Jordan Talley, a speaker and lifelong dreamer, joins Niiamah Ashong on the Outlier's Edge Podcast for a live coaching conversation about turning dreams into reality and helping others do the same in their own way. He shares how the dream of speaking came to him and what he wants to create next, from books to bigger stages. What emerged is a clear declaration of what he stands for: he's a dreamer who wants to empower people to dream again.
Episode at a glance
- Guest: Jordan Talley, Speaker and lifelong dreamer inspiring people to dream again
- Host: Niiamah Ashong, coach to outlier leaders
- Show: Outlier’s Edge Podcast, released August 9, 2022
- Format: conversation, 75 minutes
- Topics: Staying a dreamer, Courage before confidence, Humility and big dreams, The brag zone, Finding like-hearted people, Creating more dreamers
What Jordan brought to the conversation
Jordan Talley grew up a dreamer and says he always will be, to the day he dies. His message is that you can achieve any dream you have and there's nothing in the world that stops you besides you. He grew up an artist and a writer, and the dream of being a speaker came to him at about 22 or 23, when he met successful people who empowered others through servant leadership on stage, gave back most of what they made and set their own schedules. He leads others from a place of love rather than dictatorship, has been a guest speaker and trainer in his company, and sees himself writing personal growth books, creating audio programs and speaking on stage.
What emerged
The coaching found Jordan Talley's missing link: not confidence, but the courage that creates it, and room for his humility and his dreams to live on the same level. Niiamah Ashong named what Jordan Talley is about, finding, celebrating and creating more dreamers, and asked him to just say it. When he declared that he's a dreamer who stands for dreams, his whole demeanor shifted, and he named his takeaways as alignment and lifting the fog.
Questions this episode answers
What comes first, confidence or courage?
When Jordan Talley named confidence as his missing link, Niiamah Ashong said that people looking for confidence or clarity are often really missing courage, because confidence comes from the experiences that courage creates. He then asked what Jordan Talley would do if he were courageous enough, and the first step he saw was reaching out to every single person he knows about what he's doing.
How can a leader move forward when only the next step is visible?
Niiamah Ashong compares it to driving on a foggy day: you may only see a few feet ahead, but that doesn't mean you can't get to your destination. When he invited Jordan Talley to imagine taking that one step day after day, Jordan Talley saw peers he once compared himself to shaking hands with him, doing business together and creating change.
How can a humble leader talk about big dreams?
Niiamah Ashong invited Jordan Talley into what he calls the brag zone, an even deeper humility in which letting people know your greatness is in service of their growth. From there, Jordan Talley named dreams like training sales organizations and corporate leadership teams, writing forewords for books, speaking to graduating classes and creating millionaires.
Why do dreamers need other dreamers around them?
Jordan Talley said he hadn't found many dreamers where he lives and wants ongoing, in-person relationships with like-minded people. Niiamah Ashong spoke to the importance of being around people who are different minded but like-hearted, values driven and mission driven.
How can a speaker help an audience connect with their own dreams?
Niiamah Ashong suggested Jordan Talley talk about his dreams and how he brought them to life, and then, when he's on stage, give people a chance to share one dream with the person next to them. He also suggested Jordan Talley let people know he can be a sounding board for dreams that aren't fully fleshed out yet.
In their words
We think confidence comes first but it's actually courage that comes first.
Niiamah Ashong
I'm a dreamer, I stand for dreams and I want to empower people to dream.
Jordan Talley
Our money shouldn't consume who we are, it should be a reflection of who we are and the difference that we can make in the world.
Jordan Talley
Key moments
02:33 – A good kind of scary
05:07 – Growing up a dreamer
07:12 – The dream of becoming a speaker
21:36 – Naming the missing link
27:42 – Courage comes before confidence
28:48 – Seeing through the fog
33:26 – Entering the brag zone
41:01 – Finding other dreamers
49:42 – Declaring what he stands for
69:03 – Alignment and lifting the fog
About Niiamah Ashong
Niiamah Ashong is a coach to outlier leaders, host of the Outlier’s Edge Podcast, and founder of the Trailblazer Collective. He coaches leaders who are creating something only they can make: a company, a body of work or a movement. Make a difference with your difference.
Work with Niiamah: 1:1 with Niiamah | World of Difference
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