Transacting Value Podcast

From Background to Frontline: One Brave Decision with Donavon Campbell

• Josh Porthouse • Season 6 • Episode 21

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What happens when you step out of the shadows and into your creative power? Donavon Campbell's journey from background supporter to creative frontman illuminates the path for anyone seeking to express their authentic talents. The Jamaican-born author, songwriter, and life coach shares his remarkable transformation, revealing how he spent 15 years writing songs before finally recording his first track. "Imagine, I wasted 15 years," Campbell reflects, highlighting how many of us sit on undeveloped gifts waiting for permission to shine. His story proves that the journey from hidden talent to public expression often begins with a single, brave decision.

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To learn more about Donavon, his coaching programs, guides, and featured books visit https://www.dc-digital-products.com/

You can also find him on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/BrotherDDC

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Josh Porthouse:

The views expressed in this podcast are solely those of the podcast host and guest and do not necessarily represent those of our distribution partners, supporting business relationships or supported audience. Welcome to Transacting Value, where we talk about practical applications for instigating self-worth when dealing with each other and even within ourselves, where we foster a podcast listening experience that lets you hear the power of a value system for managing burnout, establishing boundaries, fostering community and finding identity. My name is Josh Porthouse, I'm your host and we are redefining sovereignty of character. This is why values still hold value. This is Transacting Value.

Donavon Campbell:

For me, one of the things that I encourage myself is that there are lessons to be learned while going through the process and there are blessings to be gained from the process.

Josh Porthouse:

Today on Transacting Value. How do you express yourself when you're working through moments of trial, tribulation and change? How you interpret those things and what it can do for you, your family and everybody else you can impact is incredible. Today we're talking to the author, or co-author, of Our Life's Journey. He's a songwriter and a Caribbean motivational author from Toronto, canada. We've got Donovan Campbell coming on the show. I'm Josh Porthouse, I'm your host and from SDYT Media. This is Transacting Value. Donovan, how are you doing?

Donavon Campbell:

Hey, josh, I'm happy to be here on your program.

Josh Porthouse:

I'm happy to have you. We talked a little bit before I hit record and you've done some pretty incredible things in your life and you haven't been alive that long. It really is pretty impressive. So let's do this, let's set the stage a little bit. All right, Take a couple minutes. Who are you? Where are you from? But what sort of things are shaping your perspective on life that enabled you to do all these things?

Donavon Campbell:

Thank you for asking that question. So my name is Donovan Campbell. I'm from the Caribbean Jamaica to the Edzak in the Caribbean, and a few years ago I migrated to Canada. So that's a big transition right there from the Caribbean temperature to a cold temperature and you know I love to be creative. You know I love to be creative. I enjoy inspiring people, motivating people and educating people through my skill sets that I have inside of me. So you know that's who am I into a nutshell?

Josh Porthouse:

Ok, but then what skill sets are you talking about? Is this sports and athletics? Is this creative endeavors exclusively? What do you mean?

Donavon Campbell:

Creativity. So when I talk about creativity, I enjoy writing new songs, I enjoy creating book. I'm also a course creator and all of these creativity a course creator and all of these creativity persons can find it on my website and see more what I'm talking about where creativity is concerned. But I love to think within the square box and excel outside of the square box.

Josh Porthouse:

Well, so what's the appeal to creativity? I understand, I'm assuming with what is it? 25 years of songwriting now three, I think four books you've written or co-authored, and obviously all of the speaking engagements you've had and conducted, that there's some sort of like natural tendency to be creative. But but why is it? Is it, is it self expression, to process the world? Is it applying patterns to understand it? What's the trigger for all this?

Donavon Campbell:

um, to be honest with you that's a good question, josh over the years, I never see myself accomplishing all of these things and be this creative and be authentic. A few years ago, I always be in the background person. I easily can I guess that's a gift too. I easily identify person where they have a gift and cheer them in the background and say go ahead, you can sing, go ahead, you can do this. I always be the cheer person in the background and say go ahead, you can sing, go ahead, you can do this. I'll always be the cheer person in the background.

Donavon Campbell:

And moving from the background to the front stage, it's a different ballgame for me Because, being on the front stage, I realized that there's so much inside of me that I was hiding when I was in the background, helping person, which I still do encourage person and help person. But being on the front, I see a lot more. So that's where the whole journey started, from me leading up to now. So it's like when I, when I start writing songs, I, I, I never see myself as a, as a musician, a gospel artist to the exact. I never see myself being an author. But it's just amazing because I see these qualities in my wife and that's how comes our life journey book came across, because I see her as more of a writer and I partnered with her and wrote a book together, and from there it leads me to a next to other books and other creativity.

Josh Porthouse:

So it's just amazing okay, so you guys, you guys seem to feed off each other, then, from what you're describing, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah all right. Well, that helps. But are you, is it like a redundancy of effort, or do you find that you guys complement each other pretty well in how you view the world and your outlets and the shapes and forms that they take?

Donavon Campbell:

Yeah, yeah, we complement each other a lot, we support each other a lot. When our first book started, we were dating. We didn't marry at that time, and that was like 2015 that book started and we didn't publish that book until 2021. That's like five years after, six years after, so, and it's just amazing, you know.

Josh Porthouse:

Okay, so the inspiration, the drive that you're using to create all of this material, or I guess that you're using to create all of this material, or I guess that you're using to interpret all of the material into whatever forms of media you're using is one thing, but how do you know what to do with it? I mean, it sounds like this crazy lightning storm of just cosmic energy that you're just putting on paper or putting into music. You know what I mean. How do you know that it it's effective? How do you know what to do with it?

Donavon Campbell:

whenever time I write a new song or a record and my new song or I'm creating anything at all, there's three things I keep in mind and it's something that I I I prayed about and I'm being very intentional about it that whenever I'm creating something, or whenever I'm performing or anything at all where me is concerned, where creativity is concerned, whether music or book or motivational talk or so forth, I always say I want to inspire people, I want to motivate people, I want to educate people. So, with that being intentional about that, those three words, I think that's one of my foundation drive to push me also to do just these awesome things.

Josh Porthouse:

I like that. I like that. But I'm assuming then you don't necessarily have a fear of a blank piece of paper, like plenty of other artists do? I mean, it sounds like you've gotten it out of your system now 30 years almost.

Donavon Campbell:

Oh, oh, my God, josh, to tell you the truth currently to be honest with you, this was last night I created a coaching PDF that I'm going to upload on my website you know my website is dc-digital-productscom. I'm going to upload that where I am talking about talent, action, your talent. I create a PDF where I'm zoning down and a specific talent. It will apply to any talent, because a talent is born with or can be learned, and for me, I believe my strongest gift or my strongest talent is writing. So writing become easy for me.

Josh Porthouse:

So that's how it leads into all of these products and so forth. Yeah, okay, I'm with you. So putting it on paper so you tend to learn better visually.

Josh Porthouse:

Yeah, I would say yeah, okay okay, well then that, yeah, that also makes a lot of sense, see, because what I'm getting at is and I think this is pretty interesting whether or not somebody's whatever the baseline is really creative or normally creative or, you know, not creative at all, or whatever the continuum is, it's super easy to get lost in the process because there's so much potential energy. You're like man, I don't know who. Who am I? I could be any of these people, these thoughts, these behaviors, you know whatever and so expressing it in a way, I found where people that tend to learn better audibly express themselves creatively in audible forms Podcasting, for example, singing, for example, speaking, perhaps, or visibly writing it on paper, right, but I think all of these forms of expression make a huge difference to add clarity for people that experience this kind of creative overwhelm.

Donavon Campbell:

Wow, wow, wow. I agree with you a hundred percent. To add to that, what I've discovered is that when I think about it all of these products, all of these multi-millionaire companies, or billionaire companies, or even trillionaire companies they tap into the word communication and I can put slash creativity. And there's two ways we know communication going to fall under Is it going to be verbal or nonverbal? So, whatever people create, whether entrepreneur are persons who go to nine to five, they have to type, tap into verbal communication and non-verbal communication, absolutely. But but as entrepreneur, entrepreneur tapping in these things to let it be even more productive for their business, where they're going to create a product or a service. Two, two. No.

Donavon Campbell:

And it's fall under communication slash creativity.

Josh Porthouse:

Absolutely, but then isn't that just marketing?

Donavon Campbell:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's definitely it's, it's, it's, it's marketing, it's a part of marketing.

Josh Porthouse:

Okay, Because I have a theory any conversation, anything that comes out of your mouth, even if it's not a conversation maybe it's a song, it can be whatever but anything that's coming out of your mouth in a public space meaning you're not the only person in the room is marketing as a person, individually, as a message. Uh, maybe you're trying to develop somebody else's perspective or insights, or or your own, or develop and cultivate the message and the atmosphere and whatever. Yeah, as a coach, which obviously you also do- yeah.

Josh Porthouse:

This isn't sports. I'm assuming there's got to be a pretty common through line here. It's probably what character? Or probably creativity, what do you coach?

Donavon Campbell:

My coaching business is on the two heading, so it is creativity and life coach. So creativity, where I coach persons to become songwriting experts, and songwriting it is deep Because there are four levels of songwriting and I discovered that there are four mostly used songwriting. And I discovered that there are there are four mostly used songwriting structure that that music musician use when there are other songwriting structure um I also help, um coach persons to become an author. Um I coach personal role in talent development and growth, role in time management. So there's two edits you have the creativity and you have a life coach. So the life coach would be like personal development and growth and talent development and growth.

Josh Porthouse:

Alright, folks sit tight and we'll be right back on Transacting Value.

Josh Porthouse:

Join us for Transacting Value, where we discuss practical applications of personal values, every Monday at 9 am on our website, transactingvaluepodcastcom. Wednesdays at 5 pm and Sundays at noon on wreathsacrossamericaorg slash radio.

Donavon Campbell:

So there's two edits you have the creativity and you have a life coach. So the life coach would be like personal development and growth and um talent development and growth okay, but why?

Josh Porthouse:

what's? What's the draw? I mean, you're, you're teaching people to identify talents or just become more aware of themselves in a broad sense and then creatively interpret that or express themselves. To accomplish what? To just do it develop a hobby, a business, or is it more introspective and self-fulfilling? What's?

Donavon Campbell:

what's the purpose? It is more um fulfilling and introspective also because um fulfilling and introspective also because um. The reason why I provide this type of service is because I myself have my own personal um stories where I see where I have developed and grow tremendously. So because I have seen those great transformation and I have overcome some things, I provide this service to help those who are struggling with things that I have overcome outstanding.

Josh Porthouse:

Okay, so you've got your own inspiration. Giving back, working through this so people can identify their own talents, triggers self-awareness and then find a way to express it. Do you feel like if you didn't have an outlet? Or for people clients, for example, people in an audience, maybe that you're speaking to who haven't identified these talents in these outlets yet? Is that like a pressure cooker, like all of this inspiration that maybe they aren't aware of yet is just building and building, and then they discover their superpower. And it's like this explosion over three new albums released in the next 12 months. You know, like it just explodes, or what. What's the trend here?

Donavon Campbell:

it's. It's no pressure. It's no pressure it's. It's all about. Persons need to tap in into their inner being, because one of the things that I always tell persons that there's more on the inside that need to be expressed outward. There is more to life than just paying bills oh, donovan, please.

Josh Porthouse:

No, there's not.

Donavon Campbell:

So we need to tap into the inner person to be the best version, because in order to be the best version, we have to make a decision to be the best version. And the best version of ourselves is supposed to be producing more. We're supposed to be achieving more. We're supposed to be seeing more.

Josh Porthouse:

I like that, I like that a lot, I like that a lot and so okay. In any community, there's only two focal points throughout history, any empire, any generation, any millennia, whatever, there's only two focal points for any society to exist. One involves social sciences, the, the commerce, the legislation, the communication, right, among other things. The other involves humanities, the cultural tendencies and quirks, architecture and poetry, and music and painting and sculpture, right the way people express these things. I think they're all forms of or mechanisms of things to try to put order to chaos, right as humans, to try to help us understand the world, and then getting inspiration from other people's perspectives and experiences or experiments, I guess, in some cases, to try to craft our own thing.

Josh Porthouse:

I'll tell you something that seems to be a very common experience throughout that process is worrying about the outcome, the anxiety around. Is this going to work? Is this going to succeed? Are people going to like it? What are they going to think of me if I put this out there and all of the general anxiety and social anxiety that comes with creating anything and then putting it out publicly. How did you manage yours? Because if you tell me you've never felt anxious, I I'm not going to believe you, I promise. So what did you do? How do you mitigate it?

Donavon Campbell:

I love to watch motivational talk and, you know, get a lot of insights from those motivational speech. And I love quotes too. I love to create my quotes and there's two things I will share that that helps me along the journey or through the process. One, the former, former um president of Africa, um Nelson Mandela. Um, you know he was. He was in prison for over 20 years and after that became the president of Africa, and that's a standout for me. And I remember one of his quotes that I hold dear to my heart, and he made a statement and said that it is always impossible until it is done once. I repeat so the audience can get it and don't miss it it's not my quote, it's a man that I've been into prison for over 20 years who became the president of Africa, former President Nelson Mandela, and I believe this is one of the things that pushed him or inspired him, and I take it there. He said that it is always impossible until it has happened once.

Josh Porthouse:

That's a great point.

Donavon Campbell:

Yeah, yeah.

Donavon Campbell:

What does it do for you? Yeah, yeah, what does it do for you? So that motivates me a lot, that if I'm writing a book or I'm creating a new song or working on a project, I must have the end start with the end result in mind. So I'm not focusing on the starting because I have the end result in mind. So I'm not focusing on the starting because I have the end result in mind. So I know having the end result in mind definitely will make the process more easy for me.

Donavon Campbell:

And my second quote, and I quote um, the person. I love the story of the person, who was the first person I don't remember his name who was the first one who created a light bulb, obama's citizen. He failed a thousand times. Trying think about it I didn't say ten times or a hundred times. This man failed of making one product be a reality a thousand times, but guess what he made it? He made it happen one thousand and one time he got that bulb be reality.

Donavon Campbell:

What that says to me, or says to you, joshua, even your audience determination, discipline, diligence to make it happen, quotes that I different jobs that I use to encourage myself and I create my quotes. As I said before, you know I love to create quotes and even in my products, my digital products, there's a lot of quotes in there, because I just love quotes. You know it helps to let people really think beyond the box. And here's my quote, and for sure, josh, you can use it, or put it in the headings of this podcast, and for sure your audience can use it. I motivate myself with this day and night by this quote that I create for myself, and the quote goes like this Everything in life is a process with a plan in action, in action. I'll repeat again, just in case if your audience didn't get it Everything in life is a process with a plan in action. Three things that I want persons to remember in that statement Process, plan action, absolutely. So that's my statement that I create for myself, along with those experiences.

Josh Porthouse:

I shared before. Now, everything is impossible until it happens. Once. Yeah, everything in life is possible, or, basically, is a plan in action, and that diligence and discipline and, obviously, some degree of insight and creativity, are going to help guide a lot of your processes. What about your anxieties and your worry and your nerves and your concerns and any overwhelm that comes with that? Because there's plenty of people that are creative. I mean, look at TikTok and Twitter and everything, all of them, all of these other social platforms, plus podcasts hundreds, thousands, millions, tens of millions worth of podcasts. There's plenty of creative people around the world. My guess is that's only a small percentage of those who could be. That's only a small percentage of those who could be, and so what worked for you to manage all of the overwhelm and the chaos and the anxiety, though? Was it just repeating those day in and day out, or was it time and experience? I mean, what's been the key for you, if you've even gotten there yet?

Donavon Campbell:

Those motivational things that I shared earlier and, for sure, experiences, my personal experience and other person's experience to motivate me and inspire me. And I'm a dream-driven person, I'm a go-getter person. Juvenile person I'm a go-getter person. I love just being outside of the box. Be authentic. So being authentic, that means it's going. Definitely I'm not going to be like the regular. I'm going to be in the 1%, I'm going to tap into the 1% and that's where I stay in the 1%. I don't want to be the norm.

Josh Porthouse:

That's scary.

Donavon Campbell:

Yeah, I know it's scary. But one other thing, because I am a believer in God, in God, and there's a story in the Bible that talks about Peter. One of his disciples was the only one who walked on water with Jesus. That's a deep story right there, and I know for sure. I know for sure the other disciples that were in the boat. They have the opportunity to walk on water with Peter too and with Jesus. But they choose to stay in their comfort zone. They choose to stay into what they're accustomed to. So that's why I said these are things that inspire me and motivate me. That 1% group, that's where I'm staying at and that's where I'm going to max out. I don't want to be in the 99 that want to stay in the boat and, being A music artist, definitely that's me. I don't sing over A person's song and say that's my song. No, I write my own songs, record my own songs. Everything, creativity, be authentic. Tap into the 1%.

Josh Porthouse:

All right, folks sit tight, We'll be right back on Transacting Value.

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Donavon Campbell:

I don't sing over a person's song and say that's my song. No, I write my own songs, record my own songs. Everything creativity, be authentic. Tap into the 1%.

Josh Porthouse:

Okay, favoring authenticity, favoring discipline, and then obviously, discernment and interpreting creative creativity and all of these other aspects that you've brought into your career and, obviously, your perspective and lifestyle. That comes from somewhere, though, that's not like all nature?

Josh Porthouse:

Obviously, some of it is. You've clearly got a gift or a few, but this is a segment of the show called Developing Character D-D-D. Developing Character, and here's what I think is interesting. This section of the show is two questions, and my theory is that values ground people in their character, in their decisions, but also in their beliefs and in their behaviors and in their physical actions. The plans and action you mentioned earlier, for example, and I want to know some of yours because, like I said, some of this you came up with on your own, but there's got to be inspirations that moved this along the way. So my first question is what were some of the values that you were raised around, brought up around, exposed to when you were growing up?

Donavon Campbell:

you were raised around, brought up around, exposed to when you were growing up? Well, definitely, that's a good question, josh. I was born and raised into you, know the faith being a believer, you know about God and His words and to practice His words and so forth, and to practice his words and so forth and everything that I share with you. There is something in the Bible that I can reference to that inspire me and that motivate me to be this person who am I right now, and for sure, there are some Bible verse that I have that I used that keep me focused, keep me disciplined. And I will start even from. You know the whole creation when they talk about you. Know God create everything day by day, and each day there's something new, there's something authentic.

Donavon Campbell:

I take that same approach in my creativity lifestyle. So I, in other words, the world, based on what the Bible says the world never created, god never created everything within one day. It takes six days to create. So I apply that even when I'm working on a project. Yes, I have the end in mind, but I don't.

Donavon Campbell:

I go through the process. That's it, because, for me, one of the things that I encourage myself is that there are lessons to be learned while going through the process and there are blessings to be gained from the process. Put that on a t-shirt somewhere and for me, that's the whole first chapter of Genesis in the Bible, the first book of the Bible, the first chapter. That's something that I hold dear to my heart Because it talks about time management.

Donavon Campbell:

It talks about time management, it talks about creativity, it talks about how to be productive or be fruitful, and those and those are principles, and those principles I apply and the and people are applying this principle, whether they know it or believe it or not. It's the same principle they're applying from that first chapter. It's all about creativity, it's all about the intentional use your hands to be creative, use your mouth to be creative. It's a deep so for me, for me, for me as I said before, I just discipline myself that there are lessons to be learned through the process and there are blessings to be gained. So there's no way I'm going to learn the lessons and gain the blessings from the process if I don't make the decision to go through the process.

Josh Porthouse:

Man, okay, first of all, absolutely Put that on a book cover. Do something with that. If you just came up with that on the fly now, dude, that's a song chorus that's got to be somewhere, I don't know. Do something with that. If you haven't considered it. The interesting thing I hadn't put together until right now, and this may seem kind of naive. I don't know something with that if you haven't considered it.

Josh Porthouse:

The interesting thing I hadn't put together until right now, and this may seem kind of naive, I don't know, but you phrased it pretty well and it clicked for me that religion, on one hand, is obviously a mechanism to give people hope and identity and belonging, and there's all sorts of things that come with that that are also attributed to a physical space and to some sort of habit of thought or habit of action throughout people's lives. Right, and it can occupy a physical space. You got a bunch of people all like-minded in a building. It's a physical space. Now, however, everything in the Bible is not physically possible. Today it worked for one guy and nobody since, so not quite the same.

Josh Porthouse:

But everything in whatever spiritual book you want to reference is a spiritual guide. And so what I hadn't taken out of Genesis before, and I don't consider myself extremely religious, but I also don't consider that to necessarily be the only definition of spiritual, because everything that you just described to me sounds an awful lot like spiritual fulfillment from a spiritual book invigorating your spirit. And so now it has ubiquitous application that you can multiply, that you can inspire, that you can do any of these other number of verbs to actually help other people find fulfillment as well, and I think, on some level, regardless of your religion, it's very difficult to deny that, whatever spirit you're cultivating inside your body, it's doing some crazy stuff in the world. Dude, I haven't even heard your songs yet, but we've been talking for a half hour and I'm taking notes and writing quotes and we just met Unreal dude man. All right, you totally derailed me for a second. I just wanted to put it out there. It's deep, josh there.

Donavon Campbell:

it's deep, josh. It's deep if, if, if it left to me alone, we'll be going for hours and you don't have that time. I know for sure. It is deep because, keep in mind, I'm a life coach, so a life coach is all about to help a client get results. Or even my creativity If I'm going to coach a person to write a music EPR album, it's to give the client results. So definitely it is deep. And one of the things, too, that I hold dear to my heart, too, too, also is from King Solomon, writings in Ecclesiastic in the Bible, ecclesiastic 5, verse 3. He says that a dream comes through much activities, and a fool is known for much words, and a fool is known for much words that keep me silent when I'm working on something. A dream come through much activities, but a fool is known for just words, no action.

Josh Porthouse:

I think knowledge without action is a waste of your time. Same principle Same principle.

Josh Porthouse:

I think action without knowledge is a waste of everybody else's time, because then you miss the mark. And there's a lot about what you're describing empowering other people, educating other people, inspiring other people. That makes a huge difference, because it helps people get unstuck, and I don't mean physically, I mean spiritually. You're burnt out, you're emotionally depleted and you can't focus. The world seems like it's coming down around you and probably most of the conclusions you're coming to are in your head.

Donavon Campbell:

Yeah, that's where that's it. Everything starts right there. Right there, everything. So it is mindset. Everything is mindset. You doing your podcast it's a mindset. You discipline your mind to do these podcasts, having various guests on your program to inspire people, motivate people, educate and just be a blessing to people. You discipline yourself right there. It's a mindset. Everything is a mindset. Start right here. You can have a healthy mindset and you can have a bad mindset. Everything goes right there. It's a choice. It's a mindset. When we wake up in the morning, we can stay in the bed for the entire day and let it be what I call it now a day that is not productive. You just stay in your bed and sleep, or you can make a decision to say I'm going to make this day be a productive day. It's a mindset. You got to make the decision up. A productive day. It's a mindset. You got to make the decision up here.

Josh Porthouse:

I'll start it up here. I feel like this may be a wasted question, because you've spent the entire conversation, in my opinion, describing all of your values and how these things are exhibited on a daily basis and what they're doing for you, but I got to ask how has it changed? Because it sounds like what you described some of your values to have been as you grew up. The authenticity and discipline, and obviously faith-based considerations as well, still apply. But what has changed? And that's my second question for you, what's different now? Do you have any new values that you've actually acquired on your own, that are yours, not from outside sources?

Donavon Campbell:

For sure it's the better version of me. Put it this way, it's the better version. So that's what changed the better version. Remember, I said early into our conversation that I used to be said early in the um into the to our conversation that I used to be the person in the background. I encourage other persons. I see people abilities and encourage them about it, and they do action to their abilities and all of these things and doing good, and I was always just being the one in the background. I didn't see myself being on the front line. So being on the front line, that's transformation for me and seeing all of the possibilities that I was probably missing out while staying in the background.

Josh Porthouse:

All right, folks, sit tight and we'll be right back on Transacting Value.

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Donavon Campbell:

I was always just being the one in the background. I didn't see myself being on the front line. So being on the front line, that's transformation for me, and seeing all of the possibilities that I was probably missing out while staying in the background. So definitely this is the better version of me and I'm loving it. It makes me be on fire.

Josh Porthouse:

Fire Absolutely loving it well, apparently makes me, makes me be on fire. Fire, absolutely okay. So what is it that changed? Then you went from the wallflower to like center of the dance floor. What, what was the trigger? What was the catalyst? You one day you just said I just I just gotta do it, come on, what was it? What was the inspiration for you?

Donavon Campbell:

It's a decision and there are some things I have to shift from my mindset, you know, to help me to be where I'm at right now. Because, as I said before, the bottom line everything goes to a decision. For example, if someone should show me off a ship, for example Titanic ship, even though Titanic is a sink already but for example, if I was there in those times and they show me off a ship without a lifeguard, it's two options I have and I have to make a decision Is it I'm going to sink or I'm going to swim and I'm not going to sink? I'm not going to sink, so I better swim. All right, decision.

Josh Porthouse:

Decision, yeah, but you just, it just came to you and you just figured, you know, like here's what I'm asking, because sometimes people get into a rut, they get into a routine came to you and you just figured, you know, like, like here's what I'm asking, because sometimes people get into a rut, they get into a routine, they get into a situation where they realize they've been stuck in a pattern and they, like I said, they just get fed up with it.

Josh Porthouse:

They just get tired of it, they get burnt out, they don't like their circumstances anymore, whatever it is. And then that's their catalyst for okay, now I need to make a decision. Because they realized I got thrown off the boat or I've been falling this whole time and didn't realize you know, whatever, yeah, that's me, yeah. But so in your case then you were content not being in the front. I saw a picture of you on your website holding a microphone in the front. So it's changed. But what did? What was the cause that led you to say, dude, I'm done with this life, I've outgrown it, I'm a new butterfly and I'm just going to fly.

Donavon Campbell:

I'm just going to fly One of the things that I do believe in that we are creative beings, we are creative and for me, I want to be this creative guy person known as this creative guy, and I realized that, for example, I said before my strongest gift is writing. I never record my first song until 15 years of writing song, until 15 years of writing.

Donavon Campbell:

Imagine, imagine I waste 15 years. 15 years, a lot of stuff happened within 15 years, and it is 15 years going to 16 years. I record my first original song. Wow, and if I didn't record that first song, you wouldn't know me as a music artist. People wouldn't know me as that.

Josh Porthouse:

Right, right right.

Donavon Campbell:

What that is saying to you and me, josh? Our audience is that we need to use our time wisely and don't waste our time. Don't waste the talent.

Josh Porthouse:

It sounds like yeah, even talent, don't waste the talent too.

Donavon Campbell:

Use it, because if I didn't move to that another level, from just writing to the recording mood, I would just continue writing and not go to another level. And it is by going to another level. That's how it comes probably you and I talking right now and other people know me otherwise because I have decided to go to another level.

Josh Porthouse:

Oh, there's that. But it's also new challenges, new growth opportunities, new perspective you can gain because you're processing the world from a different lens or through a different medium. And then you know I mean, how much can you really process before you start to identify patterns, that you prefer, biases, that you have things that you tend to recognize more often? So it sounds to me the natural outcome is well, what's another medium I can express this, or express myself. Like you said, you only write gospel or you only sing gospel.

Donavon Campbell:

I write positive music and gospel music. Positive because I love to keep things on the positive side. I don't like the negative side. It's not beneficial. It's not beneficial to me.

Josh Porthouse:

I gotta tell you it's pretty apparent. So you're doing a poor job hiding it, because all you're doing is spreading positivity. It's like every sentence. Everything you've been putting into this conversation is one inspirational point after another. Like I can't write this fast enough, there's you you're making you know, in in in walmart or or whatever store you you go to, and they have, like the aisle end cap that has all the posters rolled up. You know what I mean. You're building your own poster stack right now. It's just one thing after another after another, after another. Dude, you, I can, I can't even like you must have a shelf somewhere in your house where it's just filled with scrolls and books and scrolls and doodles and thanks for the laughter.

Donavon Campbell:

Thanks for the laughter. This is this is the first time laughing so much desire and passion and obviously a faith that it's going to work.

Josh Porthouse:

You almost can't help but to succeed, and I think that's a powerful position to be in. Wow, I have one last. Maybe this is for the sake of time my second to last question.

Donavon Campbell:

Yeah.

Josh Porthouse:

Because of all of that potential for success, expression, fulfillment, however you want to qualify this. I'm curious how do you handle failure and setback? What's your strategy?

Donavon Campbell:

It's a part of the process. So I have to be real about it. Faced it, deal with it, get over it. Yeah, well, the hardy is, get that one. Face the failure, deal with it, get it and don't stay stuck there. The failure is just, I see, as a stepping stone for you to get over or get around, or get underneath it, to continue to go on. That's how I view failure.

Josh Porthouse:

Jeez man, If you don't write a memoir about how you develop this perspective, you're selling yourself short. Dude, I don't even know how many times I can say that in this conversation. This is crazy.

Donavon Campbell:

You're just making me laugh in here.

Josh Porthouse:

You're about to make yourself profitable. If you're not careful, Dude, All right. My last question for everybody that now wants to get involved follow along with your material, listen to your music, maybe even become a client for your coaching business. Look into your books. Where do people go? You mentioned your website earlier. Let's talk through that again.

Donavon Campbell:

Persons can go find me on my website as dc-digital-products-com, and persons can just go on Facebook and just type in Coach Donovan DC, right there on the screen, and once they go on my Facebook page, coach Donovan DC, they will see my website. And once they go on my Facebook page, coach Donovan DC, they will see my websites and other things that I've been doing over there. And persons also can reach out to me and Instagram too coach underscore Donovan DC. So those are my platform and persons can check me out too on Facebook where the music aspect is concerned, as Brother DC. You heard the DC? It is a brand name, dc. Dc just means Donovan Campbell, so I just shorten it DC. So I am not Washington DC, I am DC's Donovan Campbell. So that's where the DC comes in. So persons can find me on those platform and for sure, yeah, once they go on those things, they will see other pages, because I share pages across each of those social media.

Josh Porthouse:

Sure, sure. So for everybody tuning into this conversation, I also see you have another outlet, depending on the player, you're streaming or watching this on. If you click see more, if you click show more, there's a drop down description for the conversation and in those show notes you'll also be able to find links to dcdigitalproductscom and, obviously, donovan's Facebook and Instagram, so you guys can track them down there as well. Dude, this was a super cool conversation. I feel like if this gets automatically broken up into chapters, there's going to be 200 of them, because there was so many super cool quotes. Like you nailed it, man. Awesome job. Thank you for the opportunity to share your perspective and help broaden out your reach. I'm happy to have been a part of your journey, man. Thanks for your time. Thanks'm happy to have been a part of your journey, man. Thanks for your time.

Donavon Campbell:

Thanks for having me, josh, and it's been a blessing to be on your program and to share also with your audience. You know, as I said before, this new version of me makes me be on fire, fire, fire, and this fire is all about to inspire people, motivate people, to educate people in every way possible I can. That's the fire.

Josh Porthouse:

No, you can add podcasting, that's the energy that's the energy.

Josh Porthouse:

Dude, it's electric man. Awesome job, congratulations. And I don't know where else you can take this, but up it. Unreal. Good for you, dude. Good for you to everybody else who obviously tuned in to watch the conversation or who's listening to it now. Thank you, guys for tuning in supporting the show.

Josh Porthouse:

Here's something cool. Maybe you're unfamiliar with real quick. Before you get out of here, you go to our website, transacting value podcastcom. You get to the homepage, the top right corner, there's a little box that says leave a voicemail. Here's what you can do with it. Two minutes of talk time goes directly to you if you decide to use it. The whole time.

Josh Porthouse:

You let us know feedback, follow-ups, comments, whatever you like about the show, the questions I'm asking different people you want to have come on, insights, inspirations. You want to get out of our show. That's an option. Here's something cool. You can also leave a voicemail for Donovan and let him know, based on this conversation, what you got out of it. Give him some insight, give him some feedback. Let him know Relight his fire, because there's obviously days, there's rain. You know what I'm saying, so and so let him know what you think. Let him know what's going on, guys, and we'll forward it on to him as well or get you guys in touch if that's what you prefer.

Josh Porthouse:

I love this opportunity. I love this conversation. If you have the opportunity and the desire to come back in the future, talk some more, I'd more than happily welcome it to come back. Dude, thank you for your time, your perspective. Please tell your wife. I really appreciate the opportunity. I could keep you for an hour from her because, dude man, the amount of just creativity flowing through your house has to be contagious, so I hope she's still healthy. Unbelievable Good on you, dude. But that said, absolutely You're welcome, and with that I'm going to wind us out. So until next time.

Josh Porthouse:

That was Transacting Value. Thank you to our show partners and folks. Thank you for tuning in and appreciating our value as we all grow through life together. To check out our other conversations or even to contribute through feedback, follows, time, money or talent, and to let us know what you think of the show, please leave a review on our website, transactingvaluepodcastcom. We also stream new episodes every Monday at 9 am Eastern Standard Time through all of your favorite podcasting platforms like Spotify, iheart and TuneIn. You can now hear Transacting Value on Reads Across America Radio Head to readsacrossamericaorg. Slash transactingvalue to sponsor a wreath and remember, honor and teach the value of freedom for future generations. On behalf of our team and our global ambassadors, as you all strive to establish clarity and purpose, ensure social tranquility and secure the blessings of liberty or individual sovereignty of character for yourselves and your posterity, we will continue instigating self-worth and we'll meet you there. Until next time, that was Transacting Value.

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