Free Your Mind With LKJ – Dequan Starnes, You Are Enough

Hello and welcome to this week's edition of Free Your Mind with LKJ. Today we're crossing the pond, as we would say in America, but bringing— of course, I'm still in the UK. We're going to go over to America, as the British would say, to a wonderful guest, Daquan Starnes, who through his own mental health has produced a wonderful single that has gone viral, and the words 'speaking up.' So I'm gonna change it this week for you guys. I'm gonna play you this song for anybody suffering with mental health, because you are enough. Don't let anybody say you're worthless, useless, because in the words of Daquan Stans and the people that he had singing, helping produce this, you're enough. So here we go. You wrong, do the right thing. I know it's hard 'cause you stressing over nice things. It's okay to stay fly within your price range, you feel me? 'Cause it ain't worth it at the end of demise. And every single breath you take is a blessing disguised. If you crying, you should keep your head up, get strength from above. And staying tough, it's a must 'cause you're enough. You're enough. You're enough. Many days I was feeling stressed, long nights I was so depressed. You're enough. All the pain, it was just a test. To be alive, you already blessed, 'cause you're enough. You're enough. You're enough. You're enough. Yeah. You're enough. You're enough. You're enough. You're enough. You're enough. You're enough. Yeah. You're enough. If you feeling heartbroken, sick to your stomach, I hope you really understand that it's a blessing coming. If they wanna run now, tell 'em keep running. Whenever life knocks you down, God is up to something for sure. I feel your pain and I know the feeling. I used to stay up late nights staring at the ceiling. And if your spirit needs healing, find help from above. 'Cause oppression is tough, now stand up 'cause you're enough. You're not alone, and I need you to always know, no matter what, you being alive is simply enough. Yeah. And those words, very empowering. And when you listen to it, you're enough. When depression comes to take a hold, the spirit's high. Amazing song. And for all the viewers, I thought I'd give you a little treat this week with Dekhwan. I have my wonderful great nephew Carter that is in on the show with my wonderful niece. They're coming to visit and thought, well, let them be part of this Dekhwan. You know, it's a new life. He's 12 weeks old. You know, mental health is going on from the start as a child, but he's having his bottle and he wants to be part of this. So if you hear a little bit of a thing on that, let's just go with it because we are a real show and we are all with each other on new life. But like my niece, a new mom, 12 weeks in, you know, and having the baby. Herself and, you know, the changes that happen. This happened, a new life going, this new life goes. So, Daquan, can you explain to the listeners of Free Your Mind, Let's Talk About It, who Daquan Starnes is? Can you take us back to your childhood and then through school, up to elementary, to high school, going through any mental health issues, had any bullying? What made Daquan Daquan Starnes, Stand Tall. If we just start on that first segment, is that possible? Oh yes, very simple. Just short and sweet. I am Daquan Starnes. Hello everybody on Free Your Mind. What a pleasure to be here from the United States. I'm actually originating from Charlotte, North Carolina. And just to briefly tell you, You're Enough was a song that I created with my team. Producer, um, Nya Lindsey, and along with my mom, we decided to write a song to just talk about, um, you know, my upbringing and the depression and the things that I went through growing up. And, um, you know, with my own struggles with, with mental health. And then, you know, just to sum it all up, I started in elementary school, and I was one of the kids who got bullied and picked on and things like that. And, and a lot of, you know, they would tease me and make funny jokes. And over time, I just developed a toughness. And I can just remember, as I was getting picked on by one of the biggest bullies, I just stood up. I stood up in front of everybody. And the day that I stood up and said, I will not take your bullying anymore, and I was able to defend myself in a way where everyone saw then things changed at school. And, uh, it went from— I went from that kid, you know, to where I would go to school many days I hated to go. You know, a lot of times where I would just cry and, and hated to be there because I love to go to school, but when I get there, I start going through the things that I went through and I hated it, you know what I mean? And so it made it really miserable for me very young. And then once I finally stood up to a bully and fought back and developed a skill to be able to defend myself, then from that point on, I was able to execute. And then I later developed that I knew how to dance, and I knew how to rhyme and make raps. And those are the things that I turned to, to help me just, you know, become a person who could fit in. And once I was able to start fitting in with, with a certain level of friends I became the cool kid in school. And, um, so I can say my life changed early on because of that. But it didn't stop there. I got to middle school and ran into some of the same thing. Of course, when you get to middle school, everyone is bigger now and a lot stronger, and you have to now make a name for yourself in the new school because you're no longer the cool guy in elementary school anymore. So I get to middle school, same thing, bullying, picked on. They would tease me about, you know, things that I may have on or the way that I looked. And that's when I discovered that I could play basketball. And I started to play basketball and I started off still getting picked on. You know, people, it never really changed. And then over time, people could see that I could play basketball and I was good at basketball. So then they started to change, and then the girls started to actually like me, and things just turned around, you know what I mean? So I thought that things were better, but of course, by me being— I still was— I was a pretty tall guy, but I was small. Like, I was, I was very thin in my body size. So a lot of the bigger guys would just, you know, bully me and bump up on me and things like that. And once again, learned to defend myself on days where I wanted to quit. I wanted to give up and just say, "To hell with school," but I kept going. And, you know, of course my mom wasn't going to let me quit because I was so young. And I used to use the pain that I went through and put it into my sport, into basketball, and put it into music. Because again, music was always my first love. So I always put the pain and the things that I was going through into the music and into the sports. And that's how I became really good at it. And, uh, stood up to a bully there, and everything changed in middle school. And now I'm on to high school, and this is where you're finally getting your first girlfriend and things are happening. And I tried out for the basketball team there, and the interesting thing was something that I missed was I was playing basketball in 6th and 7th grade in middle school, but I got cut from the team in 8th grade. So that was a really hard time for me. It made me really depressed because I was no longer the cool— like, I had finally got cool, became the cool kid, and then it was stripped from me. Because I became a cool kid, I lost my focus and started to stop— I stopped doing my schoolwork. I wasn't focused anymore, and that allowed my grades to go down. And my grades dropped, and then they removed me from the team in 8th grade. So now you're getting picked on again. So then I learned that, okay, just be yourself no matter what, because you're trying to fit in with this bad circle of friends, but it caused you to lose your spot on the basketball team. And that was one of the, like, hard lessons that I had to learn in life. So that caused me to go through a really dark depression over time, um, and, and I ended up almost having to stay back a grade, which I stayed back a grade in 5th grade. So I had already went through that before, you know what I mean? So to get to middle school and about to go through that again, it was just a tough time for me. But I was able to pull it together. I passed on, went on to high school, and like I said, now I'm, you know, trying, retrying out for the basketball team again. I made the team, got a new girlfriend, things started to roll and everything was going well. And then I go on to play, and then I got moved up to varsity, and things were going well. And then I was removed from the basketball team in my senior year. So I went through this same thing 2 times, I would say, in my life, where something that was given to me that I thought was fun and cool and I'm finally free was took away from me again. So that allowed— it just broke me down. And that was really embarrassing because that was the time where I was planning to go to college and play basketball, and all these things were going. I had my music out at the same time throughout high school, and it was just one of those things where I was really embarrassed. I felt like I let my mom down. I felt like I let my family down. I felt like I let my whole community down because a lot of people was depending on me to become something great. And that pushed me in a deep, deep, deep depression, you know, uh, that was the times where I, I didn't, I didn't necessarily want to kill myself. I just thought, what would life be like if I wasn't here? You know, I had suicidal thoughts in that way. Like, I would just always ask myself, what do I have to live for? You know, and something just told me in a quiet voice, well, you was always good at the music. Once you pick the music back up because once my dream of playing in the NBA, in the professional basketball league, was gone, I had to do something else. And that's how I got into the music, you know, back into the music, I would say. And then as I got back into the music, I started to find a love for what I was doing, um, and I started to gain some success. And I started traveling and performing and touring and just doing a lot of amazing things. And then reality hit, you know. I went through a whole situation where things started to go slow. I lost a lot of my crew members that I was originally with. Some of them went to prison. Like, a lot of, a lot of things just, just happened wrong. I just went left. And I never went to prison, thank God, but, um, because I chose to do the right thing and walk the right path. But in walking the right path, it allowed me to go into another deep depression because I didn't have things that I thought I needed to have. I was chasing success and chasing rich and famous, and I thought I needed to have all these things to be somebody. But what God was telling me was— what the good Lord was saying all along was I was enough. Me being alive was simply enough. And that is what led me to writing a song like "You're Enough." It was days where I wanted to quit. I had jobs. I was working jobs. That didn't pay well. I didn't like a lot of these jobs. I was going through tough times with bosses at work that I didn't like, you know, just— I just wasn't really doing well in job circuit. And, and, but I had to work because I had to pay bills. But at the same time, I had a dream to do music, and, you know, so I had to work. But it was working— I was working low-paying jobs, jobs that I really didn't like. And, and that was just to make ends meet. But I kept striving for my dream. I kept pushing for my dream. And I would look around and see people with a lot of wealth and a lot of things, and it would just make me get so depressed and stressed and down because I didn't have these things. And I knew, I knew that I wanted these things. And over time, I just started to grow and mature more and more. I was losing jobs, a couple of them I was able— I got fired from. And then it was, it was sometimes where jobs I just quit because I just flat out didn't like it. I was just flat out unhappy, just really unhappy. And I was able to start finding my peace in looking around at some of the things that I was good at. And I knew that I was really good at having people skills and marketing and networking. So I got into a corporate career that, that helped me change my life. And then it helped me to be able to start having extra money to invest more into my music, what I was doing outside of work. And that led me to, you know, in the process of that, I lost some relationships with girlfriends that I had. So my heart was broken a couple of times to where I was like down and out, you know, but I just kept going. I kept striving forward. And, you know, it led me to today to writing a song like "You're Enough." to just say to people, I want all people to know that if you're not okay, you know, all throughout this time of my life, I never was talking about it to people. Each time I went through a depression, I never told anybody. So nobody knew I was depressed. They thought I was the happiest person in the world because I was in the newspapers and the magazines, and I was, you know, all of this success out loud as an athlete and as an artist. I You know, people never knew that I was unhappy and down and depressed, but it's because I always kept a smile on my face. But behind all of the smile, I was broken. I was so broken. And my message today to everybody that's on Free Your Mind is to— if you're not okay, it's okay not to be okay. You know what I mean? Just make sure you talk to somebody. Tell a friend, tell your pastor at church, tell a mentor. Tell a family member, speak for whoever you can trust to talk to. Get a therapist. You know, I myself, I take therapy. Therapy is one of the most amazing things that I could have done because it allows me to heal in places that I was broken. And that's my message to you all today on Free Your Mind with Lady KJ is to just be yourself. Don't worry about keeping up with lifestyle that you can't keep up. You being alive is simply enough, and you are enough. That's simple. And I want you to know that it's okay that if you— if you're stressed, if you're depressed, if you're down, if you have anxiety, if you have these things going on, tell a friend. Get a— get a— get a support group. Get a group of men or get a group of women that you can sit with and talk to, a group that you can trust, and just tell them, hey man, I'm not okay this week. This week has been a rough week. Like, we're all human, we go through these things, whether you're in the States or whether you're in the UK, wherever you are on this planet, we're all human and we all have life and we all go through things. But it's all about looking at things from a positive way. Keep it positive. And even when the bad and the storms and the negative things come to your life, always look for the good, look for the positive in the situation, and look at it as a lesson and learn from the negative. And move forward and grow and keep pressing forward. And always remember, no matter what, you're enough. Well, I think for any of our listeners here in the UK, Zekwan, opening your mind and freeing it up for them to take us on this whole massive journey that you have been on And obviously, while you stop there, one of your things that you lead now by, your ethos, is trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he shall direct your path. So open yourself up to God, open yourself up to allow in, to cleanse your soul when all this Disease is running through your body of these negative thoughts. There's negativity, the poison of bullies, the poison of heartache, the poison that doesn't— and clogs your arteries and, and clogs your whole body, and that you can't breathe through this physically, where your depression is getting you down. Stretch out, reach out, is what you're saying, and trust in with all your heart with the Lord. He created you. He created you. If you believe in religion, which most people do, and I'd hope they do, and we're not here to preach with who, which religion to go on, whatever. We are talking simply about believing, believing in yourself. For us, we believe in God, which you're saying is trust him. And sometimes when we're so down and out, we have to go out and reach out for him. And Daquan did that. When we look at the bullying factor, you know, there's so much, you know, as we've been talking about abuse, etc. Daquan, like you said, you had suicidal thoughts. You know, there's many, um, people been on the show when we're talking that, a psychologist, psychotherapist, to what makes this happen. You know, average in the UK is a 14-year-old, but it can start at any time earlier, you know, like when you're going through and being bullied. Think, and for you, Declan, for me, you're— for our viewers and listeners in the UK, you know, having spoken Declan before, so he reminds me of John Travolta. He's there, he's gone up the top, the cool guy on there. But when you watch the film Grease, You could see he was very insecure, John Travolta, as he was portrayed as Danny Zuko in the movie. We had to try to be this hard, cool guy. He had a girl that he really liked, but he couldn't show— oh no, he couldn't, he couldn't show himself. There was a reason for that. He had to be cool, he had to be this, and he wanted the power to go on. But in the end, in the end of that movie, he was going to throw it all away for the love of that girl and said, you know what, I'm enough and you're enough and we'll walk this thing together. Like for the movie On Grease, which is a very iconic movie for people to see, to go. But like you, Declan, you know, that for the British, for me it's a very good example to show what school life is like in the USA with, you know, you do have these proms, etc. Well, now we're having the proms in the UK, but they did originate from the UK. But like, for yourself to be prom king, prom queen, you know, you have to do a lot of athletics. And, you know, going through to be basketball players, you know, huge emphasis on the sporting side as well. But one of the things that is quite apparent in when I spoke to Dr. Ashok Jansari, Declan, with people with mental health. Some things happen, it's trauma, okay? But there's so many different types of trauma, you know, with which I've gone through on the show that people go— but, you know, with, um, as you were saying, you know, with basketball, um, etc. You've got American football. But Dr. Ashok Jansehri was talking about head injury. If somebody had had a head injury, it could cause a problem to the brain. So the brain wasn't fully, you know, functioning certain parts to come through that would cause issues for that person and changing in personalities, etc., like that. This was you at a small age saying you knew what you wanted to do. You were fed up of being kicked around, kicked around in that playground, to say, do you know what, that footy's not going to control me. And when you did all that, the corn, you grew strong, you grew strong, and to be the best that you was. So you're at the top of your mountain here. And think, yep, I'm great at it at school. Here I am on Declan Styles and bullies down there, look at me now. But when we climb the mountain to the top, we have to be careful we don't stumble and fall. So when you're sorting out your mountain to get on to the top and climbing up to it, wear the right shoes. Then you won't, you know, and, and the right support around you. And then you will be able to be stabilized at the top to reap the wonderful view and the enrichment to your soul and your mind you would get by conquering and achieving your goal. What happened, I believe, for you, Declan, was you got your climbing gear on You were ready because you knocked the bully down. Say, I'm going to succeed, look at me. And you took yourself up there, but you left— you forgot to take your sticks for the balance. Because when you got up to the top and when you're seeing this beautiful view, um, and obviously you stumbled, but like when you stumbled, you know, in the basketball, so they dropped you. So if he was like, no, you can't set this magic, You need to go back now, a storm's coming. You wasn't allowed to sit up there and enjoy the beauty of it. So then they're getting down to the bottom. The people said, hey, Dequan, you got at the top. They wasn't interested because you got at the top. Hey man, why do you come back down? Hey man, why were you back down here? Why aren't you back up there with the rest? This is what you were feeling in that, that the depression that brought you rapidly down into say, hey, you know, what happened here? I was up there, I've achieved it, why couldn't I stay where I was? So when you come back down to the bottom, then everyone's going, oh hey, you know, that's not him now, they're moving on to the next guy. This was a hit, and then you had to try, and mentally, you know, you were suffering with this, then to try, but to get yourself back out of that, You know, I applaud you for that, you know, because you said, you know, it's coming out. But you know, with the suicidal thoughts, with those dark thoughts, you knew. And anybody that's listening to that, you know, anybody with that— when you have those dark moments that enter, you know, stand up. Just stand up wherever you are and just stand up and say A thought is a thought that is gone just like that. Don't hang on to it. So stand up and inhale in, and then breathe out and get that mind. And then reach out and walk one step in front of the other and pick up that phone like Daquan said and speak to somebody. Don't sit and then think. If you don't get up and get that Breathe that into you. Reach out. Somebody is always there. Somebody is always there to help. There is no shame. As for Daquan, here's Daquan now, you know, famous magazines, newspaper, coming on to Free Your Mind, Let's Talk About It, that is aired in America and aired here. But everyone that knows that, and will be, you know, Daquan, well after it's been aired, will be producing and sending that to several, several different platforms to help. Like that song. So anyone in America that's hearing Daekhwan, that, you know, tip their hat and say, hey, this is Daekhwan— nobody thought he suffered with mental health, but he was. But what he's done, he's dealt with that, and he's reaching out to you to say, this is how I feel. It's, it's— there's a whole concept of him now. He's so ethos is. You're enough. And you know, you could— the wonderful inspirational speaker you are in writing these songs, your mom, you know, and hi to mom, um, over there in North Carolina. I mean, because it's not an easy ride, life, is it? Oh no, oh no, it's not easy. And that's the, that's the problem with a lot of people. They, you know, they expect the easy life. But that's not reality. What's real is, is life is going to be tough, it's going to be hard. You're going to have good times, you're going to have bad times. But when you have the bad times, just make sure you keep your faith and press forward. You're going to see a brighter day. That simple. When, um, we look at you, Daquan, for people listening in the UK In that time, you said some of your friends went off to prison, you took another path. Um, and, um, for those people that were in prison, you know, rehabilitation and stuff like that, what is life like? Are you still currently in Charlotte? Yes, ma'am. And, uh, you know, everything is going much better now. My life is not perfect, but, you know, it's going way better than what it was like currently or previously in my story. But life is great. I can't complain. I'm working on a lot of different things. I am the CEO of a management company called Destined for Greatness Management. I have 3 clients up under my wing as well. One is in mental health. His name is James Robinson. He has a book called It Had to Happen But It Couldn't Kill Me. It's on Amazon. I also have Jamil Massey, who is a speaker for, uh, education and the youth and students. And his book is titled High School No Fool. It's on Amazon, available on there as well. Also highschoolnofool.com. Um, and then I have the two younger twins. They're singers, they're 14-year-old singers, um, and they're from the bloodline of the multi-platinum selling R&B group Jodeci, the worldly known Jodeci. So I have— could you just spell that for me, just say for the viewer, could you spell that out, um, for Jodeci. So J-O-D-E-C-I. Um, that Jodeci is the, is the, is the, uh, family that these, the two guys come from. And the two singers, they're 14 years old. The name of their group is NX2, and that's spelled NX2, the letter N, the letter X, and the number 2. So it's NX2. That's who I have, but they're from the family members of Jodeci. So anyway, I say that to say life is good. I, like I say, I am the leader and CEO of that organization, D4G Management, as well as I am also start— or I just started a You're Enough Foundation nonprofit organization, and we'll be bringing awareness to mental health and providing people with resources to get therapy and guidance counselors for schools, for the youth, and and everything. So, uh, I got a lot of, a lot of moving pieces going on right now, but everything is, is on a come up. You know, if you see me out in the world moving around, you're going to see me doing a lot of work in mental health, a lot of interviews, a lot of speaking, a lot of events where you can come and watch us do some live music. You can come and watch me perform, come and watch the, the two twins, Next Two, perform as well. And then, you know, I have my two guys in the middle, that's the guest speakers. So Other than that, life is good. I can't complain. Well, it certainly is looking like the umbrella, as I call it, is definitely in the lighter shade than the darker shade, you know, that's coming through. And well done, Daquan, you know, for that. Because like you're saying, you're going to be doing a lot with mental health. I think you are like myself and a lot of my guests that we have on the show and for women's radio station, that we, we do need to be mental health aware, don't we? Oh yes, oh yes, because I don't, I don't think it's something that we talk about enough. A lot of people are ashamed, you know, they're ashamed and they don't, you know, they tell, oh, you're crazy, you're, you know, you're crazy, and you're not crazy. You know, it's just that where you're human and you go through tough things. Everybody have good days, everybody have bad days. But when you have the bad days and if they're consistently, uh, if you're consistently having bad days all the time, then you know you have to start taking a look at what's going on with yourself mentally and talk to someone about it. Like I said, find a therapist. Google, Google the local therapist and see if you can get signed up. Talk to a therapist if you don't have any friends. If you got friends, if you go to a nice church and you serve the Lord or things like that, you can talk to your people, your friends at the church or your people, you know, it might be a good support group at your job. Some jobs in the States and I'm sure in the UK probably have some mental health programs. So if you find some, join the groups and talk to some people and, you know what I mean? But mental health is something that's so real. It's okay to not be okay, but what's important is that you get the help so you can be okay again. Because you do believe there is a healing power in music, don't you? Oh yes, oh yes. I mean, and then not even just music, it's healing in just having the conversation. You could literally not be okay, but just the right words that somebody can say to you You know, the right word someone can say in a positive way to you can change your whole day around. And that's because it's healing in any little moment. You can— because you can be so broken and, and, and just down in certain areas in your heart, you know what I mean, or in your mind. And the right words that you hear someone say, or the right conversation, or the right person can come along and, and help better you. Or the right song. And that's why I wrote "You're Enough," so people could feel the things that I went through, so they could say, "I too am enough. I am enough." I want people to get that message. You are enough. So heal, pull yourself together, wipe your tears, move on, and keep going forward. Always stay positive. Thank you for that, Daquan, because when we're looking at you, who Daquan is, and opening up and freeing his mind to help everybody else and being completely and honestly open, and what Daquan is showing to anyone, it's okay to open up because it's okay. Yeah, it is okay. You are enough because, um, Daquan, you are, um, born on the 7th of January. In 1990. Still a young chick, um, but you're the oldest of 4 children. Yeah, your mother, um, a wonderful single parent whose name is Carrie Massey. Yeah. Oh yes, that's it. I am the oldest of 4 boys. But you've seen your mum struggle. You've seen your mum struggle and her raising 4 kids. But also with the help of your grandma called Alma Massey. Yeah, she worked a regular job 9 to 5, giving a paycheck just to keep a roof over your head. At an early age, you dreamed to tell your mom someday, Mama, you don't have to work, I'm rich and you can kick your feet up now. And every day you prayed and asked God to make your dreams come true. And this is what was happening with you from an early age, being raised up, seeing your mama working so hard. You were the male, you were the head figure there, as well as being bullied. And you know, where you were a small frame, you know, the food had to go out, be shared to build up and go there. And you didn't turn to the life of crime, you were still trying to survive. And when you were getting there saying, you know, I want to be famous, I want this You wanted it for your family, for your mum, this materialistic world that you felt would help them and give them more. But in reality, what your mother, even as a single parent of 4 children, wonderfully went to work, supported you 4 boys, and then to give you this lifestyle, but enriched your soul and your mind and your whole self. Was the fact of manners, respect, everything. And as I must say to you, your manners— in England, you know, we're very much on manners and please, thank you, how we greet mom, lady, you know, how, you know, we don't like rudeness or abruptness much. But in whatever your mama was working so hard, she showed you from a small age You know, from when you went from her bosom to growing to being free. Even though you went to school, that hurt Mama, you know, to see you being bullied. But she gave you the strength, saying, you go and you must get up and stand. And you've done that. And with all this help, and you know, through adolescence when we're learning different changes going through. But you did turn to God, you know, because every day and night you used to pray and ask him to make your dreams come true. And speaking of God, you had a really good relationship with your Lord and Savior as well. Mm-hmm. Yes, ma'am. In your spare time, you read the Holy Bible as much as you can, because in your opinion, that's the only place other than music you can find peace in times of stress. Besides all the hurt and pain that you've been through through your life, you still feel you're a strong young Black man to this day. And I hope I'm allowed to say that there's much controversy nowadays in the house too, but, um, you're happy for me to say that you are a strong Black man to this day. Um, I mean, you've seen many things, haven't you? Oh yes, I've seen so many different things. Um, there's so many parts of the story that I don't even— I didn't even, you know, have a chance to tell, you know, because it's You know, but one thing I'm going to do one day is put that in the book format to where people can actually read it. But I'm going to tell you, I have seen a lot of things. But what matters is it made me strong. It made me who I am today. And I always found the positive in the bad. I always found the good in the bad. And when I did that, it allowed me to, you know, keep going and keep pressing forward and keep standing strong. Holding on to my faith in God. And once I was able to do that, you know, it allowed me to see things from a better view and a positive, more positive view now. So all is definitely well. But I've seen a lot. You've seen a lot. And you know, and then obviously, you know, for yourself, for Martin Luther King, wow, what a man. Oh my God, my favorite man of all time. Yes, yeah, favorite man of all time. When he said one day you will— yeah, he just had his birthday. We have to respect the great Martin Luther King because he said a Black man will be able to own his own home, he will be able to have his own land, wasn't it? There's so many more quotations which you can tell me because, um, You know, just magnificent. And then obviously with Martin Luther King, the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., who was born, um, and was an American Baptist minister and activist who became the most visible spokesman and leader in the American civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968. Again, violent stuff like that, you know, which you guys um, and history teaches us as well. Even with that, we must put these hands out, invisible or not, and we are all human beings, aren't we, Jack? Oh yes. No color, no religion, and it just separates them. We're all entitled to have an opinion. We're all entitled to have that freedom and our beliefs, as long as they don't become radical, you know. And, um, at the same time, you know, we should be equal. God created us all equal. What changes that, we don't know. Um, and I think comes down to education, education of the mind, you know. Uneducated people I'm sorry to say, do not understand the true understanding of the message because they don't understand it in the first place. And that's very complex, aren't they? But that leads on to many other things that happen for yourself, you know, when there's so much we could, we could divulge and go into that. Which we're not going to do, um, because I don't think it's right or fitting. But we have to respect each other. We have to respect— we shouldn't be racist. No one has a right to be a racist. You know, you're— because when we talk about it, or bullying, or any color, creed, etc., is that je crois? Words hurt. Words. Oh yeah. And cruel words hurt just as bad as taking a huge beating. I think words can scar more than, you know, from— oh yeah, that's on there. But like, for yourself, you know, um, you're not allowing that to happen in this platform that you're doing, going on, because the world will Remember, Declan Starrs, you and your legacy, the strong, deep legacy from your grandma helping your mom to come through that pageant, to working hard. What are you doing? Where you, you know, wanted that rich and famous thing, but it's, it's all materialistic. It's better to have nothing and have the love than have material. But you know, everyone, the people then say, we need the money to make the world go round. We do need money to survive, we do need that, but should we not just be happy with enough? Or to gain up— but that will always, that will always continue to go in there. And success, we must try to, but if you're not— and I'm playing that again. You're enough, you're enough. And we're just going to give a little bit more of that again. We're just going to repeat these words again. Wave make this. You're enough. You're enough. Many days I was feeling stressed. Long nights I was so depressed. So there we go. Many nights I was depressed. Man, you're enough. Are you there, Daquan? Oh yes, ma'am. Yeah, ma'am, I am. Yeah, you're enough. Because the thing is, even though that it takes you to that place, you're enough. Many nights when you do it— do you find, Daquan, in when you're writing, that in the evenings that your depression was worse, or did you think it didn't matter if it was night or day? It was night. Like, it would be the nights, you know. I would be okay during the day. But it was like, like during the day I would feel like just a lot of just stressed out. But if you're busy and I stay active, you know, it's just, that's okay. But when I got sat down by myself at night, that's where the depression would come in, you know. And, uh, that's when I would get way down in my dark thoughts and just be feeling so down. And of course at night when you're by yourself, you know, there's no one to talk to, you're alone. You know, so it's tough, especially if you're single. If you're single and laying by yourself, then it is— it's worse because you really don't have nobody to talk to. But there's many people that's in relationships who don't even talk to their companion or their mate, you know what I mean? Some people hold it all in, you know. So that's why I say, you know, if you're not okay, share it with someone, especially if you have a mate, you know. Share it with your companion, share it with your spouse, your wife, your husband, whatever. But if you're single and by yourself, then you just got to pick up that phone and call somebody. And there is a suicide hotline that you can call, which I show that on my— in my You're Enough video on YouTube. You know, you can see the 1-800, you know, suicide hotline number, and counselors on that line will talk to you, you know, just— or call a friend, call a family member that you love, you know, call somebody. And it was nice like that. Where it was so heavy on me, and all I could do was turn to the Holy Bible and play music. And I would play certain music that uplifted me, and eventually I started to talk to my friends and my family members, and, and I got better, you know. So I encourage everyone listening to do the same. Yes, because when you do get to that— I wonder, Dekron, if you're on the same, um, platformers meeting. I believe if you're suffering with mental health, the power of the pen— Nikki, which you've used the power of the pen in these words and this song that come down. But like we said, reach out to somebody. Like, where's that number? If you are suffering with depression, I think that the power of the pen— you should have an emergency book. By the side of you. Keep that emergency book. And you know, like as I said with the umbrella, there's different things. I use an umbrella, um, in form of therapy to color code Dekwan, because on those really dark days there'll be a certain person that will help you on the darker day. Or you'll have a friend that's on like the color yellow, which is really bright, you know. That really keeps you up, keeps your adrenaline up, keeps your sugar levels up. So as you're using that umbrella, color code that umbrella into a book format where you can say, you know, I'm a really happy day, I want to keep that. But when I'm coming down and change that, you've got to make sure even on a happy day you don't come down as bad as you're on, you know, when you're on a dark day, you're trying to lift up. A, with music, the worst thing you can do, although music is fantastic for mental health, is to be careful of the songs that you play. Because if we're feeling down and you're in that mood and you've had a breakup of a relationship, you know, I've done that, you know, I kept playing the same songs that we used to sing and dance to. Feeling great, great. Do not play these songs, you know, when you feel like that and you want to come, you know, watch the alcohol limit and just do it. We might sit down and have one, we're going to get through. But trying to use this book, um, as support to say, I'm going to ring this friend, like for you, Declan, you know, I'm having really bad suicidal thoughts, are you free? You know, but you know, when you ring that person, they are mental health awareness. They understand you, they know you, and they know how to get you through and to lift you up and have it there. Because sometimes if you're there and you're trying to pick up a phone and think, oh, they're not answering, then it can bring you down more. You have to have your book and always have it at the ready. That's your life journey that's on there to be, because people are there. But most importantly, I would ask that you put on there 'You're enough,' what Declan Starnes says, 'You're enough,' right over that. So when you're writing, and if you do, just write it down and put the book down and put it away. And you, you know, a thought is a thought. You can change it. As I've said, it's gone in a second. That thought's gone. It's if you repeat it and think, 'I want to do that again.' Why? Then we need to stop the brakes on there, don't we, to come through. And like with your song that does say 'You Are Enough.' And you know, you're an empowering voice, an empowering person for mental health, both in the UK and the United States of America, Declan Stans. That song that has gone viral has gone viral for a reason, because when you play over and over again, it's therapy. In its own right, but in a musical format. So well done, you, Dekwan. Dekwan? Yes, ma'am. Oh, he's still there. He's taking that in. I was saying, you know, for us, you are amazing, you know, for mental health awareness. I'm wishing you the absolute best on that. You know, we've got approximately— just over 10 minutes ago was a show where we're getting down to the nitty-gritty bit now, where we've opened up. We have talked about suicide, and you've opened up to people to say, you know, we mustn't go to those places. We must support and use therapy before we get there. But if you have that thought, reach out straight away because it's only a thought and it's a mistake of a thought. Oh yes. And one that somebody that, you know, they're looking down from heaven thinking, why did I do that? Why didn't I do it? Let's stop it now. Let's be mental health awareness. Your life matters. Yeah, it does matter. Your life does matter. Everyone matters. And for yourself, um, Dekwan, is there anything that you would say to the listeners, both in the USA and here in the UK? Have you got a strategy that you think— you know, like I've just expressed about my umbrella, writing it down. People have all different formats. Doesn't work. Everyone's got a different process. But if we've all got tips or things to share that it may help one, you know, that's coming out. How would you explain to the listener? I would tell people, you know, the listeners out there, to find your outlet. What is it that you do that makes you feel good when you do it? If you find what that is, then that's the thing that you need to do when life gets tough. When life gets hard and you get overwhelmed and there's a lot of things in your mind, you get stressed out and depressed and down and sad or anxiety comes, takes over your mind, whatever it is, whatever you do that you're— that makes you feel good when you do it, whatever that outlet is. Some people, it's sports. Some people can go pick up and play a basketball game at the local gym or something, or some people can go, go fitness and work out, like lift weights and, and do some running on the treadmill. Others maybe go play football or play baseball, or some people go swimming. Like you said, some people journal. They sit down and just write out— they write out what they're going through and it helps them feel better. Others, like I said, join groups and talk to people. And then for me, it was music, you know. So I would say find what it is that your outlet is. You know, you might be— maybe you can go jogging, go running. You know, some people burn off stress with going to run and exercise. Or spend time around people you love. Sometimes you get around your kids and they make you feel You know, you love them. They fill you up with so much love that it makes you forget some of your pain and some of the stress that you're going through. So whatever, whatever your thing is, whatever your outlet is, figure out what that is. What, what are the things that you do that make you happy? It could be going fishing. It could be going to play video games. It could be going to play golf. Whatever it is, going out to nice dinners, going to a movie theater, but you got to find the me time. Your alone time. You got to find the time where you do the things that make you happy. And when you find those things, do those things when times get tough, and it'll always bring you back to that happy feeling inside. And just remember, you're enough. And always stay positive. Always stay positive. Look for the good in the bad, and life will make you feel much better. Exactly, get rid of the negativity, let's keep the positive. And then, you know, we— you can address those negative reasons and why with people around you, therapy, therapy. You know, there's so much out there now to help us, you know, when we're looking at therapy and online courses and stuff to do to make our mind. But we live in such a busy world now. Everyone chasing like you were today. I'm like, well, chasing, because I'm— and you know, like, stopping. One thing that happened with the pandemic, it did slow things down, but because people were always so ready, you know, on this wheel that was spinning round and round, we're going fast, fast, fast, you know, like New York when you see it going, yeah, yeah, yeah, like that. The road, the motorway. If you place you on a bridge on a motorway and you just see this traffic going, this is life going. When the pandemic happened and it slowed us down, this caused massive mental health issues because people were thrown into a situation. Hey, right, I'm here, I'm alone. I'm used to going out. I need to go out and walk. I can't go out and walk. I can't go out and do this, is what they're saying. And so you were trapped. So the mental health got worse because they couldn't reach out. Facilities weren't available, you know. And the losing of loved ones, etc. You know, all this felt like the world was ending, you know, not understanding what it was. I mean, I don't know what it was like for yourself in America, but I know where I live, it was just nobody there. It was like, it was almost felt like an atomic bomb had gone off. And we were— if we got out, we would be dead if we walked outside that door, you know. And there's been a lot of pressure and stuff on it. So with mental health, this year is why we really need to be working and addressing those. And for anybody in that period, say, oh God, you know, if— how can I say I actually feel like this? Because there's a lot— no, we have to, we have to stand up and do this. And know that everybody's there. And for people like yourself, you know, standing up and doing that, um, as you said, you know, there's— you've got lots of— you've got an inspirational speaker. And who was the other gentleman you said you had working alongside you? Oh yeah, Jamil Massey and James Robinson. Yes. Uh, can you just tell the listener again what they do? Because I'm hoping they'll come on the show to explain to the listeners as well what they do, whether you're in America or the UK. We need to be talking. You need to be having a conversation with somebody, with somebody in your workplace. If they're just, hey, do you know what I felt? Just, uh, I don't know what was about me yesterday, I just went around blue. Start the conversation and open up those people who do it. So your guys, they go on stage, don't they? And there's something you're doing with the mental health. To explore and tell the audience? And that's what they do. They get up, they— both of them are bringing awareness to mental health. Uh, one is for the education and youth students. Like I said, that's Jamil Massey, and his book is titled High School No Fool. You can get it on highschoolnofool.com. Um, uh, as far as James Robinson, he's bringing awareness to present fathers and mental health. And you can get his book on Amazon. Both books are on Amazon. It's called It Had to Happen But It Couldn't Kill Me. And also, um, allthingsjamesonline.com is his website. So both of the guys are incredible. They're doing some amazing work in mental health. I have another gentleman who's a friend of mine who sponsored the You're Enough video. Um, his name is Sean Miller— Rashawn Miller. Um, he sponsored— he sponsored your Going on, um, is that— did he sponsor it by himself or did his company sponsor it? Yeah, his company sponsored it along with Troy Veal. The company's name is U-Stress Incorporated and the other company is One Love, um, and both companies, um, are mental health facilities. Both of them have registered therapists on site and both of them sponsored the video. And like I said, Sean is an international psychologist. So he's all over the world doing mental health. So, you know, these are the friends of mine and people that I partner with. Serve Unity Outreach, led by Yolanda Baker. I also partner with her to do work with the youth and mental health as well. So I just have my hands in a lot of different things, but these are all the people that I partner with and are able to make a difference out here. Also Kelly Watts with Trinity Wellness. So just a few different organizations that I, share the spot with, and we're all working together for the same cause, and we're bringing this thing all the way to life, all the way. Because when I look at stuff, when you are enough, there's another quotation of an inspirational mind. We've all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the path we choose to act on. Oh yes. Amen, sister. Wow. Great stuff. That's, that's the thing that's on there. But, you know, with the wonderful company that has supported you and mental health, we all have to be thankful for anybody that does anything or sponsors anyone. For me in the UK, thank you to you guys. For sponsoring this song. And I hope all the listeners in the UK can see what you do, what your company does, and, you know, by supporting and getting your Enough out. Declan, we are coming to a close shortly. Can I just give you a minute to just leave with the UK audience and the USA, your message for them to finish on, to take when they close it, a short quote, inspiration, 1 minute to say, like, this is, guys, this is serious, you know, if you're feeling like this, this is what to do. Yeah. Oh yes. So to all the listeners out there, listen, if you're going through a tough time right now because of COVID or you may have lost, lost your job, or things are just, you know, not meeting, you know, you just— things are not lining up in life right. You're going through a negative dark season. You may be going through a heartbreak right now. You know, you lost your best friend. You may have lost your girlfriend, your boyfriend, whatever it is that you're going through. Always remember to look for the good and the bad. Stay positive. Always remember that things do get better. It's a brighter day on the other side of the storm. It's a light at the end of every dark tunnel. It's a light at the end of the tunnel. You just got to keep walking through. Once you keep walking, you'll get to the end of that tunnel and you'll see that there is light at the end. And my message to you is always remember, if you're not okay, talk to somebody. Let somebody know. Find some help. Get some resources that you need immediately. And always remember that you can do anything and all things. And you are enough. And I love to ask you, Miss KJ, to play the song one more time. Uh, we're just out of time, and sorry for that. Thank you for coming on deck.