Matthew Carter – Your Story is Your Superpower!
Owner at Matthew Carter Talks, LLC
Sociable. Optimistic.
When two teenage boys robbed Matthew at gunpoint almost 11 years ago in front of his own home, he spent many years being fearful of teenagers and feeling haunted by the memory of a cold gun barrel pressed against his head. He realized that living in a state of constant fear prevented him from living his best life, so he worked tirelessly to change his mindset and learn the difference between things he could control and things he couldn’t.
Decisions based in fear often result in not being in alignment with our true selves. At its core, the majority of problems seen in most media outlets are stemmed in the emotion of fear. A child is not born afraid. These emotions are imposed on them from another’s fears or caused by life experiences which results in us building both emotional and physical walls to keep out what we’re so fearful of. Being in the “flow” of life allows our natural state of being – love – to be the driving force in our decision making.
Matthew’s life has been chronicled by one of his closest friends and New York Times Bestselling Author, Jason Reynolds, in the novel Ghost. Originally from Washington, D.C., Matthew has lived in the Columbus Ohio area with his wife and two sons for the past ten years and proudly considers himself a Buckeye. He now travels to different schools through the country to share his story with teenagers and shares his personal message of hope and perseverance. He has transformed his fear of teenagers into a love that empowers them to make different choices than those of the teenagers who robbed him that night many years ago.