Show Notes
What happens when you achieve the dream you’ve worked your entire life for and then that chapter ends? In this episode of the Light Up Your Life Podcast, Samantha Peters sits down with former Major League Baseball player Ryan Roberts for a powerful conversation about the unseen side of professional sports, performing under pressure, recovery, identity, and what it takes to reinvent yourself after the life you once knew changes.
Ryan spent nine seasons in Major League Baseball after being drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays. While fans saw the games and highlights, behind the scenes were relentless travel, disrupted sleep, injuries, scrutiny, physical exhaustion, and the pressure to perform through it all. Ryan takes us behind the scenes of professional baseball and shares why some of the greatest challenges weren't physical, they were mental. He explains how breathing techniques, routines, preparation, and the support of his teammates helped him stay grounded when the pressure was at its highest.
But one of Ryan's biggest challenges came after baseball. He opens up about the difficult transition from being known as “the baseball player” to figuring out who he was without the sport, including navigating anxiety, depression, uncertainty, and learning how to become a beginner again in the next chapter of his life. Ryan also shares the personal health scare that forced him to rethink the way he approached energy, caffeine, hydration, and recovery. After long days running a coffee shop and relying heavily on caffeine, a minor heart attack became a major wake-up call. Those experiences ultimately helped inspire Ryan to build RIVYN, beginning with CoreFlo, as he took lessons learned from elite athletics and applied them to people navigating demanding careers, workouts, travel, parenting, and everyday life.
In This Episode, We Discuss: What life in professional baseball is really like behind the highlights Ryan's journey from being drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays to spending nine seasons in the Major Leagues Why the minor leagues were one of the toughest parts of his journey The mental demands of performing throughout a 162-game season How breathing, routines, and pre-performance rituals helped Ryan handle pressure Why having the right people around you matters when you're struggling The identity loss Ryan experienced when his professional baseball career ended Navigating anxiety, depression, uncertainty, and starting over Learning to become a beginner again after succeeding at an elite level The health scare that changed Ryan's perspective on energy and recovery How his experiences ultimately contributed to the creation of RIVYN and CoreFlo Why recovery can be just as important as pushing harder The everyday lessons non-athletes can take from elite sports Why sleep, hydration, nutrition, recovery, and listening to your body matter What Ryan is building now and what matters most to him in this next chapter
Whether you're an athlete, entrepreneur, parent, professional, or someone navigating a major transition, this conversation is a reminder that your identity is bigger than any title you've held—and starting over doesn't mean starting from nothing. Sometimes the end of one dream is the beginning of an entirely new purpose.
Connect with Ryan Roberts & RIVYN Learn more about Ryan's next chapter and RIVYN rivyn.com Learn more about the hydration, energy, and recovery formula discussed in the episode at https://rivynsupplements.myshopify.com/products/coreflo Connect professionally with Ryan @ryanroberts_official
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