Mic Drop

Be Turbulence Tough (ft. Ryan Campbell)

Episode Summary

As a young man, Ryan Campbell was flying high in every sense of the phrase. Youngest person to fly solo around the world, one of Australia’s 50 greatest explorers. Then a plane crash made him a paraplegic. But far from his life and career being over, Ryan discovered the perseverance to turn what came next into the most transformative and inspiring period of his incredible story.

Episode Notes

Be Turbulence Tough (ft. Ryan Campbell)

From the (literal) top of the world to the depths of despair— and back again

OPENING QUOTE:

“My life had changed. The everything that gave me my identity was now the very thing that took it all away. And then on top of that, I've got five breaks in my back, shattered face, shattered legs and ankle, and a spinal cord injury and diagnosed by the doctors as a complete paraplegic. I’m straight into a spinal rehabilitation ward, six months in hospital, a year and a half in recovery. A real tough chapter of life, you could say.”

-Ryan Campbell

GUEST BIO:

At just 17 years old, Ryan Campbell set a world record as the youngest solo pilot to fly around the world. He became famous in his home of Australia and was enjoying incredible success until a tragic accident struck. A broken back and a paraplegic diagnosis left Ryan in despair, but his remarkable journey of perseverance helped him achieve the impossible. Today, he is both walking and flying again. Ryan delivers a powerful message on becoming TurbulenceTough on stages around the world.

Links:

CORE TOPICS + DETAILS:

[8:33] - From Victim to Pilot

When and how Ryan took back control of his life

After Ryan’s accident and while he was struggling emotionally during recovery, he looked across the hospital room to a quadriplegic next to him who had no hope of recovery. In that instant, he realized that this man would give anything for the ability to roll over, like Ben had. This perspective shift changed his life forever and gave him the strength to persevere and take back control of his life.

[16:33] - Being TurbulenceTough

Ryan shares his breakthrough brand

In a time when 65% of employees consider their job their #1 stressor in life and only 19% of those people possess the resilient skills to excel amidst that stress, Ryan teaches individuals and teams to analyze, extract, and store wisdom from any moment in time and make them more resilient for whatever comes their way. He’s turned this into a powerful and identifiable brand that drives his speaking business today.

[28:38] - What’s Your Pink Cadillac?

A simple tip with powerful results

In a stellar example of turning life experience into memorable IP, Ryan has built his love for a rundown old pink Cadillac into a powerful message of self-care. He encourages his audiences to find their own ‘pink Cadillac,’ the thing they do for themselves that may not be financially responsible or designed to move their career forward, but simply brings them joy. The results have been astounding.

[25:32] - Beyond the Stage

A tearful moment behind the scenes

Ryan shows how going above and beyond can lead to phenomenal results and transformative experience. In one of his traditional ‘extra 2%’ visits to a dinner with his client after a successful keynote, Ryan met a woman who tearfully thanked him for his message after she’d had a devastating year. He had the chance to shake that woman’s hand and make an even more profound impact on her— and she on him— than if he had simply delivered his keynote then gotten on a plane back home.

RESOURCES:

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ABOUT MIC DROP:

Brought to you by eSpeakers, hear from the world’s top thought leaders and experts, sharing tipping point moments, strategies, and approaches that led to their speaking career success. Throughout each episode, host Josh Linkner, #1 Innovation keynote speaker in the world, deconstructs guests’ Mic Drop moments and provides tactical tools and takeaways that can be applied to any speaking business, no matter it’s starting point. You'll enjoy hearing from some of the top keynote speakers in the industry including: Ryan Estis, Alison Levine, Peter Sheahan, Seth Mattison, Cassandra Worthy, and many more. Mic Drop is produced and presented by eSpeakers; sponsored by 3 Ring Circus.

Learn more at: MicDropPodcast.com

ABOUT THE HOST:

Josh Linkner is a Creative Troublemaker. He believes passionately that all human beings have incredible creative capacity, and he’s on a mission to unlock inventive thinking and creative problem solving to help leaders, individuals, and communities soar.

Josh has been the founder and CEO of five tech companies, which sold for a combined value of over $200 million and is the author of four books including the New York Times Bestsellers, Disciplined Dreaming and The Road to Reinvention. He has invested in and/or mentored over 100 startups and is the Founding Partner of Detroit Venture Partners.

Today, Josh serves as Chairman and Co-founder of Platypus Labs, an innovation research, training, and consulting firm. He has twice been named the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and is the recipient of the United States Presidential Champion of Change Award.

Josh is also a passionate Detroiter, the father of four, is a professional-level jazz guitarist, and has a slightly odd obsession with greasy pizza.

Learn more about Josh: JoshLinkner.com

ABOUT eSPEAKERS:

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eSpeakers is where the speaking industry does business on the web. Speakers, speaker managers, associations, and bureaus use our tools to organize, promote and grow successful businesses. Event organizers think of eSpeakers first when they want to hire speakers for their meetings or events.

The eSpeakers Marketplace technology lets us and our partner directories help meeting professionals all over the world connect directly with speakers for great engagements.

Thousands of successful speakers, trainers, and coaches use eSpeakers to build their businesses and manage their calendars. Thousands of event organizers use our directories every day to find and hire speakers. Our tools are built for speakers, by speakers, to do things that only purpose-built systems can.

Learn more at: eSpeakers.com

Episode Transcription

Ryan Campbell:

And my life had changed. The everything that gave me my identity was now the very thing that took it all away. And then on top of that, I've got five breaks in my back, shattered face, shattered legs and ankle, and a spinal cord injury and diagnosed by the doctors as a complete paraplegic. So straight into spinal rehabilitation ward, living in hospital, six months in hospital, a year and a half in recovery, a real tough chapter of life, you could say.

Josh Linkner:

Welcome to Mic Drop, podcast for professional speakers. We cover the ins and outs of the business. Helping you deliver more impact on bigger stages at higher fees. You'll gain an inside edge through intimate conversations with the world's most successful keynote speakers. Mic Drop is brought to you by eSpeakers. I'm your host, Josh Linkner. Get ready for some inspiring mic drop moments together. Today's show is sponsored by 3 Ring Circus, the industry's top training and development program for professional speakers. They've helped hundreds of speakers launch or scale their speaking business, earning tens of millions in speaking fees, landing bureau representation, securing book deals, and rising to the top of the field.

Josh Linkner:

If you are looking to take your speaking business to the next level, they'll simply help you get there faster. To learn more and schedule a free 30 minute consultation, visit 3ringcircus.com/micdrop, that's 3, the number 3, ringcircus.com/micdrop. Mic Drop is produced and presented by eSpeakers. If you want more audiences and organizations to be moved and changed by your message, you owe it to yourself to find out why thousands of top experts use eSpeakers to manage and grow their business. When you use eSpeakers, you'll feel confident about your business. Package yourself up for success and be able to focus on what matters most to you and your business. For more information and a free 30 day trial visit eSpeakers.com/micdrop. That's eSpeakers.com/micdrop.

Josh Linkner:

My guest today had experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows before his 22nd birthday. At just 17 years old, Ryan Campbell set a world record as the youngest solo pilot to fly around the world. He became famous in his home of Australia and was enjoying incredible success until a tragic accident, a broken back and a paraplegic diagnosis left Ryan in despair, but through grit and resilience, he rose from those flames. His remarkable journey of perseverance helped him achieve the impossible. He is both walking and flying again. Today, Ryan delivers a powerful message on becoming TurbulenceTough on stages around the world. He inspires audiences with his humility, talent, and even whimsy, helping them build the skills needed to navigate these turbulent times.

Josh Linkner:

In today's conversation, Ryan shares the pivotal moment when he went from a plane crash victim to taking back control of his life and his future. Ryan shares how he developed the proprietary and authentic IP, such as TurbulenceTough, and his pink Cadillac that are fueling his speaking business. He shares his biggest regret from early in his speaking business and the advice he now offers to new speakers. Ryan shares the strategic positioning he's landed on, that it's cutting through the noise and exciting both bureaus and planners alike, and a recent experience after delivering a keynote that left both Ryan and an audience member in tears. On today's episode, my Aussie friend shows us how to reach new heights, even if we've experienced some crashes of our own. Ryan Campbell, welcome to Mic Drop.

Ryan Campbell:

Good. Hi Josh. Thanks for having me.

Josh Linkner:

I've been so looking forward to our conversation, Ryan, you and I go back several years and just an amazing story. And I've been so deeply inspired and moved by some of your ops and frankly, your downs. So, as mentioned in the introduction, you were the youngest pilot to fly around the world. And obviously you endured some tragedy after that, but just take us back to that moment. You crossed the finish line, you made it. What was going through your head? How did you get there? Just give us a little bit of that story of that triumphant victory.

Ryan Campbell:

Yeah, look mate, I think the key is story, for me, it's just an incredible story and it's not about me, but it's about a team and this incredible normal Aussie family who managed to pull off something that had never been done before. And we went two feet first into a big black hole when we began the planning of that trip. And we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into, but there were ups and there were downs, there were all the emotions of a good expedition, and 70 days and 24,000 miles later, we're standing at the finish line and we're celebrating and we've broken a record, that's all great and well and good, but we discovered real quick that it wasn't about the record, it was about the impact we had through the story and through what we'd achieved. And I think that was probably the beginning of realizing not just the power story, but the way that I could hone my skills in telling it, and then go on to create some impact through it.

Josh Linkner:

It's funny because that was the youngest solo flight, but you are not a solo guy, to me in just knowing, you are so focused on impacting others. I know the lead up to that with your mentors was about connection and community. Afterwards, the victory was a victory for the team, not just for you, which is something I've always really admired. So most people never have a high that high. And, of course, most people have never had a low as low as yours. So you completed this, you're a national hero in Australia. You have a breakaway success, everyone knows your name, and then you get into a plane crash. And it was a very difficult time. Not telling us the entire story of the crash, but maybe just give us a high level view of what happened and what you had to endure to be able to get back to where you are today.

Ryan Campbell:

Yeah, so it was two years after the end of the "Round the World" Flight. So I'm on the Australian speaking circuit and we've been to awards ceremonies, and we're just living this incredible spinoff life that came from that adventure. We just had no idea that, that would happen, but we were experiencing it and it was incredible. So I really was living a high, I was shaking hands with the Royals and meeting Buzz Aldrin and a lot of hard to comprehend experiences for a normal Aussie kid, let alone his family. And two years after the end of that "Round the World" Flight, I'm at work passionate as ever about aviation. And my job was to fly a vintage by plane, up and down the coast of Australia. We had one person on board for any one flight, and it was just an incredible job.

Ryan Campbell:

And we took off one morning, 28th of December 2015, and it was a normal day at work, no records to break, no oceans to cross. We had an engine failure in that airplane just on takeoff. And despite doing everything I possibly could in the next few seconds, what resulted was, as you say, a horrific, horrific accident. And it was so bad, to be honest, I was cut out of that wreckage and taken to hospital as the only survivor. So I was the lucky one and my life had changed, the very thing that gave me my identity was now the very thing that took it all away. And then on top of that, I've got five breaks in my back, shattered face, shattered legs and ankle, and a spinal cord injury and diagnosed by the doctors as a complete paraplegic. So straight into spinal rehabilitation ward, living in hospital, six months in hospital, a year and a half in recovery, a real tough chapter of life you could say.

Josh Linkner:

And I know you now obviously talk about that not in a, that's not the only thing you talk about, because you've got all kinds of other wonderful thought leadership content, but you really had to figure out how to get through that horrible challenge. I'm sure there are days that you wanted to quit. What was pulling you forward in those darkest days that kept you going and kept you wanting to do the work to get back to where you are now?

Ryan Campbell:

I had this incredible pivotal moment in hospital and I was in the rehabilitation gym, and I'm focused on wanting to learn to walk again and wanting to learn to fly again. And I was in a really bad place mentally, physically, I wasn't in a very good spot at all, but I had this one moment where I met a quadriplegic, his name was Ben, he was lying next to me and I'm there trying to do my exercises feeling like my life was over, or at least very against me. And I looked over at Ben who was not a paraplegic, but was actually a quadriplegic, no movement or feeling below his chest down in his early thirties, fallen over, hit his head whilst mopping a floor, cleaning a floor. And he was now a quadriplegic for the rest of his life.

Ryan Campbell:

And that was my pivotal moment to be like, wait a second. Ben would give anything for one chance at learning to roll over, which was exactly what I was doing there in the rehabilitation gym that day. And it was that shift in perspective and realizing that, wait a second, this isn't just going to happen for me. No, one's going to hand me my legs back. No, one's going to hand me my pilot's license back, or my life back. It's now up to me to go and build the grit, the resilience and the toolbox that's going to allow me to soar again, you could say. It was that shift from like, I want to learn to walk, or I want to learn to fly, to let's just build the resilient skills. Let's just fill that toolbox. And that will allow me not just to walk and fly again, hopefully, but do everything to my maximum potential. And, mate, from that day on, it was just all about building and strengthening a foundation of resilience and it changed my life.

Josh Linkner:

It's amazing. So you had this very difficult obstacle, it was a dark moment, not a happy moment, but you made a shift, you made a shift in your mindset and decided to contextualize, yeah, you were in a struggle, but compared to others, you were grateful. And that sense of gratitude and focus and commitment. And obviously want to talk a lot about your speaking business, but first of all, I'm inspired every time I speak with you. You went from that moment, doctors told you'd never walk again, you'd never fly again. Today you are walking, you are flying, you are in a wonderful relationship. You are living it out in the best of possible ways. And I'm just excited for you. What does life look like now, looking back at that moment?

Ryan Campbell:

I have ended up in a keynote speaking business for one reason, not because I wanted to be, I don't want to be a speaker, I want to be an airline pilot. I want to go to work every day and I want to wear the hat and I want to walk through the terminal and I want to do all those things that I've wanted to do since I was a six year old kid, but thanks to the spinal cord injury and the way that life has unraveled, I can no longer do that. I'm not physically able to. So it was, I think, realizing in a moment whilst I was learning to fly again, that I'd experienced an incredible high, as you say, higher than what a most people will experience in their life, but I'd also experienced an incredible low, and I'd experienced both by the age of 22. And I was like, wait a second, the opportunity's not in experiencing a high and, or experiencing a low, it's actually comparing the two.

Ryan Campbell:

And it's saying, wait a second, where do we truly learn what makes us a very best version of ourselves? And how do we reach that maximum potential in day to day life? And what I pulled from that was too good not to share. So it far outweighed my unwillingness, you could say, to want to share it. It's easy to sell or to share a good story, but it's really hard to share a sad story and a tough story. But that realization that the opportunity to compare had produced some pretty transformational fruits is what led me to the US to honestly pack up my whole life and come to Tennessee and build this speaking business.

Ryan Campbell:

So looking back at the accident and at the "Round the World" Flight, I am grateful for those life experiences, because I am a better human because of it. And that's great and all well and good, but if we can take that transformation that I've experienced and we can put that onto others, then it makes all of that pain and suffering just that little bit more worthwhile, you could say.

Josh Linkner:

It's amazing, because you were really called to this stage. You had an important message that you knew could impact others. And you said, this isn't my favorite thing in life, but I'm going to do it because I need to do it. And I'm called to do it. I will point out though that while you were not able to be an airline pilot because of your injury, a professional commercial pilot, you fly planes. I know you've flown to see me up in Detroit and you are, well, not in the exact same way that you would hope still flying, which I'm just delighted to see.

Josh Linkner:

So speaking of flying, you enter the speaking business just before COVID, I know it's not been easy in these times for any of us, and certainly as a newer speaker on the scene, but we were talking just before we hopped on here today and you were saying that, if you were starting brand new, there would be some things you would prioritize. What would you, now going back, what would you prioritize? Because I know we're all like, hey, we want to get our video shot. We want to get our website, we want to start booking speeches. Starting over it, if you were going back today, what would you start with?

Ryan Campbell:

I am no doubt, a proud student of 3 Ring Circus. And I know this is not a sales pitch for 3 Ring Circus, but I absolutely love, and I credit that group of people for helping me get to where I am today. I wish I could go back to the first time I sat down at that bootcamp and opened up that book, because at the beginning it talks about the transformation you create, what transformation do you create? What's that burning problem that you solve, and why are you the person to solve it? And although I could see a lot of weight in those questions, I come up with an answer that I was like, yeah, that sounds pretty good. And then I went off and wanted to create a video on a website and all the pretty things that made you feel like you were actually achieving something and getting some progress behind you in the business.

Ryan Campbell:

I regret rushing that process immensely. And even though I'm very early stages in my speaking business, we're seeing great traction and incredible growth. I'm now pushing back on the the people right behind me and saying, hey, don't do anything until you nail those questions. Make sure that you understand that you have to come up with those answers and you have to believe in them because I can't go to you, to any of the 3 Ring team, or anyone else in this industry offering help and ask you guys to build me a speaking business. There is no golden egg. The only way that you'll find success is to be speaking on something that is true to you, that comes from your heart and that you ultimately believe in. And if you can find that, I'm telling you that it just blossoms.

Ryan Campbell:

And I think the events industry is, it's been around for so long and the people within it are incredible, but they can see through anyone who is doing this for the wrong reasons, or they've created a lane or a space because they feel like that's what would sell. The moment. You can step back and say, I'm going to answer these three questions and nail them. It doesn't matter, that could take six months. Those three questions could potentially be worth millions of dollars in a lucrative speaking career, as you know. So answer those questions, don't rush them, and don't get distracted by the fabulous lights of a pretty reel, or a nice website. Wait to execute those fun chapters of your business until, once you've nailed those three questions.

Josh Linkner:

It's such great advice. And for those that are listening, that are unfamiliar, we essentially, and we share this all the time, talk about these three fundamental questions that become the foundation of your brand and your positioning as a professional speaker. Number one, what's the burning problem that audiences face for which you are the perfect solution? Number two, why you? Why are you the right person to solve this problem? And number three, what transformation do you create? In other words, how is the world different after people embrace your message versus beforehand? And so we talk about problem, credibility, transformation, PCT. Stitch the answers of those questions together, and that becomes the perfect elevator pitch, the perfect way to position yourself as a speaker. And Ryan, I know you've been working on this a lot. I used to work on mine too, by the way, I don't know if it's certainly not rehearsed today, but would you mind sharing yours now so we can get a sense of what does that PCT formula look and sound like for you?

Ryan Campbell:

Yeah, absolutely. So, our brand is TurbulenceTough. We help create resilient, unstoppable teams. And when you look at it, 65% of employees out there in the workforce have viewed their job as the number one stressor in their lives. That's alarming as it is. But what's worse is that only 19% of those people possess the resilient skills to not just ride out the bumps that they're facing, but then to turn that turbulence into growth and success, that is a problem. So we use story. I am a true believer in story. I think it is what creates the buy-in, and then the buy-in creates a transformation. We use story to help create these TurbulenceTough teams. We talk about the importance of slowing down when we face adversity, as opposed to the natural human want to push the throttles forward and get out of it. We talk about slowing down, bringing an opportunity to analyze, extract and store the wisdom from that moment in time.

Ryan Campbell:

And at the end of the day, we've seen this over the last couple of years. If we don't possess the skills to learn from today's turbulence, we're not going to be able to tackle tomorrow's turbulence with any more ease. And so we dive into some aviation stories. We talk about real turbulence on the "Round the World" Flight. We talk about turbulence from the spinal rehabilitation ward, but then we also touch on a whole completely separate topic, which you know too well. We talk about finding resilience through work life balance through something called what's your pink Cadillac? So we try to use story to create incredible buy-in and then we try and drop some nuggets of wisdom, we could say, that will create some transformation.

Josh Linkner:

Becoming a keynote speaker is an amazing profession. The top performers earn millions in annual income while driving massive impact on audiences around the world. But the quest to speaking glory can be a slow route with many obstacles that can knock even the best speakers out of the game. If you are serious about growing your speaking business, the seasoned pros at 3 Ring Circus, they can help. From optimizing your marketing and business efforts, to crafting your ideal positioning, to perfecting your expertise and stage skills. 3 Ring circus is the only speaker training and development program run by current high level speakers at the top of their field. That's why the major bureaus like Washington Speakers Bureau, Premier Speakers, Speak Inc, Executive Speakers, Harry Walker Agency, Kepler, Gotham Artists, and GDA all indoors and participate in 3 Ring Circus. From interactive bootcamps to one on one coaching, 3 Ring Circus will help you reach your full potential in the speaking biz, and they'll get there faster. For a free 30 minute consultation, visit 3ringcircus.com/micdrop. That's 3ringcircus.com/micdrop.

Josh Linkner:

Amazing. I'm very excited to talk about your pink Cadillac here in a little bit, but before we get there, you used the word turbulence a lot. I really liked how you were anchoring on that word. And that's a word that is authentic to you, because of plane turbulence, of course, as a pilot, of the turbulence you faced in this accident, some of the turbulence you faced as launching your speaking practice, and it's something that is authentic to you, but a word that I feel like you can own. And that to me is really interesting in your positioning. Are you starting to get known as the turbulence guy? If you're experiencing turbulence, who do you call? You call Ryan Campbell. Is that what's happening?

Ryan Campbell:

Yeah. And let me say this, and this may be a little bit too much information, but I was messaging my brother after all the bootcamps and after all the discussions with incredible speakers, I was messaging my brother from the shower as he's back in Australia in the middle of the night. And we are talking about all these keywords in the branding and the positioning of my speaking business, and the word turbulence popped up. And we were talking about being tough. And I'm a true believer that what pulled me out of that spinal rehabilitation ward was tough love. And we can talk about that for an hour, but the marriage of those two words, TurbulenceTough, was just a light bulb moment.

Ryan Campbell:

And that's what really made me realize that I have to come up with this, not Josh, or Connor, or any of your incredible team or any of the other incredible speakers out there who've been helping me. I would like to think that, yeah, we are becoming known as the turbulence or the TurbulenceTough guy. And if it's not that I'm definitely known for being the guy who walks funny and talks funny. So, that's always a good backup plan.

Josh Linkner:

Well, I love how you own that word. And I am a little concerned that you were texting in the shower. It doesn't seem so safe. Then you're talking about light bulb moments in the shower. This whole thing is freaking me out, but safety aside and your showering habits aside, I think you've done a brilliant job with it. And obviously now it's starting to pay off. It's funny, people often think of the speaking business and launching and scaling as a light switch, before it's off, and then you click it and it's on. I think it's more like a multi wheel combination lock. And so imagine a locked, let's say there's six little numbers you got to get right in a row. And you get the first one or two and you're like, why isn't this opening?

Josh Linkner:

And it's really easy to get frustrated and disappointed, but you're making progress. You get that third one and now you're booking four or five speeches a year. And then you click the sixth one and, but one point, all of those are lined, and the combination is solved. And then the thing blows wide open. My sense is you're at the early stages of that. You've seen a real lift in your speaking business already this year. And my sense is that you're about to break wide open.

Josh Linkner:

And when you think about what those combination Tumblrs represent, one is your commitment and authentic story. One is your, doing the work as you have, you're a wonderful open-minded student and a humble practitioner of doing the hard work, doing the reps. Another one is making sure that you're focused on the transformation that your audience creates and your positioning, another one might be your marketing materials, but once you get all of those Tumblrs in a row, then all of a sudden people look and say, oh, you took off. It looked so easy, but just like flying, I'm sure that logic and speaking practice is the same. Looks easy on the outside, not so easy to get it rolling.

Ryan Campbell:

Yeah. And I will honestly tell you, the "Round the World" Flight was hard. We spent two years, we fundraised a quarter of a million dollars as a 17 year old kid in a normal Aussie family. That was nothing compared to the accident. And getting back to walking and all of that rehabilitation was so unbelievably tough. It really was. And I'd like to think I'm a pretty tough guy. Building a speaking business, Josh, has been one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life, because there is a lack of control in this game. And you might solve the first and second lock on that combination. And then you get to the third one and you face a little bit of resistance, and then automatically you're like, well, maybe the first and second one were wrong. And you go back there and you start to change things. And now you go around in this circle, absolutely just wanting to belch your head against the wall.

Ryan Campbell:

That's where, and I'm not saying it has to be with 3 Ring Circus, but find some guidance. Don't reinvent the wheel, go and get the people and place them around you who can say, mate, you are on the right track. And I'll be honest to everyone on this podcast. I sat last year, halfway through last year, on the side of the road using my personal hotspot on my phone, in the backseat of my truck, on a laptop, on a Zoom call with Josh Linkner having a, let's say a minor meltdown, a bit of a moment in life to work out what I should be doing. COVID was hard, speaking was tough. It was hard to get traction. And you told me to stay the course. You confirmed that what I was doing with my combination lock was, in fact, right.

Ryan Campbell:

And we continued to push instead of giving up, we earned more revenue from that point to the end of the year, before I went home to see my family for three months, than what I had ever earned in any job as a complete 12 month salary wage, or income. And it was just getting that confirmation from you, or from anyone of your stature and experience, that made me stay the course. So that's my advice back to anyone struggling right now is make sure you get the team around you that can say, hey, bud, you're doing the right thing. And just have a bit of faith, because I really do believe, where it's such an exciting point in our business right now, as it does really start to burn and hopefully catch into a wildfire. And that's only thanks to guys like you. So I appreciate it.

Josh Linkner:

Well, you're the one doing the work brother and, again, so grateful for your intensity and focus and commitment. So you've talked about how you were surprised by how hard it's been. Some of the challenges that seemingly looks easy and you've been through some hard stuff, and launching and scaling a speaking business can be hard. What were you surprised about on the good side? Tell us about some of the rewards that you've faced. Forget the economics, what's it like looking down on an audience that's moved to action? What's it like when someone comes up and gives you a bear hug in tears after hearing your message? Give us a little bit of sense of what's bringing you through the good side of bringing you through all this hard work that you've continued to deploy on a daily basis.

Ryan Campbell:

Yeah. So I'm semi-emotionally unstable. You know at the end of Undercover Boss, when they give deserving people free stuff, I'm the one who cries on the couch alone watching the end of that show. So a few weeks ago I arrived back from Australia. So good to see my family first time in two years. And I went to an event in Idaho and it was through one of, our mutual bureau partners, they set me up, I went up and I delivered a keynote. And I was so excited to be back on the stage. And I have a bit of a deal within our business that I will come and do a keynote for you. And if time permits, I would love to come to a dinner or a luncheon and just be there post keynote to network. That's our extra 2% that you've instilled in me, what can you do to go above and beyond? And that's what we are doing.

Ryan Campbell:

And I went to a dinner that night. I was saying goodbye to the crew. I'd had an incredible dinner with some amazing people. And I saw one group in the corner of the room that I hadn't seen goodbye to. So I went over and just an awkward, oh, I'm off to bed. And a lady turned around and she said, thank you so much for giving us what you did today. And she started to cry and she said, I've had a really tough year. And I thought to myself, to be honest, well, a lot of us have had a really tough year, it's been a pandemic, but then her colleague started to cry. And this lady had lost her husband and two grandchildren in three separate instances in a space of 12 months. And she turned around to me and she took TurbulenceTough and she made it real. And she placed that back in my hands and said, this is why I'm proud to be tough. This is what makes me resilient. And this is how I work every single day to build and strengthen that, and I needed to hear your message.

Ryan Campbell:

And then she turned around and she made the what's your pink Cadillac discussion real. And there were tears, including from my end, I'll admit, but it was so incredibly touching and there is no amount of money, there is no amount of anything that will make you feel the way that I felt in that moment. And we have a whole bunch of those stories, but they are the moments that make you realize that you are doing good with your story, your experiences, and the thoughts, and let's say potentially wisdom that you're sharing. So, that was a pretty special moment.

Josh Linkner:

What a beautiful story. And most of the successful speakers that I know, like you, are certainly, nothing wrong with money. We're economically driven, fantastic, but, but the real juice is that, the real juice is making a difference, seeing that impact. And that's a beautiful thing. That's the thing that gets us through the long work hours, the nights in hotel rooms, the airport delays. So I just, I'm glad you shared that with us. So I have to ask you now, you mentioned this story, this pink Cadillac concept, and you and I have talked about this before, but I know first of all, you drive a badass old school, big old pink Cadillac, because it brings you joy and it's like who you are, and you relate to it. And it's cool. Tell us about this Cadillac. Tell us about why you love it so much. And more importantly, tell us the message that we can learn as we discover our own pink Cadillacs.

Ryan Campbell:

Yeah, absolutely. So I traveled to Memphis. I'm a fresh Australian here in the US, and I visit Gracelands, the home of Elvis Presley. And like all good US attractions, you can't get out of it unless you go through the gift shop. So I've walked through the gift shop and I purchased this $30 model pink Cadillac. And this car was absurd, but I purchased this model car because I'd always wanted a pink Cadillac my whole life. I just thought they were different and they were cool. And I took it back to my house in Nashville. And my roommate at the time said to me, dude, what are you doing? Why did you buy a pink toy car? And I said to him, well, I really want the real thing. And one day I'm going to have it, but until then, this will have to do, and I sat it down beside the television.

Ryan Campbell:

Now, I thought I'd buy a pink Cadillac when I was old and have gray hair, but I was scrolling Facebook about nine months later, and I saw something for sale. And I went and I purchased it. And it was a real 1962 and a half ton pink Cadillac. Her name is Flow. It's definitely the worst financial decision I've ever made in my life. But I purchased this car and I drove it all the way back to Nashville from backwards, Georgia. It overheated seven times on the way home, it has been an endless money pit. It is in the shop right now, as we speak, getting work done on it. But I bought that car for me. What I discovered is when you drive that car, it's actually awkward because the reactions and the interactions that result were just incredible. We had grown adults who no doubt were all experiencing their own turbulence in their own lives. Grown adults staring at this car, smiling like a kid. They were yelling, they were waving. They wanted photos. They wanted to tell you about their great uncle, Chuck, who owned a Cadillac back in 1970.

Ryan Campbell:

It was just incredible. We have found Flow as the main profile picture on three separate dating profiles of girls we do not know. This car's gone everywhere. So what it led to is this question, what's your pink Cadillac? What's the one thing you do for you? Does it make a whole lot of sense? Not quite logical, might not be financially responsible, but it makes you smile like a kid. And the message is that in order to show up better in all areas of your life, you actually have to step back from the desk, just like an airplane. An airplane can fly halfway around the world in 15 hours. It can fly through some incredible turbulence. It's tough, it's proven. But as incredible as that airplane is, it has to land. It has to refuel. It has to have maintenance and the fly crew have to rest. And, yeah, it can't fly forever. And we are no different, Josh, you know this, we can't work 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Ryan Campbell:

So what's your pink Cadillac? Is a really cool way to get this conversation happening within organizations, to get people thinking about what they do for fun, what they do outside of work. And let me tell you, I'll say one final thing. We have discovered some of the most awkward truths in a room. We've had employees discovering that other employees, or even members of their leadership team collect house plants. One lady had 35 house plants, one guy wanted a pet goat, that was his dream pink Cadillac, was to have a pet goat. We have everyone who, they ride motorbikes or they collect jewelry, or they do woodworking activities, or they love singing or skydiving or playing guitar. And it's been an incredible conversation starter, that's our job at the end of the day, is to start the conversations that matter. What's your pink Cadillac's been an incredible conversation starter to get people learning about each other, stepping away from their desks, doing something fun and in turn, becoming more resilient, more TurbulenceTough.

Josh Linkner:

I just want to comment on that, a couple things. One is, this is authentically, you were drawn to this pink Cadillac, you didn't do it for the speaking juice out of it. You did it because that's what you wanted. And so first of all, you tapped into something that was authentic to you. But second of all, if you went into a room of people and said, gey, we should share each other's hobbies. We should learn more about each other and form better relationships. Everyone would roll their eyes at you. They're like, yeah, no kidding, but no one would actually do it. But because you package it in the story, and there was a memorable visual icon, this pink Cadillac. And then you posed a question, what's your pink Cadillac? That's what a keynote speaker does. They bring a big, vague cliche idea to life in a beautiful, meaningful, memorable kind of way. And in your case, in authentic way.

Josh Linkner:

And I think coupling this, what white seem as a frivolous purchase, a pink Cadillac, with the turbulence that you faced, both highs and lows in your life, is just this really cool combination. You talk about the Tumblr on the lock, I could see how that Tumblr, that click two numbers right there. And I'm sure it'll continue. So it's just, just so good, Ryan, so good. Hey brother, when you think about the next couple years, let's say we're sitting here having an Australian beer together a couple years from now and we're celebrating your best year yet. What do you want your speaking business to look like in the coming years, as you start to forecast what you're hoping to bring to life?

Ryan Campbell:

So I was very open with Eric [Tumandi 00:33:45], who I know has been a [pride 00:33:46] guest on this podcast. He's an incredible man. He's helped me a lot. He is so generous with his time. And I remember telling him that one of my industry goals was to sit on the speaker panel at a 3 Ring Circus event, which just seems ridiculous, but that's where I want to be. I want to be able to sit on that panel and turn around and say, hey, here's what helped me, please, walk on the rocks that I stumbled on. And so I'm excited for that. I'm excited to send the elevator back down, as I also looked up to the others above me and asked for help and guidance, but really I want to continue to go to events, deliver keynotes that create incredible impact. I like to call them green light gigs. Are we red light, yellow light or green lighting these gigs?

Ryan Campbell:

I want to keep green lighting gigs. I want to get incredible testimonials. I want to add video to my reel. I want to continue to build this brand of TurbulenceTough and what's your pink Cadillac? And I really want to continue to build relationships and trust in the bureau network, that is, we have incredible relationships that are bearing incredible fruit, but it is a hard world to crack into. So, I see that as a challenge, I love a good challenge. I want to keep doing what we do and I want to make sure that every time we get on stage, we're iterating and we're making that keynote better and better and better. And honestly, other than that, we'll sit back, strap in and enjoy the ride. And if I survive these Tennessee allergies that I'm putting out with right now, I think we're going to have a pretty good couple of years.

Josh Linkner:

Well, I'll tell you, you have all the right characteristics. You're coming with an open heart and open mind. You are pouring your soul into helping others, wonderful storytelling, authentic history. You're doing it for the right reasons. You want to give back to the industry. So, if I were a betting man, I would be betting all day and every day on Ryan Campbell. Ryan, thanks so much for joining me on Mic Drop. I wish you continued success my brother. And keep singing the praises of this wonderful industry. It's open for us all, if we're willing, like you, to do the work and come out with humility, and I know that you're going to have nothing but continued success. Thanks again.

Ryan Campbell:

Awesome. Thanks Josh. Appreciate it.

Josh Linkner:

After today's conversation, I bet you can't decide if you'd rather see Ryan as a professional speaker, delivering a powerful keynote, or as a new friend sitting together in a pub to share a cold beer. Here are a few of my favorite takeaways. Number one, Ryan's honesty, humility, and authenticity make him instantly likable, which in turn drives performance in his speaking business. No one wants to listen to an arrogant brag. Instead, Ryan shows us how audiences gravitate to those willing to share their struggles as much as their triumphs. Number two, his journey to reclaim his life and future after a horrific tragedy shows us the roadmap on how we can rise from our own adversity and still achieve greatness. And, of course, I'm obsessed with Ryan's pink Cadillac idea, how wonderful to give ourselves permission to do something fun and even a bit frivolous every now and then.

Josh Linkner:

In case you're wondering, mine is a Gibson super 400 jazz guitar that I bought myself for my 35th birthday. 16 years later, she still gives me a Kool-Aid smile. Ryan is already achieving meaningful success in the speaking industry, and he's just getting warmed up. We'll all continue to watch him inspire others, leave an impact on our industry and soar to new heights. Ladies and gentlemen, please store your tray tables and fasten your seat belts. Captain Ryan Campbell is ready for takeoff.

Josh Linkner:

Thanks for joining me on another episode of Mic Drop. Don't forget to subscribe on Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or wherever you get your favorite shows. If you love the show, please share with your friends, and don't forget to give us a five star review. For show transcripts and show notes, visit micdroppodcast.com. Mic Drop is produced and presented by eSpeakers. And a big thanks to our sponsor, 3 Ring Circus. I'm your host, Josh Linkner. Thanks for listening. And here's to your mic drop moments.