From Childhood Entrepreneur to Creative Consultant with Dr. Joshua Gray

Summary 

In this engaging conversation, Dr. Joshua Gray shares his journey from a childhood entrepreneur influenced by his family's entrepreneurial spirit to becoming a creative consultant and author. He discusses the importance of self-belief, cultural immersion, and the lessons learned from early business ventures. Dr. Gray emphasizes how education and diverse experiences shape one's understanding of success and the value of connection in business. In this conversation, Dr. Joshua Gray shares his journey as an entrepreneur and creative, discussing the organic growth of his business, the challenges faced during the pandemic, and the importance of maintaining autonomy in his work. He emphasizes the role of faith in guiding his creativity and the need for positivity in overcoming obstacles. Dr. Gray also explores the evolving landscape of learning, highlighting the balance between access and agency in education. He expresses pride in being an inspiration for his family and concludes with the belief that life is an opportunity to create and grow.

Resources & Links 

• The Mental Edge Diagnostic
• Joja Picks Positive Words to Say  
• Patterns, Prints & Positive Words: The Coloring Book to Live Grayter 
• A Place to Put Positive Words: The Notebook to Live Grayter

Connect with Dr. Joshua Gray 

• Website 
• Instagram 
• Facebook

Conect with Host 

• Instagram 
• LinkedIn 
• YouTube
• Email: thisisthelifeispodcast@gmail.com

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to the Life Is Podcast, where creativity, culture, mindset, and intentional living come together through real conversation. I'm your host, Cloy Brown. Each week I sit down with entrepreneurs, artists, athletes, travelers, and visionaries who didn't stumble into a life they love, they built it. We go deep into how they think, how they reconstructed themselves, and what became possible on the other side. This is not just about what people have accomplished, it's about the internal work that made it sustainable. Because when you build from the inside out, life expands. Let's get into it. This week I'm sitting down with someone who has been building since elementary school. Not metaphorically, literally. Josh's father told him early, don't follow the crowd, create your own path. He listened. From selling candy in the hallways to consulting for Allison Felix and 21st century Fox by his 20s, to earning a doctorate in learning technologies, to designing his own books and creative notebooks from scratch, Josh has never outsourced his creative vision to someone else's expectations. What he figured out is that authenticity and agency are not soft concepts. They are structural. They are what make the work last. Here's what that looked like from the inside. Well, uh, good afternoon, Josh. Um it's great to see you. It's great to connect. And uh you join the Life Is Podcast, hosted by myself. Um, but more importantly, um, as you join the show, man, uh how are you feeling today?

SPEAKER_03 1:21

I'm good. You know, the weather is getting to be a tad bit warmer. Uh so that's always a mood booster. So we're feeling good. We're feeling good. What about yourself?

SPEAKER_00 1:32

I'm doing well. You know, uh on our end, it's a little cold. I know uh for our viewers, Josh is actually in California. Vegas. Vegas, excuse me, Vegas, and uh we're we're here in Indiana, so it's a little bit different climate, but it's a little different. I commend you. I commend you for enduring. A little different on our end, but uh all is well. I'm I'm looking forward, honestly, today's conversation. Honestly, to connect with you. I know we've we've um been connected over the years through social media and sponsors work. So I'm excited to dive in today and and I'm feeling really good about it. So I appreciate you asking.

SPEAKER_03 2:10

I appreciate the ask, and I appreciate the time as well. I mean, like it's literally been years. I think it's we're nearing a decade possibly. Yeah. So we've spent time. So you've seen my evolution, I've seen yours. So I'm just great to connect in this capacity for sure.

SPEAKER_00 2:28

Absolutely, absolutely. Well, to get started here, um, just so for our viewers, if you can share with us, Josh, you know, where you're from, um, you know, what you're what you do, and and kind of what keeps you busy currently.

SPEAKER_03 2:42

Yeah, so um I more professionally go by Dr. Joshua Gray as a uh creative entrepreneur, an author, a speaker, anti-disciplinary designer from learning design to graphic design, I kind of uh exist on that spectrum of design. Uh, and then more currently going into the space of personal and professional development uh with a pretty keen focus on like positivity, creativity, and strategy uh to ultimately encourage and equip and uh empower individuals to live greater. Uh so that's what I pretty much do from day to day. I'm in the works of uh releasing a children's book to accompany my uh other uh books.

SPEAKER_01 3:27

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 3:27

Uh so I'm excited. It's uh that's what's keeping me busy like right this second. So I'm excited about that and excited about uh what may become of it.

SPEAKER_00 3:36

Well, thank you, man. I appreciate you sharing. It sounds like uh very busy to say the least. You got your hands in a lot of pots um working, right? A lot of uh creative things you're doing to bring value, man. So it's awesome what you're doing and uh you know what you're what you're bringing to people's lives. As we gently move forward, right? I want to gently ask you, right, before we kind of switch gears here, you know, what season of life uh do you feel like you're in right now with everything that you're doing, you know, involved in? Mm-hmm. Right.

SPEAKER_03 4:07

So it's pretty much a season of pivoting in a way. Um, although I've been doing that for the past few years or past couple of years, uh just in a huge pivot right now, uh, where I'm going from academia per se, um, into really bringing to life everything that I've learned from the past 10 to 15 years in a different way. Because uh more professionally, I've always been involved in like creative consulting and uh graphic design and branding uh for the past uh 10 years, but now pivoting into kind of like that personal professional development space, something that I'm eager about, something that uh I am focusing on. So pivoting into that is to really finding different opportunities to bring those ideas to life. With that season comes uh it comes with creative wrestling, it also comes an excitement. So there's a lot of feelings going on, but I'm really glad to be landing in places that um are making impact for sure. Yes, I love it, man.

SPEAKER_00 5:08

I love it. Great, great answer. And uh as I said, as we switch gears here and really kind of diving, really kind of taking us back to your childhood. Um, you know, for many guests we speak, you know, I've spoken offline with you prior, and you've kind of shared, right? You've had an entrepreneurial spirit since a child, which I love when you shared that. Um what kind of business or creativity, or what did that mean? Excuse me, what did business or creativity mean to you growing up? And if you can kind of share as well um what that childhood looked like in that type of uh environment.

SPEAKER_03 5:40

For sure, for sure. So uh luckily and fortunately, I kind of came from a family of entrepreneurs. Um uh my mom, she did nails on her own uh for years. That's what she was doing when she had me. Um so I guess that entrepreneurial spirit was delivered when I was delivered. That's right, right, in your DNA. Uh yeah, my DNA. And then also my uh dad was also in the entrepreneurial lane as well. Uh and then from stories that I've heard from my dad, my grandmother was as well. Um so just coming from that uh base and that foundation of entrepreneurship, uh, and just that sense of autonomy and agency, uh, that was something that uh really pushed me forward even at a young age. So I even remember uh probably around the middle school, elementary school, uh leaning into that creative aspect. Um, because I've all I was always artistic and just really good with art uh and just really exploring how that may manifest in different ways. So I used to sell like holiday cups around Valentine's Day and uh Christmas, uh putting my boots on the ground uh with different communities that I was involved in. And uh that kind of like was an aspect of entrepreneurship that I kind of like played around with. Uh and then uh throughout, I believe middle school used to sell candy um throughout different uh mediums and throughout different uh ways. And just really testing what it means to be in business for yourself, um, just really figuring out what that feels like, um, what mindset is needed to uh bring that to life and to kind of excel in it. And continue to do that, uh really, I believe, equip me for the future to where I'm today.

SPEAKER_00 7:32

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I think to your point, you have a lineage, right? Father, mother, grandmother that's entrepreneurial in spirit, right? I think your creative work speaks for itself. I think the guests will will hear about that, experience that as we go taught forward. I think that's that's probably something second nature that just you probably were aware of at a young age. And then um, you know, finding those avenues, like you said, really the mindset of what it may take or what it may look like as an entrepreneurial um, you know, endeavor to tackle something like that. And you and you kind of jumped ahead, which is great because you talked about selling cups and candy in elementary school. You know, what did those early adventures teach you about people and value?

SPEAKER_03 8:13

Right, right. So I believe it really, in order to sell something, uh you have to connect. Uh so I believe figuring out ways to connect, whether that's through empathy or whether that's through discovering what interests someone, um I believe that is uh something that is really important and just connecting and finding ways to connect because every potential sell that you make, um, you're not gonna encounter a customer who's the same. Uh so just figuring out different ways to connect and using your life to match their life and just really figuring out ways to really make impact in their lives uh through whatever you're doing, whether that's through holiday cups or whether that's through a piece of uh Skittle. Um just uh figure out what can bring joy to their lives for me, what can bring joy to their lives, and uh just doing that and just connecting for sure. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:09

Yeah, it's it's it's important. I think connection in general. I think connection, uh, you know, when you were speaking, it's that can actually look in in a in a variety of different ways, right? Depending on what the person, like you said, like the customer or even the culture. Right. The the connection is the the key piece. Exactly. It's not one or wrong or right way to connect, but as long as you have that connection, you're able to find a value point, something we're looking for and need, that's gonna allow you to right get to the the end result on the back end. Indeed, for sure. For sure. You you you talked about too, uh, you know, Josh, your father encouraged you, right? Alternatives to traditional nine to five pass. Right. As we're kind of speaking about from an entrepreneurial standpoint, how did that shape your sense of possibility early on, right? Because that's from from my perspective, I feel like that's such a a great encouragement to your ch your children to have that possibility of belief from behind.

SPEAKER_03 10:04

Right. So I I believe it really set me up to have a sense of uh self-belief and confidence early on, knowing that your particular uh ideas matter and that they may actually matter to someone else. Um, I believe when it comes to entrepreneurship, we always wonder if um our if our ideas are good enough or if they are something that uh will bring value and that can hold up people all the time. I believe it's one of the one of the reasons why people don't get into business. I think research shows that it's that fear aspect of whether or not it's gonna work, whether or not they have funds, or whether or not they have um the connections to make it happen. Um but from early on, having that sense of belief really helped me in all of my different entrepreneurial adventures. Like I said, with the holiday cups. Uh believing that somebody may want to buy a holiday cup for Christmas or Valentine's Day, or even believing that after school you want a receipt, or after school you'll want um some chips. Uh just having that self-belief that your ideas matter, that they will bring value. Um, I believe is something that resonated with me and that was instilled in me early on through uh my father's uh emphasis on entrepreneurship. And in doing that, I believe it really impacted how I moved forward and how I thought about an idea that came to life. I think sometimes we look at different celebrities and all of the business ventures that they get into. Um, and it's it all starts with an idea. And once you have that idea, the next step is just kind of like bringing it to life. Uh how do I go from this invention of an idea or this intention of an idea and then inventing it? Um, so I believe that fear in the middle is what prevents that invention from coming to life. Uh, but with my father's emphasis on entrepreneurship, I believe it definitely instilled that confidence to really combat that fear.

SPEAKER_00 12:03

Yeah, yeah. Totally agree. I think that's a um like an igniting, almost a fuel for, if you will. Exactly. And I feel like as young kids, you know, having that belief is huge. That's really a lot of it the starting point, right? You're having this identity built at a young age, your self-image, and then having this belief like, hey, someone else believes in me. And to your point, will somebody else want what I'm giving out, right? Right, right. I don't want to be rejected, but having that self-belief that, you know, I do have a purpose, my ideas matter, and what I'm giving is important.

SPEAKER_03 12:34

I think I think one of the things is that uh sometimes they may not want what you want or want what you have. Uh I remember there's times when like you may, after the holiday is up, after Valentine's Day, when it's February 15th, you may still have some cups left. Yep. Um it and that doesn't mean that your idea was useless. Um, I think it just means that you tried. And as long as you try and bring that idea to life, I think that's what really matters. And I think that's what also that part of uh self-belief uh played a big pack or played a big part in.

SPEAKER_00 13:07

So yeah, that's a good point to point out. Yeah, even if it doesn't mean your idea is bad, it's it's you know, they may not be in the right time or just uh the time period getting into there. Looking back, right? So looking back on your your journey as a child, right? Your entrepreneurial spirit, um, do you believe entrepreneurship was as a skill you learned right at as a young age, or is that something you think instinctively that was just you followed or is innate you think was in?

SPEAKER_03 13:32

Yeah, yeah. Um, I believe it's something that's definitely a combination of both. In my case, it's a combination of both uh because of that um kind of entrepreneurial environment that I came from. A lot of times when you're younger, you need a reference point um in what you want to uh go in in life. I think that's the whole notion conversation around representation, whether or not you want to be a doctor um and you see somebody you know or see somebody who looks like you who's a doctor, or if you want to be an engineer, knowing somebody who is an engineer really gives you that reference point to show you what's possible. Um, so I believe early on it was instinctive because I had those reference points. I had those stories. Oftentimes, uh, after my mom went from nails, she went into um just selling clothes and being some sort of mobile boutique in a way. Yeah. Um and riding around with her on the weekends as she uh went to sell clothes that you couldn't get in the store, uh, that was a step above from the things that you would get in the store. Just riding around with her gave you, gave me that reference point, it gave me that instinct. Uh, but then with that instinct, I think one of the things that's important is finding opportunities to enrich that and really develop those skills. So while I did have those instincts, early on, I had gone to a uh magnet school for business and finance. Yes. And in doing that, that gave me uh insights into the world. And then on top of the curriculum, the business curriculum, I was involved in marketing clubs and business clubs, and that gave me another level of expertise um and another level of exposure. And in that way, it was something that uh built upon that instinct. So uh when there's conversations about nature versus nurture, it was a combination of both. It was um inside of me, but also I found ways or was able to involve myself in things that nurtured that instinct.

SPEAKER_00 15:40

Yeah. Yeah, you definitely um what's maybe enriched right your skill set. You got you went deeper and into that skill set of what you could provide from from what your parents already built in that environment. Right, right, right. In that culture. Um you uh you said your school, right? And that's where I was kind of heading next, is you you went to a magnet high school, right? Focused on business and finance. Um how how do you how do you think you know that environment shape how you think and learn, right? So you've obviously went from childhood, now you're getting you know in high school, you're learning kind of your your nature and nurture as you as you explained, but now you're in this great high school. Um how did that environment right shape your thinking and learning?

SPEAKER_03 16:23

Right. So with that particular curriculum, uh it exposed us to the world of business and finance early on, uh, where some people may wait until college to get into business curriculums or get into finance curriculums. Uh, we kind of had that exposure early on. Uh, so we had courses on uh uh introduction to business, we had courses on marketing, we had courses on accounting, we had courses on financial services and um entrepreneurship. So early on, that kind of exposure in high school and experience in high school gave me a sense of what this world is like. Um and it also gave me a sense of what I may be interested in. Uh, whether or not I would be interested in accounting versus marketing, or whether or not I'd be interested in banking over um advertising. Uh, so just kind of having that insight before I went on to college and before I went on to a more expansive entrepreneurial experience, I had that exposure of um exposure and awareness of what this world, what it takes to make this world run a business. Um and then having that, I believe it really set me up for um how I uh further expanded my entrepreneurial involvement in life.

SPEAKER_00 17:44

Yeah. I think it's great because yeah, you know, you would get to college, we all have been there for most people, right? You're 18, 17, 19. And you may not know what you want at that point. Yeah. To what you were speaking of, like you're getting in high school, a real world example of what this world looks like, right? In your own words, what I may like, what I dislike, what resonates, what doesn't. Right. So having that, I feel like from that perspective, uh, gives you kind of gives you, you know, kind of a hand up, if you will, in that, in that, uh, in that world. Now, were you at this magnet school for all four years?

SPEAKER_03 18:17

Yeah, so all four years. Interesting story. I had got into the magnet school um because there there were several several areas of focus. Yes. And uh the way I got in was through, I believe it was information technology. And while that is a hot thing to do nowadays, it just absolutely did not resonate with me. Absolutely did not resonate at all. Yeah, yeah. Um, I mean, I went into the school knowing what I wanted to do, but sometimes you have to get in where you fit in. Exactly. Um, and although I got in where I could fit in at the time, it's not where I fit in. So um I believe I advocated for the switch to business and finance probably like the first week I got into the school. Um, and then I think not even a month, I switched over to business and finance. Okay. Um, and then throughout those four years, I um was on that track of business and finance at the Magnet School. So all four years I was there and I enjoyed it. I definitely enjoyed it.

SPEAKER_00 19:26

Yeah. Was there any time and this is me just curious. Was there any like um pretesty to get into the school or certain that was almost 20 years ago.

SPEAKER_02 19:38

How time flies.

SPEAKER_03 19:40

I was just talking to a teacher um about how it's been 15 years since I graduated high school, and it's insane how time can fly. Um, and it's just insane. So, all that to say, I don't recall if there was a pretesting. I know it's kind of like a lottery system, um, and then you kind of rank what majors you want to do. Yeah. Uh but I don't recall if there was any pretesting for sure.

SPEAKER_00 20:08

I was just curious. You know, I was like, man, I assume, you know, it's it's you were in a class of very smart folks, including yourself. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 20:16

Um I I I think it your uh efforts throughout middle school may have played a part in whether or not you were kind of like qualified. I don't know if there was like a GPA requirement or what the case may have been. I I do recall, I believe either in middle school, um, when I tried to apply to go to magnum school, I recall there being auditions. Uh because I think at this point it was like a acting um or arts school. Right. Um, which is an element of life that I enjoy and kind of explore at times. Um, so that was an aspect of the journey in middle school. But for this particular high school, I think it was just an application process and then um figuring out if you made it or not.

SPEAKER_00 21:02

Correct. Fair enough. Well, obviously being there, you uh you were you were smart, right? You you knew what you wanted. That's right. And uh you received, right? You mentioned you received a Bill Gates Millennium Scholarship, right? Which obviously in that case removed a lot of financial pressure, which is huge. Um, how did that freedom change your relationship with learning and risk, right? That's you kind of for you know, for viewers, I played football, I played division one. So, you know, for me and for my mom, I didn't have to pay for school, right? So you're kind of going here, it's free ninety-nine as I walk in the door. 399. I mean, you got to work, yeah, but you know, from a financial standpoint, yeah, you've got that.

SPEAKER_03 21:44

Yeah, you know, having that pressure removed, uh, so with the Bill Gates or Bill and Melinda Gates uh scholarship, um, it was something that you applied for through I think it was like 10 essays you had. To write, you had to get like three to four recommendations. Academics had to be stellar. So it was a huge, huge process that thousands of people apply for each year. And I believe the year that I applied, I think there were 22,000 applicants and a thousand were selected. Coming out coming out of the gate, just knowing that you were selected was one. It's like, wow, like I this is an amazing opportunity. Yeah. Um, and then once, and then with that particular scholarship, you can choose any college you wanted to go to. Uh so you have the opportunity to go to the college of your dreams. And in doing so, um it it was such an amazing experience to one I I wish I would have been a tad bit more ambitious when I applied for different colleges. Yeah, yeah. That way, if you have the pick of the litter, you uh just just to have all those options. Yeah. But um, I did have a stellar school on my list that I applied to, which was Pepperdine University, um, in Malibu. And that was when visiting and seeing the campus be on the beach, essentially, having ocean views, sunny all the time, uh having that as an option uh or consideration was something that, you know, is a it's a wild dream. And then to have that scholarship, uh I was like, you know what, this is kind of like a no-brainer. Let's let's make this this one. Uh and going into that environment, uh having that pressure removed, um, was something that was a blessing, and it was something that was a, like I said, a wild dream come true. Um, and it really gives you this uh one, as I mentioned, it was 22,000 applicants, a thousand selected. Um, that gives you this willingness to commit to the process. Um, so going into it, having that financial pressure removed, um, and also invoked a uh sense of I want to say commitment pressure, but this pressure to ensure that you make good on the investment that was made in you. Um, and in doing that, I think that's one of the uh one of the things that you think about when you don't have the financial pressure there, or particularly when there's an investment being made in you. How can I make good on this investment? How can I produce an ROI to ensure that um they didn't waste their money? Yeah, money, money well spent. Money well spent. Yeah. At this time, I believe to wish in a year was like $75,000 and um to have that type of investment at such a young age, um, year after year after year, um, I believe was something that makes you want to commit to the process and make sure you can um learn as much as you want and learn as much as you need, I believe. So I believe with financial pressure, there comes a sense you kind of like pull back at times from uh exploring the opportunities that may be presented to you. Uh, but with having that pressure removed, I was able to explore the opportunities that uh were presented to me.

SPEAKER_00 25:33

Yeah, you definitely want to do good on your, on your uh, you know, on yourself, right? I think when someone, like you said, someone's investing in you, you want to show up. Exactly. I think there's that to you to you explain that commitment pressure of like, hey, they chose me. Let me let me get this, let me show them right. Bring myself through to them. Um and to your point, you have a different clarity. Right, right. You you you take the weights off, if you will, as you're running, you're not so heavy when you have that that money you know burden off. Exactly. You kind of uh have some free range. Uh if you can too, because you went to Pepperdine, right? Uh another well-established institution, right, from an academic standpoint. This this led you into the field that you were in. And and if you can, for our viewers, can you share what you studied? Um, because it's really a segue perfect into you know your your uh adventures in traveling.

SPEAKER_03 26:23

Right, right, right. So uh as mentioned in high school, uh I did the business and finance track, and that was something that I wanted to continue. So uh going into Pepperdyne, I actually I think I was admitted in advertising. And then shortly after acceptance, I switched to business and finance. Um not business and finance, business administration, I believe, uh, to just really like deepen my understanding of the real world of business. Correct. Um, and just really figuring out where I fit in that world. Um, because although I had insight that I wanted to be involved in business, at this point you're an adult. So it's like, where do you really want to fit in in this business world? Um, so getting that expertise, getting that knowledge, uh, proving that you know that knowledge was something that was important to me. Um and then shortly, I believe two years in, I switched to international business to really capitalize on opportunities to study abroad. Um, and with that particular major switch, um, although I had traveled and studied abroad in London before I switched over, um, my exploration of London, my experience in London really was like, you know what?

SPEAKER_02 27:40

International business may be this might be the way.

SPEAKER_03 27:44

This might be where you want to fit in. Um stay here a little bit longer. Stay here a little bit longer. So I have switched to international business and with that then had the opportunity to uh study abroad in Shanghai and then study abroad again in uh Brennan's honors. So um again, speaking back to the notion of having different pressures removed, it really opens you up to accept different opportunities that are presented to you. Um, so from switching the major to studying abroad, uh just having those opportunities and taking advantage of those opportunities was something that really uh influenced um not only what I did at that time, but also the different mindsets and the different things that I explored after graduation.

SPEAKER_00 28:29

Yeah, yeah. You were just uh, in my opinion, stacking up different experiences, different moments. It was just like you're just collecting, right? Like Thanos. You were just collecting things along the way. Just counting them up, counting them up. And speaking of those places, right? London, Buenos Aires, saying hi, man, you're you're you're traveling, right? At a young age. Right. In your opinion, what do you what do you think those cultures either taught you um or you know taught you about that you couldn't teach couldn't learn in formal education? Right.

SPEAKER_03 28:59

Right, right. So I think they show you the humanity of people. I think oftentimes when you stay in one location or particularly stay in one country, it can easily become a siloed experience where you believe or kind of think that people all are the same in a way. Um, although I grew up in Vegas, then uh went to college in LA, I'm aware that there are diverse experiences. But I believe when you travel outside of your particular culture and realize that things are different throughout the world, like really, really different. Yeah, yeah. You for instance, just simply going to London uh and how they drive on opposite sides of the road, that's a uh cultural shock or a geographical shock in a way. Um, and then going to Shanghai, China. And then one, although I study Chinese to be able to speak a little bit, um, just this notion that you can't or I couldn't effectively communicate um with others. So that gives you a sense of how do I communicate uh through the body, how do I use body language to communicate, how do I use presence to communicate. Um, and then going to Buenos Aires and experiencing uh South American culture and Argentinian culture uh gives you another sense of uh a cultural dimension that although you can read about different cultural dimensions, I believe it's Hofstead's cultural dimensions that um highlight how different cultures respond to time or how do different cultures respond to uh different communication elements, uh being immersed in those particular cultures really gives you an understanding of how do I then acclimate to these cultures. You can read and have an awareness, but how do I acclimate to these experiences? But I believe that's what these uh travels showed me that particularly formal education or simply studying uh could not show you.

SPEAKER_00 31:09

Yeah. As you're speaking, I'm like taking theory to reality. Right. Yeah. Reading the book, you can hear about it, but you know, you you, I'm assuming you you had to really put yourself out there uncomfortably. I would assume, just like any person coming to America with a language, you know, language is English, you gotta to effectively communicate, to be effective in communication. Um, you gotta learn that language. Right. You gotta be in that culture. So you really see and live it and embody a new way of living.

SPEAKER_03 31:40

Right, right, right. Especially, for instance, being in China, I think it's very evident that I am um a black man, evident that I'm not Chinese. Correct. So uh even just traveling, it pushes you to be hyper-prepared, to um know what um may be common in a particular area, kind of like know where you need to travel to, uh, know what's needed of you to ensure not only your safety, but to ensure that you respect um others. And I believe that that was another just practice that was instilled, which is this sense of preparedness um that you may not be able to learn. It's something that you just learn by doing. Yeah. Um, it's an element of preparedness. I believe that's what also those travel experiences teach you as well.

SPEAKER_00 32:32

Yeah. Speaking as you were traveling, right? All these different countries, how did seeing different ways of living and working in those environments um expand your definition of success or possibility if it had an effect? Right.

SPEAKER_03 32:44

Yeah, yeah. So I believe the the thing about those three locations, London, Shanghai, and Buenos Aires, is that they all are kind of distinct in their own ways. Um, and they give you a sense of uh, again, awareness of what life is like and how people work. Uh for instance, in South America, in Buenos Aires, it's a tad bit more relaxed. Um, where you come from uh America, you come from uh American ways of working that's very prompt, that's very punctual. Yep. But in Buenos Aires, it was the sense of uh relaxation uh and the sense of letting things flow the way that they flow. So if class started a little bit late, there's no reason to like don't sweat it. Get your garments in a bunch. Yeah, yeah. Whereas uh if you're running late out in America or running late in uh more American standards, that's a huge problem. So I think going back to the notion of these different experiences show you that different people live different ways. Um certain things, there's not precisely one way to do things. And I believe that one helps you communicate effectively, um, but two, also show you or give you an encouragement to figure out what works for you. Um, and I believe that's definitely something that uh was highlighted in those experiences, how people live and how people work, is that uh you can really define those terms for yourself. For sure.

SPEAKER_00 34:19

And at this time, thanks for sharing that too. At this time, were you I think you were around like 21, 20, is that what age is?

SPEAKER_03 34:26

So London. Yeah, so London, I was 19. And then in Shanghai and Buenos Ades, I believe I was 22 and 23.

unknown 34:35

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 34:36

So I was I'm still young. I mean, when you look back at like now, when you look at the age that we're at now, you was like, you know what?

SPEAKER_02 34:44

You're you're a little young Twinderoni. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 34:49

Yeah, like you still had a lot to learn about so much of life, but to have those experiences early on was something that uh was definitely impactful. Yeah, that's definitely impactful.

SPEAKER_00 35:00

Exactly what I was thinking. And and when you came back, right? So you're um you were in business and finance. Right. Um, so when you come back, I think you mentioned you were doing uh working with Fox, right? Um, how did that working with Fox, obviously your education, travel, how did that, I guess, combination of exposure build confidence for you when you were working with a company like Fox and other companies down the road? Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 35:26

Yeah. So when I, as I mentioned earlier on, I had um an artistic and um an art edge to myself. Um so it was kind of like this duality of being a business guy, um, but also a creative and artist deep down inside. So I had those two elements. And then in uh college, I kind of leaned into that creative side, extracurriculary. Um, and in doing that, I landed in the realm of creative and consulting and landed in the realm of uh design um in the graphic sense of things. Um so in one particular course that I took, uh, I believe my senior year of college, uh, I wanted the it was a group project, and one of my roles was uh creative design for this nonprofit organization. Um and in that particular instance, I really brought all of my creative consulting and graphic design skills into one to really show that, oh, you can have impact in real world organizations that are like really outside of a bubble of a school or outside a bubble of uh whatever organization that you're involved in. Um in that sense of working with that nonprofit organization, they essentially became my first client when it came to creative consulting and design. And in doing that, I um then had the opportunity to work with Fox. So one of my professors um she was consulting with, uh, I believe it was 21st Century Fox. Um, and then she brought me in um to also work in a creative consulting design capacity. Um, and in doing that, it really gave me this uh belief, again, that you can have impact the same way that my dad taught me early on that your ideas matter and that they can bring value to others. Here I was at another point in my life that really elevated that sense of knowing of that your ideas can truly make an impact and that they can bring value to others. Um I believe that's something that I took from that nonprofit organization that uh became my first client is kind of still a client today, um, over 10 years later. Yeah. And then also going into different organizations like 21st Century Fox and different individuals who I kind of I worked with around that same time.

SPEAKER_00 37:53

Good, good. And can you share too kind of what kind of work you were doing, just for like, you know, audience that may be curious to say, hey, what type of work were you doing?

SPEAKER_03 38:00

Yeah, so um it kind of started out with graphic design and just working on different materials that may be needed for marketing or maybe needed for branding, uh, whether that's a logo, whether that's a brochure, whether that's an invitation design. Uh that's kind of like where my work started with that particular nonprofit organization. Um, and then going into Fox that involved designing instructional videos um for a particular challenge that they had. Um, so it was still bringing that creative aspect to life, um, but also that sense of uh business and how can your design work within a business context? I believe that was something that uh explained my work and continued to evolve later on down the line. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 38:50

Thank you. And and I I'm just curious, at that time, were you nervous? I mean, at this time you're probably you don't.

SPEAKER_03 38:58

I looped in a friend of mine. I looped in my best friend uh for this particular uh opportunity with Fox. And in doing that, I think there were jitters because at this time you're 21, 22, and you're going into the office of somebody who's at the C-suite level of this established, established, almost conglomerate in a way. Um and just going onto the lot, going through the gates, having to get clearance. I I was not never someone who like gets hyper, hyper nervous. I just breathe, focus on my breathing. I'm not hyperventilating, um, although I'm not one to hyperventilate, but it's just the sense of that you reach this opportunity or you reach this moment. Um, you're in this moment for a reason. And I believe because of the relationship that I had with that particular professor, um, in the terms of uh she knew what I was capable of. And I was essentially there based off of a referral, which is kind of like how all of my creative work happened. It continues to happen is based off a referral. Yeah. Um, and having that sense of like you're brought here for a reason. It's not something that you're auditioning for, it's not something where it's something that they are wondering if it's gonna work or not. You're you're here because somebody vouched for you. Yeah, they believe in you. Believe, yeah, I think that's also another thing that contributed to that self-belief aspect. Good. Awesome. In in that in that particular moment, uh going into those rooms. Um holding your own. So yeah, we I I wasn't necessarily, like I said, wasn't necessarily nervous, um, but it's just still like a wow experience. Like, oh, these the same lots that possibly could be lying to Raji Panson, that DA drive through. Um, and just that's what I'm saying. Especially if people have walked through. Yeah, that's what people have walked through and you get to walk through these same doors and walk through the same gates. Um, I think it's something that's beautiful that one encourages you and gives you this sense of self-belief, but also um gives you, again, this sense of let me provide this return on investment um in this particular you've done, right?

SPEAKER_00 41:15

Do you, and just is just curious, like do you believe a well-rounded education requires cultural immersion as much as curriculum, or is it just a duality you think is kind of a uh protagonist to both, maybe rather than antagonist?

SPEAKER_03 41:30

Yeah, I I believe it was something that uh later on down life in my research, um, there's so many different ways that we learn. Uh we learn through formal education, we learn through non-formal learning, we learn through informal learning experiences. Um, so there are so many different ways that we learn um and they all can converge to knowledge construction, they can all come together to give us the expertise that we need to show up in our personal and professional lives. Uh so I believe those are all elements that matter. Um, and it also differs based off of what particular profession or how you want to show up in life. Um, if you are a doctor uh in the sense of a medical doctor, you need some formal education. You need to know um how to provide this anesthesia to ensure they're not feeling the needles. Um whereas if you're working as a musician and um you are given this God-given artistic talent, um, cultural immersion may matter a little bit more than uh formal uh institutionalized learning. Um so I do believe it depends on your particular uh the particular way you want to show up in your professional professional lives. Uh but I definitely believe that all experiences really add to uh how you develop what you know and how you develop uh how to show up in different aspects of life. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 43:02

Yeah, thank you. Now, with your creative work, it sounds like obviously at a young age, it's kind of grew, right? Through referrals, through one mouth, it kind of just organically grew, right? If I'm if I'm standing correct there. Now, while you were growing that business, um were you still well, I'll take a step back. Were you running your own business at that time, or was this kind of um you were working with the institution? I guess at what point were you? I'll clarify, what point were did you kind of take this full time? That might be a better question for.

SPEAKER_03 43:33

Yeah. So um I believe it kind of early on, so from the jump, I started working in the capacity of doing this on my own without the overhead of a particular um institution or but without the overhead of a particular agency per se. Correct. Um so it started kind of like the moment that I believe it was 2015, 2016. Um so once I the pay. Was working with that nonprofit organization, a particular course. Um, and then when they brought me on to contribute to other designs, I was kind of, I believe maybe a a year later, which puts me maybe maybe a year, maybe a few months later, um that they brought me on. So it's like, okay, now this is something that you can use to sustain yourself in a way. Um, and so even going from that moment, then going into Foxy, these are all things I was doing under my own umbrella or without the overhead of a particular agency. So from the jump, um, when it came to creative consulting and uh design in that in that way, um, it started without that overhead of a particular agency. And uh so that entrepreneurial uh sense, that entrepreneurial exploration and endeavors uh were from and beyond.

SPEAKER_00 44:50

Good. And that was my question. I I appreciate you answering that because what I was gonna ask is like, hey, throughout that process, yeah, um, did you have autonomy? Right while working, you know, with Fox or any other companies that you may have worked with, did you still have your self-autonomy to do what you wanted to create rather than being in the box, which I'm sure people who are listening who are in the kind of same field understand that you can be boxed in. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 45:13

Um I I believe I I didn't have to have that box, or I didn't have to exist and create from that box. Um, definitely when you're doing client work, you go into their particular boxes to ensure that you can create within the confinements of what they need. Um, but there is a lid where you can ascend up and create what you want to create, and then come back down to uh show what you created, uh discuss any changes and things of that nature. But there it wasn't necessarily a box or or a cage that I existed in to uh ensure that I could bring these different things to life. Good. All right. So you were you were you were like, I'm still me. I'm still me and it's doing my thing. And it as you as I think about it, as we discussed like early on from those cups around the holidays, the candy to the moment of creating for different companies, different athletes and different um rising entrepreneurs, um, it was just this opportunity to create without limits in a way, to really explore what creativity means to myself, what creativity means to others, and how to create a language between our creative needs. Yep. Uh is something that um I'm grateful to have had the experience of doing. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 46:28

Absolutely. Well, obviously, uh, as you progressed, right? You were kind of getting further your career. I think at this time being for many people, 2020 life change for all for us all, right? Right. And I know as you shared through your journey, um, there was some wrestling, right? You said earlier in the beginning of the call, there was this pivot, right? You're looking for this pivot to what direction you want to go. And you described obviously this creative wrestling. What was no longer aligning your world, in your opinion, to what you were trying to get into?

SPEAKER_03 46:57

I think one of another element of this journey is that I was in school also during this time. So from undergraduate to starting my master's, there was just a two-year break. Um, and from that, in that moment, that two-year break and continuing on throughout my master's and continuing on through my doctorate, uh, which was kind of like right after the master's, um, I was still doing creative design. So at this point in 2020, there was this sense of how can I do more? How can I show up uh for others and what would that look like? So during the pandemic started, my last semester of my master's. Um, I believe I was even working on my cabstone project when the world shut down. Um and luckily my program was remote in the first place, so I didn't have to concern myself about traveling and these of that nature. Uh, but the world had shut down during my final semester of uh my master's program. And in doing that, uh it was just okay, what does the next step look like? Uh when I'm going, because I knew that one a little bit backstory when it came to the Bill Gates and Melinda Scholarship, Gates Millennium Scholarship, uh it paid for everything up until my doctorate, like through my doctorate. So pay for ride, yeah. You really have to get it paid for my doctorate. Um, so the next step after the master is like, you know, let's let's do the doctorate. Let's go that route. Yeah. Might as well. Might as well you have this, you still have this investment, um, and let's find ways to make, again, make that return on investment. And in doing that, uh, like we said, in 2020, it was like, how can I do more than simply uh create for others? Um, and that's when I started to think about okay, I have this knack for positivity. Um, I have this element of creativity as well. Um, and I'm consistently learning about different strategic methods, whether that's for organizational change, whether that's for personal development, whether that's for professional development. Uh so I was just really starting to think of different ways that I can go to the next step or how I can further expand on the skills that I've learned throughout the years. And in doing that, that's kind of where the rest thing started. Okay, there, there's more out there for me to do. Uh, so how can we really pivot and uh go into that?

SPEAKER_00 49:21

Yeah. You uh you said you want to do more, right? So like an entrepreneur, entrepreneur in general, you know, is what value can I bring? What more value can I provide? Right? What can I bring to the marketplace that's gonna create value for others? So that's such a great mindset to have at that point in time. I think you know, life slew down for a lot of people, and now if you were one of the mentors, like, okay, what what else can I do? Um what other resources and services can I provide? Do you ever notice how sometimes you know exactly what you want to do, where you want to go, but something inside keeps pulling you back? It's not strategy, it's not effort, it's not even fear. It's the patterns running underneath everything. Uh-huh. The beliefs you didn't choose, the loops you inherited, the internal static between who you are and who you're becoming. I created something for that. It's called the coherence diagnostic, a free assessment designed to show you exactly where those patterns are and what's possible when you shift them. Whether you're an athlete chasing flow or an entrepreneur building from vision, this diagnostic reveals a subconscious filter shaping your decisions, your confidence, your next move. It's free, it's deep, and it's in the show notes. Take it, see your patterns, and let's talk about what comes next. Because life is art in motion, and you deserve to create from coherence, not chaos. And at this point, I believe too, you were this is where you kind of shifted, and I won't see your thunder, but I think you started shifting from just client work, right, to actually doing your own thing. Right. You said earlier living greater, which rather last seems great, which is awesome, kind of play on words here, is that you create your own books. We like to have one. Right? Creative. You you create your own books and notebooks for your own, right? For your own company. What did what did that give back to you or what did that kind of how did that unravel, if you will, too?

SPEAKER_03 51:14

Yeah. So the whole concept behind making these creative resources for other individuals um to also me ultimately live greater in their personal and professional lives, uh, was this sense of like, I know that I want to go into, at some point, go into speaking and go into uh providing conversations for others, whether that's through podcasts or whether that's through keynotes or workshops or things of that nature. So I knew that that's that was one of the end goals. Um so in that time frame of doing research within the doctoral realm of things, uh, creative creating these books was a way to create a foundation uh to then go into speaking. So you have these resources uh to provide others uh and it you provide these resources around topics that matter to you, which is positivity and creativity. Uh so let's create this coloring book to essentially live greater, patterns, prints of positive words, to I'm sure individuals can reflect on positivity while also doing something relaxing, then adapting that into notebook form of um a place to put positive words and just a notebook to ultimately live great and just providing these resources uh for individuals to hone positivity and really be creative and allow that to be an outlet for them uh was something that I was very interested in and just really bringing that to life.

SPEAKER_00 52:39

Yeah. And my own just curiosity, I know you were you were looking for a pivot, right? There's this unwrestling, but were you also kind of examining and saying, hey, I'm in this creative space, I want to get into another field, or maybe just something different. Were you maybe seeing the blend of that, maybe what I'm doing now, the live greater, the book, right? What you have? Right. Were you noticing maybe pattern recognition between the field you're in, maybe professionals or um personally, that there was needing, they were needing something of that, of what you were creating on the other end? Or is this just kind of, hey, I want to go into a different direction in general?

SPEAKER_03 53:14

Yeah, it was a sense of I I believe there was an element of or emphasis on positivity throughout uh my entire adulthood almost. Um so when it going back, I think it was just thinking about this, uh, when I had a blog on Blog Spot, um, it was this sense of fashion meets inspiration. Uh so it was this positivity element there. Um then when I kind of like launched my own website uh and blog, there was still this element of life, style, culture, and travel, but with this essence of positivity there, this essence of inspiration. Yeah. It was a lot of my extracurricular interest um was always grounded in inspiration and encouragement and positivity. And I had with my design capacity and my design skills, I knew that I could do more. And understanding that there was a rise, particularly around the pandemic, maybe uh there was this rise on uh different ways to relax, different ways to um encourage yourself. And I noticed that there were different adult coloring books um out there. So I was like, you know what? I have the skills, I have the capacity to uh create something like this. Let's go into this realm as a transition into speaking on down the line. Uh so let's create this notebook, let's create this uh coloring book. I have the skills to do this. I see that there is a uh a national or global demand, or uh there are other people out there creating this. Um, so let's use these skills to create something for myself and then also uh create something for others that's aligned with what's out there.

SPEAKER_00 54:55

Yeah. Yeah, I love what you said, choosing yourself, right? I think this is from what I'm hearing, that was kind of the biggest thing, right? You're already kind of doing great work. I think that provided a lot of value. But you're like, hey, let me let me do me, right? Right, right. Um, you know, we we didn't talk about your faith. I know that was a big thing to you growing up, but still is. Has that influenced you or helped maybe encourage you, you know, throughout your crave decisions at in this period and beyond, especially in moments of uncertainty when you were trying to find, you know, that that path, if you will, to go forward. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 55:28

Right, right, right. I believe this particularly my faith aligns along the Christian spectrum of things. Uh so scripture often says that there, or not often scripture does say um that there, that the Lord has good plans for you or that he knows that there are plans for you. So that kind of like provides an overarching sense of that no matter like what you go through, um, there are good plans out there for me. Uh so in those moments of uncertainty, I know that there's a good plans out there. There's also scripture that mentions um that the Lord orders your steps. Uh so also having that as a sense of, okay, you may be uncertain, but your steps are going to be ordered. And then all things work together for the good, uh, for those who love him. Uh so and because having these different overarching uh sense of knowing or overarching awareness that guides me to different times of uncertainty, but also uh bringing that into a very palpable uh presentation. So when it comes to positivity and my focus on positively, that's very connected to the scripture that the power of uh life and death is in the tongue. Uh so having that sense and I'm bringing my faith into my work in a way that is universally needed, but also universally digestible. Um, I believe is something that uh interests me and I continue to build upon.

SPEAKER_00 56:55

Yeah. I feel like, you know, everything you do, or your your positivity, who you are, who Dr. Joshua Gray is, it's like it's over in everything you're doing. Right. There's not a uh a point that's not not being seen of who you are intrinsically. Exactly. That leads to m to my next question, right? You live in Vegas, right? Which is we all know Vegas, gambling lights. No Vegas. Yeah, good looking, good looking men and women, right? So you're you're surrounded by a lot of messaging, a lot of advertising, right? A lot of business. Um with living greater, right? Your books or notebooks, giving your creative work. How do you stay grounded in intention? Yeah. Right, right, right.

SPEAKER_03 57:36

I think Vegas provides a notion that life can be a mirage at times. Life can be an illusion at times. Uh, people often come to Vegas uh to kind of escape their everyday lives. They come to what whatever vice you may have, um, I believe there's an opportunity to explore that in Vegas. Um, or even if it's not a vice, if you just like shopping or if you just like um looking at nice buildings or looking at uh nice things or having a good time or eating out good, um, Vegas provides an escape um to from your everyday life. But also at the same time, you kind of know that this may not be real life. Like after you leave one of the one of the hotels on the strip, you have to go back to your everyday life. Uh so I that gives you a sense of knowing that uh time can be fleeting, uh, but how can uh not necessarily create this escape every day, but how can we provide a sense of relief um every day? And I believe that's what guides a lot of my work now is that positivity is a way to ensure that we have that relief daily, um, particularly based off my experience and some of my research, creativity is another way to um escape the pressures of everyday life to just really allow your mind to roam in a productive way. Um, and then that strategy piece, a lot of my research um within the doctoral realm was around learning and around uh formal learning, non-formal learning, informal learning, particularly social media. And it's just there's so many creative pathways to personal and professional development um from my research that I learned and just kind of like from experience. So bringing that to other people uh through my work is where my intention lies. Um, but also connected to Vegas, knowing that sometimes you need an escape. Yeah. I think here is a strategic way to do this uh daily. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 59:46

Yeah, yeah, definitely. Uh I totally agree with what you're saying there. And speaking of your work, which is one I wanted to get to next, which is I think phenomenal, right? The information, the studies and research that you've done to your doctorate program, you focused on early early stage entrepreneurs, right? That was kind of the niche you focused on. Yeah. What what surprised you the most in your research?

SPEAKER_03 1:00:06

Right, right. So yeah, so my research, my degree was a uh doctor of education in learning technologies, but in my research, it was about exploring the different learning strategies that um early stage entrepreneurs or individuals with entrepreneurial attention use to uh inform themselves on entrepreneurship, particularly when they're using informal learning environments such as social media. Um, and what I was surprised by the most is that, well, I wasn't surprised because you can't you come in with an assumption. Um but it's good to know that your assumptions were right. Um that's always a good thing. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Or you come you come in with an expectation that you're trying to prove right or wrong, or you come in with the question. It was one of the questions was, do you use social media for learning? Um and one of the things that I learned was that yes, they do. It's a good amount, or some of them do. Um, and in doing so, uh a lot of it is centered around connecting with other people. Uh so for instance, on my end, while I do use social media for learning, a lot of times it's a tad bit more about uh uh just finding the knowledge that I need or searching the knowledge that I need. But what I did discover was that some actually use it to engage a tad bit more. They take it a step bit further by communicating in the comments or messaging different uh content experts or subject matter experts. Uh so I think that element of connection and connecting with other people was something that surprised me because that's not something that I necessarily do. Um my experience is a tad bit more siloed in the sense of I'm just gonna find what I need. Uh, but people do connect with others, they do engage in conversation and communication to really uh build their knowledge on particular subjects.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:53

Yeah, yeah, that's that's awesome. And and you you kind of teed me up, right? You talked about your own learning style. And that's evolved, right? Your learning style has evolved. I think all of our styles can can evolve over time. Um how do you listen um to how you learn now? Maybe compared to when you were in that your program or even just in the past few years. How's that change?

SPEAKER_03 1:02:14

Yeah, so I believe it it one thing that I, when looking back on my journey, uh since I started kindergarten, there was only a two-year break uh outside of school. Uh up until like this point. So that's close to uh in the span of 25 years. 26, 27 years, there was only a two-year break. So it there was always this element of structure that was associated with learning, um, that it was planned for you. Um, and I think a lot of times we discuss different styles of learning, whether I'm a visual learner or an audio learner or um a type of more cognitive where you need um different tests or things of that nature. I think one interesting way to look at it as well is whether or not you're a self-directed learner, where you can learn about a topic that you want to learn about. You could find the people that you need to learn it from. You could find the books or the pockets that you need to learn from. Um I think when you look at learning as look at learning in a different way like that, of whether or not I'm self-directed, um, I think it's very insightful as I look back over my life where a lot of structure was associated with my learning process. Uh but since finishing school, um, I realized that while I may be self-directed, um, I still enjoy a little bit of structure.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:42

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:43

In school, I realized that you know what, I like, I like to be self-directed. I want to like learn what I want to learn. And while I did lean into that, uh afterwards, it's like, okay, you may need a little bit of structure, buddy. You may all need it. You need a little bit of it. So I am excited to one figure out different ways that other people learn. Do they continuously inform? How do you learn? Or how may you uh learn best moving on, moving forward in life? Um, I believe with the way things are changing, uh, when it comes to artificial intelligence, when it comes to so many avenues in the ways that people learn, um, it will change pretty consistently or persistently over the coming years.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:33

So just figuring out what works for you constantly, as you said, it changes all the time. Uh, but for me, just realizing that structure may be needed and just continuously being open to what works best. And because of my wide-ranging interest, uh, the different styles in which I learned may differ based off of what I need to learn. Uh, so I think it's just like just being open to the different styles that may be needed for a particular uh interest.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:03

Yeah, that's good self-awareness, you know? Just having that self-awareness of one knowing where you're at now, but also saying, hey, I don't want to block myself out. I don't want to uh barricade myself, right, from different different ways of learning that may be needed in different certain aspects. Exactly. So I I want I got two questions here for you, right? I'm gonna take you back a little bit because I missed my question I wanted to ask you, and then we're gonna dive forward. But you you you already kind of just sprinkled a little conversation on it, right? You found the entrepreneurs learn in non-traditional ways, right? Yeah. What does that say, or maybe what are your thoughts on like what does that say about education today?

SPEAKER_03 1:05:38

Right, right, right. I think it I again, I think it's also tethered to the idea that it varies based off of what particular industry you're involved in. Because while times may change, uh lives don't necessarily change. So for instance, like when you're studying to be a medical doctor, um, you still need to learn in a particular way. To ensure that you can preserve life and not become a mortician by mistake. But when it comes to entrepreneurship, I think there is a different range of ways in which you can learn because of the access that we have nowadays. And in doing so, I believe it's going to consistently be important in exploring different ways to learn. Because I think I've read a statistic that in by 2030 or 2039 or something like that, because of birth rates, there may be a decline in enrollment at different colleges, which may then mean that different colleges may close. But at the same time, entrepreneurship, people will still want to be entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurship will still be a lane. So how do you learn in those instances? So in a way, there's so many things externally that can change, but our passions may not change completely per se. So if you want to be an entrepreneur, if you want to be a musician, or if you want to be an engineer, just constantly being aware of different opportunities or different access that we may have, I think we'll continuously be pivotal. And I think it's something that's really pivotal to me, figuring out, okay, are there pockets out about this particular topic that I want to learn? Are there books out? Is artificial intelligence skilled in providing me the insights that I need for this particular venture? Or do I need to engage in a mentorship capacity with somebody or uh be an apprentice or things of that nature? So I think it goes again back to that self-awareness piece and just really figuring out what may be needed for yourself.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:42

Yeah. Yeah, yeah. You're you hit it on the head. And actually you spoke of, you know, books, podcasts, conferences, live experiences. That was my next question. I was gonna ask you, which you've kind of already answered now. You know, how does that play into modern consciousness? Which sounds like, you know, it just depends on the avenue, different fields you're in. What are you really looking at? What do you really need for the information that you're trying to gather? Exactly. So you kind of touched on that. Do you believe um, you know, learning is more access or access or agency?

SPEAKER_03 1:08:13

Yeah, I think um it goes back to that piece about uh that self-directed learning because that self-directed learning is a whole kind of field of research in a way. Yeah. Um, and that's connected to the agency piece of figuring out what you need as a learner and then figuring out what I need to plan to learn. Uh, but also at the same time, uh access is still needed. Uh Chat GPT, all the we may love Chat GPT, but at some point they're introducing a payment structure to ensure that you can get particular insights or advanced processing. Uh now here's a threat to access that may impact your learning. So you may, if you don't got the funds, if you don't have the coins, you may need to pivot to finding a podcast or finding a book and cost information that way. Yeah, finding a different way to learn. So while there's elements of agency that is important, particularly for adult learners uh and individuals who want to just continuously engage in lifelong learning, um, agency matters, but also access pays a big part uh because as we discussed earlier on, we had the opportunity to go to college without financial pressure. Um that gives us access to staying in school in a way that other people may not have. So it it's a it's a balancing act, I believe, of agency and access when it comes to learning for sure. Yeah, I would agree. That's that was a great answer, man. I appreciate that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:38

So as we kind of wrap up, we're gonna hit the kind of exit here shortly. I know obviously you're you're involved in a lot of things. And one was um kind of specifically creating um kind of a resource hub, right? A personal and professional development work. Um if you can explain to the to the listeners there, what are you what are you trying to solve or really trying to solve with with that? And what maybe sparked that idea? Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_03 1:10:06

I think one of my uh core aspects of interest or core interest in life is exploring different creative pathways to personal and professional development, uh, which was kind of like heightened by my research and the fact of like there are different ways to learn. We're often conditioned to be like, okay, after you finish high school, you go to college. Um after college uh or during college, you get an internship. And then from there you make a work and learn on the job. Uh, but I definitely believe there are different ways to learn when it comes to professional and professional development. So I think that's one of the things that interests me the most about moving forward in the future is one talking about creative pathways to those different types of development. I believe that's one of the reasons why I ventured off into books or uh coloring books, notebooks, and uh the children's book that's coming up soon to show that people of all generations uh can find different ways to work for them to develop themselves personally and professionally. While my books focus on positivity and creativity, um it shows that this is a resource that when you use it, when you engage with it, um, you're learning in that process. And this is a creative way to engage in person professional development. Um so in moving forward, I'm really excited about different ways to uh communicate and converse with others on the ways that they learn and then hopefully developing something that shows the range of pathways to developing yourself personally and professionally.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:42

Yeah. Jokingly, uh, it sounds like the viewers need to get in touch with you so you can you can gather the data to give back what they know. Yeah. We'll see what the future holds.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:51

We'll see what the future holds.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:52

But in reality, you know, in all seriousness, I think I l I love the idea. I love what you're doing because it's right, we all learn in different ways. And you're saying, hey, I have this this avenue, this um uh uh house, if you will, of an array of right tools, resources to help you at certain levels in certain capacities. So um having that would be, in my opinion, very valuable, right? Yeah for myself, for others that are probably looking for something like that, right? They're looking for this go-to um place where they can find it. Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:27

Well, it's good to know that the demand is there.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:29

It's good to know that the demand is there. You know, that's that's needed, I think, because yeah, you know, we live in this age where it's still information age and we're all kind of picking and choosing, trying to find different apps, different AIs, yeah, right, all these AI systems. Then you got your your book list, your audios, right? Podcasts, you have different mediums, if you will, of communication of information that if we can just find in one spot um in a condensed area, that's easy to access, right? That's cuts down on efficiency, right? Um, all the benefits for the for the end user. Exactly. So yeah, good work. Um I was gonna move forward. I was gonna say, you know, looking at your success, what does success success, excuse me, mean to you now compared to earlier versions of yourself?

SPEAKER_03 1:13:09

Yeah, I believe now, um still existing within that pivot space, um, I believe success really means and continues to mean just having that agency, having that autonomy. Um, and as long as I can preserve that, I believe that will define my perspective on success. Um, having that agency, having that autonomy to create how I want to create it, create when I want to create, um really create significant things that connect with others is something that defines my success right now. And it will continue to define my success.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:48

So I I love it. It's funny you're saying agency. I feel like that's it's kind of been of a subtle theme in the back of my, you know, back in my mind as I'm going to 2026. It's like having that time, having that agency to think and choose and select what works best for you, and not feel like you've got to be a victim, but be get succumbed over by something else that you you really don't want to do or doesn't fit in your lines. Yeah. Having that agency as you as you you spoke of is is um I think just vitally important to have in a in a sense of freedom, right? Yeah. Um of agency. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um last couple questions here, man. If if you know, if a creative or entrepreneur is listening, right, and they feel maybe boxed in or uncertain, what would you want them to hear if they're in that journey?

SPEAKER_03 1:14:39

Yeah, yeah. I believe that one, I think what I would tell them first is that we all encounter those spaces. Uh we all can encounter creative ruts. From the greatest to the least, we all um experience it, experience moments that uh provide a source of friction in our lives. We may not know what to do. We may not know what fulfills us. Um, and I think those are the moments where we can start asking questions about what that pivot may be. Um, because as I discuss how scripture guides me in the sense of um there are good plans ahead. There are um steps that are ordered for your life, and then also that all things can work together when you love the Lord and how that guides me. Um, I believe is something that can guide others as well. Just having this sense of knowing this that um good is ahead, that greater is ahead. Everything will be okay. Um, and then just really to lock in uh on your passions um and figure out what are you passionate about um and how can I uh bring that to life. Uh so I think that also tethers back to the notion of like the importance of being positive about what you do in life, about your mindset, um, also have a willing willingness to be creative. Um, for instance, like my coloring book was built off of different quotes that I shared on social media um in the past. And then from the coloring book, I built the notebook or adapted it into a notebook. And then from that place created this children's book that's also connected to positivity. Um and that was all about one being positive about a direction that I want to go and being creative about this world that I'm building around positivity and creativity, um, and then just using strategy to essentially move forward. Uh so in those moments where I was in that creative runt where um I just wanted to lay down and not do anything.

SPEAKER_02 1:16:41

Um there were days when that was the reality.

SPEAKER_03 1:16:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:16:47

Sometimes you just want to scroll in bed.

SPEAKER_03 1:16:49

Um, but that notion that there's good ahead, just maintaining that positivity and that creative, being open to creativity um and essentially finding your passions.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:00

That's such a real uh honest answer. Yeah. You're speaking, I'm like, I think many entrepreneurs, myself included, I think you can be naive in a sense that think everything's great. And I don't think everything's gonna be roses, but to realize that everyone, to your point, goes through those ruts, it's okay. It's gonna happen. Yeah. But you can get to those side of the hill.

SPEAKER_03 1:17:20

And yeah, like success won't always be a rose garden. No, there may be a rose in the concrete. So find the roses in the concrete that's growing from the concrete, um, to make your own bouquet of uh of roses, uh what you define as a rose in your life. Uh I believe that's really important.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:41

And and you're gonna have friction. I think to your point, I library is like every individual, every entrepreneur has assets and inefficiencies, right? Yeah. And I think wherever that is in the path, you're gonna bump, you're gonna bump that that friction point. And that's where I think you really develop your skill set and say, okay, I'm really good at this, and I'm really not. Yeah. Um, but still be open to learning, still be open to creative work, um, to not, like I said, pigeon yourself in a hole where all you see is doom and gloom. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. All right. So, next question for you, Dr. Greg here, man. When you zoom out and you look at your life so far, what are you most proud of currently?

SPEAKER_03 1:18:18

Yeah. I think what I'm most proud of currently is the ability to be inspiration for my nieces and nephews, I would say. Um is something that brings me great joy that they can, again, have that reference point about what's possible. The same way that I had my had the stories of my grandmother, had the um experiences of my dad and my mom when it came to entrepreneurship as reference points on entrepreneurship. I am most proud of the ability to be a reference point for my nieces and nephews. Um, for them, when it comes to being positive about life, about finding creative ways to show up. Um, just recently, when I had a workshop with the library district um out here in Vegas, um my niece did the photography for me. Um she captured the photos for me. And for her to see her uncle do something that may not be common of um people's uncles, or may not be common um, or may not be a reference point in their lives. Like, oh, you can actually partner with these different organizations, or you can bring joy to others um based off of something that you created. I mean, it's one of the things that I'm most proud of, just bringing that or being a reference point, uh a North Star in a way for beacons, my family.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:44

Yeah, and I love that you incorporated your niece to see to see her do her thing and you and you know invited her to do that and her see you do your thing. And this kind of cohesive interaction, right, with family. So my my last right famous line from all from my podcast, I asked all my guests, right, is to close out the sentence, right? The the podcast is called the Life Is Podcast. And if you know, if I had to ask you, Dr. Gray, to finish this out, right? Fill in the blank, you know, life is, you know, what would you fill it in with?

SPEAKER_03 1:20:17

I'm gonna think, I'm gonna imagine as a test and just think on it for a minute before I immediately answer. You got time. Why you got time? There's no there's no pressure. Life is um life is opportunity. And when I say that, I connect it back to uh what I've kind of discussed throughout this entire conversation. When I think about opportunity, I think it's something that you have to view with positivity, for one. Something that you view um through the lens of creativity, because as we mentioned, that there will be friction when we disist, uh, when we try to bring ideas to life, when we try to take intentions to inventions, um, there will be friction. So I think there would be a need for creativity. Um, but also when we use strategy, whether that's different frameworks that we learn through our life, whether those are different uh different methods that we learn that are unique to our particular industries, uh, strategy would be able to lead us to opportunity or lead us to see those opportunities. Um I believe when you realize that life is opportunity, you then are able to live greater and really just show up every day as the person that you need to be, meeting every day with everyday purpose. I believe that's one of the things that's critical in viewing life um as opportunity. So that's what I'll definitely say. Life is opportunity.

SPEAKER_00 1:21:45

You're giving myself and the audience a word today. Okay. You were right off the cuff. That's the pivot that we're looking to do. Bring uh bring that uh positivity to others. Man, uh you couldn't have said it better, man. That is that's so true. When you look at that, when you change your lens to look at life as opportunity and different areas where you can kind of plug into or uh dive into and create from there, what's it what's instead of that perspective is um it's it's impactful. So it's important. Indeed. Last thing here, man, where where can people find Dr. Joshua Gray? Where where can they tap in with you and connect with you?

SPEAKER_03 1:22:22

Right, right, right. So you can uh visit uh www.thejoshuagray.com. I have to make sure I said that right. It's three W's, just in case I said four, but www.uh thejoshuagray uh.com. Uh you can also find me on pretty much all socials, uh Instagram, uh, Facebook, um, X, uh, Twitter, um at the Joshua Gray. Um and then also if you search Amazon for uh my books, Patterns Print and Positive Words, uh the coloring book to live greater is on there. A place to put positive words, uh it's on Amazon as well. And then my upcoming children's book, Joja Picks Positive Words to Say. Um, she searched all of those things, you'll be able to find me.

SPEAKER_00 1:23:07

Okay, man. Hey, we got we got all the avenues to find you. Um all the creative pathways. You keep it, you keep uh keep it open. And I'll I'll put your your books, which uh I'll gladly put those in the show notes. So for the audience, uh those who are viewing that want to you know purchase those or even take a look at them or your website, I'll have all that in the show notes um to connect with you. Sounds good. Sounds good. Awesome. Well, Dr. Gray, I appreciate that. Wait, wait, wait, wait. So, what would you say life is? What would you feel in the blink today? Okay, so you switch the question on me. Um, good question, right? I'm I'm obviously hosting the show, but life is um as cliche as it sounds, I would say life is a journey. Uh and I say that, right, to explain a journey of there will be ups and downs, there will be good, um, there will be great people you connect with, experiences. Um but there is a journey that you um can create for yourself. And in your in to your sense, there's this positivity, right? And for me, I'm kind of the same way. I see things on the brighter side of of things. So in this journey, you can create uh really what you want um by holding a disposition and and perspective of life that things are great, right? Things are great, that you can create things, and no matter where you go, um you can find a way. And I think the journey in that process is what gives you life, right? As much as you want things to be perfect, the journey gives you fuel to become a better person, right? A better friend, a better colleague, husband, brother, uh, sister. And in and uh for me, that journey um is something that's personal, right? The journey is personal and it's yeah, it's something you create every day, right? That's why the life is, why I created it. There's different variables, there's different experiences, there's different avenues, there's different careers. Yeah. There's so much that you can tap into, and that journey is up to you. So life is a journey and you get to choose it. Indeed, indeed.

SPEAKER_03 1:25:18

That great answer, although I'm not the host of this show. Great answer. And in that, I appreciate you for bringing me on this journey uh with the podcast, um, as somewhat another point in our journey of being connected. Uh, like we said earlier on, it's been close to a decade, so I really appreciate the opportunity to uh be a guest on this journey. Um, it's also uh been great to watch your journey over the past few years. Thank you. Or not few, uh several years uh on just really bringing positivity, bringing awareness, bringing clarity, bringing consciousness to um your audience, uh, whether it's one person or a hundred people. It's been a uh encouraging to watch your commitment over the years. Um and I continuously wish you the best as you uh explore what life is um from various people's perspectives.

SPEAKER_00 1:26:13

Well, thank you. I appreciate that. I take the kind words. And uh with that, Dr. Gray, I'll let you get back to it. But once again, thank you for your time. Indeed. Thank you. Thank you. Take care. All right, same to you. What Josh showed us today is that agency is not something you fight for once and then keep it. It is something you choose daily, and the projects you take, the ones you walk away from, and the work you put your name on. He has been making that choice since he was a kid in the school hallway, and every version of his career since then has been the direct downstream consequence of that original decision to build on his own terms. That is not hustle, that is coherence, and that is exactly what this show is about. That's a wrap on today's episode of the Life Is Podcast. If something in this conversation landed for you, a shift in perspective, a reminder, or something you needed to hear, don't let it stay there. Take it with you, put it to work. If you're ready to go deeper, I have tools built specifically for this journey, a self-discovery blueprint, and a diagnostic designed to show you exactly where your foundation needs attention. Links are in the show notes. And if this episode added value, share it with someone who's building, leave a review, help us grow this community of intentional people doing real work. Remember, fulfillment isn't found, it's built. Life is art in motion, and you are the artist. Until next time, keep building.