**Explicit Language is used in this episode**

Imagine that you're jobless and just moved to a new state. After going out with some friends one night, you wake up the next morning to 10k new followers and your phone is buzzing non-stop! Overnight SUCCESS is the Cinderella story so many people are hoping for. Today, my guest is someone who knows exactly what it’s like to go from 0 to 10,000 Instagram followers literally overnight and then become an international sensation! Bob Menery — or as many of you know him, the “man with the golden voice” — is an Instagram STAR and comedian who went viral after his natural sportscasting voice was revealed to the masses. What you’re going to hear in this interview is unlike anything you’ve heard from this man before! His story is so powerful that even if you are on the brink of giving up, this will give you HOPE. Bob is sharing an in-depth look at his journey from being broke, homeless, strung out on drugs, and suffering from hallucinations to becoming one of the biggest INFLUENCERS on IG… so much so that he crashed the PGA website! He attracted so many viewers to the PGA website in such a short period of time that the website couldn’t handle it and shut down for a bit!! This interview is the behind-the-scenes look at how Bob was able to make his GREATEST COMEBACK and how YOU CAN DO THE SAME.

Who Is Bob Menery?

Bob Menery — “the man with the golden voice” — is the voice of Buffalo Wild Wings, Host of the ZAPPED podcast, and an Instagram star. He is most known for his sportscasting routines, which include play-by-play parodies and other comedic videos. I met Bob at the Superbowl last year and have been looking forward to having him on my show since. Not only is Bob an absolute blast to talk with, but he has an incredible story of living the life of a starving artist, hitting rock bottom, trying again, and skyrocketing to success. If you have a dream or had a dream that you gave up on, this is the episode you want to listen to.  Bob doesn’t hold anything back as he shares what it was like to walk through some of his darkest moments, the thoughts that kept him going, and the advice he would give to someone struggling to hold on to their dream. I’m telling you, this guy is as genuine as it gets. So get ready to be inspired to chase your goals with new energy and #MAXOUT your life!

How Bob Ended Up Homeless and Living in His Car

There is no doubt that Bob has a voice that was made for the radio. But that didn’t mean he landed a broadcasting job out of college or the role of his dreams after acting school. This is the story of Bob’s not-so-seamless journey to stardom. Even as a kid, Bob realized he had this incredible voice that he wanted to use. But he didn't have a clue about what to do with it. Eventually, he decided to be an actor and comedian, so at 23, he went to New York Film School. After that, he went to Los Angeles, California, in hopes of starting an acting career. During his time in Los Angeles, he started partying and got distracted. He was a golf caddy during this time, which he said is still one of his favorite jobs to date.

“I'll tell you what, caddying was one of the most amazing jobs that I've ever had in my life. Believe it or not, [I truly] miss it. … My father always stressed, ‘The most important thing is, getting up early and being the first one in and the last one to leave, regardless of what you're doing.’ So even in the caddy yard, I would do that. I would be there at 5:00AM. And when we were done, and everybody wanted to go home, I was like, ‘Let's go another round.’” - Bob Menery

While Bob was working as a golf caddy, he kept getting stuck in this place of knowing that his voice gave him a unique edge, but not being able to figure out what to do with it or how to make money with it. So, while developing a strong work ethic as a golf caddy, he eventually became discouraged and turned to cocaine. A lot of people feel this way at some point in their lives. They feel like they have some talent, but they don’t know what it is or how to express it. They have a vision or dream of what they want their life to look like. When their dream doesn’t happen, or it shows up differently than they thought it would, and it doesn’t give the feeling they hoped for, they get discouraged. Everyone deals with discouragement a little differently. Some people try harder, some people give up, some people pick a new goal, some people put on weight, some people — like Bob — turn to drugs.  The day came when Bob overdrafted his account by $700, and he didn’t have anywhere to live, so he got in his car and drove. He drove until he found a nice neighborhood, parked, and slept there overnight. That was the first night of three months that he slept in his car. Every morning he would wake up at the crack of dawn and clean himself up at the YMCA before heading to his golf caddy job. He had hit rock-bottom, but thankfully, that’s not the end of the story. 

The Nightmare That Setup Bob’s Big Break

While Bob was living out of his car, he had what he called a “big moment.” He took a line of crystal meth. For two days straight, he hallucinated and tweaked out in his car, not sleeping. Finally, between 1:00AM and 5:00AM, this is what Bob said happened:

“Between the hours of 1:00AMand 5:00AM I drove down the road, and I took a left. And as I take a left — to this day, I don't know if this is real or not — I looked to my left [and] I see five cars, so I stepped on the gas. I pull into a CVS parking lot. ... I run into CVS, screaming at the top of my lungs that guys are chasing me. … All the alarms go off, and now the CVS employees are fucking going crazy. … The cops showed up … They were like, ‘What do you want to do? Do you want to go to the hospital?’ I'm like, ‘Get me out of here.’ And I jumped in the back of the ambulance.” - Bob Menery

As soon as Bob was assigned a bed, he said he wanted to stay there forever. The next day the hospital discharged him. After a hectic morning sprinting across highways and almost getting hit, Bob finally called his buddy Ernie. When Ernie picked Bob up, he immediately made arrangements for him to go home to his family. Something Bob and I both want you to know is that it is okay to see your family or loved ones when things get hard, or you need to get your head on straight again. Bob made it a point to share this in the interview:

“It's okay to go back to your family and reset. It's okay to take a reset and a breather. You know, don't be ashamed of it. If you have to come home with a tail between your legs and be like, ‘Alright, I'm fucking up. Let's reset. And then let's go back in,’ that's okay. I still have that happen.” - Bob Menery

You don’t have to do this life thing perfectly or have the journey to your dream be in a straight line. If you hit rock bottom, or you feel all out of options, recognize that you need support and get help. We often think that getting help means we can’t do it on our own so we’re weak and incompetent. But, the more I’ve lived and hung out with incredible people like Bob, I realize that successful people know when they’ve hit their limit and how to get help. Don’t let struggling keep you from success because you’re ashamed to get help or reset by spending some time with loved ones.

The Man and the Moment That Changed Bob’s Life Forever

A few days after being home, Bob’s brother-in-law picked him up to grab a job application from the nearby liquor store. When Bob got back in the car, his brother-in-law said, “Hey, I got a call from my buddy, Mike Constantino, a YouTube rapper, and wants to know if you can be an extra in his music video.” After shooting the music video, he hits up a bar. And then 2:00AM came along and changed his life. 

“I sat down and the man to my left I didn't know [at the time], but I will never forget his name. David. ... [When he asked what I did, I pulled] out THE voice, and guess what Dave did? He pulled out the camera. … The next morning, it was like, ‘What the fuck's going on here? Who died? Did I get the job at Larry's? What's going on?’ And I witnessed firsthand what it’s like to go viral in an instant.” - Bob Menery

That moment became the launching pad for everything Bob is doing today, including becoming the voice of Buffalo Wild Wings, collaborating with celebrities, and having 2.7 million followers on Instagram. One of the things I want you to take away from this is NEVER to undervalue preparation.  Bob said he had never done any shows or stand up comedy before going viral. But he had actually done thousands of shows. They just weren’t shows he was paid for. Every time he went to a bar and pulled out his voice, he was making way for luck to find him. See, luck happens when preparation and opportunity meet. The breakthrough happened overnight, but the preparation happened over and over again since he was a kid. Bob had a gift and a talent that he continually worked at. Finally, the opportunity presented itself.  What most people do is they have all this preparation, and when the opportunity doesn't reveal itself, they eventually quit on it. Luck finds you when you stick it out. Honor your talent. Work on your talent. Don’t give up when it takes longer for your dream to become a reality than you thought it would. And see your family and friends when you need a reset — they can help you get back on your feet

How to Keep Going When You’re at the End of Your Rope

If you’re in a place where you chased something — a marriage, a job, a business venture — it didn’t work out, and you’re down, you can still turn the story around. You might not recover that exact thing, but you can recover your sense of self-worth and drive to try again. Bob’s advice for someone in this state is to start getting up at five in the morning. Once you’re up, he said you need to be the person who isn’t afraid to talk to anyone you meet. Be a sponge. Gather information and pick an end goal for yourself.  By not letting the day get away from you and talking to everyone you meet, you will get closer to meeting the people you need to help you achieve your ultimate goal. Here’s how Bob explained it:

“[What you’re doing is] finding a way to use the people that you talk to every single day that you're picking their brains and being a sponge and finding a way through six degrees of separation to kind of figure out who the right people are to get you [where you need to go]. Then really go to those people and really look them in the eye and tell them how bad you fucking want it.” - Bob Menery

Someone once said, “It’s not what you know; it’s who you know.” It’s great to know stuff, but it’s even better to know the right people. Making real connections with real people has the potential to catapult you to overnight success. All those years, Bob had an incredible voice and gift for making people laugh. He kept using it. He kept walking up to random people at bars and seeing how they would respond to his antics. And eventually, it paid off.  If you’re like, “That’s great, Ed, but I’m so discouraged and depressed right now, I don’t even have it in me to start. I couldn’t possibly endure another rejection or something turning out wrong.” I want you to hear me: Start anyways. You need momentum to get out of discouragement. And that’s exactly what Bob said starting will create:

“The hardest part is starting anything. It's the hardest thing in the world. Once you start, once you get a little momentum and whatnot, the sky's the limit.” - Bob Menery

If starting feels impossible and hard, that means you’re human. Starting is hard for everyone. But guess what’s on the other side of starting? Everything you want to get to. If you need to take a breather at your family’s house like Bob did, do that. But start. Start your breather or start getting up at five in the morning. Tell yourself, “This is hard, but I’m going to do it anyway because I know there is more for me, and starting is the way I get there.”

#MAXOUT with Bob Menery

Guys, Bob might have 2.7 million followers on Instagram, but he’s a real dude and a real soul who’s willing to share his story to inspire others to not give up on themselves and their dreams. This episode was, without a doubt, everything I hoped it would be. I hope it encourages and inspires you to #MAXOUT your life.  Make sure you follow Bob on Instagram @bobmenery for some hilarious play-by-play sportscasting. And if you’re a sports fan, check out his podcast ZAPPED for a raw and unfiltered dive into the week's most prevalent sports, entertainment, and pop culture topics. I follow Bob and get notifications every time he drops a post. So be cool and join the party! Don’t forget — I run the two-minute drill on my Instagram account every day. Follow me on @edmylett, turn on the notifications, and comment on my post within the first two minutes to be entered to win lots of cool stuff. If you don’t make it in the first two minutes, don’t worry. Just comment on every post for that week, and you’ll be entered into a weekly drawing! You can win coaching calls with myself or my guests, a ride in my jet, and epic gear from my store. So, get on that two-minute drill! That’s it for today, guys. Thanks for tuning in! Now go #MAXOUT your life!