Cole Freeman

What should I do? Um, and that's when I called one of my partners now, one of my longtime friends, Brendan Hitzman, and I'm driving across the causeway, just getting back from Scottsdale. And I call him like, Hey, you want to do a shirt with me just for like fun? You know, we'll, you know, whatever we make on the end, I'll break you off. And he's like, yeah.

And then he asked me, obviously the big question, what do you want to do with the rest of your life? And I'm like, I don't know. That's what I'm trying to figure out here. And I brought up the nonprofit. He's like, oh, he's like, well, my business partner, Joel, does a bunch of stuff with the nonprofit world.

He's like, why don't we get on a call, see if it's something, you know, that intrigues you, and then we'll take it from there. We jumped on a call the following Monday. And right after that, I was like, I'm all in. I'm all in on this. So, you know. We started the process and we got our 501c3 status on September 27th of 2023. Nice.

So what we're doing is we hired a doctor and a curriculum writer. And our curriculum writer and doctor, they've studied historical figures over the years, all the way down from Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill. And we read about these guys all the time and girls all the time, but why, why are we reading about these specific people?

So what we did was we studied them and we ended up pulling out these common traits that they all have all these similarities. And it was all based off the mindset, deleting the fear of failure, learning how to be resilient, being a major one, reframing, like I spoke on earlier, finding that call and passion, finding that identity, learning how to trust all of these things.

That accumulated to them getting the opportunity to be that historical figure that we talk about. So what we did was we pulled all those key points out, and we wrote our own curriculum on what the definition is, what the word actually means, how you actually apply it, where you can apply it. And what we're gonna do is we're gonna actually film it.

Obviously the video world is the biggest thing, especially with the younger generation. And we're gonna make a film up in Tulsa, Oklahoma with one of our other partners, Cody Jefferson, world renowned speaker and what he has lived through. And we're gonna have them in about eight, seven to nine modules and we'll run them through it.

There'll be about an hour and they'll go through about 10 or 15 minutes and then they'll stop and they'll do a worksheet, work through that process. And it'll be all those modules like trust, identity, all those things that I touched on. And so once we do that, we believe this stuff works because we've lived it. We've studied it. But our biggest thing is we don't want to have to tell you this.

We want to show you it works on a piece of paper. So what we're going to do is we partnered with the Boys and Girls Club down in Lafayette, the Juvenile Correction Center, the jail itself, Extra Mile and a couple other organizations down there. And we've set up a pilot program. So we're going to run these kids through a pilot program, ages 10 to 16.

We'll have two subgroups in that, 10 to 13, 14 to 16. And then one will be with a facilitator and one without. Obviously, our hypothesis is the one with the facilitator is going to do much better. But for scalability wise, then you have to start training the facilitator for everything. Not a problem. We can get it done.

We've even started to look into AI LMSs to start trying to help these kids a little bit. But we'll run them through that program. And hopefully at the end, the data shows that they are in a much better mental state than they were before the program. And at that point, if we've got actually hard data showing that these kids are getting better, you know, we become a different animal there.

So, and as of recent, we've actually been in talks with LSU, the, obviously the school I went to, we have a meeting with them on Thursday to actually try and see if we can get their student athletes through this. So we'd have to change up the verbiage, change up the format in a little bit and the production, obviously, because it won't be based from 10 to 16 year olds. It'll be more 18 to 25.

In a crude laboratory in the basement of his home.

But yeah, Yeah, I mean we just want to make sure that it is working. And if it's not, it's not a total failure. We just got to change up our delivery a little bit, okay? That didn't work. This kind of hit. Take that and go. So there is no failing in this. It's only learning.

Progress is a kid saying – I feel better than when I was, or than before I was in this program. Success is to get that data back, showing percentage points that they are doing much better. I want to see the kids head high. And the ultimate success for me, in the words I can't wait to hear.

And I know my team can't, can't wait to hear is for us to work with one kid and then to achieve their dream or get that job or be that father. And then to say, I don't think I'd be where I am without heart has no limit. That is the ultimate success because not only do we change that kid's life, that kid is, we're going to reciprocate this to all these other people.

So it's not even just us reaching out to them. They are going to start reaching out to other people. So it's this chain reaction, but Those words I cannot wait to hear.

I appreciate you working with me, too. Sorry about last week, too, having to reschedule like that.

Well, I think everything's based off of faith for me, for sure. That's where, that's the bottom line. That's the foundation. You know, that's one, that's one of the, The things that I've thought about more and more is it's easy to be optimistic in my mind, I think, because of where I came from. I never struggled for a meal. I never thought I might not have a roof over my head.

So it's hard for me to put in perspective what they are truly going through. But then something I've been kind of tinkering with a little bit is everybody's reality is their reality. So my worst day is maybe not getting a meal at the end of the day. Okay, that might be my ultimate worst day.

Well, this kid over here's worst day is not having any friends, not having a roof to sleep under, and hadn't had a meal all day. Okay, well, that sounds a lot worse, but in my mind, this is as bad as it gets that I know of. This is as bad as it gets over here that they know of. Whose is worse from whose perspective? Like that's this hard thing I'm trying to find out.

Like the thing I always try and do is put myself in their shoes. I need to know how they're feeling. If they're trying to – like for a cop situation, put yourself in their shoes. They're walking up to a car. They have no idea. They don't know what's in the car. And they possibly could lose their life. But then somebody gets – the cop walks up and they throw an attitude. It's like, well, that cop –

might've lost his friend the week before. You've got to try and see their side of it. The trust part is the biggest thing. And I think that's one of the first modules we're going to start with is because in order for you to try and get better at life or take that next step or be optimistic, you've got to trust something. You've got to trust somebody.

You've got to trust yourself more than anything. And I think that's the biggest part with the kid's that we're going to be dealing with is they don't trust themselves. They don't trust their judgment. They don't trust this and that because they're struggling.

They go, like you say, online, and they're seeing this and that, and they're living in a house with five other siblings, and they're fighting for one meal a day. How are they going to trust a decision that it's like, okay, well – maybe I should be looking and trying to make these decisions over there. Well, what is, what are those decisions? Well, maybe I should just try and go get this job.

Oh, I don't trust myself enough to even know what to do for it. And I think the trust part is the biggest thing is I trust God with whatever, with whatever I'm doing. If they go South, it goes South because it was supposed to go South. It's, I trust that he's going to lead me on the path. And I, I mean, for me, That's everything.

I think that's the hard part that we're going to have to find is because We don't want to base it all off of faith because if they don't believe in that, then I still want to help them. I don't shun them because, oh, you don't believe in God. Like, no, that's you have your belief. But I want to get on the same side of the table with you.

I want to figure out how we can learn or get you to learn to trust or believe in whatever you want to believe in. And then we start building off of there. But if you don't have that foundation, it's going to be a tough road.

That's what you called me. It popped up as Albany. And I was like, damn, Albany?

They don't have time for it.

I think it's grace, kindness, and confidence. I think that's the biggest thing is you can go and talk to people. Don't throw it in anybody's face. That's not going to do anything. They don't want it thrown in their face. Give them grace. Be kind to them.

Talk to them as if you wanted to be how you would want to be talked to and be confident in your faith and let them wonder, why does he look like that? Why does he have his chest so far out, his head so far high? What is that aura that is coming? And I'm a big believer in energy. Have them wonder. The only way they're going to convert or want to start down that path is if they wonder.

You can't force somebody to be helped if they don't want to be helped. And that's, again, getting back to the trusting. It's not like with these kids, we're going to be like, hey, let's go delete the fear of failure. I'm going to teach you how to be resilient. If they don't trust themselves, how can they trust that they are being resilient? They can't. So be kind to the people.

Make them wonder, okay, what is it that that dude has or that girl has? What is it? Let them start questioning. That's a great spot. That is the foundation of everything. They're brainstorming. What is this? What is this feeling? Why haven't I not seen that? Can I get that? What do I have to do to get that? All these are questions that are perfect.

Those are the questions that I want to start popping up in their heads. Because like you said, they probably weren't even thinking of that stuff before. They're trying to just fight for their next meal or not get shot here, do this and that. I want them to start brainstorming. I want them to start dreaming. Some of these kids haven't even dreamt.

I dreamt my whole life because I had a roof over my head. I got the greatest parents in the world. I never had to worry about a thing besides dreaming. Very easy for me. Not for them. I want them to feel that. I want them to think of stuff they've never even remotely thought of. And we're going to get there. I promise you that.

So we're really, as of today...

really nowhere because we haven't filmed the actual filming part the curriculum is fully finished uh we should be shooting the curriculum around mid-january it's looking like it's obviously tough getting eight different speakers excuse me eight different speakers uh all lined up for two days you know to just go in fully um but once the curriculum is uh filmed and finished

We're going to start it in Lafayette, Louisiana. We'll do that whole thing. And we've already got confirmation. Sorry again. We've already got confirmation from the Boys and Girls Club that if everything goes as planned as well. they'll take this to the Boys and Girls Club of USA, which is a nationwide thing. So obviously, hopefully, we're hoping that.

And then we'll, like I said, we're in conversations with LSU right now on getting the student athletes down or the student athletes going through it as well. Paul Maneri, who is my coach at LSU, who's signed with South Carolina now, coaching over there. He's on our board and they're a big believer in mental health over there at South Carolina as well.

So as soon as we can finish up the red tape with the IRB and ARB side of LSU, we'll see if we can get them in joint study as well. But yeah, really, I mean, once we get the filming and everything done and this actual curriculum done, the way people are gonna be able to access the full curriculum is actually going to be ran through our for-profit side as well on our clothing brand.

We're actually going to do something really new. I'm super stoked about it. I think it's going to be a massive game changer, but it's called some NFC tech, the same stuff that's in your credit cards. We're going to actually intertwine it into our clothing.

So where that kids will be able to tap in and get full access to the curriculum so that they can start working through helping their mental side and We'll obviously give them other community things that drive more community based events and stuff through that. So if you've got a shirt, you've got the curriculum, you can, you know, get access to it.

But if you want to get involved in stuff, you can just go to heart has no limit foundation.com. And then we've got, you know, our full website there. And then we've got our donor link. That's got a very good description of our summary of, what we're actually doing, who's all involved, and then other ways you can get involved as well.

No, thank you, Ron. I appreciate it. It was some fun.

Yeah. Um, I really think that started happening once I got to LSU, once I was able to achieve my dream and really have that opportunity. And especially after I got drafted and looking back at those two years that, you know, I was fortunate enough to have, I think I just kind of started reminiscing on like, I always said the question, why not me? for me to get that position.

But then I started kind of asking, okay, like why me? And I was just so grateful for me to get that chance to go out there and live my dream that, you know, I started thinking, I'm like, what is it that I can do to start helping people? And one of the things I looked at was what was a separator for me? Um, and obviously it wasn't my height was the separator. And I kept leaning back on

it was kind of my mindset growing up and then getting to LSU. It was just that I can do attitude that I'm not going to listen to the outside noise. And that was one of the things I recognized after going through college and all was how many kids that I met or how many friends I had that definitely had the talent, but the circumstances weren't there. And the mental side of the game wasn't there.

The, taking care of the schoolwork, going to do extra work off the field. That really wasn't there. And when I was sitting back, you know, my last couple years of pro ball, I was thinking, you know, what is, I was so thankful for what I had. I was like, what can I do to give other kids the opportunity to feel the way I feel, to experience what I got to experience?

And, honestly, there was a broad spectrum. You know, there was financially supporting people, you know, finding mentors for them. And there's this big spectrum that we were going off of, but obviously honing down on, okay, where are we going to start? And I think being the mental health game, especially nowadays, is there's just epidemic crisis in the United States and really worldwide with it.

And once I got partnered up with my partner's old-time friend of mine in one of his schools, friends out of Nashville, we kind of honed in on, hey, if we've got one opportunity at these kids and we will never get a chance of touching them, what can we leave them with? And really, this is what we've kind of landed on, these tools that they can hopefully take for the rest of their lives.

Yeah, I mean, I think it's just perspective for me. And honestly, one of our core pieces, it's reframing. It's reframing the situation in my mind. Yeah. I'd be lying if I say I wasn't better in some aspects for sure. But I mean, I feel like that's just anything when you go, anybody going after something, they're trying to achieve it and, you know, it doesn't work out in their favor.

I think that's kind of just a natural instinct in humans. But what does it do for you? you know, what is being bitter do besides bring me down and remind me of something I didn't achieve. And really my main goal in life was to play for LSU. I knew how much that meant to me. I knew how much that meant to my family, my entire family.

And I wanted to not only give that experience to me, but I wanted to give it to them as well. And that once I got to see the reaction of my parents and of them getting to live out our dream. Uh, I mean, that was, that was everything for me.

So after I get drafted, after my junior year going into, uh, in the 18th round, I turn it down best decision of my life, uh, coming back from my senior year at LSU. And then I get drafted in the fourth round. And when you say like, okay, bitter and I didn't have a place to go play baseball after college. I mean, after high school. I didn't have any place.

So I got another four years, two at Delgado, two at LSU. And now I'm drafted in the fourth round. Okay, so I go out and I have a great first two years. I get to the fall league. Then we have this thing called COVID hit after my greatest year of baseball. Top 15, 20 in all the minor leagues. You know, I'm knocking on the door. I'm thinking I'm getting that big league invite. This and that.

Well, there's an uncontrollable. COVID ended up messing it up pretty bad for me. All right, it messed up my career a little bit, slowed it down. But how many lives did COVID actually mess up? So in the grand scheme of things, is it really that big of a deal to me? It is to me, but in the vast reality of the world, no, it is not. People lost their jobs. People lost their livelihoods.

People lost their families. People couldn't say bye to their grandparents for the last time because they're in the hospital. What, it messed up my career a little bit? Okay. Poor, pitiful me. No, it's the perspective on everything is, I think, is I think how you can navigate through life the correct way or feeling out of control.

You know, I end up coming back in 2021 and I'm not starting the first two games. And I'm thinking I just possibly won minor league player of the year, base runner of the year. in 2019. I went to the fall league, started off bad and got better. And then now I'm not starting over somebody that wasn't, didn't even play below, uh, above low A. And so I fight my way back.

I get in, start a line of them, started the rest of the year. And then next thing you know, I go into AAA, uh, the next year and I'm like rolling. I'm like, dude, I'm one step away right here. Uh, we had a new, uh, GM come in, um, which obviously just like any company, a boss comes in, you know, they're going to get their people in and, you know, they got to put food on the table.

And I just wasn't one of his guys that he wanted. So I ended up getting released August 8th of 2022. And that time was tough for sure. But when I started looking back at it, I'm like, and just to bring back the question, how can I be better? I got another job. almost nine years of playing baseball after I was told I wasn't playing after high school. I lived the dream. Yeah.

I, my last goal was to just get one day in the MLB. My biggest thing is I wanted my dad to say, my son was a big leaguer. That would hurt not being able to achieve, but why focus on that one thing that brings me so much heartache. When look at everything I did before, look at what we accomplished as a family. Um,

And obviously, you know, there's times that you're dealing with, you're like, this is tough. And, you know, damn, what, what, should I go back? Could I have done this better? It's all what I could have, should have, you know, it doesn't do anything.

And I just choose to look back on everything that, you know, God has given us and the opportunities that, you know, 99.9% of baseball players will never experience. And I don't see any way to be bitter about that.

A massive, massive part. I'll tell you one thing about faith that I struggled with up until about a year ago, maybe even about eight months ago. We never were a big church family, but from the day I can remember, my dad's got a cross just kind of like this, and I've got it. in my, uh, in my bag. I just didn't, I used to rock three of them.

Uh, but he gave me a cross and said, I'm Catholic, please call a priest just in case anything were to happen when I was gone. And they always preach, you know, God and God gives us this as opportunity, but we never were that family that went to church because me and my sister were playing ball left and right. We could not, didn't stop.

And that was one thing, obviously, as I was matured, you know, I see people go to church or doing this and I'm like, are they, Do they have a better belief than me? Like, am I not doing the right things? But in my mind, every good, bad scenario that happens is because of God. God already knows what I'm doing. He's given me a path. I've got a thousand different ways I can go with it.

And it's just my choice, which I'm going to pick. But he knows which way it's going every single time. And so I started like struggling with that. I'm like, do I need to be better? And I'm like, I started talking to actually one of my partners, Brendan Hitzman, actually our curriculum writer, Luke.

And I tell them how I was struggling with that, and I'm like, but I feel like my faith is as strong as anything. Like, I talk to God in my head throughout the day. Bad things happen, and it could have been worse. Thank God. God was watching out for me.

Like, and as of the last, like, eight months to a year, I've really, I guess if you want to call it confidence in it, you know, I know I am good with God. I know a fact. I know he's watching over me. The only thing I ever pray upon is that my family has health. Everything else is lanyard. Yeah, I want, I want, I want. We all want.

But I don't need anything but my family, and that's the one thing that I need to make sure is good. So yeah, God is a massive, massive factor, and he always will be.

So the brand itself was started in 2017. It was right after we lost to Florida in the national championship. They didn't have NIL at that point. That would have been nice. But the brand started then. It was just me and my mom just kind of figuring it out. And it literally just kind of fell in my lap. We won't get too far into it right now. We can run back into it, but it was just a tattoo.

They ended up getting on my ribs and article came out. Kids were making shirts and I'm like, wow, I can do something with this. Started getting a bunch of responses back from kids saying you motivated me to go do this. And I'm like, what is going on? Like, this is just, this was just a tattoo for me and now it's blown up into something. So we started that.

I just wanted to make it as like a motivational movement to go out there and achieve, you know, whatever your goal was in life. It didn't even have to be in sports by no means. But yeah, After I ended up retiring, I knew I wanted to do a nonprofit, but when I tell you I knew zero about what a nonprofit was, I thought if you brought in a million dollars, a million dollars went out.

Obviously, that's not how it goes. You just do whole operations on the backside. But I didn't even know what I wanted to do. Obviously, I wanted to help people go after their dreams, but like, okay, how do you do that? Um, so we ended up starting it. I took about two months off after baseball, really just kind of reflecting on my career, really trying to figure out what's next for me.