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More Than A Game: A Pitcher's Second Calling | Shawn Tolleson
77 Plays1 month ago
Shawn is a retired pitcher for the Texas Rangers and now serves as Co-Owner, Chief Visionary Officer, and Master-Level Pitching Instructor at POP Athletics. Known for his perseverance, purpose-driven leadership, and relentless pursuit of excellence, Shawn brings the same discipline he had on the mound into developing the next generation of athletes.
His mission goes far beyond mechanics and performance. Shawn is dedicated to helping young athletes and their families understand their God-given gifts—and to pursue those gifts with intention, humility, and heart. He teaches not only how to train at an elite level, but how to stay grounded in purpose so that talent becomes a blessing, not a burden.
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Transcript
Intro
Introduction to Sean and His Life
00:00:58
Steven J. Neuner
Hey guys, it's Nooner in Pinkston and we're here today with a really special guest. And i'm i'm really excited to introduce because the kind of one of the premises or litmus tests of this podcast is we wanna have people on that just because of the richness of their life, they're they're the kind of people that you know people might say, hey, you know what?
00:01:22
Steven J. Neuner
You should meet this person.
The Origin of Friendship with Sean
00:01:24
Steven J. Neuner
And I think it's only appropriate that I bring that up because today guest is a guest that I was literally introduced to by a friend.
00:01:34
Steven J. Neuner
And they said, hey, you should meet this guy, Sean. And I said, OK, sure, if you say so. and and so we we fast forward, we get a meeting schedule, and we we get together and we're talking and getting to know each other.
00:01:49
Shawn Tolleson
you
00:01:50
Steven J. Neuner
And Sean has this moment and he says, You have no idea who I am. And I said, Sean. sea
00:02:01
Steven J. Neuner
My friend Albert said we you know we should meet. and Anyway, it it was I'm so glad we took the meeting, both Sean and i because what started that day was just a rich, rich friendship.
Sean's Reflections on Self-Presentation
00:02:14
Steven J. Neuner
and I'm not even going to begin to introduce him and let Todd talk about who Sean is, but man, I know him as an amazing husband, father the three, a great entrepreneur,
00:02:26
Steven J. Neuner
and and and someone i i now call a brother uh so uh welcome sean
00:02:31
Shawn Tolleson
Thanks for having me, guys.
00:02:33
Todd Pinkston
Yeah, Sean,
00:02:33
Shawn Tolleson
i'm not i don't know that I don't know that I actually use the words, you don't know who you're talking to. but yeah
00:02:40
Steven J. Neuner
that was very threatening i mean
00:02:41
Shawn Tolleson
i
00:02:41
Steven J. Neuner
it was
00:02:42
Shawn Tolleson
i hope that I sincerely
00:02:43
Steven J. Neuner
money
00:02:44
Todd Pinkston
to have
Sean's Baseball Journey and Family Life
00:02:44
Shawn Tolleson
hope I didn't say that.
00:02:44
Todd Pinkston
you. To which he raised his right arm and flexed, but Nooner left that out of the story.
00:02:46
Shawn Tolleson
yeah
00:02:49
Todd Pinkston
Yeah. Yeah, Sean. I met Sean this last year. got to Got to go on a backpacking trip with him and spend some time. Most well-known for playing in the majors. Was a was a baseball player, pitcher for Baylor. Grew up in Allen, Texas. And and You know, spent several seasons in the majors, played for several teams, most notably the Texas Rangers.
00:03:12
Todd Pinkston
And like Nooner said, while he's most known for that, his his passion is being a dad, is being a husband. He's an intentional business owner. He's a great friend.
00:03:22
Todd Pinkston
And he has a platform and that is going to be used for even far more impact in the next 20 years than in the past. And so, Sean, excited to have you on here.
00:03:33
Todd Pinkston
Excited to hear your story.
00:03:34
Shawn Tolleson
Yeah.
Passion and Purpose in Baseball
00:03:34
Todd Pinkston
and just talk to you about areas that you found life. And so let's jump in. why don't we Why don't we start with just kind of your story?
00:03:39
Shawn Tolleson
Awesome. Sounds good.
00:03:40
Todd Pinkston
Why don't we hear who you are? Give us a high level of some of the milestones and memories of your life.
00:03:48
Shawn Tolleson
Okay. Yeah. That's a, that's a, that's a big question.
00:03:54
Todd Pinkston
mean, you got 60 seconds.
00:03:56
Shawn Tolleson
okay. Perfect. Yeah. No, I mean, in summary, I'm a kid who grew up and just loved the game of baseball, just always loved to play.
00:04:07
Todd Pinkston
Thanks.
00:04:09
Shawn Tolleson
Was fortunate enough to grow up in a house that loved the Lord. and And I came to know the Lord when I was 15. And all through that, I'm a baseball player.
00:04:20
Shawn Tolleson
And that's like where I found my identity is that. Even though it didn't feel like it, right? I knew had i knew i had other, I knew I had a bigger purpose, but man, all the time, it felt like my only purpose was to throw a baseball and I was good at it and I loved it.
00:04:38
Shawn Tolleson
And so I worked hard at it. and you know, I, I met my wife, obviously she's a big part of my story, but I met her in middle school.
00:04:49
Shawn Tolleson
Uh, we started dating when we turned 16. We've been together ever since. And so she's she's obviously a huge part of my story. I'm grateful to have never had to date ever in my life, which is really, really awesome. But you know I think you know to to kind of summarize my story, iss just it's I'm somebody who's been very passionate about something for a very, very long time.
00:05:15
Shawn Tolleson
And it wasn't really until recently when I really discovered sort of how my purpose and my passion sort of meet and how they can come together.
Reflections on Performance and Identity
00:05:26
Shawn Tolleson
and you know, people ask me all the time, like, what's, what's your biggest, you have any regrets in your playing career, all these things? and And you think about like, I think the answer they're looking for is like, let me think back to that one pitch that I made, you know, in the playoffs that season. And I should have, I should have thrown a fastball up. He was sitting change up. Right. And it's like, I don't, I don't look back and regret any of that.
00:05:49
Shawn Tolleson
The things, if i if anything, that I look back and regret is is relationships. it' It's like when I look back on my whole playing career, the only thing that I really cherish and hold on to are relationships.
00:06:01
Shawn Tolleson
And sometimes I think we get so focused on the thing that we're gifted in and, you know, God-given gifts, right? And we should we should be focused on those things that he that he gives us, but that we really forget the whole point of why he gave us those gifts, which is,
00:06:19
Shawn Tolleson
really to pour into other people. and so if anything, that's my biggest regret is like, I missed some opportunities to pour into people, to share my, my purpose for why i play the game with baseball the way that I do.
00:06:32
Shawn Tolleson
and I think if I could go back, I would do some things a little bit differently.
00:06:39
Steven J. Neuner
would you mind?
00:06:40
Steven J. Neuner
i mean, there's, there's a lot of work in there that you kind of put together, you know, and a nice package, but I'd love to just kind of dive deeper. Like if, when you, when you think about that, like i would love any examples.
00:06:40
Shawn Tolleson
yeah.
00:06:48
Shawn Tolleson
Sure.
00:06:53
Steven J. Neuner
And then I would also love like what it was in that moment, like as you're reflecting back, that was, is where, where you got stuck and what, what blocked you from doing it?
00:07:06
Shawn Tolleson
Yeah, I mean, I think it's baseball is a game where to be the best at it, and it's probably like this in anything that we talk about, but this to be the best at it, you have to touch it all the time.
00:07:18
Shawn Tolleson
not just daily, but like multiple times a day, you're, you're working on this thing. and I think anything is, especially like just as men is like anything that we touch so often and put so much work in, it easily can become kind of who we are, where we find our value, where we
Challenges of Authenticity in Sports
00:07:35
Shawn Tolleson
find our worth.
00:07:36
Shawn Tolleson
And so we, we live in such a performance based society and it's just, it's how our world works.
00:07:40
Todd Pinkston
Thank
00:07:42
Shawn Tolleson
It's how we've been trained. You know, starting in kindergarten, it's kind of how everything works. But it's really not how things work. and and i And I don't think I understand, I think I'm more mature now than I was when I played, even though I probably thought I was pretty mature when I played. But I see things a lot differently now. And, you know, some more specific examples would just be, you know, you go into a team,
00:08:10
Shawn Tolleson
as as a young rookie, or even like my second or third year, like in the major leagues, I always felt as if I didn't belong there.
00:08:15
Todd Pinkston
Thank you.
00:08:20
Shawn Tolleson
I always felt like, which there's a little bit of truth that someone's always trying to chase you out and take your spot. That's part of the game. But there was this sense of like,
00:08:35
Shawn Tolleson
kind of just don't step on toes. keith your Keep your mouth shut. be Try to be unnoticed whenever you can.
Faith and Relationships Over Career
00:08:44
Shawn Tolleson
try to Try to speak with your performance on the field and and and nothing else.
00:08:51
Shawn Tolleson
And I think like looking back, like i just, there's some relationships there that I think I could have had with players. that I didn't have because I didn't want to like, I didn't want to really show them who I probably really was.
00:09:07
Shawn Tolleson
And I think it's, it's hard. It's hard in sports. It's probably hard. And don't even know what you call it. Normal jobs. Is that what you guys call jobs? Normal jobs.
00:09:17
Shawn Tolleson
But it's, it's probably hard. And just like in the normal workplace, like if you've got this separation from who you, who you pretend to be at work versus who you really are,
00:09:28
Shawn Tolleson
It's like, man, like you never really feel comfortable there. And when we're not comfortable there, we probably don't really perform as well as we probably could have.
00:09:42
Shawn Tolleson
So I think there's a lot of that. And a lot of it goes back to my faith. Like people knew that I was a Christian as I played.
00:09:50
Shawn Tolleson
But I didn't.
00:09:55
Shawn Tolleson
I didn't denounce my faith by any means. People knew who I was, what I stood for, the reasons I didn't do certain things, but but I kind of left at surface level with people, right? I didn't and didn't and didn't ask people very intentional questions when I had the opportunities to.
00:10:14
Shawn Tolleson
And I think that's kind of what, you know, you you play with so many different people in the game of baseball. Like I've played with thousands of different people and there's like one or two that I'm really close with.
00:10:27
Shawn Tolleson
Like, that's kind of crazy when you think about it, thousands of people. And there's one or two that we're really close with. we're not meant to, we're not meant to have thousands of friends. Right. I get that. But, but I do think I missed some opportunities for some really deep friendships.
00:10:43
Steven J. Neuner
Do you, when you look back, do you see that more as like a,
00:10:45
Todd Pinkston
Hmm.
00:10:49
Steven J. Neuner
that you cut caught up in the, in the culture of what you were doing and you weren't confident of? I'm just kind of curious, like where, like when you reflect back on that, like what was the the missing piece that allowed you to be, I don't know, more, more, more alive in that area or that way?
00:11:07
Shawn Tolleson
like more alive now than I was. is that what you're asking?
00:11:10
Steven J. Neuner
Yeah, yeah. or when you like what so that Because there was it sounded like there was a culture of you're rookie or you know and there's the competition and you're obviously meeting a lot of people.
00:11:18
Shawn Tolleson
Yeah.
00:11:21
Steven J. Neuner
which could you I mean, I can hear all of it, but for you, like what do you think it was like inside of you that didn't allow you? and And for you to now see that as a gap, like what was the missing element for Sean?
00:11:35
Shawn Tolleson
Yeah.
00:11:38
Shawn Tolleson
i think i think I think when you boil it down to it, it it's really about,
00:11:46
Shawn Tolleson
I'm trying to think of the right word, transparency a little bit, right? Being seen for who I really am. There was there was a there was a wall that i put up there.
00:11:57
Shawn Tolleson
because I didn't want, and I think, and I think an entire clubhouse is would would say that, right? If you really asked them, nobody really wants to be seen for who they really are.
00:12:09
Shawn Tolleson
And I think i think now i'm much more comfortable being I'm much more comfortable being uncomfortable with things. I'm much more comfortable being completely transparent and honest with with who I am.
00:12:24
Shawn Tolleson
with my shortcomings,
Identity Beyond Baseball
00:12:25
Shawn Tolleson
with my failures. And it just, I see that now as more of an opportunity to like brag on who God is and what he's done and how he fills those gaps in my life.
00:12:37
Shawn Tolleson
Where I think back then, you know, the alternate is like, I don't want to show my gaps because i want to perceive I want everyone to perceive me as is is I've got it all together, this confidence. even if it's Even if it's a fake confidence, like I wanted to portray myself as that, like that I've got it all figured out.
00:12:58
Steven J. Neuner
And does did that, I mean, i having never played any kind of even Little League sport very well, did I would imagine there's a lot of pressure around that also offstage or off the field.
00:13:11
Steven J. Neuner
is I mean, is that is that fair?
00:13:17
Steven J. Neuner
the fans have expectations of who Sean Tollison was?
00:13:24
Shawn Tolleson
yeah, yeah. People, people had expectations and I think,
00:13:30
Shawn Tolleson
you know, I think there's, there's expectations, you know, off the field of, you know, having it all together with my family as well.
00:13:34
Todd Pinkston
you.
00:13:39
Shawn Tolleson
Right. You want to, you want to have your house in order, as well. I mean, there's whole shows about player wives now, right? it's
00:13:49
Steven J. Neuner
Thank you.
00:13:49
Shawn Tolleson
It's like there is like this, they they're the same, they're the exact same way as is as the players are, right? we They put up these fronts and these walls to make it seem like they've got it all together and like we no one's got it all together, right? Nobody's got it got it all figured out and got it all together. And for me, you know, I kind of,
00:14:09
Shawn Tolleson
from a really young age, like I just, I was just good at, I was good at throwing a baseball. Right. And, and so from, from a pretty early age, from the time I was probably 13 years old, people really looked at me. They were like, Hey, do you know, Sean? Oh, are you talking about that guy who throws a baseball hard?
00:14:25
Shawn Tolleson
And it's like, that's kind of who I was, uh, for people for the longest time.
00:14:27
Todd Pinkston
Yeah.
00:14:28
Steven J. Neuner
Mm-hmm.
00:14:30
Shawn Tolleson
And, And then, you know, I went and played at at Baylor, which is, you know, not far from where I lived. And so people sort of stayed attuned to what I was doing there. And then I, and then I get into pro ball and people stay attuned and then I come over to the Rangers.
00:14:44
Shawn Tolleson
And now it's like my whole, like my whole hometown and community is, is tuned in to kind of what I'm doing. And they're still, they still see me as that.
00:14:54
Shawn Tolleson
Right. And so, you know, even a, even a struggle, And, and, and I, you know, it's been a struggle for me coming out of baseball, right. Is like, it's like, man, I, everyone thought I was going to play forever.
00:15:09
Shawn Tolleson
Right. They probably didn't, but that's what I thought. Right. And, and, and now I'm out of the game. okay. So now I don't throw a baseball. So, so, so what am I going to do?
00:15:20
Shawn Tolleson
who am I going to be? How am I going to be perceived? you know, I, without, without my relationship with Christ, like i would be lost, you know, I would, I would really be lost with that.
00:15:36
Shawn Tolleson
I know that my, I know that my value is not like, you know, from the very beginning of time, I know that God handpicked me, and it had nothing to do is before I ever threw a baseball. Right.
00:15:49
Shawn Tolleson
and so, you know, I, I know he I know he doesn't, care about that. And so I know that I shouldn't care about that either. but there is even now what i with what I do with work, it's like, it's like, I've, I've sort of found my way back into baseball in a way.
00:16:03
Shawn Tolleson
and now I'm doing something and it's a business. And so, and it's in my community. Right. And so I feel some of those things creeping back where it's like, or it's like, huh?
00:16:11
Todd Pinkston
Yeah.
00:16:12
Shawn Tolleson
Like people are now they see me as, as Sean, the guy who used to throw the baseball and how they help other kids learn how to throw baseballs. And, there's part of me that wants my business to be successful so that people see it as successful.
00:16:28
Shawn Tolleson
because it's like, I feel like I've got this reputation I need to uphold. And, of course I want it to be successful. Like I want it to. but it's also not the reason I started to do this, right? The reason I started to do this is to use baseball, something that I do love,
00:16:46
Shawn Tolleson
as a vehicle for other kids to understand that their identity is not in sports, right?
Balancing Sports Passion and Personal Identity
00:16:52
Shawn Tolleson
It's not.
00:16:52
Todd Pinkston
Hmm.
00:16:53
Shawn Tolleson
and i And I have to remind myself constantly, like I get so in the weeds with the business stuff that it gets, you know, you can easily lose track of like, okay, why, why am I even doing this in the beginning?
00:17:06
Todd Pinkston
Hmm.
00:17:06
Shawn Tolleson
and And it's important for me, you know, I actually have it like in my calendar, I know Todd's surprised that I have a calendar now, but where my that's where my life's at.
00:17:15
Steven J. Neuner
I don't believe it.
00:17:15
Todd Pinkston
Hmm. prove it prove it
00:17:20
Shawn Tolleson
But on my calendar, I actually have a moment in the day where it's like a reset, right? Where i look at, okay, why why am I doing this again?
00:17:26
Todd Pinkston
Hmm.
00:17:29
Todd Pinkston
Hmm.
00:17:30
Shawn Tolleson
And it sounds silly to schedule that, but it's where I'm at right now. So,
00:17:38
Todd Pinkston
It's good. Hey, I'd love to i'd love to dive in on what you were just talking about. in It's that meshing of, you know for for you, the false self came out of something physically you were good at that became an identity.
00:17:57
Shawn Tolleson
Yeah.
00:17:58
Todd Pinkston
for For others, it's it's you know skills or character traits we have. And I love that picture. It's like, you know Sean is a 10-year-old kid.
00:18:08
Todd Pinkston
Somebody looks at him and says, man, look at how good he is at that. And in that moment, you're doing it out of the pureness and and just goodness of being a kid and having fun.
00:18:18
Shawn Tolleson
yeah yeah
00:18:19
Todd Pinkston
you know, fast forward over the next 20 years and it becomes a thing that you feel pressure of, you feel like you have to perform out of, you know, you even walk away from it, you learn some stuff and now you're back in it, but you're trying to do it and teach people that, hey, it doesn't have to become your identity. And in the same time, it's becoming identity.
Overcoming Injuries and Identity Shifts
00:18:41
Todd Pinkston
And so like talk through some of that and even, and even bring in, and you have a unique story with, uh, you know, you, you hurt your elbow in, in high school and then battled back from that.
00:18:53
Shawn Tolleson
Yeah.
00:18:54
Todd Pinkston
And then, you know, it, it, it came back around and your later seasons, uh, in the majors and you had to battle with, do I, do I try to come back from it again? so
00:19:03
Shawn Tolleson
yeah
00:19:03
Todd Pinkston
you know You had to double down on, man, this is this is really what i want to what I want to give my life to. and And that's awesome. You overcome some great adversity in that, but still it builds some pressure. So how do you, in the midst of that, use something that's a God-given gift, yet not let it become so much of your identity? Yeah.
00:19:26
Shawn Tolleson
Yeah.
00:19:30
Shawn Tolleson
It's like we have a quote on our wall here and it's not my quote and I'll give credit. the It's a guy named Joshua Metcalf who wrote a book called Chop Wood, Carry Water.
00:19:39
Shawn Tolleson
Super simple read.
00:19:40
Todd Pinkston
yeah
00:19:40
Shawn Tolleson
Great book to read like with your kids. Really great. Just life lessons in it. And in that book it says and that book it says to chop wood. and Sorry. It says fall in love with the process of becoming great.
00:19:55
Shawn Tolleson
fall in love with the process of becoming great. And so I wish I had read that book. That book was actually first given to me after my second Tommy John surgery, my second elbow surgery. So I had already been in the major leagues for five years or so, and it was given to me. And and I read it in like a day.
00:20:15
Shawn Tolleson
I took it home, read it. And and It really was a huge mindset shift for me to walk into a training room, right? and And you see all your teammates who are out there doing what you love and you can't do it.
00:20:32
Shawn Tolleson
to to be able to show up with a different a different mindset, a different attitude, to really find joy, because there's joy to be found in everything, but to find joy in the process of becoming good pitcher again.
00:20:49
Shawn Tolleson
when I was, when I had this first surgery, first Tommy John surgery, I was a senior in high school.
00:20:52
Todd Pinkston
Thank you.
00:20:54
Shawn Tolleson
I was great. Like I was outstanding best pitcher there was in the state, my sophomore and junior year. I go into my senior year and you know, like everything's trajectory has not changed. Things are looking good.
00:21:10
Shawn Tolleson
I think there's a really good chance I go in the first or second round out of high school and then that happens. Right. So, all of a sudden, like, I'm not even able to be on the field.
00:21:21
Todd Pinkston
Hmm.
00:21:22
Shawn Tolleson
And so that was kind of like identity crisis number one, like happened to me in high school, right? I i i had kind of a, what I thought was a plan and it's kind of taken away from me.
00:21:34
Steven J. Neuner
Hey, Sean.
00:21:34
Shawn Tolleson
and And I didn't, yeah, yeah.
00:21:37
Steven J. Neuner
before I want you to continue, but there're just I've heard you tell the the moment, and like I just think it's so powerful of how quickly you were protecting.
00:21:48
Steven J. Neuner
would Would you mind sharing like the moment that Snap and what was going on around that? Because I just think it's it's it's it's one that stuck with me.
00:21:57
Shawn Tolleson
the moment of, whenever I hurt my elbow in high school.
00:22:01
Steven J. Neuner
The ankle. Yeah.
00:22:03
Shawn Tolleson
Oh yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, was our, it was our first game, my senior year, senior season.
00:22:08
Todd Pinkston
Yeah.
00:22:08
Shawn Tolleson
And, it was, it was a big, it was a hyped up game. We're playing, uh, it was, I played for Allen high school. We're playing the Woodlands high school. They were, had a really, really good program and a really good pitcher throwing.
00:22:20
Shawn Tolleson
So lots of scouts, you know, probably every major league team was represented there with a scout behind home plate. And, know, it's kind of a scene out of a movie, right? Everyone's the whole behind home plate bleachers are filled with scouts and radar guns go up every pitch. And, you know, I, I remember seeing all of that
00:22:46
Shawn Tolleson
and, not feeling like still to this day, like not feeling pressure by it. still just really excited to throw up the ball and I get through the first two innings and everything's great, right? I'm, I'm throwing the ball harder than I've ever thrown it.
00:23:04
Shawn Tolleson
Uh, everything's great. I got through the first two innings, just throwing fastballs. so third inning comes around and, and I, and it's the first slider I throw of the game and, I just kind of get around it, dropped my arm angle a little bit. And I felt like this just kind of like a, you know, you stretch a rubber band till it, till it snaps type feeling in my elbow.
00:23:26
Shawn Tolleson
And I knew exactly what happened. Like as soon as it happened, I knew exactly what happened. I didn't throw another pitch. I instead like pretended like I hurt my ankle because if there was this slight chance that it was nothing and,
00:23:41
Shawn Tolleson
And I thought it was something in my elbow. I didn't want to like red alert the, all the scouts back there that something was wrong with me or that I was having elbow pain.
00:23:46
Steven J. Neuner
okay
00:23:49
Shawn Tolleson
I grabbed my ankle, the coach out, call the athletic trainer out and act like I, I, you know, hurt my ankle and, and, and I limp off the field and I come off the field. and it's funny. So, you know, obviously like my, my parents were at that game. My, you know, my girlfriend, who's now my wife was at that game.
00:24:10
Shawn Tolleson
I remember coming off the field and kind of seeing that rest of the inning play out. And then I actually, actually walked to the school bus, like, you know, yellow school bus.
00:24:23
Shawn Tolleson
It was parked back there and the bus driver was still just sitting on the bus, you know, and I just knocked on the door and he opened it up and I was like, can I come sit on here?
00:24:35
Shawn Tolleson
And so like our game's still going on and i go sit on the bus.
00:24:36
Steven J. Neuner
Thank you.
00:24:41
Shawn Tolleson
Cause I felt like I just needed a moment. You know, I just, I didn't want anybody around me.
Lessons from Baseball on Identity
00:24:49
Shawn Tolleson
So that was, yeah, it's the first time I think I've really talked about that, but that was a moment I think where I just, I think I had to come to terms with where I was at.
00:25:01
Shawn Tolleson
And I had to do that kind of by myself before I saw anybody else, if that makes sense.
00:25:08
Todd Pinkston
Hmm.
00:25:09
Shawn Tolleson
But yeah, that was that was a that was a challenging time. But but I think, you know, i didn't I didn't throw a ball for two years after that.
00:25:14
Steven J. Neuner
you know,
00:25:17
Shawn Tolleson
And so I'd never really lost my desire to to pitch. that was That was there. But I think i did lose my I did lose my desire for the process to become great.
00:25:33
Shawn Tolleson
during that period. Like, I don't know, like, had I not, would it have taken me two years? I don't think so, right? I think I could have accelerated that process a little bit. There was a lot of things that I could have done, you know, time management-wise during that time.
00:25:50
Shawn Tolleson
But there was there was probably a whole year period in there where i just went through the motions. I did what I thought, what everyone told me I was supposed to do,
00:25:59
Shawn Tolleson
Yet I didn't really take ownership or responsibility for for those things.
00:26:02
Steven J. Neuner
Thank you.
00:26:07
Todd Pinkston
So then keep going. And in in what did you learn? You came back to the game.
00:26:10
Steven J. Neuner
thank you
00:26:11
Todd Pinkston
You played. You made it into the majors. What have you learned about your identity not being wrapped up in what you do, even when you're doing it at the highest level?
00:26:28
Shawn Tolleson
Am I echoing? Can you guys hear me okay?
00:26:31
Steven J. Neuner
Sounds great.
00:26:31
Shawn Tolleson
I'm good.
00:26:32
Todd Pinkston
Yep. You look great.
00:26:35
Shawn Tolleson
Hey, thanks, man. what so what did i learn what did I learn about how my identity is not wrapped up in my performance and in what I do?
00:26:36
Steven J. Neuner
yeah
00:26:37
Todd Pinkston
You know?
00:26:46
Todd Pinkston
Mm-hmm.
00:26:52
Shawn Tolleson
it's I think I'm still learning. But I think ill i think i've i've learned how to I've learned how to just be in the presence of God and and and rest in that.
00:27:06
Steven J. Neuner
And
00:27:08
Shawn Tolleson
And what I mean by that is is as I've learned to feel accepted
00:27:17
Shawn Tolleson
with God. And if I feel accepted with God, and if I am accepted with God, then nothing else really matters.
Listening to God for Identity and Purpose
00:27:29
Shawn Tolleson
And the only way that I've been able to do that is to actually intentionally seek that out.
00:27:35
Steven J. Neuner
I try to think about it.
00:27:38
Shawn Tolleson
I don't think it, that that process doesn't happen by continuing to spin your wheels or to to kind of claw out of it, climb out of it.
00:27:38
Steven J. Neuner
I don't know if that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to ahead and try to do it. I'm going to go ahead and try to do it.
00:27:47
Shawn Tolleson
That process really only happens by you stopping what you're doing and and so seeking God out.
00:27:55
Steven J. Neuner
I'm going to go ahead and try to do it.
00:27:58
Shawn Tolleson
and actually like listening to him, as something I've learned over the last two years and, and doing a couple of these trips now is, is like, God's always trying to talk to me, always trying to talk to me.
00:28:00
Steven J. Neuner
So I'm going to go ahead and try to do it.
00:28:14
Todd Pinkston
Hmm.
00:28:14
Shawn Tolleson
And I think he's been trying to talk to me since I was, you know, 13 or 14 years old.
00:28:21
Steven J. Neuner
And I think that's what was trying to get along.
00:28:21
Shawn Tolleson
And I'm just now, I'm 37, and it wasn't until a year or two ago that I actually learned how to stop and like actually listen to him.
00:28:23
Steven J. Neuner
And I think that's what I was trying to get along. And I think that's what I was trying to get along. And I think that's what was trying to get along.
00:28:35
Shawn Tolleson
Praying is praying as a spiritual discipline that requires thinking and talking.
00:28:37
Steven J. Neuner
this
00:28:41
Steven J. Neuner
Why do you, why do you think I,
00:28:43
Shawn Tolleson
and And I know that we're called to do that. And I just think that the listening part is is a spiritual discipline that we're called to do, that we just
00:28:47
Steven J. Neuner
so
00:28:51
Todd Pinkston
Yeah.
00:28:51
Shawn Tolleson
kind of We neglect it
00:28:57
Todd Pinkston
It's powerful.
00:28:59
Steven J. Neuner
but do you why do you think what are the What are the greatest temptations for you to fall out of that rhythm, to fall out of the the listening?
00:29:16
Shawn Tolleson
it so it. It's always a schedule thing. it's always it's a busyness, it's a hurried kind of lifestyle.
00:29:20
Steven J. Neuner
a busy sort
00:29:25
Shawn Tolleson
you know since Since the last trip that I went on up to Colorado, which was not that long ago, that's about a month ago, i've I have time blocked on Wednesdays, so that's today.
00:29:29
Steven J. Neuner
but
00:29:32
Steven J. Neuner
what this. don't to go stage, to to stage, I'm to to to one to to to go one to trying I'm to to to to trying to one stage, trying stage, to to one stage, and to
00:29:41
Shawn Tolleson
have time blocked on Wednesdays to go outside and do nothing, not take my phone, and this is like, it's in, again, Todd, you'll be surprised to know it's in my calendar. It actually says meet with God in my calendar every Wednesday.
00:29:57
Shawn Tolleson
Uh, it's a two hour blog and I don't, you know, I haven't been taking my Bible. I haven't been taking my phone. I don't have an agenda.
00:30:07
Steven J. Neuner
and I don't have to be a different one.
00:30:09
Shawn Tolleson
i just, am I'm just trying to do that. I'm just trying to go and listen to God.
00:30:12
Steven J. Neuner
I'm just trying to get to go.
00:30:15
Steven J. Neuner
Well, I didn't know you super well before we went on the trip other than, you know, just the little bit we got to know each other, Sean. But if I could give you a compliment, what I've as I've gotten to know you more, one of my favorite things about you is is how present you are when when when you're with people.
00:30:33
Todd Pinkston
Mm.
00:30:34
Steven J. Neuner
and I just like whenever you and I've had lunch or anything like that, like I just feel like there's no one else in the world. And it's it's a it's a really cool gift and a bit of a superpower. and So I love to hear that. That's how you're showing up for God, too. Right. Like and it's probably maybe the overflow of that habit into the lives of others. and so It's like maybe maybe it's this way and now it's spilling out to to the rest of us. But I just I've really come to value that in our friendship. So thank you.
00:31:06
Shawn Tolleson
Well, I appreciate you saying that.
00:31:07
Steven J. Neuner
I think I
00:31:08
Shawn Tolleson
The, yeah, the the buzzword for me over the last month has really just been like margin.
00:31:12
Steven J. Neuner
and
00:31:13
Shawn Tolleson
margin
00:31:13
Steven J. Neuner
yeah
00:31:14
Todd Pinkston
hmm
00:31:15
Shawn Tolleson
Just being able to create margin in my life to go and like listen to God and and margin for other things too.
00:31:17
Steven J. Neuner
like
00:31:21
Steven J. Neuner
like say
00:31:25
Steven J. Neuner
here
00:31:25
Shawn Tolleson
But like as a business owner and entrepreneur, like I've learned I need margin to stay out of the weeds and
00:31:27
Steven J. Neuner
business senator
00:31:36
Shawn Tolleson
work on the things that are going to make it different from how everybody else is doing stuff.
00:31:42
Steven J. Neuner
you so
00:31:43
Shawn Tolleson
and, and, and I can easily get caught up in all the little, little things, but like, i have to, I have to carve out margin for that as well.
00:31:49
Steven J. Neuner
to
00:31:52
Shawn Tolleson
Cause I think if I believe that God's behind my business, I have to believe that he,
00:31:56
Steven J. Neuner
in our business.
Pursuing Purpose Beyond Achievements
00:32:00
Shawn Tolleson
he,
00:32:00
Shawn Tolleson
He has a vision, right?
00:32:01
Steven J. Neuner
I have to figure out what that is going on in my seat.
00:32:02
Shawn Tolleson
And i have to I have to be able to figure out what that vision is for it. And so that I can actually put something in place to execute it.
00:32:06
Steven J. Neuner
I have to put something in my seat.
00:32:12
Todd Pinkston
i Sean, I said in the in the intro that your next 20 years are going to be more impactful than your last 20, and I truly believe it. And, and you know, having having spent time around men that that compete at a high level physically, they – they either fall in love with the process of being great, like you just said, or they fall in love with the process of their own physical ability.
00:32:38
Todd Pinkston
And that becomes everything.
00:32:38
Shawn Tolleson
Mm-hmm.
00:32:40
Todd Pinkston
And then they don't know how to transition when the point in life comes where they have to stop being great at one thing and pursue greatness in another thing. And, yeah it's clear that's not present in your life. It's clear that you are you want to pursue greatness on whatever's in front of you, whether that's you know being a friend, being a husband, following the Lord, being a business owner and So you know you've you have talked about a couple things, you know rhythms that you've put into your life that are creating opportunities for you to reflect, that are creating opportunities to for you to connect and think deeply on purpose.
00:33:24
Todd Pinkston
You used to love throwing a baseball and making sure that the guy behind the plate couldn't hit it.
00:33:27
Shawn Tolleson
Mm-hmm.
00:33:30
Todd Pinkston
And that was what you gave a lot of your life to. When you change and now you have a you know a new bullseye that you are putting time into, you're you're pursuing greatness with with everything you have, what what is that now?
00:33:45
Todd Pinkston
What is the new purpose or vision that you see for the next period of life?
00:33:57
Shawn Tolleson
I pause because I, like I don't know the right sentence to say. Like even hearing you say,
00:34:07
Shawn Tolleson
Even hearing you say, like, I pursue throwing a baseball, like, that's very accurate. But sounds shallow. But, you know, it's like, even looking back at that, is like it's like, man, was I pursuing throwing a baseball or was I pursuing something bigger than that?
00:34:25
Shawn Tolleson
I think that what it is is, like, my ability to throw a baseball was not mine. And so i I worked hard at it and honed that skill and pursued it because it's something that God gave me.
00:34:45
Shawn Tolleson
And had i not had I not pursued it, would have been almost dishonoring to what he's given me. And so i sit in a place now where he has given me the ability to influence people kids and even more so maybe parents on, not just how to train, but more so on, how do I pursue this gift that God has given me, and not let it rule my life.
00:35:25
Shawn Tolleson
And I think where I see myself pursuing something is that, and I think, I so badly just want kids to learn how to, we, you know, we have a, you know, if it's, it's up on our wall. It just says God given, because I want every kid to walk in here and realize like, okay, step one, you have to understand that this gift that you have for playing this game, it didn't come from you. It was given to you, by our God.
00:35:57
Shawn Tolleson
And so,
00:35:57
Todd Pinkston
Oh
00:35:59
Shawn Tolleson
you work at it with all your heart, right? To honor him and not, not man, not your coach, not your mom, not your dad. you do it to honor him. And so i think that changes things a little bit and, and, and how we do it. And, and if you,
00:36:16
Shawn Tolleson
if you have any fear of the Lord, any respect for him whatsoever, like you'll take that task seriously. And so I think what I'm doing now is I'm taking that task seriously to sort of pass that message that I learned through the game,
Impact of Sports on Life and Family
00:36:33
Todd Pinkston
Yeah.
00:36:38
Shawn Tolleson
now.
00:36:40
Shawn Tolleson
know, I coached, uh, uh, I have an eight year old and so I coached their game, you know, they play in a nine new league. I coached game last night in that one game of nine year olds playing baseball.
00:36:52
Shawn Tolleson
There were so many opportunities for what I'm talking about that just happened. it was It was such a great game. It was back and forth. and
00:37:03
Shawn Tolleson
We had kids blow it. We had kids do great things. my My own son, we were up by two going into the last inning. We just got to get three outs.
00:37:19
Shawn Tolleson
And so proud of the way he threw the ball. We lost the game. And the only thing that I said to him after the game was, man, that was fun to watch you throw the ball.
00:37:36
Shawn Tolleson
And I think, you know, as parents...
00:37:38
Todd Pinkston
Yeah.
00:37:40
Shawn Tolleson
we have to sort of sit and think like, you know, God wants, that's how God would respond to us. Like, to our efforts, like not all of our efforts for, for God go like we, we think they should go yet. God, God redeems all of our efforts for his good and for his glory and for all of our good.
00:38:06
Shawn Tolleson
And so,
00:38:06
Todd Pinkston
Hmm.
00:38:08
Shawn Tolleson
you know Even in those little moments like that, like we have to understand it. And baseball is just like this fun little game, but it can teach so many so many lessons like that.
00:38:21
Steven J. Neuner
And when you think about what you're doing now, like where is that? Is that message easier to be received by the kids or by the parents? Because I think that there's kind of two audiences. It sounds like you're you're you're teaching. Right.
00:38:37
Shawn Tolleson
Yeah, I mean, I think the the most challenging part... Excuse me. I think the most challenging part is really the parents. it's The kids truly just want to have fun.
00:38:51
Shawn Tolleson
and in And I think as parents, we can put too much pressure on our kids to perform. I have...
00:39:04
Shawn Tolleson
two conversations that I need to probably have today or tomorrow based on events that happened in a nine-year-old baseball game last night, the conversations they need to have with parents because I want to make sure that, I just want to make sure that they know like what's happening.
00:39:21
Shawn Tolleson
and And they're very good friends of mine, but like it's things like, you know, I see how badly their child is seeking the approval of their dad.
00:39:36
Shawn Tolleson
And I just want them to go play the game. And i want them to love it. And I want, at the end of the game, i want the dad to say, like, man, it's an honor to watch you play this game.
00:39:41
Todd Pinkston
Thank you.
00:39:48
Shawn Tolleson
regardless of kind of the outcome right Regardless of the outcome, I just and just want you to know like how much fun it is to watch you play. and so There was a couple situations last night where I saw confidence wavering and this feeling of like intense pressure to perform.
00:40:06
Shawn Tolleson
and It's not because the game was on the line. I really think it's because they felt like their relationship with their father was on the line. And so it's those kind of things that i that I want to, those kind of conversations that I want to drive.
00:40:19
Steven J. Neuner
So like just for any parent listening, right?
00:40:20
Todd Pinkston
That's great.
00:40:24
Steven J. Neuner
Like what what might be some telltale signs that that maybe you're getting teaching your kid resilience confused with maybe actually something that's not productive?
00:40:37
Shawn Tolleson
Yeah. I think one of the most common things I see is just over coaching, right? It's sort of critiquing every everything.
00:40:49
Shawn Tolleson
I think my my approach is to use practices to coach. And then I don't really coach during games. Like that's kind of your, that's your moment to go perform,
00:41:00
Todd Pinkston
Thank
00:41:00
Shawn Tolleson
Obviously, you know you you send runners, you hold runners up. There's like the the game management portion that happens, but the coaching of a swing or how to field ground ball or how to throw the ball or pitching mechanics, like that all goes all of that goes out the window when you get to a game and you just want to go out there and you want to have fun and you want to perform. so One of the things I see a lot is just is just this over coachaching this overcoaching mentality that I think a lot of parents have, feeling like something Like to be a good parent, you need to say something like all the time.
00:41:34
Shawn Tolleson
When really like you shouldn't really have to say anything other than attaboy when your kid's on the field. and Yeah.
00:41:42
Steven J. Neuner
Yeah. Where I've seen it sometimes with parents like is my kids have my genes, so it's it's nothing but fun watching them play.
00:41:53
Steven J. Neuner
the The thing I noticed sometimes is that seems like almost like the parent's identity is in the, you talked about identity in sports for the players. i almost noticed it seems like the parent's identity is in their kid playing that sport. Maybe, i don't know if it's because they played before or what, you know what i mean, themselves and they're reliving it. But I noticed that that's where,
00:42:13
Steven J. Neuner
It seems like a recipe for things to get off track.
00:42:17
Shawn Tolleson
I notice it too. i don't think it's... actually don't think it's like because they played and they want to relive their sporting days through their kid.
00:42:28
Shawn Tolleson
I actually think it's more about... I think it's more about... like I mentioned earlier, there's things that we do all the time. There's things that we touch all the time and they easily become our identity.
00:42:40
Shawn Tolleson
Like youth sports is something we do all the time, right? We're constantly, we're constantly chasing our kids back and forth from field to field, dropping them off at practices, picking this kid up. Like, it, it, it runs our, it runs our weeks in our lives.
00:42:55
Shawn Tolleson
and like anything like that, it can become your identity. Right. And so it's like, if you were doing a job and, you weren't performing, you would begin to question how you were spending your time.
00:43:06
Shawn Tolleson
I think a lot of it has to do with parents doing that. It's like, I spend so much time and money on this that if I'm not going to see the results of it, then you sort of start to question like, is this really worth it?
00:43:16
Todd Pinkston
hmm
00:43:19
Shawn Tolleson
And so a lot of that identity comes from, it's just like any other job. It's, it's, it's like, I need to see results for me to be able to justify the time, effort and, and finances and I'm contributing that I'm, that I'm putting out there. And, and that stinks because that's not why we play sports is for that.
Vision for Youth Sports
00:43:40
Shawn Tolleson
Right. And, And I think it's gotten it's all gotten expensive. And so everything's gotten expensive, but but youth sports have gotten expensive. And so there is a there is a level of like, is it worth it, right?
00:43:53
Shawn Tolleson
When you're looking at your budget and you're like, man, is it worth it? And I think we're using the wrong criteria to...
00:44:02
Shawn Tolleson
to determine if it's worth it or not. we're using a criteria of, is my kid good? Is he getting better? Is he on his way to a d one scholarship? And I think that the criteria we need to be using is, are they having fun? Do they love it?
00:44:19
Shawn Tolleson
Are they, are they learning how to work hard at something? And are they learning the lesson that hard work leads to, improvement? Are they, I think those are the thing those are the criteria we need to be using to judge those financial decisions and time decisions and not are they good or are they not good or did their team win a championship this year.
00:44:40
Todd Pinkston
Yeah.
00:44:41
Steven J. Neuner
That's good.
00:44:43
Todd Pinkston
Sean, you're taking a fresh look at at something we've been doing. you know as we did it as kids. The generation before us did it as kids. and you are you're you're flipping the script on this.
00:44:55
Todd Pinkston
And you're not going into you know participation trophies and it's just all about having fun. you are You're engaged in something. i mean, you're running a facility that kids are coming to to perform and be trained at a high level.
00:45:09
Todd Pinkston
And at the same time, you're trying to give them an opportunity to let it become something they do and enjoy and work hard at that doesn't become their identity.
00:45:20
Shawn Tolleson
Mm-hmm.
00:45:21
Todd Pinkston
and And, you know, this is so in line. I mean, it's kind of this, the idea of unforced purpose. It's the idea of going after something hard, but feeling like it's not all on the line. And, know, you know, in a lot of ways, you're you're reengaging in something you've been a part of and trying to to cast some new light on it.
00:45:39
Todd Pinkston
If you were to fast forward 20 years and everything that you touch, the Lord blesses, and, you know, you have a platform to create a movement within sports, what does it look like 20 years from now that looks different than what it looks like right now?
00:45:56
Shawn Tolleson
Yeah, it you know, I think it it looks a lot like kids out there to have fun again. i think number one is that. kids your Kids are playing sports to have fun. I think number two, families are not – being torn apart through sports. I think that it's a, it's an opportunity for f for families to come together.
00:46:17
Shawn Tolleson
cause sports really can be a way for families to come together. but if it, if it is ruling your life, you know, it can, it can tear apart marriages and family dynamics. And so number two, I'd say, yeah, that right. It's, it's putting families back together and not tearing them apart.
00:46:34
Todd Pinkston
Okay.
00:46:38
Shawn Tolleson
And I don't know what number three is, but I definitely am pretty certain about those first two. I think number three would just be, you know, yeah, I don't know what number three is.
00:46:52
Shawn Tolleson
I've probably got a 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 that I could give you, but I do think I want to see kids have fun playing the game that they love to play. And I want to see...
00:47:04
Shawn Tolleson
parents and communities unite and come together through it.
00:47:08
Todd Pinkston
Mm-hmm. Okay.
00:47:10
Shawn Tolleson
And I would love to see, you know, one of the things that we do is is is we actually When a coach is working with a kid, we we actually have the parent not present.
00:47:21
Shawn Tolleson
So the coach and the kid are working together. The parent is in a different location. They can see, but they're not close enough to to talk. we want We want to teach kids how to... like kids don't really take ownership for much these days. and, and that's not helpful to our society at all.
00:47:41
Shawn Tolleson
and so i would love to see kids start to take ownership of this a little bit. And so that's one of the reasons we do that. It's, it's not because we think parents are the worst.
00:47:52
Shawn Tolleson
but we want to see kids learn to take ownership of, of what they're learning. so that they can then go and communicate that, right? And so we have our coaches that actually ask the kids, okay, do you know, what what did we work on today? Okay, go go talk to your parents about that, right?
00:48:09
Shawn Tolleson
And so I think that's another thing is being able being able to use you know sports for kids to learn skills that are gonna help them out later in life,
Lightning Round and Personal Growth
00:48:20
Todd Pinkston
Let's
00:48:21
Shawn Tolleson
yeah.
00:48:23
Steven J. Neuner
I love it. Pretty sure three four and five will come in your quiet time too. Cause you're, cause you're listening.
00:48:28
Shawn Tolleson
I think
00:48:29
Todd Pinkston
go.
00:48:30
Steven J. Neuner
I don't know if you have any others, but I would love to, I'd love to finish with a lightning round of some fun ones.
00:48:38
Todd Pinkston
Yeah. Hey, bret but before the lightning round, I want to get back into the relationships. I remember we even had a conversation on Trail about it. of there There is something... It's like, you know, if you can go back into this picture of like, okay, you've got this, you know, young in your career, Sean Tolleson, you're great at what you do.
00:48:59
Todd Pinkston
But as you walk through the locker room, it's like you feel... just a hesitancy to truly be yourself as if being yourself makes you weak or, you know, what, if you have a bad game, does that mean that, gosh, you had a bad game because you were focusing on Bible study earlier and you should have been, you know, it's like, I don't know what it is, but it's not just a baseball thing. It's like,
00:49:25
Todd Pinkston
Across the board, some of the most successful, confident, driven, high-performing people feel like they can't just be themselves.
00:49:37
Todd Pinkston
and And sometimes that means they can't share that they struggle with something. Sometimes that means they can't they they feel like they can't be honest in their faith. like what When you look back and and tease that apart from your situation, like what do you feel like it was that kept you stuck?
00:49:53
Todd Pinkston
And how have you turned the corner? like You're not that guy anymore. like you are a You have no problem talking about your faith. You have no problem... you know Talking about, you know, something that you feel like you're, you know, struggling in or whatnot.
00:50:08
Todd Pinkston
Like, how have you turned the corner and and found life in Hmm.
00:50:14
Shawn Tolleson
I think with with with anything, like repetition helps, right? So the the more you talk about your faith, the more normal it becomes to talk about your faith, right? The more you throw a baseball, the more normal it becomes to throw a baseball.
00:50:29
Shawn Tolleson
I think there's that's that's a practical example, but I think there is some benefit to just trying it, being faithful and trying, and just going out and doing it and doing it again, doing it again.
00:50:42
Shawn Tolleson
But as far as like,
00:50:45
Shawn Tolleson
being able to be transparent, open and not care so much about what people think. you know, I think, I think a lot of that has just been also through having other godly, uh, men in my life that I can talk to about things. And like,
00:51:05
Shawn Tolleson
you know, before I was 30 years old, I don't think I had it. and I never had like somebody that I would just tell anything to. and I think once you, once you've done that, even that becomes like, all right.
00:51:21
Shawn Tolleson
Like that becomes easier the more you do it. And you start to realize like, Hey, I just, I just told him that. And, like he still wants to hang out and he still wants to be my friend. and And there's there's real value in in in letting people see you and then still being loved by them. And think we we we you know we get this life fed to us that says,
00:51:50
Shawn Tolleson
you know if you you know if you let them, if you be totally yourself that you're not gonna be accepted or loved,
00:51:58
Todd Pinkston
Yeah.
00:51:59
Shawn Tolleson
and I think that's just, it's like, you, it sort of requires someone in your life to sort of push you into that. and, and, and to get into a relationship like that, where, where you can have transparency and just say, say, you know, you, we said it on the trip, right?
00:52:06
Todd Pinkston
Yeah.
00:52:15
Shawn Tolleson
It's like, don't give me, I think it was like, don't give me 99%, like give me the last 1% or maybe it was the last 10% that you guys say.
00:52:24
Todd Pinkston
Yeah.
00:52:24
Shawn Tolleson
But like, you know, I think as men, we tend to do that. Like we tend to give you 90% of it, but we don't want to give you that last 10%. We just want to hold onto that. We want to protect it because that's really not for anybody else to know.
00:52:38
Shawn Tolleson
And that's kind of where these like lies and identity crisis has come from when we hold onto this 10%.
00:52:42
Todd Pinkston
Mm-hmm.
00:52:45
Shawn Tolleson
And so being able to talk to people and and and and and lay that out there for people, I've sort of, I've come to a place where it's like,
00:52:56
Shawn Tolleson
it's fine. Like if if you don't, if you think differently about me because of this, like it's okay. Like, I have like, I have a God who, who loves me no matter what.
00:53:09
Shawn Tolleson
Right. And who knows everything about me and still chose me and still chooses me every day. And so, that's kind of how I rest in that.
00:53:20
Todd Pinkston
It's awesome.
00:53:21
Shawn Tolleson
Yeah.
00:53:21
Todd Pinkston
Thanks for sharing.
00:53:22
Shawn Tolleson
Yeah. Yeah.
00:53:25
Todd Pinkston
All right.
00:53:27
Shawn Tolleson
Lightning round.
00:53:27
Todd Pinkston
Lightning round.
00:53:28
Shawn Tolleson
Let's go.
00:53:31
Shawn Tolleson
You know I don't talk fast.
00:53:32
Steven J. Neuner
right.
00:53:32
Shawn Tolleson
the Lightning rounds are still kind of slow with me. but
00:53:35
Steven J. Neuner
Yeah, that's right. Stay with me too, right?
00:53:38
Todd Pinkston
fun
00:53:39
Steven J. Neuner
All right. Who wins head to head? You are taught in cornhole.
00:53:44
Shawn Tolleson
Todd. It's been proven. Yeah.
00:53:47
Steven J. Neuner
Okay.
00:53:48
Shawn Tolleson
and he took me He took me three games in a row.
00:53:51
Shawn Tolleson
Three games in a row.
00:53:51
Steven J. Neuner
He paid me to ask that question, by the way. i yeah
00:53:52
Todd Pinkston
is Hey, i head I had number one on this cornhole.
00:53:55
Shawn Tolleson
Hey,
00:53:56
Steven J. Neuner
audience we
00:53:58
Shawn Tolleson
you know, but
00:54:00
Todd Pinkston
you know I was just going to say cornhole with a question mark.
00:54:01
Shawn Tolleson
but Listen, listen, listen, he made, he beat me, he beat me, but I will say, i do think he respected my game. And the reason I know that is the reason I know that is that I'm pretty certain, like, he started Googling, like, cornhole tournaments and how do I create a cornhole team?
00:54:11
Todd Pinkston
Oh my gosh.
00:54:20
Shawn Tolleson
And, and he's like, Sean, he's like, Sean, let's quit everything we're doing and go on the circuit.
00:54:22
Todd Pinkston
Let's go.
Unique Skills and Health Experiments
00:54:28
Steven J. Neuner
I'm jokingly talking.
00:54:29
Todd Pinkston
all I know is whoever's listening to this podcast, Sean and I will take you on in Cornhole.
00:54:29
Steven J. Neuner
That's going to be the biggest, yeah.
00:54:38
Todd Pinkston
Nooner will put up the the wager, you know, and all proceeds are going to WayForward, and that's how WayForward's going to take over another base camp down the road.
00:54:46
Shawn Tolleson
There you go. That's it.
00:54:48
Todd Pinkston
So it's it's it's stated.
00:54:48
Shawn Tolleson
That's it.
00:54:49
Steven J. Neuner
All
00:54:52
Todd Pinkston
Hey, so I do kind of get tired of somebody somebody coming up to me and saying, man, did you know that Sean is so good at?
00:54:52
Steven J. Neuner
right.
00:54:58
Todd Pinkston
And it started with Carnhole this last time they came off the trip and they talked about how you know good you were at Hacky Sack. It's like you know everything Sean Tollison touches, he's great at. But I want to know, what is what is like a secret talent?
00:55:12
Todd Pinkston
Like something that you're dang good at that nobody knows. Keep it clean.
00:55:19
Shawn Tolleson
It's funny you say that because there's a lot of as a pitcher, you have a lot of downtime. And so, you know, the amount of businesses I probably could have started and all the time I wasted as a baseball player. But, you know, things like hacky sack, I just got good at it.
00:55:36
Todd Pinkston
Yeah.
00:55:37
Shawn Tolleson
Things like yesterday, I was showing the kids at the field, like I was balancing a bat on my toe. And like it's like, I can do that with my eyes closed. on my toe, my nose, my elbow, like wherever.
00:55:48
Shawn Tolleson
And so that's like kind of a funny skill. I'm really good at spinning stuff on my finger. So like anything, pillows, whatever, lunch trays, like just, just anything.
00:56:04
Shawn Tolleson
That's probably, you know, a weird skill that I have. Yeah. I mean, I've been known to like, there were moments in pro ball where I would like, you know, like try to to take the take a couch outside and balance it on my chin and and stuff like that. So it's, you know, there's some weird stuff. There's probably several things.
00:56:24
Shawn Tolleson
um'm I'm good at a lot of useless things. I'll just say that.
00:56:29
Steven J. Neuner
I got I got one more because inquiring minds want to know what is the latest health gadget that you're experimenting with?
00:56:38
Shawn Tolleson
The latest health gadget that I'm experimenting with So
00:56:43
Steven J. Neuner
Yeah.
00:56:43
Todd Pinkston
the red It's the red light behind him.
00:56:43
Steven J. Neuner
Yeah. yeah yeah yeah
00:56:45
Todd Pinkston
It's the red light behind him. he's He is constantly rotating around bar.
00:56:48
Shawn Tolleson
not this, not this light, not this light, not this light.
00:56:50
Steven J. Neuner
but
00:56:51
Todd Pinkston
ri bar
00:56:51
Shawn Tolleson
I have been, I have been experimenting. So we, we put in a Theralite red light bed, is like the Godzilla of all red light therapy. And so I have been experimenting with that, using it daily just to see what I feel like, quite energetic.
00:57:05
Shawn Tolleson
I'll say that. the, the,
00:57:06
Steven J. Neuner
Yeah.
00:57:07
Todd Pinkston
You do notice difference?
00:57:09
Shawn Tolleson
Yes, no, definitely notice a huge difference in just how you feel. But I'm not even going to say that counts as what I'm experimenting with because that's already like a proven known thing. I'd say the thing that I'm experimenting with is, you know, it's like, this sounds really out there, but it fits in for Colorado people, Todd. So crystals, experimenting with crystals.
00:57:37
Shawn Tolleson
there's some There's some interesting science about crystals and like what they can actually do with with energy fields and and in and absorbing EMFs or blocking EMFs and stuff like this. so you know i've I've been carrying around... I would show them. I don't have them. i think They're in my cup holder in my car.
00:57:55
Shawn Tolleson
I've actually been carrying and i've been actually carrying some crystals in my pocket.
00:57:56
Todd Pinkston
i knew that I knew something felt off.
00:58:02
Shawn Tolleson
Just to like, you know, just to like see So I've been carrying crystals in my pocket. You know, now it's on a podcast, so it's out there, but I've been trying not to tell people that.
Power of Opportunities and Community
00:58:23
Steven J. Neuner
Thank you for saying yes, saying yes to the random introduction to me.
00:58:27
Todd Pinkston
Yeah.
00:58:30
Steven J. Neuner
to my random probably seemingly and ask for you to go on way forward trail with me. And and then now this podcast, i'm I'm just truly mean it when I say I've been really blessed by our friendship and look forward to all the good things ahead.
00:58:44
Shawn Tolleson
Well, it's really cool what God can do when you just say yes. So, and then, and I think like this podcast is a huge Testament to,
00:58:47
Todd Pinkston
yeah
00:58:53
Shawn Tolleson
being in tune with what the spirit's doing in your life and just saying yes, even when it feels weird and when you can find a million reasons not to do it, if you feel like you should do it, you need to do it because, like i wasn't looking for a life transformation when I was introduced to you, Nooner.
00:58:56
Todd Pinkston
Yeah.
00:59:11
Shawn Tolleson
I wasn't looking for a life transformation when I went on my first wave forward trip. I thought I kind of had it. I thought I had a wrap on stuff. Yet God wanted me to go. And so I said, yes.
00:59:24
Todd Pinkston
Yeah.
00:59:25
Shawn Tolleson
and And I think like a life transformation is not something that happens once in your life, right? It's something that God's continually trying to to s sanctify and renew us.
00:59:36
Shawn Tolleson
And he just needs you to say yes to opportunities when they come up. And so, I'm super, super, super grateful to you, Nooner, for your leadership and for asking me to, to go on that first trip and, and super thankful for you, Todd and, and saying yes to the vision that, that God gave you with WayForward.
01:00:00
Todd Pinkston
Hmm.
01:00:07
Todd Pinkston
Praise God.
01:00:07
Shawn Tolleson
there's, and and I just say this, and and then we need to wrap up, but there, you know, there are 10 men who went on the trip a month ago and there are 10 men's who, men whose lives will never be the same because of four days.
01:00:28
Shawn Tolleson
That's it. Four days.
01:00:29
Todd Pinkston
Hmm.
01:00:29
Shawn Tolleson
Their lives will never be the same. marriages will never be the same. Their careers will never be the same.
01:00:35
Todd Pinkston
Come on.
01:00:36
Shawn Tolleson
The way that they parent their kids will never be the same. and And so, like Todd, like, just thank you for saying yes to to God's calling your life. And it's it's been amazing, even in our community of men that went, how God's continued to...
01:00:51
Shawn Tolleson
like we, we haven't stopped, right?
01:00:55
Todd Pinkston
on
01:00:55
Shawn Tolleson
We've got, we've got, we're reading, we're, we're praying, we're talking. i had coffee at five 30 this morning with three guys, that were on the trip. we're having breakfast with all of them on Friday morning.
01:01:05
Shawn Tolleson
like, there's dudes working out together. Like we have not stopped. So like the work that started for, you know, on four days on the mountain, it continues.
01:01:11
Todd Pinkston
Yes.
01:01:15
Shawn Tolleson
And now it's like, we we're a group of guys who are, who are doing life together and pushing each other and challenging each other and continuing to ask each other the hard questions. And so it's, it's truly amazing when you just say yes.
01:01:32
Steven J. Neuner
What a great.
01:01:33
Todd Pinkston
It's good word. Thanks for, thanks for sharing that, man. That's so encouraging. When you started, I thought you were going say, Todd, thanks for the qualifications you got.
01:01:41
Steven J. Neuner
Maybe.
01:01:41
Todd Pinkston
You know, because we know that's where it all started, baby.
01:01:41
Steven J. Neuner
Yeah.
01:01:47
Shawn Tolleson
No, no, I, I, yeah, I, I, I, I don't ask about their, don't ask about their qualifications.
01:01:47
Todd Pinkston
Hey, that's another story for a good time, but still.
01:01:48
Steven J. Neuner
but but baby
01:01:55
Shawn Tolleson
I mean, this, tat last time, last time when i' went on a trip, I, so we saw Todd the first night and then, you know, the next morning he's gone. I'm just like, man, Todd, but we, we, we talked, talked you up so much to these guys and, and you were out of there.
01:02:11
Todd Pinkston
whatever whatever uh aaron aaron man she uh when i got off trail her she just lit up talking about y'all's group and what was shared around the table at the end of the trip and man i told you i told you this on trail last year and i'll say it for the third time on this like
01:02:11
Shawn Tolleson
Just, just gone.
01:02:37
Todd Pinkston
man, you are primed for the Lord to do just amazing things through you. Like you have instant credibility with men because of what you've done.
01:02:48
Todd Pinkston
and what's amazing is like that it doesn't define you. Like it's not the thing you want to talk about first, but but people know. and And, you know, maybe there's sometimes when you meet people like Nooner where you you have to remind them, like, do you know who I am?
01:03:01
Todd Pinkston
you know But I mean, for the most part – Man, they just, people people know, they know what you've done and that gives you a platform and you use that platform.
01:03:14
Todd Pinkston
And and the 10 guys that are on the trail are a testament of that, of like, you use the platform to get people into into a place where they can go deeper with the Lord and they can find what really matters more than anything else.
01:03:25
Shawn Tolleson
Yeah.
01:03:25
Todd Pinkston
And man, I just pray that may your tribe increase, like, you know, pray for what you're doing with pop and that there would just be incredible shifting of,
01:03:25
Shawn Tolleson
Mm-hmm.
01:03:34
Todd Pinkston
conversations between parents and kids, that dads would have their eyes open to see my kid is out there on the mound trying to earn the approval of me. And that's all he cares about.
01:03:44
Todd Pinkston
And if I'll just give it to him, he can get back to living life and having fun. And man, that's like that. Those are things that we talk about on trail with men that have never worked through it.
01:03:55
Todd Pinkston
And you're getting the opportunity to do that real, real time in something that we all want to do, you know, play sports and have fun.
01:03:58
Shawn Tolleson
yeah
01:04:00
Todd Pinkston
And so, dude, I love you. I'm proud of you. I'm grateful for your friendship. I love kind of having a front row seat to what the Lord is in your life and cheering you on. It's a it's a blast. And I pray that folks get to hear this conversation and they're but they're blessed by it.
01:04:14
Todd Pinkston
So thanks for your time today.
01:04:15
Shawn Tolleson
Awesome. Yeah, thank you guys.
01:04:18
Todd Pinkston
You got it.
01:04:18
Steven J. Neuner
where where can people find you learn more if they want to hear more about what you're doing
01:04:24
Shawn Tolleson
Yeah, you can find us on Instagram, popathletics, pop.athletics, popathletics.com. you can You can see and read and hopefully very soon i'm actually tune in. So we're going to be launching a podcast that's all about kind of what I talked a lot about, right? Which is which is how do we how do we put our kids in sports and not screw them up and as a parent? And so it's going to be a podcast for parents. We'll give you to tidbits of of what we think are the best things that you should be doing to make sure that they're becoming the best athlete they can.
01:04:57
Shawn Tolleson
but also to ensure that, they know how much you love them and are proud of them regardless of, of what they do on the field.
01:05:06
Steven J. Neuner
Love it. Go find him.
01:05:08
Shawn Tolleson
Yeah.
01:05:08
Todd Pinkston
It's awesome.
01:05:08
Steven J. Neuner
Love you, brother.
01:05:09
Shawn Tolleson
Awesome.
01:05:10
Todd Pinkston
yeah
01:05:10
Shawn Tolleson
Thanks guys.
01:05:11
Todd Pinkston
Great conversation. Thank you, dude