What happens when an MMA fighter stops fighting against people and starts fighting for them?
In this episode of The Giving Game, host Sophie Whitesell sits down with Justin Wren — former MMA fighter, keynote speaker, and founder of Fight for the Forgotten — for a conversation that goes far beyond the cage. True to the show's rules, there's no sports talk here. Instead, Justin opens up about hitting rock bottom with addiction, surviving two suicide attempts, and the sunrise that changed everything.
Justin shares how he was adopted into the Pygmy tribes of the Congo Basin rainforest — the Mbuti, Efe, and Batwa peoples, among the oldest and most marginalized people groups on Earth — and how that second family inspired a nonprofit unlike any other. Fight for the Forgotten has helped secure over 3,000 acres of land rights, brought clean water to more than 100,000 people through 200+ sustainable water projects, and recently opened a critical access hospital with a thriving maternity ward.
Every donation to Fight for the Forgotten during this campaign will be TRIPLED thanks to two matching gifts. Give at the link below and turn $10 into $30.
What We Cover
- (00:00) The sunrise that saved Justin's life
- (02:02) The 3X matching gift — every donation tripled
- (02:54) What is Fight for the Forgotten? Justin's adoption into the Pygmy tribe
- (05:01) Why 230,000+ water wells in Africa are broken — and how to build ones that last
- (07:53) "Slow down and listen": the problem with fly-in, fly-out charity
- (12:02) Sophie's Ugandan colleague on "patronizing" Western aid
- (19:31) Voluntourism vs. expert volunteers — and the new Base Camp project
- (21:38) Rock bottom: addiction, treatment, and how the mission found Justin
- (22:59) Andy Bo's story: the $1 pills that could have saved a child's life
- (26:06) Why the Pygmy people had no land rights — and reclaiming 3,000+ acres
- (28:37) Modern-day slavery: 400,000–600,000 Mbuti enslaved in the Congo
- (31:28) Finding home in the rainforest (and surviving malaria six times)
- (37:58) Fight for Her: the women-led initiative behind the new maternity ward
- (39:27) Meeting Amy — love, relapse, and second chances
- (44:25) Be a lighthouse, not a lifeguard: supporting someone through addiction
- (47:27) How Justin learned to forgive himself: purpose through service
- (50:36) "I can't afford rehab" — Justin's honest answer
- (54:22) The yellow shoes, the second suicide attempt, and the most epic sunrise of his life
About Justin Wren
Justin Wren is a former professional MMA fighter turned humanitarian, keynote speaker, and founder of Fight for the Forgotten, a nonprofit dedicated to building better lives for the Pygmy peoples of the Congo Basin through holistic, locally led community development — land rights, clean water, farming, education, healthcare, and sustainable livelihoods.
Two matching donors mean every dollar you give right now is worth three. A $10 gift becomes $30. A $100 gift becomes $300.
👉 Donate at fightfortheforgotten.org or fftf.org
Connect with Justin Wren
- Website: fightfortheforgotten.org
- Instagram: @thebigpygmy
