I Am Athlete

Michi and Sharelle are joined by Kijafa Vick and Terricka Cromartie this week’s episode on I Am Woman.
Terricka opens the show talking about how Texas was recently hit with ice and snow causing massive power outages and difficulties for so many people. Cromartie said her and her husband Antonio opened up their homes to neighbors and friends huddled together trying to keep warm and safe. Michi acknowledged that this was barley covered in the news and seemed strange that the call for help and aid wasn’t more widespread.
Kijafa and Sharelle help shift the conversation on how they met their significant others. Kijafa tells the story of Mike chasing her for months before she accepted his date invite, similar to Terricka dishing about the lengths Antonio went to keep her in his life and the pop up wedding.
Michi describes her fairytale wedding to Brandon and Kijafa says it was hard walking the line to share her magical day with the world and yet keeping it private from the naysayers. From fairytale weddings to marriage counseling, the ladies discuss all the ups and downs of being married to professional athletes. Sharelle, who was previously married, says the key is to find the balance in relationships and importance of open communication from the start.
The ladies are thrown off by fans only question posed by Chef Lowe and they laugh trying to figure out how what type of page they can start! I Am Woman is a limited series streaming Fridays on I Am Athlete platform.

Switching gears, I Am Athlete takes a left turn and joins Nascar in telling the story of the Best Season Ever starting off the I Am Nascar series sitting down with Bubba Wallace.
The discussion tracks over various topics including the highly-publicized incident where a noose was found in Bubba's garage, NASCAR’s confederate flag controversy, what it's like racing for Michael Jordan and the danger of the sport itself.
But before it all gets going, Brandon asks the burning question of how does a black man fall in love with Nascar while Chad falls in love with Bubba as they bond over McDonalds being their goto. Channing lets Bubba know right away that he doesn't view him or any race car driver as an athlete and places Nascar drivers in the same category as golfers and kickers- the non athletes of professional sports! Bubba fires back that Channing could never do what he does on any level and would look like a scared cat behind the wheel.
Fred expresses his admiration for the craft and the pressure of driving 175mph for hours with no breaks and perfect concentration while the group poses the question asking if the thought of dying comes into play as he gets behind the wheel every Sunday.
Bubba relates racing to football in the sense that you never know when it could be your last drive, so you give it all you have and never live in fear. After busting Bubba's chops about left turns, not being able to use the bathroom during races and the lifestyle of drivers, Channing changes his tone sharing his utmost respect for Bubba as the person who will forever be associated with changing the sport of Nascar through cultural impact and being a role model for children all over the world. Bubba is the Tiger Woods of racing because of forever changing the scope of the sport and history.
Chef Nancie, a fan of Nascar most of her life, is excited to have Bubba on the episode and surprises him with his favorite meal based on doing her research. Of course this leads to the Ocho vs Science debate and what we put in our body vs what we don't.
Buckle up and prepare to go fast as this discussion will lead you on a journey into a world you'll love to learn more about.
I Am Athlete podcast is a candid, unscripted weekly discussion between former NFL greats: Brandon Marshall, Chad Johnson, Fred Taylor and Channing Crowder. These gridiron giants pull no punches and have no filter while expressing themselves on the importance of the issues and topics they cover. Each week the podcast is growing in popularity and its subscribers due to the panelists frankness in sharing their thoughts and views on relevant topics covered each week.
A new episode premieres every Monday at 12pm Eastern.
I AM ATHLETE is a thought provoking and in-depth podcast that offers multiple perspectives
on subjects ranging from sports to controversial topics to fashion to lifestyle covering all cultural conversations and building a platform to educate but encourage viewers to engage.

It's a wild conversation when Mike Holston aka The Real Tarzan swings by the I Am Athlete set and the guys talk about Orca Whales, Black Mambas and how studying animals translates into understanding human behaviors. Chad, a known animal lover, reiterates his passion for orcas and lifelong desire to swim with the killer whale as he shows off his orca tattoo on his legs. Holston says everyone has an "Inner Tarzan" in them and commends Chad for using his strength to fuel his play on the football field.

Holston recounts his journey and how his love started when he was 3 years old and led him into making a successful career out of his passion. Brandon is in awe of Holston's story and the fact that a black man was able to carve out a unique niche and become king of the jungle. Channing, holding Sasha the snake for the beginning of the conversation, respects what Holston has done to show young kids, especially minorities, that no dream is unreachable, even if it seems out of the ordinary.

Fred and Chad learn of Brandon's snake phobia as they see him squirming as the snake hisses curling around Channing in the chair. The guys have an intervention with Brandon and coach him up to face his fear which leads to a tense 30 seconds on set.

Chad who says he would have either been a veterinarian or zoologist if never making it as a NFL wide receiver, poses the question to the others asking what they would have done for work if they didn't make it as professional athletes which prompts Brandon to talk about a pivotal story from his college years. Doing what you love hopefully turns into a monetary career but following your dreams is also very daunting to start when so much is put into it with little financial gain. Brandon opens up to the guys about his challenge to follow in the footsteps of his father selling drugs because it was fast money or to stay the course of his dreams even if it meant living without to get through.

Of Course no episode can be complete without the ongoing debate of Ocho vs Science as Brandon and Chad battle over their divided thoughts and lure Holston into picking sides and choosing between which one of the receivers he would want as his X. The on set competition continues as Fred and Channing talk about lining up against each other and doing something for love or for money. Chef Nancie joins the conversation offering up her take that having a passion for what you do is more important than chasing the money, if you do something you love long enough, the money will follow. Missing the last conversation about manscaping, Chad takes advantage of the opportunity to ask Channing about how he keeps his "man areas" manicured while Holston says part of living in the wild is being all natural.

I Am Athlete is filmed at the Botaniko Weston in Weston, Florida. For exclusive I AM Athlete merchandise, please shop at www.HouseofAthlete.com.

I Am Athlete podcast is candid, unscripted weekly discussion between former NFL greats: Brandon Marshall, Chad Johnson, Fred Taylor and Channing Crowder. These gridiron giants pull no punches and have no filter while expressing themselves on the importance of the issues and topics they cover. Each week the podcast is growing in popularity and its subscribers due to the panelists frankness in sharing their thoughts and views on relevant topics covered each week.
A new episode premieres every Monday at 12pm Eastern.
I AM ATHLETE is a thought provoking and in-depth podcast that offers multiple perspectives
on subjects ranging from sports to controversial topics to fashion to lifestyle covering all cultural conversations and building a platform to educate but encourage viewers to engage.

Cam Newton sits down exclusively with Brandon Marshall, Chad Johnson and Fred Taylor in a rare public conversation about everything on and off the field.

A friendly football discussion of Cam deciding between Chad and Brandon on who the X would be in his ideal offense quickly turns up the heat with hard hitting questions on what went on this past season. Fred says Cam had the hardest job in the league following Tom Brady and relates to the tough position he was put in coming into the New England offense. Cam explains how he found the process of missing the offseason instrumental to getting in sync with his team and a lesson in why the little things are big things in the end. Brandon doesn't shy away from him talking about his up and down play during this past season while calling him out for it on air a few times. Tackling the rumors that Cam is done and seeking retirement- Cam says he's never been the favorite and that fuels him but he quickly clears up that he is not going out like that and there aren't 32 guys better than he is!!
Taking a trip down memory lane, Cam and Fred reminisce about meeting during Cam's early college football days in Florida and Cam telling the story of how Fred set the bar of professionalism and character that he desired to have in his career. The two reference their old friend and teammate "Chico" the late Aaron Hernandez which leads them into a tough discussion of disbelief and confusion with what really went on with him.
Chef Jonathan Lowe fills in for Chef Nancie and makes a vegan meal for Cam which immediately draws critique from Chad on healthy eating habits who then volunteers that he should take over Cam's diet this offseason to get him eating right.
Cam exclusively opens up about his new hat line and in celebration of Black History Month a design tribute to honoring trail blazers starting with Rosa Parks. Keeping his business hat on, Cam tells the guys that his passion for cigars, art and live music led him to open Fellaship, an upscale premium dining experience in Atlanta. Applying what he has learned on the field as a leader into running a business, Cam shares why he loves being hands on with the details and the daily operation.
Changing gears real fast- Brandon asks the guys about men's hygiene which leads into a wild conversation about manscaping and the things guys should and shouldn't do!

I Am Athlete podcast is candid, unscripted weekly discussion between former NFL greats: Brandon Marshall, Chad Johnson, Fred Taylor and Channing Crowder. These gridiron giants pull no punches and have no filter while expressing themselves on the importance of the issues and topics they cover. Each week the podcast is growing in popularity and its subscribers due to the panelists frankness in sharing their thoughts and views on relevant topics covered each week.
A new episode premieres every Monday at 12pm Eastern.
I AM ATHLETE is a thought provoking and in-depth podcast that offers multiple perspectives
on subjects ranging from sports to controversial topics to fashion to lifestyle covering all cultural conversations and building a platform to educate but encourage viewers to engage.

It doesn't need to be February to recognize and honor black excellence and in this special edition of I Am Black, we are not only recognizing black success but black female success. Brandon Marshall and Fred Taylor sit down with Ese Ighedosa, President House Of Athlete and Bri Thompson, founder of Spiked Spin, for a deep conversation about their journeys and what it means to insult the standard.

Sharing her words to live by, Bri explains how insulting the standard is more than just a catchy phrase, it's about being confident, passionate and a risk taker. This mantra guided her journey into the fitness industry and defined her mission as an entrepreneur. Starting Spiked Spin during a global pandemic and a time of heightened social unrest didn't intimidate Bri but motivated her to keep going and keep impacting lives. When asked by Brandon what it's like taking on industry giants like Soul Cycle and Peloton, Bri smirked and replied I don't think about it because I see myself as the giant in the industry.

Ese talks about her time working in the NFL and pointing out that as players Brandon and Fred never had to worry about feeling like an imposter in the league while for her, feeling invisible in meetings and her daily role was the norm. Fred chimed in that he never had this dream of playing in the NFL but his passion led him there on his journey and Brandon agrees that football found him. Understanding the ladies' point of a different path, Fred respects that their community needs to do a better job of lifting each other up. Brandon praised Ese's success of being resilient and leaving the comfortable for the unknown.

Bringing back Chef Shawn Williams from our episodes in Black History Month, Shawn expresses his admiration for the ladies and their grit to follow their dreams. Having money is one thing but being prideful and passionate about what we do everyday is true power and happiness.
I Am Black, a featured series of I Am Athlete, is filmed at Botaniko Weston in South Florida. For I AM Athlete and I AM Black merchandise and apparel, please visit houseofathlete.com.