Unleashed

EPISODE TITLE Deer Camp Conversations: Big Bucks and Real Friendships

EPISODE DESCRIPTION Thirteen bucks in just two hours. Deer on every side—some as close as three yards. And a giant nine-point pushing 170 inches that kept Brent holding out for his shot. Five days of bowhunting in northwestern Missouri delivered heart-pounding encounters and nearly a hundred deer sightings. But the hunt also brought unexpected lessons about preparation, perseverance, and the friendships that make an adventure unforgettable.

On this episode of Unleashed, Brent shares his northwestern Missouri hunting adventure with friend Kyle Burch. From electric-bike encounters with deer to a muddy ravine mishap, the stories lead into honest conversations about fathers, family, faith, and the trust that turns a friendship into a brotherhood.

Kyle’s pursuit of a 200-inch whitetail illustrates the preparation behind a hunt and the perseverance required to keep showing up. James 1:2–4 brings that lesson into the hardships men face, while the biblical picture of a father and sons preparing fishing nets offers a reminder of the value of time together.

Brent also remembers his own father, who knew little about hunting or fishing but took him anyway—because investing in his son mattered.

In this episode:

• Whitetail bowhunting during the Missouri rut.
• Why preparation comes before perseverance.
• Building trust—and protecting confidential conversations.
• Making deposits instead of withdrawals in your relationships.
• How shared outdoor adventures open conversations about Jesus.
• The lasting impact of a father’s time and attention.

Whether you’re heading to deer camp, driving to work, or looking for stronger Christian friendships, this episode invites you to consider who you’re sharing life with—and who might need an invitation into your camp.

Brothers in the Field: The Bond That Goes Beyond the Hunt

There’s nothing quite like sharing a hunting camp with good friends. You plan for months, check the wind, compare trail camera pictures, and head into the woods hoping for a chance at that buck of a lifetime. But often, what you carry home goes far beyond the hunt.

As the whitetail rut approaches, Brent Henderson gets ready to hunt Missouri with his friend Kyle and shares how a love for God and the outdoors has led to friendships that have carried him through some of the toughest seasons of life. From hunting camps and campfires to a friend arriving with coolers full of wild game after Brent’s open-heart surgery, these stories reveal what it means for men to show up for one another.

In this episode of Unleashed, Brent looks at the fishermen Jesus called to follow Him and the friendship between David and Jonathan. He also shares how men can build a band of brothers through honest conversation, prayer, shared adventure, and discipleship.

The episode closes with Brent’s song “Brother to Brother,” a reminder that we’re stronger when we stand together.

Scripture: 1 Samuel 23:15–18; Ecclesiastes 4:9–10.

For men’s groups: Learn more about The Big 5 Mankillers and download the free facilitator’s guide at WarnerPress.org.

Episode 172: Another Lesson from a Deer Stand — Adapt and Overcome

I thought the buck had expired. As I reached for his rack, the deer suddenly jumped up and kicked like a mule, its hooves passing only inches from my face.

Sometimes the lesson comes a little closer than you’d like.

In this episode of Unleashed, outdoorsman and speaker Brent Henderson takes you by pontoon boat, canoe, and on foot into the deer woods of Ohio and Missouri—where broadheads failed, bucks had other plans, and a little creativity saved the hunt.

There’s adventure, humor, and a lesson that reaches far beyond hunting: what do you do when the plan falls apart?

Because it happens outside the woods, too. Someone you love lets you down. Disappointment wears you out. Life takes a turn you never saw coming—and you have to decide how to respond.

Through honest personal experience and biblical encouragement, Brent explores adapting and overcoming, finding strength in brotherhood, and trusting God through hard times. Like tension on a bowstring, the pressure you’re facing can become part of what moves you forward.

Whether you’re a deer hunter who loves a good story or someone looking for hope in a difficult season, this episode will challenge you to face the unexpected with faith and take your next step.

Your circumstances matter. So does what you choose to do next.

There’s nothing quite like walking to your tree stand in the dark on a morning you’ve waited for all year. Every step matters. Every sound gets your attention. You settle in, bow ready, wondering what might step out as the rising sun slowly reveals the woods around you.

This week on Unleashed, Brent Henderson returns to the Indiana woods for his first hunt back since heart surgery. A bow mishap nearly ends the trip before it starts, an owl gets a little too close for comfort, and a quiet morning eighteen feet up gives him something he’ll need when life hits back the following day.

In Episode 171, “Lessons from a Tree Stand: Where Are Your Roots Planted?” Brent shares the anticipation, humor, and gratitude of getting back into the stand, along with a lesson that followed him home. Just as daylight reveals what we couldn’t see in the woods, God can reveal His presence and truth in our darkest moments when we seek Him.

Whether you’re listening on the drive to deer camp or wishing you were in the woods, join Brent for a conversation about what holds us steady when disappointment knocks the wind out of us.

Scripture: Jeremiah 17:7–8; Luke 6:43–45

Episode 170: Searching for Jesus: What If He Is Who He Says He Is?

Some intriguing recent findings are drawing fresh attention to Jesus and the biblical accounts. Could they strengthen the case for Christianity and the historical reliability of Scripture?

Brent explores these questions alongside personal stories, honest curiosity, and a deer-season comparison hunters will recognize: When evidence points to something we’ve been searching for, we decide whether to pursue it.

What if Jesus really is who He says He is?

That deserves a closer look. And if it’s true, the question becomes more than whether we find Him interesting: What are we going to do with Jesus?

A conversation about searching honestly, examining what we believe, and the choice that comes with what we discover.

Listen with your questions. Share it with someone who’s searching.

What if the biggest thing standing between you and your God-given purpose isn't a lack of preparation—but your unwillingness to take the first step?

Too many men spend their lives getting ready. They read the books, attend the conferences, make the plans, and wait for the perfect moment. But preparation without action can become another way of avoiding the life God created them to live.

In this episode of the Unleashed Podcast, Brent Henderson explores the extraordinary power of taking action through the illustration of the first domino. One small move can trigger something far greater than you ever imagined—but nothing happens until you knock that first domino over.

Drawing from his experiences in the outdoors, his work coaching men, and biblical teaching, Brent challenges you to examine your priorities, confront the excuses keeping you stuck, and stop confusing information with transformation.

You'll discover why knowing your purpose isn't enough, how to identify what matters most, and why faith requires more than good intentions.

Are you spending your life preparing to live it?

It's time to stop waiting, take the first step, and start living with purpose.

READY. AIM. FIRE!

Learn more about Brent Henderson, his books, and Unleashed Plus at https://unleashed.men.

Episode 168: Carry It Forward — Your Story Was Never Meant to End With You

Your story matters—but it was never meant to end with you.

In this episode of the Unleashed Podcast, Brent Henderson challenges men to recognize the story God has been writing through their lives, discover their purpose and identity in Christ, and carry their faith, wisdom, and legacy forward to the next generation.

After speaking at a sportsman’s banquet, Brent realized the most meaningful part of the night wasn’t the laughter, the tears, or the applause. It was what happened afterward. Men stayed to share their struggles, their faith, their search for purpose, and what God was stirring in their hearts.

Brent traces the men who helped shape his own story—from watching Wild Kingdom as a boy and meeting legendary bowhunter Fred Bear, to meeting his longtime friend Wade Nolan in Alaska in 1984. Years later, Brent can see how those men influenced his life without God ever calling him to become a copy of them.

Using Ephesians 2:10, Brent reminds listeners that we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works He prepared in advance for us. Your greatest success doesn’t define you. Your greatest failure doesn’t define you. Jesus does.

Brent also shares the deeply personal legacy he hopes to leave his son: a sword his son gave him that Brent wants placed in his casket someday—but removed before the casket closes and handed back to his son with one charge:

Carry it well. And carry it forward.

This episode is a challenge to fathers, sons, hunters, outdoorsmen, leaders, and men searching for purpose: stop comparing your story to someone else’s. Get alone with God. Write down your story. Find His fingerprints in the victories, failures, wounds, relationships, and redemption—and then ask who needs what God has taught you.

Because an inheritance is something you leave for someone. A legacy is something you leave in someone.

Episode 167 — The Way of the Wise Warrior

What does it mean to become a Wise Warrior?

In Episode 167 of Unleashed, Brent Henderson explores what happens when a man stops trying to prove his strength and begins using everything God has taught him to serve, lead, mentor, and leave a legacy in others.

From watching legendary guitarist Dann Huff practice the fundamentals in a Nashville recording studio, to men whose lives have been changed through mentoring and discipleship, Brent examines why wisdom takes time—and why even our scars can become someone else’s roadmap.

But the heart of this episode is deeply personal. Brent shares the final days of his father’s life, the difference between an inheritance and a legacy, and a childhood memory of jumping from the steps into his dad’s arms. Decades later, those same steps take on a very different meaning as he watches his father’s casket being carried away.

“We never graduate from trust. The steps just get higher.”

This is an episode about Christian manhood, fatherhood, faith, purpose, mentorship, aging well, finishing well, and trusting God with whatever part of the trail remains.

Plus, Brent challenges men to stop waiting for the perfect circumstances to live the life God has given them:

Pick up your sword. Trust your Father. And brother—let’s light this candle.

Resources: The Big Five Man Killers and the free Facilitator’s Guide are available at WarnerPress.org.

What happens when you think you’ve blown your opportunity?

Brent watched a mature whitetail standing forty yards away and wrestled with whether to take the shot. He waited. He hesitated. And eventually, the opportunity walked away.

He thought it was over.

The next evening, Brent made one decision that changed everything: he showed up again.

In Episode 166 of Unleashed, Brent shares the story behind a buck that still hangs on his wall today—and why that hunt has become a reminder of something much bigger than deer hunting.

Sometimes relationships get wounded. Words are spoken. People are misunderstood. Pride gets involved, and what once mattered to us can begin to look beyond repair. Brent shares an unexpected update to the personal story he told last week and what happened when grace became more important than keeping score.

Then he turns to Jesus’ story of two very different sons and the Father who loved them both. One son was lost in rebellion. The other was lost in self-righteousness. But the Father went after both of them because He wanted both of His boys at the party.

Showing up doesn’t guarantee the outcome. You can’t control what someone else does with your apology, your forgiveness, or your outstretched hand. But as Romans 12:18 reminds us, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”

Maybe you think you’ve already blown your chance.

Maybe the story isn’t over.

Don’t quit. Show up again. GAME ON.

Dangerous for Good: When the Tide Changes

What does it really mean to be dangerous for good? In Episode 165 of Unleashed, Brent Henderson shares a harrowing story from Alaska’s Cook Inlet and a recent experience of being misunderstood to explore what biblical manhood looks like when the tide changes. Sometimes strength isn’t fighting back, proving you’re right, or pushing harder—it’s listening, extending grace, understanding what’s beneath the surface, and being willing to take a different route.

Discover why men need brotherhood instead of trying to be Rambo, how our experiences shape our beliefs, and why a dangerous-for-good man becomes dangerous to the anger, lust, shame, fear, pride, and lies that threaten the people God has called him to love.