Ron Williams on Identity, Faith, and Healing - Audio Podcast

John Martin sits down with Ron Williams sharing his Road to Redemption. 

Abandoned at three. Fifteen homes. Illiterate at twenty-eight. Ron Williams doesn’t hide the wreckage—he shows how it was reframed. When he talks about being a “feral child,” suicidal by thirteen, and then discovering a future through Jesus, you feel the weight of yesterday and the shock of hope returning. What follows isn’t a string of humblebrags; it’s evidence of what identity can unlock: learning to read, earning a doctorate, becoming a college professor, securing four patents, and winning twenty-one world titles.

We walk through the sequence that changed everything for Ron: “Whose I am” before “Who I am,” then “Why I am.” That order matters. Chasing purpose without a stable identity breeds anxiety; finding your identity in God gives purpose traction. We also get honest about the noise of modern spirituality—gimmicks, labels, and mixed messages. Ron draws a clear line between branding and discipleship: a disciple is a well-disciplined follower whose life matches the leader they claim. If you’re tired of confusion and craving something real, this is a reset.

The heart of the conversation turns practical. Ron lays out how to seek purpose in the mind of the Creator through honest prayer and the “secret place.” He shares moments when quiet time led to specific direction, long before the outcomes were visible. Then he prays for listeners—asking for healing of soul wounds, freedom from despair, and the courage to take the next small step. We close with three simple pillars that sustain growth: read the Bible daily, goto a Christ-centered church, and join a small group where you can make yourself vulnerable and have accountability and lifetime relationships. 

If this story stirred something in you, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway. Your words help more people find a way back to purpose.

Connect with Ron Williams at:www.RonWilliamsChampion.com

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ron.williams.319

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ron.williams/

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Ironchestmastervip

For more information contact us at
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Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_01 (00:00):
Welcome to Road to Redemption.
I'm John Martin, your host.
I'm so excited to be here withmy new friend Ron Williams.
Thank you, sir.
Ron.
Appreciate you, man.
So nice to meet you.
Tell us about you.
Give us your background.

SPEAKER_00 (00:15):
Well, one thing, it starts off when I was three
years old.
I was given away as a child.
Not really adopted or not reallya foster child, but just dropped
off at a babysitter's house.
And ended up in about 15different houses, 15 different
schools, and just not reallyever having a foundation, not

(00:36):
ever feeling like I reallybelonged anywhere.
Touched in a way a child shouldnever be touched, beaten.
I consider myself growing up aferal child because there are
certain things that I justdidn't learn as a kid, man, and
couldn't read until I was 28years old.

(00:56):
Suicidal by the time I was 13.
Almost actually was successful.
But yeah, man, so at 28 is whenI learned how to read and met
God, and that's when my lifedrastically changed, man.

SPEAKER_01 (01:13):
I I know you've been, you know, doing fitness,
you're an entrepreneur, you'rean author.
So much going on.
Talk to us a little bit aboutthat.
I mean, where's your journey?
Where'd your journey take youtake you next?

SPEAKER_00 (01:26):
Well, actually, um, after I started the relationship
with God, I realized thateverything, now this was an
epiphany for me, that everythingthat had been dealt to me was
not necessarily God's plan forme.
And what I mean by that is thethings that I went through,

(01:48):
those were just experiences andthey didn't define who I am.
Um, my experiences don't get theopportunity to do that, but God
does.
And I realized that I had apurpose.
And my whole young life I wasliving in uh survival, didn't
realize there was creativityinside of me.

(02:09):
But when I uh started walkingwith God, developing this deep
relationship with God, found outthat I was creative, found out
that I could write books, uh,have four patents, became a
21-time world champion.
And who says I can't read?
Well, I learned to read at 28,became a college professor, um,

(02:29):
and just got my doctorate degreea little less than three months
ago.
Yeah, so so yeah, God.

SPEAKER_01 (02:37):
How did you come to know Jesus as your Lord?

SPEAKER_00 (02:40):
Well, like I said, for a lot of years I was
depressed, I was suicidal, andum people that commit suicide,
they don't commit suicide out oftheir present or their future.
They commit suicide out of theirpast.
Because what they're reallysaying is yesterday was so
horrible, I don't want to seeanother yesterday.

(03:03):
And so if I could just end itright now, I'll never have to
face another yesterday.
So um, so um that created thesuicidal tendencies that I had.
Some of my greatest feelings andum greatest aspirations was not
to wake up tomorrow.
And when I actually acceptedChrist, all of that turned

(03:26):
around and changed, man.
And I was able to see that therewas a future, that there was a
tomorrow, and God began to showme why I was born.
You know, a lot of people talkabout why.
And uh with me, it wasn't my whythat was so important.
Because a lot of times we canfigure out uh or try to find out

(03:49):
our why, but we'll never reallycomplete our why until we find
out who.
And it's who I am, and before Ifound out who I am, the most
important thing I found out waswhose I am.
Oh man, when I found out whose Iam, and I didn't have to trace

(04:10):
my lineage back to Africa to tryto find a king or or something
like that.
I found the king of kings, whichis Jesus Christ.
And he began to show me who Iam, showed me um what I was
supposed to do, which was myidentity and my purpose.
That's my purpose is my why.
But first it was whose I am, whoI am, and then my purpose, why.

SPEAKER_01 (04:35):
Well, in the world today, we were talking about
this earlier, you know, a lot ofpeople, you know, they believe
there's a God, or maybe a God,or you know, but but they're
they're not so sure about Jesus.
Um they're looking for hope.
I mean, there is a lot ofanxiety, fear, depression, I

(04:59):
mean, div divisiveness, uh, andand and and what we're trying to
do with our show is provide togive people hope and to show
them a way through Jesus.
Can can you talk to us aboutthat?

SPEAKER_00 (05:17):
You you really struck a chord there because
man, we live in an environmentwhere really finding God is has
become like a needle in thehaystack, man.
You have so many gimmicks outthere, so many people that are
doing things.
You gotta pay for prayer, andone person is saying Jesus in
one uh one sentence, the verynext sentence, they're cursing

(05:40):
the next person out.
And I think we're confusingpeople when we say that we're
Christians.
I take on something different.
Jesus never called usChristians, man.
He called us disciples.
And so you can define Christianjust about any way you want to,
but you can't define a discipleany way you want to.
A disciple is a well-disciplinedfollower of whoever is leading

(06:05):
what they're following.
Bruce Lee was a great disciple.
He took what he um what hebelieved in and he spreaded it
throughout the world.
I want to do that for Jesus.
I want to make him famous.
And sometimes I feel like we'rethe real Jesus, please stand up,
because we have so many that areout there that are saying Jesus

(06:27):
but demonstrating somethingelse.
So I would say the hope comes inseeking God and not just
believing everything that youhear, because God is real and he
works in our life.
We were talking earlier, like asyou said, and there's
deliverance, there's freedom,there's there's hope, there's
healing.
Whatever you're going through,God can fix it.

SPEAKER_01 (06:50):
I was looking at your resume, and you you're
doing so much, Ron, which isgood.
Um, but I know you also speak topeople a lot that are kind of
looking for their purpose.
I I think a lot of people outthere in today's day and age,
they're you're you know, likedoing nine to five jobs and they
want to do something else, butthey don't know how, you know,

(07:12):
so they keep doing what they'redoing, and a lot of people are
seeking their purpose.
What what do you say to peopleout there today that just kind
of feel lost?
They don't they they don't knowtheir purpose.

SPEAKER_00 (07:23):
One thing, if you are alive, you have a purpose.
God never creates anythingwithout first having a purpose
for it.
Uh, even with Jeremiah, he said,that Jeremiah, uh, before you
were formed in your mother'sbelly, I knew you.
And he called him to be aprophet before he was ever
thought about.

(07:44):
So we come with a purpose.
And many times our purpose iscovered up by life.
So uh in order to find apurpose, you have to find.
Personally, I'm a creator.
I have four patents.
Before I ever create anything,that thing is first in my mind.
It has functionality, I mean, itworks perfectly in my mind.

(08:05):
Then I go to the drawing boardand create it, and it fulfills
its purpose.
So the purpose of a thing isfound in the mind of the creator
of that thing.
So he that dwelleth in thesecret place of the Most High
shall abide under the shadows ofthe Almighty.
So when we get in that secretplace, secrets are shared.

(08:26):
And when secrets are shared,there is no secret to God.
The only secret that's beingshared is from God to you.
So God begins to share with yousecrets about who you are.
I remember the first time when Iwas uh in the presence, one of
the first times I was in thepresence of God, and I just said
to God, I said, I'm not gonnaask you for anything.

(08:48):
I just want to be in yourpresence.
And as I was in his presence, hebegan to share things with me.
He said, You know what?
You're gonna speak to thousands,possibly millions.
And I was like, Me?
This the the kid who didn't haveshoes, the the kid who was
abused and and is a nothing anda nobody me?

(09:09):
He said, Yes.
He began to share secrets withme about me.
And so um I would say, if youwant to know your purpose, your
purpose is in the mind of thecreator.
The closer you get to the mindof the creator, the closer you
get to your purpose.
Get to know it.

SPEAKER_01 (09:27):
Well, Ron, what are some action steps that people
can take?
I know you're talking to people,and you know, people can get a
little bit overwhelmed.
You know, there's so many books,so many podcasts, you know, that
sometimes maybe people just donothing because they feel
overwhelmed.
What are some key action stepsthat you can share with our

(09:48):
listeners that they can do, youknow, to find in their purpose
and hope?

SPEAKER_00 (09:55):
The first thing I would say to that is God wants
you to know your purpose morethan you want to know your
purpose.
So it's his desire to reveal itto you.
So first understand that.
The next thing would be uh youdon't have to be a professional
prayer if there's such a thing,but honestly cry out to God.
And in that honest and pureheart, God will answer you.

(10:19):
So I remember praying to God umbefore I actually accepted God
because people would, Christianswould come and tell me, oh, God
loves you.
And I'm like, my circumstancesdoes not say that God loves me.
And so um I would pray and Isaid, God, if you're really
real, wake me up at 3 o'clock inthe morning.
And so at 2.59, my eyes wouldopen and I would see the clock

(10:44):
click from 2.59 to 3 o'clock.
And I said, ah, that was uh thatwas that was my mind working
over time.
And I said, okay, God, if thisreally you, do it again.
The next night.
The same thing would happen.
And that wasn't enough.
Uh I went right back to doingwhat I was doing.
But it's when I got serious inprayer and I began to cry out to

(11:05):
God and say, God, I don't wantthis life, not the way it is.
And if you're really real andyou love me, make yourself real
unto me, and I'll serve you witheverything that I've got.
And when I prayed that prayer inhonest integrity and uh with
everything that was in me, Godopened a door and you began to

(11:28):
answer my cry.

SPEAKER_01 (11:29):
Well, would you be willing to pray?
Absolutely.
I just feel like, you know,people are listening and
watching.
And when I was asking you thatquestion, what are the actions,
action steps?
I think we need to pray.
You know, that's the because alot of people it's just
overwhelming out there.
And I I know in the scriptures,more than anything, it tells us

(11:50):
to pray.

SPEAKER_00 (11:51):
Uh so if you wouldn't mind just just praying,
I would really love to.
Lord God, my, my, my, in thename of Jesus, those that are
watching, those that arewatching, those that are
listening, God, I pray that yourhand would rest upon them and
that you would prick theirhearts and let them know that
you are real.
Out of all of these thingsthat's going around, all of the

(12:14):
false gods, the false teachings,there is a realness, and you're
able to use the anointing, thepower of the Holy Spirit to
reach them right where they are.
So those sincere hearts, God,draw them close to yourself.
Open their eyes, allow them tosee.
Open their ears, allow them tohear.

(12:35):
Give them understanding that youare God all by yourself.
Let your anointing just begin toreach into the homes, God.
Change their lives, change theirhearts, heal the brokenness, the
soul wounds that they carry.
God, let them know that you arethe healer of all soul wounds.
Jesus died for their soul to besaved.

(12:55):
Lord, in that wound that they'recarrying, Jesus preserved a
place specifically for him toheal.
We give you praise for thatright now.
Do it, God.
In the name of Jesus.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Wow, that's so powerful.

SPEAKER_01 (13:12):
Wow, it's been so is there anything else, Ron, you'd
want to share that's on yourheart this morning?

SPEAKER_00 (13:17):
Well, one thing, um, life brings soul wounds.
All of us have a story.
And I really believe it's allrelative.
And each of us, you know, wecarry our wounds.
And a wound has a desire to behealed.
God placed mechanisms in ourbody that if you sprain your
ankle, blood rushes to that areato begin that healing process.

(13:39):
But what Jesus did, what theLord did for us, is He preserved
the soul to be healed byHimself.
Like if you put that injury,that natural injury, in an
environment of healing, the bodywill do what it was created to
do.
But when God created our souls,we put it in the environment

(14:03):
that causes the healing.
That's in the presence of theLord.
Jesus gave his soul.
It said he poured out his soulunto death.
He exchanged his soul for ours.
And so he brings healing to thesoul.
So if you're broken, if you'rewounded, if you have uh

(14:23):
emotional, mental, spiritualpain in your life, he came to
heal it.

SPEAKER_01 (14:30):
Wow, that really ministers to me.
Thank you so much, Ron.
Well, folks, as we come to theend of our show, we always like
to share the three key pillarsof road to redemption is first
to get into the word of God.
Read the word of God.
Open your Bible.
If you don't have a Bible, getany Bible out.

(14:52):
And just start reading the Bibleevery day.
Start off your morning readingthe Word of God.
He will speak to you.
It will change your life.
And the next is to get into aChrist-centered Bible-believing
church.
Just go.
Give it one year of your life.
I like stealing that from Joel.

(15:14):
Give it one year.
And then last, get into a smallgroup.
Get into a group that you canmake yourself vulnerable.
You can share with men or womenor other married couples.
Get into a small group and itwill just bless you so much.
And we just encourage you.

(15:34):
Do these things.
We know our Lord is going tobless you so much.
Ron, it's been great.
Thank you so much for coming ontoday.
Wow.
It's been so good.
God bless you.