045 - Say "Yes, And!" to Stepping Into Your Greatness with Alvin Law

In this episode, I sit down with Alvin Law – an international Hall-of-Fame  keynote speaker, Emmy Award winner, and award-winning musician who was born without arms and built a remarkable life by refusing to let other people's labels define him.

Alvin and I talk about what it really means to step into your greatness when your life doesn't look like an Instagram highlight reel. We explore how his parents, teachers, and coaches acted as "Yes, And whisperers" – choosing to see possibilities instead of limitations – and how that mindset helped him learn to eat, drive, play multiple instruments, and build a global speaking career - using only his feet

We also dig into the tension so many professionals feel today: the gap between "mundane real life" and the glamorous lives they see online. Alvin shares why ordinary work and steady contribution are not the enemy of greatness – they're the training ground for it. From workplace complaints about remote vs. in-office work, to the trap of seeing yourself as a permanent victim, Alvin offers a refreshingly direct wake-up call: value yourself, own your choices, and stop waiting for someone else to hand you your future.

If you've been feeling stuck, labeled, or a little too attached to your excuses, this conversation will challenge you to rethink what's really possible when you bring a Yes, And mindset to your life and work.

Key Takeaways

• Why Alvin believes his lack of traditional credentials (and lack of arms) actually makes him uniquely qualified to speak to high-level leaders about the human side of business

• How his parents and first-grade teacher changed the rules – literally – to get him into a mainstream school, and why that decision shaped the rest of his life.

• The difference between being a true victim of hard circumstances vs. choosing to live from victimhood.

• What it means to be a "Yes, And whisperer" for other people – and how a single teacher, coach, or manager can transform someone's life trajectory by saying, "Let's try."

• Why Alvin no longer leads with his list of awards and achievements (including an Emmy and multiple Hall of Fame honors) – and why he'd rather focus on the impact of his story on the audience's life. 

• How imagination defines the difference between seeing obstacles and seeing possibilities – and why most people drastically underestimate their capacity to learn new skills.

• Practical advice for office workers and HR pros who feel stuck: how to increase your value, navigate the in-office vs. remote work debate, and stop waiting for your boss to fix your career.

• A simple daily practice: looking in the mirror and asking, "What kind of impact am I going to make on people today?"
  
  

Links

• Alvin's website: https://alvinlaw.com
  
  

• Alvin's book: Alvin's Laws of Life: 5 Steps to Successfully Overcome Anything (search on Amazon or your favorite bookseller: https://a.co/d/8bxcfVO

• Alvin on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/AlvinToesLaw/videos