Leaving High Tech and a 12 Year Startup for Total Surrender | Mondo Davison, Man of God #096

Hi everyone, it's Karissa with Shining Light on Minnesota. I'm super excited. I have a special guest with me today, Mondo Davison. And welcome, Mondo. Greetings. Yes. So, let's start by telling everybody a little bit about how you got to where you are today and the steps that you took because I know that there's some pretty interesting stories along the way. Yes. No doubt. So, back in 2010, it was like tech is the thing, right? Apps is a big deal. I actually stumbled into technology watching a special on CNBC called Planet of the Apps. Like, it's going to be apps everywhere. You should get into this industry. And I was like, yes, I'm there. Yes. And so, I stepped into the industry having no technical background, but I was like, I'm extremely creative. So, let's see how to make this thing work. Yeah. And lo and behold, I learned very quickly I'm not a developer. So, I was like, all right, I got to be the idea guy. I got to go recruit the team. I got to do all those things. Wear those hats. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And so for the next 12 years, I was in that startup CEO seat building software for different community organizations, a lot of nonprofit organizations, but very particular, my kind of heart was in education. Yeah. And so we were building a product called schools. Amazing. uh to be able to just help educators better engage the students in the classroom. And you know when you have that moment where you're like this is it like it and so in 2022 or excuse me 2021 it was this moment where it was like we did it like we created the thing in my heart I was like everything about what we have put in the last decade plus. Yeah. It's about to be a rocket ship. But after that it was like the passion wasn't there anymore. the impossible thing that we were trying to crack. I felt like we cracked it. Yep. Like I've I've done my passion. I've burnt it, but now what? Where am I going? The rest is all right. P&L's and business development in certain ways. And like the product thing, which was really my jam, wasn't there anymore. And so I was like, "All right, God, do you want me to continue to go down this path for me or is it something else?" And yeah, uh fast forward to 2022, God was like, "Yep, new plan." uh surrender it all and that was car, clothes, home, business, bank accounts. Just let it all go and follow me. And a lot has transpired over the last year. Here you are today. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Amazing. So, how like being that you're like, "Okay, I'm going to surrender everything." How was the first couple months doing that? I mean, obviously, it's going to be the trials and tribulations, right? It's going to be like, "He brought me to it. Now, where's he going to bring me next or what is it going to be like?" Yeah, it was very unique, right? So in my own way, right, it's like I don't know if anybody listening is a is a biblical fan cuz I wasn't at the time. Some are, some aren't. Some like are looking for that guidance. Love it. Love it. But you know, there's a story about Saul Paul and he's on the road to Damascus and in his own way he sees Jesus and Jesus is like, "Hey, it's me. Like point everybody towards me." And then he goes on this journey and you know, I'm gonna split the water and I'm gonna make make it work for me. Yes. And so for me, in my own unique way, when I saw Christ, [snorts] he was like, "Just trust me. Wherever I guide you next, just trust me." My first stop was a psych ward. Yeah. Like literally when I started surrendering everything and people are like, "What's going on?" They're like, "Something's up with Mondo." Like, "Let's go check him in to see if he's not okay. He's not okay." But like going into that experience for a 36-hour experience, I was like, "Oh, okay, God. I see you're testing to see if I'm going to show up with the same character no matter what environment I'm in." And so being I'm always been the encourager, pour into people. Yeah. And so as an educator, I was also that. Yes. Absolutely. So then you're going to put me in this environment that was very similar to like a one flew over the cuckoo's nest type situation. And I was in there. I was like, I'm supposed to build some relationships with certain people. Yeah. And I was just pouring into people. And when I left there, I was like, oh, so this is what this is going to be like. It's going to be a lot of twists and turns. And so to answer your question, the [snorts] start of this experience was in your face. It's going to be a big deal. a lot of things are going to shift. Are you obedient enough? Do you have enough faith that no matter where I guide you, you are going to walk this path with your head up high? Yeah, absolutely. Who have in the last couple years been some of your main mentors that have helped you not only through your situations but brought you to the next level too? Yeah, great question. I would say that I was not I was I am extremely blessed for the family that I have. Yes. Um, if I had to say like what story most aligned with my journey, it's very prodical sunlight, right? And so everybody was like, "Mondo's supposed to be the one to do the amazing thing." And then when this plot twist happened, I was just so grateful that my family was like, "Okay, how are we going to show up? How are we going to kill?" They weren't just dependent on you and expecting you to do all the things. It's like, "Okay, now now roll reversed. We're going to hold them up, right?" And so I share that because my bottom was never really a bottom, right? Like my dad has always been like, "Son, go take all the risks." Y you can always fall back here. You have a roof and you have food, right? And so surrendering everything never meant, man, I might be on the street. It just always meant, yo, I'm 40 years old. I'm going to be back at my dad for a little bit. Right. Let's let's reset and refigure it out and get to where I need to be next. Yes. So I would say that one, my family cornerstone. Uh two, there's a leadership organization called Coalition Nine. Um the group of nine has walked with me for the last four years and just that connection, you know, just human beings who think different and they're like, "Yeah, we're going to support you through it. We've seen the whole journey." Uh they've always had my back. But honestly, outside of that, it was really just tuning into the Holy Spirit in the way that worked for me and every step along the way being like, "Do you want me to go left or go right?" Right. And just having you trust it. For the people that don't know, what is Coalition 9? Uh so Coalition 9 is a leadership group with uh nine individuals and one facilitator. It is founded by Aaron Edgurt. Yep. And Aaron does a magnificent job hand selecting unique talented human beings that all have contrasting skill sets and like let's let's assemble this team of Avengers and then once a month we go on a journey together and lean on each other and it has been such a blessing. What have been some of the major growth that you've learned from that group or some of the major lessons that you've learned from the group that have helped you? I would say that the most eyeopening and transformative thing that happened through Coalition 9 was me recognizing what mastery looked like in other seats. And so you can think about running a business and like you said, wearing a lot of hats for a while, but then as you continue to grow or mature, you're like, "All right, I need to find some real talent to sit in these seats." And I recognize, "Oh, I I thought I was good." Yes. [laughter] Oh, that brought me down a couple levels here. Hold on. I had shrunk just a little bit. And so I was just so in awe in just the the recognition of individuals who have dedicated their lives to a certain craft and to sit in space with them and to see just mastery unfold in front of me and uh it forced me to focus on my strength. Right. All right, Mondo, you see what these other humans can do. What is your strength? Well, as an order, I love to communicate. I love to listen and I have faith, right? And so, I'll go do the most audacious thing knowing that the team that's around me. If there's a way to ensure that I don't hit the ground, I have faith in them to do the thing. Amazing. It's always important for people to bring themselves to sit at a table where you're surrounded by people that are going to help bring you up. They'll have your back, but they're also going to bring you up. Because if you're sitting at a table and you're around people that are not reaching their full potential, then it's not going to drive you to want to reach your full full potential, right? Yeah. Yeah. There is, you know, iron iron sharpens iron. We've heard that before. But I would say even more than that, our group specifically, we built this deeper human connection. And I don't know if it's like that in other groups, but you want to talk about just individuals who we communicate outside of the group. We have deep dialogue. We shared the personal stuff. We cried together. We do all those things. And so there was so much like emotional intelligence and like just deep reverence for each other that we built. And I imagine one day we'll all do something together somehow. Oh, absolutely. Well, I mean it's great to know that you have those people there too because a lot of times when you do those coalitions, those groups, those leadership things, you are intentional at that meeting and then it shuts off when you leave. Like I have my life to live. I have all these fires to put out and I have all this going on outside me. But to know that you have those people that you can always just share the winds with. You can always share the obstacles with that'll help help bring you to it too. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I would say that man for anyone right who is like going through that journey this entrepreneurial journey or impact journey like you just have to surround yourself with those people. Yeah. Absolutely. Who also believe in you deeper than the bag, deeper than the money, deeper than the win. Like they'll show up for you when you're crying at 3 in the morning for some reason. Yep. or if you're not okay, they they know you're not okay and they're just going to be there. Not just being like, "Hey, how's it going?" You know, like, "Great. I asked you how you're doing. I'm gonna go on with my life." Like, they genuinely care. Yeah. So, you've had a lot of that happen. What do you think that if you could tell your younger self or when you were going through the transition, what would you tell yourself? Good question. Good question. Here's what's interesting about this journey for me. I like grew up with amazing just like fantastical ideas. You know, the kid that watches Disney and all the big imagination. Yes. Yeah. And so I remember uh this was almost 20 years ago at this point then when my daughter was young, we used to always watch the Spongebob movie. Mhm. And in this Spongebob movie, essentially Spongebob had to go to the depths of the ocean to capture whatever the thing was. But the way that he walked through the experience was very Spongebob like, right? Just like whimsical, how I And so I was grateful that for some reason like God imparted me a gift similar to Spongebob. But I was just like, I'm here. It's going to be okay. I'm all right. And so I don't actually think that there was anything that I would tell myself differently. Yeah. Except for just continue going through it. Be you. Yeah. Be you. Um and yeah, on the other side of it really I I learned that it was just sharpening my character, transforming my character, turning me into, let me say this better. I believe that I was supposed to sit in a very unique seat in the world. Yes. I didn't know what that seat was. I still don't particularly know for sure where God is guiding me, but there were some gaps in my character. There were some flaws in who I was that I couldn't see. Yep. Uh a lot of it was arrogance. And even though my arrogance didn't come out to others around me internally, God was there. Yeah. He's like, I want to bring it down, too. Like back to this level. Yeah. [laughter] And so just going through that, recognizing that there was just so much grace and mercy through all these tests and showing me like, "All right, your arrogance is still there. It's still there." And it taken me years to finally recognize like, "Oh, you had me go through all this to surrender that thing." Yeah. That's that thing you were trying to get me to give up on a little bit. Yeah. And so I I just feel like in this next era of just the world, just the story of humanity in general, I feel like the good guys and the good gals, we are going to find ourselves in those seats. Yeah. and ensuring that our character is at its peak, whatever that looks like for them. Especially with social media and the internet and everything the way it is in AI, you have to have your originality, be yourself, but you have to have a power, a why, something to be unique to. Yeah. There is just something about integrity and and I would even say the courage to go slow. Yes. Um, one of the things that I recognized [snorts] staying back from just all the AI emergence or whatever for four years because I was in tech, right? So then to like stop and God be like don't touch that at all. Yeah. And so to sit back for four years and just watch it mature, it evolves. But then it's like God gave me a different eye to be like there is a place for it. However, there is this tipping point where AI becomes an adverse tool. It it It's it's creating this illusion that companies can do things with less human beings. Y but the gift is doing things together, building something amazing, the connection that happens through that. And so in this next phase of my life, I'm just really hopeful and I anticipate just a sense of gratitude of being surrounded by amazing human beings. Y and we're going to do it different, do it slow, but whatever it is, we're going to be like, "Yeah, we had faith and we use AI for this thing over here, but really it was the human beings trusting each other to make wise choices." Well, it's this way to get people back to each other again and to be able to communicate. I mean, there's so many people that are losing the skill to communicate or wanting to communicate, wanting to get face to face, and just bringing everybody back to the table to share the bread. Break the bread, right? Break the bread. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, you've had I mean, you've had some some great thrives and striving points. Do you think that you'll ever get to the point where you're back in education and teaching people again and bringing the technology back into it or do you think that that's kind of I mean, obviously a time and a place, but Yeah, great question. So, what I believe right now is like God is guiding me towards using my voice to be an advocate for peace. Yeah. Which is still educating people. I mean, it's still doing what you love. That's still your passion. Yeah. Yeah. And so, the how has been my struggle through all these years because I am a, you know, like an athlete who goes and plays and they're really talented, but if you try to get that person to coach or teach, that's not their different level. No, right. Yeah. You can, you know how to, your body does it and you know how to do it, but to break it down in layman's terms and have everybody else do it that way, it's like, okay. Yeah. It's it's a different gift. And so it's only been probably in the last three or four weeks that God has been like, "All right, I've walked you through this path. You found peace or I have blessed you with this peace." And I'm like, "So so now to do with this. This is my carrot. How do I what do I do with it?" You know, my nugget. And so now him just kind of giving me the tools and saying like, "Yo, whenever you show up, one, think about it this way or offer this tool." And essentially, it's just a framework of if you just use peace as an acronym. Yeah. Uh P is for profit. E is for ego. Um A is for arrogance. C is control. E is entitlement. And these five pillars are like the core things that are getting in the way of people's peace. Yes. And so whenever I'm confronted with a challenge and I'm like, man, I'm feeling unbalanced or like, you know, things are getting frustrating or somebody is telling me a story. I'm like, which one of these pillars are in the way? And let's identify, oh man, this is me wanting to have too much control. Yeah. or I don't want that person to win because XYZ and it's like well that's that's your ego right or these people at the top top 1% top whatever they have all these things and blah blah blah it's like well there's some entitlement there that you believe you're supposed to be and so there's a lot of just inner work that needs to happen and once we surrender those pillars I feel like or at least in my experience God kind of removed the take the mask off yeah the veil and I was able to see things more clearly and be like oh okay Well, there's a there's a call to action for individuals to just be able to show up with pure hearts, right? And in the world, I tell random story. I was on a walk yesterday. I'm an avid walker. I was on a walk yesterday downtown St. Paul and this biker, you know, zoomed past me. Somebody was in like the the lane for them. And man, he started screaming and yelling and and I was just like, I understand that that person is in the way and you know, you feel like you're entitled to this, right? But your response, did it come from a pure-hearted place? Now that person's frustrated. And so that's just a little example. But like as a whole, like society, who are the individuals that no matter where you're at, they're coming with a sense of peace, they're able to show up and like just pull the love out of you. And uh I want to be that person and hopefully be a guide for others to be there, too. How would you tell people that are looking for their inner peace or trying to figure out who they are or what their power is or what their why is? help them get to that next level of doing what they need to do. Yeah, great question. One of the biggest things that I had to do was to surrender my success story, right? And so I have always had this vision of what I expected my life to look like, right? I had to surrender that. There's a whole different game plan for that. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And so the first step would literally be that choosing to say I have the courage to surrender how I expect my life to unfold. Yeah. The second thing would be developing for you the way that you hear from God. And what I mean by that is do you pray and then does he talk back to you? Do you listen to worship music and then you have this sense of feeling of what you're supposed to do next? Do you go to church? Do you journal to him? What is the thing that when you do it, you feel like you receive something back and it's like a clear assignment or a clear next step and I would say lean into that. Yeah. Say, Lord, I surrender my success story, whatever it was for me. And every single day or every hour, every opportunity you have, you ask or you go into that mode, that thing that you do and say, "What do you want me to do next? What do you want me to do next?" And then the challenge then becomes, okay, you said you wanted to surrender your story. Now, let's test it. Yep. Let's see if you can really do it. Let's see if you can. Right. Like, cuz right after you say that, you're going to get an email saying, "Hey, you're a graphic designer. Hey, I got this $5,000, $20,000, $100,000." And you have to say no. You have to learn how to say no a lot. Yeah. Yeah. That is that is a step for sure. Yeah. Um, outside of that, like it's really just courage. Yeah. Right. Just just like anything else. Yeah. Just to endure this thing. And I don't know. I'm a big I'm a big film guy. Like I love Ted Lasso. I don't know if anybody Lasso. [laughter] Yep. And so like watching Ted Lasso and being like here's this individual or Ted and Beard to go off into this foreign land and do this thing that makes no sense. Like watching that show consistently just gave me like a sense of hope like all right I'm going on this journey. I have no idea how it's going to unfold but for some reason in this show things seemed to work out and for me it just gave me just enough to be like all right I got one more day. I feel good enough to think it's going to work out. And just over time that just continued to mature. And then eventually I just had the the faith like I just know there's just a knowing like a gift that God's just like, "Oh, now you know because you surrendered so many times and I've delivered on the promises so many times that now you have evidence that I'm going to continue to do the things and now I'm going to put you in some situations that are a tad bit more challenging, a tad bit more uncomfortable to get you to that next level." Yeah. And we're going to strengthen that muscle. But then eventually he's going to be like, "Oh, you're ready." Mhm. And then he's going to put you in a seat to essentially walk out the things that he just taught you the previous year, the previous 10 years. Yeah. So amazing. So I know that a lot of times people when they're going to that level or they're doing the things, life is busy and life happens, right? You have all the things, you have the kids, you have whatever you have. But I think it's important to be able to take time to be present in the moment, too. even if it's at night, you know, putting the phone down and turning the TV off and just kind of sitting there and trying to find resetting, refocusing, doing what you need to do to kind of just figure things out, finding a time to just shut it all off and be at peace with yourself and in in the moment, too. Yeah. I mean, I think that is so spot-on. I feel like one of the reasons that God has blessed me with, I guess, the privilege to be a voice for this is because he was like, "Oh, Mondo, you're willing to do the most extreme thing." Yeah. you surrendered it all and walked this way for four years. That's not somebody else's call to action. Right. Right. And so a person listening to this, it's will you set aside 10:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. each night or will you wake up early from 4:00 to 5:00 a.m. to do this thing to have space for yourself to find that peace and then say like, how do I extend this throughout the day? How do I now add more minutes to my day where I'm experiencing this peace? And and when you do, you're like, "Hey, this is actually more rewarding than this like cycle, this chase, this thing, this it's a grind. It's the hustle. It's [clears throat] numbing. It's monotonous." Yeah. And and there's value in that, right? I think that that has to happen, right? Um but eventually, I mean, the burnout happens. Yeah. Yeah. And I've never talked to an old wise man that's running to the next place, right? And so it's like, yo, they're eventually learn the roses. Do what you do. And so I'm like, I could have waited till I was 70 to be that guy, but instead I'll try to be that guy at 41. And I think it's the other part that's important to it, too, is when you are present in the moment, be aware of your surroundings. Like if you're sitting somewhere, listen to what you hear. Like if you're hearing crickets outside, if you're no matter where you are, but just kind of take it all in. The smells, the sights, the sounds, kind of everything. just so you can understand what it's like to be fully present being where you need to be. Yeah. Yeah. I would I'll double down on that because, you know, as a successful entrepreneur after a decade in the game, I had a lot of stuff. Yeah. Right. Just privileges, the twotory town home, downtown St. Paul, just overlooking it. Just all beautiful to have that and to have it for an extended period of time. It becomes commonplace. Yeah. And it's like what's next? What what's my next win? What's my next prize? Yeah. Gotta go find a new thing. And I feel like once I let's just say the fall from grace, right? Once I experience not having that again, to your point, man, let me just sit here and watch the birds. Y like it is just a beautiful day out and there's no stress, you start to appreciate those things a bit more. And so when I look at, let's just say the influencers in the world who continue to want to take the next thing, we're going to take the next business. We're going to take the next state. We're going to take the next country. We're like, "Yeah, we're going to take over everything. We're going to rule the world." Right. Right. Right. Like I feel like that person just has this this inner fire to find the next prize, to take the next thing, conquer the next thing. And some of us, I believe, are are called to find that peace. And we may be the steward that is sent to that person, right? To soften their heart, to say, "Slow down." To tell them, "I love you." Yeah. Uh because what I found in my journey is a lot of that at least in my experience came from some childhood trauma. So like for me yesterday was 31 years to the day that my mom died in a tragic motorcycle accident. And so my mom was the Jesus piece in my family, the church person, all that. Yep. When she passed, I moved in with my father and my dad is a great man. hard worker, nineto-five, all the things. But his relationship with Christ was not something that Yeah. wasn't present at the time, right? And so what I discovered, you know, in retrospect, uh I was like, "Oh, I lost that relationship with Christ and I opted into like this superhero manifesto and I put on more armor and more armor because what I was really trying to do was to protect myself from this hurt that I experienced. You're covering yourself for what you what you've missed or what you've been missing out on. Yeah. And so when I kind of look at, let's just say Conquerors, right, I I really reflect on their origin story. I'm like, I'm curious what happened. How did you get to that? Yeah. Yeah. To where you feel like you need to put on this armor to go conquer the world. And every time I have a conversation, I'm like, "Oh, there it is." Not that I have to tell them about it, but I'm like, "Oh, there it is." And so for yourself, right, like ask yourself, man, what was the catalyst moment that you went from being this innocent being to someone who felt like they had to put on the armor? Everybody has a story to tell. And there's always something there. But sometimes those things that are there can also slow you down and they can really reset you too. I mean, I know that when my dad passed away, it was kind of one of those things like you were I was doing all the things and now you realize life is short. Instead of you only die once, you live every day. So make those moments count. Find what you need. Find the special po moments. Be present. Be at peace. Do what you need to do. Yeah. It's it's so real. Y the the amount of work. So I was a person who put my daughter first. I had a I had and have an amazing father. My dad was always like, I will show up to everything. I will always be there. Absolutely. So as a dad, I have one daughter. Uh I will always be there. I will always show up for everything. However, I didn't apply that to my, let's just say, romantic relationships. Y what came before that was my work. Yep. Right. And so kids and that's life. Yep. Like let's do the thing. And so now, right, fast forward, I recognize like, oh, like like love is the thing. Like these extra things can enhance the things that you all can do together. But find a way to love the person that is right in front of you. And it's unfortunate that it took me so many years to recognize. Some people never recognize that and some people do that all the time and put them first and put everything else on the back burner. Everybody kind of has their own little way to find Yeah. the right path. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, you've had you've had some exciting things. What do you think's next for you? like you're educating, you're out there kind of making peace and finding peace and telling people, you know, their strengths or weaknesses and trying to find out what their peace is, you know, but what do you think? That's a great question. So, I'll tell you something that I have done numerous of times. I have prayed like to the point where I was in tears. This is no exaggeration. like God, if you do not want politics to be part of my future, take it off my heart. Take it out of my mind. I don't want it. But still, he has not. And so, I don't know if there is a role somewhere in the political spectrum that I'm supposed to participate in. Not that I am seeking it, but I don't know if there's a role. The unique part of that for me is if I got into that, I guess vertical. Yep. It's not about policy for me. It's about in the most respectable way. Y the egotistical people in that environment and to be the Ted Lasso to soften hearts. Yeah. Right. Right. And so because there's a lot of the same people in every organization, you're going to find that nugget of their ego or that thing of like, okay, they're all estimators. They just sit there. You know, they're this or they're that. How can we break out of that form and make something new? make something new. Um, and so when I just really think about, man, I just I guess I keep referencing Ted. When I think about Ted, because he's a great example, the soccer football club, it's a huge organization. There is a person at the top, Rebecca, who owns the club, and you drop Ted in the middle. Yep. And in the middle, he somehow becomes the glue that is just weaving through everybody, right? Changing hearts. And so I could and I may go on this speaking spree and travel the world and talk about peace or God's like, I'm going to drop you into this environment. It can be politics when you're ready. Maybe it's not right now. Maybe it'll be tomorrow. Maybe it'll be 10 weeks from now. But it's just one of those little things that maybe that's my way to, you know, get that word out or all of a sudden it's there. And I I keep saying like the thing is going to be unmistakably clear. Yeah. Oh yeah. You're going to know it's like, okay, time time to go. Let's do this. Right. And I'm going be like, "Oh, okay. I guess you're here." Uh, so when that happens, I'm going to be excited. And yeah, I I just Or maybe you'll find out what took so long to get it out of the path, too. You never know. Yep. Something will come clear. Something will be there. Yeah. What have been some phenomenons or anything that has like been like, "Okay, this is the moment. This is the time that you've realized things." Great question. As a person with a crazy imagination, I always was like, there has to be like some superpower thing. There's a sign or something. There just has to be something [snorts] like an extra. And what I discovered for myself is there is actually a intimate trusted union with God that we all can have access to. Y and so when I think about like a Moses and God being like go talk to Pharaoh, go give him these 10 opportunities that didn't work. Okay, you're going to guide people out. They end up at, you know, the the Red Sea and then God is like, I am going to part the sea. Yep. Right. And so there's a partnership there where Moses is being obedient and just trusting that at some time God is going to actually step in. the creator of all things is going to actually step in and support your journey in a way that is miraculous. And so the aha moment for me is if you choose to believe that in your way that can be real, right? And so choosing to believe that you don't have to do everything in your own strength, choosing to believe that miracles can be part of your story if you want to be a steward of them. Yep. Believe in that and it will be. And once that hit for me, it was a different type of ball game. There was a major reset because God gifted me with a lot of talents like to speak, to critically think, to I would even say like to some people I'm reasonably handsome and like I I do had all the eyes and te's dotted and crossed, right? So it's like, oh man, I should be able to do all the things, right? I don't need any help. And then later I learned, oh, I do need some help. And then later I learned, oh, like all these qualities that I have, do I have the courage to surrender them? Right? Do I have the courage to be like, no, Mondo, it's not about using your intellect and ingenuity to solve the thing. It's not about you. It's not about, right? Like, will you ask God in this moment, should I take the deal and turn down $100,000 or not, right? And so, yes, I just truly believe whoever you are, especially if you're pure-hearted, I believe you spent a lifetime pouring into, let's just say, your your purehearted deposit. Y and there is so much wealth there waiting for you to withdraw it. And all you have to do is say like, "Lord, I believe that it's time. Can you please bless me with all the things that I've built up in this heavenly kingdom?" Yeah. Do you believe in life after death or reincarnation or? Great question. So, how I would answer that right now? Well, I mean there's different phases and when when you believe it, if you believe it, what you're brought to to believe it, things like that and the way you study and what you study too. Yeah. Yeah. Uh, so there's there's a yes and to answer this question. So, uh, I believe I don't know if you're a fan of Walking Dead. Yeah. I mean like most of the show we have a blended family of seven kids are all older. So yes, like all all the things from sports to movies to shows. Yes. So just in this last four years of just watching a lot of shows and kind of contrasting it to the word in the Bible, I'm like hm to me most people are walking dead, right? Like they're not necessarily zombies as in like right they're not literally zombies but yes going through the motion. they don't have the fullness of life like flowing through them, right? Like the spring of water like Christ in them. And so when they do, they are now fully alive. So in one way when it's like life after death, I feel like most people are living a death. And there is a life that can fulfill that more. Then there's the other part like, yo, if you actually physically die, is there something thereafter? Right? I have no idea, right? Who knows? Like everybody has their own opinions on that one, right? But what I do believe is eventually there's going to be a time where there is a new earth. There is like the heaven heaven comes here and we live out that experience. Is it in our lifetime? Is it in 500 lifetimes from now? I don't know. And have we had it before? We don't know. Right. Right. But I would absolutely love because I I love my family and just the people around me like like this cycle. Yes. Right. [clears throat] I would like I I would love for heaven to reveal itself to all of humanity now to have eternity from I I don't know like this arc. Yeah. Yep. I mean, because I know a lot of times people say when people pass away, they see signs or they see things that [clears throat] remind them of them or they'll be brought gifts or different things, whether it's a dream or it's something you see all the time or whatever it is. I mean, that's obviously part of part of the little picture or part of the nugget or whatever it may be. But yeah, everybody has their own opinion on that one. It's a It's a tough call. Yeah, it is. And I you know, whatever you believe, I just encourage you to believe it all in. Yep. Yep. Right. like like eventually I believe humans will be met with a conflict where the thing that they believe in will not be enough will not be enough to carry them through the fire if it's not Christ. Right? That's just my humble opinion. And I just feel like it's because he he is the best story. He is the thing that was before all of creation. And so believing in him will help you walk through any fire. Well, that's why when people talk a lot of times about hitting rock bottom, they haven't found that in their life yet. They haven't found themselves, but they also haven't found that in their life, right? They're just going through the the cycle, the circle, whatever it may be, the grind on the way down, whatever, whatever that may be to try to figure out exactly what that is or what that looks like. Uh, that's like I love that you said that because I feel like it's spot on. I had such a great life, like middle class life. And I was happy. Like I've had a happy life. So when people are like the pursuit of happiness, I was like I've been happy my whole life. Walking around on cloud n. Yeah. There got to be a point, let's just say 10 years ago where I was like more like seven years ago. I was like, is there something else? And so I started pursuing joy. Yeah. And joy looks a little different because essentially God revealed to me that to experience joy, you have to experience some suffering. Mhm. And so that's where this kind of term peacemaker path was matured for me and guiding people toward that peacemaker path because pursuing happiness is a certain trajectory. Pursuing joy you essentially like opt in this willingness to like suffer in some type of way to like strengthen you to do something that be brought to it somehow. Yeah. You never knew that you could overcome this thing, but you had to choose to suffer in some way. And I don't know what it is, right? Uh but once you choose joy or once you choose peace or once you choose holiness or whatever, the thing that is above happiness, I feel like it's a different path. And choosing to embark on that path is something that I hope more people choose because it's a glorious one. What do you tell your daughter when she's growing up and all those things? I'm sure people ask you that all the time, but like how do you let her find it on her own, too? [laughter] Cuz girls are full of drama and all their all their blessings. So, shout out to my daughter. My daughter, her name is Cadence. Uh she goes to Texas Southern. Y um she plays volleyball. She's a starting setter and I am so proud of her. She is just an amazing young lady. She also has the same or similar arrogance that her father once had. Oh, well, and most kids like Yep, they do. Like, I'm not going to lie, but they do. Yep. And so, for me to have went through like this spiritual arc, let's just say over the past four years and now me like slowly saying like, "All right, Cadence, maybe you want to consider this, this, this." Dad, what are you talking about? You were just there like Exactly. [laughter] It is literally that. She's just like, "Dad, I don't know how you can say this to me when four years ago you were doing this." And I was like, "Facts. True story." I've been there and this is where I am today and this is why I am where I am today. And so there is a lot of patience, a lot of grace that I'm supposed to show, but also a lot of faith because when I went through my journey, the thing that I was most afraid of was God, you're calling me to surrender all these things and I can't show up for my daughter in a way can I be the parent and the man that I need to be, right? And so to overcome that fear and somehow believe that God is going to step in whether it's through her grandpa or through her mom or through cousins or uncles whatever point in life yeah I just had to believe that somebody else was going to step in and I was always present but I couldn't provide any presence right like you know um so to go through that in that way and to come out on the other side and now say like oh daughter there's some wise nice gifts that I now have for you and eventually you'll you're giving presents the right kind of presents that you need to give. Yeah. Yeah. So you don't have to wait until 37, you know, you can start adopting these people, take them all in now early, right? Uh so yeah, I mean she is her own young lady and I am proud of her and she's going to stumble like all of us do and I just say like hey like pray on it, right? Which is something that I never did growing up. Absolutely. And just building up that that toolkit is is going to change her life. Well, I think it's interesting for kids these days too to the whole finding God and religious and believing in things is there, but to actually listen and pay attention to be a part of it or just do it because that's what the culture wants you to do right now, too. It's kind of one of those like I'm going here because all my friends are going here. Okay. Well, do you understand what you're reading? Do you know the Bible? Do you know what you need? You know, what what you're learning about, what what this means to you and how you accept it and learn it is different, too. It is. It is so spot-on. And is it's why like I remember when I was a non-believer and somebody would show up with all the energy, all the passion, and good intention. Yeah. But for some reason, how they delivered it or how they presented it to me, I was like, I'm not I'm not with that. That's a little too much for me today. But thank you. I appreciate it. Yes. said, "Bless your heart." [laughter] Like, right? Right. And so I'm like, "Okay, Mondo, do your best to not be that to Cadence." Like, "Don't be so abrasive with it that she turns you off." Yeah. You don't want her to turn it off forever. Yes. Yeah. And so I'm very like like right now our daily habit is she has the Bible app and she opens up the word of the day. Yeah. And like I tap in like, "Yo, what day are you on?" She's like, "Oh, I'm on 79." Or whatever. And so like, "All right, that's our first step. Every day you wake up and you read the one or two sentences and one day something's going to hit and you're going to be like, "Dad, let's talk about this one." Yeah. Like what? Like, "Let's Yep. Wait, they did what here?" And it was Yep. And it was the Yep. Like, okay, let's do this. This happens. Yeah. Yeah. So, baby steps. Yeah. Exactly. Well, it's super exciting seeing everything that you've come to and how you're getting out there and really caring and loving people and trying to bring peace, everything like that. How do you think that you handle the people that don't want to hear it? Do you just kind of chill and just be like, "Okay, well, when you find it on your own time, you find it on your own time." And you know, it's meant to be, it's meant to be. Yeah. I I truly believe that God uses people as a certain instrument. Yeah. So, in this experience, I've went to the cathedral. I've been to Jehovah Witness places. I've been to Baptist. I've been to all these places. And I'm just like, huh? All these environments are saying similar things, but it's being delivered from a different instrument, a different tempo, a different tone, meaning just in a different way, and a different meaning. And so for me, I just feel like just a purehearted individual, y is who I'm called to serve or talk to. And if God believes that they're pure in heart, for some reason, how I say it, or you're being brought to them, for some reason, it might not be now. It might just be one of those, hey, I need to be omniresent and it's going to [laughter] quicker one day, you know? Yeah. Uh, so no, I don't I don't push. I just say it out loud, but I I also don't mask it. Like, when I walk into environments, they're like, "All right, Mondo's here." You know, bring it on. It's going to come up. You know how he's going to show up. And I just hope that I do it in a way that I'm still invited to the next place. That's your calling. That's what you enjoy. That's your passion. You know, it's just like anything else. I could sit here and talk about golf all day or you talk about your kids. There's things that you just talk about that are your driving force. Yeah. Yeah. And I I like to what I again cuz I'm not a teacher, right? Like when it comes to like, yo, can you list off all the scriptures, do all this? I cannot. No. But I'm not I'm not the book where I'm going to just be, you know, here's all the back engineering to how it happened and why it happened. But I don't got that. There's meanings and ways that things and parts have come to you and Yep. Right. So in environments, I feel like my call is to ask the question that nudges somebody to pause. Yeah. And like if like that whole moment. Yeah. Yeah. And then like that thing is going to mature. Whatever God does next, whoever he sends next, that's cool. But like just create that moment where somebody pauses. And I typically sit in rooms and I'm quiet all the way to the end. I let everybody speak, you know, let the story develop. And then I ask this question and they're like, and like that's my role. What brought you to that? You know, like what was your trauma? [laughter] Let's sit down and really dig into this. Tell me your story. Right. Right. Right. Yeah. No, but all of it like I'm super grateful and I never expected my journey to be this. Right. Right. Uh, and it's growing and expanding and doing it in the way that it needs to go for you and for whomever else. And you have to learn just like everything else. There's times and places for things and might not like I might not do something right now cuz it's not a good fit for me, you know? Like learning to say no is is a hard step for a lot of people. Yeah. I would even I would even challenge a listener who has unwavering confidence. And this is me talking to a younger version of myself. My confidence was so ridiculous that I I used to tell people I was like this is before Kanye went wild. I was just like, "Yo, I have Kanye confidence. I just don't express it out loud." But I challenged that person to consider a pathway where they can't see the outcome. Like I always What's your unknown? What's the next unknown? Yeah. I always knew I was going to be successful. Like I never like struggled with success. And so I would always like, oh, I'm on this path. Somebody needs me to serve them or show up or help them with their business or coach them, whatever. I would always pause what I was doing to serve others because it was inevitable that my story is going to unfold in an amazing way. To believe that, but choose to remove all of the things. Oh, yeah. Like like all the noise. Yeah. Yeah. to remove that stuff and be like, "Okay, m young Mondo, if you believe no matter what you're going to be successful, will you surrender every future thought that you have and still walk in a straight line and believe that you'll still end up in the seat that you're supposed to end up in?" And I would say that for the person who has unwavering confidence in who they are, like the main protagonist in the story, cuz those people are out there. If you believe that, I challenge you to surrender your success story. Mhm. Take it all away. The thing that you're doing to you, you're like, "This is easy. I can go knock this out the park every time." And it's going to become so it's muscle. It's just like, "Yep, I know how to do this. I can do this in my sleep, right?" And it's it's like, "All right, I'm getting up. I'm about to play kindergarteners again." And you're going to win. And so because it's so easy to you, I challenge you to surrender that and go down a path that is so challenging simply because it's a blind walk. It's like doing everything that you know you need to do with your eyes closed. What about the people that don't know are ready? That would be the the other side of it, right? Find that how they Yeah. So here's what I learned for me. Uh, so I'm like there's there's human beings who are in the middle who let's just say are balanced. Yep. Then there's people who have inflated ego. Yep. And then there's people who have low self-esteem. Yep. Trying to figure it out. The people who have inflated egos like we actually have to come down some notches, right? Like I don't know. There's this uh let's just say American kind of relationship with people with super egos and they're put in the primary positions and we feel like everybody's supposed to there for a reason and they're doing what they're doing. They have their they have their Yep. their lane. Yep. [laughter] Their highway lane. Yeah. And so like those human beings like their ego needs to deflate a little bit to come down and be balanced. I was up there. And so now that I've come down to be balanced, I believe my role is simply to just encourage, right? Like there is going to be a person who doesn't know. Oh yeah. Right. And I'm just saying like, yo, do not give up. There's people out there like you. We'll figure it out. Take that next step. Let's go do something brave. But but also you don't have to do it in your own strength. Believe that there is a partnership in which you're for your tribe. Yeah. But even more than that, like this idea of living in the body of Christ being like you're an image of God. You're a purehearted image of God. And so if you're saying, "I am going to go do this or try to overcome this challenge and my main strategy is leaning on God to execute this thing." God is not going to fail you because he wants other people to be like, "Yo, little scrawny Ronnie did that, right? How did that come from him?" Right? How could it? And it's just like he's scrawny Ronnie. It's just like, "I just chose to believe." Yep. And so if you're scrawny Ronnie in the most respectful way, like like be like, "All right, God, let's do this together." Yep. There's there's I mean, you just got to have a little faith in life. I think that's that's part of it, too. I mean, I know when my grandma passed away, she was 108 and everybody always asked her how she lived so long. She just said, "I had faith." You know, like you got to just have that you got to have a little give yourself a little grace and have a little faith, too. Yeah. Yes. Love it. Wow. 108. Yeah. That's a long That's a long life. I don't know about that one, but [laughter] we'll we'll see when we get there. when we get there. Yeah. No. Well, we appreciate having you on today. Is there anything else that you want to tell our listeners or any way that they can not only get a hold of you, but just some advice? Yeah. Like honestly, uh, in this next phase, if there's another podcast, if there is a company, if there's an organization and you're looking for a speaker to come in and just motivate the team to show with more love and compassion and care for each other, right? like please bring it down, bring it up, whatever you need to bring up. Like come to me. Uh website arroando.com. A r a m o n d o. And man, if I just if I had to impart one word, it would really just anchor on lasso believe. Yeah. Right. Just believe. Oh, I have a good question before we we cut out. So every year instead of doing resolutions, obviously you said your one word is believe. If you could have three words for the year to help remind you every day what they may be or what you need or just reminders instead of having a resolution, what do you think that those three words would be? Uh the only reason I'm saying this so quick is cuz I put it in my uh notes yesterday which is let go, let God. Yeah. Like I know that's so cliche. Yeah. Well, I mean it's true though. Like you have to just be able to like trust in the journey, trust in the process, and have that faith. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And I and I honestly feel like there are a lot of individuals around me, whether it's friends or family or associates, and I have this like desire to want them to feel this fullness, too. Yeah. And you know, we keep showing up and we're like, "It's right there. It's right there. It's right there." But it's not. It's there, but you're just looking at it from outside from inside the window. and to let go and let God step in for a day, a week, a few months, and then like come back because Mondo, it's not about you. It's about you planting a seed. You're helping the process. You're you're in that circle, but let's Yep. Yeah. It's not all you. Yeah. It's not all you. And so, literally, don't let Mondo like let's [laughter] let's just do this. Right. Right. So, for me, it's been that. And that's been so humbling. But also, it's a weight off my shoulder. It's me saying like, "Yo, I don't have not I don't have to I don't have the power to save anybody." Right. Right. I can just go be I'm not here to save people. I'm just here to help. Yep. Just here. I am one of many stewards sharing a word and love, you know. So amazing. Well, thank you so much for being on today. We hope to have you on again [music] maybe in a few years and maybe in the next year maybe in a few months. You never know what what across who will need to hear or want to hear more. So thank you so much for being on today. Excellent. I appreciate you. Appreciate it. Yes. [music] Thank you. Bye guys.