148 | From Pro Athlete to CEO: The Science of Reinvention with Idris Haroon

Idreese Haroon· Guest0:00

[intro sound] This is Becoming Undone. [tape rewinding] It was, it was tough, right? Because there were highs and lows, you know. I was always a tweener, right? Like, I was, I was always a guy that was... I didn't really have the, the, the stats of a Joe Tafoya or a Teddy Bruschi. I had a solid year. I was All-Conference. But the NFL didn't really know, didn't really see where I fit in. And, but in the end, you know, draft day came and it went, and, you know, nobody was calling over a free agent contract. So the first call was the Canadian Football League. So I had a lot of success and then, you know, the cold came, and then the injuries came. I didn't know how to play with... Everything's turf in Canada. There's no natural field. So it was just the environment, my body. It was just a combination of things. I got hurt, and then eventually, you know, they kept me around on the practice roster, but then they eventually signed some more guys and then, you know, they kind of weeded me out. No, I'm different. I, I tried to quit every day. [laughs] The difference is, what people need to understand is having multiple voices in your head is a healthy thing. You're not crazy. I encourage everyone to have multiple voices in their head. And this is, for me, this is what works. I have a voice in my head that says, "Idris, what the heck are you doing? Quit now. Go back to your corporate America job, please." Then I have another voice in my head that says, "Idris, don't quit. Don't give up. Don't ever give up," right? And that's that Coach Tomey, right? And that's that Coach Tomey. That was the mentality. But for me, I think I was able to treat the real