Gary Forbes: Unlocking Success Strategies From the NBA to Entrepreneurship
Mick Unplugged
Realm
4.8 • 3K Ratings
🗓️ 23 August 2025
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Gary Forbes is a former NBA player turned entrepreneur, advocate, and mentor. Originally hailing from Brooklyn, Forbes built a storied basketball career, earning conference player of the year honors at UMass before navigating the rigors of professional sports—all while managing Type 1 diabetes. Now, as the founder of Sole Survivors, Gary is dedicated to empowering youth, particularly those facing chronic health challenges, with optimism, resilience, and the unwavering belief that setbacks are just setups for future success. He’s also a published author, devoted father, and passionate motivator, showing that grit, self-belief, and giving back can turn any obstacle into a stepping stone.
Takeaways:
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Turn Challenges Into Fuel: Gary’s journey with type 1 diabetes didn’t stop his NBA dreams; it gave him an extra level of resilience and inspired him to help others facing adversity.
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Stay Rooted in Optimism: Whether facing tough losses, career pivots, or daily struggles, Forbes credits his “superpower” of optimism and his unwavering childhood love for basketball as keys to ongoing growth and reinvention.
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Make Your Story Count: From mentoring the next generation to creating a global platform for children with health challenges, Gary believes your name and legacy are defined by how you show up for yourself and your community.
Sound Bites:
“Plan B all the way to Z is to make plan A work. Always have that kind of mindset and vision and just that love.”
“Your present situation is not your final destination.”
“You’re a Forbes. You’re supposed to do these things.”
Connect & Discover Gary:
Website: https://thesolesurvivors.com/about-us/
Book Series: Sole Survivors: New Age of Heros
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-forbes-082b5b267/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/garyforbes_/
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Plan B all the way to Z is to make Plan A work. |
| 0:03.0 | Always have that kind of mindset and vision and just that love. |
| 0:07.0 | Like when you were a child, plan A was to play basketball and have fun and be the best and score a whole bunch of points. |
| 0:14.0 | So to have that same mentality and love for the game and around the game and what you do, I think it, you know, those kind of experiences will come to you. |
| 0:24.7 | Welcome to Mick Unplugged, the number one podcast for self-improvement, leadership, and relentless growth. |
| 0:32.3 | No fluff, no filters, just heart-hitting truths, unstoppable strategies, and the mindset shifts that separate |
| 0:40.2 | the best from the rest. |
| 0:42.3 | Ready to break limits? |
| 0:44.0 | Let's go. |
| 0:48.6 | Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to another exciting episode of Mick Unplugged, and today |
| 0:52.8 | we're talking about going from the |
| 0:55.0 | MBA to navigating life with diabetes. He's a global hooper turned advocate, entrepreneur, and |
| 1:01.5 | mentor. His story is one of grit, grind, and giving back. Please join me and welcoming the |
| 1:07.5 | resilient, the driven, the unshakable, Brooklyn's finest, Mr. Gary Forbes. |
| 1:12.5 | Gary, how you doing today, brother? |
| 1:14.1 | I'm well, I'm well. I'm blessed and highly favored, as my grandmother would say. |
| 1:18.0 | Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Grandma always had the right words for us all the time, right? |
| 1:23.7 | Gary, man, been a huge fan of yours. I remember your days at Virginia. |
| 1:29.2 | I'm a UNC Tar Hill. |
| 1:30.9 | So I actually got to see you play at UVA, then going on to UMass, |
| 1:36.7 | and then having a wonderful professional career, man. |
| 1:40.2 | I always love starting out by asking my guests, what's your because, that thing that's |
... |
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