18: Leaps of Faith with David Mays

07/08/19 • 71 min

David Mays is Senior Public Relations Manager at Amazon where he oversees multiple high impact initiatives. I actually worked with David in my former life at Amazon but we never had a chance for an extended conversation. But as they say, better late than never and today's conversation makes me wish I'd done this earlier. Turns out we have much in common, besides the common employer and the pathological need to run long distances. Prior to Amazon, David has had an expansive career across multiple industries, including public news, the department of defense, and healthcare.

David's father was a Methodist minister and David remembers moving frequently from small town to small town as a kid. He came across a group of runners in one of these towns and insisted on joining them which led to him running his first marathon at the age of 13. This initial catalyst has sparked a lifetime of running, coaching, and the ability to deal with adversity. David has an amazing ability of coaching civilians into champion runners in just about all the places he's worked - this includes coaching his now wife and clinical psychologist Janice Alley who won her age group during her first half marathon race and continues to race competitively today.

In today's episode, we talk about David's childhood and how it sowed seeds for his current narrative, we talk about success as it relates to running and mentorship, and we talk (corporate) talk and explore how David has helped some of the world's biggest corporations shape their own narrative.

Quote

"Running as a discipline has always been something that has prepared me for adversity, for always having two or three option plans when things go wrong , [for] failure and the ability to overcome failure, [and for] the desire and ability to mentor and coach and help others"

Notes

childhood stories and frequently moving
overcoming obesity and running first marathon at age of 13
thoughts on running, mentorship and facing adversity
inviting and coaching non-runners into competitive athletes
taking leaps of faith and working across different industries (public news, defense department, oil, healthcare, consumer, etc)
supporting the CEO of Kaiser Permanente and defining corporate communication strategy
making decisions in short and long time frames
"davy gravy" and work under Bush administration
vision for the future

Closing

inspiration
- long distance mentee, captatain in US army, and competitive runner and triathlete suffered medical condition with unsuccessful surgery
- seeing her handle situation with calmness and resiliency
surprising fact
- used to play the violin
principle
- treat other people the way you want to be treated
closing notes
- kind words about the podcast and interviews within (thank you David)

Links

These shownotes are also available at http://folkstories.org/18

Quote

Notes

childhood stories and frequently moving
overcoming obesity and running first marathon at age of 13
thoughts on running, mentorship and facing adversity
inviting and coaching non-runners into competitive athletes
taking leaps of faith and working across different industries (public news, defense department, oil, healthcare, consumer, etc)
supporting the CEO of Kaiser Permanente and defining corporate communication strategy
making decisions in short and long time frames
"davy gravy" and work under Bush administration
vision for the future

Closing

inspiration
- long distance mentee, captatain in US army, and competitive runner and triathlete suffered medical condition with unsuccessful surgery
- seeing her handle situation with calmness and resiliency
surprising fact
- used to play the violin
principle
- treat other people the way you want to be treated
closing notes
- kind words about the podcast and interviews within (thank you David)

Links

These shownotes are also available at http://folkstories.org/18

Previous Episode

17: Following the Filmmaker's Journey with Bao Tran

Bao Tran is a professional filmmaker currently raising money for his first feature film, The Paper Tigers, a "Kung Fu indie feature film about three guys who are one kick away from pulling their hamstrings".

Despite knowing that he wanted to do film from watching kung fu movies as a kid, Bao got a degree in computer science as it was the responsible thing to do for someone that is the child of immigrants. This tension between following your dreams and doing what is expected is a theme that is explored both in film and in life for Bao.

Outside of The Paper Tigers, Bao's editing credits include CHO LON, one of Southeast Asia’s highest-budgeted action blockbusters, and JACKPOT, a heartfelt comedy selected as Vietnam’s official entry to the 2016 Oscars for Best Foreign Film.

In today's episode, we talk about kung fu and the action movie genre, we talk about what its like to fundraise for a film, and we talk about telling a good story and what that might mean.

Quote

You have a lot of people you might start out with earlier on but they kind of go their separate ways or they go civilian as we say... Its just industry is very tough and its very hard to keep going and continue doing this.

– Bao Tran

Notes

how Bao's love of kung fu films let to a career in film
pursuing passion vs fulfilling family expectations
marketing and sales for people that would rather do anything else
Bao's first feature film - The Paper Tigers
film fundraising and kickstarter
diversity and shooting with a mixed race cast
shooting action movies and telling stories

Closing

inspiration
- as artist, always looking for the work that goes behind art that looks effortless, really impressed with Beyoncé's homecoming
surprising fact
- have a background that is not just film (eg. computer science degree)
principle
- the golden rule
closing notes
- always looking for people that could support the film and want to help - if that's you, reach out

Contact

Bao's website: http://pov-films.com/
Bao's email: [email protected]
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tranquocbao/
Socials
- Twitter: @_thepapertigers
- Facebook: @ThePaperTigersMovie
- Instagram: @_thepapertigers

Links

These shownotes are also available at http://folkstories.org/17

Next Episode

19: Hospitality and Community with Alex Mondau

Alex Mondau is the Community Ambassador at the Collective. The collective is a co-working space located in Seattle's South Lake Union, and is described by its founders as an urban basecamp for the mind, body + soul. Alex started The Collective Seattle one and a half years ago with business partners Tommy Trause and Scott Barber in order to create a diverse community where people can build genuine relationships as well as find refuge from life outside the walls.

Prior to founding The Collective, some of Alex's former roles included selling sustainable real estate and working tables at the Agua Verde Cafe. As a kid, Alex wanted to be an adventurer and spent time in the mountains of Nepal trying to be a mountain guide in the Himalaya.

In today's episode, we talk about hospitality and its tight feedback loops, we talk about The Collective and its origins, and we talk about community and ways of fostering it.

Quote

I fell in love with hospitality industry. You could succeed or fail every five minutes...for hours in a row and your feedback loop was so tight that you really get to know whether you were meeting that customer's expectations.

– Alex Mondau

Notes

childhood growing up in Olympia and wanting to be an adventurer
selling sustainable housing and green real estate
feedback and the hospitality industry
The Collective Seattle and its origin
building community at The Collective Seattle
lessons and challenges of community building
next steps for The Collective Seattle

Closing

inspiration
- spontaneously going paddle boating at night to appreciate nature
surprising fact
- good plumber
principle
- look for opportunities to be generous
closing notes
- recognize Native American tribes and communities that stewarded this place
- figure out to be good stewards of this place