We were lucky to catch up with Jonas Royster recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jonas , appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear the story of how you went from this being just an idea to making it into something real.

Waking up on January 1st, 2018 with my head throbbing and my kidneys feeling like Mike Tyson punched a hole through them enough was enough. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired and something had to change. My wife was tired of my b.s., my friends laughed and talked crap behind my back and I felt like I used my last prayer to God six months previous. I knew if I didn’t quit drinking and drugging I was going to be what I despised most, a good-for-nothing father and piece of shit husband. Depending on who you would’ve asked I was already that. That’s when the idea appeared on the movie screen of my mind. What would my life look like if I didn’t have another drink?

My imagination let loose like a trapped cat from a dark room. It ran freely and blindly through the cobwebs of possibilities until it reached the open meadows where ideas were forming like clouds. Then it appeared, Sobriety will be my savior, my rod, and my shaft. It will propel me to everything I ever dreamed of. Now 1,585 days later my tiny steps have become a formidable distance and I am blazing my own trail. The path to getting here sure hasn’t been easy but it has been simple because I have remembered this mantra. All excellence is, is the commitment to completion. That simple reminder has helped me become a 3-time award-winning author, and motivational speaker, and even completed a marathon during the process. WhatI now know and truly belive is that to have an idea is great but without action, we will never gain traction on the road toward executing any of our dreams.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My life has been a life of choices, some good some catastrophically bad but all of my own. My choice of being in the “street life” was not a brilliant choice however I choose it day in and day out for 25 consecutive years. I gave that life and my homies everything I had and by the tender age of twenty-three, I found myself standing in front of a judge looking at spending 25 years to life in prison. The only thing that kept me from fainting on the courtroom floor were the four underlying core values that in turn became the foundation of what has helped me shift my life 180 degrees. Commitment, loyalty, integrity, and discipline.

Each one of these values helped me quit a 25-year criminal activity habit, a 22-year drinking habit, and countless other habits which in turn have helped me turn my life experiences into the award-winning Young Adult Fiction book Bangin’ The Making of a Y.G. I believe everyone has a story and within that story, we all have a set of values that if identified can shift and transform our lives into whatever we desire if we are willing to take risks for positive change.

As a speaker, I help the formerly and currently incarcerated shift their mindset by teaching them how to find their transferable values and apply them so they can redesign their lives for a better future. As an author, I get to extend my influence to people beyond my personal touch. What sets me apart from others is my uncanny ability to see both sides of the fence and apply a unique street perspective to help people gain a better understanding of how to redesign their lives.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

What I believe that has helped me build my reputation has been the fact that I’m as transparent as a glass of water. I don’t attempt to hide my blemishes, my mistakes, or my lessons. I believe in giving everyone everything about me in hope that they can find value in it.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

There has been an array of books, speeches, and even seminars that have significantly impacted my philosophy. When I made the commitment to burn the ships and start a new life the first book that I read and did every assignment in was John C. Maxwell’s 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth. John’s simple clear methods allowed me to take my personal growth one step at a time. I recommend this to anyone who is serious about doing the work to change the results in their lives.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jonasroyster.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonasroyster/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jonas.royster
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonas-royster-35236575/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jonasroyster295
• Other: To purchase the award-winning Young Adult Fiction book Bangin’ The Making of a Y.G. bit.ly/banginthemakingofayg