Dustin Plantholt

Ever felt like you’re running on empty, drained not by illness but by life’s persistent curveballs? I’ve walked that road. 2014 was the year I lost my sister to an overdose, and with that, a chunk of my soul went dormant. It felt like life’s volume got turned down, with connections fading away as I became the poster child for self-pity.

But, life, being the unpredictable journey it is, threw me a lifeline in March 2019. With my anchor, my wife, and the brilliant John Miller producing, “Life’s Tough, You Can Be Tougher” hit the airwaves. This wasn’t just any podcast. It was a space for guests to unpack the unspoken battles that fortified their minds. My inaugural episode was an intimate chat with my childhood pastor, revisiting our shared memories, including the poignant times when he stood by Tennille and me during our foster care days. The listener count? A humble 600. Not bad for a guy who was more jittery than a caffeinated squirrel behind the mic!

From there, things got wild. Episode three? Step in, Evander Holyfield. By the fifth, I’m chatting with Robocop. Six episodes in, and I’ve got Priceline’s billionaire co-founder in the mix. And by ten? My sci-fi hero was sharing stories. The roster grew, with icons like Jerry Springer, the infamous Hulk aka Lou Ferrigno, culinary genius Lidia Bastianich, and the unforgettable Gene Simmons.

Luck? Nope. My inbox was a testament to relentless outreach, diving deep into contact lists, shooting off cold emails, and sometimes just shooting my shot via a website’s ‘Contact Us’ form. Tools like Hunter.io and IMDB’s premium services were my trusty sidekicks. I was on a mission: not to merely host a podcast, but to set a gold standard in raw, authentic storytelling. And through it all, I realized one thing: pain has two faces – the kind that breaks you and the kind that reshapes you. My journey through the podcasting world did more than just heal; it’s fortified my spirit.