HERO PROFILE
Gabe Rodriguez
Sales & Operations Leader, Morton Salt
Author, The Christmas Story: The Father and The Easter Story: The Son
Industry: Consumer Goods / Faith-Based Author

POWER WORDS
Intentional, Service-minded, Reflective, Courageous, Faith-building

THREE MAIN TAKEAWAYS

1. FAITH MUST BE BUILT AT HOME BEFORE IT SPREADS OUTWARD
Gabe realized he was outsourcing his children’s faith formation instead of leading it. That conviction became the catalyst for writing resources he wished he had earlier as a father.

2. STORY UNLOCKS UNDERSTANDING WHERE INFORMATION ALONE CANNOT
After a failed attempt to teach faith through structured lessons, Gabe discovered that storytelling makes Scripture approachable, memorable, and engaging for young people.

3. TRANSFORMATION BEGINS WITH RELATIONSHIP, NOT PERFORMANCE
Moving from checklist Christianity to authentic intimacy with God changed Gabe’s trajectory. His message reminds believers that faith grows through relationship, not religious activity alone.

JOURNEY
Gabe Rodriguez describes much of his early faith experience as lukewarm, shaped more by cultural exposure than intentional discipleship. While church was present in his upbringing, spiritual rhythms inside the home were largely absent. As his own children reached middle and high school, he began to see his younger self reflected in their experience.

During a season of personal growth in his early fifties, Gabe became more involved in men’s groups, Bible studies, and intentional community. That investment deepened his understanding of Scripture and sparked a growing conviction. Success markers like career advancement and material goals began to lose their appeal as he recognized a greater calling toward Kingdom impact.

His first attempt to bring faith structure into his family life felt forced and unsuccessful. Yet that moment became the seed of inspiration. Instead of giving up, Gabe sensed a persistent spiritual nudge that eventually led him to begin writing what would become his Trinity Story series.

Today, Gabe sees his writing as an act of obedience and legacy building. His focus remains simple and clear: pass faith to the next generation in a way they can understand, remember, and carry forward.

CALLING & IDEAL CLIENT
Gabe serves Christian families, especially fathers who want to become more intentional spiritual leaders at home but feel unsure where to start. His books help parents introduce biblical truth through story rather than intimidation.

His heart is especially for families with teenagers and preteens who need engaging ways to understand the larger narrative of Scripture.

BIG DREAM
Gabe’s dream is to see his Trinity Story series widely accessible to families, small groups, and youth communities. His greatest desire is simple: that parents and children would develop consistent rhythms of remembering God’s story together.

He also hopes to make these resources widely available, even exploring ways to distribute them freely so more families can benefit.

COLLABORATE
Connect with Gabe Rodriguez and explore his work:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabe-rodriguez-63969328/

Books: Available on Amazon

The Christmas Story: The Father
https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Story-Father-Gabe-Rodriguez/dp/B0G16N5QR8

The Easter Story: The Son
https://www.amazon.com/Easter-Story-Gabe-Rodriguez/dp/B0GLT7VR8L/

JOIN THE COMMUNITY
Discover your God-given design and connect with other Kingdom builders:

Subscribe: https://kingdomsuperpowers.substack.com/subscribe

Join the community: https://connections.kingdomsuperpowers.com

Join the free Slack: https://kingdomslack.com

Discover your superpower: https://learnyoursuperpower.com

A filmmaker’s journey of surrender, trust, and Kingdom storytelling reveals how God shapes leaders through calling, crisis, and courage to bring Jesus to life onscreen.

Hero Profile

John Schafer
Director, Light of the World
The Salvation Poem Project | Film & Animation Ministry

Core Drive: Progress

Power Words: Faithful, Collaborative, Disciplined, Visionary, Encouraging

Three Main Takeaways

1. Calling grows when dreams are surrendered.
John discovered that the right question is not “What do I want to do next?” but “God, what do You want me to do?” That shift opened doors he could never have planned.

2. Kingdom impact is built through how we lead people.
John believes what defines a Christian creative is not just the message of the film but the spirit in which it is made. Grace, patience, and trust became part of his witness.

3. Trusting God is proven in real-life pressure.
During a frightening health crisis with his son while directing a major film, John chose to trust God completely. That decision became a testimony both on and off the set.

From trauma to transformation, Joshua Aguirre is building bridges from homelessness to entrepreneurship, using AI, systems thinking, and faith to restore dignity and opportunity.Hero Profile

Joshua Aguirre
Founder, Cresio & Joshua’s Wave
AI Systems Architecture & Social Impact
Core Drive: Progress
Power Words: Compassionate, Strategic, Resilient, Visionary, Equipping

Three Main Takeaways

1. Pain can become purpose when surrendered to God.
Joshua’s early life included trauma, near-death experiences, and family hardship. Rather than allowing pain to define his future, he chose to let it clarify his calling. As he shared, “I could internalize this pain and let it drag me down… or pivot this pain to something purposeful.”

2. Entrepreneurship can restore dignity.
Joshua believes sustainable transformation happens when people are empowered to create value. His mission centers on helping underserved individuals build businesses rather than remain dependent on systems. His conviction is clear: “Entrepreneurship can be a pathway out of systemic homelessness.”

3. Technology should close gaps, not widen them.
While AI often increases inequality through access barriers, Joshua focuses on democratizing these tools. He explained his motivation simply: “We’re equipping the people that need this technology the most first.”

Story

Joshua Aguirre’s story is one of transformation forged through adversity. Childhood trauma, serious injuries, and family mental health struggles exposed him early to both suffering and resilience. These experiences shaped a deep awareness that life is short and meant to be invested in meaningful impact.

Growing up, he absorbed two powerful influences. His father, an immigrant master technician, demonstrated systems thinking by rebuilding engines. His mother modeled compassion by welcoming struggling people into their home. Together, these examples formed Joshua’s unique blend of technical insight and relational care.

As a young entrepreneur building websites and marketing solutions, Joshua began asking a deeper question: Why build businesses if they do not also repair broken systems?

That question eventually led to launching Joshua’s Wave, a nonprofit focused on ending homelessness through entrepreneurship, and Cresio, a social impact consulting firm helping purpose-driven organizations scale through ethical AI implementation.

Today, his work reflects a consistent theme: helping people see possibility. Whether teaching AI to underserved entrepreneurs or helping someone transition from homelessness to business ownership, Joshua is driven by what he described as those breakthrough moments when someone can suddenly visualize a better future.

Ideal Client

Joshua serves purpose-driven founders, underserved entrepreneurs, and social impact organizations seeking sustainable growth. His work focuses on leaders who prioritize people over profit and want to create meaningful change through innovation and technology.

Big Dream

Joshua is pursuing bold Kingdom impact:

• Ending systemic homelessness through entrepreneurship pathways
• Expanding ethical AI education to underserved communities
• Building scalable systems that multiply social impact nationwide

Collaborate

Connect with Joshua Aguirre:

Cressio: https://cressio.com/ai-services/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshaguirre/

Joshua is available for speaking engagements, AI workshops, and partnerships with social impact organizations.

Join The Party!

Discover your Kingdom Superpower and connect with other purpose-driven leaders:

Subscribe:
https://kingdomsuperpowers.substack.com/subscribe

Join the paid community:
https://connections.kingdomsuperpowers.com

Join the free Slack community:
https://kingdomslack.com

Take the superpower survey:
https://learnyoursuperpower.com

Through holy disruption, Steve Van Diest helps leaders, marriages, and families trade performance for wholeness, discovering that identity in Christ changes everything from the inside.Hero Profile

Steve Van Diest
Company/Title: Acumen, President, Front Range
Industry: Executive coaching / peer advisory / leadership development
Kingdom Superpower: Steve helps men and women face disruption honestly so God can restore them to deeper wholeness, clarity, and courage.

Steve’s journey carries the texture of both adventure and suffering. He served internationally in ministry, living in places like Chile, Spain, Mexico, and Colorado, while building a life with his wife Christine and raising their family. Along the way, painful disruptions surfaced, including a devastating marriage crisis that shattered the identity he had built around ministry, marriage, and impact. Yet that breaking became holy ground. In deep counseling, Steve encountered the love of Jesus in a way that moved from theology into lived reality. Over time, he and Christine did the hard work of going beneath symptoms to wounds, shame, fear, and codependency. What emerged was not a polished success story, but a redeemed one. Today, Steve leads from scars that have been sanctified. His life points to a God who still brings beauty from ashes and calls leaders into maturity, humility, and freedom.

A Connector who helps schools, churches, businesses, and neighbors unite around practical hope, proving that flourishing communities grow when people choose to listen, serve, and stay.Hero Profile
Guest: Easton Garcia
Company/Title: COSILoveYou, Citywide Initiatives Director; School Connect COS
Industry: Community development / nonprofit leadership / school-community partnerships
Core Drive: Harmony
Hero Type: Connector / Nurturer
Kingdom Superpower: Easton builds trusted communities where people feel seen, supported, and ready to work together for the good of schools, neighborhoods, and families. Easton serves as Citywide Initiatives Director at COSILoveYou, and School Connect COS exists to build “villages” of partners around local schools.Three Main Takeaways

1. Flourishing starts with relationships. Easton keeps returning to a simple conviction: when people listen well, trust grows, and real change becomes possible.

2. Schools are a gateway to city transformation. If a community wants to care for families, challenges, and future hope, the school around the corner is a powerful place to begin.

3. Lasting impact does not require loud leadership. Easton’s story is a reminder that steady, humble, behind-the-scenes leadership can move a city.

In a costly, confusing healthcare landscape, Blaze Panariso helps employers build wise benefits strategies that protect families, strengthen culture, and bring practical peace of mind.Hero Profile

Guest: Blaze Panariso
Company: CBIZ
Title: Employee Benefits Consultant
Industry: Employee Benefits / Insurance Consulting
Core Drive: Progress
Hero Type: Achiever / Connector
Kingdom Superpower: Blaze helps employers turn confusing benefits decisions into caring, practical strategies that protect people and strengthen workplace culture. Blaze is an Employee Benefits Consultant with CBIZ in Colorado, and CBIZ’s Colorado Springs office provides employee benefits consulting among its services.

Three Main Takeaways

First, benefits are never just numbers on a spreadsheet. They are deeply human decisions that affect whether families feel covered, cared for, and able to breathe when life gets hard.

Second, wise stewardship matters. Blaze encourages employers and employees alike to be active, ask questions, and think holistically instead of drifting into the cheapest option and hoping for the best.

Third, benefits can become an extension of culture. A healthy workplace is not only compliant or competitive. It is intentional about helping people flourish.

Courtny Hewitt transforms complex visions into seamless gatherings, using structure, discernment, and joyful precision to create spaces where community, healing, and world-changing collaboration flourHero Profile

Courtny Hewitt, Agency 11, Founder & Managing Director, Event Management
Core Drive: Order
Hero Type: Organizer / Leader
Kingdom Superpower: Courtny brings calm, structure, and momentum to complex event visions so people can gather freely, connect deeply, and experience meaningful change.

Three Main Takeaways

Courtny’s story is a picture of what happens when someone embraces how God wired them. She loves the work many people avoid: details, systems, logistics, and bringing order to moving parts. What feels overwhelming to others feels energizing to her.

She also reminds us that excellence in unseen work creates freedom for others. When an event runs seamlessly, people can be fully present instead of distracted. That presence opens the door to healing, collaboration, and community.

Her journey also highlights the value of discernment. Not every opportunity is the right fit. As she has grown, she has learned to say yes to work that aligns with joy, purpose, and real Kingdom impact.

Hannah Brusven is helping women reclaim beauty, legacy, and purposeful femininity by building a modern media refuge rooted in truth, goodness, community, and grace today.Hero Profile

Name: Hannah Brusven
Company: The Swish Magazine
Title: Founder and Editor-in-Chief
Industry: Women’s media / publishing
Kingdom Superpower: Hannah helps women recover a more rooted vision of womanhood by translating timeless beauty, dignity, and legacy into modern life.

Three Main Takeaways

Hannah’s message is not about chasing nostalgia. It’s about recovering foundations. In a culture that often swings between performance and pressure, she points women back to truth, goodness, and beauty as a steadier path.

She also reframes softness as strength. Rather than treating feminine warmth, hospitality, and nurture as lesser gifts, she presents them as culture-shaping forces that build homes, communities, and memory.

Finally, her work shows that media can disciple. By creating print and digital spaces that offer thoughtful alternatives, she is not only critiquing culture. She is building a better table for women to gather around.

From punk stages to podcast strategy, Caleb Price helps faith-driven voices cut through friction, tell meaningful stories, and build with excellence, rest, and conviction.

Hero Profile

Guest: Caleb Price
Company: The Podcast Upload
Title: Owner
Industry: Podcast production and marketing
Core Drive: Progress
Hero Type: Achiever / Dreamer
Kingdom Superpower: Caleb builds media systems that help faith-driven leaders share meaningful stories with clarity, consistency, and conviction.

Three Main Takeaways

Caleb’s story carries a clear thread: keep going. From early criticism in a garage band to building a company that serves Christian brands, he learned that failure is not the end of the road. It is often the doorway to growth.

He also reminds us that calling needs structure. Vision matters, but so does execution. Caleb thrives where big ideas become real systems that serve people well.

Finally, his leadership is being shaped by surrender. He is candid about the sharp edges of an Achiever’s wiring and the need for the Holy Spirit to grow empathy, gratitude, and healthy rhythms.

A relational achiever, Nick Dial blends entrepreneurial drive, practical wisdom, and faith-rooted purpose to build businesses, serve people well, and equip the next generation.

Hero Profile

Nick Dial, COO and Co-Owner, Booth Bingo; fleet solutions professional, author, and entrepreneur
Industry: Event engagement technology, business development, fleet management
Core Drive: Progress
Hero Type: Connector / Achiever
Kingdom Superpower: Nick helps people win through clear service, strong relationships, and purposeful action that turns ideas into measurable impact.

Three Main Takeaways

Nick’s story reminds us that drive is most powerful when it is aimed on behalf of people, not at them. He carries a rare mix of ambition and sincerity, refusing to treat relationships as transactions. He also shows how mentorship can change a life, especially when it is marked by honesty, challenge, and belief. Finally, his example reinforces that faith-shaped leadership looks like stewardship: using influence, business, and effort to bring life to others.