Episode Details

What does it take to rebuild your life after everything familiar has been taken away?

In this heartfelt episode of Living Louder, Portia Louder sits down with author, professor, consultant, and search-and-rescue volunteer Dr. Scott Hammond for a meaningful conversation about resilience, hope, second chances, faith, and the courage to keep moving forward when life feels uncertain.

Scott shares stories from a life shaped by change. Raised in different parts of the world, including Indonesia, France, Austria, and Utah, he learned early how to connect with people from different cultures and backgrounds. He also opens up about his academic journey, dyslexia, becoming a professor, and discovering that curiosity—not perfection—is often what leads us toward growth.

A major focus of the conversation is Scott’s experience in search and rescue. Through his work with trained search dogs, Scott has witnessed people facing some of the darkest and most frightening moments of their lives. These experiences inspired his books and helped him recognize a powerful connection between being lost in the wilderness and feeling lost in life.

Scott explains why “you’re never lost alone.” Even when someone feels forgotten, overwhelmed, or disconnected, there are often people willing to search, support, encourage, and believe in them. One unforgettable story involves hundreds of strangers coming together to find a teenage boy who had disappeared in the wilderness—and cheering when he was finally brought home.

Portia also shares deeply personal reflections from her own experience in prison, her journey home, and the process of rebuilding her identity from the inside out. She discusses learning to define herself by her values, choosing honesty, embracing curiosity, forgiving herself, and discovering that her most important work could begin after her life had been completely changed.

Together, Portia and Scott explore the importance of hope, the healing power of storytelling, the impact of compassionate support, and why people are more than their worst decisions or most difficult chapters. They discuss how families can support incarcerated loved ones, why society should cheer people on as they work to change, and how one person’s belief can make a lasting difference.

This episode is for anyone who has ever felt lost, struggled to begin again, carried shame, supported someone in crisis, or wondered whether change is still possible. It is a reminder that our past does not have to define our future—and that sometimes, the path forward begins with simply taking the next step.

Listen, reflect, and share this episode with someone who needs a little hope today.

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