How You Influence 80,000 People with Tommy Spaulding

Dec 16, 2025

Tommy Spaulding, leadership expert and author of The Gift of Influence, shares his journey from rock bottom to rediscovering his value as a child of God. He emphasizes that each person influences around 80,000 others, using the metaphor of a packed stadium to reflect on our impact. Tommy discusses the power of small gestures, like receiving 50 heartfelt letters from loved ones. He advocates for servant leadership over self-serving influence and highlights the importance of intentional interactions to create a legacy of love.

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ANECDOTE

The 50 Letters That Saved Him

Tommy hit rock bottom at 49 despite outward success and nearly welcomed a plane crash as escape.
His wife's 50‑day letter project reminded him of his positive influence and restored hope.

INSIGHT

Everyone Has An 80,000‑Person Stadium

The average person influences roughly 80,000 people in a lifetime, about 2.8 new people per day.
That reframes ordinary encounters as opportunities with long-term impact on others' lives.

INSIGHT

Why The 'Why' Of Influence Matters

Influence done for others produces prosperity as a byproduct, while influence used for self gains feels manipulative.
The why behind influence determines its ethical and emotional outcome.

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Picture a football stadium full of 80,000 people.

Research indicates that you will influence that many people during the course of your lifetime. (even if you don't have your own YouTube channel)

But who is in your stadium? And what does it sound like in there? Are people cheering for the ways you positively affected them? Are they booing for all the terrible things you did? Or are they silent because you were on your phone most of the time and ambivalent to those around you?

In this thought-provoking conversation, leadership expert Tommy Spaulding poses these important questions and talks through his own personal story of hitting rock bottom with hidden depression and familial turmoil despite outward worldly success.

He relates the story of how he rediscovered his inherent value as a child of God and his potential for influencing those around him. His wife arranged a 50th birthday celebration that involved giving him 50 handwritten-letters—one each day leading up to his birthday—from family, friends, acquaintances...even the HVAC repairman!

These letters showed Tommy that even small gestures for other people can make them feel loved and have a huge impact. This new perspective has led him to live each encounter with another person as if they will one day be sitting in his 80,000-person stadium, and he offers tips from his new book The Gift of Influence so YOU can change your everyday interactions to lean into that idea, too.

You matter more than you know. You don't need a podcast or thousands of Instagram followers to be an influencer. Your mere existence is a blessing, and your daily interactions—with family, friends, and even strangers—can change their lives forever.

As we approach Christmas and the start of a new year, it's a good time to think about how you're treating the other people in your stadium.

Get Tommy's book, The Gift of Influence: https://www.amazon.com/Gift-Influence-Creating-Life-Changing-Interactions/dp/0593138635/

HIGHLIGHTS

00:00 — You Matter More Than You Think

01:56 — Writing from Pain, Not the Mountaintop

03:16 — Success on the Outside, Rock Bottom on the Inside

07:36 — The Plane Ride Where He Prayed It Would End

09:40 — The Birthday That Saved His Life

14:02 — “She Gave Me the Gift of Influence”

15:25 — Why Social Media Hijacked the Word “Influencer”

17:42 — The 80,000-Person Stadium That Is Your Life

21:56 — “What’s the Sound of Your Stadium?”

38:48 — Mrs. Lynn - An Influencer Story

52:16 — The Caribou Coffee Moment

55:58 — “God Bless You” at Jiu-Jitsu

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