Always Be Grateful. Always Be Kind | Deremiah *CPE on Mentorship, Legacy, and the Courage to Let Others Become Themselves

What can happen when one person sees possibility in you before you can see it in yourself?In this episode of The Story of Us, Jeff Ellison sits down with artist, author, educator, mentor, and speaker *Deremiah CPE for a deeply personal conversation about resilience, faith, creativity, mentorship, and the people who help shape who we become.Deremiah’s story begins in the Chicago housing projects, where life was difficult but curiosity kept pulling him toward something larger. As a child, he raced toward the mobile library, eager to read and imagine what might exist beyond the world immediately around him.His life would eventually take him through Alaska, Germany, Oklahoma, and back to Chicago. Along the way came racial prejudice, family disruption, homelessness, academic setbacks, faith struggles, and moments of profound despair. But there were also people who noticed him, encouraged him, opened doors, and believed in who he might become.At age twenty, Deremiah made a decision that would define much of his life’s purpose. He took in his twelve-year-old cousin Christopher. Christopher stayed through high school, went on to college, and eventually became an internationally recognized artist himself. Deremiah describes the experience as a way of giving back to the younger version of himself who had once needed someone to believe in him.In This EpisodeGrowing up in the Chicago housing projectsCuriosity, books, and seeing beyond your circumstancesHomelessness, instability, and rebuilding confidenceFaith, doubt, and sufferingThe mentors who changed Deremiah’s pathBecoming the first college graduate in his family line since slaveryTaking in Christopher at age twentyWhy mentorship changes the mentor tooArt, creativity, and Deremiah’s evolving *CPE identityWhy we are not really competing with anyone but ourselvesThe difference between helping someone and believing in themGratitude, kindness, and refusing to give up on your futureOne of Deremiah’s strongest ideas is that belief can be more powerful than assistance.Some of the people who changed his life had no money to give him. What they gave him was confidence, encouragement, and the sense that his future could be larger than his circumstances.“Believing in somebody is way more important…their belief in me gave me the fuel to keep pushing.”Memorable Ideas“You're not competing with anybody but your best self.”“If it is to be, it's up to me.”“You never know what someone is going through. So be nice.”And in one of the episode’s most moving moments, Deremiah reflects on gratitude:“I'm thankful to be alive…because I remember when I thought that I wanted to die.”A Question to Carry With YouWho believed in you before you fully believed in yourself?And who might need that kind of belief from you now?Sometimes changing a life doesn’t begin with money, advice, or a grand plan.Sometimes it begins with simply saying:I see something in you. Keep going.Visit TheStoryOfUsProject.com for more episodes and subscribe free to Letters from the Middle of It All.If this conversation reminds you of someone who once believed in you—or someone who needs encouragement today—share it with them.Every life changes when someone sees possibility where everyone else sees limitation.