Justin Pugh

What Justin talked about

Justin Pugh, a former NFL offensive lineman, discussed why he started NFL Biz Week, a program aimed at teaching players financial literacy and how to vet business deals, pointing to how many athletes retire without a financial plan and face high bankruptcy rates. He talked about helping players figure out their actual cost of living before they move on to investing, and about pushing for a fast 'no' on pitches and scrutinizing the people behind a deal rather than just the projected numbers.

Pugh described which habits from football carried over into business, including coachability, resilience, and showing up consistently, while noting that the instinct to dwell on mistakes is something he had to unlearn. He also spoke about accountability in the locker room, arguing it's inconsistent across teams but that players who own their mistakes first tend to build stronger trust. He closed by describing how he changed his approach to health after his playing career, shifting from bulking up as a lineman to using sleep tracking, intermittent fasting, and glucose monitoring.

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The Total Entrepreneur is a weekly conversation with founders, researchers, and health experts about what actually moves entrepreneurial performance across mind, body, spirit, and business.