The Klimb with Adrian Branch

The Stand, Walk, & Run Journey with Seth Franco

• Adrian Branch • Season 1 • Episode 6

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Seth Franco's remarkable journey from basketball prodigy to physical rehabilitation warrior captivates in this deeply moving episode of The Klimb. Touring around the world as a member of the iconic Harlem Globetrotters, Seth's meteoric rise in professional basketball came to an abrupt halt when doctors discovered he had been born with hip dysplasia. By age 23, this undiagnosed condition had caused the joint deterioration of an 80-year-old, requiring both hips to be replaced.

Facing the devastating loss of his professional career, Seth made a pivotal decision that would define his recovery and future: "I focused on what I could do, not what I couldn't." This mindset shift became the foundation of his rehabilitation journey—a progression he now teaches others through his ministry called Stand, Walk, Run. The philosophy is beautifully simple yet profound: stand for who you want to be, take small daily steps toward your goals, and ultimately run after something meaningful that extends beyond yourself.

Seth draws powerful parallels between basketball and life's challenges, noting that "life is like a basketball—when it's filled with the right thing, the harder you push it down, the higher it soars back up." His candid reflections on fatherhood reveal how he's applying the lessons from his athletic journey to family life, learning that true toughness isn't about projecting strength but about caring for those you love.

Perhaps most compelling is Seth's hard-earned wisdom about the disconnect between feelings and reality: "Sometimes you don't feel good, but you're actually doing great." His story reminds us that our greatest accomplishments often come during our most difficult moments—when we push through discomfort to do what matters most.

Subscribe and join us on The Klimb as we continue to explore stories of resilience, faith, and the human spirit. Follow Adrian Branch at AdrianBranchSpeaks.com or on social media @AdrianBranchSpeaks.

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Welcome to The Climb

Speaker 1

you . Hi everybody , I'm Adrian Branch and welcome to another episode of the Climb , a show that celebrates the resilience of men and women and how they've overcome what it took . What's their mindset ? You know there's a saying that you beat resistance with persistence and it takes guts to leave the ruts . Now , I know those are rhyming words , but it's something to hang your hat on .

Speaker 1

And this show wants to dig down deep on really the low lights and what it took to be a highlight . Because , if you think about it , in our society and I'm guilty of this too we always take our best picture . We want to show our better side . I remember one time going for a job , a resume , and I had my resume and one of my mentors said no , no , another word for resume is a brag sheet Show , all the highlights . Well , with this show , we want to show you what it took to overcome , and today's guest is just fantastic . You're going to enjoy his story . He is a real winner

Seth Franco's Basketball Journey

Speaker 1

. If this was a movie , he'd be the good guy that you're pulling for to come out the chaos . His name is Seth Franco . He's from the East Coast , great guy from New York . He's got an amazing story . He was a professional athlete and life turned around quickly at 19 years old , where he had his own challenges . So I'm looking forward to you guys enjoying Seth Seth . Welcome to the show , good man .

Speaker 2

Hey , what's up , AB ? It's good to be with you .

Speaker 1

Man , now , before we go any further , I got to touch your New York card . I'm going to tease you here . You got to tell me which one . What are your teams ? Jets and Giants or Yankees , and that other team in the Mets what are your teams ?

Speaker 2

That's an easy question . You already know the answer it's the Knicks and the .

Speaker 1

Mets . Ah , there we go , boy , you're easy to love , easy to love . Well , seth , again , thanks for coming on .

Speaker 2

Man , tell us your story , tell us about how you got your start up there in the great Northeast . Well , my story is real simple . It's just about trying to tackle what's in front of you . And I didn't know that I was born with hip dysplasia . And so my whole life trying to play basketball , trying to pursue my dream , not realizing that I had a bigger challenge and one day I would have a bigger dream , which is just to be a healthy man who could provide for a family , who could walk and be strong on his own . So as I pursued basketball , I ran into the bigger challenge , and the bigger challenge was how to overcome a physical disability . If you don't know what hip dysplasia is , it's improper bone structure in your hips , and I didn't know that I was born with hip dysplasia . So it was something that I discovered as I chased my basketball dream . I found out that I had a bigger challenge waiting for me than sports .

Speaker 1

So the hip dysplasia basically is like a ball in the socket and for many years it was just out of socket but you never knew that because you walk with what many people thought was a pimp or a gate and you still had a lot of pain through all of that . Was a pimp or a ?

Speaker 2

gait and you still had a lot of pain through all of that . Yeah , so hip dysplasia can come in a number of different forms . Mine was a minor case of hip dysplasia , and they say that the minor cases of hip dysplasia are actually the worst because they go undetected . And so mine was more of a formation , improper formation . So at the age of 25 , they said that I had the deterioration in the joint of an 80 year old person and so I was slowly losing the ability to walk . I was tearing my own cartilage in my hips . Most people born with a normal case of hip dysplasia they're diagnosed as an infant and they can wear braces that help form their bones while they're young and so that they can walk healthy and strong . I've met people born with hip dysplasia who didn't even know they had dysplasia . Someone had to tell them . When you were younger , you wore braces that can change your bone structure for you . I never had that .

Speaker 1

Well , let's go back to this before , because I know at 19 a lot of things were happening and life was moving fast . But before that , where did you develop that love of the game for basketball and for sports , and what was your background growing up to get you to that opportunity of playing pro basketball ?

Speaker 2

Well , my family was a sports family . My dad was an all-state athlete in New York . We grew up playing all kinds of sports . Basketball was kind of what we loved , and we just grew up watching Michael Jordan beat the Knicks every year . So it was just . You know , I would just leave and go down the block whenever it was the fourth quarter and we were playing the Bulls . I would just lower the rim and start dunking and playing basketball with my brother .

Speaker 2

So we grew up during the 90s , you know a really great time to watch basketball and to dream , and so I just had a dream of playing basketball , fell in love with it , loved playground basketball being from Long Island in New York and just you know , that was my outlet . That's what kept me healthy and strong , that's how I felt good about myself , and I just spent a lot of

From Movie Deal to Globetrotters

Speaker 2

time training playing . That was my focus when I was young .

Speaker 1

Now from the great state of New York , like you're saying in Long Island , let's jump into it right there , 19 , because life was happening fast for you . You had an opportunity to star in a movie , but there were so many decisions that you had to make . Tell us about that in your mindset at 19 .

Speaker 2

Sure , I went from playing playground basketball to be scouted for a Universal movie . I was on a streetball team and it was right after the big Nike freestyle commercial came out and there was a buzz about New York City basketball . I got invited to the tryout and I'm I think I missed one shot in a two-hour tryout . Um , and I all my , all my moves are on point . I'm really kind of . Obviously I'm , you know , older now and I'm 46 .

Speaker 2

When I was 19 I was a flashy little point guard and I just had a quiet confidence about myself and Malcolm Lee , spike Lee's cousin , the director , just fell in love with me and my character and offered me the lead role in a Rucker Park movie after watching me play for three days . I remember at one point during the tryout they just cleared off the main court and asked me to just show whatever I could do with basketball . And I had two basketballs and I was just doing all kinds of crossovers , handling the ball like you would with one , but with two and just going up and down , and one camera came out of the crowd . Two , three , four cameras came out after they cleared it and they just worked me out until I couldn't breathe anymore . They just had me showing everything I could do and it was just a fun ride . The movie got two weeks away from being filmed . We were gonna start going into training and film the movie for Rucker and the movie got dropped and someone from the movie was personal friends with Kenny the .

Speaker 2

Jeff Smith from the Houston Rockies and Kenny recommended me to the Harlem Globetrotters and so I went to the Harlem Globetrotters off of the movie and went to the tryout . It was a 10-day tryout , six hours a day . Every single day . They were cutting one player . Wow it was between me . Yeah , it came down to between me and Pat the Rock .

Speaker 1

Oh , okay , back then we were both young guys , yeah .

Speaker 2

And they offered me a contract and I was one of the star ball handlers that year for the Globetrotters .

Speaker 1

Now the interesting thing . So the movie got dropped . Did you have time to even feel heartbroken ? Or it was within 48 hours that all of a sudden you get another call , and here's a historic moment . Not only is it the Harlem Globetrotters , but you say even in your bio you were the first Caucasian to play for the Globetrotters . Did you know it was such a historic moment at that time ?

Speaker 2

No , I really didn't . I was just excited to be having the opportunity to be a part of something with rucker park . I got to meet , uh , peewee kenny all the nba all-stars peewee kirkland yeah yeah .

Speaker 2

So I was just kind of like a deer in headlights because I was just a streetball player , um , and it did happen real fast . I went from the movie tryout the Harlem Wizards in New York City helped me out and threw me on a team and , off of my tryout , had me playing while I was waiting to hear from the Globetrotters . And then I went to the Globetrotters yeah , it was just like a whirlwind from a movie tryout to the Globetrotters . I ended up touring the world with them and playing Curly Neal's position , which was funny because when I was a young kid that was my idol growing up .

Speaker 1

So , to say the least , you had a slick handle . You were real slick with it . So this is interesting to me , seth . So right now you're the toast of the town . You have the highlight , you're on a historic team and I'm familiar with that a little bit because of the Lakers and Showtime with Magic and Kareem before , shaq and Kobe and LeBron and Anthony Davis now . So I'm familiar with a historic team . But here's my question to you All of a sudden , you go from the toast of the town to being toasted because that hip dysplasia started to disrupt your athletic career

The Hip Dysplasia Diagnosis

Speaker 1

yeah .

Speaker 2

So I had a lot of times where my left leg was borrowing me quite a bit . I thought that , um , it was a hip flexor issue because I dunked off that foot . I wasn't like a high flyer dunker , but I played above the rim off one set . So I thought you know , I was always finishing up high with guys and bodying them and floating the ball and stuff and throwing oops and I just thought it was a hip flexor strain . And then it became real serious .

Speaker 2

Then it started to catch , so I thought it was something with cartilage . I was just scared to tell anybody what I didn . Started to catch , so I thought it was something with cartilage . I was just scared to tell anybody . What I didn't realize is I had a problem with both legs . Oh , the one that was bothering me was so bad I couldn't even feel the pain in my right leg . Uh . So what happened was a few different times . My left leg started to lock up , started to bother me and catch and I could kind of tweak or adjust it , uh-huh yeah , and then we we were playing internationally .

Speaker 2

Um , I know , one time when we were after touring and playing on the bulls floor , I got called into an ESPN interview and it gave me two days off where I just traveled and and talked and hung out and I you know , it was just the timing like saved me . And then the next time around I didn't get saved from it , my leg the next time it caught and bothered me . A few games later we were in Paris , in France , and I just couldn't play .

Speaker 1

So eventually that led to you needing both hips replaced in the middle of your career . You're a young guy , so at the time , how old are you , seth , when all of this , when the news breaks Because you say in your story that you went to 10 different doctors and no one could find the actual problem and you were in a lot of pain , tell us about that one . How did you deal with the pain ? Because I know , as an athlete , there's one thing with sore and then there's one thing with that persistent pain that's hard to shake .

Speaker 2

That's exactly what it was , ab . I had such a high tolerance for pain I didn't understand how serious my problem was . When I finally saw the doctors that got it figured out . I was at the Hospital of Special Surgeries in New York City and they basically told me you have to have both of your hips replaced . It's not your left leg that's bothering you . Both of your hips have to be replaced and you're going to have to learn how to walk . And you've got a new challenge you no longer have clearance for professional sports . Life is bigger than just a sport . You've got to work hard now to be able to walk .

Speaker 1

Wow , wow . Now this is my go ahead , go ahead , sal .

Speaker 2

I'm sorry . I heard that coming off the tour , so it was very like from one thing . You know , I went from playing professional basketball in one day to being told I no longer have clearance , I have to have a major surgery , and you know now it's time to get help .

Speaker 1

How old were you at the time ?

Speaker 2

23 .

Speaker 1

So you're a young guy , you're 23 years old , and this is what this story is all about the climb , because we want to go right there to the low lives , to the low points , to celebrate the high points . I want to ask you , when you hear that 23 years old , 23 man , you're not even in your prime yet and you're rocking and rolling and you are just getting it on as an athlete how did that affect your physical man ? The physical man needed two hips . How did that affect your emotional man and your spirit man ?

Speaker 2

because we're tripod , being a physical , spiritual and emotional yeah , I mean that year I had been on the floor with kobe bryant , lebron james to william wade , alan iverson , guys that I idolized with , and now we were on the same court in different events , different areas , different games .

Speaker 2

And then I went to being alone in a hospital and , you know , having nurses and doctors helped me try to figure out how to walk um , my head was just spinning but , you know , when I was growing up my dad was a pastor and I knew all about okay , knew God had a plan for my life . I had dedicated my life to God and , you know , I put my faith in Jesus and I think some of the struggle that I began to face was at what point was that going to become something real and challenging to me as an individual , not just something my family believed as an individual , not just something my family believed .

Speaker 1

Let me dig down there because I think , seth , personally , in my own experience , I think self-talk is everything . We can have so many attributes , but it's that self-talk when no one's around and the four walls are your mind , when you're in that wheelchair and life is adjusted and you can't go back to being what was it ? Hot and fresh , that was your name with the Globetrotters right , hot and fresh . You can't be hot and fresh anymore . What was your self-talk when nobody was around ?

Speaker 2

You know what ? To be honest , what really changed everything for me was I just started focusing on what I could do .

Speaker 1

Oh boy , that's good . Wow , that's a slam dunk stuff . Say that one again . You focused on what you could do .

Focusing on What You Can Do

Speaker 2

Yeah , the big , the big turnaround for me where I just realized , look , there's no going back to what I had before . So the big turnaround for me was when I focused on what I could do , not what I couldn't , not what I lost , you know , not all the things I wish I was doing at the moment . What can I do right now ? Well , for a while it was I can stand up , I can't walk yet . I can't run yet . I can't jump , I can't play , I can't jump , I can't play . If I stay too focused on what I did in my past , I'm going to lose sight of reality and I've got a big challenge in front of me .

Speaker 2

You know , when we coach , right , let's get comfortable and get on the court . In our mind , when you're really coaching a player , you want them to understand all the pieces that are on the floor . How many times is there a great shooter on the court and you've got to teach a new guy who maybe doesn't understand how good that player is ? I had to stop one of my practices one time and say you realize you just Did not pass the ball to the third leading scorer in the nation , right ? A great shooter was wide open and you decided to do something fancy look him off .

Speaker 2

No , all the pieces you know have court vision . Don't get caught up that you don't understand what you can do . What can this team do ? Know what pieces are on the court and get strong . And um , that's what I had to do personally . I had to say , okay , what ? What parts of me had to say , okay , what ? What parts of me are nationally ranked ?

Speaker 1

oh , where am I strong ?

Speaker 2

well , I don't care about what anybody thinks and that's what my whole life was right with basketball . I'm not six foot six , I'm not the you know most muscular guy . Back then I might not be the fastest , but I actually don't care what anybody thinks , and I just could get out on the court and run the point like it was . The whole team was mine .

Speaker 2

Let me so I had to go ahead I had to take that kind of attitude and be like OK , I'm down right now , I've lost everything , but I don't care what anybody thinks . I'm going to find out what I can do and I'm going to listen to my doctors and they're telling me I can stand , even if it hurts .

Speaker 1

Wow .

Speaker 2

So I'm going to start standing .

Speaker 1

Oh , I like that one every day .

Speaker 2

I'm going to get that W every day .

Speaker 1

Yes .

Speaker 2

And then once I start walking now I'm walking . Well , how far did you say I could walk , cause I'm going to walk that far ? You said I could do it . Yeah , well , it might be hard . Not everybody can do it I'm not everybody , and I don't care what anybody else thinks . I'm going to do what I can do and there were times where I started to achieve more . I remember when I finally first started getting to running right and I couldn't quite run and I was getting so frustrated and I had to go back and remind myself my first W is standing .

Speaker 2

In the mornings . How I'd get through the workouts is I can't focus on how hard it is going to be when I get to the track today . Right now I'm in my bedroom and I got to focus on standing up and then I'm going to walk , then I'm going to work on my walking routine and my strength and by then I'll be strong enough to try to run again and take another step forward . But there were days where my legs would swell . I'd take ice baths , I'd back off again and then I'd get back up and be like man , I can't do that again . It was too hard and I'd have to say hold up . It's not hard for me to stand because I already conquered that . So I'm not going to get so emotionally overwhelmed with where I want to go with my victory in the day that I don't get started . Someone once said you don't have to be great to get started , but you do have to get started if you want to be great .

Speaker 1

I like that one . So , Seth , let me ask you this Did you have a strong network ? Your dad is a pastor . Did you have a lot of people in your ear that are saying attaboy , attaboy , keep going , don't quit ? Who was your accountability or who helped you keep your compass pointed north , or your person of faith that you were just looking towards jesus ? What helped you get through that moment ? Those moments ?

Speaker 2

when I look back , I realized it was my dad when I was younger . You know , whenever I had a confrontation with a player or there was a challenge in front of me , a tryout trying to pursue my goal , he would always say you could compete with anybody . That was it . And then he would just say I don't ever want to see you hang your head low . You're never ashamed of anything you do , even if you mess up . I remember when I was in the seventh grade playing in a varsity game .

Speaker 1

That's pretty good . That's pretty good . That's pretty good . Seventh grade varsity .

Speaker 2

I could handle the ball real good and I handled the press , but on this one play I messed up . I shot an air ball and I hung my head and my dad took me right after the game and said I don't ever want to see you hang your head ever again , no matter what you do , no matter what you're proud of what you do , because you're the only seventh grader out there with 12th graders , that's right .

Speaker 2

So . So I kind of had that that core put in me of like , hey , yeah , I might mess up , but I'm trying . It's easy to make fun of someone who's trying .

Speaker 1

Let me ask you why you're right there , Seth . What have you learned in this for the listeners ? What's the biggest lesson you've learned from failure ?

Speaker 2

The biggest thing I've learned from failure is just how much we need God . He's that same voice . That's where my dad got that voice from right . My dad was a mechanic who had a heart and wanted to become a pastor and didn't have a lot of money and we were struggling . We were a poor family , but he had to have that attitude of I'm going to hold my head up .

Speaker 2

I never felt ashamed about our family . I never felt ashamed about what we had . I actually felt great about it . You know , I think God is that that's the same heart God carries for us . And sometimes let's be honest , ab sometimes our greatest W is when we choose to go down a road . We know we might lose , but we don't want someone else to walk alone , so we go with them . You know , anybody could play a safe game . Anybody could play a safe game Like Jesus . His life is so special . You know , take him outside of religion , step , even if it's I don't mean to be disrespectful , but even step outside of faith for a minute . And let's not be spiritual . Let's just look at the life of Jesus as a figure and the some of the stats and some of the game and some of the things he brings when he steps out on the court . You can trust that he'll never let you play alone .

Speaker 1

Now , with you having so much experience coming up and pulling yourself back up . I love where I read that now you have your own talks and ministry , where you have a ministry called Stand

Stand, Walk, Run Ministry

Speaker 1

, Walk and Run , run .

Speaker 2

Tell us about that one yeah , um , really kind of tying all that together it'd be . It's just what I've learned through through my challenge , from my dad reminding me to keep my head up , to god being the lifter of my head during the time when I lost the ability to walk and had to learn how to stand . And really the whole challenge in the talk for Stand , Walk , Run is stand for who you want to be . I wanted to be someone who could work and provide for a family and use my body like I did in sports but in life . Right , I wanted to be someone who could walk . Again , Stand for who you want to be .

Speaker 2

Walk , Take small steps forward to reach your goal . So , every day , set some kind of goal , Be a goal setter that's realistic , right in real time , in real life . Set some goals that you know you can achieve and then be a winner every day and build an appetite to win and watch that appetite grow . Become a winner and walk somewhere in life . Don't stand still . Move forward , even if it's a small step . Hey , everybody else might be running , but you might not be at that season . That might not be your time to run , but it's not . You might not be at that season . That might not be your time to run , and so I had to watch other guys that I even trained and help develop their game . I watched them move on and play professionally when I had to lose my career and step back and learn how to stand and then eventually , part of the dream you know stand , walk .

Speaker 2

Run After you do everything to be who you can be . Run after something great in life . Run after you do everything to be who you can be . Run after something great in life . Run after somebody else who needs you Be a part of something that really matters . Right . Every great superhero in every movie that you love , it's not someone being selfish . It's someone that finally gets to the pivotal point in the movie where they let go of what's best for themselves and they become what a true hero is , which is looking out and loving and playing the game for someone else .

Speaker 1

Let me ask you this one , seth as a dad , as a leader , as a motivational speaker and influencer what are the areas where you and me like sometimes it'd be like boy me and my big mouth I got to practice what I preach ? Where's an area where you really have to practice what you preach ? Getting stinking , thinking off your back ?

Being a Dad and a Leader

Speaker 2

I know right now , just in real life , I'm a dad of five , my wife and I . I work with a roofing company and I'm a project manager and a lot of times I come home and I'm I'm not , you know , seth franco speaking somewhere , seth franco coaching somewhere . I'm dad and , uh , the biggest thing I I'm working on right now is really listening to my wife about some of the things that make me a better dad . So we started talking and we had this funny conversation . I said , babe , she's just talking to me about being calm and peaceful and not passive-aggressive , not not being a thermometer , but being the thermostat . You know , if I get so hot , stirred up because kids aren't behaving right in the thermostat , you know if I get so hot , stirred up because kids aren't behaving right .

Speaker 2

She's telling me some of this stuff , ab , and I go where did you learn this from ? And she goes I taught myself and read books and learned . And I said I want to learn , I want some books . And , ab , she looks at me and points over to a part of our shelf in our living room and I go what's that ? She goes those are your books . I said what she said I bought you those books and I've asked you to read some of them for years .

Speaker 2

Oh my goodness and so I've been starting to read some of the books , and you know books like emotional he motions- oh , okay , that that doesn't jive with hot and fresh and having to represent from new york .

Speaker 1

You got to be tender and gentle and since you're preaching to the choir , I'm trying to work on apologizing when I need to apologize .

Speaker 2

Yeah , yeah I'm finding a lot of strength in that , you know , just coming to my young guys that I love so much my sons and just saying , hey , I'm sorry . Like you know , I love you , I'm trying to support you , I'm not , I'm not trying to do anything else . You know , one day my one son kind of stepped to me a little bit and I said , hey , don't , don't ever step to me , it don't make me feel I don't want to intimidate anybody in this house . I want to intimidate anybody in this house , I want to love and support everybody .

Speaker 2

And he looked at me and it made such a difference to him wow to to not do that passive , aggressive thing like , hey , you know , I understand in the world as men , right , sometimes we have to carry ourselves a certain way to feel like we're protecting the ones we love . But I think it's , I think it's really important in the house yes , for the men in my house least to feel like it's different when we're home Thermometer .

Speaker 1

Is that what you're talking about ? I'm trying to be a thermostat , thermostat .

Speaker 2

And not just read the temperature of what's going on outside . But let's set something different in here . How about in here ? There's no one trying to . You know , challenge you . I'm trying to support you wow you know , what do I need ?

Speaker 2

what do I need to do to make you your best , just like when we work out ? Sometimes I'll stop the workout and we'll just get real and say hey , I know I'm coming at you right now . Do you want me to keep coming at you or you want me to back off ? Can you handle this ? Because actually I'm about to dig into you more . I'd actually like to get up in your space . I want to challenge you , but I don't know if your attitude can handle it . Would you like to go there , because I'm about to step up the flame yes , you think you could .

Speaker 2

Can you handle the flame ? Or you want me to lower it ? And any real athlete will look at you with respect and be like please bring the flame . Coach , you're 100 right . What do you want me to work on ? What do you got ? And we start to get that bond and and really to stay with the question you were asking for me , what I'm trying to get off that that negative thinking , is , when I get in my flesh like a tough guy , I don't get a tough guy .

Speaker 2

Um , there's a difference between , you know , trying to be a tough guy and being a tough guy oh , explain that one you know , and so just being tough is taking care of the ones you love oh , I like that one what you gotta do every boy , I like that one .

Speaker 2

Good go ahead , steph , that's good stuff yeah , for me it just comes down to what I'm doing right . So I'm playing a different type of sport . It's the dad sport . We have this joke in my house where I'll just say hey guys , look , if I'm being cheesy or if I'm getting grumpy on you , just know I'm dadding right now , like I'm just dadding . I'm going to talk to you about stuff that you don't want to talk about . I'm going to be the guy who says things you don't want to hear , but I'm dadding , and just know that's what I'm doing .

Speaker 2

And using my body now is such a privilege . Right , I've been able to walk again , I can play again . But really the bigger thing is I can work and I can take care of my family and I can provide a space where my wife , who's been through so much in her past , can now give birth to the ministry and the business that God's called her to do With influencing women through homeschooling and through the media stuff she does . And it goes back to what the real W is , ab . I mean , who are we really right ? When you get on the court and you get those five guys that want to win , they understand that it's not about them and you're actually playing the game to make the guy next to you better and in the family situation or whatever you want . However you want to say it . Sometimes I think for us guys it's hard for us to figure out how we do that . How do I ? How do I ? I'm a man , I'm strong , I am aggressive Wedge buster .

Speaker 1

You're ready to take the hill ?

Speaker 2

Yeah , but what about everybody else who's with me ? How do I make them better ? How do I take care of that young kid who's scared of the world , who's not as strong as me , who's not as brave as me , who doesn't got scared of me ? What am I going to do to be who I'm supposed to be for this person ?

Speaker 1

Boy , that's believable . Thank you , Seth . Thank you for going there too and even talking about that , because , just on that note , I just believe there's nothing stronger than gentleness . You know , when they talk about communication , 55% is body language , 38% is tone and 7% is actually words . So 55% , if it's like how you doing .

Speaker 2

Come over here and give me a hug .

Speaker 1

And you're trying to be gentle . That ain't going to work . And then you know the tone , how we talk to people , especially in our own household . That's not going to work . And then the actual words . So , man , thank you for going there . Let me ask you this I love some of the quotes that you had , and especially as you were going through the ranks and you were recovering to stand and walk , you one time said life is like a basketball the more pressure you put on it with character , you can soar . Tell us about that one where you said life is like a basketball when you bounce it , it can come back up .

Speaker 2

Yeah , I found myself while I was recovering and getting my legs back . I was doing a lot of speaking and sharing , even with kids little kids and found myself at basketball camps and all kinds of church stuff with kids and I started using the basketball as an example how , when it's filled with the right thing , the harder you push it down , the higher it soars back up . And it's just like in life when life pushes us down , if we're filled with the right thing , we bounce back . But not every basketball will do that right . If it's not filled , if it doesn't have what it needs on the inside , it can't

Bouncing Back Higher

Speaker 2

do what it was created to do well just to bounce back when it's pushed down oh , I like that .

Speaker 2

It's simple a lot of times yeah , a lot of times people come on I mean we're real right , we're human , ab . I mean , what was it a day ago where I didn't feel good about myself ? You know , like we go through ups and downs . Like I had a tough day the other day where I just wasn't feeling good about myself and it's so great to be able to think . You know what hold up . We get in this rut where when I'm feeling good , I think I'm doing good , when I'm feeling bad , I think I'm doing bad . That's not real . That's not real life . That's what my injury taught me was sometimes I feel bad , but I'm actually doing really good , right but I'm actually doing really good .

Speaker 2

You know , sometimes I don't feel good and my legs hurt , but I still stand up and go to work and take care of my family . I might not feel that good , but I'm actually doing really well . You can't live based on the feelings , right ?

Speaker 1

Yes , yes , what is truth , man ? Well , seth , you broke down so much in such a short period of time and it is so rich , and I'd like to ask , before we let you get out of here , what's one thing you would tell our audience to keep climbing , after all you've been through and your own story of heartbreak and potholes and obstacles what's the one thing you'd want our listeners to know ?

Speaker 2

to keep climbing . Just what I shared with you . Just feeling good doesn't mean you're doing good . Feeling bad doesn't mean you're doing bad . Ask God to show you and ask people around you that you care about and you trust how you're doing . Look at real life , not just your feelings . Sometimes you don't feel good , but you're doing great and that's part of the climb . I mean , if you want to just break it down to really climbing right , isn't there a point ?

Speaker 2

I'm not a pro climber , okay but is there a point where you climb , where you're climbing something , doing a workout . We used to climb the ladder sprint workout where you go one sprint , three sprints , six sprints , nine , eleven , then you come all the way back down .

Speaker 2

You gotta do more there's a time where you feel you feel like you're doing bad , but you're actually building greatness , wow , you know . So you can't listen to the feelings . Sometimes you don't feel like you're doing good , but you're doing great , and I just want to challenge you that god loves you , um , that he sees you and he's real and you can ask god how am I doing beautiful , beautiful , how do you think I'm doing ? Because I don't feel good .

Speaker 1

I don't feel good about you can ask God how am I doing Beautiful how ?

Speaker 2

do you think I'm doing Because I don't feel good ? I don't feel good about myself .

Speaker 1

Yes .

Speaker 2

I don't know if I can do this , but what do you think about me ? What am I doing ? And the easiest way to do that , too , is open up the Bible . Read the Bible . It's simple . I mean love somebody . Try to treat people the way you want to be treated . When you fall down and you make a mistake , get back up , forgive yourself , because God already forgave you .

Speaker 2

Just because you're feeling bad doesn't mean you're doing bad Matter of fact , I would argue that sometimes the greatest things you accomplish will be when you don't feel good , but you do good .

Speaker 1

Oh man , Drop the mic on that one . New York style Drop the mic on that one . The mic is dropped . Seth , that is so awesome . Thank you so much . Tell everyone where they can find you if they're looking for more information on Seth Franco .

Speaker 2

If you want to find me , you can find me chilling with my kids , shooting hoops , swimming , just riding bikes in the parking lot and working hard and as a speaker , where do they find you if they want to book you to come in and speak and tell your story ? If you want to connect with me , you can reach out to USA , yo , and speak to them about organizing an opportunity for me to challenge and encourage somebody .

Speaker 1

Wow , seth , man , that is so rich , you touch so many buckets . I'm so grateful for you , man . You're a colleague , you're a brother and you're a friend . Thanks for hanging out with me today . Hey , ab , you know I'm honored to be around you , man . You're a legend , seth Franco , everybody and you know what . If you want to hear more about us and what we're doing , head on over to AdrianBranchSpeakscom . Follow us again on social media at Adrian Branch Speaks and download the Climb wherever podcasts are available . You guys are special . You're awesome . Thanks for your time today and we want to tell you , for my climbers be encouraged and keep climbing . We'll see you next time . Everybody , you .