Coffee with Bearded Bad Dad

What happens when life hands you a hand of cards you never asked for? In this episode of Coffee with Bearded Bad Dad, host Ricky sits down with 15-time author and speaker Michaela Cox to unpack her incredible "38DDD" journey. While the tagline gets your attention, the real meaning runs much deeper: navigating lifelong Disability (legal blindness), a painful Divorce at age 26, and the sud...

In this episode of Coffee with Bearded Bad Dad, host Ricky sits down with former federal prosecutor and special assistant U.S. attorney turned historical author, Joe Wearmouth. Joe shares his incredible journey of leaving a prestigious, "soul-crushing" legal career behind to follow his true passion: writing powerful historical fiction. We dive deep into his debut novel, Rising Suns, expl...

"They are openly lying to us on a daily basis." In this incredibly candid interview, "Loose Change" filmmaker Korey Rowe sits down to discuss the first 10 years of the new millennium—and how it shaped the world we live in today. Korey opens up about the extreme polarization of media, experiencing early "cancel culture," and dealing with targeted attacks from mainstrea...

Is America actively falling, or are we secretly solidifying our spot at the very top? In this episode of the Coffee with Bearded Bad Dad, host I sit down with 20-year Army veteran and former Congressional candidate Matt Hasty for an unfiltered, wide-ranging discussion on the harsh realities of modern American life, politics, and faith. From the deceptive nature of campaign fundraising and how soci...

What is the "Green-Red Alliance," and are we witnessing the opening salvos of World War III?In this wide-ranging episode of Coffee with Bearded Bad Dad, I sit down with veteran Department of Defense intelligence analyst Dr. Mark Silinsky for an unvarnished look at global subversion, history, and modern warfare. With over 40 years of counterterrorism experience, Dr. Silinsky provides a masterclass...

In this episode of Coffee with Bearded Bad Dad, I sit down with author Dr. Joel Rakow to discuss his political evolution and his new book, Life in Woke America: A Family Story. The Truth and Betrayal Under Fire. A third-generation Democrat who spent 50 years in the party, Dr. Rakow explains the pivotal moments that led him to walk away, anchoring his decision in the core erosion of individual cons...

"If you don't have the capacity for violence, being kind has no meaning." In this full-length episode, former Army Intel Officer Rick Hoppe shares his extraordinary life journey—from running barefoot in rural Missouri to chasing down insurgencies on the senior staff in Iraq and Afghanistan. We cover the entire spectrum of the American experience today:• The 8 Stages of Modern Revolution & governme...

What if a geneticist decided humans were parasites (p. 1) and rewired our DNA so that nobody lives past age 22? In this episode of Coffee with Bearded Bad Dad, we sit down with Central Michigan commercial insurance agent turned author T.A. Thompson to unpack his brutal, rated-R adult dystopian thriller, The Mark. Thompson shares how his career assessing "worst-case scenarios" inspired a terrifying...

What is it really like to be an investigative journalist at the center of the world's most dangerous conflicts? In this episode of Coffee with Bearded Bad Dad, we sit down with 4-time Emmy Award-winning journalist and former CBS News / 60 Minutes producer Amjad Tadros. Amjad shares unbelievable stories from his 33-year career and discusses his new book, "The Fixer: A Journalist's Accidental Journe...

What is it like to fly in an F-16 or watch the Cold War collapse right before your eyes? I sit down with former F-16 Squadron Executive Officer and author Michael Makatura to discuss his book, The Fightin’ Tenth. They dive deep into what the mainstream media gets wrong about military stockpiles, how the "NATO shield" actually works, and why Americans struggle to understand foreign adversaries. If...

In this powerful episode of Coffee with Bearded Bad Dad, I sit down with former news reporter and 18-year veteran police constable Andrew Mclean. Andrew opens up about his raw, cumulative experiences serving with the Waterloo Regional Police Service in Ontario, Canada, and his subsequent diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He shares his deeply personal journey detailing the warning...

Are government cover-ups and deep state secrets connected? In this episode, scientist and historian Bob Doti joins the show to discuss his new book, Layers of Complicity, and deconstruct the shocking hidden history behind the Martin Luther King assassination files. We pull back the curtain on declassified documents from Operation Lantern Spike, the CIA, and the FBI's intense surveillance of Dr. Ki...

Ex-Preacher Turned FBI SWAT Agent Reveals Shocking Interrogation Secrets & Bureau Myths! In today’s episode of Coffee with Bearded Bad Dad, I sit down with retired FBI Agent and SWAT team veteran Eric Robinson. Eric shares his fascinating journey of going from the pulpit to federal law enforcement—or as he calls it, "from preacher to breacher" We pull back the curtain on what life is really like i...

Are you worried about today's youth? In this episode of Coffee with Bearded Bad Dad, we dive deep into the real reasons why modern teens and families are struggling with anxiety, social media pressure, and identity issues. Our special guest is Dr. Carla Caturia, an experienced educator, former principal, and teen mindset coach. Together, we break down what is actually happening with today's youth...

Fighter jets, government UFO files, hidden history, and the deep flaws of our public education system—this episode covers it all. In this full episode of Coffee with Bearded Bad Dad, Ricky sits down with veteran Air Force Wizo Terrence Rotering, who flew the F-111 and F-15e Strike Eagle during massive global operations. Terrence shares his journey from military aviation to writing a massive 6,000-...

In this deep and honest conversation, author and missionary Paul Granger joins me to talk about faith, hope, Christianity, authenticity, mental health, parenting, purpose, and what it means to truly be present in modern life. We discuss:• Finding hope during difficult times• Christianity and modern culture• Faith vs religion• Tribalism and division in society• Parenting, family, and sacrifice• Psy...

36 Days. 500 Miles. Zero Internet. Art historian and author Briana Gravat did what most wouldn't dare: she rucked the entire WWI Western Front alone. In a world obsessed with constant connectivity, Briana unplugged to walk through the literal trenches of history. In this deep-dive episode of Coffee with Bearded Baghdad, we explore the haunting reality of the battlefields, the "consumerism lie" tha...

In this episode, I sit down with historian and author Bryan Mark Rigg to discuss his transformative book, Conquering Learning Disabilities at Any Age. Bryan shares his personal journey from failing first grade twice to earning a PhD from Cambridge, proving that ADHD and dyslexia are not "defects," but evolutionary advantages. We dive deep into:• The Hunter vs. Farmer Theory: Why ADHD traits made o...

Are we chasing money, success, and status at the cost of meaning? In this deep conversation, we dive into philosophy, spirituality, mysticism, consumerism, and the search for truth in modern life. My guest, author John Bliss, discusses his book The False Paradigms of Today and the Timeless Truth of Tomorrow and challenges mainstream beliefs about success, religion, and purpose. We also explore:• W...

What really caused World War I — and how does it connect to today's global conflicts? In this episode, author Gerald Everett Jones joins us to discuss his novel Jonathan’s Journal, inspired by a real WWI soldier’s diary discovered after his mother’s passing. We dive into forgotten history, geopolitical power struggles, propaganda, and how the past still shapes modern conflicts. This conversation e...

In this powerful episode, we dive deep into what’s missing from modern life—and why so many people in the Western world feel disconnected, overwhelmed, and unfulfilled. Scottie shares his journey from building a successful music and healing platform to discovering the true power of community, ancestral wisdom, and indigenous living in Colombia. After facing one of the hardest years of his life—inc...

Historian Bryan Rigg reveals the shocking, hidden history of the "Mischlinge"—men of Jewish descent who served in the Nazi military during WWII. From high-ranking generals to front-line soldiers, how did 150,000 men with Jewish ancestry navigate the Third Reich while their families were being persecuted? In this episode, we dive into:• The true story behind "Hitler’s Jewish Soldiers."• How Hitler...

Michelle Stiles, author of One Idea to Rule Them All: Reverse Engineering American Propaganda, joins the podcast to break down how propaganda shapes public opinion in the United States. We explore the history of propaganda from World War I to modern social media, how elites influence narratives, and why truth in politics can take decades to uncover. If you've ever wondered how media narratives are...

Is modern academia ignoring biology in favor of ideology? In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Marc Defant, professor of geology and geochemistry at the University of South Florida, to discuss his controversial paper examining the lack of empirical rigor in feminist scholarship and the resistance to evolutionary psychology in universities. We break down: • What evolutionary psychology actually say...

In this episode, I sit down with Jenny Chan, historian and author, to uncover one of the darkest and least-taught chapters of World War II — the atrocities committed in Asia and the long-term consequences that still shape global politics today. We dive deep into Unit 731, Japan’s secret human experimentation program in occupied Manchuria, where civilians — including children — were subjected to bi...