45 From Kalamazoo to Kent State: D1 Wrestling with Joshua Boggan

"You gotta have another plan because you can't play sports forever. The back row was when everything was paid for for you. Now you got to pay for it—get your ass up in the front row."

In this episode of Coach Rodo’s Winning Regardless podcast, Rodo sits down with former Kent State Division I wrestler and Kalamazoo Central standout Joshua Boggan. Josh opens up about the massive culture shock of stepping into a D1 wrestling room, realizing that natural high school talent isn't enough, and learning the hard way about balancing morning workouts, college partying, and rigorous class schedules.

Josh also shares his incredible story of networking, landing a major connection through a fraternity leadership conference with a military general's daughter, and executing his "other plan" as he transitions from a decorated college athlete into a professional marketing career. Tune in for an honest, hard-hitting conversation on discipline, the reality of college athletics, and stepping out of your comfort zone to get paid.

#CoachRodo #WinningRegardless #JoshuaBogan #KentStateWrestling #D1Wrestling #StudentAthlete #KalamazooCentral #CollegeCultureShock #MarketingCareer #AthleteTransition #HardWorkPaysOff #mentorship 

(00:00) - Introduction: Welcoming former Kent State D1 wrestler Joshua Boggan to the show.
(02:00) - The D1 Culture Shock: Realizing high school talent isn't enough when you hit the college room.
(03:30) - Campus Life & Balance: Navigating parties, 6 a.m. morning workouts, and academic accountability.
(05:00) - Academic Survival: Why college freedom means taking responsibility for your classes and utilizing athletic study centers.
(06:30) - Wrestling Resume: Looking back at 150 high school wins, state placings, and competing in the MAC.
(08:15) - The Cost of Slacking: How professors, counselors, and coaches keep athletes accountable to their grades.
(10:15) - The Potato, Egg, and Coffee Bean: A unique analogy on changing your surroundings instead of letting surroundings change you.
(11:45) - Winning Regardless: Josh defines what the podcast mantra means to his personal faith and daily life.
(12:30) - Life After Sports: Dealing with the identity crisis and the void athletes face when they stop playing.
(14:00) - The "Other Plan": Why every athlete needs a backup plan because sports don't last forever.
(15:45) - Networking & The General's Daughter: How Josh landed a massive marketing connection through a fraternity conference.
(18:00) - Front Row Mentorship: Coach Rodo gives real business advice on following up, staying consistent, and stepping out of the back row.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

You gotta have a plan B because you can't play sports forever, right? Right. So essentially, you gotta change your surroundings. Don't let your surroundings change you. But then, you know, he bought into it. He he trained a lot with the coach and he got really good. So it's like, if you just buy into it, you can you can grow a lot that big, right? So it's not gonna be that crazy, but it was. It was crazy.

SPEAKER_02 0:56

Um, you know, we like to talk a lot about sports, but we also like to have, you know, when we get a chance, we like to have special guests on who are, you know, college athletes or, you know, on their way to college. And today we happen to have a Division I wrestler, former Division I wrestler who graduated and um, you know, did his career in wrestling, did very well over there at State. At Kent State, if you know anything about that day in the Mac. Um, yeah, I mean, did a great job, and he's here to bless us with his presence. So uh why don't you just introduce yourself?

SPEAKER_01 1:33

Well, yeah, like you said, wrestler at Kent State University from Kalamazoo, Michigan. Um, I don't know what more else I can say about that. Uh Rafa Uh yeah, Josh Bogan to introduce myself.

SPEAKER_02 1:46

So, how was it like um, you know, first of all, you know, I like for these people, my listeners, because some of them are kids, you know. I would like for them, tell them some of the obstacles you had to face just when you became a freshman there.

SPEAKER_01 2:01

At Can't State training. Um, and just knowing the value of hard work, I'll be real. Like, I didn't understand it going through high school. I think I was always just naturally gifted. So then in terms of practice and training, like I was, I don't want to able be like able, I want to say like just kind of BS through it, but BS through it. I never really took training as serious as I should. So then when I hit Kyle, the college room in my freshman year, it was like culture shock. And it was like, well, what is this? And in my head, like, you know, I was talking to Big Ten, Big 12. So Mac, it's like in my head, it's not that big, right? So it's not gonna be that crazy, but it was. Like it was crazy.

SPEAKER_02 2:42

So the moral of the story is, you know, you you found out that Division I college, it doesn't matter what's on the name of the shirt. It's Division I College. Right.

SPEAKER_01 2:52

And that's what I'm and even if it's not Division I it's college.

SPEAKER_02 2:55

It's c thank you. It's college. Thank you. And that's what I'm trying to get, you know, these kids to understand is, you know, they all want to do something with the because of the name on the chest.

SPEAKER_01 3:05

Yeah, once you once you get past that, um, and you're just open to the experience, you can grow a lot. Like I got teammates that never placed at the state tournament. Like I remember my one of my homeboys, closest homeboys, Trent. I used to whoop him terribly. Like he came in the room, he he never placed at states in Ohio. But then, you know, he bought into it. He he trained a lot with the coach, and he got really good. So it's like if you just buy into it, you can you can grow a lot.

SPEAKER_02 3:33

So, how was campus life? Um, you know, especially when you were a freshman jumping on, what was the big, biggest thing that you had to acclimate yourself to?

SPEAKER_01 3:43

In terms of like just culture, partying, culture, all of that stuff. Um well for these people to understand what they might be walking into. Right. Um, that was also culture shock. So growing up, I didn't really do that much. It was always sports. Sports in school, you know. I had friends whatever, but I didn't I didn't really do too much. So then now I'm four hours away. Mom and dad ain't gotta watch over me. I get to do whatever I want, like go to the bar, go to the parties, and then the struggle is you gotta balance that with your morning workouts, right? And you gotta balance that with class. And you learn a lot about yourself, and of course, everybody does the wrong thing. I got 6 a.m. workouts on Friday morning. I still might go out on a Thursday. Why not? Right? But did you make the workout? Oh, yes. It's just not good for you, man. It's not good.

SPEAKER_02 4:43

You gotta release and have something.

SPEAKER_01 4:44

No, yeah, no, I think I think you gotta do it. You gotta do it. It's a balance is right. Yeah, like you can't you can't do that too often, though. Yeah. You can't do that too often. Especially when you gotta work out the next morning. Right, because you gotta work out at a high level. Like you gotta, you gotta train the right way. Yeah. You can't be feeling some type of way at your workout or tired, slacking, you know. So, yeah, you should definitely do it once. Yes. At least once. At least one time. You know, you learn a lot about yourself through that.

SPEAKER_02 5:11

Now, classes, I'm sure, were a lot different once you got there. And um, you had to pick up new habits, you had to pick up study habits, you had to learn how to do time, time management. You know, what were some of the tools that you used to help you get better and become a better student?

SPEAKER_01 5:28

Um, I'll be real. When you're an athlete, they spoil you. So you got a lot of counselors, they got study centers, tutors, um, that you can rely on a lot. When I stopped being an athlete, it was, I mean, even when you are an athlete, it's all on you. You know, it's a it's a choice. So it's like, it's not like high school, you don't gotta go to class. You know, some classes you may have mandatory attendance, but a lot of them you don't, especially you got the 100 plus people lectures, you don't gotta go to class. But you know, you skip one class and it's like, oh, I can miss another one. I can miss another one. Now you look up, you done missed five classes and you have no idea what's going on.

SPEAKER_02 6:02

Right.

SPEAKER_01 6:02

Now you gotta test. And it's like you learn. You see, like, you know, you gotta go to class, even though it's freedom. It seems like free. I don't gotta go, like, you know, you gotta take care of your responsibilities. Right. Right. Otherwise it'll reflect, you know, in your grades and everything else.

SPEAKER_02 6:18

Now, see, I want people to understand that um you're not a bum wrestler now. They don't I need them to understand that, you know what I'm saying? You was you was a you was a bad boy. So why don't you talk about some of the shit you won so people understand that, you know, you never just be one wrestling that was on Kent State's T.

SPEAKER_01 6:39

I mean, yeah, I I started for a year when I was down at Kent. Um I started for a year. I wasn't the greatest in college. I'll be the best, I'll be the first person to tell everybody that. I didn't um I didn't do what I should have did in college. So the year I started, I think I was 500, maybe a little one or two wins above, maybe. But after that, I couldn't really, I couldn't really tell you. Yeah. So I got wins over good guys, like high-ranked guys, nationally ranked guys. But yeah, that's that's as far as that goes for college. In high school, I was a three-time state placer, 150 wins in college in high school, um Kalamazoo Central Records, stuff like that.

SPEAKER_02 7:20

Yeah, and Division I wrestling is is not an easy thing to do. So to wins, because I mean, my high school, I went to Lansing Eastern, and um we happened to have had a guy, Kevin Jackson, who um was on the U.S. Olympic team Iowa State. Yeah, yeah, I know Kevin's. Yeah, really, really good dude. Now he coaches at Michigan. Michigan. Yeah. Yep, yep, really good dude. So I did when I was a junior in high school, I decided that I wanted to just do a workout with the wrestler one time, and I worked out with him, and I knew wrestling wasn't for me.

SPEAKER_01 7:53

Yeah, it's rough. It's rough. It's it's definitely rough. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 7:57

Y'all do some, you know, that that's not an easy thing to do. So, you know, I mean, along with the physical training and and if you being tired pretty much all of the time, how do you maintain the focus to still do what you have to do to maintain your success in college? Um can you say that one more time? So, knowing, you know, how physical wrestling is and how tired you are, you know, and and you still have to maintain your GPA. You still have to maintain your your mental aptitude to go to class and get up and your discipline, how difficult is that?

SPEAKER_01 8:38

Um, it's difficult, but it's it's a choice. It's a mental choice that everybody has to make. Um, because every your your actions have consequences. So if I'm tired from whatever and from practice, or maybe we had a competition, I'm tired from all this, and I skip class. Okay, maybe it may slide. Now I've skipped a few classes, and now this teacher or this professor may feel inclined to email my guidance counselor, who's then gonna tell my coach, and then my coach is gonna come to me, what do you got going on? Like, and then that could reflect wrestling. And that could reflect, okay, well, you're not gonna practice today, you're gonna you're gonna go study. Right. Or you're not gonna travel, you're gonna go study. You you need to focus on your books, right? So that that would be the motivator. I mean, when you're in college, you know, scholarship is it's a job. You're getting paid essentially for what you do, especially with NIL and everything. So it's like you gotta do what you gotta do. And if you don't, it'll just reflect in what's given to you.

SPEAKER_02 9:36

No, see, I the thing that I like to do is I like to challenge young people like us old people, we always have like a moniker or saying that we live by like minds is to send the elevator back down. I always believe that, you know, because I don't believe that. I believe that, you know, kids can't touch the button. So how can they get up there? You gotta send it back down, which means you got to help them get up there. What is uh uh a saying that you I was just talking to Joe about this.

SPEAKER_01 10:04

I got too many, man. Um Yo give g spit one. Yeah on your favorites. Simplest one. The c it's the story of the coffee bean, the egg, and the potato. Never heard of it? Nope, never heard it. Okay, so look. You got a pot of boiling water, you put in a potato, what happens? It expands. Turns off. Okay, cool. Turns off, right? What happens if you put in an egg?

SPEAKER_02 10:32

It boils and gets hard.

SPEAKER_01 10:33

It gets hard. What happens if you put in the coffee?

SPEAKER_02 10:37

It goes away, it dissipates.

SPEAKER_01 10:40

It makes coffee. It turns the water into coffee. Right. So essentially, you gotta change your surroundings. Don't let your surroundings change you. So the egg, he became hard, right? Whatever environment, he became hard. The potato became soft. But the coffee changed his surroundings and made it better, maybe more enjoyable. Yeah.

unknown 11:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:00

Where'd you learn that one from?

SPEAKER_01 11:02

I forget. I forget. Somewhere goofy.

SPEAKER_02 11:06

And it but it was just something that stuck with you, man.

SPEAKER_01 11:08

Yeah, because when the when it was said, it wasn't said in a real deep manner. Right. That's why I liked it.

SPEAKER_02 11:12

Because I was like, well, if you really think about it, like I mean, and and and and being youth, it makes sense because that that's a way for you guys to understand and to grasp it instead of, you know, listening to all of us old guys give you all our shit. Right. You know, that one, that that was that's a that's a pretty good one right there, man. That's a I like that. I got I'm I'm not gonna use it because I probably can't remember it, but I like it. So, you know, again, the podcast is called, you know, winning regardless. Um, what what do you see as winning regardless mean? What does that mean to you?

SPEAKER_01 11:46

Um just being better every day personally and spiritually, you know, with my faith with God and with people, being good to people. I think that's that's where I'm at right now. Yeah. Winning regardless. So what is your what what are your plans right now? What are you doing after school? Um hopefully find a job in marketing. Uh explore that. And that's yeah, that's the plan. Yeah. Learn as much as I can in the in the field and venture out on my own at some point. But first steps just, yeah, probably find a job in marketing.

SPEAKER_02 12:21

So, so um after you get out of college and you're done playing athletic, what what what's the trend what's your transition plan look like? Like, what do most of them typically do? Like, you know, how hard is it or how difficult is it?

SPEAKER_01 12:35

Um, a lot of athletes do nothing. When they're when they're done playing sports, it's like a release, especially because if you're a college athlete, you've more than likely even playing sports all your life. Right, right. So it's like now I finally do nothing. It sort of defines you. Right, and you gotta you gotta figure out what you got. Um, me personally, I always knew my sport wasn't it for me. Like even in high school, I kind of was like, eh, you know, like I knew that there was more and that this was just something I did. It wasn't me. I've had teammates and people that I've met, and it's like their sport is them, and that's it. And they and then they're lost without it. And it's like, what they don't they don't know what to do with themselves. And everything they try to do, it it could involve the sport that they were in, which is good. I mean, it's not a bad thing, but they definitely have that brief moment of what am I gonna do?

SPEAKER_02 13:26

But how how did it affect you personally? Like, how did you feel now? I was tweaking formal.

SPEAKER_01 13:33

I was tweaking, even though I wasn't one of the people that thought that the sport was my life. Because I was like, I had nothing to do. And I grew up always having something to do. Right. So then I'm like, what do I do with myself? I gotta find a job, I gotta do something. Like now life done came. Right. Like I was just looking at myself, like, what am I doing? You know? Um yeah, you gotta you gotta find something. I think it's important, like, you know, I always think back to when I was a kid, and people always, well, what do you want, what are you gonna be when you grow up? I'm gonna be an athlete. What's your plan B? I'd be like, I don't got no plan B, right? I think that's great to have that mindset, but at the same time, no, you bro, you gotta have a plan B because you can't play sports forever, right? Right. And you a kid, you think, oh, I'll make so much money off of this, but that's not that's not the reality, especially with the sport I chose. You know, it's just now growing into being a profitable sport as a professional athlete, especially past college. So um, no, you gotta have that plan B. You gotta you gotta have other interests. You can't, you can't just be sports.

SPEAKER_02 14:36

See, because you know, me, I never looked at it as a have a plan A or a plan B or anything like that. Even in business, I always just had called it another plan. Yeah, you know, because none of I never ranked them because if one of them is gonna become my life, then of course it's ranked higher. So what if what I call plan B be that, then that's ranked higher. So I always said, you know what I'm saying? Well, you plan to be a yeah. Okay, so what what's your other plan? My other, you know, my my other plan is this. I never, I never was one to have a plan B. I always, you know, another plan. So knowing that, or or with me telling you that, I know you said you wanted to do what what are the what are some of the things that you are doing to make your other plan come to fruition? My other plan. I mean, I know you're doing some things for us, yeah, you know, marketing-wise, but how are you getting yourself out there? You know, I mean, for people that are watching, like, you know, that like you just said, who saw their like thought that they were athletes, like maybe you can tell them how they this might help them figure out how to get themselves out there. So what are you doing to get it?

SPEAKER_01 15:47

For me personally in marketing, I just try and utilize my connections. Um, I always tell people like, I didn't, I didn't do what I should have done, should have done in terms of internships and stuff, so I don't have all the experience that I needed. So then you gotta leverage your your connections and try and get opportunities through them. So that's where I'm at right now. Trying to just work just in general and then find like the um like the specialty, like the coordinator or assistant, stuff like that. Um and and honestly, the people I've talked to, like I'm in my fraternity, so I have people from my fraternity that I can talk to. I was at a leadership conference from my fraternity, and there's this guy, he was the first black army general, like or third major, got some major title in the Marines, right? Like some some crazy type. Um he's speaking, he's talking about stuff, and he's one of those guys, like he's talking to the group, he's gonna call you out, right? He makes people come up. Somehow I get I get called out, and I always try to avoid stuff like this. Like, I just you know, let the people do their thing, you know, whatever. I get called out, and he's like, oh, like, he's like, What do you want to do? I'm like, oh, marketing. He's like, my daughter's in marketing, she she's looking for the XYZ, XYZ. Like, what you gonna do about that? I'm like, huh? And he's like, go back to your seat, right? It's like, all right. So then something happens later where I'm talking to him, and he the whole time he's like, Don't waste your time. You like, these are opportunities, find your opportunity. So, me being the funny guy I am, I see him walking, I'm like, hey man, like you're not gonna be funny about me asking you for your daughter's number, right? And then he like laughs it off. He's like, Yeah, walk with me. He got the he got the general walk. He's speeding. I was walking the other way, so I had to start jogging, catch up to him. And then he set up a group text, and I ended up having a meeting with her, and I actually learned a lot from her. And now that's a connection I have just from just being present in the moment and allowing things to happen.

SPEAKER_02 17:46

Now you know how you move on with that is the way that you do is you let her know the things that you were doing. Yeah. Because now, making that connection, she has connections. Right. And then the connection she has has connections. It's a it's a trickle-down effect. Yeah. You know what I mean? I mean, and and the one thing about it is they have to know that you are actually out here doing what you said you were gonna do. You really serious about this marketing thing because you just said she's the daughter of a general. Right. You know, a Marine Corps general. You know, I'm a Marine, and your brother everybody knows how I am. So I can imagine how he was being a general. Yeah. So she was raised that way. So that's what she expects from you. Yeah. This is just me giving you a little advice. Yeah. She expects if we set up this, I don't expect you to tell me what you're going to do. I expect you to tell me what you're doing as you're doing it. So you need to be keeping in contact with that. Because again, she has connections, who has connections, so on and so forth. Right. You know what I mean? So that's how you stay relevant. Right. And that's how you keep your mind fresh into figuring out what it is you it you want to do exactly with your marketing.

SPEAKER_00 18:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 18:58

And you have to get your put your feet in several different buckets of water. And it sounds like you made a great connection. It's just up to you. And that's how you follow up. Tell her some of the things that you're doing, send her some of the stuff that you and your brother have done with us.

SPEAKER_01 19:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 19:13

So that she sees, you know, because she hears a lot of this. That's our problem. We do a lot of this. We don't do a lot of click. Did you get that? Click. Did you get that? Yeah. You know what I mean? So just a little advice, you know what I mean, from a businessman and also from a cook from a coaching standpoint, our coaching business as well. Yeah. It ain't just a sport. So, you know, just a little thought. Because, you know, you guys are doing some great things for us. And I mean it's I don't understand why you wouldn't brag about it to somebody to a connection like that. And you know, you just said that you don't, you know, you like to play the back row. Well, man, you're about to trying to get goddamn paid.

SPEAKER_01 19:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 19:54

So get out there. You got to sit up in the front row now. Right. Can't sit in the back row. The back row was when everything was paid for for you.

SPEAKER_00 20:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 20:02

Now you got to pay for it. Sit your ass up in the front, bro. You feel me? Yeah. Winning regardless, baby. When in regardless. That's it. Well, I'm glad you came, Joshua. I'm glad we had a talk. Appreciate you having me. Y'all, man. Absolutely. I'm glad we had a talk. I'm glad I was able to spit a little knowledge. And then you also giving my viewers a little bit of knowledge, man, and would love to have you back anytime. And as your marketing career, I can't wait for you to tell me that you sent that general's daughter some of your content. I got you. Next time I'm here. Yeah, super. When is the next time he's gonna be here?

SPEAKER_01 20:37

Nobody knows. Um what's today, the 24th? Yeah. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 20:44

So how about by the 30th? Okay, that's simple. All right, by the 30th. I want to know that you've, you know what I'm saying? Send her some of your content, man. You guys do great work. And again, uh uh people need to see this. This is your other plan. You know what I mean? You need to see your other plan that you're putting your work into to get there. Well, thank you everyone for tuning in to another great episode of Coach Rado's podcast. Winning Regardless. We had a great, great guest today, college wrestler, former college wrestler who's now about to become a marketing specialist because he's not known as a college athlete anymore. Now he's known as a person out here in the workforce. Um, Mr. J or Mr. Joshua Bogan. Thank you for attending, man. Appreciate you. Appreciate you. Yes, sir.