“The two most important words that you can say are I am”, says Jimmy Carrethers, inspirational speaker, teacher, personal development trainer and life coach. “But be careful with that because whatever you attach those to those words, you become.”

When Jimmy Carrethers was a young boy, he struggled to find his voice. He was so afraid to speak that when he was just 8-years-old he locked himself in the garage, lined up all his stuffed animals in a row and proceeded to preach to them from the Bible as he balanced himself on a stack of milk cartons. It was there, he says now, that his public speaking career really began.  

His childhood was not an easy one. Marked by violence and without positive role models, he struggled with confidence and self-esteem.  That is until one day when a martial arts teacher told him he believed in him and things began to change.

On the podcast this week we talk about the power we have to change the course of our lives. About what happens when we learn to believe in ourselves and help light the way for others. Jimmy’s “preaching” is full of story, humor and of truth.

As an inspirational speaker Jimmy educates people on how to build self-esteem, self-compassion, and develop great communication skills in order to create a working and learning environment that promotes social/emotional wellness. Jimmy’s desire to help people reach their true potential has made him one of the most admired and sought after speaker and trainer. His experience in the power of human potential, combined with his dynamic, humorous, and inspirational speaking style, makes for an exciting and motivating environment.  He encourages people of all ages to “Live with PASSION!!” and to realize that your “PAST is NOT your POTENTIAL”.

Jimmy has worked with several non-profit organizations, providing coaching and training and is now teamed up with Mr. Michael Pritchard, PBS Host Comedian at Heartland Media Foundation. Together they have traveled around sharing their incredible, captivating and inspiring message of HOPE, LOVE, COMPASSION and TEAMWORK.

You can listen to his episode here.