We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lelund Hollins a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Lelund, thanks for joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

Life is about taking risks. We take them for work, for our careers, and for love — because without risk, there is no real reward.

Lelund, 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?

Lelund Nathaniel Hollins is a multidisciplinary creative whose story blends music, storytelling, and entertainment into a career built on authenticity and resilience. From a young age, he gravitated toward music and narrative, eventually expanding his skills into photography, audio engineering, live sound, creative production, and writing.

Before fully stepping into media, Lelund spent 13 years in professional wrestling across the Carolinas, training under legends like Ernie Ladd and learning from experienced performers. Those years instilled discipline, performance savvy, and an understanding of the entertainment business from the inside out.

Today, through Hollins Nation, PoP LiFe Photography, and his publishing ventures, he helps artists and creatives transform their talents into meaningful work and personal brands that connect with communities.

What sets him apart is his lived experience. Facing personal and physical challenges, Lelund has built a career where creativity meets truth, turning every story, sound, and image into an authentic expression of life.

“I’ve faced obstacles that could have stopped me,” he says, “but each one became fuel for my work.” His brand stands on authenticity, creativity, and perseverance — inspiring, educating, and uplifting audiences across every medium he touches.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Let’s go back to North Carolina, 2004. I was on top of the world — a solid job, my own apartment — all I needed was a car. I was still involved in professional wrestling and working with rap groups again. My life seemed intact… or so I thought.

I made a pivotal mistake: I tried to help someone while they were homeless. To survive, I got involved in criminal activity, not realizing how quickly things would spiral. Toxicity took over, and after moving into my new apartment, everything fell apart. I was locked up and lost it all, ending up with a felony charge.

Next came a chained relationship that drained me rather than motivating me. Constant court procedures and county jail visits became my reality, and I often wondered how I even survived. Marriage, I learned, can feel like torture when you realize you can’t stand your spouse. Once again, betrayal and misjudgment left me in complete limbo, unsure of what the future held.

I left North Carolina to return to Washington, D.C., reflecting on a new master plan. A month later, I was offered a life-changing opportunity — a chance to move to Hollywood, Los Angeles, and finally pursue the childhood dream I’d carried for years. The decision I made 15 years ago was the greatest decision of my life. I don’t regret it for a second — it completely saved me. It was my last shot to prove to myself that I could achieve success on my own terms.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

One story that truly illustrates my resilience goes back to my early days in Los Angeles. I had just moved here, starting my creative career from scratch, and life seemed determined to throw every obstacle in my path. I was juggling long hours, multiple jobs, and personal challenges while trying to establish myself in the music industry as an Artist Relations Representative.

Then came a major scare — Congestive Heart Failure, the same condition I’d ignored years before — and suddenly, everything I had built felt at risk. Many people would have quit, but I refused. I doubled down on my health, focused on healing, and committed to learning everything I could about Hollywood’s history, business practices, and creative techniques. I pushed myself physically, mentally, and professionally to keep moving forward.

When LAFS (Los Angeles Film School) called, I accepted the challenge of navigating two programs while keeping my life in order. During this period, I even chose to live homeless, facing drugs, toxic people, and false accusations that threatened my work and reputation. Instead of letting it break me, I documented everything, stayed disciplined, and let the law handle what I could not.

After being blackballed in Hollywood following a brawl — when politics threatened to end my career — I turned to photography with the program How We See It, a collaboration between California State University, Northridge students and community members at Holy Family Service Center in North Hollywood. I focused on capturing the streets of Los Angeles, particularly the homelessness crisis, and quickly became a standout.

In the years since, my work has been featured in five museums, a Los Angeles Times spotlight, LA City Hall, brochures, pamphlets, and in interviews for half a dozen magazines. That journey taught me that resilience isn’t about avoiding hardship — it’s about facing it, adapting, and using it as fuel. Today, every project I produce, every mentorship I provide, and every story I tell carries that lesson: obstacles don’t define you — your response does.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://about.me/thereallelundhollins
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lelundnathanielhollins
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lelundnathanielhollins/
• Twitter: https://x.com/hollinslelund
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@lelundhollins74
• Other: https://www.latimes.com/homeless-housing/story/2020-02-22/homeless-crisis-population-podcast-we-the-unhoused

Image Credits

All photography is property of Lelund Hollins’ personal picture collection, HOLLINS NATION and the JOYCE Brand.