We had the good fortune of connecting with Derrick Murphy and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Derrick, we’d love for you to start things off by telling us something about your industry that we and others not in the industry might be unaware of?
Outside of being a family man & being career oriented, the content creation space is what I do in my spare time. As an independent content creator, booking and scheduling guests especially after having over 250 people is not easy as it looks, spending your own money to travel and to increase exposure by attending conferences & other networking events. In addition, being energetic & enthusiastic as you record can be challenging when life challenges comes your way. All in All, as you know & understand the purpose of your platform, you’ll be surprised what opportunities comes your way from you sticking it out when most people probably would have quit! Due to being diligent & doing what I truly love in creating content about sports. As of late November 2022, I expanded my talents to the world of coaching! Never in my wildest dreams did I think my brand would continue to open up these types of doors from speaking engagements, collaborations with some very influential people and now being able to be a mentor and full time coach to our youth. “Your Gifts will make room for you”! – Proverbs 18:16

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I technically live by the brand, “WhyNotSports”. Started the WhyNotSports brand in 2016 because I wanted to be around sports. I believed it’s been a great outlet for me! At 40, Sports continues to BLESS my family & I. I have also received recognition by some credentialed people and companies by talking about sports and how it impacts your everyday life! Even as a coach, I am now able to touch more student athletes hands on compared to being behind the mic!

Just sticking true to what you love no matter what it looks like will present opportunities, you could never imagine! Was it easy, Heck No, I almost gave up a few times with the brand and even had some doubt if I could really coach because I never went to school for it and just wasn’t sure if I could have a huge impact right out the gate!

Having a strong support system and a great group of people who believes in me has been HUGE for my growth and consistency!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
First, I will have my best friend go with me to play some Top Golf one day, then go to Pop Stroke and of course, shoot some hoops.

Depending on how sportsy they are, we will go to the new spot in Katy, Texas called Home Run Dugout! Hit up a few soul food restaurants and enjoy the city by embracing its melting pot culture!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
It’s funny how life works. Back in 2004, I told Josh Ervin who was one of my college guards at Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi, who made sure I got the ball in my sweet spot! I told him if he ever needed me, don’t hesitate to reach out. At the time, shooting a school best 60.5 % field goal percentage was the highest percentage in TAMUCC history, I also led all 1A – Independent schools in field goal percentage in 2004 too!

Once I got the call from Josh over the summer in 2022 that he was looking for an assistant coach for his basketball program, I politely declined initially. Due to being out of the game for nearly 2 decades and not being sure if my “old school ways” could be effective for the sport now! Then months past and he ask me again about helping out and being a positive role model for the kids full time, I knew the timing was right! With me holding to what I told Josh in 2004. I respectfully accepted the role and my journey as an educator/coach begun!

Website: www.dmurphspeaks.com

Instagram: @itsdmurph

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