Comfortably Uncomfortable (ft. Sterling Hawkins)

Mic Drop

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2+ y ago 33:36

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Comfortably Uncomfortable (ft. Sterling Hawkins)

From rock bottom to top of his game, discover Sterling Hawkins’ keys to ultimately excelling as a speaker and expert— including a sneak peek at his keynote

OPENING QUOTE:

“When the company crashed, so did I. No job, ran out of cash. I go from this gorgeous, big, beautiful penthouse in downtown San Francisco to my parents' house. And just to make sure I was firmly grounded in rock bottom, my girlfriend broke up with me. True story. It's like a depressing country song. I hit every single beat.”

-Sterling Hawkins

GUEST BIO:

Sterling Hawkins is the founder of the No Matter What Movement, a powerhouse speaker, and an all-around terrific human being who performs over 50 keynotes a year on some of the world’s biggest stages . From running a $500 million venture-backed startup in Silicon Valley to mastering the world of professional speaking, Sterling is absolutely overflowing with insights into everything from crafting a message to leading an organization.

Links

CORE TOPICS + DETAILS:

[3:23] - Sterling’s Keynote Opening: Part 1

From top of the world to rock bottom

Sterling opens his keynote with his story, told with flair but also a frankness that’s captivating. He had it all. He lost it all. Here he’s both establishing an emotional thread to which we can all relate— success and failure— and establishing the setup to the key insight that will define his keynote. But that won’t come yet. First, he has to hit rock bottom, and he takes us right along with him for the ride.

[5:17] - Sterling’s Keynote Opening: Part 2

From despair to determination

This is the turning point. We join Sterling in his parents’ house, alone, his career gone, over a hundred thousand dollars in debt. He lets us sit in the darkness with him for a bit, and then comes the turn. He shares the declaration to himself that changed everything: No Matter What. Now we’re beginning to accelerate toward the inspiration and insight that will guide us forward in Sterling’s message.

[8:12] - Sterling’s Keynote Opening: Part 3

From big picture to five simple things

At this point in Sterling’s opening, notice how he moves from the big picture— the world’s greatest innovators, the world’s biggest challenges— to the close-up and concrete. Like pouring all of the big ideas he’s mentioned into a funnel, he focuses our attention on where we’re headed next: Five things that will lead you to breakthroughs No Matter What.

[16:12] - When All Else Fails: Community

The people around you are your lifeline

When you face something unprecedented to you, you have to rely on a network of people who have been there— or at least somewhere similar. Sterling speaks of how vital his network of relationships— including with Josh— helped him navigate the uncharted waters of the last two years. Never neglect your network. It’s more than a professional launchpad, it’s your community when everything else fades away.

[23:12] - Turning Cons Into Pros

The power of embracing discomfort

When COVID hit and all in-person keynotes were canceled, Sterling found himself in a familiar place. He may not have been in his parents basement, but he could have easily let himself slip into “basement thinking.” Instead, he embraced the advantages of virtual speaking— like the fact that you can deliver multiple virtual keynotes per day. What negatives could be hiding positives within them in your career?

[29:52] - Run Away or Push Through

Universal advice for emerging speakers

Sterling’s parting advice for rising speakers trying to reach the next level? No surprises here— embrace discomfort. See it as an obstacle to blast through rather than a monster to run from. This will open all kinds of possibilities, like when Sterling pushed past his discomfort and asked to speak at a conference with no experience after receiving a simple automated invitation to attend as a guest.

RESOURCES:

[1:04] 3 Ring Circus
[3:01] Hunting Discomfort (Pre-Order)

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ABOUT MIC DROP:

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

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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

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