In this powerful episode of Great Men with Shane Sams, Shane sits down with James Smith — a dynamic speaker, mentor, and storyteller whose life journey embodies resilience, authenticity, and faith.
James opens up about his childhood, the significance of names, and how his upbringing shaped his passion for helping others. He and Shane dive into the fears that hold people back — including the universal fear of public speaking — and how James overcame his own to build a career inspiring audiences around the world.
Listeners will hear about James's time as a lobbyist and real estate investor, and how those experiences reinforced his belief that authenticity is the key to true connection. The conversation turns deeply motivational as James shares stories of redemption, including his work mentoring veterans and former felons, proving that hope and second chances can transform lives.
Shane and James also discuss mindset, adversity, and the role of faith when life gets tough. They share personal experiences of setbacks, health scares, and the lessons learned along the way. James's stories — from encounters with figures like Nick Vujicic and the late Charlie Kirk to hilarious and unpredictable onstage moments — will inspire you to find meaning, courage, and laughter even in life's toughest seasons.
The episode wraps with James encouraging listeners to embrace their purpose, chase greatness, and live boldly. Learn more about his work at jamessmithseries.com and tune into his podcast for more wisdom and inspiration.
Frameworks and community at greatmen.org.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!