Dr. Colby Jubenville on why you can't build version two of yourself until you build version one. MTSU professor, TEDx speaker, and author breaks down his talent development framework, why distraction is the real enemy, and how adversity becomes your greatest competitive advantage.
Kevin sits down with Dr. Colby Jubenville, professor at Middle Tennessee State University and director of the Center for Student Coaching and Success, for a conversation about timing, mentorship, and the work of building a life on purpose.
Colby introduces his talent development framework and the idea that before you can build version two of yourself, you have to build version one. He walks through the realization, result, activity model he uses with students, his five levels of people (reactors, strugglers, floaters, someday people, and doers), and why he believes distraction is something the brain is wired to protect itself with, not a personal failing.
The conversation moves through Colby's own story: a childhood vision condition doctors said would limit him, a defining moment negotiating his first real contract with entrepreneur Brian Shulman, and a college oral exam he nearly failed that unlocked the creativity he'd been sitting on for years. He and Kevin also dig into curiosity, personal branding, manifestation, and Colby's four rules of talent development, including his advice on turning adversity into a competitive advantage.
It's a conversation between two people who've spent years thinking about the same questions from different angles: identity, growth, and what it actually takes to become who you're capable of being.
Key Takeaways
- You have to build version one of yourself before you can build version two.
- Distraction is the brain protecting itself, not a character flaw.
- Realization, result, activity turns insight into action.
- Reactors, strugglers, floaters, and someday people stall.
- Doers take small daily steps.
- Self-reliance builds survival. Interdependence builds meaningful relationships.
- Personal branding is brand image plus brand identity.
- Adversity, used intentionally, becomes a competitive advantage.
- Curiosity about yourself, not passion, is where growth starts.
GUEST BIO:
Dr. Colby Jubenville is a professor at Middle Tennessee State University and director of the Center for Student Coaching and Success. A two time TEDx speaker, author, and coach, he has spent his career helping students, professionals, and organizations understand their unique value and build it into meaningful careers and lives through his talent development framework. He is co-author of Me: How to Sell Who You Are, What You Do, and Why You Matter to the World and Zebras and Cheetahs Look Different: Stay Agile to Survive the Business Jungle.
Connect with Colby
Website: drjubenville.com
Center for Student Coaching and Success: mtsu.edu/CBHS-success
Email: colby@drjubenville.com
Phone: 615-498-6802
Connect with Kevin
https://linktr.ee/kevinmcnulty
