Pentatonix’s Kevin Olusola on Redefining Success—Plus His Stress-Relief Breathing Secret That Aligns Him With God (Exclusive)
An unlikely bond built on faith reveals why worldly success leaves us empty—and how to find true joy
Key Takeaways
- Pentatonix star Kevin Olusola found that Grammys and awards masked a deep need for validation.
- An accidental gospel track on a playlist transformed Donovan Dee Donnell’s life.
- True success means prioritizing faith and family over achievements that leave you in the red.
After years of chasing fame, awards, and applause, Grammy-winning Pentatonix beatboxer Kevin Olusola found himself feeling emptier than ever. The same realization hit life coach Donovan Dee Donnell when he accidentally added a gospel song to his playlist during his shift as an exotic dancer, shaking him to his core. Today, these two men — whose unlikely friendship began over vegan food after a Bible study — are on a mission to help readers discover the kind of success that actually fills your soul. Their new book, Designed to Succeed, will change the way readers think about fulfillment, purpose, and what it really means to win at life.
What started as a conversation between a Grammy-winning musician and a former exotic dancer became a brotherhood built on faith and purpose. Donovan says Kevin’s “consistency and compassion” has deeply influenced him, while Kevin says Donovan has taught him that confidence only comes from knowing exactly who you are.
Their new book, Designed to Succeed, available now, challenges readers to rethink success and discover the fulfillment that comes from aligning their lives with God’s purpose rather than chasing the world’s approval.
The dynamic duo opened up to Woman’s World about why winning a Grammy left Kevin feeling empty, how a gospel song changed Donovan’s life forever, and the simple shift that can help anyone discover their true purpose.
Why winning a Grammy didn’t bring lasting fulfillment
As a member of Pentatonix, Kevin Olusola earned Grammy Awards, multiplatinum albums, and international acclaim, yet the accomplishments failed to provide the validation he was seeking. “I realized that the Grammys and the multiplatinum albums were all masking the fact that I was trying to find validation in my life,” he says. After years of striving, he discovered that success alone could never fill the emptiness inside. “When you strip away the need for validation and realize you are already loved, you are already accepted,” he explains, “that’s when I finally said, ‘Oh well, now all I am doing is coming from a place of expressing, expressing the love, expressing the joy.'” Today, he says true success comes from a sense of joy, love, and acceptance that only God can fill.
Kevin Olusola’s beatbox breathing technique for stress relief
As Pentatonix’s beatboxer touring worldwide, Kevin also relies on breathwork every day, and he says it can be a powerful tool for anyone seeking calm and clarity. “For a beatboxer, the breath is the rhythm of life,” he says. He shared an “industry secret”: certain beatboxing sounds actually allow him to breathe in while performing.
“My breathing is music, my breathing is rhythm,” he explains. For everyday stress relief, Kevin recommends a simple exercise: “I breathe in to the top of my breath capacity, and then I just continue breathing in really hard 3-4 quick breaths while holding it, and then I breathe in one more time and hold it. Then breathe out.”
The result? “My mind feels clear, as if all the components that are toxic or need to get out from the day’s work leave me, and now I’m actually clear to think and be aligned to my Creator.”
How a gospel song changed Donovan Dee Donnell’s life forever
Donovan’s transformation from exotic dancer to life coach taught him lessons he never could have learned any other way. Back in 2004, an unexpected moment at work became the turning point that changed the course of his life.
While working as a dancer, he added what he thought was a romantic love song to his performance playlist after hearing the opening lyrics, “Alone in a room is just me and you.” Later, while listening more closely, he realized the song was actually a gospel track by Yolanda Adams — a love song to God, not a romantic partner. Having grown up in church, the discovery shook him to his core. Soon afterward, he felt God confronting the contradiction between his faith and his lifestyle.
He heard God pressing on his heart: “You are operating, my son, in a very obvious contradiction, and you know it. You are not running, you’re rebelling.” Unable to shake that conviction, Donovan began spending more time in church and Bible study, a process that eventually led him away from the club industry. Though the conviction came in a single moment, leaving that life took nearly two years as he gradually embraced the path God was calling him to follow.
Why it’s never too late to discover your purpose
Despite their different paths, both men have learned that God has a purpose for all of us. Many people discover their purpose later in life by sharing the wisdom they’ve already gained.
“Somebody needs to know,” Donovan says. “Most of the greatest advantage that we get in life comes through exposure, and if they can’t go out there and live it the way that you lived it, then tell them about it.” Whether through mentoring, writing, coaching, or simply passing on hard-earned lessons, he encourages people to see their experiences as valuable resources. “How can you leverage your experience to add value to an industry?” he asks. “The things that move you and inspire you will probably move and inspire other people as well.”
Kevin agrees, pointing to the mentorship he received from legendary producer Quincy Jones. “He DM’d me on Twitter and said, ‘I love what you’re doing with cello boxing — why don’t you come over?'” Kevin recalls. Jones’s encouragement helped him see gifts he hadn’t fully recognized in himself. Kevin also rejects the notion that purpose has an expiration date. “Don’t listen to that lie that you are done, because that’s the world’s lie, not God’s truth,” he says, noting that Scripture often places tremendous value on the wisdom that comes with age.
The hidden cost of chasing success
One of the book’s central themes is the idea of measuring success differently. Donovan introduces what he calls a “profit margin” approach to life, urging people to consider not only what they gain but also what it costs them. “You’ve got to deduct that from what you gained,” he says, pointing out that fame, money, and achievements can come at the expense of health, marriage, family, and faith. “Most people discover they’re in the red — successful on paper but deeply in debt in the areas that really matter: health, relationships, and faith.” Instead, he and Kevin encourage readers to prioritize their “essentials” — faith, family, and the things that sustain them — while keeping their pursuits in proper perspective.
What Kevin and Donovan hope readers take away from ‘Designed to Succeed’
Ultimately, both men hope that Designed to Succeed will help readers feel lighter, freer, and more confident in God’s plan for their lives. Kevin hopes readers will understand that “your destiny can only come from being aligned” and that “God has a plan, God has a purpose, but you will never find it unless you get aligned to Him.” Donovan hopes readers experience something just as powerful: relief. “By the time you finish this book, I want you to feel relief,” he says. “Your belief drives your behavior and your behavior creates your reality.” Together, they hope the book helps people step off the exhausting hamster wheel of worldly success and discover the lasting fulfillment that comes from living the life they were designed to live.
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