Meet the Guests: Joel Martin and Toni Will

Hello and welcome back to another episode of the drug prevention power hour. I’m your host, Jake white with vibe 18. And today we are hanging out with some new friends and listen, this is going to be a special episode because it’s not often we have someone from a completely different field but doing just as incredible work. So today we are hanging out with Joel Martin and Tony Will. Now, Tony is the general manager and governor of the Kalamazoo Wings, and Joel is the head coach and director of hockey operations. So just spoiler, Kalamazoo Wings is a hockey team. So this is gonna be a really fun episode to share with any student athletes that you know. Joel, Tony.

Can we start with some basic introductions and then we’ll go from there.

Yeah, yeah, I’m Tony. And sometimes people get confused, but I am a female GM, my first and last name being male generally. But yeah, I’ve been with the organization for 11 years. I’m responsible for everything on the business side. So anything that’s about driving revenue or our community relations efforts, or even our mascot, Slappy. So I didn’t know much about hockey when I started here over a decade ago. And that has changed. I definitely don’t know as much as Joel.

But we make a good duo. And in terms of my relationship with substances, I’ve been alcohol free for five years and I’m very vocal and proud of that. And especially for our next generation, which is why I do a lot of my work. That’s incredible.

Yeah. And for myself, I’m originally from Western Canada. you know, ended up meeting my wife here while I was playing in Kalamazoo with the wings. This will be year 17, with the organization here. So I played for nine and, I’m on my eighth year here, coaching, with the team and, yeah, you know, it’s, it’s been a pleasure to be teamed up here with Tony as well with this organization and also live an alcohol-free life as well. And going on four and a half years, that’s something that Haban that we share in common.

That is so cool. I love to hear that and I mean I just got to ask right away Because I love I love to hear when people have a certain amount of time of being of being alcohol-free What, why did you choose that?

Choosing an Alcohol-Free Life

Yeah, for me, it was really a health and wellness decision. truthfully, I didn’t like my relationship with alcohol. And that doesn’t mean, and I like to emphasize this, someone cannot like the relationship with alcohol and it doesn’t have to be what the culture makes it. Like, you you’re homeless with a brown paper bag under a bridge. I just, didn’t like it. I wasn’t functioning at my highest. I was using it for coping and I didn’t want to do that anymore. And so I embarked on this journey to really try to figure out why I was doing what I was doing and to stop. And it was a lot of work and I’m really proud of it. And five years does feel different. I mean, I’m six weeks away from it and it feels really, really good. And a fun fact, I’ve given myself, it depends on the person, but about 800 hours back each year in my life since I quit drinking.

Whoa, wait, hold on. What does that mean? I hear 800 hours back and I’m like, that’s good. What does it mean that you’ve given 800 hours back, like volunteering or to you or?

It is me? No, like when you think about how much like you’re drinking, like if you’re thinking about drinking, actively you’re drinking, recovering from drinking or drugging, and I also like to point out alcohol and drug, which I’m sure your audience knows, but the alcohol industry has done a really good job of separating these out, but because I stopped doing this substance, I have 800 more hours back each year to do stuff that I love, and this is one of them.

Wow, okay, that’s cool. So you’re gaining back your productivity and like living life to the fullest 800 hours back. that’s cool. That’s cool. Joel, what about you? Why do you do it this way?

The Impact of Alcohol on Productivity

Yeah, for myself, you know, it, kind of stumbled upon it by accident. doing a sober January, you know, and, getting to a point where I didn’t like the kind of shape I was in being a former professional athlete. And all of a sudden I’m 235 pounds and don’t like the way I feel and look. And I’m like, I gotta do something here, you know? And then after that month, hopping on a scale and being the exact same weight, you know, and then saying, I’m going to do another month and then hop it on and I’m five pounds lighter and then I’m to do another month and then start setting weight goals and it just snowballed and then all these other benefits started to come along with it as well. You know, with the productivity and clarity and how I felt and got to a certain point where I just never looked back.

Dang, that’s cool. And I think about the decision as like a, it’s a domino, right? Because it started with the January, it turned into more, and it started with maybe just cutting out something in your life, but it probably led to you adding a bunch of good things into your life too. So it’s just these dominoes that go together.

For sure. And like for myself at that point too, I was just an assistant coach here with the team. Um, and then it wasn’t too long after that I became the head coach and absorbed a ton more responsibility with that. then ultimately found myself in a situation to succeed and be able to hand that risk, handle that responsibility, you know, along with family wife and two little boys that are now 12 and 10, you know, so it would have been like eight and six around then.

You know, so a lot going on in life and just finding I was able to manage all of that a lot better.

Yeah, yeah, that is really encouraging. And y’all are both out in Michigan. So Kalamazoo is in Michigan.

Yeah, Southwest Michigan, right between Detroit and Chicago.

Hockey Culture and Substance Use

Okay. So the choice to be alcohol free. I mean, I grew up in Wisconsin and there is some Midwest pride around the product of alcohol, right? Like that is part of the culture. How does that fit in with Michigan culture or even hockey culture? How does that work?

There’s a lot of it. Like we, mean, Bell’s Brewery for number one is here in Kalamazoo and it’s a well-known brand of beer. And they’re, don’t know. I can’t remember at one point there were so many breweries popping up in Kalamazoo. We were, I think the number two largest city in Michigan in terms of breweries at one point, cause they’ve kind of come and go. We’re now seeing it with cannabis actually. So yeah. And then hockey, mean hockey and beer. mean, that’s they go hand in hand. I will say, though, in the recent years, we are seeing an uptick in individuals who are looking for NA options beyond just soda and water and things like that. So we are seeing a request for that when we survey our fans. And they definitely go hand in hand, but we’re offering alternatives now. And it helps when you’ve got Joel and I and actually our PR director and broadcaster. He, too, is sober. So there’s three of us who are faces of these organizations that continue to advocate for it.

That’s awesome. Joe, what have you seen from maybe the player coach side of is is alcohol or drugs part of culture in the hockey performance world or things like that?

Yeah, I mean, I think for sure it is. I think that we’re seeing a little bit of a shift, you know, in a better direction here. You know, I talked to some of the guys that played here in the eighties and they used to talk about smoking outside the locker room. And when they’d come in after a game, having a couple of tall boys sitting in their stall, you know, and it’s come a long way from that. Even, you know, back then you’d come to camp to get into shape. You know, now if you come to training camp and you’re not in shape, then you know, you’re not going to be around for very long. So guys, I think are at a point where they’re taking their craft really seriously and there’s, you know, opportunity and a lot of money to be made if you, you know, do it well. So I think you’re starting to see athletes now that understand that and are making better decisions and treating their bodies the way that if you want to be an elite athlete, you need to treat your body.

Yeah. All right. I want to pivot right into that. So for our audience listening to the Drug Prevention Power Hour right now, this episode is special because I’ve been asked to create a video for young athletes, specifically hockey players ages 13 to 17, and to create a substance use prevention video for them that could speak to them. So Joel and Tony are really helping me out to deliver some sound bites that are going to resonate with them.

The Role of Coaches in Substance Prevention

So I would love to just like, let’s, let’s focus on the athlete right now. as a, and maybe Joel, this one is, is for you specifically. How is your job as a recruiter and a coach? When you’re looking at talent coming up, how does the choice to be drug and alcohol free maybe influence that decision or what are you looking for and how can that decision.

Yeah, make a difference in your mind as somebody who’s making those, you’re making those calls, right? Like those students future is oftentimes either being caught by your eye or you’re seeing them and saying, hey, this is not the right move. I don’t want that student. So can you talk to me about what you look for and why these decisions matter?

Yeah. I mean, I think that the first thing, when you get into the hockey world, you realize is just how small the hockey world is. Somebody knows somebody that knows you kind of thing. So, the first thing I’ll tell people when they ask me what I’m looking for in a hockey player is I’m looking for good people, you know, first and foremost. So, that covers a lot of things, you know? and where talking to their coaches, we’re talking to their teammates that they played with five years ago and junior hockey, you know, we’re talking to their college teammates. Like we’re going to, if there’s something there, you know, to be concerned about, we’re going to find it, you know, and people are really good about being honest about other people and sharing information with us. So if you’re not doing the right things as an athlete and you’re not taking this job seriously, then we don’t have a lot of time for you. That’s the truth.

Yeah, that is a hard truth. And so for the students that are making great choices, they’re keeping that door open and not only for themselves and their body, but for their career.

Yeah, absolutely. you know, that stuff, it’ll follow you around for sure. And, know, our job is our sport is very demanding. Like you get to the pro level, we’re playing 72 games over seven months, you know, practicing every day. So if you’re somebody that wants to be out partying and having a good time while you’re, know, you don’t have the time to recover, you know, and you can’t be at an optimal level to compete every day and do your job.

Absolutely. And especially things like alcohol and cannabis, they do impact your recovery time. They slow things down. They slow your brain function down. I do just watching hockey on TV. I don’t understand how they see the puck ever. So if you have a slow brain, you are you are losing. You are losing that match like.

Consequences of Substance Use in Sports

Yeah, yeah, that’s a fast game for sure. And yeah, I don’t know. I don’t know how people watch hockey before high definition television would have been nearly impossible. That’s for sure.

Yeah. And Tony, as the, as the person who understands the, the business side and running a hockey business, like an athlete maybe gets in trouble with the law or an outcome of substance use happens. How does that affect, how does that affect the organization and how you view that athlete, athlete as a business asset?

I’ve seen it happen over the years and it’s tough because we’re brand, you know, we’re the only professional sports team in Kalamazoo and even regardless of that, no matter what level pro level in whatever city it tarnishes the brand. And so if you, could be an athlete or someone that’s working in the front office. If you’re wearing our logo, I mean, that is, that’s, that’s a big deal.

And so then we have to work, speaking of my PR director, we got to work on that to ensure that stays in house. And it’s not so much to protect the athlete because we want to make sure we offer them resources. So if they are struggling, we’re not just saying, you know, too bad you’re out of here. We want to help. And we really do care within our organization about that. That is something we take seriously with life coaches. And Joel can elaborate on that more, but, you know, having people to help our athletes is really important because it is a very hard job. I think sometimes it depends on the person, but they really don’t understand what it’s like to play, especially at this level, because we’re a developmental league. So we’re affiliated with the AHL and the NHL. And so we’re the third tier down and our players are moving up and down that system. And so our affiliates are in Vancouver, in Canada, all the way across the United States and up north.

And so if they have to travel back and forth, this isn’t like jumping in your car and driving here. So it really does, we do care and it makes a difference and the choices they make do matter.

Wow. And Joel, what is some of the things that Tony mentioned as far as the resources that y’all have for your players and through the association, whatever that might be? I’m not familiar, so I would love to hear about that.

Resources for Athletes

Yeah. So our players do have a players union. So they have a couple of different resources in place for them. if guys are having, some issues and then our team, also has brought on a life coach, Chuck Thus from Compassionate Connection that works with our team as well. So, you know, if guys are struggling with something that maybe they don’t want to bring to us as a staff, you know, so you think of different things like you know, maybe depression or anxiety or substance abuse, you know, those are things they may not want to bring to us. So we try to give them a resource that they can go to and feel comfortable that it’s not the coaches and, get some help. So he’s been a great resource for us and our guys to have, you know, to talk to.

That’s great. And I love that because the role that you each play for the organization is, you might have two roles, but that is how you’re viewed by your athletes and by your colleagues and everybody in between. So to say, oh, I’m your coach and I’m going to develop you and I’m deciding whether you have playing time and all that stuff, right? It might not feel like, oh, I’m going to go to Joel and tell him I messed up or I need help because I need him to view me in a certain way. But then having that safe person on your team, you know, that you’ve had around you, that’s such a smart idea. And it’s so aware of the experience of an athlete.

For sure. And, and don’t get me wrong, we have, you know, doors always open policy and developing relationship with your athletes in this day and age is so important and crucial. And you hope that, you know, if somebody’s dealing with something, they they’ll come to you. But in reality, that’s just not the case for all the reasons you said, you know? so yeah, having something like that in place is something we’re definitely proud of for, for our guys.

That’s cool. That’s cool. I would love to ask you so I have two pointy questions. I always want to end with positivity because I feel like everyone, anyone can complain about the world, right? We have so many problems. So I’m to ask you two questions. The first one is I’m going to ask you for a story. Do you know anyone from the hockey world who unfortunately has lost their opportunity due to substance use or maybe just something negative has happened. And then we’re gonna turn that into a positive with some advice for students. But is there anything, is there any stories that come to mind when you think of, hey, this is just a great illustration of why if you’re an athlete, if you’re a hockey player, this is why you do not wanna go down this path.

Yeah, I mean, I’ve seen, you know, I’d say multiple players that have had some run-ins with the law, know, DUI arrests, possession arrests, different things like that. And stuff like that too can really affect a person’s opportunity to cross the border. You know, there’s a couple teams, well, there’s one team in Canada now in our league. There used to be two or three but if you want to get to the highest level, you know, there’s plenty of teams in Canada. So, not being able to cross the border and having to, to tell your team, you know, Hey, yeah, I want to play for you. But, when you travel here to Canada, I’m not going to be able to go with you because I have a DUI or something on my record, right? Is, is, is something that, you definitely don’t want to deal with.

Yeah, that’s big. And that it is a team sport too, so it’s like, it sucks that we’re letting ourselves down. It’s worse we’re letting the team down too.

Yeah, yeah, for sure. You know, whenever you’re not a part of it and you’re sitting there watching, you know, you feel like you’re letting your team down, your coaches down. You always want to be a part of it and you can’t have any impact on the outcome if you’re not playing and not available to play.

Yeah. So let’s flip this and offer some kind of tangible guidance if a student’s listening to this and they’re part of that video. They’re between 13 and 17 years old. They want to have a great career. They’ve put a lot of their investment of time, effort, maybe even money, travel, all these things into becoming a professional athlete. What advice would you give them?

Advice for Young Athletes

Well, for me, I mean, if you want a good example, you know, of somebody who, you know, had to change things around, I would say Bobby Robbins wrote a book on it called Sex, Drugs, Pucks and Souls. And he’s somebody who talks about, you know, substance abuse that he dealt with going through college into becoming a professional athlete and to thinking his career was over to getting clean and sober and making his way all the way to the national hockey league is the oldest rookie to ever make it on opening night. And he played with the Boston Bruins. So, you know, I think he sets a good example of here’s one path, you know, and where that led. And then here’s the other path and where it can lead, which is where most people play and want to go. So yeah.

Thank you, Tony. Any advice for young athletes wanting to make it?

Yeah, I would tell you as a mom myself, mine are older than that. They’re 23, 21 and almost 19. But I tell them the same thing. I would tell these young kids that what we didn’t know growing up was that our brain is not fully developed till we’re 25.

So when you start to like think about like the legal drinking age, and I know at that age, I felt like I was going to live forever. I’m sure we all did, but the reality is we don’t. And so how can we live longer and take care of ourselves and really take care? You know, we talk about the liver and alcohol, but really it’s about our brain, like taking care of our brain. This is our CPU. This is what helps us make all our decisions. And we want to take care of that. And any substance, especially alcohol breaks that blood brain barrier. It’s a lot of B’s, but it’s true. And had I known that like, and also had I known that alcohol was a drug, I may have looked at that differently in my choices when I was younger. Cause I got to tell you, it’s cool not to do substances. Joel and I are cool and we don’t do substances.

We probably would have been way cooler when we were younger and doing this stuff, but it’s cool not to. And research is showing that actually, as we look at the younger generation. So take care of your brain. Trust me, you’re gonna want it. And when you’re done being an athlete, maybe you’ll be a recreational athlete one day, you’re gonna want to your brain to, you know, maybe start your own business or go work for a sports team or do something totally different. And so you’re gonna want to be able to do those things. And so my advice would be, you’re not going to live forever. I don’t want to be a downer, but you can live long if you take care of your brain.

Right? I love that. And I think too, part of the aspirations of being a pro athlete is you’re going to enjoy the health, the money, the lifestyle, and you get to define what that is. So if you believe that partying with substances is part of that lifestyle and that’s the only way, then you’re going to maybe go down that path. But what I hope that the listeners learn from this episode is there is a completely different path to having a fulfilling, fun, amazing, exciting lifestyle. And it is prioritizing your craft, protecting your brain, and enjoying the benefits of all the money and the relationships that you get to have and traveling the world. Because that’s what an athlete could enjoy, all of those things. And so if you protect your brain and start living that way now, you will have practiced it so much by the time you’re adult.

You can be the life of the party. You can make the most friends. You can enjoy negotiating skills and protecting that money and wealth that you built for the rest of your life instead of the opposite direction, which sometimes we talk too much about. So I love, love the advice that y’all gave. And I think it’s going to really, really help these students. would love to, Tony, I want you to give a quick plug because you’re doing some things in this space that are really helpful for people wanting to enjoy recovery. And Joel, what’s so cool is you kind of leapt into this world out of a curiosity or just doing a month. And there’s a lot of people in our world that are trying on this sobriety thing. So Tony, can you just share a little bit about, yeah, give us a teaser of what are you up to now?

Empowering the Next Generation

What am I up to, Jake? Everything. So as Joel knows, he’s like, what’s she doing now? In addition to my day job in hockey, so I did a TEDx about a year ago. And if people want to check that out, I talk about not only my day job about being a minority in hockey, but also choosing to live alcohol free. And I talk about the important thing on my TEDx is I talk about how I did it. Because I think sometimes people get out there like me and like, oh, look at me, I’m sober. And then, well, how would you do it? So I that that’s part of that and that’s, you know, online. And then I coach clients. I have my own separate coaching business. It’s all under Tonywell.com where I coach clients one on one. do group coaching. So October’s coming up. I’m sure I got something up my sleeve there. And then my big project I’ve been working on for the last year is my book is coming out in March of twenty twenty six called Not the Norm.

And I go way more in depth. I talk about stories about why I choose about alcohol and business and kind of just who I am and what the heck I’m doing. then with my conference in March of 26 called Empow Her, which is about lifting women up and helping them become the best versions of themselves.

Whew! Gee! All right, so well, this is podcast.

Joel’s been on my podcast too. So if they want to check that out, we’re going to view on it. Women in dot dot dot. And I have men on it too. Cause yeah. So episode nine, episode nine, I think was Joel. He came on real early on with me and I said, come on, I got it. And we had a great conversation. So.

Yeah. What’s your podcast called? All right. Perfect.

That is awesome. Well, y’all, this has been so, so cool for me. I also have to do a quick plug because Tony, you and I will be speaking at Amplify Sober Voices, which is our good friends over at Sober Life Rocks are putting on this big conference. People from across the world are joining to learn how to amplify sober voices. So that’s January 15th, I believe, right around there. And we’ll be doing some training on speaking, building a platform, business building skills, like just kind of these passions that you kind of develop when you are living a substance-free lifestyle and you want to, you know, become your best self, you surround yourself by people like that too. So a couple hundred of us are going to be meeting over in Orlando. It’s going to be really, really fun. Yeah. And so let me leave you all with this, Joel, if people want to check out and actually either one of you, because Tony, you do the PR and stuff.

If people want to check out the Kalamazoo wings, where do they check them out?

Yeah, kwings.com is our website. And then we’re on all social platforms. We’re on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, X, and TikTok.

Cool. All right. Any last pieces of things that y’all want to leave our audience before we say goodbye?

No, make smart choices, kids. Amen. Amen.

But I really appreciate you having us on Jake and all that you do.

Yeah, it’s pretty good. Great work. We love it.

Thank you all very much and thank you to all of our listeners. I hope you’ve enjoyed this Monday episode, going to work, getting pumped up to fill the world with great enthusiasm for life, not for substances, so that they can live the most of it. So we’ll see you next Monday for another episode of the Drug Prevention Power Hour.