The Soulful Giant (ft. Justin Wren)

Mic Drop

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1y ago 43:04

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The Soulful Giant (ft. Justin Wren)

Fighter-turned-lover Justin Wren on what it means to fight for a greater purpose

OPENING QUOTE:

“And so now, whenever I've gotten into a fight and the cage door locks, I'm looking this guy in the eyes and I know that I know, but I also believe that I know he knows, that I have stronger reasons than he does, so I can take him to deeper waters.”

-Justin Wren

GUEST BIO:

Justin Wren knows what it's like to feel like the world is against you. Fueled by anger resulting from persistent bullying, Justin pursued wrestling in high school, where he became a 10x state champion, 5x all-American, and 2x national champion. This propelled his dream of becoming a UFC fighter into reality, becoming a champion and an elite athlete. But the pain from his childhood didn't dissipate, and Justin fell into a spiral of depression and addiction that led him on a path toward destruction. In trying to escape this spiral, Justin visited the rainforest in the Democratic Republic of the Congo where he came across the Mbuti Pygmies, a group of people persecuted by neighboring tribes and forced into slavery.

On one of his trips, he stayed for a year, living among them and sharing the culture of what he calls "the most bullied people on earth." His encounter with the pygmies left him wondering who was there to help them. And in that moment, Justin stepped out of the cage and founded the nonprofit organization Fight for the Forgotten. He's become a celebrated keynote speaker, ascending this new mountain with the same discipline and passion that got him to the top of professional sports.

Links:

CORE TOPICS + DETAILS:

[4:36] - Discover Others to Discover Yourself

Selflessness heals our own wounds

After a long period of depression and hopelessness, how did Justin pull himself out of it? Not by working on himself — but by discovering the service of others. It was when he lost himself in the trials of the Mbuti people that he discovered his own purpose, passion, and personal joy.

The lesson for us: if you feel lost, sometimes you’re better off looking for the needs of others than looking for yourself.

[12:58] - The Winner is the One with the Most Reasons to Fight

What Justin’s mindset in the ring teaches us about living outside the ring

Many people think that the stronger, better trained fighter is the one who wins. What Justin knows from being in the ring himself is that this isn’t always the case. The person who wins is often the one who is less willing to lose. Or, to put it another way, it’s the person with the deepest reason to win.

When you discover a reason to fight that’s deeper than the opponent — and in life, often the opponent isn’t a someone but a something — then you’ll discover a depth of fortitude you didn’t know you had, and a will to win that will help you conquer anything.

[16:03] - Change the Fight but Keep Fighting

What we can learn from the world’s most loving fighter

Justin describes how he went from fighting against people to fighting for people when he discovered his passion for serving the people of the Mbuti culture. But what’s worth noting is that Justin didn’t change his fighter’s spirit. He didn’t suddenly become a kumbaya, zen-loving individual who let the world wash over him in peace. Hell no. He kept his fighter’s spirit, remained who he was, but applied everything that made him a great fighter to this new fight — the fight for humanity.

We can all change our own personal fights without changing what makes us great fighters.

[30:46] - Justin’s Parting Advice

For the new, nervous, and unsure

Justin acknowledges that taking on big challenges often feels like trying to drain the ocean with an eyedropper. Does it even matter? Will anyon even notice?

But Justin reminds us that every drop represents a human heart, a human life, some level of impact that may be small in the grand scale but enormous on the personal scale. Every single positive impact we make, whether it’s on a massive keynote stage or in a room of ten people, can transform lives.

RESOURCES:

[2:10] About the Mbuti People
[2:49] Fight for the Forgotten

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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