Brian (0s):
Coming up on the Get Lean e Klean podcast,
DJ Trahan (4s):
You know, between that injury. And then my dad actually, at a very young age, only about 55 or 56, had to go in and have open heart surgery. And I remember we were in Hilton Head playing the Heritages, which is where I grew up. And my dad just didn't, started not feeling well. And after that week, we, you know, went, we, my parents went home and, you know, my dad went to the doctor and found out that he had some blockages and needed to go in and have open heart surgery. And something about that just triggered me because my, my dad's father had had a quadruple bypass surgery as well. And I thought, wow, you know, we didn't eat fried chicken and all this other garbage, and we didn't, you know, I thought that we had, you know, the healthy diet.
DJ Trahan (45s):
And, and here, lo and behold, you know, I've had two very close family members, you know, go onto the knife and have open heart surgery. And so it just, it did, it triggered me. It just totally had me start, it just got me to start thinking like, something obviously isn't in alignment here with, with the ideals of what real health or, or, or good health is. And, and that's when I just started reading books about, about diet nutrition. And I made a immediate decision that I needed to change my life at, you know, 30 oh, right around 30 years old, because I was like, if I don't start now, I'm gonna be facing the music.
Brian (1m 24s):
Hello and welcome to the Get Lean EAN podcast. I'm Brian Grn and I'm here to give you actionable tips to get your body back to what it once was, five, 10, even 15 years ago. Each week I'll give you an in-depth interview with a health expert from around the world to cut through the fluff and get you long-term sustainable results. This week I interviewed Health Advocate and PJ Tour winner DJ Trehan. We discussed DJ's experience as a professional golfer, such as playing in the 2008 US Open against Tiger Woods, the Masters with Freddy Couples. And we also touched on the lessons that golf has taught him through the years, how his spirituality changed his life and his golf game.
Brian (2m 5s):
DJ's Healing journey, using plant medicines along with his morning routine and his must-read favorite book. Really enjoyed meeting and interviewing dj, especially during Master's Week. Thought it was a perfect time to release this, and I think he'll gain a lot of insight from him. I really enjoyed it, and I know you will too. Thanks so much for listening and enjoy the show. All right, welcome to the Get Lean ean podcast. My name is Brian grn and I have DJ Trahan on the on the show. Welcome to the show.
DJ Trahan (2m 35s):
Thank you very much.
Brian (2m 36s):
Thanks for coming on PJ Tour. Winner my second, my second PJ Tour guest, so I'm glad to have you on.
DJ Trahan (2m 46s):
Thank
Brian (2m 47s):
You. And if you're a listener to this podcast, you know, I'm an avid golfer, played a little bit in college and so I, I listened to DJ's story on Golf subpar and thought it'd be great to have him on and talk golf, fitness, and a little bit about plant medicines as well. Perhaps maybe let the audience know a little bit about your background. I know you know, you played in Clemson and grew up in Atlanta, is that correct?
DJ Trahan (3m 10s):
Born in Atlanta, grew up in South Carolina, mostly Hilton Head, and then finished a few years of high school before college in the upstate of South Carolina in, in Spartanburg. And then, yeah, went to Clemson, 99 to oh three. Had a great time there. We won the national championship in 2003, which was my senior season. And it was really cool cuz we won with a team that was completely comprised of guys from our home state in South Carolina. So again, I'm not saying that'll never happen again, but with a level of competition in the game today, to be so fortunate to have a group of guys with that kind of talent that were able to win something as significant as the national championship. It was, it was a pretty big blessing for us.
DJ Trahan (3m 51s):
It was, it, it, I don't know if you wanna say it's more special, but it kind of felt, it certainly felt that way to me. And I guess it all kind of depends on how we, we, you know, we feel about the things that occur in our lives. But, you know, I decided to go back that senior year. I was considering turning professional at the time and I just felt like I had something left to finish, you know, and I, and I really, and I really enjoyed college golf. So my, my two reasons were I knew we were good enough that we could win the whole thing. And, and I really loved and appreciated the guys that I played with. And we had a great dynamic and, and, and that's what, you know, brought me back. I thought to myself, you know, God willing, hopefully I'll live a good, a good life. And, and one less, you know, year or so to speak of professional golf, if you will, or the opportunity to play.
DJ Trahan (4m 36s):
It wasn't something that weighed on me enough to, to push me to go the other direction. And all that said, then I embarked on my professional career and one, twice, it's been a long time unfortunately, but life's been what life is. I want to oh six and oh eight out on tour and, and then, you know, life kind of just started going, you know, progressing from there. But it's been a lot of fun, obviously I've been very blessed to have been able to, you know, kind of live my dream. I'd certainly what I, I grew up in Hilton Head with a heritage, the, and at the time it was the MCI I heritage and now it's the R R B C heritage. And it was fun to watch those guys come in every week. You know, it kind of just, it kind of kept watering the seeds of my dream to be a professional golfer.
DJ Trahan (5m 19s):
And with my dad being a PGA professional and a PGA teaching professional, that's certainly how I got started in the game. And so from a very young age, I really, I obviously loved golf and it was something that felt really, really, I felt really called to. So it was, it's been a great, you know, I'm 42 now, so it's been, it's been a lot of fun. It was, it was, it was a little more fun from a playing perspective, you know, say 10 years ago. But, you know, life struggles are always, you know, they're, they're ways for us to, you know, God is kind of showing us what we need to learn in life. And I feel like I've learned a lot and, and I'm just moving forward day-to-day. So it's, it's been a, it's been a great journey so far. It's had its ups, ups and downs as I'm sure everyone can attest to in their lives and, but yeah, it's, it's, it's certainly been a lot of fun.
DJ Trahan (6m 4s):
I mean, there's a lot of other jobs I could see myself doing that I'd be like, yeah, might not have enjoyed myself as much as being able to play golf. So I'm, I'm blessed.
Brian (6m 13s):
Yeah, I mean, it is interesting that you made that decision to stay your senior year and you end up winning the national championship. Yeah. And you, and you see so many kids nowadays, you know, leave early. Yeah. Obviously in other sports for sure. And golf, even now, seeing kids just turn proso early and it's like you only have those times to have those college, you know, experiences and you wish p you know, the kids would perhaps stay, I mean, everyone's got their own situation though, so. Sure,
DJ Trahan (6m 41s):
Sure. I, I, I, I think I kind of saw it again from that perspective of I was not really sacrificing anything. I was just, you know, making a decision and, and, you know, father time, he keeps moving no matter what we do. And I think a lot of people just get this feeling of anxiety and urgency and that's quite all right. You know, that's a decision or a choice that they're making on their journey for whatever reason. Other sports I see. It's very much more so making sense to me because you deal with the, the, the real injuries, right? The, the footballs, the basketballs and things like that where guys are going, you know, I could take one injury in my career could be over, right? And I do have this opportunity, so I wanna take advantage of it. Golf being a little bit less strenuous on the body, you know, if you've got the patience or you have the desire to do something, then I would say do it now.
DJ Trahan (7m 27s):
As, again, for those young kids that either bypass college or leave early, they obviously feel that sense of urgency. I, I just, in that place, I knew I enjoyed, you know, like I said, I knew I enjoyed being with my teammates. I enjoyed the college experience and, and I just felt like I wasn't really sacrificing anything to go back for an extra year. You know, there's, there's always ways to make money and, and sometimes I, I, I feel like if you can take the money out of it and you don't start thinking about, wow, you know, I want to pad my pockets here. I actually want to do something that feels good to my heart, my soul, you know, type situation where I feel where I'm gonna feel some fulfillment. And you come from that place that that's the place where I came from because I did give up, you know, a fair amount of money to, to stay that last year.
DJ Trahan (8m 9s):
And I just put my trust in faith that my game and, and everything would progress and, and I would just, I just said, Hey, I'm, I'm here. We're, you know, coming back to win. And, and even if we hadn't won, I wouldn't have, you know, there's no regret. As soon as I made my decision, I knew it was where I wanted to be and I was extremely at peace and content with it.
Brian (8m 27s):
And originally from Atlanta, I'm, are you excited for the Masters coming up?
DJ Trahan (8m 32s):
Oh, everybody's always excited for the masters. I mean, I don't want to discount any of the other four, other three majors, excuse me. But, you know, Augusta just has that very, that the vibe there is just so special. And, and that's certainly what they aim to create. When Clifford Roberts and Bobby Jones, you know, came up with that grand idea of, of, of this, you know, you know, I mean, I, I fully believe they said we, we want to have the most prestigious, best golf event in the world. And I still think it is. I think, you know, I, many, many, many pros, if you asked them which one they wanted to win, they would take the masters over the other ones. And I know the Europeans might lean a little bit and the foreigners might lean a little bit towards that British open, but Right. And it, cause it is the oldest event in golf.
DJ Trahan (9m 14s):
But that being said, I, I still think the masters has a, a more special feeling than any of the other majors. So it's, it's,
Brian (9m 21s):
And you played and you and you, I'm sorry. And you played it as an amateur, right? I did. And as a, and as a professional. Sure, yeah. Winning the Publix in 2000.
DJ Trahan (9m 30s):
That's correct. Yep. And that was quite an experience as well, obviously that was, I was, I was going from my freshman to sophomore year in college, so I was a sophomore that year, but I won the pub links the summer of my freshman in between freshman and sophomore seasons. And to be 19 years old and, and knowing you're gonna go play the masters is pretty, pretty amazing, amazing feeling.
Brian (9m 53s):
And who were you paired with as an amateur at the Masters?
DJ Trahan (9m 57s):
I was paired with Fred Couples and Stewart Applebee. So that was really cool cuz both those guys are Freddy's certainly one of the most laid back guys that ever played the game professionally and certainly did it quite well, as we all know. And Stewart just has had a really, he was in the peak of his career, so to speak at that point too, which was really cool to play with him when he was kind of playing Yeah. Through his best years and, and he couldn't have been more courteous. I mean the Aussies are all great guys. They seem to just have that laid back vibe as well about in the Australian culture. So they made it super easy for me, so to speak. They were very welcoming of me and I was very appreciative of that.
Brian (10m 35s):
I mean, to be paired with couples at the masters, I mean, he's like owned that event.
DJ Trahan (10m 40s):
Yeah. I mean, how many cuts in a row? 30. Oh, I can, I mean, needless to say, you know, there's horses for, or you know,
Brian (10m 47s):
Horses
DJ Trahan (10m 48s):
For horses or horses for horses. That certainly was Freddy's track. I mean, it almost kind of surprises you as well as he played there that he only won it the one time in 92. But any way you look at it, I mean he, his comfort level there is second to none. I mean, it is, his record is is other than wins, obviously his record is one of the greatest.
Brian (11m 9s):
And, you know, throughout your career, I mean, you've won twice, which is, you know, obviously great accomplishments. There'd be a lot of guys that would love to win once in their career. Sure. What were some of the biggest things that you learned, you know, from those wins? And is there anything that like, you know, maybe you look back like, oh, maybe if I changed this or that I could have maybe won more.
DJ Trahan (11m 31s):
Honestly, if I, if I had, if I had focused more on my golf and not doing silly crap off the golf course, you know, you, you know, the, the world can kind of suck you in with all the distractions. And I, you know, I allowed that for myself. I think I, I think if I could go back, I would've just maybe been a little bit more disciplined. And I think the distractions led to some of my, you know, I don't know, call it the wake up call, you know, the, the, the wake up call from God is the way I like to refer to it as. But you know, it was one of those things where, you know, I wasn't doing crazy stuff by any means off the golf course, but I, I was allowing myself to proverbially enjoy the fruits of my labor too much.
DJ Trahan (12m 11s):
You know, I, I, instead of being really focused on what my, my real desires were through golf, I was, I was allowing kind of a, a little bit of that, you know, that that wild, crazy, you know, play taking place off the golf course to, to get me in. And again, I'm not gonna go back and have any regrets cuz as soon as we have regrets, we're dealing with feelings of guilt and shame and things like that. And, and we'd all do ourselves a favor not to put ourselves through that if we, if we can, if we can choose that. But I would make those changes. And again, I don't regret anything I did, I, other than I just would've, you know, probably slowed down and just said, you know, what am I really trying to accomplish here? And it's, you know, I was able to win twice and I did have some really nice accomplishments in my career and I'm still trying, obviously I'm not where I, I would like to be professionally right now, but, you know, I'm, I'm a different person and, and I'm grateful for that.
DJ Trahan (13m 4s):
And, and I also think that if I hadn't have gone through my struggles, then I know I wouldn't be in the place, in the space that I am right now. So I'm, I'm, I've actually, I can actually look at my struggles now if you want to. I, I don't know how, how people like to refer to those things in their life, but setbacks, struggles, awakenings, whatever you want to call it. I'm grateful for those things, you know, it's, I know that's what I needed to be where I am on my journey now, so I can't look back on it with any, with any of those feelings of, of, of, you know, negative feelings.
Brian (13m 35s):
And for you, growing up with golf, was it something you see different guys, some, for some guys it just comes easy. Yeah. Was was that, was that for you or was it someone that you, or were you someone that just like grinded it out, just, you know, practiced? Oh,
DJ Trahan (13m 51s):
I think a little bit of both. I mean, I worked hard, right? And I had a, I had an incredible support in my father. He's being a teacher. So from a very young age, right after I could start walking my dad being at the golf course every day with his job, you know, I spent a tremendous amount of time at the golf course and I, I, I don't like to discredit anyone's journey by saying it comes easy. Nothing ever comes easy to the top of whatever chosen field that you have. It is easier for some than others, but there's no such thing as easy, like, if life was easy, my goodness, we'd all be walking around high fiving everybody and there wouldn't be any pain or suffering in the world. So, you know, it's, I, I had to work, there's no question about it. And for all the kids or anyone out there that's trying to, you know, find their passion or they have found their passion, you know, you have to cultivate that.
DJ Trahan (14m 40s):
You can't just wake up and, and take a deep breath and be like, huh, it's gonna, you know, I'm gonna have it today. It's, you know, I'm, this is cakewalk. It just, it just isn't the way that life is. And so, yeah, I worked hard, but I was blessed, you know, God gave me talent and I was able to harness it and, and, and take it to the top level. Yeah. And again, you have to work, but there's no question that I was gifted with some talent and it was, you know, it, it obviously meant to be a part of my journey.
Brian (15m 10s):
What was like one experience through golf that, like, you look back and you remember like, wow, that was a really cool experience.
DJ Trahan (15m 17s):
Hmm. Well, I mean, when you talk about golf, you're talking about the competition of it, the life aspects. I think I'm more grateful for just the overall life lessons that golf gave me. Golf being a gentleman's game. I mean, I specifically remember several times as a kid when my dad had to pull me aside and be like, you know, there's a lesson to be learned here, so to speak, when I was acting out of line or, or, or doing things. And, and so I learned a lot of life lessons about how you're supposed to act, how you're supposed to treat people, honesty, integrity, things like that. And I've certainly have made mistakes in my life being human, but you know, the foundation for, for what I feel was who I am in life came from my dad and from golf.
DJ Trahan (16m 2s):
And, and when you learn, when you have that solid foundation to start it, you know, that was very important for my development and my growing and who I was to become as a person. And again, I'm flawed and I've made many mistakes, but I think the foundation was always very solid. Having a great dad who supported me, you know, wasn't, wasn't pushing me, wasn't grinding on me, wasn't, you know, yelling at me. He's, he was always there loving me and supporting me. And, and I feel like that that more importantly than anything, my dad would be the one who, who really set the stage for me. And I'm, I'm more grateful for that than anything because again, as kids, we're gonna become, you know, we're going to be molded into what our day-to-day environment looks like.
DJ Trahan (16m 46s):
Whether it's your friends, your family, you know, you know, my dad always said, be careful who you hang out with. You know, that's gonna have a tremendous influence on you. And I certainly made some mistakes in that department as well. But for the most part, with his guidance, I feel like I did a, a decent job with, with, you know, making the right choices most of the time.
Brian (17m 6s):
Yeah. You, as you're talking here, you remind me like, cuz I'm a high school golf coach, I, I just do it for fun, but I do it, you know, it's a couple months out of the year and I'm thinking to myself, and this may be, it's something you've thought of already, but maybe have you thought about getting into coaching at, at some level?
DJ Trahan (17m 23s):
It's, it's interesting where my journey is at right now. I don't know. Okay. Do I think I could do a good job coaching? I believe I could. I believe I could. Yeah, no, obviously I, the game's been a, a part of my life or my whole life, so I know a tremendous amount about golf. And I do think that with my dad being a golf coach, I know a lot about the golf swing and I believe, and I, I think there's a lot of coaches out there that just read a book or do something and, and they, and they all of a sudden, you know, golf, you really don't have to, you know, know anything. You know, you go see a heart surgeon and you're like, okay man, where'd you go to medical school? What'd you do? You know, I mean, there's certain, there's many professions. You're not gonna go see some lawyer who's doesn't know what, you know, you're gonna want to see some credibility behind what they're trying to provide for you.
DJ Trahan (18m 4s):
Golf really is this game where you nowadays you can pick up your phone and start an Instagram account and somehow convince people that you know how to teach the game. And that makes me wanna laugh till I pee my pants because golf is hard and I'm like, I, I'm one of those people, like, especially with golf, I wanna see credibility. Like, like how can you be a top coach if you can't even break 80? Right. You know, it's like there's, it's one thing to be like what you're talking about being a high school coach and if you're just guiding these kids and trying to teach them, you know, the, the, the, the, the the lessons and stuff. Yeah. The lessons the core of, of the game. But when it comes down to like, hey, we're gonna teach somebody how to chip or putt or swing the club Yeah.
DJ Trahan (18m 44s):
And do it the most efficiently, cuz it, it, you know, golf is this massive game of what my dad always says, golf is a game of like angles and errors and it's like, like in life, you know, the bird flies a straight line if it can, right? Like we always say take the easiest route and if you're, and if you're learning the game and you're, and you're one unsure of why you're doing what you're doing or you are, you, you know, you, you don't really have any foundational knowledge behind it. You're just taking somebody's word. I just don't, I, that just doesn't resonate with me. Like, I like to, I like to feel like there's empirical evidence, so to speak. You know? And my dad used, he studied the body and, and how it should be moving and, and you know, what the most efficient ways to swing the club were.
DJ Trahan (19m 28s):
And he went and he saw physicists and people that, you know, knew about the human body and the way it was supposed to move in its most efficient way. And those are the foundational things that I think need to be taught in the game as far as, you know, this is our approach, you know, I mean because golf is, every shot is different, you know, it's like when I tell people when you go play tennis or baseball or basketball or football, the field, the field parameters are set, the rules are just like, everything about the game is set with golf. It's like, okay, how hard is the wind blowing in this moment? Am I hitting a seven iron? Am I hitting a four iron? I mean, it is quite frankly one of the most difficult games to get good at. And so with it being that difficult, you know, again, not being the most physical game, but just as far as getting good at it is concerned.
DJ Trahan (20m 15s):
I mean it takes a a lot of time, but the more disciplined you are and the more devoted you are to a particular, you know, swing or path when you're, when you're doing it, I think that's imperative. Cuz otherwise, I mean, a lot of people start the game and they quit it. Why? Because it's so frustrating. They're like, why do I, why is this taking so long to get any improvement or I'm not improving at all. And I think a lot of it is because there's just, unlike other sports, there's a set parameter in golf now there's thousands of teachers and everyone's teaching something different. So there's no, there's no real gauge as to who's right and who's wrong and how do you, like how did you even come to that conclusion that what you're teaching and telling me to do.
DJ Trahan (20m 57s):
And so yeah, I mean I, I I think I could be a good coach for sure, but I don't know if it's in, I don't know if I'm called to it. If I am, I'll, I'll approach
Brian (21m 5s):
That. And when I meant coach, I meant like, like, like, like Clemson or something, you know, like, oh
DJ Trahan (21m 10s):
Geez. Like in
Brian (21m 12s):
Oh,
DJ Trahan (21m 12s):
I thought you were referring to like a swing coach or something like that?
Brian (21m 14s):
No, not well, yeah, no, just I think like, just like coaching like a co college or even just high school or, you know, I think you yeah, I I could see you doing that, but
DJ Trahan (21m 24s):
Oh, thank you. I appreciate that. Yeah, I think I can do a good job doing that. Well, I mean I've experienced it on all those levels, right? Right.
Brian (21m 31s):
Yeah, exactly.
DJ Trahan (21m 31s):
And, and experience is very important. I'm not saying that you can't just jump in and want to be a college coach, but I played college golf with some guys that are now college coaches. I mean, it only made sense. My college coach, Larry Penley, he played at Clemson, he tried to play professionally and decided it wasn't for him and got an offer to come back to Clemson and coach the golf team and he took it. So, you know, yeah. I, I think I could do a good job doing that, doing that.
Brian (21m 55s):
What do you remember from your experience in the US Open 2008.
DJ Trahan (22m 0s):
Oh
Brian (22m 1s):
Wow. Tied just for people you tied for fourth. Yeah, yeah. Tiger one and a playoff with Rocco. What do you remember about that week that sort of stood out?
DJ Trahan (22m 10s):
Well, obviously my game was in a good space that week, finishing fourth. And I was just, I remember being, being calm, but yet, you know, obviously when you're in the mix in a major, the adrenaline's pumping. But I had a, I had a nice balance of both that week and, and again that came with the confidence that I had in my game at the time. I was playing some really good golf at the time and I had won, I had won earlier that year in Palm Springs and was having what would end up being the best year I had on tour. And you know, a lot of times, you know, all athletes talk about flow and, and, and anyone in life when you're experiencing flow, it's, it's quite a, a beautiful feeling and it's quite a beautiful experience. And and that year for me was a lot of flow.
DJ Trahan (22m 52s):
You know, I, I needless to say, the distractions were not, you know, getting the best of me. And I was really, you know, with, with the way I was playing, I was very focused. And, and that particular week, it was just really exciting. I tell people, I mean, I remember on Saturday we played 13, the par five and honestly I can't even remember what I made on the hole that day. What I remember is we're
Brian (23m 15s):
Saying this is at Tori, right?
DJ Trahan (23m 16s):
Tori At Tori, yeah. So it's, it's a super long straightaway par five on the
Brian (23m 20s):
Background.
DJ Trahan (23m 20s):
Yeah. And we're standing on the green and I happen to be, the pin was in the front, so I was standing behind the hole and Tiger was playing right behind us. And I'll never forget it cuz I, you see the fans obviously lining the fairway on the right side. You can't get to the other side of the fairway just because it's inaccessible. And, and, and so everyone's on the right side of the fairway and then you just see this mob of people going like 30, at least 30 yards right. Of the fairway. So I'm like, okay, tiger has just blocked this T-ball miles, right? Yeah. So he gets over there, typical case, he's blocked it far enough right where he is got a lie that he can, you know, get a club on it and a lie is actually good enough that he's going for the green in two. And I'm like, and and of course I don't know this at the time, I'm seeing the replay later, but I'm thinking to myself, oh geez, you know, that's gotta be a pitch out over there cuz it's us open hay, right?
DJ Trahan (24m 9s):
And like I said, surely enough he gets to lie and he bombs it right to the back of the green on the fringe. And that's, he made that and the pin was right in the front. And I tell people, I'm like, these greens are running 13 and this putt is downhill all the way. And if he hits that putt 10 feet past the hole, it's gonna go off the front of the green and roll down the hill a hundred and something yards cuz it's just straight downhill all the way down to a, like a bowl or a collection area that's over, like it's at least a hundred yards. This ball goes 80, 80 minimum. And I'm like, and then so we go, we finish the hole and we're teeing off on 14 and as we're walking past the 13th green, like we just get past the green and tiger makes that bong.
DJ Trahan (24m 50s):
And I tell people to this day, I like, just like braced myself cuz I thought that the, like we were gonna fall down the cliff in the ocean. I mean it was an earthquake and, and I mean for the people that were there that day, I'm, I'm sure they remember that moment if they were there watching it. And it is, it was just electric, you know. And I, and, and when you look over the, this grand scheme of things of how the tournament unfolds at no time and I I, you know, did Tiger win? Yes. Did he play the best golf? No. I mean, like I said, he, if he, if something crazy happens there, I mean he's, he's grabbing his sand wedge and playing his fourth back up to the green and he makes the putt and then he goes to 17 and he hits the, hits that chip and everybody remembers it cuz he just puts his hands in his, in his head and he just starts laughing cuz he knows when it hit Oh right, hit like bounced and hit the flagstick like a couple feet up on the flag stick or whatever and then dropped right in the hole.
DJ Trahan (25m 43s):
And I tell people, I'm like, think about how these things unfold over the course of four rounds, like what it takes to win a golf tournament. And in Tiger's case, I mean he had this magical ability to just have these incredible momentum swinging moments that just always kept giving him the momentum he needed to progress. And, and, and then of course he wins the playoff with Rocco. But I mean, I just remember that moment and, and I honestly thought I'd need, I need a pair of swimmers or something cuz I'm about to be in the Pacific Ocean right now. It was, but it was magical. It was a great week and that was the kind of energy that really was there the whole week because you know, with Tiger being in the hunt California, he's from Southern California and it's, and it's tiger man.
DJ Trahan (26m 23s):
I mean, when he's in the mix in a major and you're in the mix and a major, you're gonna be amongst some, some absolute madness. Just so because of the way people react to Tiger when he is, when he is playing golf.
Brian (26m 35s):
Who'd you play with on the, in the final round? You
DJ Trahan (26m 37s):
Remember? I believe it was Hunter Mayhan and I played together on Sunday. Yeah. Okay.
Brian (26m 41s):
And Hunter, he's around. I'm 42. You're 40, is he 42 ish in
DJ Trahan (26m 46s):
41. I believe Hunter's a year younger. He's either 40 or 41, but he's a year or two younger than I am. So we're very much the same age. Yeah. So it was a good pairing for us. Hunter played, hunter and I played a lot in college together cuz Oh, he was at Oklahoma State and they had an incredibly good golf team. So we saw each other at a lot of events and we were paired together a lot. So Hunter and I played a fair amount of golf together, so it was a very comfortable pairing for me that Sunday. Yeah.
Brian (27m 8s):
Is Hunter still going at it or
DJ Trahan (27m 10s):
Is he? As far as I know, no, I think Hunter is not playing. I don't know if he's taking a permanent break for the game or a partial break, but Okay. I haven't seen him in a while.
Brian (27m 18s):
Okay. So, you know, I want touch on sort of your journey and now I know you're big into health and we talk a lot about health and fitness on this podcast. Sure. You know, maybe tell us, I know you've, you went through your career and did you have an injury? I did. And so maybe explain it and maybe when you sort of hit rock bottom and how you sort of came out of that.
DJ Trahan (27m 43s):
Yeah. Well my original injury happened around like oh nine, 2010 and more actually probably 2000. Yeah, I think maybe it was oh nine or 2010, obviously that's at least 13 years ago now. So I, you know, those are things we don't wanna remember either very deeply, you know, you kind of just want to reflect on it, but Right. I had a bat lower back injury and it just kept reoccurring and, you know, I I I fully believe now that it was, it was, it was something that I needed in my life. It was, it's unfortunate, right? I mean, obviously it wouldn't, I, from a selfish perspective, wouldn't I like to look back and say, oh, I never got hurt and I just kept playing great golf and I was still playing great golf. Now o obviously that would be ideal from a oh man, look at what I, what I would've wanted or could have accomplished.
DJ Trahan (28m 26s):
But, you know, between that injury. And then my dad actually at a very young age, only about 55 or 56 had to go in and have open heart surgery. And I remember we were in Hilton Head playing the heritages, which is where I grew up. And my dad just didn't, started not feeling well. And after that week we, you know, went, we, my parents went home and, you know, my dad went to the doctor and found out that he had some blockages and needed to go in and have open heart surgery. And something about that just triggered me because my, my dad's father had had a quadruple bypass surgery as well. And I thought, wow, you know, we didn't eat fried chicken and all this other garbage and we didn't, you know, I thought that we had, you know, the quote unquote healthy diet and, and here, low and behold, you know, I've had two very close family members, you know, go under the knife and have open heart surgery.
DJ Trahan (29m 17s):
And so it just, it did, it triggered me. It just totally had me start, it just got me to start thinking like, something obviously isn't in alignment here with, with the ideals of what real health or, or, or good health is. And, and that's when I just started reading books about, about diet nutrition. And I made a immediate decision that I needed to change my life at, you know, 30 oh right around 30 years old because I was like, if I don't start now, I'm gonna be facing the music. And you know, I, I know that we're all gonna take our last breath at some point. But I believe if we live intentionally and we take care of our bodies and we show our bodies the respect that they deserve and and honor life the way we should be honoring it and not be selfish and just be like, I'm eating the cheeseburgers and the ice cream and whatever other garbage junk food that is now available to us, then you can live your best life.
DJ Trahan (30m 9s):
And maybe when you are taking your last breath, it's just because it, it is what it is and it's not because you've neglected yourself and just absolutely, you know, decimated this, this vessel that you've been blessed with. So I, I just, again, that's what happened for me and, and, and I, and I had the physical aspect of having to try to get my back and my physical body healthy. And then I just had that, that that yearning for the quote unquote longevity in living a healthy lifestyle so that I could live a life that that wasn't, you know, bothered by unnecessary, you know, poor health. Because again, when your health does get poor, it's, it's that much more difficult to get it back.
DJ Trahan (30m 50s):
I'm not saying it. And then there's the people that they don't ever get that chance, they dropped out of a heart attack at 40, 50, whatever years old, 60 years old, and who's to say how much more life they could have possibly given themselves if they'd have made some better choices around their, you know, nutrition, health, wellness, fitness and, and getting in there and moving the body and, and giving it proper nutrition.
Brian (31m 12s):
And so you got into, so you started getting into health when you were in your thirties. Yeah. And did you ever fully, do you feel like you ever fully recovered from the back injury?
DJ Trahan (31m 20s):
I still have moments, yeah. You know, I, I do, I mean, I still have moments where it tweaks or whatever, but is it a thousand percent better or however many percent better short, I'm doing much better on that and that's because I've, I've put in my time and I've made the effort. I think if I had just gone into some sort of thing of like, oh, okay, it's, you know, I got the M R I and they said my spine is fine, so I'm sure I'll be okay. I just need to, you know, be careful and rest. No, I mean I went after it and I started strengthening myself and right. And doing the things that I could do to do the best for myself to prevent it from happening. And again, it does still happen from time to time, but it's far less now and it's at a lesser degree and my recovery is faster and, and, and so i, I know that I made the right decisions.
Brian (32m 7s):
And what's your experience, I know you talked a little bit about on golf subpar regarding, you know, plant medicine, and you're starting to hear this more and more actually. Yeah. Daniel Carillo few years back started a company with Sauna, which is, you know, plant medicine company. And I think he actually recently just sold it. But I was just curious, what was your experience with plant medicine and how it sort of, you know, your healing journey with that,
DJ Trahan (32m 35s):
If you don't mind my asking, what kind of plant medicine was company, are you talking about just herbs and things like that? Just like tonics and herbs or
Brian (32m 43s):
Cicilline like,
DJ Trahan (32m 45s):
Oh, mushrooms, psilocybin. Yeah.
Brian (32m 47s):
Sic yeah.
DJ Trahan (32m 48s):
Yeah. So my, my journey, my journey with plant medicine started in 2019 and I had a conversation with, with a guy I knew, and it was actually at the Barbasol Championship and we were kind of talking about life and I found my way to plant medicine because I felt this a yearning in my soul that I was missing the boat on something in life. You know, like the, the proverbial, you know, what is the purpose of life? What does all this mean? I just felt like I was in this place of, you know, even with, even with my golf and wherever I was, it wasn't like I was, you know, about to be homeless on the street or anything by any means. I just knew that I was, I was empty in a way that I, I I, I didn't understand it and I didn't know what it was.
DJ Trahan (33m 32s):
And, and I just thought to myself like, why do I feel this way? And why, you know, I, my, my life looks great, right? And, and everything feels good to me. And I think, and, and it was just all these unanswered and, and and empty feelings that I was, that I couldn't process. You know, in life we want, I, I feel like we always wanna feel like we can come to a general understanding of whatever it is we're experiencing, whether it's a feeling of pleasure, pain, joy, whatever it is. It's like, okay, I wanna feel like I can wrap my, my consciousness around it and come from a place of, okay, I can, I can see this, feel it, experience it, and then move forward with my life. And I just felt empty. And, you know, so for me it was obviously God and, and, and my lack of, of, of knowing that part of my, my journey and, and seeing things from a soul perspective.
DJ Trahan (34m 23s):
And I was living my life through this kind of e ego-driven, you know, just day-to-day moment to moment thing. And so it, it's very hard to actually process deep, you know, deep knowings of yourself if you're just thinking about, and you're letting everything outside of you control your thoughts and your actions. And so, I mean, I wasn't like da going like down a downward spiral, so to speak, by any means, but I just didn't, I just didn't understand what it was all about. I'm like, what, what is, what the hell am I even doing here? You know, what is going on? What is life all about? And, and he started mentioning how he had gone to a place called Arrhythmia in Costa Rica, and he sat with a plant medicine called Ayahuasca.
DJ Trahan (35m 5s):
And, and he said it was incredible how the medicine just showed him at that soul level, you know, like who he was. And it was like the pain and the suffering and the things that we put ourselves through, it kind of, it created a space for him that allowed him to see it from its authentic perspective where he could actually process it and release it and let it go so that he could make space for the things that really matter in life. And, and I'm at a point on my journey where the things that really matter are living with that intentionality of like a soul's journey. Not this idea of, oh, life is my own, you know, Ooh, this is my life and I get to live it the way I want to live it.
DJ Trahan (35m 46s):
And it's like, no, I mean, if you have any level of spirituality about you or you believe in God or, or infinite creator, or, you know, in the east they call God Brahman. I mean, every religion has a name for God. But it's like, you know, if you have that sense of, oh, oh, I'm just a soul wearing a bo you know, living in a body right now, and this is an eternal journey, not just this, how many years am I living life? And I, and, and it kind of takes you back to that idea of, well, you know, you came into this world with nothing and you're gonna leave with nothing. So what are you really accomplishing when you're chasing trophies, money, cars, houses, all this, all this stuff that is, you know, everyone thinks they need to accomplish in life. And I, I, I think I, I know at this point that what my s what what that inner emptiness and that inner calling for me was my soul.
DJ Trahan (36m 33s):
Like waking me up and going, you know, all that stuff is, you know, live your life, right? You have to live in the world, but don't be of the world. You know, don't, don't determine your, your success in life on how much money you have in your bank account or how many card, like I said, all the, all the material things that are outside of you. It's really about how much peace and how much clarity and how much joy, you know, all those things truly come from within. So when you seek it in that car or that house, it's not something that's permanent. It's not going to be an eternal feeling of joy or an eternal feeling of happiness that you can have in your being. And that's what I was missing. And I, and I, and it gave me just this unbelievable feeling of emptiness, like I said, and, and, and that's my authentic truth.
DJ Trahan (37m 17s):
And I think it scares a lot of people because they start, if you start thinking from within instead of from this, what am I chasing? All these external goals, then you, you know, it's, it, it, it just changes your perspective. I'm not saying don't go out there and try and, and chase down the things that you feel good about, the things that you feel called to. But when you do it from a soul's perspective and not an ego perspective, it changes your outlook on it. It changes the way you see it. You know, when you're doing and you're living and you're acting from that spiritual place, from that place of, of, of God, if you will, then you're, you're in alignment with kind of that divine will, that divine way. And it, and it does change the way you see, feel and experience life and the way that you approach anything that you do.
DJ Trahan (38m 4s):
And like I said, my soul was just calling me to that, and I found my way to ayahuasca, it changed my life. I felt the energy of the ceremony. I mean, there's 80 other people sitting there, and I'm thinking to myself, wow, look at all these people that are p obviously are feeling very much the same feeling that I have. They're, they're experiencing this wound within themselves that no money, no car, no success is going to, is going to help them through. I mean, cuz you know, it's not a cheap to go to arrhythmia. So it's not like somebody's just, you know, strolling on arrhythmia, grabbing a cup of ayahuasca and drinking it. I mean, these people are taking time, they're spending a lot of money because they unders they, they have this calling within themselves to, to search deeper and to, to, to go in and, and, and go into that space within themselves that that's calling for, for that love, that compassion, that empathy that they haven't been able to find or give themselves.
DJ Trahan (38m 58s):
And that was me. I mean, I was, I was running myself through the, through the muck and the mere and the guilt and the shame and all these things. And I'm like, I didn't, I just knew that that wasn't, I didn't have to put myself through that, but I couldn't figure out how to stop it. And once I found that space with the plant medicine with, and I, and I've sat with many other plant medicines and, and, and, and even toad medicine at this point, and each and every one has given me a beautiful gift and a beautiful blessing, but more importantly, it's brought me back to this place of that innocent child, right? Like I, I, I, I see white children have so much joy in their life, especially in their younger years because they have that innocence.
DJ Trahan (39m 38s):
They haven't been tainted by their egos and by life and by thinking they have to chase the car, the house, all the things I was telling you about or, or their life has no meaning or doesn't have value. And it's like, you're perfectly created and then we stink it up by thinking we have to, you know, chase down all these things that ultimately don't mean anything. When you take your last breath, you're leaving with what you came with and you're just a soul on a journey. So anyways, I know that's like really deep I guess, but I love the depth of it because before I found my way back to God, I, I was living honestly what I felt was a very superficial life. And I didn't, and it didn't have the real meaning and purpose that I, I I yearn for.
DJ Trahan (40m 20s):
And so I'm very grateful for everything that's come in my life's path, but I, I don't see life like I used to at all, and I never will. And I, you know, my journey is about, about deepening my spirituality now, not about, you know, going with the flow, so to speak, or chasing down what, you know, what I thought once meant something to me or, or impressing people. I'm like, man, every time you try to impress someone, you gotta remember they're on their own journey too. And, and it's like, what are you really do if you're trying to please other people? What are you doing for yourself? You know, I mean, it, it's, it's such a false identity of, of what can truly fulfill you and make you happy. And it's like as long as you can be peaceful and joyful and happy with what's transpiring within you, then you, you can take comfort in knowing that you're in a good place.
DJ Trahan (41m 9s):
And if someone wants to ridicule you or give you grief about it, you gotta remember that's just where they are on their journey. That's their projection of how they see you and they're projecting it onto you. So it has nothing to do with you. And I used to be so worried about satisfying everyone else thinking it would satisfy me, and now I'm like, no, I need to take care of me. And the people that are meant to, you know, resonate with me, me, and vibrate with me. Those will be the people that come into my life. And I'll be able to be so much more grateful for that than just trying to do something to make people look at me and be like, oh look, he's doing so well, or he's cool, or whatever, however you want to, you know, term it, it just doesn't make any sense to me anymore.
Brian (41m 50s):
Yeah, no, thank you for sharing that. Yeah. Yeah. Cuz you know, you sharing that story if someone else hears that, you know, that might change their lives, you know, it's like this ripple effect.
DJ Trahan (42m 1s):
Yeah, I always say it. I mean waves, you know, a tidal wave doesn't just come about, right? There's a vibration underneath the surface, and then that little tiny ripple, if it's, if it, if the, if the vibration below the surface is strong enough can become a massive wave. And that's, and that's what people refer to as the waves of change. And I think that the world is moving in that direction. I think that people are starting to wake up and realize that chasing all this, all this outward stuff is never going to give you peace, and it's never going to bring that everlasting peace and joy and bliss and whatever other high vibrational feeling that you really, that we all deserve to have in our lives. That's the thing. We all deserve it.
DJ Trahan (42m 41s):
You know, misery is a choice. Just like, and, and anger is a choice and, and, and shame and guilt are choices. You're like choosing to believe those things about yourself. But I believe that when you go back to spirit to source, like, and go within that you don't, you know, you were created perfectly. Every single human being has a soul within them. And it, and your soul is perfect and life just throws all of this delusion and all this, all this, all this craziness at you, all this outside noise, right? It's like the flashlight, right? Like the blinking lights and the noise. And if you can go within and quiet the mind and just go within and feel that peace. Holy crap, dude.
DJ Trahan (43m 20s):
It's incredible. I meditate every day now and it's my, my, it's my favorite time of the day because I'm just with myself and it's quiet and it, and it's just amazing the power of silence. You know, I, I literally, I played a Monday qualifier the other day and I told my, I saw that, yeah, I, I said, I'm not gonna say an entire word the entire round. And I don't know how the guys in my group interpreted that, and I honestly don't care because it was for me, not for them, you know? But most people, if you don't say a word or speak, they're gonna be like, oh, what a jerk. I mean, this guy isn't even saying good shot. It's like, do you need me to tell you good shot to confirm how you need to feel about your golf shot? But it was the most peaceful round of golf I've ever had.
DJ Trahan (44m 2s):
And unfortunately I didn't Monday qualify, but I played great and I was in this space of just quiet and peace and, and I, I just, it just felt incredible. And I'm learning on my journey that if you can quiet the noise for me, if I can quiet the noise, everything just feels so much more perfect and peaceful and, and, and, and, and I'm content, you know, I'm not, I'm not like anx, you know, it, it reduces that, that an that can just run with you through your day if you're always trying, oh, I need to do this and I need you to do that. Do you really? I don't know, do you? Right. So that's again, and I mean I've sat with, I, I've sat with ayahuasca, I've sat with psilocybin on a deep level.
DJ Trahan (44m 46s):
I've sat with Iboga, which is absolute warrior medicine that taught me more than I can even imagine. And I only sat with that medicine once cuz it's so intense. And I've sat When you,
Brian (44m 57s):
When you said you, when you say you sit with it, like, is that you're obviously ingesting it and just sitting there or, or
DJ Trahan (45m 6s):
Like Yeah, when I say sit, that's like holding space that's like, you're in the space of the medicine. So like in Ayahuasca you go to a ceremony and everyone that's there is obviously drinking the medicine. When you, when you do bufo, bufo is towed medicine. They refer to it as the god particle or the God molecule. And the, the, the, the real irony of bufo, oh, like the, the, the, the, the funny joke of Bufo is that you can take any atheist in the world and if they smoke bufo, they'll now, they will no longer be an atheist. If they call it the God molecule, it takes you into this space of just divine, I call it like a divine chamber. And you just feel the, you feel the energy of God and this space and, and you know, again, like there's people that are gonna watch your podcast that probably think I've lost my mind.
DJ Trahan (45m 52s):
And I'm like, I hope I have. Because in losing my mind, I feel like I found it. Because if you asked me four or five, 10 years ago, you know, if you started describing these, these medicines and these and these modalities, to me, I would've looked at you just like everyone else who was, you know, li going through life and been like, what a what a drug year, what a, you know, what a what? That sounds crazy. But again, that conversation I had with Taylor in 2019, it literally immediately the way he described his experience with the medicine and what it gave to him, I just, it just immediately resonated with me and my soul was like, yes, you need to go do this. When
Brian (46m 29s):
Did you do it? When did you,
DJ Trahan (46m 31s):
December, 2019 was the first time I sat with Ayahuasca my first time I sat with plant medicine. But I have seen, not only for myself, but again, in a lot of these ceremonies, there's a lot of other people there. I have seen healing on levels that you can't even imagine. My wife is ayahuasca is her medicine, and she loves it. And it has given her so much healing in her life from, from, from so many in so many different ways. And it, it, it, you just, again, I tell people it's like, you know, you can go and drink two bottles of wine and numb out doing that, or go and do, you know, go and, you know, you know, go find your friends and do a bunch of cocaine and, and do that. And I'm like, sure. That's what a lot of people do, but you're just numbing.
DJ Trahan (47m 11s):
You're not healing. These medicines create a space for you to go within and they actually bring real healing. And again, I think the same thing about pharmaceuticals. I think that antidepressants, they don't heal you. I, I, I've had friends come, I've had friends come out here to visit me specifically in the past month and a half to sit with Bufo. And, you know, they were on the, they were on that, that antidepressant, and they still felt miserable and they still felt depressed and Right. All that's doing is numbing, you know? Sure. Is it giving you some relief? I'm not gonna discount the fact that by numbing your depression, that it might not help you on your journey. But if you're really looking to heal, you have to be able to go within and find some sort of peace.
DJ Trahan (47m 54s):
And no pharmaceutical narcotic that you're taking for, for depression is going to actually let you release this, this, this idea and this and this, this feeling and this and this definition that you've created for yourself about this is my life and I'm miserable. And I have seen healing and felt it myself personally on levels I can't even describe. Again, I tell people, you have to face your shadows. If you're ever going to, to, to heal and to face your shadows, you have to take a big drink from the cup of courage because you're, you know, that that's your darkness. And people don't like to stare into their darkness. I know I was one of them for a long time.
DJ Trahan (48m 35s):
I avoided it. I didn't want to acknowledge it and admit it, but I was feeling it. And w the day that I drank that first cup of ayahuasca was the beginning of my journey, home of, of understanding, you know, what of of my journey, of, of re-understanding. And, and, and, and going back to the, the source, I guess if you would call it, of, of what I truly am at my core, which again, is, like I said earlier, it's like you're a soul, you know, wearing this human meat suit and it's going, and that meat suit has an expiration date. But your soul is eternal and your soul is always within you calling to you saying, come home, come home, come home. Remember who you are, remember who you are.
DJ Trahan (49m 14s):
It's just whether or not we allow ourselves to turn the volume up high enough that we actually answer the call. And when you do have the courage to answer the call, you know, and again, I'm not saying plant medicine is the only way, but plant medicine for me, it, it brought me back to God because it gave me the ability to let go of these things, to make space for God to come back into my life. And, and, you know, I was blocking God for a long time. I mean, I grew up Catholic and I still blocked God. And I didn't, I didn't acknowledge it. I was living that selfish, ego-driven existence in my life, and did it make me a bad person? I really truly, no, I wasn't a bad person. I just was unhappy and I was unfulfilled and I felt empty.
DJ Trahan (49m 57s):
And now I'm starting to fill, you know, now I'm filling my cup up more and more daily, so to speak. And I'm doing it with spirit, not with, you know, like I said, be living in the world, but not being of the world. And again, there's many plant medicines. I mean, ayahuasca is one that seems to be getting a lot of traction and it, it's becoming very popular. But again, I've sat with many others and they're all incredible. And they all just have their own beautiful way of creating that space within you and making that space available for you to heal and to you to, to move forward on your journey in a, in a progressive positive way.
Brian (50m 32s):
Yeah. And like, where do you get these from?
DJ Trahan (50m 37s):
Well, it's like anything you have to,
Brian (50m 39s):
Is there like an underground market?
DJ Trahan (50m 41s):
Go to the convenience store, you know, I mean, ayahuasca's, you can go online and you can find retreats and Brith me is online. There's other, you know, many people travel to South America cuz that's where the medicine is from, you know, Peru, Columbia, Brazil, I mean these and these people, these indigenous cultures have been using this medicine and sitting with this medicine for thousands of years. I mean, this isn't something that somebody just whipped up in the jungle the other day. I mean, this stuff is been around for a long time. And it just like the Native Americans, right, these people live for spirit, right? Their, their day-to-day lives revolved around great spirit or God and, and everything they did from their traditions to their ceremonies, to everything.
DJ Trahan (51m 21s):
And you know, they understood that it was about that eternal journey. And, you know, ayahuasca, you have to mix a vine with a leaf and then brew it. And that's how the medicine is comes together and, or, or, or is formulated so to speak. Or, and, and, and so it's a process. And I tell people, I'm like, that didn't just happen. Some guy didn't walk through the jungle and find a cup of ayahuasca sitting there. You know, God directed, you know, someone from those indigenous cultures to that tree, to that vine and then to that leaf. And, you know, and I mean, I fully believe that there was a vision, just like people talk about having dreams that feel real, that happened for those people. And it led them to this incredible medicine that has provided an enormous amount of healing for, you know, many people, for many, many years.
Brian (52m 8s):
And what's your routine like now? Like obviously that was 2019, and your experience with that, obviously you talk about meditation. What is like your routine like now?
DJ Trahan (52m 19s):
You know, I wake up in the morning and I meditate and then I
Brian (52m 22s):
How long do you medi, do you It
DJ Trahan (52m 24s):
Depends on the day. I'm usually somewhere between like 45 minutes to over an hour in the morning. And, and again, I, you know, people a lot, I think most people don't meditate cuz it's very hard to sit still. Yeah, I was, it was very difficult for me to sit still at first. But in that silence is where, you know, like I said, the, the noise and all the craziness outside in the outer world, you know, that's always gonna be there waiting for you as long as you're alive. It's never gonna stop. That's life. But when you can take the time for yourself and show up and honor yourself in that way, it is a tremendous place for growth. Because in the silence is where many, many people have found many answers to the questions they have in life and the, and the, and the things that are, you know, whether it's bothering them or whatever.
DJ Trahan (53m 5s):
But that peaceful place of silence is where many of your joys and your, and your peace and your answers come from. And then, and then from there, I'll, you know, my wife and I'll have breakfast and, and I usually go to the gym in the morning and then I go to the golf course in the afternoon and I have a pretty, you know, pretty, you know, low stress type type, you know, day. But that's the way I want it. You know, I, I could consume myself with these, you know, needs of having all these things I need to do. And I'm like, no, they're unnecessary. You know, that's just gonna take away from my peace. And, and I'm at a place now where the only thing that I really want to do in my day is find peace and, and, and then that's how I live my day.
DJ Trahan (53m 47s):
That's why I do that meditation. And that's why I, and that's why I, we sit down and we have a nice matcha and then we have breakfast and then I go to the gym. And that's therapy for me as well, right? That the working out brings me peace because I'm taking care of my body. And, you know, my wife and I have found our way to a, a re not a religious, but a spiritual, spiritual group called Self-Realization Fellowship, that a, a yogi from India named Paramahansa Yonda came to the United States in the early 19 hundreds and brought this, this modality with him. And you know, so we go to, we go to temple on Sundays and we have our, our dedicated time in temple with, with God and, and and our gurus on, on Sunday.
DJ Trahan (54m 29s):
And these are very important things to me. You know, I didn't, I didn't go to church for years or temple, whatever you want, how whatever religion you are, whatever you refer to it as. And I, and I never felt connected to the Catholic faith for whatever reason. I didn't feel, and I know that's why I got away from going to church in my faith cuz I just never felt a connection. And when self-realization fellowship and, and crea yoga and Paramahansa yoga Nanda came into my life, it immediately resonated with me. And it just like my soul was like, yes, this is what you've been waiting for. This is what this is, this is, this is it. And, and so these things are, are the most important things to me. And I'm not gonna let anyone or anything, you know, dictate what I'm, what I need to do for me anymore.
DJ Trahan (55m 11s):
In that sense, you have to honor, you know, your journey. You have to honor who you are in every moment. And when you do that, that's when you can authentically show up and provide the world and the people in your life with the best possible version of yourself. And, and if everyone starts doing that for themselves, instead of the fomo, instead of the chasing whatever it is, I truly believe that that's where that lasting piece and, and you know, you see all the anger and everything in the world right now. And, and, and it's, and I don't watch the news anymore because that takes away from my piece. Yeah.
Brian (55m 44s):
I never, I, I remember growing up I was like, I never wanted to watch the news. It was so negative. Yeah.
DJ Trahan (55m 49s):
Oh, it, I mean, you talk about cranking up the anxiety level to, you know, way higher. And, and again, it doesn't mean I don't have compassion for what's going on, right. I just know that it takes away from my peace. And I don't know about you bud, but if everyone in the world was feeling peaceful, you know, people wouldn't be yelling at one another fighting. We wouldn't have wars, you know, like people would, would be of service to one another. Like it, it's that ego, selfish drivenness that's, that's pervading society on such a deep level now that's taking people into these spaces of this anger and this and this violence and all this crap that's happening that in the world. And it's not because people are happy and it's not because we're peaceful, it's because we're angry and we're bitter and we're resentful and we're holding on to all these low vibrational just, just, just garbage.
DJ Trahan (56m 38s):
And, and, and so for me it's about the peace and the peace alone.
Brian (56m 44s):
Yeah. And what you're saying is so important in the sense that, you know, mi you talk, you know, mindfulness and you know, I've been practicing yoga for a long time, so I, it's a big part of my life. And you mentioned cria yoga, I've not heard of cre yoga, I'll have to look into that.
DJ Trahan (57m 1s):
Cria is a spiritual practice, so it's not an actual physical yoga practice, it's the name of the spiritual practice and it's about self-realization as yoga Nanda terms it and self-realization is knowing God. Okay? So creating yoga is just a form of meditation. Okay? And it's a form of meditation again that can help you to go deeply within yourself. And, and, and I'm in a process of learning it. I haven't even learned the actual art of Korea cuz yoga Nanda, you know, he set forth a a a a bunch of lessons that you have to go, you know, one lesson at a time because it's like anything, you know, you can't just be a doctor in a day, right? You have to go to school, you have to study, you have to learn. It's the same thing with, with with with spirituality, right? It's a devotional practice.
DJ Trahan (57m 41s):
So you have to make a commitment. And so it's not just snap your fingers and oh, you know, I'm gonna be able to close my eyes and, and be one with God. You know, it's just, you know, God ma doesn't quite make it that easy on us, you know, it takes devotion and like anything in life, if you wanna be a great golfer, you wanna be that lawyer, that doc, whatever it is you choose, you have to have devotion to it to accomplish your goals. And it's not just gonna be handed to you on the old silver platter, if you will.
Brian (58m 8s):
Is there a book you recommend just in general, like a book?
DJ Trahan (58m 10s):
Absolutely. Autobiography of a Yogi, which is part was a yogi's book. I, I, that book changed my life more than any book I've ever read. Any health book, any other spiritual book I've ever read.
Brian (58m 20s):
And it's called the Yogi
DJ Trahan (58m 22s):
Autobiography of a Yogi Yeah. Autobiography, yeah. Is, it's his autobiography of his journey. And it just kind of, it just for me, it, it needless to say, I mean, I found my way and it was magic, right? Like, I wasn't searching for a guru or, or a spiritual practice. It was just through my, my the way I was living my life and the things that I follow on my Instagram or just the, the spiritual books that I was reading. And it, it literally found its way to me. So that's why I know it felt, that's why it felt perfect for me, because, you know, I've been deeply searching on my journey and surrendered to that part of my journey of, of wanting to deepen into my spirituality. And it found me divinely literally, it divinely found its way to me.
DJ Trahan (59m 2s):
And so I'm very grateful for that. And that was God doing work in my, in my, in my life. And that's, you know, that's, that's when you start, you know, when you just start to have those feelings and the deeper that you go within, that's when these things come to you. You know, I know that this wouldn't have probably found its way into my life when it did if I wasn't at that place in my life where I was. And that was through all the work that I've done and all the devotion that I had put into myself on my journey into finding my way back to home. I call it Finding Your Way home. Ron Doss says it, we're all just walking each other home. And there's actually a great quote that I wanted to read to you that I had my phone that I, that came across my feed the other day and it was what Ron Doss was talking about, you know, life and kind of you, you know, finding your way back to, you know, source, if you will.
DJ Trahan (59m 50s):
And he said, when you have your game altogether and there is still a yearning inside of you, and you say, I don't understand why I'm still unhappy, I've got it all. He said, well that's, that yearning is your ticket to spiritual awakening. And like I said, that was exactly where I was on my journey. That's why that that, when I read that, it resonated very deeply for me because, you know, people on the outside looking at me might, you know, they might be like, oh, he is not playing the best golf right now, but he's made so much money and he's been successful and you know, what does he have to, you know, the old how people like to say, what could that person possibly have to complain about? And it's like, well you don't, you don't know. And that's what it was for me.
DJ Trahan (1h 0m 31s):
And, and you know, it's like, yeah, I was fine. I had a house, I had the boat, I had the car, I had, I had the cars, I had, you know, the wine cellar full of wine. And I'm like, woo-hoo. You know, life is great. And, and no man, it wasn't I was hurting. I was, I was deeply wounded within and I was hurting on a deep level. And, and that was my spiritual awakening, you know, it finally, you know, my wife and I talk about contrast and we're like, and a lot of times in life it's for all of us, it's like what level of contrast does it need to get to? When I was talking about turning the volume up, it's like for each individual, at whatever point you are in your soul's journey, you know, there's a certain level that that contrast has to be turned up to before you have that moment that Ron Doss was talking about.
DJ Trahan (1h 1m 14s):
If you're not already on your spiritual journey, some people start their spiritual journey, very young. Other people may live their whole life and never ever go there, right? Because their soul just wasn't called to it in this, in this life. But for, for that moment, if that moment happens for you, it's because that contrast is turned up high enough finally that the volume is loud enough that you're like, oh damn. Oh, here. You know? Okay, okay, here we go. And, and then that's that then that's that that, that, that lighting of that fire within you to search for that deeper meaning,
Brian (1h 1m 46s):
What would you say for someone that wanted to start down that road, that spiritual road, I mean, you know, going to like the arrhythmia, obviously there's probably a bunch of different places to go. Is that it? That's obviously a big step. What what big step. Big step. Yeah. What else could some do? Just it, just even just start some type of meditation practice.
DJ Trahan (1h 2m 10s):
Sure. I think that there's, like I said, plant medicine isn't the end all be all. It was part of my journey and it helped me deepen into my spirituality very, very much. And I think it would do that for anyone. Like I said, I've, I've been lucky enough that I've been able to help and serve some friends and bring them to these medicines as well. And I'm eternally grateful for that because my friends that came to me, like I said, it wasn't cuz they were happy and feeling great, you know, they, they were f they were feeling the same things I was feeling, but in their own way. And, and I couldn't have been more grateful to be able to hold space with them and, and honor them in their journey and try and, and just be there for them. Cuz it wasn't me that was helping them, right? It was, I was just holding space with them and showing up and letting them know like, I love you and, and I'm, I'm here to support you.
DJ Trahan (1h 2m 57s):
The medicines are what are what ultimately, you know, do that for them and, and get them, you know, I'm not gonna trigger them into going deeper within themselves. But when you experience that energy and that that love that those medicines bring to you, then that's what, you know, that's a trigger. But the g a good place to start is very simple. One word, one idea, or one, one feeling. And that's surrender. You have to understand that there's a reason why you feel the way you do and that you have to make a change. So that choice is always surrender because what you are doing is you're acknowledging that darkness, those shadows within you, and that then that comes back to the basic principles of life, right?
DJ Trahan (1h 3m 37s):
Yin and yang, up and down, light and dark, right? So my theory is, is that that darkness that you're feeling within you is a space within you that you're holding that. So to make room for more light, what do we have to do? We have to stare into our darkness. You have to be able to, to, to release that and come to terms with it. And that takes, like I said, that takes courage, but more importantly, it takes surrender because ultimately you're telling, you're telling yourself, I'm ready to surrender this, these things that I know don't serve me. And that's a, that's a very big choice in your life. And, and it was a huge choice for me. And I was, I was scared to death, man. I got down there to arrhythmia and I'm like looking around.
DJ Trahan (1h 4m 18s):
Yeah, yeah, I'm looking around and I'm like, what in the hell is going on around here? But I knew I was, I'm here. I was like, you're here dj, there's no turning back. Now you gotta do this. Right? And, and I drank that cup, and dear Lord, does that stuff taste terrible? But you know, what, if it tasted like a, a, a piece of cheesecake with cherries on top, I'm pretty sure they'd be serving it at cvs. Right? You know, you know, like anything else, surrender is always going to involve stepping into discomfort, stepping into a place that doesn't quote unquote feel normal to you. And in that discomfort and in that new arena is where the opportunity for the growth that you're, you're yearning for is
Brian (1h 4m 58s):
Love this. Yeah. Well, I appreciate you sharing all this with us. This is the first time we've talked about it on the podcast, and I think a lot of people can, can find some, you know, value in it and perhaps, you know, how hopefully maybe implemented into their lives.
DJ Trahan (1h 5m 12s):
Yeah. Again, what's your journey look like, looks like, or will look like moving forward for everyone? It, it'll be perfect for you. There's no, you can't do anything wrong in life. I, I believe that now too. And that's what helped me deal with, with my feelings of anger and shame and all those, and guilt and all those things because I did make some crappy decisions in my life. I treated girlfriends terribly. I mean, you know, I mean, I had, I, I can't, I could go on and on, right? We all could if we want to be honest with ourselves. But you have to, you have to understand that where you were in any given time, you were truly doing the best that you could do. But making new choices allows you to do better, to be better, to become a better person.
DJ Trahan (1h 5m 54s):
And that takes courage again, that takes surrender because you have to know that that's where you are in that place in your life is obviously not where you'd like to be, where you want to be. So it's just acknowledging where you are and saying to yourself, I love me. I love you, and we're gonna make an effort to do better. Don't ever hate yourself. Don't shame yourself. Sure. You made mistakes. Gosh darn. We all do, man. I mean, if we were perfect, wouldn't that be amazing? Life would just be the biggest, easiest cake walk of all. But that's not life. That's not the way God made this journey. And so have compassion for yourself, love yourself, but also tell yourself, I know that I don't want to be doing these things and living my life this way anymore, and just show up for yourself and honor yourself in that way, because it only gets better.
DJ Trahan (1h 6m 45s):
It's only gotten better for me. And I truly only see it getting better moving forward because I'm, you know, I'm, I'm, I'm releasing the things that were doing that to me in my life and I'm making that space for more positive things to come in.
Brian (1h 6m 59s):
And, and I'd imagine, I mean, I know you're playing some golf here and there, but I, I can't, I imagine it's obviously, like you said, like hub your golf game.
DJ Trahan (1h 7m 7s):
Yeah, yeah. You know, I mean, my journey has been difficult in that respect. My golf still is struggling, but I'm actually feeling this, this, this energy opening up within my golf game. I just played in Punana and I, I did miss the cut, but I putted terribly for two days, you know, and I mean, you gotta have all, when you're playing against the best players in the world, you gotta have it all going. If you want to be competing at the top level and do it successfully, I've been there. I know what it takes. And, and it's a simple equation, you know, show up, have your good stuff, or most likely it's not gonna be a, a good week for you. But I'm, I'm at a place now where I am, like with, with my mind being clearer and my peace being deeper, I'm, I'm, you know, I'm finally starting to feel like I can get my swing back for over a decade.
DJ Trahan (1h 7m 52s):
I've just been living in this like limbo of, I couldn't, I like lost touch with, with my, my mind body and my connection. And it was because I had so much noise and so much distraction and so much crap going on in my day-to-day life, right? Because of all those things that I was partaking in that weren't serving me. And those were things of the mind, right? Not necessarily what I was doing physically, outwardly, but I was just, my brain was scrambled, you know, scrambled eggs. And now instead of having, you know, the old saying, you know, when you, if you have muddy water, it's because there's, you know, there's, there's, there's dirt. But if you, if you let the water still and the dirt settles, you now have clear water again. So my water is clearing and, and, and I'm starting to, you know, get some clarity with my swing again and things like that.
DJ Trahan (1h 8m 37s):
And I know I'm moving in the right direction. Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of opportunities to play because I've lost my full status on tour currently. But I also know that my game is moving in the right direction. And if I do choose to continue playing, I do believe good golf is in the future for me.
Brian (1h 8m 51s):
Yeah. And this will probably come out before the masters or after the masters happens. But who, who do you, who, who do you like for the masters? Ooh, if you had to pick someone, I know it's tough. There's the game right now. I mean, I'm sure you see it. It, there's so many, it, it's so deep right now, right? Like
DJ Trahan (1h 9m 10s):
Deep, oh man, I don't want to, I don't want to be the guy to go with the, with the, with the absolute stud right now. But I mean, the whole world knows how good Scotty's playing. And it's like every week it's just the guy showing up. And again, this is another big, I I don't know if he's playing in Valero this week. He's a Texas guy. He's not, he's not, he's not. Okay. So he's prepping for the masters. I didn't even look at the field this week, but the way he's been playing and, and again, in life, it's confidence. And, and look at a guy like Scotty Scheffler, deeply spiritual man, Christian, extremely. I mean, he, he, his faith is, is the most important thing in his life. And look at what he does. Like, you know, there's a guy who's at peace, his mind is here and he can focus on the things that matter.
DJ Trahan (1h 9m 53s):
And he's been gifted with this incredible talent and look at what he's doing in his golf game. But he's, he's got the confidence. He seems to be at peace. I can't speak for him. Only he can speak for him, but if I'm just an in the outside observing, you know, it's telling you what I see. I see a man that has, has deeply got his, he's on a soul journey. He's not on an, you know, on this. You go, oh yeah, ego driven, what can I accomplish? I don't think when he's winning golf tournaments, he's using that as a definition for his life. It's his purpose, it's what he's doing with his life. But I think Scotty Scheffler is a very peaceful man, and he's, and he's enjoying life the way life is supposed to be enjoyed. And he's deepening his spirituality daily, right?
DJ Trahan (1h 10m 35s):
His devotion to life isn't, you know, he's not just on this golf mission, he's on a, you know, he's on a spiritual journey that golf just happens to be a part of. And I got, I like, I like Scotty. I mean, again, golf, golf is a crazy game, but man is even playing some incredible golf
Brian (1h 10m 51s):
Ride the wave,
DJ Trahan (1h 10m 53s):
You know? Exactly, man. He's the guy putting the ripple out. So I'm gonna ride the Scotty wave and I'm gonna say that, and if this comes out after the masters, we'll see if my prediction is true. Who do you like?
Brian (1h 11m 4s):
Well, it's hard to go wrong with him.
DJ Trahan (1h 11m 7s):
Anybody else though? Does anybody else kind of resonate with you?
Brian (1h 11m 11s):
You know, I just have this feeling spe is just gonna be there.
DJ Trahan (1h 11m 14s):
Yeah, he seems he loves Augusta, there's no doubt. And what about, and again, I mean, I don't agree with some of the things that are coming down the pipeline, so there's a part of me that's a little upset with Rory and some of these top players and the way that they're demanding, you know, certain things out of the game right now. But I like Rory. I like Rory a lot. Yeah. Is, he's obviously a, an absolute top player and has been for a long time. And that's the one that he needs. And you gotta believe that his willpower is very strong. Obviously he's proven that time and time again in his career. And willpower is a very powerful thing. And that's the one he needs to get the grand slam. So again, if I was picking one or the other, I would go with Rory or Scott Scotty's my first pick. I would take Rory number two.
Brian (1h 11m 55s):
Yeah, I like that. I, every year I pick Rory and he's like, you know, it's like I, I would, I would like to see him win it. I think, you know, he's been, you know, last year he came in second, you know, shot what, a 60, so something
DJ Trahan (1h 12m 7s):
Crazy. Yeah. That whole bunker shot on Sunday. I mean, and I mean, of course Scotty's running away with the thing, so it's a, it's a foregone conclusion, right? But did finish second. Right. You tell yourself, Hey, a Scotty Scheffler wasn't there. Rory McElroy's got the career Grand Slam. It's an unfortunate what if, but, or big if, but yeah, I mean, Rory knows he can play that golf course. Well, he's had his chances. Yeah. He hasn't, he hasn't been able to, to pull it out yet. But it, one would think he's obviously still young in his thirties and he is playing top golf. So those are my two guys. And, and, and, and, and again, that willpower is a very strong thing, right? I mean, Rory's focus is certainly probably, I'm not gonna say it's completely on Augusta every year, but you know, that his, his mindset that is at the top of his list as each year progresses and that he doesn't have that, that championship, that title.
DJ Trahan (1h 12m 57s):
Yeah.
Brian (1h 12m 58s):
Well, this was great, dj. I appreciate you coming on and sharing all this.
DJ Trahan (1h 13m 3s):
Yeah, no, thank you for having me. I appreciate it. I mean, I enjoy, you know, I, I tell people the biggest thing for me on my journey is it's told me that I need to honor my truth. And, you know, I'm not, like I said, I, I'm not gonna, you know, cloud my, my, my reality to try and impress anyone. I, I, I know the most important thing I can do for myself is honor my truth. And I, I think if everyone does that for themselves, and you quit trying to either fit in or, or seem popular or whatever, you know, it's hard to find peace when you're always, like I said, trying to, to please everyone and everything outside of yourself. You know, if you, if you're content and you feel at peace within, then you're probably going to, you know, you're going to one, you're going to attract the right people into your life.
DJ Trahan (1h 13m 46s):
And the wrong people will, will, will, will leave your life. And, and you'll be able to provide that, that energy to the world that it so desperately needs because there's a lot of hurt and a lot of pain more than we, than we truly need in the world right now. And I think that that's part of a big, as, you know, a big shift that's happening in the world. But we need to start making those choices as soon as possible, possible so that we can, we can bring some good energy and some love and some, and some joy back into this world on a deeper level. Because we just need to respect everyone. People need to respect everyone. And, and, and in the more respect and the more love that we can spread, then people can coexist as they say.
DJ Trahan (1h 14m 28s):
You know, you can look at someone and you can accept them for who they are and not get angry and start a argument or a fight and just be content. And that's what I'm trying to do. And that's what I'm, that's the way I'm trying to live my life.
Brian (1h 14m 39s):
Love it. Well, thank you so much for sharing all this, tj, I appreciate
DJ Trahan (1h 14m 43s):
It. Appreciate you, brother. Have a great day
Brian (1h 14m 45s):
Too. Thanks for listening to the Get Lean ean podcast. I understand there are millions of other podcasts out there, and you've chosen to listen to mine and I appreciate that. Check out the show notes@briangrin.com for everything that was mentioned in this episode. Feel free to subscribe to the podcast and share it with a friend or family member that's looking to get their body back to what it once was. Thanks again, and have a great day j.
