Rebuilding The Beast

Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Happy Kwanza, and a Happy New Year! This week we’re taking it easy as we get ready to enter the New Year. Today you’ll hear the story, Box Full of Kisses. It’s a beautiful reminder that love is the most precious gift in the world, so hold onto your loved ones tight and check in with them.  

Now, before you read this next section, take a listen to the episode.

Did you listen? 

Great! 

As you heard, we are doing a giveaway and here’s all the information again, written out for you.

1.     Win a signed photo of me, a Rebuilding the Beast t-shirt, and a golden state warriors t-shirt. 

2.     To enter, prove that you are subscribed to the podcast (either YouTube, Apple, Spotify, or wherever else you listen), leave a comment, leave a like or a 5 start rating, and make sure you follow us on Instagram or TikTok. 

3.     Send those screenshots over to [email protected].

4.     Winner will be announced over on my Instagram January 1st, 2023. 

Can’t wait to connect with you all! 

Happy Holidays! 

Be sure to rate & review the show on Apple Podcasts!  It will really help us grow & reach more people!

Follow us on Instagram and TikTok for daily inspirational stories!

Or check out our YouTube & website!

Want to connect with Festus directly? Hit him up on Instagram!

This episode was a long time coming because my good friend Thomas Vu is finally our guest here on the podcast. If you remember from season 2 of Rebuilding the Beast, I went to the Joe Dispenza retreat. Well, the person who introduced that retreat to me, was none other than Thomas! Thomas is a master meditator and so I fully trusted him in attending this retreat, and I am so glad did. 

Other than a master meditator, Thomas is also a father, tech investor, video game builder, quantum healer, and just won an Emmy for a show he produced! And on this episode, we talk about - 

·      Our own experiences at the Joe Dispenza retreat and what we gained from it. 

·      What the benefits for meditating are. 

·      How Thomas meditates anywhere from 1 to 2 hours daily in part of his self-care routine. 

·      What it means to have his daughters meditate with him. 

·      Being born in Vietnam right after the war and coming to America on a boat. 

·      Climbing Kilimanjaro and winning an Emmy for his Netflix show Arcane. 

·      What it means to be a tech investor and key things he looks for in people who come to him. 

·      Thanking his mom for his love of video games.

·      Building the world of video games like the all-time favorite, Sims. 

·      What it means to be Asian American and prejudice he has faced. 

·      How we need to be the change we like to see in the world. 

I’m so thankful that Thomas came into my life. He dropped some major facts on this episode and I hope you gained something from him.

Be sure to rate & review the show on Apple Podcasts!  It will really help us grow & reach more people!

Follow us on Instagram for daily inspirational stories!

Or check out our YouTube & website!

Want to connect with Festus directly? Hit him up on Instagram!

Buckle up because this week we have Marcellus Wiley on the podcast! After growing up in Compton and South Central Los Angeles, Marcellus didn’t let where he grew up define how his life was going to pan out. He would soon go to Columbia University to further his education as well as play football. Then after being a second-round pick in the 1997 NFL Draft, Marcellus would soon go on to be a defensive end for the Buffalo Bills, San Diego Chargers, Dallas Cowboys, and Jacksonville Jaguars. He then went on to fulfill his dream of being a sports broadcaster and host of the More To It podcast on iHeart radio. 

Today we talk about 

·      How Marcellus is the biggest home body I know and how fatherhood brought that on. 

·      Growing up in Compton and how he knew it was important to define his own success. 

·      Golf being the first sport he tried out because of his father. Then being told to try football based on his speed and ability to catch things coming his way. 

·      Choosing an Ivy League school because he recognized the importance of having great academic representation, and could play football wherever. 

·      How he learned to accept that he was smart and let his inner nerd shine. 

·      His biggest cheerleaders are the ones between his ears. 

·      Having to take a year off from football in college to not only better his academics, but also his mind and body. 

·      Getting drafted and how the world and people around him changed. 

·      Learning to say no without guilt.

·      Broadcasting being his biggest passion but he joined when it wasn’t “cool.”

·      The nerves of starting something new.

·      Meeting his wife and how his world and priorities changed after having children. 

I’m so thankful for all the time Marcellus gave us. I gained so much from this episode, and I hope you did too. 

Be sure to tune in to Marcellus’s podcast More To It!  

Want to keep up with Marcellus? Follow him on Instagram!  

Be sure to rate & review the show on Apple Podcasts!  It will really help us grow & reach more people!

Follow us on Instagram for daily inspirational stories!

Or check out our YouTube & website!

Want to connect with Festus directly? Hit him up on Instagram!

Next up on our holiday special is my Nigerian brother Kevin Olusola! You may know him from the Grammy award winning acapella group “Pentatonix” or his own podcast that he cohosts called “Imagine Faith Talk.” 

Kevin has a beautiful soul and we got deep on this episode today. We talk about, 

·      Growing up and what it means to be an immigrant as well as a half Nigerian, half Caribbean in Kentucky. 

·      How his parents shielded him from the prejudice around him. 

·      How is life turned out differently than what his family originally hoped for, but the support that have for him now. 

·      Going to top schools like Yale and learning Chinese, the cello, and beatboxing all at the same time. 

·      How his teacher pushed to get over his fear and recognize his gifts. Resulting in him creating a world where beatboxing meets classical music. 

·      How he joined Pentatonix a day before the group auditioned for Sing Off.

·      Winning the competition but then getting dropped by their label soon afterwards. 

·      How they didn’t let being dropped stop them and started to put out their own content on YouTube. Soon, they recognized they could use Christmas as a time to put out an album. 

·      The struggles they went through as a group and how it wasn’t always positive. 

·      Getting married and what fatherhood is like while on the road. 

·      How he makes goals for the month to properly prioritize his time. 

·      Favorite moments from his career and how he still gets nervous. 

We cover so much on this episode and didn’t even hit all that I wanted to talk about. So, you already know there will be a part 2! But in the meantime, be sure to check out Pentatonix’s new album Holidays Around the World, see them on tour, or watch their holiday special PTX Around the World on Disney Plus now! 

Want to keep up with Kevin? Follow him on Instagram! 

Want to learn more about Pentatonix? Click here! 

Want to listen to Kevin’s Podcast, check out Imagine Faith Talk. 

Be sure to rate & review the show on Apple Podcasts!  It will really help us grow & reach more people!

Follow us on Instagram for daily inspirational stories!

Or check out our YouTube & website!

Want to connect with Festus directly? Hit him up on Instagram!

We’re kickstarting this holiday season with my good friend Chloe Arnold! Chloe is a multi-talented dancer, an Emmy nominated choreographer, a featured dancer in the Syncopated Ladies, and so much more! She has also gone viral on YouTube with 100 million views for the Syncopated Ladies “Viral Tap Band” to Beyoncé. Her love of tap dancing has brought upon countless opportunities, and she has even taught me a few moves. Most recently, she choregraphed the new Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell Christmas movie Spirited. Out now on Apple TV! 

Today we talk about 

·      Growing up and not having the financial means to support her dreams, but her mom “making something out of nothing” 

·      Her mom teaching Chloe and her sister Maude how to be independent at such a young age. 

·      The long list of jobs her and her family had to have to support themselves out in New York. 

·      Getting a full ride to Harvard but making the decision to instead go to Columbia. 

·      Thinking that she had to be a lawyer but the moment she discovered that you could have a career in dance.

·      What drew her to tap dancing as well as the origin story of tap. 

·      Auditioning for Debbie Allen and the role she has had in her life. 

·      Moving to LA and getting the idea to start the Syncopated Ladies after joining an improv group. 

·      Things she has yet to achieve and where she sees the Syncopated Ladies going. 

You guys, Chloe is so inspiring and I feel honored to have her in my life. If you haven’t already seen Spirited, go check it out! You’ll get right in the mood for Christmas. You may even spot her in it. 

Want to keep up with Chloe? Follow her on Instagram! 

Also follow the Syncopated Ladies on Instagram!

Be sure to rate & review the show on Apple Podcasts!  It will really help us grow & reach more people!

Follow us on Instagram for daily inspirational stories!

Or check out our YouTube & website!

Want to connect with Festus directly? Hit him up on Instagram!

Welcome back everyone! Today on the show we have Corey Phelps. I stumbled across Corey’s Instagram a few months ago and instantly knew I wanted to have him on the podcast. Corey is a “bad bitch” (as he would say), but also a leader in body positivity, owning his queerness, and an advocate for mental health and homelessness. You may have watched him on the hit TLC show Too Large or seen him on YouTube sharing his weight loss journey. 

Corey’s story is a beautiful example on how to be a Beast. You’ll hear all about 

·      When he first started his weight loss journey and was at 664 pounds, to how he’s now lost over 350 pounds. 

·      His relationship with food and the bullying he went through at school. 

·      How he let go of what people thought about him and how he was able to do defend himself. 

·      Coming out as gay and feeling support from most of his family, but not his mother. 

·      His mom being diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder, and the abuse he endured.

·      His own diagnosis of Bipolar disorder. 

·      How he became homeless and the journey of getting out of it. 

·      Signing up for Too Large after a family member sent him the information. 

·      His time on the show and how he didn’t allow the show to make him look weak. 

·      How getting surgery was just a tool to help in his weight loss journey but it’s mainly how you keep up with the new goals you’ve created. 

·      How he changed his relationship with food and how eats healthy and is no longer afraid to work out in front of others. 

There's honestly so much more we talked about and I can’t wait for you to hear. I’m honored that Corey came onto the podcast and shared his story. I can’t wait to see what else life has in store for him.

Want to keep up with Corey? Follow him on Instagram and subscribe to his YouTube. 

Be sure to rate & review the show on Apple Podcasts!  It will really help us grow & reach more people!

Follow us on Instagram for daily inspirational stories!

Or check out our YouTube & website!

Want to connect with Festus directly? Hit him up on Instagram!

TW: Eating Disorder 

Welcome back! This week we have the very talented Alexa Mansour! Alexa is an actress who you’ve probably seen on The Walking Dead and soon, Avalon. After struggling with an eating disorder that caused her to end up in the ICU, Alexa decided it was time to regain control over her life and start putting herself first. 

Today, you’ll hear all about 

·      Alexa’s life growing up with and Egyptian father and Mexican mother. 

·      Traditions her family would uphold.

·      How her entire school life she was bullied and how it left her being shy as an adult. 

·      The moment her mom put her into acting class to try and help her open up. 

·      What the world of acting looks like and how sometimes it feels too good to be true. 

·      Booking The Walking Dead. 

·      Who she looks up to the most and what life was like being an older sibling. 

·      Developing an eating disorder after her parents split, thinking she had control it, but then ending up in the ICU in 2020. 

·      The moment she realized her worth. 

Alexa was such an amazing guest and I feel so lucky to be able to call her my friend.

Want to keep up with Alexa? Follow her on Instagram! 

Be sure to check out Avalon coming soon to ABC. 

Be sure to rate & review the show on Apple Podcasts!  It will really help us grow & reach more people!

Follow us on Instagram for daily inspirational stories!

Or check out our YouTube & website!

Want to connect with Festus directly? Hit him up on Instagram!

Welcome back to Rebuilding the Beast! Today we have India Shawn. India is a singer, songwriter, and my good friend! After growing up singing in the church, singing backup for artists like Anderson Paak, Chris Brown, and Harry Styles, India began to pursue her own career. And just recently, she released her debut album, “Before We Go Deeper.” 

We talk about so much on this episode… 

·      What life was like growing up singing in the church. 

·      The moment she knew she wanted to be a singer. 

·      How she met her first manager walking out of a Best Buy in Atlanta. 

·      Booking her first gig at a club when she was 16 years old. 

·      How she confronts her anxieties and the voice in her head that tells her she can’t do this. 

·      Lessons learned from the artists she sang back up for. 

·      The creation of her album “Before We Go Deeper.” 

·      Dating!

·      Biggest misconceptions about the music industry and how things have changed. 

·      The difficult decision to move from Atlanta and back to Los Angeles.

·      Having several different jobs that would allow her to continue to pursue her dreams. Even jobs that felt embarrassing at times. 

·      Then at one point, India even takes over the podcast!

Didn’t I tell you there was a lot? And guess what? There’s even more I didn’t mention!

This episode was so much fun and I hope you enjoyed it. 

Want to keep up with India? Follow her on Instagram! 

Be sure to rate & review the show on Apple Podcasts!  It will really help us grow & reach more people!

Follow us on Instagram for daily inspirational stories!

Or check out our YouTube & website!

Want to connect with Festus directly? Hit him up on Instagram!

Welcome back to Rebuilding the Beast! Today we have Wesley Hamilton. You’ve potentially could’ve seen him on the hit Netflix show Queer Eye, or his feature in Men’s Health, or have even seen one of the countless speeches he has done. But now, he’s graced us with his presence on our show! 

Wesley grew up on the east side of Kansas City, where many young African Americans struggled to find opportunity outside of the streets. Back in 2012, 5 days after his 24th birthday, and just recently winning sole custody of his daughter, Wesley was shot multiple times, paralyzing him below the waist. And with the help of his daughter, Wesley found a new purpose for life. 

Throughout the episode we cover,  

·      Life in Kansas City and what that meant for a young Black man. 

·      Being in a toxic relationship and getting sole custody of his daughter. 

·      The day he got shot and how he never met his shooter before then. 

·      Life after getting shot and feeling like a burden. 

·      How his daughter helped realize there is more to life, which jumpstarted his career into nutrition and fitness. 

·      How without manifestation, he would not be where he is right now. 

·      Being on Queer Eye and how the show brought face to face Wesley and the man who shot him. 

Wesley is a force and I feel honored to have been able to talk with him. 

Want to keep up with Wesley? Follow him on Instagram! 

Haven’t seen Wesley’s Queer Eye episode? Check out Season 4 episode 2 on Netflix 

Be sure to rate & review the show on Apple Podcasts!  It will really help us grow & reach more people!

Follow us on Instagram for daily inspirational stories!

Or check out our YouTube & website!

Want to connect with Festus directly? Hit him up on Instagram!