Buy your copy here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1971232688?...

He wasn’t supposed to make it out.

At just 10 years old…
one moment changed everything.

A decision.
A path.
A life that started moving fast… real fast.

Money came quick.
Power came faster.

At one point… he was making $50,000 a day.

But nobody talks about what comes next.

The silence.
The setup.
The moment everything catches up to you.

15 years gone.

No phones.
No social media.
No guarantee of who you’ll be when you come home.

Most people don’t recover from that.

But this story doesn’t end there.

Because what happened after prison is what makes this different.

Relationships that shouldn’t exist…
Rooms most people will never see…
And a level of peace most people never reach.

This isn’t just a comeback story.

It’s about:

Survival vs purpose
Street success vs real success
And why relationships are worth more than money

If you’ve ever felt like your situation defined you…
or like you started too far behind…

This one is going to hit different.

We are living Proof!!! Tap in for more to come!!

Support the show

Grab your copy here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1971232688?...

What happens when a 15-year DC bodyguard is forced to take a life in self-defense — and then the federal government raids his home for teaching Black men how to legally protect themselves?

In this raw, unfiltered episode of the Living Proof Podcast, host Daeron Myers sits down with Mark Chopper (Mark Manley), founder of Manly Protective Services and creator of Project De-escalation a conflict resolution and firearm safety program being introduced into Baltimore and DC schools.

Mark opens up about:

• Growing up in PG County and Washington DC, and the street mentality that shaped him
  
  
• Starting his own security company at just 18 years old
  
  
• A justified homicide on U Street, DC that changed everything
  
  
• A 6-month legal battle to protect his freedom after defending himself
  
  
• A federal ATF raid on his family home — with his kids inside
  
  
• The double standard Black men face in the Second Amendment community
  
  
• His Project De-escalation program and why strong male mentorship saves lives
  
  
• His new book "The Armed Mind: 7 Steps to Becoming a Living Weapon"

This is not a story about violence. This is a story about a man who survived the streets, survived the system, and chose to come back for the people nobody else is coming for.

If you work with at-risk youth, believe in the Second Amendment, or just need to hear a real story of redemption this episode is for you.

CONNECT WITH MARK CHOPPER:
Instagram: @MarkChoppa
YouTube: Mark Chopper TV
Book: "The Armed Mind" — available on Amazon

Support the show

What do you do when broken promises and shattered dreams make you walk away from the one thing you love most?

In this episode of the Living Proof Podcast, we sit down with Jeff Otto Afrobeats artist, community builder, mental health advocate, and Silver Spring native to dive into the raw, unfiltered journey behind the music.

Jeff gets real about growing up Ghanaian in Montgomery County, the moment he shocked his entire school with a senior talent show performance nobody saw coming, and why he walked away from music entirely for nearly four years.

He breaks down how a viral skydiving birthday moment gave him the opening he needed to come back stronger — landing on BET, performing in front of 50,000 people, and building a loyal following completely independently.

But this episode goes way beyond music. Jeff opens up about why being signed to a label is often more hype than reality, how therapy and yoga changed his mental health game, what it means to build a marriage with someone who knew you when you had $10 in your bank account, and why he created a sold-out celebrity basketball game in MoCo just to give his community something to celebrate.

Whether you're an artist still waiting for your moment, someone battling self-doubt, or just someone who needs a reminder that your setbacks are setting you up — Jeff's story will hit different.

Make sure you Like Share & Subscribe for more to come!!

Support the show

What does it take to build the biggest Wealth Summit in the DMV region from scratch — with no board, no sponsors, and no blueprint?

In this episode of the Living Proof Podcast, we sit down with Raven Paris marketing strategist, radio personality, community builder, and founder of the Wealth Summit Live — to unpack the real story behind her rise.

Raven gets raw about growing up with strong women who shaped her, the moment she turned down a full-time job offer straight out of Morgan State University to chase her dream, and how faith became the foundation of every bold move she's ever made.

She shares how she went from running an internet radio show to landing at 92Q and TMZ, and how she and her husband Tony built a financial education movement that has attracted hundreds of youth, major bank sponsors, and attendees from across the country.


But this episode goes beyond business. Raven opens up about setting firm boundaries in relationships, navigating a blended family with grace, why women need to stop allowing access to people who no longer serve them, and the mindset shift that separates people who build wealth from those who just talk about it.

Whether you're an entrepreneur, a creative, a parent, or someone still figuring out their next move — this episode will challenge you, inspire you, and remind you that your setbacks are just setting up your story.

Topics covered: betting on yourself, generational wealth, financial literacy, women in business, blended families, relationship boundaries, marketing strategy, community building, faith and entrepreneurship.

🔗 Follow Raven Paris on Instagram @ravenparis | ceosevolve.com | wealthsummitlive.com

Support the show

Two brothers. Same broken home. Same absent parents. Same streets.
One became a firefighter who held dying children in his arms. The other built a million-dollar empire from nothing. And now for the first time on camera they're sitting across from each other telling the whole story.

Daeron Myers brings his brother Coach Dev to the Living Proof Podcast, and what unfolds is one of the rawest, most unfiltered conversations you'll ever watch. From being split up as kids, raised by aunts and grandmothers who both died of cancer, to running with fiends, chasing manhood in all the wrong places, and finally finding the path that changed everything.

This isn't a success story. This is the road BEHIND the success story.
🎙️ What they get into:

Growing up divided same blood, different households, different pain
How Coach Dev went from drugs and the streets to becoming a licensed firefighter
The 3AM phone call when Daeron was stabbed and Dev woke up with pain on the same side
The moment on a yacht in Miami that broke every limited belief Dev had
Why followers don't equal dollars and what actually builds wealth
What real manhood looks like when nobody showed you the example
How Freedom University helps people get funded $50-100K at 0% interest to start their businesses

Why Dev credits ONE moment in Atlanta as the thing that changed his entire life

If you've ever watched somebody else win and wondered if it was even possible for YOU this episode is the answer.

📲 Find Coach Dev: @iamcoachdev on TikTok, Instagram & Facebook
🎓 Free credit masterclass every Thursday — tap in at Freedom University

Support the show

What does it take to build a 7-figure empire, 400K+ Instagram followers, and a gold-plated award you hand out to YOUR students all without an editing app on your phone?

Meet Daeron Myers. At 24, he was stabbed at a house party, ran to a 7-Eleven with his intestines hanging out, and called everyone he loved from the back of an ambulance
convinced he wasn't going to make it. One brother picked up.

He survived. And those 30 days of forced bed rest changed the direction of his entire life.

In this debut episode of Living Proof, Daeron flips the script letting his videographer and producer, Ball Heavy, sit in the interviewer's seat for the very first time.

What comes out is raw, unfiltered, and real: the 9-year-old boy handed off to a father fresh out of prison. The COVID moment that broke open his dreams.

The business that nearly buried him with 50 emails a day and zero help. And the moment he realized he wasn't running FROM something he was running TOWARD a calling.

This isn't a highlight reel. This is the blueprint.
🎙️ Topics covered:

How Daeron built a massive following with NO editing app (not even CapCut)

The near-death experience that gave him clarity and a permanent mark to remember it by
How "massive imperfect action" beats perfect preparation every single time
Why your real battle has NEVER been with the world it's always been with yourself
What it means to have LONG faith when the parachute won't open

Building a dream team by betting on hunger over résumés

If you've ever felt like success just doesn't happen for people like you this episode is your sign to keep going.

📧 Want to nominate a guest? Email: livingproofpodcastclub@gmail.com

Support the show