Wes Campbell What happens when your entire life changes in an instant

Wes Campbell is a father, spinal cord injury survivor, humanitarian, advocate against human trafficking, mentor, and leader passionate about helping men embrace biblical masculinity and live lives rooted in faith, gratitude, service, and purpose.

After a motorcycle accident sixteen years ago dramatically changed his life, Wes faced the challenge of rebuilding physically, mentally, and spiritually.

His journey became about more than recovery. It became a journey of identity.

Today, Wes uses his experiences to encourage others facing adversity, mentor men, serve others, advocate for vulnerable people, and remind people that difficult circumstances do not have to determine the rest of their story.

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Transcript

Wes Campbell 0:00

Real quick, family, I wanted to mention that if you know someone who is in Poland who is impacted by human trafficking, specifically Ukrainian or anyone else, we're leaving notes below of different uh local centers that you can reach out to in Warsaw and different areas. Please reach out. Please don't hesitate and get uh these women and children help as they need it within the country of Poland. Thank you so much.

Dustin Haney 0:26

Well, we want to welcome everybody to the Fortified Podcast today. Today we have with us Wes Campbell. So, Wes, welcome to the Fortified Podcast.

Wes Campbell 0:35

Thank you, sir. It's an honor to be on with you today. I've been looking forward to this and I'm very uh appreciative of the opportunity.

Dustin Haney 0:41

Yeah, I've been looking forward to this one myself. So we're gonna do a quick bio on US, and then we'll go into it a little bit further. But Wes is a father, a spinal cord injury survivor, advocate against human trafficking, and a passionate leader helping men embrace biblical masculinity. Yes, sir. So remember biblical masculinity is something I want a definition on before we get through this. After a life-changing motorcycle accident 16 years ago, Wes found himself rebuilding not only his body, but his identity, purpose, and faith. Today, he continues serving others through human humanitarian work, mentoring men, and encouraging people to approach life with gratitude.

Wes Campbell 1:26

Yeah, thank you, sir.

Dustin Haney 1:27

So that's a a nice little bio, but we know there's a lot more. So if you would kind of go over the in-depth stuff that you can do.

Wes Campbell 1:34

Yeah, I gotta, I know you kind of mentioned it, but you know, whenever we talk about identity, I have to I have to start with the fact that I'm a Christ follower.

Dustin Haney 1:42

Absolutely.

Wes Campbell 1:43

You know, my identity is in Christ first. Before you say Wes is XYZ, West is a Christ follower. Now, um I am a human and I am maybe not the best example of that, but my identity first is in Christ alone and nothing else. After that, you can add whatever adjectives you want, um, but that's that's where my life starts and ends with. So um, like you mentioned, I'm 46. I'm a dad. I have two boys, uh, 19 and 21. Um they are just have flown the coop and they are in their own apartment. I'm so so very proud of my two sons. Um I am a husband, and we can get into some of the details of that. So that's a uh a second new adventure that we can touch on a little bit. I am a brother, I am the oldest of six, and so I have one brother, four sisters, and they're all younger than me. And so uh that's an interesting dialogue that we can touch on a little bit today if you'd like. Uh you know, you know, how do they say it? His, mine, ours, or something like that as a you know, amalgamation. Um but it's okay. Let's see what else. Um I have in my life, I've been a stockbroker, I've been a firefighter, I managed a plasma center for seven years. The last 15 years or so, um, I have been working as a program manager for software development teams, and I'm still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. So uh we'll see, you know. I don't know. I don't I think marathon runner's probably out, you know, at this point. You never know though. Who knows?

Dustin Haney 3:10

I've seen you in the gym, it's not all the way out.

Wes Campbell 3:11

Yeah, well, between the good lord and modern science, I'll either be Robocop or I'll be killed. So I'm I'm okay with that, right? Um let's see here. I uh I did want to touch on the fact just going chronologically, in 2000, um I roomed with my uncle, um, and he did take his life. He committed suicide in 2000, June 13th of 2000, and so that's something that absolutely shaped my life in a very challenging way. Um and then fast forward 2010, March of 2010 is whenever I had um the motorcycle wreck that was the spinal cord injury, T12 burst fracture. We can definitely dig into that. Um 2015 was the very first time I went to Poland, and I have absolutely fallen in love with the Polish people and the Polish culture. I've been back six or seven times since. But that was the first time I was exposed to human trafficking because that was after um Russia had taken the Crimean Peninsula and they had all these Ukrainian refugees coming into Poland. And I I could not quite understand. I was like, okay, these people aren't Polish, what's happening? The action's a little different, and that opened my eyes to the um terrible underbelly of human trafficking. Um and we can talk about that. I'm very, very passionate. One of my life visions is and goals is to fight human trafficking as well. But um fast forward 2020, I got divorced, became a single dad. So I was a single dad for six or seven years. And um 2022, 2023, I went to Ukraine a few times for a few humanitarian efforts. Um, have such beautiful people that um we love to partner with at an organization called the Nehemiah House in Ukraine, the very, very western part of Ukraine, so it's relatively safe. Uh so we can talk about that as well. And then I got remarried in 2026. And so I'm a I'm a newlywed once again, and I'm very, very thankful and feel very honored to be married to the woman that I feel like the Lord has put in my life. Um, and we can talk a little bit about that as well because we talk about the culture of the gym and developing authentic relationships. Yeah, and it's through the relationship that I have in the gym, I call him my brother from another mother. He introduced me to my now wife, which is actually his sister, which I proclaimed that I would not date a sister for a solid year at least. Um, and so um that was a really interesting story because normally when I dig my heels in, that I'm very stubborn and I don't change my mind. Um, and so I think that the Lord's.

Dustin Haney 5:41

From what I hear, you changed your mind instantly on that one. So we'll talk about that.

Wes Campbell 5:45

Immediately, yeah, we can talk about that. So, anyways, that's a that's a quick overview. Um, you know, I enjoy obviously weightlifting, uh traveling, outdoors, all kinds of tough hunting, anything outdoors really. Uh so those are just the the fun things, right?

Dustin Haney 5:58

Um, but so let's get down to it first, you know, let the viewers understand here, because they might not be able to see or tell, but Wes is in a chair. Um explain just real quickly that injury and and what your capabilities are and aren't.

Wes Campbell 6:11

Yeah, absolutely. So um it was an interesting experience um March the 6th, 2010. I used to do motorcycle riding with um four or five guys, and that specific day um I just felt this overwhelming feeling that I should not go, that I should not go, I should not go. And I was actually physically sick. I had a fever, but I'm the kind of guy that says, no, if I give my word, come hell or high water, I'm doing it.

Dustin Haney 6:34

Yeah.

Wes Campbell 6:35

And so I'll never forget we got up to the motorcycle ranch just on the other side of Munster and in Bulcher, Texas, and I put my leg over the motorcycle and I had the most overwhelming feeling I have ever had in my entire life, before or since. Um I feel like I'm I'm a person that genuinely struggles to hear God's voice sometimes because I'm very stubborn. But at that moment, it was overwhelming, and I felt like God told me, You're going to the hospital today, but I'm gonna be with you. And it wasn't a don't ride, it was just this is gonna happen, be at peace. And and I verbalized it to my friends, which was completely out of character, uh, because I was the biggest, toughest guy of the bunch. And I said, guys, I feel like I'm going to the hospital today. And one of my buddies who's super accident prone, that was his first time riding since he broke his leg, said, Don't say that it's gonna be me, you know? And uh what do you know? 30 minutes later, um, it was a it was a freak accident where um I was going downhill. We were actually riding to the spot that we were gonna begin riding. We hadn't even started really riding that day. And we were going downhill, and the throttle hung up wide open on the bike, and it went into power band, and so the bike looped out from underneath me, and as that did, my feet flipped up in the air, and I came down and just smashed my rear on a rock about 45 miles an hour, and so it exploded my 12th vertebrae. Um, and I was I, you know, it used to be a firefighter as I was punching my legs, you know, trying to wake my legs up, and I was suffocating, and I knew what had I knew I was done. I could feel death very, very, very close. And I told my friend, um, he I always ride behind at the very back because I used to have a smoky motorcycle, but it just happened, I just happened to be in front of my friend who wrecked. And if I had not wrecked directly in front of him, I would have suffocated. And I didn't know I had a collapsed lung at the time, but I told him, I said, hey man, I got a pocket knife in my pocket. I need you to cut my backpack off me, cut all this stuff off me. I don't want you to put your foot on my shoulder and stretch my arms out. And so he did. He stretched my arms out and stretched my lungs where I could breathe. And they helicoptered me to um uh actually downtown Harris Methodist, and they said, We're taking, we're taking you to JPS. I said, No, you're not as long as I can breathe, you're not, you know. And uh so they took me to Harris, and um I I told my buddy, I said, call my wife, call my dad, tell him I broke my leg or something, and I'll I'll never forget me laying there with my motorcycle helmet on and the doc coming and and saying, Hey man, this is how bad it is. You've exploded your 12th vertebrae. There's a shard that looks like a teardrop that's pushed all the way across your spinal column, and it's maybe millimeters from cutting all the way through. We don't know if it has. And so we looking now, we say maybe a 5% chance you will ever stand or walk or be able to use your legs ever again. And and then I remember him saying, Do you have any questions? I said, Yeah. When are we gonna get started, Doc? You just mentioned the golden hour, let's get it going. And I remember my dad being like, expletive, expletive, you know. And you still had your helmet on at this time? I still had my helmet on at this time. They'd not even taking the helmet off because I was still strapped down to the board, you know. And uh then after they did the first surgery, they said, Yeah, it was uh, and they what they did with that one is they literally cut me open across here, and they took out one of my ribs, moved all my organs over, picked out all the uh bone fragments, and moved everything back over. And they took my rib back for preparation for the second surgery. And um they said, listen, we overshot 5% is too much. The damage is severe, you have a collapsed lung. We're gonna say maybe 3% chance. We're not gonna say zero, but you are not gonna be expected to ever stand or walk again. You know, it's gonna literally be a miracle. And then they came to me and they said, We want to put hardware in your back, but we do not think that you're gonna survive the second surgery. You've been under too much trauma, you know, and and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And I said, Okay, give me the statistics. And they gave me the statistics, and I said, I'm not living with that. I I'll take the chance. And uh I said, get it going. And also the first time I woke up, they they had innovated me, and I was fighting against the machine because I didn't know and I couldn't speak, and I was losing my mind. Um, so I grabbed the doctor and I said, Listen, man, when I wake up, you better make sure I have that thing out of my throat. He says, You have a collapsed lung, and you had a lot of trauma. I said, I don't care. You know? And so they took my rib and they took two ribs from cadavers and they ground it up and made like a pseudo-vertebrae, and they put cage plates, rods, screws, and so my T11 and my L1 are fused by a cage, and I do not have a T12 anymore.

Dustin Haney 10:58

Totally gone. And how old were you in that happening? Twenty-nine. Twenty-nine. And had been married how long?

Wes Campbell 11:03

I had been married, let's see, two right at nine years at that stage. Yeah. Okay. Uh and you know, there's a lot to be said about that, you know, but my boys were three and five. And, you know, I'll try not to get too emotional here, but that by far is the hardest thing. When your three-year-old son, he sees your he knows that you left in your pickup truck that morning and he left it at the buddy's house to go motorcycle riding, and he doesn't see your truck in the driveway. And he says, Daddy, are you coming home in your truck with a wheelchair, in your wheelchair with no truck, or you know, or you know, or in your truck with no wheelchair, and I just remember just you know, losing it. I don't know, son, I don't know, you know. Um and he was just trying to understand what daddy was going through and what is it gonna look like, you know, and those kind of things. And so those are the moments that uh are the most challenging, right? Um is uh realizing that you're never gonna be able to run and kick the soccer ball with your boy, you know, who was in soccer at the time, you know, and um those kind of things in the moment. Being an athletic guy before, especially, you know, that is by far the hardest aspect because you want to raise up your men and show them, I mean your sons' men and show them at by an example of this is what it's like to be a man. You know. When the plumbing's broken, you go pee in the backyard, you know, or whatever it is, you know, this is how you kick a ball, this is how you throw a ball, this is how you open a door for a lady. And I went from a firefighter who could take an axe and put it through the any wall of any house to you know, needing someone to open the door for me because I was not strong enough to open the door for myself anymore. And so there was um a lot to be said about that, right?

Dustin Haney 12:42

So, what were you thinking about that day after the doctor told you that that instant when he said three percent chance, what went through your mind? Did you say like watch this or what?

Wes Campbell 12:53

Yeah, I said, So you're telling me there's a chance, doc? And he was like, you know, like he was like, This guy's not dealing with reality, you know. Yeah, yeah. And and they actually sent in a psychiatrist, you know, because they said, You're obviously too happy, you're not dealing with reality, you know. And I said, I'm pretty sure I know I can't walk. Um, but you told me I have a year, and it takes a year for the spinal cord to continue to um stop swelling. Um, and so I was in um ICU for nine days, and then they put me in the regular hospital, and then they sent me from there, and I was very, very aggressive about the whole thing. I was like, I want to go to inpatient rehab next step, and I had a chest tube, and they said you cannot go to inpatient rehab until we get that tube out. Your your chest is still, you know, fluid is still coming out of your chest every day. Yeah. Until we get that to acceptable levels, if we close your chest up, then it's just gonna collapse the lung again. Um I'm trying not to get too detailed with it with the information because I don't know if it's too cringy for some, but uh and I'll never forget my mamma, my my sweet, my grandmother, I called her mamma. She's her prayers are the only reason I'm not dead or in jail right now for the record. Um but but they knew I was gonna be transferred to Dallas the day they pulled the chest tube out, and so somebody brought her to see me. Oh, excuse me. Um and they said, Hey man, pulling this chest tube out is very painful. And I'm like, okay, and I'm like, Well, Mama, they're about to pull the chest tube out, and they said it's very painful. She says, Okay, go ahead. You know, and so she didn't leave the room, and as soon as she walked in, she told me, and I told you this before, she pointed her little crooked finger at me, she goes, You were supposed to listen to that still small voice, and you didn't do it. And she was talking about the voice of the Holy Spirit, of course, being a Christian. And I said, Yes, ma'am, I guess you're right. You don't argue with Mama, you know. And I'll never forget that. So they pulled the chest tube out, and I did my best to maintain a blank face, and then they sent me to inpatient rehab, and they said, uh, hey ma'am, you're gonna be here for at least 18 months uh to two years, and you will probably never go back to work. And I'm like, wow, that's not the timeline that I'm thinking about. And then I called my insurance company and they said, Yeah, we pay for 30 days. And uh then after that, it's all fun, and it was exorbitantly expensive. So I told the doc and the whole team, I said, Listen, I am leaving here in 30 days and I'm walking out. And they said, Well, you can't just do that. You have to graduate. And I'm like, Well, you can call it whatever you want, but in 30 days, I'm out of here, and I'm planning on walking. Um, and so I pushed myself and pushed myself extremely, extremely aggressively, and I graduated in 28 days. I was the only one in the history of the whole organization that that ever happened. Now I didn't quite make walking out, but I had by far exceeded anything, and it was I remember just pouring with sweat and my dad being like, just calm down, just calm down, and me saying, Hey man, I'm about to leave and go out to the real world. I won't have this guy here to catch me every time I fall down. You know, I've got somebody to catch me, and uh kind of put it in perspective a little bit. So after that I did outpatient for about nine months. Um, and that was a thing where the insurance denied it because they said I had exceeded everything I should have ever been able to do.

Dustin Haney 16:07

Um was insurance with fire department?

Wes Campbell 16:10

No, it was with um it was private insurance um through my plasma center that I work for. Um their medical company.

Dustin Haney 16:17

Um they were just gonna cancel you because you weren't able to keep your job there?

Wes Campbell 16:20

No, they they said that um because I had made greater improvements than somebody who was considered a paraplegic by their terms, they're no longer covering anything else. Because their definition of paraplegic was not the medical definition. They had their own definition, and because I got to where I could stand, they canceled everything, you know.

Dustin Haney 16:39

Um so since you busted your butt, since I busted my butt I was and you succeeded, you got penalized for it.

Wes Campbell 16:45

That's beautiful. Love it. Yep, that's the way the private goes. So, long story short, um, you know, they wouldn't let me lift weights for the first two years to dock. And uh so I I said, What can I do? He says, You can swim. And so I got to where I would go down to the Baylor um center downtown Fort Worth where they had this Olympic-sized pool and they had a chair that would lower me into the pool, and I got to where I could swim 30, 30 laps in the Olympic pool. Oh my god and and it was so much that they were calling me blame, like, hey, would you try out for the Paralympics, you know? Um, and I actually signed up to do a um competition in Phoenix, but I didn't have any sponsors, and at the time it was like $1,500, and I was like, I don't even know if I'm any good, you know. I'm not gonna spend $1,500 and show up and just get completely destroyed, and so I canceled it. But in retrospect, that is one thing I wish I'd at least tried, you know. But at that time I was still healing and there was a lot still going on there, right? Yeah, so that's a that's a little bit of a side a side note, but that's kind of a little bit of the timeline. Um, but through that, my boys have been amazing. Um, you know, they've been wonderful. We used to wrestle on the bed together, you know, because that's what I that was a safe place for me. You know, I could throw the pillows and throw the stuff, and if we go stay in a hotel room, we'd push the two beds together and we'd have WrestleMania, you know, and it was great. And there was times where, you know, kids' butts ended up and through the wall, you know, and and lamps got broken and all kinds of stuff, and those are the best memories, you know.

Dustin Haney 18:11

Yeah, you know, that's some that that inspired me too. And I always remember you always had your boys in there working out with you. Yeah. Which was cool. What how did you end up with your boys after your first marriage?

Wes Campbell 18:21

Um they stayed with you, right? Yeah, you know, that wasn't the original plan, um, but that was the best thing for them. Let me just say it that way. Yeah. You know, I kept the house and I had a stable environment and I was able to um kind of keep a status quo or where they had bedtime and food and all the things. And so at that time, it was uh what they wanted to do as well. And so um there's a lot to be said about that, but at the end of the day, it was the best thing for them, and I'm very, very thankful um that I was able to be there for them during that time. You know, I'm sure I could have done a much better job in so many ways, uh, but I was there, and that says a lot. And that's one thing I appreciate about my dad um is that you know, we all have our challenges. My parents had me when they were very young. My mom was 16 when she had me, so they were kids, you know. But my dad was always there, and he never left. And uh I really am so thankful for that. And so that's one thing that was a positive example for me as well in my life.

Dustin Haney 19:17

And you talked earlier before we started about your schedule's very regimented, and was it that way prior to the accident too, or did it change after?

Wes Campbell 19:24

Well, I was inclined to be that way, I suppose. Um everyone thinks I'm ex-military because of my nature and my behavior. And the reality is that I have the absolute most respect for the military. I love the military. Um, and I wish that I had gone into the military. Uh, but I I think that in in hindsight, I think that God always works things out because it would have um probably accentuated personality traits that would have been less desirable. You know, I feel like the Lord has been softening me up many times over years without the military, so I can't imagine how harsh I might have been. Um but the bottom line is I was distracted by uh, you know, pretty girl, and then you know, life happens, right? But I I absolutely have the most respect for the military. And that if I ever would say I have a regret, it's that I did not join the military because I I love the military. But it it is just the way I'm wired, you know. And after my accident, I I was given a list of all the stuff. You have to do this, and you have to do this, and you need to come up with your own system. Um, and there's a lot to be said without getting into much of the medical details that people don't understand about people who have spinal cord injuries, you know, about how you use the bathroom and how you take a shower and how you do all the things that you have to do just to stay alive and and keep out infection and those type of things. Um and I saw friends that did not do that that actually died. And um, I have friends that were wheelchair users that I met along the way, and I would ask, hey, how's this situation? How do you manage this? And they say, Buh, not really that worried about it. They're all dead, all of them, um, because they did not keep a regimented schedule, and infection is a huge, major problem. And so that is a good motivation, you know, when you see those things, you're like, okay, well, what I'm doing is working, and I'm I'm gonna lean into it instead of lean away from it.

Dustin Haney 21:13

So um, you said something earlier that like I can't stop thinking about. You say when you put your leg over the motorcycle, you heard God say, You're going to the hospital today, but I'm gonna be with you. Yes, yes. So a lot of people I think would ask, Why do you think there's gotta be a purpose and we don't know what or why? Yeah. A lot of people might say, If he knew, why would he let that happen to you in the first place?

Wes Campbell 21:39

Yeah, you know, that's a really good question. And one of the most challenging things that we have to face in our faith is, you know, dealing with the sovereignty of God versus free will and all of the terrible stuff that happens in this world, right? And coming to terms and understanding how to manage that and understanding that there is a good God, even though those things are out there, and even though those terrible things happen. In my personal case, I think that the Lord had been already telling me not to go and I wasn't listening. And that was the final, you're doing this, I'm just letting you know I'm going to be with you. And so, in in retrospect, and I don't dwell on this because you can't say, oh, what if, what might have been, if only. Those are not profitable, you know, lines of thinking. But if I had heeded the voice of the Lord, I would have never been there that day. But I did not. And so the last trip was God saying, okay, just so you know, I'm not punishing you. I'm with you. And I'm going to be with you. Even though you're not listening to me and you're not doing what you're supposed to be doing, I'm going to be with you. I do, as a follow-up to that, the secondary part of that is I remember the first time I woke up in ICU and all the machines beeping and all the tubes running out of my body and everything. And I remember the praying, like, okay, Lord, like, what's this about? Are you punishing me? Right? Did I do something wrong? Have I not been a good enough XYZ Christian or whatever? And I remember the overwhelming feeling of just, it was just an accident. I'm with you. And it was a feeling of peace and comfort. And that's all I needed. Okay, Lord, you're with me. It was just an accident. You're not punishing me. You're not, you know, angry God with a magnifying glass trying to burn an ant, you know. Um, and at that point, I never second guessed it. Uh, because I he told me he was going to be with me, and then he confirmed, hey, I'm not punishing you, I'm with you. It's just an accident.

Dustin Haney 23:36

It's like, you know, we I think there's always a plan. We just don't get to always know what the plan is.

Wes Campbell 23:41

Yeah, you know what's something interesting. Um Graham, uh Billy Graham, you know, he was approached, he was they asked him all kinds of very complex theological questions, and a lady said, Hey, I've I have, I was not saved, and me and my husband got married, and he's not saved, and now I'm saved, and the Bible talks about not being unequally yoked. What do I do now that I have a husband that's not saved, and I'm saved? Am I supposed to divorce my husband? And Billy Graham responded in a really, really good way. He says, You know what? He says, I don't think that God's in the business of trying to put those eggs back in the shell, but he can sure make a good omelet out of it. And and I think that that is so much the case in our lives, is that even though I'm a knucklehead, God is still able to make a good omelet out of my life. You know, he can still use it for good. And as long as we are here, God is not done and he is good. You know, and that's the way I try to look at it, you know.

Dustin Haney 24:33

Were you ever angry after the accident?

Wes Campbell 24:36

Um If anything, I was angry myself. You know, because I'm like, what a moron. You know, if you've got if if a normal person heard God say, you're going to the hospital today, you'd say, hey, I'm not gonna go do the dangerous thing. But me, I'm like, psh, it'll be fine. Yeah.

Dustin Haney 24:55

That shows my hubris or arrogance, right? What do you did you Were you able to tell the difference? Because a lot of people say gut feeling, or I just felt it, or you know, Holy Spirit talking to me, or God talking to me.

Wes Campbell 25:07

Yeah, for me, it was um very, very different and strong. Uh, you know, you have those gut feelings where you're kind of like, I don't know, is that the Lord? Maybe you try to lean into this a little bit. That was not, it was like it stopped me. You know, it just stopped me in my tracks, and I'm like, and of course it wasn't audible, but it I had the overwhelming feeling in a way that I never had before. Um, and so that was my experience that day. And that doesn't happen all the time. It hasn't happened like that since, which I'm thankful for, uh, actually, because it was a pretty um terrifying thing in retrospect, you know what I mean? Absolutely. Um, but um, yeah, so that's Did you feel actually better after?

Dustin Haney 25:45

You know, we're talking earlier how I blew my finger off, and when I woke up that morning, it was uh I felt really, really off all day. And the minute that it happened, everything was just gone, and I felt so nice and calm and peaceful.

Wes Campbell 25:58

Yeah, that's interesting. I, you know, thinking about it in in in that way, I would think so, but I think that it was different because I was dying and I knew I was dying, and I was at peace. And so that piece came maybe a little bit differently than yours. Yeah, but it was the piece of I felt God very close. And I was just telling my friend, my buddy, I was like, hey man, I have life insurance. You make sure my kids get this, and my and I was going over the numbers with them, you know, and he was like, Stop talking like this. And I'm like, we've talked about it before something happens to us. I want you to be the godparents of my sons. And I was he was like, Stop, stop. And I was gasping for air, walking through the process of my death with him. Um, and I could hear the helicopter going around and it couldn't find a place to land. It took like 30 minutes, and I almost suffocated while I was uh trying to land. And um, so so yeah, but that piece came, but it was a little different, I think, because I was so close to death, you know.

Dustin Haney 26:53

Yeah. Um and more tragic accident yours was, you know.

Wes Campbell 26:57

Yeah, but still still the the case still is there, so that's interesting, you know.

Dustin Haney 27:04

Um one of these questions we were talking to about is if someone met you right before the accident and then met you today, what would the differences be?

Wes Campbell 27:15

Yeah, you know, I I appreciate that. You mentioned that before and I had to think about it a little bit. Um I think I'm a much more authentic person now, you know. Um I was the kind of guy that was always the life of the party that everybody that no one knew, right? I was always the loudest, the funnest, the craziest. I did all the crazy stuff. I was normally the biggest and strongest guy in the room. Um, but nobody ever really knew me because I never let anybody get close. I was never vulnerable and I was never really authentic. And I was really good about getting people to talk about themselves. Um, but I never, oh, never was vulnerable, ever, ever vulnerable, ever. And so that expressed itself in a lot of ways. You know, I used to do a lot of fighting, you know, and stuff, and that's you know, was my vice was getting in fist fights and those kind of things. Um and I think now it I was wholly unapproachable. In in retrospect, I see people that no one ever approached me ever. And now people come to me all the time and and say, Man, I really appreciate how you've encouraged me, and and I really appreciate um a lot of things. And so I'm very, very thankful for that because that tells me that I'm being an authentic person that I was not before. Yeah, you know, and so I was much more of a rascal, but more than anything, I was very guarded and not authentic, you know.

Dustin Haney 28:41

That's very interesting. Very interesting. Um was it after your accident that you kind of started being able to see that path you were gonna be on and that you were gonna be able to make it, and started being able to make some plans on how you were gonna come out of this thing.

Wes Campbell 29:03

You know, it's um that's a multi-layered question, but I'll give a straight answer and say about a year. Okay, and the reason I say that was because they told me whatever you get after a year, that's what you've got. If you can walk after a year, you can walk. If you can't walk, you can't walk. Um, and so I was so determined to put all my cards on the table and push and push and push and push, and I did um uh to an extreme amount to try to regain my ability to walk and do all of the things. And so as much as I don't want to admit it, the medical community was predominantly correct. Now I have had smaller incremental things, you know, I've continued to get stronger, but it's not these huge things. Like I can't just I'm I'm not expecting to wake up one day and be able to wiggle my toe now, you know. Um and so I had to really come to terms with wow, this is what life is going to be. How am I going to do this? You know, this year has passed, and I have seen the slowing of the progression of my uh ability, you know. So I have to be real and come to terms with the fact that this is life. What am I gonna do with it? You know, and so that's probably but I didn't wait. I I had to wear what I call my turtle shell, had to wear a chest brace for like four months. And uh the day I got my turtle shell off, I made the doctor sign a release to let me go back to work. And they were like, you don't need it. They were trying to get me to go on disability and do all this stuff. I'm like, no, I have to work, man. And so I went back to work and it was not a good idea. I was passing out on the floor, falling and just like, you know, just it was crazy, but I did it. And I just pushed myself a little more every day. And so then I and then after that, I'm like, okay, I can't do six hours at a time. I can do two hours, you know, and and I had to work back up my endurance. And what job was that? That was I was managing a plasma center at that time. And, you know, I was the assistant manager, and through that, about a year after my accident, um, I actually became the center manager. And so after my accident, I took over the center that I was the assistant of and ran it for several years. And I'd, you know, hobbling around with my walker, you know, all throughout the plasma center and everything. And um there's a lot to be said about that. I miss my miss the people, but I don't miss the job. I I did that job for seven years, and I'm like, Lord, I'm thankful for that, but please don't make me do that ever again, you know.

Dustin Haney 31:38

So off topic. Yes. Plasma center. Yes. Who passes out more, men or women?

Wes Campbell 31:44

Women. Um really absolutely so young females, um, the college-age females, because they have no fat, they have no muscle, and they don't eat, and they lie to you about eating. Um, and so they come in and they have not got the proper nutrition, and which it's not a big problem around here, but around college towns. I ran a center in Waco, and so you have some of the Baylor kids come over sometimes, and that was a real problem. And I would always say, young female, walk with her, you know, and uh and the other one is whenever they raised the age limit from 60 to 65, then the men always crashed, and it was bad. It was really bad. And so I, whenever I took over the center, I'm like, I don't care what the SOP says, you're over 60, you're not donating in my building. Because we had a couple medical incidents where their bodies just simply could not handle it. And a lot of men at that age have cardiac issues, and they have other underlying issues that you can't easily foresee just by doing the height and weight and you know, all that, check a quick you know, blood sample from your finger. And there's a few issues that there was these really sweet old men that had significant medical events where they were in the hospital for weeks and stuff, and I'm like, okay, not my house, baby. You know, not anymore. And so I thought you were gonna say the big tough guys. Well, they uh sometimes are scared of the needles. Yeah, um, so they might pass out on the bed, but I'm worried about after they give and they get up and like, I'm fine, and they start walking to the get paid, and but they don't make it to the window.

Dustin Haney 33:07

What causes that? Just the blood pressure drop?

Wes Campbell 33:09

Yeah, well, you gotta think we've taken, you know, um about a liter worth of fluid out of their body. And so you take a liter, you know, it's it's about 0.7 um to 0.9 liters out of their body. And so you take 0.7 liters out of a little girl that weighs 120 pounds, that's a lot of fluid. Oh yeah. And and plasma is 92% water and protein, and so there's also nutrients, you know, and so they will just eat it. I mean, they eat it hard, and it's not it's not good.

Dustin Haney 33:38

So you get done at the plasma center. What was your next spat?

Wes Campbell 33:42

Next spat, I went and became a stockbroker for TD Ameritrade. I I did I ran managed risk for the back office. Um, that was an interesting experience. I did uh futures where I was trading, you know, sweet crude oil, pork bellies, platinum, copper, all that stuff. Stockbroker. I actually became a principal of the firm there where I could actually open up my own firm and oversee other stockbrokers. So I had my Series 7, 63, and 24 licenses. So did you do that?

Dustin Haney 34:05

Did you go to college?

Wes Campbell 34:07

So I had a business degree, um, but I studied independently to get the licenses. And so some of those licenses you study for six months, and it's like thousands of pages, it's a big deal, you know. And the and some of those tests cost thousands of dollars too, you know. Um so the 24 is really a big one to be a principal. Not very many people can pass that. Um I passed my series seven, which is the main broker, um, and and I got an 85 on it, and I and you may have to make a 72 for the series 24. And I remember it printed out and it said, okay, 72. I was like, okay, I know I have to get a 70. Where's my score? My score was a 72. And I was like, oh, thank goodness.

Dustin Haney 34:43

Just barely.

Wes Campbell 34:44

My boss said, You studied the perfect amount. So I did that for a couple years. I uh helped participate in the Facebook IPO, if you remember whenever that happened. Um, I was doing the trades for that and everything. And then from there, I went over to a um IT company doing vCloud Air stuff for VMware, and and then now work for a company. I'll leave the name off the the list, but uh it's still did similar things.

Dustin Haney 35:10

Similar stuff, so I'm not even gonna ask this question. If it was a normal person and not you, I would ask the question, did you ever think of quitting? But I know that's probably not a good question for you.

Wes Campbell 35:22

You know what? I've always had an inordinate amount of persistence and determination, and I never knew why. And now I knew that it's because the Lord knew I was gonna face this, right? And I'm like, oh, it makes sense now. Why have I always been a bulldog on a bone with everything? And now I'm like, I got it. I understand why, because sometimes I always be so dogged about things, I'd be like, Lord, why did you make me so so determined? This is ridiculous, you know. Why can I not care like my friend John, you know, or whatever?

Dustin Haney 35:50

Because you can handle it, right?

Wes Campbell 35:51

Because he knew I was gonna face this, and so he put that in me. So I'm very thankful for that.

Dustin Haney 35:55

Do you think uh I'm sure there are, but you had opportunities that arose because of the accident and um the ability to maybe, like you're talking about your passion for human trafficking and stuff. Do you think you would have crossed paths with that if you didn't have the accident?

Wes Campbell 36:12

That's a really good question. So let me answer that in two ways because one's kind of interesting, but it's a little bit of a side quest. Um 2017 I went out to an organization called Suit X. They do exoskeletons, and I actually became an official, they call it a pilot, an FDA-approved pilot of their exoskeleton program. And so I stayed there for two weeks and did their whole exoskeleton, and I actually demoed it at the South by Southwest conference in 2018 or 2019. Um, and so that obviously is kind of a a silver lining that obviously would not be. What is that?

Dustin Haney 36:42

I have no idea what you're talking about. Exoskeleton.

Wes Campbell 36:45

So an exoskeleton is um, and it we've really had so much traction because of um the military, a lot a lot of the military injuries and stuff, but it's literally a suit that you put on and it stands up. It's like getting in a robot suit, and and it helps you walk, and it will literally help you walk. And so you control it and it walks and walks and walks. Um and they have a lot of really amaz amazing ones. They have one called Rewalk, and they've got some, but the money that's being poured in because of the injuries of our soldiers is what's really driving this forward. And so uh there's a lot of opportunity, but the challenge is that at this time they're maintaining them in a what they call a clinical setting. So you can go to the hospital and play with it, but they won't send it home with you yet. And so that's the gap that they're just not there, you think, or they're very expensive, and I think that the technology is not there where it's safe necessarily. They want somebody to be there in case you fall on your face, they got somebody to pick you back up, right? But it's literally putting on a robot suit. Um, and that was super fun because I was working with a bunch of you know, California Berkeley kids uh that are crazy smart. But I was trying to tell them, like, for instance, you know, as you walk, you lean into the step and you're anticipating the step. Well, what they had is they had a hard button. So you press a button and then it would move. And it was very abrupt, and it was, you know, and I asked them, I said, Hey, have you ever fired a rifle? You know, and they're like, No, you know, I'm like, well, there's something called take up. Whenever you squeeze a trigger, you're squeezing the trigger and you're squeezing the trigger in anticipation, and you want the boom to surprise you. And as you step, you are anticipating that next step and that next step. And so there needs to be a system where you can squeeze and lean into it in a breaking point where once you get to a certain angle, that then the the suit steps. Right. And so the guy set up all night long and he designed and 3D printed a trigger for me to use that had that exact feature in it. And so they actually changed the exoskeleton based off of my feedback.

Dustin Haney 38:39

That's cool.

Wes Campbell 38:40

So that was cool, even though he had never fired a gun, didn't really have a first, but I saw a said, listen, when you pull a trigger, you're pulling, you're pulling, you're pulling, you're pulling, and then it breaks and boom. And I said, That's the same anticipation you have when you walk, you know, and you have a button, and that's not gonna work, man. And uh they were it was a really good, and they were always like, come back, come back, come back, you know. So it was a fun experience. Um but the original question was would I be where I'm at now if I had not had my accident? And the answer is absolutely not. Um I'm really thankful because I am able to work with people from all over the world. Um, because I'm able to work from home. I have teammates in Poland, I have amazing teammates in India and Ireland and Shanghai, and I simply do not think that I would have leaned into being a full-time desk job and you know, where I'm at now, and just being like, okay, well, you got your brain. Figure out how to use your brain because I enjoyed the physical aspects of things, like the firefighting, like the boxing, like all the other things. I was a physical person. And so, you know, I originally, when I first went to college, I went for electrical engineering. And then I was like, I don't want to sit behind a desk the rest of my life, man. You know, my grades were great, but I was like, this is terrible, you know. And then here we are, I go back, and then I literally work with a bunch of electrical engineers and computer science engineers and stuff, and but I'm overwhelmed with gratitude, you know. So even then I feel like I knew what I needed to be doing, you know, but I went on my own side quest for a couple years.

Dustin Haney 40:14

It's funny you're talking here, and that's exactly what I was thinking. It's like, so there is a plan.

Wes Campbell 40:19

Yes, absolutely.

Dustin Haney 40:20

And it's probably being implemented perfectly.

Wes Campbell 40:22

Yes, in spite of ourselves. Right. In spite of ourselves. Um, and so I definitely wouldn't be where I'm at. And I'm just overwhelmed with gratitude because I've been able to meet some amazing people. Um, I've got friends in Ukraine, I've got friends in Poland, um, I've got friends in India, and like it's just open up to the cultures, and I've been able to share with them openly, you know, um, and depending on the faith that they have, you know, I've been able to say, please share with me, and I'll share with you, and and love on people, man, you know, and it's just been wonderful.

Dustin Haney 40:54

So through your work, is that how you ended up in Poland? Yes. And running in. So kind of walk us through what your first experience with the human trafficking was so big.

Wes Campbell 41:04

So my very first time, this is right after the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, whenever Russia 2014 invaded, took it over. And what was happening, and it's still happening to this day, and it just infuriates me, is that these refugees are coming from Ukraine and they're getting into Poland safely, and then the Russian underbellies taking them inside of Poland once they get there and saying, Are you hungry? Come with me, get in the van. And they're never seen from again. And so they're able to trace them all the way across a crazy war-torn Ukraine through the intake process in Poland, and then they disappear. And it's not the native Polish. And so I remember 2015, 2016, my first time there. These women approaching me, and hey, please, please spend time with me, please, you know, and they're propositioning me. And uh, and I'm thinking, this is a lot more aggressive and very different than just a strip club or you know, normal stuff that you would normally experience. And I could pick up on them like their accent is a little different, you know, they look the same to me, you know. My uneducated eye, I'm like, they look very similar people, but they don't sound the same. And I don't understand why she's so um pleading with me and so desperate, you know, and uh and I could see three or four women, and then there would be this guy, obviously in a trench coat, who was obviously Russian, you know, a just quintessential, giant Russian dude. And um it happened multiple times during that visit. And then I set some one of my friends down, and they're, you know, especially Polish people are very guarded, you know, um, and they said, yeah, these are those are Ukrainian girls, you know, and uh those are not Polish, and that those aren't that was not a Polish guy, and and I was so what the heck is going on, man? You know, and I found out I was so furious I wanted to go and fist fight the guy from my wheelchair, you know what I mean? And like, do not do this, do not do this. We're like, this is not the wild west, you cannot do this, you know. Um, and then I started doing a lot of studying, and that really has given me a tremendous burden um throughout the years of seeing this. And I've been back to Poland six times, I've been to Ukraine twice, and in Ukraine they still won't talk about it. They won't even talk about it to Americans and stuff. They will not even talk about the scourge of the human trafficking problem they're dealing with, which we can talk a little bit about the culture of Ukraine as well. Love the people, but it's still very backwards in a lot of their thinking. Um, but yeah, that's what started it. And so since then, I have partnered through an organization called Unbound Now. They're a local out of Fort Worth. And the reason I started with them originally is because they were setting up a facility and arm in Poland, in Warsaw, Poland. And they actually sent some state troopers from uh Waco to Poland to train uh these Polish police officers in Warsaw because they run the I 35 Corridor. The Waco police officers deal with that kind of stuff a lot, right?

Dustin Haney 43:52

Right here in Texas.

Wes Campbell 43:53

Right here in Texas. Yeah, what you don't understand is the I 35 corridor starts in Mexico and goes all the way to Minnesota, and it runs the entire length. Of the United States, and that is the main thoroughfare for human trafficking in the United States. San Antonio, it's the number one human trafficking city in the United States. Over a million people in that city, and so much we could spend our entire time talking about that. But there are amazing organizations such as Unbound Now. I've you know very much support them. There's also another one called a Covenant Rescue Group. They're based out of Tennessee or Alabama. Guy's an ex-Navy SEAL. He's as good as gold. I love this gentleman. I can't remember his name. There's also one called Caleb House. I think they're out of Oklahoma. So there are some really good local organizations to support the local population. You know, and of course, a lot of this is poor Mexican illegals that are being trafficked over the the Texas border. And that's what a lot of what it's you know coming down to up the I-35 corridor.

Dustin Haney 44:49

So for people that don't have a clear understanding, including myself, they're basically kidnapping and then holding hostage.

Wes Campbell 44:58

Absolutely. Um it goes a few different ways. Um the sad thing about it is is most of them know their transgressor. They develop a long-term relationship with them. Um and um then most of the time they become dependent on them, whether it be food, housing, or drugs. A lot of the time it's drugs. Um and then they use them. You know, sometimes it's a boyfriend, girlfriend thing. Um but it's and what really i is mind blowing to me and is that a a lot of times it's middle-aged women. And they are the ones that are holding these girls captive.

unknown 45:38

Uh-huh.

Wes Campbell 45:38

And mostly his his the ones I have seen are mostly Hispanic women from Mexico, you know, and they are the ones that are really being the ringleaders and doing the all of the dirty work and helping to farm it out. It's not always the case, so please don't hold me to that. But that's my experience of what I've seen. Um if you go to unboundnow.org, uh, there's a lot. They have um you can actually go and have a lunch in and learn about it. And uh they have what they call the underground, where they have a facility that's hidden, literally underground, where these once they capture them, they take them and put them in a safe place and they can get clean and they can find the next steps and get away from the transgression. So it's it's an amazing organization. Um, and it's a huge, huge, huge problem. And it's one of those, you know, one of those things, Dustin, that like I feel like God puts these certain things in your life and they won't go away, you know, and this is one of those things for my life where I'm like, Lord, I'm not the right sex. I'm not the right, you know, I don't, I don't know Polish law, I don't know Belarus, I don't know Ukraine, I'm not the most qualified person for this. Like, why do I have this burden? But I still do, and so I'm doing what I can, and I'm hoping, like I mentioned before the show, to set up a brick and mortar building somewhere to um accommodate um the Polish-Ukrainian and even Belarus, I don't have any experience there. That's a whole nother ball of wax because that's kind of Russia 2.0. Belarus is there, a puppet for Russia. Um, and through my studies, I think Nuremberg, Germany is probably would be my place that I would set up shop uh because it's local. Uh I've actually been learning German for the past two or three years just so that I could speak the local culture and be able to set it up and understand the local laws. And I went to Germany in 2024, and uh out of all that, I believe that Nuremberg would be the best city to try to do that.

Dustin Haney 47:31

So when when you do this and you get it done, because I'm sure you will. Yes. What what's the game plan? Do you find these women being trafficked?

Wes Campbell 47:39

And yeah, so my job it would be, and this is uh my understanding, right? So please, uh I want to just set it up and and set up the housing. And I'm gonna work with the local organizations to local law enforcement and local humanitarian organizations to go get the go get the the mostly women and children that have been trafficked. But what I would like to do is have apartment buildings that are paid for and set up housing for them and just say, okay, what's my apart? My apart, I can get a safe place for you. I don't ever want to meet any of the victims at this stage. I'm not qualified to do that. Um, I just I'm just so unqualified to do that. But what I can do is try to provide a safe house for them. And so that would be my first 1.0 version is if I can set up eight or 10 or 12 apartment apartments and work with the locals and say, hey, locals, I've got this. Please let these uh people, these women and children that have been taken advantage of have a safe place. And they already have a lot of the organization infrastructure set up, especially in Germany, um, but they don't have facilities, you know, they don't have places where to put them, you know, and that kind of thing. And so that would probably be my first step. Um, but there's a lot of unknowns, and I'm not quite sure. I just know that I have the burden and I want to help, you know. So obviously I'm I'm I'm helping um by just donations to the local organizations here. Um, but I have not found an organization in Europe that I feel has the proper mission. Um you know, my my passion is the local populations and so much of where the money is going to migrant relief, and that's okay, that's good, but I think that the local populations are suffering because of that. And so um we can have a conversation about that too. That's a little bit of a you know, a little bit more of a political conversation, I suppose, but yeah, I can go all over the place with that one, I can't. Yeah.

Dustin Haney 49:32

Um at the beginning of the show, we talked about the masculinity. Oh yeah. Biblical masculinity. I really want to go there because you do come across as a very, very strong person. Uh even shaking your hand, it's like, man, I don't want this guy to get a hold of me. You know, but that that those two words, after seeing this a couple weeks ago, it's like stuck to me and it's like, what are you talking about?

Wes Campbell 50:01

Yeah, that's a really good thing. You know, um culture today has skewed and perverted what it is to be a man, what it is to be masculine, and they say things like toxic masculinity. And they do the same thing with women, it's just they do it in a different way to women, like, you know, where you have this feminism and all this type of stuff full. Um you know, feminism and feminist are not feminine. You know, they are the opposite of the way that God has created them to be. And this whole to- anything that is toxic about masculinity is not biblical. And so what I talk about um in regard to uh biblical masculinity is simply how it is outlined and defined in the Bible, right? And biblical masculinity is a beautiful thing, the same way that biblical femininity is, if I'm saying that properly. That's a big word. Yeah, oh man. Um my Texas draw can't pull that off hardly. Um but uh but you know, it talks about the fact that, you know, husbands are to lay down their lives for their wives, just as Christ did for the church. That's biblical masculinity, right? That's what that means. It's not being chauvinistic, it's not being domineering. Um, but guess what? It's also being the one that is standing in the gap and protecting your family from the wolf at the door, whatever that wolf might be. And so it is laying down your life, but also being a man that is capable of incredible violence, really, if it comes to call, right? And whenever you and Jordan Peterson actually talks about this some, and I love Jordan Peterson. I don't buy you know everything he says, hook, line, and sinker, but I really appreciate the um amount of effort and intellectual energy that he puts towards whatever he's talking about. And he talks about the fact that as men, we are supposed to be monsters, right? And a a a man who does not have the ability to defend his family is not a kind person. That's just a weak person. And what it talks about with masculinity is that we uh we should be built for war in the case the time comes, but we should be able to have empathy and kindness and love our family with the most gentle way. But if the wolf comes knocking, then we can stand on that wall and we can take care of our family. And and that is both ways that is laying down our lives for our wives and our children, whether that be on the wall or whether that be with the loving and kindness and empathy and the daily grind that gets boring sometimes. And so I don't have like a textbook definition, but to me that's what that means. It means being physically strong, mentally strong, spiritually strong, emotionally strong for when the case calls, but also being able to be incredibly empathetic and loving and kind so that you can gently shepherd your family.

Dustin Haney 53:00

I'm sure that's what led you into the mentorship that you're doing now?

Wes Campbell 53:04

Yeah, whenever I was a young man, I really struggled with finding men that I could look up to, you know. Um I really had a really hard time, like, Lord, like just can you please give me somebody that I can learn after, you know, and and and understand what it's like to do this thing. And now I'm a little bit older, I see these young guys struggling with stuff. And um it's amazing because I think us just being who we have been called to be, it naturally attracts men that are missing those things to us. Because I have guys come with me all the time, hey man, you're I'm really struggling with this thing, and I figure if anybody can help me, you can help me, you know. Sure, what's going on, man? Let's talk through it. And and I'm not perfect, and sometimes I may be a little harsh to men, you know what I mean? A little tough on them, you know, like we were talking earlier about um, you know, a guy if he's struggling with pornography, but he refuses to get rid of his smartphone, and that's the the crux of the problem, then he's not serious. You know, you need to throw that smartphone in the trash or at least put it in a drawer for six months and get a dumb phone, a phone that only calls your grandma and your wife. You know, you don't need to be having anything that has pictures on it because you can't handle it, you know, and if they are not willing to take those steps, they're not serious and they're wasting your time and my time, right? Um, and so getting the person to the point, because a lot of times we recognize we have a problem, all of us do, but we don't really want to cut deep enough to cut the problem out. And that's something that I really am thankful that I have had the chance to do that some with men, and and they appreciate it afterwards, not always in the midst of it, but after they get past the difficulty, like, man, thank you so much. I didn't like it, but you told me what I needed to hear.

Dustin Haney 54:47

It's kind of like when you're a boy and your dad's doing everything that you're hating, but then when you're an adult, you look back and go, Mom, I'm so glad my dad did that to me. Exactly. Yeah. Why do you think you couldn't find anyone to look up to as you were growing up? Well, what were you looking for?

Wes Campbell 55:01

I think I just probably that's a really good question. You know, I I think that in our lives, and and you know, I am at fault for this too. You know, you try to be a good person, and you read the Bible, and then you have people that are professing to be Christ's followers and Christians and good people, but you see the way that they behave and do things, you know what I mean? And you see, okay, well, this is not congruent. And I I want to, you know, I I know they say that they are this, that, and the other, but I'm not seeing it. You know, and and that can be said about any aspect of our lives is you don't really want to trust what somebody says, you trust what they do, you know, and I was really at that point having a hard time finding men that were not just saying the right thing, but were doing the right thing, you know? Yeah, and uh I think that that's a challenge that we all face at some level, suppose I guess, right? Sure, yeah. Yeah.

Dustin Haney 56:02

So that that just gave you the passion to want to help younger men, have someone to look up to and yeah, at least to try to avoid the boulders, right?

Wes Campbell 56:10

You know, like I'm not very good at a lot of stuff, but uh don't go there, you know. Like, don't do that, man.

Dustin Haney 56:15

You know, so what lane are you doing that in? Is it with your church?

Wes Campbell 56:18

Yeah, so I I I do that um predominantly with the men at church right now. Yeah. Um at one point, whenever I first became single, I was part of three different men sort men organizations, and um it was great. It was the best thing I could have done with my time um going through that difficult time of me becoming single after being having being married for 18 years. I poured myself into helping the uh these other men, you know, and uh it also helped me grow a lot, you know, because I would have a Bible study in my house once a week, and here I was going through a terrible divorce, and they would whine about the silliest stuff, and I'm like, what a bunch of whiners, you know, like gosh. Um, and they ain't gonna make it. I hope they make it out of the driveway, you know what I mean? Like they're softer than milk toast, you know, like gosh. But that also allowed me to pray through a lot and get have develop a lot more empathy, right? Because I would literally lay in bed at night and learn like, Lord, these are the biggest bunch of wine. Is everybody a bunch of wine? Can you send me a different group of people that are not winers, please? You know, like and I really, I really uh had a a challenge with that. And so I grew a lot, you know, through that. Um, and uh, but yeah, it was a really good thing for me to do at that point. It's the best thing I think I could have done because I was pouring myself out instead of sitting at home being like, oh, whoa is me, right? Or going to do destructive stuff, whether that be fighting at the bars or what that's what I wanted to do. I wanted to go to whatever local bar is and grab the biggest boy by the belt buckle and beat the fire out of him just because. You know, because that's my that's my hang up, right?

Dustin Haney 57:56

But that's the good funno days.

Wes Campbell 57:58

Yeah, I mean, but that's the problem. You get to a certain age where you you win and the next day you wake up hurting, you know, I thought I won. Why didn't I hurt so bad? Anyways.