On this episode of the Encourage Mindset Podcast, host Ethan Van De Hey welcomes Josh Roybal — a man whose life story reads like something out of a novel. From being struck by a car going 55 miles per hour at age 16, to getting trapped in Vietnam for two years during COVID with his wife and newborn baby, to now building a life near Mazatlán, Mexico, Josh brings a perspective on patience, resilience, and winning life’s bonus rounds that is unlike anything else on this podcast.
Watch the Full Episode with Josh Roybal
Struck by a Car at 55 Miles Per Hour
When Ethan asks Josh about the mindset topics he has mastered through experience, Josh shares something that most people have never heard on a personal development podcast. At 16 years old, he was a pedestrian walking back to school from lunch when a Camaro going 55 miles per hour struck him. Another student was running across the crosswalk, the driver swerved to miss that student, and hit Josh instead. He flew up, hit the traffic lights, and suffered severe injuries.
That experience forced a mindset on Josh that has stayed with him for the rest of his life: patience. The long road of recovery — physically and mentally — taught Josh that you cannot rush healing, you cannot shortcut the process, and sometimes the most important thing you can do is simply endure. That lesson became the foundation for everything that came after.
Trapped in Vietnam During COVID
Josh’s life took another dramatic turn years later. He met his wife while traveling — she was based in London and invited him to stay with her so he would not overstay his visa. They fell in love and decided to travel the world together, journeying through Europe, the United States, and all through Asia. When they reached Vietnam, COVID hit and the borders closed completely. Nobody could come in, nobody could come out.
Josh and his wife were essentially trapped in Vietnam for two years. During that time, they had a baby. When Vietnam finally reopened its borders, the government wanted foreigners out. But Josh now had a wife, a newborn, and no clear destination. The experience tested every ounce of patience and resilience he had built since his accident at 16.
Building a Life in Mexico
After leaving Vietnam, Josh and his family eventually settled near Mazatlán, Mexico, where they are building their life now. Josh tells Ethan that the journey from being hit by a car as a teenager, to traveling the world, to being stuck in a foreign country during a global pandemic, to finding a home in Mexico has taught him that life does not follow a plan — but it rewards people who stay patient and keep moving forward.
Why Patience Is the Ultimate Mindset Skill
The core message of this episode is that patience is not passive — it is one of the most active and difficult mindset skills you can develop. Josh explains that in a world where everyone wants the quick answer, the shortcut, and the immediate result, the people who win are the ones willing to endure the process. He connects this to research and decision-making too, noting that in emergency situations people grab the first piece of information they find without doing the real work of understanding the full picture.
Josh’s perspective on self-control ties directly into this. He tells Ethan that patience and self-control are deeply connected — when you have the patience to wait, think, and process before acting, you make better decisions and avoid the mistakes that come from reacting in the moment.
Winning Life’s Bonus Rounds
Josh sees every chapter of his life after the accident as a bonus round. He was not supposed to survive being hit at 55 miles per hour. Everything since then — the travel, the love story with his wife, their child, the adventure in Vietnam, the life in Mexico — is extra. And that perspective gives Josh a gratitude and a fearlessness that shapes every decision he makes.
His message to the Encourage Mindset audience is simple: life will throw things at you that feel impossible. You might get hit — literally or figuratively — by something you never saw coming. The question is not whether you can avoid the hit. The question is whether you have the patience to recover, adapt, and keep building from wherever you land.
Connect with the Encourage Mindset Podcast
The Encourage Mindset Podcast is hosted by Ethan Van De Hey and brings together leaders, entrepreneurs, and high-performers who share their real stories and strategies for growth. Subscribe on YouTube to catch every new episode.
Related Episodes You Might Enjoy
If you enjoyed this conversation, check out these related episodes from the Encourage Mindset Podcast:
- Chip Baker: You’re Not Broken, You’re Building
- Damien Foglio: Passion and Perseverance
- Bradwin Jordan: Breakthroughs: Become The Person You Were Meant To Be
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