Home Podcasts RIDEOUT: The Other Side of Hard
RIDEOUT: The Other Side of Hard

RIDEOUT: The Other Side of Hard

Ken Rideout 51 Episodes Aug 21, 2026

The Other Side of Hard, hosted by Ken Rideout, features raw and gripping conversations with individuals who have overcome extreme adversity. The podcast explores stories of resilience, redemption, and the transformative experiences that await beyond life's toughest challenges.

Episodes

The Cop Who Went to Prison for 19 Years | Kent McGowen
The Cop Who Went to Prison for 19 Years | Kent McGowen Aug 21, 2026 11165 Kent McGowen spent years enforcing the law. Then he spent nearly two decades behind bars. Kent is a former Houston police officer and Harris County deputy who was convicted of murder after fatally shooting Susan White while serving a felony retaliation warrant in 1992. Kent has maintained for more than three decades that the shooting was justified and that he was wrongfully prosecuted. He takes
The Wall Street Executive Who Had Everything—Except Peace | James “Jet” Davies
The Wall Street Executive Who Had Everything—Except Peace | James “Jet” Davies Aug 19, 2026 7206 James “Jet” Davies spent more than two decades inside high finance, eventually becoming CEO of Deutsche Bank’s broker-dealer for the Americas. But behind the titles, money, and success was a life that was beginning to unravel. James joins Ken to trace the entire path—from growing up in London and attending an elite all-boys school, where he experienced emotional and sexual abuse, to studying law
From Small-Town Kid to Everest, Equinox & IRONMAN CEO | Scott DeRue
From Small-Town Kid to Everest, Equinox & IRONMAN CEO | Scott DeRue Aug 14, 2026 6094 Scott DeRue has spent his life creating experiences that push people beyond what they thought was possible. Ken sits down with his longtime friend and current CEO of The IRONMAN Group to talk about growing up in small-town North Carolina, being told during his first performance review that he “wasn’t smart enough,” walking away from a lucrative consulting career in search of purpose, becoming a U
Jail, Navy SEALs, Fentanyl & the French Foreign Legion | Taylor Cavanaugh
Jail, Navy SEALs, Fentanyl & the French Foreign Legion | Taylor Cavanaugh Aug 12, 2026 8795 Taylor Cavanaugh’s life has been a cycle of achievement, self-destruction, and rebuilding. Before becoming a Navy SEAL, Taylor had already been expelled from school, arrested repeatedly, survived a violent car crash, and served time in county jail. After multiple branches of the military turned him away, the Navy finally gave him a shot. Taylor made it through BUD/S and Hell Week and eventually
Four Brain Surgeries, Total Deafness, and Refusing to Break | McKinnon Galloway
Four Brain Surgeries, Total Deafness, and Refusing to Break | McKinnon Galloway Aug 7, 2026 5488 McKinnon Galloway was diagnosed with NF2 at 16 after a routine MRI for a volleyball concussion revealed two brain tumors. What followed was years of chemotherapy, a phase-one clinical trial, four brain surgeries, radiation, facial paralysis, a cerebral stroke, and the complete loss of her hearing. Her third brain surgery became life-threatening when doctors discovered that her tumor had developed
A School Shooting, a Shipwreck, and the Long Run to Sobriety | Mishka Shubaly
A School Shooting, a Shipwreck, and the Long Run to Sobriety | Mishka Shubaly Aug 5, 2026 7681 Mishka Shubaly has lived several lives: gifted student, touring musician, Columbia-trained writer, addict, shipwreck survivor, ultrarunner, Yale professor, and the editor who helped Ken Rideout turn his life into a book. Mishka joins Ken for a deeply personal conversation about growing up with a distant father, leaving home for college at 15, surviving a deadly school shooting, and watching his f
One Life, Two Hearts: Surviving Cancer, Loss and Heart Failure | Dr. Dawn Mussallem
One Life, Two Hearts: Surviving Cancer, Loss and Heart Failure | Dr. Dawn Mussallem Jul 31, 2026 5642 Dr. Dawn Mussallem was a young medical student when she collapsed and doctors discovered a 15-centimeter tumor wrapped around her heart. She was diagnosed with stage IV diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and told she had only months to live. She endured chemotherapy, a bone marrow transplant and radiation while continuing medical school, eventually graduating first in her class. But surviving cancer c
Rejected TV Pitch to the World’s Wildest Animal Encounters | Mark Vins
Rejected TV Pitch to the World’s Wildest Animal Encounters | Mark Vins Jul 29, 2026 6587 Mark Vins is the co-founder and host of Brave Wilderness, one of the biggest wildlife channels on YouTube. Mark joins Ken to explain how a rejected television concept became a global media brand, why a video featuring the “cow killer” velvet ant gained hundreds of thousands of subscribers in a single day, and what it actually feels like to be stung by a murder hornet, bitten by a giant centipede,
The Brutal Road to a Tour de France Top 10 | Andrew Talansky
The Brutal Road to a Tour de France Top 10 | Andrew Talansky Jul 24, 2026 6090 Andrew Talansky didn’t get on a road bike until he was 17. Seven years later, he finished 10th overall in the Tour de France. Andrew joins Ken Rideout to tell the story of his unlikely rise from getting dropped on Miami group rides to competing against the best cyclists in the world. He shares how a running injury led him to cycling, why he left college to chase the sport, and how a brutal experi
From Bartender to Elite MMA Coach | Eric Nicksick
From Bartender to Elite MMA Coach | Eric Nicksick Jul 22, 2026 4915 Eric Nicksick never planned on becoming one of the most respected coaches in MMA. He grew up in Las Vegas surrounded by football coaches, learning how to study film, lead a team, master the fundamentals, and separate himself through what Randy Couture later called “things that take no talent”: being early, being prepared, and doing the work. After football, Eric walked into Xtreme Couture before
From $1 Paychecks to World Champion | Regis Prograis
From $1 Paychecks to World Champion | Regis Prograis Jul 17, 2026 7561 Two-time world champion Regis "Rougarou" Prograis built his career the hard way. He started boxing late, lost everything when Hurricane Katrina destroyed his family's home, sold tickets to fund his early professional career, and eventually fought his way to the top of the sport, becoming a two-time world champion. But behind the belts was a very different story. Regis opens up about paying oppo
He Started Running in College—Then Made Five Olympic Teams | Abdi Abdirahman
He Started Running in College—Then Made Five Olympic Teams | Abdi Abdirahman Jul 15, 2026 4414 Abdi Abdirahman arrived in the United States as a refugee from Somalia in 1990. He spoke no English, settled with his family in Tucson, Arizona, and went through high school without ever competing as a runner. He did not discover the sport until his sophomore year at Pima Community College. Abdi showed up to his first practice wearing jeans and boots. Despite having no formal training, he finish

Recommended