My name is Davin Cook. I was born in Cleveland Ohio in the Summer of 1989. Throughout my childhood I was fortunate enough that while I did face many struggles, I was blessed to have a go getter mindset. I couldn't quite understand it at first though. I was the kid that would volunteer himself for activities and always accept challenges. Meanwhile, I was also the kid struggling with identity issues. I grew up in a single parent home where my mom took care of me and my three other siblings. My older brother and sister had the same dad while me and my younger sister had separate dads. My dad and I didn't have the best relationship growing up. I believe he did the best he could. Yet, I was still left searching for what it meant to be a man. As a result I found myself in some of the wrong crowds growing up that led to me breaking in houses, stealing, doing drugs and engaging in sex with multiple women. My life was one of searching for myself. It wasn't until I gave my life to Christ that I started to see things change. The biggest change being the people I started to meet. They were mentors to me, they spoke life into me and they didn't judge me. I took what I learned from that and I carried it with me moving forward. It was like a fresh start. When I was 20, my cousin spoke to me about the military and he painted this picture that was unreal. Coming from where I came from I didn't see myself living a life like he described. Making the kind of money he was making. I wanted to be apart of this organization. So even with all the fears I had about what if, I went to talk to a recruiter. I remember going with one of my homeboys. We were both determined that this was it and life was about to change. The only thing in our way was the ASVAB test. Soon, we went to take the test and unfortunately my homeboy didn't pass, but I did. I passed by two or three points! I was in! From there life seemed like it was taking off and I was ready to see where it would take me. Eight years later, here I am still in the navy. A much more mature version of myself. A lot happened during my eight year term. I experienced a lot of ups and downs in my relationships, spirituality and finances. A lot of discovering and rediscovering who I am. I fell into strong addictions with porn and I couldn't understand how to break free. What I discovered is a lack of self love to go with my younger self, which lacked identity. Who was Davin? This became a hard reality to face because I felt I didn't have the answer. I had to experience a great fall in my life, cheating on the person I said I loved during a vulnerable time, to set me on the right path. When I cheated, I experienced a dark tunnel, I was lost more than I had ever been. How could I do what I had done. During that time I was a leader in so many areas. I was leading young adults, I was hosting a small group of men, I was speaking at middle schools to eighth graders and excelling in my career. However, I still made a choice that made me feel like shit. It was in that shit that my ears opened up and I realize something had to change. And so as a result, I thought about what I wanted my life to be and I started making moves. In the process, I met people that were chasing dreams and living there best life and it further motivated me to live my own. Howard Thurman said in a quote, don't ask for what the world needs, rather ask what made him come alive and do that. For what the world needs is people who have come alive. That spoke to me and let me understand that the best thing you can offer is a healed version of yourself to a broken world. As it stands, my dreams are to be the best communicator I can be. I will publish books, I will share my heart around the world, and I will do it with the passion and memory of what it felt like to be lost and drowning in negative self talk. From that humble place of shame and pain, I will rise and empower and inspire the masses.
