From Backstage to Bookshelves The Dance with Adversity and Affirmation

Have you ever found yourself in the crosshairs of envy, simply because you dared to succeed? Our latest episode peels back the layers of this all-too-common challenge, starting with a candid account of how our inborn talents can draw the green-eyed monster out of those around us. I reveal an enlightening talk with Steeltown Records, a beacon of musical history, and their pursuit of fresh faces in the industry—a testament to the spirit of appreciating, not resenting, success. We wade through the murky waters of navigating achievements while surrounded by the clamor of detractors, emphasizing the need to stay grounded in your truth.

The path to personal triumph is rarely a solo journey, yet sometimes, the most surprising lack of support comes from those we expected to cheer us on. I get personal recounting the highs and lows following my book's release and the profound loss of my father. It's a raw glimpse into the resilience required to keep pressing on when the accolades you anticipate fall silent. But there's hope, and it often comes in the form of community—both online and off. I'll tease you with a snippet from my revised book, "Both Eyes Open and Both Eyes Shut," and spotlight the transformative power of supporting one another's endeavors with even the smallest of gestures on social media.

Finally, we explore the journey of podcasting, from the initial bursts of support to the surprising ebb and flow of interest over time. I share anecdotes from the trenches, including inviting friends as guests and the peculiar dynamics of audience growth. Upcoming episodes promise rich conversation, like the one featuring Rick and Jalen's take on Dealing With Emotional Women. So, let's march on with purpose, fueled by the resolute wisdom that success isn't about seeking validation—it's about the mark we leave on the world. Each episode is a step forward in our col

Welcome to The CJ Moneyway Show Podcast! The Podcast Show where we Unlock Potential, One Dream at a Time. Today, we have another guest whose journey is truly worth hearing. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the Moneyway experience.

Don't miss out on CJ Moneyway's book, "Both Eyes Open and Both Eyes Shut." And get ready to pre-order his upcoming release, "The Issues of Life," coming soon. Moneyway aiming to inspire!

Thank you for listening to The CJ Moneyway Show! Don't forget to share this episode with your friends, leave a comment, and drop a review. Be sure to tune in every Tuesday and Friday for more inspiring journeys. Who knows, your story might be next. 

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:16

have you never prayed for? Do you know how many people are jealous of you and they got no idea that the gift you have you never prayed for? Y'all ain't saying nothing to me. The gift that you hold, you never asked god to give it to you. You got folk that are fighting you and they don't know. I don't even want this, god. Don't put it on my life. All I can do is flow in my gift. You know you're authentically anointed when people who got more than you don't like you and you're trying to figure out why you attacking me when I ain't got nothing. I hope y'all tap this church concept. If they hate you at this level, what they gonna do when I elevate you to a whole nother place? This is just the beginning. Welcome, my good people, welcome to the cj money way show and I'm with your host, cj money way, let's get it what's up, my good people?

Speaker 2: 1:35

you're listening to your boy, cj money way, on the cj money way show. Thank you for tuning in today. Like I said, wednesdays is going to be for the Moneyway experience for those who are listening to your boy. That's rocking with your boy. Hey, this time is for us, although, as I've been going through some of my itinerary and some of the interviews that I've been doing, I will have to, I will have to delegate some of them on wednesday. So you, I hope that you will tune in and stay tuned to that, where I will have some part twos that's coming out on wednesday, on a couple interviews that I've that I've done one of them which I hope that you guys will really tune into and and get involved, because they're looking for x amount of people as still town records. I'm excited about this. I'm excited about the, the collaboration that we have. I just did an interview with them. It'll be coming out. Uh, wednesday, may 22nd and month, and monday, on memorial day, may 27th. Check that out.

Speaker 2: 2:47

They got a lot of things popping off. Um, they're trying to bring a record label back out in the 1960s, like 1964 to 1971. They was the first home of the jackson five. You're gonna have to check it out. Check it out, go do your research on it. Still town records, right here in gary, indiana, and so there are some things that they're trying to do with the record label. I talked to six of their executives the other day. So it's real, it's popping. They're trying to do a movie based on the, the founder of steel town records, and give you the truth of what really went down with steel town and motown. So they're looking for actors, they're looking for actresses, they're looking for independent artists, they're looking for producers. So, around the globe, uh, steel town andincorpcom you can check them out that they're trying to do casting right now for the film that they're trying to come out with in september. So check it out, man, it's gonna be a hot interview, hot topic. Hey, remember that name stilltown records, stilltown records.

Speaker 2: 3:59

And so this is your, and so just keeping it 100, today I want to talk about these haters, these haters, these haters, and so I know, and you know, we family, we family, we family, we family. So I can talk about this with you guys, because I know that if you're listening to the Money Way, show that you're not a hater, and if you are you? I know that if you're listening to the Money Waste Show, that you're not a hater, and if you are, you need to stop that. You need to stop that real quick, because we don't hate on the Money Waste Show, we just congratulate.

Speaker 2: 4:29

And so the thing about haters is sometimes I know what the Bible say. The Bible say that we don't fight against flesh and blood, but we fight against principalities of wickedness in higher places. And so, with that being said, a lot of times we think that we're battling each other, but we're really not. Or we feel as though somebody is hating on me because I'm in this space or I'm in that space, but they're really not hating on you per se. They're hating on what's in them, is hating on what's in you. And so when we figure that out and when we get to that point that you know they not hating on Corey the man, or they not hating on CJ the man, they hating on the spirit that's in CJ because it's not mushing, it's not, it's not going together and see.

Speaker 2: 5:19

So there comes a point in time where there's a lot of different levels of hate and people can hate how you look, people can hate how you dress, people can hate how you smell. People can hate how you smile. People can hate how you talk. People can hate how you walk. People can hate how you perform your job at work. I mean, there's so many levels to why people just hate and I'm not a hater and that's just can't. Nobody come and say that CJ is a hater. I've never been a hater, never I would.

Speaker 2: 5:56

If somebody drive around in a nice car, they pull up in a nice ride, I'm going to say, hey, man, that's a nice ride, or there's some nice kicks that you got on, or that's a nice jacket, bro, that's just me. Why should I hate on anybody? There's no need for me to hate on nobody. I got more than enough. I'm not saying that I have everything that I want in life. I'm not saying that I'm perfect or that I'm just so high and mighty that you know whatever, whatever. No, I don't have a lot of things that a lot of people have, but I'm grateful for what I have, and so therefore, there's no need for me to hate on somebody else for what they have, because what they have evidently wasn't meant for me to have, and if it is meant for me to have, god would make a way for me to have it at some point in time in life. And so, the more that I congratulate people or compliment people on certain things, that's elevating me.

Speaker 2: 6:50

Now see, sometimes we don't understand Haters, don't understand this reason of logic. If, when God began elevating you to certain levels in life, people start hating and a lot of it is because we just them type of it's just how we are. I don't want to see nobody making a dollar more than me. If he or she making a dollar more than me, I'm hating. If they doing something that I'm not doing or something that I want to do but I'm not doing it because somebody killed my dreams and they live in a dream, I'm going to hate on it. And so to my people out there hey, we got to get over that. We got to get over some things in life.

Speaker 2: 7:38

Don't let nobody kill your dreams. You want to go back to my man, joseph? Go back, and I think it's episode three. Check out season one, episode three and four. Joseph didn't let his brothers kill his dreams. Matter of fact, it wasn't Joseph that didn't let his brothers kill his dream. God didn't let nobody kill his dream. So remember that God would not allow anyone to kill your dreams. If God gave it to you, it's going to come to pass, regardless of how much they hate, regardless of how much they don't want to see you where you're at. They're going to hate Because sometimes it's just some things that they don't understand.

Speaker 2: 8:19

You know, like I wrote a book in 2015. And I really thought that people, my people, my family, my cousins, my uncles, my aunties, my immediate, just my family in general I just really knew, and my friends, my so-called friends I just knew that they was going to get behind your boy because, like man CJ, he wrote a book. Dude on Amazon, man, you can Google him up. I just, for me, in my mind, I just really thought that people was gonna be happy for me. Quick reminder it kicked me. It was swift. I'm like wow, ain't nobody that I know grabbing my book? Ain't nobody calling, meulating me? Said man, see, I'm proud of you, bro. You know I, I, I'm proud of what you're doing. Man, you know ain't nobody in our family or nobody I know ever wrote a book? Man, I'm with you. What you want, what you need me to do, let's get this thing out there.

Speaker 2: 9:43

No, it wasn't none of that. It was. It was just the exact opposite. It was crickets of that it was. It was just the exact opposite. It was crickets, crickets, crickets. And I'm not gonna sit up here and shuck and jive nobody because, like I said, on wednesday, on wednesday nights, this is the money way experience. I'm talking to my people that's rocking with your boy, cj money way. So we gonna keep it all the way 100, and so what I mean by that is that it that did that experience, that was 2015.

Speaker 2: 10:16

That experience right there, hurt my feelings. It really did. It hurt my feelings because I really thought that people that was in my, even the people that was in my, even the people that was in my corner, like people would be in your corner when things jumping off or when it's when you, when you at the planning phase or when you at the beginning phase. But when that thing stopped popping off, when it stopped popping off, they start popping off too. I know some of y'all out there know what I'm talking about. I know I ain't the only one that have never experienced this. Come on now, holla at your boy, if you hear me. But so I went through a trial and I've said this before and I don't know if you guys rocking with your boy, cj Moneyway, you ain't heard this that the week after my book got published I mean exactly seven days after my book got published, I mean exactly seven days after my book got published my father died, so it took a lot out of me.

Speaker 2: 11:14

I didn't get into the marketing phase of it, but be on the lookout, both Eyes Open and Both Eyes Shut. Has been republished, I mean been revised new book cover and about to be republished pretty soon. So go grab it. I'm talking to my Money Way listeners. It's a great read. It got a lot of stuff in there. I will be putting some things out. Matter of fact, I'm going to do something today, so you know just some inserts or whatever. I try to do that every week just to give you guys a little taste of it and be like I think I got to check this out. That's.

Speaker 2: 11:50

If you're an avid reader, me myself, that's keeping 100. I'm not an avid reader. I might write books, I might do a podcast, whatever, but I do not just read books off the strength of just reading books. I don't do that. I just don't go around listening to everybody podcast.

Speaker 2: 12:07

But in life there are some things that I felt that I feel like if this is what you're going to do, and this is the the trend that you're trying to set, then you have to. You have to follow those who have come before you and those that know more than you and those that do it way better than you do. You have to pick their brains and you have to get knowledge from here and there. So, as I said that there are books that I have been reading, I put my girl out there. I did an interview with Terrence Marie. She got a book called Black Pearl. Hey, got to check it out. Hot book Got me interested, so check out again Black Pearl by Terrence Marie.

Speaker 2: 12:46

She got a lot more books. She got a few more books coming out, so I'm going to give her a plug. That's my girl. Hey, we didn't know each other from a can of paint, but when we hooked up and we did an interview, it's like we knew each other forever. Like you know, I call her my little sister now and anything that she do, I'm supporting it. Anything that she put out, I'm pushing like that's another thing. You know Facebook and Instagram and TikTok and YouTube and all these other different social media outlets. Come on, man, it do not cost nothing to support.

Speaker 2: 13:21

All you got to do is push like I don't care if you don't leave a comment. But that's how you know when people hating what you're doing because they'll just start skipping over your stuff, they're seeing you too much. You're doing too much. You're moving too much, because I would thought that you would have been and fell off by now. I thought that you would have been and quit by now. But now that I'm seeing that you, you know you got some. You got some wheels on this train that you ain't stopping no time soon. So, since you ain't stopping no time soon, so since you ain't stopping no time soon, I'm going to stop. I'm going to stop fooling with you. And people do that, people do that. I don't know why. Somebody tell me, why. Leave it in the comments, write your boy, email your boy. Somebody, let me know why these type of activities happen in our community or just worldwide. I don't know. Somebody, help your boy out. But so, yeah, so 2015,. It taught me a lesson moving forward.

Speaker 2: 14:18

When I started this podcast, I tried to do it with some other brothers and we went through the planning phase. We was having meetings and we was doing this and we was doing that. But when it started coming down to that money. When it started coming down to the monies, they started falling off and it's been crickets ever since. And that was, I would say that was back in like November 20. No, no, 2022. I take that back because I started the podcast in october 2023, so that was back in november 2022.

Speaker 2: 14:56

I ain't heard from these brothers since, you know, and and that's on everything I love and not even on what I've been doing, not even on this podcast. I still ain't heard from these brothers. Ain't nobody reached out to himself for self, for one reached out to me like hey, man, I like what you're doing. Blah, blah, skippy, you took the dream that we had and you know you moving forward with it, you pushing it on. None of that, none of that, none of that. Now, I ain't saying they hate us, I'm just saying they ain't congratulate us either. That's all I'm saying. That's all your boy said but yeah, so I tried to do it with some more cats and it didn't work out like that. And so, my mans, he pulled me to the side and say hey, everybody don't feel the same way that you feel about this, your baby. And so it brought back remembrance of when the Holy Spirit told me that this was for me.

Speaker 2: 15:49

And, as we was talking about earlier, everything that you do, or what God shows you, he don't show everybody, and so sometimes we want people to be excited for what we're doing and the things that God has showed us, but it's hard for them to get excited because they didn't see it showed us, but it's hard for them to get excited because they didn't see it. And so we have to quit expecting people to be just as excited as we are about certain things that they don't know about. And so a lot of times, when we try to get people to be excited, just like us, it deters you from doing what God has called you to do, because the response that you're getting from people and so when you're not getting the response from the people who you felt like you was going to get it from, or the people that was in your corner your so-called friends, your homies, or your aunties, your uncles, your favorite cousins when that type of support don't come, hey, it knock us off our square. It really does. Anybody know what I'm talking about? Holler at your boy. For real, though, holler at me. Am I the only one that go through this? Am I the only one that been through something like this or experiencing that type of stuff? Right now? It is what it is, holler at me, but uh, it taught me a lesson, though, and so, when I went into this venture, I say you know what? I'm not gonna worry about Facebook. I don't care who who who watch, who don't. It is what it is, because I'm trying to reach. I'm trying to go farther than that.

Speaker 2: 17:24

I've always been the type of person even when I was out there doing my thing I always been that one. I didn't like fishing on the on the shore. I like to throw my net all the way, I like to throw my rod all the way out there, literally. But um, that was just me. I like to catch something that was was uncatchable to me. That's what I did.

Speaker 2: 17:49

So when I started this journey on this podcast, I say you know, I'm not going to worry about Facebook friends, because everybody on Facebook ain't your friends, and even your friends, that's your friends on Facebook. They don't even support you, like that. But it shocked me, though. It fooled me, because when I put my first little thing out there, it was before the podcast. I was just putting little snippets, little clips out there, man, I was getting some love. I was shocked. I was getting love from my folks on YouTube and Facebook and people hitting me up telling me keep doing what you're doing, see, I'm loving it, I'm loving it.

Speaker 2: 18:28

But after a while, though, once you keep doing it, them people that was patting you on the back, them people that was emailing you, hitting you up, telling you to keep going they kind of fall off a little bit because, like I said, it was cool when you started, but you keep on going, I would have been thought that you would have been and fell off by now. I, but you keep on going. I would have been thought that you would have been and fell off by now. I thought maybe you quit having topics. I thought that maybe you had been and got tired trying to do a podcast and working a full-time job, sometimes working 16 hours a day, three, four times a week, but you still going. And so, since you still going, I'm just going to follow. I'm going to fall off of you, and that's what people do and that's what they have been doing.

Speaker 2: 19:10

But if I still had that same mindset of 2015, I wouldn't be sitting here talking to my real people right now, because it's you that keeps me going, because I see the numbers, I see where the people listening at, I see the analytics, I see the age group. I see where the people listening at, I see where I see the analytics, I see the age group, I see all that. And so it's you guys that and women that keeping me going, that's fueling, that's putting fuel to the fire, you know. So your boy gonna keep on rocking because you rocking with me and I ain't gonna let no haters stop that. And that's 100 people think. Because they don't rock with you, or they not feeling what you doing, or they not anyway, it ain't my cup of tea and they passing you up on facebook.

Speaker 2: 20:01

I learned too that facebook and instagram and youtube, all that stuff, that ain't that, ain't got nothing to do with podcasting. People on facebook, facebook not listening, ain't looking for a podcast show. You might have maybe one out of a hundred that might say you know what? Let me check out this podcast. But Facebook people are Facebook people. Instagram people are Instagram people. Tiktok is TikTok people. Youtube is YouTube people. Podcasting is podcast people. It's just a difference, and I've been learning that as I've been going.

Speaker 2: 20:36

And so I don't get discouraged by if somebody don't look at a video that I put out, or if I put out a post that you might only got like five likes or whatever, because the more that you grow in certain things, the less people that you know gonna be supporting you. It's the people that you don't know that's pulling you up. It's the people that you don't know that's cheering you on from the sideline, and I'm finding that out more and more. I don't care, I'm just gonna be straight up right now. I do not care what people may think about what I'm saying, because it's true, because if you was with your boy, like, okay, I'll put it like this and I'm going to keep it 100. And this stuff for some of my true partners.

Speaker 2: 21:19

Supposedly I did some podcast shows with a couple cats, right, with some of my homies. One of them, actually, actually one of them is going to come out pretty soon. One of them is going to come out May 17th. Check that out Three Stooges. We're talking about dealing with emotional women. So me, my boy Rick, my boy Jalen. So check that out. Like I said, that's coming out May 17th. I think that's a two-part series too, so that'll be coming out on a Wednesday too. So check it out.

Speaker 2: 21:52

I'm not. I'm not, you know, I do what I do. I built my platform for the people and so I'm a man of my word, and so that's what I'm doing and so that's what I continue to do. But yeah, that's a but to it. But, but I realized that if something does not involve the person like I did a podcast show with my boys and I got a few homies and I did a podcast episode with a few of them, right, and so I was on the thing and I had a guy that you know he's been rocking with me or whatever I'm taking these modules in this, in this uh course and stuff that he have and he went on Apple, he went on Apple, on iTunes on, and he left me a review, he left me a rating. I'm like man, that's cool, I don't even know this guy and he left me a rating and a comment, a nice comment too. So I said, man, you know, let me hit my people up that have been on the show, let me hit my family members up that have listened to the show, I suppose, and, you know, let them give me some ratings and some comments to try to boost the show up.

Speaker 2: 23:05

It's just like Amazon or anything. If you've got similar shows that's running and you want to debate on. If you want to listen to the CJ Money Ways show or you want to listen to another show, we got the same type of show. We both in education or we both in the social culture. Which one am I going to listen to? Well, what do we do at Amazon when we're looking at the same product and about the same price, or one of them may be a dollar more or two dollars more?

Speaker 2: 23:32

We look at the reviews. Let me see the reviews and that will determine which product I'm going to buy. Same thing with podcasting. Let me look at the reviews. How many reviews this one got? How many reviews that one got? Oh, this one got 40 reviews. Oh, this one got 10. Let me check. This one got 40 reviews. Oh, this one got 10. Let me check this one out. It seemed like people more interested in that. So again, yeah, I'm putting it out there. If you're rocking with the cj money way show, hey, hit me up on apple man. Leave me a review, leave me a comment. Let people know that you're rocking with your boy cj money way.

Speaker 2: 24:03

But so anyway, uh, I asked my guys, now I had some thumbnails and stuff done because, like I said, I do clips, I do videos or whatever. That's how I promote. And so I had some thumbnails done With my homies on there and I sent them the thumbnails and I said, hey, this is going to be the cover Of our podcast. And I said, hey, go on, apple, leave your boy. I say, leave a review on y'all being guests on the show. Yeah, exactly that's exactly what it was. It was crickets, no, take that back. They gave me a thumbs up on the thumbnail.

Speaker 2: 24:48

But when I asked to do the review part and the rating part now these my homies, now these my homies, crickets, straight crickets Still ain't heard from, still ain't go out there. Because if I'm involved, I'm in it, but if I'm not involved, I'm not trying to help you get to where you trying to go. But if I'm involved in it, I'm all with it. But to just ask me to do something on your behalf, I'm not gonna do that. Hey, it is what it is and I'm just telling the truth and, like I said, these my homies, so I don't care. I don't care how somebody feel about what I said because it's the truth. And if somebody's saying that I'm lying, then show me why I'm lying, because I can look at the reviews and I see that you didn't do one. I see that you didn't put a rating out there and I'm not. Did I say anything to them about it? No, for what? For what? Anything to him about it? No, for what? For what?

Speaker 2: 25:50

In life, in life, people, you got to learn how to just keep on going. You just got to learn how to keep moving, moving forward. Man, I'm not looking back at what people not doing or who ain't supporting your boy, or who may be doing this and who may be doing that. Man, I'm focused on what I'm doing. I'm focused on you guys, I'm focused on the people. That's really rocking with your boy. That's what I'm focused at and I'm going to keep on putting it out there. I don't care if none of them rate my show. It don't matter to me because I got other people out there. That's rating it. Hopefully you'll start rating it because it is what it is and man rating it because it is what it is. And man, forget them. Haters, forget the haters. I asked another one of my partners. Same thing got the same result. Like dang, y'all been on it.

Speaker 2: 26:38

I I invited you guys to my in my personal space to share with me these occasions, to to have to laugh and to give some truth and shoot out some knowledge or agree to disagree. This is what we have done in my personal space. So what did you learn? Cj? Quit inviting everybody to your personal space. That's one to grow on. I'm quitting inviting everybody to my personal space. It is what it is.

Speaker 2: 27:12

If you can't do nothing as far as give your boy a simple review on something that you're on, I'm putting a podcast show out with us on it. The thing about it, like I said, you want to get your ratings, you want to get the comments so that people can tune in to your show, you want people to hear what you're saying. So if you can't even give the effort to support that part of it, man, I ain't bringing up. Hey, it is what it is because, like I said and I'm fair to end it on this people think that because they feel as though they're not rocking with you or they're not listening to your stuff, or they feel like it's garbage, they feel like it ain't doing nothing.

Speaker 2: 27:56

The devil is a liar. You don't really know what's going on and that's why I keep on going. Because you ain't seeing the big picture, bro. You ain't seeing the numbers. You ain't seeing what your boy out here doing. You ain't seeing the people that he ain't seeing what your boy out here doing. You ain't seeing the people that he may be inspiring or he may be encouraging. You're not seeing all that. So why should I let you knock me off my square because of what you can't see, I can see. That's why my book called it Both Eyes Open and Both Eyes Shut, cause a lot of cats out here walking around with their eyes shut. God open mind. Hey, this your boy, cj Moneyway. You have been listening to the CJ Moneyway Show, unlocking potential, one dream at a time. Peace I'm out.

Speaker 3: 28:41

Wisdom is supreme. Therefore, get wisdom, though it cost all you have. Get an understanding, proverbs 4, 7. Supreme, final, ultimate. So wisdom is final. It's the ultimate Wisdom Good judgment, learning, knowledge, Clear thinking, experience, understanding, the power to think and learn A specific interpretation. Now let's say this scripture again Good judgment and clear thinking are of ultimate importance. Therefore, get knowledge, though it may cost all you have. Gain a specific understanding of your life, both eyes open and both eyes shut.