Meet David Collingsworth

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Sed ut perspiciatis unde.

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful David Collingsworth. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with David below.

David, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

I think it truly takes honesty and integrity to be successful. Years ago I worked as an HVAC Tech and my supervisor asked if I had installed a hard start kit on the customer’s AC and I replied “it was brand new!” He said “you could still do it and it is 100% profit for us.” I was amazed he wanted me to be dishonest. I had heard Vince Lombardi say “it takes months to find a customer and seconds to lose one.” If I’m honest I don’t have a guilty conscience or have to remember all of the lies I’ve told.

David, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am pleased with my progress in life today. I’ve married my high school sweetheart after being separated 32 years, I produce a successful radio show about criminal justice in Houston, Texas. I have established a maintenance department for a successful franchise to a national gym chain, and I have started an award winning wedding officiant business.

Producing The Prison Show on 90.1 FM KPFT in Houston is my way of giving back to society. We use the first hour to discuss issues of interest to inmates and their families. The second hour features shout-outs from family and friends to their loved ones behind the bars.

In 2013 while working at Spirit Key Inc. as a chaplain, dorm pastor, and maintenance man I was contacted by a local business owner who was building onto a national chain of gyms . He asked if I could perform maintenance for him and when I asked the location he replied “all of them.” I was hired as Facility Manager for 6 local gyms until the company reached a milestone at 36 gyms which at that time hired a gentleman with 21 years experience to handle the larger companies volume. Today we still use the platform for maintenance that was established under my direction, but my experience is best used in the field as a tech over training and special projects.

My wife DeeDee and I dated in the 80s and our families tried to allow it, but my troublemaking knot head ways got in the middle of things and we were separated for 32 years. In 2015 we found each other on a dating site and spent 2 years fishing and going out to dinner before I proposed and we were married March 4, 2017.

The pandemic in 2020 hit us all hard. The radio station at KPFT in Houston had to learn to produce remotely so I became a videographer and translated all video to sound for airing over the radio. The gyms closed and we had to establish national cleaning and distance protocols. DeeDee lost alot of hours at work so I returned to ministry as a wedding officiant. Weddings were being performed in parks and backyards, for a long time, but slowly the venues have reopened so I travel around the Houston area performing catered wedding ceremonies.

Weddings gave me an opportunity to get out and ride my Harley and practice freedom of religion catering scripts to the couples’ needs and beliefs. David Collingsworth – Not Your Ordinary Preacher has won the Couples Choice Awards for 2022 and 2023 on the Wedding Wire/The Knot wedding platform and performed over 300 weddings since September of 2020.

My ADHD keeps me on my toes and staying sober has played a major part in my success and freedom. Learning how to make the next right decision and viewing life through others’ eyes have contributed to my success. I still have issues everyday, but I act rather than react and life is great.

After 544 radio shows and over 300 weddings I am still learning and observing striving for new ideas and solutions, but the steps are roughly the same.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

When it comes to social media, mostly I focused on Facebook and Twitter, but as the next generations entered the picture, the social platforms being used for inspiration shifted to Instagram, Tik Tok and YouTube. I tried “friending” people I met who were influential and inspiring, but as I watched their pages and saw their circle of friends grow or change, it became a mystery so I would boost posts and watch the insights for times and people groups that responded. Believe it or not I realized that I didn’t have to pay for boosting posts as much as I needed to post at the right time and in the right place. I joined groups as myself and as my business or radio show and became involved volunteering information and advice and as I became a trusted advisor my posts got more attention. I shared my posts in groups, on pages, and with friends. This year’s Christmas post resulted in over 5000 viewers. We have live videos reach 6000 easily. Covid changed our audience, but Face Book Live seemed to allow radio listeners a chance to watch reality TV and boost our audience rather than loose listeners. Between 2020 and 2023 social media became posts, chats, videos, blogs, and podcasts. We were reaching everyone and they were helping us by commenting and sharing with their family and friends.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I’ve always heard the Marines say Simper Fi, and then Simper Gumby. Always being flexible seems a much better attitude because we just don’t know what the day holds. I have been a maintenance man most of my adult life, whether in prison, ministry, or as a career. My prison life resulted in parole and I had to learn to live in society as a productive citizen. I worked in the faith based sector until I was offered a career and a chance to pay child support for my youngest daughter and that turned into a multi million dollar business that out grew my skills. If you ever read “Rich Dad Poor Dad you’ll understand. I work with my hands and fix anything I can take apart. 6 gyms to 36 gyms meant we had to think more efficiently and that didn’t always mean repairing it “in house.” I had to grasp that concept because I couldn’t see paying someone $500 for an hour’s work when I could do it in 4 hours myself, but imagine the work I could accomplish within my expertise in 4 hours. It began to be a no brainer. I had to grow with the business. Simper Gumby. In radio I began by bringing a man a diet Dr. Pepper and he taught me timing. Bring the Dr. Pepper early and he drank it to soo, bring it late and he would be parched and clown me on the air. I had to deliver the Dr. Pepper as the show started, opened prior to entering the control room so as not to make a noise. Then one day I was asked to answer the phones, or work the sound board. One job after another so I could produce, host, answer phones or schedule guests. Simper Gumby, makes since after 20 years in radio.

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Meet David Collingsworth

Meet David Collingsworth

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David, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

David, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Have you ever had to pivot?

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