Episode Details

A lot of people think that their current situation will be a lifelong one -- may it be about their struggles, financial status, and even in their career. Sometimes people think that they are imprisoned by what/where they are right now. They tend to think that there is no possible way to shift from doing what they used to do for a living, to doing what they really are passionate about.

Today’s guest will make us realize that change is okay, and how doing what we really love can change our lives for the better. We just have to embrace changes.

My guest is Chris Gronkowski -- the owner and inventor of the Ice Shaker. He first made a career for himself as a professional football player and joined the NFL in 2010 after being signed by the Dallas Cowboys as a fullback. During his years in the NFL, Gronkowski also played for the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos. In 2016, he decided to put his entrepreneurial skills to the test when he set out to create a protein shaker bottle that would alleviate many of the issues he and other avid athletes experience with standard protein shakers.

Chris Gronkowski Backstory

Chris has 4 brothers and they all play pro-sports. His eldest brother plays baseball. They did not come from a football family. They were just athletes because their parents can’t handle them being inside the house all day, because it will be like they will take five boys, they leave them inside a house, and all they will do is fight. It will be just all brawls non-stop. So Chris and his brothers put all their energy into sports. And that's how that all came about.

His goal really wasn't to make it to the NFL, and he actually thought he had zero chance. All he gets told every single year by his teachers and by everyone is, “Hey, this is a dream. Very few people make it. It's one in a million. Get your grades because it's probably not happening for you.”

Being told that everyday, Chris’ goal was just to get to college, and get the best education possible. But he was lucky enough to get a last minute scholarship offer to the University of Maryland and he got to college for free at division one. Then along the way, he obviously put his all into athletics. And since he has his brother on his team, it became a competition between brothers. And that just led them to pushing each other harder and harder. It led to an opportunity where scouts might have been coming in to see his brother, Rob, but they were also seeing him at the same time.

What is it like to play in the NFL?

According to Chris, playing in the NFL is not just a game. It's a job. A hard and super stressful job.

In college, you could pretty much hold up a sign. If you see the signs on the sideline like, “What the hell does that mean?” And it actually tells you exactly what you’re doing. 

In the NFL, it's definitely not like college. You walk up to the line, you have a quarterback, like a Brady - Peyton Manning, he's calling out one word on the line, and in a split second, you have to know exactly what you're doing. So you have to be a pretty smart and intelligent person. And then also with that, you'll play changes as “defend changes.”

Chris’ transition from being in the NFL to becoming an entrepreneur

It was almost a blessing in disguise when Chris got hurt in his fourth year. He took an injury settlement, because once you get hurt in a camp, and you're not a superstar player, you're pretty much “damaged goods” at that time. They'll release you and they'll pay you out as long as they think you're going to be hurt. And so they paid Chris for three games.

So it was an easy, easy transition for Chris because his wife also started a business in his third year. She started hand painting wine glasses, and he saw it as if this little hobby that's going nowhere. But pretty soo