Former professional MMA fighter Garrett Gross spent years fighting both inside and outside the cage.Before founding Operation 17:2 and dedicating his life to protecting vulnerable children, Garrett's own life was marked by fighting, alcohol, drugs, arrests, incarceration and a relentless pursuit of becoming a professional fighter.In Part 2 of Garrett's conversation with UPD Podcast, Garrett sits down with Andy Lamb and Jonny Hanson to tell the story behind the man.Garrett explains how a childhood love of fighting eventually led him into MMA, where he went 20-2 as an amateur with 17 knockouts before turning professional. But while his fighting career was growing, his personal life was unraveling.Garrett opens up about substance abuse, alcohol, selling drugs, repeated arrests, DUIs and eventually serving time in the Illinois Department of Corrections. It was inside prison, with little else to do, that Garrett first began seriously reading the Bible.But his transformation didn't happen overnight.After prison, Garrett moved to Florida and began trying to rebuild his life. Eventually, he found himself heading to South Florida with a motorcycle, a backpack and $300 to pursue his dream of training at American Top Team.Then his motorcycle broke down.What happened next became one of the defining moments of Garrett's life.After praying that God would put someone in his path who could keep him moving in the right direction, a stranger named Ryan showed up to help Garrett with his motorcycle. Garrett would soon discover that Ryan wasn't just another fighter. He became Garrett's pastor, boss, jiu-jitsu coach and Christian mentor.This conversation isn't just about addiction recovery or MMA.It's about Christian brotherhood, vulnerability, discipleship, shame, isolation, masculinity, addiction, prison, fighting and the slow process of becoming more like Jesus.Following Jesus didn't instantly make Garrett's life easy.It gave him a new reason to fight.If you're battling addiction, shame, isolation or the feeling that your past disqualifies you from being used by God, this conversation is for you.

Garrett Gross hunts child predators.As the founder of Operation 17:2 Garrett and his team use adult decoys posing as minors online to identify adults who demonstrate sexual intent toward children, document the evidence, arrange confrontations, and work toward getting offenders into the hands of law enforcement.In this episode of UPD Podcast, Garrett Gross sits down with Andy Lamb and Jonny Hanson for an intense conversation about the reality of online child predators, protecting children, confronting evil, biblical masculinity, fatherhood, pornography and sexual addiction, and the Christian response to people who have committed horrific acts.Garrett also shares a disturbing story he says he has never told on another podcast about the experience that first opened his eyes to the reality of child sexual abuse and ultimately helped lead him toward this work.But one of the hardest questions in this conversation goes beyond catching predators:What does following Jesus require when you're standing face-to-face with someone you desperately want to hate?Garrett explains why he refuses to assault the men he confronts, why his goal is to see them arrested and removed from access to children, and why he still shares the Gospel with them after they're caught.The conversation also explores the isolation Garrett sees among many offenders, the effects of pornography and sexual brokenness, why men need genuine Christian community, raising children to know Jesus, protecting your family online, discipleship, mentorship, and the difference between biblical manhood and simply appearing tough.This is a difficult conversation, but an important one.Viewer discretion is strongly advised. This episode contains discussion of child sexual abuse, sexual predators, pornography, trafficking, and other disturbing subjects. It is not appropriate for children.Learn more about Operation 17:2:https://www.op17two.com/

Former professional model and Crohn’s & Colitis Lifestyle founder Dane Johnson returns for Part 2 to break down the practical habits he believes helped transform his health.Dane joins UPD Podcast hosts Andy Lamb and Jonny Hansen to discuss gut health, sleep, caffeine, nutrition, hydration, stress, the microbiome, discipline, and the small lifestyle changes that can compound over time. More importantly, the conversation explores why taking care of your physical health can become a deeply spiritual journey.You don’t have to change everything tomorrow. Start somewhere. Build the lifestyle one decision at a time.This episode discusses personal experiences and health opinions and is for informational purposes only. It is not medical advice. Consult a qualified healthcare professional before changing medications, supplements, diet, or treatment.

Former model and Crohn’s & Colitis Lifestyle founder Dane Johnson joins UPD Podcast to tell the incredible story of going from international modeling jobs to nearly dying from severe Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis.Dane opens up about losing his health, career and identity, facing the possibility of colon removal, wrestling with God through suffering, and ultimately discovering a new purpose through the disease that nearly took his life.In Part 1 of our conversation, we talk chronic illness, faith, identity, adversity, gut health and what happens when the life you thought you wanted begins falling apart.

https://crohnscolitislifestyle.com/

What happens inside your brain as you grow closer to God?Dr. Chuck Coker joins Andy and Jonny to explore the connection between neuroscience and spiritual formation, why following Jesus is a process rather than an instant transformation, how we learn to recognize God's voice, and why failure may actually play a role in spiritual maturity.They also discuss fear and anxiety, prayer, humility, discipleship, community, legalism, forgiveness, and what it looks like to develop a genuinely deeper relationship with Jesus.

What happens when you finally get the success, attention and recognition you thought you wanted… and it still feels empty?After hearing Shawn Ryan talk about stepping away from the noise, metrics and praise to hear God, Jonny and Andy wrestle with success, identity, distraction, smartphones, spiritual discipline and what it actually takes to become still before God.Can you hear God if you never get quiet enough to listen? And are the things you’re chasing actually producing joy, or just keeping you busy?

Jose Lopez spent years living a double life — building an alter ego named "Jeremith Raince" that pulled him deeper into occult rituals, necromancy, pornography addiction, and a satanic subculture he says nearly consumed him. In this raw conversation, Jose sits down with Jonny Hanson and Andy Lamb to unpack what a satanist actually is, how childhood trauma and an absent, angry father set him on this path, and the moment everything changed — a message from a stranger online that led to a dramatic encounter with Jesus in his own bedroom. This episode dives into identity, trauma, addiction, spiritual warfare, and radical redemption. If you or someone you love is caught up in a similar dark identity, this testimony is proof that transformation is possible.

We sit down with Jeremiah Cordovano (Fresh Start Ministries) to find out what it was like growing up alongside recovering addicts and alcoholics, his own path through the Army and into nonprofit board leadership, and how Fresh Start's year-long, faith-based program walks men through four phases: recovery, redemption, restoration, and reintegration. The conversation covers identity, purpose, military transition, family involvement in recovery, and the practical realities of long-term treatment, halfway housing, and life after addiction.Learn more or get involved at https://freshstartministries.com/This episode is part of UPD Podcast's Finding Freedom series, exploring addiction recovery through the lens of faith, community, and lived experience.#AddictionRecovery #FindingFreedom #FreshStartMinistries #ChristianRecovery #UPDPodcast #SoberLiving #FaithAndRecovery #MinistryLife #PurposeAfterAddiction #VeteranTransition