Lofa Tatupu on Overcoming NFL Injuries, Embracing the Underdog Mentality, and Founding ZoneIn CBD

I had the pleasure to interview Lofa Tatupu. Lofa is a retired football player who played six seasons in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks after a successful college career at the University of Southern California. He burst onto the NFL scene in his rookie year of 2005, being named a Pro Bowler that year (his first of three Pro Bowl seasons). During his career he suffered from many injuries, resulting in 10 different surgeries, and numerous concussions.

Since retiring from the NFL in 2012, he worked as an assistant linebackers coach for the Seahawks and soon began to turn his focus into business. He continued to realize the long-term, negative effects of his playing career looming over him — Lofa woke up feeling lethargic and experiencing aches and pains. He was 25–30lbs over his playing weight and searching for answers on how to feel better.

He turned to CBD deliverables and after just one-week, felt more motivated and began going to the gym on a regular basis. Realizing the impressive powers of CBD which helped to connect both his mind and body as well as alleviate the pain, an entirely re-focused and clear minded kid-like Lofa emerged.

Lofa wanted to spread the word and share the love for the benefits and lifestyle changes that can come with the use of CBD. After forming a trusted team around him, The ZoneIn CBD was born. The ZoneIn CBD seeks to provide consumers with the best in class and most trusted CBD products in the arena. Lofa now takes one full-spectrum capsule (25mg) of CBD once a day and cannot be more excited to stand by this product in hope that it does for others what it so pointedly has done for him.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! It is a great honor. Our readers would love to learn more about your personal background. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?

I grew up about an hour south of Boston in the great town of Plainville, Massachusetts with my sister, two cousins, and several other relatives at various times throughout our childhood. We always did our best to provide for and support as many people as we were blessed to. My parents and the community around us instilled a great work ethic and toughness that I carry with me to this day. Growing up, my mom was an entrepreneur, owning her own salon, and my dad played football in the NFL, so I experienced — from both of my parents the importance of managing time, committing to a career, and taking care of yourself and others.

My wife and I met when we were 12, in junior high school. After dating when we were young, we found each other for good in 2002 and now have two amazing sons. She has been my biggest supporter and the greatest thing to ever happen to me! We currently reside in Seattle, but Massachusetts will always have a special place in my heart.

What or who inspired you to pursue your career as a high level professional athlete?

From the time I knew what a football was, I was in love! I am a second-generation NFL player, so I guess you could say it was in my blood! My father Mosi Tatupu played for the New England Patriots for 13 years and has always been my hero. I would spend countless hours around the game of football, in and around my dad’s team. So, at 7 years old I made it my mission to do what dad did for a living and I am fortunate to be able to say I achieved my dream to play in the NFL.

Can you share the funniest or most interesting mistake that occurred to you in the course of your sports career? What lesson or take away did you learn from that?

I was often depicted as the underdog, but that’s what drove me throughout my career. When I finished high school, I was not heavily recruited. In fact, only The University of Maine offered me a scholarship. When I transferred from Maine to The University of Southern California (USC) everyone said that I would never play for the Trojans. When I left USC early as a junior to declare for the NFL draft, many said I would not get drafted. I learned throughout my career to always believe in myself that I needed to get out of my comfort zone in order to continue growing.

Did you ever get a serious sports injury? Do you feel comfortable sharing that story? What was the lesson or take away that you took out of that incident?

I’ve had 10 surgeries in my life and numerous concussions. With the surgeries there is not only the physical therapy you must complete to get back to an elite level of play but also the mental aspect of conquering fear. The fear of not being the same player you once were, the fear of further injury, and the fear of letting others down that count on you — your teammates. I am proud to say I conquered this feat nine times. My tenth surgery just happened to coincide with the fact that I was older than most professional football teams would like for my position. The lesson I learned throughout was that you have to KEEP GOING!

OK, thank you for all of that. Let’s now shift to the core focus of our interview. Can you tell us the story of your transition from a professional athlete to a successful business person?

When I retired from the NFL in 2014, a football brother (Matt McCoy) and I acquired land in Washington state that was zoned for the cultivation of legal, recreational cannabis. Matt and I took over operations and secured the necessary licenses to run a cannabis business. We developed and created 1937 Farms; name and brand were intended educate people about the prohibition of hemp/cannabis and the 1937 Marijuana Tax Act, which was effectively a ban at the time. While I am absolutely an advocate of the healing effects of cannabis, I’m a bigger fan of hemp, namely CBD, and the myriad benefits it has to offer, which is what I’m most excited about now with my company ZoneIn CBD.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting new projects you are working on now?

Earlier this year, my team and I realized a dream I had to launch a CBD brand, ZoneIn CBD, which is inspired by my own life-changing experience with CBD. Three years ago, after all the surgeries and concussions from my career, my physical and mental health was not where I wanted it to be. It felt like my mind and body were completely disconnected; plus, I had gained nearly 50lbs, weighing more than I did when I was playing.

After seeing countless doctors and lot of trial and error with various remedies, I turned to full-spectrum CBD oil. Within a week of taking it, I felt young again! My pain lessened, my mental clarity had risen to a level I had never known possible (even before the concussions), my sleep habits improved, and I had never been more productive! I started working out again and after about a year I returned to 235lbs which was my playing weight. Today I am 230lbs and feel better than I ever have.

After my life-changing experience with CBD, I wanted to share with others the benefits of this incredible elixir. With the passing of the Farm Bill in 2018 I knew that it was my duty to find the best formulation derived from hemp and bring it to the market under my own brand. ZoneIn CBD was born out of my own experience with CBD, and our lean team and partners have made it a reality.

Do you think your experience as a professional athlete gave you skills that make you a better entrepreneur? Can you give a story or example about that?

Absolutely, few people know how to push their mind and body to the limits the way a professional athlete does. As it pertains to me specifically, I believe my experience as a middle linebacker sets me apart from many others in the business world, as I had fractions of a second to make decisions that often determined the outcome of plays and games. I studied harder than anyone and knew my teammates well which gave me the confidence to make those decisions. In business, I know my teammates well, I know our goals and desired outcomes, except now, we get much than a split-second to make decisions!

Most athletes have not been able to transfer their success from the sports arena to the business arena. But you have. Can you share with our readers three main strategies you have used to help you succeed?

1. Be humble and hungry! Have a willingness to learn and an eagerness to get better.
2. Surround yourself with a phenomenal team and always praise them. No one does it by themselves and if you ever forget that rule then you are truly lost.
3. Chase your passion. My passion has always been to help people! With ZoneIn CBD, we get to do just that and it’s incredibly rewarding.

Finally, can you share with us two routines that use to help your heart, your emotional or spiritual life to thrive? (Kindly share a story or example for each.)

All three of these things go hand in hand and start and finish with CBD. I am a full believer in the positive powers of ZoneIn CBD. I wake up at 5am and take 2 servings of oil with a pre-workout drink and go to the gym for a two hour workout. This gets my blood pumping and not only serves as a wake up to my body (and also my mind) and spiritually speaking, it rejuvenates me. From there, I schedule most of my meetings from 9am-Noon before breaking for 2 more servings of CBD oil to refocus for the second half of the day. More meetings or content creation commences after lunch until about 5pm. The next few hours are a great emotional and spiritual break from the workday as I get to have dinner with my family every night! My wife and I spend time watching a show or reading and I answer a few emails that remain from the day. Lastly, I take 3 or 4 servings yet again as a calming solution to help me go to bed around 11pm.

You’re a high achieving business leader, and you also have family and loved ones that may require a different side of you at home. How do you leave the executive at the door, and be the most loving family member at home?

When you love what you do it is not as draining! I truly believe it is this reason that I am able to keep a great balance and provide plenty of energy for both my family and my career on a daily basis. I’m extremely blessed because each one fuels the other. I work as hard as i can to provide for my family and my family is super supportive of my dream/career. I also build a very regimented schedule, and stick to it, which keeps me in the zone and focused on my family, myself or my work.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

With ZoneIn CBD, I’m trying to establish a movement to help people achieve their optimal performance through the use of CBD! It is very early on but with the help of many people and an incredibly strong team, the company that I dreamed of 3 years ago has finally arrived. There is still a tremendous amount of work to be done, but I’m incredibly proud of how far we have come and we will not be satisfied until we help as many people as possible find the benefits of CBD. I know how much of a positive impact CBD has had on so many people and I’m excited about the health, wellness, and future of the world!

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life?

“Everyone has talent. What’s rare is the courage to follow the talent to the dark places where it leads!”

-Erica Jong

When I was an athlete this quote was everything to me. It spoke to me because I was never the most talented in any sport I played, but I always worked harder than most. I was always more willing to go to those dark places mentally, physically, and emotionally. I have carried that mindset over to business.

How can our readers follow you online?

Instagram @lofa_tatupu and @zoneincbd