They Call Me Mista Yu

Have a question or thought for Mista Yu? Text or leave a voicemail for the show and he’ll answer it personally on the Inspiration Station or They Call Me Mista Yu. With your Permission, We'll even play your message live on the air!

We’re bringing the show back with the same kind of energy that makes you sit up straighter, because I’m not here to whisper motivational quotes at you. I’m here to tell the truth, starting with what it felt like to end the run that made me feel the most alive, and why coming back means building something consistent again. They Call Me Mista Yu is returning every Thursday with new episodes, guest interviews, and real conversations that don’t dodge the topics people actually care about.

You’ll hear what to expect moving forward: sports, pop culture, and yes politics, plus the kind of discussion that forces you to think instead of just react. But the heart of this drop is a direct challenge for entrepreneurs, business leaders, and anyone chasing a goal who keeps wondering why progress feels slow. I ask the question out loud: why haven’t you won yet? Then I answer it with the kind of accountability that starts in the mirror, not on social media.

The blunt takeaway is simple and uncomfortable: you haven’t won because you’re still negotiating with your excuses. Being tired doesn’t automatically mean you were effective. Loving your story about how hard it is won’t build the results you say you want. This is a quick, high-impact personal development podcast message about discipline, productivity, and doing what winning requires, not what feels impressive.

If you’re ready for a reset, press play, share this with someone who needs it, and subscribe so you don’t miss the Thursday drops. After you listen, leave a review and tell us what excuse you’re done negotiating with.

Our team will choose random (but timely) episodes from our previous three seasons (which are our most popular ever!) to share with our listeners during the slower parts of a long podcast season. We think you will enjoy them! Thanks for listening!

Coffee aficionados and Health Conscious listeners, our show has some new sponsors and they’re offering you the best discounts their stores have. Links are below. Start saving now!

Quantum Squares: Support the show

Are you a guest with a message of hope and faith, overcome tragedy and addiction, creativity, invention, or you just have questions about society and culture? The “They Can Me Mista Yu” brand of podcasts is looking for guests!

Book your interview today: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/theycallmemistayu

Give the shows a listen: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/they-call-me-mista-yu/id1535535535

Faith. Society & Culture. Your Inspirational Stories. Mental Health. Entrepreneurship. We talk about what matters to you! 

Join Mista Yu across our shows:

🎙 Inspiration Station

🎙 They Call Me Mista Yu

🎙 One on One With Mista Yu

🎙 The Men’s Roundtable Series / MRTS Interview Spotlight

If you would like to support the show, here’s how you can do that: https://www.patreon.com/cw/theycallmemistayu and https://buymeacoffee.com/theycallmemistayu 

Have a question or thought for Mista Yu? Text or leave a voicemail for the show and he’ll answer it personally on the Inspiration Station or They Call Me Mista Yu. With your Permission, We'll even play your message live on the air!

The fantasy of making it in music often sounds like freedom: do what you want, get what you want, live like the rules don’t apply. We dig into the darker side of that “blank check” moment, when fast success turns into constant access to alcohol and drugs, and the line between celebration and substance abuse disappears. Our conversation stays honest about how quickly things can slide when you’re young, surrounded by heavy partiers, and still finding your limits. 

We unpack the personal cost of an alcohol spiral, including the gut-punch reality that addiction doesn’t always look dramatic at first it can look like simply staying out later than everyone else and never feeling satisfied. There’s also the career fallout: a band breaking up, a label pivoting to a solo deal, and the pressure to keep going while things are already unraveling. If you care about addiction recovery stories, mental health in the music industry, and what sobriety really demands, you’ll find a lot to sit with here. 

The most grounding part is the turning point: getting married young, looking at the mess head-on, and deciding to quit drinking cold turkey. We talk about why support systems matter, how values shape choices, and what “good years” can look like when you finally remove the thing that keeps taking more than it gives. If this resonates, subscribe for more real conversations, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review with the boundary that helped you most.

Our team will choose random (but timely) episodes from our previous three seasons (which are our most popular ever!) to share with our listeners during the slower parts of a long podcast season. We think you will enjoy them! Thanks for listening!

Coffee aficionados and Health Conscious listeners, our show has some new sponsors and they’re offering you the best discounts their stores have. Links are below. Start saving now!

Quantum Squares: Support the show

Are you a guest with a message of hope and faith, overcome tragedy and addiction, creativity, invention, or you just have questions about society and culture? The “They Can Me Mista Yu” brand of podcasts is looking for guests!

Book your interview today: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/theycallmemistayu

Give the shows a listen: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/they-call-me-mista-yu/id1535535535

Faith. Society & Culture. Your Inspirational Stories. Mental Health. Entrepreneurship. We talk about what matters to you! 

Join Mista Yu across our shows:

🎙 Inspiration Station

🎙 They Call Me Mista Yu

🎙 One on One With Mista Yu

🎙 The Men’s Roundtable Series / MRTS Interview Spotlight

If you would like to support the show, here’s how you can do that: https://www.patreon.com/cw/theycallmemistayu and https://buymeacoffee.com/theycallmemistayu 

Have a question or thought for Mista Yu? Text or leave a voicemail for the show and he’ll answer it personally on the Inspiration Station or They Call Me Mista Yu. With your Permission, We'll even play your message live on the air!

A record deal can feel like proof you finally matter. For Ezra Vancil, it also became a fast track to blackout nights, broken trust, and a life that kept shrinking under addiction.

We talk with Ezra, a Texas singer-songwriter and creative entrepreneur, about growing up in a traveling gospel family and moving more than 30 times before his preteens. That constant reset shaped his identity, his relationships, and his early experience of faith. Then the music industry arrived all at once: studio sessions, Los Angeles attention, and the kind of access that can turn alcohol from a weekend habit into a daily escape. Ezra shares what it felt like when music and drinking became tied together, and what finally made him admit he could not live like that anymore.

From there, the conversation turns to sobriety and marriage recovery. Ezra walks us through his rock-bottom moment, a prayer with no bargaining, and the decision to return to a 12-step meeting he once hated. We also dig into what it takes to rebuild a relationship after years of damage, including a hard-earned lesson: love someone deeply without rescuing them from consequences. Along the way, we hit practical discipline too, including a simple way to stop hitting snooze when you want morning routines to stick.

We end with the creative comeback: Ezra’s Americana music roots, writing and performing with his daughter, and the story behind his “Morning And Midnight” project, built as two sides of one life. If you care about addiction recovery, mental health, faith, and the real cost of the music business, this one stays with you. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.

Our team will choose random (but timely) episodes from our previous three seasons (which are our most popular ever!) to share with our listeners during the slower parts of a long podcast season. We think you will enjoy them! Thanks for listening!

Coffee aficionados and Health Conscious listeners, our show has some new sponsors and they’re offering you the best discounts their stores have. Links are below. Start saving now!

Quantum Squares: Support the show

Are you a guest with a message of hope and faith, overcome tragedy and addiction, creativity, invention, or you just have questions about society and culture? The “They Can Me Mista Yu” brand of podcasts is looking for guests!

Book your interview today: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/theycallmemistayu

Give the shows a listen: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/they-call-me-mista-yu/id1535535535

Faith. Society & Culture. Your Inspirational Stories. Mental Health. Entrepreneurship. We talk about what matters to you! 

Join Mista Yu across our shows:

🎙 Inspiration Station

🎙 They Call Me Mista Yu

🎙 One on One With Mista Yu

🎙 The Men’s Roundtable Series / MRTS Interview Spotlight

If you would like to support the show, here’s how you can do that: https://www.patreon.com/cw/theycallmemistayu and https://buymeacoffee.com/theycallmemistayu 

Have a question or thought for Mista Yu? Text or leave a voicemail for the show and he’ll answer it personally on the Inspiration Station or They Call Me Mista Yu. With your Permission, We'll even play your message live on the air!

What if the problem isn’t a lack of answers but a lack of alignment. We dig into why coaching matters more than ever in 2026, not as a luxury but as the structure that turns information into direction and ambition into sustainable results. Access has exploded—AI tools, feeds, and endless content—but clarity shrinks when no one helps filter choices, challenge assumptions, or hold a steady bar when motivation fades.

We speak directly to leaders, entrepreneurs, and coaches who feel the weight of performance and the drift of distraction. Growth without guidance takes longer, costs more, and quietly lowers your ceiling. That’s why elite performers stay coached: not to fix weakness, but to refine strength, protect discipline, and keep mission sharp under pressure. We unpack the traps of echo chambers, the danger of being the strongest voice in your circle, and the hidden tax of living without consistent accountability. Along the way, we separate identity from performance, reconnect values with vision, and show how purpose turns raw productivity into progress that actually matters.

Expect a candid challenge: if you lead, who leads you. If you coach, who coaches you. We break down practical ways coaching restores focus amid burnout, overload, and isolation—through clear standards, unbiased feedback, and rhythms that outlast mood or quotes on a feed. By the end, you’ll have a sharper lens for deciding what to pursue, what to decline, and how to build momentum that sticks. If you’re ready to replace noise with clarity and effort with impact, press play, subscribe, and leave a review to tell us who’s coaching you and how you plan to raise your standards this week.

Support the show

Are you a guest with a message of hope and faith, overcome tragedy and addiction, creativity, invention, or you just have questions about society and culture? The “They Can Me Mista Yu” brand of podcasts is looking for guests!

Book your interview today: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/theycallmemistayu

Give the shows a listen: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/they-call-me-mista-yu/id1535535535

Faith. Society & Culture. Your Inspirational Stories. Mental Health. Entrepreneurship. We talk about what matters to you! 

Join Mista Yu across our shows:

🎙 Inspiration Station

🎙 They Call Me Mista Yu

🎙 One on One With Mista Yu

🎙 The Men’s Roundtable Series / MRTS Interview Spotlight

If you would like to support the show, here’s how you can do that: https://www.patreon.com/cw/theycallmemistayu and https://buymeacoffee.com/theycallmemistayu 

Have a question or thought for Mista Yu? Text or leave a voicemail for the show and he’ll answer it personally on the Inspiration Station or They Call Me Mista Yu. With your Permission, We'll even play your message live on the air!

They Call Me Mista Yu is back, and I’m not easing into it. If you’ve been putting in effort but still feel like you’re losing ground, I’m going straight to the real issue: you might be negotiating with your excuses. Not the obvious ones, either, the polished, reasonable-sounding lines we repeat when we do not want to face the standard required to actually win. We talk about why tired is not the same as effective, why the world does not owe us anything for “trying,” and why progress always leaves receipts.

I break down a simple productivity and mindset reset that has helped me: stop measuring your growth in months and years and start measuring it in 24 hours. What did you do today that moved the needle in your business, your career, your creative work, your ministry, your health, your relationships? Activity is easy to fake. Execution is not. We also go deeper on the stories we tell ourselves, because your story can fuel you, but it cannot become your shield. When your identity is built around struggle, you can stay comfortable while staying stuck.

Then I pull a lesson from sports that hits way beyond sports: Tom Brady as the 199th pick who still prepared like his job was never secure. That is the difference between a winner and someone who only wants the highlight. We close with hard questions you can use as a personal audit and I share how you can jump on the show to talk sports, politics, or pop culture, plus ways to support the podcast if you want to.

Subscribe for new Thursday drops, share this with a friend who needs a mirror check, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What’s the excuse you’re done negotiating with today?

Our team will choose random (but timely) episodes from our previous three seasons (which are our most popular ever!) to share with our listeners during the slower parts of a long podcast season. We think you will enjoy them! Thanks for listening!

Coffee aficionados and Health Conscious listeners, our show has some new sponsors and they’re offering you the best discounts their stores have. Links are below. Start saving now!

Quantum Squares: Support the show

Are you a guest with a message of hope and faith, overcome tragedy and addiction, creativity, invention, or you just have questions about society and culture? The “They Can Me Mista Yu” brand of podcasts is looking for guests!

Book your interview today: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/theycallmemistayu

Give the shows a listen: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/they-call-me-mista-yu/id1535535535

Faith. Society & Culture. Your Inspirational Stories. Mental Health. Entrepreneurship. We talk about what matters to you! 

Join Mista Yu across our shows:

🎙 Inspiration Station

🎙 They Call Me Mista Yu

🎙 One on One With Mista Yu

🎙 The Men’s Roundtable Series / MRTS Interview Spotlight

If you would like to support the show, here’s how you can do that: https://www.patreon.com/cw/theycallmemistayu and https://buymeacoffee.com/theycallmemistayu 

Have a question or thought for Mista Yu? Text or leave a voicemail for the show and he’ll answer it personally on the Inspiration Station or They Call Me Mista Yu. With your Permission, We'll even play your message live on the air!

Movement can be addictive. You switch jobs, change circles, chase a fresh start, and it feels like progress because everything is new. But if the results don’t change, the problem may not be the environment. It may be the execution. We dig into the uncomfortable gap between staying busy and actually growing, then zoom in on the one lever that changes everything: raising your standard.

We use college football as a real-time case study. With NIL money exploding and the transfer portal offering constant exits, it’s easier than ever to look for the simplest path to a starting role and a higher NFL draft outlook. We also talk through the business side of the NFL, including injury risk and why veterans fight so hard for guaranteed money. The point isn’t to criticize athletes for taking opportunities. It’s to highlight how fast incentives can test discipline, focus, and long-term development.

Then we bring it home to everyday life and career growth. When should you pivot because your role is truly limiting you, and when are you just chasing convenience? We share a practical mindset for making moves with intention: audit your habits, tighten your execution, and stop outsourcing responsibility to a “new situation.” If you’ve ever felt stretched at work and mistook it for aggravation, you’ll recognize yourself in this conversation.

If this hits, subscribe, share it with a friend who’s mid-pivot, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What’s one standard you’re ready to raise this week?

Our team will choose random (but timely) episodes from our previous three seasons (which are our most popular ever!) to share with our listeners during the slower parts of a long podcast season. We think you will enjoy them! Thanks for listening!

Coffee aficionados and Health Conscious listeners, our show has some new sponsors and they’re offering you the best discounts their stores have. Links are below. Start saving now!

Quantum Squares: Support the show

Are you a guest with a message of hope and faith, overcome tragedy and addiction, creativity, invention, or you just have questions about society and culture? The “They Can Me Mista Yu” brand of podcasts is looking for guests!

Book your interview today: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/theycallmemistayu

Give the shows a listen: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/they-call-me-mista-yu/id1535535535

Faith. Society & Culture. Your Inspirational Stories. Mental Health. Entrepreneurship. We talk about what matters to you! 

Join Mista Yu across our shows:

🎙 Inspiration Station

🎙 They Call Me Mista Yu

🎙 One on One With Mista Yu

🎙 The Men’s Roundtable Series / MRTS Interview Spotlight

If you would like to support the show, here’s how you can do that: https://www.patreon.com/cw/theycallmemistayu and https://buymeacoffee.com/theycallmemistayu 

Have a question or thought for Mista Yu? Text or leave a voicemail for the show and he’ll answer it personally on the Inspiration Station or They Call Me Mista Yu. With your Permission, We'll even play your message live on the air!

Tired of rooms that feel like pitch parades instead of places to grow? We dig into why so many online communities are losing their soul and how a give‑first culture can revive trust, depth, and momentum. Drawing on the 1% rule and years of community leadership, we unpack the subtle ways transactional habits creep in—polished bios, perfect lighting, endless links—and the real cost they carry: burnout for leaders, shallow conversations, and relationships that fade just when they should strengthen.

We also speak directly to leaders and moderators who want healthier ecosystems. Clear norms beat vague hopes: highlight service over volume, limit pitch zones, and make it simple to ask for help and easier to offer it. Communities mirror the character of their members, so we challenge you to audit your week—where did you add value with no strings attached? If you’re craving a space that sharpens you, not just sells to you, we introduce a new community built for leaders who want to give, grow, and elevate one another with integrity and sustainable influence.

If this resonates, tap follow, leave a five‑star review on Apple Podcasts, and share your story with us. Ready to model the alternative to transactional networking? Join us, subscribe, and tell a friend who’s been searching for a room that actually builds people.

Support the show

Are you a guest with a message of hope and faith, overcome tragedy and addiction, creativity, invention, or you just have questions about society and culture? The “They Can Me Mista Yu” brand of podcasts is looking for guests!

Book your interview today: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/theycallmemistayu

Give the shows a listen: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/they-call-me-mista-yu/id1535535535

Faith. Society & Culture. Your Inspirational Stories. Mental Health. Entrepreneurship. We talk about what matters to you! 

Join Mista Yu across our shows:

🎙 Inspiration Station

🎙 They Call Me Mista Yu

🎙 One on One With Mista Yu

🎙 The Men’s Roundtable Series / MRTS Interview Spotlight

If you would like to support the show, here’s how you can do that: https://www.patreon.com/cw/theycallmemistayu and https://buymeacoffee.com/theycallmemistayu 

Have a question or thought for Mista Yu? Text or leave a voicemail for the show and he’ll answer it personally on the Inspiration Station or They Call Me Mista Yu. With your Permission, We'll even play your message live on the air!

We're so excited about the return of our flagship and the most popular show on our brand. This podcast is rising higher every week and is still among the 5% of all the podcasts globally. That's a testament to our listeners and watchers so thank you for riding with us for so many years! Grateful to be back!

You can feel busy, drained, and still be losing ground. That’s the uncomfortable truth we put on the table as They Call Me Mista Yu returns to the mic as the flagship show and gets back to what made it special: real talk about life, sports, culture, and the mindset it takes to win when nobody is handing you anything.

We go straight at the question most people avoid asking themselves: why haven’t you won yet. The answer isn’t that you lack talent or information. It’s that you keep negotiating with your excuses. We break down the difference between being tired and being effective, why “trying” becomes a trap, and how standards matter more than motivation. If you’re an entrepreneur, a business leader, a coach, a creator, or just someone serious about personal growth, this is a direct blueprint for discipline and execution.

A big turning point is learning to measure progress in 24 hour increments. Not next month. Not next year. Today. What did you do in the last day that moved the needle toward your goals? We also talk about the danger of getting attached to your struggle story. Your story is real, but it can’t become your shield. Winners don’t build an identity around being misunderstood. They build habits, structure, and non negotiables.

We close with a powerful example from Tom Brady’s career and a set of reflection questions that expose where you tolerate mediocrity and where your habits don’t match your desired results. If this hit home, subscribe, share this with a friend who needs a reset, and leave a review with the one excuse you’re done negotiating with.

Our team will choose random (but timely) episodes from our previous three seasons (which are our most popular ever!) to share with our listeners during the slower parts of a long podcast season. We think you will enjoy them! Thanks for listening!

Coffee aficionados and Health Conscious listeners, our show has some new sponsors and they’re offering you the best discounts their stores have. Links are below. Start saving now!

Quantum Squares: Support the show

Are you a guest with a message of hope and faith, overcome tragedy and addiction, creativity, invention, or you just have questions about society and culture? The “They Can Me Mista Yu” brand of podcasts is looking for guests!

Book your interview today: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/theycallmemistayu

Give the shows a listen: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/they-call-me-mista-yu/id1535535535

Faith. Society & Culture. Your Inspirational Stories. Mental Health. Entrepreneurship. We talk about what matters to you! 

Join Mista Yu across our shows:

🎙 Inspiration Station

🎙 They Call Me Mista Yu

🎙 One on One With Mista Yu

🎙 The Men’s Roundtable Series / MRTS Interview Spotlight

If you would like to support the show, here’s how you can do that: https://www.patreon.com/cw/theycallmemistayu and https://buymeacoffee.com/theycallmemistayu 

Have a question or thought for Mista Yu? Text or leave a voicemail for the show and he’ll answer it personally on the Inspiration Station or They Call Me Mista Yu. With your Permission, We'll even play your message live on the air!

Control is the story a lot of us tell ourselves until life proves we never had it. I sit down with Bill Derrick, president of Derrick Companies and author of Restored by the Storm, to unpack what real leadership looks like when the ground shifts under your feet and your pride wants you to pretend everything is fine.

We start with the Great Recession and what it did to Bill’s construction and land development business, his decision-making, and his identity as a provider. He shares the humbling lesson that hard work doesn’t guarantee success, and how that realization changed the way he leads at work and shows up at home. If you’ve ever felt financial pressure, carried stress in silence, or struggled to talk to your spouse about uncertainty, you’ll hear language for those moments and a better definition of “being in control.”

Then the conversation turns to Bill’s health journey with multiple myeloma, a non-curable blood cancer. We talk about treatments, fatigue, and the surprising leadership growth that comes from delegating, building systems, and letting trusted people step up. We also dig into faith, community support, prayer, and why opening up through tools like CaringBridge can be an act of strength, not weakness.

We close with a straight talk challenge for men: stop dragging around excess luggage that doesn’t matter, pursue legacy over money, and embrace the storm as training that can make you better if you let it. Subscribe, share this with a man you care about, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.

Our team will choose random (but timely) episodes from our previous three seasons (which are our most popular ever!) to share with our listeners during the slower parts of a long podcast season. We think you will enjoy them! Thanks for listening!

Coffee aficionados and Health Conscious listeners, our show has some new sponsors and they’re offering you the best discounts their stores have. Links are below. Start saving now!

Quantum Squares: Support the show

Support Mista Yu and The Mission:

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theycallmemistayu?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator

Buy Me A Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/theycallmemistayu

Have a question or thought for Mista Yu? Text or leave a voicemail for the show and he’ll answer it personally on the Inspiration Station or They Call Me Mista Yu. With your Permission, We'll even play your message live on the air!

Tom Brady wasn’t drafted as a savior. He was drafted 199th, almost at the bottom of the NFL Draft, after hours of waiting while other names came first. That single detail carries a bigger lesson than sports: what you do with a “low rank” can shape your entire career.

We dig into the underdog mindset behind elite performance and why long-term winning often has less to do with being the most talented and more to do with staying relentless. The real edge is refusing entitlement, treating doubt as fuel, and showing up like you still have something to prove. If you’ve ever felt overlooked at work, late to the game, underestimated by a team, or stuck rebuilding your confidence, this story hits close because it turns rejection into a practical framework.

Along the way, we connect the draft-day waiting game to everyday life: the projects that take longer than expected, the goals that require uncomfortable patience, and the moments where quitting feels rational. The takeaway is simple and hard: control your effort, sharpen your habits, and keep your standards high even when nobody is clapping. That’s resilience, leadership, and growth mindset rolled into one.

If this lit a fire, subscribe, share it with someone who needs momentum, and leave a review with the “199th pick” moment you’re turning into drive.

Our team will choose random (but timely) episodes from our previous three seasons (which are our most popular ever!) to share with our listeners during the slower parts of a long podcast season. We think you will enjoy them! Thanks for listening!

Coffee aficionados and Health Conscious listeners, our show has some new sponsors and they’re offering you the best discounts their stores have. Links are below. Start saving now!

Quantum Squares: Support the show

Are you a guest with a message of hope and faith, overcome tragedy and addiction, creativity, invention, or you just have questions about society and culture? The “They Can Me Mista Yu” brand of podcasts is looking for guests!

Book your interview today: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/theycallmemistayu

Give the shows a listen: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/they-call-me-mista-yu/id1535535535

Faith. Society & Culture. Your Inspirational Stories. Mental Health. Entrepreneurship. We talk about what matters to you! 

Join Mista Yu across our shows:

🎙 Inspiration Station

🎙 They Call Me Mista Yu

🎙 One on One With Mista Yu

🎙 The Men’s Roundtable Series / MRTS Interview Spotlight

If you would like to support the show, here’s how you can do that: https://www.patreon.com/cw/theycallmemistayu and https://buymeacoffee.com/theycallmemistayu