Triumphant Moments with T.Wood
✨Triumphant Moments with T.Wood is the best motivational podcast to guide, encourage, inform and inspire you through life’s challenges.🎙️New Episodes Every Wednesday!This inspiring podcast is about learning from mistakes, success stories, unity, and positivity. It highlights significant moments in life that are beyond the surface.Your host T.Wood engages with inspiring people and good role models: a unique variety of everyday people, experts, and community leaders. A professional in the mental health field, T.Wood has created a relatable podcast for positive change that bridges the gap between our differences. We'd love to have you in our TRIUMPHANT MOMENTS family!
Triumphant Moments with T.Wood
Rising Above: The Journey of Brother Ricky Lewis
Join us for an inspiring conversation with Brother Ricky Lewis as he shares his remarkable story of resilience and unwavering commitment to service. From growing up in Pensacola, Florida, to thriving in the aerospace industry for over four decades, Brother Lewis reveals the invaluable lessons his parents imparted to him—hard work, discipline, and the importance of faith paired with action.
Through reflective anecdotes, he illustrates how his father's relentless work ethic and his mother's steadfast guidance shaped his identity and approach to life. The journey of adapting to new environments, from a close-knit community to the bustling streets of Los Angeles, emphasizes the fourth dimension of perseverance and the power of a supportive community.
Brother Lewis's message resonates deeply: challenges are merely stepping stones to success if faced with determination and faith. His insights invite you to consider your own triumphs and resilience. Whether through his professional experiences or personal reflections, you'll walk away inspired to never give up and strive for excellence in your own life.
Tune in to glean invaluable wisdom and encouragement from Brother Lewis's life lessons and engage with our growing community. Don’t forget to subscribe, share, and leave a review to help inspire others!
I'm T Wood, and this is Triumph in Moments where I highlight significant moments in life beyond the surface to inform, encourage and inspire people to triumph over their life's challenges With me. Today, I can't even say my guest, because he is family Brother Ricky Lewis is the current national president of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Incorporated. He was born in Pensacola, florida, and raised in Los Angeles, california. He holds a degree from the University of the Pacific and has been employed in the aerospace industry for 40 years. He is married with two sons excuse me, two adult sons.
Speaker 1:There's a tremendous number of accolades now that I can honestly go over with Brother Lewis. However, what stands out to me the most is his unwavering dedication to service and the way that he consistently uplifts others through his leadership and vision. Brother Lewis embodies the spirit of brotherhood, commitment and resilience, making a powerful impact not only in Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Incorporated, but also within the community of abroad. My brother, welcome, welcome, welcome. How you feeling, t Wood? What's good, man, how you been? Oh, my goodness, taking this thing one day at a time. I appreciate you taking out time in your very busy schedule to come out here and provide something positive for the people.
Speaker 2:Well, man, I appreciate you giving me this opportunity. Right, we all got busy schedules. You're a family man, I'm a family man, you work, I work and I just appreciate your patience. I know we've been moving this calendar around man and we made it work, and to God be the glory brother, Right, right, right.
Speaker 1:So I'll tell you what. Just to jump right onto it, just to kind of get it started here, give us an idea of what would you say is a morning routine that you do consistently Push-ups, yoga, prayer, what.
Speaker 2:Yeah, man, I get up about 4.30 every morning. I've been doing it for 40 years since I've been in the aerospace industry and my mom used to say as soon as my feet hit the ground, I thank the Lord. As soon as my feet hit the ground, I thank the Lord. I get up. I walk through the house just to make sure the house is good. I'm not a coffee drinker, I'm not a tea drinker. I try to be as quiet as I can because my wife is generally asleep and I come in, I look outside, see if the sun is up. Generally it's not. Watch a little news, check my emails, prepare myself to get off to work man and head on to work.
Speaker 1:That's a bet. That's a bet, consistently, regardless of the schedule. So tell me this here how would you describe, just in your words, how would you describe, life growing up in your household?
Speaker 2:As you said earlier, born in Pensacola, my dad was a disciplinarian. My mama was a disciplinarian. Both born in Alabama, we grew up in Pensacola, florida. My daddy was a military man in the Army. He served our country. He worked at the Pensacola Navy base for 36 years. My mama was a laborer man. She pressed clothes. She worked at the Pensacola Navy Base for 36 years. My mama was a laborer man. She pressed clothes. She worked at a dry cleaning. She pressed clothes all her life.
Speaker 2:Mom and daddy had seven children, man, so they have a lot of time for conversation. When they say do something, that means do it. It wasn't no second time. They don't have time for that right. And it was a respectful home. It was a God-fearing home. We were a church-going family and my mom and daddy was not formally educated man. My daddy went to high school and my mama stopped school in the 10th grade. So it was important for us to do what we're supposed to do had chores, everybody had chores, and you had to do the chores and it was important we done the chores, but it was a loving household. I was fortunate enough to have a father all the way, man, till my daddy died when I was 55 years old, so I saw a role model in my home every day, got up, went to work for 36 years, loved my mother, loved his wife and took care of his seven children. Man, so I was just fortunate man to be in that situation.
Speaker 1:I tell you what it's funny because you kind of already harped on it when you say what you noticed about your father, like certain behaviors, certain habits that he did consistently and the level of responsibility that he held for your whole household. So tell me this Can you talk about who influenced you the most in your, in your childhood?
Speaker 2:Who would you say? Yeah, man, I'd say my father. Right, my mama was the nurturer man. She made sure everything was good at home. She gave us some loving advice. But, man, me, I am who I am because of my father and I just I'm going to try not to get emotional man, because he is my everything. Right, Because I saw him work, I saw him grind man.
Speaker 2:He never complained, T Wood. I mean never complained man, he just got up and got it done, Worked two jobs. So he worked at the Navy base, came home and checked on the family and then went to a second job. Man just trying to provide for his family, Never made excuses. All he asked for was an opportunity man, he had an opportunity to raise his family, have four of his children go off to college Right, my mom and dad never had a chance to go to college. So my father man has always been my role model. I don't even do anything now without thinking like damn, I wonder what my dad would think about this. And he's been gone, man, now for nine years, Right, but I think what my dad think. So that foundation, that core of me, has been a man, been a father, been a husband for 30 years, all because of the foundation man I watch my daddy do every day.
Speaker 1:I tell you what. Now I know that they sometimes say it's an unspoken rule, but they say the oldest child is technically the boss. So would you say that's? That was the case. You know, growing up the oldest was automatically the boss. You know the kind of led the way amongst the siblings.
Speaker 2:Well, it's ironic you say that, right, mom dad has seven children. I'm the fifth child. Right, I'm the youngest boy, but the fifth child. So there's two daughters under boy, but the fifth child. So there's two daughters under me, two sisters under me. My oldest was a brother, then the second was a girl, and then mama had three boys right after that, boy, boy, boy and then two girls.
Speaker 2:So our oldest, he's going to be with the Lord now, but our oldest man was the baby He'd always called. He had to lay the land. I was mama's first child and I came along as the last boy and I tease them all, man, hey, when mama and daddy saw me as a boy, they weren't no more boys. I was it, I was, I was it, I was done. And the mama had two girls after me, man, so it's total of seven of us, and the oldest child is a boy as well, man. But yeah, my mom and daddy just did what they had to do to raise their family.
Speaker 1:Yeah, my mom and daddy man just did what they had to do to raise their family. I tell you what, what would you say, piqued your interest of working in the field of aerospace.
Speaker 2:What would you say, piqued your interest? So who did somebody lead you into that direction? Yeah, good question. I would say Merrill Price, white teacher of mine, chemistry teacher, and I was always good in math, man, I don't know how, I was always good in math, good in chemistry, and he put me in this program called MESA, math Engineering, science Achievement.
Speaker 2:I'm in the ninth grade, I didn't know nothing. I guess he saw something in me, man, that I didn't see in myself and I excelled in math, excelled in science, got an opportunity to go to college and went to college and I was good in math and science and got a degree and then came home and, you know, got a job in the aerospace industry, where it's math and science and technology and glory be to God, man. I've been working for 40 consecutive years in the aerospace industry, just providing for my wife, consecutive years in the aerospace industry, just providing for my wife, providing for my wife, providing for my two boys, just being able to provide. Man, that's what we do as men, right? So just him motivating me as a ninth grader, me not being afraid of math and science, went on to college, built a new foundation after college, graduated and got a job. I graduated in May of 1984 and got a job in August of 1984 and been working ever since, brother, for the last 40 years.
Speaker 1:When you, when you initially graduated, would you say this for all my college folks out there? Would you say that you were nervous like that. Ok, how long is this process going to take till I actually start using this, because a lot of our college students they struggle with like man. How long is it going to take till I use this degree?
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, it was a struggle, right, and the aerospace industry is a very conservative white environment. Now you can imagine what it was 40 years ago.
Speaker 2:Right, you can imagine what it was 40 years ago, right, but we had some, some older gentlemen, african-american gentlemen, who kind of helped me close to the vest, kind of pointed me in the right direction. And I find myself doing that now. When I see young brothers whether it's sisters or brothers coming into the business, I find myself gravitating toward them to give back a little bit as well like was given back to me, or them to give back a little bit as well like was given back to me. So, yeah, it took me a minute, man, to kind of get my bearings.
Speaker 2:First time, really, in a professional corporate environment, back then, man, we had to wear a coat and tie every day. Right Now it's a lot more relaxed with a polo and khakis, but back then everybody wore a coat and tie. So that's what I wore every day, which was an adjustment coming from college, man, we used to throw on some jeans and throw on a t-shirt, throw on a sweatshirt. But it was a good environment for me, allowed me to really build up my conversation skills, allowed me to be a critical thinker, allowed me to get in front of a group and present. And again, man, for 40 years, man, we've been doing it and grinding in the aerospace industry.
Speaker 1:So tell me this as we get older, we begin to learn what habits or ways of thinking is like, what particular parent right, what habit would you say? What habit or something that you do or the way that you think is contributed towards your mother and which one is contributed more towards your father?
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's a good, I'd say, the discipline piece for dad. You know, eight o'clock was eight o'clock. My daddy told you it's time to go eight o'clock and you got out there eight or one, he was gone, bro. It wasn't no asking you twice what time are you going to be ready, he was gone. So, waking up early in the morning. But also on the mama side, man, I'm very particular about where things are in the house. Where things are, as my mom used to say forks go in the kitchen, toothbrush go in the bathroom, right, so I'm, shoes go in the closet. So I'm very particular about where things should be. So I got that from mom. But I think the discipline piece, doing what you say you're going to do, be a man of your word, being nice and kind to people.
Speaker 1:I got that from my dad. So my mother told me and this is something that just always stays with me is that you know, son, as long as you're blessed to keep breathing, moving, wherever it may be living, you're going to face challenges. When you think about just the entirety of your life to this point, is there any particular moment that you could think of that might have been challenged for you to overcome and you had to really find a way to get through it, whether it be mentally, emotionally, just just anything that stands out for you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I would say too One you know we moved from Pensacola to Los Angeles when I was 13. Right, so we move from a small southern white conservative town, beautiful network of black families supporting each other. Beautiful network of black families supporting each other. All of my friends and trip this one out All of my friends had a mom and a daddy in the house. I repeat, every one of my friends had a mama and a daddy in the house and daddy worked. So imagine, growing up in a community that everybody had a daddy. It ain't like you went down to Joseph's house and his daddy wasn't there. Everybody had a daddy. So at 7 or 8 o'clock they saw all the black men leave and 3 or 4 o'clock all the black men came back home and we all kind of cohabitated with each other, right.
Speaker 2:So, moving from that environment to big old Los Angeles, freeways and cars and people and neighbors not speaking, I remember vividly, man, when I was a little boy I used to speak to everybody hey, good morning, hey. And people used to look at me strange like what the hell is this little boy doing? He don't even know me. What are you speaking for? Right? So that was an adjustment. And then the other piece as I settled here in Los Angeles in a primarily urban African American community, I went back to college in another, all white, conservative community. So I come out here in big LA, then I leave big LA to go to a small private white college in Stockton. So back to the adjustment again. Hey, t Wood, I had an afro man, so I had to find somebody to flat my hair. Hey, man, I'm used to soul food. I had to find a soul food spot right.
Speaker 1:So hey, man, it was just an adjustment.
Speaker 2:So I would just think a 13-year-old with an adjustment coming to LA and then, as an 18-year-old adjustment, leaving LA, going to small Stockton. But you know I laugh about it now, man, but back then, brother, it was a struggle, man, because I had to make the adjustment.
Speaker 1:Man, that's a challenge going back and forth like that. It's constant adjustment at each point that you go to.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, absolutely. And you had to adjust right. So you had to really kind of find yourself on your own, find a network, a village to help you out, village your own, find a network, a village to help you out. And fortunately, man, when we went to college we found this village, that little Divine Nine village, with the Alphas on campus, the AKs were on campus and the Deltas on campus and, of course, my line, we brought the Qs on campus. So we had that little D9 village and we all supported each other right. So it was a challenge, man, but we all helped each other get through and we all supported each other Right.
Speaker 1:So it was a challenge, man, but we all helped each other get through. Is it safe to say that that did something? Is there a positive that you could take away from that that you might have gained, whether it be a skill set, a way of thinking, a mindset, what would you say?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I would say the way of thinking, right, you particularly going to college, right, that's a big adjustment, because now you're 18. You're quote unquote legal, you're left home from the nest where mom and dad is, and now you are in this big old world called college on your own. There's nobody, there's no alarms waking you up, there's no professor telling you when the when the class is. There's no professor tell you when to teach it, when the test is, they give you a syllabus and you've got to study on your own right. So that was a big adjustment for me, but it really. It really allowed me to go back to the core, back to that discipline again we talked about right.
Speaker 2:It allowed me to go back to that core that my daddy developed Get up, grind, don't make excuses. All you want is an opportunity and the expectation that you're going to be successful. So I went back to the core, what I've developed. But it was a challenge, because I was 18, 19 years old Now, on my own. But it was fun though, bro, I'm smiling when I look back on it, man, it was fun. But it was a challenge when it happened, but it was fun now.
Speaker 1:I tell you what I want to step to the side and kind of point the direction here, knowing how Just and kind of point the direction here, knowing how just from the perspective of what you expressed about your father. Okay, if you could kind of paint the picture right now for us, your father standing in front of you right now, oh man, I wonder, oh man, I wonder what he would say looking at you standing in front of you, right?
Speaker 2:now you gonna make my eyes get wet. I would just hope he would say man, you've been a good father, you've been a good husband. My father was a good husband to my mother. She was his priority and my wife, v Vicky, is my priority. These boys are now grown Right, so I just hope he can say man, you know what?
Speaker 2:I thought you wasn't paying attention when you was a little boy. But like you was paying attention. You know, t Woods, sometimes your mamas and daddies talk to you, man, they don't. They don't know if you listen or not, right? And they never said pay attention. They said pay attention. I didn't know you were paying attention, right. So I think my daddy would say boy, look at you. Now you turned out to be all right, you're a good father and you're a good husband. If my daddy could say that to me, man, I'd throw my hands up to the Lord. I think if he was standing before me, I hope that's what he would say to me Wow, it's something else.
Speaker 1:There's something I created called Encouragement for Food. All right, I love that. I love that I want you to thank me. I want you to. You need to copyright that, bro. You know what I'm serious man. I'm going to keep that in the air as soon as you do, air, immediately, follow this interview and say don't try it, nobody.
Speaker 2:Don't try it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I like that, but I want you to take a second to think about everything that you've experienced in your life. You've heard some quotes. You've had life lessons from your mother, from your father. You've probably even had some experiences that you've learned from your siblings. So what is some encouragement for free that you could provide to all the listeners right now, whether it be a quote or just a creed or something that you live by? What would it be and why?
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah I would say, and it's really, and I got several. But, boy, this one right here just really hit home Faith without works is dead. My mom used to say, man, you can get on your knees and pray, and boy, she was a praying woman. But you got to get up, you got to go work, you got to pray with your feet. She used to say that all the time you got to pray with your feet, pray with your hands, and I would say faith without works is dead.
Speaker 2:Boy, I'm a God-fearing man. My wife is a God-fearing woman. I'm from a God-fearing mom and daddy. Boy, I saw my mom and daddy get up and go get it right, they prayed on it, went to church every Sunday Bible study in the morning, sunday school Church. They eat and go back to church in the evening, right. But boy, they went up and got work and put work in. So I said faith without works is dead. You can pray on it, and God please pray on it, let's go to the Lord. But, boy, you got to get up and go get it. So I would say that to you faith without works is dead Express to us.
Speaker 1:When you have those moments to where, physically, you're tired, you can have emotionally you can be tired Mentally. You can have your moments where you're tired but you still find a way to press forward. What would you say has been a key ingredient. Come on 40 years, at any institution, at anything, whether it be a relationship is big time, at anything, whether it be a relationship is big time. What would you say those moments to where you felt literally tired and you still found a way to keep pressing forward? What would you say, just like cooking food, what would be that key ingredient for you, my upbringing.
Speaker 2:Me and my wife. Man, just me and her. We got three cars in the driveway. Two people, three cars. My mom and daddy had one car. Come on, one car and seven children. Now most people in this audience are going to say how in the hell, one car and both of them work and seven children? Hey, and got it done right. So when I get these moments, like man, it's rough. I just reflect like wow, and T Wood, a two bedroom, one bath house. Let me drop that one on you. Nine people, nine people, two bedroom, one bath house, one house and one car. And guess what Never wanted for a thing? Clean clothes. What Never wanted for a thing? Clean clothes. Mama cooked every day. We went to school every day. Daddy and mama never missed a work. One car, two beds, one bath. I'm going to drop one more on you and I'm going to really drop it at this one Just a bathtub. We didn't have a shower.
Speaker 2:Come on now.
Speaker 1:Y'all want to know what perseverance sounds like.
Speaker 2:So after everybody took a bath, you had to let the water run out, run it again. My sister take a bath, let the water run out, run it again for my other sister. She finished taking the bath, let the water run out, put it back in for my brother. That happened every night, bro. So if it get rough for me, it really ain't rough right, when you really think about it. So when I get those moments to your point, I just reflect and say, boy, god is good, but for the grace of God, god is good. And I just get up and keep going. I mean literally that's what motivates me, bro. I just get up and keep going.
Speaker 1:Just in case y'all listeners don't understand. I'm going to just do this Just in case y'all don't understand.
Speaker 2:Yes, sir, friendship is essential to the soul all day long.
Speaker 1:Yes, sir, brother Lewis, I can't tell you enough. I know that that is going to move someone to. Whoever may receive this message. I hope you receive it in the best way. That's best for you to get you through. You can overcome it. We all go through some challenges. Perseverance is key. Brother Lewis, I thank you for your time, matter of fact, is there anything else that you wanted to express?
Speaker 2:Man, I appreciate you. You're an awesome question asker. You're an awesome host man. Keep up the great work you're doing. May God continue to bless you. I just hope this little 30-minute conversation was helpful for somebody. Come on, and you know we ain't going to save them all, but if we can help one person, man, come on. What that Ricky Lewis dude said, man, that was pretty, you know what. I got a different perspective.
Speaker 1:And that means.
Speaker 2:that's this. 30 minutes weren't in vain. I love you, man. I appreciate you continue to take care of your family. Thank you for the service to our fraternity. What we do for free, man, we do this work for free, it's volunteer work, and I appreciate you, t Wood, and what you do, man, and thank you for this opportunity.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. I've said it before and I'll say it again Sometimes in life you must fail in order to succeed. But one thing must remain certain Under no circumstances do you ever, ever, ever, give up. I'm with my big brother, Brother Lewis. I'm your man, T Wood. Thank y'all for your time you.