What If Your Voice Is The Work You’re Here To Do? | Episode 405

What If Your Voice Is The Work You’re Here To Do? | Episode 405

What keeps you waking up with a microphone in front of you and a story still on your tongue? We open 2026 by pulling back the curtain on how a scrappy nonprofit leapt past 400 episodes without a marketing budget, and why we’ve stayed stubborn about telling the truth even when it’s messy. Justin shares candid reflections on mental health, clarifies misconceptions about past substance use, and explains how cutting back on reactive language created space for better thinking, calmer choices, and deeper conversations.

We explore the many ways people share their voice—spoken word, sign language, music, writing, art—and ask you to name yours. Along the way, we talk about New Year momentum that actually sticks, the difference between performance and purpose, and the unglamorous work of showing up episode after episode. Moving from guest jitters to host presence, Justin describes how unscripted conversations became a strength: slowing down, listening harder, and letting hard topics breathe. That’s where trust grows—when a show feels like a place you can bring your whole story.

If you’ve ever wondered why you’re still here, this hour leans into that question with humility and hope. We share the mission that drives us—helping three billion people over a lifetime and beyond—and the practical steps behind it: platform reach, repurposing content, short-form clips, and community feedback. The metrics matter because people matter, and every share extends the circle. Join us, add your voice, and help this message travel farther than we can carry it alone.

If this resonated, subscribe wherever you listen, share it with someone who needs a lift, and leave a review to help more people find the show. Then tell us: how do you share your voice?

Chapter Markers

0:00 Kicking Off 2026 And Growth

2:35 Subscribe, Share, And Platform Reach

3:55 Nonprofit Mission And Zero Budget Wins

6:45 How Do You Share Your Voice

10:55 Resolutions And Community Check-In

12:55 Clearing The Record On Substance Use

16:20 Language, Swearing, And Personal Change

22:05 From Guest To Host: Finding Flow

27:30 Why Hard Topics Matter

32:40 Growth, Maturity, And Making Amends

38:50 Purpose, Faith, And Staying The Course

#VoiceOfPurpose #FindYourVoice #AuthenticExpression #VocalAwakening #CreativeCommunication #EmpowerYourVoice #ImpactfulSpeaking #SoundOfSuccess #PassionInWords #VocalJourney #ArtOfStorytelling #ExpressiveLiving #UnlockYourPotential #SpeakWithConfidence #justiceforsurvivors #VoicesforVoices #VoicesforVoicesPodcast #JustinAlanHayes #JustinHayes #help3billion #TikTok #Instagram #truth #Jesusaire #VoiceForChange #HealingTogether #VoicesForVoices405

Chapters

• 0:00 Kicking Off 2026 And Growth
• 2:35 Subscribe, Share, And Platform Reach
• 3:55 Nonprofit Mission And Zero Budget Wins
• 6:45 How Do You Share Your Voice
• 10:55 Resolutions And Community Check-In
• 12:55 Clearing The Record On Substance Use
• 16:20 Language, Swearing, And Personal Change
• 22:05 From Guest To Host: Finding Flow
• 27:30 Why Hard Topics Matter
• 32:40 Growth, Maturity, And Making Amends
• 38:50 Purpose, Faith, And Staying The Course

Transcript

Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: 0:02

Hey everyone, it's Justin here of Voices for Voices. Thank you as always for joining us on the show. Uh, we are grateful here to be in uh 2026 and uh bringing more fresh content to you uh through our Voices for Voices TV show and podcast. We are uh we're getting up the speed with our blog posts. Uh so that's one one thing that we uh are doing that uh we uh hadn't uh prioritized, uh mainly due to staff. And right, so you when you have limited staff, you have to kind of pick the pick the things that uh absolutely positively need to get done. Um and and blogs are or something that needed to get done, uh, but kept falling a little bit below that threshold. So uh that's one thing that you may be seeing uh as we get uh 2026 off the ground, besides you know, the content, the occasional TikTok live. Uh you know, you can find us anywhere and everywhere. You can watch us, you can listen to us uh wherever uh wherever you are. Uh if you can pinch us on it, you can uh voices for voices on it, and we would be grateful if you'd be able to hit that subscribe button, like, follow, share, give the thumbs up. Uh those are all things that uh are free of charge for you to do. And if you're able to uh reach out to 25, 30 of your your friends, uh your followers, uh, and uh let them know about the voices for voices TV show and podcast. We are uh the hottest TV show and podcast that is out uh globally worldwide, uh behind the Joe Rogan experience. He uh has been doing this uh a little bit longer or a lot longer than than we have. And and so it's uh it comes as no shock, no, no surprise that uh Joe Rogan is is up there at the the the top. Uh the one thing that we're bringing in uh that's a little bit different is we're bringing a uh kind of a a uh nonprofit feel because we are a nonprofit. So we are a 501c3 nonprofit charity organization uh who are bootstrapping this. Uh we are crushing our goals with a zero uh zero budget uh zero dollar budget, I guess is the way to call it. Meaning there's very little money that goes into the organization. And some of you may be able to say, well, yeah, it really shows. Uh and we have uh when I say you know, crushing goals, we're only supposed to be at 300 episodes at this point. Uh once you turn once we turned a page into 2026, and we crushed it uh by over a hundred uh additional episodes. So that's what we're that's what we're talking about. Um so thank you. Thank you for for for joining us. Uh one thing I I I want to just ask at the outset is how do you share your voice? How do you share your voice with with others? Is it through the spoken word? Is it sign language? Is it through music? Is it through um you know written like novels, stories? Uh, is it through art, like painting, uh, animating? Uh there's so many different ways that we express and share our voice with uh with others and even with other forms of our voices sharing, sharing uh what what's the what's the the one that you you you'd like to do that you prefer. It doesn't we're not even we're not looking for perfection at all. We're just we're just curious. We're curious uh to know what uh what uh how you use your voice because we know that one of the most terrifying, I guess, things to do uh is to do public speaking. So uh I would if that data holds true, I would I would think that public speaking and you know being on a a show that's not yours, uh you're a guest on it. I don't know. I'm I'm I'm just I'm just throwing ideas out. Uh we're we're curious. So if you can you know drop those in in the in the comments, you can reach out to us, let us know. Uh we're we're curious. Uh then we'll we'll share that feedback as as the uh as our our show you know continues here through 2026. And uh so we'd uh we'd love to hear your your feedback. The other part of the feedback is uh you know, since we just turned the page on the new year, are you know new year's resolutions, are those still kind of a thing where uh where you there's something or some things that uh you have in mind to say, okay, I'm gonna do better at this. And and I and so we you know leave that in the comment uh uh comments as well. Let it let us know uh what what that looks like for you or for you know people in your your your circle, like what's what's the popular thing? Is it still going to the gym, sticking to a workout, schedule uh eating cleaner? Uh I don't know. Uh you you tell us what what what it is. One thing that so I'll get into a little bit about me. Well, I want to say I guess this is a maybe a byproduct of when I hit rock bottom mentally in 2017 that I had like I'll say no filter, but I would using uh not great language, you know, swearing and uh that was something I don't even know when I started it. Uh but I have noticed and um I'm just surprised that I haven't really shared much about it because uh you know depending on you know our upbringing and and our following and and all that, I'm just surprised that I'm surprised on myself, which I guess that's kind of hard to do. But uh, but as a byproduct uh of basically uh getting a mental health team around me, some of that may or may not include medication uh drinking alcohol and all that. Um I just want to clear something up for you know, when I talk about like drug use, like I wasn't on like vendors and you know days and days and days out at the time. Like I would say I experimented and I I think that's gonna taken out of context, um where because I talk about it and I share about it, that it seems like well, he must that must have been like like I know his alcohol consumption and and I know how that how out of control that was. And so if I know about that, then surely his drug abuse was the same, just out of control. And I want to just say to those that have thought that, and uh, that's not the case. Uh the big thing for me was alcohol. Yes, I experimented, but that's it. Uh you know, I didn't have that, you know, a dealer on call. Like, I mean, that I I didn't do any, I didn't do any of that. And and so I wanted to I want to clear that up because that is unfortunate with you know a uh with a lot of people following, watching and listening. Uh that the nice say like you know of the drug abuse and and that like I just meant that I experimented. I didn't mean that you know, like I said, that it was like a like a daily occurrence for many, many, many years. It was not even close to that. It was way closer to the other end of the spectrum than than what I'm what I just said. So I want to share that and just make sure I'm being very very clear with that because I'd be doing my own self. I am doing myself a disservice by by talking about that and giving the giving the impression that that was like s some huge part of my mental health crash in 2017. It was about the alcohol abuse, it was a it was about it was about the alcohol abuse and uh not talking through uh uh a very very high number of of you know just different topics and and and so that that was the biggest part, biggest parts. And and so anybody who has heard me talk about and say, oh, like you know, I've you know, drug abuse, that was like a big thing for me. It's not, it wasn't. I experimented, and that's about where where it left off. So I just want to be crystal clear about that, and that's my fault for not explaining it much much better, much clearer. Uh, I get it, it's on me, it comes across a certain way. Um, but that wasn't the case at all, not even close to it. So that's the first thing. The second thing is what I really wanted to just talk about was you know, my the language and me swearing, and you know, there's been a couple episodes where I've used not great language here and there. I guess I started to notice the decrease in I say like the uh the decrease in, you know, the F-bombs and all, you know, just words that you know we we wouldn't want to be sharing in front of our children and kids and uh and so that's something that over time I guess I'm not real I guess I'm not realizing until now because I haven't really brought brought it up and uh if if I have it's been quite a long time in our in our shows, I may have mentioned it briefly. Uh and I and maybe it's because I've said a few a few of those swear words, the words that I you know like the remove from my vocabulary and which has been removed from my vocabulary for quite a long time. Mostly I internalize it. Uh just like it's it's not it's not worth it, like the as far as like saying the you know the those words, like all it's gonna do is just get me fired up and riled up even more. So uh I I guess I've over the years since 2017 and and with gone through you know the healing that I'm trying to go through on a day-to-day basis, which some parts I'm doing great, some parts I'm failing miserably. I think that's I think it's just life in general. Uh that's where I'm at. And I don't want to say like there is hope, you know, as far as the language goes. I I I remember this being not a good example, uh again to you know have conversations with uh the the age groups and you know going into schools like I have and speaking to them and uh and then obviously with with our show and podcasts and uh the various media opportunities I've been given over the years. I'm so grateful for that. And I think I just felt and feel that I owed it because before this show, before Voices for Voices was a thing, I was on a few shows, few podcasts, a few TV shows, and it was almost like a challenge to me because when you have a uh when you have that anxiety, it's one thing to think in your head, like, oh yeah, I'll just I'll just refrain from using the you know the F bomb. And then in other words, uh but then it's another one when when the camera's on and the lights on and and I've never been on it and I was never on a show before, and you know, you're thinking about trying to talk about my personal brand and the organization, and and it's kind of like things just move so fast, like time goes so fast. So many guests have told me over the course of the years and the episodes that uh you know say, you know, let's just plan on one episode, but then I'm like, maybe we should plan on two just in case, because I know how fast time goes, and I don't I would rather have extra time than to have you know than to be rushing uh I guess through their branding and and and uh you know answering questions and just having a conversation because I know that I wouldn't want to be rushed off. Uh and so anyway, so kind of at the beginning, you know, before Voices for Voices, when I was starting to formulate that I wanted to do something organization-wise, I wanted to help people. That was what I wanted to do. That was just the big overarching theme. I wanted to help people, and I want to help people now and continue to help people. That's why we have this huge goal of helping three billion people over the course of my lifetime and beyond. And we have plans in place that uh should get us there. Um you know, Lord willing, and uh, you know, by the grace of God, you know, we we will we will do that. Uh whether it's in through my time here on earth or whether it's after I pass, I I I think we got a great thing going. And and so referring or reverting back to you know those early shows, I was so worried that I was going to miss something, that I was gonna say um or like. Well, I say it now. And I've had 400 some plus opportunities, and that's just I'm just a regular person, so that's just oh well. I'm I'm a regular person. I I try to cut down on the ums and the likes and and those filler words, and uh, I remember being in school uh you know counting, you know, somebody speaking how many times they say the word like or um, and here I am saying it so a bunch. Uh there you go. So through all the madness of trying to remember everything that I wanted to say, not knowing exactly how questions would go from the host, because you know, sometimes it's easy to stay on track and other times it's not. And now I understand that more as a host that sometimes you just get so off track and not in a bad way. It's great conversation and it and some of those episodes are some of the best we've had. And so that's why like having like having a a cushion you know be able to have at least time set aside for a couple shows just in case. And so I guess to start as a challenge with the language on those first shows that I was asked to be a guest on. And it's not it's not easy to do. You know, because you got I had a million things running through my head just like I think we all do almost all day every day now. And so when I was able to do it and then I was able to slow things down in my mind to the to the factor to the point where I could think where I had a little more clearness and clarity in my mind when I was asked the question and now when I ask and when I open up shows and I close shows very we don't use a script. When I like started out we did and it got to be just it it it didn't it wasn't coming across as original because there was you know time at the beginning and the end where it were it was these canned lines and trying to make sure that I was getting certain things in and I was like we have here's our brand here's who we are here's our body of work right this is I think episode 405 so we we've had a lot of lot of shows and we know there's a lot of repeat viewers repeat listeners we love you all whether this is the first time you're with us or you've been with us from the beginning but we do we have a lot of content and that's the whole goal of how we're approaching helping people is by talking about the hard questions the hard topics we're talking about life some of it is easier than others and I can't apologize for talking about life I can't I have we have to be able to talk about hard topics and how they affect us as human beings because that's how we're going to be able to help people in some of the most vulnerable times of their lives in our lives that sometimes people tune in for that 20 seconds and that 20 seconds was enough to at least get a little bug in their ear to get get them thinking okay here's somebody is at least addressing and talking about these topics doesn't mean you have to agree with me doesn't mean you have to be 100% on board we just want you to know that we we are sharing very uh very deep concepts uh life and anybody who I'll say I I don't know the age but yeah as as as we grow up and you know it took me I think longer to mature than normal I I some people may say took a took me a long time you know part of it might have been the language others you know the partying and all that and and so now when you know some people see and hear me they it's almost as if they don't it's almost as if like they don't they don't recognize me like whether it be like being around me or or having a conversation it's like well that's not the Justin I remember and I get shut down all the time on interview requests from people I went to school with and wanting to promote what what they're doing and and I know there's probably a lot that's you know from the past is automatically like I don't want to be on his show like he was not the best or the kindest and then I get that in the same sense I'm not gonna shy away from those times where I did not act accordingly that I should have and uh and I think one of the ways that I can heal or at least try to at least start is by talking about these these life milestones that happen and that's why we were so happy when we beat our goal by over a hundred episodes because that's a big deal it's a big deal for somebody me barely getting a 3.0 in in in high school and you know being an outcast and and then you know the the you know story goes and the the the things I did and not proud of a lot of them and but here I am and so there's a root there's got to be a reason that I'm here like why am I here and there's so many people that have been taken from us not even not only just in 2025 but why am I here why why has God spared me up until now to be here and the only thing I can think of is that there must be some some kind of work some something that he wants me to to continue or to do before my time's up here on earth that's that's that's that's the only way I can really as I'm you know trying to verbalize it and and trying to process it in my mind of you know why me and I try to be grateful every day and and again I some days I succeed some days I fail miserably and that that's me I'm a human being and you know the times where I have not been the best person nice and and all that you know that eat eats at me but after the fact it's kind of the only thing I can say is you know I'm sorry about what whatever the those things are I mean there's so many ups and so many downs in my life and there's probably some ups and downs at some points of your your life and and others watching and listening across this planet earth somehow voices for voices the brand the show the organization the publishing the media the I I don't know it's hard for me to I guess put the thoughts together and so the only thing I think I know is well while I still have a microphone while I still have a camera then God must be telling me to share share information share life experiences that I must be we must be we must be helping people because otherwise why would I why would I be here is is what I'm getting at there's so many more talented people that we've lost over the course of my life that I mean for musicians I mean you can you can say and think you know whatever as far as you know the reasons why they pass on and uh you know actors and actresses and there's some very very talented exceptionally talented people and so for me I it's like I I I keep asking like like why why me why am I why am I still here because at times when I do screw up and I do the wrong thing say the wrong thing act the wrong way I admit it I mean I I I don't know what else to do I mean nobody's perfect and I know I'm not so all I can say is sorry I wish I hadn't said that I wish I hadn't done that I wish but I'm here for something and so when you hear us talk about wanting to help three billion people over the course of my lifetime and beyond this is why why did we get past the first episode why did we get past the first 50 the first 100 the first 200 to 300 why did we beat our goal by over a hundred episodes we were only supposed to hit 300 total episodes by the end of 2025 and we ended up going way over 300 and even a even some change over 400 couple more episodes I think maybe it was like two or three episodes when it was all said and done before uh the ball dropped uh could the kick off the year 2026 and so I guess that's what that's what keeps me going that's what keeps me waking up wanting to help not knowing what that looks like I just I just know that I have I'm an expert on myself and I am an imperfect person imperfect human being so I that must be one of the areas that God wants me to to at least you know up until now like continue sharing and continue talking some of the topics are a little more lighthearted and some are very very very very very deep and 20 years ago I would never talk about I would never think about talking about the topics I'd be like no way Justin like I wouldn't even want to think it in my own mind let alone have over hundred I and you keep hearing me talk about over a hundred countries a thousand cities I don't know about you but number one those numbers are real so I I I see those on a daily basis and number two wow wow wow that this little camera this little microphone sometimes I wear the earbuds somewhere the headphones just depends like how I'm feeling uh sometimes I wear the you know we're wear the green here and yeah we're we're promoting ourselves or promoting voices for voices if you would like to sponsor us for an episode or for a tier like maybe 10 episodes you could definitely reach out and we'd love to have that conversation so sometimes you'll see me wearing different accessories and that and uh sometimes I wear them regularly and sometimes I don't I usually mostly for the show because that's what I'm passion I'm passionate about voices for voices I'm not passionate about somebody else's brand nothing wrong with somebody else's brand I'm just gonna promote our brand is is how it really just comes down to it so the language has just gotten better I think less derogatory terms less derogatory thinking I'm a work in progress I think we all are every day we're if we wake up whether it's early in the morning or close to close to noon we're waking up nonetheless and so there's got to be something the God or your higher power or if you're not a believer there's just got to be something in the mix that is keeping us waking up and keeping us doing what we're doing now I'm not talking about people breaking the law and and those things so don't don't take me for a fool because I'm not the average regular person like me like the people we we work with on the team we're we're with the mission we want to help people and if you want to help people with us go ahead and reach out I'm I'm sure we I'm sure we could I'm sure we could use your help in one way or another or a multitude of ways. So I start shows saying no we're grateful to be here grateful to have you and we we truly are because even though we've reached who we've reached still have to keep coming back and watching and listen however you however you do that sometimes I listen on one platform sometimes on Spotify sometimes on iHeart sometimes it's um as a late you know the the Amazon music with the podcasts and uh YouTube I mean we have our YouTube channel we're starting to I guess get a little bit smarter and use some of the the shorts we hadn't I've been doing a whole lot of that. Um, but like I said, continuous learner, and we're just grateful to be here. We really are. Uh, you know, most organizations would have gone belly up or just stopped at this point because they weren't seeing some you know huge return on investment and and that. So that's when I say that you know, we're doing this on basically a zero dollar budget, and we're crushing goals. We crushed a goal by a hundred and three episodes. If that's not passion, if that doesn't show perseverance, persistence, whatever the buzzword you want to use, or what's being used out there, I don't know what is. We're bringing it, and we're just so happy to have you with us. So if you could subscribe, if you could give us the big thumbs up, like, follow, share, reach out to 25, 30, 40, 50, 100 of your your following, your followers or text, big group text, the group message on chat. Let them know about the Voices for Voices TV show and podcast, the hottest show on the planet behind the Joe Rogan experience. Let them know that we crushed our goal by over 100 episodes over the course of where we ended up 2025. We were only supposed to be at 300. Well, we were at not just 400, we were at, I believe it was 403. We already have two. This is the second episode for 2026 in the books, and we're just we're continuing. Well, God keeps putting me here. You don't have to be a believer. I'm I'm just sharing from my perspective, that's all. You know, God keeps putting me here, higher power keeps putting me here. We're gonna we're gonna keep sharing, we're gonna keep talking, we're gonna we're gonna converse, we're gonna yeah, we're gonna talk about some light-hearted things, you know, we're talking about some hard topics, talking about life. So thank you so much for being with us. We love you. No matter who you are, where you're from. Let's try to let's try to reach 200 countries and 2,000 cities across the world. I know we can do it. Can you help us? Thank you so much. We love you. God bless the United States of America and God bless you wherever you may be across the world. We love you and we will see you later. Goodbye.