Shows
Apex AscendBorn for the MomentIn this powerful episode of Apex Ascend, Rodney LaBruce speaks directly and honestly about why he is running, what he has seen on the ground, and why District 30 needs a new kind of leadership. Rodney shares conversations with Republicans and Democrats who, despite their differences, agree on one truth. Our community cannot afford another decade of the same failed strategies. Rodney breaks down how the political system shapes silence, how worldview influences every decision, and why so many elected officials disappoint the very people who trusted them. He explains the pressure to bow to power brokers, the a...
2025-12-0622 minApex AscendThe Hidden Engine Behind Poverty In this episode of Apex Ascend, Rodney LaBruce continues the “Understanding Poverty” series with one of the most important truths of all. Poverty is not random. It is not natural. It is created. And one of the engines that keeps it running is discrimination. Rodney breaks down the historical roots of discrimination, the coded language that evolved into modern policy, and the ways bias still shapes jobs, housing, education, lending, and healthcare today. If we want to end poverty, we must confront the systems that were built to hold people back. This episode is a call to clarity, a call...
2025-11-2222 minApex AscendAccess to Education and OpportunityWe’ve been told the same story our whole lives—go to school, get good grades, graduate, and success will follow. But what happens when you do all that and the door still doesn’t open? In this episode, Rodney LaBruce takes a hard look at the myth that education alone can erase discrimination. From Devah Pager’s groundbreaking study on hiring bias to the wage gap faced by Black college graduates, this conversation breaks down how the system keeps shifting the goalposts. Rodney challenges the idea that the problem is with individuals instead of institutio...
2025-11-0817 minApex AscendThe Gospel of Wealth and the Sin of InequalityA Nation Built for a Few From the Declaration to the Constitution, America’s founding documents promised liberty but protected wealth. In this episode, Rodney LaBruce traces how the nation’s economic system was designed to serve the powerful — and how that legacy still shapes the cost of living, the wealth gap, and who gets to rise.
2025-10-2521 minApex AscendWhen Stability Turns FragileIn this first episode of the Understanding Poverty series, Rodney LaBruce challenges the myth that hard work alone guarantees success. Through personal reflection and powerful examples, he explores how poverty isn’t a matter of laziness or poor choices, but a complex web of systems that leave too many families vulnerable. Rodney discusses the importance of grit, guidance, and strategy — and how our worldview shapes the way we understand poverty itself.This episode calls listeners to look beyond individual effort and confront the societal distortions that keep people struggling. Because ending poverty isn’t about handouts — it’s about cr...
2025-10-1822 minApex AscendBeyond Resources: Transforming the Ecosystem of PovertyIn this episode of Apex Ascend, Rodney LaBruce unpacks why resources alone can’t fix broken communities. From a chance conversation with a formerly incarcerated man to lessons from a landmark Montgomery County study, he shows how the environment—not just resources—shapes outcomes. Poverty isn’t just about lacking things; it’s about toxic ecosystems created by concentrated poverty, redlining, and extractive economics. Rodney explores what it takes to change those environments: deconcentrating poverty, building anchor institutions, creating ownership opportunities, and surrounding youth with mentors. He also shares his strategy through the Unified Advocacy and Leadership Coalition...
2025-10-0326 minApex AscendWhen Leaders Act Like Pimps, Not ServantsIn this episode of Apex Ascend, Rodney LaBruce draws a bold parallel between unhealthy churches and unhealthy politics. From the story of “Sweet Daddy” Bailey — a pastor who turned faith into personality worship — to the cult of personality in modern politics, Rodney unpacks the warning signs of toxic leadership: misplaced focus, lack of transparency, and exclusivity. But he doesn’t stop at critique. Using Ezekiel's vision of the Valley of Dry Bones, Rodney lays out his vision for Texas’s District 30 — a community that ends poverty, becomes self-reliant, and serves as a model for the nation. This episode is both...
2025-09-2630 minApex AscendPoverty Anywhere Is a Threat to Prosperity EverywhereIn this episode of Apex Ascend, Rodney LaBruce explores why “poverty anywhere is a threat to prosperity everywhere.” Drawing on groundbreaking studies — from Montgomery County’s school integration to Moving to Opportunity and the Abecedarian Project — Rodney shows how poverty affects every part of society and why the biggest danger is passing it on to the next generation. He then outlines his strategy for breaking the cycle through the Unified Advocacy and Leadership Coalition (UALC) and a new community credit union designed to drive real change.
2025-09-1933 minApex AscendBridging the Gap: Poverty, Power, and the Fight for Real DemocracyIn this episode of Apex Ascend: Teaching Lions How to Rise and Roar, Rodney LaBruce shares why he’s running for Congress — to bridge the gap between the powerful and the powerless, the wealthy and the poor, the democracy on paper and the democracy people actually live. He breaks down voting inequality, the democracy deficit, and the rigged rules of the game that keep everyday people locked out of power. Drawing from Scripture and hard data, Rodney challenges the myths of trickle-down economics, exposes the human cost of poverty, and calls for a...
2025-08-2937 minApex AscendApex Ascend Episode 13 - Charisma, Chaos, and the Cult of PersonalitySpeaker Mike Johnson says Trump’s approval is at 90%—and even though that’s not true, it still tells us something real: Trump’s grip on the Republican Party is as strong as ever. In this episode of Apex Ascend, Rodney LaBruce unpacks the danger of charisma-driven politics, the delusion of hero worship, and why some voters are simply too far gone to reach. From the Epstein scandal to uninspired rallies, from cult loyalty to quiet disillusionment, we explore how America ended up electing a personality instead of a leader—and how we move forward without pretending that every...
2025-07-1832 minApex AscendApex Ascend Episode 11 - Silencing the Truth: Why We Let the Wrong Voices LeadWhy do we elevate false teachers and corrupt leaders while silencing those who speak truth? In this powerful episode, Rodney LaBruce takes aim at the systems—both spiritual and political—that reward charisma over character and comfort over confrontation. Drawing from scripture, history, and real-life observations, Rodney breaks down how we’ve come to protect the powerful at the expense of the truth-tellers. From misused Bible verses to political tribalism, from toxic loyalty to institutional gatekeeping, this episode tackles the deep-rooted fear, fatigue, and manipulation that keep us following the wrong voices. If you've ever been tol...
2025-06-0632 minApex AscendApex Ascend Episode 10 - They're Not Like UsIn this powerful episode of Apex Ascend, Rodney LaBruce takes you from the boarded-up grocery stores of South Dallas to the backrooms of Washington—exposing how broken systems aren't failing, they’re working exactly as designed. Rodney lays out his bold vision for Digital Equity Hubs, Guaranteed Income for veterans, and removing barriers that keep hardworking Americans locked out of opportunity. He tackles the myth of “handouts,” the misuse of criminal background checks, and the constitutional difference between law and justice. Then, in the final segment, Rodney pulls no punches as he unpacks...
2025-05-2542 minApex AscendApex Ascend Episode 9 From Lincoln to TrumpIn this episode, Rodney LaBruce dives deep into the historical cycles that have defined the Republican Party—from Lincoln to Roosevelt to Eisenhower—and the consequences when those cycles break.When the GOP focused on the people, America thrived. But when it turned to serve the interests of corporations and the elite, economic collapse and moral decay followed.Rodney explores the structural contradiction between the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, explains how Abraham Lincoln viewed America’s founding ideals, and unpacks the slaveholder mentality that still haunts our systems today.From t...
2025-05-0926 minApex AscendApex Ascend Ascend — Episode 8: Lemon Juice and Mount Stupid: Why We're So Confident and So Wrong🧠 Episode Description: In this episode of Apex Ascend, Rodney LaBruce dives into the bizarre true story of McArthur Wheeler—the man who robbed banks with lemon juice on his face—and how it inspired one of the most important psychological discoveries of our time: the Dunning-Kruger Effect. We explore how this cognitive bias explains why the least informed often sound the most confident, how it warps political discourse in the social media age, and why humility is the real path to competence. If you've ever wondered why misinformation spreads so quickly—or if you might unkn...
2025-05-0224 minApex AscendApex Ascend Episode 7 - The Knife Is Still ThereSubtitle: From Medical Exploitation to Historical Revisionism, Why America Still Resists Equity In this episode, Rodney LaBruce continues building the case for reparations for African American descendants of slaves. Through stories of unconsented medical experimentation, historic backlash against Black advancement, and the slow, stubborn pace of cultural change, Rodney exposes a pattern: America’s deepest wounds have not healed — because many refuse to even admit the knife is still there. We confront the painful legacy of figures like J. Marion Sims, the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, and the medical abuse of children in the 199...
2025-04-2525 minApex AscendApex Ascend — Episode 6: Torn from the Land: The Story of Robert Gleed and the Theft of Black ProsperityIn this episode of Apex Ascend, Rodney LaBruce uncovers one of the most brutal and under-told stories of American history: the systematic dispossession of Black-owned land. We begin with the incredible life of Robert Gleed—a formerly enslaved man who rose to become a successful businessman and Mississippi state senator, only to be violently exiled and stripped of everything he owned. Then we zoom out, drawing from Torn from the Land, a landmark investigation by the Associated Press and The Seattle Times that revealed how more than 24,000 acres of Black land were stolen through violence, intimidation, and leg...
2025-04-1820 minApex AscendApex Ascend — Episode 4: “The Southern Strategy: Still Echoing Today”In this powerful episode, host Rodney LaBruce unpacks the Southern Strategy—its origins during the Civil Rights era, its calculated use of racial coding, and the lasting harm it continues to inflict on our political system and communities today. With clarity and conviction, Rodney confronts the false comparisons used to justify injustice—like the claim that Clinton and Trump policies are equivalent—and exposes how historical context is stripped away to maintain a status quo of division and deflection. From coded political language to the weaponization of poverty narratives, he connects the dots between past strategi...
2025-04-0433 minApex AscendApex Ascend Episode 3 - Signal, Silence, and the Narcissist-in-ChiefIn this episode of Apex Ascend, Rodney LaBruce unpacks the chaos surrounding the now-infamous Signalgate scandal—where top U.S. officials plotted military strikes in a Signal group chat and accidentally added a journalist. Meanwhile, four American soldiers died in Lithuania, and the Commander-in-Chief claimed he hadn't been briefed. What does this say about leadership at the highest level? From miscommunication to moral failure, we connect the dots and ask the uncomfortable question: Is narcissism at the core of the dysfunction? Tune in as we break down the facts, the fallout, and the frig...
2025-03-2835 minApex AscendThe Bootstrap Lie Episode 2We’ve all heard the story: If you work hard, stay focused, and pull yourself up by your bootstraps, you’ll succeed. But what if you never had boots to begin with? In this episode, Rodney LaBruce dismantles the comforting myth of the American Dream—that success is solely the result of hustle. He breaks down the historical and systemic barriers that have kept wealth and opportunity out of reach for millions, especially in Black and marginalized communities. From government policies like the Homestead Act to modern-day hiring bias and unequal access to capital, Rodney reveals why hard wo...
2025-03-2118 minApex AscendApex Ascend Episode 1🎙️ Episode 1: The Mission, The Movement, The Mandate Welcome to the premiere episode of Apex Ascend—where truth meets transformation. Host Rodney LaBruce kicks things off by introducing his campaign for U.S. Congress in Texas’s 30th District, the vision behind the Unified Advocacy and Leadership Coalition (UALC), and the driving force of the IMPACT Party: Individuals Mobilized to Promote Action, Change, and Truth. In this episode, Rodney dives into the heart of his mission—ending poverty—and why reparations are the necessary starting point. This isn’t just a campaign. It’s a movement fueled by...
2025-03-1429 min