Talkin' Tennessee with Yvonnca
Talkin' Tennessee with Yvonnca
Behind the Orange: Jordan Brantley Prewitt's Vol Journey
Jordan Brantley Prewitt's journey from a small-town kid to becoming a driving force behind University of Tennessee's alumni athletic events reveals what truly makes someone a Volunteer. Attending his first UT football game at just two years old planted seeds that would eventually blossom into a career dedicated to creating unforgettable experiences for the Vol Nation.
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Check us out to hear the latest on life in the volunteer state. Yvonca and her guests discuss everything from life, love and business with a Tennessee flair. It's a Tennessee thing, always relatable, always relevant and always a good time. This is Talkin' Tennessee, and now your host, yvonca.
Speaker 2:This episode is brought to you by Turning Knox Rental, your go-to for event rental services. We have selfie machines, 360 photo machines and food servicing machines that you can rent out to give your parties the best experience possible. Get the TKR experience with Turning Knox Rental. You can find us at wwwturningknoxrentalcom.
Speaker 3:Welcome back to Talking Tennessee with Yvonca. I am your host and I am here with a dear friend of mine. His name is Jordan Brantley Pruitt from the University of Tennessee. Welcome.
Speaker 4:Thank you so much. It's such a pleasure to be here.
Speaker 3:Well, let's start it out. Let's tell the viewers exactly what you do for the University of Tennessee.
Speaker 4:Yeah, so I'm fortunate to work with our events team in the Office of Alumni Relations, and I oversee our athletic events both home and away from Knoxville, and right now it's a great time to be involved.
Speaker 3:We're winning across all the boards, so it's a great time to be involved. We're winning across all the boards, so it's a great time. But I kept telling me about this person named Jordan and she was like you just got to meet him. You just got to meet him Because she knows I'm an energy person, she knows I'm one of these people. That's like I've got to feel a genuine relationship.
Speaker 3:So I went to a tailgate setup. I walk up, Jordan has got something in his hand. He was trying to remove the fencing for the vendors to come in. And I walk up to Jordan and I'm like my name is Yvonne Calandas, I'm with Turner, and most people would be like, okay, this is not the time.
Speaker 3:This is not because it was so much going on viewers at this time. I mean, it was people everywhere but Jordan took out 10 minutes to introduce himself to me. He literally talked about let's Connect. You know he didn't make me feel like go away, lady, I don't have time for you, I'm trying to do a tailgate. And that just stuck out to me, Jordan, because it was like you do such big events, very personal events for the Vol fans, the donors and sponsors and everything, and you took out time to talk to me for 10 minutes. You didn't make me feel like just go away, and so that to me was like oh my gosh, I've got to get to know this person. So I'm shouting you out to say thank you for not making me feel small that day, even though you were really busy. Do you remember that?
Speaker 4:day. Oh, I remember it vividly.
Speaker 3:I remember it vividly.
Speaker 4:Because I would be lying if I said there wasn't a part of me. That was like what? What just happened?
Speaker 4:Like cause, it's cause it is such a high, like your brain is firing on all cylinders during that moment. But, um, yeah, no, I mean to me, I think it. It comes back to like the people that you meet, like you surround yourself with good people and you treat everybody the same, and that's something that, you know, I've learned at a very young age, and so for me, it was always impactful to be able to, regardless of what's going on in my day or my time, like nothing, nothing is above me.
Speaker 4:stopping for a moment to be present for someone else and that's how you made me feel.
Speaker 3:So, everybody, let me tell you where he's from. He is from Smyrna, Tennessee, and we have that bond of coming from a small town. You are taught to really treat people with kindness. We're taught, you know, everybody puts their pants on the same way. Their pants may cost more, but you still do one leg at a time, and so that's the way I was raised and I feel like that. That's the way you were raised. So that's why I think that you treated me with such kindness that day and you were like okay, you know, be sure, you know, just email me and we will connect. You made me feel like that I was somebody, even though you had all this going on. So tell me this what, coming from a small town, what made you go down the road you're going down?
Speaker 4:Yeah, that's a good question. I appreciate those kind words and I do think that, coming and from where I come from and being raised raised how I was raised, is it was always priority to treat others well, right, and to and to make sure that, regardless of who somebody is or where they come from, or whatever they bring to the table, they get treated exactly the same way as the next person, and so I still try to carry that with myself today and use that in all interactions I have with people. Yeah, so Smyrna was the epitome of a small town, so those who don't know, Smyrna.
Speaker 4:It is where the Nissan headquarters is. And that's pretty much all it's known for that's true, yeah, we got a movie theater when. I was in high school, so that was exciting. We got a Target, yeah.
Speaker 1:So that was exciting we got a target.
Speaker 4:Yeah, uh, so that was great. Uh, before that it was just a skate center and a good old community pool so yeah, so no, I mean I will say that my family. I came to my first tennessee football game when I was two years old and um really I did.
Speaker 4:Yes, I came to my first tennessee game when I was two um, but I am a first generation graduate of a university and so the goal for me was just Tennessee or bust. To be honest, when I was in high school I was so motivated to really get out of Smyrna. I feel like I had. I feel like I had kind of seen that side of me that was like I'm I'm just not meant to stay here, like there.
Speaker 3:That I totally get that.
Speaker 4:There was something in my core that was just like you're meant to expand and go somewhere different. Not to discredit anyone who stays in a small town. I think there's a place for everybody, but for me it was just like I knew that Knoxville was a place that I felt very drawn to. I had a lot of self-discovery to do. I grew up in like a very conservative, very sheltered lifestyle growing up, and so I wanted to see the world, if you will, and for me, the world was Knoxville.
Speaker 3:It's two and a half hours from home, but it felt like the world Right. So you got the itch at two.
Speaker 3:You went to a game. You got an itch and let me just say this viewers, you know some people are diehard fans and then there are some people that they like Tennessee but it's just like okay, if we win, we win, if we don't, we don't. Let me just tell you that's not Jordan. I'm telling you now, that is not. He is all balls. You are the epitome of the best fan out there. You work for the university and at the same time, you cut his arm and I know you're going to see orange because you really believe in the university, higher education, you believe in collaboration. The biggest thing. When I was reading about Jordan, he said that two people that made a mark on his life was Padhead Summit. We're going to dedicate this podcast episode to Pad Head Summit and her legacy because she has touched so many. The second person was Dr Martin Luther King. And tell me those two people. Why did they make a mark on your life?
Speaker 4:Yeah, well, I want to jump back really quick to something that you said, which was talking about all of those things about loving the university of tennessee. And when I took my first official visit, uh, tennessee was the only school I visited, um, I didn't go anywhere else. It was the only school I applied to, so I was really putting all my eggs in one basket. Um, yes, but all of those things rang true when I came on that student, like prospective student visit, and they still ring true now. All of those same things. Right, like, I have an unwavering support for the university. I am so passionate about making the university better for the next generation of student and the next generation of alumni, so all those things still ring very true to me. So all those things still ring very true to me.
Speaker 4:But, yeah, pat and Dr King are two people that I just think leave really monumental footsteps in your life. I agree, we were together for a short period of time before um, before she passed, and it's not always what people say, it's just what you observe, right, it's. There's so many things that she taught me just by watching her and listening to the things that she said, um, and just seeing how she treated people right. You you made a comment earlier about like treat how we treat people, and for me it was that the custodian walking through Thompson Bowling was treated the same way that the highest recruit coming to campus was treated.
Speaker 3:She treated that was her.
Speaker 4:She treated everybody the same way and she was never too big to stop and give a handshake. Not that I am in any way shape or form comparing myself, but in in that regard of like we could have been, you know, going on a trip or something, someone stops her in an airport and she stops and she talks and she takes the picture, and I mean I could go on endless dialogue about how impactful she is to my life still is today.
Speaker 3:She I can speak to that. I played basketball all the way through school, high school and everything. And I went to her camp and I'll never forget the first year I went. We were coming out, going back to the dorm and she drives up in a convertible Mercedes. I didn't know, I knew who she was, but I had never met her or anything. She pulls up and literally says, do you want to ride back? And I was like I'm shell shocked, you know. And then I'm looking this beautiful Mercedes, convertible Mercedes she had and I get in. She talks to me like she's known me my whole life and literally takes me back to the dorm and she literally tells me kid, just keep going, keep going. If that's your dream, keep going. And so I can speak to that she. It didn't matter what your position was, it didn't matter what job you were doing. She treated people with kindness and respect and that's a great thing that you picked that up from her and you got to observe it.
Speaker 3:Sure you know what I'm saying. So what did Dr Martin Luther King do for you? You know what I'm saying, so what did Dr Martin Luther King do for you.
Speaker 4:I mean, in general, the, the trailblazing and the admiration for standing up when it's easy, but always when it's hard. Yeah Right, I think that's what I think about is, in life, it's very easy to stand up when you are in a situation where you know other people feel similarly to you, a situation where you know other people feel similarly to you. But when it's a difficult situation where you might be the only one in the room who feels a certain way or or has a certain perspective, to stand up and voice that um in in what might be a contentious environment and I think that the, the quote that I referenced back a lot with Dr King says you know, life's most persistent and urgent question is what are you doing for others?
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 4:And that.
Speaker 4:I try to always be right and I try to ask myself that question of like, what am I doing for other people? And a prime example that I've really tried to embody that is with our events. Now we um with our athletic events, we've been able to partner with nonprofits in all of the cities that we travel to for our tailgates and we give back to those local cities through our events. So I'm checking a couple boxes there, right. It's like that's that is thinking about other people, but it's also investing into a community that most people be like. Why?
Speaker 1:do you?
Speaker 4:want to invest in Athens Georgia.
Speaker 1:Right, Like we're the Tennessee Vols.
Speaker 4:Why are we giving back to Athens? But it's like that's the epitome of what it means to be a volunteer, Right it's not. It's not just about what you do in the 865. Right, Like everywhere that you go you carry that beacon.
Speaker 3:I think a lot of people think of. That is we're the volunteer state. Yep, what is a volunteer? Right? You know what I'm saying and so I get that You're. You know, you're going to different cities, you're applying what you were taught. And Dr Martin Luther King was very outspoken, you know, and everybody didn't like everything he said. But I believe in speaking up, I believe in giving someone else a voice. Giving someone else strength, you know, by my voice, is okay. If I see something is wrong, it's my duty to speak up. It's my duty to say hey, let's come together and we may not have to agree with everything, but let's come together and work for the greater good.
Speaker 4:Well, I think a recognition that I had to learn as an adult, especially in college, was the privilege that I carried into spaces that I had not really ever had to consider before, and you know, so for me it's not always. It's understanding that, as a white man in the South like I, probably have the opportunity to speak and say what I want when I want, and understanding that privilege. So when my colleagues or my friends that don't have the same opportunity to do so know that I have their back right.
Speaker 3:Excuse me, viewers, Now do you see why I love Jordan? Because he truly believes and he understands.
Speaker 3:I'll never forget having a meeting with you and I won't tell you everything about the meeting but we were just going over things and he literally stopped midstream and you explained that you were like I know I have a privilege of things that I could do or say or whatever that you haven't been able to do. That and acknowledgement is key. It is key and to be able to say, hey, let me help someone, that I know that because you gave me a voice. You know, and it's really big when a person has a voice in other areas but they don't have a voice in that area you literally said I'm going to help give you a voice, you know that type thing and I think that speaks to who you are, you know, as a person. So, okay, so the elephant in the room, I'm going to say this he graduated from University of Tennessee but he went on. He went on.
Speaker 4:You can't even say it without giggling.
Speaker 3:He went on and got his master's at the University of Florida. Yes, I did yes, and so tell us what made you go down that path.
Speaker 4:Well, listen, I, as a diehard Tennessee fan, I'll never forget. I was a sophomore in college and I knew that I wanted to work in athletics in some regard. And I went down the staff directory on the UT athletics website and just blanket emailed people to see if they would take a meeting with me, just for me to be able to say this is who I am. Can you help me guide me on this path? I'm not looking for a job, I'm not looking for an internship, just give me advice. And, unbeknownst to me, like the deputy AD at the time, his name's Chris Fuller, still a good friend of mine um responded like the next day, not a secretary.
Speaker 4:Like he responded. He was like hey, do you want to get breakfast next week and we can talk about your dreams?
Speaker 3:Oh, wow.
Speaker 4:And I was like I then then of course I go back and I'm like Google search, who is Chris Fuller? And so then I'm like Google search, who is Chris Fuller?
Speaker 4:And so I'm like oh snap, like, this man is very high up in this field and he invested shock yeah, that I would reach out to him like a cold email, you know. And so he invested in me through all of my undergrad time and that has honestly been to your point, like remembering that, like there are students that would love to see themselves in a similar career or in an opportunity, and never being too big to take that time Right. He met with me maybe twice a semester, but those hour long coffee conversations were years of advice that he was able to pour into me.
Speaker 3:So all that's amazing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so all that to say.
Speaker 4:I come to him junior year and I'm like I want to go to grad school, I wanted to get a, I want to get a degree in sport management and, as you would not be surprised, in my typical fashion I came with a notebook that had all of the schools I wanted to go to, the requirements where I would need to be, all that good stuff, and Tennessee was the first choice. And he pulled it out of the notebook and I said but that's, that's where I want to go. And he said that might be where you want to go, but where do you need to go? And he said you are blindly faithful to this university and that's okay. You love the university of Tennessee, but you need to get experience somewhere else. So it will create an even larger respect for what we have here on Rocky Top.
Speaker 3:I get that.
Speaker 4:And he was right.
Speaker 3:I didn't think about that, but I get that.
Speaker 4:So he was right. I was down to two schools, I was down to Kentucky and Florida and I interviewed I'll never.
Speaker 2:I'll never, I'll never forget.
Speaker 4:I interviewed at Florida in Coach Summitt's old office in the basketball locker room, which I was just like this is kind of serendipitous, you know and then on my birthday.
Speaker 4:I was in a history of rock class and I got a phone call and it said Gainesville, florida. And I slipped down into my seat in the class and answered the phone and they said hey, jordan, you know we want to offer you this postgraduate internship. It's fully paid, we'll provide housing for you and it'll be a full scholarship. And I said I'm whispering, right, I'm still in class Whispering. And I said can I have a day to think about it? And they said you're our first choice. If we're not yours, we'll go somewhere else.
Speaker 4:And I was like I just remember in that moment, like every impulse in my body was like say yes. You knew you had to move Every impulse in my body was say yes On the opposite side, whereas going up to that point I was like please don't get in.
Speaker 3:Right, it's like everything in my body was like it's not going to be the best. It's not going to be the best. It's not going to be the best. I'll apply, but I don't want to get it.
Speaker 4:Right, and it was. It was the right choice for me. I actually got a call the next day with a full scholarship from Kentucky and I called my mom and I was like what do I do? I've already accepted this job to Florida. And she said are you a man of your word or are you going to backtrack?
Speaker 3:And he's a man of his word, and so I went.
Speaker 4:I stayed with my commitment. I went to Florida and had the most challenging but full of growth two years that I could have ever had.
Speaker 3:It was the most difficult thing for me to move away from home and to be that far away from my family.
Speaker 4:But it put me in a whole new environment though, where I, I think at Tennessee, I was fortunate to have have built some type of relationships and reputation with people, and I was starting from ground zero, right. So it was like I've got to build this reputation of what I can do and show my skill set and earn this degree, and I think that tenacity side of me kind of came more like to the forefront.
Speaker 3:But think about it God really allowed you to get the experience to what you do today.
Speaker 4:Oh, absolutely.
Speaker 3:Because, if you think about it, you travel all over the country with the University of Tennessee.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:But Florida was your first place to really go see it totally different than UT and get that experience so that you could bring it back to the school that you love and know what it's like to do things the Florida way, Tennessee way, that type thing. It just really positioned you to see it outside of University of Tennessee.
Speaker 4:Well, and it humbled me because there were things that Florida was doing that was better than the way things we were doing here Right, and and to your point I say all the time when people, people jokingly say when they see my office, cause my Florida diploma is on the right hand side and I made sure it's smaller than my Tennessee diploma but it's it's, they're side by side.
Speaker 4:And every time people say, oh my gosh, like I can't believe you did that. And I always say I wouldn't be in this chair if I didn't have that piece of paper. There's no doubt in my mind.
Speaker 3:So what led you? Let's go back a little bit. So you went to Florida.
Speaker 4:Yeah, you got your degree what led you back?
Speaker 3:Was it just your just I love University of Tennessee or was there something that just led you back to it?
Speaker 4:Yeah, I mean I think when I left Florida I actually worked in Atlanta for a year for the college football playoff with the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and that was really a turning point for me because I saw the corporate side of athletics Did.
Speaker 3:I hear this resume. That is awesome.
Speaker 4:Yeah, so it was a really cool experience, but I just realized that the corporate side of athletics was not really where my passion was. I felt that the relationship building piece was something, that I was strong at and I wanted to and it's something that I felt a lot of value in.
Speaker 4:So I really wanted to get back to a place where I was able to build long lasting relationships with people. And I reached out to a colleague at Tennessee and he was like I have this limited duration job as a hall director at Tennessee and I was like I don't know the first thing.
Speaker 4:The only thing I know is I was on call 24 seven in grad school and I don't want to be on call again as a professional. And he was like I just need you to come in and fill the seat for six months and then maybe you can find something else at UT and you can transition. I was like okay, and so I took that job and after six months I was. I was hooked. I was like this is so much fun. It was basically like being in college again, like you're hanging out with all these students all the time, getting to like, show and teach them. You're getting to be a counselor while also being like a first responder, while also being you know a mentor.
Speaker 4:Yeah, you get all the snacks and all the free t-shirts, um. And then after about three years in that I had kind of lost that same motivation of like I really wanted to settle down, I wanted to meet somebody and start a family and really begin that next phase of my life. And so at that point an opportunity opened in the alumni office and I've been there ever since, so that was in 20, I've been there for now six and a half years.
Speaker 3:So six and a half years, so years. So six and a half years, so, um, so you went and did the hall director uh job and stayed there three years and when it was time I applied for the job that you have now oh, a very different job than what I have now.
Speaker 4:It was a very different job.
Speaker 3:So let's talk family a little bit, yeah, and then we'll go back tell everybody your family, yeah, he has a great husband, he's got a great husband and y'all are such a great looking couple me and adrian talking about that so please tell us about your family no, thank you.
Speaker 4:Um, I was so blessed coming back to knoxville to after a little bit of time and through some uphill and downhill battles, I pulled my friend Tony aside. She lives in Chicago now and I told her I was like if I don't meet somebody in six months I'm leaving, like if I, if I don't meet somebody in Knoxville by the end of this year that would have been. That would have been like twenty eight, twenty eighteen, twenty nineteen, twenty nineteen.
Speaker 3:How did you'all meet?
Speaker 4:We met on a dating app. Okay, yep, we met on a dating app.
Speaker 3:That's what most people do now I know.
Speaker 4:I know it was wild so we met on a dating app.
Speaker 3:You might need help, Adrian. Okay.
Speaker 4:I can chip in Different app. But we can help, but no, I mean I told her I was like if I don't meet somebody then I can't. I can't stay here Like I've got to find a place where I can meet somebody. And obviously there's not a lot of queer people in Knoxville, it's not a hyper common place to find people.
Speaker 3:Was it the first? When you first met him, was it like love at first sight? Oh, absolutely no. I'll tell you a really funny story. I'll tell you a really funny story.
Speaker 4:So everybody knows Jacob for one thing His teeth.
Speaker 3:Yes, the man has an incredible set of teeth. Okay, so the picture on his. I noticed that at the alumni game.
Speaker 4:Yeah, All the time. I was like the amount of people that will comment on a holiday card that we send out and be like, look at those teeth and I'm like great to see you too. No, so he literally walks. He, he, the picture he used on his dating profile. His mouth was closed and I'm a teeth person.
Speaker 3:I am too.
Speaker 4:I'm a person. It might make me superficial, but I'm like. You got to have a nice set of teeth.
Speaker 3:There was a guy when I was growing up was the finest thing there was and I never forget. He opened his mouth like wide one day and his teeth was not intact.
Speaker 4:Like.
Speaker 3:I wanted.
Speaker 4:And you can't do it. No, so I'm the hateful person. He opens the door and I say can you smile for me? You did not. Yes, I did. You did you know me? I'm not. I'm not the one to be indirect.
Speaker 3:So I was like oh my God, that was hilarious. I was like could?
Speaker 4:you just go ahead and show me a smile and the next thing I said was why do you not have your teeth in your profile picture? Because you have a beautiful smile. I was like it's so good, but what's so beautiful about that is that probably like six months after we met, um, I might get emotional, but he, um, he posted a picture of the picture that he had on his profile and then he posted a picture of him then and his mouth was open in every picture with you with us and, um, he just talked about like how that joy had come back into his life and I think we both had fought for such a long time feeling like we couldn't really be ourselves and not really finding a space where we ever felt safe to be ourselves.
Speaker 4:I get that Knowing that when we met each other and we were very confident very quickly that this was going to be our forever, that we might not have the support of people in our lives and having to be okay with that. And it's a wild position to be in, to feel like you have to choose at some point of like. Do I continue to progress with this person that I want to do life with, while also maybe having to let some people go who I thought I?
Speaker 3:was going to do life with.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah, and so but he yeah.
Speaker 4:And he's, and he's everything to me. He's, um, he's wonderful, he is the yin to the yang. He softens me in so many ways. I tend to be very, like I said, direct and, um, maybe a little too direct at times. This soft spot with me that just he can challenge me in ways that are so healthy and just knows how to communicate with me, unlike the way that anybody else does, and, um, I, I mean I have not only met and married the love of my life, but I've married my best friend and it's different.
Speaker 3:I tell people this I'm like cause some people will come to me and David, you know for advice and all that, and they'll be like you know how marriage and I'm like. I'm like because some people will come to me and David, you know, for advice and all that, and they'll be like you know how marriage and I'm like I'm sorry, I can't relate to it that way because that's not our relationship. And when you have your best friend that you can wake up every day and know, even when you're having down time, like when you're just not lining up, at the same time, it hits totally different when you're with who God called for you and you know without a shadow of a doubt that this person truly wants the best for you. There's no competing, there's no any of that negative. I just think I wish everybody could feel that Jordan.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Because I'm like it just totally hits different. I could tell that just by y'all's pictures. I'll never forget I don't remember if I had a friend at him or not different If I sent a friend request to him or he sent one to me. I can't remember how we became friends on Instagram and it made me look at your pictures. And I looked at the pictures and I was like that's who he's in love with. You could totally see it in the pictures. Because I'm just one of these people. God gave me the gift of sight and so I can tell when it's phony and I can tell when it. You know, but just even by y'all's pictures, you could totally tell that it was just a chef's kiss.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I mean it's it really is the thing that I'm probably most grateful for, and um, I will, I will be transparent. I had really hit like a rough patch in November, december and my mental health had started to deteriorate and I was having a lot of these challenging thoughts that I was really combating with. And in those conversations it was because of previous relationships. It always felt like I was going to wake up one day and he was just going say like I can't do this anymore because I was.
Speaker 4:I felt like I was just such a challenge for him and to be in a space where you feel that and you feel like he never, he never, ever wavered, like on my darkest days, on the days where I was like at the doorstep, where I was like I physically don't know if I can do it today. What do you need, honey? Like tell me what you need, how can I, how can I be there? And how he poured into me and it was one of those things that not only did he pour into me, but he never made me feel less than and he knows that that is important for me. I'm somebody that, like has fought very hard to go to where I am and to be in certain places, and so if I feel inferior, that is like a major, hard, hard place for me to be in and um, that's what David does for me, and he just like he lifted me up through all of that and was just.
Speaker 4:You know I would.
Speaker 3:I would get strong. It's real, yeah, and I mean I feel like I would make progress.
Speaker 4:and then he would I would have a bad day and he'd be like your progress is progress, like you're making it, like you we're going to get through it. Yeah, we're going to get through the season and I think to be in that it is seasons. Ain't it? I mean, and I mean it is, if it's real.
Speaker 3:It's real, you, you, you acknowledge that yeah you're gonna have the ups, the downs and around. Yeah, keep going. I was just gonna say.
Speaker 4:I think that what comes back something that I'm so grateful for him and our relationship is how we communicate with each other. There's nothing that's off limits, there's no conversation that can't be had, and it's also the acknowledgement with the other person of being able to say hold on. I'm going to call the bluff on this, Like let's chat through that.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 4:Or like let's hash through that part of the conversation. Yeah, he's the best so.
Speaker 3:I'm so grateful. So what? When you decided to work for University of Tennessee, the alumni department, to see the alumni department, what was your first thoughts of what you wanted to bring? As an event coordinator, event planner, what did you want to bring? You know, because you were already down at Florida. You came back here and you already did a totally different job than the one you're in now. So what was your vision?
Speaker 4:I don't know if I had one. I don't know if, when I took my first job in the alumni office, that I came in with like a very clear. This is what I bring to the table. Something that I think is like consistent in me is that I don't feel like I've ever achieved enough, and I'm working on that in therapy.
Speaker 3:Look we all. Therapy is good, therapy is good.
Speaker 4:It stems from how I grew up and wanting to be the best and never settling for anything less than being the best, and I think that that mindset of perfection got in the way for me, a lot Of feeling like I had to be perfect all the time and everything that I did. And if we want to get real deep, that whole perfection piece is the coverup piece right Of like.
Speaker 4:I wasn't allowed to be who I actually am, so if I'm perfect, then it shields the fact that I'm a gay guy in Smyrna, tennessee and I can build this persona. I can build this reputation.
Speaker 3:That is really not who I am Right, but it will make people should be able to be who they are and what they want to be but it will make people question me less right However many walls I can put up and be good at certain things.
Speaker 4:um, then less people will question who I actually am Right. And so when I came to UT, I think my mindset was just like what can I pour into this university? What? What do I even bring to the table? I think a lot of it for me was like I don't bring anything. I'm not good enough to be here.
Speaker 1:I just felt very blessed.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I didn't feel worthy to be there.
Speaker 4:Um, and then I started to realize, through time and experiences and trials and failures and success and success, that there are so many different things that I can bring to the table when it comes to what we're, what we're trying to accomplish. And I I really challenged our team to think about like we can rinse and repeat all day, Like I can throw a tailgate day after day after day and make it like let's just go.
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 4:But what are we actually trying to accomplish? What is the goal of this event?
Speaker 3:What is the moment?
Speaker 4:What are?
Speaker 3:we going to create that nobody else can create and give everyone that comes to that tailgate a moment of no matter what you've been going through through the week or whatever.
Speaker 4:You had that two hour window Exactly.
Speaker 3:Exactly, and I think that, jordan, you really put your heart and soul in the event, because I know, for the short amount of time that me and you've been doing business, you've even stepped up our game into creating even more. You know, so I want you to know that, and everybody needs that push of okay, let's create something totally different, cause I can be thinking this way and you can say well, you're talking to that and I will go to a totally different way, and you need that. You know what I'm saying Because if you don't grow, you know what I'm saying and you're a creative person. A creative person thrives on growth if you think about it.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:So at the University of Tennessee, what can you say that you really wanted to develop in your role?
Speaker 4:you really wanted to develop in your role. I really felt like the. It's funny that you use the word creative. That's something that a lot of my team members say and I can tell you for for fact that I was never called that uh prior to being in this role.
Speaker 4:Oh, I was about to say like nobody nobody ever called me creative and I think what's so wild is that when I'm doing the right thing, like right, when I'm in the role that is the right fit, right, then that creative side really starts to flourish. And I think what I feel most proud of in events that we do it on campus, whether they be marquee events or athletic events or anything is we are. We are focused on the participant experience. We're not thinking about like um, I will say I often create more work for myself, right, like let's let's just call it like it is so I will think of things that I'm like is this going to make my life more difficult?
Speaker 4:Yes, maybe, but how is the person coming into the event going to feel about it and I think that that is really what I've brought to the experiential side of our events is thinking about how that first ball game for that little kid that's two, like I was that comes into the tailgate is going to feel about his or her first time on Rocky top. Or that alum who's been there and a season ticket holder for 50 years, Like my grandpa was, and how are they going to feel when they get to see this really cool thing that we've created?
Speaker 3:And are they going to feel different, like it's not the same old, same old. You know what I'm saying. I'll tell you this, viewers Um, the very first event that we did with Jordan, he got our inflatable dome and I'll never forget having a conversation with you and I said you got to decorate it. I said, jordan, decorate this dome. I said, make it look different from everybody. That's done this dome. And, hands down, you did it.
Speaker 3:And I'll never forget Adrian coming to me and in our mind was he was going to decorate this dome. It was going to be orange and white and this is what we was going to do. And I'll never forget the day Adrian coming to me and she goes mom, I saw it. Yeah, she was like I hope you have some blue. And I'm like what, what do you mean? And she was like Jordan just put blue in there. And I was like what? And she was like, yep, hope you got, I hope you got that balloon.
Speaker 3:But when I tell you, hands down and I am not saying this because you're sitting in front of me, hands down, it was epic, that putting in that one color to honor, you know, pat, and the legacy and everything, and just it was epic, it was so many people. Even to this day I mean literally, I hope I can say this publicly a college literally reached out to me and said how can I get? And they literally said they saw the dome from alumni. So it wasn't all the other different domes, and keep in mind, this dome has been on Neyland, okay, and you would have thought that would have stuck.
Speaker 2:Sure.
Speaker 3:But the college said, no, the one you did for alumni. And literally told me what my dome looked like and I was just like Jordan did that, that type thing.
Speaker 3:And that's what speaks about you, jordan. You don't do just the basics, or you're not a person that does the bare minimums, or OK. Well, this is a tailgate. I'm tired and let's just do this. That's just not in your DNA, it's okay. How can I? Okay, georgia game was this way. Alabama game is going to be this way. You know, it's never the same thing, and I think that's the reason why you've been successful in your position and your team. I want you to know this. They rave about you when you're not around. They really do, and they'll always say I'll quote what Chelsea's like he's always going to create something. You know that type thing, and I just even the energy of your team. You know it's like they're all about getting it done and giving each person experience, and what I love is that y'all are together. It's not, oh well, one person shining. Y'all are truly a team.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And let's talk about that. Yeah, what is your team like? How? How does it make you feel putting it together with your team? Each a moment?
Speaker 4:yeah, you know, and it's funny, these I want to go back really quick and talk about the balloon dome too, because go ahead. I think that speaks to like what I have felt really special with events is that it doesn't always have to be something drastic, like me stepping back and saying let's put Summit Blue in. There is minute, but what is the impact? Large, right. So I think sometimes when you're looking at events, people are like, oh my gosh, we have to make this big, grandiose thing. And it's like, no, I mean we do want to make it impactful, but like can we make a small touch that has a huge impact?
Speaker 3:That was like game changer. And I think well, for once, smokey never wanted to get out of the dome. Smokey had a ball in the dome and I just think that it brought a different energy and I think it just Truly honored.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Pet Summit.
Speaker 4:It was a cool way to show a little nod, I mean you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 3:And just it made every other UT event. Yours was separate, you know, and it was like this is alumni. You know that type thing, because I'll never forget when the college reached out to me and they flat out said we want that look, and I was like wow. And I remember texting you telling you about it. And I know that should make you. I hope it made you feel good that another university wanted your look.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I mean it does. But I think that speaks to your next topic of teamwork, and I think that that's something that I try really hard to be mindful of in all situations. Is that? I mean, I think sometimes when you're in a leadership position, it's difficult, right, Because you're in the position where if something flops, people are looking at you, but if something great happens, people may never say anything or may never realize right. And I think one thing for our team that I try really hard to be always cognizant of is making sure that respect and recognition is given where it is deserved.
Speaker 3:Let me say this to the viewers Jordan. I told Jordan I want him to take a picture in the dome. Okay, jordan gave me what I wanted.
Speaker 1:Okay, because I knew the picture was going to be awesome.
Speaker 3:But right after you took that picture, you literally told Jenny, leslie and Chelsea come on, come on, come on, let's take a picture together. You didn't want that moment just for yourself. You brought everybody together and that picture. You wouldn't believe how many people comment on that picture and keep in mind y'all. This has been months ago and they still talk about that and that stuck out to me because it was like you know what I didn't do all this by myself. Let me bring the team together.
Speaker 2:Not even close.
Speaker 3:You know that type thing and that speaks volume because we're in a world that people want to shine, people want to be the it. You know they want to, you know. And it speaks volume on how humble you are, because it's like I didn't put all this by myself.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I mean, I think I've just realized through time and experience and different supervisors right, supervisors right, like just being being led by different people that it never really got me far to take credit for everything, whether I did it or not, you know. So like there's there's times where I would rather not nitpick, you know Jordan did 60% of this or 20% of that. It's just, it's collaborative.
Speaker 4:I think, I think our team in general is just a functionality of like it's collaborative. I think our team in general is just a functionality of like we know who is responsible for what, or what we call like the event lead. But we also know that without each heartbeat in that room, that it would never have happened. And a prime example is like yeah, the dome was a great idea and I'm so glad that we did it, but Chelsea's the one that paid for the dome, leslie's the one that suggested where to put the dome. Like all of those things wouldn't have happened without each person's contribution.
Speaker 4:So I think you know it's. I think the true epitome of a leader is someone who is able to recognize when they have surrounded themselves with people who are more talented than themselves. Yes, I totally agree with that. And I was going to say and I think the thing about that is is that in our team, it's not who's more talented than the other, it's putting the right pieces of the puzzle into the right place. One of our skill sets might not be the same as someone else's. So, recognizing what talent and skills and attributes one team member brings to the table, I don't need to replicate that. They're already bringing that to the table. So what talents and skill sets can this person bring to the table? That take us to the next step. Right? So if each person is bringing their A game from their silo of their personality or skill traits to the table, then we've got four A games across the board, which makes us perform at a high level.
Speaker 3:There you go, so you're at the University of Tennessee and there, and University of Tennessee is thriving right now, yeah, and every sport we're thriving, yeah. So here is a viewer question. Okay, so when you're planning a tailgate or you're planning an event, where do you start? This is a viewer question. Oh goodness, where do I start?
Speaker 4:this is a pure question uh, goodness, where do I start? Um, I analyze. The first thing I do is analyze. I step back and think about who's coming to this, who are we inviting? Um, what is the target? Is it or what goal do we have right? Is it to get a certain amount of people in the door? Is it to get a certain type of people in the door, and what do we want them to leave with? What's the lasting thing that we need them to take with them after they leave? And then for me, it starts with building out the event proposal. So I will start by pulling in all of the parties. Just speak to your point. I try always to remember to send an email after every season concludes and thank all of the people who never actually stepped foot on ground. It really does who?
Speaker 4:never actually stepped foot at a tailgate.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 4:But without them it would have never happened. We're talking the people who build the emails, the people who build the graphics, the people who do the social media posts. All of those people contribute to the whole process. So my first thought is bringing all those people into a room, sitting down around a table and let's collaborate. What can I do to make each one of their jobs easier? So if I'm going to my person who's going to be sending out tens of thousands of emails throughout the season, maybe they have a suggestion about the way that we did that last year that we could do in a different way to make it more cohesive for the next year, or the way that we collect registrations. We could take this question off. That might make that go easier, or whatever the case may be. So I think not pretending like I'm the expert at every juncture- is the biggest key.
Speaker 4:Like I'm going to rely on those people's expertise to guide me and how to make the event the best it can be.
Speaker 3:Well, that's it, guys. We're going to have a part two next Friday. Tune in, bye, guys.
Speaker 1:Thanks for listening to Talkin' Tennessee with Yvonca. Watch out for our weekly episodes from the First Family of Real Estate and check us out on the web wwwyvoncasalesrealestatecom. See our videos on Yvonca's YouTube channel or find us on Facebook under Yvonca Landis and Twitter at Yvonca Landis, and don't forget to tell a friend about us. Until next time. Yvonca signing off.