COMING SOON: The Purpose Within – Like the Phoenix Out of the Ashes

COMING SOON: The Purpose Within – Like the Phoenix Out of the Ashes
By Dr. James C. Rodríguez

There’s a song by Bad Bunny where he says, “Duermo en Los Ángeles, pero vivo en San Juan.” I know that feeling. I live in Phoenix to be near my children, but my dreams still hum with the heartbeat of New York City. My soul? It dances in Puerto Rico. And my heart—it finds peace walking the shores of California. My family migrated from Puerto Rico to New York and then California, settling in San Bernardino County. I left home at 17 to serve this country as a combat medic and never truly returned—only to visit, to serve, to build. Yet, every step since has been about rising from what tried to break me and returning to what gives me life.

This is why I wrote The Purpose Within: Like the Phoenix Out of the Ashes.

How do we rise when life burns everything we know to the ground?

In The Purpose Within, I open the doors to my journey—not to recount pain for pain’s sake, but to walk with you through the embers of what was… and into the possibilities of what can be. Inspired by Nietzsche’s truth—“Ready must thou be to burn thyself in thine own flame; how couldst thou become new if thou have not first become ashes!”—this book is not about avoiding the fire. It’s about becoming it. Not a spark of ego. But a flame of transformation. This book is not just a project. It is my purpose, poured onto the page.

The Purpose Within is my offering to the world—but more than that, I pray it becomes a mirror for you. A mirror to reflect your worth, your pain, your dreams, and the fire inside you that no one else sees. This book is not fiction. It’s truth lived, battles fought, and victories earned. It’s part memoir, drawn from decades of walking through fire. It’s part of the transformative trainings I’ve been honored to create for thousands of leaders, healers, parents, and warriors across this nation and beyond. And it’s part of every single person who’s ever been told they couldn’t. Well, I’m here to tell you—you can. I am living testimony of that.

Though the full release of this book is set for April 2026, I feel an urgency in my spirit to share parts of it now—because someone out there is standing in the ashes wondering if they’re done. Let me tell you… you’re just getting started. I’ve written over thirteen chapters so far, and every single one ends with a sacred space—not just to read, but to reflect. Not just to understand my story, but to confront yours and enhance your life right here, right now.  Whether you sit with me in a training, a keynote, or across these pages, I always ask two questions:

Would you rather be the target—or the arrow?
How many generations will you impact?

Now I ask them of you. And one more… Who were you created to be—beyond what they said you could or should? Because that answer—that fire—that truth—is what this book is all about. This isn’t just for readers. It’s for risers. So rise with me. The time is now. And, when the book goes off to an editor, I will, "Let Them and Let Me."

Interlude: Yo No Sé Mañana

There’s a melody that’s walked beside me during life’s hardest moments—Luis Enrique’s “Yo No Sé Mañana.”
The lyrics speak to the uncertainty of tomorrow, the beauty of right now, and the courage it takes to love fully without guarantees. That’s the very heartbeat of this book. I don’t know what tomorrow will bring—but today, I choose to live. To give. To be fully present.

We may not know what tomorrow holds, but we can shape what we become when we embrace today with purpose.

Chapter Preview: The Wild Mustang – On Being Born Untamed

Long Beach. The Bronx. Poverty. Violence. But also—the wildness.
I was a child too free for the world’s cages.
They called it reckless. But it was the raw material of purpose.
I was never meant to be tamed. Not by trauma. Not by poverty. Not by expectations.
The wildness in me wasn’t brokenness—it was the spark that refused to die.

I was never meant to be tamed. Not by poverty. Not by trauma. Not by the expectations that came from a broken world.

In this chapter, I share the early years—born in Long Beach, raised in the Bronx, and shaped by two realities: the hunger to survive and the yearning to belong.
But survival is not purpose.
The wildness in me wasn’t recklessness—it was untapped freedom.

Reflection Prompt
What part of your wildness did the world call a flaw—when it may have been your gift?

The Woman Who Could Walk on Air – Legacy by Grace

My grandmother, Escolástica Oquendo, walked with reverence. I watched her give her last coins to a blind man selling pencils. Not because she had extra. But because she had faith. She raised me on love, dignity, and spiritual wisdom—proof that wealth is not in the wallet, but in the way you walk. One moment I’ll never forget: her giving money to a blind man selling pencils, even when she herself had little food. I asked why. She said, “Because God sees what no one else sees.”

That shaped how I lead. How I love. How I give.
Leadership isn't about being seen. It's about seeing others.

Reflection Prompt
Whose quiet strength built your foundation?
Are you leading from ego, or are you walking on air?

The Breath of Elias

When my son Elias died, a part of me broke.
But grief, I’ve learned, is not only an ending. It is a portal. I held his body. Baptized him with my own hands. And still—two decades later—I hold his breath in mine.

Some think grief is something to get over.
I know now: grief is a companion.
It teaches us to love deeper, to live fuller, and to serve with heart.

Reflection Prompt
What pain have you been trying to bury, when maybe you’re meant to carry it with honor?

The Man in the Mirror Was Me – Accountability and Transformation

I’ve made mistakes. I’ve struggled. I’ve been betrayed and have had to rebuild. But there came a point when I had to look in the mirror and say: enough. Freedom doesn’t come from blame. It comes from responsibility. 

Reflection: What truth are you finally ready to face?

In this chapter, I explore PTSD from the military, trauma bonding, cycles of sabotage, and the freedom that comes when we stop running.
There is no growth without accountability.
There is no rebirth without death of the old self.

Reflection Prompt
What mask are you ready to set down?
What truth have you been running from?

Legacy Lessons in a Medal – Giving Beyond Titles

Under a hot summer day in South Carolina, I met a young boy—no rank, no fame, just the quiet strength of a son who showed up with love. I removed a military medal (Meterious Service Medal - MSM) from my jacket lapel and gave it to him—not because he earned it on the battlefield, but because he fought every day to be an amazing child. In that moment, legacy was not earned. It was recognized. The look in his eyes told me everything: he felt seen, valued, loved. You don’t need to be a war hero to deserve honor. Sometimes, just waking up and choosing to love is worthy of a medal.

Reflection Prompt
Who in your life deserves to be honored—not for what they do, but for who they are?
What can you give today that says, “I see you”?

Ikigai Is a Gift You Must Give Away

Ikigai is not just a personal purpose. It is sacred stewardship. The deeper your purpose, the more you must give it away—fully, radically, and with joy. In this chapter, I speak to the idea of generational wealth—not of dollars, but of values.
Some leave bank accounts. Others leave burdens. I hope to leave blessings.

Reflection Prompt
What are you hoarding that was meant to be given away?
Will your life ripple as healing—or harm—into seven generations?

The Currency of the Poor is Love

There are those with power, titles, and wealth who leave behind legacies of exclusion, fear, and trauma. I’ve seen them in leadership roles—even in DiSC trainings I facilitate. But then there are those with almost nothing—who pass on faith, joy, discipline, truth, and love. They are the richest I’ve ever met. They lead without needing control.
They correct without cruelty.
They give without needing applause.

Reflection Prompt
What kind of wealth are you building?
When your name is spoken seven generations from now, what story will it tell?

Phoenix Rising – The Purpose Within

You are not your pain.
You are not your title.
You are not your past.

You are your Purpose Within.

This final chapter is your call to rise. You don’t need to be perfect. You don’t need permission. You just need to be willing to step into the fire and trust that you were born to rise from the ashes—not once, but again and again.

Reflection Prompt
Are you ready to stop surviving and start soaring?
What would happen if you gave yourself permission to become new?

A Few Reflections In The Purpose Within

Reflection 1: Resilience and Identity
When faced with adversity, we often learn the most powerful lessons about who we are and what we're made of. Reflect on a time when you were challenged, judged, or mistreated because of your identity—whether it's race, ethnicity, or another aspect of who you are. How did you respond? What did that experience teach you about resilience and the strength of your spirit?

Prompt:

• What personal strengths did you draw upon in that moment of hardship?

• How do you feel your identity shaped the way you faced the adversity?

• What message do you want to send to others who might be experiencing something similar?

Reflection 2: Forgiveness

"What would it take for you to forgive someone—not because they earned it, but because you deserve your peace?"

Betrayal from someone close like Hiram cuts deeper than most wounds. It’s not just the loss of trust—it’s the breaking of a shared history. But in choosing to release the bitterness, you choose your freedom. You choose legacy over resentment.
Think about that one person who hurt you.
You don’t have to carry them into your future.
You just have to stop letting them hold your past hostage.

Let this be your turning point.

Reflection 3: Legacy and Purpose
As you reflect on your journey, think about the legacy you want to leave behind. What do you want people to remember about you? What is the purpose that drives you, and how can you ensure that your actions align with that purpose in everything you do?

Prompt:

• What aspects of your life do you want to be remembered for?

• How can you ensure that your actions, both big and small, reflect your core values and purpose?

• How do you hope to inspire others to live with purpose and legacy in mind?

• You can choose to rise.

Final Words

This isn’t a self-help book. It’s a self-reminder.
A reminder of who you are.
A reminder of who you’ve always been.
Not the version life tried to silence—but the one your ancestors dreamed of.

So when The Purpose Within is released, I hope you do more than read it.
I hope you burn.
And I hope you rise.

Join me. It’s almost time.
www.fathersandfamiliescoalition.org