Standing for Truth in a Culture of Compromise with Riley Gaines Barker

Summary

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Episode Overview

Theme:
This episode of Stay True with Madison Prewett Troutt centers on “Standing for Truth in a Culture of Compromise” with guest Riley Gaines Barker. Madison and Riley unpack what it means to stay true to one’s beliefs and values—especially when under pressure. Riley shares her personal journey, the foundation of her courage, pivotal moments that shaped her, and advice for those seeking to stand firm in their convictions.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introducing Riley Gaines Barker and Celebrating Courage

• [01:25] Madison’s Introduction of Riley
  Madison expresses admiration for Riley’s stance on truth and faith, noting how proud she is of Riley for modeling steadfastness under trial:

  “You have truly just stood so firm in truth... You’re gonna now get to raise a baby girl who’s gonna get to look up to her mom and say: my mom stood strong under pressure.” —Madison [02:40]

• [02:01] Riley on Mutual Inspiration
  Riley expresses her gratitude and reciprocates the admiration:

  “To even hear you say that is just absurd and crazy, but so grateful to be here. How beautiful and exciting. So, this is like a dream come true to me, you guys.” —Riley [02:01]

• Pregnancy and Legacy
  Riley shares the emotional impact of her pregnancy and her hopes for her daughter to witness integrity and courage in the face of cultural trends.

  “It is absolutely everything I’ve been fighting for these past, I mean, three years personally since again really being thrusted into the position that I have been. It’s for her, it’s for her future, the world that she will grow up in.” —Riley [04:19]

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2. Riley’s Athletic and Faith Background

• [05:27] Riley’s Upbringing and Family of Athletes
  Riley details her competitive childhood, being surrounded by high-achieving athletes in Tennessee, and how this shaped her drive.

• Journey to NCAA Success
  Riley describes how choosing the University of Kentucky was providential, leading her to an illustrious collegiate swimming career and meeting her husband:

  “Totally took advantage of this whole situation. But I will tell you, I stepped foot on this campus and I knew it was the place for me... Finished my career there as a 12-time All American, a five-time SEC champion, actually the SEC record holder in the 200 butterfly.” —Riley [08:11]

• Personal Life and Support
  Riley recounts meeting her husband, a fellow swimmer, whose arrival reshaped her personal life:

  “He gets off the plane and I hear that British accent and I was like, I’m so sorry. I think I have to dump my boyfriend from home. I knew he was the one.” —Riley [10:17]

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3. The Importance of Being Set Apart

• Dare to Be Different
  Madison connects the episode to her book’s chapter on daring to be different and set apart, noting how Riley exemplifies this.

  “This episode is gonna be all about dare to live different and dare to be set apart, which you model so beautifully.” —Madison [11:08]

• Interactive Game – “Sanctified” Truth or Dare / Fishbowl
  Riley and Madison’s playful competitive sides emerge as they explain and play a guessing game, bringing lightness and chemistry to the discussion ([12:39–13:53]).

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4. Pivotal Moments of Standing for Truth

• First Stand: COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate (Sophomore/Junior Year)
  Riley reveals a significant formative event—refusing a mandated vaccine based on her understanding of immunity and conviction, even when pressured:

  “That was the first time I learned how to stand up to myself, to those authority figures, people I trusted, people I respected, people even still I admire. That was the first time I learned how to say no...” —Riley [15:15]

• Preparation for Larger Battles
  Riley believes this earlier confrontation prepared her for the more public stance she would take later in her career.

• Madison’s Reflection on Sin and Speaking Out:
  Madison shares her own conviction:

  “Overlooking sin and not speaking out against sin [is] just as much of a sin than actually committing the sin.” —Madison [01:05]

• Standing Firm Amidst Cultural Eggs-Shells

  “So many people feel like they have to, like, walk on eggshells. Stop doing that. That's how we got to where we are, culturally speaking.” —Riley [00:46]

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5. Facing Pushback and Finding Confidence

• Facing Criticism and Confusion Riley addresses the challenges of being misunderstood or falsely labeled:

  “How can you live with yourself? That's what they told us. It was so hard to hear those things, and it left you in this moment of confusion. Am I not being kind?” —Riley [00:33]

• The Source of Confidence Madison shares the peace that comes from standing firm, even when it’s difficult:

  “I can lay my head down at night with so much peace and joy, knowing I've stood firm for what I believe in.” —Madison [00:40]

• Advice for Listeners When asked about having courage, Riley emphasizes perspective:

  “Like, I found myself in violent situations. Like, that's the present suffering, but it pales in comparison when you know what you're fighting for.” —Riley [00:57]

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6. The Cost—and Joy—of Staying True

• Sacrifice and Reward
  Both speakers discuss how holding to truth isn’t easy and sometimes comes with loss or adversity, but ultimately brings peace and a sense of purpose.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Being Prepared for Greater Stands:
  “That was the first time I learned how to stand up to myself, to those authority figures...it prepared me [for]...becoming the fastest woman.” —Riley [15:15]

• On Raising Daughters in Truth:
  “You have truly just stood so firm in truth... and your daughter gets to see that and be raised by that.” —Madison [02:40]

• On Being Labeled and Staying the Course:
  “How can you live with yourself? That's what they told us. It was so hard to hear those things.” —Riley [00:33]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:20–01:11: Early reflections on confidence, standing for truth, and cultural pressure
• 01:25–02:01: Madison introduces Riley and themes of courage
• 02:01–05:27: Riley’s gratitude, pregnancy reflections, and legacy
• 05:27–10:50: Riley’s athletic/family background and collegiate journey
• 10:50–13:53: Marriage story and playful Truth or Dare game
• 14:04–15:15: Transition to pivotal career moments and first stand for truth
• 15:15–END: Riley’s formative experiences leading to public advocacy

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Conclusion

This episode offers a heartfelt conversation about what it means to “stay true”—in athletics, public scrutiny, and personal conviction. Riley’s journey illustrates the value and costs of truth-telling, while Madison creates space for practical encouragement and real-life application for anyone striving to live set apart in a culture of compromise.

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

Official says, great job, YouTube, but you tied and we don't account for ties. We only have one trophy, so we're going to give this trophy to the man.

[A]

How are you able to be so confident and sure of yourself when a. A moment comes like that?

[B]

How can you live with yourself? That's what they told us. It was so hard to hear those things, and it left you in this moment of confusion. Am I not being kind?

[A]

I can lay my head down at night with so much peace and joy, knowing I've stood firm for what I believe in.

[B]

So many people feel like they have to, like, walk on eggshells. Stop doing that. That's how we got to where we are, culturally speaking.

[A]

What advice would you give to the listeners out there who want to stand firm but just don't know how?

[B]

Like, I found myself in violent situations like. Like, that's the present suffering, but it pales in comparison when you know what you're fighting for.

[A]

Overlooking sin and not speaking out against sin. Just as much of a sin than actually committing the sin.

[B]

He gets off the plane and I hear that British accent and I was like, I'm so sorry. I think I have to dump my boyfriend from home.

[A]

What's up, guys? Welcome back to another episode of Stay True podcast. I'm your host, Madison Pruitt. TR And I'm very excited because who I have on the podcast with me today is someone that has been an inspiration to me, someone that I have been truly so, so proud of for the way that she has stood firm and stayed true under pressure and under trial and has stood true to her convictions and her faith and stood up for what she really believes in and has truly been an advocate for truth all across the nation and world. And I'm just truly so honored for you to be in the podcast studio. So welcome. Riley Gaines.

[B]

I'm so excited to hear. Well, I'm so excited to be here. To even hear the words coming out of your mouth. That I have been an inspiration to you is beyond me, because it's you who's been an inspiration to me. I've watched you quietly for. I mean, for years and years and years, long before I ever found myself in a position of any sort of prominence or with the platform that I have. So to, I mean, to even hear you say that is just absurd and crazy, but so grateful to be here. How beautiful and exciting. So this is. This is like a dream come true to me, you guys.

[A]

And she's pregnant with a baby girl.

[B]

Oh, my gosh.

[A]

And by the time this podcast is coming out, baby girl is going to be here, which we were just saying right before this. We press record. And it's so crazy because I was just telling her it is the best thing in the whole world. And it like gets you emotional to think about it because you have. It's what I just said. But you have truly just stood so firm in truth. And you're gonna now get to raise a baby girl who's gonna get to look up to her mom and say, my mom stood strong under pressure. Oh, it just gets me emotional because it's just, man, there's so many of us girls and women out there who so want to be loved and want to fit in and just kind of conform to culture and what other people want of us. And I think it's so easy to fit the mold or fit the narrative of what people want of us. And we compromise, we cave, we give in. And you have such a beautiful job of just being unashamed of what you believe in. And your daughter gets to see that and be raised by that. And it's just so incredible. I'm so, so excited to just see you step into motherhood. But you. I have to read her intro bio because it's just too amazing and I don't want to butcher anything, but she is a 12 time NCAA All American swimmer at the University of Kentucky.

[B]

Woo. Woo.

[A]

And she is also an author of bestselling book Swimming against the Current, which we're gonna be talking a lot about. Kind of what was in your book and the heart behind that and even that being the topic of today's conversation. And you also have your own podcast called Gains for Girls. And I'm just, I'm so blessed by the way you fight for women because a lot of the listeners of this podcast are. I mean, I'm not, I'm not hating on any of the men that listen to this podcast, but a lot of the, A lot of the ladies out here are listening to the pod, so thank you.

[B]

Well, it's so amazing and transformational and just magical to now be in this position of like fostering and growing and developing life. Like, I'm 30 weeks now, which is crazy. As the time we are recording 30 weeks, I cannot believe that it's flown by as quickly as it has. But to like feel her moving around and to like, you know, thinking back to that eight week appointment, the first appointment and you hear her heartbeat, like, I feel like my perspective on life shifted in that moment. Of course, I don't yet have her in my arms. This is our first baby. So I mean, becoming a first time mom, even without her here, like physically in my arms, it has already been so incredibly transformational. And to hear you say like, you know, having a daughter like that is absolutely everything I've been fighting for these past, I mean, three years personally since again really being thrusted into the position that I have been. It's for her, it's for her future, the world that she will grow up in. So it's just the most magical thing. I can't wait for her to be here.

[A]

I love that so much. So speaking of that, I want to get into your story. I'm assuming most people probably have seen you or heard about a little bit about your story, seen the stance that you've taken, but I'd love to even talk about some of the smaller moments that led up to that, some of your testimony, just born and raised, how you were raised and then even like what's brought you to where you find yourself today.

[B]

Well, I love this because I mean, as you kind of alluded to, like it's not something I often get to discuss, but it's such a big part of, of me, of who I am, of how I conduct myself. The interactions that I have is, I mean, it goes back to when I was a child. So come from a family of athletes similar to you, but it was the football world. So my dad, he played in the SEC as well. Football, SEC hall of Famer, went on to play professionally. My mom, she was a Division 1 softball player. All my uncles played, they played in the league, many, many Super Bowls and things like that. So come from, yeah, come from an athletic family, which I know you know all about too. So sports were kind of like, or I guess not playing sports. It was never really an option for me and for my siblings it was never, you know, my parents never forced me necessarily, but it was like, you know, take your pick of which sport you play, we're not going to tell you which one, but it's so good for your development. So for me it was always swimming. Started swimming when I was four years old. I grew up here in Tennessee. As I said, I have lots of Siblings, So older sister. She is now 27. She's had a baby about almost a year ago. She played softball. She went to Ole miss. I'm the second oldest. I have a younger brother. He's 21. He plays football in college. I have a younger sister. She is 16. She's an elite level gymnast. Let's go. I know. Dare I say, she's the best athlete out of all of us. She will go on to do incredible things in her career. So that's kind of like what the family dynamic was like. Very competitive, which is such a blessing. I've realized that now. But even, like being older, right, like, I'm 25, clearly I'm not playing sports anymore at the competitive level. Like, we can't even sit down and play like a game of Uno together because it gets.

[A]

Oh, yeah, I get that. The fruits are the same way.

[B]

No, exactly. So anyways, started swimming when I was 4. Excelled pretty readily. By the time I was about 12 years old, I was ranking, you know, top in the nation. Things continued on. I get to high school, I begin to be recruited for college. Truth be told, I really could have gone anywhere that I wanted to go. But I'm very biased, like, I would imagine you are. The SEC is in fact, the best conference.

[A]

It's the best.

[B]

So I knew I was going to stay in the sec. Ended up taking a trip to University of Kentucky, which was totally on a whim. Like, this was not a school that I was even considering at all. They didn't have a, like a super excellent elite swimming program nationally. But it was actually my boyfriend at the time who. Who's not my husband, by the way, my high school boyfriend who I dated. He was a big Kentucky fan, Kentucky basketball fan. And so he wanted to. The coach approached me and said, hey, look, you can come on an official visit. We'll take you to a basketball game. And this sounded super appealing to my boyfriend. He was like, you should do this. So me, I use this as one of my five. You get five official visits. I use one of my visits to University of Kentucky, really, so I could take my boyfriend to the basketball game. Totally took advantage. That was a good girlfriend, wasn't it? Like, girlfriend of the year. Totally took advantage of this whole situation. But I will tell you, I stepped foot on this campus and I knew it was the place for me. I loved it. I loved everything about it. I loved how. I mean, number one, how close it was to home. I loved the coaches. I loved the campus. I loved the resources that they poured into us outside of even just athletics, and to our academics and to our service. Both things that really mattered to me. And so, I mean, there really could not have been a better place for me. So ended up committing there very proudly. Finished my career there as a 12 time all American, a five time SEC champion, actually the SEC record holder in the 200 butterfly. Making me one of the fastest Americans of all time. SEC scholar athlete of the year, SEC community service leader of the year, the list goes on. But I think just to reiterate again, it's a lifelong journey to be able to compete and succeed at the highest level. So that's kind of like the backstory of really how I found myself competing on the stage that I was, how I ended my career at least. And again, totally providential. I loved my time there. That's where I met my husband actually was at University of Kentucky. He was a swimmer as well. He actually came over from England.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

And so I, of course, you know, he gets off the plane and I hear that British accent and I was like, I'm so sorry. I think I have to dump my boyfriend from home. I knew he was the one. I feel like typically I'm not very like an instinctual person maybe, but I knew that was going to be my husband. And so we dated throughout college and he proposed to me in my senior year. And it's been the most. I mean, we've had the most blessed marriage. You know, now being married over three years, he's just been my constant throughout all the ups and downs, my rock. So.

[A]

Oh, praise God.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And wait, when was Yalls wedding date?

[B]

So we got married in 2022. May 22nd.

[A]

Okay. I was like, weird 2022 because I was like, we're coming up on three years. So I was like, I wonder if we have. Yeah, yeah, we were October. We were a little bit behind you guys. Okay, well, before we jump into kind of like the heart of the episode, we are in the middle of the Dare to be True series. And basically I'm inviting on guests that really like, I look up to and that inspire me on certain chapters that I wrote in my book. And so this episode is gonna be all about dare to live different and dare to be set apart, which you model so beautifully. We are doing a game at the beginning of the episode called Truth or dare, the sanctified version. And you get to choose truth or dare.

[B]

So, Riley, truth or dare? You know, I've always been a daredevil. I feel like I have to choose dare. I knew she was going to go there podcast. So we.

[A]

Exactly. So we need to balance and do some dare. So I'm really excited because this is going to be a fun little game.

[B]

Where we both get to.

[A]

They get to see our competitive side. So we're playing fishbowl. Have you played fishbowl?

[B]

I don't think. Really? Okay.

[A]

Okay. So basically, there are some words in a bowl. If you guys aren't watching, you should be watching on YouTube, because it's going to be a lot more fun to actually see what's happening here. We have a few words in a bowl, and each player has 30 seconds to describe the word that you read. But you can't say the word. So say the word is apple. You could be like, this is something you eat. It's a fruit. It's red. And I have to guess. Yes. Okay. Sorry. I'm like, wait, am I even. Do I even know how to play this game? Okay, so you describe, and then I have to guess, and then vice versa, and whoever has the most guesses wins.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Ready? Go.

[B]

Down on one knee.

[A]

Proposal.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

You. Keep going.

[B]

Oh, keep going. Okay, but that's.

[A]

Okay. Keep going. I didn't say that part.

[B]

Follow Instagram rules.

[A]

Oh. Religion, trust and faith.

[B]

Grace.

[A]

Okay, time.

[B]

Oh, dang. It was obedience. I'm so sorry.

[A]

That's kind of a hard one here. Okay, now I'm gonna let you hold.

[B]

The timer so 30 seconds, and I'm.

[A]

Gonna describe and you guess. Hopefully I do a good job describing. I haven't seen any of these, so.

[B]

I. Yeah, I'm ready. Ready?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Go.

[A]

Okay. Where we are right now. Where we live.

[B]

Tennessee.

[A]

But the city.

[B]

Nashville.

[A]

Yeah. Sorry. Okay, this is what you put on when you swim.

[B]

Goggles, sunscreen.

[A]

This is. Oh, gosh, this is gonna be hard. Do we do a skip? I'll do a skip. That one's gonna be too hard to say. Okay. Oh, this was your. Your thing. You were really good at that. You got the. You got the swimming. Yes, but the specific thing. I'm not.

[B]

Butterfly.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Oh, wow.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Oh, my gosh. Done.

[A]

Okay. You won, but set apart, that would have been kind of hard to explain.

[B]

What was it?

[A]

Set apart. That was the one I skipped.

[B]

Oh, that would have been hard.

[A]

Yay.

[B]

Well, okay. No, but honestly, maybe you won because it means my explaining was bad. No.

[A]

Okay. Yay. So fun. I love a little competitive moment. You crushed it. She wins. You guys get to decide what my consequences, because I lost. Okay, so we're in the middle of talking about your story. And you kind of set the scene with you're at Kentucky and you had a very, very successful journey at Kentucky, but now set the scene of kind of when all of this came about, where you were led to this moment where you had to take a stand. Surprise. I have really exciting news. Stay True Podcast is going live. Mark your calendars for Saturday, November 8, at Rocket Town in Nashville, Tennessee. It is going to be an incredible night filled with worship, special guests, and yes, a live recording of the Stay True podcast right in the room with you. I have been wanting to do this for so long, and I'm truly so excited to see how the Lord is going to move. This is more than just a podcast event. It is a night to gather, talk about God's truth, worship, be a part of something bigger than yourself, and dive deep into conversation, conversations that matter. I cannot wait to see so many of your faces, meet you in person, and experience this night together. So grab your friends, get your tickets with the link in my bio, and join me in Nashville on November 8th for Stay True Podcast Live. I'll see you guys there.

[B]

Honestly, there were really two pivotal points in my collegiate career where I felt like I really had to take a stand. And I think the first one prepared me for the second one. And again, this isn't something I've. I've really liked, allowed myself to delve into at really, at any point over these past few years. And I've only really been thinking about it, I think, especially as of. As of recently. But anyways, I'll kind of walk you through both very briefly. Freshman year, like I would imagine most freshmen, collegiate athletes like, it was an adjustment period to get there. You start training, lifting heavy, doing all the things I did okay. But I knew I was capable of doing more, contributing more to my team. So come back sophomore year, set these really big goals. Sophomore year's going great. It's March of 2020, which is when our national championships are, which is the biggest meet. You know, it's the meet you work all year, really all your life for. So geared up, ready to go, was set to do well at this meet. But about three days before this meet, Covid hit, of course, I mean, it. It took the world by storm. So that national championships was canceled. So our sport, swimming is not one where, I mean, you ever get time off. You're in the water, training six hours, 10 miles every single day. Like, it's. It's pretty grueling. You get one week off in August each year. So the idea of, of our Sport just suddenly being done was pretty unsettling. We all got sent home. No pools were open, no gyms were open. Praise God. We have Old Hickory Lake. I put on a wetsuit every day. I swam in Old Hickory Lake. That's how I tried to continue to train and, you know, be in the best physical shape I could be when I knew, of course, we would eventually come back. So junior year starts and we do. We get to come back to school. Things, of course, are still not as they were before in terms of the social distancing and the contact tracing and the mask and all the different things, but nonetheless ready to go. I was approached by our team physician who says, look, you have to get the COVID vaccine. Which this didn't really sit right with me. Not because I'm some anti vaxxer or anything like that, but in my mind, again, studying biology, like, I understood the best form of immunity to be the antibodies. So I had already had Covid at this point, so it didn't really make sense. You know, why would I get the vaccine? I'm young, I'm healthy. Didn't make sense to me. They told me I had to. They said it was mandatory, required, all of the things to which I pushed back. And I said, well, can you define mandatory for me? To which they said, okay, well, really, we mean highly suggested that you get it. And so I kind of called them on their bluff, you know, they said, we're going to. You're not going to be able to travel to University of Alabama if you don't get it. And I said, fine. Which, of course, I got to go to University of Alabama, and I never got the vaccine, which I'm so grateful for now. But I say that because that was the first time I learned how to stand up to myself, to those authority figures, people I trusted, people I respected, people even still I admire. That was the first time I learned how to say no, but again, it prepared me. So continuing on through, I guess my collegiate timeline here, junior year rolls around. As I said, midst of COVID everything. But this was the first year I wanted my own individual SEC title. Our team won its first ever SEC title in school history and concluded my junior season by placing seventh in the nation, which I was pretty proud of, to be top eight. You're an All American. It's. It's a pretty high honor. But again, I knew I could do more. And so it was right then and there, placing seventh in the country my junior year, that I set a goal for my senior year to win a national title, which would, of course, mean becoming the fastest woman.