Often we have reasons why our lives aren’t how we would want them to be. We then use those as justification to stay where we are, as we are. Whether it’s where we live, how we grew up, being in a situation we consider dire, being in prison, having experienced past trauma or anything else, we limit ourselves because of our past and our current circumstances. I’m not saying any of those things don’t affect us, they do, greatly. Sometimes its things I wouldn’t wish on anyone. No one ever has to go through horrible things. Unfortunately life happens. Vusi Thembekwayo puts it aptly when he asks “Your excuses are valid, now what?”
It’s not everyone who rises from life’s challenges. Some people do and I love reading, listening to or watching their stories in different podcasts because their stories give me hope and let me know that anything is possible. The podcast episodes I’m sharing here are of individuals who despite being dealt a not so great hand by life, rose above that and their current lives look nothing like what their past promised them.
I hope these individuals give you hope that yes things may have been difficult for you growing up, you may have experienced trauma in one form or another, you may have been dealt a bad hand in life, or you may have made mistakes along the way, all that can be true as well as valid and your life can still change. You may even still be living in the results of the terrible things that happened to you due to your circumstances, I hope their stories remind you that things can change and dreams can come true. You can turn your life around, whether it takes a year, 10 years or 20 years. Where you are right now and how your life is doesn’t have to be permanent. You can create a different life for yourself, with help along the way.
There are many more stories like these but I chose ones I’ve watched or listened to and they made an impact. Each of these can be found wherever you consume podcasts but here I’m putting the YouTube links because you get the video. After struggling with how to number them, I decided on doing so in alphabetical order of their surnames.
1. Black Coffee – Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett
An internationally renowned DJ and producer, Nkosinathi Maphumulo, better known as Black Coffee, is a force to be reckoned with. An accident at 14 resulted in him losing the use of one of his arms. Already a DJ at that point he didn’t give up on his music dreams and now he’s won many awards, including a Grammy and touches the world with his own brand of house music. His interview, by Steven Bartlett, that I watched a few days ago is the one that made me decide to write this article because as I listened to Black Coffee tell his story I thought to myself, if you have a dream and pursue it at all costs, nothing can stop you. I decided his and the other stories here need to be shared by anyone who watches them.
2. Steve Harvey – Earn Your Leisure Podcast
Comedy great Steve Harvey probably doesn’t require much of an introduction. From Family Feud, The Steve Harvey Show, Miss Universe and numerous other shows and ventures, Steve Harvey is no stranger to the TV world. You wouldn’t have seen that in the future of a 10 year old boy who, although he had a stutter, said his dream was to be on TV, at a time when not many people like him were on TV. From being homeless at one point in his life, now Steve is one of the most inspirational people in the world. He’s someone who shows us what dreaming big and believing in your dreams in the face of adversity can result in.
3. Garrain Jones – The Passionate Few with Omar Elattar
His father murdered when he was 12 years old, Garrain Jones would have done anything for money, including things of an illegal nature. A drug bust at 23 led to him spending time in prison. Now, as a transformation coach, an author and a speaker, he is an inspiration to many around the world. Watch the interview to see how he started the process of turning his life around behind bars, where he felt freer than he had when he was on the outside. His story touches on the power of a mind-set shift and how you get to create your own life, no matter where you start from.
4. Manny Koshbin – Maxout with Ed Mylett
Originally from Iran, Manny Koshbin’s father relocated the family to the USA just before he turned 14 because that was the age that boys were forcibly drafted into the army. At one point he and his family lived in a car. Now he’s a multimillionaire real estate investor and businessman who takes time to inspire many through his books and social media. I love his story so much that I’ve watched his interview many times.
5. John Mcavoy – Rich Roll Podcast
John McAvoy is the only Ironman Triathlete sponsored by Nike. He’s taken part in numerous Ironman races and broken world records in rowing. All this says nothing of how his crime marred life led to him getting imprisoned as a high risk inmate in the British system. His story, detailing how he went from that to where he is now, an athlete who is transforming young people’s lives and impacting policy change, is one worth listening to. It is a great example that you can turn your life around. John recently sat down again with Rich Roll for a more recent interview, you can check that one out too after listening to the first mind blowing interview.
6. Debbie Millman – The Tim Ferriss Show Podcast
Debbie Millman is a big gun in the design world where her impact has been felt greatly. She is an author who also hosts an award winning podcast called Design Matters. Her podcast episode that I’m linking here is ranked one of the most downloaded on The Tim Ferriss Show podcast. At a young age, Debbie was sexually abused by her stepfather. (For those interested in another discussion with Tim Ferriss, the two of them talk about childhood abuse in the context of each of their experiences and in the show notes there are books and resources that a person can turn to.) Despite that experience Debbie is living what she calls a remarkable life. I’ve also included Debbie Millman’s episode because towards the end of the episode she discusses an exercise called the “Ten Year Plan for a Remarkable Life.” An exercise that gives whoever does it the opportunity to envision their life, 10 years from now. I did the exercise and shared my example in a previous post.
7. Yeonmi Park – The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast
Yeonmi Park is a North Korean defector and activist who is an author and speaker who now lives in the USA. Of all the podcast episodes I’ve ever watched or listened to, this one affected me the most. It completely shifted my worldview. It was heart-breaking to watch. I cried, a lot. After watching it a part of me wished I hadn’t. For a couple of days afterwards I couldn’t think of it without breaking down. Then some days after I watched it I woke up around 4am with certain revelations I hadn’t ever considered that explained not only life in general but what is happening in my country and in Africa. All these revelations were coming to me and I was writing it all down for about an hour.
After that I knew why I had to watch it. If you choose to watch it, do so knowing that it may prove difficult to take in. Whether or not you’re a fan of Dr Jordan Peterson, (with me it depends on the day you ask me) in this interview he played not only an interviewer’s role, he put on his therapist hat and better still, his father figure role shined through. I think anyone who is an aspiring interviewer could learn from how he handled this interview of a brave young woman, Yeonmi Park, telling us her horrific life story.
8. Vusi Thembekwayo – Impact Theory with Tom Bilyeu
Vusi Thembekwayo is a globally known entrepreneur, businessman and investor, who is an award winning speaker and mentor. If you saw him today you wouldn’t be able to tell that his father was murdered in front of him during a robbery for his cell phone, when Vusi was 13. This, being born in apartheid South Africa and many other things could have made anyone think these circumstances don’t scream success. Yet Vusi did what it took to rise above those circumstances and become the global leader that he is today.
9. Dr Tererai Trent – MarieTV with Marie Forleo
Before the end of The Oprah Winfrey Show, Oprah chose her most favourite guest from the show. That guest was Dr Tererai Trent. Before she became Dr Tererai Trent, a global leader who has a statue of her in New York, Tererai was a young girl born in the Karoi District in Zimbabwe. A child bride, by the age of 18 she was a mother of 4, married to an abusive man. Watch her interview to find out what turned her life around from a situation that looked dire and spoke nothing of the life she leads now. Something that you can do today, should you wish to transform your life for the better.
10. Arnold Van Den Berg – The One Percent Show with Vishal Khandelwal
Arnold Van Den Berg was sent to an orphanage in a different country, in his early years by his parents, who loved him, to save his life during the Nazi war. His parents ended up in concentration camps. His start in life doesn’t look anything like where he ended up. He’s the CEO of Century Management, a wealth management company, and an investor who used the power of his subconscious mind to turn his life around. In this interview not only does he tell his story, he gives lessons he learned along the way, that I believe everyone who wishes to transform their life, needs to watch.
