Courageous Crossroads

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In this powerful episode of Courageous Crossroads, Tommy Thompson shares the mos courageous journey of his life—walking alongside his daughter through a six-and-a-half-year battle with stage four kidney cancer. With raw honesty and deep wisdom, Tommy reflects on how love, not bravado, fueled his strength during their family’s darkest season. He redefines courage as the daily decision to push through fear, and opens up about how faith, scripture—especially the Psalms—and community carried him when nothing else could. A business leader turned life
coach, author, and podcaster, Tommy speaks from a life shaped by grief, transformation, and purpose. His book Space to Breathe Again: Hope for the Overloaded and Overwhelmed offers a practical path to creating room for clarity and courage in a chaotic world. Learn more about Tommy’s work at www.tommythompson.org.

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In this powerful episode of Courageous Crossroads, host Jeff Johnson sits down with entrepreneur, consultant, and small-town mayor Bryan Arzani, whose journey from a paperboy in Iowa to founder of the Results Group is anything but ordinary. A former athlete, missionary, and corporate strategist, Bryan shares how he built a successful consulting firm by combining multiple psychological models to unlock human potential—but it’s his deeply personal story of overcoming alcohol addiction that reveals his truest act of courage. With raw honesty, he opens up about faith, fatherhood, loss, and the quiet resilience it takes to confront the struggles no one sees. From starting over 45 days from bankruptcy to helping his daughter rebuild her life after unimaginable tragedy, Bryan embodies his own definition of courage: leaning into the thing you don't want to do.

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In this powerful and timely episode of Courageous Crossroads, host Jeff Johnson sits down with Dr. Everett Piper to unpack the tragic assassination of Charlie Kirk and what it reveals about courage, faith, and free speech in today’s culture. Dr. Piper challenges the idea that disagreement equals hate, defines what true courage looks like, and calls listeners to “pick up the banner” of truth. With bold clarity, he explores the spiritual battle behind political violence, the role of the church, and how believers must respond—not with vengeance, but with conviction, prayer, and hope. A compelling conversation on standing firm when the stakes are high.

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David Leto, CEO and seasoned recruiting professional, joins the Courageous Crossroads podcast to share powerful stories of resilience, leadership, and values-driven decision-making. Raised in a tight-knit, faith-centered family on the south side of Des Moines, David reflects on how his upbringing shaped his definition of courage: embracing fear and taking action simply because it's the right thing to do. From overcoming personal tragedy after a fatal car accident involving his brothers and a close friend, to leading his business and family through the social
and moral complexities of the COVID-19 era, David’s story is a testament to quiet strength, integrity, and unwavering faith. In this episode, he opens up about the defining moments that tested him, the role of prayer and support systems in building courage, and how he strives to instill those same values in his employees, clients, and children.

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In this powerful episode of Courageous Crossroads, Dean O’Connor—entrepreneur, mayor, and former lifelong member of a fundamentalist church—shares the most courageous decision of his life: walking away from the rigid faith he was born into. With raw honesty, Dean unpacks what it meant to grow up under strict religious rules, how leaving affected his family and identity, and why choosing truth over tradition reshaped his entire worldview. Now the president of a thriving window cleaning business and the longtime mayor of Altoona, Iowa, Dean reveals how courage, for him, is less about grand gestures and more about being honest with yourself—no matter the cost. His journey through religious deconstruction, leadership, and community service offers a rare, unfiltered look at what it means to live with integrity, lead with heart, and keep moving forward when everything familiar falls away.

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On this episode of Courageous Crossroads, Jeff Johnson sits down with Tyler Tompkins—
former police lieutenant, real estate entrepreneur, and board member of Exodus 51, a nonprofit that rescues Christian slaves in Pakistan. Born and raised in small-town Iowa, Tyler shares how his path from farming and law enforcement to international human rights work was shaped not by a single moment of courage, but by a long series of faithful yeses. With raw honesty, he opens up about wrestling with church hurt, rediscovering faith, and finding purpose in uncomfortable places. From riding solo as a rookie cop to freeing over 13,000 slaves overseas, Tyler reveals how courage often looks like showing up, stepping out, and trusting God with the unknown.

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In this episode of Courageous Crossroads, host Jeff Johnson sits down with Dr. Douglas Groothuis, Distinguished University Research Professor of Apologetics and Christian Worldview at Cornerstone University, author of over 20 books, including Christian Apologetics and Masking the New Age, and host of The Truth Tribe Podcast. With nearly 50 years of defending the Christian faith through reason and evidence, Dr. Groothuis shares what he considers the most courageous act of his life: a long-standing commitment to Christian witness in the face of cultural resistance and academic hostility. He defines biblical courage as relational, rooted in faith, humility, and obedience to God's will, not mere boldness or bravado. Drawing on personal trials, professional experiences, and scriptural truths, he offers listeners profound insights into how courage manifests in real-life discipleship, intellectual engagement, and public ministry. For more on Dr. Groothuis’s writings, speaking engagements, and resources, visit
douglasgroothuis.com.

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In this powerful episode of Courageous Crossroads, we meet Justin "Boyd" Baker
— a former NASCAR body fabricator turned power grid engineer, comic book collector, motorcycle enthusiast, and devoted family man. Raised in a Midwest farming town, Boyd shares his journey from chasing perfection in high-octane race shops to finding purpose in fatherhood, faith, and craftsmanship. He opens up about how raising his stepdaughter became the most courageous act of his 
life, redefining manhood through sacrifice, love, and conviction. Boyd’s raw honesty and grit reveal a man who believes courage isn’t flashy — it’s consistent, humble, and rooted in doing the hard thing when no one’s watching.

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In this powerful episode of the Courageous Crossroads Podcast, Keith Mercer shares his
remarkable journey from growing up in the violent streets of Southeast Washington, D.C.—once known as the murder capital—to becoming a first-generation college graduate, athlete, leadership coach, and motivational speaker. Faced with extreme adversity from a young age, including witnessing a murder at just five years old, Keith relied on his faith, self-belief, and relentless work ethic to break free from a cycle of violence and limited opportunity. Now the founder of Mercer Elite Leadership and Mental Performance Coaching, Keith helps students, athletes, and business professionals develop confidence, resilience, and purpose through his Four B's framework: Believe, Begin, Beyond, and Balance. His mission is simple but powerful: to help others unlock the greatness within them and live out the purpose God has for their lives. For coaching, speaking, or program inquiries, contact Keith at (402) 610-1886, email [email protected], or visit www.mercerelite.com.

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In this deeply moving episode, Eric Voelker—educator, former pastor, coach,
and two-time NCAA wrestling champion—opens up about what true courage
looks like at this stage in his life. Far from the spotlight of athletic victory or
public ministry, Eric shares how the most courageous thing he’s ever done is
simply showing up, day after day, to care for his daughter in the midst of her
ongoing mental health struggles. At 59, Eric reflects on how God used a twoyear
season of stillness to strip away distraction, deepen his purpose, and
prepare him to step back into work and life with a new mission: to become love.
With a raw honesty and hard-earned wisdom, Eric unpacks what it means to be
faithful in the valley, how courage grows through submission and sacrifice, and
why encouragement, presence, and spiritual clarity matter more than ever.
Whether you're walking through hardship or simply trying to find your footing,
this conversation will remind you that the most powerful thing you can do is
keep showing up—with love.

Thank you for listening! We hope you feel inspired and encouraged by our conversation today. If you did, be sure to share this episode with others.

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See you in the next episode! Be blessed!