Kevin Neal

Every individual is essentially a book filled with unique stories. However, many people walk through life never knowing or embracing their own story. It is your responsibility to take the helm, write your own story, and live by it. In this talk, we will cover the following: - Many people see themselves as bystanders in life and in stories they read. - Every life is a book, but most people read their lives instead of writing them. - To be a leader, one must learn to lead themselves by writing their own story. - Choosing your own path makes you the headliner of your own story. - Allowing others to write our stories takes away our power, voice, and unique perspectives. - Writing our own stories means taking responsibility for our own biases and prejudices. - We must actively work to understand and dismantle systemic barriers to create a more inclusive and equitable world. - Take control of your own story and use your unique perspective and experiences to create positive change

ImaginationNo great discovery, invention, or solution has ever been developed without imagination. Humanity is the only creature with this superpower, but we are slowly allowing it to diminish. In this talk, I share that imagination is the most powerful force in the universe. I discuss how memory and imagination impact our lives. While memory can be helpful in keeping us safe, it can also box us in, paralyze us, and prevent us from exploring possibilities. Imagination, on the other hand, allows us to soar into the unknown, reach for the impossible, and find solutions that memory cannot. The audience is encouraged to live from imagination and not memory because imagination is more important than memory.

Soup is a dish that most people have at some point in life tried and usually enjoyed. A nice hot bowl of chicken or vegetable soup on a cold winter’s day hits the spot. One thing that is essential in every soup recipe is the necessity of several ingredients. Without other ingredients, soup is just water. However, when you add other ingredients, onions, peas, peppers, salt, etc., you have a delicious dish. When we allow life, community, job, and school to become a collective of only one ingredient, it becomes just like the water. The differences in cultures, backgrounds, and experiences do not take away from us; they add to us. It is the combination of various tastes, textures, and flavors that makes the soup so delicious. Boiling a pot of water does not make soup. Don’t believe it? Taste the soup.