Privilege, Entitlement, and Responsibility
Kirk Cousins on His Journey from the NCAA to the NFL and the Faith That Carried Him Through It All
77 NFL games played. 142 total touchdowns and over 20,000 passing yards. Those are just some of the stats for NFL quarterback, Kirk Cousins, but he’ll be the first to tell you—those aren’t his top priority. In fact, when it comes to his life both on and off the field, his faith is what matters most.
Kirk opened up to us about a wide variety of topics, including his football career, his life off the field, and the importance of generosity to him and his family. If you’re an athlete driven by your faith, or want to be driven by your faith, Kirk Cousins is the type of role model worth following.
As always, thanks for listening.
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Episode Transcript
*Some listeners have found it helpful to have a transcription of the podcast. Transcription is done by an AI software. While technology is an incredible tool to automate this process, there will be misspellings and typos that might accompany it. Please keep that in mind as you work through it. The FDA movement is a volunteer-led movement, and if you’d like to contribute by editing future transcripts, please email us.
Henry Kaestner: [00:02:28] Welcome back to the Faith Driven Athlete podcast. We have a very, very special edition today. We've got Kirk Cousins on with us and it's special for me. We've got a great friend in common, a guy named Todd Harper leads an incredible ministry called Generous Giving that you'll hear us talk a lot more about on this show. If you've listened to the Faith Driven Entrepreneur or Faith Driven Investor our other podcast, you've probably heard us talk about it. But the biblical message of generosity is a big thing for us all to wrestle with. And that's a great friend that we've got in common as a result of that. I'm a huge Kirk Cousins fan, as many of you all are, and my three boys are two. And just his way of being able to have this great witness and testimony amidst great athletic excellence. So, Kirk, thank you very much for being with us. [00:03:09][40.3]
Kirk Cousins: [00:03:09] I'm thrilled to be on. Thanks for having me. [00:03:11][1.6]
Henry Kaestner: [00:03:12] So we'd like to start every one of the shows that we do by hearing your background. Talk to us about your testimony, how your faith became a big deal. Maybe as it kind of goes through some of your athletic career. That's great, too. But who are you? And how do you come to faith? [00:03:25][13.7]
Kirk Cousins: [00:03:27] Well, the way I always tell it is that I'm a p.k, a pastor's kid. So it was hard for me to get very far down the road in childhood without, you know, being exposed to the gospel. [00:03:36][9.2]
[00:03:36] And so at seven or eight years old, I remember my dad sitting me and my brother down at the time and him explaining the gospel and how Jesus died for my sins and what that meant and that it was a free gift that I simply needed to accept. And as a seven year old, when you're being faced with the decision of heaven or hell, it's a pretty easy decision to choose heaven and to accept the free gift. But you don't fully understand, you know, what it is that you're taking on and so on. [00:04:03][26.2]
[00:04:03] At that moment, I remember given my life to Christ, if you will. It was in high school where you start to realize, wait a minute, this following Jesus thing might cost me something. I might have to, you know, say no to something or to a social scene or a party or a friend group because of following Jesus. And that might get uncomfortable. And it was at that point that I would say I made a decision to go beyond just praying the prayer and being a fan of Jesus, but to truly be a follower and to be willing to lose something for the sake of following Jesus. And so I view that decision as almost as important, because then it was what laid the foundation for my transition into adulthood to continue to walk with God through years at a major university and then obviously in the professional world or in a pro locker room to continue to walk with God. So that's kind of my journey in a nutshell. But God has used athletics to really teach me a lot about him. [00:05:01][58.6]
Justin Forman: [00:05:03] Kirk, Justin here, so quick confession was born a Spartan Martin, one of my grandfathers worked for the university and the other designed that iconic Spartan logo. And, you know, looking back at sports and just kind of the time you arrive there in East Lansing, you know, you stepped in to a room that had quite some prolific talent. And when you talk about a quarterback, you know, a couple of guys have gone on to the NFL. Brian Hoyer, Nick Foles and yourself. You know, I've heard Nick and Coach Dantonio really talk about their faith. You talk about that experience kind of growing up before college. But when you got there, what did Coach Dantonio and his faith mean to you and others on the team? [00:05:40][36.9]
Kirk Cousins: [00:05:41] Well, I remember being on my official visit in January of 2007, and I did not have a scholarship yet. So I was hoping that they would be interested in me. And I remember telling Coach Dantonio that if I needed to arrive early, which most incoming freshmen do in early, meaning the summer before the season began, I wouldn't be able to arrive as early as other freshmen because of going to Israel to do a two week study trip with a lead teacher named Ray Vanderlon. [00:06:11][30.6]
[00:06:12] And when I said that name, Coach Dantonio perked up because he had watched Ray Vanderlon's video Bible study series when he was an assistant coach under Jim Tressel. And so right then and there, it was an interesting connection that I was gonna be late to show up at Michigan State and my future head coach was saying, no problem. I totally understand. If you're going on a two week study trip with Ray Vanderlon, that's well worth your time. So he asked that I would bring him back a rock from Israel as the one condition for showing up late. And I did. And I assume he still has that rock. But right then and there, I just felt a peace knowing that the leader of our football program at Michigan State was a man of faith, someone who valued that, someone who is going to allow a player to miss time, if you will, in order to grow in their faith. That spoke volumes to me. And over my five seasons there, I proved to be true. He walked the walk and always carved out a priority for people who wanted to grow spiritually. [00:07:07][55.0]
Justin Forman: [00:07:09] And that's great. It's a great series there with Ray. I have gone through that as well. And powerful look at the Holy Land and through that lens. I want to follow up just talking about the transition a little bit from college to the NFL. You know, you've said the stats. I think we've know those stats. Less than 1 percent of football players out there make it into the league. At what point did you think I've got a chance to really beat those odds? [00:07:34][25.0]
Kirk Cousins: [00:07:36] I never felt that way. And I still don't feel that way. In fact, I'm in disbelief as I look back and realize that technically, I guess I did beat those odds, although I feel like it was more God beating those odds than me. For whatever reason, his plan for my life was to be where I am and having beaten those odds. But you know, it's funny. During this shelter in place time of the Corona virus, a lot of us have had a lot of time around the house. [00:08:00][23.4]
[00:08:00] It's given us time to go back through old things that we've saved and get a little more organized around the house. And I'm no different. And I came across a box of old tapes of high school footage, whether that was offseason throwing workouts or recruiting videos I put together to try to get recruited. [00:08:16][15.9]
[00:08:17] And I went back and threw a few into the DVD player just to kind of see what it looked like. And to this day, I still don't know why Michigan State offered me after watching that tape. It wasn't very flattering. So I came away even just from recently watching on a DVD saying, God, that was you. Somehow we beat the odds. But I don't know that I can take a lot of credit, especially after watching those tapes. But I remember understanding the odds. And I'm a very rational, logical person. And so unless of one percent of people do something, you don't plan on doing it, you make other plans. And so I that's what I did. I went to Michigan State, planned on going to medical school, was working very hard academically because I just assumed the math, said that football was going to end at the end of college. And as I kept playing my quarterback coach, who wasn't one to just give out compliments, freely, told me I had a chance to play in the pros. And when he told me that, I knew I had a chance. He wasn't just saying that. So I started to really shift my focus from going to medical school to just obtaining an undergraduate degree and then devoting more time and energy to the football field and really giving it everything I had, which, looking back, I should have been doing from the get go. But like I said, I thought the odds were going to favor towards academics. So I still have my degree and I'm glad I got that. But at this point, you know, football has become the career and likely whatever I do after football will come about as a result of having played football. So it's really come to the forefront. [00:09:42][85.0]
Henry Kaestner: [00:09:44] Kirk, you've got a book that you called Game Changer. And in it you outline the importance of master mission and mate. And we get a sense for master and mission through some of things you very mentioned. But talk to us about the mate part. And tell us about well, maybe even before we get there. You know what, why was it that you saw those three as your priority? But yes. Actually, talk to us about your relationship with Julie. [00:10:04][19.9]
Kirk Cousins: [00:10:04] Well, I just think decision making is such a big part of life. Obviously, your life becomes a reflection of the decisions you've made along the way. And, you know, my dad taught that to me at a young age. He would say, when you make the decisions, good things happen. And he would share that to teach us about consequences. And he pulled that truth from Galatians 6 7 in scripture, which says, do not be deceived. God is not mocked. Whatever a man sows this, he will also reap. So whatever you put into something is what you're going to get out of it. So often we in the flesh as sinners, we hear the voice of Satan, then we believe that we can sow one thing, but get something else. And the Bible is makes it very clear that doesn't happen. What you sow is what you will reap. It doesn't work any other way. And the verses prefaced by saying, don't be deceived. God is not mocked. In other words, it implies someone is going to try to deceive you. Someone's going to tell you that you can get away with it, but don't believe it, because there are always consequences to your actions. And so I just believe so strongly that the decisions we make must be God honoring decisions, and then we leave the consequences to him. But we need to first make a commitment to honor him and our decision making. And there are no three bigger ones than our master. Who are we going to choose ultimately to be the lord and foundation of our life? And that's Jesus Christ. That's the gospel as we opened the podcast discussing. And then your mission in terms of how are you going to use now what God has given you? How are you going to steward that to make a living and to find a calling in your life? And then three. Who are you going to marry and what does that look like as far as choosing a spouse? So those are three enormous decisions. They all oftentimes are tied together. But I met my mate Julie late in my college years. Really, as I was preparing for the NFL was really when we met. And it was a unique deal. We feel that was God ordained and we had a mutual family friend who knew both of our moms. But we did not know each other. And she said, God put on her heart to have us meet. And she wasn't going to stop until we did. So I followed up on that and we took out a date. And one thing led to another. And two years later, we were married. So we've been married now almost six years and have two boys. And you look back now after six years of marriage and two kids and you realize how big of a decision it is, you know who you're going to marry. And I'm grateful that, you know, I made a good decision. [00:12:22][137.5]
Henry Kaestner: [00:12:23] Tell us for those of us who don't understand that professional athlete lifestyle. What's it like to be the wife of an NFL player, what's it look like from a family perspective when three or four months of the year you're so intense and what you have? How do you process that with her? And I think that there are a lot of applications for those of us who might aspire to be athletes, but also those of us who might have businesses that we own that go through really busy times. What does that look like and how are you able to sort through that with Julie? [00:12:50][27.0]
Kirk Cousins: [00:12:51] So Monday to Saturday in the fall is, I would think, pretty normal to anyone else. Julie doesn't work. Vocationally, her calling is to be a homemaker. So she's at the house and I leave in the morning early. I'm back around dinner time and it's a pretty normal existence. She's taking care of the boys all day and finds activities for them to do and makes dinner. And I'm home and we have that time together at home in the evening and go to bed and get up and do it again. I think Sunday is what's so different. You know, if it's an away game, I'm leaving on Saturday. And if it's a home game, I'm still going to our team hotel Saturday night. So she doesn't see me Saturday evenings or most of Sunday, whether it's a home or an away game. But there's certainly that, you know, stress. She's unlike maybe other people in business. She's participating with us, if you will, by watching the game on TV or being in the stands. And so she's watching my success or failure play out right before her eyes. And it's a very public existence for those three hours on Sunday. And fortunately, she handles it very well. You know, doesn't allow the negativity or media opinions, good or bad, to kind of get to her. She's pretty even keel and steady through the process, which is a very important part of the journey. And then the other unique piece, I think for her is just that when the season's over, that rhythm now completely changes. And we go into the offseason mode where we're traveling going to see family. There isn't as much routine. And, you know, I'm home most of the day. You know, I even sometimes it will work out at home. So, you know, she doesn't see me go off to work. I'm around and we don't really have a set routine. So that's maybe where it's a little different as well. But we've enjoyed navigating that journey. We figured it out in our first year marriage. What works for us and we've got a set routine now that works very well. And the biggest piece I would say is having a Sabbath during the season. We take one 24 hour period every week completely off. Don't do any football. And I think, well, that's been good for me to rest from football. It's also been a great blessing for our marriage to know that we have that time together where I'm not going to be pulled away by work. [00:14:49][118.0]
Henry Kaestner: [00:14:50] What is that for you? Is that Mondays? [00:14:51][0.9]
Kirk Cousins: [00:14:52] Tuesdays, the off day with the Vikings. In Washington, when I played for the Redskins, it was Monday. So we just made sure it was a 24 hour window. A couple of years, we started it in the evening, the day before. And then we just went to the evening. The next day. It was still a 24 hour window. But currently in Minnesota, we basically just say it's all day on Tuesday. And, you know, the coaches know I won't be in the building on Tuesday. I think for them, the starting quarterback not being in the building for a day of the week is a little odd to them. But I just say it's what I believe it's worked for me and that's what I'm going to do. And if it raises some eyebrows, again, I'm going to follow Jesus and do what he tells me to do. And if it costs me something, then it costs me something. But I trust that if I honor him, he'll handle the rest. [00:15:32][40.1]
Henry Kaestner: [00:15:33] Indeed. Indeed, one thing that people on his podcast share is an awareness of the privilege of being a professional athlete. It's something our guests seem to be really, really grateful for. Years ago at Big Ten Media Day, though, you gave a really, really powerful speech that resonated with a lot of people. Can you talk to us about the dangers that come when privileges wander into entitlement? [00:15:52][19.3]
Kirk Cousins: [00:15:53] Sure. I mean, it just most often and most naturally leads to a place of entitlement when you've been told how great you are, how special you are, how unique you are. Or maybe it hasn't just been told that it's just been sort of understood that there's something different about you. And certainly in our culture, athletics has put on a major pedestal. And I've seen it probably even more so lately during this shelter-in-place status with athletics being taken away. And you see the void that's left on a lot of our lives of entertainment and missing out on that is a big deal. And so there's no doubt you get put on a pedestal and then from that, entitlement creeps in. And so you need to guard against that with proper perspective and understanding that really it's the opposite. To whom much is given, much is required is what Jesus says in Luke, twelve forty eight. And so if anything, we need to have greater responsibility and to step up to the plate even more so knowing that we're in a place of privilege with some unique pieces that come along with being a professional athlete. So I feel a tremendous weight in a healthy way to steward the platform I've been given. Well, and I'm very aware that at the end of my life I'm about to give an account for what I did with what I was given, both with skills of playing the sport of football with the platform that I've been given and with the finances that come along with playing. So there's a great deal to manage. And I do believe that when it's all said and done, I'm gonna have to give an account for how I managed it. And I want to hear the words well done. Good and faithful servant. You've been faithful with few. And let me put you in charge with money. [00:17:20][86.5]
Henry Kaestner: [00:17:21] So speaking of the financing, we mentioned this a little bit at the beginning of the podcast. Our shared friend Todd Harper from Generous giving talk a little bit tabout what he biblical message of generosity in those finances mean for you and how you and Julie make it a priority. [00:17:35][13.5]
Kirk Cousins: [00:17:36] Yes, it's. There are probably few biblical topics I'm more passionate about or have enjoyed or felt a desire to learn and research more than generosity. You know, it's talked about a great deal money is talked about a great deal in the Bible. I don't know that it's talked about among Christians a lot, but it is talked about a great deal in the Bible. And so we have a lot to work from. I think the wrestling for us is that we've been put, by God's grace, in a position financially that is probably beyond anything we ever thought was possible. [00:18:05][29.0]
[00:18:06] We had prayed Ephesians 3 20 for many years. My family had prayed at when I was on the football field, which said, and now to him, who is able to do immeasurably more than all we could ask or imagine. And we really prayed and believe that God was going to do more than we could ask or imagine. And yet now we look back and realize he's done it. And it's pretty hard to believe because he's so exceeded our expectations, but certainly financially is one of them. [00:18:29][23.0]
[00:18:29] And as a result, we wrestled with okay, so what does it look like to steward that or to give or to be responsible or to invest? What does that look like? And so that's sent us on a bit of a quest to learn what the Bible says, to learn what other wise Christians have done through the years, what has worked for them, what hasn't worked for them, and how we can, you know, at a young age steward it well and be wise in our planning. And, you know, for us, it starts with the tithe, you know, 10 percent. We feel that's training wheels. That's the starting point. You know, much like when you learn to ride a bike, you start with training wheels, but you don't finish with training wheels. You move on. You graduate. And so we want to do the same thing. So we started with the tires about seven, eight years ago, and then we've kind of gradually grown from there. And I think our goal is to just keep going. And hopefully with the way we invest in the way we steward and save, that there would be no reason to ever stop in our giving or go back and our giving percentages, but to always be moving forward and to keep being stretched and challenged and how much we give. [00:19:27][58.4]
Justin Forman: [00:19:29] That's great. Kurt, talk to us a little bit about what stewardship then looks like in the field of your vocation, the playing field in that context. You know, what does it look like to bring to your faith into the workplace, onto the football field and in the huddle? What does that look like for you? [00:19:45][16.6]
Kirk Cousins: [00:19:46] Well, you hear the phrase, you know, share your faith and if necessary, use words. And I don't know that I totally agree with it, but I understand the heart behind it is that, first of all, walk the walk and understand that people are watching regardless of what they may tell you or if they may attend the Bible study you invite them to. They're still observing your life. So first and foremost, I think it's important that I walk the walk and then I shine my light in a way that says, OK, that guy is not just saying he's a Christian. He's actually living like one. And so you hope that the way you are as a teammate, the way you lead, the way you encourage others, would point them to Jesus in some way, shape or form. And then certainly, you know, we do have those weekly gatherings, whether it be a team Bible study or a chapel service night before a game. And I like to invite teammates to those things and hopefully get some people exposed to biblical teaching or conversation in a way that they previously had not been exposed to. So, you know, in that way, you kind of viewed the locker room as a mission field, if you will, and has a chance to do outreach and connect with players from all different walks of life and different backgrounds. But then also, you know, outside of locker room playing professionally does give us a platform. And so we do things like a football camp or like you mentioned, doing an interview on the field post-game. You want to steward those opportunities to impact people in the right way. And if someone's going to ask me about my faith, they'll be ready to give an answer as the New Testament talks about. And then also our youth football camps we hold with middle school boys. We aren't just teaching them the football skills. We want to go way beyond that and teach them about eternity and teach them about the gospel and what it means to walk with Jesus. And so we use scripture at our football camps and have a really try to have biblical truth as the foundation of that camp as well. So wherever we can interact and connect with other people, we'd like them to understand it. You know, when we walk away from the Cousins family, those people are passionate Christians, and that's hard to avoid when you get around them. [00:21:36][109.3]
Justin Forman: [00:21:37] I think under these unique times that we're filming this podcast, Kirk, we realize that sports sometimes has kind of this unnatural place in society. The lights are so bright, the attention is, is there. And as you mentioned, you're stewarding the times of success. The times when things are going well and making the most out of those opportunities. But in your book, you talked about the idea of, you know, what does it like to steward those times when people are rooting against you when criticism comes. I think specifically you pointed to a game at Michigan State. It was on the road maybe with Notre Dame. A play didn't go your way. Game didn't go your way. And you realized, you know, there's 80000 fans here kind of rooting against you. It's a unique situation that you find yourself in there. So how do you deal with the criticism of that and how does that shape you and your identity and how do you walk through that? [00:22:25][48.6]
Kirk Cousins: [00:22:26] Well, on a surface level, I understand that any time you have some adversity like I may face as a pro quarterback. There's also a lot of positives that come with the job. And so anytime somebody mentions all the challenges that come with being a pro quarterback, I like to throw out all the positives too. I live in a dream and I am more than happy to take the good with the bad and understand that, you know, it's a tough job that a lot is asked of you. But if it was an easy job, it wouldn't be as special as it is to do it. So I kind of work, first of all, from that perspective. But there's no doubt that presumes the part of the gig, especially as a pro quarterback. And I understand that when you go through it, you try not to let it get to you. You know, your identity is in Christ. And really, I take comfort just knowing that God has a plan and he doesn't waste the adversity that comes into our path, whether it be football moments or otherwise, he's gonna use it and accomplish something. And if you believe that by faith that it helps you as you process whatever the adversity is that you're facing. And currently we as a world are facing unprecedented times. And I would be the same answer there. You know, God's on the throne. He's not surprised by this. And he'll use it for our good, for his glory. And we just have to trust him and obey and walk by faith, just like I have to do after I throw an interception or after a tough loss. It's really the same response. [00:23:47][81.1]
Justin Forman: [00:23:48] That's great. Kirk, what you know, it seems like when you look across the league, the position of quarterback seems to be kind of overindexed, if you will, as maybe Christ followers. It seems like that there are a lot of great men of God that God's using to share a story. Why do you think that is? [00:24:05][16.3]
Kirk Cousins: [00:24:06] That's a great question. I've thought about it myself. The answer, I don't know. I guess it could be any number of things. I do believe that when I look back on my journey, my path, it has been so difficult and filled with so many times of discouragement that had I not had my faith or the compass pointing me in the right direction that God's word provided me and the hope and the comfort that it gave me. I don't know that I would be where I am. I truly needed my faith to be able to play football well enough and handle all that was coming my way so that I could still be standing. So a part of me wonders if that's really the answer is that being a Christian and having that was really a competitive advantage, if you will, at the quarterback position. So that maybe one thought. And then secondly, I just think it's prayer. I think that I've been told that, you know, 30 years ago that wasn't the case, that it wasn't a host of quarterbacks who were in that position. And as a result, a lot of people prayed that the next generation would be different. And we look now and I think when you can name off a whole bunch of household names at the quarterback position that are walking with God, it would suggest that those prayers were answered. And I think that's also very interesting. [00:25:22][75.8]
Henry Kaestner: [00:25:23] It is very interesting. And I tell you, listening to you and how you process leadership in adversity, you get a sense that that's very much part of your secret sauce and that gives you the armor that you need to go into these games, whether it's, you know, as a 19 or 20 year old when 80000 people are rooting against you or in the process of, you know, playing big time playoff games. And I think maybe I mentioned it right before we went live on this podcast. I just think back to the interview that you had with Chris Matthews talking about your identity and that when all that pressure comes, at the end of the day, you're not defined by whether you win or lose. Not to be clear, anybody who watches you and your career, you know that you've got a great desire to win and to compete. And yet there's something else that people get a sense for. And I think that our audience is getting a sense for that during our time together, that there is something bigger and you get that. And that gives you that advantage. It's super motivating here. One of the things that we love to do when we close out, actually, the thing we like to do when we close out any of our podcast interviews is to ask each one of our guests what they're hearing from God in his word. And it doesn't need to be necessarily this morning, but maybe something over the last week or of the last month that you really feel that he's speaking to you right here now. [00:26:38][74.7]
Kirk Cousins: [00:26:40] That's a great question. You know, I read through the Bible over a two year period and then when I finished, I didn't know what really was the next step, so I figured I'd just start over again. And so even this morning I was in my read through the Bible program and today's reading was from a chapter in Genesis, a chapter in the Psalms. And then a passage in the Gospels. And just in those three separate passages, it's amazing how many times God speaks to you through teaching in a lot of the topics we hit today, whether it be, you know, my condition as a sinner or what it means to be generous, what it means to forgive, you know, what it means to trust God. In the case of Abraham and what it means to obey him and then let him handle the consequences, God delivering far beyond we could ask or imagine in the case of Abraham and Sarah. And so when you get your nose in his book, it's amazing what he teaches you and how those principles just come to life. And you see him over and over again. You know, I'm sitting here in my office and looking at picture I have on my wall of James 4: draw near to God, and he'll draw near to you. It's a simple, simple verse, but a powerful promise that when you take a step towards Jesus, he takes a step towards you. And I just don't feel like we can afford to go another day without Jesus being as close to us as possible. So let's all take another step toward him and do, as that verse says, drawn near to God and then march and drawn near to you. And so those are just be some thoughts I'd have from even just today. [00:28:12][91.9]
Henry Kaestner: [00:28:13] I love that you brought that up. It makes me think of the conversation I had with our mutual friend Todd Harper last week. And Todd was talking about James four, and he was talking about how elsewhere in James four it talks about God opposing the proud. And he said, for me, it's like this illustration I have where I'm on a line of scrimmage and I'm a lineman in on the other side is God, if I'm proud. And I don't like that matchup. And I think it's interesting that we're talking to our first football player that we've had on the Faith Driven Athlete podcast. And we're doing that in a way that hits one of my favorite chapters in the Bible. So thank you for that. Thank you for your time. You've been a great encouragement to me to just into our audience. And thank you for making a whole host of more Kirk Cousins fans, maybe Vikings fans, but definitely fans of God and the same faith that we all have. And just grateful for you. Thank you. [00:29:04][50.6]
Kirk Cousins: [00:29:04] I appreciate you having me on. And just as you said about how God opposes the proud. I feel that life is hard enough and winning football games is hard enough. I don't want God's opposition either. So I think it's important to walk in humility. And I think, you know, as a professional athlete matter, how many times people make pat you on the back, you got to find that humility. And when you do, I think you find favor with God. So I'm on a journey just like anyone else working against my flesh. [00:29:04][0.0]
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