Lifework Podcast

In this Lifework Podcast episode, Dr. Stan Norman sits down with Williams Baptist University head men’s basketball coach Josh Austin to trace how a small-town Arkansas upbringing, an IT-dad and jeans-factory-mom, and Saturdays filled with yard work—not screens—forged his relentless work ethic. 

Coach Austin shares stories from Magnet Cove, from spotlighting deer and folding Arizona jeans to getting pancaked by a future D‑end standout, and reflects on how his parents’ expectation-driven home and ag-style grit taught him that “winning” is a daily process, not just a final score. He also opens up about coming to faith as a boy on a back road in Wicks, Arkansas, how his mom quietly explained the gospel in a 1976 Ford pickup, and how that moment planted a relationship with Christ that would later deepen in college and ultimately shape his vocation as a Christian coach.

In Part 2 of their conversation, WBU President Dr. Stan Norman sits back down with Head Softball Coach Jessica Nutt to explore how God used closed doors, unanswered job applications, and long seasons of waiting to clarify her calling to coach. 

Drawing from her time at Kids Across America, in the classroom, and on the field, Jessica shares how relationships, not résumés, helped her see that investing in students through sport was exactly where the Lord wanted her. 

Today, she leads a 32-player program at Williams Baptist University shaped by the team hashtag “#FIGHT”—with “fight for Christ” at the center—and a culture where who you are matters more than your stats. Jessica talks candidly about learning it’s okay not to be okay, why how you treat people really does matter, and how mentors and former players have reminded her that coaching is a ministry of impact and gratitude, not just wins and losses.

In this episode of the Lifework Podcast, Williams Baptist University President Dr. Stan Norman sits down with Head Softball Coach Jessica Nutt to trace her journey from a sports‑saturated childhood in Bolivar, Missouri, to leading the Lady Eagles on the field at WBU. Coach Nutt shares how growing up in a tight-knit, church‑centered family at First Baptist Bolivar and coming to faith in Christ in fifth or sixth grade laid the foundation for her view of work, calling, and competition. She reflects on sibling rivalry with her identical twin, learning that relationships and how you treat people truly matter, and how distance in college helped transform conflict into deep, supportive family bonds.

Listeners will hear how a major “failure” in a high school CNA program closed the door on her dream of becoming a trauma surgeon and unexpectedly redirected her toward college softball, coaching, and eventually a career investing in young women. Coach Nutt explains why she tells recruits not to let a test score define them, how God’s plan is often better than the one we script for ourselves, and why she’s convinced she is right where she’s supposed to be—using softball as a platform to shape lives for Christ on and off the field.

In this second part of their conversation, WBU President Dr. Stan Norman sits back down with Director of Athletics Mitch Mathis to trace how a winding coaching career became a clear sense of calling and ministry. Coach Mathis shares how God used closed doors, hard seasons, and unexpected moves—from small-town Arkansas to inner-city Houston and back—to shape his heart for students, coaches, and families. He reflects on the mentors and “God-appointments” that marked his journey, the role of prayer in navigating divorce, transition, and leadership, and how he now understands athletic administration as coaching the coaches and pastoring the people God has placed in his path. Whether you serve on the field, in the classroom, or in the marketplace, this episode invites you to see your own work as ministry and your career as a canvas for God’s faithful, guiding hand.

WBU President Dr. Stan Norman talks with Athletic Director Mitch Mathis about how a blue-collar childhood in Pine Bluff, a catcher’s grind on the baseball field, and a winding spiritual journey shaped his work ethic, leadership, and calling in athletics.

In this first part of a two-episode conversation, WBU President Dr. Stan Norman sits down with Williams Baptist University Director of Athletics, Mitch Mathis, to trace the early story behind his calling, character, and career. Growing up in Pine Bluff in a hardworking, blue-collar home, Mitch shares how watching his father log timber, serve as a command sergeant major in the National Guard, and “fix” struggling units—and seeing his mother care for people as a hospital social worker—formed his understanding of work, responsibility, and leadership. He reflects on early jobs from candy striper to construction laborer, the blisters that tested his grit, and the expectation that if you took a job, you owed your boss a full day’s work.

Mitch also unpacks his spiritual journey: coming to faith as a 10-year-old during Vacation Bible School, drifting in the demanding rhythm of college baseball at Arkansas State, and later returning to church as a young husband and father who wanted his kids rooted in the local body. Along the way, he tells the story of how a Little League coach helped him fall in love with catching, why he walked on at ASU without even knowing where Jonesboro was, and how one unforgettable Senior Day game against Memphis became the perfect ending to his playing career. Candid and down-to-earth, this episode lays the groundwork for Part 2, where Mitch and Dr. Norman will explore calling, coaching, and how God orchestrates a life of service through athletics.

What do you do when the calling you thought would define your life runs straight into the brick wall of real ministry hurt? In this episode of the LifeWork Podcast, we listen in as WBU president Dr. Stan Norman sits down with former worship guitarist and once–full-time pastor, now digital recruiting coordinator, Bill Jeffery. Bill opens up about chasing the dream of professional music, stepping into local church ministry with big expectations, and then hitting rough waters—disappointment, confusion, and the grief of watching a long–imagined future fall apart.

Through honest stories and hard-won insight, Bill and Dr. Norman wrestle with what calling really means when your plans die, doors close, and “ministry” no longer looks like a church office or a title. They explore how God meets us in vocational wreckage, how He retools our gifts for new settings, and why serving in Christian higher education can be just as spiritually weighty as standing behind a pulpit. If you’ve ever wondered, “Did I miss my calling?” or felt burned by ministry but still hungry to be used by God, this conversation will help you see your detours as part of His design, not the end of your story.

In this first part of a two-episode conversation, we turn the spotlight behind the scenes to hear the story of Bill Jeffery—the voice you usually don’t hear, but the one shaping many of the stories told through the LifeWork Podcast.

Bill reflects on growing up in a divided home, encountering faith for the first time as a teenager, and finding refuge in church, music, and meaningful relationships during seasons of uncertainty and hardship. From small-town Arkansas to late-night conversations that clarified his calling, this episode explores how God uses disruption, disappointment, and unexpected mentors to form a life of purpose.

This conversation isn’t about a polished testimony—it’s about formation. About how calling often takes shape long before clarity arrives.

Part two continues the story, tracing how these early years eventually led Bill to Williams Baptist University and the work he now does behind the camera.

In this second conversation with Laquietta Stewart, Dean of Students at Williams Baptist University, host Dr. Stan Norman explores how God used nearly three decades in public education, school counseling, and coaching to prepare her for her current role at Williams.

Laquietta reflects on discovering her calling as a high school counselor, walking with students through grief and big decisions, and learning to lead with both truth and grace. She shares how marriage to her husband Matt, renewed involvement in the local church, and years of mentoring students and fellow counselors eventually converged into a clear sense of God’s leading to “come home” to Williams as Dean of Students.

Together, Dr. Norman and Laquietta talk about redemptive discipline, forming student leaders, and their shared prayer for spiritual revival on campus—asking God to deepen prayer, purpose, and Christian community in the life and work of Williams.

In this episode of the LifeWork Podcast, host Dr. Stan Norman is joined by Laquietta Stewart, Dean of Students at Williams Baptist University, for a wide-ranging conversation about faith, leadership, and the long work of formation.

Laquietta shares her story growing up in small-town Arkansas, coming to faith through the influence of a local church community, and navigating college as a first-generation student and student-athlete at Williams. From learning how to study and persevere through challenges, to holding the school record for rebounds and discovering a calling to serve students, she reflects honestly on seasons of growth, struggle, and God’s patient work over time.

This episode explores how leadership is shaped not in a single moment, but through perseverance, relationships, and learning to stay the course—both in faith and in life’s work.

Dr. Robert Foster has a confession: he hates “The Little Drummer Boy.”

In this special Christmas episode of the LifeWork Podcast, Dr. Stan Norman continues his conversation with Dr. Foster by uncovering a long-running (and legendary) faculty controversy. But what starts as a humorous takedown of a beloved Christmas song quickly turns into something far more meaningful.

Dr. Foster explains why fictional additions like the Little Drummer Boy often overshadow the real people God chose to highlight in the Christmas story—figures like Mary, Simeon, and Anna, whose lives were marked by obedience, waiting, hope, and faithfulness over time. Together, they explore Luke 2, the power of God’s promises kept, and why Christmas is less about noise and spectacle and more about quiet trust, delayed gratification, and hope rooted in God’s faithfulness.

This episode is both lighthearted and deeply reflective—an invitation to rediscover the wonder of Christmas by returning to the biblical story and remembering that God delivers on His promises… without a drumbeat.