Uncut Gems with Jay Floyd

After losing her husband, LaKisha Williams faced a crossroads: let grief close her heart, or let God expand it. In this moving Uncut Gems conversation, Jay Floyd sits down with the founder of Reignite Love to talk about faith, loss, resilience, and the surprising truths she now teaches about love.
Discover:

• The moment she chose hope over heartbreak
• Why grief and joy can—and must—coexist
• How faith reshapes the way we date and l...

In this episode of Uncut Gems, Jay Floyd challenges the traditional idea of compensation and breaks down the hidden currencies we often overlook—growth, friction, opportunity, and culture. Whether you’re in a thriving environment or stuck in a dead zone, this message is a call to recognize where the real value is showing up in your life. Because sometimes the sharpest paychecks don’t come in dollars. They come in development. That’...

What do you do when you’ve got too many stories to tell and too many gifts to box up?

In this episode of Uncut Gems, Jay Floyd gets all the way real about the release of his newest book, Rare On Purpose—and the internal tug-of-war it took to bring it into the world. He opens up about the creative overload, the pressure to “pick a lane,” and the personal decision to stop fragmenting his voice just to be more palatable.

This isn’t a pr...

We explore the transformative power of building systems tailored to your unique design rather than forcing yourself to fit into structures that weren't made for you. James Clear's quote about failing to the level of your systems serves as a powerful reminder that our struggles often stem from system incompatibility, not personal shortcomings.

• Forcing yourself to fit into incompatible systems is like installing Mac OS apps ...

AI is getting better at being a robot.
You better get real good at being human.

This episode ain't about fearing the future—it’s about refusing to flatten yourself to fit it.

If you’ve been following systems that dull your edge, shrinking your story to fit job descriptions, or feeling lost in the noise of automation and burnout—this is your wake-up call.

You’re not replaceable.
You’re just overdue to move out of the robot’s seat...

Ever notice how some people hold everything together without making noise about it? They're the human equivalent of a bassline in music—not always noticed until they're gone, when suddenly everything falls apart.

This episode dives deep into the power of quiet leadership and the essential role of steady, consistent contributors who don't seek the spotlight. Drawing from my experience as a tech leader, I share the story of an...

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When professionals are misaligned with their roles, it's not about lacking talent but being placed in the wrong story. The path to authentic success comes from recognizing your unique shape and leaning into it rather than contorting yourself to fit predetermined expectations.

• The Rock initially failed as a smiling, high-energy baby face despite his wrestling pedigree
• His career transformed when h...

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Motion sickness provides a powerful metaphor for finding spiritual steadiness in a chaotic world, revealing how cognitive dissonance between stillness and movement creates disorientation in both physical and spiritual realms.

• Personal experience with car sickness when reading comics as a passenger but never when driving
• Scientific explanation: motion sickness occurs when eyes focus on stillness while ...

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Have you ever wondered what a long-gone voice would say about our increasingly polarized world? That's the question I explore in this deeply personal episode about my brother Julius - a true paradox of a human being whose absence I feel more acutely as our society grows more binary.

Julius was no ordinary kid growing up in the Cleveland projects. Born four years before me in 1972, he embodied contradicti...

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The invisible war raging through our society isn't about politics or technology—it's about the fundamental duality of human nature. In this thought-provoking exploration, Jay Floyd breaks down how we're collectively torn between two powerful forces: the cold, calculating, results-driven side that dominated much of the 20th century, and the warm, empathetic, relationship-centered approach that has gained...

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We spend too much time posting, watching, and scrolling with hopes of sparking change, when real impact starts in the mirror through internal alignment rather than external noise. 

• Introduction to a three-part series called "The Real Reach" exploring how true influence begins with clarity, proximity, and identity
• Being informed is not the same as being aligned—we need to filter information t...

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Childhood trauma doesn't simply vanish when the moment passes—it silently shapes our lives for years, even decades. Standing at the edge of a high school swimming pool at 14, my heart pounding as I faced away from the water, I was about to confront a fear that had controlled me since I nearly drowned at age five.

For years, I'd expertly masked my terror of water. I hid behind the stereotype that &qu...

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Jay Floyd shares the dramatic story of his childhood drowning experience at age five, exploring how this traumatic event shaped his life and psychology.

• Growing up in Cleveland after his parents' bitter divorce
• Living with cousins in a low-income neighborhood where kids roamed freely without supervision
• Visiting a public pool despite not knowing how to swim
• Experiencing drowning and a...

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Sharing your story holds the power to inspire and connect with others. This episode emphasizes the importance of documenting personal narratives in our digital age while challenging listeners to reflect and embrace their journeys.

• The value of personal narratives 
• Relating and connecting through shared experiences 
• Balancing social media usage to foster storytelling 

It’s time to take a...

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In a world where change is constant, finding our footing can feel overwhelming. Join us as we unpack the complexities of navigating change fatigue, especially during swift leadership shifts. Our host shares personal experiences, illustrating the importance of fostering agency in our personal lives and how our choices today can shape a better future.

We dive into the intricacies of impulsive leadership and its...

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Ever wondered how tribalism shapes our interactions in the digital world? Join me, Jay Floyd, as I weave together personal stories and cultural critiques to unwrap this complex topic. Picture me sipping a Chick-fil-A frosted coffee while my kids are off to Ninja Camp, setting the stage for a lively conversation about Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl performance. I dive into the heated Kendrick versus Drake debate, que...