🎙️ Faith & Tech with Mike Sudyk — new episodes every other Tuesday.

This week Mike sits down with Dan Churchwell, Director of Programs & Education at the Acton Institute, to talk about AI, ethics, and what it means to have a "well-trained mind" in an age of cognitive outsourcing.

Dan Churchwell is a speaker, writer, and educator at the intersection of faith, technology, and culture. Unlike most commentators on technology and society, he has operated in the worlds he writes and speaks about: as a university lecturer and administrator, executive director of an international medical nonprofit, and work in Fortune 100 companies,  a commercial real estate firm, and nonprofit boards. He brings that cross-sector perspective to every stage and page.

As Director of Programs & Education at the Acton Institute, he addresses social ethics, AI, and the future of work through conferences, podcasts, and educational programs. For nearly a decade, he has designed and executed more than 200 events, from collegiate seminars to Acton University, the Institute's flagship annual conference.

Churchwell draws on classical economics, Christian theology, and media theory to examine how technology shapes communities and moral life, equipping audiences to navigate technological change with wisdom and virtue. He speaks in churches, Christian colleges, and professional settings, and his academic background spans biblical studies, philosophy of religion, ethics, and nonprofit management.

Connect with Dan:
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-churchwell-a0120bb/
🔗 Acton Institute: https://www.acton.org

🎧 Listen on your favorite platform:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/faith-tech/id1833495268
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2XKzgqrkuxh8TE4Sb3zQGg
All platforms: https://faithtech.transistor.fm/subscribe

💼 Connect with Mike Sudyk — CEO of EC Group International
[https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikesudyk/]

Subscribe for new episodes every other Tuesday.

#FaithAndTech #ChristianBusiness #ActonInstitute #AIEthics #ChristianEntrepreneur

Today's guest is Rich Sheridan, an entrepreneur, author, and leadership speaker best known as the Co-Founder, CEO, and Chief Storyteller of Menlo Innovations, a software and IT consulting company in Ann Arbor, Michigan, that has become globally recognized for its joyful and human-centered workplace culture. Driven by a mission to “end human suffering as it relates to teams and technology,” Rich has spent more than two decades transforming how people think about work, leadership, and organizational culture.

Rich’s belief that joy at work isn’t just possible, but essential, has taken him around the world to speak at conferences, corporate events, and leadership summits. His ideas have been featured in Inc., Forbes, New York Magazine, Bloomberg, U.S. News & World Report, NPR’s On Point and All Things Considered, and the Harvard Business Review.

He is the author of two bestselling books:
Joy, Inc.: How We Built a Workplace People Love — a deep dive into Menlo’s culture-first approach
Chief Joy Officer: How Great Leaders Elevate Human Energy and Eliminate Fear — a guide for leaders committed to elevating human energy in their organizations

Rich’s life's work blends storytelling, practical leadership insight, and a heartfelt commitment to elevating workplace joy and human collaboration. Thousands of leaders, teams, and enthusiasts visit Menlo annually to learn The Menlo Way® firsthand, and his keynotes inspire individuals to rethink how they lead, innovate, and build culture.

Rich's Links
Official website: https://richardsheridan.com/
Menlo Innovations: https://menloinnovations.com/
Rich’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/menloprez/

Today on the Faith & Tech Podcast, I’m joined by Danielle Whah, Principal Chair of C12 West Michigan & Northern Indiana. If you’re a founder, executive, or leader wrestling with the intersection of faith, work, and calling, this episode will challenge and encourage you to think differently about success and what it really means to lead well.

Danielle is passionate about equipping business owners & CEOs to accomplish immeasurably MORE than imagined. She is highly motivated and has a relentless passion for winning, building trust & delivering results. Serving as a C12 Chair is a calling that she sees as a natural extension of her growing commitment to driving results and promoting effective servant leadership in business. 

Danielle has over 20 years of driving product & brand growth strategies at Global Consumer Product companies. Her diverse experience across sales, merchandising, product marketing & engineering provides a unique, yet comprehensive perspective and is rare to find. Her thoughtful and detailed approach to P&L ownership and problem-solving positions teams and organizations for success. Danielle’s proven capabilities & faithful stewardship unleashes the power of the C12 platform to build GREAT Businesses for a GREATER purpose in West Michigan & Northern Indiana. 

Danielle holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Louisville, and a Master’s of Business from Eastern Kentucky University. She is a passionate and committed follower of Christ, wife, mother, and business owner. Danielle and her family are active members of Lakeshore Christian Church in Saint Joseph, Michigan. This community of believers is the spark that ignited the faith and relationship that Danielle has today with her Lord and Savior. Danielle currently serves as the Missions Ministry Lead. 

Danielle and her husband, Ken, reside in Stevensville, Michigan where they enjoy spending time with their 6 children and grandson. In the summer, you will likely find them aboard ImmeasurablyMore watching a beautiful sunset on the waters of Lake Michigan.

Danielle Whah LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniellewhah/

About C12
https://www.joinc12.com/about/

C12 LinkedIn 
https://www.linkedin.com/company/c12westmichigan/

Today on the podcast, EC Group’s Business Development Lead, Jeff Ekdom, steps in as host to interview Mike Sudyk.

Mike is a tech leader, entrepreneur, and CEO of EC Group, a company committed to helping businesses scale by building strong, long-term software teams. Under his leadership, EC Group prioritizes being people centric, purpose driven, and to think long term as core elements of its culture.

Mike is also the creator and host of the Faith & Tech podcast, where he explores the intersection of spiritual life and technological innovation, highlighting how values shape leadership and workplace culture.

If you spend a moment with Mike you’ll know that even more important than that, Mike is a devoted husband and father of 7, passionately pursuing a life where his faith shapes vocation, family, and community. Whether he’s building teams, raising his family with intention, or investigating how faith intersects the future of technology, Mike’s insight is shaped by a steady conviction: his work is for the Kingdom, and his identity is rooted in being one of God’s children.

Mike's Links
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikesudyk/ 
https://ecgroup-intl.com/
https://www.youtube.com/@UCUuqxkMJqkDL9wTADu9yPNg

Today's guest is Micah Pritchard the Co-Founder and COO of ServiceReef, a platform empowering churches and nonprofits to mobilize people for missions and service. He leads product strategy, platform development, and partner consulting, helping organizations streamline engagement, track impact, and grow their mobilization efforts. With a background in strategic leadership and a passion for helping people live into their God-given purpose, Micah blends innovation, data-driven insight, and heart-centered coaching to equip leaders and teams to thrive in their calling.

Micah’s links
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/micahpritchard/ 
Website: https://www.servicereef.com/

On this weeks episode of Faith & Tech I sat down with guest Nate Baar, a proud believer, husband, father, and entrepreneur. Nate is a nursing professional turned entrepreneur who’s made it his mission to rethink how healthcare is delivered. With years of hands-on experience in the emergency room, he saw firsthand the inefficiencies, bottlenecks, and reactive nature of our current system.

Out of that experience, Nate founded HealthBar and Stor(ie) — businesses that seek to bring transparency, care delivery innovation, and payor-model disruption to the healthcare system. Through his healthcare companies, Nate is challenging the traditional hospital-centric, insurance-driven model and empowering nurses to lead in the shift toward decentralized, proactive care. His journey is one of faith, purpose, and innovation.

Nate Baar Links
  / nathanbaar 
https://www.healthbar.com/about
https://storie.health

In this episode of Faith and Tech, host Michael Sudyk sits down with Dan Hungerford, CEO of EverFriends.ai—the AI-powered companion that keeps your aging parents company, protects their routine, and speaks when no one else will. 

With years of experience training under the legendary John Maxwell, I've developed a distinct vision for harnessing the transformative power of AI. My journey has taken me from unraveling the complexities of human behavior to pioneering cutting-edge AI solutions that reshape industries.

Dan’s work sits right at the crossroads of innovation and conviction. As a Christian building AI companions, he’s stepping into a space filled with opportunity, skepticism, and some controversy. We dig into the heart behind EverFriends, the ethics of digital companionship, how AI might support aging parents, and what it means to innovate faithfully in a rapidly changing world.
If you’re curious about the future of caregiving, the boundaries of AI, or how faith shapes leadership in tech, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.

Links:
https://everfriends.ai
https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-hungerford/

Subscribe for more conversations on the intersection of innovation, ethics, and Christian leadership.

In this episode, I sit down with Jeshua Lauka to explore how faith, purpose, and calling shape his work in the legal world. It’s a thoughtful, grounded conversation on leadership, character, and vocation, and we even touch on how AI is affecting legal counsel.

Jeshua Lauka Bio:
Jeshua is an attorney and partner at LightStone Law (Formerly David, Wierenga & Lauka P.C) a firm based here in West Michigan. Jeshua represents and advises faith-driven and purpose-driven businesses, entrepreneurs, and family offices in all aspects of business law and corporate governance. Jeshua brings a wealth of expertise and a genuine passion for helping his clients pursue both excellence and purpose in their work.  Jeshua has been recognized as a Super Lawyer Rising Star for eight consecutive years, and as a Grand Rapids Business Journal 40 under 40 Business Leader.

In addition to his legal practice, Jeshua is a member of the Institute for Continuing Legal Education’s Business Law Advisory Board and serves on several nonprofit and faith-based boards, and acts as a local ambassador for Faith Driven Entrepreneur. Jeshua enjoys writing and speaking on legal and faith-related topics that impact both business and community life.

Links for Jeshua:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeshuatlauka/ 
LightStone Law: https://www.lightstonelaw.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightstone-law/posts/?feedView=all
Failure Lab: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4WFv85EXrI

Why is flying private as common as driving private? Where are the flying cars? Alex Taylor is building Orb Aerospace around this question and his mission is grounded in his faith.

Alex's links:
alexander-taylor-06432915b 
https://www.orb.aero/

Alex's Bio
Alex Taylor grew up in the Middle East, surrounded by refugees, and experienced eight different methods of education at 10 different schools before graduating. At age 12 he was building drones. At age 14 he started a company in his parents' basement. At age 16 he started Orb, and at age 19, he got his first Department of Defense contract. He was the youngest commercial drone pilot in the country. He withdrew his college applications and was awarded the Thiel Fellowship in 2021.

In a world of short term gains and maximizing returns at all costs, Marty Balkema is flipping the script and looking long-term. He looks at deals as stewardship and not simply a transaction. He is mentoring his employees and portfolio companies in the ways of faith led stewardship.

Marty's Links
https://www.calmcapital.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/martybalkema/

Marty's Bio
Over the last 25 years, Marty has progressed from writing code as a software engineer to leading product teams across a wide variety of industries for companies like Mitsubishi Caterpillar and Lifetime Fitness. Building on these experiences, Marty co-founded and operated multiple software companies before starting Calm Capital with David.

Marty resides along the southern coast of North Carolina with his wife and four kids — where you’ll find him cruising on open water or putting on fast greens.