Life After the Gridiron, Podcasting for Business Growth, and Building Through Adversity with Marques Ogden

Jordan Mendoza sits down with Marques Ogden for a wide-ranging conversation about reinvention, podcasting, business development, and resilience. Marques shares how he went from NFL player to entrepreneur, then rebuilt his career through speaking, coaching, consulting, and his podcast Get Authentic with Marques Ogden. They also dig into how podcasting can create real business opportunities, why consistency matters before monetization, and how AI is changing content creation and operational systems. The conversation closes with a practical message for anyone in a hard season: focus on the light, keep moving, and never quit.Key topicsMarques Ogden’s transition from former NFL player to speaker, coach, consultant, and podcast hostWhy his work now centers on mindset, leadership, sales, and helping organizations build sustainable successA customized app his team built for clients that supports KPI tracking, leadership training, communication, roundtables, and dashboardsHow Get Authentic with Marques Ogden became a networking engine that led to clients, referrals, and long-term relationshipsWhy podcasting creates value through access, credibility, and relationship building rather than immediate revenueThe early grind of podcasting, including no monetization at launch, inconsistent guests, and the need to invest before earningHow sponsorships, consulting, speaking, and coaching now all flow from the podcast ecosystemThe importance of staying consistent, improving production, and continuing to iterate on clips, thumbnails, and social contentHow Marques structures workshops based on client needs, including half-day and full-day formats with custom proposalsThe positive impact of AI on podcasting and business systems, especially for speed, efficiency, descriptions, workflows, and publishingMarques’s shift from resisting AI and CRM systems to using them as core parts of his businessAdvice for anyone in a difficult season: focus on what is good, lean on your network, and keep going until momentum returnsTimestamps00:00 - Welcome back and Marques Ogden’s journey from the NFL to entrepreneurship 02:05 - Speaking, leadership training, and the legacy of purpose theme 03:03 - Custom client app for KPI tracking, training, and communication 04:21 - Why Get Authentic attracts authentic guests and powerful stories 05:23 - Why business leaders should have a podcast in 2026 06:23 - How podcasting opened the door to Trucordia and other clients 09:57 - The long road to podcast monetization and business impact 10:22 - Early struggles, divorce, and the cost of building the show 12:48 - Keep going when downloads, money, and guests are all uneven 14:06 - Reps, consistency, and showing up instead of riding the wave 15:32 - Podcasting leads to in-person content and stronger client relationships 16:02 - Breaking into the insurance space through referrals and relationships 18:25 - Why sales and trust often happen after multiple touchpoints 19:56 - How workshops are customized for each client’s needs 22:11 - AI as a tool for efficiency, publishing, and content creation 23:55 - Going from anti-CRM to building a system-driven business 27:02 - AI with human touch and why systems matter for scale 28:53 - Message for listeners facing rock bottom 30:07 - Turning adversity into momentum and buying a dream home 32:11 - Be bold, have integrity, take ownership, and never quit 33:39 - Smooth seas never made skilled sailorsWork with Marques: https://marquesogden.com/Listen to Get Authentic: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/get-authentic-with-marques-ogden/id1633323257 Are you an entrepreneur?Join my FREE Group Coaching Community where we have live calls, Q&A and more! Our Trailblazer Ecosystem also enables you to network with other entrepreneurs and creator hub eliminates multiple subscriptions and logins creating a one stop shop to take action! Join here: https://trailblazerecosystem.com/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.