October 8, 2025 • 60 mins
Looking for a blueprint to build influence that actually changes lives, not just algorithms?
We sit down with author and speaker Jimmy Jean to unpack purpose, presence, and the real work of becoming someone people can trust.
From Brooklyn roots and a single-mom household to a mission fueled by faith, Jimmy shares how community shaped his resilience and why he believes influence is something you earn offline through kindness, consistency, and service long before you count a single like.
We get honest about fatherhood and healing: the fear that surfaced when he learned he’d have a son, the therapy that followed, and the realization that kids need presence more than perfection. Jimmy takes us inside his creative process for The Purpose-Driven Influencer the late-night spark, the roller coaster of self-doubt, and the simple, repeatable habits that carried him across the finish line.
We talk intention over outcomes, letting purpose steer your goals, and why chasing viral moments can leave you empty while a quiet act of service can change someone’s life.
If you’re tired of clout-chasing culture and want a practical, soul-centered path to meaningful impact, this conversation is for you. You’ll hear real stories about encouraging strangers, building daily rituals of stillness and prayer, and keeping “artifacts of purpose” to revisit when doubt creeps in. We don’t just define purpose-driven influence we model it, one small, faithful step at a time.
Listen now, share it with someone who needs a nudge forward, and if the message resonates, subscribe and leave a review.
Your words help more people find conversations that measure influence in meaning, not just in millions.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_02 (00:17):
All right, all right, all right.
How are you all doing today?
I can't wait to have uh thisconversation.
Uh I am so excited today.
I have uh Jimmy Dean on today.
Or not Jimmy Dean, that would belike sausage.
SPEAKER_00 (00:29):
You're Jimmy.
Listen, no hum, no hum.
I've gotten that before.
It's okay.
It's okay.
SPEAKER_01 (00:38):
Oh my gosh, and I don't even need pork people.
So funny.
Oh, I apologize.
SPEAKER_00 (00:45):
Oh, that's hilarious.
SPEAKER_01 (00:47):
Oh, the number one thing that's a good ice.
SPEAKER_00 (00:50):
That's a good icebreaker, man.
SPEAKER_01 (00:51):
That's a good icebreaker.
SPEAKER_00 (00:53):
I love it.
I love it.
SPEAKER_02 (00:54):
Yeah, it's like we're we're taught like I have a
degree in communications, andone of the number one things
that they always say is makesure you, you know, the number
one peep thing people want tohear is their name.
And then I go call you thisother dude that I don't know
when he was born and how he madeall the stuff that he made and
so that was so fun.
I am so excited today, uh,because it's not all the time
(01:18):
that you get to talk to a fellowfell, a fellow author or
somebody who's done uh, but whenI look at you know, the we've
done uh a little over 220journey to freedom episodes, and
then I have one called LivingBoldly with Purpose, which is
another reason because your youryour uh book talks about
purpose.
Uh and so, like the livingboldly with purpose is the
(01:38):
overarching, and then I startedthe journey to freedom uh
because I wanted to to talk withblack men and to figure out
okay, what is it that is keepingus stuck or keeping us going or
what you know, just successfulstories of black men doing what
it takes to win in this life.
And so last year, I don't know,I was able to take 18 uh men
(02:00):
down to Alabama for a civilrights tour to kind of start
talking about, okay, here is ourpast, here's where we're going,
you know, and then now how doyou fit into that?
And then to have somebody elsewho then writes and talks about
purpose and talks about this uhis just so exciting a show to
have, uh, because I thinkthere's so many things that we
(02:22):
can at least talk about in theworld.
And if if the audience, uh andthe audience is every, you know,
everybody and anybody who'swilling to listen, but if there
is like young black men who aresaying, you know, I don't know,
I need to see somebody.
Now, I for me, you know, I Ialways say, well, it doesn't
matter, you know.
To me, you know, it doesn'tmatter.
I didn't need to see anybody,you know.
(02:42):
But then what I found like thereason I actually started
Journey to Freedom, so I went tothis seminar and it was really
good.
It was about trust.
And it was I was in Minnesota,and there's 500 people in the
room, and there's like 30 folksof color in the room.
And I'm wondering, like, why arewe not getting this information?
If if there's folks that have anissue with trust, it is our
(03:04):
folks, it is our community.
And so I go to this, and so uh Isaid, Well, I never I don't
care, but I just told youthere's there was 30 of us that
were in the room, right?
That means that I'm counting,and if I'm counting when I go
into rooms, I guess it matters alittle bit, and I've had that
realization that I always countwhen I'm in these rooms, and
(03:25):
it's you know, it's not thatit's uh it matters or I'm not
getting good information, but itis there is a part of me that
says, This is my community,these are my folks, these are
the people that I grew up with,these are the people that I see
struggle, you know.
When we watch a roots or watch,you know, uh Amistad or
(03:47):
something like that, it almostfeels like hey, this is our
ancestors, these are the peoplethat built our country and and
the people on the backs of thecountry, and there's just
something that's special uh whenwe find folks of color that are
doing stuff.
And so what I found is there'stons of us, and we just don't
highlight highlight all theissues, we highlight the dads
(04:10):
that aren't real good dads,yeah, or the dads that are
struggled or whatever it is, wehighlight you know the
entertainers or the athletesthat mess up, and we don't
highlight just the everydaypeople who are making it work
and changing the community in ahuge way.
So, so Jimmy, thank you forbeing on.
Thank you for just if that's allI said, and we were to shut this
(04:33):
down now, there would be no,we're not gonna do that because
I want you to tell your story.
I want you you came to thisplanet somehow, and you know you
weren't born at the age you arenow, so you went through some
things in your life, and so I'dlove to hear about it, and so
we'll start there, and thenafter that, oh my gosh, I can't
wait to chop it up with all theother things that we're gonna
(04:54):
talk about.
You are in a treat, you are infor a treat today, my friends.
All right, so Jimmy, the flooris yours.
Take it away.
SPEAKER_00 (05:01):
Well, Brian, um, first of all, I just want to say
thank you um for creating aspace where men can be
vulnerable, where we can tellour truth, when we can let it
all out and not feel ashamedabout our story, our history,
and the things that we've gonethrough.
And so, first I just want to saythank you, and I just want to
give you your flowers and honoryou for that.
(05:23):
Um a little bit about me.
My name is Jimmy Jean, um, bornand raised in Brooklyn, New
York.
I am a um I am a husband, I am afather, uh, was raised by a
single mom in Brooklyn, uh, andalso to by some powerful and
strong women in my life who uhwho helped me excel, who taught
(05:44):
me the importance of resilienceand and service and and giving
back.
And um for me, my now my missionis is to do the same for others.
I think whenever you wheneveryour life, when you've when
you've been poured into so much,I think you feel a sense of
responsibility to do that forothers.
And now for me, now my missionis really all about helping
(06:09):
people live with intention andmeaning.
And I know what it felt like togrow up and have and feel like
your life didn't have anypurpose.
And so now that I I feel likeI'm living on purpose, now I uh
I'm the messenger of purpose.
So uh so this is a little bitabout me.
SPEAKER_02 (06:30):
Oh my gosh, and so um I Brooklyn is just an
interesting city.
I've been there.
I have uh two two of my boys uhwere born in Brooklyn, or
they're born in Harlem Hospital,but they lived in Brooklyn uh
before we adopted.
SPEAKER_00 (06:48):
They were actually on the I was I was born in in
Killer County, uh as they usedto call this Kings County
Hospital, but they call itKiller County.
SPEAKER_02 (06:55):
Gotcha.
SPEAKER_00 (06:56):
Oh my god.
Obviously, obviously, I'm aliveand so I'm here, so we're good.
SPEAKER_02 (06:59):
So you're here, so they didn't include uh to move
forward.
Uh but you know, interestinglyenough, yeah.
I'd love to just even kind oftalk about your identity growing
up because you you only knewwhat what your family had,
right?
It's not like we all have allthese different, you know, oh
well, I you know, I didn't growup in this and I didn't grow up
(07:19):
that.
You just know who you are andyou make it work.
Yeah, but as you got older, tobe able to look back and reflect
on you said you talked aboutreally strong women that kind of
guided you in the responsibilitythat you felt.
Yeah, at what point did the restof the neighborhood or the other
kids that were part of yourschooling and that kind of stuff
(07:40):
that maybe didn't turn out aswell as you did, or what we
would, you know, you know, maybeinto the streets and stuff, what
kept you so grounded uh duringthis time as your identity was
shaped?
SPEAKER_00 (07:52):
Well, um, first of all, I'm I'm Haitian and uh I
got a lot of threats.
Uh a lot of threats.
If you don't, if you make sureyou don't, you know, like hit
the books and and and all sortsof things, but I'm only kidding.
But what kept me, what kept megrounded is um it's the people,
(08:12):
it's the community.
Um it's uh you know, I wasraised by a single mom, and so
you know, now as a parent, Irealize how much it takes to
raise just one kid.
So imagine a single mom raising,you know, I have uh I have two
sisters.
Imagine the responsibility thatcomes with that.
And so I think it's community.
For me, it's been my my aunt,it's been my grandmother, and
(08:36):
these two people who played apivotal role in help raising me,
um, and they keep me, they keptme safe.
You know, my mom was she wouldwake up four or five o'clock in
the morning and drive a taxi toprovide for us.
And, you know, and yeah, and soso when my mom was working and
(08:56):
grinding for us, just to just tokeep a roof over our head,
sometimes I will spend mysummers with my my aunt.
And and I would miss my mombecause you know she was she was
working so hard for us.
And but you know, just so it'sjust really community that
really helped uh ground me andand shape me and and poured so
(09:18):
much love into me.
And and I think that's just whyI am who I am today.
unknown (09:23):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (09:24):
Thank you for sharing that.
One of the things that I love toask black men, especially black
men who are parents, because youknow, one of the things, and
then you have the unique um youknow perspective of you know
being have being raised by asingle mom and then a community
that comes behind you, yeah.
(09:44):
And so we we talk so muchbecause I believe that every
child needs a dad, and I'm sureyou probably don't know too many
people who don't believe inthat, yeah.
But sometimes what we don't talkabout is what it means to be a
dad.
Like, how did that change yourexistence once you became a
parent and then you felt thisresponsibility different than
(10:05):
you know your upbringing becausethere wasn't that huge are you
trying to get are you trying toget me emotional, man?
SPEAKER_00 (10:11):
This is too early in the show.
Like, you know, like come on,man.
SPEAKER_02 (10:18):
You gotta know, man, because it's uh there's so many
people that I talk to on theshow and stuff that say I'm
doing everything I can to be adad.
You know, I mean, some of thethings, the hoops that we've had
to jump through, you know, tosee your child when when the
relationship doesn't go well, oryou know, the system isn't
(10:38):
geared towards dads being ableto be that, yeah, you know, and
it sounds like you have thisgreat relationship that you you
do have them with your kids, andyeah, you you you that's your
life and why you why you exist.
Yeah, so I just want to kind ofhear about it a little bit.
Yeah, so a little bit emotionand that's yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (10:54):
I you know, I you know, I you know, I remember
hearing this saying that it'sit's hard to be what you cannot
see, yeah.
But but I think it's not impit's it's not impossible.
And growing up growing growingwithout a dad, I think when I
had my son, there were a lot ofinsecurities that's that I
thought that I kind of dealtwith, be uh around manhood and
(11:16):
what it means to be a man.
And as soon as I found out thatmy wife was having a son, all
the trauma, all the stuff thatI've been, all the work that
I've done in therapy that Ithought, like, oh, I'm good now.
All of it came back to thesurface.
Is like, holy cow, I'm having ason.
(11:37):
How am I gonna raise a son whennever when someone never taught
me how to be a man?
And it frightened me.
There was so much fear, so muchanxiety.
And I said, I have to doubledown on therapy right now.
I have to, I have to double downin therapy to help me deal with
(11:58):
these emotions and this anxiety.
And so when my son came into theworld, I felt like what am I
what am I gonna do?
What am I what am I gonna teachhim?
And um and then as I startedjust doing the work, and I
realized all kids need is foryou to be present.
(12:19):
They want you to be present,right?
They won they want you to loveon them.
And so, you know, all thisnarrative that I created about
like and felt this pressure, itthat pressure started to go in
the way because and one of thethings that helped me, one one
day I took my uh my nephew uh tothe supermarket and and he said,
(12:42):
he said, Uncle Jimmy, can I canI can I pay for can I pay for uh
the uh I think I got him a toyor something, and and he wanted
my card.
And so I gave him the card andand as he's paying and we're
just playing around and we'rejust having so much fun, and it
just really like the realizationof what like parenthood and
(13:03):
fatherhood really mean, it'sjust it was just like being
present, being just having funwith him, like not taking life
too serious.
And so um I think just thatmoment just with him and being
present, it's just like that'sit, because that's what I wanted
as a kid, and so I get to I getto change the narrative uh about
what fatherhood, I get toredefine it.
(13:25):
And so for me, what I define asfatherhood now, which is like
being present with my son, uhloving him, being silly.
Um, and the great thing aboutbeing a father now and not
having is I got I get tosimultaneously heal my my inner
child.
That the the the little Jimmythat needed a hug, the little
(13:45):
Jimmy that needed his father tobe there, the little Jimmy that
needed someone to say, I'm proudof you.
Like, as I'm doing that with myson, um playing with my son and
being present with him, like Ifeel like I'm getting everything
that I didn't get uh as a child.
And it's crazy.
And you know, the other day thatum I just came back from uh
(14:08):
Tampa um speaking about my book,and um my wife, she uh uh she
had a cake waiting for me.
And and the next morning, youknow, my son, he was so excited,
and he was just saying, youknow, happy birthday, daddy.
It wasn't my birthday.
What he really was trying to sayis congratulations, but you
know, because because heconnected a birthday cake and in
(14:29):
in balloons to like birthday,yeah.
And and and just hear himsaying, Daddy, congratulations,
like I'm proud of you.
And he's a three-year-old, and Iwas like, that's it, that's all
I need, man.
That's all I need.
SPEAKER_02 (14:45):
Oh my gosh, it is so so so neat and so so cool.
I was I was just as you weretalking, and I'm I'm listening
and I'm reflecting back becausemy kids are grown now, and so
yeah, I I'm thinking like theproudest days or my my happiest,
joyous days were the days theywere born, uh, and then the days
that they graduated from highschool.
(15:05):
Like, whoo, we got to hear andwe made it, you know, through
that process.
And now, so I I used to be ateacher, so I've kept my
teaching credential, and I'llsubstitute, substitute, you
know, for my grandkidssometimes, and I won't let them
know, and I'll just show up atthe school, and just to be
present as you know, Papa justshowed.
(15:26):
Of course, they don't call me,you know, you know, doctor, you
know, they call me Dr.
BA, you know, when I'm Pops, Dr.
Pops.
Yeah, they they're like PapaPapa, now they're the hero of
their school, you know, and howmuch does that cost me?
You know, it's like sometimes wethink all this is necessary, the
toys I buy and the games that Ihave, and all those things, but
(15:48):
it's just yeah, you know, it'sit's just you like you said,
it's being present, you know,it's it there's all that other
stuff doesn't matter to them,you know, and we think it does,
and we you know, we think thatwe have to sometimes buy some of
that.
Uh, but I you know, my identityhas changed you over the years
that you know now that my oldestis what 37, so you know, and he
(16:12):
and he works for Pixar.
So I'm the I'm the I'm like theproudest, you know, dad in the
world.
My son works for you know that'sawesome.
Yeah, but because I'm adifferent person, because I
spent that time understanding Ineed to be present.
Now I didn't have to be likewhen they were playing little
(16:32):
league baseball and there's 67games in a you know in a season.
I don't need to be at all 67games because we got to eat, you
know.
But at the same time, you know,if I'm at some of them, most of
them, you know, uh that that'sall they care about.
They want to know that they cansay this is my dad.
So thank you so much for forjust sharing that.
(16:55):
I do want to talk about yourbook because you just mentioned
it.
And you know, if you can, uh,this is your first book.
And you know, before we were inthe green room and we were just
talking about what it means tobe an author, and I stopped
Jimmy.
I said, Jimmy, wait, let's let'shave this conversation as part
of this podcast.
So maybe just take me throughbefore we talk about the uh
(17:15):
inside of the book, let's talkabout the process.
Because you know, in order towrite a book, you have to start
feeling like you have somethingto say that somebody else would
want to read or somebody elsecould benefit from, you know,
because nobody just wants towrite a book, just that it
doesn't help anybody.
I guess there might be somebody,but I don't think you would sell
(17:38):
too many copies if you don'tthink that it's going to help
somebody.
Um, and so maybe kind of justwalk through your thought
process when you decided I'mgonna write a book.
SPEAKER_00 (17:50):
Yeah, well, I had a lot of ideas for books, all
right.
Like I started books, stopped.
Uh but this was I knew this wasthe one.
And I remember the day that theidea and the download of the
book came to me.
(18:10):
I was I came home one night anduh was in my living room, it's
pitch black, and and I was justI just sat there just in silent
and um just kind of thinkingabout life and like what are
some of my next steps, like whatI want to do.
And the idea just came to me,the purpose-driven influencer.
And I was like, oh wow, likethis is it.
(18:33):
This this is the idea.
This is this is the idea thatI've been waiting for for a long
time.
And I just remember praying andjust like asking God, like, like
I have a book in in me and Ihave an idea, but I just don't
want to write a book for thesake of writing a book.
I want to write a book, numberone, that's gonna help me, and
number two, that's gonna helpothers.
(18:55):
Um you know, there's abeautiful, there's a beautiful
quote that says, um, if there'sa book that you want to read,
but it hasn't been written yet,then you must be the one to
write it.
And and I created what I wishexisted in the world for me for
a very long time.
I looked for uh a like a guidefor influencers, but like
(19:20):
influencers like myself, who isa purpose-driven influencer, and
it didn't exist, and so Icreated what I needed, um, and
and that's how the idea cameabout.
SPEAKER_02 (19:32):
Cool.
So as you're thinking and you'resaying, okay, I I want to write
this, um, and you you say Godkind of gave you, you know, the
steps.
What do you think prepared youmost, you know, in your life's
journey to be able to writethis?
SPEAKER_01 (19:51):
I'm getting deep on it.
SPEAKER_00 (19:52):
Man, man, I mean, where do I where do I begin?
Um I think uh hardships oftencreate ordinary people for
extraordinary destinies.
And and I think for me, it'sjust it's been a culmination of
all the things that I've gonethrough.
It's the hardship, it's the it'sthe rock bottom, it's uh it's
(20:16):
the it's being raised by asingle mom, it's it's it's
fatherlessness, it's not havinguh strong male rop male route
models growing up.
Um it's uh it's it's it's thethe lack of belief in myself at
at certain points in my life.
It's uh not having a healthyself-esteem, not feeling worthy.
(20:40):
Um and I think when you when youmix all of those adversities,
right, it's it's that scene thatyour your mess becomes your
message.
Um and so I I always believethere's uh no test, no
testimony, and and no mess, nomessaging.
So when you mix everything, allof those things into the pot, I
(21:02):
think this is what you get.
This is what you get.
SPEAKER_02 (21:05):
Oh man, it's so so good.
I asked you this before theshow, but I like this is where I
stopped you and I said, youknow, we were thinking about you
know how many books you mighthave in you.
And it was a question that wasasked of me by by maybe a first
or second interview, and it's ithas stuck with me uh over the
over the over the years.
What you know, how how many doyou think now that you've
(21:27):
written one and you know theprocess and what it takes, uh,
how many more do you think youhave in you?
First, I was telling you aboutthe process of yeah, I was gonna
begin the yeah, I want you totell you the process.
SPEAKER_00 (21:42):
Yeah, I think any any creative process takes you
through a roller coaster ofemotions.
And I think I was telling youthis about you go from I can do
this to I'm confident to this isterrible to I'm terrible, I
suck, and and then and then yougo back to like, yeah, I can do
it.
Um, and so it's a roller coasterof emotions.
(22:04):
Um, but you learn so much aboutyou uh through that process.
And I think it's not it's notreally it's not really the
accomplishment of the book thatI'm proud of.
I think it's it's who I got tobecome in the process and what
I've learned about myself.
And would I would I do it again?
Yeah, I think I would do itagain.
(22:25):
I think uh this is probably notthe last one.
I I don't want to put a cap onit.
Um and but like I said, I wantto make sure that the message is
the right message, and I'm notjust doing things just to, you
know, I'm not writing anotherbook just to write another book,
but there there has to be somesort of message behind it.
SPEAKER_02 (22:46):
Yeah, oh my gosh, I just it's so cool.
I um when I was asked that quitewhen I was asked that question,
I wasn't as bright as Jimmy andsaying, Yeah, I think I have
more in me.
My my my response was uh this isgood enough.
This process took me through theemotional ringer, and I don't
(23:08):
know if I have it in me.
SPEAKER_00 (23:10):
Trust me, it it did that, it did that to me.
I there I there were plenty oftimes where I quit on this book,
you know, and and then part ofme was like, Man, I am why did I
tell people that I was writing abook?
Because then then you get youget those people, hey Jimmy, um
what happened to that book thatyou said you was working on?
And then now you feel this like,and you know, I'm a I'm a little
(23:32):
uh I have this uh about me.
I'm I'm a little competitivewith myself.
And so part of me is like, okay,all right, I I I I I gave you my
word that I sell it in my booknow.
I gotta I gotta follow through.
And so um part of that was justlike, well, I I put it out there
now.
I gotta I have to I have tofollow through.
(23:52):
So um yeah, it's uh it's abeautiful process.
Um and I think um if I can doit, anybody can do it.
And I think there are a lot ofpeople who have a message, and
not just a book, but it could beit could be to start a podcast,
it could be uh, you know, tomaybe write a movie or whatever
it is.
(24:12):
Um, you know, a journey of athousand miles begins with one
step.
And I would say to have towhoever's watching is that just
start the journey.
You don't have to be perfect.
Um, you know, uh, even when Iwas writing a book, what I
learned is that you know, youcan't write and critique
yourself at the same time.
Um because what that does is iterodes your confidence.
(24:34):
And so uh you think of yourselfas an artist, and you just some
days I had good writing days,some days I didn't.
Some days I was just throwingenough paint on the canvas to
say that I did something.
And um, you know, I remember mywife uh went on days I didn't
want to write, on days when Ifelt like days I didn't feel
like I had it in me in.
(24:54):
And I was just like, she said tome, just write two sentences.
That's it.
Just give me two sentencestoday.
I'm not saying to write aparagraph, just give me two
sentences today.
And as you know, you startwriting, you know, it's like
doing push-ups.
If someone dares you to do fivepush-ups, you're not gonna do
five push-ups, you're probablygonna end up doing 10, 20
push-ups, right?
(25:14):
Because you just once you start,you just keep going.
And and once I started puttingmy fingertips on that laptop,
you know, the words begin toflow, and then all of a sudden I
had, you know, three paragraphs.
And so, um, so whoever, whoeveris in this creative process of
of making your art, just start,you know, every single day.
(25:35):
It doesn't have to be amasterpiece, it could just be
one thing that moves you forwardto get to the end of that goal.
SPEAKER_02 (25:41):
Oh my gosh, so so true.
And I I remember the the weightthat was lifted once I saw my
book on the shelf, you know, andI was the I was a special ed kid
that was told that I wasn'tgonna mount to anything and that
I wasn't going to be able to.
So to write, you know,dissertation is one thing,
right?
There's like it's gonna sit on ashelf forever, nobody will ever
(26:02):
read it.
Yeah, you know, but when youwrite a book that is for the
everyday person uh to be able todo it, and then it gets put onto
the shelf, and you're going,wait a minute, this is this is
really cool.
That weight was lifted off.
And so now my writing processinvolved because the technology
caught up with my brain, right?
(26:22):
So now instead of me trying, youknow, the person who got a D
minus in typing, and that was agift, you know, back in the day
to get that the D minus, I cannow speak to my computer and I
can talk.
And I I wrote my entire booktalking to the computer, not
having to do a keyboard, notable to do any of that.
(26:44):
And so since my first one cameout, I'm now on I just finished
book four a week ago.
It's uh one coming out at theend of this month, and it's like
this is this.
I don't I when I said I don'thave another book in me, I
didn't think I did, and nowthree books after that, they're
just coming out and flowing, butit's because of chat GBT and
(27:07):
technology and stuff like thatthat can do what everybody else
told me I wasn't capable of.
And so for those of you, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (27:17):
No, I was gonna say I I identify with you and you
you're talking about being aspecial ed kid and and the
struggles of of of school andnow look look who look who you
have become, right?
And like I struggled in schoolas well, too.
Um, you know, I was left back inthe third grade and uh I ended
(27:38):
up uh having to drop out of highschool um and managed to get my
GD, managed to go to college,but I had a lot of struggles.
I had a lot of struggles withwith school.
I at one point I I didn't thinkthat I was I was I was smart.
And because of that limitingbelief, I think a lot of that
held me back in my life and alsotoo held me back from pursuing a
(28:01):
lot of my dreams.
And so now as we fast forward,I'm I'm an author, it's uh it's
so gratifying and um sofulfilling, but it's just a
reminder to myself that youknow, regardless of what
happened in your past and yourbackground may have played a
role in who you are, but it itdoesn't have a say on who you
(28:23):
can become.
SPEAKER_02 (28:24):
Oh my gosh, you were saying like all the like so um
the reason I started doingpodcasts and making sure, and
now that I coach and teachpeople how to do podcasts is for
that exact reason, is becauseall the things that it gives
you, you know.
I I don't know if you've everheard this because you're on a
podcast with you, but eight outof ten people who start a
(28:47):
podcast never get to 10episodes.
Wow, and you go, wait a minute,there's all these things that
podcasts can do, whether you,you know, everybody wants a
hundred thousand listeners oryou know, the whole world
watching and wants to be famous,but there's so many ancillary
things that it can do.
Like, I'll ask you this whathave you ever done in your life
(29:09):
that you've been really good at,or just kind of good at, or just
plain good at that you only did10 times?
Nothing, it ain't nothing youdid, you only did 10 times, you
can't hire you and be good ashigh, right?
(29:29):
And so, why do people quit soquickly expecting these results
to happen and not real becauseuh there's a guy named Myron
Golden always talks about uh allwork works, and it might not be
working for you, but it'sworking on you, yeah.
And so to do what you did andwrite a book, yeah, that whole
(29:52):
process worked on you.
Now it's gonna start working foryou because it's gonna be
published and you're gonna makesome money and it's gonna sell
and all those wonderful things.
But think about all the thingsthat it worked on you to become
the person that you are rightnow as a result of writing it.
All the stops, all the starts,all the non-belief, all the
belief, all the things that youget to the finish.
(30:13):
Well, imagine that for all thesefolks that we're talking to
today in their lives that arebelieving they're not enough or
believing that they can't.
You know, could you be if if youonly had 10 days with your kid,
would you be a good dad?
SPEAKER_00 (30:29):
Absolutely not.
Yeah, and I and I and this andthis is what I talk about also
in the book is that the processof becoming a purpose-driven
influencer.
SPEAKER_01 (30:42):
Yes.
SPEAKER_00 (30:43):
We live in uh we live in a microwave society
where uh you know the day thatyou open up an account, an
Instagram account or socialmedia account, and you give
yourself the title influencer,it immediately means that you're
supposed to have a millionfollowers and a million
subscribers, right?
Uh like but influence is issomething that is uh it's
(31:06):
something that is um it's earnedover time, it's something that
you build, and uh we can't fasttrack our destiny.
Um, you know, and you know, uhyou can you can buy fake
followers, right?
SPEAKER_01 (31:20):
Of course, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (31:21):
Right?
But guess what?
Fake followers means equals fakeinfluence.
SPEAKER_01 (31:25):
Yep.
SPEAKER_00 (31:27):
Right?
And and so you cannot fast trackthis this this process of of
influence and and leadership,and um, and and it's it's a
day-to-day thing.
And um, and this is what I and II speak about that in in the
book, it's a it's a process.
The man, the man on the mountaindidn't land on the mountain,
right?
He had to climb.
And I think it's the same waywith influence, right?
(31:47):
If we're gonna become who wewere created to be, if our
influence is gonna get to whereit's gonna be, then we're gonna
have to make peace the fact thatwe're gonna have to climb that
mountain.
SPEAKER_02 (31:57):
Can you help me to define, you know, because it's
the per purpose-driveninfluencer, yeah.
And sometimes I think westruggle what it means to be an
influencer.
When I think of our youngergeneration and they say, Well, I
want to be an influencer, whatwhat does that mean?
And how do we define that in away that it could be something
(32:19):
that we strive for?
SPEAKER_00 (32:22):
Man, I think um I think when people when people
say they want to be aninfluencer, I don't I don't even
think they understand what thatactually means.
Um, what kind of influence, whatkind of influence do you want to
be?
Right?
It's it's it's why I call myselfthe purpose-driven influencer.
(32:43):
Because I'm not just aninfluencer, I'm not an
influencer for the sake ofhaving influence.
I don't believe in havinginfluence for the sake of having
influence.
Um, and and you know, there's athere's a saying in the in the
book where I go, you know, many,many, many influences are
called, but but few have chosenthe path of purpose.
Uh and and and so the the callto be a purpose-driven influence
(33:05):
is out there.
The invitation is out there.
So if you want to come over onthis side, you can.
This is the side where it'sthere's more fulfillment in this
side, there's uh there's morepeace on this side, there's more
identity on this side.
Because if you just want to sayI want to be an influencer,
sometimes that just means I wantto be seen.
SPEAKER_02 (33:23):
Yes, seen and heard.
SPEAKER_00 (33:25):
And that's I want to Yeah, I want to be, I want to be
seen, I want to be popular.
Uh, I want to be I want to bethe person that is known that
that drives all the the luxurycars and go on on the exotic
trips, and I want to post it,and I I want to get as much
subscribers and views and andlook at me and look at you know,
(33:45):
I'm cool, but but at the end ofthe day, how is that edifying?
Right?
How is that helping anybody?
And so uh the purpose-driveninfluencer is someone who just
has a a uh a higher purpose, um,and they're grounded in
something much deeper.
Um, and that's and that's andthat's the separation, and
(34:06):
that's the difference betweensomeone who's just an influencer
for the sake of having influenceand someone who's driven by a
higher purpose.
SPEAKER_02 (34:15):
Thank you for sharing that because you know, I
I talked to some people thatwant to go viral, right?
Show me how to create a videothat goes viral.
I'm gonna you know, I'm gonna dosome entertainment there, I'm
gonna do something stupid, likejump off the roof into you know,
into sand and get myself hurtand stuff like that.
And then go, well, but then I'llbe an influencer.
No, you'll just be a person whocreated an entertaining video
(34:37):
doing something stupid, andpossibly a person who got hurt,
yes.
Oh my gosh, and so uh like JohnMaxwell wrote in one of his
books, he said, we talked aboutleadership.
He said, if you're a leader andthere's no one following you,
you're only taking a walk, youknow, and so I love that thought
(34:58):
process because I think peoplebelieve that being an influencer
means that you're persuadingsomebody to persuade somebody to
do something or coaxing somebodyinto doing something that they
might not normally do, and soyou now influence them to do
something, and like you said, Ithink they got that backwards
because I don't think you get todeclare yourself an influencer,
(35:20):
I think you go out and serve andhelp people, you know, yeah,
they're influenced by whatyou're doing, absolutely not
necessarily by what you'resaying.
SPEAKER_00 (35:29):
I mean, am I right in that or yeah, but I also
think that um influence isreally not about just being
online, it's it's every day,it's every single day.
And so when I had to I had tomake this shift in my mind
because growing up, right, youknow, even before I knew what
(35:51):
the word influencer meant, likeinfluence was modeled to me, you
know, like my grandmother wasthe first influencer I knew,
right?
But she didn't have social mediaback then, right?
It's just that her, she allowedher kindness and her generosity
and how she treated people, shelet that do the talking, right?
(36:14):
It was you know, no one wasgiving her likes or no one was
saying, you know, uh, I'm gonnafollow you and I'm gonna I want
to be one of your subscribers.
No, because your greatestinfluence is how who are you
offline?
And for me, my focus, my focusis like, who am I offline when
nobody is watching?
(36:35):
Right?
And I think every single daythere are plenty of
opportunities for us to beinfluential, right?
Every day you walk by thatperson on your job that you know
they're a little down and out,right?
And you can tell they probablyneed a little pep talk, a little
encouragement, but you ignoreit, right?
But then you get on socialmedia, right, and you want to
(36:56):
spread the good vibes.
Yeah, come on, every day you'regiven these opportunities uh to
be influential, and so for me, II try to focus on who I am
offline rather than who I amonline, and if I can if I can be
better off stage than I am onstage, that's that's what it's
all about, man.
SPEAKER_02 (37:16):
Yeah, well, yes, but when you start thinking about
and and then you know, in intheir title is the word purpose,
yeah.
And the question that I love toask is I, you know, the podcast
that I have is called LivingBoldly with Purpose, you know,
and so when I think about theword purpose, I love to ask, can
you live in purpose and notserve others?
(37:37):
And maybe you can answer that asyou you know think about a
purpose-driven influencer,because I want to be an
influencer, right?
But I really don't like people,I don't want to serve people.
Can you live in purpose withoutserving others?
Maybe you can answer that yourbest way you can.
SPEAKER_00 (37:53):
Can you live in purpose without serving others?
Absolutely not.
Um, you know, this is abeautiful quote by John C.
Maxwell is where he talks aboutum significance.
You know, significance is whenum success is when you add value
to yourself, but significance iswhen you add value to others.
Um if you're not doing stuff forothers, then what's life has no
(38:16):
meaning.
And I think that you're uh Ithink the word purpose uh also
gets a uh there's amisconception about it.
It feels like a heavy word.
Um but we're always servingothers.
And that could be in your job,that could be in the home as a
(38:38):
husband, uh, as a wife.
Um, and so you're always you'realways serving somebody.
Now you may not enjoy serving,right?
You might be doing it upset,right?
You might be that waiter, thewaitress in the restaurant.
You don't really like being awaiter or waitress, but you're
you're just doing the job, butyou're actually serving.
Um, and so I don't think you canlive in purpose uh and not serve
(39:02):
others, um, because we're alwaysresponsible for the people that
that are in our lodge in someway, somehow.
SPEAKER_02 (39:10):
When I think about your title and you know, maybe
how people will take it whenthey first hear it, the
purpose-driven influencer.
Well, my purpose is to influenceothers when the reality is your
purpose is to do what God putyou on this earth to do, and
therefore influence peoplethrough that.
Am I correct in that?
(39:30):
Is that kind of what you talkabout in the book a little bit?
SPEAKER_00 (39:34):
Absolutely absolutely.
I think for me, um, and thatjust even goes to identity.
I think um, you know, um myfaith is my faith is the fuel
behind my purpose.
Um I have purpose because of myconnection to to God, right?
(39:56):
To the Creator.
Um, and and I think um God'sgift to us is our potential, and
our gift back to God isdeveloping it.
And and knowing that I've beenblessed with so much potential.
Potential that I I haven't eventapped into.
(40:21):
There's a uh there's alwaysgonna be that thing that uh that
speaks to you, that tells youthat you were created for more.
And even and even in the momentswhen I was off purpose, right,
purpose will always show up inmy face, right?
It's and even the moments whereI was discouraged, right?
(40:42):
I would find myself encouragingpeople.
I'm like, hold up, like I needthis right now.
And so, you know, my faith hasplayed a big role in in why I
have purpose.
This is the reason why I havepurpose, and so um, yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (40:57):
Yeah, so it kind of reminds me of like some of the
goals, you know.
And I think my my mind shift ischanged on on goals because kind
of like what you're talkingabout is is you do the work and
then God does the rest becauseyou can't control some of those
(41:18):
outcomes.
And a lot of the times, at leastin my early career, I would you
only tell set this smart goal orset this goal, and I would say,
so let's say my goal is to havea hundred thousand people watch
our podcast.
Yeah, there's nothing I canpossibly do to control that,
yeah.
Whether people decide to watchit or not, right?
I can have a goal to do theactivity and serve others and
(41:40):
make a great podcast and have awonderful conversation with you.
And if that decides to make ahundred thousand listeners, it
does.
If it doesn't, that's not what Icontrol.
So my goal shouldn't be allthese outcomes that I can't
control because then I'm reallynot living in my purpose.
I mean, am I am I hitting that?
SPEAKER_00 (42:00):
No, the goal, the goal, the goal shouldn't be the
outcome, the goal should be yourintention.
Oh, nice.
Okay, right.
Like, what is my intention?
My intention is to serve and tobe impactful.
Now, out of that, if you get ahundred thousand people, right?
That's such a blessing, that'samazing.
(42:21):
But the intention should be theintention should always be how
can I serve, how can I helpothers, how can I be impactful?
And out of that, if the 100,000comes, then you know that's
great.
SPEAKER_02 (42:38):
But Jimmy, you say that's easy, but how do I really
truly live an intention?
How do how do I do that?
How do I wake up every morningliving an intention and not in
serving myself or trying toreach my own goals?
Or what do you have to do?
SPEAKER_00 (42:51):
It's it's it's it's an everyday process, it's not a
one-time thing.
I'm constantly recalibrating myfocus.
I'm constantly like, you know,even with the book, like I want
it to do so good, like I reallydo.
I want it to do good, right?
But I have to I have to groundmyself in the intention of this
(43:13):
is about being impactful, it'sabout making a difference.
And um and every day, and andthis is why this is why I'm so I
tell people make sure that yourbiggest influence is offline
because because I'm gonna giveyou an example, social media,
(43:37):
right?
You can see you can postsomething, right?
And you can probably get, Idon't know, probably get 15
likes on something, right?
But then you get 300 people thatviewed it.
So 300 people viewed it, but youonly got 15 likes, right?
(44:00):
Why didn't all those 300 peoplewhy why they didn't like it?
So you know, more people, morepeople are watching than they're
liking.
And if you start allowing yourum allowing your self-esteem and
your identity and yourself-worth to get caught up in
the numbers, right?
You're never gonna be, you'renever gonna be all that's gonna
(44:23):
take you off purpose.
And so I just try to make surethat I'm impacting the people,
the everyday people that I see.
And so I'm and so to answer yourquestion, I'm always
recalibrating my focus uh tomake sure that like I'm grounded
in what I'm supposed to bedoing.
SPEAKER_02 (44:42):
Yeah, because it's and I love the fact that you're
saying about being offline, andyou know, like they say the
integrity is the person you arewhen no one's looking.
SPEAKER_00 (44:54):
Absolutely.
SPEAKER_02 (44:54):
Maybe walk us through um some of the things
that are part of your dailyroutine that help you stay
grounded every day that you wakeup, and none of us are perfect
at it, right?
Because we all we're all humanand we're all got a long way to
go.
Uh, but what are some of thethings that you do uh to make
sure that you're what you feellike you're doing is right?
unknown (45:17):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (45:18):
Well, I think number one is um you gotta stay
connected, you gotta stayconnected to the source.
Um, and so for me, that's that'sthe that's beginning the day
with prayer, stillness, uh,meditation, um, and uh it's
(45:38):
setting an attention for theday.
And sometimes my my prayers isjust simple.
You know, use me, God, use me,use me, use me for a purpose
that is uh yeah, yeah.
It's it's it's use me.
Use me, use me for a purposethat is greater than myself,
because I know for me that whenI'm when I'm being used, that's
(46:03):
that's when I'm I'm the mostjoyful.
That's when I'm the most alive,that's when I'm the I'm the most
fulfilled.
That is when I know that like,okay, yeah, this is this is why
I'm here.
This is the reason why I'm here,you know.
And you know, quick story.
The other day I got in a I gotin an Uber, and um there was
this uh this guy, uh he's anactor, and um and we connected
(46:29):
and we followed each other onInstagram, and he was telling
me, you know, that he's gettingmarried and uh he's engaged, and
I'm like, man, you should do it.
This is gonna be the bestdecision of your life.
And uh and um I haven't seen himin a long time because we just
connected on Instagram, but Icalled an Uber not too long ago
and he picks me up.
He picks me up again.
(46:50):
Yeah, the same same guy, awesomedude.
Uh his name is Jason, by theway.
And um and as we're uh talkingand and we're talking about his
story, and but there's somethingthat just felt inside of me to
encourage him.
And I told him, I said, heyJason, I don't know, man, but
(47:10):
just there's something to tellme that I just want you, man, to
keep going.
And I know I know you're doingyour acting thing, and you're
but also too, you're you'reyou're driving Uber, like you're
you're you're you're doing thisto support yourself.
And I just want you to know thatjust because you're doing what
you have to do, so you can dowhat you want to do, does not
(47:31):
make you not legit with thecraft of being an actor and uh
your you know your real purpose.
And and then so as we got offthe car, as we were about to,
he's about to drop me off, therewas just something that said to
me, you know, let's just pray.
And so, hey man, so I just Ijust prayed with him, and it was
(47:53):
just such a powerful moment.
We're both crying in the car,and um and then he looked at me,
turned around, and he said, Youhave no idea how much I needed
that.
You have no idea how much Ineeded that and how impactful
that was for me.
And we exchanged numbers and nowwe're connected.
But um, and as I got and as Igot off, I got off the car, I
(48:17):
was like, that's what being apurpose-driven influence is all
about.
That's it.
That is, I said, that ispurpose, and no one saw that,
right?
There's no likes, there's nocomments, there's no fan fear,
right?
There's no, you know, that isthat is purpose, and that felt
(48:39):
so good to be used, and to be avessel, to be used uh like that,
and and to just meet someonewhere they are, and to be able
to be a vessel, uh, and to givethem what they needed.
And so that's it.
That's that's it right there.
And so, and that was my prayer,you know, before I left the
house.
(48:59):
The prayer, the prayer, and theintention was like, use me
today, like I, you know, use me,right?
And so, so then get into Uberand then you have this
experience, you're like, that'sit, that's it.
SPEAKER_02 (49:12):
And I love that because you know you don't have
to be an author, you don't haveto be a podcaster, you don't you
don't have to be an influencer,you don't to just say use me.
Yeah, you don't write, and thenand then and then be used,
right?
I mean it's yeah, yeah, forsure.
SPEAKER_00 (49:30):
It could be it could be in your marriage, it could be
it could be, it could be single,it could be literally anything.
And um and and and that's andthat's the message that I'm
trying to get across is that youdon't need a big platform to
have a big purpose.
All you need is a big heart.
That's it, that's all that'srequired.
SPEAKER_02 (49:53):
I want to jump back a little bit, and this will
probably be, you know, I'm gonnagive you an opportunity to kind
of talk about what we didn'ttalk about.
But I jump back into your story,and you talked about when I
think about health, and I thinkabout what it takes to be
healthy, because one of thethings it's it's hard to, I'm
not saying you can't be used byGod, but if you're not doing
(50:14):
well and you're not and you'restruggling to get up, you're
struggling to do stuff, it seemsto be a little bit harder.
And you talk about, you know, asblack men, we very rarely will
go to the doctor even for highblood pressure, let alone from
something called therapy.
Like I go to I go to thebarbershop for therapy.
(50:35):
He's talking about what that hasdone to help you to be able to
be used.
SPEAKER_00 (50:43):
Well, um, you can't do well if you don't feel well,
right?
Um, so I think just health isn'tis very important, it's uh it's
vital uh to your purpose.
Um, and like you said, a lot ofblack men, they you know, they
don't want to go to the doctor.
It's like you have to be in somesort of excruciating pain to
(51:06):
actually go to the doctor.
Me, listen, I will go to thedoctor for any single thing.
You can ask my wife, I'm like,oh my God, like, yeah, why am I
feeling this?
I'm like, uh, I gotta go tourgent care right now, or I'm
I'm going to the emergency room,like just in case, you know, and
then I and then because I'drather have the peace because I
(51:28):
think when you were responsiblefor the lives of others as a
husband, and you know that thereare people that are counting on
you, and you know, you want toyou want to be there, you want
to have longevity.
So health is is part of mypurpose, it's not I see it as
part of my purpose.
I don't see it separate uh frommy purpose.
SPEAKER_02 (51:48):
Wow, thank you.
Thank you for sharing thatbecause you know so many of us
are just hey, I'm not gonna go,I'm not me.
SPEAKER_00 (51:55):
Oh, I'm going.
I'm going.
SPEAKER_02 (52:00):
Well, thank I thank you for all you share with me.
I've been really selfish inasking all the questions I
wanted to know.
Is there anything that youwanted to make sure that we
talked about today, whether it'syour book or other things that
you're doing or websites orwhatever that you would like to
share with folks, uh, that wedidn't get to?
SPEAKER_00 (52:17):
Yeah, I think we covered it.
I think we covered a lot.
Um you know, um this this thisconversation's been it's been
amazing.
Um you know, I I just I justwant people at the end of the
day to know that you don't haveto have all the bells and
(52:40):
whistles to be influential.
All right.
If if if you feel you're a callto do something, there's a dream
and there's a goal on yourheart, and put your message out
there.
Put your message out there.
Um you're probably not gonna geta lot of people clapping for
you.
(53:00):
That's okay.
Do it anyway.
Um I remember when I firstopened up a uh a social media
account on Instagram, and I hadno followers, and it was just it
was just my wife, and uh and shewas liking everything and
commenting on everything andjust celebrating, and and it was
(53:21):
just one follower, man.
And but the journey begins withone.
Yeah, it begins with one, and ifyou just have one, and then and
then one becomes two, and thenit becomes three.
And I want you to show up forthose people just as if you were
showing for you were showing upfor a million.
Um and so, and and that's whatbeing a purpose-driven influence
(53:46):
is all about.
That's what it's all about, man.
SPEAKER_02 (53:49):
Oh, that's so good.
I I remember getting started,and I would like put something
up and I go ask my wife, did yousee it?
She's like, No, yeah, like putyou on social media all day.
I'll get to it.
A year later, she's finallystarting to like something, and
like, oh my gosh.
Oh, it's so neat.
But I just love the fact that uhyou not only have you written
(54:12):
the book, you know,purpose-driven influencer, uh,
but you're you're walking thewalk and you're talking about
you.
It's not, this isn't somethingthat you said, I'm just writing
a book to write a book so that Ican be an influencer so that
somebody will notice that I'malive.
You actually wrote it because uhyou wanted to help others and
you wanted to help others findtheir spot.
(54:34):
Uh and so I should appreciateyou.
And I hope I I've started acommunity, it'll it'll launch
probably, you know, if I don'tknow when you're watching this,
so it might have alreadylaunched by the time uh that
it's done.
Uh, but it's called Become thePerson Becoming the Person
Universe, and it's gonna be forfolks like you to talk to people
and to hopefully we'll do you'lldo a book club.
(54:55):
Or, you know, I I'm excitedabout some of the authors that
were will come on there and talkabout their books and do a book
club and walk through it.
And so uh if you haven't gonethere yet, go it, go check it
out.
Uh, if you are for the firsttime and this is the first
episode that you've everwatched, uh, I would love for
you to hit subscribe and hit thenotification button, and all
those things uh that just showthat you want to be part of.
(55:17):
We have over 200 episodes now ofthe uh the Journey to Freedom
podcast, and uh there are somany cool episodes from people
that were in prison longer thanthey were supposed to be.
You know, like I had a gentlemanwho was in jail when the crime
was committed and he still spent19 years in prison.
I don't know how that worksbecause he couldn't have
(55:38):
committed the crime because hewas in jail when it happened,
and so from that to attorneysthat wanted to kill themselves
and rob banks, and you know,from you know, folks that are in
new edition and NBA players andNFL play, it's just been fun.
Uh, and then your everydaypeople that are just like Jimmy
that are going making adifference, that's it, one
(55:59):
person at a time, one person ata time, finding their voice.
Go ahead.
SPEAKER_00 (56:04):
No, I I was I was disagreeing with you, just one
person at a time.
SPEAKER_02 (56:09):
You said one person at a time that are going out
there and then being able tofind their voice, and that is so
so important for us is to say,you know what?
I guess I probably do havesomething to say.
I've been dreaming about it,I've been thinking about it.
It's been something I wake up atnight and you haven't been able
to take action.
Yeah, and when you see myself oryou see Jimmy, you go, wait a
(56:31):
minute.
SPEAKER_00 (56:31):
Yeah, and and and and also, Ryan, there are so
many people that are watchingour journey, you have no idea.
There people are watching,they're watching and they're
being inspired by you.
And you may not you may not getthe feedback, you may not get
the likes, you may not get theapplause, but someone's watching
your journey and they're beinginfluenced by you, and and
(56:52):
that's why you have to keepgoing.
And they're inspired, they'reinspired.
There are so many people, youknow how many.
I sometimes I'll I'll get acomment and and uh and and what
I did was uh I started umcreating a uh folder in my
phone, and I and I call thatfolder, folder, I speak about
this in the book, is artifactsof purpose.
(57:14):
And so every time someone sendsme like a DM like encouragement,
oh my god, Jimmy, I I I neededthat message, that post.
It spoke to me so much.
What I would do, I will take ascreenshot of it, right?
And I would add it to thefolder.
And on days when I felt like Iwas uh, you know, that I wasn't
doing enough, or I felt like uh,you know, I'm just another voice
(57:36):
out there, I would go back tothat folder and I would remind
myself, look at all those peoplewho told you that you helped
them.
And this is why you, and this iswhy you, and this is why you
have to keep going.
And so someone is watching yourjourney, and whoever out there
is, like I said, you may have 10followers or five or whatever,
(57:56):
but someone right on socialmedia is watching your journey,
someone offline is watching yourjourney, your family are are
inspired by you.
Um, and you just gotta keep youjust gotta keep going.
You gotta keep going.
SPEAKER_02 (58:10):
Yeah, you said at the beginning of the you know
the show, I think it was when wewere talking before the show,
and you said if we affect thelife of one person, yeah, we've
done our job for it.
We've done our job.
And so you because you neverknow, you don't know who God has
placed in your path.
Absolutely.
And if you're ready to receiveit, if you're ready to act, if
you're ready to have that voiceinto and that's the that's the
(58:32):
true influence.
SPEAKER_00 (58:33):
Yeah, yeah, because influence, yeah, influence is
not is not it's not measured inmillions, it's measured in me,
it's measured in meaning.
Yeah, oh my gosh, so so cool.
SPEAKER_02 (58:43):
Well, I hope this is not a laugh conversation.
I look forward to many more inthe future.
Uh you know, too, my friends.
The amazing people that havebeen, you know, part of the
journey to freedom and now partof my life.
And if I would say you'vestarted podcast just because you
get to network with some amazingpeople, it's worth every sec out
of.
If not one person watches yourpodcast, but you do not have
(59:06):
this network of amazing people,uh, then it's it's worth the
opportunity to do it.
And so uh thank you for being ontoday.
Thank you for for just talkingabout your book.
The book is uh live apurpose-driven influencer.
Go out.
Yeah, uh, I think it comes outSeptember 30th, right?
SPEAKER_00 (59:23):
Yeah, it's it's what it's it's available right now
for pre-sale and it's out onSeptember 13th, September 30th.
SPEAKER_02 (59:29):
September 30th.
All right, so I can't wait toread it.
Uh, do you have one finalthought before we end tonight?
SPEAKER_00 (59:36):
Um what would my final thought be?
The final thought would be is goout there and make a difference
in someone's life.
It's you it could be one, itcould be two people, like
whatever it is, like you havethe ability to make a
difference, and your messagematters, you're worthy of your
(59:59):
dream.
Worthy of your goals.
Go out there and make it happenbecause if you don't do it,
you're robbing the world of theopportunity to experience your
greatness.
SPEAKER_02 (01:00:11):
I love that.
Robbing the world of theexperience of your greatness.
All right, you guys have awonderful day.
Don't forget your God's greatestgift.
He loves you if you allow himto.
And we'll look forward totalking to you on the next one.
Talk to you soon.
All right, all right, all right.
How are you all doing today?
I can't wait to have uh thisconversation.
Uh I am so excited today.
I have uh Jimmy Dean on today.
Or not Jimmy Dean, that would belike sausage.
SPEAKER_00 (00:29):
You're Jimmy.
Listen, no hum, no hum.
I've gotten that before.
It's okay.
It's okay.
SPEAKER_01 (00:38):
Oh my gosh, and I don't even need pork people.
So funny.
Oh, I apologize.
SPEAKER_00 (00:45):
Oh, that's hilarious.
SPEAKER_01 (00:47):
Oh, the number one thing that's a good ice.
SPEAKER_00 (00:50):
That's a good icebreaker, man.
SPEAKER_01 (00:51):
That's a good icebreaker.
SPEAKER_00 (00:53):
I love it.
I love it.
SPEAKER_02 (00:54):
Yeah, it's like we're we're taught like I have a
degree in communications, andone of the number one things
that they always say is makesure you, you know, the number
one peep thing people want tohear is their name.
And then I go call you thisother dude that I don't know
when he was born and how he madeall the stuff that he made and
so that was so fun.
I am so excited today, uh,because it's not all the time
(01:18):
that you get to talk to a fellowfell, a fellow author or
somebody who's done uh, but whenI look at you know, the we've
done uh a little over 220journey to freedom episodes, and
then I have one called LivingBoldly with Purpose, which is
another reason because your youryour uh book talks about
purpose.
Uh and so, like the livingboldly with purpose is the
(01:38):
overarching, and then I startedthe journey to freedom uh
because I wanted to to talk withblack men and to figure out
okay, what is it that is keepingus stuck or keeping us going or
what you know, just successfulstories of black men doing what
it takes to win in this life.
And so last year, I don't know,I was able to take 18 uh men
(02:00):
down to Alabama for a civilrights tour to kind of start
talking about, okay, here is ourpast, here's where we're going,
you know, and then now how doyou fit into that?
And then to have somebody elsewho then writes and talks about
purpose and talks about this uhis just so exciting a show to
have, uh, because I thinkthere's so many things that we
(02:22):
can at least talk about in theworld.
And if if the audience, uh andthe audience is every, you know,
everybody and anybody who'swilling to listen, but if there
is like young black men who aresaying, you know, I don't know,
I need to see somebody.
Now, I for me, you know, I Ialways say, well, it doesn't
matter, you know.
To me, you know, it doesn'tmatter.
I didn't need to see anybody,you know.
(02:42):
But then what I found like thereason I actually started
Journey to Freedom, so I went tothis seminar and it was really
good.
It was about trust.
And it was I was in Minnesota,and there's 500 people in the
room, and there's like 30 folksof color in the room.
And I'm wondering, like, why arewe not getting this information?
If if there's folks that have anissue with trust, it is our
(03:04):
folks, it is our community.
And so I go to this, and so uh Isaid, Well, I never I don't
care, but I just told youthere's there was 30 of us that
were in the room, right?
That means that I'm counting,and if I'm counting when I go
into rooms, I guess it matters alittle bit, and I've had that
realization that I always countwhen I'm in these rooms, and
(03:25):
it's you know, it's not thatit's uh it matters or I'm not
getting good information, but itis there is a part of me that
says, This is my community,these are my folks, these are
the people that I grew up with,these are the people that I see
struggle, you know.
When we watch a roots or watch,you know, uh Amistad or
(03:47):
something like that, it almostfeels like hey, this is our
ancestors, these are the peoplethat built our country and and
the people on the backs of thecountry, and there's just
something that's special uh whenwe find folks of color that are
doing stuff.
And so what I found is there'stons of us, and we just don't
highlight highlight all theissues, we highlight the dads
(04:10):
that aren't real good dads,yeah, or the dads that are
struggled or whatever it is, wehighlight you know the
entertainers or the athletesthat mess up, and we don't
highlight just the everydaypeople who are making it work
and changing the community in ahuge way.
So, so Jimmy, thank you forbeing on.
Thank you for just if that's allI said, and we were to shut this
(04:33):
down now, there would be no,we're not gonna do that because
I want you to tell your story.
I want you you came to thisplanet somehow, and you know you
weren't born at the age you arenow, so you went through some
things in your life, and so I'dlove to hear about it, and so
we'll start there, and thenafter that, oh my gosh, I can't
wait to chop it up with all theother things that we're gonna
(04:54):
talk about.
You are in a treat, you are infor a treat today, my friends.
All right, so Jimmy, the flooris yours.
Take it away.
SPEAKER_00 (05:01):
Well, Brian, um, first of all, I just want to say
thank you um for creating aspace where men can be
vulnerable, where we can tellour truth, when we can let it
all out and not feel ashamedabout our story, our history,
and the things that we've gonethrough.
And so, first I just want to saythank you, and I just want to
give you your flowers and honoryou for that.
(05:23):
Um a little bit about me.
My name is Jimmy Jean, um, bornand raised in Brooklyn, New
York.
I am a um I am a husband, I am afather, uh, was raised by a
single mom in Brooklyn, uh, andalso to by some powerful and
strong women in my life who uhwho helped me excel, who taught
(05:44):
me the importance of resilienceand and service and and giving
back.
And um for me, my now my missionis is to do the same for others.
I think whenever you wheneveryour life, when you've when
you've been poured into so much,I think you feel a sense of
responsibility to do that forothers.
And now for me, now my missionis really all about helping
(06:09):
people live with intention andmeaning.
And I know what it felt like togrow up and have and feel like
your life didn't have anypurpose.
And so now that I I feel likeI'm living on purpose, now I uh
I'm the messenger of purpose.
So uh so this is a little bitabout me.
SPEAKER_02 (06:30):
Oh my gosh, and so um I Brooklyn is just an
interesting city.
I've been there.
I have uh two two of my boys uhwere born in Brooklyn, or
they're born in Harlem Hospital,but they lived in Brooklyn uh
before we adopted.
SPEAKER_00 (06:48):
They were actually on the I was I was born in in
Killer County, uh as they usedto call this Kings County
Hospital, but they call itKiller County.
SPEAKER_02 (06:55):
Gotcha.
SPEAKER_00 (06:56):
Oh my god.
Obviously, obviously, I'm aliveand so I'm here, so we're good.
SPEAKER_02 (06:59):
So you're here, so they didn't include uh to move
forward.
Uh but you know, interestinglyenough, yeah.
I'd love to just even kind oftalk about your identity growing
up because you you only knewwhat what your family had,
right?
It's not like we all have allthese different, you know, oh
well, I you know, I didn't growup in this and I didn't grow up
(07:19):
that.
You just know who you are andyou make it work.
Yeah, but as you got older, tobe able to look back and reflect
on you said you talked aboutreally strong women that kind of
guided you in the responsibilitythat you felt.
Yeah, at what point did the restof the neighborhood or the other
kids that were part of yourschooling and that kind of stuff
(07:40):
that maybe didn't turn out aswell as you did, or what we
would, you know, you know, maybeinto the streets and stuff, what
kept you so grounded uh duringthis time as your identity was
shaped?
SPEAKER_00 (07:52):
Well, um, first of all, I'm I'm Haitian and uh I
got a lot of threats.
Uh a lot of threats.
If you don't, if you make sureyou don't, you know, like hit
the books and and and all sortsof things, but I'm only kidding.
But what kept me, what kept megrounded is um it's the people,
(08:12):
it's the community.
Um it's uh you know, I wasraised by a single mom, and so
you know, now as a parent, Irealize how much it takes to
raise just one kid.
So imagine a single mom raising,you know, I have uh I have two
sisters.
Imagine the responsibility thatcomes with that.
And so I think it's community.
For me, it's been my my aunt,it's been my grandmother, and
(08:36):
these two people who played apivotal role in help raising me,
um, and they keep me, they keptme safe.
You know, my mom was she wouldwake up four or five o'clock in
the morning and drive a taxi toprovide for us.
And, you know, and yeah, and soso when my mom was working and
(08:56):
grinding for us, just to just tokeep a roof over our head,
sometimes I will spend mysummers with my my aunt.
And and I would miss my mombecause you know she was she was
working so hard for us.
And but you know, just so it'sjust really community that
really helped uh ground me andand shape me and and poured so
(09:18):
much love into me.
And and I think that's just whyI am who I am today.
unknown (09:23):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (09:24):
Thank you for sharing that.
One of the things that I love toask black men, especially black
men who are parents, because youknow, one of the things, and
then you have the unique um youknow perspective of you know
being have being raised by asingle mom and then a community
that comes behind you, yeah.
(09:44):
And so we we talk so muchbecause I believe that every
child needs a dad, and I'm sureyou probably don't know too many
people who don't believe inthat, yeah.
But sometimes what we don't talkabout is what it means to be a
dad.
Like, how did that change yourexistence once you became a
parent and then you felt thisresponsibility different than
(10:05):
you know your upbringing becausethere wasn't that huge are you
trying to get are you trying toget me emotional, man?
SPEAKER_00 (10:11):
This is too early in the show.
Like, you know, like come on,man.
SPEAKER_02 (10:18):
You gotta know, man, because it's uh there's so many
people that I talk to on theshow and stuff that say I'm
doing everything I can to be adad.
You know, I mean, some of thethings, the hoops that we've had
to jump through, you know, tosee your child when when the
relationship doesn't go well, oryou know, the system isn't
(10:38):
geared towards dads being ableto be that, yeah, you know, and
it sounds like you have thisgreat relationship that you you
do have them with your kids, andyeah, you you you that's your
life and why you why you exist.
Yeah, so I just want to kind ofhear about it a little bit.
Yeah, so a little bit emotionand that's yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (10:54):
I you know, I you know, I you know, I remember
hearing this saying that it'sit's hard to be what you cannot
see, yeah.
But but I think it's not impit's it's not impossible.
And growing up growing growingwithout a dad, I think when I
had my son, there were a lot ofinsecurities that's that I
thought that I kind of dealtwith, be uh around manhood and
(11:16):
what it means to be a man.
And as soon as I found out thatmy wife was having a son, all
the trauma, all the stuff thatI've been, all the work that
I've done in therapy that Ithought, like, oh, I'm good now.
All of it came back to thesurface.
Is like, holy cow, I'm having ason.
(11:37):
How am I gonna raise a son whennever when someone never taught
me how to be a man?
And it frightened me.
There was so much fear, so muchanxiety.
And I said, I have to doubledown on therapy right now.
I have to, I have to double downin therapy to help me deal with
(11:58):
these emotions and this anxiety.
And so when my son came into theworld, I felt like what am I
what am I gonna do?
What am I what am I gonna teachhim?
And um and then as I startedjust doing the work, and I
realized all kids need is foryou to be present.
(12:19):
They want you to be present,right?
They won they want you to loveon them.
And so, you know, all thisnarrative that I created about
like and felt this pressure, itthat pressure started to go in
the way because and one of thethings that helped me, one one
day I took my uh my nephew uh tothe supermarket and and he said,
(12:42):
he said, Uncle Jimmy, can I canI can I pay for can I pay for uh
the uh I think I got him a toyor something, and and he wanted
my card.
And so I gave him the card andand as he's paying and we're
just playing around and we'rejust having so much fun, and it
just really like the realizationof what like parenthood and
(13:03):
fatherhood really mean, it'sjust it was just like being
present, being just having funwith him, like not taking life
too serious.
And so um I think just thatmoment just with him and being
present, it's just like that'sit, because that's what I wanted
as a kid, and so I get to I getto change the narrative uh about
what fatherhood, I get toredefine it.
(13:25):
And so for me, what I define asfatherhood now, which is like
being present with my son, uhloving him, being silly.
Um, and the great thing aboutbeing a father now and not
having is I got I get tosimultaneously heal my my inner
child.
That the the the little Jimmythat needed a hug, the little
(13:45):
Jimmy that needed his father tobe there, the little Jimmy that
needed someone to say, I'm proudof you.
Like, as I'm doing that with myson, um playing with my son and
being present with him, like Ifeel like I'm getting everything
that I didn't get uh as a child.
And it's crazy.
And you know, the other day thatum I just came back from uh
(14:08):
Tampa um speaking about my book,and um my wife, she uh uh she
had a cake waiting for me.
And and the next morning, youknow, my son, he was so excited,
and he was just saying, youknow, happy birthday, daddy.
It wasn't my birthday.
What he really was trying to sayis congratulations, but you
know, because because heconnected a birthday cake and in
(14:29):
in balloons to like birthday,yeah.
And and and just hear himsaying, Daddy, congratulations,
like I'm proud of you.
And he's a three-year-old, and Iwas like, that's it, that's all
I need, man.
That's all I need.
SPEAKER_02 (14:45):
Oh my gosh, it is so so so neat and so so cool.
I was I was just as you weretalking, and I'm I'm listening
and I'm reflecting back becausemy kids are grown now, and so
yeah, I I'm thinking like theproudest days or my my happiest,
joyous days were the days theywere born, uh, and then the days
that they graduated from highschool.
(15:05):
Like, whoo, we got to hear andwe made it, you know, through
that process.
And now, so I I used to be ateacher, so I've kept my
teaching credential, and I'llsubstitute, substitute, you
know, for my grandkidssometimes, and I won't let them
know, and I'll just show up atthe school, and just to be
present as you know, Papa justshowed.
(15:26):
Of course, they don't call me,you know, you know, doctor, you
know, they call me Dr.
BA, you know, when I'm Pops, Dr.
Pops.
Yeah, they they're like PapaPapa, now they're the hero of
their school, you know, and howmuch does that cost me?
You know, it's like sometimes wethink all this is necessary, the
toys I buy and the games that Ihave, and all those things, but
(15:48):
it's just yeah, you know, it'sit's just you like you said,
it's being present, you know,it's it there's all that other
stuff doesn't matter to them,you know, and we think it does,
and we you know, we think thatwe have to sometimes buy some of
that.
Uh, but I you know, my identityhas changed you over the years
that you know now that my oldestis what 37, so you know, and he
(16:12):
and he works for Pixar.
So I'm the I'm the I'm like theproudest, you know, dad in the
world.
My son works for you know that'sawesome.
Yeah, but because I'm adifferent person, because I
spent that time understanding Ineed to be present.
Now I didn't have to be likewhen they were playing little
(16:32):
league baseball and there's 67games in a you know in a season.
I don't need to be at all 67games because we got to eat, you
know.
But at the same time, you know,if I'm at some of them, most of
them, you know, uh that that'sall they care about.
They want to know that they cansay this is my dad.
So thank you so much for forjust sharing that.
(16:55):
I do want to talk about yourbook because you just mentioned
it.
And you know, if you can, uh,this is your first book.
And you know, before we were inthe green room and we were just
talking about what it means tobe an author, and I stopped
Jimmy.
I said, Jimmy, wait, let's let'shave this conversation as part
of this podcast.
So maybe just take me throughbefore we talk about the uh
(17:15):
inside of the book, let's talkabout the process.
Because you know, in order towrite a book, you have to start
feeling like you have somethingto say that somebody else would
want to read or somebody elsecould benefit from, you know,
because nobody just wants towrite a book, just that it
doesn't help anybody.
I guess there might be somebody,but I don't think you would sell
(17:38):
too many copies if you don'tthink that it's going to help
somebody.
Um, and so maybe kind of justwalk through your thought
process when you decided I'mgonna write a book.
SPEAKER_00 (17:50):
Yeah, well, I had a lot of ideas for books, all
right.
Like I started books, stopped.
Uh but this was I knew this wasthe one.
And I remember the day that theidea and the download of the
book came to me.
(18:10):
I was I came home one night anduh was in my living room, it's
pitch black, and and I was justI just sat there just in silent
and um just kind of thinkingabout life and like what are
some of my next steps, like whatI want to do.
And the idea just came to me,the purpose-driven influencer.
And I was like, oh wow, likethis is it.
(18:33):
This this is the idea.
This is this is the idea thatI've been waiting for for a long
time.
And I just remember praying andjust like asking God, like, like
I have a book in in me and Ihave an idea, but I just don't
want to write a book for thesake of writing a book.
I want to write a book, numberone, that's gonna help me, and
number two, that's gonna helpothers.
(18:55):
Um you know, there's abeautiful, there's a beautiful
quote that says, um, if there'sa book that you want to read,
but it hasn't been written yet,then you must be the one to
write it.
And and I created what I wishexisted in the world for me for
a very long time.
I looked for uh a like a guidefor influencers, but like
(19:20):
influencers like myself, who isa purpose-driven influencer, and
it didn't exist, and so Icreated what I needed, um, and
and that's how the idea cameabout.
SPEAKER_02 (19:32):
Cool.
So as you're thinking and you'resaying, okay, I I want to write
this, um, and you you say Godkind of gave you, you know, the
steps.
What do you think prepared youmost, you know, in your life's
journey to be able to writethis?
SPEAKER_01 (19:51):
I'm getting deep on it.
SPEAKER_00 (19:52):
Man, man, I mean, where do I where do I begin?
Um I think uh hardships oftencreate ordinary people for
extraordinary destinies.
And and I think for me, it'sjust it's been a culmination of
all the things that I've gonethrough.
It's the hardship, it's the it'sthe rock bottom, it's uh it's
(20:16):
the it's being raised by asingle mom, it's it's it's
fatherlessness, it's not havinguh strong male rop male route
models growing up.
Um it's uh it's it's it's thethe lack of belief in myself at
at certain points in my life.
It's uh not having a healthyself-esteem, not feeling worthy.
(20:40):
Um and I think when you when youmix all of those adversities,
right, it's it's that scene thatyour your mess becomes your
message.
Um and so I I always believethere's uh no test, no
testimony, and and no mess, nomessaging.
So when you mix everything, allof those things into the pot, I
(21:02):
think this is what you get.
This is what you get.
SPEAKER_02 (21:05):
Oh man, it's so so good.
I asked you this before theshow, but I like this is where I
stopped you and I said, youknow, we were thinking about you
know how many books you mighthave in you.
And it was a question that wasasked of me by by maybe a first
or second interview, and it's ithas stuck with me uh over the
over the over the years.
What you know, how how many doyou think now that you've
(21:27):
written one and you know theprocess and what it takes, uh,
how many more do you think youhave in you?
First, I was telling you aboutthe process of yeah, I was gonna
begin the yeah, I want you totell you the process.
SPEAKER_00 (21:42):
Yeah, I think any any creative process takes you
through a roller coaster ofemotions.
And I think I was telling youthis about you go from I can do
this to I'm confident to this isterrible to I'm terrible, I
suck, and and then and then yougo back to like, yeah, I can do
it.
Um, and so it's a roller coasterof emotions.
(22:04):
Um, but you learn so much aboutyou uh through that process.
And I think it's not it's notreally it's not really the
accomplishment of the book thatI'm proud of.
I think it's it's who I got tobecome in the process and what
I've learned about myself.
And would I would I do it again?
Yeah, I think I would do itagain.
(22:25):
I think uh this is probably notthe last one.
I I don't want to put a cap onit.
Um and but like I said, I wantto make sure that the message is
the right message, and I'm notjust doing things just to, you
know, I'm not writing anotherbook just to write another book,
but there there has to be somesort of message behind it.
SPEAKER_02 (22:46):
Yeah, oh my gosh, I just it's so cool.
I um when I was asked that quitewhen I was asked that question,
I wasn't as bright as Jimmy andsaying, Yeah, I think I have
more in me.
My my my response was uh this isgood enough.
This process took me through theemotional ringer, and I don't
(23:08):
know if I have it in me.
SPEAKER_00 (23:10):
Trust me, it it did that, it did that to me.
I there I there were plenty oftimes where I quit on this book,
you know, and and then part ofme was like, Man, I am why did I
tell people that I was writing abook?
Because then then you get youget those people, hey Jimmy, um
what happened to that book thatyou said you was working on?
And then now you feel this like,and you know, I'm a I'm a little
(23:32):
uh I have this uh about me.
I'm I'm a little competitivewith myself.
And so part of me is like, okay,all right, I I I I I gave you my
word that I sell it in my booknow.
I gotta I gotta follow through.
And so um part of that was justlike, well, I I put it out there
now.
I gotta I have to I have tofollow through.
(23:52):
So um yeah, it's uh it's abeautiful process.
Um and I think um if I can doit, anybody can do it.
And I think there are a lot ofpeople who have a message, and
not just a book, but it could beit could be to start a podcast,
it could be uh, you know, tomaybe write a movie or whatever
it is.
(24:12):
Um, you know, a journey of athousand miles begins with one
step.
And I would say to have towhoever's watching is that just
start the journey.
You don't have to be perfect.
Um, you know, uh, even when Iwas writing a book, what I
learned is that you know, youcan't write and critique
yourself at the same time.
Um because what that does is iterodes your confidence.
(24:34):
And so uh you think of yourselfas an artist, and you just some
days I had good writing days,some days I didn't.
Some days I was just throwingenough paint on the canvas to
say that I did something.
And um, you know, I remember mywife uh went on days I didn't
want to write, on days when Ifelt like days I didn't feel
like I had it in me in.
(24:54):
And I was just like, she said tome, just write two sentences.
That's it.
Just give me two sentencestoday.
I'm not saying to write aparagraph, just give me two
sentences today.
And as you know, you startwriting, you know, it's like
doing push-ups.
If someone dares you to do fivepush-ups, you're not gonna do
five push-ups, you're probablygonna end up doing 10, 20
push-ups, right?
(25:14):
Because you just once you start,you just keep going.
And and once I started puttingmy fingertips on that laptop,
you know, the words begin toflow, and then all of a sudden I
had, you know, three paragraphs.
And so, um, so whoever, whoeveris in this creative process of
of making your art, just start,you know, every single day.
(25:35):
It doesn't have to be amasterpiece, it could just be
one thing that moves you forwardto get to the end of that goal.
SPEAKER_02 (25:41):
Oh my gosh, so so true.
And I I remember the the weightthat was lifted once I saw my
book on the shelf, you know, andI was the I was a special ed kid
that was told that I wasn'tgonna mount to anything and that
I wasn't going to be able to.
So to write, you know,dissertation is one thing,
right?
There's like it's gonna sit on ashelf forever, nobody will ever
(26:02):
read it.
Yeah, you know, but when youwrite a book that is for the
everyday person uh to be able todo it, and then it gets put onto
the shelf, and you're going,wait a minute, this is this is
really cool.
That weight was lifted off.
And so now my writing processinvolved because the technology
caught up with my brain, right?
(26:22):
So now instead of me trying, youknow, the person who got a D
minus in typing, and that was agift, you know, back in the day
to get that the D minus, I cannow speak to my computer and I
can talk.
And I I wrote my entire booktalking to the computer, not
having to do a keyboard, notable to do any of that.
(26:44):
And so since my first one cameout, I'm now on I just finished
book four a week ago.
It's uh one coming out at theend of this month, and it's like
this is this.
I don't I when I said I don'thave another book in me, I
didn't think I did, and nowthree books after that, they're
just coming out and flowing, butit's because of chat GBT and
(27:07):
technology and stuff like thatthat can do what everybody else
told me I wasn't capable of.
And so for those of you, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (27:17):
No, I was gonna say I I identify with you and you
you're talking about being aspecial ed kid and and the
struggles of of of school andnow look look who look who you
have become, right?
And like I struggled in schoolas well, too.
Um, you know, I was left back inthe third grade and uh I ended
(27:38):
up uh having to drop out of highschool um and managed to get my
GD, managed to go to college,but I had a lot of struggles.
I had a lot of struggles withwith school.
I at one point I I didn't thinkthat I was I was I was smart.
And because of that limitingbelief, I think a lot of that
held me back in my life and alsotoo held me back from pursuing a
(28:01):
lot of my dreams.
And so now as we fast forward,I'm I'm an author, it's uh it's
so gratifying and um sofulfilling, but it's just a
reminder to myself that youknow, regardless of what
happened in your past and yourbackground may have played a
role in who you are, but it itdoesn't have a say on who you
(28:23):
can become.
SPEAKER_02 (28:24):
Oh my gosh, you were saying like all the like so um
the reason I started doingpodcasts and making sure, and
now that I coach and teachpeople how to do podcasts is for
that exact reason, is becauseall the things that it gives
you, you know.
I I don't know if you've everheard this because you're on a
podcast with you, but eight outof ten people who start a
(28:47):
podcast never get to 10episodes.
Wow, and you go, wait a minute,there's all these things that
podcasts can do, whether you,you know, everybody wants a
hundred thousand listeners oryou know, the whole world
watching and wants to be famous,but there's so many ancillary
things that it can do.
Like, I'll ask you this whathave you ever done in your life
(29:09):
that you've been really good at,or just kind of good at, or just
plain good at that you only did10 times?
Nothing, it ain't nothing youdid, you only did 10 times, you
can't hire you and be good ashigh, right?
(29:29):
And so, why do people quit soquickly expecting these results
to happen and not real becauseuh there's a guy named Myron
Golden always talks about uh allwork works, and it might not be
working for you, but it'sworking on you, yeah.
And so to do what you did andwrite a book, yeah, that whole
(29:52):
process worked on you.
Now it's gonna start working foryou because it's gonna be
published and you're gonna makesome money and it's gonna sell
and all those wonderful things.
But think about all the thingsthat it worked on you to become
the person that you are rightnow as a result of writing it.
All the stops, all the starts,all the non-belief, all the
belief, all the things that youget to the finish.
(30:13):
Well, imagine that for all thesefolks that we're talking to
today in their lives that arebelieving they're not enough or
believing that they can't.
You know, could you be if if youonly had 10 days with your kid,
would you be a good dad?
SPEAKER_00 (30:29):
Absolutely not.
Yeah, and I and I and this andthis is what I talk about also
in the book is that the processof becoming a purpose-driven
influencer.
SPEAKER_01 (30:42):
Yes.
SPEAKER_00 (30:43):
We live in uh we live in a microwave society
where uh you know the day thatyou open up an account, an
Instagram account or socialmedia account, and you give
yourself the title influencer,it immediately means that you're
supposed to have a millionfollowers and a million
subscribers, right?
Uh like but influence is issomething that is uh it's
(31:06):
something that is um it's earnedover time, it's something that
you build, and uh we can't fasttrack our destiny.
Um, you know, and you know, uhyou can you can buy fake
followers, right?
SPEAKER_01 (31:20):
Of course, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (31:21):
Right?
But guess what?
Fake followers means equals fakeinfluence.
SPEAKER_01 (31:25):
Yep.
SPEAKER_00 (31:27):
Right?
And and so you cannot fast trackthis this this process of of
influence and and leadership,and um, and and it's it's a
day-to-day thing.
And um, and this is what I and II speak about that in in the
book, it's a it's a process.
The man, the man on the mountaindidn't land on the mountain,
right?
He had to climb.
And I think it's the same waywith influence, right?
(31:47):
If we're gonna become who wewere created to be, if our
influence is gonna get to whereit's gonna be, then we're gonna
have to make peace the fact thatwe're gonna have to climb that
mountain.
SPEAKER_02 (31:57):
Can you help me to define, you know, because it's
the per purpose-driveninfluencer, yeah.
And sometimes I think westruggle what it means to be an
influencer.
When I think of our youngergeneration and they say, Well, I
want to be an influencer, whatwhat does that mean?
And how do we define that in away that it could be something
(32:19):
that we strive for?
SPEAKER_00 (32:22):
Man, I think um I think when people when people
say they want to be aninfluencer, I don't I don't even
think they understand what thatactually means.
Um, what kind of influence, whatkind of influence do you want to
be?
Right?
It's it's it's why I call myselfthe purpose-driven influencer.
(32:43):
Because I'm not just aninfluencer, I'm not an
influencer for the sake ofhaving influence.
I don't believe in havinginfluence for the sake of having
influence.
Um, and and you know, there's athere's a saying in the in the
book where I go, you know, many,many, many influences are
called, but but few have chosenthe path of purpose.
Uh and and and so the the callto be a purpose-driven influence
(33:05):
is out there.
The invitation is out there.
So if you want to come over onthis side, you can.
This is the side where it'sthere's more fulfillment in this
side, there's uh there's morepeace on this side, there's more
identity on this side.
Because if you just want to sayI want to be an influencer,
sometimes that just means I wantto be seen.
SPEAKER_02 (33:23):
Yes, seen and heard.
SPEAKER_00 (33:25):
And that's I want to Yeah, I want to be, I want to be
seen, I want to be popular.
Uh, I want to be I want to bethe person that is known that
that drives all the the luxurycars and go on on the exotic
trips, and I want to post it,and I I want to get as much
subscribers and views and andlook at me and look at you know,
(33:45):
I'm cool, but but at the end ofthe day, how is that edifying?
Right?
How is that helping anybody?
And so uh the purpose-driveninfluencer is someone who just
has a a uh a higher purpose, um,and they're grounded in
something much deeper.
Um, and that's and that's andthat's the separation, and
(34:06):
that's the difference betweensomeone who's just an influencer
for the sake of having influenceand someone who's driven by a
higher purpose.
SPEAKER_02 (34:15):
Thank you for sharing that because you know, I
I talked to some people thatwant to go viral, right?
Show me how to create a videothat goes viral.
I'm gonna you know, I'm gonna dosome entertainment there, I'm
gonna do something stupid, likejump off the roof into you know,
into sand and get myself hurtand stuff like that.
And then go, well, but then I'llbe an influencer.
No, you'll just be a person whocreated an entertaining video
(34:37):
doing something stupid, andpossibly a person who got hurt,
yes.
Oh my gosh, and so uh like JohnMaxwell wrote in one of his
books, he said, we talked aboutleadership.
He said, if you're a leader andthere's no one following you,
you're only taking a walk, youknow, and so I love that thought
(34:58):
process because I think peoplebelieve that being an influencer
means that you're persuadingsomebody to persuade somebody to
do something or coaxing somebodyinto doing something that they
might not normally do, and soyou now influence them to do
something, and like you said, Ithink they got that backwards
because I don't think you get todeclare yourself an influencer,
(35:20):
I think you go out and serve andhelp people, you know, yeah,
they're influenced by whatyou're doing, absolutely not
necessarily by what you'resaying.
SPEAKER_00 (35:29):
I mean, am I right in that or yeah, but I also
think that um influence isreally not about just being
online, it's it's every day,it's every single day.
And so when I had to I had tomake this shift in my mind
because growing up, right, youknow, even before I knew what
(35:51):
the word influencer meant, likeinfluence was modeled to me, you
know, like my grandmother wasthe first influencer I knew,
right?
But she didn't have social mediaback then, right?
It's just that her, she allowedher kindness and her generosity
and how she treated people, shelet that do the talking, right?
(36:14):
It was you know, no one wasgiving her likes or no one was
saying, you know, uh, I'm gonnafollow you and I'm gonna I want
to be one of your subscribers.
No, because your greatestinfluence is how who are you
offline?
And for me, my focus, my focusis like, who am I offline when
nobody is watching?
(36:35):
Right?
And I think every single daythere are plenty of
opportunities for us to beinfluential, right?
Every day you walk by thatperson on your job that you know
they're a little down and out,right?
And you can tell they probablyneed a little pep talk, a little
encouragement, but you ignoreit, right?
But then you get on socialmedia, right, and you want to
(36:56):
spread the good vibes.
Yeah, come on, every day you'regiven these opportunities uh to
be influential, and so for me, II try to focus on who I am
offline rather than who I amonline, and if I can if I can be
better off stage than I am onstage, that's that's what it's
all about, man.
SPEAKER_02 (37:16):
Yeah, well, yes, but when you start thinking about
and and then you know, in intheir title is the word purpose,
yeah.
And the question that I love toask is I, you know, the podcast
that I have is called LivingBoldly with Purpose, you know,
and so when I think about theword purpose, I love to ask, can
you live in purpose and notserve others?
(37:37):
And maybe you can answer that asyou you know think about a
purpose-driven influencer,because I want to be an
influencer, right?
But I really don't like people,I don't want to serve people.
Can you live in purpose withoutserving others?
Maybe you can answer that yourbest way you can.
SPEAKER_00 (37:53):
Can you live in purpose without serving others?
Absolutely not.
Um, you know, this is abeautiful quote by John C.
Maxwell is where he talks aboutum significance.
You know, significance is whenum success is when you add value
to yourself, but significance iswhen you add value to others.
Um if you're not doing stuff forothers, then what's life has no
(38:16):
meaning.
And I think that you're uh Ithink the word purpose uh also
gets a uh there's amisconception about it.
It feels like a heavy word.
Um but we're always servingothers.
And that could be in your job,that could be in the home as a
(38:38):
husband, uh, as a wife.
Um, and so you're always you'realways serving somebody.
Now you may not enjoy serving,right?
You might be doing it upset,right?
You might be that waiter, thewaitress in the restaurant.
You don't really like being awaiter or waitress, but you're
you're just doing the job, butyou're actually serving.
Um, and so I don't think you canlive in purpose uh and not serve
(39:02):
others, um, because we're alwaysresponsible for the people that
that are in our lodge in someway, somehow.
SPEAKER_02 (39:10):
When I think about your title and you know, maybe
how people will take it whenthey first hear it, the
purpose-driven influencer.
Well, my purpose is to influenceothers when the reality is your
purpose is to do what God putyou on this earth to do, and
therefore influence peoplethrough that.
Am I correct in that?
(39:30):
Is that kind of what you talkabout in the book a little bit?
SPEAKER_00 (39:34):
Absolutely absolutely.
I think for me, um, and thatjust even goes to identity.
I think um, you know, um myfaith is my faith is the fuel
behind my purpose.
Um I have purpose because of myconnection to to God, right?
(39:56):
To the Creator.
Um, and and I think um God'sgift to us is our potential, and
our gift back to God isdeveloping it.
And and knowing that I've beenblessed with so much potential.
Potential that I I haven't eventapped into.
(40:21):
There's a uh there's alwaysgonna be that thing that uh that
speaks to you, that tells youthat you were created for more.
And even and even in the momentswhen I was off purpose, right,
purpose will always show up inmy face, right?
It's and even the moments whereI was discouraged, right?
(40:42):
I would find myself encouragingpeople.
I'm like, hold up, like I needthis right now.
And so, you know, my faith hasplayed a big role in in why I
have purpose.
This is the reason why I havepurpose, and so um, yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (40:57):
Yeah, so it kind of reminds me of like some of the
goals, you know.
And I think my my mind shift ischanged on on goals because kind
of like what you're talkingabout is is you do the work and
then God does the rest becauseyou can't control some of those
(41:18):
outcomes.
And a lot of the times, at leastin my early career, I would you
only tell set this smart goal orset this goal, and I would say,
so let's say my goal is to havea hundred thousand people watch
our podcast.
Yeah, there's nothing I canpossibly do to control that,
yeah.
Whether people decide to watchit or not, right?
I can have a goal to do theactivity and serve others and
(41:40):
make a great podcast and have awonderful conversation with you.
And if that decides to make ahundred thousand listeners, it
does.
If it doesn't, that's not what Icontrol.
So my goal shouldn't be allthese outcomes that I can't
control because then I'm reallynot living in my purpose.
I mean, am I am I hitting that?
SPEAKER_00 (42:00):
No, the goal, the goal, the goal shouldn't be the
outcome, the goal should be yourintention.
Oh, nice.
Okay, right.
Like, what is my intention?
My intention is to serve and tobe impactful.
Now, out of that, if you get ahundred thousand people, right?
That's such a blessing, that'samazing.
(42:21):
But the intention should be theintention should always be how
can I serve, how can I helpothers, how can I be impactful?
And out of that, if the 100,000comes, then you know that's
great.
SPEAKER_02 (42:38):
But Jimmy, you say that's easy, but how do I really
truly live an intention?
How do how do I do that?
How do I wake up every morningliving an intention and not in
serving myself or trying toreach my own goals?
Or what do you have to do?
SPEAKER_00 (42:51):
It's it's it's it's an everyday process, it's not a
one-time thing.
I'm constantly recalibrating myfocus.
I'm constantly like, you know,even with the book, like I want
it to do so good, like I reallydo.
I want it to do good, right?
But I have to I have to groundmyself in the intention of this
(43:13):
is about being impactful, it'sabout making a difference.
And um and every day, and andthis is why this is why I'm so I
tell people make sure that yourbiggest influence is offline
because because I'm gonna giveyou an example, social media,
(43:37):
right?
You can see you can postsomething, right?
And you can probably get, Idon't know, probably get 15
likes on something, right?
But then you get 300 people thatviewed it.
So 300 people viewed it, but youonly got 15 likes, right?
(44:00):
Why didn't all those 300 peoplewhy why they didn't like it?
So you know, more people, morepeople are watching than they're
liking.
And if you start allowing yourum allowing your self-esteem and
your identity and yourself-worth to get caught up in
the numbers, right?
You're never gonna be, you'renever gonna be all that's gonna
(44:23):
take you off purpose.
And so I just try to make surethat I'm impacting the people,
the everyday people that I see.
And so I'm and so to answer yourquestion, I'm always
recalibrating my focus uh tomake sure that like I'm grounded
in what I'm supposed to bedoing.
SPEAKER_02 (44:42):
Yeah, because it's and I love the fact that you're
saying about being offline, andyou know, like they say the
integrity is the person you arewhen no one's looking.
SPEAKER_00 (44:54):
Absolutely.
SPEAKER_02 (44:54):
Maybe walk us through um some of the things
that are part of your dailyroutine that help you stay
grounded every day that you wakeup, and none of us are perfect
at it, right?
Because we all we're all humanand we're all got a long way to
go.
Uh, but what are some of thethings that you do uh to make
sure that you're what you feellike you're doing is right?
unknown (45:17):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (45:18):
Well, I think number one is um you gotta stay
connected, you gotta stayconnected to the source.
Um, and so for me, that's that'sthe that's beginning the day
with prayer, stillness, uh,meditation, um, and uh it's
(45:38):
setting an attention for theday.
And sometimes my my prayers isjust simple.
You know, use me, God, use me,use me, use me for a purpose
that is uh yeah, yeah.
It's it's it's use me.
Use me, use me for a purposethat is greater than myself,
because I know for me that whenI'm when I'm being used, that's
(46:03):
that's when I'm I'm the mostjoyful.
That's when I'm the most alive,that's when I'm the I'm the most
fulfilled.
That is when I know that like,okay, yeah, this is this is why
I'm here.
This is the reason why I'm here,you know.
And you know, quick story.
The other day I got in a I gotin an Uber, and um there was
this uh this guy, uh he's anactor, and um and we connected
(46:29):
and we followed each other onInstagram, and he was telling
me, you know, that he's gettingmarried and uh he's engaged, and
I'm like, man, you should do it.
This is gonna be the bestdecision of your life.
And uh and um I haven't seen himin a long time because we just
connected on Instagram, but Icalled an Uber not too long ago
and he picks me up.
He picks me up again.
(46:50):
Yeah, the same same guy, awesomedude.
Uh his name is Jason, by theway.
And um and as we're uh talkingand and we're talking about his
story, and but there's somethingthat just felt inside of me to
encourage him.
And I told him, I said, heyJason, I don't know, man, but
(47:10):
just there's something to tellme that I just want you, man, to
keep going.
And I know I know you're doingyour acting thing, and you're
but also too, you're you'reyou're driving Uber, like you're
you're you're you're doing thisto support yourself.
And I just want you to know thatjust because you're doing what
you have to do, so you can dowhat you want to do, does not
(47:31):
make you not legit with thecraft of being an actor and uh
your you know your real purpose.
And and then so as we got offthe car, as we were about to,
he's about to drop me off, therewas just something that said to
me, you know, let's just pray.
And so, hey man, so I just Ijust prayed with him, and it was
(47:53):
just such a powerful moment.
We're both crying in the car,and um and then he looked at me,
turned around, and he said, Youhave no idea how much I needed
that.
You have no idea how much Ineeded that and how impactful
that was for me.
And we exchanged numbers and nowwe're connected.
But um, and as I got and as Igot off, I got off the car, I
(48:17):
was like, that's what being apurpose-driven influence is all
about.
That's it.
That is, I said, that ispurpose, and no one saw that,
right?
There's no likes, there's nocomments, there's no fan fear,
right?
There's no, you know, that isthat is purpose, and that felt
(48:39):
so good to be used, and to be avessel, to be used uh like that,
and and to just meet someonewhere they are, and to be able
to be a vessel, uh, and to givethem what they needed.
And so that's it.
That's that's it right there.
And so, and that was my prayer,you know, before I left the
house.
(48:59):
The prayer, the prayer, and theintention was like, use me
today, like I, you know, use me,right?
And so, so then get into Uberand then you have this
experience, you're like, that'sit, that's it.
SPEAKER_02 (49:12):
And I love that because you know you don't have
to be an author, you don't haveto be a podcaster, you don't you
don't have to be an influencer,you don't to just say use me.
Yeah, you don't write, and thenand then and then be used,
right?
I mean it's yeah, yeah, forsure.
SPEAKER_00 (49:30):
It could be it could be in your marriage, it could be
it could be, it could be single,it could be literally anything.
And um and and and that's andthat's the message that I'm
trying to get across is that youdon't need a big platform to
have a big purpose.
All you need is a big heart.
That's it, that's all that'srequired.
SPEAKER_02 (49:53):
I want to jump back a little bit, and this will
probably be, you know, I'm gonnagive you an opportunity to kind
of talk about what we didn'ttalk about.
But I jump back into your story,and you talked about when I
think about health, and I thinkabout what it takes to be
healthy, because one of thethings it's it's hard to, I'm
not saying you can't be used byGod, but if you're not doing
(50:14):
well and you're not and you'restruggling to get up, you're
struggling to do stuff, it seemsto be a little bit harder.
And you talk about, you know, asblack men, we very rarely will
go to the doctor even for highblood pressure, let alone from
something called therapy.
Like I go to I go to thebarbershop for therapy.
(50:35):
He's talking about what that hasdone to help you to be able to
be used.
SPEAKER_00 (50:43):
Well, um, you can't do well if you don't feel well,
right?
Um, so I think just health isn'tis very important, it's uh it's
vital uh to your purpose.
Um, and like you said, a lot ofblack men, they you know, they
don't want to go to the doctor.
It's like you have to be in somesort of excruciating pain to
(51:06):
actually go to the doctor.
Me, listen, I will go to thedoctor for any single thing.
You can ask my wife, I'm like,oh my God, like, yeah, why am I
feeling this?
I'm like, uh, I gotta go tourgent care right now, or I'm
I'm going to the emergency room,like just in case, you know, and
then I and then because I'drather have the peace because I
(51:28):
think when you were responsiblefor the lives of others as a
husband, and you know that thereare people that are counting on
you, and you know, you want toyou want to be there, you want
to have longevity.
So health is is part of mypurpose, it's not I see it as
part of my purpose.
I don't see it separate uh frommy purpose.
SPEAKER_02 (51:48):
Wow, thank you.
Thank you for sharing thatbecause you know so many of us
are just hey, I'm not gonna go,I'm not me.
SPEAKER_00 (51:55):
Oh, I'm going.
I'm going.
SPEAKER_02 (52:00):
Well, thank I thank you for all you share with me.
I've been really selfish inasking all the questions I
wanted to know.
Is there anything that youwanted to make sure that we
talked about today, whether it'syour book or other things that
you're doing or websites orwhatever that you would like to
share with folks, uh, that wedidn't get to?
SPEAKER_00 (52:17):
Yeah, I think we covered it.
I think we covered a lot.
Um you know, um this this thisconversation's been it's been
amazing.
Um you know, I I just I justwant people at the end of the
day to know that you don't haveto have all the bells and
(52:40):
whistles to be influential.
All right.
If if if you feel you're a callto do something, there's a dream
and there's a goal on yourheart, and put your message out
there.
Put your message out there.
Um you're probably not gonna geta lot of people clapping for
you.
(53:00):
That's okay.
Do it anyway.
Um I remember when I firstopened up a uh a social media
account on Instagram, and I hadno followers, and it was just it
was just my wife, and uh and shewas liking everything and
commenting on everything andjust celebrating, and and it was
(53:21):
just one follower, man.
And but the journey begins withone.
Yeah, it begins with one, and ifyou just have one, and then and
then one becomes two, and thenit becomes three.
And I want you to show up forthose people just as if you were
showing for you were showing upfor a million.
Um and so, and and that's whatbeing a purpose-driven influence
(53:46):
is all about.
That's what it's all about, man.
SPEAKER_02 (53:49):
Oh, that's so good.
I I remember getting started,and I would like put something
up and I go ask my wife, did yousee it?
She's like, No, yeah, like putyou on social media all day.
I'll get to it.
A year later, she's finallystarting to like something, and
like, oh my gosh.
Oh, it's so neat.
But I just love the fact that uhyou not only have you written
(54:12):
the book, you know,purpose-driven influencer, uh,
but you're you're walking thewalk and you're talking about
you.
It's not, this isn't somethingthat you said, I'm just writing
a book to write a book so that Ican be an influencer so that
somebody will notice that I'malive.
You actually wrote it because uhyou wanted to help others and
you wanted to help others findtheir spot.
(54:34):
Uh and so I should appreciateyou.
And I hope I I've started acommunity, it'll it'll launch
probably, you know, if I don'tknow when you're watching this,
so it might have alreadylaunched by the time uh that
it's done.
Uh, but it's called Become thePerson Becoming the Person
Universe, and it's gonna be forfolks like you to talk to people
and to hopefully we'll do you'lldo a book club.
(54:55):
Or, you know, I I'm excitedabout some of the authors that
were will come on there and talkabout their books and do a book
club and walk through it.
And so uh if you haven't gonethere yet, go it, go check it
out.
Uh, if you are for the firsttime and this is the first
episode that you've everwatched, uh, I would love for
you to hit subscribe and hit thenotification button, and all
those things uh that just showthat you want to be part of.
(55:17):
We have over 200 episodes now ofthe uh the Journey to Freedom
podcast, and uh there are somany cool episodes from people
that were in prison longer thanthey were supposed to be.
You know, like I had a gentlemanwho was in jail when the crime
was committed and he still spent19 years in prison.
I don't know how that worksbecause he couldn't have
(55:38):
committed the crime because hewas in jail when it happened,
and so from that to attorneysthat wanted to kill themselves
and rob banks, and you know,from you know, folks that are in
new edition and NBA players andNFL play, it's just been fun.
Uh, and then your everydaypeople that are just like Jimmy
that are going making adifference, that's it, one
(55:59):
person at a time, one person ata time, finding their voice.
Go ahead.
SPEAKER_00 (56:04):
No, I I was I was disagreeing with you, just one
person at a time.
SPEAKER_02 (56:09):
You said one person at a time that are going out
there and then being able tofind their voice, and that is so
so important for us is to say,you know what?
I guess I probably do havesomething to say.
I've been dreaming about it,I've been thinking about it.
It's been something I wake up atnight and you haven't been able
to take action.
Yeah, and when you see myself oryou see Jimmy, you go, wait a
(56:31):
minute.
SPEAKER_00 (56:31):
Yeah, and and and and also, Ryan, there are so
many people that are watchingour journey, you have no idea.
There people are watching,they're watching and they're
being inspired by you.
And you may not you may not getthe feedback, you may not get
the likes, you may not get theapplause, but someone's watching
your journey and they're beinginfluenced by you, and and
(56:52):
that's why you have to keepgoing.
And they're inspired, they'reinspired.
There are so many people, youknow how many.
I sometimes I'll I'll get acomment and and uh and and what
I did was uh I started umcreating a uh folder in my
phone, and I and I call thatfolder, folder, I speak about
this in the book, is artifactsof purpose.
(57:14):
And so every time someone sendsme like a DM like encouragement,
oh my god, Jimmy, I I I neededthat message, that post.
It spoke to me so much.
What I would do, I will take ascreenshot of it, right?
And I would add it to thefolder.
And on days when I felt like Iwas uh, you know, that I wasn't
doing enough, or I felt like uh,you know, I'm just another voice
(57:36):
out there, I would go back tothat folder and I would remind
myself, look at all those peoplewho told you that you helped
them.
And this is why you, and this iswhy you, and this is why you
have to keep going.
And so someone is watching yourjourney, and whoever out there
is, like I said, you may have 10followers or five or whatever,
(57:56):
but someone right on socialmedia is watching your journey,
someone offline is watching yourjourney, your family are are
inspired by you.
Um, and you just gotta keep youjust gotta keep going.
You gotta keep going.
SPEAKER_02 (58:10):
Yeah, you said at the beginning of the you know
the show, I think it was when wewere talking before the show,
and you said if we affect thelife of one person, yeah, we've
done our job for it.
We've done our job.
And so you because you neverknow, you don't know who God has
placed in your path.
Absolutely.
And if you're ready to receiveit, if you're ready to act, if
you're ready to have that voiceinto and that's the that's the
(58:32):
true influence.
SPEAKER_00 (58:33):
Yeah, yeah, because influence, yeah, influence is
not is not it's not measured inmillions, it's measured in me,
it's measured in meaning.
Yeah, oh my gosh, so so cool.
SPEAKER_02 (58:43):
Well, I hope this is not a laugh conversation.
I look forward to many more inthe future.
Uh you know, too, my friends.
The amazing people that havebeen, you know, part of the
journey to freedom and now partof my life.
And if I would say you'vestarted podcast just because you
get to network with some amazingpeople, it's worth every sec out
of.
If not one person watches yourpodcast, but you do not have
(59:06):
this network of amazing people,uh, then it's it's worth the
opportunity to do it.
And so uh thank you for being ontoday.
Thank you for for just talkingabout your book.
The book is uh live apurpose-driven influencer.
Go out.
Yeah, uh, I think it comes outSeptember 30th, right?
SPEAKER_00 (59:23):
Yeah, it's it's what it's it's available right now
for pre-sale and it's out onSeptember 13th, September 30th.
SPEAKER_02 (59:29):
September 30th.
All right, so I can't wait toread it.
Uh, do you have one finalthought before we end tonight?
SPEAKER_00 (59:36):
Um what would my final thought be?
The final thought would be is goout there and make a difference
in someone's life.
It's you it could be one, itcould be two people, like
whatever it is, like you havethe ability to make a
difference, and your messagematters, you're worthy of your
(59:59):
dream.
Worthy of your goals.
Go out there and make it happenbecause if you don't do it,
you're robbing the world of theopportunity to experience your
greatness.
SPEAKER_02 (01:00:11):
I love that.
Robbing the world of theexperience of your greatness.
All right, you guys have awonderful day.
Don't forget your God's greatestgift.
He loves you if you allow himto.
And we'll look forward totalking to you on the next one.
Talk to you soon.
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