Podcasts about Badlands

Cam Cooksey takes Flow into its 17th episode with an easygoing mix of football hype, food talk, and community connection. Kicking things off with college football's week zero, Cam weaves in personal stories of high school friends, coaching experiences, and the influence of sports on shaping character and resilience. The chat dives into playful debates—paper vs. plastic bags, bacon obsession, and mustard recipes—while spontaneous call-ins from friends and Badlands regulars bring warmth and humor. With reflections on Georgia roots, family legacies, and the importance of good coaches and community, Cam balances the laughs with heartfelt moments. The episode closes with a shoutout to Soft Disclosure, blending sponsor love into the flow of conversation, making this installment both lighthearted and meaningful.

Jon Herold wraps up the week with sharp analysis and a touch of humor, starting with gold's historic surge as foreign banks now hold more gold than U.S. Treasuries for the first time since 1996. He unpacks Trump's latest executive actions, including making federal architecture “beautiful again,” exempting national security agencies from collective bargaining, and cutting off federal grants for lobbying. The big headline is Trump's use of a rare “pocket rescission” to cancel nearly $5 billion in foreign aid, a move that hasn't been attempted since 1977. Herold also covers Trump canceling Kamala Harris's Secret Service protection, deporting Guatemalan children, and canceling offshore wind subsidies. RFK Jr.'s investigation into SSRIs and hormone treatments in connection with transgender school shooters sparks further debate, while chatter about JD Vance as Trump's successor draws skepticism. Packed with cultural asides, community updates, and even a Soft Disclosure shout-out, this episode blends heavy policy with Badlands banter.

CannCon and Chris Paul kick off the Friday show with laughs over fantasy football before diving into breaking news. They unpack Trump's firing of CDC Director Susan Meneris, the mass resignations that followed, and RFK Jr.'s launch of the “Vaccine Integrity Project,” questioning its real purpose. The hosts expose how the media spins school shootings into trauma ops, connecting SSRIs, transgender ideology, and intelligence manipulation to a wider agenda. They then shift to geopolitics and economics, covering Trump's clever play on Chinese student visas, Nvidia's deal to pay the U.S. government for China chip sales, and how America is decoupling from globalist dependencies. From Kamala Harris' fundraising flop and lost Secret Service detail, to Exxon's quiet talks with Russia and AI-driven cybercrime, the episode delivers sharp analysis, skepticism, and humor all the way to the close.

CannCon and Alpha Warrior open this episode with laughs, cold plunges, and sponsor shout-outs before diving into the buzz around Brad Zerbo's Codex 9/11 documentary and the suspicious timing of mainstream outlets like CBS and Tucker Carlson jumping into 9/11 coverage. They call out weak “debunks” of the film and stress the need for accountability when challenging Badlands research. From there, the conversation shifts to deeper questions about intelligence agencies, false flags, and the manipulation of vulnerable individuals through AI-driven recruitment, echoing modern-day MK Ultra tactics. The hosts also wrestle with solutions to America's school shooting crisis, debating armed veterans, teacher gun safes, and innovative security systems designed by law enforcement vets. With sharp takes, humor, and personal stories, including Disney tunnel secrets and Club 33 rumors, this episode balances heavy geopolitical analysis with unfiltered banter that makes The SITREP a Badlands favorite.

CannCon and Alpha Warrior tackle the aftermath of the Minneapolis Catholic school shooting, breaking down the shooter's background, manifesto, and disturbing ties to cultural and pharmaceutical influences. They highlight how false flag narratives don't mean “fake,” but point to deeper agendas, from SSRIs and MK Ultra-style manipulation to media-driven propaganda. The hosts compare coverage across CNN, MSNBC, and Fox, exposing how emotional storytelling buries evidence and fuels control agendas. Beyond the tragedy, they dive into Trump's policies, from ending cashless bail to D.C. crime crackdowns, and debate policing, community pride, and the economics of crime reduction. With sharp back-and-forth, personal anecdotes, and even fantasy football smack talk, the episode blends heavy analysis with the irreverent energy that makes Badlands Daily a staple.

CannCon and Ashe in America bring sharp commentary and humor to a jam-packed news cycle. They kick things off with pop culture absurdities like Trump's tongue-in-cheek response to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's engagement, before diving into Cracker Barrel's logo flip-flop and the deeper culture war at play. The hosts tackle Snoop Dogg's swipe at woke Hollywood, expose shocking immigration failures including a sex offender hiding in a daycare, and unpack the federal trial of a judge accused of helping an illegal immigrant escape ICE custody. They then dig into the explosive revelation of “burn bags” tied to 2020 election corruption, Trump's push to sanction EU censors, and a heated battle over Pennsylvania's mail-in ballot rules. From Zelensky's illegitimacy and pipeline attacks in Europe to Fulton County's election board defiance and Trump's call to RICO the Soros family, this episode ties together cultural battles, global geopolitics, and the fight for election integrity.

CannCon and Ashe in America continue their deep dive into Strauss and Howe's The Fourth Turning, unpacking Chapter 4 with insight, humor, and plenty of historical parallels. From Mount Rushmore's symbolic generational archetypes to the Renaissance, Reformation, and the birth of America's cyclical patterns, the hosts explore how prophets, nomads, heroes, and artists shape history in repeating turnings. They connect past awakenings, crises, and unravelings to today's cultural and political landscape, drawing out lessons on institutions, family, society, and the rhythm of generational change. With lively banter, sponsor shout-outs, and even a few tangents about smoothies, protein shakes, and pets, this episode blends serious discussion with the community vibe that makes Badlands Book Club a listener favorite. 

Burning Bright and Chris Paul break down Andrew Niccol's dystopian thriller In Time, where life itself is currency and timekeepers rule like central bankers. They explore the film's on-the-nose parallels to fiat money, inflation, usury, and the Cantillon Effect, comparing its “time chain” to Bitcoin's fixed protocol. The hosts connect themes of Darwinism, generational wisdom, and the emptiness of immortality to broader cultural critiques, highlighting how elites manipulate scarcity to control society. From Occupy Wall Street echoes to Trump's populist judo flips, they frame the movie as both a cautionary tale and a mirror to our financial and political systems. With sharp insights, humor, and plenty of rabbit holes, from diamonds to decentralization, this episode shows why In Time still resonates as a metaphor for the theft of human energy and purpose.

Ashe in America, Abbey Blue Eyes, Jackie Espada, Christy Lupo, and Mrs. Rise Attire gather for a lively recap of Deadwood's GART weekend, filled with unforgettable moments, hilarious mishaps, and heartfelt connections. From paranormal ghost hunts at the Bullock Hotel to karaoke nights that brought down the house, the crew shares behind-the-scenes stories of costumes, camaraderie, and community. They dive into the cultural impact of Brad Zerbo's Codex 9/11 premiere, swapping personal reflections on 9/11 and how the documentary shattered long-held narratives. Between tales of prairie dog bites, haunted hotels, scavenger hunt winners, and Cracker Barrel rants, the episode captures the humor, heart, and high-energy spirit of the Badlands family. 

CannCon and Ghost tackle a fiery Tuesday news cycle starting with Trump's floated proposal to allow 600,000 Chinese students into U.S. universities as part of trade talks, raising sharp questions about national security and American opportunity. They dive into Trump's executive order on flag burning, breaking down the Supreme Court precedent, media spin, and the fine line between protest and incitement. From there, the hosts expose manipulated crime data in D.C., celebrate the city's rapid cleanup under Trump's watch, and analyze new subpoenas in the Epstein investigation. The conversation heats up further with Trump's removal of Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook over alleged mortgage fraud, the Proud Boys' Jeremy Bertino recanting testimony, and the GOP's failure to punish Texas Democrats for breaking quorum. Ghost then takes listeners global with updates on South Korea's surprising pivot, Venezuela's cartel standoff, and Israel's land grabs targeting the Greek Orthodox Church. A jam-packed episode connecting corruption, geopolitics, and cultural battles.

Send us a textIn episode #150 we chat with Unbound XL 2025 champion, Rob Britton, about:His epic win - and new course record - at Unbound XL 2025Fueling and hydration strategies he used for 350 milesHeat adaptation and how it's helped in the longtermRobert Britton is a Canadian professional cyclist, who currently competes in gravel racing, including an incredible win at the Unbound XL 2025, where he also set a new course record. Rob competed on the road for more than 10 years before hitting the gravel, and there he earned major results, including two overall wins at the Tour of the Gila in 2015 and 2018, and victory at Tour of Utah in 2017. He also won the Canadian National Time Trial Championship in 2019. After retiring from the road in 2021, he began focusing on gravel and ultra-endurance riding, where he's continued to podium and set records. He took the top spot and set the course record at the self-supported Badlands 780km gravel race in Spain, and he rode and set the BC Epic 1000 FKT in 2022, beating the previous time by 7 hours. This year, he also tackled the 8-day 2025 Cape Epic stage race in South Africa, with teammate Andrew L'Esperance. He's known for embracing the grit and adventure of multi-day, self-supported gravel expeditions, and has a pure joy for the sport. Rob lives in Victoria, British Columbia.Connect with Rob:IG: www.instagram.com/rob_brittonMentioned:Trifecta Nutrition (save 50% your 1st order with code NR50): https://trifectanutrition.llbyf9.net/qnNk05Science in Sport Gels: https://amzn.to/47Ps6rhFirst Endurance Gels: https://amzn.to/45TduVcCarbs Fuel Caffeinated Gels: https://amzn.to/4fVlfhVCarbs Fuel Gels: https://amzn.to/4oPEU7jSwissRx Nitric Oxide: Available on The FeedBeetIt Sport Nitrates: https://amzn.to/3JPxIYuMaurten BiCarb: Available on The FeedSodium Bicarb Capsules: https://amzn.to/3UMIFwoMORE NR New customers save 10% off all products on our website with the code NEWPOD10 If you would like to work with our practitioners, click here: https://nutritional-revolution.com/work-with-us/ Save 50% off your 1st Trifecta Nutrition order with code NR50: https://trifectanutrition.llbyf9.net/qnNk05 Save 20% on all supplements at our trusted online source: https://us.fullscript.com/welcome/kchannell Join Nutritional Revolution's The Feed Club to get $20 off right away with an additional $20 Feed credit drop every 90 days.: https://thefeed.com/teams/nutritional-revolution If you're interested in sponsoring Nutritional Revolution Podcast, shoot us an email at nutritionalrev@gmail.com.

Day 2 of our Sturgis adventure was nothing short of epic!

Thinking about visiting Sturgis, South Dakota? We spent a month there and saw so much. Parking our RV right above downtown gave us a front-row seat to the energy of the rally town. Day trips to Deadwood are a must if you want to catch live Old West shootouts, while drives along the Needles Highway deliver jaw-dropping granite spires and tunnels you won't forget. Of course, no visit is complete without seeing the iconic Mount Rushmore or experiencing a day at the Full Throttle Saloon—the largest biker bar in the world.For nature lovers, Custer State Park offers incredible wildlife encounters (watch for bison herds blocking the road), and the Badlands will leave you in awe with its otherworldly landscapes. If you're there in July, don't miss the Fourth of July fireworks over downtown—it's unforgettable.We also share what it's like to experience Sturgis outside of the rally, make new friends along the way, and how I found the courage to perform my first solo show since my health scare.

Hoy martes en 'Grito Primal' Programa 25, tenemos el gran especial "Justicia para Jake E Lee" revisando los discos de BADLANDS. Imperdible!! Martes 10 y 22 Hrs en Rockaxis.Fm Conduce @CrissAxis / #JakeELee #Badlands

Today Anthony is joined by Sarah to go into the granular details of their set up and strategy for Badlands. They talk tyres, gearing, nutrition and sleeping bags! Even if you won't be tackling anything this big soon there's some great info in here for general biking, racing and nutrition! NOMIO is clinically proven to:Lower lactate levels, Reduce oxidative stress, Improve training adaptations And deliver a noticeable boost from the very first dose. Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.drinknomio.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and check out this game changing supplement. 4iiiiReady to elevate your cycling game? Trust the 4iiii PRECISION 3+ Powermeter—precision, performance, and peace of mind, all in one.Learn more by visiting http://www.4iiii.comREAPCustom Carbon Composition Bikes made in the UK. REAP's gravel bike is set to redefine gravel riding with 50mm+ tyre clearance https://reapbikes.com/

CannCon and Zak “RedPill78” Paine dive into a packed Monday news cycle, kicking off with reactions to the world premiere of Brad Zerbo's documentary CODEX 9/11 and its explosive revelations. From John Bolton's FBI raid and its deep state implications, to Rick Wilson's meltdown and the Lincoln Project's scandals, the hosts break down the hypocrisy of political elites. They cover Tulsi Gabbard's alleged Five Eyes directive, new Nord Stream pipeline revelations, and Justice Gorsuch slamming rogue lower courts. The discussion heats up with Florida's immigration battles, Trump's nationwide National Guard mobilizations, and fresh Epstein-related disclosures including Maxwell transcripts, DOJ document handovers, and Virginia Giuffre's upcoming memoir. With fiery commentary, sharp analysis, and plenty of humor, this episode pulls no punches on corruption, cover-ups, and the fight for accountability. 

Hosted by Brad Zerbo and Jaytriot, this special Deadwood edition of The Audio Files rides straight into outlaw country and rock nostalgia. Fresh off the Badlands gathering in Deadwood, the duo recounts highlights from the trip, including visits to Wild Bill Hickok's haunts, old-west photo shoots with fellow Badlanders, and the electric premiere of Brad's new documentary. Mixing stories from the road with a handpicked soundtrack, Brad and Jay spin everything from Clint Eastwood tributes and Beastie Boys classics to Johnny Cash, Marty Robbins, Volbeat, Kid Rock, and Bon Jovi. They cap it off with Thin Lizzy and spaghetti western flair, capturing the spirit of Deadwood's wild past and Badlands' vibrant present in one jam-packed episode. 

Hosted by Cam Cooksey, this episode of Flow dives into reflections on Codex911 and its impact, blending faith, community, and culture. Cam opens up about his gratitude to God, the strength of the Badlands family, and the importance of truth-telling in the infowar. Sponsors like Allgood, Scales, and Soft Disclosure are highlighted as part of the movement to reclaim clean living. Listeners join in with stories, jokes, and call-ins, sparking heartfelt conversations on humor, resilience, and shared values. From celebrating Brad Zerbo's groundbreaking film to laughing about diva moments, cheerleading routines, and even scars that tell stories, Cam keeps the conversation raw and real. The episode closes with a spirited detour into college football, American culture, and how laughter and faith help the community stand strong together. 

What is the greatest year in movie history? That’s the question this week! Mike breaks down what he believes to be the Top 5 years of all-time and his favorite 5 films from each of those years. In the Movie Review, Mike gives his spoiler-free thoughts on Weapons starring Josh Brolin and Julia Garner. When all but one child from the same class mysteriously vanishes on the same night at exactly the same time, a community is left questioning who or what is behind their disappearance. Mike talks about why director Zach Cregger is a new king of modern horror, if he thinks the movie is over hyped and the secret to Warner Brothers making box office history. In the Trailer Park, Mike dives into Predator: Badlands which stars Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi. It is set in the future on a remote planet, where a young Predator outcast from his clan, finds an unlikely ally and embarks on a treacherous journey in search of the ultimate adversary. Mike shares how the trailer won him over, the language developed for the movie and why Predator and Alien fans are the best people. New Episodes Every Monday! Watch on YouTube: @MikeDeestro Follow Mike on TikTok: @mikedeestro Follow Mike on Instagram: @mikedeestro Follow Mike on X: @mikedeestro Follow Mike on Letterboxd: @mikedeestro Email: MovieMikeD@gmail.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A menagerie of Badlands Media hosts gathers for a sharp, unfiltered discussion on the week's big stories. From speculation over Trump's vice-presidential pick to the backlash against the H-1B visa program, the hosts tackle cultural and political shifts shaping America's future. They dive into the fallout of recent court cases, corruption in green energy projects, and the cultural rot exposed by mainstream narratives. With humor, blunt honesty, and plenty of fiery takes, this episode of OnlyLands delivers the signature Badlands mix of irreverence and insight.

Includes an interview with voice actress Jett LaFever and suit performer Joel Ezra Hebner who portrayed the Predator ship AI and Father Predator at the Predator: Badlands interactive experience at San Diego Comic Con 2025. […] The post #219: Predator Body & Mind, Interviewing SDCC Predator: Badlands Experience Performers Jett LaFever & Joel Ezra Hebner appeared first on Alien vs. Predator Galaxy.

CannCon and Chris Paul kick off a packed Friday edition of Badlands Daily with breaking news of the FBI raiding John Bolton's Maryland home in search of classified documents. The hosts dive into the fallout, connecting it to past raids on Roger Stone and Mar-a-Lago, and highlight the hypocrisy of those now defending Bolton after years of decrying Trump. They explore bombshell revelations about James Comey authorizing leaks, Adam Schiff setting up a legal defense fund, and JAG officers being deployed in D.C. to help prosecute crimes. The conversation expands into Trump's efforts to clean up Washington, the Supreme Court siding with his NIH funding cuts, and a Florida judge halting “Alligator Alcatraz.” CannCon and Chris also cover Trump's response to Letitia James' overturned penalty, Peter Navarro's fiery remarks, and redistricting battles in Texas and California. From Gavin Newsom's unhinged rhetoric to visa reviews tied to mail-in voting, to shocking scandals in Kentucky's legal system, the episode is a whirlwind of breaking stories, sharp analysis, and plenty of humor.

Meet The Matriarch in Wonder Woman #25. Predator: Badlands gets a prequel comic. The Diamond bankruptcy hearing has been delayed again.SUBSCRIBE ON RSS, APPLE, SPOTIFY, OR THE APP OF YOUR CHOICE. FOLLOW US ON BLUESKY, INSTAGRAM, TIKTOK, AND FACEBOOK. SUPPORT OUR SHOWS ON PATREON.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

CannCon and Alpha Warrior dig into Trump's bold move to federalize Washington, D.C. under the Home Rule Act, bringing crime rates down overnight and flipping the narrative on leftist protestors. They break down street interviews with D.C. residents, shocking union statistics, and the symbolism of Trump's September 11 deadline. From FBI arrests under Kash Patel to pardons gone wrong under Biden, the hosts connect the dots on how manipulated data and weaponized agencies are finally being exposed. They also cover Tulsi Gabbard's crackdown on Russiagate operatives, ODNI cuts, the IRS probe into the Clinton Foundation, and the latest developments in the Epstein files. International intrigue enters with a Ukrainian arrest tied to Nord Stream and speculation about Trump's negotiations with Putin and Zelensky. Packed with hard truths, sharp analysis, and a few laughs, this episode shows the swamp is running out of time.

CannCon and Ashe in America dive back into The Fourth Turning with Part 2 of Chapter 3, unpacking Strauss and Howe's generational theory and its implications for America's current cycle. They explore how recurring patterns of crisis and renewal shape history, drawing connections between past turnings and the challenges unfolding today. The discussion highlights the traits of each generation, how these archetypes interact during pivotal moments, and why understanding the cycles is key to anticipating what comes next. With sharp analysis and thoughtful commentary, the hosts make complex historical patterns engaging and relevant to the present moment.

Chris Paul and Burning Bright dive into Isaac Asimov's classic I, Robot, exploring the timeless questions it raises about technology, morality, and the human condition. They unpack the book's famous Three Laws of Robotics and discuss how these guiding principles shape the conflicts between humans and machines in Asimov's stories. The conversation highlights the ethical dilemmas of artificial intelligence, the tension between control and autonomy, and the parallels to today's rapidly advancing tech landscape. With thoughtful analysis and engaging commentary, the hosts connect Asimov's mid-20th century vision to modern debates on AI, surveillance, and the future of human freedom.

CannCon and Ashe in America break down Trump's preparations for his high-stakes summit with Putin, exploring what the meeting could mean for Ukraine, NATO, and America's global standing. They dig into new revelations about DOJ interference in the Clinton Foundation probe, connecting it to broader patterns of corruption and political cover-ups. The episode also highlights media meltdowns as narratives collapse, with pundits scrambling to spin shifting events. From election integrity fights to international power plays, the hosts cut through the noise with sharp analysis and unfiltered commentary, showing how today's headlines tie into the larger struggle for truth and accountability.

In this episode, Sarah shares insights from her recent bikepacking adventure — a test run ahead of the legendary Badlands race. What worked, what didn't, and what changes she'll make before lining up at one of Europe's toughest gravel ultras? From dialling in tire pressure to managing nutrition on remote trails, Sarah dives into the gritty details that make or break a multi-day off-road ride. Whether you're prepping for your own endurance event or just love hearing about wild bike adventures, this one's packed with hard-earned wisdom and gear talk from someone who's in the thick of it.NOMIO is clinically proven to:Lower lactate levels, Reduce oxidative stress, Improve training adaptations And deliver a noticeable boost from the very first dose. Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.drinknomio.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and check out this game changing supplement. 4iiiiReady to elevate your cycling game? Trust the 4iiii PRECISION 3+ Powermeter—precision, performance, and peace of mind, all in one.Learn more by visiting http://www.4iiii.comREAPCustom Carbon Composition Bikes made in the UK. REAP's gravel bike is set to redefine gravel riding with 50mm+ tyre clearance https://reapbikes.com/

Jon Herold returns from a packed weekend at GART in Deadwood, reflecting on the highs of the event and the post-conference crash before diving back into the grind. He covers Trump's high-profile meeting with Putin in Alaska, Zelensky and European leaders at the White House, and the possibility of a bilateral meeting to end the war in Ukraine. The episode also digs into declassified FBI documents exposing DOJ interference in the Clinton Foundation probe, Newsmax's $67 million settlement with Dominion, and moves toward eliminating mail-in voting. Jon highlights shifts in federal oversight of chip manufacturing, National Guard deployments in Washington, and Bill Barr's testimony in the Epstein investigation. He wraps with a plug for Badlands' new lotion brand, Soft Disclosure, supporting independent media while keeping your skin smooth.

CannCon and Ghost break down Trump's latest policy announcements, from new tariffs and economic shifts to fresh executive orders aimed at securing America's future. They spotlight the DOJ's ongoing double standards, where political allies are shielded while opponents face relentless pursuit, raising deeper questions about corruption and accountability. The conversation also covers international developments, including shifting alliances and the growing influence of global power players as Trump prepares for his summit with Putin. With sharp analysis and unfiltered commentary, the hosts connect the dots between domestic power struggles and the global chessboard, showing how today's headlines tie into the bigger battle for control.

266. Choosing Fun and Adventure in Your Marriage and with Your Family: An Interview with Dan & Sam Mathews   Isaiah 55:12 MSG “So you'll go out in joy, you'll be led into a whole and complete life. The mountains and hills will lead the parade, bursting with song. All the trees of the forest will join the procession, exuberant with applause. No more thistles, but giant sequoias, no more thornbushes, but stately pines— Monuments to me, to God, living and lasting evidence of God.”   *Transcription Below*   Dan and Sam Mathews have been married since 2014 and currently reside in Missouri with their two kids, Canyon and Ember. Since the moment they got married, Dan and Samantha have been living a life of sacrifice and faith. From backpacking in Arkansas to RV road trips across the US, they have always taken the adventurous route. Sam is a lifestyle vlogger and content creator, and Dan hosts a hunting podcast in addition to his social platforms. Together they share their life of adventure online with millions of followers. Follow them on socials @wearedanandsam.    Thank You to Our Sponsor: Sam Leman Eureka   Questions and Topics We Cover: What are a few adventures you're so grateful you said yes to in life? Matthew 25:26 MSG says, "That's a terrible way to live! It's criminal to live cautiously like that!" So drawing your wisdom from the Lord, how does your faith fuel your sense of adventure?  How can we begin to enjoy an adventurous life in our marriage and with our family?   Other Episodes Mentioned from The Savvy Sauce Podcast: 82 Traveling with Your Family with Katie Mueller 242 Stories Series: He Gives and Takes Away with Joyce Hodel     Connect with The Savvy Sauce on Facebook, Instagram or Our Website   Gospel Scripture: (all NIV)   Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”   Romans 3:24 “and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”   Romans 3:25 (a) “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.”    Hebrews 9:22 (b) “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”    Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”    Romans 5:11 “Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”    John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”   Romans 10:9 “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”    Luke 15:10 says “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”   Romans 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”   Ephesians 1:13–14 “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession- to the praise of his glory.”   Ephesians 1:15–23 “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”   Ephesians 2:8–10 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God‘s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.“   Ephesians 2:13 “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.“   Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”   *Transcription*   Music: (0:00 – 0:09)   Laura Dugger:  (0:11 - 1:47) Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, where we have practical chats for intentional living. I'm your host, Laura Dugger, and I'm so glad you're here.    The principles of honesty and integrity that Sam Leman founded his business on continue today over 55 years later at Sam Leman Chevrolet Eureka.   Owned and operated by the Burchie family, Sam Leman's Eureka appreciates the support they've received from their customers all over central Illinois and beyond. Visit them today at lemangm.com.    Dan and Sam Mathews are my guests for today, and you may know them from all the social platforms at WeAreDanAndSam.   They live a life of high faith and delightful adventure, and their book, Always Choose Adventure: One Couple's Journey of Chasing the Things in Life That Matter Most, is actually going to release this month. I would highly recommend it. It was an amazing read.   I read through it so fast, and it was a great combination of enjoying the stories but learning so much along the way. It's kind of like our chat for today. We're going to cover various stories, but Dan and Sam are also going to give us simple and practical ideas and tips for adding a sense of fun into our marriage and into our family life.   Here's our chat. Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, Dan and Sam.    Dan Mathews: (1:47 - 1:48) Thank you for having us. We're excited. We are really excited.   Laura Dugger: (1:49 - 1:59) Well, I'm so excited to journey back and get to hear more of your story, but will you first just give us an overview of what current life looks like right now?   Sam Mathews: (2:00 - 2:29) Yes. Currently, I'm 22 weeks pregnant with our third baby. We have two kiddos.   Canyon is almost nine. Ember is seven. We live in Southern Missouri.   We love adventuring and traveling, and Dan hunts. We share life on every platform, so just lifestyle, vlogging, and sharing our adventures. We recently settled down in a home, and so this is our first time doing DIYs for ourselves.   Yeah, it's a fun season right now.   Dan Mathews: (2:29 - 2:46) And Sam loves to host, so I think we have 48 parties scheduled this summer and knocked out a couple already, but yeah, we're excited about life, excited about adventure, and sharing that with people and how they can actually get out and adventure more.   Laura Dugger: (2:47 - 3:01) You do that so well, but if we're going back then to more of the origin stories, will you both share your journey of growing up and your stories that eventually led for the two of you to overlap with one another?   Sam Mathews: (3:01 - 3:37) Yeah, definitely. It's always been me, my mom, and my sister. My mom was a single mom raising us, born in California, but then she moved us to Southern Missouri when I was young, and this was a great place to raise us.   In the Bible Belt, we were raised pretty much in church. She did an amazing job as a single mom, just caring for us and pointing us to Christ. We got plugged into a church very early on.   We volunteered there. My sister and I worked there. We attended there, and so we're really involved, and that's how I met Dan when he came to Bible College.   Dan Mathews: (3:37 - 4:58) Yeah, I grew up in central Wisconsin. We went to church Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night, was very, very involved with the kid's ministry and youth group and just any opportunity I could be around that church community, I was. We had a group called Master's Commission that would come up and do outreach at our church.   They were from Florida, and I was like, man, I want to do that one day. These guys are awesome. They're doing human videos, and they're all musical.   My dad's brother and his family moved down to Southern Missouri, and I get a call one day right after high school. They were like, “Hey, there's a Master's Commission program down here. If you want to do it, we'll pay for it.” I was like, “Sure, let's do it.” Almost no questions asked, just kind of like, all right, tell me the date I have to be there. Then, I started packing stuff up and quit my job and moved down knowing absolutely nobody. I got plugged into the church. I became very, very involved, and then just built a community, and through that, I went there with Sam's sister, her older sister, and I got to know Sam, and then I ended up working out at the gym that she worked at.   Sam Mathews: (4:59 - 5:00) Which was at our church.   Dan Mathews: (5:00 - 5:15) Which was at the church, and so we were just around each other all the time, and that kind of developed over years and years and years. Then one day, I was like, wow, this chick is awesome, and now we're here doing podcasting.   Laura Dugger: (5:16 - 5:32) Which is incredible. Okay, so just to pause, and you go into more of these stories, love your books, so easy to read, but can you take us back to what you both first thought of one another when you were meeting those days at the gym? Oh, gee.   Sam Mathews: (5:33 - 6:22) For sure, Dan is the life of the party, like he is comedy, and just, he has all the jokes, and definitely a charmer with all the ladies, but so fun to be around, and not only his humor draws you in, but I didn't grow up with a father, and so I liked the, I don't know, like strong aspect that he had, just like the confidence, and then his relationship with the Lord was something that I desired to have for myself, you know, a leader in a couple like together, someone to point me towards Christ, but the lightheartedness and jokes and humor keep the hard days fun, but that for me was, you know, I always can count on you for a good joke.   Dan Mathews: (6:23 - 6:41) Yeah, I, when I first met Sam, it was kind of in a group setting, and it was with her older sister with my younger brother, and it was like, oh, this is, you know, Justine's sister. Little sister. Didn't really think a whole lot of it, but after a couple years, I think you were probably a sophomore at that time when I first met you.   Sam Mathews: (6:41 - 6:42) Yeah.   Dan Mathews: (6:42 - 7:36) And, and then after a couple years, it was like she was volunteering in the youth group, and she was on the recreation staff at our camps, and so it's like we were spending more time together, and I'm like, oh, Justine's sister's kind of cute, and yeah, we started, we started just kind of a friendship. We were just around each other all the time. I mean, like before we were dating, we're really interested in each other.   It's like I was walking back from the lake, and she'd hop on my back, and I'd just give her a piggyback ride up to the cabins, and then looking back, I'm like, wow, our lives just were really intermingled and overlapped for years and years, but early on, she was younger. She had braces. She was a hip-hop dance instructor, so I mean, she would have like one sweat pant leg rolled up, high-top Nikes on all the time, like thought she was the coolest thing ever.   Laura Dugger: (7:36 - 7:52) I was. I didn't think. Oh, that's amazing.   I love that, and my husband and I were also friends first, and I feel like that does set you up well in marriage. Like you've got your built-in buddy.   Sam Mathews: (7:53 - 8:30) Exactly. I was going through pictures yesterday, because I was going to post a trend online, and it was like, oh, how cute. How many months have you been married?   And it's like months? You put a picture for every year, and it's like we've known each other since like 2008, maybe 2009. Then, like started our like dating in 2010. I look at pictures of us from 2010 as a couple. I'm like, oh, my gosh, we've grown so much just like, you know, like physically, but even just relationally and spiritually, and like it's crazy looking back, and so thankful for so many years of friendship with him, but you know, relationship-wise, it's been great.   Dan Mathews: (8:30 - 8:52) Well, and I feel like doing life together is a great model before ever like the romantic side comes in. You get to know the person in group settings. You get to know who they are without the interest, because people can put on a different face once you're trying to impress somebody, you know, but we were just being our genuine selves around each other for a long time.   Sam Mathews: (8:52 - 8:59) Probably saw some stupid moments, some hard moments, but that's, yeah, that's what you want to see before you get into a relationship with someone.   Laura Dugger: (9:00 - 9:12) Absolutely. Yeah. And as we're starting back that far, then when you reflect back, what are some of the adventures that you're most grateful you've said yes to in life?   Sam Mathews: (9:13 - 10:38) Yeah. Oh, my gosh. I feel like dating, we weren't even dating at this point, the canoe trip when you did a master's commission, and that was so fun.   It was like all of his friends, my sister, all the master's commission group went kayaking, and I decided to tag along as a sibling, and his brother did, and maybe a couple others. And that was fun, but it also gave me an opening into how Dan adventures, because his way of adventuring is way different than mine. I grew up, like I said, with a mom.   We would camp at a cabin, and you'd pack the car full of everything you need. Dan would literally just put everything in a backpack and hike in two miles to go camping. And so being in that group, going kayaking, it was so fun, and it sparked this new love for adventure and new desire to learn a new way of adventuring.   That was so fun. I mean, that was before we were married, but this is kind of jumping far ahead, but when we were married, we moved to Colorado for a couple of years, and although it was a hard season for us, we learned so much. We gained so much from it.   A lot was birthed in us in that season. I mean, physically, I welcomed my daughter. We welcomed our second child in Colorado, but spiritually, I think God planted a lot of seeds that it may not have been a tangible adventure of being out in the woods, but spiritually, we were in the woods, and we grew so much, and I'm glad we said yes to it because it opened the door and led to so many other things.   Dan Mathews: (10:38 - 12:31) Yeah, I feel like a lot of our adventures, some are traditional. I mean, a big adventure for me was leaving home. I mean, I moved straight out of my parents' house to a different state, and that was totally crazy for me.   But then watching Sam, I mean, she moved out to California for a summer, went to a ministry out there. Then I saw her go to Colorado and Nanny for a couple, all summer long, and so I was like watching this, and we were talking, and I realized, like, we're both all in on an adventurous life, and even when we don't have the answers, it's like, is the Lord telling you not to do it? No?   Okay, well, then we'll see what happens, and I thought that was really cool to watch her just like, oh, I'm going to California for a summer, and at first, I was like, please don't. I don't want you to come all the way to California, but then I was like, that's going to be so incredible. Like, you're just leaving everything behind and starting over for a whole summer in a different state, and so that was like the early dating years where we were kind of doing our own adventures, but we were watching and encouraging each other in doing them, and then we started actually going out and camping and floating rivers and hiking up waterfalls, and if you've never camped in the backcountry with someone, I suggest doing it. It's a great metric for if there's someone you want to marry.   Like, if you can figure out canoeing and camping, you're probably going to be okay in marriage. That's good. And so, yeah, we started doing that stuff, and then from there, it was just like one after the next, going to Alaska, camping in grizzly country by ourselves, and it's our first time there.   Like, we've done some pretty wild things, some pretty traditional things, but at the end of the day, all of the adventures are what brought us together.   Laura Dugger: (12:32 - 12:45) Well, and just thinking of the adventure that drew you together, and then also your current platforms on socials and vlogging and preserving all of these pictures, like you said, you've captured all the pictures throughout the time.   Sam Mathews: (12:45 - 12:45) Yes.   Laura Dugger: (12:47 - 12:58) When you look back, do you feel like God had given you little seeds of what was yet to come or what kind of career you would be in someday, or was this totally a shock to both of you?   Sam Mathews: (12:59 - 13:57) You know what? Looking back at pictures or even videos that I took, I could see how it was something that the Lord was birthing in us, and I would say probably me so more than Dan. I think Dan's like, whatever you want to do, I'm along for the ride type of thing.   It probably wasn't his first choice as a career, but now that we're in it, we love it and we're thankful for the blessing it is to our family and the time that we get to spend with the kiddos. But I look back and I started videoing and taking pictures like years before even starting on social media, and then even the first few months in the year of sharing, it was like I didn't know what I was doing, but I still wanted to just share life and encourage people and love on people and inspire people. And yeah, it's crazy to look back on, but I also see the work the Lord was doing to get it all started before we even thought about it and knew that it would be something that we'd be doing.   Dan Mathews: (13:57 - 16:00) Yeah, and I feel like with Sam, she gets promptings from the Lord that she doesn't know what it is. She doesn't know what it means. And early on, I think the very first one, she's like, babe, I just have this feeling like a big change is coming.   And I'm like, anymore? Like, do you have any more information for me? That's not a whole lot to go off of.   And I mean, in the conversation, I was like, okay, we'll see. Then I just forgot about it. And I mean, it was like the next day.   There was an issue at work, just a very immoral thing that they were asking us to do as employees. And I was like, no, I can't be part of this. And I called her right after, and I was like, babe, I think this might be it.   Like I'm going to resign tomorrow. And we talked and prayed, and I only had like a five-minute car ride home. We talked, prayed, got off the phone, and immediately I get a call from my buddy.   And he's like, “Hey, dude, don't know what you're doing for work right now, but I've got a job for you if you want to come work at this place I'm at.” And I was like, “Oh, my gosh.” So then two years later, the same thing happened.   She's like, I feel like a change is coming. Boom, big change. Two years later, I feel like a change is coming.   All of a sudden, we're in a car moving out to Colorado. And it was just like that cycle. And so now when she's like, hey, there's a change coming, I'm like, oh, my gosh.   I got to pack my bags. Something big's happening. I know something major is happening.   And so, I don't know that early on either of us expected us to be where we are today. But we knew that we wanted to prioritize time together. We wanted to prioritize time with our kids and above all of it, time with the Lord.   And if we could get those three in the right order, it didn't really matter where we were. It didn't matter what state we were in. If we were living in a bumper pole camper, an RV, a tiny home, or a regular sized house, we just knew that we had to prioritize those things, and everything was going to work out.   Laura Dugger: (16:01 - 18:03) Truly. And that's the promise from Matthew 6:33, that you're really living that out. And now a brief message from our sponsor.   Sam Leman Chevrolet Eureka has been owned and operated by the Burchie family for over 25 years. A lot has changed in the car business since Sam and Stephen's grandfather, Sam Leman, opened his first Chevrolet dealership over 55 years ago. If you visit their dealership today though, you'll find that not everything has changed.   They still operate their dealership like their grandfather did, with honesty and integrity. 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Thanks for your sponsorship.    There's a verse that you quoted in your book, and I had never read it before, in the message translation.   So, it's Matthew 25:26 that says, “That's a terrible way to live.” It's criminal to live cautiously like that. So, drawing your wisdom then from the Lord, how does your faith fuel your sense of adventure?   Sam Mathews: (18:04 - 19:50) Yeah, a lot of faith and trust. Several points in our life have been like a crossroads where we feel like we want to almost desire more out of everything to go towards the direction where God is leading us, where we don't know the outcome. We don't know what's ahead.   We don't know what's coming and it's forcing us to trust the Lord, to have faith, even though we're fearful of it. Or we look at another option where it's like, you know what, this is very comfortable. We know the outcome.   We know what's going to be required of us. We know how we're going to get there, how we're going to pay for it. And it was something we didn't desire.   We liked being in a position where we needed the Lord. We're reliant upon Him. And so, you know, we talk often in the book about being comfortable.   And I feel like when you're in a comfortable setting in life, it's safe. There's no risk involved. There's little to no trust in the Lord.   I say that, you know, there's more to the story of that. But that you don't want to be at a place where you don't need God, where you don't need to rely on Him. And so, for us, we just encourage people that if you do find yourself in a comfortable place, to maybe step out of your comfort zone a little bit.   To what's an area where you need to trust the Lord more? Is it finding that new job that you've been waiting for, that you've been hoping for? Is it moving to the state that's closer by your family or closer by your friends that you really desire but you're scared too?   To not just be comfortable and stay for the sake of not being fearful or not, like knowing what's next, but instead step out, trust the Lord, you know, as long as you have peace and as long as you feel that yes from Him. And just lay fear aside and move forward with the Lord.   Dan Mathews: (19:50 - 21:54) Yeah, with every big decision that we make, we're led by peace. And we've said it for years. If either one of us don't have peace about it, we're not doing it.   But when there are multiple doors open, we say we're going to choose the most adventurous one. If we don't feel a specific direction from the Lord, let's just pick the most adventurous one. And it's kind of become common practice for us to not have really many of the details planned out on a major decision on a trip.   And people are like, do you have any idea of what you're going to do when you move there? Or how long you're going to be traveling the country in an RV? And we're like, nope, we'll figure it out.   I joke with my buddies all the time because they're like, “I mean, how do you know everything's going to be okay? How do you know this?” I go, well, between me and God, we've got everything figured out.   And they're like, “Oh, okay, I get it.” I'm like, “well, the Lord has everything figured out, but I can throw myself in that team, you know?” And I feel like it's been an encouragement to some of our friends as they watch it.   And they're like, whoa, you guys did it. I'll talk about it for years. And even when we moved out to Colorado, in our minds, we were going to move out there.   All of our friend group was like, one person needs to move. And then everybody else is going to slowly follow out. Well, we end up moving out there.   And I'm like shooting my buddies messages like, “All right, when are you coming out? And one by one, it was like, “No, I don't think we're coming.”   No, it's not going to be for at least five years. It's going to be, you know, maybe when the kids graduate, all of these different responses. And I'm like, man, that was one of the biggest things that we missed when we were out there.   But we knew that moving to Colorado, taking a pay cut, paying more in rent, like all of those things were a stepping stone to get us to where we were today, to trusting the Lord and starting our first business together, trusting the Lord with our finances, with our time. And really putting us in a position where we were fully dependent on him for our survival.   Sam Mathews: (21:54 - 22:40) And so even if something doesn't work out, we mentioned a couple of stories in the book where we may have moved forward without peace, and it did not end well. But the Lord always brings it around and teaches us something from it or a situation where we felt the peace to move to Colorado, but we were only there for two years. It was hard on us financially.   We got into debt. We had no friends, no family out there. It was a hard season.   We still gained from it. So instead of looking at something as a complete loss, we still look to find the good. You know, what did the Lord birth in us?   You know, like Dean said, spiritually, we grew together. Financially, we started a business. Like so much good came from it that even though it maybe on paper or to others, it didn't make sense.   It was still good. And something that the Lord, yeah, started for us.   Laura Dugger: (22:41 - 23:05) And you've learned those lessons and now you get to share them with others. Even super practical with this one. Our family has never done the RV thing before, but even just dipping our toes in and trying a vacation that way.   What tips do you have for families, maybe who aren't traveling around, living out of their RV, but vacationing with one, what are some of your best tips?   Sam Mathews: (23:05 - 24:27) I just saw a video of someone sharing the other day where they took their family of, let's see, four, six total on an RV for the first time. And I was like, oh no, because the first warning I give to everyone is you have to drain your poop through the hose. If you're out on that, RV life is not for you.   RV vacation is not for you. Do you have to get down and dirty and take care of a few things? There's a lot more maintenance that comes with RV vacationing or RV life.   And I usually have the dirty work for Dan to do and I'm inside cooking, cleaning. But an RV has all your basic needs. You can still go to the bathroom, you can still shower, there's a toilet, there's a bed.   It's just on a lot smaller scale. And if you're not good with being in close proximity with all your children or your spouse, then you may just need a little bit of a bigger space to stay in. But it's fun because you get to navigate it together and you get to learn just a new way of life or new way of traveling.   And yeah, the maintenance of the restroom, you have to have water hookups, or you need solar for electric or you have to be hooked up to electric. The great part is you can go anywhere, and you can get right up close to some great adventures. Our favorite spot to park an RV is the rim of the Badlands.   It's so pretty. Is it the North Rim?   Dan Mathews: (24:28 - 24:28) Yeah.   Sam Mathews: (24:28 - 24:54) It's gorgeous. You wake up to the sun rising over it and it's the most peaceful thing to be right there next to it. And you can't do that with a cabin in the woods.   But the benefit to a cabin in the woods is that's its own adventure. And so just do a little bit of research on the maintenance required for setting up, tearing down the RV in order to get on the road and to like park it and set up.   Dan Mathews: (24:55 - 26:44) I like how you weave some of the worst parts about our RV life in there. But I will say being on the road, traveling and like just kind of deciding on the way is one of the greatest things ever. I did not, like we definitely had a plan.   It was like, “Hey, we're gonna stop one time.” Growing up, we've got five kids. So, it was like, we're stopping one time to go to the bathroom.   If you have to go, you're just gonna have to hold it type of thing. We were fairly structured in the traveling to a place. But being in an RV, it really opens up so much to where you can on the way be like, oh, I just saw a billboard.   I wonder what that is. Look it up. How far away is it?   Hey, what if we take a 45-minute detour and go check this out? Like we found places in the middle of Kansas that 1% of the population knows about. We camped.   There's spots that you can camp on the rim of the Grand Canyon. Like no guardrail, back your vehicle right up, walk out the door, sit there, have coffee or whatever in the morning. And that was like our favorite part about it.   There were nights that we would drive until like one in the morning. And we might be sleeping in a truck stop. But we were on the way to Glacier National Park or to the Oregon coast or wherever.   And so, I feel like ditching the schedule and just kind of figuring it out as you go is one of the most freeing things on a vacation. And the other nice part about it is if you find a place that you absolutely love and you're like, we want to spend four days here, do it. You don't have a new reservation somewhere else that you have to get to.   You can just go wherever the wind blows, have fun with the family. And yeah, I think everybody needs to do it at least one time.   Laura Dugger: (26:44 - 27:02) Oh yeah, for sure. What a great challenge to step outside our comfort zone like you said. Well, one other amazing adventure that you've embarked on together is becoming a surrogate twice, I believe.   Will you tell us a little bit more about that process and that experience?   Sam Mathews: (27:03 - 31:10) Yeah, definitely. So, in 2018, we had our daughter and she was a little bit more work than our first. So, our first was super easy.   Ate well, slept well, like barely cried. And our daughter, maybe it was just her being a girl. A little bit more needy and required some extra grace and some more prayer for patience on my part.   But at that point, I was like, yeah, I think I'm done. Having children of our own and parenting our own children because even raising two kids is going to be a task. But I didn't feel like I was done carrying children.   And I'm like, I still want to have babies, but I don't want to have more to parent. How do I do that? But I felt like the Lord just laid surrogacy in my heart.   And I started thinking about it, praying about it, researching it. And I brought it up to Dan like, hey, what would you think about me doing this? And I had to educate him a little bit on like what being a surrogate was.   As a gestational surrogate, I wasn't carrying an embryo with an egg that was mine. So, I'm not biologically related to the baby. And after some prayer, we both felt at peace about it.   And so, we walked through that door and started the process of meeting a couple or going through an agency to start a journey. And yeah, we've done two now. So, in 2022, I delivered a baby boy for a couple.   And then in 2024, so just last year, I've just actually in a few days, I'm going to hit my year mark of my second belly bud being one and a little girl for a couple. And it was like the most, one of the greatest adventures I've been on. And I've gained so much from it.   And it's so rewarding to see someone who desires to be a parent, to be a mom, but physically can't. To see them walk that road and just step into the role that like watching her become a mom is like, you can tell that's what she was meant to be. That's what the Lord had for her.   And it's so fun seeing the joy of their family and watching her grow up and like being a part of her life. That, yeah, like we just encourage other people, if you're able to do something like that, or no matter what it is, it's not just surrogacy, but if God's calling you to something that may require a lot more from you or something that is not normal, it's not traditional, you don't see it a lot, like just step out and do it. And yeah, it's been fun.   It definitely grouped Dan and I closer together. Spiritually, he was there for me in times of emotional hardship. Pregnancy in itself is hard, but to do it multiple times, you know, this is my fifth pregnancy now.   There's a lot of roles that he takes on to care for the kids more, to care for me more. And we've grown closer and just his love for me, seeing it that even though it's not our baby, like he's still caring for me and taking care of me as if it was. And the Lord, I've had to rely on the Lord so many times because pregnancy and birthing in itself is a miracle.   To go through moments of transfer, like the embryo doesn't always take the first time on a transfer or your levels are off or maybe one of the ultrasounds is, you know, something doesn't look good on it. We're constantly relying on the Lord and it gives us an opportunity to share with intended parents, you know, someone who didn't have hope, didn't have anything to look forward to for parenting their own children, to just like be an encouragement to them spiritually and then share these journeys with others publicly has been a great way just to share our faith and to share how going through a surrogacy journey caused us to rely on the Lord and, you know, point everything back to Christ and, you know, God being just very pro-life and we're excited to bring this life into the world.   And so, yeah, definitely a big adventure to embark on to bring two babies into the world that aren't ours, but one of like the greatest things I've ever done. It's awesome.   Laura Dugger: (31:11 - 31:25) It's a beautiful sacrifice and I'm sure others are also wondering at that moment when you meet the baby that you've been carrying, how did you handle those emotions of sharing the baby?   Sam Mathews: (31:25 - 33:42) Yes. Yeah, definitely. So, when you go into surrogacy, you know, from the beginning that it's not your child, especially as a gestational carrier, not related to it.   Throughout the pregnancy, all these milestones that you hit, you're excited for it, but you're excited for it for the parents. So, finding out, you know, there's a heartbeat and seeing the baby for the first time on ultrasound, you're excited for them. Finding out the gender, you're excited for them.   You know, delivering the baby, you're excited for them that you do a lot of mental prep, but there's also like a lot of research that shows to like plan something after delivery for your family to do, something for you to do with your kids so that when you do leave the hospital, you don't think about what you don't have anymore. You think about what you do have at your house with your family. And so, it may seem hard.   I think a lot of times people compare it to adoption where the birth mom is literally giving up her child to somebody else and the hardship that that would cause on her as a surrogate. And I can only speak for myself because I'm sure there are times where it is hard for a surrogate. But for me, it wasn't because I did a lot of mental preparing, emotionally preparing that I knowing that this child wasn't mine going into it.   I knew that at the end of it, I would deliver the baby and the baby would be taken from me and I'm not raising this child. And a lot of times you don't even touch a baby until like maybe you're discharged to see the baby before you leave. So, it's not like I'm delivering the baby.   The baby's being given to me and I'm holding and I'm bonding with it. And then it's being taken away. It's no, this is from the moment it comes out of the womb.   It is their baby and it's in their care. And again, seeing their face, their joy, the moment where like they're seeing their child for the first time is so rewarding. And that's something that I would never want to take from them.   It was never my role to be this baby's mother. It was to just carry their baby and to bring their baby into the world. And so, it's not as hard as you think, thankfully.   I mean, I wouldn't have done it a second time for sure if it was. And we're praying about a third one. But it's so rewarding.   And yeah, you know from the beginning that it's not yours. So, it's easy to, in a sense, pass the baby off.   Laura Dugger: (33:43 - 34:56) Well, that's a story that really encapsulates stewardship. I think that's a great example.    Did you know you could receive a free email with monthly encouragement, practical tips, and plenty of questions to ask to take your conversation a level deeper, whether that's in parenting or on date nights?   Make sure you access all of this at thesavvysauce.com by clicking the button that says join our email list so that you can follow the prompts and begin receiving these emails at the beginning of each month. Enjoy.    For both of you, your lives are just fascinating mostly because you're living this life of faith and sacrifice. So, it's compelling to get to hear how you're actually doing that. But then I love how you call out that you don't recommend people go to the other extreme and become reckless and chase adventure. You discern between choosing adventure and chasing adventure.   So, I'm wondering if you can give us any of your definitions or parameters around what choosing adventure does and does not look like for you.   Dan Mathews: (34:57 - 38:00) Yeah, I think that choosing adventure for us is looking at opportunities where we can spend as a family, where we can get outside of our comfort zones and just really put it in the Lord's hands. Have fun along the way, you know, whether it's ziplining or jumping off a cliff, like a lot of people think adventure has to be this grand thing and super dangerous. And for us, it isn't really.   Like there's been a couple of times where we've been like, this got crazy quickly. Maybe we could have planned it out a little bit better. But at the end of the day, it all worked out.   And so, when we talk about people choosing instead of chasing or not being reckless, it's all about like, do something new, do something fun, do something that puts you outside of your comfort zone, but isn't going to put you in a bad position. I'm not the guy that's like, you know what? Never swam across Lake Michigan.   I'm going to give it a go, see how it happens, and see what happens. If that's the case, it's like maybe start out with a triathlon and see what you're going to do and work your way up. And so, I don't ever want anyone to take the book or take the things that we say or the adventures that we've had in life and think I'm going to do something absolutely crazy that doesn't make sense.   That's not logical. That's not safe. Like, that's not what this is about.   It's about just getting outside of your comfort zone. And the more you're outside of it, the more comfortable you become with being uncomfortable. And I tell people, like on some of my backcountry hunts, I want to be comfortable in suffering.   Like when I'm really, really struggling physically to climb up a mountain with a 70-pound pack on my back, I want to be like, I know I'm making it out of this. It's not fun in the moment. Like it hurts.   My legs are burning. My back hurts. I feel like I need a break, but I'm going to keep pushing through.   And when I look back on that, I'm going to go, that was brutal and awesome. And I loved every second of it. And I feel like that's how, how we view our trips, our road trips.   I mean, driving, what was it? Thirty something thousand miles in a couple months and visiting dozens and dozens of states. It was like, there were times where it was like, I don't want to be on the road anymore.   The wind is literally about to tip the RV over. I'm almost taking out construction cones or running into things because I had never driven an RV before. And the very first place we go is Wisconsin.   And we drive right past Chicago and there's like construction for a hundred miles. And so it's like all of those things, they were fun. Yeah, they were scary in the moment we got through, we were never in any real danger.   And so, yeah, I feel like it's a stair step when it comes to adventure. I didn't start out just wandering around Alaska by myself. It started with going down to Arkansas, being five miles away from the vehicle and then kind of built from there.   Sam Mathews: (38:00 - 39:50) Yeah, to not be reckless, like to, you know, we talked about this earlier to move forward when you have peace. And just because you have peace with it, someone else may not understand it. But with peace, like there's wisdom too.   You don't want to move forward with a lack of peace and not using wisdom in a decision because yeah, that will get you in trouble and that will cause hardship and pain later down the road. But if you have peace about something and there is that open door and you feel the release from the Lord to go on this adventure, then do it. And even though if it doesn't work out, you know, God will still work everything out.   But yeah, like Dan said, when you, the more you do things that are outside your comfort zone or that, you know, even others may not agree with, but you feel at peace with and you're moving forward, the easier it becomes to do those. And the more you would trust the Lord. And like you said, again, it doesn't have to be some grand adventure.   We encourage people that if they're new to choosing adventure and they're new to stepping outside their comfort zone, try like a new restaurant one day, go to like a new, I was thinking the other day, we live in Missouri and we always travel outside of Missouri for adventure. I'm like, we need to do a six-month adventure just within Missouri. Like we drove two hours South and through Missouri to go to Georgia last week.   And we were driving down this hill on one of the roads. I'm like, this looks like, it looked like Georgia already, or it looked like Colorado, the hillside and the trees and the fog, I'm like, this is beautiful. And I look down, I'm like, oh, we're still in Missouri.   So, there's so much to adventure and to explore in your own backyard or down your street that it doesn't have to be something crazy wild. We're not saying go, you know, jump out of a plane and skydive or something, but just start small, start where you have peace and where you feel the Lord's leading.   Laura Dugger: (39:52 - 40:26) That's great. I love having a handful of practical things. I think of my brother, Drew and his wife, Amanda, when their kids were really little, they just drew a two hour radius to see what places would be fun to go invest and explore.   Or for us, I would say one of our most recent adventures, we didn't know what it would look like on the other side, but it's become one of our favorite things in life and probably our best decision in parenting for us as we started homeschooling our kids last year. And it has been a wild adventure.   Sam Mathews: (40:26 - 40:27) That's an adventure.   Laura Dugger: (40:28 - 40:36) So, any other tips to get people started? Those are even trying the new restaurant. Yeah.   Anything else like that that you would say?   Dan Mathews: (40:37 - 42:13) The nice thing is that we all have this supercomputer in our hand or in our pocket all the time. And there are so many lists of like the top 10 places to see, places to eat. There's books that are just like places to canoe before you dive, places to hike before you dive, and they have all of this stuff listed out.   And so, it's not that you have to be a pioneer and find a new place that nobody's ever been before. Look at the research that people have done before you and look at lists, get on Pinterest or any social media platform and try to just figure out what are practical things that you can do. And then you can also say, how difficult is this going to be for me?   Do I really need to jump that far into it right now? Or should I just go to a local park that might have a cool cave that I can explore? Or maybe there's a creek near the house and like, what if we just go down there and see if we can find fish or crawdads or try to skip rocks?   My kids, that is one of their favorite things. I'm like, I love doing it as a kid. I didn't realize how exciting just the act of watching a rock skip on the water would be for kids.   And so there's, yeah, there's a million different resources online for things that you can practically do close to home. And it might, for some people, just be trying that DIY project instead of calling a carpenter to put yourself up, you know, or a handyman. Like, give it a try.   The worst that's going to happen, you have a hole in your wall. Now you watch a video on how to patch it.   Laura Dugger: (42:14 - 42:37) That's so good. And I'm seeing a theme. A lot of these are getting outdoors and nature.   That's always an adventure. But then I'm even thinking simple things in conversation, trying out a new question, even with a loved one. Or you said at the beginning that you love hospitality.   So inviting somebody new into your home. I think any of that novelty is just really good for us. Yeah, definitely.   Dan Mathews: (42:38 - 44:32) Yeah, I think even making it a point in conversation when somebody asks you how your day is, instead of just saying good and continuing on, actually stop and talk to them. Because a lot of people, their biggest fear might not be going on a road trip, might not be financial ruin. It might just be opening up and being vulnerable with another person.   And so it could be the person at the office that you've never actually had a conversation with. You know each other. You might wave when you walk by their desk.   But actually talk to them. Get to know them. Tell them about yourself.   And so the book has a lot of those types of things lined out where it's like it might not be physical. It might not be out in nature. It might be within your home.   It might be, I mean, some people need to do this with their kids. Like that might be the scariest thing is talking to your teenager. Like actually having a conversation.   And we're going to sit down and we're going to have a meal together and actually talk as a family. And so, yeah, it looks different for everybody. And that's one thing, because our passion is being outside.   Like Sam wants a houseboat. She wants to buy a houseboat and renovate it and live in it for a certain amount of time. And we've had other people who a bunch of homeschool families bought sailboats and sailed all around the world as they were homeschooling their kids.   And I heard that and I was like, yeah, yeah, we're going to have to do that at some point. But I know for a lot of people, just going outside is a big deal. And so it looks different for everybody.   We do give a lot of nature examples, but there's different ways for every type of person, every level of. What would you even call it? Social.   There's a lot of different levels to the social scale. And so no matter where you are, there's something for you to be a little bit more adventurous.   Laura Dugger: (44:34 - 44:42) OK, so like I said, you've made a compelling argument for getting outside of our comfort zone. Why do you think some of us resist this attractive lifestyle?   Sam Mathews: (44:43 - 46:46) Yeah, I think there's fear in it. There's sadly nowadays, you know, what will other people think of me? What will what if we fail?   What if we lose money? What if we what if I look a certain way that I don't want to appear to others? And that's where you just have to think back to Christ.   Like what is it? What really matters at the end of the day? It's how God views you.   And if you fail, oh, well, what if the Lord like just opens up so many doors and creates an avenue for you to get out? Or what if so much good comes from it that we can't be afraid of failure? Again, move forward cautiously with wisdom and with the Lord's peace and direction.   But in our book, we share one of our biggest adventures was going out to Colorado and renovating a van for five days. And we broke down on the side of the road, something no one wants to do in the desert, in the middle of twice. We did twice.   We broke down in the middle of Kansas and then in Colorado again. And it was we'll be honest, it was not fun. It was one of like the scariest times.   But looking back, like we're so thankful we did because so much good came from it. Like we met some amazing people who helped us along the way. And it's now one of our favorite stories to tell of encouragement that just because you say yes to adventure and just because something bad happens, it's not all a waste.   And I think, yeah, that fear just keeps people from being able to move forward and being like, you know what? Like I'm comfortable right here in my house, my kids in public school, not going anywhere because I know where my money's coming. I know like what's happening tomorrow.   I know how people are going to respond. And I'm just going to like stay here. Not that that's a bad thing, because the Lord needs people in every season in every situation.   But if he's prompting you to step out and to try something new, like don't be afraid of what's required from you or what could happen. You never know like where it could lead.   Dan Mathews: (46:47 - 48:10) Yeah, I think a lot of it is those few things, fear, pride, or just you believing that God isn't big enough or doesn't care about your situation. And unfortunately, a lot of people are there where I really want to try this, but like what if things go wrong? And for us, it's like when things go wrong, that's where the Lord provides.   That's where the Lord directs. That's where he leads. That's where his word can be the lamp to your feet and a light to your path.   When you're trying to do it all on your own and you're staying in this safety net of comfort, nothing amazing happens in that place. And so, we've seen it time and time again, the Lord's provision, the Lord's provision in our lives and not only the provision financially, but actually like setting us free from constraints like social constraints of like you have to work nine to five. We heard that over and over and over.   And I'm like, well, the nice thing is Sam and I are both hard workers and super driven, and I'm sure we could get jobs again. Yeah, so like worst case scenario, we run completely out of money and we go back to go back to work. And I'm like, what does failure actually look like?   And I try to get people to break it down for me. People who are like, I'm glad that worked for you, but that couldn't work for us. And I go, why?   Sam Mathews: (48:10 - 48:10) Yeah.   Dan Mathews: (48:11 - 48:20) Like, why couldn't it work for you? And they're like, well, I like what happens if it doesn't work out? And I'm like, let's expand on that as far out as we can think.   Sam Mathews: (48:20 - 48:21) Even the worst.   Dan Mathews: (48:21 - 48:24) Like, does that work? Like, are you going to die? No.   Sam Mathews: (48:24 - 48:24) Yeah.   Dan Mathews: (48:24 - 49:02) Like, no, you'll probably just come back home if it doesn't work out, you know? And so, trying to trying to show people that because the fear of the unknown is pretty significant to people. Something completely new to them that they've never tried it's really challenging to get people to take that first step.   But once they do, the second step is easier. The third step is easier. And pretty soon you're jumping and sprinting and you're like, whoa, this whole life is out here that I didn't even know existed.   So yeah, I definitely think it's those three, though.   Laura Dugger: (49:03 - 50:59) That's good. And it makes me think that typically the way that we grow our faith is action. We put our faith into action and God gives us with more faith when we're faithful with the little faith that we have.   And it also makes me think back, I believe it was episode 82, 82. Traveling With Your Family With Teacher, Wife, and Mother to 4,, with the guest, Katie Mueller. I'm going to link to it. I think you guys would love it where she parallels what God called people to do throughout the Bible with travel, what that looks like today, practical, fun things.   But Sam, something that you said reminded me of this when you're like, “Well, if nothing else, it's going to be a great story.” And she referred to that, like when things went wrong growing up on their travels, they laughed so hard about those memories. And in their family, they tragically lost their dad very unexpectedly.   Actually, her mom, I'll link to Joyce Hodel's episode as well. She shares that story. But their family has all of these stories and all of these memories from choosing adventure.   So that makes me start to think of marriage and family. And as we put that together with adventure, you guys always make adventure feel approachable, even in parenting. And I'm thinking on page 15, you wrote that as a kid, anytime you get to drive cross country, stay at a hotel or eat at a restaurant, it's an adventure for no reason other than it's a break from the norm, right?   And you know what? That's the whole point. Choosing adventure is about stepping out of your comfort zone and trying something new.   There's no right or wrong way to do it. So, with that in mind, Dan and Sam, how can we begin to enjoy this adventurous life in marriage and in family?   Sam Mathews: (51:00 - 51:49) Yeah. Bringing your kids along is such a fun, it requires a little bit more packing, but such a fun aspect to adventure. And going on date nights with your spouse, trying something new, experiencing it together, finding something you enjoy together, but realizing that it can also, there's another level of fun to have your kids along with.   And sometimes we'll drive 30 minutes away and stay at a hotel for a night just because it's a new place to go and the kids love it. And it doesn't have to be expensive. They go putt-putt and that for them is the greatest thing.   If you end it with ice cream, it's even better than the cherry on top, that it's just something fun for them. But yeah, realizing that it can be a family thing, but it could just be you as a couple too. But yeah.   Dan Mathews: (51:50 - 54:56) Well, and for kids, there's so much adventure to be had right at home or right in your backyard. I bought, I went to Walmart one day and I bought two extra large king-size sheets just so that we could do forts. I was like, I'm gonna put these in the closet and now I've got like the alligator clips and so I can clip them to different things.   And when it's a rainy day and the kids are bored and we're stuck inside, it's just a break from the norm. And then they'll be like, mom, dad, come see what we did. And they might build like a little shop where they sell us stuff inside of their fort.   Or they might make beds for us and for the stuffed animals and for our dog and all of these different things. And so, breaking out of the norm is just what adventure is. Like if they're not used to that, if they're not used to that time together, like some days it's, we're gonna go jump on the trampoline and they're like, wait, both of you at once?   Normally one of us is getting stuff done and the other one's hanging out with them. And when all of a sudden it's like both of us unexpectedly are walking to the trampoline, they're like, oh, family trampoline jump. If you need really good ideas for adventure and you're a parent, just watch Bluey.   If you haven't seen Bluey, that dad is awesome. And like we used to do the claw game. I would put all of their stuffed animals in my lap.   My thumb was the joystick and then my other hand was the claw and they had to move it and I would pick up the stuffed animals. And to them, it was the greatest thing they'd ever done. And we saw it on a cartoon.   And so, incorporating family into it, I feel like it's just, it's really easy. And aside from excuses, there's no reason not to get the kids involved in it. Also, there's a million books about getting kids outside.   And so, like checklists that they can do. Every national park, if for those that don't know or haven't visited national parks, I didn't know this because we didn't go to any national parks growing up, but your kids can become a junior ranger. They get these booklets and they get badges of the individual parks and they have to learn about nature and about the animals that are there and about the history.   And so that became a thing for the kids. Every place we went, it was like, “Oh, I need a junior ranger badge.” And I mean, they had wooden badges just lining their chest.   Like they were some war hero and they absolutely loved it. And so there's things like that locally in nature parks and stuff. But doing it together.   I mean, that's what it's all about. For me, I watched the guys on TV and I'm like, that guy just went to New Zealand by himself or like watching alone. I'm like, I don't want to do that.   It would be pretty crazy, I feel like. I think everybody needs some type of alone time here and there. But for me, I want to share this stuff with my wife, with my kids, with my buddies.   And so, yeah, that's what it's all about.   Sam Mathews: (54:56 - 55:07) Yeah, like you said, have those stories to tell with your family, of your family members. That way, if something does happen and they pass, you have so much to look back on of the memories you're able to share together.   Laura Dugger: (55:09 - 55:15) Absolutely. And to bring those up and share them with our kids while we are together. They love hearing stories about when they were little.   Sam Mathews: (55:16 - 55:16) Oh, yeah.   Laura Dugger: (55:17 - 55:29) And you guys have taken it a step further where you document it then and preserve. So if we want continued inspiration after this conversation, where can we go to follow you two and your adventures?   Sam Mathews: (55:30 - 56:08) Yes, we do. Our kids love watching our travels and stuff. We share along for videos and stuff on YouTube, Facebook.   But we share our life on every platform. We are Dan and Sam. Pinterest, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook.   And then Dan has his hunting content over at the Nomadic Outdoorsman. And yeah, we share day-to-day life, what that looks like, lifestyle. But then our travels, our adventures, mom life, welcoming a new baby, our surrogacy journeys, whatever life looks like at that time and how we're enjoying it, what God's teaching us, where we're going.   And we laugh along the way, the encouragement and try to inspire you to live an adventurous, fun-filled life.   Laura Dugger: (56:09 - 56:28) Love it. We'll add links to all of those things in the show notes for today's episode. And you two may already be familiar that we're called The Savvy Sauce because savvy is synonymous with practical knowledge.   And so, as my final question for both of you today, what is your savvy sauce?   Sam Mathews: (56:31 - 57:15) Ooh, practical knowledge. Let's see. I would say with motherhood, don't think that, I don't know if this would be considered savvy sauce, but it's just a good reminder to myself that as a mom, you may think you're alone in something, you're going through it, and it's just you, but you're not.   You are with a community of people who are feeling the same thing that you're walking through, going through the same thing, and just reminding yourself you're not alone because I think it makes the journey a lot easier to know that there's other people walking through the same season, the same hardship, the same joy, the same trials as you. And it makes life a little bit easier when you feel less alone.   Dan Mathews: (57:16 - 58:26) I think for me, it would be that your kids are going to be an extreme version of what you are. So, if you're showing fear and decisions, if you're hesitant, if you're not trusting the Lord, that's gonna be compounded in their lives. And they're just a more magnified mirror image of what their parents are.   And so, we try to, in everything that we do, go, is this something that's gonna set up our kids for success? And it's not like, oh, we have to have money in the bank for them, you know, for a retirement fund one day or a college fund. I'm talking like everyday lessons.   If I put my phone screen in front of my kids, they're gonna do that more and more and more. If I prioritize things that aren't meant to be prioritized over my wife, they're gonna see that. And so, we try to be very, very clear about what our priorities are.   We try to live intentionally, showing them the right way to do things and being an example to them. And so, yeah, that'd be my savvy sauce.   Laura Dugger: (58:27 - 58:49) I love it. You two are so full of integrity and you definitely shine the love and the light of Jesus brightly by the way that you live. So, I know I'm leaving this conversation feeling very inspired to choose adventure.   And I just wanna say thank you for being my guest today.   Sam Mathews: Thank you so much for having us. It was a joy.   Dan Mathews: (58:49 - 58:50) It was a blast.   Laura Dugger:  (58:52 - 1:02:06) One more thing before you go. Have you heard the term gospel before?   It simply means good news. And I want to share the best news with you. But it starts with the bad news.   Every single one of us were born sinners, but Christ desires to rescue us from our sin, which is something we cannot do for ourselves. This means there is absolutely no chance we can make it to heaven on our own. So, for you and for me, it means we deserve death, and we can never pay back the sacrifice we owe to be saved.   We need a savior. But God loved us so much, he made a way for his only son to willingly die in our place as the perfect substitute. This gives us hope of life forever in right relationship with him.   That is good news. Jesus lived the perfect life we could never live and died in our place for our sin. This was God's plan to make a way to reconcile with us so that God can look at us and see Jesus.   We can be covered and justified through the work Jesus finished if we choose to receive what He has done for us. Romans 10:9 says, “That if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” So, would you pray with me now?   Heavenly Father, thank you for sending Jesus to take our place. I pray someone today right now is touched and chooses to turn their life over to you. Will you clearly guide them and help them take their next step in faith to declare you as Lord of their life?   We trust you to work and change lives now for eternity. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.   If you prayed that prayer, you are declaring him for me, so me for him. You get the opportunity to live your life for him. And at this podcast, we're called The Savvy Sauce for a reason.   We want to give you practical tools to implement the knowledge you have learned. So, you ready to get started? First, tell someone.   Say it out loud. Get a Bible. The first day I made this decision, my parents

Live from The Great American Restoration Tour in Deadwood, CannCon and Chris Paul tear into fresh revelations about deep state coordination, media complicity, and political protection rackets. They break down newly declassified documents exposing James Clapper's “team sport” approach to the Russia hoax, Swalwell and Schiff's leaked intel antics, and John Solomon's bombshell on how the Obama DOJ shut down FBI corruption probes into Hillary Clinton. The conversation hits everything from CIA spooks losing security clearances to the media's long-running role as the intel community's PR arm. Trump's Social Security cleanup, whistleblowers returning to the IRS, an executive order securing the U.S. pharmaceutical supply chain, and a hilariously bizarre DOJ sandwich-throwing felony case round out this high-energy, no-holds-barred broadcast from GART.

Riding in the summer heat can turn a dream ride into a survival mission if you don't fuel and hydrate correctly. In this episode, we're joined by returning guest and sports performance nutritionist, Dani Hofstetter, to break down how to fuel and hydrate smarter for hot weather training and racing.From carb absorption to sodium losses, cramping, gut tolerance, sweat testing, and post-ride recovery, Dani shares practical strategies to keep you fast, fueled, and functional when temperatures soar past 30°C. You'll also hear listener questions answered on topics like whether to switch to plain water mid-ride, how to balance solids and liquids, and how to adapt fueling for long, unsupported gravel rides. Packed with pro tips and real-world examples from long distance races like an Ironman, Badlands, Ötztaler, to the Cape Epic, this is your ultimate hot-weather fueling guide.CHAPTERS00:00 – Intro04:21 – Quickfire round08:32 – Listener Q: Should you switch to water in the heat?10:38 – Carb concentration adjustments based on temperature11:10 – How under-hydrating backfires: gut distress & thicker blood12:46 – Subtle signs of dehydration14:29 – Listener Q: Does craving water mean you've overdone the mix?15:54 – How to calculate your sweat rate17:35 – Setting up hydration for long unsupported ultras18:53 – Balancing carbs, fluid, and electrolytes19:16 – Listener Q: How many carbs/hour for amateurs vs pros?20:28 – Adjusting fueling plan in the heat21:15 – Listener Q: Nutrition for cramp-prone riders22:14 – Why dehydration is a bigger cause of cramps than magnesium23:46 – Listener Q: Solids vs liquids in hot weather24:44 – Is gel + water better than drink mix?25:33 – What to pick at a hot feed zone: Coke, fruit or salt?27:21 – Palate fatigue and why taste matters29:33 – Listener Q: Are sweat/sodium tests really helpful?32:13 – Sodium vs salt: key numbers explained34:06 – Replacing sodium: what really matters35:14 – Should you add salt to your bottles?36:51 – Two key hydration rules every rider should know37:22 – Listener Q: Post-ride recovery nutrition in the heat38:24 – What to drink and eat after hot rides39:35 – Why recovery is the "work after the work"41:06 – Listener Q: Caffeine and spicy foods in hot weather42:15 – Listener Q: Carrying extra hydration for long gravel rides43:22 – Preloading sodium: how and when44:56 – Listener Q: Training differently in a heat wave45:56 – Final take: consistency, fatigue, and training timingLINKSDani Hofstetter⁠Website⁠⁠Instagram⁠Host: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Soren Jensen⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Castelli⁠Castelli's Hot Weather Collection ⁠SEND US YOUR QUESTIONSIf you want your questions to be answered on air, be sure to submit your questions by sending us a message on social media or by email to⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcast@castelli-cycling.com⁠⁠ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ashe in America and Ghost break down the latest bombshell from a Democrat whistleblower alleging Adam Schiff approved leaking classified intel to damage Trump, tying the scandal to Russiagate and revealing possible high-level quid pro quo promises. They analyze the DOJ's refusal to act, speculate on other big names who could be implicated, and consider the political fallout. Trump's latest trade announcements, including extended tariff suspensions and a gold exemption, are discussed alongside his meeting with Intel's CEO and the nomination of economist E.J. Antoni to head the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The hosts also highlight media hypocrisy, global political shifts, and the stage-setting for Trump's upcoming summit with Putin. From domestic intrigue to international maneuvering, the conversation exposes how power, policy, and perception collide.

CannCon and Ashe in America wrap up Letters to Trump with a lively discussion of the epilogue, sharing their final reflections on the collection and its mix of personal anecdotes, political history, and cultural commentary. They revisit memorable letters from the book, draw connections to current events, and explore how Trump's relationships, both political and personal, have shaped his public persona. The hosts balance humor with insight, offering candid takes on the personalities featured, the behind-the-scenes stories revealed, and what these letters say about influence, loyalty, and legacy. It's a fitting close to the series that has blended literature, politics, and a dash of Badlands banter.

Burning Bright and Chris Paul dive into Badlands (1973), Terrence Malick's haunting debut inspired by real-life events. They explore the film's unsettling blend of beauty and brutality, following the crime spree of Kit and Holly across the American Midwest. The hosts unpack Malick's unique storytelling style, the dreamlike cinematography, and how the film juxtaposes innocence with violence. Along the way, they discuss the performances of Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek, the sparse yet impactful dialogue, and the ways the film challenges viewers to question morality, influence, and the romanticizing of outlaws. It's a layered conversation that connects the movie's themes to broader cultural narratives, making this episode as thought-provoking as the film itself.

Thank you to Jennifer Broome for being our guest and guide! Here's where you can connect with her!:sweptawaytoday.com* Instagram: @jenniferbroometravel* Facebook: JenniferBroomeTV * TikTok: @jenniferbroometravel * X (Twitter): @jenniferbroome * YouTube: Channel named “Swept Away With Jennifer Broome” Dreaming of a national park adventure this summer but dreading the notorious crowds at Yellowstone, Yosemite, and Grand Canyon? Travel expert Jennifer Broom returns to share her insider knowledge on spectacular alternatives that offer unique summer experiences without the tourist crush.Jennifer takes us first to Grand Tetons in early June, when wildflowers carpet the landscape beneath snow-capped peaks and wildlife viewing reaches its prime - including opportunities to spot mama bears with cubs (from a safe distance, of course). She shares practical safety tips, including the "thumb rule": if you can't cover the animal with your thumb at arm's length, you're standing too close.We then journey to Isle Royale National Park, a remote paradise in Lake Superior accessible only during summer months by seaplane or ferry. Jennifer describes her personal experience hiking through fern-covered forests and enjoying the tranquility of this island wilderness. For late summer travelers, Theodore Roosevelt National Park emerges as a hidden gem, offering "Yellowstone without the crowds but blending in a little bit of Badlands." The park's wild horse population - one of few places in America to observe these majestic creatures in their natural habitat - provides unforgettable moments as their manes blow in the wind against painted rock landscapes.Weather preparedness becomes a recurring theme as Jennifer (a meteorologist herself) advises on packing layers for temperature swings, rain gear for afternoon thunderstorms, and essential sun protection. Her suggested road trip combining Theodore Roosevelt with Badlands National Park creates the perfect late-summer itinerary, with opportunities to explore Wind Cave and Jewel Cave for underground wonders.Beyond breathtaking scenery, these parks offer something increasingly precious: opportunities to disconnect from technology and connect with American history. As Jennifer shares from her experience visiting over 258 National Park Service units, these landscapes appear much as they did thousands of years ago, providing living history lessons spanning indigenous cultures to westward expansion.Ready to discover America's natural treasures beyond the obvious choices? Subscribe to hear more from Jennifer in our next episode about fall national park adventures!Thanks for your ongoing support!http://paypal.me/TheROAMiesAlexa and RoryThe ROAMiesPlease subscribe, rate and share our podcast! Follow us at:http://www.TheROAMies.comThe ROAMies: Facebook and Instagram YouTube and X.

CannCon and Ghost dive into explosive revelations from a Democrat whistleblower alleging Adam Schiff authorized leaks of classified intel to take down President Trump, a move they argue rises to treason. They unpack Trump's unprecedented move to place DC police under federal control, sparking leftist meltdowns, and question whether it's preparation for a final stand against the swamp. The DOJ's push to unseal Ghislaine Maxwell's grand jury records is shot down by an Obama-appointed judge, fueling speculation about hidden truths in the Epstein saga. Other highlights include gerrymandering hypocrisy from Newsom and Pritzker, Roblox predator busts the platform doesn't want, and geopolitical shifts ahead of Trump's meeting with Putin in Alaska. From swamp intrigue to sovereign alliances, it's a full-spectrum Badlands ride.

CannCon and Zak “RedPill78” Paine kick off the August 11 edition of Badlands Daily with sharp analysis of Donald Trump's latest legal maneuvers, including moves that could upend the cases against him and shift the political playing field. They turn to the escalating border crisis, dissecting new reports of cartel activity, migrant surges, and state-versus-federal clashes over enforcement. The hosts also take aim at the mainstream media's narrative management, highlighting glaring double standards in coverage of political scandals and security threats. Along the way, they connect these headline stories to broader patterns of psychological operations, election-year strategy, and institutional corruption. With a mix of hard-hitting commentary, behind-the-scenes context, and moments of levity, CannCon and Zak keep the conversation fast-paced and unapologetically direct, giving listeners the unfiltered take they won't find on cable news.

In Episode 20 of OnlyLands, the Badlands Media guys take over for a night of unapologetic male energy, quick wit, and unfiltered conversation. With zero female hosts in sight, the panel leans into a mix of humor, hot takes, and camaraderie that keeps the pace lively and unpredictable. From lighthearted jabs to deeper dives into current events, culture, and the state of the movement, the guys bounce off each other with the kind of chemistry only a room full of friends can deliver. There's plenty of laughter, occasional tangents, and moments of insight that cut through the noise, making this episode a uniquely “all bros, no brakes” experience. Whether it's roasting each other, dissecting headlines, or sharing behind-the-scenes Badlands stories, this all-male edition proves that sometimes the best way to cover the chaos is with a drink in hand and good company around the table.

On this episode of the Knights of Vader Podcast we discuss George Lucas' first appearance at San Diego Comic Con as well as the new trailer for Predator: Badlands! Thank you to An Insperiority Complex for providing our theme song Contact us at KOVpodcast@gmail.com or instagram.com/kovpodcast Come mock us at our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/KnightsofVader/ Check out Zack's other podcast: Cinemoddities, Zenger's main show: ZengThis and Rus at The Unbelievers Podcast! All are available on all major podcasting platforms!

CannCon and Chris Paul team up for a fiery August 8 edition of Badlands Daily, tearing into the mainstream media's latest narrative spins and the political theater surrounding America's southern border. They spotlight new footage and reports exposing the chaos at the border, dissecting how both parties use the crisis for optics while ignoring real solutions. The conversation shifts to the media's selective outrage, covering stories that fit their agenda while burying inconvenient truths. Election-related developments take center stage as the hosts analyze strategic moves, candidate positioning, and the psychological games at play in the lead-up to 2024. With sharp commentary, insider perspective, and plenty of back-and-forth banter, CannCon and Chris cut through the noise to connect the dots between policy failures, propaganda, and the public's growing skepticism. This episode blends news analysis with unapologetic truth-telling, making it a must-listen for those tired of being spoon-fed the official story.

Jon Herold kicks off this Friday's Daily Herold with a personal update before diving into a mix of policy moves, geopolitical shifts, and legal bombshells. He covers Trump's new executive orders ensuring transparency in higher education admissions, halting wasteful federal grants, and guaranteeing fair banking for all Americans without political discrimination, tying in his own experiences with deplatforming. Jon examines the Department of Defense's stake in MP Materials and the rare earths race, pondering Ukraine's resources in a potential peace deal. Trump's announcement of a historic peace summit between Armenia and Azerbaijan sparks discussion on its ties to broader global negotiations. On the domestic front, Jon questions the Park Police leading a federal crime crackdown in D.C., unpacks a grand jury probe into Letitia James, and highlights a major appeals court rebuke of Judge Boasberg. Other topics include skepticism toward Project Veritas' Bill Barr claims, the DOJ's $50M bounty on Venezuela's Maduro, Stephen Moran's interim Federal Reserve appointment, and Israel's planned Gaza City takeover. With trademark humor, live chat banter, and a few sidetracks, Jon keeps the commentary sharp, candid, and deeply connected to the Badlands community.

This week is an epic crossover event: one about sex, spandex, and rock 'n' roll, and about bands playing other bands' songs. You can call them: glam metal, hair metal, cock rock, or hard rock… We call them Summer Party Anthems! Whether it's played straight note-for-note or completely re-interpreted, bands love to pay tribute to great songs that they love! In this episode, we showcase the diversity of how a band can take an 80s Hair Metal classic hit and make it their own.What's this InObscuria thing? We're a podcast that exhumes obscure Rock n' Punk n' Metal and puts them in one of 3 categories: the Lost, the Forgotten, or the Should Have Beens. From metal bands heavying up 80s glam standards, to goth bands bringing down to a dirge… we got ya covered! Songs this week include:Fozzy – “Live Wire (Mötley Crüe)” from Fozzy(2000)Diabla – “Uh! All Night (KISS)” from Gods Of Thunder: A Norwegian Tribute to KISS (2005) Kix – “Foolin' (Def Leppard)” from Hair Metal In Covers (2009)Powerman 5000 – “Jump (Van Halen)” from Copies, Clones, & Replicants (2011)Unto Others – “Passion Rules The Game (Scorpions)” from Strength II… Deep Cuts (2023)Kory Clarke – “Blaze Of Glory (Jon Bon Jovi)” from Hair Metal In Covers (2009)AFI – “My Michelle (Guns N' Roses)” from Punk Goes Metal (2000)Halestorm – “Still Of The Night (Whitesnake)” from ReAniMate 3.0: The CoVeRs eP (2017)Please subscribe everywhere that you listen to podcasts!Visit us: https://inobscuria.com/https://www.facebook.com/InObscuriahttps://x.com/inobscuriahttps://www.instagram.com/inobscuria/Buy cool stuff with our logo on it: InObscuria StoreIf you'd like to check out Kevin's band THE SWEAR, take a listen on all streaming services or pick up a digital copy of their latest release here: https://theswear.bandcamp.com/If you want to hear Robert and Kevin's band from the late 90s – early 00s BIG JACK PNEUMATIC, check it out here: https://bigjackpnuematic.bandcamp.com/Check out Robert's amazing fire sculptures and metal workings here: http://flamewerx.com/

Crime isn't all big cities and bustling streets. In the wide-open spaces of South Dakota, from the Black Hills to the Badlands, some of the most chilling cases are hidden in plain sight. This week, Vicky and Rachel are exploring the dark side of the Mount Rushmore State, where secrets are buried as deep as the prairie soil.You can check out Murder Road Trip here!Research links below! Daily Capital Journal - "The human monster: How a suspected serial killer was arrested in Stanley County"The Billings Gazette - "Suspected Murderer Kunnecke Once Lived In Idaho"Deseret Evening News - "Career of a Criminal - William Kunnecke Under Arrest for Murder of His Sheepherder"Omaha Daily Bee - "Kunnecke's Trail of Blood"Omaha Daily Bee - "Kunnecke Held for Murder"The Salt Lake Herald - "Dakota Murder Mystery"The Citizen-Republican - "Life Term Convict Makes His Escape"Philip Weekly Review - "German 'Lifer' Now in Mexico?"South Dakota News Watch - "'Kids look to adults:' Responding to child trauma 50 years after Gitchie Manitou murders"Argus Leader - "Survivor speaks 40 years after Gitchie Manitou murders"Dakota News Now - "Throwback Thursday: History of the 1973 murders at Gitchie Manitou"Argus Leader - "What we know about the 1973 Gitchie Manitou mass murder where 4 teenagers were killed"Ottumwa Radio Group - "Tune into the Past with Ottumwa Radio: Gitchie Manitou Murders"

In this episode of Badlands Daily, CannCon and Alpha Warrior cover a wide range of breaking stories and buried truths shaping the information war. They open with Donald Trump's latest Truth Social post, tying it to broader concerns about political persecution and media distraction tactics. The hosts highlight a chilling interview with whistleblower Edward Snowden on global surveillance, prompting deeper questions about digital control and government overreach. Updates on the Hunter Biden laptop investigation and the inconsistencies in the Secret Service's handling of the White House cocaine case further expose institutional failures. Special guest Shipwreck joins for a powerful segment dissecting media spin, election narrative shifts, and the psychological operations used to shape public perception. The show also covers the recent assassination attempt on Trump, rising tensions in the Taiwan Strait, and questions surrounding swing-state election integrity. From Google's AI-based censorship tools to the climate change agenda, CannCon, and Alpha connect the dots on how propaganda and fear are deployed to maintain control. As always, the episode blends sharp analysis, humor, and a rallying cry to stay vigilant.  

In Episode 20 of Badlands Book Club, CannCon and Ashe in America begin their deep dive into The Fourth Turning by William Strauss and Neil Howe, kicking off with Chapter 1: "Winter Comes Again." This foundational chapter introduces the core concept of cyclical generational dynamics shaping American history. The hosts explore the idea that history doesn't just progress, it turns, predictably, through recurring cycles of growth, unraveling, crisis, and rebirth. Drawing parallels to current events, CannCon and Ashe reflect on the cultural and institutional signs that suggest we are deep into a Fourth Turning, a period of upheaval and transformation. This episode lays the groundwork for understanding how the past informs the present, and how we might navigate the season ahead.

In this episode of Badlands Daily, CannCon and Ashe in America unpack a wave of headlines that reveal the cracks in the regime's information control. They discuss election integrity concerns sparked by the ERIC voter roll system, newly unsealed Epstein-related documents, and the media's sudden shift in tone around long-buried stories. From federal censorship and DHS whistleblowers to the financial and political threads connecting the Clintons, Epstein, and global influence networks, the episode pulls together a growing list of coincidences that are starting to look a lot like patterns. CannCon and Ashe also weigh in on Trump's latest posts, foreign policy distractions, and the continued erosion of public trust in mainstream narratives. As the walls close in on the establishment, the episode explores whether the floodgates of truth are about to burst.

Before there were finance bros, tech bros, or even frat bros… there was Teddy Roosevelt. This week, we dive into how a sickly rich kid from Manhattan reinvented himself as a rough-and-tumble cowboy, a Rough Rider, and eventually a trust-busting progressive president who helped pull America into the modern age. We break down how Teddy became the blueprint for performative masculinity (with a dash of genuine reform), his wild days wrangling cattle in the Badlands, and why he might just be the most interesting president no one really talks about enough. This is Teddy Roosevelt! Created and produced by Claire Donald and Tess Bellomo *For more on RAM go⁠⁠ here ⁠⁠ *To join our premium channel for 3 bonus eps, go ⁠⁠here Sources: Wikipedia, Theodore Roosevelt , https://millercenter.org/president/roosevelt/life-before-the-presidency Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices