Have you ever wondered how one can rise above life's most harrowing challenges and still find a purpose to inspire others? Join me, Loren Johnson, on this gripping episode of "War of the Mind" as I recount my journey through the trials that have tested my spirit to its core. From enduring childhood sexual assault and wrestling injuries to surviving traumatic brain injuries and battling addiction, I share the raw, unfiltered moments that shaped who I am today. Through these stories, I illuminate the vital lesson that while resilience may not be innate, it is definitely something we can cultivate.
We also explore my path from serving as a police officer to becoming a motivational speaker and advocate for recovery. Learn about the transformative power of embracing failure, the significance of setting boundaries, and the importance of self-care. Discover the role that counseling, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and the support of a service dog have played in my recovery. I invite you to connect with the resources available at LJVoiceProject and join our community on social media to continue fostering hope and personal growth. This episode is not just a story of survival; it’s a testament to the human spirit's ability to overcome and inspire.
"Thank you for joining 'War of The Mind,' your essential guide to exploring emotional intelligence, mental health, and personal growth. Remember, self-awareness is the beacon illuminating your unique path of transformation and resilience. Join us again on our next adventure through the realm of mindfulness and self-improvement! #WarOfTheMind #MentalWellbeing #EmotionalIntelligence #SelfAwareness #PersonalGrowth"
Have you ever wondered how one can rise above life's most harrowing challenges and still find a purpose to inspire others? Join me, Loren Johnson, on this gripping episode of "War of the Mind" as I recount my journey through the trials that have tested my spirit to its core. From enduring childhood sexual assault and wrestling injuries to surviving traumatic brain injuries and battling addiction, I share the raw, unfiltered moments that shaped who I am today. Through these stories, I illuminate the vital lesson that while resilience may not be innate, it is definitely something we can cultivate.
We also explore my path from serving as a police officer to becoming a motivational speaker and advocate for recovery. Learn about the transformative power of embracing failure, the significance of setting boundaries, and the importance of self-care. Discover the role that counseling, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and the support of a service dog have played in my recovery. I invite you to connect with the resources available at LJVoiceProject and join our community on social media to continue fostering hope and personal growth. This episode is not just a story of survival; it’s a testament to the human spirit's ability to overcome and inspire.
"Thank you for joining 'War of The Mind,' your essential guide to exploring emotional intelligence, mental health, and personal growth. Remember, self-awareness is the beacon illuminating your unique path of transformation and resilience. Join us again on our next adventure through the realm of mindfulness and self-improvement! #WarOfTheMind #MentalWellbeing #EmotionalIntelligence #SelfAwareness #PersonalGrowth"
and welcome back here on another show of war the mind. I'm your host, lauren Johnson, and today we're gonna be covering from a struggles to look at resilience and overcoming adversity. You know, everybody in our lives are going to have setbacks and it's how we deal with our setbacks is what's going to define us, who we are, and it's going to show growth. And from setbacks it allows us to learn. It allows us to grow and develop our inner strength and character, also, along the way, developing wisdom that we didn't have before. Uh, growing up I firmly thought failure wasn't an option and that's just kind of what was taught to me. And, um, it took a while for me to adjust to realizing that it was okay to fail and I'm okay with it today. And you know you might get a little frustrated when you do fail, that's okay. Frustration is, you know, a key component of the results of a setback. It's how we handle the situation after we go through the setback. You know, in my 20-some years of experience in overcoming adversity and resilience, that goes in mental health, addiction, recovery. I'm here basically on this show to inspire, educate and empower the audience to embrace resilience and find strength in the face of challenges and show you guys that you're not alone. And I know you know there's a lot of us out there that know we're not alone. And I know you know there's a lot of us out there that know we're not alone. But there's also a select few that you know sit at home thinking they're the only ones going through this and they're wrong. One individual fight their tail off and overcome an obstacle, only to have another setback and still overcome it, while you have another individual, say, the exact same stature, what you thought was the same mentality, and they'll throw themselves a pity party and they'll be stuck right in that situation and stuck for a long time. And that's where there's always discussion of whether being resilient can be taught or if it's something that we just either you have it or you don't have it. My personal take on it is I believe you either have it or you don't have it. I don't believe it's hereditary. I do believe you can learn to be resilient to a certain extent, but as far as being resilient and consistently fighting back and not giving up, some of that stuff, you know, just cannot be taught, but it definitely can be learned. And one thing I've learned as I've aged is I'm constantly, constantly learning and trying to pick up new ideas, new thoughts, just to better myself. I refuse to settle, and that's another key component of being resilient is you refuse to settle.
Speaker 1:
A little background about myself. You know I've had my share of setbacks, how some might know sexually assaulted as a kid on two different occasions by two different people. You know that was a setback for a long time and I could have laid in my pity for it for the rest of my life, but I've chosen not to. I've chosen to put a voice out there for an individual that you know doesn't have one or have the connections From there. You know I wrestled all the way up through college and I would have multiple injuries and I could have been done on the first one. I mean, most people would have been done on the first torn shoulder, and this isn't bragging or anything. And this isn't bragging or anything.
Speaker 1:
But I refused to go out on terms of somebody else. I always had it in my head that when I walked off the wrestling mat and decided I was going to be done wrestling, it was going to be on my terms, the way I wanted it. And you know there was years where I just came to my elbow, shoulder and the beginning of the season, and I was still back on the mat by the end of the season Because I refused to give up. And that's the mentality that we try to teach our kids today. We live in a society today where it's so easy for our youth to give up and, you know, oh well, it's just how it is. Well, it doesn't have to be that way unless you want it that way. Well, it doesn't have to be that way unless you want it that way. You know.
Speaker 1:
I'm trying to think of some other adversity that I've faced. Just I've been in two car crashes, suffered two traumatic brain injuries. Came back from both of them didn't heal fully, but healed as best as I, you know, figure, it's the best it's going to get and I'm okay with that. The one thing that really sucked out of the whole deal is going from, you know, just having a traumatic brain injury. But to have a traumatic brain injury and then causing you to turn to addiction really put a huge setback in my life and has for a long time, I can honestly say now I've been sober from alcohol for almost five years and sober from heroin for going on three years. But it's just, it's stuff like that that people don't realize, that can be taken away from you, and I never would have thought in my wildest dreams one moment I would have been a cop and the next down the road, a heroin addict. That's the effects of pain to my family, caused pain to my friends, pushed people away, pushed my kids away.
Speaker 1:
It was the demon in my closet and I would, you know, have multiple overdoses, almost 12 of them where I was hospitalized. I would have about 20 of them at home where I didn't go to the hospital. I would have a couple where I was induced into a coma and that was during COVID. And that was when COVID, you couldn't have visitors. There's nothing worse than waking up from a coma and having nobody there and talk about feeling alone and you know you think you're dead already and you wake up to an empty room in ICU.
Speaker 1:
And the biggest thing that always separated me from another drug addict is I refused to carry that label of being a drug addict. I always thought I was better than that. Was I a drug addict? Yeah, I always thought I was better than that did I. Was I a drug addict? Yeah, but in my eyes. I knew I could overcome it and I knew I could beat it because I had already beat alcohol. And so, looking back, I I have a lot of regret. But if I sat and lived in my regret and pity and felt sorry for myself, I would get nowhere in life moving forward. And that's kind of what we're preaching here today with resilience. And that's kind of what we're preaching here today with resilience.
Speaker 1:
You know, I can't imagine the pain I put family members, my wife, my dad, having to find me dead and having to revive me or attempt to revive me, and then being carted off and them thinking I'm already gone. It's just, it's reckless and it's a road I wish I never would have crossed. But it happened and it's what's made me who I am today, which has made me into a better person, a better father to my kids. I pushed them away. I haven't had the chance to share every detail with them, because there's just a situation with their mom and I, and what she's told them are two different things from what's really happened. And you know, I just look at it as the kids will find out one day when they get older and they'll figure it out. They're smart, they're resilient and, uh, you know, kids are tough and I just pray that they can see through the lies and understand.
Speaker 1:
Addiction, mental health, especially nowadays with how prevalent it is A lot of setbacks I've suffered. I've had acute liver failure uh, just kind of came out of the blue, and this was after I'd quit drinking for some time. I've also had a stroke In my left eye a year ago. These are all things that aren't minor setbacks. These are what some would consider major setbacks and I haven't sat down one time and felt sorry for myself. I still continue to have the drive to better myself, still continue to want and be hungry for more, and I know there's going to be more setbacks in life. And I know there's going to be more setbacks in life. I mean crap's. I just filed to get my kids back and I know, during the course of trying to get them back, I know there's going to be setbacks and I have to prepare myself for that.
Speaker 1:
You know the stroke and the liver failure and the overdoses they've caused a profound influence on my perspective and motivation to change. On my perspective and motivation to change. I mean, like we said, some can use it as a pity party, others can use it to fuel and motivate themselves to get better. And I've always been one to take my setbacks and use them as fire to overcome these lucky setbacks that I get to deal with in life. And we're all going to deal with them, and some have worse than others, some have just minor ones. It's just the cards we were dealt Now evolving perspectives and failure of growth.
Speaker 1:
You know, reflecting on the initial belief that failure was not an option and how it has affected decision-making was a huge part of growing up. Making was a huge part of growing up. But at the same time, it was something I didn't know was going on at the time because, like I said, everything was easy at that point in my life. I didn't have to try that hard at wrestling or football. I didn't have to try that hard at wrestling or football. I have to try that hard. Academically I would still have a always, but the direction you know it took me when I did start having these major setbacks was detrimental because I didn't know how to deal with it and thank God I happened to be one of them people that just is resilient in their own skin, because I could have easily felt victim to feeling sorry for myself, just like others do.
Speaker 1:
You know, there's always that turning point when you realize that failure was a natural part of life and that failure gives you the opportunity for growth. And not too many of us get that chance. Not too many of us get to overdose and die, be pronounced dead and still live to talk about it. Not many of us get to get in car accidents and live to talk about it, talk about it. So I mean those failures have shaped my life and changed the course and direction of where I'm headed, because from where I was just being a cop to helping people to where I want to head now and the direction is just amazing, the amount of people I can help with the setbacks that I've dealt with and overcoming these setbacks.
Speaker 1:
Adversity is tough. It's not for you know, joe Schmoe, that can't take it. The reality is everybody's going to face them and it's up to you on how you handle them, up to you on how you handle them. You know you have to be able to embrace failure. You can't grow if you don't embrace failure and its role in the personal development and resilience of yourself, because if you don't embrace failure and you just shut it out, it's not going to help you in the long run because it's just going to set you up to fail again. And when you do fail, you're not going to know what to do again.
Speaker 1:
And that's where I talked about you know, having that opportunity to learn from our mistakes. And then we're going to talk about piecing together recovery strategies and support. You know it's a process of finding a combination of approaches and strategies that worked for myself. I've tried everything in my recovery and I've tried the whole ANA, smart Recovery, dbt, cbt, counseling and what's always helped me is the fact that, if I know there's the saying you can't help somebody else until you can help yourself. I 100% agree with that. But at the same time, I also believe that you can help others while helping yourself, because I know me going out and in similar situations. You know it allows me to give back and it just allows me to see the other opportunities that life has to offer. And you know, for me it's always been going out speaking and if there's one person in that crowd I can help, then I did my job. That's what keeps me moving forward, that's what keeps me moving forward, that's what keeps me fighting, that's what keeps the drive in me. It's that competition in me that I fail to lay down. When I want to lay down, I'm going to lay down on my terms.
Speaker 1:
The biggest thing that played a role in my recovery and overcoming my setbacks has always been my faith, has always been my faith self-reflection, journaling and ongoing counseling and essential coping mechanisms. That to be in treatment court and had been in it for about a year and a half and it was probably the best decision I made Kept me accountable. It wasn't easy, it was work and you know it's not for everybody, and that's just a little bit about that. Um, now, having these multiple TBIs and struggling, um with PTSD and trauma. Um, I was able to get a service dog for myself, uh, who's fully trained, trained as a therapy dog. He's just a breath of fresh air. I can come home and have the worst day anxiety, panic attack and if I hadn't brought him with me, he instantly knows when something's wrong. He instantly knows when something's wrong and I almost feel bad for him because I can see him taking on my anxiety. You know, miles, that's his name, miles. If he knows I'm having a panic attack or anxiety, he'll literally tackle me to the ground and sit on my chest until I calm down and it's just that companionship and he's helped manage my PTSD, panic attacks and my anxiety.
Speaker 1:
There's so much value in having a certified service dog or therapy dog. He's not just an emotional support dog, he has to be one of the smartest dogs I've ever bought. And I, you know, bought him online and drove two hours to get him and the lady said he was. You know he could be a serious dog, but then at the same time, he was a total goofball kind of puppy and that's what I needed was a dog that's going to be there and when he throws his vest on, he knows he's going to go to work and be serious about it. Vest on, he knows he's going to go to work and be serious about it. But then, at the same time, when he knows I need him to cheer me up and be happy, he can flip that switch and just make you laugh. And so if you qualify for a service dog, I wouldn't hesitate to get one. It's highly recommended and it helps so much with my PTSD.
Speaker 1:
You know, healing from trauma and finding strength and setting boundaries has been probably the toughest area for me because, being a guy, I don't like talking about my trauma. So, and you know, like, for the sexual assault, it's only been until recently, the past probably five years that it finally got brought up and talked about and I'm still dealing with it. But there's just some trauma that's gonna take time to heal and I accept that. I don't take blame for it. But I accept it Because those past traumas that I blamed on myself for years are not my fault. And you know, setting boundaries, that's a huge weak spot for me, because I can set them, but do I always stand firm on them? And that's where I fell victim to, you know, repeated abuse, because I I look for the good in people and there's not everybody's good out there. There are evil people out there and take advantage of the weak.
Speaker 1:
You know it's very important that we do set boundaries in our relationships, our toxic relationships, and setting boundaries and learning to prioritize self-care and maintaining overall well-being. You have to take care of yourself. You can't you can't depend on somebody else and become codependent and get through life happy, because then you're basically living on their happiness. So if they're in a bad mood, you're not going to be in the greatest mood Because it's all going to be your fault and you have to find it in yourself that you can find your happiness on your own, you know, and that's a journey in itself. A journey in itself.
Speaker 1:
So, with my background, I'm, you know how others recognize their potential. And, as a motivational speaker, I initially hesitated because I didn't think I was good enough at it, I didn't think I had a story to tell, I didn't think anybody would listen to it. I mean, who wants to listen to somebody who had failures? Who wants to listen to somebody that has continuous setbacks in life? And that's where I was wrong. And that's where I was wrong. And, you know, there's a point in my life where I looked at it as, yeah, I've had some setbacks here and there, but, like other people have had worse than me, so I don't really have anything to share because I'm, you know, my story is so, so small. Well, it took me, took me a good 40 years to write one heck of a story, and it's a story that easily can can change somebody's life.
Speaker 1:
You know, my vision of using my experiences to advocate for mental health and addiction recovery and setting boundaries is just, like I said, motivational speaking and then, along with that, eventually building a 24-hour retreat center for people who are facing adversity Not just recovery, not just addiction, but adversity and need a place to go for a while and take a break. And those are in the beginning stages and it's just it's. That's the type of stuff I want to get into and build on, and build on, because they're needed. There's never enough of them. There never will be enough of them. I mean, we still don't even know the full effects of COVID on people from being penned up for how many years.
Speaker 1:
You know my target audience for my speaking will be anybody from high school age, middle school age because that's where my addiction started all the way up to somebody in their 60s who could struggle from addiction, could struggle from setbacks, failures. You know I've lived it. I've lived it. I've lived the highs, I've lived the lows and you know I've had my nice houses and I've been in good professions, but then, at the same time, I've also been homeless and trying to fight for my next meal. And never did I think I'd go from NCAA college wrestling All-American to, you know, living on the streets and not knowing where my next meal is going to come. The main lessons and insights from your personal journey my personal journey. You know it is what it is. It's built me, built me who I am today. I wouldn't be as strong as I am and have the inner strength as I do today had I not went through the things I have. I'm blessed that I'm still alive.
Speaker 1:
I encourage the audience to embrace failure, seek support, nurture resilience in their own lives. I'm here to inspire the audience to dig deep to find their inner strength and overcome adversity by sharing inspiring stories of triumph. Too many times you know you're in a room and it's all negativity and that stuff wears off on you. I've been in classes where it's just constant negative, negative, negative, to where I've had to get up and walk out because I just can't deal with all the negativity, because it's just rubbing off on me. And so that's a huge thing is sharing inspiring stories of triumph, and so that's going to be our show today on world of mind.
Speaker 1:
Um, I appreciate you guys all listening. And uh, conclusion you know we talked about resilience. We talked about my past failures and overcoming obstacles, coming over, overcoming adversity, talked about positive stories and embracing our journey, embracing our failures. You know, with the thought of provoking a quote or a personal reflection related to resilience and finding purpose. You can always find purpose in life. I want to thank for the opportunity to share my story and to inspire others to make positive changes in their lives. You're not alone in this battle. There's always somebody here for you, you know.
Speaker 1:
I just hope that people are able to reach out if they need to, and we have a 24-7 website that's ljvoiceprojectcom. There's a contact page on there and you can shoot us a message and we'll get back to you and try and get you on the phone and talk to you. If you're looking for a motivational speaker at your next event, that's also on there. We have our speaking topics on our website. So if you're listening to War of the Mind here today, why don't you go ahead and head over to ljvoiceprojectcom and see what we have to offer on there? There's something for everybody on there. There's something for everybody, and we also have our blog on there, along with all the past podcast episodes of War of the Mind. And if you're looking for us on Facebook, twitter, instagram, it's LJVoiceProject. Ljvoiceproject is just our name on there. And, yeah, I want to thank the listeners and thank you for being the reason why we're here having this show, and I appreciate you listening and keep hope alive.