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Zero Power, Perfect Power, and Playing Offense | Chad Johnson
45 Plays10 days ago
Chad Johnson is a father of 11, a business coach, and an absolute trailblazer who leaves a massive ripple effect wherever he goes. To anyone looking at him in his early thirties, he had it all together. But underneath the growing bank account, Chad was stuck in a brutal cycle of self-talk, porn addiction, and believing the enemy’s lies.
In this episode, Chad shares the raw story of the phone call that saved his life on a bridge, and the truth that completely rewired his brain: he has zero power, but he serves the strongest God that exists. Chad breaks down why he hates the word "balance," how his "Giant Five" grid changes how he treats his wife and kids, and why maturity is simply the ability to return to joy quickly after getting punched in the face by life.
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Transcript
Intro
00:00:55
Todd Pinkston
Thank you.
Introduction to Chad Johnson
00:00:56
Steven J. Neuner
Hey guys, welcome back to another awesome episode of Unstuck and Alive. I don't even know what's going to happen here, but I know it's going to be amazing because of the people that are together here. So obviously you guys know Todd, but I also get the really cool privilege of of introducing my friend and brother, Chad Johnson. And Todd was a little disappointed that it is not Ocho Cinco, but I told him he's going to be I told him he's going to be so much more excited after he's done with the show.
Unstuck and Alive - Being Trailblazers
00:01:31
Steven J. Neuner
But truly, you guys know we' we're working on a book right now called Unstuck and Alive.
00:01:36
Steven J. Neuner
And in the book, one of the things we talk about is trailblazers, being a trailblazer, people that are living so aligned in their purpose that they create a massive ripple effect that they may never see or be aware of.
00:01:41
Todd Pinkston
Let's go.
00:01:47
Steven J. Neuner
And and they do it just just aligned, unforced. And and and i was I was doing a quiet time this morning. I could think of no one more in my life that currently represents someone that is a trailblazer than check my friend Chad Johnson.
Chad's Multifaceted Life
00:02:04
Steven J. Neuner
We're going to talk all about Chad's life. He's got 11 kids. That's right. 11 kids. So we know he's insane. He's sold, he's built businesses, he's coached entrepreneurs, and he's written truly, if you guys haven't, I'm plugging early.
00:02:22
Steven J. Neuner
because it's good for you. How to win a heart. If you have a daughter, you got to buy this book and give it to them. If you're married, you've got to take turns reading a chapter every single night together before you go to bed.
00:02:29
Todd Pinkston
Let's go.
00:02:34
Steven J. Neuner
This is what this is the the biggest secret of of my favorite books that that I've probably read in the last five years. So anyway, with all that, Chad Johnson.
00:02:47
Todd Pinkston
let's go
00:02:48
Chad Johnson
Wow.
Roots of Faith and Education Struggles
00:02:49
Chad Johnson
Wow. I'll tell you what, I, I'm surely not Ocho Cinco, but I'll tell you what, Steven, am, I am so honored to be with both of you and you being just such a long time, dear brother and friend.
00:03:01
Chad Johnson
I, you know, I often introduce you as my brother from another mother and, and we glad to be with you, Todd is a, is a real privilege as well.
00:03:08
Todd Pinkston
Let's
00:03:10
Chad Johnson
I'm excited to be here and, and so excited to see whatever the Lord wants to do in this conversation. I'm here, I'm all in. And, Talk to me, what wherever we go.
00:03:21
Steven J. Neuner
Well, I would love, I mean, if it's possible, just for for the people that haven't had the time and context that you and I've had, and quite honestly, there there's still so much more to you that I don't know yet, but I'd love to hear, like, just sort of, if you were to think back over your life, the, you know, the, the,
00:03:39
Steven J. Neuner
two or three events or things that come up in your mind that really, you know, sort of make Chad Johnson who Chad Johnson is. And I don't mean like on a resume and yeah, I'm talking about you in like third person, but like just truly like what, what are those, what are those things? If you look back,
00:03:58
Chad Johnson
Yeah. Well, i'll tell you what, i I was very, very fortunate to grow up in a family where I had a mom and a dad who loved each other and loved the Lord. And not not everybody gets that gift. and And it was a real incredible blessing in my life for I saw faith lived out in real ways. And, you know, in a world of uncertainty, in a world of constant change, as a young man, I saw or a rock, a rock I could stand on and came to faith early in my own life, and had this aspirational, you know, vision of seeing God do mighty things in in my life, right? I had a vision, I was excited about what that was. And
00:04:44
Chad Johnson
Yet I was also the guy who I hated school. It's funny. i didn't i didn't know at the time how much i loved learning, but I was just frustrated by the process. right and And yet grew up as one of of eight children. There were five boys in my family and three girls, and I was number three out of the the rank there. and And just found i grew up in that environment, loving my upbringing, loving the journey, loving the the process of of growing up.
00:05:08
Steven J. Neuner
Thank you.
00:05:14
Chad Johnson
We grew up there in Los Angeles on a city lot next to my cousins. And and it was just it was it was such a great foundational place for me. you know I think of two journeys really in my life, one being this journey.
00:05:28
Chad Johnson
God placed on heart at a young age this excitement around marriage, around family, around the beauty of a family that was kind of on mission together.
00:05:38
Chad Johnson
And I think looking back, that was a really rare thing for a young man to see as like this big aspirational goal. this I'm finding that more and more foreign because I also have this drive and ambition to, hey, someday I want to, if you God is willing to succeed, right? In in business, in life, I didn't know what it was going to be. I was very unaware of my calling or my even gifts or strengths. I focused more on my weaknesses. And I was actually one of these kids that was a pretty, as a young man, i was an emotional rollercoaster. I would describe myself. I'd go from the, you know, I was so pumped. I'm so passionate. I'd try, but I was constantly falling flat on my face, right?
A Turning Point at 14
00:06:19
Steven J. Neuner
Thank you.
00:06:19
Chad Johnson
And, and I think, you know, I had this, this really profound moment when I was 14 years old and I really came face to face with my own sin.
00:06:32
Chad Johnson
Like, dude, i I knew I was, you know, I was a a man that was far from, far from perfect, but I was always kind of aspiring to do the right thing, you know, but, but at 14, I came into this place of like my great need of man, I need a savior, right? my, I believe I probably had a relationship the Lord prior to that, but it was just, and it was through coming in contact with pornography and my own flesh's inability to overcome.
00:06:57
Chad Johnson
And it started to... really kind of undermined some of my, my vision, my confidence. I'm kind of like, man, you know, Roman seven talks about, Oh, wretched man that I am, who's going to deliver me, you know, and, and, and that really did shape up some of my, my journey in my late teens and twenties where I just, I felt like I was, I was it was weird. There was a spiritual journey going on. There was this aspirational. Hey, I'm going grow. I'm going read the books. I'm going to succeed. I got out of school at 16 because I just, like I said, I didn't like it. There was a high school proficiency exam I heard about. it I took it. I got out.
00:07:37
Chad Johnson
And it was so funny because I immediately jumped into a junior college, which seems kind of weird. But I didn't know what else to do. I was working part time and doing all the things. i On the entrepreneurial side, I'd started these different businesses. I had a t-shirt you know business where I screen printed t-shirts, ski crazy, and I was trying to sell t-shirts. I was selling mugs through retail outlets and putting logos on mugs. and I had all these little entrepreneurial aspirations, but it was so weird between that and then working in construction and and then deciding, okay, I love to ski, so I'm going to become a ski patrolman. I mean, it just had this potpourri of
00:08:16
Chad Johnson
of just way too much going on, right? and And as a young man that was just trying all these things and was growing in all these different ways. and you know, at the time, you know, Steve, coach and Todd, we talk about unique ability.
00:08:28
Chad Johnson
We talk about, you know, your God given gifts and strengths.
00:08:29
Todd Pinkston
Yeah.
00:08:31
Chad Johnson
And I knew there were certain things I i was good at, but I also, i think I swam in a sea of the things I wasn't. I just, I came from, I guess, the model in school.
00:08:44
Chad Johnson
It was always like, well, Hey, if you're you know, if you're getting D's in this, you know, subject matter, that's where you spend all your time to bring it up. And, and so I spent those years really focused on weakness, focused on trying to make everything great, you know, and, and with it, became it came a lot of frustration. And, you know, it was just this kind of cycles of, man, what was going on. But like I said, my vision, my dreams, my goals were so crystal clear. And, And they really, as I look back, I didn't have the language for it at the time, but God had given me these five priorities, which I now call my giant five, that I do have, I think have a biblical framework, but they served as kind of a grid, you know, through which I started even as a young man making decisions, right?
00:09:31
Chad Johnson
Yeah.
00:09:31
Steven J. Neuner
Yeah. Hey, Chas.
00:09:32
Chad Johnson
The first one is my first, yeah, talk to me.
00:09:34
Steven J. Neuner
but Before and I want to get in the framework, I think the framework's awesome. And as Todd said, I'm going to interrupt you 100 times here, but I just like one of the things that I like they're just I don't want to miss the goal.
00:09:41
Chad Johnson
Please do.
00:09:45
Steven J. Neuner
Right.
00:09:45
Todd Pinkston
Amen.
00:09:45
Steven J. Neuner
So because I have the context of you have 11 kids, you have a beautiful, godly marriage, godly family, all the things that that that that really illuminate to me the so many things, but I don't want to you spend a lot of time coaching people, right?
00:10:03
Steven J. Neuner
And, and families. And, and I'm just like, I'm curious if you were to go back, you know, faced with your, you, you, you had a family of faith.
00:10:05
Chad Johnson
For sure.
00:10:14
Steven J. Neuner
You had these, like, a you know, you could actively see it. Right. And then you get caught in this, this, this,
00:10:25
Steven J. Neuner
sin cycle, right? And I guess I'm just sort of curious, like if if you're coaching someone now, like what are the signs to be looking out for?
00:10:27
Chad Johnson
ye
00:10:33
Steven J. Neuner
Like if you you have, I have a 12 year old sin, what are the things that, you know, that that that were indicators of of what was going on that can maybe help people identify where people that they love or themselves are stuck?
00:10:51
Chad Johnson
That's such a good question, Steve. And, you know, I think, again, you know, scripture says all of sin and fallen short of the glory of God. And there's no doubt that I think every human being at some point comes face to face with their own inability, right?
00:10:58
Steven J. Neuner
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:11:05
Chad Johnson
and that can show up in a million different ways. For me, it was this struggle with pornography. For some, it's alcohol. Some, it's anxiety and fear and doubt and unbelief. Or, I mean, it could be it could be so many things, right? It can be all these representations of but really this sinful flesh that we've been dealt. And all of sudden, you come to face face to face with it. To me,
00:11:30
Chad Johnson
the the how do we help someone who's younger or how do we realize ourselves are unstuck i don't think again as believers we're to live in a repetitive pattern of sin an addiction to we're to be free you know scripture talks about the freedom that we have right and know the truth and the truth will set you free i didn't understand the power to be honest with you of the gospel and what Christ really came to do as a young man.
00:11:57
Chad Johnson
I knew he came in my, I think my thought of salvation was, oh fire escape mentality. a and I don't want to go to hell. I want to believe in Christ, you know, but it, but it became so much more real, but it wasn't until I was 33 years old that I understood some of, some of these truths, believe or not, which is crazy, even though I'd grown up in church and all the things.
00:12:18
Chad Johnson
So to me, Stephen, having conversations,
00:12:18
Steven J. Neuner
Sure.
00:12:21
Chad Johnson
with with the people in our life, honest conversations, first of all, with ourselves. Hey, am I stuck in a pattern of repetitive, where it's just a cycle? Oh, like maybe I go a week, maybe i go a month. Maybe for me, it was like every 90 days, little maybe more, I go three months, maybe four months, I'd fall flat on my face. It didn't matter what I was doing. It seemed like there was just this repetition. It wasn't like it was every day that I was living in this pit of despair, but it would I'd fall and i and I'm going,
00:12:49
Chad Johnson
to me, walking, especially if we have kids, children, walking closely with them. What are you dealing with? What are you facing with? What are the burdens to make it okay to talk about those things?
00:13:01
Chad Johnson
Because it is okay. It's not just okay, it's necessary. You know, I walked so closely with my children and my young people, like, because I because i know some it's really easy to stuff it, get stuck, think it's your own little thing.
00:13:05
Todd Pinkston
Yeah.
00:13:05
Steven J. Neuner
Mm-hmm.
00:13:05
Todd Pinkston
Yeah.
00:13:05
Steven J. Neuner
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:13:14
Chad Johnson
You got to sort it out on your own, whatever. And, uh, and boy, is it good to have people in your life that are loving you praying with you, providing truth, counsel, wisdom, all the things. And so to me, having the conversations, first of all, with yourself or for someone else, acknowledging if there are patterns and and then being able to go find the resource, right.
00:13:35
Chad Johnson
Do, do, the do the work. but I don't know if that answered your question, Steven.
00:13:39
Steven J. Neuner
Yeah, i know it did and did. And I guess I'm just just curious too, for you, like, so, so what was that for you? What was it a family? Was it a parent? Was it like, what, what finally shifted for you?
00:13:53
Todd Pinkston
Yeah.
00:14:04
Chad Johnson
I was in communication with them. I was, if there was one thing I was growing up and I guess I've always been as I've. realize the danger of isolation and and i I'm a communicator.
00:14:13
Steven J. Neuner
Yeah.
00:14:13
Chad Johnson
i just I'm willing to say where the good, the bad, and the ugly was. and i mean I didn't walk in hidden sin. I didn't walk in this, hey, I've got my own quiet rebellion over here or I'm struggling.
00:14:24
Chad Johnson
I was very open With my parents, my pastors, you know, people in my life, I was crying out for, hey, guys, this is where I'm at. This is where I'm real. But what's interesting, praying, fasting, scripture memory, more discipline, more willpower, more accountability, more fellowship, more, I mean, more of everything. tried, tried, I tried, I tried. i tried I, I, I, there was a point at 33 years old where the Lord really showed me that Chad, your power is always zero power.
Freedom from Sin at 33
00:14:57
Todd Pinkston
Yeah.
00:14:57
Chad Johnson
and my power is always perfect power.
00:14:57
Steven J. Neuner
Okay, so say more.
00:15:00
Chad Johnson
And
00:15:01
Steven J. Neuner
33.
00:15:02
Todd Pinkston
Yeah.
00:15:02
Steven J. Neuner
I mean, yeah.
00:15:02
Todd Pinkston
Yeah. What was the what was the catalyst?
00:15:05
Steven J. Neuner
yeah
00:15:05
Todd Pinkston
What was the catalyst to that 33 that, you know, took the blinders off?
00:15:12
Chad Johnson
33, literally, I'm married. I have five kids at the time. i'm I'm running a company, two different companies at the time. So much going on.
00:15:22
Chad Johnson
And i'm I literally found myself on a bridge
00:15:22
Steven J. Neuner
Thank you.
00:15:22
Todd Pinkston
Yeah.
00:15:26
Todd Pinkston
Yeah.
00:15:26
Chad Johnson
about to jump. Okay. Cause I, I, it was like, i was trying all the things that I knew to do and I still hadn't found this victory. And now as a father, as a husband, i was seeing that my sin doesn't just impact me guys.
00:15:42
Chad Johnson
Scripture says we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, especially wickedness in high places. And I'm sitting here at work, you know, working late, doing the thing. And Janice calls me on the phone, Chad, are you okay? and I'm going, no, I'm not.
00:15:58
Chad Johnson
I go, why'd you call me right now? And she goes, well, two of your daughters that are just, you know, whatever, three and four or four and five came into my room right now. And they just said, we're having bad dreams of pictures of naked people coming before our eyes.
00:16:11
Chad Johnson
Guys, I'm sorry. I'm i'm sitting here just going, my sin is impacting ever everything that matters to me.
00:16:14
Todd Pinkston
Yeah. Yeah.
00:16:18
Chad Johnson
I believe is the spiritual leaders of our family, when we as leaders are not walking in the power of God, his grace, and it is in that that we open up others that are in our care for attacking.
00:16:22
Todd Pinkston
Yeah.
00:16:26
Steven J. Neuner
the
00:16:30
Todd Pinkston
Hmm.
00:16:32
Chad Johnson
It was by God's grace at that time, literally, Janice calls me, I'm on the bridge. She's like, what are you doing? I said, you you will, I was believing the lies. you dude You said, guys believe the lies or or what was your your caption of your book?
00:16:47
Todd Pinkston
Yeah, unlearn the lies.
00:16:47
Chad Johnson
Steven, I mean, Learn the lies.
00:16:49
Steven J. Neuner
unlearn the life
00:16:50
Chad Johnson
The greatest lie ever, right, is that that we start to not believe what God says about us. And we start to believe what Satan says.
00:16:57
Todd Pinkston
Yeah.
00:16:59
Chad Johnson
We start to believe the lies.
00:17:00
Todd Pinkston
Yeah.
00:17:01
Chad Johnson
And I was believing a lie in that moment that, hey, Janice would be better off without me.
00:17:01
Todd Pinkston
Yeah.
00:17:06
Chad Johnson
I'm bringing so much hurt. I'm bringing this pain into our our marriage and our family. My kids will be better off if I'm not around. I mean, talk about lies.
00:17:13
Steven J. Neuner
Thank
00:17:15
Chad Johnson
When I look back now, i just sit there and go, how close I came to believe those lies to the ultimate end. Janice says, come home. I come him home. Literally this next, it was a couple days later.
00:17:26
Chad Johnson
And I, and again, I was just, I had tried all I knew to try. I had walked all I i had.
00:17:31
Todd Pinkston
Yeah.
00:17:33
Chad Johnson
I got a teaching and guys, I sometimes even hesitate to share this, but I'm going to share it with a caveat because There are people that impact your life and their messages that show up at the right time in the right place. And there was a guy by the name of Michael Pearl. He's a wild man from Tennessee. He's got a beard down to here. he He has a couple of videos on YouTube of him. He's talking about child training. It looks like he's just a child abuser. Okay. I mean, it just, it looks so out of whack and, you know, but he had a teaching experience.
00:18:01
Chad Johnson
that came across my path at 33 years old called Sanctification, Sin No More.
00:18:07
Todd Pinkston
Yeah.
00:18:07
Chad Johnson
It was an audio recording. And it was, and I started to listen to this. And again, i was a student of God's word. had memorized most of Romans 6, most Romans 8, you know, for Clash of 3. I mean, I was packing scripture in my mind. I was doing all the things. And all of a sudden, there was a paradigm shift in my mind when I realized that I Christ didn't just come to free me for eternity, but that he came to give me freedom today and that it was going to be obtained not by works of righteousness, which we have done, which I understood for justification. But sanctification had always been pitched to me as this 30, 40, 50 lifetime journey of kind of getting incrementally better year after year.
00:18:51
Chad Johnson
And I honestly believe that's not really true. I believe, and I know that I can step on a lot of toes, but I believe Christ came to set me free in a supernatural way.
00:18:55
Todd Pinkston
Yeah.
00:19:02
Chad Johnson
First Peter, he talks about the first four verses there. He literally goes through and he goes, he's given unto us hes but his divine power.
00:19:12
Chad Johnson
He talks about he's given it to us. It's a gift. And and in in my at years old, i stopped. And guys, I literally, this is about an an hour conversation, but it was so transformative for me at 33 years old that I, for the first time in my life, stopped thinking I, with God's help, was going to get free, but realized I always was going to be zero power, but Christ was perfect.
00:19:35
Todd Pinkston
Yeah.
00:19:39
Chad Johnson
And that his power, his strength is made perfect in weakness.
00:19:39
Todd Pinkston
Yeah. Yeah.
00:19:40
Steven J. Neuner
Mm-hmm.
00:19:43
Chad Johnson
Scripture says that. And I'm to this day the weakest man I know, but I have the strongest God earth. that ever exists. i and And in that, I get to walk in his strength and in his power. And so there's nothing in my life that I can take credit for and nothing I can glory in. There's nothing I can even do except say, praise the Lord, because he has indeed not only given me life eternal, but he's given me hope. He's given me joy. He's given me freedom today. The confidence I get to walk in today, that the power I get to see in my life today is him. And and so
00:20:19
Chad Johnson
Again, no nowhere do I want anybody get the impression because there's too many people, and Stephen, you know me. I don't walk around sinless perfection, but I'm not a slave to sin.
00:20:27
Steven J. Neuner
Mm-hmm.
00:20:27
Todd Pinkston
Yeah. Yeah.
00:20:29
Chad Johnson
And I don't have the repetitive pattern of sin in my life at all. and And I get to see his power over and over every day. I get to see his power at work in my life. And the difference that made in my life, I cannot even begin to tell. i i would have lost my life, I believe, had I not...
00:20:46
Chad Johnson
be and And I would have stayed using that word stuck. I was I felt like I was stuck, stuck, stuck. And all of a sudden it was like, man, now I'm free.
00:20:56
Chad Johnson
And I've been playing defense in my life up till 33 in a lot of ways in my faith.
00:21:00
Todd Pinkston
Let's
00:21:03
Chad Johnson
And all of a sudden I was freed up to play offense. It was like, I don't have to live my life playing defense anymore.
00:21:07
Todd Pinkston
go.
00:21:10
Chad Johnson
I get it.
00:21:11
Todd Pinkston
Yeah. Let's
00:21:11
Chad Johnson
I get to be free. And and if I'm free, I get to help see others be free. Amen. Right.
00:21:16
Todd Pinkston
go. Dad, you're firing me out, man.
00:21:17
Steven J. Neuner
So good.
00:21:17
Chad Johnson
Amen.
00:21:17
Steven J. Neuner
And chad Chad, yeah, let's go.
00:21:18
Chad Johnson
Okay.
00:21:19
Todd Pinkston
Let's go. let's
00:21:20
Steven J. Neuner
And Todd just pumped also because you brought in some Ocho Cinco energy here.
00:21:21
Chad Johnson
digital
00:21:24
Steven J. Neuner
So you're doing football now.
00:21:25
Todd Pinkston
yeah let's go.
00:21:26
Chad Johnson
yeah
00:21:26
Todd Pinkston
That was...
00:21:27
Steven J. Neuner
It's Todd always excited. No.
00:21:30
Chad Johnson
Well, anyway.
00:21:30
Todd Pinkston
Hey, Chad, oh you you're not the first person on the podcast to talk about pornography. Pornography is a huge part of my story. And and one of the things that kept me in slavery and bondage, I mean, we had another guy couple weeks ago that that shared, and you know, super heartfelt on it and So here's this thing. I mean, you got five kids, you know, you're you're married, you're you're knocking it out of the park. I mean, graduated high school at 16. You're knocking it out of the park in the business world.
00:22:02
Todd Pinkston
i mean, when somebody looks at that 33 year old there, they're like, he's got it all together. i mean, you know, it's everything looks up and to the right.
00:22:07
Steven J. Neuner
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:22:10
Todd Pinkston
And underneath the surface, there's something that's destroying you. And it doesn't have to be pornography. But for so many of us, especially men, it is. And we'll just get more. I mean, if it's bad in our generation, it is going to be, you know, the toxic enemy, you know, cancer of the next. And it is.
00:22:29
Chad Johnson
Yeah.
00:22:30
Todd Pinkston
Tell me, i mean, just a little bit more of like, what what is that self-talk that's happening that that led you to a place where you're believing the lies? Like, what are you thinking about yourself? How are you, you know...
00:22:46
Todd Pinkston
all that mean The bank account's growing. All the things are working. you know You said you're reading scripture. You knew the Lord. like But what is what is going on beneath the surface? If you can just you know zoom in on that. of What are you telling yourself? what what What lies is the enemy whispering that just take over?
00:23:04
Chad Johnson
Sure. You know, again, it's it's really hard to, it scripture, Philippians 4.8, talks about whatsoever things are true, right? Whatsoever things are true. And then it goes on. What sort things are honest, just, pure, lovely, worthy of virtue, worthy of praise, right? Think on these things. But if you start there with true, and there's so many men, myself,
00:23:26
Chad Johnson
being foremost that I would mull over the truth, the truth of my... my weakness, my sin, that my failures, my shortcomings, my my insufficiency.
00:23:40
Steven J. Neuner
Mm-hmm.
00:23:40
Todd Pinkston
Yeah. Yeah.
00:23:43
Chad Johnson
and And I would flog myself, of course. like Like what kind of loser cannot overcome this the simplest of things? I mean, just stop, right? And and and so you would sit there and the pattern of self-reporting
00:23:53
Todd Pinkston
yes
00:23:58
Chad Johnson
you know the pattern of self really self-berating, right? I'm a loser. You're a moron. You're an idiot. You're a failure. What kind of husband are you? What kind of father are you? I mean, it' and of course, Satan, all right, the father of lies is just going, yeah, come on, come on, come on.
00:24:12
Steven J. Neuner
Yeah.
00:24:12
Chad Johnson
He's just pouring gas on the flyer. and then And then I would have a circumstance that would reveal... all these things are true. I've just proven it. I just proved it.
00:24:21
Todd Pinkston
Yeah.
00:24:22
Chad Johnson
I just proved it. I could go back. And in fact, up till 33 years of my life, I would look at my past and I would look back looking for all the areas to validate,
00:24:33
Chad Johnson
Hey, you are a mess up. You are a loser. You are a failure. You are, you are whatever. it It was literally this teaching from scripture, but then also Dan Sullivan gives me a handle called the gap in the game, which really started to show me that Romans 12, one and two, right?
00:24:45
Steven J. Neuner
Mm-hmm.
00:24:49
Chad Johnson
Don't be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Right. Being transformed is actually a renewing of the mind. It's actually a physical physiological process. When we think according to truth, we rewrite the neural pathways in our brain.
00:25:04
Chad Johnson
How beautiful is that? Right. Second Corinthians 10, four and five, he says, you know, were we're mighty through God through the tearing down of strongholds.
00:25:07
Todd Pinkston
Yeah.
00:25:11
Chad Johnson
Right. Taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. And then Philippians four, eight says, dude, don't stop at truth.
00:25:18
Steven J. Neuner
Thank you.
00:25:20
Chad Johnson
What's wherever things are true. But they've also got to be honest and just and pure and lovely. And then it gets even tighter, the funnel. And it goes, and it's got to be worthy of virtue and worthy of praise. Now, if it makes it all the way through that funnel, now think on that.
00:25:35
Chad Johnson
I was not thinking as a believer. I was believing the lies. And I was not renewing my mind according to truth and according to what God said and what
Overcoming Self-Doubt
00:25:45
Chad Johnson
he's done. And so, and even my prayers, Todd, were prayers I didn't realize at the time, but there were prayers of unbelief.
00:25:52
Chad Johnson
Let me give you example. Get this. I would literally go on a business trip and I know my own struggle, my own weaknesses, my own sin.
00:25:54
Steven J. Neuner
yes
00:26:01
Chad Johnson
I would tell Denise, hey, Denise, pray that I will be strong. Now that sounds good. But guess what? It's not about me being strong. Right. I can only be strong in the Lord and the power of his might. I said, I literally it's it's it's literally like a little kid. i have grandkids. If I put one of my grandkids up here on a shelf and I said, hey, Louie, jump to Papa Johnson. I've got you.
00:26:26
Chad Johnson
And he's like, get me down, get me down, save me, like help me, get me. No, I've got you, just step, I got you. No, save me, get me, get me down. And forever I was like, Lord, help me, save me, do this, do this.
00:26:39
Chad Johnson
And he's like, I've already given you all things that pertain to life and godliness in Christ Jesus.
00:26:43
Steven J. Neuner
You
00:26:43
Chad Johnson
He says, I've already done these things, believe me. And I literally, my language changed where, Janice, I'm going on a trip, pray that I realize how perfectly weak I am and how,
00:26:56
Chad Johnson
fully capable God is. It puts the emphasis all in a different spot.
00:26:58
Todd Pinkston
That's Yeah.
00:26:59
Chad Johnson
And I think so many of us are trying to make ourselves stronger with God's help rather than realizing it's a supernatural work of God that brings us deliverance from sin.
00:27:10
Chad Johnson
and then again, it's so beautiful because in first Peter, he talks about, Sorry, i I keep thinking I'm saying 1 Peter, 2 Peter 1 through 4, but verse 5, it shifts from things God's given us that are ours by faith. But then it goes into things that we are to do with diligence. And that is we are to develop habits and skills and capabilities. And and and he talks about adding to all these things, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue.
00:27:40
Chad Johnson
But I think it's faith that saves us from sin. And it's not our character. That's what I believe. I believe character makes me show up on time, be a good employee, you know, do all the right things. Did I did i lose you guys? It looks like I froze you
00:27:55
Chad Johnson
Did I lose you guys?
00:27:57
Todd Pinkston
Nope, you're here.
00:27:58
Chad Johnson
Okay. Okay.
00:27:59
Todd Pinkston
Faith that saves us from sin.
00:27:59
Chad Johnson
Anyway. so So to me, I i believed a lot of lies and I would reinforce those lies.
00:28:06
Todd Pinkston
Yeah.
00:28:06
Chad Johnson
And they were the super highways in my mind.
00:28:07
Todd Pinkston
Yeah.
00:28:09
Chad Johnson
And by new turning back towards God's word, what does he say I'm supposed to think about realizing that I believe him?
00:28:12
Todd Pinkston
Yeah.
00:28:16
Chad Johnson
All of a sudden, these things are mine by faith in a heartbeat, in a moment. Anyway, that was that was a big thing.
00:28:22
Todd Pinkston
And so that's that's awesome. And i you know the first thing i wrote down, you know you said you you talked about so much of your early life was focused on weaknesses and how that's transitioned to focusing on strengths.
00:28:24
Steven J. Neuner
It's so good. no good
00:28:37
Todd Pinkston
And I think it's that same principle as you're talking about spiritual life. Like, yeah, we we do have sin. I mean, we we still mess up every single day. And we're not just supposed to cover it with a bumper sticker.
00:28:49
Todd Pinkston
We're not just supposed to pretend like it doesn't exist.
00:28:51
Chad Johnson
Amen.
00:28:53
Todd Pinkston
But if you dwell on on the negative, it's going to eat you up.
00:28:53
Chad Johnson
Amen.
00:28:57
Todd Pinkston
in and And we're supposed to. focus on the Lord, focus on the positive, focus on what he's done. So what is that shift?
00:29:06
Chad Johnson
a
00:29:07
Todd Pinkston
You know you talked about you know the the going on a business trip, but what about day to day? what does that What does that look like for you day to day?
00:29:15
Chad Johnson
good
00:29:15
Todd Pinkston
Not just to, you're not, you're not you know I'm good enough, I'm smart enough and gal darn it, people like me. But I mean, what what are you telling yourself? What does that what does that habit look like?
00:29:26
Chad Johnson
Oh, this is where we live, right? We live today.
00:29:31
Todd Pinkston
yeah yeah
00:29:31
Chad Johnson
i wake up every single day, Todd, by God's grace, thanking him and praising him every single morning. it is my It is my first thought in the morning. The second I wake up and it took me a years to cultivate the awareness of, hey, wait, I'm waking up thinking something. What am I thinking?
00:29:52
Chad Johnson
And I literally will vocalize, thank you, Lord, for this day. Thank you for Janice. Thank you for the help that I get to get out of bed, that I get to be about your purposes, that I'm your your man in this time and the next generation that you've surrounded me with, you know, the people I get to love on, that you've given me everything I need, you know, that pertains to life and godliness, that you're my rock, my fortress, my deliverer.
00:30:02
Steven J. Neuner
Thank you.
00:30:13
Chad Johnson
Thank you for creation. I mean, And I get up this way and I start praising and I go move my body, praising and thanking the Lord and renewing my mind. i journal i I journal five things I'm grateful for, the five wins every day that happened in the day and the five that I want for the day ahead.
00:30:33
Chad Johnson
and And then it's just and every time something happens because do we're men, dude, life happens. Things happen.
00:30:42
Todd Pinkston
Yeah.
00:30:42
Chad Johnson
Bad things happen. Difficult things happen. The second I get punched in the face with anything, my response is, Wow. Okay. Process this, right? Man, big loss, lost a big client, lost a team member, family members not doing well. My brother passed away. I mean, whatever it is in your life, you sit there and go, okay, process that.
00:31:05
Chad Johnson
And at the same time, scripture says in everything, in everything, give thanks. Like in very few things, people are always wondering what the will of God is. In everything, give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you, Chad.
00:31:21
Chad Johnson
So I mean, this is so real to me. And I heard it once and I don't know who said it, but they said the ability to maturity is the ability to return to joy quickly after disappointment.
00:31:33
Todd Pinkston
Yeah.
00:31:35
Chad Johnson
And I think we as believers,
00:31:36
Steven J. Neuner
Mm-hmm.
00:31:37
Chad Johnson
should be the most joyful, right? Full of gratitude, peace, contentment. I mean, because of the way we get to trust God in the circumstance, believe him, give him thanks, give him praise. And and by God's grace, if we cultivate these as daily habits,
00:31:56
Chad Johnson
they do become the way our mind thinks. It's he renews our mind. And now my brain, by God's grace, thinks these ways by by default almost. It's like it's more natural now for me to do that. But boy, that wasn't me at 20, 25, 30, 33.
00:32:10
Chad Johnson
Yeah. Yeah.
00:32:13
Steven J. Neuner
Chad, you know what what i I'm thinking of as you say, you mentioned quote another quote came to mind and I know you know it well, our eyes only see and our ears only hear what our mind's looking for.
00:32:24
Chad Johnson
yeah
00:32:38
Steven J. Neuner
There are probably a million ways people see that quote and think of different things. But what I love about what you the testimony you just gave is as you rewire mind, like it's there, right?
00:32:47
Steven J. Neuner
God is working. yeah You know, you can see him moving, but like you only if you have the eyes to see it and you you hear it, right?
00:32:56
Chad Johnson
Yeah, that's right. That's right.
00:32:58
Steven J. Neuner
is i mean, yeah. Yeah.
00:32:59
Chad Johnson
That's right. And yeah, and then the difference is I, like you guys, could look back every day, including today, at yesterday and every week and year prior, and find so many negative things, so many difficult things, so many things that that we're told in Scripture, Philippians 4.8, filter your thoughts looking backwards this way.
00:33:15
Steven J. Neuner
Oh man.
00:33:22
Chad Johnson
And then he says in other places, hey, forget those things which lie behind.
00:33:25
Todd Pinkston
Yeah.
00:33:26
Chad Johnson
And he's talking about every sin that so easily besets us, right?
00:33:26
Todd Pinkston
Yeah.
00:33:29
Chad Johnson
Or the things where we've fallen short or the hurts or the whatever. He says, hey, forget those. Move on. And it's just, I'll tell you what, there's nothing there's you know there's nothing more freeing than to be free from your past and have everything in your past serving you now and making you better going forward.
00:33:35
Todd Pinkston
Yeah.
00:33:46
Chad Johnson
To me, and there's, guys, you know this, there's a lot of men that are carrying a lot of things that I believe as men we aren't meant to carry. And we're carrying it right here because we're not able somehow to think and and get free with the way the Lord has told us to in our thoughts.
00:34:02
Chad Johnson
But it is, it's a daily habit, Todd.
00:34:03
Todd Pinkston
Yeah. Let's go.
00:34:06
Steven J. Neuner
Thanks.
00:34:06
Todd Pinkston
and
00:34:06
Steven J. Neuner
well
00:34:07
Todd Pinkston
That's good stuff. i my My brother, Steven, so so politely cut you off, you know, about 25 minutes ago.
00:34:09
Steven J. Neuner
Chad, go ahead.
00:34:15
Todd Pinkston
You were about to get into your five priorities.
00:34:17
Steven J. Neuner
Oh,
Chad's Five Priorities in Life
00:34:18
Steven J. Neuner
great. I was about to bring it back.
00:34:18
Todd Pinkston
Let's...
00:34:19
Steven J. Neuner
So thanks for interrupting because I was about to bring you back, Todd. I'm going to talk about how you interrupt my interruptions, man. I was about to interrupt Chad and get them back.
00:34:30
Todd Pinkston
you
00:34:31
Steven J. Neuner
i
00:34:32
Chad Johnson
Okay. All right.
00:34:33
Steven J. Neuner
Hey, we are all sinners saved by grace.
00:34:33
Chad Johnson
Well, is
00:34:33
Todd Pinkston
that's
00:34:35
Chad Johnson
you if
00:34:36
Todd Pinkston
Come on.
00:34:38
Chad Johnson
as you can tell, when i when I talk about these priorities, the first and foremost, I think, for every believer, and this doesn't matter whether a ministry or a marketplace or a community,
00:34:46
Steven J. Neuner
Your checkbook, right? That's what you're going to say here, you know?
00:34:49
Chad Johnson
Yes, for sure.
00:34:50
Steven J. Neuner
Yeah.
00:34:50
Chad Johnson
It's how much money you can accumulate in your life. That's right. Stop! Yeah. Yeah. it's's It's our personal relationship with the Lord. And it's it's not church.
00:35:01
Chad Johnson
It's not religion. It's not Christian service. It's not ministry. It's not doing all the things that believers are thought to do. We sometimes commingle things. as like this, they go together.
00:35:11
Todd Pinkston
Yeah.
00:35:13
Chad Johnson
They don't. one well that One's a byproduct of this, but the first is our personal relationship Lord. I think so many men that struggle with what even that is, but it's walking in his grace and in his power and his freedom and and knowing his promises and standing on him and being able to be ambassadors of Christ in a way that we're a conduit for his love and his truth and his is in and all the, in all the circumstances and environments we put ourselves in.
00:35:39
Chad Johnson
And that's in business marketplace and everything else. So it's just personal relationship with Lord, because if I'm right with him and and you know what I mean when when we're right with him, right? I'm not walking in my seat.
00:35:49
Steven J. Neuner
Thank you.
00:35:49
Chad Johnson
I'm not walking in rebellion. I'm not, I'm free. If I'm right with him then all the other priorities are downstream. Matthew 6, 33 says, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. And then everything else he adds to us.
00:36:02
Chad Johnson
So to me, first and foremost is that. Second priority for me is my marriage. I think Corinthians says clearly, i don't care whether you're again in ministry or marketplace.
00:36:08
Todd Pinkston
Thank
00:36:13
Chad Johnson
Number to relationship is our marriage if we're married. And he talks about, you know, if you're single, you can devote yourself 100% to the lord work of the Lord. But if you're married, you got to care for things for your wife and the things of, of you know, of life in that way. And so,
00:36:29
Chad Johnson
I believe as men, as Christian men, our marriage is our first ministry. It's our primary ministry. if If that relationship isn't thriving, vibrant, growing, let's focus there. Let's see God do a work there because when we are aligned and we're on fire together,
00:36:45
Chad Johnson
Man, is that a powerful thing is the world is crying out for men that really do love their wives and wives that do really respect their husbands.
00:36:47
Todd Pinkston
Yeah. Yeah.
00:36:55
Chad Johnson
And and they're a united team on fire. That's one of the things Stephen, I love about you and your bride. When I'm with you guys, I see God working and Todd, I don't know your whole, you know, awesome situation, but man, I
00:37:05
Steven J. Neuner
He married way out of his league too. Yeah.
00:37:09
Chad Johnson
It's beautiful. It's beautiful. I mean, there's something so powerful about that. And so to me, number two relationship, you know, and I just adore my wife. i do. And it gets richer and deeper and fuller. And man, we've been through hell and back. And you've heard some of that here. I mean, it's not been a bed of roses and all the perfect things, but it is God has been so gracious and we have a life giving marriage. And so That's second relationship. If you have children, I believe seeing our children raised in the nurtured and admonition of Lord. For me, that is my third priority. I want to see my children walk in faith.
00:37:44
Chad Johnson
And in a generation where eight out of 10 young people are walking away from their faith,
00:37:50
Steven J. Neuner
Mm-hmm.
00:37:50
Chad Johnson
it's It's just devastating. we're We're trying to get people to walk in the front door of church and our children are walking out the back. And I'm sitting there going, God forbid. you know i don't think that was God's and plan. In fact, I love that in Genesis, he did not start all of creation with a government. He didn't start it with a a corporation. He didn't start it with a king. He didn't start it with a a program or a system. He started with a man and a wife.
00:38:15
Chad Johnson
and children says, take domain and be fruitful, multiply like this is his vehicle. And I think we put way too much emphasis on all the other institutions, though they're valuable and important.
00:38:27
Chad Johnson
The primary institution God instituted at the very beginning is the foundation of all those other institutions. And if marriage and family, if we, is if we see our families as inwardly sound and outwardly focused using a term from a a friend of mine in his book, leaders were following. I love that term. inwardly sound, outwardly focused, if we are truly inwardly sound, flourishing as believers, as family, and then we can focus outward, boy, does that make for a healthy church. Boy, does that make for a healthy community. Boy, does that make for a healthy political system locally and nationally.
00:39:02
Chad Johnson
And those things are representative downstream of what's going on to me at the dinner table and in our home. So to me, I'm just so passionate about seeing the Lord work in my own life, seeing him work in my marriage, seeing him work in our children. And back to that, I believe it's the primary role of a father.
00:39:20
Chad Johnson
to raise their children spiritually. If my children are walking with the Lord, that is not the pastor's problem.
00:39:23
Todd Pinkston
Yeah.
00:39:25
Chad Johnson
It's not the youth pastor. It's not the camp counselor. It's not the the Christian school teacher.
00:39:29
Steven J. Neuner
Christian school.
00:39:30
Chad Johnson
It's no one else.
00:39:30
Steven J. Neuner
Yeah.
00:39:31
Chad Johnson
None nobody, right? It's ours to to own. And yes, there are godly men and women out there in service of and in support of and praise God for all those people and things and ministries. But Proverbs says, my son, listen to your father's instruction. Forsake not the law of your mother. You know, Deuteronomy six talks about when you rise up, when you sit down, when you go along the way. So I'm so passionate about this. And I just think, again, when we look at what is wrong in the world and what could be more right, if I'm right with the Lord, it starts to make the world a better place. If I'm right with my wife, boy, do we become an effective ministry team together. Boy, if our children are thriving in the nurture and admonition Lord, boy, does all a sudden our family become a a net asset to the church the community around us. Okay, so top those are top three. Number four for me is health. And this one I can't give a biblical argument for. you know Scripture says bodily exercise profits little, but godliness is you know of great value. And I believe that. But I do know that life and business, family, parenting, all of it, it's an energy game.
00:40:36
Chad Johnson
It is. And if we can bring a level energy to our most important priorities, I think we win as men. And I've lost my health twice just for, going to say poor stewardship.
00:40:48
Chad Johnson
I overdid. i i wanted too much. I pushed too hard. I went too long. And one of the things Dan Sullivan taught me how to do was to dial it back and actually recharge and use, use, energy in a productive way, uh, both in business and in ministry.
00:41:05
Chad Johnson
So for this health for me, number five is where, yeah, I am, I'm going to,
00:41:08
Todd Pinkston
Are you going to, before you move on and from health, are you going to do like an infomercial on how to build a good jawline? I mean, yeah, yeah. That is, you know, that that when when you look at a man with a good jawline, you just got to ask, how'd you get that?
00:41:22
Chad Johnson
yeah. Yeah.
00:41:23
Todd Pinkston
Amen.
00:41:23
Chad Johnson
Yeah. Yeah. It's yeah. It's all genetics and nothing else, you know,
00:41:26
Steven J. Neuner
but for This is getting weird. Before the podcast went on, guys, Todd was complimenting about Chad's hair. Now it's his jawline. I mean, like, this is full-blown man crush happening here.
00:41:34
Todd Pinkston
Amen.
00:41:36
Chad Johnson
Hey, hey.
00:41:36
Todd Pinkston
Amen.
00:41:36
Steven J. Neuner
Yeah.
00:41:38
Todd Pinkston
did All I know, all I know is Chad Ochocinco right there in front of the American flag will be the poster child of this podcast from here on out.
00:41:38
Chad Johnson
And I was saying I wanna...
00:41:47
Todd Pinkston
I mean, like yeah
00:41:50
Chad Johnson
This guy. All right, all right. So...
00:41:52
Todd Pinkston
Number five.
00:41:54
Chad Johnson
Yeah, we're good. all right. So back back to it. the The number four, I talked to help, right?
00:42:00
Steven J. Neuner
Yep.
00:42:01
Chad Johnson
Number five is using those God-given gifts, talents, and abilities to do the work. Ephesians 2.10 talks about god created us beforehand for good works that he prepared beforehand that we would walk in them.
00:42:15
Todd Pinkston
Yeah. Yeah.
00:42:15
Chad Johnson
We were created by God. I mean, I don't know why that gets me so fired up yet. He created you, Todd. He created you, Steven, with specific talents and abilities that I don't have so that you could be you in the world and serve and love and people in ways that I could never do. I, I just, I marvel at that and I get excited about that. And the more i unwrap, Hey Lord, what is it you put me here to do? And then deploy that in the marketplace. Yes.
00:42:42
Chad Johnson
In ministry. Yes. And to me, there's the same. It's like, there's no secular sacred as a believer. I mean, we're, we're on point. We're on mission. You know, if, if I'm coaching business owners or i'm running a glass modeling plant or I'm right doing a marriage workshop or I'm,
00:42:59
Chad Johnson
Speaking in an event, i'm I'm his child. i'm i'm I'm a child of the king on point on mission getting to do what he's put me here to do.
00:43:06
Todd Pinkston
Mm-hmm.
00:43:06
Chad Johnson
And with that comes so much blessing, right? That alignment between hey, God, I'm doing the work you put me here to do. I knew he early on had put a burden on my heart for marriage.
00:43:17
Chad Johnson
Janice and i love doing newlywed workshops, marriage retreats, things like that. You know, there's so many fun things that have come from that. But anyway, so those to me are my giant five priorities.
00:43:28
Chad Johnson
Now there's other things that fall outside of that, but I sit there and go, if I am, and I keep by God's grace, I'm constantly trying to keep them in order because they want to go so quickly out of whack.
00:43:39
Steven J. Neuner
Mm-hmm.
00:43:41
Steven J. Neuner
Say more about that because I think that's huge.
00:43:41
Chad Johnson
Right.
00:43:41
Todd Pinkston
Mm-hmm.
00:43:42
Chad Johnson
business this worth great well Well, Steven, you and I both know because in our coaching world, you know, it's really easy for anyone, for business, for career, for provision, whatever, to become the thing.
00:43:58
Chad Johnson
but But at the same token, I talk to pastors and pastors can have ministry become the thing.
00:44:06
Steven J. Neuner
Mm-hmm.
00:44:06
Chad Johnson
I've talked to a pastor before, not long ago. I said, what's your number one priority? And he said, Well, I have this flock that I'm, and I said, okay, great, but you got it wrong, buddy. And he's like, what are you talking about? I said, dude, it's your own relationship with the Lord. I said, it's your wife, you're married, bro.
00:44:22
Chad Johnson
Dude, I said, you focus 100% on your flock and you lose your marriage, your faith, your your kids, and your health. you're You're nothing. You've got no ministry.
00:44:31
Todd Pinkston
Yeah.
00:44:31
Chad Johnson
So to me, it's that tendency to have these things that that the world really esteems, right? They they don't give me a scorecard on being a dad. They don't give me, hey, you just won marriage you know partner of the year, at least in my town.
00:44:47
Chad Johnson
They don't you know they don't bonus me out a couple of mil for winning in those areas, right? But the marketplace does.
00:44:52
Steven J. Neuner
Yeah.
00:44:54
Chad Johnson
And I think that's why those voices get so loud. you know it's It's a scorecard and guys like to win. But man, if we create our own priorities, according to what I believe Bible lays out, and, and play all out to win that and keep them in balance, not balance.
00:45:07
Chad Johnson
I hate there's no balance, but, but keep them in, in a priority list and, and put your attention where it's needed. there's just a sustaining grace in this.
00:45:17
Steven J. Neuner
Yeah.
00:45:18
Chad Johnson
anyway.
00:45:19
Steven J. Neuner
and And it doesn't pencil.
00:45:19
Todd Pinkston
Hey, you just said no balance.
00:45:20
Steven J. Neuner
Yeah.
00:45:21
Todd Pinkston
I think that's, I think that is one of the things people talk about. i mean, I work seasonally, so our summer is crazy. I mean, we're, you know, 80, 90 hour weeks and, and, you know, six days and people ask, how do you, how do you keep a balance?
00:45:29
Chad Johnson
Yeah.
00:45:35
Todd Pinkston
And so I, I'm, I think there's more behind what you just said. What's your perspective on balance?
00:45:41
Chad Johnson
I think a lot of people think you're, you know, successful people or people that have kind of figured out a few things are always keeping every so plate spinning equally, right? Like everything is always humming and it's like, boy, boy, boy. And it's, and it's not, I love what you just said, Todd, there are seasons. There's, there's, and I think,
00:45:58
Chad Johnson
to me as long as there's massive amounts of communication alignment between you and your spouse or your business partners or the people that are stakeholders in what you're doing and everybody's talking about hey these are always the priorities but this is where our attention is needed now
00:46:06
Steven J. Neuner
Thank you.
00:46:13
Chad Johnson
Right. We need to there's seasons where Janice, I am going to be doing a lot of head down. Right. Work because business demands it. and This is what the season is. And you're good and I'm good. But let's let's navigate through this. But not with this lie that someday, you know, we're going get through it and retire. and It's not that.
00:46:31
Chad Johnson
kind of 20-year lockdown it's literally seasonal but it's it's literally prayerfully doing that evaluation with each one of your priorities where am i on a scale of one to ten in my relationship with the lord maybe i shouldn't go to work maybe i shouldn't be focused on my marriage today or my kids i need to go spend a day just or the morning getting quiet with the lord and getting right and figuring out what's going on in my own heart and mind and really letting him you know, renew me and sustain me. So I'm a full cup so I can go be, so it's like scale a one to 10 on all these things all the time. and then what's the one thing I can do to move it in the right direction. And just putting attention where it's needed in the season it's needed can really allow a a beautiful sustaining. And it's, I don't look for any balance in the short term, but I want to win in all five long-term.
00:47:17
Chad Johnson
Right. And that's the big difference. I don't look for balance. I mean, things are always out of whack in the short term, but I'm always cognizant of them. And I want at the end of my life to go. These five things all really mattered and, and, and we're fruitful.
00:47:31
Steven J. Neuner
Well, what I love about that too is what when you when you think about stewardship and you think about like the idea of compounding and things, like it's like it's always invisible, right? So as my relationship with with the Lord is stronger and healthier and everything, then it's actually easier for me to be a better husband.
00:47:42
Chad Johnson
That's it.
00:47:49
Steven J. Neuner
Right. And as you know, my wife and I are super in alignment, parenting becomes so much easier.
00:47:53
Todd Pinkston
Thank you.
00:47:54
Steven J. Neuner
Like so much of, you know, our parenting conflicts are like, are when we're not in alignment. Right. it's it's just crazy. And then all of that just flows down.
00:48:01
Chad Johnson
Yeah.
00:48:03
Steven J. Neuner
Right. And yet I know guys and gals who I love and I'm very close to who who are literally, you know, ambitious to, to, to make a lot of money, everything.
00:48:12
Steven J. Neuner
Right. And yet they're probably the wealthiest person I know if they hadn't been married and divorced so many times because they've divided their assets over and over and over again. Right. So it's just, it's just this this weird sort of, uh, man, cool, invisible, uh, you know, uh, yet if we had the eyes and ears to hear the the force that working when we get those priorities in alignment, I love that.
00:48:23
Chad Johnson
yep
00:48:36
Chad Johnson
Absolutely.
00:48:38
Steven J. Neuner
what i What I'd love to just talk about, if if if I can, if Todd will stop interrupting me interrupting you here, I'd love to, this is going go so far, we're going ruin an episode here.
00:48:47
Todd Pinkston
Yeah.
00:48:49
Steven J. Neuner
We're going to stop. Pull up the plane. all right. What I do want to know, though, Chad, is like what you're up to now. Because last time we talked, I mean, like there was some stuff stirring.
00:48:57
Chad Johnson
Yes.
00:48:58
Steven J. Neuner
you were They were on the move. You blessed me with the book. And, you know, I'm like, I just I knew there was a lot stirring with you and I haven't had a chance. So we're going to do this live. I want to hear what's going on with with the stirring that had been going on. cause i didn't see you so jacked up. You're jacked up guy. I've not seen you. You are unhinged in a good way.
00:49:19
Steven J. Neuner
Unleashed last time we talked.
00:49:22
Todd Pinkston
Hey, i said is I said his hair looks good and his jawline's good.
00:49:23
Chad Johnson
Well,
00:49:26
Todd Pinkston
You're now talking about his muscles. I mean, it's unbelievable.
00:49:31
Chad Johnson
I heard unhinged is what I heard, Todd. No. All right.
00:49:34
Todd Pinkston
what
00:49:36
Chad Johnson
That's what I heard.
00:49:36
Todd Pinkston
oh
00:49:37
Chad Johnson
All right.
Mentoring the Next Generation
00:49:38
Chad Johnson
So, Stephen, yes, I am, you know, in line with the kind of the priorities, Lord's place on my heart, but was able to sell a a pretty new packaging company in 2021.
00:49:45
Steven J. Neuner
Yeah.
00:49:48
Chad Johnson
And I've been asking the question, you Dan Sullivan, our coach, you know, asked, what single activity did you find so fascinating and motivating you want to do it the rest of your life? Well, I know for a fact it's around developing and cultivating people, right?
00:49:58
Todd Pinkston
yeah
00:50:03
Chad Johnson
That it's that it's building people. so that Again, I'm free. I want to help others get free. And then I said, well, who do I want to help most? Where's that calling? Outside of my own wife, family, children, grandchildren.
00:50:13
Chad Johnson
It was like, where's the work? and the real obvious, it's just neat the way the Lord works. My brother, who was 50 years old, passed away, as you know, Stephen, January of 2025, a little over a year ago. And he left behind 10 children.
00:50:30
Chad Johnson
And seven of those children and young people are men. And i found myself, I have three sons, two of which are in the ages of 16 to 22.
00:50:42
Chad Johnson
The other one is 26 or married now.
00:50:43
Steven J. Neuner
Awesome young man. Yeah.
00:50:46
Chad Johnson
But five of Dwight's sons, my brother's sons that he left behind are in the ages of 16 to 22. And I've been doing a weekly zoom call with them and just wanting to pour in. I can't be their father, but I can be their herir uncle.
00:51:01
Chad Johnson
And I made a commitment that I want to see him I wanna see walk to the Lord and I wanna see him marrying the Lord. I said, if I can be an uncle that helps that, I win.
00:51:14
Chad Johnson
And I can be there for my what my brother would have desired. and And so I'm spending time with these men and I started realizing the great need. This is huge need. and And these are, so these are my sons and my nephews who have been growing up in loving homes, Christian homes, got the parents, all the things, but there's a lot coming out of them.
00:51:14
Todd Pinkston
Yeah.
00:51:33
Chad Johnson
There's a lot of uncertainty. There's a lot of, Hey, how do I show up in today as a man? And what does it look like? And what's my future? And, and where's, but where's the vision and what, There's just a lot there. And so as I started going down that journey, I was looking for different resources and different things. And I came across this book called The Preparation. and just lit me up. It lit me up because it spoke so much to my own journey. And I realized that at this season of my life, I really help want to help more than anything. I want to help the version of myself that was 16 to 22 years old, that it was full of excitement about the future, but unclear on a path. I was very stuck in a lot. Again, I was stuck. I was believing a lot of lies. there was a lot of head trash.
00:52:16
Chad Johnson
I was trying to navigate a lot of really important decisions in those times. I knew i wanted to get married. I knew I wanted to, you know, provide well. I wanted to use my gifts, all these things. And I'm like, and for many, it was, the path was always college. It was obvious. Just do this, go to school, get your deep.
00:52:33
Chad Johnson
That's not so obvious anymore. There's a lot of people that like, whoa, slow that train. There's a lot of people, okay, well do a train. Well, great. That's great for certain people that have that aptitude, those abilities, right? But, but really the, the, the thing that lit me up was the fact that this preparation model was built on a 90 day cycle.
00:52:50
Chad Johnson
And I've been, since I was 33 years old and jumped into strategic coach 22 years ago, I've been on a 90 day cycle. I love 90 days. I can crush 90 days. I can focus for 90 days.
00:53:01
Chad Johnson
And then I need to re up, right? I need to revisit.
00:53:04
Steven J. Neuner
Yeah.
00:53:04
Chad Johnson
I need to get above the clouds. and this framework basically is exposing young men to have a really wide funnel of experiences and really expose them to different careers, different,
00:53:17
Chad Johnson
you know ways of learning, different books, the books we read, right? Not just academic books, but but business books and life skill books and and foundational faith elements. and And I started getting this excitement around what if over the course of three, four years, someone's go through 12 16 of these 90 day cycles and a coach would call them four C's, right? You commit to something that requires courage. You're going to build capability. It's going to increase your confidence.
00:53:45
Chad Johnson
And there's nothing more compelling than a young man, young lady as well, but a young man that is really capable and confident because of it. And that you can throw them into a lot of environments. I see this about entrepreneurs is I'm never worried about you as entrepreneurs because you're going be okay. You know how to create value. You know how to serve. You know what your strengths are. You're going to be okay. Take away your current business. You're going fine.
00:54:06
Chad Johnson
And I'm like, I want to give that same capability, that same confidence, the same mindsets, the same skill sets to these young men and launch them out into the world as these godly world changers, right? That could...
00:54:19
Chad Johnson
not only be ready to be a real legit husband and and a vision for a fatherhood and what family might be and all that, but also great providers, great marketplace leaders and possibly ministers in in all these areas. And so that's, I've just finished the first 12 week course, literally last Wednesday with 13 guys.
00:54:42
Chad Johnson
And it was mind blowing. I guess that it was absolutely mind blowing and we're kicking off another cycle. And we're going to continue to pour into these guys. At first, I was thinking I was going to run a ton of guys through.
00:54:53
Chad Johnson
Now I'm really questioning whether Jesus of Nazareth was onto something building really deep with 12 guys. And I've got one of them isn't didn't end up being right. I've got 12.
00:55:05
Chad Johnson
And so I'm doubling down with these 12 right now. And I'll see where they go. But yeah, that's I'm fired up about it Stephen. Just so fired up about it.
00:55:13
Steven J. Neuner
do you well and i mean we've i've been like so just curious where i go do you have a name for it yet because i mean like it was this is like so i'm doing zoom i mean you're just like you're just living life right but it's like yeah
00:55:21
Chad Johnson
No,
00:55:25
Chad Johnson
I literally, I called it giant five foundations cause you know, I overused giant
Giant Five Foundations Initiative
00:55:30
Chad Johnson
five for everything. And, and, but, it and I was, see and I was thinking, you know, i these are the foundations.
00:55:37
Chad Johnson
It was a lot of helping them work on the real estate, most important real estate in the world right between their ears. and and so, yeah, right now it's called giant five foundations.
00:55:46
Chad Johnson
We'll see where it goes, but that's where it's at at the moment.
00:55:47
Steven J. Neuner
Love it. Yeah, man.
00:55:50
Chad Johnson
Yeah.
00:55:50
Steven J. Neuner
Love it.
00:55:51
Chad Johnson
yeah
00:56:04
Chad Johnson
Yes.
00:56:07
Steven J. Neuner
I mean, so thank you again for the book. It's been it's it's changed my son's 12 and it's changed the way that I'm even thinking of preparing him before we even get to Giant Five land. So foundations. Yeah.
00:56:20
Chad Johnson
You know what, Steven?
00:56:21
Todd Pinkston
that is Is that book, are you talking about the preparation? Yeah.
00:56:25
Steven J. Neuner
the preparation Matt Smith and I forget who else.
00:56:25
Chad Johnson
Yes. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Matt Smith and Casey. but I forget Casey's last name at the moment, but yeah.
00:56:33
Steven J. Neuner
Casey Kasich, I don't know, something like that.
00:56:35
Chad Johnson
you know I don't know. Yeah. Or is it Matt Keith? I don't know. But yeah, it's it's Matt Smith and Casey something.
00:56:40
Steven J. Neuner
Yeah.
00:56:43
Steven J. Neuner
Yeah.
00:56:43
Chad Johnson
Yeah, it it is a great framework.
00:56:45
Chad Johnson
and And I want to tell you, Steve, and you are you're such an intentional father and you're so ahead of the game and you're raising outstanding children because of you.
00:56:57
Chad Johnson
your vision and and intentionality. I mean, yeah I think books like that, they come along and they pour gas on your fire, but you're, you're, you're doing it and have been doing it. And the fruit is showing in a beautiful way.
00:57:08
Steven J. Neuner
Thanks brother.
00:57:09
Todd Pinkston
yep
00:57:09
Chad Johnson
So blessed by it.
00:57:10
Steven J. Neuner
Made five mistakes before we got on the podcast today, but yeah, like a worker prior to saying thank you.
00:57:10
Chad Johnson
Seriously.
00:57:17
Chad Johnson
oh Oh, nothing more powerful to keep us on our knees than being parents.
00:57:23
Todd Pinkston
Amen.
00:57:23
Chad Johnson
I'll tell you what, nothing more powerful.
00:57:23
Steven J. Neuner
Amen.
00:57:25
Todd Pinkston
Amen.
00:57:26
Steven J. Neuner
Boy, it's good when you're line with your wife on it too, though, last night.
00:57:26
Chad Johnson
Nothing more powerful.
00:57:29
Steven J. Neuner
I was thinking from recent experiences I went through the list.
00:57:30
Todd Pinkston
and she And she agrees you made five mistakes.
00:57:31
Chad Johnson
Yeah.
00:57:33
Todd Pinkston
You know, that's always good.
00:57:34
Chad Johnson
Hey,
00:57:35
Steven J. Neuner
Yeah.
00:57:37
Chad Johnson
yeah
00:57:37
Todd Pinkston
Hey, Chad, how can how and people follow you?
00:57:38
Chad Johnson
hey
00:57:39
Todd Pinkston
How can they, you know, just be in the wake of what you're doing and and learn about new stuff and and continue to be inspired by the things the Lord's putting on your heart?
00:57:50
Chad Johnson
Okay, well, i'm I'm not a big social media guy at all. I i kind of, yeah, run a different track. i Right now i'm creating a website, it's called Chad Johnson Co., Chad Johnson Company, abbreviated CO, so.com.
00:58:06
Chad Johnson
And it's going to kind of be the one place where everybody can go. i do a weekly email. I kick it out every Wednesday. I call it five win Wednesday.
00:58:13
Steven J. Neuner
Great email.
00:58:26
Chad Johnson
Like you said, Stephen, I appreciate you plugging the book. I'm actually rebranding my book right now, how to win a heart. it's it's for so It's for young men, young ladies, married couples. I really want to see more people fired up about their marriage relationship, excited about it. i really want to see a real increase in young men being excited about marriage and family and and all the the beauty of that. And I think the world and culture has given it such a bad rap.
00:58:55
Chad Johnson
And so that's that's really what that's about. It's called How to Win a Heart. But yeah, I think right now on the website, that'd be the best place. It's literally kind of going live as we speak. So if it's a little dysfunctional or some links aren't active, give me some grace.
00:59:09
Chad Johnson
But yeah, it's coming comeman i went along.
00:59:11
Steven J. Neuner
attention
00:59:13
Chad Johnson
Thanks for asking, Todd.
00:59:13
Steven J. Neuner
london it Yeah, well, man, I just want to say,
00:59:15
Todd Pinkston
Yeah. Yeah.
00:59:20
Steven J. Neuner
every conversation from the moment we met and it was like, oh man, yeah you got like, everyone told me about you and then I met you and then I'd like instantly like knew like that I had met a brother and it was just, it was like, it was, I just knew. And every single conversation we've ever had, man, you've left me better. And so I just, I really appreciate what the way I started what I really mean. You're a trailblazer.
00:59:47
Steven J. Neuner
without even trying, you you leave awake, man. And so I'm just grateful for you. I love you. i love your beautiful family. And man, I'm just, I'm so excited so proud and just glad I get to be on the front row seat to see all the amazing things that you're up to.
01:00:02
Steven J. Neuner
So, love you, bute
01:00:05
Chad Johnson
Appreciate you so much.
01:00:05
Todd Pinkston
Chad, thanks for a great conversation.
01:00:06
Chad Johnson
Appreciate you, Todd.
01:00:06
Todd Pinkston
I'm inspired. You bet.
01:00:09
Chad Johnson
Love you guys. Love the work you're doing. Can't wait to read your book and share it with other people when you when you get that done. So please, can't wait. Very grateful for you.
01:00:20
Todd Pinkston
You bet.
01:00:20
Steven J. Neuner
soon as Todd stops interrupting on my copy, we'll, uh, it'll be done. just kidding.
01:00:27
Chad Johnson
I'm sure that's happening.
01:00:28
Steven J. Neuner
Yeah.
01:00:29
Chad Johnson
I'm sure that's happening.
01:00:30
Steven J. Neuner
but What a treat. Love you brother.
01:00:33
Todd Pinkston
Yeah. Thanks, dude.
01:00:34
Chad Johnson
Hey, appreciate with you guys.
01:00:36
Todd Pinkston
You bet.
01:00:36
Chad Johnson
Keep on.