Braden Bishop: From MLB Dreams to God's Calling

The Major League Dream That Led to Something Even Bigger

You might know Braden Bishop as the former Seattle Mariners outfielder who made his unforgettable Major League debut by replacing Ichiro Suzuki when the baseball legend played his final inning in his final game.

But behind the headlines is a much deeper story.

Braden shares how a difficult freshman year at the University of Washington led him to Christ, how his mother's early-onset Alzheimer's diagnosis forever changed his family, and why the loss of baseball ultimately revealed an even greater purpose.

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As he walks us through the heartbreaking journey of his mother's battle with early-onset Alzheimer's, you'll find out how that experience led his family to create the 4Mom Foundation

This conversation is about faith through loss, serving others, finding your identity beyond your career, and trusting God even when life takes unexpected turns. It's one of the most honest and inspiring conversations we've had on Amazing Greats.

DIG DEEPER

By 2050, the number of people age 65 and older with Alzheimer’s dementia is projected to reach 12.7 million. 

Find out more about Braden's 4Mom Foundation at: https://www.4momfoundation.com/

Donate directly to help families dealing with Alzheimers:

https://give.cornerstone.cc/4MOM

The mission of the 4MOM Foundation is to spread awareness, assist caregivers and families, and unite our community in the fight against Alzheimer’s.

If your family has been affected by Alzheimers

The 4MOM Foundation is always looking to connect with those struggling who need assistance, caregiver support, or those interested in volunteering, or partnering with them to make a difference, please reach out to us!

BRADEN BISHOP AT A GLANCE

Former Major League Baseball Outfielder • University of Washington Baseball • Christian Testimony • Founder, 4MOM Foundation

Topics

Christian faith • Baseball • Seattle Mariners • University of Washington • Conversion • Identity • Purpose • Family • Alzheimer's • Caregiving • Grief • Service

His Faith Journey

Jewish family heritage → Spiritual but non-religious upbringing → University of Washington → Struggles as a freshman athlete → Christian community → Encountering Jesus → Baptism → Faith through his mother's Alzheimer's journey → Serving others through hardship → Finding purpose beyond baseball

This Episode Explores

• Braden's remarkable Major League debut replacing Ichiro in his final game

• How Braden found faith in Jesus while playing baseball at the University of Washington

• The impact of his mother's early-onset Alzheimer's on his family

• How his faith helped him navigate loss, hardship and uncertainty

• Why he created the 4MOM Foundation to help families affected by Alzheimer's

• The challenge of finding identity and purpose after professional sports

• How Braden is using his experiences to serve others

Questions Answered

• What is Braden Bishop's Christian testimony?

• How did Braden Bishop find his faith at the University of Washington?

• What happened to Braden Bishop's mother?

• What is the 4MOM Foundation?

• How does Braden Bishop view identity after professional baseball?

• What did Braden Bishop learn from his mother's Alzheimer's journey?

• What is Braden Bishop doing after baseball?

Podcast Transcript:

Braden Bishop-

MLB: Mariners, U of W Husky and much more.

Ric Hansen

Well, good afternoon to you, sir. How are you today?

Braden Bishop

I'm doing great. Thanks for having me.

Ric Hansen

Braden Bishop is with us.

For most baseball players, reaching the major leagues is like the realization of a lifetime dream. And for you, the former University of Washington baseball star, your dream came true in reality on one of the most unforgettable nights in Mariners history.

It was March of 2019. Let's go back there.

There are thousands of folks packed into the stadium in Tokyo, and we're watching Ichiro playing his final game. And then they pulled him in the eighth inning.

So you take it from there.

Braden Bishop

Yeah, no, it was a movie.

I don't know if I would have been able to script a Major League debut quite like that one.

Obviously, so many stars had to align for it to happen like that. And I think the unique part of it for me was the Major League debut is about you. But that moment was not about me.

And I think that's what I think about when I think about how unique the moment was. Like, yeah, of course I replaced Ichiro, but how many guys can say that their debut was not about them?

It was about something way bigger.

And to be able to honor him through that whole scene was crazy.

I think a lot of things that people don't know—I've tried to talk about it and describe it, and I've had videos of it that I've posted in the past—but what actually happened after the game was something that made it unforgettable.

Baseball culture in Japan is religion, to be honest.

When that game ended, Ichiro talked to the media for probably 30 minutes. He did his press conference—"Hey, I'm retiring."

It was in the confines of the Tokyo Dome. The A's came over, Bob Melvin was in there, obviously our whole team was in there, and then we walked back into the clubhouse.

Then he talked to our team for probably another 20 minutes.

So we're talking about 50 minutes after the game ended.

And then you hear the roar of the crowd, so we all go outside in the dugout.

Fifty thousand people are still there.

They curtain-called him, and he went around the whole field. There was a barrage of reporters around him with all the flashes of the cameras.

We were standing on the field, and I just remember thinking in my head, "Not only did I just become a major leaguer, but I'm seeing something that is a movie."

And that was what made the whole thing so special.

You know, I obviously struck out on three pitches in my first at-bat, but it was all worth it, in my opinion.

Ric Hansen

Nobody remembers that. Nobody remembers that—only me.

And you won that game, right?

Braden Bishop

Yep, exactly.

Ric Hansen

Yeah.

And so I want to make clear, because I don't know if I said it in the introduction here, but that was in fact—and you alluded to that—your first game in Major League Baseball.

I mean, it was amazing, right?

So that's very cool.

So did you have a chance to kind of get to know Ichiro as a Mariner? And were you close to him at that point?

Braden Bishop

Yeah.

Well, the interesting part was he had signed late in spring training that year, and we had heard rumblings that he was going to come do his final thing.

The interesting part about Ichiro is he's not a guy to just admit that.

He would never say, "I'm just signing to retire," or "to do this my way," or "go out on my turn."

He had full intention to make that team that year and play the whole year in the major leagues.

And he came into the clubhouse, and I'll never forget the energy shift of when he walked in there.

It was kind of like a baseball ghost walked in, and none of us really knew him.

There were obviously a few—the Felix Hernandezes, the Kyle Seagers, the Dee Gordons—they had either played with him or against him.

But for a lot of us, and especially in spring training, you have so many non-roster invites and rookies and guys coming from other teams.

He walked in and it was like—I mean, just like a legacy, right?

Everything he accomplished. One of the best hitters ever.

And you could hear a pin drop.

It was like, "Oh, royalty's here."

And then, as I had walked over toward my locker, there was an empty locker next to me.

And I was like, "Oh, that's weird."

And then right next to that one was Ichiro's.

And I was like, "Oh my God, I'm going to be right next to this guy for the next three weeks."

And he was awesome to me. Just what a great human being.

And his translator, Alan, who's been his translator forever, was actually in that empty locker.

So he and I had great conversations.

And just to see how he went about his business—

He actually had a scale that he would set every single bat on top of every morning.

Ric Hansen

Really?

Braden Bishop

And if it was an ounce—like 0.01 of an ounce—over the weight he wanted, he would get rid of it.

And so, yeah, just to see that process of like, "Oh, okay. So this is what it takes to be great."

It was awesome.

And then he was just great to me, and he stayed around even after he retired.

He was an advisor, so he would throw us BP, and he still did basically everything like he was a player.

So he was awesome to everybody, not just me.

Ric Hansen

And he's still with the organization, isn't he? With the Mariners?

Braden Bishop

Yeah, he's still. I don't know how much time he spends there, but yeah.

He still had all his workout equipment—specialized Japanese workout equipment—in the back of the cage.

And he did his own thing, but yeah, he's still prepared like a player.

It was crazy.

Ric Hansen

Well, I knew he was anxious to shed light and to give a bit of his knowledge and background to younger players.

Braden Bishop

Yeah, yeah.

No, he's—like I'm saying—he's just such a great human being.

And he's reserved. You have to go out of your way to ask him questions.

But when you do, he's an open book.

Ric Hansen

Really?

That's so cool.

From the University of Washington to the Major Leagues

Ric Hansen

Well, this is a story about Braden Bishop, but let's get with that.

Your story is an amazing story.

Here you are playing at the University of Washington, right?

And I wore my purple today just in honor of your playing there.

And you were a star player in college.

Walk us through just a quick résumé story here.

After the university—first of all, did you play in high school? I'm guessing, right?

Braden Bishop

Yep.

I went to a Catholic high school in California, St. Francis.

Ric Hansen

And were you a star there? I mean, did you play well?

Braden Bishop

So I was a dual-sport athlete—football and baseball.

I would say I was pretty good.

You know, I never like to speak too highly of myself, but I think the one thing I feel confident enough saying is I knew from when I was five years old I wanted to be a Major League Baseball player.

So every single action I had at that age aligned to that goal.

I was a little bit different in the sense that I didn't do the things traditionally that a high school kid would do.

And so I think that reflected in me getting a scholarship to Washington, choosing baseball over football, because I did have some opportunities to go play both.

And the crazy part, thinking back on it, is I committed really early, when I was in my sophomore summer of high school.

Ric Hansen

Oh, really?

Braden Bishop

And so I just think back of what I know now.

If I wouldn't have rushed that decision just to say I was committed, where would I have been?

But then I also think about—I met my wife at UW.

I obviously learned how to be more mature as a man at UW.

I found my faith at UW.

So there are so many things that it's like, "Oh, well, it obviously all culminated into the reason I went there."

Ric Hansen

I read somewhere that you visited the University of Washington campus in the summertime, and it was just gorgeous—almost mountain-esque and beautiful green—and then fall came.

You weren't ready necessarily for all that rain that you got.

Braden Bishop

Exactly.

Exactly.

Yeah, the rain—it snuck up on me.

I heard it was gray, but when you experience it in person, it's a little different.

Finding Faith at the University of Washington

Ric Hansen

Ric Hansen here with our special guest, former Seattle Mariners outfielder Braden Bishop.

We'll hear how a baseball dream, a family tragedy, and a growing faith journey combined to create a life of purpose beyond the game.

So let's jump into your story a bit now because you mentioned faith.

What I've read about you—and it's been difficult to find anything on you because there's not a lot of public knowledge about your faith—but you very clearly are a Christian.

But you came from a Jewish heritage.

How did that—where was that from? Is that handed down by your parents?

Braden Bishop

Yeah, yeah.

So my dad grew up Jewish, and we were never a very religious household.

I went to Sunday school as a kid, then we ended up moving to Canada.

My mom was always spiritual—meditating, believing in something bigger, a bigger purpose. You know, everything happens for a reason.

My dad was a cop for a really long time and saw some really bad things, and I think he kind of lost his faith in any sort of spiritual being.

And so that's why it just wasn't super prominent in our household.

But we always had the overarching theme of, "Hey, you have a purpose. There's something bigger than yourself."

So it was always there.

And then once I went away to school, you get around a solid group of people and they kind of help influence you in good and bad ways, right?

I got lucky and got around a bunch of really solid Christian men.

And that's kind of how it blossomed.

Ric Hansen

So is there a conversion story?

You know, a moment in time where you said, "This is it. I'm committing my life to this service."

Was there a moment, or was it a gradual kind of progression?

Braden Bishop

No, there was definitely a moment.

My freshman year—not so much at UW. And honestly, that was probably one of the harder years of my life.

Walking away from home for the first time, being in the rain, being in a dorm that was not like the dorms they have today.

It was just like a concrete box, basically.

I was getting my butt kicked on the field.

I was not strong enough to hang with those guys. I didn't play.

So there were so many things where I'm like, "God, I can't do this."

And what happened was I got hurt.

I got to spend my freshman summer at home, which I was going to be playing in Cape Cod.

But when I came back for my sophomore year, I'll never forget.

I was sitting in my parents' hotel room right before the start of fall ball, and I was like, "I don't want to be here. I want to go home. I don't want to go through that again."

And my dad had this conversation with me basically saying, "Hey, look. These are the moments in your life—it won't be the last time—where you have to make a really tough choice."

You're either going to choose to walk through all these emotions you're feeling right now—the discomfort, the feelings of not being good enough, not knowing if you're going to play, not knowing if it's going to work out.

But he's like, "You can take the easy road. Go home. Be in a comfortable environment at your own home. You can go to junior college. You could probably dominate junior college, but I don't think that will set you up for life."

And as much as I didn't want to, I did.

And I ended up overcoming so much just by continuing forward.

Then there was a church on campus at UW.

It's no longer the same church, but at the time it was called City Church.

Ric Hansen

I'm familiar with City Church.

Braden Bishop

Yeah.

So now they've renamed it Churchome, but at the time it was City Church.

And they would have a Sunday night service.

Ric Hansen

It's Judah Smith, right?

Braden Bishop

Judah Smith, yeah. Exactly.

So they'd have a Sunday night service, which obviously for student-athletes, that was our one free time of the week.

So we had a couple guys go, and they're like, "Hey, you should come."

And so I remember going and just the feeling that I had of like, "Wow. Everything that I feel like I've been searching for, I just found."

Purpose and foundation.

And then we'd have a Bible study every Wednesday up in the Omaha Room at UW, and I would never go.

And then I went to church and I felt that, and I was like, "I want to feel that again. Maybe I'll go."

So I went to the Bible study, and it was way more intimate, obviously.

And I'm like, "Wait, I'm going to share?"

So I started to share in the Bible study, and that's kind of how it blossomed.

Then, at the end of every service, whoever the pastor was who was speaking would say something like, "Hey, if you feel inclined to give your life to Jesus, just raise your hand right now. Eyes closed," you know, whatever.

And there was just one message that Judah had preached.

It was essentially about occupying all streets, and that you don't actually need to look for people to complete you because you already are, in the eyes of the Creator.

And for me, it was this moment where I was like, "Wait a minute."

I've been looking for things to complete me—baseball and work and family and girlfriend—and none of it makes me feel like I...

And then I think back to that conversation with my dad of, "No wonder I felt that way. I had no foundation."

I was just moving in the wind of life.

And then it was that message at the end where he was like, "If you feel inclined, just raise your hand."

And I just raised my hand.

And that's kind of the moment for me.

Then I ended up getting baptized my junior year at City Church in the basement by one of my really close friends, who was at the time the campus pastor of that location, Colby Jones.

Ric Hansen

Wow.

What a great story.

What an Amazing Greats story.

Meeting Bree and Building a Family

Ric Hansen

Thank you so much for sharing that with us.

So, at this point, is Bree in your life at all?

Braden Bishop

Yeah.

She was, but only in a fellow student-athlete space.

She was a freshman when I was a sophomore, so we knew each other.

But she was playing basketball and I was playing baseball, so there wasn't a ton of crossover.

Then it just kind of developed over the years.

She would go to church too, so I would see her there.

She's from California. I'm from California.

And then you start piecing the puzzle together and eventually convince her.

Ric Hansen

Yeah, yeah.

So did you get married after the University of Washington?

Braden Bishop

Yeah.

We got married in 2019, and met in 2013.

Ric Hansen

Okay.

So she just happened to be going to City Church at the same time, and that's where the connection happened.

She was already a Christian, or becoming a Christian, or whatever, at that point?

Braden Bishop

Yeah, pretty much.

It's very similar to me—like, not a super-religious family.

But when you're playing sports, you have those moments where they're just extreme lows, whether it's an injury or performance, or those decisions where you're not playing and you're in those spaces where you're like, "Okay, nothing anybody's saying to me is making me feel better."

So maybe there's something more.

And I think she was kind of in that space as well, coming off ACL surgery and struggling a little bit, trying to figure out the same things we all try to figure out.

His Mother's Alzheimer's Journey

Ric Hansen

You're listening to Amazing Greats with Ric Hansen.

Today, Braden Bishop shares how his mother's battle with Alzheimer's inspired a mission that continues to impact families.

Let's move into more of the difficult things that you've already mentioned—several difficult things—but the most difficult thing in your years at the University of Washington was the reality that back home Mom was having some serious health issues.

Tell us a little bit about that.

And I've got to tell you, just for full visibility here, I met you through Substack, which is a social media kind of thing where it allows you to write and record and do all kinds of things to a community of folks.

And so that's where I found you.

And on Substack, you just wrote something that was just amazing.

Great writing. Came right from the heart.

And so touching that I just—if you could kind of review that a little bit.

It was about your mom's struggle and how you were feeling as this was all coming down.

Braden Bishop

Yeah.

So she, my junior year, got diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's.

Which was a surprise, but was not at the same time, just by when I looked back at the years prior.

It was like, "Oh, okay. It all makes sense now."

All those actions or inactions—they all make sense now.

Substack has been a great outlet for me for some emotions and stuff like that.

I think when you're able to get your thoughts out on paper, it helps a lot.

And I think that what I've been doing this for 12 years now—from when she was diagnosed to the present day—and so much has happened.

She got diagnosed and it was like, boom. It just hit our family.

What do we do? What's next?

Dad caregiving.

Then creating a foundation, the work we've done there, surviving a global pandemic in the event and nonprofit industry, developing this grant program in her name where we can affect caregivers.

But this article specifically, I wanted to kind of paint the picture of who she was prior.

Because I think so many times—and not just her, but anytime, especially in Alzheimer's, where it's taking your cognitive abilities—you have this person there before, and then they change over time.

And we always tell that story.

And then obviously at the end, let's honor her.

So that was kind of my goal.

I want you to view her how she was before—the role she played in my life.

Like I said, that moment with my dad in their hotel room—she was just as much a part of it.

But through the midst of the storm, you know, how many times my dad wanted to give up, how you had to be the strength there for them emotionally and mentally and financially.

And then we lost her in 2019.

Which I also said in articles—obviously people say, "Oh, I'm so sorry," but for us it was like, honestly, we needed that to happen because she—it was unfair.

We were being selfish, in a way, to want to hold her here physically when she just wasn't here anymore.

And it was, again, just as much a weight on my dad, who was the caregiver.

Yeah.

So it was crazy—navigating being away while she's sick, trying to chase this dream in the major leagues and make it before she...

Remembering His Mother

Ric Hansen

Let's paint a little picture about your mom just so our listeners know.

She was a very active, involved, and intentional person.

During her younger years, she was a track star at UCLA.

She went into film and worked on very high-energy projects.

She was very noted in the industry as being an incredible filmmaker.

I think she worked on Law & Order and all kinds of amazing things.

So this is the kind of person that you knew.

What were some of the little clues, the giveaways, that things weren't—when you looked back on it—that things weren't normal?

Braden Bishop

Yeah.

I don't think I understood the complexity of the brain enough to really notice that certain things she might say or the things she might do were signs.

But I can remember the embarrassment I kind of felt of having her around because I was like, "Okay, she's going to come around and then kind of be aloof."

Or we're going to be at the airport and she's not going to know where the security line is.

Or we're going to be talking as these other parents and she's not going to really follow along in the conversation.

We're going to be driving and she's going to take the wrong turn.

So it's like those are the small things that I could feel.

I didn't necessarily notice because I didn't know what I was looking for.

But that was really it.

I can always remember just like, "I don't really want my friends to come over. I don't really want her to come to these big events."

Because I didn't—it was embarrassing for me at the time.

And like I said in the Substack, looking back, it's like, "Damn."

I do feel very guilty that I felt that way after the fact, obviously.

His Dad Becomes a Caregiver

Ric Hansen

But I think we all would go through that.

You're always a little protective and wondering maybe what's going on.

I can totally get that, and I can see where that feeling would come from for sure.

But then it was the ongoing problem, and your dad became the caregiver.

And that was a hardship on him as well.

He was working hard at doing that.

You said it aged him during that period of time as well, right?

Braden Bishop

Oof.

It was arguably just as hard, if not harder, on him because of what he had to assume.

And again, it's not just him alone.

The caregiving problem, especially for this dynamic of 45- to 65-year-olds that get early onset—because usually after 65, retirement's in order.

The other husband or wife might be at home full-time. They're able to provide care.

The resources in terms of insurance, Social Security, all that stuff is so much easier or accessible.

And so he assumed this burden, picked up two jobs, and was just bleeding financially.

And I can remember there was, again, like looking back, "Oh God, all these forks in the road. If something just happened different, who knows where we would be?"

But I can remember this one time.

It was the offseason, and I had just got done doing some field work—fly balls, ground balls—at this high local high school.

And he had driven over to just kind of say hi to the coach because he was one of my high school coaches back in the day.

And I remember sitting in the parking lot with him after.

We're both leaning up against our cars.

And at this point, he was in the midst of it.

He was overweight and just stressed out of his mind, not sleeping.

And he just said, "I don't know if I can do this anymore."

And I just told him, "Hey, this will end at some point. I don't want you to look back and be like, 'Man, I gave up.'"

Ric Hansen

You're giving him the same story he gave you years ago, right?

Braden Bishop

Exactly.

And so that was kind of looking back on it now.

We refer back to those moments where it's just like you feel lost, but really the only way forward is—you know, what's the definition of faith?

You have no idea what's ahead. No idea what it looks like.

But you've got to believe in it.

And so that was kind of that moment for him.

Faith During the Hardest Years

Ric Hansen

Did your dad start leaning on faith at that point or not so much?

Braden Bishop

I tried so hard, you know, through the years to just share some tidbits of the light.

And it was always the same kind of questions, which I get.

It's like, "Oh, well, if there's a God that exists, why do bad things happen?"

"Why would He take your mom?"

Stuff like that.

And then I started pulling on his Jewish heritage.

Like, "Hey, you know, the Old Testament is the Torah, and this is where the change happens between Judaism and Christianity."

There's a lot of crossover.

And so that's kind of—and yeah, Jesus was Jewish.

All these things, you know, to try to get him there.

And to be honest, I don't know.

I obviously don't know for a fact that he's a believer.

But he believes much more now.

As he found himself through some of these moments in life and then getting remarried to one of the greatest people ever—who knew my mom and some of the things that led to that happening—I think he definitely has more faith, let's say.

Ric Hansen

Okay.

Well, that's good.

And you did your part.

As I've kind of read into the Bible, it's our job to open the gate, and it's Jesus' job to take it from there.

Braden Bishop

Exactly.

Ric Hansen

So he may yet, right?

Who knows?

So that's very cool.

What would be the most difficult—and I'm assuming a part of this—but the most difficult challenge and questions you had about your faith during that whole period of time that your mom was very ill and losing it?

Did you have any second thoughts or doubts or any of that going on in your head?

Braden Bishop

As weird as it sounds, I feel like it was kind of my solace in more ways than one.

I didn't know it at the time, but you pray for things like, "Please let me use this in a way where I can serve others."

"Please let me be present for the people in my life that need it the most."

"Please use me as a vessel for light in the darkness."

And that's, I think, what helped me through it all more than anything.

And, you know, I didn't know it at the time, but you build and plant generously in faith.

And the next thing you know, our charity's growing and we're affecting more families and we're a resource for families.

So the vessel in the darkness wasn't necessarily my situation.

It was for others.

And so I think more than anything, it was just fulfilling.

It's so easy in those times where things are bad, right?

You're down.

Like I said earlier—an injury, bad performance if you're on the sports side, and obviously in life—sickness, disease, breakups, heartbreak.

It's so easy to cast the blame.

But I think that in those moments, when you can actually turn to your faith instead of turning away from it, that's what actually gets you through.

You're a stronger person on the other side.

The 4MOM Foundation

Ric Hansen

Yeah, yeah.

And maybe that's when God came to you because He knew that you were going to need Him in a period of time for sure.

So let's talk about the 4MOM Foundation.

I saw it on your arm as you lifted it up—a permanent tattoo there.

Braden Bishop

Yeah, yeah.

We got it in 2019.

Ric Hansen

At one point while you were playing, you were just putting it on with a felt pen, right?

Braden Bishop

Yeah, I was doing it with a Sharpie, and it started making me sick, so I had to explain that's probably bad—putting it in the bloodstream.

Ric Hansen

Yeah.

Okay.

So now, in addition to your family, let's talk about the foundation first.

The foundation, as I understand it, has kind of morphed from where it was originally to something more specific.

Tell us about that transition.

You initially were just raising funds and kind of wrote checks to the Alzheimer's organization, right?

But that changed.

So tell us how it goes now.

Braden Bishop

So the biggest thing for us was we wanted to impact families directly.

And the biggest question that we would get was, "Hey, where is our money going?"

And we had no answer past, "Hey, just to the Alzheimer's Association."

And so for me, I wanted somebody to say, "Hey, where's my money going?" and I could tell them exactly where it was going.

Or when I was fundraising, I could say, "Every dollar that you donate, or every dollar we raise, is going here."

And so once we got our own 501(c)(3) in 2019, we were able to basically break up our budget where a certain percentage could go directly to families impacted for their overarching Alzheimer's costs, which is majority caregiving.

So we could pay for assisted living, home medical bills, doctor visits, kids' school, groceries, Little League.

I mean, you name it.

Any costs that would go toward that family's caregiving needs, we could pay for.

Ric Hansen

And it's in the form of a grant.

So each year you find the family that you think is most in need, and you grant the money to them.

So you know who it is, and you can even become friendly with that family if you choose to, and maintain some kind of rapport with them.

Does that happen as well?

Braden Bishop

Yep, exactly right.

And at this point, we're still—even though we're 12 years in—it's hard to operate in that boutique nonprofit space because there are big, big organizations that are built nationally and have walks in every city and big galas and fundraisers.

And they're getting the corporate dollars.

So we've only given three grants to this point of roughly $200,000, which in my opinion, we're scratching the surface.

And so in the next five years, we have some plans to grow a bit more.

Hopefully, by year five, we can be in 250 families' homes.

I don't think that's far-fetched at all.

We just obviously have to execute to make that happen.

Who Is Involved in the Foundation?

Ric Hansen

And you say "we."

Who's all involved in the foundation at this point?

Braden Bishop

It's a family operation for sure.

My dad's obviously very involved.

Bree is very involved.

My aunt, my mom's sister, sits on the board.

We have a family friend who is big in tech in San Francisco, early stages, so he has a lot of very corporate relationships.

He sits on the board.

And then we're actually currently, crazy enough, in the process of hiring a new executive director.

Because, like I said, we kind of reached that point where it's like, "Okay, we've exhausted our fundraising relationships, our corporate relationships. We need bigger and better and better guidance."

So hopefully in the next two weeks, we'll actually have a new executive director.

Ric Hansen

Oh, that's great.

You know, I work with the Tim Tebow Foundation.

I'm not sure if you're familiar with what he does, but that started out as kind of a little boutique thing that he was just trying to help out local folks with local churches with what they call Night to Shine.

And then over the last 25 years, it's exploded, and it's now a big deal.

And they do, you know, 700 events in 80 countries around the world.

And it's big.

And when you have a cause and it has some real heart in it, I think that's what happens.

I think it happens organically.

It grows, and it grows as fast as God wants it to, right?

Braden Bishop

Yeah.

On His timing.

How to Support the Foundation

Ric Hansen

So the foundation is—just a quick little thing.

To give to the foundation, assuming our listeners would love to do that—and I would love to do that—is there a place to go to do that specifically?

Braden Bishop

Yes.

It's 4MOMFoundation.com.

Ric Hansen

And the four is a number four, right?

Braden Bishop

Yeah, number four.

Ric Hansen

Okay.

Braden Bishop

And there's a spot right on there that says "Donate Here," and it'll pop right up right on the front that you can donate.

And we currently have two events per year.

Ric Hansen

Oh, you do?

Okay.

Braden Bishop

So we do a golf tournament in the fall, and then we do this Christmas mixer—kind of a thank-you party for all of our supporters.

Because we are pretty regional, you know, to Northern California or the West Coast.

And we have a group of 50 people that are die-hard—they're coming to every event no matter where it is.

They're the majority of our fundraising dollars per year.

And so it was kind of a thank-you to them.

But in 2027, the goal is to grow a bit more, maybe have four-ish, five events, and then—shoot—I'd love to get to 700 worldwide.

Ric Hansen

Good target to shoot for.

Giving Back Without Taking a Salary

Ric Hansen

And so at this point, you're not on a salary for that with the organization, right?

It's all free gratis for you and the family, right?

Braden Bishop

Yep.

Never.

I have never taken one dollar.

My dad's never taken a dollar.

We've paid, obviously, vendors, and then we've had two executive directors in the past, and then this will be the third.

So that's kind of staffing-wise.

Life in Northern California

Ric Hansen

Okay.

And now there's a new member to the family—semi-new.

I mean, he's been around a little bit, but Boston, your son.

Braden Bishop

Yep.

Ric Hansen

How old is Boston now?

Braden Bishop

He's five now.

Ric Hansen

Five.

Yeah, getting to that age where he's very fun.

Braden Bishop

Oh, yeah. Exactly.

Ric Hansen

Yeah.

Braden Bishop

He doesn't stop.

Does not stop.

Ric Hansen

Yeah, yeah.

And you guys live in Northern California, and so you've got nice, sunny weather most of the time, and you're out of the Seattle rain.

What part of Seattle did you live in when you were here?

Braden Bishop

So, shoot, we were all over the place.

When I was bouncing between Tacoma and Seattle, we were in Renton.

Spent some time in Puyallup and then Northgate a little bit.

And then obviously the University District.

But yeah, I mean, I would love to have been in Bellevue or Mercer Island, but when you're bouncing between Tacoma and Seattle, you most of the time want to be closer to Tacoma.

Life After Baseball: Finding a New Identity

Ric Hansen

Ric Hansen here on Amazing Greats.

Coming up, Braden Bishop reflects on life after professional baseball, the lessons he's learned through loss, and why family and faith mean more to him today than ever before.

A buddy of mine, a lifelong friend of mine, I had a chat with him, and he is the stadium announcer for the Mariners.

So you've probably heard his voice many times over the loudspeaker.

His name's Tom Hutyler.

Braden Bishop

Yeah.

Ric Hansen

And he was excited that you were going to be on, and he's excited to hear your story.

So he'll be the first to tune in, I'm sure.

Let's talk about the identity change.

And this is something that you feel strongly about because when you're a ballplayer—specifically in the area of athletes, but I guess it's in all industries, maybe if you're a musician or whatever—when you are an athlete, your life is...

You are—that's your identity.

You are so ingrained in everything baseball that it becomes who you are.

And so the question is, how do you change your identity?

And have you changed your identity?

Braden Bishop

Yeah.

I mean, I think being a believer is such a big piece of that.

One of those college teammates I had that kind of led me—he was a fifth-year senior when I was a sophomore.

His name's Brian Wolfe, Washington native.

I remember he asked me this question.

He said, "Hey, if your girlfriend got taken from you, your family got taken from you, your sport got taken from you, would you be okay?"

And I was like, "No, absolutely not."

And he said, "No, think on it. Don't just answer."

And I don't think he meant it literally, right?

Like, "Hey, if they're gone, are you going to be okay?"

Because obviously with human emotions, no, you wouldn't.

But I think the crux of the idea was, if you have nothing, who are you?

And I think that the whole answer is rooted in your faith and what you believe in.

And the older I've gotten, the more I've realized how much your internal work actually dictates your external reality.

How you speak, what you consume, how you treat people, and just how you carry yourself.

That energy radiates.

And the older I get, the more important I think that is.

And so when I think back to my baseball career, I did a really bad job of thinking that I play forever.

You just never think about the end when you're a baseball player because you get so caught up in the monotony of the cycle of the offseason.

I train.

I get better.

I get ready.

Spring training.

I get ready.

I build up the season.

I just grind it out, grind it out, grind it out.

And then it's over.

And then I do it over again.

And it's just year after year after year.

And then all of a sudden you realize you stop doing things quite the way that you used to.

And then the business side becomes a reality.

Where in the early stages of your career, you don't see it.

The only business you see in the early stages of your professional baseball career is up-and-down transactions, and maybe some guys getting released.

But for the most part, you're climbing.

And then once you get to that spot where the big leagues is a thing, now all of a sudden you see the business.

Guys with families getting designated for assignment, and they're gone.

And then their locker is cleaned out.

And then you see a guy signing for $100 million and his life changes.

And you see all that.

So I wish I would have done a better job now, after the fact, of just putting some time in of like, "Hey, what would be next for me?"

"What are things that I'm passionate about?"

"What are things that I have interest in where I can start building those skills now?"

And I think networking is enormous for baseball players because you have the ability, right?

You play for the Yankees, the people who come to your games are A-list celebrities.

Dodgers, same thing.

And you have the ability to start creating these relationships because, as bad as it sounds, if you're an athlete, people care.

If you're a celebrity, people care.

You could agree with it or disagree with it, but that's just the reality of the world.

You could take advantage of that to build those relationships.

So when you walk away, it's more than just a surface-level interaction.

You've taken this person out to coffee.

You've gone to dinner with this person.

You went to that person's charity event.

You supported them.

They see you as more than an athlete or celebrity or whatever.

And so if I could go back, I wish I would have done that stuff.

The last thing I'll say is I had a friend who played baseball at Stanford.

He's a pitcher.

He didn't play pro ball, but he was having the same identity issues.

He was living in Palo Alto, and he would wake up at 4:45, go to the gym every morning.

Super smart guy, obviously—Stanford.

But he would see Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, in the gym every morning.

Ric Hansen

Really?

Braden Bishop

And he cultivated this relationship with him just at the gym.

In passing. Nothing serious.

But there were only so many people there at 4:45.

And so he had asked Tim Cook, "Hey, can I just take you to coffee?"

And he was like, "Yeah, for sure."

They still have a relationship to this day.

He's actually been a mentor to him.

Wow.

And so that's what I'm talking about.

As an athlete, you have every ability to do that while you're still playing.

And you're going to find yourself in those circles with people of that caliber.

Take advantage of it.

Ric Hansen

Yeah.

And that's a God-given platform that you've been given.

Totally.

And the expectation is that you should take advantage of that.

You're listening to Amazing Greats with Ric Hansen.

Today, Braden Bishop shares how his mother's battle with Alzheimer's inspired a mission that continues to impact families.

Life After Baseball

Ric Hansen

What are you doing now?

I mean, where are you?

You went to work at a talent agency, a sports agency, for a period of time, but that wasn't for very long.

And it seemed like that would be a natural for you because you're an inspirational guy and you're young and you have a heart for people.

But that didn't work.

What happened?

Braden Bishop

Yeah, no, it did.

I mean, it was perfect.

I was really, really good at it—honestly, way better at that than playing baseball.

Because when you play baseball, you're doing it for yourself.

And when you're an agent or an advisor, you're not doing it for yourself because your success depends on the success of the people you represent.

And so it's so much more than just—especially the role I was in.

I wasn't in a negotiating role.

I was in a role of like, "I'm serving you, and I'm tied to your success."

So I'm going to go to the ends of the earth to make sure you have the resources.

We act on things really quickly.

I'm present.

Mentally, we're locked in.

And you're trusted with the development of 18- to 21-year-olds.

Sometimes a little bit younger—15, 16—even though I hate that, but that's just the way that industry is.

And you've got to become an advocate for those people.

Ric Hansen

I mean, that's in essence what you were.

You were on their side doing all the things that you do for them.

Braden Bishop

Yep.

And it's decisions that, as wild as it is, everything—and a lot of parents would tell me this—like, "Hey, I was shocked that every decision we thought we should have made, and you told us to do the opposite, didn't seem right. But it turned out to be right."

Because it's just so counterintuitive the way the industry works when you're climbing the ladder.

It's like, "Oh, we should do that because everybody else is."

And then you just kind of get stuck in that same cycle and you don't really separate yourself.

And so that was really my job.

That's why I think I was really good at it.

I think nothing in the game didn't happen to me, good and bad.

There was nothing that was like, "Wow, I've never seen that before."

So that obviously provided a huge benefit.

The industry in general—my soul was not cut out for it.

It's a very self-serving industry as a whole.

Now, most companies were not set up like the company I was with.

Like I said, I didn't do the negotiating.

So I had the luxury to kind of just go serve my clients, and then once it got to the business side of things, I was just in the room but not actively involved.

And then, just like with baseball, you get to a certain point and then you're like, "Hey, I have to support my family here."

And if I'm executing at a very high level, I just want to see a plan.

"What does this look like?"

"Where am I in 10 years?"

And I just didn't feel like the explanations I was getting were adequate enough for me to sacrifice and continue down the road.

And you travel a lot as an agent.

So doing those things to build success and bring value to a company...

To be honest, I don't think that they thought I was going to bring as much value to them as quickly as I did.

And I don't think that necessarily happened that way there before.

So I think they were presented with something where they were just like, "Well, we've never done this for anybody. Why would we do it for you?"

And I'm like, "You don't have to do anything for me. But I'm just telling you, I'm somebody that needs a long-term vision. And if my long-term vision doesn't match with your long-term vision, I'm going to make the decision for my family first."

And I think the last thing I'll say is, if you look at a lot of sports agents in general, the divorce rate's pretty high.

And that's because you sacrifice so much for your clients that the people closest to you usually always suffer.

Ric Hansen

Yeah.

Braden Bishop

And if you don't sacrifice for those clients, you're probably getting fired.

So that's why it happens.

And I just, to be honest with you, wasn't willing to make that sacrifice.

What's Next?

Ric Hansen

You are such a bright young man to be able to walk through that and to be sensible enough to figure that out, right?

That's a tough decision because you're probably walking away from a nice little paycheck and all that.

So are you kind of between things now?

Are you doing something?

What's happening currently in your life?

Braden Bishop

Yeah.

I think I would say I'm between something.

But I had a college teammate that works for this company called Hästens, which is a Swedish company.

They're the oldest bedmakers in the world, but they have a very high commitment to sleep performance.

And as an athlete, sleep was obviously a big part of my routines.

I called it my legal performance enhancer.

But it was also a really big reason why my mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

And so some people are like, "Why are you out of baseball?"

Well, like I said, the industry that I was in makes it really, really tough to jump around because the way that you're recruited against or attacked is by, "Oh, well, he's jumping around companies, so he obviously is only in it for himself."

Which I agree to in a sense, right?

Because how do you sell, "Hey, we have the best services for you as a player, but I've been at four different companies, so is it true?"

And so this just kind of gave me an opportunity to get out of the game for a minute.

I've been in it since I was, like I said, five years old.

I was burnt out—the travel and just the whole deal.

But at the same time, when it's all you know and you're really good at it, you probably find your way back to it at some point.

But I'm just honestly living in the moment.

I have this opportunity.

It keeps me at home.

I'm passionate about helping people and their health and sleeping better.

And we're still working with athletes, just in a different capacity.

Ric Hansen

Yeah, yeah.

A Life of Purpose

Ric Hansen

Well, cool.

So now I'm just noticing that we've been talking almost an hour, so it's getting up there.

And we try to keep these to about 40 minutes.

But you've got so much information for a 32-year-old guy.

I mean, you've got a lot of story to tell.

So it's been just a pleasure being with you and sharing the story.

And I'll be watching you on Substack.

I'll put a note in the notes for this podcast about how to find you there and also how to donate to 4MOM.

And, man, God bless you.

Thank you so much for your story.

Thank you so much for your time and for being such a bright, intelligent, inspiring young man.

Braden Bishop

Well, I appreciate it.

I always appreciate having the opportunity to talk and tell my story because, you know, if we—like with faith—if you can just impact one person over the course of your life, it compounds.

So I obviously appreciate you telling people's stories and giving me the opportunity to tell mine.

Ric Hansen

Yeah, like the butterfly effect, right?

Braden Bishop

That's right.

Going to the butterfly.

Ric Hansen

Exactly.

So cool.

Have a great day.

God bless you.

Good luck to you and Bree and Boston.

And are you going to have any more babies?

Braden Bishop

Yeah, yeah.

We've got to get Boston a partner here.

Ric Hansen

So I'll watch for that on Substack.

Thanks for your time.

I appreciate it.

Braden Bishop

Yes, thank you.

Closing

Ric Hansen

Hey, Braden.

Thanks for sharing your remarkable story with us.

It's incredible.

Your journey reminds us that while accomplishments may fade, a life lived with purpose, faith, and commitment to serving others leaves a legacy that will live forever.

Thanks for listening to Amazing Greats.

If today's conversation encouraged you, be sure to share it with a friend.

We'll see you next time on another inspiring story of faith, perseverance, and God's amazing work in people's lives.