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This is our 73rd episode of The Community Conversation and today Matt and coach Mike are discussing Goal Setting!
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Mike Collette 0:02
All right, everyone. Welcome back to the community conversation this week. We have Mr. Matt Ehrlich on one of my favorite members, that prototype. Matt’s been with us for a few years now. And actually, more recently, his daughter, Kayla is now interning with us at prototype. It’s kind of funny, because now you’ve been here much longer than Kayla has been here. But she seemed to get on the community conversation before you which is pretty, which is pretty cool. So anyway, Matt, welcome on. It’s cool to have you. I’m looking forward to this conversation. Because I know you got a lot of good, good stuff. So welcome.
Matt Ehrlich 0:42
Yeah, man.
Mike Collette 0:44
So, like I mentioned, like how we kind of get into these community conversations kind of give us your story, like how did you, you know, kind of your fitness journey. I know you’re an athlete, big lacrosse guy. Like you coach your kids as well. Like, how’d you find prototype? What’s your fitness journey? Like? Give me Give me Give us all the good details.
Matt Ehrlich 1:06
First of all, let me just say the over/under on questions and topics. Because you’re gonna ask one question, I’m going to cover about 20 times
Mike Collette 1:21
that’s why you’re gonna be a good guest. The more you talk, the better I know.
Matt Ehrlich 1:31
Anyway, fitness journey, organized as a candidate just kind of grew up. But get into prototype. I was big into like p90x, you know, I talked to kinsmen about better at one point he was supposed to. That was pretty cool. Tony Horton is gonna get started. Anybody ever wants to read it? It’s pretty quick. But I think he’s pretty interesting guy. And goes along with that. already. I was coaching Barney’s daughter curries. And got to know Marty and Lillian, and they’re very good friends of ours now. And Marty was like, You got to come into this and you’re gonna love it. Like, just because I’m competitive. And kind of like all that and everything else. Cayla said, her podcast, the thing that’s great about CrossFit prototype is that it’s sort of a sport. And yet, you know, because you can’t it’s kind of got that sport tone to it. Not like it’s like super competitive. But you know, I need that. I only stopped playing lacrosse myself two years ago, right the year before COVID. So I have always needed something to do and waited kind of, I just love being having a competition. The cool thing is the reason I think I quit lacrosse is because of CrossFit. Like, because it gave me that release. I don’t know what it is. But I just needed a lot of my buddies in college, who I played with, they’re all done. They were finished after college and everything else. And I’m watching these kids now. play lacrosse with me. And the youth, kids and everything else. And I always say it’s a sport where a lot of kids from Westboro actually probably can go play college. And I’m always sort of like looking at that and saying, why don’t you stop in high school? Like, why would you just stop it by the time you’re 18 or whatever, 1718 years old, and that’s not your finished one. The cool thing is now in today’s world is this places like CrossFit is places like the golf course, that offer those kind of competitive opportunity. But there’s nothing like being on a team and actually competing something I I kind of I do miss you know, a bit like I said, we’ll jump into different topics, but recently, well about six years ago now join my family company from the corporate world and be another release on leading teams and stuff like that we talk about this a lot in the next year with a whole lot of topics and stuff and it’s you know, I can’t I miss it. I miss I miss leading a lot of people and being a leader and everything else. But to get back to why I’m stuck with CrossFit or like, you know, love prototype. There’s a lot of reasons that go below this but personally it’s just it’s the it’s their competitiveness, it’s the it’s the kind of something to measure something to go after and it’s really fun and you know, the people are all part of a team. That’s pretty cool watching you also I’ll give you that to watching you grow this business and manage this business is really inspiring to me to watch it. You’ve done this stuff, so a lot of credit to you. It’s really awesome watching you run a business it could be a pastry shop.
Mike Collette 4:45
Good. I would do a pastry shop. It’s so fun. Fun fact my dad owned a bakery. So when I think, trying to remember why I can’t remember but it was we had. No, I was like a grew up in diapers in the bakery. And then I don’t know what the story is exactly, but he ended up shutting it down and then going into the teaching so I don’t know if I would follow in that footsteps of starting a bakery and then just shutting it down. I’m not the I’m not the best Baker. I can cook some food Erin’s a better Baker than than me. But But with that said, I know you’re like, you’re, you’re, first of all, I love everything you said here, like, you know how it has a sport tone to it, but it’s the you like the competitiveness and like being able to measure things and then go after it. Because I know you’re a big, goal driven guy. And that’s like, an important part of your life. Not everyone like, is inspired by goals or like sets goals, I would love to maybe kind of share kind of your experience and your expertise around that. Because it is something that drives you. And it’s something that you do a lot. And again, like I said, you know, some people just come into the gym, they put in some work, and they leave and they go do what they do. And it’s just kind of like, I wouldn’t say go through the motions. But it’s not as like, you know, when you have a goal, it’s something you’re working towards, and you achieve it, there’s this level of accomplishment. It’s like it’s a good feeling. Maybe you can share some insight into that.
Matt Ehrlich 6:30
Childhood, call it a lot of stuff. Stuff was a little messy for me in high school. And it wasn’t just like family, or anything else like that it was a good kid, or something that a kid. They call it well rounded. You know, that’s what I was kind of like in high school. And so things went and arrived for me and broke my leg three different times in high school. I was going to use that as my last chance. But anyway, you know, let me just gonna refocus for a second. The point there is that I came out of high school and I really was scared that it wasn’t going to go on to college, I got recruited and stuff and I was going to go to school. Okay, colleges, but it went to Bridgeton Academy, and gave me the opportunity to kind of back then Anthony Robbins came out with his tapes and stuff is first round, it takes my dad was kind of travels a lot. And he was listening to stuff in the car. And he’s they are trying this when I was 18 years old, that having an 18 year old was really incredible. So I was able to do the values, the goals and missions, all the stuff that anybody does at a really young age. And what came from that was really the actions, the tasks. So you know, you’re you’re my first thought was you said, Oh, you’re a goal driven guy. And some of the stuff that we’re working on now is to get a little more discipline about stuff. So it’s not that I’m what became of me, throughout all those years, and all through college and grad school and everything else in my career in financial services for a while, my first career. And even for that matter running a lacrosse the organization. It’s really about tasks. And I’m a list guy, it’s like I like to just write down a whole bunch of stuff, and get it done in you know, in the beginning of the week, and just and just knock it out. So I’ll say, Okay, I’m gonna go to three or four, compress your files I’m going to do to peloton and I’m going to do rockin and rollin and bite, you know, three times a jewel, that kind of stuff. It was this week, actually, what I did, and I’m gonna wake up at 530 every day to get that. So it’s like, I check it off. Well, next week comes and it’s a new list. So you know, that’s to seeing that, that, you know, that’s I’m really accomplished it that the app good. Knocking those things off on it started in a really early age. I remember writing that down, there’s no phones and iPads or anything else like that. I used to write little lists and put them in my head and cross it off. So it was fun kids, high school kids to do that, instead of using their phone. But anyway, that’s sorry, I know I’m going around in circles. But fact is that you said you know how I get there and how I’m driven and what drives me it’s really bad. I will tell you to go back to the CrossFit thing is that, you know, you’re when you’re talking I was kind of thinking about this, it’s and we did that many CrossFit you did with me that one time where it was like, you know, you’re counting off and you’re really lacking oxygen and you’re trying to make decisions. That will thing we did. That’s pretty cool. That’s really the competitive that’s that’s the physical part. Tangible part of what I was just talking about. That was the piece that like when you’re in a lacrosse team, you’re trying to fight for a ball, that’s the tiny piece. That’s the adrenaline and the physical, physiological, chemical, whatever you want to call it. Peace. You get that every day across fit every workout, you know, which is really kind of It’s a hot it’s really hard. I mean that that kind of drug call it you. So whenever similar is better than Coke or anything else, it’s pretty cool out again. You don’t have to it’s like very, very little pieces, little tiny pieces. So he said any, you know, when it was back in the day in high school and stuff he said, he said the highest you’re gonna get from like winning a championship is way more than drinking 40 beers.Really, it’s a really cool thing to do. But I, you know, I love to tell kids tell my kids tell anybody wants to hear.
Mike Collette 10:36
I was just gonna bring that up. Like, as with like, your background, as an athlete, your background was kind of going through like adversity, like with like injuries and kind of coming back. You know, you’re a gold driven guy. You got a couple of kids, like really good kids, like I told you, like before, like, I think Cayla is awesome. You know, she’s, you know, she’s just, she’s great. And she’s, you know, she’s, again, she’s interning a prototype, you know, that’s, that’s, you know, a result of like, you know, you and Jen’s, like leadership and being good parents and the environment and that sort of thing. With that being said, like, with this mentality and what you do, like, how do you like, how do you apply that to like the kids that you’re coaching, like in lacrosse, with like, your kids, like kind of taking your, your approach? Like, I would love to talk about that, because because for the folks that are listening now, like, you run up the Westboro lacrosse, and like, not everyone at the gym knows that like you and O’Dowd, and there’s some other folks that are associated with that, as well. And you’re and you’re trying to grow the program and make it bigger and better, and steal leadership into the kids like all that sort of stuff. So it’d be cool to talk a little bit about that. It’d be a good little, little mini plug for Westboro lacrosse, if any, any any parents listening to this, they’re trying to get their kids into sports, like you should talk to Matt.
Unknown Speaker 12:01
It’s really, I mean, in the sense that, you know, I’ll tell you it’s, it’s not I don’t love running Westboro lacrosse. I love running Westboro lacrosse the business. And it’s fun to do that like to accomplish that, I guess. But as you asked me about the sport in Westboro, across what I love, I love coaching those kids. I mean, it’s, and I know, it’s like, cliche to hear that, but, you know, you ask anybody, and Carolyn Draper, the Pol, the prototype of the month. kid does, he’s my guy. I mean, he’s anyone on any of these kids, you know, it’s, I love guiding these kids and trying to give them something to be happy about, you know, you can see their smiles and everything else. And it’s a sport that, you know, if you just put time in to it, you’re going to be good, you’re going to be accomplished. It’s not so developed out in America right now that you know, any kid can catch their McCarthy’s kid Oh, and just joined us. He’s the happiest communities. apple doesn’t fall far from the tree little thing for that literally. That kid is awesome. And he just embraces it and heaven damn on the sideline, god damn as a parent and across here and behind me cheering on so there’s just it’s great. And it’s really great when you have those stories. And I’ve had those stories for years. There was I coached the junior high kids when I first moved here I coached in the inner city for seven years before that, you know, with with incredible athletic kids and it was it was awesome to introduce them to the sport and I brought that was character that was like hardcore character education that you do. It doesn’t resonate as much out here in Westboro character education because it’s like, the kids are fenit like constantly. I mean the millpond school is like a character no you get some kind of award for being a character school and stuff. So when I go try to bring this stuff in we have this acronym called respect, responsibility. And when kids are killing me they don’t know this responsibility, effort, sportsmanship, participation, enthusiasm Cobe and Zach Mohamad Derek kid got a little too enthusiastic in practice so I made him do as many burpees as I could to, hopefully make them throw up. But they were they were they were they were going by the the character acronym we’re using anyway whenever we use that, and you know, hopefully it resonates with the kids. I think it’s just the core values think I like them to see and I can relate with them. I mean, I really like to be friend them I like a friend, a lot of people but I like to these kids and you know, I’ve got kids that are, you know, Lowe’s kid and Kyle Mac is out in the real world now and hear his story and he’s working for me and PE for something like, I think KPMG or something like that. And Tony Savelli another kid that I’ve coached, and they’re all all the way out of college, Tony was Player of the Year in his division d3, you know. So in college and that’s really fun to see that these kids are coming through. We got a really good thing though. I want to do a plug. We’ve got an incredible thing going on at the high school right now. We just put in we have a new coach there. The kids are great. He’s gonna have a growing year, but it’s really fun to bridge that gap now to and again, the friends that I’ve got, I mean, I wouldn’t, you know, all the people that are prototypes, people approach anyone else. So that’s my plug for Westboro because it’s a community just like you said, you don’t have to be the best lacrosse player. It’s it’s a community. We’re pretty damn good. Because we’re a community
Mike Collette 15:53
So then just remind me so you guys are playing is it? Is it is it is it town? Is it club like what is the? Yeah, the core of this town and you know, we don’t keep score. There’s no in the younger ages. They don’t keep score. Well, supposing you are now in sixth grade through seventh to eighth grade. So Shawn coaches a seventh and eighth grade Liam.
Mike Collette 0:02
All right, we just had this weird thing that just happened. Ever zoom unexpectedly quit. This is keep we’ll keep we’ll keep it rolling. Well, we’ll have these these audio bits together. Okay, sorry, Matt
Matt Ehrlich 0:15
I broke Zoom because I talk too much.
Mike Collette 0:21
So funny. You’re talking about that town and, and versus club and that sort of thing.
Matt Ehrlich 0:29
Yeah. So like I said, it’s not the town is not compete. And that’s what gives us the platform for using, you know, maybe when you’re growing the kids and, you know, building their character, and everything else and realizing their wins and losses aren’t as big a deal. As you as the kids get older, it certainly does. And, you know, we kind of, you got to adjust to that as, as a coach, some of the growth that Shawn and I have gone through as coaches starting with the first grade kids all the way up through eighth grade, it’s really a great experience. I mean, if anybody gets the opportunity, I’d say that to the younger prototype. Folks, I know Nate is coaching his kid in in Hopkinton right now and talk to him about that, and the things that you learn about yourself by going through that, with all these other kids, not just you know, I know people raise their kids in their in their home, and stuff, but when you got an opportunity to coach, you know, 15 to 20 kids every year and watch them grow, and how you have to adjust as a coach is just invaluable. I mean, it’s just really cool, it makes you sound positive, it just makes you such a better person.
Mike Collette 1:38
Totally, totally, we can relate the exact same, it’s, it’s great to see like, on the on, you know, we coach, kids and adults that prototype and it’s cool to see people will get those wins, right, and I make a big impact in their lives. You know, you mentioned like the kids growing up and then going on to do bigger, better things, whether they go play college, or when they graduate college, and then they’re, they’re working adults, like you mentioned a couple of those examples. It’s the same sort of feeling when you know, people make cool, you know, everlasting long term relationships or friendships within the gym, or you meet their next best friend, or it changes their life and they get their family involved. And that changes their life and their trajectory. It’s like, you see things happen, we got kids that like, you know, that have come in, and they’ve started in our kids program, and now want to be coaches, like, they want to do this as like a career, they want to coach people they want to they want to be in the fitness industry. I mean, I can think of 10 kids on top top my head, which is like a cool, that was a cool thing. You know, we’ve been doing this for 10 years. So I get I get it resonates what you’re saying, you know, the impact, it’s not just like, coaching and helping them get better, but seeing that growth down the road and, and how that you know, gives you all the all the good feelings and that sort of thing. So I can I can I can totally relate to that. I want to get into this, this this to truth and a lie, though. Maddie, this is the fun part. And I know sounds like you’ve spoiled one of them. So you got to make up that lie real. Truth. That’s totally, totally for everybody. For everyone listening, so the two truths and a lie. So Matt’s gonna give three three statements. I gotta guess which one is the lie out of the three? And then maybe I’ll expand on some of the other ones. I think I’m like, um, community conversations that might be one in one or two in one. I can’t remember. I think I have a winning record. I definitely don’t have a losing record. I will say that. But with that being said, feel feel free Matt, share your two truths and a lie all right.
Matt Ehrlich 3:47
I played four sports in high school. That’s it. Well, I don’t know what am I supposed
Mike Collette 3:57
Three. I say what they say all three and then I had to guess
four sports in high school. I Gosh. I had a 4.0 grade point average in my first year of college. Okay. And what else? Say?
Matt Ehrlich 4:30
Well, I’ve benched 210 the other day.
Mike Collette 4:37
All right. So I feel like anything that I think is going to be a lie is going to be if it’s not a lie, it’s gonna you’re gonna get offended by it. So, just just just based on what you’re you’re saying, I feel like four sports and high school, like how do you play four sport? Like the 4.0 GPA? I would I would believe it but then I would also it could be a lie because it could have been like your second year in college. I know you had that gap year, not gap year, but I know you’re at Bridgeton like I don’t know, if you’re including that there’s a little there’s a little lie there. And then the bench the bench to 10 I feel like it was like maybe a little bit more like 212 or 215 or something like that. And like maybe that’s the lie. for sports in high school, how do you play Four sports in high school? I mean, I guess I’m gonna say for for sports in high school. I don’t know how you play for sports in high school.
Matt Ehrlich 5:49
Well, so let’s just say not all four years, baseball team as a freshman.
Mike Collette 6:01
So that’s true. Okay, got it. Sorry. I already lied. He lost this. Okay, so Okay, so of course we’re not okay. So you played Alright, so now tell us so you played what? Baseball.
Matt Ehrlich 6:16
So yeah, I made the baseball team and I had already made the lacrosse team call me up in eighth grade. And I played back in the day. That’s where we a lot of schools did some regional schools around here that do the same thing. They pull up eighth graders so they pulled me up as an eighth grader. We actually won the state championship. The years and eighth graders that was pretty cool. That’s not to say that like lacrosse was much more you know, kind of thing was like, probably stopped but who knows. It was like, one of the earliest monster dudes back in the day wouldn’t stick that beat the crap out of each other. That’s how the game would have been getting them the mind about 250 is kind of what it was up in New Hampshire back in the day. But um, anyway, then I played baseball and I mean the baseball team. Because I really loved baseball. I love baseball. I do. I love it. I was watching on the opening day stuff yesterday. I really enjoy baseball. It’s it’s probably
Mike Collette 7:11
the bomber that isn’t the same the same season is dance sucks.
Matt Ehrlich 7:15
I wish I wish they were they were still around the center would be I wish there was something else because I really
Mike Collette 7:20
like lacrosse, baseball being in the spring or something like that.
Matt Ehrlich 7:23
Coby is on a little league team for the 12 year olds, now they’re going to Cooperstown this summer, which is kind of cool that is traveling all over the place with him and his family. So he’s getting a little bit of a taste of his sixth trip. But that’s anyway, that was that was the the the truth of the lie was.
Unknown Speaker 7:42
Now I benched 210 when I was sticking with CrossFit everyday the fact that I haven’t taken off everything else. I’ve checked that opportunity.
Mike Collette 7:56
So that was that was the thing that was on my mind. And I was like wait for sport is like how do you play for sports in high school, and I was like bench that was like, that was the one that I intuitively I was like, I feel like that would be one of those easy ones you could adjust. But I mean, impressive though the 4.0 GPA.
Matt Ehrlich 8:11
Well, it’s not as 4.0. But I did put it this way I did really well. My first year in college. And the reason I brought that up is because that was really a testament to bridge, like I’ve really not done well in high school well enough to get into some good schools and what they branched in, did incredibly well did you know, 3.7 grade point or something like that it was in all AP classes. You know, I actually got six months of college credit at Princeton, brought that to Bentley, and then that first year, I really really excelled. And that was really except the pattern, I guess the reps you call it from college. And then from there kind of in your cold. And that’s where, you know, I’ve tried to again, put that into the kids that come and talk to us and my brother, you know, and everything else trying to do things 110% It’s like you don’t have to be a done lacrosse player, you know, is the idea of it. And then that kind of plays are now in my life. I don’t have to be a bad business guy because I run a lacrosse program, right? That dollar cost for life is worth. That’s cool, man. That’s kinda cool. Well,
Mike Collette 9:22
well, I mean, you said 4.0 GPA you said did really well. So that could still be a lie. The four sports kind of sounds like a lie because you didn’t really play for sports. We made the team and he didn’t bend Trenton it sounds like you still three lies
I love the fair to the obscuring the truth for everything. No, I’m just kidding. This is more stuff that I learned about it today. Well, Maddie, this is this is fun. This is this is just a good time. recession. It was cool to talk about lacrosse stuff. I mean, you folks are listening, appreciate you tuning in this week community conversation. We try to go every week for this community conversation that you can check it out on Spotify or Apple podcasts. We also have it on our YouTube channel on our blog if you want to check that out. Just make sure you’re tuning in share it like comment all that other fun stuff. But uh, Matt, thanks again for being on really appreciate it, man.
Matt Ehrlich 10:26
I want to do another plug for you on this subject. My wife who’s not a member protector, we don’t know where she was listening to Cayla’s podcast is listening to her in the car. She hasn’t listened to it before. And if it Brad’s right into Nicole’s podcast, so the other day she goes on she goes I think Nicole’s a really cool person like I really liked her
Mike Collette 10:51
there’s a lot of cool people. There a lot of cool people at prototype we got to bring Jen and bring another cool person in. Let’s go get the whole family get the whole family and we know Coby can crush everyone so. Awesome. Matt, thanks again.