019 - George Bryant - Owning Your Story

In today’s episode, George Bryant, US Marine, author, and marketing consultant, shares his incredible journey from a very difficult upbringing to using his story to build successful businesses. George had a childhood that involved physical, sexual, and emotional abuse that led him to develop some unhealthy coping mechanisms. He decided to take control of his story, share it, and use it to grow both as a persona and an entrepreneur. Listen in as George explains why owning your story is so incredibly powerful and how you can do that.

Visit A-Game Advantage or find us on iTunes to subscribe, visit previous episodes, and learn more about your host, Elliot Roe.

Time Stamped Show Notes:

• 01:00 –Introducing George and his incredible journey

• 01:40 – How George went from a very difficult upbringing that included physical, sexual, and emotional abuse to being an incredibly successful and positive person in adulthood

• 04:30 – How George came to the realization that he needed to change how he was eating to feel better

• 04:50 – He documented the entire journey and his fight against bulemia on his food blog
• 05:17 – “My thought was if I could close my back doors, I would have no choice but to succeed.”
• 06:10 – He realized how much power and healing can come from owning your story and sharing it openly so that it doesn’t control you anymore

• 07:06 – The common thread is that he was trying to avoid connection
• 07:50 – Why George thinks you need to work toward sharing your story over time

• 08:25 – He knew that, for himself, he had to go to extremes and share his story publicly in order to have the breakthrough he needed
• 08:40 – He reveleaed his story on the biggest podcast in the world
• 09:20 – You need to own your story for yourself first and there are 4 stages to progress through

• 09:35 – The 4 As George has had to go through every time there is a breakthrough

• 10:20 – Acceptance is where you put a pin in the map. It doesn’t mean you have to be okay with what you’re going through, it’s just accepting where you are in the moment.
• 11:00 – How George utilizes action and accountability to keep himself on track
• 11:50 – “You’re not alone. These things didn’t happen to you, they happened.”

• 12:30 – Why George threw the keynote speech he planned out the window and shared his 60 seconds of truth

• 13:10 – How his wife challenged him to tell his story to the next man he saw
• 13:50 – What happened when he told 2 complete strangers his entire story

• 15:30 – How the feeling of sharing his story became a new addiction at first

• 16:18 – How awareness has made this a strength
• 16:34 – How he calls himself out and hold himself accountable
• 17:10 – Why he has embraced unapologetic authenticity even if that means calling himself out publicly

• 18:15 – How George’s addiction to bulemia was actually an addiction to something that fixed the feeling of the core wound underneath it

• 18:35 – How shining a light on the dark spots where shame hid made everything easier
• 19:30 – George wasn’t comfortable taking his shirt off even when he had an 8-pack due to his body dysmorphia
• 20:05 – All of these issues were wrapped up in taking back control he felt was taken from him
• 21:10 – The work he did set the foundation for him being able to accept that these beliefs and actions weren’t serving him
• 22:00 – In the present moment, it’s about course correcting and keeping the ship moving forward
• 22:50 –He realized he was setting himself up for failure with perfectionism

• 23:22 – Start with awareness

• 23:50 – Anger is a secondary emotion and underneath is hurt or fear
• 24:20 – These feelings are tools your subsconscious has created to keep you safe

• 24:50 – How George uses the knowledge that he has gained on his journey in his marketing consulting

• 25:45 – The core of what he does is help people get out of their own way
• 26:06 – The 3 things that human beings need to change in a specific order
• 26:28 – He uses his story as a tool to create permission for people to self-identify
• 28:00 – “Marketing is nothing more than two-way, long-term, value-based relationships”
• 28:50 – How a previous client doubled revenue by giving permission to the team

• 30:32 – Marketing is becoming less inhuman
• 31:00 – How marketing moves in cycles
• 31:47 – Those who are focusing on two-way relationships are winning and will continue to win
• 32:20 – We aren’t even seeing ads anymore
• 32:58 – “Relationships beat algorithms”
• 33:30 – Where people can find George’s keynotes
• 34:30 – George is focusing on teaching for the next part of his journey

3 Key Points

1. When you own your story it will no longer own you.
2. All changes start with awareness.
3. Relationships beat algorithms.

Contact/Resources

• Primed Mind – Elliot’s Mindset App
• George’s Website – Civilized Caveman
• George’s Facebook Group – Marketing with George Bryant

Credits

Podcast Production by Podcastily