Transcript of Cracking Helmets, Commanding Screens: Isaac Keys Unplugged
Mick UnpluggedSo klingt Weihnachten bei REVE. Jetzt festlich sparen bei deinem Weihnachtseinkauf. Diese Woche bei REVE, Ferrero Rocher je 200 Gramm-Packung, nur 2,99 Euro. Außerdem, Mionetto Prosecco Spumante Doc, je 0,75 Liter-Flasche, nur 5,99 Euro. Festlich sparen bei REVE. Dein Markt. Dein altes Sofa zerfällt langsam und die Black Friday-Angebote sind wirklich unschlagbar. Aber dein Gehalt kommt erst Anfang des Monats. Keim Problem. Mit der PayPal-Bezahlung nach 30 Tagen. So hast du jetzt mehr Spielraum beim Bezahlen und der Betrag wird nach 30 Tagen automatisch und kostenlos von deinem Konto oder deiner Karte abgebucht. Alle Infos auf paypal. De In this episode, I sit down with actor, former athlete, new author, Isaac Keyes.
And you're going to get to know the real Isaac Keyes. We talk about so much. We talk about his journey. We talk about his because. We talk about the depth of why he decided to write this book and to write it now. And we're going to talk about if he could really understand Finkie 10 or not the first time he met him. Ladies and gentlemen, I present my friend Isaac Keyes.
You're listening to Mic Unplug, hosted by the one and only Mic Hunt. This is where purpose meets power. Power, and stories spark transformation. M. I. K. Takes you beyond the motivation and into meaning, helping you discover your because and becoming unstable. I'm Rudy Rush, and trust me, you're in the right place. Let's get Unplugged.
Isaac, how are you doing today, brother?
Oh, man, that is an excellent introduction. I appreciate that. Thank you very much. And yes, man, I'm doing well today. I'm happy to be here on the show, man. I'm glad we can connect.
I'm the honored woman, been a huge fan of you since your days at Morehouse when you were cracking heads and sacking quarterbacks, man. Two-time All-American, inducted into the Morehouse Hall of Fame. So one, I just want to tell you congratulations, man. But two, just proud of the man that you are, bro. Proud of the man that you are.
Well, thank you. I appreciate that. To take it back, I think we got to see where you came from to see where you're going. I like to look back on things and give myself a pat on the back at times. Just appreciation what I have been able to accomplish and how I've been able to help anybody else accomplish any of their dreams.
And to me, that is so important, man, especially for men. And I'm going to be honest and go there for Black men. A lot of times, we don't take the time to accept the flowers when they're given to us. I know you're a huge mental health advocate, so am I. Sometimes we just need that encouragement, man. We can't be tough all the time. It was cool back in the day to be the tough kid to say you can handle it, man. But that's a lot of pressure. That's a lot of stress. And sometimes, man, we just don't take enough time to appreciate what we've accomplished. So I'm telling you, I'm glad you appreciate.
I appreciate that. Thank you, man. I appreciate that. I think what you're saying is that we have to celebrate ourselves. It's always the joke about what a father gets a father's day gift and what a mother gets for mother's day gift. And that's always a running joke. But it's true in a sense, because as men, we've been taught and room for the most part to be able to take on so much. And it's not about us, it's not about us. It's about we provide it and making sure we provide for the family, make sure everybody else is good. But I think there's room for balance. There's room for both. You need to be celebrated for everything that you do, because if not, you start to develop this type of resentment for the things that you are doing and you're accomplishing, where you don't feel like you're being seen and celebrated. And that starts as a kid. The best way to get to a kid is to be seen, celebrated, and appreciated, and teaching that up. I think there's room for both. It's just that our older generation, we just weren't thought that because the men had to carry so much on their shoulders.
They couldn't show their emotion, show how they felt. And there was no time for that. There was no time for pretty part. I got to go to work tomorrow. I got time to be dealing with all of that. But I think there's now there's room for both. And I think that we had. It's up to us to be able to celebrate our friends, celebrate each other, and to support one another as much as we possibly can as men. And honestly, there's strength and vulnerability.
Amen to that. Amen to that. I'm going to come to your book in a second, Isaac, but I love asking all my guests ask this question, and that question is, what is your because? Simon Sinek wrote the book, A Wildebar Call: Start with Why, and everybody was really trendy to know what your why is. But I like to go deeper and ask what's your because, that thing that's deeper than your why. Your why is probably your family, your kids, your spouse, your commitment to your job. But when I say, but why, that sentence usually starts with, Well, because, and that's what I care about. So if I said Isaac Keyes, today, What's your because, brother?
I love that question. I love the deafness of it. I started off with having... I just had this strong drive of just wanting more for myself. And as I started to put the words together, I knew I was just I was afraid not living up to my potential. My potential, not anybody else's my potential. I didn't want my life to be a waste. I saw so much coming up, growing up, of people who become a product of the environment or just made excuses for not a accomplishing goals or becoming the best person they possibly be. And I think it probably is still for my parents. They had a higher standard for me and for my sister to be better, be the best version of ourselves that we possibly be. And I always carry that with me. And I was always attracted to people who had that same type of ambition or same type of goals that I didn't like to be around people who were lethargic or wanted to be a victim or decided to blame everything on someone else. I also learned the phrase later on in life is that blame starts with you.
So once you take the blame on yourself, then it makes the outlook on everything else a lot easier. Well, what could I have done different in that situation that I probably could have learned from? Okay, it just helps you taking it on in that aspect. And I think it's just my wisest and my because, because I just wanted it to be, I wanted more for myself. And once I had one for myself, then I could spread it out to others, to my loved ones, and to other people around, and they can see what I went through and what I accomplished and what I did in I've accomplished and learned from it. And I think that was important to me. And even to this day, it's like they still drive value. We get older a little bit now, we be like, I'm not in the gym as hard. I don't have that same fire as I did when I played, but I'm still in the gym. And I always... That's the other part. I just never wanted to just settle. I just couldn't take settle in mediocracy. And I don't even ask my friends. They get mad at me because I'm like, No, that ain't it.
You do more. Let's do more. And that's also a mirror effect. It's me talking through the mirror, talking to myself, too.
Man, I love that. And again, that's why you are one of my not just favorite actors, not just favorite authors, not just favorite athletes. You're one of my favorite people, bro, in the world, because I know your story a little bit. Like I said, I've been a huge fan of yours. And then when I heard you're writing a book and the title grabbed me, the grind don't stop. It just changes. And it parallels so much of almost what you just hit on, looking at mirror. Sometimes we got to look at the mirror and go back and say, oh, this is how this happened, or this is what shaped me, or this is the story that made me who I am, good, bad, or indifferent. And I now know how to adjust, or how to hit that grind in a different genre or a different space because it just changes.
I think it's so important to be able to share our stories because that's where we grow and that's what helps other people. Just by you saying that and the title, Grab and Grab You and captivating you, was what I wanted to do. This title has been floating around in my head for five to the last 16 years. It derived from The Wire. It was a phrase where an actor said, he said, The game don't stop. It just changes. And that's because it's just different people. But the game is still the same. And I was like, well, man, do my endeavors through life and everything? I could never just stop. The grind of just like, okay, having to get up and work for this one thing here, whether it's football, get up to work a job that you don't necessarily want to go to. But okay, it don't stop there because what are you going to use that job for to help you in the next end up? What's that going to lead to? And then when you sit back and look at the process, you're like, Wow.
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Jeder meckert über den ÖPNV. Aber was steckt wirklich dahinter? Mit dem podcast, Ticket to Anywhere, blickst du hinter die Kulissen des Naheverkehrs. Schauspieler Maximilian Mund reist zu seiner Oma, trifft spannende Menschen wie Malte Zierden oder Linda Zervakes und erklärt alles zu Bus I did this job over here.
I didn't really care for it, but it taught me that I don't want to do that type of job anymore, and that it leads me to this other direction of something I feel more fulfilled in, whether it's that, whether it's your career choice, whether it's school opportunities, whether it's sports. I chose to take my stories. I always started from adolescence, elementary school all the way to present day, to use my stories in a relatable capacity that people can be like, Oh, wow. I may not be in the NFL, but that was similar to the corporate job. I worked at AT&T, and they had to switch over to Microsoft or whatever it may be. And it's just been on my heart to share because when we do interviews like this, you may ask a question, How did you get to NFL? And I got two minutes to tell you. How did you get to acting? And I got to say, No, it didn't happen that easy. I want to take you step by step To understand that none of this was just easy. And the process is what taught me to be able to keep on going in the grind.
And the grinding just molded me to become the type of person to be able to deal with certain things or it's trending me to handle certain situations. So when I see them again, okay, I know how to handle this. The learning curve is one of the most important things you can have in life. How quick are you able to adapt and change to the new situation or the new agenda or the new activities in hand? And a lot of times We're in our own way. We're hard headed, we're stubborn, we're in our own way, and we don't see it. And we're like, Okay, no, it's changed, so let's change with it. And it's okay to do that.
And I think that is so important, man. I do a lot on leadership with corporations, and we talk We're talking about being able to change. Some people say adjust, but there are times that you just literally have to change. Sometimes adjusting isn't enough, right? When you're going up against that big 320 pound left tackle, right? You can't just adjust because he's adjusting, too. And that's what I tell people. Life is adjusting with you. And so that success, whatever that level of success means to you, there are moments where you just got to change because adjusting isn't enough. Tell us about that in your journey, man.
I think my journey was full of changes, and I don't think it would ever stop. And I think if you're not changing, adapting, adjusting, then you're not growing. And if you're not growing, then you're dying. And that's not what we look I look forward to the change. Some people are very scared of change. They're very timid of like, I don't want to change. Or then people say, They said I changed. Well, I mean, depending on your circumstance and your situation, you should change. Well, let's say, evolve. You can still have your core or who you are. But as time goes on, your values change. Your morals and things like that, sometimes may remain the same, but your values change because now you have a kid. Now you live life a little different when you have children, or you lost a loved one, you lost your parent, or lost a significant other. You're different now. And it's okay to be different. It's just as long as you start to have understanding of what your difference is now. I'm not an expert in any of this. This is my life experiences that make it unique to me.
And it works and it helps to be able to talk it out. We talk it right now. So I welcome change because change brings more experiences. It brings moments and experiences, and then experiences create more life. So I look forward to it. Sometimes all changes aren't as good as others. But when you change your mind, it's like, okay, acceptance is probably one of my biggest things that helped me and hindered me in the time because you have to learn when to use it. Not accepting a lot of things pushed me to walk on in college, what I wanted to say football, not once, but twice. It pushed me to... When they told me I had to sit out a year and I didn't hear the call, I didn't hear them. I just kept going to practice. In spring practice in Morehouse. Nfl, not being picked up in the draft like I thought I was going to be. I didn't get picked up until a month later, which I talk about all this in the book. I put it in layers. I could have stopped. I could have accepted that, but I didn't accept it. And now when I look at acceptance, it's now in relationships because I was so much intact and so enduced into what I was trying to accomplish as a person that I was emotionally unavailable for relationships outside of that.
And I tap into how that affected relationships and how one of my dating scenes and all those types of things. I really tap into this book. This book is a deep dive and the vulnerability of just my stories in life that I think that we all similarly go through. We just don't always talk about it.
I love it, dude. I want to go a couple of places. The first place I want to go is that story, your freshman year, right? So you walk on, and I know this story a little bit, but I want you to elaborate for the audience, right? So you were not supposed to actually stay for practice, right? You're supposed to come back in the summer. It's like, Hey, if you didn't play last year, spring practice ain't for you. We'll see you in the summertime. Isaac Hayes' knucklehead or Isaac Keyes' knucklehead was like, Hey, you know what? If they don't say nothing, I ain't going to say nothing.
The caveat is that that started before. I walked on to University of North Alabama as my official freshman year. And I walked on because in high school, I was played out of position my senior year. I played lineback all the way up, and I had a passion and a drive to play lineback. Backer. Waiting my turn, waiting for my time to start. Senior year comes along, the coach will say, You know what? We're going to move your offensive line. I'll say, What, Coach? Moving your offensive line. You told me if I did this, this, and this over the summer and came back with this type of physicality, speed, and everything, then line by position is mine. I paid my dues. I earned my way up to this point. And now you're moving me to an officer line. And I had a decision to make. I had a decision to make at that time to whether I'm going to continue playing football, be it with my friends or camaraderie, or I'm just going to say, no, I'm not getting my way. I'm just going to quit. Like I said, my daddy and my mama didn't raise no quitter.
And I say this in a book. My dad said, if you're going to flip burgers, be the best burger flipper there is. If you're going to flip blue fries, whatever, maybe do the best you do. So I made a choice at that point, and I'll get to where we're going in Morehouse. And I just think it's important to build. And again, I share it in the book is that I made a choice, and I said, I'll be the best center on offensive line, being undersized, underweight, in a sense, be the best I possibly be. And I ended up making all conference that year as a center. Our team was successful. We lost eventually in the playoffs, but we were successful. And that led me to want to go to college. I still want to go to college. I want to play football in college. North Alabama came about because a best friend of mine was going there. I said, I want to walk on. What did they say they wanted to do? I said, I'm going to say, I'm going to play a lineback. They said, No, we're going to have you play tight-end. Wow.
I just don't have no say so on the matter, I guess. And then again, I made a decision, and I was not a good tight-end at first. But as the year progressed and I committed myself to it, I became a good tight in. And they raised me that year, but I was going to be in competition for the next year of playing starting tight in. I just didn't like the school. It didn't feel like college. It was two-fold for me. I feel like my college is. I would say, College will be the best time of your life. It should be. And I agree. So I think when I was going to college, I didn't feel that way. Football was starting to come along, but I was still not in that position I wanted to play, and it didn't feel like college to me. And that's how Morehouse started coming visually into the picture. And eventually I ended up going there. And to allude to your story, the part that you were talking about earlier is I had to sit out there first year. I came in Morehouse, straight for in. They told me I had to sit out a year because I couldn't transfer laterally, Division 2, Division 2, even though they were totally different conference.
Later on in life, I find out that I could have played that year, but that's how God works. I didn't play that year that season, transferred to Morehouse, thought I was. So I was a Joe student. A whole chapter in the book about being a Joe student because that's a different type of life. Especially if you've never been one, you played sports all your life, now you just see the students different. So spring came. I went off of spring practice. Spring started weight lifting in the drills. And he said, Coach came like a new coach. New coach came into the school, said, If you weren't here last year, Then go ahead and go home and then come back when training camp starts. I saw guys starting to pack up their stuff, getting their shoes, having their head down like, Okay, I'm here last year. I just looked. I just looked away. And I don't know what came on me, Where I had the fortitude, the gumption to be able to be like, he ain't talking to me. He ain't talking to me. And I just kept going to work out. Nobody said anything. I don't know if the coaches paid attention to the new, nobody said anything.
I just kept putting the work in. It's like myself and one other guy who became successful in Morehouse, too. A safety, Sean Carwell. Still one of my best friends to this day, but I bring it up because he had the same type of mindset. And that's why I think we became so close as well, too. Because, again, being around people that can sharpen the iron that you're around, that you have some of the same ambitions with. And so, yeah, I kept going, and that's how Morehouse career started.
I love that, man. I love that. And speaking of change, I want to have this conversation with you because I feel like we have this in common, knowing your story the way I do. When we talk about change, the biggest lesson in change that I had to learn, aside from myself, was my circle.
Yes.
When your standards Standards change, which they should. As you grow and as you evolve, your standards change. And when your visions change and when your vision of success changes, a lot of times the people around you need to change, too, because the ones that are holding you back are usually ones that are applauding to your face, right? But behind your back, they're trying to keep you where you are. Talk about, one, the importance of your circle changing, and two, how yours has changed as you have continued to evolve as you continue to do it.
There's one thing that you're about to change, you're speaking of that gravitated me to the character of Diana Samson on part before for us, was that when he came out, he wanted to be a changed person. He didn't want to do the same things he did before. But sometimes when you're trying to let go of your past, the other people want to hold on to it because your past benefits them. Who you were before benefits them because either one, they're stuck and they want to have Misery Loves Company, or two, they just know that, hey, they don't want to see you be better than them, in a sense. And those are the people that you can't be around. I remember being high school. During football season, I was with my athletes who had to be a part of the World's Same program. Well, come basketball season, I wasn't playing basketball. I was waiting for baseball season to start. So during basketball season, it was like my offseason at the time. And next thing you know, the allure of street activities. I was hanging out with more friends who had more Yang affiliation or more street allure.
It was putting me into a whole other environment that I was attracted to, that I was all into as well. As time goes on, you realize as a young age, you're very immature in the fact of what your value of life is. And I remember a point in my senior year when a friend of mine got murdered, and it could have easily been me. But it set off something in my head that was like, you talk about what pivotal moments it changed like that. It set off something in my head that was like, okay, that could have been me. So there's some change That's the thing that I need to make in my life about where I'm at, who I'm with, and how I go about it, especially if I want to have a future. Because this made me feel like I was like anybody else. I was no different. I can have a great honor roll, but still be out here doing some stuff in the streets I have no business doing. And I make sure I tell those stories because I think they're relatable to our young generation because I tell them all the time.
If you have 10 friends being bad, you'll be the ninth. If you have 10 friends being bad, you'll be the 10th. It's like your environment, you'll become a product of your Even if just by an accessory because you were just there, you may have not even done it. But we have a lot of people that's in the cemetery or in prison right now just because they were in the same place at the wrong time. And I think it's so important that you, it's about your support group because we all be supported to talk about what we talked about earlier. Give me each other flowers. You need to see people that value you, that want to see you do well. To say, hey, you know what, man, you might be a little drunk, but we're going to get to the career. You know what I'm saying? Like, take you home because they value who you are and How do you look? The simplest thing is that. But also celebrate. You celebrate because I'm on this show, because I'm also going to celebrate them. They got a promotion. So I think the change in the product or the product of your environment is key.
It's very key.
I love that, man. I love that. So now I want to pivot to your acting career. When did you know that that was going to be your new space to evolve and be you?
That's a great question because I think about it. For so long, I didn't know. I just knew it was something. People think that, Oh, you're doing football, you're doing the acting. No, I was trying to find I didn't... Acting wasn't even on the board. I was literally just, Okay, well, let me see if I do personal training. I work out all the time. I could maybe do that. So I started doing personal training. I saw a friend over here was doing some marketing gigs in the city. I started doing that. And I also was dealing with the mental part of it because football left me. I didn't leave football.
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I wanted to play the game, and I was still willing to do everything that I possibly could to get back on the field to give somebody an opportunity. Because I said I had so much left in the tank, that I had so much to deserve because they didn't allow me to play as much as I wanted to. And as much as I wanted to, or sometimes they said that I should have. And it was frustrating. I was angry. I was like, I still want to prove myself in this sport. So acting came about by default because, again, being around some people in a good group, being around some other actors, which was like a panel discussion in Essence Festival. I was around some actors, and I just was watching. I saw how they move, and I just saw it. I was just seeing black men doing anything on the TV screen and representing black men. Well, I started to have this fixation with, okay, well, let me do acting. People look at me like, you're going to do acting? You got to take acting classes first? I'm like, okay, fine. I have no problem because I understood that from the game of football and life.
So it It took a while because I'm telling you, I used to be in acting classes. Finally, we go to LA. I would drive out there from Phoenix where my house was, and overnight and try to just sit in and sleep on my friend's couches or cousin couch and watch how I do an audition or go to acting class. And I would be intimidated in class because it'd be people that were really good. They already almost had the lines memorized. We just got them. The way they knew so much more than I did, it was intimidating at first. And I still didn't know at that point the acting is going to be for me, but I just put both feet forward into it, jumping I got into it. It probably took a roll. It did a couple of roles, but when I got the roll on Get Shorty, I got that roll. But honestly, I'll tell you, Jurassic World. I played a control room security guard in Jurassic World, and I had a scene with Chris Pratt. I saw how he commanded the room. I saw how he came into presence, and I was like, I can do that.
I want to do that. And I tell these actors that maybe doing extra work or just getting in a game right now. I say, if you don't look at me or look at other actors and say, I can do that, then you're in the wrong business. What are you going to do? There's nothing wrong with saying, I can do that because this role is for everybody. It's just how long can you sustain until that role comes for you in your life? So when I address the world, They didn't get Shorty because it was longer. We did three seasons with get Shorty, and I was able to develop the character that they probably didn't think was going to be there the whole time, over three seasons, that they felt like, wow, we didn't have to say much, but he commands the scenes and he has a presence, and let's give him more lines, give him more lines. And that's all you're going to ask for is an actor.
Man, so this is me giving you even more flowers now because I'm not an actor, never going to be, never going in that world. But I know how competitive and hard it is to work. And bro, you are working. And I need all the listeners and the viewers to understand, you have folks that starting at the age of three, they are literally Actually trying to get work in Hollywood or in film or in TV, and it is highly competitive. So for you to dedicate yourself when you already have somewhat of a strike against you because you didn't grow up in the world of acting and entertainment. It's a community. I know that much. It's a community. Not only did you break through, man, but you're doing the damn thing. So I'm really proud of you.
I thank you. And I I see that. And I like the fans, and also that it is. Again, I would second that it's very competitive. For instance, we shot Powerful Four Forces final season. We finished end of July of 2024. So it's been over a year. It's been almost 18 months since I've worked on that show. I picked up a role here, Will Trent and some things like that. But it's also, again, the grind of stuff, it just changes. Because if that's not working and acting, then what else can I do? I can't just be in that box. So then the books start coming around. Like, oh, I should write a book and share this story where I can go take a deep dive into all of these instances and questions that people really ask me. Take a deep dive into it. Also be my therapy because I'm sharing my story and looking into it and realizing like, wow, that's why I do that. That's why I act this way or whatever it may be. But this game is something in the acting world is something I chose because it became my therapy as well, because it was a place of outlet for me to be able to let go of some of the internal things that I may struggle or challenge with through character.
But I I also learned how to substitute my emotions to bring this character alive. But also I was able to be able to let go of a lot of things because now it freed me up. We talked earlier about how we walk around with this image and how we had to be this angry or this tough guy. Well, acting created a safe place for me where I could go in here and cry if I need to cry, or I could be as silly as I want to be in this acting world. But it opened me up to feel more free and open to find out who I am as a person. And And then be confident with it. That's the big thing. We find out who we are as a person, but are you confident with it? Are you able to understand who you are and walk in your life? Acting helped me do that. And I become a better person. And you talk about you get these flowers. It's much appreciated. But look, Ian, it's like the process has allowed me to be that, to be, as we talked about earlier, is that to be the best person I possibly can be.
Yes, sir. Well, the book is written. Do we have a launch date for it We've been going back and forth on this because we want to make sure that we do it during the season of power as well.
So we are going to do a presale date. I'm saying probably in the next two weeks, and I'll be announcing it all through social media. I'll make sure you know everything will be keys, even the website where you can get the presale books. And the great thing about that, if we do the presale books, all books will be autographed by me personally and sent out to you. We have T-shirts on the site and everything that we'll be able to have for the grind on style which just changes. I'm excited about this book. I'm excited, I'm nervous, I'm elated. I'm all different emotions about this book. So I just want to make sure I get it done. And once it's out there, it's out there. And then we'll continue the conversation and discussion about it when people have a chance to read it.
I love it. So here's what I'm going to do. And I do this a lot for books that I stand behind, and everybody knows. So the first 20 people, I don't care on what platform, Instagram or LinkedIn, that messages me, grind, G-R-I-N-D.
I like it.
First 20 people, I'm going to buy the book for them.
Wow. Okay.
Then I'm also, personally, I've got this power circle. So there's a group of 25 people that I work with individually to help build their brand, help grow their businesses. I'm going to buy 25 copies for my power circle next to me. So make sure your publicist reaches out to me or my team. Personally, I'm buying 25 copies for me. Actually, I'm going to buy 30 because I have some family members that need to read this book, too. I'm going to buy 30. Let's I'm going to buy 40 for me.
Okay.
40 for me. This is on record. We're recording. I'm buying 40 for me. And then the first 20 people that message me, grind, I'm also going to buy 20 for them.
I got you. And that's much appreciated. I much appreciate. And I appreciate you supporting. Anything I could do to help support you as well is vice versa. And that's how we build.
All love. All love. All love. All right, I know you got to go. I'm going to get you out of here on my rapid fire five questions. Okay. Quick fire. You ready?
Yeah.
The first time you met 50 Cent, how hard was it to understand what he was talking about?
I got it. That was good. I was good. I understand. I talk with a slurry once a while, too, especially after a few.
Who is your favorite person from St. Louis?
Favorite person from St. Louis would be my father.
There it is. There it is. Your post-film meal, your go-to meal after a day of filming is what?
Boney and ribe, cooked medium with mac and cheese and sauteed spinach.
Okay.
I like it. I like it. Your dream role, if you could define your dream role, what would that look like?
My dream role would be... There's two, actually. My dream role is either action hero, or some type of action hero with a great story arc, and also a strong military role that really touches on the depths of the Black military, the Black man. Probably I'd love to be a period piece and go back and just have a really Black, crazy ensemble cast where we all just clear to come in with different characters.
I would love that. I can totally see that. I can totally see that. All right, last one. Final chapter of the story of Isaac Keyes is being written on That last page, what's one word that's going to define your legacy?
I'm just going to say something simple. It's not even going to be more complex because I talk a lot. I'm not going to break it down with details, but happy. I think it's just going to be... Yeah. Just by that time in the last chapter, you find happiness along the journey. I think at that point at the end of that journey, it's still okay to say happy.
I love that, man. I love that. That's deep right there because I know where you're going with it. I love it, man. I love it. Well, Isaac, bro, again, I appreciate you more than you know. This was an honor for me to talk to one of the people that I look up to that I'm a A huge fan of. So thank you for everything you do. And I'm telling you this, and I mean it, man. If there's anything I can ever do to support, you don't have to ask. You just tell me, and I'm there.
I appreciate it, brother. That goes right back to you. I appreciate you. You got it. For my career and sharing this conversation with us. Yes, sir.
To all the viewers and listeners, remember, your because is your superpower. Go unleash it.
That's another powerful conversation on Mic Unplug. If this episode moved you, and I'm sure it did, follow the show wherever you listen. Share it with someone who needs that spark, and leave a review so more people can find there because. I'm Rudy Rush, and until next time, stay driven, stay focused, and stay Unplugged.
Isaac Keys is a dynamic force whose journey spans from cracking helmets in the NFL to lighting up TV screens as Diamond Sampson on “Power Book IV: Force.” A two-time All-American and Morehouse Hall of Famer, Isaac embodies relentless ambition and personal reinvention. Beyond his achievements as an athlete and actor, he now steps into the role of author with his new book, "The Grind Don’t Stop, It Just Changes," sharing powerful lessons in resilience, personal growth, and the importance of evolving your circle as your ambitions rise. A passionate advocate for mental health and men’s emotional vulnerability, Isaac’s story is as inspiring as it is relatable.
Takeaways:
Embrace Change and Growth: Isaac’s journey is all about pivoting with purpose, showing that real progress happens when you’re not afraid to completely change directions, not just adjust your route.
The Power of Your Circle: As you evolve, so should your circle—the people around you can either lift you higher or hold you back, making it crucial to surround yourself with those who genuinely support your vision.
Vulnerability is Strength: Both Isaac and Mick Hunt stress that celebrating wins and being open about struggles—especially as Black men—isn’t weakness but a vital part of well-being and success.
Sound Bites:
“The grind don’t stop—it just changes. You never truly stop working, you just shift what you’re hustling for.” — Isaac Keys
“Sometimes adjusting isn’t enough. There are moments in life when you need to just change, because life is adjusting with you.” — Mick Hunt
“When you try to let go of your past, some people want to hold on because your past benefits them—those are the people you can’t be around.” — Isaac Keys
Connect & Discover Isaac:
Instagram: @isaackeys
LinkedIn: @isaac-keys
X: @isaackeys
Facebook: @isaackeys
Website: IsaacKeys.com
Book: The Grind Don't Stop
🔥 Ready to Unleash Your Inner Game-Changer? 🔥
Mick Hunt’s BEST SELLING book, How to Be a Good Leader When You’ve Never Had One: The Blueprint for Modern Leadership, is here to light a fire under your ambition and arm you with the real-talk strategies that only Mick delivers.
👉 Grab your copy now and level up your life → Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million
FOLLOW MICK ON:
Spotify: MickUnplugged
Instagram: @mickunplugged
Facebook: @mickunplugged
YouTube: @MickUnpluggedPodcast
LinkedIn: @mickhunt
Website: MickHuntOfficial.com
Apple: MickUnplugged
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