Meet Omar Johnson

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Omar Johnson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Omar, so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?

This is such an interesting question, yet it hits so close to home.

We will have to start with the origin story. I was born in Toronto, ON. I didn’t move down to the states, Orlando, FL to be exact, until 5 years old. However, my time in Toronto was pretty jam packed, mainly because I started kindergarten right before the age of 3. That alone is very uncommon, but what it was, was that my family saw the importance of education and molding me at a young age. This is what began the journey of “being the only one in the room that looks like me”.

This was all possible by attending my uncle’s private school, Shiloh Christian Institute in Toronto. With my uncle being the principal, he pretty much made the rules, but beyond that, was passionate about education and instilling the teachings of God to the youth, and still is to this day. So starting grade school at such an early age already put me as an outlier, at the same time, Shiloh was a predominantly black school. Many students would be of island decent (my family is Jamaican), and others would be considered African-Canadian, as we call African-Americans, here. That is very important to know for the next chapter in my book, because once my family moved down to Orlando, I learned very quickly how different one can be when being introduced to a new setting.

Like mentioned before, I moved down to Orlando when I was 5. Reason being is my mom remarried, ironically, a great man I call father today, whom she has known pretty much all her life (Jamaica truly is a small island). My birth father, had unfortunately passed when I was two, so you can say, a lot had happened when I was becoming a toddler, but those life events are what make us who we are today, eh? It was January of 2001 when we touched down, and as we know that is right in the middle of the school year here. Being the kind of mother my mom was, especially when it came to education, she was not going to allow me to go almost 8 months without being in school, so she found a way to enroll me. Now keep in mind, by this time, I had already been through kindergarten, already been through 1st grade, and had already started 2nd grade. Here in the states, you don’t even start grade school until you’re 4, sometimes 5, years old depending on your birthday. So here I am, a full year ahead of my new peers, starting 2nd grade in the middle of the school year coming from a completely different country, culture, and upbringing. Can you say fun? It was quite the transition for me at that age, but it definitely was a challenge to begin with. The challenge wasn’t the curriculum, that actually wasn’t a challenge at all, it was being different, talking a bit different (because as Canadians, our English and spelling is a bit different that Americans), and making it through the rest of the school year, somewhat alone, because I was quite the shy kid growing up. But we will fast forward to where I really became, “the only one in the room that looked like me”.

So, I quickly became the only one in the room that looked like me, not long after the new school year started, 3rd grade. As previously mentioned, the challenge wasn’t the curriculum; that statement stayed true going through 3rd grade. That was so true, that the school decided to test me for gifted classes close to a few months into the school year. This is where the biggest influential and pivotal moment in my life happened, because it set the tone for the rest of my years in grade school.

Back in Canada, I started school younger than average, and also was attending a predominantly black school. Coming to the states, and particularly, where I lived and was zoned for school, it was a lot more diverse in school, a lot less blacks. Now, once I tested for gifted, it was as if the black kids in school disappeared and that I was the only one in existence once that class bell rung. I don’t remember feeling alone, I was never raised that way, I still had plenty of diversity when in Toronto, but in this school setting, that was definitely a bit of a culture shock. I quickly learned that “my kind” in “this setting” were treated a bit differently. I had trouble making friends at first, I was always the kind of kid that wanted to fit in, I found my way amongst a few solid ones, I guess more of “the nerds”, especially since we were in gifted class. But my reality set in, not only was I the youngest in all my classes up through graduating high school, I was the only black kid in the majority of my core classes until I would see a trickle here and there, only seeing others that “looked like me” during the extracurriculars.

I never fully grasped, the reason why I was the only black kid in these classes. Why was it that a solid number of black kids weren’t in these gifted, honors, and AP classes? Because of this, I was taught, within the home, that I had to work harder than my peers because of the color of my skin and the brains that God blessed me with. It was constantly drilled in me. It definitely kept me on top of my game, my mom, bless her heart, is the greatest influence in my life when it comes to pushing me to be the best and breaking through the norms. I would say that I never fully embraced the narrative that the world was against me because of the way I looked. Even to this day, I can appreciate that everyone has had their experiences based off of the way that they look, but I know that hard-work and unwavering belief trumps all.

However, I still had my reality. With the cards dealt to me, I actually grew up with an identity crisis. I didn’t know that speaking eloquently, articulating my words, having nice handwriting, dressing a certain way, carrying myself with poise and manners, and being in the classes that I was in made me white!? I maybe mixed, but I didn’t know that because of those characteristics, I lost my “black card”. I grew up being called that whitest black kid, just because of the way I spoke, dressed, carried myself, and the surroundings I ended up in, I apparently I was not black. At a young age, you can only imagine the internal conflict that one could endure, constantly questioning their identity, whilst trying to fit into the community. This would have me questioning myself, wondering if I looked the right way, acted the right way, but as you grow and mature, you realize that none of that matters. No opinions matter other than that of your own, because it ultimately is your life, and you make the best of it with the talents blessed upon you.

So I had two choices, I either feed into this and let it rule my everyday, or I embrace this and overcome it. I would be absolutely lying if I said it did not effect me and that it wasn’t hard. I would have constant internal battles that I really just fought on my own. Like I said I was a shy kid, also was pretty much an only child (my step brother is much older than me), I kept many of my struggles to myself and learned to overcome them on my own and come out on the other side on top. I had to learn to embrace the bullying, to embrace the name calling, the constant attacks at who I was as an individual. I had to overcome times where even some teachers would question if I belonged in their class because I was “the only black kid in their gifted class” and had to prove them wrong. I had to be comfortable with growing up to be in crowds where I would be the only that looks like me, and flourish. I also had to accept the fact that, being the youngest of all of my peers, that I would always be considered “the baby” of the group. Though I may have kept a lot to myself, I was never alone, I had, and have, the best family, friends, and support system.

But it is make it or break it, and I chose to make it. One could say I experienced a lot of adversity, or that “the odds were stacked against me”, but that is where you build true grit, compassion, gratitude, work ethic, and the drive to be better. I give a major credit of my growth as an individual to my martial art days. From student to assistant, to instructor, to director; those years definitely groomed me to be more confident, self-aware, and resilient in my abilities, adaptable to challenges, and effective as a leader. The adversity growing up, the support of family, friends, mentors, have molded me to who I am today and couldn’t ask for it any other way.

Being the only one in the room that looks like you isn’t a terrible thing, unless you allow it to triumph over you. Nothing in life defines you. We make our plan, and God defines our steps. We ask for success and fruitfulness, so we are given opportunities to grow stronger in mind, body, spirit, so we are best equipped to have what we ask for.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I am in the business of helping people. I developed that mindset when I started martial arts at 8 years old with Victory Martial Arts. The experiences, life-skills, self-awareness, and confidence that I developed over my 19 years with the organization was a major factor in the kind of person I am today when it comes how I treat others and what truly fulfills me. There was no greater feeling than influencing, not only the younger generations, but those who were my senior as well. I had students as young as 2 years old, and some pushing mid-70s across the various programs we taught. I name drop Victory because those 19 years of my life not only gave me the skills in life, but also in business as well. For the last 8 years of being with the organization, I successfully ran one of their Orlando locations. That taught me what it meant to work hard, to sacrifice, to show up everyday even when you didn’t feel like it, to put others first, to learn how to mentor others and build a solid team, and ultimately how to listen to and service clients.

That is why today, fulfillment for me comes from where I am able to positively influence, or service, an individual, family, or business when it comes to financial well-being and overall protection within many professional realms. I found my way from martial arts into the insurance and investment world and I truly feel like I have found my calling.

If I slap a title on what I do, it is an External Wholesaler and Financial Strategist. But titles are nothing without purpose, so I what really do is help individuals keep more of their hard earned money, so that they can give more and live more.

Now, when people hear “wholesaler” they immediately turn to Real Estate. Now though we work with many realtors, investors, and brokerages, our services and practices fall within the insurance and invest realm, hence the name of our company Insurance Investment Group.

Insurance Investment Group is a full rounded wholesale insurance distribution marketing organization. Our goal is to work in partnership with professionals such as: Insurance Agents, Financial Advisors, Certified Public Accountants, Attorneys, and also clients, to assist with product consultation, case design, innovative sales concepts, and marketing strategies to help effectively boost revenue to their practices and personal well-being. As a wholesale insurance firm, we cater to both consumers and agents and we support you every step of the way.

Because of the full scope of what we do, there is nothing more rewarding than being able to cater to virtually all of a client’s needs. Plus, if it is something we do not offer, we have the greatest relationships in every industry to point clients to the right source to assist them.

We do a lot of our business and client meetings at Z-Co Co-Space & Clubhouse located in Orlando, FL. Z-Co is a co-working space where we open our doors to anyone to come in and relax to mingle with peers, dial in and get some work done, to network, or to start a podcast! We host many events for both the aspiring, and inspiring entrepreneurs to network and grow their circle. The space is also open if anyone wanted to host their own events! The best way to get connected is through our socials @zcospaceclubhouse.

We all know that proximity is power, and at Z-Co , we strive to create an atmosphere that welcomes like-minded individuals to get connected and know that they are not alone in the world of business. Community can be a very powerful thing, so it is important to find your place where you can continue to grow with the right people around you.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

It is hard to choose just 3 of anything when there is so much out there to embody.

I would like to give 1 of everything: One Quality, is kindness, One Skill, is practicing gratitude, One Area of Knowledge comes with a saying “Everything Happens For A Reason”.

Kindness is the ability to approach people and situations with compassion. This creates lasting connections and opportunities. I experience this every waking day like clockwork. You never know how the way you treat someone today could come back to you tenfold in the future. This can also have a negative impact if not handled properly, remember that. The interaction could be as trivial as letting a random person pass by first if you’re crossing paths, to as big as sitting in a business meeting that may not have the outcome you wanted, but still treating the other party with mutual respect. How you treat others in all variations of interactions not only impacts others, but also shapes your own mindset and resilience.

Practicing gratitude is actively appreciating what you have and where you came from. This helps maintain perspective, fuels motivation, and fosters positivity even in tough times. “It could always be worse” is a saying you hear time to time, but sometimes we don’t even want to hear that! It is important to practice gratitude and to give yourself grace. Be thankful for how far you have come, but also don’t beat yourself up if you haven’t gotten exactly where you wanted to be at that moment. Just keep in mind that you are constantly striving for better and that this is not a sprint, it is a marathon, and be thankful that you even got up out of bed today so you have the opportunity to make a difference.

“Everything Happens for a Reason.” Understanding this allows you to find meaning in challenges, adapt to change, and trust that setbacks often lead to growth. You can only control so much! I know my control freaks out there hate to hear that because, to be honest, I am one of those too, even to this day. However, when something doesn’t necessarily goes my way, I know that there is always a greater purpose. You may not see it now, but something that may not have been what you wanted, turns into something even greater in the future. It is always important to have faith and belief and not letting any obstacle steer you away from your ultimate goal.

For those early in their journey, I’d advise focusing on small, daily actions. Be intentional about kindness, it’s a choice. Keep a gratitude journal or take a moment each day to reflect and meditate on something positive. And when challenges arise, remind yourself that even obstacles serve a purpose in shaping your path. Growth comes from both successes and setbacks, so embrace the journey fully. It is ultimately your story and no one else’s.

What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?

The most impactful thing my parents did for me is truly show me what it means to work hard through all seasons of life. What I mean by all seasons is when there are times of great success and times of struggle, especially in business.

The most impactful thing my parents have shown me is their unwavering discipline and grit in the face of life’s challenges. Through the ups and downs of running a business, they have faced obstacles that have crushed many, yet they always found a way to rise above. My mom’s dedication to structure and being on top of things ensured that, no matter what, we always had stability and a roof over our heads. My dad, having worked tirelessly his entire life, continues to push forward with a passion that is rare and inspiring. Because of their sacrifice, they gave me an amazing life – a beautiful place to call home, access to great education and extracurricular activities, and ultimately molded me to be the man I am today. I accredit so much to the way my parents not only raised me, but how they worked so hard themselves to make things happen.

Their resilience has been a constant lesson to me—proving that success isn’t just about talent or luck, but about showing up, putting in the work, and staying committed even when the odds are against you. What’s even more valuable is that they each take very different approaches to perseverance. My mom operates with precision, planning, and structure, making sure everything is in order before taking a step forward. My dad, on the other hand, thrives on drive, instinct, and sheer determination, always finding a way to make things happen no matter the circumstances. Watching them has allowed me to take the best of both worlds—learning when to be methodical and when to trust my gut. More importantly, they’ve shown me that while their approaches may be different, they complement each other, proving that success isn’t a one-size-fits-all formula but a balance of strategy and grit.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://insuranceinvestmentgroup.com/
• Instagram: @shonsonjohnson
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/omar.j.johnson.7
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/omarjohnson-shonsonfinancial/
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/shonsonshouse
• Other: If a free consultation would like to be scheduled
  https://calendly.com/shonsonfinancial/financial-strategy-discovery-call