When Your Journey Has No Roadmap

Navigating the journey from poverty to professional success requires consistency, resilience, and the courage to keep showing up even on the hardest days.

• Coming from poverty to college means taking a path that often feels isolating and without a roadmap
• Florida State University represents both opportunity and complicated history around indigenous identity and cultural appropriation
• Working multiple jobs while studying (lab work, hotel shifts, grocery bagging) became necessary for survival
• The recent campus tragedy at FSU reminds us how quickly safe spaces can become traumatic environments
• Starting a dental practice without family support creates unique challenges beyond the clinical skills learned in school
• The mental barriers from growing up in the hood require intentional work to overcome default mechanisms of sadness or anger
• Creating multiple streams of income becomes essential when traditional paths feel unstable
• The 365-day consistency challenge demonstrates the power of showing up daily, even when exhausted or discouraged
• Finding your tribe of supporters who understand your journey without judgment is critical to sustainable success
• Remembering the mantra: if it doesn't help you grow, glow, or flow—it's a no

Don't forget to brush AND floss your teeth every single day—only floss the teeth you want to keep!

Chapters

• 1:13 College Memories and Finding Identity
• 3:18 The Real Seminoles: Indigenous Heritage
• 4:38 Campus Life and Working Three Jobs
• 10:28 Florida Tragedy and Remaining Fearless
• 12:57 Dental Practice Struggles and Self-Doubt
• 19:27 Monetizing Your Life and Voice
• 27:52 Breaking Mental Barriers from the Hood
• 34:10 365 Days of Consistency Challenge

Transcript

Dr. Shon: 0:37

No matter if this happens in middle school, high school, college, whatever school, it will be very difficult to go back to that specific place and not have those memories, so a place that you used to remember being a fun time studying and feeling grown. When you just cross the stage from high school and you go to college, you feel like you've grown already, like you know everything, when in actuality, you just figuring all out, you just trying to become something, trying to make your parents proud, going to class, showing up every day for yourself, preparing for life, doing your best to overcome all obstacles, especially if you come from like me. I'm coming from poverty, I'm coming from the hood Hooded Hooded right . So I'm just here trying to make it out. This is one of the paths I got to go through. I got to walk this campus to get to the next level, to go to the next degree level. I have to walk this campus and be a Florida State Seminole. We're going to be like, oh, oh, that's the war chant.

Dr. Shon: 1:48

Now, the funny thing about Florida State is Florida State University, my alma mater, and I didn't notice when I went there. The Seminoles was originally called the Florida State Military School Because when the colonizers Hernando de Soto, pinfigo, all of these people came over 1400s, 1500s, all this time, and they found the copper tone, copper color, indigenous Niiji here, the Amerindians, the Seminoles, the Abalachi, the Muskogee, the Creek which is my genealogy, Muskogee Creek, Chahta, Chahta, that's what they found. They renamed them the Seminoles. And then the school the colonizers made the florida state military school so they can hold the indigenous melanated people down and steal their identity. And I didn't know this when I was a Florida State, seminole now. But that's what happened. They stole the war chant of the indigenous, my indigenous ancestors. Chief Osceola was actually melanated. The statue of the princess and the prince in the middle of the campus is actually melanated king and queen or chief and chieftess. And I didn't know this when I was walking the campus just trying to make it out the hood, I didn't know that we had already been robbed of our heritage.

Dr. Shon: 3:19

And just to make it past all of that and florida state be one of the monumental places in my life, it had a big part in who I am, as a doctor, as a student, how I see life. Going to Florida State because it was a, it was. It grew me up real fast. It was totally different from high school, very challenging, and I met some awesome people while attending Florida State. But it tested me like no other, especially the organic chemistry, the biochem, some amazing professors, amazing students, amazing programs, and I can honestly say I enjoyed my time at Florida State.

Dr. Shon: 4:02

I didn't really get involved with all the extracurriculars or going to the football games. I was straight work, working the job. Working at the Florida State Medical School in the Drosophila lab with Dr. Horbin I don't even know if she's still there yet cleaning the autoclaves and cleaning fly shit. That's what my work-study job was, because I wanted to be in the lab around the doctor and get the reference from a doctor. That was my path, like on campus, just making moves without a roadmap, without a guide, without a parent to call when I get out of school to tell them about my day. To tell them, oh my God, I enjoyed my first day. Or oh my goodness, this test today was so hard. Or I got a work-study job. But I had two jobs at one point, three jobs.

Dr. Shon: 4:52

In college I had my work-study job with the fly lab. I was working at Econolodge, at the hotel, and I was also working part-time at winn-dixie bagging groceries at one point because I was just that broke but I was also just that hungry and I had a man that wasn't working that I was taking care of. We're gonna talk about that relationship shit another time. So I was overdoing everything, just young, looking for love in all the wrong places with the wrong person, and they know that I'm young and ambitious and draining. They drain me, but either way, I found a way to walk across the campus and survive and accomplish my goals and my dreams.

Dr. Shon: 5:40

Just to hear today in my hometown of Tallahassee, florida, on the campus of Florida State University, home of the Seminoles, the student Seminoles, not the real Seminoles and not the real Appalachian Indians. I want to make that distinction because I know the difference between the two. But I'm just talking about my time as a student versus an EG, two different mindsets. So just to be that student that is hopeful, dreaming, ready to go to the next level, and for something like this to strike you at your campus, it is truly traumatic, it makes it traumatic and I'm almost speechless. Like, how do you deal with this? Definitely counseling, and I know that's going to be hard to go back on campus after something like that. I can't, I just can't imagine. I can't imagine the energy, the morale that must be going on at florida state. But we are FSU strong, FSU strong. It's just really sad and I don't know.

Dr. Shon: 6:56

I don't know, guys, when you come from hood to hood, there's so many things that can put a dent in your dreams or your memories. That's just like even being in the 10th grade, I was at Wakulla High School when this happened. I don't know what class I was in 9-11., 9-11. And we were in class and they said the twin towers went down and I just couldn't believe it. I'm like what is going on right in this city that you see behind me, with all those tall buildings, new York City? So we never know what evil is lurking in people's mind and their thoughts. This world is so crazy, it's moving so fast.

Dr. Shon: 7:46

But the one thing I want to say to us today, my hoods and mentis, my Niiji, my chiefs and chiefesses, kings and queens, however you identify, your royalness today, your inner higher self today, what I want to say to you today is remain fearless, remain amazing, remain and stand firm on your purpose. Just know that along your journey, no matter who you are, you will have those ups, you will. You are. You will have those ups, you will have those downs. You will have those days where it doesn't all click. You will have those days where maybe you feel sad, but don't get so sad in the spirit where you want to harm others or harm yourself or give up on yourself. That's what this consistency project is all about. On day 10 right now.

Dr. Shon: 8:42

That's what it's all about is just remaining fearless, but also being and practicing kindness. In the world today, it seems like kindness is something that is lacking. Being self-aware and showing self-love for yourself is something that is lacking. What happens when you don't come from that family where you hear I love you, when people aren't saying I love you, when they're just so tough everybody's growing up so tough. Moms I've seen it for my own two eyes cursing their kids out, putting them down, not giving it their all, making the feel the kid feel less than before they even enter the world, which is already going to beat them across the head with colonization, with a lot of stuff, with a lot of shit. And then you have the president a multiple time felon, that maga, whatever their name is voted for, and now he's in here making moves that only serve the rich.

Dr. Shon: 9:55

I can feel a shift in the atmosphere, my Niiji, I can feel a shift in the atmosphere because the world is out of balance. The world is out of balance, people are out of balance, people are going crazy. People are reacting in ways we cannot imagine. And, my Niiji, we just have to remain fearless. Don't fall for the matrix and protect your mental health at all times. I need for you to protect your heart and your eyes and your ears at all times, because it's important.

Dr. Shon: 10:33

I know I really only watch the news when something hits close to home or I try to peek in and see what's going on with the economy and to see what's going on around the world. But we can't focus our energy on negativity all the time. But when you go through something traumatic what's going on in my hometown it's hard to not see it. But we as a community have to stand strong. Us, as Seminole alumni, have to stand strong as a student body everywhere, have to stand strong and just make the decision for your life and for your education that feels safer. I really believe that online learning needs to be more prevalent than it is now. Not to say that we need to have fear, but, at the same time, to protect ourselves, because it's just happening too often back to back, day after day.

Dr. Shon: 11:30

People threatening to shoot up schools, public settings, are I don't know, I don't know. So, my Niiji, my friends around the world, let's continue to just love on our friends, love on our family, spread kindness to each other, because it's lacking. We can see what's going on, with the government not really caring about anything. Like they said, a lot of people, both left wing, right wing, read all this stuff, man, but us indigenous people, we're not worried, we line dance, we got our boots on the ground. You know, I'm saying I got my boots on the ground and I don't have time for anything else. We got our boots on the ground and we're not even giving up at all. We're gonna be all right, guys. We're going to be okay. Let's just keep showing up.

Dr. Shon: 12:30

This is this is this is 10 days of me coming on here on twitch and on day 10 I feel exhausted. Today I didn't have a good day at work. I feel, man, I feel defeated with my dental practice, like I don't have the family support that I need, financial support that I need. I just feel like I don't know after three years of being in business, I haven't had one family member come and check me out or just really say you know what? You got a deal in practice. I am just so proud of you, or so I started to feel like I was doing this all for nothing and like my dreams aren't what they're piped up to be and I can get into my head sometimes like that, especially when I have a hard day where I'm doing 10 jobs and again short-staffed.

Dr. Shon: 13:29

Like I said, I went to dental school. I learned teeth. I didn't learn the business of how to manage teeth and the business part of dentistry is a whole beast in itself. Without people in your family and friends circle just cheering for you or even able to help, and me being so far away, it's just like an overall weird feeling. But I had to come back to my senses and realize that I'm doing this for a reason. Somebody out there is just like me, feeling inadequate, feeling like they can't make it going for their dreams and it's just super hard you feeling I don't know if I could keep doing this. Am I doing it right? Why isn't my family cheering me on and telling me how proud they are me, instead of being silent and watching me and thinking I'm a millionaire when I'm actually a broken nail, like why? But I realize I will never understand why I just have to keep on going.

Dr. Shon: 14:29

We all have a season, and we don't know when it's going to be our glowing season, where we're just not worried about money, we're not worried about bills. Our business is doing good. We figured all the parts out, we done, took the stairs and now we're on the third or fourth or fifth level. You figured out how to market, you figured out how to get the support for your company, you figured out the taxes and you figured out the staffing and all of these things and everything is just working together like a well-oiled machine. That takes time and most businesses fail in that first, second, third, fourth or fifth year. So we're still in a critical stage where it's just very hard and every day I wonder dang, am I going to fail? Is my business going to go bankrupt? You can't make this up. And I still wake up to help people get out of pain, do what I can just to manage everything with two people at the moment and it gets tough. It gets tough just trying to grow from insurance to not having insurance and cutting back on every level as possible, especially with this economy. It can be tough in new york. Other areas may be easier, I'm not sure I doubt it, but it can be tough.

Dr. Shon: 15:53

Coming not from legacy, and I always say this wow, I opened up a dental practice and I didn't even get one. Congrats, doc, we are so proud of you, like nothing. But guess what, guys, I'm gonna find my tribe, a tribe that just shows up, a tribe that just loves on me unapologetically, without anything in return, and thinking that I'm rich when I'm really not even there yet. I will be there there yet, but I'm not there yet. And I'm speaking this into existence. This money ain't even real. I just want a rich spirit. I want a rich mindset, a rich community, a rich family connection, a rich knowledge of history, rich in all those ways. I want to continue to go from hood to hooded and elevate past that from hooded to Niiji. That's the next level that I'm on. From hooded to Niiji. I went from hooded to CEO, hooded to Niiji. We're going from hooded to everywhere. We're taking our elevated mind everywhere. Baby, trust me, yes, indeed, that's my energy.

Dr. Shon: 17:00

Today, day 10, I'm in more of a somber mood, but still fearless, still pushing through and proud of myself for just showing up. You guys know we talked about some days it will be more difficult to show up than other days. To be consistent, we still. We're still in the chat, being the Lulu for our goals In the chat, talking and just trying to make it happen, creating that content, stepping out of our fears, stepping out of the comfort zone, getting on the mic, rocking the mic. Now holding back, being your authentic self and just showing up. Guys, like what we are showing up Every day, I feel like I have to just keep on going, keep on going every day. That's my mood is to keep on going strong, feeling free, just let me be me. Yeah, yeah, feeling free, let me be. Hey, I'm just playing around, feeling free, just let me be. We got to keep going strong every single day, every single day. So day 10, I am I don't know, I'm here.

Dr. Shon: 18:29

The thing about consistency, like we said, we don't have to be perfect with it, we don't have to try to do too much with it, we just have to do it. Action, baby. It's all about the action. Don't talk about it. Be about it. Show up for yourself like you have never shown up for yourself before. Test out consistency and see how that feel good, see how that feel. So far consistency feels real nice. It feels really nice to do this.

Dr. Shon: 18:59

I think I can make it to 365 days. It's already been a challenge just 10 days. But guess what? Without the 10 days you can't get to 365 days. Without that first video, that first live, that first opportunity, that first phone call, that first phone call, that first ounce of pride and that first ounce of courage, you won't even make it anywhere.

Dr. Shon: 19:24

So the first step is important, guys. Don't sleep on your first step. Okay, don't sleep on your first step. You don't have all the time in the world to be playing around with yourself. Don't sleep on that first move. Make that first move. If you want to be a boss, make that move. If you want to be an entrepreneur, make that move. You want to be a youtuber? Make that move. You want to elevate and get a raise and find a new job, because you hate your job? Find a new place to live. Move out of the city, make that move. Do whatever you want to do. This world is so big. There's more than eight billion people in this world. It's huge, it's open. Don't live in fear. Continue to live and be the best person that you can be.

Dr. Shon: 20:13

I heard something today, which is why I had to renege on my sad feelings today. I had to renege on my sad feelings today. I had to renege on my sad feelings. Get the hell away from me. We ain't going there. Yes, it's a hard-ass day and I'm exhausted and I need a massage and a vacation and a pedicure and a manicure and a facial and a new do. I need a lot of things, but the first thing that I need is just to be grateful To wake up today, because a lot of people didn't wake up today.

Dr. Shon: 20:45

A lot of people had traumatic things happen to them today. A lot of people lost loved ones today. A lot of people just had a bad day today. If you had a bad day today, I want you to go ahead and shake it off with me. Just let's shake it off. Just shake it off. Let's just shake off the bad day. Let's shake off the bad energy, the negativity. Let's just shake it all off. Shake it off guys. Let's shake it off.

Dr. Shon: 21:13

Now that we shake that off, let's absorb some positive energy and some greatness. Let's manifest wonderful things into our life. Let's manifest financial freedom, spiritual freedom, physical health. Let's manifest more family time and more peace and let's work in ourselves like slaves, which we are not More of learning who we are and accepting our indigenous heritage. And being Niiji and being crowd Niiji.

Dr. Shon: 21:43

Okay, can we do that? Can we do that today? Can we continue to show up and be consistent about one thing for one year? Can we do that, regardless of how it looks, Regardless if we look do-loo-loo, regardless if we look delulu, regardless if we don't really know what to say, regardless if we don't really know how to start, regardless if we don't have no roadmap or no blueprint or no gps. All we do is we got our mind, we have our spirit, we have our heart, we have our souls. We have so much. I said we got diamonds in our body. We are worth so freaking much. Guys, your dreams are so priceless.

Dr. Shon: 22:29

Don't ever let anything trick you out of your spot. Don't let nothing trick you out of your spot. Don't let nobody put no fear in your heart about your dreams Just because something bad happens and you have a traumatic, terrible day. Don't let it trick you out your spot. It's okay to feel down. It's okay to feel sad. It's okay to just take a little moment to recognize damn, life is hard. It's okay. It's okay to take a little moment for yourself to realize that life be lifin'. It really be lifin'. It really be lifin', it really be lifin'. But it's lifin' for all of us, for the entrepreneurs, for the students, for the everyday person just trying to feed their family. It's lifin' for all of us.

Dr. Shon: 23:16

The government is ghetto, the president is ratchet, the other world leaders I don't even know what to say, but we're living in the ghetto time. It's ratchet. It's like they arguing about oh, I'm going to charge you this. Oh, I'm going to charge you this. Oh, I stole this country, I'm going to do this. Oh, I'm an immigrant, I'm going to get these in my life. It's like I'm gone. What is going on?

Dr. Shon: 23:42

So in these times, we cannot fold. We cannot fold mentally, because it's an attack on our mental health. The news is always putting out negativity and things and just pseudo history. I will say propaganda and pseudo history. So we have to be vigilant. We have to stand on business every single day, and this is another day of just showing up. This is another day of showing up. So on this 10th day. We have 355 days of consistency left to go 365 days.

Dr. Shon: 24:29

So it's a journey when you're trying to accomplish your goals. It's a journey. But let me tell you something you will get through every step of the journey. You absolutely will. I have no doubt about it. None, zero, zilch, none, no doubt about it.

Dr. Shon: 24:51

I'm just still trying to balance my streaming life and trying to prove that I can be a streamer and a dentist and I kind of want to be a day trader and do some other things and be a traveler. You know me, this is out the show. I'm just doing too much because I have the opportunity to do it and I refuse to just have one stream of income. No, at this point in life, we got to have more than one stream of income. You got to monetize your voice, monetize your life, guys. Monetize your voice, monetize your life guys. Monetize your entire life. Don't even play with it.

Dr. Shon: 25:24

We gotta learn business and sell something. You gotta sell something. Don't cry, these jobs are not here to stay forever. Start you a youtube channel and teach people something, but don't just sit and twiddle your thumbs and thinking that it's gonna get easier because the way that the world is going, with the tariffs and all this drama and all this ghetto, ratchet leadership. We want to stand on business and be about business, start businesses, learn about business, take some business courses, go to youtube university and learn some things. What can you do as a side hustle to help you increase your income and increase the quality of life so you're not working every single day?

Dr. Shon: 26:13

We're trying to be on island time, working seven days a week and struggling. If I gotta struggle, I don't need it, I'll be all right. You know what I mean. We just gotta step out there and do something different, new and unique. I'm all about that. So that's why I show up here on twitch now and I feel so good.

Dr. Shon: 26:36

10 days, baby. I had 10 days of being courageous and getting here. Sometimes I have people in the chat, like one person so far, or two people. I get over that jitter. I got my mom here, always my, my queen, my guardian angel in the chat, with me in the spirit, and I'm excited. I'm excited to see what happens and excited to see who I meet from around the world.

Dr. Shon: 27:06

So before we we get to the end of this broadcast, I would love to tell you guys that I appreciate you and I'm turning nothing into something again, turning my time into value. Guys, we have to learn how to turn our time into valuable things. And yeah, just do it, just do it, just do it, yo, just do it, man, just do it. I'ma keep going, i'ma keep trying. I might look crazy, but I'ma keep on going. Dang, I ain't do that, but I'ma keep on going.

Dr. Shon: 27:49

It's like me, with this dealing practice, I ain't doing everything right. I'm still figuring it out, training every day, bumping my head every day. I'm still figuring it out, training every day, bumping my head every day, tired every day, exhausted every day, overworked, feeling a little burnt out every day, but showing up every day. And when you show up it's going to get easier. It has no choice but to get a little bit easier. Every day is hard, but it gets a little bit easier when you don't quit, when you have a positive attitude.

Dr. Shon: 28:20

My attitude has not been that positive today. It was more like sad, like missing my mom. I'm always gonna have those days where I can slip into the sadness like dang, my family don't care, and you know all that poverty, generational curse type shit start to haunt you a little bit. But that's why it's a work in progress to let it go and to not let it hold you down. Being from the hood, it really is a mental mindset that hinders you in life and you have to train yourself to know and train your brain to not go to that default mechanism where you just something happens, your day is not good, you're ready to pop off, are you ready to feel sad? You're ready to feel down and you don't want to talk and get into a shell and it's just a lot happens when you switch to that hood, sad mindset where you don't think about the future.

Dr. Shon: 29:21

So we always want to be present in the mind and not get so overwhelmed, not let other people control us with attitudes. He who angers you, they control you. So if someone is angered angering you, if you're getting angry about something, that means whatever that is, has control over you. If you're feeling depressed and sad about something, it's controlling you. So we have to learn how to channel those energies into something positive and release that steam, no matter what you have to do to release that steam. You got to release that steam, release that pressure and got to release that steam. Release that pressure and not stress yourself so much. Don't stress yourself so much. And, on that note, we're almost at the tail end of this broadcast and this is another day of 360, not 360. Yes, dr Sean's 365-Day Consistency Challenge, showing up at least one hour a day on Twitch, every day for the next year.

Dr. Shon: 30:26

I hope you can join me one of these days and come and hang out with me on the Hoods Athletic Podcast. I'm growing the channel, my supporters, the chat on all different levels and proving my hypothesis right. Can I grow an audience that is full of gold diggers, dreamers, people who are more advanced in their oral health, intelligence and just spreading positive vibes and kindness all over the world? Can we do that? Can we do that? Can we do that, guys, even if you just share it, leave a kind comment and say keep going, Dr. Shon, because I was feeling a little too sad today. I'm better now because I know that my queen here, my creator, my mommy, would be so proud and I have to remember that. So I don't have her here to say it, so I have to just feel it and believe that's what she would say. I'm so proud of you, baby, like you did it, because I don't really have that energy around me at all, really Not as often, but it is what it is.

Dr. Shon: 31:37

I will still just continue to trust in the process. Find my tribe, because I know they out there. I just know they out there. I'm looking for you. Hi, we're looking for each other. Look at my arm. I have an injury. Oh, and it's it. My arm is not the same like this arm. I can do this one, one of the casualties of getting older things start to hurt. But anyways, guys and gals, friends, friends and family, my tribe, the Dr Shoniacs, we going somewhere, we doing big things.

Dr. Shon: 32:23

Baby, I'm excited about growing. We're gonna either grow, glow, flow, or it's a no if it don't help you grow, if it doesn't help you glow, if it doesn't help your life flow. Guess what, guys? It's a no. Say it with me now. If it does not help me grow, if it does not help me glow and it does not help me flow, baby, it's a no. Okay, it's a no. We're gonna say no to everything that does not align with our dreams. Oh, I like that. We're gonna say no to everything that does not align with our dreams. And if it does not align, we cannot take action. And if we can't take action, you gotta get the stepped in stepping captain periods. Dot exclamation points on points. Clock that, t clock it. Ah, Dr. Shon is all the way live. Dr Shon is all the way live. Dr Shon is all the way live. Hey, we all the way live. Dr Shon is all the way live. We all the way live. Dr Shon is all the way live. Dr Shon is all the way live.

Dr. Shon: 33:40

This has been another broadcast, day 10 of the Consistency Project. Turn up, hop up out of the bed, turn my swag on. We get money. Hop up out of the bed, turn my swag on. Then I look, then the and say what's up? Hey, we getting money. Mood that's my mood, feeling really accomplished and just trying to overcome the somber feeling and just keeping my city uplifting in the spirit. Shout out to Tallahassee, shout out to the Seminoles Y'all stay strong on campus, continue to get those degrees. You guys will make it through the trauma. I'm just sending love and prayers to the families of those who have been injured, who have lost their life, and just to all the people who are battling mental health issues, and I'm just praying for the whole world right now, the whole world. We just got to stand on business my Niji and stay focused and accomplish our goals. And on that note, day 10 is in the bag and I am about to go to sleep Because Dr. Chieftess Sunflower, baby Dr. Chieftess Sunflower, is exhausted. Chieftess Sunflower Dr Sunflower said you know what, even though I'm exhausted, I got to prove myself right. I got to prove the doubters and the haters and the naysayers wrong, showing up baby. I hope y'all have a wonderful evening.

Dr. Shon: 35:21

Don't forget to brush and floss your teeth tonight or in the morning or whenever you see this video. Don't forget to brush and floss your teeth every single day. Don't just brush your teeth, you gotta also floss your teeth because you want to keep your teeth. Only floss the teeth you want to keep. So that's what we rocking with. Make sure you go to get those checkups at the dentist every six months so that you can fix cavities and protect your smile and love your smile. Love on yourself. Self-care is the best love and positive vibes Dr. Sean And is all the way live, but not now. Dr Shon is all the way gone. Peace, I will see you guys tomorrow. Chat toodles. Have a good night, I seen.