Creating Confidence with Heather Monahan - The Keys to Building Powerful Business Relationships With Jordan Montgomery Episode 247

Episode Date: August 30, 2022

In This Episode You Will Learn About:  Powerful business lessons for connecting with others   Moving past your fears  Collaborating with the people around you   Resources: Website: www.montgomerycompanies.com  Listen to The Montgomery Companies Podcast Email: [e-mail]  LinkedIn: @Jordan Montgomery  Instagram: @jordanmmontgomery Facebook: @montgomerycompanies Twitter: @JMMontgomeryCo Overcome Your Villains is Available NOW! Order here: https://overcomeyourvillains.com  If you haven't yet, get my first book Confidence Creator Show Notes:  When you want to connect with someone, ask yourself, how can I ADD to this person's life? Adding value to other people’s lives WILL come back around to you tenfold! Jordan Montgomery, expert performance coach, and owner of Montgomery Companies is here to inspire us to RELEASE our fear of reaching out to others. When you lead with your truth, others will be able to connect with you on a deeper level. Tune in and learn how you can ask for the things you want in life, while being DIRECT and SPECIFIC about your needs!     About The Guest: Meet Jordan Montgomery, the owner of Montgomery Companies, a Keynote speaker, and a highly regarded performance coach, with a C-Suite level executive clientele! He’s also the host of The Montgomery Company’s Podcast, and spoiler, I’m his favorite guest. Jordan travels the world sharing his career and confidence building expertise and is now here to help us all release our fears and move with confidence!  If You Liked This Episode You Might Also Like These Episodes: How To Become A World Class Speaker with Gary Vaynerchuk’s Partner Zach Nadler, CEO of Vayner Speakers  Why Radical Generosity Will CHANGE The Game For You and Your Relationships with John Ruhlin  What Happens When You GIVE More Than You Ask For with Heather!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When there's a penalty on the field, referees are there to sort it out. When there's an accident on the road... Sergeant Lindros, I'm glad you're okay. That's where USAA steps in. We help make the claims process easy, so drivers can get back on the road fast. Making the right calls. That's what we're made for. Membership eligibility and product restrictions apply in our subject to change. USAA means United Services Automobile Association and its affiliates. San Antonio, Texas.

So, you're winding down with the podcast. Sounds like you have no plans to leave the couch tonight. Nope, you just want to unzip your jeans, slip on a pair of fuzzy slippers, and rip open a bag of skinny pop popcorn. Because the only place you're going tonight is the bottom of this bag of popcorn. Today I get to say that sometimes God's preparation is packaged as pain. You go through some really hard stuff that he prepares you for a new season.

But the greatest gift that he gave me is the reminder that he is in control and I and not. People say, well, adversity builds character. Okay, that's bullshit. No, it doesn't. Adversity builds character if you allow it to. So it's still a choice. I get it as a choice to fail forward. It's a choice to say, I'm going to use this for good.

I'm going to get back up on my feet with the help of others and by God's grace. And I'm going to move forward in this life. I'm on this journey with me each week when you join me. You're going to chase down our goals. We've come adversity and set you up for better tomorrow. I'm ready for my close time. Hi and welcome back. I'm so excited. You're here today and you are going to be so excited too,

to meet Jordan Montgomery, owner of Montgomery companies. He's a highly regarded performance coach, keynote speaker, whose clients include C-suite business executives, massive sales organizations, and noteworthy entrepreneurs. He's also the host of the Montgomery company's podcast, and I'm his favorite guest. From small town, Iowa, to a dominant force in the performance coaching industry, Jordan travels the country, speaking on some of the most sought after stages in coaching top execs at Fortune 500 companies,

professional athletes, and elite salespeople. But more importantly, he's my dear friend, Jordan. Thank you so much for being here today. Hey, there. Thank you for having me. As much as we're friends, you're also someone who I've learned from, who I've followed, and I so much appreciate and joy. So it's been cool to follow your journey and be somebody who's followed your work, and then to become your friend. And to be on your show is a gift,

love being with you on our show. And just wanna say thanks for having me. So good to be with you. Okay guys, so let's start. I wanna jump right into something, this is a powerful business lesson that I constantly preach about Jordan, lives this firsthand,

and I wanna get his perspective on it. But when I first met Jordan, we had a mutual friend, David Nurse, thank, like, connected us, and I became a guest on your show. And then we got off the show, immediately you said to me, Heather, hey, how can I help you?

Hey, how can I help elevate your message? Hey, I think that you need to be beyond Brane Brown. How do I help you get to make that happen? Just genuinely wanting to help me, right? Like reaching out to me in an effort to better me and help me and asking for nothing in return. And PS, everyone listening, he never asked me for anything. And you know, over a year, we've been friends. in return and PS, everyone listening, he never asked me for anything. And over a year, we've been friends,

he could've asked me for a million different things. Until I think last week was the first time you asked me for anything. I'm like, I'm happy to buy you an island is what I told you. Like whatever you want, consider it done. So Jordan, where does that stem back to for you in business? Well, at the end of the day, I think like,

that's the right way to live. So if you want to be a person who's valuable to others, you need to add value to others. And I'm going to add value to valuable people. You're a valuable person who's impacting others, and you're doing a lot of good in this world. So for me to connect to with people, here's what I know. It helps you, but it helps others. Because if I believe in you and I believe in your message, then I'm helping you bring

your message to the world, which ultimately creates more impact and adds more value. So first off, it's the right thing to do. People know, I think, too, whether when you're doing it for your own reasons or for theirs. That's just like abundantly clear and obvious. However, when you add value to other people and you impact other people in that way,

I also believe this, it bounces back to you. There's this great quote, and I'm gonna forget the original source, but it goes like this, the world is a looking glass. I mean, it gives back to each person a reflection of their own image. So you're someone who, so many of people

who have jumped to help, I know there's people that just love helping you, wanna be around you, wanna add value because you've added value to a lot of other people, and it around you, wanna add value because you've added value to a lot of other people and it's bounced back to you. So I think number one, it's the right thing to do. If you believe in someone and you believe in their message, you should be adding value to that.

But inside of that, it bounces back and your world becomes brighter because of it. So that's my belief on just adding value in general. First off, you've done that for me. I wanna point this out. You've done that for me in all kinds of ways. You. First off, you've done that for me. I wanna point this out. You've done that for me in all kinds of ways. You've encouraged me, you've complimented me. You've shared ideas, wisdom, thoughts.

You don't even know that you're doing it. And that's part of your magic, because you're just being you. So it doesn't always have to come in the form of like, let me connect you with someone or let me put you in touch with the speaking opportunity. Sometimes it's just being you and loving on people and encouraging people right where they're at. And so I just want to point that out. You have done that for me,

and you've done that for me as long as I've known you. Well, thank you for saying that. It definitely feels like it's been way more one-sided than I've been on the receiving end of our friendship for sure. And something that I want to point out for everybody listening is that is the right way to show up, right? Jordan never asked me to be a guest on my show. I asked him because after a week or two ago, he asked me for a small favor. And I said, yeah, done, consider done literally anything you want. And it made me stop for a minute, guys, to think this, wait a minute, I've been taking so much from Jordan, so many introductions, so many connections, so many opportunities. Wait, what can I do? And I remember sitting down after you shot me a note or something.

And I sat down, I started making a list of how are different ways that I can help Jordan. So twofold on this, which is one, when you want to connect with people, start thinking about how you can serve them, how you can give to them. That's the best way to get people's attention and do it in a real and meaningful way, just the right thing to do.

But then two, it doesn't hurt once and do it in a real and meaningful way, you know, just the right thing to do. But then too, it doesn't hurt once and while to raise your hand and say, Hey, in the idea of reciprocity here, is there any chance you could help me with this? The worst that someone could say is no, or it could be a situation like this where you just open my eyes to, Oh my gosh, there's so much I could do for you. Thank you for even reminding me that I can, you know, jump in and help. I'm glad to wrap that up because I do think this. There is a right way, in a right time to ask for help. And if you're not asking for help, shame on you.

Like, we all need to be able to ask for help. I think when we ask for help though, we have to be really specific, especially with busy people who are not going up. So the worst thing you could do for someone listening to say, hey, Heather, could you help me out or could you just put me in touch with some people like a vague request? We'll get a vague response. A specific request will get a specific response. So I didn't ask to be on a podcast, but I did say, hey, can you put me in touch with some

speaking bureaus, right? That was this specific request. You were able to respond in that in a specific way because I was clear and direct. So I would say there is a right way and there is a right time to ask for help. When you do it, make sure you're direct and you're specific. And you've been very direct and specific with me. Like, hey, here's the people I want to meet. Here's what I'm trying to accomplish.

And you've made it easy for me to help you. So I think you've done a great job of that. And you've been a good example of that. Yeah, you're still right. When people send those general messages, hey, can you help me out? I'm trying to further my career. That's going into the trash because no one has the time

to sit around and just pontificate about what that actually means. And what are you looking for? Do I know that person? So for sure, get really, really specific. OK, I want to get into this idea. I think one of your superpowers is connecting people. You're literally magic with it.

But the more I sat and thought about it before we got on the show today, I was thinking that it really goes back to who you are. And guys, think about this. There's so much power in connecting people, not only from the magic that you create, you know, for making those connections, but for the good that you put out into the world

and then how people reflect on you after the fact, it's really your own brand value and how people see you. When you and I first met, we became fast friends and you have this amazing home life, this amazing business. We just, I felt like you were my little brother and we just hit it off immediately. And then I'll never forget, one time you were coming to Miami

as this is where I live. And I said, oh my gosh, Jordan, I have to see you. Like, I can't, we'd only ever met on the computer, which I'm so over the computer. So I said, oh my gosh, we have to meet in real life, and I can't wait to meet your wife, and see the kids and blah, blah, blah. And you said, okay, we'll come to my event on this day,

and I had a prior commitment. I said, well, I can't do it that day. I'll come to your hotel. I'll meet you guys for dinner. I'll come for breakfast. I'll go for a run with you. Like, whatever you want. And you were so clear with me on this.

I'll never forget Jordan. He said to me, oh my gosh, you know what? I made a commitment to my family that when we are on family time, I don't step outside of that, inviting other people into those windows of time. So my one day that I could meet with you is this day that I've dedicated to work

and meeting up with people. But if you can't make that, we'll just have to wait until our next time that we meet up. And I remember thinking, are you joking me? Like, I cannot, I was pissed, right? Because I'm like, no, I really wanted to see them. However, it spoke volumes to who you are.

And I've never lost that in my mind, right? Like I always think of you are always a do the right guy. What you say is what you're going to do. And because of that, when you make connections for me, I know I'm going forth with that same level of people are putting me at that same level. I've got to run that same level, which makes me want to be a better human. Has that been hard for you creating such strong boundaries in your life? I think I had to do it because, candidly, I'm not good at it. And so, if I'm not very intentional, and if I don't communicate that up front,

and in a very real way, I want to buy it. So, I know that sounds backwards, and I think there's a lot of people that take by pride. There's almost ego and like, I'm a family man, and I've got boundaries. Okay, yes, I'm a family man. I love my family. But guess what? If opportunity calls, and I'm rolling around on the, yes, I'm a family man, I love my family, but guess what, if opportunity calls, and I'm rolling around on the floor with my kids playing a game, I'll just admit, I don't always have the discipline

to avoid the phone or not take the phone call and continue to play Barbies with my three year old daughter. Like, I do wanna take that call. I'm like, hey, that's a cool opportunity. I can play Barbies with my daughter later. And so if I'm not really clear enough, I don't set the boundaries. And if I don't make rules that I stick to,

all too often find myself taking that call or doing something else when I really should be spending time with my child. And Jeff Wood said this to me, he said, I don't want to be a businessman with a family. I wanna be a family man with a business. And I've never gotten that. Like at the end of my life, Heather, I want to be able to say

that the people I knew best respected me the most. And if I can't say that, shame on me. If I win favor with other people who I barely know or people who follow us on social media or listen to our podcast, but the people inside the walls of my home don't really respect the way that I spent my time and I live my life and I made my choices,

then that's not a life of purpose and meaning. So I think I've just come to learn this about myself that I don't always have the discipline that I need to have. That's part of being human. Sometimes I take the path of least resistance. And so because of that, I've had to just create really clear and solid boundaries that I've decided to live within. And my life would tell you like, part of the reason we have that boundary is I haven't always honored the way that I needed to. Like we've been on a lot of family vacations where I've broken those rules.

And all of a sudden I'm like, yeah, but I gotta get coffee and then I gotta see this person for lunch and she's like, what the hell, what on family vacation, what are you doing? And so that hasn't just happened. It's not like I was like, oh, let me set boundaries because I'm a mature family man who has it all figured out. It's actually the opposite.

I've screwed it up so bad, and I know myself well enough to know that I've gotta have boundaries so that I can honor my kids and my wife, because that's what I really do care about. At the end of the day, I don't wanna live a life regret. I wanna say that, hey, the things that I value most, the people that I value most, and the way that I spent my time work in growing, and I'm still learning that, and I'm still figuring that out. Back to your point though about the who you are thing, can I just want to speak to this? Because I think

there's a there's a common mistake that a lot of people make in connecting, and I've made this mistake too. But sometimes especially when we connect people in business, we have a tendency to make it all about what people do. So it's like their role, their title, their podcast, their book, their accomplishments, their achievements, and there'd be a lot to talk about in that realm with Heather Von Aham, because you've accomplished a lot. But I think what always means more is when you talk about who somebody is versus what they do. So I could say, hey, Heather's a top 50 speaker. She's a best-selling author. She's world-class at the art of speaking and writing. And, you know, she's done all this stuff professionally. She was on top of the world and the radio business. And so all of that can be impressive to someone. And you can even

receive that and feel pretty good about it. But if I say, hey, you should connect with Heather, because she is one of the best people that I know. She has unbelievable energy, charisma, she's thoughtful, she's forward thinking, she has awesome values, she's a rock star mom, see there it goes, you're feeling it. Like, that's a big deal. And like, people want to be connected that way. I don't want to be connected as a podcast host and a speaker and like this guy who runs a coaching company, there's a bunch of people to do that.

I want to be connected because I'm a certain type of person who lives a certain type of life. And when people speak to me that way, that connection, that language, that communication resonates a completely different way. And I will never forget the person who honored me that way, who connected me that way. We took the time to think about not just what I do, but who I am. So for anybody that's out there thinking about connecting, just try to prioritize the who over the do. The do is still important. What you do matters. It's just not as important as who you are. And your connection will mean more and it will be more effective if you speak to the who and the do. So I just wanted to point that out and you're getting that too. You've done that for me repeatedly. You've made it about not just what I do, but about who I am. And I appreciate that so much. Just so everyone knows, he's the real deal

for anyone that's wondering right now, is this guy's full of shit, he's not actually, this is who he is. And that's why to me, I like that you just taught that because I don't know Jordan that I do that for everybody. I think sometimes if I'm in a rush and someone says, hey, can you connect me to someone? So I just flip off like this guy's,

la la la la la, and I do the do. I don't take the time to be thoughtful about the who. But because you are such a special person, sending someone a connection to you without giving that color is selling everybody short. And that's why I didn't do it. But thank you for explaining that to me, because now I can be more thoughtful moving forward.

When you are connecting people for me on the receiving entry, it's sort of random. Like you will never give me a heads up or, you know, very rarely. And then you just throw these long voice notes with multiple people on threads and all this insanity. And it's always very thoughtful and it's super helpful and provided so many opportunities for me. I'm so grateful for it.

But how do you do that? To me, you're literally one out of two people, the ultimate connectors that I know in life. You're so good at it. Like, do you sit around one day a week and think about like, how does that all come to be? You know, I would love to tell you that I've got like time on my calendar. It's this like practice that I think

about it certain times of the day. It's not. I just, I don't know. When I meet somebody like you who needs to know somebody else, I just try to think about, how can I add value? And I will say this, I think one of the greatest gifts that you could needs to know somebody else, I just try to think about how can I add value? And I will say this, I think one of the greatest gifts that you could give to another person

is a relationship. It's a connection. And we forget that. And so I want to give my connections as many connections as I can possibly give. And what I've also learned about getting connected is that connecting people are connected people. So if you want to get connected, you got to connect. You want to be a connecting person who ultimately then gets connected.

And I think I learned that in the early days of my career and financial services, because every financial advisor is like, I want to get connected. I want to be at the end circle, at the country club, or with whatever friend group, and I want to be able to get in there and do business. And I come from a blue collar background. I didn't know anybody with money. I didn't know anybody with influence. My mom was a teacher, my dad's a painter,

and I was like, shit, I got to work with people who have money. I can't do financial planning for people who don't have any money. And I think I just started candidly to connect people almost from like selfish ambition. I was like, well, if I connect them, maybe they'll connect me. And then it became a rhythm and a habit.

And I've started to see the value and the doors that it's opened and the impact that's created. And so I guess I'm proud to say it's not something that has to be on my calendar because I think it's just turned into sort of part of who I am. And it's something that I genuinely enjoy and love to do. And I do send rambling long text messages. And for anybody listening, y'all know how their monohan is pretty blunt and candid. One of my first connections, just so everybody can hear this, feel like, yo, thanks for the

connection. But dude, you gotta stop sending those voice notes. That shit was way too long. So cut it from like three minutes down to one. I don't need all the other jazz, which actually was really good feedback. But I love you, and you are consistently providing that kind of candid feedback in my life. National security experts are warning, our aging power grid is more vulnerable than ever. January marked a third time

at power station North Carolina was damaged by gunfire. Authorities are saying the attack raises a new level of threat. Authorities are now checking our grid for vulnerabilities. They've identified nine key substations. If these substations are attacked, power could be knocked out from coast to coast for up to 18 months. Imagine black out outlasting, not days, but weeks or months, your life would

be frozen right in time right when the power goes out. That's why having your own solar power is more important than ever. With the Patriot Power Generator, you get a solar generator that doesn't install into your house, because it's portable. You can take it with you, even use it inside. But it's powerful enough for your phones, medical devices, or even your fridge. And right now, you can go to FordPatreots.com and use code Confidence to get 10% off your first purchase on anything in the store, including the Patriot Power Generator. You'll also get their famous guarantee for an entire year after your order. Plus, free shipping on orders over $97, and a portion of every sale is donated to charities

who support our veterans and their families. Just go to fourpatriots.com and use code confidence to get 10% off. That's fourpatriots.com and use code confidence to get yours today. If your business earns millions or tens of millions of revenue, stop what you're doing and take a listen because NetSuite by Oracle has just rolled out

the best offer we've ever seen. NetSuite gives you the visibility control you need to make better decisions faster. And for the first time in NetSuite's 22 years as the number one cloud financial system, you can defer payments of a full NetSuite implementation for six months. That's no payment, no interest for six months.

And you can take advantage of this special financing offer today. NetSuite is number one because they give your business everything you need in real time, all in one place to reduce manual processes, boost efficiency, build forecast, and increase productivity across every department. Now listen, the importance of having all this information in one place to make better decisions is unprecedented. The offer NetSuite is giving you is unbelievable and it's making it all possible for you to have it. Now, 33,000 companies have already upgraded to NetSuite gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, e-commerce, and more. If you've been sizing NetSuite up to make the switch, then you know this deal is unprecedented.

No interest, no payments, take advantage of the special financing offer at NetSuite.com slash monahan. NetSuite.com slash monahan to get the visibility and control you need to weather any storm. NetSuite.com slash monahan. If you're struggling with swelling in your legs, ankles, or feet, you're going to want to listen up. Forget your compression socks and water pills. New research shows

that swelling and inflammation can be resolved by upping your intake of omega-3 fatty acids from krill oil. Omega-3's improved circulation while lowering inflammation on the body, all while reducing swelling and pain. And there's no better time to try krill oil for yourself. Just go to fixswornfeed.com slash confidence to get 58% off native path and arctic curl. This krill oil is pure, effective and easily absorbed into the body. And it contains a potent antioxidant which helps further reduce inflammation and swelling. For a limited time, you can grab native path and article oil for as low as $23 a bottle. Just go to fixwollenfeet.com slash confidence.

I am a firm believer in brevity is a superpower, right? Like we're all busy, everybody's busy, and to your point, we're doing all this so that we can spend time with the people that we love and do the things that we want want me doing, right? While making a difference and doing good in the world, I don't have seven minutes for a message from someone. Like, let me just shoot everyone straight. There is a power in cutting to the chase and you know, too often people want to just give color and commentary. And too many people are bombarded with messaging in our society, and with media, and social media, and just all the noise out there that they want to know.

What's the crux of this? What's the benefit and what's my to do? And then let's all shake hands and part friends and move on. And so yeah, I'm a big preacher on brevity is a superpower, and Jordan's getting so much better at it. I'm so impressed. Hey, I'm learning all the time. And but to that end, okay, I think somebody needs

to hear this who's struggling with that. When it comes to communication, very few people, I don't care if it's a speech, a coaching call, a podcast, a conversation, very few people are saying, I wish that went longer. Even when it's good, even when it's good. So I think one of the primary rules in communicating is be done early, like get done early.

If it's a 20 minute speech, make it 19 minutes. If your podcast episode is supposed to go an hour on of that person's time and get done at 55 minutes, don't tell somebody, hey, you got five minutes because you don't really mean five minutes. You mean like 30. Tell them, hey, do you have four and a half minutes or do you have seven minutes?

Like literally, I had this happen to me the other day. I had there somebody started their cell phone. They started the clock on their cell phone within a alarm. So they said, hey, do you have nine minutes, not 10 but nine? They started in a alarm on their phone instead of wanna honor your time. I've got nine minutes, I wanna dig in. Now that sounds kind of crazy and maybe a little bit overdone.

But I'll tell you, I got to the end of the nine minutes and I was like, hey, you know what? If you want more time, I'd love to give a team. Because that's awesome. And you were willing to honor my time. You got to the point, you cut to the chase. I really appreciate that. And you wanted to go longer.

I wanted to go longer. So that's the key. So to you point, and I know I joke with you, and I try to be brief too. I think sometimes I am long in voice notes, but in general, when it comes to communication, people just don't want the full thing. Our world moves too fast and people are too busy.

So, so much agree with what you just shared. So Jordan, one of the things that I've gotten to know about you over the last year is what an incredible and powerful speaker you are, right? And from various people who have seen you and literally comparing you to the best in the industry, you know, I've watched your footage is incredible. What tips can you share? Because I'm constantly asked about how to be a better communicator, whether it be in a presentation at work or, you work or a teacher's meeting or just anywhere, what are the steps or tactics people can implement in their life to be a more powerful speaker

like you? Something I'm learning is that when you take a stage, when you jump on a podcast, when you're in front of any kind of audience, bigger, small, almost always, if you're getting introduced as the presenter, as a subject matter expert, or as the authority in the RAM, because you've got that hour or 30 minutes or 20 minutes or whatever it is. Something I'm learning is that there's almost always disconnect immediately.

And as a speaker, you don't always realize that. So I'll pick on you for a second. Heather lives with Heather every single day. So you know your faults, you know your weaknesses, you know all the dumb things that you've done throughout the day and throughout the week. So you are your faults, you know your weaknesses, you know all the dumb things that you've done throughout the day and throughout the week. So, you are just you, right? But you get on stage, let's say the Ted Talk, right?

Like that big Ted Talk you did. And somebody just read your big fancy bio. So they read this big fancy bio. And then you walk out onto the stage confidently because that's who you are. And here you are, this smooth talk and good looking professional, who's like, got it together. And then you deliver this powerful, like, first, you know, sentence or two. And everybody's like, I don't feel connected. And you barely said anything, right? You're like, but that's unfair. I haven't even done anything yet. So if I think for anybody communicating to realize that if you are a subject matter expert, if you're being asked to present,

you need to think about connection before you think about communication. Understand that there's disconnect. And the goal should be, how do I connect with this audience as quickly as I possibly can? Because I don't want them to see me as the fancy keynote speaker with the big ol' bio who thinks I'm so good and I've got it all figured out.

I want them to see me as a real human. I want them to know that I'm just like them and they're just like me and I came to be having a real authentic and meaningful message. Craig Rochelle says it this way, he says, people can be impressed with your strengths, but they connect to you through your weakness. So one thing we have to think about when we communicate publicly is how do I share something about me or about my work or about my background or about my journey that makes me very ordinary and very common to everybody else. It's not my fault, but because of the situation, the environment, the bio that they just read, and the way that I walked onto the stage, I have automatically created a disconnect. And I got to close that gap as quickly as I possibly can. So that's one, like if you're asking, hey, for a quick tip, that's one thing that I'm learning

that I would just share with our audience. And then the other thing is maybe a formula or a cadence for speaking, I'm learning this too. And you know all this shit, right Heather? Because you're ahead of the game. But I think most young speakers don't have this figured out. And so what they'll do is they'll make it claim, they'll make a point.

And then that point sometimes is accompanied by facts, sometimes accompanied by a story, and sometimes accompanied by a to do. But more often than not, a speaker will make it claim, and they'll just kind of tell a story, and then they'll move on to the next claim. Or if they're real logical, they'll make a claim and they'll accompany the claim with facts and they forget the story and they forget the application. But if I studied your talks, I know what I would find. Here's what I would find. This would be your cadence. It's the cadence of almost every high level keynote speaker, whether they know it or not, they make a claim. They back their claim

with facts. So for the logical people in the room, they can go, okay, that person studied that subject, they know what they're talking about. I get that. They tell a story which brings that claim to life, makes people feel a certain way, right? We don't always remember what somebody said. We do remember the way it made them feel. And then we make it about them. So the four step is application. Here's what I want you to do. Hey, with what I just shared, here's how it applies to you. Here's how to want you to think about. Here's the action that I want you to take. So you're so good about that. You'll make a claim, you'll back it with facts, you'll tell a story, and you'll

offer application. It doesn't always happen in that perfect sort of cadence. But if you listen to a good, gifted, strong, effective communicator, you'll pick up on all four of those elements and their communication. So those are just two things that I'm learning about my work and the world of public communication. Totally agree. And I love what you just said, making about them. That's the biggest miss that I see with most people. I've done it a number of times, right? You get caught up in your own story and you're excited to tell it, right?

And you're passionate about something. And that is an epic fail, always putting ourselves in the shoes of the audience and trying to see it through that lens and how are we adding value to them? It's important because of them, not because of us, right? So that's really, really important to your first point in regards to this idea of connection. I have always done that. And one of the things that I do very often is I lead with a story about how my feet stink

because of how I look. People often think that I'm quote unquote perfect, which of course nobody is perfect myself included. And so I lead with that because it literally makes people's jaws drop. They're shocked. No one's expecting me to say that. And it's really been incredibly powerful and successful until you set me up on blind date with somebody and they went to my website and watched that footage.

And that was literally our first conversation after we met. So little backfire there. If you are going gonna be super vulnerable, make sure to only put the right content on your website if you are dating. Okay, now you built an incredible business that I am in awe and looking at the roster of the coaches that you have on your team.

They're incredible superstars. How did that all come to be? How are you leading these people? How are you attracting these people into your life? Well, I wanted to do that right away. So when my wife and I started a business, I was like, OK, we're going to build a big team. We're going to be this super mega force for good.

And then I learned that it doesn't happen that way. And you have to start by blooming where you're planted. And so I had to first build a coaching business on my own. And so I had individual coaching clients, and I did one-on-one coaching and group coaching. and I quickly figured out that I didn't have the time to scale the business. And so we hired my brother and then we hired the next person, we hired a person after that. I think we're at like 14 right now to date, coaches on our platform. And so it's really been a function of just demand, right, and need. And so we continue

to add people. And when we add people, here's what I'd say, we want to add people who have great values, again, back to the who over the do. And not always thinking about what does somebody do and what's their subject matter expertise. I want to make sure that we are aligned in terms of our values. If somebody's going to go out and represent me in the marketplace, I want to know that they're a good person, who has character, who has integrity, they're going to follow through, they're going to honor their commitments. But I would say this, in the beginning, I had destination addiction and I wanted to be the person who had the big team with the big platform and the big website and I skipped

some steps and honestly it was my wife slowing me down to say, you're not even good enough on your own. Like, you need to work on that for a bit before we add two, three, four, five people. So what I've learned inside of that is this whole idea of bloom where you're planted, you might be a visionary, you might want to go take on the world, and that's awesome. God's put that in you. So if that's you, that's great.

But get around some people who are not impressed by you. We're going to be real in-candid with you. That's my wife. And she's always kind of pulling me back. Because I would live in the clouds. You know that about me, Heather. If it were up to me, I'm a visionary. I would just live in the clouds all day long. And my wife is like the execution person, right? Yeah, that's us. We're visionary. And my wife is a person that's like, hey, hold on, not so fast. There's more work to be done here. You need to bloom where you're planted. We will

get there. But you need to make sure you are dominating in this space and that your house is clean first before you go try to help somebody else with theirs. And so we built a great team by God's grace and we love the people that we get to work with. It's a good, it's been a great way to go to business and go to market and I think we've been able to help a lot of people. So it's been fun. Oh my gosh, it's so impressive.

Every time I meet someone else on your team, whether through you or just randomly, I'm always blown away. How do you think you're attracting those type of people to you or what do you do to recruit people like that? I've never really asked someone to be on our team. And I think that's part of the magic is more often than not, somebody's asking me about the team and we're trying to help them find another opportunity. So I want people who are really interested, they're invested, they want to be a part of things, they're looking for the next opportunity, but they're also super talented. And so I've also just learned that I think about building a company in general is like I want to build a brand and I want to build a company that other people want to be a part of.

I don't want to have to go out and advertise. Because if I'm advertising, if I'm talking about, like, hey, we're hiring. There's these in my space in the lane that I run in, I will get some people who are probably not super talented or just maybe aren't experienced or ready for the work. So the honest answer is every one of the connections and every one of the coaches that's on our platform has been a result of authentic friendship, relationship,

which is both good and bad. Sometimes it's weird to do business with people that you're friends with. But there are all people that we just care about that are rock stars at what they do. They're mega talented and we trust them. At the end of the day, they've got good values and they they want to be a part of our deal. So one of the things that I think of upfront and anytime that I'm having like a bad day and I reach out to you and need to talk to you and you talk me off the ledge. Faith always comes up in the conversation. So I was hoping you could share the role in which faith has played in your life and how it's impacted you. So it's been everything to me really. I all share I had a really unique

experience of 27 years old that really helped me shape my faith I grew up in the church and so I had a mom and dad that loved me well and I thought I understood like what it was like to have a personal relationship in my faith and for me I'm Christian. That's how I identify so Jesus is is my savior and I thought I understood that at a young age But he taught me a lot through tremendous brokenness. I 27 years old, I lost my job, and when I lost my job, I also lost all my money. So I was fired from a financial services company.

There were a couple of reasons for that fallout, but the main one was there was a person on my team, he took a test on my behalf, unbeknownst to me, but as a leader, I failed to report it, and because I failed to report it, I was terminated. And I'll just tell you for a long time, Heather, I lived in this world of life. That was unfair, totally unjust. I know you and I have sort of a similar story that way. We've talked about that a little bit, and it cost me a lot, because I was involved in some real estate deals that were tied in a very unwise way

to my employment status. So when I lost my job, I lost future income, but I also lost basically all of my networks because I was involved in these deals. So stood on the door of bankruptcy thought I was going to go bankrupt and have to file bankruptcy. I'm a 27 year old guy who finds like all of his security in achievement, accomplishment, bank account, my reputation, well all of that was taken away.

Literally, bank account goes to zero. In fact, I actually went into huge debt. Thought I was gonna have to file bankruptcy. Some people helped me so I didn't. My reputation, the company sent out a company why email was my name on it. It said, I got terminated. It's a Fortune 100 company.

So that hurt. It was very public. Everybody knew what had happened to me. And I lost all this future income. So I don't know what the big number is. It'd be hard to quantify. It was probably north of $20 million that I lost as a result of my bad decision, right? And in my brokenness, in that season, God did His best work. For sure, unequivocally without question, He did His best work in my life. And I think he had to take me to a place

where I could rely on him and lean on him to get that work done. And for the first time, I started asking questions like, okay, what do I want my life to be about? And what am I missing? And what's the feedback that I need to listen to that I've been rejecting? I started to have greater compassion and greater empathy.

I was released from some of my pride in my ego, not because of my own discipline, but because I was forced to be released of that. I'm still working on that, but God really dealt with that. And here's the coolest thing I think, because you've been through some stuff too. Here's what happens when we go through a broken season, because there's somebody that's broken right now. We want to reconnect that vein. So if you were affected or something happened you're relationally, I've been there, right? And you so desperately want that

vein to be reconnected. Okay, so this was taken away. I want a new relationship to fix that void in my life. Or for me, it was my professional life, and my financial life, right? It was literally destroyed and obliterated. And I wanted so desperately for God to reconnect my professional veins, right? Like, would you please put it back together and I'll find the new opportunity. And I was so ready for him to do that.

I'm like, okay, God, you took this away from me. So I'll find the next industry and the new opportunity and I'll go do that other thing. Turns out I actually ended up back in financial services. The same company rehired me. So I'll find the next industry and the new opportunity and I'll go do that other thing. Turns out I actually ended up back in financial services. The same company rehired me. So it was this beautiful story of redemption and that was great. But what I didn't expect was for God to do what He did in my brokenness, which is introduce me to my now wife, Ashley, who had two kids from a previous marriage. And I was not ready to become a husband, or to become a father, given my pride,

given my ego, given all of the idolatry, and the horribly unwise decisions that I was making. And none of my decisions were like immoral or unethical, but they were just bad decisions. Like it was all about me. I wanted people to know that I was great and I was successful and I found all of my identity in those things. And so today, I get to say that sometimes God's preparation

has packaged his pain. You go through some really hard stuff that he prepared for a new season. But the greatest gift that he gave me is the reminder that he is in control and I and not. And he's on the throne and I and not. And I learned that he's the authority of my life. He is my hope. He's everlasting. And I felt that clear as day. And I can't even explain it. But I remember like weeping in my little apartment in Minneapolis, Minnesota just completely broken.

I moved to a city where I didn't know anybody and it was like a true fall from grace. And I remember feeling his love and like experiencing him in a way that I never had. And I can say now with our three daughters and my wife like, that's got it work. And he had to take me through the desert before I could climb back onto the mountain. And so I know somebody listening has had that similar experience, or maybe somebody's going through that right now. But gosh dang it, God is good. And if you're in a dark place, you haven't been buried,

you've been planted. And there's more for you. There's another season ahead. And he wants to use that thing that hurt you for good. And I know that you have a similar story. So I think we share that in common. The details are different. But you're dominating.

You're on a mountain top, you've been through some stuff. There's some things that happen to you that were unfair. And I'm proud of you as my friend. I'm proud of Heather Monahan for the way that you've responded. And people will say this before I turn it back to you, this tries me crazy. People say, well, adversity builds character. Okay, that's bullshit.

No, it doesn't. Adversity builds character if you allow it to. So it's still a choice. I get is a choice to fail forward. It's a choice to say, I'm going to use this for good. I'm going to get back up on my feet with the help of others and by God's grace. And I'm going to move forward in this life. And you've done that. So I'm proud of you for that.

But that was a long way to answer a short question about faith. But I learned so much in that season, and that's my faith, journey, and my faith story. Say you have a business idea, but you're not sure what to do next. Don't go into debt spending four plus years on a degree, listen to the Millionaire University podcast, learn how to run a successful business

and graduate rich, not broke. Trust me, you need to check out this podcast. The Millionaire University podcast is hosted by Justin and Tara Williams, who started their business from Square One and now have years of valuable experience. They hit lows and dug themselves out of debt and want to share the lessons they've learned with aspiring entrepreneurs.

You don't need a degree to succeed. Millionaire University will teach you everything you need to know. From specifics like how to start a software business without creating your own software, to more broad topics like eight businesses you can start tomorrow to make 10K a month. In each episode you'll get insights from entrepreneurs and mentors who know what it takes to be successful. So don't wait! Now is the time to turn your business idea into a reality by listening to the Millionaire University podcast. New episodes drop every Monday and Thursday.

Find the Millionaire University on Apple. Spotify or wherever you get your podcast. This episode is brought to you by Snapple. Want to taste the flavoriest flavors to ever flavor? Mmm! Snapple is ridiculously flavorful, and you can uncap a snapple real fat with every bottle, like, towels produce more milk when they listen to music. Come on, leave the ridiculousness to Snapple, and grab one of your favorites that pack a punch.

Explore all of the delicious flavors at snapple.com For anyone listening check out John Gordon's book The Garden if you're questioning anything about faith I just had a really good friend of mine the other day See me if you read that book yet and you know, I love John with fan of John I have all John's books. I never read it right and so I just jumped into it and it's such just anyone who's questioning faith or wondering about it. Like just go listen to this audio book. It's really going to help. It's going to help bring some clarity to you and bring you closer to God, which is, um, it's amazing. And truly foundationally, I truly believe that confidence when built on your relationship with God is unbreakable and

will take you to heights and levels that you could have never fathomed otherwise. So I just appreciate you being really candid about that, Jordan. And to the idea of you being candid and to the idea of you being vulnerable, I wanted to get to one last topic before I let you go and respectful of your time. The clock is counting down. You know, one of the things about you that's so great is you are incredibly humble. One of the things that's not so great about you is that you're incredibly humble.

And when I see talent in people and I see the magic that you have within you, I want to put your face on Times Square in New York City and blow you up larger than life. And we've had conversations about this. And you shared that there's trepidation around appearing a certain way, which I totally get. However, that never stops me. I frankly can care less what anyone else thinks about me.

I know that I'm out here in the world doing good, that I'm on my mission and I'm not letting anyone determine. However, your point is when I hear from so many listeners, I hear from so many people that, hey, how do you dial that light up when people are going to judge you and you might be misread. So talk to me about where you're at in that journey and how you're going to move forward. So you've helped me with that.

So thank you for the way that you have called me upward and called me out. And I think I'm still very much a work in progress. I think some of that too is like because I went through that journey as a as a prideful young man who was full of ego and arrogance, I think I'm scared to be that person again. And so I think sometimes I associate being bolder courageous with being prideful and arrogant. And those are two very different things. So I'm glad we're having this conversation. And I would say this, here's what I'm learning. So the person who's denying their future

or denying their gifts, here's what I'd say. Who in the hell do you think you are? That's what I feel like God is telling me, right? Because when somebody says, hey Jordan, job well done or you're awesome or good job Or I see something in you for me to deny that for me to be like, oh gosh, I'm not that greater. I know I don't know Like that insinuates that I did something to earn it because if I if I was truly in tune with the ways in which God gave me gifts And I understood that it was just that it was a gift gift. Then I should be able to receive the compliment.

Because here's what I've learned. They're not really complimenting me. They don't know me. So if I'm on a stage and I get some stain innovation or I walk off and people tell me that they're great and I'm like, yeah, I'm pretty good. What a false sense of security and identity. They don't know anything about me.

They just heard me give 20 minute speech and they're applauding the speech. They're not applauding me. They're applauding the gift inside of me. That's what they're admiring. So at the end of the day, I think you and I need to be able to objectively say, okay, listen, they're not in love with me. They don't even know me. What they're admiring what they're excited about is the gift inside of me. And if it is a gift, then I should be able to receive the complement and say,

thank you. It's a gift and I appreciate that. Maybe you don't say it's a gift, but that's kind of your posture, right? That's your energy. And so you're helping me with that. You're reminding me that Jordan, it's okay to attack your future with great confidence because listen, God gave you a gift and he asked you to steward that gift. And stewarding that gift well means that you don't play small. You play big and you step

out courageously and boldly. And there's a difference between pride and confidence. And I think I'm still learning, you know, what that different, and let me just say this, you're helping people with that gap all day every day. Like, I know that's what you've committed your life's work to. And so I want to encourage you down that path because the work that you do Heather on that subject matter is so crazy important. Because there's people like me who probably think I kind of have that figured out. I'm like, no, I get confidence.

I understand all that. Well, clearly, I don't. Or we wouldn't be having that conversation. So you've helped me with that. And I want our listeners to know that. Just in a moment of vulnerability, I'm just sharing that. That I'm still on that journey of figuring out what true confidence is is all about. It's me, you know, and for me, there's two things I'll say to this. Anyone listening to the struggles with this. I remember the first time I gave a very vulnerable speech where I shared that I had grown up poor. I shared that it was a single mother, you know, a bunch of challenges.

mother, you know, a bunch of challenges. And when I got off that stage, I received hundreds of DMs from people saying to me, I never knew you grew up poor. Oh my gosh, Heather, you made it. I can't do. Oh my gosh, I never knew you were a single mother. I'm a single mother too. You just opened my eyes. What's possible for me? And I almost didn't give that speech because I thought people don't think I'm bragging that I'm up here. I'm so great. I can, I was seeing it through a different lens. And so that day changed the way I saw. I was saying stop making it about me. Who cares if I'm gonna feel bad about it? I actually can help somebody else.

I stopped making it about me and I started making it about the audience, right? That was pivot number one. Pivot number two is whenever I'm taking a big stage, I always ask God to give me the words. I always ask God to speak through me. I always have a conversation with God before I'm gonna go on that stage and I say use me to bring your message to light. And I know that he is and when you have that fee and you walk out there. It is your job to reach millions, not hundreds. So then I'm always asking God, how can we reach millions of people together the more people we can reach reach, the more people we can heal, the more we can bring your work to life.

When you start flipping the way that you're seeing it, then you can have your life's impact in such a bigger and more powerful way. And sign your light as always, and make the world a better and brighter place, and I'm here for it, so I just want you to know, I'm encouraging you, I want your face in Times Square. I may actually get a billboard at some point,

and I can't wait to see you continue to grow and blossom I want your face in Times Square. I may actually get a billboard at some point, and I can't wait to see you continue to grow and blossom and do the amazing work that you're doing, and I'm just blessing grateful that you're in my life. Well, right back at you, you have been just an awesome source of encouragement of energy of support. I'm so grateful that David Nurse connected us

and shout out to David. Shout out to David Nurse. Yeah. He's the best. He is such a great connector just like you, but really I mean that. Like you just consistently show up as a positive encouragement in my life. Every text, every call, connection, opportunity, just grateful for it. And to be on a show that I've listened to for a long time is also a gift. So thanks for having me. I'm a fan of yours. And I think we have a lot of work to do. And a lot of life ahead of us. And just really excited to do that with you and be your friend. So thanks for having me. All right, guys, if you want a blessing in your life, you need to follow Jordan Montgomery. You need to subscribe to his podcast. Jordan, where can they find out more

about you? Where can they get in contact with you and how can they connect? So we do a lot via social media, more on Instagram than other platforms. You've challenged me on that. On Instagram, Jordan and Montgomery were on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter. You can also go to our website, MontgomeryCompaties.com. And I'll say this, if somebody listening has a question, a thought, if you want to reach out, send me a DM. I will respond to all of them, myself, to the extent that I can. It might not be in perfect timing, but I will get back to you. I'd love to hear from you. We'd love to be helpful.

We'd love to be a source of energy or positivity or send me an email. Jordan at Montgomery companies.com. We'll love to connect to anybody listening. All right. Don't miss this opportunity. Definitely check out the podcast. It's amazing and really be mindful about the people you're pulling into your life and who you're spending time with.

Jordan's one of those people that you definitely want by your side follow subscribe and check them out until next week. Me and Jordan will be creating our confidence and turning our lights up so I hope you all are this episode so far. I'm Jennifer Cohen, host the top ranking business and entrepreneur podcast, Habits and Hustle, apart the YAP media network, the number one business and self-improvement podcast network. So, most people live the life they get and not the life they want, and I'm here to change all that. My goal with each episode is to give you the habits and hustle tips you need to show up to your life better, bigger, and bolder. Tune in now, and I'll not only help you answer the questions like what do you want most in life and why don't you have it, but we'll

also help you make it a reality. I also picked the brains of top thought leaders on how they've gone to the top and the advice they have to help you get there too. Head over to Happets and Hustle once you've done listening to this episode and get one step closer to boldness, one episode at a time. You're getting a diploma. You can't eat a diploma, but you can eat wings and charlis. Get 23% off any order of 30 or 50 piece wings when you use promo code 23grat at charlis.com. That's promo code 23grad at charlis.com. Charlis has wings.

Charlie's as Wee's.