Ron Williams, a pastor and fitness champion, told Senator John Johnson on the Politica Podcast that he was abandoned at age 3, could not read until he was 28 and later founded the nonprofit Hope of Utah to help underserved communities.

Williams, who described winning bodybuilding titles including Mr. Universe and said he is a “21-time world champion,” said that a difficult childhood included physical and emotional abuse and suicide attempts. “When you have a childhood like that, you either get very, very bitter or you get better,” Williams said. “I decided one day to get better.”

The interview provided a chronological account of Williams’s life and the work his organization does. Williams said he learned to read by studying the Bible at age 28, later taught nutrition and exercise at Utah Career College after the school awarded him an honorary degree, and plans to receive a doctorate from a Christian college in June. He described a period in the military during which he boxed and later competed in bodybuilding, saying he won the Mr. Universe title, lost 52 pounds during a 40-day fast, then won again.

Williams said Hope of Utah is a 501(c)(3)-style nonprofit (he described it as a nonprofit) that helps people and community leaders who lack skills in administration and operations. He told the host the organization helps with website building, forming nonprofit structures and other back-end tasks so community members can focus on “spirit, family, fitness and finances,” the four program areas Williams listed. “We’re helping them with the things that they don’t have skills in so they can utilize their gifting, their skills, and their passion to really go out and help more people,” Williams said.

He described his outreach as focused on the “underserved community” in Utah and said he works with an organization he identified as Path Forward Utah and an associate named Jamie Renda. Williams said his personal goal is to “change 2,000,000 lives.”

On personal recovery, Williams described how a reported religious experience at 28 helped him shift away from self-harm and toward a life of ministry and mentoring. He summarized the change in outlook during the interview: “If you change a person’s mind, you change their life.”

Senator John Johnson, the program host, asked about Williams’s business experience and how he moved from athletic competition to entrepreneurship and ministry. Williams recounted negotiating ownership stakes in a supplement business decades ago and said he insisted on retaining 51% ownership when offered a partnership role.

The podcast episode did not include policy proposals, votes or formal actions; it was an interview about Williams’s life and nonprofit work. Williams spoke repeatedly about the importance of faith and his pastoral role as the primary vehicle for his outreach work.

Williams described his own credentials and history in first-person terms throughout the interview; statements about titles and awards reflect his account during the program and are attributed to him. The program included a short sponsor message and returned to the interview, which ended with Williams expressing gratitude and reiterating his outreach goal.