62: The Great Comeback with Ebo Elder

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Ebo Elder is a retired professional boxer who reached a ranking as high as the #5 lightweight boxer in the world. However, his battles continued outside of the ring. Ebo turned to drug and alcohol abuse after a painful divorce, but turned his life around when he found the Lord. He returned to boxing and fought the #4 fighter in the world in the biggest fight of his life inside the ring. However, the most triumphant moment of his life was pursuing his wife after divorce and remarrying her in a way that no one could have predicted. In this episode:

  • Growing up to become a professional boxer since childhood
  • Boxing grown men as an amateur teenage boxer
  • Boxing the #1 ranked amateur fighter 7 times and losing 7 times
  • Surviving a horrific motorcycle accident
  • Knocking out his opponent in the 1st round of his first professional boxing fight
  • The Greatback – coming back from divorce, depression, drug abuse, and defeat to find a fulfilling purpose in Jesus
  • Experiencing marriage, divorce, and remarriage with his wife
  • Why it is a bad idea to believe that marriage will solve preexisting relationship problems
  • Finding out his wife filed for divorce the night of his US National Championship fight
  • Contemplating suicide and almost going through with it, but turning to God at the last moment
  • Fighting to get his wife back, and fighting in the ring
  • Reentering boxing after a long break to take on the #4 boxer in the world
  • Entering the 12th round of the toughest fight of his career
  • Praying with his opponent in the ring after he knocked him out in the 12th
  • Remarrying his wife in the most unforeseen way possible
  • His daughter was a “rescue mission” to bring him and his wife back together
  • Working through the pain of the past with his wife after their remarriage

Ebo Elder is the author of The Great Comeback: Coming Back from Abuse, Depression, Divorce and Defeat to Find Victory, Freedom and an Amazing Life. You can follow him on Instagram @eboelder and you can find out more about him at www.eboelder.com

61: A Green Beret and His Shoes

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Anthony Aguiniga is a Green Beret and the founder of a shoe company, Woobies. Anthony has a big plan to become the dominant shoe company in the industry. He shares how he overcame alcoholism and a lack of a fulfilled purpose in his career after the military to form the shoe company that he is so passionate about today. In this episode:

  • Deciding to join the Army
  • Starting his military career with no desire for infantry to only  change his mind a few weeks in
  • The path to become a Green Beret
  • Swallowing his pride by leaving an intense career as a Green Beret to attend the fire academy in Dallas
  • Struggling with alcoholism after the military
  • Losing a mother to drugs and a father to alcoholism
  • The creation and motive behind his shoe company, Woobies
  • Why the name Woobies?
  • Customer, Customer, Customer – What separates Woobies from the rest of the shoe industry
  • Anthony’s unlikely admission process to Southern Methodist University MBA program … one of the best business schools in the country
  • Finding his confidence in an academic setting through his entrepreneur experience
  • Biggest challenge – sustaining his lean business model while gaining market share

You can follow Anthony on Instagram at @anthony_aginuiga and @woobiesshoes.

60: Swimming to Tokyo with Haven Shepherd

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Haven is a 16 year old swimmer who hopes to earn her spot on the United States Paralympic team for the 2020 Olympic games in Tokyo, Japan. She lost her legs when she was an infant because of a failed suicide bomb attempt by her birth parents. She views her life with no legs as a blessing and embraces the potential opportunity to represent the United States as an elite athlete. In this episode:

  • Surviving a family suicide attempt as an infant, but losing both legs below the knees
  • Going to Dancing with the Stars at age 11
  • Viewing her life without legs as a blessing
  • Finding security in her identity which is far above swimmer, amputee, or athlete
  • Gratefulness for adoption and her adoptive parents
  • Feeling freedom while swimming
  • 6-8 swimming practices/week, 3 crossfit workouts/week, swim 6,000 yards/day
  • Implementing crossfit workouts into her training schedule
  • Finding confidence in her family when she is in doubt
  • Time experienced vs. time wasted
  • Circumstances don’t determine one’s future

You can follow Haven and her journey on Instagram @havenfaithshepherd

59: Miles of Freedom from Incarceration

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Richard Miles was walking home one day when his life changed forever unexpectedly. He was arrested for murder and found guilty shortly after. He spent 15 years in prison before he was found innocent and exonerated. Once he was given his freedom, he decided to help others in Dallas adjust to their newfound freedom as well through Miles of Freedom. His organization provides resources and referrals to former inmates as they assimilate back into society. In this episode:

  • Growing up in Oak Cliff, Dallas
  • A normal walk home turns into suspect #1 arrest
  • Arrested due to racial prejudice
  • Finding a peace in being innocent
  • Learn the system, and adjust to the order of the system
  • The most brutal part of prison – the inability to choose
  • Losing hope year 11 into prison
  • I am in despair, I am a commodity, I must be useless
  • Wrestling with God over injustice and his race
  • Having faith before prison but working his faith for the first time in prison
  • Words from my cell – A Bible Study in prison, regaining hope
  • The shortest case Centurion has ever done – 15 month TAT
  • Centurion vs. Innocence Project. Centurion – Specializing in non-DNA cases. Innocence Project – Specalizing in DNA-evidence based cases.
  • Release in exoneration, Freedom in Innocence
  • Miles of Freedom – His non-profit that helps anyone who was incarcerated, guilty or innocent, transition back into society with rehabilitation programs, education opportunities, and career resources/connections.
  • #1 needed change in reform of the prison system – providing a quality of life for inmates once they are released from prison so they don’t return to life behind bars
  • Success in life is determined by potential, not position

You can find out more information about Richard and Miles of Freedom on Facebook @MilesofFreedom and www.milesoffreedom.org

58: Grizzly Attack with Todd Orr

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Todd Orr was born and raised in Montana, and is a modern-day mountain man. However, no amount of time spent in the wilderness can prepare a person for a grizzly bear attack, let alone 2 grizzly bear attacks in the same day. Todd survived both horrific attacks and shares why his love for nature will not fade. In this episode:

  • Growing up in Montana and working outside every single day.
  • A normal hike one day turns into a fight for survival with a grizzly bear
  • Bit 5-6 times in the right arm and shoulder
  • How to properly avoid an encounter with a bear, or protect yourself if it attacks
  • Playing dead while feeling the breath of a grizzly bear on his neck
  • Walking down the trail to safety and getting attacked by the bear for a 2nd time
  • Suffering a broken left forearm from the bite of a grizzly
  • A foot away from her face and staring into the eyes of a grizzly
  • Surviving 2 bear attacks and hiking 3 miles back down a trail to his car
  • Recovering after multiple surgeries and stitches
  • Returning to the woods and conquering fear

You can follow Todd on Instagram @todd_orr. You can also checkout his custom knives collection that are available for purchase at www.skybladeknives.com