Valley of the Heroic Podcast

Eric Munoz
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Christianity
  • Updated Weekly

The Valley of the Heroic Podcast is a Christian podcast that tells the stories of peoples experience with God throughout their life. Our journeys in the valley can be incredibly difficult, sometimes painful, but every time, it produces the very things we need to live for Jesus. Our hope is that you would find value in the valley and see there can be purpose to your pain. Your life is God's masterpiece, and every piece of it can glorify Him. Join us for this journey!

  1. Apr 28

    What It Actually Means to Be an Elite Man w/ Chris Lora

    What does it actually mean to be an excellent man? Not just doing better than your dad. Not just providing. Not just showing up. Chris from Company of the Elite breaks down the identity crisis crippling Christian men and what it takes to actually live at a higher standard. This conversation gets real about fatherlessness, marriage, community, and why excellence only happens when Christ is at the center. In This Episode: Chris's story: from Santeria to salvation, rocky relationship with his father, and the men who stepped inHow Transform Men changed his understanding of what it looks like to be a godly manThe birth of Company of the Elite and what "Christ is our compass, excellence is our standard" actually meansWhy doing better than your dad is actually the bare minimumThe phrase that changed Eric's marriage: "You're the husband. You go first."Chapters: 00:00 - Intro + Wild Pentecostal Stories 07:56 - What Company of the Elite Is Really About 08:43 - Chris's Salvation Story and His Father's Santeria Background 11:08 - Growing Up Without a Present Father 14:01 - 2015: When Everything Fell Apart 17:04 - Finding Transform Church 18:09 - The Men's Group That Changed Everything 22:52 - The Birth of Company of the Elite (Micah 4:6-7) 25:05 - "Christ Is Our Compass, Excellence Is Our Standard" 29:30 - Why Doing Better Than Your Dad Isn't Excellence 36:58 - "You're Not Enough. If You Were, You Wouldn't Need God." 43:38 - Why Men Can't Do It Alone 48:16 - "What Walks in the Father Runs in the Son" 54:39 - "Do Not Beg God to Fix Your Life While Refusing to Fix Your Actions" 57:25 - Marriage Advice: "You're the Husband. You Go First." Need prayer? ➡️ DM me on Instagram @ericmunozjr 📥 Want a simple tool to check your spiritual health? Download the free checklist here → https://valleyoftheheroic.myflodesk.com/i7w64z1776 🎧 Full audio version on Valley of the Heroic Podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts "Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds." — Hebrews 10:24 Support this channel through Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/valleyoftheheroic Connect with Chris: Instagram: @companyoftheelite_ Website: companyoftheelite.com

    1h 6m

  2. Mar 19

    Why the Church Is Sick and Nobody Wants to Talk About It With Giovani H.

    What if the thing slowly killing Christians isn't persecution, it's the plate? July Henry is a Brooklyn native, two-time military veteran, and natural health advocate who believes God put healing power inside the foods He created. In this conversation, July shares how God called him to teach the church about health, how he's watched people reverse chronic illness through herbs and clean eating, and why self-control is the real root of the problem. Eric also gets vulnerable about his own eight-year weight battle and what it means to die to yourself so you can finally come alive. Guest: July (Giovanni) Henry — Brooklyn native, U.S. Marine Corps and Army veteran, aspiring naturopathy practitioner, co-founder of Faith and Roots with his wife --- Need prayer? ➡️ DM me on Instagram @ericmunozjr📥 Want a simple tool to check your spiritual health? Download the free checklist here → https://valleyoftheheroic.myflodesk.c... "Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds." — Hebrews 10:24 Chapters: 1:22 - "We have to steward our bodies by what we eat" 3:07 - Joining the Marines, first marriage, going vegan 5:18 - God is Jehovah Rapha through His creation 5:52 - The soldier with the rare liver disease that disappeared 10:19 - Studying everything and landing on Jesus 11:45 - God's 2024 calling: "Go teach the church about health" 15:17 - What is the root cause of poor health in the church? 15:58 - "Most chronic illness is rooted in lack of self-control" 16:35 - Being a living sacrifice: mentally, physically, emotionally 17:18 - "You can live a life of healing every day" 23:06 - Emotional eating, weight cycles, and eight years of battle 26:11 - "It's scary to kill any of your idols" 26:54 - David used a sling before he used Goliath's sword 28:25 - Sowing seeds and wanting to lift up the soil 29:08 - "A lot of people want to come alive but haven't died yet" 30:04 - "What's the last thing God told you to do that you didn't do?" 30:26 - Dying to the cross so God can unlock resurrection 35:23 - Stage three colon cancer at 30 and the pattern of microwave meals 37:23 - "How can you believe in God and not in His creation?" 38:01 - "Your plate needs to look like a garden, not a morgue" 38:40 - "We say we're fearfully and wonderfully made, but you got to live in that" 39:02 - Invest in health now or invest in hospital bills later Key Takeaways: • Your body is not your own. Stewarding it with what you eat is an act of worship. • Most chronic illness in the church is rooted in a lack of self-control, not a demonic spirit. • God put healing power inside the foods He created. He is Jehovah Rapha through His creation. • You don't have to live a life of healing only when you get sick. You can live a life of healing every day. • Dying to yourself is the prerequisite for resurrection in every area of your life. • Your life might not look like the work you've put in yet, but don't stop sowing. • It's scary to kill your idols, whether that idol is comfort, food, or the way things have always been. • Invest in your health now so you're not investing in hospital bills later. --- What is the Valley of the Heroic Podcast? Valley of the Heroic shares testimonies of everyday believers finding hope through valleys and discovering God's purpose in their pain. Support through Patreon:   / valleyoftheheroic   Connect with July:Instagram: @therealgiovannihenry Brand: Faith and Roots — @faithandroots | faithandroots.com Connect with Eric:Instagram @ericmunozjrMailing list: https://valleyoftheheroic.myflodesk.c...

    41 min

  3. Mar 18

    When God’s Grace Feels Like Loss w/ Kadijah G.

    ⚠️Trigger warning: This episode includes discussion of miscarriage, pregnancy loss, and a DNC procedure. Please take care of your heart as you listen.Have you ever felt like God spoke something clearly… and then life did the opposite?Have you ever wondered how to trust Him when the story hurts?In this conversation, we talk about grief, trust, and the kind of obedience that feels inconvenient.Not performative.Not polished.Real life trust.We talk about a mother’s story of miscarriage and the tension of asking God, “How could You tell me her name… and take her from me?”We talk about why sadness is not sin, and why Christians do not have to pretend they are fine.We talk about how God’s grace can look like being removed from something you were clinging to.And we talk about relationships, marriage, and what happens when someone chooses inconvenience again.If you have been trying to hold it together, this is your reminder:God is not afraid of your sadness.He is not offended by your grief.He is still your joy, even in the turbulence.If you are in a season where God is asking for your yes, but you do not understand the how, you are not alone.If you need prayer, stay to the end. We close this episode with a covering prayer.—Ministry support:If Valley of the Heroic has helped you follow Jesus in a real season of life, you can support the mission through Patreon. Your support helps us keep creating discipleship centered content for people walking through valleys. Patreon link is in the description.Subscribe and stay connected for more episodes on spiritual formation, surrender, and healing in Christ.—Scripture ReferencesNehemiah 8:102 Corinthians 12:9Exodus 13 to 17Romans 8:28Psalm 34:18Psalm 147:3Isaiah 43:2Matthew 11:28James 1:2 to 4Chapters:00:00:02 Sadness is not sin and what grace can look like01:33:05 Social media traps and guarding your attention06:31:20 Self care, striving, and learning to slow down with God08:42:22 The Abigail story: miscarriage, grief, and trusting God’s heart19:14:06 Weakness, prayer, and learning to listen24:30:16 Inconvenience as love in marriage and relationships33:06:13 Trusting God with provision, time, and the yes46:20:01 Alignment, surgery, and choosing the wilderness57:25:03 Closing thoughts and prayer over Eric and the audience#ValleyOfTheHeroic #InconvenientObedience #GriefAndFaith #miscarriagesupport #pregnancyjourney #TrustingGod #HealingInChrist #Marriage #BiblicalMarriage

    1h 2m

  4. Mar 17

    Fathers: "Everything You Want is on the Other Side of Hard" | Jeff Hamilton

    Pastor Jeff Hamilton has pastored the same 50-person church for 25 years and coaches high-level sports. His mission? "I make men and sports is my tool." With 40% of American kids growing up without fathers, Jeff created Dad Academy to address the fatherlessness crisis. This is a conversation about perseverance, presence, and why everything you want in life is on the other side of hard.Guest: Jeff Hamilton - Senior Pastor at Hills Church (25 years), basketball/baseball coach, author of Dad Academy, married 34 years with two adult children.- Need prayer? ➡️ DM me on Instagram @ericmunozjr📥 Want a simple tool to check your spiritual health? Download the free checklist here → https://valleyoftheheroic.myflodesk.com/i7w64z1776🎧 Full audio version on Valley of the Heroic Podcast platforms Spotify and Apple PodcastsChapters:00:00 - Meet Pastor Jeff: 25 years, same church03:44 - "I make men and sports is my tool"09:11 - Valley of the Heroic philosophy12:03 - "God is more interested in who we become"15:28 - 40% of kids grow up without fathers19:27 - Orange County's hidden suicide crisis26:04 - Perform FROM love, not FOR love27:08 - Culture defines men negatively34:18 - Greatness through serving others42:14 - Millennials: "Your generation isn't harder"49:57 - "You got this" - message to young dads56:01 - Three things kids need to hear from dad59:04 - Learning to rest is holy1:00:23 - Creating a dad plan for your family1:07:33 - Dad Academy mission and vision1:09:06 - Malachi's prophecy about fathers1:13:21 - Revival starts with the spirit of fatheringKey Takeaways:- Everything you want in life is on the other side of hard- 40% of American children grow up without fathers present- Having both parents is the #1 statistical privilege for success- God cares more about who you become than what you do- Men need community and affirmation from other men- Fatherhood requires intentional planning, not just winging it- The fatherlessness crisis is a curse on our land (Malachi 4:6)

    1h 21m

  5. Jan 30

    How Early Exposure Almost Destroyed Him | Jonathan's Testimony

    Jonathan Echevarria was 12 when pornography first warped his mind. By his teens, he was having thoughts he couldn't control, chasing women for identity, and living out the script his culture handed him. At 19, he made a decision that would haunt him. At 23, something broke open at a business conference altar call. In this episode, Jonathan shares the parts of his story most people wouldn't dare speak out loud, and the deliverance moment where he went back to hug his wounded younger self.We also get into the pressure young men face when their identity is built on conquest, what it means to re-parent your inner child, why the fruit of the Spirit has a timeline but not a timeframe, and my thoughts on marriage as a mirror.KEY TAKEAWAYS:→ Early exposure to explicit content is an assault on a child's inner being→ The thoughts you're afraid to speak need the cross, not just willpower→ Sanctification has a timeline (the fruit) but not a fixed timeframe→ Father wounds shape us, but spiritual fathers can help heal us→ A great marriage requires two people dying to themselves constantlyCHAPTERS:0:00 - The Thoughts That Haunted Him2:56 - Jonathans Story19:19 - Reparenting your inner child25:07 - The Pressure 15-Year-Old Boys Can't Manage31:02 - Why We Need the Cross Every Day41:53 - Fathers50:04 - Marriage as a Mirror59:05 - The Devil's Strategy for Intimacy1:06:28 - Proverbs 11:25: Refresh Others, Be RefreshedCONNECT WITH JONATHAN: @thejonathanechavarria  IG: thejonathanechavarriaCONNECT WITH US:Need prayer? ➡️ DM me on Instagram @ericmunozjr📥 Find out where you are spiritually! Download the free Spiritual Health checklist here → https://valleyoftheheroic.myflodesk.com/i7w64z1776🎧 Full audio version on Valley of the Heroic Podcast on Spotify and Apple PodcastsSupport this channel through Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/valleyoftheheroic"Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds." — Hebrews 10:24

    1h 10m

  6. Jan 22

    When Success Isn’t Enough: How Pain Led Him to Christ w/ JT Tapias

    ⚠️ Trigger Warning: This episode includes discussion of childhood abandonment, homelessness, suicidal ideation, substance abuse, and emotionally heavy experiences. Viewer discretion advised.What happens when success gives you everything you wanted… and none of the peace you expected?In this episode of the Valley of the Heroic Podcast, Eric sits down with JT for a raw and deeply honest conversation about pain, discipline, and surrender.JT shares what it was like growing up without a father, surviving homelessness at 14, and later achieving the kind of success most people chase, only to find himself empty, exhausted, and ready to give up.What followed wasn’t a polished prayer or a perfect plan.It was pain.It was honesty.It was a moment of surrender.This conversation explores why God often allows pain, how discipline becomes discipleship, and why avoiding suffering might actually keep us from healing.If you’ve ever felt stuck between wanting peace and being afraid of change…This episode is for you.If you need prayer:Send us a message. You’re not alone, and you don’t have to walk through this season by yourself.Support the ministry (Patreon):Your support helps us create discipleship-first content for people walking through the valley.Subscribe and stay connected.Scripture References and SupplementJohn 10:10John 1Romans 8:28James 1:2–4James 1:5Matthew 16:24JobHebrews 12:11Psalm 342 Corinthians 12:9Chapters00:00:00 Episode trailer and early testimony00:02:24 Welcome and introduction to JT00:04:09 Growing up in a crime family and constant instability00:06:30 Homeless at 14 and surviving the streets00:07:48 Professional soccer and early success00:13:38 The moment he was ready to end it00:17:00 Prayer, tears, and encountering God00:22:07 Fitness, discipline, and ministry collide00:29:48 Why pain produces maturity00:36:32 Discipline, fasting, and the modern church00:49:15 Seasons, suffering, and perspective00:56:14 Maturity, sanctification, and finishing well01:02:27 How to connect with JT01:04:34 Closing encouragement

    1h 5m

  7. 12/19/2025

    He Escaped Santería After Realizing What Was Really Controlling Him w/ Eric Hernandez

    ⚠️ Trigger Warning (Recommended): This episode includes discussion of occult/Santería, spiritual oppression, sleep paralysis/night terrors, anxiety/panic attacks, and emotionally heavy experiences. Viewer discretion advised. What happens when something that promises peace slowly becomes a source of fear? In this episode of Valley of the Heroic, Eric sits down with Eric (yes… Eric and Eric 😅) for a testimony that goes straight to the heart of spiritual warfare, surrender, and the relentless pursuit of God. He shares what it looked like to get drawn into Santería and divination, the hidden cost that came with it, and the moment everything started cracking open. Vivid dreams. Night terrors. A spiritual pressure that wouldn’t let him stay comfortable. And then… the turning point. Not a perfect prayer. Not a polished plan. Just a real cry: “God, I’m ready. Help me.” If you’ve been mixing Jesus with other “guidance,” if you’ve felt stuck in fear, or if you’ve been hearing God pull on you and you don’t know what to do next, this conversation is for you. If you need prayer: Send us a message. You’re not alone, and you don’t have to figure this out by yourself. Support the ministry (Patreon): Patreon helps us create more discipleship-first content and reach more people who feel stuck in the valley. Subscribe + stay connected: Like, subscribe, and share this episode with someone who needs hope today.

    1h 5m

  8. 11/29/2025

    I Almost Lost My Life Leading Worship | A Worship Leader's Testimony w/ Julio & João

    Trigger Warning: (Su*c*dal Ideation) "This episode contains honest conversation about depression and Su*c*dal thoughts. If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out. You are not alone. 988 Su*c*de & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988." --- Get your tickets: GSR: Returning to the Garden https://shorturl.at/iaRiz Follow the Garden State Revial on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/gardenstaterevival?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw== In this raw and revelatory conversation, Eric sits down with singer-songwriter Julio Rivera and pastor João to unpack the epidemic of burnout in the church and in life. The discussion moves from surface-level "how to avoid burnout" advice into the deeper question: What do you do when you're already burning out? The conversation centers on a powerful distinction: We weren't meant to isolate with burnout, we were meant to isolate with Jesus. Using the Levitical altar as a framework, João introduces the idea that "God provided the fire, but He calls us to provide the wood." The daily, unglamorous discipline of stoking the fire is what sustains us, not the big retreat moments or viral ministry wins. Julio shares his testimony for the first time publicly, walking through a season of severe depression where he made plans while still leading worship on Sunday mornings. His encounter with God on a plane ride home, where God told him "Everything you've done, you've done because you've heard of me, not because you've seen me," became the turning point that reshaped his entire ministry. This episode is a call to return to the garden, to take off the fig leaves of performance, shame, and self-focus, and to actually see Christ risen. Burnout isn't just about being tired. If you're running on fumes. If ministry feels heavy. If you love Jesus but feel far from Him, this one is for you. This is Valley of the Heroic. The valley is where your voice begins. Key Scripture: Leviticus (altar fire), Genesis 3 (fig leaves), Acts 2:1-2 (waiting), Matthew 6:25-34 (anxiety) , 🔥 Need prayer? DM me on Instagram: @ericmunozjr 📋 Get your Spiritual Health Checklist: https://valleyoftheheroic.myflodesk.com/i7w64z1776 💪 Support the ministry on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/valleyoftheheroic 🎧 Listen on Spotify/Apple: https://open.spotify.com/show/5hoRf2VLyS7oycCaRaKl8i?si=012f3d38f7b3493c https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/valley-of-the-heroic-podcast/id1674270516 --- Follow Julio: https://www.instagram.com/juliojrivera?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw== Follow Pastor Joao: https://www.instagram.com/joaopiresnj?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

    1h 11m
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About

The Valley of the Heroic Podcast is a Christian podcast that tells the stories of peoples experience with God throughout their life. Our journeys in the valley can be incredibly difficult, sometimes painful, but every time, it produces the very things we need to live for Jesus. Our hope is that you would find value in the valley and see there can be purpose to your pain. Your life is God's masterpiece, and every piece of it can glorify Him. Join us for this journey!

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