Welcome And Book Announcement

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Hi, I'm Shelly Mauer. And I'm Cher Emmerich. Welcome to Life Lessons from Pickleball, where we engage with pickleball players from around the world about life on and off the court. Thanks for joining us.

SPEAKER_03 0:15

Before we get started, we have something really exciting to share.

Brian’s Backstory And Turning Point

SPEAKER_02 0:19

Our book, Life Lessons from Pickleball, is now available on Amazon, and a portion of every sale is donated to Operation PaddleLift.

SPEAKER_03 0:28

Your purchase helps deliver paddles, nets, and resources to underserved communities around the world.

SPEAKER_02 0:34

Thank you for being a part of Growing the Game We All Love. Now let's jump into today's episode. Welcome everyone to Life Lessons from Pickleball. Oh, today's guest has one of the most inspiring transformation stories we've come across in this sport, and we're truly honored to welcome Brian Montgomery.

SPEAKER_04 0:52

Brian, you're a pickleball competitor, health journey advocate, and Optiva nutrition coach, originally from a small town in Lodi, California, now living in Naples, Florida. But what really stands out is the way you chose to rewrite your life through discipline, movement, and consistency.

SPEAKER_02 1:11

And a few years ago, you were close to 390 pounds and struggling physically. You began walking, just showing up day after day. And somewhere along that journey, pickleball entered your life and everything started to shift.

SPEAKER_04 1:27

Through daily habits, accountability, and choosing yourself one decision at a time, you lost more than 190 pounds. But what you gained feels even bigger: a new mindset, a new identity, joy, confidence, and community on the pickleball court.

SPEAKER_02 1:45

And today you're also an ambassador for ProDrive Pickleball and the hashtag pickleballstrong clothing brand. And you're helping others pursue sustainable health through structure, community, and showing up even when it's hard.

SPEAKER_04 2:01

Brian, we're so grateful you're here with us today. Your story isn't just about weight loss, it's about discipline, identity, and learning to put yourself first after years of putting yourself last. Let's start at the beginning. What was going on the moment you realized something has to change?

SPEAKER_00 2:21

There was, I don't know if there was an exact moment. It was a culmination of moments. Um I had been putting myself to the side, and I, in previous life, previous time, not life, previous time, I was playing um competitive racquetball. I played for about 27 years competitive racquetball. Um, played at the

Small Steps And Early Momentum

SPEAKER_00 2:40

open level, went to the nationals a few times, but had stopped playing for about the last eight or nine years, and kind of life just happened and kind of was forgetting about myself and um being a single parent, I was running around, taxiing around everybody, and you know, started eating fast food, which was an easier way to do things. And next thing you know, I kept saying increments of weight, like, okay, 20 more pounds, I'll start losing weight for sure. 20 more pounds, that's it. Or I'll start next Monday, or I'll start, you know, I'll wait after till Christmas. And all those days I kept changing the benchmark of what was allowing that to happen. And it was uh interesting. I did a lot of work from home where I was on the computer a lot, and I always had like the TV in the background playing as background noise, and I always saw those um pharmaceutical commercials, and it was like Wagovy and it was Manjaro and it was Ozempic, and it was all these like diabetic type things. And I kept saying to myself, I wonder if that's like a sign or something. And I never went to the doctor because I was afraid, knowing I was that heavy, what the results were. But so I had symptoms. I had a lot of symptoms happening and I was afraid to know what those were. So I started Googling, like most people do when they have an ailment, and you're like, oh my gosh, that looks like type two diabetes. Oh, so I never had that because I was I was pretty in shape a lot of my life or you know, not that heavy. And um I decided that was it. So I went for a walk, and my my first goal was to do 5,000 steps. Um, and whatever that took, it didn't have to be at one time. So I made my first goal. So if it was around the block and I would stop and then come back like an hour or two later and go around the block again until I made 5,000 steps. Wow. And then the five, and then 5,000 steps was like 6,000 steps, like the next week. I kept making sure I pushed it always just a little bit further, but not so far that the goal was too big that I just threw my hands up and said, Oh, forget it, it's just too much. You know, I I can't lose weight, never mind. And then the momentum took place, you know. Um, so that's kind of how it started. And then it was more of also, you know, it's embarrassing to say this is like I'd go to my son's sports games and I'm the heavier guy, and he's playing, you know, his high school sports, and you know, the dad, you know, you want your dad to be not looking like the big guy out there, you know, and I felt that, you know, I was kind of a little bit embarrassed, and I'm like, I don't I don't want to let my kids to see me that way. You know, I want them to know that their dad is healthy and and is is willing to make a change, and and when like when life gets hard, they would see that you can still dig in and still do things, you know. So that's kind of how it started.

SPEAKER_02 5:14

How long were you doing this before pickleball entered?

SPEAKER_00 5:20

So

Diabetes Scare And Reversal

SPEAKER_00 5:21

when I started, so pickleball entered um after I lost probably the first 80 pounds, it was like so I was 388 or so, and I got to 300 pounds just from walking. So it's like walking, walking, and I did 23 hours of fasting. That was the main goal. Um, once I got to 300 pounds, I decided to finally go to the doctor. I went to the doctor because I knew if I went to the doctor early, I knew what they were going to tell me. Probably I had diabetes and that um I needed to lose weight. And I knew that was the answer. So I was in California, moved to Florida, and I finally got a primary physician. I said, I wanted to go to the doctor, kind of get set up all again. I hadn't seen a doctor in probably like eight years, a long time. And I did the test, my blood pressure was pretty high, then it should be, but it wasn't extreme high. So I've already been losing weight, so I've already been doing some exercise. And I said, Hey, can you prick my finger and see what my sugar level is? I just have a feeling. I pricked my finger and said that you A1C is a 13. You need to go to the ER right now. I was like, wait, wait, I've been walking and exercising, there's no way. So I went to the ER and they said I didn't eat insulin. My sugar was high. So um I got onto a regimen of eating more healthier and I learned how to eat clean. Before I'd say I'm eating healthier, right? But there's so much sugar and so much stuff that you don't even realize from sauces and all that, that I learned to eat clean. So I started eating clean. And um, I'm getting back to your question because it's a long way to get to it. But um I realized so a month later, after eating correctly, I got my A1C down to a nine. Two months later, I got my A1C to a five and a five point one and reversed type 2 diabetes.

SPEAKER_03 6:58

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 6:59

So at 270, 260

Discovering Pickleball And Leveling Up

SPEAKER_00 7:03

pounds. I in my community here in Florida, they had pickleball, and I can hear it as I walk because I always did laps around this where I live. And I always hear it, and I always, and I knew the game, I knew of the game from playing racquetball, um, but I never got into it. So I kind of would peek in there, I was like, you know, 260 pounds, I'm gonna try to run around like I'm 20 again and hurt myself being that big, you know. So I'm gonna wait a little bit more. And then I was like, you know what? Screw it. I'm gonna go get a paddle, I'm gonna go try to integrate into these, you know. So I started playing with like the 2.5 players, real low-level players, and I had racquetball skills. I knew how to hold, you know, so it picked up really quickly. And then I started playing more at 3-0 and I joined leagues, and then my weight started going down more. Being in Florida, it's got crazy humidity and heat here, so that was helping additionally. So that's how the pickleball started for me is it was starting in my local community and then playing with the you know lower level-ish beginner level players and learning the game and understanding the game. And then um, from there, it's you know, it's it's taken its big journey here.

SPEAKER_04 8:07

Wow. Wow. You know, I'm just trying to unpack everything you just said. You you know, it's incredible you lost that much weight. People that you can reverse your own type 2 diabetes, how important it is. We all know that our food, what we eat is so important, but to really understand what clean eating is and what we're eating, it's not just reducing the amount of what we eat, it's what we eat, right? Keeping the sugars, yeah. I mean, that's so inspirational to hear that you reversed your type 2 diabetes on your own.

SPEAKER_00 8:46

I was on, I mean, I literally was on if my A1C was 13 and that was after losing 80 pounds, so I was not paying attention to my life. I mean, I was knowing, right? So this is after losing 80 pounds, it was 13. I was probably having pretty close to uh you know a coma from you know diabetes and not being un undocumented and unwatched, and I was just like rolling the dice.

SPEAKER_04 9:12

I can't believe I did that, but I guess it's it's because you kept so active. That's the only thing I can think of, right?

SPEAKER_00 9:19

And I just and I just kept yeah, I kept pushing and pushing and going forward. But not everybody, it it's really I mean, I have a lot of drive more than most people because there's a lot of people say, Well, I can't do what you do, Brian. There's no way I can do it. Well, it wasn't always about um how big, like if you try to make goals that are so big, then you'll never do them. But if you say I walk a mile a day and you say every day and you say at the end of the month, I just did 30 miles. If you look at it like that, it looks different. Or if you did 5,000 steps, well, you know, if you did that over a month, it's like a huge number. And like, okay, that sounds cool. Then it does like I just did 5,000 steps, right? So I feel because I was there too, if you make your goals too big, then you won't reach those goals. But if you make them small micro goals and you just stay every day doing because consistency is the only way this all works. It's never like I did it for a week and then I stopped for two weeks and I did right. If you just stay with the plan, just stay

Accountability, Micro Goals, And Consistency

SPEAKER_00 10:12

doing it, no matter it doesn't have to be sprinting down the street. It doesn't mean you have to ride 40 miles on the bike. It doesn't, it's just do it over and over and over and over, and then it becomes habit, you know.

SPEAKER_02 10:22

So, anyways, and being able to look back, you always will have the goal in front of you, but if you can look back and say, look how far I've come, you know. I yesterday I got up, I walked, and today I got up and walked. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:35

Well, that's and that's what social media was for me. It was my accountability manager. If I didn't post, then I didn't do it. So it wasn't for sharing, it was, but it wasn't. So I would like to take pictures of my watch, you know, like, oh, 5,000 steps today. I know it was probably everybody saw that in their feed, like, oh my God, I'm tired of looking at this guy's stupid watch, you know. Like, but it was for me. I did, I did it for me. And then, you know, then I would add more stuff and talk, and then they would see people were like, Great job, great job, you're awesome. And you know, then that's like, okay, well, maybe they like hearing what I have to say, you know. So, and then you put the my before and after pictures, and like, wow, that's a huge I mean, 200 200 pound, that's an adult male I took off my body. I was carrying around a 200-pound man on me, which means you were incredibly strong.

SPEAKER_02 11:16

I mean, when we think about that too, that your body was so strong it could carry a whole nother man for day after day after day. So there's also that, and then you had the strength of conviction. And I was gonna ask you, you know, most of us need people to help us reach our goals. And at first it sounded like you were completely on your own in your own world, but then you start sharing your story, and then that created a support system for you.

SPEAKER_00 11:46

Yeah, it became moment. Well, it became momentum in the sense of like, I need well, I was gonna do it anyways, but it's like it made me go further, it made me go longer. Because when I walk around this community, people would see me like like they would pull up in their car and like, dude, I saw you like three hours ago walking, you're still walking. I went to work this morning and you're still walking. I just got off work. Like, because there'd be times I'd walk like you know, 17 miles. It takes me like you know, six hours, seven hours to do that, you know. So um that was so I was like, okay, people like that. They people see that, you know, like that gives, I mean, then they come up like you're the most inspiring person I've ever, you know, they would say that stuff, and it's like, okay, I need to keep doing this no matter what, it's an identity thing, you know, it's becoming you know who I am and what people see of that, you know. And that's I knew I had to keep living out loud because it wasn't just for me, it's for others too.

SPEAKER_02 12:33

I like that living out loud.

SPEAKER_04 12:34

Yeah. So I was gonna say, so I was thinking, what you know, what really kept you going when it got hard? So is it was it the people around you, like you were just saying?

SPEAKER_00 12:43

So when it got so it's always been hard, but because I stayed on the path, I always knew that I was for well, the path has changed, but it was like I walk 10 miles a day. If I did it four and six, three, three, and you know, four. I I made sure I did 10 miles, it was 10 miles, became 10 miles a day. And then it's like, okay, I'm gonna do 10 miles straight, and then I would do 10 miles straight until I got to do that. Okay, now I'm gonna do 12 miles straight, right? I kept just changing the bar, right? But I took, I would take the big goal, let's just say it was 10 miles, and I would break the big

Community Confidence And Identity Shift

SPEAKER_00 13:16

goal into little goals. So I still did the job, I just didn't do it at once, and then I kept doing that so I could do it at once, and then then I would say, okay, I'll do 10 miles on the bike and then or walking and I'll do 30 miles on the bike, and then I would do swimming two miles, and then I just kept, it was like micro goals, micro challenges for me, you know, and that's what it was kind of that's how the so the weight loss became like a like a game. Like how much could I, how far could I really go? Or how many miles could I walk this week? You know, if I did 10, 10, 10, I could do 70 miles in one week. Oh my god, that's amazing. That's like, you know, 28, 200, uh 2800 miles a month or whatever. You know, I kept saying like things like that. So that's why I said if you say I did a mile, mile, mile every day, that becomes 30 miles a day, you did three months, you just walk 90 miles, you know? Like, yeah, you'd think like 90 miles, that's a long mile, that's a long ways, you know. So that's kind of so the motivation came from myself. I am ex-military, so I know to dig in when it's tough, when it's hard, you know. So I know that you can push yourself further than you think you can, you know.

SPEAKER_02 14:15

So I like that you said you kind of made it a game. And speaking of games, pickleball is one of those sneaky exercise games. You don't really realize how much exercise you're getting because you're having so much fun. And I love that you started pickleball at a weight that you thought, oh, this is gonna be a challenge. I'm not, you know, that young guy, but still you were able to play. And that's a message we definitely want people to understand. All different sizes, shapes, abilities can be on the court and having a blast and getting exercise.

SPEAKER_00 14:51

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 14:53

So, in addition, oh, go ahead, Shell. You had a good question.

SPEAKER_04 14:56

Yeah, I was just gonna say, how how has the pickleball community supported you in this journey?

SPEAKER_00 15:04

So when I first played in my personal community, I was afraid to go out to the big parks because, like, oh man, they're really good. Because Florida is very, very high-level pickleball here. It's very um, because I've taken where I thought when I was just started playing and I had gone back to California to see my sons, and I was like, I want to play here. I haven't I haven't played since I had been here, you know, back from where I'm from. And they're like, oh, we're 4-0 here, 4-0 here. And I would play them like, uh, you got your guys aren't four-o, you know, the four-o are here. Maybe so it's you know, it's the balance of where people are. But, anyways, um, I was afraid to go to the parks here because they're super good. You know, I was like,

Training Load, Tournaments, And US Open Hopes

SPEAKER_00 15:36

Oh, I don't want to get in there, I'm nervous, you know, a new kid on the street trying to play with all these people. So I stayed in my community until I thought I was decent enough. And then I played on the leagues, so I at least would go into other communities and see what that level is, but at least was with a group of people that I was connected with in my own community here. And from there, I was like, okay, I need to go step out and um uh go try to play with the big boys. So I went to the community park that has segregated a high level and beginner level, and I kind of just put myself in there and I um just took my losses and learnings at the same time. And then I would come back to my community and take a lesson with uh we had a tennis pro here who was kind of helping me with technique and stuff like that. So okay, I got better here, and I go back over there. I come back here and I kind of go back over there and till I would get more accepted, I guess, into like, okay, hey Brian, you want to play with us? You know, until they started seeing my skills. Racquaball helped me segue quicker because of my hand speed. You know, I racqueball is hitting it low and hard, where tennis is hitting like rolls, right? With curves and drop shots. That wasn't in racqueball. So that was something I had to retrain because we're used to hitting it hard and low. Now I have to teach my mind to hit over a net, you know. So it was, but what helped me was is when they hit it really hard and stuff like that, I had such great hands I could block, and it took me kind of far. So people liked playing with me at first with that.

SPEAKER_02 16:54

Very cool. So when you think about this journey that you've been on, what has changed other than your weight?

SPEAKER_00 17:06

Um, so well, the the changing weight, you mean like my diet has obviously really, really changed. That was, you know, I know what to eat or not to eat anymore, or how much to eat. So um, once you learn that basically everything in processed foods is just not the best for you, you've learned, you know. And I know that the road it took me to get to where back to where I should be was so hard, like I never want to go back there again. So um I felt like I rolled the dice with my life to the edge and I got a second chance. And uh I can't take that chance for granted. And um, if I can share this message with anybody, you know, it's never too late, you know. Don't think it's too late. And you don't need the shortcuts, right? I mean, I felt that obviously there's the GLPs that are meant for people who really need the GLPs, but there's some people who are taking them for the shortcuts. And um, and it just there's in my personal feeling, I think there's just so many things that that that hasn't been studied enough that can hurt you down the road, you know? And I think it just for me, I feel like just doing the hard work, it it feels so much better because you'll remember how hard you work to get there, you know. Like, do I really want to have that soda? That's like that's to work off 300 calories, that's like an eight-minute mile. Is it worth

Injury, Rest, And Healthy Obsession

SPEAKER_00 18:25

it? Nah, no, no soda for me then screw that.

SPEAKER_02 18:28

A moment in the mouth. So, how about any? Do you feel like you're back to who you used to be, or do you feel like you're a new guy?

SPEAKER_00 18:38

Um, in the sense of like prior to my waking.

SPEAKER_02 18:41

Just just you know, oh yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:43

So yeah, yeah. So I had, I mean, I mean, to be totally transparent and open, I I mean, I had probably some depression. I was getting heavy, I didn't feel good about myself. I didn't like um there was one, there was a there was a question you asked me earlier, was there one key moment? I I want to share this moment because it's really transforming. I used to go out to dinner with my kids all the time, or we go out to eat, and this is when I was heavier, and I'd always have to ask to sit at a table, not a booth, because some of the booth tables never move, they're stationary. So when I had to get in with my belly, it was embarrassing, and I'd like to get in and it'd be like tight on me. So I'd always have to say, hey, I need a table so I can get a chair and move it around, right? When I had lost all this weight and my and I hadn't been back to California to see my kids. So it's been a year, it had been a year, and I had lost uh basically 200 pounds. So they hadn't seen me face to face in a year, and they're like, oh my God. We went out to dinner and not paying attention to this, they're like, you know, they say booth or a table. I said, oh, whatever, booth's fine. And my son goes, Dad, remember when you used to say you always had to get a table? And I was like, oh my God. It wasn't me remembering that. He remembered that. And that was a big key moment for me to acknowledge like, wow, that that was some, that was a big one for me. Like when they say, Oh, you lost so much weight. Look in the, you know, look at the mirror. We see ourselves. we look at ourselves we look at ourselves you know more critically you know but when that was said that was a that was a big moment for me for sure because I knew that for me I knew that what that felt like for me that I knew how embarrassed I was to say it and all that but now you know so now I saw the excitement and him saying that must have meant something to him to see his dad not like that. So that was a big one. So um yeah those are the things so the confidence the confidence has come back and the encouragement so pickleball so as I got into more of the pickleball in the community and the encouragement from everybody one a lot of the people didn't see my weight loss from the way in the beginning right so people here had not seen that and when I started sharing that story and they became friends on Facebook because I started meeting them and adding them they're like oh my God I did not know that was you and then they're like oh my God the story means more sense now because they saw it like halfway in right I had lost all the weight before I started playing

Life Lessons: Friendship And Inclusion

SPEAKER_00 20:58

but they've been supportive of like in I'm sure like in anybody communities of these pickleball everybody it's such a family type friendly I mean I've never been part of a sport that I mean racquetball was for I had my circle of friends but this is just bigger. I could go to some other city and they'll welcome you in the same way as like you're their son or their brother. It's like it's like that everywhere you know it's just amazing how this game is so community shared together you know that that family type atmosphere so um that's where a lot of the encouragement came from and didn't you know then that encouraged my game to get better and I've gotten better you know playing. Wow that's so cool so what does your fitness and pickleball routine look like today so I play from about eight to noon in the morning and then I play from about five to eight at night pickleball and then I'll squeeze in a walk somewhere in the middle of the day or a bike ride. So it's it's a lot of pickleball for sure. Every day it's a lot of pickleball but every day every day I haven't I haven't taken a day off from pickleball months well it can it can no I'm not saying I don't have ailments or anything like that or I got sore feet and ankles and all that. I'm not saying that has not come with some of that involved but um as I've gotten have I put the more I played the better I've gotten and so um you know a year ago so I picked up the paddle August of 2020 I picked it up for the first time and I so for last three weekends I won two gold medals um playing three five men's but now I just played in the medal round for four oh men's this last weekend I've taken the bronze two weekends ago for four oh bronze and um yeah and silver and um a mixed bronze mixed 4-0 two weekends before that. So and I'm signed up for the US Open here which is in Naples for the US Open of pickleball. So I'm in the lottery uh we find out Wednesday if we got in um so

Start Now: Practical First Steps

SPEAKER_00 23:11

I'm ready to hopefully I can get into playing the US open so I'll play US open 4.0 singles 4.0 doubles men's and 4.0 mixed doubles that is very exciting and when does that take place? April 11th is when it starts so it's the biggest tournament of the United States for pickleball so I it happens to be in my city which originally I didn't even know that but it's it's a it's it's such a big big facility so so amazing. So yeah um last so last year when I had just started playing so about six months in I had signed up to play in the US Open just I knew I wasn't even ready but I was like I got to sign up because it's a lottery you may or may not get in and I got in wow and while I was doing all this exercising and losing all this weight I had a hernia that I had not known I've had for years because when I was heavy I think it had happened two weeks before the tournament I was in a league match and uh it blew bigger open and my intestines came through and pinched and I had to pull out and had emergency surgery two weeks before the US open. So I missed out. Oh so this will be my I've been waiting for so it wasn't my time so I figured this time is my time you know yeah so um that's what happens training hard you know you you can things can happen to your body you know and everybody says you gotta take a rest Brian you got to take a rest I'm fine I'm fine I'm gonna keep going I'm gonna keep going you know but that had this this was before this was I think it had happened a long time ago and as I lost the weight the hole became more flaccid you know bigger because I know my skin started shrinking and stuff like that. So I think that's where it came from. But that was my little wake up call to slow down because I wasn't slowing down.

SPEAKER_02 24:47

So the man upstairs said Brian I'm gonna have to slow you down my way I can see how it it could almost be in the same way we can be kind of have an obsession around something and sometimes it's food and sometimes it's other drugs, something else I can see how when you're on the health path it can almost become an out of control obsession too. And so having that ability to manage that and give yourself breaks I can see how that would be really important.

SPEAKER_00 25:17

Yeah it it is very important. I I need to rest more it's just that when when things I've been playing so well like for a while I wasn't winning any tournaments it was tough I'd lose and then for three weekends and or two weekends the last two weekends prior to this one I won five gold or five medals in two weekends I played two back to back weekends. It's like I'm so excited I'm gonna go practice for more I'm gonna practice for more and I need to tell myself to break you know what's the funny the the funny thing is I'm at these parks playing there's more than me there doing the same thing. The same people that I'm playing with for eight hours a day are also doing the same thing. So it's not just me that's addicted and playing all the time.

SPEAKER_02 25:56

So there are words addiction is addictive I have to say it is it's it's a it's a it's an addiction it's a good addiction for sure it's a good one. It is so my goodness Ryan we were just so delighted that you were able to be on our show and share your story. You inspired us before we started talking with you you've inspired us today what are some of the life lessons that you've gleaned either you learned these lessons in life and you find yourself using them when you're playing on the court or while you were on the court you thought whoa that is an important life lesson I just learned what what can you share?

SPEAKER_00 26:38

I I think my biggest one is the is the friendships and the sense of community um winning tournaments and playing your best game is all great and fun right but it's the connection with the people it's you never know it just the friendships I have got more friends I mean I came to a state that I didn't know anybody and it's like a new kid in school and I next thing I know I got like 20 more than 20 plus friends who will just do anything for you at any moment. I mean I have some really really great friends and um I just I I it's it's that was the biggest life lessons. You know it's um it's a sport in any sport we people play basketball, football in high school and stuff like that, but this is something different. And um what I love about the sport is that it you don't have to have a background of some type of amazing sports background to get into the game. You can kind of come out with no background of maybe anything athletic and you can play and enjoy the game at a certain level you don't have to be chasing the tournaments and all that but you can just enjoy having fun with friends and getting out there and just doing something exercising plays the three hours and burn you know like 1500 calories and didn't even realize you did it and like oh my gosh you know instead of walking like 10 miles you know 10 miles straight like oh this is so boring. You played three hours of pickleball and you had fun you know and you lost a bunch of you know burn some calories. So my life lesson is the friendships and the sense of community because it's not just the one place you're at it's in everywhere you go it's very welcoming every tournament I've been to it's like hey I saw you you know like it's just so nice. And so the life lesson is for me was that I um just be open be open could you put yourself out there are people that started just like you that are out there maybe just a beginner and they're too afraid they welcome you in come on in play with us you know they're not like oh you don't know how to play you're not allowed they will welcome you in for sure I've seen it I know it's there and if I see it I know where I was I always so and I give less I uh I give lessons in teach now because I want to help others you know so it's kind of a passion of mine.

SPEAKER_02 28:42

So that's my life lesson one other life lesson that I've gleaned from you is don't put yourself last put yourself first get yourself give everything you need to yourself so that you can give to others as well which is exactly what you've done Brian yeah that's exactly right very touching actually yeah very you're so inspiring I enjoyed this conversation yeah so Brian just for someone that's feeling over I just have a question for you.

SPEAKER_00 29:11

So so for someone that's feeling overwhelmed or stuck yeah yeah right now what's one small thing that you would say to them to get them to start trans their transformation so don't pick don't wait for next Monday don't wait for next Easter next after don't wait just start right now you don't and it doesn't have to be a large goal it just make it something consistent you know and if you push yourself if it's not the next week or the next two days go just a little bit further. It doesn't have to be a lot further and whatever the whatever it is it could be biking swimming running walking just whatever it is just go and do it every single day consistency will change the bad habits for sure and it doesn't have to be I don't have enough time I worked all day I got the kids there's a moment in time where you can squeeze in even if it's 15 minutes and you just walk down the block and walk back or whatever walk up and down the stairs in the house while the kids were sleeping just to burn calories it it will it will change every way you think so make small habits small small little things because they'll make big impact waves at the very end.

SPEAKER_02 30:27

Yeah so how can people find you Brian so yeah um my Facebook um Brian Montgomery and then um on Instagram is Brian T Montgomery um those are my two um social media stuff uh TikTok I'm kind of on but not really I haven't really ventured into that world fully yet but um yeah those are my two Facebook I do a lot more in but Instagram I share I just cross shared so they can see both of my stuff so well you're an amazing inspiration Brian and I'm delighted that you are sharing your story I know so many of us relate and are inspired and pickleball and community and putting ourselves first our needs and uh I just love everything you've shared with us. Thank you.

Closing And Listener CTA

SPEAKER_02 31:16

Yeah thank you thank you ladies I appreciate this thank you and thank you all oh my gosh share this episode yeah thank you Brian and share this episode everyone and uh if you are in a position where you're thinking gee I wish I could be like Brian guess what you can you take that first step definitely just like he did and then just keep on walking love you all thank you all and we look forward to a new conversation next week bye bye bye if you love our podcast we'd be so grateful if you'd take a few seconds to follow or subscribe to Life Lessons from Pickleball.

SPEAKER_03 31:56

This ensures you'll never miss an episode and helps us continue these wonderful conversations.

SPEAKER_02 32:02

On Apple Podcasts Spotify or wherever you listen go to the show page and tap the follow button in the top right corner. And on YouTube click the subscribe button under any of the episodes. Thanks so much. Hope to see you on the court