“Learned fear can be overcome
When you realize the voice inside your head
Is not yours
It’s an imitation of the voices from before
Repeating on a loop inside your quiet core
And you can’t tell the difference
Cause it sounds the same
But trust me when I tell you
Most of what you think
Is from somebody else’s brain”
IN-Q
On today’s Broken Brain Podcast our host, Dhru, talks to IN-Q, a National Poetry Slam champion, award-winning poet, and multi-platinum songwriter. His groundbreaking achievements include being named to Oprah’s SuperSoul 100 list of the world’s most influential thought leaders, being the first spoken word artist to perform with Cirque Du Soleil, and being featured on A&E, ESPN, and HBO’s Def Poetry Jam. He’s inspired audiences around the world through his live performances and storytelling workshops. Many of his recent poetry videos have gone viral with over 70 million views combined.
In this episode, Dhru and IN-Q talk about his journey of becoming a poet, songwriter, and rapper. IN-Q shares about his book, Inquire Within, which is a poetic journey through his life and experiences, contemplating universal issues of love, loss, forgiveness, transformation, and belief. They discuss how our greatest pain can be our greatest teacher, how to turn failure into power, and how to break through the stories that we create for ourselves. And you know community is always one of my favorite topics—they get into the importance of building community, especially in pursuit of our goals and dreams.
In this episode, we dive into:
- “Learned Fear,” a poem by IN-Q (2:59)
- How learned fear can hold you back (7:31)
- The insecurities IN-Q had growing up that made him who he is today (10:49)
- When we internalize pain we create sickness in our body (11:27)
- What is was like for IN-Q being raised by a single mother and growing up without a father (12:52)
- Why we look outside of ourselves for validation (23:23)
- Why you should start before you’re ready (25:48)
- “Evidence,” a poem by IN-Q (31:52)
- Understanding the difference between ideas and ideologies (35:10)
- How pain can be our greatest teacher (42:25)
- Tools that have helped IN-Q in his life (51:36)
- How to embrace the artist within (1:00:52)
- “What If,” a poem by IN-Q (1:06:40)
- Where to learn more about IN-Q (1:23:41)
For more on IN-Q, be sure to follow him on Instagram @inqlife, on Facebook @inqlife, and on YouTube @inqonline. Check out his website https://in-q.com. You can find his book, Inquire Within, right here.