While the rest of us were gearing up for the NHL Draft, Jonathan Toews was gearing up for his first-ever podcast appearance. He joined Aubrey Marcus, CEO of Onnit, on his podcast for a deep, philosophical conversation on human consciousness. Of course, because it’s Toews, there’s a fair amount of talk as to how all of this ties in with athletics and being a professional athlete.
There is some NSFW language, but it’s not prevalent throughout.
Toews busted out a quote fairly early on that stuck with me in watching this:
“In all of our lives we have some emptiness that we’re trying to fill, and that’s what makes us establish ourselves as someone who’s really successful at this one thing, and sometimes that creates an imbalance.”
You can really understand where some of his driving force comes from in that. He did also acknowledge that it maybe wasn’t the healthiest thing – and much of the first bit of the podcast is about finding a balance. Between positive and negative, between contentment and drive, between hockey life and personal life.
Another major theme of the podcast is leadership and empathy, and how the two tie together. This is a conversation with a much more mature Toews; it’s something he maybe wouldn’t have been discussing six years ago when he won his first Stanley Cup and the Conn Smythe. Because he’s grown since then, and he’s still growing.
All in all, it’s a fantastic sit down with a fantastic player – and someone who has more to offer off the ice.