Intro & Show Opening

SPEAKER_01 0:00

The cover of you know earned and then hold the trophy. And is that your favorite picture of all time? Oh yeah. That's why it's there. So book number two, it's gonna be your second favorite.

SPEAKER_02 0:10

Yeah, we'll change that. We'll change out a few things.

SPEAKER_00 0:16

If you wanna hear about St. Louis, tune into the bucket list show weekly. Hear what Marissa and Luke stay. It drops every Wednesday. Got a dope new guest every single week. Buckle up for the ride. Who's it gonna be? Who's on the show today? They rap St. Louis. What to do in the loo on a late night? I baby what to do on a date night. Yeah. Bucket list as you covered, they know what's going on. What's going on? They'll give you 18 different things to do on 19. If you need one more to choose, yeah. This city, city, city is a place we call home. A place we call home. Yeah.

Welcoming Chris Pronger & Book Introduction

SPEAKER_01 0:54

St. Louis, welcome back to another episode of the STL bucket list show. I am your host, Luke Farrell, in studio today with NHL legend Chris Pronger. Thanks for coming to the studio, man. Thank you. Thanks for having me. So there's a reason you're here today. You have a book right in front of you. There it is. Neat. So, you know, been talking to the blues, they've been talking to us. We're glad to have you on to help promote the book. But first of all, tell me what the statement earned means to you.

The Meaning of “Earned” & Career Mindset

SPEAKER_03 1:18

Uh you you earn every opportunity. Uh you go out and earn everything in life when you think about um, as I said, opportunities. Uh you you at every stage of my career earning a look, earning a draft position, earning a spot on a roster, earning a spot on defense, earning you know, XYZ, earning the cabin C, earning everything is earned when you think about it. So uh for me, as we started talking about names for this book, uh that tagline earned kept coming up over and over as we started talking about not only my career, but just life and what it's all about. And you know, what is the one thing that we always talk about in taking advantage of every opportunity? It's I gotta go earn it. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:14

And that's something that's important even with the younger generation, you know, and and when people in St. Louis hear your name, they I immediately think intensity, you know. So when when when I used to watch you play, so I'm I'm 30 and I grew up watching you play, and and you know, but besides the intensity and how you played on the ice, like what is something that you wish people would remember you by during your NHL career?

SPEAKER_03 2:35

I think just I left it all out there. Yeah. You know, obviously the early part of my career was rough in more ways than one. But but I think that allowed me to build the grit and resilience it was gonna take to have the type of career I had and play the way that I played and the style that I played and have longevity and and have success uh is from those early days. And I wouldn't trade those tough moments, getting booed on home ice and struggling under the weight of pressure and expectations and uh things of that nature to then only get to to where I got to, to the top, um, I think was a byproduct of all of that, uh, helped to shape and mold my character.

SPEAKER_01 3:21

Yeah, and and and kind of leading into St. Louis is you know, beyond hockey, I mean, what does this city mean to you? Because you've you've called the city one of your homes and and you've made an impact way beyond the ice with the city.

SPEAKER_03 3:32

Yeah, when I think about it, I've been here 24 years of my life. So you're 30. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 3:38

I've been there too. I've watched you. Yeah, yeah. So it uh you know, I certain I've spent way more time here than I did in my hometown of Dryden. I was there 15 years, so yeah. Um, you know, I I think just you know, as I talk about it with other people, um, you know, the community, the people, um, you know, how they treat the hockey players, how they treat the team, how they treat the athletes, uh, and and then more importantly, just how they treat one another.

SPEAKER_04 4:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 4:04

And how you're a part of a community and you want to uh invest in it and and do, you know, when you think about the blues alumni, you think about all the things that go on within the community and the philanthropic uh nature of it, um, it's a great place to live. And it's uh I'm from a small town, so I love the fact that I can get around, yeah, uh not have a lot of traffic and not you know be delayed too much. You can plan things out and it is relatively gonna you know transpire in that way.

Lessons from Hockey: Grit, Pressure & Growth

SPEAKER_01 4:33

I know I think it's so cool about St. Louis and that fact like we had you know some Cardinals guys on before and like they end up staying here. Some of them might be from Miami. You know, we had John Jay on recently and he's like, I love St. Louis, you know, and like all these different guys from all these other sports end up calling you know St. Louis home. And I think the way that we support our athletes in this town is different than some of these other towns, you know. Yeah, it it's it's different. I mean, you're still, you know, even when you when I met you at the uh whiskey launch, um, people were coming out like you know, like you were still, you know, playing around the ice. I mean, that's something that's awesome, you know, yeah to have in St.

SPEAKER_03 5:04

Louis. I think people A love their sports teams here. Yeah, they love their players here, but I think it's the community, it's the Midwest vibe, it's the the people that athletes and former athletes gravitate towards. You know, there's plenty of guys who've moved on, gone to other organizations, gone to other cities and come back. There's a reason they come back. Um, you know, first and foremost, it's it's the people and and the community. And secondly, I think it's the alumni and all the rest of that stuff if we're talking about hockey uh and and everything that kind of revolves around that. So it's it's kind of twofold.

SPEAKER_01 5:39

Yeah, no, that's awesome. So one of the quotes you say, talent opens doors, standards keep them open. So in this book, you know, what are some of those nuggets that people can get when they when they pick up this book? And is this this isn't just for athletes?

SPEAKER_03 5:50

No, this is not that's not really a sports book. Yeah, it it's uh a playbook of sorts, really. Uh it's life lessons gleaned from you know my youth hockey days, my pro my pro hockey career, and then life after, and and really just how I was able to level up the lessons I learned and and those moments of betting on myself, taking accountability for my actions, learning from them, good and bad, uh, and then you know, continually trying to level up and get better.

SPEAKER_01 6:20

Yeah, yeah. It talks about family life, you know, quitting drinking, living this difference maker's code packed with insider stories, motivational insights. What I'm super interested in is this 30-day standards challenge. Can you drop any nuggets on that or do we we got to buy it?

SPEAKER_03 6:33

Yeah, well, no, it's in there. I mean, you know, but it it but throughout the course of the book, it's it's about holding you accountable.

SPEAKER_04 6:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 6:41

You know, it's taking ownership. You know, we hear people all the time, you know, lip service, like, oh, I want to do this. I'm like, yeah, well, why aren't you?

SPEAKER_04 6:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 6:48

You know, so throughout the book, you know, you're I'm asking questions and I want you to really think about how how badly you really how much do you really want to do that? You know, if whatever it is you want to do, at some point you're gonna, you're either gonna do it or you're not gonna do it. What's holding your back? How dedicated are you? What are you willing to sacrifice? How much failure are you willing to endure? Are you gonna quit? Well, then you don't really want it. Right. You know, so it it's you're constantly getting asked questions and you're constantly looking in inward. Uh, you know, uh I had a victimhood mentality earlier in my career and I was blaming other people and take ownership. Like only it's it's you. Only you can fix this. Yeah. And so, you know, throughout the course of the book, that is a common fact, common theme.

SPEAKER_01 7:34

And earned, when you when you talk about earned, it's it all comes back to standards, is put yourself in the best position to take advantage of it. So when you're talking about sports, it's like when you get the opportunity, you better take advantage of it because if you didn't, then your career would have been a lot different. Absolutely. There's a lot of guys that that you know it's shoulda, woulda, coulda.

SPEAKER_03 7:50

Yeah, yeah. What are your non-negotiables? Like what what can you do every single day that are gonna give you the best possible outcome?

SPEAKER_01 7:58

Yeah. And comparing it to the corporate world, it's like, you know, when that person retires and you have the opportunity to take that role, like, you know, are you ready? Are you ready to take it? And you know, and we done the work. Yes, yes. And that's where the earned comes in. And that's why I love, you know, the cover of you know, earned and then holding the trophy. And is that your favorite picture of all time? Oh, yeah. Yeah. That's why it's there.

SPEAKER_02 8:19

So book number two, it's gonna be your second favorite. We'll change, yeah, we'll change it. We'll change out a few things.

St. Louis, Community & Athlete Culture

SPEAKER_01 8:24

First Community Credit Union is the official banking partner of STL Bucket list. They've been serving St. Louis families for 90 plus years with 40 plus local branches and over 400,000 members from personal credit loans to mortgages to kids and teen accounts. They also have a partnership with the STL Blues. You see, Louie here if you're watching on YouTube. Uh, we're proud to use First Community. I use it for my own family and my own business. Um, we're excited for them to be the official banking partner of STL Bucket List. Um, no, that's really cool. So, what was the process? Because as an athlete, you know, there's a lot of athletes that write books, but like tell me about the actual hard work that went into like sitting down and writing this book because it seems like to me that you're a per, in a way, a perfectionist of like it was probably really hard to get that book to where it was finished. Like, when is a book finished? And that's like, I guess, the challenge. Like when I think about even doing a project, it's like, because you could keep writing and you could keep creating pages, but how do you package something up like that? I'm sure you had a lot of good team behind you.

SPEAKER_03 9:18

Yeah, one of the things that I didn't, I mean, it's not overly thick. So one, you know, I want to talk about things, but I don't want to go into minute detail where you're just it's mind numbing.

SPEAKER_04 9:27

Yeah.

Book Insights: Standards, Accountability & Life Lessons

SPEAKER_03 9:28

Make your point. How does it and then how does it relate to you, the reader? How does it, and then how do what what changes can you affect because of what you're reading, right? Uh, or instituting standards in your life, or whatever it is. And so, you know, there's there's stories in there that'll you I hope will kind of speak to people. Maybe they're dealing with something similar, maybe they've gone through something, right, and they and it resonates with them. Um, but you know, I hit I get on a point or I get on a lesson, and then I'm like, how does it boom? I throw it, I throw it right back at the reader. Right. This is you. This is yes, it's my story, but how does it relate to you? Right. And I want I, you know, one of the things I wanted to do with the book, and I had kicked tires on writing different types of books over the last 10 or 12 years, and for different reasons, it just wasn't a good fit. I didn't like the the way the book was coming out, and you know, I just didn't want to do that type of book, like a memoir, like an autobiography or whatever. I mean, all these stories that are in here, you really can't Google them, you can't find them online. You know, some of them you kind of see the premise, but you don't know the backstory.

SPEAKER_04 10:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 10:35

And never I've never talked about them. So they're these are all things that have happened that people don't really know about. And so utilizing those to kind of tell a story and and then hopefully people are able to do some of the challenges and and really kind of look inward to to find uh how they can utilize them to then for themselves and be difference makers.

SPEAKER_01 10:56

And is that vulnerable to like write some of those things on and and share those with the world too?

SPEAKER_03 11:00

Well, I don't think it'd be a real book if I didn't. Right. You know, people would be like, oh, that's lip service. And if I'm not sharing those moments, those vulnerable moments, and peeling back the onion layer a little bit, people are just gonna kind of gloss over it. And it and it's not gonna be a real book, it's just gonna be, you know, this guy's full of shit. Yeah. Really? I mean, but when I put substance to it and I show people this is and how it moved in your life and how it happened, and good and bad, you know, there's some good ones and some bad ones. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:27

So we don't bat a thousand percent. Exactly. Um, are you still process driven even in your life post-hockey? Like as far as like your your your routine and and because you're still involved in a lot of different things. I mean, you're you're I know you're retired from the league, but it's like you still got your hand in a lot of different projects and stuff like that. So it involves balance and process and and those standards within the city.

SPEAKER_03 11:47

Yeah, like broadcasting. Like I'm not just showing up and just yakking. Yeah, I'm preparing, making sure I prepare for both teams, you know. While we may, if I'm doing the blues game, I may only be talking mostly about the blues, but I still got to know about the other team. Of course. Still got to know what's going on, what's going on in the locker room, what's going on, you know, where are they at in the standings? How have they been the last 10? How have they been the last you know, this year compared to last year? All these different storylines that might come up. Yeah, you have to be prepared for. Um, you know, public speaking, like who, who, who's in the room? Like who am I talking to? And and you know, on and on and on. So it's just, you know, the the little details, the standards, as as you said, like just digging in, making sure you're prepared. Again, opportunity. Am I am I prepared for that opportunity should it arise?

SPEAKER_04 12:33

Right.

SPEAKER_03 12:33

What's the next step look like? Where do I want to take this to get to that next level? There's always another level.

SPEAKER_01 12:39

Exactly.

SPEAKER_03 12:39

How do you get there?

SPEAKER_01 12:40

For over 150 years, SSM Health has been providing hope, healing, and opportunities to the St. Louis community. With over 40,000 employees across four states, they're not only delivering exceptional care, they're one of the region's largest employers, shaping the future of healthcare. We're proud to present SSM Health as the official healthcare partner of the STL bucket list show. If you've dreamed of a career where you're truly making a difference every day, SSM Health can help you take that to the next step. Learn more at their website in the link in the show notes. So, what was that? I mean, you played 18 years in the league. So, what was that transition? Because a lot of athletes struggle with identity issues after that. So tell me about that transition post.

SPEAKER_03 13:19

Yeah, uh, you know, finding purpose is hard. You know, when you're like, this is who I am, this is, you know, and I've fought that for a long time. I tried to, you know, you try to change the narrative, you try to like dig into it a bit, and it's hard. And then when you're done, I think for me, the first couple years, I was more focused on getting healthy and you know, fixing my eye and getting my post-concussion uh symptoms and whatnot. And so I wasn't really focused on what's next. I was focused on now fixing, fixing and getting healthy. And then once I got healthy, it was like, all right, what do I want to do? And and I had kind of planned for retirement, just I'm gonna be done, you know, from a financial perspective. But then what do I want to do? And I always thought I wanted to, you know, be a jammer president of a team one day. So I always started down that path and I worked at the league to learn the business side of the game and the business side of the league. And then I worked for a team, and then I was like, I'm not sure this is the right fit.

SPEAKER_04 14:15

Right.

Writing Process & Sharing Personal Stories

SPEAKER_03 14:15

And so when you think you're gonna do something and then you don't, or you do it and you're like, eh, I'm not sure. Well then okay, now what? Yeah, you know, and then you, you know, I was helping my wife build out her travel company, and I'm going down this path and this path. Then I, you know, started to enjoy the entrepreneurial stuff side of things and and building businesses and you know, doing that. And and uh, you know, then you know, quit drinking two and a half years ago. I was like, all right. Then I then I really had to peel back the onion layer of like what what do I what is really speaking to me? What do I want to do? And just you know, it's funny timing how things happen. I just a friend of mine's a performance coach and public speaker, and um he's like, Man, you'd be really good at this. And and I had been asked to go speak at different events and talk and do whatever, and I'd you know, you go and yeah, tell some stories about hockey and the locker room or whatever, and it's funny, it's you know, whatever, but there's no real impact, there's no tangible takeaway that somebody can implement in their lives. So you know, he's like, Man, you'd be really good at this, and you know, XYZ. And I'd go, Man, look at this guy's great. Yeah, and he's like, Yeah, but that guy talks about what you did, you did it. Right. So then I'm like, Oh, actually, you make a valid point.

unknown 15:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 15:28

So then I was like, oh, okay, interesting. And I'm like, okay. And that's kind of where this started was as I started thinking, okay, yeah, this I want to challenge myself, you know. Never really done public speaking and stuff, but I'm like, okay, how is this gonna work? And then I dove all, you know, and then I just dove into it. I'm like, okay, I'm gonna do this. I gotta, again, take advantage of the opportunity. I've gotta dive in and just learn. Um, and and started building speeches and started figuring out what storylines and what stories are gonna resonate with different people in different rooms, in different rooms, leaders, financial advisors, exactly, sales teams, leadership teams, you know, all the rest of it. How does that work? Clients, yeah, and and how does that look and how does that work? And what's gonna have the most impact on those people and resonate with them. So then as I'm kind of building these on, I'm like, huh, there's a good story, and here's a good story, and oh, here's what this teaches, and here's what here's this life lesson. I'm like, holy, okay, and now now all of a sudden you got eight or ten of these, and you're like, there's the framework of the book.

SPEAKER_04 16:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 16:31

So then as I'm doing them, you then you see what what's working where people are like, oh. Because you see it in real time. Yeah, you're seeing it in real time. And they're coming up and talking to you. And then you're getting feedback and you're like, and then they're talking. Oh, really? This really spoke to me. I really like this part. Yeah. You know, you're not. Yeah, noted. You know, and now you're taking that information, you're like, okay, let's add that in. And and now all of a sudden I've got a framework for a book that is gonna make, you know, I'm like, okay, I'm only doing this if I can make an impact and people can learn from all of this stuff.

SPEAKER_01 17:02

It's not just another book on the shelf.

SPEAKER_03 17:03

It's like, hey, well, not only that, but then in my speeches, I'm like, I want people to, I don't want to motivate people. Right. Motivation comes and goes.

SPEAKER_04 17:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 17:11

I want people, I want to make an impact where they take the information and they can implement it in their lives. Whatever, if it's one person, if it's 10 people, 100 people, whatever it is, take take that information, implement in their lives and make significant change for the better. Yeah. And so once I started to see that and and was able to kind of present it in a way that they were able to do that. I'm like, okay, now I got something. Now let's kind of put it in the framework of a book. Boom.

SPEAKER_05 17:39

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SPEAKER_01 18:17

Yeah, no, I follow you on social media and I love the the the not the necessarily motivational content, but like tactical to content that you say. And like you are an entrepreneur as well. So it's a lot different than just retiring and you know, living off your that, you know, you're building businesses post-career as well. And so is the speeches and like the mo the um you know public side of it is like getting out there in the community, like getting on stages? Is that something that you want to continue to do and build upon? And and is that is that fulfilling for you in the fact that you know you're talking to specific people? Is it a younger generation thing? It's like what gets you the most excited to get on stages, like you know?

SPEAKER_03 18:52

That's people that are like this, yeah. That are listening, that are intent, want to learn, they want to get better. They're like just and then when you talk to them after, like, oh, they you know, and they you you see what resonated with them, you see what really kind of gets their yeah uh fire burning, and you can see them, the wheels are turning, and you're like, okay, this is good stuff.

SPEAKER_01 19:12

Oh, that's awesome. So you're launching the book, and you know, we're we're in April 2026. What's this book launch tour gonna look like? I mean, are you gonna be around St. Louis? Are you planning to trip a little bit?

SPEAKER_03 19:22

Uh yeah, on April 14th, book launch day, it officially releases uh Barnes Noble, Amazon, all the rest, all the bookstores. Um I'm doing an event down at the blues game pre uh pre-game. We're doing an event with the blues. So if you want to get tickets, go to st.leouisblues.com and look for the event or go to Chris Pronger.com slash events. It's on there too. As well as I'm doing a couple book signings at Barnes and Noble. And I've got an event on the 15th where I'm gonna do uh a fireside chat and a big event, sign books, and you know, kind of you get QA and all kinds of fun stuff. Uh that's on April 15th. That's also on Chrispronger.com slash events. Uh, and then um, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:08

More to come.

SPEAKER_03 20:09

Yeah, more to come. And then I'll be adding more as uh as they come online and um you know various other places, but uh starting here in St. Louis.

SPEAKER_01 20:17

Yeah, that's awesome. I'm glad that you're doing it in St. Louis and honored to have you in the studio. But I want to double down on St. Louis a little bit because our show is called the STL bucket list. So, what the bucket list means to us, you mentioned your wife has a travel company. You guys have traveled to all these bucket list spots all over the world, but when we think of hometown bucket lists, some spots that you love in St. Louis. So, you know, maybe after you the book launch, like, you know, is there a spot that you like to celebrate at? Is there a dinner spot? Is there is there places in St. Louis that you and when guys travel in to come see you, like when your buddies come in to see you, like what are some of those spots that you guys are hitting up?

Life After Hockey & Finding New Purpose

SPEAKER_03 20:48

Uh I mean, a lot of this, a lot of the same places that you know we're creatures of habits. Yes, yeah. So, you know, antiguns, paw manos, truffles, you know, we kind of yeah, you know, um trees real nice Louis and the Mun. Yeah. Um, you know, there's you know, we've got like five or six different spots that we kind of hit up all the time.

SPEAKER_04 21:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 21:08

Um, you know, we eat home, we eat at home a lot, but yeah, um, when we do go out, those are kind of the the hot spots, you know, the the local spots and and uh um you're just trying to support those local businesses and in the in the community.

SPEAKER_01 21:23

The STL Bucket list show is proudly sponsored by Suede Dispensary with 11 Missouri area locations. Suede does so much for the St. Louis community. We've been working with this team for a couple of years back since Medical was here, and we're excited to support their new product launches, events, and community initiatives. We couldn't be happier to work with this premier cannabis brand, and we're excited for them to sponsor the show. Enjoy the rest of the podcast. Yeah, I had an amazing time at Truffles. They they had me over when they launched the butcher shop over there, and then I went and had dinner. Louis with Matt over there. Matt does an amazing job at Louis, and and Paul Mano's is first of all hard to get into. But you know, you probably got a little poll that you probably got a little different pool. You could probably text them and get in there. You know, so it's uh you know, Paul Mano's and and uh you know Annie Guns is is another staple because when you go to those places and you talk to the family, their son Liam, who runs it now, and I was talking to Liam and now he's my age and taking on that family tradition. And it's like it means a great job. Yeah, no, the the market there is incredible too. I mean, we have so many places in St. Louis, but yeah, it comes to your point. It's like, you know, your creatures of habits, it's like when you go out, you know, I got little kids at home, and it's like I only get a couple nights a month to go out. It's like I like to make sure that I'm making making it work. Yeah, you want to make sure it counts.

SPEAKER_03 22:35

It counts, you know, because I'm also paying for the You don't want a bad experience, you want to know what you're gonna get, and that's yeah, and that's another reason why we stick, you know, to what we know. Exactly. We know the experience we're gonna get, we know the type of food we're gonna get. Yeah, you know, on and on and on.

SPEAKER_01 22:47

So it's hard to add a new one into the mix. Um, so if you could compare the book launch to a moment in your career, is there anything that sticks out? Like, was there a moment in your career that was like a I mean, obviously, you know, in Anaheim, but like, was there a moment in your career where it was like an aha moment that compares to like this launch of this book? Is there anything that's like, you know, it's I know that's a tough question because it's like, you know, it's completely different because you're writing, you're not smashing into people on the ice and stuff like that. But it's like there, there's moments where you're like, man, I'm really doing something. And it's like, you know, I I didn't know if there was any like career moments that compare to like launching this book or if it's completely different.

SPEAKER_03 23:23

No, I would say my first year here going into my second year, where you're you know, you're drinking through a fire hose, just understanding how to promote a book, how to write a book, how to do all these things, and you're just taking in all this information and detail, yeah, and then you're trying to execute on it. And I, you know, as you learn and understand it better, things start to slow down. It starts to be a little bit easier. And it's like rolling from my first year here into my second year, where I'm starting to figure it out. I was prepared better, and I was taking um the information, you know, when when you grasp a subject or you grasp a sport as you're playing it, it just things happen slower because you want you you you know exactly what's gonna happen. You've seen it, you've experienced it. And so, you know, that's kind of with this. Like now I've been doing it enough that I kind of know how it's gonna go. It's still I haven't mastered it. Yeah, but um it's been uh it's been a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_01 24:22

Yeah, you obviously know how to promote yourself, and you know, you're still you know that's working hard. Yeah, yeah. No, I mean you're out here today promoting yourself, you're working on it, and and uh, you know, one of the things that I really when I started following you on socials a few years ago was really cool that I thought you did was the financial advice that you really helped because there's a lot of you know, there's a lot of money to be made in sport, but then there's also a lot of money to lose in sport. And you've been you kind of, you know, in a way shifted your career into doing that. Do you still mentor other athletes with that stuff?

SPEAKER_03 24:48

Or yeah, you you know what I try to just you know, again, through through my experiences, good and bad, again, you know, if you don't bet a thousand. Right. Um you know, try to be real. I just try to, you know, everybody looks at the social media and uh everybody looks perfect. I'm like, guys, we're not perfect. Like I've lost money, I've done this, I've done that. Like it just we make mistakes. We live, we the the trick is you gotta learn from it. Yeah, you can't keep making the same mistake over and over again. Yeah. And so um, help them not make those mistakes. You're just like we you gotta learn. And and here's you know, here's where I failed. Yeah, you know, and I that that fear of failure, and I talk about a lot in the book, the fear of failure can be paralyzing. Like you just adversity is a as a is a gift. Like you've gotta lean into challenging times. You have to lean into those moments because that's where you're gonna grow. You don't ever challenge yourself, you're never gonna grow. You're just gonna stay here. Yeah, and so you gotta, you know, and in order to challenge yourself, you will fail. And you can't worry about that part of it. You have to just keep what did I not do right? What what went wrong? Fix it, and boom, go back at it again.

Public Speaking, Business & Building Impact

SPEAKER_01 25:58

This episode is sponsored by Upshot Coffee, three St. Louis area locations in Cottleville, the break shop in St. Charles, and their new Hi-Fi location in Clayton. I personally use Upshot Coffee every day at my espresso machine at home, and I try to visit one of the shops at least once a week. They source the beans responsibly from local farms all across the world, um, and they take care of their staff and they take care of the community. Let's get back to the show. Yeah, the feel of fear of failure is even more so now because everything, everybody thinks they know what you're doing because of the social world that we live in. And it's hard to hide and build, you know, because like, oh, like Pronker hasn't been active that much. Like, is he? Yeah, why didn't he post today? Yeah, is he doing okay? But like the fear I've been an entrepreneur for seven years. So like I started my business when I was 23, and it's like I've failed so many times, and I've made way less, I've lost money multiple years in a row. And and now I have kids that like my business is trying to support my family. But then you also have these huge wins, but then it then it it reinvests into more building. We build the studio and then you reinvest and you reinvest and you reinvest. But then it's really those reps. It's like uh any any shot, it's a shot on goal. I'm shooting like I'm shooting way more shots than I'm as Wayne Gretzy says.

SPEAKER_03 27:05

100% of the shots you don't take don't go in.

SPEAKER_01 27:07

Exactly. You know, and and Michael Jordan has good quotes. Tom Brady has good quotes, like all these you know, star athletes that you listen to, and Tom Brady's been able to pivot out of his career and and business, and and he's opening his card shop down in the ballpark village. Oh, right up. He's doing the card vault. It's like because you know the cards are big now. Yeah, you know, that's something they're back. They're back, they're back. Um they were big when I was a kid. Yeah. So, well, Chris, I I mean, I thank you for coming on, man. I'm super excited to get the book. Um, you know, would love to get a signed copy if we can if we can get one and and you know, keep it in the studio. But um, we're gonna post and promote the you know the book launch and try to pop out. So you'll be popping up around the Barnes and Nobles across across the metro. Go to Chris Pronger.com slash events or just click that events tab. Yeah. Um, and then I want to wrap up with just one one piece of advice you'd give to, you know, because I I think of you as an entrepreneur, obviously now, even though you were, you know, an athlete, you know, as well. But like in the entrepreneurial world, like that fear of failure, like what is some advice that you would give to some of our younger audience? We have a lot of young people that listen to the show. And, you know, I know you kind of gave some, you dropped some gems right before that, but it's uh, you know, there's a lot of people that want to start their business. We live in a world of technology and AI and all these things that there's so many possibilities to build something now, but people are comfortable where they're at. Is there any advice you'd give to some of the people in their 20s that are listening right now?

SPEAKER_03 28:19

The one thing that you will notice throughout the course of this book is bet on yourself. Always bet on yourself. Don't you know have somebody else do it or this person do it. Bet on yourself and then put in the work constantly. Um no matter what, you have to bet on yourself and then take advantage of the opportunities that that creates and make sure you're prepared. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 28:46

You might only get one opportunity, make sure you're ready for it. Yeah, and and to follow up on that, no one is really gonna come and save you. No, you know, and that's what you said when you bet on yourself and you get investors and all this, people think they need to raise money and do all this. It's like, no, at the end of the day, you're the one that determines what you're gonna do. And and then you get put yourself in rooms where it's a lot easier to get things when you need it done. Yeah, you know, and and you kind of you've done that, and I'm excited to dive into the book.

SPEAKER_03 29:07

I'll leave you a little note. The standards you set determine the success you get.

SPEAKER_01 29:12

Love it.

SPEAKER_03 29:12

Boom.

SPEAKER_01 29:13

That's a wrap. Um, guys, go get the book, Chris Pronger.com. Uh, thank you to the St. Louis Blues for setting this interview up and super excited to read it. Um, you know, it it looks like something I can read pretty quickly. I'm gonna be going on vacation, so I'm excited about that. And I love books that are that are to the point and and give you actual reading.

SPEAKER_03 29:30

Very matter of fact.

SPEAKER_01 29:31

Yes, it's very matter of fact.

SPEAKER_03 29:32

It's in your face right out of the jump.

SPEAKER_01 29:34

Yeah, no, that's exciting.

SPEAKER_03 29:35

Well, Chris Also, for those that are you know not into reading, there will be an audiobook.

SPEAKER_01 29:40

That doesn't count as reading. I know.

SPEAKER_03 29:42

I said that aren't in reading, they're not into reading. They can get the audiobook. Yeah, and I did read it. You did read the audio. I did read the audio. It's in your voice. Okay, cool. This this voice will be in your ears.

SPEAKER_01 29:52

How was that? Was that tough? No. No, because it was your words. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I lived it.

SPEAKER_03 29:56

You just sat in the studio and I knew when the inflection needed to change.

SPEAKER_01 29:59

Yeah, no, I love audiobooks. I the one audiobook I did listen to was Matt McConaughey's, and it was cool seeing his voice like read it in a way of like how his dad talked or how his, you know, stuff like that. It's really, it's really, really cool. So, Chris, I thank you for your time, man. I know you're gonna be really, really busy during this time, but um, we're gonna post and promote and and uh hopefully drive some people to go buy. Love it. Yep, love it. Appreciate the support. Sounds good, guys. See you next week. St. Louis, thanks for listening. Everything we do here is about telling the story of this city, and that doesn't stop with this show. On the Bucketlist Podcast Network, we're diving even deeper into the people, places, and moments that make this city what it is. Meet Me in Music with Neil Salsick captures the sound of the city, past and present, ending each episode with a live performance. For my Foodie Lovers, the sauce with Lauren Healy brings you inside the restaurants that define our culture every Tuesday. Gateway to Growth with Jamal Cornelius highlights the stories behind the people that make St. Louis work. And every Thursday, Bryce breaks down your weekend with This Week in St. Louis. More stories, more voices. Explore the full bucketless podcast network wherever you listen.