I was asked recently at a speaking engagement, “Why are you a professional speaker?”  I get asked that or a variation of that question almost weekly.  When I look back on my motivation to become a professional speaker, immediately my grandmother, Hazel Howard, comes to mind.

About 5 years ago, my grandmother passed away at a lovely age of 92.  Like most people, when you think of your grandparents or even parents, you know them more as “advice givers” or people that you regularly visit during  holidays rather than a person who has lived and experienced all that  life has to offer.  Because of this, I was shocked while at my grandmother’s funeral to find out that I hardly knew her at all.  My grandmother was a teacher in a small East Texas town called Marshall where she taught English to high school students. Toward the latter part of her teaching career, and after she retired, she volunteered at the library and worked a the polling precinct during local, state and federal elections.  You know you’re in Marshall, Texas because the clay is red, the pecans are plentiful and your neighbors are most likely your family.

Hazel Howard was an educator during most of her life when the schools were still segregated, and the white students were separated from the black students.  Attending the wake the evening before her funeral, there were a steady stream of former students from across the country whose main mission was to celebrate a teacher who had made a positive impact on their lives.  One former student’s story stood out from the rest when he told how my grandmother once gave him money to see a movie that had just come out in theaters.  He went on to tell how this movie, which was set in New York City, coupled with the inspirational instructional lessons that  my grandmother provided help her students visualize other parts of the country.  This ultimately inspired him to see past the small confines of Marshall to become a successful doctor in New York city.

At first glance, this is a “Hallmark” feel good story.  However, it is 
only after you realize the circumstances that my grandmother lived under that you understand the caring person she was.  An understanding I didn’t have because clearly, I didn’t know.  The fact that my grandmother would give her own money to a student while she was raising 4 children with very little assistance from her ex husband was mind boggling.  Teachers don’t get paid a lot now, so I know teachers didn’t get paid a great deal then, especially ones teaching in the black schools.

It was at this time that I looked inward and wondered not only who would show up at my funeral, but more importantly, whom have I impacted in this way, in any way.  The answer to the latter part of that question was as easy as it was disappointing because at that time, I could not think of anyone whose life I had impacted.  There I was a big time former NBA player who played at the pinnacle of my career and had traveled the globe playing basketball but if asked whose lives I had impacted, I can think of no one.  If asked to compare the imprint left by Hazel Howard, to the imprint I was leaving, there is nothing to compare.

I can literally trace my decision to not only make a change in my life that 
weekend but to also make a difference in my life.  I always knew I had a 
“voice” as well as a story to tell but never really knew how to share it with 
others.  I’ve always had a passion for helping others succeed in life but 
never the medium to facilitate that change.

Being a professional speaker allows me to channel the “teacher’s” DNA that is prevalent in my family, while reaching a broader audience than the typical classroom allows.  Being a former NBA player and current ESPN college basketball commentator gives me a voice that people will listen to.  It would be a shame not to use it for positive change.

I look at all of the awards, records and accolades I’ve amassed throughout my 15 year professional basketball career, and I can honestly tell you that I get more out someone telling me I inspired, touched, or motivated them to action as a motivational speaker than the any feeling I remember from sports.

Thank you grandmother.

Stephen Howard
www.StephenHoward.com