1196. Open to Opportunities & Willing to Take Risks
Discover Your Talent–Do What You Love
Don Hutcheson
5.0 • 619 Ratings
🗓️ 26 March 2026
⏱️ 32 minutes
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Summary
"The most powerful lesson I've learned is that self-discovery—learning your strengths and weaknesses–is foundational, followed by a strong education. Be open and ready for opportunities and be willing to take risks. Don't be afraid to dream because dreams do come true."
This encore episode is in memory of Delano Lewis, a guest on this podcast in 2015. He was an amazing person with an unforgettable life story. He passed away in 2023. We are taking this opportunity to spread his inspiring story to all our current listeners.
Delano Lewis, a former U.S. Ambassador to South Africa, rose from segregation-era Kansas to prominence in government, business, and the not-for-profit world. His bestselling memoir, "It All Begins with Self," affirms his belief in the value of family, education, hard work, perseverance, mentors and supporters. His trailblazing career includes top positions at National Public Radio and the Peace Corps.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello, world. Welcome to discover your talent, do what you love. I'm your host, Don Hutchison. |
| 0:16.7 | Every Tuesday, I interview someone from around the world who's discovered their talents to do work they love to create a life of success, satisfaction, and freedom. |
| 0:26.6 | Today, I'm delighted to bring you our featured guest, Mr. Delano Lewis. Welcome, Delano. |
| 0:33.3 | Thank you, Don. |
| 0:34.6 | Quick question. Are you using your talents doing work that you love? |
| 0:38.4 | Yes, I am. Thank you. |
| 0:40.1 | Good. We want to hear the whole story. |
| 0:42.3 | Mr. Delano Lewis, a native Kansan, is a former U.S. ambassador to South Africa, a family man, |
| 0:49.8 | a pioneer, a trailblazer, public servant, businessman, and a diplomat. His message is clear. |
| 0:57.9 | With a strong family foundation, solid education and training, hard work, perseverance, |
| 1:05.1 | committed mentors and supporters, you too can be successful. His memoir, it all begins with self, was released last month and was an |
| 1:13.9 | instant number one bestseller on Amazon. Delano, that's a pithy summation of your very varied and |
| 1:20.8 | interesting life. Would you take just a few minutes and tell our listeners around the world what |
| 1:24.5 | you're up to now that has you engaged and fascinated? |
| 1:35.4 | Thank you, Don. I am now in San Diego on an extended stay, living close to two of our four sons. |
| 1:41.3 | We have 11 grandchildren, so we're extremely blessed. And what I'm doing now is enjoying the families nearby, although our home is in New Mexico. I've had a wonderful |
| 1:46.1 | career in government service and in business and not-for-profit and in the diplomatic world. |
| 1:51.8 | And today, I'm just now trying to promote my memoir that you talked about. It all begins with |
| 1:57.3 | self. So I'm busy trying to share these experiences of my life and hopefully |
| 2:02.2 | giving some others a chance to understand how to do it. Delightful, and that's the whole point |
| 2:07.1 | of this interview, so I'm excited to dive into your life. As you know, well, Delano, everyone's |
| 2:12.4 | life is a series of turning points. Gail Shea He called them passages. They happen every next number of years, six or seven years, where we face obstacles and |
... |
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