Description:

Our guest today is actor, former NFL player, artist, activist, advocate, designer, and Ping Identity’s “Chief Identity Champion”, Terry Crews. We talk about how his identity is a complexity of all these things (and more), how to stay authentic to yourself, getting into character, having fun, and more. Most importantly, Terry is NOT taking my job!

Key Takeaways:

[2:30] Why did Terry take on the role of Chief Identity Champion with Ping?

[9:24] How does Terry stay authentic to himself when he’s being pulled in many directions?

[16:42] Identities are complex; they don’t need to be binary or partisan.

[23:01] How identity is wrapped up in what artists are “allowed” to do.

[24:59] How does Terry get into the mindset of playing a different character?

[27:08] Our faults, mistakes, and thus self-reflection are what make us human.

Quotes:

●“The best thing I learned is that everything has a story.” –Terry

●“I have chosen that the stories that I really want to represent also have to represent me.” –Terry

●“You really have to be comfortable going against the grain.” –Terry

●“Give people the same opportunities and empowerment to have some say and control over their digital personas as we do in the analog.” –Richard

●“This is what the great thing about identity is;you choose who you’re going to be.” –Terry

●“We are much more complex than any person that can put us in these little boxes.” –Terry

●“If we’re not always talking about empowerment, then we’re talking about disenfranchisement. Or we are settling for some form of mediocrity that creates situations where not everybody can participate.” –Richard

●“When you’re talking about identity, the only thing you’re talking about is being human.” –Terry

Mentioned in This Episode:Terry Crews, Ping Identity, Andre Durand