Rebuilding The Beast

Welcome back to Rebuilding the Beast! Today, we have my friend Jimmer Fredette. Jimmer is a basketball player, entrepreneur, husband, father, and member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

There’s so much we talk about, so let’s get into it!

●      Growing up in a small town and having to hear people doubt him about wanting to be a basketball player.

●      Attending Brigham Young University and what it means to be a Mormon.

●      Upholding his values and then meeting his wife in college.

●      Getting drafted to play for the Sacramento Kings and his debut game against the Golden State Warriors.

●      How the NBA was much different than he expected and what it meant to be traded to a few different teams.

●      Heading overseas to China and being a leader over there.

●      What he wants life after basketball to look like and his charity Jimmerosity.

●      How having children has changed him and the lessons they teach him every day.

I remember watching Jimmer back in his college days back at BYU. His drive and how he is always wanting to make himself better is so inspiring, and I hope you gained something from this episode.

Want to keep up with Jimmer? Follow him on Instagram and TikTok!

Be sure to check out his charity Jimmerosity.

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!

Rebuilding the beast is back, baby!!! For our season 3 premiere, I’m sitting down with my good friend Nicole who is helping me guide you through the amazing, transformative summer I had. When we last spoke, the Golden State Warriors just became NBA champions, again! And now, I have the opportunity to go back to the Bay area for my second year as an NBC broadcaster. 

But before I do that, I want to share my summer with you all… On this episode, you’ll hear all about; 

·      My time in Africa with Rise, a summit sponsored by NBA Africa where 100 kids chosen from 42 countries, work together to try and better the world. 

·      My time with my family and the importance of seeing the ones who keep you grounded.  

·      And finally, my most favorite thing… My time at Burning Man! Nicole and I break down what Burning Man is and how it affected both of us. You’ll also hear from several people I experienced Burning Man with, and what their takeaways were. 

You guys, season 3 is about to be epic! So, buckle up and get ready. 

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!

Surprise! I’m back! And another surprise, I’m taking another break. I know, I’m sorry.

This episode is our season 2 finale, and first let me say how exciting it is to have two seasons of Rebuilding the Beast! Thank you all for coming on this journey with me. It’s been amazing and I’ve learned so much from our guests, and I hope you have too.

As I say goodbye for just a little bit, I leave you with a story. It’s called A Box Full of Kisses and the moral of the story is how love is the most important thing in the world. Love and our families are things that we can sometimes take for granted, and that’s something I do not want to do. That’s why I’m taking this break. To spend time with loved ones and rebuild my own inner beast.

I can’t wait for you all to see what we have in store for season 3. To the ones who have been here since day one and to our new listeners, I love you and you guys keep me going. Thank you for everything!

Stay safe and I’ll talk to you all soon.

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! This week we have Jessica Ping-Wild. Jessica is out here changing the game by bringing awareness for people with disabilities. In Jessica’s formative years, she was diagnosed with CHILD syndrome. A syndrome that affects the left side of her body. After going through years of bullying and struggling to find her place, Jessica is now using her voice to bring awareness in a fun, attention grabbing way. Not to mention, she’s an actress, model, writer, content creator, and world traveler. Nothing is getting in her way!

Today we talk about,

• Her childhood and not finding her forever friend (that wasn’t a family member) until middle school.
• Recognizing from a young age that the world doesn’t really create things with disabled people in mind.
• The decision as to why she wanted to become a model and an actress. As well as the pressures she feels from industry.
• The moment she hit rock bottom while attending Notre Dame for college and the deciding factor to go to therapy.
• Once recognizing she’s allowed to fill up space and use her voice, she started her journey of speaking up about discrimination and the experiences she’s had.
• Graduating with a BA in English literature and using the knowledge gained to amplify her voice on a larger scale. Thus, creating her blog, The Rolling Explorer.
• Creating AccessibiliTEA, a segment on her blog that lists which places around the world are the most accessible.  
• What we can do to be an ally and the reminder that disabled people are human as well.

Jessica was an amazing guest on the podcast and I’m so glad I got to virtually meet her. She’s an inspiration and I can’t wait to see what else she’s going to accomplish.  

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

Wanna read up on her blog? Check out her Website! 

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 have an amazing episode for you all today! Tori Petersen is our guest here on Rebuilding the Beast. She’s a best-selling author, Mrs. Universe, a mother, a wife, and a child of the foster care system. Growing up, Tori was placed into foster care after men busted down her doors and took her and her sister. As she got older, she found out that it was for a drug bust and her mother was having mental health struggles. After in and out of about eleven homes, at the age of 18, Tori emancipated herself from the foster care system and found a forever home with her track coach.

But that’s not all we cover!

• The moment she realized that she was conceived out of abuse and the trauma her mother went through.
• Getting separated from her younger sister after Tori tried to report an incident at their then foster house. Teaching her unfortunately, to keep her head down and to not report things.
• Building a relationship with God and how He taught her how to forgive and love others.
• Good moments and families that she had in foster care and the lasting impact it gave her.
• Becoming exceedingly good at track.
• Creating a nonprofit called the Beloved Initiative that specializes in helping out foster care families.
• Getting told to do pageants, then entering in the Mrs. Universe pageant with a mindset of winning it all, then doing just that.
• Taking this new platform to continue to spread the word of God and creating awareness around the foster care system.
• How her proudest achievement is becoming a wife and a mother because she never thought she’d be able to have a stable family and home life.

This episode got me emotional! Tori is so inspiring and I hope you’re able to gain something from this episode.

Want to keep up with Tori? Follow her on Instagram and TikTok! 

Interested in her book Founded? Click here!

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!

Our next guest’s story will make your jaw drop to the floor. In June of 2001, Kiera was incarcerated for a crime she did not commit. When did she get released? Not until almost 20 years later in April of 2020. She was only 16 years old and had her life planned out of how she wanted to break away from the mold she grew up with and create her own journey. 

We cover a lot on this episode. Everything from,

• Her childhood years and being the eldest of 5 children and how she shielded her younger siblings from the struggles her parents had due to being a part of gangs.
• Having straight A’s and how she had the dream of wanting to be an attorney or a child psychologist when she got older.
• At 13, she started dating a boy who also received straight A’s, got into the wrong crowd and joined a gang. Then in December of 2000, she witnessed him get shot in front of her in a drive by.
• How in June of 2001, the police brought her in for what she thought would be a lineup to point out the person her shot her boyfriend, but they arrested her for the murder of a boy killed on April 16th 2001. A day that she was in school and had proof from her teachers that she was there. Next thing she knows, she was given 60 years to life for a crime she did not commit.
• The moment she got to see her family for the first time in prison and how she had to learn how to explain to her younger sisters that looked up to her, what was happening.
• How she wanted to give up in prison and was ready to end her life. But then describes the exact moment when she went to the church inmates were allowed to go to, and Sister Esther Wallace Scott gave her a message from her grandmother. A message that Sister Scott was able to give through God, but Kiera knew was from her grandmother. A message that gave Kiera hope.
• How school kept her going in prison and anytime she could take a class, she would. Resulting in helping her be able to become a Social Worker once she got out of prison.
• The moment she got out of prison learned about the world and how much it had changed in 20 years.
• How her fight is still not over, even though she’s out of prison, she’s not fully free yet.  

There is so much more we cover that I couldn’t put above. But man, this episode is eye opening on the legal system and how we do not take care of people properly once they’ve been released. Kiera’s fight is not over and it’s our job to get her story out there to help so many other innocent people who have been wrongfully incarcerated. Please share this episode and get her story out there. We hope to be able to come back with Kiera soon to get updates.

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!

It’s crazy witnessing the universe align when it’s pushing you to meet someone. A few friends had sent me Jorge Sanchez’s profile saying I needed to have him on the podcast. Then a week later at a Warriors game, I got to meet him and understood why he needed to be on the show.

Jorge is a professional wheelchair basketball player and a part of the Dub nation! At the age of 8, Jorge was diagnosed with Osteogenic Sarcoma, which is a type of bone cancer that caused him to have his leg amputated. Through the countless surgeries and navigating this new way of life, Jorge was approached by someone in Costco who told him to try out wheelchair basketball. Years later, he’s now an Olympic Gold Medalist!

Today we dive deep into Jorge’s journey. We cover;

• What it means to be a Warriors fan right now and the inspiration he gets from all the players on the team.
• His childhood before getting diagnosed with Osteogenic Sarcoma, then how his parents let him decide if he wanted to keep his leg or not, all before he was 10 years old.
• How even after surgery, Jorge had to fight for his life after falling into a coma for 2 months.
• The rebuild at such a young age where he struggled to not care what others had to say about him, and the stares he got that made him call out to God asking, “why me?”  Then the moment his aunt helped him embrace his differences.
• Getting cut 3 different times from the Olympic basketball team, loosing against Great Britain in one of the biggest wheelchair basketball games, then coming out on top at the 2020 Olympic Games and receiving his first gold medal.
• Wanting to be the Steph Curry of Wheelchair Basketball and the hard work he’s doing to get to that position.
• Meeting his wife and how he thought he could never be in a relationship due to his disability.
• Then what people can do as well as what companies and organizations can do to be more disability accessible.

I am so inspired by Jorge, and his story even made me emotional at some points. Jorge is a true beast, and I can’t wait to see what God has in store for him and the lengths he’s going to go.

Want to keep up with Jorge? Follow him on Instagram and Twitter! 

Want to learn more about the organization, BORP that Jorge talked about? Click here. 

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!

The journey of becoming a sports commentator for the Golden State Warriors was something I never imagined was in store for me. Basketball is my life, and even after my injury, I knew I still needed to be a part of it somehow. So, on this episode, I thought I could reflect on how I got to where I am today.

You’ll hear

• How I didn’t ever plan on becoming a sports commentator and how that decision came to fruition.
• Why I started this podcast, and what one of my first guests, Steve Kerr, had to say.
• The answer to the question I get all the time, “Is it hard not being on the court?”
• Watching my teammates rebuild after being described as the “worst team in the NBA.”
• Things I still need to work on when I am on live TV, like not letting the losses get to me.
• What lies ahead.

Thank you all for your continued support these past several months. I wouldn’t be here without you all, and I am eternally grateful!

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!

It’s story time here on Rebuilding the Beast! This week we’re reading from the book The Why Café by author John P. Strelecky. The book is centered around finding your purpose with some short stories filling the pages. One of those stories is, The Green Sea Turtle, and that’s what you’ll be hearing today.

This podcast is all about sharing different types of stories in hopes it will help you on your rebuilding journey. The Green Sea Turtle focuses on the importance of where you should put your time and energy since we often give too much away on things that don’t fulfill our purpose. 

Enjoy!

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!

Kelsi Sheren is a powerhouse! At the age of 18, Kesli joined the military in Canada and was quickly deployed to Afghanistan after that. She is a fellow podcast host and is the owner of Brass and Unity, a jewelry company that gives 20% of their proceeds to organizations that help veterans. One of her main goals is to help bring awareness to mental health and the dire action to help veterans. Kesli is so open and honest about her journey that it’s a privilege to have her on the podcast.

On this episode we cover,

• Kelsi’s childhood and her formative early teenage years, where someone she looked up to, broke her trust.
• How a conversation with a veteran on a bus ride was the deciding moment to join the army.
• Her time in the army with training, being deployed, then being medically retired. A decision that wasn’t hers, but the journey afterwards of having PTSD.
• Being immediately put on pharmaceuticals to help “cure” her PTSD. After those weren’t working and she became reliant on them, how therapy, working out, art therapy, cannabis and the Ayahuasca retreat, were her saving grace.
• The early stages of Brass and Unity and how people like Justin Mikita, Beth Behrs, Kevin Hart, and Ellen DeGeneres were just some of the people who helped kick start her company.  
• Then how former podcast guest Neal McDonough and his wife Ruvé are working together with Kelsi to create a limited series about her life… so stay tuned!!

Kelsi gave an eye-opening depiction of life during and after the war. Her strength is astounding and I’m so thankful to have her on the podcast.

If you’re interested in her company or are wanting to learn more about how to help veterans, check out Brass and Unity’s Website.

Want to keep up with Kesli? Follow her on Instagram. Also follow Brass and Unity 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!