Scott Brown grew up a preacher's kid in East Texas, the son and grandson of pastors, swearing he'd never become one himself — until life led him there anyway. His path wound through college football, real estate, and seven years as a missionary in Saltillo, Mexico, right as the region descended into cartel violence. Scott recounts, in gripping detail, dodging gunfire between the Mexican Marines and cartel gunmen, and the terrifying day his wife and three daughters were targeted in a kidnapping attempt while driving alone — a call he'll never forget, coaching his screaming teenage daughter for identifying details in case the worst happened.

That harrowing exit from Mexico became the unlikely catalyst for Scott's calling into pastoring, and eventually into leadership and business consulting. Drawing on the teachings of John Maxwell, Scott shares how he discovered that leading — whether a church, a family, or a company — starts with leading yourself first. He walks through why he ultimately stepped away from the pulpit in 2023 to serve people full-time through the marketplace, and unpacks the three questions he believes every person is silently asking their leaders: Can you help me? Do you care about me? Can I trust you?

This is a rich, wide-ranging conversation that moves from war-zone survival to practical wisdom on culture, motivation versus inspiration, and what it really means to serve others — including a moving story about helping a discouraged salesman find his "why."

Topics covered: - Growing up as a pastor's kid across small East Texas towns - Playing center/guard and long-snapping in college football - Seven years as a missionary in Saltillo, Mexico during the cartel wars - The kidnapping attempt on his wife and daughters that brought the family home - Transitioning from missionary to pastor to leadership consultant - Lessons from John Maxwell and the "law of the lid" in leadership - Diagnosing failing company culture and helping teams find their "why" - The three questions every leader must answer: help, care, and trust

Note: this episode includes an honest discussion of violence, kidnapping, and life-threatening danger experienced by the guest's family. If you or someone you know is struggling, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7 — call or text 988.

# Vern Rennier: From Combat to Behavioral Health CEO

Vern Rennier is the CEO of Oceans Healthcare, a behavioral health hospital in Longview. He joined the Army at 17, deployed to Iraq in 2004, and came home carrying wounds both visible and invisible — a traumatic brain injury, shrapnel, and years of undiagnosed depression and PTSD. Group therapy in a military hospital changed the course of his life, and that experience now drives everything he does.

In this episode, Vern talks candidly about surviving multiple suicidal periods, losing teammates to suicide after they returned home, and why he treats mental health the same way he treats high blood pressure — a health issue, not a character flaw. He shares how a hospital CEO's bet on him turned a struggling behavioral health unit into a program that broke even and then profited over two million dollars in a year, and how that success eventually led him to Oceans and to Longview.

Vern also opens up about a hard-fought custody battle for his daughter, the surprising way his move to Longview came together, and what it's like to lead a "hidden gem" of a hospital that most of the community didn't even know existed. It's a conversation about faith, resilience, and what it actually looks like to turn pain into purpose.

Topics covered:

Note: this episode includes an honest discussion of suicide, PTSD, and depression. If you or someone you know is struggling, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7 — call or text 988.

Cassidy Walker is a licensed counselor who spends her days with patients across nine different nursing homes — people the world often overlooks or misunderstands. In this episode of Story of Everyman, she shares her own story alongside her professional one.

Cassidy talks about growing up in a tiny East Texas town, being diagnosed with anxiety and depression as a young child, being bullied through school, and a suicide attempt in high school — and how that hard season eventually led her toward psychology, counseling, and a mentor who changed the direction of her life. She's open about being on medication, seeing her own therapist, and why she believes there's no shame in any of it.

She also talks about meeting her husband Alex on the worship team at Motion Church, the quiet infertility journey they went through before their daughter Lizzie was born, and why faith and mental health aren't opposites — even when church culture sometimes treats them that way.

A candid, honest conversation about mental health, grief, marriage, and ministry, from someone who sits with people in their hardest moments for a living.

Topics covered: - Finding Motion Church and getting involved on the worship team - Becoming a licensed counselor and working with nursing home patients - Growing up with anxiety, depression, and bullying - A suicide attempt in high school, and what she'd tell that teenage version of herself - Marriage, infertility, and becoming a mom - Grief, faith, and why "I'm fine" isn't always true

Note: this episode includes an honest discussion of suicide and mental health struggles. If you or someone you know is struggling, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7 — call or text 988.

English at bottom... 

En este episodio de Story of Everyman, John conversa con Suge Garcia, quien comparte el camino que la llevó desde Tampico, México, hasta construir una nueva vida y una exitosa carrera en los Estados Unidos.

Suge habla sobre los desafíos de aprender inglés, adaptarse a una nueva cultura y cómo los valores que recibió de sus padres siguen guiando cada decisión de su vida. También abre su corazón al contar uno de los momentos más difíciles que ha enfrentado: su lucha contra una severa depresión posparto y el proceso de salir adelante.

Uno de los momentos más impactantes del episodio llega cuando recuerda el consejo de su padre:

"Siempre traten de ayudar a la gente... háganlo de corazón, sin esperar nada a cambio."

También comparte la importancia de confiar en su intuición, poner siempre a su familia en primer lugar y encontrar fortaleza aun en los momentos más oscuros.

Una historia de resiliencia, esperanza, servicio y el poder de seguir adelante sin importar los obstáculos.

English: 

In this episode of Story of Everyman, John sits down with Suge Garcia, whose journey began in Tampico, Mexico, and led her to build a life and successful business in the United States.

Suge shares how learning English, embracing new opportunities, and leaning on the values her parents instilled in her shaped the person she is today. Along the way, she opens up about one of the most difficult chapters of her life—her battle with severe postpartum depression—and how she found the strength to keep moving forward.

One of the most powerful moments comes when she shares the advice her father gave her:

"Always try to help people. What we do for others comes back to us. Do it from the heart without expecting anything in return."

She also encourages others to trust their instincts, cherish their families, and never lose hope through life's challenges.

This is a conversation about perseverance, family, faith, service, and discovering purpose through every season of life.

Today's guest is a man who grew up with two red lights and roughly 2,000 neighbors — a small-town kid from Edgewood, Texas who has spent the better part of a decade turning conversation into a calling. His name is Aaron Dunn.

Aaron is a podcaster, creative thinker, and self-described lover of intentional conversations. His show, Dunn on Purpose — a clever play on his last name — has been a throughout in his life since around 2018 or 2019. In his own words, it's been "anything that's top of mind, ideas... just an outlet... a different platform... a creative expression." The byline, as Aaron puts it, is simple: "to encourage, enrich, and empower other people."

What makes Aaron's journey remarkable is how winding the road to that mission has been. Born in Dallas and raised in East Texas, he entered the workforce without a college degree, landing in car sales with — as he'll tell you himself — "holes in the nicest dress pants that I had and about two nice shirts." It was there, building a personal brand from scratch, that he first discovered the power of a microphone and a story.

Podcasting, Aaron says, "has changed my life in a number of ways" — opening doors to careers, communities, and connections he could never have predicted. A lot of his career decisions and personal decisions, as he sees it, "can trace back in some form or fashion to a podcast in some way."

Today Aaron calls Longview home, and he brings with him a mind built for frameworks, a heart for people, and a simple conviction about what good content requires: "I want it to be alive for me. It needs to be authentic..."

He's curious. He's been called an antagonist — in the best possible way. And he loves a good conversation. So let's get into it.

Aaron Dunn, welcome to The Story of Every Man.

Before we begin this episode of The Story of Everyman, please be advised that this conversation contains discussions involving sexual assault, domestic violence, trauma, depression, and emotional abuse. Some listeners may find portions of this episode difficult or triggering. Listener discretion is strongly advised.

On this episode of The Story of Everyman, we sit down with Angela Sanders Dawson — a woman whose story is filled with heartbreak, survival, healing, and the complicated weight of carrying pain for a lifetime. Angela is also the founder of Creekdale Counseling & Psychological Services, where she helps others navigate mental health, trauma, healing, and emotional wellness through compassionate counseling and psychological support.

Angela opens up with raw honesty about growing up in fear, battling depression, navigating betrayal, and trying to find peace after years of emotional trauma. In one of the most powerful moments of the conversation, she says, “As a child, my life is just full of fear, absolute fear, day to day to day.”

But this episode isn’t only about pain. It’s about resilience. It’s about what happens when someone keeps moving forward even after life keeps “knocking you back down.” Angela shares the reality of learning to survive emotionally while still trying to love people, build a life, and rediscover hope.

You’ll hear moments that are brutally honest:

“I had a lot of struggles with like depression…”

Today, Angela uses both her personal experiences and professional expertise to help others who may feel trapped in their own struggles. If you’d like to learn more about her work, visit Creekdale Counseling & Psychological Services, email [email protected], or call 903-746-3088.

This is a conversation about trauma, family, forgiveness, survival, and the lifelong search for peace.

This is The Story of Everyman.

🎙️ Story of Everyman – Introduction (Grace Henderson Episode)

“Welcome to the Story of Everyman.”

It starts simple.

“Our guest today is Grace Henderson.”

And just like that…

Because this show isn’t about perfection.

“Tell me what you do for a living.”

A simple question…

This is where stories unfold.

Welcome to The Story of Everyman.

🔥 NEW EPISODE | Story of Everyman 🔥

“Not a lot to do there other than bad things…”

Jaylin’s story doesn’t begin with opportunity—it begins with challenge. A childhood that could’ve gone one direction… but didn’t.

“Once I went homeschool, I didn’t want to go back…”

What looked like a setback became a turning point.

“I ended up saving up… and had the desire to work for myself…”

At an age when most are still figuring things out, Jaylin was already building, already moving, already choosing a different path.

“Just living.”

But there’s nothing “just” about it.

👉 This episode is about resilience, growth, and what happens when you decide your story isn’t over.

#StoryOfEveryman #EntrepreneurMindset #Resilience #LongviewTX #RealStories

Bienvenidos nuevamente a La Historia de Everyman, el podcast donde exploramos las vidas, luchas y victorias de personas comunes cuyas historias nos inspiran.

Hoy nos quedamos aquí en el Este de Texas para conversar con una empresaria local cuyo restaurante se ha convertido en un lugar especial para amigos, familias y la comunidad.

Como escuchamos en la entrevista:

“Restaurant… aquí, en el este de Tejas… is Ruby and Danny.”

Ruby comparte su historia, su pasión por servir a la gente y el orgullo que siente al construir algo significativo para su familia y su comunidad.

En un momento muy especial ella dice:

“Cuando abrón Ruby… me siento muy contenta.”

Se puede escuchar la emoción detrás de esas palabras — la alegría de abrir las puertas y ver que un sueño se hace realidad.

Y quizá uno de los momentos más poderosos es cuando simplemente dice:

“Yo me llamo Ruby.”

Detrás de esas palabras sencillas hay una historia de esfuerzo, sacrificio y perseverancia — el tipo de historia que nos recuerda que cada negocio tiene un comienzo y cada éxito tiene un camino detrás.

Hoy conversamos con Ruby, dueña de Ruby’s Mexican Restaurant en Longview, Texas, para conocer su historia, su familia y la pasión que mantiene viva su cocina y su comunidad.

Welcome to The Story of Everyman, the podcast where we sit down with ordinary people who have walked extraordinary paths.

Today’s guest is someone many runners across Texas know well. As the episode begins we hear:

“I have a pretty cool guest today named Briston, and he's the owner of Texas Outlaw Running.”

But Briston Rains’ story didn’t begin with race finish lines or running companies. It started with a challenge most people can relate to. As he remembers those early days:

“Like a warm-up lap, like half a mile and I could barely run half a mile.”

Yet something inside him pushed him forward. What began as struggle slowly turned into discipline and purpose. Eventually he found himself pushing far beyond what he once thought possible.

“I was running like 70 miles a week running eight, 10, 12 miles a day.”

But this conversation goes deeper than running. Briston also shares the emotional journey of discovering the truth about his family and navigating relationships with the people who shaped his life.

At one point he reflects on the complicated story surrounding his biological mother:

“My real mother is the one that raised me… and my biological mother’s my biological mother.”

It’s a powerful moment of honesty about identity, gratitude, and understanding where we come from.

And somewhere along the way, all those miles on the road turned into something bigger. What began as a personal pursuit eventually grew into a company that now hosts races and builds community across Texas.

As Briston explains:

“These running company name ideas started coming to me in my head.”

Those ideas would eventually become Texas Outlaw Running, a brand and movement that has inspired thousands of runners.

Today we talk about perseverance, identity, faith, and the miles it takes to turn an idea into something real.

So sit back and enjoy this episode of The Story of Everyman with Briston Rains, founder of Texas Outlaw Running.