What happens when life hands you a hand of cards you never asked for?

In this episode of Coffee with Bearded Bad Dad, host Ricky sits down with 15-time author and speaker Michaela Cox to unpack her incredible "38DDD" journey. While the tagline gets your attention, the real meaning runs much deeper: navigating lifelong Disability (legal blindness), a painful Divorce at age 26, and the sudden Death of her beloved military husband by the time she was just 38.

As a medical anomaly born totally blind who miraculously gained partial vision at seven months old, Michaela shares how growing up with an invisible obstacle taught her the resilience needed to survive becoming a single, solo mother overnight.

Ricky and Michaela dive into:

• The unique logistics of raising kids as a legally blind parent

• Late-in-life neurodivergent realizations (Autism & ADHD)

• Breaking the stigma of scriptural divorce and finding a lightbulb moment in counseling

• The raw reality of grief (and why it hits you hardest during a plate of lumpy mashed potatoes)

• The "5 Keys of GRACE" to shift from a victim mindset to a victor mindset

Whether you are facing a massive mountain in your health, relationships, or personal life, Michaela’s determination will inspire you to find a way over, under, or through your circumstances.

Connect with Michaela Cox:

• Website: myheartfeltmeditations.com

• Find her books on Amazon!

If you enjoyed this episode, please like, subscribe, and share the podcast to help us get the word out!

#GriefJourney #OvercomingAdversity #LegalBlindness #PodcastInterview #FindingGrace #Inspiration

In this episode of Coffee with Bearded Bad Dad, host Ricky sits down with former federal prosecutor and special assistant U.S. attorney turned historical author, Joe Wearmouth. Joe shares his incredible journey of leaving a prestigious, "soul-crushing" legal career behind to follow his true passion: writing powerful historical fiction.

We dive deep into his debut novel, Rising Suns, exploring 1760s revolutionary Boston and the real reasons behind the colonists' outrage. Along the way, we draw striking parallels to our modern world in 2026—tackling government surveillance, the rise of Flock cameras, AI data privacy, and the dangerous shift away from local community accountability to corporate overreach.

Are we voluntarily trading our liberties for a false sense of security? Find out in this captivating, wide-ranging conversation.

👉 Connect with Joe Wearmouth:

• Website: joewearmouth.com (Grab his free prequel short story!)

• Instagram: @Joe.Writes.History

#AmericanRevolution #HistoricalFiction #Podcast #longformcontent #CoffeeWithBeardedBadDad #DataPrivacy #JoeWearmouth #SurveillanceState #GenZ #HustleCulture

"They are openly lying to us on a daily basis." In this incredibly candid interview, "Loose Change" filmmaker Korey Rowe sits down to discuss the first 10 years of the new millennium—and how it shaped the world we live in today.

Korey opens up about the extreme polarization of media, experiencing early "cancel culture," and dealing with targeted attacks from mainstream networks like Opie & Anthony. We also talk about life after the military, navigating Adlerian psychology for trauma, building a self-reliant lifestyle, and running a successful legal cannabis business in upstate New York. This is a face-to-face conversation down the middle that you won't see on the news.

If you're tired of the social media cesspool and want real, authentic dialogue, hit that subscribe button!

Korey’s Book: The Soldier That Left: The Untold Story of Loose Change- https://a.co/d/08SaG9BK

#AlternativeHistory #DocumentaryFilmmaking #SelfReliance #VeteranEntrepreneur #CancelCulture #Podcast

Is America actively falling, or are we secretly solidifying our spot at the very top?

In this episode of the Coffee with Bearded Bad Dad, host I sit down with 20-year Army veteran and former Congressional candidate Matt Hasty for an unfiltered, wide-ranging discussion on the harsh realities of modern American life, politics, and faith.

From the deceptive nature of campaign fundraising and how social media creates dangerous echo chambers, to the hidden grand strategies surrounding Iran, Russia, and China, Matt breaks down the global chessboard with raw honesty. We also dive deep into why a nation needs true civic virtue to survive, the breakdown of our educational system, and how stepping away from core spiritual values has led to a society ruled entirely by emotion rather than logic.

Whether you agree with his "hot takes" or not, this long-form conversation provides a masterclass in challenging the status quo and pursuing absolute truth.

If you enjoyed this episode, please LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and leave a comment below sharing your thoughts on the conversation!

Connect with Matt Hasty:

Facebook: Matt.Hasty.378378

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/matt.hasty

Time Stamps:

• 00:00 — Introduction & Matt Hasty’s 20-Year Military Background

• 03:04 — What Running for Congress Taught Matt About a Broken System

• 05:39 — The Loss of Civic Virtue & Why Money Rules Federal Elections

• 07:53 — The Problem with Social Media and the Validation Algorithm

• 12:13 — Missouri’s Primary Election & Policy Over Party

• 16:56 — The Democracy Lie vs. A Constitutional Republic

• 18:10 — Project 2025, Reducing Federal Power & Abolishing the Department of Education

• 20:06 — Who Deserves a Vote? Skin in the Game & Election Integrity

• 24:45 — The "City-Owned" Grocery Store Contradiction

• 27:11 — The Threat to the Constitution & Missing Checks and Balances

• 29:32 — Evaluating Leadership Styles & Understanding Subversion

• 35:09 — The Hidden Strategy Behind the Iran Conflict

• 37:58 — The Global Chessboard: China, Russia, and Prepping the Battlefield

• 41:35 — $40 Trillion in Debt: Can the US Survive Total Economic Isolation?

• 43:07 — The 4 Levers of National Power (D.I.M.E.) & Public Support

• 47:19 — Patriotism Comparison: USA vs. Russia & China

• 53:38 — Hypothetical Scenarios: Would the Public Support Total War?

• 57:13 — American Exceptionalism & Distrusting the Department of Education

• 01:01:51 — How Corrupt Politics Forces Reasonable People to Check Out

• 01:04:54 — Defining True Rights vs. The Labor of Others

• 01:07:01 — Mandatory Civil Service & Starship Troopers

• 01:09:53 — What Happened in 1971? Going Off the Gold Standard

• 01:17:20 — Sanctuary Cities, the Census, and the SAVE Act Strategy

• 01:20:18 — Glorifying Victimhood: When Politics Becomes a Religion

• 01:24:10 — Finding Faith Outside of Organized Religion

• 01:29:49 — Grace, Sin, and What It Truly Means to Follow Christ

• 01:38:33 — Outro & Where to Follow Matt Hasty

#Politics #Geopolitics #MilitaryVeteran #DeepState #Project2025 #AmericanExceptionalism #GoldStandard #Faith #Podcast