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#38 Taking Back the Culture Through Media | Seamus Coughlin (Creator of Freedom Toons)
Listen on: Fio (Catholic Spotify) | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
Hey y’all — welcome back to another episode of the Catholic Founders podcast! Today’s episode will not disappoint.
News / Updates:
* We’re hosting a Catholic Founders meetup in Chicago this 4th of November. Email us if you’re interested in attending (we are near capacity but if you reach out soon we can likely squeeze you in).
* Fides is offering Catholic Founders Readers/Listeners 15% discount on all upcoming events through the end of the year — just use code: CATHOLICGUILD2025 at checkout. (He has some incredible speakers lined up).
* There is a Catholic entrepreneur gathering in San Francisco on November 20th (tentatively) — Stay tuned for more details.
Join the Catholic Founders Guild Today
Get access to all CF Guild online events, the recordings, paywalled content, the CF Guild community/group chat, and CF Guild member directory.
Many members have reported doing business with other CF Guild members within months of joining.
With an annual membership fee of $100, it’s a total no-brainer to join. Consider this an association of Catholic business owners, not a high-commitment community that will sap your time.
Join today for $100 a year or $10 a month.
In Today’s Issue:
* Intro to the Guest and Topic
* Core Takeaway
* Episode References
* Select Quotes
* Key Moments
First time here? Learn more about our mission. And don’t forget to subscribe.
Today’s Topic & Guest:
* Seamus Coughlin | Freedom Toons
* 💰 Help them hit their fundraising goal! 📈
* Seamus Coughlin is showing what happens when you use creativity as a weapon for truth. He is the founder of Freedom Toons, one of the most influential Catholic animation channels on YouTube. Through humor, storytelling, and sharp satire, he’s reaching millions with messages that defend truth, reason, and faith — all while making people laugh.
Hire Talent That Actually Shares Your Mission with Verso Jobs.
Verso Jobs has built a gamified, data-driven job platform to help you hire people who actually share your mission and values.
Their team understands your needs, goes out to qualified candidates, tests them through the gamified application. Then presents you with candidates who truly share your mission.
If you’re a Catholic or conservative organization looking to cut through the fog, reach out to Verso Jobs to help you today.
Whether you’re hiring for your startup, school, parish, or nonprofit — Verso makes it easy to find mission-aligned talent ready to build the Kingdom.
Visit versojobs.com or book a demo to get started — To the heights. ⛰️
Core Lesson:
The most powerful way to transform culture is to create good work, work so excellent, it points back to God. And the best way to do that, is to allow God to transform your own heart.
In this episode, Seamus said something very interesting about the priest shortage. He said that the priest shortage is actually just a holiness shortage.
Most people are not living out their vocations faithfully. This is what is leading to a lack of priests and a lack of nuns and a lack of holy families (and even children because they are all prevented from being born or worse, aborted).
A key goal of ours at Catholic Founders is to help rally business owners to use their skills to bring the culture back to God. But we cannot do this if our own hearts are not transformed.
And only God can do this.
The good news is, He is trying to. But we prevent him. If we start asking for the grace to desire a total transformation of heart, we are one step closer.
When transformed, the work we do will also be transformed. When this happens, the work will be good and beautiful. And it will bring people back to God.
God Bless & Happy Building!
~Silas Mähner
Launch Your Podcast — Build Trust With Customers
Trying to bring in more leads? Launching a podcast might be the best move you haven’t made yet.
Saint Kolbe Studios helps Catholic entrepreneurs launch professional, mission-aligned podcasts that build trust and increase leads.
Their team walks with you every step of the way, from strategy and recording to branding and editing, so you can launch your podcast in under 90 days.
Get 20% off all services for the rest of 2025 because you listen to Catholic Founders. Just mention Catholic Founders when you reach out.
158 million people listen to podcasts every month, and that’s just in the US! Your ideal customer may already be listening to a competitor’s podcast.
Visit saintkolbestudios.com to get started.
Key Episode References:
* Freedom Toons
* Help Them Raise Money for the Full-Length Series
* Jordan Peterson
* Charles Schultz
* Father Chad Ripperger
* Shawshank Redemption
Select Quotes:
* “We really just have a holiness shortage. Almost no one’s living out their vocation. Well, unfortunately. So if you just live out your vocation well, the effect you will have on the world will be unbelievable.” - Seamus
* “God gave you a vocation, live that vocation out.” - Seamus
* “For media to be effective, it has to A, be something that’s going to appeal to people outside of your group and B, the moral that you’re trying to deliver has to be delivered naturally through the story and through the jokes and not through these ham-fisted monologues.” - Seamus
* “The most extraordinary thing in the world is just an ordinary family.” - Seamus
* “God doesn’t make rules that don’t make sense if we follow God’s commandments. This is not the prosperity gospel I’m not saying that your life will always be great But we know that societies that follow God’s commandments are more likely to be successful than ones that don’t...” - Seamus
* “Anytime we create anything, we’re participating with God and His creativity.” - Seamus
* “Your work should sanctify you and you should use it to sanctify the world in some way But it does not have to be explicitly religious in order for you to be able to do so.” - Seamus
Key Moments: (outline)
* 00:00 Intro
* 04:25 Freedom Toons and Cultural Transformation
* Seamus introduces himself and Freedom Toons, explaining his mission to fight back against entertainment media controlled by those with opposing values
* 06:32 Seamus’s Faith Journey and Media Concerns
* Seamus shares his faith journey, falling away, and returning at 20
* 09:23 Reaching the Younger Generation with Good Media
* Offering an alternative to what the younger generation are constantly being sold
* 10:22 Faith Deepening and Content Evolution
* Seamus details how his deepening faith led to change his political views
* 15:24 Freedom, Submission, and Choosing the Good
* A discussion on what is true freedom
* 18:40 The Creative Process and Overcoming Writer’s Block
* Seamus talks about his creative process for Freedom Toons
* 22:46 Integrating the Holy Spirit in Creativity
* The role of the Holy Spirit in Seamus’ creative process
* 25:17 Building Good Companies vs. “Catholic” Companies
* The importance of Catholics building “good companies” and creating undeniable products, rather than just “Catholic” versions of existing things
* 33:17 Heart Transformation and Truthful Products
* Personal heart transformation as the foundation for transforming the culture
* 44:20 Life as a Story: Earning Big Moments
* Understanding life through the lens of story can help in personal growth
* 48:18 Ambition, Humility, and God at the Center
* The idea of ambition and achievement within a Catholic context
* 52:28 The Universal Call to Change the World
* The universal call to change the world, even in seemingly small ways
* 54:45 Changing Culture: Vocation and Family
* Changing the world involves faithfully living out one’s vocation and the importance of family and personal holiness as the starting point for cultural transformation.
* 59:32 Conclusion
Hire Catholic Overseas Talent
In LatAm and the Philippines, there are millions of Catholic remote workers (across all domains) who want to work for ethical bosses.
Often they’re treated as second class citizens or work for organizations that ask them to do questionable things. They reach out to us in search of a Catholic boss.
So, we started ParacleteVA (website coming soon).
With ParacleteVA, we’ll find you vetted, Catholic overseas talent who will help you move your business forward.
How it works: Pay a $500 finders fee when the candidate starts and $500 if you’re still happy with them after 30 days.
To get started reach out to [email protected] with what you’re looking for and we’ll get started.
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.catholicfounders.com/subscribe
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.catholicfounders.com/subscribe
View all episodes
By Silas MähnerListen on: Fio (Catholic Spotify) | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
Hey y’all — welcome back to another episode of the Catholic Founders podcast! Today’s episode will not disappoint.
News / Updates:
* We’re hosting a Catholic Founders meetup in Chicago this 4th of November. Email us if you’re interested in attending (we are near capacity but if you reach out soon we can likely squeeze you in).
* Fides is offering Catholic Founders Readers/Listeners 15% discount on all upcoming events through the end of the year — just use code: CATHOLICGUILD2025 at checkout. (He has some incredible speakers lined up).
* There is a Catholic entrepreneur gathering in San Francisco on November 20th (tentatively) — Stay tuned for more details.
Join the Catholic Founders Guild Today
Get access to all CF Guild online events, the recordings, paywalled content, the CF Guild community/group chat, and CF Guild member directory.
Many members have reported doing business with other CF Guild members within months of joining.
With an annual membership fee of $100, it’s a total no-brainer to join. Consider this an association of Catholic business owners, not a high-commitment community that will sap your time.
Join today for $100 a year or $10 a month.
In Today’s Issue:
* Intro to the Guest and Topic
* Core Takeaway
* Episode References
* Select Quotes
* Key Moments
First time here? Learn more about our mission. And don’t forget to subscribe.
Today’s Topic & Guest:
* Seamus Coughlin | Freedom Toons
* 💰 Help them hit their fundraising goal! 📈
* Seamus Coughlin is showing what happens when you use creativity as a weapon for truth. He is the founder of Freedom Toons, one of the most influential Catholic animation channels on YouTube. Through humor, storytelling, and sharp satire, he’s reaching millions with messages that defend truth, reason, and faith — all while making people laugh.
Hire Talent That Actually Shares Your Mission with Verso Jobs.
Verso Jobs has built a gamified, data-driven job platform to help you hire people who actually share your mission and values.
Their team understands your needs, goes out to qualified candidates, tests them through the gamified application. Then presents you with candidates who truly share your mission.
If you’re a Catholic or conservative organization looking to cut through the fog, reach out to Verso Jobs to help you today.
Whether you’re hiring for your startup, school, parish, or nonprofit — Verso makes it easy to find mission-aligned talent ready to build the Kingdom.
Visit versojobs.com or book a demo to get started — To the heights. ⛰️
Core Lesson:
The most powerful way to transform culture is to create good work, work so excellent, it points back to God. And the best way to do that, is to allow God to transform your own heart.
In this episode, Seamus said something very interesting about the priest shortage. He said that the priest shortage is actually just a holiness shortage.
Most people are not living out their vocations faithfully. This is what is leading to a lack of priests and a lack of nuns and a lack of holy families (and even children because they are all prevented from being born or worse, aborted).
A key goal of ours at Catholic Founders is to help rally business owners to use their skills to bring the culture back to God. But we cannot do this if our own hearts are not transformed.
And only God can do this.
The good news is, He is trying to. But we prevent him. If we start asking for the grace to desire a total transformation of heart, we are one step closer.
When transformed, the work we do will also be transformed. When this happens, the work will be good and beautiful. And it will bring people back to God.
God Bless & Happy Building!
~Silas Mähner
Launch Your Podcast — Build Trust With Customers
Trying to bring in more leads? Launching a podcast might be the best move you haven’t made yet.
Saint Kolbe Studios helps Catholic entrepreneurs launch professional, mission-aligned podcasts that build trust and increase leads.
Their team walks with you every step of the way, from strategy and recording to branding and editing, so you can launch your podcast in under 90 days.
Get 20% off all services for the rest of 2025 because you listen to Catholic Founders. Just mention Catholic Founders when you reach out.
158 million people listen to podcasts every month, and that’s just in the US! Your ideal customer may already be listening to a competitor’s podcast.
Visit saintkolbestudios.com to get started.
Key Episode References:
* Freedom Toons
* Help Them Raise Money for the Full-Length Series
* Jordan Peterson
* Charles Schultz
* Father Chad Ripperger
* Shawshank Redemption
Select Quotes:
* “We really just have a holiness shortage. Almost no one’s living out their vocation. Well, unfortunately. So if you just live out your vocation well, the effect you will have on the world will be unbelievable.” - Seamus
* “God gave you a vocation, live that vocation out.” - Seamus
* “For media to be effective, it has to A, be something that’s going to appeal to people outside of your group and B, the moral that you’re trying to deliver has to be delivered naturally through the story and through the jokes and not through these ham-fisted monologues.” - Seamus
* “The most extraordinary thing in the world is just an ordinary family.” - Seamus
* “God doesn’t make rules that don’t make sense if we follow God’s commandments. This is not the prosperity gospel I’m not saying that your life will always be great But we know that societies that follow God’s commandments are more likely to be successful than ones that don’t...” - Seamus
* “Anytime we create anything, we’re participating with God and His creativity.” - Seamus
* “Your work should sanctify you and you should use it to sanctify the world in some way But it does not have to be explicitly religious in order for you to be able to do so.” - Seamus
Key Moments: (outline)
* 00:00 Intro
* 04:25 Freedom Toons and Cultural Transformation
* Seamus introduces himself and Freedom Toons, explaining his mission to fight back against entertainment media controlled by those with opposing values
* 06:32 Seamus’s Faith Journey and Media Concerns
* Seamus shares his faith journey, falling away, and returning at 20
* 09:23 Reaching the Younger Generation with Good Media
* Offering an alternative to what the younger generation are constantly being sold
* 10:22 Faith Deepening and Content Evolution
* Seamus details how his deepening faith led to change his political views
* 15:24 Freedom, Submission, and Choosing the Good
* A discussion on what is true freedom
* 18:40 The Creative Process and Overcoming Writer’s Block
* Seamus talks about his creative process for Freedom Toons
* 22:46 Integrating the Holy Spirit in Creativity
* The role of the Holy Spirit in Seamus’ creative process
* 25:17 Building Good Companies vs. “Catholic” Companies
* The importance of Catholics building “good companies” and creating undeniable products, rather than just “Catholic” versions of existing things
* 33:17 Heart Transformation and Truthful Products
* Personal heart transformation as the foundation for transforming the culture
* 44:20 Life as a Story: Earning Big Moments
* Understanding life through the lens of story can help in personal growth
* 48:18 Ambition, Humility, and God at the Center
* The idea of ambition and achievement within a Catholic context
* 52:28 The Universal Call to Change the World
* The universal call to change the world, even in seemingly small ways
* 54:45 Changing Culture: Vocation and Family
* Changing the world involves faithfully living out one’s vocation and the importance of family and personal holiness as the starting point for cultural transformation.
* 59:32 Conclusion
Hire Catholic Overseas Talent
In LatAm and the Philippines, there are millions of Catholic remote workers (across all domains) who want to work for ethical bosses.
Often they’re treated as second class citizens or work for organizations that ask them to do questionable things. They reach out to us in search of a Catholic boss.
So, we started ParacleteVA (website coming soon).
With ParacleteVA, we’ll find you vetted, Catholic overseas talent who will help you move your business forward.
How it works: Pay a $500 finders fee when the candidate starts and $500 if you’re still happy with them after 30 days.
To get started reach out to [email protected] with what you’re looking for and we’ll get started.
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.catholicfounders.com/subscribe
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.catholicfounders.com/subscribe