Expressing Values by Walking Away From 2 Million Dollars
“Walk the talk”
“Actions speak louder than words.”
“I’ll believe it when I see it.”
These powerful cliches were born from the habit of holding folks accountable who say they believe or value something, and behave in ways that are counter to those beliefs. We all struggle with this gap between who we want to be and how we behave, and closing that gap brings a radical alignment between our inner worlds and our outer impact, and is where real meaning and fulfillment can be found. That feeling of alignment is like getting peanut butter to meet jelly, or wasabi hugging sushi.
My guest on the Sway Them in Color Podcast today exemplifies walking the talk, as we explore when he took an act of courage by walking away from a 2 million dollar venture capital offer because it wasn't in alignment with his values. Davion Ziere, aka Zi who goes by the pronouns: we/us/ours/and he is the Founder of Origyn and Illuminator of the Origyn model, which is an Online community-based marketplace that sources from traditionally marginalized suppliers, empowers consumers to track their economic footprint and shop in greater alignment with their values, and re-invests back into the communities the platform serves as the platform grows. Zi is an artist, serial post-growth entrepreneur, and writer, and was formerly #1 Sales Leader for TESLA and has both successfully generated millions of dollars through his startups and turned down millions of dollars from investors who were not aligned with his organization's values. Zi has successfully empowered organizations, artists, students, and many more to be their best selves not only by traditional metrics of success, but also in alignment with clear values.
In this conversation we explore
+ why survival is a driving factor of perpetuating the status quo
+ how even marginalized people can perpetuate inequitable practices if they aren’t conscious of the systems around them
+ how curiosity is a tool that can help you not only survive but thrive when experiencing uncertainty
+ 3 key things all leaders need to reach their fullest potential
+ what love teaches us about work
Take a listen with the link below or, Apple Podcast, Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts.