Today we’d like to introduce you to Calvin Roberson.
Calvin, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was born in South Boston, VA.,the youngest of 5 siblings. A southern town where there wasn’t much encouragement to “do better.” In fact, my hight school counselor told me I “wasn’t college material.” She told me to take up a trade, like construction or welding. However, my mother always had faith in me. so with that faith and 50 bucks in my pocket, I boarded a bus and headed to Huntsville, AL to attend Oakwood University, an HBCU my sister told me about. I remember telling my mother, I won’t be coming back home except to visit.
I graduated with a BA in Theology and then received a scholarship to get a Master’s degree. Afterward, getting accepted into a doctoral program and law school was enough to prove to myself that I was indeed college material.
My (pre television) corporate professional life was as a result of pure tenacity, resilience, and adaptability. While I’ve pastored for many years, I’ve also veered into different pursuits. I’ve worked as a registered NYSE Financial Exec. This was birthed out of a cold call he made with no experience in the financial industry.
After landing his first job as an investment broker with Smith Barney (now Morgan Stanley.) I’ve worked in various other corporate exec positions, all the while, being available for pastoral relationship coaching. My wife and I eventually ended up in Ohio, pastoring a small church. After a short time, we decided to pursue relationship coaching full time.
Through a casting call from MAFS, we were asked to help them find a couple for one of their shows. We did. The couple talked constantly about what they learned from us. So the EP wanted to meet. And after a few conversations, I joined MAFS and the rest is history.
In 2022 we launched MAPS (Marriage Ain’t for Punks) app. It is designed to provide resources to married and single people all within one app. We are refusing to become a part of the “swipe generation” so we have designed a values based dating portion of the app based on our relationship philosophy as contained in my critically acclaimed book, “Marriage Ain’t for Punks.” Through the MAPS method, (Maturity, Accountability, Pursuit of purpose and Surrender,) we are changing the way people approach marriage and dating.
Currently, we are expanding our marriage ecosystem, by focusing on building men and guiding them into genuine manhood, through our non-profit, MenTouring Manhood. With this we are planning to make a global impact on the way we do relationships.
In addition, we’ve launched a production company Pull and Row, which has some very promising and exciting projects on the near horizon.
and now we are expanding that ecosystem into what we believe will have global reach.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
First of all, I’ve had to learn valuable lessons from bad decisions; both financially and in relationships. But these bad experiences were not failures, but rather stepping stones toward success. As I’ve stated in live conferences, both Wendy and I are married for the second time. We bring lessons learned from the experiences and failures of those relationships into our teachings.
We believe that every challenge is a lesson in disguise. So we use them for motivation and celebrate the fact that we get to go through another challenge, because the harder you throw a ball down, the higher it bounces back.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Affiance Systems Corporation?
Affiance is a corporation we began in 2022. The purpose was to be the home for where technology and relationships intersect. We are an app development company. The first launch was the MAPS app in 2023 (A relationship application for married, dating and marriage minded singles.). The MAPS idea arose out of 25 years of relationship coaching. We focus on rebuilding the foundation of marriage, reclaiming the hearts of men and restoring the value of marriage. Although it may not seem popular, we believe when men are taught to the effective husbands and fathers, then the families will thrive.
Our non-profit, MenTouring Manhood is a great compliment to MAPS and is our vehicle for bringing men into true manhood. As a man who did not have a father to mentor me, it became vital to provide resources to men who have been challenged in this area.
We are planning to launch two other apps in the coming 18 months. The MenTouring Manhood app, and another focused on kidney health in under served communities, called BLOOM. This is in memory of my sister, Mary, who succumbed to renal failure after I had donated her my kidney, which only lasted for 3 days.
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Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
Marriage Ain’t for Punks app (MAPS) app. Apple Music /. Favorite books: Marriage Ain’t for Punks; Hustle Harder: 50 Cent; / Podcasts: The Pivot
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.mapsforreal.com
- Instagram: @marriageaintforpunks. @iamcalvinroberson
- Facebook: Iamcalvinroberson
- Twitter: iamcalvinroberson
