Chuck Shute Podcast
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Chuck Shute Podcast
Former NFL QB & Pac-12 Passing Leader Luke Falk Discusses Mental Strength, His Upcoming New Book and More!
Luke Falk, the Pac-12 all-time passing leader, discussed his journey from a walk-on at Washington State to the NFL. He highlighted the importance of mental strength, sharing his experiences with Coach Leach and the challenges of maintaining focus amidst external pressures. Falk emphasized the need for athletes to develop mental resilience and self-acceptance, citing his own struggles with anxiety and the impact of external validation. He also reflected on his NFL career, acknowledging his shortcomings and the lessons learned, and expressed his passion for coaching and helping athletes improve their mental performance.
0:00:00 - Intro
0:00:20 - Luke's Journey to Washington State
0:05:27 - Opportunity to Play at Washington State
0:06:57 - Walk On Vs Playing at a Small School
0:08:05 - Star Ratings, Draft Picks & Pay to Play
0:10:13 - Luke's Journey & Overcoming Adversity
0:14:39 - Apple Cup Struggles
0:19:05 - Sam Darnold's Struggles
0:20:55 - Distraction & Focus Techniques
0:28:32 - Mike Leach's Style & Philosophy
0:37:13 - Changing Things Senior Season
0:40:25 - Dark Cloud Head Space & Mental Health
0:42:25 - Hilinski's Hope & Building Mind Strength
0:50:15 - Shedeur Sanders & Falling in the Draft
0:51:45 - Luke's NFL Career Contrasted to College Career
0:57:00 - Love Being a Coach, Self-Work & Identity
1:02:05 - Wrapping It Up
1:02:55 - Outro
Luke Falk Mind Strength site:
https://www.falkmindstrengthcoaching.com/meetcoachfalk
Chuck Shute link tree:
Thanks for Listening & Shute for the Moon!
Heavy stars rock and rolling through the cool guitars shops got the questions digging so sharp, feeling back layers hitting the heart.
Chuck Shute:Yeah. So welcome Luke Falk, amazing pack 12, all time passing leader. I believe, right, that, and
Luke Falk:I think I got the sacks, negative rushing yards. Always joke about that too, so I think I've got them all. Yeah,
Chuck Shute:you're kind of humble about the passing record. I would be like I probably mentioned that five times an interview, maybe if it was my record.
Luke Falk:The fun thing about that is it means I was on some pretty good teams, and so it's, as leech said, with those things, it's a team award. And he's certainly right. It's not like I could do that by myself. So
Chuck Shute:yeah, so when leech convinced you to go to Washington State, I know, like with minshu, he told him minchu was thinking about being the backup at Alabama, and he famously said, like, Well, do you want to be a backup at Alabama, or do you want to lead the NCAA in passing yards? Did he have a line like that for you at all because you were a walk on at that
Luke Falk:point? Yeah, no, I was more so doing the Hey, Coach, can I please be on the roster rather than them doing any recruiting? I think his recruiting pitch to me was, you know, if I wanted to be a college coach, that he had a great tree, I think in his thought, or is in his mind, it's like, all right to walk on a great value add for coming up here as that post career. If you wanted to be able to get into coaching, you know, he was a great resource for that. So I don't think he really intended that I would be a guy that would break the PAC 12 passing record when they were recruiting me, you know. So it wasn't like he was telling me, Hey, don't, don't pass up the Alabama number two job because I didn't have that. I only had a opportunity to go to Cornell and go pay 40 grand or wherever the heck it is, at an Ivy League school. So yeah, a little bit different recruiting story than most,
Chuck Shute:right? Because, for people who don't know you walked on because it was a thing where you had transferred in high school, and so your senior, I think it was your senior year, you didn't get to play, right? So they're looking at your junior tape
Luke Falk:close, yeah. So my family transferred to a place called Oaks Christian when I was halfway through my sophomore year, and things did not go well there at all. That's in California. So we moved from Utah to California. Things blew up with my family. Ended up coming back three games into the football season there, and then the state of Utah deemed me ineligible to play. So I was a glorified graduate assistant from a high school coach at that time. Filmed all the games, broke all the games down. And actually, I filmed my team win the state championship here in Utah. They went 14 and oh, they had one of the best seasons. Talk about a tough pill to swallow as I'm filming the them win the state championship at Rice cycles. And, you know, but it's funny kind of how things work out, because then six years later, I broke the tactical passing record at that same stadium where I was up in the stands filming. So I always like to tell people one I caution parents when they they want to go all in on the transfer bill. I always say if it's led by the kid, and probably less than if it's going to be good holistically. Because football is just such a small piece, or that sport's such a small piece. But if it's more so led from the society scoreboard and thinking you're going to get recruited and how are people going to view us, then probably hold off. Caution yourself on making that drastic of a decision. There's more to life than the scoreboard or the optics of that. But then the second piece I always tell people is, if you're great at where you're at, things have a funny way of working out. So me learning that in high school, of doing the GA work well that helped me have a better knowledge of defenses and, you know, film study and all that, which then led me into helping me break that PAC 12 record at that same particular spot. So I just think life's pretty funny that way, if you put your best foot forward at where you're at good chance things are going to work out for you.
Chuck Shute:Yeah, but did you have the dream to play still at that point, when you're watching, you're filming things and you're being an assistant, did you still have those visions in your head of playing in the NFL, which you eventually would end up doing? Yeah, I
Luke Falk:mean, at that point that one seemed kind of like a pipe dream for me. I just wanted to play high school varsity football. I had never been a solidified starter or a solo starter. I we went back and forth. My sophomore year split time, and then my junior year, I got benched, like my second game. So I at that point, I hadn't even really played a full season as a high school starter, so sure, I had the dreams and goals of playing in the NFL, but really, I was just trying to become a great high school player in hopes that I would get an opportunity to go play at the next level in college. Because it's kind of funny after my. Sophomore tape, it was good enough, apparently, to get a Florida State offer. So I got a Florida State offer early on, but then obviously, going through my whole debacle, teams put the red flags on me, you know, like, Oh man, this is, this is going to be one of those situations. So thankfully, Washington State didn't, or if they did, they're like, well, at least this guy doesn't cost us any money. And what I think is unique about what Coach leach did is he gave me an equal opportunity to beat out the guys on scholarship, which a lot of coaches wouldn't do, because your reputation is on the line if you recruited a certain player and he doesn't pan out for you. Well, how does that look from a recruiting standpoint, if you're going to allow some walk on kid to come beat him out. And it was even odder in that case, because they were trying to build up Washington State. I mean, you remember the Dark Ages there, and they got Tyler Brugman, who was one of the top recruits that Washington State had seen in years. He was, he was a highly touted four star kid. So now I'm in the same recruiting class as him. Nobody's known about me. In fact, even there's probably some red flag on me, what coach would really, truly stay true to his word and allow me to equally compete with the other guy? Now it wasn't all sunshine, rainbows and scout team and all that. The defense coordinator, they didn't oblige that. I didn't get one scout team rep that whole season. I fumbled the snap early on in practice one time, and then I got cold, told by coach Wilson, who I love to this day, but he's like, you're not taking if I see you in there again, pull you right out. You know. Now he said something a little bit more coach derogatory terms, but, yeah, no, it's just it was a unique time. And then kids that even want to walk on a day if there even is going to be a walk on, tell them it's such a different landscape. It was hard. Then it's even harder now, because they can just, they can go bull guy and get a get a scholarship player, or an N i l guy in the portal, or who knows what. So do you
Chuck Shute:think it's a better strategy for kids today if they wanted to work their way up? It's almost better to start at a small school where you are going to get some experience and start just kick ass at that small school, and then go to the portal and then take your offers.
Luke Falk:Certainly, yeah, that would be the route that I would advise people. And I frequently do the athletes that I work with who are in Hey, do I walk on at a place I really want to go to? Or do I go play at a smaller level school, my recommendation to them now is go play. Go play, because you're not going to get penalized by moving up, and also the odds are going to be so stacked against you at a certain place because so you get to the third position, well, guess what? They're going to go recruit a couple more guys. Now you're getting buried on the depth chart again, unless you just totally wow people away. But even then, they're going to have their their blinders on to a certain degree of what you're capable of, because who they just invested in. It's a it's almost a reflection of them as a coach, based upon their recruitment and stuff. So there's some egos involved with that.
Chuck Shute:That's interesting, yeah. But do you think, I mean, going back to you beat out Brugman, who, again, yeah, you're right. He's a four star, highly recruited guy. Do you think those star ratings are a little overrated at this point? Like it feel like it's almost same as the NFL Draft. There's so many first round picks that go bust. Then there's, there's those stories of Tom Brady, who's a sixth round pick. And obviously we know the story, the ending of that so, I mean, do you think they're wrong on a lot of those things?
Luke Falk:I do. I mean, I think there's some obvious ones where they're right. Where you look at a kid, he's like, Wow, that guy is that guy is good. I mean, I was just at a quarterback camp in Arizona, and there was a Clemson commit there, and you knew who's a Clemson commit. I mean, that guy was physically gifted, but I think you're certainly right where, you know, a lot of these places, it's almost pay to play. I'm writing a book right now, and I'm learning about all the pay to play. Hey, if you pay this, you can get on this. And I think there's a lot of that within the high school recruiting world, right? Hey, you pay us X amount, we're guaranteed to give you a star here. I mean, it's a business, really, everything's been turned into a, you know, trades of service here, or goods of service to surgery, even recruiting, right? There are people that pitch, hey, if you pay us X amount, we can get you recruited. Now, I know there are good people in that space, and there are also some people who are a tad bit shady in that space, and when I get approached by a parent or somebody who asked me about that in particular, well, I just say, Listen, I know my parents paid for that because they wanted what was best for me. They were they were like, the we're going to do everything possible. And I didn't get a scholarship and I played in the NFL. So how good were they at their job? How good are they at delivering on what they said they were going to No, you know, despite how they are as a human or individual, just the ROI that my parents put into, and I don't know how much they did or not, or really anybody that was involved in my quote, unquote, recruiting type. Process. So I walked on and I played in the NFL, so I had the talent, I it was good enough to get there. So I always just caution people like be just be very careful who you're allowing in your inner circle, who you're listening to,
Chuck Shute:hmm. So yeah, explain that to me, because I'm just so fascinated with how people become successful. And your path is just so fascinating. You come in as a walk on, and I think you said you were fifth on the depth chart, and you got, again, you got the four star recruit. You got these other guys who are ahead of you. You said Peyton Bender was really talented. How did you work your way up? I mean, as you're again, you've said too that you constantly being reminded that you're a walk on, you eat in a separate spot, your locker room? Is it? Your lockers in a separate, separate spot than everybody, and you're constantly being reminded that you're not, you know, a scholarship player. And yet you just, how'd you have that motivation to keep going and pushing?
Luke Falk:Yeah, well, you know, I heard from Tony Robbins, if you have a big enough why, you can handle pretty much any how or anything in that regard, and and I really did, I had a burning desire to be a starting quarterback. I was internally and externally motivated. I enjoyed the game of football. And I also want to prove a lot of people wrong. I had a hit list of all the people who said that I couldn't do it or wouldn't do it, and proudly, I pretty much checked off a lot of those names off the list when I did it.
Chuck Shute:But I think you officially, like, text them, like, mean or No, I
Luke Falk:didn't text them. Now, it was just kind of like the I had the Toby Keith song playing in my head all the time. How do you like me? Now, you know whenever, whenever something like that happened, like, you know, I could give you an example. Would be my high school coach, whom I love and is in my core five to this day. I mean everything from football or business decision standpoint. I will send it to him and get his feedback on it. He also did not mince words of what he thought was probably a good and a bad opportunity for me. He said at Washington State, where they would never give me an opportunity to play, and it would be very challenging for me to, you know, do what I wanted to do there. And that didn't feel very good hearing that from a guy who I looked up to as a mentor. And so, yeah, his name suddenly got on that list, and it was great to be able to give him tickets to the game at Oregon State in 2015 when I was the established starter for the first time and him come see me throw six touchdowns against a guy Gary Anderson, who was the head coach at Oregon State, who was the head coach at Utah State, who I was really good friends with his son, so we went to high school, and we played high school ball together, but he didn't give me opportunity to walk on or any of that stuff. So it was like two birds, one stone in one game. So no, I didn't officially text anybody back, like, Hey, I showed you. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, yeah. You don't have to, yeah. I just kind of figured, hey, I had done it, and there was peace within that. But I think the biggest thing for me is, you know, you've seen my play, I'm not. I wasn't a physical talent. Like, if you went to practice at Washington State, you might not think I was the starter based upon the guys that were throwing there. I mean, Peyton Bender was a phenomenal, phenomenal talent in terms of just being able to throw the football I was not. And the thing that helped me, though, was I worked with a mental performance coach, and I was able to unlock what I had. And that really helped me through the process and the times that I was on point and doing everything that I should. 2015, 2016, seasons, played really well when I took it for granted, when I was very lax, when I allowed success to create entitlement, when I, you know, surrounded myself with a poor environment, things didn't work out that way. I didn't have enough physical talent to overcome the interferences. In fact, most, a lot of people don't. So I always tell people with my clients now, it's like, listen, mind strength and mental performance isn't a I get to a destination. I am good. It's a continual journey. You have to put in the work, day in and day out. There was certain games in my career where I did the right process, UCLA in 2015 we have that fun fourth quarter comeback, great. But then there are games like the University of Washington game, my very last game as a coug, where I choked, you know, where I allowed my need for approval and wrapping my identity up and what people thought of me and how I'd be perceived, all of that to then come allow me to have a crumbling down performance. So it's not a hey, I did it one situation. I'm going to do it again. I certainly learned that the hard way.
Chuck Shute:Yeah, there's so much to unpack right there. But let's Yeah, let's talk about the Apple cups, because that is something I really was always curious about, oh, man, yeah. I mean, I grew up in Washington and watched all the apple cups, as many as I could. Could remember, you know, didn't really have a dog in the fight, you know, Huskies, Cougs, whatever, started to become a coug fan when Mike leach took over. And so then I was always like, Okay, where are these good apple cups? Course the history was there. What happened? So you say you're, you're taking a lot of the blame yourself, but I mean, it was other quarterbacks. I mean, I don't think, I think leach only won one of the games. His excuse was always, well, you dub, they have way better recruits. But the reason I don't buy that is because you guys would play UCLA, who would have four and five star recruits, and you'd smoke them. Yeah, what do you think it was a mental thing in the Apple cups,
Luke Falk:Buzz, perfect storm. One. Chris Peterson is one of the best college coaches, I think, of all time, and they were pretty dang good that Vive, Harry, Gaines, Bucha Baker. I mean, they had a number of guys, and they also had a really great defensive philosophy going against the air raid, really, anytime we played somebody from that Boise tree, they found a way to supplement a pressure us, basically meaning, hey, they're not bringing more than we can handle. But they had such creative looks to make it feel like they were, or even U DUB in general, just rushing three, but being able to get home to the quarterback. And you know, they really had us dialed in from that number. But I also think probably the biggest thing was the mental piece, especially later on. You know, early on, when you're playing them, I don't think it was that much of an issue. In fact, I really wish that I had an opportunity to play against them my sophomore year. I didn't do to having concussions at that point, but because I really think we had, we really had a great roster that year, maybe maybe even better than them. I don't know if I can even say that on air, but I mean, they absolutely kicked our butt that day. I mean, it was like the beginning of how all the apple cups I played in would be. But really the biggest piece, I think, is that we put so much emphasis on the outcome and how people would view us in the meaning of the game, and we you can't control the outcome of a game. And when you focus on things, you can't control anxiety. Speak, spikes. And if your anxiety spikes, what do you think is going to happen? Your performance? Well, it goes down, especially if you're tying your identity and how people view you, or whatever you're worried about, all those other things that are out of your control. Which I was, I went into that senior game and the Apple Cup going, man, if we win this game, I could be considered one of the greatest quarterbacks Washington state history. At the same time, if we don't win this game, I will be one of the few quarterbacks who never won an Apple Cup in Washington state history. Oh, what's this going to do to my draft stock? What's this going to do? You know, all these things. So all that pressure I put on myself to focus on the outcome, anxiety spikes, performance decreases. And what do I do in the meantime? Well, I didn't focus on the process, the things I could control to help me produce the outcome that I wanted, versus I did that at UCLA. You know, UCLA game. We got a minute 11 seconds, or however much time there is left for 80 something plus yards to go. We weren't thinking about as a team. Hey, what's it going to mean if we win or we lose this game? What we were focused on is the task at hand, doing our job, executing at a high level, the things that we can control. So what happened? Our anxiety decreases, our performance increased. And I think it started with Coach Leach. And I think it started with me. You know, I think leach did a much better job in the Apple Cup of not putting such an emphasis on the outcome. But I didn't. I put a huge emphasis on the outcome. And I think, you I'm not comparing myself to Peyton Manning, by any means, but I think Peyton Manning and some other great people and quarterbacks and performers who haven't been able to, quote, unquote, get over the hump, they do the same thing, right? He couldn't beat Tennessee. Well, I guarantee, maybe not guarantee, but I'm pretty sure, guarantee, he put such an emphasis on the outcome and needing the outcome, his anxiety increase, his performance decreased, rather than doing what he had done all the other games. Versus you look at a guy like Tom Brady, who is no stranger the spotlight, I think what Tom Brady did better than anybody is being able to dial in on the process and doing his job and focus on things he could control.
Chuck Shute:So do you think to tie this in to my team, the Seahawks, here, your former teammate, Sam darnold, what happened with him? Because to me, that looks like exactly what you're talking about. It's like a mental thing. Because of the he had such a stellar season last year. I was like, Oh, this guy is the real deal. And then at the end, it just seemed to fall apart. Do you think he just put too much emphasis on those last couple games,
Luke Falk:probably, and then one two like Sam's case. I mean, New York, that was a tough place to be for him. It starts with leadership. You got to have the right people around you at quarterback. Like I said, the PAC 12 record wouldn't have happened had we had a had we had a bad team, had we had bad pieces around us, or a bad system, or bad leadership? So Sam kind of got caught in a really difficult situation early on in his career. But I think last year, one two, let's not, let's not take out of the equation, Sam was playing against some really freaking good football teams. He played against the lions, who were the number one seed going to the NFC. And then he played against the Rams, who. However, many years earlier, three years earlier. So won the Super Bowl. So it's not like he went against some scrubs, but he probably did put too much emphasis on the outcome, rather than going out and executing his job and focusing on what he could control, and not allowing the narrative of focusing on, well, what's it going to mean for my contract? What's it going to mean for where I'm going to be next? What's What are people going to say about going to say about me? All those things that athletes can get into, and really, anybody can get into, right? And then all those things are out of your control. And when you focus on those things out of your control, the anxiety increases. It is, you know, it's, it's at the core of what I teach you got to be, be able to have the discipline and the ability to refocus on what it is at hand that you do have control over.
Chuck Shute:No, that's that's why I love this stuff. That's why I think sports, it really is like a metaphor for life. So how do you do that? Because I know you talked about leach had one technique that he would use, where he would when you were getting to, you know, in your head, or whatever, he would have a word that would distract you. I don't, I don't think,
Luke Falk:yeah, I was gonna say, I can't say that. I'm not on air. Probably, of what you can't,
Unknown:I don't care, but if you I don't want to embarrass you. So, yeah, it was something that would
Luke Falk:even embarrass me. I think my, my wife, would kill me if I said it on air. But yeah, he did a great job of just being able to get myself out of the sometimes the paralysis by analysis and focusing on the outcome, or not being in a great head space, and he'd be able to do that for, I think, a way for athletes. And this is how I was taught, and how I teach it within the athletes that I coach right now is literally make a list, what are the things you can control in your sport, what are the things you can't and that's the starting point. And you start focusing on those things and bringing yourself and your mind back to those your breaths, one of the biggest things you can focus on, right? So when you find your anxiety is spiking, well, you're probably focused on the external, something you can't control, worrying what somebody's thinking of you, worrying about the outcome, future, the past, whatever it is. So dialing in your breath, and the method that I use is the four six breathing method, breathing in through your nose for four seconds, breathing out through your nose for six seconds. So that's kind of the first pillar, being able to really create a breath work technique when you find yourself getting in a headspace where you're focused on things you can't control. The next piece would be then to start identifying and creating skills. So there are physical skills, there are mental skills, there are spiritual and emotional skills when it comes to athletics and being and we have a process to be able to code them so that they trigger certain meanings. But then, you know, I saw Tom Brady one time in training. He had, you know, those quarterback wristbands, and he had three bullet points on there, and they weren't plays, but they were skills. They were reminders to him of what he needed to do in his throwing workout. So what's he doing? He's not focused on the spiral. He's not focused on the outcome. He's focused on the process that goes in to getting the good outcome, the thing he could control. It's like, for example, do you play golf?
Chuck Shute:I don't know if you would count it as playing. I try to swing a club, and I suck at it, but here you go.
Luke Falk:You go out of the golf course. And so one of the most high anxiety producing shots, besides the $5 putt or the water, is the first tee box. And why? Because people are so concerned about how they look, right? I think the greatest I heard Dr Michael Gervais, I think he called it like Fauci fear of people's opinions, or fear of other people's opinions, which I think so true, the greatest source of interference for athletes and people in general is they just worry about what people think of them. They tie their identity in needing approval from other people. That was me, and you're on a teeter totter trap. You get the approval. You feel good. You don't you, you feel bad. And what it does is it becomes, you become so outcome focused, because think about it, you hit a good golf shot, you're going to get the approval, or we beat USC, guess what? I got 450 text messages that teeter totter is going up. But if you don't win that game, and you lose to the Apple Cup, or you get cut by the jets for the fourth time, well now you get nobody reaching out. So your mind gets trained to focus on the outcome, because that's how you get approval. So now I'm up at the golf course and I'm about to hit my shot. Rather than focus on something I can control, I'm focused on am I going to hit it out? Am I going to put it in the middle of the fairway? What are people going to think of money? Anxiety spikes, performance decreases, and then you hear the lame excuse of all my back's not warmed up, or, you know, I need a breakfast ball when, when Mr. Shankopotamus, or Mrs. Shankopotamus comes out. But instead, if they focused on the task or the skill at hand, like keeping a front straight arm, having an easy temple swing and keeping their eye on the golf ball, or working on their breath work, or whatever goes into hitting a good golf shot. Their anxiety decreases, their opportunity for performance increases. It's like dominoes falling. It's like what domino needs to fall in order to create. Result in the outcome that you want. So I'll give you one more example. I know I'm I'm going on a tangent here, but no, I love it. This is all great. Donovan Mitchell, one of my favorite NBA players because he was a Utah Jazz now he's with the Cavaliers. Went oh for three down the stretch in the playoffs against the Pacers. He's a better free throw shooter than Oh for three down the stretch. But why did he go for three? In my opinion? Obviously, don't know this for sure, but based on my experience, focused on missing or making a shot, right? It's what most people do, maybe worrying about what it's going to mean from them winning the game or his legacy or whatever. So now his anxiety is up because he doesn't have direct control of that, and then, as a result, performance goes down. Versus if he focused on having good knee bend, keeping his eye on the back of the rim, and having a great high follow through, all three of those things he could control. Anxiety would go down. All three of those things. If he performed that at a high level, his opportunity to be able to make the outcome that he wants, making the shot significantly goes up. Do you see that? So yeah, it's
Chuck Shute:kind of like, kickers too, right? I feel like, because you'll see a kicker miss a kick and like, Ooh, that was a bad miss, and then they'll do like, five bad kicks in a row, and you're like, what happened? Like, this was a great kicker, yeah? And now this got into this groove of, like, missing, and then it's hard to get out
Luke Falk:of it, certainly, because what, what happens in that case is funny on bright you brought that up. I call that the negative play cycle, a bad play happens. And I even asked my athletes, I'm like, can one play equal two? And they say, Well, no. I say, Yes, it can. In fact, it'd equal three or four. It could equal a game. It could equal a week, you know, however long if you allow the previous play to negatively impact the next one, and what happens in the negative play cycle is bad play happens. They immediately go to the past and wish it didn't happen, and they get embarrassed that it did. But then they bypass the present moment. They go to the future moment. They have fear and worry that's going to happen again. So you're you're living in the past and you're living in the future, two things you don't have control of when you're too far in the past, you have guilt. When you're too far in the future, you have fear and worry. And then what happens is the present moment gets squandered. So from a quarterback perspective, what it might look like then as well. They're fearful of making a mistake. So the check down. Charlie comes out, and you bypass all your reads. You just throw it to the running back, or you try to make it all up in one play, and you force the ball like my junior year against U DUB, I threw a pick late in the second or second half, and then I threw two more picks on the two consecutive drives because I was trying to make up for the last one, right? So you're more aggressive. You're taking more risk. You take more aggressive. It's like you think that one by by having some superhero play, you're going to get it all back. It's going to make up for the last one when it's not and it kickers that never worked. That technique never, never did. No, never did. Did leech try to
Chuck Shute:steer you that way? Though? Did he or did he say, okay, just calm down a little bit. Or he say, go out there and throw a bomb. His his
Luke Falk:cue is, just play the next play. Play the next play. And what that meant is, go out and do your job. Your job isn't to force it in between two defenders. Your job is to go through the reads and put the ball in play. So for a kicker, you know what happens to them as they go through that whole negative play cycle and they're fearful it's going to happen again? Well, where's their mind focused on the outcome. Well, they can't control the outcome, so then they forget the actual process to kick a kick, right? So the great does
Chuck Shute:leeches techniques is, does that play into your philosophy now, or is it, is it counter to that? Because you see things like it, Mississippi State, where the receivers were dropping balls, and he folds up the chairs and puts them away. Like, is that? That seems like counter to what you're talking
Luke Falk:about. Leach learned a lot of mind strength with Coach Leach. In fact, a lot of it, though, I think he was spot on. You know, there's even, like a mind strength technique of stating what you want. You know, Coach Leach, I remember he's like, don't think of a pink elephant. I'm like. He's like, What did you think of? Well, pink elephant. He's like, Yeah, state what you want. That's the image that goes in your head. Now, there would be some games where he's like, don't throw a pick. I'm like, Coach, what do you want? So you had to flip the statement in your mind. But I think he was kind of ahead of the curve. And what was so great about him is he just kept things simple. He kept them easy. He and that's that's a dirty word in football, but by doing that allowed the mental space to be able to play fast. And then what he was great at is he just he never got too high, he never got too low, sure he'd get pissed off, sure he'd make you up down. There was that same Oregon State game I was telling you about where I threw six touchdowns the first half. In the second half, I was doing Up Downs, you know. But it wasn't necessarily, maybe about the outcome. He just didn't like the process that we were going about it, and in terms of thought that my my mental state, or the way that we're operating as a team, needed a recheck. Right now he could get now he could get outcome focused at times, if I checked a run into a light box, for those of people that are listening, means there's less defenders in the box. We have more people to block. And if it didn't go well, I might get yelled at and chewed at, versus going, Hey, that's a good check, and that's a good process. We didn't get the outcome we wanted, where we'll work on it. Sure, there were certain times like that, but I think the majority of the stuff that I took away is he helped me perform at a higher level by doing the things that we're talking about.
Chuck Shute:Like, yeah, how did he, how did he never get canceled? Like, how did people that signed up for Team Leach? Did they kind of know what they were signing up for because, again, there's a lot of people that are, you know, more modest, such as yourself and and, you know, probably didn't enjoy all the lewd language and stuff, but they also didn't like say complain about it, and quit the team, or whatever. They stayed with him.
Luke Falk:Yo, you signed a waiver when you got to Washington State. You know, I'm just kidding. You signed away all your rights to be able to do any of that stuff. No, it's not just football like.
Chuck Shute:I've never, I've never played on like a college football team, so I'm assuming it's probably, is it like that in every lock? I mean, you've been in several locker rooms NFL in college, so you kind of know.
Luke Falk:But it's just a different world. It's not, it's not the new age of somebody said something and it offended me, so now I need to go ruin their life. It was, you know, there's a great mind strength skill I talk about with Coach Leach. It's like, what was said, what's the coaching point I can take from it? Okay, not how is it being delivered, not taking what he said So personally, which so many of us do, and in today's day and age. So, yeah, the locker room is a different place. It's not a place for people who have not thick skin, I would say, especially playing for Coach Leach. He was the old school mentality in that regard, where he was just going to say it, how he wanted to say it, and he wasn't concerned about your feelings and how you were going to take it. It was your job in order to take his message and go apply it in a good way. And you had two ways of being able to deal with it. You could become a victim over it, or you could allow it to take the coaching and empower you and go be your your best self and try not to get yelled at again for the same mistake, you know. So, yeah, I think people knew what they were getting with Coach Leach. Some guys didn't like it, you know, some guys quit. Some guys still talk about them. I can't say that I enjoyed every interaction I had with him, and it's not like him. And I had the most sunshine and rainbows relationship by the end of it, but looking back at it now with the perspective I have, I'm so very grateful for him, and I think I was just immature during those times. And, you know, it probably could have gone both ways. I'm sure we each had our part within that relationship riff. But overall, I mean, I couldn't have asked for a better head coach for me, and especially, I mean, nobody would know who the heck I am. I mean, how many guys give you an opportunity like I said, and then to create the offense and the system and the freedom, and I'm just forever grateful to him,
Chuck Shute:yeah, does he also as part of his philosophy, kind of creating a I mean, every coach has their philosophy of what kind of environment they want to create, like I would think the locker room with leech is very different than Sabin or Belichick. I mean, those guys just seems like no personality, and leech is so quirky to me that would be fun, but also maybe a little scary, because if he gets mad, I'm sure if any of those guys get mad, though it's scary,
Luke Falk:probably more so you're scared for your your playing time, not necessarily like the verbal insult, or any of that, you know, I think, yeah, I just think Coach Leach, it's funny. He had, like, his coach side, and they had the public side, and some of them, sometimes it crossed over. But a lot of the coaching side was different than what the public side. The public got to see him go on the long rant, the tyrants and rants about this, that and the other sure he did that. If you're the quarterback, you probably heard more of that, but if you're part of just the everyday, regular team, you more so heard the football messages coming from him, and occasionally he would bring up something from whatever you're studying that day. But really, the public got to see more of of the quirkiness leech than a lot of the players did, excluding quarterbacks, the quarterbacks we got to see it all. I mean, there's okay, there's no I
Chuck Shute:wondered if it was maybe he was even quirkier behind the scenes, like so I thought he tried to kind of tone it down for the press. So you're saying he he ramped it up for the press, and he was even quirkier than he was in the locker room.
Luke Falk:Well, I just think he was himself in any situation. But when it came to football, he had to go do his job. I'm not saying he wasn't the players. He certainly was. Now, I don't think leach was like, I'm gonna go turn it on for this crowd. I really think leach was just beaten to his own drum, and had a very was very authentic, and had a great authenticity about him, which is what made him great, right? He wasn't trying. To be anybody's not. He was genuinely interested in all those topics at that time. And I think he genuinely enjoyed the discussions. And I mean, really, anytime you if you interacted with him, personally, it's not like he wanted to talk football the time, like most of these football coaches did. He had so much, so many other interests. And then when he was in the football building, he, you know, he made sure that the message was was clear. So did
Chuck Shute:you ever have those moments where you didn't talk football, like where he talked about other things he was studying, or conspiracy theories, or advice or philosophy?
Luke Falk:Yeah, well, that's why I said the quarterbacks did we spent so much time with them, versus like a defensive player, really how our team was structured is which was so great about Coach leach is, Coach leach was a master at delegating. He hired great coaches, and he trusted them to coach so he wasn't trying to micromanage everything the defense did. And in fact, Alex Grant, who was our DC, he was basically the head coach of the defense, you know, those guys got to interact with Grinch that much, versus my roommate, you know, Isaac Dodson, or somebody he really didn't get to interact with leech all that much, because it would only be during team settings. But us quarterbacks, yeah, we got the full scope. It was 70% non football, 30% football, and it was whatever the flavor of the month is that, you know, okay, you're, you're writing a book about Geronimo. We're going to learn all about drama. Okay, you're, you're, you're learning about the Vikings here. Okay, now we're going to learn about the Vikings. Now, he'd bring some of that within our team, like before each game, he'd have some, you know, video or whatever emphasis that he wanted to go into the game, and whatever he was studying at the time, it might get thrown in there. We'd watch some videos of Vikings or, you know, an animal stocking some prey, or whatever, like whatever was interesting to coach leach at the time, and then he'd make that part of the team video. So I don't know if that's a good enough description, but it's like there are certain guys that really didn't get a lot of personal touch from Coach Leach, because they weren't in his quarterback room, and in your quarterback room, you know his quarterbacks. That's why a lot of them have so many stories, because you're with them all the time.
Chuck Shute:Yeah, no, for sure. So I mean, going back to you were talking about your senior season, you said it was maybe a little bit of a disappointment, because I remember people, I don't if you saw these T shirts. People had T shirts that said it's our Falcon year. And I thought that was so good, like it. And you started off so great, and but you said that you kind of, you're more loose with your regimen then, and it was a poor environment. And, I mean, is there things that you would have changed your senior season, done differently?
Luke Falk:Yeah, well, one, I would have been on better terms with Coach Leach, you know, it was at the time I was getting advice from pretty much everyone under the sun who was in the agent space that based upon the quarterback class that year, that it was a lighter quarterback class, and that I was a projected second or third rounder, and that I'd be crazy to go back for my senior season and but I really wanted to go back. We were one game away, really, for like, the past couple of years, it seemed like of being at the PAC 12 championship game and winning it and having the opportunity to do that, so I wanted to go back and finish it out with people that I came in with. And so at the time the off season, it was then a debate of, okay, well, can WSU pick up more of my insurance policy? So if I come back and something happens, I get an injury, or if I fall in the draft, that I would be compensated for me taking the risk of coming back? And that became a huge riff initially, with like Coach Leach and the powers that be at the time. And so it started off on the wrong foot, and then I allowed kind of that whole riff at that point to probably lead into the season of being pissed off and not feeling supportive, and I allowed some victim type thinking in that regard. And I also, too, you know, I got to the point where I was tired of coach lead showing up 50 minutes late to our quarterback meeting. And rather than me thinking it was funny, like I did when I was a walk on, I was like, I feel like we're wasting you know, I wanted more structure, more regimen and type of deal. But instead of doing that in a powerful, proactive way, I, like I said, I self destruct. In a sense, I quit working on the things that helped me be a great player, but working on my mind strength. I quit hanging out with my teammates the way I did in 2015 and creating personal relationships outside of football to create trust within them. From a leadership standpoint, I quit being one of the guys. I was more so isolated. I was more so concerned about what other people thought. You know, I really, I really digressed my senior. I really got quote, unquote fat and lazy and just didn't continue to do the things that I needed to do in order to play at high level. So then, when it came down to the season one, I didn't have coach Leach's trust, nor do I think I had the trust of my teammates at the time. I probably had the public's trust. Based on what I did, but based on what I had done in the off season, the daily deposits I was making, they weren't big enough. In fact, I was probably making more withdrawals with everyone, including myself. And I think it comes back down to two is I had a lot going on in my personal life from an environment standpoint, that I didn't have the skills to create healthy boundaries for me. And it was like I was, I was really not in a great headspace going into that year. If I look back on it, I would say it was more of kind of like a depression type stuff and but I just, I didn't, I didn't do what it took to help me get out of it. And in fact, that kind of went all throughout until I finally got cut by by the final time with the jets that just that whole headspace dark cloud, it seemed like. And then finally went and got some help from a therapy standpoint, and started really unpacking and unwinding a lot of things that I probably had suppressed just to go out and perform, because as a performer, and you're playing in front of however many people, however many hundreds of 1000s or millions, millions of people on TV. It's like you're trying to just compartmentalize and make sure you're ready for the game on Saturday, where you're might, maybe not, you're, you're maybe not dealing with the things that are going on that somebody else would. And I really didn't feel like I had the skills at the time to properly do that, until I went to therapy and started to decompress. Okay, what just happened? Okay, here's what happened. And I started working through that. And I got back to my mind, strength skills, I got back to the things that helped me in that regard. But that's why I'm you know, I made a post on it today. Your environment's so important, because your environment really influences the decisions you make, the the work ethic you have, what you what information you're in taking in, you know? So it's like, even within my own family at the time, we're grateful that I walked on at Washington State. By the end of it, we're pissed off, because, you know, we felt like we're entitled. We're owed something when we got to the NFL and they slowed in the track, two different mindsets, two different outcomes, same person.
Chuck Shute:Yeah, wow, that's a lot. Yeah, I mean, and that's interesting. I know you say that you're not a mental health expert, you're a mental strength coach, and it's different, but I do think they're, they're related, right? Like, I think if people can build up their mental strength, I mean, it's easier to work through mental health issues. And, I mean, you must know that too. I mean, I had Hollins, keys, parents from Alinsky hope on my show, we talked, we talked for like, two hours of just unpacking that whole thing and a whole situation. I mean, was that kind of when that happened? Was that a little bit of a wake up call to you at
Luke Falk:all? Or Yeah? And you know, so I'm not sure if I'm supposed to share this or not, but like, I've been chatting with Mark, and we're probably going to team up with my book coming out and doing something to, you know, help create some proceeds going to Lensky soap. Because a part of mind strength, to me, what mind strength is, is learning how to change a tire before you need to know how to change a tire. You know, it's about being able to equip yourself when tough moments like that happen? Well, you know, there's this game where I played. It was the Holiday Bowl in 2016 I got hit so hard by a Minnesota defender that my helmet was stuck in the ground, and I couldn't get it up unless I put two hands and I forcibly put my head back, and I had this big grass divot on my helmet. Now I joke that that's the hardest I ever got hit in a football game, but that's dull in comparison to what life's hit is going to hit at you, you know, and sometimes a tire doesn't blow out, sometimes the whole car implodes. And what are you going to do then? Well, at that point, it's shows great strength to ask for help. And, you know, I think there's audibles on the football field. There are audibles in life, and one of those audibles might need to be, Hey, easy, easy. I need some help. I need some direction. I need some guidance to unpack what I'm going through. And for me, when that thing happened with Tyler, yeah, it was a wake up call. Initially, it was more so sadness for him and like, how the heck did that happened, because that kid was as bubbly as it gets. And like, you know, everybody liked him. He seemed like he had great things going for him. He had two more years to be the guy. He just had some great moments at that year. And then, you know, it was like, super shocking in that regard. And then I even got to the perspective too. It was like, Well, I probably wasn't the nicest to Tyler. You know, we were competing. I probably, and put things from a life perspective of, like sports, they're that much, but how you treat people in the relationship? We're all human beings, and I really had a lot of guilt and remorse of I could have treated Tyler better. I could have been a better teammate, not even a better teammate, but a better human being, probably to him and everybody in that room. But I was so from the walk on mentality, that everybody is a competitor in my eye, that I didn't view it from that lens until he passed like, holy shit. Like, really, all this time that I spent competing, I could have been a better. Human being, a better friend, a better support for that guy. And then, you know, fast forward, I get cut by the jets for the final time. Well, my dad had a health diagnosis. Didn't go well. My mom was dealing with mental health stuff. I was I just got done with the five year engagement type deal. My dog died. You know, it's like my career ended. I was in a place where I'm like, Well, what am I going to do now? I had double hip surgery. So there's a lot that happened all at once. And you know, what's sad about it is I still felt like a failure, felt like I should tough it out, that I don't need the help. But it wasn't until my sister Natalie was like, Luke, you need here's, here's, here's this therapist number Karen. Go call her. And was avid that I do it. And thank God I did, because after having that conversation with her, I started to unravel and unpack things that had been, you know, suppressed or whatever I had dealt with for such a long time. What I had done initially is just stuff it down, suppress it, compartmentalize and go on and and, you know, people think mind strength when I when I talk about it, maybe they think it's about being perfect. It's not. It's about really the vulnerability of saying, Hey, I'm not okay in this certain situation, but I have the tools to be able to help me rebound quicker. Because when I went through therapy, I'm sure I rebounded quicker than maybe the average Joe, because I did have these skills, but I had to find them again. You have to continue to work on them, and it's okay to need guidance and support. In fact, I still use therapy in my own life to this day, because I find such benefit in it anyway. So that's probably way longer than you want to go into. But
Chuck Shute:no that. See that. But it all makes sense, you know, and we talk about this, and I'm so glad, like with the Hollins keys, hope. I think they're doing such a great thing, because they're just bringing this issue, you know, for people to talk about it, because there was, there's always this stigma, like, Oh, if you go to counseling, I mean, I'm a counselor. I was a counselor for 17 years, and so I love psychology, I love counseling, but there was a stigma. I feel like it's kind of disappearing now, but especially with men and football players. Football players, no, you're supposed to be tough. You don't need counseling. And, and that's all BS to me,
Luke Falk:yeah, there. And there's certainly, you know, there's certainly a fine line too, where you can't just pat everybody on the back and and, you know, not have them go through some hard things. But certainly it is okay to not be okay in that regard. And there's help there, and there are great professionals out there to help you. You know, you we can't baby everybody, but at the same time, we being too much of the other way is, I don't believe healthy either, and there's even a stigma when it comes to mental performance training. It's like the probably the greatest thing that can help somebody unlock their performance or be a detriment to them, is their mind. It's not a physical capability, but so, but we have no problem spending all this money on quarterback coach, strength coach, weight, you know, speed coach, whoever it is, the sport specific, physical thing, but when it comes down to it, the thing that holds them back is their mind, or the thing that allows them to unlock all that stuff to their mind. But there's kind of a stigma around it, like, Oh, we don't need it, or I can train it myself, or my coach is doing it. Well, you're really not. And anyway, so I'm kind of working through that in this field as well. I know other people in my space are too. And really what I think's going on right now is there's a mind strength movement. Yes, I'm an advocate for mental health. I'm really an advocate too to hey, let's strengthen your mind like you would any other part of your body. Let's like you're going to the weight room strengthen your mind beforehand. And yeah, there are going to be things that life throws at you that are going to be really hard to deal with, and at that point, certainly go get the help that you need. Certainly go talk to the people, the professionals. And if you do that, and you have a baseline and a foundation where you're already have some great mind strength skills and tools and coping mechanisms and resilience training, wow, you're going to be able to rebound a lot quicker. Life ain't easy. It's going to throw you some curve balls. It's going to throw you some stuff. It's going to it's going to beam you, it's going to hit you in the face. Sometime you're not going to know what to do. But if you have these underlying, base, fundamental, foundational skills on top of the sport that you get now, you're really cooking, and in particular, you know, really targeting college quarterbacks in particular because they got, they got so much noise. Now, they got so much noise. N, I, L, all their handlers, uh, rev, share, social media, pressure, pressure, pressure, all this stuff, all external. Well, let's train them in their inner world so they can handle anything that the external world throws at them, you know, let's, let's help them get the tools to be able to equip themselves. Not only so they play well on Saturdays, I want that listen. I want them to have great outcomes. But what I'm really after with this training is, how can you become a more confident, more, you know, well equipped individual internally, more people. Peaceful, more sure about yourself, more self secure, rather than approval seeking and having a calmness within, not an anxiety, because you're always looking to the outer world. So it makes sense.
Chuck Shute:Yeah, do you think with some quarterbacks? The the what would you call? It like, the cockiness is maybe too much. I mean, there's so many stories of quarterbacks who are a little too cocky and maybe they didn't put in the work ethic. Like, I'm just thinking shoulder Sanders right now, like, that's one that's controversial. I don't know, like his work ethic behind the scenes and all that, but just, you know, he was a guy who they said had the talent to be a top 10 pick or something, and he fell to what the fifth or sixth round, I think, of NFL Draft. What do you think's going on with him? I
Luke Falk:can't comment on that one in particular. I don't know shador. I know that he was a good college player. Obviously, there's a lot of hype around him, based upon the N i l he made and who his dad is. The only thing I can comment on is it wasn't as big of a drop, or it wasn't as big of the news headlines like his. But in my experience, I had something similar. I thought I was going to go higher, and I fell, and I had two choices to make. I could have my walk on mentality and be grateful for the opportunity that I had and put the time, energy and effort into maximizing my skills, or I could do what I did and feel entitled, feel like a victim, feel angry, mad, bitter, upset, feeling like I got slighted. And so he's got the two decisions he can do, and it'll be interesting which one he takes. If he takes the fir the first one, I think he's going to be a great player. If he takes the ladder, he'll probably end up having a career like mine, and it'd be very short,
Chuck Shute:yeah. Yeah. So let's talk about your NFL career, though, because so you did get drafted by the Titans, and they cut you, then the dolphins picked you up, and then you ended up on the jets, and you played well, from what I could see, what I remember in the preseason, obviously, it was well enough to you. I think you were number two on the depth chart, right? That's how you got to start for the Jets. I
Luke Falk:got to be so I was on the third on the depth chart, and then Sam got mono. He was kissing girls out in New York or something. And just kidding, oh, you're calling him out right now. No, I mean, I think that obviously people would speculate on that, right? Or he drinks somebody's water bottle. Who knows? Let's call that, yeah. But then, then Trevor started, and then he unfortunately got injured by miles, Garrett and broke his ankle. And then that's how I saw I was. I went from third to first in a matter of a day, two days,
Chuck Shute:yeah, so maybe they, you didn't have the preparation, I mean, because I thought when I before, you know, listening to your last couple interviews, like, just from on being on the outside, I was like, man, he got a raw deal. Like, they gave him, like, one game to start with. And I can't, I feel like, at the time, I don't know if the jets had the greatest like offensive line and weapons and receivers and running backs and all that. And then they just like, cut you. They went, you went from starting a game to not even, like, practice squad. And I thought you got a raw deal. But then when I listen to interviews ago, it was all my fault. I take all the responsibility I didn't play well, Bobo, I'm like, wow, that's such a 180 from what I would have thought you would have said,
Luke Falk:well, if you would have asked me in the immediate aftermath of it all, I would have said all those things, well, we played two playoff teams on the road. Well, I didn't get any notice. Well, we had a bad team, bad environment, bad this, bad that, but I'm giving all my power away, then I'm I'm the victim I'm blaming and my external environment, if my external environment is good, then I'm good. When I've had time to really reflect and have great perspective on it, it's well, I didn't necessarily do the things that were going to help me be in a best position to play well. Like, here's tale of two. Again, like, I think it's pretty funny. Within my career, there really is, like two careers, one of doing the right things, and one of not. But my first career start against Oregon State. You know, same thing happened. Star gets injured. Connor holiday gets injured. My first game, I planned packed 12 Player of the Week threw for over 500 yards, played great and never really looked back after that moment, my first career start against Tom Brady and New England Patriots didn't go all that well. And what people say when it comes to being lucky is, you know, preparation meets opportunity. Well, I had the opportunity both of them, but the first one, I was a whole lot more prepared that didn't have anything to do with the staff, or how many reps I got in practice, because I didn't have a ton of those things early on in my college career. But I made those reps. I took the time after to find and look for the solutions. I went through the script, I visualized. I wrote every play down. I met with coaches. I got extra stuff in the weight room. I was, you know, in a completely different mindset, I would not be denied. Versus in the NFL, I did the bare minimum. You know, I'm I'm, I did what I was asked. I did nothing more. So when I got that moment, my anxiety was up, because what's the number one thing you have control of as a player? Well, your preparation and my preparation wasn't on point. And, yeah, so if you would ask me right after. And I got cut, I'd have so bitter I was beyond better. How could you know? How could this happen? Blank, blank. If only this would have been the case. But now I can see clearly, Hey, I bet things would have been a whole lot different had I done what I needed to.
Chuck Shute:Yeah. I mean, do you do you look back on that now and say, I mean, because you're only 30 years old, I believe, like now you have this perspective, and you have the different mindset, why not make a comeback and try out for I mean, especially now, with all these besides NFL, they have these kind of minor league, I don't even know what they're called. They're like, kind of like next minor league NFL. I don't know what it's called, XFL or something. I mean, you could potentially make a comeback if you wanted.
Luke Falk:Well, if you saw me move around right now, you'd say probably, you probably have a hard time starting on the high school varsity team right now now, but in, yeah, just some injuries. I mean, I took a lot of hits on my own doing in college, and my hip surgeries probably didn't go as well as I would have hoped, and having some issues in that regard, and some aches and pains from really not getting rid of the football, probably in college, and averaging 35 sacks a year. You know, that's way too many, and as a quarterback coach, that would have friggin driven me nuts. But the real truth of that is, is I don't have a passion to my passion is, and what I felt like my real calling is, if I really look at it as a player, I was pushed to be a player. I mean, like, from a young age, it's like, that was what I was going to do. That was like, Who Luke Falk was. That was what was created the environment for me. And that was like, that was the the family dream, in a sense, and I got it. And quite frankly, you know, it was like not all that was cracked up to be when I got to the mountain top. And I think that's part of where the lack of motivation was to like, is this all there is, you know, I got to a place where I thought I would be fulfilled. I thought I would be and it's not you can never get enough of what you don't need. And what I found is, you know that I found a real calling in my own life that is fulfilling to me, and it's coaching like I love being a coach. I love helping people maximize and achieve their full potential through strengthening their mind, through the coaching tactics that I have. And I view every opportunity. It's not like, oh, woe is me. I went through all these things, those trials and tribulations, the highs, the lows. What a great apprenticeship for me to be able to pass it on to the next athlete to help them prepare to get off the teeter tire trap, to, you know, focus on the things that are going to help elevate the performance, not only on the field, but also in life, and also help them just, you know, be more self secure, not so insecure. I was so insecure, so So, so insecure, and I'm still battling and working through it. And what I always tell people, probably the greatest mind strength, skill you could ever give yourself is to love who you are. You know, to love who God made you to be. Because you, we all have an inherent, unchanging, unwavering worth. That's God given, and it can't be changed or dictated by based on the outcome. And so many athletes, so many high performers, so many high achievers, they get so wrapped up in needing the outcome. Because, like I said, that's how they get the approval. And they need the approval in order to feel like they're loved and they matter. And it's a sad reality. So then when they're not, and when that sport gets taken away, or when that job, or when that whatever that was, that they place their identity and gets taken away, then they have an identity crisis, like so many athletes, so many high achieving, so many performers, do? I know I did. That was part of my I joke, my quarter life crisis, and I went through a quarter life crisis, and it really helped me put things in perspective. And I'm still working on them, you know? I'm still working on them, still working on loving the man in the mirror that I see in order to help me have a foundation in that, not even even on, hey, if I have a great post that takes off, not making that my identity, not making, you know, I got this book coming out, if it's a best seller, not making that my identity or my coaching. It's not my identity. It's not who I am, it's what I do.
Chuck Shute:So what is your identity? You mentioned treating others well like you wish you had treated Tyler better and other things that you want to be known for, besides football and your book or whatever.
Luke Falk:Yeah, I just think being a it's like people remember how you made them feel, and just treating people the way I wanted to be treated. And really, my identity is rooted in, well, what's going to give me? What's unchanging, unwavering, knowing that I am here for a reason, that the way that I was made, the way that the situation, the family that I come from, where I grew up, all the things in my life are here for a reason, for me to have some higher work, some higher plans and higher purpose, and, you know, to have acceptance. For such a long time, I fixated on things I couldn't control, and I would get mad, angry, bitter, all those things, and have anxiety around it, and it really put a external focus through that lens of needing people's approval in order to make me feel good about myself or feeling. Like a matter. And what I did is I lived on the teeter totter trap. And I hinted at it, but it's like, it goes up, it goes down. And at the root of the teeter totter trap, and the foundation of it is it's externally focused, so other people dictate it, or other situations. And what I did is I lived in a constant state of anxiety, in a constant state of, you know, wondering how I looked, how I viewed. And so even a situation where I'm Luke Falk, the quarterback at Washington State, right? I'm the talk of the town, I have a bad senior year. Well, what happens? The teeter totters down now I feel poorly about myself. Well, now this guy, Gardner Minshew, comes in, and he's, you know, he's way beyond Luke Faulk. He's 40x that from a from a perspective. Well, now, how do I feel about myself when nobody's in that regard? You know? So it's like going through of I can't allow my identity be based upon any external. It's got to be rooted in something that's unchanging, and that person's within me, and it's you got to have a love for yourself. So there's even a poem I wrote about it through my own struggle that I've shared at some of my my talks. And I know I'm a little bit long on this, but it goes, you know, who cares what they think I surely do every move I've made, I've thought of the review, how will I look, and what will they say? Will I win their love and approval for just one more day? Why do I do this? How could it be? Does it all stem from a deep root of a lack of love for me. And if this is so, how then do I grow? The answer becomes clear, start loving the man who is standing in the mirror. And that's really what I think my purpose and my calling is, is to help people who have struggled with that, to help people who have walked that same road like I have, and help them by finding the answers within myself. So then I'm best equipped to be able to bring them along with me. So I love it, yeah. I love all that. Yeah. So, like I said, all the outcome stuff, I want people to have that. But really, what I'm after is that inner Foundation, the thing that can't be changed, it can't be wavered, it can't be moved, uh, or shaken
Chuck Shute:Well, I was a fan of you as a football player, and now, after talking to you for an hour, I'm a fan of you as a person, as a strength coach, and I'm excited to read this book. It sounds amazing. I'm inspired just from talking to you, so I'm sure the book's going to be amazing. I
Luke Falk:appreciate it. Thanks for having me on anytime I can pick out the message. I'm happy to do it. So thanks. Yeah, if you're ever
Chuck Shute:in Arizona, come down to the coug bar and watch a game with us. Like, we'd love to have Borg. He's been there, and, you know, some of your buddies.
Luke Falk:So that'd be great. Where's it at in Arizona?
Chuck Shute:There's one in Scottsdale, like, kind of, like, Fountain Hills, cold beer, cheeseburgers and, yeah, it's, it's really fun. You'd have a good time that you would everybody would love you.
Luke Falk:Well, I think, well, my wife would really like to take you up on that. Get down to Scottsdale in the fall. Sounds pretty good. Okay,
Chuck Shute:yeah, hit us up. Yeah. All right, thanks. Okay, go cooks. Bye, bye.
THEME SONG:She'll be learning again. So let Fauci.
