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Connect with Paul
http://www.takeactionacademy.ca/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-s-rogers-63b828146/

Connect with Russ
https://russjohns.com/
https://thepiratesyndicate.com/
https://nextstepnext.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nextstepnext/

Audio digitally transcribed by Descript

Introduction: [00:00:00] Welcome to the #PirateBroadcast™, where we interview #interestingpeople doing #interestingthings. Where you can expand your connections, your community, #kindnessiscool and #smilesarefree. Let’s get this party started.

Russ Johns: [00:00:10] Hey, today we're going to learn about public speaking in this environment that we're living in and why it's important and why you need to talk about it. Why you need to learn about it and why you need to go out and pursue it. Welcome to the pirate in the room. Paul, how are you doing my friend?

Paul Rogers: [00:00:29] I'm feeling very at sea, so a good job I don't get seasick. Hang on. I can't see. Hang on.

Russ Johns: [00:00:34] Awesome to have you here. Thank you so much for being here. I love the fact that you came in as a pirate, and we're going to be talking about some of the things that you are helping people with and really pursuing their voice and it really, I think it's such a critical piece of the puzzle right now, a lot of change going on in the world. And we're talking to before the show a little bit about some of the things that are taking place around us, and there's still even at its most challenging moments, there still is a silver lining. So tell us for those that don't know you, Paul, I know you're a podcaster, you're a coach, you're many things, but tell a little bit about what people need to know about you right now and what you're pursuing in your life.

Paul Rogers: [00:01:28] Absolutely. Thank you for that. My ticket is Awareness Hell Raiser, because I kinda thought it was slightly different than raise awareness. Cause I'm very passionate about it. I use like most people, authentic stories. I can't tell you something if it doesn't actually come from inside. I use my own personal experiences and you'll never guess what I started off as I was a commercial lawyer in England and trust me, I didn't have the dreads, not good on the corporate level. So I then quit that to become a kite surfing instructor. Now you can start to see the hair and then ended up teaching on a first nation reserves in Canada, where I now am. And I had two big personal setbacks, which is where my passion starts to come from. I had skin cancer in 2014, melanoma. Of course it had all the bells and flutes can't just have a boring one, but my route was the surgery route because you can't actually nuke the skin. And I did that myself, but so I had that removed and that was a massive trauma. And when you hear the C word, it's still scary. Unfortunately it was just the warmup act because the main act happened three years ago, 2018. When I was with my family in North Quebec driving back and on an unmanned railway crossing, a train hit the car and ran the car over with us in it. I'm pretty hard to kill, to be honest, because after 10 days in a coma, broken vertebraes in the neck, back and smashed skull, hey, I'm still here. Now this is not a hologram or a recording. This is actually, yeah, this is me. So I use that purpose, which I've talked to lots of people there's certain things. Trauma is the big accelerant for change. And as you said, we are all collectively going through that trauma. And some magic is happening on the back of it because I run a public speaking course and my big thing is you are not your story. You are the lessons you learn from your story. So easy to get stuck in the chapter and not realize that there's a whole rest of book to read.

Russ Johns: [00:03:40] It's interesting that you would reference that in a way that is book and chapter. Because my entire life I've looked at sections of my life as chapters in the book of life. And how each story unfolds. You can almost take it as an individual event, an activity and say, okay, here's a piece of the puzzle that allowed me to think differently at the moment. And it changed my trajectory in my life, too. A new and exciting or challenging moment. Chapters in the book life is how we're all writing the page every day, we're writing a new story and what you choose to write in your world. And what you choose to write to your future is what we can work on. And I think learning how to speak about that is important. So how did you transition from train wreck to teacher in coaching and speaking, is that something that you were doing before your accident and your cancer, or is it just something you decided this has to be done? I'm motivated. I'm inspired to do this, and it's really important for me to do this right now.

Paul Rogers: [00:04:56] Absolutely. No, I didn't want to do any of that. Before the accident, I had no designs to be a public speaker or author. But when I woke up. Something had changed, fundamentally changed. And I now credit that for actually putting me on the right path of which I am now, which I always was leaning to, but I needed something just to put me on the trajectory. So I don't regret what's happened because actually what it has allowed me to do is find a true purpose and passion, which is to be of service, to help others. Who actually are looking for the map, looking for the way, the path. I'm just an ordinary guy. The only thing is I've been doing trauma a lot longer than a lot of people. So I know a few things and it's like the the one eyed man in the kingdom of the blind is King. And so there are so many different platforms and what we are doing at the moment is that type of platform. This is a way where we can reach lots of people who we haven't met and who we may not even know, but they may just hear that one piece of information. They needed to hear that one story. And then their trajectory changes, which is why I'm such a fan of podcasts. Why I'm a podcaster myself and why I decided also to be an author and design a course to help other people tell their story, because story is the most important gift we all have to the world. There is not one single person on the planet who's had an easy life. If there is, I really would like to meet them, get in touch and I will shake your hand. So we all have that power and that story.

Russ Johns: [00:06:50] And I think a lot of people are limited in their ideas of what the story can unfold in their life. There's so many people that have possibilities and opportunities that they miss out on because they haven't really understood how to tell their own story. So if you were to find an individual that hadn't found that magic in their world, what process or what journey would you want to take them on? How would that unfold in their world? As an awareness hell raiser, kind of a wisdom would you impart on that individual?

Paul Rogers: [00:07:33] I would say, first of all, the best doorways, always open inwards, and to become an awareness, you need to be aware first. You can't have one without the other. And the one guy thing, which we are now learning is rather than being externally focused, looking for validations, collecting stuff, we know we can't collect stuff because who cares? Where are we going to go with it? Anyway, so I think a lot of people are now starting to actually look for other measures of success. And really this is where they start that journey. And find your voice. Actually, the title came when I was talking on a mental health summit and it was for men and I was saying, look, it's scary, but if everyone stood up and told their story, their voice, just imagine the impact that would have. So I guide rather than anything else, them to the doors, which always open.

Russ Johns: [00:08:35] I like that. I like that statement. The door always opens in.

Paul Rogers: [00:08:40] The problem is most people, everyone's done it. Now everyone be honest, you've come up to a door and you push  on it, when in fact it says, pull. That's never when there's no one around.

Russ Johns: [00:08:54] Your hands are full too.

Paul Rogers: [00:08:57] You're trying to kick the door open on the kick plate and you realize that it's completely the wrong way. And that's what a lot of people do for their entire lives with themselves. And rather than pull which complies a lot more effort than just to push.

Russ Johns: [00:09:14] I think it's resistance. We all expect resistance, so we always find resistance. And it's really one of those things when you start to open up and decide, okay what am I here for? Why am I here? And what is it that I really truly need to do to show up in the world? And when you start to unpack that and decide, okay, this is what is important. And this is what I feel is my purpose? Or the why, however you want to describe it, then things seemed to flow a little easier when they're all in alignment. It's just amazing how that works out. So it's really a journey that we're taking. And so I want to go back because I'm totally curious about this. So all of a sudden you were, teenager, young adult, and all of a sudden you went on a path to become an attorney, a lawyer. And was that something that you had an opportunity to do and you just took it or is it something that you were inspired to do or motivated to do? How did that take place? Cause speaking and attorneys, they go hand in hand in a lot of respects, however, it's not necessarily a straight line. So in your jagged journey, how did you get from that point to this point?

Paul Rogers: [00:10:40] Alanis Morissette Jagged Little Pill. I wanted to be a history teacher, but I soon found out there was no future in that. So I decided then to real people are switched on I'm testing them. And so what I did is I followed societies. Well-trodden path. You go to school, you get the good qualifications. You go and get a good job. And hey, all my stories. They have a common theme running through them to help other people as an attorney, as a kite surfing instructor, as a teacher. Now, as a life coach, there's always a thread if you are open and aware enough to spot that. And so I started that, but I got very successful at it, but I just felt a bit empty. I just think all the other parts of my life were just terrible. And so I got to the point where I stopped listening to what my head was saying and actually moved it down to wherever the mind and heart lives. And that's never, ever let me down since.

Russ Johns: [00:11:46] That's a powerful message. It's a powerful message. Living from the heart is not a bad place to go.  Regardless of what you choose to do in life.

Paul Rogers: [00:11:54] There's so many, and I love spotting these, there's so many of this phrase hiding in plain sight, go from the heart whatdoes your heart feel? What's your gut reaction? That's where we all turn to afterwards. We then send it up to the committee upstairs where it will then decide, oh no, we're not doing that. But actually the real creativity and my head's destroyed physically. So I realized that the brain is just a switchboard, but that's not where my creativity is. And so that if anyone is listening, that is a really good when they say, get out of your head or get your head in the game. Okay. That's not a smart goal. It's actually get in the zone, the zones here inside rather than up there, in my opinion.

Russ Johns: [00:12:47] That's amazing to think about. And so  is there a process that you use to help people discover their own voice, their own magic, so to speak. And what process have you found to be most successful for your clients?

Paul Rogers: [00:13:03] I think, especially, I have people who have got great stories. And the first thing I do is they tell me the story and I sit and just listen. And I find then that they just go round in that same bubble. And there was a lady who had a horrific story about, her son had cancer and that was like nine, 10 years ago. But she had got stuck nine to 10 years ago until I said your story is great, but what does it emphasize, It emphasizes what you are and what you learned from that. It's then when people then start to look at and they see past what they think was actually defining them and that's the danger of labels. Oh, you've got this, you've got that, you've got this. That is a man-made concept for ease. It's not actually who you are. And  guys, we tend to bottle things up and when you bottle a story up it just gets worse and worse. So it's healing to actually get out and tell people and people want to hear, people want to hear. Once you start getting in that kind of mindset, the whole fear of it starts to actually take a back seat because you're the expert of you. There's no one that could be better placed than you, so the impostor syndrome no, because you are the CEO of yourself. Don't go ahead and fire yourself. Which a lot of people do.

Russ Johns: [00:14:28] Yeah, they do. They they're not working on their longterm story, their future story. Cause I think one of the things that is really inspiring and a lot of people speaking is, and I've heard a lot of speakers and if I notice if you've seen people over and over again, speak at events that you really enjoy seeing, speaking, a lot of times the story is exactly the same. They get that foundational speech done and they can speak for 20 minutes. They can speak for 30 minutes. They could speak for an hour, and they know exactly what that cadence is. They know what they're speaking about. And sometimes people just like to hear a story off the cuff. And I think the craft of storytelling is different than being a public speaker. Telling a specific speech and I don't know where I'm going with this other than the fact that I really think about this a lot in terms of, what we're doing here with live streaming, because every day is a different conversation. It's a unique gift and a message we're sharing. However, at the same time it's the same theme, it's okay, how did you start? How'd you get there? How did you go from point a to point B? The foundation is the same. However, the stories are so different every single day and it just fascinates me how people get to where they end up. And a lot of times it's the stories involved and there's a story involved in it. So it's really fascinating to see how people unfold and uncover their stories in their own journey.

Paul Rogers: [00:16:09] I think as well with those actually all having to go online. I think that has been one of the big silver linings. We had a quick chat about that before, and we are everyone at the moment has having to make a decision, a new decision about their direction or whatever. Now  you don't invite trauma in, trauma just happens. But where the real message, and I think I see the essence of where you're going, is your choice. What did you do with that? That's where the power lies is actually in the choice. Did you decide to roll over? That's nothing wrong with that? Or did you decide to think actually. I need to do this. I need to fight. I need to do something with it. And I agree with it. Everyone has got an adversity where they've had to overcome. Look at Hollywood. They make films entirely about that. It's a well tried thing, but then what do you do next? And that people can't resist a how to, oh my goodness, you say how to, and everyone's whoop and and I think that's where the real power of public speaking is. It's very mechanical, but actually it's not where the magic lies. The magic lies within you and humor. You can get long way with just a little bit of humor. And that's where your have become authentic because you're willing to be vulnerable. You're willing to take a risk. And I believe that when you're authentic, that's where your credibility starts.

Russ Johns: [00:17:40] Yeah you have to be vulnerable as well. You have to be willing to tell the story, the good, the bad and the ugly pieces of the puzzle because until you can really, like you said, when you open the door inward and you point out the, the skeletons in the closet and say, Hey, this is all me. This is all I am. And you have a choice to either run away or come in and listen to the story, join in and understand and appreciate what we're talking about today. And I think it's important for people to understand that, not every story has the most happy endings. However, the beginnings are what we really want to focus in on is, okay, you were hit by a train, you're in a coma and everything else that could have been very easy for you to just go home and lay on the couch and say, oh, poor pitiful me. What am I going to do with this? However, you wrote a different story. You wrote a different chapter and you started living that chapter. And so a lot of people could take away a lesson from that and saying, wow, if he can do it, I can do it. And so I think that's the prevailing message that we need to put out in the world is you have a perspective. You can either say poor, pitiful me, be a victim, or be a victor, and use it as fuel for your future. So I think it's so powerful. So I want to give a shout out to some people, Fred's in the room. Glad to see you're still here, Paul. Absolutely.

Paul Rogers: [00:19:16] Me too, Fred

Russ Johns: [00:19:17] Silverfox Talks. DJ's in the room. Thank you so much for being here, pirates. Angie, good morning. Everyone love that. You're here. Hiett better, late than never good morning fellow pirates. And it's so important that we appreciate those around us and the cause we're not going to do everything perfect the first time, it's like you go back 400 episodes and watch how I started this. This podcast is live show that was completely different and it continues to evolve. And I'm going through this phase right now where. What do I need to open myself up to, what do I need to be vulnerable to? How can I show up in the world in a way that's going to be most valuable to the community and those around me? How can I help more? And I think you're doing the same thing. It's okay. I had a tragic moment that doesn't define who I am. That's not who I am. And what I do with my life is going to evolve and change as well. So what's on the roadmap for Paul and the hell raiser that you are.

Paul Rogers: [00:20:25] I know I take a different view, which I think to be honest, I think facing any type of trauma and it doesn't have to be physical. It can be emotional, financial, people losing a business, trauma is trauma. It's individual too, but it feels just as real. So now. My purpose and it's very simple. My purpose is that I'm here to help people in any single way I can. I'm here to leave, put my hand down and to the right. People will see it. Some people ain't gonna like what I say, that's fine. There's going to be somebody else they do. But if anyone does like it and that's what they think and they can interrupt that conversation in their head. We all need and I sound very Beatles, we all need somebody, Hey, I'm English, I'm allowed. At some point, trauma doesn't just affect you. It affects everyone in your network, all the people. And so if you can be that bright spark to engage in a light, in a community, that's  like a raindrop across the whole... and mother Theresa says, the way you make the changes is the little, the stone skipping across the surface. And I totally believe it. And as you said, oh, they're going to be new ideas and opportunities to help others. And that's exciting cause I haven't found them yet, but at least I'm open to see them.

Russ Johns: [00:21:54] It's huge opportunity too. And I think right now in the way that life is like we were talking before the show is that so many changes are taking place and people are reflecting on what's really important. I want to go back to when you were an attorney where you may have had an outside visually appealing, successful life, however, on the inside, you were dying a little bit every day showing up like that. Is that a fair statement?

Paul Rogers: [00:22:27] No it's completely fair. And there's a lot of people who feel stuck and I felt stuck because I was like, I'm a lawyer. What else can I do? And it's a very easy thing to get into. But I it was a hobby. And kite surfing is a hobby. I wasn't actually very good at it, but it's something I enjoyed. So I thought okay. I always have the attitude of whatever I'm going to do. I'm going to try and be the best at it. That was age 35. And a lot of my friends are still in the law. They're just a little bit plumper, a little bit gray, then I've got the hair I have now. That's so that will tell you a lot, but it's a path. Once you start on that other things will start to appear. And I'm a great believer in the law of attraction, the universe, and the right people will come to you at the right time. But you can't force that, you can't say, oh, I'm going to force some creativity today. It don't work like that. And I think just being able to be the oil on the water. So you've got water behind me, the water, and I think good things will happen. You just need to be aware and enough to see that and awareness. Isn't just about great causes about you as an individual becoming aware of what is your surroundings and what is coming.

Russ Johns: [00:23:47] Yeah. Sometimes the career you think you have is just a lesson that you need at the time.

Paul Rogers: [00:23:55] Exactly. I learned that I was an ass and I got this great story. My dad, he's now a judge, so law runs in the family and you can imagine the conversation, actual partner, like dad, I'm going to, I'm going to quit the law and what are you going to do? And I said, kite surfer. And he's but here I am, I'm not a kite surfer anymore but I've got the lessons from that.

Russ Johns: [00:24:17] Yeah.  The career you had was just the lesson you needed at the time.

Paul Rogers: [00:24:23] Absolutely.

Russ Johns: [00:24:24] Paul, this has been a wonderful opportunity to catch up and share a few stories. You have any lessons, legacy lessons you want to leave with the the community before we sign off today?

Paul Rogers: [00:24:35] Absolutely. Very simple. Do not take yourself too seriously. Because that just causes lower stress, laugh at yourself. Laugh at  what you have, because when you do that, first, you're gonna feel better. And also you might find out you're quite a funny person. Don't take yourself too seriously.

Russ Johns: [00:24:52] Absolutely. Absolutely. And MD is from Bangladesh here. Thank you so much. And love that you're here. Thank you so much for being here. I just want to recognize the fact that there are a lot of people doing so many different things out there in the world and Paul, all the #gratitude in the world. And thank you so much for being here and sharing your story. And I look forward to future connections and coming on you have a podcast as well, so  I'll have to show up on your podcast.

Paul Rogers: [00:25:25] Let's get it back. Let's get it back. Yeah, that was a bit, mine is called Release the Genie. And you just did that right there. That's just an example right there.

Russ Johns: [00:25:33] It's an example of the Genie in the house.

Paul Rogers: [00:25:36] Yeah, that's how powerful you are and you haven't even come on the show yet. So I'm expecting great things.

Russ Johns: [00:25:42] Expectations are often here and accounted for, so thank you so much for being here, Paul. I look forward to being on launch. Is it Release the Genie?

Paul Rogers: [00:25:53] Yep. Release the Genie?

Russ Johns: [00:25:55] And how do you like people to reach out and connect with you?

Paul Rogers: [00:25:57] The best way is on LinkedIn because I'm there pretty much all the time. And Paul S. Rogers, cause there's a hundred of Paul Rogers. I think that's very bad for the rest of the planet, but there are more of me than I realized, but Paul S. Rogers and that's the best place to get ahold of me.

Russ Johns: [00:26:15] Awesome. Thank you so much. And as always, everyone join us  five days a week. LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter stream,  Twitch, wherever you happen to look and also like, comment and share this with somebody that you know needs to hear this message today, and let's get this out there. Cause you're only one conversation away because #kindnessiscool and #smilesarefree,so you #enjoytheday. Thank you, Paul. Stick around.

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