Jim Burgoon is a speaker, author, certified leadership coach, military veteran, former pastor and host of the Unshakeable Life podcast. Behind those titles is a man who has lived through childhood trauma, complex PTSD, chronic illness and devastating loss, including the deaths of his mother and sister within six months of each other and his wife's suicide attempt soon after. In this conversation, Jim shares how he moved from believing the lies trauma had taught him to telling a far better, truer story about who he really is.

Jim talks candidly about growing up with an abusive father, relentless bullying and a fractured image of God, and how that led him first to atheism and then briefly into witchcraft before encountering Jesus at 25. He explains the crucial difference between being transparent and being translucent, why his PTSD diagnosis doesn't define him, and what he's learned interviewing entrepreneurs and high achievers about burnout, insecurity and fear. For anyone who feels like a lost cause, Jim offers a simple, grounded place to start.

WEBLINKS Lead with Jim Website The Unshakeable Life Podcast Jim on YouTube Jim on Facebook Jim on Instagram Tell a Better Story

Robert Ruesch has been putting words to paper since the mid-1960s, but nothing prepared him for the story he'd one day write with his daughter. Growing up at the world's largest YMCA resort in the Colorado Rockies, surrounded by college professors, world travellers and breathtaking mountain views, Robert's love of storytelling took root early, sparked by a school bully and a creative writing class years later. He went on to become an award-winning author, speaker and humourist, but it's his most personal work, The Long Road Home, that forms the heart of this conversation.

Co-written with his daughter Jennifer, the memoir traces her thirty-year battle with addiction, the overdose that nearly took her life, and the slow, faith-soaked journey toward healing and forgiveness for them both. Robert speaks candidly about the fear of late-night phone calls that went unanswered, the grief of watching someone he loves dig her heels into self-destruction, and the unexpected "coincidences" he believes were God's hand at work all along. It's a raw conversation about fatherhood, faith, forgiveness, and the difference between sobriety and true recovery, and a reminder that hope is never out of reach.

WEBLINKS Robert Ruesch’s Website Robert on Instagram

We live in the most connected era in human history, yet loneliness has become a defining crisis of our time. In this episode, Rodney sits down with Keith Spurgin, international speaker, church planter, and author of Unknown: Finding Connection in a Disconnected World, to get to the heart of why genuine community is so hard to find and even harder to build. Keith traces his own story from a childhood encounter with Jesus on a farm, through the distractions of his teenage years, to a radical re-commitment to faith in college that sparked a movement in his own apartment and eventually led to 27 years leading a thriving church in Texas. His journey is honest, funny, and deeply human.

Drawing on the relational wisdom in his new book, Keith unpacks why social media gives us the illusion of connection without the substance, why the natural drift of every relationship is toward disconnection, and what it actually takes to build an inner circle that can carry you through life's hardest moments. He also brings fresh eyes to familiar stories, from the Good Samaritan to the disciples Jesus chose, showing just how radical and countercultural genuine love for others really is. If you've been feeling the ache of isolation or wondering whether real community is still possible, this conversation offers both honest perspective and a practical path forward.

WEBLINKS Keith Spurgin’s Website Growth Resourcing Group Keith Spurgin on Facebook Keith Spurgin on LinkedIn