We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful DeVonte Bennett Bey. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with DeVonte below.
DeVonte, appreciate you joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?
My parents taught me to never quit. That was undoubtedly the best thing they ever taught me. Growing up wasn’t exactly easy. I got picked on, I changed schools multiple times and my parents always worked so we didn’t spend much time together. Not unless it came to sports. With sports they were always there for me, took me to every practice, every game. They always had me in the proper gear. They also made sure I had good training. Early on when I first learned to play baseball my father noticed I could throw with both hands. He told me i sure learn to use both hands to catch the baseball. It was very hard at first, i wasn’t accustomed to catching the ball with my left hand and throwing with my right. It was very difficult, but i remember my father telling me to keep trying and keep practicing it. He knew i was capable, so he never let me quit working on it. Eventually I got the hang of it and was able to throw and catch with both hands. My baseball skill level skyrocketed shortly after. I was able to play all positions on the field. I was easily one of the best children in the league and I stuck out! My confidence grew and I soon began to understand the meaning of “I can do all things through Christ,” something my parents and grandparents instilled in me early on. That same unwillingness to quit has gotten me through the military, issues in my marriage and my shortcomings as a father. The value of never quitting has and will always be one of my greatest lessons and I hope to pass it down to my children.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Peace and Love, I am Devonte Bennett Bey. I am a 28 year old father of 3 who has been married for 10 years. I am a marriage and parenting educator, as well as a mental & physical health advocate. I have overcome depression, anxiety, chronic pain, PTSD from marital issues and more. I enlisted in the United States Marine Corps at age 17 and served for 5 years. I became a parent at 18 years old shortly after enlisting and marrying my bestfriend. We immediately started having issues in our marriage that set a stage for mental trauma and infdelity to occur on both sides. This led to problems at home & work which eventually caused me to go to jail and spend 36hours in solitary confinement. This caused a life changing event that ultimately set me on my path as a marriage and parent educator. After leaving the jail and returning to work i was forced to take marriage counseling and parenting classes. These classes gave me a new insight and understanding into the life i was currently living and how to change it to the life i wanted. From that point I began a self healing journey that allowed me to heal myself and my family. Now we use the skills and experience we have fixing our own marriage to teach others how to do the same. We teach workshops for different areas of communication, as well as create other resources like courses and books to further family growth. Our brand is called “That Intentional Family” because that Is what we are building. An intentional community of families bettering themselves on purpose.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I believe it was my transparency and authenticity. I try to only share things that I’ve learned or experienced. I tell my story in a way that allows others to connect and become inspired by my evolution as a man, husband and father.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
When I left the Marine Corps I had plenty of good paying job options. I first worked for Spacex for about a year before quitting and working for Jaguar. Both times I was chasing money and what I thought was freedom. It wasn’t until I got fired that I realized neither of those jobs were fit for me. Me getting fired was him showing me he had better for me. I worked for door dash and Lyft for a bit before starting my own business in the field of marriage. Something completely different from the jobs I just came from. This switch to business ownership was hard, but it gave me what I wanted. Freedom! Freedom to enjoy my life and my Family. I have never had any regrets about not going back to a regular job.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.thatintentionalfamily.com
- Instagram: @theycallmepapabennett
- Facebook: DeVonte Bennett
- Linkedin: DeVonte Bennett Bey
- Twitter: Papabennettbey