Changing Generational Narratives with Sean Walker

Welcome my good friend, Sean Walker, to the studio today. Sean shares his story of how his upbringing shaped his future, but also how he's changing the story of his family moving forward.

MEET SEAN:

Hi, my name is Sean Walker. I’m a 30-year-old entrepreneur, personal development coach, author, and fitness/wellness expert residing in Hampton Roads Virginia. My purpose is to be a living example of how the power of Jesus Christ can change your life by exceeding your expectations when you believe and obey.

Find Sean here:

MENTIONNED IN THIS EPISODE:
Sean's Books

CONNECT WITH ME
Instagram | Clubhouse | Facebook: @juliwenger
https://www.juliwenger.com/

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Juli Wenger: 0:06

You're on this earth for a purpose. You want to live a life that matters. So let's get through the fear and the overwhelm and all the crap that gets in the way of you living the life of fear. This is the becoming ourselves podcast where we are fired up about you getting clear on who you are, what you're called to, and how to get there. Because the world is waiting for you to show up and own your power. I'm your host, Juli Wenger, a coach, a speaker, a Jesus lover in Enneagram, two, and a tree shaker. Let's dive into what's keeping you stuck. Because on the other side, is a life that's fired up the film. This week on the podcast, I am really excited to have someone who's becoming a friend. We've had a few chats now with Sean Walker. Sean is an author and coach. He's written a couple of really inspirational empowering books. So let him tell you a little bit about them. He is entrepreneurial. He's a dad, he is a fellow Jesus follower. So welcome, my brother to the podcast. I'm excited to have you.

Unknown: 1:18

Thanks for having me on, Julie.

Juli Wenger: 1:20

So where are we going? Today, you've had one of those journeys that I love to talk about on the podcast where there's been a lot of change, there's been a lot of pivot, there's been a lot of reaching and living into other people's stories, standard society standards, and then coming out of that and going hold up, this isn't it. So what comes to mind when we talk about that,

Unknown: 1:42

um, for me how I got into being what I am today, able to be on this podcast, entrepreneur, as you stated, an author, we know how kids get made. So you know, being a dad, that's how that happens. But, you know, it takes me all the way back to when I was a child. So growing up, I watched my mother work multiple jobs, you know, some people work two, two jobs, you know, she worked like three, four different jobs. And because of childcare, we had to go with her, me and my siblings, she didn't have much education, but she always had this drive to, to want more. And you know, she was very, like, I can get up and work and she wasn't afraid to do jobs that people didn't have, she would do everything from cleaning, delivering phone books back when that was a thing, skating rink attendant, cafeteria worker, she would do all of these jobs, and we would have to come with her. So at an early age, I started to learn the art of hustling. If you remove what you aren't willing to do, then everything's available for you to do which is big and entrepreneurial. Because you do everything, you do a little bit of this, a little bit of that you're so diverse and well rounded, which helps you show people that all things are possible, you know, to them that believe. So growing up, I used to just watch my mother Work, Work work. And then I got to see firsthand what it look like. Now, of course, she wasn't the entrepreneur, but the hustle was there. So when I was in about seventh grade, they had this program in middle school where you could work in the summers, and they will teach you about entrepreneurship let you go work at a regular job and like you just help out but uh, you know, they paid you 200 bucks. But, you know, you also got a college credit, but then it kept me busy during the summer and for me, grew up in a low income area, it was a good place to be. So, you know, we didn't end up in trouble. But I always just thought it was cool because my siblings did it. But I'm like, Man, when I'm able to work, I want to work as a child, you're oblivious to the responsibilities and the, of what it takes what to do with your money. I just wanted to work because it was fun, you get to do these different things. So what about like, again, maybe that's what 1312 13 I started having my first job. It was very cool. So when I turned 14, I was able to get my first job and it was at McDonald's. And that experience right there shaped everything that I am today still, to this day, the coolest job I ever had. Because it was the first time I was able to be around people that weren't my peers and people that valued me for the work that I was producing, you know, now again, I'm just on the fries and flipping burgers. But that still was an essential role, you know, at that place. And slowly over time, I moved up like I was 15 I was a manager there. So at a very young age, you know, I'm gaining power in the work field. And you know, I didn't grow up like a normal childhood. I wasn't at the park. I just knew work. And when I was at work with my parents, then I was at work for myself. You know, I was never getting caught down the wrong path because I'm like, well, the coolest thing I can do is make money and growing up we were poor so I didn't have money. So I'm like, Well, I want to make money. And it's like kind of fun. You know, it really was childhood fun to do this thing. You know, have my own money. I make my own thing and you know my parents kind of push be out there early. So as soon as I was able to like, work, like I had to buy my own school supplies, I had to basically do everything for myself, which wasn't a burden, but it was like, Well, I can do so I will do. So again, all of these things are going on with me and building me for this this lane of life. And I don't even know I'm, like, stumbling into. So I'm working. You know, I'm working. I'm not hanging out with friends on working. But then of course, you know, people were telling me you don't want to flip burgers your whole life, which is a mistake, because I tell people if I would have stayed there till this day, I would probably own three or four McDonald's, they ruin they stole a little bit from

Juli Wenger: 5:36

me. And And okay, so here's where I'm going to jump in on that. Is that right there is that you then buying into someone else's idea of what success looks like? No, because we're talking about this childhood where you have a frame of reference being built for this is how you show up in the world. This is how you operate in the world, you hustle you work, work, work, work, work, work. So that's what little Shaun sees. Right? And then you grow into it, that's being affirmed, and it's more repeated, and it's more repeated, like that's the pattern that you're naturally going to follow. And then you end up in this job where there's all of this positive feedback. Plus, you're getting the thing that you felt like you didn't have or that you legitimately didn't have, which was not like, hey, we didn't have money. Now I'm gonna make money. There's all this affirming stuff,

Unknown: 6:30

you know, and it's crazy what happens how they, as an entrepreneur, you're looking at it from the owner side, but everybody telling me this was speaking from the worker side, they're, you know, they were actually demonizing a job, essentially, you know, like being a fry person isn't good at flipping burgers, you can't make a living off of this. But I'm 1516 working around people that clearly are doing this for a living. So this is that part of my life, where I'm starting to see where like, the people that raising me are telling me things that like, aren't making sense, because I'm like, Well, I'm at work with all these adults. And apparently, that's the best that they can do. And if I'm here as a kid, I think I'm pretty good. But you know, they kind of ruin that. So always, I always give jabs at my parents. I'm like, you know, what, y'all, you guys should have left me over there. I was like, again, at 15, I was a manager, it was the whole place around by my school. So you know, I'm working doing these different things. But then, of course, I start doing, but what my mom taught me is, well, I got this time, I might as well get another job. So now I'm working a retail job. Now I'm doing, you know, a cleaning job, I'm doing all these things, oblivious to my worth, you know, my worth is I can do anything, you know, I can do this. It's easy enough. So she always worked jobs that were easy. You know, it wasn't her not performing at her highest ability, but like what was easy enough to make the buck and, you know, have us around, you know, which far as building as a family, it was pretty cool, because that was our bonding. So I grew up understanding that work is a place of bonded bonding, not bondage. But of course, you saw the people that was trapped in bondage at places that they didn't like, which I used to be like, Man, if you don't want to work here, why do you work here, not understanding that they're like, we can't you know, I'm just a kid, I'm like, well, lead go home, you know, so my 11th grade year of, of high school, somehow they messed up my schedule. And this is key to to my development, because I got out of school half a day. Now, usually seniors in these things like, you know, they're the only people but I'm, like, you know, 11th grade only go to school half a day. And by the time my parents saw the mistake in the school, they were trying to throw me in classes. And my parents were like, no, no, no, no. Well, he can go to work during the day, like, you know, it's not an error on his fault. So now, I'm in at work in the middle of the day, so I started to not see the work, you know, a few hours at during the week, and there's the weekends. It's Monday afternoon, and I see the people that are coming in, of course, you see the different walks of life. So now I'm seeing time, you know, it is important to understand time because, you know, most kids you know, you're at school for eight hours a day that you come home, but now I'm in like, I'm seeing work, I'm seeing school, I'm living in two different worlds. And I'm like, man, so of course I see the people that do come in that are looked like they're working then I'm looking at the people that look like they just hanging out. I'm like, Man, all kinds of people do stuff all day. I'm at school all day, these people are just hanging out. So you know that that moment allowed me to to of course work more, but it started me to grow up now. Because now I can work longer hours I get to see but you're not getting respected at work, you know, to be a manager at this place, working multiple jobs, but then I come home and now I got to be a kid. You know, so that was always hard for me because you know, you guys pushed me to be great and ambitious and you know, stand on my own two feet. But then when I come home, it's like oh, well no, you're still the kid. Stay In a child's place, but I'm like, all I do is live in an adult space all day. So that was an interesting transition, which caused a lot of tension, you know, because it's like I'm doing just like you, I'm working like, so treat me like an adult, you know, but it's that whole I grew up where, like, you are a child, stay in the towns place you are, you know, until you turn 18. Like, you know, you will do and say as I want, you know, if you keep it up, you won't have a job, you know. Um, so, you know, that was, that was pretty cool. But, you know, so as a high school kid, you know, I was, I was working almost like a part time adult working three, four jobs, you know, people that saw me was like, Shawn, why do you work so much. And I'm like, I don't know, I like it. Like, it's nothing else to do. And for me, I was getting college credits, I was like, it was making sense what I was doing, it's kind of hard to explain, like, what I'm doing, because I know, I'm not hanging out, I'm not at the park, I'm not playing, but I'm making money. And, you know, my parents didn't understand it. But then I had jobs where, you know, I worked at this one cleaning job. And again, I did everything from cleaning toilets, there was nothing that I wouldn't do, because it's like, I do this at home. And, you know, I'm so glad my parents taught me how to do laundry, how to cook how to take care of my own stuff in my own space, because that's all essentially you do in the work field, you know, you got to clean up, you gotta you know, nobody works in chaos. So for me, like to clean toilets, to do this, why windows, I can do anything, and then wherever else you're showing me, it's just going to help grow me. So that you know, you learn and all these things. And I think it's important for people to know that working you know, everybody won't be an entrepreneur. But there's so much value in working different jobs, learning different skills, experience in different people, because that's where you meet people that you know, you know, entrepreneur, being an entrepreneur, you get lonely once you keep going and going and going. So being at work taught me so many different things, that actually helped me decide which path I wanted to take in life, you know, because as a kid, I, you know, there, I'm just here making money, but I'm like, now I'm like, today, I'm working with the boss. And today's works look a little different. The boss is kinda like riding around, checking on some things. I'm like, man, we're doing all the work like, this is pretty cool. Like, you somehow got yourself out of this equation, put us in the equation, and now you're like living in Revelation. I'm like, oh, man, like, this is kind of cool. How do I do that? You know, they would always say, you know, you just keep working hard. You're you're on the right path. You know, people weren't really saying anything, they were just kind of do, you know, just encourage you to keep being great.

Juli Wenger: 12:36

Okay, so let's just let's jump here for a second. Because I know that you've done when we fast forward in your journey, you know, you've done work around identity. Okay. And when I'm listening to your story, what strikes me is that what's being bred into you trained into you is this achiever mentality, right? It's like the, I go, I work all these jobs, I'm making money, I'm seeing what exists. When I climb the ladder, I'm seeing what exists for my boss as a result of the rest of us doing things like there's all of this, climb, climb, climb, climb, and grow and do more. And because I know more of your story, right, when I think about the things that come next, and the jobs that come next, and the transition that comes next, where I'm curious is at this point of starting to get this clarity around, even just looking at that boss, right, and saying, like, look where you're living. Look what your day looks like, compared to what my day looks like. How is that at that point, impacting how Shawn sees himself? How does that help you define your identity at this point in the journey?

Unknown: 13:47

Well, strangely enough, as much as great things that I say I was doing, you would think my parents didn't look at it like that they really stripped away my identity. You know, they kept they used to tell me what I wasn't going to be who I wasn't going to do what I wasn't going to do what I wasn't going to have, you know, it's very odd. This is, you know, the white people do this, they were very, like, places when they come to talking, you know, like, oh, black people only do this kind of job, like, you know, that, you know, almost made me feel like worthless, honestly. Because here I am doing like, I think I'm like killing it. And people are praising me. And now I'm like, Well, I guess I'm doing this for nothing. You know, because they were very, like, they almost taught they my parents taught us through money, but they didn't have money, if that makes any sense. So but it makes no sense. So you're telling me, you know, you know, most people look up to their parents. And I'm like, Well, I don't want to be nothing like them. But it's like, you don't have anything that I'm looking for. So our I was already in an identity crisis, because I'm like, Yeah, I want to pattern my life after my boss. I don't know him, but I'm like, he looks successful. He talks successful. He's a hard worker, but his hard work isn't manual labor, it's more so with his mind which I come from this background where everybody's toiling with their hands, laboring factory jobs doing all these things. And I'm like, Well, if they figured it out, like what's wrong with like, not me, but like my family, like, there's no way I just stumbled across this, and you've been doing this since before I was alive, and then get with the program. So for me, I, I kind of didn't know who I was, you know, because, you know, you growing up saying, you know, you want to be like your parents, the people that shape you up. So now I'm going outside my household, which of course, I wouldn't dare verbalize that. Like, I want to be like the neighbor, you know, there was a lot of fear and trauma being pumped into my household for control, because there was a lack of identity as funny as it said, there was a lack of money and a lack of identity. That's what poverty is. It's not really money, just lack of identity. They weren't dreaming anymore. There was no childlike faith. And then you have this child, which is me, and you're trying to kill my dreams, you know, you want me to be just like you, but then still be a child, you know. So there's always this clashing of like, what what you're saying isn't making sense. And you're not the right example, to be trying to tell me I'm right or wrong. You know, I'm in school, making good grades, I'm working three, four a jobs like, this is my life, you know, how am I wrong? But then, my problem happened when they didn't give me direction. It was just so when you grow up, you can't live anywhere from free, you know, you got to pay to live somewhere, you know, you were just telling me things were not showing me. And you know, and I think it's important that people when they go back and look at their life, how much did your parents actually teach you? What did they actually teach you? Were you just being fed, clothed, driven around told to stay in your place? Or were you being nurtured? Were you being cared for? Were you really being developed? You know, because I was like this when my children, I don't like to call them children. They're human, I'm raising a human being, I'm not raising a kid, I'm raising a human being, you know, and then my parents should just say, I'm raising Cain. And if you know, if you know, the Bible, Cain is hell, you know, telling me you're raising hell, you calling me hell,

Juli Wenger: 17:03

we speak over our kids, there's so much power, because who we tell them they are is who they often become until they get to a point where they have enough context on the world to choose otherwise, which is what you know, eventually happens in your story, right is like, No, we're going to do something else. There's this tension to there, because you are going against something that I would imagine generationally has been in play for a while, like, there's all these social contracts that get broken there, when we decide to do something different when we decide to operate in a different way. Or we decided to find ourselves a different way than what's been the norm in our family environments.

Unknown: 17:50

And what my parents I started to look at, you know, my entire family, my grandparents weren't in poverty, like my, my parents weren't in poverty. So I used to always be so confused as to what happened here. But I could all but I could see that, you know, there was so much tension in separation, and they came from broken homes, in a sense, you know, single family homes, but again, my grandparents weren't in poverty. So it's like, I saw that, like, you guys weren't getting it somewhere, you dropped the ball. And I remember that, you know, I grew up in a toxic household verbally, abusively, like, again, I used to get chewed out. I'm like, the black sheep of the family for whatever reason, you know, I'm the only ambitious one, the only one working doing all this, but I'm the black sheep. But then I remember my grandparents used to always say, you know, you guys got to keep them kids in church, you got to guys got to keep them kids in church. And I never knew what she meant by that. So when I did get baptized, you know, maybe five or six years ago, I gave them my, my plank, because I'm like, I saw, you saw what I couldn't see. And you saw what they refused to be able to see, you know, the paths that were they were going on to hope the Holy Spirit was the only thing that was going to keep us grounded. And then that's why, you know, today we are in a much better place. But growing up, it was toxic. It was stressful. It was hard. You know, why I worked so much? Honestly, I didn't want to be at home, you know, is doom and gloom at home. It's, it's why is it like this? It's complaints there's no results is is why are they taken from us? It's just a bunch of complaints but no execution. And, you know, it's hard for a child to to look through the lens of an adult but you can see pretty well I think kids have this unfiltered eyesight, that seeing like, Hey, you pass you can do more and it's not that bad. And we're a family like, isn't that bad? And why are you so angry? Like why is it Why is it dark in the house? Like why is it just this Why do you just have this dark spirit, you know, which it contaminates us as a kid so, you know, I got a lot of them on me. I'm staying up so This whole finding my identity is, again, I lost that. But now I got this identity of people that I don't like and like, I'm not like them and it sucked because my mom named me after my dad and she said, you know, you act just like your dad. You look just like your dad. I'm like, but you hate him. So you hate me, essentially. Because everything you do, I felt like it was projected you saw him. So now I take the I take this disabuse, this this anger, which again, it's only because you see me you think about him, your eyesight doesn't mean to see your child, something that that can be something new, fresh, that could possibly save us. You're like, oh, this is Canyon, right here. This is canyon in the flesh, you're just like, your dad asked, like, can you talk like him. And I'm like, I really don't, I really don't like you named me after him, like cut me some slack, you know. But it's just important to point out that like, in my journey to be where I am today, I had to really look at how I grew up, because that is where the journey really, really started. You know, once I figured out like, once I got these other people's spirits up off of me and let my spirit grow inside of me, I was able to do and have and be what I am today. Um, but you know, continue with my journey. When I got to when I, my senior year in high school, once again, I was working, I had jobs, everything, but my parents said it wasn't enough, it wasn't good enough. I grew up were 18, at 18 years old, I had to pay $600 a month to live at home. Now that's a whole lot of money. You know, you think for our 18 year old the day I turn 18 You can't live for free, you can eat for free. And I'm like, Whoa, 24 hour change in my life is like on and poppin right now, like, you know, and I'm like, That's not fair. Like, you didn't raise me to know anything knowledge. Now you just want money from me because you haven't been able to produce more money. So now you want to take from me and I used to always tell him, you know, the rent is gonna get paid, the lights are the same. All the bills are the same. Why do you need my money? Well, because you can't live somewhere for free, I didn't live somewhere for free, so much of their life was projected, because I didn't have it, you weren't going to have it, I had to go through it you're going to go through, which is crazy that parents do that. It's almost like the next generation should get it a lot easier. You know, you should have gained enough wisdom to be like you might be not be able to change the circumstances financially, but you can easily pass over a mind. You know, I always like to say people want to transfer all these things down to their family, to the kids. And you got to pass down a mindset, a mindset and the mindset of price. Jesus Christ is a mindset, you know, Let this mind be in you, you know, it's a mindset. And they didn't have that mindset, or another Mindset. It was just money, money, money, you know, money is the root of all evil. And I saw it. And I honestly was afraid of money because I said, You know what money has ruined our family. So like, maybe I'm doing all this for nothing. So I don't know what to do. My life is at a crossroads. And I'm like, Well, I'm gonna join the army. I'm gonna join the military. Like they say that's a good job. So once again, I'm just doing stuff that everybody says is right. I don't know who I am. I don't have any real guidance. So I joined that. And from there, it's where my life kind of picked up. Because now once again, I saw that I was at this mature place that most of these people aren't, we're at, you got the kids, and it was fresh out of high school that this was their first job. But you got the adults that like kind of screwed up their life and like, jumped into that and try to play catch up. Now I got kids, I need benefits. I'm like, Whoa, but I saw that people were living a double life. And that's what scared me the most. They're, you know, they were so much time in separation from their families that like, you see people I'm like, oh, man, I we were out this weekend. I'm like, I didn't know you had a wife and three kids like, what is going on dude, like, you know, I just saw people in it, you know, they're living a life where I guess they got a balance and figure it out. And you know, it's not my place to, you know, to judge at all, but I just saw like, you know, what, I don't know what being away from my wife from a year before it would look like I don't know, but they live in two different double lives and I'm like, that's not the dream the American Dream either that's not going to work so I knew my time there wasn't going to be long because it was a bunch of people that were searching for an identity now they were wearing an identity this thing said you are an identity you know which again people started to cuz I got rank on somebody and I'm very big on like a human as a human respected as respect, whether you're 50 Whether you're five you're going to get the same level of respect. You know what I mean? It doesn't matter because you've been here longer than you should get treated any different you know that that's not how I operate so that was a that was a problem for me because again, I'm not less than you you my whole life I grew up having somebody told me I'm not going to be nothing and not we are the same if we work the same place I know we like that the same mindset because we're here together. So you know, so my journey there was fun, you know, I did it. It was cool. But again, I got a new I kind of knew that there was more for me there was more for me. I always had this this intuition and like this voice in my head saying, that's not it. That's not it almost like so many people. As I made these stops as in these jobs in my life, they kept asking me, why are you here? It's almost like I was passing them in my own movie on his own my own journey. Like it's like hey, pitstop. Shawn, why are you here? And I'm like, I don't know, I'll just keep trying, keep moving. But I mean, I don't think I'm gonna stay here long. But for now, I'm here. So after that, you know, I kind of didn't know what I wanted to do. So of course, I went and got a job at a factory, you know, I, again, I'm like, I'm going nowhere. I'm really going in circles, like everything I'm trying not to become, I'm actually becoming that, you know, I'm trying not to be just like my dad and work at a factory. I'm trying not to just be the stereotypical hard working labor black man, I'm like, I'm way smarter than like, I know, I'm smarter than that. Like, I know, I'm smarter than that. And I got too much ambition, too much hunger. And like, I'm honestly, I'm better than that, you know, I'm not afraid to say like, what I'm better than, like, I'm not better than anybody else. But I'm better than who I want to was. And that's where I like to be, I choose to be better by choice. And I'm like, this, isn't it either. And once again, I get there, and they're like, What are you doing here? Because I would get there and I would have a lot of success, I will move up the ranks pass, you know, it's like, easy for me. I'm like, this is easy. Like, you guys can find it. And I'm like, you know, this is we're really working hard. But then I got introduced to like, multi level marketing at the time back in the day, you know, the pyramid schemes, all that fun stuff. And again, I don't know anything, I'm just following people that like, look like they got success, actually talk like, they got success. Yeah.

Juli Wenger: 26:42

Somebody else's map, right. It's like, Oh, I've done it. And this is the way I did it. So just come try this. And it'll be great.

Unknown: 26:49

You know, and that's my problem with internet today. It's, you can present any kind of facade you want, you know, you can make it look like anything you can pose and look successful, you could talk real good, but it's like, the proof got to be in the pudding. And most people haven't lived that far to know, you know, they're there, they're building this outside image, when it's an internal thing that got to happen is in inside transformation that must take place, you know, and that's when you know, you got to start stop looking on the outside and start looking on the inside. And for me, the inside of me was burning up, it's on fire. Like, I'm like, oh, no, no, no, no, no, Shawn, what you got to do. Because, you know, I'm doing this marketing thing, and I'm having a lot of successful now. I'm convincing people to spend five $600 to buy this product from this company that I think is a lie. They sell in a lie. I see right through the scheme. It you know, there's no belief but I'm like, and I'm selling you a lie. I can't do that. So now, I'm lying to myself. I'm being fake. And I you know, I like to think I'm pretty authentic. I'm pretty real. But I'm like, can't do that. But see, I'm having these pockets of success. But it's again, God's like, keep going. And at this time, I have no real connection with God, but the voice the voice is like, keep going this isn't it either. Keep going. And then I you know, stumbled, you know, I'm like, Well, I got it. Once I determined I wasn't gonna be like, six, five. You know, I'm like why Leisha work out and get some muscles. I'm like, Well, again, I'm just like the people in the world. I'm like, thinking that my problem is my outside. If I change my outside of parents, everyone would accept me, I will look more presentable, you know, so I'm working out in a gym and doing all these things. And I'm like, man, maybe I could, like teach fitness. You know, I just kind of athletic, I know, enough. And I was like, maybe I'll put together a boot camp, I was watching the trainers at the gym. And they kind of weren't really doing much with the people, they kind of weren't really teaching people. Once again, I'm like, why are people selling a lie? And people are paying for it? You know? So I'm in this battle with myself and what the world is presenting to me like, How can I help this? Like, I have to be the change? I can't look for the change, because I don't know why it's the way it is right now. But how can I be the change that needs to be I got to become that I got to become the trainer. And so what is that? It's just an I am you know, and in the Bible, there's there's a lot of references to the I am spirit I am, which is just a declaration, you know, you as, what is it, um, as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. So again, all of these scriptures that I now know, like, again, they were already coming in, in today's world, they're presented through all these different means and stuff, and I'm like, oh, that's all scripture. You guys are posted. That's all scripture that's going on. So I'm like, Well, I'm gonna be this trainer. So I put out the bootcamp and it just goes viral. So now I'm teaching fitness. You know, I'm really like, and I gotta say it like this. You know, it's almost like when Jesus got them at the water with the feed the 5000 You know, I'm like, people are coming out the woodworks I got a references because, you know, a lot of people don't like to look at it like this and this is my take on it, but we you are striving to be in His likeness and image you know, like Moses was like, Jacob They're always a form of a Jesus either they came before Jesus, but these are forms but you are to be a form your Julia form of Jesus, do your own purpose, you know. So I'm like performing like in this Jesus, I know a little bit about the Bible, but I'm in like this Jesus moment where people are coming. I'm drawing these people to me, they're coming out the woodwork to see me. And I kind of don't even know what I'm doing. So I know It's Supernatural. Because I have no skill set. I have no degree, I have nothing. And I got hundreds of people like when I when I opened up my gym before they sold me my equipment, that guy did some research. And he was like, how are you? Who are you guys that got all of these people in Williamsburg, Virginia? Like, how is this possible? And I'm like, I don't really know. I really don't know who I am. At this point. I'm trying to figure out who I am. Because they keep showing up like I'm the man. You know, at this time, I got my partner and he's very into church. He's the music director at a church. So he's like, Man, I want you to come to church. And I'm like, you know, I grew up going to church kind of didn't get it. He's like, won't come and see. So I went there. And I told him, I didn't like your church. I mean, I don't like your church. And he said, Well, why I said, because I can't hear anything. He's like, What do you mean? Like your sound system sucks. As funny as that sounds, I'm like, You guys won't get a new sound system. The whole service, I was sitting there and I will be like, the tap the person beside me because he was playing somebody sitting. I'm like, Hey, what'd they say? It sounded good. But I don't know, maybe I missed something. So you know, I stopped going ever before I stopped going there. They had this day where they were like, talking and preaching. He was like, anybody want to renew, get get this renew car. And I'm like, I don't know. But like, I feel like I need a new car or a new car. So I go up there, and I never went to the altar before my life. And it's this sermon about this renewing your spirit in your mind. And, you know, I look around and like nobody's there. Like, it's just me up here. I'm like, I guess it's for me the day. And you're not take that away, you know, because that kind of got me where I'm like, You know what, something happened to Tommy and internally that causes external like, Revelation, I started to see more, I started to see myself differently. Even though I had the business now I started to see like, Oh, I am whatever I say I am. And I have the power to control this narrative. And that's just simply by me taking control of my life, which I couldn't done in the past years, but I didn't know that option existed. Yeah, you know, growing up, my parents removed that option, the world strips that away from me. And I think, you know, a lot of the world today does that. It removes the option that you can do and be and have whatever you want. It's a simple decision that says, I'm going to do this. Just like that doesn't matter who doesn't like it doesn't matter who objects but you can be having, do whatever you want. So now, I'm getting this confidence. The Self confidence is a little bit different than like, you know, I got this competence of just living. Yeah, it's not

Juli Wenger: 32:47

like egotistical, it's like a grounded kind of a thing, right. And I want to touch on this here for a second because this is so fundamental and so foundational, when you talk about this identity work and the I ams and we talk about this periodically on the podcast is that the the who we are the essence of us, that when we use that as the I ams right, and I'll often introduce myself as I am love, joy, strength, light and grace, like that is the essence of Julie and a bunch of other things because we're infinite because God's infinite are made in His image. And if I tell myself I am anything, otherwise, I start giving my power to that thing. If I start saying, I am such an idiot, like I hear people say that all the time, it's like, no, no, no, hold up. Like maybe you made a poor decision, right? But this is not something that you're going to speak over yourself, it is not something you're going to give your power to. And this shift that shows up in your journey here, at this point of really stepping into entrepreneurship and there being this almost bizarre unexplainable explosion of people. Right It's like he's working even though you're not you know, watching for him yet. It gets so so obvious. And like he's building this space for you to figure out who you are outside of what we call the boxes right? Outside of all of these boxes. We put ourselves in that have these labels and titles on the outsides of them like I am dad, I am husband, I am entrepreneur, I am employee, I am whatever. Like no, no, that's not who we are. Those are assignments and those are things we do. So there comes a point where we start to detach that stuff and say, okay, hold up, that's not me. But that's where I give my time and my energy based on who I actually know myself to be. And in the context of this conversation, like who am I Right, like we got to go there, the developing that understanding of not only and I'll use myself as that example, right, not only am I love joy, strength, light and grace and also hips. Now fundamentally, when you talk about that whole Jesus piece, like that's it right is like he has created this reflection of Himself in us. And it's like, unique and different. For all of us, we're all special snowflakes, in essence.

Unknown: 35:33

And you know, it's kind of amazing because it's like, I met my father, not my, not my, my, my spiritual father, I met the person who created me, not through conception, but to do a Immaculate Conception, like that saw me before I was in my mother's womb. And my father said, I am worthy I am I have your son, you know, and that that gave me a whole lot of strength and power. Because, you know, you start looking at your bloodline directly, and it's like, oh, no, it's bigger than that. It's bigger than that, you know, that they are children of his to, you know, as much as that's your mother, and father, that's your brother and your sister, but we're all his, you know, so that, that that piece for me started to shift started to shift because I had to start to see myself greater than what I was, despite what I came from, despite not knowing I had to have the confidence that I'm gonna stand up, I'm gonna pick up my cross and go, I'm gonna be what I got to be, you know, and it already was happening. There was no, no, do I want to do this, it was already happening. I was already James moving, just get on trains moving get on it, you know, and I couldn't stop it. I couldn't stop it. So, you know, for a few years, it, we had it, you know, it was amazing, you know, it still runs to today, you know, a whole lot of success. You know, there's all these different things where people look for my six figure business and all that I'm like, well, most businesses make that that's not a lot of money once you break it down. But it's amazing to see like, again, not about money, what you're able to produce the lives, you're able to change it for me, you know, it was just at first it was like, Oh, these people are paying me $5 $10. But now it's like, Oh, this guy had a nick issue. Now he's thanking me that he can rotate his neck from side to side, you know, I became a healer. I became a healer, through the body, all by my by the words out of my mouth, because I'm not lifting any weights. But somehow, I'm speaking to you, you're taking it and transferring it to your mind and doing this work, which I tell people don't give me any credit, because I'm really gonna give it all to him. But you got to give yourself the credit for doing the work you lifted every week, but you believe not in me, but in yourself to say, hey, I can be better by choice also. So you know why this journey is happening. I'm meeting people doing these different things. But I'm still on my spiritual journey at this point. Because I'm happy I have a family. Now I have kids, but I can I'm pretty damaged. I'm pretty damaged. And I'm not, you know, afraid to admit I'm broken, I am broken. Again. A lot of who I am, then, at this time, in my life is my parents again, I'm like, I'm carrying the shadow on his baggage. And I don't like it because I'm angry. Sometimes I'm short tempered, you know, I'm just like, that's not me. Like, it's not me, and I know who it is. And I can't get rid of it. So I'm working out. And I see this guy, and, you know, we're working on he just happened to be a pastor. And you know, from the moment I saw him, I knew he was a special human. He actually, you know, helped me get my life to Christ. And to this day, I still go to his church in Newport News, Harvest Church, Apostle spells to General of faith, and you know, his whole thing, his faith, his whole purpose message, his faith, but you know, that connection there, open my eyes, you know, and it was simply just removing the covers. They were already opened, but he just removed the covers, because again, he would just tell me, Shawn, what is it that you want? As plain and simple? So why don't you do that? Why don't you be that? Like, are you afraid? Like, what are you afraid of? He was really cut and dry, which was a little bit different. You know, he's from the streets a little bit. He's a little rough. But you know, when I saw him I saw excellent. I saw Well, I saw Mike and I didn't even know he was the best. I saw bonding with his boys at the gym. I saw like, Man, I don't know who that is. But you know, what if I want to be like something like I, you know, I can mimic that a little bit and look like that. That's pretty cool. Life goes, you know, and it just, it just was this idea of peace, but I was seeing people come up to him, hug them just love on him. And I'm like, You know what that was? So it was happening to me, but I still knew that I wasn't the person like I needed to be you know, I was in this role God put me in his role but I'm like, I got to grow up faster as more I got to become but I know he's like you need to get with the program, which is not really do anything but getting that book Getting that Bible, you know, and I was gonna say the Bible says interesting because it's a story about you, you hear about what your father did, then you saw what your brothers then did, and your sisters then did. So it's all about like, well, so what you gonna do what you're going to do, and that's how I became an author at the time, and I jumped a little bit, but after I had a gym, you know, I got into the food and beverage business, I opened up a restaurant and again, you're probably like, how's he doing all it is, and it's by pure faith, I was simply making a decision. The money wasn't there. To help wasn't there, I was just walking through doors. I was walking through it. I don't you know, I'd like to live in one day at a time. I don't, I don't know what tomorrow is going to bring. But I do know that I'll do everything I can today. So God is blessing me, you know, that do all these different things. And again, I kind of don't even know again who I am. But I'm somebody greater. For sure. I'm, I'm more powerful in my spirit. I'm better. I'm calm now, which is key. I'm real calm. You know, sometimes even when I talk I get I got so much energy because again, whatever he put inside with me is on fire in the light a diamond down at all, you know? So you know, I have this restaurant I'm doing these things from you know, I'm young man. 25 years old black man, multiple businesses, storefront properties, sounds real good. God like that, ain't it? That ain't it. Once again, I used to tell people they would praise me Shauna, so good, but I'm like, small, nothing to do, which again, is nothing for God to move. When God move, you're gonna see how easy it is, you're gonna be shocked. I'm like, you guys should see the end results. You see the revelation, the journey was where it was crazy. Where it was. You know, you guys see it now. And like, Yeah, but that's it. So for me, he kept moving me he would have me in these pockets of lightning and go, some people stay. You know, when God speaks to you, you got to be able to move. It's not about but what about this money, there's more money. It's not about these people. It's more people for you, you know, the calling on your life is great. And I knew that I knew that the calling for me was great. But even when I was a little kid, and I recently went back and looked at my yearbooks from like elementary school, and I went back and read the notes prior to us doing this, and people were speaking over my life, then about how great I was going to be they knew that you know what, at this boy figure out who he is, as no stopping him, you know, it's no stopping him. So, you know, as I got the gym, I got the restaurant, and God like LEED goes and I'm like, what I spent all my money, my credits jacked up, like, leave those I'm like, I never get paid from those yet. Like, I go, he's like, go, you know, once again, he's having me die again to another, an old season of my life, you know, and that's big that people got to understand I got to die to watch it once was because I just conversation with God. And he said, Shawn, you know what you want to be? And I said, Yeah, that's me. He says, those are things you wanted to do. That's not who you want it to be. And I didn't know what he was saying for a while. And then he asked me, Well, what is it that you wanted to do? And I said, I want to be a person that helps people, by talking to them share my story. It's funny that we're doing this today, because somebody would say this is random. And I'm like, No, this was by design on the plan. Didn't know Julie would be having me on her show. But I'm so thankful. But I didn't know who but I knew that this is who I was going to be. And once I got my book and read it understand, we are all supposed to speak the gospel, which is show the faith of God through your life. So when he told me to start writing my books, that's exactly what he told me to start doing. Start writing, Shawn, because you have real results. You aren't just you didn't just go through a rough toxic childhood was physically abused, verbally abuse got knocked down a few times? No, no, no, you kept pushing, you kept pushing. And it's because you didn't see anybody that looked like you that was your ad that you could learn from because I left that role for you. I left that lane for you to own Sean. So write your story and tell your story and tell your own truth. And you know, and when you read my books, and I got for self help books out there in an audio book, you know, people speak or how vulnerable I sound. But I said, That's how vulnerable you got to be when you're in front of God. You know, he wanted he know what you didn't Did you only keep lying to yourself and to other people that probably already know the same truth to you know, but what makes that wrong? There's no, there's no sin when you're in God, there's no once you're born again, you are new, that old thing is gone, that it doesn't matter if you are in you aren't perfect, but you are His perfect will. So there's grace for your mix, and he knows you're going to fall but you got to get back up, you know, but you got to listen and obey. And you know, it's funny, my kids today, they're always like, Dad, you're just always you just write books and you just be talking to people and I said, You know what, you know what kind of space you got to be in to just write books. It is a thing, right? I tell I'm in the rest of God. I'm in his rest. I am in his room. Because before I ever worked a job, I had worked 11 years as a little kid, until I was able of age to legally work God said you did enough work now spread My Word, which is tell the people how I bless you by you being obedient and displaying faith, faith got you where you're at. That's why I'm just a self development coach, a leadership coach because again, the greater I saw myself the greater he saw that I could be, he's not going to give you more than you can you can handle but he absolutely wants you to grow. He's going to give you grace to grow but you can't be afraid because again, he wanted you know God shows that people think God shows up when you get the check or you get the no he showed up at the beginning he only gonna show up when you down in and out he don't like you when you look and go he liked you when you broke. You you in shambles, you crying, that's when he come and lift you up and deliver you and you rest your head on his shoulders. You know, again, if you got your you know, God can't work in a system. So for me having jobs, that didn't work, I got I needed to see God display. You know, most people talk about God. And they say, Well, God bless me. And I'm like, Well, I don't know, you went to work 40 hours a week and got that check. I don't think I don't think that's I don't think he did nothing. And people don't understand that. But I'm like, you haven't even let you haven't even set yourself up to see how powerful God can be. Because it's fear. But what if, what if we don't make it? What if I don't get paid? Well, that's not God,

Juli Wenger: 46:24

you know. But I think that's like, that's how he works in us. Right? When I look at an I mean, this is what I enjoy about these conversations is our stories are very, very different. But there's these pieces of them that are parallel, there are pieces of them that because they're a God led path that are similar, right, where the stories are similar. And he he shows up when we make space. You know, it's like he's always talking, but we can't hear him afford, you know, yappin all the time, and we're not listening if we're not holding space for him. It's not possible.

Unknown: 47:02

You know, that's important. You said that, because, for me how I was able to achieve what I achieved. It's because I had to create space, I had to get away. I had to close them doors, separate myself from the world, you know, with our phones, social media is too many voices if you texting all day talking all day. Instagramming. When can you hear God? When can you hear God? And I think that's why God, people aren't hearing God because they haven't, like you said created room or space or time. You know, you only run to him when you put yourself in a situation that he was trying to tell you like, stop, stop, stop weeks ago, weeks ago, he he's trying to save us from this life of heartache and misfortune by just being obedient. You know, because see, the struggle is different. When you're in the will of God, you know, when you're struggling with him, you know, you got protection, you know, you got the full armor. But when you're out here in the wilderness alone, that's why I get ugly. That's why you revert to sin. Because you left the most important thing, the person that can guide you the spirit that can guide you, the one that's in you left is the very thing that's gonna keep you alive. But it's too much chatter, too much chatter. And I was able to write four books in one year, self publishing everything people say how I said, because I was alone. I was with my father. I sat beside him in the Spirit. And he said, right, and I just write and it just flow. He was fine. What you hear in those books and what you get, that ain't me, that's him. That's the Holy Spirit speaking through me, all day long. I said, I don't know how to do none of this. I'm not that smart. I got a whole lot of faith. I got a whole lot of faith and tell people that's the key to my success. I didn't I don't have a degree, I don't have any of these things. And I've been able to do so many wonderful things because I got real faith like I'm not afraid. Like most people want to like, like I'm afraid to fight like I'm afraid to fight for what I want in the spirit. I'm not about to physically hit nobody, but I'm gonna fight with God and you know, put on a whole arm and do what we got to do to get where we need to be. You know, I'm for real about this thing called Eden on Earth. And I named my son my life said I named them Eden because he was peace on earth. You know, when he when he was when he was made? I knew that like he was he was here to present peace to my family. You know, it's almost like he represents so much in our lives and my other kids do too. But like, he said, his name is Eden. That's heaven on earth right there. That's heaven on earth. And, you know, it's because of, he took me through the first I went through the valley, I went through the, and he presented me with this bundle of joy at a time where I'm like, I sold all my businesses. I don't have any you present me with this wonderful bundle of life. And he says Amen. And that's the key holding on to his promise. Like, what did he promise you? What did he promise you? And that's a question that people got to ask themselves and answer for themselves. Because me and you can sit up here and talk all day, but I don't I don't hear what God says to you only you hear him. And those are the instructions and blueprint for your life. You know, and once you get in, it's almost like, do you want to live the life God has for you? Or then like that somebody says, available for you? Both both are an option, you know, and a lot of people don't know that they exist. But I can tell you what, it's not easier following God's but it's actually harder. Because when you say, when you give your life to Christ, there's no All right, well, boom, I did that. I've got no problems, like, everything is good. Oh, no, it might, it might get scarier than then then than before you might be broken in you ever, you might lose it all, but you have gained it all inside, you have gained him. The one thing and if you know, if he's in you, then that's every day that God is in you that you have everything, you know, his promise come complete, each you know, everything is already laid out. But will you allow the process to happen? And you can't rush them? You have to be patient? You know, imagine what they said I wouldn't. What would it profit a man to gain the world and lose their soul? They're saying like, why get where you want to be, and then go crazy, which if you look at the world celebrities, that's what they all

Juli Wenger: 51:29

do. And I have done this, right? We've worked the jobs where we make lots of money. And we look really successful to the outside world. And we're not happy. So we're living testaments to this as I can go reach for all of the societal standards and the shoulds, around who I'm supposed to be your what life is supposed to look like, and what's supposed to make me happy and fulfilled. But I'm living proof that it doesn't. And okay, there's something I want to just touch on here. Because I mean, you and I could like we could literally go 8 million different ways with this. But what's on my heart right now is to talk about seasons, because we step through these seasons. And I was actually thinking about this the other day, because I just got clarity on where I am now. Because it's been transitional. And initially, when I started this shift out of the last career into this one, when I had my big pivot, and my identity, clarity, it was a season of surrender. Right? It was letting go of the control that tight grip, control of all of the things and all of the outcomes and how everything looked. And it was really challenging. It was really challenging to worry less about what do other people think of me? And all the expectations around how much money am I making? Or how am I providing for my family and all of these things that I just latched on to for my whole life. And now, there's this difference where I wake up in the morning, I'm like, right, what are we doing today? Yeah, I was just checking like, what's next? What are we doing today? And I had someone speaking with like two days ago. And as I'm listening to her, I was like, Oh, this is a season of dependence now. That's where I am now. And there will be other seasons, there will be seasons of acceleration, there will be seasons of growth, there will be seasons of all sorts of things. But I'm curious about what season are you in right now.

Unknown: 53:31

The season that I'm currently in, is my revelation. It's, it's, it's what I've been striving for my whole life. It's to be a place of comfort, a place of familiarity for people, a place of Christ, you know, I am at the place where, you know, there's only more I can become far as what he will allow me to do. But as far as achievements like I'm in the rest, I am in his press, what he has, for me will be for me, I have done the labor I have put in the work. You know, this is where this is where you get out of the spirit, the natural remedy, you're in the spiritual realm where I'm like, you know, everything now I don't work for everything now comes through the Spirit, everything that people that I meet the promotion, you know, it doesn't come from the east of the West, it comes from Him. And today like this is a promotion for me to sit here and talk. This is a promotion. So everything moving forward is the season of promotion. You know, I'm in the milk and honey season of my life. I'm you know, God took me all the way down. I tell people I was mad. At my account used to be a negative. We used to not know where anything was gonna be and you know, he turned that thing around. You know, he said, If you keep my word, I will give you more than everything. You know, God will supply all of your needs. And now I am allowing him to supply them, which he told me to just restaurant and spread My Word and tell people your story, you know, because, you know, it's almost like people I said this the other day to some clients of mine, too. I was like, you know, what's the greatest thing on earth, and human being, like, you know, God allowed you to be present for a purpose, he allowed you to go from a C nine once in a womb to be birth. That's the most amazing thing that can ever happen. You know, and there's something that you got to do on Earth, there's something that you got to be in, regardless of what you do is all going to come back to him, You got to tell people about him. You know, because it's him, that's going to do it. Because it's a miracle, you know, certain things that happened in my life. No, I You can't explain how it's happening. Yeah, you know, you can't explain what it is what's going on. So I'm in this I'm in the supernatural realm, everything is supernatural. You know, it's almost like if I wanted to come to me is one. And that sounds crazy to say, but people don't know how the power of God works. Because again, I'm not looking to God in the sky, he is in me, I in the Father are one. So I got his power. But before I got his power, I had to go to school, his school had to sit down, I had to learn, I had to learn what was what was for me, you know, because again, he's not gonna give you nothing you're not ready for he not gonna let you miss Bumble anything. And he don't want you to lose what he had you work so hard to get it? Like he wants you to keep it, you know? And that's what the world doesn't teach you. Everybody wants this money and want these things. But what are you going to keep it? How are you going to sustain it? How are you going to get it on the other side of the table. So for me, I'm in the season of milk and honey, you know, in life is amazing. Because every opportunity, it's almost like people see me in the eye. And I'm stuck for an hour, I'm stuck for an hour and everybody I meet, we have this deep conversation instantly in the middle of the parking lot. If I'm on a walk with my son, it's just God felt moment, every time everything I do, you know, which becomes a it's a lot of, you know, it's a lot of the double there too, but I'm able to see spirits now. So we are all in this constant fight every day, but at least I can identify with, you know, but again, most people run away, you know, I don't run away, I am ready to slay that devil down that spirit. Because people aren't bad people, they just got the wrong spirit inside of them. You know, and most people are afraid of what the Holy Spirit can do, because you're going to change, you know, so for me, I just want to keep pushing this word out and just sharing my story because again, only only you know what you want to do, but God gonna be the one to make it make it work for you. You know, that's my supplier, when people says how him. That's when that's my bank, I bank, I think with God, you know, because again, if you look at the way the world is shaping up who you want to bet on, you know, your job can cut you, you know, you can lose all your money. But what's the same yesterday, it's ever today and forever him and people got to run to them, he is waiting, he is waiting. Because you know what, there's a generation coming back coming up afterwards, you know that it's going to be the same cycle unless you break the curse. My first book is called the curse. And that's why I titled it, it's a curse, then you're going to need the seed, which is the new mindset, the power of words, those are seeds, then my third book, restoring your identity. Then I have revelation, I broke down the process so people can see what it really looks like. Because like, like you said, we are you are the same course we got a different journey. But we are on the same path. And that's why I see you right now, you know, this is this isn't I didn't get off the hot off the same road right now. Know the seasons of life are important. Because if you're not able to identify the season that you're in, you don't know what direction you're going. Now again, if it's summertime, you can't have a coat on. But that's how that's how God works. You got to know what season it is for you. When it's the season to play. When it's the season to pray. You got to know when people are trying to help you and when people are trying to hurt you. Because if you are if you read the story, and it doesn't matter your religion if you read the story, they try to kill him. They are trying to kill you. And again, I'm not saying physically but your dreams. Society doesn't want God to run the world. You know, they don't want to happen on earth. Everybody wants this piece but they don't have an idea to get it you know, the dollar says, you know and God We Trust but do they really trust God? Because that they do everything would be different? But you know, they made sure they put it on that money. That's what they did. They made sure they put it on that money. So you see it you know, but we know but you know God opens the iSight division because again, you got to know you don't want to be where God was where God was you need to be where God is. Because again, you can miss your time and you can miss your season and that's confidence. You know if if you asked me to be up here, you know and I got scared that's I would have missed my season. You know, I know people I know we got a no we got 100 Available options in life we got opportunities, but you know what? You got to be able to succeed What is your time because God's always right on time. Now what Are you in line with him or not? Then I, you know that's on you. And you don't want to miss your time because if you miss your time you miss your season, you miss your chance, and it might come around again, all your kids might get it. You might miss a whole generation. My parents, I saw them lose a whole generation. All because they refused to die to that die to what was killing them. They decided to Britt to to push that on me. What was killing them, they wanted to put that on me and Duncan, you know, it's so sad because they didn't even know they were doing it. You know, they were so blinded by their mind that they couldn't even see that the generation that was supposed to be new life. You're trying to kill it, kill it with words, and you know, Death and life are in the power of your tongue. So like you said earlier, you gotta watch what you speak. You gotta watch what you say, Oh, My life sucks. I don't know you woke up today? I don't know. Oh, my kids are crazy. I don't know. Don't say that about them. You know, I'm big on, you know, when I say my kids are blessed. Oh, those are sport. I don't know, things that are school attend to right. So watch what you say, you know, or you know, if you don't know what to say, just close your mouth until he speaks through you. And for me, I had seasons where again, he said, Shawn, shut up. You talking too much? Yeah, I know. You're trying to help people. But you got to help yourself. See, and that's the thing with God, God don't want you to help nobody, honestly, and people don't get that like, so what are you supposed to do? No, I'm supposed to be an example of him. And again, you should be able to see me in you. And if you don't see that, then again, that means you're not where you supposed to be. You know, I don't you know, you got to keep your eyes on him. You know, and that's the biggest thing. Everybody wants to be so helpful. They got all this information. But you know, I'm not here to tell you to plan for your life. I know that he has a plan for your life. I know that he should govern your life. I know that he created your life. Why don't you just talk to him? Well, well, because because I'm trying to write a book. It's not gonna be the same book I wrote, you know, because again, I didn't write that. And that's the scenes not in what I doing. It's not me, you physically can see that as me, but it's not me. It's greater as any girl is He that is in me. That's how great you can be, you know, and it's just believing you can do all this, you know? So for me, and you, you know, I'm a living testament that, you know, you can own businesses, you can write books, you can you can do all these things that guess what? The story still is going. That's not it. You know, it's almost like a, you know, I meet people, and they're always older. And they're like, they have the house of their dreams. I'm like, How are you only 40? Like, what, like you stop. There's nothing else that might pique your interest. You know, and people cut off life because they get into the system to retirement. It's almost like, again, they stop using God's principles in ways. It's like, this is all that I should have. Because we'll leave it No, God got more than you can ever imagine. And you know what, God bless him. He doesn't take from you. You know, God got so much and he got everything you know. But it's amazing what he can do. You know, it's really amazing that he gets in you and then breathes life through you and it has have you take your dream and turn it into reality for people to see all that he can do. You know, we are all living Testaments. And the problem is, most people don't got a story. Now, if he was cookie cutter, you don't you got you got anything. You haven't met him yet?

Juli Wenger: 1:03:19

No, he has a big bold shifts. It's so interesting, because I mean, not for everybody. Okay, everyone's got a different journey. And I get that. And one of the things he's made so apparent to me is that he uses those big, bold, crazy looking changes, and jumps and moves, those things that are audacious, those things that look just like you've lost your mind. And those are the things that he allows us to go through our calls us to, so there's more power backing our story. Because if I was like, Oh, I had a failing real estate business, and so I decided to go be a coach. people be like, Uh, okay. Good luck with that, you know, but when it's like, yeah, walked away from this thriving, successful business that only had growth on the horizon, because he told me to, they're like, I'm sorry, what? You did what now? And you're okay. And you're doing well. And you're, you know, they can't reconcile that when they can't just shove that off and say, Oh, that's like, not a thing. You're just like the 20,000 other people in COVID that decided to go and get coach training a slap that on their door, right? Because that was the thing, right? People default into those kinds of careers when they get sick and tired of doing something else or run at options. And if that had been my story, we would not be here doing this right now. And there will be no book and there will be no like there's there's all of these doors that those big bold move have opened.

Unknown: 1:05:01

And you see, you know, I have to interject, it's because of what you did to allow me to exist on this platform. You know, people don't understand how God not only lines up your life, but he lines up the people in your life

Juli Wenger: 1:05:16

to plans are always multi purpose.

Unknown: 1:05:19

Always and it's always bigger than you as selfish as you are a you should be. Again, you said you're, you're still his servant, and your purpose is still not about you, your purpose isn't about you. And I tell people, if you're, if your plans for what you want to do, don't involve other people, that's not the plan. Because you will be all you do is serve people, we are a slave to him, and we just serve others. That's all we do. Now, if you, if you too good to help people, you don't want to get down and dirty, you don't want to help anybody, I don't know, you're gonna have a hard life at some point, yet, at some point is not going to make sense to you. Because that's all people do. It's not the the not the rich, don't do it, the rich, create jobs for the people, you know, people got to see it differently. But I always I always challenge people to, if you don't want to see it from both sides, live both sides of it, go on both sides of the fence and see and see which side you want to be on, or at least so you can understand why these people are the way they are. Why it's like this, you know, because again, without a system, I mean, I don't know people need a system in some form to just to sustain, you know, so it's a lot of you know, but it's all about what you do in a system, what you do in the Bible, what you do in your own life, you know, you can function and use the system, but the system doesn't run your life. It's almost like without my phone, I don't know what to do. I'm like, I don't know, I need them to kill social media, I needed to crash and burn for like six months, because then we're going to see who really about this thing called life who really know something who really been through a journey because you know, the world presents this financial thing. If you got money, cars, and you got to be successful. I'm like, I don't know, you can go out here and buy all of that. And it don't mean you got to have you done anything you know, but God uses people like us to give a real life testimony to what it looked like. And it's not this whole, you know, we would give it all away again, you know, and that's the great thing. You know, God's not going to give you more if you haven't given up anything, he definitely do Eagle tip for tat. Now,

Juli Wenger: 1:07:17

if you find because you're operating with closed fist, you can't even receive anything else.

Unknown: 1:07:21

You can't receive anything else. You can't hear anything else. But but you want more, you want more, it's almost like God will teach you how to be that stingy. He will teach you how to be selfish. And it's kind of different than the way you think about it. Because it involves like being so selfish that, that you're going to dedicate your time to talk to people, really. So you're going to dedicate all your resources to to give kids Christmas gifts. You gotta take all your money do that. Yep. That's how God works. He works in mysterious ways. You know, my friends tell me Shawn, why are you always talking in a riddle? I'm like, it's not a riddle. It's not a riddle, but it might be a parable. I don't know. Little counterculture. Yeah, you know, but again, because it's a mystery, because, you know, you got to get in the book you got to study because, again, God's not going to leave, leave this information, just just plain and simple. No, you gotta go search. He wants you to chase after him. Keep seeking his face, keep seeking his heart. And that's, you know, the takeaway from anything, you guys got to keep chasing after him. Because I'm telling you, it's like a cat and mouse game, because he's always moving and shaking. He's going high going low, you gotta follow him. But if he's there, it's going to be pieced there. If he's there is power there. And if he's there, you already know you are safe. You know, it's, you know, Christmas is coming up. You know, we buy toys and gifts, but it's like, let's not remember what this day really was. You know, God sent His only Son down to die for us. You know, he was born in a manger. He was born bottom of the barrel. But what happened when they heard his name, they came with frankincense. They came with Merck. It's funny how, as an underdog, the right people start to show up for you. Because there's always like, as I say, celebrities, everybody it's the same story. I don't care if whoever wrote whatever self help books, it's the same story, you got to have a story, you got to have a journey. Because it's, it's from bad to good is from not knowing to know it's and they all tie into this belief that God inside of them this mindset that they took on, you know, they want it more so they had to become more, you know, you got died to those old seasons die to who you used to be. And the great thing about the Bible, which helped me because I used to carry a lot of baggage with me, like I was bad person I did people wrong. And he said, Let It Go. All that baggage is really slowing you down. I've been trying to get you up here with me. But you keep choosing the brain does mess with you. And then you keep spilling that every time everything that you get Shawn, I keep telling you to leave it alone. But you keep saying well, they not they don't like you. I'm not worried about that. I want you I want you and it wasn't till I got that in my head that I am not living for my kids. I'm not living for my wife, I'm living for him. I am living for Him. And because I live for him, he's taught me order something I didn't grow up having, you know, I, and I know we gotta go soon. But it's funny. One of my clients the other day said, Sean, how do you feel about order? Because, you know, my, my girlfriend, she's, you know, we had this conversation about God is the head, then the man, and then the woman and then the kids. And I said, okay, but I said, Are you sure you want me to continue? Because I know where you going? Because you learn, you know, the spirit when you hear? And he's like, no, no, let me find it. I said, No, you're already done. Right? Because you don't know where else to go with this. Because that's why you're talking to me. I said, that is order, right? So if the head of every man is Christ, right, and in the head of every woman is the man. But if Christ isn't your head, that she's not supposed to be underneath you. Her head is now Christ, until somebody with a proper covering comes in front of her. So I don't know where you at in your life. And I don't care to know but to see, you guys are having this disagreement, because you're trying to cover her without the proper covering. She out here getting wet because your umbrella got holes in it, you see where I'm going with this? You are you trying to have a conversation about order and power, but you add a line, you know, and I just had to present that to and I said, this isn't an attack on you. But I just want you to see your own life. Because if you guys were in order, she wouldn't feel like there, there's confusion. But clearly, you're trying to get her to do or be somebody that you aren't. And she's looking for something and you that you haven't given her because you didn't become what you're supposed to be. And again, you're not giving her anything. You're just being an example of righteousness of Christ, you're being a leader? Because, again, why would you want her to follow a bad example? And I hate to say, but as you if that's what we're talking about right now, you know, you would want her to be indoors, you know, before she follows you. She wanted to look elsewhere. You know, but it's important that people understand that because I know some people play Bible hard and try to follow it. You know, it's a mindset guys. It's a mindset, it's a training. And we keep it

Juli Wenger: 1:12:05

in context. Like there's so much even when you talk about that, and it's, you know, when we look at what did Jesus teach, about men and women in the relationship, it was very much in a quality line, right? Or it's like, men in that time who saw women, his property was like, No, you treat them like you treat yourself, which was like, totally new context. So he's actually raising women up and saying, You will take care of them in the same way you take care of yourself, and then they can submit to you because you've brought them up on the level with you. And I see you is equal, right. So there's like, there's all of this context that because I've been guilty of that too, earlier in my faith of like, like Paul, right, anything Paul wrote us like, he is it a whole, like, you know, from my Western 20th 21st century, you know, context, right. But we have to look at what was the context of the time that they were teaching in and all of these pieces that we tend to just skip over a mess. So anyway, we do have to wrap up. But I'm so grateful that we could have you on I'm so grateful that we could hear about your journey, and we're gonna link out to Shawn's books in the show notes. If you want to go and do some reading and do some diving. Please go check them out. Anything else you want to say to wrap us up, Sean?

Unknown: 1:13:31

No, thank you so much for being great. Being Awesome. Being a God fearing woman. Again, thank you for having this platform. And again, just thank you for being vocal, you know, communication sucks nowadays and people don't know how to talk him don't know what to say. But you're giving people a platform to speak. So I think you

Juli Wenger: 1:14:07

I hope this episode triggered something in you and got you thinking about your next growth curve. Make sure to check out the show notes for more details and links to resources or people that we've mentioned today. And make sure you hit follow or subscribe. And if you have a hot minute, leave an awesome review. I would be so beyond grateful. Until next time, be too much. I dare you

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Changing Generational Narratives with Sean Walker

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