I have a lot of guests on this show who inspire me. I would say no one inspires me more consistently than my good friend and spoken word poet In-Q.

I have seen In-Q perform live so many times and I’m always left speechless.

Poetry is something that not only gives us a glimpse into the poet’s soul, but also into our own.

I wanted to bring In-Q back on the show to share his work with you. He has created incredible impact through his work in the past few years and I knew he’d have some amazing new insight to share with us.

I even asked him to perform one of my favorite spoken poems he does titled “85.” (57:36)

If you aren’t familiar with In-Q he’s a world-renowned spoken word artist and entrepreneur. He’s also an award-winning songwriter who has worked with such people as Aloe Blacc, Mike Posner, Foster the People, ZHU, Selena Gomez and Miley Cyrus.

He was even the first poet to ever perform with Cirque Du Soleil. But above all, In-Q is a deep soul, an insightful artist, and a gifted voice who is choosing to change the world with his talent and perspective.

Be prepared to learn something about yourself and the power you have to change the world.

Some Questions I Ask

• Not many people do spoken word for a mainstream audience like you, do they? (8:52)
• You originally wanted to be a rapper, is that right? (11:00)
• When did you first start writing songs for other artists? (13:46)
• How do you come up with these ideas? (18:54)
• What do you think is holding you back from letting it flow effortlessly? (21:32)
• How long have you been working on this craft professionally? (24:31)
• How many years have you done poetry full time? (25:52)
• Would you say using your voice and sharing your truth is the only way an artist can be successful for a long time? (28:56)
• What is an insecurity that’s holding you back? (43:36)
• What is the greatest lesson you still need to learn? (47:13)
• Do you want to continue to go through those darker times? (49:31)

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• How In-Q feels about “selling out” (12:31)
• A live poetry performance based on a true story  (14:14)
• How long it usually takes to write a poem  (19:55)
• If IN-Q still gets stage fright (22:31)
• Where he used to perform rap battles (25:12)
• When he first made a chunk of change from poetry (26:05)
• A poem about speaking your truth (30:07)
• What In-Q learns from his own poetry (38:45)
• If an artist needs to continually feel negative emotions to make great art (48:40)
• The 85 Poem (1:00:00)
• Plus much more…