Ruck the Way

Welcome to a special episode of Ruck the Way Podcast, recorded live from the Red Rocks Trail near Woodland Park, Colorado, the host connects with returning guest Brendan Reese. Moving far beyond disembodied digital interactions, phone calls, and text threads, the conversation unpacks the vital importance of embodied brotherhood and physical presence among men. Set against a stunning backdrop of to...

In this deeply reflective episode of Ruck the Way, the host takes his 15-year-old son, Carlson, on his very first pilgrimage along the historic Saint Cuthbert Way in Northumberland. Recorded on the solemn 25th anniversary of September 11, the journey unfolds as a unique multi-generational exploration. As father and son tackle rugged trails, cross treacherous railway lines, and navigate the stunnin...

UPCOMING PILGRIMAGE: https://www.rucktheway.com/pilgrimage In this raw and unfiltered "Trail Talk" episode, hosts Chris and Gabe tackle the concept of "disembodied Christianity"—a faith that exists primarily from the neck up, driven by heady knowledge rather than actual physical engagement. Drawing on the profound truth of the Incarnation, they explore how modern Christian subculture and digital d...

UPCOMING PILGRIMAGE: https://www.rucktheway.com/pilgrimage In this raw and unfiltered "Trail Talk" episode, hosts Chris and Gabe dive deep into a profound question that shapes our everyday lives: Who really knows you? Exploring the layers of human isolation, self-awareness, and the biblical perspective of being created in the image of a relational God, they unpack why wearing masks is often a prot...

UPCOMING PILGRIMAGE: https://www.rucktheway.com/pilgrimage On the Trail This Episode Some friendships are for a reason. Some are for a season. A rare few are for life. This week Gabe sits down with one of his: Chris Payne, senior pastor of New City Church in Charlotte, Air Force chaplain, and a friend of thirty-eight years. Chris Furr, who has walked with Chris Payne for a quarter century himself,...

On the Trail This Episode Joe Dunphy has spent fifteen years as an active-duty Army infantry officer, checking every box the world hands ambitious men: Ranger School, the Ranger Regiment, real estate success, a growing family. And somewhere along that trail he stopped and realized how far ahead of the pack he had run, and how alone he was when he got there. In this conversation, Joe walks us throu...

UPCOMING PILGRIMAGE: https://www.rucktheway.com/pilgrimage Most of us would have waited it out. Nick built the thing he was missing. In this conversation, Gabe and Chris sit down with a twenty-five-year-old statistician turned double entrepreneur. Nick is co-founder and CTO of Alyra Technology, an AI consultancy helping middle-market companies cut through the hype and find real, measurable impact....

Ruck Reloaded! We look back into the deep history and spiritual mystery behind the ancient pilgrimage routes of Scotland and Northern England. Exploring the roots of Celtic Christianity, they trace how early missionary movements spread from Ireland across Western Europe through figures like St. Patrick, St. Columba, St. Oswald, and St. Cuthbert. The hosts discuss the unique, missional nature of Ce...

UPCOMING PILGRIMAGE: https://www.rucktheway.com/pilgrimage ON THE TRAIL THIS EPISODE The last time Gabe, Chris, and RJ Caswell were in the same room, it was a Charlotte brewery, a pint, and a conversation nobody wanted to end. This episode is what happened when they finally decided to hit record. RJ has covered a lot of ground. A master's in counseling. Eight years pouring into teenagers as a scho...

There wasn’t a day when I remember being better. But there was a day when I remember checking on him, and he was almost too light to feel.” — Madeline, on the slow lifting of depression On the Trail This Episode Some conversations you prepare for. This one, Gabe has been walking toward for nineteen years. In part two of our Daughters series, Gabe welcomes his daughter Madeline to the trail — a Gen...

“We long for security and to feel like we are on fully stable ground… but that is what God calls us to — to trust him. And it's not trust if you know at all times where you're stepping.” — Maren Furr On the Trail This Episode This summer, both of our households have adult daughters home from university — so we're walking a two-part series simply called Daughters. In Part One, Chris sits down (abou...

UPCOMING PILGRIMAGE: https://www.rucktheway.com/pilgrimage On the Trail This Episode Long before any of us could speak, we were asking three questions: Is someone going to come? Do I matter? Am I safe? In this episode, Gabe and Chris open up attachment theory — the well-researched framework describing how the answers we received in our earliest years wired the way we connect, trust, withdraw, and...

UPCOMING PILGRIMAGE: https://www.rucktheway.com/pilgrimage On the Trail This Episode What if pilgrimage isn't just a week of your life — what if it's the lens for all of it? Chris and Gabe pick up a thread from recent pilgrim Josh Nash, who finished the St. Cuthbert's Way and realized he could actually do life this way. From there, the guys take a hard look at the metaphors our culture hands us —...

UPCOMING PILGRIMAGE: https://www.rucktheway.com/pilgrimage Jess' website: https://www.jesscantelon.com/ What happens when your childhood playground is the city of Jerusalem? In this episode of Ruck the Way, we sit down with entrepreneur, theologian, and fluent Hebrew speaker Jess Cantelon to explore how growing up as a Gentile kid in Israel fundamentally transformed his understanding of scripture....

UPCOMING PILGRIMAGE: https://www.rucktheway.com/pilgrimage Some pilgrimages begin with a plan. This one began with a change of plans. Six men were meant to walk St Cuthbert's Way this season. In the end it was two. Chris and a pastor named Joshua Nash, alone on seventy miles of border country, walking into questions neither of them could have scripted. What they found was the kind of thing the wal...

UPCOMING PILGRIMAGE: https://www.rucktheway.com/pilgrimage Amazon link to John’s author page: US: https://www.amazon.com/stores/John-Hendrix/author/B002YTBY0A ? UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/author/B002YTBY0A Some conversations feel like they happen on the trail, even when everyone is sitting still. This one did. We sat down with John Hendrix, New York Times awarded author and illustrator, p...

UPCOMING PILGRIMAGE: https://www.rucktheway.com/pilgrimage In this profound episode of the Ruck the Way Podcast, hosts Chris and Gabe dive deep into how we evaluate our personal growth and spiritual maturity. Drawing from Morgan Snyder's book, Becoming a King, they challenge the modern urge to measure progress by daily increments, which often breeds self-criticism, impatience, and discouragement....

NOTE: This episode is best appreciated on YouTube https://youtu.be/r4rpTLc2xkg UPCOMING PILGRIMAGE: https://www.rucktheway.com/pilgrimage In this special official launch event recorded live at the Cove Trail in Charlotte, North Carolina, Ruck the Way founders Gabe and Chris introduce a gathering of pilgrims to the transformative power of a "walk with a purpose." Gabe shares how his background as a...

UPCOMING PILGRIMAGE: https://www.rucktheway.com/pilgrimage At what pace are you living your life? We hit the trails together for the first time in a year to unpack the profound concept of "the three mile an hour life." We dive into the internal and external forces that pressure modern men to sprint life, confronting the underlying currents of shame, comparison, and the fear of running out of time...

Walk With Us This whole conversation is the why behind Ruck the Way. We started this because we believe friendship doesn't grow at desk-speed or scroll-speed—it grows at three miles an hour, on a trail, with a pack on your back and someone walking beside you. Join a Pilgrimage: New dates dropping soon. → rucktheway.com/pilgrimage Subscribe to the Podcast: Wherever you listen, hit follow so you don...

UPCOMING PILGRIMAGE: https://www.rucktheway.com/pilgrimage Some people show up in your life with a story so layered you can't quite hold all of it at once. Lorenzo Monge is one of those people. He's been a pastor, a church planter, a youth worker, a clothing designer, a musician, a bodyguard. Today he's a military chaplain serving the French armed forces in French Guiana — the slice of France that...

Coming up — Mini Pilgrimage in Charlotte Saturday, May 16 · 9:00 AM · McDowell Nature Preserve A taste of what Ruck the Way is all about — walking, community, and a moment set apart. Chris is flying in from Scotland. The kilt has been promised. Bring your kids. Bring your dog. Bring a friend. This is also our official US launch event for Ruck the Way as a nonprofit. Food, fellowship, and a real mi...

Mark Your Calendar: Ruck the Way Launch Party Join Gabe, Chris, and friends for a mini pilgrimage experience in the Charlotte, NC area: Date: Saturday, May 16 Cost: Free Details: rucktheway.com (Yes, Chris will be wearing a kilt. He promised.) Connect with Dr. Noah Manyika Website: noahmanyika.com Books on Amazon: Redeeming Sundar: Faith and Innovation in the Age of AI The Challenge of Leadership:...

UPCOMING PILGRIMAGE: https://www.rucktheway.com/pilgrimage In this conversation, Gabe and Chris welcome Leanne Huffman — calling in from California at 5 AM — for a wide-ranging discussion about storytelling, faith, creativity, and the holy work of pivoting when life doesn't go as planned. Leanne is the editor of Gabe's forthcoming book, but as Gabe shares, she's also a professional storyteller acr...

NOTE: This episode is best watch through YouTube: https://youtu.be/C1QD0p1rpTI UPCOMING PILGRIMAGE: https://www.rucktheway.com/pilgrimage In this special episode of the Ruck the Way podcast, Chris is joined by his close friend Vinnie King on a unique "whiskey pilgrimage" to the island of Islay off the west coast of Scotland. As they walk between legendary distilleries like Lagavulin and Ardbeg, th...