Interviewing Empowered Storytellers Owner and TEDx Speaker, Pierce J. Brooks!
Introduction
I had a deep conversation with Pierce J. Brooks, TEDx Speaker, and Owner of Empowered Storytellers!
Just to give some context, Pierce is an Empowerment Strategist and TEDx Speaker: Playing the Game of Social Pressure, which to this date, has accumulated over 22K views. So, you know he’s inspiring!
On this episode of ExpertsConnect, I wanted to learn more about how Pierce pivoted when confronted with challenges and how he found meaning and purpose in times of crisis. With that said, I hope you’ll find this interview inspiring!
1. You lost scholarships from 4 universities, how did that happen?
I made a commitment to go to the University of San Francisco out of high school on a basketball scholarship. Halfway through the year, the head coach that recruited me was fired. After the season, two weeks before school started for my sophomore year, the new head coach called me to tell me that I was not welcomed back with a scholarship for my sophomore season.
I then had a scholarship after junior college to a university called UNC-Wilmington. In the process to attend I discovered that although I had 72 credits and I only needed 66, I only had 50 transferable credits and there was not enough time to make up the credits before the school year. Lost that scholarship.
Then I had a scholarship to the University of New Orleans. I committed and was ready to attend, then the BP oil spill happened where tons of oil was exploding in the gulf. That event defunded several of the Universities in the region and the University of New Orleans went from being a Division 1 that could give scholarships to a Division 3 school that could not. Lost that scholarship.
I finally settled on a school called Texas A&M- Kingsville. After a poor basketball season, the coach drove me to the airport for spring break and told me that I would not be welcomed back to my Senior year with a scholarship.
2. What motivated you to pursue and complete your education despite the overwhelming challenges and tragedies you faced while studying.
I’m a competitor and I had a chip on my shoulder to prove them wrong. There were moments where I felt worthless, but I looked at each situation as a glass half full opportunity to be a better person. I eventually got out of the victim mentality of feeling like everyone was against me and started to focus on how this experience was good for me.
At this time, I also knew that basketball wasn’t going to be my future. I knew that my education was most important for me to have a career that I would be proud of and to live the life I dream of living.
3. You lost your dad to suicide, what’s your message to people who are dealing with loss, especially those who have lost a parent to suicide?
In moments like these, we often hear the cliche phrase “you’re not alone.” While that is true and important for us to remember, it’s difficult to know what to do with that information. It isn’t a call to action. When someone close to you passes unexpectedly, no matter how it happens, it is a shock to the psyche. You can’t understand, and the more you try the more dead ends you run into. What often happens is isolation and self-medicating that can lead to potentially harmful behavior. That’s what happened to me.
My message is to do your best to express yourself by communicating with people you trust — including other people that shared a bond with that person who passed. I also strongly believe in doing your best to channel the energy into an art form that gives you peace.
4. Throughout a great portion of your life you have dealt with social pressure, can you tell us more about this? What key strategies did you implement to handle social pressure?
The most important factor for me was the initial awareness. It was a shocking revelation that “I am not living the life that I want to live.” Then, I took responsibility for my life. Without blame, resentment, or being a victim I made a decision that I chose my life up to this point, even if they were subconscious choices they were my choices. Then, I stay focused on the conscious decisions that I can make for my future.
Key strategies — 1) Tune in to your voice 2) Take responsibility for your life (even if others have heavily influenced where you are today 3) Make a decision to be in the driver seat for the rest of the journey.
5. How do think we as adults help children to navigate the pressures of social media?
I would argue that it is less about resiliency and more about lacking the tools. We all need to take responsibility for this. Many people, institutions, organizations, etc. have failed the children of today and instead of finger-pointing, we can all do our part.
I think we can help by emphasizing a balance. Social media is not bad in and of itself. Everything can be used as a tool or a weapon — a knife, a car, a plane… and that includes social media. We have enough data out there to understand that all of our time spent on our phones or doing anything else is going to be detrimental to us. We can help by being more creative with how we connect in person. Having more dynamic and interesting conversations, while also giving those kids a seat at the table. Giving them the tools and format to open up and speak about what they are going through.
A lot of it really just comes down to listening and talking.
6. Having had a basketball career, what lesson/s have you learned from basketball that applies throughout life?
Too many to count. I’m still learning them. Here are some at the top of my mind.
1) FGA is a term that means Field Goal Attempts, or in other words, how many shots you shoot. The players that are more focused on how many shots they take, over how many they make (FGM) are the ones who truly think of the game in the right way.
2) Culture and Confidence — among many things, these are key to what the difference between winning and losing teams come down to.
3) Mastery/ Doing the Work — there are no short cuts to being a confident player on the court. You have to put the time in, every day. Hopes don’t matter. Intentions don’t hold much weight. Action and Practice does.
7. Lastly, what’s your overall message to people?
Find Meaning in Madness. I’ve found it important in my life to not be a bystander on my experiences. To not be on the outside in and think that I am just floating through life by chance. A life worth living is a life of meaning. Through the “good” and the “bad” — everything is happening for our benefit. There is a lesson from each experience, we just have to be willing to look for it by asking the right questions.
Thanks for Reading!
I hope that you found this article insightful and motivating! It was a huge honor to be able to interview Pierce. Please reach out to Pierce here.
Please watch the full interview here:
If you’ve read my previous article, “E-health | Your way to take charge of your health”, you’ll find out that I am also a huge fan of e-health related technologies! I have conducted many more inspiring interviews so check out my channel for more inspiration.
