Rain Brings Growth Podcast

In Episode 64 of the Rain Brings Growth Podcast, Matt sits down with Nicole Duke for one of the rawest and most powerful recovery stories shared on the show. Nicole opens up about growing up in Idaho as a pastor’s kid while being surrounded by addiction, crime, prison, and street life through family influences. From a young age, she was exposed to a lifestyle that looked powerful from the outside,...

In Episode 63 of the Rain Brings Growth Podcast, Matt sits down with Jon Klipstein, Army combat veteran, entrepreneur, and founder of The Die Trying Company. Jon’s story starts in Billings, Montana, where he grew up around sports but eventually fell into partying, drugs, alcohol, and the wrong crowd. After moving around, building success in sales, losing everything during the 2008 housing crash, a...

Amanda’s story is one of the most raw and powerful testimonies shared on Rain Brings Growth. After becoming a mom at only 14 years old, losing her 4-month-old son to SIDS, falling into meth and heroin addiction, going to prison, losing custody of her children, and watching some of them be adopted, Amanda reached a point where addiction had taken almost everything from her. But her story did not en...

In this episode of Rain Brings Growth, Matt sits down with Rudy Vasquez, barber, entrepreneur, father, and living proof that real transformation happens one decision at a time. Rudy shares his powerful story of battling alcohol addiction, struggling with obesity, being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, and spending years convincing himself he was a “functioning alcoholic.” What started as a simple c...

In this episode of Rain Brings Growth, Matt sits down with Sean Thompson, owner of Nine Realms Athletics in Caldwell, Idaho, for a powerful conversation about resilience, law enforcement, fitness, marriage, PTSD, entrepreneurship, and building something bigger than yourself. Sean shares his journey from growing up in Northern California, working through a tough childhood, chasing his dream of beco...

In Episode 59 of the Rain Brings Growth Podcast, Matt sits down with Luis Granados for one of the most powerful stories yet. Luis grew up in Idaho after his parents came from Mexico searching for opportunity. What started as a childhood surrounded by hard work, survival, and feeling like an outsider eventually pulled him into gang culture, street violence, fights, guns, and a life that nearly cost...

What happens when addiction starts at home? In Episode 58 of the Rain Brings Growth Podcast, Jim shares the unbelievable true story of how his own father introduced him to meth at just 16 years old during a hunting trip in the Idaho backcountry. What started with alcohol and partying eventually spiraled into meth addiction, drug dealing, homelessness, cartel connections, and losing everything afte...

Episode 57 of the Rain Brings Growth Podcast features Bryan “Bam” Marshall — a Marine Corps veteran, entrepreneur, adrenaline junkie, and the host of the Wild Chaos Podcast. In this episode, Bam dives deep into his wild upbringing in upstate New York, growing up hunting, fishing, and hustling from a young age before joining the Marines after 9/11. From intense Iraq deployments and military brother...

In Episode 56 of the Rain Brings Growth Podcast, Matt sits down with Jamie Shepard for one of the most raw and emotional conversations yet. Jamie opens up about growing up in foster care, surviving abuse, battling addiction, becoming a young mother, and spending years trapped in cycles of trauma and dysfunction before finally finding recovery, faith, and purpose. This episode dives deep into gener...

What happens when you survive war… but almost lose your life to alcohol? In Episode 55 of the Rain Brings Growth Podcast, Scott Larson shares a powerful story of survival, addiction, and redemption. From joining the military at 17 to experiencing a near-death moment when a C130 engine exploded mid-flight, Scott has lived through moments most people will never face. But his hardest battle wasn’t ov...

In this roundtable episode of the Rain Brings Growth Podcast, we sit down with some of the real voices in the hunting space to break down what hunting actually looks like beyond the highlight reels. Featuring creators like Richard Bettencourt from  @SteepKuntryOutdoors   Will Meyers of  @rivertons9580   and Cole Rushton from  @apexhunt9859   this conversation dives deep into the good, the bad, and...

In Episode 53 of the Rain Brings Growth Podcast, Scott Curtis shares a raw, unfiltered story of transformation from reckless decisions and addiction to faith, discipline, and building a life with purpose. Scott opens up about hitting rock bottom after a DUI at 21, battling substance abuse, and ultimately making the decision to change everything for his future family. From checking into rehab to wa...

This might be one of the most intense and powerful stories ever shared on the Rain Brings Growth Podcast. Eric takes us through a life marked by extreme adversity… A devastating motocross crash that left him paralyzed, in a coma, and fighting for his life… But that was only the beginning. From surviving near-death experiences… to enduring violence, trauma, and unimaginable personal battles… this e...

In this episode of the Rain Brings Growth Podcast, we sit down with Tyler Schuler, owner of The Protein Spot in Boise, Idaho. Tyler shares his powerful journey from being over 100 pounds overweight and pre-diabetic as a teenager to building multiple gyms and creating a healthy fast food alternative that is changing lives. We dive deep into the hard truths around childhood obesity, generational hab...

Episode 50 of the Rain Brings Growth Podcast is one you won’t forget Vanessa Ayala opens up about a life that most people would never see on the surface From what looked like a normal childhood to the reality of pain loss and growth behind closed doors this episode dives deep into the truth that everyone has a story you don’t see Vanessa shares her journey growing up in California navigating ADHD...

In this episode of the Rain Brings Growth Podcast, I sit down with Luke Sanders, also known as @skywalker.life, to talk about faith, fatherhood and becoming the man your family needs. Luke shares his story growing up in a small town in Northern California, being raised in a large faith driven family, and transitioning into a Mennonite lifestyle that shaped his values, discipline and perspective. W...

In this powerful episode, I sit down with leadership from Soldiers of the Cross, a men’s motorcycle ministry committed to searching for the one—the lost, the broken, and the forgotten. Joining me are: • Ben Hardister, President of the Modesto, California founding chapter • Nick Dowdy, Vice President of the Modesto chapter • Rod Garcia, President of the Idaho chapter Soldiers of the Cross serves wh...

In this raw and unfiltered episode of the Rain Brings Growth Podcast, I sit down with David Stamper, better known as Menace, to unpack a life that started in chaos and found its way to purpose. David opens up about a traumatic childhood surrounded by meth labs, abuse, and addiction at a young age. He shares what it was like running away from home, spending three years in juvenile detention, and na...

In this episode of the Rain Brings Growth Podcast, I sit down with Kameron Ross to unpack a journey that went from discipline and drive to complete humility and rebuilding. Kameron grew up with a deep love for jiu jitsu, fitness, and service. Between training, the gym, and serving on special teams at the jail where he worked, his life was built around physical capability and mental toughness. Then...

In Episode 48 of the Rain Brings Growth Podcast, I sit down with Rudy Vazquez, a barber at Goodfellas Barber Shop in Nampa, Idaho. This conversation is full of laughter, real stories, and hard truths about life, family, and growing up. Rudy shares what life was like growing up working alongside his parents in the fields picking produce at a young age. Those early experiences shaped his work ethic...

In this episode of the Rain Brings Growth Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Ethan Edminsten, dentist and owner of Caldwell Dentistry Co. in Caldwell, Idaho. Ethan shares the story of his childhood growing up homeschooled and moving across different states before eventually deciding as a teenager that dentistry was the career he wanted to pursue. We dive into what dental school is really like, including...

In Episode 46 of the Rain Brings Growth Podcast, I sit down with Anthony Larson for a real conversation about pain, growth, and becoming who you were never expected to be. Anthony shares his childhood and upbringing, and how lifting weights at a young age became his first outlet for discipline and self-belief. We walk through his early adult years, the different jobs he worked, and the winding pat...

In this episode of the Rain Brings Growth Podcast, host Matthew Sidwell sits down with Carly Slawson to discuss her recent experience as a surrogate mother and what the surrogacy process truly looks like behind the scenes. Carly shares the full journey of becoming a surrogate, including the intense background checks, psychological evaluations, medical screenings, legal requirements, and approval p...

What is it really like working prison transport and running a prison bus? In Episode 43 of the Rain Brings Growth Podcast, we sit down with Caleb, Tommy, Matt, and Scott to talk about their real-life experiences working corrections transport. This episode is packed with hilarious stories, unforgettable moments, and raw conversations about the reality of life on the prison bus. The guys dive into t...