Anthony Grupido
Summary
TLDRIn this insightful interview, Anthony Grapo, a magician, and speaker, shares his journey of combining magic with mental health advocacy. Grapo discusses his experiences with bullying, a sports injury, and the loss of friends to suicide, which led him to promote healthy coping skills among students. He emphasizes the importance of responding to life's challenges positively and the role of wonder in opening minds to mental health education. Grapo's unique approach to mental health awareness through magic has made a national impact, engaging audiences of all ages.
Takeaways
- 🎩 Anthony Grupo is a magician, speaker, and mental health advocate who combines magic with powerful messages to impact audiences, particularly focusing on mental health and suicide prevention.
- 🔍 Anthony's journey into advocacy began after personal struggles with bullying and a sports injury that derailed his college plans, leading him to unhealthy coping mechanisms and a lack of understanding about mental health.
- 💡 Anthony emphasizes the importance of response to life events rather than the events themselves, suggesting that it's our reactions that define our success and how we move forward.
- 🏫 Grupo's high school experience, including the loss of friends to suicide and a teacher's influence, inspired him to start speaking about mental health, initially at his own school and later expanding to other platforms.
- 🤹♂️ Anthony's transition from street performing to professional engagements showcases his dedication and the evolution of his craft, using magic to engage and educate diverse audiences.
- 📈 His presentations are tailored to the audience, with specific wording and content developed in collaboration with medical professionals to ensure accuracy and impact.
- 🤝 Anthony has performed at various events, including the Cherry Festival, and has opened for notable acts, demonstrating his ability to captivate a wide range of audiences.
- 🔗 Grupo's work in schools involves delivering keynote speeches that integrate magic with messages on mental health, resilience, and suicide prevention, making the content engaging and memorable for students.
- 🌟 He uses magic as a tool to create wonder and curiosity, which can help break down biases and open minds to new ideas and perspectives, particularly around mental health.
- 🌐 Anthony's online presence, including his website and social media platforms, allows people to connect with him and his work, offering a gateway for booking events and exploring his message further.
- 🔑 Grupo believes in the inherent goodness of people and the importance of not giving up on youth, reflecting a core principle that drives his work and interactions with young people.
Q & A
What is Anthony Grapo's profession and how does he combine magic with speaking?
-Anthony Grapo is a magician, speaker, and mental health advocate who combines these elements to create impactful presentations, often addressing mental health and suicide prevention topics.
How does Anthony Grapo's TED Talk connect with its audience?
-Anthony Grapo's TED Talk is impactful because it not only showcases his speaking skills but also his ability to convey a strong message that resonates with everyone, regardless of their background or personal connection to the topic.
What personal experiences led Anthony Grapo to become an advocate for mental health?
-Anthony Grapo was bullied in school, suffered a head injury in high school that ended his wrestling career and college scholarship, and struggled with unhealthy coping mechanisms. These experiences led him to understand the importance of mental health and suicide prevention.
How did Anthony Grapo's high school teacher influence his path in mental health advocacy?
-His high school entrepreneurship teacher opened up a conversation about mental health after a series of student suicides. Anthony shared his personal experiences with mental health struggles, which the students found helpful, inspiring him to continue speaking on the topic.
What role did street performing play in Anthony Grapo's journey as a mental health advocate?
-Street performing allowed Anthony Grapo to refine his message and presentation skills. It gave him the confidence to present his mental health advocacy to a wider audience and eventually led to opportunities to speak at schools and events.
How does Anthony Grapo structure his school presentations on mental health?
-Anthony Grapo's school presentations are structured as keynote speeches that incorporate magic tricks to deliver messages about mental health, resilience, and suicide prevention. He provides practical tools and resources for students and shares his personal story to inspire them.
What is the significance of Anthony Grapo's straight jacket and chain escape act in his presentations?
-The straight jacket and chain escape act is a powerful visual metaphor for breaking free from the constraints of mental health struggles. It serves as a climax in his presentations, symbolizing hope and resilience.
How does Anthony Grapo maintain his energy and motivation for performing over 400 shows in a year?
-Anthony Grapo maintains his energy through a focus on health - proper diet, exercise, sleep, and even sauna use. He also practices mindfulness, such as forcing himself to smile to improve his mood and engage positively with his audience.
What is Anthony Grapo's view on the importance of mental health resources in schools?
-Anthony Grapo believes that mental health resources should be integrated into schools where students already feel comfortable. This approach allows for better access to support and reduces the need to earn students' trust in an already challenging environment.
What future plans does Anthony Grapo have for his career in mental health advocacy and magic performances?
-Anthony Grapo aims to continue his work in schools and is open to opportunities in corporations, providing mental health education for employees. He sees the integration of mental health support as crucial for the success of companies and individuals in the future.
How can people find Anthony Grapo and book him for events?
-People can find Anthony Grapo through his website, themagicofhope.com, and on social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. His online presence makes it easy for event organizers to reach out and book him for various engagements.
Outlines
🎩 The Magic of Mental Health Advocacy
Anthony Grapo, a magician and speaker, discusses his journey combining magic with mental health advocacy. After facing bullying and a sports injury that derailed his college plans, Anthony turned to unhealthy coping mechanisms. He shares his story of recovery and commitment to educating youth about mental health and suicide prevention, speaking at over 200 schools annually. His TED Talk, which emphasizes the importance of response to life's events, has been impactful and widely viewed.
🚸 From Bullying and Injury to Advocacy
Anthony Grapo's path to becoming a mental health advocate began with personal struggles, including severe bullying and a head injury that ended his wrestling career and college scholarship. These experiences led him to develop unhealthy coping skills, which he later recognized as temporary fixes. His high school loss of friends to suicide and a teacher's openness to discuss mental health in school inspired him to share his experiences and educate others on coping strategies, leading to a career of speaking and performing magic with a purpose.
🌟 Street Performances and the Power of Connection
Anthony Grapo's initial foray into spreading his message involved street performances, which eventually led to larger platforms such as the Cherry Festival. His performances, which included a dramatic straight jacket escape act, garnered attention and allowed him to share his personal story. These experiences helped him refine his message and build confidence, transitioning from a person recovering from his struggles to an advocate who could connect with diverse audiences.
🎤 Scaling Up: From Street to Stage
Anthony Grapo's journey saw him evolve from a street performer to a sought-after speaker and magician. He discusses the growth of his career, moving from small street shows to performing at festivals and being invited to open for notable acts. His work in schools increased significantly, leading to a busy schedule where he often had to turn down offers due to his full calendar. Anthony's presentations are a blend of magic and education, focusing on mental health and suicide prevention.
🧙♂️ The Alchemy of Magic and Mental Health Education
Anthony Grapo's school presentations are a unique fusion of magic and mental health education. He uses world-class magic tricks as a catalyst to engage students and deliver important messages about mental health, resilience, and suicide prevention. His 'Magic of Hope' presentation is structured to maintain student interest through a mix of magic, storytelling, and educational content, creating a memorable and impactful experience.
🔄 Maintaining Energy and Passion in Performances
Anthony Grapo shares his approach to staying energized and passionate throughout his numerous performances. He emphasizes the importance of leading by example, following his own advice on mental health and well-being. His regimen includes a focus on diet, exercise, sleep, and even sauna use to manage stress and maintain peak performance. Anthony also discusses the importance of mindset, suggesting that forcing oneself to smile can help create a positive atmosphere and improve mood.
🤹♂️ The Future of Mental Health Advocacy and Magic
Looking ahead, Anthony Grapo expresses his desire to continue his work in schools, advocating for mental health education. He also sees potential in working with corporations to provide mental health resources and education for their employees. Anthony believes that companies which prioritize mental health will be more successful in the future, and he is keen to be part of this positive change.
🌐 Social Media Stardom and the Power of Joy
Anthony Grapo's social media presence has led to him becoming a viral sensation, particularly for his pickpocketing videos which have garnered over 200 million views. His content focuses on the human experience, capturing genuine reactions of joy and surprise. Anthony's work has become part of the cultural zeitgeist, with his videos being widely recognized and shared.
🤝 Collaboration and Community in the Performance World
Anthony Grapo discusses the importance of collaboration and community among performers. He emphasizes that successful artists support and learn from each other, rather than competing. Anthony is part of a group called 'Magic on Purpose,' which connects magicians who use their art for deeper, meaningful causes. He also highlights the value of finding your niche and being true to it, as he has done with combining magic and mental health advocacy.
🌟 The Transformative Power of Magic and Belief
In the final paragraph, Anthony Grapo reflects on the transformative power of magic to inspire belief and open minds to new possibilities. He relates his work to the teachings of Dr. Joe Dispenza, emphasizing that our senses define our reality, which can be an illusion. Magic challenges these perceptions and can lead to a greater understanding of the universe and our potential. Anthony encourages maintaining belief in the inherent goodness of people and the power of positive thinking.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Magician
💡Mental Health
💡Suicide Prevention
💡Coping Skills
💡Advocacy
💡Bullying
💡Resilience
💡Public Speaking
💡Educational Presentation
💡Personal Story
💡TED Talk
Highlights
Anthony Grapo combines magic and speaking to create an impact on mental health awareness.
Anthony performs at over 200 schools a year discussing mental health and suicide prevention.
His Ted Talk is praised for its strong message and connection with the audience.
Anthony's journey includes overcoming bullying and a head injury that affected his college plans.
Unhealthy coping mechanisms are discussed as temporary fixes that do not address the root cause of issues.
The importance of promoting healthy coping skills in suicide prevention is emphasized.
Anthony's high school experience and loss of friends to suicide motivated him to become an advocate.
He started by sharing his story in high school classes and developed his presentation with professional help.
Anthony's message focuses on how our response to events, not the events themselves, defines our success.
He transitioned from street performing to keynote speaking, using magic to engage audiences.
Anthony's school presentations are a mix of magic and educational content on mental health resources.
His approach to mental health education is interactive, using magic to maintain student engagement.
Anthony discusses the balance between performing as an entertainer and delivering educational content.
He shares his personal strategies for maintaining energy and focus during his extensive performance schedule.
Anthony emphasizes the importance of mental health education in schools and corporations.
His future goals include continuing to spread mental health awareness through his performances.
Anthony's social media presence showcases his unique blend of magic and mental health advocacy.
He discusses the power of magic to create wonder and openness to new possibilities.
Anthony's message is that every person is inherently good, and he aims to inspire hope and resilience.
Transcripts
so today in the Walsh College Creator
studio uh I am joined with Anthony grapo
uh who is not only a magician a speaker
but he has found a way to combine these
two things together in a way that is
making an incredible impact uh really
nationally at this point yeah um so so
Anthony why don't you go Ahad and
introduce yourself and uh tell us a
little bit about what you've been up to
yeah my name's Anthony 20 28 and uh I
helped produ
experiences all over the country at this
point uh either on stage as an
Entertainer or at some corporate events
and trade shows or as a speaker I go to
about 200 plus schools a year talking
about uh mental health and suicide
prevention okay so it's been quite the
journey yeah absolutely well and so I I
did uh a little bit of research ahead of
time so I have watched your Ted talk now
a handful of times because fun you are
you're not only an incredible speaker
your message is so strong but you have a
way of presenting it in a way that it
connects everybody whether they feel
like they can tie themselves to that
message or not everybody in that room
had to have felt like I'll do anything
that this guy wants because you just
have a great way of presenting it so I I
encourage anybody that hasn't seen your
Ted talk to go watch it because it was a
really really strong performance uh and
it was a great message so so let's go
let's go back a little bit and set the
stage for set the stage puns let's let's
set the stage a little bit for uh for
how you got to this point in general so
what led you into being an advocate for
mental health yeah so um I got bullied
so bad that I didn't move school it's
really early on in elementary and um you
know later in high school I suffered a
head injury I hit my head I tore both my
rotator cuffs and that ripped away this
really high press college scholarship
away from me that I had worked pretty
much my childhood to receive right I I
was a wrestler and you know with two
bombed shoulders you're no longer going
to wrestle in college which was like my
plan everything that I had wanted to do
and had worked so hard for uh it was all
taken away from me and I didn't know how
to cope with that in a healthy way so I
chose a lot of unhealthy coping skills
and I didn't have any understanding of
what they were or you know all I knew is
that I was trying to manage my symptoms
and these made me feel better but in the
long run all of those things had stop
temporary fixes so they were temporary
fixes and um I talk a lot about suicide
and suicide prevention in a way that is
attainable for like middle schoolers and
high schoolers that can be heavy topics
at that young age it really can be but
when when you're talking about suicide
prevention you're don't not necessarily
talking just about suicide like suicide
prevention is promoting good coping
skills and uh or healthy coping skills I
try to not use good and bad a good
coping skill keeps you alive a bad
coping skill does not right so really
adopting the healthy and unhealthy terms
for coping skills is important but
trying to tell people like my in my TED
Talk that it's not the events that
happen to us that make or break our
success it's it's the way that we
respond to them I actually had that
written down to bring up because I
thought that was such a powerful message
because it it absolutely is and I think
that that extends even beyond the mental
health game right I mean it it's it's
not always the events because the events
are going to happen whether you know
anybody's life events are going to
happen our response to them though is
what is going to Define not only our
memory of them but how we move forward
and I think that's an incredible message
for you to bring up so I actually that
was like the one quote that I actually
had on my list to talk to you about
because I do think that that's that's
incredibly powerful so okay so so that
puts you into that space but there's one
thing to go through that space and say
okay I'm all about I'm all about mental
health it's a whole another thing to go
no no no I'm going to be an outspoken
advocate for mental health so how do you
get to that
space huh how do I like how I guess what
was my calling to yeah what what made
you want to speak to others about it
because there's like I said there so
there's one thing to sit there and say
okay I know that mental health is very
important that's great I'm going to
focus on how I can how I can achieve
mental health for myself right right but
not everybody makes that leap to go okay
now I know how this is going to help me
but now I want to go help everybody else
and and these aren't even people that
necessarily came to you and said I have
a problem but you seem to manage this
help me you went okay look I'm going to
put this out to the masses so that we
can hit people that maybe aren't even
comfortable talking about it yet but I
can present it in a way that I don't you
don't have to come to me yeah so that
started in high school okay so um I went
to Lake Oran and we lost I lost a lot of
my friends and classmates to Suicide
okay and it was it was really bad okay
um and the schools you know they they
did what they could about it but I
remember that one of the exercises was
in our home room my entrepreneurship
teacher had to like start teaching us
mental health education and I and she I
kid youat was like I am not going to do
this I'm not qualified or comfortable
enough to do this right and um and she
was like but if we want to have a
conversation about this kind of stuff
like I'm open to having this right and I
was just a couple weeks out of Common
Ground okay and uh that's an impatient
facility in Pontiac so I kind of
explained what happened to me when I
went there kind of the Outpatient
Therapy that I was going through and
students found that very helpful and I
was actually going to different
classes kind of sharing magic and this
story but it was very different from
what I'm doing today very underdeveloped
I probably shouldn't have been doing it
at the time but it it wasn't harmful so
that that that's what was good but um I
was
so uh inspired by the way that people
react to it that in um I got in a car
with my best friend at the time and we
started driving to Los Vegas and I
started street performing this message
okay and then uh it kind of turned into
me starting to speak for common ground
they were bringing me to schools and
then the CEO at the time Tony rosch
child said this is what you need to do
for the rest of your life I promise like
this is helping people like keep
developing keep going and um and I never
look back and I you know and there was
plenty of times where um I wasn't
educated enough or I didn't have the
training or there were things that I
needed to change up and I'm really good
at taking constructive criticism so keep
in mind my presentation you know yeah
the magic came from me and maybe some
magic mentors but I've worked with like
doctors psychologists like mental health
like professionals to develop this
presentation to make it as like
purposeful as possible even the even the
exact wording that I use for each grade
level is so specific and exact I that
it's incredible that you that you even
thought to go to those lengths because
to have to have medical professionals to
step in and help you with the actual
appropriate wording on that I mean
that's a step that you know and I I know
you and I were kind of joking before we
started like so many people now go yeah
but I saw it on Tik Tok so it must be
true and you know we get you get so
right or my my favorite my favorite is
when they go I read this article no you
read the headline of the article you
didn't even click into it right like so
you made some some assumptions but for
you to actually take the step to go no
I'm going to go find medical
professionals because this is something
I want to do and I take it very
seriously the thing I don't want to miss
though and I and I we kind of went over
it quickly but there's a huge leap in
here is you went
from going from from coming out of
common ground to and and getting getting
bullied into being confident enough to
present that information and and do
magic those two things separately would
be incredibly difficult to do but for
you to go from from one thing to a very
extreme
other it sounds like maybe that teacher
had a pretty big impact in there because
yeah oh yeah and she was wonderful don't
get I my my my high school experience in
general like was was really great okay
like I I love to describe it as like I
have I have and had during that time
like the best friends in the whole world
and no matter what we were going through
we always made each other just feel
included and accepted and heard and you
know we um we would just oh someone's
going through something we're going to
get through it together and you know
sometimes it was for better sometimes it
was for Worse definitely sometimes we
miss the mark on that but you know just
like any other teenager for sure um but
uh yeah you know and and uh the amount
of education and like it has completely
evolved I mean that was 12 years ago and
even prior to covid I don't think a lot
of schools were open to mental health
education from my experience and from
the organizations that I work with today
there's been a huge shift into trying to
help teenagers and middle schoolers and
even Elementary schoolers um that we we
saw during Co that there was this huge
need and even the state and the federal
government have just been funding and
funding and funding trying to find more
ways to help our youth
because um I haven't looked at the
numbers this year but to my
understanding uh suicide rates did go
down a couple percent but the number of
Crisis calls has gone up which I think
tells us that we have more tools and
resources than we've ever had before
that they are effective but it's still a
broken system so for example let's say
some like a female suffers from a sexual
assault instance and they are now on a a
suicide watch or something like that and
I know this is a really probably this
this could be very triggering for people
I probably should have said that before
but um you know for for a male to watch
her you know 247 is probably not a very
healing
it doesn't mean that doing a bad but
that's not the situation so there's a
lot of little specifics that into mental
health that I think as we just continue
to do better and better and upgrade are
just going to make make this world just
a a better place in the process fact
yeah and the fact that people are try
and that the higher the higher level
people in in the in the state really are
trying to put money into let's fund this
let's figure this out and and let's try
and let's try and solve this problem
before it becomes a problem yes and
there's a a a great line by Peter AA uh
who talks a lot about about health in
general and and one of his things is
look you can stand underneath a building
and try and catch all the eggs that are
coming off the building or you can go
find the guides throwing them and stop
him from throwing them yes it's like
that right so let's let's try and stop
the let's try and stop the mental health
problems become they before they become
extreme and let's try and fund those and
it sounds like people like you are doing
that and you're trying to let's let's
give you all the tools to to help
yourself before before you really need
help yeah you know there's there's
prevention and there's
postvention and I guess you know I have
done a lot of postvention presentations
for schools but my hopes are always to
just you know the prevention aspect is
so important to me and you know suicide
prevention is just mental health
education it's coping skills it's having
social workers or mental health
professionals in your school or district
and those are things that we should all
be fighting for absolutely absolutely so
all right so now we've gone through High
School you've got you started to
actually give some stuff Street
performance that's a whole different
level of of guts to go and do that and
start to present that way I loved it it
was like I could step out and uh and I
was I was like a you know a street
performer like I had like khaki shorts
on to hold all the things I needed I
think I had a wagon that was moving at
some of my I had a I had a friend or two
that would come with with me a lot of
the time but I would just Street perform
and all around at these different
festivals and things like that and um
Cherry Festival actually was probably
one of the ones that I talk about the
most because they gave me my huge big
starts as a magician nice so I I came
and crashed their Festival okay and they
were like you can't be here I was like
but I'm going to be here but I'm going
to do it anyway and they're like all
right for sure you can say I was like no
way well then um they kept only only
hired musicians and like I kept joking
like Wonder you going to get like a
comedy act or something like that and
you know you're going to let me open for
him and they're like okay Anthony and
then one year I got the call they said
hey and I didn't know who they were at
the time but they said Anthony uh we
just booked the Impractical Jokers we
want you to open for them and this is a
huge I mean cherry Festival this huge
audience yeah so Trevor City is their
cherry Festival is insane oh yeah it's
nuts so I was like let's do it and I I
put together a show and they ended up
having me for them introduced me to
Darcy Lynn the winner of America's
Talent open for her most recently Jim
gaffan on that stage yeah so they gave
me this huge start and uh you know it
was it was really affirming because you
see even like Robin Williams started as
a street performer until he became this
huge act so my thoughts were if you
couldn't make it on the street if you
couldn't develop your own crowd your
show is probably not that good so it's
not going to work you know when people
hire you anyway so well and you know I
touch said this the beginning but for
for you the your version of performance
is is very captivating you're very you
have a lot of motion you have and so I
would imagine that your street
performance version of that is very
attractive to a lot of people because
you because you're so animated in what
you're doing and you we see you perform
and you go he believes so strongly in
what he's talking about and what he's
doing that of course people are
attracted into it so it is not
surprising to me that you had an
incredible run at had Street performance
yeah yeah don't get me wrong not every
show was motivational there were some
crowds where I was like I don't think
they're going to Vibe with this message
um but uh a lot of them you know I would
stop and my straight jacket story is
kind of what blew me up the I get
wrapped in a straight jacket and 40 feet
of chain and and I tell my personal
story and um you know I probably do that
400 or so times a year because I when I
go to a schools I normally do these two
backtack presentations because like some
of the schools I've been to have three
or 4 thousand students in there and I
provide most most of the time I provide
my own equipment and I got 4,000 watts
once we hit about 2k people like I'm I'm
kind of maxing out you know what I mean
but um it yeah just uh it it was really
it's it's really how about this it's
really nice to not be on the side of the
street anymore that's 100% for sure I
haven't Street performed in many years
but I definitely felt like I put the
time and I put the work in as opposed to
there sometimes I I never wanted to be
in the right place at the wrong time and
I I don't ever never feel like I'm in
the right place at the wrong time
anymore that's great well in in a lot of
ways you have to do the street
performance to become who you are today
yes is that's what that's what helps you
refine what that message is and what
that looks like so so walk me through um
as you got as you got a little bit
further you started getting things like
the Cherry Festival and you started
getting things like that what how do you
take your message and move it into the
capacity that it is today because today
you're performing a ton and it's great
you're getting hired all the time from
all kinds of different worlds so so walk
me through how do you get from I'm going
to be at the Cherry Festival you're you
want me you just don't know it yet to
today where you are probably at a point
where you almost have to turn things
down because you're getting so many
offers I do sometimes my funnel is
overloaded I'm actually um I'm afraid to
go back home and open my emails because
it's just like here we go again you know
what I mean but the the cool thing is is
that these opportunities are not like
especially with schools it's like hey we
will find a way to bring this
presentation to you if it's not on the
date that you want chances are you're
still going to be at that same school in
the next you know couple years so we're
going to find a date but um it it's
tough I have two funnels I have a I have
a magic and entertainment funnel and I
really do enjoy that um I you know
entertaining people without the
educational aspect is a blast to me I do
a lot of trade shows people fly me all
around the country to represent their
brands on stages
um or for example like I'll do like aany
event for like a Fortune 100 or 500
company with like this big arena of
people and just mentalism and
pickpocketing um and that like kind of
reoo me with like this energy and then I
kind of take that fire and then you know
during the school year the
organizational year Monday through
Friday just like schools schools schools
schools and I'm you know flying out on
weekends and for sure all right so
you're in so you are in these schools
all the time you're giving these
performances all the time what is it
what does that school presentation look
like yeah yeah so very different from
like if I'm producing like an
entertainment experience so when I'm at
of school I appear as a keynote speaker
who uses magic okay and most of the
times I deliver two backtack
presentations so that way they can like
split the school in half it is a 45
minute to hour and 15 depending on most
most time it's 45 minutes but up to an
hour and 15 uh this educational session
on healthy tools and resources that
students have available like the real
ones that they have in their community
and in the school oh very cool the
unhealthy ones which is uh my exact Ted
Talk Like goes into next I disc I kind
of go through I hack into a student's
phone and then we do this calculator
magic trick and their mom's phone number
appears and obviously that's like the
funniest thing in the world to to the
school uh but then we talk about the
relationships that we have with
technology and social media
and at the end ofation I share my story
and uh it's very inspiring it it kind of
brings everything full circle so it's an
educational session that is super
engaging with students bring them on
stage and off to just talk about mental
health resilience and suicide revention
so what what percentage within those
presentations what percentage is Magic
what percentage is keynote speaker type
yeah so my the magic of Hope
presentation uses four worldclass Magic
tricks to deliver all of these messages
so I have an opening I have I have an
opening I do the Ted Talk which is that
magic trick and story and then I hack
into the student's phone and do another
magic trick and then at the very end to
share my story I get tied up in a
straight jacket and 40 ft of chain and
when I'm talking you can see the chain
just undoing itself it's it's really
powerful I just ask everyone to taking
this deep breath and let it go and it
just yeah so it's and I think what I
think when a lot of people think about
magic shows they think about like okay
trick trick trick trick but that's it's
not that when you are no it's not really
a trick it's it's helping it's a it is
the Catalyst or the visual for the
stories that I'm telling yeah yeah so so
when you say you know it's it's for
World CR class tricks over 45 minutes it
takes probably the duration of that 45
minutes to do all four because it's not
those tricks aren't 5 Seconds long
they're 15 minutes long and they're kind
of so okay so I use the old version of I
say what I'm going to say or sorry I
tell you what I'm going to tell you I
tell you and then I tell you what I just
told you right so I do a magic trick
that sets the scene for the story I tell
I tell the story and then we just kind
of sum it up in these like one two three
little little bullet points basically
that I speak out so that you hear it
three different times then I do another
magic trick we're all up here everyone's
excited and roaring and then I have
their attention for 12 minutes so I tell
another Ted Talk style story I do a
magic trick I have you up here ah
everything's so exciting and then I pull
you back in and have your attention
again so it's able to go through here
their attention span Fades and then we
Skyrock it back up I bring you back down
and uh it's a it's a great dance back
and forth with me in the audience of
trying to deliver an educational message
incredible how do you because I I
because now I've known you for a minute
but just you know between that and and
then just watching through a lot of your
social media channels and and hearing
stories of you know you you performed
here at well last fall like and you've
done some things with with a lot of
people that we work with and everybody
has these incredible things to say about
you and your performance and how do you
do 400 shows in the last three months
and still feel invigorated every time
you do it in a way that you're not just
going through the
motions I huh that's a tough one so part
of part of me especially with this
speaking like um after Co especially
like I really made this huge leap is to
really lead by example to follow my own
advice um I don't know if you if you
know the uh there a hip-hop group out of
Australia called Hilltop Hoods okay but
one of their old songs uh he says I give
good advice but never follow it what's
left for me um I'm a hypocrite and if I
wasn't I'd be a success story
so I always wanted to really lead by
example and I and I took that to heart
especially when when Co shut down and I
didn't have the identity a magician or a
speaker or or anything really I was like
well who am I what do I want to do what
do I want to be um I really went on a a
long journey to figure that out so um I
went a little extreme I moved to Hawaii
alone all right I spent spent like a
month there hiking and hanging out
there's worse ways to do it I know right
but uh I went on a lot of solo hiking
trips um through like Colorado and the
Carolinas and I just spent a lot of time
thinking and then practicing so in the
month of May
uh I did 54 keynote presentations in
like eight different states or something
ridiculous like that so like for example
Friday I did four shows four school
presentations in Ohio drove immediately
to UDA um and started performing as a
close-up magician so um and a lot of it
has been uh my diet and exercise and
getting enough sleep which which I know
people hear that all the time and people
are like oh but I'm like no that's
that's like vital that's not it's not a
a luxury it is something you have to do
and um I've I found that by eating a
higher protein diet and staying away
from carbs I have a lot more energy um
well and if you're already operating at
a th% all the time you're going to have
to do something for energy so it makes
sense that you you would prioritize that
part of your health yeah so that's
that's a big that's a big part to me is
is sleep diet and exercise and um I kid
you not even sauna use has really
changed um a lot for me so I I don't
feel like as like loaded and and burnt
out from like life but a lot of it is
just kind of
um it kind of sounds weird but I I force
myself to smile a lot so if I wake up
and I'm like man I'm tired or I don't
want to do this I will put the biggest
smile on my face the entire way to my
gig I will like force it to happen and
I'm just I'm really hoping that the the
people when I get there are just in a
good mood and just ready to work and and
that's what I see all the time um I give
myself a lot of credit for the work I do
but I also give like when I go to these
schools I I can't imagine what principes
and superintendents and even teachers
especially teachers they deal with so
much of teachers are not just teachers
anymore they're not just Educators they
are they are metal they're they're not
not all of them are trained but you know
they're kind of looked at as like the
counselor and or the person that
everyone wants to talk to abely and
sometimes sometimes they're a policeman
sometimes they're this and I I give them
so much credit you know I do a school
assembly and leave I just couldn't
imagine I I hosted a birthday party for
my seven-year-old and immediately called
her teacher and I was like I am so sorry
that you're
underpaid just you are you need yeah you
deserve so much more it is and you know
and to your point and to bring it back
into the mental health space like this
is where the resources need to be is
let's put it into a space where where we
can we can attach to attach the mental
health aspect to a spot where the kids
already feel comfortable we're not
trying to earn the trust of them in in
any other way they have enough going on
they don't need more right but if we can
attach the Mental Health Resources into
a place like school where they already
have a comfort level by bringing people
like you in where you can not only
deliver a message but deliver it in a
way that is going to resonate with them
yes it's incredibly powerful yeah you
know there are a lot of speakers and I
hear this all the time they're like
anthon we have we have never seen a
presentation like this and I say this in
my talk I said the reason I created this
is because when I was in school we would
get a presenter who' show up with a
PowerPoint present on data and
statistics right so let's say we spent
an hour talking to high schoolers or
middle schoolers and they learn things
like one out of four people struggle
with mental health right or the second
leading cause of death for their age
group is suicide there's nothing they
can use with that information it's not
practical it's not it there's no
relevance just gave him anxiety probably
probably to be honest it would have I
you know I'd be like oh these are my
statistics like that means I'm part of
this exactly the second most likely way
I'm to die is so that kind of stuff it
isn't helpful but giving real a real
talk on the healthy tools and resources
and affirming that you can trust and use
them right but having an honest
conversation with which my TED Talk uses
about the unhealthy tools and resources
you know that scare tactic that we try
to do with kids it's never worked it's
never going to work um so giving them a
real reason behind it and uh actually
explaining how you know humans do use
unhealthy coping skills for sure to try
to deal with thoughts and symptoms for
sure um that's why I I don't call them
good or bad because well you know if for
example uh you see this we all have
friends that okay it's Friday I'm going
to crack open a cold one right um I'm
not going to call that a bad coping
skill if that's what gets you through
the week then I'm happy for you right
and to have an honest conversation
though about how that could destroy
future relationships and how relying on
that could be is unhealthy because we
know it is um is super important
especially in high school or middle
school where you know I know plenty of
people who are like man I I wish it
didn't have to be this way I wish I
could go back and train my mind body and
spirit in a different way and they still
could yeah um but uh just giving them
like an actual chance and an actual
conversation for sure yeah and and it's
it's wonderful again that that somebody
like you can go in and I would imagine
that the that the teachers and
counselors are like yeah I I've never
seen a presentation like this before but
that's the point right because you can't
go in with the same the same approach to
everything well that's what how magic
helps because we have all these biases
and these agreements that we have formed
since childhood right and Magic takes
down the bias and agreement by creating
Wonder evoking wonder and awe right so
they experiened this trick that destroys
any agreement they have about physics or
this this and they're like wait a minute
if that can work maybe I should be a
little more Curious and that's what I
find that the magic creates more
curiosity I love that and that was the
original intent of a magician so there
are a lot of magicians who have
wonderful shows and at the end of the
show you didn't take anything away other
than he was good at Magic right the
original purpose for a magician was
actually to try to connect us with some
kind of higher power right and so we saw
this in medicine men and Shaman when we
were like tribal people so and actually
I could uh after working with the sagna
chipa tribe and most recently they had
to fly me to Oklahoma cuz the wi do
tribe that started I think in Canada and
kind of came their way through Michigan
is now all the way in Oklahoma okay um
but they were explaining to me that that
Michigan itself had like SE seven Native
American languages so Michigan like our
state yeah had seven languages that that
were it's just stuff like that blew my
mind like as as I get that's the cool
thing I get to learn learn while I'm do
so I don't just go to a school and I
really enjoy talking to people and
learning about the culture CU When I was
in North Dakota their culture is
extremely different than what I'm
finding in Michigan But Central
Michigan's culture and Metro Detroit's
culture are completely different very
different things Pennsylvania Chicago
Oklahoma every we're just so unique yeah
absolutely and that's what that is the
part that makes it fun about your
message is that you can present in a way
that does make sense to all of those
groups yes and and again bringing it
back into the mental health space it is
important for everybody to be part of
mental health awareness and mental
health in general so if you can create a
message that speaks to all of them then
it's an incredibly powerful thing for
you to use going forward oh yeah
awareness of this of tools and resources
but also an actual action plan which is
so important yeah so let okay so so
that's what you're up to today what does
the future look like what's what is
Anthony doing in a few years oh man I
don't know you know okay so um like I
didn't think I'd make it this far so
everything else is like the icing on the
cake you know what I mean I would love
to just continue through schools okay um
I am open to corporations like I've done
a like um like the All State Insurance
company had me do a presentation for
them this was virtual actually but they
have a healthc care plan for like their
employees that they could get get three
free or I forget it's been a year so I
had this memorized but they can get a
certain number of of free therapy
sessions for them and their household
people in the household okay and um I
would love to just see more larger
companies providing mental health
education and uh for for their for their
staff employees I think that actually
will make or break a lot of these
companies success moving forward in the
future for sure so if you can be an
advocate on the on the distribution of
Health servic is and be an advocate for
these companies that's a great way to go
if a company doesn't realize that where
everyone is spending a majority of their
amount of time has an impact on their
mental health like how could they
already missed this may offend some
people how could you call yourself a
leader I mean golly for sure you are you
are directly you are creating this
community right and your community in my
opinion should be full of safety
acceptance and support that doesn't mean
you shouldn't be driving people to work
hard it doesn't mean that you shouldn't
be you know pushing people to be the
best self or or that you're going to go
through challenges but instead of
reacting to situations you could just be
creating so many beautiful things so
right well and understanding that 100%
every single day is going to wear you
thin you got to operate on a way that
that allows for people to operate at
their at their pace and get things get
things done for you and if you can
create a space where people are happy to
be they are very happy to do things for
you oh yeah and and I think I think
anyone who's says I'm 100% cuz I'm I'm
don't get me wrong I give my all every
day that doesn't mean I'm going 100%
every day like that's just an illusion I
and I think so many times we mistake
confidence so okay so going back towards
I guess the the suicide discussion if
that's okay um a lot of times I hear you
know this person was a star athlete a
straight A student had all the friends
like and now they're gone we just don't
get it well sometimes that confidence
can be an illusion right of suicidal
ideation and what I mean by that is some
people have just been remained strong or
resilient for so long that they're like
is this how like every day is have to do
challenge like I'm done um and other
times it's well if this doesn't work I
can take this route out right and that
can create a false sense of confidence
and that actually is a warning sign that
I think a lot uh a lot more
professionals are aware of now because
that's where I was at a early Point
After High School I was like well
all my plans are destroyed so I'm going
to try this and if it doesn't work right
and that's why I I don't I don't use the
deid like suicide is is never the answer
well if it wasn't I wouldn't have to do
what I have to do every single day so
right it's a it's a wonderful thing that
you were able to to take those early
experiences that you've had that guided
you into a into a spot that I'm sure was
difficult but coming out on the other
side and using the tools that you
learned through that time to to not only
get yourself into a strong mental state
but then be able to help others get into
a strong mental position yeah and I
think that it's it speaks it speaks
worlds to your perseverance personally
and then also what you believe in in our
students for the future I mean you you
have to have such a strong desire for
middle school high school students to
succeed in life in order for you to make
that the profession level that you have
so on the on in I'm going to speak on
behalf of of so many other people and
just say thank you because it is
something that is that is a very
difficult thing and it's also something
that many many many many people are not
qualified to do or comfortable doing and
they can't do those those conversations
they know that they need to happen but
they don't know how to do it so I on
behalf of so many other people I tell
you that
I appreciate so much that that you've
taken that approach to to life and I
think that what you're doing is
incredible I look forward to everything
that you have coming forward I love when
you have new things that come out your
social media channels crack me up thank
you yeah that I never thought I'd become
the most viral pickpocket in the world
right but well here really quick before
we get away from that I what is your
Instagram that people can find you
because that because it's so it's just
Anthony Gedo my name so Anthony Gru p o
my Tik Tok my Instagram and I have an
official like Facebook page that and you
became the the number one viewed
pickpocket on on a lot of channels but
Instagram probably Tik Tok because it
kind of blew up everywhere and yeah I
don't I I stopped I hit over 200 million
views and I was like I don't need to
count anymore like I'm done I'm done
keeping score but it was it was so
impressive and my favorite was you put
out these compilations of of Quick
videos of did you just see a maget trick
would you like your watch back and it
cracks me up every time but it became it
became such a thing that that it became
part of the Zeitgeist like everybody was
like I know I know this one I've seen
that video whether they attached it to
you or not that as soon as you mention
that they'd go yeah I know I didn't want
to be in any of my videos I wanted to
your hands which I corrects me up I
wanted to Showcase just The Human
Experience of just wonder awe and like
laughter yeah I didn't I didn't want to
be anything and I I actually had some of
my friends were like have you seen this
guy I'm like bro
look at the name oh man I didn't know
that was you I'm like what the like you
didn't recognize my voice like come on
bro but the genuine joy and I love that
you turn the camera on them this isn't
about you this is about them and the
genuine Joy magic is not about the
magician no it is not it is you okay I
have a I have a wonderful show and it is
a great show and every once in a blue
moon I run into an audience that didn't
want to see magic all of a sudden it's
not a good show yeah so like you know
what I mean but I think that goes for
anything um if I were to go to I so H
like certain people like they're EDM
bangers right like in these music
festivals you have like excision with 2
million watts of bass but like a guy
who's going to like Faster Horses and is
like hates EDM that's he's going to be
like that was the worst show I've ever
seen so it's about like I said being in
the right place at the right time which
is why you have to I don't really get
leads that don't apply to me anymore but
I think that's where a lot of artists uh
entrepreneurs they they miss is they
take they're they're so worried about
like their lack of leads that they take
whatever they can get instead of being
like actually no but here's another
person I think would fit this that
person ends up respecting you more and
finding you the right room to be in in
the future when they recommend you well
and and that is something that we can we
can touch on really quick because I do
find that really fascinating in the
performance World it does seem like
entertainers are against each other for
whatever reason like but in the meantime
you could go into a room and be like
look there's four of us in this room
that do this and we're we're probably
the only four in the country that know
what it's like to go through this
process okay so here's the thing all of
the artists that are not succeeding are
Waring with each other yes all of the
people who are like doing awesome like
we text We call we hang out I have an uh
like I will sit down and have dinner
like I genuinely love hanging out with
other magicians I have so many magician
friends actually uh my mentor Andrew
Bennett okay so this is a really this is
really important um he was Ross perau
like one of his ex like top men I'll
call it so he um I think he was 25 or
something yeah sorry if I get this wrong
if you're watching this inter he was
about this age and moved to Australia
and grew an account like over 60 million
but he had used magic in all of his
business demonstrations he ended up
forming this group called Magic on
purpose which was only for magicians who
are using magic for a deeper purpose so
I was like the mental health one we have
a leadership one we have uh this one guy
from uh France talks about like
organizational uh leadership and things
but like he like is consciousness like
like I don't know how to explain it
other than like he like just speaks like
the universe's truth like he says
something and you're just like that
resonates so deeply with me but I have
met so many amazing amazing people you
know not only just magic but even music
artists and things like that um you you
I would have called you a liar like one
someone ever would have told me that one
day I would go hang out with Dan and
Shay after concert and like just
genuinely just go hang out with them
like just right have a blast but but
again they said the same thing where um
it was Shay I think who said I was like
so you know what was life like before
this he was like I lived at Diddy's
house producing rap I'm like what yeah
what do you mean you lived in you're a
country artist he was like ah well I am
now yeah well that's the thing you know
you find your you find your thing you
find your people you find your your your
whole Niche and you go go for it yes and
you know and I think that's that's one
thing as we as we wrap up here one of
the things I do want to call out is I I
do think it's incredibly fascinating for
you and I think one of the levels one of
the reasons that you've become
incredibly successful beyond the fact
that you're an incredible incredible
performer you speak to something that is
so powerful but you have found a very
very specific Niche to go in and speak
mental health and combine that with
magic in a way that resonates with age
groups from children on up is such lots
of adults yeah like and that's the thing
that's so it's so powerful and Magic has
a way of for whatever reason people
that are people that are trying to sound
cool they're like oh yeah magic whatever
but if you show them a magic trick they
lose their mind and people love magic
they genuinely feel because they feel
like a kid again yes and in so many ways
exactly what you said they have a belief
in something in physics that this has to
be true and when you show them that it
doesn't have to be true suddenly their
mind has opened up to something so much
greater so the fact that you have filled
that space now by saying go go ahead I I
think this applies directly to what
you're saying um I really enjoy the
works of Dr Joe dispenza and I think one
of his quotes uh that he says is we
Define reality with our senses and that
is one of our greatest Illusions magic
is a prime way to show someone that they
can feel something they can they can
hold something in their hands and it it
is so true they're holding a deck of
cards and it is gone yeah and that just
opens you up to a world full of
possibility and I guess continuing on
stuff that he would that I've read or
have heard him say or that I truly
believe in too is that the Universe only
gives us what we believe we deserve and
if you can believe that anything can
happen and that and that we are I I
think all inherently good so I I believe
that that every single person is
inherently good and I've spoken at
juvenile detention centers I I've met
kids that have you know they have murder
charges or International drug smuggling
you know charges and you know you walk
in with this bias of like they they have
to be evil but they're kids kids they're
just kids and and when you hear their
story you're going to find out a lot
more and about the human experience than
than you ever could have imagined so
just to give up you can't give up on on
our youth they're just they're the
future yeah well and and we appreciate
so much that you've taken that into your
profession and you've taken on such a
serious role in in making sure that they
become those those mentally healthy
successful people yes so so thank you so
uh as we wrap up what are some ways that
people can find you so that they can
book you for events they can check out
your stuff on social course so what are
some ways people can find you so I spent
a lot of time uh developing my website
so please go to it at ww.the magof
hope.com you can check me out on pretty
much any platform uh Instagram uh Tik
Tok uh Facebook I should do a better job
with YouTube but I got a lot of better I
got a lot of videos there but um yeah I
mean you type in Anthony G you know
you're you're going to find me perfect
Perfect well Anthony I appreciate so
much you spending time I appreciate you
guys having me absolutely well I don't
know if uh if anyone's still listening
out there but Walsh has this really epic
uh what is it called the Creator lab
yeah this really epic Creator lab so uh
definitely definitely a really unique
asset for for a college to to have
that's incredible it's very fun we love
getting students in here and letting
them really release their creativity yes
thank you so thank you Anthony this was
great yeah thanks
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