Faith Driven Entrepreneur

Host Justin Forman sits down with Chad Spencer — entrepreneur, Ashley Furniture dealer, and co-founder of the For Others Collective — in Nashville for a deeply personal conversation about what it looks like when God doesn't just own your business, but every dimension of your life: your giving, your family, your calling, and your pain.

Chad's story begins in a Memphis apartment where three little girls slept on one sleeping bag, and it leads through a decade of infertility, failed adoptions, a business in freefall, and a premature baby born with a life-threatening condition — all converging on a single night in a hospital closet with a Tim Keller book he didn't choose to pick up. What follows is one of the most honest entrepreneurial testimonies you'll hear: a man who ran hard toward success, hit rock bottom on every front simultaneously, and found that God had been engineering every moment of it — including the son who changed everything.

Today, Chad channels that journey into For Others, a nationwide initiative to end the child welfare crisis in America — not through charity alone, but through the same business rigor he applies to growing a furniture company. Vision. Path. Leadership. Team. Execution. The math, he says, is actually solvable.

Key Topics:

• How a home makeover contest in Memphis sparked Beds for Kids — now 200,000 beds given nationwide through Ashley's Hope to Dream charity
  
  
• The decade-long adoption journey: failed adoptions in Russia and domestically, and what it cost Chad and his wife Kelly spiritually
  
  
• Hitting rock bottom simultaneously in business, marriage, and faith — and what God used to break through
  
  
• How a randomly grabbed Tim Keller book and Romans 8 in a hospital room became the moment everything changed
  
  
• The birth of For Others alongside worship artist Chris Tomlin — and the business framework Chad brought to the foster care crisis
  
  
• Why 400,000+ churches and 400,000+ kids in foster care is math any entrepreneur can understand
  
  
• The VPLTR framework: how Chad structures kingdom impact the same way he runs a business
  
  

Notable Quotes:

"God, I've got nothing. I am empty. I don't know what to do... but God, I need to hear from you." — Chad Spencer

"Above all else, guard your heart, for it's the wellspring of life. I'd lost life there. I wasn't guarding it." — Chad Spencer

"Purpose becomes a pillar. Not an addendum, not an attachment. Make it a part of the way we do things." — Chad Spencer

Recorded live at Main Street Summit, host Justin Forman sits down with John and Ashley Marsh of The Marsh Collective for a raw, practical, and deeply encouraging conversation about what it really looks like to build a marriage, a family, and a business together—with Jesus as the foundation. John and Ashley are no strangers to hard seasons. After years of division, chaos, and nearly losing everything, they discovered what it means to place God on the throne of their marriage—not just in word, but in practice. That journey has since led them to walk alongside hundreds of families, seeing over 210 marriages reconciled and restored.

From the 'vision vs. division' dynamic in marriage to the practical tools they use—like a Sunday afternoon spreadsheet review, calendar coding by values, and a structured weekly meeting they call 'engineered heated fellowship'—John and Ash bring equal parts humor, honesty, and hard-won wisdom. Whether you're a solo founder, a co-founder couple, or simply trying to honor God in every hat you wear, this episode will meet you exactly where you are.

Key Topics:

• Vision vs. division: Why couples think they're unified when they're not—and how to find out
• The many hats of a married entrepreneur: How uncommunicated roles create chaos at home and work
• 'Engineered heated fellowship': The Sunday afternoon weekly meeting that transformed their marriage and team
• When John publicly dishonored Ash in front of the whole team—and what happened next
• The $7 million decision made without alignment—and the lesson it left behind
• The Five F's framework: Faith, Family, Fun, Fitness, and Finances—with numbers on every one
• What it means to 'let peace be your umpire' in every major decision

Notable Quotes:

"We think we have a vision and we really have division. Division's two visions." — John Marsh

"Faith plus nothing gets us there, and repentance plus nothing gets us back." — John Marsh

"A lot of husbands and wives don't have brave conversations with one another. Because they're more concerned about the response of their mate than the response of God in that obedience." — Ash Marsh

About John & Ashley Marsh:

John and Ashley Marsh are the co-founders of The Marsh Collective, a faith-driven organization dedicated to helping couples build marriages and businesses that honor God. Having navigated their own story of brokenness, reconciliation, and restoration, they now serve as mentors, coaches, and speakers to families and entrepreneurial couples across the country. They operate from the conviction that a marriage placed under God's authority is the most powerful unit of Kingdom impact—and that the tools and language of business, stewarded rightly, can serve that mission beautifully. As of this recording, The Marsh Collective has seen over 210 marriages restored.

Join host Justin Forman as he sits down with Pastor JD Greear at South by Southwest for a conversation that every entrepreneur in the church needs to hear. JD makes a bold, biblically-grounded case that marketplace work is not auxiliary to the gospel—it is the gospel in action. Drawing from his book Everyday Revolutionary and decades of pastoral experience, JD challenges both pastors and entrepreneurs to see business not as a platform for ministry, but as ministry itself.

From the story of Daniel's excellence in Babylon to the unnamed "them" in Acts 11 who planted the most significant missionary-sending church in history, this episode reframes what it means to be a faithful follower of Christ in the workplace—and why it matters more right now than ever before.

"The first interface of the gospel and culture is in the workplace." — JD Greear

"Daniel lived quietly and testified loudly—but his quiet life was the way that he was excellent, more excellent than all the other people in his class." — JD Greear

"I want people in our community to say, 'We don't believe what those crazy people at Summit believe, but thank God they're here.'" — JD Greear

JD Greear is the pastor of Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, and the author of Everyday Revolutionary, a practical guide to integrating faith and work using Daniel as a model. He served overseas in missions and has led Summit to become one of the most prolific church-planting churches in the United States, sending out more than 2,000 members who now worship in over 100,000-person-strong planted churches. He also serves on the board of Chick-fil-A.

Host Justin Forman sits down with Chad Spencer — entrepreneur, Ashley Furniture dealer, and co-founder of the For Others Collective — in Nashville for a deeply personal conversation about what it looks like when God doesn't just own your business, but every dimension of your life: your giving, your family, your calling, and your pain.

Chad's story begins in a Memphis apartment where three little girls slept on one sleeping bag, and it leads through a decade of infertility, failed adoptions, a business in freefall, and a premature baby born with a life-threatening condition — all converging on a single night in a hospital closet with a Tim Keller book he didn't choose to pick up. What follows is one of the most honest entrepreneurial testimonies you'll hear: a man who ran hard toward success, hit rock bottom on every front simultaneously, and found that God had been engineering every moment of it — including the son who changed everything.

Today, Chad channels that journey into For Others, a nationwide initiative to end the child welfare crisis in America — not through charity alone, but through the same business rigor he applies to growing a furniture company. Vision. Path. Leadership. Team. Execution. The math, he says, is actually solvable.

"God, I've got nothing. I am empty. I don't know what to do... but God, I need to hear from you." — Chad Spencer

"Above all else, guard your heart, for it's the wellspring of life. I'd lost life there. I wasn't guarding it." — Chad Spencer

"Purpose becomes a pillar. Not an addendum, not an attachment. Make it a part of the way we do things." — Chad Spencer

Faith Driven Entrepreneur Podcast — Episode 376

Release Date: May 26, 2026

Filmed at: Main Street Summit

Recorded live at Main Street Summit, host Justin Forman sits down with John and Ashley Marsh of The Marsh Collective for a raw, practical, and deeply encouraging conversation about what it really looks like to build a marriage, a family, and a business together—with Jesus as the foundation. John and Ashley are no strangers to hard seasons. After years of division, chaos, and nearly losing everything, they discovered what it means to place God on the throne of their marriage—not just in word, but in practice. That journey has since led them to walk alongside hundreds of families, seeing over 210 marriages reconciled and restored.

From the 'vision vs. division' dynamic in marriage to the practical tools they use—like a Sunday afternoon spreadsheet review, calendar coding by values, and a structured weekly meeting they call 'engineered heated fellowship'—John and Ash bring equal parts humor, honesty, and hard-won wisdom. Whether you're a solo founder, a co-founder couple, or simply trying to honor God in every hat you wear, this episode will meet you exactly where you are.

Key Topics:

Notable Quotes:

"We think we have a vision and we really have division. Division's two visions." — John Marsh

"Faith plus nothing gets us there, and repentance plus nothing gets us back." — John Marsh

"A lot of husbands and wives don't have brave conversations with one another. Because they're more concerned about the response of their mate than the response of God in that obedience." — Ash Marsh

About John & Ashley Marsh:

John and Ashley Marsh are the co-founders of The Marsh Collective, a faith-driven organization dedicated to helping couples build marriages and businesses that honor God. Having navigated their own story of brokenness, reconciliation, and restoration, they now serve as mentors, coaches, and speakers to families and entrepreneurial couples across the country. They operate from the conviction that a marriage placed under God's authority is the most powerful unit of Kingdom impact—and that the tools and language of business, stewarded rightly, can serve that mission beautifully. As of this recording, The Marsh Collective has seen over 210 marriages restored.

From the NFL to the Pulpit: How Entrepreneurs Can Outsmart Darkness and Flourish in Business

Host Justin Forman sits down with Derwin Gray — former NFL safety turned pastor and author — for a conversation that hits as hard as a blindside blitz. Derwin brings his playbook from the gridiron, the locker room, and the pulpit to reveal what entrepreneurs are most often running from — and why the answer isn't another win, another deal, or another acquisition.

Drawing on neuroscience, Scripture, and lived experience, Derwin unpacks the identity trap that snares high performers, the toxic shame-and-guilt cycle that fuels the hustle, and the one playbook that actually sets entrepreneurs free. This is not a soft conversation. This is a hard-hitting call to wholeness for people who build things.

Key Topics:

Notable Quotes:

"Idolatry is I'm gonna find my self-worth, I'm gonna find my being in what I do versus what God has done." — Derwin Gray

"You cannot fix your soul by accomplishing something, but there is someone who did do something to heal you." — Derwin Gray

"BUSY is an acronym for being under Satan's yoke." — Derwin Gray

Good Money: A Framework for Human Flourishing Through Your Finances

What if the way you relate to money is quietly undermining everything you're working toward? Host Justin Forman sits down with investor, author, and Harvard Business Review contributor John Coleman for a candid conversation about money, meaning, and what it actually means to flourish. Drawing on 15 years of writing on purpose and leadership — and a front-row seat to both great wealth creation and its casualties — John has written Good Money, a framework for entrepreneurs who want their finances to serve their lives, not consume them.

Together they unpack the psychology of money, the danger of the hedonic treadmill, and why setting a financial finish line isn't giving up — it's the turbocharge entrepreneurs didn't know they needed. John connects rigorous mainstream research with ancient wisdom, showing that what Scripture has always said about money is now being confirmed by Harvard, Baylor, and Gallup.

“The Bible mentions money over 2,300 times. It never says money is evil, but it says the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.” — John Coleman

“I believe firmly there is no success without significance.” — John Coleman

“100% of the time is easier than 98% of the time.” — Clayton Christensen, as quoted by John Coleman

John Coleman is an investor at Sovereign’s Capital, a longtime Harvard Business Review contributor, and author of Good Money. A two-time class president (high school and college), former speech team competitor, and management consultant, John has spent 15 years writing about purpose, meaning, and human flourishing in the workplace. His work bridges rigorous academic research with the ancient wisdom of Christian tradition.

From the NFL to the Pulpit: How Entrepreneurs Can Outsmart Darkness and Flourish in Business

Host Justin Forman sits down with Derwin Gray — former NFL safety turned pastor and author — for a conversation that hits as hard as a blindside blitz. Derwin brings his playbook from the gridiron, the locker room, and the pulpit to reveal what entrepreneurs are most often running from — and why the answer isn't another win, another deal, or another acquisition.

Drawing on neuroscience, Scripture, and lived experience, Derwin unpacks the identity trap that snares high performers, the toxic shame-and-guilt cycle that fuels the hustle, and the one playbook that actually sets entrepreneurs free. This is not a soft conversation. This is a hard-hitting call to wholeness for people who build things.

Key Topics:

• Why idolatry is the real engine behind entrepreneur ambition — and how to recognize it in yourself
• The neuroscience behind why achievement can never heal your soul
• How Derwin's lowest NFL moment (on all fours in a hotel bathroom) became his turning point
• Why entrepreneurs are the worst — and the most beautiful — at trying to outrun their wounds
• What pastors and entrepreneurs can build together when mutual intimidation is overcome
• The scripture passages to turn to in the middle of a hard day

Notable Quotes:

"Idolatry is I'm gonna find my self-worth, I'm gonna find my being in what I do versus what God has done." — Derwin Gray

"You cannot fix your soul by accomplishing something, but there is someone who did do something to heal you." — Derwin Gray

"BUSY is an acronym for being under Satan's yoke." — Derwin Gray

Join host Justin Forman as he sits down with Brandon West, Chief Purpose Officer and founder of PHOS Creative, in an honest conversation about what it really means to build a faith-driven business from the inside out. Brandon shares how a 12-year journey from a home office — teaching Greek, Latin, and algebra on the side — became a 24-person creative agency on a mission to cultivate flourishing in people and organizations everywhere they touch.

But this episode goes far beyond marketing strategy. Brandon opens up about the year his mom died, his team faltered, and his leadership was tested — and how that same season became the catalyst for a vision so big his leadership team laughed when he first said it out loud: launching North Central Florida's first-ever sex trafficking safe house. Today, PHOS has launched 37 care centers around the world — five years ahead of schedule.

This is a conversation about awareness and trust, excellence and authenticity, uppercase Purpose and lowercase purpose — and what happens when an entrepreneur finally asks: what if God positioned this business for something greater?

"God has positioned this business for something greater. As we live that out and be that authentically to the world — authentically behind the scenes and then authentic in public — I do think that is where the sweet aroma of Christ begins to be so beautiful." — Brandon West

"Do for the one what you wish you could do for the many." — Brandon West (quoting a mentor)

"If you have something that's enough to chase, maybe you have enough to share." — Brandon West

Actor, entrepreneur, and faith-driven creator Zachary Levi (Chuck, Shazam!) sits down with Justin Forman at SXSW to pull back the curtain on Hollywood, authentic storytelling, and his bold new venture: Wyldwood—an independent studio and intentional community designed to fix what's broken in entertainment and in the way we live.

From the untold true story of Sarah Rector—a 10-year-old Black girl in early 1900s Tulsa who prayed over her land, struck oil, and became the richest woman in America—to the AI flood rising around us, Zachary shares why he believes faith-driven creators are called to build arks, not abandon ship.

•       Sarah's Oil: The remarkable true story of a 10-year-old girl whose childlike faith turned 160 acres into the largest pure oil reserve in North America

•       Why excellent storytelling—not preaching—is how faith gets metabolized by culture

•       Zachary's faith journey: from near-suicidal darkness eight years ago to a deeper, wider, more grace-filled walk with God

•       The identity trap: what acting taught him about separating your work from your worth

•       Wyldwood: building a modern-day Hershey, Pennsylvania for artists—intentional community, redemptive storytelling, and an answer to AI

•       Why AI is a biblical flood—and why that's the reason to build, not retreat

"When I started working in Hollywood and I got my first look behind the curtain and I saw how all the sausage was made, I was heartbroken because I care too much about other human beings and excellence to find myself working in an industry that doesn't care about either of those things." — Zachary Levi

"There is a way to get messaging in your art that is not proselytizing. There's a way. And that is the way." — Zachary Levi

"A biblical flood is coming. It's not rain, it is technology. And the ground is already permeating. The water is rising." — Zachary Levi