WEBVTT 00:00:13.900 --> 00:00:17.559 Hello, and welcome to Networking Unleashed, Building 00:00:17.559 --> 00:00:20.719 Profitable Connections. Welcome back to the show, 00:00:20.739 --> 00:00:23.879 folks. I'm your host, Michael Foreman, and you're 00:00:23.879 --> 00:00:26.539 listening to the podcast where networking is 00:00:26.539 --> 00:00:29.480 more than just awkward handshakes and bad coffee. 00:00:29.739 --> 00:00:33.219 It's an art and a talent. But here's the twist. 00:00:33.439 --> 00:00:36.539 It's an art and talent you can actually learn. 00:00:36.979 --> 00:00:39.719 Yes, even if you're the person hiding in the 00:00:39.719 --> 00:00:42.820 corner at every event, pretending to check emails. 00:00:43.720 --> 00:00:46.520 Networking isn't just a nice skill to have, it's 00:00:46.520 --> 00:00:49.039 a game changer. And when you get good at it, 00:00:49.079 --> 00:00:52.259 you'll wonder why you didn't start sooner. More 00:00:52.259 --> 00:00:55.880 connections, more opportunities, more profits. 00:00:56.240 --> 00:01:00.039 It's like unlocking a cheat code for life. So 00:01:00.039 --> 00:01:02.520 whether you're the life of the party or the just 00:01:02.520 --> 00:01:05.099 let me stay at home and text type, we've got 00:01:05.099 --> 00:01:08.120 something for you. So stick around and let's 00:01:08.120 --> 00:01:11.359 turn those awkward small talk moments into big 00:01:11.359 --> 00:01:16.620 wins. Now, I've got a special guest. As everybody 00:01:16.620 --> 00:01:20.840 knows, I am a graduate of the Speaker Lab, and 00:01:20.840 --> 00:01:24.099 I have Dr. Reggie Wright. He likes to be called 00:01:24.099 --> 00:01:28.540 Reggie with his vast background, but he was integral 00:01:28.540 --> 00:01:32.000 in getting me started in my speaking career. 00:01:32.459 --> 00:01:35.799 So I would like to first, let me just give you 00:01:35.799 --> 00:01:39.420 a little bit about his background. Dr. Reggie 00:01:39.420 --> 00:01:41.980 Wright Jr. is a former professional basketball 00:01:41.980 --> 00:01:45.799 player and highly sought after motivational speaker, 00:01:46.120 --> 00:01:49.980 educator, and coach. He's been featured on CNN 00:01:49.980 --> 00:01:54.060 for his work on empowering educators and students 00:01:54.060 --> 00:01:58.099 to overcome adversity and excel in both academic 00:01:58.099 --> 00:02:01.620 and personal development. So I'd like to bring 00:02:01.620 --> 00:02:04.299 on Reggie. And if you just tell us a bit more 00:02:04.299 --> 00:02:06.579 about your background, that'd be great. But hey, 00:02:06.620 --> 00:02:09.240 Reggie, what's going on? Hey, Mike. Listen, thank 00:02:09.240 --> 00:02:11.139 you for having me, first and foremost, man. Happy 00:02:11.139 --> 00:02:13.219 to be on your show. I feel honored. I feel like 00:02:13.219 --> 00:02:15.400 I've made it, like I arrived. So thank you. I 00:02:15.400 --> 00:02:19.240 appreciate it. Yep. I'll give a little bit of 00:02:19.240 --> 00:02:22.419 background as you asked me to go into. You pretty 00:02:22.419 --> 00:02:24.979 much summarized it. I'm from Trenton, New Jersey. 00:02:25.099 --> 00:02:26.900 So that's where I'm originally born and raised 00:02:26.900 --> 00:02:28.680 in the city of Trenton, New Jersey. It's a small 00:02:28.680 --> 00:02:32.020 area. It's about seven square miles by 85 ,000 00:02:32.020 --> 00:02:35.030 people. And I was raised by my grandmother. So 00:02:35.030 --> 00:02:37.189 my grandmother migrated up north from Mississippi 00:02:37.189 --> 00:02:40.889 back in 1960. And my mother got pregnant with 00:02:40.889 --> 00:02:43.169 me at the age of 19 and gave birth to me at 20. 00:02:43.370 --> 00:02:45.590 And then my grandmother stepped in and she raised 00:02:45.590 --> 00:02:48.449 me all the way throughout high school and college. 00:02:48.729 --> 00:02:50.949 That's where I was born and raised. That's my 00:02:50.949 --> 00:02:53.389 background in terms of my adolescent years and 00:02:53.389 --> 00:02:55.830 childhood years. And then I went to college and 00:02:55.830 --> 00:02:58.409 I got an undergrad in computer science. Went 00:02:58.409 --> 00:03:00.349 overseas and played professional basketball for 00:03:00.349 --> 00:03:02.719 a number of years, like you mentioned. Then I 00:03:02.719 --> 00:03:06.020 graduated and I came back home and pursued a 00:03:06.020 --> 00:03:08.659 master's degree. So I have a master's in arts 00:03:08.659 --> 00:03:11.400 and religion. And then I actually went back to 00:03:11.400 --> 00:03:13.639 school and got my doctorate in educational leadership. 00:03:13.699 --> 00:03:16.740 And here I am now today as a paid professional 00:03:16.740 --> 00:03:19.719 speaker and coach. Also have my own coaching 00:03:19.719 --> 00:03:23.800 program as well right now. That's great. Listen, 00:03:24.080 --> 00:03:28.919 you are. It's true that you. came from almost 00:03:28.919 --> 00:03:32.259 nothing. And I understand you, you grew up, you 00:03:32.259 --> 00:03:35.800 actually became a police officer before you became 00:03:35.800 --> 00:03:38.759 a professional speaker. So you really have quite 00:03:38.759 --> 00:03:41.699 the background, but so I won't go into everything. 00:03:41.800 --> 00:03:45.259 I won't go into everything, but okay. So how 00:03:45.259 --> 00:03:49.060 did your academic background influence your approach 00:03:49.060 --> 00:03:53.819 to networking in the education sector? Yeah, 00:03:53.919 --> 00:03:56.180 I learned this. I'll summarize it this way. Dr. 00:03:56.340 --> 00:03:58.159 King has an article called The Purpose of Education. 00:03:58.979 --> 00:04:01.960 And when he summarized that article, The Purpose 00:04:01.960 --> 00:04:04.139 of Education, he said it comes down to two components. 00:04:04.280 --> 00:04:07.080 It's intelligence plus character. So one of the 00:04:07.080 --> 00:04:09.099 things I believe is that if I'm going to be successful 00:04:09.099 --> 00:04:12.699 as a paid professional speaker, but also successful 00:04:12.699 --> 00:04:15.639 as a speaker coach, then I need to network with 00:04:15.639 --> 00:04:18.139 the right group of people who exemplify intelligence 00:04:18.139 --> 00:04:21.120 and a high level of character. Right. Because 00:04:21.120 --> 00:04:23.459 I think Grant actually said it. said who you 00:04:23.459 --> 00:04:26.120 are is more important than what you do, right? 00:04:26.199 --> 00:04:28.540 So you want to be around some people that their 00:04:28.540 --> 00:04:31.399 morals and ethics and values align with your 00:04:31.399 --> 00:04:34.060 morals, ethics, and values. Because as we say 00:04:34.060 --> 00:04:36.379 in a public figure space, all money is not good 00:04:36.379 --> 00:04:39.660 money. So we want to profit, right? We want to 00:04:39.660 --> 00:04:41.579 generate revenue, but we want to make sure that 00:04:41.579 --> 00:04:45.699 we're aligned with people that have a high value 00:04:45.699 --> 00:04:48.120 of character and integrity is one of their greatest 00:04:48.120 --> 00:04:52.439 assets. Great. And I firmly believe that as well. 00:04:52.740 --> 00:04:56.579 Can you share a story about a pivotal connection 00:04:56.579 --> 00:05:00.500 that significantly impacted your career in education? 00:05:01.959 --> 00:05:04.620 Yeah, absolutely. There's a few. As a speaker 00:05:04.620 --> 00:05:06.980 or just in terms of my impact I've had with students 00:05:06.980 --> 00:05:11.180 or educators themselves? Give me your student 00:05:11.180 --> 00:05:15.670 impact. Yeah, 100%. So one of the stories I talk 00:05:15.670 --> 00:05:17.529 about when I come in and do my keynote presentations 00:05:17.529 --> 00:05:19.750 at schools, a lot of convocations they have me 00:05:19.750 --> 00:05:22.050 come in and do, or professional development workshops, 00:05:22.290 --> 00:05:24.129 I always talk about there was a particular student 00:05:24.129 --> 00:05:27.529 that seemed to be disengaged, right? Didn't seem 00:05:27.529 --> 00:05:30.189 to have any heart, passion, desire for school, 00:05:30.269 --> 00:05:32.709 right? We call that student apathy, right? So 00:05:32.709 --> 00:05:35.250 I was made aware that this student wasn't really 00:05:35.250 --> 00:05:37.209 going to be disruptive, wasn't really going to 00:05:37.209 --> 00:05:40.129 interrupt my class. But he just wasn't going 00:05:40.129 --> 00:05:41.790 to do anything. He wasn't going to raise his 00:05:41.790 --> 00:05:43.370 hand. He wasn't going to do his homework. He 00:05:43.370 --> 00:05:45.350 wasn't going to participate. And I understood 00:05:45.350 --> 00:05:47.189 that. So one of the things I try to do, Mike, 00:05:47.230 --> 00:05:49.089 is I try to affirm the students when I go into 00:05:49.089 --> 00:05:51.470 the class on a day -to -day basis. I always try 00:05:51.470 --> 00:05:54.750 to find something to say to let them know that 00:05:54.750 --> 00:05:57.250 they have worth and value, that they're intelligent, 00:05:57.449 --> 00:06:00.009 they're gifted, and that they can and they will 00:06:00.009 --> 00:06:03.160 be successful in life. And that an education 00:06:03.160 --> 00:06:05.720 is one of the greatest tools that can help them 00:06:05.720 --> 00:06:08.139 maximize their potential. And that's what I did 00:06:08.139 --> 00:06:10.100 with this student. I came in day after day, week 00:06:10.100 --> 00:06:12.540 after week, and I would just affirm him. And 00:06:12.540 --> 00:06:15.060 he never really responded. But then it was one 00:06:15.060 --> 00:06:18.060 particular day when I went in after Halloween. 00:06:18.639 --> 00:06:21.199 And when I went in this one particular day after 00:06:21.199 --> 00:06:23.259 Halloween, I pretty much just asked the students, 00:06:23.319 --> 00:06:24.959 hey, who would like to volunteer and share with 00:06:24.959 --> 00:06:27.819 me, you know, what you were for Halloween? What 00:06:27.819 --> 00:06:30.240 was your Halloween costume? And as you can imagine, 00:06:30.360 --> 00:06:34.800 kids like, oh, call me. And as I pan and scan 00:06:34.800 --> 00:06:37.319 the room to see who I was going to choose on 00:06:37.319 --> 00:06:40.220 initially, believe it or not, this student that 00:06:40.220 --> 00:06:42.759 had never raised his hand, never did his homework, 00:06:42.860 --> 00:06:45.959 was always disengaged, head was always pointed 00:06:45.959 --> 00:06:48.800 down towards the floor. His head was down, but 00:06:48.800 --> 00:06:51.759 his hand actually went up. And when his hand 00:06:51.759 --> 00:06:53.980 went up, I couldn't believe it. I was shocked. 00:06:54.420 --> 00:06:57.209 He had never said a word. So I had to call him. 00:06:57.269 --> 00:06:59.329 So I looked over and I said, go ahead. What were 00:06:59.329 --> 00:07:02.949 you for Halloween? And he took a pause. His head 00:07:02.949 --> 00:07:05.310 never came up. His head remained down the entire 00:07:05.310 --> 00:07:08.410 time. But while his head was down, he said this. 00:07:08.470 --> 00:07:12.889 He said, Mr. Wright, I was you. And that it like 00:07:12.889 --> 00:07:15.509 it broke me like I was standing there and tears 00:07:15.509 --> 00:07:17.829 were coming down my face because I'm like, I'm 00:07:17.829 --> 00:07:19.949 thinking I'm confused, but it was so powerful. 00:07:20.110 --> 00:07:22.930 I'm like, so now I asked him, why would you be 00:07:22.930 --> 00:07:26.379 me for Halloween? And he said. Literally, Mike, 00:07:26.439 --> 00:07:29.220 he said, because you had the biggest impact in 00:07:29.220 --> 00:07:31.839 my life. And I said, how have I had the biggest 00:07:31.839 --> 00:07:33.920 impact in your life? I've only been in here in 00:07:33.920 --> 00:07:36.600 the last seven or eight weeks. He said, literally, 00:07:36.720 --> 00:07:39.279 a fifth grader said, he said, you shifted my 00:07:39.279 --> 00:07:43.839 perspective. Really? Yeah. So think about as 00:07:43.839 --> 00:07:46.279 professionals, as adults even, it's hard to shift 00:07:46.279 --> 00:07:48.779 someone's perspective. If you can shift someone's 00:07:48.779 --> 00:07:50.399 perspective, you can change their attitude. And 00:07:50.399 --> 00:07:52.839 if you change the attitude, you can change the 00:07:52.839 --> 00:07:57.120 outcome. Absolutely. That's fantastic. That's 00:07:57.120 --> 00:08:00.939 a great story. What unique networking strategies 00:08:00.939 --> 00:08:05.160 have you found most effective in the academic 00:08:05.160 --> 00:08:09.920 and speaking worlds? Yeah. So in a speaking world, 00:08:10.079 --> 00:08:11.740 so you said academic and speaking, I started 00:08:11.740 --> 00:08:14.639 in speaking space. So speaking, I would say one 00:08:14.639 --> 00:08:16.240 of the things that I've done is make sure that 00:08:16.240 --> 00:08:19.040 I've been intentional about getting into certain 00:08:19.040 --> 00:08:21.360 circles with other speakers that align with my 00:08:21.360 --> 00:08:24.990 value system. Right. So we share a similar mindset, 00:08:25.149 --> 00:08:29.230 passion for what we do, who we are, our families, 00:08:29.529 --> 00:08:31.129 you know, how we carry and conduct ourselves. 00:08:31.930 --> 00:08:34.509 Excuse me. And I'm very intentional about spending 00:08:34.509 --> 00:08:36.710 time with them in person. So not just virtually, 00:08:36.789 --> 00:08:39.490 but actually getting together in person as I'm 00:08:39.490 --> 00:08:42.210 down in the Atlanta based area myself. And one 00:08:42.210 --> 00:08:44.490 of the reasons why I make that commute and go 00:08:44.490 --> 00:08:47.169 back and forth is because I really value the 00:08:47.169 --> 00:08:49.169 relationships with other speakers that I'm in 00:08:49.169 --> 00:08:51.519 community with. And I believe that's helped me 00:08:51.519 --> 00:08:54.600 tremendously because they say you are who you 00:08:54.600 --> 00:08:56.080 spend time with, right? They say your friends 00:08:56.080 --> 00:08:57.740 are a reflection of who you are and who you want 00:08:57.740 --> 00:09:00.120 to become. If my friends are a reflection of 00:09:00.120 --> 00:09:02.879 who I am and who I want to become, I need to 00:09:02.879 --> 00:09:04.220 make sure that I'm spending time with the right 00:09:04.220 --> 00:09:07.620 group of people as a professional speaker. Academically, 00:09:07.799 --> 00:09:10.360 I just try to make sure I go to the conferences 00:09:10.360 --> 00:09:14.789 that are going to have educators. in the building 00:09:14.789 --> 00:09:18.129 that I know could benefit off of my message, 00:09:18.230 --> 00:09:20.929 my heart, my passion for the work that I do? 00:09:21.070 --> 00:09:23.529 And more importantly, it's service -based. I 00:09:23.529 --> 00:09:25.409 want to know how I can serve them, right? Because 00:09:25.409 --> 00:09:26.850 that's what's the most important thing to me. 00:09:26.909 --> 00:09:29.429 How can I help them help these students? Because 00:09:29.429 --> 00:09:33.009 that's where my heart really lies. Okay. And 00:09:33.009 --> 00:09:36.690 on that same level, on that same line, how does 00:09:36.690 --> 00:09:40.570 networking play a role in fostering the character 00:09:40.570 --> 00:09:45.580 development among students? Yeah, I think it's 00:09:45.580 --> 00:09:48.220 everything, right? Networking in terms of fostering 00:09:48.220 --> 00:09:49.600 an environment for character development, because 00:09:49.600 --> 00:09:52.059 I feel like for students and educators themselves, 00:09:52.419 --> 00:09:55.679 right? Peer influence, right? As my pastor, Dr. 00:09:55.779 --> 00:09:57.659 Darius Daniels said, whoever has your ear has 00:09:57.659 --> 00:10:00.440 your heart. So I want to make sure that the students 00:10:00.440 --> 00:10:02.179 are spending time with other students that can 00:10:02.179 --> 00:10:05.159 influence them in the right direction. The same 00:10:05.159 --> 00:10:07.799 thing to educators, like teacher burnout is real. 00:10:07.879 --> 00:10:09.960 And I speak to that all the time. I want to make 00:10:09.960 --> 00:10:12.299 sure that teachers are spending time with other 00:10:12.299 --> 00:10:15.259 educators that, you know, can motivate them, 00:10:15.299 --> 00:10:17.980 can influence them in a positive way to help 00:10:17.980 --> 00:10:20.100 them reignite their passion for why they do what 00:10:20.100 --> 00:10:22.460 they do, because it's necessary, right? We all 00:10:22.460 --> 00:10:25.059 face opposition adversity. Now it's a matter 00:10:25.059 --> 00:10:26.940 of are you around the right people that can help 00:10:26.940 --> 00:10:29.179 you get to the other side of it? Because we're 00:10:29.179 --> 00:10:31.019 all going to experience it, but we need a community 00:10:31.019 --> 00:10:32.940 of people around us that can help us overcome 00:10:32.940 --> 00:10:36.769 it. Absolutely. My daughter -in -law is a teacher 00:10:36.769 --> 00:10:40.570 and she is very close to burning out almost every 00:10:40.570 --> 00:10:45.409 day. So I know. OK, so in what ways can networking 00:10:45.409 --> 00:10:49.450 contribute to building resilience in aspiring 00:10:49.450 --> 00:10:53.549 speakers, inspiring educators? Yeah, great question. 00:10:53.610 --> 00:10:55.830 I think, again, when you're in community with 00:10:55.830 --> 00:10:58.669 people that are resilient, I think it helps you 00:10:58.669 --> 00:11:01.839 understand and see what it looks like. Because, 00:11:01.839 --> 00:11:04.299 listen, we all are either going through a storm, 00:11:04.379 --> 00:11:07.200 we're in a storm, right? Or we just got out of 00:11:07.200 --> 00:11:09.559 a storm, right? So if you're in community with 00:11:09.559 --> 00:11:12.399 people, they're in the same situation. If you're 00:11:12.399 --> 00:11:15.080 walking with another educator in academia and 00:11:15.080 --> 00:11:16.659 you see this, listen, they just went through 00:11:16.659 --> 00:11:19.419 this. They didn't give up. They were resilient. 00:11:19.840 --> 00:11:22.259 Then you too can be resilient. Like I shared 00:11:22.259 --> 00:11:25.720 a story. It's hard for me to talk about it. But 00:11:25.720 --> 00:11:28.840 when I was young, my grandmother. was in a relationship 00:11:28.840 --> 00:11:31.379 with my biological grandfather, and he was physically 00:11:31.379 --> 00:11:34.460 abusive to her, right? And I remember one day, 00:11:34.500 --> 00:11:36.679 I was eating breakfast at the table when I was 00:11:36.679 --> 00:11:39.299 young. I was in elementary school. And I remember 00:11:39.299 --> 00:11:41.279 that my grandfather got upset with my grandmother, 00:11:41.419 --> 00:11:44.220 and he struck her in the face, right? He struck 00:11:44.220 --> 00:11:46.759 her in the face. And when he struck her in the 00:11:46.759 --> 00:11:50.159 face, Mike, her tooth came out. Her tooth came 00:11:50.159 --> 00:11:52.519 out, and it slid under the radiator in the kitchen. 00:11:52.600 --> 00:11:54.399 I'll never forget this. And she was crying. I'm 00:11:54.399 --> 00:11:56.299 sure you can imagine the emotions that she felt. 00:11:56.779 --> 00:11:59.600 She definitely didn't deserve to be struck, to 00:11:59.600 --> 00:12:02.980 be hit, no matter how upset he was. But I remember 00:12:02.980 --> 00:12:05.580 this, Mike. I remember my grandmother going upstairs. 00:12:06.360 --> 00:12:08.519 And surely I thought to myself, she's going to 00:12:08.519 --> 00:12:10.019 go upstairs and she's not going to come back 00:12:10.019 --> 00:12:13.559 down. She went upstairs. She gathered herself 00:12:13.559 --> 00:12:16.240 and composed herself. And she got dressed and 00:12:16.240 --> 00:12:18.940 she came back downstairs. And she went to that 00:12:18.940 --> 00:12:22.000 school to actually teach those children. And 00:12:22.000 --> 00:12:23.820 it was because of her level of commitment and 00:12:23.820 --> 00:12:27.659 resiliency. That was amazing to me. That's amazing. 00:12:28.039 --> 00:12:32.820 It really is. And no, first of all, no child 00:12:32.820 --> 00:12:35.519 should have to go through that watching their 00:12:35.519 --> 00:12:38.419 parents, grandparents or whatever, because there's 00:12:38.419 --> 00:12:42.600 no reason in the world why one should strike 00:12:42.600 --> 00:12:45.759 the other. But it must have had such an effect 00:12:45.759 --> 00:12:48.659 on you being that you were so young and that 00:12:48.659 --> 00:12:51.620 you had so much respect for your grandmother. 00:12:52.080 --> 00:12:57.090 Yeah. OK, how have you leveraged your network 00:12:57.090 --> 00:13:00.990 to promote academic success in your programs? 00:13:02.210 --> 00:13:04.350 Yeah, how have I leveraged my network? Yes. One 00:13:04.350 --> 00:13:06.330 of the things I do is so obviously I have a coaching 00:13:06.330 --> 00:13:08.370 program now. So obviously that gives me an opportunity 00:13:08.370 --> 00:13:10.370 to network with speakers that come through my 00:13:10.370 --> 00:13:12.789 program that are aspiring speakers. And one of 00:13:12.789 --> 00:13:14.950 the things that we try to do is we try to often 00:13:14.950 --> 00:13:19.289 go into different schools or after school programs, 00:13:19.529 --> 00:13:22.690 different nonprofits. And we really try to share 00:13:22.690 --> 00:13:25.429 our message collectively at times, right, as 00:13:25.429 --> 00:13:27.889 a network of individuals. Everybody has their 00:13:27.889 --> 00:13:29.789 own unique story, right? Mike, your story is 00:13:29.789 --> 00:13:31.970 your story. My story is my story. You're one 00:13:31.970 --> 00:13:34.129 of one. I don't have the same story that you 00:13:34.129 --> 00:13:36.789 have. But if we can collaborate and if we can 00:13:36.789 --> 00:13:38.909 go into schools together and share our stories, 00:13:39.049 --> 00:13:41.769 then think about the power of that. These students, 00:13:41.870 --> 00:13:43.330 you can have 400 or 500 students. They don't 00:13:43.330 --> 00:13:45.370 just get to see me. They get to see me. They 00:13:45.370 --> 00:13:48.350 get to see you plus our colleagues. So networking 00:13:48.350 --> 00:13:50.919 is powerful. Because it really gives students 00:13:50.919 --> 00:13:53.960 an opportunity to be exposed to not just one 00:13:53.960 --> 00:13:58.580 person, but a multitude of people. Listen, you 00:13:58.580 --> 00:14:01.460 know me and what I speak about and how important 00:14:01.460 --> 00:14:05.620 I feel that networking is. Because if you walk 00:14:05.620 --> 00:14:07.940 into a room or if you're meeting somebody one 00:14:07.940 --> 00:14:11.259 -on -one, you're picking up a vibe from the person 00:14:11.259 --> 00:14:14.679 or a vibe from the room. And it's so very important. 00:14:14.860 --> 00:14:17.659 I've walked into rooms and I've had such a bad 00:14:17.659 --> 00:14:20.860 vibe, I walked out. because I don't want to get 00:14:20.860 --> 00:14:25.320 involved with something distasteful, to be honest 00:14:25.320 --> 00:14:28.580 about it. But it's so very important. How do 00:14:28.580 --> 00:14:33.480 you measure the impact that you've had with the 00:14:33.480 --> 00:14:36.419 students, with the educational students? Yeah, 00:14:36.480 --> 00:14:38.259 I think the way that I measure the impact with 00:14:38.259 --> 00:14:40.840 students is simply this. Students are real, Mike. 00:14:41.100 --> 00:14:43.639 Like, they are real. You're going to know if 00:14:43.639 --> 00:14:46.379 you have an impact in their lives or not immediately 00:14:46.379 --> 00:14:48.909 right thereafter, for the most part. They're 00:14:48.909 --> 00:14:50.789 going to come up to you afterwards and thank 00:14:50.789 --> 00:14:53.129 you, ask questions. They'll want to interact 00:14:53.129 --> 00:14:56.230 with you, engage with you. And if they don't, 00:14:56.230 --> 00:14:58.389 then they'll probably, they'll just leave. Right. 00:14:58.490 --> 00:15:00.690 So I think the two things that I get is feedback 00:15:00.690 --> 00:15:03.309 right away after I'm done speaking. And then 00:15:03.309 --> 00:15:04.889 believe it or not, there's a lot of students 00:15:04.889 --> 00:15:08.269 that will, they may not, they may be a little 00:15:08.269 --> 00:15:09.990 shy. That's the best way to put it. A little 00:15:09.990 --> 00:15:11.889 shy, a little timid. And they don't want to say 00:15:11.889 --> 00:15:14.169 anything to me afterwards. But then on social 00:15:14.169 --> 00:15:17.250 media. They'll reach out to me and DM me and 00:15:17.250 --> 00:15:19.870 say, thank you so much. That was powerful. That 00:15:19.870 --> 00:15:23.549 impacted me. I admire you for what you do. You're 00:15:23.549 --> 00:15:25.590 a role model. You name it. Those types of things. 00:15:26.350 --> 00:15:30.070 Have you heard from that student when he had 00:15:30.070 --> 00:15:32.549 his head down and just raised his hand and wanted 00:15:32.549 --> 00:15:35.370 to be about you? Yeah, I went back and checked 00:15:35.370 --> 00:15:37.750 on him a few years after. And yeah, he's doing 00:15:37.750 --> 00:15:40.370 extremely well. He's doing extremely well. Yeah, 00:15:40.470 --> 00:15:44.269 he's in high school now. Good. Good. It just 00:15:44.269 --> 00:15:47.769 shows what kind of an impact you can have. This 00:15:47.769 --> 00:15:50.909 is nowhere close to the success that you've had 00:15:50.909 --> 00:15:54.070 with him. But when I coached baseball for about 00:15:54.070 --> 00:15:58.490 16 years and the interaction that I had with 00:15:58.490 --> 00:16:03.029 the children, because I had them from ages 5 00:16:03.029 --> 00:16:09.570 through 16, and I saw an impact that I had in 00:16:09.570 --> 00:16:12.700 school, out of school. just about the way that 00:16:12.700 --> 00:16:14.960 they go on with their daily lives. And I've had 00:16:14.960 --> 00:16:18.059 a few of them come back up to me afterwards and 00:16:18.059 --> 00:16:21.179 thank me and so on and so forth. So it's that 00:16:21.179 --> 00:16:23.840 it has a really good feeling when you change 00:16:23.840 --> 00:16:28.200 their life. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So how about technology? 00:16:28.200 --> 00:16:33.480 How has technology changed networking in education 00:16:33.480 --> 00:16:37.659 and how did you adapt to it? How has technology 00:16:37.659 --> 00:16:40.460 changed networking and education? One of the 00:16:40.460 --> 00:16:43.100 things is the Zoom call, right? Zoom platform, 00:16:43.320 --> 00:16:46.860 Microsoft Teams, Google Meets. It just gives 00:16:46.860 --> 00:16:48.980 you an opportunity to connect with people. It 00:16:48.980 --> 00:16:50.399 truly does. It gives you the opportunity to connect 00:16:50.399 --> 00:16:52.779 with people that don't live close to you geographically, 00:16:52.820 --> 00:16:55.200 where you still can build relationships with 00:16:55.200 --> 00:16:57.539 them. You can understand how you can best serve 00:16:57.539 --> 00:16:59.759 them and their community, even their students, 00:16:59.940 --> 00:17:02.100 and do it from afar. I'll give you a quick example. 00:17:02.639 --> 00:17:05.559 There's an educator in Connecticut. I went and 00:17:05.559 --> 00:17:09.759 did a convocation there last year in 2024. And 00:17:09.759 --> 00:17:12.180 it was positive feedback. They seemed to really 00:17:12.180 --> 00:17:14.599 appreciate me coming in and sharing my story 00:17:14.599 --> 00:17:17.859 and pouring into them. But they want me to, like, 00:17:17.920 --> 00:17:20.279 at different times, just to, like, record something 00:17:20.279 --> 00:17:23.319 virtually and send it to the students. Just to, 00:17:23.339 --> 00:17:25.579 like, really to build rapport with them and let 00:17:25.579 --> 00:17:28.220 them know, to affirm that, hey, you can become 00:17:28.220 --> 00:17:31.170 successful in life and education is a tool. that 00:17:31.170 --> 00:17:32.950 you're really going to need to rely on to be 00:17:32.950 --> 00:17:35.529 successful so that's what i do periodically i'll 00:17:35.529 --> 00:17:39.309 send them a zoom recording just encouraging them 00:17:39.309 --> 00:17:41.509 right like literally a two to three minute video 00:17:41.509 --> 00:17:43.769 i wouldn't be able to do that without technology 00:17:43.769 --> 00:17:47.250 right i'm not in connecticut i'm not able to 00:17:47.250 --> 00:17:49.980 be there but By technology, by me being able 00:17:49.980 --> 00:17:53.019 to use technology, I'm able to not just connect 00:17:53.019 --> 00:17:55.099 and build with those students, but that educator 00:17:55.099 --> 00:17:57.480 has also put me in contact with other schools 00:17:57.480 --> 00:18:00.859 in Connecticut where I virtually can impact those 00:18:00.859 --> 00:18:03.619 scholars and be impactful with those educators 00:18:03.619 --> 00:18:06.440 as well. So technology has served me well. It 00:18:06.440 --> 00:18:09.980 really has. Good. Technology is what brought 00:18:09.980 --> 00:18:13.700 us together. I'm all for it. What are the biggest 00:18:13.700 --> 00:18:17.660 challenges? in networking within the education 00:18:17.660 --> 00:18:22.200 sector, and how did you overcome it? What's your 00:18:22.200 --> 00:18:24.339 biggest challenge? Yeah, what are the biggest 00:18:24.339 --> 00:18:27.240 challenges in networking and education? I would 00:18:27.240 --> 00:18:29.900 say really just as a professional speaker in 00:18:29.900 --> 00:18:31.660 the educational space, the biggest challenge 00:18:31.660 --> 00:18:37.240 is there are schools that have challenges, obstacles, 00:18:37.799 --> 00:18:40.900 pain points that need to be addressed. I have 00:18:40.900 --> 00:18:43.039 solutions to those problems, but they don't know 00:18:43.039 --> 00:18:45.250 who I am. So that's where marketing comes in 00:18:45.250 --> 00:18:47.769 place. So it's ability for me to figure out how 00:18:47.769 --> 00:18:51.630 do I market myself using technology, right? To 00:18:51.630 --> 00:18:55.130 market myself to them and then get myself in 00:18:55.130 --> 00:18:57.329 certain rooms and spaces where I can network 00:18:57.329 --> 00:19:00.150 with them, right? Because people are only going 00:19:00.150 --> 00:19:02.109 to give you an opportunity to typically share 00:19:02.109 --> 00:19:04.269 your message if they know you, like you, and 00:19:04.269 --> 00:19:09.109 trust you. Absolutely. Absolutely. Yep. I profess 00:19:09.109 --> 00:19:12.700 that all the time. I say that they have to know 00:19:12.700 --> 00:19:14.339 you, like you, and trust you, then they'll do 00:19:14.339 --> 00:19:17.099 business with you. But here's how I break it 00:19:17.099 --> 00:19:20.160 down. If they know you, look, everybody knows 00:19:20.160 --> 00:19:22.220 you. You're a nice guy. You're a good looking 00:19:22.220 --> 00:19:25.819 guy. Hey, everybody knows you. Like you, that 00:19:25.819 --> 00:19:29.099 really narrows down just a little bit because 00:19:29.099 --> 00:19:32.319 everybody's not going to like you. But trust 00:19:32.319 --> 00:19:35.420 you, that's a major factor. That's a major, that's 00:19:35.420 --> 00:19:38.670 crucial. And so they know you and like you, but 00:19:38.670 --> 00:19:41.390 they trust you. And once you gain their trust, 00:19:41.670 --> 00:19:46.549 the world opens up to you. 100%. Yeah. Yeah, 00:19:46.609 --> 00:19:50.390 100%. Give me your top piece of advice for listeners 00:19:50.390 --> 00:19:54.730 to build profitable connections in education. 00:19:56.960 --> 00:20:00.920 I'll give you some top ways to build some profitable 00:20:00.920 --> 00:20:04.299 connections in education. All right. So I'll 00:20:04.299 --> 00:20:05.980 say it this way. So the first thing I would say 00:20:05.980 --> 00:20:08.819 is this. You yourself have to become a person 00:20:08.819 --> 00:20:12.539 of value. Number one. So how does the person, 00:20:12.660 --> 00:20:14.359 the question has been in Dr. Wright, how do I 00:20:14.359 --> 00:20:17.240 become a person of value? You need to read and 00:20:17.240 --> 00:20:20.420 be obsessed with mastering whatever the content 00:20:20.420 --> 00:20:24.839 is that you want to produce to that particular 00:20:24.839 --> 00:20:27.680 market. So if you're talking about imposter syndrome, 00:20:27.859 --> 00:20:30.279 let's just say that, for example, you need to 00:20:30.279 --> 00:20:33.019 be an expert in regards to imposter syndrome. 00:20:33.859 --> 00:20:37.339 You need to master the content so that when you 00:20:37.339 --> 00:20:39.519 speak about imposter syndrome, whoever you're 00:20:39.519 --> 00:20:41.619 speaking to, they know that you're an expert 00:20:41.619 --> 00:20:42.759 because they know you know what you're talking 00:20:42.759 --> 00:20:46.380 about. All right. So if you want to network and 00:20:46.380 --> 00:20:48.220 build, you need to be in these rooms and spaces, 00:20:48.299 --> 00:20:49.460 but you need to know what you're talking about. 00:20:49.519 --> 00:20:52.220 So you need to master in terms of your subject 00:20:52.220 --> 00:20:55.059 matter expertise. That's number one. Number two, 00:20:55.099 --> 00:20:58.019 you need to be willing to get out and go to different 00:20:58.019 --> 00:21:00.759 places where you can actually network with people 00:21:00.759 --> 00:21:03.500 so they can get to know you. So like we just 00:21:03.500 --> 00:21:06.259 talked about, you have to be, you got to go to 00:21:06.259 --> 00:21:08.240 conferences, local conferences. I'm not saying 00:21:08.240 --> 00:21:10.180 you got to travel and fly places and spend a 00:21:10.180 --> 00:21:12.599 bunch of money, but most states have some type 00:21:12.599 --> 00:21:14.619 of educational conference that you can go to 00:21:14.619 --> 00:21:17.440 and you can attend. It's fairly reasonable where 00:21:17.440 --> 00:21:19.680 you can get in these rooms and mix and mingle 00:21:19.680 --> 00:21:21.819 with people. So I would say that's number two. 00:21:22.610 --> 00:21:25.009 And then the third thing I would say is you got 00:21:25.009 --> 00:21:27.609 to have confidence in your own ability. You got 00:21:27.609 --> 00:21:30.490 to have the confidence and the courage to be 00:21:30.490 --> 00:21:32.670 resilient and know, like you just said, not everyone's 00:21:32.670 --> 00:21:34.250 going to like you, but giving up is not an option. 00:21:35.109 --> 00:21:37.529 Right. So you have to be resilient because I 00:21:37.529 --> 00:21:39.390 think one of the things even with myself right 00:21:39.390 --> 00:21:41.869 now, people reach out to me on a day to day basis. 00:21:41.970 --> 00:21:43.930 Mike, honestly, there's someone always reaching 00:21:43.930 --> 00:21:46.869 out to me on LinkedIn, Instagram for some type 00:21:46.869 --> 00:21:49.109 of advice because they see what I'm doing right 00:21:49.109 --> 00:21:51.599 now. But I'm like, you're looking at where I'm 00:21:51.599 --> 00:21:56.539 currently at. Look at where I started. It's a 00:21:56.539 --> 00:22:00.039 process and there's different levels to it. But 00:22:00.039 --> 00:22:03.640 the quote is true. An expert at anything was 00:22:03.640 --> 00:22:07.460 once a beginner. So we all have an origin. We 00:22:07.460 --> 00:22:10.359 all had a starting point. It's just like a track 00:22:10.359 --> 00:22:13.640 meet. Everybody started somewhere. So you just 00:22:13.640 --> 00:22:15.700 can't give up. But you got to be willing to be 00:22:15.700 --> 00:22:18.619 obsessed with learning. your craft so that when 00:22:18.619 --> 00:22:20.980 you open your mouth and you speak, you have something 00:22:20.980 --> 00:22:24.119 valuable to add to help out the audience, whether 00:22:24.119 --> 00:22:25.900 that's students or educators themselves in my 00:22:25.900 --> 00:22:31.059 space. Good. So just wrapping things up, do you 00:22:31.059 --> 00:22:33.799 have any last words that you want to tell everybody? 00:22:34.259 --> 00:22:36.980 Not about how to contact you or anything, just 00:22:36.980 --> 00:22:40.680 last words regarding networking within the education 00:22:40.680 --> 00:22:45.380 field or speaking field? Yeah. The last thing 00:22:45.380 --> 00:22:47.279 I would say is this. If I had to say one thing, 00:22:47.359 --> 00:22:49.640 I would say what I find to be extremely valuable, 00:22:49.819 --> 00:22:52.779 and I know I say this to people often, and sometimes 00:22:52.779 --> 00:22:54.660 people think you're just fluffing, Mike, but 00:22:54.660 --> 00:22:56.440 I'm not. This is not lip service. This is from 00:22:56.440 --> 00:22:58.480 the heart. If you really want to be successful, 00:22:58.519 --> 00:23:00.779 in addition to the things that I spoke about, 00:23:01.039 --> 00:23:04.019 you need to have a good mentor or coach. You 00:23:04.019 --> 00:23:06.019 really do. And I know there's a lot of group 00:23:06.019 --> 00:23:08.119 coaching, and that's good. Group coaching is 00:23:08.119 --> 00:23:10.259 cool. There's nothing wrong with it. But to me, 00:23:10.259 --> 00:23:12.240 there's a lot of value in being able to work 00:23:12.240 --> 00:23:14.299 with someone one -on -one who can understand 00:23:14.299 --> 00:23:18.640 you. understand what your struggles are, what 00:23:18.640 --> 00:23:21.880 your pain points are and how they can help customize 00:23:21.880 --> 00:23:24.119 or give, you know, the necessary advice that 00:23:24.119 --> 00:23:26.920 you need to accelerate the process for you as 00:23:26.920 --> 00:23:29.539 an individual. Right. And I think oftentimes 00:23:29.539 --> 00:23:31.759 when people are starting out, they're not like 00:23:31.759 --> 00:23:33.779 you, Mike, because I know you, I know you off 00:23:33.779 --> 00:23:36.160 camera. I know how you think and how you function. 00:23:36.220 --> 00:23:38.140 Most people don't do that. Most people, they 00:23:38.140 --> 00:23:40.460 want success, but they don't want to invest in 00:23:40.460 --> 00:23:42.930 themselves. Right. So I would say the greatest 00:23:42.930 --> 00:23:45.609 investment you can make is investing in yourself. 00:23:46.430 --> 00:23:48.470 Right. And we invest in so many other things 00:23:48.470 --> 00:23:51.190 in life. We invest in cars, clothes, concerts, 00:23:51.269 --> 00:23:53.809 vacations, but we won't invest in ourselves. 00:23:54.230 --> 00:23:56.450 I got somebody close to me, Mike. I ain't gonna 00:23:56.450 --> 00:23:58.009 say no names. I'm not getting in trouble. I have 00:23:58.009 --> 00:24:00.890 somebody close to me, Mike. And she was like, 00:24:00.950 --> 00:24:03.789 I don't have 5 ,000 or whatever it was, 8 ,000 00:24:03.789 --> 00:24:06.150 to invest in a coaching program. I'm like, really? 00:24:06.789 --> 00:24:09.650 But I'm like, yeah, handbags. Like you got designer 00:24:09.650 --> 00:24:13.500 handbags. that equal $15 ,000 between the three 00:24:13.500 --> 00:24:16.640 of them. They're like $5 ,000 a piece. And the 00:24:16.640 --> 00:24:20.799 designer handbag can do nothing for you. How 00:24:20.799 --> 00:24:23.420 can a bag cost more than the money you have in 00:24:23.420 --> 00:24:27.660 the bag? It's fascinating to me. But then you 00:24:27.660 --> 00:24:30.180 want a level of success, but you're not willing 00:24:30.180 --> 00:24:32.079 to invest in yourself because then people go, 00:24:32.180 --> 00:24:34.619 there's no guarantees. I guarantee you one thing. 00:24:34.759 --> 00:24:36.420 If you keep walking around with these designer 00:24:36.420 --> 00:24:37.660 bags, you're going to be in the same situation 00:24:37.660 --> 00:24:41.220 you was in yesterday. Absolutely. Absolutely. 00:24:41.240 --> 00:24:44.039 I can guarantee you that much. That's great. 00:24:44.279 --> 00:24:49.319 That's great. Okay. Okay. Reggie, listen, if 00:24:49.319 --> 00:24:53.000 somebody wants to contact you, either to be coached 00:24:53.000 --> 00:24:56.099 by you or to listen to you or to know about you, 00:24:56.140 --> 00:24:58.420 learn about you, but they just want to say hi, 00:24:58.640 --> 00:25:01.740 how do they do it? Yeah. Yeah. Great question. 00:25:01.819 --> 00:25:04.680 So you can find me on all social media platforms 00:25:04.680 --> 00:25:08.619 at Dr. Reggie Wright Jr. That's Dr. Reggie Wright 00:25:08.619 --> 00:25:12.779 Jr. That's on social media. So that's Facebook, 00:25:12.980 --> 00:25:17.019 Instagram, and LinkedIn. My website is ReggieWrightJr 00:25:17.019 --> 00:25:21.759 .com. ReggieWrightJr .com. And then for coaching, 00:25:21.940 --> 00:25:25.819 please feel free to reach out to me. That's DrWrightCoaching 00:25:25.819 --> 00:25:30.980 .com. DrWrightCoaching .com. So that's DrWrightCoaching 00:25:30.980 --> 00:25:35.440 .com. That's great. Reggie, I can't tell you 00:25:35.440 --> 00:25:38.359 what kind of a thrill this was for me to have 00:25:38.359 --> 00:25:42.680 you because. Listen, you and I got together when 00:25:42.680 --> 00:25:45.960 I first started in the business. And really, 00:25:46.079 --> 00:25:49.180 there was a number of different avenues I could 00:25:49.180 --> 00:25:53.039 have taken. But I felt a kinship with you, with 00:25:53.039 --> 00:25:55.579 your background, with my background. And we came 00:25:55.579 --> 00:25:58.380 together and I wound up here. Again, I can't 00:25:58.380 --> 00:26:01.200 thank you enough. I can't thank you, Mike. And 00:26:01.200 --> 00:26:02.799 listen, if there's anything that your listeners 00:26:02.799 --> 00:26:04.960 and your viewers should take from you, and they 00:26:04.960 --> 00:26:06.460 probably don't know this, I'm going to tell them, 00:26:06.519 --> 00:26:10.950 is your resiliency. From day one, Your ability 00:26:10.950 --> 00:26:13.289 to stay committed to the task because everything 00:26:13.289 --> 00:26:15.849 in life has ebbs and flows, ups and downs. But 00:26:15.849 --> 00:26:17.750 through it all, the one thing I can say about 00:26:17.750 --> 00:26:20.369 you personally is I know that you have never 00:26:20.369 --> 00:26:23.470 wavered in your commitment to continue to progress, 00:26:23.789 --> 00:26:26.109 evolve and get better. And that's going to serve 00:26:26.109 --> 00:26:28.309 you well, because that speaks to your character, 00:26:28.450 --> 00:26:30.289 Mike. That speaks to your character, brother. 00:26:30.910 --> 00:26:33.930 Thank you. Thank you so much, Reggie. All right. 00:26:33.950 --> 00:26:36.930 And listen, I'll talk to you soon. All right. 00:26:36.950 --> 00:26:40.539 Thanks, Mike. Well, hold on, folks. Don't go 00:26:40.539 --> 00:26:43.240 anywhere. Let me just read a few of our sponsors 00:26:43.240 --> 00:26:46.920 that we have. Struggling to read success? Maybe 00:26:46.920 --> 00:26:50.099 it's time to quit. In Quit Your Way to Success 00:26:50.099 --> 00:26:55.000 by Rodney Davis. This reveals 27 steps to breaking 00:26:55.000 --> 00:26:57.960 bad habits that hold you back. This powerful 00:26:57.960 --> 00:27:01.700 book helps you rewire your mindset, take control 00:27:01.700 --> 00:27:04.839 of your actions, and turn setbacks into stepping 00:27:04.839 --> 00:27:08.109 stones. With real -life examples. motivational 00:27:08.109 --> 00:27:12.089 quotes, and actionable lessons, especially for 00:27:12.089 --> 00:27:14.329 sales professionals. 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A huge thank you to our 00:28:00.619 --> 00:28:03.480 special guests for sharing such incredible insights 00:28:03.480 --> 00:28:06.859 today. And of course, a big shout out to you, 00:28:06.960 --> 00:28:10.559 our amazing listeners, for tuning in and spending 00:28:10.559 --> 00:28:14.180 your time with us. Remember, networking isn't 00:28:14.180 --> 00:28:16.819 about being perfect. It's about being present. 00:28:17.099 --> 00:28:19.859 So take what you've learned today, get out there 00:28:19.859 --> 00:28:23.130 and make some meaningful connections. If you 00:28:23.130 --> 00:28:25.630 enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe, 00:28:25.789 --> 00:28:28.710 leave us a review, and share it with someone 00:28:28.710 --> 00:28:30.890 who could use a little networking inspiration. 00:28:31.750 --> 00:28:35.190 Let's keep the conversation going. You can find 00:28:35.190 --> 00:28:39.509 me on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or my website, 00:28:39.809 --> 00:28:43.910 michaelaforman. Remember, until next time, keep 00:28:43.910 --> 00:28:46.829 practicing, keep connecting, and keep building 00:28:46.829 --> 00:28:49.779 those relationships. This is Michael A. Foreman 00:28:49.779 --> 00:28:52.859 signing off. Take care and happy networking.