August 25, 2025 • 48 mins
What would your life look like if you used every single second with intention?
This week on Hope Comes to Visit, I’m joined by Donald L. Dowridge Jr., a man who embodies resilience, purpose, and what it truly means to live with hope.
Donald’s early childhood was filled with pain most couldn’t imagine — abuse, neglect, and words no child should ever hear. But instead of allowing his past to define him, Donald chose to carve out a future rooted in service, courage, and determination.
After serving as a sergeant in the U.S. Army and breaking barriers at the Tampa Post Office, Donald discovered his calling almost by accident — when his fifth-grade son asked him to speak to his class. That one moment opened the door to his life’s mission: motivating and empowering others.
Today, Donald is the founder of DLD Enterprises, the author of 14 books (including The Power of Being a Winner, a #1 Barnes & Noble bestseller in five languages), and a dynamic motivational speaker known for his “unorthodox” style that blends music, dance, and passionate storytelling.
His message is simple yet profound: We each receive 86,400 seconds every day. What will you do with yours?
Donald’s journey is proof that:
- Your past does not determine your destiny.
- Fear and doubt often guard the doorway to your greatest achievements.
- Hope and purpose are choices you can make every single day.
This conversation is filled with energy, wisdom, and inspiration. Donald challenges us not to waste our days on “I would have, should have, could have” — but to live boldly, with hope, and with no regrets.
Connect with Donald on his website: DLT Enterprises.
And on Social - Instagram, Twitter and on LinkedIn.
Thank you for listening to Hope Comes to Visit. If this episode resonated with you, please follow, rate, and share the show — it helps others find their way to these conversations.
New episodes drop every Monday and Friday, so you can begin and end your week with a little light and a lot of hope.
For more stories, reflections, and ways to connect, visit www.DanielleElliottSmith.com or follow along on Instagram @daniellesmithtv and @HopeComestoVisit
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
The fear, if you will , began to engulf me because,
like they say, you know, quit,give up, it's not worth it.
Go go, go turn on your TV, goget a beer, go go go hang out
with your friends, go smoke some.
But all that can engulf one'smind, especially when they are
(00:21):
on the tip of theacknowledgement of success.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Transformation doesn't happen all at once.
It unfolds through stories andmoments of truth.
This is Hope Comes to Visit.
I'm Danielle Elliott Smith.
Every episode is an invitationto be seen, feel less alone and
to hold space for whatever comesnext.
Today's guest is the embodimentof transformation.
(00:56):
Donald Dowridge Jr iscelebrating 33 years as the
founder and CEO of DLDEnterprises.
Determined to learn and develop.
After serving five and a halfyears in the US Army as a
sergeant and transitioning tobecome the first
African-American manager of theOCR-BCS department within the
(01:16):
Tampa Florida US Post Office,dowridge retired after 11 and a
half years.
Dld is ambitious in creatingnew dimensions of motivation for
those who seek achievement byfocusing energy in areas of
obtaining positive outcomesdespite life's obstacles.
Let's take a quick moment tothank the people that support
(01:38):
and sponsor the podcast.
When life takes an unexpectedturn, you deserve someone who
will stand beside you.
St Louis attorney Chris Dullyoffers experienced one-on-one
legal defense.
Call 314-384-4000 or314-DUI-HELP, or you can visit
DulleyLawFirmcom that'sD-U-L-L-E-LawFirmcom for a free
(02:01):
consultation.
Donald, I am delighted you arehere with me.
Thank you for taking time.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
Thank you, danielle, for having me this morning.
I am excited off the charts, ifyou will, and it's a blessing
to be your guest this morning.
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
You are a blessing.
I have been so excited abouthaving this conversation because
when I think about hope, when Ithink about what hope looks
like to me and how we arebringing it to visit people all
around you are truly that in ahuman being.
(02:44):
You have been through so muchand for you it's a mission to
show other people that you cantake tough circumstances and
turn it into a way to hope andinspire and motivate others.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
Well, I look at my life as definitely a blessing,
coming through what I would callOJT on-the-job training to
prepare me for the path that Ididn't see at the time.
So, taking it on full thrust,once it was handed to me, I felt
(03:28):
like I had no choice in thematter.
It was something that I wasallowed to overcome, that God
allowed me to overcome lessonthat I had been given, if you
will, as harsh as it was,abusive as it was, and to
(03:49):
transpire into a blessing that Icould share with others and
hopefully help them through thevineyard.
Because, in reality, once Istudied it and looked at it and
looked back at it, studied itand looked at it and looked back
at it, it was not my life inthe beginning, but I had to go
(04:13):
through in order to understandthe life that I was given to
share with others.
Who was desperate, who isdesperate I shouldn't say was,
but is because we still havepeople that are, unfortunately,
in the vineyard and they'rereaching to come out of it.
So, am I my brother's keeper?
Am I my sister's keeper?
Yes, I am, and one thing forsure I cannot flounder this
(04:35):
opportunity that has been givento me so many of us,
unfortunately.
We have the opportunities butwe flounder it.
We have the opportunities butwe flounder it, and it would be
the worst crime on this planet,if you will, to flounder my life
knowing that the opportunitywas given.
(04:56):
So no doubt it's theopportunity each day given to
wake and give it to somebodyelse because it is a gift,
somebody else because it is agift, and the last thing that I
could do is just waste it.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
Well, let me do this.
Let's give people a piece ofyour story, if you're okay with
that, because I think that it'sone thing to say that you have
been through something difficultand you've turned it into
something positive, but I wantour listeners to understand
where you've come from, so thatthere is the opportunity for
other people who are potentiallygoing through something
(05:37):
difficult to understand whattough looks like and what it
looks like to turn things around.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
Well, to begin, I was born on Thanksgiving Day.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
OK.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
Nineteen hundred and fifty six in Baltimore, Maryland
.
Speaker 2 (05:59):
Nineteen hundred and fifty six.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
Ok, they don't even say it like that anymore.
No, but, yes, 156.
(06:28):
Okay, she came in to try andsave us, to capture us, but it
was a few minutes too late and Iwound up in.
Well, we were all three wereseparated and I wound up in my
second foster home.
For, what I understand, startedthe tribulation, the pain that
I would go through until I wouldsay that I am probably 20, 21
(06:50):
years old.
Um, and some of the tribulation.
Uh, uh, um attempted to be hungout the third floor window at
the age of seven.
Um, uh, uh, sexually abused,being made to sleep out with the
(07:16):
dog, and I was amazed.
A couple of years ago, I wentinto the Dollar Tree and I went
in, walking down the aisle topurchase another product.
However, as I'm looking, I sawway down on the bottom shelf,
way in the corner, I saw cans ofAlpo dog food Alpo dog food
which you would be incarceratedfor feeding your dog that
(07:40):
nowadays.
But can you imagine that?
Me myself being made to eatthat and being forbidden to eat
human food, locked in closetsand just to move on, my
biological father stabbing meeight times, and we're not even
(08:01):
counting the times that I wasstabbed or injured as a result
of gang warfare in the SouthBronx, being incarcerated,
expelled third grade, expelledsixth grade, seventh grade and
walking away from not educationin the 12th grade.
And not only that, justcarrying that weight that was
(08:38):
put on me that basically you'renothing, you're nobody, you're
going nowhere, even mybiological father telling me you
know, I hate that you were born, et cetera, et cetera, et
cetera.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
So I had to really climb that mountain.
Did you have anyone you couldrely on?
Speaker 1 (08:56):
During those turbulent times.
No, no.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
So what?
Because it's interesting to meto listen to you.
It's such a dichotomy to hearthis very upbeat gentleman who
is effusive about beingmotivating and kind, this
(09:50):
beautiful, centered, spiritedman who's in front of me now.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
I don't know if you remember the recording artist,
Bill Withers.
I do Sunny Day that was one ofhis songs, however, he had a
song about his grandmother andGrandma Haynes that was the name
of it and I had a grandmother.
She was my great grandmotherand once I was moved from my,
(10:22):
from the abusive situation frommy biological dad, my
grandmother, who I moved in within the Bronx, as a matter of
fact, 504 East 165th Street,apartment four, I still got to
keep that apartment.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
If she still lives there, I'd be sending her a
letter and flowers right now.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
Trust me, if she still lived there, I wouldn't be
on this broadcast right now.
I probably wouldn't be there.
So, but to any avail, shepulled me to the side and she
said baby, and she was aPentecostal, very religious lady
.
And she said look, you've beenthrough hell, but if you hold on
, if you hold on, jesus gotsomething good for you.
(11:03):
You're going to be somebody inthis life.
And not only are you going tobe somebody, you're going to
move a lot of people.
And at that time, 16 years old,I had no idea what she was
talking about as a matter offact, like most kids, what she
know.
But as time went on, I realizedwhat she know.
And when my son, who was in thefifth grade at the time, came
(11:28):
to me and invited me to speak tohis class and I agree the only
reason I agreed because I wantedto be that dad that my dad
wasn't to me.
That's why I agreed and Ireally love my son.
He's like he'll be 47 in a fewmonths and every time he sees me
he's like I'm a little puppy.
(11:49):
He said every time you comearound me, you're like a little
puppy wagging and whatnot.
But when he invited me to speakto his class.
Danielle, I promise you.
I went to speak and I said, ok,I'm going back to work, because
my vision at the time was tobecome the first
African-American postmaster ofTampa, florida.
(12:12):
That was my dream.
However, god used my son to putme on this road that I've been
on for the last 33, 35 years, ifyou will 33, 35 years, if you
will.
And I mean, I'm so sewn into it.
And not only that, just havingthe opportunity to meet people
(12:34):
and be around people such as LesBrown, the renowned
motivational speaker, and justeating and drinking that, that,
his words, and other people,dale Connolly, et cetera, et
cetera, and letting it get intothe fibers of my bones and the
fibers of my brain.
You know so that.
And, of course, reading theBible and getting connected with
(12:55):
God.
You know those tentacles, ifyou will allow me, and assisted
me and helped me to become theperson that I became.
And if I could say this, in 1989, maybe 1990, 91, somewhere
around there, I went to a movieand, matter of fact, the name of
(13:15):
the movie was Malcolm X.
I took 10 young boys there tosee it and there was a scene in
that movie that really hit mehard.
That scene was DenzelWashington coming out the shower
with his cuck that was the nameof the hairstyle back then and
he was combing it.
And there was another brotherthat was in there and he said
look at you, look at you, youknow just being who you're not,
(13:40):
et cetera, et cetera.
And he said you need to speakto Allah, allah, god.
So Denzel's character, malcolmX.
He said well, how do you speakto this God?
He said you speak to him, justlike you're speaking to me.
So after the movie I take thekids home and I stopped by the
store and I got me a 40, a 40years old English 800 beer.
(14:01):
So I go home, I get into theapartment, 800 beer.
So I go home, I get into theapartment, I open it up and you
know, like gangbangers do, Idripped it.
You know the first sip.
I poured it in the garbage canfor my homies that are no longer
here, took a couple of sips andthen I started talking.
I said yo G, yo G.
I need to holler at you, homie.
(14:21):
They said I can talk to youanyway.
Yo, I need some help.
You know, I mean, if I have todie, I want to die on positive.
I don't want to die on negative.
I want to be somebody.
I want to be somebody great andtrust me, it just seems like
from that point on it's beenlike a red carpet ride.
It's like I've been riding thiscarpet and everybody, all of us
(14:48):
have problems.
But if I could take a little,if I could put a twist on
Jay-Z's song, you know, I got 99problems, but a problem ain't
one.
It's because of the fact ofknowing how to transport that
problem into a plus instead of anegative, to keep moving
forward, not for yourself, notfor myself, but to be able to
(15:11):
continue to reach out andinspire others, because if I'm
not right, I can't help othersto be right.
So, yes, it's been a trial andit's been tribulation, but I am
so thankful that, through thegrace of God that I've been able
to jump those hurdles, likeMoses at the Olympics, and keep
(15:35):
moving forward.
And through that I must say yes, I failed.
Yes, I mean when I say failed,I fell down, I hurt myself, but
the moral of the story is I gotup, I got myself.
But the moral of the story is Igot up, I got up, and when
anybody who falls can get up andcan dust themselves off.
(15:56):
Dust that collar off, put thesmile back on their face with
the 700 muscles that are righthere and use those 700 muscles
in an up instead of a down.
Trust me, there's nothing butsunshiny day.
And look, you might not knowabout this, danielle, you wasn't
born yet.
But Ice Cube said it himselfit's a good day.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
I wasn't born yet.
See, yes, I was, yes, I was.
Speaker 1 (16:24):
You're looking so young and vibrant.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
You are very sweet.
You know what.
We can be best friends.
I want to ask you this so yourspirit is contagious, but say
you get someone in front of youwho says I don't know how to get
up, right, it feels like my.
It feels as though my grief, myhurt, my pain, my suffering is
(16:50):
so heavy.
What do you say?
What do you say?
What do you offer them toexplain what hope looks like?
Speaker 1 (17:00):
Well, you know, first of all, I would put myself
empathy, I would put myself intheir shoes.
Danielle, I can't tell you howmany times I wanted to commit
suicide.
I can't tell you how many timeswanted to commit suicide.
I can't tell you how many timesI'm talking to you, but I see
me right now in the South Bronx,16 years old, on the sixth
floor at a party house party, ifyou will and I'm running in the
(17:23):
room to jump out the window andmy guard brother, he stopped me
.
So I get you know.
I wrestle over him and I rundownstairs and I lay out in the
middle of the street.
Here come a big old bus and I'mlike, just hit me, I'm done, I
don't want to live anymore.
And the bus stops and thedriver, big old guy, he comes
(17:44):
out and he just picks me up likeI was a piece of paper and he
said what are you doing?
Are you crazy?
And then he just threw me tothe side.
So, going through these issuesof wanting to quit grieving pain
, and first of all I had tounderstand within me that's part
of life.
But I also had to understandwhen you flip it, it turns out
(18:09):
right.
How does it turn out right,because it gives you the
strength.
It gives you the strength andit gives you the heart to
manifest yourself, to want tosay hey, okay, I made it through
that, now I can make it throughanother one.
Because one thing I learnedabout this thing called life as
soon as you come out of one, getready because here comes
(18:31):
another.
And like the late, great JerryButler said, only the strong
survive.
In order to survive, you haveto have the mental, the heart,
the physical to move forth.
Rely on G-O-D.
God, because God is alwaysgoing.
As long as you want, as long asyou thrive, you will continue
(18:56):
to move forth, but make sure youare in the company of those
that want to see you move forthin such a progressive way,
because in reality, it's yourprerogative and what you want to
do with it.
Nobody, in honesty, nobody, cantell you what to do with you,
but you need and you must wantto do the greatness within you,
(19:18):
because we all fail.
We all fail.
But the point and the questionis in our fail.
Are we fail or are we fail?
Yeah, yeah, are we fail?
Yeah, and believe, fail, yeah,and believe me, god, don't make
junk, and I would let them knowhow great they are.
And they must understand howgreat they are.
(19:40):
And one thing about me yes, Ilove shaking hands, all right,
and I understand the time zonethat we in.
Okay, and I love huggingbecause I want people to
understand I love you.
Don't take it out of contentnow.
I love you because, look, if Ican, if I can move for you,
(20:02):
cream, I cream.
We all love ice cream.
My favorite ice cream is butterpecan.
As a matter of fact, whenpeople say I'm black, I'm not
black, I'm butter pecan.
So the moral of the story iswhen we I'm black, I'm not black
, I'm butter pecan.
So the moral of the story iswhen we go get our ice cream and
we're standing out in the hotsun, that cream is melting, we
lift the cone to try to save asmuch as we can of that ice cream
(20:22):
.
I've grown.
I've grown in my time here onearth to love.
I have so much love that isdripping over, it's dripping all
over me.
So I want to share that love.
And people say, don, what areyou smoking?
Are you still snorting?
I'm like, no, I don't have anymore tissues in my nostrils so I
(20:47):
can't snort anymore.
But I tell you what, in themidst of it, I'm smiling, I'm
happy because of the fact that Imade it through and I want to
share with others, to show them,to speak to them in such a tone
that they can grasp it and theycan understand it and they can
feel the J-O-Y that I feel aboutmyself when I look in the
(21:08):
mirror.
When I look in the mirror, Idon't look here, I don't look
here.
I don't look at me brushing myteeth, I don't look here.
I look definitely here in mypupils.
So I can feel the spirit thathas been put inside of me to be
able to go out of my front dooror to be able to go into a
(21:29):
program, such as here with you,danielle, and issue out,
disseminate the joy that I haveof being able to move from that
point A, that distress that Iwas in to be able to move onto
an avenue.
Oh, I take that back.
(21:50):
I take that back to forgetabout an avenue, to move onto a
boulevard.
That's right To move onto aboulevard.
Speaker 2 (21:59):
Not an avenue.
We're not moving to an avenue,we're moving to a boulevard.
Speaker 1 (22:01):
Yes, that allow one to get the best out of self.
And, danielle, I'm not bragging, I'm not boasting, danielle,
I'm not bragging, I'm notboasting.
God has allowed me, over thelast 33 years, to be in front of
many people, whether on stage,whether in a classroom, whether
(22:24):
church, whether a retreat,conference, business, what have
you?
And just the mere fact of whenI begin, how people they're like
, but then, when it's all saidand done, they're like I get it.
Now, I get it, I am.
I am Because it ain't about mewhen I say I am, that's them
saying about themselves I am.
So when you recognize what yougo through, and then you come
(22:47):
through, and then you can ableto see through and what fly
through, you're no longer inattitude, you're on altitude
what I love is to me you are aliving example, to be a light
(23:09):
for other people.
Speaker 2 (23:11):
You are living as though people can see it was
hard, it has been hard, it willbe hard and yet I can.
So you can.
And I think that speaks to yousaying I look into my eyes, I
(23:34):
look into my eyes and I see myspirit and I'm grateful because
I've made it and I continue tomake it and because I continue
to make it, I know you can, Iknow you can and you can and you
can, and I want people to seethe beauty and the joy and the
(23:54):
life and the love that exists onthis side.
And I love that so much becausethat is why I created this
podcast, because I know what itlooks like to feel hopeless and
I know what it is to live inthis beautiful space of hope.
(24:20):
How do you define hope, don?
Speaker 1 (24:32):
to believe in the faith that has been stored
within.
Hope is the ability to be ableto clam out of any type of I'll
use the word foxhole, if youwill, because I was in the
military Hope is to be able tosee greater than what is less.
And not only that when youlearn to engulf yourself in hope
, then there's no stopping hope,because every day one wakes up,
(24:58):
they recognize that they canachieve, and they can accomplish
whatever their dreams are.
Like we said earlier about fail, well, fail, basically, is on
the other side of fail isresilient.
Being resilient, and not onlythat, having the goal, if you
will, to store up you see asquirrel come down out of a tree
(25:22):
and the squirrel grabs up allthe little nuts, if you will,
that around that tree, takes itback up in the tree and store it
.
So storing all that equals oneword perseverance.
To be able to have theperseverance to come back after
a major storm, to come backafter a major setback, to come
(25:45):
back after being denied, and notonly that, to have the gall to
tell doubt and denial, to stepout, to move out my way,
regardless, no matter how muchit might look, it might break
you financially, it might giveyou stress, it might give you a
(26:08):
health issue, but imagine howmany people who have overcame a
health issue to move forth intotheir dreams and their desires.
If I may, this is my 13th bookthe Power of being a Winner.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
Look at you go.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
I had the wonderful pleasure of meeting the late,
great Miles Monroe.
I sat there for three hours andhe said just sit there, I'll
get with you I could.
I had the choice to either getup, look at my like like you
know, I ain't got time for this,let me leave.
No, I sat there for two hoursand then the gentleman gave me
two and a half hours of his timefor free and when it was all
(26:48):
said and done, when I left and Ihad to go to work that next
morning at the post office, Iwent home and I started writing
this, but Danielle here's thesecret.
Here's the secret, and I'mgiving it away for free.
Speaker 2 (27:01):
Here's the secret Tell me.
Speaker 1 (27:02):
I'm listening, I wrote the book, but I allow
doubt and denial to take over me.
It started getting in my head.
Nobody's going to read that.
Are you crazy?
Put that thing in the trashsomewhere.
Imposter syndrome yes.
So you know what I did.
I took it After 10 manuscripts.
(27:24):
I took all those manuscriptsand I put them in a drawer, okay
, and I sat in that drawer for17 years 17 years.
I promise you 17 years this booksat in a drawer Okay, 2013 or
2012,.
I had the gall who am I?
Who am I?
I had the gall Can you believethat?
(27:46):
To go in that drawer and pullthat manuscript out and I took
it to church watch night and Iprayed over it that two weeks
later I sent the book to apublisher A dog ear publisher.
Next thing I know I look around, the book was number one on
Barnes and Nobles.
(28:06):
Number one Barnes and Noblesself-help.
The book was produced in fivedifferent languages and sold
throughout the world after 17years of sitting in a excuse me,
in a drawer.
Speaker 2 (28:23):
And that was your 13th book.
Speaker 1 (28:24):
That was my 13th book as a matter of fact.
My 14th book is here as amatter of fact, my 14th book is
here.
Speaker 2 (28:31):
Okay, hold on a second.
What made you doubt after 12books?
Like you were clearly writingother books, so why that book?
What scared you about that one?
Because clearly you were doingsomething right as an author.
So where did the fear monstercome from in that one?
Speaker 1 (28:52):
You know it's funny.
You say that because my firstbook, truth in the Poem, which
was done in my house, I sold5,000 copies of those back in
1994.
I had no problem with that.
But as I guess, as lifeprogressed, the fear, if you
will, began to engulf me because, like they say, you know, quit,
(29:16):
give up, it's not worth it.
Go turn on your TV, go get abeer, go hang out with your
friends, go smoke some.
But all that can engulf one'smind.
All that can engulf one's mind,especially when they are on the
tip of the acknowledgement ofsuccess.
Speaker 2 (29:36):
For those, for our listeners, who are not watching
us on camera but are listening,say the title of that book for
us.
Speaker 1 (29:48):
The Power of being a Winner.
W-i-n-n-e-r.
And the way that the wording ison the book is because each
letter means something.
It's an acronym and I can'tgive it away until you know.
Just purchase the book if youwill.
Speaker 2 (30:01):
I will link to the book in show notes so people
will be able to find it.
We'll link to all of your stuffso people can find you.
But I'm so fascinated by thefact that that book was.
I mean you clearly had hadsuccess as an author and then
all of a sudden there's thispiece of you that says maybe I'm
(30:24):
not an author, maybe I'm notworthy.
And that's interesting becauseI think that's a universal
experience and I I not.
I think I know I know that'suniversal experience.
I know that even when successis something that has happened
to us or for us or in ourlifetime, we still have doubts
(30:47):
creep in about our ability tokeep moving forward.
What was it that allowed you tosay I'm good enough for this?
What was your self-talk trackthat allowed you to pull the
book out of hiding and put it infront of people and put it in?
Speaker 1 (31:10):
front of people.
Well, basically, when you talkabout the self-talk, it's like
Dawn, what are you doing?
And I'm very hard on myself.
Speaker 2 (31:20):
We all are.
Speaker 1 (31:21):
You got a prize right here.
You wrote that that's yourwords.
Are you going to die with thatsitting in a drawer?
No, don't do that.
With that sitting in a drawer,no, don't do that.
And then, on top of that,listening to other motivational
speakers that got in, you knowthat inspired me.
You know, like I said earlier,the gift this is a gift that was
(31:45):
given to me alert me of whattime it was and the ability to
move forward and not to be orstop being scared.
A lot of us, we are scary.
We don't even have to look at ahorror movie, freddie.
(32:05):
You can go back to sleep, Jason.
Go back to sleep, because it isgreater than being scared out
of our wits to go out into thepublic or to bring something to
fruition that is aching andburning us inside.
A lot of people get stressed.
Can you believe people diebecause of the fact they allow
(32:27):
what is in them to kill them?
I'm not talking about healthissues.
I'm talking about the dreamsthat they have, and they're so
afraid to bring it because ofwhat one might say on the
outside, if I could add, when Ihad this urge to want to retire
from the post office, I hadabout five or 10 people come to
(32:52):
me and say, don you crazy, ain'tnobody going to pay you to go
out there and speak, you, ablack man, ain't nobody going to
pay you.
Well, on that November, the22nd 1996, that was the day that
my retirement was approved and,believe it or not, believe it
or not, from that day to 1998, Iwill be honest with you.
(33:13):
I mean, my 401k was spent.
My cupboards were almost bare,you know, as far as eating, what
have you.
And the question was Don, areyou sure about this?
I didn't even have to answerthat because I was sure, because
I burnt that bridge.
Sure, because I burnt thatbridge.
Danielle, two years later, andto be honest with you, when I
(33:36):
left the post office, I wasmaking $50,000 a year when I
left the post office.
So, two years later, I go to mymailbox at the post office.
Here come a couple of people Iworked with and they're like
Donald Dowridge, we see you onTV, blah, blah, blah.
And I opened up my mailbox, ifyou will, and there were two
(33:59):
letters.
I pulled out the letters and,while they're talking to me, I'm
opening it up.
And I pulled out the first one,which was a check for $30,000
addressed to me, pay to theorder of.
I go to the second one, I openit up.
It's a check for $50,000addressed to and paid to the
order of me.
(34:19):
So I showed them, not boasting,but I showed them, and I said
you know what?
The best thing that I ever donewas to retire from the post
office, but I had to go throughthe best thing you ever did was
believe in yourself.
Yes, yes, and I was 39 years old.
Ok, and I can't believe it.
(34:40):
This November coming will be 29years since I.
Next year will be 30, once Iretired.
And you're right, I did notever question the move, no
matter how painful or stressfulor how you know how many tears I
cried, I never questioned themove.
(35:03):
When people ask me say Don doyou regret?
No, I do not regret, I did notregret and I do not regret.
I did not regret and I do notregret.
All right, we all have regrets.
I do have regrets, but thatmove was the best move that I
was allowed to make because ofthe point that I was sure of
what I wanted to do with me andnot allow others to do with me
(35:28):
what they wanted to do with me,but me to do what me want to do.
And, danielle, I'm still tryingto figure out for the likes of
me, how did I go from 39 to 68so quick?
Well, like what happened?
You know where's our dream ofJeannie at?
(35:50):
Because it disappeared.
Speaker 2 (35:51):
I still feel 39.
Oh, I understand that I stillfeel 39.
Oh, I do I understand that Ifeel the same way.
How did I get from 39 to 52?
Speaker 1 (35:58):
And where did it come from, you're not no 52.
Stop playing If you're 52, I'mold as dust.
Speaker 2 (36:05):
Say it again no, I am absolutely.
I am every bit of 52.
But I appreciate you.
Thank you, sir.
So I actually have a questionbecause I think and I think that
this is something that you'regoing to be very good at I want
you to talk to our listeners andI want you to tell them to have
(36:29):
the audacity to believe inthemselves, to have the audacity
to believe in themselves If Iput you in front of them and you
know they have that inkling inthem.
They have that dream, they havethat book in their cabinets
they've written they want toquit that job, they want to do
that thing.
They have that hope, they havethat thing in them.
(36:50):
Tell them, what do you tellthem?
Speaker 1 (36:53):
I would tell them the worst thing that you want to do
is to allow the ain't, to allowthe can't, to allow the won't
to be dominant within self.
When you know you havesomething to offer, when you
know you're better than, whenyou know you can rise to the
occasion, when you know that theplan is already there, when you
(37:19):
know the door is wide open,it's not cracked, it's wide open
for one to get up and say youknow what?
Today is the day.
Today is the first day of yourbrand new life.
You got 86,400 seconds within a24-hour day.
It's the opportunity to use itto the fullest of you.
(37:42):
Look, we got 85,000 thoughtsthat go through this molecule
here.
Unfortunately, we allow themajority of that 85,000 thoughts
to tell us what we can't do andwe get soaked into it.
This is the time to erase allthat negativity that is stopping
(38:04):
one from going forth andthrusting themselves into
whatever dream of their desireand bring it to fruition.
Is it going to be easy?
No, you don't want it to beeasy, because if it's easy you
won't appreciate it.
But if it's hard and you putthat effort into it and you put
that strength into it, and ifyou clear that path of people
(38:27):
who are in your way, not peoplewho are in your way to assist
you, but people that arecluttering up your space with
nonsense, with buffoonery, withthe I can't and the word that I
don't like to use with the hate.
(38:47):
Those are the ones that, yes,when you're young, you're going
to wake up one day and yourwhole existence is going to be
about.
I regret, I woulda, shoulda andI coulda, and you hear them
stories all the time, because Iam in that age bracket.
Now, when I get around certainpeople I hear, yeah, I used to,
(39:11):
yeah, I could, yeah, I wouldhave.
Well, guess what I should have?
You know, the number one songnowadays, let's just say, is
Beyonce.
Well, guess what?
There's an even greater numberone song, all right, and what is
it you ask?
I will tell you don't fallvictim to the number one song
that is out there.
(39:31):
There's two of them.
They're tied.
What are they?
I regret, and if I would have,should have, could have.
Those are the two top songs outhere.
And, believe me, if you believein yourself and you understand
yourself and not allow others tounderstand you, not allow
others to fool you, not allowothers to steal your time, not
(39:53):
allow others to stand in yourway, because we all have a
limited time and when the clockstarts ticking then it falls
back on you.
So I send out the message toall the listeners, whatever
you're sitting on.
Whatever you're sitting on onyour diarrhea I mean not
(40:14):
diarrhea, but diarrhea.
Stay it up and be proud of whoyou are.
Take that, look in the mirrorand tell yourself that I am
somebody.
Danielle, when I first startedout, I had sticky pads.
I had sticky pads.
I had sticky pads all over myhouse, on my mirror, everywhere,
(40:36):
that were giving memotivational words that I would
read and I would allow to soakme.
I would soak myself.
You know how you soak yourselfin a bubble bath.
Well, I'm soaking myself inmotivational words and I'm
eating this stuff and I'mdrinking this stuff and it's
just flying off of me, it justflies out of the pores of me.
(40:56):
So once you get that enthrushedwithin self, there's no
stopping you now.
There's no stopping you now.
I mean I hear people say oh, mychildren, oh this, my bills, oh
this.
Well, guess what?
We all got that same issue.
Nobody's exempt.
(41:17):
You know, when you're a child,you do what a child do you play,
play, play.
When you become an adult, youdo what adults do.
We work, work, work.
But when, in the midst of that,work, work, work, make that
work, work, work, work for you.
Speaker 2 (41:33):
What inspired you to start DLD Enterprises?
Speaker 1 (41:39):
Well, believe it or not, prior to DLD Enterprises, I
was in the music business.
As a matter of fact, Iauditioned with the Temptations.
I had a stint with Kool and theGang, as a matter of fact, when
I was a kid, in my secondfoster home, and I saw James
(42:01):
Brown on the Ed Sullivan show.
How many of us have ever donethis?
I want to be just like that.
That's what I want to do withmy life.
I've always been an entertainer.
I don't know if you ever heardof the program the Wire.
I was.
I had a part in the WireSequest, that on NBC.
(42:23):
I had a part, you know, a modelthat did all these things and
and it dawned on me that I coulduse all those gifts, all those
gifts, all those avenues, allthose tentacles, and inspire
people.
And that's why I call myself anorthodox speaker.
I'm an unorthodox speakerbecause I am the one that comes
(42:45):
out.
I don't just stay in there.
I dance, I rap, I sing and Iput all this in, I act, I put
all this in my presentation andbecause of the fact that you
know that moves people.
When I was in school, I'll behonest with you when I was in
school.
I'll say it again when I wascoming through school, I was not
(43:08):
your typical student.
As a matter of fact, I wore Fand Ds on my report cards.
Okay, I spent more time out ofschool than I did in school.
It's just by the grace of God.
Speaker 2 (43:24):
That doesn't surprise me.
You didn't have much guidance,you weren't being taken care of,
you were not being given thelove you deserved, so it doesn't
surprise me.
Speaker 1 (43:37):
Yeah, but.
But the moral of the story ishere today I'm thankful I got my
high school diploma.
Now I got my degree, but themoral of the story is is that
all of those challenges were thechallenges to steer me on the
path to be that speaker.
But the challenge is to steerme on the path to be that
speaker and and just gettinginto the right company.
(43:58):
And I can't.
I can't remember thegentleman's name, but he told me
.
He said you know, I want, Iwant to take you, I want, I want
to introduce you to somebody.
And this gentleman paved my way, life and everything, to
Atlanta, georgia, to hear LesBrown speak.
Atlanta, georgia, to hear LesBrown speak.
I was big.
I sat on the front row and,when it was all said and done,
Les Brown, as he was walking offstage, he looked at me and he
(44:20):
said follow me.
And I went to his dressing roomand I sat there and I listened
to this man for maybe about anhour.
Sometime in the future I woundup being this same man's
chauffeur for a weekend and hewas steady, pouring into me, and
he told me this.
He said look, if you want tocome into this business,
(44:41):
understand, it's not about howmuch money you can make, but
it's about the passion of yourheart and how you can move an
audience.
He says, when you're up therespeaking, this is your audience
right here.
But once you know you got thataudience in your hands, when you
know you got them eating outyour hand, then you do this, you
(45:03):
spread ego.
Why?
Because you allow them to flyoff into their zones of their
life.
Because you then gave them theantidotes to be successful.
I said very interesting.
So, being that speaker, it'snot about how much I can make.
Look, sister, when I first gotin, I got on my knees and I said
(45:24):
Lord, allow me to use this giftto help those who are still in
the vineyard, who are goingthrough what I've been through.
Never let it be about how muchmoney I can make.
It's not about the money.
It's about, if you want to saymoney, if you want to say M,
it's about the memories that Ican create of how I inspire
(45:45):
people to be the best that theycan be in their lifetime.
Before the coffin is closed,locked and dropped.
Speaker 2 (45:55):
Well, and hopefully it's about giving them the
motivation to move forward aswell.
I so appreciate you spendingtime with me.
It has been so delightful tohave you here as we wrap up.
I just want to give you theopportunity to share with
everyone.
Where can they find you?
I know you're working on your15th book.
Speaker 1 (46:15):
Yes, it 50.
As a matter of fact, August,the 16th of this month, would be
51 years of living in Tampa,and it's been a blast.
How can they find me?
Quite naturally.
Here's my phone 5, 8, 7, 5, 8,1, 3, 3, 9, 4, 5, 8, 7, 5.
(46:40):
Quite naturally you can email meat BLD282002 at yahoocom, my
website, wwwdldenterprisesorg.
What does the DLD stand for?
Determine, learn and eventuallyyou will be developed, and it's
also my initials of my name.
I'm on all of these socialmedia platforms and I would love
(47:02):
to hear from you.
I would love to have theopportunity to stand before you
in person to give and to deliver, to inspire and take you to
another level of your greatnesson altitude.
Speaker 2 (47:16):
You are amazing.
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (47:19):
Oh, thank you, Daniel .
Speaker 2 (47:21):
Thank you so much for being here with me and friends.
Thank you for joining us foranother episode of Hope Comes to
Visit.
We so hope that we've given youthe hope and the motivation and
the light to bring you throughanother week.
Thank you for being here withus.
I hope that you will take thisepisode and share it with the
people you love and that untilyou spend time with us again,
(47:44):
you will take good care of you.
Thank you for being here.
Naturally, it's important tothank the people who support and
sponsor the podcast.
This episode is supported byChris Dulley, a trusted criminal
defense attorney and friend ofmine here in St Louis, who
believes in second chances andsolid representation.
(48:05):
Whether you're facing a DWI,felony or traffic issue, chris
handles your case personallywith clarity, compassion and
over 15 years of experience.
When things feel uncertain, ithelps to have someone steady in
your corner.
Call 314-384-4000 or314-DUI-HELP or you can visit
dullylawfirmcom to schedule yourfree consultation.
The fear, if you will , began to engulf me because,
like they say, you know, quit,give up, it's not worth it.
Go go, go turn on your TV, goget a beer, go go go hang out
with your friends, go smoke some.
But all that can engulf one'smind, especially when they are
(00:21):
on the tip of theacknowledgement of success.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Transformation doesn't happen all at once.
It unfolds through stories andmoments of truth.
This is Hope Comes to Visit.
I'm Danielle Elliott Smith.
Every episode is an invitationto be seen, feel less alone and
to hold space for whatever comesnext.
Today's guest is the embodimentof transformation.
(00:56):
Donald Dowridge Jr iscelebrating 33 years as the
founder and CEO of DLDEnterprises.
Determined to learn and develop.
After serving five and a halfyears in the US Army as a
sergeant and transitioning tobecome the first
African-American manager of theOCR-BCS department within the
(01:16):
Tampa Florida US Post Office,dowridge retired after 11 and a
half years.
Dld is ambitious in creatingnew dimensions of motivation for
those who seek achievement byfocusing energy in areas of
obtaining positive outcomesdespite life's obstacles.
Let's take a quick moment tothank the people that support
(01:38):
and sponsor the podcast.
When life takes an unexpectedturn, you deserve someone who
will stand beside you.
St Louis attorney Chris Dullyoffers experienced one-on-one
legal defense.
Call 314-384-4000 or314-DUI-HELP, or you can visit
DulleyLawFirmcom that'sD-U-L-L-E-LawFirmcom for a free
(02:01):
consultation.
Donald, I am delighted you arehere with me.
Thank you for taking time.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
Thank you, danielle, for having me this morning.
I am excited off the charts, ifyou will, and it's a blessing
to be your guest this morning.
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
You are a blessing.
I have been so excited abouthaving this conversation because
when I think about hope, when Ithink about what hope looks
like to me and how we arebringing it to visit people all
around you are truly that in ahuman being.
(02:44):
You have been through so muchand for you it's a mission to
show other people that you cantake tough circumstances and
turn it into a way to hope andinspire and motivate others.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
Well, I look at my life as definitely a blessing,
coming through what I would callOJT on-the-job training to
prepare me for the path that Ididn't see at the time.
So, taking it on full thrust,once it was handed to me, I felt
(03:28):
like I had no choice in thematter.
It was something that I wasallowed to overcome, that God
allowed me to overcome lessonthat I had been given, if you
will, as harsh as it was,abusive as it was, and to
(03:49):
transpire into a blessing that Icould share with others and
hopefully help them through thevineyard.
Because, in reality, once Istudied it and looked at it and
looked back at it, studied itand looked at it and looked back
at it, it was not my life inthe beginning, but I had to go
(04:13):
through in order to understandthe life that I was given to
share with others.
Who was desperate, who isdesperate I shouldn't say was,
but is because we still havepeople that are, unfortunately,
in the vineyard and they'rereaching to come out of it.
So, am I my brother's keeper?
Am I my sister's keeper?
Yes, I am, and one thing forsure I cannot flounder this
(04:35):
opportunity that has been givento me so many of us,
unfortunately.
We have the opportunities butwe flounder it.
We have the opportunities butwe flounder it, and it would be
the worst crime on this planet,if you will, to flounder my life
knowing that the opportunitywas given.
(04:56):
So no doubt it's theopportunity each day given to
wake and give it to somebodyelse because it is a gift,
somebody else because it is agift, and the last thing that I
could do is just waste it.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
Well, let me do this.
Let's give people a piece ofyour story, if you're okay with
that, because I think that it'sone thing to say that you have
been through something difficultand you've turned it into
something positive, but I wantour listeners to understand
where you've come from, so thatthere is the opportunity for
other people who are potentiallygoing through something
(05:37):
difficult to understand whattough looks like and what it
looks like to turn things around.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
Well, to begin, I was born on Thanksgiving Day.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
OK.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
Nineteen hundred and fifty six in Baltimore, Maryland
.
Speaker 2 (05:59):
Nineteen hundred and fifty six.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
Ok, they don't even say it like that anymore.
No, but, yes, 156.
(06:28):
Okay, she came in to try andsave us, to capture us, but it
was a few minutes too late and Iwound up in.
Well, we were all three wereseparated and I wound up in my
second foster home.
For, what I understand, startedthe tribulation, the pain that
I would go through until I wouldsay that I am probably 20, 21
(06:50):
years old.
Um, and some of the tribulation.
Uh, uh, um attempted to be hungout the third floor window at
the age of seven.
Um, uh, uh, sexually abused,being made to sleep out with the
(07:16):
dog, and I was amazed.
A couple of years ago, I wentinto the Dollar Tree and I went
in, walking down the aisle topurchase another product.
However, as I'm looking, I sawway down on the bottom shelf,
way in the corner, I saw cans ofAlpo dog food Alpo dog food
which you would be incarceratedfor feeding your dog that
(07:40):
nowadays.
But can you imagine that?
Me myself being made to eatthat and being forbidden to eat
human food, locked in closetsand just to move on, my
biological father stabbing meeight times, and we're not even
(08:01):
counting the times that I wasstabbed or injured as a result
of gang warfare in the SouthBronx, being incarcerated,
expelled third grade, expelledsixth grade, seventh grade and
walking away from not educationin the 12th grade.
And not only that, justcarrying that weight that was
(08:38):
put on me that basically you'renothing, you're nobody, you're
going nowhere, even mybiological father telling me you
know, I hate that you were born, et cetera, et cetera, et
cetera.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
So I had to really climb that mountain.
Did you have anyone you couldrely on?
Speaker 1 (08:56):
During those turbulent times.
No, no.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
So what?
Because it's interesting to meto listen to you.
It's such a dichotomy to hearthis very upbeat gentleman who
is effusive about beingmotivating and kind, this
(09:50):
beautiful, centered, spiritedman who's in front of me now.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
I don't know if you remember the recording artist,
Bill Withers.
I do Sunny Day that was one ofhis songs, however, he had a
song about his grandmother andGrandma Haynes that was the name
of it and I had a grandmother.
She was my great grandmotherand once I was moved from my,
(10:22):
from the abusive situation frommy biological dad, my
grandmother, who I moved in within the Bronx, as a matter of
fact, 504 East 165th Street,apartment four, I still got to
keep that apartment.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
If she still lives there, I'd be sending her a
letter and flowers right now.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
Trust me, if she still lived there, I wouldn't be
on this broadcast right now.
I probably wouldn't be there.
So, but to any avail, shepulled me to the side and she
said baby, and she was aPentecostal, very religious lady
.
And she said look, you've beenthrough hell, but if you hold on
, if you hold on, jesus gotsomething good for you.
(11:03):
You're going to be somebody inthis life.
And not only are you going tobe somebody, you're going to
move a lot of people.
And at that time, 16 years old,I had no idea what she was
talking about as a matter offact, like most kids, what she
know.
But as time went on, I realizedwhat she know.
And when my son, who was in thefifth grade at the time, came
(11:28):
to me and invited me to speak tohis class and I agree the only
reason I agreed because I wantedto be that dad that my dad
wasn't to me.
That's why I agreed and Ireally love my son.
He's like he'll be 47 in a fewmonths and every time he sees me
he's like I'm a little puppy.
(11:49):
He said every time you comearound me, you're like a little
puppy wagging and whatnot.
But when he invited me to speakto his class.
Danielle, I promise you.
I went to speak and I said, ok,I'm going back to work, because
my vision at the time was tobecome the first
African-American postmaster ofTampa, florida.
(12:12):
That was my dream.
However, god used my son to putme on this road that I've been
on for the last 33, 35 years, ifyou will 33, 35 years, if you
will.
And I mean, I'm so sewn into it.
And not only that, just havingthe opportunity to meet people
(12:34):
and be around people such as LesBrown, the renowned
motivational speaker, and justeating and drinking that, that,
his words, and other people,dale Connolly, et cetera, et
cetera, and letting it get intothe fibers of my bones and the
fibers of my brain.
You know so that.
And, of course, reading theBible and getting connected with
(12:55):
God.
You know those tentacles, ifyou will allow me, and assisted
me and helped me to become theperson that I became.
And if I could say this, in 1989, maybe 1990, 91, somewhere
around there, I went to a movieand, matter of fact, the name of
(13:15):
the movie was Malcolm X.
I took 10 young boys there tosee it and there was a scene in
that movie that really hit mehard.
That scene was DenzelWashington coming out the shower
with his cuck that was the nameof the hairstyle back then and
he was combing it.
And there was another brotherthat was in there and he said
look at you, look at you, youknow just being who you're not,
(13:40):
et cetera, et cetera.
And he said you need to speakto Allah, allah, god.
So Denzel's character, malcolmX.
He said well, how do you speakto this God?
He said you speak to him, justlike you're speaking to me.
So after the movie I take thekids home and I stopped by the
store and I got me a 40, a 40years old English 800 beer.
(14:01):
So I go home, I get into theapartment, 800 beer.
So I go home, I get into theapartment, I open it up and you
know, like gangbangers do, Idripped it.
You know the first sip.
I poured it in the garbage canfor my homies that are no longer
here, took a couple of sips andthen I started talking.
I said yo G, yo G.
I need to holler at you, homie.
(14:21):
They said I can talk to youanyway.
Yo, I need some help.
You know, I mean, if I have todie, I want to die on positive.
I don't want to die on negative.
I want to be somebody.
I want to be somebody great andtrust me, it just seems like
from that point on it's beenlike a red carpet ride.
It's like I've been riding thiscarpet and everybody, all of us
(14:48):
have problems.
But if I could take a little,if I could put a twist on
Jay-Z's song, you know, I got 99problems, but a problem ain't
one.
It's because of the fact ofknowing how to transport that
problem into a plus instead of anegative, to keep moving
forward, not for yourself, notfor myself, but to be able to
(15:11):
continue to reach out andinspire others, because if I'm
not right, I can't help othersto be right.
So, yes, it's been a trial andit's been tribulation, but I am
so thankful that, through thegrace of God that I've been able
to jump those hurdles, likeMoses at the Olympics, and keep
(15:35):
moving forward.
And through that I must say yes, I failed.
Yes, I mean when I say failed,I fell down, I hurt myself, but
the moral of the story is I gotup, I got myself.
But the moral of the story is Igot up, I got up, and when
anybody who falls can get up andcan dust themselves off.
(15:56):
Dust that collar off, put thesmile back on their face with
the 700 muscles that are righthere and use those 700 muscles
in an up instead of a down.
Trust me, there's nothing butsunshiny day.
And look, you might not knowabout this, danielle, you wasn't
born yet.
But Ice Cube said it himselfit's a good day.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
I wasn't born yet.
See, yes, I was, yes, I was.
Speaker 1 (16:24):
You're looking so young and vibrant.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
You are very sweet.
You know what.
We can be best friends.
I want to ask you this so yourspirit is contagious, but say
you get someone in front of youwho says I don't know how to get
up, right, it feels like my.
It feels as though my grief, myhurt, my pain, my suffering is
(16:50):
so heavy.
What do you say?
What do you say?
What do you offer them toexplain what hope looks like?
Speaker 1 (17:00):
Well, you know, first of all, I would put myself
empathy, I would put myself intheir shoes.
Danielle, I can't tell you howmany times I wanted to commit
suicide.
I can't tell you how many timeswanted to commit suicide.
I can't tell you how many timesI'm talking to you, but I see
me right now in the South Bronx,16 years old, on the sixth
floor at a party house party, ifyou will and I'm running in the
(17:23):
room to jump out the window andmy guard brother, he stopped me
.
So I get you know.
I wrestle over him and I rundownstairs and I lay out in the
middle of the street.
Here come a big old bus and I'mlike, just hit me, I'm done, I
don't want to live anymore.
And the bus stops and thedriver, big old guy, he comes
(17:44):
out and he just picks me up likeI was a piece of paper and he
said what are you doing?
Are you crazy?
And then he just threw me tothe side.
So, going through these issuesof wanting to quit grieving pain
, and first of all I had tounderstand within me that's part
of life.
But I also had to understandwhen you flip it, it turns out
(18:09):
right.
How does it turn out right,because it gives you the
strength.
It gives you the strength andit gives you the heart to
manifest yourself, to want tosay hey, okay, I made it through
that, now I can make it throughanother one.
Because one thing I learnedabout this thing called life as
soon as you come out of one, getready because here comes
(18:31):
another.
And like the late, great JerryButler said, only the strong
survive.
In order to survive, you haveto have the mental, the heart,
the physical to move forth.
Rely on G-O-D.
God, because God is alwaysgoing.
As long as you want, as long asyou thrive, you will continue
(18:56):
to move forth, but make sure youare in the company of those
that want to see you move forthin such a progressive way,
because in reality, it's yourprerogative and what you want to
do with it.
Nobody, in honesty, nobody, cantell you what to do with you,
but you need and you must wantto do the greatness within you,
(19:18):
because we all fail.
We all fail.
But the point and the questionis in our fail.
Are we fail or are we fail?
Yeah, yeah, are we fail?
Yeah, and believe, fail, yeah,and believe me, god, don't make
junk, and I would let them knowhow great they are.
And they must understand howgreat they are.
(19:40):
And one thing about me yes, Ilove shaking hands, all right,
and I understand the time zonethat we in.
Okay, and I love huggingbecause I want people to
understand I love you.
Don't take it out of contentnow.
I love you because, look, if Ican, if I can move for you,
(20:02):
cream, I cream.
We all love ice cream.
My favorite ice cream is butterpecan.
As a matter of fact, whenpeople say I'm black, I'm not
black, I'm butter pecan.
So the moral of the story iswhen we I'm black, I'm not black
, I'm butter pecan.
So the moral of the story iswhen we go get our ice cream and
we're standing out in the hotsun, that cream is melting, we
lift the cone to try to save asmuch as we can of that ice cream
(20:22):
.
I've grown.
I've grown in my time here onearth to love.
I have so much love that isdripping over, it's dripping all
over me.
So I want to share that love.
And people say, don, what areyou smoking?
Are you still snorting?
I'm like, no, I don't have anymore tissues in my nostrils so I
(20:47):
can't snort anymore.
But I tell you what, in themidst of it, I'm smiling, I'm
happy because of the fact that Imade it through and I want to
share with others, to show them,to speak to them in such a tone
that they can grasp it and theycan understand it and they can
feel the J-O-Y that I feel aboutmyself when I look in the
(21:08):
mirror.
When I look in the mirror, Idon't look here, I don't look
here.
I don't look at me brushing myteeth, I don't look here.
I look definitely here in mypupils.
So I can feel the spirit thathas been put inside of me to be
able to go out of my front dooror to be able to go into a
(21:29):
program, such as here with you,danielle, and issue out,
disseminate the joy that I haveof being able to move from that
point A, that distress that Iwas in to be able to move onto
an avenue.
Oh, I take that back.
(21:50):
I take that back to forgetabout an avenue, to move onto a
boulevard.
That's right To move onto aboulevard.
Speaker 2 (21:59):
Not an avenue.
We're not moving to an avenue,we're moving to a boulevard.
Speaker 1 (22:01):
Yes, that allow one to get the best out of self.
And, danielle, I'm not bragging, I'm not boasting, danielle,
I'm not bragging, I'm notboasting.
God has allowed me, over thelast 33 years, to be in front of
many people, whether on stage,whether in a classroom, whether
(22:24):
church, whether a retreat,conference, business, what have
you?
And just the mere fact of whenI begin, how people they're like
, but then, when it's all saidand done, they're like I get it.
Now, I get it, I am.
I am Because it ain't about mewhen I say I am, that's them
saying about themselves I am.
So when you recognize what yougo through, and then you come
(22:47):
through, and then you can ableto see through and what fly
through, you're no longer inattitude, you're on altitude
what I love is to me you are aliving example, to be a light
(23:09):
for other people.
Speaker 2 (23:11):
You are living as though people can see it was
hard, it has been hard, it willbe hard and yet I can.
So you can.
And I think that speaks to yousaying I look into my eyes, I
(23:34):
look into my eyes and I see myspirit and I'm grateful because
I've made it and I continue tomake it and because I continue
to make it, I know you can, Iknow you can and you can and you
can, and I want people to seethe beauty and the joy and the
(23:54):
life and the love that exists onthis side.
And I love that so much becausethat is why I created this
podcast, because I know what itlooks like to feel hopeless and
I know what it is to live inthis beautiful space of hope.
(24:20):
How do you define hope, don?
Speaker 1 (24:32):
to believe in the faith that has been stored
within.
Hope is the ability to be ableto clam out of any type of I'll
use the word foxhole, if youwill, because I was in the
military Hope is to be able tosee greater than what is less.
And not only that when youlearn to engulf yourself in hope
, then there's no stopping hope,because every day one wakes up,
(24:58):
they recognize that they canachieve, and they can accomplish
whatever their dreams are.
Like we said earlier about fail, well, fail, basically, is on
the other side of fail isresilient.
Being resilient, and not onlythat, having the goal, if you
will, to store up you see asquirrel come down out of a tree
(25:22):
and the squirrel grabs up allthe little nuts, if you will,
that around that tree, takes itback up in the tree and store it
.
So storing all that equals oneword perseverance.
To be able to have theperseverance to come back after
a major storm, to come backafter a major setback, to come
(25:45):
back after being denied, and notonly that, to have the gall to
tell doubt and denial, to stepout, to move out my way,
regardless, no matter how muchit might look, it might break
you financially, it might giveyou stress, it might give you a
(26:08):
health issue, but imagine howmany people who have overcame a
health issue to move forth intotheir dreams and their desires.
If I may, this is my 13th bookthe Power of being a Winner.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
Look at you go.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
I had the wonderful pleasure of meeting the late,
great Miles Monroe.
I sat there for three hours andhe said just sit there, I'll
get with you I could.
I had the choice to either getup, look at my like like you
know, I ain't got time for this,let me leave.
No, I sat there for two hoursand then the gentleman gave me
two and a half hours of his timefor free and when it was all
(26:48):
said and done, when I left and Ihad to go to work that next
morning at the post office, Iwent home and I started writing
this, but Danielle here's thesecret.
Here's the secret, and I'mgiving it away for free.
Speaker 2 (27:01):
Here's the secret Tell me.
Speaker 1 (27:02):
I'm listening, I wrote the book, but I allow
doubt and denial to take over me.
It started getting in my head.
Nobody's going to read that.
Are you crazy?
Put that thing in the trashsomewhere.
Imposter syndrome yes.
So you know what I did.
I took it After 10 manuscripts.
(27:24):
I took all those manuscriptsand I put them in a drawer, okay
, and I sat in that drawer for17 years 17 years.
I promise you 17 years this booksat in a drawer Okay, 2013 or
2012,.
I had the gall who am I?
Who am I?
I had the gall Can you believethat?
(27:46):
To go in that drawer and pullthat manuscript out and I took
it to church watch night and Iprayed over it that two weeks
later I sent the book to apublisher A dog ear publisher.
Next thing I know I look around, the book was number one on
Barnes and Nobles.
(28:06):
Number one Barnes and Noblesself-help.
The book was produced in fivedifferent languages and sold
throughout the world after 17years of sitting in a excuse me,
in a drawer.
Speaker 2 (28:23):
And that was your 13th book.
Speaker 1 (28:24):
That was my 13th book as a matter of fact.
My 14th book is here as amatter of fact, my 14th book is
here.
Speaker 2 (28:31):
Okay, hold on a second.
What made you doubt after 12books?
Like you were clearly writingother books, so why that book?
What scared you about that one?
Because clearly you were doingsomething right as an author.
So where did the fear monstercome from in that one?
Speaker 1 (28:52):
You know it's funny.
You say that because my firstbook, truth in the Poem, which
was done in my house, I sold5,000 copies of those back in
1994.
I had no problem with that.
But as I guess, as lifeprogressed, the fear, if you
will, began to engulf me because, like they say, you know, quit,
(29:16):
give up, it's not worth it.
Go turn on your TV, go get abeer, go hang out with your
friends, go smoke some.
But all that can engulf one'smind.
All that can engulf one's mind,especially when they are on the
tip of the acknowledgement ofsuccess.
Speaker 2 (29:36):
For those, for our listeners, who are not watching
us on camera but are listening,say the title of that book for
us.
Speaker 1 (29:48):
The Power of being a Winner.
W-i-n-n-e-r.
And the way that the wording ison the book is because each
letter means something.
It's an acronym and I can'tgive it away until you know.
Just purchase the book if youwill.
Speaker 2 (30:01):
I will link to the book in show notes so people
will be able to find it.
We'll link to all of your stuffso people can find you.
But I'm so fascinated by thefact that that book was.
I mean you clearly had hadsuccess as an author and then
all of a sudden there's thispiece of you that says maybe I'm
(30:24):
not an author, maybe I'm notworthy.
And that's interesting becauseI think that's a universal
experience and I I not.
I think I know I know that'suniversal experience.
I know that even when successis something that has happened
to us or for us or in ourlifetime, we still have doubts
(30:47):
creep in about our ability tokeep moving forward.
What was it that allowed you tosay I'm good enough for this?
What was your self-talk trackthat allowed you to pull the
book out of hiding and put it infront of people and put it in?
Speaker 1 (31:10):
front of people.
Well, basically, when you talkabout the self-talk, it's like
Dawn, what are you doing?
And I'm very hard on myself.
Speaker 2 (31:20):
We all are.
Speaker 1 (31:21):
You got a prize right here.
You wrote that that's yourwords.
Are you going to die with thatsitting in a drawer?
No, don't do that.
With that sitting in a drawer,no, don't do that.
And then, on top of that,listening to other motivational
speakers that got in, you knowthat inspired me.
You know, like I said earlier,the gift this is a gift that was
(31:45):
given to me alert me of whattime it was and the ability to
move forward and not to be orstop being scared.
A lot of us, we are scary.
We don't even have to look at ahorror movie, freddie.
(32:05):
You can go back to sleep, Jason.
Go back to sleep, because it isgreater than being scared out
of our wits to go out into thepublic or to bring something to
fruition that is aching andburning us inside.
A lot of people get stressed.
Can you believe people diebecause of the fact they allow
(32:27):
what is in them to kill them?
I'm not talking about healthissues.
I'm talking about the dreamsthat they have, and they're so
afraid to bring it because ofwhat one might say on the
outside, if I could add, when Ihad this urge to want to retire
from the post office, I hadabout five or 10 people come to
(32:52):
me and say, don you crazy, ain'tnobody going to pay you to go
out there and speak, you, ablack man, ain't nobody going to
pay you.
Well, on that November, the22nd 1996, that was the day that
my retirement was approved and,believe it or not, believe it
or not, from that day to 1998, Iwill be honest with you.
(33:13):
I mean, my 401k was spent.
My cupboards were almost bare,you know, as far as eating, what
have you.
And the question was Don, areyou sure about this?
I didn't even have to answerthat because I was sure, because
I burnt that bridge.
Sure, because I burnt thatbridge.
Danielle, two years later, andto be honest with you, when I
(33:36):
left the post office, I wasmaking $50,000 a year when I
left the post office.
So, two years later, I go to mymailbox at the post office.
Here come a couple of people Iworked with and they're like
Donald Dowridge, we see you onTV, blah, blah, blah.
And I opened up my mailbox, ifyou will, and there were two
(33:59):
letters.
I pulled out the letters and,while they're talking to me, I'm
opening it up.
And I pulled out the first one,which was a check for $30,000
addressed to me, pay to theorder of.
I go to the second one, I openit up.
It's a check for $50,000addressed to and paid to the
order of me.
(34:19):
So I showed them, not boasting,but I showed them, and I said
you know what?
The best thing that I ever donewas to retire from the post
office, but I had to go throughthe best thing you ever did was
believe in yourself.
Yes, yes, and I was 39 years old.
Ok, and I can't believe it.
(34:40):
This November coming will be 29years since I.
Next year will be 30, once Iretired.
And you're right, I did notever question the move, no
matter how painful or stressfulor how you know how many tears I
cried, I never questioned themove.
(35:03):
When people ask me say Don doyou regret?
No, I do not regret, I did notregret and I do not regret.
I did not regret and I do notregret.
All right, we all have regrets.
I do have regrets, but thatmove was the best move that I
was allowed to make because ofthe point that I was sure of
what I wanted to do with me andnot allow others to do with me
(35:28):
what they wanted to do with me,but me to do what me want to do.
And, danielle, I'm still tryingto figure out for the likes of
me, how did I go from 39 to 68so quick?
Well, like what happened?
You know where's our dream ofJeannie at?
(35:50):
Because it disappeared.
Speaker 2 (35:51):
I still feel 39.
Oh, I understand that I stillfeel 39.
Oh, I do I understand that Ifeel the same way.
How did I get from 39 to 52?
Speaker 1 (35:58):
And where did it come from, you're not no 52.
Stop playing If you're 52, I'mold as dust.
Speaker 2 (36:05):
Say it again no, I am absolutely.
I am every bit of 52.
But I appreciate you.
Thank you, sir.
So I actually have a questionbecause I think and I think that
this is something that you'regoing to be very good at I want
you to talk to our listeners andI want you to tell them to have
(36:29):
the audacity to believe inthemselves, to have the audacity
to believe in themselves If Iput you in front of them and you
know they have that inkling inthem.
They have that dream, they havethat book in their cabinets
they've written they want toquit that job, they want to do
that thing.
They have that hope, they havethat thing in them.
(36:50):
Tell them, what do you tellthem?
Speaker 1 (36:53):
I would tell them the worst thing that you want to do
is to allow the ain't, to allowthe can't, to allow the won't
to be dominant within self.
When you know you havesomething to offer, when you
know you're better than, whenyou know you can rise to the
occasion, when you know that theplan is already there, when you
(37:19):
know the door is wide open,it's not cracked, it's wide open
for one to get up and say youknow what?
Today is the day.
Today is the first day of yourbrand new life.
You got 86,400 seconds within a24-hour day.
It's the opportunity to use itto the fullest of you.
(37:42):
Look, we got 85,000 thoughtsthat go through this molecule
here.
Unfortunately, we allow themajority of that 85,000 thoughts
to tell us what we can't do andwe get soaked into it.
This is the time to erase allthat negativity that is stopping
(38:04):
one from going forth andthrusting themselves into
whatever dream of their desireand bring it to fruition.
Is it going to be easy?
No, you don't want it to beeasy, because if it's easy you
won't appreciate it.
But if it's hard and you putthat effort into it and you put
that strength into it, and ifyou clear that path of people
(38:27):
who are in your way, not peoplewho are in your way to assist
you, but people that arecluttering up your space with
nonsense, with buffoonery, withthe I can't and the word that I
don't like to use with the hate.
(38:47):
Those are the ones that, yes,when you're young, you're going
to wake up one day and yourwhole existence is going to be
about.
I regret, I woulda, shoulda andI coulda, and you hear them
stories all the time, because Iam in that age bracket.
Now, when I get around certainpeople I hear, yeah, I used to,
(39:11):
yeah, I could, yeah, I wouldhave.
Well, guess what I should have?
You know, the number one songnowadays, let's just say, is
Beyonce.
Well, guess what?
There's an even greater numberone song, all right, and what is
it you ask?
I will tell you don't fallvictim to the number one song
that is out there.
(39:31):
There's two of them.
They're tied.
What are they?
I regret, and if I would have,should have, could have.
Those are the two top songs outhere.
And, believe me, if you believein yourself and you understand
yourself and not allow others tounderstand you, not allow
others to fool you, not allowothers to steal your time, not
(39:53):
allow others to stand in yourway, because we all have a
limited time and when the clockstarts ticking then it falls
back on you.
So I send out the message toall the listeners, whatever
you're sitting on.
Whatever you're sitting on onyour diarrhea I mean not
(40:14):
diarrhea, but diarrhea.
Stay it up and be proud of whoyou are.
Take that, look in the mirrorand tell yourself that I am
somebody.
Danielle, when I first startedout, I had sticky pads.
I had sticky pads.
I had sticky pads all over myhouse, on my mirror, everywhere,
(40:36):
that were giving memotivational words that I would
read and I would allow to soakme.
I would soak myself.
You know how you soak yourselfin a bubble bath.
Well, I'm soaking myself inmotivational words and I'm
eating this stuff and I'mdrinking this stuff and it's
just flying off of me, it justflies out of the pores of me.
(40:56):
So once you get that enthrushedwithin self, there's no
stopping you now.
There's no stopping you now.
I mean I hear people say oh, mychildren, oh this, my bills, oh
this.
Well, guess what?
We all got that same issue.
Nobody's exempt.
(41:17):
You know, when you're a child,you do what a child do you play,
play, play.
When you become an adult, youdo what adults do.
We work, work, work.
But when, in the midst of that,work, work, work, make that
work, work, work, work for you.
Speaker 2 (41:33):
What inspired you to start DLD Enterprises?
Speaker 1 (41:39):
Well, believe it or not, prior to DLD Enterprises, I
was in the music business.
As a matter of fact, Iauditioned with the Temptations.
I had a stint with Kool and theGang, as a matter of fact, when
I was a kid, in my secondfoster home, and I saw James
(42:01):
Brown on the Ed Sullivan show.
How many of us have ever donethis?
I want to be just like that.
That's what I want to do withmy life.
I've always been an entertainer.
I don't know if you ever heardof the program the Wire.
I was.
I had a part in the WireSequest, that on NBC.
(42:23):
I had a part, you know, a modelthat did all these things and
and it dawned on me that I coulduse all those gifts, all those
gifts, all those avenues, allthose tentacles, and inspire
people.
And that's why I call myself anorthodox speaker.
I'm an unorthodox speakerbecause I am the one that comes
(42:45):
out.
I don't just stay in there.
I dance, I rap, I sing and Iput all this in, I act, I put
all this in my presentation andbecause of the fact that you
know that moves people.
When I was in school, I'll behonest with you when I was in
school.
I'll say it again when I wascoming through school, I was not
(43:08):
your typical student.
As a matter of fact, I wore Fand Ds on my report cards.
Okay, I spent more time out ofschool than I did in school.
It's just by the grace of God.
Speaker 2 (43:24):
That doesn't surprise me.
You didn't have much guidance,you weren't being taken care of,
you were not being given thelove you deserved, so it doesn't
surprise me.
Speaker 1 (43:37):
Yeah, but.
But the moral of the story ishere today I'm thankful I got my
high school diploma.
Now I got my degree, but themoral of the story is is that
all of those challenges were thechallenges to steer me on the
path to be that speaker.
But the challenge is to steerme on the path to be that
speaker and and just gettinginto the right company.
(43:58):
And I can't.
I can't remember thegentleman's name, but he told me
.
He said you know, I want, Iwant to take you, I want, I want
to introduce you to somebody.
And this gentleman paved my way, life and everything, to
Atlanta, georgia, to hear LesBrown speak.
Atlanta, georgia, to hear LesBrown speak.
I was big.
I sat on the front row and,when it was all said and done,
Les Brown, as he was walking offstage, he looked at me and he
(44:20):
said follow me.
And I went to his dressing roomand I sat there and I listened
to this man for maybe about anhour.
Sometime in the future I woundup being this same man's
chauffeur for a weekend and hewas steady, pouring into me, and
he told me this.
He said look, if you want tocome into this business,
(44:41):
understand, it's not about howmuch money you can make, but
it's about the passion of yourheart and how you can move an
audience.
He says, when you're up therespeaking, this is your audience
right here.
But once you know you got thataudience in your hands, when you
know you got them eating outyour hand, then you do this, you
(45:03):
spread ego.
Why?
Because you allow them to flyoff into their zones of their
life.
Because you then gave them theantidotes to be successful.
I said very interesting.
So, being that speaker, it'snot about how much I can make.
Look, sister, when I first gotin, I got on my knees and I said
(45:24):
Lord, allow me to use this giftto help those who are still in
the vineyard, who are goingthrough what I've been through.
Never let it be about how muchmoney I can make.
It's not about the money.
It's about, if you want to saymoney, if you want to say M,
it's about the memories that Ican create of how I inspire
(45:45):
people to be the best that theycan be in their lifetime.
Before the coffin is closed,locked and dropped.
Speaker 2 (45:55):
Well, and hopefully it's about giving them the
motivation to move forward aswell.
I so appreciate you spendingtime with me.
It has been so delightful tohave you here as we wrap up.
I just want to give you theopportunity to share with
everyone.
Where can they find you?
I know you're working on your15th book.
Speaker 1 (46:15):
Yes, it 50.
As a matter of fact, August,the 16th of this month, would be
51 years of living in Tampa,and it's been a blast.
How can they find me?
Quite naturally.
Here's my phone 5, 8, 7, 5, 8,1, 3, 3, 9, 4, 5, 8, 7, 5.
(46:40):
Quite naturally you can email meat BLD282002 at yahoocom, my
website, wwwdldenterprisesorg.
What does the DLD stand for?
Determine, learn and eventuallyyou will be developed, and it's
also my initials of my name.
I'm on all of these socialmedia platforms and I would love
(47:02):
to hear from you.
I would love to have theopportunity to stand before you
in person to give and to deliver, to inspire and take you to
another level of your greatnesson altitude.
Speaker 2 (47:16):
You are amazing.
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (47:19):
Oh, thank you, Daniel .
Speaker 2 (47:21):
Thank you so much for being here with me and friends.
Thank you for joining us foranother episode of Hope Comes to
Visit.
We so hope that we've given youthe hope and the motivation and
the light to bring you throughanother week.
Thank you for being here withus.
I hope that you will take thisepisode and share it with the
people you love and that untilyou spend time with us again,
(47:44):
you will take good care of you.
Thank you for being here.
Naturally, it's important tothank the people who support and
sponsor the podcast.
This episode is supported byChris Dulley, a trusted criminal
defense attorney and friend ofmine here in St Louis, who
believes in second chances andsolid representation.
(48:05):
Whether you're facing a DWI,felony or traffic issue, chris
handles your case personallywith clarity, compassion and
over 15 years of experience.
When things feel uncertain, ithelps to have someone steady in
your corner.
Call 314-384-4000 or314-DUI-HELP or you can visit
dullylawfirmcom to schedule yourfree consultation.
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