Mic Drop

Making the Impossible Possible (ft. Ben Nemtin)

Episode Summary

Ben Nemtin has made a career out of helping other people achieve their dreams. From a DIY television show about doing the impossible to a stellar keynote speaking career, Ben embodies everything it means to turn one’s passion into success by every metric. You don’t want to miss this conversation on Mic Drop.

Episode Notes

Making the Impossible Possible (ft. Ben Nemtin)

One man’s dream to help others achieve theirs

OPENING QUOTE:

“It was national news, then it was international news, and then people also started sending us their dreams, asking for our help. And so we just kept doing it because the energy was there. And that's why this project turned into, really, a lifestyle. And I realized that a list is really a reminder of the things that are truly important to you that tend to get buried by the day-to-day.”

-Ben Nemtin

GUEST BIO:

Ben Nemtin rose to fame when he and three buddies from school made a list of 100 impossible things they wanted to do before they died. Then they jumped into a van together and set out to make them happen. The catch? For every one dream they accomplished, they had to help someone else achieve a dream of their own.

The foursome filmed the whole thing, which became a hit TV show on MTV and helped launch Ben's remarkable speaking career. This last year, Ben delivered over 150 paid keynotes and is one of the most in-demand speakers on the planet. He helps audiences make the impossible possible while covering topics like mental health, burnout, and regret in a deeply personal and authentic way.

Links:

CORE TOPICS + DETAILS:

[10:04] - From Desire to Belief to Action

Going from wanting something to making it reality

How do you play basketball with the President? First, you have to decide to do it. Then you have to never take no for an answer. Next, and this is the important part, you have to continue refusing to take no for an answer.

That’s what Ben learned— that achieving your dreams happens only when you mix a desire with the belief that it’s possible and the continual, never-ending drive to take action and make it happen.

[14:47] - Building the Speaking Muscle

Dispelling the talent myth

“Every speaker that you see started where you are now.” With that simple message, Ben nails what makes speaking so magical— the fact that it’s not magic at all. If you’re willing to put in the reps, put in the hours, and keep striving to become better, anyone can truly become a transformative speaker. There’s no secret talent, no genetic code for speaking prowess. It’s just practice, practice, and more practice.

[20:45] - Growing During the Pandemic

How Ben turned the normal COVID story on its head

When your circumstances become worse, how do you respond?

Ben responded to the worst possible circumstances by making himself the best he could be. “When COVID hit, I had to really look at, ‘How do I make my keynote 20% to 30% better? Because I feel as though it’s going to be less impact virtually, just by nature of the virtual environment.”

That ownership over difficult circumstances is rare, and powerful. Sometimes you can lighten your load. But when you can’t, you can always make yourself stronger to bear the weight.

[36:03] - The Ultimate Regret

How to avoid feelings of missed opportunities at the end

76% of people on their deathbed regret having lived their life for someone other than themselves. “I lived the life I thought I should live, not a life for me.”

How do you avoid that regret? By following the three steps we started with. Find your desire, truly believe it’s possible, and then set about making it a reality every day with everything you do.

RESOURCES:

[7:38] The Buried Life, by Matthew Arnold
[33:20] The Buried Life Website

Follow Ben Nemtin:

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

Ben Nemtin:

It was national news, then it was international news, and then people also started sending us their dreams, asking for our help. And so we just kept doing it because the energy was there. And that's why this project turned into really a lifestyle. And I realized that a list is really a reminder of the things that are truly important to you that tend to get buried by the day to day.

Josh:

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. I'm your host, Josh Linkner. Get ready for some inspiring mic drop moments together.

Today's show is sponsored by ImpactEleven, formerly known as Three Ring Circus, the best and most diverse and inclusive community built for training and developing professional speakers. They're not just elevating an industry we know and love. They work with hundreds of speakers to launch and scale their speaking businesses, earning tens of millions in speaking fees, landing bureau representation, securing book deals, and rising to the top of the field. To learn more and schedule a free intro call, visit impacteleven.com. That's impact E-L-E-V-E-N.com.

Today on Mic Drop, I sit down with the one and only Ben Nemtin. Ben rose to fame when he and three buddies from school made a list of 100 bonkers level impossible things they wanted to do before they died. Next, they jump into a van together and set out to make them happen. And here's the catch. For every one they accomplished, they had to help someone else achieve a dream of their own. The foursome filmed the whole thing, which became a hit TV show on MTV and helped launch Ben's remarkable speaking career. This last year, Ben delivered over 150 paid keynotes and is one of the most in-demand speakers on the planet. He helps audiences make the impossible possible while covering topics like mental health, burnout and regret in a deeply personal and authentic fashion. He's one of my favorite speakers and favorite humans.

In today's conversation, we cover how to shift from wanting something to believing it's possible, to setting a path to achievement, how speaking is a muscle that you can build over time, and how to build more muscle mass more quickly, Ben's perspective on virtual and the adjustments that he made to help his business grow rather than shrink during the COVID pandemic, how Ben skyrocketed to the top of the speaking game in just five years, and the single biggest regret that we humans have at the end of our lives and how to avoid it. I just know you're going to love today's episode as we all work together to make the impossible possible. Ben Nemtin, welcome to Mic Drop.

Ben Nemtin:

Thank you, Joshua. I've never called you Joshua. I like that.

Josh:

It's got a nice ring to it. I'm feeling very proper. But speaking of proper, you my friend are a proper thought leader and influencer and just all around great human being. I know everyone's going to be really excited to hear about your process, how you went from humble beginnings in Canada to become the rockstar that you are today. Could you take us back to that? I've heard you tell your story, which of course is so moving, but what were those early days like and how did you eventually find your way onto the speaking stage?

Ben Nemtin:

Well, I would say it's a probably pretty untraditional route to speaking. And I mean, really because it started from a pretty dark place where I put so much pressure on myself to succeed when I was younger, and ultimately, I was striving for this life that I thought was success, but in hindsight, now, I realize wasn't a version of success that actually made me happy. But at the time, I just didn't know. I was in college and I just thought, this is what you did. You worked really hard to get to a good university, and I had an academic scholarship. You work really hard to succeed in athletics because rugby was really big where I grew up. And so I worked hard to get on the U19 National Rugby Team, but I put a lot of pressure on myself to succeed, and all of this pressure ultimately ended up causing me to slide into a depression where I dropped out of school, I got dropped from the national rugby team. I really was like shut into my parents' house, unable to really leave the house. And so I was really crippled by this.

But the upside of going through that experience was I realized that I needed to surround myself with people that were inspiring and were going to lift me a little bit out of this state that I was in. And so I consciously tried to reach out to friends that gave me energy, and one of those kids was a filmmaker. And secretly, deep down, I had always wanted to make a movie. And so I called him out of the blue, his name's Johnny, and I said, "Johnny, I want to make a movie. You make movies." And we got two other buddies. And we started this film project about a list of things to do before you die. And we also decided that we were going to try and help other people do things on their list of things to do before they die.

So we sat out on a road trip to tackle our bucket list, we sat out on a road trip to help other people, and this was back in 2006. And we only thought it was going to be a two week road trip, and we would make a short film and show our friends. And that two week road trip ended up lasting almost 15 years. I guess I'm still technically doing the road trip. And the list items that I thought were never going to happen, they were just pipe dreams, I mean, we literally wrote them down as a joke, play basketball with Obama, make a TV show, sit with Oprah, over time, slowly they all happened. And the things that I thought helping other people, which were not necessarily things on my bucket list to begin with, I've realized now even meant more than the times when we did the big ticket list items. And so it was this really great mix of living our dream, but then helping other people with their dream. But along the way, learning what I wanted.

And I realized that by writing my list, it was the first time that I had actually declared what I wanted. And by writing it down, it was liberating. And then by sharing it and talking about it, I was surprised how people stepped up to help because as soon as we started to travel on this two week road trip, the reason why it lasted 10 plus years is because strangers stepped up out of nowhere to help us. And people were contacting us from all over the world saying, "I can help you guys ride a bull. I can help you guys get up on a hot air balloon. You want to make a toast at a stranger's wedding, my best friend's getting married, I can get you in." So this support came out of nowhere. It was national news, then it was international news, and then people also started sending us their dreams, asking for our help. And so we just kept doing it because the energy was there. And that's why this project turned into really a lifestyle.

And I realized that a list is really a reminder of the things that are truly important to you that tend to get buried by the day to day. And this whole project was inspired by a poem written about 175 years ago called The Buried Life, that my buddy Johnny was assigned to in English class. And this poet wrote about the same feeling that we were feeling, but he wrote it 175 years ago. In the poem he articulates that we have things that we want to do, but the day to day buries them. And we have moments when we're inspired to go after those things, but we push them because we don't feel as though they're urgent. We have so much time and they get buried and we forget about them. And those are the regrets ultimately that we usually have. So this little two week road trip ended up teaching me a lot about life, a lot about leadership, and a lot about how I can stay true to myself so I can make my biggest impact.

And that brought me unexpectedly to the stage, where at one point someone asked me to do a TEDx talk. I was terrified to do so. I very nearly just said, "No," because I was so scared to do it. But in 2015, I decided to do it. And from there, two years later, someone from the Minnesota Hospital Association, a saint of a woman named Peggy Westby, who if anyone has spoken on the hospital association circuit back in the day, they would know Peggy because she worked there for 30 plus years, she saw my TEDx talk, called Richard [inaudible 00:09:11] executive speakers and asked if she could find me. And so I got a call from Richard in 2018 or so to do a talk at the Minnesota Hospital Association, and it was only going to be one talk, but after that talk, Peggy told her friends at the other hospital associations and all of a sudden I was a speaker. So that brought me to the stage.

Josh:

It's an incredible story and I want to dig in, of course, on your speaking business, but getting back to the notion, so you make a list of the 100 things you want to do before you die. Some of them are wildly farfetched and you had the courage to go after them. And then this notion of coupling that with for every one you accomplish, helping somebody else is just a really just cool and beautiful, creative project. I'm sure you get asked this all the time, but I'm sure our folks would want to know, is there a favorite thing that you accomplished? And part two, is there a favorite thing you helped somebody else accomplish?

Ben Nemtin:

The one that stands out, I could answer that in many different ways.

Ben Nemtin:

The one that stands out, I could answer that in many different ways, but I think the one that stands out is playing basketball with President Obama, just because it was the most impossible thing that we could think of doing at the time as four Canadians living on an island off of Vancouver in their 20s with no connections to really anyone in the US, let alone anyone in Washington, let alone anyone in the White House. This was just a preposterous idea. And I remember actually when Johnny called me to suggest this as a list item when President Obama got elected, I laughed and I said, "This is the most impossible thing we could think of." And his response was, "Yeah, but how amazing would it be" And so, to that, I couldn't argue. And so we put it on the list.

And we probably got, no exaggeration, over a hundred nos. I mean we had no idea how we were going to make this happen. We just drove to DC and started asking people on the street if they knew someone connected to the White House. We sent letters, we left messages, we would meet with lower level officials and convince them to convince their boss to meet with us. We got all the way up to the Secretary of Transportation. He put in a call to the White House. We got an official, no. We would go to the YMCA because we heard that politicians worked out there. We make the Secretary of Treasury there. We found out that we need to get ahold of Reggie Love, who was the personal aid to the president who set up these basketball games.

So it was just a series of nos until finally, I think the White House felt so bad for us, because we would not give up. And they sort of as a consolation prize, were like, "Okay, you guys can come for a tour of the White House and we'll maybe show you the basketball courts." And so we showed up at the White House, we got the tour, we're on the basketball courts shooting around, and all of the sudden the president surprises us on the White House basketball courts. And he stays with us for about 15 minutes, he shoots around. There's a photographer there from the White House that's taking photos. And immediately you forget he's the president because he's the coolest man in the world, and he's also a good basketball player. And so we had an absolute blast with him.

And the reason I mentioned that was really because that was the moment that we realized that anything was possible because we had just done something that we actually didn't think would ever happen. So we had proved to ourself that this was possible, and I think sometimes you don't know what's possible until you're actually doing it. And so we had experienced this, and that changed my DNA. It sort of changed my belief system, whereas moving forward when I face a challenge I don't think, "Can I do this?" I think, "Do I want to do this? Does this align with my values? Does this align with my true self?"

And I think everyone has the ability to prove to themselves that these things that they truly want are possible. But you have to do it, no one's going to prove it to you. No one's going to tell you enough times that you can do it, that you're going to believe it. I think you have to actually take action and show yourself that the proof is in the pudding. And I mean, I think you can speak to this, where everything that you've achieved, you probably didn't believe that you could actually do it when you started. You didn't even know how you were going to do it. If I would've asked younger Joshua, 30 years ago, how are you going to do this? What are your goals? Do you think you're going to do... There's no way that you would've been able to explain how and if you're going to achieve those things, but here you are. And I think that sometimes we are the biggest barriers to our own success just by not taking that first step. So I don't know if you've experienced that or seen that?

Josh:

Yeah, and I just love that comment, just to reiterate, that you went from, can I do this to, do want to do this? With the unspoken part of that is this inherent belief that you can do it. And that really is a good transition to your topic on the stage, making the impossible possible, which is something that is such a universal appeal, it applies to kids who are trying to make a point from Canada, shooting hoop with Obama and singing the national anthem. But it applies to us all, we crave something that might feel impossible at times. And you provide people both the courage, and not just courage, I suppose, but a real realistic path to make those impossible things happen.

With that as a backdrop, Ben, what do you say to the emerging speaker? There's a lot of people listening right now saying, "I would love to speak on stages. I'd love to be able to make a difference in people's lives. I'd like to make a career of this. But boy, it seems so hard, becoming the next Ben Nemtin seems out of reach." What advice do you give to them with the guise of making the impossible possible?

Ben Nemtin:

Well, I think the first is just to understand that everyone you see, let's just look at speaking, every speaker that you see for the most part started where you are right now. So unless you are a big celebrity speaker and someone's booking you because you are a high level a-list celebrity, which definitely happens a lot. The rest of us, we actually have to just build our speaking career brick by brick. And the good news is, is that, I mean, you talk about this in ImpactEleven all the time, there is a pretty clear roadmap to becoming a speaker, but it takes a hell of a lot of work. And the way that I saw it when I first started, and I was lucky to connect with you, Josh, early on, was I sort looked at what I was doing early in my speaking career, I was almost on a scavenger hunt and I was collecting the assets that I needed to build the foundation of my career. And so what were those assets or what were those treasures that I was trying to collect?

Well one, I was trying to collect good footage. So I was out there just volunteering to get on any good stage just so I could have the video of that stage so I could start to build a reel, because the speaker reel is by far the most important piece in your sales arsenal. If you can focus on anything, focus on this the speaker reel first. Because if you put yourself in the decision maker's shoes, which is the meaning planner, they really don't want to make a mistake and book a speaker that is going to make them look bad. They would rather book a speaker that they know is good than sometimes take a risk in booking someone that could actually just ruin the whole event, which makes total sense. So you really need to make them feel comfortable in your ability as a speaker if they haven't heard of you and the best way to do that is through the speaker reel.

And so you're collecting video of any stage that feels high production value, that feels like there's a large audience, and you probably want to at least get three to five of those keynotes or of those stages to build the reel. The other thing that you're collecting are testimonials from other engagements that you've spoken at, so you can put those on your website. And logos from companies that you've spoken at as well so that you can show that you have the credibility, you've spoken to different companies. And you can go back to companies that you've spoken to and ask them if they'd be all right, if you've spoken to them before, to profile them on your website or in your reel.

And so you're sort of collecting this cache to elevate your thought leadership to a point where someone feels comfortable bringing you in. It shows your speaker style, it shows what you talk about. And so I was just collecting that stuff in the beginning and practicing the craft of speaking. And speaking I look at is really like a muscle that you build over time. And that's the great thing about speaking is you really just get better at the more you do it because you feel more comfortable on stage, and that means that you actually get to be more yourself on stage. And I think that's the goal with speaking, is to get to the place where your true expression and who you truly are comes out authentically on stage just like it would if you were talking to someone off stage.

And that really takes time. And so you're working that muscle, so get in front of people and audiences so that you get comfortable being uncomfortable. If you ever feel like it's embarrassing or you ever feel nervous, that's a good thing because you're actually, you're growing and that discomfort equals growth. So in the beginning, that's what I would say is get on the stages, collect the footage, collect the logos, collect the testimonials, and just get out there to practice working that muscle of speaking.

Josh:

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 ImpactEleven can help. From optimizing your marketing and business efforts to crafting your ideal positioning, to perfecting your expertise and stage skills, ImpactEleven 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, Premiere Speakers, SpeakInc, Executive Speakers, Harry Walker Agency, Keppler, Gotham Artists and GDA all endorses and participate in ImpactEleven. From interactive boot camps to one-on-one coaching, if you are looking to take your speaking career to the next level, they'll help you make a bigger impact faster. For a free 30 minute consultation, visit impacteleven.com/micdrop.

Yeah, it's really good advice. And when I studied music, as you know, I've been playing jazz for over 40 years. You first start out...

Josh:

... music. As you know, I've been playing jazz for over 40 years. You first start out with imitation. You learn to sound like one band, sound like a different band. And over time, through the practice, then you discover your own voice. And that's what I'm hearing you saying, too, that through repetition, through the study of the craft, your own voice ultimately emerges, and that's when you see this rocket ship acceleration in your practice. And that's what I wanted to drill in with you next a little bit. So when you and I connected, maybe 2017 or so, you were just getting started. I'm sure you'd done a few keynotes, but then you've had this meteoric rise. I mean, one of the fastest that I've seen in the industry. To the extent you're comfortable, tell us a little bit what 2022 looked like for Ben Nemtin out there in the speaking business.

Ben Nemtin:

Yeah. Thanks for saying that. I think that, well, 2022 was the biggest year for me by far. Probably double my biggest year prior to that. So I had about 150 keynotes, and most of those were in person. Probably won't do that many keynotes again, but it was a combination of being very excited to get back into in-person venues, and in front of people in person, and also, some engagements that had been pushed from the COVID times. So it was a big year, but also I launched a new book called The Bucket List Journal, which really is, it's just been a great tool to extend the impact of the keynote. So I'm really excited to incorporate it into the keynotes and have it for people as a takeaway, so they can continue the momentum that they feel during the keynote.

So those are, I think it's definitely been the biggest year, and it's been something that I'm feeling really good about next year. And I think that if you're sort of ... I'm trying to think about what has contributed to that. I think one thing is, the cool thing about speaking is, it really is word of mouth. As you know, the most important thing is your impact that you make in the room. And so if you are impacting people in the audience, then they're probably going to talk about it to their colleagues, their meeting planner, or if they're planning an event, they're going to remember you and bring you in.

And so if you really look at that as, this is their 60 minutes, and how are you going to continually make this 60 minutes better? And every time you speak, if there's maybe one little thing that you can take away, like, "Oh, I paused there, and that just gave a little bit of space for people to have more of a laugh." Or, "I tried to say this a little bit differently." Or, "The cadence was a little bit differently." And if you're consistently trying to tweak your product to make it a little bit better and iterate it each time, I think that's a good mindset to have. And that's what I've had over the past five years.

And I think what contributed to 2022 being so successful was, when COVID hit, I really had to look at, "How do I make my keynote 20% to 30% better? Because I feel as though it's going to be less impactful virtually, just by nature of the virtual environment. You don't see people, you can't read them, therefore you lose that intimacy." So I worked really hard to cater my keynote to the client even more. So I created a pre-event questionnaire that I send out, which just allows me to get deeper into the pre-event, the prep call, and harvest this information that then I can incorporate into my keynote that makes it very bespoke. And I think that that has been ... What I hear a lot is that, "Wow, this really felt like it was just for us." And I think that's important as a speaker, to just not rinse and repeat your keynote.

Josh:

No question about it. What do you think about your message is really resonating? I mean, you speak about a number of things. You talk about obviously the headline of making the impossible possible, but there's all these sub-line plots there. There's your own struggles with mental health, which is a very generous and vulnerable thing to share, and I think you've provided, I know, countless people a lot of hope and a path forward. I have some mental health challenges in my family, so I know that and really appreciate your honesty with that. But I know that you also talk about courage, and there's some laughable moments. What do you think it is that's just, in the last year or two, has just really connected with audiences? Because if I were to chart your speaking business, you were on a great trajectory, and then there was this inflection point, and you went, skyrocketed. What do you think drove that?

Ben Nemtin:

I think one is COVID. For one, a lot of people are struggling, unfortunately. And the good news is, is that people are talking about it more. And what I mean by that is, corporations, companies are starting to talk about it more.

I remember talking with you back in 2017 about a mental health talk, and it was something that wasn't really digestible from at the corporate level when it came to a daily conversation. Now, it's less stigmatized. More people are talking about mental health. And that is a really, really good thing, because it means that people are going to feel more comfortable sharing. There's also more resources for people out there at different organizations. So this is something that is a conversation that is so needed.

And the way that I approach it, I think, is different from perhaps other speakers, because the whole keynote is energizing. The whole keynote is motivational and aspirational. But I still share these deep, dark challenges, but I do it in a way that just ... I'm just trying to normalize the conversation. I'm just trying to say, "Look, human beings, we have ups and downs and that's okay. In fact, you know what? I wouldn't be doing what I was do what I'm doing right now if I hadn't gone through those challenges. And as I've been through any type of struggle, I've learned all of these things that allow me to be now the best version of myself. This whole process of the list and also the struggle is teaching me about who I am, and how I can support myself to be true to myself, and also to take care of myself."

And so just kind of releasing that pressure valve and just straight up saying, "Look, who you truly are right now is exactly who you need to be. And that means being who you truly are, and going after the things that you love, that you're passionate about, that mean something to you. That's my definition of a bucket list, but it's also being who you truly are, not hiding those things that you're struggling with." Because the struggles that I've found, I've learned all these habits. I've built empathy for other people. So it's actually, I realize that my depression and struggles has turned into my strength, because now I talk about it and I can help other people through my story. And I think nowadays, people just need to really know that it's okay to not be okay sometimes, and then I learn about the resources the company has, so that I can say, "Look, and you have free talk therapy," or, "You have this wellness stipend," or, "You have flexible work hours, so you can do these things that you love."

And I think the key is, we need to give people permission to pursue their personal passions by tying it to their performance, by tying it to their performance as a leader, by tying it to the organizational success of the company. Because you need to thrive as a full human being in order to do your job at the highest level. And when you do the things that you love, you have more energy, then you deploy that energy in any way that you wish. And so the whole idea of the keynote, it's pretty simple. It's like, energize people with the story. Tell them why this is important to them and their job and the organization. Quantify, "This is connected. There's no work-life balance. It's a work-life harmony." And so then people are like, "Oh, okay. Now I understand why. I can't take care of my team if I don't take care of myself." And now they're like, "Okay, this makes sense."

And then the last piece is, how do you actually achieve those goals? And that's where the five steps to make the impossible possible come from. They're all based on the research of goal achievement. It's also based on studies out of Cornell about not having regrets at the end of your life. And so I think when you, as an organization or as a leader, take an interest in the real human being, the full human, not just the professional, but support them to achieve their personal goals, shows that you care. But then ultimately, they're going to associate that success of the thing with you as a leader, and with the organization.

And you see this a lot with different companies, like Lululemon, they have a goal fund. They fund their employees' goals. Now, Lincoln Financial, who I've spoken to probably a dozen times, they have bucket list challenges, where they promote and report bucket list achievements through photos. And someone crosses them off their list, they share the story. Autodesk has a bucket list Slack channel that's still firing today, with people updating each other, keeping each other accountable. Deloitte has bucket list meetups in their ERGs.

And so the big idea here, the keynote is a catalyst for a cultural shift, where the leaders will take the energy, and you got to look at, why do we not achieve these personal passions? It's because there's no accountability. There's no deadlines. So we continually push them, but we have all these structures of accountability inside the workplace. We have leaders to keep us accountable. We have all of these. We have salary. We don't let people down. And so it's really easy to actually incorporate these same structures and fit in the personal. So just by asking, "What's important to you?" And then checking in on it down the line in an employee review-

Ben Nemtin:

... what's important to you, and then checking in on it down the line in an employee review, in a one-on-one. Taking a second to check on the personnel shows that you care about them. That's actually going to drive them forward. It's been really interesting to see how this impact has seeped into the organization and created a culture shift where then you see peer-to-peer facilitation of dreams. For instance, Lincoln Financial, they'll help each other achieve their goals. They do secret GoFundMes to help their team. One guy stood up at a Lincoln event and he said, "My dream is to help my sister talk. She's severely autistic and she hasn't been able to say, 'I love you' to me or my mom." The team, without him knowing, did a GoFundMe, raised some money, worked with a psychologist to create this program that over 12 months they used this technology and the psychologist to work with his sister over 12 months. I just found out that she said, "I love you," to her mom and to him, and now is verbal, in a small way.

So, that's the kind of thing that happens. I get all the time people come back to me, I see them a year, two years later, like, "You never guess what I just crossed off. I just took my parents to Ireland." Or, "I just climbed Kilimanjaro." Or, "I just learned meditation because I'd wanted to teach meditation to underprivileged youth." We all have these things that we want do and sometimes we just need permission to do them, and we need just to take that very first step. That starts to build momentum. I think that really creates a culture that attracts the best talent and also retains the best talent.

Josh:

Such a terrific sentiment. I can see why the success is there. Not only are you terrific on stage and have fun war stories, but the way you've infused the humanity with business is remarkable. Most of us can't span the range that you do, which is really, again, very impressive. You've helped a lot of people achieve things on their bucket list. A friend of ours said to me the other day, she goes, "I'm pursuing this thing in the theater. I'm creating a one-man play and one-woman play, and it's because Ben Nemtin inspired me to follow this dream I've always had." That's got to be just so rewarding for you. Not only are you crushing it economically out there, you really making an impact in people's businesses and lives. My last question before we say goodbye, my friend, is, what's still on your bucket list, speaking or otherwise?

Ben Nemtin:

One is, go to space, which is number 100 on the list, which I'm very, very close to locking in for the end of 2024. I have a cool announcement in the next little while. The other piece is... [inaudible 00:32:54] the other piece, the other list item... And by the way, these are both original list items from the first 100. So it crossed off 96 of a hundred of the original list items. But it's important to note that I've added hundreds more. The list evolves as I evolve. That's why I say you should write your list in a journal because you're going to update it over time. It's just a reflection of your true goals and desires, so it's going to change as you change.

The first hundred is ceremonial, but I do think that I'd like to try and finish it, especially make a movie. The Buried Life started as a documentary film. We thought it was going to take two weeks and we'd be done. And now, 15 years later, we have a trailer. But as of late, I've gotten reinspired to dig up... I've got all the old footage onto two big 15-terabyte drives. And Dave and I, one of the other guys, we started to go through it and we found all this footage that we didn't know existed from 2006, 2007. This footage, it's filmed on mini DV cam. It's like VHS from when we were kids. It's this old really cool footage. What's been great about my speaking journey is it's reinforced to me how powerful the story is. For me, I've lived it so I don't have that objective kind of response to it. But now, after doing this for five years and people just having such a connection to the story itself, it's just reinspired me to be like, "Fuck, I got to get this doc done." This is the legacy piece for me, is creating a documentary that feels sort of like endless summer that will last forever.

Because what's interesting is that every year I've done The Buried life, more people have come up to me and said, "Oh, this is needed now more than ever." This is an idea that is timeless because unfortunately we're just going to get more and more buried over time. Technology, we're going to be doing more things, we're going to feel more disconnected. So, anything we can do to remind ourselves of those things that are important is going to be valuable. So, I'd like this film to be that torch that sort of leads the way for future generations, for anybody that needs that feeling, that spark that you get in the keynote where you just feel energized coming out of it like you can do anything. I'd like a film to do that so that anyone can access it at any time. So, we're going in that process and working with production companies, and figuring out how we're going to roll that out

Josh:

Well, Ben, thanks for the insight and inspiration. Truly, you're the spark that you were just describing. You're sparking [inaudible 00:35:45] to thousands of people a year on stages. All of those listening today, I think we've all been sparked a bit with this notion that those dreams that we have, let's not let them be buried. Let's unbury them and go for it. So, thanks for the inspiration wisdom, my friend. Wishing you continued success.

Ben Nemtin:

Thanks so much. I just will add one last thing because I feel like this could be a good exercise for everyone. Because the truth is, the biggest regret people have on their deathbed is not living for them. 76% of people on their deathbed, they're like, "I didn't live my life for me. I lived it for other people." Or, "I lived the life I thought I should live."

So, using your death as a reminder of your life is so key. If you picture your 90-year-old self, just ask them like, "Hey..." Imagine your 90-year-old self, "Will I be happy with the time I'm spending right now living for me?" And if that answer is no, just use your 90-year-old self as a consultant. Consult them and say, "Hey, okay, what will I be happy with?" That's a great way to put things in perspective. Because a lot of times, the things we're worrying about right now, we're not even going to remember them on our deathbed, let alone five years from now or one year from now. So, use your future self as a barometer, and hopefully that will remind you of what's important. Because look, we all get buried by the day-to-day. It's human nature. It absolutely will happen, happens to me all the time. So, you can sort of use that future self as a checkpoint to make sure that you're on your true course.

Josh:

Love it. Well, thanks for the add, and I hope that one day... Well, I'll be 90, you'll be like 60, but I hope that one day the two of us will be celebrating a life well-lived and unburied together. Ben Nemtin, thanks again, brother. I appreciate you.

Ben Nemtin:

Thank you, man.

Josh:

Inventive, outspoken, authentic, generous, scrappy, compassionate. Just a few words that come to mind as I reflect on my conversation with Ben. In addition to his warmth, here are a few key takeaways that really stood out. Number one, I loved how Ben talked about using our future self as a barometer to help us focus our energy and actions on what's really important. Such a powerful approach. Number two, Ben framed a keynote as a, quote, "Catalyst" for cultural shift. That may be the best definition I've ever heard and a great reminder to us all what our jobs really are as professional speakers. Number three, by sharing his own struggles with mental health and depression, Ben reminds us that it's okay to be human. And that, by nurturing the human side of the equation, our businesses thrive as a direct byproduct.

There's no doubt in my mind that Ben Nemtin will remain at the top of our field, and that he'll continue to make a difference in people's lives and businesses. From singing the national anthem to a packed Stadium, to helping deliver a baby, to having a beer with Prince Harry, Ben has encouraged us to pursue the things that we once felt out of reach. In no uncertain terms, he's showing us that impossible is merely an imposter. Thanks for your insight and generosity, my friend, and thanks for helping us all make the impossible possible.

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. A big thanks to our sponsor, ImpactEleven. I'm your host, Josh Linkner. Thanks for listening, and here's to your mic drop moment.