Shoot Your Shot with Jay Harris

Shoot Your Shot: Building Meaningful Relationships That Open Doors

In this episode of the For College for Life Podcast, host Casey J. Cornelius sits down with ESPN anchor and keynote speaker Jay Harris to discuss his newest program, Shoot Your Shot: Guaranteed Ways to Build Your Network, Get in the Room, and Develop Meaningful Relationships.

Jay shares the real story behind his 20+ year career at ESPN, including how preparation, patience, and authentic relationship-building helped him meet life-changing opportunities when they arrived. Together, Casey and Jay explore what it truly means to “shoot your shot,” why meaningful relationships take time, and how low-stakes interactions can lead to high-impact moments.

Jay also opens up about his recent health journey following a prostate cancer diagnosis, offering an important reminder about the power of early screening, self-advocacy, and using your platform to help others.

Whether you’re a student, professional, or leader looking to grow your network and step into bigger opportunities, this conversation will challenge you to prepare for the moment, trust the process, and be ready when the ball is in your hands.

Learn more about Jay’s programs at:
 forcollegeforlife.com/jay

Transcript

Casey J. Cornelius: 0:01

Hey everyone, and welcome to the latest episode of the For College for Life podcast. My name is Casey Cornelius. I am the founder and president for College for Life. I am also proud to host this podcast, talking to some of America's leading voices on topics that really matter. Today, I'm super fortunate to be joined by one of our key contributors, speakers on the roster, one of those America's leading voices, someone who's probably been on your TV screen several dozen times over the years. So I'm gonna bring to the mic none other than Jay Harris. Jay, as we start uh 2026, I'm happy to share that you've also introduced a new program to the world. And I want to talk a little bit about it today. Is that cool? Oh, I would love to, Casey. I love it. Okay, so the name of the program is Shoot Your Shot: Guaranteed Ways to Build Your Network, Get in the Room, and Develop Meaningful Relationships. So a lot of times people will see a new program and they won't really know sort of the the evolution of it or the backstory of it. So can you talk a little bit about where Shoot Your Shot comes from?

Jay Harris: 1:18

It comes from, well, it comes from my own personal experience. A lot of it does, and learning over the years that there's a process to this thing called life. It just doesn't happen immediately, and you've got to put in some work. And it comes from, you know, when I'm talking to young folks who ask me, well, how how how how can I get to where you are doing you know the broadcasting thing at ESPN? Or I'm graduating, um, so I can can I interview and and go to work at the Worldwide Leader and Tomorrow. Tomorrow. Tomorrow, yes. Yeah. And my answer to that question is you can't. Uh it doesn't work that way. And my answer to the first question is it's going to take time. And in in this society where we want things right now, that is not always an appealing answer to folks. Um, but I'm sorry, it is the only answer. These things take time. Um, and managing the the pace of uh relationship building, it's it's not it's not easy, but it's definitely fruitful and worth it if you just settle in and manage your expectations and enjoy the ride, which may be tough for some uh folks to hear, but because they want it now, but that's just the way it is.

Casey J. Cornelius: 3:06

You know, I I think I've heard you say this before, and if I'm if I'm using the wrong words, please feel free to correct me. So, in the process of managing expectations, of uh putting in the work, all that other kind of stuff, when your opportunity arises, like when the ball comes to you, you you have to shoot your shot.

Jay Harris: 3:28

Absolutely. Yeah, and you and you will will you know exactly when that the right time is? Yeah, maybe you'll feel it. Um sometimes you go and you shoot your shot and the shot gets blocked. Right, right. You shoot your shot and your shot misses. That's just part of life. That doesn't mean that you did something wrong, it just is what it is sometimes. I've gone after many opportunities that I didn't get. Is it because there's something deficient in me? I don't know. Maybe I wasn't sufficiently prepared. Maybe I wasn't experienced enough in a particular area and someone didn't think I was the right person for the gig. That's fine. Maybe they just wanted to go in a different direction. Okay. But yeah, you have to you have to shoot your shot once you get that feeling that, okay, we've we've I've I've done the things to develop this relationship, and I'm I'm comfortable enough. I'm comfortable enough with asking the question.

Casey J. Cornelius: 4:26

Uh folks, if you if you haven't already, please make sure you visit for CollegeForlife.com/slash Jay. Learn more about shoot your shot uh and and his other signature programs too. Jay, I I remember last fall uh there was the the student uh uh during college game day at Vanderbilt University who um uh took part in the field goal challenge, right? You and I you and I talked about this where uh where he stepped up and he nailed the I don't know what was it, the $600,000 or whatever it was. He he nailed the field goal, but the last thing that he was asked before he kicked was, have you ever done this before? And he's like, Oh yeah, I was a high school, high school kicker for my football team. And and you and I talked about the notion of like sometimes the moment comes to you as well. Like you do all that preparation, you don't know why, like what the larger purpose is, but the moment comes to you. Have have you experienced that in in sort of real tangible ways along your journey too?

Jay Harris: 5:23

Well, I mean, the the ESPN moment came to me. I wasn't looking for it. Um, and I I get into that a little bit uh in this program, just talking about how I was just minding my own business, going about my day, uh doing the news in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and sitting out a tape, and you know, a couple things happened along the way, and all of a sudden I'm at the worldwide leader doing an audition. Um but I was there because of the things that I did along the way that prepared me to meet that moment when that moment came to me. Um I I it's all it's like it's it's it's like when you when you feel that the clock is winding down and you've got the ball in your hand and everyone's looking at you, and it's it's your turn to shoot.

Casey J. Cornelius: 6:19

Yeah.

Jay Harris: 6:20

And and you make the decision to let it go. You're in the moment, you meet the moment, the moment meets you, and you have a 20-plus year career that you weren't expecting. Life is funny that way.

Casey J. Cornelius: 6:37

Some people relish that, don't they? I mean, some people sort of shrink away from it, and some people are always holding their hand in the air, and we could take the sports metaphor to its end degree, but like I think about like a mutual friend of ours, Kevin Reynolds. Kevin always chooses to sit in the exit row of a plate, not just for the leg room, like uh I'm sure that that's a benefit too. But I've heard him say before if it comes down to it, I trust that I'm going to be prepared to act.

Jay Harris: 7:04

Yeah. Uh Kevin and I share that, by the way. Um, I love the leg room. But yeah, I know, and I look, I look at the door, I look at the lever. Yeah, and I look at the people around me, I'm going, no, I got this. That 23-pound door, I've I've prepared for this. Yeah, I'm gonna do this because I'm not really sure that that person over there or that person over there is gonna get us out of here just in case. I'm good, I got this.

Casey J. Cornelius: 7:31

But it takes a special person to raise their hand, right? Like it takes a special person to say, I want the responsibility of that shot, or opening the door, or or taking the mic, or something like that. That takes a certain um ego is not the right word, but something, right?

Jay Harris: 7:47

Yeah, it's um well, no, ego is not the right word. It's uh confidence, maybe the right word. Right. Um, a desire to see a particular outcome. That's not one word, that's several words, but that too, because you know what you want to happen and you trust yourself to make that happen because you have prepared yourself for this particular moment. Um and and and I'll say this this is the caveat to all of this. No one really knows until we're in that exact moment. Like in that in that moment of, and I hate using this as an example, but you brought up the exit row and the and the door, in that if something's going wrong, am I really gonna, am I really gonna be, am I really the right person for this thing? Right. I've never been in that situation before. Am I going to panic? Am I going to, or am I going to come through for me and the rest of the folks on the plane? Um, you don't know until you're in it. And that's where the learning process comes in and where we're learning in situations that aren't as life or death, but we're learning in situations that can prepare us for the future, uh, just in case we don't meet the moment this time.

Casey J. Cornelius: 9:02

I love it. Jay, I I know we can dissect this program and it's you know a 45-minute keynote or a 60-minute keynote or a three-hour workshop or whatever it is, but but I want to touch on just one of the components uh that I think as we start the new year, a lot of a lot of folks are thinking of, right? They're they're thinking about how to develop new new patterns or new goals or new habits. And and I think about that notion of developing meaningful relationships. So, you know, that that's not necessarily the raise your hand, pass me the ball. It's not necessarily I'll sit in the exit row, but but the notion of developing meaningful relationships. Can can you talk about that a little bit?

Jay Harris: 9:39

Well, I'll I'll talk about it um in the context of how folks have reached out to me. And again, I'll use the I want to be in the broadcasting example. Um you identify people who are in your lane, in the lane that you want to ride in, um, and you you reach out. I mean, part of it is just stepping out in faith. Uh, and and but not everyone is gonna receive your call. Some people will, and the ones that will, those are the ones that you go with. And you you try to figure out um not covertly, because everyone knows what you're doing, how to develop this, how to make this. How am I going to show this person that I have reached out to that I am serious? I really want to do this. I'm not just some uh clout chaser, I'm not just in it to say I've got such and such in my phone, but I really, really want to do this. And then you need to figure out a way to impress upon them that you really you're serious about this, so they think that you're worth taking the time to get to know and maybe one day vouch for. Um, and again, that takes a minute, it doesn't happen after the first um contact. Hey, uh, I emailed you last week. Will you hire me for a job? When do I get on air? Yeah, yeah. I don't I don't even know you. So no. And because you've stepped over the line a little early, please don't contact me again because I don't think you're serious. Right. And you've blown it.

Casey J. Cornelius: 11:23

So I I think about it's obviously a dated phrase at this point, but like real recognizes real. I think in that in that same way, real recognizes phony too, right? Like you my hunch is your um your meter for for BS, for lack of a better term, probably is pretty heightened, right?

Jay Harris: 11:45

Uh, it has gotten more heightened over the years, indeed, sir.

Casey J. Cornelius: 11:48

Right? And and my hunch is in your line of work, a lot of the folks that that you have to interact with in a professional way that that you you're grabbing an interview or you'll whatever it is, their meter has gotten high as well. So it's one of those relationships come from you know, rep after rep after rep of low-stakes interactions until something meaningful does arise. Maybe that's the raise your hand moment. Maybe that's the you know pass me the ball moment.

Jay Harris: 12:16

I like I like that. That that's that's that's really good how you phrase that. Um, that's how it works. When even now, if if I'm meeting someone for the first time, someone that maybe I've watched or you know talked to talked to in in not talked to in passing, talked about in passing, and I meet them in person, um how I interact will affect whether that person comes on the show next time because of the vibe that I give them. If I if they see that I'm I'm meeting them in person and I'm just trying to you know pump them for information or get blah, blah, blah, or just you know, let's have some chicken tenders and talk about life, because I understand that your son and my son have the same name, that's pretty wild. Those kind of things. Right. Actually, if you don't mind me doing an example, because that just popped into my head. Yeah, um, people always ask me about interviews that I've done over the years, and I always go back to an interview that I did with LeBron James many, many years ago. And um, he has a son named Bryce B-R-Y-C-E. I have a son named Bryce B-R-Y-C-E. And during the interview, we talked about being dads to Bryce's. And it was just, it wasn't, I'm not saying LeBron and I are best friends, because we're not, but in that moment, it made the conversation genuine, you know? Developing meaningful relationships. Exactly. I wasn't trying to to use it to figure out something. I was just, we are just relating man to man, dad to dad, Bryce Dad to Bryce Dad. So those are the those are the special moments that can help you develop a relationship and can help you um with whatever comes with that relationship.

Casey J. Cornelius: 14:02

I love it. Folks, again, if if you haven't already, for CollegeForlife.com slash Jay. Jay, I wouldn't be doing my job as an interviewer if I didn't uh wrap our podcast today by asking a question I know a lot of people wonder. Uh, after your cancer diagnosis last year, how are you doing?

Jay Harris: 14:20

Oh, I am doing fantastic. Um the the doctor says all the cancer is gone. Um I've had a a couple of blood tests, post-surgery blood tests, to make sure my PSA numbers are super low, and they are. Um so over the next six months, I have two more of those. Um I've lost a few pounds and I've kept them off, so I like that. Um I'm doing I'm doing well, man. Good. I'm doing I'm doing pretty well. Not 100% yet, but it takes time. Again, it takes time. I can't rush this.

Casey J. Cornelius: 14:50

You know, and it on behalf of everybody else uh who who's listened and followed the journey to Jay, I I just want to congratulate you on uh not only the good health, but also using your voice and platform to help others uh seek help get tested and screened and um preventative medicine as well. Uh you deserve a lot of applause for that.

Jay Harris: 15:09

I appreciate that, man. Thank you. Thank you very much. Well, we can we can take care of cancer in in in this case for me was prostate cancer. Um a lot of it is catching it early, a lot of it is screening and awareness. Uh a lot of it is, you know, the researchers doing their thing to try to come up with a cure. But in the meantime, we can do a lot to advocate for our own health and our own lives by being aware, by being tested, being screened, and doing it early, especially if we have uh especially if we have a family history of it. It's really not that hard to do.

Casey J. Cornelius: 15:45

I love it. I love it. Um I say this, Jay, I mean it. I'm so glad you're here. Uh, folks, I I think if you've ever heard Jay uh speak, if you've ever interacted with him, you probably are uh uh along with me a fan um and also come to the conclusion that he is an elite level human. And I gotta tell you, I think this new program for 2026 and and 27, 28 into the future uh is just so right on time. So please make sure you check out Shoot Your Shot uh for CollegeForlife.com slash J. The other thing I want to ask, just a small favor, please make sure you do the things that you're supposed to do with podcasts, like, share, subscribe. Ensure that this episode gets in the hands and the ears of the people who need to hear it, but also let us know the topics that you would like us to discuss on this program as well. We always want to deliver the content that you would find most beneficial. But until next time, I want to say thank you and hope you all are well. Thank you so much.