1.png)
Charge Forward Podcast
The Charge Forward Podcast: Dedicated to those who choose to Charge Forward into the Storm when hit with challenges. This is what makes them different and has lead to their success. When in doubt.... Charge Forward!
Charge Forward Podcast
Charge Forward with Virgil Herring: Embracing Growth, Mentorship, and Resilience - Part 2
Charge Forward with Virgil Herring: Mastering Resilience, Adaptability, and Success - Part 2
Description:
In this second installment of our two-part series with the legendary golf coach Virgil Herring, we go beyond the greens to explore the profound impact of mentorship, growth, and resilience in navigating life's challenges. Discover how Virgil transformed his journey from a PGA professional to a TEDx speaker, sharing a message that transcends golf to inspire individuals from all walks of life.
Hear the captivating story of his TEDx experience, where a mysterious gentleman in a blue suit helped him conquer his nerves, redefine his self-image, and deliver a message that resonates far beyond the stage. With wisdom encapsulated in the acronym "GET A PAIR," Virgil breaks down how accountability, resilience, and the willingness to embrace challenges can transform personal and professional trajectories.
From working with top performers and military personnel to drawing inspiration from figures like Nick Hiter and Dave Meltzer, Virgil demonstrates the power of community and mentorship in amplifying success. This episode celebrates the joy of storytelling, the art of coaching, and the impact of small, intentional actions in creating ripples of positive change.
Join us as Virgil shares deep reflections on his life, the role of resilience in achieving greatness, and the excitement of helping others realize their dreams. Whether you're an aspiring athlete, entrepreneur, or someone seeking inspiration, this episode offers practical wisdom and heartfelt stories to empower you to charge forward with purpose.
🎧 Tune in now for Part 2 of this unforgettable series and learn how to master resilience and embrace growth in every aspect of your life
Want to connect with Virgil Herring?
Virgil Herring Golf:
Website: https://virgilherring.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/virgil.herring/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/virgil.herring
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/virgil-herring-03878722
Charge Forward Podcast Links
- Podcast Page: https://chargeforwardsolutions.com/podcast
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/chargeforwardpodcast
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chargeforwardpodcast
- X: https://x.com/ChargeForwardX
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chargeforwardpodcast
Special Thanks to Our Sponsors:
- Charge Forward Solutions – Merchant Services: Charge Forward Solutions
- Sense Custom Development – Marketing & Executive Services: Sense Custom
- Rosemary Salazar – Virtual Assistant Services: Find A Way with Rose
- HitLab Studios – Podcast Studio: HitLab Studio
Thank you,
Jim Cripps
You are the cap for whatever goes on in your store, in your company, in your district, in your household. However excited you are, what you believe is possible, whatever that threshold is Now doing a TED Talk, especially the first PGA professional to do a TED Talk you're not just stepping outside of your norm, but you're stepping outside of what has been done. Yeah, so what was the catalyst for that? I mean, obviously I was there, you did a great job, thank you, and you know, obviously it's shaped a lot of things since.
Speaker 2:So if you will just kind of walk us through that process, I would say the first thing that started was I watched John Wooden's TED Talk and there are a lot of great coaches out there and we could argue is Nick Saban, is it Coach K? Is it whoever? Belichick, whatever? I don't know if there's anybody that's ever been greater than John Wooden, and the way he spoke and the care in which he spoke and the way he delivered hard messages easily, that's how I like to coach and he really resonated with me. So when he's so old and he's sitting in a wheelchair and there's not many years left in his life, and he is literally spitting one gold gem after another gold gem, and I'm like to myself I will, I'm going to do that one day. That's like 13 years later, 14 years later, I just applied and I got a phone call on a March morning saying congratulations, you've been, you've been selected to to do your talk.
Speaker 2:And then I had this idea, which is I was going through some really, really tough times and really tough times and I had to do something that was bigger than golf. I had to do something that was bigger than what I'm known for, bigger than you, bigger than me, right? So I'm like going what do I do? That's pretty natural, because I'm going to be speaking at the biggest stage that there really is. Yeah, what can I talk on? That is easy enough that I can just flow, but yet the message is something nobody would expect to hear from me. So that's where I went. And so I thought, being on radio and TV for so many years, I knew that I had to have something that was provocative in it to capture people's attention. I had to make people laugh, and I had to have something that was provocative in it to capture people's attention. Sure, I had to make people laugh and I had to make people cry. So if I could do those three things and deliver the message that I was trying to deliver, I knew it was going to be a home run. Well, it's connected by emotion at that point, that's right. So at that particular point, I prepared unbelievably well because I felt like this is my one chance. Now I didn't know, probably better than I didn't know, that you can continue to keep doing Ted talks. I just thought that this is something you get a chance to do one time in your life and I'm not messing this up. So, about 20 minutes before I take the stage, I am so nervous, I've built it up too big in my head and I'm I can't shake it. And I am now. I am now overtaken by emotion and I'll never forget this moment as long as I live.
Speaker 2:And people, if you've been, if you've been touched by God, you know what I'm talking about. So I'm over there, I'm getting my mic on and this gentleman walks up to me and says hey, man, are you okay? And I'm like not really. And he looked at me and he said just remember. He looked at me and he said just remember, the only person that knows that you're going to say is you. So if you mess up a little bit, nobody knows that you've messed up. Just keep going. I believe you have a great message.
Speaker 2:So he was a black man wearing a blue suit. So he, I was really losing it and he just took me outside and Shane Foster, a good buddy of mine, was speaking before me. Yeah, and he's just just watch it, just take in the environment, it's, it's not dangerous. So he comes off and Shane's like he, he, he was a little disappointed because he left a couple of things out that he wanted to say and I was like, wow, he wasn't perfect. I didn't know. I thought it was awesome, right.
Speaker 2:And then I walked up there and it was like a dream and I went. I, when I came out on YouTube, I watched it and I literally said every word exactly the way I had it written out. I delivered it impeccably. So I came back and I asked Amanda if she could introduce me to the gentleman that talked to me before I went out on the stage, since the black man was wearing a blue suit. She was virtual. There's no, there's no. Black man with a blue suit back here said no, I was back here in the green room. She's virtual. There's. There's only two people back here. I said so, did you see that? And they're like there's no. And I'm like oh, thank you, sir.
Speaker 2:Right, and that was a moment in which I then shifted my self-image that I am not just a golf teacher. I am a human navigating myself through a world, challenging myself to be the best that I can be, not knowing what that actually is. And that's what I needed at that moment, because, even though I was going through hell, I still had so many things to be grateful for. But when you're going through hell, you sometimes you don't see them Right, and it was those moments that then shifted me into a place where I could go back into that gratefulness of like, yeah, I might be going through some really tough stuff, but my, my kids are healthy, I got a great clientele list, I got great platforms and media and, yeah, I got some really hard things going on, but at the end of the day, I'm all right. Right, and I needed that, because it's easy to get bogged down in the pain. Sure, it is easy to get bogged down in the pain, absolutely.
Speaker 1:Well, you know, I see that moment and of course I was there there and you could tell you were you were visiting visually. You were shook, like you were. You were trying to trying to get ready for it, but didn't. When you came out on stage you were dialed in. I mean, obviously I didn't have your, your script, your, your, your speech in front of me, but I don't know that you could have made it any better.
Speaker 2:Well, thank you it was. It was to me. You know that that acronym. It was designed to get people thinking, you know. So the acronym was get a pair. Sure, you know what's the fruit that you can reap? If you follow a championship process, you will get a pair. But if we don't learn to get a pair soon, there may be no fruit to reap at all. That was the big deal. So it's growth mindset embrace the challenge, take action, be accountable not only for yourself but to others, and then prepare, execute, have adaptability and relentless resilience. That's get a pair. And that acronym works in everything because my sister is a Marine, Her husband was one of the highest-ranking Marines.
Speaker 2:So I did some interviewing with Marines, some Navy SEALs, other great coaches in other sports, and they all kind of said the exact same things. You know, what are the best of the best doing? What are the best dads doing? What are the best moms doing? What's the best CEO doing? What's the best basketball player, basketball coach? You know whatever. What are they doing? Those eight things? Yeah, every day, all the time. And it cycles. You just keep on doing it over and over and over again, and the more you repeat it, the more refined it gets and you just fall into a process that allows you to be successful. And that, to me, I needed that not only to pass on as a message to others and encourage others, but probably before I needed to encourage others, I needed to encourage myself because of the things that I was going through.
Speaker 1:Sure Well, and you know, things are going a lot better these days.
Speaker 2:Yes, they are, and that's one of the things. I walked into the storm. I didn't walk away from it. I didn't run from the storm, I walked into it. And when you walk into a storm, this was a Category 5 hurricane, right, but at the end of the day, after the storm passed, it cleared the path. I didn't view it that way. While I was in the eye of the storm, sure, all I could see was the debris. But at the end of the day now I know, if I'm now being asked to help people pass golf, I need to know what real struggle looks like past a, a fat four iron, a slice into the trees, right. I need to know what real pain, the things that matter, yeah, I needed to feel that. So if I'm going to be asked to help, I better know what that kind of stuff feels like. So now I know what God gave me. Oh, so you want to. You want to do something even bigger, virgil? Okay, you asked for it, right. So now you're going to have to. You're going to have to experience what it takes for that. And then I sit back and you think about it.
Speaker 2:Tony Robbins I've never met the guy, but Tony Robbins means the world to me because of how much his message has shaped who I am. Well, I'm not quite sure. I mean I've been through some bad stuff and I guarantee you I've not been through what that dude's been through, right. And then then I realized why was? Why is he so great? Most people look at that guy as if he's never had a bad day in his life. That dude's life was unbelievably terrible in his youth and like, oh, you can't possibly lead those that struggle if you have not struggled at a level every bit as bad as they have. And I'm like, well, that makes sense, thank you. And I'm like, well, that makes sense, thank you.
Speaker 1:Well, you know, actually, the person that introduced me to you so, colby Jubinville. His episode came out today on the Charge Forward podcast and he said something very similar that has shaped where he's at in his career today is, you know, he's developed this framework for helping people understand where their talents are, but you have to struggle in order to refine that talent. Yeah, and so yeah.
Speaker 2:Colby's a Colby's a spectacular man, and one of the things I love about people is his uniqueness. He's a very unique thought leader. The dude's out his brain is in a on a different unique thought leader. The dude's out His brain is in a on a different plane Right and I appreciate his blunt honesty. I appreciate his no BS delivery because at a where he's at and who he's leading, that's the place that he needs to be, and he is as good as anybody that I've ever seen at it. Oh yeah, he's a great. He's a great friend of mine too, so thank you for reminding me of how great he is, because he's one of the best in the world.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, well, and you know his kids are doing great too. You know Jack's there, they're playing basketball for MTSU and a MB's on the dance team at MTSU. So, uh, I don't think he had any inclination that they would end up at MTSU where he's a professor, that's exactly right.
Speaker 1:So, but that's fun and you know, it just kind of goes to show that you know we can't do it on our own. We need people, we need. We need people that inspire us. We need mentors, we need. We need the bad people too, to show us what we don't want. That's exactly right, and they all shape us, they all get us to where we're at. You know, I think even um cause you, you shoot your podcast out of the same studio.
Speaker 2:That's right.
Speaker 1:And in a roundabout way. So Colby introduced, introduced you, and I I was on your podcast. Then I was on Nick's podcast and we were talking and he said I heard you were on Virgil's podcast and I said yeah, and he goes. Well, can you introduce me to Virgil? And I said absolutely. In fact I told Virgil he needs to be doing video and he goes, well, I'll have that conversation with him.
Speaker 2:And, of course, now here we are, here we are. Oh, and that's another thing. It's like that to me, like the abundant mindset and the. When you have a great community of people around you and you can introduce other like-minded people and join communities together, it creates a level of power, because the more people you know that are like-minded and have positive vibes, the more, the more you can help others. Oh, yeah, right. So another huge impact on my life is Nick Heider.
Speaker 2:Nick has been nothing but awesome for me on so many different levels. One, because he's a great baseball player and coach. I'm on golf, but I played a lot of baseball, so we have a lot of commonalities. He's a baseball player who loves golf. I'm a golfer who loves baseball, you know. And then we have the similar growth mindset. We have a similar belief in pushing all bounds to how great we can be, and he's no different Like, hey, I'm just Nick Heider, minor league baseball player, but that dude is such a great entrepreneur, yeah, and he makes anybody believe that if I can do it, you can do it, and we need more people like that. So Nick is one of the greatest additives to my life recently, for sure.
Speaker 1:Absolutely Selfishly. I love the energy, just like you. I love the energy that gets created. Nothing gets taken away. It's not taken away, it just adds to. Yeah, absolutely, because there are definitely people that take from you. There's takers in this world, there's people that are neutral, there's people that that inspire you to be better or that you're better with you know, Um, and the more more great people, more great attitudes you can put around you. Just, I think it's like rocket fuel for your, your existence.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's contagious, and the more contagion we can have in greatness, yep it like it's. It's one of those things like, even the smallest pebble thrown into the ocean creates a ripple. So even if you like well, I can't make as big of an impact as michael jordan can. It doesn't make a difference that if you're a feel like you're a little pebble, you're still going to make a ripple in the ocean. And if you can make a positive change in just one person's life, you change the world. And most people don't recognize that until they do it. And then, whether I've impacted one or a hundred or a thousand or 10,000, is it completely irrelevant to me, because it only took one?
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And only took one to change my life.
Speaker 1:Now, do you ever get those calls? Or do you have somebody that that reaches out years later and and and tells you like oh my gosh, I did this or, you know, shares that story. That makes what didn't seem like something big to you, just like this accomplishment that you you wish you had?
Speaker 2:realized. I think it's a sign that I'm getting old, right? Yeah, I have a lot of them now because I'm starting to teach kids of kids that I coached yeah, um, I think you know I've been very fortunate because I've I was on the golf channel for a long time and I've won teacher of the year awards and and that's great, you know. But that's not why I do what I do. It's the thank you notes that I've received of kids not knowing what they were listening to when they were 16, that resonated with them when they were 28 or 30. Yeah, or that they got a chance to experience it when they became a dad or a mom. And now those are my awards. I cherish those, those thank you notes, as if they're the biggest award that I have, because one of the things that I know that I've impacted a lot of people's lives with is that a lot of people come to me to play on TV and I'm like I want you to listen to me as of right now this show.
Speaker 2:I've helped 259 kids get a golf scholarship. One of them has won on the PGA Tour Brant Snedeker. Three more of them played on the Corn Ferry what's now called the Corn Ferry Tour and maybe five others have played professionally and made money, and Brant has made a lot of. He's been very successful. He's been a very successful PGA tour player. But I have taught two people that use golf for business that have made more money using golf in their business than Brant made playing on the tour. No, that's not. I'm not trying to like, it's all. But here's the thing. These kids, when they're 18 and they don't get the full scholarship to LSU or wherever, or they they go to college and they're not good enough to play on TV, they think that they were a huge failure. They let their mom and dad down because they knew how much money their mom and dad poured into. They think of themselves as a failure and then they learn the trials and tribulations of life and then they find something. They find their niche 25, 26, and they've worked really hard to become a great player.
Speaker 2:Well, if there's a skillset out there that resonates across all platforms, if you can play great golf, people know what that takes. So that means they know you can work hard. They know that you're coachable. They know that you can handle getting kicked in the mouth, because golf will kick you in the mouth every damn day, that's right, right. And if you've been successful at it, that's an intangible, that's a trump card. Right, that's the ace of spades. Like, oh, that's a intangible, that's a Trump card, right, that's the ace of spades. Like, oh, that's a big deal. Well, when they figure out that they can use golf to cultivate business, it becomes an addictive substance. Now they just like, instead of me going to meet them at the office or take them out to lunch, I'm going to take them to the club and we're going to play 18 holes on a beautiful day on a beautiful golf course. We'll have lunch there and it becomes. It becomes their ace of spades.
Speaker 1:Well, I will say I am not a golfer. I do not golf well temporarily, but but typically if I'm on a golf course it's with a client and it's about that relationship, it's about having that conversation, it's about enjoying some sunshine, it's about the struggle of that course and just kind of going through it together.
Speaker 2:Well, that's the thing. The reason why golf is never going to go anywhere is because there aren't many things left in life where you can spend five hours of time with somebody doing something that everybody would like to be doing in a beautiful environment competing Whether you're competing against each other, or competing against the golf course, or competing against whatever something that everybody would like to be doing in a beautiful environment. Competing whether you're competing against each other or competing against the golf course, or competing against whatever, at the end of the day, compete, life is about competing and we oftentimes are stuck in cubicles to be able to be out in the sunshine and the fresh air on a beautiful surrounding, competing, living life. You're also getting a chance to watch how people handle adversity. You're getting a chance to watch how they live up to their mouth. You know how, how good you are. Are they underselling or are they overselling? All of those things help you integrity to 100%. All of those things help you navigate the situation and it's an unbelievable interview for business.
Speaker 2:And once you get really good at the vetting on the golf course, that's the only place you'll end up doing business, because it's five hours of time, yeah, and you don't get five hours of time with anybody With anybody. Yeah, that's why golf is so powerful. Yeah, you know tennis. They say tennis is a life sport too, and there are some deals that get done on tennis court. I know that for a fact. But that's usually an hour and a half, maybe two hours max. This can take six hours, depending on what, whether it is that's going on and what golf course you're playing and whatever. I mean at the end of the day, that time is powerful.
Speaker 1:Well, I think the variables are so much more diverse on a golf course, I mean not that there can't be all kinds of interesting shots and and and all those things on the tennis court, but it's a more controlled environment, whereas on the golf course who knows what can?
Speaker 2:happen. You got that right. That is I have job security. That's right, that is right.
Speaker 1:Well, you got that right. I have job security, that's right, that is right. Well, you know, I share those kind of thank you cards in that about two months ago I had my 11th former employee call to tell me they paid their home off. Oh wow, I love that.
Speaker 1:And so I used to teach, you know, most of my team members back in the day. They were 25 would probably be the average age and what I learned very quickly is they didn't know how to manage money, and so every month I taught every team member in our entire company. I went to every district we had and I taught in batches of 20. And most of it was about what we were trying to do that month, what the goal was, what their part was. You know those types of things, but then about 30% of the training was about them and and how they manage their money. You know not, not not the role here at work, but this is, this is life we're teaching and you know all. But maybe two or three of those have come since uh, you know my time at that company, and so every time the phone rings and somebody shares that, it's a victory and you know it makes it all worthwhile?
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I think that, of all the things I would applaud you on, is, like in a world in which those things should be taught in school, the fact that our education system fails us so tremendously and it falls on the private sector to deliver it, the fact that you're delivering that information to people that, literally, are probably begging for it, but ashamed to ask, is that's, that's your gift, man, and that's the?
Speaker 2:That's the thing that you should. That I would be applauding you for is that you're doing something that should be taught in school every day to every human being, because that's what really matters, and it's not. But you, you pick up the slack and that's part of what it's like to be, you know, a good citizen, probably what it's supposed to be to be an American. That's right, right, and that's our way of being patriotic, so to speak. We're not, we're not. We're not walking around with an M 16 and grenades on our body, with camouflage or whatever, but what we're doing is we're doing, we're doing the things to keep the infrastructure of the people that we know healthy and good, and that's. That's a beautiful, it's a beautiful mission. People, in whatever space you're in, that's exactly right.
Speaker 1:You know it is a shame that people don't get some of those things at home or earlier in life, but that doesn't mean they can't learn. It doesn't mean it doesn't mean it's it's not our responsibility to to take hold of that and help people 100%. I love it. Um, on the golf topic, what is your favorite course?
Speaker 2:anywhere in the world. So I've been very fortunate because I've played almost every one of the greatest golf courses in the world and I think most people would think that Augusta National is the top of the world and, as it pertains to an experience that you never thought you were going to have, that is it. But the greatest golf course I've ever played is Cypress Point, which is right beside Pebble Beach on 18 Mile Drive in Pebble Beach, carmel. It's the ultimate of where the ocean meets the land. The architecture is phenomenal, the picturesque beauty of it all, and there's a hole. It's one of the most famous holes in the world. It's a par three with the.
Speaker 2:Basically, the green is a little island out in the middle of the ocean, so to speak. It's actually a peninsula, but I mean it's so magnificent and it just both times that I've played it, a storm was coming in, so it was like black death coming up from the, from the west, but the sun was shining so beautifully off the waves crashing up against the rocks, and it was this beautiful dynamic of the most beautiful view about ready to be overtaken by a very powerful storm. And it's amazing that both times, like both of my rounds of golf, separated by three years, were exactly the same Same temperature. The rain started at the same exact moment. The storm came in at the exact moment. It affected the most memorable holes, and I guess that's what you'd want, but at Cypress Point, buy a whisker over Augusta.
Speaker 1:National. I love it, that's fantastic man. So let's stay on that topic. I love it, that's fantastic man, so let's, let's stay on that topic. So if you had to pick a foursome to play at Cypress point players of all time, whether you've played with them, haven't played with them they're alive.
Speaker 2:They are. They are no longer. Who would you pick? Oh, wow, well, I would want to be with tiger. Not because I'm not.
Speaker 2:I'm going't say that I'm a Tiger fan. I respect the heck out of how great he was. Yeah, and I would say I'm a fan of Tiger as it pertains to what he has done for the game. I don't have to like him as a person to respect the heck out of what. I don't even know him as a person, so I can't say that I dislike him or like him. It's just like I don't get the feeling of this be a person that I'd want to hang out with, but I would love to be able to have four and a half if he'd be open to talking. Right, right, I'm going to say that's a given, like I get I to have four and a half hours of open communication with the greatest player that's ever lived. I think that would be pretty cool.
Speaker 2:My idol when I was growing up was Greg Norman. Now, they don't like each other at all, right, so I'm going to ask the gods to allow them to get along for four and a half hours, because Greg Norman was also. He's the person who's been number one in the world the second most amount of days. So Tiger was number one for 682 weeks, greg Norman's 331. And then, on the way down, and the other person.
Speaker 2:That's a hard one for me because in some ways I'd love to hear what Bobby Jones had to say about golf from the 1920s and I'd love to hear what Ben Hogan would have to say about what it was like in the 50s. And I'd love to hear what Ben Hogan would have to say about what it was like in the 50s. And I'd love to hear what it was like for Arnold Palmer, who really changed the game from you know what it was, to like something that was a show, like something you could be put on TV. Yeah, but because of what he means to me personally, I would love to play that round of golf with Rory McIlroy as well. So Tiger and Greg Norman and Rory and it's kind of funny, both Tiger and Rory don't like Greg Norman all that much, but I like Greg Norman a lot. So I'd I'd want that. That'd be a great, that'd be a great day for me. Yeah, that'd be amazing.
Speaker 1:Man, that would be awesome to be, to be able to fly on the wall.
Speaker 2:That's exactly right.
Speaker 1:That's great. Now, you know, as we, as we put things like that together in our, in our mind, you know we we would have things that we would want to learn from each of those. What, what do you think? What do you think you'd want to learn from each one of those guys? I mean cause they're both, they're, they're all just amazing top performers. But but you selected them for a reason.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so Greg Norman was the first that I studied. I know Nicholas and Palmer were actually the first, but I didn't really resonate with them because they were already past their prime when I started to play golf. Sure, but Greg Norman became an entrepreneur and he is the impetus, because, for me so you know, I'm the vice president of Defiance Field, which is a water company here in town, I do credit card processing, I'm a public speaker, I've written three books, I own radio, I've done TV, I got all these things. Well, why did I do that? It's because Greg Norman did that. He wrote a book, way of the Shark, and he talked about. He knew that he was labeled as a golfer but he wanted to be an entrepreneur. So he owns a steak company, a grass and turf company, he does wine, he's a golf course architect, he's clothing. I mean, he's multifaceted.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Well, I just didn't want to be a golf pro. Sure, and Greg Norman was the impetus to that, I think Rory McIlroy. I want to want to like what made him be so personable at the top, because the person he proved that preceded him at the top was pretty closed off. That was tiger. Yeah, was pretty closed off. That was Tiger. Yeah, he was able to articulate fearlessly about being vulnerable, about how he felt negatively or positively, and he really helped a lot of people grow in the game with his ability to just be honest about how difficult that situation was.
Speaker 1:Just that authenticity.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he was very authentic and he plays the game with the kind of flair and fun that you would always dream, at the highest level that you could. He has a bounce in his step and he's got a smile on his face. You know that that attitude is infectious, sure, and people know that they're in trouble when they see him with the bounce in his step and the smile. It's like that, so that. And then Tiger the thing that makes Tiger so unbelievable is his mental toughness. No, and I know that he was basically trained as a green beret with a golf club and but within that, I would be so fascinated to see what he did on a day-to-day basis that instilled that level of focus that could keep it going for so long, because it's very uncommon to have somebody dominate, like literally dominate, for 12 straight years.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:It's just unheard of, because you can't even say that Tom Brady dominated for 12 straight years. Yeah, it's just unheard of, because you can't even say that Tom Brady dominated for 12 straight years, or Peyton Manning or Michael Jordan it didn't. And that's why I have to say, like if you really put a gun to my head, who's the greatest at anything that they ever did? I have to believe that Tiger Woods is the greatest at what he did, more than anybody else, and I'm sure that's a good argument to be had for a handful of people. Sure, but I used to think it was Babe Ruth. But once I studied Babe, there were some downtimes for Babe Ruth that he didn't dominate all the time. Tiger Woods dominated all the time.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that that level of discipline is just once in a lifetime.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know and to be able to pinch off just a little of that. Yeah, like, how did you overcome the struggles of just not wanting to do it? Well, you know there were not only that, but how much more can I do? I've already and just be so driven to keep stomping on people's heads? Right, because that's another thing. It's like no matter. He became a billionaire and he still acted as if he was hungry and had nothing. That is a gift. Yeah, and I would love to find out about that, to not find comfort in that. Yeah, because that's what's really missing. Yeah, in all sports right now. Yeah, in all sports right now. Oh, yeah, that hunger as soon as you get your a hundred mil, it's not as hungry anymore.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:You know, like my favorite bands are like, the end of the day those first two albums for most people are unbelievable, but it's the band that can get through the third album that become great.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Right, and it's like once you've made it, and like most music, is written out of pain, angst, fear, heartbreak, right, Well, once you have everything, you're not angry, you're not hurting. What are you writing about?
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:You know, and therein lies the one. That's what I call it, that's the thing that separates the wheat from the chafe. Yeah, it's like the bands like Led Zeppelin and the Beatles. Not only were they able to tell stories, but they were gifted that they could transition from the music that made them famous into the music that would keep them famous, and they wouldn't be the same thing.
Speaker 2:Sure, and in my favorite bands you know Pearl Jam, tool, you know all of those bands evolve with time, and that's what I want to be able to put in my pocket. I want to be able to evolve with time, like my favorite bands, because I don't want to stay the same. Pearl Jam, eddie Vedder, is always like if you want to listen to 10, just listen to 10. We're not doing another 10 or a versus. We've already wrote those albums. So if you want to listen to those albums, great, listen to those albums. But we're going to keep evolving. And when I was 25, I'd be hacked off that the next album wasn't versus. But now, as I've gotten older, I'm like well, that's why, yeah, if I want to listen to that, I would just listen to that instead of wanting them to do that again.
Speaker 1:I don't need that. Yeah, Now if um, we haven't talked about this one. If, if, if you were going to pick a band or a couple of bands, bands to do the soundtrack of Virgil Herring's life to date, who would it be?
Speaker 2:Wow, that is awesome Cause you know how much I love music. I would say that I would want my opening act to be Coldplay, because Coldplay there's not a band that really gives you that feel good vibe for two hours and 30 minutes like Coldplay. Does Coldplay you that feel good vibe for two hours and 30 minutes like Coldplay does Coldplay? That's a soundtrack to my heart. Man, I love Coldplay. And then I would certainly say that Pearl Jam would be the next act, because Pearl Jam got me through a lot of difficult moments in my youth and Eddie Vedder is an incredible storyteller and they've also persevered through really difficult times and you know, especially when that in ross guild, when the the fans die when they charge the stage because program was so gigantic that it was they they couldn't stop the mad rush, right. That's a terrible thing and they nearly broke them up because they couldn't take the pain of knowing that they were the reason that this happened. The catalyst, catalyst, yeah, but the band and the person that has made the biggest impact on my musical life is the lead singer from Tool and Perfect Circle and Puss in Fur. His name is Maynard Keenan. He's the most thought-provoked, deep-thinking gift, like the verbal gift that I know, and he also wrote a book about not wanting to be just the lead singer of tool. He wanted to be.
Speaker 2:He's into wine. Of course I'm into wine too, but he is. He. He's an author. He owns many restaurants Now. He basically transformed the city in Arizona into what it is today. It's a burgeoning place. He's into jujitsu, he's a black belt in jujitsu and he literally gives back to his community at a level that is uncommon for somebody that's considered a rock star Right. So, like what Greg Norman and Maynard are to me are people that usually would get pigeonholed great golfer, rock star. But they're way bigger than those names sake, so to speak, and they they have impacted the world outside of their stardom. And not that I'm a star, it's not about being it like, how can I push myself to be the best that I can be, like the people that I hold up so high?
Speaker 1:Right, they still inspire you because, they're living a life worth aspiring to.
Speaker 2:That's exactly right, and that's why I would want Tool to be the band that closes out the show for me, because when you're with them, their music kind of puts you in trance, and it's a laser light show on top of that. And what I'm trying to do when I'm coaching golf, as I'm trying to teach you how to put yourself in a transient state, and they do. They do that through how light can interfere with the, the, the brain, between the sounds and the beats, and the lighting it can. It makes you easily enjoy the ride of a concert, right? Well, I try to emulate that to help you enjoy the ride of your round of golf while competing, and that's like. That's the parallel that I draw from that. Yeah.
Speaker 1:That's awesome and that clearly it's influenced you in a major way.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely, if anybody knows me and they get in my car.
Speaker 1:They know what they're getting ready to listen to throughout your whole life so far. What would you say is the best piece of advice you ever got?
Speaker 2:Well, I didn't know. It was advice at the time, right, which was I had an amazing hot streak of life from 22 to 32 and I was at some point. Everything comes to an end the hot streaks and the cold streaks and they don't show up as obvious as you'd think they would. So roll with the punches of life. Don't take things personal. That's the actual goal. Don't take things personal. That's the actual goal. Don't take things personal. And I did. I. That's where I've struggled, I don't want to say failed. I struggled for a long time because I took these things personal, because many not all, but many of the things that were detrimental to me didn't have me causing it. And that felt personal, that felt like an attack on me, when in all actuality, life is like a theater. Everybody's acting in their best way every day and I just didn't realize that it was that way. But you have to be able to know that every run, good or bad, is going to end. And enjoy the rise and really take the time, cause I didn't enjoy it got to the point where, because I was on a hot streak and I was working, my process was still as good as it is. I was very driven and dedicated. I just thought that it would just keep going and I didn't enjoy that 10 year run because I was just crushing it. But when it was taken away and it was a hard not as hard of a run as I went through recently, but it was a hard run I then pay closer attention to the next great run of like remembering to not take too long to smell the roses, but don't forget to stop and smell the roses. Right, you know, keep moving, but take a whiff as you're walking through the gardens. It's okay to be driven, but enjoy it along the way. That's exactly right.
Speaker 2:And I did not do that and I also took my losses so personal that I magnified them and it held you back and it held me back, yeah, so I didn't enjoy the good and I over-dramatized the bad and I wanted to do the. I wanted to go the other way. I wanted to over-dramatize the good and minimize the bad, and that's one of the things I that's what I talk about to help people is like you're going to have good runs, you're going to have bad runs, but don't forget to enjoy the great and don't over embellish and overblow the bad, and it's normal. That's how the brain works. The brain wants to think that if you would do great work, you should expect great things. So if you expect great things, you don't get emotional about them, of course. Of course I won, I prepare to win, and you don't celebrate it. But when you prepare to win and you lose, sometimes miserably, you think you're a failure, you think you're worthless, I don't deserve to be anything. And that's your brain trying to keep you safe.
Speaker 1:Well, it becomes a value problem Because you felt like you provided the value and then you were devalued by somebody or a situation. That's exactly right.
Speaker 2:And that's a really important thing for people to understand, because nobody's exempt from the pain. Nobody, nobody's exempt from the pain. Nobody, nobody's exempt from the pain. But it's how fast you can push through it 100%, which is the whole reason you charge through the storm. That's exactly right, and that's the hard part is that most people don't recognize that they're walking into the storm because they actually don't think they have a choice Right. But that's really the good thing is that they actually did have a choice. They just they chose to do the right thing.
Speaker 1:Well, I think it's a mindset thing too, because there are those that don't feel like they have a choice, because they feel like it's happening to them and that they don't have any direction in the matter. That's exactly right.
Speaker 1:So, you know, a lot of things shape us throughout life. I think it's I don't want to say comical. I think it's interesting that a lot of your ups and downs were very similar to mine, even kind of, when they happened in life. And then when we got introduced, you know, I thought it was just through Colby, and then it turns out we both knew Kate, and then, uh, quentin Horner oh yeah, quentin, and then you helped me in a way that I don't know. That you know. Uh, I know we talked briefly about it before, but because of Brant's experience with stem cell therapy there at the Garm Clinic, I ended up having my knees done last year. Oh nice, and best medical decision I've ever made in my entire life other than losing 90 pounds, yeah that's awesome so it's been fantastic.
Speaker 1:And again, that was, you know, partly I felt comfortable doing that because I think your, your words, or, uh, brant's words were, they gave him back the game of golf, yeah. And I thought, well, you know, if it's, if it's good enough for Brant and I don't know Brant, but through Virgil I'm, you know, kind of connected there All right, well then, then I need to go get mine done. And it's been fantastic.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm still trying to figure out why more of that is not legal in this country, but that's a rabbit hole for another whole other topic. But yeah, I mean I'm glad that you had a chance to do that because I know how much pain you were in when we did the podcast, so that's a blessing.
Speaker 1:It's been a big difference maker. Good for you For sure Love that We've got a little bit of controversy, that we stir up on this podcast nothing too crazy, but it's things we think but do not say, and it's one of those things that you're just like. You know what People need to hear the truth and what do you think is one of those things for you.
Speaker 2:You know that's a heavy, heavy topic for a lot of people. You know, when I think of things that are true but we don't say enough of is that I don't think we tell people that we love them enough. I don't think we tell this is a Jordan Peterson deal, and I know you love Jordan Peterson. I love Jordan Peterson Absolutely. This is possibly one of the most important things I heard this year, which is if you love somebody, it is empirically your job to keep the person you love going in the right direction and no matter what traumas and triggers and terrible things that have occurred in their life. If you love somebody, you can't let them fall into the traps of depression and the traps of numbing pain. You have to stop them from doing things that you know are actually harming them. Doing things that you know are actually harming them, even though it sounds like you're coming down on them. Love isn't always roses and I don't believe that it's easy for people to demonstrate love in that way, because they think that they're being hurt, as they're hurting somebody. But at the end of the day, when you love somebody, whether it's the romantic kind, or it's your son or your daughter or your dad or your mom, or just the close friends you have in your life, and life's inevitable punches in the face and you watch it have a negative impact on them. You watch it have a negative impact on them If you don't have the courage to stand in there and deliver a loving message of get your act together. You're better than this. You are failing them. You're not helping them by not saying something. And it's the people that grabbed me by the shirt when I was super duper low and like do not fall into this trap, thinking that you are not worthy, you are not good. Get your act together, you can do this. And the constant love that I had from the people that loved me to lift me up out of the hell that I was going through, to speak to you, that truth that you needed yes, because then that you took the words out of my mouth.
Speaker 2:The truth is very synonymous with love and of all the things that I think that I could have done better in my youth was to be deliver a message of truth in the kindest way possible, while still getting the point across. Oh, that's good. And I chose sometimes to not say things because I didn't want to hurt them more. And now, whether I didn't know how to deliver the message so I chose to choke, or I was just afraid that I wasn't. I wasn't the right person at the right time, but when you love somebody, there is no such thing as bad. So deliver the hard truth the best way possible to keep them on the right track, cause if you love people, you want to keep them on the right track, because if you love people, you want to keep them on the right track as long as possible.
Speaker 1:Well, I think it's Dave Ramsey that says it's not tough love, it's just love. Yeah, you know. That's exactly right, and if it's tough, it's because it's what they needed.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it's so. When you're watching somebody struggle and you're delivering that message, you know it sucks, it sucks for you and it sucks for them. But at the end of the day, when it's done through love maybe not immediately, but at some point, that moment will be the keystone that ends up catapulting them out of the mess that into their next version of success, and they will never forget it, I would say, even if the message isn't delivered perfectly, which I would always say there's no such thing as a perfect delivery but if you're doing the best that you can this is one of the hallmark of mine be the best that you can with what you know, and whatever that is is what it is. You know Bobby Knight delivered a different message than John Wooden, but their players love them just the same. Oh yeah.
Speaker 1:Those players went there for that coach because that's what they needed. That's exactly right. You know, I love it. And when and God puts us in people's lives at the right time and we just have to have the courage to do the right things, yeah, absolutely so. What is something and we've talked about in the future? What is something in the near future that gets you excited that you wake up in the morning and you're like I am fired up about this. That gets you excited that you wake up in the morning and you're like I am fired up about this.
Speaker 1:Man.
Speaker 2:You know, every day I don't ever get tired of this Every day I'm asked to help somebody achieve a dream and I don't take that lightly. And I've studied my entire life to be a vessel to take people from one side of the river to the other side of the river. You know, I take them from the land of hope to the land of dreams and I don't take that lightly. And to know that almost every day I teach somebody that I've never taught before and they're coming to me to be the best that they can be, what an unbelievable honor that is what an unbelievable honor that is.
Speaker 1:So I know that's true because I would say at least 10 times since I did your podcast a year and a half ago, I've been having a conversation with a business professional or whatever that that's got kids and they say something to the effect of you know, we're talking about what sports they're playing. And at least 10 times this has come up. They're talking about what, what sports they're playing. And at least 10 times this has come up they're talking about their kid. That's, that's playing golf. And they say, yeah, and you know, I'm supposed to get him squared away with, or get her squared away with, this top golf coach. And I said Virgil. And they go, yeah, you know him. So that's very kind.
Speaker 1:It's uh, you're, you're well known in that space and I think it's fantastic that it's not just it's not just the sport. Is that it's like all what I feel is almost all all good Well, not almost all all good coaches understand that it's about your teaching life. You're teaching these things that they need to hone in that will improve their life in and outside of the sport. Yeah, last question I ask every guest this how do you want to be remembered?
Speaker 2:Well, well, I asked a similar question. I never thought about it, hmm, well, first thing I want to be for my kids. I want to be remembered as the greatest dad that they could have ever asked for. And then for the people that I love and have loved, that I gave everything that I had with what I knew, that I gave everything that I had with what I knew. And then for the community at large is that I always put what I thought would be best for them to hear, whether it be through my books, through my podcast, through TV, through radio, to put a message out that was positive and good, because there's plenty of non-positive and not good being thrown around out there. So I like to be a, a messenger of good that did the best that he could with what he knew, every single day, and that allowed me to be the best dad that I could be to my two sons.
Speaker 1:I love it. That's fantastic. How could you ask for anything more?
Speaker 2:And I that's at the end of the day. I have to give up judgment right. And that's at the end of the day, I have to give up judgment Right. The best that you have, and there's effort. Great things are going to come. If you follow the process, greatness will come. The hardest part about that is I can't tell you when, and that's actually the cool part of the journey is, if you knew when greatness was going to occur, it wouldn't be so exciting.
Speaker 1:No, not at all Well, virgil, thank you so much for spending the day with me, my pleasure man, thank you for having me on I'll guarantee you. We got a lot of people that's going to watch this and they're going to want to know how to connect with you through the podcast. Uh, some of them are going to want a golf coach. What's the best way for them to get in touch with you?
Speaker 2:I always people like why do you always give your phone number out? That's, that is my, that is my line, right? So it's six one five five, seven, nine five one nine zero. My website is virgilherringcom and it's being redone right now. So it's boom, it's gonna be spectacular and I'm great there. Instagram is a great place to see like all that I do. So virgil dot herring has all parts of my life. Yeah, virgil Herring golf has my golf instruction. You want to learn how well you want to watch how I teach golf, what it's like to get a golf lesson from me, virgil Herring golf. And then my podcast is on the verge podcast on Instagram and you get a chance to see my message and how I deliver the message and how I deliver great guests like yourself and share the story of what it took for you to become the great person that you are. And that's all I care about is sharing greatness and achieving greatness through a process. That's it's bound in what it takes to be great in anything that you do. I love it, virgil.
Speaker 1:Thank you for sharing the afternoon with me and with our listeners.
Speaker 1:My pleasure, buddy. Thank you. All right, team. You heard it here on the charge forward podcast, mr Virgil Herring uh, again, the first golf professional to do a TEDx talk, and it was fantastic. Check it out on YouTube, check it out on his website.
Speaker 1:I will guarantee you you could take nuggets from Virgil and his guests and all the things that he has out there and you can make your life better. That's what everything is about. It's about being better tomorrow than we were today. Until next time, I'm Jim Cripps and continue to charge forward. We'll see you later. Team, is Jim Cripps here with the Charge Forward Podcast? I just want to tell you I love you. I appreciate you listening, I appreciate you for subscribing and sharing the Charge Forward Podcast with people you know and you love, because that's what we're here for. We are here to share the amazing stories, the things that people have been through, the ways that they were able to improve their life, so that you can take little nuggets from theirs and help improve your story and be better tomorrow than you were today. I hope that this is the tool you needed at the right time and that you find value in the amazing guests that we bring each and every week. Thanks so much and don't forget new episodes drop every Thursday.