In a world of data dumps and back-to-back Zooms, we often measure success by what gets done. But what about how it feels? We recently sat down with Grammy Nominated Spoken Word Artist Sekou Andrews, a Vanguard Artist who has become one of the most inspiring voices in the world by turning corporate stages into concert halls of human connection. We wanted to talk to this trailblazing Motivational Poet about the “energetic receipt” of an interaction, and why leaving people better than you found them isn’t just a nice idea—it’s the best business strategy of all.
The Art of the Aftertaste
You talk about the “energetic receipt”—the feeling you leave with someone after an interaction. In a business world driven by KPIs and bottom lines, why should that be our primary focus?
Look, we’ve all been there. You leave a meeting, and you feel… what? Drained? Processed? Like you just sat through the reading of a phone book? That’s a bad receipt. You got the information, but you feel worse for it. It’s like eating a nutrient bar for dinner. Yeah, you got the calories, but did you have a meal? Did it feed your soul? We get so focused on the transaction that we forget the transfusion. We want to do the data dump, check the box, get to the point. But your people, your clients, your team—they’re human beings first and business cards second. They don’t just want the point; they want to feel the point. The energetic receipt is the aftertaste of your presence. Is it bitter, like a meeting that could’ve been an email? Or is it like that first sip of rosé on a Friday, that feeling of ‘ahhh, that’s it’? The goal isn’t just to be heard; it’s to be felt. Because the memory of a feeling, the echo of a goosebump—that’s the data that truly lasts. That’s the ROI that no spreadsheet can ever capture. You can’t expect to inspire loyalty if you leave people feeling like they need a long nap and a stiff drink. The work of a true Spoken Word Poet is to craft an experience, not just a message.
That makes sense, but so many of us are running on empty. We’re not personal, we’re just ‘busyness.’ How can we possibly leave others feeling better when we’re completely drained ourselves?
Ah, the great paradox of the hustle! We’ve been chasing the next level so hard that we’ve achieved next level burnout. We got next level overwhelm, next level sleep deprivation, next level cholesterol. Whose belt is this anyway? We confused getting bigger with getting better. You cannot pour from an empty cup. You can’t be a signal for someone else if your own battery is flashing red. We have to stop treating rest like a weakness and start seeing it as a performance strategy. It’s a strategic recharge. The world doesn’t need another ‘success junkie’ running on fumes, bragging about their four hours of sleep. It needs leaders who are so full, so present, so human that their energy is contagious. You can’t give what you don’t have. So the first step to leaving other people feeling better is to make sure you feel good. Take the airplane mode for the soul. Go to the well. Fill your own tank. Because when you show up fully charged, you don’t just light up a room; you have the power to recharge it. Your well-being isn’t a luxury; it’s the prerequisite for making anyone else well. It’s the foundational verse in your own life’s Spoken Word Poetry.
So, once we’re charged up and ready, what’s the secret to actually creating these positive energetic receipts? How do we move from just delivering information to delivering inspiration?
You stop speaking to business cards and you start speaking to human beings. You stop reading the room and you start writing a new story for it. And the ink for that story? It’s your own vulnerability. Your own humanity. It’s the story of the scar, not just the score. It’s the B-side. The front of the business card just talks to someone, but the back, the part with the coffee stain and the kid’s doodle on it? That’s the part that dialogues with someone. It’s about using story as the vehicle and data as the destination. Nobody remembers the list of Cinderella’s chores, but they remember how it felt when she finally got to the ball. Your audience wants that. They want to feel something. They’re dying to feel something! They just don’t know how, especially in a corporate setting. They’re looking at their boss to see if it’s okay to laugh. You have the power to give them permission to be human. When Grammy Nominated Poet Sekou stands on a stage, I’m not talking to a room of cardiologists; I’m talking to the human beings who are trying to bounce back from loss, who feel unseen, who just need to know they’re not alone. The secret is to find yourself in their story by first letting them find themselves in yours. That’s how a Spoken Word Artist creates connection. That’s how you leave an energetic receipt that says, ‘I see you. You are not alone. We’re in this together.’
Final thoughts for our readers?
Your legacy won’t be written on a balance sheet; it will be brailed onto the skin of the people you’ve moved. It’s in the goosebumps you create, the hope you inspire, the permission you give people to bring their whole, messy, beautiful, human selves to the table. That’s the work. That’s the whole point. So go out there and leave an echo of inspiration. Go give the world goosebumps.
