White Belts and Plati-Truths (ft. Sebastian Terry, Erin Stafford, and Tucker Bryant)
Three speakers, three perspectives, one incredible conversation
OPENING QUOTE:
“And I think that it's important to show people that there is hope, that you are able to be successful and have an incredible career and family, et cetera, and also still be mentally healthy and still be happy. There is a way to do it.”
-Erin Stafford
GUEST BIOS:
Sebastian Terry is a bestselling author, avid surfer, and founder of 100 Things. Originally from Australia, he now travels the world helping people live more purposeful, fulfilling, and really fun lives.
Links:
- Website
- YouTube
After marketing roles at MTV, Apple, Nike, Coca-Cola, and American Express, Erin Stafford became a senior executive at one of the largest healthcare companies in the world. Then she smashed into the wall of serious burnout. Next, she set out on a mission to help other driven type A people beat burnout while still unlocking peak performance.
Links:
- Website
Tucker Bryant grew up in the UK, then spent a decade in Silicon Valley working at both Google and Stanford. He's a brilliant spoken word poet, bridging the gap between art and business in his unique keynote performances.
Links:
- Website
CORE TOPICS + DETAILS:
[10:12] - When Patterns are Broken, New Worlds Emerge
Poetry and impact
After hearing from Tucker about the way he weaves poetry into his keynotes to drive transformation, Josh shares how generally breaking patterns and helping audiences think about things differently is one of the most effective ways to generate real transformation. Sebastian goes on to speak about how he uses humor in a similar way — turning insights into memorable calls to take action in the real world.
[13:16] - Super Fluffy, Ethereal, Woo-Woo, Soft
Erin on being yourself
Erin shares how she’s felt pressure to be a certain way in her presentation — soft, ultra-cheerful, and wellness focused. “That is just not who I am.” Instead, she prefers actionable direction. “What do I need to do today when I go home? Just tell me what the hell I’m supposed to do to get out of burnout?” She wants the tools, and that’s what she brings to her keynotes. There is room for both styles in the keynote world, but it’s all about determining who you will be.
[18:42] - The Trojan Horse
Hiding the profound in the simple
Josh and Tucker speak about how marketing your message matters. If you present your message as being all about work-life balance and personal growth, planners may put you in a “breakout session on the third day of the conference.” But if you can pitch a big-stage concept, then imbue it with powerful and profound messages, you can deliver on the promise of your keynote while also bringing powerful, positive surprises to your audience.
[22:21] - The Individual and the Organization
How to speak to both in your message
Erin shares how she’s found her message of burnout connecting on both an individual level and an organizational level. Finding a message that does both is essential as a keynote speaker. You can’t only speak to people on a personal level, but you also can’t be focused only on the bottom line. Speakers must find a way to deliver their message in a way that its impact is clear — both for individual human beings who want to improve their wellbeing, and for massive enterprises who want to supercharge their organizational success.
[25:39] - What Gets You On the Stage?
Our guests speak on what motivates them
Ask speakers why they do what they do, and you’ll get different answers — but a similar core theme. For Seb, it’s about impact. He speaks about letters he’s received that detail both personal and organizational transformations that genuinely improve people’s lives.
For Tucker, it’s about turning his own mistakes, missteps, and hangups into opportunities to help others grow. When he reflects on opportunities he’s missed in life by sticking to what was comfortable, he sees the opportunity he has to help others break out of their own comfort zones and seize those opportunities.
Finally, Erin shares how passionate she is about helping people find real success, the kind of success that doesn’t show up in net worth or job title. She’s seen amazing leaders who have reached the pinnacles of their careers who are miserable, burnt out, and lost. She believes in showing those people there is hope, that you can be successful and balanced and mentally healthy.
Overall, all three of our guests believe in the power of how words spoken onstage can lead to so much more — not just improving financial outcomes, but improving lives.
RESOURCES:
- [2:20] 100 Things, by Sebastian Terry
- [39:23] The Type A Trap, by Erin Stafford
Follow Sebastian Terry:
- Website
- YouTube
Follow Erin Stafford:
- Website
Follow Tucker Bryant:
- Website
Follow Josh Linkner:
- YouTube
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
SPONSORED BY IMPACTELEVEN:
From refining your keynote speaking skills to writing marketing copy, from connecting you with bureaus to boosting your fees, to developing high-quality websites, producing head-turning demo reels, Impact Eleven (formerly 3 Ring Circus) offers a comprehensive and powerful set of services to help speakers land more gigs at higher fees.
Learn more at: impacteleven.com
PRODUCED BY DETROIT PODCAST STUDIOS:
In Detroit, history was made when Barry Gordy opened Motown Records back in 1960. More
Information
- Show
- FrequencyUpdated Biweekly
- PublishedJuly 3, 2023 at 7:05 AM UTC
- Length47 min
- Season2
- Episode4
- RatingClean