Tag

nfl

Apr 01
Love26

Pete A Turner

By Podcast No Comments

There are people who know a little about a lot. And then there are people like Pete A. Turner.

This week on Here’s What We Know, we sit down with a former Army counterintelligence agent who turned a life of asking hard questions into something unexpected: a podcast built on curiosity, connection, and listening.

What starts as a conversation about baseball and sports turns into something much deeper. We’ll talk about what it really means to pay attention. Not just hearing words, but understanding what’s underneath them.

Pete also shares how his time as a spy shaped the way he sees the world. How he builds trust, how he gets people to open up, and why the best conversations rarely go the way you planned.

And if you’ve ever wondered why some conversations stay with you long after they’re over, this episode might give you a few answers.

This episode is sponsored by:

Be sure to tell them Gary sent you!

In This Episode:

  • Why This Conversation Goes Off Script Fast
  • Baseball, Obsession, and How Smart Minds Stay Engaged
  • Why Sports Are More Than Games
  • Why He Walked Away from Football
  • The Problem With “Greatest of All Time” Debates
  • What Makes Elite Athletes Different
  • F1, Precision, and the Psychology of High Performance
  • From Podcasting to 2,000 Episodes: How Pete Built His Show
  • “I Was a Spy”: Pete Turner’s Counterintelligence Background
  • Fear, Growth, and Why You Should Say Yes to Hard Things
  • Near-Death Experiences and What Happens at the Edge of Life
  • How a Spy Becomes a Great Podcast Host
  • The Secret to Getting People to Open Up
  • How to Ask Better Questions (And Get Better Answers)

Quotations:

“We don’t root against anybody. I love that about sport: you can just genuinely care about all 20 athletes and root for them. I think it’s neat.” – Pete A. Turner

“When you get to do these things, things that are scary to regular people are just normal for me. I don’t let fear dictate what I do. And if anything’s scary, I do it.” – Pete A. Turner

“I’m guilty of talking too much all the time, but when I get it right and I sit in the back seat, I let those guys ask each other those great questions.” – Pete A. Turner

“And I know how to be a great guest. That’s a spy thing. And so when you allow someone to be a great host, they’re a great host. And when you are a good guest, they want to be an even better host.” – Pete A. Turner

“I can always bring it because I’m the boss. I can always bring them back. I can always bring them over this way or rain them over that way. But I want to go where they’re excited to go.” – Pete A. Turner

Bio:

Pete A. Turner is a former U.S. Army counterintelligence agent turned podcast host and storyteller. As the executive producer and host of The Break It Down Show, Pete has led more than 2,000 conversations with a wide range of guests, from Nobel Prize winners to everyday people with extraordinary stories.

His background in espionage and global deployments across Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Egypt, and Germany shaped the way he listens, asks questions, and connects with people. That same approach now defines his work behind the microphone.

Whether he’s exploring geopolitics, personal resilience, or the human stories behind the headlines, Pete creates space for conversations that go deeper than most.

Guest Contact Info:

Website: https://www.breakitdownshow.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peteaturner/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/breakitdownshow

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/peteaturner

Feb 11
Love25

Jason Cole

By Author, Podcast, Sports No Comments

What really happens inside the room when Pro Football Hall of Fame decisions are made?

This week on Here’s What We Know, we sit down with longtime NFL writer and Hall of Fame voter Jason Cole to pull back the curtain on a process most fans think they understand but usually don’t.

Jason explains how Hall of Fame voting actually works, why the math matters more than people realize, and why some obvious names don’t get in right away. We talk about grit, greatness, coaching versus players, and the thin line between legacy and perception. Along the way, Jason shares old-school football stories that remind us why this game still matters so much to so many people.

If you’ve ever argued about the Hall of Fame at a bar, on the couch, or online, this conversation will give you a whole new perspective.

This episode is sponsored by:

Be sure to tell them Gary sent you!

(Use code “Gary” to get $89 off any service!) License #: 679261

In this Episode:

  • How Pro Football Hall of Fame voting really works
  • Why first-ballot decisions are more complicated than fans think
  • Coaching impact versus player greatness
  • What separates legends from very good players
  • Stories that remind us football is still a human game

Bio:

Jason Cole has covered or written about pro football since 1992. He is one of 49 selectors for the Pro Football Hall of Fame and has served as a selector since 2013. Cole has worked for publications such as Bleacher Report, Yahoo! Sports, The Miami Herald and The Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel. He started his career with the Peninsula Times-Tribune in Palo Alto.

Cole has authored or co-authored eight books, including the biography of Hall of Famer John Elway (Elway: A Relentless Life), Shut Up, Your Kid is Not That Great, including a foreword by Tom Brady Sr., Giant with Plaxico Burress, Heart for the Game with Simon Keith, and Ocho Cinco with Chad Johnson. Before covering the NFL, Cole covered the NBA, Major League Baseball and high school sports in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Cole’s five-year investigation of Reggie Bush and the University of Southern California resulted in Bush becoming the only player ever to relinquish his Heisman Trophy and USC losing its 2004 national championship. Cole is a graduate of Stanford University, served as an adjunct professor in the Journalism Department at the University of Florida for 11 years, and is the father of two Eagle Scouts.

Guest Contact Info:

X: https://x.com/jasoncole62

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-cole-1330266/

Jun 18
Love21

Jedidiah Collins

By Author, Education, Podcast, Professional Athlete, Sports No Comments

This week on Here’s What We Know, our host Gary sits down with former NFL fullback Jedidiah “Jed” Collins, now a financial educator, author, and founder of Money Vehicle. From playing with the New Orleans Saints to launching a financial literacy movement, Jed shares what it means to lead with purpose both on and off the field.

​​If you’re a football fan or just trying to get smarter with your money, this one’s for you.

This episode is sponsored by:

In this Episode:

  • The NFL Days: Stories from Jed’s time with the Saints, team culture, and what it was really like to play with legends like Drew Brees.
  • The Fullback Mindset: Why the most underrated positions can teach us the most about teamwork and grit.
  • Failing Forward: How the NFL taught Jed to embrace failure and channel it into growth.
  • Building Legacy Over Lifestyle: Why top athletes and all of us should be thinking about impact, not just income.
  • A Saints Fan for Life: Gary shares his childhood fandom and why the Saints always felt like more than just a team.
  • Money Vehicle Mission: Jed’s passion project teaching students how to make smart financial decisions early.
  • Why Financial Literacy Matters: Especially for athletes entering sudden wealth, real talk on fraud, fame, and responsibility.
  • Entrepreneurship & Life After Sports: The parallels between athletics and business, and how resilience shows up in both.

Quotations:

“I think that’s the message that everybody needs to take, not just in football, but in life. You’re gonna lose, you’re gonna be beat, you’re gonna have things go the wrong way that you never expected. As an entrepreneur, I’m realizing this on a daily basis. But all I can control is the message I put out, the person that I am, and the decisions that I make. And I like that. If we’re gonna roll the dice, let’s do it with my best foot forward.” ~ Jedidiah Collins

“I don’t control the outcome. I control the input.” ~ Jedidiah Collins

“I love the beauty of sport because it translates all of these messages into the reality of life. If I’m going to go down, I’m going to go down swinging with my best punches.” ~ Jedidiah Collins

“When I got humbled, I went back and did what I do best, which is get better inch by inch. But you look at these first round picks and everybody says, how does this kid with all the talent in the world not achieve what we wanted him to do? And it’s simple. You never gave them the atmosphere or the preparation to fail. And confidence doesn’t come from success. Confidence doesn’t come from getting drafted in the first round. Confidence comes from getting on the field. getting rep after rep after rep and losing most of those reps, identifying how you lost and then having the plan to continue to go forward.” ~ Jedidiah Collins“

I’m a hard guy to kill. You can’t get rid of me. And I’m going to figure out a way to make this thing better. And once I do, then you find my role.” ~ Jedidiah Collins

Bio:

Jedidiah Collins, CFP®, is a former NFL fullback, Amazon best-selling author, adjunct professor, and Certified Financial Planner® (CFP®) with a passion for financial education. His journey to financial empowerment didn’t begin with a textbook but with personal experience—after being cut 12 times, he persevered to become the #1 fullback in the NFL.

While living the dream of playing professional football, Jed faced a harsh reality: he was unprepared for the financial opportunities that came with success. Determined to change that, he pursued his CFP® certification while still in the league. After transitioning from football, he gained real-world experience in wealth management but soon realized his true passion wasn’t in helping people end their financial journey—it was in empowering those who had never spoken the language of money to begin theirs.

To fulfill this mission, Jed founded Money Vehicle, an education technology company providing schools and students with a roadmap to financial freedom through an engaging and accessible financial literacy curriculum.

Today, Jed is a passionate advocate for financial awareness, helping professional athletes capture their dreams while also guiding young professionals to start theirs.

Guest Contact Info:

Website: https://yourmoneyvehicle.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jedidiah-collins/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fullbackoffinance/