Before David Archuleta became a household name as the runner up on American Idol and a multi-platinum recording artist, he was a kid who didn't believe in himself, terrified of being exposed, and convinced that who he was at his core was something he needed to hide. Then he met Ronda Truman Ford, a Nashville mom who opened her home, her heart, and gave him something he'd never experienced before: a place where he could belong without expectations. In this raw and deeply personal conversation, the singer sits down with David Begnaud to share the story of the woman who believed in him when he was too afraid to believe in himself.

David opens up about meeting Ronda when he was just 18, exhausted & longing for a home cooked meal and a sense of family. He talks about how Ronda invited him in, cooked for him, held game nights, and made him feel seen not as a celebrity, but as a person. He shares what it felt like to move to Nashville at 24 after serving a two year mission in Chile, still closeted, still codependent, and how Ronda became his accountability partner, his gym buddy, and the safe place he needed to start healing. She never forced him to change. She just made him want to grow.

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 ☀️

Chapters

00:00:00 Intro: The Nashville Mom Who Saw Him Whole
00:01:49 Game Night in Nashville: The First Meeting That Changed Everything
00:04:06 Moving to Nashville: Searching for a Place to Belong
00:06:23 What Do You Want in Return? Learning Unconditional Love
00:10:35 The Dad Who Pushed Too Hard: Growing Up Under Jeff's Control
00:17:53 The Accusation That Shattered Everything: A Family Secret at Age Nine
00:20:50 I Was Used to Being Obedient: Homeschooling and Hiding Who He Was
00:23:48 The Late-Night Conversations: Ronda's Table and the Healing That Began
00:13:23 She Knew I Was Gay Before I Did: The Permission to Be Myself
00:23:48 I'm a Living Contradiction: Being the Mormon Poster Boy While Struggling Inside
00:37:40 The Prayer That Saved My Life: When God Said Stop Asking Me This
00:33:10 Three Engagements to Women: The Desperate Attempt to Be Straight
00:57:36 I Almost Chose Not to Be Here: Writing His Will and the Fear of Failing
00:25:47 Singing at Her Bedside: The Week COVID Shut Down and Ronda Passed Away
00:26:22 Thank You for Giving Me a Safe Place: What David Would Say to Ronda Today
00:50:06 The Paralyzed Vocal Cord That Became His Story: Turning a Flaw Into Fame
00:40:18 From Agnostic to Raves: Finding God Outside the Mormon Church
00:43:29 To the Gay Mormon Watching This: It's Okay to Take a Break
00:49:18 I Can't Keep It to Myself: Why Visibility Matters More Than Silence
01:00:35 Devoted to Being Alive: Making Mistakes On Purpose and Living Without Regret
01:03:10 You Are Not a Mistake: David's Message to Anyone Who Feels Wrong

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

David Archuleta OPENS UP About Being a Gay Mormon