David Archuleta | He'd Already Written His Will
Rhonda Ford Truman cooked dinner most weeks for musicians in Nashville who didn't have family there. That's how David Archuleta met her at 18, on tour and wanting a home-cooked meal and a load of laundry. Years later, back from two years as a Mormon missionary in Chile and struggling in LA, he moved into her daughter's old bedroom and stayed a year. She lent him a car. He kept waiting to find out what she wanted in return, and the answer was nothing; she said she was paying it forward. She called him her buddy. She got him working out. Late at night she'd ask how his goals were going.
She was Mormon too, but with close friends who were gay, and she never pushed him on the thing he wasn't ready to name. Someone once asked her when she thought David would accept himself. She said he'd figure it out.
In this conversation with David Begnaud, Archuleta talks about a father who was banned from the Idol set, about a childhood accusation he was made to carry at nine years old, and about the vocal cord paralysis that producers turned into his origin story. He talks about the night he had written his will, and the prayer that followed — asking to be changed one last time, and getting an answer he did not expect. He talks about his mother's first response, and the one she arrived at a year later. And about Rhonda, who died in 2020, whose hand he was holding when the machine went quiet.
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Thank you to Canva for believing in the power of storytelling and helping us bring this podcast to life: https://canva.com
Chapters ☀️
ABOUT THIS PODCAST:
The Person Who Believed In Me is hosted by David Begnaud, founder and CEO of Do Good Crew and often called "America's storyteller." In each episode, David sits down with world-class guests to ask one simple question: Who believed in you before the world did? Big names. Honest stories. Relatable takeaways. Different paths — same question.
David is also a CBS News contributor and host of the weekly segment Beg Knows America, which airs every Monday morning.
Host: David Begnaud
Guest: David Archuleta
Executive Producer: Olivier Delfosse
Associate Producer: Jonah Johnson
Booker: Sully Bloch
Director of Photography: Foster Parks
Live Production Technician: Joseph Gabay & Will Whitley (Statik Creative)
Director of Social: Mariah Maull
Theme Music: Slipstream
Post-Production: Longwave Digital
CONNECT WITH US:
The Person Who Believed In Me:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/believedpodcast
More description
Rhonda Ford Truman cooked dinner most weeks for musicians in Nashville who didn't have family there. That's how David Archuleta met her at 18, on tour and wanting a home-cooked meal and a load of laundry. Years later, back from two years as a Mormon missionary in Chile and struggling in LA, he moved into her daughter's old bedroom and stayed a year. She lent him a car. He kept waiting to find out what she wanted in return, and the answer was nothing; she said she was paying it forward. She called him her buddy. She got him working out. Late at night she'd ask how his goals were going.
She was Mormon too, but with close friends who were gay, and she never pushed him on the thing he wasn't ready to name. Someone once asked her when she thought David would accept himself. She said he'd figure it out.
In this conversation with David Begnaud, Archuleta talks about a father who was banned from the Idol set, about a childhood accusation he was made to carry at nine years old, and about the vocal cord paralysis that producers turned into his origin story. He talks about the night he had written his will, and the prayer that followed — asking to be changed one last time, and getting an answer he did not expect. He talks about his mother's first response, and the one she arrived at a year later. And about Rhonda, who died in 2020, whose hand he was holding when the machine went quiet.
Get more stories that remind you the world is still good. Sign up for our free newsletter: www.thedogoodcrew.com
Thank you to Canva for believing in the power of storytelling and helping us bring this podcast to life: https://canva.com
Chapters ☀️
ABOUT THIS PODCAST:
The Person Who Believed In Me is hosted by David Begnaud, founder and CEO of Do Good Crew and often called "America's storyteller." In each episode, David sits down with world-class guests to ask one simple question: Who believed in you before the world did? Big names. Honest stories. Relatable takeaways. Different paths — same question.
David is also a CBS News contributor and host of the weekly segment Beg Knows America, which airs every Monday morning.
Host: David Begnaud
Guest: David Archuleta
Executive Producer: Olivier Delfosse
Associate Producer: Jonah Johnson
Booker: Sully Bloch
Director of Photography: Foster Parks
Live Production Technician: Joseph Gabay & Will Whitley (Statik Creative)
Director of Social: Mariah Maull
Theme Music: Slipstream
Post-Production: Longwave Digital
CONNECT WITH US:
The Person Who Believed In Me:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/believedpodcast
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