193: Break Through Limiting Beliefs and Chase Your Purpose with Mark Crandall

Hi, I'm Natalie Jill, fat loss expert turned high performance coach. When odds are stacked against us, how do we shift and create everything from nothing? How do we level up when we aren't feeling it yet or we've had a big setback? On this podcast, I'll be talking to some of the most inspiring and courageous men and women on this planet who at their worst learned how to achieve success greater than they ever dreamed possible. Leveling up and creating everything from nothing. Mark Crandall was once a very lost, angry and confused little boy. But could you blame him? Taken by the state at just the age of three from his abusive, cocaine addicted biological mother, he grew into his teens with a tremendous amount of limiting beliefs. Stealing from people and businesses, addicted to drugs, homeless. He had done two years in county jail and found himself in prison by the age of 20. After being told that he was disgraced to his adoptive family and to change his last name, he finally hit a rock bottom. Today, Mark's pain has become his purpose. He went back to school, became a therapist, and today Mark Crandall is a keynote speaker, author of Embrace youe Pain, Win youn Future, host of the Purpose Chasers podcast, and founder of Perp and Chasers Community and Academy. And he's the co founder of Purpose and movement mastermind. In 2015, Mark left his career as a therapist to use his drug addicted criminal past coupled with a traumatic childhood to help thousands of people reinvent themselves. Since that time, Mark has built multiple six figure businesses and and has become a highly sought after business and marketing consultant. Join in today and learn exactly how Mark Crandall leveled up and created everything from nothing. Today I've got Mark Crandall here. I'm excited to talk with you Mark, because he empowers individuals, he says to complete what it is that they want to complete in their life. And he himself has built multiple six figure businesses. He's super successful now but. But I know that's not always who he was. He's got quite a colorful past. Mark, thanks so much for being here today.

Natalie, thanks for having me on.

So Mark, take us back. Like who were you before you were this big successful person that helps others with their dreams. Like who were you before?

I was a lost, angry, confused little boy that was searching for internal relief which led to all kinds of what society would view negative consequences. Just to give you some more dialogue for your listeners, I was taken by the state at 3 years old and my mother, who was addicted to cocaine and alcohol at the time, nearly drowned my sister in a bathtub, and my grandmother called the state. And after they took my sister, who had cerebral palsy, my mother actually kidnapped me and took me to New York. So the state had to come find me in New York to bring me to my foster family and who would become my adopted family. So from a very young age, I started to develop these limiting beliefs and kind of this victim mentality of the world is this messed up place, and I'm just here to be its pawn. And I say that to kind of give some context to what, you know, what unfolded for me later. But, I mean, that led to me just being an angry, lost youth.

I can completely imagine. I can't imagine how it wouldn't bring you to that. Do you remember being three and that stuff happening?

I remember. Yeah, I remember. I actually remember, believe it or not. And some people. Some people have been like, you can't remember that? And I'm like, I'm telling you, I do. I remember her getting the phone call from the state in New York. I was sitting at the table eating fruity pebbles, and I had just found a snake in the yard. And so I remember that call. There's, you know, the first visitation that I had with her was like the traumatic memory that really stands out in my brain. And that's when I was handcuffed and locked in a closet. My sister was thrown down the steps. And that was the last. I think that was the last visit we had with my bio mom until I was probably. At the time, I was probably 6.

You were handcuffed at age 6 or you're remembering her being handcuffed?

No, she handcuffed me and put me in the closet.

Oh, your mom did that to you?

Yeah.

Whoa. So, gosh, as a kid. I'm just trying to wrap my brain around that as a kid. Like, because you love your mom unconditionally when you're a kid, like, you don't see that, I would imagine you don't think of them as doing anything, anything wrong. Do you remember thinking like, this isn't right. Do you remember, or did you blame yourself? What was going on through your mind when that stuff was happening?

So it's hard to say because I've done so much introspective work now to be, you know, because my mindset around my childhood is like night and day from what it used to be. But I just remember being so angry and lost and confused because I just wanted my mom. I mean, even to this day, I was thinking about it yesterday. I mean, yesterday, the Time of this recording was Mother's Day, right?

Yeah.

Thinking about it, do I wish her a happy Mother's Day and thank her for bringing me into the world? And I was really sitting with it because I now have a son and I don't want him to know her. But at the time I remember it was just like anger. It was anger. And she didn't even allow me the opportunity to voice that anger to her at that age because I went back to my foster home and they reaped the rewards of my frustration and anger.

Totally. Yeah. Foster parents are special type of person, for sure. Many of them, yeah.

Yes, they are.

Sue, do you. That is when you look back now and have you cleared this with your mom at all? I know you said you don't want your son to have her in your life, and you've done a lot of work yourself. Have you ever had a conversation with her about that? Does she have empathy around it? Does she realize or is that something. Something that she doesn't grasp?

No, I don't know what she grasped. So I've had two conversations with both my bio mom and father, and the first was a part of the amends process in recovery, which we'll get into. And so I sat down to them and I made amends for all of my behaviors. And the follow up to both of those conversations was they wanted to make amends to me for their behaviors. And there was a lot of back and forth where my mom was saying, my dad did this, my dad was saying, my mom did that. But I voiced it, and I voiced it to both of them that I love you. I just don't want to have a relationship with you. I have gratitude for you bringing me into the world, but every time I showed up in their lives, Natalie, it was like, I just want to know this mom that I see on tv. Right? Like, I want to know that. But it was never there. And I just kept trying to force it and getting hurt and force it and getting hurt.

Totally.

Same with my. Same with my father and I. My father and I have a text message relationship now or checks in about once a month. And that's the extent of our relationship.

You know, Mark, it's. It's. I've known enough people in my life to have a lot of compassion for people that are even criminals, drug addicts, because I see that little boy in them. Like, I. As I'm talking to you, it's a familiar story. Like, I don't believe people intentionally set out to be criminals or set out to be. Have a drug problem. I think everyone is searching for love and security and certainty and happiness and these things. And it's. There is that little boy in everybody that is just looking for that, that love. That's what. That's what I see. When you think back to the road that you personally went down, what was that? What created that? Was that you escaping? Was it a way to feel good? What. What did that to you? Like, what drew you to the life that you sort of. You stepped into and chose before?

Yeah, it was. I remember the first time I smoked a joint, right? Like, I clearly remember it, and, like, all the internal dialogue went away. And so what do you mean by internal dialogue?

What do you mean by that?

All of the screaming, the monkeys throwing banana in my head, right? Like, so, you know, today it's a different dialogue and, you know, which is like, oh, you're in quarantine, but you're not working out as hard as you were when you were doing CrossFit. So you're fat. So because you're fat, you might as well eat Ben and Jerry's, right? Like in just like the monkeys that just, like, back and forth. But, you know, at that time, it was. There was anger, frustration, and at that point, I'd made a lot of life choices that created this regret inside of me. And there was shame and guilt. And in this victim mentality of, like, at that time, I was operating from. If the world had handed you the cards that I was dealt, you would act the way that I do, so there was no responsibility being taken. And so when I remember the first time I got stoned and it was like, all that calmed down, and I was joking and laughing, and there was no. It was like the monkeys took a nap, right? And I was still awake, and before I knew, had a hold of me. And it led to a heroin addiction and then my first incarceration. And then it just.

How does it go? Because a lot of people would say, well, gosh, marijuana is legal now, and it doesn't lead to that. Talk from your terms on why. How that can actually lead to that. Like, how did you go from marijuana and a joint to heroin?

Yeah, and there are people that can. That can. Absolutely. I mean, I have friends that, you know, I have one of my business partners, like Steve Mushrooms, and have spiritual experiences or, you know, smoking and relax. For me, it was more of. I was doing it to relieve this internal suffering. So there was this chaos inside of my. Inside of my chest, inside of my head that didn't stop and when I ingested substances, the voices stopped. And so it was an escape versus.

Like a creative thing. It was like you were using as an escape. Okay.

Yeah. And what happened for me, Escape that I want, as you put it, that I once got the relief that I got minimized the more I did that substance. So then I remember calling, and at the time, I was like, I was a drug. I was smoking weed like a drug addict, right. Like, I just. It was non stop. I called, I called my weed dealer and I said, hey, you know, I'm out. Can I come over? And he's like, yeah, I don't have any. Any weed, but I have something better. And of course, I drove to his house and at 18 years old, I did two bags of heroin. And that's.

Whoa. Yeah. And did you have any. Did you have a conversation in your mind that this is wrong, I shouldn't be doing this, this is dangerous, or was it you that that pain is so great that you just wanted to escape it?

Yeah, all that stuff's there. I mean, all the shame, guilt, and remorse was there. But there's just this. I just. I like the monkey. And Right. Like, one of my Buddhist Te used to. Used to say that the only way to quiet the monkeys is in the quiet. Right. But, like, they would not stop. And so it was just like, okay, shut my mind up or be shameful. You know, when I was stealing and lying and cheating people, I did not. I didn't want to steal from my adoptive parents. Right. Like, I didn't want to be doing that yet. There was this yearning inside to quiet the voices that just like, it didn't matter what got in front of me or what consequences were in place.

And so, yeah, I can. I've heard that it's a familiar story that you just want to, like, shut that brain off, stop that pain when somebody is. And I'm sorry, I'm asking a lot of questions here because there's a lot of people listening that either struggle with this or they have a kid that struggles with or somebody in their life, and I want to help them understand this. What would have stopped you or woken you up during that? Do you have any idea, like. Or was there nothing anyone could have said or done to you at that time?

There. There was nothing. And, you know, I know you read. Read my bio, but I'm also a licensed therapist and was conducting substance abuse interventions for a while. There was nothing there. There was absolutely nothing. My bottom came two years in prison.

So tell me about that. So what did you get arrested for? And how did that wake you up? Or how did you have that bottom moment in there?

Yeah, I was stealing from people. So my charges were burglary.

Like breaking into houses, stealing type of thing.

Yeah, well, businesses. It wasn't. It wasn't like you see on tv. I was more of a kind of a knucklehead criminal, if you will. Like, if I knew you were home, I wasn't going to come in.

Right.

If there was. At the time, I was homeless, so I was trying to feed myself as well as feed my addiction. So, yeah, I got arrested for burglary. It was the umpteenth time the judge had seen me and I had already done two different year sentences in county jail. And he told me the last time that he saw me, if I see you again, you're under prison. And so I went to prison and at. I think I was 20 years old in prison, which is not, you know, an environment for a 20 year old. And so. But I navigated well. I read a lot of books, I wrote a lot of poetry, I played cards, I tried to escape, and I was high the whole time I was in there.

And that's so interesting to me to hear that, because I know that's the thing. But like, I guess they find a way in prison too, to find. So if you have an addiction, it's like that doesn't go away.

No, no. It gets more expensive and you have to do weirder things.

Yeah.

To acquire them. Yeah. They're guards that bring drugs in for the inmates. I mean, the gangs run the prisons. Regardless of the prison that you're in, the gangs run it and there are guards that get paid off and then whatever, doesn't matter. We don't need to go down that route.

Yeah. But drugs still come in. So if you have an addiction, it's not like. So your fear wasn't, I'm not gonna be able to have access to drugs. It's like, you're gonna get them there. Now you have food to eat and a bed to sleep on.

Yeah. And so I had. When I was in county jail, I had written a treatment center to try to get in there because one of the other inmates told me that if I got into this treatment center that I wouldn't go to prison. So I wrote this treatment center to try to avoid going to prison. The judge said, you're going to prison and you're going to this treatment center. And so it was about two weeks from my release to go to this treatment center and I remember I was going to get high and I remember have, like, being. It was like an anxiety attack.

Okay.

Like, if you were to look it up in the dsm, which is for psychologists, it was an anxiety attack. And the. The thoughts that were racing through my head where you're about to get released back out into the world and you can't even stay sober in an environment in which you should be sober. Right? Like, that was what came into my head. And. And then everything just flashed before me, like my grandmother, my OMA saying, you know, if I made the paper again, she was going to disown me. My mom and. And father, my adopted parents, stating I wasn't allowed in their home anymore. My adopted brother came to one of my visit prisons and said, hey, dad said to change your last name while you're in here. He said, you're a disgrace to the family. And like, all of that stuff that I wasn't hearing before, you know, just rang and so I spent the next two weeks. I was sober for the next two weeks before I went to treatment. And then when I walked into the treatment center and I handed them my medications from prison, I said, please take them. And they're like, what do you mean? And I'm like, I don't want. I want to try this sober thing. I really, really. And then, you know, the. I wish there was an easier way to tell you, but I got connected to some individuals after being there for 11 months, and I was contemplating ending my life and getting high for 11 months in that treatment center, I got connected to some individuals that were doing some. Some serious spiritual work. And in the.

In the rehab. In the. Or in that. Okay.

Yeah. So there was. There was these five men and one. One woman who would come to the treatment center every Thursday night to bring a commitment. And no, none of the residents were going to this meeting, and they were all stating that they're in a cult. Stay away from them. And I just reached the point of. Right. Like, reach that place of, like, there's what. Like, there's no other. There's no other option. Like, it's this or I gotta check out. Because when I say check out, like, take my life. Like, I can't do this anymore. And I went to that meeting and I heard this man, Rob, speak. And he said, my name's Rob. I'm a recovered alcoholic. And he said, I have. I have a dog that I've never kicked, a wife that I've never cheated on, a car that's registered and inspected, a house that the mortgage is paid six months in advance. And I was like, whoa, yeah.

Sound like perfection. Yeah, Yeah.

I was like, man, I just learned if I don't brush my teeth, it's going to be very expensive to keep my teeth in my head. And yeah. So I asked that man to mentor me. And I had no idea at the time what it was going to turn into. And, you know, since that time, my release from prison was August 23, 2007, since that time, I've just been a practitioner of, you know, spiritual principles and personal development. And, you know, fitness is a huge part of my. Of my life and of my spiritual program.

And so, Mark, I have seen a theme with people. I know your situation is not the same as anyone else's, but in a situation where they come from the family story of abuse and then drug addiction and criminal activity, whatever it is, and then usually there's like one of four outcomes. I hear. One, it can get really bad and they end their life. That's. That's a possibility. Two, they stay in the system. Like, they keep out crime. Again, it's a repeat in that. And then the other two I see very frequently is either is a rock bottom spot. You hit a rock bottom and they wake up because of religion, or a rock bottom spot and they wake up because of some other deeper internal spiritual work. So I've seen this theme. What do you think it takes to get somebody to those last two stages? Because the first two are not great options. You know, those first two ending up dead or staying in the system is not the best option. How does somebody. Can you force getting to that place? Because there's so many powerful people now that hit that rock bottom and shine through religion or their own internal spiritual work. How do you get someone there?

Yeah, that's such a great question. I don't believe there is a way to get somebody there, but I believe that there are ways in which you can inhibit them getting there as quick as they can. And so a lot of the intervention work that I've done and still sometimes do, I don't do it. But I have this agreement with, with my higher power that if, if I'm called, I will show up, right? So there, you know, there's a dirty word called enabling. And you know, there, there are ways to prolong, like let's say you're my mother, right? And I'm like, hey, mom. Hey, mom. You know, I need 20 bucks for this and you know that I'm getting high, but yet you still give me the money. That's not helping.

You're, like, acting like, oh, I don't really know that's what it's for, but I'm just gonna. Cause I don't want to deal with.

Yeah, because I don't want to deal, and I don't want to call you out, and I don't want you getting mad at me, and I don't want you stealing from me. And, like, all the things that I was doing to my mom, and I remember this is when it all changed for me. It's amazing that you bring up. You bring that question up, because it all changed for me the day that I showed up to rehab. Although I was open to a solution. My mom turned around in the truck my stepfather was driving. She turned around to me in the truck and said, mark, you are not welcome in my home.

Wow.

If this doesn't work out, you need to find something else. Like, you're not welcome in my home. And I was like, oh, so the futon idea and the moving back to mom's idea, like, that was off the table. And I. There was a different. A different. There was a different tone. Right? Like, it was like, I knew she.

Was serious before she got serious with that. Did you just not care or you just. What was the. What was the. Like, did you. You must have known that you were hurting her or that they were trying to love you. Like, you. You must have, on some level, known that. Was it not caring or it was just too big of a pull?

You know, the more like. Like the. Like I was stating, the more shame and guilt that comes up. So, you know, let's say you were my mom, and if I was stealing from you, like, I don't want to be stealing from you. Like, you've done so much for me. Then the shame comes in. So then I need to consume more substances to blot out the shame and the guilt and remorse of all the things that I'm doing. And then I get caught in this. You know, I can't think about it. And I remember it right. So when people ask me today, they're like, because I have become successful, I just did air quotes for those of you who can't see. Right. Successful. Whatever that means to you in business. And people are like, well, what did you do? What did you want? Do you want the house and the wife and the son who's upstairs and his little bouncy house banging off the floor? No, no, no, I didn't want that. I thought I wanted all those things. All I ever wanted was to Be able to sleep at night. Like, all I ever wanted was to put my head on the pillow and not be like, oh, my God, I can't believe you did that to Natalie. I can't believe you did that to Justin. Or who. Like, I can't believe you did that. I can't believe you said that. No. Like, today I was granted just this toolbox of spiritual principles. And, like, I don't lie.

Mm.

If I don't want to do something, I tell somebody. No, I don't want to do that.

Mm.

Right. Like, and give you a real time example. Like, I have a client that I've been working with in the digital marketing company, and I've done a lot of work with her on course creation and funnel building and all the things. And, you know, she just posted a couple TikTok videos. And I have an email written right now that I'm waiting for my partners to agree on, and I'm terminating our agreement. And in the email, it says, I cannot represent somebody who would represent this as their brand. That's not why I took you on as a client.

Got it. Yeah. You're very clear now on what is a yes and what's a no. And there's no in between. Or escaping. I like that.

And I have to be. So I can sleep. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cut you off.

Yeah, no, it's okay. I get it. Yeah. How can you. I would love. I have two questions that I would love to get some insight on. First, the intervention process. I know you said that you only do that if you're called to that now, but I'm. I'm asking also for parents that might have this in their life or know people like that, what is the right or not right way to intervene and to. Do you recommend that method, like having an intervention for people? That's my first question.

I have never dropped this on a podcast. You're a really good interviewer. Hopefully you leave that in. So I created a podcast called addiction treatment 101. And there's no. I didn't put any marketing behind it. I literally created it. And there's 14 episodes, and I haven't done anything with it in a year and a half, but there's 14 episodes to educate families on the do's, the don'ts, the ins and the outs. And I created it. I created that podcast because the treatment industry is such a dark, twisted place, and I didn't want to see any more families get taken advantage of. So there's. There's that resource that I want to.

Share with you so they can find. It's called addiction treatment 101. Got it.

Yeah. If there's any families out there that are. That are struggling with. So the.

Yeah, go ahead.

Sorry, I didn't know. I didn't know if you wanted me to go in further on.

Yeah, no, I'd love to hear anything you want to share with that, because it's an important question.

So I. So I set this boundary with my biological father, and the boundary was like, I'm not willing to participate in your life any further than providing you with help for your addiction. And he's in denial. Right. But the. You know, when I'm working with families, it's. It's working with them to set the boundaries to protect themselves. And their whole focus has been on setting boundaries to protect their loved one, and they neglect themselves and beat themselves down. So the real work is setting boundaries to protect themselves. And I. Recently. It was right before we moved from Austin, I worked with this family, and one of the objections that we put in place was for them to do. To go on vacation. And their son was in treatment again for, like, the umpteenth time, and they booked a vacation, and I had them shut their phones down when they were on vacation. I was like, Your son is 25.

Yeah.

No, go be a couple. Go do things that couples do. And they did. And they came back and they said, you know, that was. This is super enlightening. And they've set boundaries, and they haven't actually utilized me since. And he's still. I think he's in a. I think he's in a halfway house now. But, yeah, I mean, it's. The focus needs to go on the family and really evaluate what you're doing that's hindering their life, even though you think it's helping them.

Yeah. Wow. That's really insightful. And I. And I've. I have been in a few situations in my life where I caught myself almost enabling that behavior, and it does sneak up on you. Like, you don't even. You wouldn't. I wouldn't have labeled it as enabling, but it is. Anytime I feel as a parent and a friend who's. Who's been in a situation similar with other people that just even being in that denial space ourselves, like. Like we know, but you're not admitting that, you know, that's enabling.

I think, in there, in the word enabling, in a lot of the addiction recovery space, it. It's. The definition of. It is to create shame within you. Like, is it. It's not like you. You have to. I just got goosebumps when I said that, like, you have to bring compassion to the family because they're suffering from their loved one's addiction. So I don't want to shame you and be like, natalie, you got to stop giving him money like, you're killing. That's not. Like. That's not helpful.

Yeah.

Like, you're doing it, and you're trying to express love in the only way that the individual who's suffering is receiving it.

Yeah. This is really helpful. How did you. Can you give us a little bit of a guideline for somebody who's maybe not religious or not spiritual? Like, what did you. Were there some general steps that. That helped you see a higher self? I myself, personally, have been on a lot of spiritual journeys, so I feel very connected to a higher power and very connected to purpose and source, and I've made a lot of sense of my life with that. And I'm curious from your perspective how that helped you get over addiction, change your life, and become this empowering person that's not in that life anymore.

Yeah. So I'll preface this by stating I'm like a coexist bumper sticker. I just. I don't. Yeah. I mean, maybe that's why I just. I, like, got giddy inside when you were explaining. I got wrapped up in religion, and religion just doesn't work for me.

Okay.

It doesn't work for me for the sense that I don't believe in another human's right to tell me that what I believe is wrong or right.

Got it.

Right. And so I've gone down. This sounds like a very similar path to you, and I look forward to actually talking with you about it on Thursday. But so what it was for me was it was really the power of good and the power of positive energy and the power of service. Right. And being honest. And there was all these principles, like my first higher power in treatment, and they said, you know, got to find a power greater than yourself was love and honesty, as I hated myself and all those around me, and I couldn't be truthful to save my life. So it's like, this power has to be greater than me because I want to be honest, yet I can't do it. So that. And then I remember the first meditation that I did in treatment, and it was a guided meditation, and we were envisioning that we were under a waterfall, and I remember the stillness that came inside of me, and it Was in that moment that I became addicted. It was like, I want more of this. I can. So it's essentially, for me, right. I love the spiritual junkie. Right. I love that phrase because I've become addicted to source, to higher power, to that internal feeling inside of, like, even right now with, you know, what's being presented to the world of, like, what an amazing opportunity. My wife and I are so connected, you know, and just. It just.

Yeah.

I became so consumed with focusing on the negative that when I was able to shift and I was given some direction, I just became addicted to it.

It's amazing. Yeah. That's incredible. And I feel. And I'm aligned with you completely on that. I. In. In terms of addiction and criminal behavior and all that, whether people find the religious route or the spiritual, I. I think whatever suits them is amazing. But those are so far, the only two things that I've really seen that can lift somebody out. It's almost like they have to see something greater than themselves. There has to be a higher existence than themselves, or I feel that they stay stuck in this pain. That's just from my experience on what I've seen with people. So talk to me about your family now and, like, how you are to your wife and to your son. Like, what do you want for them? And do you. This is gonna maybe sound like a strange question, but I'm super curious about this. Like, a lot of times things repeat patterns, right. In families. How do you interrupt that? Because you're a very different dad to your son. Like, do you have tendencies, or do you have to have that conversation with yourself? Like, how does that. How do you stand for being a great dad to your son with what.

You were raised for? Such a rugged question. I like you, Natalie. So, yeah, the patterns have showed up. And what I mean by that is, like, I have raised my voice, and that's objectionable to me. And I had to go seek accountability around that and increase my spiritual practices. And my wife and I talked about it, and she, you know, she amped up as well, because that's what she. You know, she comes from a, you know, and not the ideal television upbringing. And then, you know, there's this other side that I didn't even know was a thing where, like, if he whimpers, like, is everything okay? Is everything okay? Right. And that's not it either. Right. So there's this overcompensation for my bio parents not being there where I want to be there every single second. And I'm actually. It's funny that you bring this up. I'm actually doing some coaching around this now where I've recently. Since he's been born, I've raised my speaker fees, and I've turned three speaking opportunities down that were just a little bit below my new raised speaking fee. And I justified it because I raised my speaker fee. But one of my coaches was like, are you doing that because you want to get the money that you're worth? Are you doing that because you want to be there every second of your son's adolescence? And I was like, both. Is that wrong? So, yeah, there's been a lot of it. And I think the biggest piece not to rabbit hole on this, the biggest piece for me is I've done a lot of work, a lot of trauma healing, a lot of spiritual work around my bio parents. I remember little man was. His name's Mark as well, not junior, but. And I was sitting there with him, and he's probably four months old. It was before we moved from Austin, so maybe he was three months old. And I'm sitting there and I'm looking at him, and I started crying, and all the forgiveness had turned to sadness, and it was. And I remember looking at him, and my wife comes up to me and she goes, what? What's wrong? And I go, how could anyone walk away from this?

Yeah. Wow. Wow.

And, yeah, so, yeah, there's. Yeah. Amazing question. Yeah, yeah, it's there. And it's. You know, it's. That's what I love about the spiritual path and the work that we do is. It's. It's ever growing. It's never. I'm never going to be perfect. There's always going to be layers.

Do you feel that the pain you went through, the struggles you went through into your early 20s, was that for you to be able to take a stand and do what you do now?

Yes, 1000%. I believe that every card that was handed to me was a setup for the man that I'm supposed to be in this world. So I was painting and drywalling at the time, and I wanted to do something more. And I'm like two years, three years in recovery. And I'm sick of painting and drywalling. My back hurts. You know, I'm getting paid well. Yeah, better than. Better than the individuals that were working at the treatment center that I went to. And I had my own company, and I was sick of it. And I got guided in meditation to go to school. I had all these limiting beliefs, like, you're a high school dropout. You got your GED in prison. You're never going to be able to go to college and come to find out that's not true. And I applied and I got in and I went online because I didn't want people to know that I was stupid. And I got a 4.0. Then I was challenged to go to a face to face school, and I was going to a face to face school for human services, but I wanted to work in the field. And everyone had told me, you're not gonna be able to do that with six felonies on your record. Like, it's not possible. And so I applied and I got a job. And I was working as a runaway and homeless youth social worker. And I get bored really easy. Not sure if you can relate to it. I've followed you since Justin put me onto you, and I can.

I definitely get bored very easily. It's a struggle. Just for real. That's my story.

I can tell that you do. I can tell that you do as well. And. And I wanted to get. I wanted to. There was this position that opened. Opened up at the. It's a youth detention center in New Hampshire. And I wanted to get hired, but it was a state facility, and everyone said, you can't. I was like, yeah, I already told myself I can't. So I'm going to apply and see if that's true. And I got an interview, and I nailed the interview and got a second interview, and I got hired. And I worked there for about six months. And the News, the local newspaper, which is small time for New Hampshire, but it was a big newspaper, reached out. They wanted to interview me in the facility, and the governor said no. And so they printed this article. And I remember seeing it the Saturday night that it went live. It went live on the website, and it was Convicted Burglar Counsel's Youth. And I went to the store. I went to the store first thing in the morning. Like, just anxiety. Like, it's over. They found out I'm gonna have to go back to painting and drywalling. I've worked for all the student loan debt. It's all gone. And I picked up the paper and I read it in my car, and I went home, back to my wife. And I was crying. And she's like, she wasn't my wife at that point. We were engaged. And I was crying. She's like, what's wrong? And I was like, this article's so beautiful. She goes, what do you mean? She's like, I thought it was horrible. And I was like, it is, but it's so beautiful. She goes, what do you mean? And I was like, read the article. And she's like, okay. And she didn't get it. And I'm like, what a glimmer of hope that is for anyone out there that thinks their past is gonna determine their future.

Yeah.

There's nothing that you can't do. Like, I every. Like, I could talk on. On your show, your platform, for hours on all of the things that I was told that I couldn't do. But you. I had to jump through more hoops than other people, but it was achievable. Right. So I believe that everything has led to this.

That's amazing. I. And, you know, he's really interesting how society will do that. But, like, someone like you, who better to help people lift up and rise up from that than someone that's lived it? Because you've got too many people dictating and preaching that have never lived that type of life. They don't understand. So they just think it's a choice, you know, And I see this all the time with someone looking at somebody that has an addiction problem, judging. It's like. But they don't understand. That wasn't a. It wasn't like, just a choice. Nobody chooses. I'm going to become a drug addict. Like, that doesn't. That's not a choice. It's a. It's an escape. So kudos to you for you just to walk through that pain and now make that your purpose and share that with others, because I believe that's what connects you to others and what makes you a great speaker and coach and author is that you can relate and you can get on their level and interrupt it because you understand it.

Yeah. Yes. There are so many. And I'm going to air quote again for those of you listening. There are so many thought leaders and influencers out there that lack the depth to actually bring people to a place of transformation.

Yes. Yeah. And it's. There's this buzz around being authentic, and people try to be authentic. Like, I'm going to go on live without makeup. That's. That's not authentic. Authentic is sharing the. The crap that you're scared to death to share. It's the stuff that your hands are sweating before you post it. It's the walking into that is what makes somebody authentic. And that's what connects people to others, I believe.

Absolutely.

So tell us about what you do now and how you help others now, because I want people to follow you in all the places and find you because you're just such a wealth of knowledge with all of this. So talk to us about your main podcast and then what you do. How can someone coach with you all of the things?

Yeah, so what I do now, it's a long story, so. But I'm going to simplify it. So I was working as a therapist in Austin and I moved. You know, we flew to Austin for me to take a job after as soon as I completed grad school. And in Austin, I got connected to entrepreneurship. I had no clue what it was. And I met a man at a transformational workshop and he had this really intriguing life. And he's actually a business partner with me now in the digital marketing company. And he's like, what do you want to do? And I was like, I want to be an author and a speaker and I want to work with people not on a therapy level, but a positive psychology level and get them to reframe the dialogue in their head. And so I launched out and it's. What a trip it's been. I mean, you're further down the path than I am, but, like, this journey is so, so cool. I mean, it's. It's just been awesome. And, you know, the landing place was Purpose Chasers, which you can see, you know, behind me and on my shirt. And Purpose Chasers was individuals that have been called to take actions beyond what they believe that they're capable of taking. Right. And for me to use my story as a platform to empower individuals to do that. And it's funny. So Purpose Chasers podcast is. That's where I pour all of my stuff and you can find anything to do with me inside of that. And there's a new iteration, if you will, of the podcast. So season two is ending at episode 85, and you're actually coming on the new iteration, which is Heart Centered Hustlers.

Okay.

Which is. Yeah. Which is a URL that I've had for about two years now. And I couldn't figure out what to do with it.

Love it.

In the time that we're in right now where I truly believe that it's not the money that defines the man or the woman, it's how the money is made that defines the man or the woman. And that's the message that I really want to pour into, because making money has been given this really negative representation with all of these influencers and this laptop lifestyle that's out there that I really want to talk with individuals about how to make money and be authentic how to make money and be honest. And yeah, it's crazy what my life has turned into, but Purpose Chasers is my community. It's not my community. It's a community that I founded that's taken a life of its own. And it's individuals that are seeking to do what they've been called to do and not listening to what their head's telling them.

That's so cool. I love it all. And then are you on social? What's your main social media platform? Where can people find you there?

Facebook and Instagram. Instagram I'm not good at at all. Facebook's where I do a lot of my connecting but hepurposechasers awesome at the purposechasers.

Thank you so much. This was super helpful today. Mark. Thank you.

Yeah, thanks for having me.

Thanks for leveling up with us today. Please share this episode if you found it helpful so others can join in. And don't forget to hit that subscribe so you don't miss out on future shows. And if you would leave me a five star review. I appreciate those so much. I read all of them and it's how I know that I'm giving you information that you find valuable and come interact with me over on Instagram at Natalie Jill Fit. I read all the direct messages and comments over there. Make it a great day. Creating everything from nothing.