We recently had the chance to connect with Joe M. Turner and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Joe M., thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
A few years ago, when we were still living in metro-Atlanta, my wife started her own side business making jams and jellies to sell at fairs and markets (see MyGrandmothersPantry.com). She kind of set it aside for a while after we moved to the Memphis area and were settling in, but she picked it up again in time for the summer farmers’ market where we live. Not only does our house smell wonderful, but it’s fun to help her set up and watch her be successful with her own creative enterprise.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Joe M. Turner. I founded Turner Magic & Keynotes about twenty-five years ago in Atlanta, Georgia after a corporate reorganization left me with a choice and an opportunity: either move to another city and continue doing something that I found unsatisfying, or take a risk on self-employment. I chose the latter.
What happened next was that I combined my corporate background in training and change management consulting with my experiences and talents in theatre and magic. The result is that I’ve been fortunate to share my magic and messages with people and organizations across America and all over the world.
I am also the producer of Memphis Magic Night, a monthly comedy, magic, and mentalism show in the Memphis area.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
My earliest memories are from my family’s little three-bedroom house in Jackson, Mississippi in the mid-1970s. Picture wood paneling, linoleum, a sliding glass door to the backyard with a curtain hanging in front of it, and a “giant” 26″ console television.
As a small child, maybe four or five years old, I can remember staying up late sometimes and seeing Johnny Carson come out from behind those multi-colored curtains to do his monologue. For some reason that sight always resonated with me. I thought that was about the coolest thing anyone could do. So I started trying to do it, too.
I would stand behind that curtain in front of the sliding glass door and give myself a “Here’s Joey!” intro, then come out and do stuff. Tell a joke or a riddle, or sing a song, or something. And of course my parents and grandparents would clap. The sound of applause was extremely affirming and I remember thinking that I had their attention and I had some control of what was happening. That makes a child feel very powerful indeed.
Later on my dad’s stepfather, a woodworker, used his lathe to turn some wood and make me my very own toy microphone on a stand to play with when I was doing my “Carson” thing. I still have that toy microphone in my office.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
By late 2019 I had reached a new level of success in my work as a speaker and entertainer. I had produced two long-running shows in Atlanta, I had been hired to give keynotes to some large companies and conferences. I had performed on several cruises and seen a lot of the world, and I had sold the single largest contract of my career, which was scheduled to happen in February 2020.
Of course, the pandemic hit and while that huge contract still happened, it was the last major contract of the year. In March everything shut down and my calendar for the rest of the year evaporated.
I was an early adopter of virtual entertainment and speaking, and launched a virtual magic event that was so successful that it was recommended twice in the New York Times. That public show and virtual corporate events got me through the summer.
By the fall, though, the novelty had worn off and things really slowed down. I entered a period of increasing depression and fear that persisted through the end of the year and into 2021. In December 2021, I was really in a bad place personally, professionally, emotionally, and spiritually. I spent a lot of time in isolation in my own home, just spiraling downward. I almost gave up on everything and everyone, including myself.
One night my wife came into my office and was not having any more of it. She demanded that I get some professional counseling. I had avoided it for a long time thinking it was somehow weak. But I did, and as you might expect, sometimes the journey gets worse before it gets better. But it did get better. I regained my spiritual focus, a more optimistic perspective, and a revived creative energy. I am a more vocal advocate for getting help with your mental and spiritual health than I was before. I shouldn’t have waited so long.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What important truth do very few people agree with you on?
This is a classic trap question in an interview because disagreeing with someone is built into the question. But I’ll answer it because I think it’s important.
Today it’s very popular to think and speak in terms of “group projects” and “community movements” and other collectivist paradigms. But I stand with the concept of individualism in action and in responsibility.
I do think everything ultimately boils down to individual ideas, decisions, and actions. Some of those decisions and actions may include a choice to work together in groups for specific reasons with specific designated responsibilities. I also think that great ideas do arise from groups who hammer out complex ideas together. But the great complex ideas are almost always the result of the cumulative addition of ideas and thoughts that come from individual contributions.
If you or I want something different and better in life, then we have to choose as individuals to think and act differently to pursue it. Large numbers of people abdicate their individuality in a search for an easy path, They are comfortable letting other people do the heavy-lifting, and they defend their approach with nice-sounding language about teamwork and cooperation and the value of collective thought and action. The problem with that is that talking about collective effort is popular, but actual effort coming from across a whole group is much rarer.
The 80/20 rule is real. Most of the benefits to any group come from a few individuals who create and plan great ideas, then inspire and lead others to implement them, and then drag a lot of dead weight along with them. But it all starts with individuals deciding to make the world different for themselves and others. We have to find ways to motivate people not to be part of the dead weight and to stop being comfortable being dragged along.
I think individuals who truly desire meaning in their lives will always take ownership of their paths and their choices.
That’s my hot take.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What will you regret not doing?
I may always harbor some tinge of “what if” doubts about never taking a serious stab at professional theatre. I loved acting and singing and performing in the theatre, and had quite a lot of success all through college. I was offered spots in a number of graduate programs, but I chose to take a corporate job in my early 20s rather than pursue an MFA and a possible career in “the biz.”
What I got in return for that choice has been an immense joy, though. I have a wonderful wife, a great family, and experiences in the business world that gave me a different platform to stand on. I still get to speak to and entertain audiences, though it’s in a different mode. And I still get to enjoy performing as a musician, too — I am a pianist and play in the lobby at The Peabody Hotel in Memphis on a fairly regular basis.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://turnermagic.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/turnermagic
- Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/joemturner
- Twitter: https://x.com/turnermagic
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/turnermagic
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/turnermagicchannel
- Other: https://memphismagicnight.com
https://memphispianist.com
https://dot.cards/turnermagic
