#150 The power of mentors and why everyone needs one with Erick Rheam

Growing up Erick Rheam was fast. So much so that as a runner he learned early on that leaning into what you’re good at can pay dividends down the line.

Except when Erick went on to join West Point, the United States Military Academy (i.e. the British Sandhurst), one of the hardest institutions to get into and where every state across the US sends their best athletes, he realised he might be out of his depth...

It was there that Erick realised that when we are faced with adversity, we can either sink or swim and that the only way to push yourself to meet your potential is to surround yourself with people who are better than you.

Although Erick thought about quitting, he didn’t. Instead he bit down on his ego and pulled through.

That’s how he found himself as a 22-year-old young man, fresh out of College, propelled in a war zone leading over 30 woman and men, some a decade his senior, through Bosnia and Berzegovina, a torn country the size of Alabama with over 3 million undocumented mines. 

“It was pretty bad. We didn’t shower for 54 days.”

What Erick quickly realised is that no amount of training can get you ready for the real thing. Dealing with humans with emotions who are trying to serve and who are cracking while carrying live ammunition, Erick felt first-hand the struggles and heavy responsibilities that come with leading people without having the clarity that comes with perspective.

While always dreading the day he might have to write a letter to his units’ loved ones to tell them they were not coming home.

“We were taught early that we were in the business of managing chaos.”

After serving five years in the military, Erick hung up his boots to join the utility industry in order to be closer to the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Spoiler alert, it paid off.

After accidentally stumbling on public speaking and realising it could be a potential career for him where you can get paid to help people at scale, Erick embarked on a journey to grow as a speaker enlisting the help of the New York Times best-selling author Michael Hyatt and Founder of The Speaker Lab, Grant Baldwin.

Today Erick is a public speaker on track to generate over $300,000 worth of speaking fees this year, is currently the Director of Education at The Speaker Lab and is writing his next book.

He also happens to be one of my speaking mentors I worked with in 2019 - 2020. That’s why I’m so excited to bring you this conversation where we talked about the importance of having mentors and what it takes to build a successful and sustainable speaking business. Heads up it’s probably not what you think!

I can't wait to read your comments over on social media (@markleruste) and hear what golden nuggets you got out of our powerful conversation.

Be true, be brave, be kind and let it rip.

Mark

This week's guest on The Unconventionalists podcast is Erick Rheam, the hardest working man in the speaking business who is on track to generate over $300,000 this year in speaking fees. I also happened to have Erick as my speaking mentor during 2019-2020 who taught me a lot about what it means to be a servant leader and a generous speaker.

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IN THIS WEEK’S EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN

  • How we all need to have a mentor we can turn too

  • What it actually takes to build a sustainable and profitable speaking business (heads up it’s not what you think!)

  • Why you can adapt to almost anything

  • Why words of encouragement can go a long way

  • What is the difference between success and mediocracy? 

  • What it feels like as a 22-year-old kid to breakdown during a war

  • Why as a leader you don’t need to know everything 

  • Why having something you believe in matters more than anything

  • What is the one common theme that all religions have in common


SHOWNOTES:

  • Learn more at erickrheam.com and follow Erick on social media @erickrheam


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