Welcome Attitude And The Burn

SPEAKER_01 0:12

Welcome back to another episode of The Burn. I am Ben Newman, and you know how we do this every single week. We're gonna bring you a story of an athlete, an entertainer, a celebrity, somebody from the business world who helps us understand that why and purpose is not enough. It's that underlying burn that ignites your why and purpose and causes you to show up on the days you don't feel like it, and especially after you win. And from time to time, we have guests on that have done a lot of winning. But today we get to have a dear friend of mine. We went to school together at Michigan State, Spartan Dogs for Life, the same years. And not only was he part of some unbelievable winning as an athlete at Michigan State University, but he is now gone since a couple stops in between, but has come back to Michigan State to become part of more and more and more winning since 2012 as a coach. And Dr. Lorenzo Guess, I would tell you, is a one-of-one type personality. And I've never said this to him, and he didn't know that I was going to say this, but I remember when Coach Manny was still there, and I came back with Caleb Thornhill, our brother Caleb, and I was helping Caleb doing some work in the community in Lansing. We were helping some underprivileged kids that were going through a football program that he he ran. And Zoe and I, I believe we had met around the time when we were in school, but uh we really didn't spend much time together. But I walked in that day and he welcomed me with a smile. We chopped it up. I mean, you would have thought we were the best of friends. And I thought it was so unique, the personality, the fire, the energy. You can see it in a smile. And I just want to encourage everybody the attitude that you show up with in life will help you win. I'm gonna say that again. The attitude you show up with in life will help you win. And uh, Zo, for for you, Zo, Dr. Guest, I mean, I get to call all kinds of uh names as a friend, but uh I just want to tell you like like your energy. I remember that day when Manny was still there all those years ago when I did that camp with Caleb. And uh I just I appreciate how you show up and what you do for so many in this world.

SPEAKER_00 2:42

I remember that day too. I remember y'all the camp. I thought that was an amazing thing I was doing for the kids. And I was trying to find a way, but well, your energy is amazing too, so it was easy to talk to somebody with great energy, and then also y'all helping the kids, and I thought that was an amazing opportunity to help kids as that need help. Um, and I'm trying to try trying to find a way to help y'all out as much as I can. And for the guys, you and Caleb for and and Travis for helping new kids out too.

SPEAKER_01 3:10

Yeah, and you know, and that that that's what I think is so interesting about uh just individuals that go to Michigan State, and you hear things at different schools, you know, you know, once a Spartan, always a Spartan, Spartan dogs for like, you know, you hear these things, or it's or the Spartan way. There really is something about the connection of Michigan State. I feel like it's that underdog personality, no, no matter how much is accomplished, it's like somebody's telling you that, like, man, you're just

Lorenzo Guess And Spartan Winning

SPEAKER_01 3:40

you're not good enough. And you've been part of it as a student athlete. I want to go through a few things just to just to really highlight this because a lot of times when we do episodes, I don't do a lot of bio, but uh Lorenzo's bio is so significant that I think it's important that we do. So go all the way back to when he was playing at Michigan State. You hardly ever see two-sport athletes anymore. So he was a two-sport athlete. He was a four-year letter winner with the football program. He was part of the team with Bill Burke, who you know we've had Bill Burke on the burn before, Bill and Burris and all those guys. They went and brought Michigan State and put them back on the map with Coach Saban all the way to number five in the country. Dr. Guess was the safety on the team that beat Florida in that Citrus Bowl. Then he was part of two five, uh two Big Ten titles and a Final Four on the basketball team with Coach Izzo. So I'm telling you, like when you go back to, and we were in school at the same time, when you go back to the winning that he did as a student, then there was this energy, passion, hard work to say that's not enough. Then goes into coaching. Fast forward to today, he's got the prestigious position as the assistant AD and director of athletic performance. And in 2022, Coach Izzo welcomed him back as the head strength and conditioning coach, where you get to help those guys get after it in the Draymond Green Performance Center. But I just wanted to paint those bookends for everybody of the success that you've had for so long. So before we even talk anything Spartan related, we've talked so many times, long obedience in the same direction with aggressive patience, the the conversations, the times at Michigan State when I was back with the football program or the basketball, just great conversations we've

Family Loss And Relentless Drive

SPEAKER_01 5:27

had. How have you sustained? Tell us about your burn. Where does that come from for you to be able to have locked in for this long at that level?

SPEAKER_00 5:37

Um, that's a great question. So my burn is from where I came from, is it now I grew up, it was my we I grew up in a single parent home. So my my brother, my twin brother, who passed away in 2019, my sister and my little brother. So throughout the whole my whole process, my my burn was to show people that where I'm from, you can have a better life. And then also to do things that people in my family have never done. And I always wanted to be the best at what I do, so I just always try to find a way to continue to push, no matter what I'm successful or not successful, I'll try to find a way. Um and then what also got me was not writing my dissertation. So um at one point I wanted, I wrote the dissertation, so repeat a little story. Um that Friday that COVID shut everything down was the day I turned my dissertation in. I thought it was done. So I turned to my advisor, and my advisor never really emailed me or called me back. So he emailed me immediately back, and I'm thinking like, well, I'm done with the dissertation, I'm done. I'm finally finished. I mean, Dr. Guest, he uh told me, No, you gotta start over because you skipped some steps. And so then I was I was upset and I was pissed. I was just super upset. I'm like, man, all right, what I gotta do. Talk to one of my advisors here, uh Dr. Taylor. He told me to um come on a different topic. So I came out a different topic, wrote some paper, wrote it like a 50-page paper at the beginning of it, and I gave it to him. He told me it was not doctoral work, start over. So that that point I was ready to quit. And um, my daughter told me, my daughter, Nadia Guest, she said, Daddy, you can do this, just do it for me. And um so so that's that's so now that's that's part of that for sure. My burn because my thing is I want to make sure my daughter see people doing, see us doing what we're supposed to be doing to be successful, but at the same time, when I don't want to do something, I do it for my wife and my daughter. My wife moved with we moved from 2002 to 2026, we moved 14 times. So if I decide I don't want to do something, decide I'm I'm I feel sorry for myself. My burn is my wife, Bianca guest, Dr. Bianca guest now, and Nadia guest, and then my brother who passed away in 2019. So if he was here, he wouldn't he'd be doing everything with me. But since he's not here, I always gotta say, well, if I feel sore in the one day, I don't feel like working out. Oh, I don't feel like going to work. He can't do it because he ain't here. So my burn is for to get things done for my family because they all have my back from day one.

Sponsor Message From Q Logics

SPEAKER_01 8:34

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Starting Over On The Doctorate

SPEAKER_01 9:55

I absolutely I I I love hearing that from you and uh, you know, to honor your family. It's interesting because you had mentioned something that that really ties and you lived this in your home, but you had mentioned a recent conversation with coach with um Coach Izzo, where you had mentioned that he had said, hey, like this ain't about you talking to players, it's about those who came before you and those came after. And it's interesting, it's almost like that's the philosophy you've lived with in your house. Like the moment Nadia was like, Dad, do this for me. It's like, wait a second, like this isn't so that I could be Dr. Guest. This is to be an example for Nadia, who then becomes an example for your future grandchildren and way bigger than you, as opposed to, I think sometimes we become selfish in the state. It's like, no, no, no, I want that doctrine so people can call me Dr. Guess. It became all about something bigger than you, right?

SPEAKER_00 10:46

You know, which is crazy because yeah, that I she said I ain't nobody tells her to say it. She just said, I want you to get it done. And I just like hit a trigger and they're like, What? Hit a switch, and I'm like, What? I gotta get it done. So I was getting up all through COVID for like another year and a half, I got up at 3:15 every morning to write this paper. And then that um you remember this. So the the Kent Walker's game against Northwestern, that first touchdown, that touchdown, the first handoff he got when we ran for a touchdown. That Tuesday, I defended my dissertation. So I talked to Coach about missing. Wow. And then coach was like, No, no, I said, Coach, can I just can I just come late to practice? He said, No, no, miss practice. I said, No, I can't miss practice. I can if I'm just sitting there missing practice, I'm gonna lose my mind. So I went to practice for a minute, went defending my dissertation for like three hours. They called me, they going through the whole process. I'm thinking, like, man, I'm out of I'm about to fail this. Well, nobody giving me no positive feedback or positive body language. Then they finally said, Yep, you're Dr. Guest. Now you gotta adjust your paper a little bit, and then you'll be all set. So I ran out of them room, ran back to practice, told Coach I got it done, and he stopped practice and told everybody, now y'all, this is Dr. Guest for the rest of y'all life, this is Dr. Guest at practice. Like, man, so it was crazy.

SPEAKER_01 12:12

I I I and I love calling you Dr. Guest, even like when you were, you know, came through our coach to coaches program and just so like I just I love it because it's one of those things like when I when I call you Dr. Guest, but you are Dr. Guest, it's that sacrifice because I think a lot of people listening, they reach certain levels of success and they just stop. I mean, look at your resume. I mean, even before you went back to Michigan State, working for Brian Kelly, being at Notre Dame, Cincinnati, I mean, all these great stops, you could be like, man, now I'm back at Michigan State. We're winning, we're winning football games again, we're winning basketball games again. You could have said, What do I need to go get a doctorate for? But I think for everybody listening, I hope that Dr. Guest serves as an example for you that don't be content, don't be seduced by success, not just in your winning or dollars, but in everything. And isn't it amazing if you're really paying attention, the biggest impact and then the final push came from his daughter? And how many times have you heard me talk about those little eyes that are watching you? Well, Nadia's little eyes were watching and hearing dad's words about having to do something over again when most people never get started once. So that that this this is this is what I'm telling you guys about the energy and and the passion and the

Coaching In The NIL Landscape

SPEAKER_01 13:26

fight. So speed speed forward to today, what are you loving most about coaching? There's but there's there have been so many changes. I mean, if you go from when you were a player to now and the significant changes and complexities from brands and NIL and the transfer portal, how are you continuing to show up every day with great energy? What have those changes been like for you? Because when I watch what happens in the basketball program, and I remember being back 2021 and 22, doing some work, speaking to the basketball team, and like they coach Izo, and you've maintained these standards. How is that?

SPEAKER_00 14:13

Well, it's it's hard now because I don't like this this is the I want to say the landscape is a little different. So recruiting is way different, also. So now um when you recruit some people, some people are are uh fixated on the dollar. So what we do is we we we recruit the kid, recruit the family, and then tell them like what we're trying to do. And the thing about coaching is coach been here for 30 31st year, I think. And we have a like I said, like I said earlier before, before a game, Coach said it's not about you. It's about the guy before you and the guys after you. Now you are the one who gotta play the game, but you gotta play for the guy before you and after you, and the guy's in this room. So that's what we talk about all the time. And Coach about being we're gonna be different. Um, and being different means play for each other. We're not you're not just we're not just playing because you get NIL money, you're not just playing because you're on TV. You're gonna play for your teammates and good things will happen. And that's a culture we have, and that's what we do every day. Like we we we spend time with the kids, the kids spend time with each other, we spend time with the guys. Um it's like it's it's really like a it's really a family's atmosphere because we're here for them, they're here for us. Um we with them all the time, they with us all the time. Um it's it's kind of kind of a lot, but that's what that's what we do. Um now as far as coaching them, the culture part to me is is it's really the same as I will as I've been since I've been here. I just coach the kids. Um and like treat them like I treat my net my nephew or treat them like I treat my son that I don't have. I coach them, I coach them and teach them because my thing is we got a last line of defense for these kids. So they leave up out of college, that's it. Now you gotta come up with your own schedule, you gotta find a way to get paid, you gotta find somewhere to get some of the, like right now, they're in this bubble, this old, this little tiny little bubble, and we help them and teach them how to tell them how to do everything. So my thing is they can make as much money as they want to make, they can have all the NIH they want to make, but I want to make sure that when they're done here, that they are an independent and successful, not the kid, a person will call you back and say, Well, can you call such and such for me? Can you do this for me? I'll do it for them, but uh, I want to teach them how to do that stuff. So when they're done, they can do it on your own. Um, and then I I've I've about six years ago, seven years ago, I talked to a parent, which is it was sweet. He said, I want the the um what do you call it? I want the stick kid, not the boom, not the boomerang kid. The boomerang kid would go out and go to college and come back home. He said, I want the stick kid and I throw the stick out. He never come back unless he comes back for holidays or or family union. So that's why I try to stuff like we do play development, I do mental player development stuff with them. I train them. I got guys come here three times a week doing extra stuff. So I we get to spend more time with these guys than anybody else. So I'm trying to make sure that, hey man, you're gonna be a grown man, you leave here and not a 22-year-old boy.

SPEAKER_01 17:28

So one of the one of the things I'm gonna give you two examples. I didn't intend on asking this, but from what you just said, because it's what I've seen. So you give the the boomerang versus somebody that can stick to it and go make a life of their own. So I think about the last time that I was there in person speaking to the basketball team, Carson Cooper and Jackson Kohler were freshmen. Now these guys have stayed the course. These are grown men that have stayed and been committed when they could have gone other places. And when you said that, those are two guys that just popped in my mind. Those are two prime examples. Those are kids from where I remember men, when I remember them as freshmen, when I'm in the locker room speaking to them, to what I see now, these are kids like they're gonna go be successful no matter what they do in life. If that ball stops bouncing at the end of this year or they go on to play overseas or in the NBA, when that ball stops bouncing, those are two guys I think of because of their work ethic, they're gonna be just fine.

SPEAKER_00 18:33

Yeah, exactly. So, yeah, them two guys here, they got Fierce Cohen, they they say third year. Um, so the goal, like our goal, like coaches goal, is try to keep the guys keep the guy here like Purdue, like we played Purdue yesterday. They have um lawyer, they have Braden, they got Kaufman Rand, all them dudes, they've been there for three or four years or two. So our program very similar, um, which was like yesterday's game was amazing, and you didn't want nobody, you didn't want the game to end, and you didn't want nobody to lose because we both have the same type of um culture. Like we want to keep the guys here and develop them throughout the years.

Developing Players And Training Leaders

SPEAKER_01 19:14

But speaking, speaking of development, I got one fun question I gotta ask, and then we're gonna get serious, and we're gonna talk about green marches because you you really began. So everybody sees this long run of this will be 26 years, 26 or 27 years in a row making the NCAA tournament the longest run. You were on the first team that started all of these runs. But like when you talk about green march, there might not be anybody better than Lorenzo Guest to tell you why Marches are green and why Izzo dominates in March. But before we get there, I've got a fun question on development. A guy like Cohen Carr, and if anybody listening does not know the name Cohen Carr and you like the game of basketball, you've been living under a rock somewhere. Because this this young man is such an amazing athlete, hard worker, constantly working. But the way that that young man jumps and attacks the rim, how how do you take from a strength and conditioning standpoint, how do you get that guy to jump even more? Like, what are the because everybody, when people are great, it comes down to the point zero zero one percent that you're willing to attack and work on. So when you're that great, you as a strength coach could go, oh, he he's got it. There ain't nothing for me to do. Nobody flies like this kid. How do you attack the next level with a young man that has that type of dynamic athleticism?

SPEAKER_00 20:39

Well, first of all, that's like when you're in a footballer, you you want the guy, the fast guy. So you as a coach, you like you you're a speed coach. Um, but like Cohen is a phenomenal athlete. What help helped him is he ran track in high school, he played a little bit of football and played basketball, so you already know how to run, and he already a dynamic athlete. So what did we do is um I just I train him hard. I train him hard. So ain't no, I'm gonna just let him get slid through the cracks because he already is a freak athlete. I train him, I push him. I train him very similar. I train the football guy. I load his weight up. I got to fly message with him during in between his work exercises, and I force him to be a leader in the weight room. So uh sometimes sometimes I make him go say something to his teammates, so he get they get they get it from him, not just from me. So now he's he's a voice to for the guys, same with fears. So I say something with fears. Fears already, he's a leader, he's been a leader his whole life. So I say it's in the fears, I say it's in the coop and jacks, our older guys to help them guys um have a voice. So when we in the game like last night, when a game like Ohio State, when it's time to make a play, when they say something, the guys are used to hearing their voice. Um to get coin like add a at another it's the coin vertical I just pushed them I just pushed him and just didn't let them get away or anything and just made it it was easy like because like sometimes them guys get they slip to the cracks people don't want to coach them because they already freak athlete I just I push him hard and I pushed anybody else.

SPEAKER_01 22:21

All right so I I want to capture that. So for any leader listening I don't let anything slip through the cracks and I make him work harder. That right there as a leader when you have somebody who's great having a coach or a leader that cares that much that becomes the difference. Because you and I both know it. There has been plenty of talent that has come through the doors of Michigan State. But one of the things I love about Coach Izzo, and I'd love for you to speak to this, there's a lot of programs where they allow their confidence to come from talent. Coach Izzo has done an extraordinary job all the way back to when you played to what we see now of taking talented, very athletic individuals but not allowing their confidence to come from talent, coupling their talent with extreme levels of discipline to create confidence that leads to winning championships. That for me like when I look I'm like a green march that's what it is it's the discipline it's the character. What have you seen from player to now coach with Tom Izzo that has allowed you to be part of this continued winning at the highest of levels?

SPEAKER_00 23:32

First of all coaches like very deep coach and his staff is a super detailed on the game plan anything got to do with basketball they super detailed and kids' lives like the coaches know the kids' parents know the now agents the girlfriends the brothers and sisters so we know everything about the our athletes and their family life and academics so we make sure we stay on top of everything. And then like with coaches we get the we now we get we get talented recruiting classes now we can't say that we don't get no talent we get talent um but what coach do is like I just said about Cohen we we we grind them we push them we don't we don't let anything slip through the crack we hold them accountable we teach them how to play defense teach them how to play offense teach them how to pass the ball how to dribble um and to our guys since my team class all the way through they in the gym working like you don't you practice but before practice you in there 30 minutes before practice a lot of times you're 30 minutes after practice working your craft that ingrained in our culture um from since 97 96 that I know of so um so you got talent but what you gonna do with the talent and we're gonna we are code there's whole thing is we're gonna get as we're gonna get as much as we can get out your talent and then push you to be better than what you was when you got here. And they know it the guys that's that's the culture the guys know when they get here um the guys here know it and then they make we have ground week older guys come back they make sure they remind everybody that that's that's our culture um we tell the recruit we tell guys we recruit them like this is what we want this is who we are who we are some people don't come here because they they they they don't want that life but I'm glad they don't because we don't want them here but we want the guys who want to get that work in and find a way to win in life and in on the court well two two fine two final questions first one still related to basketball and the second one is it gonna is gonna be about the legacy of Dr. Lorenzo

March Madness Prep And Green March

SPEAKER_00 25:41

guest which uh you and I have had conversations about that before up there up there at East Lansing but the the first question as you turn to tournament time March is right here I mean that this episode will drop in March for March Madness another green March how do you approach it as a coach like how do you are there changes that you make do you raise the intensity is it do you keep things the same how do you approach when you look at March knowing what lies ahead um what we do here is we raise the intensity um now you know is is one and done um and the deep in the details we gotta attack the details because the details what's the difference between you win a game by one point or losing the game by one point or you move on to the next next round or you go home and this season over with. So um game plans are detailed we work out the the workouts we do here are specifically for what we're trying to get get get through I can't be doing a hard a hard workout trying to kill them and then we got a a game a big game two days later so everything is is is very detailed on what we're trying to do. What we're trying to do is trying to win move on to the next to the next round um and then but the guys too we they know what's going on they know we're playing against then they know everything about the team and then now is time to get now time to play I I I cannot wait to watch you guys uh attack another green march and uh like I shared before we hit record hey it's a blessing we got some regionals here in St.

SPEAKER_01 27:19

Louis so I need that NCAA committee to make sure that that that the Michigan State Spartans pass through uh St. Louis Missouri so I get a chance to uh to see all you guys but uh last question and I mean I could chop it up with you all all day long it's always been that way when we connect but the last question I have is you mentioning Bianca and Nadia and your brother what does what does legacy mean to you when people look back on this history of winning and life and being a great father and husband and so committed to what you've done for your life what does legacy mean to you?

SPEAKER_00 27:54

Man it's

Legacy Pride New Book And Closing

SPEAKER_00 27:55

crazy you say that so so I get to I get to do a um presentation of of the summary of the summer to our coaches the the kids the kids' parents have like a little banquet for um MSU Madness so before MSU Madness you have a banquet and then I get to do this this presentation about the whole review of what how the summer went how the guys' bodies changed social pictures um and not a slide in there of uh of all of um if you come to the president on one of the walls you have all of the the Big Ten championships um rosters and coaches names on there so my daughter I was I was a fourth grade fourth year little league basketball coach fifth fourth fifth sixth and seventh grade basketball coach um so the sixth grade year sixth grade year we go to a women's basketball game because I'm a girls team women's basketball game so we walk out and then my daughter at the time she really she wasn't very vocal she didn't really talk to nobody that much but she grabbed the whole team and walked them over to these plaques and she said um that's my daddy right there and I like what like I I heard and I got the lump I like what and then um and I didn't even think nothing about it before but when she said that like she proud of me so so this so I took that pet that a picture of that um of Lash's plaque or in one of my plaques there too said you to the right show to my guy and said you want you what what legacy you want to leave so do you do you want to be the parent the proud dad to come back here and your and your kids say this is my daddy or just come back here and not say anything. So the the legacy to me means you want to be able to just do your do what you're supposed to do. Be a amazing dad amazing uncle amazing brother cousin son and then um I want everybody to be to be proud of you for the good the good things you're doing not for some stuff you're not doing. So every single day you wake up you got to you gotta put in that work and the good things happen.

SPEAKER_01 30:05

Coach doctor so so many names that uh that you have earned thank you um thank you for your friendship thank you for your example uh and thank you for uh showing us all what it means to uh to be a Spartan dog uh for life your your continued commitment to the university to the men to your purpose is just awesome and I feel uh I feel blessed to call you a friend and appreciate uh appreciate you joining us on the burn I joke before we hit record I'm like man we've had you on the mental toughness forum you've been on all these like why have we waited so long for the burn but hey maybe that's just a little foreshadow for another special march that's coming so I I appreciate you so much oh thank you I guess I'll tell you I ain't told you this yet man I had a book that just came out um the dojo the dojo decision for basketball in life me and uh myself and Tim McDermott is on Amazon oh okay so we're gonna make sure we will link that in the bio we'll make sure that everybody can get a copy hey when the standard came out man I delivered a signed copy to you man like where's my book it's coming it's coming I got you I got you hey I uh much love always congratulations on the book so we will make sure that is in the link to the notes to make it easy and uh all the ways to stay connected with Dr. Guest but uh go at tech another green march and I appreciate you and uh Spartan dogs for life man let's go go green go white thank you to everybody listening this this is what the burn is all about this is living life this is relationships this is doing things not for a quick win but for a commitment over the long haul and you see that in Dr. Guess's story and that's why we bring you the burn every single week for you to hear stories of individuals who've realized yes why and purpose is important but you find that burn and it's amazing the things you can achieve in your life. Thank you for joining Dr. Guess and I on the burn and we'll look forward to seeing you next week