Rising Stars: Meet Jameal Pullins-MDRD

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jameal Pullins-MDRD.

Jameal, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’ve seen life from many angles and different perspectives. It’s all about choices and perception. In my adolescence, I found it difficult to believe the life we were dealt was the one we deserved. I was taught to be appreciative of what you have and greater things are on the horizon. Just another kid worried about how the world will perceive him. My environment as a child wasn’t always conducive to my growth, and yet here we are. Persistence, Perseverance, and Patience. Three words I remember hearing from a lecture in college. In the moment, I didn’t realize all my life that’s what I’ve been doing. Staying persistent in spite of my harsh upbringing. Persevering even when I encountered setbacks. Patiently waiting for my opportunity to arise, yet creating space for the opportunity to happen. Before you do anything in this life it starts mentally. I learned this in sports, yes it’s physical but it’s really a mental game.

My coaches always said, “it comes down to who wants it more”. When your body feels like giving up, who’s gonna push harder to achieve the goal. In everything you do give it 110%. My story started out as a misguided, hot-tempered and less fortunate young man. If I continued that path maybe you’d be getting another person today. Instead today, I am healthy and wealthy in my mental, physical and spirit. Experience is life’s greatest teacher. I find myself talking to the elders and living vicariously. They say knowledge is wealth, well your network is your net worth and your attitude will determine your altitude. I got to where I am today by adjusting my mindset and being adaptable. Stay persistent; you will persevere just be patient. The battle starts in the mind.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
False.Evidence.Appearing.Real. FEAR was by far the biggest struggle. Worrying about how you’ll be perceived can lead you to isolate yourself. If you allow it, you’ll become someone you’re not because of the opinions of others. You’ll watch people express their feelings and chase their dreams and slowly induce resentment. Only because you didn’t have the guts or support to go after your dreams. I feel so far from fear these days but I do recall there was a time I was bound by fear. Fear is a pretty vast world of its own. Fear made me feel I didn’t belong and doubting my self-worth. I know we all battle fear and some cope different than others. I have learned it’s best to face it head-on. These days I only operate out of love. For everything I feared I conquered with love. Every time I felt doubt, I thought of my why. Why am I doing this, who am I doing this for, what will be the end result. This is my life I must live it no one else can live it for me. Sure people may have their opinion and I will take it in stride but ultimately they must respect my decision, it is my life and I choose me. If the people truly love me, they will respect my choices. From life, I’ve learned, what and if are two of the most harmless words but when you put them together “What if” will hunt you for the rest of your life.

Other struggles I’ve faced is holding on too long. Because I’ve had people to believe in me I find myself believing in others maybe more than I should. I don’t believe the people of this world are wicked, I know we all try our best some more than others. I see in others what the elders have seen in me, with proper instruction and guidance we all have a chance. I can’t force a person to follow the righteous path but deep inside we all have a little voice leading the way if we just listen. Now I’ve come to terms with, “none but ourselves can free our minds”. I can’t want it for a person if they don’t want it for themselves. I had to learn when to let go and let God. I live by the serenity prayer. God grant me the serenity to accept the things I can’t change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Trust the process and it’ll all work out.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am in the people business. I develop, mold and cultivate future innovators. I am most notably known for my modeling and music. In addition, my consulting business is known for Sales and Training Development. I started like most finding my way in the job market but I still had passions of my own. A career in entertainment takes time and consistency but it’s still the ultimate goal. I started my company MDRD LLC and found my first opportunity as Manager/Brand Ambassador in Alpharetta Ga with Wine Me Down/ Favors & Flavors. This opportunity allowed room for all of my talents. While running these establishments I manage the day-to-day of business and I also handle content and branding for the business. In these times, it helps to have some background in entertainment especially owning and operating a bar and restaurant, everything is about presentation and online presence.

What sets me apart from others is my dedication and attention to detail. I live for doing the things I am passionate about. I believe if you do the things you love you’ll never work a day in your life or at least it’ll never feel like work. I take my experiences from sports and life and apply them to my career. I remember when I first filled out an application at a previous job the pitch read “looking for sports-minded team-oriented individuals”. There’s just something about people that play sports, they understand putting the team before self. We all have one end goal. One band, one sound. What I’m most proud of is my determination. I overcame the fear of the unknown, many times over. I failed but I learned from my failures. I wouldn’t even consider it failure just living and learning and I lived for me every chance I had. I never stopped believing it was possible. I never folded on my morals, principles or beliefs. I stood firm and upright, living a righteous life.

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Growing up, I was always active in some kind of sports and entertainment. Drawing was one of my favorite things to do. Fashion was something I was passionate about but music was my true love. I stayed to myself and away from the crowd. I was always a critical thinker and at times over analytical. I never went looking for trouble but was taught how to hold my own. Somehow, me being in trouble brought on this bad guy image and shortly after girls took even more interest in me. Through my lack of a true male figure, I began to study psychology with the hopes to understand women better. I later found a deeper meaning for psychology in order to understand people as a whole better. I believe this is a reason my friends turn to me for advice. I was observant and inquisitive, especially when it came to elders. I was always looking for the secrets to getting ahead, most times just to save myself the trouble of dead-end paths. I didn’t carry an appearance like most but I always remained humble through it all. I wanted my talents and character to speak louder than my looks. I developed and matured faster than my peers. I was a natural leader but it took some people seeing it in me first before I even began to see it myself. Now looking back, I’ve made a lot of progress but I don’t keep count. I just keep going!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://unitedmasters.com/mdrd
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jameal.pullins
• Youtube: http://youtube.com/@mealdarealdeal

Image Credits
MDRDproductions, Peerless photography, Gsremarkable, Golden Pixel