Sean read my mind, and blew my mind, when he said the word “Sheltie.” Sheltie was my favorite pet, a collie I had when I was six years old. I hadn’t thought about that dog in years. We were sitting at lunch for the interview when he asked if I wanted to see how his mind-reading skills worked. He asked me to take out my phone and type the name of my favorite animal into google (he couldn’t see what I was typing). He asked me to look at any images that reminded me of my favorite animal.
Then he said, “It’s a dog, a smaller dog.” Yep. Then he said, “Six letters? No, seven letters … Sheltie.” That quickly, my mind was blown. I’m still trying to figure out how he did it.
Magician Apprenticeship
Sean has been fascinated with hypnosis and magic since the age of 12. He voraciously studied and practiced anything he could. Later on, he became a product reviewer for the largest magic distributor for about six years. He’s also had a mentor and friend that invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in his education.
At the age of 22, Sean started studying psychology and developed a passion for how people connect, and how to create stronger connections. As we talked, his breadth and depth of knowledge was evident by the concepts he shared from the books he has read. With all of this knowledge, he has chosen to create a fusion of psychology, magic, mind-reading, and hypnosis to share his message through entertainment.
Fusing Magic With Empathy
Sean has been giving keynote speeches for the past three years, combining entertainment, as well as teaching empathy and connection skill-sets. One of his specialties is mind-reading.
“The mind-reading element is the coolest thing to be a part of, because when I’m interacting with a person or a group, they know it’s about them. I think that psychologically one of the healthiest things we can have is to have somebody stop and shift the focus solely to us and to know that we were seen and heard and felt. It is one of the most healing things for people.”
Sean also shares his secret for beginning meaningful relationships in three minutes or less through interrupting, introducing, and inquiring. First, interrupt the expectation of the threat we normally feel from strangers. Second, introduce warmly, and build a positive momentum in the interaction. And third, inquire in a way where we find what motivates, excites, and helps the other person feel heard, felt, and seen.
With the arrival of COVID-19, Sean has also added aspects of self-care to his message.
“People get to learn how to stand alone before they can stand together,” he said. “Right now, there is a lot of uncertainty. We get to take time to improve our relationship with ourselves and with others. We get to take breaks from the anxiety. We get to find ways to reach deeper into community and connect with people that are different.”
Sean’s desire with each keynote is that a person’s expectation of reality is shattered. “I don’t care how I get to it, only that they leave with a story.”
He wants people to walk away with an emotional experience that will change their lives. He did that for me.
Sean is available for bookings and can be contacted at info@seanbott.com, 801-520-8612, and seanbott.com.
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