the Mommy Pod's Podcast
A place where single moms come together to share their stories, find support, and never feel alone. I'm your host, a full-time working mom navigating the highs and lows of co-parenting two toddlers in a bustling city.
the Mommy Pod's Podcast
Willie Thornton “Soul Impact: Raising a Daughter, Spinning the Mic, and Holding It All Together”
In this chill episode of The Mommy Pod, we sit down with Willie Thornton — a single father raising his daughter with heart, hustle, and soul. By day, he works in home health. By night, he runs Backwoods Productions, a DJ and karaoke business that brings people together one beat at a time. And somehow, in between it all, he’s found the courage to launch his own podcast, Soul Impact, giving voice to stories that matter.
Willie opens up about the real moments of single parenting. He shares how music saved him and how his daughter continues to inspire everything he does.
🎤 Get ready for honest parenting talk, unexpected wisdom, and yes — a little karaoke.
🔑 Topics We Cover:
- What fatherhood taught him about identity and strength
- Building a business while raising a child
- Coping with burnout and showing up anyway
- Finding purpose through podcasting
- The healing power of music and storytelling
🔗 Connect with Willie:
🎧 Podcast: Soul Impact
🎤 IG: @BackwoodsProductions
💬 If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing it all alone, this one’s for you.
🎧 Subscribe & follow for more real stories from real parents.
#TheMommyPod #SingleDadLife #SoulImpact #KaraokeDad #ParenthoodUnfiltered
@themommypod
Hey, welcome back to the MommyPod, the space where we celebrate the beautiful chaos of parenting, the grit behind the grind, and the messy, magical in-between moments. Today's episode is extra special because we're flipping the script and giving the mic to a single dad. who's doing it all, parenting, performing, podcasting, and pouring into his community. Please welcome the incredibly dynamic Willie Thornton. He's the owner of Backwoods Productions, a karaoke DJ, and event host, a home health worker, and the voice behind the podcast, Soul Impact, How Music Saved Us. Willie, welcome to The Mommy Pod.
SPEAKER_01:Well, thank you.
SPEAKER_00:Yes, if you could just give us a little bit about yourself and tell our listeners a little bit more about your world.
SPEAKER_01:Well, I actually got many hats. I'm a single parent to an amazing little two-year-old girl. Keeps me on my toes. Like you said, I run a DJ karaoke business slash sound company. called Backwoods Production. I've had that business going on four years now. I'm also in the midst of all this. I'm remodeling a house, so I've got a lot on my plate. And probably within the last month and a half, I started a podcast on Soul Impact, how music saved us, and that kind of thrived from, you know, music has always been therapeutic for me, and I want to get that message out to other people that share that message so they can see the artists aren't are the same as everybody else. They have their struggles. They put their pants one leg at a time.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, that's great. And what made you start Backwoods Productions? You said you started that four years ago.
SPEAKER_01:Well, actually, I was in a head on collision and I wasn't able to work. So I because I would work and then I'd be a week in bed. So I needed something that, well, made me feel like I was doing something. And so I sought out and purchased my first set of PA equipment. And I used it probably for the first two and a half years. I upgraded. Well, I'm slowly upgrading still. Because originally when I got into it, it was strictly DJ. And over the last two years, it has become more into the running sound aspect of it. So now I've kind of ventured into upgrading equipment. That way I have a wide range of what I can do. Like I can put on a festival. Well, I can run sound for the festival. I don't so much put the festivals on, but I help. I run pretty close. Yeah. initially have everything I need.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, that's awesome. That's really smart. And I hate that you were in an accident, but that opened the door for you to create this company that seems like it's doing well and it's something that you enjoy doing. Oh,
SPEAKER_01:yeah. I've kind of always had the interest in it, but at the time I was married and my now ex-wife, she was kind of like, well, we got to do something. We got to do something. And she was actually really supportive when I told her that, hey, this is what I want to do. I wanted to do it. I had a family friend growing up. He had a karaoke business and he had a lot of fun with it. And I've always wanted to do it. Well, then I went to a friend of mine's wedding and they got charged way too much money for a DJ. It was like$1,200. And I was like, you know, it makes it hard for the working class people that can't afford$1,200. So I, I kind of got into it. I don't make a whole lot of money out of it. I really don't, but I make enough to get by because I don't charge like for my area. I only charge$150 for four hours. And if there are veteran, I have the only locally owned DJ company in my area that offers a discount for veterans. Um, I do$25 off or I do a free hour because after your first four hours, each hour is$25 an hour. So I kind of work with them. And then plus I use my business to get back through different events. Like this weekend coming up, I have a big toy drive. I sponsored, I run the sound for.
SPEAKER_00:That's amazing. Well, you found ways to give back as well.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. Cause when you don't, And I'm sure you can relate. When you don't have a lot of financials, especially being a single parent, you've got to find other means to help the community. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. So what has your journey been like as a single parent? You said that you were married and you're divorced now. And what has that journey been like for you becoming a single
SPEAKER_01:father? It's been trying because, like, My ex-wife did help a little bit, but there was issues, and I'm not getting into that because I'm not one to badmouth anyone. We both made mistakes. And the biggest struggle is I have to learn to rely on family more, like asking for help and saying, okay, here's where I am. I have an event like this weekend coming up. I have an event on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. And I also use my equipment on Monday night to do a fence group at a church. So I stay pretty busy. And so I have to learn that it's okay to get help, ask for help. Because honestly, within the last two years, matter of fact, Monday will be two years that my ex-wife has left. So just learning how to adapt. I mean, the adaptability you have to have, you know, it isn't so much about structure. I'm learning that it is about adaptability because, you know, if structure is nice, and I'm not going to say don't structure disciplining, don't structure that stuff. I'm not saying that. But what I mean is like from your day-to-day living, you've got to almost be willing to be flexible. You got to adapt to whatever comes, you know. And that's where with mine, I'm so grateful that I have family nearby that I just try to say, hey, I have a gig all weekend long. Can you keep sissy for me? And, you know, have to learn to be present because I used to, I'd be in my phone 44-7 and I've had to learn to be more present, take initiative, like, I let her, I did construction on her room and I actually fell through the floor and broke my arm in four different places back in April.
SPEAKER_00:Oh my gosh.
SPEAKER_01:And so she actually had been wanting to go over there and I wouldn't let her because there was a hole in the floor. But once I got the floor, the plywood laid over the floor and fixed, she wanted to come out. So I let her, you know, I let her get in there, hand me screws, you know, once it was safe for her to be in there.
SPEAKER_02:Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_01:You know, using those little moments, teachable moments that people don't necessarily identify, you know. We take it granted for it.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. And those are special core moments that she's going to remember.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. Like, I do have other kids, but they don't let life happen. And it was a horrible situation that, you know, wasn't made well. So unfortunately, my older kids do not live with me. But through the last two years, honestly, my divorce was a blessing because I've been able to slowly restore the relationship with my older kids because I'm not so focused on protecting my ex-wife. I know that sounds horrible, but at one point it became more about protecting my ex-wife than it did my kids. Through my divorce, not everybody is religious, but I found religion through my divorce. It's been a tool that's helped center me through my kids. With Cheyenne, my daughter, she can tell when I'm having a bad day. I make an initiative with her because growing up, I didn't get told I love you a whole lot. Now, I'll look at her and I'll be like, Hey, you know what? She's like, what? I'm like, I love you. So, you know, I take them little moments like that or, you know, cause I want to break the cycle from what I, how I would break.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. And that's good. And that's how you do it is acknowledging that and making those steps and those little changes to break that cycle. She's lucky to have you.
SPEAKER_01:You know, in a, almost to the point where sometimes people get caught up in the past. You know, like with me, I had the problem real bad. Like, cause you know, I did lose my other kids and I was like, man, I'm not going to be able to do this single parent thing because, you know, I don't even have my older kids. You know, my mental health on that part was horrible because like I constantly thought I'm not going to be able to do this. Um, I'm always alone, you know, uh, Never going to find anyone. And at some point, and I can't even explain when, but the focus shifted. I mean, within the last two years, it was like, you know what? I'm okay with it just being sissy. You know, and like I said, I know not everybody's religious, but for me, I look at it as God's going to play somebody in my life, whether I'm ready for him or not. You know, he has a reason for everything.
SPEAKER_00:Definitely.
UNKNOWN:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Definitely. What is one of the moments that has made it all feel worth it? It seems like you're juggling a lot. You've been through a lot these years. What is something that's really made it feel this is worth it?
SPEAKER_01:Honestly, there's been several moments. For me and my older kids, they went probably a year and a half without calling me dad. So for them to start calling me dad again, that was a huge moment to be like, you know what, I'm doing something right. And like with Sissy, you know, there's moments every day, you know, like I said, I try to take time out of every day, whether it's with my doctor's appointments, I take time from them or whatever I'm doing. And I make sure I let her know that, you know, whether it's outside chasing her in the yard, you know, and it's just seeing the smiles, you know. The biggest reward as a parent for me is seeing the smiles, you know, whether it's a smile because you got them the favorite juice character or a smile because they were good and got McDonald's, you know, whatever the, whatever the spectrum is. I mean, it is going to look different for every person. What, what my good moments are may not necessarily be the next person's moment, you know, as a, Parent, we got to quit looking at... Well, look at Joe over here. His kid is doing all this and all that, and I got my two-year-old, which is the same age Joe's kid is, and she's not where Joe's kid is. Not that I know anybody named Joe that has kids that I compare. It's just the first name that came to mind. But we almost... We got to quit comparing our kids. Parents do it, and they don't even... mentally mean to do it it's just something we do subconscious and like you know I tell everybody you know she's her own person at two years old she can tell you her right from her left you know sometimes she'll mess with you just to give you a hard time and be like this is my right like no it's not but you know it's little moments like for me I always for the moment where it becomes me and her you know try to remember to take pictures, even if it's just a couple pictures at the very beginning. That's something I would never really did. I was always the person behind the camera. And like my older kids have brought that to me. You're like, you know, dad, we know you were here, but we have no pictures of you being in there. So now I see, like, I took sissy to the carnival for fourth, around 4th of July. And, you know, we're inside a ride and I'll make it, I take a selfie, you know, I,
SPEAKER_02:yeah
SPEAKER_01:moments like that I mean they may not be the perfect picture but it's enough to where she when she grows up she's gonna be looking at this hey this looks like fun see my dad was president so I mean that's something parents all parents gotta understand is sometimes it's at a point where you gotta put your work aside your social networking aside whatever it is you know I typically don't do anything on Sundays because I spend Sunday with my kids um Now, there is sometimes where, you know, I do need the money, so I do book something. But typically, I tell everybody, I'm unavailable on Sundays because that's family day. And, you know, whether it's Sunday for you or Wednesday night or whatever it is, you know, as a parent, not just a single parent, but as a parent, you've got to prioritize your kid.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. And you wear so many hats and Take care of your child. How do you take care of yourself? And when life feels like it's getting overwhelming, what do you do to calm back down and take care of you?
SPEAKER_01:Well, honestly, my business. Honestly, I know it sounds like such a cliche, but I love music. I mean, I can't play an instrument to save my life, but I've always loved music. And for me, being able to bring that enjoyment to people and seeing their smile, whether it's an artist up there performing and me just sitting there running sound for them or someone up there singing karaoke. So basically what I was saying is it's the moments that I'm able to brighten somebody else's day. I've always been that type of person that I will get my shirt off the back for anyone that needs it if I have it.
UNKNOWN:But
SPEAKER_01:And to me, my biggest therapy, even through my divorce, I never quit doing my DJing. You know, maybe the short songs I chose, you know, to sing while I hosted DJ karaoke were a little different than usual. Like, you know, I had one incident where my ex-wife come in and she was flaunting her new boyfriend around. And I sung a song, I'm Over You by Keith Whitley. So it's kind of, you know, it's been my biggest, I won't say obstacle. It's been my biggest reinforcement.
SPEAKER_00:That's amazing. That's like a movie. Like she's there with her new person and you sing your song. That's awesome. Well, has your daughter ever gone to DJ with you? I know she's two, but...
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, actually she does. I do a couple of events where they're outside and they're in the public. So... For the first couple of years, I did nothing but bars. That's not where I want my business. I took my business out of the bar for a while. Then I went to my DJ. Like I said, I do a lot of events in the community. She's able to do. I don't bring her a whole lot just because it's hard to keep track of a two-year-old and DJ.
SPEAKER_00:I bet. Sounds like it takes a lot of skill and a lot of arms.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, many talents.
SPEAKER_00:What is something like it's something I can't if I can speak today. What is something that you would like to other single dads to know who feel isolated or invisible and in the parenting world it's it's becoming more common to have single dads um especially now i find in my podcast a lot more reaching out wanting to tell their story which i think is awesome
SPEAKER_01:i think probably my biggest advice i would give somebody is
SPEAKER_00:which the access we have now
SPEAKER_01:it is so easy to get on facebook or social media and find someone you can connect to you know if that matter and your back's up against the wall you can look me up on Facebook I'm good with that at the end of the day no one's alone I mean you got someone out there that cares I know it feels like your back is back up against the wall but you know lean on those people that are around you family friends sometimes those are the people that get you through the most
SPEAKER_00:yeah What's your guilty pleasure karaoke song?
SPEAKER_01:Oh, let's see. That's a hard one because it depends on the crowd. Like I said, my big one I did during my divorce was the Keith Whitley song, I'm Over You. But now I've kind of stuck to, I do a little bit of Long It Bottled. I do a wide range. I like Here Without You by Three Doors Down. Some not so friendly. I do Cocky by Kid Rock. Definitely not as good as any of them. I put my own little twist on it. It depends on the crowd where I'm at and when I play. Some bars, some places I'm at, they've got a more country twist. I'm some can't stand country. So it depends on where I'm playing. With that, you almost got to pay attention to the crowd and what they want. For me, I was raised on the outlaw country, so that's my go-to stuff, you know, like Merle Haggard, Conway Twitty, Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, that kind of stuff.
SPEAKER_02:Wow, yeah.
SPEAKER_01:And not everybody wants to hear Cryin' Your Beer song.
UNKNOWN:Okay.
SPEAKER_00:No, there are some people. Oh, my gosh. My little ones are alive and well now. They were so quiet for a good hour. Actually, 30 minutes. They did so well.
SPEAKER_01:Well, I'm surprised mine ain't coming out here
SPEAKER_00:yet. She's lying
SPEAKER_01:on my bed watching TV.
SPEAKER_00:Oh. That's where I went wrong. I didn't turn the
SPEAKER_01:TV on. Everybody gives me a hard time about it, but you know what? And this is for someone that is a single parent. Take advantage of the things that your kids like, whether it's using a tablet as a reward or TV time as a reward. Use those incentives to, you know, reward them but not just reward you them but it gives you a moment to where you're not they're not clinging to you 24 7 you know but as you can tell we've been doing this and she's been out once so i mean use them moments to where you're able to get a moment to breathe
SPEAKER_00:yes i agree
SPEAKER_01:but
SPEAKER_00:And I know some people who don't agree with TV at night. And my ex was like that because he says the light or whatever, something with your eyes. Okay, but it keeps them quiet.
SPEAKER_01:Exactly.
SPEAKER_00:And then they fall asleep usually. We don't fall asleep to the TV, but it gets them quiet and calm enough to the point where I can turn off the TV and then they're out.
SPEAKER_01:See, what I typically do is my daughter is I'll put music on or I'll put I'll let her watch like she loves Cocomelon and I can't stand it but I'll let her watch Cocomelon
SPEAKER_00:hi hello
SPEAKER_01:but and I can't stand it but it keeps her up so I'll like I'll let her watch that and then I'll go in there and I'll switch to some music and I'll make her go lay in her bed because our room are pretty close together right now and she can hear the music from my room. So I got to, you know, I adapt,
SPEAKER_00:you know. I think whatever system works for you is great.
SPEAKER_01:That's exactly it. I mean, you hit it dead on the head there. Just because something worked for someone 20 years ago, you know, that could be tied into the advice. that just because something worked for someone 20 years ago may not be what works for this today, Eric, because, you know, let's just face it. Our economy, our society is ever-changing.
SPEAKER_00:Right.
SPEAKER_01:So, I mean, take advantage of it. I mean, I'm not saying make your kid a robot to where all they do is watch a tablet and you can do whatever you want. It ain't got to interact with your kid. I'm not saying that.
UNKNOWN:Right.
SPEAKER_01:What I'm saying is if you get 30 minutes of tablet time or even an hour of tablet time, it's okay to have that hour to yourself. For me, right now, I use that hour to work on my podcast stuff or be on podcasts. You take advantage of it. That's ultimately how you keep yourself going.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. Instead of torturing yourself, But like what you said, well, what worked 40 years ago is not going to work today. And so I wanted to start this community to get advice from just people and to not feel so alone.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I mean, because I get that. I mean, when you're going through it, you know, and it's amazing how it works. When you're down and you're out, you know, and I talk about this on my podcast sometimes, like, The moments defy us. If we get down and out where, oh, I'm divorced, I'm just going to stay down kind of thing. Or if we get back up, I can honestly say that's why, you know, impact, you know, podcasts have on people nowadays, you know. Even going back five years ago, we wouldn't have the access and the credibility as a podcaster that we have nowadays.
UNKNOWN:Right.
SPEAKER_00:It's so cool how we can connect with so many people on different views and different walks of life. We're all going through the same thing.
SPEAKER_01:Exactly. What's really cool about it is now we can actually go as far as we don't have to go all the way to Florida or wherever that person is. The spectrum, like we were talking about Riverside. Riverside, you send a link. Zoom. I mean, I know there's others, but, you know, the tools are there to make anyone successful. I mean, and that's probably, you know, I went through a patch after my divorce where I did a bunch of stuff I've always wanted to do, like line dancing. I learned how to line dance. You know, I learned how to do a lot of that kind of stuff I always wanted to do. So I can say, you know what, I did it.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. Especially if you have, I don't know if you had someone who was like not very much in your corner or kind of kept you down a little bit. It's nice to be able to break free and do your own thing.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. I mean, my biggest struggle, like I said, I'm not going to put her down because, you know, my daughter's at earshot. I won't do that. But the biggest struggle was she was constantly telling me it wasn't going to succeed. You know, at the end, she's like, just give up on it. It ain't going to succeed. So now I'm like, two years after that, I'm able, I'm hosting, I'm helping host festivals. I'm running sound for festivals. I mean, if I would have gave up when she said three, four years ago, I ain't gonna lie, it ain't easy. And I probably ain't out of the red yet. And let's just be honest. By the time you upgrade equipment, buy equipment, you know, yeah, like with my
SPEAKER_00:podcast.
UNKNOWN:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:You're doing it.
SPEAKER_01:With my podcast, I just got a bunch of equipment. I got a sound effect board that I'm still trying to figure out how to work. You've got to find, like you said earlier, as a parent, you've got to find that guilty pleasure that's going to help push you through. Yeah. For me, it's running my business wholeheartedly. I mean, I don't so much care about the advertising. I hate advertising, to be completely honest. But once I'm down, and I don't even necessarily mind loading and unloading the equipment. It's heavy and it sucks. But at the end of the day, I mean, I got to do that in order to do what I really love, and that's bringing music, entertaining people, You know, if I can stand back and be like, this is perfect. But if I'm not, you know, you've got to believe in yourself, whether it's doing a podcast, whether it's being a parent, working a nine to five job, whatever the situation is, you've got to believe in yourself. You know, and sometimes I've said, does that mean I've had to stand in the bathroom with myself in the mirror and say, you know what? You can do this. You got this. Absolutely, I've had to, especially as a single parent. And it's harder for, you know, not to put this label on society, but it's almost harder for a single father to get help than it is a single mother these days. I mean, I can't tell you how many times I've walked into a parent resource center and they're like, well, If you had a significant other who was a female, you could have a class. And then finally, I found one real close to where I am that says, you know what? We have a male person. We can get you established. But that just goes to show how much harder it is. And I'm not saying women don't have it hard. They have their own struggles. But as a man, if you're struggling as a single person, Father, if you're struggling, don't give up. Keep digging. There's got to be a resource out there, whether it's, you know, I ain't going to lie. For me, it was needing help with diapers occasionally. So I could go take these classes and I was learning how to be a better father because there's always room to improve. Whether you've been doing it 20 years or you've been doing it two years, you can always improve.
SPEAKER_02:Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_01:So, you know, I did stuff like that. So, I mean, look for, and don't think my family judged me, hardcore. You're just asking for a handout. I said, no, I'm getting help, yes, but I'm learning stuff in the process.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. Yeah, that's amazing. I need to look out for more resources for, like, classes and parenting classes and such. I feel like my discipline situation is getting out of hand.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, listen, and that's the thing is we all are really hard on ourselves. And especially when we see our kids with grandma or grandpa or whoever it is, and they say something the first time, it's inedible. Our kids are going to be brats for us. I love mine to death. Not to say she ain't good. But she's still a little brat, and I love her, but I'm not saying that to put her down. But you can't fight an edible when they go with grandma, even with my aunt. They're going to behave. The moment we get home or we get back with them, it's like that spring is broke loose and they're bouncing off the wall. So, I mean, so that's the thing I had to learn, too, is that it's okay that they behave different for this person than they do me.
SPEAKER_00:That's true. That's true. I get that all the time. Even their dad says we have different children. Good to know. Do you want a jelly sandwich? Okay. Okay. I think I have to get them ready for lunchtime. But I was hoping that we could karaoke.
SPEAKER_01:Well, I don't have the means to do that on a podcast just yet.
SPEAKER_00:I know that our listeners are going to get a lot out of it, and I appreciate you taking your time to talk to me today. Not a
SPEAKER_01:problem. Thank you for having me on. If you would, share the link or whatever when you get it posted and let me know.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, for sure. I'll share it as soon as I can. Where can we find you? Can you tell our listeners where they can find
SPEAKER_01:you? You can find me on Facebook. I have a Facebook page called Soul Impact. how music saved us. My podcast is on Spotify, YouTube. You can find my business on Facebook as well, Backwoods Production. And you can look up Willie Thornton on Facebook, especially if you're a single father and you need an outreach. At the end of the day, you're not alone. I love helping people. So if you're a single father and you're at the end of your ropes, Whether it's 2 o'clock in the morning and you need someone to talk to, feel free to reach out.
SPEAKER_00:I love that. Let's get this going. Let's build a community.
SPEAKER_01:Absolutely.
SPEAKER_00:Well, thank you so much, and I will be in touch soon.
SPEAKER_01:All right. Thank you.
SPEAKER_00:All right. Have a good day.
SPEAKER_01:You too.
