In Miami’s cocaine cowboy days, Bob Martin was a high-powered lawyer defending the mob. Money flowed, power followed, but everything else—his marriage, his family, his peace—was falling apart. Then a single word from his therapist changed everything: Retreat. What started as anger and disbelief led him into the ancient world of Taoism and the teachings of a 72nd-generation Shaolin master.

This episode traces how a man built on control learned to surrender, how judgment became compassion, and how forgiveness became freedom.

At fourteen, Rhonda Britten watched her father murder her mother and then himself. Shattered by trauma, she spiraled into alcoholism, three DUIs, and three suicide attempts before realizing she had to find another way to live. Out of her brokenness, she created the Wheel of Fear — a model that helps people uncover their hidden fears and transform them into freedom. In this conversation, Rhonda shares how fear is as smart, emotional, and spiritual as you are — and how to break free from its grip.

An English teacher spotted something in Terry Whalin’s writing that set him on a path toward journalism. But a single book — Jesus the Revolutionary — completely rewrote his destiny, pulling him from newsrooms into missions, and eventually back to the publishing world where he’s authored 60+ books and guided countless writers. In this episode, Terry shares the turning points, rejections, and secrets that shaped his journey from young reporter to seasoned author and acquisitions editor.