Podcast Interview: Featured on the BeTempered Podcast

Two weeks ago, I was invited to be featured and interviewed on the BeTempered Podcast — a show hosted by Dan Schmidt and Ben Spar that explores real stories of faith, resilience, and perseverance.

It was one of the most personal conversations I’ve ever had on record.

From La Libertad to Richmond, Indiana

I didn’t walk in prepared to share everything. But when you sit down with hosts who genuinely care, the story comes out.

I talked about growing up in La Libertad, Philippines — a place whose name means “freedom,” but where I experienced anything but. Losing my mother at eight years old. A father who wasn’t there. Living with my grandmother who couldn’t feed us. Four days without food, surviving on porridge — a cup of rice stretched into a bowl of watered-down soup — given to us by a neighbor named Libby who said “God bless you” every time she handed it to us.

I didn’t understand what those words meant back then. I do now.

Why I Agreed to Tell This Story

I’m not a podcast guest who shows up to promote a service. I said yes to BeTempered because their mission aligns with mine — real stories, real truth, and a platform that moves people to action.

Dan and Ben didn’t just interview me. They prayed over the conversation before we started. They asked the hard questions. And by the end, we weren’t just talking about my past — we were talking about what it means to flip the coin from survival mode to servant mode.

That’s the phrase that stuck with me from that conversation. Survival to servant. That’s the whole journey.

What We Covered in This Episode

• Growing up without parents in the Philippines and what poverty really looks like from the inside
• How a retired U.S. Marine named Brian spoke a prophetic word over my life — one that took a decade to come true
• My sister Jenny who gave up her education so I could go to school
• Coming to America, building Instant Web Tools, LLC, and why I give 10% of every dollar to Kingdom Legacy Ministries
• The digital training program we sponsored in the Philippines that gave young people real, government-accredited skills
• What I would say to Libby if I could sit with her on a park bench today

The Part That Hit Me Hardest

Near the end of the episode, host Sean said something I won’t forget:

“From someone who had nothing — not even a place to live, food to eat — you’re here, you’re grateful. You’re not just in survival mode. You’re in servant mode.”

That’s what I want my life to communicate. Not just a story of overcoming, but a story of responsibility — the responsibility that comes when someone pours into you and you choose not to forget it.

Listen to the Full Episode

This episode is just over an hour long. If you have ever felt like you were born into the wrong circumstances, or if you simply want a reminder of how much you have to be grateful for — this conversation is for you.

🎧 Listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwlyAV8CvXI