Advertise on podcast: Grace, Grit & Hope

Tonya Reed's childhood and teenage years were marked by trauma, instability, addiction, and choices that eventually led her to jail. But in the darkest season of her life, a Gideons International volunteer handed her a small blue Bible—and everything began to change. In this episode, Tonya shares her journey from early‑life pain to drug dealing, incarceration, and finally the slow, steady transformation that reshaped her future. Today she leads a thriving caregiving business and returns to the same jail to minister to women walking the road she once traveled. It's a story of how deep pain found redemption through God's word and grace.

Author Mary Knight joins Grace, Grit & Hope to explore why storytelling is one of the most powerful forces we have to change the world. From her award‑winning novels Saving Wonder and What the Seahorse Told Me to her CoreEmpathy work and school visits across the country, Mary shows how words can open hearts, inspire courage, and help us see one another with deeper compassion. Mary also shares a deeply personal chapter of her life — a tragedy she faced in college — and how journaling became the lifeline that helped her survive it. Her story is a testament to how writing can heal, anchor us, and guide us through the darkest moments. Her journey, from Whidbey Island to Chautauquas events to classrooms nationwide, reminds us that empathy is essential — and that story is the bridge that carries us forward together. Learn more about Mary Knight's work: https://www.maryknightbooks.com/

Miguels Pizza began as a quiet roadside restaurant, but as Kentucky's Red River Gorge grew into a worldwide climbing mecca, Miguels evolved into an outdoor enthusiast hub. In this episode, Dario Ventura, the son of founder Miguel Ventura, shares what it was like growing up meeting people from around the world and watching the Gorge transform. Today, he carries his father's legacy forward with a new venture, Red Point Barbeque. It's a story of a family from Portugal who worked incredibly hard, welcomed visitors and helped build one of the world's most beloved outdoor communities.   Connect with Miguels Pizza & Red Point Barbeque: • Miguels Pizza: https://miguelspizza.com • Red Point Barbeque: https://redpointbbq.com • Red River Gorge Climbers' Coalition: https://rrgcc.org

What happens when a childhood spent traveling the globe on missionary ships to spread the Gospel turns into a lifelong battle against modern-day slavery? In this episode of Grace, Grit & Hope, we sit down with Kentucky residents Greg and Mala Malstead, founders of Freedom Firm USA. Driven by profound faith, they stepped into the dark world of child sex trafficking in India to bring rescue and restoration to the vulnerable. With more than 1,100 girls rescued to date, the impact has been miraculous. Mala shares her story of answering this critical call at age 18, while Greg discusses his perspective as an attorney working with police to prosecute traffickers. Learn more at https://www.freedomfirm.org/

Join Kevin and Paschal with reform powerhouse and gold-medal-winning author Vicki Reed. After decades in child welfare—from opening Lexington's first youth shelter to shaping statewide juvenile justice reform—Vicki has turned her frontline experience into impactful fiction. We dive into her award-winning debut, The Car Thief, and her release this spring: Sleight of Hand. The book follows a youth caught in a common nightmare: a relentless cycle of foster care moves. Her books reveal a profound truth from decades of working with troubled youth: it often takes just one caring adult to turn their lives around. Connect with Vicki Reed: ·         Websites: https://vreedauthor.com, https://middletonbooks.com ·         Books: Available on Amazon ·         Support a Cause: Learn more about becoming Court Appointed Special Advocate volunteer to change the lives of abused and neglected children at https://casaoflexington.org

Ultramarathoner Simeon Bates joins Grace, Grit & Hope to share the story behind his extraordinary 900‑mile run for justice. Determined to support Freedom Firm's mission to end child sex trafficking in India, Sim ran 30 miles a day for 30 days across Kentucky's Red River Gorge. His faith fueled him through the pain, helping raise $100,000 for an organization that has rescued over 1,000 survivors. Sim's journey is a reminder that one person's courage can spark real change. This episode will move you.

Join Paschal and Kevin as they trade their dignity for a Wi-Fi signal in this hilariously honest dive into our doom-scrolling insanity. From coffee shops filled with silent phone zombies to students walking on campus while staring into devices, they poke fun at themselves and our nation's collective trance by featuring Kevin's original song:"The Doom Scrollin' Blues." This episode is a front-porch intervention for our screen-obsessed nation. Break the spell, interrupt the trance, and have a good, hard laugh about the inescapable conclusion: we've all gone bonkers from screens, mobile phones and 24/7 negative news.

Folksinger Michael Johnathon tells his life story and calls us to reclaim the soul of American music: the spirit of the front porch. He reflects on Pete Seeger's belief that the audience is the true star and warns that today's world of commercial music has lost its soul. From his Walden‑like years in Mousie, KY to founding WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour, he champions community, simplicity and the power of shared songs. He contrasts the inclusive front‑porch stage with the isolating commercial stage. He celebrates the brilliance of WoodSongs Kids and reminds us that love — not money — is the greatest transaction of the arts. His message is clear: America needs our front‑porch soul restored.

Paschal Baute has spent nearly a century forging grit. A 96‑year‑old veteran who served with four branches of the military, he is also a former monk, retired psychologist, and author of 50 books on resilience and hope. He has survived cancer, adapted to blindness, and recently endured the loss of his wife of 57 years. From childhood bullying to boxing in Guam, from military school to catastrophic disability, Paschal reveals how to choose courage over despair. This conversation is a masterclass about grit from a man who has spent his entire life drawing upon it.

Paul Prather revisits the 90-minute vision in 1980 that upended his understanding of God—a Damascus experience in which he saw that God is in control of everything, and that His deepest desire is to bless people, not to condemn. Pastor Paul's experience echoes Jesus and St. Paul: whose teachings stressed forgiveness, love and grace—not judgment or measuring others. Grace, Prather argues, is the true center of the faith with God's love and mercy accepting us exactly as we are. This frees us from sin consciousness and changes everything. His kingdom is not a distant promise; it's here now, whenever and wherever we share His unmerited love. Prather's message is beautifully simple: lighten your grip. God already has you.   To listen to Paul Prather's recent sermons on grace, go to: https://www.youtube.com/@bethesdachurchmountsterlin7545/videos

Burned out from seeing patients nonstop, managing insurance paperwork and barely sleeping, two Lexington, Kentucky internal medicine doctors—Dr. Kitty Dotson and Dr. Sarah Schuetz—walked away from traditional medicine to build something radically different. Today, they focus exclusively on the six pillars of health (nutrition, movement, sleep, stress management, social connection, and avoiding risky substances), and their patients are reversing heart disease, slashing medications, dropping weight, and—most importantly—regaining power over their own health and lives. In this eye-opening episode, learn how small, shame-free changes can put us on a trajectory to live long and well, and why the future of primary care should look more like a medical office attached to a gym and teaching kitchen than a waiting room of sickness.

From mid-April until Sept. 27, Clay Comer, age 23, hiked from Mexico to Canada alone on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). During his incredible 2,650-mile journey, Clay braved a 40-foot fall off snowy Mount San Jacinto. For hundreds of miles, he battled swarming mosquitoes. Even when temperatures soared above 100, he walked 20 miles or more a day through the charred skeletons of burned forests. Despite the challenges, he met incredible people and saw beautiful mountains, lakes, giant Sequoias, deer, stoats, marmots and all kinds of wildlife. Surprisingly, he said the problems on the trail were not as difficult as the advance preparation and taking the first step. Don't miss this fascinating interview about Clay's PCT journey and what it teaches us about handling life's inevitable problems.

Best-selling Carl Nordgren talks about his great new book "Common Ground for US," which outlines something few people talk about today: a hopeful vision for America. Carl draws on decades of experience, beginning with his years as a teenage fishing guide to his time building 14 successful cellular companies and through his years as a Duke professor, explaining how people can nurture their natural creativity and entrepreneurial instincts, while helping themselves and their communities to thrive. Carl suggests practical ways to find like-minded creative individuals who are solely interested in solving problems, rather than debating a tired, old political playbook. You will be inspired by his belief that a small group of passionate people can change the world.

To celebrate his 96th birthday, co-host Paschal Baute shares his recipe for a long, fruitful life. Despite being blind, surviving cancer and dealing with pain each day, Paschal shares his wisdom about the things that have helped him get another year closer to the century mark. Foremost, he credits the grace of God and his wife. But he also stresses the importance of life purpose, goals, exercise and diet.  And he's emphatic about mental outlook, deep breathing, staying curious, creating projects and avoiding giving free-rent to bad stuff like cable news.  Don't miss Paschal's recipe for aging well.

Joey Spencer faced his Goliath when his career came to a fork in the road. He could take a high-paying and safe job or follow a passion that was ignited by the movie Fireproof to become a firefighter. Joey took the less certain path and is glad he did. Today, he serves as a captain in the Montgomery County Fire Department in Kentucky. In this inspiring interview, Joey says nearly everyone has a giant challenging our lives: Bad habits, irrational fears, anxiety, poor choices, addictions or baggage from childhood. Though our first response is to run or do nothing, Joey says that putting ourselves at risk, getting help and going down the more challenging path is the best way to beat the Goliaths in our lives.