Episode 5: Tyler Larsen With Ethos MMA: Leadership, Legacy, and the Long Road

In this episode of Sweeter After Difficulty, host Randy Highsmith, with regular guests Jordan Lopez and Kris Anderson, does a deep dive with MMA gym owner and father Tyler Larsen for a powerful conversation about leadership in and out of the cage. Tyler shares his journey from fighter to entrepreneur, the lessons learned through building a gym culture rooted in respect and discipline, and how fatherhood has shaped his approach to ownership and life. From the grind of starting a business to the deeper values behind every decision, this episode is all about what it takes to create something meaningful—and how the hardest battles often lead to the sweetest victories.

🎙️ Sweeter After Difficulty is a podcast about the beauty that can only emerge through struggle. Hosted by Randy Highsmith, this series features intimate conversations with people who have endured pain, faced fear, and discovered peace—not despite their challenges, but through them. Each episode dives deep into personal stories of resilience, revealing how difficulty becomes a refining fire that clarifies purpose, deepens empathy, and brings unexpected sweetness on the other side.

Why listen? Because life is hard, and you're not alone in that. These stories won't give you cheap hope—they'll give you real ones. They’ll meet you in the raw, help you make sense of the struggle, and maybe even help you reframe what “hard” has to mean.

Whether you’re in the thick of it or looking back on a season that shaped you, Sweeter After Difficulty offers reflection, community, and a deep well of human wisdom.

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