Oliver North - Take Ownership For Your Life To Speak On Stages

Oliver North is a national keynote speaker who talks about equity, entrepreneurship, success, and much more. He has an unconventional way of speaking that lets his audience connect and relate to him in a way that other speakers cannot. Oliver came from a background of homelessness, foster care, and drug use but that did not stop him from going on to be the first in his family to graduate college. After graduation, Oliver found himself in corporate America but saw that that wasn't going to be fulfilling for him. He had a desire to change his own life and those of others. His goal is to show people that they are not stuck and that corporate America is not the American dream that they are sold. He wants people to take ownership of their lives and dreams. 

Key Takeaways

• If you ever feel stuck in a pattern, you aren’t really stuck. It is never too late to take charge of your life and to make a change. 
• People are reluctant to speak because they feel that they do not know enough or have not experienced enough, but everybody’s story has value.
• Your customer speaks a certain language. In your marketing and in your advertising you have to speak their language. 
• To stand out, study the business and figure out what their core values and challenges are and let them know how you would fix them. 

Memorable Quotes:

• “[Life] is made up of learning from the adversity that I have experienced.” - Oliver North
• “Diversity looks different.” - Oliver North 
• “When I say ownership, people think I mean business. But it's life, leadership, education, and business.” - Oliver North

Episode Resources & Links:

Oliver North

Website: https://www.oliverpetty.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliver-petty-39a94a58/

Instagram: @omrnegative

Charles Clark

Website: https://thecharlesclark.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlesclarkusa/

Instagram + Facebook: @thecharlesclark

To get access to all our episodes, visit our podcast page!

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Transcript

00:00:01 Charles Clark 

Yo, what's up tribe? 

00:00:02 Charles Clark 

Welcome to the journey to paid speaking gigs podcast. 

00:00:04 Charles Clark 

Here we bring on guests in the speaking world to uncover how to find your voice as a speaker. 

00:00:09 Charles Clark 

Get paid speaking engagements and develop your speaking skills. 

00:00:13 Charles Clark 

I'm your host Charles Clark mental health and resilient speaker and today I'm speaking with Oliver North. 

00:00:18 Charles Clark 

He has used his voice to change. 

00:00:20 Charles Clark 

The lives of people all over the country. 

00:00:22 Charles Clark 

On today's episode, learn how he took his business to the next level through ownership and telling his story. 

00:00:28 Charles Clark 

I'm excited to dive in. 

00:00:29 Charles Clark 

But before we do. 

00:00:30 Charles Clark 

So that if you enjoy today's episode, check out the journey to paid speaking gigs Academy on my website at the Charles clark.com/apply where you're going to learn everything that you need to know about creating a successful speaking business. Without further ado, let's intro Oliver. 

00:00:49 Oliver North 

Hey how you living King I'm all good. 

00:00:51 Oliver North 

I appreciate you having me. 

00:00:51 Charles Clark 

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. 

00:00:53 Charles Clark 

It's an honor to talk with the fellow speaker. 

00:00:56 Charles Clark 

First off, you know, let the drivetribe know just a little bit about who you are. 

00:01:00 Charles Clark 

You know who you are as. 

00:01:01 Charles Clark 

A speaker who you are as a entrepreneur. 

00:01:04 Charles Clark 

Or a person, or being and and. 

00:01:06 Oliver North 

You sure? 

00:01:08 Oliver North 

That's the best so. 

00:01:10 

I think. 

00:01:10 

Before we get. 

00:01:11 Oliver North 

Into anything about like what? 

00:01:12 Oliver North 

I do, I think that was really important is always to like understand the. 

00:01:16 Oliver North 

Essence of a person. 

00:01:17 Oliver North 

So my name is Oliver North. 

00:01:19 Oliver North 

I'm transitioning my last name from Petty so a lot of folks might know me under the last name. 

00:01:23 Oliver North 

Petty, but you know, this move is really just to carve this new rain in my life. 

00:01:28 Oliver North 

'cause as I look back at my history and you learn more about me more. 

00:01:32 Oliver North 

Former foster child. 

00:01:33 Oliver North 

So I went to five different foster homes before I was six years old. 

00:01:36 Oliver North 

My mother and father, both former drug addicts from one of 14 children. 

00:01:41 Oliver North 

My mother was a single mother of nine kids, you know, experienced everything from abandonment, homelessness, isolation and abuse. 

00:01:49 Oliver North 

So when you look back on life, you start to learn things about yourself. 

00:01:53 Oliver North 

You learn about your experience. 

00:01:54 Oliver North 

You begin to evaluate and see what type of habits you create. 

00:01:59 Oliver North 

So as we. 

00:02:01 Oliver North 

You know, transition into what I do as a public speaker is really made-up of learning from the adversity that I've experienced. 

00:02:08 Oliver North 

So you know I was able to graduate high. 

00:02:12 Oliver North 

School go on to college. 

00:02:13 Oliver North 

Earn a scholarship. 

00:02:14 Oliver North 

Play college football. 

00:02:16 Oliver North 

I graduated in four. 

00:02:17 Oliver North 

Years with a degree in political science, I went on to get my Masters degree in business. 

00:02:21 Oliver North 

By the time I was 23, went out into corporate America and I had four different job offers from different companies and last company that I was at. You know, they you know, really ready to offer me over. 

00:02:34 Oliver North 

$100,000 to stay. 

00:02:36 Oliver North 

And I was only there for about 6. 

00:02:39 Oliver North 

Months, but what I? 

00:02:39 Oliver North 

Saw when I was in corporate America was like. 

00:02:43 Oliver North 

Well, this ain't the American. 

00:02:44 Oliver North 

Dream that they sold me. 

00:02:46 Oliver North 

Why you go to school? 

00:02:46 Charles Clark 

Yeah, yeah. 

00:02:48 Oliver North 

Get a good job. 

00:02:49 Oliver North 

Make money, live that American dream and I was like. 

00:02:53 Oliver North 

Oh, I'm not really happy coming to. 

00:02:54 Oliver North 

Work every day. 

00:02:56 Oliver North 

But everybody that's coming into this situation ain't happy. 

00:02:59 Oliver North 

Either 'cause I'm having. 

00:03:00 Oliver North 

These behind the scenes conversations so at that moment I had a decision to make along with some other things that transpired and I said yo I want to speak to the next generation. 

00:03:11 Oliver North 

So they don't fall victim to what I did and feel like this is the only. 

00:03:16 Oliver North 

Way I wanted. 

00:03:17 Oliver North 

To speak to my age demographic and let him know like yo this popping like we can move. 

00:03:23 Oliver North 

I wanted to push this entrepreneur narrative. 

00:03:25 Oliver North 

This is almost nine years ago, almost 10 years ago now. 

00:03:28 Oliver North 

So looking at it and seeing where entrepreneurship is now, I'm very excited. 

00:03:32 Oliver North 

'cause I titled my business only thoughts of ownership. 

00:03:35 Oliver North 

For that reason, I'm wanting everybody to. 

00:03:37 Oliver North 

Know off rip like. 

00:03:38 Oliver North 

This is a partnership if you work with me. 

00:03:40 Oliver North 

I don't work for you. 

00:03:42 Oliver North 

And then I wanted to speak to the season generation is what I call them that you're not stuck. 

00:03:47 Oliver North 

You could pivot at any moment, you know, send me. 

00:03:49 Oliver North 

Well, Jackson didn't get it poppin till he was 35. You know my man who started KFC. He was in his 70s I believe. Before he got that franchise up and rocking. So I just wanted to everybody to know that this there's more than what? 

00:04:02 Oliver North 

They sell you. 

00:04:03 Oliver North 

That's the option for you, so that's how I really, you know, started from my speaking career in. 

00:04:08 Oliver North 

Learning your story has value like what you've been through. 

00:04:12 Oliver North 

Or how you've gotten here? 

00:04:14 Oliver North 

There's a process that you had to undergo that everybody is not willing to take, so that's how I got into the business. 

00:04:22 Oliver North 

I left my job cold Turkey I. 

00:04:24 Oliver North 

Was studying speakers on YouTube, you know? 

00:04:26 Oliver North 

Like maybe I. 

00:04:27 Oliver North 

Was inspired by somebody like ET and I saw like yo my man is different and I got that. 

00:04:33 Oliver North 

You know I could. 

00:04:34 

Yeah, yes. 

00:04:34 

I got I. 

00:04:35 Oliver North 

Got that you feel me. 

00:04:36 Charles Clark 

Yeah, I can connect today. 

00:04:37 Oliver North 

I'm younger than I like I'm. 

00:04:40 Oliver North 

Younger than my man. 

00:04:41 Oliver North 

Though you know I'm saying like there's a whole group. 

00:04:44 Oliver North 

That he can't speak to like I can, you know, so he could speak. 

00:04:48 Oliver North 

To him but. 

00:04:49 Charles Clark 

Yeah, yeah. 

00:04:49 Oliver North 

Not like I can't, so that's why I was. 

00:04:52 Charles Clark 

And that that that's. 

00:04:53 Oliver North 

Like oh, it's time to go now. 

00:04:53 Charles Clark 

Very, that's very powerful observation too. 

00:04:56 Charles Clark 

Like a lot of times we think we gotta be somebody we have to be that person in order to say I can make a difference, not where you are right now is enough and like like for you, when did you realize like this is enough? 

00:05:06 Speaker 1 

Do it. 

00:05:11 Charles Clark 

Like when did you know that? 

00:05:13 Charles Clark 

This was going to be something motivational. Speaking becoming a speaker impacting people's lives was something that you wanted to to take a further step in. 

00:05:25 Oliver North 

I think every human if they study their life right, they're going to find a pattern of behaviors. 

00:05:31 Oliver North 

I believe that they're going to see if they pay attention to their life. 

00:05:35 Oliver North 

What do they speak to their friends about on Saturday nights for free? 

00:05:38 Oliver North 

What are they doing right? 

00:05:40 Oliver North 

And as I look back on my life I was always a communicator. 

00:05:44 Oliver North 

Always I was always. 

00:05:46 Oliver North 

The natural leader. 

00:05:47 Oliver North 

You know I'm saying so when it was football time. 

00:05:49 Oliver North 

I'm a captain. 

00:05:50 Oliver North 

That's just what it is. 

00:05:50 Charles Clark 

You miss me. 

00:05:51 Oliver North 

I I I wanted to be a defence attorney, but at the time I wanted to defend all my own voice rules. 

00:05:56 Oliver North 

Going on in. 

00:05:56 Oliver North 

The street, right? 

00:05:58 Oliver North 

So I always wanted to be able to. 

00:06:00 Oliver North 

You if you will convince people of an understanding of perspective. 

00:06:05 Oliver North 

So you put me in a room with anybody. 

00:06:07 Oliver North 

I'm asking him like yo, what are you passionate about? 

00:06:09 Oliver North 

What do you love to do? 

00:06:10 Oliver North 

And that was. 

00:06:10 Oliver North 

Just something that was natural. 

00:06:12 Oliver North 

And when I. 

00:06:12 Oliver North 

Saw he it was like automating my. 

00:06:15 Oliver North 

Man Ed Barron 

00:06:16 Oliver North 

Who's a mentor March from APU. 

00:06:19 Oliver North 

When I saw those. 

00:06:20 Oliver North 

Black men stand on stage and impact me. 

00:06:23 Charles Clark 

I was like. 

00:06:24 Oliver North 

That's it, that's what I I can't rap. 

00:06:28 Oliver North 

You feel what? 

00:06:28 Oliver North 

I'm saying but I. 

00:06:29 Oliver North 

Love hip hop. 

00:06:30 Oliver North 

I can infuse it in my talks to I can infuse it in what I do and educate through it because I believe those are philosophers. 

00:06:33 Charles Clark 

Right? 

00:06:37 Oliver North 

You know, I'm saying, I believe that they taught me a long time so. 

00:06:41 Oliver North 

That's you know what? 

00:06:42 Oliver North 

I'm saying that's why it really peaked for me. 

00:06:44 Oliver North 

And when I was in corporate America, I had made the decision that I'm gonna go do this thing speaking and I. 

00:06:50 Oliver North 

Was so will say delusional, but in my mind I you. 

00:06:53 Oliver North 

Know I was gonna make it happen regardless. 

00:06:55 Charles Clark 

I like that, yeah, like. 

00:06:57 Charles Clark 

And and and that hip hop piece right hip hop. 

00:06:59 Charles Clark 

Is not just music, it's it's a culture. 

00:07:01 Charles Clark 

And that's what we infuse. 

00:07:02 Oliver North 

Right? 

00:07:04 Charles Clark 

And when we get on the stage and which is, that's which is much different from how most people present. 

00:07:09 Charles Clark 

Right? 

00:07:10 Oliver North 

Yeah, you you listen to Jay. 

00:07:11 Oliver North 

He's like, you know, check out my swag. 

00:07:13 Oliver North 

Oh, I walk like a ballplayer. 

00:07:15 Oliver North 

No matter where you go, you all you all. 

00:07:17 Oliver North 

Play it like that's just that's. 

00:07:17 Charles Clark 

Yeah yeah, yeah. 

00:07:18 Oliver North 

Our culture, it's the energy. 

00:07:21 Oliver North 

If you're a. 

00:07:22 Oliver North 

Ballplayer you a rapper you you know. 

00:07:24 Oliver North 

I'm saying you you, you're. 

00:07:26 Oliver North 

Public speaker you. 

00:07:27 Charles Clark 

Yep, and I. 

00:07:28 Charles Clark 

I think many times like we think we have to fit this this box of like hey if I'm gonna be a motivational speaker. 

00:07:34 Charles Clark 

I gotta dress a certain way if I'm being this corporate side of speaking and I have to. 

00:07:39 Charles Clark 

Hirsute and you know, straight up I. 

00:07:41 Charles Clark 

I've been like victim of that like I was like alright I'm gonna be a motivational speaker. 

00:07:46 Charles Clark 

I see all these dudes wearing suits I need to. I need to buy a suit right so I'm I'm going up in there speaking to different Fortune 500 companies wearing a suit. I'm like Dang this don't feel like needle like I'm I'm. 

00:07:57 Oliver North 

Yeah, yeah. 

00:07:59 Charles Clark 

I'm like this. I'm like T-shirts and pants and let me do my thing and let me wear some some. 

00:08:04 Charles Clark 

Nice shoes and. 

00:08:05 Charles Clark 

The the more I got comfortable with me being comfortable with who I am, I created this brand and. 

00:08:15 Charles Clark 

And I think a lot of. 

00:08:15 Charles Clark 

Times like you. 

00:08:16 Charles Clark 

See people and it might, and it might not even be through your clothes. 

00:08:20 Charles Clark 

It might be through your your language, it might be through your website. 

00:08:24 Charles Clark 

Let me ask you this though. 

00:08:25 Charles Clark 

What was it for you? 

00:08:27 Charles Clark 

If you had, if you could really be honest. 

00:08:30 Charles Clark 

What was that thing that you know you needed to be more authentically you? 

00:08:35 Charles Clark 

If you were going to take it to the next level, 'cause I think we all arrived to that place like I let me tap it more into this. 

00:08:41 Oliver North 

Yeah, so I had this theory right like my whole thing. 

00:08:44 Oliver North 

My angle originally was I wanted to show the streets that corporate America is the real jungle. 

00:08:51 Oliver North 

But like they talk about the hood like. 

00:08:54 Oliver North 

We just these animals. 

00:08:57 Oliver North 

For corporate America is a whole. 

00:08:59 Oliver North 

Another beast that's really the belly of the beast. 

00:09:01 Oliver North 

Because corporate America and. 

00:09:03 Oliver North 

Government, they're making the decisions big dog like. 

00:09:06 Oliver North 

Because I'm like. 

00:09:07 Charles Clark 

I'm talking about always like us, really over. 

00:09:09 Oliver North 

There like that's where it's going down there. 

00:09:12 Oliver North 

That's really where we think we own these blocks. 

00:09:15 Oliver North 

We don't own these, right? 

00:09:17 Oliver North 

Like they're making the decisions, and if there was a cop to pull up we all gonna disperse. 

00:09:21 Oliver North 

We all scattering like roaches because they are really controlling their environment. 

00:09:26 Oliver North 

They put us in the projects. 

00:09:28 Oliver North 

So my whole angle. 

00:09:31 Oliver North 

Was to showcase the so I did a series called welcome to The Jungle to Share Case the. 

00:09:36 Oliver North 

The parallels between the two right and. 

00:09:40 Oliver North 

I I wasn't the person that tried to put on the suit. 

00:09:44 Oliver North 

What happened was when I put one on, I felt different. 

00:09:48 Oliver North 

It felt good I saw. 

00:09:50 Oliver North 

Folks responded to me. 

00:09:52 

And I was. 

00:09:52 Oliver North 

Like yo up **** I'm. 

00:09:55 Oliver North 

I feel good in this. 

00:09:56 Oliver North 

I look good in this. 

00:09:57 Oliver North 

This is. 

00:09:57 Charles Clark 

A this is. 

00:09:58 Oliver North 

A move I, you know. 

00:09:59 Charles Clark 

Yeah, yeah. 

00:09:59 Oliver North 

But I also you know, I like my. 

00:10:01 Oliver North 

Chucks, I'm from California. 

00:10:03 Oliver North 

I like you. 

00:10:03 Oliver North 

Know what I'm saying I like. 

00:10:04 Oliver North 

Wearing my blue bandana. 

00:10:05 Oliver North 

This is, you know, I'm saying I I come from an area where it's highly, you know, say there's a lot of activity going on, so you know I'm an athlete. 

00:10:14 Oliver North 

I love my sweat. 

00:10:15 Oliver North 

That's all of my hats usually so. 

00:10:17 Oliver North 

I am both, I just didn't want one representation. 

00:10:21 Oliver North 

I wanted to show that you could be both right. 

00:10:25 Oliver North 

Actually, all three like I'm an athlete. 

00:10:28 Oliver North 

I'm a businessman. 

00:10:30 Oliver North 

I'm from the streets all. 

00:10:32 Oliver North 

Of that is in me. 

00:10:33 Charles Clark 

Yeah, yeah, it's. 

00:10:33 Oliver North 

And however I choose to show up. 

00:10:36 Oliver North 

You go, you go get me regardless. 

00:10:38 Charles Clark 

It's offensive 'cause you you would you accept that? 

00:10:39 Oliver North 

You do it. 

00:10:42 Charles Clark 

And that's a part of who you are, and I think too. 

00:10:46 Charles Clark 

As athletes is so it can be. 

00:10:49 Charles Clark 

Like that roadblock for a lot of us to say that I'm just this. 

00:10:53 Charles Clark 

I'm just that athlete, you know. 

00:10:54 Charles Clark 

That's all we know that's. 

00:10:56 Oliver North 

How we bring it to be? 

00:10:57 Charles Clark 

Right? 

00:10:58 Charles Clark 

Because we spend our entire lives doing that that one thing. 

00:11:02 Oliver North 

Right, right? 

00:11:03 Charles Clark 

But yeah. 

00:11:03 Oliver North 

Just one more point on. 

00:11:04 Oliver North 

That right? 

00:11:05 Oliver North 

Like so? 

00:11:05 Oliver North 

I had a conversation when I was growing my locks with my Barber, right? 

00:11:11 Oliver North 

And I was telling you about to grow these locks and he was. 

00:11:13 Oliver North 

Like yo, you sure you? 

00:11:14 Oliver North 

Wanna do that door and I was like. 

00:11:17 Oliver North 

Why you said that he like 'cause you're a guy, you're in the reasons you being with the Superintendent and the county and and you know, I'm saying that the Council meetings at all you need with boom. 

00:11:25 Charles Clark 

Yeah, yeah. 

00:11:27 Oliver North 

Boom, you will die. 

00:11:28 Speaker 1 

You show you all the. 

00:11:29 Oliver North 

Child like that's exactly what I need to. 

00:11:31 Oliver North 

Do this because the the young, the young boy is in the in the area that's in the field. 

00:11:37 Oliver North 

They need to see me with my locks, so I did a training for an entire school district and I wore a blue bandana. 

00:11:45 Oliver North 

My blue chucks my my dreads was half up half down and. 

00:11:49 Oliver North 

I wanted him to look so. 

00:11:51 Oliver North 

Oh, uh, my abstract. 

00:11:53 Oliver North 

But I wanted my message and my ability to cut through so you know, yeah. 

00:12:00 Charles Clark 

Yeah, no, that's that's. 

00:12:01 Charles Clark 

That's real because I I had. 

00:12:03 Charles Clark 

I had cornrows at the top like. 

00:12:07 Charles Clark 

At the beginning of this year, and yeah, I I just rocked that I. 

00:12:09 

Oh, OK. 

00:12:11 Charles Clark 

Was like you know, but. 

00:12:12 Charles Clark 

And I think that that question was asked like you. 

00:12:14 Charles Clark 

Know my process like you don't wear the. 

00:12:16 Speaker 1 

Clothes like yeah. 

00:12:18 Charles Clark 

It's my business. 

00:12:20 

You know? 

00:12:21 Charles Clark 

You you don't hire me because the way that the way I dress you hired me because of the message I got. 

00:12:27 Oliver North 

And how I got into? 

00:12:28 Oliver North 

The DE and I space is that right? It's because you know diversity looks different, right? 

00:12:35 Oliver North 

Like if you're gonna be diverse, it's gonna look different and you gotta be able to understand. 

00:12:40 Oliver North 

Just because I got locks and my my beanie is rolled up. 

00:12:44 Oliver North 

You know what I'm saying and I might have a gold chain on. 

00:12:46 Oliver North 

Don't mean I'm. 

00:12:47 Oliver North 

Not the best person to come in and facilitate this, you know. 

00:12:50 Charles Clark 

Yeah, yeah, but you gotta be sharp too. 

00:12:53 Charles Clark 

At the same time. 

00:12:56 Charles Clark 

But but like I. 

00:12:57 Oliver North 

Always said like this. 

00:12:59 Oliver North 

If you're not that guy, you're not that. 

00:13:01 Oliver North 

Girl, right if you don't have the ability. 

00:13:04 Oliver North 

It don't matter anyway like your content. 

00:13:06 Oliver North 

Gotta be top notch off the grid. 

00:13:09 Oliver North 

Otherwise, like you know. 

00:13:10 Oliver North 

You ain't get no uniform if you can't. 

00:13:12 Oliver North 

Ball, you don't say you. 

00:13:13 Charles Clark 

You don't get. 

00:13:13 Charles Clark 

That USA on your. 

00:13:14 Oliver North 

Chest 'cause you because you look good. 

00:13:16 

In the uniform. 

00:13:17 Oliver North 

You had to be able to run you film. 

00:13:20 Charles Clark 

Exactly exactly so. 

00:13:21 Charles Clark 

So for you. 

00:13:22 Charles Clark 

What was like the biggest thing that allowed you to start getting a seat at the table and get these paid speaking engagements? 

00:13:30 Oliver North 

I had to learn something I said on the web and R and I think a lot of people are afraid to spend money on their craft to learn and make mistakes. 

00:13:39 Oliver North 

So for years you know I got a speaking coach and studying and doing all of these things, but I. 

00:13:43 Oliver North 

Said on one webinar. 

00:13:46 Oliver North 

And there was one nugget in that webinar. 

00:13:48 Oliver North 

It changed my entire business and he talked about learning. 

00:13:54 Oliver North 

A different language, he was like. 

00:13:56 Oliver North 

Your consumer you're a customer. 

00:13:59 Oliver North 

Speaks a certain language and in your marketing and your advertising, you gotta speak their language. 

00:14:05 Oliver North 

Yeah, so for an example, everybody has a migraine level problem, not just a headache level problem, but a migraine. 

00:14:15 Oliver North 

You get, uh, my grand yo bro, cut these lights off. 

00:14:18 Oliver North 

I I can't really open my eyes. 

00:14:20 Oliver North 

For real, I'm trying to get this thing going. 

00:14:22 Oliver North 

Whether if Excedrin, whatever you take right. 

00:14:25 Oliver North 

So what is the most painful thing or their biggest? 

00:14:28 Oliver North 

Challenge and then what language do they speak in terms of looking for somebody to fix that problem. 

00:14:35 Oliver North 

So in education there's five major things that any district struggles with all over America, right decrease in poor behavior or suspensions. 

00:14:45 Oliver North 

Increase in test scores, graduation rates, participation. 

00:14:49 Oliver North 

And an achievement, right? 

00:14:51 Oliver North 

So these are the things that they're looking for. 

00:14:54 Oliver North 

And I was talking about dream. 

00:14:56 Oliver North 

They didn't care about dreaming. 

00:14:58 Oliver North 

They wanted to know. 

00:14:58 

How they can? 

00:14:59 Oliver North 

Increase engagement, yeah, they can increase intendants, right? 

00:15:02 Charles Clark 

Is this going to increase graduation? 

00:15:04 Oliver North 

Rate so I had to. 

00:15:05 Oliver North 

Learn to speak their language and Matt, right dear changed everything. 

00:15:10 Oliver North 

So any business that you go to you have to learn to speak their language. 

00:15:14 Oliver North 

So what I'll do is what I used to do. 

00:15:16 Oliver North 

When I was looking for jobs when I was going on interviews, you just studied your business. 

00:15:21 Oliver North 

You figure out what their core values and their problem their challenges are from the prior year, and you let them know how your program or your ability can solve or fix their problem and not right there. 

00:15:34 Oliver North 

You know it was on. 

00:15:35 Charles Clark 

Took to another level. 

00:15:36 Oliver North 

From there, yeah it was on. 

00:15:37 Charles Clark 

Yeah, yeah, no I I think I think that's real because you gotta study you gotta you gotta know your facts, you know? 

00:15:44 Charles Clark 

And and and the other thing is how you can truly see that opportunity of a problem is these prevent calls you know, like sometimes we just want to present ideas to somebody and. 

00:15:57 Charles Clark 

We don't really. 

00:15:58 Charles Clark 

Understand where they are and how we can best serve them. 

00:16:01 Charles Clark 

So like a big part of like what I do in my. 

00:16:04 Charles Clark 

Business is we gotta have these prevent calls because I want I want to make sure that message is customized just for that audience who is going through this particular problem and I'm gonna share with them this type of. 

00:16:16 Charles Clark 

Message for that. 

00:16:17 Oliver North 

Yeah, yeah, 'cause you could have like your base speech but with that pre qualifying call you know what tweaks you need to make. 

00:16:21 Charles Clark 

Right? 

00:16:26 Oliver North 

You know if you need all new content, you know. 

00:16:29 Oliver North 

So who's gonna be in the room, right? 

00:16:31 Oliver North 

I'm speaking to all leaders. 

00:16:32 Oliver North 

They probably lions. 

00:16:34 Oliver North 

They probably get to, you know, say our results. 

00:16:36 Oliver North 

So I need to be result driven in this delivery process. 

00:16:39 Oliver North 

I'm speaking to some people that are coordinators, so I need to be processed driven in this conversation that I'm going to deliver with them. 

00:16:46 Oliver North 

So it's looking at and understanding personality. 

00:16:49 Oliver North 

Types, and then the overall goal of the person bringing you in. 

00:16:53 Charles Clark 

Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely so. 

00:16:56 Charles Clark 

So here's another question for you. 

00:16:59 Charles Clark 

What was the most impactful event you had and and why was that the most impact? 

00:17:06 Oliver North 

Impactful to me. 

00:17:08 Charles Clark 

Yeah to you. 

00:17:11 Oliver North 

I it probably I did this middle school and uhm. 

00:17:19 Oliver North 

I was I was wrapping up right and I was going to take questions I I think I was. 

00:17:23 Oliver North 

In questions, right? 

00:17:25 Oliver North 

And I was walking by the audience just walking in, you know, looking for somebody to select on in this young student tuck my shirt. 

00:17:35 Oliver North 

And wanted to whisper in my ear. 

00:17:39 Oliver North 

So I leaned over and this student was, like, you know, thank you so much because. 

00:17:46 Oliver North 

Uhm, before this speech I planned to kill myself. 

00:17:52 Oliver North 

Today I plan to commit suicide today, but after hearing you speak and your message, I no longer want to do that. 

00:18:02 Oliver North 

Can you help me? 

00:18:06 Oliver North 

You know that that right there? 

00:18:09 Oliver North 

I mean, there's been other moments and great things, but that's a saved life and you can't put no dollar amount on that. 

00:18:16 Oliver North 

You can't quantify. 

00:18:17 Oliver North 

You can't put more stats on that. 

00:18:19 Oliver North 

That lets you fill me so. 

00:18:21 Charles Clark 

Yeah yeah yeah I I. 

00:18:23 Charles Clark 

I connect with that man because. 

00:18:25 Charles Clark 

I've I've heard that same story and and it was it's so humbling, right? 

00:18:30 Charles Clark 

Like why me like and then the other thing is like you know, we gotta show up. 

00:18:35 Charles Clark 

Every single day like we just did. 

00:18:38 Speaker 1 

Yeah, yeah. 

00:18:38 Charles Clark 

Like I can't sleep on it anymore because I read by somebody somebody counting on me, somebody somebody needs me and the way I show up can affect an entire generation. 

00:18:50 Oliver North 

Yeah, yeah, yeah you gotta. 

00:18:53 Oliver North 

Believe that like I tell people all. 

00:18:55 Oliver North 

The time, you know nobody's war. 

00:18:58 Oliver North 

Martin Luther King 

00:19:00 Oliver North 

No, nobody waved the wind over Malcolm or Huey or Fred and nobody did that for Rosa. 

00:19:07 Oliver North 

Or you know top, you know. 

00:19:10 Oliver North 

None of these great leaders. 

00:19:12 Oliver North 

Nobody did that. 

00:19:13 Oliver North 

They had to assume the position based off of what wasn't cited in. 

00:19:17 Oliver North 

Right right now. 

00:19:18 Oliver North 

I'm going through a battle with BJ's. 

00:19:20 Oliver North 

I was discriminated against the day after my birthday and look Cooler Beach, California, predominantly white area. 

00:19:26 Oliver North 

We just wanted to get a beer. 

00:19:27 Oliver North 

They didn't serve me, then. 

00:19:28 Oliver North 

That knowledge that we were even in the building for 15 minutes and folks that came here right before, so right. 

00:19:34 Oliver North 

After it was. 

00:19:34 Oliver North 

Served and that now. 

00:19:36 Oliver North 

Notes and right now I am about the I am pushing the gas on this because. 

00:19:44 Oliver North 

It's important to it is in me to do so because they put out a public staple statement to say I stand with Black Lives Matter and against racism with black people. 

00:19:57 Oliver North 

Well, if you don't put a statement like that, you'll see always gonna put a statement like that or public platform. 

00:20:03 Oliver North 

And then I walked in as a person who does this training and you get discriminated against the next black person. 

00:20:10 Oliver North 

Come in might be more docile. 

00:20:11 Oliver North 

They might just leave. 

00:20:14 Oliver North 

But I need to stand firm in my beliefs and what this country is looking to progress to, so they say, but nobody's going to swear you in for that. Nobody is going to tell you. It's your time to take the mantle. 

00:20:28 Oliver North 

You have to assume the position and go and suffer whatever consequence comes with that I. 

00:20:35 Oliver North 

Don't know if this is gonna help my business. 

00:20:36 Oliver North 

I don't know if I'm gonna get booked after. 

00:20:38 Oliver North 

This I don't know what's gonna happen, but my. 

00:20:40 Oliver North 

Printer or my mother or my belief in. 

00:20:43 Oliver North 

Self lets me know I can't let that pass. 

00:20:47 Oliver North 

There's no way and anybody that's watching this needs to understand. 

00:20:51 Oliver North 

You have power. 

00:20:53 Oliver North 

Just you and it doesn't matter what I say. 

00:20:56 Oliver North 

It doesn't matter what you say. 

00:20:58 Oliver North 

It's that self belief that is gonna be. 

00:21:01 Oliver North 

I'm saying make sure you show up and speak to that student. 

00:21:04 Charles Clark 

Right, right? 

00:21:04 Oliver North 

Save that life. 

00:21:06 Oliver North 

You know what I'm saying. 

00:21:06 Oliver North 

'cause nobody said Oliver, you're going to save this person's life in five years. Yeah, I have to. 

00:21:11 Oliver North 

Go get it, pop it. 

00:21:12 Charles Clark 

Yep, Yep you have to be prepared for that opportunity. 

00:21:15 Charles Clark 

Yeah, is is that. 

00:21:17 Charles Clark 

It's the thing you talk about, you know and something that I firmly believe in is that ownership. 

00:21:22 Oliver North 

When when you? 

00:21:23 Charles Clark 

Own it, you decide what happens next, like you take control you, you're you're in the the driver seat and not the passenger. 

00:21:32 Charles Clark 

And so. 

00:21:33 Charles Clark 

I I I love that aspect because like your speakers, even if you're not a full time speaker, even if you claim to be a speaker by name and you're. 

00:21:41 Charles Clark 

Not doing it for real for real. 

00:21:43 Charles Clark 

Take the initiative. 

00:21:45 Charles Clark 

Because nobody is going to tell you this is the right time, nobody is going to. 

00:21:49 Charles Clark 

Tell you that, hey. 

00:21:51 Charles Clark 

You you can make $1,000,000 doing. 

00:21:53 Charles Clark 

Nope, nobody gonna tell you that you can change the entire generation. 

00:21:56 Charles Clark 

Like no, that's. 

00:21:57 Charles Clark 

You right, you see that vision and nobody is going to see that vision for your life, but you. 

00:22:02 Charles Clark 

So guess what? 

00:22:04 Charles Clark 

You gotta be the one. 

00:22:05 Charles Clark 

Who's willingness to say? 

00:22:07 Charles Clark 

I'm ready to show up. 

00:22:08 Charles Clark 

I'm not ready to just show up, but I'm ready to put in that work. 

00:22:11 Charles Clark 

And and that's true, sorry, like. 

00:22:14 Charles Clark 

I didn't see this, I didn't, I didn't see. 

00:22:16 Charles Clark 

Like everybody doing motivation. 

00:22:18 Charles Clark 

No, I was like, yeah, I don't. 

00:22:19 Charles Clark 

Even know you can get paid to do this. 

00:22:23 Speaker 1 

Yeah yeah, yeah. 

00:22:24 Charles Clark 

And then looking at this now, like you know. 

00:22:28 Charles Clark 

Who knows who knows what was in store for you, but you just gotta believe. 

00:22:34 Oliver North 

That's it, that's it. 

00:22:35 Speaker 1 

Yeah, yeah. 

00:22:36 Oliver North 

You know that when when I say ownership. 

00:22:39 Oliver North 

Everybody thinks it's just business, but it's life. 

00:22:43 Oliver North 

Leadership, education and business. 

00:22:46 Oliver North 

But you gotta take ownership in all areas of life and from my young dude in the hood right now you bought the hop in your car and you know your partner got that. 

00:22:55 Oliver North 

He got thing, right? 

00:22:57 Oliver North 

Like you know. 

00:22:58 Oliver North 

We don't say he got tackled him. 

00:23:00 Oliver North 

You know, you know, but that's your man. 

00:23:03 Oliver North 

Right your brother's right. 

00:23:06 Oliver North 

When you get in the car, just know you made the decision. 

00:23:11 Speaker 1 

Right? 

00:23:12 Oliver North 

Even if he didn't tell. 

00:23:14 Oliver North 

You right, you know him. 

00:23:17 Speaker 1 

You know we all the. 

00:23:20 Oliver North 

Ownership taking ownership of your life. 

00:23:22 Oliver North 

Lets you know you gotta make certain decisions. 

00:23:25 Charles Clark 

You know, I'm saying. 

00:23:26 Oliver North 

You gotta predetermine. 

00:23:27 Oliver North 

Those decisions that's just an example. 

00:23:30 Oliver North 

So bots lead to feelings. 

00:23:33 Oliver North 

Feelings lead to actions and actions lead to results through your thinking. 

00:23:38 Oliver North 

You're going to develop a certain set of feelings based off those. 

00:23:41 Oliver North 

Feelings you go. 

00:23:42 Oliver North 

You're gonna do something and. 

00:23:43 Oliver North 

Based off those actions, I can predict your result. 

00:23:46 Oliver North 

So you've got our own every area, whether your business, education, whatever the case may be relationship. 

00:23:54 Oliver North 

And I don't think we just taught that off the. 

00:23:56 Oliver North 

Bit you gotta have equity in all your life. 

00:23:59 Oliver North 

You know, I said not just your business. 

00:23:59 Charles Clark 

Yeah yeah yeah, a part of you can't go. 

00:24:03 Charles Clark 

All of you has to go on this journey. 

00:24:05 Oliver North 

One of the ships is what they say. 

00:24:07 

Yeah, yeah. 

00:24:09 Oliver North 

Saying find the ships. 

00:24:11 Charles Clark 

Yeah, before we go, if you could tell aspiring speaker anything, what would that one thing be? 

00:24:23 Oliver North 

Be prepared for every emotion. 

00:24:25 Oliver North 

Understand that what you're about to or. 

00:24:28 Oliver North 

What you either have embarked? 

00:24:29 Oliver North 

On or what you're about to embark on is unlike anything that you've ever experienced before. 

00:24:34 Oliver North 

I told you in the beginning what I went through foster care, homelessness, welfare, drug addicted parents. 

00:24:38 Oliver North 

This is the hardest thing that I have ever done, but it is simultaneously the most rewarding thing that I've ever done. 

00:24:46 Oliver North 

You've also got to understand that there is. 

00:24:49 Oliver North 

Public speaking, the actual standing on stage and delivering the messages, preparing them, creating it, and. 

00:24:56 Charles Clark 

All of that. 

00:24:57 Oliver North 

But then there's the business, they're different. 

00:25:01 Oliver North 

You want to speak. 

00:25:03 Oliver North 

But you've got to master the business in order to speak. 

00:25:08 Oliver North 

And that's right, there is really the key and. 

00:25:11 Oliver North 

You're going to. 

00:25:11 Oliver North 

Experience every emotion trying to pursue it cheaper soon. 

00:25:15 Oliver North 

Shut off the music. 

00:25:18 Charles Clark 

Big facts, and before we go and do the behind. 

00:25:21 Charles Clark 

Means let the drivetribe know working for you. 

00:25:26 Oliver North 

You can catch me on my website rightnowoliverpetty.com all my content should be here. You can catch me on all my social platforms at OMR. Negative so old, Mr Negatives on on any social platform you can get you. 

00:25:40 Speaker 1 

Know yeah. 

00:25:41 Charles Clark 

That's what's up. 

00:25:43 Charles Clark 

Second, all right tribe. 

00:25:51 Charles Clark 

I hope you enjoyed the discussion with Oliver today. 

00:25:53 Charles Clark 

Here are a few major takeaways. 

00:25:55 Charles Clark 

One, your story has value. 

00:25:58 Charles Clark 

Don't be afraid to speak it to understand that each customer. 

00:26:03 Charles Clark 

An audience speaks a certain language and learn that language, but be authentic to you. 

00:26:08 Charles Clark 

Second, I hope you found the episode interesting today, and if you want to study up on the speaking world but just hear tips from successful professionals, follow this podcast and be notified when the next episode is released. 

00:26:26 Charles Clark 

Control me at the Charles Clark on all social media platforms. 

00:26:30 Charles Clark 

I'll catch you guys on the. 

00:26:31 Charles Clark 

Next episode, peace.