More Than a Viral Voice:How Percy Edmonds Turned Pain Into Purpose

An exclusive feature on faith, purpose, resilience, and the journey behind one of social media’s most impactful voices.

Spend just a few minutes scrolling through Percy Edmonds’ social media, and it becomes clear why hundreds of thousands of people continue returning to hear what he has to say. His videos aren’t built around trends or controversy. Instead, they challenge people to slow down, examine themselves, and rethink pain, purpose, healing, discipline, and faith. The lessons audiences hear today weren’t created for social media—they were lived long before anyone was watching.

“Life is not a bump in the road,” Edmonds told me. “Life is a bumpy road.” That philosophy anchors everything he teaches. “We’re not defined by what we go through,” he said. “We’re defined by how we come out.”

Photo Credit: Azari London

Before the Followers Came the People

Long before his videos reached hundreds of thousands of viewers, Edmonds spent nearly eight years counseling people through emotional wounds, relationship struggles, financial hardship, and spiritual questions while serving a Christian nonprofit in downtown Chicago. Those years taught him to focus less on algorithms and more on people. “These are real individuals,” he said. “These are people’s lives.” Today, instead of asking what content will perform best, he asks what message might genuinely help someone facing a difficult day.

The Freedom to Finally Speak

Working within an organization required honoring its mission, but social media gave Edmonds the freedom to finally share ideas about identity, accountability, purpose, and spiritual growth that had lived inside him for years. “I really felt God called me to that,” he said. “These were ideas and thoughts I’d had for years. I just had nowhere to share them.”

Choosing Positivity

Edmonds rejects the misconception that positive people never struggle. “I stay positive not because life is always positive,” he explained. “Sometimes I do it in spite of that.” Even while navigating personal hardship, he continued encouraging others, believing adversity reveals who we choose to become.

Healing Beyond Success

One of his strongest messages centers on emotional healing. After years of counseling, he believes many people hide unresolved pain behind careers, money, or achievements. “There are so many unhealed people who hide behind money,” he said. Through his brand, Iron and the Soul, Edmonds encourages people to develop spiritual, emotional, and physical health together. “There’s nothing wrong with going to the gym,” he said, “but don’t forget the soul.”

The Copy-and-Paste Generation

Edmonds believes society has become obsessed with imitation instead of identity. “We’ve created this copy-and-paste society,” he said. Rather than copying someone else’s path, he encourages people to discover the unique purpose they were created to fulfill while continuing to show respect and honor to those who inspire them.

Betting Everything on Himself

Before his platform existed, Edmonds walked away from a familiar career, long-standing relationships, and professional security. “I literally lost everything,” he recalled. The early days brought criticism and misunderstanding, yet he refused to abandon what he believed was his calling. “I literally gambled on myself.”

Purpose Over Popularity

For Edmonds, success is inseparable from purpose. “The best way to chase success is to walk in your purpose,” he said. He believes gifts require development through discipline, study, and preparation. Success, he insists, never requires diminishing someone else’s accomplishments. “I can be the best version of myself, and you can be successful too.”

The Road Few People See

Many of Edmonds’ most powerful lessons were born from seasons of rejection, loneliness, and isolation. “Wisdom comes from pain,” he reflected. Perhaps his most memorable observation summed up the entire conversation: “People see the glory, but they don’t know the story.”

The Work Isn’t Finished

Despite reaching hundreds of thousands, Edmonds believes he’s only getting started. Books, speaking engagements, courses, and expanding his podcast all remain ahead. When I asked him how he hoped to be remembered, he paused before answering quietly: “I hope I fulfill all the purposes of my life. I hope I complete my work.” His greatest ambition isn’t fame or viral success. It is leaving the world knowing he fulfilled the purpose for which he believes he was created—and helping countless others do the same.

To learn more about Percy Edmonds, follow him on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/thekingjabez?igsh=bmZ6MHlxbmk3OWts

Photo Courtesy: Percy Edmonds.