Latest / Voices for Voices® / From Cavemen to Cosmos: Humanity's Epic Journey | Episode 72

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From Cavemen to Cosmos: Humanity's Epic Journey | Episode 72 · Voices for Voices®

• 0:03
  Justin Alan Hayes: The power of reflection.
• 0:04
  Justin Alan Hayes: Reflection is a powerful thing, I know.
• 0:10
  Justin Alan Hayes: For me, I don't take advantage of it as often as I should.
• 0:15
  Justin Alan Hayes: Maybe that's because I feel that I always have so many projects to work on, so many things to do, what's coming next, what's coming later today, tomorrow, next month and even a year from now that I really don't take very much time to just set and think about the accomplishments, the ups, the downs that have happened.
• 0:52
  Justin Alan Hayes: And this was more evident than ever earlier today when I was just taking a look at some of the analytics on our TV show and podcast.
• 1:05
  Justin Alan Hayes: Since January 1st, just of this year, we have launched, aired and are currently available across the world 45 fresh new episodes.
• 1:18
  Justin Alan Hayes: We have had celebrities like Tyrus, local celebrities like Romona Robinson, individuals who have been through incarceration.
• 1:32
  Justin Alan Hayes: We have had leaders in the healthcare community Dr.
• 1:39
  Justin Alan Hayes: Brady Steineck.
• 1:40
  Justin Alan Hayes: We've had Heidi Larew, our fellow board member, supervising counselor and art therapist, but with that recent news where our therapy is going to be a licensed profession, given a whole new perspective on art therapy in general as a standalone practice if an individual would like to head in that direction.
• 2:09
  Justin Alan Hayes: So 45 fresh new episodes sitting here August 8th of 2023.
• 2:18
  Justin Alan Hayes: 45 is a lot.
• 2:20
  Justin Alan Hayes: We haven't had 45 weeks in the year 2023 yet.
• 2:26
  Justin Alan Hayes: But when we set out on this venture, this journey of celebrating the voice and everyone and given everybody the ability to share their story, share their experiences with not only their peers, friends and family, but individuals all across the world, we have listeners and viewers on all continents of the world.
• 3:01
  Justin Alan Hayes: Let that sink in for a minute.
• 3:04
  Justin Alan Hayes: The Voices for Voices TV show and podcast, since we went to this format of televising, has reached individuals on every continent of the world.
• 3:19
  Justin Alan Hayes: So when you hear me and others with our organization speak to the global impact, the global footprint that we have as not just an organization, but as a human being, as our voice, our collective voices, we are really doing it.
• 3:42
  Justin Alan Hayes: I think at the beginning, when we had this idea of what we wanted to do, I was trying to look into the future and say what would I like, what would the organization, how can we make the biggest impact while we are on the planet earth?
• 4:07
  Justin Alan Hayes: And so I came up with this, this crazy concept, which isn't so crazy anymore because we're doing it.
• 4:16
  Justin Alan Hayes: Actions are happening, people aren't being reached.
• 4:20
  Justin Alan Hayes: The TV show and podcast has gained credibility across the globe and it's really incredible to be able to reach out to individuals like Tyrus, an individual who is a professional wrestler.
• 4:38
  Justin Alan Hayes: He's on prime time television, is a best time New York Times bestselling author.
• 4:46
  Justin Alan Hayes: He's a dad, he's a husband, he does comedy shows.
• 4:53
  Justin Alan Hayes: There's nothing that this person does not do, and for him to fit in his schedule and appearance to join us on an earlier episode was just phenomenal.
• 5:08
  Justin Alan Hayes: To just have a human conversation with somebody that doesn't have that, that ego, an individual who was, by all accounts, very down the earth and very relatable.
• 5:26
  Justin Alan Hayes: So, if I rewind the clock as I started this episode, talking about reflection, reflecting on just nine months ago, last December, what was going on.
• 5:46
  Justin Alan Hayes: So I had this idea, had people I wanted to speak with, whose voices I wanted to share, not just mine my voice does tend to be one of the larger voices in the organization, but I really wanted to share voices from every walk of life and to share and let those individuals, as well as their friends and family and colleagues and people that may be following what they are up to, and let them, for a few minutes, have the ability to be in front of a camera, to have their voice, listen to the spoken word, through the picture, through video, through airing episodes on television One of the dreams that that I had, and to be able to do that with such success and just a few short months this is really incredible.
• 7:02
  Justin Alan Hayes: So what was what was happening nine months ago, sitting here and reflecting the idea that I probably should have done a long time ago, is to bring people with me that have inspired me, that give me the ability and the space to dream and that's just a dream, but follow those.
• 7:34
  Justin Alan Hayes: Follow those dreams, and that starts right in the household.
• 7:40
  Justin Alan Hayes: Growing up with my parents, my mom Helen, my dad Patrick, and people supported me and thousands of different ways across my 41 years of life, they've seen me do a lot of good things and they've also seen me do a lot of things that probably thought and like I am now feeling that I would have like to handle, that.
• 8:19
  Justin Alan Hayes: I would have like to handle different, differently, and so to bring them on for the inaugural episode was was really so much fun.
• 8:38
  Justin Alan Hayes: Now, some of you might be saying, well, you don't look like you're having that much fun, you're always so serious.
• 8:45
  Justin Alan Hayes: Well, it looks like that, but as a person with a couple of mental illnesses and being an introvert and as that sounds, as many, as many media appearances and things we do, voices for voices.
• 9:12
  Justin Alan Hayes: So I might not have this huge expression of oh my gosh, this is so awesome, but inside that's how I'm feeling.
• 9:29
  Justin Alan Hayes: It's really that ability to hone in and harness that energy.
• 9:40
  Justin Alan Hayes: The energy did not too long ago was tied up in substances and not healthy behavior all around, and so now to be able to take that energy that time and focus it on my family, to focus it on ways to make a difference, a positive difference in the world, that's really what it's about.
• 10:12
  Justin Alan Hayes: And so I would say, if you're somebody who has felt similarly about that, will people tell me this?
• 10:23
  Justin Alan Hayes: Or they say, well, you don't look happy.
• 10:26
  Justin Alan Hayes: And I've been at a place of employment which you may have heard me tell the story before, but in a room full of my peers in management and while leading this particular meeting, I was speaking the words of thank you, everything went awesome, I'm so excited that we're able to execute on this particular project.
• 11:02
  Justin Alan Hayes: And I remember, after that meeting, being pulled aside and said Justin, you say you're excited, you say that you're happy, but you really don't look that happy.
• 11:16
  Justin Alan Hayes: And I remember a while after that, because those thoughts really hurt, okay well, so I have to have a certain look when I am saying something for it to mean something.
• 11:35
  Justin Alan Hayes: Come on.
• 11:36
  Justin Alan Hayes: But sitting here a couple of years after that particular experience and still getting some of that feedback from the outside world individuals who don't interact on a daily basis with it's understandable and I'm okay taking thoughts and comments, I'm good taking the ugly with the good.
• 12:07
  Justin Alan Hayes: But for you out there, listening, watching today or at some time in the future, don't let words of disparagement get you down.
• 12:20
  Justin Alan Hayes: And that's easier said than done, I understand that.
• 12:25
  Justin Alan Hayes: But when you're able to reflect, reflect on what has occurred, what has happened, what defines you, what do you like to do?
• 12:43
  Justin Alan Hayes: And for me, if I say I'm excited, happy and there are many times where I don't say those words, but that's how I'm feeling, that's all that matters.
• 12:59
  Justin Alan Hayes: So if somebody has spoken ill will towards you in the past, I understand it's not an easy thing to do, to always move past and just turn that page.
• 13:19
  Justin Alan Hayes: But that's where reflection will help you, as it is helping me having this conversation right now, because I'm able to slow down and take, take stock of what has happened, whether it's the last week, the last month, whatever that time period may be.
• 13:48
  Justin Alan Hayes: Yes, there might have been that comment about well, you don't look as happy as you say you are, you don't look as excited or you're just being lazy because you're always on your computer.
• 14:00
  Justin Alan Hayes: What are you doing on your computer?
• 14:04
  Justin Alan Hayes: You're going to have those thoughts and those reflections, and then you're going to have reflections, like I had this morning, of looking at numbers that I've looked at every day since we have launched this new and improved the new era of the Voices for Voices TV show podcast where, on August 8, 2023, we have already put forth 45 brand new episodes.
• 14:46
  Justin Alan Hayes: Nine months ago, I would have been happy with only one per week, so we'd be at probably 29 or 30, give or take.
• 15:06
  Justin Alan Hayes: We've surpassed that already 45.
• 15:11
  Justin Alan Hayes: And we're not done.
• 15:14
  Justin Alan Hayes: We spent a lot of time in the studio, a lot of time in the studio, a lot of time reaching out to guests, scheduling guests, meeting guests, writing scripts, questions, working with the Summit County Health Department.
• 15:39
  Justin Alan Hayes: Those five episodes, those are nothing short of remarkable.
• 15:46
  Justin Alan Hayes: Judge Allison Bro, who's going to be presented with the 2023 Voices for Voices Ambassador of the Year Award at our upcoming a brand new day fundraiser in October.
• 16:04
  Justin Alan Hayes: We're able to talk about law.
• 16:07
  Justin Alan Hayes: We're able to talk about being a judge.
• 16:10
  Justin Alan Hayes: We're able to talk about what does it take?
• 16:14
  Justin Alan Hayes: What type of education, how can somebody who never thought about getting involved in politics be involved in politics, be an elected official by the county and one of my all-time favorite guests, people to talk to, Mr.
• 16:40
  Justin Alan Hayes: Dan Flowers, president and CEO of the Akron Canton Regional Food Bank.
• 16:45
  Justin Alan Hayes: That conversation, and each conversation that I have with Dan, is so fun Because here is somebody who is at the absolute peak of his career and he is able to bring things down again to that human level talking about anxiety, which is sometimes, if not a lot of times, hard for anybody to talk about outside of an individual is going for therapy or whether they are not.
• 17:32
  Justin Alan Hayes: It is a real vulnerable space to be able to talk about emotions, to talk about times that weren't the greatest.
• 17:41
  Justin Alan Hayes: Okay, I screwed up and I am letting everybody know I screwed up.
• 17:47
  Justin Alan Hayes: So everybody that already knew I screwed up.
• 17:50
  Justin Alan Hayes: Well, guess what?
• 17:51
  Justin Alan Hayes: That just multiplied by the audience and the viewers and the listeners.
• 17:57
  Justin Alan Hayes: But that is okay, because our goal is to help others, is to celebrate the voice in every individual, no matter if we agree with them on every topic or whether we don't, whether we vote like them or we don't, whether we look like them or whether we don't, none of that matters.
• 18:27
  Justin Alan Hayes: What matters is given every individual the opportunity to be heard, and there is a lot of lip service and organizations and people who talk about that.
• 18:44
  Justin Alan Hayes: We are doing this.
• 18:45
  Justin Alan Hayes: We are taking actions.
• 18:48
  Justin Alan Hayes: You can look at our portfolio work just with this part of the organization, with the TV show and podcast.
• 18:58
  Justin Alan Hayes: So I am a very action oriented person.
• 19:04
  Justin Alan Hayes: Do I and other members of the board have ideas that are even greater, that we may or may not be able to achieve at some point in the future?
• 19:21
  Justin Alan Hayes: Yeah, but by being able to do that.
• 19:26
  Justin Alan Hayes: May have heard of a saying about we may not be able to reach the stars, but if we reach the moon, I think that is pretty good, don't you