In this Toastmasters icebreaker speech, Paul H. Flowers Jr. introduces himself to the club and a broader online audience, emphasizing three core facets of his identity: a devoted father of three, a lifelong self‑educated learner, and a mission‑driven advocate for healthcare reform. He explains why he joined Toastmasters—to improve his speaking skills so he can communicate effectively with his children, a need he felt growing up without a father figure. Paul stresses the value of reading as a cost‑effective path to education, rejecting the notion that formal degrees are the only route. He then unveils his current mission: to address disturbing, hidden problems in the U.S. healthcare system, leveraging partners and colleagues to drive change. Throughout, he asks fellow Toastmasters and viewers for simple support—high‑fives, likes, comments, and shares—to amplify his cause. The speech closes with a call for questions, reinforcing his belief that purpose and education together create meaningful impact.
Chapters
Thank you so much for that wonderful introduction, fellow Toastmaster. I'd love to welcome you all this evening, my fellow Toastmasters, and welcome guests, and anyone out there in the virtual world who may come across this video and wonder, who is this Paul Flowers? What is this Toastmasters? And what is this speaking thing that he's doing at a random hour on Thursday, June 27th? Well, let me share with you. As the title of this speech suggests, I'm a man on a mission. Fellow Toastmasters, welcome guests. My name is Paul H. Flowers Jr., and yes, Please, if you address me in full, address me as Paul H. Flowers Jr. because there is meaning inside of a name. And as you'll come to learn, the things that I'm passionate about are that I am a father first, I'm educated, and that I'm absolutely mission-driven. Let's back up to go forward. Why am I here with this whole Toastmasters Club? You see, I joined Toastmasters as a part of a challenge, so to speak, to improve my speaking and have never the conversation come to me again that said that, that conversation of yours was garbage. Now, I won't go into that story, and if you've heard it already, again, lucky you. And for those that may not have heard it the first time, you might want to get involved in Toastmasters so you can hear about these lovely little things that people share inside of their introductions to this organization. For myself, I said a long time ago that when I became a father, that I'd be the best father ever. And one of the things that it takes for me in order to be a phenomenal parent is the ability to speak to my child, not just talk at them. Father of 3, oldest 11-year-old son, youngest 17-month and 3-month-old baby girls. You see, when I became a father, I said that I'd be the best father ever because I didn't have my father to grow up in my life. He passed when I was 3 years young. So think about that. Growing up in a single-parent household on the South Side of Chicago, and though my upbringing was phenomenal, fantastic, and I wouldn't trade it for the world, there are some things that were missed for me. The ability to be clearly communicated to and have those conversations that matter for me as a male coming from a male are a thing that I wish that I had. So I take Toastmasters seriously such that I can impart things to my son and daughters from their father that will make a difference in their lives. Imagine going through life wondering, am I doing this right? Did I get it wrong? Is there something more that I can do? Well, guess what? When you have a fantastic father in your life, that which I strive to be and continuously work on, those questions are continuously answered. Now, how does one get to a point in which they can speak to their child or children in the ways that I'm choosing to speak to my children at this day and age? One has to be educated. Now, educated doesn't mean that you have to go and get one of these fancy degrees that cost a lot of money and ultimately end up putting in a significant amount of debt., right? Now, ideally, for those that can go and get it for free, kudos. Get it and get more of them because the networking is phenomenal, especially on a college campus. But if you're not that person that got a full ride, you end up in a little bit of debt. So choose wisely how you educate yourself. One of the ways that I've learned to educate myself is through reading, reading, and reading some more. You see, I was told some time ago that readers are leaders. And at this point in my life, I choose to lead. I choose to take control of my own education. And I choose to lead myself, my family, and those in my communities, both personal and professional, in a way that comes from substance, not just assumption. So when this educated father, you find yourselves a mission. I am on a mission, and my mission now is to make a change in the healthcare system without pulling out that 800-page book that's up here somewhere. I'll share with you now that there are some things that are going on in today's healthcare society that are outright disturbing when you understand what's happening beneath the scenes. You see, there's what you see, There's what you think, and there's what you'll never think is actually going on. And these are the things that I choose to take on as a mission going forward. I've got partners and friends lined up, colleagues and associates that are here joining me with this mission. And I want to ask you, fellow Toastmasters, and again, welcome guests, to support me in this mission. Now, that support might just come by way of High five, Paul. Hope everything is going well for you. Or as you continue to see posts coming up about things that are going on in our healthcare system, please like them, comment on them, and share them to your walls as well. It costs you nothing, nothing but a little bit of time and a few clicks of either your thumb or a mouse. Wrapping up, ladies and gentlemen, I'm a father first and I absolutely love being a father. I can't wait till my son, sees this, and my daughter some years later when they can comprehend what I'm sharing with them, that they can absolutely see the difference that it makes when you educate yourself and then you also tack on a mission to your very life, tack on a mission and a purpose to why you are here. Because without a purpose, ladies and gentlemen, what are we doing? With that, I'll take that question and I'll turn it over to you, fellow Toastmasters.
