Hey hey! Welcome back to The Bullpen Sessions! I’ve got an amazing guest for you all today, so be sure to get your notepad out and put your seatbelt on because this interview is going to rock your world.

I’ve got David Meltzer on the show today, and to say I’m honored would be an understatement. We met about a year ago when we shared the stage in San Diego, and he told his life story about the highs and lows he’s faced as being a hugely successful businessman. I was inspired by his story, and I immediately knew I wanted him on the podcast to share it with you all.

In this interview, we dive into David’s early career and the highs and lows that led him to a life of happiness and value. He rapidly rose to fame and riches as a young adult and was worth well over a hundred million dollars. After losing it all, he brought it all back with a different perspective and a grateful mindset. You are going to be absolutely blown away by this conversation and this man’s heart. 

Let’s get started! 

Who Is David Meltzer?

David Meltzer is an unbelievable human being who honestly needs no introduction. He’s the Co-founder of Sports 1 Marketing, and he formerly served as CEO of the renowned Leigh Steinberg Sports & Entertainment agency, which was the inspiration for the movie Jerry Maguire.

David’s mission is to empower over 1 billion people to be happy. This simple yet powerful mission has led him on an incredible journey to provide one thing — VALUE — in all his content and communication. And value is exactly what you’ll receive. For the past 20 years, David has been providing free weekly training to empower others to be truly happy while making income in the process! 

He’s also an international bestselling author of three books, including Game-Time Decision Making, and he’s the host of the top entrepreneurial podcast, The Playbook. David has been listed as a Top 100 Business Coach, and he’s the executive producer of Entrepreneur’s #1 business show, Elevator Pitch.

I could go on and on about David’s accolades. He’s been featured in Forbes as a top 10 keynote speaker, recognized by Variety Magazine as their Sports Humanitarian of the Year, AND awarded the Ellis Medal of Honor. Having David Meltzer on the Bullpen Sessions was such an honor, and I know his story will inspire you. 

Money Can’t Buy You Love and Happiness 

Let’s go back to David Meltzer, about 20 years ago. He quickly found himself amassing wealth early on in his business career, but he went at it with a different approach than how he does today. 

“I was 32 years old [and] the CEO of the world’s first smartphone company — a Windows C.E. device — a multimillionaire living in Rancho, Sante Fe. I always say that I was living in a world of just enough. I was a multimillionaire, but I came from a world with not enough. I was born with six kids, a single mom who [worked] two jobs and packed my dinner in a paper bag … I just wanted to be rich and buy my mom a house and a car — which I was rich nine months out of law school, and I bought my mom a house and car. And what that did was reinforce what I [believed] to be true, which was [that] money buys happiness and money buys love.” – David Meltzer

From a young age, David was afraid of not having enough, and this mindset stayed with him in his young adult years. When he suddenly had an abundance of money, he could literally buy anything he wanted. He started buying a lot of things he didn’t need, just to impress his peers. He used philanthropic involvement as a means to get recognition, not make a difference, and he’d even give down payments to his siblings’ houses, just so they would feel indebted to him. 

“Everything was a negotiation or trade, all revolving around my relationship with money.” – David Meltzer

Even in his romantic relationships, money was a negotiating factor for him. When he was 30 years old, he married his dream girl, but several years earlier, she had rejected him. This was just further proof to David that money buys love and happiness. 

But then, at age 30, David got a birthday present from his father that changed everything. His dad had left their family when David was five years old and had never really been involved in his life since. Growing up, David had looked at his dad as a hero — he had a beautiful new wife, a Cadillac, and lots of money, but when he forgot David’s 10th birthday, he went from “hero” to “zero.”

Then at 30 years old, David received a present from his father: a sports coat. Initially, he was thrilled. The coat fit perfectly, and he quickly checked the label to see the brand and if it was custom made. He was shocked when he looked inside:

“He had torn out all the lining. He had torn out all the pockets. I got so upset. I was enraged with ego. I call my dad … he goes, ‘Did you get my present?’ I was like, ‘I got your present. There’s no present. You’re punishing me. Why are you punishing me? He said, ‘I’m not punishing you … I got you that jacket for you to be buried in … I want you to hang it in your closet and remind you every day that you’re just like me … it is a reminder that you can’t be buried with anything when you’re gone. I don’t want you to be the richest man in the cemetery … I want you to learn from me [that] money doesn’t buy love and happiness.” – David Meltzer

David said, “F you” and hung up the phone. He wasn’t ready to hear those words, especially from someone who had deeply hurt him. But no matter how much he tried to erase the memory of that phone call, those words planted a seed in his mind: Money doesn’t buy you happiness and love. 

A Mindset of Greed vs. A Mindset of Gratitude 

Now, imagine David in his early 30s. At this time, He’s running Leigh Steinberg Sports and Entertainment. He’s literally got it all: He owns a golf course and a ski mountain. He’s still married to his wife and now has three daughters under the age of seven. Then he’s out golfing with his best friend Rob, and David asks him if he wants to go to the Masters with him.

“He looks at me, and he goes, ‘I ain’t going.’ I said, ‘What? Why don’t you ever hang out with me? He goes, ‘Because I don’t like who you hang out with. I don’t like what you guys do … I’m worried about you man.’… And I got in the car, and I just started crying, right? Because he watered that seed that my dad planted years ago.” – David Meltzer

David’s wife had noticed his destructive behaviors as well. He came home from the Grammy awards at 5:30 AM (which he had lied about going to), completely wasted. Her response rattled his world: 

“And she looked at me, and she said, ‘I’m not happy. I think I’m going to leave … I’m gonna take your children … You need to take stock in who you are and what you want to become because I can’t live this way anymore.'” – David Meltzer

Initially, David was furious. He resolved that he was going to take away everything he had bought for their family and make her grateful. But then, he broke down. He remembered the jacket his father had given to him, and he realized he and his dad were the same person.

“Oh man, I’m just like my dad … I was a liar. I was a cheater. I was a manipulator, a backend seller, [and] an overseller. I had lost all my values, and that jacket saved my life. My father and my wife, my best friend, Rob, saved my life. Because at that time, that’s where I got the greatest gift … I took stock in my own values. My gratitude gave me perspective … I found the light, the love, and the lessons and everything.” – David Meltzer

From that point, David decided to turn his life around and start investing in the values that truly made life worth living. He looked at his failures in the past as lessons to propel him towards a better future, and he found the motivation to become a source of light instead of a ruthless businessman.

“And so I put forth and set on a course to empower people, including myself, [with] gratitude, forgiveness, accountability, and inspiration. … Initially … my mission was to make a lot of money so I could give the money to receive more money … Now it was a mission that I was going to receive everything and the abundant world of everything through me. … Now I was going to live in [a] world of more than enough. I was going to show people that it’s okay to receive. As long as it came through you with appreciation, meaning you add your value to it with gratitude and give it away. So I’ve given my life away. My mission is to empower over a billion people to be happy.” – David Meltzer

There is nothing wrong with making money. But when your sole purpose is to accumulate more wealth for the sake of being rich, then it becomes toxic. David’s business eventually went bankrupt, and he lost everything — over a hundred million dollars. But he was never happier. 

David’s transformation is truly inspirational. It just shows that you can use your failures, your mistakes, and your past misjudgment as lessons to better yourself and your future. If you sit in a mindset of greed and scarcity, you will be so unhappy. You’re going to be destructive to the people around you and to yourself. Once you can let go of your ego and give yourself to the people around you, you’ll find true abundance, happiness, and love. 

How Gratitude and Meditation Will Materialize Your Future

David no longer gives out of ego, but out of faith. He admits that it’s a work in progress, and it’s a transition that took a lot of time, but the results are truly astronomical. 

“Faith takes two things. One, you need to … believe you’re growing and accelerating in the increments that you can’t perceive, and two, you have to have true patience. … If we can really move into that sphere, that spectrum of faith and pragmatic blend — I’m promising you — all of us can live in [a] world of more than enough.” – David Meltzer

I live my life right now by three words — consistency, persistence, and patience. I truly believe that good things will happen to you if you just keep doing the right things and have that patience with yourself. Before we concluded our interview, I wanted David to share one last story with you all about how we can all use manifestation and gratitude in our lives today. It all happened on a flight from India to LA. 

“I’m flying in [and there’s] this little doctor sitting next to me … she looks at me, and she says, ‘Are you okay?’ And in my mind, I’m like, ‘Am I okay?’ Do you know who the F I am?’… Of course, I’m okay.’ I’m like, ‘I’m fine,’ and she goes, ‘You’re so full of light … but you’re blocking it … do you meditate?’” – David Meltzer

David was taken aback — of course he didn’t have time to meditate. He was a multimillionaire at the time. Meditation was the last thing on his mind. She went on to explain frequency and vibration, how everything in the world vibrates, and how you can only be aware of that which vibrates equal to or less than you.

It was a long flight, so she began to teach David how to meditate. David describes the result of mediation as lily pads multiplying in a pond:

“She said, ‘I’m going to teach you gratitude. I’m going to teach you to manifest, to take possibility … [and] turning it into a probability with inspiration … then teach you the pragmatic way to materialize that with strategy discipline.’… Your progress is like the lily because after 28 days, the pond is only a quarter full … you’re only 25% of the way there. That is, if you are consistent, persistent, and patient. …  Here’s the thing — on day 29, you’re still only 50% of the way there, right? It’s only 50% of the way there. But day 30 comes. You’re all the way there. The lily pad pond analogy is why I meditate. It’s why I tell people not only to be consistent, persistent, and patient in the pursuit of your potential.” – David Meltzer

Meditation changed David’s life, and it can change yours, too. Most people quit meditation after a couple of days, but it’s a commitment — not a quick fix. Gratitude and manifestation will literally materialize your possibilities, and when you pair that with consistent pursuit of your potential, then you’re set. 

Why You Should Listen to This David Meltzer Podcast Episode Episode Right Now…

Guys, you need to start following this man if you’re not already. This interview was empowering, and there’s more where that came from. Check out David’s podcast and his four bestselling books on Amazon for more wisdom. He also does FREE trainings every Friday about business strategies and mindset! You can email him at david@dmeltzer.com or you can text him at (949) 298-2905 to sign up! I know I’m definitely going to be joining the next one.

Also, don’t forget to share this episode with someone who needs to hear it! Tag me @andy_neary and David Meltzer @davidmeltzer with a screenshot of your biggest takeaways on Instagram — I’d be extremely grateful! 

Here’s the last thing I want to leave with you: Remember that where confidence and clarity collide, action happens. If you’re stuck in a mindset of scarcity and ego, take the necessary steps to embrace abundance and giving. Don’t rely on money to bring you happiness. Focus on how you can make an impact, and abundance will follow. Go make it happen today, man!

Thanks for reading!

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