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What if the most “successful” version of your life is the one that brings your faith and family back to the center? We sit down with author and homesteader Rory Groves to rethink success through the lens of calling, freedom, and the family economy. Rory shares how moving from a tech career to a 10-acre homestead reshaped his metrics—from income and scale to presence, purpose, and work his kids can inherit. We unpack insights from Durable Trades, the research behind family-centered vocations that have endured for centuries, and why chasing scale can quietly cost the very life we set out to build.

The heart of the conversation is culture-making at home. We talk about forming a clear family vision, choosing vocations that fit that vision, and placing wise boundaries around technologies that promise convenience but often tax relationships. That sets the stage for Rory’s new season: launching a publishing house under Gather and Grow Ministries to get more accessible, story-driven resources into the world. First up is a revival of Henry and the Great Society, a short novel that follows a mid-century farming family as “progress” unravels their community. It’s a moving, practical tool—complete with an updated afterword and discussion guide—to help families and churches ask hard questions, draw lines with conviction, and take first steps toward a resilient, home-centered life.

If you’ve wondered how to prepare your teens for meaningful work without debt, how to resist fragile, consumption-driven living, or how to bring your household into shared labor that forms character, this conversation is your map and motivation. Support the all-or-nothing Kickstarter for Henry and the Great Society (ends November 6), start a group discussion, and share this episode with a friend who needs a hopeful reset. If this resonates, follow, rate, and leave a review to help more families find their footing—and tell us: what does success look like for your home?

Henry and The Great Society by Gather & Grow — Kickstarter

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