Facing health battles that test the limits of one's spirit can reshape everything we thought we knew about resilience. This episode features Alex Simmons, whose journey through kidney failure and the gift of life from his sister's transplant offers a powerful narrative on the essential nature of internal health. We navigate the transformation of his existence, uncovering how Athletic Brewing Company's non-alcoholic beer became a beacon of enjoyment in a lifestyle no longer including alcohol. Alex's candid recounting provides us with a vivid tableau of the changes and challenges he's conquered, a sobering reminder that the strongest muscles often lie within.
Our conversation traverses the remembered corridors of Pine Richland High School, stirring a blend of nostalgia and the stark contrast to the wider world we encountered post-graduation. Threads weave through the importance of sports and family, underscoring the delicate art of guiding the next generation. Through Alex's eyes, we're privy to the raw truths behind bodybuilding's shiny facade, offering a glimpse into the demanding yet often unseen preparation that belies the sport's glamour.
As the discourse unfolds, we brush against the profound impact technology has on our lives—from AI's surprising incursion into content creation to the quirky tales behind our online identities. We honor our personal endeavors: mine, to elevate the Pittsburgh community; to chart a path in an alcohol-centric society. Raising a glass—of non-alcoholic beer, of course—we celebrate growth, both individual and communal, heralding the everyday moments that become the milestones of our journey.
IG: @mocktailsormessy | TikTok: @mockmess
Watch | YouTube Mocktails Or Messy
Listen | Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Facing health battles that test the limits of one's spirit can reshape everything we thought we knew about resilience. This episode features Alex Simmons, whose journey through kidney failure and the gift of life from his sister's transplant offers a powerful narrative on the essential nature of internal health. We navigate the transformation of his existence, uncovering how Athletic Brewing Company's non-alcoholic beer became a beacon of enjoyment in a lifestyle no longer including alcohol. Alex's candid recounting provides us with a vivid tableau of the changes and challenges he's conquered, a sobering reminder that the strongest muscles often lie within.
Our conversation traverses the remembered corridors of Pine Richland High School, stirring a blend of nostalgia and the stark contrast to the wider world we encountered post-graduation. Threads weave through the importance of sports and family, underscoring the delicate art of guiding the next generation. Through Alex's eyes, we're privy to the raw truths behind bodybuilding's shiny facade, offering a glimpse into the demanding yet often unseen preparation that belies the sport's glamour.
As the discourse unfolds, we brush against the profound impact technology has on our lives—from AI's surprising incursion into content creation to the quirky tales behind our online identities. We honor our personal endeavors: mine, to elevate the Pittsburgh community; to chart a path in an alcohol-centric society. Raising a glass—of non-alcoholic beer, of course—we celebrate growth, both individual and communal, heralding the everyday moments that become the milestones of our journey.
IG: @mocktailsormessy | TikTok: @mockmess
Watch | YouTube Mocktails Or Messy
Listen | Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Welcome to Mocktails are Messy with Ryan Frankovsky and.
Speaker 2:Kelly Misgorsky.
Speaker 1:We today are excited to have Mr Alex Simmons in the house. He is a Pittsburgh native personal trainer, athlete aficionado. I mean, alex, thank you so much for joining us today.
Speaker 3:I appreciate that guys Happy to be here.
Speaker 1:And can you give us a little insight on why we're wearing these Letterman jackets?
Speaker 3:The letter jackets that you guys have on are from Pine Ridge Sun High School. We found out the other day that we both went to the same high school yeah, a couple years apart. So it's cool to see the jackets again and a little trip down memory lane.
Speaker 1:Absolutely so you know the concept. Today, with the Mocktails are the Messy you got me inspired by this athletic brewing company. Yeah, it's good. Tell me how you found out about this non-alcoholic beer.
Speaker 3:Actually, I was in DC for a conference and I basically stopped drinking since I had kidney failure and the bar tender recommended this for me non-alcoholic, because a lot of bars don't have that many non-alcoholic beers. Oh yeah, so this one looked cool, I liked it and actually, you know, it tastes just like a normal beer.
Speaker 1:It really does. It tastes kind of like a blue moon, and I'm really into it.
Speaker 3:And the calories are low too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's got 60 calories. Let's see 12 grams of carbs. As a trainer, I mean, I know you're not big on like you have to be so restricted with your diet, which I like that about you. I don't count liquid carbs, no, no, that's all yeah.
Speaker 2:And could you tell us a little bit about your recent health journey that you've been forced to go through and how everything evolved, with your sister donating a kidney?
Speaker 3:Yeah. So last January just was feeling sick, getting bad migraines, so I went to the hospital and the first thing they do is check your vitals. So my blood pressure was 260 over 150, which is really high, yeah, stroke level high, which they were surprised that it had a stroke. So I stayed in the hospital for about 11 days and they did all the tests. I was 10 days in the ICU and then they found out that I had kidney failure. So they put a port in my chest, started dialysis in the hospital and I left the hospital on dialysis three days a week, four hours a session, 6 am.
Speaker 2:Tuesday, thursday.
Speaker 3:Saturday and then it was just a waiting process. So first you have to be approved to get on the transplant list. Everybody just doesn't get on the list. Okay, it's a huge process of board votes so it's actually a privilege to get on the list. Once you're on the list and active, then you have a link and you can tell people to go get tested.
Speaker 3:So my sister got tested. She was a match and you know we went through that surgery on December 8th 2023. So about seven weeks ago. You only need one kidney to live. A lot of people don't know that you only need one. So I only got one kidney replaced. But surgery went well. My surgeon, dr T Var, was great. The whole UPMC transplant team amazing. I'm still doing with them. I got blood work every week and a lot of stuff still going on, but it was good.
Speaker 3:It was an interesting, interesting surgery and interesting recovery. You know I've had shoulder surgery, knee surgery, so you can try to. You can predict what life's going to be when you get home but having an organ replaced and cut open and your nerves torn, you don't really know how you're going to react to that. Just getting out of bed you couldn't, because you use your core, stuff you don't really think about on a day-to-day basis. Even going to the bathroom you couldn't really push because everything's torn. So just little stuff that you have to not relearn but figure out different ways to do it.
Speaker 2:And how's your sister doing?
Speaker 3:She's good, she's doing great. You know she's back to work. She actually left the hospital. Surgery was on a Friday, she left on a Sunday, so she was good and just keeping positive spirits. She's driving and everything, so really good.
Speaker 2:Where do you go from here with your health journey? Like what's to be expected for the future?
Speaker 3:Just try to maintain a healthy lifestyle really. I mean, blood work is once a week now. That's going to slow down as we get further on. But I mean that's really it Just keep monitoring and try to keep doing everything healthy, because a kidney, a new kidney, is not supposed to last you forever. Some last 10 years, some last 20 years.
Speaker 2:I didn't know that.
Speaker 3:So yeah, it's not a permanent fix.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 3:So it could, and we don't know why my kidney fell in the first place, so that could still happen with this new one. So it's basically just yeah, live your life every day and be conscious of you, know what you eat. You know it's just a sodium, wise, and things like that, because the high blood pressure and everything. So it's just that's all, just to be right Off it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was really like turned off by this comment that you received from some girl on Tik Tok. How does a personal trainer who's super fit, like yourself, need a kidney replacement?
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, that was an interesting one. You know it. Just, you know, people does not be an educated. A lot of people look healthy on the outside but the inside, you know, is all tore up.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:I'll be the first one to tell you I look healthy. But you know, obviously my diet wasn't on point. I was still eating whatever I want, just because my metabolism was so high. Right, and you were working out, I was working out. So, I was balancing it.
Speaker 3:Exactly I need the extra calories for the workout. I need this and that, but I wasn't close to eating, eating right at all. Right At all. It's like you know, you go to buy a house. You look at the exterior and you're like, oh, I want it. But then you go inside, it's completely gutted. It's the same thing you don't know what's going on in people's insides.
Speaker 2:That's a good analogy.
Speaker 3:So now I try to uh advocate for in invisible illnesses.
Speaker 2:Um just not kidney.
Speaker 3:You know there's, there's a million of them that looking at someone, you have no clue, yeah. So I'm just trying to be a voice for that. A positivity, you know, which is interesting because I lived through it, I did it. Oh yeah, you know. So, in any illness, you still have to have a positive mindset, you have to have a support system, you have to continue to think about brighter days whatever illness it is. So I'm just trying to share what I did to balance out my battle with you know, the kidney disease.
Speaker 2:You're the owner at Pray Focus Grind, correct, that's on center avenue in Pittsburgh.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I like that name. Where'd you come up with that?
Speaker 3:Uh, it's just something you should say every morning. I would say uh, rise and shine, pray, focus, grind.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And then that was about over 10 years ago. So then I put on a shirt just Pray, focus, grind, yeah. And people are like that's cool, that's cool, can I buy it? And I'm like no, it's just for me, because back then you just made like your own shirts.
Speaker 3:It was a big thing back then. So then I started selling merchandise with it and then I stopped for a little bit and then I opened the gym and I said the gym needs a name. Well, I already have the LOC and all this for Pray, focus, grind Doesn't sound like a gym, but I said I already have it because all gyms need apparel Right. So I just slid it in and it fits. Um, I like it because you know driving by it says on the window, but people don't know what it is. Yeah, so the whole concept is for you to Google it. So my definition is pray about what you want to achieve, focus on how to get there, and grind to make your dream a reality.
Speaker 1:Can you kind of showcase, like how you got inspired on social media? It sounds like you're passionate about it how I got inspired.
Speaker 3:Um, I don't know if that's the right word.
Speaker 2:I'm trying to answer the question correctly.
Speaker 3:I don't know. I just really been into motivation, yeah and um, a lot of public speakers actually in college. Freshman year of college my mom took me to the university of Pittsburgh to see um, he's a speaker named Les Brown. I never heard of him, I was like I don't want to go to this stupid. I'm at college, I'm just trying to have fun. So I went and blown away by his speech. He still talks now, but I just fell in love with it.
Speaker 3:The whole mindset and it's basically just playing sports your whole life. You just hear all these little little terms, you know and it just sticks. So it just became a way of my life. Um, you know, I just call them like a lot of life hacks. Yeah, just something little. I just been more focused on, you know, since the kidney failure, growth and, um, just peace. Yeah, and we realize in life there's a lot of strings pulling us different places, so we need to try to let go of some, but we're also holding on to certain strings.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah.
Speaker 3:And directly that we don't know that we need to let go. So that's what I've been focused on, you know, this year and the last year just trying to actual peace, cause when you say peace, people don't really understand it. Can you be quiet? I need some peace. It needs to be some quiet. That's not peace, you know, just feeling like everything is is good and even if it's not good, it's so good, cause you realize what's important, which you know reflects peace.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah.
Speaker 2:So, alex, could you tell us a bit about your sport background?
Speaker 3:Growing up, I guess uh high school I did football, basketball and track. Uh played football. In college um played arena semi-pro and I played uh overseas uh football as well.
Speaker 2:So football as well.
Speaker 3:I kept playing a long time. I played a lot of pickup basketball and stuff. What?
Speaker 1:was your thoughts of growing up in Pine Richland. Like I, I liked it, but I did feel like it was a little bit.
Speaker 2:We grew up in a bubble.
Speaker 1:Very shelter, yeah, very sheltered. I grew up there.
Speaker 3:My entire life. So it was in K through 12. So it was all I knew. Yes, Um, you know, being in milling to our houses every day, just like I mean Treesdale, everything.
Speaker 2:And I'm just like this is crazy.
Speaker 3:You got a basketball court. You got a pool, indoor pool yeah, but it was just a norm. You know, growing up I don't think I got enough help in areas that I needed because they were just trying to push me through.
Speaker 3:So the next grade because they didn't know how to deal with me. They just didn't know how Because they're, you know, walking on eggshells. They don't want to say the wrong thing or say this right. But Growing up I looked at I was just one, everybody else Mm-hmm. I didn't see color, because I, like, I said this K through 12, I didn't. I didn't see color.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah.
Speaker 3:So going to college, I was like this is crazy, like there's so much more Out there, yeah, and it was really cool. So it didn't really start to grow until probably you know college and after that. But yeah, I mean, it is, it is a bubble. It is a bubble, it's getting better out there.
Speaker 1:It is a lot of people moving to the district. Yeah, I think that was something that I took away when I went to Penn State. I was like, oh my god, there's so much more, even though it's in the middle of Pennsylvania. There's so many foreign exchange students and I was just like wow, I really did grow up with like no culture and the suburbs you know, even though it was safe, it was just kind of a little bit like boring.
Speaker 3:It was boring to me. It was like it was like Varsity blues to me. Yeah. The whole town knew you. Yeah we do what you want, right? They just care about winning.
Speaker 2:Mm-hmm. So you post a lot about your daughter on social media and it seems that you have a super tight-knit family. Your sister actually donated a kidney, am I correct? Yes, so could you tell us a little bit about your daughter and your family?
Speaker 3:Yeah. So my daughter's awesome. She's 11 years old, full energy, just like me yeah, like me when I was younger and just very, very outgoing, very smart. You know, I see the things that she does and it amazes me. At young age she's doing these things and it's just very good. She's very artsy, likes all these things, and she she has a tick-tock and I watch her tick-tocks and Just for her to be able to put something together as she does, a lot of product reviews.
Speaker 3:Oh it's like really good and to me I look at her page she's 11. I mean, her page is private, so these companies aren't seeing it. But right, when I look at it I'm like this is what tick-tock is like. She's just. It's amazing to me. So yeah to be able to start that at such a young age and be good at it, right, I think it's amazing. But no, she's awesome. She's a cheerleader, volleyball player and Daddy's girl, I would say. But we have a lot of fun.
Speaker 2:Do you do father, daughter workouts together?
Speaker 3:We, we've done some. I'm not trying to push her in any direction. Yeah, she asked me if she wants to work out today. Yeah, we can work out, but I just want her to do whatever she wants to do. That's all so. But we do have an agreement that she's gonna do track nice.
Speaker 2:I'm gonna try to track, so love that.
Speaker 3:So she's gonna do track, which is, you know, just running, I told her, and she likes Shakira Richardson. Oh yeah, she's a little her and her style and everything.
Speaker 2:She's always got herself done up.
Speaker 3:Yeah, look you do that, you run.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there you go.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so she likes that. But you know, we'll see when the time comes. Like I said, I'm not gonna lose sleep over. I'm one of those parents that you were an athlete or you were a scientist and your kid doesn't become that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I care, I do think the sports I mean for the most part help the kids stay out of some of the really bad trouble.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I know, make friends, lifelong friends. Yes, and you know they learn structure Mm-hmm. You have to be somewhere at a certain time, you have to do something and then balance to with Sports practice, homework Out of you know friends that don't play sports life. You have to balance all that which is tough yeah a good start to college because you're on your own. No one's telling you, wake up, go to class you to get your own food. Good, another class do these things. So it's.
Speaker 1:It's good to have the structure with the sports right, yeah, and I know that we share the mens physique competitions, yeah, and I did that a while ago as well. But I remember having somebody kind of troll me and say will you fake tanning?
Speaker 3:and also like everybody tans for the show. Right, I tan for the show.
Speaker 1:Yeah, everybody tans and she said you also eating this Restricted diet is like not healthy for you and doing like hours of cardio. And I was like, okay, I don't know what to say. Yeah, I'm like, I'm not gonna argue everything to a balance, I mean it's.
Speaker 3:it's not a when you do a show, you're not eating like that and working like that long term right. You're doing it for a goal like I'm going on vacation. I got to go hard now you know I'm not getting hard. It's like kind of like that, you know, but I mean some people can't turn it off and they just do a year round and I'm like you should stop. Go eat a burger, like stop.
Speaker 1:Enjoy yourself your body.
Speaker 3:If you're used to doing an hour of cardio every day and you do that for a year, now you have to do two hours of cardio, three hours of cardio right, to even get anywhere.
Speaker 1:You know your body gets immune to it.
Speaker 3:So it's just, it's good to take a step back, breathe, live life, and you know. But it was interesting process, but it was fun, you know, like I said I just I did it, I did one.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:I don't think I'll do another one. There's a little too much politics for me. Oh yeah, and people were judging. You aren't in the best shape either, so it was good experience. I was 2015, I did did my show, but it was cool though it was fun.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I, I tried to get this one to do it with me, but she was starting to date a guy that was like we're going out to eat honey.
Speaker 2:I was like I can't do this. I gotta go out to eat. You gotta enjoy it. We're not restricting ourselves.
Speaker 1:But so you kind of started doing non-alcoholic because of your kidney replacement, or was there always a need for, like a non-alcoholic there?
Speaker 3:was always a need. It's just you know, if I wanted you know a taste or something to be social, I would have a non-alcoholic Right. I'm so guilty about it. Wake up the next day and not feel hungover yeah, things like that.
Speaker 1:If you're drinking every weekend and your tolerance is just built up that you need more and more and more. The weekend warrior is not really cute in your 30s and 40s it's not, it's not and you don't bounce back the way you used to.
Speaker 3:No, I need about two days recovery.
Speaker 2:Exactly.
Speaker 3:Before I even try to do anything. But, like I said, you know it's life, you just go through. You know different stages, that's all.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:You wake up on the day and you're like this isn't fun anymore, Right? Why? I have no idea. It's just not fun yeah.
Speaker 1:And I think you even being a father, it's like you have to be on. Yeah, you know All the time you can't be like hungover and your daughter at the young age is like dad, what's going on? What are we doing?
Speaker 2:Oh, my gosh Once you add kids into it. I mean Completely different. You've got to get up when they get up.
Speaker 3:Yep, yeah, it's nice. Now she's old enough, she can get up, make her own breakfast, watch TV. You train her.
Speaker 2:God is nice. She's all that. She's 11, of course it's awesome.
Speaker 1:Will you be surprised yeah?
Speaker 3:It's very self-sufficient, yeah, very self-sufficient.
Speaker 1:You have this like stoic energy to you that I would totally be, like I need to watch this guy do a motivational speech, I know, or speech yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah Me, I'm just always treated my life as an open book.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:You know, there's no reason to hide anything. We're all going through something, right? Everyone struggles, yeah, how was your day? I didn't have a great day. Every single day there's something that happened in your day, yeah, so it's just for me. I just say it and being transparent, right, really, that's all, and that's what a lot of people have come to like over the years, I guess.
Speaker 1:You know how. We all have skeletons in our closet Like. I find myself just experiencing something recently. Somebody's like threatening to like bring out my skeletons, and I want to know since. I look up to you as an open book and as a business owner and as somebody who's really thriving like I want to know how do you just own it and be unapologetically yourself?
Speaker 3:It obviously depends on what kind of skeletons or things, but you know, at this time, you know you grew and it's something you did, you did it Right and you know, maybe it's five years, 10 years ago. For someone to bring something like that up shows you that they're not growing, they're living in the past and that's all you want to talk.
Speaker 2:We're like different people. Now, that's all you know.
Speaker 3:That's where your mind goes. You assume they're the same person and it's like no, I mean I did it, yeah. And then everyone else normally in the room is like okay, they did that. And the biggest thing is that I want it because if you don't own it and sort of get ahead of it, it's going to be worse.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Not in the sense that you're hiding it, it's just. There's no reason for me to bring it up, just making a big deal, especially today, with cancel culture.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah.
Speaker 3:And which I don't agree with cancel culture at all.
Speaker 1:Yeah, what would it be open?
Speaker 3:People. I mean, it's the same, you're just. These people are trying to make a living. And you're just messing now with you're taking money out of their family's mouth.
Speaker 2:For what purpose?
Speaker 3:Because of a tweet they said 15 years ago Right, and that's the biggest thing. And like, all these artists are like trying to cancel them now, like Eminem, all the stuff he says, I'm like good luck canceling him, I know, you know, it's just like, well, I get the times of changing and we can't say certain things and yeah everyone takes everything so literally.
Speaker 3:Now there's this guy. I watched one of his videos on TikTok and now I'm in a loop and it pops up. I guess he's an auditor and he irritates me because he goes to public, public areas, like a lot of areas, and he films?
Speaker 1:Where does he live?
Speaker 3:I don't know where he does it.
Speaker 2:I never show his face and he films and then the cops come and go.
Speaker 3:You can't film here.
Speaker 2:I've seen that he's like this is public right?
Speaker 3:Yes, I'm allowed to. No, you can't. You can't film in the courthouse. I'm allowed to. What's your badge number? You can't kick me out, I'm gonna see you guys. That's all he does is like provoking people, just trying to make a living. This is my amendment. Third amendment right, you're violating it. It's like, really, dude, just like calm down.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And he's just like I know a lot better than you guys. I mean, he actually does, but it's like yeah, come on. Clearly. And then a lot of the cops like I know where you're here, post this on YouTube or something, cause I just leave.
Speaker 1:Like you can't make me leave.
Speaker 3:This is public Exactly. Uh, why we just poking people that are. You know, a cop wakes up to protect people, goes to work in the morning and you're just hitting, bothering him because you want to prove your amendment rights for no reason whatsoever Like it just. It just irritates me.
Speaker 1:I wonder if it's just because now we live in this world of like. I need attention. I need to like make money on like social money from the views.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I used to get those views.
Speaker 1:Is it hard to co-parent, knowing that you know you might have a certain way Um versus your?
Speaker 3:ex. I wouldn't say it's hard. Um, I'd say it's interesting and challenging. Yeah, because you're not there for that other side, right?
Speaker 3:She's not here for that other side. So the biggest thing I try to do is get my message across and and still, this is what I like. And you know, my daughter's really smart, so she knows what. You know what is what. So it's the good cause she is. Me and her mom are two different people, probably why I didn't work out. We're just two different, two different people. So my daughter has the best of both worlds, oh, but uh are you dating?
Speaker 3:I'm not dating. My body is still working overtime with the kidney, so there's still a lot of internal things that are still trying to get evened out. So, and you know, I'm just, like I said, just looking for peace and happiness right now.
Speaker 2:So it's always when you're not looking for it that it happens, right, I mean?
Speaker 1:that's kind of how it worked out for me. I think, oh, that's awesome yeah. Yeah, I definitely need like a good two years of just focusing on myself.
Speaker 3:I just got out of something which is hard. Yeah, yeah because we put the timeline and then you get like you said, you can meet someone tomorrow.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Exactly Two years.
Speaker 3:But yeah, we'll go eat. Yeah, let's see what happens, you know. But I mean, that's all just with growth and as you get older. Yeah, that's all.
Speaker 2:I noticed you do. The pirate hat a lot. Yeah, is that your favorite Pittsburgh sports team, or what's what's your?
Speaker 3:favorite To me. The P just stands for Pittsburgh.
Speaker 1:What do you think your biggest regret in life is and your biggest accomplishment? My biggest accomplishment is my daughter. Yes.
Speaker 3:My biggest regret, I would probably say, is probably not putting such an emphasis on school. Yeah, just focused on sports and not so much studying and grades. Yeah, obviously I learned a lot. I consider myself very smart, but just not on paper. You know what are you going to go to college for Doctor, lawyer, teacher? You know, it's just you're sort of forced to pick something back. You know, like it's me, 20 years ago it was forced to pick.
Speaker 2:You actually went for teaching, correct?
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 2:So how did you? Did you just like jump into that and not really think much about it? Or I thought about it? I love kids, I love coaching.
Speaker 3:I took the special ed class in high school. Yeah, I did all that and I just liked the kids. I mean I still coach in a sense with training you know, it's just not you know little kids, oh yeah. So I'm still coaching a lot of stuff I learned Right Doing with people. Um, I coach fifth and sixth grade football too, as well.
Speaker 3:That's pretty cool Stuff I learned. I do that there are probably a lot of fun, a lot of fun. I love it, I love it, I love it and um, so I look at it as it helped me with everything in life. Yeah, just not classroom teaching wise.
Speaker 2:Shout out to all the teachers I couldn't do it. I definitely couldn't do it now.
Speaker 1:You were going to be a gym teacher. Right A physit.
Speaker 2:I was, yeah, I went for teaching as well but never ended up doing it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean you learn a lot, yeah, and it's just, you know, sometimes that's not the thing I mean. Yeah, looking back summers off, all that, all that fun stuff, you know.
Speaker 1:Well for having above average mindset and above average physique, and I'm curious to see how you came up with the Instagram handle average black man.
Speaker 3:Um, it's more with the irony, yeah, of the name. You know I don't look at myself as different than anybody else, right? A lot of the stuff I say, the way I carry myself, those kind of things. Society doesn't look at it as something in average black men would say Right, based on society's outlook on an average black man. That's all just a little irony. I like it, that's all.
Speaker 1:It was, you know. It caught my eye and it's like very catchy. I kind of think it was the irony behind it. I just wanted to ask you directly.
Speaker 3:I mean, it actually started as um back in the day. Everyone had these cool names and you know, mine was just like Simmons 32, your number or something. Yeah, I knew the cool name. So I was thinking something. I was like average black man and I thought of a not another team movie there's the ideal or something, or something black man in that movie, yeah. And then I just like average and I was like, oh sure, it was available and I've had that name since 2011.
Speaker 1:So I can't change it now, yeah, yeah, you got to keep it. I can't change it.
Speaker 3:I changed it for a little bit, then I changed it back. I was trying to look more professional. You know first and last name, right, but I just changed it back.
Speaker 1:Hey, you don't want somebody swiping that. Yeah, I made a different account.
Speaker 3:I changed it at the same time.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's the professional yeah.
Speaker 3:I did it on my phone and my computer and I, yeah, that one available done and I saved it. But yeah, now I have that on all platforms, right, every single platform. I didn't used to have it on TikTok until maybe about six months ago, somebody else had it, so I was irritated about it. I was average black man one, and then I would just check every day. And then one day he changed it and I got it. So nice. That's that persistence that you talk about every day.
Speaker 2:That's all yeah.
Speaker 1:So where's the next trip? You're taking vacation, do? You have anything in mind.
Speaker 3:The next trip I'd like to go to Chicago.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:I like to go to Chicago.
Speaker 1:I got some family there.
Speaker 3:I love some good food.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:I don't know. I'm sure I'll go to some conferences this year. I don't know where they'll be, but National Kidney Foundation, nefcure is another one. Yes, I went to last year was very informational, so just being an advocate. Absolutely, I'd like to go and learn more and hear other people's stories and gain more knowledge, so I can share more knowledge with my platform. Like I said, if you have a platform, try to use it for good, absolutely.
Speaker 1:Like if you could just inspire somebody that is going through a hard time.
Speaker 3:Oh, I mean, that's just the whole thing, that you're not your circumstances. The rain may be falling on you, but you only can stop the rain.
Speaker 1:I can't stop the rain for you.
Speaker 3:You can stop the rain. Like I said, tomorrow is a new day, but it's also how you look at things, your outlook on things. I got a bunch of messages. I'm so sorry this happened to you. I'm like why? What are you sorry about?
Speaker 2:I'm glad it happened to me.
Speaker 3:I needed to pump the brakes in life. I needed to change, not just physically, but mentally, emotionally. It changed everything. Having surgery and everything just changed everything. And I can share my story, which is going to help somebody else get through something. So that's good. So I'd rather go through it. Yes, I'll tell you how it is Right, I'll tell you how it ends, and then don't do this, don't do that. So I'd rather I've just always been the person. I'd rather go through it.
Speaker 1:I'll like you know, you know it's for the strong.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's all. It's not bad I got, couldn't tell you. I'm like what are you sorry for? Like there's nothing you could have done to stop this. Yeah, I could have done to stop this. It was just in the cards.
Speaker 1:Do you feel like you have a new appreciation of life?
Speaker 3:or Definitely New, new appreciation. I mean almost dying in a sense, yeah, we'll say without a transplant. You know, life expectancy is not that long, so almost dying it definitely changes everything. And you know, a lot of people say you know the live, live, live like you're dying. You only live once. All these things, oh, they're great, they sound great, but until your mindset can actually go there, then they don't really mean anything.
Speaker 3:So my mind can go there, oh yeah, and I can like. Wow, just, you know a lot of stuff that used to stress me out, doesn't anymore. I just try to be nice and, you know, thankful for every day, every opportunity to be honest with you and just live, because you never know.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah.
Speaker 3:That's all, Just like you know, like something bad has to happen for you to appreciate.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 3:If you go to jail you're going to appreciate when you get out. You appreciate all these little things so much more than just every day you can do whatever you want, for example, you know, or you even losing a job. Now you have more freedom and you have another job, but you have more freedom, more time at home with the family, things like that you just appreciate. Yeah, that's all Just little stuff, little stuff.
Speaker 2:Have you ever been compared to Gandhi?
Speaker 3:No.
Speaker 2:I feel like you're like Gandhi or something I know.
Speaker 3:No, it's just you know, it's just my outlook on life and just like I said, from reading a lot, listening to podcasts, listening to speakers, and just taking away, you know, the church and just taking away what resonates with me, yeah. And I'm just trying to put my spin on it, that's all.
Speaker 1:Do you have a favorite podcast?
Speaker 3:right now Club Shea, shea, which Sharon Sharp.
Speaker 1:Uh-huh.
Speaker 3:I like because he talks about not just athletes everybody. Andy Forchella has a good one, yeah, and I like I've met him a couple of times.
Speaker 1:Oh really.
Speaker 3:And he's a cool, cool person because I'm with First Form, his supplement company.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 3:So I just like this stuff. He's real, Doesn't sugarcoat stuff. I'm sure there's a lot more I like. I just don't know what they're called because I just see a snip, a snip of it. Oh the I am athlete one. I like that one.
Speaker 1:I've seen that one. I haven't listened to it. It's pretty interesting.
Speaker 3:And I mean all of them are good. Oh yeah, it just depends on the guests they have on and what resonates with you. That's all. They're all very good.
Speaker 1:I never thought I would like this one that popped up, but it was because of Wiz Khalifa and you know, Pittsburgh, or it? Was called Call Her Daddy.
Speaker 3:I think I heard of that one. It's a blonde girl, yeah.
Speaker 1:I think the only thing that caught my eye was like Wiz and then her, and you know, they were talking about Pittsburgh.
Speaker 3:Yeah, see, that's all it's saying. The name is just what brings in Sort of like average black man. You don't know Right what it is. Yeah, I mean she's doing really good, but her personality I just don't like A really good podcast or I don't know. She did like Drake.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's the really good. Bobby Alphoff, I'm not sure why I said that right.
Speaker 3:I don't get it. I like funny, marco.
Speaker 1:Yeah, same thing as her.
Speaker 3:Right, it says funny stuff, but her just.
Speaker 1:I don't know how she's getting these celebs.
Speaker 3:I don't know how you get Drake Like.
Speaker 1:Jessica.
Speaker 2:Alba.
Speaker 3:Drake.
Speaker 2:Well then, she had to like delete the interview with Drake.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah.
Speaker 2:Because they had a falling out? I believe yeah.
Speaker 1:Oh God, I don't know the full story. You're not going to make us delete this. No, I like everything.
Speaker 3:I just say people delete stuff. I just like leave it Right.
Speaker 1:That's cool.
Speaker 3:It was something that you did. Yeah, Back to your thing in the beginning something you did.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's cool.
Speaker 3:And then, 10 years from now, you see this podcast and you see the growth, exactly that's all Like, wow, that was horrible on that podcast. Man Right, I'm looking over here, I'm looking there, I'm doing this my hands.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:You can see it now and you're like, wow, came a long way. You know so. No, everything's fine. People don't hate people that aren't great.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's it.
Speaker 2:That's the money maker.
Speaker 1:And it's not simple. Yes, it's not simple.
Speaker 3:So, with a platform, with a voice, with anything comes, it's going to come, all that.
Speaker 1:You'll love your stuff and you have a strategy, even though it looks effortless.
Speaker 3:Yeah, to me it feels effortless, like. I said I don't want it to feel like work, right, that's all. But you know, I'm starting to learn that it is impressive what I've built, because it's not like you're an athlete Right, you already got a bunch of followers coming with that Exactly, you're an artist, you're a musician, a rapper, actor.
Speaker 1:You already got a bunch coming Exactly With that, with that. You know you have that mentality Anything.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you got it coming. Yeah, so for me I'm like, I'm nothing, I'm just a normal person.
Speaker 1:I mean, I think you definitely post some good photos that, like a lot of women and even guys will be like, oh that body, I want that body. Oh, he's a good looking guy, because that sometimes is part of it.
Speaker 3:It is, but you know it's just. I'm just an average person walking on the street.
Speaker 1:What's your thoughts on the AI now creating like text for people?
Speaker 3:I don't even know anything about it, really.
Speaker 2:I heard about it.
Speaker 3:but one of my clients was telling me about it the other day and I was like what is it? Like they're in, they're in computers. I said I don't know what it is. Like, what is it? Yeah, and they're like I'll write a review for you. And they went to it and they're like write a review for a personal trainer. And then they wrote the review and I read it and I was like, well, that sounds like me. That's pretty cool.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I still don't really understand it. Yeah, I don't either. I mean, it's amazing.
Speaker 2:Can you imagine being in college and Letting it like write your college paper for you?
Speaker 3:I don't know. I mean, it's like I said, it's a different time, like the AI and all these things nowadays is just I Don't know. It was scary, like the review sounded like a real person wrote it. It was really good. Yeah, it is kind of scary. She's like make me a workout plan, and they did it. Make me a diet plan they did it. I was like geez, oh no, it was crazy.
Speaker 3:Well, thank you so much for opening up and answering all these questions I was having me the last question I will have for you and you can say no, don't feel obligated.
Speaker 1:Do you have any questions for us and you don't? You could say no, we're not that interesting, that's mine.
Speaker 3:I'm not that interesting. I don't know about that. My one question. I'll say is. What, what are you guys trying to get out of your podcast? What is the goal?
Speaker 2:We both have been living somewhere else for the last 10 years and now we're both back in Pittsburgh and I want to Dive all into the community. I want to help local businesses showcase, I want to help personify local businesses and Just be a part of the community Awesome.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I want to like it kind of I love what she brings to the podcast and like really a true Pittsburgh. I've been away for 10 years as well, different states, different cities, but I think my mission behind it which really caught, I guess, like this non-alcoholic liquor brands attention is I'm trying to go through this mocktail phase of my life because Drinking just wasn't serving me and I know in Pittsburgh the hardest part is it is a drinking culture town and so I feel that just to navigate that placebo effect tipsy with your friends, with you know, I feel like sometimes if I'm having a couple of these with my buddies, I feel a little contact higher or contact tipsy, you know. So let's cheers to Alex Simmons. Thank you so much. This is cocktails are messy. Are you gonna get messy? Or mocktail mocktail and Kelly's got the blue moon on tap.
Speaker 2:So I took one sip.
Speaker 1:She had a little tequila beforehand.
Speaker 3:Oh, oh.