Mickey Guyton and Lea Hurley: Defying the Odds Through Strength and Song
This episode contains mature content.
Mickey Guyton: I’m not only pursuing a career for myself, but pursuing a career for people that are after me. Like, how can I help them? This may never happen for me, but how can I help the people that are coming up after me?
Mickey Guyton and Lea Hurley: Defying the Odds Through Strength and Song – Episode #475
Narrator: Welcome to the Jesus Calling Podcast. This week, we hear from two remarkable women who dared to pursue their dreams even when faced with disbelief, ultimately dedicating their lives to helping others through their art and work. First, country music star Mickey Guyton shares her journey of breaking barriers and finding her voice in an industry that wasn’t always ready for her. Then, author and speaker Lea Hurley opens up about how her personal health experiences shaped a life and a business she created to help herself but ended up helping others in a way she never dreamed possible.
Let’s start with Mickey’s story.
Mickey Guyton: Hey y’all, I’m Mickey Guyton. I am a black female country singer that sings out of Nashville, and I am so happy to be here.
I grew up in Waco, Texas or Crawford, Texas. I grew up singing in the church. It’s crazy because I actually went to a school called Waco Christian School back in the day. Joanna Gaines also went to that same school.
I grew up like the Cosbys—my family was literally the Cosby family. My mom and my dad fell in love and were married. They were high school sweethearts. My mom was a stay-at-home mom. She worked really hard and became a teacher’s assistant so that we were able to afford to go to this private Christian school back in the day. We are the true black Christian American dream family, I would say.
I grew up going to this Christian school, and country music and gospel music are brother and sister, and it has definitely inspired me in my musical career. I remember being in Waco, Texas and our church took a trip to Arlington, Texas to a Texas Rangers baseball game. We were all the way up in the nosebleed section, and I will never forget the announcer saying, “Please stand as ten-year-old LeeAnn Rimes sings the national anthem.” That was my introduction into what I saw as country music. I didn’t know what that was. I just heard a little girl like me singing like a grown woman, and that is what inspired me and wanted me to do music.
The Intersection of Faith, Race, and Country Music
I remember going to my grandma’s house. She lived in a city in Waco. It was called Riesel, Texas. It was a tiny, tiny town where the streets didn’t have names, they had numbers. I would go to her home—whenever we would go visit my grandma—I remember on the back of the doors she would have VHS tapes, and I would watch them at her house because she didn’t cable. I was watching Fried Green Tomatoes, which was a huge Southern movie at the time. I watched Steel Magnolias, which was another huge movie at the time, and I used to watch Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers’ VHS tape duets. Like, that’s what I watched. I didn’t even know that I was listening to country music. I just loved it.
My life and how I grew up prepared me for this moment, because growing up in Waco, Texas, I grew in predominantly all white neighborhoods. It all started from a young age, navigating these challenges of cultural differences. I will start from when I started going to Waco Christian School when I was a little girl. I lived in Crawford, Texas, and I was supposed to go to a public school called China Springs. One of China Springs’ selling points at that time back when I was a little girl was that there were no black kids that attended this school. So that was my introduction into experiencing racism as a kid.
As I moved into country music, I experienced that same thing. The challenges were people trying to change who I was or trying to interpret who I was as a black woman. And I understand the cultural differences, but people were trying to make me palatable to a country music audience, which made no sense to me at the time, and it was really difficult. That was a huge challenge for me growing up—just trying to be accepted for exactly who I am. And that was really, really hard.
“The challenges were people trying to change who I was or trying to interpret who I was as a black woman. And I understand the cultural differences, but people were trying to make me palatable to a country music audience.” – Mickey Guyton
From L.A. Demos to Nashville Dreams
Fast forward a thousand years later, and I’m going to college. I was living in LA at the time, and I was singing demos for people. There was a woman that I became friends with. Her name was Jessica Bendinger. Jessica wrote Bring It On, which is a huge cheerleader movie back in the day, in my time. I was singing demos for her because she was writing a book. She said, “Mickey, when I listen to you sing, you sound like a country music artist.” I said, “I love country music, but I’ve never seen a black person in country music besides Charlie Pride. Why would they ever accept me in that?” And she was the one that strongly encouraged me to sing country music.
It was a God thing. It was a spiritual thing. It chose me. Country music literally fell into my lap at that very moment. I was at a mall that I never go to, and I ran into this DJ that knew a producer that produced Glenn Campbell’s last album before he passed away. And when I tell you it’s a fate thing, it’s a God thing, it really is. I wasn’t naturally pursuing it because I’m living in California, and where am I going to find a country music producer?
“It was a God thing. It was a spiritual thing. It chose me. Country music literally fell into my lap at that very moment.” – Mickey Guyton
He was like, “Don’t you sing?” And I said, “Yeah, I do sing.” And he said, “What kind of music do you sing?” And in that moment, I said, “I sing country music.” And he said, “That’s so crazy because I’ve been working with this guy, Julian Raymond, who was producing Glen Campbell’s album. It was Glen Campbell that said, ‘One thing I’ve never seen was a successful black female country singer. If she’s out there and she is good, she will be successful.’” And that’s how all of this came together.
Mickey Feels Pressure to Conform to the Industry
I got signed, and these people meant so well. I’m not saying that these people did not have good intentions. I do believe that they did. Going into writers’ rooms and writing songs, they were wanting me to write songs about some blue-eyed, blonde-haired guy that I fell in love with. But the people that I fell in love with did not look like that. Like the people I loved, that wasn’t my story. The things that came out of their mouths: “Because you’re black, we need to let these people know that you really are country, that you understand this industry.” And I’m like, “What do you mean being country? Like, I grew up in the south. I grew up on gravel dirt roads in the country. If I showed you pictures of where I’m from, I’ve come from more country spaces than a lot of these country artists.” But I was having to constantly prove myself.
There was a very specific moment back in 2018 [when] I was living in Nashville. I was really frustrated with the music industry. I was lonely, I was sad, and I remember I would go to a church out in Nashville, Tennessee, and I went to the eight o’clock service. It was right around the corner from my house at the time. I just went, and I was like, “I’m just gonna go to church and just try to feel something.” I went to this church, and the message—I was barely paying attention to the sermon—but the message that the pastor said was, “It’s okay to question God, and He has all the answers.”
I remember I left church, I got in my car, I drove home, I got in bed with all my clothes on, and I had a full on session. I basically cussed out God, I will say. I was like, “Okay, so if you’re telling me that I can question God, why did you have me move here to Nashville, Tennessee? Why am I pursuing this career in country music? I’m miserable.” I’m like, “What are you doing to me? I’m going to pick up my Bible app. I’m gonna look at my Bible app and there better be a Bible verse for You to tell me and explain to me what You are doing.”
I don’t remember the exact verse, but it was basically saying what makes you think that you’re owed these privileges over someone else? That was what the verse said. And I started laughing, because it was like, “Are you kidding me? You’re right. I have a roof over my head. I have a car. I can put gas in that car. I can buy myself food. I have a family that I can fall back on. I still have my mom and my dad. And how dare I think that I’m owed this over somebody else?” And it kind of changed my thinking.
What makes my circumstance—how dare I think I’m owed something more than someone else is what the Bible verse said. I started to ask questions. I talked to my husband. I was like, “Why do you think country music isn’t working for me?” And my husband was like, “Because you’re running away from everything that makes you different. Country music is three chords and the truth. Why aren’t you leaning into that?” And I was like, “Wow, you’re right.”
“I was like, ‘Why do you think country music isn’t working for me?’ And my husband was like, ‘Because you’re running away from everything that makes you different. Country music is three chords and the truth. Why aren’t you leaning into that?’” – Mickey Guyton
That’s when I was like, “Well, okay, well then I need to make sure I’m not only pursuing a career for myself, but pursuing a career for people that are after me. Like, how can I help them? This may never happen for me, but how can I help the people that are coming up after me?” And that’s what changed my life.
Writing Songs that Reach People in Their Pain
The country music industry is very heavily male focused, and there’s a lot of women that I love—white and black—that have experienced the same type of discrimination that I’ve had. These songs, “Black Like Me” and “What Are You Gonna Tell Her” were therapy songs for myself. I’ve seen a lot. I’ve lived enough life to see things happen to people that I really care about. These were two songs that I wrote in pain.
I never in a million years thought anybody would ever hear these songs. These are songs that I wrote, I put away, and I thought, “Okay, this is for me.” And then, these moments happen and I do believe that He enabled these songs to be heard, not me. Little old me from Crawford, Texas—it was never a possibility that anybody would even listen to this.
I just kind of posted them on my Instagram, and the wildfire that caught up with these I’ll never understand. It has to be a spiritual thing. It has to be, because I had nothing to do with it other than writing about my pain. And there’s someone else out there that felt that exact same pain that I felt. I believe that’s why God gave me these opportunities, because He knew that I was not going to harbor them all for myself. Step outside and see other people and meet them exactly where they’re at—and love them for who they are, right as they are, exactly as they are.
“I believe that’s why God gave me these opportunities, because He knew that I was not going to harbor them all for myself. Step outside and see other people and meet them exactly where they’re at—and love them for who they are, right as they are, exactly as they are.” – Mickey Guyton
Narrator: To learn more about Mickey’s music or where you can see her in concert, visit www.mickeyguyton.com, and be sure to listen to her song “Scary Love” on the Jesus Calling: Songs for Sundays CD.
Stay tuned to Lea Hurley’s story after a brief message.
JESUS CALLING: STORIES OF FAITH Returns for Season 4!
Hey everyone, this is Faith Broussard Cade, your host for the fourth season of Jesus Calling: Stories of Faith on UPTV. We’re so excited to bring you inspiring stories of people from all walks of life, who have turned to their faith in times of struggle, and in times of joy. We’re going to hear from some extraordinary guests this season, including Julie Chen Moonves, who you might know as the host of Big Brother. We’ll also be joined by NFL Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw and Light Heavyweight Champion boxer Andre Ward, GRAMMY award winning gospel singer BeBe Winans, the world renowned Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, and actress Taraji P. Henson, in addition to many others. And of course, you’ll get to hear more about me and my story, too. I can’t wait to see you there. Stay tuned for the new season coming soon on UPTV!
Our next guest is Lea Hurley, founder and CEO of American Dream Nut Butter. Lea’s path from ultrasound technician to founder of American Dream is anything but typical. After struggling with mysterious health issues, what started as a kitchen experiment grew into a thriving company known for its handcrafted, high-protein gourmet products. Along the way, her personal challenges inspired a journey that led to something far bigger than she ever imagined.
Lea Hurley: My name is Lea Hurley. I’m the founder and CEO of American Dream, and I make gourmet, healthy, high-protein nut butters that actually started by accident because I had cancer for ten years and didn’t know it.
Before American Dream, I was an ultrasound tech. I did ultrasounds on all parts of the body, so I was helping diagnose cancer and infertility issues, whatever people might need an ultrasound for.
For ten years, I was sick all the time. I kept changing my diet because it affected my GI system [gastrointestinal system] so much. I also had constant nausea. I always felt like I was going to throw up, and I’m just like, “What is wrong with me?” I eventually got to where I was eating only three foods—turkey, rice, and nut butter. I just kept researching everything about health and wellness and nutrition and cutting things out of my diet to see if I felt better.
I had all these labs done—and they couldn’t find anything. I started having pain just in this spot in my stomach, and I’m like, “You know what? I’m just going to scan myself and see what I see there.” So I’m scanning myself, and I’m like, “Oh no!” I see this mass that has all this blood flow, and I know from doing ultrasounds that that’s not good. I take a picture of it and I go to the radiologist and I show it to him, and he’s like, “This isn’t you..is it?” And I was like, “Yeah.” And he’s like, “Your doctor needs to order a CT with and without contrast…” rattling off all these things I needed to have done.
I called my doctor. They ordered all these tests, and I knew once they did the CT scan and I didn’t have my results right away—I was like, “Okay, something’s wrong.” When they finally called, it was on Friday evening, and I was at work so I couldn’t answer my phone. By the time I checked my messages, they had left it on a voicemail that I had stage four neuroendocrine cancer.
Surgery, Struggle, & the Strength of Community
I tried to call back, but nobody answered because it was after hours. I had to go the whole weekend knowing that I had stage four neuroendocrine cancer. I looked up all these things about it. The prognosis online is horrible because normally they don’t catch it in time because they said it presents itself as stomach issues and anxiety—like all of these things are just normal ailments that can be caused by other things.
The only way it can be treated is to surgically remove it. If it becomes somewhere where they can’t remove it, then it’s a “they can’t do anything about it” kind of thing. I spent the whole weekend looking at my kids who were super young [thinking], I am not going to get to see them grow up.
Monday comes, and the surgeon calls and explains what I need to do. I have to have this huge surgery where they cut me like from sternum to pelvis. And then they had to remove part of my liver, take out my gallbladder, and the mass. They took out my pancreas and put it back in—my spleen, my intestines, everything, to look for more masses. That’s what I did. We did the big surgery, and thankfully, I didn’t have to do any chemo or radiation. It was just recovery from the surgery, which was intense, but completely worth it.
I was off work for three months. My husband had to be off for three months to take care of me and the kids because I couldn’t take a bath. I couldn’t go to the bathroom by myself. For like two weeks, he had to carry me wherever I had to go. It was a big ordeal. We didn’t know how we were going to pay our bills because we couldn’t work. We didn’t have money saved up at the time, and it was just a rough spot. My coworkers were donating PTO to us. They were giving us meal cards. Our neighbors were helping out. It was really a community coming together and supporting you in a time of need.
“I was off work for three months. We didn’t have money saved up at the time, and it was just a rough spot. My coworkers were donating PTO to us. They were giving us meal cards. Our neighbors were helping out. It was really a community coming together and supporting you in a time of need.” – Lea Hurley
The Starting Ingredients to Something Bigger
After I had surgery, it wiped out my immune system. I couldn’t eat things that were on the market because everything had hydrogenated vegetable oils or certain flavorings I couldn’t have or dairy or gluten or those types of things. Turkey and rice gets very boring, very fast. I’m a major dessert person, so I figured out that I can make nut butter taste like the desserts that I was missing, but still have all the things that I was allowed to have as I could only have certain things.
“I’m a major dessert person, so I figured out that I can make nut butter taste like the desserts that I was missing, but still have all the things that I was allowed to have.” – Lea Hurley
I had no intention of doing anything with it, but my husband was like, “You should let our bodybuilding friends try it.” I’m like, “No, nobody’s gonna like it.” And he’s like, “Yes, they will.” He and a friend took it to a bodybuilding competition without my knowledge, and everyone loved it. They started coming to our house or calling me like, “Hey, can you fill up my mason jar with Lea’s peanut butter?” So I started making it in our kitchen.
I started sharing on social media just what I was doing. I had twelve followers at the time. Everybody got into watching me blend the nuts and put these different things in there—the toppings and all that stuff. Then they’d start messaging me and being like, “I want that jar that you just made.” And I’m like, “Okay.” Then they’d message me, “Can you make one that tastes like my favorite drink at Starbucks?” I was like, “Well, I’ll give it a shot.” So I was taking custom orders at the time. My husband is the one who’s like, “Oh, let’s turn this into something. I’m gonna make a website, and we’re gonna put this on here.” I said, “Okay, you do that part and I’ll just make them.”
It seems like an overnight success, but it’s been a lot of long, hard work. I think we just had our seventh birthday, and we now have about seventy employees. We have a 40,000 square foot facility, and we make everything in-house. That’s part of the reason why we have to have so many employees because we actually handcraft every product that we make.
That could only be God, because [my husband] installed garage doors for a living, I did ultrasound and personal training, and neither one of us know business or marketing or anything. So we attribute all of our success to Him because we are clueless.
“That could only be God, because [my husband] installed garage doors for a living, I did ultrasound and personal training, and neither one of us know business or marketing or anything. So we attribute all of our success to Him because we are clueless.” – Lea Hurley
Where Giving Back is Baked In
I think our community is the best thing about our business. A mother reached out to me and said that we helped save her daughter’s life. She was in the hospital with an eating disorder—I also have an eating disorder so that really touched my heart—but she was in the hospital and on a feeding tube and just wouldn’t eat anything. She was afraid of all food. Her mom talked to her about our product, and since it was lower in fat, lower in sugar, she wasn’t as afraid of it. She gained thirty pounds and was able to get out of the hospital. She and I have developed this friendship, and we still talk.
We work with Tunnels to Towers [Foundation] a lot. We love what they do for veterans and their families. We also work with St. Jude [Children’s Research Hospital] a ton. We also have a product called One Tough Cookie, and 100% of the proceeds of that always go to a cancer charity. That varies each month, so each month will represent a different cancer.
We also donate jars of it to cancer survivors or patients who are currently going through treatment. If you [want to] nominate a cancer survivor, send us their name, address, and all of that stuff, and we’ll send them a jar with a little card that says that we’re praying for them.
Digging Deep to Find Your Way
I would say to anyone out there who is struggling to change either physically or mentally or emotionally that you really need to dig deep and find what your “why” is. Do you need to change for your kids? Do you need the change for your own personal health? Is it affecting your job? Like, what is it that you need to make a change for? You are going to have to rely on that every single day when it’s hard. Like I said, I struggled with an eating disorder, I had cancer, all those things. When I would wake up and be in pain, but still need to go do whatever for my kids—or I’d be afraid to eat more because I was afraid that I would be sick or that this would have this certain effect. I’d have to hang on to that: I’m doing this for my kids. If I don’t eat, then I’m going to die. You know what I mean? If I don’t do this treatment, then I am not gonna be here for them. I think that is what helps—really holding onto your “why.”
“I would say to anyone out there who is struggling to change either physically or mentally or emotionally that you really need to dig deep and find what your “why” is. You are going to have to rely on that every single day when it’s hard.” – Lea Hurley
And I recommend a devotional every single day. I use the Bible app all the time to do them. I also use Jesus Calling and Jesus Listens. The funny thing is the other day I was having a rough day, and I got the email to join this podcast. On the bottom of it there was an excerpt from Jesus Listens on there. It was a random September day, but it was exactly what I needed to hear. And I’m like, “Okay, God, I hear You.” Like I had been praying for an answer to, “Tell me what I need to do. I don’t know what to do for this particular thing that I was worrying about.” So I feel like you also just have to be plugged into Him, plugged into the Word all the time, so that you can receive what He’s trying to tell you and to be open to where it might come from.
“I feel like you just have to be plugged into Him, plugged into the Word all the time, so that you can receive what He’s trying to tell you and to be open to where it might come from.” – Lea Hurley
This is from Jesus Listens, September 23rd:
You have promised to give me Peace that can displace the trouble and fear in my heart. If I become weary of waiting, please remind me that You also wait— so that You may be gracious to me and have mercy on me.
As I spend time in Your Presence, I rejoice in the promise that all those who wait for You are blessed.
In Your gracious Name, Jesus,
Amen
Narrator: To learn more about Lea Hurley and to try her products, please visit www.americandreamnutbutter.com.
If you’d like to hear more stories about people who are making a difference through creating, check out our interview with David and Tamela Mann.
Next week: Bethany Joy Lenz
Next time on the Jesus Calling Podcast, we speak with Bethany Joy Lenz—actor, singer, director, and now author—who shares a deeply personal story of her time in a spiritually abusive community and the journey of healing and rediscovering faith that followed.
Bethany Joy: I believed that if I did all the right things, if I checked off everything on the Christian girl list, then God would be pleased with me and I would have a good life. It was a totally false version of the gospel. It was the counterfeit which put me in the driver’s seat of earning my happy life that I thought God owed me. I went on this journey of reconstructing my faith and understanding who God is.
