Abuse.
An act he simply couldn’t escape during his early years.
He said, “I grew up in a fear-filled, violent background. My father was physically abusive to me, my mom was as well… I didn’t know what a loving family looked like, but I knew from a very early age that what I was experiencing was wrong.”
An environment that made him feel unsafe.
An environment that made him feel as if he was constantly walking on eggshells.
An environment that made him afraid to make mistakes.
A set of experiences that made him go from victim to survivor to advocate.
A set of experiences that led him to write his latest book, “Killing My Father Then Finding Him.”
A book that started a painful, but much-needed conversation.
A book that gave others a voice and helped them understand that they’re not alone.
He said, “I had so many people contact me… hundreds of people contact me… some I knew, some I didn’t know… emails… I got a phone call… I got contact from people saying, ‘I grew up the same way, but I always thought I was the only one.’”
Everyone has a story.
Live yours.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:
On Forgiveness: Learn to forgive because it’ll free you to tell the truth
On Judgment: Approach people wanting to know “who they are”
On Discipline & Punishment: “Discipline is rooted with love ... punishment is rooted with anger”
On Hardships: Don’t give up