Sovereign with Don Abad: Recent Episodes
Don Abad
Sovereign is dedicated to discussing FAITH, FAMILY, and FREEDOM and why we need more storytellers to promote these three pillars of a person's life.
The show features long-form conversations with thought leaders and industry experts in business, media & entertainment, education, health & fitness, politics, theology, and more.
Robert Raymond Riopel is an international bestselling author, app designer, entrepreneur, and trainer who has spent the past 18+ years traveling around the world sharing his passion. He has also shared the stage with and trained many of the top trainers and thought leaders in the world today.
With his high energy and heartfelt style, Robert draws on his journey from humble beginnings to financial freedom at the age of 32, to inspire individuals into tapping into their greatness.
Realizing that he is not the only person that struggles, Robert’s “Clues” open individuals up to the possibilities that lie within them and that is why he is a highly sought after presenter.
Listen in as Robert and I break down the myth of overnight success and how to take those first few baby steps towards where you want to go. He also explains how to uncover those "Clues" that lead you to where you need to go next.
Head over to www.robertriopel.com to get a FREE copy of Robert's bestselling book, Success Left A Clue.
Got a question? Episode topic ideas? Just wanna say hi? Record your inquiry at www.speakpipe.com/sovereign and be featured a future episode!
Wendy Cunningham was an atheist gone devout warrior for Christ. She believes it’s important to evaluate where our beliefs about God come from as we consider where we might be mistaken.
What If You're Wrong is Wendy’s first solo book project—she coauthored Success Through Failing—but she's been a writer for as long as she can remember.
Her blog, www.gainingmyperspective.com and her podcast by the same name, satisfy her desire to inspire, empower, make people laugh, and share truth boldly.
Aside from writing and podcasting, Wendy is an entrepreneur, a wife, and a homeschool mom of three. When they’re not traveling, they’re homesteading on 84 acres in Middle Tennessee.
Listen in as Wendy and I discuss the unique challenges of proclaiming God's Word in a post-COVID world. We also talk about the vital role of motherhood as well as how husbands and fathers can become the "Joseph" in their family's lives.
Got a question? Episode topic ideas? Just wanna say hi? Record your inquiry at www.speakpipe.com/sovereign and be featured a future episode!
Mike Forrester is a men's transformation coach, founder of the Living Fearless coaching programs, and host of the Living Fearless Today podcast.
His decades of experience with overcoming failures, setbacks, and struggles, fuels his clients to overcome their own self-doubt.
With his personal journey through overcoming childhood trauma, dyslexia and loss of loved ones, Mike is determined to set the example to not allow excuses to derail you.
His podcast, Living Fearless Today, focuses on helping men overcome fear, anxiety and depression by highlighting success stories of those who have lived through it.
His insights, methods, and stories of building Post Traumatic Growth have been featured on various podcasts, including Hanging Onto Hope, Extreme Health, Own Your Life Own Your Career and Think Unbroken.
From the keys to breaking the cycle of generational trauma to leaving behind victim mentality, Mike and I go deep into some of the most pressing issues that too many people, especially men, face today.
Learn more about Mike at:
https://www.hicoachmike.com/
Got a question? Episode topic ideas? Just wanna say hi? Record your inquiry at www.speakpipe.com/sovereign and be featured a future episode!
Brent Dowlen is a husband, the father of two girls, and the host of The Fallible Man Podcast, a show for all things Man, Husband and Father. He is a preacher's kid and a former youth minister who has dedicated a large portion of his life to working with teens in some capacity.
Over the years, Brent has seen a growing need for positive male role models as the idea of masculinity and the value of men has been skewed.
Brent started The Fallible Man because he and his wife have seen the need to affect men in a positive way. Their goal is to encourage, inspire, empower, support, and motivate men to take charge of their life by choosing to improve themselves for themselves.
Listen in as Brent and I dive deep into our belief that, if more men today embraced their masculine nature and purpose, the world would literally transform for the better.
Learn more about Brent and The Fallible Man at:
https://www.thefallibleman.com/
Got a question? Episode topic ideas? Just wanna say hi? Record your inquiry at www.speakpipe.com/sovereign and be featured a future episode!
I had a great time on Chris Williams's podcast, The World According to Chris. We talk brand storytelling, being busy versus being productive, the power of mentorship, and how to fully live a life of faith, family, and freedom.
Check out "The World According to Chris" at:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-world-according-to-chris/id1224976288
Got a question? Episode topic ideas? Just wanna say hi? Record your inquiry at www.speakpipe.com/sovereign and be featured a future episode!
Chris Williams is an entrepreneur, husband, father to two boys, and a humble servant of God.
I recently had the opportunity to appear as a guest on Chris's show, The World According to Chris: a podcast for struggling entrepreneurs, corporate professionals, network marketers, and small business owners.
We talk about the usual fare—faith, family, and freedom—with an emphasis on Chris's role as the man of his household.
At one point, I ask him, "What would the world look like if fatherlessness wasn't a thing anymore?" He had a very interesting take on this issue, among many other important issues of the day.
Check out "The World According to Chris" at:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-world-according-to-chris/id1224976288
Got a question? Episode topic ideas? Just wanna say hi? Record your inquiry at www.speakpipe.com/sovereign and be featured a future episode!
I recently had the opportunity to appear on the Glass Half Full podcast hosted by the amazing Chris Levens. Because I thought we had an engaging and insightful conversation, I decided to share the episode here on the show.
Listen in as Chris and I discuss a whole host of topics, from overcoming victim mentality, to the importance of standing up for your values, to why every parent should consider homeschooling their kids in these weird times.
Check out "Glass Half Full" with host Chris Levens at:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/glass-half-full/id1581627023
Got a question? Episode topic ideas? Just wanna say hi? Record your inquiry at www.speakpipe.com/sovereign and be featured a future episode!
To celebrate the release of our 30th episode, let's reflect on what it means to be a "sovereign human being" as defined by our first five guests on the podcast:
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Ian Nadela (https://youtu.be/HC0sRzeAZnk)
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Ryan Fernandez (https://youtu.be/qWIhc5TwkNU)
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Ariel Driz (https://youtu.be/yu6AjyisTeU)
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Mike Wilson (https://youtu.be/U4ydg0cyp_4)
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Anthony Pierre (https://youtu.be/oZnhG-bmpUw)
Got a question? Episode topic ideas? Just wanna say hi? Record your inquiry at www.speakpipe.com/sovereign and be featured a future episode!
"It's part of human nature to feel more comfort in constrained solidarity than in solitary freedom."
Dr. Julie Ponesse has a PhD in Philosophy (Western, 2008) with areas of specialization in ethics and ancient philosophy.
She has a Masters in Philosophy with Collaborative Specialization in Bioethics from the University of Toronto and a Diploma in Ethics from the Kennedy Institute of Ethics at Georgetown University.
Dr. Ponesse has published in the areas of ancient philosophy, ethical theory, and applied ethics, and has taught at universities in Canada and the US for 20 years.
In the fall of 2021, Dr. Ponesse saw her academic career of 20 years fall apart after she refused to comply with a Canadian university's COVID vaccine mandate.
In response, Dr. Ponesse recorded a special video directed to her first-year ethics students. That video went viral.
Since the release of that video, Dr. Ponesse has joined The Democracy Fund as the Pandemic Ethics Scholar focussing on educating the public on civil liberties.
In December 2021, Dr. Ponesse released a book, published by The Democracy fund, titled My Choice: The Ethical Case Against Covid-19 Vaccine Mandates.
This is her account of the battle and its aftermath, written with passion and intelligence. But Dr. Ponesse's story travels beyond the personal and examines the ethical and philosophical dimensions of our pandemic response.
If there is anyone out there who feels alone in the struggle to preserve personal choice and freedom, this book offers some very human advice on how to move forward and makes it clear that your voice deserves to be heard.
You can learn more about the book and order your very own copy at MyChoiceBook.ca.
Got a question? Episode topic ideas? Just wanna say hi? Record your inquiry at www.speakpipe.com/sovereign and be featured a future episode!
Dai Manuel is a super dad, dating his wife, with a lead-by-example way of living and a contagious personality, who is on a mission to positively impact one million role models around the globe to lead a FUN-ctionally fit life through education, encouragement, and community.
He is an award-winning digital thought leader and author, Distinguished Toastmaster & TEDx speaker, former partner and Chief Operating Officer of a multi-million dollar retail company, and a sought after lifestyle mentor and executive performance coach.
Dai knows the struggle of the juggle and keeping his health and happiness a priority. He models his work based on 5 F’s: Fitness, Family, Faith, and Finances with an overarching roof of FUN, built on a rock-solid foundation of Health.
Listen in as Dai talks about our amazing ability as human beings to bounce FORWARD from adversity and transform for the better. He also shares how he lives out faith, family, and freedom in his own life. Dai explains "why vulnerability is a human thing"—the same topic he speaks at length about in his famous TED Talk, and his take on what it means to be a man. Finally, Dai encourages us not to buy into the culture of fear that we're being constantly exposed to today.
Connect with Dai at www.daimanuel.com.
Got a question? Episode topic ideas? Just wanna say hi? Record your inquiry at www.speakpipe.com/sovereign and be featured a future episode!
Allen C. Paul is the founder of God and Gigs, a community of artists and musicians supporting each other in faith, family, and career, and co-host of The God and Gigs Show podcast. He provides creative career coaching to artists and creative freelancers who want to grow their careers in a holistic and values-driven manner.
Listen in as Allen encourages Christian artists and entrepreneurs who are currently navigating an increasingly secular world. He also gives his thoughts on fatherhood and explains why he decided to homeschool his three kids.
Join Allen's all-in-one creative mentorship community at www.godandgigs.com/freetrial.
Got a question? Episode topic ideas? Just wanna say hi? Record your inquiry at www.speakpipe.com/sovereign and be featured a future episode!
Elliott Haverlack is an ordinary guy who's led an extraordinary life. He worked his way from the factory floor to a Fortune 500 company boardroom, then walked away. He led a struggling family-owned business to global recognition, then walked away.
His first book, Unbundle It, supported the mission of his consulting business dedicated to helping people and companies thrive. In his latest book, From Fear to Fulfillment: A Fight for Faith, Family, and Freedom, Elliott shares his inspiring journey and words of wisdom. All proceeds from the sales of From Fear to Fulfillment will be donated to charity.
Listen in as Elliott dissects the all-important terms "faith", "family", and "freedom", and gives his thoughts on American exceptionalism and the enduring reality of the American Dream... and what the rest of the world can learn from America's example.
Got a question? Episode topic ideas? Just wanna say hi? Record your inquiry at www.speakpipe.com/sovereign and be featured a future episode!
On today's quick episode, I run through some quick announcements on what to expect with the podcast in the coming months. I then share an excerpt from C. S. Lewis's 1948 essay, "On Living in an Atomic Age" and discuss why it's so relevant to everything that's going on today, and how it should inspire us to move forward in 2022.
Ask me a question, send in a topic request, or just say hi at www.speakpipe.com/sovereign.
2021 is coming to an end, and many teachable moments came out of this turbulent entry into the new Roaring 20s.
Listen in as Kimmi and I each share the three most profound lessons we learned over the past 12 months and talk about what we look forward to in life and business come 2022.
Olivia Fernandez Bernabe is one of the most successful leaders in the network marketing world, with business in the Philippines, North America, Australia, the UK, Denmark, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, and several other territories. I've interviewed Olive's son, Ryan Fernandez, in a previous episode where he shares his experience taking the reins and leading the next generation of entrepreneurs.
Listen in as Olive reflects on almost 25 years of leading a team of business owners of all stripes around the world and the lessons she has learned about faith, family, and freedom through it all.
Record your question or topic/guest request, or just say hi at www.speakpipe.com/sovereign to be featured in a future episode!
As the world spirals further and further into secularism, as the traditional family unit continues to be dismantled, and as our individual freedoms are stripped from us piece by piece, it's our responsibility to shed the title of "silent majority" and fight for our sovereignty.
We can all do this in our own little ways by marshaling together like-minded men and women and getting our voices heard.
Speaking of "marshal", I offer an interesting perspective on the state of our modern society via Marshall McLuhan's seminal work The Medium is the Massage.
I hope today's episode inspires you to stand up for your values and your rights by realizing that you can indeed make a difference.
Record your question or topic/guest request, or just say hi at www.speakpipe.com/sovereign to be featured in a future episode!
There's a big difference between busyness and productivity. One is the key to growth in every part of your life while the other will keep you firmly where you are—if not gradually cause you to move backwards.
Listen in as I break down how to find real meaning in what you do, as well as how to achieve harmony in your life with the Triangle of Balance.
Personality Plus: How to Understand Others by Understanding Yourself was written in 1992 by Florence Littauer.
Are you a powerful choleric, a popular sanguine, a peaceful phlegmatic, or a perfect melancholy?
Discovering our personality types has been a game-changer for Kimmi and I in seeing things from each other's point of view.
Listen in and learn the respective strengths and weaknesses of each of the four personality types and how knowing these can help you and your spouse forge a stronger relationship.
Take the test and find out which of the four personality types you and your spouse are:
https://www.gotoquiz.com/personality_plus_6
George Manassa is the host and co-founder of The Catholic Toolbox radio show and consultancy alongside Creative Director Akita Sanchez.
The program provides practical strategies for Catholic individuals and organizations to implement their faith personally, and to improve evangelical performance around Sydney and New South Wales.
George is also the founder of The Rite of Manhood podcast, drawing in men of all faiths united for a common purpose, which is to restore masculinity today.
Finally, George is the author of The Art of Practical Catholicism and The Server's Toolbox.
Listen in as George talks all about living the faith practically, the sobering truth about our responsibility as Christians, and how to reclaim masculinity and femininity in their truest form in today's secular, postmodern world.
Find out more at:
https://thecatholictoolboxshow.com/
...and follow George on Instagram at:
https://www.instagram.com/thecatholictoolboxshow/
Tricia Roos is a wife and mother who built her career coaching young athletes in Dallas, Texas. Multiple state volleyball championships pale, however, next to what she gained through tragedy.
Against the advice of medical experts, Tricia completed her pregnancy with a child diagnosed with a fatal chromosome condition. That season her team won, the child in her grew, and eventually, for six miraculous days, Tricia held and loved Annabelle Marie, the daughter no one expected to live.
Tricia and her family rewrote the medical chapter on Trisomy 18, living out a story that galvanized the large high school she worked in, and local media.
On April 18, 2015, the Roos family was honored as the Pro-Life Persons of the Year at the 22nd Annual Bishop's Pro-Life Dinner.
Tricia penned a memoir that delves deep into that unbelievable time in her life. The book is called When Wishes Change: What If the Thing You Feared Most Brings More Than You Dreamed? It was released on August 22, 2021.
Find out more at:
https://www.whenwisheschange.com/
...and follow Tricia and the Roos family on Instagram at:
https://www.instagram.com/whenwisheschange/
As much of the Western world (and countries influenced by the West) sinks further and further into secularism, virtue and faith, alongside the concept of individual sovereignty is being replaced by fattening government and a Neo-Collectivist religion.
If freedom as an ideal still exists today, it's increasingly being regarded merely as "freedom from". Many seem to have completely forgotten "freedom of" and "freedom to".
This is why there has been a growing call for security at all costs—that government alone should be responsible (or at least primarily responsible) for the prosperity of its citizens.
This idea couldn't be farther from the original intention of nearly all of America's Founding Fathers and the rest of the patriotic men and women who wanted to break free from a strong central government.
I explain a formula by author Os Guinness called "The Golden Triangle of Freedom" to demonstrate why the Neo-Collectivists have it the wrong way around: that a bottom-up approach of self-governance bolstered by faith and virtue should be embraced by society instead of a top-down, politician- and unelected official-driven approach.
Referenced article:
https://firstliberty.org/news/the-forgotten-triangle-of-freedom/
Love & Respect: The Love She Most Desires; The Respect He Desperately Needs was written in 2004 by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs.
For Kimmi and I, this is one of the most valuable resources we go back to over and over again to help us stifle conflict and keep the fire alive in our marriage.
Listen in and learn the Bible-based principles behind what men and women truly desire and how to incorporate this wisdom into your own relationships!
Anthony Pierre believes that success means refusing use the word "failure".
He learned this truth the hard way when his life as a family man with a thriving real estate career was turned upside down:
At the age of 36, Anthony was suddenly arrested and sent to prison for six years.
Nevertheless, he clung to his faith in God. As time passed, a series of events led to the opportunity to teach his fellow inmates the ins-and-outs of running a real estate business.
When Anthony was finally released, he rebuilt his career and today owns the highly successful Estate Masters Real Estate Academy.
In July 2021, Anthony released the book Boundless Success, which features his inspiring story as well as those of 29 other top-performing entrepreneurs.
Connect with Anthony and learn more about his work at:
linktr.ee/Apierre1002
Mike Wilson was the most unlikely person to become a global entrepreneur and sought-after speaker in 20+ countries, all while living a life of total time and money freedom with his wife Karla for four decades and counting.
"Introvert" and "loner" are just a couple of the words Mike would use to describe himself. He never graduated from college and his passion was tennis, not business.
And so begs the question... How did he do it?
Listen in as Mike and I go down a winding road on today's episode, talking about everything from the science of success, to the keys to leadership and entrepreneurial success, to strengthening your faith in God in the toughest of times, to why most people desire security over freedom.
Welcome to Season 2 of the Sovereign podcast!
After a few announcements on the future of the brand, I cover the brief but foundational topic of making the decision now and finding the solution afterwards.
Once upon a time, you and your family could live a perfectly healthy life by tuning out social media and the nightly news. You could live out almost all your days minding your own business and tending to your own responsibilities.
Depending on where you live, you can still do that to an extent but, the truth is, we've reached a point in history where certain global issues have now become personal.
Three camps of people have emerged as a result of these issues—and truthfully, these three camps have always been around, but nowadays it's become more obvious who's who: the optimistic and proactive camp, the apathetic and go-with-the-flow camp, and the despairing and blaming camp.
If you're anything but the first, I'm sure you're wondering how in the world you can even be an optimist and take control of your life during these crazy times.
My answer: It all starts with a paradigm shift. Listen in and learn how to rewire your brain to thrive in a culture of fear.
The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate was written by Dr. Gary Chapman in 1992 and has gone on to repair many a marriage ever since!
Today, Kimmi and I dive deep into the value of knowing your spouse's primary love language, whether it's words of affirmation, quality time, gift giving, acts of service, or physical touch.
Listen in as we chat about our own experience applying the wisdom behind the five love languages in our life together as well as how this concept has helped us build stronger relationships with friends, family, and even business partners.
Two traits in equal measure lead to unparalleled success: clarity and grit. Only a vital few embody these traits, and these few are the most dangerous people you will ever know, simply because they know how to win every time.
This is the final part in my three-part series on purpose, which began with a discussion on the inadequacy of hope in Episode 006, and continued with a primer on the vital importance of purpose itself in Episode 008.
Today, I reflect on why purpose is actually not the be-all and end-all of success and significance. I discuss why your purpose can, in fact, become your downfall if it's not tempered by self-awareness, optimized by clarity, and sustained by grit.
Christian Paolo Lat is a Filipino-Canadian entrepreneur, actor, rapper, and award-winning filmmaker.
And he's a busy man—the Ottawa native often travels back-and-forth between Canada, the U.S., and the Philippines for his many business and film-related projects.
A quick disclaimer: You might notice that the format of this one is a little different. That's because this interview was actually recorded back in 2019 as an episode for my short-lived podcast, Creator's Creed.
But there was too much gold in my conversation with Christian to let this episode go to waste, so it's being re-released right here on Sovereign in all its glory.
Listen in as Christian shares how he juggles all of his roles and the lessons he learned about succeeding in the film and music industries through his recent entrepreneurial ventures.
When your emotional tank is drained and not even the thought of your dream can keep you going, it's time to look to the anchor that grounds everything that you do and keeps you centered in the most trying times: your purpose.
This is the second part in my three-part series on purpose, which began with a discussion on the inadequacy of hope in Episode 006.
Today, I reflect on why your purpose will keep you going even when all hope is extinguished.
Some may call them, at best, "old-fashioned"—at worst, "sexist". But when we look at all the facts, it's clear that traditional family dynamics are foundational to a healthy, progressive society.
You heard that right: Traditional family dynamics that respect each person's God-given human rights lead to progress in every sense of the word.
Listen in as Kimmi and I define exactly what we mean by "traditional" in the context of marriage and parenthood and why our future depends on our rediscovering and embracing these timeless values.
You can pray all you want. You can muster up all the passion, enthusiasm, and willpower your mind, body, and soul is capable of.
But when you reach those inevitable dead-ends; when you hit rock bottom; when you finally burn out—you're going to wish you relied on something with more staying power than emotion alone.
In the first of three solo episodes dedicated to defining your purpose, I make the case that hope is not a strategy.
Ryan Fernandez is the Co-Founder and President of Syzygy Philippines, a leadership search and development consultancy, where he leads tens of thousands of fellow entrepreneurs in the social commerce space around the world alongside his mom and Co-Founder, Olivia Fernandez-Bernabe.
Ryan is a survivor of Hodgkin's lymphoma and currently serves as President of Corridor of Hope, a nonprofit cancer support group which focuses on cancer awareness via health seminars and workshops on nutrition and fitness.
Finally, Ryan is a member of the Barangay Philam council in the 2nd District of Quezon City, through which he jointly plans community projects funded by the local government.
Listen in as Ryan reflects on the many challenges he had to overcome throughout his young life, and how these experiences led him to become who is is today: a multifaceted millennial leader in the business, community service, and nonprofit spaces.
Ariel Driz is a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt consultant and a respected voice in the electronics engineering space, having held leadership positions at Motorola Philippines, International Rectifier (now Infineon Technologies), Amkor Technology, and others.
Aside from his work as an independent consultant, Ariel and his wife Ambec co-own and operate a direct marketing business that spans over a dozen countries.
He has spoken onstage countless times over the years to hundreds of thousands of fellow business owners of different walks of life.
More than two decades later, Ariel believes that his journey as an entrepreneur has just begun, and that the market is now ripe for massive growth!
Listen in as Ariel shares what inspired him to exit the corporate world to go all-in as an entrepreneur, consultant, writer, and international speaker.
He also gives his thoughts on thriving amid the pandemic and the real answer to wealth inequality, particularly in the Philippines.
It takes a village to raise a child—but it all starts with the parents.
In this special episode, Don is joined by his better half, Kimmi, to discuss why they believe mainstream education, in many ways, may be doing more harm than good to today's youth. They explain that, at the very least, the traditional schooling system is simply outdated.
With freedom of education top-of-mind, the Abads talk about the magic of homeschooling. And they don't mean the daily multi-hour Zoom sessions that kids (and their parents) have been forced to endure throughout 2020 and 2021.
They share why they specifically chose to educate their kids using the Montessori method and, additionally, why they want to offer them an absolutely priceless perspective on life and humanity through "worldschooling".
How does a sovereign human being think? Certainly not with a victim's mindset! I break down the wealth gap issue that's on almost everyone's mind today and pinpoint the root cause of inequality. I also share why the solution is not more welfare or government intervention—as is the mainstream position—but financial education and merit-based empowerment. Why does the hill exist? Because the climb is what makes us human.
Ian Nadela is an entrepreneur and leadership coach who has been involved in the direct marketing space for over ten years.
Since being introduced into the family business in 2010 by his wife Karel, Ian has grown their distributorship into the several hundreds. Today, he leads Backpack CEOs of every walk of life in several countries and counting, including the Philippines, the U.S., Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, Australia, and Denmark.
Listen in as Ian goes down memory lane and reflects on his journey from corporate life in the oil industry to borderless entrepreneurship and the lessons in leadership and team-building that he has learned along the way.
He also explains why he made what many would consider the unusual decision to leave a well-paying job in a respected local company to go into the often-misunderstood world of direct marketing—and why it was totally worth the plunge.
Few other types of people have the power to shape civilization than storytellers.
Who are the storytellers? In this podcast, I'm categorizing storytellers into two groups: artists and entrepreneurs.
At a time when there seems to be no end to societal tensions around the world, almost everything is becoming politicized, and "censorship" and "cancel culture" have become buzzwords, we need more storytellers to rise and level a playing field that seems to be leaning one way over all others.
Listen in and learn how I hope to launch Sovereign as a platform for artists and entrepreneurs to be able to openly share a diverse range of ideas.
The world needs more stories. We're here not only to tell them, but also to get them told.