katalyst

Can you believe we're almost a quarter of the way through 2022 already? I think now might be a perfect time for a creative tune-up, and this week's guest is a true instigator of inspiration -- Kevin Carroll. As a founder, author, and public speaker, Kevin's words and his work have influenced hundreds of thousands of people all over the world to tap into their creativity and accomplish epic tasks.

Our conversation touches on a number of topics, including success, longevity, curiosity, and perseverance. Kevin talked about growing up in Philly, being a linguistics expert in the Air Force, his time at Nike, and talks about how you can find your own “red rubber ball.” Kevin’s words were just what I needed to hear right now, and I hope they will encourage you as well. Trust me, you’ll want to listen to this episode multiple times!

Links

• Kevin Carroll’s Website
• Kevin Carroll on Instagram
• Kevin Carroll on LinkedIn
• Kevin Carroll on Twitter

For extended show notes, including a full transcript of this interview, visit revisionpath.com.

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Credits

Revision Path is brought to you by Lunch, a multidisciplinary creative studio in Atlanta, GA.

It is produced by Maurice Cherry and engineered and edited by RJ Basilio. Our intro voiceover is by Music Man Dre, with intro and outro music by Yellow Speaker. Transcripts provided by Brevity & Wit.

Thank you for listening!

– The summer of ‘86 in San Angelo, TX  proved to be the genesis of my journey of learning that if I want something bad enough, I have to be willing to pay my dues.

– an early childhood lesson from my Mom-Mom gave me the courage to brazenly speak up on career day at USAF basic training & that decision changed my military career + my life’s journey.

“Football Sonata” – Coach Bellini’s random act of permission + his game day approach & mindset allowed me to elevate my love of... sports, competition, literature and the performing arts! The sonata = permission to pursue an unusual extracurricular passion; game day mindset of our coach that we learned to embody - we do our talking on the gridiron!; Preston playground old head’s “REAL TALK” about how to respond when confronted with bigotry in a game - HATERS = MOTIVATORS!

“Football Sonata” – Coach Bellini’s random act of permission + his game day approach & mindset allowed me to elevate my love of... sports, competition, literature and the performing arts! The sonata = permission to pursue an unusual extracurricular passion; game day mindset of our coach that we learned to embody - we do our talking on the gridiron!; Preston playground old head’s “REAL TALK” about how to respond when confronted with bigotry in a game - HATERS = MOTIVATORS!

“Fresh Cut Fridays on Felton Street” - No matter what we tried to do to “avoid” this moment, we always had to get our haircut on a bimonthly schedule @ my Aunt Sandy/Uncle Bobby’s house on Felton Street in West Philly. That bimonthly “mandatory” haircut + visit to my Aunt Sandy & Uncle Bobby’s house turns into an unexpected + long-standing family tradition.

An unimpressive playground pugilistic moment + a  “peace offering” invitation of a PB&J sandwich serve as a catalytic equation that results in an unlikely + amazing lifelong friendship.

“If you master the THREE LANGUAGES of life, anything will be possible.” - Miz Lane

The three languages are: the language of respect; the language of your peers; the language of the working world. Miz Lane would always say that mastering the language of the working world would be the most challenging and the most rewarding so, pursue that goal!

Our weekly, after church service visit every Sunday to see my Nana Carroll (my great grandmother) would have been delightful if she didn’t insist on doing a ritual that I believed to be mean-spirited. The long-standing rule that she imposed upon my eager, high strung, hyperactive soul was...Sit down. Be Still! For FIVE MINUTES!

These are the simple truths/simple LESSONS that I learned from the eclectic group of men from my childhood who “raised” me - I am a mosaic of ALL these men!

“how you do the little things... is how you do all things!”

belonging. 

self-confidence. 

be unconditional. 

be present. 

hustle - ALL DAY ‘ERY DAY! 

pick each other up - I Got You!

“don’t you EVER let somebody take your heart!

“WE are built different here!” 

“Don’t be on time, be EARLY.”

“If you ain’t willing to do it well, don’t bother to do it at all.”

“I’ve seen a lot of things in my day, but I know there’s something new to see every day so, stay curious.”

ALWAYS being true to yourself.  

The power of building relationships.  

“you are the company you keep.” 

know thy self! 

be courageous in a difficult situation. 

seek out global experiences. 

...I eagerly sought out and devoured insights and lessons from an eclectic array of individuals that lived in the neighborhood - businessmen and laborers, winos and alcoholics, drug dealers and users, sport coaches, some of my peers, old-heads at the playground, war vets, school teachers, custodians and other kid’s fathers. So, these are my “surrogate dads & encouragers ” that helped me on my quest to not let the  circumstances that YOU created dictate my destiny.

They chose their addiction over raising three sons... without parents in my life, I resorted to finding my life lessons from many sources: businessmen and laborers, winos and alcoholics, drug dealers and users, sport coaches, my peers and old-heads at the playground, merchants, war vets, school teachers, librarians, custodians, food service workers, other kid’s moms and dads. I learned to be constantly on the lookout for any nugget of insight/wisdom that would assist me on my quest to rise above my suffering and circumstances - turning ideas into reality became my focus + I'll show YOU! became my daily mantra. I spent endless hours at the neighborhood playground, school & the public library - all of these locales became my sanctuaries. Finding a way to rise above my circumstances and not let my circumstances dictate my destiny was my constant motivation.