Structuring Chaotic Minds

Overcoming a Rocky Start: Leonard Dixon Jr.'s Journey of Resilience and Purpose

• Melissa Franklin • Season 3 • Episode 3

Share episode

Send us a text

What if a single moment in third grade could change the entire trajectory of your life? In this episode of "Structuring Chaotic Minds," we're joined by Leonard Dixon Jr., a powerhouse public speaker, youth mentor, and the heart behind LDJ Inspires. Leonard opens up about his rocky start in life, detailing behavioral issues that nearly led to his expulsion. It was the unwavering belief of his school principal and superintendent that shifted his path, teaching us the invaluable lesson that sometimes all it takes is one person to believe in you.

Get ready to uncover the layers of mental toughness and emotional strength as Leonard shares raw, personal stories from his football career. He emphasizes the importance of transparency about past mistakes, advocating for honesty to guide younger generations toward better decisions. Leonard's journey, bolstered by strong family support, is a testament to resilience and the relentless pursuit of dreams. Football wasn't just a sport for him; it was a crucible for life lessons that now fuel his mission to inspire and uplift youth through speaking and mentorship.

What if discovering your purpose could fill the void left by the pursuit of fame? Leonard dives into the profound impact of unlocking one's true purpose, stressing that it’s often tied to something greater than oneself. He shares how connection and community support have been pivotal in his journey, offering actionable insights for those looking to find clarity amidst chaos. With a focus on emotional growth and the transformative power of coaching, this episode is a must-listen for anyone committed to personal development and making a lasting impact. Don't miss Leonard's powerful story of resilience, reflection, and the drive to empower others.


Join the "Structuring Chaotic Minds" Family
Connect with Us:

Subscribe to Our Community:

Be a Part of the Conversation:

  • Your voice matters! Join the conversation on our social media channels, share your journey, and find support in our community.

Start Your Journey Today:

Speaker 1:

Welcome to Structuring Chaotic Minds, the podcast where we turn the chaos of everyday challenges into structured success. I'm your host, melissa. In each episode, we'll explore innovative strategies, real-life stories and actionable insights to help you navigate the complexities of leadership, business and personal growth. Whether you're an entrepreneur, a leader or someone striving for personal development, this podcast will give you the tools to create clarity in the chaos. Let's dive in.

Speaker 1:

Welcome to Structuring Chaotic Minds, and today we have a truly inspiring guest. His name is Leonard Dixon Jr. Leonard is not only a public speaker, but he's also a youth mentor and the founder of LDJ Inspires. He's on a mission to empower the next generation to unlock their potential. He's on a mission to empower the next generation to unlock their potential. Leonard, thank you for being here today. I am so excited to dive into your story and your work. Thank you for having me. So, before we get started, leonard, I want to go ahead and dive into Leonard's journey discovering purpose through adversity. You've mentioned it before. You're well known for your voice when it comes to resilience and purpose. We see it online it before. You're well known for your voice when it comes to resilience and purpose. We see it online. But before we get into all of that. You faced challenges on your own growing up. Can you share a little bit about what your childhood was like and how those experiences shaped your mission today?

Speaker 2:

Yes, my childhood was, I mean, very interesting. I'm from a small town, lake City, florida. I'm a we call it a PK, but I'm a preacher's kid. So as I was growing up, I was a very curious kid. As my mom used to say she don't never like to call a kid bad but I was just very curious and if you gave me too much time I was going to try to find some kind of way to utilize that time, whether it was being the class clown or just, you know, just really trying to get a laugh out of the classroom. But I think my turning moment in my life was when I was in third grade. I had been having behavior issues and I was in and out of the office and the principal he's, you know, back when we, you know, paddling was a thing he would bring me they wouldn't do it with us.

Speaker 1:

I think towards the end of elementary. It was still there. You're not wrong. Keep going, keep going yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2:

well, yeah, it was, it was it. It's a. It's not a thing now, but, uh, it hurt, it hurt. I remember the first day it was, I walked and I was like I heard a kid. He got paddled and he walked out with like tears and I was like I don't know if I could do this, but, um, I had to. You know, that was the consequences of getting write-ups. And, um, I remember had gotten to a point where I had to speak to the superintendent of schools and he, I'll never forget, um, I remember getting called over the intercom to go to the principal's office.

Speaker 2:

I was like man, what have I done now? Yeah, I don't think I got any right, and all the kids in the class like, oh, you're in trouble. And so I walk into the office and I notice this bald headed guy. He's dressed to the T's, dressed up. He's sitting on my principal's desk, to the T's dressed up. He's sitting on my principal's desk, my principal's there, my parents are there and I just remember walking in. I'm like, yeah, you did it this time, buddy.

Speaker 2:

And so I walk in and they have a conversation about my write-ups and my behavior and he says young man, I can expel you from every school in this county. But because that man right there he was pointing at my principal he said he believes that you could change. So I believe that you could change. So we're going to send you home for the last day of school, which was that was devastating. You know? Cupcakes, cookies, fun Friday what kid would not want to enjoy that? But unfortunately I had to pay for the consequences of my actions and that, right there there, I can't, I'll never forget. I just came back and I said you know what next year is going to be better? Um, but it was really just the fact that my principal believed in and because he believed in me, he challenged me to know what grade was this?

Speaker 2:

what grade was this? This was third grade. Yeah, this was third grade. I was like me.

Speaker 1:

No, braden had messed up so bad and I mean so bad. Um, teachers just stopped paying attention to him when he would cry and they're like that's nice. So this one time he worked extra hard for this pencil it was a ninja turtle pencil. Oh yeah, expected that pencil man. You could have thought he got robbed, like no. And he did not quite recover from that and it was third grade and I was like, yeah, I can see that, I can see that. So a third grader, that is definitely powerful. I think it's funny how much it does influence us when somebody who we look up to believes in us.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely so, go ahead. Us, when somebody who we look up to believes in us, absolutely so, go ahead. I was just saying it was just just looking back at that time how things changed so much and how things could have, you know, been very bad and very inconvenient for my parents. And I remember he him telling me. He was like do you, do you not realize I can expel you from every school in this county. Your parents are going to have to get up earlier, they're going to have to go out of their way to go to another county or another city just to take you to school because you can't get your act together. And I remember feeling that pain for them and I'm like do I really want to put my parents through this because I can't get my act together?

Speaker 2:

And again, that was when I made the decision to change. It was thinking about how I'm inconvenienced to my parents because of my behavior, but then also thinking that this guy, my principal, he knows me but he doesn't know me and he's believing me, he's taking a chance on me, like he's vouching for me to not get expelled. I'm like that means that there's something there. I know that there's something in here that I'm not allowing myself to to fully display, and it's because of my behavior. So if he believes in me, then let me believe in myself and let me come back next year with a different attitude and mentality.

Speaker 1:

It's crazy what the power of a new perspective can do for our mindsets. Would you say that understanding your purpose came out of those particular situations and that's why you're so passionate about teaching resilience and purpose to young kiddos now?

Speaker 2:

I think it came the following year it was either my fourth grade or the fifth grade year there was a speaker. They had a speaker come in. I believe this was the only speaker that had come into my school. He came to the school I don't remember what he said, but I'll never forget how he made me feel and I knew that that was something that I wanted to do. I wanted to inspire and impact lives, the message. And he said, yeah, I'm going to be at this at the uh, what they call the school board building, this afternoon, uh, this evening, and if you guys want to come and hear me speak again, you know, go tell your parents.

Speaker 2:

And I went home and I I said, hey, mom, dad, we, we, we gotta go, we gotta go hear this guy speak again. And my parents, they took me and me and my dad went up and we met him. I think he played ball overseas, professional ball overseas, or something like that. But we went, we went on stage, talked to him and again, as a kid, I'm just looking up, like this is what I want to do. I don't know what him and my dad are talking about. All I know is he had a basketball prop, and he had a message of hope and inspiration, and I believe that that's what allows us to speak to people the most. Sometimes they especially the kids they may not understand exactly what we're seeing, depending on the terminology that we use, but the heart speaks to the heart, and that's exactly what happened that day, and so now I'm on a mission to do the same.

Speaker 1:

I love that you point that out, because, as a generation, I feel a lot of times that we try to sugarcoat things for children because we don't want them to think that we were irresponsible, or we don't want them to think that oh, think less of me, or think that it's okay for you to go make these mistakes. But the funny thing is, when we are open about our problems, you'll see less errors made, and that is something that parents need to grasp too. When you're open with your kids about the crap you did, guess what? They're not going to be like oh my God, let me be a bad guy. They're going to learn from it.

Speaker 1:

If you truly learned from it Now, if you didn't learn from it and didn't change your ways and now all of a sudden you're like do as I say, not as I do, then that's a completely different thing. So I appreciate you pointing that out. So no problem, building resilience the key to thriving and success. Resilience is usually a major part of your message. You hear it in your posts, you hear it in your videos and your speeches. We hear hear that word so much, but not everybody actually understands what true resilience looks like. How would you define resilience, and why is it so critical for our young kiddos today?

Speaker 2:

I would define resilience as not taking no for an answer and that's by any means necessary in any aspect of your life. A huge part of my story is football and I remember my oldest sister hands down, my biggest fan. Unfortunately, she passed away back in 2014, I believe, 2014. But she was my biggest fan. I appreciate it. But she would take me to practices and this was when I was on the chubby side.

Speaker 2:

I was a short, chubby kid and I wanted the ball in my hands. I wanted to play running back. I wanted the guy, I wanted to be the guy that ran the touchdowns and everything. But my mentality, my body didn't match my mentality, let's just put it that way. And I remember the coaches saying you're too big, so you're too fat to play running back. And my sister she's 4'11" standing up, she's like a little pit bull standing up to these coaches You're not going to talk about my brother like that. And I remember trying to give my all just to run the ball and it just again. My body didn't match my mentality, but I didn't take no for an answer.

Speaker 2:

Middle school came, still could not bring it all together, but again, again, I had heart, I had a mentality, but, you know, my athleticism and body did not match my mentality and so going to high school, I ended up, you know, saying this is it. I'm going to reinvent myself, I'm done living up to the standards of these coaches. I'm going to make sure that I follow my dream, I follow what I want and the vision that I have for myself. And for me it was just a testament of faith and just being able to believe in myself enough to push past whatever was said about me, push past whatever limitations other people had placed on me, because I really believed that I would be the last person that anybody expected to play arena football.

Speaker 2:

Growing up, you know, I didn't wasn't the star player on any of my city league teams, I wasn't the star player in middle school, and so for me it just came out of that resilience.

Speaker 2:

It was just that resilience that really like it was like a spring into my, into my future. It was a spring resilience that really it was like a spring into my future. It was a spring into my destiny, into my calling, because I learned from football. I learned from every part of football practice, games, the ins, the outs, the Xs and the Os, the tough times, the times where it felt like maybe this might not be it, maybe this wasn't the thing. Why am I pushing so hard for something that just might not work? I my whole speaking career was birthed out of that, and I had to come to a point when I got older that I had to realize football is the vehicle. It's not who I am right, it's what I do, and I had to learn that what I do is the vehicle that's going to help me be able to extract lessons and teach, extract lessons and pour into the hearts of anybody that I have the opportunity and pleasure to speak to.

Speaker 1:

You really speak with a lot of conviction about resilience being more of a learned skill and not something you're born with, which I love, because I definitely struggled with hearing that I was smart versus not smart, because I truly believed it was something you were born with and it wasn't a skill. I used to cheat Shh, don't tell anybody. I would read the book for the next day, so that way I knew what the teacher was going to teach before they got there. That's the type of mentality I actually had. I thought you were either born and you knew it or you didn't, and if somebody found out, I was a fraud, oh my God. So, thinking about that, how do you help young people you work with build that kind of mental toughness and emotional strength, especially as they realize it's not all that serious?

Speaker 2:

Right. So for me it's all about meeting them where they are. I do it. I have a five year daughter going on 15.

Speaker 2:

For her I speak life into her, the same way I would into any child, any adolescent, any young adult, any adult. I meet her where she is, you know, because sometimes there will be times where she'll say I can't, and then my job is to help her process. Why do you feel like you can't? And then I don't just say no, you can, you can, you can't, because I'm telling she's saying that she can't, I'm telling her that she can. There's a missing piece there. I got to find a way to bridge the gap.

Speaker 2:

So again, by meeting her where she is, speaking life to her, pouring into her, but also helping, guiding her along the way, I can help her understand that maybe dad is right, maybe I can do this. I mean, right now it looks hard, but I know that if I fall I can get up. If I scrape my knee I can get up. If I shed a couple of tears, I can get up. So for me it's really all about helping people from a point of hey, no, let me grab and pull you, but hey, I'm here to guide you. I'm not going to let you fall by the wayside, I'm not going to just pull you by a rope, but, no, I'm going to grab your hand and we're going to take this journey gracefully, because, as you're learning about you and I'm trying to teach you about you, I'm learning about myself and patience and all of this stuff.

Speaker 1:

Oh man, there's like a mirror just hung up, because I was literally just picturing me and my son and I was like but that's the opposite. Instead of me telling him like, do it, you could do it, he's like you don't believe in me, that's not it. You're grounded, you're not allowed to go right you're talking about you don't believe in my dreams.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely I believe in your dreams. You want me to fail. Are you serious? Because then if you fail, I look like a bad, what right? But like the, the mindsets, the way that they shift and like, oh, someone's out to get me and I'm like, right, yeah, no, again, it's not that serious. So it's it's just really helping guide them and I love how you point that out. It's you have to meet them where they're at um, their little reptilian brains are gonna take you where they're gonna go either way. So you really have to kind of accept that. I love that, right, um, okay, my next segment is discovering discovering and living your purpose. So, um, purpose is like a major focus for you. I know, especially as you started coaching, you know me I'm going to talk about values and purpose. Um, right, believe that understanding your purpose changes everything, especially for young people. So why do you think that discovering one's purpose is so transformative?

Speaker 2:

Let me see, because I always try to, because, as a man of faith, I know what I want to say. I know that my number one purpose is to worship God. You know, and you know, worship Him in spirit and in truth, and my gifts that he's placed within me are on the vehicle that helps me do that. You know, and so I think that when someone lacks purpose, they, they don't, they feel empty. You know and I know what that's like to chase something just for the fame, or chase something just for the applause. Okay, let's say you get the applause, then what? And if you don't find a, if you don't find something that's bigger than you to pursue, you're going to always get to that dead end, and so I. That's why I had to understand.

Speaker 2:

I used to tell myself before games it's bigger than me. Yes, I'm playing this game. Yeah, yes, I want to make touchdowns. Yes, I. It feels good when people pat me on the back say, hey, man, you played one great game. But what is the end goal? There's a little kid somewhere looking in the stands like, hey, I want to be like him. And if I have the pleasure and the opportunity to just have a conversation with that kid. I'm going to leave them with a lesson that will hopefully change their life for the better. That's the end goal for me, that's the bigger picture. Their life for the better. That's the end goal for me, that's the bigger picture, hopefully something that I do and all of us that have the pleasure. What'd you say?

Speaker 1:

I said inspires basically.

Speaker 2:

Oh yeah, all of us that work with kids and people and families. We have a a stage and what we do with that stage matters. Are we here to inspire on that stage, or are we here to tear down? Are we here to build? Are we here to destroy?

Speaker 2:

Like anytime, we're operating in our area of giftedness, there's a light on us, and I remember going to a football camp back in high school and this coach he told me he said always be on your game because you never know who's gonna be watching. And I wasn't the type of player to go to the water and hang out when you say, hey, water break, I'm going to water, want to get water, and then I'm coming back to my station so I can be ready for the next drill. And I remember him telling me that. And so I went to get water and I came back and they're running back coach and their running back coach, the D1, a division one football coach, came back to me and said hey, son, what's your name? I like the way you work, keep up the good work. He wrote my name down. He said I'm gonna keep my alley.

Speaker 2:

And so for me it's like there are always eyes watching, I don't care what the situation is, what the circumstance is, there are always people watching us, and how we respond matters how we respond to the adversity, how we respond to the inconvenient times in our lives, how we respond to disagreements there's always somebody watching us and sometimes we can change somebody's life just by how we respond. And so, going back to my purpose, for me it's a. It's a journey Like it's never, like hey, I'll ride, I'm doing this to arrive here. It's I'm doing this. And as I'm on this journey, I'm giving myself grace. And as I'm giving myself grace, I'm practicing resilience. As I'm practicing resilience, there's somebody that needs some kind of inspiration. So I'm making sure I can align my life with my mission, my life's mission, my life's purpose, to just pour into the hearts and the lives and the minds of everybody that I have the pleasure to speak to, that I have the pleasure of speaking to.

Speaker 1:

I love it. Thinking of that, I guess now it's more of a question like how do you help them discover it? Because really one of the biggest things is when people are trying to figure out their values, their purpose, what they want to do. They're like tell me, no, I can't tell you. Like I can't tell you. So how do you tackle that? Like it seems for many that finding purpose is really more of a daunting task. How do you help them get past that and help them actually discover their purpose?

Speaker 2:

I always tell people that your purpose is always connected to helping somebody's life be better. You're helping their life be better in some way, shape or form. So how do you do that? I mean, it could be as simple as just opening the door for somebody, telling somebody hey, I hope you have a great day. You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 2:

But I think it's finding our gifts, finding the things that we, the small things that we do well, you know where somebody else may have to put in hours and hours and hours just to be good in that area. It's just your, it's your thing. You. You can do it without thinking about it. You can do it without much practice. Not saying you stop there, but it's something that you do with little practice and I believe that's your starting point. Like for me, I knew back in fourth, fifth grade, before I knew anything about speaking. I knew that's what I wanted to do and it wasn't because I thought I could get famous. It wasn't because I thought I was going to get a million hand claps or be before 200,000 people. Can we share?

Speaker 1:

Can we talk about how we were the same? You were just as dirty as me, dude. I didn't do the dress up, I didn't do. I'm lying. I'm lying. One day, because I was so not good and I finally had one girl come over, I was like I have to play kitchen with her because she's going to want to play kitchen. Other than that, I didn't do that. Mine was. Let me put on a backpack and pretend that I'm walking into an auditorium and talking to all these students. And when I would get off the bus in pre-K I would go to my babysitter's house, I would line up all the kids that she was babysitting and I would go reteach everything. So my mom said I was going to be a mexican, martha stewart, that ran an orphanage, that had a school, and I was like that's so funny oh wow, oh wow right, I literally go teach people the arts of different stuff.

Speaker 1:

We're building these schools, oh my god, it's hilarious. I love that you point that out, because that brings us to our next segment, which is the power of connection right reaching and impacting that next generation.

Speaker 1:

Like high five, like that's why we even became friends. You and I both, like, share this energy and I think that that made it easy at the beginning when, like, let's keep talking, let's be friends, like I like you're chill, you're cool, um, but thinking about that, you have such a gift for connecting with people in general, especially young kiddos. I know I minds more stories. In a world where a lot of people feel isolated, especially in this digital age, it's a little bit harder to feel connected. Why do you think that connection is even more important and how do you maintain that connection with your audience in this state now?

Speaker 2:

um, well, I'm gonna let y'all in on a little secret. I'm kind of an introvert, a little bit, like. I have my moments where I just like maybe I don't go up and have that conversation or maybe I don't, uh, want to be around a lot of people at that time. Um, and that's okay. It's figuring out what works for you, because you might not be the type of person you can go speak in front of 200, some thousand people, but you might not want want to always be. You don't want 200,000 people in your face all the time, and that's okay.

Speaker 2:

But I think connecting with others is how we make the world go around. That's how we you know we keep the constant flow of energy and inspiration and giving hope, giving people hope and something to believe in. If we're always isolated, then we always think that what we're doing works. Like if you, if I don't surround myself with like-minded people, then I'm going to be thinking that everything I'm doing is right and the world is wrong. But then I need people. I believe in iron sharpening iron, iron sharpens iron.

Speaker 2:

I live by that I love how you put it, and so I believe that you know I need people that's going to.

Speaker 1:

I'm going to say this I need people that are going to chisel me To put a foot up your butt like me.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I need people that, and what I mean by chisel. Let me explain it. I need people that are going to help me refine myself.

Speaker 2:

I had to clarify, I think people are going to be like what the heck are they doing? Yeah, I'm like hold on. Yeah, let me clarify that. I need people that are going to, you know, refine me. It's like the famous artist that built sculptures. I need people that are going to chisel, you know, and they're going to help me grow, and I'm going to help them grow, because you can't be a diamond if you're not willing to be cut, like mine. Everybody wants to shine, everybody wants to be bright, Everybody wants to be the center of attention, but nobody wants to be chiseled, nobody wants to be cut, nobody wants to have the microscope on them. If you look at a jeweler, they put on these glasses to make sure that the diamond fits right in the ring. Do you have friends around you that are going to make sure you are the right fit, to make sure that when, if you say I want to do something, do you have friends that are going to challenge you to to uh, to rise to the occasion?

Speaker 1:

my best friend is the meanest person I know. He has no problem telling me I'm screwing up and he is my biggest cheerleader and he will like fight anybody who even says anything bad about me.

Speaker 2:

He's like you don't get to judge her.

Speaker 1:

You don't get to tell her anything.

Speaker 2:

So I think that's a real friend, Cause he will tell me you suck, that was terrible.

Speaker 1:

We're doing this again. He's, he's a hoot. But thinking of that, I really think it's a great point how you're talking about the inspiration part, and because you've inspired so many kiddos to be able to see beyond their current challenges, that's like motivational. If you could say one thing to kids that are listening right now that might feel stuck or lost, what would you want them to hear from you?

Speaker 2:

My favorite quote life is not what happens to you. It's all about how you respond. You are who and what you choose to become. I do my best to try to live by that, even when it's even when it's hard, even when it's tough, even when I start to lose hope. Sometimes in situations that are heavy, I have to remind myself that hey you're. You know, you're not defined by the pain that you're going through. You're defined by how you respond to it. I mean, you determine who you become from this pain. You determine what you become from the situation. But if you allow the situation to define you, who are you going to inspire, who are you going to encourage by doing that? Anybody can conform to a situation, anybody can blend into a situation, but it takes a lot of resilience to stand out. It takes a lot of resilience to rise to the occasion. It takes a lot to shine bright like a diamond when you're surrounded by cold.

Speaker 1:

Thinking of that, let's piggyback off of this one, because this is a quote that I said this week and I feel like it just sticks out. True leadership isn't about speaking the loudest, it's about amplifying the voices that need to be heard. What's your thoughts?

Speaker 2:

what comes to mind is tug of war. Tug of war, it's not the leader standing outside the line of people that are pulling, it's the leader saying, hey, I see a need, let me jump in there and help out as well. Everybody wants to be the one leading and standing back and saying, hey, you go here, you go there. I want you to do this. A true leader is a person that's going to get in the mud with their team and then they're going to do whatever they got to do to make sure that the team succeeds. And so, when you said that, that's what came to mind. I love that?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I think it's. For me it's more finding the voices who often go unlooked and unspoken and unheard of, and still giving them a chance, because every person matters absolutely for me. When I say every person matters and people have privilege, it upsets them. I know I have privilege because I know I'm not going to be stoned to death in this country, but it would be very possible because I'm pretty darn black. I think my brother probably would be like voting and be like yep, she's out, but like I'm just joking. But at the same time, if my honesty really makes people that uneasy, it does always make me ask them like what lies have you been comfortable with then? Yeah, and we get to that point. So, thinking of those pieces and bringing out truth, what's your vision for the future and empowering those next generations with the truth? Like if you could actually focus on your message and resonate with it with young people. Keep it truly. What would you push for them to be able to build in the future?

Speaker 2:

When I was in Florida, when I was young, I heard about this. I think it was a law. It said no child left behind. From my understanding it was more about the classroom. So my job as a consultant, as a speaker, is to make sure that we add an aspect to that and make sure that no child is left behind when it comes to their purpose, when it comes to building resilience, when it comes to teaching them how to regulate their emotions when they're frustrated or when they're angry, when they're sad, teaching them how to find hope beyond their grief, because kids grieve too.

Speaker 2:

Sometimes they deal with grief different than we do as adults. Because we have more, we've learned more, we should have learned more over our lives because we're older, but at the same time you know, I can't put an age on it because, again, we are human, we are complex beings and, you know, sometimes we think that just because a person is 34, 24, they should have it all together. But that's just how, how complex we are as humans and sometimes it just doesn't work like that. But for me it's just making sure that every child knows that they have support, that there is somebody here that believes in them, there is somebody that wants to see the best for them, wants them to succeed, that wants to help them stand out from amongst the crowd, rather than trying to fit in when you know that the crowd that you're choosing to hang with, they're not doing things that are going to put you in places and spaces that you want to be. They're not doing things that are going to put you in places and spaces that you want to be.

Speaker 2:

So, for me, it's just making sure that I become a beacon of hope, an agent of change, somebody that's going to be looked at as a big brother. Hey, big bro, what do you think? Hey, big bro, what do you think? And I always tell people it's not about what I think, it's about what you think. But I'm here, I'm here to guide you, to give you that guidance and that, uh, that, that advice.

Speaker 1:

But I'm also going to help you pull out the truth that lies on the inside. It's definitely a ripple effect, so good job. I feel like your message is definitely timely. It's like right on time, especially after covid. Kids need it more and I believe, just like you, that it's going to continue to impact many lives to come. Our aha moments my son Leonard's experience with Structure Innovations, aha moments in transformative coaching. Now, you already knew this part. Before we wrap up, I would love for you to share something personal with our audience. You've been a client of Structure Innovations and you played I'll say play with the Balanced Professional Pathways program, and then you jumped in and actually did the program. What was the biggest aha moment during the program and how did those services impact your journey?

Speaker 2:

It was a huge look in the mirror for me, like one thing football taught me was to just get it done by any means necessary, tough, to push through it. But sometimes in pushing through it I don't get a chance to actually look at the things that I'm struggling with, things that I'm lacking, areas that I'm lacking in lagging skills, areas where there's opportunity for growth. I don't get a chance to do that when I'm just focused on pushing through. So it really helped me. Being going through the program really helped me find a balance and see things for what they were and not the way I was thinking about it.

Speaker 2:

It kind of goes back to what we were saying, like if you don't surround yourself with strong minded, positive people, you'll go through this world and you'll go through your journey thinking that everything you're doing is working, I'm fine, I'm fine, you really you're, you're, you're spiraling the drain, so you need somebody to come in and help you look in the mirror, force you to look in the mirror, because the mirror can be uncomfortable, but by forcing yourself to look in that mirror and seeing that, hey, I have a few scars that I haven't dealt with, I have some pain that I've allowed to sit on my heart and now everything that I'm doing in my life is manifesting because of what's in my heart, and just going through the program has showed me a, helped me see things from a different perspective, see things in a different light, and I'm very thankful and grateful for y'all for working with me and just showing me that there are areas in my life that I need to revisit, that I need to grow from, things that I need to heal from, and there's things that there's also areas of.

Speaker 2:

Hey, give yourself that pat on the back. Pat on the back, give yourself grace because you're doing the work. You may not be where you want to be, but, hey, thank God, you're not where you used to be you may not be where you want to be, but hey, thank god you're not where you used to be.

Speaker 1:

Well, that's always good to hear, and makes me feel incredible knowing that clients have been able to benefit from it and it's helped them grow. Thinking of that, though, how did it feel, talking about feelings, when you came in for coaching with your business and I was like, let's talk about feelings. And then, instead of going to the business, I made you focus on other areas of your life first?

Speaker 2:

um, what was that? What was the last question?

Speaker 1:

I got the first question first question was how did it feel? Talking about feelings, I'll ask the next one a little bit okay, so let's, let's address the stereotype.

Speaker 2:

Me and we don't like talking about feelings. We don't. But I try to be. Especially in this space of speaking and coaching and consulting, I try to be as open, honest and transparent as I can. And talking about feelings, it's good when it's an easy topic, but it's. But I'm gonna be honest, it sucks when you're constantly pulling the, the mess out, the deepest, darkest parts of you.

Speaker 2:

There's the pieces where I'm like, hey, I'll tell you this, I'm fine. But then there's also times where it's like I don't really want to talk about this and you've seen it on my face. Most times You're like I see your nose twitch when you say that so what's up, talk about it. And I'm like I don't want to talk about it. But I twitch when you said that so what's up, talk about it. And I'm like I don't want to talk about it, but I needed to because I need. Sometimes I need to hear myself say the heart Right, I need to see. I need to hear myself say the thing that makes my nose twitch. I need to see the thing I need to say, the thing that that makes me feel, feel bad at times, because the only way I can some challenges actually puts you out of that comfort zone.

Speaker 1:

I appreciate that because I know I swear you were super annoyed with me the first time. I was like we're not focusing on these areas are nowhere. You're like what am I here for? Then I was like, just trust me, just trust me. And you actually focused on them. You did your homework. I was like kudos to you kudos. What was it like? Like that's not what you came in for and you actually focused on them. You did your homework. I was like kudos to you kudos. What was it like? Like that's not what you came in for and you kind of shifted. So what was it like?

Speaker 2:

it was good. I mean because I can't. It's hard for me to help others heal if I don't heal it, and I can't heal unless I face the fence, which is a part of my story that I talk about when I. You know, there's messages when I talk about facing defenses and climbing defenses in your life, and a lot of times those emotions were fences for me that I had to face and by me facing those fences, I learned how to climb, become more resilient in the face of it, because I'll face those emotions again, I'll face those feelings again, but now I know how to climb.

Speaker 2:

And so by you pulling, by you pulling that out of me, by you challenging me to say the hard thing, it helped me in so many ways that I can't even explain in words. But I know and I I feel, I feel, I felt the love. You know what I'm saying. I felt that you know your genuineness and your willingness to help, especially when there were scheduling conflicts. At times he was like you don't want to do this. I was like no, no, I want to do it.

Speaker 1:

I will.

Speaker 2:

At first I was like, oh, do I want to do this? I'm glad I did.

Speaker 1:

I'm glad you did too. I'm very proud of you for putting in the work. How much easier was it for us to solidify your messaging and like how much more connected did you feel after you got done doing the interpersonal work.

Speaker 2:

I felt real connected, like even now, like I'll you know we talk about finances out, I'll look and I'll just be like, okay, I need to do this. And I'm kind of I'm in a state of awareness yeah, very aware, that's the word you was looking for.

Speaker 2:

Yes, I love it, but I just I'm in a state of awareness. So now, instead of me bearing things that I know I need to bring to the surface, now they're at the surface I just have to find the time to um address. You know, hey, I'll address this this time, I'll address that at that time, versus letting them sit, sit and sit and then, you know, I get frustrated and then it's like a big blow up because I didn't deal with the emotions.

Speaker 1:

So I'm very proud of you. You've seen a lot of emotional growth, um, but a lot more ownership in other areas because of it, so I'm very proud of you. You've seen a lot of emotional growth, um, but a lot more ownership in other areas because of it, so I'm just really proud of you. You did the work. So thank you for letting me guide you on that, because I get to say like, oh, I got him there. I didn't do the work. That's the cool part. I don't have to do the work, I just have to guide you with the questions and I get along the way.

Speaker 2:

It's freaking awesome, like I love yo, I tell people all the time there's nothing better than doing what you love and getting paid yes.

Speaker 1:

So, thinking about that, what would you say to someone who might be on the fence about getting coaching not necessarily for me, but just coaching in general or going through a program like balanced professional pathways, or possibly even getting assistance through Structured and Support, the way you did with RVA Services? What would you tell them if they're hesitant to go?

Speaker 2:

I would say do it. When is the last time you ever see the football team on the field without a coach? I couldn't tell you. As a player myself, I don't remember any game going out there on the field facing the opposing opposing team without a coach, without a field general, without somebody that was going to put us in the right positions to win, or at least put us on the path, um, to win, because we have to show up as the players. We got to show up, we got to play the game. The coach is just there to help make sure he puts us in the right position to play the game, and so I would say, if you are on the fence about coaching, please do yourself a favor.

Speaker 2:

If you want to win in life, if you want to become more resilient, if you want to be better with your families and your relationships and your finances, whatever it is that you're seeking, you need a coach to be able to help you get there, because, again, it's cool to feel like I got this. I don't need a coach and I don't. That's your ego talking, but at some, at some point in time, your ego is going to face a giant, and that giant just might be bigger than you, and you need somebody that's going to help you go into that battle with with more than just your ego, but actually skills to win that battle, and so, for me, I needed it I love that you point that out, cause I feel, like the clients that I that I work with, that they're like here real quick, have no problem paying me.

Speaker 1:

Jeez, they don't even want to talk to me every week, like they're supposed to do like twice a month. I don't really have to talk to you that much. I'm like okay, I'll still take the money, but thank you. But it's funny because they've gone through so much coaching. They are millionaires and they have that mindset Okay, here's more coaching. This is what I need.

Speaker 1:

Next, I already know, I know myself I'm going to need someone to remind me, and that's been the most powerful thing for me. The more and more that I do coaching myself, the more and more I'm investing money for a stronger coach and someone else not another teacher who can teach me sales or teach me that it's really can you coach me? And a lot of people don't know how to coach. So that's the big one. You got to make sure you have a coach, and a coach asks the right questions. They don't tell you what to do, they don't create that path for you. They see that light in you and they create the right questions. So I love that. It's truly been a privilege to have you on the show today and to be able to have you as a client. Your insights on resilience and purpose are always a fun conversation for us. I think we go on forever, all the time, but before we do wrap up, what's just one thing you want to leave with our listeners?

Speaker 2:

If you have an audience, if you have students, if you have faculty and staff and you want that, that conversation about resilience and that finding and understanding purpose, bring me in, let's work together. I don't just say, hey, let me come in and do what I do in, let's work together. I don't just say, hey, let me come in and do what I do, let's work together, let's collaborate and see how we can work together to make sure that we engage in that culture shift for not only your schools but your communities as well, because we all have to. We're all in this thing together. As we say, life be life, but it really takes a village.

Speaker 2:

I was just talking to some guys the other day and they were like man, um, I said they said hey, we heard you're a speaker. Um, I said yeah. I said oh, yeah, I am. And they was like well, I said what do you need? What's going on, what's going on in your life? And he said, man, it's hard, man, I'm in the sales industry and it's hard. Right then, and there that was. That was a stage.

Speaker 2:

Just to get them that message, give them that hope that there is greater coming for you, there is a better life than the one you're currently living, but also giving them that grace like, hey, we're all, we're all, we all struggle from time to time, it's okay, but yeah, let's, let's collaborate, let's uh, become family and let's work together to make sure that nobody is left behind and make sure that everybody feels heard and that, as long as we have each other, we can't win. I mean, we can't lose. As long as we have each other, we can't lose. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. As long as we have each other on this journey we call life, we can't lose I love that.

Speaker 1:

I'm gonna spin off of that one and be like as long as you're stuck with that one, you're probably not gonna win, but as long as we have each other, we can't lose, but even if, even if you don't win, you can always learn, and when you learn, when you choose to learn, you'll never lose.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I like to say nothing ever gets easier. You just get better at juggling a lot, absolutely because, yeah, no, it never really does get easier. Leonard, thank you so much again, and to our listeners if this conversation has resonated with you, don't keep it to yourself. Share it with someone else who needs to hear these words and follow Leonard on LinkedIn at this point, that's probably the best place that I see him, and you can also follow him on Facebook. Is there anything else? Events you have coming up that you want to share with anybody before we call it a night?

Speaker 2:

Is there anything else, events you have coming up that you want to share with anybody? Before we call it a night? Yes, so I'll say this you can follow me on LinkedIn at Leonard Dixon Jr. You can also follow me on Facebook at Leonard Dixon Jr, and on Instagram at LDJ underscore inspires, as well as TikTok at LDJ underscore inspires as well. And Monday I'll be speaking at the Kentucky Prevention Network Conference. It's a pretty big deal. There's going to be educators in the building, there's going to be counselors in the building, there's going to be prevention specialists in the building, and we're going to dive in and talk about hope and understanding, purpose and navigating the sudden changes of life, and I know it's going to be an awesome time. I've already spoken with the board members. They're ready, I'm ready and I'm just looking for a great and awesome turnout.

Speaker 1:

Let me know how that goes, because you already know that topic is very close to home. So anything that comes to that, please let me know how I can be of support, and I'm so darn proud of you. It's not even funny. Well, listeners, until next time, stay structured and smiling. Have a great one. Thank you for tuning in to Structuring Chaotic Minds. If today's episode resonated with you, don't forget to subscribe, share and leave a review. Remember the key to success is not avoiding chaos, but learning how to structure it. Stay inspired, keep growing and join me next time as we continue to transform challenges into opportunities. Until then, take care and keep structuring your chaotic mind.