Remi Adeleke’s life changed abruptly when his father died—when his family went from being royalty in Nigeria to struggling to feed themselves in the Bronx.
The public education system was so poorly resourced and Remi was exposed to precious few role models in his early life. As a result, he didn’t feel that there was an expectation for him to even graduate high school; it seemed the only path available was stealing, selling drugs, and running scams.
But when Remi hit rock bottom at 26 and realized, he needed something bigger than himself. That’s when Remi met Tiana Reyes, a military recruiter who helped him find his true path. Tiana was also from the Bronx, so she was passionate about helping to give young people from the neighborhood an opportunity to establish a career and explore the world—because she knew that not many other people would give them the chance.
Tiana attended multiple court hearings to advocate for him and helped him fill out the paperwork to get Remi into the Navy. Once in Navy boot camp, Remi was exposed to all the different programs and set his heart on becoming a Navy SEAL.
But it wasn’t a slam dunk. He didn’t pass the academic test on his first attempt and, even if he had, he wouldn’t have passed the physical test because he didn’t know how to swim. But Remi’s mother always taught him to persevere, and he drew on that to train and study in the time outside of his role as a medic. The hard work paid off and Remi was accepted into Navy SEAL training.
In addition to fulfilling his dream of becoming a Navy SEAL, Remi is an actor, entrepreneur, writer, husband, and father. He has written a memoir about his life called Transformed and volunteers as a mentor for kids in similar situations that he was in.
He believes that the past does not have to be a template for our future, that there is always hope and that you can help a person so much that you’re actually hurting them because you're enabling them to keep doing what they’re doing.
As for all the hardships, setbacks and failures in his life, Remi says they made him who he is today because “you can't grow without failure.”
Don’t be a podcast junkie…
Resources:
Instagram: @remiadeleke Twitter: @RemiAdeleke Facebook: @RemiAdeleke LinkedIn: @RemiAdeleke Read: TransformedEp. 75 - Lean Into a Purpose-Driven Life
Ep. 74 - How Entrepreneurs Can Thrive Together & Make Money Matter - with Cole Hatter
Ep. 73 - The Origins of Saddleback Leather: Saying Yes & Giving with Purpose - with Dave Munson
Ep. 72 - Living Life Curious, Fulfilled, & with Purpose - with Marie Forleo
Ep. 71 - Mastering Behavior Change: Tap into Your Purpose & Potential - with John Berardi
Ep. 70 - Giving, Purpose, and Fulfillment - with Dr. John Berardi
Ep. 69 - Why Peak Performers are Driven by Purpose - with Brad Stulberg
Ep. 68 - Let’s Get Back in the Game
Ep. 67 - Red Fish, Bluefish: Perfection is in the Imperfection - with Steve Sims
Ep. 66 - Understanding is Half the Battle - with Ken Kannappan
Ep. 65 - A School of Champions - with Todd Stottlemyre
Ep. 64 - Getting Motivated at Halftime - with Coach Lou Holtz
Ep. 63 - Rise From The Ashes
Ep. 62 - What Are You Doing to Better Yourself Today? - with Adam Eidson
Ep. 61 - Give Back to Comeback - with Cindi Busenhart
Ep. 60 - The Game of Adversity - with Nick DiNardo
Ep. 59 - Why We Love the Comeback Story (and How You Can Leverage That) - with Geoff Woods
Ep. 58 - Happiness, Fulfillment, & You
Ep. 57 - Annihilating Adultitis - with Jason Kotecki
Ep. 56 - Rethink Happiness & Live a Life of Authentic Joy - with Doug Kisgen
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Meaningful Life with Andrew G. Marshall
Heal, Survive & Thrive!
A Voice In The Darkness
BPLUS بیپلاس پادکست فارسی خلاصه کتاب
The Jordan Harbinger Show