Faith Driven Investor Podcast - Episode 216

Join hosts Richard Cunningham and Luke Roush as they sit down with Steve Cook, Executive Managing Director of LFM Capital, for a deep dive into the state of US manufacturing and the reshoring revolution transforming American industry. From the deck of an aircraft carrier to the shop floor to private equity boardrooms, Steve brings a unique perspective on what it takes to build manufacturing companies that strengthen both portfolios and national security.

Key Investment Topics:

• The economics of reshoring: Why major manufacturers are bringing supply chains back to the US
• LFM Capital's operator-led approach to buyout private equity in manufacturing
• How tariffs, supply chain disruptions, and geopolitical tensions are reshaping investment opportunities
• Why aerospace, defense, and B2B manufacturing offer compelling risk-adjusted returns
• The role of leadership and operational excellence in driving EBITDA margins and enterprise value
• Interest rates, deal flow, and the creative structuring required in today's PE market

Powerful Quotes:

"We won World War One and Two predominantly because we had a strong industrial base that could step up and pivot when the country needed it. We're woefully unprepared for World War Three." - Steve Cook

"It costs more to hire an English-speaking manager in China than it does in the US today. Labor cost equilibrium is happening faster than anyone expected." - Steve Cook

"The absolute worst form of ownership I've ever seen is 50/50. Someone has to make the final decision - that's true in a company and true in a marriage." - Steve Cook

Episode Description:

What does it take to rebuild American manufacturing in an era of global uncertainty? Steve Cook knows firsthand. As a former Navy fighter pilot who flew combat missions during Desert Shield, then an operations leader at Dell managing 2,200 manufacturing employees, Steve brings unparalleled shop floor DNA to private equity investing. Now leading LFM Capital - a buyout firm exclusively focused on US manufacturing - he's witnessing the early stages of a reshoring revolution that could reshape both the American economy and investment portfolios.

This episode cuts through the headlines to reveal what's really happening on the ground with US manufacturing. Steve explains why companies are finally bringing production back home, which industries offer the most compelling opportunities, and how LFM's operator-first approach generates returns by elevating leadership and operational excellence rather than financial engineering. From the impact of Liberation Day tariffs to the quiet convergence of global labor costs, from AI's limited role on today's shop floor to the creative deal structures emerging in a higher interest rate environment, this conversation delivers actionable insights for investors seeking exposure to the manufacturing renaissance.

Steve also vulnerably shares lessons from Genesis on leadership, partnership, and the biblical principles that shape both his marriage and LFM's investment philosophy - including why 50/50 ownership structures consistently fail and what that reveals about decision-making authority in both business and family.

Guest Background:

Steve Cook is Executive Managing Director of LFM Capital, a Nashville-based private equity firm investing exclusively in US manufacturing companies. A graduate of the US Naval Academy and MIT's Leaders for Manufacturing program, Steve flew F/A-18s off aircraft carriers for seven years before transitioning to operations leadership roles at Dell and venture-backed technology companies. At LFM, he leads a team of operators and engineers who partner with manufacturing CEOs to build enterprise value through operational excellence, not financial engineering. Steve and his wife Shannon live in Nashville and are active members of Long Hollow Church.

Faith Driven Investor Podcast - Episode 215

Carl Edwards, NASCAR Hall of Famer and one of the 75 greatest drivers of all time, sits down with host John Coleman to share his remarkable journey from a Columbia, Missouri Volkswagen shop to the pinnacle of motorsports—and his courageous decision to walk away from it all at age 36.

This conversation goes far beyond racing. Carl vulnerably discusses the dangers of building identity on performance, the cost of fame, and the miraculous moment on a mountaintop that transformed his understanding of faith. He opens up about stewarding wealth with a scarcity mindset, prioritizing marriage over children, and why he risked his family's entire $18,000 life savings on a single race car.

Key Topics:

• The entrepreneurial hustle required to break into NASCAR from Missouri
• Building and losing identity through professional success and public image
• Walking away from a championship-caliber ride and guaranteed income to prioritize family
• A powerful conversion story involving Stephen Garber and a mountaintop ambush
• Wrestling with generosity and stewardship after growing up with financial scarcity
• Why loving your spouse well is the greatest gift you can give your children

Notable Quotes:

"I'm gonna keep racing for another 10 years. I'm going to hit my head another 25 times. 30 years from now, I'll be on the other end of this phone. My son will be sitting on the stairs. I don't know my kids. They'll resent me for everything I did. And I'll have given my life away." - Carl Edwards

"If my mom didn't take that risk with everything she had and hang onto it that loosely, it was her life savings. I mean, I wouldn't be sitting here talking to you." - Carl Edwards

"In my soul, when it made no sense to anyone else, I knew that this thing driving a race car was important to me, I loved it purely, and chasing that became such a wonderful adventure that yielded so much fruit." - Carl Edwards

Join Richard Cunningham and John Coleman for the first Marks on the Markets episode of 2026 as they welcome Brandon Pizzurro, President & Chief Investment Officer at GuideStone Capital Management, to unpack what investors need to know heading into the new year. After three consecutive years of double-digit returns, the conversation explores whether markets can sustain this momentum, the future of AI investing, and the opportunities emerging in small caps and private markets.

Key Investment Topics:

• Market outlook after three straight years of 20%+ returns and where opportunities lie in 2026
• The Mag 7 dominance: Will small and mid-cap stocks finally see their rotation moment?
• Federal Reserve policy expectations and why current rates may be historically appropriate
• Private equity and IPO markets thawing after years of constrained liquidity
• Geopolitical shocks to watch: Iran, Venezuela, and international market divergence
• AI's impact on productivity, employment, and whether we're entering a new economic era

Notable Quotes:

"Breathless is probably one word. Just coming off three straight years like that, you always wanna protect on the downside. You wanna think about how things can go wrong. And when they don't for a third year in a row, you wanted to catch your breath and really take stock of what just happened." - Brandon Pizzurro

"This is the Lord's capital that we're all stewarding, and we need to remember that as we kind of start the year off again. We have a charge here for our investors, but I think it's important to take a moment and be present, be thinking about why you're doing what you're doing." - Brandon Pizzurro

"We are people under authority and it's easy to forget that sometimes. When we receive word from God, whether that be through scripture, whether that be through prayer or insight or inspiration, we are intended to execute against that will." - John Coleman

About the Guests:

Brandon Pizzurro serves as Managing Director at GuideStone Capital Management in Dallas, Texas, bringing sophisticated market analysis with a faith-driven perspective on stewardship and investing. John Coleman is a Managing Partner at Sovereign's Capital and regular co-host of the Marks on the Markets series, known for his thoughtful integration of economic analysis with Kingdom principles.

This episode offers both tactical market insights and strategic wisdom for faith-driven investors navigating what promises to be a consequential year in financial markets.

Join hosts Henry Kaestner, Justin Forman, and Luke Roush as they preview the upcoming 2026 Faith Driven Investor Conference, exploring the transformative theme "Seeds vs. Silos" and what it means for how we steward capital in service of God's kingdom.

Key Investment Topics:

• Understanding the J-curve of investing and why seed capital requires patience before bearing fruit
• The convergence of giving, investing, and building into unified asset allocation focused on mission
• First-loss capital strategies: How philanthropic capital can unlock larger investment tranches
• The urgency of African investment: Addressing 80% of the world's poor by 2030 through market-driven solutions
• Redefining risk from an eternal perspective rather than purely financial metrics

Powerful Quotes:

"We're planting these seeds and the seeds are planted in the ground and they go down. And with the J-curve, all of a sudden it's underground, it doesn't look like it's great, and then it comes back up someplace further away, far enough away from where you planted it so that maybe you don't even get credit for it." - Henry Kaestner

"It's not a failure of the system, usually, in terms of people using the platform God's given them. It's usually a failure of nerve." - Luke Roush

"The tragedy is when you go into some of these dark places, tragically we find that darkness is more coordinated than the church." - Justin Forman

Episode Description:

Six years into the Faith Driven Investor Conference journey, the movement has reached an inflection point. What began as storming and forming is now transforming into coordinated action as investors, advisors, and fund managers converge around a unified mission: solving the world's greatest problems under God's power for His glory.

This preview episode unpacks the conference theme "Seeds vs. Silos," challenging investors to move beyond accumulation mindsets (the barns and silos of our age) toward scattering seeds that grow underground before bearing fruit in unexpected places. Henry, Justin, and Luke explore how the J-curve of investing mirrors spiritual growth—requiring faith during the valley period when capital is deployed but results aren't yet visible.

The conversation addresses critical shifts in the faith-driven investing ecosystem: the three-sided marketplace now including river guide advisors, the convergence of philanthropic and investment capital into unified asset allocation maps, and real-world examples of first-loss capital unlocking larger investment opportunities in emerging markets. With top-quartile performers now visible across virtually every asset class—from multifamily real estate to African venture funds—the movement has matured beyond feel-good stories to demonstrable excellence because of, not despite, biblical values. The hosts issue a clarion call for urgent action in Africa, where 80% of the world's poor will live by 2030, and challenge investors to rethink risk from an eternal perspective rather than merely financial metrics.

Behind The Chosen: Faith, Film, and the Fight for Culture

Join host John Coleman on the set of The Chosen in Midlothian, Texas, for an unprecedented conversation with producers Chris Juen and Chad Gundersen of Out of Order Studios. From the Sanhedrin throne room itself, Chris and Chad share the untold story of how a crowdfunded Jesus project became a global phenomenon reaching 520 million people—and what it means for faith-driven investors seeking to impact culture through entertainment.

Key Investment & Industry Topics:

• Why entertainment investment requires a platform approach, not one-off project bets
• How The Chosen scaled from $0 budget for episode 5 to a multi-season global franchise
• The three investment pillars for cultural impact: spark the next generation, build infrastructure, create content
• Why investors should think like oil drillers: invest in a slate of 10 films, not just one
• The unpredictable nature of entertainment returns and how to approach risk wisely
• Building production companies that operate between $1M-$150M budgets with studio-level quality

Powerful Quotes:

"I'm tired of crappy Christian content. God doesn't want your crap. He calls us to be excellent." - Chad Gundersen

"Christians yielded culture, then got mad when culture went bad. Fine, it's risky, but is it worth the risk?" - Chris Juen

"Platforms, not projects. How do you get around the most excellent people in the industry who have a slate of content and invest in that diversified platform?" - John Coleman

About the Guests:

Chris Juen and Chad Gundersen are the co-founders of Out of Order Studios and executive producers of The Chosen, the largest crowdfunded media project in history. Chris brings 20 years of studio experience from major productions including Contact, Spider-Man, and Polar Express, while Chad contributed 20 years of independent filmmaking expertise. Together, they've pioneered a hybrid production model that delivers studio-quality content at independent budgets—proving that faith-driven content can compete at the highest levels of entertainment while maintaining both artistic excellence and fiscal responsibility.

Their production philosophy centers on creating environments where cast and crew are valued, where believers and non-believers alike can experience the gospel through excellent storytelling, and where investors can participate in cultural transformation through strategic, well-managed capital deployment.

Join FDI hosts Richard Cunningham, John Coleman, and Luke Roush, along with Justin Forman of Faith Driven Movements, as they recap an extraordinary year in markets and ministry. Recording just before Thanksgiving, this special year-end episode explores the key economic trends that shaped 2025 and the remarkable growth of the faith-driven investing ecosystem.

Key Investment Topics Discussed:

• US economic resilience despite tariff concerns and employment volatility
• The AI revolution and its impact on mega-cap valuations and energy demands
• Continued illiquidity in private markets and the wait for distributions
• Housing affordability crisis and growing wealth inequality concerns
• Interest rate environment returning to historical norms after post-GFC anomaly

Powerful Insights:

"Bible sales are up 41% this year. There's this real sense that younger people in particular have realized that they need some sort of purpose and meaning that they're lacking."

"We're in this how moment. People generally understand that their work matters. They know that their capital can make a difference. But they're questioning, well, how do we do it?"

"If we lost everything tomorrow, doesn't matter. We know that the most important thing we have is Jesus."

This episode provides essential perspective for faith-driven investors navigating uncertainty while maintaining eternal focus. From the maturity of faith-driven investment strategies across asset classes to the intersection of affordability challenges and Kingdom opportunities, this conversation equips investors to approach 2026 with wisdom, hope, and missional clarity.

Join Justin Forman in Lagos, Nigeria for an inspiring conversation with Adesuwa Okunbo Rhodes, founder and Managing Partner of Arura Capital. Adesuwa shares her journey from J.P. Morgan to building the first female-led private equity fund in Nigeria focused on female-founded, female-led, and female-focused businesses across Africa.

Key Topics:

Why Africa has the highest rate of female entrepreneurship globally (4x more than Europe) yet women receive only 2% of capital

How Arura Capital's $20M Fund One delivered top-quartile returns above global benchmarks while creating 205,000 jobs and $150M in value chain revenue

The $150 billion capital gap facing African SMEs and the arbitrage opportunity in overlooked founders

Digital transformation as Africa's leapfrog strategy - from embedded finance to B2B commerce platforms serving 150,000 retailers

Why now is the best time to invest in Nigeria despite (and because of) recent policy reforms

Powerful Quotes:

"To live life where it's only about you is a very, very boring life, I think. You really wanna be able to showcase legacy. You really want to be able to showcase how has it impacted that woman who would have never had access to capital if we didn't show up."

"Female founders actually generate more revenue than their male counterpart. For every dollar invested in a startup, a female founder returns 2.5 times more revenue than her male counterpart."

"If you're an investor that's allocating capital, you can no longer afford to ignore or avoid the African continent, because this is really where the growth in the next 30 to 50 years is gonna come from."

About Adesuwa: 

Adesuwa Okunbo Rhodes is the founder and Managing Partner of Arura Capital, a pioneering private equity fund investing in female-founded, female-led, and female-focused businesses across Africa. After a successful career at J.P. Morgan, she launched Arura in July 2019 to address the massive funding gap facing female entrepreneurs on the continent. Her Fund One raised $20M and has delivered top-quartile returns while creating measurable social impact across Nigeria, Ghana, and Côte d'Ivoire. Adesuwa was the first woman in Nigeria to raise over $10M for a private equity fund and is passionate about using capital redemptively to transform lives across Africa's value chains.

Join hosts Richard Cunningham and Luke Roush alongside special guests Andrew Behrman and Jonathan Carvalho Pruna of Sovereign’s Capital for FDI’s November Marks on the Market episode. With over 130 general partners from across private equity, venture capital, real estate, and private credit in attendance, this episode captures the heart of a movement where faith and capital are converging for Kingdom impact.

Key Topics:

• How faith-driven GPs are creating operational value in the current higher-for-longer rate environment
• Spiritual integration practices: broad-based employee ownership and workplace chaplaincy
• The explosive growth of secondary markets addressing liquidity needs
• Private market trends across healthcare, education, and other sectors
• Building cultures that serve employees, investors, and Kingdom purposes

Notable Quotes:

"If not us, who? If not now, when? The Lord has given each of us an opportunity to be impactful in the spheres where he has us operating." - Luke Roush

"You got to step into a space and create real value with the operations of the company that you're partnering with, or you're just not going to be an outperformer in private equity venture capital for much longer." - Andrew Behrman

"I would just challenge folks to really land into the ways that they can love on their investment teams and their portfolio companies." - Jonathan Carvalho Pruna

Episode Description:

More than 130 faith-driven fund managers gathered at Wheaton College for the 3rd Annual Faith Driven Investor Fund Manager Gathering, representing a movement that spans venture capital, private equity, real estate, and private credit. This episode takes you inside that catalytic gathering, where vulnerability, operational excellence, and spiritual integration practices took center stage.

Richard Cunningham leads a conversation with Luke Roush (Managing Partner, Sovereign's Capital), Andrew Behrman, and Jonathan Carvalho Pruna from Sovereign's fund-to-funds team. Together, they unpack key themes from the gathering: how operational value creation is becoming the primary driver of private equity returns in today's rate environment, why secondary markets are experiencing explosive growth, and how faith-driven managers are pioneering spiritual integration through broad-based employee ownership and workplace chaplaincy programs.

The episode features insights from panels covering healthcare and education investing, secondary markets, real estate strategies, and founder care in venture capital. Hear how Riverside Value Fund is rolling out employee ownership across portfolio companies, how Brinley Fire Services employees are living out faith-driven culture through chaplaincy, and why the democratization of private markets is creating new opportunities for Kingdom-minded capital allocators.

Whether you're a fund manager seeking community, an LP evaluating faith-driven strategies, or an investor curious about integrating faith and finance, this episode offers a compelling vision for how God is moving through the private markets.

Join host Justin Forman as he sits down with John Coleman, a leading investor in faith-driven entertainment, on the set of The Chosen to explore the explosive growth happening in faith and family content. This conversation reveals how Christians are reclaiming their place as culture-shapers through strategic capital deployment in Hollywood.

Key Topics: • The shift from philanthropic "passion projects" to commercially viable platform-based investing in entertainment • How Wonder Project raised $100 million from faith-driven investors to unlock hundreds of millions more from Amazon and Sony • Why investing in platforms (not individual projects) creates sustainable cultural impact • The business infrastructure required to make faith-driven content commercially successful • How to apply private equity rigor to entertainment investing while maintaining creative authenticity

Powerful Quotes:

"My philosophy right now is bet on platforms, not projects. How can I ally with teams that are producing at the highest level of what they do and allow them to do the hard work of sorting through projects across multiple different projects." - John Coleman

"The studio system puts $250 billion into content around the world every year. A lot of people have made a great deal of money in these production studios, but Christians had not really cracked the code." - John Coleman

"If these projects are philanthropic, that money runs out one day. If you can create a return on investment consistently enough to get institutions confident in this as an asset class, that will unleash more capital." - John Coleman

About John Coleman:

John Coleman is a leading investor in the faith-driven entertainment space, helping to raise capital for platforms like Wonder Project that partner with major studios including Amazon Prime Video and Sony. His investment philosophy emphasizes backing proven teams and platforms rather than individual projects, applying venture capital rigor to create commercially sustainable faith-driven content. Coleman believes that by applying business discipline to entertainment investing, the faith community can unlock institutional capital and create a self-sustaining ecosystem that shifts culture while generating market-rate returns for investors.

Join hosts Richard Cunningham and John Coleman alongside special guest Tim Macready for FDI's October Marks on the Markets episode. This roundtable discussion examines Q4 2025's complex investment landscape: Fed rate cuts colliding with government shutdowns, sticky inflation at 2.9%, and markets continuing their remarkable 14% year-to-date climb despite mounting uncertainties.

Key Topics:

• Federal rate cuts and their impact on private credit markets and real estate
• The bifurcation of the US economy: wealth creation at the top versus challenges for lower-income households
• AI revolution's early effects on employment across different sectors and wage bands
• Private markets landscape: venture capital resurgence, private equity stagnation, and real estate headwinds
• Tariffs, H-1B visa changes, and the reshoring debate's practical implications
• Faith-driven investing movement update: growth in ETF options, impact measurement frameworks, and theological deepening

Notable Quotes:

"The workforce in this country is so mobile relative to other parts of the world, willing to move for economic reasons... there's so much entrepreneurial drive, and this impetus to create and create new ideas and new products." - Tim Macready

"I'm of the personal opinion it would actually be quite healthy for financial markets if we saw a 10, 15% correction over the next 12 months or so concentrated in those really highly valued growth stocks at the top end." - John Coleman

"We're seeing more products, more assets, more options. We're also seeing a deepening of the recognition of integrity, impact integrity, of authenticity, of being able to articulate not just, hey, we're a Christian organization and we're investing, but what that means in practice." - Tim Macready

Episode Description:

As Q4 2025 begins, faith-driven investors face a paradox: soaring public markets alongside economic bifurcation, technological disruption, and policy uncertainty. This October Marks on the Market episode brings together three seasoned investors to dissect what's really happening beneath the surface of headline numbers.

Richard Cunningham, John Coleman, and Tim Macready examine the Fed's recent rate cut against the backdrop of a government shutdown, 3.8% GDP growth, and inflation that refuses to fully retreat. The conversation moves beyond macro headlines to explore what matters for faith-driven capital deployment: Are small and mid-cap stocks finally poised for their moment? How will AI's early employment impacts ripple through different economic strata? What does authentic impact measurement look like as the faith-driven investing movement matures?

The discussion tackles private markets with particular nuance. Venture capital is resurging as IPO markets reopen, but private equity remains sluggish as firms wait for better exit conditions. Real estate continues working through its post-pandemic adjustment, while private credit faces questions about sustainability as rates potentially decline. John shares profound reflections from a recent World War II historical tour, connecting lessons about human courage and evil to today's calling for faithful stewardship. Tim provides encouraging updates on the faith-driven investing ecosystem's growth, including new ETF launches and the Christian Impact Framework's development for authentic impact measurement.