Can’t Keep Me Down: Baron Li on Turning Trauma into Purpose - Fostering Change Podcast

CONTENT WARNING: ADULT/DISTURBING THEMES — ABUSE & VIOLENCE

Welcome to this week’s episode of Fostering Change. Our host, Rob Scheer, sits down with an extraordinary guest — Baron Li, co-owner of Four Tiers Contracting and founder of the CKMD Army.

Baron’s journey is one of unimaginable pain, resilience, and redemption. A former foster youth who endured 17 placements and severe childhood abuse — including being burned with a clothing iron and cigarettes at just three years old — Baron later survived an attempted murder-for-hire plot that left him shot nine times. Yet, through it all, he transformed trauma into purpose.

Today, Baron is building homes and hope through Four Tiers Contracting, employing and mentoring aged-out foster youth, and expanding CKMD Army — a nationwide movement uniting the foster care community with a 50-state resource network.

In this powerful and emotional conversation, Rob and Baron discuss:

How a childhood marked by violence and instability shaped Baron’s mission to help others rebuild their lives

His incredible survival story: “I was shot nine times, left for dead — but I chose not to be a victim. I chose to live, to forgive, and to give back.”

How Four Tiers Contracting provides aged-out foster youth with steady employment, mentorship, and a pathway to independence

The vision behind CKMD Army (Can’t Keep Me Down) — a 50-state foster care resource network empowering youth, families, and advocates nationwide

Why Baron believes resilience is forged through service — and that “purpose is the only thing stronger than pain.”

Baron Li’s story is a testament to the human spirit — proof that even after the darkest moments, there is light. Trauma can shape us, but it never has to define who we become.

👉 Learn more about Baron Li and his work:

All Links: linktr.ee/baronbli

LinkedIn: CKMD Army

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