Jonathan Rivera talks Faith, Family, Fitness, and Finances on Leaders of Leaders Podcast with Aaron Guyett

His teachers said he would never amount to anything. But God had another plan for him.

From High School drop out, to faith-driven entrepreneur living a life of limitless possibilities.

Jonathan took us on a wild ride turning failures into freedom and having fun the entire journey.

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Transcript

00:00.00
leadersofleaders
It is another episode of the leaders of leaders podcast. What's going on guys Aaron got it here. I've got an incredible guest for you today. I've got jrrivera so the the beauty of of his story. His teacher said he would never amount to anything but god had another plan for him from from being a high school dropout to now being a faith driven entrepreneur living a life of limitless possibilities. So. I'm pretty pumped. It says here Jonathan that you're gonna take ah me and our listeners on a wild ride turning failures into freedom and having fun the entire journey. So welcome to the show.

00:47.15
J_R_ Rivera
Aaron thank you for having me and more importantly, thank you for doing the hard work these days with with the way that society is and I'm doing air quotes. You can't see me. It's like you can't talk about god you can't talk about being a christian you can't talk about your faith. So thank you for. Leading the way and allowing us to have a platform for these discussions I can't wait to get into it.

01:10.46
leadersofleaders
Yeah, you know it's it's it's interesting the more you know I was super afraid ah to share my faith and and obviously all over the bible says do not be afraid ah and and then specifically you know talking about our belief in our faith and. And christianity and the the more I've done it the more I've I've realized no this is this is the truth. This is the way right? this which the truth the way the life right? that is from Jesus Christ and yeah you might get some persecution or whatever. But I've gotten way less than I thought and much more. Um, dare I say adoration I'm not trying to go for fame or anything on it but much more of the of the opposite which is interesting because it seems to me that the message that society is preaching is the opposite of that. Um, so yeah, tell me a little bit about this, you know. God having another plan going from high school dropout to to faith drivenven entrepreneur. Obviously there's a through line of of faith and and god there ah talk me through I guess ah whether it's that your testimony or or just. Sort of your journey. But I'd like to hear and create some context for the listener. So.

02:25.70
J_R_ Rivera
Yeah, thank you for allowing me to to speak on this a little bit and I will be the first to admit I'm an absolute neophyte when it comes to speaking about my faith and and maybe even. Ah, referencing bible passages I'm still trying to figure it out and that's the thing is that I'm always learning but I feel lucky and the reason that I feel lucky is I grew up and my parents did. Take me to church. We were the Sunday catholics we went. We went to church on Sundays they put me in catholic school which by the fourth of fifth grade I was kicked out because I I was really misbehaving a lot but ah I feel lucky because at least. They planted the seeds of virtue in me young because I think that a lot of kids today. Don't even have that I look around at nieces and nephews and little cousins and their parents same age as me are not planting these seeds so those kids will be lost from the light unless they go get it themselves. And I feel so fortunate that my parents planted those seeds and even though it took a while for those seeds to bloom and we're talking thirty plus years it took it to took a minute. Okay, we were wondering if it was ever going to happen but I am so grateful that right now.

03:43.46
leadersofleaders
Yeah, yeah.

03:48.97
leadersofleaders
At.

03:53.59
J_R_ Rivera
I Get to have this conversation with you I'm so grateful that every day I get to read the scripture and get closer to our God and creator and I'm so so grateful I think you know here's here's what's really Cool. You're doing some good work here and. I Think you're at the forefront of a change because I think Society has been into this humanist movement and I am the center of the universe and all that stuff and they're realizing Damn I don't know if that worked out too. Well maybe I need to look at something else and now I think we're at the front of seeing people.

04:13.63
leadersofleaders
Oh and.

04:23.39
leadersofleaders
Yeah, yeah.

04:30.50
J_R_ Rivera
Go back to fate. Go back to virtue. Go back to looking for more meaning outside of yourself. So I'm I'm so grateful to be here and I don't know if that answered your question but let's let's go.

04:41.64
leadersofleaders
Yeah, well I mean yeah, so that's you know you started with a little catechizingz some you know some catechism in in the catholic ah faith and then that planted the seed and and so it seems to me you know he said I don't even know it was going to happen. But um. I mean that's very similar to my story as well. Right? like I had we. We actually started at a very charismatic ah vineyard which is like you know, dancing down the aisles and speaking in tongues and interpreting all this you know craziness and then ended up church shopping for a couple of years and then and then did the whole Roman Catholic thing for a while but I was in the same boat as you was like did that really work I mean I I got in trouble this well and I did I got kicked out a few times but my parents were like no, you're going back in there and you're gonna behave. But it's so funny. You know the the male the especially the male child right. Like I don't know if we were exactly made to sit in a chair and listen for that long of a period of time like you know it. It seems to me that that's a fairly modern thing very much like this you know humanist secularist sort of. Ah, movement or whatever. It's a fairly modern thing and we're realizing. Ah, it's not really as good as as maybe what was happening prior to that right? where we were going out and following our father's footsteps and you know whether it was harvesting or hunting or gathering or you know whatever the case might be anyways. So what? what is what were some of the.

06:11.10
leadersofleaders
Ah, dark spots in your journey that helped lead you back to either craving the light or or looking for the light in that is in Christ looking for the light that is in that is in god um. Yeah, what were some of the dark spots. What were some of the things and you don't have to obviously go into vivid detail. Um, but that helped kind of guide you like man. Maybe I pumped the brakes on this nice.

06:38.94
J_R_ Rivera
I'm an open book so we can talk about all of it. But I think that yeah I got kicked out of the the catholic schools I had to go to public school in sixth grade and then I did that and really wasn't involved in in church much I didn't even ah I didn't even get my confirmation when I should have which. I think would have been around the eighth grade I didn't do that till I was an adult and the big thing that brought me back was my mom dying and she died suddenly she she took her own life which kind of surprised us because she was the smiling lady and she prayed and and she had this exterior that.

06:57.20
leadersofleaders
A a.

07:05.50
leadersofleaders
I know.

07:16.33
J_R_ Rivera
Seemed like things were good and and imagine how bad things have to be for you to like be like I'm out I'm out so when that happened obviously you have 2 choices you can say screw this god why will you do you do this or you could say god what.

07:19.40
leadersofleaders
Her there.

07:30.11
leadersofleaders
A.

07:34.93
J_R_ Rivera
What are you trying to teach me what am I supposed to learn from this What? what am I supposed to do and fortunately for me my father and and this is ah an interest I don't know where I read this study but it turns out that fathers are the ones that determine whether the family is really going to be. Deep in their faith or not by the father's example, wanting to go to church and I didn't know that I didn't know that and thankfully my dad did that for me and he brought me back to the church and he said come On. Let's let's go. Let's Pray. Let's do this and and I accepted willingly because I didn't know what else to do and I was looking.

07:59.49
leadersofleaders
Yeah, yeah.

08:11.77
J_R_ Rivera
For answers I was looking for peace and so I did that I went to church with dad and the crazy part is I started going to church and then and then we're like well you haven't done your confirmation. So do your confirmation classes and and finish up what you're supposed to be doing here with the sacraments and I did that and around the same time. And met my wife and she was craving the church. She grew up catholic she grew up going to church on the weekends but never like full on faith all the time in the house. It was the same thing Sunday catholics but she met me and me and my dad went to church and she's like what really she started going to church with us and and so that.

08:32.87
leadersofleaders
Ah.

08:51.10
J_R_ Rivera
That was the the beginning of it we got married in the church like we were supposed to and and we did the same thing. Okay, let let's not be like let's be seriously. We did the Sunday catholic thing because that was what we knew. But at least we went and and we got the message and all that but there was a time. And we just passed by this church the other day where we went to this ah other church that was ah by a restaurant we wanted to go Sunday do something different I went to this other church and the priest there was like a scene out of the exorcist I mean. This weird church with all the stained glass and then this guy wearing like the dress thing looking like he's floating around and then he just gets up at the front and starts bashing gaze and bashing politics and back and we're like dude we're we're at church I mean is this? what. What's going on here because I mean if you study like if you study and I like I said total neophyte. But if you study the work that ah the apostles did when when society today is saying hey be inclusive include everybody. Let me tell you people something the original inclusive religion was christianity when Paul was getting all the gentiles and bringing them to god and saying if you believe in god you were saved and we're including all of you.

10:20.59
J_R_ Rivera
You don't have to be circumcised. You don't have to do ah you don't have to ah obey the same rules. You just have to believe in god you have to believe in in being saved and so we're we're the ah original inclusive religion for the record I want that on there and so hearing this thing from this priest turned us off for a couple years and it wasn't until we decided we wanted to have kids so my wife and I were together seventeen years now about 10 years in we decide. Okay, we've had fine. We want to have kids couldn't have kids naturally we were open to adoption part of the adoption was that we had went through a faith-based organization. And you had to be practicing and we're like oh after we had fallen out. We're like okay okay, let's get back in because this is what we have to do and I mean it's part of god's will for us to have this family the way we're having it and and to be together so we we did that and ever since then ever. I guess that has something to do with being a dad right ever since then I've been growing in my faith more and more and more and more where covid pushed us into another level of being together and I started looking for different answers and around then I quit drinking and quit smoking weed and all that stuff and realized. My life opened up for something else and it got all filled with god's love god's light and I was looking for answers in all the wrong places going down all these different roads and I finally realized I was hungry for god and so for the last three years or so.

11:48.81
leadersofleaders
A.

11:52.60
J_R_ Rivera
I Just go deeper and deeper and deeper is that was that too much did I give you too much there.

11:58.28
leadersofleaders
No, that's a lot that is a lot but I like that. Um, and so I do want to I do want to parse some of this because so ah, number one I you know I just want to for the record you know as well say yeah inclusivity is is huge. Um, it. It is interesting though that there is this inclusivity right with gentiles so other not not chosen the chosen people right? Um, but they are god's chosen people through Christ so still end up chosen. And it's through belief right? So they don't and there's like a big contention right? Where one of the first churches there. There's saying to the gentiles like all you got to get circumcised and and ah and Paul's like no no, but then he does say circumcise your hearts right? Um, and. And so it's not about actually cutting. You know, flesh off of your hearts but it's it's more about opening up your heart to who Christ is and then not following right? The desires of your heart that are obviously that will obviously lead to the evil 1 or led the israelites astray or led. Um, even the the new gentiles or the the new church astray um, and so there also is this reckoning ah with biblical truths that are are difficult because while Christ is.

13:32.21
leadersofleaders
Fully inclusive and fully opening his arms. He's also saying he's I mean he's calling out the religious elite of the time. The religious leaders of the time saying how dare you do this and this and that right, he's calling out. Um, even the romans at the time like oh how dare you but he's also eating and and communing with sinners. But the interesting part for me is you know there is this contention. So obviously there is truth right in in this so things that we when we believe in Christ then we believe these things. Um, when there are sinners. Right? The adulterous woman or um, the woman at the well right? who also had multiple husbands right and wasn't even married at the time but was with this man. The interesting caveat to that and something that I think obviously all of us. Humans that are believers in Christ are probably work in progress is with is the call is to sin no more so he's he's calling out them as sinners as bad and their sin as bad like this is no bueno but then he's saying come and follow me. And then when we come and follow them then go and make ah disciples. So. There's this interesting contention where sometimes I think that that god does put priests like that on the planet to call us to account.

15:06.77
leadersofleaders
But oftentimes if we're not circumcised in our heart and we're trying to live on the world's Belief Systems. We will see that as completely wrong and I'm like I don't know if that's completely wrong now. Definitely you. You would be right? and. And staying and claiming like that's definitely not inclusive. That's definitely not loving with open arms. Um, but is it wrong I don't it doesn't seem to me to be wrong if it is true the way in which we do it and here's the here's the harder line I don't know if. I am going to ever do that because judge not lest ye be judged right by the same way that you're judging others and yo I know you and I know me I've done some bad things and if I'm to be judged in the same way that I would be judging others like well I Guess what. I'm not with God for Eternity in heaven I'm I'm finding myself somewhere else. So That's like I don't know that's a just something it just made me think about that like well is that wrong? No Maybe not um, does that hit hard and and does that hit like no I don't I don't want to be a part of that. Absolutely I think that is but like you said so then a callback to the very beginning of what we were talking about I think Society at large is looking for hard truths right? and some of them are hard to solve and we may not want to swallow like like set up some.

16:38.90
leadersofleaders
Set up a structure a foundation for our beliefs so that we can stand on firm footing so that we can move forward right on a rock not on not on sand so that when storms hit us right? The house remains instead of the house you know falling and obviously that's allusion to Jesus is parable about. What you build your house on. Um, so yeah, that that you definitely gave me a lot of of food for thought and I just figured I'd ah state at least my ah very small quick perspective. Um, and it's really interesting that you did bring up this idea of. World searching for something that's palpable and real I found myself journaling this morning about that exact very thing it was like man I I think there's there's all these belief systems and worldviews that are. Absurdly flawed. But that is the worldview and so it's no wonder why you know they they want to keep god at arm's length. It's no wonder that they want to keep christians at arm's length because it infiltrates their belief system and worldview. So it's easier to demonize. That other belief system that other person to include maybe even that priest right? and who knows maybe he's projecting right? Like we don't know his I'm not I'm not trying to say that that was the case but we you know we don't there's so much that we don't know we know god knows and we know that we don't know.

18:05.37
J_R_ Rivera
Um, yes.

18:12.97
leadersofleaders
And so I think it's okay to I think ah we are all neophytes comparatively to God right? ah.

18:17.29
J_R_ Rivera
I'm great by the way now for the record I'm grateful for that guy because he did he tested our resolve and our belief and so I am grateful for that whole experience and the other thing that we have to be thinking about as as christians.

18:23.14
leadersofleaders
Yeah.

18:34.46
J_R_ Rivera
Is that idea of of grace right? and you know maybe that guy was having a bad day. Maybe something terrible happened I I don't know what his deal is but he was there for a reason and I feel like it was ah a test and we got knocked out. We got knocked out of it for a while but we came back and we came back.

18:40.92
leadersofleaders
Yeah, yeah.

18:47.76
leadersofleaders
The add.

18:53.24
J_R_ Rivera
With more desire more hunger more light than ever before and so I am grateful for that guy I'm not saying he's bad or good I'm just saying he knocked me out of my thing because I was a soft Christian at that time now. The same thing we just had we were taking my son and it's such a blessing that we get to.

18:56.38
leadersofleaders
Yeah, okay. Yeah, yeah.

19:12.20
J_R_ Rivera
Ah, bring him up into sacraments and everything and we were at this at a class for his. Ah um, what? what do we call not catechism. He's going for first communion. Oh first confession right? So first confessions about forgiveness and we're sitting in one of the.

19:23.55
leadersofleaders
Hurt that? yeah.

19:31.76
J_R_ Rivera
The classes with him at night. Um with a big group of people and there was this lady up there who was leading the class and she pulled out of nowhere like just out of nowhere like it's a mortal sin for you people to be missing Sunday church and.

19:38.95
leadersofleaders
A.

19:50.36
J_R_ Rivera
And we're sitting here and my wife just she was instantly mad just like we were at that priest at that time me I was like this is the funniest thing I've ever seen. This is a class about forgiveness and you're telling us how we won't be I wanted to raise my hand so bad.

19:54.69
leadersofleaders
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

20:06.75
leadersofleaders
Yeah, right? so.

20:08.72
J_R_ Rivera
And just saying hey you know aren't we talking about but I didn't and that's what where where I'm saying from where we came from to where we are now I was laughing at this lady like so ironic but back in the day I was weak. Maybe that wouldn't knocked me off my game again.

20:15.50
leadersofleaders
And.

20:22.43
leadersofleaders
Right? Yeah well and and it's again, it's like man you said it grace right? Grace is Grace is more important than doctrine and doctrine is really important I just saw that quote somewhere I can't remember where and doctrine is really important because without doctrine. We. Like we don't even know what we believe right? like we're just pretending to you know have beliefs but we don't really actually have any sort of structural understanding of what it is that is true and what it is that we believe in what is that we don't believe and so doctrine obviously very important like is there god or is there no god. Right? That's that's a doctrinal statement. Yes I believe in one god right? and you go back to the apostles' creed or the nicene creed right? These are fundamental beliefs that whether you're catholic or protestant all christians would. Look at them and say yeah, we this is what we believe? Yeah, we believe this right? Um, and so these doctrinal statements very important Grace is even more important and so then it's like but back to the yo judge not stp judge lady like dang and also man for her like it's. It it bargoes my mind that we humans are still not learning even though we have an entire old testament an entire new testament that is like yo if there's anything that you should learn is that god is god and you are not and it's like man. She's like oh I'm god for today like because I'm in front of the class and I'm it's like.

21:53.70
leadersofleaders
Oh lady pump the brakes you're you're gonna go off a cliff. Ah um, so that's super cool. So you bring you, You're bringing your kids through the sacraments which is a blessing. Um, what are some of the things for the listeners. What are some of the things obviously. Ah.

21:55.39
J_R_ Rivera
Um, yeah.

22:11.57
leadersofleaders
I know I'm familiar with the catholic faith and so I know that there's some kind of built in play by play stuff right? instructions that you can just sort of follow in terms of rhythms habits things like that but are there anything is there anything. Kind of outside of that or that you sort of ah play jazz with or you as a ah parent have been intentional about in terms of bringing your whole family to include your wife right? So your own marriage and your your kids um and the adoption stuff I want to I want to go down that. But. We'll we'll hold that for a second. Um, but how how is it that you see obviously you see your headship you know in the household and you're leading and and not only from studies. But that's biblical. Um, and so how do you see that. Interaction happen in your household with your with your wife with your kids first.

23:04.35
J_R_ Rivera
God is here with us all the time and one of the things that I think that see like if we were to look back at my grandparents. My grandparents at their house. In fact, my grandma still has this giant. Big like 4 by 8 thing now not 4 by 8 but maybe like ah 4 by 2 thing of Jesus Christ with with the heart and all that in her living room and and I think that skipped a generation with my parents where we didn't really have much of that and and. That's part of what reminds us of our faith and you can't see it behind me but I felt like I was missing that and so I put a cross in the house and now everybody sees our cross. Everybody knows what's up when when they come to visit. We're going to say Grace before every single meal even if my son sits down to eat a bowl of cheerial is he's going to say grace and that's the way it is. We say our our nightly prayers I even made up a prayer for him so he's got that and I feel like I feel so so lucky that we are in this religious instruction and that he's not in catholic school. He's actually in a classical education school.

24:05.26
leadersofleaders
That's cool.

24:16.65
leadersofleaders
Very cool.

24:17.98
J_R_ Rivera
So like you're saying these kids are in modern education. He's in the ah education from one hundred and fifty years ago the way that they did it with latin. Yeah, so you know what I'm talking about. It's beautiful like it's a beautiful way to educate. Yeah so I feel fortunate in that.

24:22.22
leadersofleaders
Yeah, same with my kids That's awesome. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, it's amazing. Yeah yeah.

24:33.69
J_R_ Rivera
Because of that we have to do the religious education so we have pamphlets and and we have ah the the readings that we do before we go to church and the thing is he gets the meaning from it and we get even more meaning from it because when we sit down the the priest starts talking. It's easy to get lost.

24:45.18
leadersofleaders
And.

24:50.97
J_R_ Rivera
So at least we have that compass and that's our compass like this kid today. He'll tell you I love god I love my family and I love nature and we know because we're christians that god is love and so it appears in everything that we do in our home. And when we talk about the pillars and and I think this was one of the reasons why we connected my my pillars are faith first then family then fitness then finances and if I don't have those pillars of purpose I'm not living right? and so it appears in everything we do.

25:12.56
leadersofleaders
Okay, yeah.

25:25.70
J_R_ Rivera
And it's a beautiful thing even to the point now because my wife and I are doing the religious education. She's getting more hungry and she's starting to read the gospel every morning because I already have my morning routine Dude I'm old school I will do a rosary in the morning, read the bible.

25:31.45
leadersofleaders
And.

25:42.11
J_R_ Rivera
And do some other other meditating thinking and praying before they even get up and so now she's reading the daily readings and then we're coming together. What was what was a reading today. Well what you get out of that. What are you thinking about? and so now it's just happening more and more and more and the weird part is that the more I get the more I want.

25:44.35
leadersofleaders
So.

25:54.00
leadersofleaders
Neither mirror.

25:59.87
leadersofleaders
Oh yeah.

26:01.56
J_R_ Rivera
So I'm wanting to dive in I'm wanting to go to church more often I'm wanting to get more scripture I just got for for Christmas I'm dating the episode but for Christmas I got a big old study bible of the new living translation. It's like a million pages thick because I just want more.

26:15.56
leadersofleaders
Yeah.

26:22.25
J_R_ Rivera
That Yeah, exactly yeah well dude you put in work.

26:25.46
leadersofleaders
Um, that I tattered this that was my first that was that was my first this was my first bible and it was gifted to me when I was saved and that was 2009 so I'll put some dates on this ah episode as well. But.

26:33.60
J_R_ Rivera
Um, Wow it is.

26:41.38
leadersofleaders
Obviously not. It's you know Well this will this will publish in 2023 February of 2023 so people will be watching this in February. So hopefully ah, those listeners are still hanging on to their new Year's resolutions and oftentimes a new year's resolution is to read the bible right? to to pray daily. Um, as well as all the other things that you said right? be a better husband or be a better wife ah work out and then and then finances actually budget or or you know work to a certain level to achieve a certain income and whatnot. Um, and so I do want to touch a little bit on. Adoption. Um, and I want to give a biblical perspective that the listeners may not know and then kind of listen to what's what's been your experience in that process because I know that that's a pretty intense ah process and then you went through a faith. Based organization and so I don't know if you have good things to share with that or want to share that as well. But you could um, but it's interesting so in in the bible we talk in the new testament paul talks about adoption right? being adopted and Peter Peter as well um being adopted sons and daughters of god and the significance of that. It's a it's a cultural significance of that time. So the rec greco-roman laws they would.

28:14.50
leadersofleaders
Ah, they would allow a father to actually remove the father and son and specifically father and son. But I'm guessing it could happen with daughters as well but father and son relationship if the father so chose to right? because maybe the son was a curse and was. Ah, bad person or you know, whatever the case might be and so a father could actually remove that relationship. The father could even sell his his child off right into Slavery. The father could ah remove the the child the the birth child blood child from the family. However.

28:53.86
leadersofleaders
If a father adopted a son or a daughter that father would never be able to remove that relationship and that is the relationship we find ourselves in with our father with the triune god right? God the father god the son and and god the holy spirit. We find ourselves in adoption grafted to the tree right? And with that we cannot be removed right? and and so and I'm not saying that. Ah we could potentially sin and and we could be the reason why why there's removal like yourself right? you. Got back into church. You got annoyed and frustrated at this priest and then you stepped away but that was your choice right? That was not god's choice and so god's adoption means something and god's love that is the barometer that is the that is the plumb line of love. And we can't even really understand and know that love god sets that standard and it's ah it's a standard that really really, we will never live up to but we can hope to perfect and and pursue in our pursuit of god and so I just wanted to begin with that. Ah picture of adoption. And understand as listeners believers in Christ we are all adopted in into god's family. Um, which is significant and irreucible irremovable. We cannot find ourselves away from that love so that being said.

30:30.60
leadersofleaders
J R What has been ah maybe highs and lows or your experience with this adoption process and then if if if I'm allowed to how old is is is it just your son that's adopted or is there is there other kids. Okay, yeah.

30:43.31
J_R_ Rivera
My son? Yeah yeah, we werere one and done went too old. Ah man So the the choice was was simple for us because we knew that if we couldn't do it naturally that there was.

30:48.67
leadersofleaders
Ah, yeah, so.

31:01.26
J_R_ Rivera
Gonna be another way and we weren't going to go scientific when we just I wasn't gonna I married a beautiful woman I want her just as she is I don't want to pump her full of drugs and make her a science experiment and we were on the same page about that. So the the process was long.

31:12.20
leadersofleaders
Ah.

31:20.96
J_R_ Rivera
It was painful and maybe a little traumatic even as ah as it came together because we chose I'm Puerto rican my wife is filipino we had to have a kid that looked like us quite simply. Kid that looked like us kid that came from a similar culture so that we could share the culture with them so we chose the the Philippines and that process was so long they told us they told us yeah, two and a half three years we heard them say two and a half three years but it.

31:40.75
leadersofleaders
What.

31:57.18
leadersofleaders
Bright.

31:57.76
J_R_ Rivera
Didn't really register what that meant and so her and I we are box checkers doers getting things done. You know I was here when it was time to be here I was here 5 minutes early for our call you know because that's the way we live and so when we get into this. There's.

32:04.53
leadersofleaders
I.

32:11.90
leadersofleaders
And.

32:16.37
J_R_ Rivera
Home studies and there's ah homework and then there's classes and there's tests psychological evaluations all this and we're like we are going to do this boom. We made the decision we got in there and we got all of it done in about three months everybody was like.

32:21.12
leadersofleaders
So.

32:36.14
J_R_ Rivera
What are you guys doing like we've never seen anybody go so fast and all this stuff and we're like we made a decision and now we execute. That's the way we live. That's our motto here but we didn't anticipate how painful.

32:41.90
leadersofleaders
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

32:52.35
J_R_ Rivera
The waiting part would be because when you're doing that when you're doing the home studies and when you're doing the homework you're doing something so you're active and you don't think about anything you're just getting it done and and doing what's in front of you right? right? Knock it out. Knock it out. Knock it out that was it and.

32:58.45
leadersofleaders
And yeah, yeah, what's the next one? Okay got it. Okay.

33:11.74
J_R_ Rivera
We did that and then there's the quiet time and the quiet time is already painful because you know that there is your kid out there somewhere and you're waiting to be matched and you don't know when that's going to happen and you just hope and pray every day that it'll happen and it doesn't and that's already painful.

33:29.22
leadersofleaders
Yeah.

33:31.62
J_R_ Rivera
What's even more painful is when your family comes over and says hey what's the news. What's what's going on. Hey what's the news. What's going on every time you see them for years and it got to a point where you would say something like that to my wife and she'd almost break down because she was longing and yearning.

33:39.48
leadersofleaders
Yeah, yeah.

33:46.61
leadersofleaders
Yeah.

33:50.96
J_R_ Rivera
And I didn't anticipate that that was harder than I expected and then there's a part where I remember I was shopping at Publix that's our grocery store down here in the south. We were both shopping at Publix and we got a message, you've been matched. Here's a picture There's our son right? So that that was special that was a good moment. It became harder because there's there's there's your boy.

34:15.64
leadersofleaders
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

34:26.40
J_R_ Rivera
And you can't see him for six months it was hard sorry I didn't expect to get so emotional then we get there six months Dude six months from match to where we can go get him. He was waiting there all that time for us.

34:29.50
leadersofleaders
Ah.

34:33.88
leadersofleaders
No man that's hey this is this is part of.

34:46.70
J_R_ Rivera
And I just want to fly over there and get them and I can't right Yeah, you know and so we get there and we I mean the handoff is weird. It's like an hour handoff like okay here you go.

34:48.18
leadersofleaders
Right? Yeah like um, um to do this? yeah.

35:04.85
J_R_ Rivera
Here's a kid here's some paperwork done and that got even harder because think about that kid was already 2 years old and he was in an orphanage the whole time and he knew this weird little world of rolling around on the carpet drinking formula being cared for by like 4 or 6 different women.

35:11.59
leadersofleaders
So and.

35:22.23
leadersofleaders
A.

35:24.28
J_R_ Rivera
And so he comes home with us and he doesn't like us like it was fun and cool when we were hanging out for a day but then he's like two days three days wait a second wait a second wait a second who are you people? Why am I not in my environment and so.

35:29.17
leadersofleaders
Here here.

35:36.85
leadersofleaders
Yeah, yeah, and this is not my routine here. Yeah.

35:43.61
J_R_ Rivera
It was crazy and then us they told us look this kid's going to be like developmentally delayed because he's been in this little environment and so being in the outside world being in all this stuff's going to blow his mind and so we didn't know how bad that was going to be like the Temper traantrums and the yelling and all that stuff. Dude.

35:54.14
leadersofleaders
Yeah, so.

36:00.39
leadersofleaders
So yeah, yeah.

36:03.17
J_R_ Rivera
It was unbelievably hard and then you you know we talked about God is love Love is love. We loved him before we met him. We knew we were going to love him because that was in our heart already. He didn't love us. Okay, he didn't love us. We had to earn that love and that was hard.

36:16.62
leadersofleaders
M.

36:23.15
J_R_ Rivera
And the thing was he bonded with me. They told us he would bond with with the dad quicker because he already been around women so he's not really attached. Dad is the first time there's a dad so that's easy to attach to like just to get him to sit next to us was a thing right? We didn't expect all that and so.

36:25.79
leadersofleaders
And.

36:36.67
leadersofleaders
No yeah, so.

36:40.42
J_R_ Rivera
That that was the highs that was the lows of getting into it. But there's all the growth and look It's been hard right? I mean we have him and in speech therapy we have him in occupational therapy. Why because 2 two and a half years of his life. He was understimated. He wasn't taken care of so the kid here. Are with their parents the whole time have the advantage of learning being cared for being loved. He didn't have any of that so we have to bring him up but the rewards are incredible, especially now because you and I talked about the faith thing seeing his love for god and seeing how he loves us.

36:57.78
leadersofleaders
FS.

37:15.11
J_R_ Rivera
Is the most amazing and rewarding thing in the world.

37:19.61
leadersofleaders
Man that that's that's pretty beautiful I mean I Obviously I know that's your lived experience. Um, and so by no means am I trying to belittle it by ah Also. Showing and and seeing a ah metaphor right? It's the microcosm of humanity and and God right? Um, and we're oftentimes in our society understimated with God and and the Belief. Of God And what that means and how that functions and then we get this right? this delay right? and and a lot of times. It's like you know praying for praying for just knowledge that there is a God or isn't a God or or something and then you know you go through oftentimes a. Long gap where you don't You don't have any answer and and you're anticipating an answer and you don't get an answer and then you do get the answer and it's not Perfect. It's not everything it was meant to be and this wasn't the romantic ideal that you might have had in your in your in your mind. Um. Man That's that's Incredible. So um, am I allowed to ask ah his age. Okay, so.

38:35.42
J_R_ Rivera
Um, keep going. Yeah, he's he's he's 8 going on. He'll be 9 and in a few months yeah with us. Yeah, six and half

38:41.70
leadersofleaders
So 6 going on 7 years or maybe going on 6 years right um yeah and ah, how how much of a refiner's fire or a crucible has that been for. Ah, you individually your wife individually and then also importantly, your your marriage together. Um, right to have an adopted child with you know these delays and and you know having to earn love all these things did it. It seems to me that you you seem closer now. Um, but did it have ah did it have an effect on your marriage. Did it have an effect on you personally on on your wife personally did it bring you closer to god or or further away or what was the what was sort of the experience in that.

39:28.89
J_R_ Rivera
Yeah, so the the thing is I feel lucky because I mean society you know I do the air quotes and I have to say it that way I mean and nowadays people don't take marriage or or having children as seriously as I think they should but.

39:40.56
leadersofleaders
Yeah.

39:46.54
leadersofleaders
Partner.

39:48.89
J_R_ Rivera
I mean people have kids before they get married and they start a life like with the kid and with the need and not their own needs taken care of my brother had a kid when he was a teenager and I'm thinking how how like how can you do that And that's why I feel.

39:59.12
leadersofleaders
And.

40:05.41
J_R_ Rivera
Bless like my wife and I we were together for 10 years already. We knew each other we were solid. We built on that rock Solid foundation. It wasn't sand we knew each other we knew what we were about and we knew where we wanted to go. It was family time and we made that choice and and did that work and. Feel like we earned it when we had to do all that psychological evaluations and home studies and education that people couldn't just have a kid and not do any of that and so I felt like that was a blessing for us and I mean that that time of waiting as as.

40:32.90
leadersofleaders
Yeah.

40:42.50
J_R_ Rivera
You could probably tell was a little painful but it brought us together and then with the kid being here. All we know is we're gonna get this done like we're gonna do this because that's who we are and so every time I love it I Love it This sounds crazy. But I love let them.

40:50.71
leadersofleaders
Yeah.

41:01.13
J_R_ Rivera
Underestimate him. Let them underestimate us because I'm going to show you and that's what we do with this kid Every single day is like yeah, let's do our math work. Yeah, let's get after it. Yeah, let's do whatever we have to do to get you above and Beyond where you are so challenge.

41:05.61
leadersofleaders
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

41:18.41
J_R_ Rivera
Accepted. So yeah, it's brought us closer together and closer to God and and it's ah it's a beautiful thing and it's rewarding every day and yeah I relive that hard time with you as you could tell I got a little emotion I've almost forgotten about that because we're always conquering things.

41:28.14
leadersofleaders
Yeah, so.

41:35.60
J_R_ Rivera
Pushing and getting further every day with him.

41:37.81
leadersofleaders
Yeah, that's so cool and I mean obviously that's that is your story right? It's like okay teacher said I wasn't gonna amount to anything check this right? Ah adoption agency. Oh it's gonna take you a year to fill this stuff out. Oh three months right? Um, and so that's awesome that that just.

41:48.84
J_R_ Rivera
Um, yeah.

41:55.10
leadersofleaders
Ah, carries into that's not only your marriage right? Not only your story but your marital story and and your story with your adopted son which that's incredible and it seems to me that that's ah the way that you are pursuing faith and family and fitness and fine hence and so and so let's let's talk a little bit about um.

42:10.51
J_R_ Rivera
Um, you know it.

42:14.41
leadersofleaders
That right? So um, obviously Faithd driven ah entrepreneur. Obviously you know a consummate doer which can it could can be a double edgeged sword too right? We can get sucked into doing and not actually experiencing um in the present Moment. Um. At least I'm speaking for myself. Maybe I shouldn't speak for you? Um, but you've achieved some pretty incredible achievements right? You've done some pretty incredible things and and so I'd like to hear a little bit. Obviously you know our our listeners got to hear your heart big time for the most part which as it should be. Um, but I want to hear a little bit about what's so what's going on with the podcastfactory dot com like what's going on with the entrepreneurial pursuits How? how are you able to walk out your relationship with God your relationship with your wife and your relationship with your family your son. Um. As you walk out work because oftentimes that can be difficult as fathers and husbands right.

43:16.23
J_R_ Rivera
Yeah I had an interesting talk with my with my father-in-law yesterday. In fact, we were sitting around ah talking after dinner and he was talking to me a little bit about faith and um. Like I said she grew up catholic I grew up catholic we had that in common but I asked him because I had never asked him before well, how long has it been that you got kind of serious about your face like diving deeper than just the topical prayer and the Sunday thing. And he tells me oh maybe the last four or five years he's seventy nine four or five years and I was like what oh I didn't I didn't realize that I just number occurred to me and I said well why? what? What took so long.

44:00.67
leadersofleaders
Ah.

44:10.91
J_R_ Rivera
And this is the interesting part. He says well first I had to work on my number I had my number which is my financial goal and I had a work towards that number and then when I got there. It allowed me room to do this other.

44:22.30
leadersofleaders
3

44:29.56
J_R_ Rivera
Work on myself. The spiritual work and I said well I can't I can't wait that long to have my spiritual work done. Can't you work on both of them at the same time and he had a very honest answer. I wasn't strong enough to do that I had to do it this way and now I'm I'm diving deeper into my faith of course he's getting closer to meeting the maker so that that might have something to do with it. But I thought Wow I can't do that.

44:54.91
leadersofleaders
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

45:03.19
J_R_ Rivera
I just I'm not going it just and I told my wife she had never heard this before and her answer was this is why we're together. She's my ride or die. Why can't you have both. How could you have 1 without the other that was her answer. How could you have 1 without the other and that's right, both and so.

45:14.70
leadersofleaders
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

45:21.69
J_R_ Rivera
When we're thinking in terms. Ah, ah of the work I do I've I've been looking at this and I'm like I said practicing catholic I'm a knight of Columbus I get involved in mem's group I read the bible do roceries all this stuff but there was a time during. Covid when we were locked down and it was just us the 3 of us here and fortunately I didn't follow the lockdown thing so I got out for walks every day and got some fresh air vitamin d three oxygen even though they told you it was bad. It wasn't we're here. We're fine. Everything's okay, sunlight and fresh air. Okay, but but I'm walking around the lake over here and I'm thinking about what service I am to the world and what I could be doing because I think when I think of the the nights of Columbus I think of pancake.

46:00.61
leadersofleaders
Ah.

46:16.80
J_R_ Rivera
Breakfast and Tootsie roll drives and all this and I'm I'm not doing it just hey I'll give you some money I'll fund it I'm not doing that. That's just not my bag and I felt a little guilty about that and I started thinking. Well what can I do and that's when it hit me.

46:19.91
leadersofleaders
Yeah.

46:34.95
leadersofleaders
I.

46:35.65
J_R_ Rivera
I'm doing it just never really realized I was doing it and there's this passage and I've got it written here because if not I'll forget it but Matthew 194 as he walked by the sea of galilee. He saw 2 brothers Peter and Andrew Casting into the sea they were fishermen. Said to them come after me and I'll make you a fisher of men that was it I've been doing it the whole time with my work at the podcast factory I am fishing men to god's light. And so that's how we're really selective about the people we work with we want to make sure we're bringing good messages positive messages. We're we're making sure that we work with the right people because I have this philosophy. It's quite simply this you and I have had this experience at some point I know that the listeners have had the experience. Where we hear somebody say something and we may have heard that thing a million times you know a million times from a million different people didn't mean anything that 1 time we heard it though that 1 time we remember it that 1 time it hits us it changes our life. So the right words from the right person at the right time can change your life. That's my work at the podcast factory I work with people I care about I work with people I believe in and we're putting out those positive messages. We're bringing god's light to them and showing them.

47:44.78
leadersofleaders
Ah.

48:00.54
J_R_ Rivera
That there's another way there's another answer. Maybe you didn't hear from school. Maybe you didn't hear from your teachers or your parents but there is light somewhere and we're bringing it every day.

48:11.50
leadersofleaders
That's awesome. Yeah, very much reminds me of Jesus Word about the light and not hiding it under a bushel basket but like a city on a hill right? You can't ignore it. It's just there and not everybody's going to travel to the city on the hill but ah. The right? The right light at the right time and the right moment from the right person and you might go hm. what's what's it what's in that city let me go check that out then um, now that's incredible and so and so then talk to me a little bit about the podcast factory what obviously that's generally right? What's what's happening there? Um, but. It seems to me that there it's it's you know it's not preachers or priests you know, preaching the word um and and pastoring from there. It's it's just sharing incredible information and and sharing truth right? Not not just truth in a biblical sense but truth. About walking out life and being a intentional father improving yourself in fitness or improving yourself in finance. What are some of the things that if the listener is like man. Ah okay, I'm already interested. Um, obviously you know Jonathan J R has torn me apart with his story. And my heart is broken in half I would like to maybe hear from the right person at the right time. Ah what are what are some things that they can look forward to receiving or or understanding or improving in by jumping on the podcast. Ah podcastfactory.com.

49:26.55
J_R_ Rivera
Are.

49:40.13
J_R_ Rivera
Yeah I mean I would go to the the obviously the homepage but look for for the client showcase and the client showcase has a bunch of hosts men and women who are sharing good messages and this is all about growth. This is all about personal development. This is about being accountable and yeah, there's there's fitness in there. So all all the pillars that we've talked about faith ah family fitness finances. There's shows on all those topics and and the thing is you have to pick who resonates with you. You have to pick that mentor and Jim Rone ah

50:11.37
leadersofleaders
So.

50:18.26
J_R_ Rivera
American businessman american entrepreneur says you are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with and if you don't have the right people in your life right now. Maybe 1 of them is waiting for you at thepodcastfactory.com right now to be that mentor to be that friend to be in your ear to uplift you to help you think differently. And that's why it's my life's work. It's like I I handpick these people I work with of course I'm paid. Yeah I mean you gotta get paid for your work. But I handpick the people that we work with and I say well I love your message I'm um, a fan. Let's go get you more fans. Let's go connect your message with more people who need to hear it and so.

50:51.67
leadersofleaders
And.

50:57.55
J_R_ Rivera
There's so many different people on there that are sharing uplifting messages of personal growth. Um that I think it's a ah, great place to go if you don't have that influence or if you need more positive influences in your life.

51:09.83
leadersofleaders
And so if if there's a listener on here. That's like hey I've got a message I want to I want to share a message I've got a podcast or maybe I don't have a podcast is this is this somewhere and but I but I have a message and I want to share it is this somewhere that where they can go and refine that and learn that and and. Um, get some help in preparing messages or or building a podcast or having a podcast and then having it you know reach more eyes. How does that work for the for the person that okay yeah, like I want to learn but I want to do more than I have something that God's put on my heart that I want to share.

51:48.70
leadersofleaders
Is that something that that somebody who's listening could could pursue as well.

51:53.87
J_R_ Rivera
Yeah, yeah, Absolutely I mean we've helped 117 experts launch their podcast to eager audiences so we can certainly help with that. Not only that I mean I have ah a giveaway there Six biggest podcast mistakes if you're thinking about doing it yourself. Go check that out and not only that I've got. 900 or so blog posts on different aspects of podcasting and how to be a better podcaster. How to tell a story how to name your show All that's there. So if you want to have a podcast.. There's definitely resources there if you want to have new friends who uplift you that's there and if you want to just come by and tell me I'm nuts I'm there too.

52:28.57
leadersofleaders
Um, ah, all day every day Oh man and ah, but that's I That's so cool I don't know. Um we I we were sharing this um earlier but it seemed it seems to me that.

52:43.40
leadersofleaders
With that positive message I mean yeah, you could major in the minorers and probably look at the couple of trolls that are trolling you um I'm I'm sure that they're there. If for anybody that rises above the level of you know a hundred people viewing or listening ah you're you're going to find at least at least one troll out of out of a hundred if not more. Um. But it seems to me that with with this positive perspective on positive messaging right? capturing positive messages and then relaying those positive messages to other people or helping people. You know that have that positive message to to get to more listeners and. And more viewers. It seems to me that that is so few and far between those that are going to come on and just tell you you're crazy or troll you or you know whatever the case is that been your experience what what has been your experience with um, you know how how much ah, you know reviews or approval or or. Um, how the message was received from a good standpoint and a bad standpoint and.

53:47.70
J_R_ Rivera
I'll tell you what has ah has changed in the last few years for me is I was kind of ah a scrappy kid I grew up a little rough and I used to be a little more negative in my messaging and that negativity. Sometimes attracts more negativity and what I've found is I try my best to keep my messages positive and that attracts positivity you and I wouldn't be talking right now if I didn't have a good positive message and now we get to share this with with your listeners. And hopefully uplift them inspire them to to do good things and they'll owe that all to listening to a conversation between us. So yeah I I kind of dig it when somebody trolls me. Because it gives me something to laugh about and talk about but it doesn't happen nearly as much since I I started focusing more on the positive side.

54:42.41
leadersofleaders
Yeah, it is interesting. How how that tends to work out. Um, and and yeah, like you said and when I think that comes with security too like you're secure in your faith. You're secure in your family here secure in your fitness you're secure in your finances you're secure with the Podcast Factory. So with the security. It's like yeah I mean if you're going to drill me I'm I'm secure So. It's not going to rock me. You know off of off of my security.. It's not going to make me feel the insecurities that I might have felt in the past and it seems to me that that that is oftentimes where the scrappiness comes From. We. We have this inherent insecurity about something or or ourselves or whatever and so then we're ready to throw down at any moment ah to to sort of uphold to prove our security.. It's like well I don't need to prove it Now. So I can laugh about it. Absolutely so.

55:28.59
J_R_ Rivera
Um, yeah.

55:32.56
leadersofleaders
On this show. You know we see Jesus Christ as the leader of leaders. But then also we understand that it's true leadership right? that will build and influence and create other leaders and it seems to me j r that that is something that you are. Providing and you are doing with the podcastfactory.com and your marriage and your faith and your adoption and man. Ah I got. Ah. Got emotional when you got emotional because that's an emotional story man. Um, but I love it. I wouldn't have it any other way. That's that's true humanity right? And true humanity in Christ man. Thank you so much for what you're doing. Thank you so much for sharing such a powerful.

56:08.80
J_R_ Rivera
Um, this is this.

56:23.99
leadersofleaders
Message or powerful messages today to our listeners I'm completely honored to have you on here and I'd love to have you on again. Thank you.

56:31.96
J_R_ Rivera
Aaron bro. Thank you for sharing your platform with me. Most importantly, thank you for the work that you're doing here because I told you I think that we're at the forefront of a change and you're leading the way. So I'm grateful to be a part of that. And thank you for letting me be a little whiss on this episode but ah good time.

56:46.47
leadersofleaders
No, not at all that it was at all, no strong men cry right? is it's weak men that will pulled it back? Yeah well. Thanks again, you know.