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Lamar Butler, founder of LB The Motivator talks with Michi Lantz about rebuilding after a layoff, chasing paid speaking work, and why execution, not just talent or certifications, becomes the real business challenge.

Guest Bio:

Lamar Butler, affectionately known as LB, is your friendly neighborhood Hope Dealer. While his background may make him seem like an average statistic, his life speaks volumes to God’s grace and provision. From an early age he knew greatness was in his future, but he had no idea what trials and tribulations he would face along the way. Each time he fell or hit a wall, he learned how to get back up and keep going, turning failure into a teacher rather than a burden. From his small town of Society Hill, SC he ventured to Montgomery, AL leaving behind family and going into the unknown space of Alabama State University. While on campus, he found success that he had never experienced, but also felt the pain of loss that shifted everything.

By the time he graduated college in 2018, he had a list of accomplishments that made him not only confident in his future, it made him determined to make an impact. LB became an 8th grade science teacher through the Teach for America program and returned home to SC. What better way to have an impact than teaching the future of our country from the same school he was once a troublesome student. In the classroom is where LB The Motivator was born, and the journey to become a well known and respected speaker began.

He used his personal life experiences as fuel to help his students fight depression, anxiety, self doubt, and other obstacles in life. He made it his personal mission to make sure they felt seen and valued while in his space. Unfortunately, what seemed to be an upward trajectory turned sour rather quickly. After his two year commitment, he was faced with the difficult decision of leaving teaching as COVID-19 ravaged the entire world. His transition was into the federal government working for AmeriCorps as an Eli Segal Fellow. He would stay with the federal agency from 2020-2025.

Once again his talent and skills were recognized in the workplace, and when he represented the agency at high schools, career fairs, and major conferences around the country he always brought his own flavor to enhance the impact of the moment. The job brought comfort, and comfort brought on complacency. LB stopped chasing his dreams and original goals, and simply focused on showing up for the job, the job he would eventually lose through no fault of his own. With the change of administration came a new focus, one of reduction. As the government reduced its workforce, LB lost his job and the pathway he saw to the life he desired. This loss sent him to a tough space mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, however this space is exactly where God needed him to be.

Job loss sent him searching for a way to provide for his family and he has also returned him to the space of alignment with his dreams and God’s will rather than just his wants. Since then he has had to lean on God to make ends meet and provide a path to restore what was lost. He is now currently working in the restaurant industry, serving on a nonprofit board, building a business with friends, managing musical artists, preparing for his first child, and working on his first book.

LB is learning how to use all of the skills he developed working as a teacher and for AmeriCorps to help others get closer to their dreams, uplift communities, and rebuild his personal brand. Lamar lost a lot because he lost himself along the journey, and in order to find himself again, God had to strip away everything that was pulling him in the wrong direction.

Connect with Lamar Butler

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lamar-butler-476a56b3/
Instagram handle: @wheres_LB

Resources or websites mentioned in this episode:
Mirasee

Credits:

Host & Producer: Michi Lantz
Editor: Michi Lantz
Executive Producer: Danny Iny

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Episode transcript: Building a Speaking Business After a Government Layoff coming soon.