Tim Tebow

Tim Tebow is a two-time national champion, first round NFL draft pick, and Heisman trophy winner. After playing in the NFL for the Denver Broncos and the New York Jets, Tebow joined the SEC Network. In addition to his role on SEC Nation, the network’s traveling road show, Tebow also contributes to a variety of other ESPN platforms. Through everything, Tebow’s true passion remains the work of the Tim Tebow Foundation, which he began in 2010. As his new book, Shaken: Discovering Your True Identity in the midst of Life’s Storms, landed in stores, Penguin Random House was able to catch up with the author and athlete.

PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE:In your new book, Shaken: Discovering Your True Identity in the midst of Life’s Storms, your focus is on rejection and how to overcome it in a way that leaves you stronger. You’ve tapped into your experience in the National Football League to unearth a unique point of view in regard to how to rise from the ashes of rejection. If you had to distill the advice that you offer into one sentence, what would that sentence be?

TIM TEBOW: Fulfillment in this life isn’t the material things we so often search for, but the relationship we find with our heavenly Father.

PRH:Let’s talk about pivoting for a moment. When up against a challenge, and one that seems to arise again and again, how do you know it’s time to change your path?

TT: Pray and seek wise counsel. If God puts something on your heart, go all out and don’t worry about what others say or think.

PRH:You’ve spent much of your adult life in the world of professional sports. What do you think the public would find most surprising about the life of a professional athlete?

TT: What the world finds successful, like winning championships, aren’t as fulfilling as people think.

PRH:In Shaken, you talk about standing up for what you believe in as well as standing up for other people. Looking at the international landscape right now, is there any particular subset of society that you think needs someone to step in and stand up for them?

TT: Something that’s been on my heart is to fight for orphans worldwide. Through our foundation, we take care of over 2,500 orphans.

PRH:You’ve had a very busy five years (and then some). What do you hope to accomplish in the next five years?

TT: I want to try and improve every day loving God and loving others with whatever platform He gives me.