For years, I had what was known in our home as Mentor Mondays.
This was due to so many texts, emails, and phone calls from executives, hopeful speakers, and struggling entertainers to “pick my brain” over lunch.
Eventually my brain had been picked, pecked, and prodded over enough soggy salads at lunches around Utah that we shifted things to say: Can you come to me and let’s talk?
We funneled everyone to Mondays, into 2 hour time slots and a revolving door of mentoring that sometimes saw people from 8AM-8PM learning the craft of running a business, following their dreams, and keeping The Promise to their hopes in life.
It was my best way of giving back, after I had the same experience to begin my career, where Chris Poulos had welcomed me into his home, free of charge, to sit on his couch and learn from the greatest philosopher and spiritual mentor I could have asked for outside of my own wonderful parents growing up.
For years, day and night, I came and went to the Poulos household in Orem, UT, with his lovely spouse Gail in the background doing genealogy work at the living room table, as Chris would listen to my dreams, desires, and dedication to the career, never take my money, even when we went from him helping me line up my first gigs as birthday parties, beauty pageants, county fairs, and education events, to eventually really great paying corporate dates and return clients begging for my next show.
I would write him a check, he’d push it away, I’d ask how I could repay him, he’d say, “Just go forth and teach others what I’ve taught you, pay it forward, that’s payment enough!”
Thus began Mentor Mondays, for over a decade the pupils came and went, never a penny charged, on behalf of The Chris Poulos Effect.
Through the past 8 years I once in a while put together events where I could charge a very small amount to teach others over a multi-day event, in order to invest in themselves (as I learned: if I give advice and time most won’t do what you recommend, whereas those who pay have made an investment in themselves to succeed) and wow, the clientele have turned into the Who’s Who of speaking and entertaining is beyond any exponential success Chris and I could have imagined.
In the past year, I have teamed up with the person I feel is the most qualified and Promise-loving speaker I know, in Cheryl Knowlton, CSP.
She runs the show, I just show up and give a few words of advice, and we have a party with the very wise people who have made such investment in themselves to live their dreams, becoming better speakers and performers.
They mostly come away being better people and it has been incredible in my own professional growth to be a part of.
We have done multiple retreats in the past year, Virtual and In-Person.
We have done this with little to no promotion, due to so many coming to seek our help and coaching without us marketing it.
Due to my evolving career and work consulting with Cardio Miracle, we have made a shift in plans, and this week is my final retreat with Cheryl and our students.
It is bittersweet – I have loved doing this, and especially with a genius such as Cheryl is at facilitating learning, following up, showing up consistently for our Diamond Speakers Circle attendees, I am astounded at her brilliance and honored to be the co-pilot – and yet, I also need to shift my focus to Cardio Miracle and the events I will continue speaking for in the future.
This coming weekend is the final retreat.
There may be two seats left, if you are interested in a life-changing experience with others who will elevate your life and game on stage.
It will be my final run as well in this capacity for a time…I’m not sure when I’ll have the open schedule to do this again – but thankfully Cheryl will continue onward with these lucky attendees and incredible people.
If interested, HERE IS THE INFO, it will be held at world-famous Hall of Fame Keynote Speaker Chad Hymas‘ beautiful Royal Creek Ranches, and Chad will be there, as well!
This is a different blog post for me to write, but it has been a great privilege to Keep The Promise as Chris Poulos taught me all those years ago, and I’m thankful Cheryl has facilitated such an opportunity for me, as she has mentored me along the way.
Mentor Mondays won’t soon return, but I enjoy having the chance to get a phone call from a speaker who is losing faith in their career or aspirations, such as I took this very day from two of whom are struggling…putting my Chris Poulos hat on, sharing vulnerably and honestly, it is a most incredible Promise to advise and care for those who want to keep fighting to make such a career work.
Thank you to the many who have allowed me to mentor, coach, advise, instruct, and help through the years. I will continue to do so in different capacities, currently as President of Cardio Miracle, and those yet to be launched, and which I hope will leave a lasting impression for years to come in the lives of many.
This is the evolution of my Promise.
~ Jason Hewlett
Husband, Father, Writer, Mentor, Hiker
- Speaker Hall of Fame * Award-Winning Entertainer * Mentor
- World’s Only Keynote Speaker utilizing entertainment, musical impressions, and comedy to teach The Promise
- Author of “The Promise To The One”
- President of Cardio Miracle. Go to CardioMiracle.com to take your health back! Use coupon code HEW2024 for 15% OFF your order.
