Unlocking Different Abilities with Jim Stovall

SPEAKER 01 : 0:00

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SPEAKER 03 : 0:31

Welcome to The Good News with Angie Austin. Now, with The Good News, here’s Angie.

SPEAKER 07 : 0:39

Hey there, friend. It’s Angie Austin and Jim Stovall with The Good News. We are talking about his winner’s wisdom column today titled Different Abilities. Hello there, friend.

SPEAKER 06 : 0:52

Hey, hello to you. It’s great to be back.

SPEAKER 07 : 0:55

I use the term differently abled when I talk about my friends from ARC who have some developmental disabilities, some cognitive issues, some with Down syndrome, cerebral palsy. But anyway, they’re so delightful that really it’s one of the greatest companies I’ve ever worked with because when I do work with them, I get to interact with the ambassadors. They used to have five when my friend Lloyd started running the company. Lloyd Lewis. Okay, so Lloyd took it over because his son… has Down syndrome. And he graduated from the University of Chicago, the business school where like the new president of Starbucks goes. So he had this big career, you know, as a CEO and CFO. So he starts running ARC and he now has, working for his company, over 500 ambassadors who are differently abled. And that company, Jim, I’m telling you, when you talk about disabilities, not necessarily being like a deficit or, You know, it gives them like they have the superpowers of like kindness and empathy and joy. And it’s such a great company. So I see what you’re talking about in this article. You being a person who cannot see, who’s blind, you call it different abilities. So I just thought I’d throw that in there before we get rolling.

SPEAKER 06 : 2:16

Yeah, I mean, I remember when I lost my sight and initially I was disabled. I focused on the things I could not do. And as long as you focus on how to get something done, your life changes. And, you know, I remember as a young blind person, the two things that scared me. Number one, I can’t drive. I can’t get around. I can’t go places. number two i can’t read and i thought those are going to impact me greatly well here i am today three decades later and uh i don’t know anybody that reads as many books as i do thanks to high speed compressed digital audio i read a book every day and as far as getting where i want to go i i have over 2 million miles with one airline i’d i’d like to get a free weekend at my house sometime and you know so Now, I don’t do it the same way everybody else does it, but it’s not a matter of how you get it done. It’s a matter of what you do. I started thinking about this because being blind or having any other disability that people think of traditionally as such, or Down syndrome or anything else, is no better or worse than someone going through a divorce or a bankruptcy or anything else because, Angie, we’re all only as big as the smallest thing it takes to divert us from where we need to be. So when you think about that in the traditional sense of a disability, you can turn anything into a disability. One excuse is about as good as another, but I’ve long believed that if you have a deep-held desire or dream to do something, you have the capacity to get it done. I’ve just never been convinced that God that made heaven and earth And everything we’ll ever do and know and have would put a dream inside of us we did not have the capacity to achieve. Or as Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, there’s nothing capricious about nature. It means that nature is not trying to fool you. I mean, your subconscious is not pulling your leg or some kind of gimmick. If you think about it, anything you can conceive and believe, you can indeed achieve. And I’ve always believed that. And You know, this column this week was kind of prompted by my new friend Abigail from The Bachelor, and I’ll be honest, I was not familiar with her or the show The Bachelor, but my wife was, and then we had a chance to meet Abigail and her fiancé Noah, who got together on a network TV show called The Bachelor in Paradise, and we’ve had dinner and become friends, and she was coming out with this book because Abigail… was born deaf, and thanks to a cochlear implant, she can function. But, you know, she wrote a book called The Deaf Girl, and I just think it’s important for people to understand, hey, we all got some kind of deal we’re dealing with, but it’s a matter of getting from where you are to where you want to be.

SPEAKER 07 : 5:13

And, you know, in the article you talk about, you discuss, you know, the fact that, you know, a disability could, you’re no more disabled than someone who had a bad childhood or went through a divorce or, you know, is dealing with cancer. Like these all are things that can, you know, have an adverse impact on you, but you reframed yours and stopped seeing it as a disability. And I think you and I’ve discussed that maybe you’ve ended up becoming more successful because you lost your sight in your 20s.

SPEAKER 06 : 5:45

I think so, because it did cause me to focus. You know, when I deal with kids at the Stovall Center for Entrepreneurship at the university getting their degrees, these are talented kids from all around the world that are going to the university, and they could do anything. They have hundreds and hundreds of choices. And sometimes that’s like going to the cereal aisle at the grocery store. There are so many choices, it’s hard to make a decision. Well, for me, I could focus right in on What can I do and how can I get it done? And it makes it possible. I didn’t pick a career you would normally think of for a blind person. I write books I can’t read that are turned into movies I can’t watch. And I do it differently than most people. But I… If I had my sight suddenly restored today, I don’t think I would change how I work. I like it, and I don’t feel disadvantaged or put out or anything else. I literally feel like the luckiest guy on earth. I don’t know anybody I’d trade places with.

SPEAKER 07 : 6:51

You know, when you talk about your compressed audio for, you know, reading a book every day and you listen to it very fast, you did share with me once what it sounded like. And I can’t understand it. It does to me sound like a foreign language. So I take it that you have to concentrate a lot when you’re listening to it compressed that much and when the person is speaking so quickly.

SPEAKER 06 : 7:11

Yeah. And you, you know, I didn’t get there the first day or the first month or whatever because You know, I just sped it up a little more and a little more every day, and so I never even really noticed the difference. Now, what you really notice is when you go from three or four times normal speed back to normal, you feel like you’ve been driving 80 miles an hour on the freeway, and all of a sudden you’re on a side street going 15 miles an hour. It’s just like, wow, the whole world just slowed down. So you do have to focus on it, but I think it’s something anybody could do if they really wanted to.

SPEAKER 07 : 7:49

And you talk in the article about a friend of yours, a mentor and publisher who’s passed now. I like his name that he went by, Charlie Tremendous Jones. Tell us about him and what he taught you.

SPEAKER 06 : 8:04

Charlie was amazing. He wrote a great book. many, many years ago called Life is Tremendous. And he became known for that. So he actually went in and had his name changed legally to Charlie Tremendous Jones. And he became a publisher of Tremendous Life books and published several of my books. But he was famous for saying, you’ll be the same person you are today, five years from now, except for two things. The people you meet and the books you read, which is why I wanted to, you know, alert everybody to Abigail’s book coming out, The Deaf Girl, because what it does is, you know, it’s a book you read and you get to meet an amazing young lady who has functioned in a hearing world and she does it quite well.

SPEAKER 07 : 8:54

Well, you know, you’ve had so many mentors over the years that we discuss. You know, John Wooden, one of my favorites that you talk about and all the things you’ve learned from them. Do you think in losing your sight, relationships have become more important? And on a side note, just mentioning that you probably wouldn’t be married to your best friend, Crystal, because she was basically your sidekick all through college, getting your degree because she could see and she could help you with your classes.

SPEAKER 06 : 9:25

Yeah, she was amazing, and, you know, that’s how we met. And, you know, I have 10 or 12 young ladies that travel with me, and I recently was at an arena event. We were doing a walkthrough and quite steep stairs and 14-foot high stage, and the guy was afraid I’m going to miss that top step. And I said, no, no, no, Kelly will be here. And he said, well, how do you know? I mean, it’ll be loud and all this stuff, and you reach it. How do you know Kelly will be here? I said, sir, out of all the things I worry about in this world, I’m not sure you’ll be here. I’m not sure the arena will be here. But when I reach out my hand at the end of that, Kelly will be there. Always has been, always will be. And I’ve never had to worry about it. And you may have had speakers in the past that have had trouble with the stairs or missed a step. I never have and I never will. So don’t worry about that. Out of all the things you need to worry about here, you’ve got 14,000 people in here for the weekend. Don’t worry about that. Me and Kelly can do this.

SPEAKER 07 : 10:25

All right, so because of that necessity, the need to have people travel with you and be there with you wherever you go, that obviously has impacted your relationship. So relationships must have become more important to you when you lost your sight because you have this posse around you that you need, that you appreciate, and that you’re so close to. I mean, they work for you, but you’re also friends with them.

SPEAKER 06 : 10:54

Yeah. And some of our only friends, we go out socially or whatever when my wife’s traveling and, you know, and they are amazing. And I am very, and I got to tell you, that’s another thing. If I got my sight back today and was on the road as a speaker or to promote my books and movies, I would go with someone. I mean, I feel sorry for these speakers I meet. And, you know, we’re members of the National Speaker Association and it’s a lonely life out there. And, going to all these different places and living in hotel rooms. But to go with you, one of your best friends all the time, and a quick inside baseball behind the curtain here, Late this week, I’m going to travel to our state capitol, and the governor of my state here in Oklahoma has a task force on the status of women. And several years ago, they started creating this Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame. Amazing people in it. And this Friday, they will be inducting Ms. Crystal. So I will be going with her and dress up in my tuxedo and stand there, and I don’t have to do anything other than I’m here with the boss. But the strange thing about our life is she said, you know, Jim, I’m going to be very, very busy and a lot of things I have to do. And you’ll be there. So you better get a date, too. So actually, I will be there with Miss Crystal and a friend of mine named Lynn will be there. So it’s our form of a weird double date. But it works for us.

SPEAKER 07 : 12:19

That’s hilarious. And so normally she’s the one that’s helping you and you’re busy. And now the tables are turned and explain her award again, explain her word.

SPEAKER 06 : 12:30

Crystal is being inducted into the Oklahoma women’s hall of fame. Uh, you know, with like, uh, Wilma Mankiller, the first, uh, principal chief of the Cherokee tribe. That’s a woman and amazing, amazing people that have gotten this over the years. And, uh, And they’ll be inducting Crystal into that because of all the community work she’s done and charitable work and stuff for the arts here in our state. So it’s kind of a fun thing.

SPEAKER 07 : 12:56

That’s really cool. And that’s neat, too, that you have, because she can’t help you, you know, you bring along, as you guys put it, a date. you know, somebody that you can hang out with, talk to, to, you know, direct you wherever you need to go, because in your office, as I know, you know, every crook and cranny and every step getting up to your office and you take your daily walk every day and you know, every inch of that walk. But when you go to new locations, as you mentioned, the steps at that arena, uh, you need someone with you because you, you know, it’s all new.

SPEAKER 06 : 13:26

Yeah. And I, I just don’t want to worry about it. I want to think about, you know, crystal enjoy the evening and, uh, So it’s a great thing. And, yeah, it’s just about, as you said, different abilities and different ways to do things. And it’s not, am I going to be able to do this? It’s, how are we going to get this done? How are we going to get from here to there?

SPEAKER 07 : 13:48

I love it that you reframed it to not see it as a disability. At the end of your column, you say, as you go through your day today, remember that disabilities are only a challenge until you find a way over them, under them, or around them. And then you always say, today’s the day. I love that, Jim. All right, how do people reach you, Jim, find you?

SPEAKER 06 : 14:09

Jim Stovall, S-T-O-V-A-L-L, jimstovall.com.

SPEAKER 07 : 14:14

jimstovall.com. Have you reached 60 books now? Are we right about 60?

SPEAKER 06 : 14:18

Probably, yeah. I just finished writing a novel last week. In fact, we’re reading through it this week to see if it’s as good as I hope it is. And so, yeah, we’re probably 60 because we added five this year. So I was going to cut back, but it didn’t work out.

SPEAKER 07 : 14:37

Jim Stovall, thanks, Jim.

SPEAKER 04 : 14:45

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SPEAKER 07 : 15:48

Hello there, Angie Austin and Kenza Haddock. Kenza is an author who’s joined me on many occasions. She’s a regular guest on the show, and she is a counselor. And we’ve talked a lot about what her clients speak to her about. A lot of it is anxiety, depression, and stress. And one of the things she continues to mention to me that is something that can alleviate or naturally help with these things because… You may need professional help. You may need to get on medication. You may need other things. But one thing that’s in your power every day that can help with this, and I’ve used it my whole life, Kenza, is exercise. Welcome back, Kenza.

SPEAKER 09 : 16:26

Thank you so much for having me. And, yes, you know, one of the hardest things about depression is that it makes you feel like you need to shut down, like you don’t want to get out of bed. You don’t want to move. And the last thing you want to do is exercise. But now here’s the irony. The very thing you feel like you can’t do is one of the best tools God has given us to help climb out of that dark place. And now I’m not saying that exercise is a magic fix. Just like you mentioned, like there are different reasons why we may be experiencing depression. Depression is complex. Sometimes it’s biological, situational or spiritual or even a mix of all of it. However, clinically speaking, moving our body consistently does something that medicine alone or trying hard or even trying more and more just doesn’t do.

SPEAKER 07 : 17:21

You know, I think, too, I spoke with a former baseball player that was going to train my son, and he was getting bullied in his younger years in high school, which is so hard to believe now he’s 6’4″. He’s just a different person. Boy, these kids can just get through high school. It’s a whole new world for them. So anyway, he said being in shape, he said, really helps with confidence. So not only the endorphins of the working out, but the confidence you gain when you are stronger and physically feeling better. Even me, I remember I’ve lifted my whole life pretty much, and when I was in college – I remember being on spring break with a bunch of my girlfriends and they couldn’t carry their luggage. So I was carrying like three girls’ bags, you know, because I lifted and I was so strong. And I was like, come on, you guys, are you kidding me? That was back like before the roller bags, Kenza.

SPEAKER 04 : 18:10

Oh my gosh, I’m old.

SPEAKER 07 : 18:12

But I was carrying their bags. I remember being in Mexico and walking across these train tracks with like three suitcases, you know, and they had like their little duffel bags or something. And I’m like, you guys are wimpy, but it makes you feel so good to be strong. And I also can get a boost if I’m feeling down. I’ve used exercise my whole life. Like a lot of my friends in Los Angeles were on medication for depression. In fact, one of my girlfriends is like, you’re like my only girlfriend, not on medication. I used when I was feeling down, I totally used exercise. I did it almost every single day. And, um, I found a new way that I’m helping my mom too, cause she’s older, not so much with depression, but just like moving. I’ve set an alarm to go off every hour throughout the day. And then she sets a timer for 10 minutes and she walks. And I learned that from this study that I was in, I did five minutes of exercise, like nine or 10 minutes a day. And it was to, uh, keep you from getting diabetes if you were like on that verge of diabetes but the doctor also told me they’d found that you think if you rest more you’ll have more energy and he said the study found that if you do these small bursts of exercise not only does it help with your blood sugar and diabetes but it also gives you more energy because as you know it’s releasing those endorphins

SPEAKER 09 : 19:25

Oh, it absolutely releases endorphins. And our bodies are wired to respond to movement. Like when we exercise, our body releases those chemicals. Endorphins is basically a fancy word for feel-good chemicals.

SPEAKER 07 : 19:40

Well, I want to make sure people can find you and that they can find your books and your counseling work. So give us your website, please.

SPEAKER 08 : 19:49

Absolutely. It’s www.kenzahaddock.com.

SPEAKER 07 : 19:58

Excellent. All right, stick around. I think I’ll get a kick out of my next interview because I think you’ve got young kids. I’ve got kids. There’s a school that’s open near my kids that has to do with trades, and it’s part of our school system. So my high school kids actually attended business classes there. You can take culinary classes. You can become a mechanic, an airplane mechanic. because they’re realizing that they need tradespeople and they can make a good living. And they’re a lot more technical, a lot of these mechanic jobs and trade jobs than they used to be. And September brings National Tradesman’s Day and National Construction Appreciation Week, a time to recognize the vital contributions of skilled workers across the nation, from plumbers and HVAC techs to welders, construction crews and mechanics. They’re the skilled professionals who keep our essential services running. And joining us today to highlight the impact of these dedicated tradespeople is Naeem Bari, co-founder and president of LinksUp, a tech company that makes it easy for field-based businesses to get the most out of their vehicles, their equipment, and their workers out in the field. Welcome, Naeem. Thank you for having me. You are welcome. Well, let’s just talk about, you know, why is it so important for us to recognize National Tradesman Day?

SPEAKER 05 : 21:06

Oh, good question. I mean, at Lynxa for the last 25 years, we have been building software for trades like landscaping, transportation, HVAC, and more. And I can tell you firsthand what we have seen is that the number one problem our customers face is the lack of skilled tradespeople. It’s a constant challenge. And it makes sense, right, from building homes, repairing HVAC systems, you know, our plumbers, electricians, our mechanics and technicians, they are the backbone of our communities and our daily lives would just grind to a halt without them. Also often, though, their work kind of goes unnoticed. And events like the National Tradesman Day and the Construction Appreciation Week, they give us that opportunity to not only show our appreciation and celebrate the trades, but also bring awareness that, But hey, these are career paths that are open to young people as well. So we really appreciate this chance.

SPEAKER 07 : 21:54

You know, it’s funny. One of my kids are right at high school and college age. And one of my kids was mentioning their friend was going to go to HVAC school. And another one of the kids is like, what? He’s not going to college? And my husband turns to him. He runs his own business. We’ve all gone to college in the family. My dad’s a professor. He has a PhD. Like, we’re really into education. And he said… He is getting an education which will probably pay him better than half the friends that you have going to college. It’s a very respectable career. And these are highly trained professionals. My cousin is becoming a plumber right now, and he has his degree. He decided to do this a little bit later in life. And people, I think, don’t give them the respect they deserve. There’s a lot – I don’t think he becomes a full plumber for like four years. There’s a lot of training and education that goes into these jobs. So not only do they make a good living, but we should give them, I believe, a little bit more respect for the work that they’ve trained for many years to become good at.

SPEAKER 05 : 22:52

That is very true. Those are some incredible just personal anecdotes that you shared. Those are very true. They’re all over the place. And it’s also like some people have this misconception that, hey, you don’t work in technology or you’re not as technically sophisticated if you’re in the trade. Completely untrue. As you mentioned, you go to school, you work, you have to train, and you’re working with technology more today in the trades than you ever have in the past. They’re very sophisticated people. I agree with what you’re saying.

SPEAKER 07 : 23:34

How can the younger workers take advantage of this? You know, it’s a pretty big opportunity. And finally, the schools are opening their eyes to that as well.

SPEAKER 05 : 23:42

Exactly. And actually, it’s even more interesting to talk a little bit about why young workers should do it. Right. So let me explain what I’m talking about. So, you know, we talk about a few of the things that make trade opportunities great, trade careers great. Some of the things that people don’t often think about is they offer a level of job security that is very hard to find in many other industries. Right.

SPEAKER 04 : 24:02

Right.

SPEAKER 05 : 24:03

they cannot be easily automated away because they require that hands-on expertise and specialized skills. And guess what? AI isn’t coming to fix your toilet anytime soon.

SPEAKER 07 : 24:12

Right. Yes. Nor would I want him at my house fixing my toilet.

SPEAKER 05 : 24:19

All right. And we talk about technology is helping. And, yeah, with the age gap, with the age issue, where just the workforce is going to be more and more jobs available, it’s a great place to be.

SPEAKER 07 : 24:30

Now, in terms of LinksUp, I mentioned you work with these skilled professionals. How do you help them work smarter and safer, explain what your company does?

SPEAKER 05 : 24:40

Of course. So LinksUp offers simple, easy-to-use vehicle and tool tracking and maintenance solutions, along with dash cams and driver safety programs that are designed specifically for small to midsize field service and local transport businesses. In fact, we have about 20,000 small businesses across the country that we help in this manner. You know, with us, you would link up, you’re just never on your own. So we have live U.S.-based technical support teams that are standing by to help you get up and running quickly and just let you run your business faster, better, safer. We ride shotgun with the driver, in fact, you know, with the dash cams and whatnot, making sure that they’re keeping themselves and the people around them safe as they do their jobs. That’s kind of a forte. That’s what we do. We make small businesses with vehicles out in the field more effective, more efficient, and safer.

SPEAKER 07 : 25:28

I like that. And, you know, the dash cam doesn’t just help you make sure that your driver is driving safely. It makes sure that, you know, if they’re in an accident, my son was just in an accident, the adult said my son ran the light. And my son said, no, the adult ran the light. Well, I mean, who’s the cop going to believe, right? Well, some army vet stopped and gave my son a tourniquet and helped stop his bleeding, and he said, oh, I’ve got a dash cam. So they pull it, and the adult had run the light. So I think it’s a great thing to not only protect you as a company to make sure that your worker is driving safely, but also if there is an accident, that your company is protected if it’s not your driver’s fault, your worker’s fault.

SPEAKER 05 : 26:11

So, yeah, I mean, if you’re thinking of starting your own business, then consider this. So when we look at all of our customers, small businesses that we service, a lot of the most successful ones are run by people who started up in the trades. So there’s clearly a path from starting in the trades to running your own business, right? So that’s one. One thing that I would advise, one strong piece of advice is consider technology, lean on technology. Stuff like GPS tracking, dash cams, tool trackers, they aren’t just nice-to-haves anymore. They help you stay organized. They help you be competitive, protect your equipment, keep track of your – protect your people, ultimately save you time and money. Starting a business in the trades, or any business for that matter, is overwhelming enough, but the opportunities are incredible in the trades. And if you’re a seasoned professional, a tradesperson – and you want to combine your skills with smart tools and a focus on efficiency and safety, this is the right time to build your own business. And the business will grow quickly and run smoothly every day if you use the right tools for the job.

SPEAKER 07 : 27:12

And I’m just so thrilled. I mentioned the education system. When they opened this innovation campus for our school district, the kids learned. Some of them go straight from that program to working on airplanes and mechanics. They have regular mechanics, catering, a lot of things that they can start right out of high school. They can get a two-year degree right as they’re leaving high school. So I think a lot of the education system is opening their eyes to the benefits of training these young. We’re going to get more information regarding what you’ve told us today.

SPEAKER 05 : 27:45

You can visit linksup.com. That’s L-I-N-X-U-P dot com.

SPEAKER 07 : 27:50

Excellent. Thank you so much. I appreciate the interview. Thank you very much.

SPEAKER 03 : 27:55

Thank you for listening to The Good News with Angie Austin on AM670 KLTT.

SPEAKER 02 : 28:03

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