Jenn Walter

Full transcript: Jenn Walter on London Real

0:31 This is London Real, I am Brian Rose. My guest today is Jenn Walter, recent graduate of our Speak to Inspire course. Welcome. Thank you for having me. Tell everybody, where are you from, what do you do? I am from a town north of St Paul, Minnesota, and I am a geospatial analyst. I’m a team lead and a regional coordinator. Okay, what does that person do? What is geospatial analyst?

0:54 It is someone who deals with a lot of spatial data. I work in the environmental permitting group, so I’m looking for, helping to put permits together for state or federal regulatory issues, and then also public involvement. Last week I was at a public meeting, so trying to get comments from people, recording it on the map, so we can take the concerns back so people have a voice.

1:19 Okay, and what was going on inside of you and around you that caused you to take this course, Speak to Inspire? What was on your mind? I felt I had some personal goals for myself and I was not getting them done, and then all of a sudden a week flew by, two weeks, three weeks, and I’m like, I need some sort of accountability to get this done. And you talked about the accountability document, and I was like, I need that.

1:49 So I needed to also find a way to inspire myself. I can’t inspire someone else to do something if I can’t tell myself to do it. So for inspiration, but then also to be accountable to go forward and do things. Okay, and why London Real? You really… I was in the workshop group, and there were people on there that were inspiring me, and the support and that community of just that workshop group was incredible.

2:20 And you, the feedback that you gave individuals, and what I’d seen in other programs was impressive, and I really wanted to be part of that. Okay, so you pulled the trigger, you jump in. What are those first two weeks like? I mean, you know, you got all these people around the world you never met, I’m asking you to upload three videos a week, you got the video modules, you got the live calls, and of course your accountability doc. What’s it like?

2:43 It’s a lot. I mean, if you’re going in with the expectation “I’ll just do it and maybe I’ll postpone it”, that’s not the way it’s going to work. You have to go all in on this. So it was tough to try to… The first one was kind of easy, it’s what I thought I was going to do, but it’s the next one, and then the accountability, and then trying to also get to know all your classmates, which was, that was the exciting part, to meet people from all over the world.

3:06 But then to turn that to yourself, and then module 2 got a little bit harder, and that’s when the resistance started coming in, and more resistance. So it was difficult, but once you got through that, everything was a little bit better. What did you struggle with the most? You said we had to talk you off the wall a couple times. What was hard?

3:30 It was the feeling that what I had, the passion I have, is not really a value. What my voice is may not matter to other people. I feel sometimes my walk may not have been as treacherous, which I’m grateful for, but what I learned on this class is that everyone is unique, everyone has a voice, their story is important and they have to tell it. We found out yesterday, patent law, we were downstairs talking about patent law, and it was actually interesting.

3:56 So I mean, it’s that kind of opening your eyes, and everyone has a story and it’s important to share it. Yeah, tell me about your classmates, this tribe of people around the world. Like, how would you describe what’s going on here? Fantastic. It’s unreal. It’s something I’ve never experienced before, the support from all these people. You know, Zoom or so, Facebook group, were just interacting, and we were downstairs in the restaurant dancing and challenging each other to cold showers and talking about freedom. It’s magical.

4:27 We are just this family. We’re starting to refer to ourselves as a family. I… How does that happen? How does that happen? You never met these people before until yesterday. It’s being opened up at the three speeches that you do each week, and then listening, as that was the first module. So getting to know these people, we have been in their houses, we have been in their living rooms, we’ve seen them maybe at their worst, and we’ve shared and we’ve supported them.

4:58 So it’s that kind of camaraderie that forms family and love, and it just builds from there. It’s, I don’t know how to put my finger on it, but… That’s okay, it’s pretty good. What was your biggest win on the course? Like, what’s the thing you’re the most proud of, or the thing that took you to the next level? As far as anything, structure, part of the lesson, the structure was really helpful.

5:20 I think it was back to module two, that the value… I had a piece of resistance of paper that was probably 3 feet by 6 feet, and I started writing values, and then I went down a rabbit hole and was writing stuff over here and doing that, and I finally, when I ran out of paper, I realized you need to stop. So that was huge resistance, but when I got it and did that speech and talked about the values, especially when I had to do it on my Facebook page, I cried during that video.

5:49 I kept going, but the support I got from friends and family was priceless. It’s so, my line, “I am my map maker”, it was epiphany. I can do this, I’m in control of my destiny, I can take whatever path I want to take, and this was the right one. Yeah, you were here last night, 30 of your classmates, you stood up, you gave that speech. What did that feel like? What was it like?

6:13 At first I was nervous, but then looking in the crowd at all my friends, it was warm and inviting, and I just really enjoyed it, and then it became powerful to do it and to see everyone and the support. It’s amazing. That was the reason I came to London, is I wanted to do that live speech in front of my classmates to put that final cap on this project. I needed to do it. Mm. And you crushed it. Well, thank you.

6:38 You really did an amazing job, and you have a real knack for speaking, and I was so impressed. You had one of the best speeches on the night, and I told you that, and just so many different elements you incorporated into that speech, and it made it really connect with a lot of people. Did you feel yourself in the flow midway, that you’re like, yeah, I got this, I got this, I get this? What was going on?

7:03 I did. I had practiced a lot. I practice in Minneapolis Airport. I was so proud. I was at a gate talking to strangers as I was practicing, and it didn’t bother me, because I needed to get this right. And it’s actually funny, when I got up there, my third point, I kind of forgot it, but you didn’t… I knew that you didn’t know that I forgot it, so I kind of just weasel my way through it and then just went, pushed forward. So I was using my own little mini neuralyzer to get through it.

7:26 Yeah, good. One of the techniques we talk about, and a few people use a neuralyzer are there, which just means that when you forget everything, you get your speech, you forget your name, your dog’s name, it happens, that you don’t panic, you don’t run back to your seat, you don’t apologize, you just pause, give it a few seconds and pick up where you left off. Yes. Or whatever, bounce to the last point, whatever you have to do, and you can do amazing things, and people don’t know. That is the thing. It’s a valid point that you don’t know, and that’s to get people through that hurdle is a wonderful thing.

7:56 Yeah, what was it like to see your classmates get up and speak? Ah, incredible, priceless. All the hard work that they had done, some classmates had transformed so much, to see where they were six weeks ago. It’s incredible, it’s life-changing, and to be one of their biggest cheerleaders was just, it was wonderful. We’re downstairs hugging and thanking each other. It’s, I’m just so excited we did it.

8:22 A lot of hugs going around on this. We’re hug, you know, like Sam, we’re hugging. Every course is different, but this is the most hugs ever. I mean, look, we’re not shy of a good hug at London Real, but I’m telling you, your class is really bringing the hug. I got big Hendrick, you know, 6 and 1/2 foot tall guy from Holland, giving me hugs, the patent lawyer, so you’re doing something right.

8:44 What are the next 12 months like for you? What do you want to do with this serious speaking ability you have? You can really do anything with it. What do you want to do? Originally I was like, oh, I’ll just give, I’ll go to a GIS conference, but I think I want to do more. I started watching some TED talks on geography, and they weren’t using your principles that you learned in this class, so I’m like, there, we could do something better. I could do another talk, maybe not a TED Talk this year, but the idea that that’s a possible future for me.

9:16 I’m not sure really. My group, my team has always told me I should be a YouTube blogger. They just love it. They’re like, you should do it. So there’s a couple of us that are actually thinking about doing that, and we’re trying to get together and figure out how that would be possible. Yeah, please do that, ’cause I know Justin’s going to do a lot of that stuff as well. And I agree, I see a TED Talk for you in the future, and you could do a better job. I think the most important thing is to make sure you book talks. Do something, do something.

9:41 There’s actually a video online on YouTube called My Pre-TED Talk, and it was a talk I gave at someone’s lunch hour, at a CEO that invited me to come to his company with like 100 employees and speak at lunch, and I just said yes. And in retrospect, that caused me to do my TED Talk. So anything that gets you closer, just book it in, and then, you know, you’re going to step it up, and then you’ll do that, okay, and you’ll keep going. So please make sure you do that, and keep your classmates on the same track.

10:10 Yes, definitely. Some other teams have already done assignments for the next 12 months out, so when we get back we’re going to do the same thing, to try to keep them on track and that they can reach their goals and be the best, ’cause Team Albert really is the best team. I’m just saying. Man, team pretty good. And you have an amazing instructor. Yes, he’s incredible. Yes.

10:32 And I mentioned it earlier, that there were times where I was analysis paralysis. I was that six piece paper, that I was just going down a rabbit hole, and he pulled me back, and he’s like, let’s focus on what you need, you don’t have to do all this. And the same thing that you said, just get it done, put it out there. And that was a lesson by the end of the course. I realized, don’t wait till Friday, do it Wednesday, Thursday, get it done so you can get feedback and then give feedback to your class. That was the important part too.

10:56 Yeah, very nice. And what about you? I mean, Jenn herself, if we walked out on the street right now and bumped into the Jenn that didn’t take this course, like, what, how is she different? That Jenn would never have done a speech in the airport for two hours in two different airports. That Jenn probably wouldn’t be sitting there confident and just like walking around London going boom boom.

11:20 I know, I was, I’m like, I feel so empowered. I just, that’s a different person. There’s so much more confidence right now. The world is my oyster. I can do whatever I want to do. The path is mine. Damn right it is. Boom boom boom boom. That’s awesome. Last question: if someone’s thinking about taking this course but they’re just not sure, what would you tell them?

11:45 I would tell them to do it. I, that’s how I was: I don’t have anything to say, I can’t inspire anyone. But that’s not true. You do have a voice, you do have a passion, and it needs to get out there. So take that chance, that leap of faith, and do it, and you won’t regret it at all. Not at all. I didn’t do it, I know, when you crushed it too. Jenn, thank you so much for being on this course, bringing the energy,

12:10 for coming to London, and last night showing everybody in the room that you can do it, you know. And you had so many things. I was, you know, giving you analysis afterwards, I’m like, this is what she did right, this is what she did right. You’re a great storyteller. People really value the way you’re in the moment. You were, it was dactic, was at all the elements, and I could see a lot of the things from the course in your speech. And so you practiced, you worked hard and you delivered, so you should be walking around London like you own this place. So I look forward to the next 12 months. Welcome to the family, and let’s do some big things. Okay. All right, sounds good. All right, thank you. All right, thank you, sir.