Charlie "The Spaniard" Brenneman, An Unlikely Journey From Classroom to Cage
Charlie “The Spaniard” Brenneman is a former division 1 wrestler at Lock Haven University, Spanish teacher, fighter in the UFC, Pros vs. Joes champion, motivational speaker and author of the autobiography “Driven." Although he doesn’t always drink beer, when he does he prefers Dos Equis (not really, but he gives the most interesting man in the world a run for his money). Charlie is listed ahead of James Franklin, Head Football Coach at Penn State University, on the most notable alumni list on Wikipedia, so I am not the only one who thinks he is pretty cool! Charlie and I were connected by Mike Marsteller, who was our guest in Episode 4. Mike thought Charlie's perspective on sports and life would be perfect for the podcast and boy, was he right! Thanks Mike!
This was an all-encompassing interview that touched on all the topics we strive to address on the Heads 'N Tales podcast. Just to name a few we discuss handling both victory and defeat, overcoming injuries, managing concussions and doing the little things right. Charlie also gives us some insight into his "Elements of Success", which include creating a vision, identifying core values, defining success, living with accountability and surrounding yourself with the best. Charlie is a professional speaker and teaches these elements to his audience. Check out the video below to see him in action:
After listening to this episode I highly recommend reading his autobiography "Driven!" I read it to prep for the interview and felt such a connection to it that I couldn't put it down. I felt like "The Spaniard" was talking to me the entire time and he had me laughing through the ups and downs of his journey. I recommend the book to both athletes and non-athletes because there aren't too many people in the world who can say that they have lived there dream and Charlie teaches the reader what it takes to accomplish this. One of Heads 'N Tales' missions is to help athletes transition to life after sports and I know this Charlie's message will do just that!
Officially a Spaniard groupie!
