My Grandma was an amazing person. I will never forget her; that would be impossible. So much of me, and who I am as a young woman, is because of her powerful influence. She watched me take my first breath as I entered this world, and I watched her take her last breath as she left it. She has lived with me from day one, for my entire life. The first thing I did every morning for as long as I can remember was to go say good morning to her. And she has been such a strong inspiration of… Read More
I own God Body Gym in Memphis. One day, I found a young homeless man asleep in my car behind our building. I didn’t know at the time that God’s plan would be for me to mentor that young man, and my gym would become his home for the last nine months…and counting. And it’s clear that God was preparing me for this for almost a decade. About ten years ago, God got my attention. I owned a small company but I was getting into a little trouble, doing some things that weren’t right. My company experienced some turmoil, and I… Read More
In 2011, God gave me a heart and vision for middle and high schoolers. I wanted to open a center for youth that met them just where they were. So with only five teen interns and only a few hundred dollars to work with, the Catalyst Teen Center was born. In the beginning, Catalyst appeared like a regular youth group, but it quickly transformed into something never seen before. We began offering classes, everything from Forensic Science, guitar lessons, home economics, Japanese and more. The Teen Center provided a community the teens were starving for. All of them had gifts and… Read More
Life can be very difficult and challenging for any child that doesn’t have a secure home environment. And I certainly did not. My father wasn’t in my life and my mom was an alcoholic. She went to rehab and thought she was better, but relapsed and was unable to care for me. At age 10, I was taken to Big Oak Ranch, a Christian home for children needing to find a loving, stable environment. Most every child that lives in a home like this is riddled with doubts, no matter how good the children’s home may be. Are we loved? Why are… Read More
Seeing children without a father in their life absolutely breaks my heart. I wanted to do something to help those kids in my area. So I started an organization that takes underprivileged kids on all-day fishing trips out in the Gulf. And we’ve now touched the lives of 2,500 kids during the past 11 years. It all started with my 8-year-old neighbor. I noticed he was an angry, frustrated kid. I didn’t know why until I found out he didn’t have a father in his life. So I asked his mom if I could take him fishing one Saturday. We went… Read More
I was sexually abused multiple times as a six-year-old child. As a young boy, I was confused, shameful and guilt ridden. I didn't say anything to anyone. Even as an 11 year old kid, I recalled standing at the doorway of my mom and dad's room, determined to say something, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I was overcome by shame, guilt, and a fear that often comes with abuse. I bottled it up. For decades. But as an adult, I kept having the same recurring nightmare and finally got myself into counseling. For the first time,… Read More
