Today we’d like to introduce you to Saruul Johnson.
Saruul, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I have been on this marathon called life for a big 30 years. It all began in 1990 when I took my first breath in the arms of my mother while my father was anxiously waiting in the hospital waiting room. I was born in Mongolia, a country in Central Asia bordered with Russia and China. Growing up, life seemed to be perfect with the constant care, love and support from my parents. I was a very vibrant and talented child who constantly competed at school talent shows and competitions. I remember my mom always being there for me, dressing me up and cheering me on from the audiences.
Unfortunately, things didn’t stay the same ever since my mother passed away when I was six years old. Going through emotional trauma during the time when my parents got divorced, left me with painful memories. I remember seeing a bright red casket on a living room table and being mesmerized by the beautiful color, not knowing that my own mother would lie there and never come back. As a child, my mind could not comprehend the series of unfortunate events that were happening to me at that time. I waited for my mom to come back, I waited… waited… but she never came back.
Soon after my mom passing away, my father got married to my stepmother. Things got even more challenging for me because my stepmom was not that honest person. Going through teenage years, feeling like a Cinderella was certainly tough for me. Some days, I couldn’t even see the meaning of my existence and contemplated on giving up. I cleaned, cooked, studied, and took care of my younger sisters… I cleaned, cooked, studied and took care of my younger sister… I cleaned, cooked, studied. It seemed like a never-ending perpetual cycle that I was stuck in and couldn’t get out.
Finally, I found a glimpse of hope when I got qualified to study in the United States with a 100% scholarship. I thought, “This is my chance” and looked at it as an escape from my miserable life. It truly was a new beginning for me in a completely new place to start fresh. In August 2008, I landed on the United States of America, land of opportunities, with two bags and nothing else. I was only 18 years of age with no English but I had huge hopes in my heart to have a happy life. I put all my efforts to grow and educate myself at the same time keeping the 100% scholarship, which was my only chance to study in the U.S. I was a full-time student at the same time doing two or sometimes three jobs to cover my living expenses.
Many years of hard work paid off when I walked on the stage to receive my diploma in 2013. Seeing my father sitting in the audience as I walked on my graduation day was certainly a proud moment of my life. Yes, I received an honor and graduated with a Business and Finance degree from Park University in Kansas City, MO. A year prior to my graduation, I married to my husband and thought that my dream of happily ever after came true. Little did I know, life had several turns of events waiting for me to test my strength, courage and faith.
One of them was my father’s passing away in Mongolia due to a sudden heart attack in 2016. Everything was shaken for me and I felt lost. I was dealing with not only the pain of losing someone so close to me but also marital problems and financial difficulties all at once. I was overwhelmed and stressed to the point where I couldn’t breathe. I started to develop self-destructive habits such as grinding my teeth, building up tension, having constant headaches and even a heart murmur. It got to the point where I thought this is it. My life was ending.
Well, God had another plan for me. I remember hearing Him say, “Saruul if you continue to go in the direction you are going, you will end up killing yourself.” I asked, “Is there any other option for me?”. I remember Him clearly saying, “You have an option to choose to live.” Yet again, I found myself in front of two roads and the decision was mine. No question on which one I chose, otherwise I wouldn’t be here and sharing this story. I chose to live but when I chose to live, I chose to live to the fullest. I chose to love to the fullest, give to the fullest and experience life to the fullest. That’s where my true transformation began and I have never been the same.
This very decision leads me to find myself and my life purpose. Today I truly live out my purpose by helping people experience a true transformation and experience life to the fullest. I give inspirational speeches at different conferences, women’s events, and faith-based organizations. During the process of finding myself, I discovered my passion to help people to bring their ideas into reality and turn their passion into profit. That’s how my company VisionGuard, LLC, started. At VisionGuard, we provide business, marketing, and financial services to startups, entrepreneurs and visionaries, people who have a vision to bring into reality.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My marathon certainly hasn’t been smooth; in fact, there were numerous challenges that tested me and caused my growth. There is a quote, “The hardest times of your life often lead to the greatest moments of your life, Keep going.” This applies to my life a lot because every time I faced a struggle, it felt so hard at the moment but I come out stronger than before. Every one of us faces obstacles and challenges in our lives, some worse than others. For me, the struggles allowed me to grow more, gain wisdom, develop perseverance and appreciate life more.
Was it hard to lose my mother at such a young age and experienced trauma from my parent’s divorce? Yes, it was. I felt as though it was my fault, I felt neglected and unloved, and I felt angry and mad. I carried these pains from my childhood for many years, which turned me into someone who is short-tempered and sad. But it happened to me and I can’t change it, so I stopped letting my past control me once God completely healed me from these wounds. I remember feeling so light and peaceful that I could laugh again freely and be joyful.
Was it fair for me to kneel in front of my stepmom and begging for forgiveness for something I have never done? No, it was not. Was it painful to get slapped by my dad, who got manipulated by my step mother’s lies? Yes, it was. I felt unwanted, rejected and abandoned. I carried hatred in my heart for many years, which held me back from being myself and experiencing inner peace. So, I chose to let go and forgive with the help of God. This perhaps was one of the greatest lessons that I have learned. I learned to forgive truly from my heart and not hold bitterness towards anyone. It truly freed me.
We all question the fairness of life at some point in our lives. Life certainly can seem unfair but what we can do in those moments is to shift our focus to the fairness of life. By choosing to focus on what is working and what is good, we will experience more of what is good. Like how we have different seasons a year, in our lives, we will have some winters and storms but then the summer and sunshine awaits us right around the corner. And the only variable that we can control in any situation or circumstances is us. Learning to control my own thoughts, emotions, words and actions, was perhaps the most important skill that I gained from facing many obstacles and struggles in my life.
Please tell us about Vision Guard.
I am the CEO and Founder of VisionGuard, LLC, which has a mission to help others to bring their vision into reality and passion into profit. We specialize in four types of services as of right now.
1. Business/Strategy
2. Marketing/ Social Media Management
3. Accounting/Bookkeeping
4. Financial Services/Insurance
VisionGuard is a guardian of powerful visions and it is a place for visionaries. Often times, people who have a vision for something that is so different or never existed before, they tend to be looked at as strange or outcast like Steve Jobs. We welcome people with ideas and help them to bring it into reality and turn it into a successful business through a streamlined process.
I am super excited about what is coming in the future for VisionGuard. It started as an idea and now it is a fully operated business, which is amazing in itself. What sets us apart from others is our mission to guard the visions and provide different opportunities for visionaries to thrive.
As an inspirational speaker and transformational coach, I help people to experience a true transformation in their inner world, health, relationship, career, and life. I give inspirational speeches at different conferences, women’s events, and faith-based organizations. I have a total of five coaching services.
1. Authentic You Coaching
2. Life Vision Coaching
3. Mindset Coaching
4. Powerful Confidence Coaching
5. Financial Coaching
I love helping people to see the treasure within themselves. Once they see it, they shine so bright and experience true fulfillment in their lives.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I am sitting here asking myself, “What is my favorite memory from childhood?” I am having a hard time because of the many pains that I have gone through. I erased many of my childhood memories.
We used to go to the countryside to our grandparents every summer. It’s like our summer vacation. In Mongolia, the countryside is beautiful. Open free land, fresh air, blue sky and nomadic lifestyle. The most vivid thing that I can remember being in the countryside is how I felt. I felt free. Also, it was so much fun because all of our cousins around the same age will be there. We would swim in the river, play tons of games and help our grandparents with their live stocks. Being close to the nature was something that I always loved.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.visionguard.co
- Phone: 404-267-7078
- Email: saruul@visionguard.co
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/visionguard.co/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/visionguard.co
- Other: https://www.facebook.com/saruuljohnson
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