It is a blessing for me to have this opportunity to not only have a conversation with Corey to share with you, but to also utilize this platform to shine a light of truth on Corey Harris—the Author, Professional Athlete, Businessman, Role Model and Family Man. Corey retired from the NFL after playing for 12 years, but not before playing with 6 teams, in a Super Bowl as a Baltimore Raven, several offensive and special teams positions through his tenure and along side Ray Lewis, Rod Woodson, Dan Marino, Warren Moon, Reggie White, Shannon Sharpe and Brett Favre. I am sure you will find his story one of inspiration, enlightenment, intrigue and pure enjoyment.

Ingrid: Corey, let’s get straight to the core of who you are. Who is Corey Harris?

Corey: The main thing about me is that I am versatile in every way. I have had so much versatility in life and my football career. My football life has mirrored real life. You can look at my NFL experiences and see a “real” example of how versatile life is for Corey. For example, I received an All-Star Scholarship to Vanderbilt University, and was lettered as a freshman. I was awarded Running Back of the Year my senior year at Vanderbilt. With the help of my agent at the time, Brian Ransom, I was drafted as a receiver by the Houston Oilers in 1992. I went on to play for Green Bay, Seattle, Miami and then on to Baltimore where I signed with the Baltimore Ravens. Playing with the Ravens is where I had the chance of a lifetime as an NFL player to play in the Super Bowl. My experiences have built my character. One can see the versatility when you reflect over my life and accomplishments, but many don’t automatically realize how much my character has been developed by my faith, life lessons and my parents. I have a daughter that I love dearly. All of which I think is important for people to know about me.

Ingrid: Take us into more of those experiences that will help us to really connect and realize who you are.

Corey: Anybody that knows me has seen me through the years change my hair color many times. I have experienced the emotional and physical journey or caring for and/or supporting a loved one with cancer when my ex-wife battled brain cancer. I’ve owned successful businesses (night club, sports bar, restaurant, etc.). I’ve launched a successful publishing career since retiring from football after 12 years. I am a man that will fight through the challenges and at the same time celebrate life. I want people to connect to the fact that I have more consistency in my life because of my spiritual connection/relationship with God. The understanding I now have about love and the unconditional expressions of it keeps me bouncing back.

Ingrid: I feel like I’ve learned so much about you yet there is still so much more depth to you. Share with me a deeper sense of what fuels your inner man to do what you do/love.

Corey: I want people to know the peace I have through my relationship I have with God that money can’t buy. I’ve been in Sports Illustrated and music magazines. I’m a Scorpio (smile), a preacher’s kid, a business man and a man. Versatility is a gift for me. The foresight and discernment I have are gifts that guide me (past and present). Any time I’ve made decisions that went against my gift of discernment (some call it intuition) and God’s desire for my life, He (God) teaches me about operating out of devotion verses my natural tendency to operate out of emotion (impulse). I’ve gone through a lot and have experienced a lot in a short period of time. I’ve had the fortune of being centered around greatness (Rod Woodson, Ray Lewis, Shannon Sharpe, Warren Moon, Reggie White, Dan Marino and Brett Favre), and I have taken it all in.

Ingrid: As you have taken it all in, what has your experiences changed about you that impacts your perspective on life?

Corey: Growing up doing what you love. Having an opportunity to make a living and take care of my family doing what I love is life changing for me. Many people go through life searching for their purpose and passion, and many never find it. I have actually lived a life of doing what I am passionate about and with purpose, and that is more than a blessing to me. Now add in the fact that things I have done have helped other people step into their destiny. I owned a club in Nashville (Something Live) and because I’m a real person, I stood in line just like everyone else to enter the club. I was the owner and stood in line because I wanted people to relate to me in that way. I’ve learned that so many people stepped into/towards their destiny in Something Live. Eric Dickerson is one of my biggest heroes and I was able to play with him briefly while I played with Green Bay. This is the type irony I’ve experienced in life.

Ingrid: What is something you can share with me and others to encourage us to pursue what we love to experience life on another level of abundance?

Corey: In life, you are always in preparation mode. You will go through things (good and bad), but prayer is key. I am a guy that has owned a record label, club, sports bar, performing arts school, run kids football camps, turned published author and now have an 18 year old daughter preparing for college. I am a firm believer, due to my dad’s teaching, if it contradicts what you desire in life or have a goal to accomplish, then why do it? I have utilized this one question as my guide throughout of my life. It’s really that simple to me. You can use that one statement as a guide in any situation. Sex without a condom, unhealthy relationships, etc., if it contradicts your plan (where you are trying to go and what you are trying to do), why do it? Spiritual maturity brings about healing and the ability to fight against personal vices. We are all given different tools (gifts). Our experiences determine the tools we use.

Ingrid: What motivates you daily?

Corey: My understanding of life is my motivational force. My understanding of the relationship between experiences and opportunity has been the key to my embracing opportunities in my life. I turned my NFL experience into a novel—soon to debut as a stage play and shortly after a motion picture—and that is a good example of how the two feed off each other. I would tell anybody that if you miss the fact that life’s experiences are your catalyst to opportunity, then you are truly missing “it”. You’re definitely missing the boat to life more abundant.

Ingrid: What is one tool you can give to a young person to use to help them not miss the boat to “real life”?

Corey: Your situation is not you. Life is based on how well you play the cards you are dealt. Academia and ingenuity are the keys to success in the capitalistic world we live in. No matter what your situation is, everyday you go to school having the same parents, issues, etc. Inspiration can come from any source, not just your family. A kid must take the positive inspiration that they are receiving (from a teacher, counselor, etc.) and put it to use for personal growth. Luck in a practical sense is like winning the lotto. The more tickets your purchase the better your chances are on winning with the luck of the draw. However, there is a such thing as being intentional with opportunities that come. You strategically prepare for your chance and when the opportunity comes, you do more than come through windows you break down doors. I am preparing to work on a Champion’s Journal and my desire is to work with friends (Ray Lewis and Rod Woodson) on the project. I am preparing for opportunity to meet destiny by taking the necessary steps towards the vision.

Ingrid: You have a blank sheet of paper to express yourself “free style”. What do you say to the world so we can feel the “real essence” of you?

Corey: Those that are aimed achieve in life, and those that are wondering aimlessly go through life achieving nothing. Set goals. Chose to talk to people you meet who exemplify strength and stability. I do that because you find out what the “something greater” really is—a relationship with God. If you were hanging on the corner and a bullet missed you, it ain’t because you were good. It’s because you had a praying mother and/or grandmother. There praying for you brought about protection/covering. Bill Gates has achieved great wealth. Ok, now what? Can he, with all the money he has, not contract the aids virus or get cancer? With that said, you have to know that there is something more to life. Everybody has a purpose and we must do all we can to expose purpose to our kids to give them the keys to life. Tiger was exposed to the game of golf at an early age, and as he learned he now dominates it as an adult. As I travel and speak to kids and ask them what they want to do in life, most say be an entertainer, rapper or athlete—especially black males. They are viable levels of achievement and opportunity, but we must expose our kids to more than what is on the camera or out front. They must see who/what is behind the camera, the athlete on the field or the entertainer on the stage. That is where the real depth of prosperity lies—in the producers, directors, marketing executives, public relations executives, writers, etc. Put me in the midst of the things that I love and I flourish.

My conversation with Corey has enlightened me to embrace another perspective on life. Again, nothing just happens. We must all be strategic and intentional in all that we do and say. Don’t say things just to be saying them or do things without a real means to an end. There is power of life and death in the tongue. Don’t be a deliberate stranger to yourself. Find out who you are and do you daily. “It is what it is” so why not “do what it do.” If you haven’t already, purchased a copy of Corey’s Book S.L.O.W. (Secret Lives of the Wives): The Flip Side of the Coin, do it today! Stay tuned for more information on the stage play, which is a spin-off of the book, coming to a city near you. There is nothing “slow” about Corey, so look for much more to come from this talented brother.