In this powerful episode of the Faith Driven Entrepreneur podcast, hosts Justin Forman and Kevin Kim sit down with Chi-Ming and Juliette Chien to explore their radical decision to relocate their successful tech company from San Francisco's financial district to Bayview - a neighborhood where 25-30% of children live below the federal poverty line.

Chi-Ming shares how Dayspring Technologies embodies "bearing witness to God's redeeming of the workplace, marketplace, and community" through unconventional business practices like refusing to use leverage in negotiations, maintaining only three months of cash reserves, and implementing a pay structure where CEO compensation is capped at 3x the lowest paid employee.

Juliette reveals how their partnership with Redeemer Community Church led to the founding of RISE, a Christian high school where 80% of seats are reserved for first-generation college students from low-income families, with a mission of 100% four-year university admission.

• Why Dayspring moved from downtown San Francisco to Bayview, defying conventional business wisdom
• The theological imagination that shapes radical business practices
• How "prophetic emptiness" - leaving space for God to fill - birthed a transformative school
• The power of church-business partnerships in community transformation
• Practical examples of living out gospel economics in the marketplace
• Why achievement and control can be more dangerous idols than money

"I think a lot of times we call something impractical when it's largely left untried." - Juliette Chien

"In order to love a place, you need to know it. In order to know it, you need to learn it, so you gotta spend time." - Chi-Ming Chien

"If somebody takes your coat then give them your tunic also... That actually has implications for how we think about relating to our marketplace neighbors." - Chi-Ming Chien

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In this profound episode of the Faith Driven Entrepreneur podcast, host Justin Forman sits down with Raymond Harris, a distinguished architect, executive producer, and venture capitalist who founded one of the largest architectural firms specializing in corporate architecture. Raymond shares his remarkable journey from questioning whether he missed his calling to building an 8,000-project portfolio with Walmart while revolutionizing his understanding of wealth, stewardship, and Kingdom impact.

From giving away his entire wedding gift with only $600 in the bank to developing the concept of "Kingdom currency," Raymond's story challenges conventional thinking about success, generosity, and the true purpose of business.

• Raymond's journey from pre-med to architecture and his bold request to become a partner at age 27
• Building a firm that completed 8,000 projects for Walmart over 37 years
• The transformative realization: "I was really created not to be an architect, but to be a steward of his kingdom. Architecture was just the economic engine to do that."
• Why practicing generosity early matters: "If you're not generous when you don't have anything, you're certainly not gonna be generous when you have a lot"
• The concept of "Kingdom currency" - converting earthly assets into eternal impact
• Innovative approaches to inheritance: giving to children when they need it most, not when they're in their 60s
• The danger of achievement as an addiction and the importance of authentic brokenness
• Why donor-advised funds can become "storage warehouses" if not deployed strategically

"Did I miss the turn by not going into ministry? And I didn't want to. I wanted to be an architect... about 25 years after running a firm, the Lord said, no, you never missed the turn. You've always been on the right road. You've been trying to drive the car by looking in the mirror, look through the windshield."

"Why does he entrust wealth to people? But he gave it to us. So that we could steward it into his kingdom to take care of those that can't take care of himself."

"If we think that we can keep hold of earthly money and make more money on earth and then give away more money and that's really pleasing to God, I think he's more interested in us giving early so that he can compound what is really his money anyway."

"I call it kingdom currency. What is kingdom currency? Kingdom currency in my thinking is wealth and assets on this earth that will transfer into the next kingdom, which is eternity."

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In this powerful episode recorded at SXSW, host Justin Forman sits down with Renji Bijoy, founder and CEO of Immersed, the most-used application in the AR/VR space. Renji shares his journey from PhD student to tech entrepreneur, his mission to build faith-driven technology that brings people together rather than isolates them, and why he believes believers should be at the forefront of building the next generation of computing platforms.

• How separating identity from company outcomes leads to better decision-making and freedom from emotional choices
• Why Renji builds Immersed because he "hates remote work" - creating connection in a disconnected world
• The transition from software to hardware and launching Visor - a revolutionary AR headset that's 70% lighter than competitors
• Competing with tech giants like Apple, Google, and Meta while being guided by faith
• The importance of believers influencing culture through technology rather than being mere consumers
• Balancing 80-hour work weeks with faithful stewardship and avoiding willfulness
• How Immersed is positioned to impact humanoid robotics through human pose estimation data

"If we do what I think the Lord calls us to do, which is to separate our identity from what our work is... actually it's a lot more freeing."

"I'm building Immersed because I hate remote work... I think that there is a more God-glorifying version of that that makes us all feel very connected."

"I believe that if you have a world that the most common devices that we use, built by believers, I think that's going to be a lot more of a optimistic, bright future."

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Recorded live at SXSW, this episode features Clint Phillips, the healthcare entrepreneur who broke a Guinness World Record and is now revolutionizing medicine with AI technology. Clint shares his journey from South African rugby player to treating billionaires in Aspen, and how his daughter's stroke led him to create solutions that could make healthcare "practically free" worldwide.

Discover how Dr. Gabby, an AI doctor, can analyze your health through a 30-second facial scan and provide personalized medical advice 24/7. Learn why Americans take 22 times more drugs than the rest of the world and how technology could change everything.

[Chapters]

00:00 Introduction and SXSW

01:32 Breaking the Guinness World Record for pushing a car

05:11 Sports background and rugby foundation

07:11 South African entrepreneurial mindset

10:01 Meeting world-class entrepreneurs in Aspen

10:29 First business venture and FBI investigation

15:00 Building a dream clinic treating billionaires

18:33 The healthcare crisis in America

19:59 Personal tragedy: daughter's stroke

21:21 Creating Second MD to connect patients with specialists

23:57 Demonstrating the AI health scanning technology

28:09 How the facial scan works and what it reveals

30:00 Dr. Gabby: The world's smartest preventive AI doctor

32:36 Global impact potential and African expansion

34:09 Fighting the $5 trillion healthcare industry

36:02 How AI could help doctors be doctors again

39:01 Biggest challenges: lobby groups and regulation

42:42 Mission work in Zambia: schools, clinics, and Miracle Dam

46:13 How mission trips transformed his marriage

50:54 App download and free access code

The Current Challenges Facing Teens:

• 60% of today's students will work in jobs that don't exist yet
• Social media pressure and public identity formation
• College costs forcing earlier career decisions
• Record levels of anxiety and depression among young people

The Three-Part Framework:

1. Identity Discovery - Using tools like Working Genius to help teens understand their God-given strengths
2. Redemptive Imagination - Exposing kids to diverse entrepreneurial stories and possibilities
3. Conversation Starters - Creating opportunities for meaningful dialogue about faith, work, and purpose

AI and the Future of Work:

• How machine learning is automating predictable tasks
• Why creativity, curiosity, and question-asking will be essential skills
• The shift from needing specific degrees to developing entrepreneurial mindsets

• Lecrae's journey as both artist and business creator
• Phil Vischer's VeggieTales story of failure and redemption
• Dude Perfect's entrepreneurial success
• Personal stories of kids engaging with entrepreneurial content

• How families can use the course for summer activities
• Ways schools and churches can implement the curriculum
• The importance of adults calling out gifts in young people
• Creating environments that foster entrepreneurial thinking

• "Curiosity is a superpower"
• "The only time you have to be good at everything is at this point in their life"
• "Change starts with us and change starts at home"

In this special episode recorded at SXSW in Austin, Texas, hosts Justin Forman and Richard Cunningham sit down with Brent Beshore, founder and CEO of Permanent Equity, to discuss what it means to take a long-term, cathedral-like perspective in business and investing.

Brent shares his transformation from an achievement-driven atheist to a faith-focused entrepreneur, highlighting how his approach to private equity challenges industry norms with long-term capital, zero debt, and transparent fee structures. Throughout the conversation, Brent reveals how vulnerability and authentic relationships have been crucial both in his personal faith journey and in building a successful investment firm.

• Brent's journey from atheism to faith and how it transformed his perspective on business, family, and achievement
• The dangers of "acceptable sin" that starts small but eventually leads to devastating consequences
• Why living in the light through authentic relationships is essential for both personal healing and business success
• How Permanent Equity's unique model of 30-year capital and no debt creates true alignment with business owners
• The concept of "cathedral thinking" - building something that may take generations to complete
• The importance of community and authentic relationships in combating isolation, especially for successful entrepreneurs
• Why achievement, control, and self-reliance can be more dangerous addictions than substances

In this episode of the Faith Driven Entrepreneur Podcast, host Justin Forman sits down with Steve Preston, CEO of Goodwill Industries, to discuss his remarkable journey from Wall Street executive to nonprofit leader. Unlike the typical path of chasing wealth and status, Steve shares how he made intentional decisions to prioritize purpose over prestige throughout his career.

After starting at Lehman Brothers, Steve felt a tug that his faith was calling him toward a different path. He made a deal with God that he would "never make a decision for money, for prestige, or for power," which ultimately led him to leave banking on the cusp of making partner. His journey continued through corporate America, government service (including running the Small Business Administration during Hurricane Katrina recovery), and eventually to Goodwill, where he now leads one of America's most recognized nonprofit organizations.

• Steve's countercultural decision to leave Wall Street's wealth and prestige to follow God's calling
• The rich history of Goodwill beginning as a church-based ministry to help Boston's poorest residents
• How Goodwill provides holistic support to help people overcome barriers to employment
• The innovative prison education programs helping reduce recidivism rates to just 5%
• The power of corporate partnerships in scaling social impact
• How writing a personal mission statement helped Steve identify his calling
• The importance of seeing potential in people that they don't yet see in themselves

"I felt like God said, I've taken you thus far. Will you really go where I'm taking you? And worse, most of the people in my close-in circle said, you're crazy... And I had this moment where I thought to myself, I have been like every other American watching these horrific stories on television and wondering what I could do."

"Our founder's story and our founder's vision 125 years later is still very much a part of who we are... It was all deeply based in the conviction that every human being has embedded potential."

"I often say, when somebody comes through our door, we often see more in them than they see in themselves."

Mark McClain, founder and CEO of SailPoint Technologies, shares his non-traditional path to entrepreneurship after 10 years in corporate America. He discusses building a successful tech company with faith-based values, navigating multiple funding rounds (VC, PE, IPO, and back again), and balancing business ambition with family priorities.

[Chapters]

0:00 - Introduction

2:10 - Mark on South by Southwest and Austin's tech scene

6:08 - The evolution of faith in the workplace

10:26 - Mark's journey from corporate career to entrepreneurship

15:32 - Understanding SailPoint's identity management technology

18:47 - AI as both threat and opportunity in cybersecurity

20:34 - Navigating different funding methods as an entrepreneur

24:15 - The value of community vs. coaching for entrepreneurs

29:01 - The importance of staying connected to church community

31:40 - Building a successful business without sacrificing family

35:29 - Four S's of Christian leadership: Son, Sheep, Stock, and Stewardship

39:02 - A biblical perspective on retirement and stewardship

44:23 - Closing thoughts on community and faith

In this authentic conversation, Mark reveals:

• Why success rates increase for entrepreneurs who start after age 35
• The value of both peer community and expert coaching
• How to stay connected to your faith while scaling a business
• A biblical perspective on stewarding resources and opportunity
• Practical advice for staying present with family while building a company

#FaithDrivenEntrepreneur #EntrepreneurialJourney #BusinessLeadership #FaithAndWork #ServantLeadership

• Travis shares his recent experience meeting Jack Nicklaus and John Maxwell, highlighting Nicklaus's emphasis on family over golf achievements
• The powerful story of Travis's brain tumor in 2016, requiring him to relearn basic functions
• His wife Jacqueline's cancer diagnosis and the emotional journey of shaving her head during chemotherapy
• The doctor telling Travis to "prepare as if she's gone" and taking his daughters to San Diego while contemplating single fatherhood
• How these health crises fundamentally changed his approach to business success and identity

• 49 Financial's three-pillar strategy: handling more complex issues, offering more services, and building more community
• The company's focus on young advisors (22-year-olds) in an industry where the average advisor is in their upper 50s
• How 49 Financial is addressing the industry-wide 9% retention rate for new advisors
• Travis's shift from "quantity over quality" to "quality over quantity" in building his business
• His vision for bridging the gap between aging advisors with trillions in assets and the next generation

• How facing mortality transformed Travis's relationship with God and clarity about priorities
• The role of childlike faith in entrepreneurship versus the challenges of maintaining bold faith as a business matures
• Using their platform to help clients turn "tax dollars into giving dollars" through strategic charitable planning
• The daily struggle of enjoying present moments while awaiting his wife's five-year cancer-free milestone

• "I think maybe a lot of entrepreneurs out there, it is so easy, even as believers, to make our business our identity. And it's such a sneak."
• "It puts you in a different place in your faith when each one of you experience the thought of losing the other one within a day."
• "If the business doesn't make it, it's okay. If the business does hit that growth goal, it's okay... I'm going home to my bride."
• "My heart and why 49, as long as I'm around, is going to be for the young person."
• "We're going to turn tax dollars into giving dollars."

Every entrepreneur dreams of the freedom that comes with success, yet Lloyd Reeb discovered a surprising paradox - the very prosperity he worked so hard to achieve was quietly eroding his freedom and purpose. Instead of letting money become his master, he made the counter-cultural choice to design a life where wealth serves his deeper values rather than dictating his choices. His journey reveals that true entrepreneurial freedom might look radically different than what we've been conditioned to pursue. 
 

Lloyd shares the meaningful artifacts in his office that guide his decisions and keep him grounded in his purpose - from a crystal light bulb gift that reminds him of his unique contribution to a 300-year-old French Bible that represents God's unchanging wisdom to a wooden "Amazing Grace" plaque honoring William Wilberforce's 30-year commitment to ending the slave trade.

Key Highlights:

• How carrying "long-term metrics" in his wallet for decades has helped Lloyd maintain focus on what truly matters
• The intentional decision to decouple wealth from lifestyle to break cycles of entitlement
• Why complexity, comfort, and complacency are the three deadliest enemies to living a purpose-driven life
• Applying Charlie Munger's "inversion" approach to identify what would cause you to squander your life
• The transformative practice of keeping a "Book of Days" to document God's work in and through your life
• Why financial success creates freedom for mission rather than just lifestyle expansion
• Practical ways to declutter your life, reduce complexity, and create space for what matters most

Quotable Moments:

"Build a successful business in the context of focusing on building a successful life."

"It's an interesting question to ask: What level of lifestyle is in your family's best interest? That's different from how much can we afford."

"What would I do if I wanted to squander the rest of my life? I would get my life complicated, comfortable, and let my heart become uncompassionate."

"Money is a great servant, but a terrible master. We wanted to really demote money from mastery to servant."

Watch the full episode on YouTube or continue to stream audio on your favorite podcast platform.