Love Fort Wayne January Podcast: From Trial to Triumph featuring James Scott with Our Neutral Voices

What if the help we offer keeps people from healing? That question sits at the heart of our conversation with James Scott of Our Neutral Voices, a South Side entrepreneur turned community builder whose life bridges poverty, perseverance, and purpose. James opens up about growing up with a single mom, running a neighborhood telecom store that doubled as a listening post, and discovering that the most powerful gift isn’t a handout but a path forward.

We dig into why “toxic giving” stalls progress and how equipping changes everything. James lays out ONV’s five pillars—spirituality and health, education and performing arts, financial literacy and economic development, and sports—and shows how this web supports entire households, not just individuals. He describes late‑night moments with a bass or lead guitar, where prayer and music steady his resolve, and explains why obedience to calling beats comfort every time.

Collaboration is the engine behind the impact. James shares how ONV convened 28 organizations into a coalition built on simple MOUs, transparent roles, and shared wins. We talk frankly about the toughest barrier of all: internal strife, jealousy, and donor competition that fracture trust from the inside. The counter is humility, consistency, and clear values—God first, do what you say, and let people see the work. James also previews Escaping From The System, a practical curriculum that helps families use safety nets wisely and then exit them with dignity.

If you’ve felt the nudge to start but waited for perfect timing, James’s message is for you: begin today. Take one step toward the barrier—learn, ask, visit, budget, practice—and watch momentum build. If this story moved you, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway so more neighbors can find it.

https://www.ourneutralvoices.org/

Transcript

Framing The Mission And Team

SPEAKER_00 0:00

I'm surrendered to this work and I'm thankful that God has given me a gift of galvanizing. We have a powerful team, beautiful people that love people. So our mission is huge, but God has given us a huge team. So a lot of people say the elephant's too big to eat in one city. My concept is it's too big for me to eat in one city. It's too big for the three of us to eat. But if I got 30 brothers and sisters standing behind me and they all hungry, and that elephant is the only thing we got in the room to eat, he's gonna get ate up in one city.

SPEAKER_02 1:11

And so I'm excited, Mitch, to be with you first and foremost. Again, man, we've been doing this for three years now together. It's always

Meet James Scott And ONV

SPEAKER_02 1:19

a joy, man. And we're excited because we have a friend of ours, James Scott, from our neutral voices, ONV, with us here on this episode. So so excited to have you, man. Yeah. Um, Mitch, I don't know if you know this. Like kind of when I was starting with Love Fort Women, James and the team had myself and Rob and Lori down for their podcasts and the episodes that they do, and uh they're making a big difference in the community. Media is one of those ways they tell stories as well. So I was really looking forward to having James uh here join us. And uh and he's been with us in some other ways. And this is just the next step. So, James, uh, you know, uh speaking of next steps, can you just share with the audience like your steps of how you got to this point now with OMV, your history, your background, where you grew up, and just your story and testimony and why you're doing what you're doing right now?

From Poverty To Entrepreneur

SPEAKER_00 2:10

Definitely, uh, first of all, thanks for having me here today. Definitely, Mitch. Good to see you again. Um, grew up in Fort Wayne, south side of town. So grew up in a family of five of us, uh single mom. Um in the squares, Buchanan Street. Um so definitely familiar with the struggle um that we're seeing today when it comes to poverty. Um I've been in business for 20 years for myself on the South Side. Got a telecommunications store, so it's a storefront, small mom and pop. So I've been touching the community hands-on across the counter. So it's almost like if you walk into the store, first thing you hear is gospel and music. I believe in setting an atmosphere where you can control and pretty much keep whatever spirits that you don't want dwelling in your space out. So in that atmosphere, you begin to know and talk to people and they share with you and even their struggles. I get to see their kids grow up. I've been blessed to come out of what we would call poverty in America and work my way into being an entrepreneur. Uh, will I get wealthy serving the community that I serve? No, that's not possible. But the wealth of having a kind heart, I think God, man, just prepares you to be in a space where you were meant to be if you're obedient to what he calls you to, which leads us into the how we got here today. So listening to the people coming to the store and share their stories and struggles and understanding what's around in the community, growing up in it, just wanting to do something

Why Neutral Voices Was Born

SPEAKER_00 4:03

to give back. Um so me and some guys would always talk and try to figure out what we could do. So we decided to create our neutral voices. Um, and we also created uh organization, which is a media company, which you mentioned. Yeah, yeah. Neutral Voices Media Group, where we actually have a platform to allow people to come in. It's a neutral space to share, talk, if it's resources, if it's your personal business, whatever that is, so that we could communicate to the community and relay the message that we want to have in our community, where we could talk about the stigmas, where we could talk about the negative aspects of it, but then where we can also celebrate all the good things that's happening in our community, because there's so much of that as well. So that's how we kind of got here today, growing up in it, being a part of it, being blessed to have the mindset to want to not repeat what I saw in my household. Um, seeing my mom struggle to pay bills, watching my mom work hard, like catch the bus to go to work. And so at the age of 10, I'll never forget it, paper out. Make the little money I could, you know where it went? To your mom. Yeah. Um, as I got older, old enough to get my work permit, get that. It was a restaurant attached to a laundromat where we would go to wash clothes at. I remember in the wintertime, man, throwing uh pillowcases with clothes stuffed in it that me and my brother, older brother, would carry across the laundromat to wash our clothes. And the owner of the restaurant took a liking to me and my brother. And so uh as soon as I was able to work, uh my mom took me to get my work permit. I started working there. And so growing up in that, man, you just if I could help, one, two, three, I want to do that. That's my way of giving back. So our neutral voices is a blessing to me, and um, we're gonna continue to work it to bless others as we move forward.

SPEAKER_01 6:10

So good, yeah. Does ONV have a vision, mission, um, statement, or is it something more that you live out? I've been amazed by your sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. And uh I know in many ways you don't need a whole lot more than that. But that and the why behind the what.

Mission And Toxic Giving

SPEAKER_00 6:31

So, our mission statement, I'll I'll sum it up for you, is to see every man, woman, and child live out the opportunities and everything that God has called them to, to give them the opportunity to thrive in that calling. That's just to sum it up for you. Like right there, and we stand on that. So, one of the main things we believe in is you you familiar with toxic giving?

SPEAKER_03 6:58

Yeah, in an essence, yeah. But yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:01

So toxic giving is I'll give you an example. There's a scenario, man. A gentleman shared a book with me, and I read it not too long ago, and it was just so powerful. Understanding that I'll take the continent of Africa, for instance. Billions of dollars have been given to support and uplift the poverty things that they're there. Even right here in America, if you were to count it, it'd probably be astronomical how we've tried to deal with poverty and the issues of what we call oppression and what's holding one culture down versus another culture. It would blow your mind to know that after giving away billions of dollars, the change of increment success is minimal, almost to zero. So you would begin to ask your question, what are we doing wrong? So toxic giving is to continually give to any issue or problem that exists that you're trying to find resolve for. If I continue to give to you, rather than teach you, educate you, and give you the necessary tools of life survival to begin to change your mindset so that you can make the choice to shift. Do you want to stay here or do you want to go? And one of the main things we tell people is this you'll never be a hundred percent prepared to go. You need to make a decision that you want to go, though, and you have to start moving that way. I hope that answers your question.

SPEAKER_02 8:34

Sure does. Yeah, it's powerful. Yeah, it's uh yeah, it's it's um, it's the equipping of a mind that you've been given to think differently, um, to dream differently, to process differently. Um, James, I don't know if you would what you would say about this. It's a a lot of us carry the desire to go in our heart. It is, and I think sometimes culturally, as in us as an American culture, it's like, but there's so many barriers, and there are barriers. There's so many barriers that might keep me from moving in the direction of my heart. Um, and what I'm gaining from you is, okay, there's true, there are barriers, and the thing in your heart is beautiful, but you've got to change the way that you think in the in the way that you would pursue it, and even the steps that you'll take in regards to talk to a person, to study something, to to visit a place, to um to actually take the steps even to the foot of that barrier, so you're even closer to it to can see I can actually get over this. Um there's there's there's a mindset that

Mindset, Barriers, And Action

SPEAKER_02 9:35

is attached to it if folks really want to go. Right. Yeah, that's really, really good. Yeah. You guys approach um the work that you're doing in South Fort Wayne and the community at large. I don't want to just put it in that that one pocket because I know your heart is for the south side of the community, uh, but our city at large, but you've approached it with, you know, these five pillars

The Five Pillars Explained

SPEAKER_02 9:58

that you feel can make a difference in the community and where even that mindset uh can be established at. Can you talk about those five pillars and even and even why those are so important to the work you guys do?

SPEAKER_00 10:09

Those five pillars are are what we call necessities of life, spirituality, mental, physical health, education, performing arts, financial literacy, economic development, and then sports. Pretty much they touch you, the individual, the person, um, from the parent to the child. Like so, and then in our, we look at it like a web. And those five pillars, we could get you coming in because spiritual is where you want to enter in with O and V, right? But if you got kids, then we could attach them to the sports. Education is relevant to the parent and the child. And then when it comes to the mental filth, the health, physical health, the whole aspect of the whole body. If you're healthy, if you're eating good, then we kind of help strengthen your mind. If you don't have to worry about how you're going to feed your kids, if you don't worry about what's for dinner next, then we can obtain that space with helping you grow forward. So dealing with the barriers, what we would call boundaries, and we always try to encourage people, man, look at your struggle as your motivation to motivate you to want to do better, to motivate you to want to change the trajectory for your kids to come, your nephews, your uncles, what are they seeing? Are you utilizing the system? And and I don't know if you guys like to get real, but like I just like to talk about things that we're dealing with. Yeah, what I know we're dealing with in our community. So the system of the welfare system, are you allowed to stay on that for a lifetime? Was it built for that? Was it meant for that? Was it meant to help people in hardship? So in our community, I know that some people use it as a lifestyle. And the reality is, is if my kids see me using whatever that is as a crutch, as a lifestyle, or the simplicity of life and the lack thereof of work ethic and what

Escaping The System Curriculum

SPEAKER_00 12:05

work ethic is and what I should be doing just to be a better productive citizen or of society, then at that point you begin to multiply the effect of the negative things that cripple us as a black community. And the reality of what we want to see is where we begin to encourage by example that we don't have to be in that space. You don't have to be in that space. We have choices that we can make, choices that would just help us, better us. But then our neutral voices with those five pillars, we just become that holistic wraparound support system so that you don't have to walk through that by yourself as you begin to make those decisions and want to move to better, want to free yourself from the system. We have a curriculum that we're writing right now. Uh, we're in the middle of it. It's a new book that we're putting together, but it's a curriculum full of motivation and all of that good stuff. But the title is Escaping from the System, understanding what the system is, what it was built for, yeah, and what it was supposed to do to help Americans in life. Um, so that is going to be a beautiful tool for us to be able to do what we have been called to do and also help us with those five pillars that we just talked about.

SPEAKER_01 13:27

You have a tremendous heart uh for the city and a passion uh for your work.

Music, Prayer, And Obedience

SPEAKER_01 13:34

Could you describe how you grow your heart in the word of God? Like what's your rhythm and how do you do that?

SPEAKER_00 13:44

Well, I'm gonna tell you I'm a musician. Okay, and I sing a little bit. So almost every evening when my day is what we call done, like right next to my bed, I got a bass guitar and I have a lead guitar. And depending on how the day went, depends on which one I pick up, right? Yeah. So through my music, man, I get to release. And when I tell you it's the most beautiful, peaceful thing, like when I plug it into the amp and I take a deep breath, take my pick out the string, and the first song that comes to my head, and you just close your eyes. If I'm just running scales or running rips or whatever I'm doing that night, and I can leave it all there. And in the midst of playing, you're praying over what God's calling you to. Like sometimes you even have doubt. Am I worthy? Is it too big? Is it too much? I could simply just say, God, I ain't up for this. Salute the mission and bow out. Uh I'm a hard worker, I thrive in that. So I can work hard, spend more time with my family, and live a simple life. But being obedient to what God has called you to and understanding that you were called to that work, then at that point you realize the simple way ain't the way. You were called to this work for a reason, and you gotta stand on that. And so I'm in this for the rest of my life, whatever health I got left in me. I'm surrendered to this work, and I'm thankful that God has given me a gift of galvanizing. We have a powerful team, beautiful people that love people. So our mission is huge, but God has given us a huge team.

SPEAKER_03 15:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:45

So a lot of people say the elephant's too big to eat in one city. My concept is it's too big for me to eat in one city. It's too big for the three of us to eat. But if I got 30 brothers and sisters standing behind me and they all hungry, and that elephant is the only thing we got in the room to eat, he's gonna get ate up in one city.

SPEAKER_02 16:10

Yeah. Yeah, it's really good. And like you mentioned, yeah, the word galvanizing.

Galvanizing People And Partners

SPEAKER_02 16:16

And uh when I think about you and I think about O and V, but you and Will and T, like that's you, the bringing together of people, and we have that in common. I think we understand that. Um, like there's some cool galvanizing and coming together that's happening that you guys, God has allowed for you guys to be a conduit of that humbly. And, you know, can you talk? Can you tell us some stories of that? Like, I think about Sixth District, I think about um the five pillars and how people are galvanizing around those programs and outreach to make them happen. Like, what are some stories that you can just say, man, we're proud of that? We're we're proud that this is happening because people have come together.

SPEAKER_00 16:53

The most beautiful thing is meeting with our first partners, we would call like uh supporters, and the encouragement of collaboration. Now, mind you, I come from working like in what we call a corporate America, new to not-for-profit sector and all of the different ways it moves. And so collaboration today is so important, and the understanding of that historically how not-for-profits have moved, and of course, you do your own work in your own space, you're busy, you have a lot going on, but we strongly encourage today like whatever we could do together to have greater impact is of the necessity because of the elephant, it's too big, it's been too big. But if we could collectively come together strategically with extreme intention, then the impact, the outpour, it just is so much more impactful. So we've been blessed to create a space, a neutral space, like this table right here in front of us, where your organization, your organization, and we have our neutral voices. We're gonna set our organizations on that table, understand what our strengths and weaknesses are, and after we get done assessing, work in those spaces that we're stronger in and help solidify one another.

Building A 28‑Org Coalition

SPEAKER_00 18:32

So the Sixth District has been blessed to have 28 organizations that sign MOUs, not binding you to anything legally, but just a formal agreement saying that we're going to work together collectively to serve our community. Um, and that's been a blessing in itself. So we're nurturing those relationships right now, is where we are. And so the theme for 2025 has been relationship building as we develop this coalition to see what God would have it become. So we've taken this time this year, 2025, to nurture relationship, not just with the coalition, but with potential supporters introducing our neutral voices because we're new to the scene. And for all means, we try to be as humble as we can so that people don't think, oh Lord, another not-for-profit coming to save the day. Like, we don't want that, but we want people to understand that we're here to help. Like, what can we do to help love for wing? Like, what does that look like? What does a partnership look like between our two organizations? How do we help each other do what we were called to do better?

SPEAKER_01 19:48

Wow. Yeah, it's powerful. What would you say is next on your horizon?

SPEAKER_00 19:56

Oh, that's a big question right there. Yeah. Um The next thing going into 2026 for us is to truly unveil what God has put

Vision For 2025–2026

SPEAKER_00 20:06

in front of us as a vision. And that's the unveiling of the coalition in itself and those partners and outlining what those relationships look like and what the game plan is moving forward with that coalition. Our neutral voices as an entity itself is we have five programs that we're going to be implementing that's focused around those five pillars that we share with you all. Along with our community engagement is what we call it. And then community engagement, that just means like we're going to do things to touch the community regularly. Because building relationships means me being amongst you, touching you. And as we grow that relationship, then it's easier for you to trust and then grow forward as we want to help you. Um we know we're dealing with a lot of hurt people, uh, people that the trust factor is huge. We get one shot, one shot to do this right.

Core Values And Trust

SPEAKER_00 21:07

Our core values are God first, consistency, and transparency. To always allow those that you look to serve and come alongside, see in and out at the same time. If you say you're gonna do something, make sure that it's done and always keep God first. That's our future.

SPEAKER_02 21:33

So powerful. You know, James, you talked about trust, and trust is, you know, it's it's central. Um, it's highly relational, obviously, at first. Um, but a different spin on it would be in building that trust amidst hurt, there's has to have been some roadblocks along the way. And we talked about barriers in people's lives, but there's relational barriers as you you build relationships with people. Say, hey, we're here to

Internal Strife And Unity

SPEAKER_02 22:04

serve. And we know we have one shot. Like, what are some of the things that you guys have potentially run up against uh in this beautiful work? And you know, what are you hopeful for still in the midst of some of those things you run up against?

SPEAKER_00 22:18

So transparency because I want people to hear and understand. Let's talk about my black community, my black brothers and sisters. They're harder on us than my white brothers and sisters that we seek to come alongside and help, right? The oppression from the inside is causing more damage than any other oppression from the outside. So the struggle is worse inward than it is on the outside. So when I say we run into things, the the biggest struggle that we've had is inward strife, jealousy, whatever it is to cause you to say you're not worthy of that, who do you think you are that you could step into that position to do that? Not listening with an open heart, open mind. When your own brothers and sisters come to the table with negativity to see what they could do to destroy and tear down, internal damage causes more harm. Most people die from the inside out. Look good, talk good, walk good, but on the inside dying, halfway dead, don't even know it. Cover up. To me, our community man is in a space like that. Don't understand how we got there, been trying to. But I'm thankful that God has allowed our organization, our team, and a lot of other people. Now, mind you, our community is awesome. Don't take it the wrong way.

SPEAKER_03 24:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 24:03

You asked the question, what's the problem that we ran we've been running into or that we've seen, not more so, say, uh, on our neutral voices, but even with other organizations that have been serving so long, just listening to the scheme of it all. So, in my heart of open-mindedness,

Humility Over Turf And Donors

SPEAKER_00 24:26

trying to understand why you don't like them and why they don't like them. But your mission and your mission are almost the same. You're looking to serve the same people. You grew up in the same neighborhoods. When our other brothers and sisters want to come into this other space and help, they're shunned. Oh, they just want to come take over. Oh, they just want to own it. I I have I don't understand it. But when we say we want to help the people, uh uh end on this statement with this. I would love for us to get out the way. Us.

SPEAKER_03 25:18

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_00 25:19

Get out the way and allow God. If we truly saying that God is the all in all, God has called us to this, then let's get self out the way. Like, let's stop being so judgmental to one another and holding each other accountable for things that we ain't had nothing to do with. And I I'll sum it up in saying this the pile of gold, the money, the resources that are needed to do not-for-profit causes a lot of this problem.

SPEAKER_03 25:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 25:54

Because everybody is talking to the same donors, communicating with the same donors, asking for the same dollars. If it's a foundation, if it's a corporation, if it's a personal donor, and everybody want to keep their donors to themselves, like keep their resources to themselves. And I think it's just turned into this thing. And I don't know how it got there, but there has to be a way to resolve that so that the work could be free-flowing, so

Encouragement To Start Now

SPEAKER_00 26:26

that the impact we could truly get to where we all want to see. Those that truly want the help, allow the help to be given so that they could move forward in life. And all of the extra stuff, and you guys gotta know it, man. If you go to church, if you worked in corporate America, if you had a job somewhere, it's just a thing that we do as people that cause way more damage and unnecessary stuff that if we as humans just got out the way, man, the world could be such a beautiful place. The world is beautiful itself, but we bring all the ugly to it.

unknown 27:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:07

Like, it's good. It's good. You remind me of King David. You have a lot of the same skill sets, I think. You know, he was a musician, a poet, a shepherd, a warrior, a leader. And I see all of that in you. And a verse that uh I'm gonna fast forward now that keeps coming back to me uh as I hear you speak and hear about your life is um when Paul said, make it your ambition to live a quiet life. Uh don't be dependent on anybody, work with your hands. And uh you are a living portrait of that, in my opinion. And I just want to thank you for all you do for our community and who you are. Yeah. Yeah, amen.

SPEAKER_02 27:54

I affirm that. You know, James, and on that note, like um you talked a little bit about your story and where you've come from, and Mitch just edified you with this truth of uh who God has made you to be now. Can as you as you think about yourself now and you go back to your younger self for the business venture

Closing Gratitude And Takeaways

SPEAKER_02 28:15

and and as a young leader and emerging, you know, what would you say to him now as a word of encouragement? What would he need to know? What should he know now that God has has has you in the seat that you're in?

SPEAKER_00 28:28

Yeah. I would tell that, James. Don't wait so late to start the journey.

SPEAKER_02 28:39

Bam. Yeah. Um that's life, that's life-given. I mean, it's this beautiful simplicity of me, that I'm talking to myself. There's seasons, there had been seasons when you hear the still small voice or a whisper or even a hard nudge that says, You're good enough, I've given you territory, um, you're surrounded by people. Even if you're not, I'm making a passageway for you. Seek, knock, ask, um, start now. And so I, for folks that's listening or even watching, like take that beautiful encouragement that start it, start the journey now, even if it doesn't look the way that a social media scroll says that it might look or it should look, start it now. But I do want to affirm I'm thank I'm thankful that you start it now, James. Like, um, because everything that you were doing, laying seeds in the storefront, which you haven't gone to, you can give a plug of where it's at. I know you're not, but I've been in there before. It is a community hub. Like everything that you did in those seasons and you continue to do are a part of where you are now. So thank you for saying yes now. Our community is better for it and will be better for it. So thank you for sure. Yep. Yep. Mitch, find a word at all.

SPEAKER_01 29:57

I'm just inspired. And I know anybody that locks eyes with you is going to be inspired by the Holy Spirit. And God works through people. Um, we are his plan A. And that's where his Holy Spirit indwells. And uh He's very attractive in you, and it's contagious.

SPEAKER_02 30:14

Amen. Amen. Well, folks, thank you again for tuning in to the Love Fort Wayne podcast, man. The opportunity that we've had to do this for multiple, multiple, multiple seasons, uh, telling the story of everyday leaders and people that are loving our city and amplifying the way in which they're doing that is a joy of ours. So I pray that you've enjoyed this episode, uh, that you're able to write things down. As I always say, if you weren't, listen to it again, rewind it back to that spot uh and implement those things into your life. And so until next time, be willow and make a difference.