My inbox is no stranger to vague requests for my services. When an email arrived asking if I was available to socially cover a video shoot with a well known New England professional football player to be named later, I didn’t think twice about it.

Attending events to create and share content is something I get hired to do. Freelance writing and photography is also in my wheelhouse. While I knew more details were coming, I checked my calendar and replied with a simple “lets make it happen.”

Turns out that I wasn’t able to talk about this until now, but I’m excited to finally be able to tell you about my day on the set with MassMutual, Rob Gronkowski and members of his family.

MassMutual is a 165-year-old insurance company that operates with a single purpose: to help people secure their future and protect the ones they love; simply put, they offer products and services that help individuals and families make sense of their insurance and financial needs. And they have a strong commitment to service too; community service and financial education for kids are just some of the things they do to give back.

While not a Patriots fan, I’ve got respect for what Rob Gronkowski does on the field. Every time he spikes the ball against my beloved Miami Dolphins I shake my head in admiration because he is so good.

When I first heard that I’d be on set of a video explaining how Rob’s father taught him and his brothers the importance of planning for your financial future, I was intrigued. The video was going to be about how lessons learned in the gym or working out to keep your body fit could be applied towards being financially fit.

The plan was to shoot interview footage with the boys Gronk, two of his brothers and with Papa Gronk about the topic. Mix in footage from the gym and football field and edit it all together into an informative and fun piece to inspire others to get wise about the financial fitness of their own families.

Watch the finished videos to see how it all turned out.

[video youtube="https://youtu.be/_e7-2qmNKac"][/video]

As a father, I was intrigued watching this video be created. Listening to the stories being told and watching the father and brothers interact when the cameras weren’t rolling was inspiring. They truly love each and admire each other.

Rob Gronkowski and his brothers all talked about how much their dad pushed them growing up. He saw greatness in them early, but made sure they knew they’d have to work to achieve any goals they wanted.

He also put in place the financial foundation to protect them as they entered sporting careers that could end at any time from a single injury. While many athletes only focus on signing the big contract, the Gronkowski’s have always thought about finances in the long term to play it safe.

As the day was winding to a close, Papa Gronk and I got chatting a bit and I asked him what advice he’d give me as a father of two teenagers who are looking to make their mark in the world. He smiled and encouraged me to push them to find something they love and then support their dreams in any way I could.

Seeing this man and what three of his sons had grown up to be inspired me. His advice fits how I’ve approached parenting so I must be doing something right.

Have you ever thought about how the discipline of exercise could translate to the discipline of planning for your family’s financial future? I certainly hadn’t until that day on set as it began to make sense to me.

Thank you MassMutual for hiring me to be part of this project.

Thank you to the Gronkowski family for reminding me how important it is for parents to think and plan for their financial future no matter what age their children are.

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual). All opinions are my own. Mr. Gronkowski’s appearance is educational only and non-compensated.