Talkin' Tennessee with Yvonnca
Talkin' Tennessee with Yvonnca
The Blueprint: Creating Community One Event at a Time ft Jordan Brantley-Prewitt
Beyond the logistics of planning, this conversation uncovers the profound personal connection driving Jordan's commitment to excellence. With remarkable transparency, he pulls back the curtain on his process for March Madness planning, where he simultaneously books venues in eight different potential tournament cities, prepares comprehensive run-of-shows for each, and then pivots instantly when brackets are announced. "The plan's already made," he explains, highlighting the meticulous forethought required in high-stakes event planning. His approach combines forward-thinking preparation with nimble flexibility, always maintaining composure when inevitable changes arise.
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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 my friend, jordan Bradley Pruitt from the University of Tennessee. This is the part two episode that you do not want to miss. Let's get started With University of Tennessee being so on right now. Does it for football season 2025,? Does it feel like a different level of pressure?
Speaker 4:No, I'm driven.
Speaker 3:He said he's driven.
Speaker 4:I'm driven, I don't, I'm not, and hear me, he's already probably got it all planned out.
Speaker 3:I'm telling you Well, yeah, we're working on 2026, right?
Speaker 4:now, yes, no, I mean, I am always going to try to challenge myself and to try to take things to a different level. We said that last year we did our first tailgate in a baseball stadium in downtown Charlotte and it was the biggest tailgate we've ever done. And I went to the leadership and said I want to rent out a baseball stadium and I want to take over the whole stadium and do a tennessee tailgate there are y'all hearing this?
Speaker 4:you know it's, it was like are you sure? And it's like, yeah, like when I get that affirmation of trust okay then and feel trusted from the people who are in those positions. That's all I need.
Speaker 3:How often do you get no?
Speaker 4:Probably not much. I wouldn't say that I often get no, which I think speaks to the leadership of the people that are in place. That doesn't mean that I don't get challenged. Okay, so I think there to the leadership of the people that are in place. That doesn't mean that.
Speaker 3:I don't get challenged, okay. So I think there's a difference, and the reason why I'm asking you that is for other event planners that are out there in that position of high volume, because you have volume, okay, tell the viewers that would say how do you accept that and how do you move from that?
Speaker 4:Right, I think my goal is, if I'm going to pitch something, if I'm going to bring any idea to the table, I'm already going to have all of my ducks in a row of why that pitch is going to create a value add or some benefit to the people who are going to be there. And I jokingly said this to you before the call. But we were talking about the Kentucky game and like doing a trip for the Kentucky game to Kentucky, and I told our leadership team, I said, if we go do a standalone tailgate at Kentucky, it's not going to be worth it. The amount of people that just want to drive up and back and don't really want to take the time out of their day is substantial, so we don't get a huge turnout for that. And they were like cool, take it off the list. Like we trust your judgment, go forth and prosper. So then I go back to the table and I'm like but that doesn't mean we can't do anything right.
Speaker 3:That doesn't mean we can't. It's like I just told you that wait a minute this is the situation. So I think it's like so I didn't say no, right? So?
Speaker 4:when I made the pitch for an up and back trip where we charter buses and we create experience for fans. I'm coming into that with a you know. Here's what this is going to cost. This is how much revenue we could generate. This is the amount of people we could impact. This is how we're going to do it. I'm already making sure I think the world of an event planner is making sure you're doing a ton of legwork for things that may not even happen.
Speaker 3:Are y'all hearing?
Speaker 4:that, and you know, right now we're getting ready for March Madness, right? So there's eight different cities we could go to for the first round and then four cities. I have different venues booked in all of those cities Like I've. I've prepared.
Speaker 3:So he doesn't do events just for football. Please explain that part of your job. Yeah, but your job is more than just football.
Speaker 4:Yeah, so we have what's called Rocky Top on the Road and we do that for football, men's and women's basketball, softball and baseball. So, uh, during football season, I with our, in coordination with our team, do tailgates for all the home football games, um, except for usually the week of Thanksgiving, and then we will take Rocky top on the road for different away football games throughout the year. So, like Florida, alabama, the kickoff game this year is in Atlanta. So we'll go do big tailgates in those cities for our fans who are traveling. And then, during basketball season, starting with the SEC tournaments, we travel with both men and women and support them on the road as well, doing events in all those cities. And so for March Madness, this is where it's about to pick up steam. For me is the challenge is that you're preparing for a dozen cities, only one of which you're actually going to go to, so I'm reaching out to venues Because you still have to prepare.
Speaker 4:Yeah, because you still have to prepare. So I'm reaching out to venues in Seattle, Washington and on Sunday of this week we may hear that we're playing in Cleveland, Ohio, and I got to go back to that venue in Seattle and say thank you so much for your time. I appreciate you holding this for me, but we're no longer going to Seattle, we're going to Cleveland and then, when you have to pivot, how is it?
Speaker 3:high stress, I would say the high stress is just with the pace.
Speaker 4:Like, I think you have to be comfortable moving at a very fast pace, especially with basketball, because it's not just about getting a venue right.
Speaker 4:Then I'm pulling list of alumni who live in that area, making sure they're notified about the event, when it's going to happen, what time it's going to happen, who's going to be there, all of those types of things. But then that communication has to also transcend throughout the university system, making sure that I give the chancellor's office that information, making sure that I give our team that information so all of their constituents can be informed of what's happening and where we're going. What we have found is that our tailgate tends to be the landing spot for everybody, right? So we don't want to alienate any member. They don't have to be an alumni to come, they can be just a fan. But this is where Chancellor Promen goes when she's on the road. This is where Danny White stops by when he's on the road. This is where the VFLs and LVFLs come when they're on the road. So my goal is to not have to have anybody email me on Selection Sunday and say what's the plan for Cleveland Ohio.
Speaker 3:No, no, no. The plan's made, the plan's already made.
Speaker 4:So I have 10 run of shows that are ready to go and I'll delete nine of them on Sunday and I'll send the one that goes and that's, and we'll move forward.
Speaker 3:That's amazing. That's amazing, but a creative mind can do that and, and I think, a lot of people in event planning and you can speak on this for me, because we're going to talk about march madness in a minute okay, uh is the biggest thing I think with event planning is, for one, you have to have a plan, you have to be organized. You've got to know, okay, what your client, whoever it is, what their expectations are, yeah, and you know, and you have to know, okay, how many people you're expecting. And I think a lot of times, people in the rental business or event planning or whatever I see, some are not as organized, some are not as well put together that they want to pull it together at the very end. And to be a good event coordinator to me, you have to be a person that can organize something and it runs smooth and not wait till last minute, do you?
Speaker 4:agree with that Absolutely.
Speaker 3:I think a lot of people nowadays, because there are so many things out here in the world that people want to dip their feet in that pond of. Oh I can throw an event, I can do this or whatever. But if you're doing any event, from small to large, but especially high volume, okay, you cannot just run off of I don't even know the word for it.
Speaker 4:Like fly by the seam of your pants.
Speaker 3:Yes, yes know the word for it, like fly by the seam of your pants. Can you speak to the audience about what would you say? Okay, there's three things that you need to have.
Speaker 4:Oh gosh.
Speaker 3:Because you are the best of the best. Well, I don't know about that I and this was a viewer question as well.
Speaker 4:I don't know if I can say there's three things that you have to have, if you meaning from a personal standpoint or from an event standpoint.
Speaker 3:Both you can combine.
Speaker 4:I my the way that I like to function as an event planner is I'm going to build relationships with people here in Knoxville that I know I can rely on at a high level, that are going to treat people the way that I would expect them to be treated.
Speaker 3:So, and he requires that, trust me.
Speaker 4:We're bringing a high level of customer service. We're bringing a high level of intentionality to everything that we do. So I hate to say the word easy, but Knoxville is fairly easy for me because it's like if I'm, if I'm, tasked with putting something together, I know who I'm calling for balloons, I know who I'm calling for event activations. I know you know it's like I have those people that I've built those relationships with.
Speaker 3:It's harder when you go on the road because you're trying to all those people have the same spirit of him.
Speaker 4:Right, and that's exactly what.
Speaker 3:I was going to say it has to be the same spirit of him.
Speaker 4:I have to convey that to someone who I haven't actually met and make very clearly known like this is the expectation that I have of the product that you are delivering or the customer service that you are delivering.
Speaker 3:Let me add something to that. I'll tell you one of the personal things I think that event coordinator has to have. They have to have a support at home. They have to have somebody that gets that. You're going to miss some things, you're going to sacrifice some things.
Speaker 3:You know you're not going to get to go to every family vacation, you're not going to get to go, you know, to a birthday party. You know you're going to miss some things. And so I really think a lot of people need to understand is that when you go in this type business, you have to understand there will be a lot of sacrifices.
Speaker 2:And.
Speaker 3:I know that if I was speaking to your husband he'd go yep, I thought I was going to do this one weekend and Jordan said we're going to do this, so we're going to do this. And so I think that would be one of the personal things that you would have to have as a coordinator is someone that is going to support your dream, your vision.
Speaker 4:And I think that that's hard right when you want to be like I want to be with Jacob as much as I can, I want to be around him as much as I can. You know, this week, for example, I'll leave on Wednesday and could be gone to Sunday, you know, for the SEC tournament. So you know it's balancing that out with him and understanding like what can, what can I do prior to going. That can maybe be special for us.
Speaker 4:Or maybe he comes on Friday, if we make it to the saturday game or something like that, you know, and trying to have those moments together. But yes, I totally agree, like the, the support system at home is one. I think um, I'm going to use the word forethought I think you have to be forward thinking in um in, in how you're going to execute in advance, like it's just impossible to me to do it any other way. Um, I jokingly say to people and they're like that's not serious, but like the fall's done yes it's it's planned.
Speaker 4:All of the tailgates through november are planned yes, and that's not to like toot my own horn. It's because when we get there. I can't plan it on the week of, like I have to have those ducks in a row.
Speaker 3:You have to plan ahead, yeah, and you have to be innovative and and really and truly evolve as you go.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I would say that those are two really big things on the personal side, I think. On the event side, um, I think, well, this kind of speaks to the personal side too. I think that the how I carry myself is how it will trickle down to everybody else so when you talk about earlier, like do I put pressure on myself? Or like do I feel the pressure of the university? I don't feel necessarily the pressure of the university. I feel the pressure because I respect the university to a degree.
Speaker 3:Jordan in his head is saying do more, do more, we're not done. Yeah, I think for me.
Speaker 4:it's like an event. I, the pressure I put on myself, is like if I might be having an internal panic or something isn't exactly the way that I thought it was going to be. Not letting that flow out to the people around me, Right, Because the people who are going to be checking people in or the people who are going to be doing the photo booth or whatever it is, I don't want them to see that I might have that little hiccup inside me.
Speaker 3:That's like you got to have that poker face.
Speaker 4:You got to have it, you got to have it and you can't wear your feelings on your shoulders, even when it's not.
Speaker 3:You know the idea that you were thinking of. Okay, I've got to deal with what it is right now. What's in front of me?
Speaker 4:I think it comes back to flexibility. Right, I think at the event atmosphere like I've never done an event to this day that has gone exactly how I thought it was going to go. There is always something that is a little bit different or that you have to change a little bit.
Speaker 4:So I think, just being in those spaces where, like again, we talked about this earlier, but that perfection that I can tend to put pressure on myself, for if I'm at an event and the vendor comes up and says hey, I know you wanted this to look this way, but because of this we're going to have to do it this way, the first gut response is but that's not the way I pictured it.
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 4:But the secondary response is is the way that they do X actually going to impact the people who are here, Right? So I have to shift my brain to think about if somebody walks into this event that knows nothing about it. They've been not a part of the planning process whatsoever, I'm supposed to know all of the things that are supposed to be a certain way, but it wouldn't make a difference to them for it to be this way, and if the answer is no, it's probably not that crucial.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so you have to pick your battle in your mind. Absolutely, it's picking your battle. So let's talk about March Madness. Let me see. First we're going to speak about three weeks.
Speaker 3:Three, four weeks ago it was alumni weekend and we were brought in turn. Us was brought in to give an experience to the alumni and their families. Uh, I did not realize who I was going to be honored. I just it was, you know, spread the moment we were putting it together and shout out to miss katherine. She was amazing to work with and I saw my friend go out and be honored. Um, but what stuck out? When they called everybody out, all of the Lady Vols, the different staff, just everybody that was being honored that day, what stuck out to me is that my friend Jordan is walking out there. He's being honored for his works.
Speaker 3:But you were so humble and it was just. You were celebrating everybody's win. Your family was there and it was like that moment of that's why I love you so much, because you are just that guy you are. You make people feel like that, they matter, and even when it's your moment, you share your moment, because I wish you would have seen yourself that day. I was just sitting there staring at you like that's why everybody loves him, because you don't make it about yourself, you really don't, even though that was a moment about you, it really was.
Speaker 3:And I think that you, I think Pat Hedgesummit, would be very proud. I think she would say to Jordan today thank you for what you've done for the university. Thank you for making people wanting to come, making people feel comfortable in their own self. You know, because Pat Hedgesummit was all about the community at University of Tennessee. It was about building a community at a college that Georgia couldn't give it, florida couldn't give it, kentucky couldn't give it, but University of Tennessee could give it. So I want you to know if my opinion, if Pat Hudson was here today and she saw you when you walked out, that's what would be going through her head. Is he gets it. So tell me what was going through your mind. Sorry, no that's okay, sorry.
Speaker 4:I think that's probably like one of the greatest compliments anybody can receive, so I very much appreciate that you don't need to apologize.
Speaker 3:She's proud.
Speaker 4:I think if I was in that position and thinking about what Pat would say um, I asked myself that a lot, like I asked myself that at work a lot you know what what would Pat do? Or how would this? How would she feel about X and Y? And I think a lot of my core values have been consistent with what I imagine hers would be, of making sure that every person feels celebrated, regardless of what identities or challenges or whatever they bring to the table, that they always feel like they have a space to be themselves and be supported. That they always feel like they have a space to be themselves and be supported. I think she would feel like. I think she would respect and feel that you know the way that I try to enter a room is humbly, in all circumstances, and understanding that.
Speaker 4:I don't know it all. You know I love collaborating with people, I love talking through concepts and ideas with people and I think, lastly, you know the first thing that's. It's funny that you say that, because the thing that stood out to me about that was the managers were all like there were two of us that were there and we naturally went to the end of the line, because it's not about us.
Speaker 4:I guarantee you that nobody in that arena knows who I am or what my contribution is, you know. But the players go first, right, and I think I truly felt. When I came into college, I was very cocky, I felt like I had it all together. I was the one stop shop.
Speaker 3:David said the same thing.
Speaker 4:And I became a manager for the Lady Vols. And you want to talk about getting humbled real fast. You're doing women's laundry five nights a week, are y'all?
Speaker 4:hearing that you know, that's where you, that's where you see a whole other side of it and I was like, oh, like, this isn't about me, Right? Women to look the best possible way that they can look and perform at the highest level because they deserve to be, to be in that space, Right? So whatever is within my control, it comes back to that right. Whatever's within my control to impact. That's what I'm going to focus on. I've, I've always thought you know, when you're, when people try to get promotions or people try to move on to the next job, First question I always ask is are you excellent at your job?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'll say, I'll say this. I understand that because I think you know this. David play was on Pat Hedson's practice team her very first male practice team and David said he came into college. He said my ego was so high. He said I thought that I was it. And he was like the 90s was everything he said. But when I went on her court I got humbled real quick.
Speaker 3:He said she did not allow arrogance on her court, and I think that's what you and David can speak to. Her legacy is she taught you how to be humble.
Speaker 4:She taught me so much more than just humility. You know she she the the ease of how, like you think about it, right, You're looking at this court and there's 15 women on it. Yeah, Probably 12 of them were the best players in, not just in their high school, in their state. They were the best players in the country. That's a lot of ego on one court, yes, and did you ever see an ounce of it?
Speaker 3:No.
Speaker 4:Because that wasn't allowed. It wasn't about Candice. It wasn't about Shemeika it wasn't about. Tamika, it was about the team. How is the team going to be successful. Shemeika is going to get her 20 or 30 points right, but she can't get it without the point guard, she can't get it without the screen and she can't get it without the screen.
Speaker 3:And I'm glad you mentioned those three because those are legends.
Speaker 4:Oh yeah.
Speaker 3:And they showed teamwork and they showed how to a sisterhood yeah, unreal.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 3:I mean.
Speaker 4:I got to meet Shamiqua for the first time a few weeks ago, for we do some virtual events as well that I fortunately get to be a part of. They're all about athletics and we always have a VFL or LVFL guest, and that was the first time I'd gotten to meet Shemekwa and you just want to talk about a phenomenal human being.
Speaker 3:She was here for what was it?
Speaker 4:She came and spoke.
Speaker 3:Dr Tavi Small had her for their breakfast brunch and her and David hadn't seen each other since college. You had to see she was up there speaking and she turned around and she saw David and she literally stopped. She was like Dave, it's so great to see. She was so happy to see David. It had been so many years and I just. It was a great time and a moment for David to reconnect with his friend, someone that he highly respects. You know, I had met her like years and years ago, but it had been so long ago so it felt like meeting her again and you would have thought we had known each other all this time and even now, like on social media, we'll sit and talk or we'll literally DM each other that type thing.
Speaker 3:She's just a good person person.
Speaker 4:I think one of the things that I love about the Lady Vols in general is just when you, when you bear that uniform. You know that each person has gone through or been in some type of similar situation for you as you have. You know, and there's a there's an underlying respect that I think comes with that is, if somebody comes up to me and says I was a manager for the Lady Vols in 2023, while I was a manager in 2013, I immediately switched my perspective, immediately changed.
Speaker 3:Totally different yeah.
Speaker 4:Because I'm like I know what you've been through.
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 4:I know what you've gone through.
Speaker 3:And you know, the thing is that is a moment in memory, that is a moment and and memory that you will be able to keep for the rest of your life. Yeah, and you'll be able to tell the next generation. You know this is how we did it, but you know you can do it even better. You know, as a manager, dah, dah, dah, dah dah.
Speaker 1:And.
Speaker 3:I think that's the best part about it is you can literally say I helped shape that. You know. I did my part, you know. So March Madness.
Speaker 2:Let's talk about March.
Speaker 3:Madness.
Speaker 4:It's here.
Speaker 3:It's here. What besides the game part? What can we expect from alumni?
Speaker 4:Yeah, well, it starts this week. We're headed to Nashville to do events for the SEC men's tournaments. Our men will start play on Friday and we'll be there with them every game that they proceed, if they make it to Sunday. I'll be there Sunday morning to do our tailgates there in Nashville and then I'll actually be driving back here to Knoxville because we have a selection Sunday event here in Knoxville on Sunday afternoon early evening for the tournament. So we'll have another event here on Sunday.
Speaker 4:And so we'll kick off and get ready for all the postseason. We will announce they'll announce the men's bracket first and then announce the women's bracket and then from there it's just kind of like a mad sprint we just we get to move forward with all the cities that we've already planned for and start to put some of those final pieces of the puzzle in place and um are you excited?
Speaker 4:I am. It's always an exciting time. It's, um, it's one of those times for me that just kind of brings all the worlds together, like it reminds me of the old days of, you know, traveling on the bus and schlepping bags underneath and doing laundry.
Speaker 1:Yeah, which I?
Speaker 4:think my husband appreciates that I'm still doing a good check of that today. No, but that's.
Speaker 3:He's like go, Lady Vols. Yeah, he's like win them out, baby.
Speaker 4:But yeah, no, then we'll get ready for the final four. So we've we've started talking with some businesses and things for the final four and trying to get some of those things together. And so the men this year in San Antonio, the women would be in Tampa. Um, okay, the challenging part is that they overlap days, so that would be a divide and conquer situation for our team.
Speaker 3:The logistics of that is wild.
Speaker 4:It is it's nuts Um. It is absolutely nuts.
Speaker 3:But y'all nail it. I know you'll nail it Well.
Speaker 4:I appreciate that Our team has been working really hard on getting all the prep done for those things. We have an amazing leader of our team and she's really helped empower me to do my job, but also she's taught me a great deal in such a short period of time working with her, and so it's really cool to be able to take those experiences with her for, like her first time, getting to see certain things yes and then getting her feedback of, like how we can make them even better, you know, and so I've really valued that a lot and I'm excited to get to do that so the fans have, uh, something to look forward to yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 4:We're gonna be there every step of the way. You know, I don't miss it.
Speaker 3:He's like he's not missing none of our and I think the anticipation this year is so big. This year I think it just feels like it's anybody's tournament.
Speaker 4:It's not a year where you're like, oh, this team is for sure the lock to make it to the Final Four. I mean, lord, last week alone we saw upsets all over the place, so I think it's a big one.
Speaker 3:With social media I've been following. You know what is everybody's prediction and all that kind of stuff, and I think you're right. I think that normally in the past people would predict okay, this is who's going to be there, and most of the time it would fall somewhere there. But now you just don't know. Especially, university of Tennessee, athletics has grown so much just in the last two years oh yeah, if you think about it, you know it's like, oh wow.
Speaker 4:I mean two years ago I got to go to the College World Series for the softball team and get to do events there for our softball fans in Oklahoma City, a place that I would be like in my wildest imagination be like. We would never have that, that ability. And now we're sending staff to Omaha and Oklahoma City and all these other places to do events.
Speaker 3:So I have to ask was you at Omaha when we won?
Speaker 4:I, so this is going to kill you. I was there for 10 days and I left and traded off with two other staff members right before the championship series. I've been there for almost two weeks and so we had said, like that's enough time, we'll bring two other people out.
Speaker 3:Jordan can go back to give you a break, and so you missed it, I mean.
Speaker 4:but honestly though, that was like it was so cool for me to get to see those two colleagues shine.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 4:Like in that moment, like they got to do the champ, like I did a lot of the pre-work with them and we planned it out, but to get to step away and allow them to have the opportunity to be there for a national championship One, but then two, to get to see all of that hard work come to fruition.
Speaker 3:I have no.
Speaker 4:I have no regrets. It was the.
Speaker 3:It was the coolest thing for me to, just to get to step back and see, but you still got 10 days of the experience of seeing some really good games, yeah, well, and we did events on all of those days that Tennessee played leading up to the championship.
Speaker 4:And then we did. We did hotel sendoffs every day of the world series that they played, and then we did a buyout tailgate with a partner called Blur Events in Omaha. And we partnered with them there, and so they've become a good partner of ours. We'll hopefully be back there with them again this year.
Speaker 3:I was just about to say I think we're 16 and 0.
Speaker 4:Yeah, number one in the nation as of today.
Speaker 3:Number one y'all. So tell us, you know, I have to ask about baseball.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 3:You know, viewer question. Sure, okay Is with the stadium and everything is going on surrounding by baseball. What do you, what would you say to viewers to get ready for?
Speaker 4:Gosh.
Speaker 3:That may be a hard question, it's just building off of the momentum of last season.
Speaker 4:I think you know Tennessee had been on the cusp of so many national championships and so many different sports whether that be softball and swimming and diving and all these other sports where we had been just right there and we hadn't been able to break through that ceiling. And it feels like now that baseball has been able to do through that ceiling and it feels like now that baseball has been able to do that, everybody else sees like we can do that too.
Speaker 4:Right, and it's like it's like we needed just some team to break through to get everybody else to that point where they're like, oh, now it's my turn.
Speaker 3:I bet a lot of college Okay. So let me ask you this and this this may be inside and you don't have to answer this question Do other colleges see all that you do and do they ever reach out and say, hey, we want to do this. Da-da-da-da-da, can you give whatever? Whatever the call that I got you know what I'm saying. They were calling about your dome experience. Do they call you got? You know what I'm saying. They were calling about your dome experience.
Speaker 2:Do they call you? Yeah, they do.
Speaker 3:So that should tell you we are the best of the best they do At the University of Tennessee.
Speaker 4:It's very humbling to be a school that other schools look to for their leadership in certain spaces, and I think it just reminds me to never take it for granted.
Speaker 3:I bet you, when you get that call, I bet you it's like you know that mute moment that while they're talking you're mute and you're like yes.
Speaker 4:I'll tell you, I'll honestly tell you what it makes me think of is when I was when I was a kid and you know, Tennessee had its glory days in 1998. I'm a 1992 baby, so I was six years old when Tennessee won their last football national championship and we went through a tumultuous handful of years after that.
Speaker 4:And it honestly always I'm going to get emotional again it honestly always just makes me so proud because I, I don't. I do not need to be seen in a certain way, but I want the University of Tennessee to be seen in a certain way. And if other people are looking at our school to say, how are they doing this? What note can we take from their book? It makes that little kid in me so excited to be like I now get to represent Jordan doesn't realize he is the blueprint.
Speaker 3:Remember I told you that Jordan is a blueprint.
Speaker 4:It just reminds me of like when I was a kid and feeling like man. Tennessee was the greatest place in the world and I still feel that way, and getting to be a piece of a huge puzzle is such a privilege, and to see other schools recognizing the amazing work that our team is doing is just the most humbling experience.
Speaker 3:Well, I have to say this I know doing events up there, you know I still get emotional, just like we're doing an event on Neyland, you know that's huge to me. Absolutely Coming from Harriman, tennessee, you know, for my company to be hired by University of Tennessee and just to walk out there. You know, coming down that tunnel it's still, I mean.
Speaker 4:You can't help but get chills.
Speaker 3:I don't. So I'll never forget my son, Jaden. David was saying to Jaden well, Jaden, you're going to get, you know, get to go up, because he works for Turner Knox, You're going to get to go on Neyland. And this generation he did not grasp that until he came to the tunnel. When Jaden went down that tunnel and boom, there's Nealon, my son, I thought he was about to cry. I mean, seriously, Jaden, it was like that moment it hit him. Moment it hit him, I said do you realize? There's people that go a whole lifetime that has never stepped one foot near Neyland. People travel. There was a gentleman at one event that literally flew from Las Vegas here just to see Neyland, and so Jaden got that experience. So I can imagine what you go through on a everyday basis. That it's like I work for the best college in the nation. That's where I look at UT, that's the best college in the nation and I get to put together events that is wowing all over the United States. I mean that's huge, Jordan.
Speaker 4:I mean, it's a, it's a great privilege. I don't take it for granted and I don't take it lightly either. And so, like earlier when you said, is it like pressure? No, it's not pressure that I put on myself, because I I take that, I carry that with me every day into work, right, it's like it is.
Speaker 4:I never want to be. I never, ever, ever want to be the person that pulls into that parking spot and thinks like it's just another day right, like this is. This is a privilege, it's a blessing for me to come here and do this work and I tell people all the time.
Speaker 4:I'll never forget that I was interviewing for an organization in undergrad and I was interviewing for an organization in undergrad and I was at a table with like four other students and we were being interviewed from the other side of the table and they were like, go through and tell everybody, like tell us what your favorite tradition is at the university of Tennessee.
Speaker 4:And you know, like 99% of those students are like running through the tea, running through the tea. I always say my favorite tradition and I know Dr Stewart, who is a friend of mine that is with the pride of the Southland. We'll, we'll, we'll probably smile at this. But at every football game, the pride of the Southland, the color guard, they all come out on the field and there's this moment where they're walking down the field and they have all of the flags of all of the SEC schools in the front of the Pride of the South land and they say over the intercom the orange and white flags are the official flags of the University of Tennessee and the lead person in the color guard raises the Tennessee flag just a little bit above the rest of the SEC schools and that's what I resonate with.
Speaker 4:That's priceless, it's schools and that's what I resonate with because it's priceless. It's that and I cry at my my husband makes fun of me at every home game because he'll look over and the pride's out on the field and I'm just wiping away tears and he's like how many times have you seen this?
Speaker 3:And I always tell him, it never gets old, it never gets old.
Speaker 4:And I'll say this it never gets old.
Speaker 3:David when Turnin' Knots finally got our first event. I'll never forget David. He tried to hold it in Jordan.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 3:He tried to hold it in and I was like you're taking your company back. You're an alum, you're taking your company back to the place where you're beginning, yeah, to the place where you're beginning. And so David went out kneeling and he was up in the stands and I took a picture of David sitting in one of the seats. If you, jordan, if you just saw David's face, and I was like you're proud, aren't you? And he was like this is everything you know. Because when you know that you have went through life, went through college, all of a sudden and you can take back your business to where your beginnings were, I mean, imagine that, just think about with well, not imagine, because you do it every day it's like you get to form events, for the place're beginning started, yeah.
Speaker 4:We talk about that all the time, like if I was, it just wouldn't be the same, right? I mean, people ask me that all the time Like what if? What if you got recruited to go to this school or that school? And I'm like I just I don't know if I could do it in the same way.
Speaker 3:I don't think you could.
Speaker 4:The level of passion is just unmatched.
Speaker 3:You love. Yeah is just un unmatched my heart, just yeah, my heart. As I said, you cut his arm, you're going to see orange.
Speaker 4:My heart just gleams with joy to be a part of the university.
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 4:And it's, it truly is the greatest privilege of my life to to get to do what I do.
Speaker 3:So, as we wrap this up, one of the questions, one of the questions. This is a David question. Okay, this is a David question. David said, between going to university of Tennessee, then you went to Florida and got your degree, your master's, there. What did those two schools shape in you that you could say I learned a little bit from both, but this is what I do right now. This is what shaped me.
Speaker 4:It was the first place, in first time in my life, that I was able to be myself. It was the first time that I truly felt like I could just be my authentic self in a space. And when you're able to do that, it enables all of these other pieces of yourself to flourish, because you're finally just letting down a guard and you're able to breathe a little bit lighter. You don't feel that weight that you're carrying as much, and I think at Tennessee I learned so much about the how to safeguard that passion for the university and like, truly carry and cherish what it means to be an alum of Tennessee and I don't take it. I don't take it lightly.
Speaker 4:I think it is probably one of the greatest privileges of my life. Um, and at Florida, I think that the biggest thing that I took away was that I didn't know at all. Right, Like I, I wanted to go into Florida thinking like, let me show them a thing or two right.
Speaker 3:Like, let me bring this lady ball experience down here and show them a thing or two, and you had no clue.
Speaker 4:And they. I learned so much.
Speaker 3:It's like it's they I.
Speaker 4:I constantly refer back to lessons that I learned during my time at Florida and at every pit stop on the way to getting back to Tennessee, but I think ultimately the greatest thing that came of it was myself Like I.
Speaker 3:You came into yourself and you were able to show I was able to be myself. And that, to me, shapes everything else when you can be yourself and be authentic and show the world who you are. Let me say this publicly Jordan makes a moment for a lot of people, but the biggest thing I think you show is be yourself. Titles are great we all earn them, but I think being yourself and just knowing who you are you bring more to the table when you know who you are.
Speaker 4:Sure.
Speaker 3:And you know and you allow yourself to be who you are. So, jordan, I would say this publicly Keep being you, keep doing you and show the world it's okay to be a gay man and be in love, be in a marriage that is amazing and just help other people see that life is lifing.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I appreciate that and that means a lot to me. I think I I think that for myself, a lot of what I take a lot of joy in is just being being able to be comfortable in my own skin and and feeling, and feeling that way in spaces that I can, just I don't have to apologize for being who I am. And, um, I think one of the things that really sticks with me as it as it relates to work, is this ability to be myself authentically and also still know that I worked really hard to get there. It wasn't just like one day I decided like I'm going to come out and be a gay man.
Speaker 4:Right Then it was coming out and then realizing I had to go back through a lot of trauma and things that led to all of those suppressions and all these different things. That made it a challenge for me, and I'm still always going to be a work in progress and constantly working through those things.
Speaker 4:But I think that it it makes me um, it makes me really proud to just be able to step back sometimes and say, like I'm proud of the work that I've put in to be able to find my true self, because I don't know where I'd be if I hadn't.
Speaker 3:So last question self, because I don't know where I'd be if I hadn't. So last question what do you think or what is your vision for the future at the University of Tennessee?
Speaker 4:What would?
Speaker 3:you say hey, I see this for the future For myself.
Speaker 4:Wow, it's ironic. Is that a hard question? No, it's, it's not. It's ironic that you asked that. I was sitting down with my supervisor earlier this week and she said what's? What is it? What is the? Where do you want to be? What do you want to do? What's the goal? And I said I love my job. And she said okay, yes, but where do you want to be? Where do you want to go? And I said I want to be the best I can be at this job, right here. That's what I want to be.
Speaker 3:And he said that's what completes him.
Speaker 4:I want to work tirelessly, to be the best that I can be in this role and when or if God opens that next opportunity for me, I'll know when it's right. I think it's foolish of me to set a roadmap for myself and say in five years, this is exactly where I'm going to be and this is the role that I'm going to take. And I know I'm going to do this because if you had asked me five years ago if I'd be in this role, the answer would have been no.
Speaker 3:That it wouldn't have even well, first of all it didn't even exist. You just don't know, yeah. So I mean, I don't you make plans. I've learned, but God will show you. Yeah, he's going to laugh at you.
Speaker 4:And I've learned through what I do as a career, right Like I can plan and plan and plan until all ends like at the last final detail, and it's never going to go exactly how I planned it. And so why? Why make this roadmap for my life that says I have to be at this point by this time, or I have to do this by a certain day or certain year, or whatever? I'm, I love what I get to do, I love the life that I have, I love the team that I get to work with and under under it all, I get to do it for the university of Tennessee. So I'm, I'm so so blessed.
Speaker 4:Um, I know it's funny cause you know people and I was. I would be foolish to naive to say I wasn't this way. At some point of like. I'm motivated by this title. I have to have this. I need to be called this type of director or. I need to have this type of pay raise or whatever the case may through.
Speaker 2:Sure.
Speaker 4:And I think what I've realized for me now is that it's like, if I'm happy with what I'm doing, like money, money, money comes.
Speaker 3:You know titles titles come and go, they do. But joy is you know the best thing about when it comes to titles. I look at it this way we make the titles. Tit, look at it this way we make the titles. Titles, don't make us.
Speaker 4:Oh, yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 3:You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 4:I mean, we literally make up titles.
Speaker 3:You get what I'm saying, yeah, so it's like, if you look at it that way, is you make the title? The title doesn't make you, and you will stay humble and always do the right thing for the greater good, and he is the greater good for the University of Tennessee. Thank you so much for coming. Thank you, it's a privilege Tune in this Friday to hear Jordan at the University of Tennessee. 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.