Outlasting the Season You’re In with Mayor Derrick Wood - Episode 6

Life is full of seasons—the tough ones, the uncertain ones, the ones that make you question everything. But no season lasts forever. If you’re feeling stuck, just hold on. Change is inevitable, but how do you move through it? That’s what shapes your story.

And today’s guest knows all about embracing change and turning it into purpose.

I’m Charisa Munroe Wilborn, and I’m so glad you’re here. In this episode, I sit down with Mayor Derrick Wood, a leader, entrepreneur, and visionary whose path to politics was anything but planned. He started in the military, built a thriving barbecue business, and had no intention of running for office—until life had other plans.

When a cease and desist order shut down his barbecue business, Derrick showed up at a town council meeting simply to fight for his livelihood. But in that moment, something bigger happened—his voice carried weight. People saw leadership in him before he even saw it in himself. Encouraged to run for council, he took the leap. And lost.

But here’s what changed everything: mentorship.

With the right guidance, Derrick learned how to navigate the system, refine his message, and truly lead. The second time? He won. And just weeks later, my father, Dr. Myles Munroe, looked at him and boldly declared, “My son is going to be the next mayor.”

At the time, Derrick wasn’t even sure if politics was his calling. But sometimes, the people around us see our potential long before we do. And that’s why mentorship and vision matter.

Timestamps:

00:00 Empowering Clarity Through Service
06:17 Life of Service and Empowerment
11:19 Rediscovering Dumfries: Understanding Origins
18:53 From Barbecue to City Council
23:32 Politics as Leadership Journey
31:16 Breaking Cycles of Defeat
33:28 Focus Beyond the Storm
40:07 Barbecue Man's Dual Identity
47:42 Local Politics Spotlight Podcast
52:18 Teachable Journey to Success
57:40 Passion for Authentic Barbecue
01:00:49 Mentorship Journey with Derek

#CharisaMunroe #PurposeFinderPodcast #FindYourPurpose #LeadershipLessons #FromSetbackToSuccess #MentorshipMatters #LessonsInLeadership #PurposeOverPolitics #BBQToMayor #EmbraceTheJourney #OutlastTheSeason #VisionAndGrowth #PowerOfResilience #TurnSetbacksIntoWins #ThePurposeDrivenLife #BreakThroughLimits

About the Guest

Derrick is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps where he served for eight years as a budget technician; Founder and pit master of Dyvine Barbecue In Motion a mobile barbecue catering company and competition team; and an elected two term councilman and now Mayor in the historic Town of Dumfries.

Derrick knows how to overcome setbacks. He believes that you have to live your life on purpose and with purpose. He has experiences of having all he wanted, to having nothing at all and has endured. Now he is committed to sharing his advice as a speaker, coach, seminar leader and author to help other people overcome and to find purpose in life through life's storms. He has worked with schools, non-profits, and different clubs organizations sharing his passion to help them expose the greatness that has gotten trapped by the setbacks they are experiencing right now.

Personal Website & Barbecue Products: DerrickRWood.com
Elected & Engaged Platform: ElectedAndEngaged.com
IG Handles: @mybbqman | @mayordrwood

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