September 29, 2023 • 34 mins
In this can't-miss episode, we sit down with Timothy M. Jones, the inspiring Gladiator behind Colorful Voices. This defense contracting firm has become a sanctuary for veterans battling to recover from the trauma of sexual assault in the military. Hear Timothy's own incredible personal journey from homelessness and self-harm to empowering lives globally. Learn how he’s channeled his experiences into a mission that's changing the world—one voice at a time. Get fired up and go do something great! 🚀🔥 #FiredUpPodcast #ColorfulVoices #10X #Ryignite
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
how this came about was I got to my rock bottom over the this 11 years that I've been on this
this journey out of homelessness and into entrepreneurship into where I am today we had
a moment and my mom had said you re earned your name that was my championship and that fires me
(00:22):
up up when my crew ride up the going light up everybody get welcome to the fired up Podcast
reignite is a 10x licensed business coaching program and we love to talk to 10x people with
(00:42):
a great story people who are fired up like my friend here Timothy Jones so for those of you
who don't know Timothy you're going to really learn about him and colorful voices they're
on a great Mission and I'm so excited that we got the chance to be introduced and I think the world
needs to be introduced to you if they haven't already so why don't we give it up there thank
you so much uh hello everyone I am fired up nice yes yes yes it's that great energy abut and it's
(01:12):
I'm so happy to be here and thank you for allowing me to come on your platform colorful voices is the
first it's not the first of its kind yet tell us what is colorful voices colorful voices is
a defense Contracting firm we specialize in grief and Trauma mitigation uh my specialty is in sexual
(01:32):
assault and abuse crisis Services uh immediately when you think of that it's that's a tough topic
sure it's a tough conversation and the reason I'm fired up is that I'm a crime Survivor for my time
as a child and became a violent crime Survivor for my time in the military and the journey that
I've placed myself and been on has really helped and formed colorful voices and today and now we
(01:59):
are on our next season in our next phase of really completing training I say completing training but
completing training uh for all branches of the military of college institutions we want to go
out into communities and and spread the message of mental hope healing and action wow wow that's that
(02:21):
that that's a great Mission but it it starts from a powerful story and and you certainly have one
and I'm curious though with you you know your why how did you I guess you know why turn from what
could be victimhood and and really taking this to yourself uh in the way that you did to go out
(02:41):
and and be a bridge for others be a maybe a voice for others who didn't have one wow so in order to
to share that this is going to be a little tough it it actually how that how this came about was I
got to my rock bottom my rock bottom was I had a I had a friend come at me and say the only thing
(03:05):
of value I'll ever do was serve my country and I couldn't do that correctly and that pissed me off
yeah because they didn't know my story yeah they only saw where I was and where I was at the time
was a you know drug addicted alcoholic uh drowning my pain away actively trying to die I was Act ly
(03:30):
trying to die in my decisions every day because I did not want to be the person that I was I felt I
Dishonored my uniform and service all because of my behaviors and actions and it wasn't until my
third attempt to com uh to complete unal living myself that I had a divine intervention I had a
(03:52):
Moment of clarity where I looked up into the sky and I always say when I would look up in the sky
it would be unman ured but this day it was a clear sky like we have today but I could see it yeah
and it was this light just feeling the darkness in me and I remember saying listen I don't know
(04:14):
who's up there but if you clean my life up yeah I'm done I I I don't I will do what I have to
do I will not give up I will do the work hard and the reason for that is the visual coming that was
coming to my mind at the time and this is part of my journey is when I saw my friend my shipmate in
(04:34):
Japan who I served with after he unived himself that visual still haunts me now from someone that
I love and I didn't want my brother walking in on that site because I know what it would have
done to him and so if that's not going to be the option I got to go this direction and if I go this
(04:58):
direction what's it going to lead to and then it led to jail because I had to be accountable
to my behavior sure sure but there is where I was introduced to the Department of Veteran Affairs
uh the VA came to me in jail and actually had a three-hour her name was Kathy mson okay I have to
(05:20):
pay tribute to her she listened to me for 3 hours and 45 minutes and after that conversation said
have you ever heard of people TSD I was like yeah but it don't apply to me right I can't believe you
know I'm a I'm a rape Survivor I'm not I didn't go to combat she was like no no my brother you are a
(05:42):
card carrier member yeah and so I had answers and when I went back to that cell brother I was like a
kid in Christmas I was fired up yeah yeah CU I was I was like hey y'all I got PTSD I got PTSD y'all
she said I got PTSD and and everyone in jail was like the hell is PTSD and then they stepped away
(06:04):
from me yeah and but I had the answer yeah and if I have the answer I can do something about it okay
yeah you were able to give it a name and then go from there exactly right so so how did that lead
to to colorful voices what what's you know the transition from from the victim from from the
really paying your dues incarceration to I'm going to go out there and be the the voice for
(06:29):
others what what's that like man when I got out of jail and started going to school and then started
really engaging in society again I was informed numerous times that I'd never have a job outside
of McDonald's that would pay a livable wage not even a livable wage but a wage and I didn't accept
(06:50):
that I couldn't accept that uh because it was in jail that someone who had like I was like man my
life is over I'm going to have a felony and he was like you have a felony yeah I'm going to have a
felony after this he's like oh you're fine I got 26 was like yeah but it was that moment where I'm
(07:11):
like okay I am going to be fine I'm going to do the work hard and when they said I wouldn't be
able to do it I'm like oh you don't know me I'm going to find a way and so if you don't want to
I'm not going to get hired I'm going to create colorful voices and I'm going to find a way to
take all of that I've gone through and find a way to number one make it profitable but be able to
(07:32):
help other people and that was what I was on fire and how that came and into so colorful voices a
homeless veteran sharing a story he was like this is what I P get paid to do yeah I'm like I can do
that I like talking sure and more importantly I love people yeah and I have something to say right
(07:53):
and you have something to give for sure yeah I wanted to be I wanted to I still I want to be used
up when my when it when that Dash happens I wanted to be able to say Timothy has used every single
thing up and has left all that he could and and I get that from my mom that's great get it from my
(08:15):
dad yeah and I come from a military family that has that all proudly served the country and how
can I not be used out we we're family of servant uh servants and one to be part of this community
and life and colorful voices is has given that back to me that's great like I'm grinning from
(08:39):
ear to ear because I am living my dream and I and this was a dream that today that I I did
not think was possible in this manner well let's talk about that I mean as you built your dream
what are the one or two challenges that just stand out in your mind that you had to overcome so I'm
not going to say finances because everyone's going to say that Universal it's Universal
(09:02):
Financial is always universally that thing you have to over but I appreciate that yeah what I
am going to say is the first thing I had to overcome was me I had to overcome all of the
previous the previous experiences of my life the previous experiences of other people's lives and
(09:29):
when I also say me I also needed to get the tools to be successful so once I recognized that there
was going to be adversity once I accepted the adversity then I had to accept that I'm not as
good as I like to think that I am sure I I'm not as articulate as I like to think that I
(09:56):
am at that time however there's education there's ways to get better it's just muscles so I started
pouring that into myself and before I could afford uh being mentors I just youtubed it I
was like wait a minute I want to be a speaker let me let me YouTube Grant Cardone let me let
(10:16):
me YouTube Lisa Nichols let me let me YouTube Les Brown let me see how the graes are doing
it and let me learn and that was in that was my course in University that's great yeah and
so that was my first one that's your first one yeah my second adver um I would say my toughest
(10:37):
challenge was then finding a team finding a team that uh understood me and also understood the
mission that could buy in and that's going to lead into one of our other questions and that
that took time and it takes time because you also you're you're focusing on your own mental
(11:02):
health while building a company so it wasn't like I could and I was homeless so it's like that takes
time and that takes patience uh and you have to be patient yeah you do and and and clearly you
(11:23):
you've shown the patience and and the resilience to get to where you are today um I'm going to go
into something here and just talk about the team because you brought that up a little bit and and
you know as you're building that team what was the challenge to get people to believe in your
vision and we always start we always like to say the uh outside challenges the first biggest
(11:47):
challenge was internal it was needing to um me getting to a place where I had to build
out every different pets of my life in the team so as a veteran with PTSD an MST Survivor the
first team I needed to build was my VA care team uh who is my therapist who who where when is my
(12:07):
therapy appointments ensuring that I can be my best by having the tools to to number one take
care of my mental health now once I was able to do that now I understood I'm a relationships based
individual that loves to get the results based upon creating and crafting um integrous healthy
(12:27):
relationships and con connections now the reason that was important is with a therapist in mental
health you can actually connect in a healthy manner versus not having those tools and that
helped really allow my it allowed me to be open to other ideas colorful voices is my baby and and a
(12:48):
lot of times as entrepreneurs we have to step away from our babies to allow other voices to
come in to form where we're we are actually in our businesses we're singing a a song like we're like
any other artists and for that song to really sing you it takes diverse voices and populations and so
(13:13):
finding that challenge and then allowing allowing the process to play out that that helped me with
my team and when I got constructive feedback I allowed it to seep into myself and I listened
yeah yeah and I found out that was probably the I'm like oh man the that was the best decision I
(13:33):
did just listen to y'all need that need that yeah and I think as we grow as as entrepreneurs as we
try to grow our business and see what works and what doesn't you're going to learn things that
you would do differently and I'm sure if you look at your story you can probably pick out a
few things that you might have done differently along the journey um if you do have those it be
(13:55):
interested to hear that oh man I there are many instances that I would do differently and what I
would do differently is I mentioned earlier I love to talk those moments what I would do differently
is I would listen more there were a lot of gems like my my mom and other mentors growing up and
(14:19):
in just in random conversations they dropped a lot of gems that I didn't necessarily feel was
that had any value to me or I could get anything out of it so I didn't pay that close of attention
now looking back I'm like oh wait a minute those were those are big gems I should have
listened a little bit more to really catch what was happening in those moments to to soak that in
(14:46):
and that's what I would do differently and that's what I do differently now I take moments there'll
be moments where I'll take a 5-second pause or 10-second pause we've we've had conversations
and I'm like I'll take a pause pause in that moment to appreciate just what's happening and
then once I take that pause I continue on and that way I it it reminds me to listen
(15:11):
and it also reminds me to be open yeah to what's happening not just in the conversation but what
what's the moment what led to the conversation where are we having the conversation yeah all
of those little little things how did I get to the conversation today did I take the bus dead
ride drive my car and then I'm like oh that's what makes this day beautiful and and I heard
(15:36):
this say at CVS this morning uh gentleman was like oh man I have my this dog who just wakes
up every day like it's the best day ever and I'm like I know we woke up yeah we made it and we have
another opportunity here to impress upon others that they're valued and they made it as well
(16:01):
that's awesome that is awesome that is awesome fired up if that doesn't make you feel fired
up when you get in the morning you know get up in the morning I I don't know what does and so
that connection to your mission is is critical yeah and if you have like you have children like
those little things so when you go out into the world you can go out there and know like hey yeah
(16:23):
we we made it right we made it together let's go out here and do what we do yeah and that's
win yeah absolutely yeah and well and and and so winning requires you to keep learning and and so
what you talked about was listening and and you you can't learn if you're not listening
if you're not open to ideas if you're not open to hearing what someone else has to
(16:47):
say If you're sort of closed off from that and the other thing I took from what you're saying
is that you know in the take to take stock of what's around you and take some gratitude for
what the people we have and the connections in our life because you know if you just got
up and said I don't want to be you know I I'm tired I don't want to get up and do this today
but instead you could stop take a pause like you said you're like man I'm alive I've got all this
(17:14):
opportunity I got all these people I love around me and I got something to go do today just that
moment to to take a pause would change their trajectory versus just like I'm real tired I
don't want to exactly yeah and it changes your energy it changes and then you're like I want
more of that right you know I love when I I'll stop and I'll look at the bridge and I'll go
(17:40):
wow this is awesome and I'll see tourists here yeah who are just walking but then they see me
stop and then they stop yeah and then they're like ah yeah and then you can feel the energy
shift and that's really also with colorful voice it's here for us to create an alternative to the
(18:01):
conversation it's a reminder that we are much more similar than we ever are different absolutely as a
veteran as a black gay veteran I've see and I see the love from everybody every color every
Creed every political spectrum that pours into me and that has poured into to me over the this
(18:30):
11 years that I've been on this this journey out of homelessness and into entrepreneurship into
where I am today and that fires me up because everyone does need to hear that that's part
of my story but it's also part of the American story there are so many people who have poured
in their resources paid taxes to ensure that we can eliminate veteran homelessness and here we
(18:56):
are having a wonderful success UC story that can show that does show just how that can transform
a life of a family and to put that out there because it's no longer my story yeah like it's
our story right it is it is that type of a journey of of of recovery and resilience and thriving yeah
(19:27):
that's great yeah and and considering all of that the journey the people whose lives you've
touched their stories what what's your proudest moment what are you most proud of with colorful
voices you ask I I oh
man so I want to shout out everybody real fast my mentors my coaches my family my
(19:56):
friends every person who waves waved back at me throughout any time of my
life I've recently won a few awards that uh that was we were recognized with uh
one being um the Syracuse University ivmf entrepreneurship boot camp for veterans um
(20:17):
2023 Captain Melvin T stey Pioneer award uh colorful voices was uh honored by nooba as
one of their LGBT Q Plus veteran business enterprises of the year yeah uh we were
the award we won was the veteran uh lgbtq plus veteran business Enterprise we love
award to answer your question what am I great what is my proudest achievement
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and moment right now it is being able to say thank you because I share those those awards
are not mine those awards are ours that is my proudest moment to say hey your time your
investment your love you who are getting up every day doing the work I haven't even met
(21:11):
you yet right but you doing this is why I continue to get up and get fired up my
proudest moment is being able to share those moments in Milestones with those whom um I
love I love everybody yeah so I literally love I love everyone and I I get that from my mom uh
(21:36):
and so sharing that that's inspirational Timothy I will give you I'm GNA give you and and and the
viewers here a little special treat yeah uh and I'll share something privately okay that
um my proudest moment to date there was a time that I felt I Dishonored my name and my family's
(22:04):
name and I had walked 200 miles to Pensacola Florida to Tallahassee to raise awareness for
homeless veterans in the State of Florida back up a second you walked 200 miles yeah just lit
that in wow wow yeah I I couldn't let that go by wow uh I couldn't I wasn't comfortable
(22:31):
calling myself a veteran before then but after that walk I I could and my mom and I and and
Trent SoDo who I did the walk with uh we had a moment and my mom had said you re earned your
name and that was I was so proud but she was like when I heard your voice
(22:53):
when you were in jail and I talked to you on the phone yeah I knew you were back I
knew then yeah cuz you you were focused you were that this was a Timothy that I knew and
know yeah and I knew you were going to get back here that's my proudest moment yeah
(23:13):
uh it's okay yeah yeah that that's powerful that's powerful thank thank you thank you for sharing
that so and I prefer Timothy so when folks tell when I so if you see me and I say it's Timothy
(23:35):
you now know why I prefer Timothy yes over Tim my mom named me Timothy and she would always call me
Timothy and so when she said that I was like that's yep Timothy that's my name that's who I
am I'm proud of proud of that all of that yeah so that's my private person personal moment uh which
(23:59):
is public for everyone I love it that's amazing yeah yeah that's that that's so powerful too and
um I I'll I'll ask you one one more followup to that it's just you know if you can go back to
that point is what what's it like to hear your mother saying you're back you earned your name
wow I hadn't thought about that so that's a great followup
(24:30):
it's like winning the Super Bowl it's like that first moment in your life where you you you didn't
think you could do something and and you did it you did it yeah and or at that moment you lost
the championship and then you came back the next year you worked really hard you won that was my
(24:58):
Championship like my I love my family I love that those aspects and thinking that I Dishonored them
uh I look I Look to the times that I actively tried to not be present and I and I was very
(25:20):
grateful that I and I that I was um it also makes cuz I have to and because I love being I'm real
raw and authentic uh it also helped that when I got into issues again because I have pts so there
that's never that's always healing in action so when those when they showed up it also made
(25:46):
it easier for me to reach out to get help yeah and in my what I say is it took me 23 years to
get service connected to get to this place here but it only took me five to really when I hit
my rock bottom at this time it really wasn't my rock bottom because of the resources and support
(26:11):
and it it allowed me to bounce back faster wow it's great yeah yeah yeah so after coming up to
a high like that yeah I got to ask what's what's next what's next for you what's next for colorful
voices ha man I am excited yeah for what's next all right so there's a few things that's what's
(26:35):
next is upcoming October we have the uh there's an out at work panel that I'm participating
in for uh three Three Rivers business Alliance uh again representing colorful voices and then
the big thing November 5th yeah we are having our first event our first major event uh and it's our
(26:57):
mental health Symposium it's mental hope healing and action we're going to be coming to cities
across the country uh and really what mental hope healing and action is about is that alternative
conversation it really is to support uh uh workers our Advocates who are out there doing great work
but also to our community all communities that are hurting we want to get them out there to see
(27:24):
that there is value and help in getting Al hope supports uh we have our amazing speaker Mr Philip
brashier who is going to be gracing our stage uh Mr Philip Brasher is the son of the legendary
Master diver ker Brasher uh he himself is my as a friend and mentor and a decorated Army veteran and
(27:52):
and a war veteran and hero and pilot and his story he has a fantastic story yeah and he is going to
share that and share memories of his dad with the community here in Pittsburgh uh introducing him
well we we have Mr Sean cagie and who is just a a beast in what he does with the unblinded Mastery
(28:14):
team and we have Dr Vanessa gon who is going to be speaking she is executive director of
hush no more which is a national nonprofit that's focuses on the hush topics uh we've been partners
for years and this is our first M major event that we get to do together uh introducing her
(28:34):
we have two-time uh World Navy boxing champion Steve USS Cunningham very very honored to have
his presence uh with our stage and and and hearing his story yeah uh we then have myself uh I that's
going to be my introduction to the community and I'm not speaking on the last 20 years yeah we're
(28:56):
just going to speak on the last two and a half of me understanding that I'm an alcoholic and I have
been 900 plus days sober there Brad I'm proud of that all right all right yes listen when we
get to November 5th I'll be five days from 1,000 five days um and then but also talking about how
(29:17):
I just found un cover that I'm bipolar with Manic episodes something I never knew about
yeah till last year W and I had I had an episode but it was because of my team when they when they
had that episode they were like oh wait minut there's something wrong bipolar and it that's
been the game Cher and uh conducting that fireside chat with me will be um CEO of student Veterans
(29:44):
of America Mr Jared lion uh who is a mentor of mine and an amazing Champion for student
veterans around the country and the globe and our host is Miss Mara Simone who's a veteran as well
she is a international bestselling author and to have all of these wonderful integrous uh amazing
(30:10):
individuals who and their Geniuses um come on board to say hey we want to help support this
conversation u means a lot so November 5th is a big day for us um we I cannot wait for that
moment in that time that's what's next awes currently mhm but stay tuned because we are
(30:32):
up to some big things yeah and we're going to make some amazing splashes not only in uh the community
here in Pittsburgh we're going across the country and the world that's great that's great and and
so if people want to follow that and be a part of your events be a part of the mission and and see
(30:54):
what's next how can they get in touch with you how can they stay stay in touch with colorful
voices outstanding well they can also you can follow us my first my website is www. timothyj
jones.com okay it's a very difficult website that's a long that's a long URL to get long
you are real but as long as you can remember the name Timothy m jones.com is my website my
(31:20):
so our social media handles are Timothy ormore Jones on Instagram Facebook book Timothy M Jones
Pittsburgh you will see a beautifully baldheaded milk chocolate man uh this man here this man right
here this face right here uh and you'll all be able to find that on X and all social medias
(31:44):
Timothy ormore Jones okay very good well I really appreciate you coming on today and talking about
your story talking about colorful voices I'm I'm really excited to see where you're going next if
any anybody got me fired up this this has been to date the most exciting uh of of the interviews I I
think in recent memory so I I I'm very excited and honored that you you came here uh to be on on the
(32:09):
show it's my honor Brad and I told you yeah this because I'm going to tell you this again yeah and
I'm going to tell everybody here get ready yeah we are part of the healing generation and that we are
healing healing in action and we're going to get ready because we are so needed in this world we
(32:35):
are so needed and this is the time for us to get out there and show the world how much we love them
how much we love everybody in the world and by healing an action together the sky's the limit I
am a true embodiment of that and I'm an example of that and I'm excited and I have to say thank you
(32:57):
to you you didn't know yeah just by living your life by doing everything that you that's gotten
you here that you helped to find me thank you yeah I appreciate you you're doing great things and
and I think we're GNA G to leave it there for any anything else that we should cover that that you
didn't get to oh no oh huge wrestling fan yeah the uh so the one thing we didn't get to as promised
(33:26):
you asked me yeah what would be my wrestling name I did I did so as promised here here it is I would
be the Gladiator nice I am the Gladiator yeah you are to hear where you've come from and what you're
doing you are a gladiator absolutely yes I love it I love it there go all right well with that
(33:47):
we'll leave it there and uh like I said you were you were doing so many great things and that's
really what we do here we like to hear stories and of people doing great things things so with that
this has been the fired up Podcast encouraging you to stay 10x and stay fired up and do something
[Music] great everybody
(34:14):
get
how this came about was I got to my rock bottom over the this 11 years that I've been on this
this journey out of homelessness and into entrepreneurship into where I am today we had
a moment and my mom had said you re earned your name that was my championship and that fires me
(00:22):
up up when my crew ride up the going light up everybody get welcome to the fired up Podcast
reignite is a 10x licensed business coaching program and we love to talk to 10x people with
(00:42):
a great story people who are fired up like my friend here Timothy Jones so for those of you
who don't know Timothy you're going to really learn about him and colorful voices they're
on a great Mission and I'm so excited that we got the chance to be introduced and I think the world
needs to be introduced to you if they haven't already so why don't we give it up there thank
you so much uh hello everyone I am fired up nice yes yes yes it's that great energy abut and it's
(01:12):
I'm so happy to be here and thank you for allowing me to come on your platform colorful voices is the
first it's not the first of its kind yet tell us what is colorful voices colorful voices is
a defense Contracting firm we specialize in grief and Trauma mitigation uh my specialty is in sexual
(01:32):
assault and abuse crisis Services uh immediately when you think of that it's that's a tough topic
sure it's a tough conversation and the reason I'm fired up is that I'm a crime Survivor for my time
as a child and became a violent crime Survivor for my time in the military and the journey that
I've placed myself and been on has really helped and formed colorful voices and today and now we
(01:59):
are on our next season in our next phase of really completing training I say completing training but
completing training uh for all branches of the military of college institutions we want to go
out into communities and and spread the message of mental hope healing and action wow wow that's that
(02:21):
that that's a great Mission but it it starts from a powerful story and and you certainly have one
and I'm curious though with you you know your why how did you I guess you know why turn from what
could be victimhood and and really taking this to yourself uh in the way that you did to go out
(02:41):
and and be a bridge for others be a maybe a voice for others who didn't have one wow so in order to
to share that this is going to be a little tough it it actually how that how this came about was I
got to my rock bottom my rock bottom was I had a I had a friend come at me and say the only thing
(03:05):
of value I'll ever do was serve my country and I couldn't do that correctly and that pissed me off
yeah because they didn't know my story yeah they only saw where I was and where I was at the time
was a you know drug addicted alcoholic uh drowning my pain away actively trying to die I was Act ly
(03:30):
trying to die in my decisions every day because I did not want to be the person that I was I felt I
Dishonored my uniform and service all because of my behaviors and actions and it wasn't until my
third attempt to com uh to complete unal living myself that I had a divine intervention I had a
(03:52):
Moment of clarity where I looked up into the sky and I always say when I would look up in the sky
it would be unman ured but this day it was a clear sky like we have today but I could see it yeah
and it was this light just feeling the darkness in me and I remember saying listen I don't know
(04:14):
who's up there but if you clean my life up yeah I'm done I I I don't I will do what I have to
do I will not give up I will do the work hard and the reason for that is the visual coming that was
coming to my mind at the time and this is part of my journey is when I saw my friend my shipmate in
(04:34):
Japan who I served with after he unived himself that visual still haunts me now from someone that
I love and I didn't want my brother walking in on that site because I know what it would have
done to him and so if that's not going to be the option I got to go this direction and if I go this
(04:58):
direction what's it going to lead to and then it led to jail because I had to be accountable
to my behavior sure sure but there is where I was introduced to the Department of Veteran Affairs
uh the VA came to me in jail and actually had a three-hour her name was Kathy mson okay I have to
(05:20):
pay tribute to her she listened to me for 3 hours and 45 minutes and after that conversation said
have you ever heard of people TSD I was like yeah but it don't apply to me right I can't believe you
know I'm a I'm a rape Survivor I'm not I didn't go to combat she was like no no my brother you are a
(05:42):
card carrier member yeah and so I had answers and when I went back to that cell brother I was like a
kid in Christmas I was fired up yeah yeah CU I was I was like hey y'all I got PTSD I got PTSD y'all
she said I got PTSD and and everyone in jail was like the hell is PTSD and then they stepped away
(06:04):
from me yeah and but I had the answer yeah and if I have the answer I can do something about it okay
yeah you were able to give it a name and then go from there exactly right so so how did that lead
to to colorful voices what what's you know the transition from from the victim from from the
really paying your dues incarceration to I'm going to go out there and be the the voice for
(06:29):
others what what's that like man when I got out of jail and started going to school and then started
really engaging in society again I was informed numerous times that I'd never have a job outside
of McDonald's that would pay a livable wage not even a livable wage but a wage and I didn't accept
(06:50):
that I couldn't accept that uh because it was in jail that someone who had like I was like man my
life is over I'm going to have a felony and he was like you have a felony yeah I'm going to have a
felony after this he's like oh you're fine I got 26 was like yeah but it was that moment where I'm
(07:11):
like okay I am going to be fine I'm going to do the work hard and when they said I wouldn't be
able to do it I'm like oh you don't know me I'm going to find a way and so if you don't want to
I'm not going to get hired I'm going to create colorful voices and I'm going to find a way to
take all of that I've gone through and find a way to number one make it profitable but be able to
(07:32):
help other people and that was what I was on fire and how that came and into so colorful voices a
homeless veteran sharing a story he was like this is what I P get paid to do yeah I'm like I can do
that I like talking sure and more importantly I love people yeah and I have something to say right
(07:53):
and you have something to give for sure yeah I wanted to be I wanted to I still I want to be used
up when my when it when that Dash happens I wanted to be able to say Timothy has used every single
thing up and has left all that he could and and I get that from my mom that's great get it from my
(08:15):
dad yeah and I come from a military family that has that all proudly served the country and how
can I not be used out we we're family of servant uh servants and one to be part of this community
and life and colorful voices is has given that back to me that's great like I'm grinning from
(08:39):
ear to ear because I am living my dream and I and this was a dream that today that I I did
not think was possible in this manner well let's talk about that I mean as you built your dream
what are the one or two challenges that just stand out in your mind that you had to overcome so I'm
not going to say finances because everyone's going to say that Universal it's Universal
(09:02):
Financial is always universally that thing you have to over but I appreciate that yeah what I
am going to say is the first thing I had to overcome was me I had to overcome all of the
previous the previous experiences of my life the previous experiences of other people's lives and
(09:29):
when I also say me I also needed to get the tools to be successful so once I recognized that there
was going to be adversity once I accepted the adversity then I had to accept that I'm not as
good as I like to think that I am sure I I'm not as articulate as I like to think that I
(09:56):
am at that time however there's education there's ways to get better it's just muscles so I started
pouring that into myself and before I could afford uh being mentors I just youtubed it I
was like wait a minute I want to be a speaker let me let me YouTube Grant Cardone let me let
(10:16):
me YouTube Lisa Nichols let me let me YouTube Les Brown let me see how the graes are doing
it and let me learn and that was in that was my course in University that's great yeah and
so that was my first one that's your first one yeah my second adver um I would say my toughest
(10:37):
challenge was then finding a team finding a team that uh understood me and also understood the
mission that could buy in and that's going to lead into one of our other questions and that
that took time and it takes time because you also you're you're focusing on your own mental
(11:02):
health while building a company so it wasn't like I could and I was homeless so it's like that takes
time and that takes patience uh and you have to be patient yeah you do and and and clearly you
(11:23):
you've shown the patience and and the resilience to get to where you are today um I'm going to go
into something here and just talk about the team because you brought that up a little bit and and
you know as you're building that team what was the challenge to get people to believe in your
vision and we always start we always like to say the uh outside challenges the first biggest
(11:47):
challenge was internal it was needing to um me getting to a place where I had to build
out every different pets of my life in the team so as a veteran with PTSD an MST Survivor the
first team I needed to build was my VA care team uh who is my therapist who who where when is my
(12:07):
therapy appointments ensuring that I can be my best by having the tools to to number one take
care of my mental health now once I was able to do that now I understood I'm a relationships based
individual that loves to get the results based upon creating and crafting um integrous healthy
(12:27):
relationships and con connections now the reason that was important is with a therapist in mental
health you can actually connect in a healthy manner versus not having those tools and that
helped really allow my it allowed me to be open to other ideas colorful voices is my baby and and a
(12:48):
lot of times as entrepreneurs we have to step away from our babies to allow other voices to
come in to form where we're we are actually in our businesses we're singing a a song like we're like
any other artists and for that song to really sing you it takes diverse voices and populations and so
(13:13):
finding that challenge and then allowing allowing the process to play out that that helped me with
my team and when I got constructive feedback I allowed it to seep into myself and I listened
yeah yeah and I found out that was probably the I'm like oh man the that was the best decision I
(13:33):
did just listen to y'all need that need that yeah and I think as we grow as as entrepreneurs as we
try to grow our business and see what works and what doesn't you're going to learn things that
you would do differently and I'm sure if you look at your story you can probably pick out a
few things that you might have done differently along the journey um if you do have those it be
(13:55):
interested to hear that oh man I there are many instances that I would do differently and what I
would do differently is I mentioned earlier I love to talk those moments what I would do differently
is I would listen more there were a lot of gems like my my mom and other mentors growing up and
(14:19):
in just in random conversations they dropped a lot of gems that I didn't necessarily feel was
that had any value to me or I could get anything out of it so I didn't pay that close of attention
now looking back I'm like oh wait a minute those were those are big gems I should have
listened a little bit more to really catch what was happening in those moments to to soak that in
(14:46):
and that's what I would do differently and that's what I do differently now I take moments there'll
be moments where I'll take a 5-second pause or 10-second pause we've we've had conversations
and I'm like I'll take a pause pause in that moment to appreciate just what's happening and
then once I take that pause I continue on and that way I it it reminds me to listen
(15:11):
and it also reminds me to be open yeah to what's happening not just in the conversation but what
what's the moment what led to the conversation where are we having the conversation yeah all
of those little little things how did I get to the conversation today did I take the bus dead
ride drive my car and then I'm like oh that's what makes this day beautiful and and I heard
(15:36):
this say at CVS this morning uh gentleman was like oh man I have my this dog who just wakes
up every day like it's the best day ever and I'm like I know we woke up yeah we made it and we have
another opportunity here to impress upon others that they're valued and they made it as well
(16:01):
that's awesome that is awesome that is awesome fired up if that doesn't make you feel fired
up when you get in the morning you know get up in the morning I I don't know what does and so
that connection to your mission is is critical yeah and if you have like you have children like
those little things so when you go out into the world you can go out there and know like hey yeah
(16:23):
we we made it right we made it together let's go out here and do what we do yeah and that's
win yeah absolutely yeah and well and and and so winning requires you to keep learning and and so
what you talked about was listening and and you you can't learn if you're not listening
if you're not open to ideas if you're not open to hearing what someone else has to
(16:47):
say If you're sort of closed off from that and the other thing I took from what you're saying
is that you know in the take to take stock of what's around you and take some gratitude for
what the people we have and the connections in our life because you know if you just got
up and said I don't want to be you know I I'm tired I don't want to get up and do this today
but instead you could stop take a pause like you said you're like man I'm alive I've got all this
(17:14):
opportunity I got all these people I love around me and I got something to go do today just that
moment to to take a pause would change their trajectory versus just like I'm real tired I
don't want to exactly yeah and it changes your energy it changes and then you're like I want
more of that right you know I love when I I'll stop and I'll look at the bridge and I'll go
(17:40):
wow this is awesome and I'll see tourists here yeah who are just walking but then they see me
stop and then they stop yeah and then they're like ah yeah and then you can feel the energy
shift and that's really also with colorful voice it's here for us to create an alternative to the
(18:01):
conversation it's a reminder that we are much more similar than we ever are different absolutely as a
veteran as a black gay veteran I've see and I see the love from everybody every color every
Creed every political spectrum that pours into me and that has poured into to me over the this
(18:30):
11 years that I've been on this this journey out of homelessness and into entrepreneurship into
where I am today and that fires me up because everyone does need to hear that that's part
of my story but it's also part of the American story there are so many people who have poured
in their resources paid taxes to ensure that we can eliminate veteran homelessness and here we
(18:56):
are having a wonderful success UC story that can show that does show just how that can transform
a life of a family and to put that out there because it's no longer my story yeah like it's
our story right it is it is that type of a journey of of of recovery and resilience and thriving yeah
(19:27):
that's great yeah and and considering all of that the journey the people whose lives you've
touched their stories what what's your proudest moment what are you most proud of with colorful
voices you ask I I oh
man so I want to shout out everybody real fast my mentors my coaches my family my
(19:56):
friends every person who waves waved back at me throughout any time of my
life I've recently won a few awards that uh that was we were recognized with uh
one being um the Syracuse University ivmf entrepreneurship boot camp for veterans um
(20:17):
2023 Captain Melvin T stey Pioneer award uh colorful voices was uh honored by nooba as
one of their LGBT Q Plus veteran business enterprises of the year yeah uh we were
the award we won was the veteran uh lgbtq plus veteran business Enterprise we love
award to answer your question what am I great what is my proudest achievement
(20:46):
and moment right now it is being able to say thank you because I share those those awards
are not mine those awards are ours that is my proudest moment to say hey your time your
investment your love you who are getting up every day doing the work I haven't even met
(21:11):
you yet right but you doing this is why I continue to get up and get fired up my
proudest moment is being able to share those moments in Milestones with those whom um I
love I love everybody yeah so I literally love I love everyone and I I get that from my mom uh
(21:36):
and so sharing that that's inspirational Timothy I will give you I'm GNA give you and and and the
viewers here a little special treat yeah uh and I'll share something privately okay that
um my proudest moment to date there was a time that I felt I Dishonored my name and my family's
(22:04):
name and I had walked 200 miles to Pensacola Florida to Tallahassee to raise awareness for
homeless veterans in the State of Florida back up a second you walked 200 miles yeah just lit
that in wow wow yeah I I couldn't let that go by wow uh I couldn't I wasn't comfortable
(22:31):
calling myself a veteran before then but after that walk I I could and my mom and I and and
Trent SoDo who I did the walk with uh we had a moment and my mom had said you re earned your
name and that was I was so proud but she was like when I heard your voice
(22:53):
when you were in jail and I talked to you on the phone yeah I knew you were back I
knew then yeah cuz you you were focused you were that this was a Timothy that I knew and
know yeah and I knew you were going to get back here that's my proudest moment yeah
(23:13):
uh it's okay yeah yeah that that's powerful that's powerful thank thank you thank you for sharing
that so and I prefer Timothy so when folks tell when I so if you see me and I say it's Timothy
(23:35):
you now know why I prefer Timothy yes over Tim my mom named me Timothy and she would always call me
Timothy and so when she said that I was like that's yep Timothy that's my name that's who I
am I'm proud of proud of that all of that yeah so that's my private person personal moment uh which
(23:59):
is public for everyone I love it that's amazing yeah yeah that's that that's so powerful too and
um I I'll I'll ask you one one more followup to that it's just you know if you can go back to
that point is what what's it like to hear your mother saying you're back you earned your name
wow I hadn't thought about that so that's a great followup
(24:30):
it's like winning the Super Bowl it's like that first moment in your life where you you you didn't
think you could do something and and you did it you did it yeah and or at that moment you lost
the championship and then you came back the next year you worked really hard you won that was my
(24:58):
Championship like my I love my family I love that those aspects and thinking that I Dishonored them
uh I look I Look to the times that I actively tried to not be present and I and I was very
(25:20):
grateful that I and I that I was um it also makes cuz I have to and because I love being I'm real
raw and authentic uh it also helped that when I got into issues again because I have pts so there
that's never that's always healing in action so when those when they showed up it also made
(25:46):
it easier for me to reach out to get help yeah and in my what I say is it took me 23 years to
get service connected to get to this place here but it only took me five to really when I hit
my rock bottom at this time it really wasn't my rock bottom because of the resources and support
(26:11):
and it it allowed me to bounce back faster wow it's great yeah yeah yeah so after coming up to
a high like that yeah I got to ask what's what's next what's next for you what's next for colorful
voices ha man I am excited yeah for what's next all right so there's a few things that's what's
(26:35):
next is upcoming October we have the uh there's an out at work panel that I'm participating
in for uh three Three Rivers business Alliance uh again representing colorful voices and then
the big thing November 5th yeah we are having our first event our first major event uh and it's our
(26:57):
mental health Symposium it's mental hope healing and action we're going to be coming to cities
across the country uh and really what mental hope healing and action is about is that alternative
conversation it really is to support uh uh workers our Advocates who are out there doing great work
but also to our community all communities that are hurting we want to get them out there to see
(27:24):
that there is value and help in getting Al hope supports uh we have our amazing speaker Mr Philip
brashier who is going to be gracing our stage uh Mr Philip Brasher is the son of the legendary
Master diver ker Brasher uh he himself is my as a friend and mentor and a decorated Army veteran and
(27:52):
and a war veteran and hero and pilot and his story he has a fantastic story yeah and he is going to
share that and share memories of his dad with the community here in Pittsburgh uh introducing him
well we we have Mr Sean cagie and who is just a a beast in what he does with the unblinded Mastery
(28:14):
team and we have Dr Vanessa gon who is going to be speaking she is executive director of
hush no more which is a national nonprofit that's focuses on the hush topics uh we've been partners
for years and this is our first M major event that we get to do together uh introducing her
(28:34):
we have two-time uh World Navy boxing champion Steve USS Cunningham very very honored to have
his presence uh with our stage and and and hearing his story yeah uh we then have myself uh I that's
going to be my introduction to the community and I'm not speaking on the last 20 years yeah we're
(28:56):
just going to speak on the last two and a half of me understanding that I'm an alcoholic and I have
been 900 plus days sober there Brad I'm proud of that all right all right yes listen when we
get to November 5th I'll be five days from 1,000 five days um and then but also talking about how
(29:17):
I just found un cover that I'm bipolar with Manic episodes something I never knew about
yeah till last year W and I had I had an episode but it was because of my team when they when they
had that episode they were like oh wait minut there's something wrong bipolar and it that's
been the game Cher and uh conducting that fireside chat with me will be um CEO of student Veterans
(29:44):
of America Mr Jared lion uh who is a mentor of mine and an amazing Champion for student
veterans around the country and the globe and our host is Miss Mara Simone who's a veteran as well
she is a international bestselling author and to have all of these wonderful integrous uh amazing
(30:10):
individuals who and their Geniuses um come on board to say hey we want to help support this
conversation u means a lot so November 5th is a big day for us um we I cannot wait for that
moment in that time that's what's next awes currently mhm but stay tuned because we are
(30:32):
up to some big things yeah and we're going to make some amazing splashes not only in uh the community
here in Pittsburgh we're going across the country and the world that's great that's great and and
so if people want to follow that and be a part of your events be a part of the mission and and see
(30:54):
what's next how can they get in touch with you how can they stay stay in touch with colorful
voices outstanding well they can also you can follow us my first my website is www. timothyj
jones.com okay it's a very difficult website that's a long that's a long URL to get long
you are real but as long as you can remember the name Timothy m jones.com is my website my
(31:20):
so our social media handles are Timothy ormore Jones on Instagram Facebook book Timothy M Jones
Pittsburgh you will see a beautifully baldheaded milk chocolate man uh this man here this man right
here this face right here uh and you'll all be able to find that on X and all social medias
(31:44):
Timothy ormore Jones okay very good well I really appreciate you coming on today and talking about
your story talking about colorful voices I'm I'm really excited to see where you're going next if
any anybody got me fired up this this has been to date the most exciting uh of of the interviews I I
think in recent memory so I I I'm very excited and honored that you you came here uh to be on on the
(32:09):
show it's my honor Brad and I told you yeah this because I'm going to tell you this again yeah and
I'm going to tell everybody here get ready yeah we are part of the healing generation and that we are
healing healing in action and we're going to get ready because we are so needed in this world we
(32:35):
are so needed and this is the time for us to get out there and show the world how much we love them
how much we love everybody in the world and by healing an action together the sky's the limit I
am a true embodiment of that and I'm an example of that and I'm excited and I have to say thank you
(32:57):
to you you didn't know yeah just by living your life by doing everything that you that's gotten
you here that you helped to find me thank you yeah I appreciate you you're doing great things and
and I think we're GNA G to leave it there for any anything else that we should cover that that you
didn't get to oh no oh huge wrestling fan yeah the uh so the one thing we didn't get to as promised
(33:26):
you asked me yeah what would be my wrestling name I did I did so as promised here here it is I would
be the Gladiator nice I am the Gladiator yeah you are to hear where you've come from and what you're
doing you are a gladiator absolutely yes I love it I love it there go all right well with that
(33:47):
we'll leave it there and uh like I said you were you were doing so many great things and that's
really what we do here we like to hear stories and of people doing great things things so with that
this has been the fired up Podcast encouraging you to stay 10x and stay fired up and do something
[Music] great everybody
(34:14):
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