Four hours from home, a brand-new fair, and a plan that looked simple on paper. Then reality hit: 90-degree heat, a solo tent setup, black flies so thick they sounded like rain, and four nights trying to sleep in the back of a Yukon because the camper wasn’t an option. We’re telling the whole road story from Springfield, Maine, from the small-town moments that restore your faith in people to the kind of setbacks that make you question why you even signed up.

Along the way, we break down how we choose vendor events and fairs using a “checkbox” system, and why there’s an even bigger internal checklist that matters more than sales. When you’re building a small business, chasing an American dream, and trying to provide for your family, discomfort becomes data. The sacrifice, the commitment, the decision to stay open when it’s slow, and the ability to adapt when the weather turns are what prove you’re serious. We also talk about customer service, staying grounded, and why being part of something early, whether it’s a growing fair or a growing brand, creates its own kind of pride.

The weekend starts rough, gets wetter, and nearly turns into a morale breaker. Then the comeback shows up: Saturday and Sunday flip the whole result, beating last year’s numbers, and reminding us why resilience and faith belong in the same sentence. We close with the late-night pack-up, the dangerous exhaustion on the drive home, making it back for my wife’s birthday, and a look ahead to the Maine State Moose Lottery event at the Acton Fairgrounds.

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Thank you for Supporting My American Dream!

Rejection emails are one thing. Rejection that makes you question your identity, your message, and your future is something else. We’re coming off a week that started with baptism and ended with two moments of real relief, and we’re telling the full story, messy parts included.

We talk through the “season of new” around Loud Proud American: taking bigger swings for America 250, applying to major concerts and country festivals, and pulling back from familiar local events even when they used to be reliable. Then the doors keep closing. We unpack why big events often say no to small vendors, how exclusivity deals protect official merchandise, and why a patriotic, American-made apparel brand can still get treated like a risk. If you’ve ever tried to grow a business and felt like the gatekeepers never even saw you, you’ll recognize this struggle.

From there, we share a weekend recap at a new off-road venue, the long drives, the slow sales, and the disappointment of learning the busiest event on the property might be off-limits. But the road trip also delivers something unexpected: a bald eagle moment that hits deep, ties back to losing Dad, and turns into a long, honest prayer about grief, purpose, and trust.

Finally, we get real about the financial pressure behind the scenes and why one approval email felt like a lifeline. Then another email lands: acceptance to the Erie County Fair in Hamburg, New York, a million-attendee opportunity that could change the year. We leave you with the lesson we’re learning the hard way: growth is not just on the other side of discomfort, it’s on the other side of obedience.

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Thank you for Supporting My American Dream!

We waited a long time for baptism day, and when it finally arrived, it didn’t feel like a single moment. It felt like a whole season coming to a head: grief, healing, late-night doubts, and the decision to stop “faking fine” and start living our faith out loud. This recap is personal, funny in the way real life is funny, and honest about how heavy a joyful day can still feel.

We talk through the people who showed up for us and the kind of church community that’s built on effort, not convenience. Some friends drove an hour. Others rode the city bus, got dropped at the mall, and walked the rest of the way just to be there. We also share how the livestream let family and friends watch from afar, and why that mattered more than we expected.

Then we go behind the scenes on the testimony video: the pressure of telling a big story in a small window, the “interrogation” feeling of being interviewed, and the moment we realized we needed to re-record so the truth felt right in our bodies. We connect it back to the bigger faith journey, including losing Ali’s mom to addiction and suicide, leaning into God when strength was gone, and learning there is no Christian checklist you have to complete before you take a step.

If this story hits home, listen, share it with someone who needs hope, and leave a review so more people can find Share the Struggle Podcast. What’s one step you’ve been waiting to take?

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Thank you for Supporting My American Dream!

We almost talked ourselves out of a new Memorial Weekend event because it wasn’t the “guaranteed” move. The warnings, the what-ifs, the fear of the unfamiliar, all of it started steering the wheel. Then we showed up, set up shop, and realized how wrong we were. What we found was a family environment, promoters who actually value vendors, and the kind of customer energy that reminds you why you started in the first place.

We break down the real entrepreneurship lesson hiding inside a weekend recap: comfort zones can look like responsibility, but they can quietly keep your business stuck. From reworking our vendor setup and display, to competing on quality in a crowded apparel row, to hearing encouragement from people who’ve been in the game for decades, we walk through the mindset shift that happens when you stop letting fear make decisions. If you care about small business growth, taking chances, and building confidence through action, you’ll hear plenty to steal for your own life.

Then the family side hits hard. We expected loud noises and stress with a toddler. Instead, our daughter became a mud truck and monster truck superfan and we got a full-circle moment that feels tied to Keith’s dad and the memories that built him. We also share a big personal step coming up soon, because growth isn’t just business, it’s faith and follow-through too.

If you’ve been hesitating on the thing you keep calling “not the right time,” hit play, then subscribe, share this with a friend who’s stuck, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What’s one unfamiliar move you need to make next?

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Join the 2% of Americans that Buy American and support American Together we can bring back American Manufacturing https://www.loudproudamerican.shop/
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Thank you for Supporting My American Dream!

Comfort can start as a blessing and end up as a cage. After a packed weekend of vendor events for Loud Proud American, we take an honest look at what growth really costs when you’re building a small business, raising a family, and trying to keep your faith strong while the next step still feels unclear. I break down why those “good weekends” matter so much, not just for sales, but for momentum, community, and the motivation to keep showing up.

Then things get real: I share the first time in six years a small business client burned me after multiple rounds of logo revisions and hours of work turning an AI-generated design into something print-ready. It turns into a conversation about self-worth, pricing, boundaries, and why protecting your time is part of protecting your family. If you’ve ever been tempted to overdeliver to “be nice,” you’ll feel this one.

From there, we head straight into the unknown. I’m choosing a brand-new, muddy 4x4 Proving Grounds weekend in Lebanon, Maine over a familiar event, and I’m walking in with real risks: no bus, no power, uncertain security, and unpredictable conditions. That’s where the bigger takeaway lands: entrepreneurship, faith, and family require movement before certainty. We talk failing publicly versus never trying at all, and how “callused confidence” is built through discomfort, not guarantees.

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Thank you for Supporting My American Dream!

One unexpected message can hit harder than a year of planning. After grinding through the messy middle of building Loud Proud American, I got a note from a mentor in the apparel world: “I’d like you to speak to my class.” That single ask turned into a full circle moment that gave me a boost of confidence I didn’t even know I needed, and it forced me to look at my struggle in a totally different way.

We dig into why sharing your story is not oversharing, it is survival. When you keep the hard stuff bottled up, it weighs you down. When you say it out loud, you create relief for yourself and courage for someone listening. I walk through the real behind-the-scenes of entrepreneurship and small business life: leaving a stable career, investing big, failing repeatedly, fighting for quality, and learning how to adapt fast so a Made in USA apparel brand can actually compete.

Then we get into the Zoom class that changed everything. I’m asked to talk about building a brand and vending at fairs and festivals, but what happens next is the surprise: students open up, get emotional, and admit they feel seen. It reminds me that impact isn’t reserved for the “after” version of success. If you’re chasing a dream, rebuilding after a setback, or wondering whether you’re cut out for the work, this is your reminder that you might not have failed, you just haven’t finished.

If this hit you, subscribe, share the episode with a friend who needs a lift, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What’s one thing you refuse to quit on right now?

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Join the 2% of Americans that Buy American and support American Together we can bring back American Manufacturing https://www.loudproudamerican.shop/
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Thank you for Supporting My American Dream!

She signs up for a women’s conference with barely any details, walks in alone, and ends up walking out with something most of us spend years chasing: relief. Allie joins me for a real, funny, and vulnerable talk about what it looks like when faith stops being an idea and starts becoming a decision, especially when you’re carrying grief, old stories, and the labels you never asked for.

We break down what she heard and felt at the conference, including teaching from the Book of Ruth and the challenge to separate your identity in Christ from the names stamped on you by trauma, shame, addiction in the family, and loss. We talk about Esther Fleece Allen’s testimony and why her message hits so hard for anyone who has learned to survive by pretending they’re okay. Her books Your New Name and No More Faking Fine open up a bigger conversation about self-worth, healing, and what it takes to rewrite your inner script.

Then we get practical. We unpack why “I’m fine” can quietly damage a marriage or any close relationship, and we share better ways to communicate when you’re hurting but not ready to dive into it. Allie also shares a simple exercise you can do today: write the negative labels on one page, then flip it and start an ongoing list of the titles and truths you want to live from.

We close with a huge step forward: Alli confirms she’s getting baptized on May 31, and we talk about how church community and timing keep showing up in unexpected ways. If this conversation gives you something, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs a lift, and leave us a review with the label you’re ready to drop.

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Join the 2% of Americans that Buy American and support American Together we can bring back American Manufacturing https://www.loudproudamerican.shop/
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Thank you for Supporting My American Dream!

An attempted assassination on a president should stop a nation in its tracks, not blend into the weekend like background noise. We sit with that chilling “new norm,” then ask the harder question: what are we doing to each other with the way we talk, post, mock, and accuse?

We trace how political violence, conspiracy theories, and media rhetoric collide in real time. When leaders and influencers pour gasoline on polarization, someone out there eventually treats it like permission. We also confront how fast conspiracy thinking spreads after tragedy, including the ugly narratives aimed at Erica Kirk following Charlie Kirk’s assassination. For us, that kind of talk does not protect truth, it fractures people, stifles faith, and sabotages the revival we have watched spark across the country.

Then we pivot to what rebuilding can look like. We react to a rare, hopeful moment of public unity and we talk about the surprising power of a well-timed speech, including King Charles speaking to Congress with humor, respect, and a reminder of shared identity as America nears its 250th birthday. We end where we began, anchored in faith: Psalm 133 and Ephesians 4:3 make unity plain, not passive, and not easy. Unity is intentional, it takes restraint, and it starts with how we show up at home and online. If you want fewer fires in the public square, it begins with refusing to light matches.

Subscribe for more real talk, share this with someone who needs a reset, and leave a review with one place you think unity should start first.

If you found value in today's show please return the favor and leave a positive review and share it with someone important to you! https://www.sharethestrugglepodcast.com/reviews/new/
Find all you need to know about the show https://www.sharethestrugglepodcast.com/
Official Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100077724159859

Join the 2% of Americans that Buy American and support American Together we can bring back American Manufacturing https://www.loudproudamerican.shop/
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Thank you for Supporting My American Dream!