They say life is a journey, and the broader your set of experiences, the more fulfilling that journey is, not to mention the wisdom you accumulate. This notion crossed our minds at a recent conference, where we enjoyed a keynote presentation from the motivational speaker Ginger Johnson.
Ginger Johnson.
Johnson has been a professional speaker for 10 years, focusing on helping organizations succeed through connection—inspiring teammates, building cultures of engagement, re-energizing and refreshing your purpose. But before that, she had a disparate career, including as a middle school art teacher, a firefighter, a retail executive and more. With that kind of background, combined with a dynamic presentation at the recent conference, it was an easy decision for us to seek an interview with Johnson and share it with our Fox Tales readers. Here’s a transcript.
Fox Tales: Your bio suggests a broad set of experiences. Tell us how you came to be a speaker—a motivational speaker, to be exact.
Ginger Johnson: Experiences are transformational. The right speaker can move a room. Those pros are in the experience business, not the information business. In the world of professional speaking, the checkmark for me belongs next to highly energetic and transformational speaker. I steer clear of the term “motivational” since the only person we can motivate is ourselves! The hiring of a pro keynote speaker is about the experience they create in partnership with their clients.
Middle school art teacher, firefighter, retail exec (hardware, pet food, assorted other establishments), Volunteer coordinator, volunteer, master recycler—these and so many experiences have led me to the current moment: keynote speaker. All the experiences and adventures have a common thread: education. What is it that I can help people learn? I liken it to being in a room full of light switches. The right person (speaker, coach, guide) reminds you there are always options—and they we get to choose which switch to flip! I’ve flipped various switches during my own life that have all led me further into life, and to this moment. Speaking is the gift of people’s time and attention. I take my work seriously to serve and create unforgettable experiences via the stage, by always building on my craft and not taking myself too seriously! There’s a huge difference between the public-speaker mindset and professional-speaker mindset. Like you, dear reader, I’m a pro. And I’m having a blast serving, being fully me, which is the power of being completely connected to yourself first.
Fox Tales: Tell us about how you found your mission—your specialty, which is all about connection.
Johnson: Think of a field of prairie dogs. They come out of their earthen dens, look around, scout, sniff, watch, cry, wave. I was the epitome of a prairie dog several years ago in a reinvention stage: I’d sunsetted my previous business and was diving into my purpose and What Was Next. I was the proverbial Prairie Dog: showing up, searching, sniffing, watching, listening, asking. I popped up several times, “Oh!! I think my mission is this!!” Then I’d slowly sink back into my den, ruminating since it wasn’t quite right. And then one day, in November of 2017, I popped up—“OH!! It’s Human Connection.” Boom. The Power of Human Connection is literally for and about everybody. Like I share in my keynotes, everybody’s a body! I love it and it’s endlessly fascinating in all ways which makes my work all the more gratifying and inspiring to me, while in service of others.
Fox Tales: Do you do a lot of speaking in the media industry?
Johnson: With a longtime love of media and press pros, it’s always a particular delight when serving the media industry. I keynoted at RTDNA (Radio Television Digital News Association) this year (2024), have been interviewed many times on TV, radio, newspaper and magazines, podcasts and live during all my years in business. Every single opportunity to be available to media and press: I’m in! In every encounter I get curious about the reporters and journalists who are making time to talk. It’d be a big honor and delight to serve more media-industry teams and groups, for sure. Some of my dear friends are media people, having started with a simple interview. Media is on the front line of the freedom of speech, which we all must diligently protect and nurture. The media and press have my deep respect, gratitude, and support.
FYI—one of my previous businesses was a marketing agency, so the special place in my heart for marketing is also a party room for media, press, journalists and publications pros. Marketing equals connection.
Fox Tales: What kinds of dynamics do you find among these companies? Is there a particular need in the macro sense?
Johnson: Everyone is starving for human connection. The dynamics of human connection are limitless because we’re a very social and interdependent species. The health of teams and companies, associations and groups are all aligned: They’re all craving the deep meaning that belonging provides. Life isn’t about inclusion, it’s about belonging, which I’ve been studying and teaching to much longer than it’s been a buzzword. Frankly, you won’t get cultures and countries and companies of diversity, equity, inclusion, access and justice WITHOUT focusing instead on belonging first. When we focus on building the beautiful belonging we all want, then we realize all the other aspects of healthy and helpful community.
The needs on the surface level are often described like this: “Our team needs to learn how to communicate better with each other. We need to build leadership skills.” As well as “We’re struggling to recruit the right people, or keep staff/fill the position.” That’s true with every single organization! Every one of them. The dynamics to address these realities don’t start with skills, they start with purpose. What is the purpose you feel and progress you manifest based on the purpose you are aligned with in your life, which includes work?
Macro and micro are interrelated, so to separate them won’t be helpful. It’s like the myth of keeping professional and personal separate. That’s a recipe for disaster! In my experience, it’s also highly unhelpful, dangerous, and touches the passive-aggressive realm. We are better people and we make better decisions and build better lives when we are utilizing our trifecta: Head, Heart & Guts in concert. Yes, we all use them in different proportions at different times. And to use them all helps everyone, most especially ourselves first.
Fox Tales: If there were one thing you’d like your audiences to take away from your presentations, what would it be?
Johnson: All audiences are invited by me to be a seeker: To be willing and fully open to finding one thing that resonates with them. They get full opportunity and responsibility to be curious and choose that one thing that moves their needle. One size fits one size. My message and work are all always founded in the remarkable power of human connection. I’m the teacher, the deliverer, the performer, the speaker. It’s up to the audience to be the student—curious and ready to grow. Life isn’t about bullet points, talking points and outcomes. Life is about experiences that change us. That’s what I promise and deliver with the right client partners who are also seeking the very same impact.