EP 111: How Adversity Can Lead You Into Your Calling

What happens when following God means walking away from everything familiar and starting again with almost nothing? In this episode, Steve Adams sits down with author, redemption speaker, and transformational storyteller **Selvin Hicks** to hear a remarkable story of adversity, faith, business, and purpose. Selvin shares openly about being arrested 19 times, carrying 12 felonies and five misdemeanors, and spending much of his twenties working in the secular entertainment industry. Then his life began to change. After stepping away from his businesses and spending months seeking God, Selvin felt led to leave Atlanta and move to Tampa—with just **$199 to his name**. Now, while rebuilding his life and business, Selvin is serving people experiencing homelessness through food and clothing campaigns and using his entrepreneurial work to support that mission. Steve and Selvin explore how business can disciple us, why difficult seasons can break pride and deepen faith, and how adversity can help remove the masks that keep us from living authentically. Selvin also explains the principles behind discovering your **true North Star**, removing the mask, and aligning purpose with action. For entrepreneurs walking through uncertainty, Selvin leaves one clear encouragement: **pray your way through it**. Keep God at the center when you make the plan, when you launch, and when the hard seasons arrive. - 00:00 Introduction - 00:48 Inspiring Stories - 01:11 Selvin Hicks' Journey - 03:22 Personal Transformation - 06:27 Finding Purpose - 14:11 Challenges and Faith - 24:01 Coaching and Guidance - 27:23 Conclusion **5 Key Takeaways** **Adversity can become preparation for purpose.** Selvin views much of what he experienced earlier in life as preparation for what he is walking into now. **Business can disciple you.** Selvin says the harshness he experienced in business created a longing for something more and ultimately pointed him toward God. **Removing the mask is part of discovering your calling.** Selvin explains that you have to move beyond the facade and become honest about who you actually are before identifying your true North Star. **Knowing where you are going changes everyday decisions.** A clear guiding direction makes it easier to determine whether individual choices align with the person you are striving to become. **Prayer belongs at every stage of entrepreneurship.** Selvin encourages believers to pray before making plans, while building their businesses, and throughout difficult seasons—not merely after trouble arrives. Watch full episode on YT - https://youtu.be/9eSDwqWrM5E Join the free Third Fish Academy at [ThirdFish.org](ThirdFish.org)