June 29, 2020August 18, 2020

Heroes of Change: Julia Jahn of New Life Healing Ministries

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A Sit-Down with Julia Jahn of New Life Healing Ministries.

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As Part of the Heroes of Change Podcast

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Thank you for tuning in to this episode of The Heroes of

Change podcast from EPIC Mission.

This is Jeremy Turner, Founder and Managing Director of EPIC

Mission and I’ll be your host here on the podcast.

We are highlighting the trials, victories, and applied wisdom

of our community change agents, unsung heroes,

and those who empower them to be the change. We seek to inspire

and equip every day heroes, just like you, take on our greatest

challenges because together, we are the change. And this episode,

it’s my absolute pleasure to welcome my longtime friend, Julie

Jahn to the show and we’ll get to Julie here in just a second.

But first let me read just a little bit about her.

So Julie Jahn’s been in Ministry for over 40 years.

She’s a widowed mother of three adult children, grandmother

of seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

She’s ministered through various businesses and nonprofits

and has led women’s groups, conferences, and retreats in New

Jersey, North Carolina, England,

Scotland, and Canada.

She’s written a training manual entitled “Healing Prayer for

Divine Appointments” and will soon be releasing “A Prince and

Princess of the King, Healing Series.”

So got a lot going on Julie, as always . Nothing new. So everybody’s

got a bio, you know, you can go on LinkedIn or Facebook

or somebody’s website and read a prepared statement about

them. Let’s go beyond the bio.

What else do we need to know about Julie Jahn

on that you’d like to share with us well.

I I think that what I would like to share with you today

Jeremy is that never give up, you know, if you have a dream.

If you have something in your heart, don’t give up and

you know, as I was thinking about this interview, I have

to remember the words of my cousin, Bobby, you know, if you

make a mistake, don’t beat yourself up over it. It’s just

a wonderful way of learning how to do something. Do it; do the

same thing in a different way.

So, you know, it’s just be creative and in love and I mean

I’ve spent my life helping and loving people and wanting

to be the conduit of helping them know who they are and do

what they’re called to do.

And as you know, I’m pretty tenacious when I get into that

so I know I love it.

I absolutely love it, you know, but you know, I I’ve been

on the planet for a long time. I’ve been around a lot of people and

you know, I just love helping people and I always find some

ways, some time to do that.

So through the years,

I’ve had a couple of nonprofits and businesses that have

done that and so that’s what I do with my life.

So what is it that you’re doing these days?

Let’s talk about that for a minute just to set up some of

our conversation for today.

Okay?

Well, so what I’m doing today is I have a new venture

called New Life Healing Ministries.

It’s all about inner healing, 12-step mentoring and also spiritual

directions. So we’re teaching,

you know, we’re just helping people in this world the way

that it is at the moment, to focus more on Jesus and get rid

of all of their emotional spiritual hurts and then be a

real good presence in the world, to be the change that we

really want to see in the world, you know, the world is getting

evil and we need more good guys out there and good women;

good guys and good women.

It’s huge work that you’re doing.

I mean, you think about that, you’re leaving hurts and bringing

spiritual healing to people and you know, I know that you

and I have talked offline a bunch of times through the years.

How is it that you can do this work?

You know, how are you prepared to do this work?

And how has your past prepared you or you know,

my past has definitely prepared me because there’s

not anything that anybody is going to say to me that I don’t

know and say oh, yeah.

Well, I know I’ve been there, done that, you know, so the only

thing that I can’t say yes to is that there were no

drugs. So but anything else I think I’m pretty close to saying.

Yeah, I know what you’re talking about so, you know how I

can use my common sense and how I can use the anointing

that God has given me and how I can use the training.

I’ve gone through a training.

I used basically a five key model from Heart of the Father

Ministries and also use another model from the Order of Saint

Luke’s which is a healing group.

And so, you know, so you just train yourself to

listen to the Holy Spirit.

Listen to the person. People

don’t get listened to, too much anymore, you know, people are

busy talking about themselves and talking about COVID and

talking about all the grumble things that they have are getting,

but and they don’t have anybody to talk to because they’re

isolated. So, you know this is a great time to take

advantage of just speaking with somebody and let

them know how much who you are and why you’re hurting and

you know and pray out, pray it out, you know, just get rid

of it.

And then your life will be a lot easier.

So, you know, how does my take a first step like that though,

you know, people are isolated and it seems like these days,

you know, maybe folks aren’t encouraged as much to share

their thoughts and feelings and inner hurts.

We have, you know, things like social media where things

get shared out personal things about somebody gets shared

out and suddenly, you know a person’s life can get ruined.

Okay, right.

Right.

Right, right.

Well most of the time most of the people come through actually,

most of the clients that I get right

now, there are people that come from prayer. Our People through

churches because I’ve made presentations in churches and

you know the website pretty much, there’s this people that

come all over North Carolina before the COVID started.

So we are now starting June prayer times, but people are

choosing to come in person, which is really amazing, you

know, so, you know, if you’re hurting bad enough, you’re going

to look for something to make that feel better, you

know, if it bothers you, if it’s doing something

in your life and your marriage and your corporate situation,

you work situation, if you know if you’re broken and you

know, you get angry all the time, you just don’t really understand

why and it’s a great place to come because we can figure

out why and get rid of it,

right because you know, your inner self affects your personal

life and your professional life, right?

That’s correct, you know and there’s a lot of people out

there that have been abused and used and you know, not only

in a relationship but also at work and in churches and you

know and relationships words are very powerful Jeremy, you

know, when the more I get into this the more power I see

the words out, you know that you know when you say something

to somebody you never know if that’s a trigger word for that

person. You know that brings up a memory that maybe from

the childhood or maybe from college or you know grammar school

or maybe they were involved with bullies, you know, maybe

this is a generational curse in their family and there’s

just a word that just you just say something in it.

I mean I certainly had conversations with people before

I got into this and have used trigger words and I’ve seen

people go bonkers, you know what I’m saying?

What’s wrong with them?

Well now I know what you know, in retrospect, you know that

it’s very worth a very important very, very powerful, very

very powerful as you’re talking about that I was reflecting

that. I’ve got a friend I grew up with that the word ‘dummy’

set him off.

Yeah, right and it’s not really a pleasant word.

No one,

I think wants to be called that, but it was because

they were constantly called this and basically we’re bullied

with this word and absolutely sets them off.

And so you arrive where it’s absolutely, we do have power,

sure. Yeah, that’s right.

You know, the words are very, very powerful and in the book

that I just wrote those down,

some power is power words that I have put in there, you know

that you know, like I mean, you know, like I had a session

when someone be just a couple days ago and she was bullied.

Well she was in school and she was always chunky when she

was a little girl.

She was called ‘fat’ and now she’s got problems with food

and her own self-esteem.

So, you know, you just cover now or maybe a parent knows

that you’re done.

You’ll never amount to anything and the child works their

butt off to get a degree and acclamation and you know, and

you know, hey, mom, look at me;

look what I did.

Oh, well, yeah, you know, I told you you were ‘stupid,’ you

didn’t do as good as your brother.

That’s not a good thing to say.

So maybe a parent should kind of look and and listen to themselves.

Sometimes when they speak to their children, but this is

all in retrospect, you know from the way that I was,

in the way that I am today.

So, you know, it’s a learning curve, you know.

So you talk about your journey a little bit.

You’ve done a number of things in your life.

Well, I have to say that started in,

jeez, I don’t know what, all over the place, but most of, mostly

there was a marginal people that we work with, you know,

because that’s what most ministries are for and so, but during

that I started working for CUMAC,

which is in Paterson, New Jersey, which is really a warehouse

for food banks.

And so that was a very wide eyed experience because you saw

people that didn’t understand that they had to get up and

get dressed and come to work in the morning.

And so it was really very interesting ministry.

And so I was the executive director was very, very kind and

taught me a lot about people there and then I moved

then we left New Jersey.

We lived in New Jersey and then we left New Jersey. Well

before I left New Jersey I did have a new, which I know that

you want me to say about is that I started I started

clowning. I started doing clowning and I was a clown for

a professional clown for 20 years and out of those 20 years,

I would say probably 18 of them was in ministry.

So I was a regular clown for like about two years and then

they found out that there are such a thing called the Christian

Clown and so I got trained and we started doing, we started

doing a lot of birthday parties with the Word of God and

doing some evangelization and training and conferences and

it was a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful, wonderful time.

So we used to have healing services on Friday night as we

opened the conference and then we would have a big worship

time on Saturday night after the conference was over and

so I still get compliments and comments about that over the

years. You know, I can’t I remember when they know, those sort

of thing but we were able to touch a lot of people and a

lot of people, you know, it was a way to find out.

You were and that’s what my all of my ministry has

been, Jeremy is to help people find out who they are, you

know, and I have a funny story about that because that when

we had our first workshop on how to get how to be a clown.

This lady came in and called and she says, ‘how old is too

old to come to this workshop’ and I say, ‘Well as long as you

can drive, you know, and you’re confident you can come’

you know, so she came, she was 84 years old. Her name was

Thelma and so she went through the whole thing and as we were

putting our makeup on and I said, ‘Okay, now it’s time for

you to pick a name for yourself,

Thelma,

what are you going to call yourself?’

She says, ‘I’m going to call myself, ‘Chatterbox’ and I said, ‘Why are you

going to call yourself, ‘Chatterbox?’

She says, ‘I came out of my mother’s womb talking and I haven’t

shut up since’ she says. So the last I heard about Thelma.

Then so I said, What are you going to do with your clowning?’

She said, ‘Oh I’m going to go to that old folks home and

help those people get happy.’

So she drove till the kids took her keys away, till she was

89 and she got in that clown outfit and she went to the, she

went to the old folks home, get them happy all the time.

So to me that to me is giving somebody a purpose,

giving them, you know, some kind of guidance, you know, a

lot of people went into the nursing homes and a lot of people

went into the hospital.

Feels a lot of people, you know, and then after that we

started a TV show talking about

your, we did a TV show and so we would have people and

how did you use your, how do you use your gifts?

How do you use the gifts that God gave you? So we had a lot

of people come in and talk about their ministries and how

they use their talents.

So some of them were clowns, some of the musicians.

Some of them are artists.

Some of them were, you know, all kinds of different ways

that people, you know, people who like to knit, you know,

it just, you know, however they use their

talent.

So we had a TV show for that and then I

moved out of New Jersey.

So when I got to North Carolina, I started doing, I

started working with people and children and Gastonia and

it was a children’s song and so I was a developer there and

so we started. So we got the kids involved and again clowning

came in.

So I we had a show at one of the schools to do for reading

and writing, so I had the girls put on makeup and I taught

them. We taught a little skit and we went in and we talked

about how important reading and writing was and the kids

just love it.

I mean, you know, they just never have that in their life.

So it was just really, because when you put on the clown face,

you know, your real personality comes out your alter ego,

so to speak. Let’s talk about that for a second.

So I think that’s an interesting topic this alter ego and

you know, I’ve talked about this before how you know, when

you select a name and your makeup and your dress,

you know, your clothing as a clown and your alter ego comes

out. Yeah, so you’ve got that scenario right out as a clown;

your alter ego comes out for people out in the world.

How many times we have to put on our alter ego as we step

out into the workforce?

Right?

It’s true.

Someone may be an extreme introvert, but they realized in

order to do their job.

They’ve got to step out and become something else.

That’s correct.

What if you know, what have you learned from clowning

about yourself and about other people that you’re

able to take and apply to what you’re doing now with in

Healing Ministry?

Well, I have to say when what I want of the things I would

say. Top things that I learned is laughter is definitely

a good medicine, you know, whether you laugh at yourself,

what level laugh at the job or whether you laughed at somebody

that’s really ticking you off or whatever the case may be,

you know, it’s just there was a saying we used to say

when clowning is that if you take like too serious, you’re never

going to get out alive, you know, so, you know, it’s you

know life is life.

And I mean some of its really funny.

Some of its really sad some of us, really ugly, you know,

but you know, it’s your perspective of what life is all about.

You know, I mean, everybody’s going to have bad days that

you know, it’s not always a good day, but it’s a lot better

with a smile.

I absolutely agree with that and see the years

I’ve seen you smile and laugh a lot and I think it’s amazing.

Yeah, so you worked in Healing Ministry before this is not

your first go-around and Healing Ministry, right?

That’s correct.

So, how was how was your work in the Healing Ministry?

How’s that changed over time?

Well, you know, I have to say that it has changed, but

I’d like to stick with the different concepts has different

evaluations, their different perspectives.

There’s you know, new age was not there when I was when I

was learning, you know, I and also my own perspective and

also my own research, you know, because I was very confined

in a very small space of learning what I learned.

So I did realize that all of this other stuff was out there.

So maybe it hasn’t changed.

You know what I mean?

I mean, it’s just different.

It’s just different today, you know, but God is the Healer

so, you know, I mean the oils and the incense and all that

good stuff is part of healing I guess today, but God is the

Ultimate Healer.

You know, since you’ve started this new venture, the

world has changed a bit, especially the last several months.

So can you talk a little bit about how you’ve had to adjust

and you touched on it earlier with Zoom, but how you had

to adjust what it is that you do and how you do it over the

last several months since this Coronavirus? Well, I’ve had to adjust for a couple of

reasons, not what’s best, but it’s better than nothing.

And so, any buddies out there has a place for me

to rent,

let me know and then also we’re going to be starting

to do the Zoom which is going to be really different, you

know, because it’s very important that you see the face, the

facial. Facial action, the body action, of the tone of voice.

It’s all part of reading into are you comfortable

with that?

Are you not comfortable with that?

Is that something we need to look at?

You know, when did that start?

Why are you thinking that way?

You know, why you squirming in your chair, you know, so it’s

very important to have a full view of the person that you’re

really doing there as so that you can you can get a sense

of where you have to go with the questions, you

know, so in this help see it healing process.

It’s not up to the facilitator which would be myself or someone

else. It’s up to the person.

It’s kind of prayer to take full responsibility of you know,

what they’re doing and why they’re doing it, you know, so

forgiveness is always the big thing.

Yeah.

That’s a big, big, big, big, big, big, big, big

thing and you know, so it’s very difficult and you know,

so to forgive people that you’ve held the hurt in your

heart for a long time.

It’s very hard, you know, there’s a couple of times I’ve

done a couple of sessions and it’s usually

someone that you have to forgive the most for dads and guess

it gets it most of the time, or mom.

Come on, Dad or Mom.

But you know, like I mean there was a girl

that I did a session was quite a few years ago and we

go back and we try to figure it out and she just wasn’t ready.

She just wasn’t ready, you know and, but by the end of the

session we went back like two or three times and then the

fourth time she said ‘Yeah, I’m ready, ‘you know, so it’s you

know, doing it in person and doing it online are going

to be different, definitely different and besides you usually

get a hug at the end of the session and you can’t do that

online. No, I don’t think you can do that just yet.

Maybe that’s in the next version of Zoom.

Yeah, right.

Exactly.

Exactly, exactly.

Who knows about that going to 3D major things have happened,

Julie. Yes.

This is true.

This is very true.

So, you know, I’m going to dig into a couple different questions;

one, you know, I’ve heard you talk about forgiveness and

and you know sidebar to forgiveness might be regret.

So, you know thinking about your own life,

what would you say is one of your greatest regrets and how

we’ve been able to take that regret and and turn it into

a positive and let it fuel you for what you’re doing now?

Now, well, I think my biggest regret is that I never went

to college and never got you know, my life took a

terrible turn when I was 13.

My dad died and my life died.

So I didn’t recoup from that till I was in my early 30s.

So that was almost what 10 years, 20 years that you lose.

And so those years a lot.

I mean, there’s nothing I can do about it.

Used to beat myself up about it, but I might I’ve learned,

you know as they say kiddingly I graduated Magna Cum Laude

from the School of Hard Knocks, you know, and that’s pretty

much the way that I’ve learned, but I’ve also

learned like learned from I’ve always tried to be around

people who are younger than me and smarter than me so that

I can learn.

You know, what

do you know?

How do you do that?

You know, how do you feel about that?

You know, like, well the way you do it doesn’t really work

for me, but I’m going to take it and I’m going to twist it

and I’m going to make it fit for me, you know, so, you know

for all those people that have helped me in my life and have

been in my life,

I thank you because you’ve helped me

graduate Magna Cum Laude.

You know, I yeah, I love to learn and I have a, uou

know, like this Healing Ministry is just like I can’t get

enough books to read about and they’re all basically the

same, you know, I mean they’re basically the same thing,

you know, and so it’s not like clowning and you know or being

in development or being in a nonprofit arena, it just

all depends on the person coming for prayer.

So in other words you’re saying I’m sorry, go ahead.

I heard you talking in that about you didn’t receive a formal

education from a college or university.

What I did hear you say was that you’ve continued to grow

and evolve and learn and absorb things from other people.

So I just wanted to point that piece out because for example,

in my own family, my mom

did not have an opportunity to even graduate high school.

She went and got her GED eventually and my dad had a different

opportunity but was able to through the Army go on and

get his Doctorate in Education and so in my home, I had a

later on GED and a PhD and so I was able to learn the

difference between education and intelligence and that there’s

two types of education available.

So I just wanted to take a moment to point that out for anyone

watching, listening that just because you don’t have an opportunity

to go gain a formal education at a college or university absolutely

does not mean you can’t go and educate yourself through various.

There’s so many different

opportunities, platforms, and such we can go and educate yourself.

So that’s right.

Exactly.

I agree with you; have an open mind and listen, you know,

just listen, you know, I mean, you know, there’s anything

that I that that I’ve done in my life done it was because

somebody just something I saw somebody doing something gave

me an idea to do something and you know, sometimes I do succeed,

sometimes I did pretty good.

Sometimes I really did good.

You know, I think the piece about not succeeding is huge.

You know, I remember growing up, you know, just the world

around me would push this narrative that failure was not

an option, that you can’t fail, you know, whether it was playing

sports or in school not failing was the predominant narrative

and if you failed then you are a failure.

You didn’t fail at something.

So it was attached to human being so that’s something that

you’ve seen in your healing.

Agree with people who have because you you didn’t work out

the way you wanted it to do for a reason.

So what’s that reason?

What’s that reason?

It didn’t work out was it because of the attitude was it

because of the atmosphere was it because you didn’t give

it enough love and attention wasn’t because you know, I mean

you could go on and then was in an endless list there, you

know, so, you know like and failure, I think is the mindset.

I think it’s something that came from a workers or came from,

you know, bully being bullied or you know, I mean just something

from the past that has triggered that emotion, you know,

that you’re a failure, you know, and those that are

overachievers have the same issue, you know, so you

going to fail, you know, who achieve this look like middle,

middle ground, you know, so you have that it’s all or nothing.

Yeah, right, exactly, you know, so I mean it’s the same lies

and it’s the same motivation.

So yeah, that’s my two cents about that from a Christian

perspective and there’s a couple things I think to dig into

is you know, if if we have a plan and we can’t execute it

or it doesn’t work out right then, you know, we have to learn

to give that to God and say that you know, it’s His Plan.

He’s got something different for us.

That’s absolutely correct.

And you have to really pay attention to the people in

your life.

You know, who is God sending in your life, you know, and

what is He trying to tell you, you know with the

people that are around you and you know, sometimes people

do things because their parents wanted them to do them or

because I think that’s what they’re supposed to do.

But sometimes it may be the Ministry or the way, they’re

supposed to make a living is not the way that they’re doing

it, you know, and they’re miserable in it.

So I would definitely chat with Jesus about that.

I think that’s great Council.

Yeah another way to look at failure is you know within entrepreneurship,

we teach that failure is an opportunity to learn and you and

I have talked about this as an opportunity to begin again

this time better informed and so, you know taking those two

perspectives and combining them so understanding that, you

know, if you did fail that means that God has something different

and better for you and to take an opportunity to learn from

the situation,

if perhaps from the people around you how did they support

you or not support you kind of reveals the character of those

around you, but also looking for the opportunity to learn

and then apply that moving forward and that’s an important

thing to look at, the people that surround you, you know that

you don’t have people around you that are you know, encouraging

you or you know, like just you know, you’re doing a good

job, Jeremy, you go.

You know what

I mean?

It’s a good job that you’re doing.

You know, great idea,

why don’t you do that, you know, but, you know, maybe

you could do it this way?

So you don’t always have to do it the way it is in the book,

you know what I mean?

You know, add your own personality to whatever you’re

going to decide to do because that’s what makes it beautiful

put your soul in it and I think that’s something that you

know, some folks get caught up on, right?

They get this vision that has to look like something else

or someone else rather than recognizing the beauty of the

thing is them, that they’re the beautiful piece, they’re the

beautiful variable in the equation, right?

That’s exactly right.

So, you know, we never know who’s listening to a particular

episode, but I want to throw this out there.

So you’ve begun something new and at a time when people,

you know, might have retired or might be in the process of

retiring, what courage when might you give someone who may

be around your age,

we’re not going to discuss age here,

that would be rude, but someone who might feel like

they’re too old to start something new or maybe they

just need to keep doing what they’re doing rather than try

something new? Any encouragement, you might offer? We get

rid of that line really quick.

Well what I would say to someone, you know, I mean you’re never

too old to do anything.

Well, I mean, I don’t think I’d go climb Mount Everest at

this point, but you know, I mean, there’s always something

you can do; there’s always something you do.

Yes.

Yes, you know, I don’t like the word ‘retire.’

That’s the word that I’ve kind of gotten rid of so I’m just

changing direction.

I’m just changing the way that I live my life, you know what

I mean?

And so I’m just changing my my passion is so, you know,

most people, most people retire and they feel useless, but

there’s so much you guys can do out there.

I mean, you know, like even if you’re sick and you’re homebound,

I mean you can, I mean there’s tons of things you can do; you

can be an intercessor,

you can knit hats, you can you know, write letters to people

that are homebound and I mean there’s tons of things so

for me,

there’s no excuse for anybody to get old, old, old, old, old,

old, you know. Die with a smile on your face and let people wonder

what you’re up to.

Maybe I shouldn’t say that, but – you said it’s too late,

we have it on video.

Okay.

There you go.

It’s been said, the darts go.

Well, I want to ask you,

why do you feel so compelled to do what you’re doing now?

Okay, because the Lord has anointed me to do it.

I, you know, usually I have lots of stories and this time

after my husband died in 2011, I said ‘What am I going to do with myself and what am I going to be when I grow up?’

This book just happened to fall into my lap,

The Journey Begins, so I did research, I found out where they were

having training and then I got involved and I got hooked

up with a group in Charleston.

I went there like three or four times, got more training and

I went to another conference and I just started and haven’t

looked back since; I haven’t looked back.

I haven’t looked back.

How do you think that what you’re doing is making a difference?

You talked about a little bit, but can you dig into that?

What’s some of the the results that you’ve seen?

Have you seen people’s lives change?

Can you talk a little bit about that?

Oh my gosh.

Well, I’ve seen a lot of people’s lives change, but I’m going

to use two examples that I can tell you is that I did a session

with someone and they were petrified to have children; petrified

because of something that happened in their life and we went

through the process and we did what we had to

do and today they’re a mother of a fine little baby boy and

I love them and they’re taking very good care of them.

I’ve seen, so there was another one that was afraid of relationships

because of things that happened in her past and we did healing;

we went through the process and today actually she’s married

six months.

Now, you know, there’s there’s a couple of guys that got

hang-ups because of relationships and other things and you

know, there’s a lot of things

that happen in the home that I don’t think that we are really

aware of, you know, and there’s a lot of damage done to boys

and girls, you know in the young years and especially aspects

sexually, you know, so it’s that kind of like bums out your

relationship type sort of thing, you know.

So a lot of it is about, it’s all about relationships, you

know, and so when I went, when you do a session, you know the

the sessions with the guys are you know it well,

I’m going to give you another example.

So this guy came for a session and we did the session

it was going along really well and we’re talking about his

father. And I said, ‘Did you ever forgive you father?’

And he just stopped because his father abandoned him.

And there’s a lot of abandonment, too, you know, so I said ‘Did

you ever forgive your father?’

He says ‘I never thought to do that’ and I asked him if he

would like to and he said yes, and he did and it changed

his whole perspective about men.

In the end, God, you know and I mean so when you see miracles

like that, I mean, they’re small miracles, but they’re miracles,

you know people are not usually open to telling

their deep dark secrets, you know, and in my day we used

to call them ‘closet secrets,’ you know, that everything is left

in the closet, but you know, that in order to

grow spiritually,

mentally, and physically, and it’s self-esteem and purpose,

you have to get rid of all that other garbage because it’s

just like a ball and chain on your neck and your ankle and

it’s not going to let you go anywhere.

And so this is a process to help people release that that

chain absolutely and the session is not only once

you know, I mean, there’s a couple of guys that have gone

through the session three and four, five times and then there’s

people that will go through the session and then come for

spiritual direction or come for spiritual mentoring, you

know, so I love to listen and you know, I’m a good listener

and I’ve been trained now to be able to pick up the words

maybe you don’t hear,

maybe you don’t realize you say because you use them so often

and I’m able to just say to you.

Did you ever look at that?

How do you feel about that?

How’s that make you feel you know, so, you know and the devil

is great at giving us lies.

You know, we’re not good enough.

You know nothing will ever change, you can take care of everything

yourself. Thank you very much.

You know, you’re a bad dad.

You’re a bad mom.

Yeah.

Well, thankfully there’s something around and there’s

people around doing what you’re doing, you know helping people

to feel that release.

And again the one life as they were meant to live it,

finally. Yes.

Yes.

So yeah there are two of the hardest by the Ministries

which is likely umbrella and they call it unbound, you know,

I think 19 countries now and this several I think

their book has been translated to five or six different languages.

The last I heard was that it was going in Chinese, you know,

so there’s a lot of, is a lot of people using this model out

in the world and also are the models very similar, you know,

but at the baseline is God does it.

You know what I mean?

And the other one,

the only thing is that the person coming for prayer

has a desire in want to be healed because they don’t

have a desire to in want to be healed then it’s going to

be a very difficult, long road for all of us, you know, so

change is that easy right?

I mean I guess it is and it isn’t; it starts with someone

has to actually want change but then and then there’s a process

to work through, right?

Well, we both know, Jeremy when something bothers you

long enough, you’re going to do something about it, you know

when it’s really good.

To the way of what you want to do you got to do something

about it.

And if you want to grow, you know, you can stay in there

and grumble, right?

So you have the choice when you feel enough pain, you’ll

seek a remedy.

That’s correct.

Yes.

So, the title of this podcast is the Heroes of Change,

you know, my company, the our tagline is Guiding the Heroes of

Change. There’s a lot of talk about this Hero of Change thing

and so I just love to hear from you.

What is that when you hear that?

Phrasing Hero of Change, what does that mean to you?

For me, when I hear that is to all those out there

that are willing to step out and go down a different road

than what other people have said

we need to go and be a better person because of it in the

world being a better person around them because everybody

has a sphere of influence, you know, and so if you can change

an arena where you live or work or play or do whatever for

the positive, that’s a hero. So why is it so important that

everyday people like you and I get up and and challenge ourselves

to go forward and be the change?

Well, if we don’t do it, who’s going to do it?

Yeah, short, sweet answer.

I figured that’s what was going to what was coming that was

coming. You know, it can be you, it could be anybody

but you know, Jesus calls us all to go out there and be there,

you know, just some of us hear it and some of us don’t so

I’ve got three questions for you as one is why should people

be encouraged by your story? Or what

would you like people to take away from your story?

I would like people to take away from my story to persevere

regardless of what life throws at

you. Just persevere.

Everybody’s got a dream in their heart.

Everybody wants to grow up to be something, you know, and

don’t put yourself down, build yourself up because you can

do it someday.

Good and what final advice might you have for some Heroes

of Change that might be listening? Whether they’re perhaps

just getting started on their journey to go and launch a

new venture, or maybe they’ve been on the journey for a while

and they’re feeling tired or drained or worn out – what kind

of advice or words of wisdom

can you offer?

Look for positive people in your life that will encourage

you to continue. You know, don’t hang around your friends

that say you’ll never do that.

You know, ‘Why the heck are you doing that for?’ Just kind of disregard

them for a while while you grow, you know, make

sure that you stay around positive people.

It’s, and talk to God because He can help you out a lot.

If you’re going to find positivity,

that’s a great place to go.

Yeah, you know, I mean, there’s not too much positivity in

the world right at the moment, so you have to go digging

a little bit to find the people that are going to encourage

you, but find people that’ll be encouraging, you know, because

a lot of times in my life, everybody, there wasn’t a whole

lot of encouragement, but I just knew I had to do what I

have to do, so I went and did it. I understand and I think

you know anyone who might be listening to us can reflect

back on a time when maybe they were around people who weren’t

particularly encouraging to them and you know what it meant

when they finally broke free from that circle of influence

and and got around people that were more encouraging so and

don’t always think in the box.

Think out of the box. What box? What ever box they’re living

in, get out of the box. Outside the box, for sure.

So I’m thankful for your time and I would hope that people

listening today or watching today might be encouraged to

reach out and learn more about what it is that you’re doing

in the Healing Ministry.

So if people want to reach out connect with you and learn

more about you and the work you’re doing, how can they do?

Actually, well they can reach me by email, which

is NLHealingMin@Gmail.com, or call me on my cell at

704-560-9202.

And just to be clear you’re located in Matthews, which is

just outside of Charlotte, North Carolina,

right?

Right. But thanks to Zoom,

you can be anywhere.

Yeah.

There you go.

Awesome.

Okay, and we’ll be putting your contact information up when

we publish this episode. Okay. We’ll do that as well.

Awesome, Julie.

Thanks.

I appreciate it.

It’s been fun, Jeremy.

Good to talk with you. always a pleasure, we’ll have to do this again

soon. Yeah.

Love you guys.

I love you, too.

So that’s all for this episode of the Heroes of Change podcast

from EPIC Mission.

We hope that you’ve been inspired by something that you’ve

heard today because together, we are the change. Tune in next

time as we dig into the story of another hero and learn what

they do, how they do it, and most importantly, why they do what

they do.

Take care, stay encouraged, and we’ll look forward to seeing

you next time on the Heroes of Change podcast from EPIC

Mission. Take care.

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June 15, 2020August 19, 2020

Heroes of Change: A Sit-Down with Bree Pear and Crissy Saint-Massey of Only Human

A Sit-Down with Bree Pear and Crissy Saint-Massey, Only Human

As Part of the Heroes of Change Podcast

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Jeremy Turner, Founder & Managing Director of EPIC Mission:

Thank you for tuning in to this episode of the Heroes of Change podcast from EPIC Mission. This is Jeremy Turner, Founder and Managing Director of EPIC Mission and I’ll be your host. Here on the podcast, we are highlighting the trials, victories, and applied wisdom of our community change agents, unsung heroes, and those who empower them to be the change across Appalachia and beyond. We seek to inspire and equip everyday heroes, just like you, to take on our greatest challenges because together, we are the change. And today on our episode, I’m really thrilled to welcome my second dynamic duo to the show. We’re going to meet the co-founders of Only Human. Before we do that, I want to read a little bit about them and see if we can prime the pump. So first I want you to meet Bree Pear, the Founder and Creative behind Only Human either self-proclaimed Jane of most trades.

She spends her days dreaming up new designs, upgrading the Only Human website, and trying to do the most good she can in the world for you. Welcome. Thanks for having me. Absolutely. And secondly, we have Crissy Saint-Massey, Co-Owner and Head of Content at Only Human. Crissy is a wild one and loves to be outdoors. You can also catch Crissy at home with her wife and son writing the next Only Human blog post and bringing people together for good and a little bit about firstly welcome. I’m a little bit about Only Human as a community of good humans doing good things for good causes. They release a new cause campaign and line of apparel each month benefiting a nonprofit partner for every sale, Only Human donates, a portion of the proceeds to that month’s cause. So this is some awesome stuff. And firstly, welcome to you both. Thank you for coming on today and thank you in advance for sharing your story.

Bree Pear, Founder & Creative of Only Human:

Absolutely happy to be here.

Jeremy:

Well, certainly happy to have you; definitely want to learn more about you as human beings and you know, sort of your personal stories and surely want to learn more about Only Human. So if you would, let’s get a little bit more personal and go beyond the formal bio and perhaps you can get us started. Tell us a little bit more about you and the work that you’re doing and really what brought you to this point today and then Crissy, we’ll jump into yours as well.

Bree:

Perfect. Yeah. I think if we’re going to dive in and get more personal, honestly, that starts Only Human. That’s what began on all of this. About five years ago, I was in a really hard place in my life and had to make some changes. Those changes looked like physical health changes, diet changes, what I was consuming, and reading, who I was connecting with. And I think that I became a personal development junkie and realized like I have the skills to share this type of work with other people. And you know, out of that, like my own values are met. I love designing. I love creating, I love taking photos and videos and making emotion come out through what I capture and what I design and that paired with this mentality of wanting to do good and to develop and to be the best person I can be and then inspire others to do the same, you know, Only Human was developed and built. And I think that’s the most personal I could get because Only Human isn’t really just a company. It was one human story that then changed into every human story. And I love it.

Crissy Saint-Massey, Co-Owner & Head of Content of Only Human:

You got tell the part though, Bree too. So there was a time a few years ago, like right at the beginning where Bree was over at my house for dinner and she’s looking at me and she’s like Crissy, like I’m going to sell all of my things like and just travel with Myka, her dog. And I’m the logical, one of the two of us, like the very like level-headed, reasonable, strategic, like risk-averse. And I look over at her and I’m like, Bree, are you sure? Like what do you mean? Like, why? Like, I don’t understand where is this coming from? Are you okay? And that was really, for me, at least in my like, historical recollection of how Only Human got lifted off the ground so quickly was Bree’s ability to just jump in headfirst and take a risk that so many of us, myself included would not.

Bree:

Yeah. Still to this day. I mean, I’m an Aries, like a ram. I’m like headfirst into everything. If you ignite passion in me, there’s like, no, stopping it. Then it just becomes this force that I can’t even control. And Cris is right. Like it takes both of us, the wild creative, and the like logical strategic. And that’s why I love working with Crissy so much and why she joined in so quickly.

Crssy:

Yeah. Bree’s that I did a thing person. Do you know, those types of visionaries, they have this idea, they go experiment with it for a while and then I get a, hey, so I did a thing and my questions are like, how much did said thing cost? How likely is it that said thing will succeed. What’s the time and, you know, the risk involved in all of that stuff. So yeah, we’re definitely an awesome, awesome pair.

Jeremy:

Well, I think it’s a cool dynamic that you’ve struck here and, you know, it’s something that I, you know, I’ve had businesses where it was a partnership and sometimes they, it went well and other times not so much, it can be tough sometimes. Right. So maybe you all can talk a little bit about how you find such balance when you’re two different personality styles.

Crissy:

So Bree and I actually, luckily had some track laid down before Only Human even got started that allowed us really to understand how to navigate one another, which I think is crucial to being successful in any kind of business relationship or otherwise, right. With other humans. And so we worked together a brand development and marketing agency. She was a project manager and I was ahead of content there. And so we started to learn like what pisses one another off, or you know, how to approach one another when things are a bit tense with our company, for whatever reason. And through that, we’ve developed a really good way to communicate with one another and to overcome the hard times that always happen on any entrepreneurial journey.

Bree:

Yeah. And I think even to recall that we have had our worst fight as friends while working together, like in the same room, like where you have to still show up, there’s things you have to do and you have to move through it. And, you know, we moved through it and obviously like we’re still best friends. Like I still hang out with Crissy willingly just in my free time. But most of the time we end up talking about all the human and we’re like, why do we keep talking about work? But I mean, I think that just proved, like that’s what partnership I think is missing is like not everyone has that, like, yes, I’ve been through it. I know we can get through this again. I know we can face upcoming challenges. And I guess for Crissy, there was no risk in that. Like we knew we could work together. It was just, were we willing to build this thing that was going to be a heck of a lot of work? And where are we willing to like face all those challenges together?

Crissy:

Yeah. With lots of sacrifices along the way. I mean, Bree and I both have families and kids and that sort of thing. And I think one of the biggest fears that holds people back from truly cashing in on something that they have a vision for is the sacrifice and the risk of not knowing how it’s going to impact your day-to-day and your stability. Right. And there’s certainly have been really difficult times financially we’ve taken hits and that sort of thing, but we consistently just keep pounding away at the dream and the vision and growing it and building it. And I think that’s why we’ve found so many humans that truly see what we’re trying to accomplish and just come in and join the effort.

Bree:

Yeah. I know so many humans, especially like in our audience are those ones that want to build something like this, want to have that community, want to do good, want to volunteer. Like they have this long list of things they’ve always had this deep desire for. And for me, like my biggest challenge in this has been, what if I start this? And what if others judge me for it? Like, what if they say you’re wrong, you’re not going to make it. You’re not going to succeed. Like, what are you doing? You know, and I got those even at one point from Crissy of like, are you sure? And I think what’s really cool about this community and how it’s being built is that Only Human isn’t just about selling things. We’re truly about what the community can do together. What benefit can we bring our audience? How can we connect them in deeper ways and how can we inspire them to create what we’ve created here in their communities, in their friend groups and their relationships. And that, to me has always been what I can look at and just plow through that challenge of like, what if people judge me you know, coming from bullying, that’s like a big thing for me. It’s like, I get scared over something like that, but knowing I’m inspiring people and creating this like ripple effect in the world, it’s just so cool.

Jeremy:

I love it. So often I meet entrepreneurs on the for-profit and nonprofit side and what they do is really based so much on experiences that they’ve lived through. And things that they’ve either personally been impacted by in some major fashion or, you know, something they’ve witnessed or they have somehow been exposed to. So entrepreneurship can be such a great outlet for you know, being the change as we’ve talked about before. And, you know, so with that, you know, the name of this podcast is, the Heroes of Change podcast. The tagline for my company is Guiding the Heroes of Change. When you hear that phrase, Hero of Change, what does that mean to you and how are you working to live that out every day?

Crissy:

For me, I mean, hero to me makes me feel like they’re really big shoes to fill. I would never honestly call myself a hero. But I mean, when you think of the hero’s journey and the obstacles generally that are within that plotline, it makes sense. You know, I think a Hero of Change is really someone who’s willing to pave the way and most importantly, leave gifts and open doors and portals for other people to either forge their own path, be inspired and empowered, or to follow along in a way that really fulfills them. For me personally, I had a really difficult childhood and upbringing. And even shortly before I joined with Bree and Only Human, I had suffered some severe mental health challenges. So being able to overcome that and share those stories, which is something that we do often at Only Human is shared just real human stories and seeing the responses and the inspiration that it provides others to me is opening the door for others to make the same change.

Bree:

Yeah. And I felt pretty similar at first. I’m like, okay, I’m not a hero, but I remember back to my days working for Apple, and this was back when, like you used to go into the Apple stores and we used to have different sayings across the shirts. And I remember one of the sayings I had to put on and I felt uncomfortable with was “Not all heroes wear capes.” And in that I was like, okay, what is a hero then? Because there’s like this superhero thing that we, you know, have where it’s just like you save people. But what Heroes of Change for me means is that it takes multiple change. I believe only happens with multiple people. It may start with one person, which you could look at as a hero, but it takes other people in amplifying that message to actually create change. So Hero of Change for me, really reminds me of what we call like our Reoccurring Impact Model, where it starts with one person and one person’s story and journey. And in that, if we can seek community out of that, if we can take that community and we can give back, and then if we can take that community and give back and then share what we’ve learned, it creates this cycle of change and it creates those heroes for themselves, heroes, for their communities. And I think so for me, it starts with one and that might be the hero. Like you can be the hero to yourself and then connecting with others creates change. So to me, that’s Heroes of Change.

Jeremy:

I love it. I love the ripple effect, too. You know, the amplification of impact and such and you know, just the little time we’ve been on already today, you know, I haven’t heard you talk about your company and our organization, it’s our community. I love that. And there’s, you may have read this. There’s a book by a guy named Peter Block that talks about community. I think the, even the name of it is Community. I don’t recall, but it talks about these dual meanings of community, of community being, you know, the built structures, the physical buildings and such, and then community is this sense of community, a sense of belonging to something bigger than yourself, and then all the rights and responsibilities go along with membership in that community. And so, you know, I liked that word a lot and I love that, you know, it’s so fundamental to what you’re doing because it sounds like you are building community.

Crissy:

Yeah. We’re first and foremost, a community organization. We sell apparel that, you know, is a vehicle for us to create funding, to help others and carry out our passions and do good in the world. But isn’t that what all businesses are, any group of humans rights starts creating their own culture and community. And again, like, this is how we show up in our community. This is what we stand for. This is why we’re here and this is what we’re committing to. And those are values and mission statements and vision statements for any business or nonprofit or organization.

Brree:

Yeah. And we always make the change to like every morning when we get dressed. And what we’ve discovered is what we wear that says, something says something bold. And typically for us goes along with the cause with a nonprofit, with something we’ve supported or a mission we’ve sought out, but these shirts also inspire conversation. So isn’t that also community? So it might be clothing, but really it’s conversation starters, it’s meeting new people in coffee shops. So that one person who came up and asked to take a picture of my shirt at the grocery store, the compliments that you get at the airport each moment in that is an opportunity for you to connect with someone in real life. So for us, yes, we sell clothing. But what that clothing does in the real world is inspired connection, inspire community.

Jeremy:

I love that. And it’s such an important distinction that you’re sharing there is that you know, we sell apparel, we do this and that, you know, you’re talking about your vehicle by which you do this bigger thing, you know, you’ve got this grander purpose. And I think that’s great. I imagine that, you know, as folks listen to this episode, that pieces like that will resonate. You know, too often, I think we get caught up in the, our identity is wrapped around the thing that we do, you know, we are a tee shirt company, or we are consultants, or, but there’s so much more that we can do and we don’t get wrapped up in this labels. Right. When we go beyond the labels, the entrepreneurial journey has lots of labels and lots of landmines and lots of interesting terminology in it.

One of the reasons why this podcast is existing is that I’ve found and likely you found this as well. There’s a lot of misconceptions about what is the entrepreneurial journey really look like? I’m afraid that a lot of our media paints it as, you know, you have this idea, you go get a few million dollars in funding, you launch, and pretty soon you’re a billion-dollar corporation, and then you get acquired and you roll off to the Caymans or something for this beautiful afterlife. That’s not quite how it works, at least in what I’ve seen. Can you talk a little bit about your all’s journey and some of the hiccups you’ve encountered along the way, maybe some failures, and what you’ve learned?

Bree:

Absolutely. I think being an entrepreneur really what they don’t tell you is that it’s just all failure is failing until you find the way to succeed. Like, Oh my gosh, I didn’t trip that time. Like I can keep stepping and it looks like long hours. I really, I feel like anymore. My work is just one. It’s just this big ball of this is my life now. And it provides a living and I don’t really know if I stop working and I start like that other personal side, because it all meshes together, but it’s taken literal blood, sweat, and tears to build. And you know, the percentage of companies that do like, they start, they blow up and then they sell and then you’re living this lifestyle, you know, it’s so small. And what you don’t see is that most of the time entrepreneurship just looks like a small business that gets to run and a local community gets to connect and their community to them, the 200 people that they might interact with on a day-to-day basis, like are so important to them. And for us as entrepreneurs, I think connecting with other people humbling yourself, like you should be in rooms with people smarter than you connecting with professional development groups and growth and always seeking that next level is important because when you stop seeking that, that’s when that growth stops and you’ll never get to that Cayman Island experience at the end.

Crissy:

Yeah. I’ll add on to some of the challenges for sure. Some that you probably wouldn’t expect us to be doing. And I bring this up because, you know, we have an online presence. That’s pretty large. And even we were on a call with some of our advocates the other day. And one of the humans on the call was like, do you guys feel like you’re on a call with someone famous right now? And I’m sitting there like, am I famous? Is that what’s happening right now? Are we famous? Bree? Are we famous? But anyhow, there’s there that outward perception. And then there’s like Instagram versus reality, right? So reality is you know, the year before last week or last year, we were at 40 some events around the nation and Bree and I were traveling nonstop, you know, taking time away from our families and going to these different events. And each event had its own set of challenges, right. Where, Oh my gosh – and then we have to go to Target and a taxi or Lyft and get a new tent within like a half hour before this event starts. And now it’s going to start raining and no, and there are these crazy situations that I never, and I don’t think most people would envision us doing just like everyday people like trying to figure out how to make those tents set up, work at a festival that’s raining or something crazy is happening. And then there have been the other just when – Go ahead.

Bree:

Oh, I was going to say like, there’s these 40 some events that we’ve done. And then when you say that and that you’ve traveled to, you know, 20 some cities in one year, people go, whoa, that’s a cool travel lifestyle, no one that shows the real travel. And that is like hardly any sleep lugging. I mean, at times I’ve walked through the streets of New York with eight large suitcases in the middle of summer, I’ve lost weight. You don’t hydrate well enough to find like healthy food everywhere. Like the travel lifestyle is not that lavish. And it’s hard for people because they’re like, you’re living in the best life. It’s so cool. I’m like, you know, I’m still, I’m giving up a lot of things, even just doing this because it’s hard work. It’s tough work.

Crissy:

Yeah. And I think besides that, there have also been honestly, some really scary moments where we’ve looked at either, our own personal bank accounts or, you know, our bank account for our company and have looked at it and been like, oh man, how do we do, like, how do we get through this next portion of growth? Because growth always comes with a set of challenges and that it pushes us into new areas of discomfort that we’ve maybe never felt before. And we’ve certainly sat there and had to put our heads together and figure out, okay, now what do we do? How do we overcome this? How do we get through it? What’s the way forward.

Jeremy:

So it seems like you’ve come to where you can embrace the comfort in the uncomfortable world. And you found that entrepreneurship is a grind. Now you can absolutely be passionate about it. And that’s great just because you’re passionate about it doesn’t mean that you can be, that you’re going to necessarily be successful. There’s, you know, the participation and the inspiration, you’ve got to overcome failure and you know, deal with the grind as you were talking about the travel experience. So, you know, with this podcast, we want to share what life is really like as an entrepreneur. So we, so that others who maybe somewhere along the journey with an idea they’re at, they have an idea, or perhaps they’ve already launched a company. And they’re experiencing some of the things that you’ve already experienced. They can say, wow, you know I thought that I was the only one feeling this, but now I recognize I’m not, I am part of a community of entrepreneurs. So I appreciate you sharing some of the real stuff here, Bree. You were talking about personal development and growth, and can you talk a little bit about, and you know, both of you talk about where do you go for personal and professional development and why is that so important for you? As humans and as entrepreneurs?

Bree:

Yeah, I think the first place I go, which is like been my number one resource, the thing that has like literally caused the success in my life. I didn’t go to college. I do not have degrees. I am completely self-taught. And I say, I attend YouTube University. And YouTube is the place that houses so much gold content. Like you can get a master’s degree in anything like I’ve learned and entrepreneurial skills and how to be a better public speaker and all these things that as you’re starting something you have these questions about like guarantee open YouTube and you type that question in, you’re probably going to find a community full of people who make content just dedicated to that topic. So you do have been incredible books read lots of books. I typically have like a fiction book that I can escape into and then a nonfiction book, which required there’s a little bit more attention. And then I just recently went through the landmark forum. That’s a personal development, it was more of a very personal, very like childhood development. But I think a lot of mistakes that entrepreneurs make is that they go after all business development and what entrepreneurship is, is self-development. And you have to be okay as an individual in order to keep your business, your team, your culture running.

Crissy:

Yeah. And I’ll add on to that for me. It’s something I’ve been learning to do a lot more recently. It’s looking to other humans that we know to help guide us. So we have several, you know, business mentors who have backgrounds in different industries and have different, you know, paths of success themselves and have overcome various things. And so a lot of the times when we find ourselves or I find myself asking like, is that really the right way? Or should we do that? It’s like, hey, let’s, you know, let’s phone our friend here and figure out if they have anything to relate to us with that. A lot of story sharing can help guide business as well. And then we’re also part of EO, which is Entrepreneurs’ Organization. And through there, we have a business accountability group as well, where we’re able to talk numbers and be just completely transparent with other business owners who might be going through similar things as well. And we help guide each other through that. And that’s been really, really helpful.

Jeremy:

Love it. So you didn’t just wake up one day and say, I think I’ll be a successful entrepreneur and it just happened.

Bree:

No – always learning.

Jeremy:

You know, and again back to you know, some of the, I guess, false narratives that are out there you know, you talked about only seeking business development stuff and not really working on your human self or the fact that you do need to continue learning throughout that. You know, just because you’re good at one facet of your business doesn’t mean that you are good at all facets of the business that you’re personally responsible for. So I appreciate you digging and digging into that a little bit, you know, when someone hears that, that you sell apparel and you support nonprofits, why do you think that it’s so important for you to support nonprofits and why should other people care about nonprofits and supporting them as well?

Crissy:

I think that you know, it’s all about what you put out in the world. You get back so that boomerang of factor karma, or law of attraction or whatever you want to call it you know, every single time that I’ve seen us, even if we’re in a hard position and we give more than we take, there is something that happens. University’s just like, okay, we see you, we see you out there doing good, and we’re going to carry you through this thing. And, you know, I think there is a lot to be said and how empowering it is to give back to humanity, to, you know, do something bigger than yourselves and to carry others along in that journey. There was a time when Bree and I were on a road trip to an event in Denver, Colorado from Phoenix, Arizona, where we’re based. And I remember she and I were just driving, you know, a few hours in and we’re like, what are topics that impact humanity that we can, you know, dive into? And it was, Oh, maybe there’s a lot of humans struggle with their identities and religion or there’s this. And so a lot of the times we just get to think of how is the world alien right now, or how are, what is, what are humans struggling with and how can we find a way to partner with someone who works closely with that topic and bring more awareness to it, to help others? That’s kind of how we go about doing that and why.

Bree:

And I think when this is for all the entrepreneurs, are people thinking about starting something out there when you think I want to create a legacy, I want to do something really good in my life, but you’re like, what skills do I have that is even applicable to that? I don’t have tons of money. I can donate, I don’t have this, I’ll have that. And they kind of live in that like lack mindset and what I feel like Crissy and I tapped into is we figured out the skills that can make us money, marketing, photography, content strategy, and then we directed it at a legacy and that’s helping those who help others, helping nonprofits who are on the ground, truly supporting these communities of humans we’re trying to connect with as well. So I think when you can finally tap in, like, this is my skill and I’m going to own it, and this is where I’m going to direct it. And that’s where I think what Crissy said, like that karma that give back type mentality comes in. And like she said, the more you give swear, you get so much more back from that. It goes back to like Tony Robbins’ story of giving his last, you know, change out of his pocket and then look at what he’s created out of that. I think there’s just beauty in that karma and that cycle.

Jeremy:

You know, there’s such a buzz these days about social enterprise, about being a social entrepreneur. And I love it. I’m glad that there’s more discussion about that because I think the earlier model of start a business, make as much money as you can, win at all costs was always a losing proposition. So I appreciate you highlighting you know, it’s not just about making money, you know, to be a business, for-profit or nonprofit, you have to make money, but doing well and doing good, aren’t mutually exclusive things. And I don’t know, at least within my own experience, and it sounds like in yours and in the experiences of others that I meet, those things are, they operate together, right? You do better financially when you’re focused on doing good in the world as well.

Crissy:

Absolutely. And a lot of the time I’d say a good portion of what we do isn’t like, there is no monetary association involved at all. We’re literally just thinking, how can we help these humans or, you know, what are we hearing from our community that they need and how can we respond to that? And I’m grateful every day that we wake up and we have the opportunity and the infrastructure and the platform to be able to be so nimble and flexible, like we’re a real living entity that’s malleable and responds to the world as we live it. And I think there’s something really incredible about that.

Bree:

Even right now, as we’re recording this, we are at a distance, we’re staying home. You know, COVID-19 is a part of our world now. And we, as a company could instantly respond to that. You know, for those of you watching the video and wearing our “Wash your hands” shirt, where $5 of each of these shirts goes to project here, who’s helping to provide medical supplies on the front lines of this, you know, we’re facing against a virus. So that’s something that we can really quickly respond to and that’s timely. Our audience is talking about it, and then we can do more good in a really quick which manner. And that’s just based on all the work we’ve put into building the infrastructure, building community, building a support system that when we say go, it will run on its own. And it’s just so incredible to watch that happen.

Crissy:

Here’s another awesome example of that. So we’ve been wracking our brains lately, trying to think of, okay, we’ve always had this mentality of, you know, we use technology to connect with one another, but the real goal is to then find people in real life. Well, right now we’re still using technology. You’re going to find people in real life, right. We don’t have the ability to meet at an event or that sort of thing. So we’ve been thinking, what can we do virtually using our platform to bring connection community? And we’ve partnered with local gyms to roll out fitness classes and yoga classes and that sort of thing. And then, you know, we’ve had other ideas of, oh, maybe we could do a book club. Community is found in little clubs with a common interest. And we just had an Only Human advocate email this morning saying, hey, I’d love to start a book club. And we’re like, hey, we can set you up. We have the platform, like if you’re willing to commit, go with it. You know, and I think that’s the beauty of building something and sharing it with others is we don’t necessarily own it. We together built this platform and we all get to bring it to life.

Bree:

Yeah. Our virtual meetups are something we’re super excited about right now. So https://onlyhumanco.com/virtual/, they’re free events. If anyone wants to join meditation, yoga, just general meetups with topics that are cool to talk about with people. And that’s our small way right now with building community, even while we’re secluded.

Jeremy:

And, you know, we were talking offline about the importance of staying connected even in times like this. So know it’s really cool that you’re doing, you’re being so very purposeful about continuing to build community despite the obstacles. So, you know, I’ve heard you talk a lot today about you know, paying it forward and helping other people and, you know, being very, very focused on not just the, you know, the dollars and sensitive business, but the human aspect you know, that’s Only Human, talk a little bit about how your work is making a difference and talk. You can talk about that on whatever level you want to talk about, but tell us a little bit more about your business and how it’s making a difference if you would.

Bree:

Yeah. And I think to, I mean, this is going to go right back to the community that we’ve built around this. And I get asked the question a lot, you know, what are you most proud of? And when I think about Only Human and what we’re building my proud moment is actually a lot of other people’s hardest moments and what they’ve gone through. And it’s that I’ve lost count now of how many times, how many humans have walked up to me and said, like, I had a plan to take my life. And then I found you guys just by chance. And then things changed. I connected, I saw what was possible. I use resources and I tear up every time thinking about it because it’s like for that to happen once it’s like, all we’ve ever wanted out of this. And the fact now that I can no longer count how many people have come up to me and talk to me about their struggles and what they’ve been through and how they move through it and we run a campaign that’s our one and only campaign that runs all year long. Typically our cause campaigns are one-month long, but mental health and suicide awareness is something that our community is seeing more and more of. It’s a huge struggle that millions are facing. And there isn’t an easy solution for it. And out of our community, what we wanted to provide was a platform for others to feel connected in their deepest time of need. We’ve partnered with better help to now provide our audience with a free month of professional counseling. So those that come to us and are in those spots, like we have these resources that we can provide and our state campaign. So I’ll show the camera. This is my ‘stay’ tattoo. And now hundreds and hundreds of these tattoos exist. Other places on people’s bodies. And for me to know, like I drew this thing that had so much meaning to me, and then it inspired that same meaning and others that it saved lives that it’s caused human connection and growth is just something I can’t even put a metric on it’s success beyond measure.

Crissy:

Yeah, I’d say the same. I mean, even when we traveled to events there at every single event, there is a time where a human comes up to our booth. Maybe they walked by a few times trying to be discreet, looking at the different sayings on the tees where maybe they’d heard of us online or that sort of thing beforehand, but without fail, they’ll come up every single time, some human will start crying and just in complete gratitude that we exist and that they found us. And that maybe now that they, you know, have found a community that they never had before. I think often I was born in a super, super small town, like a few thousand people. Biosymmetry up in California. And I think all the time about humans who might not have the ability to connect with, with other humans that are like them in whatever ways that they’re needing at that time, for whatever reason and how we’re able to just open this door to what so many people describe as like a family, they had that connection alone can bring people out of really dark moments in their life and into becoming empowered, you know, humans who are giving back and feeling good and spreading that joy and kindness to others. And to me, that’s the biggest impact we could ever have as well.

Bree:

Yeah. We’ve also seen our community even like on their own, not any direction from us start like phone trees of life. Like if you’re in crisis or need help, you know, feel free to text me. Here’s my number, here’s the hours I work. And they created this long list of just these people willing to support you anytime you need. Like how beautiful is that?

Jeremy:

It’s so cool to see, as you were talking earlier about the ripple effect of, you know, you do something, and then it continues beyond your, you know, your initial idea or your initial action. And that’s got to be super fulfilling for you. Just to see what continues to happen. So, you know, you’ve likely learned some lessons along the way, continuing to learn them. What advice would you give to your younger self or your younger selves? If you could go back and whether it’s at the pick a juncture in your life and go from now to there, what advice would you give?

Bree:

Oh, I’d go straight back to high school. I mentioned the beginning, I’ve suffered a lot of bullying in my life. And it started at a young age. I went to six schools in seven years. And just out of that, I didn’t really have that lasting community connection. And I think what was born out of that, and it came out a lot in high school was I just did what others told me to do. I thought success meant going to college or becoming a nurse or a teacher or something that held this like status to other people. And I watched my best friends do it. And I remember just following along a lot with what they were doing because I thought what they were doing was right. And if I followed that, then they weren’t going to make fun of me. Then the attention wasn’t going to be directed to me. But my whole life I’ve been artistic and I’ve just never owned that I was, I never owned it. And when I didn’t own it, when I didn’t share it, then you can never create that change. Like you keep it to yourself, you keep these ideas locked inside of you and it will never create the life you want because you never let it out. So I’d go back to high school and like shake myself and say like, let your weird out it’s okay. You will find your people.

Crissy:

She lets her weird out all the time now.

Bree:

Well, now I know it’s beautiful. We love it. Totally.

Crissy:

I’d say for me the advice I’d give my younger self would be just that we can make it as humans through extremely difficult situations and we’re always stronger for it. You know, I mentioned I had a troubled childhood and there was domestic violence. I lost my father to suicide and all different kinds of things that, you know, make people at times think that that it’s not possible to get through. Or they don’t believe in themselves because everything around them seems to be failing. And so maybe they think they’re the cause of that failure. So I think that’d be the advice that I’d give myself because having gone through so much and having the opportunity to really empathize and understand what those struggles can feel like, and there for others is seriously the greatest gift.

Bree:

Yeah. And the people I like following the most, the people I look up to the most are always the one that have taken that adversity that they faced in their life and changed it into their advantage. Like took the hardest thing that ever happened to them and use it as the tool to help others. And honestly, like the hardest things that have happened to me pale in comparison to some other people’s, but you know what happened out of mine, I decided to heal through building something like Only Human and Only Human was the platform that healed me in that. And that’s how I turned the worst thing that happened to me into something that can be not only my advantage, but everyone’s, and that’s that pivotal moment of breakthrough. When I think that you can look at the hardest things you’ve been through and say like, I can make it. And eventually, this will become something that I can use as a tool to help others.

Jeremy:

It’s brilliant. So, you know, we all, I think in your Bree in your introduction, describe yourself as a Jane of most trades and you know, Crissy, you talked about growing up in a super small town. So we’re just every day, average people. Why is it so important for everyday average people like us to get up and be the change we wish to see in the world?

Crissy:

If, cause my thing is, if not you then who someone’s got to do it, right. If someone started, you know, Apple and someone can change the world, if you never know what kind of gifts you have, unless you start exploring and you take action and you believe in yourself.

Bree:

Yeah. And I imagine if that one person who had that brilliant idea that then created this device, that all of us, you know, seek to find and connect with. If that one person never brought their gifts out into the world, if they kept it to themselves and it died with them, like the world will never know that beauty that’s locked in you, unless you let it out, show your weird, embrace your skills, find a way to direct it at good and something great will come of it. That’s just, you know, the universe will respond. The more good you see, the more you will get back, the more, you know, abundance you feel, the more that you will receive. And it’s all about that mindset in it.

Jeremy:

I think I was, I think it was Brene Brown. I was listening to the power of vulnerability and she was talking about how someone had told her don’t die with your magic inside. Right.

Crissy:

And we all have that magic, you know, we just have to believe that we do. And then we have to sometimes take a little risk with it.

Speaker 4 (44:17):

Bree:

I mean, yeah. Perfect example. Like I spent 28 years knowing somewhere deep down I had magic, but still like just not letting it out. And it wasn’t until that moment that I let it out, that it just all made sense. Then it was like, oh my gosh, this is the thing that I’ve been seeking and hoping to find. But typically that thing that you’re seeking is in the darkest corner of the room. You don’t want to go in.

Jeremy:

That’s I think that’s amazing to talk about that. That, because what I’m hearing is a couple of things is one is you’ve got to confront the things that scare you the most so that you can have an opportunity to let your magic out into is that, you know, your magic doesn’t look like everyone else’s and there’s nothing wrong with you because of that, that in fact, that there’s everything right about that. And I guess the adage is that you need all the colors in the crayon box to make beautiful pictures. So I appreciate you bringing that up. This has been an amazing conversation and I would love to talk to you more today, but if I ever, if I keep you all too long, they call it kidnapping. And you know, you’ve got plenty of other things to do, I’m sure as well. But I’ve got a couple more questions for you that I want to wrap up with. And one is my hope is that there’s other Heroes of Change that are listening or will be listening or watching or reading the transcript. And again, my hope is that something has resonated with them today. I’m sure it has. What bits of wisdom or advice or encouragement might you offer someone who’s, you know, either at the beginning of, you know, I have an idea or I’m feeling called to do something, but I just don’t know or they’re somewhere along their journey and maybe they’re feeling a bit uncertain or maybe they’re, everything’s going great for them. It could be any of those scenarios, but what bits of wisdom or advice or encouragement might you offer to other Heroes of Change out there?

Crissy:

I would always say, just start, take action any time that I’ve found myself stagnant or not knowing what to do next, it’s just maybe even getting my body moving or watching something inspirational and then going out and doing something with that newfound energy that I created, ask the questions, find the people, make the connections. No one just going to hand it to you. You gotta, you gotta do.

Bree:

And I laughed really hard when Crissy started saying that that was my exact answer. Just start, like you just got to start and I guess I’ll add onto that with my all-time favorite quote. And it’s that all it takes is 20 seconds, just 20 seconds of insane bravery. And I promise you something good will come of it.

Jeremy:

That’s awesome. I love it. Thank you both. So I believe that people will want to learn more about you and the work that you’re doing because of this conversation. And hopefully it, it you know, shine a light on you on what you’re doing. How can people learn more about that? You and the work that you’re doing at Only Human.

Crissy:

You can find it on our website, onlyhumanco.com. We have an advocate community you can join in. We have a resources section. You can read the stories and learn about our monthly campaigns through there. On Instagram, @onlyhuman, on Facebootonk @onlyhumanco.com. Check us out on YouTube as well. We have some really incredible videos there, @onlyhuman.

Jeremy:

And I would encourage listeners, watchers, go check them out. I’ve gotten to know a little bit about these ladies and the work that they’re doing and it’s really, really good stuff. So go check it out. Well, that’s all for this episode of the Heroes of Change podcast from EPIC Mission, we hope that you’ve been inspired by something that you’ve heard today because together, we are the change. Tune in next time as we dig into the story of another hero to learn about what they do, how they do it, and most importantly, why they do what they do in the meantime. Take care, stay encouraged, and we’ll look forward to seeing you next time on the Heroes of Change podcast from EPIC Mission. Thank you.

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June 8, 2020August 31, 2020

Heroes of Change: Josh Meadows of Neighborhood Hope

A Sit-Down with Josh Meadows of Neighborhood Hope

As Part of the Heroes of Change Podcast

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Jeremy Turner, Founder & Managing Director of EPIC Mission:

Thank you for tuning in to this episode of the Heroes of Change podcast from EPIC Mission. This is Jeremy Turner, Founder and Managing Director of EPIC Mission and I’ll be your host here on the podcast. We are highlighting the trials, victories, and applied wisdom of our community change agents, unsung heroes, and those who empower them to be the change across Appalachia and beyond. We seek to inspire and equip everyday heroes just like you take on our greatest challenges because together, we are the change. And today it’s an absolute pleasure to welcome my friend and change agent, Josh Meadows. And we’re going to get to him in a second. Let me, let me read a quick little clip about Josh.

Josh Meadows is husband to Jenny and father to one-year-old Israel. Josh and Jenny lead Neighborhood Hope, which was formerly known as The Abandon Project. Josh has been doing life with forgotten neighborhoods in East Charlotte for the past eight years. He has a strong passion to see the narrative change in the lives of the community. The mission of Neighborhood Hope is to model the love of Jesus to forgotten neighborhoods who deserve freedom from negative cycles. Awesome stuff. Definitely want to learn more about all that’s going on. And it’s been a little while since we talked, but so first Josh, as you know, everybody’s got a bio or LinkedIn profile or something like that, let’s get a little bit more personal. Let’s go beyond the bio. First, welcome to the show. And second, tell us a little bit about you and the work that you’re doing.

Josh Meadows, Neighborhood Hope:

Yeah, Jeremy, appreciate that. I’m glad to be on the show with you and definitely good to reconnect. So part of my bio is I tell people one of my kind of taglines is that I feel like that my pain has been turned into a purpose. So obviously we can talk more about that later. But part of my story is that I was raised in Asheville, North Carolina, Until I was five years old, I had both my parents, they split up at seven. My dad moved to Chicago. So the majority of my adolescent life was spent being raised by a single mother and the village around me and grandparents, coaches, mentors. So I’m one of the kids safe to say it took a village to kind of raise me how that played in was, you know, years later after, you know, moving to Charlotte, found out about this community of kids in East Charlotte, I was in insurance. That was what I did for my day job. And one of my clients told me about, you know, these kids that, you know, met at a church and so I went to speak to them one night and you know, like 45, 50 kids in the room. And I ask a question that would change my life. So be careful what you ask. I said, how many of you guys have your dad at home and out of the 50 kids like one kid put their hand up. So it was this, you know, instant connection. I was a big runner, which meant that not running laps, meaning I could run from anything. You know, I had a male authority in my life that I didn’t feel like cared about me. I would, you know, shut them out or quit or just run away from things. And so instantly I felt this kind of connection to the kids and like, wow man, they are in a similar place as I was growing up. So there was this instant connection.

Jeremy:

I love it. Do you remember where we met or how we met?

Josh:

I remember – yes. From the school in Indian Trail, was that –

I was thinking it was through Cyril Prabhu and Proverbs 226.

Cyril. I thought you said, Carol. Okay. Okay. I knew a lady named Carol. Okay. Yeah. Cyril Prabhu. He did prison ministry. Yes. And I remember you were connected to an organization called The Sandbox. I remember learning about you and The Sandbox through Cyril, yes.

Jeremy:

Small world. I love the mission and being a father now, I can’t imagine not being around a child. So thinking about what these young people are going through, you know, not having your father around, if you would take a minute and talk about why people listening, why is the work that you’re doing so important and why should people care about this population that you’re serving?

Josh:

Absolutely. Just to kind of speak to something that you said, you know, you’re a father now. I can imagine because I’m also a new father, my son is, you know, 13-months-old and just this morning, you know, he got up at 5:00 AM and we’re, you know, we’re in the living room and, you know, watch, you know, The Secret Life of Pets 2, for the 50th time, you know?

And so we’re sitting there hanging out and I, you know, I put some worship music on the TV and all of a sudden I stand up with him and I’m holding him and just literally like shedding tears over him, just so thankful to be his dad and just all this emotion and love that’s, you know, coming out of me because, you know, I had that growing up for a little bit, but I can’t imagine, you know, not doing life with my son and as I’ve been a father, I think, first of all, it’s made me realize like, man, if this love it, I feel it’s just a tiny bit of love that God feels, it’s just really doing something to me, man. It’s almost like redemption, you know, coming to my life. And then it even furthers what I’ve done in the neighborhood. It’s like every one of those kids deserves this. They deserve a father who deserves to speak life over them, to speak wisdom over them, to speak blessing over them and to be able to grow up without that, you know, to be able to like try to be a man when you can’t see a man, that’s what I say. It’s hard. And so a lot of these kids have been for all intents and purposes like their dad’s walked away from them. Sometimes the is in the same city, you know, their father doesn’t talk to them. And so, you know, me, if I can make a difference in the lack of the kid, if I can help change the narrative, that means everything to me. And I think that, you know, we could get into like fatherlessness and like really, man, it’s such a massive epidemic. I mean, you know, we’re struggling with the Coronavirus right now, which is real. But I mean, the fatherlessness is the biggest epidemic in our nation. And so I think there’s statistics to back that up. There’s a lot of negative narratives to coincide with that. And so yeah, for people that are listening to this and they’re like, man, like fatherless kids, like why should I care? I mean, by getting involved in, you know, mentoring and stepping in, I call it life on life. You can literally change the narrative for a kid. Like show them things, teach them things, impart wisdom. You know, I can say when I’m on my grass, I should bring a kid and teach them how to mow grass, teach them work ethic, just by work ethic can change a kid’s life. And so, yes, it’s such a heavy topic, it’s such a massive need.

Jeremy:

It absolutely is. And you know, you talked about some of the statistics and some of the studies and reports out there that bear out why it’s so important. And you know, I just remember some of this statistics that I heard years ago that really stuck with me and it’s how many young people, how many young men especially will end up in prison if they also have a father in prison or if they don’t have a father in the picture at all. And it’s a staggering number. You know, what you were talking about just a moment ago was modeling behavior for young people, right? How can you be a man if you can’t see a man? Well, who do they have in their lives? Because as I’m learning, children watch and they see, and they hear, and they absorb everything, they’re little sponges. And so if there’s not a father in the picture, something, or someone is filling that void and who or what is that?

Josh:

Right. Yeah. It’s interesting that you say that too, because you know when you get, when you start getting into cycles and you see, especially generational cycles, it’s a repeating pattern and they repeat what they see. And a lot of times it’s, you know, it goes back to generations of their dad wasn’t there because their dad wasn’t there and then their dad wasn’t there. And so it’s just this repetitive cycle. And in order to break a cycle, you have to set your eyes on something different. And it’s not easy, but being in, you know, neighborhoods and, you know, particularly I work in what Charlotte would label as low-income neighborhoods. I say, overlooked and forgotten because I think it brings more dignity and you know, obviously I realized that there’s a lot of beauty in those neighborhoods. And so, you know, to be in these neighborhoods and, you know, be running around as a kid every day with your friends and the only man that you see, or maybe the local drunk or the man, you know, that used to be in my program that’s now out selling drugs. You know what I mean? You, you see a lot of negative things or you don’t, you don’t see men out there investing in them. You don’t see, gey, let me, young fellow, let me teach you how to play basketball. You know, it’s just like, they’re left a lot of times to kind of like, they’re their own self. Like these kids have to lose innocence and all of a sudden raise themselves, try to figure out what it’s like to be a man in an area where there aren’t any, and it’s such a daunting task, you know?

Jeremy:

Well, if it were easy, somebody else would have done it already, right?

Josh:

Right. Absolutely.

Jeremy:

And you know, what I hear you talking about is you are seeking to break that cycle because you know, one of the things I say all the time is nothing changes until something changes, right. If you keep doing the same thing, if the neighborhood looks and sounds exactly the same as it always has, has the same cast of characters and nothing changes either by someone within or someone outside coming in, then the same narrative plays out. And so breaking that cycle of what has happened in creating a new narrative of hope for the future. And so, you know, what you’re doing is it’s bigger than you, and it’s bigger than any of those kids. And we were talking to societal impact, you know, I mentioned this real briefly as I was reading your intro paragraph, you lead Neighborhood Hope, which was formerly known as The Abandon Project. Can you talk about that transition and maybe a little bit more about where that original name came from and where you’re going now with the new naming?

Josh:

So The Abandon Project was a 501C3 that I started prior to working with the kids. It never was actually intended for the kids. It was a speaking ministry that I had started and I love the word ‘abandoned.’ You know, it was kind of like calling people into a life of willful surrender. I used to say, listen, God’s not holding a gun to your head. You know, he wants us to willfully surrender. So it’s kind of this whole project that traveling, speaking to youth churches, and just calling people into like a willful surrender. Then when I found the kids already had a 501C3 established, and at the time, you know, I tell people, you know, my son is African American. I played football with African American guys. They were my best friends, you know, Mars Hill College, where there was, you know, a Hardee’s and a stoplight. So we all just hung out all the time and, you know, spent time together. But it’s amazing how little of the culture, I really knew in these neighborhoods. And so, you know, over time, you know, as I got to know the culture and even have people tell me like, hey, Josh, like this word, you know, The Abandon Project, like, you know, technically the kids have been abandoned and technically people label their housing as projects. Like, don’t you think we can do better? You know? And you know, I think that for a while, because maybe it was my baby that I just was like, well, you know, it’s edgy. It kind of, I mean, what will the work we do is messy. The name’s messy, this is just messy ministry. And so I think over time, okay, particularly as I got to know the culture better and started to add more diversity and just, you know, as I earned trust, I started asking people like, hey, does this thing bother you? You know? And the kids will be like, well, you know, Josh, we know your heart. Like, we know that you’re here. And you know, you’re not like coming in with white savior complex or anything like that, but I think we could do better. And so, you know, a couple months ago we were in a board meeting and we prayed before the meeting was like, God if there’s anything you want to say, that’s not on the agenda, just make it happen. And sure enough, my board chair was like, so what about the name? And I was like, oh, here we go again. You know? But this time it was different because I have a lady named Ms. Mimi that lives in the neighborhood that’s on my board. And immediately at all the people in the room, I looked at her and I said, hey, I need your honesty. Like tell me, what do you like being honest, what do you think? And she goes, she goes, Josh, there’s nobody that you work with that doubts your heart, you know, and what you and Jenny have done and what you have built. It’s beautiful. But she goes, imagine the people that don’t know what The Abandon Project is, and imagine the van with the name, The Abandon Project, driving down the road, people are passing by and they see little black faces staring out the window. And when she said that, I was like, okay. I was like, I’m in, let’s change it. And you know, a secret of marketing right, is tell what you do and make it clear, you know, Donald Miller, if you confuse, you lose this. So it’s like, let’s just be clear. And so we just made a decision that we needed to change it. I was tired of having to explain away the negativity of it, tired of having to put taglines to make people explain that we’re, you know, were abandoned in cycles, not kids or whatever, you know? And so that’s how we came up with Neighborhood Hope. It’s very simple. We’re a neighborhood-based ministry. We go into neighborhoods and we build relationships. We become family with the people that live in there. Once we become family and earn trust, we then can be a bridge or resources. So we’re bringing hope, Neighborhood Hope. And so it just stuck. So we’re in the middle of kind of this rebranding right now.

Jeremy:

Well, I think that’s part of the natural evolution of organizations, right. You know, there may be people listening to this that perhaps they’re going through the same thing that you’re going through right now, or maybe they’re fighting with the stages of development for their own organization and so I appreciate you sharing, you know, The Abandon Project was a period in time and it served you well for a period of time, but then looking ahead at the next chapter or the next, maybe the next several chapters in the life span of your organization making an adjustment is logical, right? Because it switches from the negative connotation of abandonment and the projects or a project like, you know something that you have to work on to the more positive nature of hope and neighborhood-based ministry. I think it’s brilliant. And no, I appreciate you talking about, you know, some of the struggles that you went through with The Abandon Project being, you know, your baby and how easy it is for feelings to get in the way, or an ego or own feelings, attachment issues to get in the way of making an adjustment within an organization that is designed to serve many.

Josh:

Right. Absolutely.

Jeremy:

So you know, good stuff. I appreciate your sharing that I want to switch gears just a little bit and go back to something that you said earlier, you talked about turning your pain into a purpose. If you want to, can you dig into that a little bit more and share more about that phrasing?

Josh:

Absolutely. I believe everybody has a calling. I believe everybody has a specific purpose. And I believe that that specific purpose, I mean, we could say that, you know, maybe God had ordained this from the foundation of the world, but I believe that your specific purpose is to be discovered. It’s almost like it’s a journey when you come into this world, you don’t really know it when you’re in you know, a lot of times your teens, you don’t really know it when you’re in your 20s. Sometimes you’re starting to really figure out who you are, but then you look back, you know, and you realize how much you’re story as an adolescent, as a child really affects who you are today. Sometimes that’s good. Sometimes that’s bad. Sometimes it’s hard to really revisit those places. But I believe a lot of times if you want to find your purpose, I think first thing you got to lean into your pain. Why, you know, this is interesting. Funny story. So you’re familiar with Beth Moore, the female Billy Graham, right? I had a weird encounter with her at the Houston – So I tweeted at her. I tweeted her and I was like, you know, I think I just saw you eating pizza, very weird. I didn’t, I, you know, unusual tweets, well, my phone rings and she tweets back and she’s like, yeah, this is my favorite pizza place. I love this place. She was like, where are you? Ha you know, it was like, well, no worries. I’m walking to my gate, enjoy your pizza or whatever it’s very awkward, you know, conversation. But it was cool that she responded back. So I’m sitting at my gate and I’m the first person and I’m like, did I miss my flight? Like whatever. So all of a sudden, like she comes walking down the hall and it’s just me and her, you know, to the more I look back now, it was like this moment that God ordained in my life. And I remember she put her phone down, she faced me and so I began telling her about, you know, growing up and, you know, I was working with these kids in Charlotte and her eyes got big. And she was like, oh my gosh. It was like, Psalms 30:15. And it was like a verse on redemption, like in the Lord, there’s full redemption. She’s like, hey, and the phrase from her and it was the first time that I was able to be like, oh, so the reason I tell people to lean into that is there’s so many people in this world, and I know that there’s somebody going through the exact same thing that you did and you’ve come out on the other side of it. So now you have – because I’m in a store to be able to go back and pull up. So stuck in that place who are going through that hardship. So, yeah. I mean, I truly believe that you know, I’ve got a friend that was an alcoholic for years. Like nothing could shake this guy. Like he would always fall back into alcoholism and really struggle with it. And then one day he was like, I need help. He went to this place in Black Mountain, he got help, and now he’s working – He’s been clean for three years and his whole life has changed and he’s working with –

Jeremy:

I think I lost you there for a second.

Josh:

Can you hear me?

Jeremy:

Yep. Good.

Josh:

Okay. Alright. Were you able to capture the last part?

Jeremy:

You were talking about the fellow who went to Black Mountain?

Josh:

Yeah, yeah. So I had a friend that, you know, struggled with alcoholism and literally man, just cycle after cycle, after cycle just went back to that place. There was one day he finally said, hey, I need help. He checked into a facility in Black Mountain. First time he had ever asked for help, he went through the program, got out, got clean. Now he’s at a rehab facility and he works with people who are just like him and his pain became his purpose. And three years clean, not a drop of alcohol. Like it’s amazing to think he’s finally clean. He’s been married, just bought a house with his wife. And so I believe that there’s something to you know, kind of finding your story and your pain and being able to help people that are in that same situation.

Jeremy:

Yeah. That’s a, there are so many interesting stories out there. And, you know, in my work, I get to meet a lot of different people who are at different phases of their lives. Some people have discovered their story or you know, they’re beginning to lean into it. Finally, others are still on that journey. Right. And so you know, I appreciate you sharing a bit more about your story and then tying into what other people think that it seems like that’s something that we’re taught to sort of run away from pain.

Josh:

Right.

Jeremy:

You know, we’re taught the lesson, you know, you touch a hot stove once, but you don’t touch it a second time. But when that pain is emotional pain you know, we find, I think at some point that we need to lean into it as you were saying so that we can find healing and we can find our purpose. And through that purpose began to really serve and pour into other people. Because I can imagine for you, you have a spec, as you said, you’ve got a special connection to these young people, because what they’re going through right now with not having a father around, you experienced that yourself, it wasn’t something that you read about, or that you watched a movie on, or, you know that you just woke up one day and said, hey, I think I’ll go help these kids, even though I don’t know what they’re dealing with. You know, you’ve got a very authentic connection. And so it seems it’s important for others, you know, have those pains, whatever those pains might be to go out and find their population to go shepherd and serve or walk alongside or do life with. As you say, when you use that phrasing do life, what does that mean to you do life?

Josh:

Well, Jeremy ho hold that one second. I think, I think I was, as you were talking, I was thinking as well, that I think that you can take your pain and find purpose. And I also think, you know, on the flip side I have volunteers and even a staff member that had a really good family growing up and they’re coming out of that place. Will I, you know, I know what it’s like to be parented really good and how to be a son. So I want to help kind of pour that onto the kids. So I think that my journey is that I had to kind of look to my pain and find purpose, but I think also some people’s story will be different and they had something beautiful happened to them when they’re younger and they, you know, and that place. And so I think, you know, just to be careful, I think, I think it can come out of both sides. You know, for a lot of people, it’s, you know, trauma turned in into healing, into beauty for others, they have very beautiful experiences and they want other people to have that. So I think that’s important to note that my story won’t be everybody’s story and vice versa. Yeah.

Jeremy:

I appreciate you picking up on that and clarifying yeah.

Josh:

Sure, and life on life. You said earlier, their life is very, it’s very messy. Life is hard whenever you, in your life that might not be great, but also you have stuff that might not be great. I feel like a lot, it’s when you’re consistent with them, it’s when you go beyond the surface level of like, hi, how are you doing? I’m great. Praise God, thank you. You know, it’s real-life where there’s there’s mess and hurt and pain and, or to be fully loved is to be fully known, you know, to be fully known as to be fully loved. And so when you get beyond the place of just the casual greeting and being able to enter into the mess of it, I feel like that’s kind of the message of Jesus in a way is that, you know, one scripture was that He came in, loved me at my worst, you know, like, and so if you love and He can love me as I get better. And so I think that when I assembled, when I say life on life, it’s really, you know, walking into these kids’ lives and being consistent and not running when it gets hard or when it gets messy and leaning into that. And all of a sudden by, you know, leaning into that, you see healing come and you see strides being made. That’s supposed to come from these relationships. You’re not just trying to, you know, put on a smile and act like everything’s great.

Jeremy:

Yeah, so it’s about getting real, getting past courtesy of hello, how are you? Love it. You said something just a moment ago about when things get hard. You and I both know that work in the nonprofit space and in ministry is difficult. So if you would talk about when things have been tough and why you persisted, why did you give up and what kept you going?

Josh:

Yeah, so there’s so many different, different stories I could kind of speak to right now. One of the things that I feel like my wife and I, you know, we’ve made a lot of mistakes, but I think one of the things that we did well was we really wanted to be close to the people that the neighborhoods that we work in are government-subsidized housing. So we weren’t able to move into the neighborhoods themselves. So we rented a house near the neighborhoods and there was a low-income apartment complex in my backyard across the street. It’s funny. I used to have this little scooter and I’d just ride around in the neighborhoods and just, you know, they would be like, oh, Josh is crazy. He’s riding up in here in a scooter. But we just started really getting close to, you know, the communities. And so on the street that we lived on there was not at all the worst, you know, part of Charlotte. I mean, it wasn’t that bad. We had two bad houses on the street. There was a meth lab right across from my house. And there was another guy who I’ve gotten to know that sold drugs and his kids actually came to our program. There was a small amount of time where the meth lab got busted up and the guy that was across the street, he got murdered in his front yard. And so really, really tough times and, you know, my family and everybody was like, oh, you guys need to get out in there. And it was kinda like, man, we’re, it’s sad to say, but we’re kind of more, they where, you know, we got our house broken into, I came home one day and, you know, stuff was all over the floor, got our house broken into and there were times where you were like, man, I’m newly married. Like, you know, I have a wife who is gentle and delicate. And so I have to be careful with her, but I, you know, we stayed just, we didn’t feel like we should just like, get, have a spirit of fear and leave. So that was pretty tough. I’ve had kids that have been in the program that have shot people. I’ve had kids that have got shot, you know, just being seen a lot of brokenness. I came outside one day and one of my neighbors was pulling his girlfriend down the road by the hair. He’s like, what do you know, what are you doing in that situation? You know? And so there’s just so much brokenness. One of the guys that went, you know, to jail on a manslaughter charge, he – shot the guy and killed the guy and went to jail and I remember one time and when our programs, his name, you know, I won’t say his name, but I went up behind him and, you know, put my hands on her shoulders and just, you know, said, hey to him, it was just, just hanging out with him. And he came up to me and he goes, Josh man. So when you came up behind me earlier, when I was sitting down and put your hands on my shoulders, he was like, I just felt this like, I felt that I felt like I felt the Holy Spirit, Josh. It was a really cool, you know, and just having those moments, you know, where it’s like, I still remember that, you know? So yeah, say that, you know, and then, and then you have, you know, little things where two weeks ago, this is eight years and two weeks ago, I’m driving a 15-passenger van down the road. And one of the kids decided it’d be funny to punch me in the nuts while I’m driving down the road. It’s like, I’m not making this stuff up, man. Like, you know, so just everything that we have saw, I mean, it’s yeah, it’s tough. It’s a lot, a lot of moments in there. A lot of pain, a lot of hurt. You know, one of the things that, that that you spoke to a little bit ago, you’re working in a community where people living there don’t necessarily look and sound just like you, they don’t have the exact same background as you in many ways. And so you spoke to culture. What are, for those of us who may not be intimately familiar with culture in neighborhoods like those in which you’re serving, what do we need to know? What are some of the greatest learnings and lessons that you’ve learned that maybe you can pass on so that we can understand where you’re working? Yeah, for sure. I think just to speak a word on culture, if you’re a leader, if you’re a business person, if you’re, I’m at any place of authority to really try to understand the background and the stories of the people that you work with, or the neighborhoods that you serve, learning culture is such an important thing if you’re going to be a leader. So the culture that I work in, we serve too low-income neighborhoods in East Charlotte. Right now 99% of my kids are African American in the city of Charlotte right now, there was a study done by Harvard Business. We are the worst city in the nation that if you start in poverty, you don’t get out; only 4.4% of people that start in poverty, whatever, escape it in our city, which means that the people that I, that you know, that Charlotte beams in poverty are the people I work with. I don’t label them that the city does. So that means that the people that I’ve, you know, these beautiful families and kids, that I’ve got a chance to just call my family, to look them in the face and to know that their systems and stuff that has been set in place that prevents them from ever getting out. It’s so sad. You know, if you walk into, if I could virtually walk you into one of our neighborhoods, you would, you know, see kids running around playing jump rope and playing tag, shooting basketball, you would see trash everywhere, trash, everywhere, laying around. You would see some people in the, you know, in the breezeways of buildings, you know, getting high right in front of everybody. You would see some older guys out there laughing, having a good time, cutting up with each other. So really, you know, there are some, you know, negative stuff, but it’s also some really beautiful things in there as well. I mean, I grew up in Leicester, North Carolina, which is no stoplights. I saw every star in the sky growing up, very beautiful place. My neighbors were very spread out. So if you asked me if I could be a kid and wake up next to 15 of my best friends every day and play basketball and hang out and play tag every day, heck yes, man. That would be great. So there is a lot of beautiful things in the culture, but obviously there’s that doesn’t come without saying that there’s a lot of negative cycles as well.

Jeremy:

Yeah. I think, you know, we, as human beings, we fear the things we don’t understand and that’s that fear results in fight, flight, or freeze mentality. You know, we either fight it, we push it away or we actively work against it. We freeze and do nothing or we, you know, we run away. And so I appreciate you digging into something that, you know, you don’t necessarily, didn’t necessarily understand the, continue to gain understanding and your point on, on leaders seeking to understand culture by understanding, you know, the real lives they’re human beings, the souls that they’re working with is sage advice. I appreciate your sharing that. What is it, let’s fast forward a few years, a few decades. And you’re looking back over the work that you’ve done with Neighborhood Hope, what’s the legacy you want to leave behind and, you know, what do you want people to take away from your story?

Josh:

Absolutely. Yeah. I yeah, one of my visions is to see these communities and a lot of them, you know, it’s so funny. A lot of them are very similar. So whenever you have what the city deems as low-income neighborhoods and you have community that are fully African American, it doesn’t matter what neighborhood you look to in Charlotte. There’s going to be a lot of similarities. One of the things that I want to see, you know, my vision is to see these neighborhoods set free, that they are beautiful, beautiful people with a strong culture, and they’re worthy, you know, to live apart from these cycles. If we’re 15, 20 years down the road, my dream is to expand our presence in neighborhoods all across Charlotte. There’s a massive need, not only in these neighborhoods that we’re starting in, but neighborhoods that we haven’t yet, you know, to visit into contact. And so, as we, as we’re scalable and we’re smart, and we begin to replicate what we’re doing, I want to spread that. And I want to see the City of Charlotte rise out of the last city in the nation. You know, getting people out of poverty. I want us to move up the chain. It would be really cool. One day Baltimore and New Jersey. And some of these cities are like, hey man, what are you doing? Like, what is it that you guys are doing? And I think that it can be done and what I’m trying to accomplish, you know, it’s something that I can’t do alone. You know, it’s going to take partners, businesses, churches, individuals, to come together in a rally behind this band. So it’s going to happen. I’m excited about it. And I think, you know, my kind of my big legacy and the thing always think about is, you know, when I take my last breath, who’s going to be around the bed. You know, he was going to be around me. What about what have I done in my life that, you know, that matters? And so just, you know, being able to see all these, these kids who are now adults and faces, it’d be so cool to just, you know, spend that last moment with them, obviously in my family, just, you know, just doing something that sticks that matters, I think is what really drives me.

Jeremy:

Well, I’ll let you know, I love your drive. And, you know, as you were talking about this legacy piece, it was cool to see you light up, because I know that you, you can see it. It’s, you see it in your mind’s eye and it’s real. And I don’t doubt that you’re going to, if you’ve already achieved great things and making the impact that you have on even one person let alone the many, many that you have. So, you know, the name of this podcast is the Heroes of Change. The tagline for my company is Guiding the Heroes of Change. So when you hear that phrasing Hero of Change, what does that mean to you when you hear that phrase? And why is it important for everyday people like you and I to get up and go do something in the world?

Josh:

Absolutely. Yeah. It’s so funny that you asked that question right now because I was just thinking there was a time where I was in insurance for 10 years. I was an insurance agent, very flexible. So I was actually, you know, selling insurance and working with the kids at the same time. And my passion began to grow for the kids. And my, you know, I became very passionate, less about insurance, you know, in that battle. And I see a counselor, you know, for multiple reasons. Like one of the reasons is like, hey, how do I not get offended? How do I not take things personal that have nothing to do with me? And you know, just working through that. And I remember one day he looks at me and he goes, Josh, you know, similar to what you just said, he goes, when you talk about insurance, I just see this gloom come up. But yet when you talk about the kids and the nonprofit and everything, like your face lights up. And so he goes what’s your exit plan because at that time I was doing both and I go, I don’t have one. He goes, get one. He’s just like very aggressive, like getting one. So the next time I, you know, my boss came in, I just said, hey, I think I’ve got to quit, man. Can you give me six months to get my stuff together? That was my plan. It wasn’t a plan. It was just a spontaneous, like I got to quit, you know? And so I think, you know, just realize that I’m an ordinary everyday insurance worker. You know, and I found something else I was passionate about. And so whether, you know, whether you have a job and a family or, you know, whether you want to pursue your passion, I think, you know, being able to have something in your life that you’re passionate about, where you’re using your gifts and abilities to impact another life. And you know, a lot of times we think it’s about, oh, you know, we need to help this person and we need help change this person. What we find when we’re making a difference, when we’re becoming an agent of change, when we’re pursuing our passion, what we find is it changes us. Favorite scripture chapter, Isaiah 58, and it says, when you go fight for those who can’t fight for themselves, healing comes in you a light break forth, it breaks forth in you, you know? And so I think that maybe I went into just wanting to help change the kids, but I feel like, you know, God did something to me, you know? And, and so I think, I just want to encourage people like by getting outside of yourself and blessing somebody else or fighting for somebody who doesn’t have a voice or fighting for somebody that, and if I, for themselves, like it is the greatest sense of purpose that you’ll ever find in your life. And everybody wants purpose. Right. We’re built for it, hungry for it. And so, therefore, everybody needs to do something, that’s worth purpose.

Jeremy:

Good stuff. Yeah. I love it. So my hope is that there are people that are watching when the video comes available and listening to the podcast that they’re on their journey to find their purpose, somewhere along that continuum of I’m beginning to realize that I need to go find it. I don’t know what it is or all the way to those people who have found it and fully embraced it. What words of encouragement or words of advice might you give to other Heroes of Change out there that are somewhere along the way? Maybe some lesson you’ve learned or some word of encouragement for them?

Josh:

Absolutely. I think that, I think to be able to tell people, take a risk. Take a risk and be, and don’t be so hard on yourself. If you don’t know what your purpose is, start trying different things until you find it, you know, go volunteer at a soup kitchen, you know, go work with somebody that’s doing something with kids. It’s, you know, whatever you can do to just start getting outside of yourself and you might go through five or six organizations or do five or six different parts, tier things, it’s still not fine. But then when you find it now, you’re like, oh, this is it. Like, this is where, like, I feel a sense of belonging. And it’ll make it all worth it. So just even getting to the place where you start, you know, writing in your journal, hey, these are the things I’m going to try after work the key here, I’m going to, I’m going to go do this for one-hour a week. I think taking baby steps and just not giving up. If one thing doesn’t click and keep trying until you find something that either relates to you, your beauty, or relates to your pain. And once you find that it’ll help you come alive. So take the steps, take a risk.

Jeremy:

Love it. Take a risk, step out, and don’t worry if step one, doesn’t work out, take the second step, and embrace your beauty. Embrace your pain. Reach out and share that with others.

Josh:

Absolutely.

Jeremy:

Yeah, love it. We could talk all day and I’d love to, maybe you can come back on for a second episode or, and or maybe I can come visit you in Charlotte and you can take me around and show me what’s going on. Let me meet some of these beautiful people. In the meantime, though, if listeners wanted to learn more about you and the work that you’re doing, how can they do that?

Josh:

Absolutely. We are in transition mode right now. I’m going to give you our current website, which is theabandonproject.org, and the new website that’s coming out is going to be neighborhoodhopeclt.org. So those are going to be the websites either one of those should point you to the new website. So you can that’s, that’s the website, our Instagram handle is Neighborhood Hope For CLT, that’s our Instagram. Right now on Facebook, we’re still under The Abandon Project, but you know, pretty soon you’ll be able to just Google Neighborhood Hope Charlotte. Okay, cool. Email, josh@theabandonproject.org, you know if anybody, the listeners have any questions, just want to talk, I would love that.

Jeremy:

That’s great. You know, I do hope that those who are listening, if you feel called to reach out to Josh and, you know, talk through your situation because I know that he’ll listen and offer some advice and just talk things through with you. And you know, the journey of being a ministry, work, being a nonprofit, work can feel exceptionally lonely at times. And so, you know, seek connection. And if you feel a connection with Josh, reach out, you’ll love him as much as I do.

So that’s all I’ve got for today. Josh, you survived. So I appreciate you being on. So, everybody, that’s all for this episode of the Heroes of Change podcast from EPIC Mission, we hope that you’ve been inspired by something you heard today because together, we are the change. Tune in next time, as we dig into the story of another hero and learn what they do, how they do it, and most importantly, why they do what they do. In the meantime, take care, stay encouraged, and we’ll look forward to seeing you next time on the Heroes of Change podcast from EPIC Mission.

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