Today we’d like to introduce you to Kurt Faustin.
Kurt, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My story started long before my business – growing up, I went through different experiences that I would later learn many people could relate to. I didn’t realize that this collection of memories and the ability to share them would be something that other people could connect to so strongly.
My path began when I started to discover the concept of self-education, after having been denied access to traditional education when I was forced to drop out of college in my senior year for financial reasons. I read a book called, Think and Grow Rich that left a lasting impression on me. It helped me realize that our stories and struggles don’t need to be a burden, but can be a way to connect with others and lead to personal growth. In 2013, I was working full time when I joined Toastmasters, a group that teaches public speaking skills. I really joined because they offered free lunch, but it led me down a path that has changed my life. I saw people going up on stage and sharing stories. I have also been taken with stories and characters, from movies to books to history, and I have a natural competitive streak, so I began to tell myself, if they can do that, so can I. I wanted to show that our stories can be tools to empower us, not hold us back, and I wondered how I could do this through articulating pieces of my own story.
So I returned a few weeks later to give an “icebreaker speech” and a couple of people in the audience cried. One individual came up to me afterward to share personally just how powerful my story had been to her. That was the first time in my life I realized how powerful all of our stories are. So I continued giving speeches, entering and winning 12 out of 17 contests. As a continuation of my self-education, I decided to learn and embrace the art of public speaking. I drew upon my current and past experiences, simply storytelling through my speeches. I found myself falling in love with the idea of being motivated, of being inspired, and living differently. But I didn’t know exactly what that meant, so I quit my job, started studying more and learning more. As a storyteller, I felt compelled to learn people’s stories, so I spent more time in my community, visiting halfway houses, volunteering at Boston Pre-Release prison, talking to multi-millionaires, meeting motivated and unmotivated people alike and figuring out what exactly drives their motivation or lack thereof.
This process helped me to develop the mission I pursue now in my business as a speaker. My goal is to redefine success, to help people achieve their desired results, and to find where life’s true riches lie. My goal is to break down the systems that have been killing our communities, to disrupt the pigeonholing and categorization of people which leads to a loss of hope and identity, and ultimately to make the notions of motivation and hope tangible and achievable for all.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
There is always a struggle when growing, that is why they have the phrase, “growing pains”. At times, I found it difficult to stay positive while living in negative situations and being surrounded by negative people. Pursuing a dream or vision that only you see can be extremely tough as even your own loved ones will question your abilities, purpose and if you will succeed. I’ve had to work hard to resolve that and truly practice what I preach. It’s also been challenging for me to balance my role as a speaker with my role as an entrepreneur. I had to learn the art of speaking alongside the art of growing and running a business.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Kurt Faustin story. Tell us more about the business.
I make motivation practical. I do that through the workshops and seminars I run, as well as the speeches I give. I have my own formula for my speeches, consisting of a mix of storytelling, statistics and facts, case studies, and quotes I find to be relevant. I believe what sets me apart is the fact that I’ve developed my own philosophy, which I call emotional empowerment. The idea is this: everyone is focused on results, but results are driven by our activities. To get something, we have to do something. But for many of us, before we do something, our activities are driven by our emotional wellbeing and behaviors. Action leads to results, but our actions are driven by our feelings, so to get the results we want, we have to first look at our feelings. Too many people focus on what they don’t have and why they don’t have it and get discouraged and in a negative emotional state. When we aren’t in the right emotional state to take the actions needed to get us where we want to go, we stay stuck in that negativity, far from the results we want to achieve. That’s where I come in. I help want to help you identify where you want to go, but first and foremost, to look at the emotional state you’re in, and especially what triggers the emotions you’re living in. To be productive and work toward your desired results, we first need to change our emotional state, to make sure we’re around the right people, in the right environment, and in the right frame of mind. I help people work through the questions of how to get there, so they can work toward getting where they want to be.
It’s always my goal to do more than just speak to people; I’m telling stories – my stories. I am a product of my own formula. I am grateful for my experiences, especially my difficult times. I’m proud to have gone through the struggles I’ve gone through, like losing the opportunity to access traditional education, because it led me to another world of self-education, which in turn led me here, to my passion for speaking and sharing stories and spreading this idea of emotional empowerment I feel so strongly about. I’m proud to do what I do, and I’m proud of my ability to speak to and connect with an audience. From prisoners in Boston to retirement home residents on Cape Cod, I’m able to give a message my audience can relate to and can apply to their lives immediately.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Personally, I do not believe in luck. There’s a famous quote in the book, “Think and Grow Rich” that luck is opportunity meets preparation.
I do believe we all have the capability of creating our own destiny and fortune so luck wouldn’t be required in that!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kurtfaustin.com
- Email: info@kurtfaustin.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kurt.faustin/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1199617602
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