#236: Jay Meyer: Higher Leading
Jay Meyer is a coach, strategic thinker, and he wants to help you connect with a calling that is bigger than yourself!
https://www.spiritandtruth.life/
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Links:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/following-god-is-a-team-sport/id1651890676?i=1000593371489
EP. 236
Tony: [00:00:00] Hey everybody. Welcome back to the Reclamation Podcast. What are our goals to help you reclaim good practices for following Jesus? If we haven't met yet, my name is Tony, and I'm your host with over a decade in the local church. I care deeply and passionately about helping you connect with Jesus in practical ways.
In today's conversation is with a friend who's been on before the legendary j. Jay is starting a brand new project, the Higher Leading podcast, and we talk about leadership. We talk about what it means to lean into your calling. We talk about all the things. I think you're really gonna appreciate Jay's heart, so I want you to do two things for me.
One, I want you to let Jay know on Facebook that you heard him, and two, I want you to subscribe to his podcast. I think you're really gonna enjoy it. As a matter of fact, one of his. Might have a familiar voice, a k a. It was me, . So anyway, I hope you enjoyed the conversation as much as I did. I [00:01:00] love Jay, and I'm so thankful for his leadership in my life.
Now, without any further ado, here's my conversation with Jay Meyer. Hey everybody. Welcome back to the podcast. I'm so excited today to have a repeat offender with us. A dear friend of mine now for almost a decade. Jay Meyer. Jay, thank you so much for coming back on the podcast.
Jay: Hey, thanks Tony. Really looking forward to this.
I appreciate it.
Tony: You and I were doing a little chatting beforehand, and one of the things that I just found finds astounding is that the last time you were on here was was episode number eight. Episode number eight, April 15th, 2019. Can you believe that?
Jay: No. No. I mean, I, I thought it was a couple years.
and it's a, it's a testament to, to your resilience and perseverance if you think about it. Cuz you're over 200 podcasts now, I believe. Yeah. I mean, as
Tony: [00:02:00] we record this, I'm sitting at like 2 23 or something like that. By the time this comes out, it'll be close to two 30 I'm sure. And man, it's just crazy to think about what God will do if you're just willing to keep showing up.
So true.
Jay: So,
Tony: So one of the questions that I'm sure I didn't ask you at episode eight that I'm dying to ask you now is one of them what I call my anchor questions. And for those that listen, know what's about to come I love to ask people, how would you define the calling that God has placed on your life?
Jay: Well, it took as it does with everyone. It takes some time to. become clear about one's calling. So for those that are listening right now, saying, I, I'm still trying to figure this out, I was able to, I don't know, it was a few years ago, write on a piece of paper what became my mission statement [00:03:00] and it's to inspire others.
And I was very intentional about the words I used. Inspire others to dream more. Be more and live in the light more. Wow. And it seemed as though, I'll take, seemed out. It just, my life journey took me to that point in time where I'm kind of probably in the fourth quarter of my life if we do our quarters and twenties or 20 twos or, and I'm in the fourth quarter and it's, , I've written probably a half a dozen renditions of a mission statement and a purpose statement, and it's like, this one will take me to my grave.
Hmm. And so anyway, that's, that's how I define my calling. It's what I'm here to do. And, and it keeps me grounded. If, if what I'm doing isn't [00:04:00] inspiring others to dream more, be more, and live in the light more, then I'm not doing what I'm called to.
Tony: Yeah, you mentioned something in that answer that is, I want to drill down on a little bit, and it's the idea that in over the years that you've had various versions of a mission statement.
I know that you're a strategic thinker. You're also an incredible man of God. You work in the strategic planning field all the time with high-end leaders. H how do you. When it's time to shift seasons, whether that be personally or corporately, how, how do you know, like, oh, it's time for me to revisit my mission statement or revisit.
I mean, I think the last time that you and I talked, you were still in the work, you were back in the work field in the pharmaceutical world, and now you're out of the pharmaceutical world again, and so God continues to move you. How do you respond to God's movement in your life?
Jay: Yeah. I couldn't have answered this question [00:05:00] correctly 10 years ago, 12 years ago is when I first retired from my pharmacy career.
But as I progress on this journey, it's where do I feel the most alive? Hmm. You know, is, is what I'm doing, does it make me feel alive? And in a few months ago, Tony, you sat in. a leadership class that I facilitate and it's a two day course. And when I do that, man, I just feel alive. The first podcast I did, a friend of ours, Scott McGowan, God bless him for being number one cuz I even warned him.
I said, everything I've heard says the first podcast is gonna not be very good. And that was on my end. Scott carried that podcast. So, so in that very first podcast with Scott Mcgon, . I just remember about 30 minutes into it, [00:06:00] it's like, darn, I feel alive. This is fun because it, it like took all of my experiences column talents, column knowledge moments or whatever that I was able to just share and then absorb more from him.
So I think that, that that's the key. And, and so what I've set up for 2023 the goal for 2023 is to get my podcast going and to refine it and make sure it's inspiring others to dream more, be more, and live in the light more.
Tony: And so you're, what you're kind of doing is, is then when you decide to move, it's basically when you start to feel like things are not giving you life, right?
And, and then, and then you kind of, I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, but it feels like you kind of just kind of take that next step of [00:07:00] faith after that. Is that an accurate representation?
Jay: Yeah. And, and, and I've done that and, and. , you know, back to the original question, cuz I kind of went down another path there, but how, how did I know it was time to leave pharmacy?
And you're exactly right. I, I would go in just, it was kind of like, it became more than work. It was a drudgery. I was having some health issues with my heart and, you know, you, you, you step back and you say, well, I can get this medicated and patch it up and move on, move through it cuz I was making a lot of money and, and all that.
Or you can pause and say is God may be giving me some hints here that it's time to move on. And so I always tell people that I coach, the greatest mentor that we're given, if we're [00:08:00] blessed to be married is our spouse. . Hmm. And on just about every occasion, I, I'll, I'll run it past Lori, say, you know what?
I, I just don't know. I just remember when I left pharmacy, she just looked at me and said, leave. Go. Wow. Now's the time. So, yeah. And then in the faith piece, you know, those are always leaps of faith, especially when you're going, I mean, I went from being. Someone who was well recognized in the nursing home pharmacy industry to now just nobody, you know, was gonna be starting over.
But what's so cool is when you can start with that blank slate and blank whiteboard and say, okay, if, if I could do anything, what would it be? Well, and immediately for me, that first round when I left the pharmac. Was, I can coach, I loved coaching my kids in sports. I can help coach individuals to become the best, best versions of [00:09:00] themselves.
So then I, you know, took some training on coaching and, and, you know, that took me, took me in a, a direction that I still had to pinch myself some, sometimes today that where I am today,
Tony: I love. I, I love that. The constant recognition of checking in with others, checking in with God, taking the leap of faith.
Now you, you used a word that's very interesting to me. It's, you said alive and I think a lot of times people are chasing happy. And I'm curious, is there a difference or what is the difference if there is one between alive and happy?
Jay: Yeah. You know that, that's a great question, Tony, that. I've never really thought about it before, but instantly I believe a alive comes from within.
Hmm. Happy can come from within, but I believe a lot of times we get our happiness from externals. Right or wrong, I mean like last week [00:10:00] we had our grandkids in town and I am happy when I'm around my grandkids, but I also felt very alive and it's, I think it's when tho those two match. Yeah. You can be happy because you're making a lot of money, but if you aren't feeling alive, what's that worth?
Tony: Yeah. I think I think that's right when you, you can feel pretty happy and, and dead inside at the same time. You know, happy is temporary. Alive is more connected to the mission statement.
When, when you left Pharmacy the second time, since the last time we talked in 2019? What, what did you learn about yourself in that process? Going, going back for round two in the pharmacy world, it had to have been completely different. I mean, it had been at that point, 12 years since you had worked in the nursing home pharmacy industry.
And you can hear more Jay's story in the past from episode number eight, but what did you learn about [00:11:00] yourself going back into the corporate world a second time?
Jay: Yeah, it, one of my. , it would've been boss, I guess you could call it a boss or someone who was a superior to me. We were in a meeting one time and he looked at me and he says, Jay, I just sensed that, that you don't have much gas left in your tank.
Because I, I was, I was frustrated about some things and I was sharing with him what needed to happen, and it wasn't happening. And so that's the first thing. I didn't have the energy, the big difference when I took over the pharmacy, I was 39 years old and I always tell people it's in your forties and your fifties, where you're really in your prime no matter what you're doing as far as the energy goes.
The second part was when I left, the first time I was. [00:12:00] I was just kind of, I wouldn't say burned out, but I felt like I was burned. Hmm. Nothing against anybody. That's just how I felt. And going back, it was a year and a half that I got back into it. It helped me leave on my terms and, and it, and then what I also learned, Tony, when we.
Healthcare, pharmacy into was just an amazing place to work. I mean, we had our faults and deficiencies, so on and so forth. Everyone does. But, but it was a, it was a pretty nice family of we called each other teammates and, and I look back on that and it took a long time to build that. When, I mean a long time, you know, I came on there in, in the early eighties and I would say by oh 5 0 6 2005 [00:13:00] 2006, we were recognized as one of the national leaders in what we did.
I mean, we were, and people wanted to do business with us. And you know, I was at a point where I was. You know, my, my primary responsibility was, was staying on top of the vision and, and the culture and, and meeting with customers and things like that. And when I got back in, I had every intent of making this work.
Hmm. But I didn't have the time, you know, I, I thought I could make it, make it work in like a four year period and building a culture. Which I believe is, is the key to any business, any organization. Building a healthy culture takes time, and without having the gas in the tank and kind of thinking, man, it's gonna take too much time, that's when I thought, oh.
it is time to go back to coaching.[00:14:00]
Tony: You know, one of the things that I, I was hoping that we could talk a little about today and, and I completely okay, if you don't want to go down this road, is your relationship with your son, Jordy. Mm-hmm. and I, I would love to hear cuz what, what made me think about it is gas in the tank and you and your wife have.
Taking care of your son who is, has some special needs for a really long time. Talk, talk to me about your perspective on like, that's an area of your life where, I can't imagine you, you, I mean, you really can't run out of gas, like there always has to be gas in the tank for that. Can, can you talk a little bit about that process and how you carry on in with, with such high needs?
Jay: That's a, yeah, that's a, that's a good question because a, a lot of times, Tony, we are because we've done this for so long, it's just automatic pilot for [00:15:00] us. But I know there's people out there with young children with special needs that, that possibly could gain something from this, because now Jordy is.
He's gonna be 37. And when I left pharmacy for the first time, like I said, I got into coaching, but my, my really big goal was to take the weight off of my wife, Lori, who had carried the load carried all the Jordy's needs. I mean, he's pretty much full care 24 7 and. . So when I was kind of introduced to getting Jordy up in the morning out of bed, getting him dressed, getting him taking care of the toiletry piece and getting him fed, getting his teeth brushed it's like, oh wow.[00:16:00]
Lori's been basically living lives of two people or caring for two people for, for 20 some years. . And so my goal was to be the primary caretaker. And what that entails is getting him ready in the morning. And thank goodness he has a, a daycare that he goes to that from, from like nine to three, nine to two 30.
And then when he gets home, I try to be home. And if you, if you've ever noticed this, most of my meetings I try to schedule. Between like nine and two o'clock every day. So I can be here when, you know, get Jordy on his bus, be here when Jordy gets home. Now that's not always the case. Sometimes we can't do it that way.
And then just like last night, for example, I took him over to the Upper Valley Mall. I take him over there two or three times a week and we just walk [00:17:00] and you know, and there's some people over there that, that know him. And, and so it's a, it is just this constant. I won't call it a grind, it's a blessing.
It, but, but we have to really stay focused. You can't, and we can't take our eyes off of him for too long, cuz he can get into things and but then you said, so the energy level, and that's probably what happened when I jumped back into pharmacy career. So now I'm somewhat. . I wouldn't say Jordy's primary caretaker, but I'm sharing more than I did before.
Probably 60%, 40%. Sure. And so with that going on yeah, the tank, the tank was low as far as me being what I needed, needed to be from a leadership standpoint. But a vow I made to myself many years ago, Tony, was, I would always stay in shape. I would always exercise. . I run, I [00:18:00] bike, I swim, I do all these things to stay in shape.
And, and it, believe me, it's not vanity. It's so I can take care of Jordy. You know? It's, and, and you know, I mean, it's also that I take care of myself, you know, I, I, if I'm not around, who's gonna take care of Jordy type of thing. Yeah. But my, my health and Lori's the same way. I mean, we both, we both try to, you know, eat, ride, sleep, ride, exercise.
But and then the whole thing is, is I don't even remember when this came to me. It's many years ago, but I can't remember the scripture, Matthew 25. Maybe it's when, when God when Jesus says, when you do these things for the least of these, you do these things for me. And I can't remember you, you know more about scripture than me, brother.
But somewhere in the scripture, Jesus said that, you know person was like, when, you know, when did I feed you? When did I give [00:19:00] you clothes? And that's what he said, when you do for the least of these, you're doing it for me. And so I just kind of put it in my head that, that we've been blessed to be taken care of God.
Hmm. And that's a good way for me to not get on the pity. about all the things that we can't do. Cuz you know, we don't go on vacation, we don't go away. We, you know, we haven't had a, what you call a real caretaker for Jordy other than us for several years. And you could really, the devil can really take you there.
Oh whoa is me. Yeah. And, but, but then all the things that kid has taught us wow. . Mm-hmm. . Yeah. So. . Hopefully that answered your question.
Tony: No, that's good. That's good. I, I was thinking about the posture that you have of being a lifelong learner as you talked about [00:20:00] Jordy teaching you. And one of the things that I've appreciated about you over the years in our friendship is that you are always, Learning.
And I'm curious kind of the, the genesis story of that idea. When, when did you know that you wanted to be a lifelong learner? And what are some of the things that you do now? I mean, cuz you know, by all accounts you've had a ridiculously successful career life. If you wanted to hang up the learning shoes, you could yet, you're still putting out a blog every day.
You're podcasting now, a couple times a month, you're , you're constantly, you know, talking to nonprofit leaders in coaching. How, how do you stay salty for learning?
Jay: I, I don't know. I can just never get enough of growth. I just never can get enough of, because believe it or not, I'm not, I'm, I don't like to read, but I like to learn. [00:21:00] When you asked me that question, I, it's amazing. My mind went back to this point in time was in the mid eighties and I picked up this book written by Tom Hopkins. I still have it in my library here and for the life of me, I can't think of the title, but it's funny cause the covers off of it cuz I read it so many times.
And those were, drug addiction years early to mid eighties, and every time I would pick up his book, I just had to throw down some beer or put some drugs in my system. Cause it excited me so much. Now that is sick , but if you've ever been around an addict, you know what I mean? It's like it, it got me so excited that back then I had.
Any victory, I had to celebrate it chemically because I was an addict. And we do things like that. [00:22:00] Well, when I got sober, Tony, I was introduced to the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, and what do you think I did? I read every book I could get my hand on about Alcoholics Anonymous. Now, you know, just wanted to know how it started.
You know, the people that make it, the people that don't. And, and so it's almost a dopamine drop for me. It's almost when I get into something that I'm reading I'm assuming that it's that that innate desire I ha have to grow and to. . So I don't know, maybe it's always been there. I hmm. But I just recall that time when I picked up that Tom Hopkins book.
It's like he was a, he was a great sales guy, and I just remember thinking, I'm going to build a business based [00:23:00] upon these principles that now, you know, I had to. Take a, a weekend or two off to get my act together, . But that's great. And I got books. I got books from way back,
like right now. Now the, oh, go ahead. Yeah. Well, I was just gonna say, I'm, I'm reading a book by Bill George, true North the Emerging Leader edition. And it, it's, it's very interesting. Then I picked up the Marcus Aurelius meditations book, you know, trying to, I, I'm all, I'm intrigued with the old, the philosophers and the stoics and No.
Yeah. So anyway, it's what I do now. I mean, I, I read every morning.
Tony: Hey guys, just pausing this conversation with Jay to remind you to subscribe to the Spirit and Truth Stub [00:24:00] CK is like a blog that just gets sent straight to your email. So if you go to Spirit and truth.life, you'll see an a way to subscribe.
You can also subscribe on my. At t W mil.com or reclamation podcast.com, and I hope you enjoy the content that we're putting out every single week, actually twice a week for paid subscribers. It's a great way to support the ministry and get some good information for spirit led leaders. Now, let's finish up this conversation with Jay.
So talk to me about this new podcast that you've put together. It's the, you know, the higher, higher leading podcasts. Talk to me about the origin story of it. What your, what your desired outcome. Wh why should people listen?
Jay: Well, the Higher leading podcast came to me and it's had various. versions as far as the, the title of it goes, it started out as the sage cast was originally mm-hmm.
It's like, I want to, I want to talk to [00:25:00] people who've been there, done that from a leadership standpoint and then are willing to offer nuggets of wisdom to other people. And then I started doing pretty much exclusively work in the nonprofit world a couple of years. and people who lead nonprofits. I mean, I, I've crossed paths with nonprofit leaders who, who could be leading Fortune 500 companies, but they are so passionate about what they do that it just, it sometimes blows my mind and they're not getting adequate income because, you know, it's a nonprofit and that's when one day, I, I think it was in the morning, cuz.
I journal every morning. It just came to me. I want to talk to leaders who lead to the beat of a higher calling. I want to talk to leaders who are drawn to a higher purpose, who[00:26:00] and I wrote this down years ago, like the epitaph at tombstones is anyone can lead at, at the expense of others for the benefit of themselves, be one who leads for the benefit of others and the benefit of the.
and that, so that's where this higher leading, it's leading to this higher calling. And so, and, and probably the majority of the people that I'm I've got lined up that I'm gonna talk to are very strong in their. You know, it's, no, that's just not a coincidence that these people that I view as higher leaders have a faith that's very strong.
And, and so it's, and I talk also it's people who lead their lives and or others to the beat of a higher calling. Cause I look at my wife, . I mean, she's, she's a great leader of her life [00:27:00] and what she's done for our son Jordan, as well as supporting me in my professional life and supporting our other two kids' dreams.
You know, she, I consider her a higher leader. So yeah, it's not, it's not exclusive to just people who run organizations and businesses. It's people who, who lead with purpose.
Tony: Jay, one of the things I appreciate about your life is that you live in this very real tension of being very entrepreneurial and also very creative.
And it seems like this podcast, along with your blog, which you've been doing for years and years and years are these creative outlets for you? Do you think that every person has a creative bent to them, or is this something that people can nurture? I mean, I, I think there's probably somebody listening right now who feels like their life's in a rut.
How do they break out creatively?
Jay: That's a really good question, because, [00:28:00] you know, you've probably have heard me say this before, that we're the only animal that God created, that he gave the gift of Imagin. , you know, he gave us the ability to dream. My dogs do not sit around and dream about a podcast that they're gonna put together.
You know, they, they just wait for their next meal and chase a chase, an occasional squirrel. But, but a, as human beings, we have this ability. So my answer to your question is, I believe anybody can be creative. I, I, I believe we were born to create, I mean our, what do we call God? He the creator. and if we were truly born in his image, then he created us to create.
And I, I, that, that's sort of how I, I make sense of this life. And right now I, I've been struggling with this. You know, as you get closer to your exit date, Tony, you have a tendency of saying, what was this all about? [00:29:00] Yeah. And, and I look back, it, it's, it's creating, it's creating something better for other people.
It's making someone's life a little bit better, helping others to achieve their, their dreams and their goals. And, and if you're in a, in a rut I, I would first suggest writing down what it is that. Just keeps coming into your head. I mean, this, this podcast thing came to me three or four years ago. I mean, you, you've been pushing me for three or four years. , Hey, how's your podcast, ? Oh,
Tony: well, every chance I get, every chance I get.
Jay: And it was so good when you asked me, oh, gosh, a few months ago, and I said, Hey, I got one.
I, I I, there's gonna be one. And, and you're like, oh, cool. But to write it down and then to. Somebody who can hold you accountable just like you did to me. And that, that's the thing. [00:30:00] You and I, it's not like we meet every week or, or have lunch or coffee routinely, but when our paths crossed, you'd say, how's the podcast going?
And that's what you have to do is put it out there. Yeah, okay. I'm, this is what I'm dreaming of. This is what I want to. , put it out there and have someone give you some accountability. And, and I think the other thing is, Tony, this world right now, it is so easy for us to get lost in comparing ourselves to others.
Hmm. And it, you know, it's just too easy. It's, if you have social media, I think there's, it's, it's, it's only human. A tendency to, to look at someone and say, wow, they got it all together and I don't, my podcast is gonna suck compared to, to what, what they're doing. And to, that's just the enemy. That's the devil.
If he can get us [00:31:00] to not act upon a dream Yeah. And not create something our creator is gifted us with or embedded in us, then he wins. And I believe the. That's a part two people have to get over with because it's real easy to compare. I mean, you, I, I, I got a dozen or so podcasts that, that I listen to and, and what I've done is, okay, what can I learn from these podcasts?
First of all, what can I learn to grow personally, but what can I learn to make my podcast experience the best that it can be? Not better. Then Tony Milton Burgers or Ryan Hawks or John Maxwell. But what can I do to make it effective and help people? And that's the other thing is that, that's been crossing my mind, Tony, you know, that there's a term floating around becoming an [00:32:00] influencer.
Mm-hmm. , and I'm not, not, not against becoming an influencer, but I, what I try to. Say to myself is, be a person of influence. Be a person that influences, yeah. Don't do it to be known as an influencer, but whatever you're doing, do it to influence others in the right way.
Tony: No, that's good. I, we, we tell our sixth grade basketball team all the time that you can either be you can be the thermostat or you can be the thermometer, but you can't be. , right. And and you, you just, you gotta set the temperature, you gotta set the temperature of what you're doing and why it matters.
And or if not, you'll end up just being hot or cold in the room that you're in. And that's, for most of us, that's not where we want to be. Now as we record this, you've, you're, you're four episodes in, you've interviewed four incredible CEOs and. Some, some really in-depth conversations about faith and leadership and, and culture.
[00:33:00] I'm, I'm curious, what have you learned in, in the, the infancy stages of building this new platform? What have you learned in the conversations? What have you learned? Kind of just some of your key takeaways.
Jay: Yeah. , one thing that I learned in more of a verification of me is how important culture is. Hmm. And like you mentioned, each one of those, the people that I interviewed, and of course I have to step back and say, now am I just attracted to people who I know probably create pretty strong cultures, but I, you know, I really don't know the inside workings of, of Magna brave bender.
Van d Roofing and, and Boen and Brooksie and Meyer. But it just so happened that they're very much culture very much about their employees. I think the other thing that I learned, or that I have [00:34:00] learned which once again just kind of verify to me is it's not easy. Yeah. You know, building a business, building an organization, building a team, it, it's not easy.
And, and you know, you're, you're down there in Centerville and I kind of admire from afar the, the Centerville Boys basketball coach. Oh, sure. Brooke Cups. Yeah, Brooke Cups. And it's not easy building the type of culture he has built, you know, and I was talking to a young coach up in this area that.
actually Brooks mentors him and he's trying to build that culture and he's, you know, he gets discouraged and it's not, that is, building a an effective culture is not easy. So that, you know, that's those two things. It takes work building the culture well. And the third [00:35:00] thing is they were all so far men of.
and, and I said that earlier, it's just, and I, and I appreciate how vulnerable, how vulnerable they've all been in sharing the fact when they don't have the answers, they go to him, they go to God. You know? Or if they're feeling some fear, they squelch that with their faith and. So, you know, it is kind of set the tone, I think for the rest of my podcast as, as we continue on this journey.
You know, there's a possibility I might. I, I don't know. I don't know if I'll run across someone who has a dysfunctional culture and doesn't believe in God. Probably not Well,
Tony: we're attracted to people that we're most like, that's just kind of how it works. But it's yeah. Yeah. It's, it's tough. You know, it's, it's, it's an interesting world and the, I'll tell you, the hardest thing for me in podcasting has been recording an [00:36:00] episode and then deciding not to share it.
And there have been, , there have been two that, that I recorded and I was like, I, I just, I don't know if this conveys the the messages that I'm trying to convey with this platform. And yeah, and I had to, I had to have conversations with both of their, their people, you know, and and everybody understood.
And it just, you know, It wasn't that, that they're bad people or bad messages, they just weren't the messages that we were trying to work on. So yeah, it gets, it's, you know, there's, the more that you do it, the, the more interesting it gets on that level, I think.
Jay: I appreciate that wisdom, Tony. I'll definitely keep that in mind.
You know, I, when the whole George Floyd thing took place mm-hmm. , two or three years, I made this vow to call as many African American friends that I could just to better understand what was going on. [00:37:00] You know, cause it's kind of like, and then fast forward to today and my work with nonprofits, I'm doing this work with this initiative.
It's a partnership with the Dayton Foundation and a Matt Till Family Foundation where. They're providing capacity building for African American led and African American impacted organizations that, that impact African American population in Dayton. And my work with this group has just opened my eyes, my mind, my heart to so many things.
But, but my point. in February. It's Black History Month. So my two podcast guests are African American nonprofit leaders in the Dayton area. That you know, you talk about my desire to continue to learn, I wouldn't be doing that. I wouldn't be [00:38:00] having those podcasts. Yeah, because you talk about, you know, you kind of attracted to like people, so on and so forth, and you know, it's.
proven to me that I am attracted to like people, and it doesn't matter what color your skin is. Sure. These people are, you know oh. It's just amazing what I've learned. So that's gonna be fun. And, and then I'm looking forward to subsequent years, you know, of course. I mean, I'm gonna, I'm gonna be interviewing African Americans all throughout the year, but really doing a, a big emphasis during.
to bring their voices to the audience too.
Tony: It's it's important. It's important to be intentional. So I I love that. Okay. I have one more question for you, mm-hmm. , but before I ask it, I know that my listeners are gonna wanna subscribe to your podcast to get on your blog. Where's the best place to learn all things j Meyer?
Jay: Well, you can go to j meyer.com. [00:39:00] and there are links to the Higher Leading podcast, and then link links to My Eagle launch. That's the the daily blog that you can follow the Higher Leading podcast and sign up for my daily blog through Eagle Launch. And then of course, I'm out there on iTunes and you can mark me as one of your favorites.
If you wanna know, whenever I have a new podcast, it'll pop up into your library that way.
Tony: It's so good. I love it. Okay. Last question. I love to ask people. It's an advice question, and I ask you to go back in time and give yourself one piece of advice, except I get to name the season of life that you're in when you give that advice.
And so I want to take you back to the first day. After you left the pharmacy the very first time, so you just built this incredible movement of people, incredible culture, and you show up day one to start [00:40:00] this new season of your life. If you could pull up a chair in front of that younger version of your yourself, sit knee to knee with him.
Hold him, hold his hands, look him in the eye and give him one piece of wisdom. What are you
Jay: gonna.
I would tell them to set aside time each day, whether it be five minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes,
drawing closer to the Lord and seeking his wisdom and guidance. on the next steps Hmm. Of your journey?
That's, that's what I would tell 'em. And then tell 'em to make sure that they [00:41:00] take the time to listen and sometimes. , you know, the God speaks through, God speaks through books to me. He speaks through like Tony Miltenberger to me. Very seldom has he come in a voice that's happened to me twice in my life, but it's make myself available around godly people that God most likely will speak through to help give guidance on the next season life.
And I, it only gets better if you stay close to God. it. It only gets better.
Tony: Amen. Amen. Jay thank you so much for being so generous with your time today. Thank you for your heart for what you do to pour into me and to leaders all over the place. I can't wait to see what God does with the
Jay: podcast. Tony, thank you man.
You're an inspiration. I appreciate being on this really. Thanks. I hope you
Tony: guys can see [00:42:00] Jay's heart in this interview. It was such a fun conversation. He's such a good dude. Do me a favor, go subscribe to his podcast where Every listener podcast at the Higher Leading podcast with Jay Meyer. I'll link to my episode in the show notes and if you want go ahead and give it a listen.
It would mean the world to me. As always. I'm forever thankful that you give me the opportunity to do what I love. I'm thankful for the community that we're building. And hey, if you could leave me a rating review on iTunes, it goes a long way to help spread the word about what God is doing. And remember, guys, if you want to follow Jesus, you must be willing to move.
