Episode 289: The Suffering of Survival with Dave Velasquez

The Suffering Podcast · Jun 28, 2026 · 1h 22m

Dave Velasquez grew up in chaos long before he ever wore a badge. Raised in Minnesota in a home consumed by addiction, instability, and repeated trauma, his childhood was defined by survival. With an absent father and a mother battling severe substance abuse and suicide attempts, Dave spent his early years moving from place to place, never knowing what “normal” looked like. At just 15 years old, he was abandoned and left behind — until one family connected through the Police Explorer program stepped in and changed the course of his life forever. Determined to build something better, Dave…