Kat and Alex talk with John Register about how to stay present rather than "chippy", how to keep evolving into the next steps into your journey, meeting President Obama, listening for "echoes" in your life and so, so much more.
BIO
Athletics have been Register’s passion since he began swimming competitively at the Oak Park, Ill., YMCA. He then moved on to baseball and football. He eventually started competing in track and field, the sport that earned him a scholarship to the University of Arkansas. There he became a four-time All-American – once in the NCAA long jump, once in the 55-meter hurdles and twice on the 4×400 meter relay teams. He was part of four national championship track teams under coach John McDonnell.
The All-American Razorback qualified for the Olympic trials twice, once in the 110-meter hurdles in 1988 and again in 400-meter hurdles in 1992. He was on his way to competing as a member of the 1996 Olympic team when a misstep over a hurdle caused a serious injury leading to the amputation of his leg. After 18 months of rehabilitation and training, he competed on the 1996 Paralympic team as a swimmer. He was soon fitted with a running prosthesis and earned a silver medal in the long jump at the 2000 Paralympic Games, setting the American long jump record. He also placed fifth in both the 100- and 200-meter dashes.
Register completed his bachelor’s degree in communications in 1988 and then enlisted in the U.S. Army. As a Desert Shield and Desert Storm veteran, Register continued to pursue athletics in the Army’s World Class Athlete Program, winning nine gold medals in the Armed Services Competition and two World Military Championships.
In 2003, he accepted a position with the U.S. Olympic Committee in Colorado and created the Paralympic Military Program, which uses sports to assist wounded service members. He also works as an inspirational speaker.
Join John every Saturday morning and hear guest share their stories on the inspirational podcast, "Life's New Normal" and empower each listener to overcome the adversity in their lives.
Inspired Communications International
John on Facebook
Send us your questions, comments, episode ideas or your very own Dare to be Human stories to hello@daretobehumanpodcast.com, join the conversation on our facebook or leave us a message at 518-212-7886!
We record at The Mopco Improv Theatre in Schenectady, NY where you can come visit us sometime!
Original music by Mark S. Meritt
Logo by Derek Walker
Kat and Alex talk with John Register about how to stay present rather than "chippy", how to keep evolving into the next steps into your journey, meeting President Obama, listening for "echoes" in your life and so, so much more.
BIO
Athletics have been Register’s passion since he began swimming competitively at the Oak Park, Ill., YMCA. He then moved on to baseball and football. He eventually started competing in track and field, the sport that earned him a scholarship to the University of Arkansas. There he became a four-time All-American – once in the NCAA long jump, once in the 55-meter hurdles and twice on the 4×400 meter relay teams. He was part of four national championship track teams under coach John McDonnell.
The All-American Razorback qualified for the Olympic trials twice, once in the 110-meter hurdles in 1988 and again in 400-meter hurdles in 1992. He was on his way to competing as a member of the 1996 Olympic team when a misstep over a hurdle caused a serious injury leading to the amputation of his leg. After 18 months of rehabilitation and training, he competed on the 1996 Paralympic team as a swimmer. He was soon fitted with a running prosthesis and earned a silver medal in the long jump at the 2000 Paralympic Games, setting the American long jump record. He also placed fifth in both the 100- and 200-meter dashes.
Register completed his bachelor’s degree in communications in 1988 and then enlisted in the U.S. Army. As a Desert Shield and Desert Storm veteran, Register continued to pursue athletics in the Army’s World Class Athlete Program, winning nine gold medals in the Armed Services Competition and two World Military Championships.
In 2003, he accepted a position with the U.S. Olympic Committee in Colorado and created the Paralympic Military Program, which uses sports to assist wounded service members. He also works as an inspirational speaker.
Join John every Saturday morning and hear guest share their stories on the inspirational podcast, "Life's New Normal" and empower each listener to overcome the adversity in their lives.
Inspired Communications International
John on Facebook
Send us your questions, comments, episode ideas or your very own Dare to be Human stories to hello@daretobehumanpodcast.com, join the conversation on our facebook or leave us a message at 518-212-7886!
We record at The Mopco Improv Theatre in Schenectady, NY where you can come visit us sometime!
Original music by Mark S. Meritt
Logo by Derek Walker
What usually happens is the athletes will sit or stand on one side of the room. Yeah, that'd be[inaudible] falls water. Meet the athletes and the athletes don't really know how to engage with those. Like the awkward and Eighth Grade Dads. Yeah. Oh my God.
Speaker 2:[inaudible]
Speaker 3:Hey Alex. Hey,
Speaker 4:welcome to the latest episode of a tear to be human with this week's guest, Jon Register. The great yes, John Register. He was awesome to talk to among many things. John is a para Olympic silver medalist. He's also a Gulf War vet. He's a TEDX speaker a couple of times over. He has a company called inspired communications international. He has a podcast called lights new normal. He's an inspirational speaker, a trainer and coach helping others to hurdle adversity as he says, but you will get that pun as you explore the a episode and you will also understand how it is that John can be doing all those things at once because he is a very motivated get to it type person.
Speaker 3:He truly is an inspiration and we'll talk a little bit about how, how that's a fraught word. It's a little dicey sometimes to use that word in the context of athletes with disabilities, but he's truly inspiring, not because he happens to be a Paralympic athlete, but just as a human in general. I met John when I was doing work with our colleagues performance of a lifetime for the US Olympic Committee or doing media training with their Paralympic athletes, and we stayed in touch over the years. He would just call me up out of the blue and say, hey, I need an idea for an activity, and I'd give him some little tiny seed of something and then he'd come back to me and report, Oh, I had this amazing success. Thank you so much. And what he would report to me, as you'll hear in the podcast, was this amazing, crazy intervention that was so beyond any idea of an activity that I'd given him. It was so much more about his personality and his inspirational drive and thought and understanding of the athletes that he was talking to and his own personal experience, right? Serendipitously ran into him on a train once and it was one of the greatest conversations I've ever had.
Speaker 4:Wow, so let us know after you listen to the episode what you think and other questions you might have, what you want to talk about us, about other ideas for episodes that you have. You can reach out to us via phone at(518) 212-7886 or leave us an email message at hello at Derby, human.com. Follow us on our Facebook page. We're sharing stuff and keeping the conversation going on there as well. In this episode, you can look forward to a conversation about inspiration porn and what exactly that means. An intervention with a bobsled team and literal elevator pitches. Cool.
Speaker 3:All of those things. We will also link to some of the activities we talk about. Props to the great civic asylum, Tia garage and t Oggie for giving us the inspiration of those activities that we've been passed onto. John, more about that later. Hang on tight. It's quite a ride.
Speaker 4:Let's see on the other side. Welcome John. Register too, Joe, to be human. How are you doing?
Speaker 1:I'm doing awesome. Thank you so much for having me on. I really, I do really do appreciate the opportunity.
Speaker 4:So wonderful to have you on the shows. So John, what is Jeremy human sort of elicit for you and what story have you been inspired to share with us today?
Speaker 1:Well thanks for the question. I'm working on this thing called Echos. Echos are amazing. So what's that mean in my life and, and why is this into dare to be human? They don't rebels go out from us. So we have lights and we have what happens in lives and sometimes our lives are impacts another person. And the ripple effects are really pointed. But that goes, come back to us. And that goes to a couple of things. One, like if you're thinking about an echo, you know valley and you're the Alps in the mountains. Can you yodel? Yeah. Who comes back to you from all over the place, right? So you don't even know where to see a spouse, a golfer, but[inaudible] come back. The second thing went back goes, is like an echo location for a sonar. It can help those animals that use echolocation two find out where they are in life, right where they are in space and time. And we also can see that for those who are low vision or totally blind, they also use echolocation too. Tell them what path are on so they know by their shoes in the hallway how large the hallway is because they were coming back and they can tell if there is are objects in the way because of the different sounds that come back to them. And so what are we listening to our life? So how I got this concept around that goals was that was a little ship be one day into my space and my head set on, I was with one of my friends who's an amputee at AA, Gabby and I'm an amputee myself. We're going to a youth camp. But I had a space for about 15 minutes where I could just be on the Washington Dallas train going to engage and just zone out. My headphones are on and I'm not going to judge anybody. And my friend Carrie is striking up a conversation with this gate agent, what would they do with airlines? And she is talking to her about her artificial legs and how she knows about the Olympic Games. And so she wants you to began sharing the story about this guy, Ooh, lost his leg in a hurdling accident as you saw him on television as she's, you know, she is sure she's saying my story and I'm right right there. And so Carrie Ben says, hey. And she texts me and says, she's talking about your story and I'm still in mode. Shouldn't be more right. I'm not really paying attention, but I should be. So now my best shining moment. And so I kind of know sarcastic weather, the, you probably don't even know what the Games are. So she goes, no, I know. Apparently the games are, see you read it all the way down to his. Okay, good for you. Go from get off the train. We go upstairs, I take a picture with her and we'd always kind of[inaudible] I gave her my phone number. Said, what'd you want to get in contact? You know him and first conversations with love, love to chat with you. But really I was not in the mode. Oh, I was being polite, but I was really trying to, I was not my best shot. I go away two years later, I'm walking across the street in downtown Colorado Springs. I'm going to get it, a hot hotdog from one of the veteran vendors or our military veteran vendors who some have done. So I'm just going on, let's break and I'm a walk cross street. My phone rings and I don't recognize the number and I usually don't answer, but some of them will just answer the phone calls. So I answered the telephone and it's the Istat lady. So she, she called me back and she says, um, yeah, I don't even know this gonna be your number. I lost your card after you gave it to me. I don't live in fear and remember me. And I said, I want to sort of vaguely remember the story as he said on this hand to tell you on that day you gave me your card and I lost it when I got home. And today when I was cleaning up, I was moving locations. You're in carved the level of book and that's, I know this is not your number, but I decided to give it a call anyway vested. Oh Wow. I said, okay. So she said a year before I met you, I was in the hospital and I was in the hospital in a room with another woman and both of us were diagnosed with breast cancer and I was really struggling with the treatments and that kind of contemplated what I wanted to do. And your story came on. It's a miracle and it came on like three times that night then. Then like the next day or two, a newspaper article came out in the Washington Post on how you had um, kind of overcome the adversity and, and she kind of are living life again. Well speak. Yes. He said, I decided this guy could lose his leg and he's a worldclass or alerting, get back and win the silver medal and all this stuff. I can undergo a double mastectomy. I would have my life back. The other woman unfortunately chose not to do that. And she unfortunately passed away because of complications. So she says your story without even knowing you and just watching what you went through and how you responded to this well, could've been a tragic life circumstance actually saved my life. So now that echo pat me on the park bawling my eyes out, remembering the time that I was just so chippy and Kinda not engaged and disengaged and disingenuous, and I was like, oh my gosh, you know, it just, all this flooding me. How many times did I miss opportunities like this because I was into myself and this ankle was coming in for course correction to say, yeah, January in this space. But it really wasn't you. It was, it was an extension of what you did previous. It wasn't in your best shining moment. This woman's still calling you on this. And I think we have these Eccles in our lives all the time, and we don't even pay attention to it. So that's my dare to be human story.
Speaker 5:Tell me more about shippy mode. I love that. That phrase, what does that, what does that mean to you when you said shippy mode?
Speaker 1:What about beautiful soul? She passed away with just before she turned 50, and we were just so connected. Her name was Alyssa Rosen, and we grew up in Chicago and Oak Park, Illinois. And we just had this relationship, you know, it wasn't, um, it was a friendship relationship, but we knew every time we could call you all the bs card on, on each, each other, no matter what part of life we're in. Was this back connected? So she should be, to me, she had this word, and if you've heard is not an her word, but if there was, it was snarkiness. That's, that should be this. It was this, I guess the other way to explain it as tolerance, right? We think that tolerance is a, there's a word that social, endearing or social acceptance, but really tolerance is higher goal because if you think about it, if I, if I'm in a space where I'm tolerating you, I probably don't want to be there in the, so that was kind of our snarkiness chippiness tolerance and I, I'd have a little post-meal now around tolerance is tolerance. The final state for social acceptance and social inclusion the last day of the day. You know, today when I tolerate you, that will bring us closer together. We think it means value and appreciation, but it really does. So I'm going to tolerate this group of people well, why? Because you're cause you're, you're thinking you're better than them. And that better than mentality puts in these, the small little box. Oh, I see. People as objects and not people as people. You even recall
Speaker 5:why you were in that mode that day with your, your friend. Like what put you in that space?
Speaker 1:Well, I don't know if I can, I could assume, you know, and uh, that's a dangerous spot to be in. But I, I believe when I, when I go into those spaces is because I'm looking for my own, my own just window of time where I can collect my thoughts. I'm probably deep. I'm thinking about something else. I know when I go into those moments, I try to hide myself away from other individuals and not be in public spaces because I'm thinking pretty, pretty hard on something else. And at this point in time I was going to chat with a group of Andretti's young kids and so I'm probably thinking what I'm going to say, how I'm going to present, and then how I'm going to show up in that moment and how I can still be open to them, which is kind of funny, right? So I'm trying to learn how to be open to them, but yet I'm shutting this other individual down.
Speaker 6:What I imagine, John, is that so much of your life professionally is about giving in exactly the way that you're talking about wanting to give, right? I mean that you're spending all of your energy sharing your story and sharing yourself, right? It's not just what you do personally. It's what you do professionally. I would imagine it's hard to always be on and present for others in that way.
Speaker 1:Yes. Especially when I'm in like, um, that improv mode or am I, I'm in creativity mode. Use it. Those times happen, like in the shower or I'm driving the car or when I'm doing one of the other things you do in the morning time. Right. So keep a bad[inaudible] paperwork and the thoughts are just coming to me. And usually when I'm shutting people out, it's when I'm in creative space and I don't want that to stop. I want this to continue to just to blow it all that that would lead to this day. And that when we go over here and if somebody says, oh, you got a telephone call, we're like, ah, I just lost it. Yeah.
Speaker 6:I don't think anybody would begrudge you a moment of wanting your own space or some privacy walking through the airport or, you know, wanting some downtime. And isn't it lovely that she was able to reciprocate, sharing a inspiring story with you?
Speaker 1:Yes, absolutely. And I, and, and because of that, you know, we're talking about these, when I was talking about the course correction, the course correction of an echo, what it's done for me is helped me to be more present in those opportunities where I find myself shutting down or going into myself. So I should not do that in public settings, right? Because I want to be open to the opportunities that are there. They're not in that space. So let me find the spaces where I'm going to be alone anyway and see if I can create that atmosphere of a sparks of creativity and play in that space. So if I go to like a ski slope, right? And I go skiing by myself, Canada on the chair lift, or even I want to be present there, but when I'm skiing by myself, do those thoughts come to me or am I in the car by myself? Can I create those, those opportunities there and not when it's around when I need to be open to other individuals.
Speaker 5:How have you discovered ways to maintain that presence? Right. Cause I'm sure there's still that voice in there. Right. That's whatever is bringing you out of that space. You know that phone call that you know that that person that you run into in the while you're traveling, what, what's your find, keeps you, keeps you present and keeps you from sort of retreating and getting into that chippy mode.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So here's, here's the thing. I think it has to really do a read a lot around mindset. Yeah. Because I've been thinking a lot about mindset a lot lately too at the mall stores around mindset and mind shifts and recognizing when you're going there. So yeah, I am sitting on an airplane and somebody sits down next to me and maybe get a conversation and I really don't want to have a conversation. I realize I'm going to that space. Yeah. And I need to be open in this area. So let me put down my reading material. Let me put down my headset, let me turn my attention and focus it on this individual because I'm going to get a gift. Something's about to happen. And let me be open to the gift. That's about to come. And I think that would happen is when I talk to athletes who are transitioning from whatever, from athletics and to maybe their next work career. And I look at that as a work career to a work career transition. And the same thing with military individuals who are leaving military service and going trans transitioning to a civilian service or doing something else. A lot of times we don't look at the opportunities that are, we have every single day. So if an athlete is inviting too a sponsor there, what usually happens is the athletes will sit or stand on one side of the room and the water meet the athletes and the athletes don't really know how to engage with those, like the awkward eighth grade dance as a wallflower. And so I try to get them to say to be open and those are amazing that they have. Yeah, no one else is pretty too. So if your degree was in marketing or you want to be in the marketing space, maybe there's a marketer right there that you can have a conversation with. Oh, what should I be thinking with? And also because just in my career as an athlete so I could be, so my transitions easier when I'm trying to do and enforce those connections so that later on the ankles come back in their life organically and they're not trying to force it.
Speaker 6:Obviously we talk all the time about daring to be human and the idea of courage and so much of the world that you live in and the folks that you're engaging with have all sorts of, you know, the embodiment of physical, daring and courage and the kind of courage it takes to just be in a room with other people and start a conversation or to sit on a plane and engage in small talk with the person sitting next to you can sometimes be even more daunting.
Speaker 1:Absolutely it is.
Speaker 6:That's the kind of coaching you do a lot of the time is helping people who's life is all about this kind of courage that most of us don't even dream of. And that'd be fine. That kind of courage within yourself.
Speaker 1:That was so funny. Uh, you helped me a lot in this space. You have no idea how the we're doing the, I was so enthralled with, and you're in the work that you do done my blog and stuff, but just the improvisation. So I literally, we were talking, I found that per sessions, that performance of a lifetime doing this lesson, I'm just like, oh my gosh, this is, this is, this is great size frame and I'm writing furiously and taking notes as I love all this. But one of the things was we were talking about elevator speeches, right? How to give an elevator pitch even though those seven things. And I said, well, what if I just did a real life elevator pitch? Right? So I went on an elevator and I've faced the back. Then I began to have a conversation with everybody I said, I said, so everybody listen up, my name's John and we're going to do an elevator talk to you today. Or maybe you don't want people laughing. So we're bringing out who is this guy? What's about to happen? We're in a close space. Do you remember like some of the, the models of behavior, when the person gets on the elevator and you paste it back, the social goals, will everybody else kind of faced the back or, so it was, it was absolutely funny to watch what's happening and to know that in that moment in whatever, how many floors were going on, I was in total control. That's it. Oftentimes we do not understand or realize, uh, not really, I don't know if the control is the right word, but how much do you just show up as our authentic self and if that's what we truly would like to do or desire, it'd be comes almost comical so we can get an elevator where practice and elevator. I say, well I wouldn't do a speech, but I, you know, I was just talking to people and saying, how are you doing today? How's your day going? And, and I mean, I know they were freaking out. Well, I was like, so now I can often we say in my presentation, I can just get us, like couple weeks ago I was in an elevator and speeds LCME. And I suppose the back again, I do this randomly things you have to stay in the moment to stay sharp and because you never know what's going to happen and are people, when the elevator door is everybody going to run out or you know, or do some people who say, Hey, I'm like have more conversation with you about this. And it's Kinda funny as you can have these moments, so let's go back to your kind of, what'd your on an airplane, that's a moment you can actually get engaged in that space. You're going to come into that person's world. I just listen and hear what's on their heart and what's on their mind. And sometimes the whole plane ride passes and you just have this phenomenal interaction as not to sell something, but it's just, it's just a gift that that's somebody who's given to you up there of a, of what's going on in their world. I think we just shut it. We just shut it down more than anything else. You know,
Speaker 5:when you said, you know what's going to happen next week, that's the scariest thing, right? That if I, if I engage with someone and start making that small, well I don't know what's going to happen next. What am I going to know what to say or what if I say something wrong or what version of my self should I show up as, or there's all these different fears we can have and if we just sort of trust that like, okay, I could just show up and I dunno, I'll figure it out. I'll be uncomfortable in this moment and we'll just see what happens. It's, that's just a, that's a scary bridge to cross, right? That takes, that takes courage and I think a little bit of of practice doing that. You know, maybe not as extreme as facing backwards, right.
Speaker 1:Strangers, but you know,
Speaker 5:baby steps.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. I wouldn't, I wouldn't, I wouldn't, you know, if you're not comfortable doing that, don't go out there and do that everybody. But there is, you know, can you get to a point? It'd be so comfortable you can live in that moment. Oh, what's next? So you made me think about something in the what? In the, what's next? I was talking with one of our great Olympians, Bob Beamon, long jump, gold medal is 1968 Olympic Games. His Olympic record still stands right now, 29 32 and a half inches. Mike Paolo, probably his world record at 29 Ford half. But Mr Beaman told me when I was chatting with them, I say, wow, you know what was kind of going on in your head and was on the middle stand and you just brought in this word. He said, well, the competition, the competition I did on my first jump in the finals, so my head was, I'm going to prepare to jump over 30 feet because I know when these guys are going to jump over and break this world record. So right. So in the moment we don't think about this was the most amazing Joan in history and it's never going to be surpassed for over no 25 years. That's not where they get, yeah. What he's thinking about is in the moment somebody else is going to surpass my performance. I've got to be ready to jump. The second thing he writes, the second and I was totally blown away cause that's exactly right. That's an Aha moment. So the second thing was on the male stand, he was thinking about as a, as the app is gear in place like that and input. It wasn't from the standpoint of what's next as in I don't know what to do next. Right, right. It was the standpoint of I I've surpassed my greatest school. I could have imagined where does my life turn in next to? How do I take these opportunities and put them instead of in a capacity of such a way that I can focus on building out my life and my, my career, um, beyond athletics cause he was doing other stuff besides athletics that was just, you know, one of the things that he chose to do, he had his degree around. So He's, he's looking at those, okay, where's, where's the next opportunities for me and my than my life? And so it wasn't like what's next and less event that's coming up the door. Oh, what do I do now? I was like, no, let me think about this. Let me ponder what's going on in my life. I don't know if we, if we choose to have that type of, of a, of a transition statement for ourselves.
Speaker 6:There's something really so lovely about that, right? It made me feel so happy for him that that was his thought because it's so hopeful to say, oh, I have this wonderful moment of triumph and instead of now it's a let down, or that was the peak moment. Even if it is the thing that's going to be the headline for him, it's just now I get to have the next adventure. What's the next achievement? And it makes me wonder about, especially for great athletes or folks who achieve great things like you have, how do you measure success? Right? Is it just, I have a moment where I have a metal put around my neck and if so, what about the things that don't have metals attached to them or the things where, what if I'm gonna pursue something where I know I'm not going to be a metal winner? Does that mean I'm never going to be successful at it?
Speaker 1:That's great. So I was gifted very early on in my life. I never knew how gifted I was as far as not athletic performance. I mean, I had a talent there, but the greatest gift I got early on was a gentleman by, I still remember his name. His name is Mr Chairman. Andy and I had just broken his 2125 year old long jump record at the old park river forest high school. And when he heard about it, he wrote me a letter, beautiful letter, and that the most pointed line was he said, you know, congratulations. Amazing performance. Outstanding young man. I wish you all the success[inaudible] best adventures in your life. Just remember at all times that records are always meant to be broken.
Speaker 6:Oh,
Speaker 1:and I did not quite get in, but I realized dads, it can't be about the actual performance. Even though you're the, you might have the best performance that day. It's the Er ending on every word, which is the Olympic model of Citius. Altius 40th swift or higher, stronger that yes, you're the best today, but you can be even greater tomorrow. You jumped the farthest today you can jump farther tomorrow. And that Er is really, I think the, assuming the superlative of the word right, this approach is should not be swift as high as strongest with ESC on the end. Yeah. I think this approach of actually should be the er because that means there is always a better performance that's going to happen. So therefore the metals in our lives cat are just the markers of what we have done on our particular day. On a particular point in time. There is past performance as the performance is over. So if you're only looking at your metals, you're only measuring bypass performance, you're not looking to where the capabilities are.
Speaker 5:We started to about sort of setting mindsets and mind shifts. So with a lot of athletes, you know you're training toward a goal, right? Like you have an event that you're competing in or events that you're competing in. You're training for those events. And I have to imagine that deciding to or or, or, or having to leave that life behind the bus. B Very jarring. Is it sort of mind shifting of, of taking that same skills that you had in terms of setting goals and things like that and, and just sort of redirecting them? Or is it, is it something larger than that?
Speaker 1:For me it's larger than just the transfer of skills. I think that's a behavior then we can teach ourselves. The mindset really comes in the journey all the way along. So for example, where I was going with echos is that one of the most important quotes, questions a business owner is going to ask themselves is how do I dispose of my business? Because admin says you're going to be successful all the way through. And the, the mindset then becomes different on how you approach opportunities. Because if you have your number and you know what you're going to get out on, then once you hit it, you're done. Right? You got anything else? It's just gravy. So, um, well now everything I do is going to be different than, I'm not sure I'm not chasing speaking opportunities. I'm just trying to achieved the, the, the overall number that I want. So that's a different that as saying, okay, now I've made my best performance today. Now what the scarier part of, I made my best performance. I'm not talented enough anymore. I'm too old. It goes to the next Olympic Games. What's next for me? And now we have that same question for Mr Beaman that he asks himself is in a a stick for come from a state of fear, right? Because I have not shifting my mindset early enough to know what's coming up next. The only question I asked, I believe when I talk to colleges and universities is it's a really great, oh, asking that question too early because they think they're giving up on their, their career, right? You're chasing yourself instead of making it align with your career and that this is totally all part of your exit strategy, right? Because you're going to get out of this game and one of three ways you're gonna get hurt. You're not going to be talented enough. There's always going to be another freshman class coming in so it gonna be more accountable. And what were you going to win all the metals in mind to go to win the super bowl in soccer and then then you still haven't transitioned because you're going to age out of it. So my question always is to kind of get them to disarmed them is to say, okay, what's your day look like from eight o'clock to six o'clock today? What's right out to your entire day for me? And they, they're pretty easy to do that, you know, just take your typical day, just average and have to be perfect. Um, and then I ask them, okay, put that paper to the side. Now I want you to think you have been made most amazing career, the most successful career in your entire, the lifespan in your sport, new discipline. And now I want you to write down, you've just retired. What is your eight o'clock day from eight to six live like now. And yeah, so we can role play in those types of things. I don't want to really freak them out, but I do want to freak them out. Yeah. I'm not trying to read them off to state though. You need to be doing this, this and try to put these behaviors together. I want them to understand. Yeah, so somebody, some kids that we might mess, I'll be really snarky or with right though. They'll still say I'm going to Disney world. Oh of course. You know you're going to travel the world. Yes, for sure do that. You got all this money now, right? So as you finish all that and you, you're living in the dream house, what's your eight o'clock in the morning look like? And it's a six o'clock no writing out. You've done everything, everything. You made your millions of dollars, but now you are sitting there, rob, your families and BM family got the dog and never, what are you doing from eight to six? Yeah. And that'd be against this. Then we can begin to have a conversation on, if you don't know what that looks like, can you forecast what it looks like? Well done. Well what'd you want it to look like? Maybe can we start building today what that transition looks like for whenever you decided to step out of your sport? And that's not me telling them that you need to do this. That's the discrepancy. Yeah. I need to have a negative stress and you should have extra the other thing too, right. So I know that you all right, hired all the time to be a speaker four and two folks who are, no, not elite athletes. Yes. Because I imagine this mindset shift is applicable to all of us. Yeah. For sure. You know, rocking side and stuff, right. Where was we're? We had to do the algorithms person on the moon or something like that. It's not that type of work that this mindset shift that I'm talking about really is focused on the individual. I would, I've been saying this stuff, you know, for the past 13 years at least. Yeah. My story and somebody else saw me speaking that actually put another leg to it, so I only have one leg. That's it. She gave it to the leg, the Sandon, and after he heard me speak, let me unpack that a little bit. I had an injury which resolved the occupation in my left leg. I, but I came back and won a silver medal in the, in the Paralympic Games. So one of the Aha moments I had was when I was sitting in a gateway in area and this woman came up with the two boys and she says, you know, it looks like you are come someone's adversities as an inspiration. Would you please tell our boys what happened? So in that space, you know, I was like, did I really overcome adversity? And I began thinking about this pilot in that six months into my story, I tell it this is a very, very small, you know, very window time, but the price will be six months to a year to really understand what she was saying. And the Aha moment came for me before I was doing my ted talk was cause I was about to get out of the game. I didn't think I had anything to say when people were trying to say[inaudible] diversity, whether we're attributing, that was to me overcoming the loss of my left leg. But I said, if I were Kinda lost my left leg, I'd have my leg back. That's the reaction I got. I said, okay, so I'm on something. Okay, so there a, what was it that truly overcame and as I began on paget, there was I would change my personal negative stigma when I was thinking about myself. The turned my fears, Alison, my wife was going to leave me. That's what I thought. Yeah. I thought my son John Jr five and a half years old was not going to Mo. He was no longer to see me as his dad. He's going to treat me differently. I thought I was going to lose my job in the United States army. I was no one going to officer candidate school. My lucky dreams are now over. I met all my friends were going to treat me different. Those are my initial fears, so I had overcome that. The second thing was I had to overcome the negative stigma of other individuals, other people. We're believing for me what I could or could not do based upon where they believe they could or could not do if they were the amputee. How many times do we often do that? All the time. We forecast on other people what their capabilities are based upon what we believe we can do in their situation. And then third was societal stigma. Why or what did I listen to? What did I allowed in my brain to make me think and believe that my wife was going to leave, or John Junior wouldn't see me as his dad? And I had all those fears. What was causing me to believe that wasn't when I saw a Disney movie, that sea Captain Hook and Peter can host an amputee, the scary bill who was dishonest, bit off on Tiktaalik, the crocodile that turned to bitter because of his accident that he had. So now I'm an amputee, so therefore do I see myself as dark and I'm the, I'm the monster. And it began to elevate itself even more. So when I look to visit it, male soldiers are Brooke Army Medical Center in the, and the burn cit or Premier Brian Center soldiers burned over 90% of their bodies. Disfigured basis melted. Do they see themselves? And that was pretty crude, the nightmare on elm street. And is that how we perceive them? Yeah. So how many times do we listen to things that, that begin to frame our way. We view ourselves and other people that are around us. This goes everywhere. That's why when I talk to organizations, I lead in with disability, but really what have I been listening to in my life that tells me that this person of color, this person who's maybe gay or lesbian, this person who is blind, this person who is, what do you want to, and I've colored them in such a way based upon my experiences. Oh, what has been told to me, societal incorporations in organizations, the leadership, what kind of culture are you put in? What environment are you setting in your organization as making the people believe what they believe best driving the behaviors of the results as you are trying to get to. That's the mindset shift that we have to have. It begins with with each one of us, our manager, that's who was there. He came out, there was a, I guess on the four years, so he was really talking about this whole mindset stuff and that, that we turn when we turn it inward to ourselves is when we are, when we betray our original thought to do the right thing.
Speaker 5:There's so much in the media, right, in terms of like a character can be sort of marked with the, at the disability sort of as a sign of they're evil sort of right. That there, that there's this physical manifestation almost of their cruelty or their evil or, or whatever it is. Right.
Speaker 1:And then, so there's the other side too. There's the superhuman side,
Speaker 5:right? Yeah. I was just going to say this woman came up and assumed you must be, you must be a superhuman. You're, there's that sort of that other assumption, right? Like, I'm like you're saying that she's making this assumption you must have overcome all this adversity. You must be somewhat superhuman four. And, you know, she was, she was right, I think, but[inaudible] but, um, but, but she, that was, uh, she made that assumption and there was a connection there that you are, you know, you are at an athlete and you had to overcome all these barriers, but at the same time, that was what she was defining you as. Right. There was all these other things that were lost in that focus, that make up who you are that are, that are lost because she's just focusing on this one aspect of, of your being
Speaker 1:a person might be saying, oh, he's, he or she's carrying the weight of their entire people.
Speaker 5:Right,
Speaker 1:right, right, right. And so he used to fight all the odds and he or she has done it also, they're the savior of the, the entire rates that they align with who I think that we as my people are. So you're not like those other individuals you have transcended. It's so insidious, isn't it? Right. Remember,
Speaker 6:wind performance of the lifetime was doing the media training at the US Olympic Committee for you all, which is where we met. Um, one of the themes as we are helping the athletes work on their stories, their personal stories was that person after person kept talking about how irritating it was to them, that everyone called them inspiring, which w which I think was what's hard for those of us who were first meeting you all at first, right? Because we thought, well, but you're really inspiring. Not just because you know, you've overcome adversity, whatever that means. Right? Some of, some of you all, you know, were soldiers and you know, some of you had been in devastating accidents and that come back to be elite athletes, you know, whatever. But just because you were inspiring to us, you had stories but born, you know, we're, we're just fascinating people who had achieved a lot and were telling us stories. But after a while, what I came to realize was it was a way of not seeing you, right? It was a sort of generic like I've made up a story that because you are injured and aren't broken and seeing yourself as a victim, I see you as inspiring. And it was in fact a way of not seeing as opposed to seeing some, how does that,
Speaker 1:yes, it does. And so I've had to grow in that space as well because the stories are inspiring as you said. Right. So there's a, there's a difference that I'm going to, and I want to, I'll use the word here that we'd say in the disability community. So this, you can all, you know, try to use this one. We call it disability porn org inspirational porn. Yeah. So you see that you see a little puppy dog on the commercial, uh, from the SB or stop in and they have the puppy dog eyes and they're good, are crying, you know, so let's get your money. Right. So that's kind of being that inspirational that, that, that comes on the heartstrings. Yeah. I'll, I'll make a donation. And you know, in the first part of go, Nope, I'm supposed to Shapiro. And it talks about a young girl who's really excited to be above a poster child to getting her picture taken to be on this amazing poster thing, big national campaign. She takes the pictures, he has polio. And so in class, the first day at third grade class is their second or third grade. The poster comes out and it says, use your children vaccinated because we want you to look like this person, blonde hair, blue eye, little girl, that this person is her. Oh, right, right, right. And so we call this that, we call it inspirational porn. So were we were using that that term and such kind of another way of it's just shot people the same. We don't want to do that, right? We want to see people's, I call it now a what? Wow. And now, so what is, what am I looking at? What's going on? So it's like you coming into that room for the first time, say, what's going on here? This, then you get this wild back to, oh my gosh, these people that work on so much. We tell ourselves a story around that. Uh, we see the Paralympic Games. Oh my gosh, it's incredible. And then now along with that information that now what do I do with it? That's the now piece. These people are living life as they choose to live it. And this is how they're showing up every day. They're not super sure, man. They are just living life as they are they so desire. And that's the peace. Would you write about Lebron James coming down to a windmill dunk and saying, that was the most inspirational thing I've ever seen in my life. We don't use that language. So what ads are saying is right about me from a sports perspective? Well, the athletic accomplishments that I've achieved. Yeah. Now because I'm doing this analytic count because I'm an amputee or I'm blind or I'm dad's or whatever, right about my achievements and that. And that's was it that I just set a world record at this distance for my academy or whatever. Don't write about all that. Has Most of the most of these. So inspirational because of that. Right? And so I, I go around the goal now, I've been positive style in those back of style. Okay, well I'm talking to Paralympic sports writers to understand how to write the sports story, nodding inspirational stories. What language do we use? Right? So that's the, and I'm talking to athletes to be a part of that journey conversation with them, uh, so that they're not looking at themselves in a victim mindset as well because a lot of Abby's you'll see are being led by individuals who do not have a quotable disability. So therefore it, it's kind of charitable. Same for the individual that does not do with this great social work. Look in the good I'm doing for humanity. I mean this kind of awareness feels like we need to be awake about this across all sorts of differences. I mean, it seems like conversations we need to be having a lot, right? Whether it's gender or religion or skin color or age or disability, right? These are conversations that it feels like we need to be having because we're so blind to it all over the place. Right? Feels like if anything's happened in the last couple of years, it's that at least where a little more aware of how asleep we are around these things. Does that feel true to you? Going to spaces and we do need to be more aware and, and not just, um, in the social with the, you know, but you know, 140, I guess 280 character tweet now, right? Yeah. Yes. It's more than that. That's a good conversation. Starter should be a tool that we use to have dialogue and discussion, but there also needs to be platforms where we can actually bounced ideas much. I think President Obama said it best on that. What was it? Um, my Mexican guests would, they would let him in. He said, well, the most, well, your name's on that show that, and he owned up to it, right? He said, you know what we're doing, we're trying to get everybody's boat together. We, we put the social media out there and we got the best folks from Silicon Valley to help us get by and validate everybody. But we didn't realize we were creating was these little pixels following everybody around on their social media now and that being used as a weapon against us. Soltz. For example, if I one pair of shoes and I, I, I've looked on somebody's website for a pair of shoes, all of a sudden that that's you shows up and everything I'm online with by basically the timeline, all of these things. Um, so he says if we are able to do that with are cell phone buys or on the day the art, the commercial products that we buy on life or personal lives, what happens with ideas and thoughts, those things are the same way. So what we might think that we are really getting information from both sides of them being robust in our dialogue and conversation, but we're only getting what we, yeah, I've put out that we want do the behavior, the systems of what we tend to shop for. So of course we were meeting us, our bubbles just getting bigger than we think that we're going. We have a, a really good debate on the attack. We're willing to bring the things that we already agreed. That's the danger
Speaker 5:in terms of, of changing that conversation from, you know, the, the inspiration being the story of these athletes to the actual athletic achievement. How do you kind of make that change happen? Make them sort of realize that there's a larger part of this that they're maybe not, they're not seeing and that's what they should be sort of helping to serve you in telling that story.
Speaker 1:The tactic behind it is no one changes by me saying something. If you see it from your own vantage point that this whole, I get this, I'll be better you. That's not, this is going to be better. That's use discover that for yourself and me being a talking head. Yeah. So one of the things that I did when I was in Kazakhstan was, no, I got it. I got some push back on on that. And it's kind of all within the same space. You're saying that you don't see this inspirational and done these things and I put it in this framework of them becoming a country nation. Oh, the old Soviet Union. And I said, what was the story that you wrote on on that? You know, you have your independency, it's coming up. And what are the stories? Are you telling yourself or are you telling the people? And I talked about you're shaping the narrative for how you remember or reflecting the actual things you're saying about this. Well, this country that has been up to over what, 25 years. So during that time, so now I got them dissolved and not even thinking about sports now. So I come in say, now how are you writing about what the stories with this, with the sports heroes that you're going to be using because sports leads with the Olympics in this country. And so what's, what's the, um, what's the angle that you're going to be writing? We're going to talk about this app. That's it. So what's the Paralympic store? What's the, what's the, well, the parallel gap is going to use it to tell their story around this. And it might not be the sports story, right? It might be a total different angle as you're looking forward to get your audience and your readership to bite on your, on your article, your voice that you're trying to put out there. So if you're only saying one day, you're, you're denying an opportunity of this huge dimension that's out there. If it's only inspiration because this story that's you right here might open up society for curb cutouts in the, in the, in Kazakhstan or it might open up, uh, accessible transportation. It might help. It gets your, your mom, your dad who is living at home right now because this, because it's not accessible and your rights are free in entire society and creating more revenue for the entire country, but you're only taking one small sliver. This thing there builds and builds and builds upon this, the stories and the vernacular that statue. Right? And if you're only thinking about inspiration once will small inspirational story, you're, you're not thinking big enough. Did I get them to Kinda understand that too? Um, but I call it a counter move now. So I was, I was talking to the bobsled team, I had to go up there and the executive director parents feels is, Hey John, I've got all this stuff that's happening. I got'em no one is focused on team USA going over and games than Russia that year. Um, and Sochi, Russia. And so they had new track and field athletes. I'm coming on board that, that they were taking the, the women were taking more of the limelight than the guys. The guys had a lot of the limelight and sponsorships. So that was risk between that, the track and fuel, that these are used to making a lot of money, but also that there is no money. When they had that going on, they had social media posts that were happening of athletes. No, ask them, putting their checks up on line and saying, oh my gosh, I can't believe I'm doing this for this little bit amount of money. It was, it was this crazy. It was all over the place and no one was focused on Winnie metal. So it was all of the, on top of that they had that they had, they have a selection procedure, which is both based upon the performance but also based a little bit upon some activity of who they want to slam by the drivers having just to say, so still, I got all this stuff that's happening and who's going to be the sledders microseconds that are happening and push tests, friendships and little buddy networks. And it was just a nightmare. It's so, Hey John, I know you're a, you're an inspirational motivational speaker guy. Could you come in and fix it? You got 90 minutes. That's not happening, right? This whole cultural shift that talking about here. So I called a wonderful cat it and she, she said, well why don't you have them role play around being the tour of the team USA? Remember that? Yeah. So I gave him that. So I've made that said, okay, here's what, here's the scenario. I got him to a point about a half an hour presentation. Here's a scenario, soldier Russia. But there's, there's an interest rate or in us that our ranks right now and that person a is devising all the things to derail team USA. I said, you know, fast forward, what were some of those things be okay. They do two at this rate, team USA and get us off the road. So we're not even on the podium at all. It's a Lauren Williams, one of our gold mills track field athletes. You get, cause I just copied, described to, you know, Steve Holcomb was just passed away and they got global Joe's feel in here. There's no way I'm going to come in and that say anything to this group. Right. So I have to get them in a different space. Yeah. So he started throwing out some, you know, so kind of some funny stuff. And they said somebody, the first manager I remember was chicken. I see. I put up there, I said, absolutely put it up there. I have no idea what it means and said the chicken is so terrible over there that they would help me. Yeah. And it would have all this going to the restroom. Oh, got it. Okay. Russian models. It was a, there was a Russian model, so just going to get all her, all our guys off mine. Right. I was like, okay. Right. We started getting into the real, yeah, great stuff. Right. As they kept on going, they started talking about some of their own issues. After that said, I'm to them, the company move. Right. Is there anything that you think we might be doing to ourselves right now? And it's on that board and then the base base actually said it. They circled like seven things that we're doing to themselves right now. And I said, oh my gosh, I just, I got them. I said, no, I can go home. And so for the next life, probably five minutes, I ate their lunch. I said, I just told you you had an angel treater, a Russian spy was coming into derailed team USA. And I, I lit him mean I just signed African when I'm sorry. And I said, you're telling me what to do with seven things or so right now. Right. Yeah. That's good that she was on the middle. Polio. You carry all these people are giving us money to support you and your Emirates and I just lit them up. Right. Can you show me? Those were like freaking out. I was like, I was back on the elevator. I said, this was awesome. I let it sit and I know I let it sit. You know one that manager Ken Blanchard, a woman rubber band. I just left it blank. 45 seconds and no one said a word, right? No one dare to say anything and the silence is broken by one of our restaurant guys. Excellent. This is exactly out of that silence with these words. I want you to listen more. Before they went to the drain valley in the first totally. We had in Vietnam where he took customers, regiments, nomenclature. He had a train, well-trained, fighting boars replace half there before he left there were going to be surrounded in the hilltop. Well, before they left, he told him these words. He says, look around you in the seventh, Calgary, we got a captain from the Ukraine, another from Puerto Rico. We've got Japanese, Chinese, blacks, Hispanics, Cherokee, Indians, Jews and gentiles. All Americans. Now here in the states, some in this unit may experience discrimination because of race or creed. Well, for you and me now, all that is gone. We're moving into the valley of the shadow of death. Well, you will watch the back of the men and the man next to you as he will watch yours and you will not care what color he is or by what name he calls God. They say, we're leaving home. We're going to what home was always supposed to be. So let us understand the situation. We're going into a battle against the tough and determined enemy. I can't promise you that I will bring you all home alive, but this, I swear before you and before all mighty God that we, we're going into battle. I'll be the first to set foot on the field and I'll be the last to step off and I won't leave no one. Hi. Dead or alive. We will all come home together. Wow. Two thoughts. You're an awesome storyteller. Uh,
Speaker 5:is that, is this a, I'm just, I guess it all seriousness. Was this, have you always been a great storyteller or is this a, is it something that you've sort of developed in, in the sort of career that you've forged for yourself?
Speaker 1:I believe the storytelling comes from my family. My Dad's a really great storytellers preaching and sermons and bangs. I'm always coming up with my grandfather. My grandpa was amazing storyteller as well. Um, lesbian hundred years old, grew up in Paris, Kentucky with a lot of inventors. My, uh, uncle who since his passed away, but great storyteller as well. He was, um, in charge of all the platform speakers on the march on Washington. Yeah. Right. So a little bit to live up to.
Speaker 5:Yeah, quit it. Quit a set list of manage there.
Speaker 1:But I think what you want to move the happens is yes, I have that had an acumen for understanding how phase connected. I don't see the problems necessarily altogether. Well, you have to work at that. You have to work with the craft. And so that's why talking with individuals like yourselves who are masterful at putting these things together and, and being able to play in a moment that doesn't have to be totally scripted. And you can write the old story as you're in the moment. Yeah. I've taken that to say, when I'm pitching a client, I am not the talking head on the stage. I've got some places I want to go. Yes. But I'm really a facilitator of the brilliance that's already in your room. Don't overlook all of these people that you're bringing in. They have some great ideas cause they're the ones working it. Not me. He was coming in for like an hour, an hour, 90 minutes. No, let me, let's bring that out. Uh, and a lot of speakers won't go there. Right. They won't, they won't be in the elevator, but they sit back. They'll tell other people to do it, but they will do it themselves.
Speaker 5:Yeah. Walking the walk and the talk. Right. And I think, yeah, and I think that's the other thing that that sort of elicited, you know, that that speech in that moment, you know, to those athletes in that room, like, look at what we're supposed to be versus what we're delivering to ourselves right now. Right? Like look at all the ways that you've just admitted that you are sabotaging yourselves versus the ideals that you're supposed to be sort of living up to. What happened after that moment? Did their things change?
Speaker 1:Um, the, the athletes, I mean, all of them, they were disliked. That was powerful. You're exactly right. And it's shifted and Darren said that it set the tone for the entire rest. Oh, the conference that they had there, the, the attitude was different and solar mindset has shifted around, okay, I'm responsible for me and I need to support, even though that will make the team, I got a support Team USA, this, this is, I can still be supportive even though it's a cutthroat industry. I get behind team USA and that's powerful. I think the second thing is it's easy, easier not to display courage in that moment yet. And you'll see, you'll see it tag out, you'll see a cop out because people will talk around it a lot. What they were doing a situation rather than demonstrating somebody else going through that. So they maybe they don't know very personal standpoint of what they believe they would do, but they don't know because they haven't lived it. So we have a lot of people right now that are in our, um, I'm not picking on Congress, I'm just saying that there's, I'm just using that example, not as agree or disagree they thing what I'm saying is that there are a lot of people that are in Congress now that do not have that military background. So they really don't know what it means to support somebody you know, fired by no one that I've ever met. And war is fighting for their country.
Speaker 6:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And that's a harsh statement, right? Somebody from the outside say, oh, that's the best sacral can that said, think about it. Well, you're in a firefight. You're not thinking about your country. You're talking about, get out of there as fast as you can and protecting that person that is in there, your buddy wouldn't be there. That's all your desk. Oh, it's on your mind. Let's get absolutely clear right now. When you come home and you think about it, you're thinking your patriotism, they getting over there and you don't want to be back in the situation. Right? So if that's showing up and you take that into getting elected into office, that's your mindset.
Speaker 6:It does make me wonder about the difference in a society that has a draft and the society that doesn't. And you know, we talk a lot about what it was like in World War II and how the country, you know, the generation was the greatest generation and the country was unified in a way. And we all know that there were plenty of issues. You know, I'm certainly not talking about going back to the great old days and great for whom we had all sorts of problems. But there is something about all being in it together and sinking and swimming and all of us paying the price if we're at war in a different kind of way than just, you know, having, um, a military where, where you can have a congress where most people haven't been in the military because,
Speaker 1:okay.
Speaker 6:You can avoid it if you're privileged or choose not to in some kind of way.
Speaker 1:Yeah. It's, it's, it's a, it's, it's hard. I mean, but again, that's where the courage comes in would have the conversations. I did have one, um, Oh, speaking for the air force. This was right around the time where the and cabinets store was, you know, had a lot of traction going on and I'm the only person, they're not as uniform. Yeah. Out of the military. Yeah. But other than my suit, all these captains out of there that are going to leave their troops. And so, uh, one of the Catherine's gets often ask me a question and I know it was one of those Mardi moments, right. I want to ask this question to this guy, the black guy on stage, who is the only one that's been in the, in the entire six week course? The only one I was the old black person that actually was in front of them. The leadership will do only one. Is that crazy? The only one. So now, so, so then I didn't know that at the time but he asked me about, so what do you think about a belt players kneeling? I was kind of ready for war. You know, that's a great question. But you have to remember the audience and the mindset that you yeah, so he can't ask that question in my mind. He can't ask that question to the two people in uniform behind me because they're supposed to be neutral.[inaudible] right. So you can ask it to me. So, so he does and it's great. Let for the opportunity. He says you don't have to answer it. You know, we just went through, I'm going to ask the question. So in those moments, acknowledge what's there in the room, the knowledge of what's going on in the conversation. So you have to be aware of, first of all, so we had two kind of opposing thoughts and ideas that are happening. We have one side that says just not patriotic what he's doing and it's slammed to our people in the military and on the other sides of nowhere ruling protesting against police brutality. As I said, we have to do, let's take it and you know, and the other one that I said, either one of those situations is not where you have, where you can live right now. You cannot live in either one of those camps even though we haven't built bass around it or whatever. The you choose to access, you have two in that salad started. You have to lead the conversation because you are, you are going into commands right now. You're going to have service members that are going to be coming to you from both sides of this, of this, uh, of this debate. Yeah. So you don't have the luxury to get into a debated situation to be drawn into either side because you have to lead troops. And if you, if you got squadron going on, given your squadrons, your people going to die. Hmm. Right. So that's the sentence premise. Talk about what Collin Cabinet truly did. What was, what was the first thing that you said? The first reports you went to a marine and asked, what is something I could do that's respectful and said, what's that doing exactly right. Sit down meal. And so people have done that. And I said, good. I said, let's get this. Let's don't get it twisted. The reason why he can say that with, cause you know that the first people to kneel before the flag and approaches were not enough drug players who wasn't good. Let's go back in history. We gotta understand all this stuff. Let's go back and history the first person in meal. Let's go back to the revolutionary war. Well, we're trying to break away from brain drain. How did they fight? They thought by kneeling down and firing weapons in to their patriots and the fence for something that they're truly believing in. Yup. For costs. So that created this whole framework around the stretching of our democracy, which is symbolize in the stretching of our flag. Yup. So we got it. We have it our flag. Now we have the original, uh, 13 strives for the 13 colonies, which were those stars that were first found the black with the 13 colonies. Right? Because we got those and that's going on, but we're not at 13 anymore. We drove in 50. Yeah, Jesse states. So that means there was a stretching of our democracy. We didn't have it all right in the first time. So we're[inaudible], we are allowed to grow. We from white males 25 years or older who are landowners who only could vote. Yup. So the 19th amendment where women can have the right to vote, right? So now let's go back and unpack it underneath. Let's talk about the carb count effect. So now we go into president Abraham Lincoln. It's trying to preserve the union rights, emancipation proclamation, which they rephrase the slaves, right? So if the says flavors, no, no more. However, there is a clause inside the 13th amendment that says, unless you are picked up and put in jail, now it's gaining back on. You can be, you can be a slaving and they can treat however they want to treat you. Yeah. So guess who has to rebuild after the war happens? The South who doesn't have jobs in the South African Americans. Yeah, because now they are not going to work as the plantation. So then if I'm ordering, I don't know what really money is. I get picked up by the police going back into a system so that can be put on a chain gain to rebuild roads, bridges, and all of the things that we're, that's what we get over policing. So that begins to freedom narrative. Now we go into World War II, greatest fighting force according to you all that I'm talking to the the air force now, Tuskegee airman. Here we go. Well now we have this whole thing of, of these, these amazing pilots that never, that, that, that supported the, the, the, the white palettes. Remember they, some of them couldn't make rendezvous points and they were kind of running, trying to chase glory with the German German planes and leaving the bomber escorts alone, which were, which were increasing deaths in Obama runs going over into Berlin and back and wherever they were, they were doing a arrest. No recorded history says the Tuskegee airmen always meant the rendezvous points. They never lost a bomber. And Obama were, I'm going to, and from there they're sororities. Their missions. Yeah. What's the moment they were sacrificing themselves and their planes to protect the people that didn't want them up there in the first place. And then when they come home, when they come home and they say these individuals and they go back down south. In those days we have over three, four recorded instances where black Americans that served in that war ended in those units. We're listed in their military uniforms down the south where they, where they be, where they'd be lynch because by the thousands of the people, they pretend to be surge that didn't understand what she, what they had just done it. And then we have their children who still serve in the military. So who's the greater patriots?
Speaker 5:Oh my God.
Speaker 1:So that's, that's how we have to have these conversations. And so again, it goes all the way down to, we're not talking about calling cabinet protesting the flag. He's trying to expand on the door of democracy. Yeah. If we really want to break it down because he's not protesting something that was, that was going out, guns blazing. He's talking about a young black man that were in the backseat of the car with her handcuffs behind them and being shot. That's, that's called execution. That's what he's protesting. Yeah. None of the other thing that's done. They've got good twisted and know what's missing. Miss Words. I've seen that on this show, on this program as a framework, but in the audience, I'm really trying to get them to see it for themselves because I can't be the talking head, just like in the basilisk situation. I want them to understand and discover that based upon the information that's out there for them outside of their bubbles and syncing out to poke holes in those bubbles. So they can have a more thorough conversation and save lives from the people that they're going to be going to the units and being over those units as come as commanders.
Speaker 5:That makes me think of of sort of where we started with of of the ripples versus echoes of, of really seeing that incident of, of, of seeing Colin Kaepernick as the echo of all these things that have, that have happened in the past, right. Of seeing him in context of all those things. Right. And not this, I have this ripple, this, you know, disturbance in, in what was happening, right. That it came out of nowhere and someone threw, you know, he threw a rock and now there's all these ripples. He's creating something versus of seeing the actual, all the, the energy, the stories that the crimes, the pain and everything that happened before that he's all echoing versus you know, that he's, you know, he's disrespectful versus right. Putting it in context, that's the most patriotic thing that he can do. Right.
Speaker 1:That's it. That's it. That's the cop out. But we don't have the deep like that. Right. The cop out is that he's being disrespectful. You don't want to have a real conversation about this. He's just ripped out the bull, the layer on the scab back on America. And so we will see the effect of what this, this one moment of time does. Later on down the road we'll see the XO of our present, our presence as we know we don't, our presence don't get, um, there Delore and usually in the, in the presidency, it usually comes after when you see the effects of what happened down the road of four, eight, 12 years after their right. And then the next president that comes in, you'll see the effect of what they had basically on that you could attribute it right back to this decision that they made. Right? That's how we know them. Lincoln was all he was. Dad was amazing what he did. They weren't there then the moment, no, I think we would be remiss if we let you go without asking you about the Obama's because we know you get it. Hang with them sometimes. So I was very, very honored. I voted, but I wasn't really part of the using the lyrical system and I was on a board of directors. I'm on a still on for the American Association for people with disabilities and one of the founders, the writers of the American Disabilities Act, um, asked me to come to Washington d c One day and said, hey, just bring a couple of ID cards with you. I want you to go into, I said, okay. So we go in and you said you guys are at[inaudible] Walter walked across Pennsylvania Avenue to the marine. That's the entrance. And I'm like, and what, we're not about going to White House, right? That said, yeah, we had a meeting today with Valerie Barrett presence, right. Right hand person. And so we're talking about this building policies and I'm just like starstruck. Austrac I'm in this, I can live with actually in the meeting, I'm a sports guy. I don't have this complex going on. And after we walked out of the meeting, no, the gentleman said to me, hey, just be over now to more opportunities. I said, what the kids, I'm calling my wife and I was in the White House. So, um, I get to school one again, the one across the street phone rains and it's a blocked number and I never asked why because I said I, I remember Tony's words be open to new opportunities. So I answered the call. So is this John Register? That's it. Yes it is. That got a question to ask you is going to be, it's going to sound weird, but I just need to know, do you support President Bravo Lauer? Yes. Great. Okay. Well you must later, same thing. Blog number comes in. Yeah, I know. It was weird. Kendall's weird called Mr Register, but do you still support the president? I said yes, I do. I said, would you say that in public? And I said, uh, yeah, I'll, I'll say that in public. Okay, we'll call you back. So come to find out I was being bet it'd be one 35 right. Okay. You got to do everything with all this stuff that I've been kind of working on and the disability community and military veterans community and having these real conversations, these robust conversations around, let's not just look at the under 40 Jared or tweed and let's really have some conversations around how we can change narratives and get the entire community engaged in the overall process of the machine called America. Right? That was the vetting process. I never want to go into politics, but it was amazing too to get a chance to, you know, for just moments, watch how this whole operation works. And I was just amazed at how many people he had engaged in really smart individuals and would always be position themselves like as the one that didn't have the information. I need information for everybody else to make decisions. That's how we operated. And it was amazing to see that in practice and just the end of the deep thought he had around issues and not just impacting himself, but how would it impact future generations? How would American be positioned? And it was allowed deep thought around that. And to see that in the national was this crazy. So you look at my website, you'll see a picture of myself and when the president and I got a little, I got something in my hand that is a doll of him skirt from Hawaii and I, you know, as as he says I'm to win Colorado, I said, Mr President Aggie, we're going to, we're going. I said, we're neither with El Paso County. He got in trouble with that. I said, but I got an idea. So you, you had this whole idea of getting up on boats,$5 from everybody in the country and we sell these four, five bucks. You can pull out that bottle, hit dial and swivel it in front of West your school. I started to, well I think we'll just come violate them and we will get those trouble getting the full six for laughing. Right. And so that's when they took the picture of us. You know, he's got out of his hand, his fingers on it. So that was, that was our story and get without the first lady. The story is I've met her, I've met her the most and just the door her. So I'm with Lisa, Leslie Warner, great basketball players at American University and First Lady, Michelle Obama is walking Samantha Cameron around each one of the stations where we're doing this sports play and a, because she's just starting with the less move initiative and she's got the garden, the Basel started this happening and everything and so she'd be walked around by Dan O'Brien is a state. Then the next night for Samantha Cameron and David Cameron, we're invited to it and I couldn't believe were, I was asking more to White House, worse state dinner, every body station. How was other stations were invited two by two to go meet the first lady and then some Cameron. So got it to be our turn. And of course, you know, you've met Mrs Obama's brother is a basketball player and a coach. So she is going on and on about lease and lesson them. I understand they're really polite. Um, and it's got a little longer moments, you know, I want to be general shake your hand and when she's really enthralled with what Lisa, which is great maintenance. Um, I went through all too, so she was just out an Orlando first lady was with the friend of mine, I mean, April, April Holmes. And so they had been hanging out and so April can I think Saul was going on and she comes over and she says, Hey, first lady, how are you doing? I said, Hey, April, what's going on with you? She said, I'm doing great. Have you met my, um, my mentor John? And I said, oh my gosh, I love you, kiss you right now. So she can see braveness gives his house. I said, Oh, I'm so sorry, but I want to hear more about what you're doing since, well, you know, personally I kind of got a bone to pick with you and then she's like, everything's still. So I said, you got the Shindig going on tomorrow night. You know, it's your get to the people's house on 600 opinion. And I really miss camera's so lovely to meet you as well. This should be going on it. And I'm gonna work. Yes. My wife and I, we're so honored to be there, but my wife is trying to find the perfect dress. Just show up tomorrow when she, when she arrives and she believes that finding the perfect dress means she needs to buy every dress to try on it. Then the house, the card is maxed out. I don't know if I can actually get home. So she just cracks of sod knows this. She's probably your lovely, you know. And so we limited there. We get our mind, the receiving line for pictures. I have my silver metal with me. I took a picture with her with my silver medal. Nancy asked me, so how's the dress shopping going? And I said, that's the first lady. I'm not getting to hold on one minute to wash the dishes the next night. That's all it is. President Obama, David Cameron, first lady, Michelle Obama and then Samantha Camera. So Alice is right before me as she goes in and she is like, Google I with the president, of course she doesn't want to move. She's seen as melted. And then she may have been so personally then looks at me, but I know someone who's in New Year or something and just said, hey, this is the guy who came yesterday. You know that you can have this counselor. Well, um, she pulls, Allison says, girl, I heard all about the duress. And then when Allison cuts me this little white and what have you, I'm trying to do with humans or with right. I know it's not a come down. Come to the answer events. Yeah. And so she tells his own fucking amazing. It's just, just was just so classy and often again, the moment, right. And had this banter, this interaction, and I know it's because of how they grew up. Yeah. It's good. It's not, stays is their authentic self. And that's who, that's who they are. So I see that, you know, yeah. There are people that are like that in the world. That's just gravitate to them and no matter where they go in life, they're accessible.
Speaker 6:I have to tell you, um, I am married to a human who okay, doesn't like other humans very much as much as he's an improviser and a wonderful person and he can put on a good act. There are very few people that he is drawn to and we ran into you serendipitously on a train I think from New York, from Albany once and he still talks about how delightful you are and he was thrilled that you're doing this podcast and sends his regards. And do you John Registers, I'm sure all of our, at least half a dozen listeners at this point. The three are one of those truly authentic and magnificent human. So thank you so much for being our guests is mine. Thank you so much. We have so much, so much
Speaker 3:for being with us today. Chad has been, it's been a pleasure. So that was John Register. You can find links and info about him in the description of this podcast. You know, cat, you were saying that he, you been sort of conversing, and this is the conversation that we had sort of awhile ago, so you've been conversing with John in the meantime. Yeah, he was telling me that he's been working on his keynote speech and his version of some of the stories you heard here and already modifying them and shifting them and changing them and finding new insights and inspirations for himself. So bring him in folks. Here are the latest version in just the last couple of months. Yeah, I think there's very much, we are just on the shore of much larger conversations that we're having. We could spend the entire, this entire podcast and probably every episode of the podcast off into eternity. Talking just about that question right there. It's so deep and rich and I'm sure we didn't do it justice here in our conversation with John and as if we could in any way do it justice, but it certainly left me thinking a lot about that idea of stereotype. Even if in our head it's somehow positive or meant to be admiring, how are we reducing people? To one aspect of themselves or one characteristic, or how are we projecting our own story or our own meaning onto someone else rather than really paying attention and receiving and listening for their story. Yeah. That's one of the things I love about doing this with you is, is creating space to get to hear people's stories and their sense of what it means for them to embody their own humanity and make sense of it. So I'm really thankful to John and to you and our listeners and helping us to create space to be, and we have spaces here for you to keep the conversation going. As always, you can reach out to us is(518) 212-7886 leave us a voicemail or send us an email@helloatgarretthoubenpodcast.com or if you leave us a post or message us on Facebook at dare to be human podcast on there as well as your stories. Hi. Hi.