We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Spencer Gregory a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Spencer, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
I’ve had to be resilient my entire life. I have had to overcome childhood trauma, addiction, and other adversities. Life was very chaotic, and I learned how to thrive in chaos. My resilience didn’t come easy; it’s something I earned through all these hardships. Recovery from addiction and mental health is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life, and I mean it when I say that my recovery is the only reason I am still alive today. Looking back, I’m thankful that I’ve learned to accept that hardships are the pathway to peace.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
For Centric Behavioral Health, I do community outreach and business development for our two facilities in Knoxville, TN that specialize in mental health and addiction treatment. My role makes me responsible for letting people know the services we can offer, and assisting with finding a placement that pinpoints the exact treatment they need to better their quality of life. This job allows me to connect people within our community to the help and resources that they need. I have a front row seat to witness the positive changes our clients make while in treatment, and it’s an incredibly rewarding job to have.
For Spencer’s Gifts, I call myself a Nostalgia Curator. I started collecting pieces that reminded me of my childhood and gave me those warm feelings of nostalgia. This turned into a business where I can give that warm, fuzzy feeling to others. I sell a wide variety of pieces, ranging from 80s, 90s, and Y2K so I truly believe that I have something for everyone. My business, which started as a hobby, turned into an actual business when I moved to Knoxville in early 2023. Upon moving to Knoxville, I was welcomed into the vintage community through the Knoxville Vintage Market, which I still do to this day. I since then have traveled the country doing markets and sell online through my Instagram: @Spencers_Gifts. It’s exciting to me because nothing makes me happier than when a person comes into my booth, and picks up that one piece that they recognize from back in the day. They have something to take with them that will make them feel like a kid again. It brings me joy to see how excited and happy people get when they find that one piece. This has allowed me to make connections with so many different people and walks of life in order to expand my business.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The first quality that has been helpful in my journey is my desire to help others. Throughout my life, I have had help from a lot of people along the way to where I am now. Being able to give that to others is a huge quality that I value in myself and others.
I also feel that empathy has been a huge help to meeting my goals in my work life as well as my personal life. I know all too well what it’s like to struggle, and I feel that gives me the ability to meet others where they are. It’s imperative to see things through the perspective of others to be able to make an impact on others and in our communities.
My work ethic was instilled in me at a very young age to earn the things what I wanted, and it has carried over into my adult life. I want to provide a good life for myself and my loved ones, so I always push myself to show up and to work hard so I can give the ones I love a sense of security that my mother inspired me by as a single mother who was relentless to provide.
My advice for those who are early in their journey is to push forward and persevere through their adversities. Don’t use the past experiences or traumas as an excuse or a roadblock: instead, use it as motivation to push yourself, inspire others, and to beat the odds. Don’t let the naysayers and the negative dictate the direction that you choose to take. You’re not always going to be somebody’s cup of tea, but there’s a good chance that you’ll be somebody’s shot of espresso.
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
First off the biggest influence on my work ethic is my mom. My mom raised two boys on her own and worked her butt off to provide the best life she possibly could for myself and my brother. She instilled in me a drive to work hard for the things I want/need and to provide for my loved ones. My mom is a fighter and has always overcome obstacles so she has also played a big part in my strength and determination. I never have given up on myself even when I felt hopeless and felt like i lost everything. She has never given up on me even when i have fallen short time and time again. She always said from when I was a kid “that boy knows how to take a lickin’ but keeps on tickin'” and I think that has carried on my whole life. Stay down until you come up and I am never down for too long and always get back up and keep going.
Secondly I owe a lot of my recent success to the community of Knoxville Tennessee. I moved to Knoxville having never been here before and not knowing anyone so of course it was kind of scary at first. I immediately found an amazing community of people with similar interest at the Knoxville Vintage Market and was accepted into that community through my good friend Ricky Hopkins. I then met so many other amazing vendors at the market and started vending there myself. Through that I brought back my hustle and grind mentality that I learned growing up around Atlanta, GA, and implemented a sales mindset that i have always had to grow my business. i take a personal interest in everyone that shops with me to make sure they leave happy with a piece that they love.
Lastly, everything i do in life and my number one motivational factor is my son Greyson Lee Gregory. The minute i watched my son take his first breathe my whole world changed. He pushes me even harder than i already pushed myself to be the best version of myself so i can be the man that he deserves and needs. Every move i make now is based around giving him he best future possible.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @spencers_gifts
- Facebook: Spencer Gregory
- Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/spencer-gregory-330502134
Image Credits
@spencers_gifts
