Episode Details

In Episode 65 of the Rain Brings Growth Podcast, Matt sits down with Kevin Bravo and Cody Fernley for the first three-person episode in the history of the show and a raw conversation about faith, fitness, pain, purpose, fatherhood, and what it really means to fully surrender your life to God.

Kevin shares his testimony publicly in a way he never had before.

At just 12 years old, Kevin lost his father after years of alcohol abuse. That loss sent him into a dark place filled with anger, confusion, guilt, depression, self-harm, drinking, smoking, and eventually thoughts of not wanting to be alive.

He blamed God for taking his dad.

He blamed himself for not saving him.

He believed that if God was real, then God must hate him.

But in one of the lowest moments of his life, Kevin finally cried out and asked God for help. What happened next completely changed the direction of his life. Fitness became an outlet. The gym gave him momentum. Faith gave him purpose. And eventually, Kevin realized that the God he spent years pushing away had been with him the entire time.

Kevin opens up about the soccer coach who unknowingly planted seeds of faith in him simply through acts of service, giving him cleats, driving him to practice, and playing Christian radio in the car. Years later, those small moments became part of the path that led Kevin back to God.

That journey eventually led him to drop out of college, return home, buy gym equipment from Facebook Marketplace, start a gym in his mom’s garage, and build what would become Beyond Barbell, a faith-centered gym and clothing brand focused on helping people grow spiritually, mentally, and physically.

Cody also opens up about his own walk with Christ, getting baptized, joining Bible study, going through regeneration, becoming more intentional with his platform, and making the decision that he no longer wants to be known as a content creator who happens to be Christian.

He wants to be known as a Christian first.

This episode goes deep into what it means to stop chasing approval from the world, how your environment shapes who you become, why faith and fitness can transform a man’s life, the difference between conviction and condemnation, how to plant seeds without forcing religion on people, and why some of the smallest acts of kindness can completely change the trajectory of someone’s life.

The three also talk about fatherhood, losing a dad, growing up without a consistent father figure, finding identity through the Heavenly Father, trusting God through pain, and the powerful realization that not everything happens for a reason, but God can make a reason out of everything that happened.

This conversation is honest, vulnerable, funny, challenging, and deeply faith-centered.

It is about three men at different points in their walks with Christ trying to become better husbands, fathers, leaders, and disciples while learning how to stand firm in a world that constantly pulls them in the opposite direction.

Topics discussed:

Kevin Bravo’s childhood and losing his father at 12

Blaming God after his dad’s death

Depression, self-harm, anger, and suicidal thoughts

How one Christian soccer coach planted a seed without preaching

Finding God through music, prayer, and surrender

How fitness helped Kevin rebuild his life

Opening a gym after dropping out of college

Building Beyond Barbell Gym and Beyond Barbell Clothing

Faith and fitness as tools for changing a man’s life

Cody Fernley’s baptism and growing faith journey

Becoming a Christian first and content creator second

The difference between conviction and condemnation

Why Christians should stop chasing worldly approval

How environment, music, friendships, and social media shape your mindset