In this episode of More Than Capable, Kyle sits down with Jacob Esser, founder of Dads of Down Syndrome, for a conversation about fatherhood, purpose, fear, advocacy, and the unexpected ways our lives are shaped by the moments we never saw coming.

But this conversation is not only about diagnosis. It is about what happens after. Jacob shares how the early days of fatherhood eventually led him to start Dads of Down Syndrome, a growing community created to give fathers a place to be honest, encouraged, and connected. What began with a small group of dads sitting together has grown into a movement built around presence, compassion, and the belief that these men are among “the luckiest men in the world.”

This is a conversation about special needs parenting, Down syndrome, marriage, community, honest conversations among men, and the quiet power of simply showing up.

Chris Burns built his career at the highest levels of television—winning Emmys and working on Duck Dynasty—while quietly battling an addiction that would nearly kill him.

At one point, on set, he was one of only three people sober.

One of them was Robert Downey Jr.

That contrast—success, pressure, proximity to people who had survived their own battles—was happening at the same time Chris was slipping deeper into his own.

Then everything caught up.

Chris went into liver failure and was forced to confront the reality that he might not survive. What followed were the calls no one ever wants to make, the wait for a transplant, and the weight of knowing that someone else would have to die for him to live.

In this conversation, Chris walks through:

• Building a career while losing control behind the scenes
• The lie of “getting away with it”
• Addiction as a solution—and what it was actually solving
• The moment his body gave out
• Facing death and waiting for a second chance
• What it takes to rebuild a life after surviving it

This is a story about contrast—winning at the highest level while falling apart in private—and what it looks like to come back from the edge.

What does it actually take to build a life you don’t want to escape from?

In this conversation, Kyle sits down with Luke Thorkildsen, Chief Operating Officer of Weatherby, to explore the long, often uncomfortable process of building a life rooted in faith, family, and responsibility. From early career rejection to navigating the realities of marriage, Luke shares what it looks like to stop chasing the wrong things—and start doing the work that actually matters.

This isn’t about quick fixes or surface-level advice. It’s about the quiet, repeated decisions that shape who you become over time.

Luke opens up about the challenges in his marriage, including the hard realization that growth doesn’t come from trying to fix someone else, but from taking ownership of yourself. Through counseling, faith, and a commitment to stay, he began to rebuild not just his relationship, but his perspective on what it means to lead a life with intention.

Together, Kyle and Luke discuss the role of faith in decision-making, the responsibility that comes with being a husband and father, and the importance of showing up consistently—even when it’s difficult.

If you’ve ever felt stuck, restless, or unsure whether you’re building the right life, this conversation will challenge you to take a deeper look at what matters—and what it actually requires to build something that lasts.

Topics:

• Building a meaningful life without a clear roadmap
• Navigating rejection and creating your own opportunities
• The reality of marriage: love, tension, and growth
• Personal responsibility and ownership
• Faith as a foundation for life decisions
• Parenting with honesty and intention
• The slow, daily work of becoming

What if the moment that nearly ended your life… was the one that finally gave it back to you?

Kenny White was a father, a provider, and a man quietly losing control. Alcohol had taken hold, shaping his days, his decisions, and the trajectory of his life. Then, in a split second accident at home, everything changed. A broken neck. A shattered vertebra. Instant paralysis.

What followed was an 11-hour surgery, months of recovery, and a reality that most people never have to face.

But somewhere in that darkness, Kenny experienced something unexpected:

Clarity.

In this conversation, Kenny shares the full story of the accident that left him paralyzed, the physical and emotional battle to recover, and how that moment became the catalyst for lasting sobriety and a completely different life.

This is not just a story about survival. It’s about identity, fatherhood, faith, and what it means to be given a second chance when everything you thought defined you is stripped away.

We talk about:

• The moment of impact and what it felt like to lose movement instantly
• The long road of physical recovery after a catastrophic spinal injury
• Living as a father while navigating paralysis and uncertainty
• The role alcohol played before the accident — and why it never came back after
• Finding purpose through pain and rebuilding life from the ground up
• The mindset shift that turned tragedy into transformation
• Launching the “Break Your Neck” movement and helping others through adversity

Kenny’s story is raw, honest, and deeply human — a reminder that sometimes the hardest moments in life are the ones that wake us up.

Sign Up or Donate to Kenny's Break Your Neck 5k Here.

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At mile eight of the Twin Cities 10 Mile race, Tyler Moon collapsed in the middle of the course.

A healthy 25-year-old.
Three months away from his wedding.
No warning.

What happened next involved strangers, CPR, an AED… and a series of moments that Tyler and his family still struggle to explain.

In this conversation, Tyler sits down with Kyle to unpack the story behind that day—from the memories that simply disappeared, to the phone call that changed his fiancée’s life forever, to the strange detail on his race bib that would take on a meaning no one could have predicted.

But this episode goes far beyond the moment of collapse.

Kyle and Tyler explore what happens after a life-altering event: how identity changes, how faith is tested, how relationships deepen, and how adversity can become the foundation for a calling.

Today Tyler speaks about resilience, leadership, and faith through Living Proof Leadership and recently released his book More Than a Conqueror.

This conversation is about survival — but even more about what we do with the life we’re given.

More Than Capable listeners enter code "MTC" at check out to receive a special discount off of More Than a Conqueror.

Topics explored in this episode

• Sudden cardiac arrest and survival
• Faith during crisis and uncertainty
• Identity, purpose, and adversity
• Marriage, commitment, and resilience
• Turning trauma into leadership and service

What if the most dangerous choice in your life isn’t failure — but inaction?

In this episode, I sit down with Morgan Hampel—friend, engineer, Navy Nuclear Surface Warfare Officer and real estate operator—to talk about the decisions that define a life.

We discuss:

• Growing up as the grandson of a Holocaust survivor
• The military leader who held him to a higher standard
• The conversation he wishes he handled differently
• Why saying “sorry” isn’t always enough
• Raising $1M in 90 days on his first deal
• Leaving engineering to serve
• Missing signals from people who needed help
• The discipline required to build momentum
• The upward spiral: sleep, health, testosterone, ownership

This conversation is about responsibility.

Responsibility to your legacy.
Responsibility to your friends.
Responsibility to your own potential.

Inaction is still a decision. The question is whether you’re choosing it.

Grant Hankins didn’t just “turn things around” — he refused to accept the story that seemed inevitable.

In this conversation, Grant and Kyle unpack what it looks like to challenge the path you think you’re stuck on and build a life driven by discipline, identity, and daily choices. From growing up around chaos, to hockey shaping his standards, to learning emotional intelligence later in life, Grant shares the patterns that helped him stop settling — and start building.

If you’ve ever felt like your environment, your past, or your mistakes define what comes next, this episode is a reminder: you can challenge that.

In this episode:

• Not accepting what feels “inevitable” — and why most people settle
• How environment shapes identity (and how to outgrow it)
• Discipline as a lever for confidence and change
• The hidden cost of people-pleasing and peacekeeping
• Athletes, identity, and the void after the game ends
• Why comparison can sabotage growth — and what to do instead
• “Desire vs. dedication vs. determination” (and the sacrifices required)

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If this hit home, share it with someone who needs a push to challenge the script.

What happens when you stop running from your emotions and learn to stay with them?

In this deeply personal conversation, Kyle sits down with psychedelic therapist and trauma integration specialist Julian Bermudez, founder of Psychedelic Integration, to explore grief, recovery, fatherhood, and what it actually means to heal—not by labeling yourself as broken, but by learning to be present with what you once had to suppress.

Rather than treating “trauma” as an identity or a crutch, this episode reframes it as something far more practical and hopeful: the patterns we learned in order to survive, and the ones we can now learn to outgrow.

Julian shares his own journey from a childhood marked by rejection, instability, and suicidal despair to a life devoted to helping others reconnect with their emotions and inner resilience. Together, they discuss:

• Why healing is less about fixing what’s “wrong” and more about recovering what was lost
• How emotional suppression becomes the root of addiction, burnout, and disconnection
• Why comparison and self-judgment keep us trapped in shame
• How psychedelic-assisted integration can help soften defenses and build real emotional safety
• What it means to model presence, courage, and emotional honesty for our children

The conversation culminates in a powerful, unscripted moment as Julian guides Kyle through a somatic exercise while Kyle reflects on the grief of losing his daughter—revealing how staying with emotion, rather than escaping it, can become a source of strength, connection, and love.

This episode is about learning to stay.
With discomfort.
With grief.
With your own heart.

Not to be overwhelmed by it—but to become the kind of man, father, and human who can meet life fully and remain standing.