Latest / Daily Influence / 771. Turning Chronic Kidney Disease Into Purpose: Moe Mondesir on Resilience, Hope, and Positive Influence

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771. Turning Chronic Kidney Disease Into Purpose: Moe Mondesir on Resilience, Hope, and Positive Influence · Daily Influence

• 0:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: Welcome to Daily Influence, your daily dose of positive influence.
• 0:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm Brian Smith founder of IA Business Advisors and co-author of the Iain team series.
• 0:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: Each day we share stories and insights to help you find be and build your influence in a positive and responsible way.
• 0:27
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I'm Greg Clino, partner at IA Business Advisors, and co-host of Daily Influence.
• 0:32
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• 0:38
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• 0:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: Welcome to Daily Influence, I'm Grecollino.
• 0:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: Quick note before we dive in.
• 0:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: We just launched the Smart Advantage newsletter, providing you with practical insights on leadership, accountability, and building a stronger business straight to your inbox.
• 1:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: You can find the link to subscribe in the show notes below.
• 1:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: Today, we are joined by Mo.
• 1:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: Mr. Coolbeens, Montesair.
• 1:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: a husband, a father, former classroom teacher, kidney disease advocate, and the host of the chronic brew podcast.
• 1:20
  [SPEAKER_00]: After experiencing a life-changing, cascading kidney episode, and being diagnosed with stage four chronic kidney disease, Mo faced across roads that forced him to redefine his future.
• 1:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: Rather than allowing his diagnosis to define him, he chose to become a source of hope.
• 1:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: education and encouragement for others navigating chronic illness.
• 1:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: Through advocacy, podcasting and community involvement with his local kidney foundation, he is helping people find their voice and reminding them that challenges do not have to limit their impact.
• 1:57
  [SPEAKER_00]: Today will explore how adversity can become purpose, how intentional influence can change lives,
• 2:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: and what all of us can learn about resilience, leadership, and personal responsibility, regardless of the challenges we face, Moe, welcome to daily influence.
• 2:16
  [SPEAKER_02]: Thank you so much for having me and I appreciate the introduction as well.
• 2:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: Well said, thank you so much.
• 2:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: Well, your journey has taken you from the classroom to becoming a chronic illness advocate and podcast host.
• 2:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: Looking back, what experiences and values shape the person you are today, and how do they prepare you for one of life's most unexpected challenges?
• 2:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: You know, I think my experience from leaving my hometown of Miami and moving up to Central Florida, there was a lot of adaptability skills that had to take place, you know, going from a college student and into the classroom and then into the classroom to becoming, you know, a father and out later on.
• 2:57
  [SPEAKER_02]: So a lot of adapting had to realize that, you know, no one can do it for me, I had to do it for myself.
• 3:05
  [SPEAKER_02]: While I will have some help along the way, but ultimately, I'm in the driver seat.
• 3:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: So the adaptability skills had to be there and you know when it came to life's biggest challenge of all, which became my health, I realized quick and fast that I had the skill set in order to become more adaptive and make it work for me and my family and not just follow and just let things deteriorate.
• 3:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: every meaningful journey includes moments that test who we are and reveal what matters most.
• 3:36
  [SPEAKER_00]: When you receive your diagnosis and realize your lifeless changing dramatically, what mindset shifts help you move from asking why me to asking, what can I do with this experience to help others?
• 3:50
  [SPEAKER_02]: You know, that that has so many little caveats, but ultimately I will say that
• 3:57
  [SPEAKER_02]: When it came to sharing my story, I realized that one thing that I felt was that am I the only one going through this and when I quickly realized that
• 4:08
  [SPEAKER_02]: chronic illness was a thing that's happening in this life.
• 4:11
  [SPEAKER_02]: Something that I was not aware of, or it may be ignorant to people who are living lives like this, you know, the hospital visits, the surgeries, the illnesses, the symptoms.
• 4:21
  [SPEAKER_02]: And now that I was almost, I would say teleport it into this life, it made me realize really fast that there are folks on the outside who was just as ignorant as I was to a diagnosis of chronic illness is happening.
• 4:34
  [SPEAKER_02]: And so I realized, hey, wait, just because I'm out the classroom doesn't mean I can't teach or talk about it.
• 4:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: And so I use my knowledge and education and kind of transfer it everything over to teaching everyone what I'm going through.
• 4:48
  [SPEAKER_02]: Because everybody had questions, everybody.
• 4:50
  [SPEAKER_02]: Well, what's going on with Mo now?
• 4:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like he's out the classroom with his kidneys.
• 4:53
  [SPEAKER_02]: Are they going to heal or are you going to grow a new kidney?
• 4:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: So there was a lot of things I wanted to share as far as the surgeries that I've done and things I've gone through and so I used that avenue to just educate just because I think it was needed because of and I say ignorance lightly, I don't mean ignorance as in like you know people are not.
• 5:12
  [SPEAKER_02]: But there's a lot of things that people are unaware of and I just wanted to share my piece on it.
• 5:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: Was there a specific moment when you realize your story could become a source of influence for someone else?
• 5:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: You know, I quickly realized that my story would be, I think everybody has those moments where one day it's this and the other day it's that.
• 5:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: I mean, if you think about mine, you know, I was just a regular guy, a husband, a father, you know, taking care of my family, you know, working at a very noble career, had a lot of folks who loved me the students to staff.
• 5:49
  [SPEAKER_02]: And then one little holiday break and everything turned around when my kid is decided to take a nose dive, you know, so everything flipped.
• 5:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: And so, in the specs of, you know, life changing on you immediately.
• 6:04
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think there's a lot of people who didn't know how to, you know,
• 6:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think grab their life again, or reattain their life.
• 6:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: And so I just kind of shared my story in the sense that, hey, look, I was just like you guys.
• 6:17
  [SPEAKER_02]: The normal guy who thought I was invincible, and then this happened.
• 6:21
  [SPEAKER_02]: But this is what you can do as far as regaining your purpose.
• 6:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: One thing I remember, a guest of mine on my podcast, she came on and said, you know, sometimes chronic illnesses, or when things happen to us, it's more about getting rid of things or letting things
• 6:38
  [SPEAKER_02]: being taken away from you like you know we had these titles we have these you know things that people put on us and it made us feel good about ourselves but when those things start going away because of doctors appointments and now you have to do this now you're almost going back to the center and then it's when you get to that center you realize who you really are and then you can start rebuilding from there and so sharing my story I feel like
• 7:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: definitely benefits people who just don't know what to do after they've been diagnosed.
• 7:06
  [SPEAKER_02]: And just to show them that hey, you can still be resilient and still have hope in this life.
• 7:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: That decision to turn personal adversity into service is a powerful example of responsible influence.
• 7:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: Through your work with the chronic brew podcast and the kidney foundation, you've created space where people can share their stories.
• 7:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: Can you share a moment when someone's life was positively impacted because you chose to speak up, educate or simply listen?
• 7:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think I credit all of that to the bravery of starting a social media platform.
• 7:39
  [SPEAKER_02]: I have to say this.
• 7:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: My intention was never to start the Mr.
• 7:43
  [SPEAKER_02]: Cool Beans Instagram page or the chronic group podcast.
• 7:47
  [SPEAKER_02]: I wanted to be the guy who had the diagnosis and sitting in the back of the class and raised my hand to ask questions when needed.
• 7:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: But then I had a good friend and even my wife, she said, why don't you just start sharing?
• 8:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: And so I went ahead and did that.
• 8:03
  [SPEAKER_02]: And the community that I think I've built has been resonating with that, just people sharing how much they've learned or how much they appreciate what I'm sharing because all the stuff that I share is just personal things that I'm walking through because not everything is gonna be the same for everybody.
• 8:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: But just to share how relevant,
• 8:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: having an navigated doctor's appointments, having to take prescriptions and all the et cetera.
• 8:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: people have come to me and just told me how thankful they were just from my boldness.
• 8:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: Just to be unashamed about what I'm going through because folks don't like to talk about their weakness in this society, something that I've noticed.
• 8:43
  [SPEAKER_02]: And there's power in sharing your weaknesses.
• 8:46
  [SPEAKER_02]: It makes you stronger in a sense because that's when you get the more support.
• 8:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: You get people that come and what's funny enough, you get a lot of those supports from the people who know you
• 8:59
  [SPEAKER_02]: And you know, it's the people who haven't seen your roots that water your soil the most.
• 9:03
  [SPEAKER_02]: I've had folks from California.
• 9:06
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm in Florida.
• 9:07
  [SPEAKER_02]: People from California, Hawaii, you know, Colorado, and they've come to me and have told me so many great things that, you know, unfortunately, I haven't heard that a lot from the people that have been around me watching me go through this.
• 9:19
  [SPEAKER_02]: But it just goes to show that your reach doesn't have to be local.
• 9:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: It can be so
• 9:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, absolutely.
• 9:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: And, you know, many of our listeners, our leaders, business owners, parents, and community builders who want to make a positive difference, but aren't always sure where to start for someone facing a major life challenge, whether it's a health issue, a business setback, or a personal struggle, or practical framework, or process, would you recommend for maintaining hope while continuing to move forward?
• 9:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: Hmm, yeah, that's a deep one.
• 9:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: You know, it's only been two and a half years.
• 10:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I haven't developed a solid framework that I go by daily, you know, building a plan where I'm flying, but I will say this, life is super unpredictable.
• 10:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: One day things could be stable, and then the other things are just kind of go awry.
• 10:17
  [SPEAKER_02]: You can never expect what life's gonna throw at you and I would say just be gentle with yourself.
• 10:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: make sure you're doing the best that you can in every situation.
• 10:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: Even if that means just sitting and just processing and calculating the next steps, it may not look like forward mobility, but it could be a reset, it could be a recharge and just be patient with yourself as you go through those hard moments.
• 10:45
  [SPEAKER_02]: I will even add that while people see my social media presence,
• 10:49
  [SPEAKER_02]: They probably think I'm having the best time on my life, I'm an influencer, I'm making content, but ultimately, I'm still the patient.
• 10:59
  [SPEAKER_02]: I still have to navigate certain things, and sometimes it is what it is, but just always know that you're moving forward.
• 11:06
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's not moving backwards.
• 11:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, that's great advice.
• 11:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: One of the themes we often discuss on daily influence
• 11:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: What lessons have you learned from your hardest days that people often overlook when they're trying to lead, support others, or navigate uncertainty?
• 11:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: You're not invincible, okay?
• 11:31
  [SPEAKER_02]: You're human.
• 11:32
  [SPEAKER_02]: You prone to error and you're gonna make mistakes and you're gonna be tired.
• 11:38
  [SPEAKER_02]: You know, there's so much pressure when it comes to the things that we do in a positive sense.
• 11:43
  [SPEAKER_02]: You know, we lead, we make major moves, we help out, we contribute to the community.
• 11:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: But then we have to also make time for ourselves and our loved ones.
• 11:54
  [SPEAKER_02]: You know, the people that are closest to us.
• 11:57
  [SPEAKER_02]: I've had to learn that because, you know, burnout is real.
• 12:00
  [SPEAKER_02]: Burnout is definitely real.
• 12:02
  [SPEAKER_02]: And, you know, while people are the onlookers, like I said before, they're onlookers, and they see you doing these things.
• 12:08
  [SPEAKER_02]: And, you know, you get the compliments, but you have to definitely make time for you at the end of the day.
• 12:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: Don't overstretch yourself out, you know?
• 12:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, that's really good advice.
• 12:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: And those lessons often become the wisdom we wish
• 12:24
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, absolutely.
• 12:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: Absolutely.
• 12:26
  [SPEAKER_02]: If I only knew right.
• 12:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: Well, speaking of which, if you could sit down with your younger self, the teacher who hadn't yet faced this health journey, the young adult that you were the young kid, what advice would you give him about health, purpose, relationships, and the kind of impact he would
• 12:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: If I feel like if I had warned that guy about what he was going to go through, I would deter him from the life that I'm actually living now.
• 12:59
  [SPEAKER_02]: I would actually deter him.
• 13:02
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I don't think, you know, it's funny.
• 13:04
  [SPEAKER_02]: I don't think that would be a net positive for me if I deter that kid.
• 13:08
  [SPEAKER_02]: I like to say that there's so much I've gained from this diagnosis, not to make it seem like, you know, it's not hard.
• 13:17
  [SPEAKER_02]: That's not what I'm pushing at all.
• 13:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: There's so much wealth of knowledge and so much wisdom that I've gained from just walking through this life, such a new experience and just gleaning into the lives of different people and what they're going through.
• 13:33
  [SPEAKER_02]: So much, what's the word?
• 13:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: There's so much
• 13:37
  [SPEAKER_02]: I guess, care now, so much, so much that I've gained, just by, yeah, I think you've got the book, but there's so much that I've gained from this that I don't think I would want to deter that kid from the classroom, from walking this life.
• 13:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: If you would ask about the, you know, just being, you know, making relationships and being impactful, sure, I could talk about that, but I think I needed this.
• 14:04
  [SPEAKER_02]: Because I mentioned the ignorance that I had before about, you know, walking this life and the people who are really going through this I've come to know so much and I've and I have developed such a heart for people who are going through this type of condition or these conditions that.
• 14:22
  [SPEAKER_02]: I feel like this is where I probably needed to be as far as the educational space, you know, making an impact being positive.
• 14:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: Oh my gosh, there is so much negativity here and rightfully so because we're talking about people who have lost a lot of things that they enjoyed about their own lives, you know, lost identity, they've lost relationships because of their diagnosis.
• 14:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: And it's reminding people they can always still be positive.
• 14:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: So if I had to sit with this kid face to face,
• 14:50
  [SPEAKER_02]: your kidneys are going to rub here.
• 14:52
  [SPEAKER_02]: But, but I will also add that you're going to be great at what you do just because of the fact that you're going to remind people that they can still smile.
• 15:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: You're going to remind them that they can still listen to house music and dance.
• 15:07
  [SPEAKER_02]: They can still rebuild their lives even though the life that they loved is no longer there.
• 15:12
  [SPEAKER_02]: There's still something to live for as long as they still have breath.
• 15:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's beautiful advice.
• 15:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you for sharing that, Mo.
• 15:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: As we wrap up, I'd love to focus on the legacy of influence that you're building.
• 15:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: Daily influence is built around the idea that every person has the ability to positively impact others through intentional actions.
• 15:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: What's one specific action you would challenge our listeners to take this week that can make a meaningful difference in someone else's life or even their own life?
• 15:43
  [SPEAKER_02]: everyone likes to know information about everyone.
• 15:47
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think we live in a, we live in a day and age where information is wealth, all of a sudden, everyone likes to tag on who's doing what and who has this and who has.
• 15:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: Whatever the case may be.
• 15:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: And one thing that I would call unfortunate is that so many people know who's struggling with a diagnosis or illness or whatever they're struggling with, maybe it's financial, whatever the case may be.
• 16:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: Everyone likes to know.
• 16:11
  [SPEAKER_02]: But not a lot of people like to take action, you know?
• 16:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I think I would sum it all up as if you know better, do better.
• 16:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: If you know someone is going through something, or someone has said someone lost a spouse, someone lost a parent, someone is going through a heartache, and you know, what are you gonna do with that information?
• 16:30
  [SPEAKER_02]: don't just sit on it, be a blessing to that person, be impactful, be positive, show that you show that person matters to you.
• 16:38
  [SPEAKER_02]: It could be a text message, simple text message, and a phone call.
• 16:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: Hey, let's go get some coffee.
• 16:43
  [SPEAKER_02]: Something as simple as that can be such a ray of sunshine as someone who's going through something dark, and it doesn't even have to be something dark.
• 16:53
  [SPEAKER_02]: It could just be something that uplift somebody who's going through a bad moment in a day.
• 16:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: So if you know
• 17:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: Be that reassigned shine for them.
• 17:02
  [SPEAKER_02]: That's my challenge for everybody.
• 17:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's amazing, Mo.
• 17:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: And that's not even a hard challenge.
• 17:08
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's not.
• 17:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: Simple and it's easy.
• 17:12
  [SPEAKER_02]: All it takes is effort.
• 17:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: That's it.
• 17:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's right, Mo.
• 17:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: I am so grateful for you to join us today.
• 17:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: If our listeners want to get in touch with you, what is the best way to do so?
• 17:21
  [SPEAKER_02]: Of course, I have the chronic group podcast that streams on all platforms.
• 17:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm also on Instagram and Facebook at Mr. CoolBeans2889.
• 17:30
  [SPEAKER_02]: And if you want to send me an email, I don't know if anybody really have to email us anymore, but it's Mr. CoolBeans2889 at gmail.com.
• 17:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: And outside of that, that's pretty much it.
• 17:42
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, that's how you can get in touch with me.
• 17:44
  [SPEAKER_00]: Great.
• 17:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: Well, we're going to put that information.
• 17:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: So notes, thank you so much for sharing your story and reminding us that influence isn't reserved for people with titles platforms, or perfect circumstances.
• 17:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: Sometimes the most powerful influence comes from choosing resilience when life gets difficult, choosing hope when uncertainty is overwhelming and choosing to help others while navigating challenges on your own.
• 18:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you so much.
• 18:11
  [SPEAKER_02]: Thank you for having me.
• 18:11
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's been a pleasure.
• 18:13
  [SPEAKER_00]: and to our listeners, as you leave today's episode, I encourage you to think about one area of our life where you can turn a challenge into an opportunity to serve and encourage, or educate someone else, small actions taken intentionally, often create the greatest impact.
• 18:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you for joining us on daily influence.
• 18:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: If today's episode inspired you, please share it with those in your life that could use a daily dose of positivity.
• 18:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: Until next time, remember,
• 18:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: The influence that you have on others begins with the choices you make every day.
• 18:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: Go out and make a positive difference.
• 18:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: Bye-bye.