We caught up with Touré Roberts, founder of The Potter’s House at One LA—one of the fastest growing churches in Los Angeles. Being an established pastor, self-help author, motivational speaker and thought leader, we picked his brains on a number of issues facing modern-day society and personal growth. He goes on to divulge how we can facilitate our own personal growth and gives us a taste of the key concepts included within his new book, Wholeness (2018).
College News: How do you think your upbringing and past experiences have shaped your personal growth and beliefs?
Touré Roberts: I believe I am a product of all that I have experienced including the obstacles I’ve overcome. Growing in my understanding of the “whys” and “how’s” of those experiences and gaining a healthy perspective has shaped my belief that if you don’t give up and seek understanding, all of your life’s experiences can work together for your ultimate good.
CN: What inspired you to become a thought leader/self-help author?
TR: Through my own journey of awakening and empowerment, I realized that I wasn’t alone. I recognized that there were countless people that needed to be lifted in the same way that I did. In addition to discovering that I had exceptional abilities in communicating and inspiring, I realized that the best use of these gifts was to share them with others.
CN: The One LA website provides opportunities to volunteer for various projects that help the community, why do you think such schemes are so important?
TR: I believe that one of the obligations of being human is to be humanitarian. Most people want to make a difference but don’t know where to start. We help people to connect their passions to an area of need in the world. This produces personal fulfillment and a better and happier society.
CN: Do you have any plans to expand these volunteering projects?
TR: Yes. As the world gets smaller through information and technology, there is a greater number of needs that arise. My vision is to respond to them as we are made aware, and as our resources match to those growing needs. I realize we can’t answer to all situations, but I believe we are called to support good in every way that we can.
“One of the obligations of being human is to be humanitarian”—Touré Roberts
CN: What is the secret to achieving happiness, in your opinion?
TR: I believe one of the primary secrets to happiness in life is discovering who you truly are and what you were created to contribute to this world. The best part of life is living in this fulfilled existence knowing that you are doing exactly what you were born to do. This process is a journey and doesn’t happen overnight, but it’s a beautiful process of becoming, that makes living fascinating.
CN: In your new book, Wholeness, you talk about invisible boundaries that restrict our personal growth and keep us from reaching our potential. Can you provide some examples of these boundaries and what we can do to break them down?
TR: There are many limitations that hide in our blind spots that have to be identified and overcome in order to experience the realization of our life’s potential, such as insecurities, damaged perceptions of self, others and the world around us, to name a few.
Breaking through these limitations begins with truly knowing one’s self and identifying the patterns that are shaping our current life experiences. Once these patterns are recognized, we can identify what’s healthy and productive versus the ones that aren’t. At that point, we can address the ones that aren’t healthy through a systematic process and create new, healthy and productive patterns. I lay forth these processes in great detail in my book Wholeness and teach my readers how to become “traceable” so that they can become unstoppable.
CN: You have dedicated your life to imparting your wisdom and theories to others, what are the main messages you hope people come away with after reading your books?
TR: I want my readers to know that they were created to win in life. That they have the ability to overcome everything that prevents them from soaring. We should not simply settle and must be ready to do the work. There is a life and existence that is beyond what we could even pray for or imagine.
CN: In your live services you mention the “inner mirror” and how it affects personal growth and perceptions of the world around us. Can you tell to us a bit more about this concept?
TR: We all have what I call our inner “storyteller” which is what we say to ourselves everyday about everything. There is a challenge that sometimes our storyteller (inner mirror) can get distorted because of experiences that we don’t process properly and as a result, the images that our mirror projects back to us can be distorted and negative. This requires the process of qualifying the narrator or your storyteller, and in some cases going through the process of healing your inner mirror. Wholeness teaches you how to do that. One phrase from the book suggests that “the most important story in our lives is the one we tell ourselves.”
CN: Aside from being an author and pastor, you have also proved to be a philanthropist—most notably with your founding of the Artist Resource Centre in north Hollywood. Is this a cause you feel passionately about?
TR: Yes, it is. I believe that art in its various forms has the power to bring people and positive ideas together in a way that few things can. It’s a wonderful tool to unify, bring happiness and promote goodness and peace in our world. I’ll always be a supporter of positive creativity.
CN: What are your goals for the future? Do you see yourself releasing more books or expanding the reach of your church services?
TR: Yes. My goals for the future are to continue the reach of our organizations with a specific focus on leadership development. As the world continues to change, leadership is becoming more and more critical. Furthermore, I love writing and I love people so expect more helpful books from me in the future.
