In this episode, we step away from our usual baseball focus for an unforgettable conversation with Ryan Sickler, stand-up comedian and host of the wildly popular “Honeydew” podcast. Ryan opens up about his incredible journey from a challenging childhood to touring the world, all connected by the lessons he learned on the soccer field.
We dive into how being a junior college athlete forged his life philosophy, the humbling experience of getting “our asses beat” across Europe with Team USA, and why the title “All-JUCO” is a badge of honor. It’s a masterclass in resilience, finding your path, and the unexpected parallels between sports and comedy.
In this episode, we cover:
⚽ A Forged Mentality: Ryan’s path into soccer, forming his own team to beat the “clicky” leagues that rejected him, and becoming a state-ranked high school champion.
🌍 The Humbling Tour: The story of making Team USA at 16, only to travel to Europe and “lose every motherfucking game we played for the whole month.”
💔 Playing Without a Net: How he was on his own from age 16, living with his grandmother, and still managed to get his degree and his All-JUCO honor while building his future.
🎤 The Cross-Country Leap: The emotional drive from Baltimore to LA to pursue comedy, and how his work in TV production armed him with the skills to build his own podcasting empire.
🗣️ The Power of “All-JUCO”: Ryan’s core philosophy: “Sometimes we’re all circumstantial white trash and you gotta be the best where you are, bro.”
🏟️ Full Circle: How the current coach at his old community college uses his story to inspire struggling players, proving that “once All-JUCO, forever All-JUCO.”
🎧 Podcasting Kings: The wildest stories from “The Honeydew” and “The Way Back,” including his upcoming episode with Sammy “The Bull” Gravano and why talking to regular people provides the most insane stories of all.
Tune in for a powerful, funny, and raw conversation about making the most of your circumstances, the power of resilience, and how the grit from sports can fuel any dream.
Make sure you check out his new Special Live & Alive that dropped on Oct. 24th over on his YouTube Channel
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