Welcome to THE TRUE NORTH COLLECTIVE℠ PODCAST: SEASON 3! With co-hosts Rachel Bellotti (she/her) and Jenell Riesner (she/her), this is a gathering of un-sugar-coated conversations celebrating the untold stories of everyday people fearlessly finding and living their true north.
In our own search to discover and live from our TRUE NORTH, we continue to meet many interesting, courageous people from all walks of life, doing all sorts of amazing things to live life in their own unique way. Stories from all over the world. Stories with heart. Stories with grit. Stories with plot twists. Stories going untold - until now. This season, we celebrate these untold stories of everyday people who are fearlessly living their true north and inspiring each of us to do the same.
Today, we talk to Jordan Mendoza (he/him), father of five, Training + Development Professional for Impulse Consulting, and the creator + host of Blaze Your Own Trail Podcast. We recently joined his community to share about living our true north and realized we wanted to share his story and all life has thrown his way. We talk about freestyle breakdancing, growing up in poverty, moving around a lot as a kid, seeking out the “no’s” in life, how sales relates to life, leaning into generational adversity, experiencing police profiling as a kid, being responsible for your own self-awareness, trust, pivotal moments + stories, almost dying several times, meeting a biological father in the Philippines, and learning from a 3rd world country. This beautiful and endearing soul has experienced lifetimes and is truly a beacon for sharing your stories as a way of bridging a connection to humxnity.
*note: this episode includes explicit language appropriate for those ages 16+
RESOURCES MENTIONED:
- #amplifymelanatedvoices @sonyareneetaylor
- #amplifymelanatedvoices @mrjross
- My Girl
- Beat Street
- Breakin’
- Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo
- Mindbody
- Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)
- Meyers-Briggs Assessment
- Clifton Strengths Assessment
- TKI conflict style Assessment
- The 5 dysfunctions of a team
- Stephen Covey
- Music from: https://www.jukedeck.com/
3 KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Instead of looking at rejection and “no’s” as the worst thing in the world, or proof of your valuelessness and lack of self-worth, what if you flipped it? What if a “no” was simply a data point that gives you more clarity around what someone doesn’t want and therefore now you are closer to what they DO want? What if no was an acronym for Next Opportunity and it was an invitation to dig deeper for understanding and nuance so that you might get closer to what is actually a yes? What if no wasn’t the endpoint, but instead the beginning?
- When’s the last time you actually asked someone how they were doing and honestly, truly listened? We so often autopilot the cordialities of life without much sincerity and with haste to move onto the next thing. Where in your life can you practice genuine curiosity with those around you and stop to pay attention to their words, body language, and energy. How are YOU today? No, really, how are you?
- You can be amazing and still make mistakes. You can make a ton of mistakes and still be amazing. There is power in realizing that being humxn is not about being 1-sided, but about being multifaceted and contrasting and complex. When we share the real stories of our lives with vulnerability and authentically (versus the perfectly curated versions), we can actually create optimism for the world. We can be a living example for others that it is ok to be exactly who you are and get through all that life throws at you and still blaze your own amazing trail in whatever way that means to you.
TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:
- [1:00] Go watch My Girl now, if you haven’t ever seen it!
- [1:55] Swimming the South China Sea
- [3:15] Breakdancing to break into a new school
- [8:05] AD: Jenell has launched a new youtube series called That Girl Got Ghosted - whoo! Think of it like the bachelorette meets ghost stories/haunted hotels. If you wanna support her new venture, go check it out, like it, share it + show her some love.