Author and previous ESPN sports content researcher, Jeremy Bhandari, wants to inspire youth with his debut book, Trust the Grind: How World-Class Athletes Got To The Top (Mango Publishing, April 14, 2020), an Amazon Teen and Young Adult Sports multi-category bestseller since its launch. The intention was to create a successful-habit template for children no matter their career path. He also wants young people to understand the importance of using their mind. “I feel like when I was coming up,” the 23-year-old tells So Booking Cool, “I didn’t really have a firm grasp on how important outlooks and mindsets were to your future. If I failed a test, then ‘I’m a failure,’ and that’s just not true at all. No matter what you do in life, it’s just a little blip, it’s just a small little crater in the road. But that doesn’t mean that road can’t take you wherever you want if it has craters in it.”
Trust the Grind spotlights sixteen athletes from various sports including former MLB player and now analyst Chipper Jones; former NFL wide receiver Terrell Owens; mixed martial artist Paige VanZant; pro boxer Manny Pacquiao; and NBA legend Jason Kidd who endorsed the book: To all the young athletes out there looking for motivation, and a firsthand look at how myself, and 15 other well-known competitors reached the top, check out Trust The Grind. Kidd, who was among the first athletes Bhandari interviewed, shares that journaling greatly impacted his career.
With journaling comes expression, something Bhandari appreciates, especially in artists of different kinds. “I just enjoy entertainment or sport, art, film, when someone is not afraid to express who they fully are; that’s them in their element. And you read that in great books, you see that in great films, you see that in sports–the passion, the energy, the drive.” Bhandari says he is personally in a state right now where he feels compelled to express himself and advance his writing career.
Watch the interview to learn more about Bhandari including his debut fiction project; how his interest in sports began; his favorite stories; his thoughts on whether passions and/or interests should always be pursued or kept as a hobby; what he wants readers to know about him; and more! For more information, visit Bhandari on social media.