Hi everybody, it’s top youth motivational speaker Jesse LeBeau here, and today I want to tell you a story about a former NBA legend, Danny Schayes, his son, and the Olympic speed skater, Apolo Ohno. Danny’s son asked Apolo a question, and the answer was: To win, you have to work hard ALL the time. (I’m paraphrasing, but you can watch the video on this page to see his exact words!)
Now, Danny’s son heard this from his dad many times, but hearing it from Apolo? You bet that hit home differently! At The Attitude Advantage Program, we say Apolo had the ‘same message’ but was a “different messenger.”
Almost every parent can relate to Danny’s story. Sometimes, we just need to hear things from a different person than our parents make it stick. And that’s why I believe in the power of mentors and their impact when it comes to preparing teens for a life where bumps in the road ahead are inevitable.
Teenagers can learn a lot from people who are not their parents, (aka mentors) especially, if they are people the teens look up to. According to the research from Youth.Gov, positive outcomes include things like better grades, higher self-esteem and better relationships with parents, teachers and friends just to name a few!
Take it from Danny’s story – hearing advice from athletes or other “cool” people can really make it stick. So we utilize this principle our 1 on 1 teen coaching sessions, we make sure that every teen gets a chance to chat with a mentor they respect, trust and that’s how we help our teens grow!
So, the ‘same message, different messenger’ nugget really does work wonders on teens’ learning and growth. Like Danny’s son, learning about hard work from a big-shot person can pack quite a punch.
We give teens what they WANT (role models they look up to, fun activities, a community they can connect and laugh with) so we can give them what they NEED (real talks about important topics, the tools to handle all the teens issues they are facing, and a team that will support and hold them accountable).
In our teen program we focus on teaching youth about resilience, confidence, and how to keep pushing ahead no matter what. We make sure to let tons of ‘different messengers’ share their wisdom with your teen!
So, if you think your teen would benefit from hearing a ‘different messenger’, why not book a youth speaker for your school or event or schedule a free 1 on 1 teen coaching session for you (the parent) and one of our teen experts to come up with a game plan to best help your teen get through whatever area of their life that needs improving. We are here to help your teen thrive! You can book your call here.
