In this episode continuing our Athlete's Voice series, we welcome Marcus Allen. He's a former athlete turned charismatic public servant dedicated to making the world a better place. With over 20 years of experience as a CEO, Marcus has been a visionary leader in improving the lives of those in need. He's a sought-after speaker, known for his passion, and has even been inducted into a college sports hall of fame.
Marcus had a short NBA career, but he never took his success for granted. Even during his playing days, he kept his feet on solid ground and avoided getting caught up in the fame. When he retired, he experienced a void and went through a period of depression, searching for something that would fulfill him. Eventually, he found his passion in helping young people through mentorship programs like Big Brothers Big Sisters, which he has been the CEO of for nearly 20 years. By connecting them with caring, compassionate adults, he helps kids discover their own purpose and gives them the support to achieve it.
The Biggest Helping: Today’s Most Important Takeaway
“None of us are perfect. We live in a world that we're so quick to cancel folks or to criticize. It's so easy to write people off for the smallest of things. Our young people need people to believe in them in spite of. We have to give them grace, the same grace that was given to us. If it came to light our worst day, if it came to light to the whole world, we would be embarrassed. And a lot of people wouldn't mess with us because they saw something that we did in our past. And I'm asking, I'm hoping that we don't let ourselves shrink to the least of ourselves, meaning it's so easy to criticize folks and to disown them and try to bring people down. I want people to build people up. Let's think about how we are redemptive, that all of us deserve the second chance and some of us deserve a third, fourth, and fifth chance. And I think that is something that I hope resonates with people because otherwise, I don't know how we are going to get ourselves out of these challenges that we're facing today.”
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