Laura Bryna: The Story Behind “Rise”—Music, Loss, and Finding Strength

Tony Mantor (0:00)

Hi, I'm Tony Mantor. Before we start today's show, I want to introduce you to Coast to Coast Heroes, my new podcast debuting November 11th. For our military veterans, the uniform is only part of the story. Behind it is a person and a life shaped by service, sacrifice and experiences many of us may never fully understand. Through honest, deeply personal conversations, you'll hear veterans share what they've faced, what carried them through, and how they continue making a difference beyond their military service. Their strength deserves more than our gratitude. Their stories deserve our attention. Coast to Coast Heroes, the people behind the uniform, the stories beyond the headlines. Coast to Coast Heroes debuts November 11th. Please follow, listen and share. And most of all, get to know the veterans because behind every veteran is a story and listening is where understanding begins. Hi, I'm Tony Mantor. Thanks for joining us today. Welcome to Almost Live Nashville, where music, entertainment and great conversations come together. If you haven't already, tap follow. This way you stay up to date, never missing the great conversation and guests coming your way.

Some artists entertain us, others inspire us. And once in a while, you meet someone who does both. Today's guest has built a career on authenticity, resilience and using music to bring hope to people when they need it most. From growing up in a small Maryland town with dreams of country music, to overcoming unimaginable family tragedies, to becoming an award-winning independent recording artist, songwriter, radio host, author, and passionate advocate for organizations like Make-A-Wish, she has never lost sight of why she creates. Her music has comforted cancer patients, honored military heroes, celebrated small town America, and reminded countless people that no matter what life throws at us, we all have the strength to rise. Today, we talk with Laura Bryna about the moments that shaped her journey, the personal stories behind her songs, the power of giving back, and why music continues to heal hearts around the world. It's a pleasure to have her here today. Thanks for joining us.

Laura Bryna (2:23)

Thank you so much for having me, I'm so excited.

Tony Mantor (2:25)

Instead of going into directly what you're doing now, let's take your journey and get in there. How did it all start?

Laura Bryna (2:32)

The journey begins. Well, I'm originally from Maryland, way, way in the middle of nowhere, kind of turn left at the cow, right at the church kind of directions.

Tony Mantor (2:40)

Okay.

Laura Bryna (2:40)

You know, I've always loved country music. To me, country music is about the lyrics, it's about the melodies, it's real life experiences, things that people are going through, the double entendres, the front.

But yet, there's the serious and the sensitive and emotional part too.

As a child, we're a blundered family, we're like mixed marriages, deaths, divorces, that kind of thing. We used to go down in the basement, actually we still do this. I was the lead singer of the band and my stepsisters and my half-sister, they were my backup dancers and singers.

Tony Mantor (3:10)

Okay.

Laura Bryna (3:11)

So we thought we were really great, by the way, with our metal spoons and we were charging my parents like 25 cents a show. Sometimes my parents saw the show three times, so my parents were like, oh my gosh, we have to watch this again. I think, oh my gosh, she needs to do something with this.

So we would lip sync and sing to the songs and all the different things. It was a lot of fun. But from there, it really, my brother suffered from a brain aneurysm and it was in a coma for six and a half months.

Tony Mantor (3:40)

Wow.

Laura Bryna (3:40)

Yeah. So really my mom and I would drive to Washington DC every day, and like I was saying, in the middle of nowhere, and sometimes 95 means go 95

Tony Mantor (3:49)

Right.

Laura Bryna (3:50)

Make Interstate 95, but we would drive from Maryland all the way to DC, and we're maybe 40 minutes or so from West Virginia. So it was quite a hike and depending on traffic, it could be an hour and 10 minutes, it could be 45, you never know.

Tony Mantor (4:05)

Yeah.

Laura Bryna (4:05)

As we were driving to DC, we would listen to country music because country music was about the lyrics and the melodies, and it was things that we were going through.

Sometimes there were really shit days and there was like, maybe he moved his finger and you're like, yeah, it's exciting, that kind of a thing. So there were songs that made us laugh, there were songs that made us cry, there were songs that we were going through the same thing. And this is also how I learned how to give back to, because I love giving back in any way that I can. And so it all ties together. But my brother, while he was at Children's Hospital in DC, and we were waiting for him to wake up, the Make-A-Wish Foundation kept checking in and seeing how he was doing. And, sorry, it does get you a little bit.