What if chronic illness isn’t random?
 What if millions of people are being misdiagnosed… while the real cause is ignored?

In this explosive episode of The Ultimate Assist, John Stockton and Ken Ruettgers sit down with author, singer-songwriter, and chronic illness advocate Dana Parish to unpack the hidden world of Lyme disease, autoimmune disorders, toxic mold, long COVID, and the medical controversy surrounding them all.

After a tick bite nearly destroyed her health, Dana was told it was anxiety, fibromyalgia, and “all in her head.” But her search for answers uncovered a much bigger story — one involving chronic infections, pharmaceutical incentives, disputed science, and a healthcare system many patients say is failing them.

The conversation dives into:

• Why Lyme disease is so difficult to diagnose
• The connection between infections and autoimmune illness
• Long COVID vs. Lyme symptoms
• Toxic mold and chronic inflammation
• Why some doctors dismiss chronic Lyme entirely
• The controversy around vaccines, pharma, and chronic disease
• How Dana rebuilt her life after nearly losing everything

This is one of the most controversial and eye-opening conversations we’ve had yet.

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On this week’s episode of The Ultimate Assist, John Stockton and Ken Ruettgers sit down with pastor, speaker, and Stronger Man Nation founder Josh McPherson for one of the most wide-ranging — and controversial — conversations the show has had yet.  

From masculinity and fatherhood… to politics, faith, freedom, and the future of America — Josh argues that many of today’s cultural problems stem from one central issue:

Strong men have been taught to become passive men.  

Josh shares why he believes modern culture increasingly portrays masculinity as “toxic,” why young men are struggling with purpose and responsibility, and how the collapse of family structure affects everything from crime and addiction to politics and education.  

The conversation dives into:

• Why “weak men open the door for bad men”
• The rise of victim culture and anti-patriotism
• Why churches stayed silent during COVID lockdowns
• The importance of fathers, discipline, and responsibility
• How politics became impossible to ignore for many families
• Why Josh believes Washington State has become a testing ground for dangerous ideas

They also discuss Josh’s upcoming FreedomCon event at the Gorge Amphitheater in Washington — a gathering focused on faith, family, patriotism, and rebuilding strong communities through strong leadership.  

Whether you agree with him or not, this episode challenges many of the assumptions shaping modern culture — and asks a difficult question:

What happens to a society when men stop leading, protecting, and taking responsibility?

🎙️ Episode #72: Josh McPherson — Is America Collapsing Because Men Got Weak? — streaming now.

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On today’s episode of The Ultimate Assist, John Stockton and Ken Ruettgers sit down with Dave Durocher — a former meth addict, career criminal, and repeat offender who was arrested more than 25 times before one judge gave him a final choice: prison for life… or one last shot at redemption.  

What followed transformed not only his life, but thousands of others.

Dave shares the raw story of addiction, prison culture, high-speed police chases, gang violence, and the moment everything finally broke. After spending 15 years behind bars and cycling endlessly through the system, he found hope through Delancey Street — a radical rehabilitation model built on accountability, honesty, structure, and truth.  

Now, as founder and CEO of The Other Side Academy in Salt Lake City, Dave is helping some of society’s “lost causes” completely rebuild their lives — with astonishing success rates that traditional systems can’t match.  

This episode tackles:

• Why addiction culture may be getting worse, not better
• The failure of modern prison rehabilitation
• Why “telling people the truth” matters more than enabling
• How accountability transforms behavior
• The difference between punishment and real recovery
• Why The Other Side Academy is being called a national model for reform

It’s a brutally honest conversation about crime, addiction, responsibility, second chances — and what happens when someone finally refuses to give up on you.

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On today’s episode of The Ultimate Assist, John Stockton and Ken Ruettgers welcome back Brianne Dressen — a former clinical trial participant who says she was injured during the COVID vaccine trials… and then erased from the data.  

What followed wasn’t just a personal health battle — it became a years-long fight for recognition, accountability, and truth.

Brianne breaks down how medical coding systems can determine whether an injury “exists” at all — and why the absence of a specific diagnosis code for vaccine injury has left thousands without proper care, coverage, or acknowledgment.  

She explains:

• Why some countries track vaccine injuries — and the U.S. doesn’t
• How patients can be labeled, ignored, or misclassified in the system
• The current push to establish an official diagnosis code — and why it matters
• What’s happening behind the scenes with compensation programs and liability protections
• The real-world impact on families still searching for answers

Brianne also shares the work being done through React19, including medical grants, research efforts, and emerging treatment progress for those still suffering years later.

This is a conversation about data, systems, and the people caught in between — and what it takes to keep pushing when the answers don’t come easily.

🎙️ Episode #70 with Brianne Dressen — streaming now.

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On this week’s episode of The Ultimate Assist, John Stockton and Ken Ruettgers sit down with entrepreneur, coach, and mental health advocate C. Victor Brick for a powerful and deeply personal conversation on mental health, resilience, and what it really takes to build a meaningful life.

After losing his brother to complications related to schizophrenia—and later his daughter to ovarian cancer—Brick shares how those experiences reshaped his mission to challenge the way we approach both mental health and overall well-being. He questions the traditional “standard of care,” arguing that treatment often focuses too heavily on medication and not enough on integrated self-care, including movement, nutrition, and mind-body practices.  

The conversation explores:

• Why exercise, community, and lifestyle may play a bigger role in mental health than most people realize
• The concept of “positive stress” and how it builds resilience physically and mentally
• The difference between mental health and mental well-being—and why that distinction matters
• How loneliness and lack of coping skills are driving today’s mental health challenges

Brick also shares lessons from decades in business and fitness, including why chasing money often leads nowhere—and why pursuing a mission-driven life is the real path to success.

This episode is both practical and philosophical, blending real-world strategies with hard-earned perspective—and asking a bigger question:

Are we focusing on treating symptoms… instead of building resilient human beings?

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On this week’s episode of The Ultimate Assist, John Stockton and Ken Ruettgers sit down with author, researcher, and health advocate Ty Bollinger for a powerful and deeply personal conversation about cancer, treatment, and the system surrounding it.

After losing multiple close family members to cancer—many of whom he believes were harmed more by treatment than the disease itself—Bollinger set out on a decades-long mission to uncover what he calls the “truth” about cancer and why so many patients feel they have limited options.

In this episode, Bollinger challenges conventional approaches to cancer care, questioning:

• Whether chemotherapy and traditional treatments are always the best path
• Why nutrition, toxins, and environmental factors are often overlooked
• The role of pharmaceutical influence in shaping medical education and treatment protocols
• Claims that alternative therapies exist but remain outside the mainstream system

The conversation also dives into censorship, the “disinformation dozen,” and Bollinger’s ongoing legal battles with major tech platforms—raising broader questions about who controls information in the digital age.

At its core, this episode explores a difficult but important idea:

Are we being given the full picture when it comes to cancer… or only part of the story? 

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This week on "The Ultimate Assist", John Stockton and Ken Ruettgers welcome back investigative journalist and health advocate Del Bigtree for a wide-ranging and highly controversial conversation on vaccines, immunity, and medical freedom.

Bigtree challenges mainstream narratives around vaccination, arguing that natural immunity may offer stronger and longer-lasting protection than pharmaceutical interventions. He shares his perspective on the rise of chronic illness, autism, and what he believes are overlooked risks within the current medical system.

The conversation explores:

• The debate between natural immunity and vaccine-induced immunity
• Claims surrounding autism, chronic disease, and long-term health outcomes
• The role of pharmaceutical influence, media narratives, and public trust
• Lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic and vaccine rollout

Bigtree also discusses the concept of “body sovereignty”—the idea that individuals, not institutions, should have the final say over their health decisions—and why he believes that principle is increasingly under pressure.

From childhood illness to modern medical policy, this episode dives into one of the most polarizing debates in public health today—and asks a fundamental question:

Are we being fully informed… or simply told what to believe?

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This week on "The Ultimate Assist", John Stockton and Ken Ruettgers sit down with peptide experts Mary Simmons and John McDermott for a deep dive into one of the most talked-about—and controversial—areas of modern health.

Peptides, they explain, are naturally occurring signaling molecules in the body that regulate everything from metabolism and healing to hormone balance and cellular repair. But despite their potential, many of these compounds exist in what Simmons describes as a “gray market”—caught between growing demand and limited regulatory approval.

The conversation explores:

• Why peptides have been difficult for pharmaceutical companies to patent
• Claims that regulatory agencies may be relying on incomplete or biased information
• The rise of GLP-1 weight loss drugs—and whether they’re addressing symptoms instead of root causes
• How peptides may support healing, recovery, metabolism, and inflammation at a cellular level

Simmons and McDermott also share insights from years of experience in bodybuilding and endurance sports, where peptide use has quietly existed for over a decade—often ahead of mainstream awareness.

The discussion expands into a broader look at modern health challenges, including:

• The role of toxins, pesticides, and environmental stressors
• Why metabolic dysfunction and insulin resistance are rising
• And whether current medical approaches are truly solving the problem—or just managing it

At its core, this episode asks:

Are we overlooking powerful tools for healing because they don’t fit the existing system?

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In Episode #65 of The Ultimate Assist, John Stockton and Ken Ruettgers sit down with researcher and entrepreneur David E. Martin for a wide-ranging and controversial conversation about patents, power, and the systems behind modern science.

Martin revisits his claims surrounding early coronavirus patents, arguing that key elements of both the virus and its potential treatments were documented years before the Covid-19 pandemic. He explains why these findings were labeled “misinformation” at the time—and why he believes many of those same claims have since surfaced in mainstream reporting.

The discussion goes deeper into:

• The role of patents and intellectual property in shaping global health responses
• Why Martin believes fact-checking organizations failed to examine primary evidence
• The structure of federal funding, universities, and what he calls “research money laundering”
• Ongoing concerns around gain-of-function research and biological engineering

The conversation also expands beyond Covid, exploring how similar dynamics may exist in agriculture and the modern food system—and what that means for long-term public health.

At its core, this episode asks a bigger question:

Are we looking in the wrong place when we try to understand how these systems really work?

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In Episode #64 of The Ultimate Assist, John Stockton and Ken Ruettgers sit down with Dr. Pierre Kory, a former critical care physician who found himself at the center of controversy during the Covid-19 pandemic—and what followed after.

Dr. Kory shares his personal journey from working inside the traditional medical system to what he describes as being “pushed out” after challenging mainstream narratives. Now operating outside that system, he focuses on treating patients with chronic illness, including those he believes are suffering from vaccine-related injuries and long-term post-Covid conditions.

The conversation explores:

• The debate between “long Covid” vs. vaccine-related illness
• Why some treatments—like ivermectin and other low-cost therapies—became so controversial
• The role of pharmaceutical influence, censorship, and institutional control
• Emerging approaches to treating chronic neurological and immune dysfunction

Dr. Kory also discusses a wide range of alternative therapies he’s studied and applied in his practice—from low-dose ketamine protocols to oxidative therapies—and shares his belief that many potentially effective treatments are overlooked because they fall outside the traditional medical model.

The episode closes with a discussion on a lesser-known mineral-based water technology that Kory believes could have implications not just for human health, but for agriculture and global systems.

Whether you agree or disagree, this is a conversation that challenges the boundaries of modern medicine—and asks a fundamental question:

Are we missing solutions because they don’t fit the system?

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