I was joined in studio by Jose Rodriguez for this weeks podcast interview. Jose grew up in the West Englewood neighborhood on the southside of Chicago. Being Hispanic and growing up in a predominantly African American neighborhood was rough for him and his siblings. His parents enrolled him in a different neighborhood school to try to make it better for them, but this led him into even more trouble. Street life becomes the norm and he finds himself being able to maneuver through the various neighborhoods and various gangs he encounters. He befriends some rival gang members and they are able to coincide respectfully at times and vouch for one another. Work, party life and violence is his routine. One day as he is kicking back watching T.V. his sister tells him, "God loves you, and He's coming for you!" This statement grabs his attention. He asks himself, "Is God going to kill me?" Little does he know, that the path he would find himself on, a path of crime and drug dealing, would lead him to an encounter with the One who was coming after him. Tune in to hear this man's story of redemption.

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From Colorado all the way back to Chicago! I had the opportunity to connect with Shawn Rae, for the first time in person.  I picked him up from Ohare airport while being followed & mean mugged by airport police. This is how our day started LOL. We also had Julio Mercado join us in the studio for the recording of this podcast episode. 
On here Shawn shares how he ended up connecting with "Wrong To Strong " and about the ministry work he is doing for them today.  Join in on our conversation as we discuss various topics including how growing up in Chicago shaped us and molded us into the men we are today. Listen to battles we've fought, lessons we learned and to the joy we are experiencing today. Julio said it best when he said, "Things are not falling apart, they are falling into place!"

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On this podcast episode Jose M. Mendoza joins me to share how life was growing up on the southside of Chicago in the Brighton Park neighborhood.  From the age of 3 months old his mom leaves him to his grandma to be raised by her. He never meets his father. Brighton Park was heavily gang infested and in the 7th grade he finds himself pulled in to that lifestyle.  Alcohol and drugs begin to take over his life and gun violence soon follows. He finds himself constantly getting locked up, in and out of the juvenile system and county prison. Many years later he moves to Texas to escape the life he was leading out here but he is consumed by an alcohol & drug addiction. He finds himself homeless and hopeless until God steps in. Tune in to hear this man's story of redemption as well as all the ministry work he is currently involved in.

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I am joined on this week's podcast by Ignacio Gonzalez. He was born and raised on the southside of Chicago in a neighborhood named "Back of the Yards." His family was hardworking and loving. From a young age he is taught the value of hard work and service to his people and community by his father who  was also a church deacon. He learns to maneuver through various Chicago gang neighborhoods on his way to and from school.  After high school, he finds that college is harder than he expected and decides to join some of his buddies who were already enlisted in the Marines.  This eventually puts him on a path that leads him into law enforcement and private contracting out in the middle east. He has a love hate relationship with the southside of Chicago which makes it easy for him to get away and travel the world. 
After the loss of some of his friends, he finds that instead of mourning for them he turns to anger. At the time he is unaware that he is unable to process his emotions in a healthy manner which leads him to become physically ill and weak. This one strong, tough and self sufficient man finds himself crying out to God. He goes on a spiritual journey that leads him down many paths. Through a series of events and circumstances he finds that the City of Chicago is calling him back. That there is a lot of work for him to do in his community. Tune in to hear the work and positivity he is bringing to a community which he once wanted to flee from. 

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 Julio Mercado joins me on this week’s podcast episode. Julio grew up in the West Town neighborhood of Chicago. He was raised in a loving home with both his parents in the picture.  His neighborhood is surrounded by gangs and drug dealing and early into his teen years he finds himself able to stay away from those things. Sports become an outlet for him and help keep him busy and out of trouble. One day on his way to the Boys & Girls Club he is confronted by gang members from the opposite side of where he lives. They question him about his gang affiliation and they are not convinced that he is not a gang member. A group of them decide to jump him and begin to beat him. After this encounter, Julio walks back to where he lives and joins his local neighborhood gang within hours of his beating. Full of anger and rage,  a violent side of him is awakened and unleashed. He wages all out war on those who attacked him. This one moment for ever changes the course and destiny of his life. Frequent gun violence, beatings, deaths and drug dealing become the norm and he feels right at home in this environment. The devil grabbed a strong hold of this man and didn't want to let him go. Tune in to hear how one man was finally able to escape from the all out war in the streets of Chicago.

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On today's podcast episode we do our first ever group interview. I am joined on here today by two good brother's, Arturo Gamino and Cisco Terrazas. They were two of the first men I interviewed when I first started doing this almost a year ago. We reflect back on the beginning of this podcast journey and what events led to it's start. 
Our main focus is on sharing what impact and effect the Word of God, the Bible, had in our lives. We are real and honest of how we dismissed the Bible, we didn't want to hear about it or have anything to do with it in our younger days. 
Psalm 119:71 reads, "My suffering was good for me, for it taught me to pay attention to your decrees." God has a way of using trials, pain and suffering to get our attention and bring us closer to himself. We share what events, situations and scriptures really had an impact and brought change into our lives. Tune in to  hear this honest and raw conversation of men, who were once lost, hopeless, living in darkness and are now experiencing God's joy even in the midst of life's various trials.

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Cleo Lewis was a military veteran who had just finished serving eight years in the air force. With a wife, kids and a mortgage to pay now, he is looking for a job that pays well and someone encourages him to become a police officer. He admits that he only joined because of the pay and not really in it to make a difference in the community. After a few years he ends up becoming an undercover police officer during the crack epidemic that hit America in the 1980's. On one such undercover mission, he believes he is meeting some  local neighborhood drug dealers but ends being face to face with some upper level Columbian's. They become suspicious of him and ask him to take a hit of crack cocaine. His plan is to punch the guy in the face and run out of that house, that is until he hears the unmistakable sound of an AK-47 being bolted and being placed to the back of his head. He ends up having to take a hit of the crack cocaine. This one event changed his life forever. Tune in to hear how he went from air force veteran, distinguished police officer, to a drug addict, convicted felon, inmate and homeless on the streets of Phoenix, Arizona. 

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The creator and founder of "Wrong To Strong", JC Almanza joins me on this weeks podcast episode. 
   Julio Almanza, a Chicago native, has transcended a life of adversity to become a symbol of strength and redemption. Raised on the streets and entangled in the grip of drugs and prison, Julio's journey is a testament to the transformative power of faith, resilience, and personal growth.
   Guided by his unshakable faith in God, Julio's life underwent a profound metamorphosis. Today, he stands as a living testament to the possibility of turning wrongs into strengths. Having emerged from the depths of his past, Julio now serves as a dedicated coach, mentor, and influential public speaker.
   With an unyielding belief that people can rise above their circumstances, Julio's life mission is clear—to be a beacon of guidance for those navigating their own challenges. His engaging talks and coaching sessions inspire individuals to embrace their inner potential, find their purpose, and rewrite their life stories.
   Julio Almanza's story isn't just about transformation; it's a call to action. Through his journey, he invites others to harness the power within themselves, embrace their faith, and transform their weaknesses into sources of strength. His narrative echoes the message that even in the face of adversity, faith, determination, and mentorship can lead to a life of purpose, impact, and fulfillment."

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On this podcast episode I interview Pastor Rocky Vasquez. Rocky grew up on the lower west side of Chicago in a historic community named Pilsen.  Around the age of nine he begins to ask his mom about his dad, "Who is he? Where is he?" He sees his friends spending time with their fathers and internally he desired to connect with his dad. He begins looking for love, looking to be accepted, looking for his identity and eventually this leads him towards the gangs in the early 80's. 
His group of friends eventually become a core group which helped this particular gang expand not only in this community but also around the city of Chicago, suburbs and even other states.  A life of crime, violence and imprisonment soon follow. His way of handling himself and others eventually lead him up into gang leadership.
But yet there is still a void internally inside of this man that he is unable to fill. He begins to call out to God and eventually decides he wants to turn his life around. While incarcerated he begins to draw close to God and begins to lead others to God as well. Unfortunately, upon his release he finds himself living back inside of the same neighborhood he grew up in and his friends come calling upon him for his help. He tries to hold out for about three months. But eventually he gets drawn back into the gang life. He comes to find out that "It's hard to walk away when you're a gang leader."
Tune in to hear to how eventually he couldn't outrun the calling God had upon his life. He is now leading people to the only gang that is gonna be standing at the end of the day. The biggest gang that there ever will be is "God's gang."

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On this podcast episode I sit down and talk to Pastor John LaTorre. John grew up with his mother and family in a small town in the state of Connecticut. At the age of seven he meets his father and begins to spend the summers with him out in Queens, New York. As a young man he longs to connect with his father and yearns to learn what it means to be a man. At the age of 11 he begins to smoke weed with his dad. This opens the door to a life of drug addiction and alcoholism. As a teenager he begins to deal drugs in order to fund his drug addiction. Things get really bad when he decides to rob a partner of his and has to go on the run. He gets deeper and deeper into darkness and by now he is a full blown heroin addict. His family encourage & push him to connect with an organization called "Teen Challenge." At this point in his life he finds himself miserable, suicidal, lost and with no hope in life. Tune in to hear what happens in this man's life when he hears God's voice calling out to him, "Why don't you give Me a chance? I can heal you."

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