Mic Drop

Grounded in a Higher Calling (ft. Jessica Encell Coleman, Jesse Israel, and Light Watkins)

Episode Summary

This week’s trio of guests will take us on a guided tour of our inner selves, sharing how they've turned their passions for joy and human connection into impact that's reached millions of people around the globe. We'll explore what meditation is and what it isn't, how being grounded in the present moment can benefit our lives and careers, and how connecting with other people might just be the most misunderstood skill in the world. There's never been a Mic Drop quite like this.

Episode Notes

Grounded in a Higher Calling (ft. Jessica Encell Coleman, Jesse Israel, and Light Watkins)

Three purpose-based speakers share their perspectives

OPENING QUOTE:

“We often think that time is our most valuable asset, but if you're not present during the time that you have, then you're essentially squandering that time.”

-Light Watkins

GUEST BIO:

Jesse Israel is the founder of The Big Quiet, which turns meditation into the social practice of connection, and has led to the New York Times calling him "the meditation expert". He's on a mission to connect leaders to their joy and power so they can make a fulfilling contribution to the world. He shared his message to thousands on tour with Oprah, so he knows how to deliver both internal and external impact.

Links:

Light Watkins is an expert meditation teacher and thought leader who has written three bestsellers on inner peace and consulted with some of the biggest organizations in the world on the topics of wellness, purpose, and enlightened leadership. He's been the meditation coach to some of the most influential celebrities in the world.

Links:

Jessica Encell Coleman is a love activist, empowerment educator, and creator of The Magic of Human Connection. Her amazing workshops have paved the way for thousands of people to feel more love for themselves, each other, and the planet.

Links:

CORE TOPICS + DETAILS:

[3:39] - Letting Your Mind Win

Meditation is about surrender, not victory

Many of us in the speaking industry are intensely competitive — even if it’s competition with ourselves. We want to master ourselves and help others master themselves through our work. The result is that we often look at meditation as a battle with your mind. But your mind will always win that battle. In reality, meditation is about working in connection with your thinking mind, which ultimately leads to profoundly settled mental states and the ability to tap into a deeper understanding of yourself and the world.

[12:53] - When Pride is a Good Thing

When you’re proud of what you do, you do it better

We tend to equate our self-worth with how we feel we’re performing in our various “roles,” in life and in our careers. Are we succeeding in business? Are we excelling as speakers? But when we can let go of this aspirational focus and simply be proud of ourselves for doing work we feel has value, we can let go of these insecurities that often put up barriers between us and our audience. When we do that, we let go of a highly emotional state of decision-making and become a more powerful operator of the facets of our lives.

[14:38] - The Subject They Don’t Teach You in School

Why connection is as essential as math or physics

Jessica highlights the way that caring for ourselves, caring for others, and caring for the planet make up the ingredients of a fulfilled life — and yet we don’t teach any of these things in any level of formal education. That’s why so many people misunderstand what it means to be connected to the people and world around us, and to ourselves. As speakers, the ability to connect with people in a genuine way is absolutely essential. Formal training on human connection can benefit us all immensely.

[19:29] - There’s (Literally) No Time Like the Present

Why focusing on the present moment is a good long-term move

Being “grounded” or “present” doesn’t just sound nice. It’s a very real way to refocus yourself when you become obsessively focused on what comes next. Light recommends making a quick mental list of ten things you’re grateful for. Gratitude is a cheat code for presence, he says, that instantly grounds us in the things around us for which we’re grateful. Because gratitude is so present-focused — “I’m grateful for X, Y and Z that I have right now.” — it breaks us out of the rhythm of constantly thinking about the future.

RESOURCES:

[1:51] The Big Quiet

Follow Jesse Israel:

Follow Light Watkins:

Follow Jessica Encell Coleman:

Follow Josh Linkner:

ABOUT MIC DROP:

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 sponsored by ImpactEleven.

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

Episode Transcription

Light Watkins:

We often think that time is our most valuable asset, but if you're not present during the time that you have, then you're essentially squandering that time.

Josh Linkner:

Hey, Mic Drop enthusiasts, Josh Linkner here. Delighted to be bringing you Season Two of Mic Drop. I love our conversations with speakers and industry leaders alike so we can unpack the industry and we can all perform better. Let's get after it and get better together.

Maria Cairo:

Mic Drop is brought to you by ImpactEleven, the most diverse and inclusive community built for training and developing professional speakers to get on bigger stages at higher fees with greater impact, faster.

They're not just elevating an industry that we all know and love. They work with thousands of speakers to launch and scale their speaking businesses, accelerating time to success, earning tens of millions in speaking fees, landing bureau representation, securing book deals, and rising to the top of the field.

To learn more about the ImpactEleven community, schedule a free strategy session today session by visiting impacteleven.com/connect. That's impact-E-L-E-V-E-N.com/connect.

Josh Linkner:

Today is a special edition of Mic Drop and not just because I'm joined by three amazing guests. Usually on Mic Drop, we talk about tactics, strategy, and the business of public speaking. But today, we're talking about something deeper, how to make a difference in people's wellbeing rather than just their bottom line.

And to help us do it, we're joined by a trio of truly inspiring people. Jesse Israel is the founder of The Big Quiet, which turns meditation into the social practice of connection, and has led to the New York Times calling him "the meditation expert". He's on a mission to connect leaders to their joy and power so they can make a fulfilling contribution to the world. He shared his message to thousands on tour with Oprah, so he knows how to deliver both internal and external impact.

I'm also joined by Light Watkins, an expert meditation teacher and thought leader who has written three bestsellers on inner peace and consulted with some of the biggest organizations in the world on the topics of wellness, purpose, and enlightened leadership. He's been the meditation coach to some of the most influential celebrities in the world.

And finally, I'm joined by Jessica Encell Coleman, love activist, empowerment educator, and creator of The Magic of Human Connection. Her amazing workshops have paved the way for thousands of people to feel more love for themselves, each other, and the planet.

Today, these three take us on a guided tour of our inner selves, sharing how they've turned their passions for joy and human connection into impact that's reached millions of people around the globe. We'll explore what meditation is and what it isn't, how being grounded in the present moment can benefit our lives and careers, and how connecting with other people might just be the most misunderstood skill in the world. There's never been a Mic Drop quite like this, and I can't wait for you to hear this wisdom filled episode.

All right. Jessica, Jesse, and Light, welcome to Mic Drop.

Light Watkins:

Thanks.

Jesse Israel:

So good to be here.

Jessica Encell:

Thank you, Josh. We're so happy to be here.

Jesse Israel:

Happy to be here.

Josh Linkner:

So, I've been looking forward to this episode for quite some time. Often on our podcast, we talk about tactics and business and today we're really going to talk about what I think is nearer and dearer, certainly to your three hearts and mine as well, which is really making a difference in people's wellbeing, lifting them, up not only monetary, but to a degrees deeper, spiritually, and connecting to their true self. And each of you three come at that in such a different way. So, I thought we'd begin maybe by just hearing a little bit about your backstory. You're each approaching this work in a slightly different way. I'd love to hear how you got there. And Jessica, maybe we'll start with you.

Jessica Encell:

Okay, amazing. So, how I started doing what I am doing now is I have always been so passionate about creating experiences for people to take the volume knob for love and joy and connection and just turn it, turn it, turn it, all the way up. So, that is what I've always been so passionate about.

I started just experimenting with friends, but also formally, I was in a program in NYU where you can create your own major so that was all about connection and interconnectedness. And over time, eventually got invited to present and share. And now I've shared with tens of thousands of people all around the world. And the thing that I'm most proud of is that through all the experiences that I've led, there's been over a million hugs that the participants have shared. So, it started just with a passion and experimenting, and it's grown into a million hugs, lots of love, and just really my favorite thing in the world to do.

Josh Linkner:

Oh, man. It's funny, when we think about markers of success, people talk about what's your bank account or your 401K. A million hugs? That is the best KPI I've ever heard. That's fricking great.

Jessica Encell:

I love you framing it-

Josh Linkner:

Love that. Love that.

Jessica Encell:

-as a KPI, Josh. That's so brilliant. I'm taking that with me. Thank you.

Josh Linkner:

So, Jesse, I'd love to pop over to you and hear about your story and your background and what got you to this point.

Jesse Israel:

Sure. Yeah. So when I was a sophomore, I also went to NYU, and I was also at Gallatin. I don't know if we've connected that, Jess.

Jessica Encell:

Yep. I don't think we have. That's awesome.

Jesse Israel:

So, yeah, I was in the same program, but my sophomore roommate and I decided we'd start a little record label out of our dorm room, and we signed a college band that was at Wesleyan, a band called MGMT. And they wound up taking off. And we had no idea what the hell we were doing, but we had suddenly a record label that had formed of our dorm room. And MGMT went on to become a really huge band. And when I had graduated from NYU, I started to experience pretty debilitating anxiety. I was having panic attacks. I was really burnt out and I didn't even know what it was. There wasn't much conversation around mental health then. It's over 15 years ago. And it was confusing because I had this really cool thing that was growing that felt successful and exciting, but inside I was really struggling.

And I had heard that meditation was something that could help a lot. And I met this guy named Light Watkins. I don't know if anyone's heard of him. But he taught me meditation. And it was such a tremendous relief and it really shifted not only the symptoms of stress and anxiety that I was experiencing, but it just so greatly enhanced my ability to enjoy my life and the work that I was doing. So I started meditating. It was a really big part of my life. And I'd be at music festivals backstage, getting quiet when there was just total chaos and loud noise everywhere. And in a short period of time, other people started to ask me what I was doing and would join my meditations and we'd be backstage at festivals and it'd be other musicians and labels meditating together.

And I just started to get this sense of, "Wow, people are hungry for space to come together and be quiet." And then after we've shared silent space to talk about the real stuff that's going on in our lives. So I wound up leaving my record label about eight years ago and started organizing group meetups, really with people I knew from business, to come together and share quiet space and talk about real stuff. And it just grew. It went from people in my buddy's apartment about eight years ago to about five years in on tour with Oprah guiding meditations in arenas full of people. And The Big Quiet, which is my business, it's kind of known for gathering huge groups to meditate. And last thing I'll say is it's such an honor to be on this podcast with Light because Light taught me meditation and because of him, it really sent me on this journey.

Josh Linkner:

So good. All right, Light, over to you.

Light Watkins:

Yeah, I worked as a fashion model for many years after college. And the good thing about that industry is that you have a lot of downtime. And in my downtime I started dabbling in yoga classes, and this is back in the late '90s, so it was before yoga was this huge thing. And I started to get deeper and deeper into that and I started getting invited to these meditation circles. And again, I had a lot of free time on my hands, so it was this really novel thing to do and I just found that I enjoyed it a lot. And then I decided to go all in on it. I moved to Los Angeles and became a yoga teacher and I met my meditation teacher. So Jesse mentioned that I taught him. Well, I have a version of that for myself who taught me meditation in a way that just made me really enjoy it and start to wake up in the morning craving it.

And I recognized that I was on a mission to help other people have that same relationship with their inner practices. And I started doing that full time. And then around 2014 I started writing books. And every couple years I would write a new book. One of my books was a book on how to meditate, How to Succeed in Meditation Without Really Trying. I have to remember it for a second because it's been a couple of books ago. But so I've been just passionate about helping people access these practices in a way that feels doable, simple, and fun. And I started speaking back in 2015 with a TEDx talk that I did in Venice, California, created a live online community to help people during the pandemic to master these inner practices all around the world. And so now I'm keynote speaking, I'm still writing, and my next book is coming out soon, called Travel Light. It's about spiritual minimalism. And yeah, I'm happy to be here.

Josh Linkner:

So, Light, we'll stay with you for a second. I think some people who are less familiar with the work that really all three of you do, might be dismissive. "Meditation, who has time for that? That's a bunch of nonsense. I got to get the numbers," like that kind of vibe. And I'm being playful about it. I'm sure there just not as informed. But what would you dispel the myth maybe if you could for us, about what meditation isn't? To me, it might seem frivolous, it might seem wasteful of time, but I know that you and others have helped people unlock incredible greatness, both internal greatness and of course external greatness as well. It's in other words, a business driver, not a detriment. What do people get wrong about meditation?

Light Watkins:

I think one of the reasons why people dismiss meditation is because they see it as a mental exercise. It's purely a mental exercise. And a lot of people will sit down and they'll close their eyes and they'll get into this sort of battle with their mind, which is an exercise in futility because the mind is always going to win that battle when you're trying to struggle against it. And so what I teach people, and also what Jesse teaches people, is just how to meditate in concert with their thinking mind. And what ends up happening is they're able to access these really profound settled mind states and then as a byproduct of that, they end up getting the main benefit of the practice, which is presence, presence. And that's something that I think a lot of people who are in the speaking industry and really any industry could use a lot more presence.

We often think that time is our most valuable asset, but if you're not present during the time that you have, then you're essentially squandering that time. But if you're more present, even if you don't have as much time as someone else, then you can optimize that time because you're able to get insights and see connections and just connect with people a lot deeper and a lot quicker just by virtue of the fact that you're present.

Josh Linkner:

So true. And I frankly struggle with that, being sort of this hard charging business person my whole life. The two times, there are a few other times in life this being one of and when I'm with my wife Tia, but the two times that really come to mind when I'm deeply present is when I'm playing jazz or when I'm delivering a keynote because there you almost have to be present. Jesse, I'd love to pop over to you for a second and maybe you could build on that. How does being grounded and present not only benefit us in the moment, but benefit us in other ways in our lives and careers?

Jesse Israel:

I've found that I've had this tendency throughout my career path to have my happiness and my sense of safety be tied to things that are going in my career. When work's going well, I'm good. But then if work slows down, or for those that are listening that are keynote speakers, if the talks start slowing down, suddenly I've noticed in the past I'll start to feel like everything's falling apart or the anxiety will really start to kick in. And the thing that I've really worked on myself over the years has been shifting from placing my happiness and my sense of safety and my sense of worth in what's happening with work and shifting it to just being proud of the man that I am and being grounded in the person that I am on this earth.

Now, this is a tall order. It's not easier said than done. It's a big practice. But to answer your question, Josh, when I'm in a place where I can feel grounded in me, proud of the man that I am, I know that regardless of what happens with work, if things take off, if they slow down, I'm going to be good. And I'm able to maintain a level head that doesn't feel reliant on what's happening with work. So when I'm in that more grounded place and feeling really connected to me and not reliant on other things, I'm a lot more powerful in the world. And that's true in my relationships, that's true in my work, that's true in when I'm with my family and with my friends. So for me, it's really foundational to how I show up in all things, not just in my career.

Josh Linkner:

Well, the amazing thing about that is too is that when you feel good, as you said, when you feel proud of the man that you are, then you're actually going to create your best art. You're going to be the best support mechanism to those around you. So again, it's not taking away from your career. If anything, it's enabling it to a degree.

And when you talk about feeling good, being able to walk through life with that sense of quiet confidence that you're going to be okay, even though external factors are changing, many of outside of our control, one way to do that is going inward as you talked about. Another way to do that is making deep connections. And Jessica, I'd love to pop over to you for a second. The notion of feeling that deep sense of connection, especially in a world that's increasingly lonely and isolated, maybe expand on how connection, human to human connection, builds on that sense of purpose and meaning.

Jessica Encell:

Oh my goodness, Josh, give me a time limit because I could just go into this for several hours and beyond. But I've always found it so fascinating, like when we go to school we learn math and science and history, and I'm a voracious learner, so I love learning. But my whole life I was fascinated why aren't we learning what I would consider to be the three core subjects, which is how do we take care of ourselves, which Jesse and Light, through meditation they're really focusing on that, how do we connect with other people and amplify and have the most meaningful relationships, and how do we take care of the planet? So to me, those were the three core subjects that I could never understand why are we not all masterful in that? Why aren't we all learning that?

And so to me, what's so exciting about connection is that everyone needs to understand how to have extraordinary relationships and how to master those three skills that Jesse and Light are really tapping into that inner connection part. And so there's this huge infinite potential that is so untapped because we all have relationships and yet hardly anyone has any formal training in how to actually maximize that connection. So that's one of the things that to me is so exciting about it is that you can do these little tweaks and it's like a huge lever that you pull and you can get so much momentum so quickly because it's something that everyone wants, it's something that everyone needs, and yet it's something that very few people have any training in. So with just a few tools, a few permission slips, a few invitations, you can access so much connection so quickly. So I don't even know exactly what the original question was, but I'm just getting started on how much I love creating experiences of connection for people.

Josh Linkner:

Well, I love that you say human connection is natural, it's innate in us, and at the same time, like many natural things, it does require a little skill and practice. And I love that you said that there can be these little adjustments or tools or tweaks that can build deeper connections. Would you mind sharing one or two for us that we could perhaps take back and put into use in our own relationships?

Jessica Encell:

Oh my goodness, yeah. So a lot of what I do is about actually slowing down and just being present enough to appreciate other people. And so a simple tool that would be good? Gosh. Yeah, okay, I'll tell you one thing. So one thing that I love to do that you can do on your own, but it's also a practice that if you have a group you can guide them in this as well, is just to walk around the world and notice something that you really admire about every single person that you pass.

So I'll do this when I'm in the grocery store and I'll be in line and I'll see a family in front of me and the kids are giggling and I'll just take a moment to notice like, "Wow, I love the connection between the parents and those kids." And I love the joy that kids have. Or maybe I'll see someone walking down the next aisle and they're just so cool in how they walk and they have a good little swagger. I'll be like, "Wow, I just love their vibe and they just feel kind of connected to their unique energy."

So just pausing, whether you're sitting on a bench and watching people pass, whether you're on a Zoom meeting with your colleagues, and looking at each person and notice something that you really appreciate about that person, like a sparkle in their eye or the way they carry themselves, practicing putting our focus on, it's kind of shifting from being in a focus state of judgment and what we don't like to actually a focus state of noticing everyone's superpowers around us. So that's one thing that I love to do personally. It makes any environment that you're in really fun and guiding that formally for people and creating activities around that is one example.

Josh Linkner:

I absolutely love that. And by the way, one thing I'll notice about you, and there's so many things like depth and substance stuff, but one thing just physically, which most people who are listening only can't see, is you have this perennial smile that fills the room. And it's contagious. I mean, it's really a beautiful thing, that you are just bringing so much joy. And I think human beings pick up on those cues when someone's always grumpy and dour, you feel grumpy and dour, but when someone has a smile as wide as Toledo, you're like, "That's fricking awesome." I mean, it does. It makes me happy just hanging out with you. Light, I want to pop over to you.

Jessica Encell:

Oh, thanks so much.

Josh Linkner:

Oh yeah, of course. For a second. Jessica was sharing a very simple tool, a reframe. You're talking a lot about being grounded. Is there a reframe that frenetic, intense people like me can do to get ourselves, drop ourselves, into that grounded present state?

Light Watkins:

Yeah, absolutely. One really quick way is just to think of 10 things you're grateful for in that moment. Gratitude is like a, what do you call those, a cheat code for presence. If you want to get present, just start literally just thinking of little things like, "Okay, I can walk. I can see. I can smell. I have these opportunities that are surrounding me. I have food." Just little things like that. And you just think about maybe 10 of those things. You can think about more than that, but I would say at least a dozen or so.

And every time you think of something that you're grateful for, you'll find yourself becoming more and more engaged in the present moment and you'll start noticing other things around you as well, people who are there to support you, people who want you to do well, just everything, everything about the moment. There's literally nothing that you couldn't be grateful for in that moment. "Oh, it's a beautiful day outside." Or, "It's raining, it's purifying, it's cleansing, and it's only temporary," and all these kinds of things. And it's just a good practice to have in general. So whenever you feel like you're in kind of a funk or you're just feeling a bit worried or anxious or any of those kinds of emotions, you can just drop right into gratitude and that'll get you back in the present moment.

Maria Cairo:

Becoming a keynote speaker is an amazing profession. The top performers earn millions while driving massive impact for 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're serious about growing your speaking business, the seasoned pros at ImpactEleven can help. From crafting your ideal positioning to optimizing your marketing effectiveness to perfecting your expertise and stage skills.

As the only speaker training and development community run by current high level speakers at the top of the field, they'll boost your probability of success and help you get there faster. That's why nearly every major speaker bureau endorses and actively participates in ImpactEleven. The ImpactEleven community provides you unparalleled access to the people, relationships, coaching, and accountability that compresses your time to success.

To learn more about the ImpactEleven community, schedule a free strategy session today by visiting impacteleven.com/connect. That's impact-E-L-E-V-E-N.com/connect.

Josh Linkner:

It is such good advice. We've even done here at the company some gratitude circles. I'm sure you guys have all done that. And I mean, two people in, there's tears everywhere, we're hugging, but there's these beautiful heartfelt moments and we're often so rushed, so frenetic in our to-do list that we're not being, we're just doing. And I think gratitude is the antidote. No question about it. Jesse, I have several questions for you. We'll shift in a minute to performance and keynoting and all that. But I just want to give you an opportunity. Are there any tactical tools that you'd recommend that we can do, those of us listening, to, again, get deeper in our present state and be more connected to who we truly are?

Jesse Israel:

Yeah, the main one that comes to mind, and I see this as the thing that consistently is most challenging for people is building a healthy relationship with our phones.

It's like we were given these things and not really taught how to use them and as a result, it's very easy to have unhealthy habits. So the one that I have found has helped me tremendously, and it helps a lot of the leaders that I've worked with, is understanding that when we wake up in the morning, our brains have just been really active when we're sleeping. Our neurotransmitters are being rebalanced from the previous day and our brain is preparing itself to provide us with insights upon wakening.

But what most of us do within seconds of waking up is, in bed, check the phone, all the notifications spill in, and we're seeing everything from tragedies in the news to everything that's going on in work to that person that you haven't talked to since middle school just had a new kid and gender reveal party. It's like there's so much that happens instantly upon waking up and we miss out on these insights that our brain's just so ripe to provide us with.

So the simple one that I like to recommend is to not check the phone for the first 30 minutes of the day. And the way that I find that that's actually realistically doable is if we charge our phones in our bathrooms or just anywhere that's not the bedroom and just buy a simple analog alarm clock on Amazon. Like this simple three piece step, charge outside of the bedroom, don't check the phone in the morning, use an analog alarm clock, it changes the day for people.

Josh Linkner:

I love it because it's tactical, something we can actually do, and I know that we'll all enjoy benefit. I'm going to do that for sure.

So Jesse, staying with you. We do this work, I know all four of us, not only for ourselves, although we're learning as we're teaching, of course, but also to create real impact in other people's lives. I was on a call earlier with a client, a multi-time client, and they're sharing with me some little technique that I shared with them years ago, I'm coming back now again as a repeat speaker, they use that phrase all the time. It's a fun thing I call the judo flip, where you're taking conventional wisdom and flipping it upside down, and they say, "Josh, I can't even tell you how many times people are judo flipping stuff or talking about judo flips." And this is like a multi-billion dollar defense contractor. So that made me feel really, really happy. Not for any adulation way, but just knowing that I made a difference.

Jesse, you've spoken all over the world, taken the stage with Oprah, shared with millions of people these principles and deep wisdom and insight. What are some of the things that you've heard back? How has that feedback loop come back to you and what have you heard? Perhaps you bump into someone in an airport years later and they say, "Jesse, this thing you said really made a difference." I'd be curious to hear what some of that feedback has been for you.

Jesse Israel:

Yeah. Yeah. I'm guessing it's probably similar to a lot of stuff that Light's heard as well.

One of the things that drew, probably the main thing that drew me to meditation specifically, and by the way, in all my keynotes, I guide a mass meditation or there's some type of guided interactive practice that happens when people close their eyes. But what drew me to meditation really was for stress relief. There's all types of beautiful benefits, but the style of meditation that Light and I both teach specifically is a systematic process for helping relieve the body of stress that's accumulated in the system over time.

So what I hear from people that have been practicing meditation regularly oftentimes is they're able to start to feel like themselves again because with stress starting to soothe, they're able to come back to that person that they've always been but maybe has felt covered up and blocked around. And when people are able to reconnect with the truth of who they are, they're happier, they're more joyful, they're more creative. So I love when someone will say something to me like, "Wow, I haven't felt like this since I was in elementary school. The kid in me is back alive." Those types of moments of just returning to our truth, it's a really cool thing to hear from people.

Josh Linkner:

And so speaking of impact and the downstream impact of your work, and, Light, I want to put you on the spot a little bit because you're here with Jesse, good friend, and he shared a lot of credit that you really helped him get started. Of course, he's done his own work and your not taking credit in any way, but it's still got to feel great that someone that you helped connect with this wisdom is now in turn making such an impact in other people's lives. What has it meant to you, Light, to see our buddy Jesse to do such important work in reaching so many people, knowing that you were sort of upstream in that whole process. Maybe you could reflect on what Jesse's incredible impact and success has meant to you personally.

Light Watkins:

Yeah, that's a good question. I've worked with thousands of people, and I remember the day still that I met Jesse on the Upper East Side in New York City. And you never know who anyone's backstory is or what anyone's backstory is, how they got there, why they're there, what they're going to do once they learn. You just know that when you run into them later, if they've been consistent in their practices, they're going to report something pretty amazing. And so Jesse started referring a lot of his friends to come and study with me. And so as a result, he would come back and he and I sort of formed this bond that I didn't have with a lot of the other people that I work with. And it ended up turning into this collegiate bond, which was really beautiful to witness, and then to see him go and do all the things that he's been doing and blossom in that way as a speaker and a leader.

Here's the other thing, if you're not authentic, if you don't embody this stuff, people can tell right away. And so Jesse, in order to be on the stages that he's been on, he's had to really do the work. And he gave me credit, but he was doing some meditation before we met, actually, in the same way that I was doing meditation before I met the guy that really taught me how to develop a stronger relationship to the practice. So he would've found it anyway even if he hadn't come across me because that's the kind of person he is.

But it's been wonderful to watch. It's been wonderful to watch everything, to see him on stage with Oprah, to see The Big Quiet. I came to the first Big Quiet in Central Park and was amazed by, I don't know if it's like 500 or 700 people were there. And yeah, there's so few people who are having the kind of impact that we are having on this call that it's wonderful because it means that if one of us is doing something incredible, then that's going to create more pathways for more people to do this. And this is what the world needs more of, is the inside out approach to happiness as opposed to trying to find happiness on the other side of achievements.

Josh Linkner:

There are so few things in life as intrinsically rewarding as making a positive impact on someone else's life. And Jesse, when you're doing that to auditoriums, or Light making an impact on one person, or anywhere in between, what an incredible, that's the juice. I mean, there's no monetary thing that makes you feel like that, I'll just say. And speaking of feeling like that, Jessica, you were chatting with me earlier saying that you just finished this big, your energy is always really pumped up, but you're especially energetic and glowing at the moment because you just finished, I don't know if it's a retreat is the right term, but a practice, a workshop, with a big corporate audience and making incredible connections. Maybe describe what that feels like when you walk off the stage and all this energy is buzzing. How does that make you feel?

Jessica Encell:

Oh my goodness. That was actually just an hour before our podcast together started. I was on a virtual all company experience, leading a connection experience virtually. And the Head of People, he had experienced my work, and so he wanted to bring me in, but the CEO, he was texting me before, "She's very nervous. The values are love and joy, but she's still nervous about actually implementing those." And so I was definitely hearing that before the call. And he just texted me afterwards, that's why I was feeling 11 out of 10, because he texted me, he said, "CEO just texted me all caps, 'That was extraordinary. The way Jessica broke through Zoom to get to that level of intimacy in a group of 400 was incredible. I've never experienced anything in a digital environment the way that I just did.'"

So that to me is my favorite thing because so many people have the values of love, joy, connection, belonging, in their communities or in their companies, but sometimes people can be nervous about actually implementing that and bringing that in. So getting to make a CEO or make whoever is hiring me feel comfortable, feel confident, feel like their team was in good hands, and then of course to make the team, like everyone was texting the chat, "I forgot to bring tissues," or, "This is the best part of my week." Or just to make people feel good from the participants to the CEO who's trusting me with their team, it just puts me on a cloud. It's my favorite thing.

Josh Linkner:

It's so great and congratulations on obviously an incredible event, and I know it's got to just give you incredible energy to keep doing the work and keep moving forward. On this podcast, we often talk about how people could grow their businesses, and that's important too. Nothing wrong with that, and we have to get on those stages in the first place, and yes, yes, yes. But I really wanted to focus today on this type of reward, this non-monetary reward that we're all deriving, and there's no three people that are doing it better.

So, Light, when you think about that audience of keynote speakers, and I'm going to actually ask this question to each of you. When you think about your own body of work for a second, what's an item or an insight from your body of work that you think speakers, professional speakers, really need to learn? So as an example, I speak about creativity and so I might extract a lesson on how speakers could be more creative. But for each of you, and I'll start with you, Light, within the context of your body of work, what's a message that you think keynote speakers really need to learn and embrace?

Light Watkins:

I would say the pregame warmup for going on stage. Just to, again, be as present as you can be because sometimes things don't go the way that you want them to go and you have to sort of read the room and you have to be in the moment and sometimes you have to improvise. I know we've all had moments where the PowerPoint didn't work or the mic was on and off or something happened and that could be your finest hour if you are present to whatever it is that's happening and whatever it is that the need of that moment happens to be.

So sitting for a moment and just doing a little bit of breath work maybe for three or three or four minutes. Again, doing the gratitude thing. And then that allows you to not treat this engagement like it's just another engagement. This actually, this could be the one. It's like what Michael Jordan said. You say, "I went out and played every night as if someone was looking at me for the very first time and you never knew who was going to be in that crowd. And so I want to give them the best performance ever." And just taking a moment to get centered in the very beginning will increase the chances of you being in that space more so than just kind of drinking coffee and walking out on stage and treating it like you would treat any other occasion. There are no throwaway moments and there are also no throwaway gigs and engagements. And so we want to treat each one as though it's the first and the last one we'll ever do.

Josh Linkner:

Terrific wisdom. Love it. Jesse, over to you. What's something from your body of work that would be important and helpful to professional speakers?

Jesse Israel:

I'd say it's really easy as a speaker, I'll speak for myself. I've found that throughout my speaking journey, to this day, before talks I'll find myself getting caught up in wanting people to like me on stage. I'll want people to think that I'm insightful or that I'm smart or that I've got a good vibe when I'm up there. I mean, it's very natural, I think, for us to want to be liked. But I noticed that sometimes I can have a lot more of my focus be placed on how I'm being perceived than the actual reason for why I'm speaking, which is to make an impact.

So to answer your question, Josh, for me it's like how do we really root ourselves before we go on stage? How do we really root ourselves in service? And of course, we want to come off as good. Of course, we want people to be happy. Of course, we want those texts that Jessica just read. That's the best. But ultimately what I find is that when speakers, and myself included, when we're able to shift from how will I be perceived to a place of someone in this room is going to get value out of my message, so I'm going to get there and I'm going to deliver it knowing that if just one person gets value out of what I have to say, then this was all worth it. There's just this shift in power and the nerves cool off and it's just like let's go mode. So how can we really root ourselves in service before we go up on stage?

Josh Linkner:

Isn't it funny too that if you're focused on how people are going to perceive me and like me, they probably won't. And meanwhile, if you're focused on helping people and being generous and having service mindset, because of that focus they'll probably love you 100 times more. It's sort of ironic that the one thing that you're craving, if you let go of the thing you're craving, you end up getting more of it by being in service of others and through generosity. It's just one of those ironies of the universe, I guess. Jessica, what's on your mind?

Jessica Encell:

Oh my goodness. Okay. Two things come to mind with this question off the top. All right, the first is advice for keynote speakers and the second is advice for anyone just wanting to create a transformational experience. And sometimes those will overlap, or probably a lot.

But for keynote speakers, the advice I have is to incorporate something experiential. That is my passion so everything I lead is experiential from the first minute to the last minute. But there's this great quote, which is, "With an abundance of information comes a scarcity of attention." And so similarly, I feel like with an abundance of information comes a scarcity of experience. And so people really need and are craving experiences because there is so much good information that we all have access to just right at our fingertips. So my advice for speakers is to make your presentation more next level is find a way to take the values and the topics that you're passionate about and incorporate something experiential so the audience is not just listening but feeling or participating in what you're talking about. So that's my thought for keynote speakers.

And then my advice for anyone who just wants to create a transformational experience is that people often think that you need to push people out of their comfort zone to create transformation. And that's how you create a really powerful experience is you got to push someone out of their comfort zone. And my whole philosophy is that one of the most powerful things you can do is actually create a comfort zone for people to be in. So that would be my big advice for anyone who's creating experiences. Don't feel like you need to push people. That's some people's style, it can be really effective. But it can also be totally transformational, like Jesse was talking about to, Jesse and Light, were talking about cultivating that space inside where you're not judging yourself and where you feel peace and so to be able to feel that with the people around you is so transformational. So those are my two tips.

Josh Linkner:

So good. All around the lap here was amazing. One thing I'll just build on, Jessica. I've always said that a thought leader, a true thought leader, isn't somebody that confirms existing knowledge or biases. It's someone who helps us think things differently. And when you said, "Everyone's starting to go outside your comfort zone, but the truth is maybe you should stay inside your comfort zone." I love that because you're helping us see things in a different way. And you're right. I mean I study creativity and creativity and fear cannot coexist. So without psychological safety, you're not going to be creative. So this whole go outside your comfort zone, if you're really uncomfortable, you're actually going to do worse output, worse creativity, not better. So I just appreciate you pushing us to reframe that and think of it differently.

Jessica Encell:

Thank you.

Josh Linkner:

I just love this conversation with three just beautiful souls that are so focused on helping the world and humanity and each other. I feel like I'm buzzing a little bit. And I wanted to end our conversation today with a little bit of a fun thing. So Light and I were talking and he was telling me that he changed his first name to Light. It was a very funny story behind it and I just love the whole story. And he sort of got me thinking that's kind of a fun thing to ask your friends, like, "If you could change your first name, what would it be?"

And so I've been thinking about that and I've been waiting for this moment to do this with the four of us because I'm going to play along too. So my question would be, "If you're going to rename yourself, what would that one word be?" And, Light, I'm going to ask you to play along, so you have to choose a second word because you've already chosen Light, so we know that light is the word, but you're going to just for fun. And you don't have to go into a long explanation, but I'd just love to know what's that one word that you would really identify with that moves your heart and why?

So I'll start just to give you a moment to think. Mine is jazz and it's jazz because I've studied jazz music for a long time, I'm very passionate and it's authentic to me. But the thing I love about jazz is that you make it up as you go and it's dangerous and you're course correcting and taking risks and it's messy and you're creating real time art. Talk about being present, you have to be present in order to bring this art to life. And I love that it's never the same and it's this moving continuous thing and you're sort of plugging your soul into your instrument and going. And so my word I'm going to choose, I probably won't change it on my driver's license, is jazz.

Jessica Encell:

I have to say Jazz Linkner just kind of rolls off the tongue.

Jesse Israel:

Yes, it does. Perfect.

Josh Linkner:

I like that. I may have to take this more seriously. That's a good one, Jessica. So since you have the mic, what word would you go with?

Jessica Encell:

Oh my goodness. I have always thought about this, if I would change my name, what it would be. I haven't come up with anything, but I will say that my Burning Man name is All In because I want to be all in on whatever I'm doing. So that's the one I have now, but I'm going to have to report back. I mean, maybe it's all in love because if it was not all in, it would probably be love. So, all in love, I'll go with that.

Light Watkins:

That's perfect.

Josh Linkner:

All in love. Jesse, what about you?

Jesse Israel:

When I was in ninth grade and it was a school photo day, like yearbook photo and school ID photo day, I showed up and I wore a hoodie. And I had the hoodie over my head and I had this big Wu-Tang piece of bling hanging out and I was really just kind of comfortable being myself. And when the person who didn't work at the school asked for my name to print it on the ID card with the photo, I told them that my actual full name wasn't Jesse. It was actually Jess-man, J-E-S-S-M-A-N. I said it kind of quickly so they couldn't fully understand. But when they printed out the ID, my name was Jess-Man Israel. And that's what a lot of people called me when I was a younger guy. Jess-Man.

And I look back at that ID and I found it recently and I see myself then I was like that was a time in my life where I just felt so uninhibited, just so expressive and free in me at that stage. And so there's that part of Jess-Man that it's there still inside of me, and I'd love to bring more of that Jess-Man out. So I'm going to go Jess-Man Israel.

Josh Linkner:

Love it. All right, Light, bring us home.

Light Watkins:

I'm just smiling because you got to be careful when you have these conversations. It could actually end up in you being called Jazz Linker in three months. That's what happened to me, man.

If I was going to change my name again, I would probably choose the word gratitude. Just because you lock in that state of gratitude and you can't be like an asshole called Gratitude. "Who said that mean thing to you?" "Gratitude." No, you can't do that. So you always are reminded of what's most important, which is just being grateful for whatever you're experiencing in this moment. So I would go gratitude.

Josh Linkner:

Well, a perfect way to bring our conversation home. I'm feeling a lot of gratitude. I thought the conversation was inspiring, heartfelt, and really impactful for us all. So All In Love, Jess-Man and Gratitude, J-Jazz Linkner sends incredible gratitude your way, wishing you all continued success, and thank you so much for your contribution here today on Mic Drop.

Light Watkins:

Thank you.

Jesse Israel:

Thanks Josh. Thanks everybody.

Jessica Encell:

Thank you. It's awesome.

Josh Linkner:

It's really been a privilege to share today's podcast with these three remarkable humans. If you follow the show, you know how much I love to nerd out on the nitty-gritty details of being a successful keynote speaker. The strategy, the tactics, the trends, I love it all, but today was a breath of fresh air that helped me refocus my attention on what it's really all about, the human beings that we reach and connect with on those stages every day.

It's hard to pinpoint just a few takeaways, but here's what stood out to me the most.

Number one, the fact that we never receive any formal training on relationships with the people around us, even though they're the foundation for everything in our lives. Makes me think how much room there is to elevate those relationships with a little intentionality. Number two, when you can be proud of the work you do, you create the best work you're capable of creating. Number three, how being deeply grounded and present is not only required, it's the gift that our audiences crave and our obligation to live into our fullest potential as professional keynote speakers. Number four, and finally, how gratitude is more than just a nice personality trait. It's a transformational skill that can propel us to greatness throughout our careers and our personal lives.

This was definitely one of those before and after conversations that makes you want to make some major life changes for the better. A huge thank you to Jesse, Light and Jessica for joining me today on Mic Drop and an equal thank you to you for listening to this week's heart-centered episode of the show.

Thanks so much for joining me on another episode of Mic Drop.

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I'm your host, Josh Linkner. Thanks so much for listening and here's to your next mic drop moment.