Lets Just Talk About It Podcast with Chuck

(Ep.88) It's Not Over with Guest Joel Ndumbalo

• Season 2 • Episode 88

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When the world seems to close in with its unrelenting pressures, it's the stories of resilience that bring us light. My latest episode offers such a beacon through the eyes of Joel Ndumbalo, whose life tapestry is woven with threads of international roots, personal tragedy, and an unshakeable spirit. Joel recounts his transition from the serene landscapes of Finland to the buzzing streets of Maryland, a journey marked by the harrowing experience of his mother's suicide. His narrative is laced with moments of vulnerability and the subsequent emergence of buried memories, shedding light on the transformative power of therapy and kinship. As Joel now stands at the helm of a growing record label, his past is not merely a shadow but a driving force, informing every decision and direction.

The episode then shifts gears, immersing you into the entrepreneurial world where he shares the blueprint for success of Rosters Entertainment. The label's philosophy is simple yet profound: cultivate self-leadership and celebrate individual successes as collective triumphs. Also, in a heart-to-heart segment Joel opens up about the pain of his brother's incarceration and the strength found in transparency and community support. Through these candid conversations, the episode casts a light on the enduring legacy of Black Excellence and the essential message to young men everywhere: your future is not fettered by your current battles.

Chuck:

Welcome back to another episode of Lets Just Talk About it podcast. I'm your host, chuck, and if you're here for the first time, this platform was created to give genuine people just like you an opportunity to share a portion of your life's journey. So, with that being said, on this episode, I have Joel Ndumbalo on with me today to share his story on how it was for him growing up in Germantown, Maryland, and how it felt losing his brother to the prison system, and also what he's up to now as the owner of his own record label. So, you don't want to miss out on this amazing conversation. As a matter of fact, do me a favor go and grab your husband, your wife, your children, or even call a friend and gather around to listen to this conversation with Joelle, or let's just talk about it podcast. Hey, let's jump right in. Thank you so much for always tuning in to Lets Just Talk About it podcast. Today I have Joel Ndumbalo on with me today. How's it going, man?

Joel Ndumbalo:

Hey Chuck, how are we doing? Man, I'm feeling well. Thank you for asking. How are you?

Chuck:

Doing good, doing good man. I love to jump in to these interviews to have those genuine conversations, man, with genuine people just like yourself. And I want to start off with this question man, where are you from?

Joel Ndumbalo:

Yes, sir, I was born in Finland. I'm currently living in Rhode Island, but I spent a lot of my years in Maryland. Got you Baltimore, Maryland, or no? No, Baltimore is jokingly considered, not Maryland. But no, I didn't get this berg in German town.

Chuck:

Got you, got you, got you, got you May. Everybody got their own experience or have their own experiences growing up. So what was yours like as a child or teenager? If you could remember, what was that like for you?

Joel Ndumbalo:

Yeah, so, so growing up. It's funny because there's a lot, a lot of trauma involved, so I don't really remember before 10. I go off of stories, right, but it was a lot of moving, a lot of change occurring. You know, I was born in Finland, I lived in two or three countries before I came to the States, but when I came to the States I was about 11.

Joel Ndumbalo:

And so you know it was a. It was a whole change from growing up in like Finland, tasmania and England. I had to get used to American culture and life and it was, it was thorough.

Chuck:

It was thorough my man Wow, you talk about trauma, growing up.

Joel Ndumbalo:

So growing up in Finland right, so I wasn't feeling until I was six, so I wouldn't even say growing up forever, wow.

Chuck:

Did it affect you? You know somehow when you talk about trauma.

Joel Ndumbalo:

When I say trauma, I do mean, like, all right, my mother, she passed the RIP, Maria, you know, she passed in Finland, and so we had picked up and moved, me and my father, and with that, you know, we didn't have too much money, so moving was starting from the bottom everywhere we went. But we had family all over the world. So, we, we went to my uncle in England, spent some time in Tasmania and, yeah, so when from mother to mother excuse me, not another, but a divorce there and then moved to America and that's where I got my sister, my stepmother, who I call my mother respectfully, she is my mother. And so, a lot of change, you know, a lot of change.

Chuck:

Got you man. So it has a story and a different experience. So, growing up, how did that affect you as a young kid man, losing your mom at that age? Like I said, you never know who's listening and who's going through the same situation. So how was that for you? How did you manage to get through that moment?

Joel Ndumbalo:

So, Ken, through that moment I don't think I got through it. I don't think I got through it honestly, and I can tell you my experience and maybe somebody can relate to it, but in terms of helping somebody, I don't know. So let me just share. I got you, let me just share, right. What happened was I blocked it out, right, I blocked it out for a long time. And not only did I block it out, but I blocked it out to the point where I didn't even know she existed until I was about 16.

Joel Ndumbalo:

And it was dropped on me that you know that I had an original mother, maria, in Finland that had passed. All that time I thought my first stepmother was my biological, biological, wow, right and so. But after I learned that I had lost her, years of therapy. Honestly, years of therapy got me to a point where I'm not explosive about it when it's brought up and I have to seriously talk about it. You know, years of therapy got me to the point where I love my mother now, Because at first I'm not hangover, I can't say hey, but it took a lot to think about her in a loving way, knowing that it was suicide, wow, and so it took a lot. Hey, I'm gonna keep saying therapy because, honestly, therapy has helped in so many ways. I've been doing it since I was like 17.

Chuck:

Wow, wow. There you go, man. Thank you for mentioning that man about therapy and having somebody to talk to about what you're going through in life. You know what I mean. It helps you to get through. It helps you to manage your emotions a little bit better.

Joel Ndumbalo:

Absolutely, and therapy comes in a lot of forms too, not just professional, which professional is amazing. But it takes also time to get used to a stranger, even if they are professional, to really have it help. So therapy came in the form of family as well, family like on my biological mother's side. See, the reason I found out at 16 was that was the first time I was going back to visit Finland and I was gonna find out there when I was with my cousins. So my father dropped it on me and, you know, respectfully, and my cousins, they helped me through a lot of it. We got to visit her grave site when I got there, wow, and you know, because it's there family too so they had to find a way to get through it. So they were helping me. So that's why I consider therapy too, gotcha, family, Family, and can't forget about music and art. We're going in. I was massive. Yeah, yeah, yeah, that was definitely a form of therapy too.

Chuck:

Got you, Got you, Got you. Okay, everybody comes to an age man where they get old enough to get from around or up under their parents. How was that for you getting out there on your own?

Joel Ndumbalo:

So, yeah, leaving the nest, jumping off the porch. It was interesting because that trauma, along with others, formed a kind of aggressive nature about me explosive Wow. And hey, let me not forget drugs as well, drugs and alcohol. Because when I went to college at 17, 18, you know, I went to a school way up north in the cold and I had already formed a kind of habit at the. I went to boarding school for high school Shout out to ABC for getting me in that school and stuff.

Joel Ndumbalo:

But man, I was a mess, let me say that. Let me say that. So I was a mess and a very explosive child who you know, getting in trouble with drugs and alcohol. But I was smart. That's part two. That's the part that took me to places, to opportunities, yeah, that some people around me didn't have Wow, and so I got to. You know, I got to thank God for that. I was definitely, definitely smart. But I don't ever want to seem like life was like crazy, depressing or nothing like that, but it was. But there was a lot of help for me. You know there was a lot of support for me, got you To be able to handle that, but yeah, so when I left the house and then went to college. I dealt a lot with alcoholism.

Joel Ndumbalo:

Got you and so that kind of messed me up there.

Chuck:

But let me ask you this, Joelle. Let me ask you this what's the most important lesson that you've learned in life, since you've gotten older and past those moments where you were explosive?

Joel Ndumbalo:

Right, that's a great question, Chuck. That is a great question Because you know, out of them experiences it's a million lessons to be learned always, but I could definitely say the most impactful lesson to me still leading a beautiful life is keeping God close. Got you. When I found God, that was the biggest lesson I had, because then I found love for myself and love for myself I found love for others, you know. So that was a huge lesson. No matter what's going on the jail, the rehabs, the failing at this and people's eyes, all of that as long as I kept God close to me, I could power through. You know I could power through because I know it's all a part of the plan, it's all pre-written and, you know, as long as I redeem myself and the eyes of my God and I follow Islam, so everything else is going to be all right. That's what I believe Got you.

Chuck:

So now you're able to love yourself.

Joel Ndumbalo:

Yes, so I was able to love myself by loving God, and that's very important nowadays because I'm actually a part of well. I founded an entertainment company with my brother, and so, along with having a child, now I'm responsible for many other people as well, and when you're responsible for somebody, you got to have love for them to take care of them properly. So finding God needs to find in me and I can provide support and love for others.

Chuck:

Wow. So, man, you say you got a child, right.

Joel Ndumbalo:

I do, I do Eli. Shout out to Eli.

Chuck:

Shout out to Eli so raising your child, so do you? You know what I mean, I know what you went through in your past. Now you seek to raise him different, in a different way, a better way.

Joel Ndumbalo:

Yes, and a picture of love towards him.

Joel Ndumbalo:

Absolutely, and I do want to speak on also my son's mother, nicaea. So when you say raising, nicaea is raising and I want to give all respect to that. This is a long distance relationship that I had with my son. He's in Texas and that formed out of jail, you know, out of going to jail. She had to do what she had to do, and so now it's a long distance relationship with that, but no, in terms of how I treat him, how I do raise him as well. But I did want to give a shout out to that too. I got you.

Chuck:

Thanks, definitely. Let me ask you this man Do you have or live with any regrets in your life now?

Joel Ndumbalo:

So regrets is like you know, I do not, I do not, I can't say I do, and there's a lot of mistakes. I made definitely A lot of mistakes and a lot of L's you know, which to me are lessons, A lot of lessons I learned. But I think again. I believe everything was prewritten and everything follows God's plan. So, whether it's bad or good, I'm thankful for it.

Chuck:

Where you are is where you're supposed to be right now, Exactly what I'm supposed to be. Yes, Well, if you could go back? I love to ask this question, joel if you could go back in time to talk to your younger self, the younger Joel, what would you say to him to prepare him for right now?

Joel Ndumbalo:

To prepare him for now, I would tell him everything's going to be the same. It's just their perspective on it. And by everything's going to be the same, as I mean what went on, the stress, the bad things, the good things that is constant. That is constant throughout life, got you, but it's just your perspective. Just change your perspective on it.

Chuck:

You know, don't wish for better or worse facts, but just change how you view it Right, Because life is going to be chaotic, but it's how you respond. Is your perspective on what you're dealing with at the time.

Joel Ndumbalo:

Absolutely. It's your perspective on whether something's bad or good. It's supposed to be that way. It's supposed to be that you know the other way. That's all that matters for your mentality how strong you are mentally to handle it. Got you, man?

Chuck:

So, moving on, you have your own record label, correct? I do.

Joel Ndumbalo:

So I co-founded a high bed man and shout out to everybody man, I'm going to give everybody they love too. Ok, I'm going to give everybody they love. But I founded Ross's Entertainment with my brother, marquis, in college, so about seven years ago Now. It didn't start off as a record label, you know, we was just throwing parties and having fun.

Chuck:

Right.

Joel Ndumbalo:

And it evolved into something that's established. It's out of Newport, rhode Island, and it's growing every day. Man, it's growing every day. We're doing the thing. So you're an entrepreneur, definitely, definitely, since birth. I believe everybody is to be honest.

Chuck:

I like that.

Joel Ndumbalo:

It just has to come up out of them in the right way.

Chuck:

Their creativity 100%.

Joel Ndumbalo:

We're all born with that skill, that talent Create something out of nothing.

Chuck:

Absolutely, I like that creating something out of nothing. So talk about that, man. You never know who's listening. Talk about the process of having your own label. Talk about that. What's the heartbeat of it?

Joel Ndumbalo:

The heartbeat of it is I love that question, the way you phrase it the heartbeat of it and it all flows out of every single person on the team. You know it's equal respect and we also ask of the equal thing from everybody, including myself, and that's to be your own boss, right? So the way we run our label and the heartbeat concept of it is you are a boss, whether you're an artist, whether you're a marketer, a huge promoter, whatever a small promoter, you are your own boss. So what we're going to do is we're going to help you build your business and that's going to help us build ours, and that's the concept that we take into signing into working and partnerships with other businesses, with other people. So the heartbeat is the culture of everybody is their own boss. We're all royalty I like that. We're all kings and queens. You know, interesting for us.

Chuck:

So nobody's pulling against each other. It's teamwork, because sometimes, man, you can have companies that they start off good, everything's going good, and the next thing you know they're broken apart. So what's the glue that holds you together? Is it that teamwork that you spoke about? Everybody's their own boss is a weapon.

Joel Ndumbalo:

The glue that holds it together. You know, in terms of like, holding things together, it's just consistency. It's just consistency Because people are going to leave, people are going to come and go, energy is going to fluctuate week to week, with participation and people's own growth. But as long as you remain consistent, as long as you know where to go to find us to talk about business, where you go if you ever need to contact Marquis, who is co-exec with me, or anybody else on the team, as long as that is consistent, then this whole thing is going to grow. You know, this whole idea is going to remain growing. Got you. It's going to be organic, it's going to grow Organic. Shout out East. He loves everything organic, from followers to listeners, everything.

Chuck:

Right man. I think creativity is great man, but I love a person who's authentic. They're themselves and they become the blueprint so other people can learn from them. You know it's all right to be inspired by other people, but it's powerful when you can become the blueprint yourself. You know being creative and doing your own thing.

Joel Ndumbalo:

You know how you want it to grow 100% and that's like that's being a boss for real. Like every boss is a worker and I first saw that on New York is a story. Everybody wants to call themselves a boss and they don't understand that a boss is a worker and as a worker you got to be creative. You got to be the inspiring part. You also have to be the consistent part. You have to be able to grow every aspect, or want to, or willing to grow every aspect of your brand, and so I'll give you, like even an example. You know this may flow away a little bit from the question you asked.

Chuck:

OK.

Joel Ndumbalo:

But I wanted to give an example of that and that's S&P Draco. So S&P Draco is an artist from Florida. He lives in Boston now, but he's the type of artist to where he performs. He also does his own promotion. He also does his own flyers, ads and things. He does a little bit of everything and that's recognized as a boss right. So we were able to cultivate a label for him, right? S&p? The label now Got you Because he does the label work right. So he does all the work. So, whether it was just him or a team of people behind him, the label work is being done. So we recognize that and provide that label. You know that foundation for him to build his own label. So that also ties in with building somebody else's business, got you.

Chuck:

Let me ask you this so what do you see yourself in the next five years, man, or maybe three years?

Joel Ndumbalo:

OK, yeah, in the next couple of years I see myself so Roster's Enterprise is kind of like the parent company, and so it's me and Marquis with a Roster's Enterprise and I see it having cultivated many subsidiaries that help many people recognize, you know, and gain respect, more respect for themselves as bosses, so as as moguls, as kings and queens, and just being able to spread that love on a larger platform. I can't tell you what platform or what that's gonna look like, but I know that feeling's gonna be there, that's feeling gonna be alive, because that's the feeling we started with, you know, and it's been seven years running. That feeling's been strong, so do you have any.

Chuck:

Do you have any fears sometimes about where it's going, like taking the next step, or you just confident in the way it's going? Because I know sometimes we get scared to take those leaps in certain areas of life. Voices in our heads or maybe voices of somebody else saying you can't do this. What are you doing so? Do you deal with that certain kind of fear sometimes of moving forward?

Joel Ndumbalo:

man, I did have that fear as a thought and God he raced it through experience. I don't want to tell you, because I don't think anybody believed in our company other than us, because I've been through jail, rehabs, died twice, coma, all of that difficulty, yet we still are where we are today. So you, so you can't tell me that anything is going to instill that fear, that we can't go further or, you know, continue working it's just impossible, because I'll tell you history, I'll tell you the past. You know, right, right yeah definitely, man.

Chuck:

So you help somebody, because sometimes they do have that fear and that's why a lot of people, I believe, don't do anything because of that, that voice in their heads and you're not good enough, you're not going to make it, so why don't you give it up? And they never go forward. So yeah, shout out, man it happens.

Joel Ndumbalo:

It happens and you know I'm human too. So, yeah, there have been times where it has really happened, but you know that's where other people come in, that's what family comes in. Yeah, exactly right. So when you're part of a team, I end up one facet of it is lacking or fear anything like that. You know another, another part of the team comes in and and holds that weight up. I love that and, and you know that's how that works, and so shout out to all my family and friends. You know my father, my mother, my two sisters, marquis, his family, you know everybody on the team. Shout out to them because they have, even recently, because I just moved up to Rhode Island, by the way. Okay, they helped me strong, they helped me strong got you man.

Chuck:

So shout out to teamwork, man. It's um. It relates to what we're talking about and people may not know this, but when you look up and you see those geese flying in the air, you see those geese they flapping their wings and they're in a v-shape. Yeah, the geese in the front is the leader, but when that geese in the front gets tired, it rotates to the back and another one takes the lead to keep it going and as long as they stay in that v-shape, they get to where they're going a little bit faster. So that's teamwork and a lot of people don't know when they see them in that v, that's what they're doing. They're getting to their location faster and when one gets tired they rotate out so another can take the lead.

Joel Ndumbalo:

So everybody's a boss everybody and and that's even more than the the normal stereotypical structure of like a company, like okay. Well, what I'm trying to say is that includes everybody you meet in life. Everybody adds some value to who you are to take the lead in your life, whether it's in a small way or big way. So I really like that, uh, that analogy that you say right there.

Chuck:

Yeah, I'd really like that yeah, so when we look up and they flying in that v-shape, that's exactly what they're doing. Man, it's that out nature. Yeah, absolutely man, absolutely man. So, um, yeah, I really appreciate you being on man. So how could people get in contact with you? You got any, uh, social media?

Joel Ndumbalo:

yes, absolutely so. I got Joeldenbalo is my real name and so that's the name that I go by, but I also go by Balorostas, okay, so on all social media you can find Joeldenbalo. My last name is spelled N-D-U-M-B-A-L-O and Balo Rostres is Balo, b-a-l-o, rostres, r-o-s-t-e-r-s, and we also got Rostres Entertainment the label page, and that's on Instagram. You find me on TikTok, facebook, maybe everywhere Snapchat.

Chuck:

Yeah, sir Joel, let's end with this man. I got two more questions for you. When we first met over the phone, you mentioned you had a brother who was just incarcerated or given time. Talk about that man. So, like I said, you never know who's listening and you never know what young guys listening to this conversation that you can help. So talk about that.

Joel Ndumbalo:

Okay, absolutely. And also shout out to brother Alexander. He's a huge mentor in my life and in other people's lives and that's how we met. And when we met it's because he was helping me through the time with Brand in my Lone. He's my brother and he's incarcerated. He just got sentenced eight years and that tore me apart. I ain't no older but Alexander. He helped me through it in a way that I'm comfortable doing eight years with my brother right, I'm comfortable with accepting the situation and so, yeah, it's not a small thing. It's not a small thing For anybody out there who has family or friends that are incarcerated. My heart goes out to you, because everybody wants to say free this, free that, but when you're saying free family, it is really family.

Chuck:

Wow.

Joel Ndumbalo:

You know it comes with a whole different way behind it, way deeper than that. But also, eight years is a lot. Talk about it, talk about it. And so respect to you as well, sir, respect to you as well. I'm welcome home always, no matter how long it's been.

Joel Ndumbalo:

Now, with that, I also want to say to make sure this is what brother Alexander helped me understand as well that you do have to hold that person accountable if they are your loved one. That I'm not saying, oh, it was the jury's fault, oh, it was the judge's fault, it was good. They are the reason why they are there. They earned that time. It is a choice and you have to love them in a way that rehabilitates them, that helps them understand that they have to hold themselves accountable. And that's a hard conversation to have over the prison phone. That's me, yeah. But it must happen to move forward. But free, trippy, free my brother when he comes out. You got his own little restaurant going off, food truck, part of Ross's entertainment, and so all love to him and you know, free to do that.

Chuck:

Wow, that's deep that you said that, man. I never heard it put that way, because I know you want to support your family members, but if that family member did something wrong, then they got to be held accountable, correct. That's what you're saying.

Joel Ndumbalo:

Absolutely. Yeah, I was trying to figure out why I was so angry. Why I was so angry is because I was blaming him. So in order to get past that for myself, I have to hold him accountable and have that conversation, you know.

Chuck:

Wow. So, man, as we close, what do you want people to know about Joel today? You know as a person.

Joel Ndumbalo:

Well, I want people to know that when they interact with me, when they look at me, when they are anything to do with me, it's not just me. I'm literally a collection of experiences from different countries, going up from different relationships that I have in my life today, from the company, the family. You're talking to many people when you're talking to me, and so that stems from the good interactions to the bad interactions. So I just want people to love and respect that, because when I talk to somebody, I understand I'm talking to a culture, I'm talking to a background, I'm talking to experiences, and I learned to love them more that way, even through the bad interactions. And I'm here for community. Got you Say that too? I'm here for community.

Chuck:

Got you, man, so I'm going to leave on this note. I like what you just said. If you had the opportunity to have the audience with a young male that's struggling and you see yourself in them from what you went through what would you say to him to help him out today?

Joel Ndumbalo:

Well, it's real cliche. But you know, I'm putting myself in the shoes of those experiences right now and what I've done is, first I related but I also said yo, I'm not dead, I'm not in jail. I'm actually sitting in front of you talking right now and, having gone through in some way, shape or form, what you've gone through, just know that you can be in five years, 10 years, also standing talking in front of somebody, helping them, successful in your own way, a believer of God, that it's not over. It's not over, not over. I love that, man.

Chuck:

Thank you so much for being a part of let's Just Talk About it podcast on this episode, man. I really enjoyed the conversation and what you're doing as a young black male doing this Black History Month, so I appreciate you, man.

Joel Ndumbalo:

Black Excellence, a shout out to you as well. Yeah, you hear me. Thank you, man. It does not stop in February. Black Excellence every day, every day. It ain't history, it's in the making, it is present, so we're doing that.

Chuck:

We're still writing history.

Joel Ndumbalo:

I love it. We're still writing history. There we go I like it, man.

Chuck:

Thanks again, man, and I really appreciate you. All right, thank you, chuck. Yes, sir, wow, what an amazing conversation. Shout out to Joel for having this dialogue with me. You know, one of the things that really stuck out to me about this conversation, amongst many other things, was his transparency to talk about the trauma that life can often cause and how important it is to have friends and family to help us through those difficult moments in life. But in spite of everything Joel went through in life, he learned valuable lessons from it and uses it now to create a healthy environment for himself and for others. So shout out to you, joel Again. Thank you so much for always tuning in to let's Just Talk About it podcast, and please check out my website, justgoogle Let'sJustTalkAboutItPodcastcom and then hit that Subscribe button to receive all the new episodes every Friday. You can also find me on Facebook. Just type in Chuck L-J-T-A-I, which means let's Just Talk About it. So, as always, until next time, don't hold it in, but let's Just Talk About it. Talk to you soon. Have a great day.