Today we’d like to introduce you to Josh Rowberry.
Hi Josh, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was invited to go disc golfing with some friends in March of 2021 at Jolley’s Ranch. It has forever changed my way of life! I have struggled with depression & anxiety most of my life. I started a journey of facing my mental health problems as the pandemic hit & isolation set in. I decided to go to therapy to see if I could get some help. I was open to anything that was going to help me better understand why I feel the way I do & if I was always going to feel this way. After attending several therapy sessions (and still attending to this day), trying different meditations, healing stones, apps, changing eating habits, recognizing triggers, realizing that I am not alone like I thought I was, etc. I was finding things that worked for me & some things that didn’t. I was open to the journey & fixing myself & revisiting resources that I avoided in the past. It scared the hell out of me & the journey has been tough but I persisted because all I want is to feel happy.
Deciding to join my friends for a round of disc golf that day made me realize I was getting out in nature & disconnecting from my thoughts & fears. When I am on the course my thoughts are no longer flooding & seem to fade away as I continue to play. I found myself getting excited to play more rounds. When I couldn’t sleep, I’d be on the course at 5:30 or 6 in the morning before heading into work. I would leave the course, regardless of my score, feeling damn good. I would typically head straight to a course several times per week after leaving work. Saturday & Sunday mornings I was on the course with friends & friends of friends. I quickly found out about the UDisc app, registered with the PDGA, and shortly after got invited to play in a tournament with a buddy, started collecting discs, watching PDGA tournaments, etc. I was hooked! Disc golfing was clearing all my flooding thoughts of depression & lowering my anxiety when I’m on the course. I have been feeling dead inside for a very, very long time.
Disc golf has personally helped me with my own mental health & I want to help others who have avoided getting the resources they need by providing multiple mental health resources at disc golf tournaments. The reason behind the name of Dead Outside Disc Golf is I was always feeling dead inside. So, I thought to myself after playing that 1st round with friends, why not feel dead outside? Hence the name.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Dreaming up this idea of creating a disc golf community that promotes mental health awareness through playing disc golf & hosting events to hopefully get more people taking action on their mental illness and supporting someone they know with a mental illness & bringing it to life the first of this year has been no small feat. In my head, I saw a pretty clear path to making this happen. Boy was I wrong! Some of the obstacles & challenges I have faced this year have been: Learning how to build a website.
Figuring out how to promote a disc golf event. Putting up flyers, door-knocking businesses, emails, phone calls, talking to players on the local course about mental health & upcoming events, etc. Talking with businesses to sponsor or donate to an event. I had no idea I needed a permit from the city to host an event at their public course & how long the approval process takes. Also, you need insurance depending on your event & what the city requests
Not knowing how tough it would be to be vulnerable & talk about my depression, anxiety & PTSD on social media platforms. I have my mental health issues stopping me from being as dedicated as I want to be to growing this community.
I felt like I was running blind at every turn trying to set up the first event we had on May 20th & everything I thought I knew or assumed would be easy or quick to do was not. It has been challenging but now I know what to expect…somewhat.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Dead Outside Disc Golf was created on Jan. 1st, 2023 in hopes of promoting mental health awareness through disc golf. My goal was to have a website that had links to mental health resources for anyone from any walk of life.
I simply want to help others recognize they are not alone & there is help & no judgment. I have added & continually added resources to our page that can connect you to professional help. So, if you are on our webpage & don’t see a mental health resource listed that you or someone you know utilizes, please reach out to me so we can vet the business before adding it to our page!
The one & only goal I have ever had for this business is to get people the resources they need or might not have considered when it comes to their mental health. It’s my opinion that there’s not enough conversation around mental health at work, at home, amongst friends, etc. I am looking to change that conversation & stigma.
I am most proud of the conversations I have had with other disc golfers on the course & the stories they have shared about what disc golf is doing for their mental health. The response has been positively overwhelming & I never saw it coming!
Dead Outside Disc Golf is a brand that promotes mental health awareness through disc golf & wants to keep the conversation going about mental health, connecting others with professional mental health resources, hosting awesome in-person or virtual events that have great players packs with not only cool disc golf swag but other mental health swag too!
If you like what we do please consider attending our next event as a player, or if you are just looking to support our mission you can purchase branded swag on our site & even sponsor a hole(s) at our next event! All proceeds go back into keeping this business running & providing awesome swag for event attendees!
Are there any books, apps, podcasts, or blogs that help you do your best?
To be clear disc golf is NOT the only thing I use as a resource to keep me balanced. It is the BIGGEST resource for me currently. I would say music is a big resource for me as well. I am in the process of creating several Disc Golf playlists on Spotify that anyone can play while enjoying a round. Right now, the chill vibes are flowing on the course with tunes coming from Rebelution, Stick Figure, Iration, etc.
I utilize the Calm app for meditations & just recently started doing some quick meditations after finding @yogi_bryan on Instagram. In my opinion, these are both great resources when it comes to mediation. I used to think meditation was a joke until I found these two resources. Try mediation if you have not in the past!
Outside of these things I have been going to therapy for just over 2 years now & am currently on a monthly appointment with my therapist at Draper Therapy & Wellness. Renea & her team are outstanding & I cannot say enough about the work they do for me & my family! If you have not considered therapy, do! This practice is best!
Pricing:
- Tournament Hole Sponsorship $200
Contact Info:
- Website: https://deadoutsidediscgolf.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deadoutsidediscgolf/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deadoutsidediscgolf/
