A Nation Built for a Few
From the Declaration to the Constitution, America’s founding documents promised liberty but protected wealth. In this episode, Rodney LaBruce traces how the nation’s economic system was designed to serve the powerful — and how that legacy still shapes the cost of living, the wealth gap, and who gets to rise. 

In this first episode of the Understanding Poverty series, Rodney LaBruce challenges the myth that hard work alone guarantees success. Through personal reflection and powerful examples, he explores how poverty isn’t a matter of laziness or poor choices, but a complex web of systems that leave too many families vulnerable. Rodney discusses the importance of grit, guidance, and strategy — and how our worldview shapes the way we understand poverty itself.

This episode calls listeners to look beyond individual effort and confront the societal distortions that keep people struggling. Because ending poverty isn’t about handouts — it’s about creating stability and opportunity for everyone.

Topics include:

• The myth of the American Dream
• How worldview shapes our perception of poverty
• Grit vs. systemic barriers
• Why community and opportunity matter
• Dr. King’s unfinished fight to end poverty

🎧 “Because together, we can make stability something no one has to lose.”

In this episode of Apex Ascend, Rodney LaBruce unpacks why resources alone can’t fix broken communities. From a chance conversation with a formerly incarcerated man to lessons from a landmark Montgomery County study, he shows how the environment—not just resources—shapes outcomes. Poverty isn’t just about lacking things; it’s about toxic ecosystems created by concentrated poverty, redlining, and extractive economics. 

Rodney explores what it takes to change those environments: deconcentrating poverty, building anchor institutions, creating ownership opportunities, and surrounding youth with mentors. He also shares his strategy through the Unified Advocacy and Leadership Coalition (UALC) and a new community credit union—real models for transformation starting in District 30. 

Because poverty anywhere is a threat to prosperity everywhere, this episode challenges us to see the fight against poverty not as charity, but as an investment in safer neighborhoods, stronger schools, and a better future for us all. 

In this episode of Apex Ascend, Rodney LaBruce draws a bold parallel between unhealthy churches and unhealthy politics. From the story of “Sweet Daddy” Bailey — a pastor who turned faith into personality worship — to the cult of personality in modern politics, Rodney unpacks the warning signs of toxic leadership: misplaced focus, lack of transparency, and exclusivity. 

But he doesn’t stop at critique. Using  Ezekiel's vision of the Valley of Dry Bones, Rodney lays out his vision for Texas’s District 30 — a community that ends poverty, becomes self-reliant, and serves as a model for the nation. This episode is both a challenge and a call to hope: demanding leadership rooted in service, transparency, and accountability, and believing that what looks dead can live again. 

In this episode of Apex Ascend, Rodney LaBruce explores why “poverty anywhere is a threat to prosperity everywhere.” Drawing on groundbreaking studies — from Montgomery County’s school integration to Moving to Opportunity and the Abecedarian Project — Rodney shows how poverty affects every part of society and why the biggest danger is passing it on to the next generation. He then outlines his strategy for breaking the cycle through the Unified Advocacy and Leadership Coalition (UALC) and a new community credit union designed to drive real change. 

In this episode of Apex Ascend: Teaching Lions How to Rise and Roar, Rodney LaBruce shares why he’s running for Congress — to bridge the gap between the powerful and the powerless, the wealthy and the poor, the democracy on paper and the democracy people actually live. 

He breaks down voting inequality, the democracy deficit, and the rigged rules of the game that keep everyday people locked out of power. Drawing from Scripture and hard data, Rodney challenges the myths of trickle-down economics, exposes the human cost of poverty, and calls for a new kind of leadership rooted in justice, mercy, and humility. 

This is not about managing poverty. It’s about ending it. Because if democracy is going to survive, it must work for the people who need it most.

Speaker Mike Johnson says Trump’s approval is at 90%—and even though that’s not true, it still tells us something real: Trump’s grip on the Republican Party is as strong as ever. In this episode of Apex Ascend, Rodney LaBruce unpacks the danger of charisma-driven politics, the delusion of hero worship, and why some voters are simply too far gone to reach. 

From the Epstein scandal to uninspired rallies, from cult loyalty to quiet disillusionment, we explore how America ended up electing a personality instead of a leader—and how we move forward without pretending that every voter can be won back. This isn’t about alienating Trump supporters. It’s about telling the truth and building a coalition around integrity, not idolatry. 

In this explosive episode of Apex Ascend, we pull back the curtain on Donald Trump—examining not just what he says, but what it reveals about who he is. 

Part 1: The Racist – We lay out the undeniable pattern of racially charged rhetoric and policies, from the Central Park Five and more.
Part 2: The Narcissist – We break down Trump’s textbook traits: blame-shifting, ego worship, and using war as a stage for self-aggrandizement.
Part 3: The Con – Featuring a powerful video compilation of Trump contradicting himself, we expose how he strings his base along with promises that are always “two weeks away”—then shifts to the next crisis. 

Finally, we introduce the S.I.C.C. Test—a reality check for those still clinging to the illusion.

They called it bold. They called it beautiful.
But history—and the numbers—tell a different story. 

In this episode of Apex Ascend, I break down how decades of so-called “trickle-down” tax cuts have stacked the deck for the wealthy, gutted public investment, and left working families fighting over crumbs. From Reagan’s false promises to Bush’s ballooning deficit and Trump’s corporate payday, we trace how the richest Americans rigged the tax code—and how Trump’s new “Big Beautiful Bill” could become the biggest wealth grab in U.S. history. 

You’ll learn: 

• Why corporations are now the biggest owners of stock (yes, their own)
• How stock buybacks became legalized market manipulation
• And how we can flip the script from top-down giveaways to bottom-up investment

This isn’t just about policy—it’s about power.
And if you’re tired of being lied to while billionaires cash out, this one’s for you.
 
🎧 Listen now and learn how to roar louder, rise higher, and reclaim your future.
 
#ApexAscend #LaBruceForCongress #TaxTruth #EndPovertyTX30

Why do we elevate false teachers and corrupt leaders while silencing those who speak truth? In this powerful episode, Rodney LaBruce takes aim at the systems—both spiritual and political—that reward charisma over character and comfort over confrontation. 

Drawing from scripture, history, and real-life observations, Rodney breaks down how we’ve come to protect the powerful at the expense of the truth-tellers. From misused Bible verses to political tribalism, from toxic loyalty to institutional gatekeeping, this episode tackles the deep-rooted fear, fatigue, and manipulation that keep us following the wrong voices. 

If you've ever been told to “just pray about it” instead of speaking up, or felt labeled as divisive for telling the truth, this episode is for you. 

📍 Topics include: 

• Psalm 105:15 and the myth of untouchable leadership
• Why “unity” without truth is just spiritual suppression
• The savior complex in churches and politics
• Stockholm Syndrome and emotional manipulation in leadership
• Pathological altruism and how niceness can be dangerous
• Institutional loyalty vs. prophetic courage
• Biblical examples of confrontation done right

This isn’t just a critique—it’s a call to wake up, speak out, and stop protecting platforms over people.
 
🔥 Listen, reflect, and share. Let’s teach lions how to rise and roar.