We’re looking forward to introducing you to Wil Davenport. Check out our conversation below.
Wil, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: When have you felt most loved—and did you believe you deserved it?
In the winter of 2015 and early 2016 my mental health declined like the lead car headed down the first hill on a giant roller coaster. I got to the point where I thought I was a toxic influence on everyone around me and that life was not worth living. I attempted suicide and was hospitalized for 3 weeks. Many people invested in my life during those weeks and I can’t say that I felt loved then, but as I look back, that was a time when I was showered with love in extraordinary ways. My wife, even with her life in chaos, came and visited me as often as she could to sit with me and even hold my hand. My daughter came to visit me in the hospital and even though I wasn’t prepared for it, she hoped right up in my lap, wrapped her arms around my neck, and told me how much she loved me. My sister set aside her life to visit me, thumb wrestle with me, and even told me a few jokes to help me laugh. This doesn’t include the nurses who spoke words of hope and life to me or my fellow patients who showed compassion even when they were barely hanging on to life as well. So much love in such a difficult time. And in the midst of it all, I believe God was holding me with love as well.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Wil Davenport and I am blessed to be the husband of Celeste Davenport for the last 27 years. I also have three wonderful adult children Kaleb, Elise, and Nika. I own two businesses that serve our community in distinct ways.
More Than Memories helps folks preserve the memories found on their old home movies, slides, photos, 8mm reels, cassettes and more so that they can be enjoyed and treasured for years to come. Customers work with me because I’m local (no putting your irreplaceable memories in the mail), I genuinely care about and love to hear the stories associated with their home movies and more, and they get to meet face-to-face with the person who will actually be doing the work. I also help folks celebrate by taking their photos and home movie footage and turning them into creative videos for wedding anniversaries, birthdays, retirements, baptisms, and one of the most meaningful… memorials. Finally, I video folks sharing the stories that matter to them most.
Not only do I work with individuals but I also help businesses leverage their stories to build their brand and gain new customers. Some of the clients I’ve worked with include an over 100 year old 3rd generation business called A.G. Heins, an over 50 year old HVAC company called AA Air/Central City Heating and Air, and the Farragut West Knox Chamber of Commerce.
One of the reasons I love getting to create memorial videos is because of the stories I learn. For example, one family tasked me to create a video to celebrate their father who had recently died. This man was an passionate about spending time on the open seas in his sailboat. What makes the story unique is that once he was far away from land, he didn’t like to wear any clothes, even when his sons were present. As you can imagine, that left quite a powerful memory.
My other business is called It Begins Within-Developing Leaders. I help each person working at a business or other organization grow in their communication and relational skills through the lens of Psychology. I know that unless a person deals with what is going on inside of them, their emotions and thoughts, they will never be able to reach their full potential. I’ve been blessed to work with groups like the YMCA of East Tennessee, the Young Professionals of the Farragut West Knox Chamber of Commerce, Fitness Together, Toastmasters International, and more.
I believe that lecture style training sessions are overused and often ineffective ways to drive behavior change (the end goal of all training.) Instead, I incorporate group discussions, team initiatives, personal reflection, games, and much more to drive engagement and ultimately life change. My favorite moments are when the large group is broken down into small groups for discussion, roles plays, etc. and folks are so animated, actively engaging with the material.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
Over the course of my life I had ups and downs in my mental health, In 2014 I experienced a traumatic moment that was the tipping point toward a downward, destructive spiral. By the end of that year I had attempted suicide and had been hospitalized. As the beginning of a long journey, those dark moments served as a turning point in my life. Though thousands of hours of therapy, effective medication, prayers, God’s love, a supportive community, restorative sleep, and more I began to develop a new healthier life. I began to see and experience my connection to more people I met. I began to give myself grace and learn how to see more of the good in myself. I am genuinely excited about the person I am today.
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
Today, I leverage my journey from being self-destructive and suicidal, and all I learned on my healing journey, as fuel for investing in others. I am much more aware on the impact my thoughts have on my life and I work to help other silence their unhealthy, non-sense-speaking inner critic and replace it with realistic, healthy thoughts they choose.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Whose ideas do you rely on most that aren’t your own?
Shankar Vendantam is the host of a podcast called Hidden Brain from NPR. I love this podcast because he interviews authors who are writing books highlighting the latest insights from psychology, neuroscience, sociology, and more. He invites his guests to share stories from their own lives that relate to their research, he helps them articulate the challenges we often face psychologically as humans, and then guides them to share ideas on how to navigate life more effectively. Shankar asks great questions, is an amazing storyteller, and has a knack for distilling complex truths succinctly. I rely on the insights I learn from this podcast to help me live in healthier ways as well as leveraging what I learn to inform the workshops I lead.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What false labels are you still carrying?
Though I’ve worked have to not buy into beliefs and thought patterns that diminish who God created me to be, I still experience moments when I don’t feel qualified to do the work I do in leadership development. Occasionally I see others with more education/credentials, greater training, and a more impressive work history and feel “small” next to them. The thoughts are less often but I still see their impact on who I feel called to be.
Contact Info:
- Website: ItBeginsWithinDL.com, MoreThanMemoriesTn.com
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wil-davenport-6a27b9310/, https://www.linkedin.com/in/wildavenport/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576373521211, https://www.facebook.com/MoreThanMemoriesTn
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ItBeginsWithinDL, https://www.youtube.com/@morethanmemoriestn5738
- Other: https://swft.id/itbeginswithindl
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