Finding Your Spine

Dr. Chase Spears sits down with Caleb Byrd, partner at Younts Law and fellow veteran, for a wide-ranging discussion on integrity, faith, and resistance in institutions. They reflect on their friendship origins in Fort Knox, shared military experiences, and Caleb's transition from Army JAG to civilian advocacy. They explore international law myths, self-defense rights against drug smuggling, M...

Dr. Chase Spears sits down with Chandler Langevin, a Navy veteran and Palm Bay City Councilman, to explore a journey shaped by real-world experiences. Chandler shares his eye-opening deployment to Afghanistan, where restrictive rules and political priorities cost American lives, sparking his disillusionment with government institutions. From there, he recounts travels studying the devastating impa...

Dr. Chase Spears interviews John Molineux, Founder and CEO of Love Justice International, a Christian nonprofit disrupting human trafficking in over 20 countries. John shares how the organization has intercepted over 100,000 individuals—preventing exploitation before it occurs—through transit monitoring at border crossings, bus stations, and transit points. He describes the heartbreaking realities...

Dr. Chase Spears welcomes retired Air Force Colonel Tom Rempfer, whose nearly 30-year battle against the unlawful anthrax vaccine mandate mirrors the recent fight against COVID shot coercion in the military. Tom shares how the program—declared illegal by federal courts in 2004 for using an unapproved, investigational product—led to punishments, discharges, and career setbacks for thousands of serv...

Dr. Chase Spears sits down with Brian Westbrook, founder and president of Coalition Life in St. Louis, Missouri. Brian shares the remarkable journey of building a ministry dedicated to professional sidewalk counseling and high-risk pregnancy support, starting from a small group in 2011 and expanding across Missouri, Illinois, Kansas, and beyond. Hear how Coalition Life has helped facilitate over 4...

Dr. Chase Spears sits down with Dr. Clarissa Rippee, a former GSA contract specialist turned whistleblower, for a powerful conversation on one of the darkest chapters of recent border policy. Clarissa shares how a routine training session revealed massive government contracts—hundreds of millions of dollars—awarded to transport unaccompanied minors crossing the border illegally to unknown destinat...

Dr. Chase Spears sits down with Mike Berry, senior counsel and executive director of external affairs at First Liberty Institute, for a powerful conversation on living out faith boldly—especially in the military. A fellow Marine Corps veteran, Mike shares how a book on America's founding fathers ignited his passion for religious liberty, leading him to sue his own law school as a student and...

Dr. Chase Spears welcomes Army veteran Sam Shoemate—creator of Terminal CWO, whistleblower who exposed military misconduct, and Chief of Staff for Pete Chambers' Texas Governor campaign. Sam shares how his page started as humor but became a platform for truth during Covid, the 8-month reprisal investigation, refusing unlawful orders, the culture of shadow policy, and why fathers must model co...

Dr. Chase Spears welcomes Air Force Reserve Major Kim Bitter, a 20-year veteran flight nurse, mother, and midwife, to share her ongoing battle with the military over vaccine policies. Kim details her distinguished service, including a 2016 deployment to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar as officer in charge of an aeromedical evacuation crew, where her team evacuated critically injured personnel from batt...

Dr. Chase Spears welcomes Dr. Rick Addante—former NASA scientist, astronaut finalist, tenured professor, and whistleblower fired from Florida Tech after exposing the university president’s plan to secretly continue DEI programs despite state bans. Rick shares his journey from rough Chicago roots to groundbreaking neuroscience, starting a classical Christian farm school, refusing the Covid vaccine,...

Dr. Chase Spears welcomes Air Force reserve officer Jace Yarbrough—combat vet, founder of Saint Francis Academy (a classical Christian farm school), and plaintiff suing the Air Force for free speech rights after a reprimand for his retirement speech. Jace shares the vision behind his school’s unique model (parent-led, outdoor-focused, accessible to all incomes), why tactile farm life forms virtue...

Dr. Chase Spears sits down with Adam Josefczyk, president of Forge Leadership Network, to explore how they're identifying, training, and launching hundreds of young Christian conservatives into public service. From summer intensives in state capitals to year-long academies with national mentors, Adam shares the vision behind Forge's decade-long mission: building a talent pipeline for pri...

In this special year-end episode, Dr. Chase Spears is joined by his wife Lori for an intimate conversation reflecting on 2025—a year of unexpected changes, trials, triumphs, and growth. From the launch of Finding Your Spine to navigating personal challenges, they share how stories of courage from guests inspired them, why meekness isn’t weakness, the power of childlike wonder at Christmas, and wha...

Dr. Chase Spears welcomes retired Navy SEAL Bill Brown—combat veteran, founder of the NYC SEAL Swim, and fearless advocate for veterans’ rights. From war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan to battling “woke” cancel culture inside a major law firm, Bill shares how speaking up against BLM promotion, critical race theory, and reprisals cost him his career—but freed him to fight harder. 00:00:00 - Introduc...

Dr. Chase Spears welcomes Pedro Orta—18-year CIA veteran, undercover case officer, Iraq/Afghanistan combat veteran, and author of The Broken Whistle. From escaping Cuban communism to exposing waste, fraud, harassment, and life-threatening mismanagement inside Langley, Pedro reveals the brutal reprisals he faced for refusing to stay silent. He details the “say-do gap,” the broken whistleblower syst...

Dr. Chase Spears reunites with his former Georgetown professor, award-winning speechwriter, and bestselling author Mike Long (The Molecule of More, Taming the Molecule of More) for a wide-ranging conversation on dopamine—the brain chemical that drives ambition, restlessness, and the endless chase for “more.” They explore why dopamine isn’t the “happiness molecule” at all, how it fuels both human p...

Dr. Chase Spears welcomes filmmaker and author Ryan Whitaker Smith—known for Surprised by Oxford, The Pendragon Cycle, and the beautifully crafted Winter Fire—to explore why G.K. Chesterton remains one of the most joyful, insightful, and courageous Christian voices on the meaning of Christmas. Together they discuss how Chesterton reawakened their sense of wonder at the Incarnation, why the holiday...

THIS EPISODE DEALS WITH HEAVY AND SENSITIVE TOPICS. LISTENER DISCRETION IS ADVISED. Dr. Chase Spears welcomes back retired Navy CDR Theresa Carpenter—30-year PAO, Stories of Service host, and military justice advocate. She reveals why she retired 6 months early: supporting Pete Hegseth’s SecDef nomination. From press conference speech to Newsmax stand-down, a LOI, and housing fraud accusations, sh...

Dr. Chase Spears welcomes Navy Commander Theresa Carpenter—30-year public affairs veteran, Stories of Service podcast host, and advocate for military justice reform. Ten days post-retirement, she shares her journey from aviation electrician to PAO, disillusionment with leadership’s “say-do gap,” the Brett Crozier case, Bowe Bergdahl narrative control, and why she spoke out despite backlash. They e...

Dr. Chase Spears welcomes Dr. Franklin Annis, an active-duty military philosopher and Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran, to explore how education shapes courage and leadership. They trace Stoic influences on America’s founding and military traditions, examine Alden Partridge’s pioneering character-building at West Point, and contrast Renaissance ideals with the Prussian obedience model that still do...

Dr. Chase Spears welcomes Vanessa Reid, a Leavenworth County commissioner, to Finding Your Spine. Vanessa shares her 2020 awakening to political involvement, from challenging school policies on masks and critical race theory to running for office. They discuss the importance of courage in local governance, standing against woke agendas, and building Christian communities. Vanessa reflects on trial...

Dr. Chase Spears welcomes Navy veteran Chris Pierce to Finding Your Spine, sharing his 22-year career in boarding operations and combat systems. Chris discusses intercepting smuggling vessels in the Persian Gulf, the USS Cole bombing aftermath, and his PTSD journey, including therapy and a service dog. They explore courage in civilian life, his city council run in Lansing, Kansas, and the importan...

Join Dr. Chase Spears on Finding Your Spine as he welcomes Andrew Crapuchettes, CEO of RedBalloon, a job board connecting conservative-minded individuals with values-aligned employers. Andrew shares his journey from Silicon Valley entrepreneurship to founding RedBalloon in 2021 after being forced to choose between his faith and his CEO role. They discuss the importance of courageous business leade...

Join host Chase Spears on the Finding Your Spine podcast as he welcomes Mark Bashaw, a former military officer pardoned by President Trump. Mark shares his 17-year military career, including his court martial on April 29, 2022, for resisting Covid-19 mandates, and his pardon on May 28, 2025. They discuss his stand against unlawful orders, the weaponization of emergency use authorized products (mas...

Dr. Chase Spears sits down with Brendan Regan, a former U.S. Army Intelligence Officer, to unpack his bold stand against the Army’s unlawful COVID vaccine mandate at Fort Leavenworth in 2021. Regan shares his grueling administrative battle under harsh leadership, his ultimate victory, and his decision to exit the military on his own terms in 2024. Brendan reflects on how faith and conviction guide...