No Surrender

Justin Cole

Justin Cole is a Texas-born serial entrepreneur, husband, and host of No Surrender — a podcast about real people who hit rock bottom and found a way back up. ​ Justin's childhood was challenging. His parents divorced when he was very young, his dad worked insane hours, his mother suffered from a debilitating illness that kept her away for long periods of time, and his sister was born severely disabled. He was able to add mixed fractions in his head at the age of four, before being formally taught about them, but his dyslexia was so severe that he had to attend special ed classes through the middle of second grade. By 15, Justin was a standout athlete and young business owner. By 17, he was homeless. From high school quarterback to being assaulted and nearly killed by his high school's spirit squad, to facial cranial reconstructive surgery, to multiple arrests, and living out of motels, his teenage years were marked by struggle, defiance, and survival. ​ But rock bottom wasn't a one-time event — it became a recurring teacher. In college, Justin went from rebuilding his life to securing a multimillion-dollar loan to open his first luxury car dealership before graduation. Within a year, the Great Recession hit. He lost everything — his home, his business, and nearly his will to keep going. ​ What followed was a relentless cycle of rebuilding. Justin spent years learning the hard truths of leadership, resilience, and faith while advancing through the ranks in the automotive industry. In 2016, out of a small construction trailer he shared with three other dealers, he took a massive leap of faith: he founded what would become Accelerate Auto Group, a family of companies that has since grown into a multimillion-dollar operation. Alongside his wife, Andrea, Justin has faced theft, betrayal, attacks that required the FBI's involvement, significant financial loss, and near collapse various times — yet every challenge has become a stepping stone. Together, they've built multiple eight-figure businesses, survived the chaos of a pandemic, and learned that faith, grit, and perseverance can carry YOU through anything. ​ For Justin, No Surrender isn't just a podcast — it's a mission. ​ It's about turning pain into purpose. It's about surrendering not to defeat, but to God. And it's about reminding people that no matter how deep the valley, there's always a way out. ​ Because sometimes, all it takes to rise again is a single inspiring story.​ No Surrender to the trials. No Surrender to the fear. Only surrender to the Almighty.

Episodes

  1. JAN 6

    04: No Surrender Built This: $50M+ Founder Ryan Blair on Failure, Fear, Ownership, and Becoming Who the Next Level Requires

    Ryan Blair grew up navigating chaos—family fracture, addiction inside a doctor's household, ADHD, and a constant feeling of being out of place. School never fit. Authority never stuck. And for a long time, neither did direction.   By 15, life forced a reckoning. Sent away to a boys' rehab school in Mexico, Ryan was stripped of distractions, and for the first time, asked the question that would change everything: "Why am I the way I am?"   That moment sparked a lifelong commitment to personal development, ownership, and self-mastery.   College didn't fix things. Three years at Texas A&M became a cycle of failure, avoidance, and misery—until Ryan finally made a radical decision:stop chasing expectations and commit fully to what he actually cared about. Cars.   With absolute clarity and relentless discipline, Ryan went from knowing nothing about tools to: Valedictorian of Audi Academy A Top 5 Audi Technician in the country A National Twin Cup competitor representing the U.S. But the real test didn't come in the shop. It came when he walked away from security with no plan. Started a business from an 800 sq ft storage unit. Scaled too fast. Took on $1.3M in debt. And nearly lost everything. He faced bankruptcy. Sold or lost almost all of his assets, including his house. Walked to work. Lived in constant fear—until fear lost its power.  What followed wasn't luck. It was humility. And becoming who the next level demanded. Today, Ryan leads a $50M+ multi-location automotive empire and continues the deeper work—spiritual, personal, and professional—knowing the climb never ends.  This is a story about: Why pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional Why ego keeps people stuck longer than failure Why ownership is freedom And why No Surrender isn't motivation—it's a way of life If you're in a valley…Questioning your path…Or rebuilding after failure… This episode is proof: You're not broken. You're being built.  Join us as Ryan Blair delivers a masterclass on resilience, leadership, and becoming the version of yourself your future requires.   CONNECT WITH JUSTIN! Instagram: @thenosurrendershow YouTube:  ⁨@justinjcole⁩   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nosurrendershow TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@justincolethecarguy Website: https://www.nosurrendershow.com   JUSTIN'S BRANDS Accelerate Auto Group: https://www.colethecarguy.com Accelerate Auto Repair: https://www.accelerateautorepair.com Don't Trade It In: https://www.donttradeitin.com FAST: https://www.fast.cars Dallas Car Appraisals: https://www.dallascarappraisals.com   CONNECT WITH RYAN BLAIR | ALLOY AUTOMOTIVE PARTNERS LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanblairalloy Blair Automotive: https://blairautomotive.com/ Alloy Automotive : www.linkedin.com/company/alloy-automotive-partners

    1h 40m
  2. 12/23/2025

    03. You Don't Control the Outcome: Filmmaker Alejandro Monteverde on Ego, Suffering, Surrender, and No Surrender

    He came to the US at 17, not knowing English, with no diploma, and a 1.6 GPA. Six months to learn English in America. That was the plan... Parties. Alcohol. No direction. Life felt chaotic—but easy to ignore. Until something shifted. Not overnight. Not dramatically. But quietly… a conviction in his soul that the life he was living was destroying him. He didn't know how he'd tell stories. He only knew he was meant to tell them. The dream felt impossible. The University of Texas? Out of reach. So he started at ground zero. Community college. Two years of discipline.  Doors began to open - but only after he made space for them. Then life hit harder than failure ever could. In 2015, his father and brother were taken by force and murdered. A pain too heavy to carry. He chose stillness over numbing. Meditation over control. Surrender over ego. Today, he's not defined by titles. Doesn't care about fame, but he's already there.  This is a story about purpose over pride. About losing control—and finding clarity. About climbing mountains that never end. If you've ever felt unqualified, overwhelmed, or broken by life… Alejandro's journey is a reminder: You don't control the outcome. You control your Surrender...Or No Surrender And sometimes, the greatest strength is letting go. Join us as Alejandro leads a Masterclass on finding and living with purpose.   CONNECT WITH JUSTIN! Instagram: @nosurrenderpodcast YouTube:  ⁨@justinjcole⁩   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nosurrendershow TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@justincolethecarguy Website: https://www.nosurrendershow.com   JUSTIN'S BRANDS Accelerate Auto Group: https://www.accelerateautogroup.com Accelerate Auto Repair: https://www.accelerateautorepair.com Don't Trade It In: https://www.donttradeitin.com FAST: https://www.fast.cars Dallas Car Appraisals: https://www.dallascarappraisals.com

    1h 16m
  3. 12/09/2025

    02. Amy Lord: From Addiction to Redemption — 20 Years Sober & Singing for God

    She grew up at Wincroft Academy (the same school Taylor Swift attended), surrounded by art, music, and opportunity. A tiny girl with a big voice. Life felt golden… until age 15. Her parents divorced, and a scandal rocked her family. Suddenly, the golden girl found a life of parties, boys, and drugs. What followed was a whirlwind of alcohol, self-destruction, and hidden pain masked by a smile.  Until the moment everything changed. Broken. Tired. Out of options, she prayed: "If You deliver me from this, I'll tell the world it was You and You alone." And she walked away from addiction. Her journey didn't end there. She wrote music from the darkest valley. Faced spiritual warfare in real time. And just when life felt restored, her fiancé was deported from the U.S. to Venezuela. She sold everything to move there with him. Then she was deported from Venezuela. No re-entry. No home. She pawned her ring. Started DoorDash. Began again from zero. And still she chose faith. This is a story of addiction and redemption. Of spiritual battles and second chances. Of losing everything, rebuilding, and finding purpose on the other side. If you've ever felt broken, underestimated, or far from who you want to be, Amy's testimony is proof that rock bottom is not the end. Sometimes, Surrender is how you learn to rise. And the valley is where God begins your climb.   CONNECT WITH JUSTIN! Instagram: @nosurrenderpodcast YouTube:  ⁨@justinjcole⁩   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/justincolethecarguy TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@justincolethecarguy Website: https://www.nosurrendershow.com   JUSTIN'S BRANDS Accelerate Auto Group: https://accelerateautogroup.com/ Accelerate Auto Repair: https://accelerateautorepair.com Don't Trade It In: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOXkd2DAcMo FAST: https://fast.cars Dallas Car Appraisals: https://www.dallascarappraisals.com   CONNECT WITH AMY! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amylordmusicusa Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AMYLORDMUSICMINISTRY/ Website: https://amylordmusic.com Pandora: Amy Lord Music Radio   INSPIRATION MENTIONED The Surrender Experiment: My Journey into Life's Perfection By Michael A. Singer https://www.amazon.com/The-Surrender-Experiment-audiobook

    1h 8m
  4. 11/11/2025

    0. Justin Cole: From Near Death to Faith & Entrepreneurship

    He opened his first business at 12 to buy a car — and by 14, he did: a 1968 Mustang Fastback. At 15, he was a standout athlete. By 17, he was homeless. From dyslexia and near-death experiences to building and losing, or nearly losing, multimillion-dollar businesses, Justin's story is raw, real, and relentless. Alongside his wife Andrea, he shares the hardest battles, the lessons of faith, and what it truly means to rise, fall, and rise again. No Surrender — as much about surrendering to God as never giving up. Join us to discover why this movement exists and what's coming next. CONNECT WITH JUSTIN! Instagram: @nosurrenderpodcast YouTube:  ⁨@justinjcole⁩   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/justincolethecarguy TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@justincolethecarguy Website: https://www.nosurrendershow.com   JUSTIN'S BRANDS Accelerate Auto Group: https://accelerateautogroup.com/ Accelerate Auto Repair: https://accelerateautorepair.com Don't Trade It In: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOXkd2DAcMo FAST: https://fast.cars Dallas Car Appraisals: https://www.dallascarappraisals.com   CONNECT WITH ANDREA! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/designs.by.... YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dbandrea Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dbandreallc/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/dbandreallc/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dbandrea Website: https://www.dbandrea.com/   INSPIRATION MENTIONED Arnold Schwarzenegger 2018: The Speech That Broke the Internet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_ktRTWMX3M

    1h 39m
5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Justin Cole is a Texas-born serial entrepreneur, husband, and host of No Surrender — a podcast about real people who hit rock bottom and found a way back up. ​ Justin's childhood was challenging. His parents divorced when he was very young, his dad worked insane hours, his mother suffered from a debilitating illness that kept her away for long periods of time, and his sister was born severely disabled. He was able to add mixed fractions in his head at the age of four, before being formally taught about them, but his dyslexia was so severe that he had to attend special ed classes through the middle of second grade. By 15, Justin was a standout athlete and young business owner. By 17, he was homeless. From high school quarterback to being assaulted and nearly killed by his high school's spirit squad, to facial cranial reconstructive surgery, to multiple arrests, and living out of motels, his teenage years were marked by struggle, defiance, and survival. ​ But rock bottom wasn't a one-time event — it became a recurring teacher. In college, Justin went from rebuilding his life to securing a multimillion-dollar loan to open his first luxury car dealership before graduation. Within a year, the Great Recession hit. He lost everything — his home, his business, and nearly his will to keep going. ​ What followed was a relentless cycle of rebuilding. Justin spent years learning the hard truths of leadership, resilience, and faith while advancing through the ranks in the automotive industry. In 2016, out of a small construction trailer he shared with three other dealers, he took a massive leap of faith: he founded what would become Accelerate Auto Group, a family of companies that has since grown into a multimillion-dollar operation. Alongside his wife, Andrea, Justin has faced theft, betrayal, attacks that required the FBI's involvement, significant financial loss, and near collapse various times — yet every challenge has become a stepping stone. Together, they've built multiple eight-figure businesses, survived the chaos of a pandemic, and learned that faith, grit, and perseverance can carry YOU through anything. ​ For Justin, No Surrender isn't just a podcast — it's a mission. ​ It's about turning pain into purpose. It's about surrendering not to defeat, but to God. And it's about reminding people that no matter how deep the valley, there's always a way out. ​ Because sometimes, all it takes to rise again is a single inspiring story.​ No Surrender to the trials. No Surrender to the fear. Only surrender to the Almighty.