Interview with motivational speaker/life coach/public speaking trainer ‘Lemzel Johnson’

 

1. What made you decide to become a motivational speaker/trainer?

Lemzel Johnson almost died due to a brain tumor that was more than two inches wide. He and his family moved to Mississipi. He started thinking about how he was going to support his family because he didn’t want this to keep him stuck. He kept a positive attitude and positive outlook on life. He listened to motivational speeches, read motivational books and gained inspiration from this. He was inspired to communicate with others and use his experience to help others. He wants to implement “nuggets' ' of wisdom on how to make life better.

 

  2. What are the skills needed for this profession?

He stated that it has to be more than talking to people. You have to talk from your own experiences in order to help others. Patience is a big thing as you have to start slow and let your work grow. You also have to be able to accept corrective criticism. You can’t be a “lone ranger”, you need to be able to have a team. The team will help you with handling finances, organize meetings, give feedback, etc. Most importantly, you need to find your main purpose.

 

  3. What is the most challenging part of this profession? 

Lemzel talks about some of the most challenging things in this profession. Some of these challenges are the material itself. The material you share with others has to be organized. You also have to narrow down your stories so you don’t stray away from the main topic. He says if you imagine a ball, that would be your central idea. Now, imagine all the pins in the ball being your subpoints. Lemzel shares that when being a motivational speaker, the audience is paying attention heavily to the way you share your story. From your tone, body language, etc. Lastly, he also said one of the frustrating things about starting out is that some places he goes to, he would have to settle for cheap prices, or sometimes doing motivational speeches for free.

 

   4. What is the most interesting part of this profession?

Lemzel says that the most exciting part of doing what he does is the chance to get to meet new people. He enjoys helping others and knowing that he’s making an impact on the people he comes in contact with. 

 

   5. What is the work environment like?

Lemzel describes the work environment in two ways. When it comes to the speaking platform, it’s all about you. You are the product of the audience and their watching the way you deliver. When it comes to behind the scenes, you have to know who’s handling what in the team. Someone has to be responsible for finances, another person has to be responsible for promotion like flyers, media, etc. 

 

   6. Are there any educational requirements to be a life coach/motivational speaker, If so what are they? 

Life. Lemzel says that in order to be a motivational speaker, you have to be a lifelong learner and speak on your knowledge from your own experiences. To be a successful life coach, you can take a coaching certificate program. 

 

   7. Is there a chance for promotion or ways to advance in this profession/ What is the starting salary for this profession? 

Lemzel Johnson states that it depends on the service you give and the amount of time you're giving the service. As your work value increases the money increases as well. As he was starting, he would speak in places that would pay around 25$, some places would only let him eat for free, and others would be for free service.  His organization now has grown tremendously. It is now 10 years that he’s had the organization but around 5-10 years prior in developing it. He can now charge more depending on the amount of time, the type of service, travel expenses, etc.

 

  8. What would your advice be to someone who would like to free themselves from repetitive behavior?

Lemzel says it’s all about the mindset and the passion you have to change. It’s reframing how you look at the habit and wording it as why do I need to change this habit, how can I change it, and what would make this habit healthier. It’s clarifying the objectives and goals. There needs to be resilience when finding your purpose. He says that habits are unique and it’s more about deciding which habits are healthy for you and how you could transform your unhealthy habits to be more healthy and productive.

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Conclusion: This did confirm my career aspirations. It was very insightful however it did bring to my attention that I will need another type of income/ career path while the business is in the process of growing.