Unlocking the Power of Presence and Becoming Your Best Self, with Derick Johnson

What if you discovered the magic of being truly present in your life, and in turn, tapped into your full potential? Prepare yourself for an intense journey into the mind of our guest, Derick Johnson, a US Army veteran turned extraordinarily insightful life coach. Derick unfolds his life story, tracing his roots back to his childhood, where he learned the crucial role of physical activity, a lesson passed down by his parents. He gives us a glimpse into how his time in the military, and life in general, has fine-tuned his knack for deeply connecting with people and inspiring them to transform into their best versions.

Leadership can be a slippery concept, but not when Derick Johnson is in the house. He challenges the convention with his unique definition of leadership, emphasizing the importance of leading by example, keeping open channels of communication, and setting ego aside. Derick also lets us in on his personal mantra of being fully present in life, cautioning against the pitfalls of multitasking. How can we stay present? He suggests using "pattern interrupters" and "anchors." But there's more! Derick encourages carving out precious time for loved ones and self-introspection - a proposition that will leave you thinking long after the conversation ends.

Just when you think it's over, Derick fires up another riveting discussion around 'Outwitting the Devil', a book by Napoleon Hill that has left a lasting impression on him. He underlines the book's focus on conscience in decision-making and warns against letting vices cloud our inner voice. Our chat concludes with Derick delving into the principles of leadership, a concept that he's refined over decades of coaching leaders across various domains. Get set for an enriching exploration into his philosophy, which promises to leave you with invaluable leadership tips and insights. Treat yourself to this mesmerizing conversation with Derick Johnson - it's a ride worth taking!

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:02

Welcome to Catalytic Leadership, the podcast designed to help leaders intentionally grow and thrive. Here is your host author and leadership and executive coach, dr William Attaway.

Speaker 2: 0:16

Hey, it's William and welcome to today's episode of the Catalytic Leadership podcast. Each week, we tackle a topic related to the field of leadership. My goal is to ensure that you have actionable steps you can take from each episode to grow in your own leadership. Growth doesn't just happen. My goal is to help you become intentional about it. Each week, we spotlight leaders from a variety of fields, organizations and locations. My goal is for you to see that leaders can be catalytic, no matter where they are or what they lead. I draw inspiration from the stories and journeys of these leaders and I hear from many of you that you do too.

Speaker 2: 0:57

Let's jump in to today's interview. I am thrilled today to have Derek Johnson on the show. Derek is a US Army veteran, life coach and trainer that has helped over 500 clients and 50 companies go from just surviving to thriving through his coaching modalities and marketing efforts. Derek was awarded Soldier of the Year for his battalion three times, received numerous awards for PT and took his leadership skills, certifications and life experiences to help people take control of their mind and body so they can thrive, not just survive. Derek, I'm so glad you're here. Thanks for being on the show.

Speaker 3: 1:37

I appreciate it. Thank you, it was a pleasure to be here. It's awesome to connect with like-minded people that want to help individuals with their leadership skills.

Speaker 2: 1:46

You're in the right place, Derek. I would love for you to share some of your story with our listeners, particularly around your journey and your development as a leader. How did you get started?

Speaker 3: 1:58

So how I got started was number one. I grew up with a father who's in the US Army and my mother was a kindergarten teacher. So all of my life both of my parents were up by 5 am working out. That's all I saw every single day, so it was normal. So by the time I got out of bed I was making my breakfast and all that they're already done working out, coming back sweaty, or my mom would be doing Taibo tapes in the living room, my dad was running. So that was the first impression of what's normal, quote unquote.

Speaker 3: 2:25

So from there in school I was an athlete and I just was always naturally chosen as the team leader or the group leader in school. And then I realized that that was a quote unquote gift. By having that I was the quiet observer. So I was in the shy kid, I was just always quiet and was just read the room. I don't know where it came from, but the older I got I realized that that was a gift that I just had to work on and enhance.

Speaker 3: 2:50

So from there in high school I did ROTC as well as college Army ROTC. Then I was active duty a few years and then finished off in the Army National Guard. So with that leadership experience I realized that I was able to connect with people on a deeper level, naturally, just because of going through a lot of wild stuff with family. People that have been through the craziest stuff usually can relate to people because it's from experience. So a lot of the stuff that I teach to clients or even back then with teammates or in the Army was through experience or maybe what I saw growing up around me. So I just naturally just took the pieces here and there and essentially healing yourself to then help heal others that's my whole goal. So healing that 12 year old me, 15 year old me and then making that man into a better man and being able to give him to the world.

Speaker 2: 3:37

I love that. Bring in the best version of yourself right, exactly so tell me, based on your experience and the clients that you've worked with. I'm curious how would you define leadership?

Speaker 3: 3:50

How would I define leadership? Is it anybody that number one has integrity. Integrity by living by example, because in business, as you know, some people on paper are great and are successful quote-unquote with sales or with the CRM system, whatever the case may be, but when it comes down to actually managing their team, if you look at the team morale, if it's a group call in Zoom, everybody's body language at the Monday morning at 8 AM is like, uh, I want to be here and they're like all right, last week we sucked blah, blah. It's like come on, this is the Monday meeting, you're going to talk about what they didn't do last week. Let's just kill the morale at 8 AM on a Monday.

Speaker 3: 4:27

So what I notice is a lot of entrepreneurs. They're very numbers focused, which is awesome because obviously we're all in it for revenue and making an impact, but they miss the part of the leadership and the communication aspect where some leaders I noticed they hold their tongue too long or others they snap too quick and, like I think about the army the drill sergeant can't speak the same way to everybody because it doesn't work. They have to sometimes pull the soldier to the side and that right there is a leader who can sometimes push their pride and ego out of the way, to speak and approach people differently in a one-on-one setting, rather than just the cut throat. Yes, that's needed sometimes. Sometimes we got to crack the whip, but it's honestly use less by true leaders.

Speaker 3: 5:11

True leaders can approach somebody from a calm standpoint and just asking good questions Like what would you do in this scenario? And normally the staff, the employee or whoever it is they usually know what to do. They're just like yeah, I think this time I should do this, and then we just agree with them yeah, let's do that next time, instead of what did you do then? Like you don't always have to erupt, so yeah. So that's the main thing I'll notice is the best leaders and in terms of the definition, are setting the example and just having that integrity Pretty, most importantly, being able to push pride and ego out of the way, to have good communication.

Speaker 2: 5:46

That's really good, and I think one of the things that stood out when I talked with you previously was that is how you try to lead your business. That is how you try to lead your clients. You want not just to talk about these things, but this is the life that you are aspiring to lead every single day.

Speaker 3: 6:03

I do a lot of fitness and life coaching, so I use social media just to treat it as if it's a reality show, not in terms of, hey, look at me, but hey, here's the behind the scenes. I wake up every day at four. I'm not saying that's for everybody, I just have to have at least two hours to myself, whether that's a workout in the gym, whether that's a walk, run or if I just stretch and do visualization. But I at least have some meat time, shower, eat breakfast, but I'm done by six ish. So my first call is not till seven or seven 30. So those first two hours, for me at least, are crucial. I'm proactive about it.

Speaker 3: 6:35

So anything that happens at seven, I'm not reactive to it, because if I don't work out in the morning, I just get annoyed and it's hard for you to try to hide that via zoom because you're like, yeah, somebody woke up at 645. Their first call was at seven. They got 10 emails text somebody needs them and people are in different time zones and they're just reacting all day. So that's my pet peeve is not to be reactive, because that anxiety is just annoying and it's pointless. So I try to just get up early, workout, move my body, prepare for the day, and I'm just feeling like I'm calm and floating and in total flow state where ideas just flowed to me. If somebody's into spirituality or their faith, they know that if they fasted or exercised, ideas flowed to them and they're just essentially a vessel. They don't know where the idea came from. They're like thank you, I don't know if it's God, the universe or my ancestors. I appreciate it, so I'm going to share this with the world or with the client. So it's always interesting how that happens.

Speaker 3: 7:30

After a walk, a workout, anything of that nature, you just have full clarity and a clear mind. So, with the morning process, that's what I like to show first, and then, besides, that is just what I do in terms of food, in terms of mentality, what books I'm reading, podcasts, I'm listening to things of that nature. So I'm just very transparent. So some people they don't like it. I drop that bomb every now and then, but at least you know what you're going to get. That's why I tell people it's black and white, there's no gray area, there's nothing hidden. So that right there has always worked with myself, because when I meet people, whether that's in person or via zoom, they say, man, you just like a normal guy, like I feel like I got hanging out with you in college or something, and they're like you're like the same guy on the internet as you were in person. I say there's only no, that's the only way I know how to be.

Speaker 3: 8:14

I'm not saying that's for everyone, but I just never wanted to play a certain character, because that's one thing I noticed in the self development space or fitness space. Some people they play a certain role and if you meet them in person they can't make eye contact, can't have a strong handshake, things of that nature, like I wouldn't say anything. But in my head I was like whoa, this 500 K on Instagram, guys way different. Or this lady, like they suck on stage. But that's why I always like people that are very transparent. That's why I love guys like David Goggins, andy for Sella. I relate a lot to those gentlemen just because they're authentic and they could talk about their darkest or best times of their life to anybody.

Speaker 3: 8:49

So I always try to just show full transparency of my morning process, my relationship with my girlfriend, I share my pit bulls, so just real things are like hey, this is normal guy works out, it's girlfriend has a pit bull. This is awesome. So it's not a business social media standpoint. Click the link. Click the link. Click the link. It's more so here. Here's 10 things today that work for me. If you'd like to learn more, let me know and we open up a conversation. So I focus more on the conversations rather than just sending people to a landing page.

Speaker 2: 9:20

That's really good, and I think that authenticity is one of the things that I appreciated most when I was getting to know you. You are who you are and there's not this facade that you hide behind. That is so often true in the digital space. You are who you are and you have no problem showing that, revealing that You're not trying to be something that you're not, and I think that's something that is a core part of what it means to truly be catalytic in your leadership. It's hard to make a difference when you're trying to be something you're not.

Speaker 3: 9:52

Exactly, and people can always sense that immediately. Like if let's just say that this gentleman at the Monday meeting does not usually yell or get aggressive. If he tries that because he watched a motivational YouTube video at 6am, we applaud him for trying. But if it's not authentic to him, then it seems like it's forced. But if he does say an open, transparent statement like hey, I'm going to try to do things different this week, and thereabouts like oh, what do you got for us? And then he tries that thing, at least he's letting them know like hey, we're going to change things up.

Speaker 3: 10:20

So it's all about the approach, the companies that I work for and also time in the military. I would always look at the best or the worst leaders. You can learn from everyone how to be and how not to be. So I would just take mental note on everything and I was like hey, I really like the way that he did this. Or I want to make sure that I don't embarrass somebody in front of 50 people like this guy. I'd at least pull them to the side, cause that always irked me when somebody would try to make this, make the example of someone in front of people. Like you don't know what somebody's going through outside of work or outside of everything, so that could be their last moment, or it could really put them into a dark place if they were in a high space before that. So I just always like to read the room first, approach it as necessary and then give the people what is needed in the moment.

Speaker 2: 11:06

So good. You and I both do work in the mindset space and we know the power of having the proper mindset and resetting your mindset, but a lot of people really struggle mentally these days. Why do you think that is?

Speaker 3: 11:21

I think it's their mind never stops because we're so bombarded with social media ads, with comedy, everything is click, click, click. Amazon Prime, I can get this. Tomorrow I can get this, I got Uber E's now I got Netflix now I had this subscription. A Spotify now that, like everybody's brain is doing that all day long, so it's hard for them to really be present.

Speaker 3: 11:41

Yeah, working with a lot of people, I've noticed the main quality that most people have in common is the issue with being present with their family at dinner, especially entrepreneurs. We're thinking about the next sale, the next funnel, the next whatever, and their son, their wife, their daughter, their boyfriend is talking, and all they're thinking about is strategy and they can see it and that, right there is the saddest thing, because it's very relatable to a lot of entrepreneurs. So I think the issue is just People need to test themselves to be more present in one thing Multi-tasking. Growing up sounded cool, but the older we all get, we noticed that multi-tasking becomes one of the worst things. It's it's a cripple. So it used to be a good thing for us in college. And though do we get in the better we get in business if we just focus on one thing at a time I do this. Next is this next is that it's very simplistic and you're able to scale that way. So I think the issue that I've noticed is that people have an issue with being very present Present at work, present with their family, present in the gym. Like they're sending emails in the gym between sets. It's like just finish the workout, it's fine, nothing's gonna happen with the business, like finish that when you get back in the car. But I challenge people to just pause. What am I doing right now? I'm sending this email. Let me close these 18 other tabs. What am I doing right now?

Speaker 3: 12:58

I have a non-negotiable date with my girlfriend every Friday at lunch. We were both on zoom and talked to people all day. So Friday during lunch, the first 30 minutes we almost don't say a word. There's nothing weird about it. But servers are looking at us like they are they okay. We just look out of the water and then we start talking to hey, so what are your wins for the week? But like we understand each other, so it's awesome. So that's how we're present, because if we try to do that on a Tuesday or Wednesday, it wouldn't work because we would both be on our phone handling business, doing stuff.

Speaker 3: 13:27

So I challenge people to really look at your schedule and find times of the day or the week when you can be more present with those you love and also have some you time. I recommend doing it in the morning. If you don't have an hour, have 30 minutes. Go on a walk. Just get away from everyone. Get into nature, because everything is digital. We're looking at screens all day. One was the last time some of the listeners have maybe walked on the beach alone or hiked or dunked their head in the ocean or a lake or just had their bare feet in sand or the dirt or something, just taking it old school. Because, with everything new that's coming with technology and VR, going back to the basics is always going to be beneficial to everyone.

Speaker 2: 14:06

I Think that that advice to just get out and take a walk, I think is one of the best things someone ever told me, because there are times when I'm when I'm writing or I'm trying to Create content or deal with a problem and I get stuck, and so often, if I'll just take 15, 20 minutes, go for a walk, I come back and there's the problem, there's, there's I mean, there's the solution, there's, there's the. Oh, now I see it. It's just a different place, different pace, different perspective.

Speaker 3: 14:36

Exactly, yeah, but if we can just change our Mental states by doing the opposite of what we're doing? So you and I looks like we're both standing, if they hear us. We both have standing desks. That's so if we sit down for a moment, our mind goes to a different zone. Standing it's flowing. And for others it might be the opposite. They might work in a restaurant that need to sit, decompress for five minutes and then their thoughts come to them.

Speaker 3: 14:58

So do the opposite, physiologically, of what you were doing and Then change your state, because some people they try to, or they attempt to, think their way to a good mood and doesn't necessarily work, and then they need more caffeine, drinks, whatever other vice. They have snacks, but if they just move, as you mentioned, go for a walk or just sit down and lay the phone across the room and just sit there and stare at the ceiling or pet your dog Sometimes the power of touch. If somebody has children, they can hold their child, they can pet their dog, kiss their wife and just be present sometimes. So that is an analogy that I have in the military. So I would come back from field training and I felt like the Hulk and the moment my girlfriend put her hand on my shoulder, we hugged. I felt like I turned back into a human thought. I would have this analogy in my head and I was like, all right, I'm out of kill kill mode, so I'm here, I'm present.

Speaker 3: 15:45

So whatever works for that individual have a pattern interrupter Change your physiology and then have an anchor that's gonna help you become more present. Something I tell myself multiple times a day is people depend on me. So alarm goes off at four. Most of the time I'm ready. Other times I'm like I don't want to do anything. I don't feel like talking to anyone today and it's just me in my head. And then I say People depend on me. I say that and I get chills. I go to the kitchen, hydrate and I head to the gym and then I come back and I'm excited. I can't wait to talk to John has seven. I got this to tell him in an hour ago. I didn't want to talk to anybody. So yeah, that one little shift, saying that out louder in my head people depend on me.

Speaker 3: 16:25

I feel like we could all say that because, as humans were genetically selfish, I don't want to do this me, me. Why this? Why God, why this? It's about other people. Your family depends on you, your clients, your customers and future strangers like that one post Could save somebody a decision in business the moment that they're in. But we think of others, our problems are miniscule or we don't even pay attention to them because we're so focused on other people.

Speaker 2: 16:50

Hmm, that's awesome. Is that? Is that what motivates you there? Is that what inspires?

Speaker 3: 16:56

Yes, yes, definitely. The big reason that works so well for me is because growing up, just full transparency, I love you was not really set in our home. We had a beautiful home, four bedrooms, pool, screened in, and all that from the outside it was the party house, cookouts and everything, but the love really wasn't there once the crowd left. So it got pretty dark for many years. But both parents they had PTSD in different levels so they didn't get the full help that they needed. So I was just the Punching back. But they knew I can handle it.

Speaker 3: 17:27

So my outlet was fitness. So I became like my own psychologist at like 12 years old. I would listen to Tony Robbins tapes at 12 and music and I would learn about stories that were darker than mine and I would tell myself it could be worse. I'm in a beautiful home, I have three meals a day, the bus picks me up, takes me to school, I have all my limbs. Going extreme would always work for me. So I would watch crazy movies of real stories or read documentaries or excuse me read biographies and I'd say I can't complain, and then I would like treat it like a video game, and I was.

Speaker 3: 18:00

I started doing that at 12 and then what helped me the most was martial arts Outside of just working out the calmness of the mind. So, being that calm, quiet kid, nobody knew what was going on at home. I never complained, never told anyone, and Then I would just show up for others. So being around people Helped me because I didn't hear those three words at home. So that's why I have such a passion to help people, because I can relate to it, even if it's a different scenario.

Speaker 3: 18:25

You can always sense when somebody just needs that support and that accountability. So I feel like that's what it is. We're helping them also helps me and it's fulfilling. So I would challenge people to do what truly fulfills you. It's different for everybody, but seeing my clients happy when, confident, having their first date in 10 years fitting in those pans, like whatever it is, I'm more proud for them than they are them themselves, because I knew how they were day one that we started. And then internally I'm like this is why I'm here, this is why that madness happened. It was all by design. Here we are, so that's the main reason.

Speaker 2: 19:01

You know, so often people get stuck, and they get stuck because of painful experiences, regrettable things that they wish they could go back and undo or redo. You talk about using pain, though in a different way. You talk about using it as fuel. What do you mean by that?

Speaker 3: 19:18

so I Challenge people to learn their family tree or their family lineage on both sides, whether they like family or not, and Learn about the darkest stuff that they've gone through and then go back to themselves and say, okay, what am I complaining about? Slow Wi-Fi, I got a flat tire, I got this, somebody has student loan debt, like whatever the real stress is. We're not saying the stress doesn't exist, but sometimes we just have to zoom out and say who endured what? For me to be here right now, in this moment. So instead of me being selfish we all have our level of stress Let me zoom out and say, okay, they went through this.

Speaker 3: 19:53

So my mother's German, so my Oma survived the Holocaust. She was hiding in an attic on fathers from Mississippi. He's African-American, so we know about the history of Mississippi. So great great grandparents went through a lot of wild stuff. And me, being multi-racial or biracial, I would look at both sides and I would say, okay, well, both parents are successful in their career. We have a beautiful home. Yes, they didn't work on things, but I got the discipline, I got that and I got health.

Speaker 3: 20:19

So, going back to other people, if they could learn the family tree on both sides and again, they don't have to like them, they just have to respect and appreciate what people went through and endured and To appreciate their presence of being alive, because it's rare for people to wake up to say thank you, god or whatever they believe in thanks for another day. The first thought is like Alarm hits news six times, anxiety is up and they're not thinking of anything. It's like wait a minute. You just open your eyes and took a breath.

Speaker 3: 20:46

Some people would like to rewind and have that moment. So again, I like to go the extreme route to bring me present. That's what works for me. I'm not saying I put myself into a dark place every morning, but sometimes you just have to zoom out, come into the present moment to then say, okay, what can I do to help others? So that is definitely one thing that is different. I don't really hear many people talk about that, but I challenge people to do that because they might have clarity of why things are the way they are, because of this side of the family with that side.

Speaker 2: 21:15

If you could go back and talk to the 18 year old version of Derek no one. What do you know now? What would you tell him? I?

Speaker 3: 21:25

would tell him keep doing what you're doing because the compound effect is real. Keep doing what you're doing because the compound effect is real. And I'm not saying I knew everything back then, but, going through wild stuff, spirituality and faith was always very strong. So I had zero doubt like self doubt or doubt in God. I just felt that I got past. I Believe in there's two versions of motivation. One is the push Push ourselves at the gym, push yourselves the sales call, push, push, push. But once somebody has faith and whatever they believe in, they get pulled to a cause and a purpose. So I truly feel that since that time period I've been getting pulled, or I don't feel like I have to push myself anymore because I'm thinking of others. So I would ask people to ask themselves Am I just pushing or am I being pulled by a purpose or a legacy and having that mental shift? Sometimes the push is needed in the gym, working, doing whatever, making that one last sales call. But if you have a bigger purpose than yourself, anything that is bigger than you, you'll get pulled towards something. So that right.

Speaker 3: 22:32

There is definitely something that I would tell him is that Keep doing what you're doing. The compound effect is working. You don't have the answers, but you can just feel that some higher power saying, hey, it's gonna be alright, you're on the right path. So once I said yes and I just like let go, and we hear the term God, take the wheel and I was like, alright, we're going, I don't question nothing.

Speaker 3: 22:53

So if anybody ever had an experience, no matter how deep they are into faith or spirituality, if they've driven a car and something said, take a left right now, and they did and they missed a correct by inches, that is the conscience, which comes from a higher source. Take note of those moments that you had, that it may have happened today, may have happened years ago, but everybody has that gift is our conscience. But people stack vices in their life and they don't hear their conscience as much because they're trying to hide From said feelings. So they don't really hear that voice. But if they slow to get rid of vices anger, pression, food Pour, like whatever it is then they start to hear that inner voice which is just higher self or God. At least that's just my belief and experience, but definitely that's what I would say.

Speaker 2: 23:42

So you imagine that you are a reader, like most of the great leaders that I meet. What is there? A book that has made a difference in your journey, one that you would recommend that other leaders pick up and read?

Speaker 3: 23:53

Yes, it's funny you asked that if they see the video or if they hear the audio. My microphone is on outwitting the devil. It's my favorite book of all time by Napoleon Hill. So essentially in the book he is having a quote-unquote conversation slash podcast with the devil and he asked them how do you control people?

Speaker 3: 24:09

And there's a term in the book in the book called drifters. So Growing up we think of, say, nerd the devil as his dark entity that's attacking and violent and gory. But in the book he was like why would I waste time trying to attack you? Because your discipline, dr William is disciplined, derek is disciplined, michelle is disciplined. That's harder. But there's a million people out here who hits, who hit snooze ten times, or they have a drinking problem or they have whatever problem he's like I could just whisper in their ear and say, just, you don't have to do it today. And so in that book he dives deep on drifters.

Speaker 3: 24:44

I don't want to give away the whole book, but that's a big sense and that right there open my eyes, just like both parts of the family, and I was like holy and it just opened up everything. So that book right there definitely changed my life, had the deepest impact Outside of faith is Napoleon Hill's outwitting the devil, and no matter what level of success somebody's in, everyone will feel that book to an extent. It's a short read, but it's timeless. It was written in the early 1920s and it's you can read it 50 years from now and it's still gonna be relevant. So I highly recommend that.

Speaker 2: 25:14

You know, I've never heard of that book. I have to check it out now, oh.

Speaker 3: 25:18

Yeah you, you'll love it. What's interesting? Some people are not visual readers that listen to audio books. The audio book is pretty funny because the devil's voice is like this and it sounds like a podcast, like they chose this guy with the perfect voice and they go back and forth and it's an interesting conversation in terms of a Like a podcast style audio book. And then the book itself is very interesting, but what I love about it it's Action steps and not just fluff and theory, because a lot of self-development books at least my opinion they all start sounding the same. But this is one of the. I like to refer it as the OG self-development book because it's in the 20s, so it's timeless and you realize that so many things that people teach in sales, entrepreneurship and business it started from this book. So it's very interesting that a lot of people are gonna say, wow, I've known this, but I didn't realize that this has been a timeless thoughts topic or idea.

Speaker 2: 26:09

Wow, as we wrap up today, I'm curious if people walk away with one thing, derek, from listening to you talk today, one thing from your story or your journey, your experience. What do you want that one thing to be?

Speaker 3: 26:24

The one thing that I would like everyone to walk away with is to ask them the selves what do I have to do to be the man or woman that I would be proud of? What do I have to do to be the man or woman that I would be proud of? Because if we're proud of ourselves, we're more present with family, our clients, customers, complete strangers can feel it and, as we spoke before, it's a positive ripple effect where we affect people positively rather than infecting them. So making that man or woman proud of who they truly want to be, because a lot of society, they had the goal of who they wanted to be. And then outside voices came.

Speaker 3: 27:02

The goal started on level 10, to start to drop to eight to seven and eventually they were like, yeah, this isn't for me, god had different plans, or this and this, and they start to use cop outlines, but deep down, when they're laying in bed looking at the ceiling, they wish they would have went that path. So do not get derailed by thoughts, the past. Make yourself proud in whatever version, of success you have for yourself, because it's not about my version, not about your version, whatever they're drawn to, and to ignore those outside voices, because the voices whether it's their own or families or whoever derails people or they're in a career path that they didn't even want Mom and dad wanted for him, or Professor Smith wanted it for him, and he's miserable. So that's definitely what I'll lead people with Make that man proud, make that woman proud and give them to others.

Speaker 2: 27:48

Excellent way to end. I know our listeners are going to want to stay connected with you and continue to learn from you, Derek. What is the best way for them to do that?

Speaker 3: 27:58

The best way would be via Instagram and that would be fit with Derek and the number two, fit with the Derek two. Or they can just type Derek Johnson on any platforms the same profile picture and everything. But my whole intent with social media is to talk about real topics, make up, call deep topics, interesting workout or just make somebody say, all right, I need to get off my ass. That's my whole intent. It's just inspire people so they show up better for themselves and their people.

Speaker 2: 28:28

Excellent. Derek, thank you for bringing the best version of you today, and Sharon, so honestly and authentically with our listeners. I know a lot of people are going to benefit from this. I certainly have Awesome.

Speaker 3: 28:40

I'm really happy to hear that and once again, I appreciate you having me on and I hope one of these things that you said, or I said, helps one person, because that's all it's about. Each episode is just to help that person who needs it the most.

Speaker 2: 28:53

Thanks for joining me for this episode today. As we wrap up, I'd love for you to do two things. First, subscribe to this podcast so you don't miss an episode, and if you find value here, I'd love it if you would rate it and review it. That really does make a difference in helping other people to discover this podcast. Second, if you don't have a copy of my newest book, catalytic Leadership, I'd love to put a copy in your hands. If you go to catalyticleadershipbookcom, you can get a copy for free. Just pay the shipping so I can get it to you and we'll get one right out.

Speaker 2: 29:29

My goal is to put this into the hands of as many leaders as possible. This book captures principles that I've learned in 20 plus years of coaching leaders in the entrepreneurial space, in business, government, nonprofits, education and the local church. You can also connect with me on LinkedIn to keep up with what I'm currently learning and thinking about. If you're ready to take a next step with a coach to help you intentionally grow and thrive as a leader, I'd be honored to help you. Just go to catalyticleadershipnet to book a call with me. Stay tuned for our next episode next week. Until then, as always, leaders choose to be catalytic.