Welcome to an incredible conversation with Jackie Bledsoe as he shares valuable insights, trials and victories encountered on his calling journey…as he forges his path as a husband, father,, servant leader and entrepreneurial breadwinner:

• Jackie and his bride are one of America’s leading couples championing, coaching and inspiring marriage & family Relationships to thrive.
• It hasn’t always been that way as Jackie’s path has taken through many challenging seasons – including the valley of homelessness for him and his family not once but twice – AND yet by trusting the Lord through it all, were refined and learned some of life’s most valuable lessons from it all.
• These lessons changed his life and he now shares them in his writing and speaking.
• Jackie’s calling is to help you better lead and love your family, so you can have a lasting and fulfilling marriage, and meaningful influence on your kids.
• Jackie’s wisdom is in demand and you can catch him on various platforms such as The Huffington Post, The Good Men Project, Disney’s Babble, as well as HomeLife and ParentLife Magazines.
• Jackie is also an accomplished author of and awesome book entiled “7 Rings of Marriage” that comes highly recommended by many, including #1 NYT bestselling author Dr. Gary Chapman.

Dr. Hans Finzel – Author of 11 published books, Speaker, Leadership Mentor, and President of HDLeaders, where he teaches and trains effective leaders around the world. Hans Finzel offers the Heed Your Calling community his insight on what it takes to become an incredible communicator, how he has been blessed to embark on a new calling when he turned 60, and what the biggest mistakes are that leaders make.

Episode Highlights:

• How does Hans Finzel define having a calling?
• How did Hans Finzel transition into becoming an entrepreneur?
• What was his specific fear of leaving 32 years of job security?
• What advice would Hans give to someone struggling with making the leap into entrepreneurship?

• Were there moments that clarified for Hans to overcome his fear of changing his calling?

• What compelled Hans Finzel to write his very first book?
• What are some of the biggest leadership mistakes?
• When hiring, how will they act under pressure and how do they interact with others?

• Overcommunicate by a factor of 10.  
• A strong leader develops other great leaders.
• Humility is a powerful component of leadership.

3 Key Points:

1.   As we get older, it is typical that our calling will change over time.
2.   Dictatorship and micromanagement are major mistakes in leadership.   
3.   Many leaders don’t need to learn what to start doing. They need to learn what to stop doing.

Tweetable Quotes:

•    “Work on your Plan B while you are still on your Plan A.” – Hans Finzel
•    “Surround yourself with people that know you really well that will speak truth into your life, so you don’t make a huge mistake.” – Hans Finzel
•    “One of the biggest problems of narcissistic leadership, they will not take feedback. They will not ever think the problem is them. The problem is always everyone else.” – Hans Finzel

Resources Mentioned:

• heedyourcalling.com
• Hans Finzel: Linkedin  YouTube
• Website: hansfinzel.com
• Books: amazon.com/Hans-Finzel/e/B001IXRSOE/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
• The Leadership Answer Man Podcast

Dustin Daniels – Senior Pastor at The River Church in Cottonwood Arizona, Leadership Developer for Revive 40/Seven Places Ministries, and Author of “The Sexual Spiral.” Dustin Daniels shares his journey of overcoming sexual sin and how he arrived at his calling to assist others with this same struggle. Dustin also benefits Heed Your Calling listeners by instilling the importance of healthy relationships with spouses and the need for God and our community in coping with our flaws.

Episode Highlights:

•          How does Dustin Daniels define having a calling?
•          Did he have a transition path from being an employee to an entrepreneur?
•          How can we get tuned in with God’s plan?
•          What character-building lesson has Dustin learned?
•          What prompted Dustin Daniels to write his book “The Sex Spiral?”
•          What can we learn from reading “The Sex Spiral?”
•          Trying to face our flaws alone without vulnerability is a mistake.
•          What are some triggers of sexual sin that guys may not be aware of?
•          How do we find hope and live in freedom?
•          When you are acting out and looking for love and satisfaction, you are

           looking for God.  

•          Why is it mission-critical for men to pursue, discover, and live in their

           calling?

3 Key Points:

1.   Be in sync with God’s plan instead of trying to move too quickly.
2.   Dustin Daniels book “The Sex Spiral” provides you 12 levels to see where you are in the storm of sexual sin to find your way back to God.    
3.   Isolation is our enemy’s strategy to keep us divided from God and love.

Tweetable Quotes:

•    “The way you honor your Lord Almighty is to honor your wife.” – Dustin Daniels
•    “I call this whole journey of sexual purity a ‘beautiful disaster”...It is beautiful in the sense that the Lord has called you to freedom. But, it is a disaster because you find out how wicked you really are.” – Dustin Daniels

Resources Mentioned:

• heedyourcalling.com
• Dustin Daniels:  Linkedin Twitter  Facebook
• Websites: dustindaniels.org  revive40.com
• Book: “The Sex Spiral” by Dustin Daniels 
• Podcast: “God, Sex, and You Podcast”

John Kaites – Attorney, Entrepreneur, Author, and Minister has worked in a wide range of roles. John shares wisdom from his business and biblical experiences, ranging from a public policy firm, global security company, water, real estate, construction, leader in high technology, energy, and biotech sectors, to helping to establish the Arizona Commerce Authority and gaining a seminary degree. John Kaites also offers the Heed Your Calling community his insight on the core principles of businesses that succeed and ways to keep God at the center of all that you do.

Episode Highlights:

• How does John define having a calling?
• John explains how he implements his calling.
• How did John begin his calling journey?
• What does Johns’ book “Fear Not” provide readers with?
• When did John know that he was designed to be an entrepreneur?
• What are the three types of businesses in the world?
• What are the four core principles of a successful business?
• John shares a prayer that guided him towards doing work to benefit others
• Faith requires taking action.
• Pursue activities that are good, biblically-based, and are not all about you…but are about helping others.
• What are the benefits of planting seeds that will live beyond you?
• What are the three non-negotiable pieces of wisdom that John  would pass on to future generations?

3 Key Points & Quotes:

1. Our brains are made with 300 trillion synaptic nerves that make up all of our thoughts. They either can come from the confidence of God’s love or fear.
2. The three tools God gives us to operate our lives with our love, forgiveness, and gratitude.  
3. Core principles of a successful business are a great product or service, efficient administration of the development and distribution to create margins, as well as executing sales and marketing.
4. “My job is to be transformative in the lives of everybody I come into contact with.” – John Kaites
5. “Our job is not to close the deals, as much as we want to be deal-closers in the business world. Our job is to plant the seeds.” – John Kaites
6. “Faith is not passive. Faith is active.” – John Kaites

 Resources Mentioned:

• John Kaites: Twitter
• Book: “Fear Not” by John Kaites
• HeedYourCalling.com 

Jeff Brown – Authority on podcasting with over 265 episodes of his podcast Read to Lead, discusses how he began the pursuit of his calling to empower people to take the leap of faith away from traditional employment. Jeff Brown is also an author, speaker, course creator for podcasting, digital conference creator, and coach for podcasters to launch, grow, and monetize their shows. Learn strategies for making time for self-care and self-expansion, how to overcome barriers that could be blocking you from realizing your blessings, and which books that this reader leader recommends.

Episode Highlights:

• How does Jeff Brown define having a calling?
• How did Jeff Brown began his calling journey?
• What is Jeff Brown’s background leading up to where he is now?
• How was Jeff Brown able to double his “side hustle” income in the first 30 days after being let go?
• What was the moment when Jeff decided to work for himself?
• Jeff explains the importance of maintaining valuable equity with your employer.
• What were some difficult opportunities for character-building for Jeff?
• What are the natural next steps forward for what Jeff is called to do?
• What was the barrier to Jeff originally asking for help sooner?
• What was involved in building his Boss-Free Virtual Summit?
• Jeff discusses his industry-leading Digital Course on Successful Podcast interviewing.  
• What is Jeff’s Daily Success Routine that helps him perform at his highest level?
• Out of over 300 Books Jeff has reviewed and featured on his Podcast “Read To Lead” what are the top recommended reads?
• Why is it mission-critical for men to pursue their calling?
• What are the three non-negotiable pieces of wisdom that Jeff Brown would pass on to future generations?

Key Points & Quotables:

1. There is an opportunity cost of not focusing on where you are most needed when you don’t delegate tasks to others.
2. Jeff Brown recommends creating a morning routine of rituals with each one written down in a planner.
3. “Going forward, I see myself continuing to be called to help more people to realize that their calling is something other than traditional employment.” – Jeff Brown

Resources Mentioned:

• www.bossfreesummit.com
• Readtoleadpodcast.com
• Jeff Brown: Facebook Twitter Instagram
• heedyourcalling.com

Art Costello – Visionary Mindset Expert, Author, Speaker, Coach, Host of the Shower Epiphanies Podcast and Program Creator of Expectation Therapy, dedicated to assisting individuals, families, athletes, and business professionals make the connection between their expectations and achievements. Art Costello discusses how he learned to talk to and understand God, how to move with faith instead of fear, and what can be gained from expectation therapy.

Episode Highlights:

• What does it take to get out of the bondage of fear?
• How does Art Costello define calling?
• Art shares his Calling journey and how it all began by crying out to God
• How do you discern the voice of God?
• Art discusses his wife’s valiant fight with cancer and how that character building season was used to define him
• How are we affected by faith and fear?  
• When you listen to the voice of others and not God, you are following their expectations.
• How can people become more aligned with their inner self and live true to their calling?
• How did Art launch into his entrepreneurial calling journey?
• Find your niche then create the excitement around it with drive and action.
• What are the three non-negotiable pieces of wisdom that Art Costello would pass on to future generations?

Key Points & Quotes:

1. “Dig deep into yourself, surrender yourself to God, and have faith and trust in God…”  
2. “We look at our expectations through two lenses: fear and faith. Fear kills and faith grows…”– Art Costello
3. “Negatives repel and positives attract. Confidence is an attractive quality and a “woe is me” attitude is a repelling quality…” – Art Costello
4. “I controlled my destiny...it’s was what came from me that mattered more than what anyone else would say to me or could do to me...” – Art Costello
5. “The greatest purpose that God has for us is to live in the moment and make the most of every single moment that He gives us.” – Art Costello
6. “Expectation is the seed that God planted in you at conception that will guide you through the whole entire course of your life.” – Art Costello

Resources Mentioned:

• expectationtherapy.com
• Linkedin: Art Costello
• Facebook: Art Costello
• Instagram: Expectation Therapy
• heedyourcalling.com

Dr. Steve Meyer – Pediatric Orthopedic Surgeon in Sioux City Iowa, Author of the book "Answer the Call", and Founder, along with his wife Dana, of the Christ-centered, mission-driven ministry Siouxland Tanzania Educational Medical Ministries (STEMM), an inter-denominational Christian ministry in 1996. Steve opens up about surviving dark valleys in his personal life, the perfectly timed, unplanned encounter with a patient that transformed Steve’s life forever. And, how hearing, listening and heeding his calling led him on a journey of impacting lives in ways that are evidence of divine intervention by the Lord.

Episode Highlights: 

• How does Dr. Steve Meyer define having a calling in life?
• What gets in people’s way of heeding their calling?
• We get called by God throughout each day, often through the requests of others.  
• It isn’t about the ‘what,’ it is about the ‘why.’
• How did Dr. Steve Meyer realize that he was called to an entrepreneurial path?
• Keep saying ‘yes’ to God’s call.
• Dr. Steve Meyer shares a moment of having his faith tested.
• How would Dr. Steve Meyer want to encourage guys in the early stages of heeding their calling?
• Spiritual warfare is an ongoing struggle of accountability in our lives.
• Everyday is a new chance to start over. Be the clay instead of the potter.  
• Recognize the joy in every task that God calls us to take on.
• What are the three non-negotiable pieces of wisdom that Dr. Steve Meyer would pass on to future generations?

Key Points & Quotes:

1. STEMM Mistry volunteers have performed nearly 1000 orthopedic general and ENT surgeries in a country that has one physician for every 100,000 people.
2. There can be no fear in complete faith.
3. Dr. Steve Meyer’s definition of ‘meekness’ is power under control.
4. “I think we are so afraid of failure in our society because we have such an immediate society now.” – Dr. Steve Meyer
5. “Satan’s greatest tool to defeat us is to distract us.” – Dr. Steve Meyer
6. “I fully believe ultimately when we get to Heaven, God is absolutely, totally uninterested in our results. He is interested in our intent.” – Dr. Steve Meyer

Resources Mentioned:

• Stemm.org
• Facebook: STEMM1996
• heedyourcalling.com

Todd Henry – Creativity Expert and Founder of Accidental Creative, Author of four books that have been translated into over a dozen languages, Host of three podcasts with millions of downloads, and a Public Speaker, teaching leaders, and organizations how to maximize their impact in the world. Gain pearls of wisdom from Todd Henry as he shares his personal journey of heeding his calling as a husband, father, servant leader, and entrepreneurial breadwinner, by putting productive passion into practice through steady daily progress.   

Episode Highlights:

• How does Todd Henry define having a calling in life?
• How did Todd recognize his calling towards creativity?
• What exactly is a productive passion?  
• What’s the inspiration behind Todd’s books?
• How does Todd Henry keep up with three podcasts?
• What is a daily routine that Todd uses for managing his time?
• The experience of being in the sweet spot of our calling is not a feeling.
• When did Todd come to the point that he realized he was creative?
• A challenge we have is the urge to layer our expectations onto others.
• Calling - Would we do what we are doing every day, even if we weren’t being paid?
• What has been a humbling, character-building moment Todd experienced?
• Todd Henry’s 3 most valuable pearls of wisdom  

Key Points & Quotes:

1. "Steady daily progress is the most important aspect of building a body of work" – Todd Henry
2. The heart of creativity is asking questions and not settling for the first answers" – Todd Henry
3. “Your calling at any given point in time is what’s being called out of you.” – Todd Henry
4. “Identify what I call “productive passion,” passion not meaning things I’m interested in, but passion meaning what I’m willing to suffer for, which is actually the meaning of the word passion.” - Todd Henry
5. “Our calling isn’t about us. It’s not about how we feel. It’s not about whether we get this sense that we’re in our sweet spot or that we like what we’re doing, it’s about the act of service we can be to others around us.” - Todd Henry 

Resources Mentioned:

• ToddHenry.com
• AccidentalCreative.com
• Twitter: @toddhenry
• Linkedin: Todd Henry
• Instagram: @ToddHenry
• heedyourcalling.com

John Trent – Chair of "Gary Chapman Marriage & Family Ministry" at Moody Bible Institute, Founder and President of The Center for Strong Families, a ministry for strengthening relationships within the family dynamic, and Author/Co-Author of over 25 books for adults and children.

John shares how growing up in a difficult home prepared him for heeding his calling as a writer and family counselor driven to positively impact the foundation of families.

Episode Highlights:

• John opens his inner door into how he got closer to God and never gave up on his passion to benefit others.
• How does John define having a calling and how did God orchestrate his life events that led him along his Calling Journey?
• How id John’s earlier life growing-up shape him for being used today to positively impact families
• How many people take their last breath with an unfulfilled divine assignment?
• What was the event that alerted John that writing was his calling?
• Would John have become a family counselor if it wasn’t for the struggles in his own family life?
• 22 publishers turned down the first book John Trent did before the 23rd published it…stay the course and persevere
• How did John transition into being an entrepreneur?
• What is John’s perspective on the desire to become a writer?
• Who is Anne Lamont, and how did her book / work affect John?
• What is storyboarding and how does John use it to write books?
• John shares a compelling story of praying for his dad as his dad in his last days.
• Host Jim Schubert explains his transformational experience related to his adoption.
• You don’t need a perfect past to move toward your calling…It’s all part of your story and serves in crafting your calling journey
• What was John’s vision behind his book The 2-Degree Difference?
• What advice would John Trent give to people to help strengthen their families?

Key Points / Quotes:

1. The first step of figuring out your calling generally is someone points out something that stands out about you.
2. Persevere in your pursuit of your calling and never give up on where you feel you are headed.
3. “How many of you would like to change the pictures of your life story…?” - John Trent
4. “My calling is alleviating people’s pain in terms of the brokenness in people’s families.” - John Trent
5. “Forgiveness” literally means to ‘untie the knot’ in Greek…do we have any knots that need untying” - John Trent

Resources Mentioned:

• strongfamilies.com
• Linkedin: John Trent
• Instagram: @strong.families
• heedyourcalling.com

Jonathan Cottrell – Serial Starter that serves entrepreneurs, innovators, and their communities from a place of love based in Phoenix, Arizona. Jonathan describes himself as a Jesus-follower, a family man, a people lover, community builder, and tentmaker. He shares his experience overcoming obstacles in entrepreneurship while helping others as well as himself build start-ups, products, communities, crafting brands, and designing user experiences since he was inspired to be an entrepreneur at the age of 11.

Show Notes:

• How does Jonathan define having a calling
• What does being a ‘serial start-up’ guy mean to Jonathan
• What types of things has Jonathan been able to get started
• How does Jonathan describe the idea ‘God works while we wait’
• What are the clues and experiences that proved to Jonathan he was in his calling
• What voice was the loudest challenge when transitioning from employee to entrepreneurship
• How does Jonathan define success and significance as a follower of Jesus and a family man
• What does ‘Happiness is Love’ mean to Jonathan
• Which were the most character-building experiences that Jonathan learned from
• If there is not life in it Jonathan is not interested in being involved
• How has fasting effected Jonathan’s life
• Jonathan has a book being published called “Do Nothing”
• What are Jonathan’s pearls of wisdoms for heeding your calling

3 Key Points:

1. How will you find your personal purpose if you don’t find out God’s eternal purposes?
2. Start with ‘who’ questions to find your purpose: Who am I to God? Who am I to myself? Who am I to others?  

1.    People are changing jobs and careers approximately six times in their lifetime.

Key Quotes:

- “My mission is pretty simple, I live to love radically and employ my gifting as a shepherd, as a starter, as I am conformed to becoming more like Jesus.” – Jonathan Cottrell

- “I would define calling is understanding God’s divine and eternal purpose and understanding your place within it.” – Jonathan Cottrell  

- “We have to come to finding a purpose isn’t tied to our vocational piece.” – Jonathan Cottrell

Resources Mentioned:

• heedyourcalling.com
• https://jonathancottrell.com
• Facebook for Jonathan Cottrell
• Instagram for Jonathan Cottrell
• Email for Jonathan Cottrell: [email protected]
• Phone Number for Jonathan Cottrell: (480) 319-0448