The Grandpa Channel: The Stories That Connect Us All

with Steve Harris (Rivers)
  • 5.0 (17)
  • Personal Journals
  • Biweekly

Every story has two stories. The one you just heard... and the one it stirs in your own life. The Grandpa Channel is a collection of conversations with people who have lived through joy, heartbreak, faith, loss, family, and everything in between. These aren't interviews about accomplishments. They're conversations about what life teaches us, often the hard way. As you listen to someone else's story, you may find yourself understanding your own a little more clearly. Because here at The Grandpa Channel, we believe we're all more alike than different. Every person has a story. And every story helps us see our own.

  1. Oct 24 ·  Video

    098 Who Really Needed Healing? Raising a Daughter with Down Syndrome with Alan Collier

    Who Really Needed Healing? | Alan Collier Alan Collier always knew he wanted to be a father. But when his first child, Diana, was born with Down syndrome, he suddenly found himself facing a future he hadn't imagined. He didn't know what to expect. He didn't know what kind of life Diana would have. And he certainly didn't know how much being her father would change the way he saw the world. Over the years, Alan learned lessons he hadn't expected—about patience, accepting help, letting go of control, and discovering joy in places he might once have overlooked. But one of the most profound lessons came through a familiar story in the Bible. In John 9, Jesus encounters a man who was born blind. For years, Alan understood that story as one about a man receiving his sight. Then Diana came into his life, and he began to see something else. Perhaps healing isn't always about changing someone else's circumstances. Perhaps sometimes it's about changing the way we see. Alan shares the heartbreaking story of Diana sitting in a chair by the front door, waiting for friends who promised to come. Some never did. But others showed up. They remembered her, included her, and made room for her in their lives. And watching those people love his daughter changed Alan. In this conversation, Rivers and Alan explore what it means to be a father, why accepting help can be harder than giving it, and how ordinary acts of love can change a life—including our own. In this episode: The unexpected beginning of Alan's journey as Diana's father Why learning to accept help changed his perspective The surprising joy Alan discovered through Diana and her community How John 9 took on an entirely new meaning The story of the chair by the front door Why showing up for someone matters more than good intentions A question to take with you: Who in your life might be waiting for you to show up? Because sometimes the person we think we're helping isn't the only one being changed. The Grandpa Channel — The Stories That Connect Us All. We believe we're all more alike than different, and that someone else's story has a way of helping us understand our own. Explore more conversations and discover our guided reflection experience at thegrandpachannel.com.

  2. Oct 9 ·  Video

    097: When Your Hope Tank Feels Empty | What Ernest Shackleton Knew About Hope

    What happens when the plan falls apart—and there’s nothing you can do to change what has already happened? Ernest Shackleton set out to cross Antarctica on foot. Instead, his ship, the Endurance, became trapped in the ice, was eventually crushed, and sank—leaving Shackleton and his 27-man crew stranded more than 1,200 miles from civilization. And yet, every man survived. In this solo episode, Rivers shares why Shackleton became one of his personal heroes—and what his story taught him during a prolonged and difficult season in his own life. Shackleton wasn’t simply optimistic. He understood how to keep hope in plentiful supply while still facing reality exactly as it was. As one crew member said of him: “What had happened had happened. It was in the past, and he looked to the future.” Maybe that’s something hope asks of us, too. Not to pretend everything is okay. Not to ignore what has been lost or what we cannot change. But to look honestly at where we are—and then ask: What now? Because sometimes hope begins when we stop trying to change what has already happened and turn our faces toward what comes next. The Grandpa Channel — The Stories That Connect Us All. www.thegrandpachannel.com

  3. Sep 19 ·  Video

    096 Anxiety: What If You Don’t Need to Get Over It? with Brian Sachetta

    Brian Sachetta knows what it's like to look completely functional on the outside while struggling deeply on the inside. His experiences with anxiety began when he was young. By high school, ordinary moments—sports, relationships, the possibility of failure or rejection—began carrying a weight he didn't yet have words for. Eventually, a panic attack forced him to acknowledge that something was happening that he couldn't simply ignore. For years, much of Brian's energy went toward figuring out how to manage those feelings and make them go away. And for a while, he thought he'd made it through. Then, years later, the anxiety returned. During an intensely stressful season, Brian was sitting across from his parents at a restaurant in Florida when suddenly the people and world around him didn't feel real. After extensive medical testing failed to explain what he was experiencing, Brian began looking at his struggle differently. Instead of only asking how to eliminate the symptoms, he started wondering whether there was something in his life he needed to hear. That shift led him to look more closely at his work, relationships, habits, rest, and even the ways seemingly productive things—like constantly consuming books, podcasts, and information—could sometimes become a way of avoiding what was actually happening in his life. In this conversation, Brian and Rivers talk about what we can learn from the struggles we'd rather get rid of, why listening can sometimes be more helpful than immediately offering advice, the profound difference it made when Brian's mom simply noticed something was wrong, and why he no longer assumes a difficult season means he's back where he started. And Brian shares what he would tell his twelve-year-old self after everything he's lived through: It's going to be hard. But you've been through hard seasons before—and that's evidence that you can make it through another one. In this episode: When anxiety first began showing up in Brian's life The panic attack that made it impossible to keep ignoring What happens when a struggle you thought you'd overcome comes back The shift from managing symptoms to listening more closely When productivity and information can become forms of escape How to support someone who's struggling without immediately trying to fix them The role Brian's mom played during one of his hardest seasons The simple practices helping him now Why his question has changed from “How do I make this go away?” to “What do you need?” About Brian Sachetta Brian Sachetta is a software engineer and mental health author. He is the author of Get Out of Your Head: A Toolkit for Living with and Overcoming Anxiety and Get Out of Your Head Vol. 2: Navigating the Abyss of Depression. His writing draws from his own experiences with anxiety and depression and his interest in understanding how our minds work.   https://getoutofyourhead.com/ https://instagram.com/getoutofyourhead https://www.facebook.com/getoutofyourheadbooks Brian's first book (on managing anxiety): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07L5Z6V75 Brian's second book (on managing depression): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09KQ4FLBW

  4. Sep 9 ·  Video

    095 The Day Dave Swan Became the One Who Needed a Good Samaritan

    Dave Swan grew up a little rough around the edges in Rose Park, Utah. He still remembers moving to a new neighborhood as a kid and discovering that carrying a switchblade to gym class wasn't quite as normal there as he'd assumed. But another childhood moment stayed with him for a very different reason. Sitting beside his mother at the dedication of their church building, seven-year-old Dave felt something he couldn't explain. His mother leaned down and told him, “David, don't ever forget this feeling.” Dave says that moment became a reference point throughout his life as he learned to recognize what he believes to be spiritual guidance. Years later, that faith would become especially meaningful during a trip to Lake Powell with his wife, Cindy. Their boat struck a submerged reef. Dave, who had already been feeling ill, became progressively weaker until he could barely move. The man accustomed to being “the provider, the muscle, the big guy” suddenly couldn't get himself and his wife home. And then people started showing up. A family abandoned their own boating plans to tow them. Two men helped at the dock. A stranger stopped his truck when he saw Dave struggling up a ramp. Later, when Dave could no longer move his legs, a caravan of travelers pulled over. People helped Cindy get to the hospital, cared for their truck and boat, and helped them get home. One after another after another. That night, after everything had settled, Dave found himself praying words he hadn't expected: “God, thank you for the experience that we went through.” Dave had never been one to ask for help. And somewhere in those 24 hours, a story he'd known for years began to look different. He'd spent a lifetime thinking about the Good Samaritan. He'd never spent much time thinking about what it meant to be the one who needed him. In this conversation, Dave and Rivers talk about faith, the experiences that shape us, the pride that can make receiving difficult, and what can happen when life puts us in a position we never expected to occupy. A question to take with you: When has someone shown up for you at a time when you couldn't do it on your own? And what did it require of you to let them? Pull up a chair.   www.thegrandpachannel.com

  5. Sep 1 ·  Video

    094 The Life I Was Trying to Get Back To: Five Years in Federal Prison with Portia Louder

    Portia Louder remembers the moment the prison door shut behind her. She had been sentenced to seven years in federal prison for real estate fraud. Her youngest daughter was seven. Portia had spent weeks preparing to leave her husband and children, but nothing prepared her for walking through that door and realizing she couldn’t walk back out. “My life as I knew it was over from that point on.” Three days later, overwhelmed by what she had done and everything she had lost, Portia got on her knees. “Heavenly Father, I have failed everyone in my life. I cannot see my way out of this hole. I just need to know who I am to you.” What happened next began changing the way Portia saw herself. Then it began changing the way she saw everyone else. Before prison, Portia admits she believed people who went there were simply bad people. Inside, she encountered women whose trauma, resilience, kindness, faith, and goodness challenged nearly everything she thought she understood. Some became friends. Some became teachers. And one helped Portia confront something she had spent years resisting. “Portia, you broke the law. That’s what happens to people when they break the law.” Halfway through her sentence, Portia began taking ownership of the choices that had brought her there. She also started letting go of something else: her determination to get back to the life she had before prison. She couldn’t see what might exist in its place. Then one day, still incarcerated, Portia looked in the mirror and realized: “I really like myself.” In this conversation, Portia and Rivers talk about regret and responsibility, the difference between guilt and shame, the surprising goodness she encountered in prison, and why being forgiven didn’t mean the people she hurt were suddenly healed. Portia also shares what it took to rebuild trust with her children after coming home. While incarcerated, she used to imagine a future in which her family was restored. Years later, she found herself on a beach in Hawaii, surrounded by that family, watching her daughter dance the way she had when she was little. The life Portia once desperately wanted back was gone. What came after was something she couldn’t have imagined from inside that prison cell. “I am so grateful for my prison experience. And yet it was so painful. But I was born to go to prison.” This is a conversation about what can happen when the worst chapter of your life doesn’t get the final word - and the person you’re trying so hard to get back to may not be the person you’re becoming. In this episode: • The choices that led Portia to federal prison • Leaving her husband and five children behind • The prayer that changed the way she saw herself • What Portia got wrong about the people she expected to meet in prison • The friendships that changed her understanding of people • Taking responsibility without remaining trapped in shame • Why forgiveness and restoration weren’t the same thing • Rebuilding trust with her children • Letting go of the life she thought she needed to get back to • Why Portia can now say, “I was born to go to prison” Learn more, explore the Grandpa Channel guided journal, and listen to more conversations at thegrandpachannel.com. Every story has two stories: the one being told, and the one it stirs in your own life. Find out more about Portia Louder here: Website Instagram Facebook: FaceBook Portia Wilcox Louder Portia's Book: Living Louder

  6. Aug 26 ·  Video

    093 When the Wound Becomes a Scar: Horses, Healing & the Courage to Forgive with Haley Murray

    There’s something remarkable about a 1,200-pound animal choosing to trust you. For Haley Murray, that relationship with horses became much more than riding. Her horse Boomer began showing her things about trust, fear and herself that she hadn’t quite been able to name. During one liberty-work session, Haley removed the ropes and watched Boomer run. She didn’t chase him. She didn’t force him back. She stood in the middle of the arena and waited until, eventually, he chose to return. That moment would come to mean much more. In this conversation with Rivers, Haley shares the story of experiencing abuse as a child, what happened when the truth finally came out, and how those formative years shaped her relationship with faith, forgiveness and trust. She also talks about something we don’t always acknowledge about forgiveness: sometimes you think you’ve finished with it, then years later you discover another layer waiting for you. Haley remembers writing her grandfather a letter before the birth of her first child. She remembers seeing his number when he finally called. She remembers wanting to tell him she forgave him and realizing, in that moment, that she couldn’t quite get the words out on her own. And she talks about the unexpected freedom that followed when she finally could. Years later, becoming a mother brought another part of Haley’s story into focus. Despite being extraordinarily vigilant about protecting her own children, she discovered that a parent cannot control everything that happens to them. What stayed with her was something else: when her children needed her, they told her. Sometimes the most important thing we can give someone is a safe place to tell the truth. Haley describes what happened to her as something that was once a deep wound and is now a scar, something she can point to and talk about in the hope that another person might hear her story and feel a little less alone. And perhaps that’s where Boomer comes back into the story. Sometimes you have to let the horse run. Sometimes you have to stand quietly in the arena. And sometimes trust means discovering that when the ropes are gone, there is still somewhere safe to come home to. In this episode: Haley’s unusual connection with horses and what they taught her about trust The liberty-work experience with Boomer that changed their relationship Haley’s experience of childhood abuse and the moment the truth came out Why forgiveness unfolded in layers rather than one defining moment The phone call with her grandfather she will never forget How faith carried Haley through some of the hardest years of her life What becoming a mother taught her about protecting children, listening and healing Why giving someone a safe place to “run” can matter more than trying to fix everything The courage Haley sees now when she looks back at her 12-year-old self How Boomer eventually went from the safety of the arena to riding alone in the mountains Why Haley believes, “If I can trust God in the arena, then maybe I can trust Him in the mountains too.” A question to carry with you: What in your life might change if you stopped trying to force the outcome and made room for trust instead? Because sometimes someone else’s story doesn’t simply tell us who they became. It helps us recognize something in our own. To connect with Haley:  Visit her website here! Exciting upcoming events at Horse Connections: Petals & Ponies Aug 13, Sept 3 Free Utah Flower Day Drive through event Aug 27 Grounded: A Women's Workshop Oct 9-10 Community Ed Classes for Adults, Teens & Kids this fall

  7. Aug 14 ·  Video

    092 The Handshake That Got Me in Trouble with Steve Harris aka Rivers

    What happens when a simple handshake breaks the rules? In this solo episode, Rivers shares the story of volunteering at the Salt Lake County Metro Jail, where one unexpected handshake with an inmate led to an unforgettable confrontation with a correctional officer. What begins as a humorous story quickly becomes a reflection on something much deeper: our need for human connection, the quiet dignity every person deserves, and the wisdom of knowing when to hold your tongue. Sometimes the smallest acts of kindness leave the biggest impression. In this episode, you'll hear about: Why one jail rule always bothered Rivers The Sunday school lesson that unexpectedly came to life A handshake that caused more trouble than anyone expected The perfectly timed moment that still makes him laugh Why some moments of human connection stay with us forever Question to reflect on: Has there ever been a small act of kindness or human connection that stayed with you far longer than you expected? Why do you think it mattered? If you'd like to continue the conversation, explore our guided journal, Until It Starts to Speak Back, created to help you discover the stories that have shaped your own life. Learn more and listen to more conversations at thegrandpachannel.com.

  8. Aug 4 ·  Video

    091 Comedy Machines: The Family Stories We Never Stop Telling with Steve Harris aka Rivers

    Some of the most meaningful stories in a family aren't the ones we plan. They're the unexpected moments that become part of our family's history. In this solo episode, Steve "Rivers" Harris shares why creating a home filled with laughter became one of his greatest hopes as a father. From blessing each of his children with a sense of humor to an unforgettable family dinner at Hires Big H, this conversation is a reminder that perfection rarely creates our favorite memories. Sometimes it's the wonderfully imperfect moments that become the stories we tell for the rest of our lives. In this episode, you'll hear: Why Steve wanted laughter to become part of his family's legacy The beautiful tradition of blessing a newborn child Brian Doyle's unforgettable description of children as "comedy machines" The hilarious Hires Big H family dinner that didn't end quite as expected Why the stories we once found embarrassing often become our family's favorites How laughter helps us navigate the challenges of everyday life Reflection Question What's one family story that still makes you laugh every time it's told? Maybe it's something that seemed embarrassing in the moment. Maybe it's become part of your family's folklore. Or maybe it's simply a reminder that the moments we try hardest to control often become the ones we treasure most. Continue the Conversation If today's story stirred something in your own life, we've created a guided journal called Until It Starts to Speak Back. Inspired by the conversations on Grandpa Channel, it's designed to help you discover the stories that have shaped your own life. Learn more, explore the journal, and listen to more conversations at thegrandpachannel.com.

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Every story has two stories. The one you just heard... and the one it stirs in your own life. The Grandpa Channel is a collection of conversations with people who have lived through joy, heartbreak, faith, loss, family, and everything in between. These aren't interviews about accomplishments. They're conversations about what life teaches us, often the hard way. As you listen to someone else's story, you may find yourself understanding your own a little more clearly. Because here at The Grandpa Channel, we believe we're all more alike than different. Every person has a story. And every story helps us see our own.

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