There’s a moment — right before kickoff — when 70,000 people are on their feet and the noise in Husky Stadium hits you like a wall. Your heart is pounding. Your hands are sweating. And there’s a voice in your head that says, “This is it. Don’t mess this up.”
I played running back for the Washington Huskies. And I can tell you with absolute certainty that nothing in my professional life has ever matched the raw, unfiltered pressure of running out of that tunnel on game day. Not hosting a live broadcast on KING 5. Not emceeing a sold-out gala. Not even going live on 710 ESPN with Marcus Trufant when we’re debating something we clearly don’t agree on.
Nothing compares to Husky Stadium.
But here’s what most people don’t understand about pressure: it’s not the enemy. It’s the teacher.
The 3 Things Pressure Taught Me
1. Preparation Absorbs Pressure.
When I knew the playbook cold — when I’d watched film until my eyes were burning and I could tell you what the safety was going to do before HE even knew — the pressure didn’t disappear. But it shrank. It went from this massive, overwhelming force to something manageable. Something almost… comfortable. That’s what preparation does. It doesn’t eliminate the pressure. It gives you the tools to operate INSIDE of it.
I see this same thing with the professionals I coach today. The ones who prepare — who rehearse their presentations, who know their material, who’ve done the work — they still feel the butterflies. But the butterflies are flying in formation.
2. Your Body Knows Before Your Mind Does.
In football, you learn to trust your instincts. There were plays where I’d see a hole open up and my body would react before my brain could process what was happening. That’s not luck. That’s reps. That’s practice. That’s your body saying, “We’ve been here before. I got this.”
The same thing happens when you step up to a microphone or walk into a boardroom. If you’ve put in the reps — if you’ve practiced your delivery, worked on your presence, studied the room — your body will carry you when your mind starts to panic. Trust the training.
3. The Crowd Feeds Off YOUR Energy.
Here’s something that took me years to truly understand: the energy in the room starts with YOU. At Husky Stadium, when the offense came out flat, the crowd went quiet. But when we came out with fire — when we hit a big play on the first drive — the whole stadium erupted. The crowd didn’t create the energy. We did. They amplified it.
This is one of the most important lessons I teach in my coaching practice. Whether you’re speaking to 10 people or 10,000 — the audience takes their cues from you. If you bring the energy, they’ll match it. If you come in tentative and unsure, they’ll feel it. You set the temperature in the room.
From the Field to the Stage
I haven’t played a football game in a long time. But I use what Husky Stadium taught me every single day. Every time I step on a stage. Every time I sit in front of a camera. Every time I work with a client who’s terrified of public speaking.
Pressure isn’t something to avoid. It’s something to prepare for, lean into, and ultimately — use to your advantage.
Because on the other side of pressure? That’s where the gold is.
