00:00:06 Archita: Sometimes the moment that breaks your life is also the moment that asks you a question. Not loudly but quietly. Will you give up or will you choose to live differently? Today's story is about someone who faced that question more than once in a hospital bed, in prison, in recovery, and in rebuilding a life from the ground up. And each time, the answer became a turning point.

00:00:35 Archita: Hello and welcome to sacred Harmony, the space where we explore healing, transformation, and the deeper strength that can emerge from life's most difficult chapters. I'm your host, and today I am joined by John Carter, a survivor, fitness entrepreneur, and author whose life story is nothing short of extraordinary. At just twenty two years old, John was shot in the head in an assassination attempt and spent ninety days in a coma. Doctors believed he would never walk or speak again. But John's story didn't end there. Through addiction recovery, prison disability, and rebuilding his life through fitness, he discovered something powerful that healing often begins with a choice. John, welcome to sacred Harmony. It's truly an honor to have you here.

00:01:28 John Carter: Oh, thank you so much. I'm glad to be here.

00:01:32 Archita: I'm really glad that you're here because, you know, um, going through things like that, like those that you have, it's not easy at all. And yeah, I think all of us today, we would very much like to know where you got that strength from and how you navigate it through your journey and exactly how you rebuild your life from scratch. So yeah, John, when, when people hear parts of your story, like the coma, the prison sentence, the recovery, it almost sounds like several different lives instead of one. But I'm curious, when you look back now, what moment truly felt like the beginning of your transformation?

00:02:15 John Carter: The beginning of my transformation was the day I wheeled in to my halfway house for my interview. Um, and to meet the executive director. And that's where sobriety really came into my life where I knew I wanted to stay sober.

00:02:36 Archita: MM. And it sounds like transformation really arrives all at once. And sometimes it begins with a single moment of awareness, such as yours and the realization that you still have a choice about who you become. So, John, from the outside, people often see survival stories and assume strength must come from extraordinary courage. But I am curious, what do people understand misunderstand about resilience when they hear a story like yours?

00:03:10 John Carter: Well, actually. I would like to explain a little bit where I came from. See, I had a very unconventional childhood. My father was in the mob, the mafia, and I really loved my dad. I idolized him, he was my hero. So when he died, I wanted to wear his shoes. But I was not his size. I was not cut out for this, uh, organized crime, uh, deal. So immediately, I found myself in a world of trouble. This man, instead of paying me a gambling debt, he owed me, decided to attempt to murder me. And he shot me in the back of the head. But I survived, and I lived. And the next thing I knew, I was in the hospital and I was in a coma. Uh, would you like me to explain my coma dream to you?

00:04:19 Archita: Yes, please. Please do.

00:04:22 John Carter: Oh, excellent. So I was in the hospital. This was all a dream now. I was in a coma, and it was all a dream. So I was in the hospital in the stream, and I was chained to my bed. I didn't know what happened to me or where I was or what was going on. And the room was filled with patients in the midst of this dream. There was a swimming race every day, and the winner of this race got to go home. But I kept losing and losing and losing. And this is the first time in my life. I said I quit, I give up, I'm not doing this no more. It hurts so bad. And I kept losing and losing. That night a gentleman sat on the edge of my bed who I have no recollection of. I have no idea who it was. And he said, John, you're not going to quit. You're not giving up, and I'm going to coach you. So for days, it would take me down to the pool and he would train me and he would train me. I remember now it's the morning of the big race and the winner of this race is going home. So I got to the pool and I remember, hey, give me a pep talk. And he was really, really, really, really getting me going. And I remember swimming like a bat out of hell. I hit the wall and I woke from my coma. I won the race and I woke up. And there I was in the hospital bed now. So that was the dream. And in my book, I really. I reviewed my book triggered. The change It's about the story. And I really, really get into the details into the book. That was just a glimpse of what my dream was. My dream was a ninety day full life dream. It was so vivid and real. I can remember it like it was yesterday and this was back in nineteen ninety two.

00:06:42 Archita: That is really, really so fascinating. And it's it's very interesting to know that, you know, how sometimes a single moment can change your, you know, the, the trajectory of your entire life. So yeah, but, but, you know, um, John, there must have been moments where, where you didn't feel, uh, you know, the strength to be heroic at all. Uh, maybe just like getting through the next hour. So how how did you overcome those moments?

00:07:13 John Carter: Oh, I'll tell you when I got out of the hospital. So when I was in the hospital, I was around people. I always I did not feel alone. I was always around people. So now I get discharged from the hospital and I go into a basement apartment and now I'm alone. And this is when depression really set in. And this is when alcohol and drugs took over my life until I got sober. It was so bad. I was so lonely and depressed. I started drinking and before I knew it, I was doing drugs and. It brought me to my knees. Oh, it was it was an awful way to live. It was horrible. Um, I remember it got so bad to the point when the police found out I was dealing drugs and they raided my apartment. To me, it was a good thing. I felt relief. I felt so good when they arrested me. I was laughing and they couldn't believe they were saying, you're in so much trouble here. What are you happy about? And I said, sir, you just don't understand how bad my life is right now. This is a good thing. So I remember they arrested me and I got bailed out of jail. And now I'm sitting in the parking lot of jail. I weighing three hundred and thirty pounds, sitting in a wheelchair. I was a broken soul. I had nowhere to go. I had no drugs, no money. And my friend that was with me said, you have to start with getting sober. So he took me to my first detox and this is when I really felt I wanted to stay sober. So from detox, you go to a halfway house and this is when I had to be interviewed. So now I'm sitting in the office of this halfway house waiting for the executive director, and this is when I realized I can do it. This woman come walking into the room and I could tell there was something wrong with her. She was wobbling. She was. She sat down and she told me her story, how she was in a cocaine induced coma thirty years ago. She almost died. She was in a wheelchair for months and months and months. I couldn't believe she got out of the wheelchair. I was in shock. I was in awe that that wheelchair was hell. It was the worst thing in the world. And this woman showed me that she got out of it. I couldn't believe it. And the way she looked, she glowed. She was happy. I said, oh my, oh my goodness, I want this. I want what she has. And that's when the journey started for me. That's when I listened to everything she was saying and I got sober.

00:10:45 Archita: That is really powerful, you know, because, uh, mostly when, uh, we hear about survival stories such as yours, we only, um, think about the victories. We only hear about the victories, but, but it's, it's what's really important are the low points of that story, because that is where real resilience is tested. And it reminds us that resilience isn't always dramatic. Often it's quite decisions choosing not to give up even when life feels uncertain. So thank you so much for sharing that with John.

00:11:21 John Carter: Sure.

00:11:23 Archita: Now, one of the most striking parts of your story is the moment during your coma where you describe having a dream about choosing whether to live or to give up. And I feel you have already explained that one, but we would like to, uh, you know, more, go more deeper into that. So I'm curious, what do you think that experience revealed about the deeper part of us that wants to keep fighting?

00:11:50 John Carter: Well, I'll, I know, and that's actually why I, I wrote my book because I want to share my experience, strength and hope. I know when I was down and out that to me it was God because that's my higher power. God showed me The way not to quit and give up. It was always instilled in me with through my dad and I talk about a lot of the lessons he taught me in my book, but the biggest lesson he taught me was never quit. Never give up, give up and keep fighting. And that's why I share my story, because I know there are a lot of suffering addicts or suffering people that went through trauma that don't think it's possible. And it is possible. It is possible to go through it. You just gotta have faith. You have to believe my higher power. I believe in God. You believe in whoever you believe in. But you must have a higher power, something greater than you that's going to guide you and help you get. You have to have faith, and if you have faith, you can do it. You can get better.

00:13:16 Archita: That was really important. And that is something we all of us needed to hear because it's really fascinating how sometimes our most life changing insights happen when everything else has been stripped away. And also, it's really interesting to know how God plays such an important part of all of it. And yeah, and that brings me to the point. Um, John, your journey didn't just involve physical recovery. It also included addiction, prison, and rebuilding your life step by step. And I'm curious, when someone is facing multiple challenges at once, what tends to be the hardest part emotionally?

00:13:58 John Carter: The hardest part for me, the hardest part was the depression. I felt so depressed. And that's what led me to my alcohol and drugs. I felt so depressed because I was alone, I didn't realize God had a plan for me. I didn't. I didn't take all his help. He was sending me help as through people and I wasn't paying attention. It's when I started paying attention and accepting his help and accepting the people he was putting in my life to help me. I have so many people in my life now helping me. It's unbelievable. I had when I went to prison. It. Here's an example of how God put people in my life. I was in prison, in a wheelchair. I was so scared. I was an easy target. One day three guys entered my cell and I was so nervous. I said, oh my goodness, I'm there. I am sitting in the wheelchair. I can't defend myself. And I didn't realize God had sent them to me. They said to me, we're friends of your dad's and we're here to help you. I looked at him. I said, what do you mean? They said, we're going to start by getting you out of that wheelchair for months. They took me to the prison gym. They trained me. I was getting stronger and stronger using that chair less and less. And who would have thought three convicts in prison would have showed me the steps of doing this? I'll tell you who sent them to me. And I know who sent them. It's my God. He sent these people to me to help me, and they changed my life. That was just one example of the people he put in my life. I mean, for my mentor and my dream, God put that man in my life that that's my belief. God put him in my life to show me not to quit. To that I'm not alone and that I can do this. He put that in my life at the halfway house, the executive director, to show me that I'm not alone, that I can do this. He put the people in prison in my life to show me, no, you're not going to quit. You can do this. And he's been putting people in my life all the time.

00:16:42 Archita: Wow. That is that's really reassuring to know. And yeah, it's it's definitely not it cannot be a coincidence that, you know, God, God has sent those people in the most unexpected places in your life to help you. And I think if we, all of us, including the listeners, look around ourselves, we will see that. Yes, I mean, at times God has sent people in our lives as well. He always does. So it's a reminder that healing is rarely something that we do alone. Sometimes the right person at the right moment can completely shift the direction of our lives. So that was a great example. And you, you have said that fitness became a lifeline for you after that. Um, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. So what was it about the gym or movement that helped you reconnect with yourself?

00:17:38 John Carter: Okay, so this, this is my life now. My gym. It all started in prison with those three men helping me. I did not realize why I felt so good. I remember coming back and I was in my cell by six. By six, a small cell. My whole life I felt alone. Alone. Alone, alone. No matter if I was in a room with a thousand people, I felt alone. Now I'm in my cell alone by felt great. I'm like, what's going on here? And that's when I did my research. And I found how the endorphins get released into your blood when you're training and they make you feel better. Boy, I love this medication. So I knew I want to stay in training. So when I got a prison, that's what I did. I found a job in training and I worked at a local gym as a personal trainer. And from there it grew and grew and grew. Now I own my own gym. I've been in business thirteen years and I love it. It's exactly what I want. I ab I can inspire people when I train them with the way I talk and I can make them get better physically. So it's a two day limit. My gym is a private gym. It's one on one training. So I really get to have a, a rapport by client and talk with them and learn them and guide them, but they also get the physical strength too. So my gym is absolutely awesome. They love it.

00:19:34 Archita: I truly love that for you that you're helping other people heal from things that you know, you healed as well. So that idea of starting small like you did is so important because healing often begins with simple actions repeated consistently, and that consistency can be seen in what you do right now. So yeah, John, this has truly been so amazing. You have taught us so much in a single conversation. And I feel like, you know, um, after this conversation, a lot of us have been feeling a lot lighter, like something has been lifted from our shoulders. So lastly, John, for someone listening who may feel like their past mistakes define them, what would you want them to know about the possibility of starting over?

00:20:25 John Carter: Never ever quit and give up. Have faith. Have faith that God will show you the way and just keep pushing and don't give up. Just keep pushing and it's going to work for you. Have faith, have faith, have faith and lean on people. Remember, God puts people in your life. You can. You can use them. Open your eyes, open your heart and welcome them. Let them help you. God is a good God and he wants to help. So be open to that and look around. And what really helped me when I was getting sober and getting right and going through my trauma was listening to inspiring stories. That's actually why I love telling my story, because not only is it helping me, because it really helps me stay sober, keep keeping my problems and my past right up front really helps. But I know, I know, I'm helping somebody fight through the battle. No matter what your battle is. It could be a small. It don't matter what your battle. It's a battle. It's your battle. Y'all going to have to get over it, and you can do it. Remember, God loves you.

00:21:52 Archita: That was really important for all of us to hear. Even though we know it somehow in our heart. But it's also equally important to hear this from time to time that you know, God is always there and he loves you. So yeah, thank you for sharing that, John. And if there's one truth from today's conversation, it's this your past may shape your story, but it doesn't have to define your future. So, John, for listeners who feel inspired by your journey and want to learn more about your work or your memoir Triggered to Change, where can they connect with you?

00:22:30 John Carter: Well, you go to my off the website, it's john.carter author dot com. My name author dot com and that's I have a Ted talk on there. I don't know if you're, if you're interested in listening to a Ted talk, but I have an eight minute Ted talk on there. I have my memoir Triggered to Change, which I was just released. And actually I love telling them. That's why one of the reasons why I wrote this book. You know, I have one hundred and forty five star reviews of my book on Amazon, and knowing that other addicts, other suffering people are getting inspiration from my story. Oh boy, it makes it great. I love it, love it, love it, love it.

00:23:25 Archita: Amazing. So we'll make sure all of those details are put in our show notes so that our listeners can reach out to you whenever they want and learn more about you and your inspirational journey. So thank you for joining us today on sacred Harmony. And to our listeners. John's story reminds us that transformation isn't always about dramatic miracles. Often it's about quiet choices choosing accountability, choosing healing, and choosing to keep moving forward. If this conversation resonated with you, take a moment today to reflect on the choices that shape your own path. Until next time. Stay patient, present, stay compassionate with yourself and keep seeking your own harmony.