Made for More
Made for More
Cam Payne: Social Media, Trusting God's Plan, and Living With Intention
In this week's podcast episode, Reagan Davis sat down with Cam Payne, an incredible guy known for his genuine presence on social media. With a TikTok following of 1.4 million followers, social media can be hard to manage, but Cam uses it to glorify God and encourage others inside of their lives. In their conversation, Cam opens up about his personal journey from college athletics to becoming a prominent social media influencer, emphasizing the role his unwavering faith has played along the way.
What you'll find in this episode:
- Boundaries with social media
- Trusting God's plan for his life
- Living with intention
- Being a kind and pure person
- Healthy routines
- How social media has changed Cam's life
This episode will leave you wanting to show up for yourself better and inspire you to be a better and more whole version of yourself!
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Hello, sweet friends, thank you for joining me today. I'm so glad that you're tuning in and listening, whether you're in the car or cleaning or getting ready or on a walk, I'm so thankful that you are joining the conversation today. This is such a fun episode and, if we haven't met yet, I feel like we have a lot of new listeners, which has been so fun and so cool. But if we haven't met, my name is Regan and I am a health and nutrition coach that specializes in sports nutrition, so essentially teaching people how to periodize their nutrition around their training and performance. But a lot of my clients are just normal everyday, just amazing, incredible people that really want to work on their relationship with food and learn how to manage and live a healthy lifestyle where they're not thinking about food 24-7 and they're actually able to live right, like stepping away from that black and white mindset around food and either being really on or really off, or trying every single diet and, just honestly, the paralysis analysis like there's so much information out there on health and fitness that my job is to educate and teach and take the stress off of people inside of their health and nutrition. So that's a little bit about me if you are new here, but this was such a fun episode.
Speaker 1:This is with one of my friends, cam Payne, and him and I connected on was it TikTok first, maybe a bit ago, and have just like kept up and I was like Kim would be so fun to be on the podcast and this was such a fun episode. We ended up talking for two hours two hours, um, and it was just such great conversation like it wasn't. I just love podcasts that it's not scripted and it doesn't sound like an interview like it's just scripted and it doesn't sound like an interview, like it's just people talking and it flows and it's just connection. So, um, but this episode is split up into two. So this first episode is going to be on cam and his uh job and how his social media took off and boundaries and his faith and what his day-to-day looks like and a little bit more of the background of him and how the Lord has used him inside of his life and inside of this new season. There's so many incredible exciting things coming for him, um, but hearing how God has used him and really just been so faithful and provided for him in this season and he's going to continue to provide.
Speaker 1:So this was such a such a fun episode, though, and if you do listen, let us know, like, send me a DM, send Cam a DM, share it on Instagram, please. If you're feeling led to rate the podcast, I would love you on Spotify or Apple. It just helps, because I do this for free and for fun and it just helps the podcast reach more people. But, um, okay, enough of me. Let's get into this conversation and I hope that you guys love it and come back and listen to part two, which is going to be on relationships and all the fun stuff, all the fun questions that you guys asked. All right, hello, cam, welcome to Made for More the podcast.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much for having me. It is such an honor and a joy to be here.
Speaker 1:I'm so excited. This is a long awaited episode. I know that people are really excited for this one too.
Speaker 2:I don't know if the people are more excited or if I'm more excited, I don't know. I mean, I feel like me and you have been Internet friends for it's been a long time now, probably like two years, without even talking to each other and knowing each other. So yeah, that's crazy.
Speaker 1:And we've had such like before a press report. We were having a five-minute conversation and I was like, wait, I need to get this on the podcast and I thought we were recording actually you were like I'm ready to spit some truth yes, ma'am, yes, ma'am, I'll wait.
Speaker 2:I try, I, try I love it.
Speaker 1:I love, like, what you're doing on social media. First thing, um, we're gonna get into social media and talk about everything on the podcast, but just sharing your faith and just being not afraid to speak out about that, um, I've been following you for a bit and just seeing how your platform has changed into, like you go to your page and you know that you're a believer and that you love the Lord, and I think that's an incredible way to use your platform and I hope God continues to bless you in that. But I think, yeah, I love seeing that.
Speaker 2:So Well, thank you so much. I appreciate that. I think the same thing about you, but I think it's also. It's like if we're believers and people don't know that we're believers, then what's the point of being a believer? Right, like, what's the point in all this, what's the point in having a relationship with Jesus if nobody knows that we do right? So I love that you're the exact same way and I think that as long as we strive to be one or two percent better every day and continue to grow our relationship with Christ and continue to just show the world Jesus like that's, that's, that's it, like the truth of it is, jesus wins and we should show that to people every day.
Speaker 1:You know it's easy to get caught up and think that I mean even just like relationships or social media or work or finances, like there's so much anxiety and stress created around that, but at the end of the day it's like none of that matters and that's not our purpose.
Speaker 2:So I think it takes times where maybe you do get stressed about, you know, certain things, are anxious about certain things, to really pull you back and be like, hey, this literally doesn't matter and my purpose here is to show people Jesus 100% and and I was actually having a conversation with um, one of my friends, yesterday about the same thing it's like we, I feel like a lot of times we and I know I catch myself doing this but like you do things for the reaction, um, of like other people and like your graciousness for like the lord allowing you to do that, depends on the person's reaction to what you did for them, and I think that's such a dangerous, a dangerous place, because oftentimes people are never going to have the reaction that you want them to do, um, and and they're never going to like fully, like step into everything that you wanted to get out of what you did for them.
Speaker 2:I think, just doing things without expecting anything in return and without expectations, without just wanting anything from it other than the fact that you just gave freely, you gave of your time or your money or your effort, I think that's that's where we can do a little bit more right, you know, rather than wrong.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the expectation side of things. Have you found that with social media? Um, you've had to like, I mean, I know I have to, for sure, but like my intention behind things or my, I guess, heart posture behind things, because it's coming from an anxious place and like I'm looking for some validation, or am I truly sharing this because, like it is on my heart and there's no expectation that I'm expecting to get a reaction. I'm expecting to get out.
Speaker 2:Yeah that's really good. First off, I'm sorry that you struggle with that and I definitely have struggled with the same thing and I think a lot of times, like early in my social media career, I did struggle with that of like you know, like I don't. I don't have the amount of followers that I really want to have. I don't have what this person has or what this person has, and so I was like comparing myself to so many people and and realizing that I don't know like I was posting a lot of videos and posting a lot of things and I thought I was doing so good, but looking back on it, it's like you were just posting that for validation, you were just posting that to, to, to finally get people to tell you that you're, you're an attractive man, right when, when now I'm like I know my worth in jesus, like I really really know my worth in jesus, and I'm like whether or not this, this, this woman finds me attractive or this person finds me attractive, it doesn't matter. Like it can't matter, because if it does, it's always going to leave me empty. It's always going to leave me empty. It's always going to leave me unfulfilled, like all the comments and all the lights and everything are fleeting and they're fading away and none of it matters, like you said in heaven. So it's like why? Why does it matter so much to us now, when we really want to think eternally and we really want to think heavenly? Why does it matter to us so much now?
Speaker 2:And I think the answer to that is honestly just comparison. Like the world of social media is such a comparison place and comparison is truly the thief of joy. But like you start to look at everybody, including, I'm sure, maybe you too. I don't want to speak for you, but when we post things like it's usually our best thing, it's usually our best pictures are, if we took a thousand pictures and only two of them are good, nobody's going to see the rest of the 998 pictures that we took. It's only going to be the best of the best. Um, so I think that that is really played into the whole like validation thing and just like wanting people to tell you that you're attractive or wanting wanting whatever you're wanting out of the reason that you're posting is comparison and it's really sad and it's a really scary place to be.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's amazing to hear that you've found more security in that, because there's always going to for sure, even in the fitness realm, there's always going to be someone stronger, always going to be someone than you. There's always going to be, like you know, more attractive guys, more attractive, more attractive girls, like. If we're always looking to fill that gap, it is just going to leave us empty, for sure. So 100.
Speaker 2:I don't think there's going to be anyone more fit than you, though at all I mean talk about the high rocks. Come on, reagan davis, talk to me, girl. That's great right there.
Speaker 1:I love it it is humbling, but it's fine oh I bet, I bet, but she crushed it though makes you stay in your own lane, like you literally have to stay in your own lane if not, you're going to be like, okay, I'm not as fit as this other girl, and it keeps you from missing out opportunities and meeting people too yeah, 100%.
Speaker 2:I agree. That's like the fitness community and and just going outside on the walks or runs like it's such an easy way to meet people If you are just like just semi extroverted and you just walk past people and just smile or say hi or be like, hey, I like your shirt, like see something, say something. If you like their shirt, tell them. If you love their shoes, tell them they got a great smile, like, hey, you got a wonderful smile. I hope you're having a great day today. And I think it's so easy in your world, like the fitness world, to I don't know like make such a difference. And I see that. I see that you're making such a difference in people's lives and I've been watching your stories and your videos and your Instagram posts for a while now and I love them.
Speaker 1:I think that I see Jesus in you for sure, and I see Jesus in the way that you conduct yourself and and post about yourself like that's, it's wonderful, it really is thank you, I I love about the random compliments too, like I every time if I think something like even just checking out of the grocery store, be like you have the prettiest smile or you have the prettiest eyes, because some compliments that people have given me on days that I literally saw a girl the other night. I was like you look so pretty, I love your outfit. She was like, oh my gosh, I needed this. Like I'm on a date and I was just not feeling good about this. Okay, I love it. Said that like she maybe would have had not a great night. So I am all compliments of just like 100 out there they're the best.
Speaker 2:They're the best, truly. That's. That's so funny that you take like that. You just you look at it from like well, what if it was me? Like I really, really want to, and then you put yourself in their shoes of like just being I don't know empathetic of of like you never know. You just never know what they're going through, you never know what they're feeling through. You never know what they're feeling.
Speaker 2:You never know if they're on a date or not, and she's like I don't know if I look pretty, like he hasn't told me I look pretty, she hasn't told me I look good and you just did. And so now it it in a healthy way. It validates, um, it makes your heart smile, you know, which is great.
Speaker 1:I love that, yes so with your social media career and kind of getting started in things um, when did you so? You're 20, you're almost 25, right?
Speaker 2:yes, ma'am, I'm 24. Uh, I turned 25 when it's the last one, so all right enjoy your time, your last little crossover I know my goodness, I'm about to crossover into the unknown of being 25. I mean at 25, I know what You're like 36. So it kind of works out. Actually, mentoring, do what.
Speaker 1:Actually mentoring Cam. I'm like 10 years old.
Speaker 2:Just kidding, reagan actually has a. She has a secret husband and like five kids that nobody knows about. She's really good at hiding it, though. Okay, so you're 20.
Speaker 1:You tell us like you went to college. What did you do in college? You are now doing social media full time, I'm assuming.
Speaker 2:Yes, ma'am, I am.
Speaker 1:Tell us a little bit about that.
Speaker 2:Kind of crazy, I guess, for like a large part of my life, I never, ever had social media. And when I went to, when I went to college originally, um and it's kind of part of my testimony, but I went to UNC, charlotte in North Carolina for my freshman year of college, did a horrible um, drank and partied and did the whole dang thing. Um went the whole nine yards in Charlotte and ended up getting a 1.9 GPA my freshman year of college. And I came home that December of 2017 just absolutely broken, just literally in tears, like all the time I had no idea where I was going, what I was doing, but I knew something and that something was the Holy Spirit Pulling on my heart of just, you have to get out of the situation Like you are. So you're, you're made for more right, you're made for more Um.
Speaker 2:And that's when I told my parents. I was like I need some type of change, like I really really do. And I had originally gotten into Auburn university. Um, when I applied to college in high school and and I didn't take it because my brothers were there and I just didn't want to feel. I didn't want to feel like Jordan and Braden's little brother. I didn't want to feel like my older brother's little brother. I wanted to have my own personality.
Speaker 2:I wanted to have my own life and my own feelings and relationships and everything, aside from my brothers, and looking back on it, that was a horrible mistake, but you know, I don't regret it at all. I think that every mistake and every step that you take is a step towards heaven, like, even if it's in steps backwards, like every, the Lord can turn anything for good, like truly. And so I ended up that next semester did really really well, like, by the grace of God, truly Ended up having like the exact number of GPA to get into Auburn that I needed to transfer and I transferred and it was literally the best decision I could have ever made. Sophomore year of college, transferred to Auburn, I walked onto the football team. It was incredible. I played football for three years and met some of my just the best people, my best friends in my whole life. I'm actually going to be in one of their weddings in 10 days, so that's super exciting. Um, and that was kind of I don't know just just honestly like I wouldn't say the best years of my life, because I think a lot of people say, like college is the best years of your life, like those are really really really good years, but I think that every day and every year past. That should be even better. Um, and I think that that's what what walking with christ looks like is like you are getting better, like he is blessing you more, and more and more, and so I think that if college is the best year of your life, then I think you need to experience more and I think you need to get out more a little bit Not in a bad way, and not in a bad way at all but I graduated from Auburn in 2021.
Speaker 2:I moved to Atlanta, and that was wonderful. I lived there for six months, um, really, really good, with some guys that I didn't really know, but my older brothers all lived in Atlanta. Older brother and his wife lived there. Um, now my older brother and his girlfriend live there too. So I guess I was the only one that moved away, and I got a job in Charlotte, north Carolina, back in 2022. And all the while, I guess I forgot to mention this part, but back in 2021, right before I graduated, I ended up.
Speaker 2:My sister called me one day and she's like hey, I know you don't have TikTok and you don't really do Instagram Like I maybe had I don't know maybe a thousand followers, 900 followers, a thousand followers roughly and my sister was like, hey, you should get TikTok and you should like duet this video. I'm like, avery, why would I duet this video? That doesn't even make sense, like why I don't even have the app. I don't even know how to record a video, I don't know how to put words on a screen, and so she, like showed me everything and it was really really hilarious. Like she facetimed me, um, and and basically like sent me screenshots of how to do it, and I posted a video video doing a duet to this girl. It was my first ever video that I did and it went viral, like it really, really did.
Speaker 2:And I guess viral was.
Speaker 1:Like football jersey, maybe. No ma'am, no ma'am.
Speaker 2:This was like a long time ago, this phone was. Actually I was wearing like a camo hat and I literally just like, I was just like a camo hat and I literally just like, I was just like smiling at the camera, uh, dueting this girl. It was a really funny video, like hilarious, um, but everybody originally thought that I was and I I don't necessarily see it, but I could, I could understand where they saw it. Uh, they thought I was luke p from the bachelorette and I'm like, interesting, all right, cool, I appreciate that. Uh, I mean, he's a handsome fella, right. But that was kind of where, like, my social media career started. Um, what was that video?
Speaker 2:and then I took like a I didn't really know what to do with that, because I gained like 4,000 followers on Instagram, probably 10 or 12,000 on TikTok, and I'm like I don't really know what to do with this. So my sister just encouraged me to keep on posting, keep on, I don't know, just keep on being on there. And I was like okay, cool. And I remember it got to a point where I just hit like 100,000 followers in I don't know four or five months, six months, something like that, and I don't know. I had this conversation with this guy who was playing football and like they started, they started making fun of me for that. Like the people on the football team started making fun of me for being on TikTok and being on Instagram and posting videos and stuff.
Speaker 2:And before that I had gotten a little bit of comments and stuff, but it never really phased me.
Speaker 2:But that one really, really, really phased me. Those comments coming from people that I thought cared about me and I thought were really really good people um, made some comments and and I was like man, I don't know if I want to do this at all and just shortly after that I had another video and I can't remember exactly which one it was, but it went 10 times more viral than the other videos that I'd ever posted did, and I gained a good amount of followers, like by the grace of God, truly, and he kind of calmed my heart of like it's okay, like you're going to be okay, you're good, you've got this. And so I graduated and I was still doing social media on the side went to Atlanta I had a couple hundred thousand followers, I think, total and moved to Charlotte really kind of a full-time job of I was doing my full-time job, which was a transportation director, so I ran a team of like 70 people. Also, I feel like I'm talking a lot. My goodness, I want you to talk too.
Speaker 2:This is yeah, you're right, you're right you're right um, I know I don't like thinking about me, I like being about you. So that's to, I guess, the story. I ran a team of roughly like 65 to 70 people and it was great. I was 22 years old and I was doing well financially. I was in a great spot emotionally, spiritually, physically, when I walked into that job emotionally, spiritually, physically. When I walked into that job and I was also coming home. I was working from like 5 am to like minimum 5 or 6 pm every day and I didn't realize that that's what it was going to take to like put in, to like actually be good at this job. And we eventually ended up, I mean getting like a routine down of like I'd come off work, I'd go to the gym, I'd make dinner and I'd make content for the next like three or four hours, and so I'd go to bed at 12am roughly, and I don't know that was my every day, waking up at around 435.
Speaker 2:And then going to bed at 11 midnight, something like that. So getting you know, four and a half half five hours of sleep every night and also trying to do social media at the same time. And by that point I think I had just hit um this was two years ago, I guess a year and a half ago I just hit like 400 000 subscribers, followers um on tiktok and like 50 000 on instagram, and it got to a point where I made I had this one brand deal it was with Giorgio Armani and I, you know, financially speaking, it was a really, really, really good brand deal and I'm so thankful for that. And by that time I kind of told myself I was like okay, if this happens again, if, like, I get another brand deal around this time or something, I know God is going to work, I know god is moving in my life and he's going to take me out of this job. Because at some point there was a time where I got so burnt out, like emotionally, physically, spiritually, just exhausted um, every day, like I was. I was becoming like easily irritable, like I didn't want to talk to my parents and I know we've talked about this, but I didn't have thoseable. I didn't want to talk to my parents and I know we've talked about this, but I didn't have those me days. I didn't take me days because my work kept me busy all the time seven days a week, pretty much 23 hours of the day and I got so just drained, like absolutely, totally, completely drained.
Speaker 2:And right around that time there was two things that happened. Number one um, I got asked to be on love island and that was like during my praying season. I got asked, I was like I was like lord, take this cup away from me. Like I cannot, I can't handle this anymore. And it got to a point with social media where it was like okay, you either have to quit and like stop doing it or you, you have to pursue it full time because it's becoming so, so much. I just signed with a management company and it just got to that point of of I either have to quit or I have to continue to pursue it full time, because I can't continue to give basically, basically split my eggs into two baskets.
Speaker 2:Um, and, and I remember I got asked to be on love island and I went to the interview process um, got all the way down to like the end and I was actually like cast on there. Nobody knows that. I was cast on there because I pulled out at the last second, because I had a call with my grandmother and she's such a wonderful lady, we love her so much uh, but she told me she's like now I don't want to see you do anything on tv, I don't want to see you kissing nobody on tv, and my grandmother, they're like like there's no way they would make me do that, right, like there's no way. Um, and I just had this. I remember what my mom told me a long time ago like don't do anything on the internet that you wouldn't want your grandmother to see.
Speaker 2:And and I was like well, that includes kissing for sure on the internet, and I don't want to be involved in that as much as those producers like. They're so wonderful.
Speaker 2:I'm so thankful for the interview process and everything they were like we're not going to make you do that, we're not going to make you do this. You're not going to have to do anything that you don't want to do. Not gonna do anything that you don't want to do. But that's the whole point of the show, right. Right is to to do what you don't want to do. Yeah, like find love and and finding love for them looks like probably kissing on tv and and maybe even doing any some other sexual things, and I'm like, no, that's not, that's not me, that's not who I am, that's not what I'm gonna, not who I am, that's not what I want to engage in and I don't want to do that. So I pulled out and it didn't work out, timing wise, and I was like man God, like I know that you're shutting this door for a reason, like I know that you're going to give me something. That number one, it's like a good timetable for me, because I got the call on a Thursday and they wanted me to fly out. I had the final interview on a Thursday. They wanted me to fly out on Monday and film for the next month and a half, and I'm like I have a full time job. Yeah, I couldn't just, I couldn't just quit. I didn't want to burn a bridge with my company. I didn't want to burn a bridge with the friends that I made there, my coworkers, everybody. And so I just, I literally remember hitting my knees that night and just praying Lord, like, please again this was June 26th Like, lord, take this cup away from me, because I can't, I can't, I can't hold it anymore. It's too heavy. I need. I know that you just closed that door and I have peace about that, and I know you're going to open up something that is just, the floodgates are going to feel wide open and I can't not walk through it.
Speaker 2:Um, and no less than probably, I want to say it was July 2nd. Um, I got a call from my manager and she's like hey, um, I have this influencer house that I really want you to be in. You would obviously have to quit your full time job, but it starts in late August. So it gave me two months to kind of prepare and I prayed over it. I prayed over it and then that's probably I don't know 15, 20 days and finally decided, like on the last day, that I could decide yeah, this is what I want to do. Um, like, this is what god was holding me out for. This is why god put this feeling to my heart and I ended up doing that that that influential house. I moved to texas, I put my two weeks notice in in on August 2nd of 2022. And I moved out here to Texas, did the influencer house, and life has never been the same, truly.
Speaker 1:In Texas for that long Ma'am have you been in Texas for over a year already.
Speaker 2:Oh no, ma'am. So I ended up originally I moved there in August and then I lived there from August, september and then mid-October. Everything just it wasn't what it seemed, it wasn't what I truly desired. And I moved back home to charlotte, like I still kept up my apartment I still have my apartment, I paid for and everything but I was also just like living in texas. It's like basically basically doing this for um 90 days and I got about 60 ish days in and it just didn't work out. It's just financially, emotionally, like spiritually, for me it didn't work out. Um, and so I was at this point of like you know what, like I'm, I don't have a full-time job anymore. This is my full-time job, so let's make let's make the absolute most of it, um, let's make some some incredible content and just see kind of what happens.
Speaker 2:Um, and I knew when I moved to texas originally back, I guess, two years, a year and a half ago I was like man, I have to get back here, this place. There was something about the peace that I felt here, because I think that that is, I think that's exactly what God brings. A true, genuine relationship with the Lord does not bring joy, does not bring love, does not bring happiness. I think it brings peace and everything else, like love and joy and patience and kindness are just byproducts of peace. So I had this crazy sense of just peace of mind, peace of this is where I want you to be. I want you to be here here. It may not be your time right now, but I promise you I'm going to bring you back here. If you are faithful and you are, you are adamant about, about praying about it, and if you truly want to basically follow my plan, then this is the plan for you. I'm like, okay, lord, here we go.
Speaker 2:And so my I ended up moving back to Charlotte after Texas, after Dallas, and I lived there for the next four months until my lease ended in February, and my parents had also recently just moved to a lake house and I was like, you know what? It's not my time yet. I knew it. I knew my time was not yet to come for Texas in February. So I moved back in with my parents for six months and that was just the absolute best experience, best time, most incredible like experience. Like to really, really really be able to like see my parents as, yes, parents, but also like my friends and like good mentors and good just community. Like I love them wholeheartedly, they are my, my superheroes for sure. So that time with them was just so invaluable and just. I loved it a whole bunch okay, that's.
Speaker 1:I think it's yes ma'am, there's something special about living away for a little bit and then coming back to live with your parents for a few months, like what a blessing it is that they let you. But too, I think you just you just have a different love and a different respect for them after 100.
Speaker 2:I totally agree. I mean, once you are, you've kind of gone about your adult life. You've kind of gone about your adult life. You've kind of done not everything, but you've done a lot of things and you've paid bills for a while, you've done taxes for a while and then they open their doors back to you after so long. It's so beautiful and so serene, and so if anybody's listening and you think that it's weird that you're living with your parents again or you're thinking about moving back in with your parents, number one, it's not weird. And number two, you should, absolutely you should, pull the trigger and do it. Go do it, because this time that you get with them is truly special and truly invaluable and truly something that you won't know how sweet it is until you're in the midst of it. I promise you.
Speaker 1:I definitely agree. So now, you're back in Dallas, you feel peace. I think a lot of times like it's so easy to pray for God. I need this sign and like I literally just need you to drop a piece of paper from the sky and what to do is a feeling that I think we sometimes like it's easy to overlook that, but like in our gut we know and I think it's important to listen to that and to lean into the peace that he does provide in that 100.
Speaker 2:Yeah, what about you like with, with, um, I don't know, moving to California and like driving cross-country to go, do that? That's wild, right again it's um.
Speaker 1:I definitely felt peace about coming out here, though, like everything has worked out so perfectly. I think, um, I think it's scary for me to admit that, because I'm from South Carolina, literally like 36 hours across the country.
Speaker 2:That's wild.
Speaker 1:But I, like I feel so much peace about it and I it's forced me to trust God in this season because I don't know what is next. I don't know when I'm moving back. I don't know if I'm going to stay here. I mean I'll move back eventually Probably. I don't know if I'm gonna stay here. I mean I'll move back eventually probably. I don't know, but like I don't know you to trust God in that season, because I think growing up it's like okay, I have to be where my family grew up and I have to raise a family here and I have to. You know, you just think that that's what's gonna. But sometimes God has other plans for things.
Speaker 2:Don't you love it. Don't you love just? I don't know the. You know what Lord like. I don't know where I'm going next, I don't know where you're taking me next, but I trust you. I feel like you're at that point. I feel like that's exactly where he wants you to be is. Yeah, you have no idea where I'm about to take you, but I promise you I'm going to take you somewhere. Good, do you trust me? You trusted me in all the bad times. You trusted me with this, you trusted me with that. Are you going to trust me here? And if you do, I promise you I will tenfold the prayer and the blessing that you deserve. I truly think that.
Speaker 1:It's something that I've been leaning into recently and like just really paying attention to is if God cannot trust me in the small things, then you know it's going to be hard for him to trust me in the big things. So like literally tithing right.
Speaker 1:Like hard selfishly, I think sometimes to do that. But it's simple. It takes 30 seconds to go on my computer and tithe to my church, right. But it's like, if I cannot even give a 10th of my finances to him, how is I am like, how is he supposed to trust me in this huge life-changing thing that he has planned for me? So I just think for people people listening, like to lean into the small things that God is asking you to do, that you know day to day, like you won't know the difference if I tithe or not.
Speaker 1:You know, no one knows that's so good opportunity to um, yeah, to work in the bigger ways too 100%, and I think that God is.
Speaker 2:So if anybody's listening and you think that God is not a God of the little things and the in-between and the small moments he is Like, if you think that God does not care about that, that's the exact same thing that he does care about. That's the exact same thing that he values so much. So don't think that God does not care about this. He only cares about the big moments and the moves and the job changes and everything like that. He cares about everything in between there too. So lean into that. Just like Reagan said Run after that, Chase after that. Nobody's going to know about God, I promise you.
Speaker 1:And that's okay. That's the only person that needs to know, hopefully, um, with being in dallas. I think I'm gonna split our podcast up into two parts, so maybe like the first, about your journey and a little bit of your testimony, then we'll ask some of the questions on the second one um perfect my, my, uh, my life just died too, so that's like we'll do it all today, but we'll split it up in two sections.
Speaker 1:Um, since, being in Dallas, do you okay from a social media standpoint, do you create any boundaries with social media? And then also, do you let it get in your head like, if you do get negative comments I know that you said you used to, but is that something that's gone now?
Speaker 2:Honestly, the negative comments I've realized. I think everybody gets them. I think that people, I think honestly the way that I think about it and it's a lot deeper than just like a negative comment. But I think about it and it's a lot deeper than just like a negative comment, but I think about it like the world has to have nonbelievers as much as they have believers. Because it gives you something to cling on to, like it gives you the hope of Jesus to cling on to. So if there weren't any nonbelievers, it would just all be good and good, and like there'd be no choice to choose Christianity. There'd be no choice to choose christianity. There'd be no choice to choose jesus, to choose jesus, um.
Speaker 2:And so I don't know if you are like that where, like in the good that I'm trying to to bring to the world through my videos, there's gonna be bad, and the bad people usually show up in the form of comments. So, truly, I just hope that whoever's commenting that bad stuff, that, like number one, it made them feel better, I really do like I really, I really hope that it made you feel better and my response to them always is hey, thanks for your comment. Jesus loves you. I hope you know that that is literally the comment response that I have. I just copy and paste it to all the people that that that put negative things. But I don't really I don't really deal with negative comments, um, really that much at all, uh, which I'm so thankful for, like I know people that that do deal with it a lot and that's really difficult. Um, now I get for every 10 comments I'd say maybe one, uh, maybe half of one maybe zero sometimes, sometimes, so I don't know, I think it's.
Speaker 2:It would be easy to let it get to your head of like, oh my gosh, like this person thinks this of me, so I shouldn't start, I shouldn't post anymore. But then I look at my DMs and I look at, I look at the other comments and they're like, hey, like I'm going to church because of you, like I'm going to church because of your video, like I found Jesus because of your video. I want you to know that your smile lights up the room. And like I'm so thankful to see that there are good men out there that really, really care and love the Lord. And those are the comments that really helped me. Just like, continue to do what I do, continue to push forward and to be honest, like it's not that I don't it's not that I don't care about the negative comments, but I don't, I can't like that's what.
Speaker 2:That's exactly what jesus endured like he endured the hate and nobody accepting him, and getting flogged and like literally getting sent to a cross to die for us. So like, why can I not accept the daggum negative comments that come with being in social media? Yeah, it's kind of. What I think about is like who am I to think that, that I can't, that that I can't accept this bad stuff that's happening to me, right?
Speaker 1:and, like you said, no, I'm worth in jesus, so exactly now. I know my worth in Jesus and I think you asked another question do you have any days off that you take off social media or like any boundaries with social media, because obviously, with content being your full-time job, it's your. I mean, I struggle with it being on my phone 24 7, so it's like how do you create the boundaries? And yeah, inside of it?
Speaker 2:I really I mean boundaries is a.
Speaker 2:It's a hard one, like I love, I love, love, love boundaries um a lot, and I've kind of I think, with being with social media being my full-time job, it will be really, really easy for me to just wake up every day and do whatever I want, without a schedule, without a care in the world, um, and and yes, I have the freedom to do whatever I would like to do, but I've made such a routine of my life now like I have it down to absolute tea, um, and I think that the like I wake up, I cook breakfast, I spend time with the lord um before I eat my breakfast, because I just I felt I felt more, um, i't know, like spiritually connected to the Lord.
Speaker 2:Like I really really feel the Holy Spirit when I'm fasted and I spend the time in the word, and it's just like I literally have a cup of water. I don't even have my coffee most of the time before I spent time with the Lord, just have a cup of water, um, and I haven't even taken a shower yet, like at all. It's just the first thing that I do is go and sit down on the couch um, read and highlight and make notes and journal, um, and spend time with the lord, and then I'll eat my breakfast, even if it's cold, um or not, uh, and go to the gym and spend maybe an hour there, maybe 45 minutes there also, by the way, this is a hot take, but I think people spend way too daggum along at the gym. I think that you can get everything you need done in 30 45 minutes every time yep, I.
Speaker 1:It's easy to get distracted and then you're like walking. I'm like why am I walking for 20 minutes scrolling on social media? Like get in between sets. Like add some amraps, add some emoms in there.
Speaker 2:Like just get it done just get it done, get in and get out, like I've always seen. I've seen people go and that's been like an hour like I'm, I don't know they've been there for if I sit in the car before I go in the gym for 30 minutes or 20 minutes their car's still there and then I come out and they're still there.
Speaker 2:I'm like there's. I don't think that there's any amount of workout that you can do that should take two hours. I truly don't believe that. Like look at CrossFit, for example, right, crossfit. I mean you can be done and have an absolutely banging workout in 17 minutes. You can be done An AMRAP or an EMOM, like a 30-minute EMOM. I mean that's crazy. It'll make you feel worse than any four-hour workout would ever make you feel, like in your whole life, truly. So yeah, as for, I guess, going back to the boundaries but boundaries question I try not to work on Sundays at all.
Speaker 2:I try and just unless I'm doing like a really fun day in the life of, like taking pictures of my life, I try not to work on Sundays. I try to just give that whole day to the Lord, to my friends, to my family and to myself honestly and just really have a, like you say, like a me day, but really like a Jesus day, because, thinking about it biblically, like that's what they did on the Sabbath, like they rested and everything. And I really try and make a really good dinner on Sunday nights because I don't know, watching the shows, and I'm not sure if you've seen that before, but it's wonderful, absolutely wonderful. They will have an absolutely fire dinner Like every like. Their whole their whole day is literally like spent preparing and leading up to this dinner, and I don't know. They just they have a wonderful meal. So I've kind of followed after the same thing, um of that.
Speaker 2:But I think boundaries in social media for me looks like only spending time I don't know, like Monday through Saturday on my phone, and if I get, I don't bring my phone into the bedroom at all. I don't do that. The only reason I do like I have my nightstand, not my nightstand, my little it's like a cubby, like not a dresser, but like it's like a cubby, like not a dresser, but like it's like a cubby type thing. Um, the right on the right, as you walk in my room, I put my phone up there on charge. That's where my charger is and I keep it there. Um, because I don't want to scroll on social media, like I want to keep the bedroom for sleep and that's it. Um, and then my I guess desk situation for working and my truck for working. So I've set up boundaries where, past a certain time, when I'm tired, I just don't work anymore, like if I'm on live and I all of a sudden get a feel like a really crazy feeling of man. I'm exhausted. Even if it's been two minutes on live or 10 hours on live, I'm like you know what guys like I love so much. But I need to go to bed, I need to sleep and, um, I'll just go to bed after that.
Speaker 2:But another boundary that I've set I know that kind of kind of all over the place right now but a boundary that I had to set with myself was getting a second phone. Um, and now, like, this phone right here, this phone is literally only for my personal use, like my texting my, my family, back calling my family, texting people um, nothing really. I mean, there's social media on there, that's just because I can't delete it on that phone, but I don't use that. So once, like the sun goes down, I've always said I'm it on that phone, but I don't use that.
Speaker 2:So, once like the sun goes down, I've always said I'm only using that phone. Like that is my personal phone and I'm using the phone that I'm on right now as as my work phone. So it's like, really, it's, it helps me like see it, I'm a visual learner, it helps me like see, okay, like as soon as I dropped this phone that you're looking at right now down, okay, like as soon as I drop this phone that you're looking at right now down, I'm picking up the other one and I'm not working anymore. So that that's a really big boundary that I've said thank you, that's I love that I appreciate that, yeah, about the, the two phones.
Speaker 2:Um, I know I've got two kind of wild yeah, kevin gates like I got two phones, one for the lord.
Speaker 2:It's true though. It's true, it's true. Um, it's always the question I gotta answer, like when I, when I will go somewhere, like set two phones on the table, they're like oh my gosh, you have two phones. I'm like, yeah, because I found myself and if anybody's in's in the same situation as me, I'm sure some of you might be I got to a point on my one phone where if I was working, I wasn't responding to anybody. I wasn't responding to my family. My sister would text me and I love my sister.
Speaker 2:I remember this specific instance. My sister texted me three times, two or three days in a row row, and I didn't respond because when I was working, I would work and I'd set my phone down and then I'd go and like leisurely, recreationally, scroll as well, and I don't know like the texts would pile up, the notifications will pile up, the the management calls will pile up, and I remember I didn't text her back for like three days in a row when she called me and I'm like, oh, my goodness, my sister just called me. Like she never randomly calls me, um, like in the middle of the day. She'll call me at night or in the morning, but in the middle of the day she never, she never does that. She called me and she's like hey, are you alive? And I was like, yeah, what's up?
Speaker 2:She's like you haven't responded to like any of my texts. I've sent you eight texts. I was like av. Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. And I had to get a second phone after that interaction because I don't want to leave any of my friends, any of my family, any of the people that I care about, feeling I don't know like left alone or deserted or that like I wouldn't be there if they need me. You know, because I've had that happen to me before and I don't want to be that person. I want to be the person that cares and that shows that they care and that does show up and it does respond.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I yeah, even if it's not your intention.
Speaker 2:You don't want that, so Exactly, and and it's like I would truly rather wait and this might, I don't know. I want to, I kind of want to get your take on this too, but I would rather truly wait a couple of days, or like wait a day or wait a few hours to respond. Like I told you about responding to your text, you sent me such an intentional text that I was like I'm not in the capacity to respond to this at the moment. But I promise you I will get to that emotional capacity and I don't want to give you a half-butt answer. I want to give you a full answer.
Speaker 2:I want to respond fully to your text, fully read it, fully understand it, fully process it and then fully respond, rather than just like it'd be so easy, reagan, I think for all of us to just for me right now to just respond to your text and be like, oh my gosh, like that's so awesome, I love that. And then I'm like I set my phone down. I'm like I don't even know what she said. I don't even know what you just texted me. I have no idea and I don't want to be at that point. So I promise you I'll respond to your text.
Speaker 1:Someone does text, someone does send me like a long voice memo or you know, my friend dropped something heavy on me like I'm so grateful for that, but you have to be in a space to hold space for that. I'm the same way. Like I will tell my friends like hey, I'm not ignoring you, like I'm just I'll get back to this when I'm present and fully able to respond. So I'm the same way. I'm the same way.
Speaker 2:I love that, I'm so glad you're the same way. That's. It's really rare to find people like that, because I don't know if you're, if you're good at like discerning this, but I can, I can sort of discern, you know. Did you put it like, really, I just sent you something super deep, super intentional, super like from the heart, and you just responded with something that that seems like a copy paste. Um, and I can kind of discern like, hey, maybe I and it makes you think, well, maybe I shouldn't have sent that text at that moment to that person, or I should have asked them beforehand hey, do you have? I'm about to send you something heavy can, can you handle that right now? Um, and and I don't think that we do that often, I don't think we ask people hey, are you, can you handle this? Because if you can't, then I don't want to bring it up to you yeah, that's such okay.
Speaker 1:One more thing, and then we'll switch over to the other questions, but I know that I'll have.
Speaker 1:I had someone call me not too long ago, um, which I know this wasn't their intention, but like as soon as I said hello, it was like I'm like all this stuff just started coming out and they didn't know. But I just had like a very stressful, heavy day and it's like we talked about building our presentment like when you don't have space for it. Yeah, I'm just such a yes, ask your friends if they can hold space for your heavy conversations.
Speaker 2:So yeah, that's so good, that's so good, wow, um, I think everyone, everyone listening like that's. So that should be so encouraging to you that, like you, can you start to think about other people before you bring them your, your burdens. And and I would go even further and say, before you bring them your burdens. And I would go even further and say, before you bring your burdens to your friends, before you bring maybe not burdens, but that's the wrong word Before you bring anything to your friends, I would say, bring it to your father, like bring it to God, before you bring it to your friends and really, really pray on it.
Speaker 2:Because most of the time I found with myself that a lot of things that I'm about to bring to my friends, the Lord can settle right then and there. And I don't need somebody to intervene, I don't need the Holy Spirit to work through my friend and his listening or his response. God can handle that right then and there he wants to even more so. So so bring them to him first. Bring bring your, whatever it is, your, your insecurities or your, your heavy hearts or your heavy minds to the Lord before you bring it to your friends, and I promise you most of the things can get resolved before.
Speaker 1:And that is episode. Episode one, guys, thank you. Or I guess part one, not episode one, part one of Cam's podcast so fun, loved it. You're going to have to come back next week for part two to get some juicy insight and hear about his love life and what he loves in a woman and what he is looking for, and all the tea. So we'll see you next week.
