Q&A With Koloff- #140

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Ladies and gentlemen, the following contest is set for one fall. Introducing first, from Lithuania, he weighs 123 kilos, the Russian nightmare, Nikita Kolov. Welcome to another episode of Q&A with Kolov, the Devil's Nightmare. Today on Q&A with Kolov is a very super special guest, right?

The extra special sauce on this one, my brother-in-law, Mark Dupont. Mark, welcome to Q&A with Kolov. Well, thank you so much. It's an honor being here.

Well, it is great to have you, Mark. And, you know, I think, of course, you're married to my one and only sister, Lori. And, of course, I just realized, I guess, 26 years you guys have been married.

Correct. 26 years. And how did you guys meet, Mark? Oh, my God. Well, that's quite a story. Can you give me the elevator version? Well, I put an ad in the paper and It's just a two story mark.

Yeah, it's in the Minneapolis paper. Okay. And, you know, like, looking for someone, whatever, I forget. And I didn't know what to say, so the lady at the newspaper helped me out. And at that time, I was separated from my first wife. And we came up with, she left for unspeakable reasons.

Okay? That's all that was in there. And your sister was sort of intrigued about that. What the heck?

What is this? Unspeakable reasons. So, anyways, that's how we met. That was the introduction.

That was the introduction. And it's really interesting because I had all kinds of people, you know, that, you know, contacted me. I bet she had all kinds of interests, right? Yes, exactly. People have lots of questions about that.

And your sister had a really unique one. Okay? And in that, when I talked to her, you know, most, you know, responses, oh, let's meet today. Okay? You know, let's blah, blah, blah. And your sister said, well, let me check my schedule.

See where I can fit you in. Yes, exactly. So that was very intriguing for me.

Oh, so you were both, I don't know that I ever actually heard those details of that introduction, but what a fascinating way to meet, though. I love that. Left for unspeakable reasons, right? Exactly. Oh, my gosh, that is so good. Well, 26 years later, here you are. Obviously, the intrigue on both sides worked out. Well, you know, an additional, you know, good point about it is I married up. What I mean is he's a much better person than I am, and God has blessed me with that.

Well, you are quite humble. Anyone who spends any time around you knows that you are a very humble man, and so certainly, I certainly appreciate that. And you have been, as we have spent lots of time over the years together, both traveling and my coming up to Minnesota and spending time there at the home. You guys have been gracious to open your home and allow me to stay there with you guys.

And just so much fun from going to the gym, working out, to going on trips, going up north to your place in northern Minnesota, up on Lake Superior. And then how, you know, how you have been such a blessing to all of my children. And you guys, so you got two daughters, she's got two boys, so two boys, two girls together, and then four grandchildren together, right? Four grandchildren on my side, and then on hers, she has two grandchildren.

Okay, so six total, gotcha. Okay, okay. And your children, they don't, my nephews live in Minnesota, where do your daughters live? One daughter lives in Eagan, which is close to Minneapolis, and then one in Gulf Shores, Alabama. And is that where most of your grandchildren in Gulf Shores? Two of the grandchildren are in Gulf Shores.

Okay. And two near Minneapolis. And so we really enjoy going to Gulf Shores. We've spent months there on the Gulf, and you know, it was great. I love warm weather, but it's not too bad in the wintertime.

And in the summertime it gets a little hot, but it's very crowded because a lot of people from the East Coast vacation there. Yeah. So, you know, with their family. Well, and your line of work, you're able to work remote now, and of course you've been 49 years. I joke and say you've got more letters behind your name than there are letters in the alphabet, seeing what line of work you're in. Well, I have a skill of fooling a lot of people, you know.

Right, right, right. Go ahead and tell everyone what your line of work is. Well, I'm a psychologist currently, working at Stanford Behavioral Health in Deep River Falls, Minnesota. I was stationed up there in the National Health Service Corps, because it's an underserved community. And so I spent two and a half years there, and so I was going to retire. I actually was going to be the greeter at Walmart. Right.

Keep going. Yep, and so administration, the last couple days before I retired, because we were going to have the retirement party, and my wife set up a whole, you know, retirement party, and you came up, thank you so much for that. And so we still had the retirement party, but the administrator said, we don't want you to retire. I said, I have to retire to get back home to Minneapolis, because I was up in a, you know, by myself in an apartment. And I said, you know, if I don't go back home, there's going to be problems.

And he says, I'll tell you what we'll do. We'll put your office into your home. And I thought, wow, that's interesting.

Haven't heard that before. So I called Lori, your sister, and she says, I don't care, as long as you're home. So, Stanford brought all of the computer, you know, system and printers and all that into my home. And I'm actually now doing telehealth telemedicine from my upstairs daughter's room. And I've been doing that for three and a half years. And it's just great.

I love it. But I now as of July 1, I've cut down to halftime, which is really wonderful, because now I have more time to work out. Well, and that that's really helpful for me, work out and travel. I know you guys, of course, my sister retired quite a number of years ago.

She's technically, if you want to say, and enjoying her grandchildren. And but you and you guys not only use, you know, you mentioned spending a month at Gulf Shores. More recently, you spent a couple months out in San Diego and San Diego. Yeah, I love how you guys just kind of pick and choose some places to go.

Some would call them winter birds, right, like to get out of the winter, the Minnesota winter and go south or go somewhere west or exactly right. And some warmer, some warmer. And yes, get to have that that experience of. And because of you working remote, it gives you a lot of flexibility to be able to do that. Right.

So it does. Pretty amazing. And of course, you know, I'm grateful for how well, again, in the time I've over the years have spent with you guys around you guys. And, you know, what a blessing you have been. I know to my sister and how well you've taken care of her and just just want to publicly thank you for taking such good care of her. And we always are thrilled and love when you come and visit us.

It's it's like a real blessing to us. Well, and all my girls love you. I mean, they think they think you're like one of the they think you missed your line of work. You know, you should have been in comedy.

But hey, let me ask you real quick, because this is like I don't know if anyone else wants to. So what's the give me a simple definition or difference between a psychiatrist and a psychologist. OK, well, yeah, a psychologist has, you know, like master's degrees and PhDs, those kinds of things. Now, a psychiatrist is a medical doctor and they can prescribe medication.

That's the big difference. And basically, psychiatrists don't do therapy. OK, they just do medicine. In the olden days, psychiatrists used to do psychotherapy, but because there were so few psychiatrists, they don't train them to do that anymore unless they get a special training. So most psychiatrists will only see you for 10 or 15 minutes max just to see what your symptoms are and what medications you need. Now, psychologists, OK, do psychotherapy.

They would spend an hour with you over a significant amount of time. So in my mind, that's the guy who's sitting in the chair and I'm lying on the couch, is that what you're saying? You're that guy. I am lying on the couch. No, no. OK, things are making more sense now, Mark.

Now I know why I've been laying on the couch so many times at your house while you were sitting in the chair talking with me, analyzing. I get it. OK, OK. You're funny.

Well, that would be the day. Not as funny as you. All right. Well, hey, well, it is bad. It's just so great to have you on the show. So it is Q&A with Koloff. And I do want to get to your questions.

And I know our listeners are just itching to hear what it is my brother-in-law is going to ask me, which I have no clue. So let's just go ahead and fire away your first question. OK. You've had worldwide successes in ministry and in wrestling. Can you go over what your history has been in wrestling and ministry and then what is next for you?

Well, that's a good question. I tell you what's interesting is, of course, you know, I wasn't the wrestling career wasn't on my radar growing up. You know, football was my passion. And of course, you met recently one of my one of my longest buddy, Kirk Talley, who all the way back to the early days, my freshman year in college. I think Kirk and I first met freshman or sophomore year.

But and so we know each other for 40, like 44 years or something like that. So football was my passion in the door of opportunity opens up for wrestling. And of course, I was fortunate to have the success I had as you referenced in the career I had. And so what's interesting parallel, Mark, is I wasn't looking for a wrestling career.

I wasn't looking for, if you want to say, a career in ministry. In fact, at a recent Minnesota Hall of Fame induction that you and Laurie attended, along with my nephew, just wonderful, wonderful. Yeah. Well, one of one of the very well-known ring announcer came to me. He's asking about the ministry goes, Did you ever like in a million years dream you'd be doing what you're doing? I'm like, not in a million years or more.

Right. So the interesting thing is I wasn't looking for a wrestling career. I wasn't looking to be involved in ministry, but both of those doors of opportunity opened up. And wrestling became a platform. Or actually, I should say, well, both a platform, but also a training ground for what I look back now, Mark, and view as the ultimate call of my life, which is to be a minister, to be an evangelist. I've been a pastor in the past, a missionary, you know, just traveling the globe and on this global mission of impacting people's lives. Certainly telling wrestling stories and drawing them in, perhaps with that, but then sharing the ultimate story. And that is how they can receive salvation.

The gift of salvation through the life and death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And I've been fortunate to see at this point, like literally thousands and thousands of people worldwide make some level of decision regarding their, their, their eternal destination, if you will. And when you ask what is next? I'm sitting here in Truth Radio Studios, having never thought I'd ever have a radio show, a podcast, and now a TV show. Having never thought I'd have written books, I'm working on a fourth book. So when you say what's next, actually a series of devotional books I am working on.

So that's one of the things on the docket as far as what's next and then converting some of my books into from, from hardback and paperback into audio books. Would your company, business, or you personally like to partner with me in supporting Koloff for Christ Ministries, The Man Up Show and Man Up Minutes? Go to koloff.net and click the donate button.

You can give monthly, annually or one time. God bless you for making a difference around the world. You're listening to the Truth Network and truthnetwork.com. Nikita Koloff here and I am excited. Did you hear the huge announcement, the big announcement?

Well, maybe it's a minor announcement. Anyway, Facebook, go look up my new fan page, Nikita Koloff Fans, and like it and follow today. If you would like to support Koloff for Christ Ministries, for a gift of $25, Nikita will send you his two CDs, Adoration and Declaration. For a gift of $50, Nikita will include his book, Wrestling with Success. And for a gift of $100 or more, Nikita will include a signed copy of his newly updated life story, A Tale of the Ring and Redemption.

Go to www.koloff.net and donate today. You're listening to the Truth Network and truthnetwork.com. So people around the world can download the audio book if I can't mail one to Europe, for example, or whatever, or Mother Russia, you know, where I came from, you know, way back when. But, ha, ha, ha, right. Anyway, so, yeah, so that's, I guess that would be the answer to your questions. Okay. Next. Thank you, that was great.

Yeah. Now, you talked about on the couch, so let me give you an introduction on what that might be. If you could relive, or sorry, relive a day of your life so far, what day would you choose and why? Who is your favorite person in the Bible? What is the bravest thing you've ever done? What is something that makes you feel sad? Whoa, okay, hold on. All right, so if I could relive a day and say it one more time, if I could relive a day. Sure, if you could relive any day of your life so far, what day would you choose and why? Okay, let's just, all right, hold, let me answer that one and then address the rest of the story there.

Okay. You know what, truthfully, I mean, when I think about, and I've heard, of course in all of my studies and things I've learned over the years, and people, as that question is posed, I would imagine there are certain things you could probably point to and go, wow, if I could redo that or relive that or, but I guess I'd have to more truthfully say at this point in life, I am who I am because of all I've been through and some experiences more traumatic than others. And I guess I could truthfully say if I could avoid some of the pain of the past from traumatic experiences, I might consider reliving that, although through that adversity and through even some of that trauma, you know, fracturing my leg in Thief River Falls at age 18, fracturing my leg again in another game in Moorhead, Minnesota, were defining moments for me that helped mold me, shape me into who I am now. So I don't know that I'd really want to relive or change anything from the past, but more important is utilizing all the things I experienced from the past that helped to make me who I am now and then allows me to be hopefully more effective in then ministering to others because of my past experiences. How's that sound?

That sounds great. Okay, another one from that. What were certain strategies you employed to address your injuries that you've encountered and the stresses in your life?

What strategies have you employed? Yeah, great question. A great question because, you know, you fracture a leg, you know, so to fracture one is one thing, to fracture two, you know, several years apart is a whole other thing. My freshman year in college when I'm 18, I literally remember laying on that football field in Thief River Falls, Minnesota, thinking this, my leg is shattered, and it literally was, my dreams are shattered, my whole future in football is shattered. And, you know, and I guess in a flashing moment, you might say, I'm like, life is over.

I mean, I got left to live for, right? And fortunately for a dear friend named Tim Peltier, he was our quarterback. Tim and I met my sophomore year in high school, and then we got to play some college ball together. He came, I was eventually transported from, transferred from Thief River Falls, a little podunk hospital there, to Memorial Hospital in Northern Minneapolis. I spent 17 days in that hospital, went through surgery.

Yeah, I went through surgery. Tim was there, I think, just about every single day, encouraging me along and letting me know that I still had a future. And so I'm grateful for Tim inspiring me. And then fortunately, the other part of that answer to that question is, I've had a real, I guess you'd say work ethic and work out ethic. And so here I am at this juncture, 52 years later, still working out on average five days a week in a gym.

52 years later. And so I was then determined to go back into the gym, rehabilitate my leg, and be able to continue to pursue my dream of playing in the NFL. So that when I fractured my leg my senior year in college, and because I'd already been through it once, I'm like, okay, I came back, I can do it again. And that was the mindset I had. So for those of you listening out there and thinking about the question Mark asked, Mark, it was just having a positive mindset. And other encouraging people in your life to help push you along.

Okay. So who is your favorite person in the Bible? Favorite person in the Bible? Well, I mean, kind of the standard answer would be Jesus, right? And so I don't know, I could narrow it down just to him because he is, you know, he's who I consider to be who I want to now model my life after is after Jesus Christ.

And studying the gospels and how he lived his life and how he treated and interacted with others, whether it was the woman at the well and the compassion he showed towards her or the woman caught in adultery. And they're like, hey, the law says stone her to death. What do you say, Jesus?

And he's like, well, I mean, just his, how brilliant he was in his responses and answers when these guys tried to trap him. He's like, well, he who is without sin, go ahead and cast the first stone and one by one. And I'm thinking the oldest ones left first because they lived the longest and sinned the longest. They left first and then the younger ones left last to where there were none left. And he's like, where are your accusers?

And she's like, there are none. Right. So go and sin no more. So his compassion mark that he had for people, the fact he wept over Jerusalem, his interaction with people is all what I would love to model. Now, that said, I mean, there's certainly some dudes like Moses and King David and the apostle Paul and a handful of others that I can't wait to meet one day.

But Jesus would have to rank up there at the top of the list. Okay, cool. Great question. Okay.

We've got time for at least one more. Okay. This is quite contemporary. What are human rights? Where did human rights come from? What are the problems secular society has with human rights? What can Christianity contribute? Well, I'm going to in my observation, I'm going to I'm going to say human rights came from the creator of human life. God, God, the creator who created all things, including us, human beings. And and with that, he he our nature, just think about this the other day, actually, you know, scriptures talk about the how there's once you give your life to Christ.

And for those who have will immediately immediately probably know what I'm talking about. There's an ensuing battle between the flesh and the spirit. Right. And, you know, the flesh representing not not the literal physical body, the flesh, but but our human nature.

Right. Our fallen nature. That's what the flesh represents, our fallen nature. And then the flip side of that is you got the Holy Spirit, which represents God's nature and kind of sandwiched in between them is your soul, your mind, will and emotions. And so there's a there's an ensuing war that goes on. Does my flesh win or does my does does the Holy Spirit win?

And that depends on who who you feed the most. OK, so if I if I open up the Bible and and take it as absolute truth, which I do, and I certainly I'm no theologian, I certainly don't understand every single scripture and passage and book of the Bible, but I have become a student of the Bible. And again, just like Christ is who I pattern my life after. It is my source, if you want to say my handbook or my manual to to to successful living.

In fact, some have used it as an acronym. You've probably heard this, Mark. Some say basic instruction before leaving Earth. Others say best instruction before leaving Earth. And so I think what a foundation in Christianity offers is some very solid instruction on human life and human rights and how we are to live our life.

And if we live it according to God's word and his instructions, things for me, I guess anyway, have had a tendency to work out much better than when I was trying to do it all on my own. So I hear you. There you go.

Well, let me let me add, if I can, one idea. This goes back to my schooling. And, you know, I was in a seminar with my professor and the director of psychological services.

And so I said to them, I said, you know, you have us go to primary sources in all the schools of psychology, and I've done all that. And what I have found is they all go back to the Bible and the the director turns to my professor and said, it's time for DuPont to graduate. For real. Come on.

Yes, that actually happened. He's like, OK, you're out of here. You're out of here. But, you know, Mark, we're almost out of time. But I do want to say, but on that note, what's what's amazing is to me is is the controversy, that one, that Jesus himself stirs among man. Right. And then secondly, man, you bring the Bible into the equation and they're like, OK, time for Mark to graduate. You're done.

Get out. But oh, my goodness. I mean, just to think about it.

I mean, the art and again, this this will be a whole another show for another time. I mean, our nation was founded on it. Right.

America was founded on the biblical principles. And and anyway, you go all through mankind. But hey, listen, I do want to I got to get you back on some of our shows again in the future. Would you be willing to do that down the road? Absolutely. It's been an honor and pleasure to be with you and your audience. Well, you give my sister a hug and I invited her to be on, but apparently she declined the invitation. But maybe next time.

Right. Well, and say hi to all your kids. I love them. And thank you for sharing them with me. Well, we all love you.

And I look forward to the next time we get to hang out together more. Mark DuPont. Hey, Mark, real quick, real quick. How could people go and give a way people could go learn more about what you do? I know there's some research and some things you're doing just real quick. How could they go learn more?

Well, they can they can go to the Internet and do that EMDR eye movement desensitization. He is an elephant. M is a monkey. He is a dog.

R as in rabbit. And my email. If they just, you know, wouldn't have a question or something is mark dot DuPont at Sanford Health dot org. OK. And Mark has helped a lot of people over the course of his forty nine year career.

Check that out. And I love you, Mark. Thanks for being on the show. Love you also. This podcast is made possible by the grace of God and your faithful prayers, support and generous gifts. May God bless you for your continual contributions. Go to Koloff dot net and donate today. I, Nikita Koloff, be sure to check out the man up show now available on television, broadcast and podcast. Go to Morningstar TV dot com or the Truth Radio Network. Check out your local listings or better yet, download the Truth Network app today. If you are enjoying Q&A with Koloff, would you help us spread the word? Tell your family, tell your friends, tell your neighbors to download, subscribe and leave a comment. Are you looking for the perfect gift for your pastor?

Well, look no further. Bless him with a trip to the Holy Land with yours truly, Nikita Koloff, the Russian nightmare. I'll be hosting this once in a lifetime trip December 27, 2023 to January 5, 2024.

Your pastor will never be the same. Go to Koloff dot next to get registered today. Nikita Koloff here.

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