Snow outside, lights low, coffee at night, and a toddler determined to cameo—this Christmas special is equal parts cozy and chaotic. We leaned into it. From goofy elf names to heartfelt family memories, we explore how the holidays feel when traditions shift and real life spills across the wrapping paper.

We start with humor—Minty McCandy Cane, Happy Stocking Stuffer, and the legend of Jingle Pickle Pants—then move into the scents and stories that anchor the season: pine on the dashboard, a battery four-wheeler sending a kid up the Christmas tree, and a giant stocking that turned generosity into sport. Along the way we talk honestly about what happens when grandparents are gone and the old scripts fade. If the big gatherings have dwindled, how do you rebuild? Our answer: make smaller rituals that still feel big. Walk through a mile of lights. Stretch celebrations across days, not hours. Keep stockings, but fill them smart.

We also share the case for practical presents—deodorant, gloves, toothpaste, a renewed registration, even a AAA membership. Not glamorous, but deeply kind when money is tight and January is coming. And then there’s Spirit, the horse that became family—a story of late-night deals, a perfect card, and a room full of tears that still feels like a warm fire. That’s the energy we carry forward: not bigger, but deeper. Make memories that last longer than the bow.

If you’re craving a holiday that’s warm, real, and a little messy, you’re in the right place. Laugh with us, reminisce with us, and take away ideas you can use tonight. Subscribe, share this with someone who loves a good Christmas story, and leave a review with your most practical gift that meant the most—we’ll read our favorites next time.

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Time moves quietly, until you realize 2016 is somehow a decade behind you. We lean into that jolt and turn it into a practical tool to calm holiday anxiety: look back ten years, then name the next ten with intention. Along the way, we get honest about the economy’s squeeze, the pressure to be merry, and how reflection can ground you when everything feels loud.

We map a real decade—marriage, a home built on family land, a dream job gained and lost, a business born, and the grief that still wakes you at night. That full arc matters. It shows the strength you’ve built, the risks you took, and the love that held you together. With that clarity, we sketch 2036 in real terms. How old will you and your kids be? What will your days feel like? What single action can you take now—send the message, take the trip, start the scary thing—to bend time toward meaning rather than drift?

We also reclaim the season with a simple family pact: create nightly moments that become memories—cookies, lights, photos, hand-written notes. These small rituals outlast stress and give kids wonder they’ll carry forward. And we model another kind of courage: seeking peace through transparency. When rumors and accusations rage, choose a long, honest conversation over performative outrage. In public life or at your own table, clarity builds trust and softens the ground for healing.

If you’re feeling the weight of the holidays, grab a pen. Write your ten-year list, picture your next decade, and choose one action today. Then share this episode with someone who needs hope. Subscribe, leave a review, and tell us: what’s the one memory you’ll create this week?

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Thank you for Supporting My American Dream!

Holidays have a way of turning up the volume on everything—joy, grief, pressure, and hope. This week, we follow a small family errand that became a marker moment: a dad, his daughter, his brother home after 15 years, and their mother, all riding out to find a Christmas gift. In the middle of the drive, a bald eagle swept overhead—an unmistakable nudge that love and legacy keep circling back. That sign connected to a deeper reminder we all need right now: you’re not as far from your purpose as you think.

From there we get honest about money stress, marketplace no-shows, and the mental spiral that tells you to quit your dreams. We unpack a faith-centered framework that helps you hold steady when life feels late: divine presence, the bigger picture, trust and surrender, and preparation. These four pillars turn setbacks into signals and build the “confidence calluses” that carry you through the next round of uncertainty. You’ll hear how this lens reshaped holiday anxiety, softened the edge of comparison, and opened a little more room for grace.

The heart of the episode lands in a moment long thought impossible: walking into church as a family—wife, daughter, and brother—standing together as music swells and baptisms unfold. It didn’t erase past losses or fix everything overnight, but it reframed what’s possible. We left with a simple commitment and a stronger hope. If you’re feeling behind, overwhelmed, or just tired, this conversation will meet you where you are and nudge you forward one step at a time.

If this resonates, follow the show, share it with someone who needs a lift, and leave a quick review. Your words help bring more people into a community where struggle becomes growth and faith fuels the next step.

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Thank you for Supporting My American Dream!

A snow globe of a day turns into a reunion years in the making as we welcome my brother home and share our first Thanksgiving together in decades. We open about addiction, boundaries, small business stress, and the hope that comes from second chances.

• early holiday stress, small business sales push, and marketing noise
• seeing Christmas through our daughter’s eyes and finding perspective
• family history, addiction, prison time, and grief across years
• reunion timeline from halfway house to Thanksgiving Eve pickup
• first Thanksgiving together in twenty years and what it meant
• balancing hope with accountability and clear boundaries
• messages to people battling addiction and to their families
• gratitude for listeners and new cities joining the community

If you're gonna give a gift this year, make it a gift proudly made in the USA. Support your neighbors and your friends. Shop small, buy local, buy American give, the gift of Loud Proud American. WWW Loud Proud American dot shop

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Thank you for Supporting My American Dream!

Holidays bring glitter and gravity at the same time. We’re laughing about hot coffee and bulldogs one minute, then staring down the second anniversary of my dad’s passing the next. That’s real life at our place: farm chores, craft fairs, small business hustle, and the quiet question that keeps chasing me—am I still making him proud?

We walk through the messy middle. I talk about avoiding my to-do list because I’m afraid of its size, watching the fences Dad and I built sag, and feeling like I don’t stack up to the man who seemed to do everything. Then Mom gets a surprise video reading from a trusted medium, and detail after detail lands with impossible precision—first dates, favorite songs, a Christmas stocking we’d bought hours earlier, even the TV volume quirks she never mentioned. That validation cracks something open. We finally watch the tribute video I made for his service. It wrecks me in the best possible way.

That night a dream arrives with steel-toe boots and an unshakable presence. I’m overwhelmed by bills and fear, and Dad walks up the stairs like he used to, hands me a look that burns brighter than words, and tells me everything without saying a thing: get up. From there we talk about practical hope—naming grief without feeding it, writing the list, accepting help, honoring signs without needing to control them, and choosing to live a life worthy of the people who loved us into being. If you’ve lost someone and still scan the sky for a sign, this conversation is for you.

If this episode gives you a little courage or a little comfort, share it with someone who needs it. Subscribe, leave a review, and tell us: what’s a sign that makes you feel your people are still with you?

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Thank you for Supporting My American Dream!

The kind of moment that keeps a dream alive doesn’t always arrive with a banner; sometimes it’s a quiet ping at the register and a lump in your throat. We finally crossed the sales number we set five years ago—through shutdowns, grief, a newborn, and more near-misses than we care to count—and it hit us with a wave of validation bigger than the math. The goal wasn’t about getting rich; it was about proving this American-made lifestyle brand could stand on its own legs and keep serving a community that’s carried us from day one.

Along the way, we open up about mental health and the heartbreaking story of Marshawn Nealon, reflecting on how fatherhood can rewire purpose and help us stay one more day. Then, at a Bangor Mall pop-up, we watched something rare: two women who had lost their jobs after blowing the whistle on abuse in a mental health facility nearly sold out their crafts. On day two, a local shop owner stopped to browse their partner’s Yu-Gi-Oh cards, paid sixteen hundred dollars, and then offered scrubs, toys, and a chance to bring the rest of the collection for a fair deal. Tears, hugs, stunned silence. Call it timing, call it grace—it felt like a Christmas miracle.

If you’re chasing a target that keeps slipping away, this story is for you. We talk candidly about setting realistic goals, the squeeze of cash flow during growth, and why showing up in real communities creates surface area for luck and kindness. We also share the laughs—yes, we said “Yogi cards” before getting corrected—and the gratitude that fuels us into the next season.

If this resonated, subscribe, share with a friend who needs a lift, and leave a review. Your words help new listeners find the show and help small, American-made dreams keep going.

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Thank you for Supporting My American Dream!

The holiday rush came roaring back and, for a weekend, the mall felt alive again. We landed a two-week pop-up at the Bangor Mall, solved a tough layout challenge, and ended up with a space that felt like our own shop—clean sightlines, a long counter for checkout, and room for people to browse without bumping shoulders. Pair that with neighbors selling handcrafted American flags and our tees hanging in the windows all week, and we saw what seasonal storefronts can do: bring community into the brand and remind us why relationship retail matters.

We share the small wins that add up to real momentum: doubling last year’s numbers at the same event, reconnecting with loyal families who show up every time, and feeling the old-school buzz of busy hallways and shared smiles. That energy sparked bigger thinking. A full-time shop may not fit our model, but strategic pop-ups during the right seasons could blend the best of brick-and-mortar and e-commerce—deep relationships in person and lasting connections online. We talk candidly about planning for lean months, restocking smart, and choosing events that match our audience instead of chasing every fair on the map.

Then we turn to something heavier and more important. The headlines about a young pro athlete’s death by suicide shook us, and a recent night of worry for someone close brought the topic home. We unpack a simple “onion” approach to mental health: start with the people at your center and work outward, checking in with real questions and real time. Tell folks you love them. Tell them you want them to stay. Make space for “I’m not okay” without judgment. It’s not about fixing everything—it’s about being there long enough for hope to return.

If this resonated, share it with someone who needs the reminder, leave a review to help more listeners find the show, and hit follow so you don’t miss what’s next. And if you need someone to listen, reach out. It’s okay to not be okay—and you don’t have to carry it alone.

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/
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Thank you for Supporting My American Dream!

A missing laptop charger, a freezing parking lot, and a crowd of costumed kids shouldn’t add up to a breakthrough—but that’s exactly where the weekend took us. What started as a simple pair of charity DJ gigs turned into a lesson on composure, community, and the kind of closure you don’t plan for but desperately need.

We kick off with a trunk-or-treat at Arundel Ford a local Ford dealership, where a last-minute tech failure forced a full pivot: rapid setup, a sound check on a dying laptop, and the rest of the set run from a phone. Not ideal, but deeply human. That scramble revealed how staying calm under pressure can be learned, and how serving the moment matters more than a perfect playlist. Between spooky hooks and sticky fingers clutching candy buckets, we found the heart of why we do community work: show up, bring joy, be steady.

The tone shifted at the second event, a masquerade fundraiser for Seeds of Hope—a resource center that feeds, warms, clothes, and guides people facing homelessness and addiction. Only moments before unloading gear, we realized the connection: this was the place that cared for my wife’s mother during her hardest days. As the dance floor filled, a quiet nudge grew louder: say thank you. She found the director and shared what so few in that line of work ever hear from family—gratitude. It was a tender exchange, honest about the rough edges of addiction and unwavering about the dignity Seeds of Hope provided. That conversation, paired with a church message on forgiveness the next morning, felt like the final stitch in a long, uneven seam of healing.

If you’ve ever juggled grief, logistics, and the urge to do right by the people who helped when you couldn’t, this story will resonate. We talk about practical resilience, the grace in imperfect performances, and the sacred power of simple words spoken at the right time. Press play, then tell us: where are you being nudged to say thank you or let go? Subscribe, share with a friend who needs it, and leave a review to help this message find more ears.

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/
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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!