Ep 111: From Getting Fired to a Sundance Award - Nehemiah Ray

He got fired from a wildlife job — then built a business, a farm, and a family so intentional that a filmmaker spent a year documenting it. That film beat 11,000 others and won at Sundance. This is what living differently on purpose actually looks like.

What happens when a man decides formation matters more than convenience?

In this episode, Melvin Larry sits down with Nehemiah Ray — biologist, minister, beekeeper, and owner of ASAP Pest and Wildlife Removal in metro Atlanta. Nehemiah's story runs from flipping rocks in Riverdale, Georgia, to a life of what he calls "riotous living," to a 21-day fast where an encounter with God shattered the limiting beliefs that fear had built.

Today, he and his wife Eliza are raising their two sons on a working farm — sheep, chickens, pigs, and bees — living what they call Raised Wild: a family choosing to live differently on purpose. Their life caught the eye of a filmmaker on Instagram, and the resulting documentary, The Boys and the Bees, was one of just 7 films chosen from 11,000 and won the Short Film Jury Award at the Sundance Film Festival.

In this conversation:

• The internship that ended his veterinary dream — and the fear underneath the excuse
• The bedroom encounter during a 21-day fast that changed everything
• How getting fired became the doorway to entrepreneurship
• The roach story: teaching a one-year-old to conquer fear (and building a marriage on trust)
• 32 success principles from the beehive — and why royal jelly is a warning about what you consume
• The biggest lie young people believe: "I have time"
• Formation over convenience: why he lets his sons struggle
• Sharing the gospel at Sundance — and how his boys stayed grounded through the spotlight
• What men 35–55 get wrong about keeping the main thing the main thing

If you've ever drifted instead of decided, this episode is your wake-up call.

*Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/ADJD6jCL5GA

*Listen on your favorite podcast platform: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2397083/episodes/19534628

Resources

Connect with Nehemiah Ray: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raysdwild

Website: https://www.raysdwild.com |

Email: info@raysdwild.com
ASAP Pest and Wildlife Removal: https://www.removeasap.com
The Boys and the Bees — Short Film Jury Award: Nonfiction, Sundance Film Festival
 

Books mentioned: Amazon Link:  https://amzn.to/4wYKibm

- Launch by Jeff Walker

- Leaders Eat Last

- Start With Why by Simon Sinek

Connect with Melvin

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melvinlarry1 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melvin.larry 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@melvinlarry118 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melvinlarry 

X: https://x.com/MelvinLarry 

Website: https://www.theshatteredmindset.com

Recommended Episodes

The Mental Toughness Advantage (Ep. 51): https://youtu.be/ceHvqLcpCQU

Step Back and Look at Your Work: (Ep 110): https://youtu.be/coomlXgi3f4

#ShatteredMindset #NehemiahRay #Sundance #FaithAndFamily #Fatherhood #Beekeeping #Entrepreneurship #OvercomingFear #LiveOnPurpose #MindsetShift

Call to Action

If Nehemiah's story spoke to you, Share this episode with a father, a young man, or anyone stuck waiting for "later." Subscribe, leave a review, and keep adapting, keep evolving, and keep reaching for those new horizons. Take care. Take charge. And God bless.