At the age of 5, Cody had one goal… to one day wrestle in the same ring as his childhood heroes and become a professional wrestler. Cody grew up in a small, secluded, rural town with a population of less than 200 people. Cody strived to dream BIG despite coming from a small place and being told that his dream was an impossible one. Despite many obstacles, Cody eventually achieved his dream and wrestled in the same ring as his favourite childhood wrestlers. Eventually, Cody experienced major adversity when his childhood dream was cut short from the unlikeliest of people & Cody had to decide whether to focus on the negative or positive in his life.
Cody chose to remain positive and today, Cody wrestles around the world with IMPACT Wrestling and is seen in 150 million homes in 120 countries worldwide. He also travels around the globe sharing his story and journey to help inspire others.
Cody’s story involves overcoming adversity, setting goals, focusing on the positive rather than the negative, striving to be a positive influence in your community, and putting in the work in order to achieve your dreams. He speaks about the power of positivity and perseverance. His goal now is to focus on being a positive influence and tells stories of the power of positivity, getting involved with and raising thousands of dollars for numerous charities through his “Giv’er for Charity” campaign, being a positive influence to his four children, and doing so all while wrestling alongside his childhood wrestling heroes.
Cody dares people to dream BIG… because he definitely did… and he still does.
WORKSHOP
THE POWER OF INFLUENCE
Many youth today are striving to be “influencers.” They want to increase their digital presence and have more followers. Cody forces youth to think about who is truly in their “sphere of influence” and encourages youth to focus on the quality of their human interactions, rather than the quantity of their digital ones. In this workshop, Cody talks about the cycle of influence. Whether we are influenced by positive or negative forces, we can choose to continue that cycle or change it.
Cody tells stories of the negative influences on his life at a very young age and the people who came alongside him to help change the trajectory of his life in a positive way forever. He tells engaging tales from his wrestling career that have influenced his life as a father and a man. Cody tells personal stories of special connections he’s made with his wrestling fans and his decision to be a positive influence in his community through his charity campaign – “Giv’er for Charity.”
Viewers take away the realization that they all have the power to influence those around them. It’s up to them whether they want to be a positive or negative influence in the world. Cody encourages all youth to choose the power of positive influence.