County resident dedicates 2nd place win to mother, late father
West Mansfield resident Lance Mongold wants to be a resource for individuals and families working through an addiction or another crisis — there is hope and a way out, even if it feels like they have hit rock bottom, he said.
After being incarcerated years ago for felony drug possession, he is now a successful business owner with his wife, Corrinna, and stepfather to three children. He recently marked a milestone anniversary in his recovery from heroin and opiate addiction, celebrating 10 years sober.
Around the same time this fall, the Bellefontaine native also achieved a top spot in a nationwide fitness challenge.
Mongold received second place in the Dana Linn Bailey Daily Shredded Summer Challenge out of about 1,000 entrants. He has dedicated this accomplishment to both of his parents, following hardships experienced by his family this year.
The 2006 Bellefontaine High School graduate said he originally entered the fitness challenge in honor of his mother, Lori Mongold, who was diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer earlier this year.
“My mother has always been the strong one in our family, but seeing her go through treatment was one of the first times I had seen her cry since I had been in trouble years ago,” he said, relating to his 2011 arrest.
Physical fitness and spending time at the gym had been a therapeutic lifeline throughout Mongold’s recovery from addiction, he said.
Just a week into the Shredded Summer Challenge, the physically demanding workouts was also a hurdle to push through when he received devastating news Aug. 10 that his father, Jay Mongold, had passed away unexpectedly in his sleep.
“It was a terrible day, but I went to the gym that night after learning that my dad had passed away. I could hear him talking to me while I was there. There was no way I was going to quit this challenge; when I set my mind to something, I’m determined.
“My dad taught me about tough love, a strong work ethic and self-sufficiency. He was a wonderful father and we miss him terribly.”
A few weeks later at the end of the six-week challenge, Mongold said he received a most encouraging phone call. It was Dana Linn Bailey, the first ever winner of the Olympia Women’s Physique competition eight years ago, calling him to inform him of his top finish and offer her congratulations.
“I got to talk to Dana about how she was an inspiration for me,” Mongold said. “During my recovery, I watched her videos to learn how to lift and learned so much from her.”
Throughout his recovery journey and the many ups and downs, the fitness enthusiast said several area residents also have been role models to him and greatly influenced his life.
During his 2011 arrest, Mongold said the words and compassion of Bellefontaine Police Department Detective Craig Comstock have always stuck with him. The accomplished detective passed away just last year.
“I was in handcuffs and I told Detective Comstock that I thought my life was over. He told me that no, this is just the beginning of my life. That was really true in the course of everything; my arrest was a big turning point.”
Mongold served a short prison stint and also served time at the West Central Ohio Community Correctional Facility.
During that time and after his incarceration, Mongold said his probation officer, Jacob Estes, took the time to get to know him and was a caring mentor that he could count on.
Also after his release, he said his former boss Ed Donnelly hired him to work at his previous workplace, McDonald’s of Bellefontaine, where he had served as a manager. He was hired in initially as a janitor and needed to earn back trust to eventually work in a supervisory role once again.
“Ed was a huge figure in my life, and taught me so much about business,” Mongold said.
He utilized his business knowledge to open a residential and commercial cleaning company, Namaste Cleaning LLC, with his wife a little over a year ago. The company serves Bellefontaine, Marysville, Powell, Dublin and surrounding areas.
Corrinna also operates a yoga and strength-training program in West Mansfield, Strength and Prana, where Lance recently has started a strength-training course for area youths ages 8 to 15 to help build them up, both physically and mentally. “Strength and Prana” can be found on Facebook for session information.
Mongold also is interested in other opportunities and speaking engagements so that he can use experiences to help others.
“I want to inspire people and help with the opiate and drug problems, and inspire children to never give up on their dreams,” he said. “You need others around you to offer support when you’re going through these kinds of circumstances.
“Life is going to happen, but you’ve got to keep going and keep on trying. The sun will come up tomorrow.”