We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Justin Cobb. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Justin below.

Alright, Justin thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. One of the toughest things about progressing in your creative career is that there are almost always unexpected problems that come up – problems that you often can’t read about in advance, can’t prepare for, etc. Have you had such and experience and if so, can you tell us the story of one of those unexpected problems you’ve encountered?

When I was growing up in Pennsylvania I was raised in a fundamentalist, conservative Protestant home. At a young age I started questioning the theology I was being raised in and I started challenging it. Also around the same time I was going through moments where my sexuality was awakening and I felt so awkward as a teen. I told my father one day that I supported gay rights and he got violent. The trauma that I sustained would change me forever.

I went back to school ready to start questioning my tradition even further and still wanting to find that sense of spiritual connection. It is still a journey that I am on. But I never worked through the trauma that I sustained and I internalized a lot of self-sabotage because I was afraid of breaking free from the suffering that defined me.

This followed me for years and I ended up in an abusive relationship and a toxic workplace. This was after all these years where I managed to do great things despite my self-sabotaging tendencies. I even managed to move out on my own to Washington DC and Arlington, Virginia. Then I was fired from a job when I stood up to some workplace hostility perpetuated by superiors.

I started a blog thanks to the recommendation and encouragement of colleagues. At first
I was just reviewing the material I was consuming. However I soon evolved the blog when I featured my first guest, a woman named Jacquie Abram. She came on to share more about her book, “Hush Money.” She was an international bestselling author who spoke about how she survived 20+ years of racial discrimination and harassment.

That article changed the trajectory of my blog. I am now interviewing and sharing stories of people around the globe who were sharing the challenges and lessons they endured and learned. They also provided their insights on how to transform hardship into opportunity. During this time I also started going to therapy and made peace with what happened in my life.

Now I share my story and also interview amazing folks from all 6 inhabited continents.

Justin , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania and raised in Meshoppen, Pennsylvania, I am now a creator, strategist and advocate living in Arlington, Virginia. Through the power of visual and audio storytelling, I educate, enlighten, and empower. The building blocks for this work started when I was a student activist and scholar. I cultivated these skills over the years even when I was working in fields that were not related to the work that I was doing.

Here is the truth of the matter. Climate change is raging, fascism and authoritarianism are on the rise, and we are witnessing a global mental health crisis. Young professionals have no shortage of obstacles ahead of them and many are the first ones like themselves moving into professional spaces. I create content that is here to educate and empower people to take ownership of their gifts, talents, and skills. My content helps people recognize that what they need to be successful in life is already within. Everything else is effort and strategy.

How do I do this? By interviewing people and sharing their stories. I also share mine. Through the power of storytelling we bring the world and the solutions closer together.

I am proud of the fact that this platform is building an international audience. Communities across all 6 inhabited continents are engaged. A network of professionals across the globe is being built. The goal is to create this multicultural, multi-disciplined, multilingual, and multinational movement. It consists of artists, coaches, educators, innovators, leaders, and strategists dedicated to addressing the topical issues of our time.

Insight is part of a much larger project that I am building. I want people to know that in these times there are people out there who are doing their part to make a difference.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

When I was growing up in rural Pennsylvania I was being raised in a fundamentalist, Baptist household. I was taught the world was created in 6 days, that the Bible was final say, and that to be gay was sinful (among other things). However, in my teen years I really started to question this upbringing. When I was sixteen-years-old I told my father that I supported gay rights. I didn’t even tell him that I was gay back then… and he got violent with me.

The trauma from that experience followed me for years.

I was already a writer when I was a teenager. I also started using poetry and spoken word as a means of self-expression. I moved across the state with the help of some family members and I began my studies in media production, social science, and behavioral health. Even after I graduated with my degree I still was not confident in my abilities. I moved to Washington D.C. and Arlington, Virginia to build my career in what I thought would be the public sector, then the corporate settings.

Early though my career was stalled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The contract that I had with a federal employer was disrupted and I had no backup because I was striking out on my own without the support of family. As the BlackLivesMatter protests raged across the U.S., I tried to transition into DEI. However, I was stalled once again when after a successful internship I went onto another job where I experienced some hostile working situations. However, due to inexperience, I found the tide turned against me quickly and it was spun around as if I was the problem.

I was fired.

Swept out the door and reeling, I found myself falling. During that time I was also in an abusive relationship, my relationships with family members were strained, and now my career was stalled. Insight was actually birthed out of these struggles that I endured. It was my reclamation of self. Alongside therapy I took ownership of my journey. I picked up a full-time job at a grocery store to make ends meet and I started building my platform.

Originally, I just reviewed content that I was consuming. However, that changed when I conducted my first interview with an international bestselling author named Jacquie Abram. She shared how she survived 20+ years of hostile workplace discrimination and racism in the workplace. What resulted were two 6-figure settlements that she reached for her and her daughter. As well as two international bestselling novels recounting the journey of survival. What also resulted for her was a career as an expert reviewer.

Since then, Insight has evolved into an international platform that is engaging audiences across all 6 inhabited continents. We navigate the tough conversations with grace and nuance. It centers themes such authenticity, critical thinking, empathy, interconnectedness, leadership, and social justice. By becoming the change we want to see in the world we affect the ones that we need.

I would not change my story for all the world because everything I endured was meant to bring me here to serve and to impact.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My mission is to empower aspiring professionals and youth who are looking to lead initiatives that will revolutionize how we conduct business. A lot of my work focuses on marginalized and underrepresented voices. I also focus more on building that community with likeminded individuals. We can only address the issues of our time if we are working on building sustainable initiatives and communities across cultures, disciplines, languages, nations, etc. The world that was built for us by the leaders that came before and are here now…it is doing an excellent job at disconnecting us from our environment, our humanity, and our sense of self.

Only by reconnecting to what makes us human and ultimately our sense of something larger will we be able to resolve these concerns. Not only is there a future in us… but there is one where we can resolve these conflicts for the betterment of all. We also will all profit more if we invest more in ourselves, our humanity, and in our planet. Insight wants to show people that wherever you are…you have the power to be a difference.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://justinsight.komi.io/
• Instagram: insightwjustincobb
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justingcobb/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Insightwjustincobb
• Other: Medium:

  https://medium.com/@jcobbstudios

  Spotify:

  https://open.spotify.com/show/1yBsN5aoDtK4OYIu40OtaL?si=aZU00yb2Rde8vYs6ukBFsw

Image Credits

Logo by Hicham Bouyacoub