BE A BALLER -"Building a lifelong legacy"

Toastmasters Community Advocate, Lamar King: Building a Legacy of Mentorship and Community Service

• Coach Tim Brown, Uncommon Life • Season 3 • Episode 12

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Lamar King's life has been a journey of resilience and empowerment. As a former Linden  McKinley basketball player and current Toastmasters sergeant at arms, Lamar joined us to share his tale of transformation and the power of public speaking. His open heart recounts the trials of growing up in foster care and how those experiences have ignited a fire within him to uplift today's youth. Throughout our conversation, Lamar's insight into the value of trusting life's process and holding onto faith during adversity shines a light on the significance of strong male role models and community service in shaping one's legacy.

Our heartfelt discussion also brought the essence of Toastmasters International to life, illustrating how this organization cultivates leadership and communication skills within a nurturing community. I had the chance to reveal my aspirations for a legacy rooted in faith, family, and an enduring influence that resonates beyond my lifetime. Whether you're looking to refine your oratory skills or you're just seeking inspiration to turn life's hurdles into stepping stones, this episode offers a compelling call to action to join forces with Toastmasters and embrace the art of making a meaningful impact through service and education. Join us for an episode that not only challenges your perspectives but also encourages you to leave a legacy worth remembering.

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Speaker 1:

You know, have fun and enjoy the fruit of your labor and, at the same time, here's a vital opportunity where you can help to build a community with you just said your time, talent and your treasure.

Speaker 2:

Welcome to Be A Baller Podcast where we discuss how to build a lifelong legacy. I'm your host, coach Tim Brown. Today we'll be talking about building a legacy and serving the community with our special guest Toastmasters of Columbus, sergeant and Arms Lamar King. Today on the show, lamar will share his commitment to helping young people and young adults increase your self-esteem and be prepared for a brighter future. Lamar, welcome to the show.

Speaker 1:

Thanks for having me, Coach. I appreciate that.

Speaker 2:

Oh man, this is good. I've been waiting for us to get back together. Yes, sir. So we could do this. You know, as I was talking to people about you, the word is that you were a pretty good basketball player, the powerhouse Linda McKinley High School. Can you talk about that experience and your point guard?

Speaker 1:

Absolutely Well. Coach is otherwise known as Linda McKinley, home of positive Panther pride graduate class of 2003. And back in those days I had a mix of nicknames of Speedy and Crackers. Speedy and Crackers. You know, speedy, I got from playing on the court just taking a ball from people, so they started calling me Speedy Gonzalez every time I would step on the court, and then Crackers because the last name used to be Graham. So that just became my name on the basketball court. But definitely love playing point guard shooting guard there at Linda McKinley.

Speaker 2:

Let's talk a little bit about that experience at Linden, off the court. There's some great things happening over there, you know. We know about the basketball powerhouse doing them days. Let's talk about off the court, in the classroom and just the whole culture of Linda McKinley High School.

Speaker 1:

Wow, that's a great question. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to go through Linden to shape me into the being, the man that I am right now. We had a great male presence in role models during those years, all the way from our principal to the police officers that were there, to the teachers to janitorial. There was a huge male presence that really helped shape me to be again this man that I am you know your childhood.

Speaker 2:

You grew up in the foster care system, you know. Can you share a little bit about that experience and how it helped you today?

Speaker 1:

Yes, sir. Well, I'll tell you. You know, it's never easy being away from your family. It's never easy going through a situation like being in a foster care system where you'll be disconnected from them. So during those times it was very challenging being disconnected from my mom, being disconnected from my aunts, my cousins, and at the same time it was what I know, what God had in store for me, for me to actually go through the foster care system. Because while that was tough, while that was challenging, I look at the situation now where I get paid to share my story from being in a foster care system, so I can look at it and say what was meant for evil, god turned it around for good. So now I can look at it and hone my craft with speaking and sharing my story, but also every part that everyone that's a part of my story I love. Still, there's no bitterness, there's no unforgiveness, and I understand that all of that has helped me and shaped me to be in work and operate in this field of speaking and training and consulting.

Speaker 3:

Hey there Clark Kellogg here. Building a legacy usually involves meeting the unique needs of others and being part of something bigger than yourself. That's why I love First Merchants Bank. First Merchants believes that helping communities prosper means more than just providing banking services. It means offering accessible financial education, expanded access to homeownership and partnerships with local nonprofits to help raise up neighborhoods and lift families out of financial hardship. For resources and tools available to you, visit wwwfirstmerchantscom. Member FDIC Equal Housing Lenders.

Speaker 2:

You know, as the show is being aired, there may be someone listening who has been through the system or maybe even in the system in the pan. What word of encouragement would you give them?

Speaker 1:

That's a great question. The word of encouragement that I would give them is to trust the process. I'll tell you, and and as I say that, I think about my own life and I think about me trusting the process was totally out of Just out of range or out of character for what I could see, what was possible for me and For me, trusting the process Looks like controlling everything that I can control and Leaving everything else to God. I Couldn't control. Not being in my home with my biological family, I had no control over that. So my word of encouragement would be to Trust the process as to where God has you and allow your life to grow as a result of it.

Speaker 2:

I know you're a strong man of faith, especially during those times. Can you talk about how your faith has guided you through those situations?

Speaker 1:

Yes, yeah, definitely, you know, I would. I would say my faith. What God has helped me to understand is that he's always with me, even in those moments, even in those times for being with family to being away from family. He's encouraged me to know like, listen, I've always been with you, whatever that situation was, and I will always be with you. So that for me is the encouragement to know, no matter whatever situation on me, and he's always he's right beside me, he's right on the inside of me, guiding me along that path and we know how true God, god's word, is when it says I will never leave you, I will never forsake you.

Speaker 2:

So whatever situation, we know that God is there with us. He would definitely see us through. A higher education is always been important to you. You also an experience of working for AmeriCorps I did you speak to that for how that worked for you.

Speaker 1:

I love the AmeriCorps coach. It was a great way for me to understand how I can contribute to my community. My first opportunity that I took on was working as a middle school college advisor with a program called I know I can, and it was a great way for me to be able to be in this particular program and I know I can because I was a recipient of funds from I know I can, so it was my way of giving back to the community. I love being able to build relationships with the eighth graders and Encouraging encouraging them to go to college and complete college and sharing my personal journey from going to college and completing college to Next.

Speaker 1:

I worked another opportunity as a volunteer mobilizer. So basically what I did was just create volunteering opportunities and I absolutely love being able to come alongside nonprofit organizations and helping them get their needs met. Maybe you had a you had an organization who had needs for gardening or trash pickup or mentoring or working in In a food facility or a food pantry. I love being able to cultivate and build relationships with these organizations To help them have volunteers that can come in and assist them.

Speaker 2:

You work in a community and with numerous nonprofits. Why is that? What was that so important to you?

Speaker 1:

You know, we know the scripture. It says to whom much is given, much is required. I really I can't even count how many people that have supported me along the way and I know that, being nonprofit organizations included, so I know for me it was vitally important to be able to give back and contribute my skills and things that I've been given to other nonprofit organizations to help and produce other healthy community members.

Speaker 2:

Yes, we look at the landscape in this city and in this country how important the need is for nonprofits, and just to support nonprofits. So, when you talk to the audience, why, why should we support nonprofits and the work that they're doing?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, well, first off, nonprofits is always in need of people, talents that can help them to be established to, because you a lot of times it is not true for all nonprofits, but a lot of times they don't have the financial resources or they don't have the people or people power to be able to do the things that they need to do. So it's vitally important for organizations, for people, to get involved with nonprofits to help continue to propel them forward, because a lot of there's a lot of wonderful missions and particularly in this city, there's a lot of wonderful nonprofit organizations that they can always use those expertise you know to be able to help them to succeed in their mission.

Speaker 2:

I'm glad you said that about that expertise, because a lot of times we think about nonprofits. We look at them always asking for money yeah, yeah, support but the reality is is that it's time is just as important to give them, and talent as well as treasure. That time, talent and treasure always needed and all of us have an expertise in some area we can just give our time to share, be it mentoring, be it sharing our life experiences and just being willing to give some time to an organization to help them further their work in the community.

Speaker 1:

Can I say something about?

Speaker 2:

that.

Speaker 1:

Because when I was a volunteer mobilizer, one of the things that I was Learning through my time there is that a huge untapped market are people who are retired. You think about folks who have 30 plus years of experience in marketing, fundraising, all kind of different fields.

Speaker 1:

The talents that they could lend to a non-profit organization is really genius for both, because you're being able to find purpose and passion and not sitting at home with a remote in your hand traveling and do all those things, have fun and enjoy the fruit of your labor and, at the same time, here's a vital opportunity where you can help to build a community with your time, talent and your treasure.

Speaker 2:

As you were saying. I was thinking about this beer ball podcast. We have what we call a wisdom pledge. Bill Gates and Warren Buffett and all those guys. They have a giving pledge. They don't give away all their money, but we have what we call our wisdom pledge. The wisdom pledge is that, as we're talking now, it's to give away all our wisdom, because we know you can't take that with you so much wisdom that persons have. But the key to that is being intentional about giving away our wisdom. And then that intentionality is every conversation, chat with somebody sharing some wisdom, just being intentional about sharing that wisdom with them.

Speaker 1:

That's a great challenge.

Speaker 2:

That's a challenge to persons. Speaking of that, you got involved in Toastmasters, which is a great organization helping to expose young people to public speaking and that type of thing. What was the moment that inspired you to get involved with Toastmasters?

Speaker 1:

Yes, it was a mentor. You speak of someone who has a wealth of wisdom, and Ruel Barksdale, over at Columbus State Community College, and I remember I went into his office, I had this desire to be a speaker and I'm talking to him. I'm like you know, mr Barksdale, do speakers make any money? And he says, do they? And he pulls up a list of speakers who are making money and top of that list was Les Brown and he said you know, les Brown got his start in Toastmasters.

Speaker 1:

I was like, oh okay, so that was the encouragement for me to go over and get signed up over at Midday Toastmasters over at Franklin University back in 2012. And never look back, all from all those years, to where I am right now and I can look at my life and say how, in those moments when I was serious about Toastmasters and when I wasn't serious about Toastmasters, and I can see that when I got into the process of really engaging within Toastmasters, that there's a lot to offer more than just public speaking, leadership, communication, being a better family man, being a better community man, being able to an overall person overall. So I've really experienced, I really value and treasure the experience from being a Toastmaster.

Speaker 5:

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Speaker 2:

You know. For the audience who may not know about Toastmasters, could you talk to the audience about the goal, purpose and what Toastmasters is?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, the slogan or the tagline for Toastmasters is where leaders are made. It's an international organization that spans all across the world, and what it is is a space and opportunity for you to be able. What I like to say is practice. You get to practice your public speaking, you get to practice your leadership. You get to practice your random speaking something we call table topics. So there's a whole format to the whole meeting that takes place. Usually it's about an hour to an hour and a half, and it's a structured meeting that gives people an opportunity to be able to work on skills that they can develop for their workplace, for promotions, and it's a skill that they can develop wherever they may be in the community to continue to develop their leadership skills.

Speaker 2:

So I know you've been involved in several positions in leadership with Toastmasters in Columbus. What is it about Toastmasters? That draws people to get involved. That's the draw.

Speaker 1:

You know, I think coach what it is is people. They want to better themselves and at the same time, is there a community where they can fail and still grow at the same time. Toastmasters is a place where you can fail your way forward. You can fumble on your over your words, stumble over different things as you're growing, as you're learning, and it's a very welcoming environment. It welcomes that, like we want you to, like you're perfectly okay to make a mistake, fumble over words, whatever that may be. So I feel people feel that camaraderie amongst each other as they're being a part of Toastmasters. You know this is a legacy podcast.

Speaker 2:

We talk about that word legacy. What does that word mean to you and how are you building a lifelong legacy?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, for me, legacy is how I will be remembered when it is said about who I was. While I was here on earth, I wanted to be said that I was a Godfair man who loved his family and his family loved him, and for me that is legacy that people can look at my life and how I led my life and be encouraged. While I may not be here, the legacy of who I was still as a residue.

Speaker 2:

You know from talking to people about you. They describe you as a calm young man, a polished guy who's committed, honest, dependable all these great accolades that they share about you. How would you, lamar King, describe yourself?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, for me, I would say that I am a deep thinker, I would say that I am a loving man, a caring man and a man who is willing to serve. And yes, there is these thoughts that I am serious. I am serious and, at the same time, I do enjoy laughing and having a good time as well.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, we're actually wife about that, so just kind of chuckle, yeah, and there is a side that we don't see. Yeah, that's awesome. Yeah, as we kind of come around the corner, can you issue a challenge to the importance of getting involved in Toastmasters and the benefits of being involved and how people can get involved?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, absolutely. Well, if you simply went on to your local search engine and typed in Toastmasters, you can find a club in any city that you may be living in. So there's opportunities throughout whatever city to be able to find out how to get involved in. And my challenge would be if you want to become a better person and you are you've looked at yourself and you said you're no longer going to allow fear to hold you back and you told yourself that I am now going to jump into practices, things that's going to encourage me to get become a better speaker, to become a better leader again, become a better person overall than Toastmasters is the best place to play. It doesn't? It's very inexpensive. The opportunities you can have for leadership.

Speaker 1:

I am an area director. I'll oversee four different clubs. I am the communications for a chair for the upcoming conference that we have coming in April. You can find out about that on on the website. If you go in and type D40 Toastmasters annual conference, you'll see we're going to be in Dagan, ohio, april 26th through the 28th. There are a lot of benefits. That helps you to prepare to become, get that promotion, because now you've been in your practice. So when those promotions come, opportunities come. They're going to call on you because you have been the one that's been actively intentionally working on yourself. Wow.

Speaker 2:

I want to thank you, Lamar, for being an honest man and being able to share, being able to share your story. A lot of times we go through things we don't want anybody to know what we've really gone through. I'm sure in that time, Linda McKinley, you know, might have been low, but the blessing is is that God uses all those things like you said for His glory.

Speaker 2:

I want to thank you for always acknowledging God and all this and knowing that that not have been for Him, you know, brought you through and now you're able to share that with somebody else. And lastly, I want to thank you for for your confidence that I think it's important that young men, particularly young men of color, see other young men who are confident in themselves and who they are. You're not worrying about what anybody else thinks or trying to be like anybody else, or just confident in their own skin.

Speaker 2:

I think young guys need to see that and the blessing is you saw that at Linda McKinley. Oh yeah, you saw men who were men. You know unapologetically men. You know who would. Who would pat you on the back, encourage you, but also Punching the chest.

Speaker 5:

I ain't gonna say that they don't do that.

Speaker 1:

They'll punch you the chest over there.

Speaker 5:

Sure.

Speaker 2:

But who would let you know that this is not the right way to go Right. And they and we were challenged. We were challenged by them to be better. You know to do better, and now, because of that, we're able to challenge others, because we've seen excellence and know what that looks like, and so I want to thank you for thank you for that it was. This brings us to the end of this episode. Thank you to our special guest, lamar King, for answering the call to build a legacy of encouraging the next generation to overcome life's challenges and become all that God has for them. I want to thank your audience for joining us doing this enlightening and informed discussion on building a legacy in business and service to the community. Hope this episode was beneficial to you all. As always, thanks for listening to Be A Baller podcast, thank you. Thank you for your attention.

Speaker 4:

If you enjoyed our show, please share this podcast with family and friends. Be A Baller podcast is available on all major podcast stations. Be sure to come back next week as we continue to discuss on how to build a lifelong legacy. Until then, don't forget to be a baller. This podcast was created by coach Tim Brown and produced and edited by the video production class of Boredompton Christian High School.