JC Almanza: Redemption: Overcoming Addiction, Prison, Violence & Personal Demons

Enter the Lionheart

Lawrence Dunning

Books, Wisdom, Entrepreneurship, Mma, Finance, Jiujitsu, Renaissanceman, Author, Realestate, Goals, Business, Mentor, Philosophy, Ayahuasca, Society & Culture, Psychedelicexplorers

5 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 14 December 2023

⏱️ 60 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

From a childhood filled with trauma, by 9 years old JC Almanza was already a gang member on the south side of Chicago; by 16 he was running drugs for the Mexican Cartel, and by 17 he was arrested and put in a Mexican Prison. After multiple years of incarceration, he eventually overcame addiction, prison, and personal demons. The catalysts included a year in solitary confinement, meeting his future wife, and finding Jesus.

Today JC is a fitness expert and coach, as well as a mentor to inmates who he helps transition to a life outside prison. JC is a powerful testament that we all have the power to change for the better, even when we have every excuse not to.

As the Arizona state Deadlift champion, JC advocates for simplicity in training, highlighting that one can achieve remarkable results with basic exercises like bench press, squat, and deadlift.

“Forgiveness, especially self-forgiveness, is a cornerstone for personal growth.”

1.00: Early Childhood

4.30: Prison in Mexico

8.07: Opening up a gym after release from prison

13.30: Attempted Suicide and how his wife saved him

24.00: Finding Jesus

26.00: The importance for kids to learn how to deal with their emotions

32.30: Structure of Prison

39.20: Finding Happiness

43.50: Exercise as a Path to Happiness

46.20: Solitude to listen to your demons

50.00: Simplicity in training

56.00: Mentoring female prisoners use personal training as a career after prison

Wrong To Strong on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@wrongtostrong

Podcast Website: https://enterthelionheart.com/

Check out the latest episode here:

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/enter-the-lionheart/id1554904704

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4tD7VvMUvnOgChoNYShbcI

Transcript

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0:00.0	A single theme is too narrow for great minds and daring hearts. Get ready to enter the line heart with your host, Lauren's Dunning.
0:22.0	I had a million dollars in my closet and didn't make me happy. I'm not rich, now I live well, but I come home and relax because I didn't have a home as a kid.
0:33.0	So now I get to come home, I relax, I get to spend time with my wife. So to me, that's success because I come home and I'm happy.
0:43.0	That's beautiful, but almost you can say that because like you said, you had a million dollars in your closet and it didn't bring you happiness.
0:50.0	A lot of people that have never had the things they're striving for, think in their head, if I can just get this, I'll be happy.
0:56.0	But that's not true. So hopefully people listen to this will know not to chase the wrong goals.
1:00.0	Lies, so it is lies.
1:04.0	It's such a pleasure to be here with you, JC Amanda. You have an incredible story.
1:10.0	You are a fitness coach, a mentor, a Christian motivational speaker and author that your life wasn't always so great.
1:18.0	You had to overcome some real tough adversity. So they're always my favorite kind of stories.
1:23.0	It doesn't start off easy, but it ends well.
1:28.0	It didn't start off easy at all.
1:33.0	JC, can we start with the, with your youth?
1:36.0	And you know, I'm in the Southside Chicago, like what it was like.
1:40.0	And then so much of our life is from those formative years, right? And I use.
1:44.0	I mean, my parents had me at a really young age.
1:47.0	My parents came over from Mexico at like 14 and had me at 16.
1:53.0	So you know, kids having kids.
1:55.0	And my dad ended up falling in love with the drugs, the women and just the lifestyle in Chicago.
2:03.0	And he left my mom to fend for herself.
2:08.0	And at the time, you know, it was three of us, me and my two sisters.
2:12.0	My mom had to make a decision to go live with her brother.
	...

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