The Aggressive Life with Brian Tome

Hightowers Petroleum is one of the country's largest African-American owned businesses and listed among INC’s 5,000 Most Successful. Where did CEO Steve Hightower learn the keys to success? As a janitor on nights and weekends. His rags to riches story is chock-full of incredibly applicable wisdom to push your life forward.

Over a year ago, I went out to the western high country to make my second attempt at getting an elk. My new friend, Robb, joined me. Along the way, we had insightful conversations about hunting, family, faith, and the healthy aggression that pushes each one of those things forward. After the hunt, holed up in a hunting lodge with a fire raging behind us, we turned on a pair of smartphones and recorded an unplanned podcast. Just like I did, I think you’ll find Robb’s wisdom, aggression, and attitude both refreshing and challenging. My elk hunt was turned into a 3-episode mini-series on YouTube, The High Country Hunt. All episodes are streaming here. 

Is there anything more aggressive than strapping yourself to a rocket and blasting off into space? Yet that’s exactly what Mike Mullane did. Chosen as one of the original space shuttle astronauts, Mike was a part of three separate missions, logging almost 15 days in space before his retirement.  His aggressive life involves homemade jet fuel, 134 combat missions in Vietnam, freakin’ space, and an avid love for the outdoors. 

Christmas has become a lot of things, but in this one-on-one with Brian, he takes us back to the basics of a (not so) silent night in Bethlehem. This new Aggressive Life Christmas tradition is meant to inspire and reorient your holiday. 

Brent Brisben’s no pirate, but his life plays like a Disney movie. 300 years after a Spanish treasure ship sunk off the coast of Florida, he and his team uncovered the lost gold, valued at $3.5 million dollars. But it wasn’t all rainbows and sunshine to get there. Brent’s aggressive story is the culmination of risky moves, hard work, and fighting through heartache. 

The Bible is the most printed and purchased book in the history of the world. It’s not even close. Yet, for all the talk surrounding the ancient text, very few people actually read it—and even fewer understand it. College friends, Jon and Tim, are doing something about that. Founders of The Bible Project, they’re equipping a generation of readers to engage with and understand the Bible. In this conversation, they give insight into how The Bible Project started, four misguided approaches they see when people pick up the book, and what it’s like to lead a crowd-funded organization. 

For the first time ever, live music comes to the Aggressive Life! Songwriter and worship leader, Justin Mosteller, has been around music his whole life. As founder and frontman for Carrollton, Justin saw years of hard work beginning to pay off when his song “Made for This” was used everywhere from Jeep commercials to the Olympics. But just as that began to peak, he felt prompted to leave it all behind. He tells his aggressive story, and plays a song connected to Brian, in this in-studio appearance. 

You’ve never heard the story of Thanksgiving quite like this. Historian and author, Stephen Mansfield, takes us back to the Mayflower—through the landing at Plymouth Rock, the unbelievable meeting of Samoset, and into the first Thanksgiving celebration. Along the way, he highlights the aggressive faith that drove the Pilgrims, and their life-saving relationships with the Native Americans. This conversation will change the way you think about the last Thursday in November. 

“Just when I thought you couldn’t get any dumber, you go… and totally redeem yourself!” That iconic scene from Dumb and Dumber, which finds Harry and Lloyd riding a minibike from Nebraska to Aspen, provided a spark of inspiration for friends and motorcycle experts, Zack and Ari. The pair wanted to know: could you really ride that bike, that far? So they built an exact replica, and put it to the test. What results is a hilarious and aggressive adventure you have to hear to believe. Watch Zack and Ari’s short film here.

Feel like you're underwater? You’re not alone. The past 18 months have felt like one tragic turn of events after another. The good news: this isn’t the first time this has happened. Commentator, professor, and author, Ed Stetzer, likens our current cultural moment with the turbulent years of the 1960s. His insights into understanding our past can help us chart a better, and more aggressive, course for tomorrow.