Meet Glenn Lewis

We were lucky to catch up with Glenn Lewis recently and have shared our conversation below.

Glenn , we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

The start of me being intentional on finding my purpose started in 2016 when I was in jail. Before jail I was operating frivolously working a warehouse job as well as trying to obtain what I thought I would need to be financially free, so that I wouldn’t have to work jobs that did not bring me fulfillment. So while I was in jail I had a lot of time to think about what I wanted to do upon my release. I started reading a book called the “Prosperity Bible” and it spoke a lot about how creating the life you want starts in the mind and being intentional. What I took from that thousand page book was that if it comes to mind then I can create it. So it sparked me to write a book centered around the journey of life using stories from my own life. Once I was released I set out to accomplish the goals that I set while I was incarcerated. After writing the book it landed in the hands of a nonprofit organization based in Nashville, TN Why We Can’t Wait. Their organization is dedicated to empowering youth in underserved communities. The founder wanted to me come and speak to the youth, which I had no experience doing but the competitive spirit in me decided to just go for it. I had settled into the concept of getting comfortable being uncomfortable. I didn’t know the first thing about writing a book and I did that, I didn’t know anything about prison but I survived that so jumping right into public speaking couldn’t be any different. I gave a 30-45 minute speech and nothing felt more amazing. I saw how the youth revered me and how my story related to so many of them. At that time I still didn’t know professional speaking was a buisness. Fast forward to 2022 I learned about the actual business of professional speaking. That is when I put two and two together and I saw I could get paid to do something that I loved which is impacting and inspiring our youth for generations to come. I think the biggest pieces of wisdom that I gained on my journey to my purpose was to be intentional on finding my purpose and be responsible with my time because I can’t get it back, pay attention to everything that was happening around me because everything happens for a reason, and last but no least take action on what aligns with my internal compass.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I was born and raised on the Southside of Chicago in low income housing neighborhoods. I grew up between Concordia Park and Altgeld Gardens. We were kicked out due to a fight that involved me and another kid and my mother and the housing authority officials. That fight changed our families trajectory later because it forced us to move to the South Suburbs for a better way of living. Early in my childhood I was a top baseball player and I played for the top teams in the state and across the country. I had my future set on being a professional baseball player, but there were odds that my family and I were unaware of at the time and generational curses that needed to be broken. Lack of resources, lack of education and lack of finance which is the quintennsial story of those growing up in environments like mine. I beat a lot of odds but there were some that I definitely needed to learn from and I did. From childhood to about 27 years of age I learned a lot of lessons in life but the most pivotal years I would say were between the 22 year to 27 timespan. Those years prepared me for what it is I do today which is youth advocacy, professional speaking and real estate investing. I am being the person that I know I needed growing up. My goal is to inspire the next generation of youth to be intentional on being their best selves because I know the exponential growth they can experience if they tap into their higher selves early on. The most exciting part of my journey is the challenge in assisting the younger generation in reaching their ideal of success. The Glenn Lewis Inspires brand is a brand of the people I want people to leave my presence full of life and use that energy to inspire others. The Glenn Lewis brand is rooted in the intangibles–integrity, morality, high character, authenticity, respect and love.

If you want to learn a little bit more about me and the life lessons that I learned I encourage everyone to read my self-published book, Lessons from a Felon which can be ordered from my website www.glennlewisinspires.com. If you want to book me to inspire your students or organizations to surpass their own limitations and push them to new heights while embracing the journey then I would love to connect and be a valuable resource through my speaking and consulting services because as a wise man once said, “the highest human act is to inspire.”

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

1. For sure Adaptability you have to be like water you have to be able to flow and fit in any space especially when you’re growing there will always be new and unfamiliar territory.
2. Resilience because in life the challenges are never going to stop. How you respond in the moment of adversity will expose who you really are.
3. My mom instilled being a person of high character and this quote about character is in my book – ‘Let a man’s character be his currency; that will tell you what he’s really worth’- Tony A. Gaskins Jr
4. Conquer your fears- When I think about fear one thing that comes to mind is a saying that goes like ‘ You can’t move forward with your car in park’. That’s so true it’s no way around it so the best way to attack fear is to put your car in D (Drive) and go for it but of course with strategy.

Story Examples:
1. when we got kicked out of the hood we moved into the suburbs about 10 minutes away from where I previously stayed in the low income housing. 10 minutes away and it was a culture shock for me. I had to get use to things such as stores not being open on Sundays, having a household chore like cutting grass so my parents were not fined, and most importantly none of my friends lived out there. One thing that didn’t take long getting used though was not having to wear a school uniform. I adapted to the new environment and before you know it I was finding new friends to add to the old ones and I started to fit right in.
2. One of the defining moments where I learned resilency was when I didn’t make the 5th grade basketball team. Although I was exceptional in baseball it was the first time I had been rejected. That day I went home and told my parents “I need a basketball rim” I practiced everyday after school for hours until they told me to come in. My parents told me if I practiced there would not be a reason for me not to make the team. The next year I tried out and I made the team. From that point on I made the team every year and competed against NBA talents such as Patrick Beverly, Derrick Rose and a few other notable players. But I wouldn’t have done that if I quit the first time I was told no.
3. By coming from a poverty stricken neighborhood my parents understood working hard to obtain a better way of life but they also taught that that shouldn’t come at the expense of being a shitty person. So how I treated others was more than any materials.
4. I brought my first investment property with no prior knowledge or background in real estate. Real estate had been on my radar but I just had not jumped into because of the lack of capital and opportunity. One night I was up scrolling on social media and I came across a video where a guy said if you have the opportunity to buy real estate buy it. At this time I was saving 70% of my money and the amount I had accumulated there were an active two deals on the market and I was short on the money. That night I woke my girlfriend up and said “we have to buy one of these properties” She was just as nervous as me, but the next day I called the realtor and I called my Dad for the $10,000 we were short. I did what I thought was proper due diligence based on the little knowledge I had gained and that’s how I became a real estate investor fear and all.

I know you said 3 but I wanted to throw in an extra gem because without overcoming fear the others wouldn’t mean as much.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?

The current challenge I am facing is how do I leave an impact that roots youth into the intangible things. I am competing against capitalism, economic hardship and social influences. Telling kids to care about intangible things when other things like money and status have a bigger wow factor. I know parents. teachers, and youth organizations feel the same way. Right now I am trying to use these things that they are influenced by and then show them there is value found in things outside of this. It’s a daunting challenge but I am up for it. Currently, I have taken a youth focused approach by speaking with youth on issues that they find challenging and I am working on tailoring and designing programs that fit their unique needs, because believe it or not the youth voice is important and all we have to do is be willing to listen and slow to speak. I think also that getting parents, educators and administrators on the same page with building youth centered initiatives that give them a solid foundation and equip them with tools that are suitable for their journey in this present time. I like to compare the youth today and the youth in the past to the technological advances in transportation. We don’t use horse and buggies as our sole means of transportation anymore we use cars. It’s the same with the youth. The evolution of the youth will continue to evolve even after this generation and we have to be ready and willing to evolve with them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.glennlewisinspires.com
• Instagram: @glennlewisinspires
• Facebook: Glenn Lewis
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/glennlewisinspires
• Twitter: glennlewisinspires
• Youtube: @glennlewisinspires

Image Credits

Freelove Shot Me, Strategic Memories, KTruthVisuals, Corporate Headshots USA