Freedom From Depression Starts With God's Truth with Dr. Chigozie Nwosu

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to the Faithful Fitness Podcast for my Dad. Coach
Alex Van Houghten helps you get stronger and mind, body
and spirit. He believes that your body is a temple,
so taking good care of it is an actual worship.

Speaker 2 (00:15):
I should know.

Speaker 1 (00:15):
I live with them. Every week. He brings truth from
the Bible too of some science and stories that will
set your heart on fire. May God bless you to
become everything He made you to be, just one percent
better every single day.

Speaker 3 (00:30):
What's up, guys, This is coach Alex man how on
the Faithful Fitness Podcast. I'm so excited to spend time
with you today and for our awesome guest that I
have for you today. I'm joined this morning by and
I'm going to do my best not to mess your
name up by doctor chi gooset Wassu and please correct me.

Speaker 2 (00:47):
How do I say it right?

Speaker 4 (00:49):
Dot Chigazi Musu and you were just.

Speaker 3 (00:52):
Telling me free show, but I want the listeners to
hear it. What so I'm an English slash Spanish speaking person.
What what is this? This name from? What's the dialect from?
And then we'll get into the awesome conversation we're going
to have today.

Speaker 5 (01:06):
Okay, this name is an Ebon in one of the
Nigerian languages is Ebo, because I'm Nigerian originally Nigerian, but
I recited in Canada. So the name is the Nigerian
name ibo or and just simply means God bless me,
because she in Ebo is God.

Speaker 4 (01:27):
So the Guzia is blessed me, So God bless.

Speaker 3 (01:31):
Me man and and so I did some research on
you prior to this conversation and listen to a lot
of the content that you're putting out on social media,
which is great and extremely encouraging.

Speaker 2 (01:41):
By the way, I'm excited to talk about that.

Speaker 3 (01:43):
But it's very obvious that that God has blessed you
in your life. And so it's kind of cool in
having a name meaning my name, Alexander means a helper
of men, but in the Greek it's the it's the
derivative of the aspect of hera not much into the
polytheistic stuff, and it literally means the one that the

(02:05):
warriors call.

Speaker 2 (02:06):
On to save them when they're pinned down in battle.

Speaker 3 (02:08):
And so that has always given me a kind of
like something to move toward, like I want to help
the warriors who are pinned down in battle to fight
the good fight of their life, so to speak, as
Paul said, I've I've fought the good fight. I've finished
the race. He says that in the New Testament. And
so when I think about my name, it gives, it gives,

(02:30):
you know, the name that I believe God gave me
through my mom and dad. It's it's a very powerful
place of meaning for me. Do you find something similar
in your name?

Speaker 4 (02:38):
Exactly?

Speaker 5 (02:39):
I find it like where or does go and fail?
Somehow I got there even if I struggle. I noticed
that I always scale true and I see it as
the hand of God just helping me or taking me
through all those phases of life.

Speaker 4 (02:56):
So if something is very unique.

Speaker 5 (02:57):
About my name, and funny enough, the name came before
my delivery.

Speaker 4 (03:02):
Because then they were nothing.

Speaker 5 (03:04):
There was nothing like okay, let's go and check the
sex of the baby or anything. My dad just said,
this is the name, whether I'm male or female.

Speaker 2 (03:12):
Snap, like, here's a boy or girl. This is what
we're naming.

Speaker 4 (03:16):
This is what I'm going to name the child. It's more,
but in my place is more but mask cline name.
So to say. The few is mostly guys that onside
what is uni sex? But in my dad's opinion, he said,
this is what my child is going to answer, whether
that male or female. And the name stuck and I

(03:38):
like it.

Speaker 2 (03:39):
That's a good name. It's a good name. There's that
old him.

Speaker 3 (03:41):
It goes something like, don't worry, I won't quit my
day job. Count name them one by one. It's like
it's like your name is a reminder to do that
every single.

Speaker 4 (03:51):
Day, exactly, exactly.

Speaker 2 (03:54):
That's awesome. Well, well, on that note.

Speaker 3 (03:56):
On that note, we're going to talk about depression today,
which is less depressing then it sounds. We're going to
talk about walking in our purpose, how how faith and
fitness intersect those things.

Speaker 2 (04:06):
But but before I do that, you have.

Speaker 3 (04:08):
Accomplished a lot professionally, and the listener's just heard your
background as author, speaker, doctor, that you have accomplished a
lot professionally. However, it sounds like you you encountered some
sort of shift that that brought you to be the
founder of the organization the Brave Minds Hub that you

(04:28):
you are, that you founded and that you're running today.
Can you talk about that shift for I guess, first
of all, Nigeria becoming a doctor.

Speaker 2 (04:37):
That's a big deal, A lot of lot. I saw
a lot of.

Speaker 3 (04:39):
Pictures of you with a stethoscope around you, surrounded by
people you're you're helping them, and it looks like a
very powerful practice that you were a part of. But
but there was a shift in your life that brought you,
obviously to Canada and also obviously to to do what
you're doing now. So can you talk about how you
became a doctor and then what shift happened in your

(05:01):
life that said, hey, I need to I need to
make a change here.

Speaker 4 (05:05):
Okay, thank you very much for this opportunity.

Speaker 5 (05:08):
And it's something I like sharing because it's my journey
of finding my feet. I college finding my feet because
sometimes a lot of people in financial stability is fulfillment.

Speaker 4 (05:22):
In my case, it was different.

Speaker 5 (05:26):
So I found myself right from my undergraduate days. My
voice counted even amongst my friends, my colleagues.

Speaker 4 (05:35):
I always had people coming, what do you think about this?

Speaker 5 (05:38):
And at the end of the day, I noticed my
voice counted even when I'm in meetings. I had the
opportunity to be a vice president in one of the
campus fellowships right as an undergraduate, so I noticed even
when we had all meetings from different campus fellowships. When
executive from different campus fellowships come together and they are

(05:59):
talking and I've not said anything, the fascilitators will just
be looking at me like she has not said something,
and before they concluded to be like she got there.
Do you have anything to say? What do you have
to say about this that we are discussing? So and
when I stand up to talk, I do not prepare
what I want to say, but it just happens that

(06:19):
whatever comes out of my mouth make a great contribution
to that.

Speaker 4 (06:24):
It moved from that.

Speaker 5 (06:26):
I noticed I was I steed being invited to speak
at events and it did not stop that. I found
myself speak to over a five hundred capacity of women. Yeah,
and I noticed even those that were older than me
way well, like I qualify to.

Speaker 4 (06:44):
Be your daughter.

Speaker 5 (06:46):
But they come asking questions and I'm asking myself, what
is this to your voice that you do not understand
or that.

Speaker 4 (06:56):
Is changing lives?

Speaker 5 (06:58):
And I noticed I have this desire I cannot see
where injustice has been done and I keep quiet even
if it's going to.

Speaker 4 (07:07):
Take anything from me.

Speaker 5 (07:08):
I just noticed I stepped forward, and I get irritated
when others keep quiet in the face of injustice.

Speaker 4 (07:16):
So I noticed this is a part of me that
I didn't work like.

Speaker 5 (07:20):
No matter how much I try to suppress it, it
just doesn't work. I have to speak up for anybody,
and I have to speak up. But then back home,
I noticed there was.

Speaker 4 (07:31):
Something that was raining.

Speaker 5 (07:32):
Then this was sexual violence, and they were people handled.

Speaker 4 (07:37):
It wasn't okay with me.

Speaker 5 (07:39):
It was one of the things that informed my decision
to do a research or assessment of sexual violence and
more than produate students, so because I like fats and figures.
After I did that research, I actually found out that
most of the people that had gone through this, it
happened in their homes either by relatives, nannies or helps,

(08:04):
and their parents didn't know and they've lived with this.
And I also found out from that research that most
of those activities were under reported.

Speaker 4 (08:14):
That's because some of them felt they will not be believed.
Some of them.

Speaker 5 (08:18):
Felt is a family, and some of them were told
not to speak because it was going to the family
out there.

Speaker 3 (08:28):
Can you hear me, Yes, I can hear you. I
was saying, Oh no, that's that's such a terrible thing
to find out.

Speaker 5 (08:34):
Yeah, So after that study, I didn't just stop there
because I'm someone that is solutionally ovented. I started campaign
against sexual violence. That was what led to my founding
of the first NGO that I founded in Nigeria, which
was Naked Tahop Foundation. And I did that used it

(08:57):
to go to different high school elementary schools talking to teachers,
talking to students about on the standard detailtale signs of
sexual violence and how it is important that they speak
of when things like this happened. It grew like wildfire
because I went to over nineteen schools talking about it

(09:19):
and letting people know. At every point in time, I
made sure this happened. And while doing this, I was
I had graduated even from school and I was practicing
as a doctor. But I found it's something interesting to do,
Like I wake up, I just want people to live happily.
I want people to understand, Oh, irrespective of this thing happened,

(09:40):
I can actually overcome me. So I noticed a lot
of messages take coming and I saw myself scaling and
it doing it even side by side with my practice.
And I also noticed while doing this that when you
get to the rural areas, accests to medical care reduced

(10:01):
as those as against those in the city, and I
looked for a way to help as well. I'm always
solution oriented and through my Angie, well what I would do.

Speaker 4 (10:11):
God blessed me with that my voice.

Speaker 5 (10:13):
I said, any pharmaceutical company I write email to and
they say, okay, let's have a meeting with you. By
the time I'm done with the meeting, they supply all
the medications I need for the outreach free of charge.
And that's how I tell my friends who is ready
to volunteer. I get volunteers of doctors, I get volunteers
of nurses, again, volunteers of pharmacists, and I.

Speaker 4 (10:35):
Move these people in it. But sometimes I spend my
money for transportation. But I didn't mind. God so kind.
I had a partner that.

Speaker 5 (10:41):
Was also very supportive, so whatever vision that comes up,
and he said, if God said we should do, he
will support me whole m his caliber and everything goes
so well. So I found out this was happening in
my life, and at the end of it, a lot
of people were affected positively. They have so many testimonies

(11:06):
from the treatment. Because when I'm going on this, I
do not know the people I was going to meet.
So before we start, we had a culture of prayer.
We would pray with everyone coming and I just don't
go with anybody. You should understand this was a ministry.
Even though I was a medical doctor board, this was
like a ministry to me. So I need people to

(11:29):
be whole, not just physically but also spiritually, and I
was to that.

Speaker 4 (11:35):
So I was doing that back in Nigeria. And I
also know.

Speaker 5 (11:41):
Anywhere I go, no matter how much I try to hide,
I can't hide.

Speaker 4 (11:46):
There is always that thing that will make someone pick
me out.

Speaker 5 (11:50):
Even if I'm at the bat, somebody will always be
you there, What do you have to say? And you know,
initially I didn't take note of this until I came
to Canada and there was a shift which when I
started my first job, there was a chapel in the
hospital there. So during my launch, I was just going

(12:11):
to the chapel and understand how the system here works.
In that same chapel, you heard it. You have the
Hindu section, the Muslim section, the Christians section. Just come
face your own side and pray or prayer and go.
I didn't mind.

Speaker 4 (12:28):
Working there face the altar of the Christians. I was my.

Speaker 5 (12:30):
Routine during lunchtime. But one of these days I walked
in there to pray. I met a lady that was
inside it crying, weeping. So when I closed my eye
to pray, the spirital girl said, go and pray with her.
I said, I an immigrants. She can't say I embarrassed her.

(12:50):
I did anything to her. I was just battling with
the spirital guy. I said, if there is anything I
have to do in this lady's life, let her be
the one to stand up and come and meet me
where I am because I can't moved to her. I
did not even finish that statement. She just moved to
where I was, brought out her to hands know what spoken?
I held her hand and I prayed my heart out.

(13:13):
So after praying my heart, that was when I even
asked what the problem was, and I was happy to
hear that God sorted that issue out.

Speaker 4 (13:21):
After that, I had.

Speaker 5 (13:22):
Opportunity to talk just in a small organization about depression,
and that was like something that triggered the wildfire. I
noticed a lot of people still working up to me
about depression.

Speaker 4 (13:35):
What did I say in that meeting?

Speaker 5 (13:37):
I met people understand that being a medical professional, I
understand the treatment of depression. I understand how these things work.
I understand the medical aspect, I understand the therapeutic aspect.
I understand everything you can think of about it. But
then there was something I said. I said, understand that

(13:57):
there is always a place for divinity in everything that
we do.

Speaker 4 (14:02):
Irrespective of the fact that science have said.

Speaker 5 (14:05):
This is the cause of depression, I will have to
take it into the bibliicer aspect for people to understand
that behind depression is the spirit of heaviness. Behind every
anxiety is the spirit of fear. Behind every confusion is
the spirit of lies. That's the devil telling you big lies.

(14:26):
And behind every torment is the spirit of oppression. So
you can't cancel out what needs to be cast out.
That was my stand about depression, because when you have
done all this and someone still comes back every.

Speaker 4 (14:40):
Year with the same thing, why not try this.

Speaker 5 (14:44):
That was were my perception of bringing the biblicer aspect
to depression came. Because you've taken pails, you've gone through therapy,
you've gone through counseling, yet every year you are back
to square one, or you are up today, you are
down tomorrow. That is absolutely not the wish of God

(15:05):
for our life. He said, I wish above all things
that our mayors prosper, even as that is so prosperous.

Speaker 4 (15:11):
So if your physical health is not prospering.

Speaker 5 (15:14):
How you're so prosper I looked at it from that aspect,
and I began to talk to several of these people,
and I start asking them, will you want to share
your story as we go through this journey? And a
few of them were willing to share their story, and
I was happy to document. And one of the promises

(15:34):
I made was the way I would document it. Nobody
will know is your story except you tell them. So
I maxed it with names, and as much as I can,
nobody is able to tell who owns rich story. And
I was what led to the writing of my book,
Overcoming Depression. I remember I finished writing that book and
I was asking myself, is this book really what it's like?

(15:57):
Is this something that should go out there? And one
of those meetings I had attended and this woman of
God was preaching and pray. She didn't know me from anywhere.
I had not told anybody about that book. I was
the person that knew about that book, and this lady
got to me. As she laid hands to pray, she

(16:17):
was like, I saw you writing a book. Where is it?
Go and publish that book? And that was that was
the day I knew, Like I just said.

Speaker 4 (16:28):
Okay, from where I.

Speaker 5 (16:33):
Don't I said, okay, you need to go out now.
That was what brought about the betting of that book.
And lo and behold, the day of the book launch,
somebody stood up. One of the persons that struggled with
depression stood up and said she was diagnosed that seventeen
years as at the time I was doing my book lunch,
she was almost fifty years. But she said something in

(16:56):
that book launch that broke the whole. She said, when
I read this her book for the first time in
my life, in that my book long, she said, that
was the first time she was openly talking about her
journey with depression without being scared, without feeling fear, and
without feeling anything of any sort.

Speaker 4 (17:17):
And the whole broke into too.

Speaker 5 (17:20):
I was like, when I looked up and I looked down,
I found ful humans.

Speaker 4 (17:24):
I said, if this was the only thing I have achieved,
I am happy. I didn't hide it. I said it
in the whole.

Speaker 5 (17:30):
I said, if this one person was the only person
I have achieved helping I think I have achieved the
Lord and God so kind. She happened to be a
new Foundland that as a Canadian that is still from
the same place where I am staying. And I thank
God for that opportunity. And I told myself, Karan, there workplace.

(17:52):
People come to me with their birden even marriage, bodying,
child birthing, and I'm like, these are not my the
cow issues, right, So how do I reach out to
this population of individuals? Hanging my stethoscope on my neck?
What else can I do? And I went on a
journey of discovery. Where do I find myself that I

(18:17):
can reach to these people outside of medicine? How do
I reach to this people? How do I give hope
to the whole place? How do I make a person happy?
Because I want to be the reason why somebody else's
pain is gone? So how do I reach to this
population of individuals? And the pressure worked so much because

(18:43):
I started another research and that research was also get
to finding out people that people are grieving a whole
lot grieving not over just lots of loved ones. People
are grieving over lots of relationship, diverse, marriage of money, mortgage,
many things.

Speaker 4 (19:03):
How do mhmm? These people?

Speaker 5 (19:10):
That was when I first see not happy and still
not finding fulfillment, and that was what led to the
bettering of Brave Minds Hope, which is a coaching training
and a place where you can come and we find
out exactly what the problem is so that we can
walk you through it.

Speaker 4 (19:30):
What do are you? I do fath based empowerment program.

Speaker 5 (19:34):
That's basically what I do because I understand where you
are coming from, and I also know, okay, this is
where you want to get to because I really want
to see everyone live a life of purples. That's the
reason we're created, because you know, you can actually go
through this life with all the titles, with everything. Sometimes
I look at all my certificates and I'm asking myself.

Speaker 4 (19:57):
What all this for?

Speaker 5 (19:59):
You know, in your quest, in your quest to like fight,
who are you? You may not necessarily understand that what
you are looking for is actually there with you. I
think that was one of the things that happened to
me until I began to look within, what is this?

Speaker 4 (20:13):
Why am I having this quest? Every year?

Speaker 5 (20:15):
You're adding certificate, so why is there this desire.

Speaker 4 (20:21):
To feel something that is not being fulled.

Speaker 5 (20:25):
That was when I began to search myself and I
found out, okay, very respective of all these titles, you
need to live in purpose and evenly allowed me to
also starting a YouTube channel on Brave Minds Help. It's
still the name of the YouTube channel, and that's where
I talk about purpose, I talk about grief, I talk
about those things that can help your relationship with.

Speaker 4 (20:47):
God and I'm happy doing these.

Speaker 5 (20:49):
These are things that even if you don't pay me,
I will willingly do it.

Speaker 4 (20:53):
So this this.

Speaker 5 (20:54):
Is how I found out, Okay, I need to be
here doing this, and that was what brought me to
coaching and training because I really want to understand people's personality.
I didn't just jump into it because I'm someone that
whatever I want to do, I want to do it well.
I went through your MAX for certification for Human behavioral

(21:16):
and at least yeah, I'm your ass well certified for.

Speaker 4 (21:24):
It's consultants and trainer.

Speaker 5 (21:26):
So I went here to actually say that he's been
one deerful and I've been happy doing it.

Speaker 4 (21:33):
And you know, there is something that the Spirit of
God does.

Speaker 5 (21:35):
It gives us boldness and he calls your names in
rooms where nobody else will be able to call your name.

Speaker 4 (21:43):
I think that's what that has been happening to me. Yeah,
I hope I have had your question.

Speaker 3 (21:49):
Yes, yeah, and thank you for sharing the testimony. It's
very very clear there's something that Christ said. Out of
the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks, and obviously
that's that's where where you live. But also in your story,
and I kind of for the listener, I want to
recap the story just a little bit and then pick
out a few things that I'd like to talk to
you about throughout that that story, because I think it's

(22:10):
pertinent and important. But but if I heard you correctly,
then you achieved your medical licensure in Nigeria, and through
your practice, you noticed that there was there was a
rampant problem of sexual abuse that was happening in the

(22:32):
both in the community but in the surrounding community. And
and a lot of people know that. A lot of
people know that, at least here in the US, we
know it's a problem. However, not everybody wants to step
into that issue and certainly not talk about it, and
certainly not in school, you know. So, so that's that's

(22:52):
very bold and courageous of you. I think what's interesting
is I hear this thread of courage throughout your story
and out necessarily I don't think you would claim courage.
You actually kind of said it was like a like
a flaw you were trying to fix. Like I can't
see injustice and not say something about it.

Speaker 2 (23:10):
That's what you said. It is like I can't I
can't keep my mouth shut.

Speaker 3 (23:13):
Lah and and so and so. You you stepped into that.
And then you saw that in the rural communities.

Speaker 2 (23:19):
We say rural.

Speaker 3 (23:20):
It's really hard to say rule in Arkansas, we just
put it all together.

Speaker 2 (23:24):
It's like r O O O L rule.

Speaker 3 (23:27):
Yeah, but you saw that in rural communities there was
no there was very very low quality healthcare of any
and and you saw that problem too and then stepped
into it. And not only did you step into it,
but you saw it as a ministry, which I imagine
is why God continued to make sure that you had
all the resources that you need, that you had all

(23:48):
the volunteers that you needed, and that it that it
continued to move forward well. And then in coming to
Canada and launching, you finished writing your book about depression
and launching it. I actually I wrote a book called
faith Full Fitness. It's coming out next month, and I
remember that was the hardest thing I've ever done, was

(24:10):
to sit down and write this book.

Speaker 2 (24:11):
It was the hardest thing I've ever done. I'm not
much of a writer, and I but like it. It's
a good book, Like it's actually a good book.

Speaker 3 (24:19):
But I remember thinking, if this helps one person, if
one person can can find where their faith and fitness
intersect and take better care of their body and live
out their faith more fully and holy, then this was
one hundred percent worth it. And you did that with
your Overcoming Depression book. You got to see that, and
it's out there the links in the description below. If

(24:41):
you wrestle with depression, if you've tried all the stuff
and you're like I'm up and I'm down, and I'm
up and I'm down, I want you to go pick
up this book because what you just heard is the
testimony of somebody who is helping individuals step forward courageously
into their own.

Speaker 2 (25:02):
Purpose despite obstacles.

Speaker 3 (25:04):
And I think that's really the thing in Overcoming Depression
that's worth worth diving into. But that led you to
starting the Brave Mind's Hub because people were coming to
you with really non medical problems, and so I want
to I want to dig into that a little bit,
because not a lot of physicians talk about this, but
a lot of physicians know it. Kind of like the

(25:26):
sexual abuse thing, or the rural community thing, or the
depression thing.

Speaker 2 (25:31):
Physicians understand.

Speaker 3 (25:34):
Many of them understand that the health problems that we see,
things like blood pressure issues, things like diabetes, things like depression.
The health problems that we see might not be one
hundred percent because of lifestyle habits and daily living and circumstances.

Speaker 2 (25:53):
But a lot of it is a lot.

Speaker 3 (25:55):
Of the things that we see in symptoms or in
chronic disease specifically come from come from things that we're
living every day. For instance, Let's say I have an
extremely stressful job, and i know on a regular basis
that I'm not showing up well for my family. I
know that I'm very stressed all the time. I'm not

(26:16):
getting enough rest, i feel regularly defeated, like I'm not
moving I might be really successful in my work, but
I'm not moving forward in my ultimate purpose, and that
stress shows up inside of my body.

Speaker 2 (26:30):
It's not just here. It shows up in the way
my heart.

Speaker 3 (26:34):
Beats, and in the way my my arteries and veins,
how they expand and contract, and how they how they function,
and so my blood pressure goes up. And in the
medical community, if I'm a doctor seeing a patient and
I see your blood pressures high, I can't change your job.

Speaker 2 (26:53):
I can't. I can't coach you through finding your purpose.
I can't.

Speaker 3 (26:58):
I'm not. I'm not talking to you about how to
manage your family relationships better. But I can chemically or
pharmaceutically treat your blood pressure. So I give you a
pill and you walk away and you have slightly lower
blood pressure. Medically speaking, we're in a good spot. But
the things that led me to my blood pressure being

(27:23):
a problem, they still exist and they're still unsolved.

Speaker 2 (27:28):
They're still unmitigated.

Speaker 3 (27:29):
So so I'd like to I'd like to ask you,
is that an element of the of the Brave Minds
practice and philosophy is let's dig into what's going on
that may or may not be showing up medically for you,
but isn't necessarily a medical problem.

Speaker 2 (27:49):
Is that something you guys strive to do.

Speaker 5 (27:53):
Yes, Like when people come and they tell you I'm
not able to sleep because I just lost some money,
or I'm not able to sleep, or I've not slept
for days because my boyfriend left me. Or the person
is coming to you with insomnia, but is insomnia I

(28:15):
really the problem?

Speaker 4 (28:16):
Sorry, let me not use medical term.

Speaker 5 (28:18):
The person is coming with you with inability to sleep,
but is the problem inability to sleep?

Speaker 4 (28:26):
That's the thing.

Speaker 5 (28:27):
So looking at it, it's not just looking at what's
the person before you is saying. Look at what the
person is not saying?

Speaker 3 (28:39):
Well, can I can I share an example with you?
So I was at a prayer meeting and a woman
came forward for prayer, and I said, what do you
need me to pray over you? And my wife was
standing next to me, and you know this lady, she
was obviously shaken up, and she's said, she said, I

(29:02):
don't have any illnesses, but I'm terrified that I'm going to.

Speaker 2 (29:07):
Get sick and die.

Speaker 3 (29:09):
Like that's like, that's what she was terrified of, That's
what she wanted prayer over. And and something in me
was like, that's not what we're praying over you. So
I thought for a second, and then I said, I said,
have you lost a family?

Speaker 2 (29:25):
Member who died.

Speaker 3 (29:28):
Suddenly, just came down with an illness unexpectedly and died.
And she goes, yeah, actually three years ago, and she
was telling me about her mother in law, who who
she was fine one day. The next day, at like
a family gathering, she fell out and they were trying
to do CPR and save her, and it was really
traumatic for the whole family, and and she ultimately passed.

Speaker 2 (29:49):
And I said, I want to pray.

Speaker 3 (29:52):
Over that fear, because you're still grieving, You're still wrestling
with that trauma, and that fear isn't isn't what. We're
not praying over your terror of suddenly falling ill. We're
praying for resolution from why God took that family member
and exactly what that looks like in your life. We're

(30:14):
going to pray over that. So we prayed, and she wept,
and you know, my wife was there. We laid hands
on her, and then when we finished, she said, I
never made that connection. I never connected those things, the
fear and anxiety I was feeling about getting sick. You know,
if she got a cough, she's like, oh my gosh,
I have lung cancer or something like that. You know,

(30:36):
She's like, I never made that connection with losing that
family member.

Speaker 2 (30:40):
But it was so traumatic and I.

Speaker 3 (30:43):
Feel a lot of freedom knowing that these two things
are connected. And so she walked away and it was
it was powerful. I'm not a trained physician. That was
in a prayer meeting. That's the Holy Spirit just guiding,
guiding the conversation, which is good. But but it sounds
like that's you have a passion for that helping people

(31:04):
to understand the symptoms that you're experiencing, like insomnia. I
can't sleep. It's that's not the thing we need to treat.
You know, you don't have a what is like ambient?

Speaker 2 (31:16):
Is that a fart?

Speaker 3 (31:17):
That's a that's a medication for people who can't sleep. Right,
you don't have an ambient deficiency. We need we need
to understand what's what's got you all tied up, that
that is keeping you from resting. Well so, so I
mean having founded the Brave mindset, how how long has
this been around and what are the kind of things

(31:37):
you're seeing?

Speaker 5 (31:39):
It's been around for approximately one year and what I've
been coaching for almost five years, Well I have not
gotten it to this level of woking making it a
business because right now, it's now a business.

Speaker 4 (31:52):
Previously it was just what I did out of passion
because I wanted people to be happy.

Speaker 5 (31:59):
And it's something any body could just I could, I could.
Somebody could just walk up to me and you're seeing
the person bending crying and I'll just be like, okay,
let me give you time to just finish what is
happening that? Can you do you mind sitting in my car?
Just I will give you a tissue, just let to
easy it off before we talk. And we're all totally strangers.

(32:21):
Probably the person had seen me talk somewhere, probably toody
or heard someone talk to the p And these are
not people coming to me for anything medical. And Brave
Mind's hope is not for treatment of any medical case.
I want to stay that clearly. It's not for the

(32:42):
treatment of any medical case. Brave Mind's hope is to
understand the reason why you go.

Speaker 4 (32:50):
Through what you are going through.

Speaker 5 (32:52):
We just want to connect that line between what you
were saying and what you are not saying, and we
want to move you from where you are to the
place you ought to bind. Fulfill men, there are also
many rich people that are not fulfilled either. There is
the labs in their marriage or one of their kids,

(33:14):
is something else that they cannot even understand. Or people
are going through one men of personal stage to another
and they do not even understand what is happening to them,
and they are having issues with relationship with their spouse, relationship, workplace, relationship,

(33:36):
even with their trend personalities that exist your own persons.
We have a personality test that you can also take
to understand your own personality, and you will have a
time with me and will explain your personality to you
and also help you understand the personality of the people
you have around your kids, your are, your spouse, even

(33:58):
your goal work. And this in one way or the
other will help people understand why they act.

Speaker 4 (34:06):
The way they do or why what is happening happening
to them is happening to them.

Speaker 5 (34:12):
And that's when we come in to hold you in stage.
It's through our ten weeks program so that you will
work away happy and step into your papers. The aim
is to find people who will move from where feeling
un fulfilled, feeling like I am not leaving my papers,

(34:33):
from a state of confusion, from a state of I
can't do this, I've had enough and getting them to
where they will live a life of papers that will
give them the fulfillment they want to have in life.
Because whether you are a Christian, you are Hindu, Muslim,
whatever you believe, every damn individual want to live a

(34:57):
happy and a fulfilled life.

Speaker 4 (34:59):
That is the truths and.

Speaker 5 (35:01):
Whatever is keeping you from living that happy and fulfilled
life is what we want to go step by step
with you to bring you to that state. Some it
could be even loss of jobs. Some immigrants, it could
be they are not happy with what they are doing,
or where they are coming from, or what is happening
in their life.

Speaker 4 (35:21):
Because I also come across many immigrants and their struggles,
even struggles at workplace, struggles finding their feet.

Speaker 5 (35:30):
But what is to this is behind what are they
saying and what are they not saying? And this is
where we're coming to give you the best training, the
best coaching, and to bring you to where you ought
to be, so that if anyone is even struggling with depression,
just go read my book on depression and that will

(35:50):
give you clarity. Because I did not just write it.
I also wrote the medical aspect, the medical management everything,
and I wrote the spiritual aspect. If you have tried
all the medical aspects, all the therapy, all the counseling,
and you are not making progress. Let's even say you
do not believe in God, just try the spiritual aspect.

Speaker 4 (36:14):
Give it a try.

Speaker 5 (36:14):
That's what I tell people, because at my book launch
I had Muslims that were there.

Speaker 4 (36:19):
You have tried all this and you don't believe in God.

Speaker 5 (36:22):
Take this book, go and give it a trial their
God on it, and let's see if something doesn't happen. Yes,
I am that bold because I know what God can do.
And the truth is, because the world system understand that
there is something God can do, they are out at

(36:43):
every point to de mystify whatever they know that God
can do. And that is what is keeping so many
people bound. What is it that people will get so
addicted and addicted to the extent that they will drink
and sleep on the road and they are, Oh my god,
you'll be wondering what kind of bondage is this.

Speaker 4 (37:06):
I had somebody woke up to me and was like
she was.

Speaker 5 (37:09):
Crying, weeping, and she was like, I picked up smoking
a couple of years back and right now and I'm
struggling with it. What happened. Why did you pick up
smoking because she was having a breakup. And I told myself,
I wish I met you when you were going through
the breakup if I had held your hand. You will
understand that God can take away people from your life

(37:32):
because he needs your attention.

Speaker 4 (37:34):
And this is because some of us do not even.

Speaker 5 (37:37):
Understand the concept of God dealing with us at every
point in our lives. If you understand that there is
something God can do through every story you feel is
a disgusting story. I usually tell people look for the
finger of God in every story. When Joseph went into

(37:57):
the house of Fortifar, he didn't know what the first
wife was going to accuse him of sexual abuse? Or
was God's hand in it? Yes, So when we look at.

Speaker 4 (38:08):
All those things. Even in Job's case, Job lost everything
he heard just in one day. Was God's hand in it? Yes,
he gave the permission for it to happen. But there
was one thing that God said. He said, for everything
you will do, do not touch his soul. And that
was a Job was preserved so understanding that when we

(38:31):
go through fire, he will be there with us. The
only thing is what when you look at it we
say I'm going through this. Now, ask yourself, do I
have a relationship with God? If you do find peace,
if you do not seek his face. Bible called him
a present help in time of trouble, you may have all.

(38:55):
It takes everything. I remember.

Speaker 5 (38:58):
I think two years ago, if I'm not mistaken, one
of one of the very rich men in Nigeria committed
a suicide, very rich, and people were like, what is
he looking for? Why will he commit suicide? Did he
lose a contract? Did he do this? And yeah, I

(39:18):
was reading everything they had to say, but in my head,
the only thing I was.

Speaker 4 (39:25):
If only these people on this hand.

Speaker 2 (39:33):
M and go.

Speaker 5 (39:41):
I will look at it from the physical angle, and
I also look at it from the medical angle. And
that's why most times when people tell me I don't
know how I feel, I say, you need to take
out of that body, because that body is the very
who that would take you true fulfilling the purple God.

Speaker 4 (40:00):
Brought your way.

Speaker 5 (40:02):
If you do not take care of your body to
be physically fit, you cannot carry the papers of God
and you cannot finish well.

Speaker 4 (40:11):
That body need to be in great shape for you
to finish well.

Speaker 5 (40:15):
And that's why I always tell people, and even when
I'm praying for my kids, I always say, God give
them sound mind, spiritually, physically, socially, and otherwise. Because for
you to function well as a child of God, you
have to be holistic. Why am I saying holistic? God
is an excellent God and he wants us to exude
excellence in everything that we do. So if I do

(40:37):
not have an excellent body, how do I now exude excellence?

Speaker 4 (40:42):
And how can I get an excellent body?

Speaker 5 (40:44):
It is by hiding my will in God's will and
hiding my papers in God's papers. I can be the
president of a nation. But the thing is this, when
they going gets stuffed? Who do I turant to? When
things are so awful, Like I can't even fight solution
from my friend?

Speaker 4 (41:06):
Who do I turnt to?

Speaker 5 (41:09):
So these are questions I ask myself because I won't tell.

Speaker 4 (41:13):
You that I have not been a high flyer in
my life.

Speaker 5 (41:16):
I wouldn't lie about that because people that know me
personally will be like, Oh, she's just trying to be
unnecessarily harm I won't tell you that. But the truth
is this, for every stage in my life, I've always
seen the finger of God. For everything, for every breakthrough,
for every emancipation, or for everything that has happened. When

(41:39):
I look at the pieces, I always see this is
the hand of God.

Speaker 4 (41:44):
Because sometimes I can't solve the puzzle. Mhm.

Speaker 5 (41:48):
Some people may be able to solve out the puzzles
in their life. I she goes, there, I can't solve
all the puzzles and.

Speaker 2 (41:55):
M hm.

Speaker 5 (42:00):
And how did I even those times of a deep calling,
that calling that that makes you you can't sleep, that
calling that is you are so heavy, hurted, you are
wondering what is this that I'm not doing. I remember
talking to one of the presenties, was John Maxwell, and
he was looking at me. He stared, He stared. He staid,

(42:22):
he said, don't you think God is calling you to
something deeper? And it was like it struck a cord.
I didn't even understand that everything I was doing was
just like me.

Speaker 4 (42:38):
Leaving my calling.

Speaker 5 (42:40):
M I was just saying it, Okay, this is what
you want to do. This is what you want to do.
But honestly, coaching and going through training it helped me.
And that's the reason why I decided, okay, I really
need to pass this down by coaching orthers and letting
athers know that the truth is the you may be

(43:01):
at the peak of your career because I'm more interested
interested in professionals, Nazis, doctors, pharmacists, engineers, organizational executives.

Speaker 4 (43:11):
They actually think they've arrived.

Speaker 5 (43:14):
Boll Deep down, you actually know that there is an
emptiness that needs to be to be filled. But the
thing is you don't know how to feel that emptiness.
I can guarantee them they should come. I give them
eight to ten weeks. Their life will change. And I
said this under God. I give them follow suits everything,

(43:37):
I will coach you through, and I give you ith
to ten weeks. You must have a testimoney. And that's
basically the reason I established Brave Minds Houlp and decided
to go the extra length of registering it and making
it a business in Canada.

Speaker 3 (43:52):
Yeah, yeah, that makes sense, and thank you for sharing that.
The fitness corollary that comes to my mind. When I
was a personal train in her twenty years ago, I
would ask somebody what are your goals and they would
say things like, you know, I want to look like
I forget her name and terminator.

Speaker 2 (44:10):
Dang it.

Speaker 3 (44:10):
Anyway, she was an actress, very sleek arm, she was
in great shape, or I want to look like Heath Ledger,
you know, like and they would they would tell me
these like celebrity things that they were chasing after in
their body and what I saw, and you know, I
hear I want to grow some muscle, I'd like to

(44:30):
get better at burning fat as a fuel source. I
want to feed myself better, you know, I want to
do all those things. But to me, it was all vanity,
Like I understood from a Christian perspective, you know, pursuing
looking like some celebrity is vanity.

Speaker 2 (44:45):
And here's the kicker.

Speaker 3 (44:47):
I was around all sorts of people in the gym
setting three percent body fat, rippling abs, big biceps, but
they were depressed, or their hormones were messed up, or
or something was going on with their girlfriend. No matter
what kind of shape you saw, there was still things
in life that that were were not only troublesome. But

(45:10):
the abs and the biceps didn't fix it, you know.
And and it's interesting some individuals will use fitness because.

Speaker 2 (45:20):
I think fitness is a great thing.

Speaker 3 (45:22):
I like to think of the verse that says you
will find me when you seek me with.

Speaker 2 (45:27):
Your whole heart.

Speaker 3 (45:28):
Do you know what I'm wholeheartedly seeking God? When I'm
in the middle of a workout and i can't go
on by myself and I can feel it, I'm like, Lord,
help me, Like I need, I need to move forward.
This is hard, right that that gets me?

Speaker 2 (45:41):
Uh.

Speaker 3 (45:41):
But but when when somebody is using fitness to distract
them from pursuing their purpose, like oh, if I if
I could just be more successful losing weight, or if
I could just look better, or that that I want
them to hear, or if they're listening right now, that

(46:02):
fitness can be a powerful part of your spiritual purpose
and your spiritual journey. And as Chegose was saying just
now about how the vessel that we have allows us,
if we take good care of it, allows us to
live out our God given purpose holistically.

Speaker 2 (46:19):
But please don't use.

Speaker 3 (46:21):
Fitness as a distraction from the difficult things in life.
Please don't use it as an excuse not to finish
your conversation with your wife. Please don't use it as
an excuse not to call your kids. Please don't use
it as an excuse to not deal with the fact
that you might be working in a job that you

(46:43):
don't need to be working in for the rest of
your life, and there might need to be a shift
that God's calling you to. Fitness will not solve those things.
It might make you feel broken down enough that you'll go, okay, okay,
I'm ready to listen.

Speaker 2 (46:56):
I'm humbled. Right. It reminds you of humility.

Speaker 3 (47:00):
But don't let fitness be a distraction to those things.
Let let fitness be a thing that prepares you and
builds you for the purpose in your life. Before I
move on, is there anything you'd like to say to that,
but before we start to close down our conversation.

Speaker 5 (47:17):
Here, Yeah, Well, when you talk about fitness, I like
to say this way. Our body is like their car
that will take us to purpose. If you do not
put garsoline in your car, it can't move. Do not

(47:47):
take care of your physical body. If you do not
finish well, it means you did not finish well. So
you need this body to be in good shape for
you to finish well. And one of the ways this
body can be in good shape is exercise, eating right,
and taking care of yourself.

Speaker 4 (48:09):
Yes, I always say this.

Speaker 5 (48:12):
You have to know that this body need to be fine.
If you are sick, you can't spray. If you are sick,
you can't. First, if you are sick, you can't study
the word of God and pay rapt attention to it
because your body is asking you for something else. So
understanding this just I always said this. Just know when

(48:36):
to match break and give yourself excus and take care
of your body. I remember I once told one of
my friends there was a period I was really really stressed,
and one of my friends was like, I've been calling
you for days.

Speaker 4 (48:51):
What happened.

Speaker 5 (48:53):
What I did was iron installed all the apps from
my phone and I put my phone on do not distove.
So if I just told myself, whatever I go, I
will lose this spirit. It is not mine. Let it go.

Speaker 4 (49:10):
I need this body.

Speaker 5 (49:11):
To be together. That so that I can't finish well.
And I do not just want to finish well. I
want to finish strong as well.

Speaker 2 (49:18):
Yes, yes, well said very well said.

Speaker 3 (49:23):
As as we wrap up our conversation here, I want
to direct the listeners we have. We have three resources
in the show notes below for you that you can
get connected to. We've got a purpose and clarity guide
that Chi Jose has has given us in the show notes.
We've also got beauty and chaos. I'm checking that one out.
That sounds like a lot of fun. I like, I
like to find beauty in chaos. And then we also

(49:45):
have the book Overcoming Depression, very very powerful platform. Again,
if you've tried all the stuff and you're still up
and down, you need to try the spiritual aspect and
and test God and that thing, step out in faith
and say hey, I'm gonna give this shot, you know.

Speaker 2 (50:00):
And I mean, what do you got to lose.

Speaker 3 (50:02):
You're already depressed, so please don't be depressed anymore. And
we're going and I'm not poking fun at anybody. I
want to pray over that as we as we pray here.
So what I would like to do is close down
this conversation with a prayer over you.

Speaker 2 (50:17):
Over.

Speaker 3 (50:18):
I know your business is a business, but I think
of these things as ministries, just as I think of
this show. So I want to pray over your ministry
and pray over you. So if you're willing, let's let's
go to God together. Father God, thank you so much
for this day. Thank you for the opportunity to spend
time with my sister. Even though I have a hard
time pronouncing her name, I will declare over her that

(50:39):
she is blessed. And I also pray that you would
make her a blessing to every person that she crosses
paths with, whether online or in person, stranger or friend,
that she's able to shine your light into their heart
and into their life. And Lord, we talked today about depression.
We talked about the spirit of heaviness. We talked about
the spirit of confusion. We talked about the spirit of lies.

(51:01):
And in Jesus' name, I bind that and whoever's listening
and cast it out in Jesus' name and replace it
with this truth from Psalms ninety one. I pray Lord,
that who listens to this would dwell in the shelter
of the most High and abide in the shadow of
the Almighty. I pray that they would call on your
name and say, my God, my Lord, and whom I trust.

(51:23):
I pray that your faithfulness would be a shield and
a buckler to them, and that they could rest in
the opinions of your wings.

Speaker 2 (51:31):
Lord.

Speaker 3 (51:32):
I pray that with long life you would satisfy them,
and that you would show them your salvation.

Speaker 2 (51:37):
Lord. I pray these things in Jesus name. Amen, Amen,
I thank you so much, Doctor Chi Goose Ua Sue.

Speaker 3 (51:47):
I'm going to keep working on it because we're going
to be buddies and someday I got to be able
to say it easily. But to my listeners, you guys
know what's coming next. This has been coach Alex fand
Houghton on the Faithful Fitness Podcast.

Speaker 2 (51:57):
Until next time, train hard, but pray harder.

Speaker 1 (52:04):
Hey, if this episode helps you, jare it with someone
who needs to hear it, and don't forget to subscribe
and leave us a raving review so more people can
find Faithful Fitness. Oh and my dad's new devotional is
almost out now. You can grab a copy for yourself
and then join our free community at Better Daily by

(52:28):
clicking on the links in the show notes below. We
all have a cross to carry, but it's lighter when
we do it together, so check out both links and
the show notes. Don't be a big well Bob, just
do it. Until next time, don't forget, Train hard and
pray even harder.

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