my mission to help athletes restore their sense of self and remove the belief their greatest strength is their talent on the field, to believing they are capable of facing any challenge in life, equipped with the understanding of who they are.

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davidbrooksellis.com

at the height of my football career, I suffered my third and final concussion in sport, leading me down a path of deep and dark confusion about my role and purpose in life, outside of my athletic identity, requiring years of struggle, strain, and avoidance of my inner signals to earn enough money to finally give myself the rest I needed, which I never gave myself after my career.

my story is about the mindset athletes learn while in sport, to win at all costs and sacrifice the needs of self for the needs of the team.

this mindset of winning is valued in our society, though as it did to me, leads to severe imbalance and confusion about value, leading you to chase a path of winning an outward goal, instead of inward peace.

my mission is to help athletes like me restore their understanding of their personal value, and orient themselves to a life full of continual self-growth and development far past the realm of athletics.

follow me on socials:

instagram: @brooksellis51

substack: david brooks ellis

twitter/X: @ellis_davidb

this poem video is about the 2025 NFL office building shooting in NYC, where a former high school football player tragically stormed what he thought was the NFL office building, but found to be the wrong floor, taking 4 lives, including his own.

written on his suicide note was the phrase, "study my brain, please" along with other notes about CTE, the brain disease plaguing NFL players.

this poem goes into the mindset of this human being who clearly suffered from mental health disarray and aims to uncover what could have been the cause of this horrific crime against humanity and self.

I hope to raise awareness about the long-term consequences of the sport, and how we're always blinded by what we love, football being a drug that blinds us to the truth of the damaging effects of violent, head to head collisions, along with being the most stimulating source of energy in a young person's life, confused about what value they provide to the world outside of their physical talents, leading them to pursue that path, endangering their health for the long-term, no matter the cost.

I hope you enjoy.

what is left when you give everything to be something you're not, convinced that thing will provide everything you've ever wanted and then it suddenly doesn't?

in this episode, a preview for my poem video "i love this game part II" discusses the before and after situation and circumstances surrounding my second concussion in college at the University of Arkansas.

during this time, I became so entrained in the belief that what was most valuable about me was my talent on field, that I forgot about who I was, the world at large full of infinite possibilities, and that success comes in many forms, that I did not need to destroy my body in order to have success, except I couldn't believe, didn't want to believe that to be true, in the middle of this addiction to the sport.

I hope you enjoy.

poem video out friday, 7/24.

follow me on substack to stay updated.

"i love this game: part I" poem video about david's first official concussion from american football.

this video talks about the under the helmet mindset before, during, and following a concussion that increases the danger for football players unable to detect the long-term health consequences of an incredibly tragic injury that is often ignored due to the on-field allure of winning and success.

follow on substack for up to date notes, articles, and blogs.

thanks for your support.

we hope you enjoy "i love this game: part I"

what is it that leads american football players to want to continue playing after a critical injury?

how could that lead to long term, unseen consequences?

in this weeks poem video "i love this game part I," I write about my first concussion in high school football and the mindset around needing to get back on the field as soon as possible.

this conversation goes through the mindset of a competitive athlete and how any injury would never limit the best of the best from achieving success in what they love most, leading to consequences they didn't want to admit in the midst of their intoxication.

i hope you enjoy this weeks episode.

in love,

david

where does your identity lie--- in talent, how others perceive you?

or in your inner character, self-development, and self-love?

when one season comes to an end, do you take with you the fruits of the pursuit, or are you left dumbfounded that you haven't developed the self-awareness to know your value outside of your talent?

this poem published by serotonin press is about our tendency to believe our identity should lie in something other than ourselves because we feel incapable to become worthy of all that we can possibly become, instead choosing the most immediate, safe route that we can predict.

in the process of becoming something that does not last forever, we lose out on the holistic version of ourselves, limited in our growth and overall success and happiness.

when the season ends, what do you have left to stand on? are you imbalanced and reaching still?

or standing tall and firm in self-awareness, your heart, light?

this poem is a reminder of where the light begins for every one of us.

i hope you enjoy.

follow me on substack to stay updated with new poem videos, articles, notes, and more.

in love,

david

in a world of deceit and darkness, where should you look to find light?

it's closer than you would ever think.

in his next poem video release, "light of the world," published by serotonin press, david writes about the exceptionally overwhelming, stimulating, and nonetheless addicting experience of becoming a talented football player, after which leaves players reaching for more and uncertain about what makes them valued in society.

in this world, you'll learn to associate your identity with your performance on the field, valuing the applause above what you feel is true for you, never really understanding how to listen to that voice.

when the attention you learn to feed on comes to an end, what will you do to get it back? or how will you orient your life, and make decisions in order to maintain that social feedback? and who do you become in the process of following the voice of the crowd or what stimulates you, above what is true for you?

this poem is a call for awakening, remembering, and revolution, from chasing lights set out for us to follow, causing confusion and desolation of inner character, to instead chase the cultivation of a peaceful inner world, listening to your heart above all else, and being solidified in your truth, therefore, light.

this poem is a reminder about what makes every individual invaluable in this world, which is not what you have, what you've done, titles, belongings, or who you know, but instead, who you are, how you treat people, what you believe is most important about you, and where your light begins.

you are the light, sacred and divine, which is to be protected and nourished at all costs.

subscribe to david's channel on substack, spotify, youtube to stay notified about the poem video "light of the world," out friday, 7.10.26.

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instagram: @brooksellis51

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substack: david's garden

thank you for the support.