JOHAN SPEAKS

The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.

“johan has established a reputation as an inspiring motivational speaker with a straightforward and entertaining, yet deeply provocative message.”

Dr. Mateo Sandoval - Professor, ASU

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“We are either the product of our dreams or the product of our environment.”

Calling All Crazy ones!

Throughout history, there have been larger than life figures that have shaped the fields of technology, art, literature, design, medicine, social justice... you name it! You might not think you have the courage of Nelson Mandela, the tenacity of Amelia Earhart, or the ingenuity of Elon Musk - but today and every day you can choose the crazy idea that you have everything it takes to change the world. You just have to be crazy enough to believe it.

I want to give a huge thank you to my brothers, Aaron Milus, Derik Edan, and Ivan Lizarde, who worked so incredibly hard to make something we are all so proud to share with you.

If you like this video, know that there's more coming your way. Please leave comments in YouTube and let me hear your thoughts and questions, and feel free to share if you think it can be of benefit to someone in your life.

drake’s top five back to school tips

Drake’s Scorpion, for many, was the album of the summer. Now that vacation is over and the school year has begun, it’s tempting to walk into class with our heads low knowing that, as Drake may say, our Summer Games are over.

That begs the question, what else would Drake say? What pieces of wisdom remain to be discovered from the Champagne Papi? As the new school year begins, what lessons does Scorpion offer up?

The diary of a young girl

If a fourteen-year-old living in confinement could change the world. Why can’t you?

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Some of us, “give it our all.”
Others go for, “good enough.”
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We say we’re all in but most of us give the minimum required. We do as much as we need to do, and not more. I’ve been guilty of this. I say I’m giving my all when I’m really giving my just enough. Do you do this? Do you give 70% and call it 100%?
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What would your life look like if you turned the dial from “good enough” to “more than I thought possible?” I have a feeling the results you produce would thrill you. You’d make more money, build deeper friendships, and dream bigger dreams.
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Good enough isn’t good enough. Let’s give it our all.

“I want to write a book.”
“I want to start my own business.”
“I want to bring in a million dollars in revenue this year.”
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I hear these goals and visions all the time. In my work as an executive coach, my job is to guide people as they turn “unrealistic” dreams into reality. Often, people want to do things they’ve never done before: How do I write a book? How do I start my own business? How can I bring in a million dollars this year?
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Our dreams and desires aren’t unreachable goals. They simply require something new, they require us to be someone we’ve never been before.
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Maybe your desire to write a book has been stifled by your struggle with discipline. Maybe your dream of opening up your own business has been paralyzed by your fear. Maybe your scarcity mentality is holding you back from your first million.
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After months of being disciplined you’ll stare at your new book and shout, “I did it!” After a fiscal-quarter of being courageous you’ll open up your new business and yell, “This is the day!” After a year of being abundant you’ll be able to proclaim, “I’m a millionaire!”
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If we want to do what we’ve never done before, we need to be who we’ve never been before.
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Your Hero’s Journey awaits, are you ready?

Life is an opportunity.
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Life is our chance to cower in fear or act courageously. Life is our time to play it safe or risk it all. Life is our shot to simply survive or thrive instead. Life is an occasion to seal our heart shut in fear of it being broken or keep it tender and overflowing with love.
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It’s your brief fleeing moment to alter history on this mysterious floating rock called Earth.
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This life, your life, my life is our greatest opportunity. What will we do with it?

What are you committed to? Most people would answer: SUCCESS.
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However, the cliche answer is often far from the sobering truth. Most of us are committed to the idea of success but not the granular, sacrificial, every-day choices that it takes to get there. Most of us are committed to safety, comfort, and convenience. Most of us are committed to Netflix and chillin’ above all else.
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What if we were committed to something bigger, something worth the work, something that pulls out the best of us, something that requires us to grow? Because whether you know it or not - we’re all committed to something. What are you committed to?

Me after watching, Us.
Staring off into the distance.
Asking so many questions.
Why did bizarro Lupita sound like that?
How did the Tethered get so many scissors?
Do you have five on it?
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Go see, Us!
Then meet me here.
This’ll be us after, Us.

Where do you draw the line?
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We all have a line.
Someone calls us a name. That’s a line.
Someone cheats on us. That’s a line.
Someone steals our chicken McNuggets.
That’s a damn line and you better not cross it!
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Some lines shouldn’t be crossed.
We need lines.
They keep us safe. They protect us from danger.
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Other lines need to be crossed.
The risks we won’t take. The moves we won’t make. The dreams we won’t chase.
You writing your first book. That’s a line.
You applying to your dream school. That’s a line.
You opening your first McDonald’s. That’s a line and I’m loving it!
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We all have lines. Will you cross yours?

There is hope.
You have value.
Hard work pays off.
You are enough.
Failure is not the end.
You have limitless potential.
God loves you.
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This is all Good News.
I live to spread Good News.
No matter how hard life may be at the moment, there’s Good News.
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What Good News do you want to share with the world? Tag someone who you want to share it with.

I’ve learned telekinesis - I can move objects with my mind, y’all!
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What do I do with my power? Start a moving company? Give David Blaine a taste of his own medicine? Become an Avenger!
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You have a super power, too. We all do. Empathy, kindness, compassion, hospitality, wisdom, encouragement, joy, resilience, leadership, integrity, vision.
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You may think those ain’t powers, but before you shrug it off, think about the way you felt when someone was kind to you. Was there power in that moment? Before you roll your eyes, think about how you felt when you brought joy into a room. Was there power in that moment? Before you stop reading, think about what the world would look like if it was more empathetic. Would that have the power to change things?
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If you could make objects float with your mind you’d revel in that gift. You’d use that ability regularly. You may not have that power but you do have power.
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Why do we do sit on the powers we possess? What is holding us back from getting to know our gifts? What’s keeping us from activating our powers? What’s preventing us from engaging the world? Ask yourself, what are you going to do with your power?

Caption this picture:
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A. “I’m a little Tea Pot.”
B. “So, Kevin Hart walks in to a Kids Gap...”
C. “Introducing the iPhone Boricua. Features include, Que Bonita Bandera ringtone, new chancla shaped body, and J-Lo’s number on speed dial.”
D. Insert your caption here _________.

“This is not a service flight but I make it one.”
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Sherri, our flight attendant, said that as she collected our used cups. It was a quick trip from Chicago to Lansing and she let me in on the secret. “On flights under 45 minutes we aren’t supposed to serve beverages.” But Sherri wasn’t having that. She hooked up each and every person on the plane. If Sherri was “just doing her job” she would have performed the pre-flight announcement, gone through the seat belt instruction motions, and sat down the rest of the flight.
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Providing drinks on a quick flight isn’t a big deal but it says a lot about Sherri. Sherri isn’t interested in just doing her job, she isn’t concerned with the bare minimum. She created an experience. She went above and beyond for us. She did more than her job required.
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What if we were like Sherri? Serving drinks when we don’t have to. Refusing to settle for bare minimum. Going the extra mile. Giving life our all.
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Thank you, Sherri.

After I spoke yesterday, a young man approached me, “Can I talk to you for a second?” Communicating from the stage is a privilege, but honestly I care more about the one-on-one moments where I get to connect, listen, and hear stories.
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He shared his aspirations and told me what impacted him during my message. He said, “When you said we can produce beauty out of pain that hit me. My mother passed away two months ago and I’ve been holding it in. I don’t want to do that anymore. I want to create beauty with it.”
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I could hear the emotion welling in his voice and see the pain in his eyes. I can’t imagine what it’s like to lose a parent at that age and feel like you have to be strong, like you can’t just let it out and be a grieving teenager.
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When did we teach our kids to hold their pain? That’s right, WE did that. Every time we refuse vulnerability. Every time we act like we’re stronger than we really are. Every time we keep secrets. Every time we blame others. Every time we choose resentment and bitterness. Every time we play the victim. Every time we cut off someone who does us wrong.
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We don’t have to hold in our pain. We can open up and be vulnerable. We can admit we have weaknesses and that’s okay. We can take the weight off and share our secrets. We can admit responsibility. We can choose forgiveness and freedom. We can heal and reclaim our power. We can embrace those who have done us wrong. We can set our little ones free.

Ants are capable of carrying 10-50 times their weight. But if any creature had an excuse to play small, it’s the ant. Yet they exceed what we think they’re capable of. They achieve what some say is impossible.
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I came out to Boca Raton to lead four workshops on human capability and recruit new Crazy Ones; people who are crazy enough to change the world. You see, there was a time when a voice told me that I couldn’t do something, someone told me I couldn’t achieve my dreams. I chose to listen to that voice and I followed the part of me that was small and afraid and I become small and afraid.
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Then I got tired of listening to that voice. I got tired of playing small. I was frustrated because I knew that there was more I was capable of doing - so I chose action. I chose to carry more than my weight. I began to follow the part of me that I knew could be greater, and I set off on the path to encourage others to do the same.
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Those who follow the part of themselves that is great, will become great. If ants can do it. We can, too.

“The most powerful action you take today is to choose. Make the decision that can change everything.”

ABOUT JOHAN

A product of Humboldt Park, Chicago, an area known for it’s gang violence and crime, Johan was able to move past the obstacles and traps that ensnared so many of his peers and live a life that is far from ordinary. His dreams, choices and determination transformed a ghetto kid into a national speaker who uses his life story to help people of all ages believe in the power of their dreams and the impact their life can make in the world around them.

His story has fostered interest from various media sources. He has been featured on the front cover of Chicago’s premier young adult newspaper The Red Eye. He has been a special guest on a number of TV and radio shows, including two appearances on The Tyra Banks Show, Fox News in the Morning, WLS Radio Chicago, and the critically acclaimed Today Show.

Along with being a nationally known speaker based out of L.A., each summer Johan returns to his hometown to work as one of the lead counselors and educators for the CANDO program in the inner city of Chicago. He is also an actor, a former Ford Model, and a deadly shooter from three-point range.