Rebuilding From “Negative Zero”: Yosh Markell on Resilience, Family, Faith, and Starting Over
Sometimes life changes gradually. Other times, everything you know can change in a single day.
On this episode of Grit Won’t Quit, Tom sits down with Joshua “Yosh” Markell for a deeply personal conversation about what it means to lose nearly everything—and still find a reason to keep moving forward.
For more than a decade, Yosh built a successful career in Amazon sales. He developed relationships with major vendors, built a business around trust and consistency, and worked hard to provide for his family.
Then, in 2023, his life was turned upside down.
What followed was a home raid, frozen bank accounts, the loss of his Amazon business, 12 days in jail, roughly two and a half years of house arrest, and years of restrictions that fundamentally changed his career and his daily life.
But Yosh’s story isn’t ultimately about what he lost.
It’s about what he chose to build afterward.
A Business Built on Trust
Yosh spent approximately 13 years working in the Amazon sales business. His success came in large part from building relationships and being someone people could trust.
In 2023, he was introduced to a new supplier through someone he trusted. The supplier appeared legitimate, had been in the wholesale business, and offered inventory that Yosh could sell through Amazon.
For roughly six months, everything seemed normal.
Yosh says there were no obvious red flags. The products were consistent with the type of inventory he had purchased from other suppliers, the pricing made sense, and the relationship appeared to be a straightforward business arrangement.
Then, Yosh learned that the supplier had been killed.
A few weeks later, while driving home after taking his son to school, Yosh was pulled over by police.
At first, he had no idea why.
He soon discovered that his home was being searched and that the investigation was connected to the supplier he had been doing business with.
The Day Everything Changed
Yosh describes the experience as surreal.
He returned to his neighborhood with police following him and saw an armored vehicle, multiple police cars, and heavily armed officers surrounding his home.
Inside, his house was being searched.
Yosh had still not been given a clear explanation of what was happening.
During the search, he asked whether he could go inside to pray. As an Orthodox Jew, prayer was an important part of his daily life. An officer agreed after checking with a supervisor.
Yosh went inside and prayed while watching officers search his home and remove belongings.
Eventually, he and his wife were told that their bank accounts had been frozen and that his Amazon account was effectively gone.
Then came the explanation that changed everything: authorities alleged that inventory Yosh had purchased from his supplier had been stolen.
For Yosh, it was almost impossible to comprehend.
He wasn’t knowingly purchasing stolen goods. He believed he was conducting ordinary business with a supplier who had been introduced to him through someone he trusted.
Suddenly, the business he had spent more than a decade building was gone.
From Business Owner to Defendant
Two weeks after the raid, Yosh learned that he would have to turn himself in.
He initially thought he might be processed and released quickly. Instead, he was told that he could face significant bail and serious charges.
According to Yosh, the charges included racketeering, money laundering, dealing in stolen goods, use of a two-way communication device, and white-collar crime.
The situation was overwhelming.
He had never experienced anything like it before. He describes himself as someone who had always lived a relatively stable life and had never been accustomed to situations involving incarceration or serious legal restrictions.
Even telling his children that he was going away was difficult.
Rather than explaining that he was going to jail, Yosh and his wife told the kids he was going camping.
It was an attempt to protect them from something they couldn’t possibly understand.
12 Days in Jail Changed His Perspective
Yosh ultimately spent 12 days in jail.
One source of comfort during that time was a Jewish organization called Olive, which helped provide him with religious items, books, and other support.
Being incarcerated was obviously difficult, but Yosh says that his experience also gave him something he rarely had in everyday life: time to stop.
For years, life had been moving at full speed.
Business. Family. Responsibilities. Work. The constant demands of everyday life.
Suddenly, all of it was gone.
Yosh found himself with hours to think about his life, his family, his faith, and the person he wanted to become.
He began asking himself difficult questions.
Did he want to spend his time feeling defeated?
Did he want to become a better husband and father?
What did he want his relationship with God to look like?
What could he learn from what was happening?
One of his biggest realizations was that slowing down—even under circumstances he would never have chosen—could provide an opportunity for reflection.
As Yosh puts it, sometimes slowing down can be a blessing.
Coming Home Was Emotional—and Complicated
After 12 days, Yosh returned home.
One of the most emotional moments was seeing his children again.
After being separated from them, having his kids run into his arms was overwhelming. Yosh says both he and his children were crying.
But being home didn’t mean that life returned to normal.
Yosh was placed under house arrest for approximately two and a half years.
He couldn’t simply come and go as he pleased. He faced restrictions on where he could go, how he could communicate, and what he could do online.
Even ordinary moments became complicated.
He recalls having his Sabbath interrupted because of monitoring requirements. He couldn’t use the internet and often found himself alone at home with his dog.
The isolation became one of the hardest parts.
The Importance of Asking for Help
During this period, Yosh realized that he couldn’t simply rely on himself to get through everything.
He started therapy and participated in group therapy. He reached out to friends. He talked to people whenever he needed someone to connect with.
That experience reinforced something he now strongly believes: people need people.
When someone experiences a major setback, it’s easy to believe there is no way forward. Shame, loneliness, and depression can convince someone that their situation is permanent.
Yosh believes that talking to someone can make a difference.
It doesn’t necessarily have to be a therapist. It could be a friend, a family member, or even someone you’ve never met before who is willing to listen.
The important thing is not to suffer completely alone.
Starting Over From “Negative Zero”
Today, Yosh is no longer under house arrest, although he remains on probation and still faces restrictions.
He describes his situation as more than starting from zero.
He’s starting from “negative zero.”
His career in Amazon sales was effectively taken away. He can’t return to sales during the period of his restrictions, which means he can’t simply go back to the career he spent years building.
He also lost many of the professional relationships and opportunities that had taken years to develop.
For someone whose identity was closely tied to his work and ability to provide for his family, that loss was enormous.
Yet Yosh is determined to rebuild.
Rediscovering What He Can Offer
One of the biggest realizations Yosh had during his time incarcerated and under house arrest was that his value isn’t limited to sales.
He understands people.
He knows how to work hard.
He knows how to lead.
He knows how to build relationships.
And, perhaps most importantly, he has developed a deeper empathy for people who are struggling.
Yosh believes that his experiences have given him a perspective that can be valuable in business and in life.
He may not be able to return to his previous career right now, but he still believes he can contribute to a company, lead a team, provide valuable services, and learn new skills.
His confidence took a hit during everything he went through, but he’s rebuilding that, too.
Family Remains the Center of Everything
Throughout the conversation, one theme repeatedly comes through: family.
Even during the day his home was being searched, Yosh was thinking about his children.
He was worried about whether he would be able to take his son to hockey practice.
He was thinking about finishing a project for an upcoming holiday.
While his entire life was unraveling, his instinct was still to be there for his family.
That hasn’t changed.
One of Yosh’s biggest frustrations now is not being able to support his family in the way he once did.
He has always enjoyed helping other people, giving back, and being generous with his time and resources.
Now, he has had to learn how difficult it can be to be the person who needs help.
That’s a difficult adjustment for someone who has spent much of his life wanting to give.
Faith as an Anchor
Faith has also played an important role in Yosh’s journey.
Prayer was part of his life before everything happened, but his experiences have changed the way he views spirituality.
During the darkest moments, faith provided an anchor.
Whether he was praying during the search of his home or reflecting on his life while incarcerated, Yosh found moments of clarity through his relationship with God.
His faith doesn’t mean that he believes everything that happened was easy or that he agrees with every aspect of his circumstances.
Instead, it has helped him find meaning and continue moving forward.
Every Story Can Have Meaning
Today, Yosh has begun sharing his story publicly through podcasts and his website.
He isn’t doing it simply for attention.
He believes that telling difficult stories can help other people realize they aren’t alone.
His message is straightforward: don’t be ashamed to ask for help.
Don’t assume that one terrible chapter means your entire story is over.
And don’t believe that you have to have everything figured out immediately.
Yosh knows firsthand that rebuilding takes time.
He wants things to change tomorrow. But he also understands that real rebuilding doesn’t happen overnight.
It requires patience.
Finding Purpose in the Next Chapter
Yosh has also started interviewing other people and hearing their stories.
For him, that’s another way to turn a painful experience into something meaningful.
He believes everyone has a story and that every story can bring growth.
That perspective has become one of the most powerful parts of his journey.
The goal isn’t to pretend the past didn’t happen.
The goal is to take what happened, learn from it, and decide what comes next.
Grit Means Continuing When the Path Changes
The conversation between Tom and Yosh is a powerful reminder that grit isn’t always about working harder.
Sometimes grit means getting back up after everything you built has disappeared.
Sometimes it means asking for help.
Sometimes it means accepting that your old path is gone and finding a new one.
And sometimes it simply means getting through today while believing tomorrow can be different.
Yosh’s story is a reminder that our circumstances can change dramatically without warning, but those circumstances don’t have to determine the rest of our lives.
He lost a career he spent years building.
He lost freedom.
He lost financial security.
He lost a sense of certainty about the future.
But he didn’t lose his love for his family, his faith, his ability to work, his desire to help others, or his determination to rebuild.
And that’s where the real story begins.
Keep Moving Forward
As Tom and Yosh wrap up the conversation, the message of Grit Won’t Quit becomes especially clear: you can’t always control what happens to you, but you can control what you do next.
Yosh is still rebuilding.
He’s still navigating restrictions.
He’s still looking for the right career opportunity.
He’s still learning how to accept help after spending years being the person who gave it.
But he’s moving.
One day at a time.
One conversation at a time.
One opportunity at a time.
Because sometimes rebuilding doesn’t mean returning to the life you had.
Sometimes it means creating a completely new one.
And when you’ve been knocked all the way down, the first step isn’t necessarily getting back to zero.
It’s believing you can build again—even from “negative zero.”
This podcast episode was filmed at Wingman Planning in Belmar.
