What 25 Years of Listening Taught Me: Fortune 5 to Death Row

If you spend enough time with people — real conversations, real stories, real experiences — something interesting happens. You start to see patterns.

For nearly three decades, I’ve worked across nearly every walk of life imaginable:

Fortune 5 leaders.
Sales teams.
Front-line employees.
Athletes.
And even people on death row.

Different worlds. Different pressures. Different histories.

Yet the similarities almost always outweigh the differences.

Here’s what I’ve learned:

Everyone wants to feel fulfilled.

People want their life and work to matter — that what they’re doing contributes to a larger mission, creates impact, or moves something forward.

When fulfillment is present, people engage at a deeper level. When it’s missing, even the best circumstances start to feel empty. 

Everyone needs clarity.

Clarity gives people confidence. When someone understands the expectations, the direction, and the “why,” they move with more purpose and less hesitation.

But when the path is uncertain, doubt and overwhelm fill the space. Clarity is the stabilizer that allows people to perform at their best.

Everyone wants to belong.

Humans are wired for connection. We want to feel seen, valued, and part of something — whether that’s a team, a family, or a community.

When people feel like they belong, they lean in, collaborate, and contribute. When they feel isolated, they retreat. Belonging is one of the strongest predictors of engagement.

Everyone is searching for purpose.

Purpose gives direction. It creates forward momentum and makes challenges feel meaningful instead of draining.

Without purpose, people drift. They lose motivation, energy, and focus. With purpose, even difficult days feel connected to something bigger. Purpose doesn’t just inspire people; it sustains them.

Change the environment, culture, or title, and these needs still show up.

Because at the core, we’re more alike than we think.

It’s the idea at the center of my recent video, The 4 Core Needs Every Human Shares. I’ve watched those needs surface in environments as opposite as Wall Street and death row, and they continue to show up in every story, every struggle, and every win.