094: Aaron Martinez: Breaking the Cycle of Drug Addiction in his Family

Dr. Glenn Livingston is not only a psychologist, but he's an author of several books. Glenn reveals how he lost 80 pounds, he shares other adversities he's lived through, including depression, he fell into severe debt, had been hit by a drunk driver and suffered from health issues. But after overcoming these challenges, he now has a different perspective.  In this interview, we focus a bit on one of his more recent books, 45 Binge Trigger Busters.  We talk about some common triggers that oftentimes gets us into binge mode and how we can overcome them. Mentioned in this episode: NeverBingeAgain.com  

Welcome to The Inspire Cafe podcast, where we bring you conversations and inspirational stories of people overcoming adversity or setbacks, and then how they came out it transformed with a positive outlook or outcome.  People are incredibly courageous and resilient, and we need to hear more of their stories.... 

Greg Zakowicz has an all-too-common story.  As a young man, he graduated from college but struggled to make ends meet working in his career of choice. So what to do?  Greg shares how he struggled financially, emotionally and mentally, and explains how his journey ultimately ended up in a good place... He's now a Senior Commerce Marketing Analyst at Oracle. He gives some great tips for not only career change and situational improvement, but also what helped him to not give up.  Others now seek out Greg's advice about career change or development.  You can also check out his podcast, The Commerce Marketer Podcast.

Twenty-seven-year-old Chris Norton, co-wrote a book with his wife, Emily, called The Seven Longest Yards: Our Love Story of Pushing the Limits While Learning From Each Other. They recount the journey of their developing relationship after Chris' tragic accident. In 2010 when he was just 20, Chris suffered a severe injury while playing college football. In an instant, he became a quadriplegic where doctors said he had a 3 percent chance of ever moving or feeling anything below his neck, let alone ever walk again. You may find it astonishing to hear, but Chris says he's never experienced depression, even after his accident. In this interview, Chris talks about what helped him get through his recovery and how he never gave up.  He also talks about why he says his accident was a blessing.  Since the accident, Chris has accomplished two of his great goals. First, he walked 3 yards across the stage at his graduation. And, second, he walked his bride, Emily, 7 yards down the aisle at their wedding.  Through the Chris Norton Foundation that he started while still in college, they've already raised close to $1 million dollars to help patients get the treatment they couldn't afford otherwise. And since they got married, Chris and Emily have become foster parents and also adopted 5 girls. Chris also shares how it came that Tim Tebow wrote the forward in his new book! You won't want to miss this interview! Mentioned in this episode: ChrisNorton.org 7 Yards Film The Seven Longest Yards: Our Love Story of Pushing the Limits While Learning From Each Other If you enjoy the episode, please subscribe for free, rate & review, and share with your friends. Thanks for listening!  If you'd like to see a list of previously mentioned books or products from former episodes, go to our Resources Page! And if you're looking for inspirational books that I've personally read and recommend, go to our Motivational Tools page!

Ryan C. Greene says he got his strength and resolve from his mother, and that she was a great role model for him. He explained his mother had sickle cell anemia and wasn't supposed to live past the age of 6. She ended up raising both him and his sister and got to see Ryan get married.  Ryan then later had his own challenges. His mother passed away, he got divorced and he also struggled with depression.  How was he supposed to help others when he was going through his own challenges? Well, he decided he needed to go back and learn from his mother again--to find his life purpose.  That's when everything fell into place. He explains finding your life purpose isn't just about you, it's about how to pay it forward and help others. Today Ryan is the founder of Greenhouse Media, he's an author of 6 books, he's a speaker, trainer, coach and the host of The Passionpreneurs Podcast. Mentioned in this episode: ·        RyanCGreene.com ·        The PassionPreneur Podcast ·        Becoming a Passionpreneur If you enjoy the episode, please subscribe for free, rate & review, and share with your friends. Thanks for listening!  If you'd like to see a list of previously mentioned books or products from former episodes, go to our Resources Page! And if you're looking for inspirational books that I've personally read and recommend, go to our Motivational Tools page!

A homeless population caseworker in the Washington D.C. area, 25-year-old Saherah Khan says that people tell her how they're surprised and shocked when learning about her past.  You see, Saherah explains she grew up in a mixed racial household--her mother is from Korea and her father is from Pakistan. When she was about to enter high school, her father told the family that they were going on a 2-month trip to visit his homeland. But even at 14, Saherah said it was apparent her father never intended to bring them back home. She said she felt like a slave and a prisoner.  She was forbidden to go to school and she wasn't allowed to be on her own unless she was fetching water for the house.  She describes her father as controlling, possessive and sometimes physically abusive. At one point it got so bad he pulled a gun out and threatened to kill her. After two years of living in a Pakistani rural village and learning she had been promised to marriage to a man in the village, she felt helpless and hopeless. But soon after, she learned there may be a way out.  At 16, she made a daring escape and returned home to her mother in the States. Today, Saherah is just starting to speak out about her experience with the hope to help inspire others that they too have a voice and can escape an abusive life.

Since he was 5 years old, Winston Ben Clements said he knew he was meant for something big, that he was going to make some kind of big impact. Now he says he’s found his purpose through being a motivational speaker. But he admits growing up he often wondered how he’d do it. You see, Winston was born with a rare brittle bone condition where the smallest sudden jolt or move could break his bones. Even a simple sneeze could cause havoc. His bones were so fragile that suffered more than 150 fractures by the time he was 12.  But that didn’t stop Winston. In fact, he has a goal to reach 1 billion people to inspire them to unleash their full potential. Mentioned in this episode: WinstonClements.com If you enjoy the episode, please subscribe for free, rate & review, and share with your friends. Thanks for listening!  If you'd like to see a list of previously mentioned books or products from former episodes, go to our Resources Page! And if you're looking for inspirational books that I've personally read and recommend, go to our Motivational Tools page! Check out more episodes on our website, TheInspireCafe.com!

Twenty-three-year-old Aaron Martinez grew up going to school in Espanola, New Mexico, a city with a population of about 10,000.  You'll pass through it if you're driving between Santa Fe and Taos, two tourist towns known for its art scene, winter skiing and opera. Unfortunately, it also sits in a Northern New Mexico region where it's known for having one of the highest rates of drug overdose deaths.  For Aaron, he can speak about it first hand.  Within a space of a couple of years, he lost both his oldest sister and father from overdoses.  He says growing up both his parents were addicted and family members kept telling him he was going to grow up to be an addict too. But for Aaron, miraculously he didn't follow the same path. Where his only role models were heroes in action movies, he made a choice to stay away from drugs in spite of being raised in an environment where it'd be easy to see why anyone would.  Today, Aaron is a youth mentor and gymnastics instructor in the same town he grew up. He also speaks to kids about his experience and how it is possible to choose a different and positive path. Mentioned in this episode: Moving Arts Espanola Plus, videos that include Aaron Martinez mentoring youth at work: CNN Heroes Meow Wolf Community Voices re Moving Arts Española If you enjoy the episode, please subscribe for free, rate & review, and share with your friends. Thanks for listening!  If you'd like to see a list of previously mentioned books or products from former episodes, go to our Resources Page! And if you're looking for inspirational books that I've personally read and recommend, go to our Motivational Tools page! Check out more episodes on our website, TheInspireCafe.com! Like us on Facebook here! Follow us on Instagram here!

You could say 39-year-old TShane Johnson is a living miracle.  You see, when he was in the Marine Corps, he died 3 times. While out riding his motorcycle, he was t-boned by another car. Upon impact, his body flew at 45 miles per hour and he hit a brick house, breaking his chest plate in half. He broke multiple bones in his body, ribs punctured his internal organs, and he was drowning in his own blood from internal injuries. Doctors didn't have hope that he'd make it. But TShane said that during his near death experience he made a choice and that was to survive. He not only survived, but he completely rehabilitated himself and rejoined his unit 7 months later. Today he's a motivational speaker, entrepreneur, life coach, father and author of two published books and a third on its way. He talks about how this year will be his fourth run across America and he has a goal to raise $1 million for charities.  TShane also talks about how he aims to break three Guinness World Records during his next run, which begins on September 11th.  Mentioned in this episode: HikeAcrossAmerica.com If you enjoy the episode, please subscribe for free, rate & review, and share with your friends. Thanks for listening!  If you'd like to see a list of previously mentioned books or products from former episodes, go to our Resources Page! And if you're looking for inspirational books that I've personally read and recommend, go to our Motivational Tools page! Check out more episodes on our website, TheInspireCafe.com! Like us on Facebook here! Follow us on Instagram here!  

Dartanyon Crockett, 28, calls himself an underdog. He says he had three strikes against him growing up in the inner-city of Cleveland, Ohio:  he was black, poor and physically limited. Having been severely near-sighted all his life, his mother died when he was 8, his father battled drug and alcohol addiction, and he grew up in a crime-ridden neighborhood. And because his father spent rent money on drugs, Dartanyon had to get a job when he was 13 to help pay for rent and buy groceries. In high school, Dartanyon and his best friend, Leroy Sutton, did well on the school’s wrestling team. Their friendship was featured in an ESPN special called, “Carry On,” where it showed that each had his share of hard breaks. Dartanyon was legally blind and Leroy had lost both his legs from a train accident when he was a boy. The special also formed a friendship and bond that grew between ESPN’s producer Lisa Fenn and the boys during the making of the segment, and shows how she became pivotal in both of the boys’ lives. After the ESPN profile aired, it was Dartanyon who ended up being invited to train with the Judo team at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, despite never having any experience with the sport before. Dartanyon learned fast and did well. He eventually became a 2-time U.S. Paralympic bronze medalist. Today, Dartanyon is getting his degree in sociology and has become an inspirational speaker where he discusses the power of human investment. Mentioned in this episode: DartanyonCrockett.me ESPN’s “Carry On” Special Dartanyon’s Facebook Page Dartanyon’s Instagram If you enjoy the episode, please subscribe for free, rate & review, and share with your friends. Thanks for listening!  If you'd like to see a list of previously mentioned books or products from former episodes, go to our Resources Page! And if you're looking for inspirational books that I've personally read and recommend, go to our Motivational Tools page! Check out more episodes on our website, TheInspireCafe.com! Like us on Facebook here! Follow us on Instagram here!