IBS Interview Podcast: Jonn Thomas

March 3, 2024
Black Summit Interviews
Season 2, Episode #4 - Jonn Thomas 

This month, Glenn Greenidge and Grace Lawrence interview JONN THOMAS: 

Jonn has served as an International Black Summit (IBS) Facilitator, trainer, curriculum developer, and co-leader of the IBS Facilitator Body. For over 30 years he has personally coached or trained more than 1,000 people in areas of personal power, career, relationships, goal setting, business, project management, and leadership.

Jonn Thomas is the president of MicroBiz Marketing, a company that specializes in creating customized and affordable marketing solutions for small businesses. His technical marketing expertise is an outgrowth of his commitment to delivering huge outcomes to business owners and others who want to live expansive lives.

Jonn's coaching and facilitator training includes his 1993-2000 participation in Landmark Education, where he completed training that prepared him to lead introductions to the Landmark Forum and the Self-Expression and Leadership Program.

According to Jonn, "We all have our own unique gifts & talents. I believe the greatest gift we can give is the gift of really being fully ourselves. You have God given talents. I invite you to be exactly who you are. Develop your vision and gifts, then share them with your family, friends, community and even the world. Imagine that!"

An avid connoisseur of P'Funk, Soul and Blues music, Jonn mostly enjoys practicing new music on his bass guitars and showing off his Carolinian barbecue grill skills.

For more information about the International Black Summit, please go to:

Website – blacksummit.org
Twitter – @blacksummit
Facebook – facebook.com/blacksummit/
IBS News Sign-Up – bit.ly/IBS-signup
IBS Annual Summit Event Registration – blacksummit.org/ase

The views and opinions expressed by the person interviewed are their own and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the International Black Summit.

Transcript

[THIS TRANSCRIPT HAS NOT BEEN EDITED NOR PROOFREAD]

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Welcome everyone to the International Black Summit Interview Podcast. The International Black Summit for those of you who aren't familiar with us is an organization created in 1,991 and our purpose is to provide an opportunity for participants to bring into being their vision for the black community.

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And the world. My name is Grace Lawrence and I'm one of the co-hosts this evening and with me is my co-host.

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You want to say a few words?

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Glen Greenage from New York City.

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And I'm from Toronto, Canada. And tonight we're going to be interviewing a long time facilitator of the International Black Summit.

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He's been a foundational member of the organization for many years. His name is Jonn Thomas. A multi skilled person very interesting and I think you guys are going to really enjoy our conversation with him tonight.

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So let me say a little bit about Jonn. I'm just going to read his biography here, short version.

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So a little bit about Jonn Thomas. So Jonn has served as an international black summit facilitator, trainer, curriculum developer, and co-leader of the International Black Summit Facilitator Body.

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For over 30 years, he has personally coached or trained more than a thousand people in areas of personal power, career, relationships, goal setting, business, project management, and leadership.

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Jonn is the president of microbiz marketing, a company that specializes in creating customized and affordable marketing solutions for small businesses.

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Is technical marketing expertise is an outgrowth of his commitment to delivering huge outcomes to business owners and others who want to live expansive lives.

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Jonn's coaching and facilitator training includes his 1993 to 2,000 participation in landmark education.

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Where he completed training that prepared him to lead introductions to the landmark forum and to lead the self-expression and leadership program.

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According to Jonn, quote, we all have our own unique gifts and talents. I believe the greatest gift we can give is the gift of really being fully ourselves.

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Imagine that. An avid con connoisseur of P funk, soul, and blues music, Jonn mostly enjoys practicing new music on his bass guitars and showing off his Carolinian barbecue grill skills.

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Yeah.

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So I haven't, so that's a little bit about Jonn Thomas. So, gonna ask Jonn to join us in the virtual studio today was just means having him come on screen with us so that you can all see him.

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So, so Glenn, if you

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Jonn, go ahead and start your video.

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So and I will say I haven't had Jonn's Carolinian grill skills grill and barbecue skills so it's about time you get a little bit of that.

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So let's spotlight you. And have you join us. Great. Welcome, welcome, Jonn.

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Can you come off the mute?

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Yep

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You can unmute yourself. Okay.

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Yeah, welcome, Jonn. Welcome. How are you doing?

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I'm doing really good. I'm doing really well.

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Great, great.

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Good to have you, Jonn.

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Thanks, it's good to be, it's good to be here. Thank you guys for inviting me.

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Since you started or you ended with the Carolinian barbecue. I almost did some today.

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Yeah.

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Oh boy.

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I would thinking about just restart this podcast off right, right? I was thinking about slow cooking too.

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Whole chickens spread out. So I bought the chickens. I just haven't cooked them yet.

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Okay.

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So maybe by the next time we get together I can tell you what happened as I. Smoked 2 full chickens back here in the yard and knock Kaki Lacket.

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Okay, well let me ask you this John, how does that help me here in Toronto? You gonna ship it here?

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You get the package it up and ship it to Canada.

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And look, I've been waiting for somebody. Yes, ship at the Canada. I'm waiting for somebody to invent that machine that I can put it in like my microwave and hit a button and then it shows up where you are.

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Okay.

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So as soon as that happened. You good to go.

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At the truth.

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It might it might be it might be closer than we think because Lord knows the some of the things that are happening with AI and other things are things I never thought I would see in my lifetime.

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So all kinds, you never know what's possible. You never know what's possible.

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Okay. You never know. You never know.

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So.

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So, John, what was your first? Summit event and and what Got you interested in the summit.

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Yeah.

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Okay, so let's start with.

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My first summit was in New Orleans. 1994. And how? I found out about it.

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Was through this couple that we met in the Introduction Leaders Program with Landmark. I was a coach.

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They were participants in the program and my then wife, no fiancee was also in the program. Their names was.

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Oh, okay.

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Thomas and Brenda Shelton. One of our longtime facilitators brother Susan Selton and I remember meeting Thomas.

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In the advanced course and they said you know They are having this conversation with black people.

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Where? In New Orleans. And August.

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He's like, you wanna go? I was like, yeah, I wanna go. So,

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This this conversation being a conversation about transformation, yeah?

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This kind of, yeah, conversation, cause we were in an advanced course, we was in a, we was in a transformational kind of space already.

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And so it was like a secret, you know, like you know they're having this conversation with black people and a group of black people are getting together and doing this.

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Where? And August. Where? In New Orleans.

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You going? Yeah, I'm going. You go, yeah, I'm going. And that got us on this adventure.

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Of finding out about the International Black Summit. I personally had been looking. For something like this for a long time.

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Some people having this kind of transformational metaphysical you know, different way of looking at life kind of conversation.

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So I did the landmark forum in 1993.

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So I was happy. I found something. Right? But it was a bunch of people's like maybe 3 people that looked like me in it.

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And so by 1994 and I met Thomas and those. And found out there were black people having the conversation.

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I was like, I gotta be there. And when I got here. Here being, to New Orleans, but I'm like, when I got to the summit.

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I saw all these beautiful black people. I've never seen that many black people.

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Right, except for college, right? But I've never seen that many. Different kinds of black people.

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I went to a historically back university with some state. And most of the black people there look like me, act like me, but from the same places that I was from.

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Somewhere in America. I get the new almonds and I'm seeing.

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They all look like me. But they didn't all act like me and they didn't all talk like me.

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And then was this one lady. In the lobby and I'm not sure who she was talking to.

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She said, Stop creating him not coming. Stop creating you not coming. Create them coming. Create them coming.

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Man, Lisa looked at each other like, what does that mean, create a him coming? How are these people?

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Right? And, and that was like the very beginning of my journey. Of discovering, you know, really the diversity.

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That. Exist in our culture, in our race. You know, so I got to see Africans and Jamaicans and people, other people from the Caribbean and people from Canada and people from other parts of the world where I didn't know.

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Y'all, I'm telling you, I didn't know. I never met him. I seen him on TV.

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But I know, So that was my first and then that night. They have the. Second line.

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Thursday night they have this big gathering welcoming everybody to the city to the place and you know there's this band plan bum boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom don't do that.

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I mean they're walking around there. I mean they're walking around this and again I'm thinking what?

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Kind of black people on these.

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Good, I've just come from like, you know, a really kind of rigid. Being you see at 9 o'clock.

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Right, ready to go kind of. Training. And that was my entree and for probably the first Day or so, I was skeptical.

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You know, I was looking. I was liking but I was skeptical because must've been all the cool black people was there.

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Right, cause they weren't in my neighborhood here in Fairville, right? So I'm gonna stop there with the answer to that question, cause I know you might have another one or 2 and as you guys can tell I can talk.

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Got it. Well, you know, it's interesting. 1,995 was before my exposure to the International Black Summit my first exposure was in 1,999.

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But it's interesting you talking about seeing other types of black people on TV. Cause I saw African-americans on TV.

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And so my experience to actually being inside African-american culture was through the International Black Summit.

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Yeah.

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So. We are we all have our, we all have our little piece of the world, you know, and come in and come together.

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Yeah.

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In the summit in the summit. So just a little bit then about When you joined the facilitator body like we've already talked about the fact that you have been a long time member of the facilitator body and I have also been one of the people to hold the space what we call holding the space.

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For the leadership body. What had you decide to join the facilitator body and be trained to become an international black summit facilitator.

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Well, basically, The same reason where why I wanted to attend the International Black Summit. I wanted to be in a transformational conversation with people of black African descent.

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And when I did. The summit in August and 1994. I wanted to be a facilitator then.

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But at the time I was leading other programs for landmark education. And every year. There was a special meeting.

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That if you were interested in being a facilitator, you had to be able to attend that meeting.

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And every year there would be something on that date. Right, some training, some mandatory training.

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Had to attend. And. I was looking at the people for facilitating. The annual event.

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And how they were able to engage with people. How they were able to Talk with people. I thought it was nothing short of miraculous.

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Some of the things that they would say. Some of the ways of being that they were being was the 5 original facilitators and they would be interacting with people.

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And I was like, I want to do that and I couldn't do that until. I got to the closer to the end of my My work with landmark.

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And so a weekend came open where I could go to an October weekend. I want to say 98 maybe right right before you probably took the Summit.

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Hey, it came open and I could attend. So for about 4 years, 5 years, I was all around it.

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But I couldn't actually become a facilitator because I couldn't attend that weekend. And, I wanted to be able to have that kind of facility.

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With people and to be able to be with people whether they were happy or sad or confronted with something or dealing with some kind of major conflict or dealing with some kind of measuring acknowledgement.

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They were able to be with people. Be related to people. In such a way that was really inviting to me and I wanted to be trained and developed and Being able to do that being able to be like that with people.

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So, so John, would you say that, that There was a different way of being. With the people that that's what had attracted you.

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You kind of talked a little bit about it. But you were in leadership and training. And leading people in this other transformational organization, but yet you saw something different.

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About the International Black Summit and how they were with their participants. So say a little bit more about that if you could.

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So I came from a training environment. Right. And up until then, I was also a consultant, cause I'm coming from a teaching environment.

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I'm coming from here's the outline. Right here, the, the, key points you need to learn.

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Here's the objective and here's the training and I would deliver the training. Right? Where this was like, More like a conversation.

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There was no man. As an SCLP leader, I had a manual that was that thick.

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It was scripted. The whole thing was scripted. The whole the whole I can lay the whole thing out.

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That's how organized it was, right? And we were leading as they were calling. Training, whereas in the International Black Summit.

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They facilitate or we facilitate by listening.

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Right? Listening to what people are sharing and mining the gold. And what they're saying. And doing it in such a way that they begin to hear different aspects of themselves.

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In their own speaking. So part of my training as a facilitator was kind of undoing.

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The training as a, like a professional trainer, if you would. Right? It wasn't teaching.

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It wasn't, I got the answer, now I'm gonna give it to you. Right?

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And I said there's nothing wrong with that because there are times when that is the perfect thing. I don't want to listen to you, talk for 3 days about the thing you could or should or would have said to somebody what you didn't.

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Right, right now I need you to pick up this rock and move it from here. I'm being for and put it over here.

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That's all I need you to do. So there's a place. For instructional. Type of education.

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And but this was a more of a organic. And flowing. Kind of engagement. I remember being in New York and I don't know exactly what the conversation was but in 1995 the summit was in New York.

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The biggest summit ever right. And I remember Anthony saying something about they would send up the lunch break and I don't know if this exactly like this but the homework was something like.

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Okay, so now for lunch. I want you to go be with that which you can't be with.

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Not thinking. Kind of.

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Right.

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You know, I mean, but I did my homework. Right? I went and I was looking at the thing.

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That I was a kinda thought I was afraid of being with, which at the time was being like vulnerable.

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Right, so over the over the over the break over the lunch I had the go. And be with being vulnerable.

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And so I made that mean I need to open myself up. I need to share. I need to say some things I normally wouldn't say.

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And then come back and share it. And then they would listen to what people say and they would pull something from there that the whole room is like, wow.

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So, does that communicate because it's really kind of a, experiential. For now, when you're engaged and as one of the people who facilitate it's an experiential kind of phenomenon like I might sound like I know what I'm talking about and I know where I'm going.

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And what I know for sure is to listen to the space. And trust what I'm hearing. Is what's being said.

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Yeah.

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And then checking in to see if that's actually so. Right? And in the process of that, people see things for themselves as we're going through this process.

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So is.

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I'm pausing because I saw you say something or see something.

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That's right. Yeah.

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Yeah. I have a 2 part question for you, John. I'm going off script because we did send you some possible questions and when I send them to our guests they usually I usually mentioned that I don't think I mentioned this to you, that we have these interview questions and we may use them and we may not.

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No, I didn't get the admin.

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So what we sent you was questions we may or may not. We may or may not follow that script.

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Okay, great.

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So this is an off script, 2 part question. Part one of the question is. Oh, back in the nineties and you saw these facilitators at the front of the room, the original 5 and what they were doing seemed magical to you.

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You later became a facilitator and have been a facilitator now. For 20 plus years. Are you now?

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Are you now clear that you are them?

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Right? Are you now clear that you are them? You are the one of the people up at the front of the room creating magic.

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That's part one of the question.

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Well, I'm one of the people up in front of the room, right? I'm clear about that.

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Right. The creating the magic part. Well, I don't know. But yeah, I would say yes.

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I've been. I've been

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Or Let's hating magic showing up. Maybe you're not creating it, but your facilitating magic showing up.

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I'll buy that. I'll buy that. I'm holding like we like to say I'm holding a space.

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4 that the happen for people.

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Whatever that might be.

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Before you answer the second part of that question. So describe holding the space for people because that sounds like something that people may not necessarily be familiar with, but it's certainly is a space that has to be captured in order to listen.

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So as a facilitator, what would you say to someone who Ask you what is holding the space.

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Let me see, I was just, I was looking around my office to see if I had something that I could use that I thought was appropriate.

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For a demonstration. But imagine that There's an area. And when I say holding the space, I'm thinking physically and metaphorically.

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Right, there's an area. A contained area. In which we're having a dialogue, having a conversation.

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Right? As a facilitator, I would say my job, our job. Is to is to Listen to what's happening in that area and that in our case it'll be the annual summit event.

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Right? Last week it was a summit share. Right, so I'm listening to everything that's happening in the space.

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Right. And being accountable for what's happening in the space. And there's all kinds of things that's going on in the listening, if you will, in that space.

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There are people perplexed their people excited, their people. Sad they're people who are just got off of work, they're people that's ready to go to sleep, there are all kinds of things that's there and as a facilitator our job is to kind of be aware of it.

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Right. And.

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Keep engaging in that. So what I mean by that is Is instead of me putting all my stuff in it.

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Right? Bring in all my conversation. In it coming up with all the things I want to tell people.

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Right? That's not my job is the facilitator. My facilitate my job is to facilitate it's like if this was a room.

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If this was the space. Right. And this would be the people in the space. And our job is to listen to the conversation that's happening in a way that these people here and see themselves.

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Right? And see things that open up for them. So it's not my job to then bring all of my stuff and put in the space because I'm holding the space to be kind of hard to hold this space and put yourself in the space and that's like the best I can do with that Glen because it's kind of Okay.

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Not, perfect. Perfect. Now back to your question, your second question, Grace.

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Yeah, what was the second part?

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All script.

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Part 2, part 2. So first, thank you for your answer to part once. So, part 2.

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4.

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Again, looking back. Back to before 1995. And to today. What would you say the impact of your participation in the International Black Summit has been?

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On your life. So what What is showing up in your life, in your world, in your community, in your family?

00:25:32.000 --> 00:25:36.000
That you declare.

00:25:36.000 --> 00:25:41.000
Is a result of your participation in the International Black Summit since 1995.

00:25:41.000 --> 00:25:48.000
4.

00:25:48.000 --> 00:25:49.000
Did you hear my question okay? Okay.

00:25:49.000 --> 00:25:57.000
I did. Did you hear me say 4?

00:25:57.000 --> 00:25:58.000
4.

00:25:58.000 --> 00:25:59.000
You can say, 90 95.

00:25:59.000 --> 00:26:01.000
Yes . Yeah

00:26:01.000 --> 00:26:03.000
Oh, 1994, sorry. Okay, got it. Sorry, I didn't know what 4 was.

00:26:03.000 --> 00:26:05.000
Thank you. Yeah.

00:26:05.000 --> 00:26:11.000
I was like, I don't know. Okay, 1994. Got it.

00:26:11.000 --> 00:26:21.000
Okay, so I've pretty much I was talking to Susan yesterday. Susan Shelton, why the facilitators.

00:26:21.000 --> 00:26:32.000
And we facilitate a lot together and I was talking to her about Well, I use it everywhere.

00:26:32.000 --> 00:26:38.000
Right? I use it all the time. And I use it everywhere. What is the it?

00:26:38.000 --> 00:26:48.000
I use the tools, the distinctions. Of the International Bank Summit. Like authentic listening.

00:26:48.000 --> 00:26:50.000
Like noticing?

00:26:50.000 --> 00:26:53.000
What's the impact of using the tools everywhere? So I wanted the results. Okay.

00:26:53.000 --> 00:27:03.000
I'm in Virginia. But yeah, the results has been. Everything from

00:27:03.000 --> 00:27:18.000
Starting an economic development. Addition to the Chamber of Commerce. That eventually turned into an economic development.

00:27:18.000 --> 00:27:29.000
Corporation that. So, supported about 55,000 people. A community of about 50,000 55,000 people.

00:27:29.000 --> 00:27:30.000
So everything will do.

00:27:30.000 --> 00:27:32.000
This is the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce.

00:27:32.000 --> 00:27:34.000
It was the spring late Chamber of Commerce. One of the cities of the suburbs of Fayville.

00:27:34.000 --> 00:27:38.000
Okay.

00:27:38.000 --> 00:27:44.000
So everything from something like that and not knowing anything about.

00:27:44.000 --> 00:27:58.000
Economic Development. But I knew about vision. And I knew about facilitation. And so I can take those skills, have a conversation with the community.

00:27:58.000 --> 00:28:24.000
Kinda mind what the community wants to have happen. We ended up putting together a committee. Of people that were elected officials and property owners and the hotel owners and the residential development and some some of the faith-based people to become this group of people to support the development of this community.

00:28:24.000 --> 00:28:36.000
I got that access to that way of being. By being a facilitator and using the different. Twos that we have the different distinctions.

00:28:36.000 --> 00:28:55.000
So, so John, let's, let's, Let's hear about some of the distinctions that that you Maybe use more frequently than some of the others because the International Black Summit has a slew of probably about 30 maybe close to 40 distinction.

00:28:55.000 --> 00:29:01.000
So what are the distinctions that you use in your day-to-day living?

00:29:01.000 --> 00:29:17.000
Lloyd, Clean. I must start with noticing, right? I'm a start with noticing because I've actually used that distinction to create a space for myself.

00:29:17.000 --> 00:29:30.000
To move about in the world, if you will, right? And the space for myself is listening for whether or not I'm having.

00:29:30.000 --> 00:29:38.000
And, inspiring experience.

00:29:38.000 --> 00:29:56.000
So I'm using the distinction noticing noticing is like not adding anything to it's like observing yourself in action kind of like step away from yourself and look at yourself in action and then see what you see.

00:29:56.000 --> 00:30:03.000
Right, no emotion, no judgment, just kind of just check it out. So now when I'm having conversations with people, I'm always kind of participating in something.

00:30:03.000 --> 00:30:12.000
I'm bouncing it against is this.

00:30:12.000 --> 00:30:17.000
An inspiring experience.

00:30:17.000 --> 00:30:29.000
And if it is, I let it ride. I keep going. I keep going with it. If it's not, then I look to see is there anything that I can shift or change?

00:30:29.000 --> 00:30:37.000
About myself so that I can have an inspiring experience.

00:30:37.000 --> 00:30:43.000
And if I see something, I'll try to shift it. Cause I'm committed to having the expiring experience.

00:30:43.000 --> 00:30:46.000
They're not.

00:30:46.000 --> 00:31:00.000
But if I don't see anything that I can shift about myself. I don't see I'm noticing I'm checking it out I'm looking at how I'm feeling my mannerisms, my emotions, you know, am I getting agitated like all that's going on?

00:31:00.000 --> 00:31:06.000
I'm like, you know what? I'm not having an inspiring experience here.

00:31:06.000 --> 00:31:13.000
And I begin sharing that with people at the beginning of the year, so now they know it's not personal.

00:31:13.000 --> 00:31:20.000
Just let me know this conversation we're having right now. Is not an inspiring experience for me.

00:31:20.000 --> 00:31:27.000
So I'm gonna have to go here and say good night. Right, I think we had a great conversation and I noticed.

00:31:27.000 --> 00:31:40.000
How much freer? It's been. So I use our distinction. To create this context for me living my life and I can check it.

00:31:40.000 --> 00:31:49.000
I can check it anytime. Right? And it puts the illness. Of having the kind of experience I want to have.

00:31:49.000 --> 00:31:58.000
Back on me. You know, now that's a big ask, cause you know, I'm not saying everybody gets off the hook because they don't.

00:31:58.000 --> 00:32:09.000
Cause I'm really committed to having an expiring experience and it might. Involve me. And with you.

00:32:09.000 --> 00:32:23.000
Right? It might involve me having a conversation with you so we can see what's there. And see if I can infold you into having inspiring experience yourself.

00:32:23.000 --> 00:32:24.000
Oops.

00:32:24.000 --> 00:32:27.000
I'm gonna stop there cause you know I shared with you for about 2 h about that just that one thing.

00:32:27.000 --> 00:32:28.000
Yeah.

00:32:28.000 --> 00:32:42.000
You know, so, What's your vision, John? You know, like we, we talk about the International Black Summit purpose being to to provide an opportunity for participants to bring into being their vision.

00:32:42.000 --> 00:32:45.000
For the black community in the world. What is your vision?

00:32:45.000 --> 00:32:56.000
You know, when you were reading that, my intro. Grace and adult. I don't know how many years ago that was written.

00:32:56.000 --> 00:33:05.000
It's over 20 years. That, God given talent, right? Excess and I God given talent and sharing it with the world.

00:33:05.000 --> 00:33:15.000
My visits pretty much still that I just say it a little differently now. Nowadays I say that we discover our authentic selves.

00:33:15.000 --> 00:33:24.000
And share it with the world. So my black, my vision for the black community in the world is that we discover who we authentically are.

00:33:24.000 --> 00:33:35.000
Whatever that is for you. And share that with the world and what I've come to understand is that I might not like.

00:33:35.000 --> 00:33:44.000
Like I might not personally like. The authentic expression of who you are.

00:33:44.000 --> 00:33:53.000
Am I not? But that's not important here. What's important is the fulfillment of the vision that you get access to who you are.

00:33:53.000 --> 00:33:58.000
And you share that with the world. And so it's been an interesting journey. Because I find I'm like on both sides of the fence.

00:33:58.000 --> 00:34:12.000
Like I love it that you see this about yourself and you're expressing yourself and I'm yeah go for it right yeah raar I think they say roar.

00:34:12.000 --> 00:34:21.000
And then sometimes I'm like, huh, this looks a bit too much for me. You know, the authentic expression of who you are.

00:34:21.000 --> 00:34:33.000
But it allows me to also be who I am. Like I just discovered. 2 weeks ago, I just discovered I was an artist.

00:34:33.000 --> 00:34:35.000
Okay, what kind of artist?

00:34:35.000 --> 00:34:38.000
A musical artist.

00:34:38.000 --> 00:34:39.000
I saw, I saw a bass guitar behind you there.

00:34:39.000 --> 00:34:48.000
I play bass. Yeah, I play bass. That's Lim. Can't see her, but that's Lim back there.

00:34:48.000 --> 00:34:59.000
I play bass and I've been doing pretty good learning how to play baseball. I've gotten this equipment to record me playing basin and learning the equipment.

00:34:59.000 --> 00:35:07.000
I've learned about making beats. And making music and so I've made a couple of songs.

00:35:07.000 --> 00:35:15.000
And I'm sitting here like putting this music together and thinking to myself, who knew? There was a whole artist.

00:35:15.000 --> 00:35:21.000
Amy and I don't consider myself that I'm like, you know. You know, I like the rigid training.

00:35:21.000 --> 00:35:31.000
I like the structural thing. So this is like been a new kind of phenomenon for me, cause I'm still discovering aspects of my.

00:35:31.000 --> 00:35:38.000
Self, right? And so I've been sharing it. I hadn't shared it with you guys yet, but I will.

00:35:38.000 --> 00:35:44.000
I recorded this song and then I, I lay down the drums and I lay down some cords on my little keyboard.

00:35:44.000 --> 00:35:55.000
And I lay down. A little melody and then I grab and I played the bass line to it.

00:35:55.000 --> 00:36:07.000
Hey, it was over. I was like looking at myself noticing, right? Looking at myself looking at myself like, You did that!

00:36:07.000 --> 00:36:09.000
Calm down.

00:36:09.000 --> 00:36:11.000
So.

00:36:11.000 --> 00:36:13.000
Hey, it's only 8 o'clock. Calm down.

00:36:13.000 --> 00:36:28.000
So, John, would you say that The tools of the International Black Summit, the distinctions that you've had in your life have provided some access to freedom and self-expression

00:36:28.000 --> 00:36:34.000
Oh, definitely. Definitely. I mean, can't you tell? I'm just sharing one.

00:36:34.000 --> 00:36:46.000
I'm just sharing noticing. With you, right? One of my favorite distinctions is,

00:36:46.000 --> 00:36:54.000
Is vision. And trigger.

00:36:54.000 --> 00:37:03.000
The distinction trigger kinda a good friend. Pretty much kissing cousins called no out there.

00:37:03.000 --> 00:37:15.000
And, those 2 distinctions have given me access. To being able to.

00:37:15.000 --> 00:37:22.000
Navigate, if you will. When I'm in a upset or a breakdown.

00:37:22.000 --> 00:37:39.000
You know, like when I am upset that someone did something to me or said something to me. That there's a process that I can take myself through using the distinction trigger.

00:37:39.000 --> 00:37:49.000
To get access to what it's pointing to. That I may not be able or I'm unwilling to be with.

00:37:49.000 --> 00:37:57.000
And in the space. Oh, being with that thing.

00:37:57.000 --> 00:38:07.000
Able to take responsibility for who I'm being in it. And that gives me some room.

00:38:07.000 --> 00:38:18.000
To now. Call something else to happen. And it could be as simple as.

00:38:18.000 --> 00:38:32.000
You say something that pissed me off in the moment or something a little more. Home hitting like when I First moved here back to Spring Lake.

00:38:32.000 --> 00:38:41.000
I was staying renting this house. I moved back here. To help my mom in the real estate business.

00:38:41.000 --> 00:38:58.000
I became her director marketing and I'm living in this house. Long short, we've been living in this house for about 5 years and I'm at a cookout like a neighborhood cookout, you know, this time we were in the country, like the country country, like really the country.

00:38:58.000 --> 00:39:07.000
And I remember we're at a cookout, y'all.

00:39:07.000 --> 00:39:14.000
And we're having a good time at the cookout and my landlord, older couple. She's also with the cook out.

00:39:14.000 --> 00:39:21.000
He's also with the cook out. I go back for like my second. Wait, so the food was like.

00:39:21.000 --> 00:39:30.000
Reeves and barbecue chicken and potato salad and macaroni and cheese and you know, tea.

00:39:30.000 --> 00:39:39.000
You know, Carolinian barbecue, isn't that what you call it? So I go back for my next plate.

00:39:39.000 --> 00:39:51.000
And I say to the landlord. There's a problem with the Middle bathroom, do you want us to take care of it or would you like to take care of it?

00:39:51.000 --> 00:39:56.000
That's all I said. And she said, that's it. That's it. I'm tired of this.

00:39:56.000 --> 00:40:06.000
I'm just tired of this. I'm giving you your notes. Expect to see it in riding in the next few days.

00:40:06.000 --> 00:40:32.000
I'm sitting there with my plate. Like, what does happened? Right? And so she started saying and you did this and this what you did to the floors and you could have done this and And I, not as she's triggered, I'm triggered and when I get triggered, I get loud or righteous.

00:40:32.000 --> 00:40:37.000
So I'm like, what is it what? That's what the red form, the paper stuff that breaks down.

00:40:37.000 --> 00:40:46.000
You got that. I don't wanna hear all that. I'm just gonna see you. You got 30 days.

00:40:46.000 --> 00:40:50.000
Now, arm drink.

00:40:50.000 --> 00:41:00.000
I'm pissed off at this woman. I've been paying my rent every year, I mean every month on on time.

00:41:00.000 --> 00:41:07.000
I hadn't always done that. I was feeling pretty good about myself. I have done everything the right way.

00:41:07.000 --> 00:41:12.000
And somebody still had

00:41:12.000 --> 00:41:20.000
This kind of power over me. Right? I thought I had done it and I, I talked about her bad.

00:41:20.000 --> 00:41:23.000
Anybody who would listen.

00:41:23.000 --> 00:41:31.000
And, Nancy Simmons and a couple of other people said, at some point, John, you're gonna see this came to bless you, right?

00:41:31.000 --> 00:41:41.000
You're gonna see what the gift. Of the trigger is. And doing our work. I just kept looking like what is it?

00:41:41.000 --> 00:41:50.000
And one of the things that I got to was I can't believe.

00:41:50.000 --> 00:41:57.000
I'm back in this place of feeling helpless.

00:41:57.000 --> 00:42:14.000
Again. It wasn't just the feeling helpless. But to be feeling helpless again, like I did everything I was supposed to do and I'm back in this place of feeling helpless again and I really didn't want to be with that.

00:42:14.000 --> 00:42:20.000
You know, you can hear me talk about it today. I did everything right.

00:42:20.000 --> 00:42:29.000
Hey, but I started to see that and then I could begin to see. Other places where something like that with in.

00:42:29.000 --> 00:42:42.000
Imminent. Like little landmines, I could begin to look around my life and see other places that if I didn't address it, I would have this experience of feeling helpless.

00:42:42.000 --> 00:42:53.000
Again. And so seeing that. I was now able 2.

00:42:53.000 --> 00:43:05.000
Look at and be responsible for. My life. And what was happening in my lines.

00:43:05.000 --> 00:43:11.000
And. I thank her eventually.

00:43:11.000 --> 00:43:17.000
Now I'm telling you all this like it happened over a couple of days, but this was like over a month or so.

00:43:17.000 --> 00:43:27.000
And I ended up moving out and moved into another house, better house, beautiful house. You know out in favor out of the country.

00:43:27.000 --> 00:43:33.000
Right? Not out of the country, but out of the. I'm now in the city. I'm back in the city.

00:43:33.000 --> 00:43:44.000
And. I started looking at other areas where I had these triggers waiting to happen about some relationships that I had with people.

00:43:44.000 --> 00:43:51.000
So I was able to take that too and I used it too on a regular basis. To see what it's pointing to.

00:43:51.000 --> 00:43:59.000
Cause I know on the other side of it is gonna give me access to a way of being. Now.

00:43:59.000 --> 00:44:08.000
Do I still feel helpless sometime? Yes. But I'm not stopped by it. And I'm not stuck with it.

00:44:08.000 --> 00:44:15.000
You follow what I'm saying? Like I, once I recognize that I'm feeling that way and can own.

00:44:15.000 --> 00:44:21.000
What I did to cause that to happen. Then I'm freed up.

00:44:21.000 --> 00:44:35.000
And if a big ask. It's a big ask to ask someone to do that and if you're willing to do that, then you see some things like I did about yourself that will free you up.

00:44:35.000 --> 00:44:45.000
I love that share, John. You know, I love it. It was, it's really reminding me of an experience that I had during the pandemic shutdowns.

00:44:45.000 --> 00:44:51.000
Or short, early after, you know, in 2,020, early 2021, the midst of the pandemic.

00:44:51.000 --> 00:45:04.000
We had some work that was, I live in a townhouse complex in my unit. And we were having some work done and the windows were being replaced and they were having workers come in and do all of this stuff and I didn't want it.

00:45:04.000 --> 00:45:13.000
I was like, I, this is my safe haven. Right now, during the pandemic. Don't want strangers walking through my house breathing.

00:45:13.000 --> 00:45:19.000
I was like, I didn't want it right now. Like not right now. And so I spoke with the.

00:45:19.000 --> 00:45:24.000
The manager and I was like and I'm accustomed to getting what I want like I live a life where I can't what I want.

00:45:24.000 --> 00:45:41.000
So I totally thought that I was going to talk to her. And say can you adjust my schedule and move me to the end of the list and if it means you know charging me a little bit of money charge me a little bit of money whatever and and do it.

00:45:41.000 --> 00:45:48.000
And she was like, absolutely not. This will not happen. It'll change the schedule for everybody. Not happening.

00:45:48.000 --> 00:45:56.000
They are coming this this this this day. And that's that's that and I'm not and I'm not going to and the experience of powerlessness.

00:45:56.000 --> 00:46:02.000
That I had like what? Did somebody just tell me a no?

00:46:02.000 --> 00:46:18.000
What and I went back like I was typing emails to her you know here's you know and blah blah blah and this can't it has to be everything is possible and you just need to make the adjustments and I'm willing to cover the cost of the adjustments, just do it.

00:46:18.000 --> 00:46:28.000
And eventually I also Just sat in my powerlessness.

00:46:28.000 --> 00:46:34.000
I just sat in it. I was like I am triggered because this is an experience of powerlessness for me.

00:46:34.000 --> 00:46:36.000
Wow.

00:46:36.000 --> 00:46:40.000
And that's what's having me go through all of this.

00:46:40.000 --> 00:46:49.000
And you know what? I can just have them come and do the windows. I could just let it go.

00:46:49.000 --> 00:46:56.000
I could just surrender. And I could just let them do the, let them do the windows.

00:46:56.000 --> 00:47:02.000
And all of this anger and all of this frustration I can release. So. I appreciate that share.

00:47:02.000 --> 00:47:19.000
It reminded me of that. And yes, I do I sometimes still experience powerlessness not very often it's not it's not copying but when it happens it doesn't Keep me stuck.

00:47:19.000 --> 00:47:20.000
Yes.

00:47:20.000 --> 00:47:21.000
He

00:47:21.000 --> 00:47:25.000
Right, you just send one email. You don't send like 18. Right. Okay.

00:47:25.000 --> 00:47:26.000
Thank you, Grace.

00:47:26.000 --> 00:47:44.000
So, so, so, so John For someone who may be listening to this podcast who doesn't know anything about the International Black Summit and it's listening to this, what would you offer them inside of the context of this conversation?

00:47:44.000 --> 00:47:51.000
You know, you talked about vision, you talked about distinctions that a allow you to not be stopped.

00:47:51.000 --> 00:47:59.000
What what would you say to someone who was Listen in this for the first time. What would you invite them into?

00:47:59.000 --> 00:48:06.000
That's a good question, Gland. So I'm I'm gonna take that as an opportunity.

00:48:06.000 --> 00:48:11.000
To facilitate.

00:48:11.000 --> 00:48:22.000
So the trainer in me. Would ask them a series. Of questions or tell them something for them to look at.

00:48:22.000 --> 00:48:36.000
Right? Or place in their life they need to investigate. The facilitator in me would be like, okay, what did you hear?

00:48:36.000 --> 00:48:43.000
In what I've shared so far.

00:48:43.000 --> 00:48:47.000
And I will wait.

00:48:47.000 --> 00:48:55.000
So. That is the question. Put it in the text. I mean, Chat, I'm not knowing the fact we can see it, but what did you hear?

00:48:55.000 --> 00:49:12.000
And what if you're someone new? In the space and even if you've been in the space for a while was something, what did you hear and what been shared so far about some of the distinctions?

00:49:12.000 --> 00:49:18.000
Some of the stories, if you will.

00:49:18.000 --> 00:49:29.000
And so I would ask people to do that and then by extension ask them to start listening. To their environment.

00:49:29.000 --> 00:49:33.000
Listening to what people are saying around you.

00:49:33.000 --> 00:49:41.000
You commute your environment is always communicating to us. They're always communicating to me. Right?

00:49:41.000 --> 00:49:48.000
But that's what I would do. So I'm, being cautious to like, I don't wanna.

00:49:48.000 --> 00:50:00.000
I don't wanna turn this into a share and I wanna answer your question. So I, I guess if I had to answer the question, the question would be If you're new to the space.

00:50:00.000 --> 00:50:12.000
First of all, come to a summit share. Or come to a prerequisite course. So that you cannot be new to the space.

00:50:12.000 --> 00:50:25.000
Right if you're not able to do that. At the very least. Just start noticing.

00:50:25.000 --> 00:50:38.000
Youself noticing. The things you say to people noticing. The things they say back to you, see if you can do it with no judgment.

00:50:38.000 --> 00:50:49.000
Right? See if you can do it by just hearing what they're saying and not adding. What you say that means to it.

00:50:49.000 --> 00:50:54.000
Just see if you can do that. Look at what you're saying and not add anything to it.

00:50:54.000 --> 00:51:08.000
Just see if you can just notice what you're saying and how they're responding.

00:51:08.000 --> 00:51:09.000
Yeah.

00:51:09.000 --> 00:51:13.000
And come back next week. And share it with people, you know. But yeah, I would say.

00:51:13.000 --> 00:51:14.000
Okay.

00:51:14.000 --> 00:51:17.000
And they can come back next week and share it to the people. That is an open, open invitation.

00:51:17.000 --> 00:51:18.000
If they like.

00:51:18.000 --> 00:51:27.000
Hey, come back and consider it. Right. And if you listen to this on podcasts, just come and this happens every Sunday mostly every Sunday come to Sunday and share it.

00:51:27.000 --> 00:51:42.000
What you notice about yourself. About others what you notice Right? And then see if you can determine. The difference between what you noticed.

00:51:42.000 --> 00:51:58.000
Happened and what you're saying about. What happened? See if you can tell the difference if you asked your spouse to do something for you and they said no.

00:51:58.000 --> 00:52:07.000
See if you can tell the difference in men saying no. Versus what you're making it mean, cause they said no.

00:52:07.000 --> 00:52:18.000
Like Grace did a really great example. So you made a request of somebody. 10. You feel like, what do you mean?

00:52:18.000 --> 00:52:22.000
No. What? You know who I am? I get my way.

00:52:22.000 --> 00:52:30.000
What did you mean? Have you lost your mind? What do you mean you're telling me Nelson that was all something to notice?

00:52:30.000 --> 00:52:32.000
Right, that's she, you know, have access to some other tools so she was able to continue to work through it for herself.

00:52:32.000 --> 00:52:47.000
But that's all I'm asking. And. And just see what you see.

00:52:47.000 --> 00:52:48.000
Great.

00:52:48.000 --> 00:52:55.000
Now, this is not just so people know, is not just happenstance. There is a method to the madness, but you gotta do the work.

00:52:55.000 --> 00:53:03.000
You gotta dribble the ball. Right, you, you gotta actually do the thing so that you can see the thing.

00:53:03.000 --> 00:53:07.000
That will unlock something for you.

00:53:07.000 --> 00:53:14.000
Yeah, and I might add that this is very experiential. So this is something that's personal.

00:53:14.000 --> 00:53:29.000
This is something that that is individualized to You're not in your in this moment so 5 min ago it might have been a different different noticing and different conversation, a different way of being.

00:53:29.000 --> 00:53:42.000
But the opportunities to keep notice and to keep engaging in all of the things that you are listening to or noticing in your life as you Go through life.

00:53:42.000 --> 00:53:43.000
So. Thank you, John.

00:53:43.000 --> 00:53:57.000
Do welcome and I wanna expand on this. Holding the space so We say that the purpose of the International Black Summit is to provide an opportunity for participants.

00:53:57.000 --> 00:54:08.000
To bring into being their vision. For the black community in the world. You could kind of look at.

00:54:08.000 --> 00:54:15.000
The opportunity. As the space.

00:54:15.000 --> 00:54:28.000
And what we're holding. Is the opportunities for people to bring in to being. Their vision for the black community and the world.

00:54:28.000 --> 00:54:30.000
But was that mean?

00:54:30.000 --> 00:54:39.000
What you have to see about yourself. Might be different than what the next person has to see about themselves.

00:54:39.000 --> 00:54:45.000
Right, but we're committed that this is a space. This is a clearing. This is an opportunity.

00:54:45.000 --> 00:55:05.000
For you to bring into being your vision. For the black community. In the world. And if you're wondering if you got one, like you might not have it articulated, but if you're wondering if you got one, just look at who you already been.

00:55:05.000 --> 00:55:13.000
You know, for some people that'll be a huge eye opener. And then we're gonna look at what it takes to bring that into being.

00:55:13.000 --> 00:55:18.000
So the holding of the space is that.

00:55:18.000 --> 00:55:26.000
Is that like holding the opportunity? Creating

00:55:26.000 --> 00:55:43.000
Times when we could have this opportunity to have this clearing. You know, like, so that's another way of kind of looking at holding the space like this for example is an opportunity for people to bring into being.

00:55:43.000 --> 00:55:52.000
Their vision for the black community in the world. This conversation we're having right now. Tonight the people who will see it on YouTube here on the podcast.

00:55:52.000 --> 00:55:59.000
It's an opportunity for people to bring into being. Their vision for the black community in the world.

00:55:59.000 --> 00:56:06.000
And if they want to expand that, that's other things they can participate in or, you know, I invite you to participate in.

00:56:06.000 --> 00:56:16.000
And so that's how I'm also looking at. Hold in the space so as facilitators our job is to hold that space.

00:56:16.000 --> 00:56:34.000
This space of opportunity. Opportunity walk for participants to bring into being their vision for the black community. And the world.

00:56:34.000 --> 00:56:35.000
Excellent.

00:56:35.000 --> 00:56:43.000
Got it. Thank you, John. Thank you. So, we haven't spoken about the declaration yet, so I'd like to get to that in a minute, but before we get to that.

00:56:43.000 --> 00:56:51.000
Before we get to that, we'll probably just complete with that. But before we complete with the declaration.

00:56:51.000 --> 00:56:58.000
I want to ask you to pick from one of these 2 questions. Or am I going to pick for you?

00:56:58.000 --> 00:57:00.000
Let's see.

00:57:00.000 --> 00:57:01.000
Thank you.

00:57:01.000 --> 00:57:09.000
Actually, I'm gonna pick for you.

00:57:09.000 --> 00:57:17.000
I'm gonna pick for you and the reason that I'm gonna pick for you is that one of the questions is about the pandemic and I feel like it's a little bit stale.

00:57:17.000 --> 00:57:18.000
Okay.

00:57:18.000 --> 00:57:25.000
So I'm going to go with the other question. So the other question is What are 3 wishes?

00:57:25.000 --> 00:57:41.000
That you have for the world right now. 3 wishes that you have for the world.

00:57:41.000 --> 00:57:50.000
One with. I could say. In the

00:57:50.000 --> 00:57:57.000
Immortal words of What's his name, Rodney King?

00:57:57.000 --> 00:58:01.000
Why can't we all just get along?

00:58:01.000 --> 00:58:09.000
So with number one would be. That we could get along. Hi, we are, wherever we are, with the things we like about each other and the things we don't like about each other.

00:58:09.000 --> 00:58:24.000
And I'm not talking about peace yet. I'm just talking about get along. Right? I see you, you see me.

00:58:24.000 --> 00:58:32.000
I'm not asking you to like me, but I am asking you to respect me and have a conversation with me and I'll do the same.

00:58:32.000 --> 00:58:49.000
And then let's collectively look for what we want to have happen. In the world. And we can get along then we got a better chance of having The world that we both Oh, we're all committed to.

00:58:49.000 --> 00:59:00.000
Cause some aspect of it, we're all committed to some level of Power and experience and self expression.

00:59:00.000 --> 00:59:11.000
And love. And compassion like what it's safety. What mobility, prosperity. We're all kind of committed.

00:59:11.000 --> 00:59:21.000
To the something similar in that. So number one would be. Get along.

00:59:21.000 --> 00:59:30.000
I'm looking, cause if we did that.

00:59:30.000 --> 00:59:36.000
Then I don't think we would have, I would, I would need a wish of world peace.

00:59:36.000 --> 00:59:46.000
If we did that. So I'm looking, the question. The second thing would be.

00:59:46.000 --> 00:59:55.000
That Everybody had a least.

00:59:55.000 --> 00:59:59.000
The same.

00:59:59.000 --> 01:00:02.000
Playground.

01:00:02.000 --> 01:00:19.000
Right, the same space to operate from, to build from the learn. From that we could start. Like it says in the Bible, a good man leaves, inheritance for his children's children.

01:00:19.000 --> 01:00:34.000
Right, that's like my kids kids. So if I can be in this world where I'm leaving an inheritance to my kids kids and then they're leaving an inherent to their kids kids and so on and so forth.

01:00:34.000 --> 01:00:42.000
Everybody gets to start. At a different place. We all don't have to struggle because we used to struggle.

01:00:42.000 --> 01:00:54.000
So if we could have a place in the world of the wish. In the world of a wish if that was a way that we could start at some place.

01:00:54.000 --> 01:01:13.000
And be able to build on that and not have to overcome the resistance and overcome the obstacles and overcome the systems in which we're operating in in order to express what there is for us to express in ourselves.

01:01:13.000 --> 01:01:25.000
I believe if that happened, then we could see what everybody had to offer and how it could benefit. Everybody else.

01:01:25.000 --> 01:01:28.000
Interesting. Thank you. Number 3.

01:01:28.000 --> 01:01:33.000
I know, right? It's a good question.

01:01:33.000 --> 01:01:44.000
Glad I chose it.

01:01:44.000 --> 01:01:53.000
I guess the third one would be And this might be part of a utopian kind of thinking.

01:01:53.000 --> 01:02:02.000
The third one. Would be.

01:02:02.000 --> 01:02:07.000
We had a different

01:02:07.000 --> 01:02:15.000
Kind of related to the second one. We just had a different system altogether. Like I look at, I'm a Trekkie.

01:02:15.000 --> 01:02:22.000
Bye. All the tricks. All of them. Captain Kurt, Miss Spot.

01:02:22.000 --> 01:02:23.000
Next generation here, next generation. Yeah.

01:02:23.000 --> 01:02:34.000
You can. Yeah, I'm all of them. That group next to generation card, Jordi, Ryker, Data, like all of them. I can keep going.

01:02:34.000 --> 01:02:43.000
Cisco, the Ferengi's. Oh no, right. So, there's a way that they operate on the enterprise.

01:02:43.000 --> 01:02:49.000
Where on the ship itself where there's no money.

01:02:49.000 --> 01:02:53.000
There's no salary.

01:02:53.000 --> 01:02:57.000
Right? There's no accumulation.

01:02:57.000 --> 01:03:08.000
Right? And your quarters are. Proportionate to Your function.

01:03:08.000 --> 01:03:18.000
Right? Not even your contribution, just to your function. But everybody gets a place to stay.

01:03:18.000 --> 01:03:26.000
Every day. Everybody gets a place. Everybody gets something to eat.

01:03:26.000 --> 01:03:32.000
Every day.

01:03:32.000 --> 01:03:33.000
Is that socialism?

01:03:33.000 --> 01:03:38.000
Right? Most people. I don't know what it is, but I like it. Most people Right?

01:03:38.000 --> 01:03:47.000
Okay.

01:03:47.000 --> 01:03:48.000
Hmm.

01:03:48.000 --> 01:03:54.000
Most people are there doing what they want to be doing, that which expresses them the most, whether it's in command, it's in engineering, it's in medical, right?

01:03:54.000 --> 01:04:01.000
It's insecurity, like they are doing the thing that they love to be doing.

01:04:01.000 --> 01:04:14.000
And all the other stuff they don't have to worry about. And from what I understand. That a lot of people want to be on the enterprise, but that's not the only place that it happens.

01:04:14.000 --> 01:04:25.000
It's like the old might be for some people the ultimate expression of myself as an engineer would be the engineer on the enterprise.

01:04:25.000 --> 01:04:26.000
Right? But that doesn't mean your contribution as an engineer is not wanted or warranted in society.

01:04:26.000 --> 01:04:34.000
There is a place for you.

01:04:34.000 --> 01:04:46.000
So I was telling Susan the other day, I don't know who it was. That I would like to know how do we go from there.

01:04:46.000 --> 01:04:53.000
How do we go from here? To there. How do we go from a capitalistic

01:04:53.000 --> 01:05:02.000
Society and way of thinking where accumulation For some people is the goal. To this. Environment where that's not the case any longer.

01:05:02.000 --> 01:05:17.000
Like how do we, how do we get there? Right. So that would be like the third place and I don't know if it's particularly in that order but if those 3 things.

01:05:17.000 --> 01:05:29.000
What's happening that you got a place that you go, your food and everything is taken care of, who you are, you got a platform that allows you to build upon what your skills are, your God-given.

01:05:29.000 --> 01:05:47.000
God given, gifts are and if we could just all get along, I mean, we have those 3 things that would be 3 pretty cool wishes.

01:05:47.000 --> 01:05:48.000
Yeah.

01:05:48.000 --> 01:05:50.000
Yeah.

01:05:50.000 --> 01:05:51.000
Okay.

01:05:51.000 --> 01:05:53.000
I love to see come true. So. Jeannie. I am, I am rubbing my lantern now.

01:05:53.000 --> 01:05:54.000
Okay.

01:05:54.000 --> 01:05:58.000
Okay.

01:05:58.000 --> 01:05:59.000
Oh, that's beautiful. That's

01:05:59.000 --> 01:06:00.000
And you're gonna say you're waiting?

01:06:00.000 --> 01:06:06.000
Okay. Yeah. Well, you can you can speak it. You're speaking it into existence, John.

01:06:06.000 --> 01:06:07.000
Exactly, exactly.

01:06:07.000 --> 01:06:10.000
Just we just need the alignment to catch up.

01:06:10.000 --> 01:06:11.000
Just all.

01:06:11.000 --> 01:06:12.000
Yeah.

01:06:12.000 --> 01:06:27.000
Which brings me to the to the next portion because cause what what John just did is he declared something he he said something and put it into existence out into the space.

01:06:27.000 --> 01:06:33.000
And one of the things that we do here at the International Black Summit is we have a declaration.

01:06:33.000 --> 01:06:47.000
And that declaration was put together at the first International Black Summit. And it was a group of 120 people that looked at it.

01:06:47.000 --> 01:06:56.000
And said, well what is it, why are we here? What are we here to do? What's the purpose of us getting together?

01:06:56.000 --> 01:07:07.000
We didn't know each other, you know, we had a commitment. To impact the black community and inside of that commitment.

01:07:07.000 --> 01:07:21.000
This declaration was developed. And it was developed and ahered to by everyone in the room. It was It was a collaboration of the second day.

01:07:21.000 --> 01:07:30.000
The Saturday. Of the first annual summit event. And so I'm going to presence that for you.

01:07:30.000 --> 01:07:41.000
But understand that that's been the Oh, don't want to say a mantra per se, but that's kind of been the being of who of our existence.

01:07:41.000 --> 01:07:57.000
So we, when you listen to declaration, listen for the part. That you created. Because their sections of it I say that we all participated in.

01:07:57.000 --> 01:08:06.000
Even now. And so with that I'm going to present the declaration of the International Black Summit for you.

01:08:06.000 --> 01:08:15.000
And one of the traditions that we do at the events. Summit cheers, annual event prerequisites.

01:08:15.000 --> 01:08:27.000
The care. Community events. We start and end the day with the declaration so that it gives us a context and the presence space of being.

01:08:27.000 --> 01:08:36.000
You know, John talked about holding the space and the declaration is holding the space for the organization. So with that, let me present.

01:08:36.000 --> 01:08:44.000
The Declaration of the International Black Summit.

01:08:44.000 --> 01:08:56.000
The Declaration of the International Black Summit. We declare ourselves. Our community and all communities whole and complete.

01:08:56.000 --> 01:09:06.000
There is nothing to do. Except B. We assert. We are responsible for generating community.

01:09:06.000 --> 01:09:19.000
As possibility and distinction. We listen for and grant being. To the possibility and creation. Of unpredictable results.

01:09:19.000 --> 01:09:29.000
Our conversation of and for those of African descent. Is one of power. Self-generation.

01:09:29.000 --> 01:09:43.000
Abundance, responsibility. Unity and integrity with the possibility of being. We stand for the expression of our spirituality.

01:09:43.000 --> 01:10:00.000
The murders of our men, women, and children. Building economies responsible for funding our community. Maintaining wellness of being in our bodies.

01:10:00.000 --> 01:10:14.000
Providing human services. Establishing nurturing relationships. Altering the conversation of who we are. In the media.

01:10:14.000 --> 01:10:29.000
Empowering our youth. We declare that our community manifests itself in in the world as a contribution in the transformation of the universe.

01:10:29.000 --> 01:10:37.000
Atlanta, Georgia, October seventh. 1991. To the north, to the south.

01:10:37.000 --> 01:10:56.000
To the east and to the west. And wherever people of black African descent reside. We're going to take a moment of silence.

01:10:56.000 --> 01:11:01.000
Thank you.

01:11:01.000 --> 01:11:08.000
Thank you, Glenn. Thank you, John. Thank you so much for being our guest tonight. It was a great conversation.

01:11:08.000 --> 01:11:17.000
And just appreciate everything that you do and everything that you've done is in your role, various roles, the various hats that you wear.

01:11:17.000 --> 01:11:22.000
In the international blacks. So thank you so much for being here. Thank you. Thank you so much.

01:11:22.000 --> 01:11:23.000
Thank you. John.

01:11:23.000 --> 01:11:33.000
And for those of you. For those of you who are watching on YouTube or who are listening on Spotify or any of our other podcast platforms.

01:11:33.000 --> 01:11:42.000
We thank you for being with us tonight as well and hope that you will at some point consider being in our audience when we do our live recordings.

01:11:42.000 --> 01:11:49.000
And for those of you who are in the live recording tonight, we're about to stop this recording and we're going to have our Q&A.

01:11:49.000 --> 01:11:53.000
After. So thank you everyone. Have a good night.

01:11:53.000 --> 01:11:54.000
Before we do that, just want to let you know you can get more information at blacksmith.

01:11:54.000 --> 01:12:13.000
Dot org Certainly you can find the declaration there and you can find information for our next prerequisite and also we'll be posting information for the annual event soon, which will be in August.

01:12:13.000 --> 01:12:17.000
So thank you. Good night and God bless.

01:12:17.000 --> 01:12:18.000
Thanks. Everyone. Goodnight.

01:12:18.000 --> 01:12:22.000
Good night