Brandon Allaman
Episode 342
18 AUG 2025
He played football during all four of his high school years but also spent some time in swimming and tennis. Later he would go on to coach gymnastics, and present day he is active in pickleball and weightlifting. He says that, “Sports taught me discipline and perseverance, which carry into the way I lead and serve today.” Approximately five years ago he even started getting into ultra marathons, including running a 50-miler as well as a marathon and half-marathon. On the faith side, he leads Livin U, a nonprofit helping teens grow mentally, physically, and spiritually through retreats, leadership formation, and mission trips. He is also a Knight of Columbus.
Notable guest quotes:
“My grandparents raised me Catholic. I went to Mass every Sunday, Sunday school, and then in high school went to youth group and did retreats and mission trips.”
“My grandma … she was raised Catholic. My grandpa was Protestant and the day they got married he received all his sacraments. So, it was her side of the family – that is why I’m Catholic.”
“My family is a big Notre Dame fan, so I’ve always been Fighting Irish, Notre Dame, and that’s my team now. I love Notre Dame with a passion.”
“High school football just wasn’t what I expected. I thought I would play a lot more. I thought I would be a star football player but that didn’t come to fruition, and I had to learn a different role of encouraging people, showing my faith, learning my faith, displaying my faith on the team.”
“Those trials of not getting a chance to play all the time and the tough practices, losing games that we weren’t supposed to lose and having to run suicides or do bear crawls, (I) learned perseverance going through that. Those trials, going through those hard moments, it builds character.”
“Football was my passion… all I really cared about. And then I started diving into my faith because I got asked to be on a retreat team and that opened up my eyes to be, like, there’s much more to life than sports.”
“Football teaches you skills and it teaches you lessons but I’m not going to play football for the rest of my life, right? So, it’s just me realizing there’s something much more to life than football and the Catholic faith is the realist.”
“We’re coming together as a team to accomplish a goal and service is what Jesus tells us to do, be his hands and feet. So, I was like, why not make this a part of my mission?”
“I can show them that I care about them, that what I’m saying, who cares. It’s me showing you that I care about you and hopefully you see that and then you’ll listen to me and the message of putting God first, serving others, and taking care of yourself mentally, physically, and spiritually.”
“It’s the old evangelization. It’s the original evangelization. It’s what the apostles did. It’s what Jesus did. And that’s what the church needs to do to build it back up.”
“Holy hours – spending time in adoration. I have to do that. If I don’t then I know my talk is gonna be bad or not the fullest of what God is asking me.”
“I focus on them. It’s not about me, it’s about these kids building a relationship with Christ and I have to be Christ to them. And what would Christ do? Focus on them, not focus on me, my message, (but) caring about their heart.”
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