think of Chicago and I think of baseball, the first thing that comes to my mind is hardball.
00:15:01
Speaker
like the movie Hardball with Keanu Reeves. So you was one of the little kids getting in the back of the car, piled up in Keanu Reeves' car. That's you, huh? Bro, I said, so the thing was so crazy was, you think of Chicago, you think of basketball, right? Mm-hmm. Michael Jordan, then you think of Chicago Hoops. Isaiah Thomas, all those guys that, just from the city of Chicago, there's NBA Hall of Fame also, or Derrick Rose, the Warrick Parker guys like that.
00:15:28
Speaker
But we have a rich history in baseball. My dad, my uncles, they play a pro ball professionally. My god brother played in the big leagues. And everybody that I grew up playing with, all of our dads played either collegically or professionally. So that was a big thing for us because
00:15:54
Speaker
they really pushed that to give us more opportunity that they didn't have. And we grew such a close bond because we wanted to be really good. And with us being all black, we knew at one point they started a travel team with us and we were the only black team, travel team in the state of Illinois. And then you go across the country, there was another team called the Atlanta monarchs.
00:16:21
Speaker
that I played with a few times. There was only two black teams at our age group at 10 years old through 20 years old in the country. Wow. Playing travel baseball. And that's kind of where that we, I would say our wave revived. And it was some guys before it's like really took it to the next level of black baseball players playing ball at a high level in Chicago again.
00:16:49
Speaker
And I think that was the biggest push of, because man, a lot of my guys, we all were going through the same similar stuff in our households, in our neighborhoods. But that one thing being on that field was the one place where we felt like, man, all our problems could go away. And we just held each other responsible for everything. Like, no, you about to wake up early. You about to get in the end. We want to go out. All right, we go still get in the end. And then we go go out. So I think, I mean,
00:17:18
Speaker
I don't know. I'm real tough. Like if I didn't have baseball, I don't know. Like I played, I played other sports, my box and played football, played basketball and things like that.
Impact of Mentorship and Resilience
00:17:28
Speaker
But like baseball was, it was special to us as well because of, yeah, it was a decent amount of us playing the game, but that wasn't normal for black inner city kids to be playing baseball. And we wanted to do that. And we were able to,
00:17:47
Speaker
I would say opened up that new wave of guy, black ball players coming out of Chicago, getting drafted in the top three round, going to play at the armies, power five conference and anything like that. So it was special and it was unique at the time, not realizing it was saving our lives.
00:18:11
Speaker
You're on a team of all black players and you ended up at Vanderbilt, but I'm just assuming not everybody ended up playing college ball. Not everyone ended up making it the way that you did. Is there anybody that deviated from that path that didn't take the same path that you took?
00:18:33
Speaker
on the all black team all the time. Like, so when I played with the hitters, it was more mixed. This guy from Wisconsin was someone from Chicago, but for the most part, my high school was all black and all that, but one of it was crazy, bro. On my high school team, and I get the number wrong all the time, I got drafted out of high school and he got drafted again. Corey Ray went in the first round, played in the big leagues. Darius Day got drafted out of high school.
00:19:02
Speaker
coaching and professing now. Blake Hickman got drafted out of high school and out of college, coaching and professing now. That's the same team? Same high school team. Marshawn Taylor got drafted out of high school, and then got drafted out of college. That's five. We had Terrence got drafted out of high school, had another cat, Tyler get drafted out of high school, and then I think that was it. Seven of us got drafted out of high school
00:19:31
Speaker
From freshmen through seniors, we probably had 12 to 13 guys go play ball at the collegiate level. All black school, inner city school. Wow. And our coach at the time, coach really were Franklin. He's the first black coach to get inducted to the Illinois baseball Hall of Fame. Like he was sad. Two big leaguers on his belt. Three first rounders, I believe, in over 30 some draft picks.
00:20:01
Speaker
The legend. Man, and Steel, you want to know to this day, we have the most, our high school has the most high school draft picks out of any school in Illinois. That's ridiculous. Wow. That's amazing. With the lacquer resources, no small weight room, not all the weights, 1Ks in the auxiliary gym was just like,
00:20:23
Speaker
And this one I'll tell kids today, like when you want something, you gotta go get it. We was able to- You didn't have any excuses. Like your team didn't have excuses, but y'all produced the way that y'all did. Yeah, but back to your point. Yeah, man. It was a few guys who went the wrong way. And unfortunately, some of them
00:20:52
Speaker
I'm not doing as well in life. And I would say it was a blessing. It wasn't a lot of us that did go the wrong way, because we were so close. And we grew up together, honestly. We were playing balls together since we were seven, eight years old. So the relationship in the bond was so strong, like, nah, man, we're going to do this thing. We're going to do this thing. That was beautiful. So I would say probably 80% of us end up
00:21:20
Speaker
going to play ball at the next level and still doing, just doing well whether we're working at baseball still or just working our own, have a regular career. So it's been a blessing.
00:21:34
Speaker
What was that transition like from high school to Vanderbilt of all places? Not being predominantly black school, not being in the West side of Chicago. What was that transition like? Bro. My first summer. So I came to summer school. I got to summer school early because I'm coming from Chicago public school. So they wanted me to get ahead. I got two B's at summer school. I'm like, oh. I'm like, this ain't hard, bro.
00:22:06
Speaker
hard. Man, I got that first semester. I flunked out first semester that had to write a letter to the Deans and all that to get back enrolled. And it was just, man, that was a real turning point for me, though, for real. Because, man, you are blessed with this opportunity. You need to really take advantage of it.
00:22:31
Speaker
Yeah, it's going to be tough, but you have the resources and the people around you that want to see you succeed, and you are here for a reason. And that just changed my mindset of, man, it's time to get together. But the biggest thing for me, it was the academics, bro. Being in a new environment, it was different.
00:22:54
Speaker
I always, I'm very introverted, so that wasn't a big thing for me, for just being in the environment. I know how to interact with people when I need to. When you want to. When you want to. I don't trust a lot of people, so that's why I'm just very to myself. But it wasn't a culture shock from that because I played baseball. I was a minority on the field majority of the time when we were playing against someone else, so that wasn't a beat.
00:23:23
Speaker
then far as that, but the academics was just a big transition. And man, you seeing kids driving BMWs, Maserati's and things like that, you're like, oh, it's like the stuff you see in movies, bro. Yeah. I'm like, this not real. Like 18 years old driving, like that's a six figure car, bro. What is going on? Yeah. That was where
00:23:52
Speaker
For me too, it was like, oh, bro, this is life-changing for you. You really have to lock in. But it was just making that adjustment from an academic perspective was just different for me, was very difficult for me. I didn't even know how to write a paper. I wrote one paper my whole academic career before I got to Vanderbilt. It was just like,
00:24:18
Speaker
What the hell is this? It just goes back to shit.
Therapy and Embracing Vulnerability
00:24:22
Speaker
So even my high school at the time was one of the better academic schools in Chicago. But it just shows you the levels of, when it comes to academics, it's just a big gap, bro. It's a big gap. And you wonder why people continue to fall in the same patterns.
00:24:43
Speaker
Is there any advice that you would give to the schools and helping somebody transition the way that you did other than summer school? Cause that's, that's not a real reflection of what it's going to be like when you're in that first semester. What other resources or advice would you give the schools about helping students like you? Um, I think for me, it's really like we had, we had an academic counselor and I'm,
00:25:13
Speaker
say Nate Bill was in there. He's the main reason I graduated. Even though me and him bumped heads, he stayed on me. But I think I would have really liked at the time to really have a big sit down with somebody and people can really grasp and understand where I was academically before everything just
00:25:37
Speaker
Yeah, like I said, I went to summer school, I think it's cool, but really letting me know like, hey, no, this is what's coming. This is how you need to be prepared. And I wouldn't say it's anyone's fault, but I just felt like that would have been a big help for me to really understand how I needed to go about my academics for that first fall semester. Okay. And then for a student athlete coming in, because you do a lot of scouting, you do recruiting right now.
00:26:07
Speaker
what are you telling that young person who's coming in in order to prepare them for this situation? Man, really, the biggest thing y'all say when I do have the chance to talk to high school kids is,
00:26:27
Speaker
The same way you go hard on the field, it's the same way you need to go hard in the classroom, the same way you need to go hard with your relationships, with your parents, your friends, and life. Because if you are going 100% in all aspects of life, you're going to be successful. And for me, I would say I wasn't doing that at the time. I'm like, I'll go baseball, but be cool.
00:26:53
Speaker
I'm feeling, because I don't have the same knowledge as these other students that, okay, I can just not give it my all. And I would be fine, and that just didn't work. And I think that's the biggest thing is just, man, make sure you, everything you do in life, go 100% at it. Because if you're doing all of those things, everything is gonna fall in the warehouse opposed to. But if you're not, you may not be,
00:27:21
Speaker
you may not, you may be treating your friend wrong. And then you wondering why you going off for, you're like, man, I'm putting in the work, but I'm not treating these people right. Or you're not doing your work in the classroom and you may be starting, you hitting lines right there, everybody like, man, why I ain't getting a note because I'm not doing this right. So it's just, make sure you got everything you do in life, do it at a hundred percent. I think that's the biggest thing. Like I tell the kids, it's not dog. It ain't no,
00:27:50
Speaker
The one thing I don't like what people say is, academic first, then athletics. I'm like, no, because now it's a different scale. And people are looking at it like, no, everything should be at the same level. Everything you do is at a high level. Academics, athletics, families, everything needs to be at a high level at the same level because now you're going to go hard at
00:28:13
Speaker
all at the same pace.
Systemic Issues and Influential Figures
00:28:15
Speaker
I like that. I like that approach. I think that's a good approach. One thing that I heard recently was in the context of mental health and taking care of yourself is that if all you have to give is 20% and you gave 20%, then you gave 100%.
00:28:35
Speaker
Right. And so like for a student athlete, you coming in and you stressed about all these different things, but you got something in your tank and you give everything that's in your tank. That's you given a hundred. It may not look like what it looks like when you have a hundred percent in your tank to give, but you know, communicate that talk to people who can help you, who are willing to help you and want to help you so that you can get the resources that you need to get that back up to a hundred percent, but give it your all and know when it's time to take care of yourself.
00:29:03
Speaker
And speaking about taking care of yourself, you mentioned you started therapy in August. Tell us a little bit about that. Bro, the best thing ever. Like you've been pushing me even before my pops got killed. Like you've been pushing me to do it even before. And like once that happened with my father, it got to a point where everything was just moving so fast and I'm just
00:29:33
Speaker
not really processing everything, how I should have. And I got to a point where, man, I was really crashing out in life. And like I said, everything just really sped up on me. Like I got into a car accident, basically. And it was that time. It was that time, man. Man, that first session was,
00:30:00
Speaker
It was a lot, but it opened me up so much and allowed me to be vulnerable, which I have never been at that point to really just dive deep and to rip the layers back on a lot of
00:30:21
Speaker
shit that you were afraid to talk about or even memories to bring up or realizing this is why and why act this way. Oh, because this happened. Or you saw this and I love.
00:30:39
Speaker
talking to my therapist every time we have a session, I just feel so free. Good. I feel so free and I'll be so happy. I'm like, man, I can't wait to go talk to her and just tell her what I'm doing and how I'm feeling. It's just, man, it's so fulfilling. Oh, man. And I recommend it for everyone, even if you don't have anything
00:31:03
Speaker
negatively impacted you in your life right now. I just think to be able to just talk to someone else that's, and everybody, we have people that we're close with and all that, but just somebody that's no judge me free zone. Then that's the biggest thing and just being completely open.
00:31:22
Speaker
them actually giving you the real educated advice on how to go about your daily life with the EGs. It's amazing, man. It's amazing. Absolutely. Oh man, I love to hear that.
00:31:37
Speaker
I mean, you, you, you brought up your, your dad pass. And I think in our friendship, I think that was one of the things that solidify us growing closer was one, the relationship that you have with your dad enough to introduce me to your dad. I remember the first time we hopped on a call who was on the call for about two hours.
00:31:57
Speaker
And it was just like, I'm taking wisdom in from the OG, but he's also, you know, trying to understand who I am because I'm becoming an influence in your life. And then I think you called me after that or texted me after that and was like, pops like you or something like that. And I was like, man, that's what's up. Like, it felt like family. It felt like family. And when you when you when you texted me and told me that he had passed away, it broke my heart.
00:32:25
Speaker
For for him for your family and for you, bro Can you tell me if you're comfortable with tell me about that situation and how you have been able to deal with that Yeah, man, it was Oh No, the time around 9 10 o'clock whatever and my uncle had called me and my uncle don't never called me I like
00:32:53
Speaker
But as soon as I saw the name pop up on my phone, I was like, fuck. Like praying they didn't know what it is. And he's like, man, your daddy did it, got shot. And I'm like, no, no. And he was at the hospital just trying to figure out the whole situation and then like called my auntie and
00:33:20
Speaker
Zasko, what's going on? And she's like, he gone. And truthfully, my girlfriend Amber, I'm just so glad I have one in my life. If I ever talk about crashing out, at that time, yeah. Crashing out for real.
00:33:45
Speaker
with no thought about it or anything like that. And just to have her there to support me in that time and just listen to me, it was special. But I flew back to the crib the next day and it was where everything moved so fast. Like I felt like I didn't really get to lay my dad's arrest the way I wanted to because of the situation of how it happened and who he was.
00:34:14
Speaker
Oh, we had to have a private funeral. Police had to be there. Family situation wasn't how it should have been. True color really came out, which I already knew, but it was just like, man, y'all making it about y'allself. My dad's my best friend. Growing up, I would say we didn't have the best relationship when it came to communication.
00:34:45
Speaker
Uh, because I felt like it was always him just pouring into me like, man, no, you got to do this because you don't do this. You're not going to make it to this place. And as a kid, you don't understand that. Right. And obviously it's all where you could say you could do it a better way. It's always a better way to do things. And I didn't really understand that until, uh,
00:35:09
Speaker
really retired from sports. It was time in college when me and my dad went to talk because we just keep bumping heads. And eventually once I retired, man, our relationship really grew. We just talked to each other and talked every single day and was just like, man, it was so special to me because I felt like, man, I always looked at him as my best friend, even as a kid, even now I'm scared to talk to him or whatever, but I'm like, man, I want to be just like this too.
00:35:41
Speaker
But man, he did everything he could do to put me in the best situation to just be successful in life. And I just truly appreciate him for doing that. Like him and my mom, but if it's not for my dad, I definitely wouldn't be where I am today. And definitely like my mom,
00:36:09
Speaker
during that time, even though they were technically never together, she was a soldier during that time when he got killed. It was just like for her to be there with me because it's a scary situation.
Authenticity and Representation in Baseball
00:36:24
Speaker
It's a scary situation and just being there right next to me and protecting me and knowing like, nah, this is how everything is going to go. It was like,
00:36:37
Speaker
is special. Special to have parents in your life that really care about you and want to just see you be the best version that you can be. And also just seeing your parents grow into better versions of themselves also. My dad went to prison when I was 13. He got out when I was 16. And just to see him
00:37:05
Speaker
not get broken. And then I know he was going to prison, like everybody gets broken going to prison. Like, man, that's a difficult time. But to see him come back out and like, no, I'm still up. I'm going to up and up. I'm going to still be positive. I'm not going to let this situation just derail me and just see his growth on a daily basis and the people he impacted.
00:37:32
Speaker
That's why I do what I do every day is because of just seeing that from him. Yeah. I remember when searching his name after he passed and I found this Facebook, this public Facebook post, and it was hundreds and hundreds of comments from people from my guest's entire lifetime who had been just like,
00:37:58
Speaker
Oh my God, this is one of the greatest men I ever knew. I love this man. This man, he'll give you the shirt off his back. Such a genuine spirit that I see in you. I see all the goodness that he embodied coming out through you, and I'm grateful that you carried that spirit and that legacy on.
00:38:18
Speaker
I am terribly, terribly sorry that you lost a man that is so near and dear to you. And I know that you will continue to push and carry on that legacy. And I'm glad you're leaning into the support. And Amber, shout out to Amber. Love you for being there for my bro. Thank you.
00:38:41
Speaker
and all the other people that poured into your life. I truly love any time you lean in and open up more to me, that I want to be there for you always. And so I hope you know that and continue to lean into that, bro. Nah, bro. And I am into you, dawg.
00:39:10
Speaker
I appreciate you so much. Yeah, bro. I appreciate you so much, man. It's been there for me every day, dog. From day one that we met, it was like,
00:39:38
Speaker
Just want to really do, I met beside my dad, bro. And just to, just had a positive, positive big brother role model.
00:39:58
Speaker
to look up to and lean on to like, I love you dawg and I. I love you too bro. I appreciate you bro. I love you too man, for real. Like to the end of time bro. You got me man. I love you bro, for real. Nah bro, these are, these are the conversations we need to be having in our community dawg. Like,
00:40:28
Speaker
I think I sent you a post a couple of weeks ago. It was one of the few times in the last five years Chicago has on the ad been five times where it wasn't a shooting. Five years, bro. What? It's wild. It's wild. That makes no sense, bro.
00:40:54
Speaker
Tell me what you said about Illinois not even having no gunshots. It's no gunshots. That blew my mind when you told me that. It's no gunshots, but we are top end shooters every year, top end homicides every year. That makes no sense. And obviously we can really dive deep. We know why that is, but it's just
00:41:24
Speaker
we are not, our communities aren't provided with positive resources that we need to be successful. The system has shown that it doesn't want us to be successful, but that's why for me, that motivates me even more to show people, not just kids, people like, we can come from these situations
00:41:54
Speaker
and make something out of it. You've done, you've helped a lot of people. You've exposed a lot of young people to opportunities that they can do from, you know, National Stars Youth Foundation, Power Man Pursuit. And now you are on staff with Vanderbilt University.
00:42:17
Speaker
Can you talk about just the opportunity that you have currently with the team and then what you hope to do with that opportunity? Yeah, man. My position is the Maggie Corey with Minority Apprenticeship. This was started. This is the third year of the position. My best friend, Jabari Brown, was there for the first two years, and now he's the third assistant coach at Mizzou, black guy.
00:42:46
Speaker
You talk about going back to the baseball and the lack of African-Americans in the game. I think baseball was at 7%, 6% or something like that, and major league roster last year. In college, it's even less. Even less.
Passion for Helping Others and Podcast Promotion
00:43:03
Speaker
And then we talk about, we're not talking about, that's players. We talk about coaches. Yeah, come on. Even smaller. It's not even at 1%.
00:43:17
Speaker
And for me, I'm so grateful for one Vanderbilt University recipe, David Williams, Candace, what she's doing there. But Timmy and Maggie Corbin are two of the greatest human beings that was ever put on this earth. Their investment into making people
00:43:43
Speaker
into the best version of themselves on a daily basis, it's special. You don't see that a lot. And just being real, man, you don't see that a lot with white people. I'm just being real from that perspective, from my experience. That's from my experience. And I truly appreciate them just to open up their eyes to the world.
00:44:11
Speaker
really, you look at our roster here in Yale, we have the most diverse roster for the most part every single year. We got kids from all over the country from East Coast to West Coast. Deep South, downtown, all those things. So it's just like, that's very intentional. He's very intentional. Him and Maggie, they're very intentional about that because they want people to see what life is.
00:44:36
Speaker
And for them to start this position, they didn't have to do this, but they want to see change. Corpse is not just a guy that talks about it. He puts it into action. And for me being in this position, I'm so appreciative, but also dog.
00:44:59
Speaker
You hear a lot when you get into a position like this and you talk about corporate America or just moving up in your career and things like that, people talk about cold switching. And I've never with cold switch in my life. Never ever. Obviously I know how to be professional, but I'm never going to cold switch because for me, I feel like I'm doing a disservice for the cash that's coming up.
00:45:29
Speaker
that want to be in a position like mine and keep growing and people that are older than me that are looking to be in a position like, no, you can be who you are and still make a positive impact. And especially with this game of baseball, we want more Blacks, African-Americans in the game. We have to see more of us representing that, being represented and being real, like from
00:45:56
Speaker
where we come from. And I not weigh that so strongly with me every single day. I'm like, bro, I'm not going to change who I am. Because who I am is the reason why I'm here and it got me to this place. And this is why I'm so passionate. This is my drive because of how I grew up, how hard I had to work, the daily grind of just walking out, not living in a real war zone.
00:46:26
Speaker
Like thinking about like you living in a real war zone, like baseball is easy. The daily life I grew up with, that's real pressure. So this is nothing right here. So it's like, man, for me to get in a situation and change up who I am,
00:46:48
Speaker
Can you do that? It's diminishing all that made you who you are. And so, no, I love that. That's a message to everybody is to show up as you authentically you, no matter what environment you're in, be you.
00:47:04
Speaker
And the world is going to love and respect that because there's only one you. And if we had a whole bunch of replicas of one person all over it, like there's no service, there's no value that that brings, but you bring in your unique talents, your unique skills, your unique background.
00:47:20
Speaker
that makes the world the best place that it can be and gives us the thought leadership to give us the unique perspectives and it gives us just great opportunities like this bro bro you are a fantastic human just from top to bottom i have so much respect for you man like so much and you have
00:47:40
Speaker
No idea, we we could talk for hours and hours about other things that you've done in helping the youth and being just a big voice for baseball and getting, you know, African American representation, black representation.
00:47:56
Speaker
Because that's something that I didn't really truly understand is that the black people that I see on baseball and MLB, they're probably from the Dominican more than likely. They're not or from other Latin American countries and not necessarily black Americans. And so you making the push for that is so huge and you are just a great representation of Vanderbilt, a great representation of the Coleman last name, bro, like for real.
00:48:22
Speaker
Nah, bro, I appreciate it. No, we would be on this boy for like five, six hours. We wouldn't stop. We wouldn't stop. Like, I'm just like, man. But I do want to ask a couple more questions before we head out. With everything that you have going on right now in your life, you can look at it from personal, professional, whatever. What do you need help with right now?
Conclusion: Embrace Vulnerability for Strength
00:48:47
Speaker
Hmm.
00:48:50
Speaker
I would say for me, it's just to consistently wake up with that daily balance. Because you always striving for more. And with striving for more, the success and things you want don't just come right away. And like along with being on Staff of Vanderbilt, I have a podcast as well.
00:49:20
Speaker
with a couple of my guys called the 2%. And we talk about, man, we want to get here. We want to get that. And even coaching at Vanderbilt, I feel like I can be in higher positions, not necessarily at Vanderbilt, but just in different places or things like that. And you want those things, but it's like it takes time.
00:49:43
Speaker
And with having that balance, it's not making sure I'm standing in my routine, not letting up and be like, no, I could do this another time, I'll be fine. And I think that's the one thing that I consistently try to push on myself daily is like, man, just be balanced and have patience. I think those are
00:50:05
Speaker
the two more difficult things. I wouldn't say I necessarily, it's a struggle, but it's just always something that I'm constantly telling myself.
00:50:15
Speaker
It's just a daily reminder of even because we all have doubts that creep in the mind or not just with the doubt, you just want something right away. You think you deserve something right away and that's just not how life works, but if you keep those consistent daily habits, you will eventually get those things. And sometimes they might not come in a way you thought you were going to get it. True.
00:50:43
Speaker
True. Yeah. Like I didn't expect to be on Vanderbilt staff this year, right?
00:50:51
Speaker
Yeah. Like I was working with MLB glass. Yeah. So it's just, it's just different. It's the consistency, man. That's something that I feel like y'all, you just in your life have, have embodied, but also in the program with Corbin and doing all the little things, right. And being consistent on those little things to see what the outcome will be.
00:51:18
Speaker
Not expecting the outcome, not even striving just for that, but doing the little things that will result in that outcome. And I think if I, if I, I will, I will be there to remind you of those little things. Cause we know where, where the outcome for real Coleman can potentially be. And you just keep doing what you're doing and it's going to be there. So I got you bro. Last question. What are you living for? First.
00:51:47
Speaker
I'm living for myself. That's something that my therapist constantly reminds me of. Make sure you're taking care of yourself first. Always. That's the first thing. Definitely just living for daily happiness within myself and just daily growth mentally. And also others, man.
00:52:18
Speaker
my girlfriend, my mom, my brother, my family that I'm close with, to inspire others. That's my biggest thing. I feel the greatest.
00:52:31
Speaker
joy when I'm able to see others succeed and help them get to where they want to go. That truly lights a fire in me. And that's why, obviously, I love being on staff with college kids because
00:52:48
Speaker
you're seeing them grow from 18-year-olds to 22-year-olds. And it's just like, man, you love seeing the growth on a daily basis. And you love seeing the innocence that they still have. And it's so inspiring even when we had the youth foundation just being with those little kids. Like, bro, I love it, man. And I just love helping others.
00:53:14
Speaker
That's my true passion. And I saw it from my dad, and then my mom was also a teacher. She recently just retired and just seeing how they poured into others. And even, you look at Coach Corbs, he poured into people, not just the players, the entire staff, the entire university, not even just entire universities.
00:53:39
Speaker
He ain't gonna say it but man dude he's one of the greatest coaches ever like yeah for sure top top three Yeah, but it's just to see what he does and if he's making the time to do those things why should not be making
00:53:56
Speaker
That's powerful. And it's just so inspiring to see a guy like that do that. But also that's just, that's who I am. I love giving back. Yeah. Oh, that's beautiful, bro. How can people reach you? How can they get in touch and keep up with everything you got going?
00:54:16
Speaker
I think all my socials, well, IG and Twitter or X, whatever it's called now, it's Coach Ro One Coleman, then Facebook and Ro Coleman. Follow the 2% podcast, the 2% pod on all platforms. We actually will be releasing a new episode this upcoming Sunday. Got a real special guest. But yeah, do all those things, man.
00:54:47
Speaker
Appreciate you having me on, dawg. Digging no pie, bro, is real. Appreciate that, man. Like I said, we need more of these conversations. And honestly, we got to keep inspiring our youth and talking to our youth. And we don't, man, these kids, we don't realize how much when we just talk to the kid
00:55:14
Speaker
It really impacts them and they go back like, man, that was that positive reinforcement that I needed today to push me, to keep me going forward. Absolutely, man. Absolutely. Yes. Y'all please check out the 2% podcast. It's a phenomenal podcast. I will say so myself.
00:55:38
Speaker
with all the things that you could be doing in all the places you could be. I appreciate you being here with me embracing vulnerability, bro. Nah, bro. I appreciate it, dog. Hey, man, your camera real nice over there, bro. Hey, bro. Thank you for joining us for another powerful episode of Vulnerability Muscle. I hope you found inspiration and valuable insights that resonate with you.
00:56:03
Speaker
If you're enjoying this journey of self-discovery and empowerment, there are a few ways you can support the podcast. First, make sure to hit that subscribe button so that you never miss an episode. If you've been moved by our conversations and the mission of redefining vulnerability, please consider leaving a review. Your feedback not only motivates us, but also helps others discover the podcast.
00:56:25
Speaker
Share your thoughts on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you tune in. And don't forget to spread the word. Follow us on Instagram at Vulnerability Muscle for updates. And you can connect me personally at Reggie D Ford on all platforms. Visit VulnerabilityMuscle.com for additional resources and upcoming episodes. And remember, embracing vulnerability is strength.
00:56:47
Speaker
Thanks for being a part of the journey. Until next time, stay empowered, stay vulnerable and keep flexing that vulnerability muscle.