144: Denny LaVé - A Story of Leadership and Faith

On Rock Bottom with Ryan, Ryan and co-host Rachel Sereni interview Denny LaVé, a Montana-born Idaho entrepreneur and political candidate, about a childhood marked by family breakup, instability, poverty tied to parental substance abuse, and early exposure to pornography that shaped shame and trauma responses. Denny describes being kicked out after high school, couch surfing, and navigating college with little support, as well as later crises including a near-suicidal episode during business and marriage turmoil. He explains how building professional and spiritual support—therapy modalities like EMDR/IFS, pastoral counseling, church, exercise, and reflection—helped him begin healing and regain emotional awareness. Denny shares experiences in the Marine Corps, time in a French monastery, near-death events in construction, why he wrote a memoir to be transparent as he runs for office, and a message of identity rooted in being loved by God.