Justyn Williams on How Improvising Helped Him Land a Job, High Performing Teams, and OG Sarah Cooper

This week's episode features Justyn Williams…

Justyn is a man of many interests. His mission in life is “Build bridges, and break barriers for myself and others. Whatever I do, do it with intention." He has an immense level of curiosity and an overflowing sense of imagination. He daydreams a lot. He empathizes heavily. His experiences as a D1 college athlete majoring in psychology (at the University of Pennsylvania) instilled in him a deep passion for well-being encompassing physical fitness, mental wellness, and functional nutrition. 

Justyn leads the growth strategy and manages strategic relationships with the recruiting consultancy, StartupTAP, which has worked with clients across 7 countries and 29 cities that have collectively raised over $10 billion. He’s also a Community Builder with StartupGrind, the world's largest community of entrepreneurs, with a presence in over 600 cities worldwide. And, he leads virtual wine education and tasting events for groups of 5-100 people. He formerly worked at LinkedIn (which we talk about in the episode :)

And ever since he was a kid on the schoolyard, he has been someone who reflexively stands up for underdogs, embraces those who are marginalized, and ultimately aims to make those around him feel like they belong. He’s huge on bringing good vibes and cultivating team spirit in everything he does and he proudly speaks up for causes that advance human rights and respect for every person regardless of skin color, class, gender, or orientation.

Justyn started taking an improv class after meeting Mary at the San Francisco Sketchfest. He has taken improv classes with Mary and Improve, at EndGames Improv in San Francisco, and Upright Citizens Brigade in Los Angeles.

And he does all that with a smile on his face and giving people hugs along the way (and Mary can attest to…Justyn gives GREAT hugs!)

During this episode we discuss…

• What inspired Justyn to start taking improv classes
• Justyn’s experience working at LinkedIn, and Mary’s experience liking everyone she has ever met that works (or has worked) at LinkedIn
• The ability to explore different parts of ourselves in improv
• The thing Justyn wanted to do as a kid but never did
• Why Justyn hesitated to do improv at first and what finally inspired him to say ‘yes, and’ give it a try
• How Mary and Justyn met, and the now ‘celebrity’ that they met there too
• OG Sarah Cooper (okay, so I spoiled the last bullet)
• Improv as a way to ‘break out of your shell’
• The similarities between being an athlete and improviser
• How Mary sprained her wrist improvising
• The teams Justyn has worked on in the tech industry and how the high performing teams embody improv skills
• How improvising helped him land a job at LinkedIn 
• How improvising skills are critical for working at a small company
• Relinquishing control of things we can’t control, and instead focusing on what we can 
• Justyn’s improv wish for the world 
• Justyn’s 6 improv lessons that helped him (and others) through the pandemic

From Justyn, when asked how improv has improved his life offstage, “Many ways: reduced anxiety in professional social settings, increased my curiosity about others/the world, and strengthened my fortitude to overcome whatever obstacles life throws my way (e.g., joblessness).”

Connect with Justyn on Instagram @yojustyn and on LinkedIn.

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