Free Your Mind – Marcus Wright, Emotional Intelligence

Hello and welcome to this week's edition of Free Your Mind. Let's talk about it. Okay, as most of my listeners will know, I've just spent some time in the UK on the Sean Fair Leadership Tour where I met the wonderful Marcus Wright, who really looked after me with great care and attention. Marcus is recognized as one of the most prominent voices for emotional intelligence. Marcus Wright is an award-winning international keynote communications expert, a personality coach, and a professional leadership strategist. Leveraging for over 25 years of corporate experience, Marcus is on a mission to impact audiences and train individuals, corporations, organizations worldwide on his proven leadership strategies that produce better communication, better connection and collaboration that drive positive cultural change, resulting in a higher productivity and a better overall work environment. He coaches corporate leaders and employees to develop better teams by increasing engagement, improving creativity, and developing new ways of thinking. Marcus Rush is the author of the book, which is coming out into May 2023 next year, but he will be gracing the UK with his presence later this year on a couple of events that I'm holding. So it's a great pleasure. I will not keep the audience waiting. They're long to introduce you. Hello, Marcus. Hello, Lady K, how are you? I'm good, relaxed and rested after the flight and the dramas that I had to get home. But it's great to connect with you again and great to bring what I saw in, in a person who is humble, kind, a team player. You always got the care for somebody else to make sure that with your own strategic, uh, personality, that you've used emotional intelligence to, um, make corporate training, etc., as I've read out. You know, it works, and we're bringing that over to the UK. So when people, you know, meet you, they will understand the type of person you are. So can you just introduce, introduce, uh, yourself to the listener a little bit more. I've read just a small part of your bio. What is Marcus Wright all about? Well, that's a great question. Thank you for that. Um, my name is Marcus A. Wright, and Marcus is all about helping people understand themselves and helping people understand people. In order to do that You have to have emotional intelligence. You have to understand your personality, but you also have to have adaptability intelligence. And what I coach and help people with is within those three aspects. Once you understand your personality, that means you can understand your communication style. And then when you become emotionally aware, it's easier for you to adapt to the many, many changes that we're going to be facing over the next, you know, 5, 10, 15 years and over your lifetime. So I really like to help people work on themselves and to build better, better relationships with other people. And that's what Marcus is all about. That's a lovely explanation there, Marcus. Can you take us back to— I'm going to take you back now to a chart which I do on my show. To start to show the roots, the foundation, your schooling, you know, was there any bullying, etc., any issues and stuff around there. So can we go back, where was you born, Marcus? I was actually born in Maywood, Illinois, which is basically a small suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. The Windy City. Yes, sir. Yes, ma'am. Yes, ma'am. Why do they call it the Windy City? Is that a real adverse change in the weather? So, you know, you know, obviously there's with the wind, but I'm just saying, do you really suffer the difference between, you know, the temperaments of the weather? Oh, yes, ma'am. So, uh, in Chicago, Illinois, you, you could get, uh, a very hot day, and in a few hours you can get a storm, a rainstorm. And then a windstorm, and then the temperature can drop below freezing, and you can literally get all of those temperatures within one day. But the reason it's called the Windy City is the wind is so strong and so cold during the winter months where it comes off of Lake Michigan into the city, and it's a very sharp wind. If you don't have moisture on your face, lotions or something to protect yourself, you, you can end up with with little chafing and little small cuts or frostbite. So it's very important to keep yourself layered up, especially during the winter months here in Chicago. And that's the reason it's called the Windy City. It's so windy in the winter months that, as a matter of fact, the fun fact, I was actually downtown Chicago a few years ago and we had a really strong windstorm, and I kid you not, it was blowing so hard that it lifted me off the ground. So I kind of had to wait inside of a building until this— the wind slowed down. And it could get that way here in Chicago. Right, so for us, you know, it was the old, uh, thing that we do, we put sugar bags in our pockets to hold you down. I have that. So, you know, if you see me next time in America, if I'm coming to Lady K, why have you got sugar in your popsicle? Because I'm not flying up, it's adding a bit of weight. But Marcus, you know, obviously, did you have any brothers or sisters, Marcus? Yes, I had one brother. My brother was a younger brother. He passed away in 2014. Um, it was very devastating for me. Took a little while for me to actually recover, um, from that. Situation. But, you know, my life was full of blessings, but lately, over the past 20 years, a lot of very important people in my life have passed on. So it's been a little difficult for me, and we'll get into that because that's one of the main reasons I got into personality, emotional, and adaptability intelligence. Lovely. Yes, that's a subject that we'll be touching on with the listeners. So, you know, when we do talk about that, I say to the listeners that when we go— so it may be a trigger point for anyone that's listening when we go into that, so that we armour ourselves ready to hear, because it does, you know, reflect and can open up our own mental health issues with any form of trauma. But while we're building up and freeing Marcus A. Wright's mind, we're going to move on. Schooling, Marcus, was you the top of the class? Was you the fun guy? You know, I'm just trying to pull out your character, because I know your character, but for us, for the listeners, to try to, uh, I call him cutie pie, you know, and very endearing, uh, very, a huge footstep, uh, and a footprint as well that you've left in my own heart from your, how you treated me in the USA, and probably not just me but anyone you meet, Marcus, you know, is on there. But so what I'm looking at is You know, as a child going through, you know, elementary school, you know, high school, etc., was you a leader of the pack? Obviously, because you're a very good leader and how you speak, an international keynote speaker. But did you have this mindset and skill set early on? Was it noticed by a teacher? You know, was you a team player or was something that you learned later on? So it's just seeing how he was at school, bringing that. So I'd love to answer that to give you a better foundation. I was a very fortunate person. I was blessed. I had both grandparents from my maternal and paternal sides of the family. So I was given a foundation early on, my, my brother, myself and my cousins on always being astute, but always being kind to people when they meet you and show them kindness. But to answer your question about being a leader, I've always been a leader according to my grandmother. So that, that was very endearing and important for me. But in school, I wouldn't say that I was at the top of my class. I was more like in the middle, a little bit of the upper side of the class. What, as far as leadership is concerned in school, was always— I always tried to help So I always put myself in that role of being in charge and being a leader, being able to help, being able to guide in the right direction, listening to the instructions of the teachers that were there. And when they did give instructions, I had no problem stepping up and guiding the group because I was a very extroverted person. So I had absolutely no problem taking charge, but I was always respectful, always respectful. With leading anything. So obviously, you know, with that personality, what I'm building on there, I can't imagine that you would have been a young man that suffered any form of bullying or anything at school. I think you were quite rounded in a way that wouldn't have had that. Or did you subject any form of bullying? So, Lady K, I have to be honest, I was bullied one time in my life. And when I was 5 years old, I had a friend and we're very good friends to this day. But he decided that he was going to play a game with me and it wasn't a fun game for me because I didn't like to fight or anything of that nature. But he used to— he had this rubber small bat and he started chasing me with it and hitting me with it over and over again. And I asked him to stop, but he wouldn't. So I'm running away from him, and then at that one point, I don't know what happened, but it was like, you need to protect yourself. I don't know if it's because I looked at my grandmother and she saw me running, or if my dad saw me. I can't remember that much, but I do remember turning around, standing my ground, and telling him to stop hitting me or I'm going to hit you back. So he didn't believe me. So when he hit me the last time with the rubber bat, it hurt for a minute, but I didn't move or flinch or jump. So it scared him. And I took the bat from him and I hit him one time. And I basically said, now, how did that feel? And I gave it back to him. And I said, so you shouldn't hit people if you don't want to get hit back. And that was the first and only time I was ever bullied. Wow, that's fantastic. And anybody that is listening, we're always told to stand up to the bullies because if you don't, they constantly chase you. I was bullied horrendously at school, and as my listeners know, Marcus, it wasn't until my brother used to say, you're going to come home and I'm going to hit you. You've got to stand up to them, you've got to get strong. Strong. You've got, you know, because the bullies have stuff going on, but the bullies actually have stuff going on in their own life, and this is why they're taking it out on others, you know. Uh, did your friend— was that one of the reasons, or was it just, you know, pecking order? We call it a pecking order in, you know, say, who's going to be the chief at the friends, you know. I think that— I think he wanted to be the guy that was chosen to be in charge. He wanted to be the chief, but I was picked fairly and squarely to run the— I don't know what game we were playing. It could have been American football, it could have been football, I don't remember the game, or baseball, but it was a game that we were playing and I was actually chosen to be the leader of the team. He didn't like it. So that's why he started chasing me with the bat and telling everybody, "See, he's afraid. See, he's scared. See, he's a coward." But when they all saw me turn around and stand my ground, that changed the whole thought process and the perception of Marcus at the time. And it stopped. And it was— I won't say it was fun, but it was fun to protect myself. Yes, and we have to armor ourselves and protect ourselves through the many challenges that we will face during our lifetime. And from that early stage, learning at the age of 5 with the family values to armor, protect, be kind, but you're no fool and you won't be pushed, you know. And, um, Leading on through that, so then Marcus, you graduated, um, obviously what was your first job? Oh, my first job, I was 12 years old because I wanted to work and my dad was like, if you think you can work, if you find a job, you can work. So in the United States you really couldn't work without a worker's permit until you were 15 years old. You had to be 15 years old to get a worker's permit. Well, I worked at the local car wash at 12 years old. So when I was at the local car wash, I was drying off automobiles, detailing them, and I would get tips from the, from the gentlemen that I would wash and dry their automobiles off. And that was my first, first job. But my first real job where I received a paycheck for actually doing work was at McDonald's. I worked at McDonald's for my very first job and I loved it. McDonald's, ah, I mean, a lot of people think, oh, well, you work for McDonald's, but you know what, they are immensely proud of the people that work. They put them through training, they teach them all aspects, you know, of working. And you see a lot of people working there, you see a lot of people stepping there doing their first management roles. They have the education, the tools, to equip, don't they? Yes. Oh yes, there was a lot of extensive training, how to meet people, greet people, how to work together as a team. All the things that I loved growing up because my grandparents and my parents always told me as a kid, they taught us all to be very respectful to people, to be kind at all times, to make sure that, you know, if it's a young lady at the door, to open the door. For her. Don't just watch her open the door, you open the door. Say please and thank you. So for me, it was like getting additional training from McDonald's. It just reinforced what I was taught and coached and trained and learned from my parents and my grandparents, which were very instrumental in my life with all of the decisions that I made. So we can see your character building markers you know, from this, you know, with the communication skills, with the manners, how you are as a person, respecting, which you were taught, you know, to respect yourself first, and then you would know the understanding of respect to be able to respect another human being. So we've gone through to this part, other than that one part of the bullying stage, a happy person going through. And after McDonald's and seeing that, was it the communication that escalated you as a person saying, what do I want to be? Did you then at that age know exactly what you wanted to be? That is a great question. When I was a young man growing up, I always said that I'm going to play American football professionally, and I'm going to be a minister. I'm going to be a pastor of a church. That's literally what I said growing up as a kid. But I knew that I had the ability to speak and communicate. The very first speech that I gave, Lady Kay, I was in junior high getting ready to go to what we call high school freshman year, which would be 9th grade. It was a very emotional speech, and from that moment on, I was like, public speaking is what I need to do, and I'm gonna be a pastor in order to do it. Why? Because when we look at that, and you're saying your public speaking, which is absolutely flawless, absolutely, and the way use the three things, you know, where you engage with your audience, um, you, you know, get the understanding with them, don't you, and the connection with them. So obviously at this time that you were going to be a minister, you started speaking, but you didn't become a minister. No, you were public speaking. Then you met your wife and you had your beautiful daughters and a lovely son. Yes, so that's an interesting story. So I didn't end up being a minister, so I didn't do public speaking. I went into information technology and became a project manager, and I was married at age 21, and I had my son with my first wife, and we didn't get it. We just were not compatible people. So we sat down and said the best thing for us to do is to go our separate ways. After that, I met my wife now, whom I actually have known since I was maybe 11 years old, 12 years old or something like that. And we went on a date and we've been together ever since that date. And that was, I don't know, 20— 22 years ago now, and we have, you know, 2 girls together. She has a daughter, so that's where you get the 3 daughters. We're a blended family, so my son, her daughter, and our 2 daughters together, and it's been great. Best friend, though. We do everything together. She's funny, and the girls are just— they're, you know, they just make my day. You make my day. For the listeners, I have actually seen a photograph of Marcus's family. Other than his son wasn't in there because his son doesn't like to have his photograph taken. He likes to stay down in the den, you know, as most lads, you know, and stuff like to do. But the picture that I saw was so— it resonated and stayed in my mind that, you know, the power of the freedom of that family, the uniting, even though it was a mixed family, um, the blessings were in there. When, you know, the daughter was today, you know, she was graduating, and, you know, where she already had her new shoes walking around, it was just to there, just relaxed and happy and so proud. But the main key was her graduation certificate and stuff that she passed out barefooted, where there was yourself next to her, you had your other daughter, and that was Autumn. Uh, the reason Autumn's, uh, resonated with me, because I had a conversation with Autumn, as you know, on the telephone when she was using her emotional intelligence to you. But these beautiful red roses that were being passed over, and she was in a red and white polka dot dress, and your wife in this lovely cream dress as a proud mum. And then there was your mum there also, you know. Yes, ma'am. Short little gray curly hair, this amazing smile. And my comment, she was like, wow, Marcus, you look just like your mum. The thing that resonates with you is like, "Hey Kate, you still remember every detail of that." Of course I do, because people are important. And when you look at them, you know, and its value, and the value of that family man that you've seen in the proudness in there, which is absolutely wonderful, you know, and who you stand for. But when you look at that picture and you see that, the proudness in there, But we're going to touch, and if I may, and this will be the trigger moment for listeners, we're going to take Marcus now where we're seeing that on to many people have played a huge part in Marcus's life. He's been very gifted with the gift and grace of God, the love, everything that he, you know, has had, has had a very satisfying life. But when you're living a very satisfied life with love. When you have that love and it's coming in and the memories that somebody leaves, that person leaves, the pain of loss is really quite severe. And, you know, can we just share with the audience, you know, um, the importance of the first— I know you lost your uncle, your— it was your, you know, That was a couple of years ago, wasn't it? Your uncle? Yes, I've lost— so when I speak of my family, what was so important to me was to be a young man that was able to grow up and have his parents and his grandparents with him throughout his life. But in 1997, my grandfather passed, and it was difficult. But I was able to get through it. But in 2000, when my grandmother passed, my paternal grandmother passed away, that was devastating for me. So I call it, you know, the Marcus armor, because that's the way I was kind of raised. That armor received a chip. It started to crack. And then 7 years later, my dad passed right when I was having a conversation with him. We were in the hospital and he was giving me all these instructions. And I'm like, why are you telling me this now, Dad? I mean, we're going to be talking about this in a minute. But he knew that it was his time, which was not easy for me while my mom was in the waiting room because she was too afraid to come back there. And my dad passed and I had to tell my mom. So my— the Marcus Armour cracked even more. And then 7 years after that, I lost my brother. Now, when I lost my brother, that armor of what I thought was there that kept me going, it was completely shattered. And it— my life was very confusing for me because I had lost my younger brother and I didn't know what was going on. Like, all of these people were passing away and my brother died at age 40, 42. Very difficult thing. After that, a couple years later, my uncle passed, and then my maternal grandmother passed a year later in 2017. And then some several uncles have passed. Even one passed away this past February in 2022. But when I lost my brother, Lady K, what happened to me was different. I started to doubt my abilities. I was afraid to speak in public again. I didn't want to go to work anymore. I didn't, you know, I know that my daughters graduated, which was interesting. I had 3 daughters graduate. My oldest daughter graduated with her master's. My younger daughter graduated, which is Tierney, with her high school diploma. Excuse me. And then my youngest, which is Autumn, had just graduated junior high school to go into high school. Now, I remember the day because there were photographs taken, but I wasn't there presently. I was emotionally shook. My emotional intelligence was not there because when my brother passed, I just existed. I can't tell you what happened in my life from basically November 2nd, the day after my brother passed, 2014, until really 2019. It's like a blur. And it was hard for me to get back to being myself after that death. It was very difficult. I can resonate with you. Um, completely on that Marcus. Because when I lost my brother, um, I buried my daughter and, you know, come home from the hospital, buried her, um, and went home. And my brother, come on, we'll go out for something to eat. And I thought, I really don't feel like it. And I left, and he left my door and he went down the road, and he was killed by a drink driver. Oh, oh goodness. So for me, I had which we call, you know, your emotional intelligence goes out. I completely resonate with you because I just went boom. You can actually physically see yourself operating on a daily basis, but you had no control. Your mind was just gone. It was numb. The detachment I didn't want to be there or questioned why I was there, you know, try to destroy myself or anybody come close, you know, I would just be, just go away because yes, everybody was trying to advise you and you're like, yes, you have no idea what is going on in my mind. Yes, but no, no, no, no, no, you do not know. And everybody's pain is different. Yes, it is. Everyone's feeling is different. Your love that you have for your brother, like the love I had for my brother— for mine was guilt, Marcus. I had so much guilt because I used to think, why? I'd killed my child because, you know, she was born, she died, she was buried. I then couldn't have any, you know, any children from that. I, um, you know, was not even worthless to be a childbearing woman, um, and my brother going like that. For my mum and my father every day. When I saw my father on his knees begging God at the side of my brother's bed, "Take me, let him live." He was 21 years of age, you know, and thinking, why? It tests your faith. Everything is crashing, you're going— and I spent years like you did. It's not something you just get over. And you do have this emotional detachment until you just break and there's no return. And then, you know, you come back from that return and you start to build, you start to stand. But I think what happens is where your emotional intelligence comes in, that we protect ourselves now with this armor. That push me. Yes, I'm kind, I will do that. Push, push, but keep pushing till you fall. There's no— I cannot go back to that. And that's when your emotional intelligence comes in. You break, which is what was it, just give me a moment. And when someone keep going on, you step back, hey, come on, you know, and you go back and using that communication because that pain is always there for anybody listening, you know, it is stages we go through. I used the Power of Pen. I, you know, trained my mind on death and medicine. I looked at everything, mental health, because that was the only way I could fix myself, to read, learn, understand, because I couldn't listen to anybody else. But then when you come out from the other side, and I said, you You remove the mask and say, yes, this is me, because you're frightened. For a woman, it's easier than a man to say, hey, I'm wobbling, you know, like that. For a man, it's different because you've got that hard exterior. You're not meant to break. But in actual fact, yes, you are. You have human reactions. You are not simply here, as I've said before. From, uh, science as organs and muscles and cells. You have a human reaction, you have a spirituality to you, and you have a faith. And when that's shook to the core, it takes time. But yes, we wish they were all here again, but I would go through it, and I'm sure you would again, because we know what true love feels Yes. What true pain feels. So when we are expressing with emotional intelligence, we know when you have empathy and somebody has sympathy, we know that those two things and how they are. And in the truth, when I talk body language, you know, and I can look somebody directly in the eye and they can say If you think, and for me, if you think this behaviour is correct, you keep pushing, you need to step back and then rewind and say, you know, rewind it, you know, like you would in training. Now look at what you did to say, yes, I didn't use that correctly. You hurt another human being. It wasn't her, and she's saying, you know, step back. To step back because we can't control time. No, we can't. What we have to do is adjust our day to that. And some things are not in our control and there is nothing we can do about it. But you negotiate with time. You, you learn to react to your communications, your skills to go in there to do that. And that's something that you are a master of. I witnessed that myself firsthand in the USA, how you master maneuver. I mean, anybody play chess with you? Yeah, I would be in Vegas. I don't gamble or bet, but if I was a betting lady, it'd be like, oh, I won't play chess with Marcus because you know through pain, through emotional intelligence, for who you are and how to lead and negotiate even around a chessboard, you would be able to do that. And that is something that is such a strength in you. Again, let alone the humbleness and the person that you are. And for Sean, you know, for everybody that knows what Sean's like, that is so much that goes on to produce that leadership tour. When you guys fly in, when you come in and what you're doing, you're all ready, you know, excited, everybody coming. But there is a lot people don't realize sometimes how much comes in from your physical and mental strength. Yes. To produce that show and to make sure. And one of the things you said to me, as long as I know everybody left here with everything they expected. Yes. And I listened to those. A lot of people think, you know, everything going on, but you've got to be a good listener to have emotional intelligence. You've got to have a good ear. You've got to have that ear to listen. You've got to have that voice to express. Yes, you've got that empathy in your heart to resonate. And if somebody hasn't got that, I don't think as much training— it won't resonate. No, it won't. But I can tell you this, you touched on something— excuse me— that I have to say. So I understand when you say guilt, because one of the things that I struggled with when my brother Jason passed was the guilt of not being able to save him. Now, I don't— I'm not a drinker. I may drink very, very socially. You may see me have a glass of wine, but that's probably mostly it. Maybe one, no more than two at a time, and that's it for me. But my brother was an alcoholic. And I felt guilty for years that I was not able to stop him from drinking. I felt like it was my fault that he died. And then I had to learn that it was the disease that killed him of being an alcoholic. It wasn't anything that you did, Marcus. It was his choice. But the way I got to that was I had to look at myself and reflect on what we were— what we were taught as children, how we interacted with each other throughout our lifetime, and how we interacted with each other when we were adults, right? And I had to look at the things that he did versus the things that I did, and those were his choices. So what helped me was to become more self-aware, and what I did to do that, Lady Kay, I did a lot, a lot, a lot of journaling. I journaled all the time. I journaled the way I felt. I journaled my emotions. I started to journal the way I felt as a child. I journaled the way that I felt when my brother passed and my dad and my grandparents. And I started to write those things out, which helped me to heal because I was becoming more self-aware of what I was feeling and how I felt and who I am as a person. And once I did that, that healing started to come over me. And then I started to become more socially aware, which gave me the ability to get back to being myself and caring about how people feel and understanding and listening to them. Because you brought up a very good point at being at the tour. It's a very stressful situation because I want to make sure that when you got here from the United Kingdom to the United States, that you received the treatment, the respect, the service that you should expect when paying and being involved with a tour to speak at the tour. It was my job to make sure that you felt welcomed. And I did that for each and every person that was at the tour, because when you do that, it makes people feel important to themselves. Like, you're a pre— it makes them feel appreciated. It makes them feel that someone cares enough about them and has the empathy for them to make sure that they're serviced properly, so that it's, it's the opportunity to get things and get ready for the speech that they're going to give. So I enjoyed every moment of being able to serve you and to serve your friends that came with you and to serve the other folks of the tour. And it was fantastic and fun, a little tiring, but it didn't matter. The smiles that I felt for the little bit of work that I did to make people feel special. Was reward enough for me. And everybody did feel special, Marcus, in your presence, always, you know, guiding and being there for everything. We had everything you need, from, you know, getting some fresh air to Tiffany. And I said, I can't find it. And she said, you're not looking in the right place. You need to go out the doors and turn to the right. And so obviously for me, hearing everything you do and working with everybody in it was just amazing. You know, when I came back and people are saying there's a lot of attention now in the UK, um, Sean's been on Brilliance TV, which I know they're going to be asking you to come on with Steven, The Right Buzz, building up to bring you over to the UK with lots of people coming on for this tour. And I know even in the States, and I said, everyone's going, "AK, I'm going to see you, I'm going to be on that tour." The speakers, you've seen even yourself, as collaboration is the new currency, we must continue with this, Marcus, and building on profiling, showing people who these people are, what you do, what is your role, who am I, and promotional work and media and visibility is very important for you over there. You know, people in the UK, uh, some of them will know you, some may not, like myself, when you go over there. So waiting and wanting to know how to connect is why we do a lot of this promo stuff. And I know I'll be back as, as the EU Ambassador for the Children's Book Fair, which I loved every moment of that, and working and connecting with everybody there, and excitement and the love And the synergy was just magnificent, you know, for everybody that was in there, you know, for myself, for the hotel that you sourced for us to go in, you know, for Mary that was in the kitchen in the Hilton, you know, to Rita, to Calvin Washington that was there, to Ed, to Rick driving the shuttle buses. I know all their names, and the reason being that, because When you do believe— and as you know, I'm humanitarian, I believe in the well-being and the welfare of another human— but a smile costs nothing, a good morning, thank you, the same mannerisms. And when you're on that platform and you share that same mindset, you all know your skill sets collaborate together to energize and magnetize the situation you're in. The power of the hands. I mean, it was electric. And the messages that were on there. And one of the things that I did take back with me, you know, when people say, what did you take back? I know I put people on the spot because if you have dedicated all this time and you are so excited to hear you speak, I didn't know you were speaking This is on the rehearsal day, you know, there was stuff that was going on there, but when you were putting your show on for an hour, that people— it's about respect. Yes, ma'am. People are there and you are giving your voice, your education to listen. And I am somebody, as you know, as an interviewer, and store that information. So give me, you know, can you tell me something about Marx? If you're there, don't just be present. Listen. Listening is one of the most powerful tools you can have because that listening means you're absorbing the— Yes, ma'am. And then you're putting it into your mindset to help educate you to advance because you're there to support. If nobody's going to listen, then you know you're going to go up, then you're going to fail. And the whole point is The short bit is that they do, and everybody there listening, taking their notepads, which was lovely seeing, and how you engage with that, you know, and engaging with emotional intelligence and the speaking. Um, and that's a very powerful tool that you have. So for our listeners here in the UK, I know you, you will be bringing so much value, and for the organizations in the UK to connect and reach out to Marcus A. Wright, who is a master in emotional intelligence and everything else that you do, your speaking. But what is it, Marcus, that you think, A, you will bring to the UK, and B, what would you like to take back from the UK? Oh, that's a great question. Thank you for that question. Honestly, What I believe I'm going to bring to the United Kingdom is a different perspective of how you think emotional intelligence is actually utilized, how you feel about your emotional intelligence, and how you recognize other people's emotional intelligence. I'm also going to sprinkle, sprinkle on top of that just a little extra sweet, which will be understanding how you adapt to different situations, because emotional intelligence and adaptability intelligence go hand in hand. You need both because the world is changing so rapidly every day. So we have to learn how to adapt to every change that's coming. But during that adaptation, we must understand how to be emotionally ready, because if we understand our emotions— because emotional intelligence is nothing more than you understanding your emotions and being able to communicate your emotions and be able to listen to someone else's emotions and have an effective conversation. That's pretty much what it is. So if you can adapt and you can understand your emotions and someone else's emotions, when there's time to change, when things evolve, you're going to be able to evolve right along with it. And that's what I bring and want to bring to the United Kingdom. Now, what I want to take away Oh my goodness, there's so many things I want to learn, so many things about the architecture that's there, the way that people in the United Kingdom interact with each other. I can't wait to see that. Why? Because I've never been in the United Kingdom. I've been in other places, but I've never been there, and I've been so excited about coming. So I cannot wait to get there, Lady K. Oh my goodness, I can't wait. I can't wait, I'm super excited. That's wonderful to hear, and I know for people in the UK, we're very proud of our history. As you know, when I was in the USA, we had the Platinum Jubilee for our Queen, and yes, who serves the Commonwealth, and a huge respect to her for her life and her dedication to service, and as a speaker, to encourage and, you know, for her people. And when you see the happiness in the United Kingdom uniting together, you know, that we're having in, you know, for 4 days they're united even against the weather that they were hit upon, some street parties that couldn't go on. But there is the culture, there's the history, there's the castles, there is so much to see. And take in, and about the people of the United Kingdom. For myself, I'm very rounded, and we have different dialects, as you probably do in the States. You know, when I noticed that myself being there, when people come from different areas, they speak very different. It's very much the same in the UK, but mannerisms are very different. Very different to the USA. And for me, I love the way the Americans speak. We are in awe of how you speak. But it was reciprocated the same when I was over there. They went, "Have you heard her accent?" And they just are like, "Wow." You know, when you speak to them, people are like, "Have you heard the way she speaks?" But for us, when you come over, it's like, we love that, we love that American accent as well, you know. And we lend so much on yourselves as a country, you know, when you've got the proms. Now we have the school proms over there. There's a lot that comes from America that us English, you know, in the receivership that we do and collaborate together, you know, we support. Stand by each other, you know. And that is something which I'm so looking forward to, is bringing that, because we need to bring different qualities, different training skills, because sometimes, you know, we can be sleeping dogs in a classroom. As much as you're there, as I was saying, we can be present, but we are not listening. But sometimes when somebody comes in with a different accent, different strength, different approach, all of a sudden we suddenly say, "Hey, you've got my attention." And it is the approach in doing it. And after the pandemic, it's important that we do move forward. We all need retraining. Every company in the UK, USA, around this world should all be retraining. I know resources are shorter, but You've got to speculate to accumulate. So this is a team that's been working at home, um, part-time, not in the office. They've got to learn to sit and work together again. You've got to get— yes, back on the same platform. Do you— you are so correct. So before I get into that really quick, when you talk about, um, your accent, let me tell you listeners over in the United Kingdom Lady Kay, first of all, gave an incredible and powerful, powerful speech. And the few moments that she spoke to my daughter Autumn, it left an impression on Autumn so much that she's still talking about it. Her accent and what Lady Kay said to her, she enjoyed every second of the few minutes that she had the opportunity to speak with Lady Kay. But back to what you said, The one thing that has happened to the world, it's not just in the United States, it's everywhere. The COVID crisis, the pandemic, it caused all of us to have an issue. And what it did to us is it forced us to actually look at ourselves because what we've done is we've actually become a little more anxious. We've all developed anxiety. So emotional intelligence and adaptability intelligence are very important and needed more than ever today. Yes, completely. And for the viewers, when I did speak to Autumn, I was sitting on the bench outside the venue where the Ashonfa Leadership Tour was taking place. And Marcus came and sat on the bench and his daughter came and a telephone message come and telephone call and she used her emotional intelligence. Now in the UK, you know, we all say daddy's girls, you know, they wrap themselves around their daddy's little finger, but you know, there's that control and how to look at the borders. But for Autumn, I think to pick an absolutely fine lawyer because in mitigation she kept— because she controlled that situation and she had been saying to her father, "Well, I did the washing for you, I did the dishes, and I did that, and I did what you asked, I was good, then I did that and I did that, but I just want $60." He said, "$60?" But also, 'No, darling, but using my emotional intelligence, you know, like you've taught me, I have done this and I've done everything you said and, you know, using through.' So he went, 'Okay, I'll give you 60.' 'What's it for?' She was going to some diner and it was like, 'Okay.' And it's like when you put down— and I spoke to her and I was like, 'Hello, how are you?' And it was like, wow, you know, that was the very opening speak to her. Was for her, she was like, "Hello." And it was almost that I felt she would be going into the bedroom going, "Hello." And I said, "Wonderful." And her manners on there, you know, so emotional intelligence being taught by yourself is that you put down that phone, hang on a moment, I look back and she's had $400 off me in one week. So she uses her emotional intelligence. Very well. But at the same time, she had respect. She didn't come charging at you. She, you know, she wasn't screaming, "This is unfair," the way she'd done it. But she achieved and got what she wanted. But at the same time, she knew there was bits in there, but she always knew that she's Daddy's girl. So Autumn is amazing, and it's wonderful to know that she's still talking about— I can't wait, you know, to, you know, her to connect and chat with her. And that is the whole point. It's remembering what you do, the teachings. And as you've seen, even in our conversation, I don't think there's anything with my meeting with you I haven't remembered. No, I remember everything. He's like, wow, she remembered everything, even to what your wife was wearing. And when I use that emotional, that is my alertness, that people know in the room I am present, I'm fully functional, and I am listening. I am listening and I am absorbing, because when you come home and you use that and you take that on— and I think, yes, you are correct, something that the COVID pandemic did teach us was one about family, the values, sitting around the table, learning, you know, to talk games, using time. We couldn't stop time, you know, people lost loved ones, etc., but coming back out and using that, I think, is So important to do that. And, you know, as I say, for Sean Clare and the whole team, every single one of you. And it's been wonderful, Marcus, because I've had so many of those speakers connect with me, chatting, you know, and collaborating and keeping that going. You have to keep that going, keep that motor running, you know, don't let it dry of oil and then try and restart. Keep it going. It's important to do that. Um, one of my questions is that I know the audience will be asking is, do you think you'll ever become a minister? Um, I don't know. I believe that if God leads me in that path, down that path, I will. However, I believe that I'm I may not be an ordained minister, but I believe that I am a minister because God gives us all a job. He gives us all a gift. And it's up to us to find that gift and use that gift to glorify him. And I take that very seriously. So my gift is a gift of servitude and assistance. And I make sure that I do that every single day that I can. Because life is, is precious and it's only moments. And before we realize it, someone that we've known, even ourselves, you know, we remember when we're 10 years old and 15 and 20, but the next thing you know, we're much, much older and our life has gone by so quickly. So during that time, I want to be able to serve whomever I can to make— bring a smile to their face. And that's very important to me. Very, very important to me. So I'm doing God's work now, but in a different way. But if he leads me to the path to where that he wants me in the church, to where I'm actually preaching his word and teaching his word, I will definitely go, uh, to do that. But for right now, I'm gonna do what God's given me a gift to do and always be in servitude of my fellow, uh, fellow man, fellow woman, a kid, child, everything. Because I believe that when I'm doing something, that moment that I've touched them, I hope that I've brought a smile to their face, and I hope that I've maybe eased whatever they're going through by all the experiences that I've had in my life. So that's very important to me, and that's why I love emotional intelligence and the coaching of emotional intelligence. And Adaptability Intelligence so much because it's about helping people become more self-aware so they can do things. But really quickly, you brought up Autumn. I have to tell that story from the beginning. So Autumn does some chores for me often, and then she receives an allowance. But Autumn decided that she wanted to get a little more to go shopping to buy some new clothes. Well, She said, Dad, what I did was I moved all of your clothes from the washer to the dryer. I did all of the dishes for you, did all the errands that Mom wanted you to do. I actually even washed the car. And so the first thing I said was, Autumn, what do you want? And Autumn said to me, Dad, you're not using your emotional intelligence. The question is, how can I help you? I said, okay, Autumn, how can I help you? And she proceeded to explain why she needed the money. Now, I couldn't say anything because she used emotional intelligence with me. She put time out to see that I was very stressed at the moment, working on a presentation and trying to get it right. So she calmed me down. She actively listened. She was self-aware for her, but she was also self-aware for me. And after that conversation, well, I couldn't do anything but give her the money that she wanted, which was $250. And then a few days later, I'm in Michigan, uh, with Lady K, and we're outside talking. She called again and did the exact same thing again because she was trying to go dinner with her friends, um, and I ended up giving it to her. But What I love is that she came with emotional intelligence and corrected me even at that moment that I was kind of wrong with how I said things. And she corrected me and I couldn't do anything but say, you're right. Okay, you've earned it. You're listening, you're learning, and you've done what I've asked to do. So if I can teach my kids, all of my children, to always be a servant to someone that they can help, then I have succeeded. And teaching emotional intelligence, at least until the most important people in my life. Lovely. Yeah, exactly. Um, we have only 3 minutes left of this wonderful interview with Marcus. There'll be many more, um, as when he comes over and with the UK and different things we're doing. But Marcus has a number one best-selling book, Understanding Your Personality Style. Which guides leaders in identifying their personal traits and patterns of behavior and how they communicate and interact with one another. Marcus, can we just quickly tell the audience how they can get in touch with you or any corporate prior to coming to the United Kingdom? Well, if anyone would like to get in touch with me, they can definitely reach me on LinkedIn, and it would be Marcus A Wright, and that's W-R-I-G-H-T, Marcus A Wright. However, if you look me up on any other social media platform like Facebook or Instagram or Twitter, it's Wright Mentality. It's Wright Mentality. That's how you would find me on all other social media platforms. And the reason it's Wright Mentality is because I believe and helping people get to the right mentality from the personality, emotional, and adaptability intelligence for themselves so they can excel and achieve any and everything that they desire to achieve. Wonderful. And for myself, um, it's been a pleasure having you on, uh, www.womensradiostation.com, which is Free Your Mind, Lexi talk about it with LKJ and bridging the gap between the USA and the UK and working and collaborating together as the collaboration is the new currency. So for myself, opening and freeing your mind and sharing the insight into Marcus A. Wright, who is a powerful keynote speaker, he's a powerful educator, He's an amazing husband, father, son, a family man that's had his own life challenge, his own roots with the losses and the losses of his brother Jason, and learning that to know pain, you have to feel it. To know it's real, to then understand that the love that was given was a gift of God, and love will always be there even though that legacy has passed. It has been an absolute pleasure having you, Marcus, on, uh, Free Your Mind. Let's talk about it. And I look forward to seeing you in the UK. But from now, for everybody at this show, thank you very much and goodbye.