The Dave Crenshaw Success Show
Learn how to achieve balanced and lasting success with world-renowned author and keynote speaker Dave Crenshaw! Dave has already taught millions how to be more productive through his online courses—now listen in as he explores the untold stories of some of the world’s most accomplished people. Dave’s mission is to help his kids become successful human beings, and you get to come along for the ride! Discover how to develop your career, manage your money, find time for fun, build stronger relationships, and make your mark in the world. Every episode ends with clear, concise tips you can implement to reach your goals. If you’re looking for a wholesome, family-friendly podcast to achieve happiness and find prosperity, The Dave Crenshaw Success Show is for you!
The Dave Crenshaw Success Show
The Musician with a Message, SaulPaul - Musician and Producer
Hear the story of how SaulPaul went from being in foster care and prison to inspiring people worldwide as a Grammy-nominated musician. His determination to succeed despite growing up in a poor environment helped him overcome hard times. In this episode, you’ll also learn how SaulPaul uses his talent as a musician to spread an invaluable message to the world. Listen to his story and choose which action most resonates with your goals.
Action Principles
Pick one to do this week:
- Be your best. Instead of trying to be good at several things, be the best at one thing. ACTION: Pick one thing to be the best at and give it your full focus.
- Find a trusted mentor. It can be powerful to follow someone you trust who’s successful in your industry. ACTION: Choose a mentor you trust to inspire and help you grow.
- Discover your strength. Everyone has a natural strength. You'll be far more successful if you can turn that into a profitable career. ACTION: Ask yourself, “What do others always ask me to do or help with?” Then, spend time contemplating ways to turn that into a career.
- Be the change. One person can make a difference in others’ lives, and it doesn’t require extensive effort. ACTION: Visit saulpaul.com to join SaulPaul’s “Be the Change” challenge.
Guest Resources
Learn more about SaulPaul at SaulPaul.com today!
Suggested LinkedIn Learning Courses
Dave Crenshaw develops productive leaders in Fortune 500 companies, universities, and organizations of every size. He has appeared in Time magazine, USA Today, FastCompany, and the BBC News. His courses on LinkedIn Learning have been viewed tens of millions of times. His five books have been published in eight languages, the most popular of which is The Myth of Multitasking—a time management bestseller. As an author, speaker, and online instructor, Dave has transformed the lives and careers of hundreds of thousands around the world. DaveCrenshaw.com
I tell some seniors in high school, Ella, high school, students, whatever, I'm like, Hey, riding a TED Talk. Like, yeah. I'm like, Cool. I'm like, adults always want to do TED Talks. This is a big deal. I've done three of them. This is what I'm establishing authority. I don't say that with them anymore, because they care more than I was on America's Got Talent than I did three TED talks, right?
Dave Crenshaw:Know your audience, right? Your audience, right?
Unknown:They're like, what? Who's Ted
Dave Crenshaw:in this episode, you'll get to know Saul Paul, the musician with a message, and you'll hear the story of how he went from being in foster care and prison to inspiring people around the world as a Grammy nominated musician. I'm Dave Crenshaw, and this is my success Show. Welcome back, friends, to the Dave Crenshaw Success Show. This is where I speak to some of the most successful people I've met in my life's journey. And I'm looking for universal principles of success, things that can help you and help my family succeed. In case it's your first time here, I'm a best selling author. I speak around the world of fortune, 500 companies, and I've helped millions of people through my online courses, particularly on LinkedIn. Learning with this show, I wanted to create something a little different. I wanted to create sort of a legacy project to help my kids succeed, but I thought you'd enjoy learning along with them. I interview people who have multi faceted success, not just success financially or career, but people who also have rich personal lives and have fun as well. And if you know someone who you think would make a great guest, or someone you admire, please email your suggestion to guest at Dave crenshaw.com as you listen to today's episode, I'd like you to do one thing. Look for something you can do. Look for an action you can take today or this week to make my guest success story a part of your success story. This episode is special. We're gonna have a little bit of music. We're gonna have a little fun, a little bit of freestyle in this so I'm really excited to introduce my next guest to you. Saul Paul is a Grammy nominated musician with a message. He's presented three TEDx talks performed at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, and has been featured by the New York Times and on America's Got Talent. Saul Paul's foundation partners with organizations like the NFL and Dell to empower young people to discover their purpose and place in the workforce. He performs in schools and corporations and most recently at South by Southwest. Saul Paul. Thank you so much for being on the show. Thank
Unknown:you for the invitation. Been looking forward to this, so I first saw you
Dave Crenshaw:in prison. You weren't an inmate in the prison, but you were performing for the people in prison. We
Unknown:did meet some amazing people while we were there in prison, though, didn't we? Yeah, that was pretty amazing globe Arizona hustle 2.0 getting to go as a business coach and listen to some business plans and business pitches from some currently incarcerated individuals who are about to transition back here to the free world. That was inspiring.
Dave Crenshaw:And to paint the picture for people who weren't there, we were out in the courtyard of the prison, and you put on a show. I was there with my son, and it was happening during the beautiful Arizona sunset.
Unknown:Yeah, that was quite the honor. And I got to meet not only some inmates that were amazing, but some amazing individuals like yourself while being there as well? Yeah, for
Dave Crenshaw:sure. So what we're gonna do is we're gonna explore your career story. And I like to ask the same question of every guest, but I especially like asking you this because I know you do a lot of work with children. You go to schools, you talk to them, and so I'm gonna ask you the question that almost every kid gets asked, which is, what did you want to be when you grew up so little? Saul Paul, what did you think that you were going to be in the future when you first started getting ideas about, oh, careers exist.
Unknown:That is an amazing question. What did I want to be when I grew up? I just wanted to be successful, and it was vague. Now I ask that question to young people all the time. Ask it to other peers and adults as well, and if they gave me that answer, successful, I'd be like, That's not specific. That's like, we need a SMART goal. But for me, when I was little, SP, my goal was just general and vague. I wanted to be successful, and that was a big deal to me, because at that point, I had not witnessed many successful people. I did not grow up in an environment where I saw others succeed, others living their best life, others being gainfully employed, others having nice things. What was
Dave Crenshaw:it that you were exposed to? What did it look like for you?
Unknown:Drugs, violence, murder, poverty, homelessness, broken homes, single parents, that's what I grew up in and around.
Dave Crenshaw:I think that's a great place for us to start, because I'm always inspired by someone who grew up in an environment where you were exposed to nothing other than that. It, and yet you found a way to carve a path through that. And my understanding too is that you lost your mother at a very young age. Is that true as well?
Unknown:I did. I did lose my mother at a very young age. I lost my mom when I was three years old, and I lost my father was never around. So the way I usually share it is my mom died when I was three. She died in a car accident. My dad left before I was born, so through no fault of my own, I was placed in foster care. So I don't know if you can miss what you never had. I still remember being at my mother's funeral at three years old, but it did work out for me, because though I was placed in foster care. I was adopted by my maternal grandmother. Oh, her name was Pearlie. Everybody called her big mama. I ultimately grew up calling her mama. She was the only mother that I knew. She was 65 years my elder. She raised me as a only child, even though she had previously raised 16 children of her own. So it was just me and Pearlie me and Mama. Wow,
Dave Crenshaw:that's so remarkable that she did that. And I know that you have a ton of respect for her. I've even heard you honor her in your music.
Unknown:Yeah, one of my most popular songs is a song called mama, but it was written because of her, as an ode to her and my experience with her sacrificing and creating space for me to become who I am. So
Dave Crenshaw:this is a unique situation. I don't get to interview musicians very often, and you're sitting there for someone who isn't seeing this on video you're seeing sitting there with your guitar in hand. Can you give us just like a brief riff, like a, you know, 10 to 15 second riff on that song about your grandmother. Wow, let
Unknown:me see I'm
Dave Crenshaw:putting you on the spot here.
Unknown:I grew up both now I even know it when we lack dough. She ain't even show it. She kept me focused. Eyes on the textbooks. Now I'm living good. Look how those checks look. She taught me about love. She taught me about life, showed me what was wrong and taught me what was right. Then she let me live my life, but I made mistakes. She still showed me love. So I guess she taught me grace. Oh,
Dave Crenshaw:that's beautiful. And what I love about that is, you just answered my question, my next question, which was, what did she teach you? And that was fantastic. We got to hear that in song form. Thank you. Thank you. So she taught you all those things, but I know not everything in your life was smooth sailing in addition to that, right? Yeah, not at all. Would you mind sharing a little bit about what were some of the mistakes that you made in your journey early on,
Unknown:the mistakes that I made were not understanding boundaries, not appreciating the value of structure and rules, and that's a fancy way to say I broke the law. So by the time I was 17, I was arrested by the FBI. Wow.
Dave Crenshaw:Would you mind sharing just a brief bit about what that was that you were arrested for? Yeah?
Unknown:Well, the setup to it is, is very interesting. I love I made good grades in school, elementary, middle school, high school. I was in the Gifted and Talented program. I had a natural talent, natural gift. Glad that I still have it. I'm an intelligent individual that came natural, so I didn't have to apply myself. So I made good grades without trying, but that was my secret, because in the community I grew up in that wasn't celebrated, so I got teased for making good grades, but when I would get in trouble in school, I would, like, inadvertently, like, you know, get attention. So then in my mind, I figured out, wow, I can become the best at being the worst, and I'll get the most quote, unquote, love. So it was logical, Ill logic, thus illogical. But you know, that was my logic. So by the time I'm 17, I'm growing up in poverty. I see people in my neighborhood doing various things to get money, the ones that did have money, and so I realized I wanted to get some money. So what I did was simply make money, right? Like people sell drugs to make money. I was like, Hey, let's just cut out the middle man. I'll just make money. And that's what I did. I made money if anybody picks up what I'm saying without being too candid, but my first charge was from making counterfeit money. And
Dave Crenshaw:I want to pause on that for a second, because, you know, we talked about the context of meeting through hustle, 2.0 you weren't in that program because it's fairly new. But they talk about the idea that, and we use the phrase inmates. I did that because people who are unfamiliar, would they wonder if I used a different word, but the word they like to use is Mavericks. Mavericks. And the idea is that these these guys, these gals in prison, they do have talent, they do have skill. They're just misapplying it. And that's exactly what was happening here. You're in the gifted program, you're ambitious, you're success oriented, and you applied. Those skills, you just did it in the wrong way, correct. But I really think that's important for your story, because now you're you're applying all those gifts and those skills in a positive way to impact change in the world, change people's lives. I think that's a beautiful comparison for people to see the difference between the two. It's
Unknown:why I do what I do. 17 I get arrested by the FBI. I realize like, this is a platform for me to to get love. I like to highlight people miss it. People act as if those that are incarcerated are so foreign, but they're not. The reality is, of the 7 billion plus people on the planet, we all want love, and so people get a different way. Some people play sports to get it. Some people do well in school. Others succeed in business. Some give back. Me at this point in life, I'm like, wow, the way that I can get love has become the best at being the worst. But I didn't fully think that through, because I'm still just a juvenile. I'm just a young person. Didn't have a lot of guidance, didn't have mentorship and others in my life, and then listen to the ones that I did have. So I continued down that path, and by the time I'm 20, I'm convicted of four felonies, and now I'm sending the Texas State Penitentiary, and I'm wondering to myself, like, wow, how did I go from the Gifted and Talented program to like, being convicted of four felonies, having 10 years and sending the Texas State Penitentiary. And I realized that it was my choices. What was
Dave Crenshaw:the turning point for you in there? Because I know that some people have different experiences in prison. Sometimes they go in, they get bitter, they get hard, they get into the system, that negative system, and they decide, I'm here forever. But others like you, they have a moment where they make a decision to take a different path. What was that moment for you? I
Unknown:always try to explain it two different ways, practically, because the real answer is, it's my faith. So yeah, I love to share my faith. So the simple answer is, what changed for me was my faith. I went from Saul to Paul. I realized that I was born on purpose, with a purpose, and I started walking in that purpose
Dave Crenshaw:period. That's interesting, because that explains why you use that name, which is a reference to the biblical story of of someone who is basically fighting against God and then, and then changed that. And I like that. You also are leaving space to say, Look, maybe someone doesn't have that faith, and that's okay for them to have that, but that's your story, and that is very important to your your process of change. That's it
Unknown:exactly, also as right, as a speaker, as a teacher, you realize sometimes you understand things and like, how do you break that down into to be able to teach it? So practically, what it looks like for me is, I'm 20 years old, convicted of fourth felony, sent in the Texas State Penitentiary. And I just I considered my life. I was a very confident individual. I believed in me, but I was real enough to say, Great. I'm 20 years old, about to spend my 21st birthday in the Texas State Penitentiary. So the plan that I am working is not working the culture that I grew up when taught me some things. I did those things I'm in prison. I realized that if I wanted to get different results, I would have to make different choices. I realized that I had to divorce myself from what I knew and what I believed. I realized that I would have to separate myself from those that were around me, even as I was in prison. I realized that I would have to like separate myself from the mindset of my community, and I would have to feed my mind. I would have to develop a vision, come up with a plan, and then move forward toward my new goal, and that's how I made the transition practically. Yeah,
Dave Crenshaw:I want to highlight something in there too, which is the separating yourself. One of the turning points for me was recognizing there were people in my life who were giving me all sorts of advice, but had achieved no success themselves that part, and it seemed like maybe you were had people in your life who were achieving a kind of success, but it wasn't the kind of success that you wanted to have in your life.
Unknown:I remember this moment very clearly when I was in prison. I was in the Texas key part, right at the Texas State Penitentiary, we're watching a football game. I wrote about this in my book. I wrote an autobiographical book. It's called beat the change, and I share the story in the book. But here's a short version, watching this football game in prison in Texas. It's ut football to set it up. What happens is, 17, I get arrested at the same time my grandmother passes away, so I'm on my own. My senior year in high school, I couch searched, they were relatives, and then I got an academic scholarship. I went to the University of Texas at Austin on scholarship, but I didn't have any life skills, and I didn't have any study skills because of my natural talent. Like I made it to college without studying, but that didn't work in college, so I flunked out lose my academic. Scholarship, and then I went to the penitentiary. Okay, so back to the story now. So now I'm in the penitentiary. We're watching a UT football game. All eyes are on the TV, because that's what you do in prison. And there was this OG. Og is the endearing term you call someone that's like, hey, like, that's the dude we want to be like him, right? So me and the OG and others watching the game, and I happen to know the players that are on the on the TV screen, so I'm kind of humble bragging. They're like, Oh yeah, I know that dude. I know that dude. The OG is like, how? Right? He's incredulous, like, like, how are you imprisoned with me? How would you know this dude is what he's thinking, right? I'm like, Oh, I used to go to UT. So now he takes his eyes off the TV, and he looks at me, and he's like, okay, so if you went to UT, then what are you doing here? And I'm like, This is my moment. I have the attention of the OG, the person I respect. He looked at me, he paused. He was in disbelief. And he was like, keeping it real, yeah, so you were keeping it real, stupid. And then he goes back to the football game, right? And so this is a person that I respected, that I wanted to be like, and it changed my worldview. It challenged it, because I was like, wow, I was doing this thing for whatever reasons. He did it at the highest level, quote, unquote, later, we had a conversation, and he shared, like, why he did it. He did it because he was trying to make a way for his family, for his children, he didn't have another option, and now here I am who had an option, and I was still doing those same dumb things, and so, like, that was a turning point for me as well, when I was in prison and realized, like, Okay, I need to change my worldview. I've been bonding to a system that really did not have my best interest in my life, and if it was a movie, that's the point when you cue the soundtrack and it's like, oh, okay, a shift just
Dave Crenshaw:happened. Oh man, what a great story, and then you were eventually able to get out of prison early for all, Yep, good behavior. Well,
Unknown:I don't want, I don't want to, I don't want to perpetuate that myth. It wasn't good behavior. So, but, uh, here's the crazy part. Like the school to prison pipeline is a real thing. For example, I was in the Gifted and Talented program. When I would go to school, I wouldn't even get to hang around my friends from my neighborhood, because I was in a different track, a different program, right? I haven't seen friends from elementary, middle school, high school, because I always went to, you know, you know, schools vary, and then I'm in different classes. I go to college, but when I got to prison, I saw like, hey, that's like TT from elementary that's Darrel from middle school. That's Herman from high school. And it was mind blowing to me, because we all ended up in the same place, even though we went different paths. And it was that school to prison pipeline. So it felt like a family reunion when I got to prison. And the first year I was there, it was not good behavior. It was more like, Hey, this is community, and we did more of the stupid stuff. Again, I believe in miracles. So, like, my faith played a key part for me. It was more of a principle that I used in life. I understood why I was in prison. I understood what I needed to do with my life. So there was no reason for me to be in prison anymore. And I think that show, right? It's like, if I was grounded, it was like, Okay, you get the message now, now you can go. But it wasn't the system and it wasn't any person. It was more like, okay, I get it.
Dave Crenshaw:Okay, that's beautiful. And I want to highlight something there too. Just jump ahead a little bit in your timeline for a second. You talk about the school to prison pipeline. It's an interesting phrase. I haven't heard that before. Is that part of the reason why you focus so much on going to schools and helping the kids out? Yes, it is. Is it part of it to break that cycle? You
Unknown:are a very informed individual. I'm honored to be on your show. You're smart and you're good at what you do, and an informed individual, like you hasn't heard and you serve in the space, right? So, like, it's just crazy to me that you haven't heard of the school to prison pipeline only because, like, it's a thing. Anyone could Google it right now, and you would have copious content and realize, like, what this is how they project the amount of prisons to build in a community, in a space, they can tell based on, like, the third grade reading level of a community, the amount of jails and prisons that they will need. But Google it. I love this, like anybody can Google it. Like you Google that, and it's like, because there's a pipeline, and so education and literacy plays a key part. And yes, that's why we focus so much on working with young people, because we realize that we can impact their lives forever just by impacting them while they're young.
Dave Crenshaw:Yeah, well, and I'm just going to highlight this. I don't want to talk talk all about hustle 2.0 but I do want to highlight this thing because it relates one of the questions that they ask. They have the step to the line activity, and if it's true for you, you step up to the line for your coach. If it's not true, you step back. And one of the things that always pops up is there were at least 40 books in our household. It was something, some number like that, and almost all the coaches step up to the line. So that's true for them. And almost all of the Mavericks step back, saying that they're in their home. They didn't have. Have that many books, so that's really interesting that you're highlighting that, because that is a big differentiator. And it's, I think it's a solvable problem.
Unknown:It is a solvable problem. That's an entrepreneur. I love entrepreneurship. I love business owners. Because, like, business is solving a problem, right? And then there's just some compensation added to it. But it's like entrepreneurs see, like problems, and then we're like, yeah, that's solvable. Like, why is this such a big deal? Hey, let's solve it. Like,
Dave Crenshaw:yeah, let's educate kids. Let's let's be Saul Paul, let's go into the schools. Let's teach the kids and give them an uplifting message, a good example. Okay, so I want to go back to the exit. And this is important, because one of the biggest challenges that people have when they're exiting prison is that first job, that first employment, and starting to get on, back on the path of gainful employment. What was your first opportunity? What was that experience like for you, getting that first job?
Unknown:Don't take me down memory lane. I tell you pride in my struggle story. Yeah, so I get out, I'm on parole. I'm staying at a relative's house, because when you get out on parole, you have to have somewhere to go to. So thank you to my aunt bunny Ernestine Rose, who allowed me to come live in a house and like, tell my parole officer he has somewhere to stay. So I'm sitting at her house, and I ended up going to a temporary employment space, or whatever. They got me a job. I remember I made 525, an hour. Absurd, doing what? Counting screws. That was the whole job. Like, no, I would literally count through counting screws. I never had. Like, there was a scale. You had these boxes. You put the box together. You put the box on the scale. There's some paper, whatever. Okay, this one has 100 and or, you know, it's based off of weight. And you throw these screws in the box, okay, hit the number, you fold it up, you tape it, you set it aside.
Dave Crenshaw:So a job like that gives you a lot of time to think. Here I am in this job, counting screws. What was going through your mind? Because I'm guessing, knowing you, you were starting to formulate a way out of that. Is that a correct assumption?
Unknown:That is it exactly, and I had so much time just to shout out, because sometimes people want to, you can't cheat the process. Here was the process. I had the job. The job was, it was so weird, I want to share this because, like, this is part of the grind, and people have to remember this. I would wake up. I got the job. I was happy to have the job to get to work at eight o'clock. I would have to wake up at five, walk 30 minutes, like, get ready for 30 minutes walk, 30 minutes catch the bus at 6am so then it would take two hours to get to the job, and then I would get there eight o'clock, finish, get off at five. Then wouldn't get home till eight o'clock that night. And like that was life. Then they changed my hours, and to keep the job, I now had to be at work at four o'clock. Interesting part is I would get off at one o'clock, right at our lunch breaks. I get off at 1am but there were no busses, I would get random people. I would catch a cab sometimes, but then I would literally use up my entire work day pay to, like, catch the cab. So then there was this one guy that would let me ride on the back of his truck. Totally weird situation. There's another story that's in my book. Say I'm proud of these moments, because we could talk about my resume and all my successes now, but I know how I got there. The guy wouldn't even let me ride in the front of the truck, like I realized now he was a functioning alcoholic,
Dave Crenshaw:and you're getting in the back of the truck. I didn't think
Unknown:about that part, but yeah, I'm in the back of the truck. And because it was kind of on the way to where he was going, when he would get to, like, the intersection road to cross street, he wouldn't even stop, like, exit and like, take me where I had to go, or even let me out on the feeder. It was, like, 130 in the morning. Now he would literally just stop on the upper deck of the highway and, like, Let me hop out. And then I would walk from there to a relative's house and get there, because the hour walks, I would get there about 230 in the morning, and then I would sleep till the bus till the sun came up and the busses started working. And then I would catch a bus to my other aunt's house that I mentioned earlier, and stay there and then repeat the cycle. But it was also a stipulation on my parole. So I was happy to have a job in general and to have my freedom. And I would do what I had to, because I was formulating that plan. I knew where I was going.
Dave Crenshaw:I want to highlight that, that you were willing to do what you had to, even though it may be questionably, wasn't fair. You paid that price to do what needed to be done for parole, you're taking so much time to get to the job and then so much time coming back, and it can trap someone in that cycle of continually paying money to make money, and it sounds like you were in the middle of that.
Unknown:I was I got to experience so my grandmother was so amazing. Though I grew up extremely poor, I knew we weren't rich, but I didn't know how poor we were. You. So she was a great parent. Like that wasn't my responsibility. My responsibility was go to school, make good grades. It was only when I became an adult that I realized, like, whoa, we were like, lower lower class. She had shielded me from that, and she she bore the burden. But now, at this point in life, I'm understanding what it's like to be like, Wow. Like, this is poverty. This is not right, and life's not fair. So that's a word I don't use, but yeah, I was like, Yeah, this is not my self talk. Is this? Ain't it? Okay? Yeah, and I'm gonna ride this out. I'm gonna grind this out, but like, this ain't it? This can't be life. And it was during that I was formulating my plan, and what happened is, the way the timeline progresses is I ultimately, I did that for a year. I transferred my parole from Houston to Austin. I got readmitted to UT the University of Texas. So I went to UT while I was on parole. This is unheard of. I recall one day that I went to go see my parole officer, because you have to see them each month. It just so happened that I went to go see my parole officer on the same day that I went to go see my academic advisor on campus. Wow. And that was like, the contrast of like, this world, and he was an encouraging individual, because I shared with him my reality, my truth. Yeah, you can't share your story with everybody, but you got to find people that you trust. And I could, there was that space. And I was like, Man, I'm on parole. I'm like, trying to do this and that. And he was encouraging, gave me some wise counsel. I applaud it. Fast forward, I ultimately ended up graduating from UT a couple years later with the 4.0 GPA. Man,
Dave Crenshaw:that's amazing. That's amazing. And it really does show your persistence, your commitment to making change, and in particular, finding a new path to success. Whereas before you were trying to be the best at being the worst, now you're trying to be the best that part at doing good things. Yes, where did music come into this great question?
Unknown:Some friends invited me to the studio. Music was not my goal. Music was therapeutic for me. I was a consumer. I listened to it. It did something special. I didn't know that I could create it. Some friends went to the studio. They asked me to write a verse. I didn't know what a verse was. I mean, what do you mean? Like, how long it is, how to do it. I figured it out. I recorded my first verse, and something clicked, like, just supernaturally in the studio. Like, wait, I think this is what I'm born to do. Okay, fast forward. This is when I'm in college, before I graduated, and then I graduate. And I my last corporate job was working at a television station, an ABC affiliate, and so it was a big deal, because, you know, I go from prison, incarceration to college graduation. I now work in television. Everyone in my community is proud of me, excited that knows my story, because I have a different community of individuals. They're like, Yeah, you got a job, keep it. You got benefits, all that. But I would take off often to go, like, speak at a school. And I remember the first time I went to go speak at a school, because I was I got to give back like I wish somebody would have told me in a authentic way where I would have heard what they were sharing, because, bottom line, people sucked at communicating to me effectively. And so I'm in, I go to the school and I go speak. This is my first time public speaking, and this is a year or so after I wrote my first song and I spoke, and I was like, Whoa, that same thing happened. Like, hey, I think this is my purpose. And so then I realized, like, oh, I have to combine these two. I have to figure out how to, like, create my life around what I feel like I'm born to do. And that's how I came in.
Dave Crenshaw:So a lot of people listening to this who maybe are in the process of discovering what they want to do for their career, for their life. You said you realized this is for me, this is the thing I want to do. Maybe this is my purpose. So I want to slow things down for just a second and look at the process. If you were talking to someone and they're trying to figure out what their thing is, how would you tell them to recognize that moment, how to find that thing?
Unknown:If we're talking about purpose, then I would say you were born on purpose with the purpose. A great way for you to identify your purpose is to understand what your natural gifts and talents are. I have this question, what are you good at without trying, that other people try to do and they're not even half as good, not what you're passionate about. People confuse it. I really like they always say, I like this. I'm that's not what I asked you. I said, What are you good at without even trying, the other people try to do and they're not even half as good. And that's just my creative way of saying, like, what are you gifted at? That's why you're better than other people without even trying, because it's just a natural gift. It's a talent. And so then you start to understand what your talents are, and then you can build your life around that.
Dave Crenshaw:I love it, and I'm just going to talk about how much we agree right here, because I have a course. LinkedIn learning, called discovering your strengths. And what I teach is you want to find the intersection of your gifts plus your loves plus your skills. And when you have something you love, that's you're gifted at, and then you also have developed skills, that's where your strength is, that's what you want to pursue. So we're saying the same thing.
Unknown:I love a good Venn diagram. I just see it in my head. I'm like, that's a Venn diagram right there, right there in the middle. That's a sweet spot, baby,
Dave Crenshaw:exactly, exactly, and that's what you've done. You found that strength in all those things. Where did the first Grammy nomination come from? After
Unknown:I figured out my gifts, my talents, more so my purpose, and understood my strength and even my audience and my community, because I do corporate speaking, I do professional development, I do coaching, I also make sure that I entertain, inspire and empower young people. But there's something special about I've tried to get away from it, like, cool, like, that's good. I'll give back, but this is what I'm gonna focus on and it was like, young people love me. I love them. And like, this message works, and they actually don't have all the baggage that my adult peers have. So you share something like that with them, and they're like, boom. They take it and run. They're shooting me DMS on IG like, Hey, you came to my school. You said this. Now I do that. Like, whoa, it's fruitful. So the first Grammy nomination came when I said, Okay, I'm gonna make an odd I'm gonna create a project for young people. And I played a part in a project that was geared toward young people. And that's where the first one came from.
Dave Crenshaw:I want to highlight something there where sometimes we have an idea in our head about what we should be doing as a career. But another indicator is paying attention to what people keep asking you to do. Now I
Unknown:have to what you just did when you're like I so agree with what you're saying. So that's the second part. That's the second answer to when you said, how would you help someone identify their purpose. Well, the first thing I say is, what are you good at? Without trying, other people try to do they're not half as good. And the second thing I always tell them is, what do people tell you you're good at? People take for granted what's natural. So like, there's a kid that can do math in their head right now, somebody right, like nine times nine. What's nine times nine plus nine plus 10. There's somebody that's right now is like, 100 like, easy. There's somebody else that's still stuck on nine times nine, right? Like, the person that does math in their head easy doesn't realize, like, you know, that's not normal, right? You know, everybody can't do that, right? So it's like, people have to tell you, you have to start to listen. Like, Oh, this thing that's easy for me is actually special. Yeah,
Dave Crenshaw:and we inherently discount the things that are easy, because we think that they're easy for me, they're easy for everybody else, that part, and that's not true. I mean, for you, you're comfortable getting up on stage, you're comfortable writing, you're comfortable freestyling, which, by the way, I'm gonna ask you to do, so you didn't know that, but I'm gonna put you on the spot. But you're really comfortable doing those things. Most people aren't. Most people are terrified to get up in front of people and perform and stand in front of an audience. That's
Unknown:what I want to shout you out on when we were sitting next to each other basking in the glow of dedicating our day of service to amazing individuals in the State Penitentiary in Arizona, and you know me and you and a bunch of other folks at the table, because it's awesome just to be able to play a part in that I wasn't familiar with you prior to that moment. And then it was like, You shared a nugget, right? You shared some wisdom. And then you you took everyone's attention at the table, and they were like, Whoa. Like, I gotta get that. Boom, boom. But it stood out to me because what you said was so, so wise and authentic and applicable. It was encouraging. So, yeah, I was excited to to be able to connect, because I'm like, most people don't get that.
Dave Crenshaw:I appreciate that compliment. Thank you. So talk to me about TEDx. I think a lot of people, they see them, they like them. You've done it three times, which is pretty remarkable. What is that process like to prepare for that and to give a TEDx talk? Because it's not easy.
Unknown:Well, in the beginning, you know, the pre prep, you were like, Hey, I'm gonna ask some real questions. I might even make you uncomfortable. Okay? I was like, I was thinking to myself, like, like, how? Like, okay, but okay, this is that question, because now this is a crossroad, like, do I tell the truth, or do I, you know, try to, like, like, dress it up and make it sound good for our professional community. But I'll talk like, I talk to the young people. Because I tell young people is like, I tell some seniors in high school, Ella, high school, students, whatever. I'm like, Hey, riding a TED Talk. Like, yeah. I'm like, Cool. I'm like, adults always want to do TED Talks. It's a big deal. I've done three of them. This is what I'm establishing authority. I don't say that with them anymore, because they care. More than I was on America's Got Talent than I did three TED talks, right? Know your audience, right? Your audience, right? They're like, what? Who's Ted? And like, people spend time preparing the 17 minutes, like, maybe 17 weeks, who knows how long, whatever. I basically freestyled all three of mine, like there was no preparation. It was like I did the first one, and apparently it worked, because that's what led to the invitation to the next one, and that's what led to the invitation to the next one separately. And it's not just like no preparation, even though that's what it is, but I recognize to be able to put myself in that space. So if your question was, what was it like preparing for that? I just recognized that, wow, this is going to be like a snapshot. It's like taking a photo. I have much to share, but the point that I share here, this innovative, intriguing idea, is the one that will be like, there will be a snapshot, and it will live on. So I made sure that whatever I spoke about added some value to Earth in all essence. And I did three different topics. The first one was my story. The second one was that we all have multiple gifts and talents and like how to best apply them in order to apply them in and then the third one was how we can all be the change. So
Dave Crenshaw:you mentioned that word again, freestyle. That's how you you deliver. That's how you prepared. And I want to highlight that because that also is a gift that's unique. Not many people have that. So there are two things going on in my head when I see you deliver what you do when you give a Gosh, what is a musical speech? I both identify with it and envy it, because I identify with the concept of freestyling. I feel like I'm best on stage when people are asking me questions and I'm riffing off things and I'm adapting to the audience, so I identify with it, but I also envy the heck out of it, because your ability to take that and turn it into something musical that's at another level in my mind, being poetic that fast. Where does that come from? Is that a natural gift by itself? Is it something that you've had to hone over time, that you've improved your ability to do? Like, how do you how do you even practice getting better at free styling?
Unknown:The 10,000 hours is real, right? I know everybody in this list knows what that means. Like, you gotta put in here 10,000 hours. And it's like, yeah, put in your 10,000 hours. So but the way you prepare? Well, it's not for me, it's not prepare. I think about present, for example, I want to shout out chef Emeril. When people cook on television, it doesn't make sense that a person should be able to cook food, and we care about it. If they're on television, we can't smell it, see it, touch it, taste it.
Dave Crenshaw:That's a great point. Yeah, like, it
Unknown:makes no sense that there's a cooking show on TV. This is stupid, but a great chef would be a salesman, right? So it's like, it's well lit. They have the ingredients. They're explaining it. They have the artistry of how they cut a tomato, how they throw it in the bowl, how they stir it, how they describe it, like, oh, it's Oh, the sounds like they're simmering on purpose, like they presented it so that you feel like, Oh, wow. I want that, even though we can't touch tastes or smell it. And so when I freestyle the way I approached, it was like, How do I bring this to life? How can I make this thing that's a natural gift and then present it so that it's an experience. And that's why, like, when I do it, I'll do some crowd input, like, you know, I might have people join me on stage. I might have people randomly throw out words. I'll take visual things that I see you can text me right now, I'm working on how to incorporate AI into it, right? Because that's what we are now, and it's about, how do I make this visual and an experience? That's how I approach it.
Dave Crenshaw:Yeah. And I want to call out your stage craft as well. And for those who are not familiar, stage craft is just your ability to work the crowd, pull people in, get them engaged. And yours is one of the best I've seen. And just to highlight that, when we were at the prison you were doing that, someone brought up the word supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, right? And I know you've heard that word before,
Unknown:right? It might be in all three TED talks, I don't know. Yeah, yeah.
Dave Crenshaw:Okay, so, but, but what I loved about it is you were like, Wait, what was that word super? You know, I'm like, everybody kept saying it. You kept pulling us in. It was like, you were like, letting outline in the fishing hook, and then when you got to the freestyle, you just, you just nailed it. And then it was the build up to it. The, if I'm trying to relate this to someone listening, you hold back a little bit so that when you deliver people are surprised. They're like, Oh, man, that was fantastic. I think that's a great skill for any kind of presenting. Is you hold something back in reserve and then you pop it on people in surprise, and they go, Oh, wow, that was that was special. So kudos to you for that. Thank you. What are you working on now and where are you headed in the next five years?
Unknown:It's a great question. One. I probably never have a clear, succinct answer for currently, where I'm at. I'm excited. Our goal is to take Be the change globally. It's really that simple. I started a social good campaign in 2016 called Be the change. We've impacted millions of people. Last fall, we impacted 125,000 students. We inspired them to give back and be the change in their own communities. They collectively volunteered more than 75,000 volunteer hours. But the way BE THE CHANGE really works is we created this social good campaign. Then I wrote a book, then we launched a sneaker company, change kicks. We launched a beverage company called Change water. And again, I can't get away from my young audience, K through 12, and though I wrote a personal memoir that was more for middle school and high school students currently working on a children's book that's for K through five, because that's half of our audience, and that's a snapshot of where we are now and to continually and our next benchmark for Be The Change is 250,000 volunteer hours. Collectively, like we created a website, people can log in, scan a Q They scan a QR code, log on, they share how they chose to be the change. And then we're collectively taking all this data to continually, leverage it and create the snowball effect. Okay,
Dave Crenshaw:so one of the things I like to do in every episode, and maybe you heard this, is, I like to highlight actions that people can take, because my perspective as a coach, as a consultant and educator, is education is great. Knowledge is powerful. But what's more powerful is taking action, doing something about it. And I want my my listeners, to make your success story, Saul Paul a part of their success story. So what I'm going to do, and I'm putting you on the spot here, what I do in every episode, I'm going to highlight three actions that someone can do today this week, to make what you've shared a part of their life. I'd like you to share one specific action they can do. And either you can do that as part of a freesty that riffs off of what I share, right, or you can share one first through talking and then do a freestyle about the whole thing. Okay, so
Unknown:you go first though, all right, so the first
Dave Crenshaw:action that stood out to me in the beginning of his story, Saul Paul talked about being the best at being the worst. That was the choice that he made when he was in high school. What I would like you to ask the question is, what can I be the best at being the blank, if you want to be the best at being the and fill in the blank. And I think there's power in taking the moment to think about that and answering it. What are you going to be the best at? And write that word down and make that a goal, something that you work on on a regular basis. The next action is Saul Paul said an interesting phrase. He said, You can't share your story with everybody, but you can find someone you trust. And I would encourage you to find someone that you can trust, that you can associate with, someone who's achieving what you want to achieve, and listen to that person, build that relationship with that person, even if you can't find someone immediately. Then choose an author, choose a figure, choose somebody like Saul Paul, and say, I'm gonna follow them and make them a part of my life. So that'll help me achieve what I want to achieve. And then the last one is just asking yourself the question, what do people keep asking me to do? What do people keep coming to me and saying, Hey, can you give more of that? That's a sign that that's probably something you can do with your career. So pay attention to that and just answer that question. What do people keep asking me to do? And then that might give you a clue about where you can take your career next. All right, Saul Paul, do you want to share one within the freestyle? You want to share one outside? And then tie it all together? I'll let you work your magic.
Unknown:That's a great one. Let me see here. I'll just keep it simple. I encourage everyone. One practical action individuals can take is to visit saulpaul.com and join the Be The Change challenge. All you do is you sign up, someone will follow up. It's simple, and then you can be the change in your community. So I'll be remiss if I didn't mention that I shared a lot today. Fantastic. That's the big takeaway, join the Be The Change challenge. We look forward to being able to partner with you, bring it to your community as we entertain, inspire and empower. That's an actionable idol.
Dave Crenshaw:Fantastic.
Unknown:If I do it musically, let me see you got to keep I want to keep it simple like so. So this is a little freestyle, one of one that makes you the best work. Hard also choose the rest and realize that it's a task, and if you don't have it, maybe you should just ask, and that's the way that you can build community. Don't do it by yourself. Stand for unity. That's you and I, t, y, s, you and me, I'm gonna shine bright, just like some jewelry when it come to the flow, yeah, I've been raw. I'm Saul Park. That's Mr. Crenshaw. Y'all call him Dave. Some call him super. Now check this out. Hey, no Lex Luthor. Does he drive the car is more foreign. Now check this out. This podcast is far from boring. We high scoring. We doing what we do. If nothing else you should be true to you. You have a gift. You also have a talent. Work hard, rest hard. Yes, you need balance. And my final choice is a challenge you should join. That Be the change to the challenge. Hey,
Dave Crenshaw:yes, that was fantastic. That was great, man. I first I had a big smile on my face, and then I started have a tear come to my eye that was beautiful. Thank you so much for that. Absolutely. Thank you for the opportunity to do what I do. Yeah, and so I just want to highlight you're available for public speeches. You do that all over the place, schools, corporations, that sort of thing. And the best place to follow you is where saulpaul.com saulpaul.com saw, Saul Paul, you've been so generous with us. So much wisdom. Thank you so much for taking the time out of your very full schedule to share all of this with us. Thank
Unknown:you for what you do, continually give back, continually shine. Thank you for the invitation, and
Dave Crenshaw:thank you everyone for listening. Remember, it's not just about the knowledge that you heard, the story that you gained. It's about the action that you take. So make sure that you do one thing this week to make Saul Paul's success story a part of your success story. Thanks for listening.
Darci Crenshaw:You've been listening to the Dave Crenshaw Success Show, hosted by my dad, Dave Crenshaw, and produced by invaluable incorporated research and assistant production by Victoria Bidez, Sound Editing by Nikic Wright, voiceover by me, Darci Crenshaw, and the music is by Ryan Brady via Pon five licensing, please subscribe to the Dave Crenshaw success show on Apple podcasts Spotify, wherever you like to get your podcasts. If you have a suggestion for someone my dad might like to interview, please send it to guests at Dave crenshaw.com and please don't forget to leave us a five star review. See you next time you.
