275: How to Create Lasting Impact and Legacy From the Ground Up with Trevon Jenifer, 3-Time Paralympic Gold Medalist

In this episode of The Light Watkins Show, Light sits down with Trevon Jenifer, a three-time Paralympic gold medalist in wheelchair basketball, who embodies the essence of resilience and determination. Born without legs, Trevon’s journey to the pinnacle of athletic excellence wasn’t without its challenges, but his story is a testament to the power of mindset, community, and perseverance.

Trevon opens up about how his decision to leave a secure job and play basketball overseas transformed his career and perspective. He shares the mental and physical preparation required to compete at the highest level, the role visualization played in high-pressure moments, and the profound impact his upbringing and family have had on his success. Trevon also reflects on the legacy he’s building for his children and how he balances being a world-class athlete with being a present father.

The conversation dives deep into themes of identity, overcoming obstacles, and embracing the unknown. Trevon’s story is rich with lessons on resilience, leadership, and finding strength in the face of adversity. Whether you’re looking for inspiration to tackle life’s challenges or insight into what it takes to make history, this episode is packed with powerful takeaways.

Join Light as he unpacks Trevon’s journey from small-town beginnings to becoming a role model for generations to come.

Transcript

TJ: “What pushed me to go overseas was after I got cut. I'll tell you in my exit interview the coach looked at me. It was like, man, you're really good on the defensive end. I love your defense. It was like, but offensively, you're a liability. In my head, I took that as you're a half player, man. you can only do half the game. You're no good to us. I was like, all right, so what do I have to do to get better? I gotta train more. At that time, I'm working full time and training. I was like, I'm 23 years old or so. I'm like, I gotta focus on my career. ball and sport. So I was like, let's go overseas. And when you go overseas, they cover your meals and housing. Right. I mean, you don't get paid nothing. So like, I'm over there to focus on me.”

[INTRODUCTION]

Today's guest is Trayvon Jennifer. Trayvon was born without legs and he went on to become a three time Paralympic gold medalist in wheelchair basketball. When he was trying to earn a spot on Team USA, Trayvon made the bold decision to leave his job and to play basketball overseas, a choice that transformed not just his game But his entire perspective on mental strength and athletic excellence in our conversation, we explore the delicate balance between being a world class athlete and a present father, the power of visualization and high pressure moments and how being told that he was only half a player drove Trayvon to become one of the best defensive specialists in the game.

Let's listen in.

[00:01:26] LW: Trey Jenifer, it is an honor and a pleasure to have you on my podcast. I'm really looking forward to diving into your story. Thank you so much for making the time. 

[00:01:35] TJ: Hey, man, thank you for having me. I'm ready to hop right into it. 

[00:01:38] LW: Yeah, man. So before we started recording, I said that I wanted this to feel like a conversation that two seat mates were having on a flight, right? And ironically, that's how I found out about you. I was on a Delta flight and you popped up on the seat back screen. And, you're in your wheelchair because you were born without legs and we'll get into that, but yeah, you just have this presence there's a million ads on these screens but first of all, your brother, so that was interesting. And then you were an Olympian athlete and that was interesting. You had these medals, around your neck. I got to find out who this is. And I went and looked you up right there from my seat. the more I read, the more I was like, I got to get this guy on my podcast to hear the full backstory.

And here we are, man, this is the value of having a podcast. I don't make a lot of money. I make a little bit of money. I couldn't live off my podcast, but I love that it offers enough value to other people that I'm able to have this sort of mutual exchange and go deeper into these conversations.

So I guess to start it off, talk about the back story of what I saw in the seat back. 

what? couldn't I have known from seeing that? how did that all come to be what are some of the unknowns it's always a story, right? It's always a backstory.

[00:02:56] TJ: Absolutely. You know what? to be honest, I'm entirely blessed, because. I'm a part of a team, I play wheelchair basketball. when they were going through this process of selecting athletes I was one of the fortunate athletes that was ended up being sponsored by Delta.

 For me, like. I take it with pride there are people that came before me, like my mentors that came before me, that played this sport that didn't have the luxury of having sponsors. And then there are some athletes that are on my team currently definitely deserve that spotlight.

So the moment they selected me, I was like, I'm going to make sure people see that every person that's ever supported me, my teammates, I want people to know that it's not just me front and center. I might be the person you see, but without that support system there's no way 

I would be sitting there in front of you. So, you know, what you saw was, you know, a picture of me holding my medals, me being proud, but what the story doesn't tell is the journey to get there, The struggle to get there. Cause so many times people see us and they're like, every four years, you know, go team USA, go athlete they're cheering on.

But man, it's a four year grind just to get there. And then on top of that, to be successful, man, like it's. It's, it's, a whirlwind, like emotions and words can't explain what one goes through to get to that point. 

[00:04:15] LW: It's part of the sponsorship arrangement. You get free flights or is it more like just a monetary exchange because, I used to follow Lolo Jones, you know, who Lolo Jones is, right? 

[00:04:25] TJ: Yes, yes. 

[00:04:26] LW: She's a multi time Olympian athlete. I met her in LA and saw her in whole foods, she just had this swag and I was like, Oh my God, this is so attractive. She's got this confidence. I didn't know who she was. then I saw her again at a restaurant. And we talked at that restaurant and I found out she was an Olympian athlete and started following her she's had a lot of ups and downs, but one thing that stuck with me was she got really vulnerable one night and she was like, yeah, as Olympian athletes, a lot of us, people don't know we're broke and she was working at a smoothie shop to make ends meet right after the Olympics and during those four years in between.

And she was just struggling to make it from month to month. so it's cool to see that you got this sponsorship deal and you've had multiple sponsorships, like this is

not unique. For you. So that was really cool to see. I think that's one of the things that stood out to me is that, wow, this guy has a pretty major sponsor, 

[00:05:18] TJ: there are people that came before me that didn't get this luxury. when I got the opportunity, my first sponsorship came and I think it was 2019 was my first sponsorship. I mean, and by 2019 I'm already at put 10 years of work and just to get there.

Right. And now you fast forward another five years to 2024 and I have a couple of sponsorships. But like, to be honest, I'm gonna be honest with you. Like, Yes. They compliment it with like some extra monetary funds and things of that nature, but it's just having our sports showcased on TV, I just went to a junior tournament this past weekend.

And the kids are like, Hey, Trey, like, it's you can have your autograph. I saw you on TV. I saw your commercial. And it's like giving them hope. And I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it. it's legitimately putting. Our sport on the map putting the Paralympics on the map. So people know that, yeah, you see a person with a disability, but that doesn't define who they are.

That's not my whole identity. And to give those kids hope, man, I mean. It's, it's, it's phenomenal, man. I, I can't, I can't say how awesome it is to have the younger generation see something they want to mirroron a commercial

[00:06:34] LW: Who would you say you represent in that world? 

Are you like, cause you have so many, I was reading through all your accomplishments and all your championships and trophies. It looks like you're like the LeBron James of that world or the Kevin Garnett of that world. Like, 

[00:06:49] TJ: to be honest, likeI'm a role player. I'm a defensive player, a defensive specialist. I take defense to the core. I'm an, I'm an intense player. I live on being able To show and play in the big moments and for a coach to be like, Hey, that's their number one.

Go shut that number one down. Boom. that's my goal. That's my mission. I'm gonna try to accomplish that. But I'm also going to try to put my team in a spot to win and be successful. by any means, if that means that I have to, you know, shoot 789 10 times a game. Okay, let it be that if that means not scoring at all I don't care.

As long as the team walks away with a Wall that other stuff doesn't matter.

[00:07:26] LW: I'm looking at a list. There's like, 20 different awards. do you know all of your own awards? Could you list them? I'm not going to ask you to, but could you theoretically list all of them? And is there one that's 

most special to you for whatever 

was going on in the background,

[00:07:40] TJ: Oh man. that's a deep question. 

[00:07:42] LW: Like Jordan's championship after his dad passed away, you know, what's your version of that? 

[00:07:48] TJ: yeah. So I probably could list out, like, if you gave me 15, 20 minutes to make sure like I ran down them, I probably could.

But to be honest, there's two of 

them. the first one would be the gold medal after Tokyo, right.

So when it. 

[00:08:02] LW: pandemic Olympics. Right. 

[00:08:03] TJ: Exactly, right? to be honest, I was directly affected by that. I remember coming home from a tournament, getting sick, and then not knowing

what was 

going to happen. And during that period, you had people like legitimately talking about the postponement and cancellation of these games that I've been preparing for the last three years.

at this point, I felt like I was at my peak. to not know if the games are going, you still have to train, you still have to be ready just in case, it was unknown, right? You didn't know what was going on. And this is March that all of this stuff is starting to happen.

And we're supposed to be playing. 

So, that's something that you had to battle with, right? And then you get to the games a year later because it got postponed. No fans, no family. you're in isolation.

to fight all of that and still win a gold medal, that's awesome.

You did it for the guy to the left or right of you. But then you fast forward four years and now you're in an arena, 13, 000 fans. the energy is electric surrounding the entire games. this team was able to accomplish something that no other team has done in history.

We were the first team to three peak gold on the men's side. So like, while we're being successful. We just likestamped our names in history. this is something that's going to surpass. that I could done, right? Because it's in the record books now, you know, when they look up the first three point three Pete ever, my family's name is going to be listed there.

And that's what it's about. It's about the legacy for my kids and their kids my biological father left when I was born My kids are a big part of my life. to be able to show them this kind of role model and figure, I want this to have a generational impact long after I'm gone,

[00:09:44] LW: I'm glad you brought that up because I was going to go there next to your upbringing and your father of origin. 

Wasn't in the picture, right? Obviously 

you got the child explanation of that when you were young, but now that you're a grown ass man with your own kids, what's the real story? What was the real explanation behind it?

[00:10:05] TJ: I've been told that like, it's like he was on, you know, he was on drugs. He was on alcohol when he was, and he was young. My mom

was 21 and I was her fourth kid 

at that time. 

[00:10:16] LW: She had three kids. 

[00:10:18] TJ: prior to me. Yeah. 

[00:10:19] LW: And she was 21 when she had you 

[00:10:21] TJ: yeah, 

[00:10:21] LW: with the same, guy, the same 

[00:10:23] TJ: no, I'm not the same.

we don't share the same father. 

you know what I'm saying? but to be honest, man, I have no animosity towards him, right? Because, like, When I was younger, I'm not, I'm not gonna front like when I was younger. Yes, obviously. I'm like, I don't have my dad or my biological dad.

But then when my dad, Eric Brown stepped into my life at the age of four, he showed me what it was like to be a dad. He put me into sports. Without him who knows? I might not be in this same position right now. So like, there is no animosity at this age. Of course, when I'm younger, you don't understand why.

at this point in time, man, I'm doing awesome. that could be a testament to the fact that if that would have never happened, who knows where I would be currently. 

[00:11:07] LW: So, Eric Brown 

sounds angelic, right? When you look at the impact he's had on your life, where the helldid he come from? how did he and your mom cross paths? She had all these kids, right? Did he have kids too? what was that situation? 

[00:11:19] TJ: When he came into our life, he had two. we had seven

kids, right?

[00:11:23] LW: They met at church, right? 

[00:11:24] TJ: It was actually, I think it was out of

playground. If I remember him telling me the story, they were out and about at a playground. He saw me playing and then my mom and they 

kind of kicked it off at the playground 

 they started talking and Our family went from five to seven 

[00:11:39] LW: because your mom was still fine because she was only 22 years old, right? And now you're having kids. young. 

[00:11:44] TJ: she, was still young. Yeah. She was still young and she still got a lot of energy, man. Even to this day. 

like I said, it was a blessing, man. I'm not going to lie to you. 

[00:11:51] LW: Like he, he was just a really good spot and a really good light in that time Yeah. Normally, if someone were to quiz me about my earliest memories, the most I could go back maybe. five, maybe 

four. 

Right. But that's because I had a quote, normal childhood. You didn't have a normal

childhood. You were the different one, right? You were born without legs.

what was the name of the,

[00:12:16] TJ: my family. Uh, The disorder congenital focal milia.

[00:12:19] LW: what does that mean? What's the Latin for? 

[00:12:21] TJ: man, to be honest, I don't know. That's what I've been told, right? Like one of those things like 

you 

[00:12:26] LW: You never looked it up? 

[00:12:28] TJ: know.So I'm gonna tell you where it happened. throughout my entire life, I 

was like, I don't know what I had.

I was just born out legs. That's what I went with. And then one time. It was for basketball. they were

trying to get me reclassified down to a lower classification. 

They had me doing all these tests and x rays and on one of the x rays, it actually came back and it was like diagnosis, congenital focal milia.

So then I was like, okay, let's go into it. So I started deep diving into it. I was like, this doesn't look anything like what I have, but since it was the prognosis from the doctor, I was like, you know what, we're going to run with it because that's better than just being like, I mean, I was born this way. I don't know.

You know, I'm the only one in my family to have it, right? So, like, no cousins, no aunts, no brothers, sisters. 

I'm the only one.

[00:13:12] LW: And what's interesting is I have three brothers and one of my brothers is named Trey and you're called Trey, even though you're, yeah, 

[00:13:19] TJ: Is he the third? 

[00:13:20] LW: he is the third. Yeah,

[00:13:22] TJ: Yeah, I was about to say, you see that a lot. 

[00:13:25] LW: So what was your earliest memory being the sort of different one.

Do you remember Eric brown coming onto the scene or was he just always 

there in your life as far as you remember. 

[00:13:34] TJ: I've always known him as dad. I didn't find it until like, my pre teens, teenage years that like he wasn't my biological father. So like, he's always been 

dad and my kids call him grandpa, or pop pop I call him dad when we talk on the phone.

because there's no DNA connection, doesn't mean he didn't fulfill that role. But like, you know, the biggest memories that I have off of that is being, feeling comfortable at home. Right. Everyone's got brothers and sisters, you feel comfortable at home.

Yeah. They treated me no different than any of the other ones. And then the moment that you weave the comfortability of your house, And then you start getting pointed at, and you start getting stared at, and you start getting laughed at, like, you just, you didn't know why. And like, multiple times I'm like, well, why me?

there's seven of us, seven kids, I'm the only one like this, and I'm just like, why me? But, To be honest, man, like, it's, it's my siblings, like, they didn't let me have any sympathy for myself, but they also didn't let anyone, look down or do anything different to me, my siblings played a huge role in that, and it was huge, man, so, my upbringing, When you get to know me, it's normal.

I'm running around the streets like the other kids. I want to play on the playgrounds and stuff like all the other kids. it was an awesome family dynamic. and that's basically how the sport aspect, the competitive side of me came out too. Right. Cause you got brothers and sisters, who's the best.

And that's how that dynamic kind of started. 

[00:15:04] LW: Were your brothers 

sensitive to the fact that you didn't have legs or did they tease you about the fact that

You didn't have legs? 'cause that's all we did was tease each other 

[00:15:12] TJ: Yeah, 

[00:15:13] LW: any kind of little thing that makes 'em different. You find a, a name for 

them and

[00:15:16] TJ: You know what's crazy? Like, I'm seriously sitting here thinking about it. not one time was I teased, right? Because like, I was just, I was just at a family function not too long ago and my cousins were talking about how we would be running around as kids and 

I would trip them on their feet, try to knock them down or whatever. And like, that's all we knew. And I think that's why it wasn't like a teasing or being different. I definitely have one brother that's mad. He is like, he's like, I'm talking about. I mean, to this day, if you say something incorrect, he's volatile.

So like it's just the way that the family is. I think because it is normal, Even with my kids. My kids see disabilities as normal because they've been around it their entire life. Whereas when I go into their school to do a presentation, these kids are like wild because they're like, Oh, I've never seen this before.

And I think that's what changes the way that people perceive and interact with other people 

[00:16:10] LW: Right. So you're Jacks now? Like if I was just look at you, I, this guy definitely works out. Definitely goes to the gym. Definitely could win a arm wrestling contest or two. Is that a function of how you moved around? When you were a kid, like you, did you rely on a, 

wheelchair?

Were you just moving around with your arms? what were the mechanics of how you would navigate life in those early days? 

[00:16:31] TJ: Yeah, man. So the biggest thing was 

I would scoot on the ground

when I was younger. I would have a wheelchair, but 

I would hate to use it. I 

would

have prosthetics, which I would need like a crutches or Walker in 

order to be mobile with. So 9 times out of 10, I would just be sitting in my prosthetics in a wheelchair.

if you ask anyone when I was younger, especially in school, you would find the wheelchair and the prosthetics in the wheelchair in the corner somewhere missing the top half of the body. Whereas I'm off playing on the ground somewhere. I'm out. I'm gone. AndI would like tear up my clothes and stuff would be all different.

My parents were like, Hey man, we don't have the money to keep buying you clothes. So they actually taught me how to walk on my hands and a handstand to preserve my clothes. that's what. gave me the strength that I have today. Crazily enough, I still do those handstands 

if it's raining outside and I need to go to my truck, I can walk on my hands and a handstand, get there, open a door, get in the truck and leave without actually having to be like, Yeah, 

[00:17:30] LW: Wow. All right. So your parents moved you out of the hood, you and your brothers and sister, because it was too dangerous and you went to an all white neighborhood, correct? 

[00:17:39] TJ: that wasn't until later, and I wouldn't necessarily call it the,

it's so weird, right? Like 

when, 

[00:17:44] LW: People write about it. It's the hood. It's gangsters. and it's like, you just live around black people. 

[00:17:49] TJ: right. that's exactly right. what's crazy about it is that that's just the people I grew up with. 

the stereotypes that we put on it. I was like, nah, that's like, that's not what it was. It was just I went from being in, in an urban area to a city. Exclusively rural area where you go from being like store, store, store, house, house, house, house, to like house three miles cornfields, then another house. Like, and that was like a culture shock for me.

[00:18:16] LW: Talk about the early days of sports. So you said you and your brothers played sports a lot, and then you started playing organized sports. your dad, your stepdad, dad, he, found a league for you to compete in. Was this something that you were already thinking of doing, or is this something that he suggested?

And it's like, Hey, this would be a good idea. Or talk a little bit about the genesis

of your athletic pursuits.

[00:18:39] TJ: Yeah, he was the one that actually found it. He was pursuing it. when he found it, it was an organization in Washington, DC. they did track and basketball. What's crazy about all of this is that Bill Green was the name of the person who founded the organization called new life Inc.

he was a tremendous track coach and I love track anything, short distances sprinting. I was good at, I actually hated basketball, which was crazy back then. I just use it. Basketball is like a cross trainer. But like he himself. Was a paraplegic due to a gunshot. So now what he's doing as a school counselor out of Washington, DC, he's taking all these kids that have disabilities and he's given them opportunities to find sport.

And little did we know as kids coming up from the DMV area, the DC, Maryland, Virginia area, is that we would have the opportunity to get out of this place through sport. And that's something that we learned. he was a pioneer once you sit back and think about it because he was the first one for me where I attended practice five days a week.

after school, he would come pick every kid up at their school. I'm talking, we're all over the place. I'm in Maryland, their kids in DC. So they would go around picking people up. Take you to practice after you're done with practice. They would take you home. you're seeing that with high school practice five days a week, AAU, that stuff happening.

When you look at that in the adaptive realm, that's unheard of. you're hearing sometimes kids practicing wheelchair basketball maybe once a week. this guy's practicing five times a week and sometimes on weekends. he was a pioneer in understanding that, hey, you know, listen, if we're going to give these kids opportunities to be great at something, this is something that they got to do every day.

I started that at the age of four all the way until twelve. 

[00:20:34] LW: Would you say that helped you develop the work ethic that you ultimately benefited from with all of your championships? Or did you already have that work ethic just because you had to work harder to move around? 

[00:20:45] TJ: I think it's a little bit of both, to be honest, I think the coaches don't get enough credit. For me. I tell people I'm coached by

committee. every coach that I've had has given me something, I've taken something from them that has made the person that sits in front of you today. But I think there has to be an internal hunger to want something or to be great in order to do it. a coach can only take you, so far, You can bring a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. So for me, like, I think it's a little bit of both having a coach that's able to give you those opportunities, but me being able to see that I have these opportunities.

now it's time to take what I want.

[00:21:20] LW: Right. And what about the phases of learning, which you obviously had to go through several times with the track, with the basketball, with just walking on, handstands to move around. What were those phases like that? Was there like a, I can't do this phase. 

And then that moved on to I just have to practice more phase and then eventually develop confidence around it. Because you've been through that many times, right? I'm sure there's 

[00:21:41] TJ: Absolutely. 

And even in the basketball realm, right? Like I played basketball from four to 12 and then I picked it up again after college. And then you shift to USA, like even that mindset changes, right? Because you go from playing when you were younger, just doing it for fun, then doing it in college, trying to, be the best version of yourself.

And then you go into USA and now it's like, boom, You're making teams, you're getting cut from teams, now you gotta figure out, what part of your game, what part of your mind you need to get right in order to make the team the next time. So I think, your mindset is on a constant evolution of what you can do.

I can tell you, though, the hardest one was, you know, my parents and the coaching staff from 12 had a falling out. 

So because of that, they took me out of the program. I stopped doing sports entirely. that was kind of a dark moment for me. Because like, I didn't know what to do. the one thing that I knew I was good at, which was track, you know, I'm, I got national records.

I'm like, they're talking about when I turned 16, like I can travel to Australia to do like a junior track tournament And then all of a sudden it's like, nah, like, you know, the falling out, the morals and values weren't matching up. So. I was like, what do I do now?

Right. You try to fill these voids. I remember trying to do dance. I remember trying to do TV production in middle school, trying to fill the voice of this competition that never really filled that void until I started wrestling in high school. like, that's when everything came back to like, Oh, yeah, this feels familiar, even in losses, you're like, this feels familiar, that fire is there, which wasn't the same when I was trying to fill that void in between, you know, 12 

[00:23:25] LW: Were your brothers as involved in all of these extracurricular activities as you were, or were you somehow an anomaly in this way? 

[00:23:33] TJ: and 16. Nah, you know, they were in their own sports. And

what's crazy about it is 

that like,

my two older brothers, they were staying with my grandmother at points. And my sister was staying with her dad at points. So like, it was a lot of the time it was me and my younger brother.

And because of my disability, right. I would go to a. a specialized schools that dealt with IEPs and stuff like that nature because I was in a disability. So like me and my brother, my younger brother, who are only one year apart, didn't go to the same school until I was a junior in high school when we moved from PG County down to Calvert County that's when we went to school for the first time. And so there wasn't really opportunities for us to be in the same school or the same programs at the same time. 

[00:24:21] LW: And let's talk about hormones. Like you're 16 now, you're involved in sports, you're winning championships. What was going on with the ladies? You're a good looking guy.

[00:24:30] TJ: Yeah. You know, man, I was doing anything I could to just be around

them to be honest, 

the pursuit 

of, 

significant others didn't quite happen until I got to college, to be honest, 

[00:24:40] LW: Laura in college, At Edinburgh. 

[00:24:42] TJ: Yeah, I met her in college, I think my junior year.

So it was like later in college, I ended up meeting her. But that part of my life didn't happen until I got to college. And you're experimenting with a bunch of different things. Like, social aspects of life was on a different level.

[00:24:57] LW: Well, cause the thing is, man, look, yeah, you have a disability fine, but you're also a black man, you're relatively good looking man. I'm six three, right? I'm relatively athletic, former fashion model, like been all over the world, written books I have insecurities. I don't have confidence all the time.

I may not portray it, but I'm still grappling with that And I can imagine as three feet tall, you would have some of that you're battling as well, even though you come off as extremely confident. 

[00:25:26] TJ: I would say that I'm the complete opposite, man. I'm low key an introvert. if you were like, would you rather go out to a bar, go out to a restaurant and have a good 

evening, or would you rather stay home and just chill around the family?

I'm picking the latter. I'm chilling at home with the family. If I could stay inside 9 like, that's me. I think that when I start to open up is when I start letting people into my circle and I think that's what it is. I keep my circles kind of small, but once you get into my circle, you're stuck.

there is no getting out and you don't have an option in that. that's just how I feel. I think that there's a sense of vulnerability at all phases. when I was, Wasn't sure if I was supposed to be on the team because like technically my first men's team that I made was in 2012 and my college coach was the head coach of that team.

you start to hear the rumbling of. Is the only reason Trey is on this team because his coach is the head coach. So then of course you're like, well, like, am I good enough? Right. And then you turn around after we went bronze, I try out again in 2013 and I get cut new coaching regime.

So then you're like, all right, I get cut now. what's the next move? The next move is either continue down the path of working full time. and then trying to make the team or stop working. Go play professionally overseas and just focus directly on basketball to try to prove all these people wrong.

And like, that's where we ended up going. After having a conversation with Laura, we were like, hey, let's do it. we're only going to be young once, and that's the path we took. And it was, honestly, going overseas was the best thing for me, not only from a basketball standpoint, but from an interpersonal standpoint as well.

[00:27:12] LW: So prior to meeting Laura, when you were still, making teams, getting cut from teams, et cetera. Are you having to pay out of pocket to be a part of all this? Cause I imagine. There's some kind of exchange that needs to take place. Either you're being sponsored or how does that work?

[00:27:27] TJ: the way that it works is you get an invite to go to team USA for your first tryout. you pay out of pocket for that. Like no one else covers that. That's, but you once your name to the team, like to the first cut of team, so let's say 27 people get invited, they cut it down to 17.

That 17 is going to be your final 12 and your alternates. So they're technically covered under the Team USA parameters. So from there, your, your flights, your food, your lodging, all of that stuff is covered when you're training with USA. 

[00:28:03] LW: How many people are competing for these 12 spots? 

[00:28:06] TJ: I remember at one camp for a trial, we had 32, 36, maybe.

the smallest

I've seen was probably 20, 

[00:28:16] LW: So you guys all know each other. 

[00:28:17] TJ: I mean, once, like once you get the knack of who's going to be there, you get a couple of people, but even then for the team that just three peated, so there's only

five people were on all three of those teams that won all three gold medals.

So like, yeah, we all know each other, but. There's still some turnover that you have in, in the ranks too.

[00:28:36] LW: Right. Okay. Let's talk about meeting Laura. 

I'd heard an interview where she said by the second date, she was like, yeah, we can make a really good life together or something along those lines.

[00:28:46] TJ: Yeah. you know what's crazy? Is that like, so at this point in time in my career at edinburgh, 

that's where we met, 

I'm doing really well in wheelchair basketball. So they had me like on posters, they had me on billboards, like, like to try to recruit. Yeah. So like she, she saw me on the billboards and she's like, Oh, you know what I'm saying?

He's cute. Blah, blah, blah. Her roommate actually knew my head coach. From way back when so one day we're at a game and they come through I look at my teammate and they walk in and then they walk out and I look at my teammate and I'm like, yes, little did I know that was Laura and that she was on a soccer team.

at this point. We're crossing paths all the time in the athletic department, in the building and the workouts. I don't remember what sparked it. I think she came to me and we went on walks around campus and it took off from there. 

[00:29:37] LW: Were you still mostly in your wheelchair or were you walking on your hands or what was going on in college? 

[00:29:43] TJ: I was using wheelchair there. I don't know if like Edinburgh is in northwestern Pennsylvania. Right? Like

13 miles away from Lake Erie. So there's a lot of snow and a lot of bad weather, man. So there was no walking on my hands at that place, but I did have a scooter. Let's what we call a scoop scoop.

My prosthetic doctor took like a bucket and put it on. You remember those like square wheelie things that we used to have in an elementary used to sit on the board and scoot around. So what he did was he took a bucket and put it on top of that. And that's what I basically sit in to get around. So that's what I had to get around 

[00:30:17] LW: Got it. And you're Like

Hey, yeah, have you read my 

book? Cause you had a book come out when you were 16, you were a big deal, man.

[00:30:24] TJ: I, I mean, I was a little something, but like I said, I like, I, I don't know, man.

I'm really humble when it comes to things. sometimes she's the one, like she gets on me, she's like, man, 

you know, it's okay to be like. Yeah, I'm that dude. And I'm just like, that's just not my personality.

so she does it for me. I like, I let her do that for me, but that's just not my personality, man. I try to get people to see me for who I am rather than the things that I've done because accolades only go, but so far, 

[00:30:50] LW: And 

What was it about her that made you think, she could be the one.

[00:30:54] TJ: So it was two things. The first thing she's a competitor. when I tell you that I'm competitive, she's just as competitive as I am

even with our kids, everything is like a competition making each other better. I felt that from the get, but in college.

She also had a sense of vulnerability, I felt the ability to be able to be vulnerable and open with her. I remember one of the times that we first started, doing our campus walks She was like, I'm just having a bad day. I just need to get out.

And I was like, I was like, what are you about to do? She was like, well, I'm about to go walk. I was like, well, do you want some company? And she was like, sure. So like, That was the first time that her and I got out and started having conversations just off of a bad day. then you fast forward a couple of weeks, a couple of months, then I'm just picking up the phone.

I'm like, Hey, what are you doing? And she was like, nothing in the room. I was like, do you want to go on a walk? just chill, kick it. And she's like, absolutely. you get to know her for her to be able to be vulnerable and open up, and be competitive. I don't know, man.

she's awesome.

[00:31:53] LW: So initially you were thinking of joining the Marines. Obviously that didn't happen because they're not letting anybody with disabilities in, then you thought, okay, criminal justice. I'm always curious when someone is in their early twenties or late teens, and they think about the idea of success, 

Coming from where you came from, thinking about your future, what did that look like at that time in your life? 

[00:32:17] TJ: Yeah. Actually. So criminal justice has always been like the forefront. Even in high school, you look at my transcripts, I was taking criminal justice classes one of my brothers that

kind of like influenced me to kind of do it that way. It was like, you should be a lawyer, 

you'd be a good, lawyer. So I was like, you know what? Like that's not half bad baked idea. Right. So like, I'm like, Oh yeah, let's do it. So like Taking all these criminal justice classes then you start looking at the LSAT book and I'm like, this is a different breed, 

Some of these questions, I'm like, I don't know. Maybe this is like along the lines, like, let me focus on basketball and maybe we come back to the LSATs, but I think it's a way to have an impact So you can help the people around you. I think it was something that we were looking at.

my brother was trying to push me to be a defense attorney rather than trying to go out here and like be a headhunter and try to make more money. It's about the people around you. So that was one of the reasons I was looking at that route. But I'm not gonna lie to you, man.

When I saw the LSAT book and I opened it up and I saw those first questions and the timings, I was like, Oh, we're gonna have to see what we can get out at a later date. 

[00:33:25] LW: Was there a path for professional basketball and that, well, I don't know if money was a metric for you in terms of success, but what were some of those metrics? 

[00:33:36] TJ: So what pushed me to go overseas was after I got cut, like, I'll tell you in my exit interview from 2013, the coach looked at me. It was like, man, you're really good on 

the defensive end. I love your defense. It was like, but offensively, you're a liability.

in my head, I took that as you're a half player, man. you can only do half the game. So you're no good to us. I was like, all right, so what do I have to do to get better? I gotta train more. At that time, I'm working full time and training. I was like, I'm 23 years old or so.

I'm like, I gotta focus on my career. I got to focus on ball and sport. So I was like, let's go overseas. And when you go overseas, they cover your meals and housing. you don't get paid nothing. So like, it's like I'm over there to focus on me.

But like I said, like going overseas was not only good for my basketball career, but it was also good for like interpersonal. My relationship with Laura grew over there too, because We didn't speak French. We're in the south of France in a small town called La Boca they didn't know English and we didn't know French like now we're having to Use each other to get by and the thing is is that like she spoke French better than I did, but I understood it better.

So, like, we're using each other to three way have a conversation with someone. it was a good time for the two of us to be able to grow as a bond with each other. 

[00:34:59] LW: Right. All right. And then you've been in what four Olympics now. So you're in your mid thirties, 

36, 

[00:35:05] TJ: Thirty six. 

[00:35:06] LW: 36, 37. You have two kids. 

We'll talk about a sort of week in the life. Cause are you still training? Are you going to be in the next Olympics? Are you, I don't know, 36, it sounds old for even a regular athlete, 

[00:35:18] TJ: Thirty six is old, man. I don't know. To be honest,

I'm trying to let my body recover

right now. Cause if I can be honest 

with you I was physically and mentally fatigued after Paris, after winning the gold we went out for a couple of drinks to celebrate and head back to the Airbnb with Laura I was like, I'm tired.

And she was like, yeah, I get it. I'm going to take some time to recover and then we'll make the decision on what we're going to be doing after this. But like, yeah, man, that's, that's crazy. Butour oldest player on our team at that point is Paul Schulte, which was a dear mentor of mine.

He was one of the first ones that I looked up to when I came up. He's 45. So like, so there's, there's no excuse. He's 45 and he's fast. I'm talking, I mean, he's blown by young guys. if I want to. I know I can still continue hooping into my forties. 

[00:36:06] LW: What's your like an average day like for you today? You work at the secret service, right? 

[00:36:10] TJ: Correct. Correct. So I work in the secret service personnel security. So we vet the people that come and work for us. 

Wake up, get the kids ready, get them off to school. Then I work my eight hours. Now if you're talking about a traditional day where I'm getting ready to work as we're preparing to go to Paris, I work my eight hours, go pick the kids up from school.

They come home. I get them ready for their sports, right? So I get them off to their sports while they're at their sports. I'm off training at another facility called shoot 360. This place is where you shoot shots and it spits the ball back out to you. So within 30 minutes, I can get anywhere up from 250 to 300 shots up in 30 minutes.

So boom, go do that. Come back, cook dinner, dinner. Get the kids off the bed. And then there's about like an hour of mommy daddy time because that's important too. And then after that, we go downstairs and we work out in our basement. So you do three days of weightlifting and three days of cardio.

And that's the rotation, right? Just kind of keep doing that. I mean, before the kids, I would get up early in the morning, work out, work, go home. Workout and just rinse and repeat. But it's being able to balance the dynamic. I'll tell you a funny story. So my daughter she's in the Irish dance, right?

No, nothing about it. It's different for the entire family because none of us have a history of Irish dance. a family friend of ours is taking her to practice and she goes, Saraya, Do you work really hard at Irish dance? Like your dad does. And she looks at her and goes, my dad doesn't work hard at basketball.

He does is play video games. And like, initially, like I took, I took offense to what she said, because she doesn't realize how hard I work. 48 hours goes by after me, like sulking, because I'm like, this crazy that she doesn't see the amount of time and effort I put into this. I kind of like had a reflection on the sense of like, That's good because like when I am home, she understands that I'm present. She sees me home a lot of the time people don't realize it spent like two weeks being gone at a training camp, coming back, being home for two weeks, and then leaving again for two weeks.

So for her to understand that when I'm home, I'm home with her, She doesn't see me being gone all the time because I'm training. it's a testament to the balance that we've been able to establish here as a family. So that way it doesn't seem like daddy's just always gone. 

[00:38:33] LW: Yeah. And you make it look easy, obviously. 

[00:38:36] TJ: How about I tried Laura and she's insane.

I don't know how she does it, man.

[00:38:39] LW: So you're now doing keynotes talk a little bit about that transition because again, people look at people like you and they think, of course he does keynotes, but none of this stuff comes easily. Like you have to work at everything. how did you get introduced to that? I'm sure somebody maybe said, Hey, come give a talk or maybe you're, good at speaking off the cuff, but what are some of the details of that transition?

[00:38:59] TJ: what's crazy is I've always been like, since high school, when I was wrestling, people would always ask me to come in and speak. That's been consistent since high school to this point. the difference now is that I've learned how to deliver a message within my speech.

I've learned how to connect with the audience because I think that As much as we are willing to think like we're one of one, right? Like when something drastic happens to us and we're just like, man, I'm having a bad day while everyone else around me is having a great day.

Like we have a lot in common as human beings. one of the biggest examples of that is COVID, right? In that moment, humanity saw how drastic something can affect us all, physically, psychologically, and we all had to deal with it. And I think so many times people are like, well, I don't have the strength to overcome something.

For anyone that came out of the pandemic, you have to realize you did overcome something, something as drastic as to shut down the entire world. 

[00:40:08] LW: Right. 

[00:40:09] TJ: So like when you're able to connect with someone on a personal level, I think that's. What helped me go from, Hey, my name is Trevon Jenifer, I have no legs and this is my story to being like, okay, let's have a conversation about how I can help you and you can help me become better human beings.

[00:40:30] LW: Is that how your keynoting has evolved? Is that kind of become the central message or what is the central message these days? 

[00:40:36] TJ: The central message to me, like, but it's something that's been a little more important to me and that's like the mental side of Sports and my evolution as an 

individual before I was like, if you want to be good at basketball, you have to be strong. You have to be fast. You got to just do more in the gym.

That's all I believed. it wasn't until I started focusing on the mental side of basketball that you understood that like, oh, it has a connection to your physical side. And if we neglect the mental side of basketball, The mental strength and the mental workouts we should be doing, it can have an effect on your physical self.

And I think that was the biggest point for me. Like, and to be honest, like my coach was preaching, he was like, man, what's that 1 percent that's going to get you above? is it strength and conditioning? Is it nutrition? Is it sports psych? I was like, I'll do the first two, that last one, I'll only do it because I don't want to get cut.

And me just being like, okay just doing it on a whim. I actually started buying into it, especially with a lot of the visualization exercises that help athletes get over the hump, it's hard to explain it, but when you're in a game and there's like five minutes left and your team's down, and that pressure's on the crowds against you, 

Cause we're not playing in the United States. where does that strength come from? And it's a process, right? You understand that it's a process over results and you start being in the moment instead of focusing on uncontrollables, focusing on the things you can't control. And I'm telling you, it has everlasting effects on individuals. You can see someone get up to a free throw line and be shook and not make a shot. And then you see someone step up to the free throw line. Like it's just a normal day in the gym. And I think that's the difference between a good player and a great player.

[00:42:28] LW: Is there a moment in your basketball career that stands out as just extra special above the, we talked about championships 

before, but is there a moment, a shot? 

something you did or didn't do that resulted in a outcome that everyone loved? 

that you just, 

[00:42:44] TJ: Like a particular play. I don't know. One of my, one of my fondest memories I remember is being able to get a, like a massive 

block and the bronze medal game in my first Paralympics. And it was like, and we're in the UK, playing GB and I get this block and you hear the crowd go, Ooh.

And I mean, like it's in your home crowd. Right. So like that's something I remember vividly. I can explain where everyone was in this moment because it was an awesome experience. But to be honest, it's the memories outside of the lines that I'm keen on.

one of my teammates and I did a talk with the U 23 team. getting ready to have their tryouts. I talked to them about what it's like being in the dormitories, listening to R& B music with my roommates and just playing video games, Call of Duty. those are the moments I cherish.

After the gold medal game seeing your flag go up and hearing the national anthem, like you, you never hear the national anthem the same or being able to celebrate those moments for the first time with my whole family, Laura and both my kids on the floor.

Like those are the things that I'm like, man, this is what it's for being able to see them in that moment. Like that's what it's for.

[00:43:57] LW: And if you could go back and I'm sure you do this, but just hypothetically as well, speak to the kids who are the same age that

you were when you first started off with wheelchair basketball what words of wisdom do you impart upon them?

[00:44:12] TJ: Enjoy it. Because. One of the most precious commodities we have as human beings is time, right? so many times we're so focused on the future and what we want to do and we're not enjoying the moment for what we have. Once time is up, we can't get it back. I can lose a thousand dollars today. I can try to make that up again tomorrow. I lose ten minutes today. I'm not gonna get it back. being able to understand that, like, in this moment, like, enjoy it for what it is, that is what's important. I remember what it's like being in juniors. I remember what it's like being in college is some of my greatest days, but it's also times that went by in the blink of an eye.

So at this point, all we have is memories. And if we can enjoy that present, man, that's what it's about. 

[00:45:02] LW: So how do you define success for yourself these days?

[00:45:06] TJ: I think success for me is based on the people around me being able to win and understand that, take away the medals, right? ultimately, I'm not trying to diminish what we've accomplished. But in a hundred years from now, where are those metals going to be?

Maybe in a museum, right? Or maybe, one of my great grandkids are like, ah, we don't need these. Let's sell them. I want the legacy part of it to be what's left behind. that's success, right?

Like after I'm gone, will my name still be uttered? And what kind of impact will I have on those generations? Because like I said, the money, the medals, the accolades, they're going to go at some point. Someone's going to crush something else. but what have I done that can have an impact and everlasting impact on generations that I will see?

[00:46:04] LW: If someone told you at 8, 9, 10 years old, Hey, Trey, you're going to be an award winning championship athlete, you're going to win x amount of championships and you're going to inspire people all over the world. you're going to

have books and be on podcasts.

You're gonna be giving keynotes in front of hundreds, thousands of people. What would you have said? 

[00:46:24] TJ: I would have said tell that to my brothers And sisters cause they won't beat me 

probably. No.

Nah, you know, I would have probably said, you know, 

there's no way, you know, as a little kid from PG County, Maryland, like, I'm just, I'm excited to get out of county and let alone the state. And now you're talking about me traveling the world, man, I would have never thought that I was an opportunity, but now that it is 1, it's 1 that I embrace and that I tried to get kids to see that, like, let's not limit ourselves to what we see or the environment that's around us. Right. Let's shoot for the stars. 

[00:46:58] LW: There ever a moment where you wished you had legs and then you stopped when you started to see the impact that you were having in your career? Situation. 

[00:47:06] TJ: I mean, absolutely. Still to this day. Like, I'm, like, 

[00:47:09] LW: You would trade it all. You would trade everything for leg. 

[00:47:12] TJ: No, no, no, no, no, no, no. So 

like,

I mean, in the sense of, like, my kids were like, Hey man, do you wish you could dunk? Like, yeah, I wish I could dunk. And sometimes you go to an amusement park

and You gotta be this tall with limbs.

And I'm like, yeah, I wish I had that to get on the ride. But would I trade it for what I have today? Absolutely not. Like, I think that's the difference. Like, would I wish in the moment that I had, like, so I could do this one thing? Of course. I would love to experience what it's like to have it. But would I trade it?

No, because that doesn't necessarily mean I would have the same success or experiences that I would today. And I think that's the difference that so many times we're so hyper focused on what could and if, and would should be nothing's guaranteed. just because I would have like, doesn't mean I'm still going to be playing for USA, hooping on LeBron.

it could go down a dark path. That's a possibility as well. this moment, what I have right now, like I told you before, I'm truly blessed I'm happy for what I got,

[00:48:11] LW: Yeah, I read this article many, many years ago. This blind climber mountaineer, climbed all the seven highest peaks on earth. and in this quote, he said, this was literally maybe 15 years ago, but it stuck with me. he said, when you're doing what I'm trying to do, you can't ask yourself dead end questions.

A dead end question is what if I could see what if I had this other ability, instead you have to ask yourself how do I do the most with what I have? And that's been the question that has propelled me towards all of the accomplishments that I've been able to achieve so yeah, that really resonated with me.

And so give us a really quick, where are they now? Where's Eric Brown? Where's your mom? Where are your brothers? What's everybody doing?

[00:48:54] TJ: man. Everyone's, everyone's doing all right, man. My dad, he's in PA now, you know, he's still working. My mom's in Carolina. working. My brothers, still think they're the best athlete in the household, but you know, we, 

[00:49:08] LW: Are they, in shape like you are? Cause now you guys are older. 

[00:49:11] TJ: Yeah, they're like, they're, we're definitely a built, built the same.

We're all built the same, but we know who's the best athlete because someone's got the medals to back it up. You know what I'm saying? But you can catch an L on the basketball court any day. everybody's still having a good time, 

it's awesome to see where we were as kids and where my parents were when they were young to where we are now. 

[00:49:33] LW: And do people recognize you from the Delta stuff? 

[00:49:35] TJ: it's a give and take. I'll go a couple of weeks and no one will ever see anything or say anything. And then just on a whim, I just told Laura the other day, 

I did a little speaking engagement for my kid's school I thought it went awesome. I come home, I'm doing some work on the computer.

I get a knock at the door I'm like, no one knows where we live. I opened the door. It's a bunch of little kids out there having papers so I could sign their autographs. I was like, how did you guys get like, and I mean, and that's just the impact that you can have, man.

and like I said, when I went to the junior tournament not too long ago and to see all the kids that was like, Hey, can I have a picture? Or can I get your autograph? Like those kids, they soaked it all up, man. It was awesome. 

[00:50:19] LW: Beautiful, man. And your book from 2006, I believe, is from the ground up. Is there another book in the works?

[00:50:28] TJ: I honestly, not right now, but the idea of getting it started definitely is, and this is going to take on a different concept from what we're trying to come up with, because I would love for Laura to also be a part of this writing process. Understanding her perspective in all of this, coming from a world that doesn't have anyone or know anything about disabilities to being a full bledged advocate of it and raising kids in it, right?

So, like, I want people to be able to see it from all perspectives and not just my perspective. I think it would be a good concept for people to be able to understand and read.

[00:51:08] LW: Okay. Beautiful. Well, we're 

looking forward to that. And if someone wants to get more information, maybe to hire you as a speaker or just to get 

into the Trey, Jenifer. Ecosystem, obviously there's social media you have a ton of YouTube videos, anything else? 

[00:51:24] TJ: Yeah, or they can hit me up on the website at www. traj5. com. 

That's spelled 

T R E Y J, the number five. com 

[00:51:33] LW: Beautiful, man. Well, it was a pleasure. Thank you again for coming on and being so generous in your share. And maybe one day, I don't know, we'll cross paths. Looking forward to that already.

[00:51:42] TJ: Thank you for your time. I appreciate it. 

[00:51:44] LW: Absolutely. 

[END]

Thank you for tuning in to today's episode with Trevon Jenifer, if you'd like to follow Trevon's journey and keep up with his speaking engagements and athletic achievements, you can find him on the socials at Trey Jenifer, that's T R E Y J E N I F E R. Or you can visit his website at TreyJ5. com. 

And if you enjoyed our conversation, check out episode 79 with Caroline Burkle, who's an Olympic medalist who turned her post competition depression into a program, helping young athletes navigate the mental challenges of elite sports.

And also don't miss episode 38 with former NFL linebacker, Keith Mitchell. paralyzing injury into a mission of bringing mindfulness and healing to thousands of veterans, children, and first responders. And if you know of someone who's out there making the world a better place, please send me your guest suggestions to light at light Watkins dot com.

Also take a few seconds to rate and review the show. And I hope to see you next week for another inspiring story. of an ordinary person doing extraordinary things. Until then, keep trusting your intuition. Keep following your heart. Keep taking those leaps of faith. And remember, if no one's told you lately that they believe in you, I believe in you.

Thank you and have a fantastic day.