There is a version of your calling that everyone around you is comfortable with. 

It is smaller than what God actually asked you to do. 

It is quieter. It is safer. It does not ruffle feathers. 

And the enemy will use every person in your life — including the ones who love you most — to keep you in that smaller version.

In this week's Regulated Roots Training, Dr. Lee talks about what it actually costs to carry a divine assignment. 

Owning the price you're going to have to pay of being misunderstood, misjudged, and misread by people who matter to you — and doing it anyway.

She walks through the difference between people-pleasing and humility, why being misunderstood is not evidence that you are off track, and how to tell the difference between God's correction and the enemy's accusation. 

And she does it while navigating real-time criticism in the comments, proving that the battle is not just theoretical — it is happening right now.

In This Episode, Listeners Will Learn:

• The People-Pleasing Trap — why people-pleasing is not a personality quirk, but a spiritual problem that looks like humility but is actually disobedience.
• The Two Kinds of Misunderstanding — how to tell the difference between poor communication that needs to be fixed, and the inevitable friction of carrying an assignment the world was never going to understand.
• The "Seen vs. Unseen" Reality — why the loudest critics are often a distraction from the quiet, unseen impact your obedience is having on the people who are too afraid to speak up.
• The Danger of Partial Obedience — why softening your message, delaying your launch, or waiting for permission from people who were never meant to give it is actually disobedience.
• The Identity Anchor — why the willingness to be misunderstood flows from knowing whose you are (Isaiah 43:1), not from discipline or mindset work.

Key Quotes:

• "Your calling from God was not a conference call. Other people didn't hear it, and other people don't understand it to the level that you do."
• "People-pleasing is not a personality quirk. It is a spiritual problem. It is a decision to let the opinion of people carry more weight than the voice of God."
• "If the world understands you perfectly and loves everything you're doing, that's a warning sign."
• "God knew that you were gonna be misunderstood, and He called you anyway."

Connect with Dr. Lee and the Regulated Roots Community:

• Discover your Primary Motivational Gift: www.growinyourgifts.com
• Join Our Regulated Roots Academy: skool.com/regulatedrootsacademy
• Explore our Agency services: regulatedroots.com/agency

Follow on TikTok: @leechelseacordell

Connect on LinkedIn: Dr. Lee Cordell

Kurt Bush spent years in pastoral ministry, including launching a second campus of a church on January 1st of 2020 (If you know what happened in 2020, you can probably guess how that went!)

What he found in that season was that his actual gift — the thing God had wired him to do — was not running an organization. 

It was coaching leaders through the hardest moments of their careers. Helping them name what was going on inside so they could still lead well even when everything around them was on fire.

And when the culture he had built was finally healthy enough to run without him, he made the decision to step away. Not because anything went wrong. Because his work there was done.

In this conversation, Dr. Lee and Kurt talk about what it looks like to leave something good — and how to hold the grief of that alongside the clarity of knowing you are walking into what God actually called you to. They talk about the beach ball, the exiles in the basement, why two things can be true at the same time, and why most of us resist that with everything we have.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

• The difference between building culture and driving forward — why the skills that get an organization through a crisis are not always the skills needed for the next season.
• The grief of a good departure — how to step away from a role you love when you know your work there is done, even when people don't understand.
• The Beach Ball Analogy — why trying to hold your stress, anger, or sadness underwater always ends with it exploding to the surface, and how to let it up gently.
• The Exiles in the Basement — how we lock away the parts of ourselves we think are unacceptable, and what happens when we finally invite them upstairs for a glass of lemonade.
• Why we resist "Two Things Are True" — the hidden pride in wanting absolute certainty, and how curiosity requires us to stop playing God.
• The "Where are you?" reframe — looking at God's question to Adam and Eve not as an accusation of shame, but as a gentle invitation to come out of hiding.

Key Quotes:

• "There is something beautiful about being able to say, 'My work here is done. And now, if I hang on, it's going to make things worse.'" — Kurt Bush
• "Sometimes the most loving, kind, aligned thing is to step away." — Dr. Lee Cordell
• "If two things are true, it makes it a lot harder to play God. If two things are true, then I can't just decide how this is and cast off the rest." — Dr. Lee Cordell
• "Nobody wakes up and says, 'I want to have a catastrophic life failure today.' That's the beach ball coming out." — Kurt Bush
• "When the parts can sit on the couch and have a lemonade, now I know what 'Comforter' means." — Kurt Bush

Resources Mentioned:

• Healing What's Within by Chuck DeGroat
• I Shouldn't Feel This Way and Boundaries for the Soul by Dr. Alison Cook

Connect with Kurt Bush:

• Website: brimstonecoachinggroup.com
• Podcast: Live Fully, Lead Authentically

Connect with Dr. Lee and the Regulated Roots Community:

• Discover your Primary Motivational Gift: www.growinyourgifts.com
• Join Our Regulated Roots Academy: skool.com/regulatedrootsacademy
• Explore our Agency services: regulatedroots.com/agency

Follow on TikTok: @leechelseacordell

Connect on LinkedIn: Dr. Lee Cordell

Dr. Lee  did not plan to teach this one the way it came out.

She had an outline. She had a whole different direction. And then for the few days beforehand the enemy got LOUD. 

She woke up at 12:30 AM unable to sleep, and she knew exactly what was going on.

The more you step into operating in your spiritual gifts, the more the enemy is going to come after you. Not because you are doing something wrong. Because you are doing something right.

In this week's training, Dr. Lee scrapped the outline and went straight to the teaching she believes is one of the most important she carries: the difference between knowing your spiritual gifts and actually being rooted in them.

She walks through all seven of the motivational gifts St. Paul outlines in Romans 12:6–8 — what each one looks like when it is developed, when it is distorted, and when it is suppressed. And she shares the exact attack the enemy uses against the gift you are most called to operate in.

In This Training, Listeners Will Learn:

• Why operating in your spiritual gifts will irritate the devil — and why that is actually a sign you are on the right track.
• The difference between a gift that is developed, divinely directed, distorted, or diminished — and how to identify which one is at work.
• The Architect vs. Craftsman framework — how the seven gifts break into two profiles and one connecting gift, and what that means for how leaders build and operate.
• A breakdown of all seven motivational gifts: the Judge, the Professor, the Coach, the Consoler, the Steward, the Taskmaster, and the CEO gift.
• Why the enemy targets leaders most in the area of their primary gift — and why our gifts are designed for others, not for ourselves.
• The prayer for each gift — what it looks like to surrender your primary gift back to God and let Him be the source.

Key Quotes:

• "You operating in your gifts is gonna irritate the devil. Plain and simple."
• "Your gifts are for other people. When you operate from that primary gift and go help others, those are for other people — they're not for you."
• "In order to get peace that surpasses understanding, you have to be willing to not understand."
• "He is the source, and we are the resource."
• "I have yet to meet someone who does not struggle personally in the area in which they are most gifted. This is how the enemy gets us best."

Resources Mentioned:

Grow In Your Gifts Masterclass — live inside Regulated Roots Academy starting July 1st

Anchor Verse: Romans 12:6–8 — "We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us."

Connect with Dr. Lee and the Regulated Roots Community:

• Discover your Primary Motivational Gift: www.growinyourgifts.com
• Join Our Regulated Roots Academy: skool.com/regulatedrootsacademy
• Explore our Agency services: regulatedroots.com/agency

Follow on TikTok: @leechelseacordell

Connect on LinkedIn: Dr. Lee Cordell

On the morning of September 11, 2001, Jeff Kruszyna was a computer science undergrad at Stony Brook University, 45 minutes from Manhattan. He was on track for a lucrative career in big tech. But watching the second plane hit the tower changed something inside of him. He switched his major to political science and never looked back.

Today, Jeff is the CEO of JMK Victory, a direct response marketing agency specializing in conservative political fundraising. Over the past 20 years, he has helped campaigns and organizations raise over $100 million—and he has done it largely through a channel most marketers have written off: direct mail.

In this conversation, Dr. Lee and Jeff talk about why "what's old is new again" in marketing, how direct mail bypasses the algorithms and censorship of big tech, and why the novelty of physical mail is capturing younger generations. They also dive into the tension of being a Christian in the political sphere, the danger of "mission drift," and why saying no to the wrong clients is the only way to protect your calling.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

• The 9/11 Pivot — how a national tragedy redirected Jeff's career from computer science to the patriot economy.
• Why Direct Mail is Appointment Viewing — how physical mail bypasses digital clutter, spam folders, and big tech censorship.
• The Science of Snail Mail — why the color of the paper, the choice of stamp, and writing at a 6th-grade level matter more than you think.
• The 2% Rule — the battle-tested strategy for donor acquisition and why a 98% rejection rate is actually a success.
• Navigating the Gray Areas — how to vet clients, maintain integrity in a cutthroat industry, and avoid the slow fade of mission drift.
• Faith in the Marketplace — why running a business on biblical principles might be the only testimony your employees or clients ever see.

Key Quotes:

• "If I don't believe it, I can't write a message that's compelling and emotional. If I wouldn't vote for you or personally give to an organization, it's going to be extremely hard for me to develop a program around it." — Jeff Kruszyna
• "It's not going to be something big that tempts me from shifting. It's going to be these tiny little allowances. And a month later you look up and you're like, 'Oh wow, we're not okay anymore.'" — Dr. Lee Cordell
• "The majority of Americans aren't going to church, but they're going to work. Seeing how you operate and lead through a biblical lens may be the only testimony somebody is going to see." — Jeff Kruszyna

Resources Mentioned:

• JMK Victory: jmkvictory.com
• Book a Strategy Session with Jeff: getjeffk.com

Connect with Dr. Lee and the Regulated Roots Community:

• Discover your Primary Motivational Gift: www.growinyourgifts.com
• Join Our Regulated Roots Academy: skool.com/regulatedrootsacademy
• Explore our Agency services: regulatedroots.com/agency

Follow on TikTok: @leechelseacordell

Connect on LinkedIn: Dr. Lee Cordell

In this solo episode, Dr. Lee breaks down one of the most practical (and most overlooked) frameworks for building a sustainable business: the garden. 

She walks through what God actually designed work to look like, why the four seasons of the year are not just weather patterns but a blueprint for how to grow something that lasts, and what happens when we try to force fruit in a tending season.

This is the conversation Dr. Lee keeps having with agency clients and academy members who are working hard, doing the right things, and wondering why nothing is growing yet. If that is you right now, this episode is for you.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

• Work was designed before the fall — why entrepreneurship is not a hustle culture invention but a God-given calling rooted in Genesis.
• The four stages of the garden — seed, soil, tending, and harvest — and how to identify which stage your business is actually in right now.
• Why tending is boring on purpose — and why most people quit in this season right before the growth starts.
• The two mistakes that kill businesses in years 5–10 — it is not a lack of fruit. It is a failure to prune.
• The vineyard timeline — how long it actually takes for a vineyard to produce good fruit, and what that means for your expectations.
• The three-part pruning framework — weeds (doubt, fear, expectations), good buds (opportunities that are not the right timing), and dead weight (what is no longer serving the mission).
• God's job vs. your job — the line most entrepreneurs keep crossing, and what it costs them when they do.
• Why 80-hour workweeks are not God's design — and what it looks like to honor the rest that He built into the natural order.

Resources Mentioned:

• Vineyard timeline article: https://cgtwines.com/learn/lifetime-of-a-vine/
• Primary Spiritual Gift Assessment: www.growinyourgifts.com
• Regulated Roots Academy (free 7-day trial): skool.com/regulatedrootsacademy

Connect with Dr. Lee and the Regulated Roots Community:

• Discover your Primary Motivational Gift: www.growinyourgifts.com
• Join Our Regulated Roots Academy: skool.com/regulatedrootsacademy
• Explore our Agency services: regulatedroots.com/agency

Follow on TikTok: @leechelseacordell

Connect on LinkedIn: Dr. Lee Cordell

He was an MIT graduate who double-majored in math and physics. He earned his master's degree in theoretical mathematics. He graduated magna cum laude from law school. He drafted the first 401(k) plan in professional sports.

And for decades, Doug Ell was a convinced atheist.

He believed what he read in a high school textbook: that life started in a dirty pond by chance. He thought religion was for people who weren't smart enough to understand science.

Then, in his early 30s, he walked into a church to have his son baptized — mostly to avoid an argument with his wife. And he felt something. He sensed a peace and a joy he didn't have. But being an MIT guy, he told himself he had to find scientific evidence to believe in God.

That began a 30-year independent study, sifting through evidence the way only a trained scientist and lawyer can. And he arrived at a conviction that changed everything:

Science does not contradict God. It points directly to Him.

In this episode, Dr. Lee sits down with Doug Ell — author, attorney, and former atheist — to talk about the overwhelming scientific evidence for a Creator. They discuss the digital code of DNA, the mathematical impossibility of Darwinian evolution, and why the most dangerous myth of our modern age is the idea that science and faith are at odds.

If you are a faith-led entrepreneur who loves to understand how things work, or if you have ever felt intimidated by the scientific arguments against God, this conversation will give you the language and the confidence to stand firm in what you believe.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

• The Code Requires a Coder: Why the 3.2 billion letters of digital code in human DNA is the most compelling evidence for an intelligent Creator.
• The Myth of the Dirty Pond: Why top biologists know Darwin's theory doesn't work — and why it is still taught anyway.
• Be Skeptical of Your Skepticism: Doug's challenge to intellectually sharp business leaders who are still feeling spiritually skeptical.
• The Fear of the Lord: Why respecting God's power and design is the actual beginning of wisdom — and how it opens the door to understanding.
• The J.K. Rowling Analogy: Why asking "Who created God?" is like Harry Potter trying to understand the author who wrote him.

Key Quotes:

• "Science totally reaffirms not only the existence of God, but the truth of the Bible."
• "If you find code, you know you're dealing with an intelligence. How can you have code without a coder?"
• "If you're a skeptic, be skeptical of your skepticism."

Connect with Doug Ell:

• Websites: thegodproofs.com | countingtogod.com
• Books: The God Proofs (Graphic Novel) | Counting to God

Connect with Dr. Lee and the Regulated Roots Community:

• Discover your Primary Motivational Gift: www.growinyourgifts.com
• Join Our Regulated Roots Academy: skool.com/regulatedrootsacademy
• Explore our Agency services: regulatedroots.com/agency

Follow on TikTok: @leechelseacordell

Connect on LinkedIn: Dr. Lee Cordell

It is 1:00 in the morning when Pat Welsh catches a call for a 12-year-old who came home late from school. He is annoyed — the bars are about to close, things are about to jump off, and he wants to be doing real police work. He talks to the kid for three minutes. Then he leaves.

Eighteen years later, that same kid finds him in a grocery store line and says: "I graduated from college, I'm married, I have two daughters, and I want to say thank you."

That is the kind of leader Pat Welsh is — and it is the kind of leader this episode will challenge you to become.

Now a retired police superintendent, lawyer, and founder of the Warrior Servant Leader platform. Pat spent 26 years on the Dayton Police Department — at its worst, the seventh most violent city in the United States. 

He has buried a son who died serving overseas in the military, watched his wife fight ovarian cancer, and led through the kind of chaos that would break most people.

In this conversation, Pat and Dr. Lee dig into what it actually means to lead from your identity in Christ — not from your title, your credentials, or the pressure of the role. 

They talk about the fourth stress response nobody teaches you, why studying scripture is different from reading it, and how your job does not define who you are — but who you are absolutely defines how you do your job.

This one is for every faith-led entrepreneur, executive, and leader who has ever felt the weight of high-stakes decisions and wondered if any of it is making a difference.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

• The "Paul Harvey Moment": Why you will rarely get to hear the rest of the story — and why that means the reason you serve has to matter more than the outcome.
• Your Job Does Not Define You: How Pat walked away from a successful DA career at 28 to become a police officer — and what his story reveals about calling vs. credentials.
• The Fourth Stress Response: Beyond fight, flight, and freeze — the intentional, faith-rooted response that changes everything in high-pressure situations.
• Study It, Don't Just Read It: Why understanding the historical context of scripture — from the town of Philippi to the gate of Hades — transforms your faith from intellectual to lived.
• Jeremiah 1:5 as a Leadership Anchor: What it means to be consecrated before you were born — and how that truth holds when the trials are real.

Key Quotes:

• "Your job doesn't define who you are. Who you are should define how you do your job."
• "We are all consecrated for a specific purpose by God. Part of our journey is discovering what that is."
• "Success is somebody else's opinion about you."
• "If you can't be trusted to do the right things in the little things, what are you gonna do in the big Joab moments?"

Connect with Pat Welsh:

• Website & Podcast: thewarriorservantleaderpodcast.com
• Books: Warrior Servant Leader: Life Behind the Badge and Warrior Servant Leader: Life Behind the Cross

Connect with Dr. Lee and the Regulated Roots Community:

• Discover your Primary Motivational Gift: www.growinyourgifts.com
• Join Our Regulated Roots Academy: skool.com/regulatedrootsacademy
• Explore our Agency services: regulatedroots.com/agency

Follow on TikTok: @leechelseacordell

Connect on LinkedIn: Dr. Lee Cordell

This episode will stir your spirit and challenge your perspective on trust, surrender, and the incredible ways God works through our obedience.

Dr. Lee sits down with Bill Nienhuis, a man whose life journey is a testament to God's divine providence and unwavering faithfulness. Bill's story is a powerful reminder that when we say "yes" to God, even when we don't see the full picture, He opens doors we never imagined.

From a career in radio to being an integral part of the groundbreaking Logos Bible Software, and now leading Childcare Worldwide, Bill shares how each pivot in his life was orchestrated by a God who asks, "Do you trust me?" This conversation is packed with wisdom for every faith-led entrepreneur, solopreneur, and business leader.

In this episode, they dive deep into: 

• Being truly available for God's work, without fences or qualifications (Including Bill's personal prayer that inspires him to offer his whole self to the Lord)
• How giving our "first fruits" is not just a religious obligation, but a radical act of trust in God's promise to multiply. 
• How Romans 12:6-8 reminds us that developing our spiritual gifts and stewarding our assets are all part of becoming more like Christ. 
• What to do to prevent addressing our true hunger for God's Word with the false  distractions of our modern world.
• How forgiveness is a powerful, continual opportunity to turn back to God. 

This episode is a must-listen for anyone seeking to align their business and life more closely with God's kingdom. Get ready to be inspired, challenged, and encouraged to trust God with every step of your journey.

Connect with Bill Nienhuis and Childcare Worldwide: Learn more about the incredible work of Childcare Worldwide and how you can support their mission at Childcare Worldwide.org.

Connect with Dr. Lee and the Regulated Roots Community:

• Discover your Primary Motivational Gift: www.growinyourgifts.com
• Join Our Regulated Roots Academy: skool.com/regulatedrootsacademy
• Explore our Agency services: regulatedroots.com/agency

Follow on TikTok: @leechelseacordell

Connect on LinkedIn: Dr. Lee Cordell

This episode is a little different — and honestly, one of the most personal ones Dr. Lee has recorded to date.

She recorded this one in her car. No desk, no studio setup. Just her, her thoughts, and a whole lot of things God has been doing in her life and business that she could not wait to share with you.

This episode is all about Dr. Lee's word of the year: profit. Not profit the way the business world defines it, but profit the way God defines it. As margin. As space. As the gap between what is absolutely needed and what is available.

And y'all, when she started actually living that out, everything changed.

In this episode, she shares:

• Why God called me to focus on profit and margin at the start of this year — and what that actually required me to do
• The truth about our agency restructuring — we have fewer clients now than when we started, and we are making more money. Here is how that happened.
• What it looks like when you follow God's direction and people leave — and why that is not always a bad thing (even when it hurts)
• The difference between a God-ordained opportunity and a Wish.com version of what you actually want
• How God has been calling me back to writing and speaking — and what that has to do with my primary spiritual gift as a professor
• Why I believe the most important thing we can do as Christian entrepreneurs is share both the love AND the truth of Jesus through the way we run our businesses
• What Regulated Roots Academy is really about — and what the three tiers of membership look like moving forward
• A sneak peek at our summer podcast series on the seven spiritual gifts

This episode is for you if you have been grinding without margin, saying yes to the wrong things, or quietly wondering if the way you are building your business is actually aligned with what God is calling you to do.

The good news? It is never too late to create space....

And God always honors obedience.

Resources Mentioned:

• 📊 Take the FREE SAGE Spiritual Gifts Diagnostic: growinyourgifts.com
• 🏫 Join Regulated Roots Academy (Standard, Premium & VIP tiers): skool.com/regulatedrootsacademy
• 🏢 Work with our Agency: regulatedroots.com/agency
• 📧 Email us: [email protected]
• 📚 Shannon Mattern — Web Designer Academy & Anchor High: webdesigneracademy.com

Connect with Dr. Lee and the Regulated Roots Community:

• Discover your Primary Motivational Gift: www.growinyourgifts.com
• Join Our Regulated Roots Academy: skool.com/regulatedrootsacademy
• Explore our Agency services: regulatedroots.com/agency

Follow on TikTok: @leechelseacordell

Connect on LinkedIn: Dr. Lee Cordell

Why is there such a massive gap between what people need from their leaders in the workplace, in the church, and in business....and what they're actually getting?

In this episode of CEO Kingdom Seekers, Dr. Lee sits down with Kevin Wayne Johnson, a renowned leadership coach, author, and CEO of the Johnson Leadership Group. 

With 30 years of experience developing leaders across the federal government, corporate America, faith-based organizations, and nonprofits, Kevin has seen the full spectrum of what "next-level leadership" looks like (and what it costs when it is missing.)

Dr. Lee & Kevin's conversation is equal parts practical, biblical, and deeply personal. They dive into what it looks like to walk in faith, the leadership gap that is costing organizations their best people, why church hurt and workplace hurt come from the same root, how to lead across six generations in the same workplace, and what it means to see the person in everyone you lead... not just another worker to manage. 

In this episode, we cover:

• Why everything we do in life is actually done by faith (and what that means for your business)
• What "next-level leadership" actually means- plus why promoting your best worker is often the worst leadership decision you can make
• The data from Barna, Forbes, and Gallup that reveals the massive gap between what people need from leaders and what they're getting
• Why people leave organizations (hint: the reasons they leave are never the same as the reasons they stay)
• The church hurt conversation: why leadership failures in the church and in the workplace come from the same broken root
• How to lead across six generations in the same workplace 
• The one question every leader should be able to answer about their team (and why most leaders don't know the answer)
• Why character and willingness to learn will always outperform skills and experience in the long run

Connect with Kevin Wayne Johnson:

Website: thejohnsonleadershipgroup.com

Email: [email protected]

Connect with Dr. Lee and the Regulated Roots Community:

• Discover your Primary Motivational Gift: www.growinyourgifts.com
• Join Our Regulated Roots Academy: skool.com/regulatedrootsacademy
• Explore our Agency services: regulatedroots.com/agency

Follow on TikTok: @leechelseacordell

Connect on LinkedIn: Dr. Lee Cordell