Adventures in Kindness with Inspirational Speaker Leon Logothetis

Leon Logothetis is a global adventurer, motivational speaker and philanthropist. It wasn’t always that way. He used to be a broker in the city of London where he felt uninspired and chronically depressed. He gave it all up for a life on the road. Since then, he has written two best-selling biographical books, Amazing Adventures of a Nobody and The Kindness Diaries. His travel adventures across 90 countries and campaign to ignite goodwill have been featured on The National Geographic Channel, The Travel Channel, MTV, ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, Netflix and FOX.

SPEAKING.COM: When you left your job as a stock broker, you could have traveled any number of places or ways. Why did you choose to travel from New York to Hollywood on just $5 a day?

LOGOTHETIS: To me, New York City and Times Square in particular is the center of capitalism and that was my old life. The Hollywood sign is the symbol of hope and living your dreams. I was essentially transitioning from one to the other – from my old life to my new life.

SPEAKING.COM: Some people might see your interactions with strangers during your travels as risky. How do you decide whom you can trust on the road?

LOGOTHETIS: I use my intuition and usually get a sense of who people are right away. From my travels I’ve learned who to trust and who not to trust.

I also listen to the locals. When they tell you “don’t go out at night,” you don’t go out at night. If you don’t listen you risk getting beat up in an alley in Panama like I did.

These are some of the experiences I have used to hone my intuition. It’s not fool proof but it works for me.

SPEAKING.COM: Have you encountered any cultural misunderstandings during your adventures and how did you manage them?

LOGOTHETIS: I was in Cartagena (Colombia) and I was being harassed by a street seller. I wanted him to leave me alone and I gave him a symbol to cut it out by waving my hand across my neck. Little did I know this meant that I wanted to kill him! It took a lot of work to calm him down and at one point I feared for my life, but eventually I was able to pacify him and get out of that situation.

SPEAKING.COM: You’ve said you learned conflict resolution when your car caught fire during a night in “the Kidnap Capital of India.” Could you tell us more about those events?

LOGOTHETIS: I went through India with a transformational life coach on an experiential life-changing trip. We were driving when suddenly the car caught fire – in what turned out to be one of the world’s kidnap capitals. My guru laid this fact on me while we sat in the dark being stared at by an entire village of Indians. As I sat there fearing for my life I realized that I needed to have faith. What other choice did I have?! The car was fixed and we were on our way but I learned a valuable lesson on trusting my fellow man when you’re in need.

SPEAKING.COM: You often cite the importance of human connection as one of the greatest lessons you’ve learned during your trips. What does it mean to “see another person”?

LOGOTHETIS: Seeing someone is to see beyond his or her mask and bullshit. To see who they are. To see their fears, joys, happiness.

I ask myself: Who are they really? Then you treat what you see with grace dignity and love.

SPEAKING.COM: How can someone get better at seeing others?

LOGOTHETIS: First be gentle to yourself and stop judging others. When you stop judging others, you’ll stop judging yourself and give yourself a pass. This is easier said than done and it takes time plus a lot of patience.

SPEAKING.COM: What are some ways that parents and teachers can teach empathy to children and youth?

LOGOTHETIS: I would say help the child realize that their behavior affects people. So if a child says “I hate you” help the child realize how you feel when they say that and how others would feel if they hear that. Then help the child find empathy by helping them understand what it feels like to be sad and low.

SPEAKING.COM: Millennials and the generation following them are reporting higher rates of anxiety and depression than their predecessors. Why do you think this might be and what is your advice for these generations?

LOGOTHETIS: A big part of the reason is that we are so connected through smart phones, yet somehow we’ve become disconnected from human connection! Try to inspire younger people to get away from their phones. Phones should never replace human connection. Yes, phones can connect us in a literal sense, but ultimately we have to do the work to truly connect on a human level.

SPEAKING.COM: What are a few steps people can take to monetize their passion as you’ve managed to do?

LOGOTHETIS: 1. Follow your passion and take a risk.
2. Never, never give up.
3. Find a mentor that believes in you and has the same passion and can help you along the way.

SPEAKING.COM: What tips do you have for reducing environmental impact while you travel?

LOGOTHETIS: When you travel remember that the world you live in will one day belong to your kids and your grandkids. Ask yourself, what we do you want our legacy to be? If you approach your travels with a sense of understanding that everything is connected to what we do as humans, you can help the world and yourself.

To bring motivational speaker, Leon Logothetis to your organization, please contact Michael Frick at: Mike@Speaking.com