Pushing Past Autopilot (ft. Ryan Leak)

Pushing Past Autopilot (ft. Ryan Leak)How one of the world’s most successful speakers lives intentionallyOPENING QUOTE:“I grew up in the church, and saw my dad. We had this small African-American church in the suburbs of Chicago, and I just saw the impact my dad had on a community of people and I thought, man, what if we could do this all the time? What if we could do this, not just Sundays, but what if we could add value to people's lives all week long?”-Ryan LeakGUEST BIO:Who has the audacity to propose to the love of his life, then ask her to marry him the very same day as the proposal? The incredible Ryan Leak not only secretly planned a blowout wedding, but is one of the most inspiring and successful keynote speakers on the planet. He is the best-selling author of two books, Chasing Failure and Leveling Up. He's the CEO of a leadership development firm that trains over 15,000 leaders each year. Most importantly, he's married to his best friend Amanda and is the proud assistant coach for his son's basketball team.Links:WebsiteInstagramFacebookTikTokLinkedInCORE TOPICS + DETAILS:[13:47] - Sharing Your FailuresThe courage to be vulnerable onstageA mentor once told Ryan, “If you talk about your weaknesses, you’ll never run out of content.” He’s taken that to heart in his career — and helped others talk about their own weaknesses and failures. The result is that he’s helped thousands of people come to not only accept failure, but embrace it as a necessary and thrilling part of their journey toward greatness and personal success.[14:48] - The Role of HumorMake ‘em laugh, make ‘em laugh, make ‘em laughRyan is keenly aware of the power of humor. It does much more than just entertain an audience. It breaks down barriers between audience and speaker. It allows you to communicate profound truths in a disarming way. It allows you to be authentic about your own shortcomings while also acknowledging the often funny — and tragic — ways the world works. All this adds up to more engaging, powerful, and impactful speeches, no matter your topic, approach, or audience.[17:22] - Take Control of the PlaneWhat it means to push past autopilotMany speakers — and successful people in all careers — begin to rely on their instincts and experience to guide them. They come up with an idea, it feels right, it seems to work, and so they keep using it again and again. But Ryan advises that this can often lead you to become stuck. You don’t want to change, or plainly assess your own performance for potential weaknesses.But the key to success like Ryan’s is to always have your hands on the wheel, turning here and there to keep yourself on the right path — even if those adjustments can be painful for the ego at times.[29:23] - Generosity is EverythingGive everything and you’ll have everythingRyan recounts a CEO who approached him after a speech, telling him: “You’re pretty special.” Why? Because he “give[s] a shit about people.”What seems like such a simple trait makes all the difference. Ryan discusses how he makes it his goal at every event to be as lowkey and un-demanding as possible, to the point of ordering his own food at times even when the client offers to do it for him. He believes in being generous when it’s easy and it’s not easy, and he’s found that it’s blessed his life and career in ways he never could have imagined.[35:27] - Stud