Karl Mecklenburg
Former Denver Broncos linebacker Karl Mecklenburg, one of 32 current and former NFL players recognized as Insightful Players will be the guest of the new weekly Insightful Player online show on MingleMediaTV.com today May 24 at 7 p.m. ET. Mingle Media TV produces and broadcasts over 40 hours of web series and event coverage each week.
Chrissy Carew, a Master Certified personal and business coach based in Nashua, NH founded Insightful Player™ in April 2010 with a vision of providing an answer to a crucial worldwide calling for messages of hope that provoke positive actions. “I’m thrilled to have an online show on MingleMediaTV.com where I’m able to interview my Insightful Players like Karl Mecklenburg and have their stories told to the world,” said Carew, who serves as the host of the show.
The Insightful Player™ team members, like Mecklenburg are individuals that believed in themselves and relentlessly pursued their most far-reaching dreams, which resulted in a career in the National Football League. The Insightful Player.com website features the inspirational stories of 32 current and former NFL players, each of whom overcame great obstacles and hardships to become not just fine athletes, but through their values and their life experiences, became extraordinary individuals that serve as an inspiration to us all.
Mecklenburg was selected as an Insightful Player for the inspiring work he’s done as a speaker to create positive change in individuals and teams during his post-All Pro NFL career and for his perseverance in overcoming a lisp as a child, his battle with dyslexia, and his determination to make the most of his talent and develop into an All Pro performer on and off the field.
A father of three, Karl works with his wife, Kathi, on behalf of kids and families in several charitable groups. Through his REACH Foundation (Rewarding Experiences for All Children), the Mecklenburgs encourage youngsters to read. Their Aspen Youth Experience introduces urban kids to nature. And in Colorado Youth Outdoors, he works to pair kids and their families with the traditional outdoor sports he shared with his own father, grandfathers and uncles – hunting, fishing and camping.
In addition to his motivational speaking, Karl is the author of two books, “Meck for the Defense” and the newly released “Heart of a Student Athlete, All-Pro Advice for Competitors and Their Families.”
The short-version of Karl Mecklenburg’s Insightful Player story is available onInsightfulPlayer.com. The full-length version will appear in the Insightful Player book that will be published by Morgan-James Publishing this summer.
Following is an excerpt of Mecklenburg’s story on Insightful Player.com:
Mecklenburg Excerpt:
When Karl Mecklenburg was on the junior varsity squad, a tough football coach sentenced him to a week of grueling workout drills.
The coach was angry because Karl had to miss a rescheduled game to go hunting with his father. So, the coach insisted the teen run up dozens of long, steep hills five days in a row. The coach surely figured the boy would quit the team.
Instead, it hardened young Karl’s resolve.
“I’m going to be a great player,” Karl told himself. “If I can do this, I can do anything.”
As a young athlete, Karl was, by his own description, stiff, small and slow. He wasn’t naturally gifted. He had to work at the game. He left one college when the scholarship he thought was coming never did, and then toughed it out as a walk-on at another school. Ineligible to play, Karl had to sit out for a year. To hang out with the team, he swept the weight and locker rooms.
Talent, he concluded, was just a tiny piece of the path to success, especially since Karl knew talented players who never made it.
“I think God has given each and every one of us more talent than we can use in a lifetime,” said Karl. “And along with that, He’s given us free will. What that means is that it is up to us to go out and find out where our talents and abilities lie and then work hard to develop those talents and abilities. It doesn’t happen by accident.”
For Karl, a good and successful life required a smart game plan. The ingredients? Hard work, the courage to try new ventures and the persistence to pick yourself up and try again if you fail.
Supportive parents stood by young Karl as he worked to correct a noticeable lisp.
He battled dyslexia, too. It’s a learning disability that haunts him still.
“I have to watch my pen form letters or the ‘p,’ ‘d,’ ‘q,’ and ‘b’ will be mixed up,” said Karl.
The challenges made him a cheerleader for a can-do attitude. Karl insisted the big potential he found in himself, despite his handicap, exists in us all.
“The path you take and the success that you ultimately achieve is up to you,” said Karl. “Don’t let anyone else tell you you can’t, because you can. Find that passion and chase it.”
Along the way, the lessons Karl learned could serve as a playbook for others.
He learned teamwork, the key to any successful organizational endeavor. It’s a concept Karl stresses in speeches to corporations and groups.
He also reminds kids to wisely select their teammates off the field.
“Your team of friends is the only team that you get to pick,” he said. “Choose a team of friends that have dreams and aspirations, who value friendship and respect you.”
Karl’s most precious team is his family.
“I am a devout Christian, and I take my love for my family very seriously,” he said. “I want everything I say and do to reflect God’s love.”
Other Insightful Players include: Jerricho Cotchery (Jets), Aaron Kampman (Jaguars), Steve Grogan (Patriots), Roger Staubach (Cowboys), Devin McCourty (Patriots) and Jason McCourty (Titans) and Reggie Kelly (Bengals), among others.
Launched on February 8, 2010, online media and live web TV Network Company, Mingle Media TV produces and broadcasts over 40 hours of web series and event coverage each week. It’s audience reach online is over 250,000 weekly views of their video coverage, web series and live broadcasts and are currently in the top 20,000 websites in the U.S.
For more information on Coach Chrissy Carew and Insightful Player,ä visitwww.theinsightfulplayer.com and call 603-897-0610.
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