What’s your truth, and how can you inspire others to enact change?
Brandon Farbstein inspires millions of people across the globe with his universal message of living life on your own terms and building the framework for personal growth. At just 20 years old, he is a renowned empowerment speaker, Gen Z activist and author. Brandon was diagnosed with a rare form of dwarfism at the age of 2, and has turned his life experience of suffering, isolation, and victimhood into empowerment, impact and influence. After a severe battle with cyberbullying in high school, Brandon decided to share his story – to both offer hope and to enact change.
Whether on tour with his recently published book Ten Feet Tall, sharing his message with students at schools across the country, or working with Fortune 100 companies like Facebook and HP, Brandon consistently delivers tools to audiences of all ages to shift perspectives and strengthen their mindset. In 2018 Brandon was named in TigerBeat & Instagram’s #19under19 as one of the 19 most influential teenagers in the world with his mission to elevate empathy.
In this episode, Brandon goes deep into his story and explains his rare form of dwarfism – there are less than 100 cases in history. Brandon divulges how he landed on the TEDx stage and reveals his deepest darkest sorrows. Fortunately, Brandon has a fantastic support system in his family who dug him out of rock bottom. Brandon’s mom tried to get as many answers as she could – she also had to innovate loads for Brandon and taught him that there is always a way to find the answers. Plus, my sons chime in and relate to Brandon’s story.
Later, we talk about the importance of telling our stories and the ability to be vulnerable with others. We can all relate to feeling the same things at different points in our life. Plus, Brandon speaks about how overwhelming technology can be for him – it’s so hard not to answer every single person in his direct messages. Boundaries are essential for any person with a social media account – it’s also crucial to realize that you can’t advise everyone, you’ll burn out. Stay tuned as Brandon explains how he finds the strength to share, what it’s like to be an easy target, and what Brandon would like to tell his generation and their parents.
In This Episode:
- About Brandon Farbstein [ 1:00 ]
- How Brandon landed on the TEDx stage [ 9:15 ]
- About Brandon’s deepest sorrows [ 16:25 ]
- My sons relate to Brandon’s story [ 21:40 ]
- How Brandon’s family suffered with him [ 24:45 ]
- Why technology can be very overwhelming [ 31:10 ]
- How Brandon finds his strength to share [ 42:50 ]
- What it’s like to be an easy target [ 49:35 ]
- What Brandon would like to tell his generation and their parents [ 53:30 ]
Quotes:
- “We have to be the most us version of us.”
- “We have to innovate our own solution.”
- “We should not be following people that are hateful.”
- “You have to make positivity louder.”
- “With one post, we could end somebody’s life – it’s not a joke.”
- “Do not be afraid to have difficult conversations with your kids.”
Links Mentioned:
- Sara’s Facebook
- Live Boldly
- Brandon’s book Ten Feet Tall: https://amzn.to/2W1PkE8
- Follow Brandon on Instagram: https://instagram.com/farbstein
- Website: brandonfarbstein.com