Raising Resilient Sons: Faith, Fitness & Fatherhood for Christian Dads

What does it actually take to raise resilient sons and lead your family with strength? On this episode of Refining Rhetoric, host Robert Bortins sits down with Dr. Brandon Shriner — founder of the Warrior 3 Project, former Division I wrestler, CrossFit regional competitor, and co-owner of Revive Chiropractic — to explore the powerful connection between physical health, biblical masculinity, and spiritual leadership. This is a conversation for every Christian dad who wants to live, lead, and love strong.
Dr. Brandon Shriner grew up in a small farm town in southeastern Ohio in a broken home — frustrated, angry, and channeling everything into wrestling. He earned a Division I scholarship to wrestle for the Ohio Bobcats, was named MAC Redshirt Freshman of the Year, and was on track for All-American honors when a severe neck injury ended his career. What followed was depression, addiction to OxyContin, cage fighting, and a long search for identity and purpose.
The turning point came in chiropractic school in Atlanta, where a chance encounter with a fellow Ohio guy led Dr. Shriner to Bible studies, a retreat in the North Georgia mountains, and an altar call that changed everything. He gave his life to the Lord, met his wife Samantha (whom he later baptized in the Chattahoochee River), and the two opened Revive Chiropractic in Columbus, Ohio in 2012.
The catalyst for officially launching Warrior 3 came in 2020, when a close friend — a fellow wrestler, Christian, and one of the men who had prayed over Dr. Shriner's salvation — took his own life. That loss, set against the backdrop of COVID and what Dr. Shriner saw as a crisis of male leadership in America, made one thing clear: men need to be stronger — physically, spiritually, and relationally.
The Live/Lead/Love Strong framework at the heart of Warrior 3 addresses all three. Live Strong is the physical piece — stewardship of the body God gave you on loan, because you can't run the race well on diesel fuel. Lead Strong is the spiritual piece — being the kind of father and husband who doesn't just give speeches but opens his Bible on the kitchen table and lets his kids watch. Love Strong is the relational piece — loving people enough to tell them what they need to hear, not just what they want to hear.

What You'll Learn
- How a broken home, a Division I wrestling career, and a titanium plate in his neck led Dr. Shriner to found the Warrior 3 Project
- What "Live Strong, Lead Strong, Love Strong" actually means — and how it maps to mind, body, and spirit
- Why physical health isn't vanity — it's stewardship, and it directly affects your spiritual focus and energy
- How fathers can lead their families without speeches — through modeling, presence, and follow-through
- Why the "mat carriers" in your life are different from your bros — and why you need both
- How wrestling, hard workouts, and shared struggle build the resilience a culture of comfort is destroying
- Why process over outcome is the antidote to the resiliency crisis facing young men today
- What the Warrior 40 Challenge is and how to get 30 days free

Resources:
https://warrior3project.com/

This episode of Refining Rhetoric is sponsored by Worldview Academy:
Students call Worldview Academy the best week of their lives. Through week-long summer leadership camps for teens, Worldview Academy trains Christians to think and live in accord with a biblical worldview so they can better serve Christ and engage the culture around them. Worldview Academy reinforces what students are learning at home and at church and trains this generation to apply that knowledge to the challenging cultural issues they're facing. 
To find a camp near you or learn more about Worldview's weekend conferences and other resources for families, visit www.worldview.org

Timestamps
00:00 — Introduction & Welcome
01:02 — Who Is Dr. Brandon Shriner? Warrior 3 Project Overview
02:12 — Growing Up in Ohio: Wrestling, a Broken Home & a Division I Scholarship
03:16 — The Neck Injury That Ended His Career & the Road Through Addiction
05:07 — Finding Chiropractic — and a New Direction
06:23 — Chiropractic School, a Cincinnati Bengals Shirt & Meeting the Lord
08:22 — CrossFit, Dan Bailey & Competing at the CrossFit Games
10:36 — Starting a Bible Study at the Gym — and Baptizing His Coach
12:42 — The Crisis That Launched Warrior 3: Losing a Friend to Suicide
14:02 — "Comfort Kills": Why He Knew It Was Time to Build Something
16:50 — The Birth of Warrior 3 and the Live, Lead, Love Strong Framework
18:11 — Live Strong: Why Physical Health Is Biblical Stewardship
21:09 — Why Pastors and Dads Get a Free Pass on Physical Health (And Shouldn't)
23:08 — How Physical and Spiritual Health Reinforce Each Other
26:05 — David, Jesus & What