Episode Summary

In this episode of the Small Stones Podcast, host Andrew Schory sits down with JP Engelbrecht, CEO of South Central Inc., a family office with diverse investments. JP opens up about the power of mentorship, the role of faith and values in his leadership, what it takes to build a nationally recognized board of directors, and how becoming a pilot taught him to lead with calm, clarity, and focus.

A compelling conversation about authentic leadership, human dignity, and staying grounded in what matters most.

Guest Information About JP Engelbrecht

JP Engelbrecht is the CEO of South Central Inc. (SCI), a family office with a 25+ year track record of acquiring, owning, and operating businesses across a wide range of industries. JP's journey started with SCI's legacy assets in radio, television, and audiovisual services — and he never shied away from an adventure along the way, whether that meant climbing 1,000-foot radio towers in the mountains of Tennessee, pulling graveyard shifts as a classic rock DJ, or borrowing $750,000 at age 19 to buy his first business while still a student at Xavier University.

Following graduation, JP was quickly thrust into the leadership of SCI at age 22 due to his father's health issues. With a first-generation mentality and a constant drive for improvement, he has successfully led SCI into a new and diversified era of investments spanning manufacturing, fire protection, healthcare, banking, and real estate. As an executive, JP has experience with all manner of transactions while serving the companies under the SCI umbrella.

He is also credited with building a first-class, independent board of directors that won Small Business Board of the Year from Directors & Boards Magazine. JP has previously served in leadership roles with the Evansville Regional Business Committee, Evansville Airport, Evansville Commerce Bank, Junior Achievement, the National Association of Corporate Directors, and the International Planned Music Association.

JP and his wife, Allison, have four children and live in Evansville, IN, where they are deeply involved in the Catholic Church at Holy Rosary Catholic Parish, Reitz Memorial Catholic High School, and the Evansville Chapter of Legatus. He is a licensed pilot and is reminded of his true priorities every day by his license plate — CHFCP: Catholic, Husband, Father, CEO, Pilot.

Contact

Website: www.southcentralinc.com

Episode Outline 00:00 — Introduction

• Andrew Schory welcomes listeners to the Small Stones Podcast

• Introduction of JP Engelbrecht, CEO of South Central Inc.

• Overview of South Central Inc.'s history in radio, television, and AV services — now a diversified family office

01:07 — JP's Origin Story as a Business Leader

• "Coin operated as a child" — figured out early that work earned money and independence

• Grew up in the family broadcasting business — "It was showbiz, it was magic"

• Took over the business at 22, just two months out of college, when his father faced health issues

• Leaned on senior executives and an existing board of directors during the early years

02:35 — Overcoming the Challenges of Family Business Leadership

• At 16, his father told him to seek mentors outside the family — unusual but formative advice

• How that early counsel gave him permission to look outward for guidance

• At 46, still figuring out his leadership style

• The value of lifelong learning and continuous growth as a leader

04:22 — Early Mentors Who Shaped Him

• Brother John Stout — English teacher at Memorial High School; funny, curious, got JP interested in Chaucer

• Brother Eugene Philip — stoic, disciplined, Germanic; a mirror of JP's own drive

• Mace Brockla — chemistry teacher who spent two weeks teaching art history; broadened JP's worldview

• Craig Jacobus — hired at 23 to run the radio group; became one of JP's most influential mentors despite JP being his boss

• "Leadership and mentorship and kindness can come from any place"

08:14 — Knowing Who NOT to Listen To

• The "fancy finance folks" — those who crush numbers and chase carry; a longtime source of insecurity

• Friend Kyle Fields: "You hire people like me. You're not supposed to be that way."

• The danger of surrounding yourself with the wrong crowd and chasing someone else's identity

• The ongoing work of understanding and owning your authentic self

11:05 — What JP Looks for When Investing or Acquiring a Business

• Current portfolio: Janus Fire Systems, FiberTech Plastics, and Spiral Health

• "Leadership is the sword and the stone" — the single most important factor

• Every gain and every loss traces back to leadership quality

• Must either find great leadership already in place or be able to solve for it — otherwise, walk away

13:08 — Identifying Great Leaders

• Character: doing things for the right reasons

• Clarity: "Clarity is worth a thousand IQ points" — Ram Charan

• Leaders who can see through the mist, set direction, and move the organization forward

• The cost of endless committee meetings and decision paralysis

15:19 — Building a Nationally Recognized Board of Directors

• South Central has had a board since JP's father launched one in the 1970s

• JP's innovation: increasing outside directors, building through personal relationship

• Process: get to know people, ask if they'd explore a board seat — no pressure, just conversation

• Uses a matrix to avoid over-weighting any one expertise (e.g., finance)

• Currently 6 outside directors and JP as the only insider

• Faith foundation is a key screen: stewardship, not ownership; doing this for God's kingdom

• Monthly written reports, quarterly in-person board meetings

18:59 — Catholic Faith as the Foundation of Leadership

• Human dignity is the core principle — all people are made in the image and likeness of God

• References Pope Leo XIV's encyclical on the dignity of human workers in the age of AI

• "GSD" (Get Stuff Done) — work is good, noble, and honorable

• Running a business with love and respect does not mean running a country club

• Called to serve and take care of the people entrusted to him

21:28 — Aviation and the Lessons of the Cockpit

• Learned to fly to be home more for his family while still meeting business travel demands

• "It was never a passion; it was a means to an end" — then discovered he was good at it

• Flying requires complete compartmentalization: sick kid, business crisis — all of it must wait

• The cockpit teaches focused, controlled decision-making — exactly what leadership demands

• "If you're flipping out, everybody else is going to freak out. This is not okay."

24:03 — Family, Work-Life Balance & Priorities

• License plate: C H F C P — Catholic, Husband, Father, CEO, Pilot — in priority order

• Keeps old license plates on the back of his desk — plans to give one to each child as a reminder

• Golf (not on the license plate) as a humorous reminder to keep things in perspective

• Physical reminders help him return to the right order when priorities drift

27:02 — Speed Round

29:19 — JP's Final Thought: The Call to Leadership

• Leadership = Influence (John Maxwell's definition)

• Everyone is capable of leadership — coaching a little league team, leading a work team, shaping a family

• "It is one of the great calls of this life"

• The gentle nudge of influence is available to all of us

Books & Resources Mentioned

• The Go-Giver by Bob Burg — JP's most impactful book (outside the Bible); on generosity and value-creation

• Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins — currently reading; a 35-year-old classic, recently updated

• No Man's Land: Where Growing Companies Fail by Doug Tatum — next on JP's reading list

• Ram Charan — leadership consultant and author; quoted: "Clarity is worth a thousand IQ points"

• John Maxwell — leadership author; quoted: "Leadership is one word: influence"

Host & Show Info Andrew Schory — Host

Andrew Schory is a business coach dedicated to helping entrepreneurs and business leaders build momentum through small, intentional actions that lead to meaningful results, no matter the size of their business. He is a second-generation family business owner who brings personal experience — including the challenges and lessons of family business leadership — to every conversation.

Community

• Visit smallstonespodcast.com to join the mailing list and subscribe to future episodes

• Schedule a custom one-on-one or group coaching session with Andrew Schory at smallstonespodcast.com

• Share this episode with someone who leads — or wants to lead — at any level

Small Stones Podcast Website

Episode Summary

Carl Stoltzfus spent 42 years in education — as a teacher, a principal, and an assistant superintendent — and nine years into retirement, he still substitutes three days a week because, as he puts it, he still loves kids.

In this episode, Andrew Schory sits down with Carl to pull the leadership lessons from a career that began in the classroom and ended at central office. They cover how Carl used word association in job interviews to cut through scripted answers, why integrity and consistency are the non-negotiables of any leader, what a handwritten note to a fifth grader can do that a performance review never could, and the secret to 48 years of marriage.

Guest Information

Guest Name: Carl Stoltzfus, Retired School Administrator

Bio: Carl Stoltzfus spent 42 years in the field of education, serving as a classroom teacher, school principal, and assistant superintendent before retiring. Nine years into retirement, he still substitutes regularly because his love for working with students has never left. He is a world traveler and has been married to his wife, Marie, for 48 years. Carl and Marie are active in their church and share a deepening faith that they describe as a foundation of their marriage.

Episode Outline

From Almost-Attorney to 42-Year Educator: How Carl Chose His Path (00:34)

Carl entered college with two tracks open: law school and education. Student teaching made the decision easy. He loved working with students, and that love never left — even as his role evolved from the classroom to the principal's office to central office. Now nine years retired and still substituting, Carl describes the intrinsic rewards of knowing kids by name and having them remember him as a currency no paycheck can match.

Teacher to Principal: The Skill Set Shift Nobody Warns You About (01:16)

Moving from the classroom to the principal's chair is not a promotion into the same work at a higher level — it is a fundamentally different job. Carl describes the shift: you are no longer managing relationships with students, but with teachers, parents, and the broader community, all at once, and all requiring different kinds of intentional collaboration. His advantage in his first year as principal: he got to hire a significant number of his own staff, which meant he could vet for shared values from the start.

The Word Association Interview: How Carl Read Past the Rehearsed Answer (03:25)

Carl developed a simple but disarming interview technique: he told candidates he would throw out words and ask them to respond with whatever came to mind. Words like "parent," "discipline," or "student" surfaced instinct rather than preparation. He could tell immediately who had genuine views and who was reciting from a course. Eight to twelve words, candid responses, and Carl got a clearer read on fit than any structured question could provide.

Central Office: Gaining Reach, Losing What He Loved Most (04:58)

The move to assistant superintendent meant leaving the school building — and for Carl, that meant losing daily access to students. He describes a superintendent who understood this tension well enough to assign every central office administrator five student mentorship relationships: reading the same books, attending their extracurriculars, staying connected to the people the institution ultimately served. Carl calls it a breath of fresh air. Andrew connects it to a principle that holds across every sector: never lose sight of the end user, no matter how far up you go.

Integrity, Consistency, and Learning to Sit Quietly in a New Culture (08:16)

Carl's answer on the non-negotiables of leadership is clear: integrity and consistency, in every context, with every person. But building the reputation for those qualities takes time — and in a new organization, he learned to bite his tongue and listen before offering any advice. When he moved into a different school district, he spent meetings observing and understanding the culture before contributing. In retrospect, he says, patience was one of the smartest things he did.

The Handwritten Note: A Practice That Outlasted the Classroom (11:00)

As a principal of a school of roughly 360 students, Carl made it his goal that every student received at least one personal, positive note from him over the course of the year. Teachers sent students to his office to read a story, solve a problem, or share an accomplishment—and that afternoon, Carl wrote five or six notes. A former student, now a veterinarian in town, told Carl years later that he still had the note from fifth grade. Andrew observes that the reach of those notes extended beyond the students to teachers and parents — each one quietly reframing what people expected from a principal's office.

Three Safaris, Slovenia, and Why It's Always About the People (16:12)

Carl and his wife Marie have traveled widely, with Africa (three safaris), Portugal, Slovenia, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and the UK among their highlights. His most memorable moment: in Zimbabwe, after dinner, local workers began singing a hymn the couples recognized from their own church — and the women got up and joined them. Carl still gets goosebumps. His next destination: Vietnam and Cambodia — inspired in part by Tyler Vessels, a previous Small Stones guest who named it the place he'd most want to return to.

48 Years of Marriage: Trust, Communication, and a Shared Faith Journey (20:44)

Carl and Marie have been married 48 years. His formula is direct: complete trust, effective communication, and high expectations of each other. He also credits a deepening of faith around 30 years into their marriage—moving from nominal Christianity to genuine commitment—as one of the most significant turning points. They do Bible study together when they can, share points of reference, and, as Carl notes with a smile, have developed what his wife calls "ESPN" — they're often thinking the same thing before either one says it.

Speed Round Highlights (22:48)

Books Mentioned

• Schindler's List by Thomas Keneally — Carl's most emotionally impactful read — on Oskar Schindler's rescue of Jewish workers during the Holocaust; Carl also watches the Spielberg film every few years

• What Happens Next? by Max Lucado — (Corrected title discovered after the podcast) A description of the new heaven and new earth; Carl has read it three times and calls it one of his favorites of recent years

• Regime Change by Jonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman — Carl's current read — a contemporary political account of Donald Trump's second term, covering events through April 2026

Host & Show Info

Host: Andrew Schory, Business Coach

About the Host: Andrew Schory is a business coach dedicated to helping leaders build momentum through small, intentional actions. Each episode of the Small Stones Podcast features conversations with business and thought leaders to uncover the habits and decisions that move life and business forward — one small stone at a time.

Podcast Website: smallstonespodcast.com

Community

• Rate & Review on Apple Podcasts — The most impactful way to support the show and help other listeners find it.

• Work with Andrew: Interested in one-on-one or group business coaching? Visit smallstonespodcast.com to schedule a session.

• Join the Mailing List: Get tools, insights, and episode updates at smallstonespodcast.com

Share this episode with a teacher, a school leader, or any manager who has ever wondered whether the small, personal gestures — the note, the listening ear, the word of recognition — are actually worth the time. They are.

Episode Summary

Clark Hewitt wanted to be a sports medicine professional. God had other plans. Thirty years later, Clark is the Associate Pastor of Youth Ministries at Grace Heartland Church in Elizabethtown — leading teams of teenagers on domestic and international mission trips, building systems that scale disorganized passion into repeatable ministry, and learning, often the hard way, that the leader in his fifties is very different from the one who started in 1995.

In this episode, Andrew Schory and Clark dig into how to build teams where people find their right fit, the difference between coming to a solution and needing to win, why weaknesses don't have to stay weaknesses, and what it looks like to create the kind of quiet space where God can speak to a kid who's been too noisy to hear Him.

Guest Information

Guest Name: Clark Hewitt, Associate Pastor, Grace Heartland Church

Bio: Clark Hewitt is the Associate Pastor of Grace Heartland Church in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, where he has served since June 1995. He completed graduate school ministry training and has spent the thirty years since learning — often the hard way — the lessons that formal training doesn't teach: leading teams well, communicating clearly, taking decisive action, and building reliable, repeatable systems to work around his own shortcomings. Clark is passionate about long-term leadership and the kind of deep trust that only comes from staying in one place for decades. He leads domestic and international mission trips for students each year and is deeply committed to creating the kind of quiet, serving environment where teenagers encounter God in ways the four walls of a church cannot replicate.

Website: graceheartland.org

Email: [email protected]

Episode Outline

A Calling He Almost Talked Himself Out Of (00:37)

Clark wanted to work in sports medicine — and convinced himself the ministry calling he sensed in high school wasn't real. By the summer before his senior year of college, God made it clear enough that Clark hasn't questioned it since. He has been at Grace Heartland since June 1995, and describes the thirty years that followed as a graduate course in the things seminary doesn't teach: leading teams, communicating well, and building systems that cover for your own weaknesses.

Building a Ministry Team Like an Orchestra (01:33)

Clark's team philosophy starts with a simple premise: different players need different roles, and the job of leadership is to match people to the shape of their gifts rather than force everyone into the same mold. His youth ministry uses co-leaders to balance teaching-focused and relationship-focused styles — and on Wednesday nights, kids self-select which table leader they sit with for the whole year. The result: kids find the leader whose temperament fits them, and leaders find their people. Clark's insight: not over-structuring is itself a structure.

How Success Earns Freedom — and How to Scale What Works (05:05)

Clark's ability to serve on the worship team while youth ministry runs in another building didn't happen overnight. It was built on years of demonstrated fruit, on coverage teams whose quality was so high that "coverage" was an understatement, and on longevity — the accumulated trust that comes from showing up and doing it well over time. Andrew ties this to a scalability principle: a ministry or business that depends entirely on one person isn't scalable. Redundancy and repeatable systems are what make growth possible.

Winning vs. Solving: The Leadership Shift That Took Decades (10:41)

Clark identifies one of his clearest areas of growth: learning the difference between needing to win a disagreement and working toward a solution. In his twenties and thirties, conflicts could tip into personal victories — getting what he wanted instead of finding what was right. Over time, he developed the patience to listen, understand what someone really wants, and sometimes be the one who moves toward them rather than holding his position. In relational ministry, he notes, stacking up wins at the cost of people is a losing strategy.

ADHD, Disorganization, and the Systems That Saved Him (14:19)

Clark is candid about a significant early weakness: disorganization and the absence of systems in a growing ministry. His natural bent toward ADHD meant he was juggling too many things mentally and dropping more than he noticed. The solution wasn't to fix the tendency — it was to build systems around it: shared notes, checklists, check-your-work habits, and communication rhythms that made it harder for things to fall through the cracks. What started as a weakness, he says, has become a genuine strength.

44 Teenagers on a Mission Trip: What It's Really About (15:37)

Clark's motivation for mission trips is deeply personal: a crisis in his early twenties — the loss of a close friend, a season of searching — culminated during a mission trip where God felt near and the path ahead became clear. He has spent three decades trying to recreate that setting for students. The goal is not efficient labor (he acknowledges it's cheaper to send money and hire skilled workers) but the environment: outdoor, quiet, serving — a space where a heart that has been too noisy to hear God might finally hear Him. This year's domestic trip took 44 teenagers and 12 adults. The international trip the previous year took 46.

Building a Mission Trip System: Safety, Scope, and Relationships That Last (21:13)

The mission trip model has evolved considerably since the early days. Clark no longer puts kids on roofs — 85% of home repair requests in Eastern Kentucky involve roofing, and the cumulative risk wasn't worth it. Current projects focus on ramps, steps, siding, and insulation: meaningful, safe, and within the team's skill set. What has stayed constant is the relational dimension: Clark is taking a group back in December to visit an older woman they served this summer, whose joy at hearing from the kids again was enough to make the trip worthwhile on its own.

Speed Round Highlights (23:54)

Books Mentioned

• Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud & Dr. John Townsend — Clark's most impactful read — on defining where you end and another person's struggles begin, and how that clarity enables deeper, more sustainable care

• Jesus Calling by Sarah Young — Clark's current daily devotional — short, presence-focused reflections available in a journal format; particularly suited for morning routines

How to Support Grace Heartland's Youth Ministry

• Pray — Clark's specific ask: pray for Christian students and teachers at the start of the school year to live out their faith boldly. Schools are a mission field.

• Connect with Grace Heartland — visit graceheartland.org or download the Grace Heartland app to explore the ministry.

• Follow on social media — Clark's youth ministry maintains its own accounts within Grace Heartland's social presence.

Host & Show Info

Host: Andrew Schory, Business Coach

About the Host: Andrew Schory is a business coach dedicated to helping leaders build momentum through small, intentional actions. Each episode of the Small Stones Podcast features conversations with business and thought leaders to uncover the habits and decisions that move life and business forward — one small stone at a time.

Podcast Website: smallstonespodcast.com

Community

• Rate & Review on Apple Podcasts — The most impactful way to support the show and help other listeners find it.

• Work with Andrew: Interested in one-on-one or group business coaching? Visit smallstonespodcast.com to schedule a session.

• Join the Mailing List: Get tools, insights, and episode updates at smallstonespodcast.com

Share this episode with a ministry leader, a volunteer, a parent of a teenager, or anyone who has ever wondered whether staying in one place for the long haul is worth it.

Episode Summary

Jeff Gregory is a third-generation Elizabethtown native, a 22-year Kentucky State Police veteran, and the mayor of Elizabethtown, Kentucky — a city that has grown from 14,000 residents to nearly 37,000 on his watch. In this episode, Andrew Schory and Jeff sit down for a candid conversation about what a mayor actually does, how Elizabethtown navigates the growing pains of a city that serves as the regional hub for ten surrounding counties, how city and county government differ, and what Jeff has learned about leadership, humility, and getting out of good people's way.

It's a conversation about city building, public trust, and the principle that's driven eight years in office: stay humble, and remember you're only as strong as your team.

Guest Information

Guest Name: Jeff Gregory, Mayor, City of Elizabethtown, Kentucky

Bio: Jeff Gregory is the Mayor of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, first elected in November 2018 and now serving his second term. A third-generation Etonian with deep roots in Hardin County — Jeff spent 22 years in law enforcement, retiring from the Kentucky State Police in 2018 before stepping into the mayor's office. Under his leadership, Elizabethtown has grown to nearly 37,000 residents, built a Steel Grove Amphitheater (opening spring 2027), expanded its industrial base to more than 12,000 jobs, and invested in the public safety, infrastructure, and nonprofit partnerships that serve both residents and the tens of thousands of daily visitors from surrounding counties. Jeff is married to Melissa and is the father of four children: Jay, Ryder, Harper, and Emerson.

City of Elizabethtown: elizabethtownky.gov

Episode Outline

From Trooper to Mayor: Why Jeff Gregory Ran for Office (00:35)

Jeff traces a path rooted in three generations of Elizabethtown civic life. He always assumed he'd run for sheriff — until John Ward, his State Police post commander and close friend, had that role well in hand. When the mayoral opportunity emerged, he ran in 2018 and won. He describes the transition from law enforcement to elected office as a natural one: both roles, at their core, are about dealing with people, finding solutions, and making a community safer. The main difference? In law enforcement, he could dictate where a difficult encounter ended. In the mayor's chair, sometimes you just have to take what you get and keep working.

14,000 to 37,000: What Growth Really Costs a City (02:20)

Elizabethtown has more than doubled in population since Jeff was a teenager, and the pace has accelerated. Growth brings amenities — the Etown Sports Park, the Steel Grove Amphitheater, expanded retail, regional healthcare, and a community college — but also genuine infrastructure strain. Stormwater is the challenge Jeff names first: Elizabethtown sits in a historic valley with streams and creeks woven throughout, and microburst rains of five inches in two hours are now arriving three to four times a year. Systems designed for a smaller city aren't keeping up, and infrastructure investment is a constant priority.

Mt. Pilot to Ten Mayberries: Understanding E-Town's Regional Role (05:29)

Jeff's most clarifying framing of the episode: Elizabethtown is the Mt. Pilot to ten surrounding Mayberries. Meade, Breckenridge, Grayson, Nelson, Hart, Larue, and other counties come to Elizabethtown for healthcare, education, employment, and the amenities that residents of those communities once drove to Louisville to access. The city's official population is roughly 37,000 — but its daytime population is estimated at close to 100,000. Traffic congestion is not simply a growth problem; it is a regional hub problem, and the distinction matters for how city leadership plans and communicates.

CEO and Board of Directors: How the Mayor and City Council Work (07:47)

Jeff's framing is clear and practical: the mayor is the CEO; the city council is the board of directors. The council passes ordinances and signs off on municipal orders; the mayor executes and leads the team that implements. What makes it work is communication — Jeff makes a point of ensuring every council member hears about upcoming decisions before a formal meeting, so they have time to form a position rather than being surprised. His principle: when the legislative body and the executive body are not getting along, the whole organization is unproductive. He will not let that happen.

Homelessness, Food Insecurity, and the Limits of Government (12:51)

Elizabethtown invests approximately $550,000 annually in local nonprofits — Helping Hand of Hope, Hope Academy, Feeding America, Warm Blessings, Room in the Inn, and others — to address homelessness and food insecurity. Jeff is candid about two things: throwing money at a problem rarely makes it go away, and managing the political divide between constituents who want more intervention and those who see it as wasteful is a constant challenge. His frame is economic as well as humanitarian: the goal is to move people from below the tax bracket to above it, so they are contributing rather than drawing. A coordinated plan for how the city, police department, and nonprofits will work together is close to being announced.

"Let Them Eat": How Jeff Builds and Leads His Team (23:37)

Jeff's philosophy of leadership comes through clearly in how he deflects credit. He describes his city clerk, city administrator, city attorney, marketing director, and business development director as among the best in the state — and says the one thing he can genuinely take credit for is going out and finding them. His analogy: a great coach's job is made easy by great players. Once you have them, you let them eat — you get out of their way and let them use their talents. Andrew and Jeff connect this to their shared experience as teammates, and to the coaches who modeled it for both of them growing up.

Trust the Process: What Jeff Asks of Elizabethtown's Citizens (27:57)

Jeff's ask of the community is direct: participate, and trust. His record includes no scandals, no misappropriation, and a clear commitment to saying what they will do and doing it — and owning it when they get something wrong. In a national environment where distrust of government is at an all-time high, Jeff believes that consistent honesty and transparency are the only long-term answer. If you have a concern, come see him. If you don't like something after it's done, come see him. He'll explain the process. Andrew adds the frame: assume positive intent.

Speed Round Highlights (25:44)

Books Mentioned

• Good to Great by Jim Collins — Jeff's most impactful leadership read; he keeps a copy on his desk and applies its principles to city government, aiming for great while knowing perfect is the real target

How to Get Involved in Elizabethtown

• Serve on a city board or commission

• Volunteer at city events — the event staff can always use help, especially as the city's calendar continues to grow.

• Bring your skills to the table — call the mayor's office and let them know what you can offer.

• Trust the process — and if you have concerns, go directly to the source. Jeff's door is open.

Learn more about the City of Elizabethtown at elizabethtownky.gov

Host & Show Info

Host: Andrew Schory, Business Coach

About the Host: Andrew Schory is a business coach dedicated to helping leaders build momentum through small, intentional actions. Each episode of the Small Stones Podcast features conversations with business and thought leaders to uncover the habits and decisions that move life and business forward — one small stone at a time.

Podcast Website: smallstonespodcast.com

Community

• Rate & Review on Apple Podcasts — The most impactful way to support the show and help other listeners find it.

• Work with Andrew: Interested in one-on-one or group business coaching? Visit smallstonespodcast.com to schedule a session.

• Join the Mailing List: Get tools, insights, and episode updates at smallstonespodcast.com

Share this episode with anyone who lives in or loves Elizabethtown, or with any leader who needs a reminder that the best thing you can do for a great team is get out of their way and let them go.

Episode Summary

Dr. John Godfrey got waitlisted for medical school twice, scrubbed dishes and drew blood at the very hospital where he would eventually become Chief Medical Officer.

In this episode, Andrew Schory sits down with John to trace a career shaped at every turn by humility, values, and the willingness to keep pushing. As VP and CMO of Baptist Health Hardin, John now leads a team of physicians—recruiting them, aligning them, and keeping independent-minded professional groups rowing in the same direction. He and Andrew cover what empathy really looks like in a hiring interview, the fine line between confidence and arrogance, why teamwork in a hospital is a lot like a soccer team down a player, and the parenting lesson John is still learning: don't give unsolicited advice.

Guest Information

Guest Name: Dr. John Godfrey, Vice President & Chief Medical Officer, Baptist Health Hardin

Bio: Dr. John Godfrey is the Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Baptist Health Hardin, a position he has held since 2014. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame (1993), the University of Louisville Medical School (1998), and the Mayo Clinic Internal Medicine residency (2001), John joined Baptist Health Hardin's medical staff that same year. He maintained a private internal medicine practice from 2001 to 2015 while serving as Chief of Internal Medicine (2010–2012) and Chief of Staff (2014) before transitioning full-time to his executive role. A former co-captain of Notre Dame's swim team, John brings a deep commitment to teamwork, personal values, and physician leadership to everything he does. He is married to Kelly, the father of five children, and enjoys reading and running.

Episode Outline

Dish Room to CMO: A Medical Career Built on Persistence (00:40)

John traces a career that began with a childhood watching his physician father make rounds with remarkable compassion — pushing him in a wheelchair after knee surgery and noting the respect every patient and staff member showed him. After graduating from Notre Dame, John was waitlisted for medical school twice, worked in the dish room and eventually the phlebotomy department at the very hospital where he'd become CMO, briefly considered dental school, and finally got a phone call from U of L one week before classes started. His response: "Absolutely." The dish room, he reflects, taught him humility. The phlebotomy role gave him a clinical skill that never left him.

Following Your Heart Through Rotations: How Physicians Really Choose Their Path (05:23)

John entered medical school intending to become a heart surgeon — and discovered in residency that wasn't for him. He loved pediatrics, but it wasn't the right fit. He chose internal medicine, burned out on studying after three years of residency, and planned to subspecialize — then got too busy and too satisfied to go back. Andrew connects this to a broader principle: the rotation model in medicine is valuable precisely because it exposes future physicians to what they don't know about themselves before they commit.

Hiring for Empathy: What Baptist Health Hardin Really Looks For (09:26)

John's standard for every physician he recruits is simple: would I be proud to have this person take care of my family? Clinical competence is assumed after years of licensing and testing — what the interview is actually designed to uncover is personality, values, and character. He and Andrew agree that empathy is hard to teach through repetition alone, and that the physicians who lack it tend to reveal themselves not to patients but to colleagues and support staff. The goal is plain: good human beings taking care of the community.

Values First: What Good Physician Leadership Actually Looks Like (11:51)

John's leadership framework starts with personal values — honed through multiple leadership courses that consistently began with self-reflection. The value he names first is humility: confidence without arrogance. Physicians must have confidence to function, he says, but arrogance is corrosive — and a fine line separates the two. He looks for doctors who know there is always someone who knows more, and who are comfortable saying so. Andrew connects this to the hiring principle: you bring your values to work with you, and you can't fake values for long.

The Biggest Challenge: Keeping Physicians Aligned at "Administrative Speed" (15:46)

The core friction John navigates daily: physicians make decisions at the speed of a clinical judgment ("I say so, therefore it is"), while institutional decision-making moves through layers of budget, process, and approval. His job is to be the translator — bringing physician needs up the chain while helping physicians understand why a five-hundred-thousand-dollar piece of equipment doesn't arrive the following Wednesday. He also surfaces a structural concern: too often he finds himself the only physician in an administrative meeting, making decisions that directly affect the physicians who aren't in the room.

No Red Cards: Building Teamwork Across a Hospital's Specialties (19:29)

John's teamwork philosophy, shaped by co-captaining Notre Dame's swim team, centers on one principle: no one physician is above or below another. They are co-equals doing different roles, each completely dependent on the others. His analogy lands with precision: like a soccer team that loses a player to a red card, a hospital missing even one specialty is visibly hampered. What builds that interdependence in practice is conversation — showing physicians their opinions matter, bringing them into decisions that affect their work, and making it safe to speak up.

Don't Give Unsolicited Advice: What Parenthood Has Taught John (23:34)

John's most candid moment of the episode: the biggest parenting lesson he is still learning is to not give unsolicited advice, and his wife continues to remind him of it. He reflects on the age shift when children stop wanting input and start wanting rope — and how, as a parent of five, his job transitions from guiding to modeling and being present when they come back to ask. Andrew draws the leadership parallel: the same posture that makes a great parent — set the example, stay available, trust the person to come to you — is the one that makes a great leader.

Speed Round Highlights (25:05)

Books Mentioned

• Permission to Speak Freely by Doug Crandall & Matt Kincaid — John's most impactful leadership read — on creating a culture where every team member feels safe to speak up, share ideas, and challenge direction without fear of criticism

• John Adams by David McCullough — John's current read — a comprehensive biography picked up for three dollars at a used bookstore; he calls it excellent and pairs it with the U.S. 250th anniversary

Host & Show Info

Host: Andrew Schory, Business Coach

About the Host: Andrew Schory is a business coach dedicated to helping leaders build momentum through small, intentional actions. Each episode of the Small Stones Podcast features conversations with business and thought leaders to uncover the habits and decisions that move life and business forward — one small stone at a time.

Podcast Website: smallstonespodcast.com

Community

• Rate & Review on Apple Podcasts — The most impactful way to support the show and help other listeners find it.

• Work with Andrew: Interested in one-on-one or group business coaching? Visit smallstonespodcast.com to schedule a session.

• Join the Mailing List: Get tools, insights, and episode updates at smallstonespodcast.com

Share this episode with a physician, a healthcare leader, or any professional who has ever had to hold confidence and humility in the same hand — and knows how hard it is to keep both.

Episode Summary

Jeff Noél has led churches of forty and churches of fourteen hundred. He has served on the board of the National Day of Prayer for twenty-one years, worked with Harvest Prayer Ministries, and watched the pastoral burnout crisis up close for decades. Now, through The Authentic Pastor, he coaches pastors through a six-month cohort model built around six pillars of whole care — because, as Jeff puts it, the current pastoral model in most American churches is simply unsustainable.

In this episode, Andrew Schory and Jeff cover what trust really means in organizational leadership, how culture happens whether you plan it or not, why prayer works best when it stops being a discipline and starts being a relationship, and the one piece of advice Jeff's father gave him that took years to fully understand.

Guest Information

Guest Name: Jeff Noél, Pastor-Coach, The Authentic Pastor

Bio: Jeff Noél has spent forty years in ministry, most of it as a lead pastor. A pastor's kid who grew up in the church, he has led congregations ranging from 70 to 1,400 — small staff to large, healthy cultures to toxic ones. He spent eight years with Harvest Prayer Ministries and served over two decades on the Board of Directors for the National Day of Prayer. Jeff is the person pastors turn to when they need someone who genuinely sees them and understands what they're going through. Through The Authentic Pastor, he offers a six-month cohort model built around six pillars of whole care, as well as customized individual coaching. Jeff is married to his wife Laure and is the father of one daughter, Marie — and three stepchildren, Mason, Jana, and Wesley.

Website: theauthenticpastor.com

Email: [email protected]

Episode Outline

What The Authentic Pastor Does: Cohorts, Coaching, and Whole Care (00:38)

Jeff describes The Authentic Pastor's core model: a six-month cohort that opens and closes with an in-person weekend gathering, with monthly individual and group coaching in between. The program is built around a Whole Care course — an intensive opportunity for pastors to reflect, renew, and build the personal foundations that ministry tends to erode. Jeff also does customized individual coaching for pastors at any stage, from men brand new to ministry to those navigating the quiet tipping points of mid-career.

What Great Leadership Looks Like Regardless of Organizational Size (03:30)

Jeff has led churches big and small, and his answer to what great leadership requires at every size is the same: trust. Those you lead must believe you genuinely have their best interests — and God's agenda, not your own — at heart. He draws on Henry Blackaby's definition from Spiritual Leadership: influence is not moving people where you want them to be, it is helping them get where the Lord wants them to be. Andrew adds the parallel for business coaches: often the most valuable thing a leader on the outside can do is ask, "Is this truly what the Lord wants, or is it what you want?"

Culture Wins — or It Happens to You: Building Intentional Staff Culture (09:07)

When Grace Heartland's seventeen-person staff began showing signs of trust breakdown in 2018, Jeff traced it to lack of communication, unmet expectations, and people feeling left out of decisions. The team picked up William Vanderbloemen's Culture Wins, worked through a culture rebuild together, identified core cultural values, wrote a culture statement, and had every staff member sign it. What Jeff did not know then: COVID was eighteen months away, and that culture work became the scaffolding that held the staff together through it. His principle: culture happens whether you plan it or not — and the culture that just happens is almost always toxic.

Reinforcing Culture Through Specific, Public Recognition (14:06)

One of Jeff's favorite applications of the culture statement was using it to publicly celebrate team members who lived it out. A staff member would call out a colleague by name, connect their action to a specific cultural value, and name it as a win for the whole team. Andrew ties this directly to a core leadership principle: values are reinforced not by posting them on a wall but by connecting them to real, specific actions in real time.

Prayer as Relationship, Not Performance (16:15)

Jeff spent twenty-one years on the board of the National Day of Prayer and worked with Harvest Prayer Ministries, and his most important insight about prayer is simple: the breakthrough came when he moved it out of the category of spiritual discipline and into the category of intimate relationship. He points to Jesus' instruction to pray in private rather than performing publicly — not a rule about location, but a call to authenticity. His practical counsel: if prayer does not feel natural, start by asking who you believe Jesus actually is, because your concept of who He is shapes whether talking to Him feels like love or obligation.

The Pastoral Burnout Crisis: Why the Current Model Is Unsustainable (21:01)

Jeff's diagnosis of the crisis in pastoral ministry is direct: the current model places too much emphasis on the pastor's personality, abilities, and draw, and not enough on the shared ministry of every member of the congregation. The result is burnout — pastors carrying full loads alone, feeling pressure to compete with megachurch platforms, with no one they can be honest with about struggling. He draws a line between the CEO model of church leadership and the shepherd model, arguing that when a church becomes primarily a personality platform, something essential is lost. The vast majority of American churches have two hundred members or fewer, and their pastors are feeling that model's weight without its resources.

What Jeff's Father Taught Him: Just Love the People (28:05)

Jeff's most formative mentor was his father — and some of the most important lessons came from watching what his father got wrong. His dad had a heart attack at forty-two because he carried the full weight of pastoral stress without close friendships, living by the prevailing wisdom of his generation: vulnerability in the church creates enemies. Jeff learned to build friendships, maintain hobbies, exercise, and protect his emotional health. But the most important thing his father ever told him was the simplest: "Jeff, when you pastor, just love the people. Just love the people." It sounded obvious at the time. It took years to understand how much it meant.

Speed Round Highlights (32:10)

Books & Resources Mentioned

• Spiritual Leadership by Henry Blackaby & Richard Blackaby — Jeff's favorite definition of leadership: influence is not moving people where you want them; it's helping them get where God wants them

• Culture Wins by William Vanderbloemen — The book Jeff's staff used to rebuild their culture in 2018 — which proved essential when COVID hit eighteen months later

• Disciplines for the Inner Life by Bob Benson & Michael W. Benson — Out of print but findable — Jeff's most impactful non-Bible book; a treasury of short excerpts from classic Christian contemplative writers throughout the ages

• Gods at War by Kyle Idleman — Jeff's current group read — a study on the modern idols that quietly compete for the center of a person's life

• Mark Twain by Ron Chernow — Jeff's current personal read; a long biography he is working through slowly

How to Support The Authentic Pastor

• Know a pastor who is struggling or approaching burnout? Refer them to Jeff directly or point them to the resources at theauthenticpastor.com.

• Encourage the pastors in your life — a word of genuine encouragement to a pastor can go further than you know.

• Pray for Jeff and the Authentic Pastor ministry — he specifically named it as one of the most meaningful ways to support the work.

Learn more or connect pastors with Jeff at theauthenticpastor.com

Host & Show Info

Host: Andrew Schory, Business Coach

About the Host: Andrew Schory is a business coach dedicated to helping leaders build momentum through small, intentional actions. Each episode of the Small Stones Podcast features conversations with business and thought leaders to uncover the habits and decisions that move life and business forward — one small stone at a time.

Podcast Website: smallstonespodcast.com

Community

• Rate & Review on Apple Podcasts — The most impactful way to support the show and help other listeners find it.

• Work with Andrew: Interested in one-on-one or group business coaching? Visit smallstonespodcast.com to schedule a session.

• Join the Mailing List: Get tools, insights, and episode updates at smallstonespodcast.com

Share this episode with a pastor, a church leader, or anyone who is carrying more than they should be — and needs a reminder that the most important thing they can do may be the simplest: just love the people.

Episode Summary

14 years ago, Rob Fogle saw an opportunity. Twenty-nine years in the grocery business had taught him retail, pricing, merchandising, and how to read vendors — and when he applied for a liquor license in Radcliff, he got one. Now, Mammoth Liquors operates three locations across Kentucky.

In this episode, Andrew Schory sits down with Rob for a candid, practical conversation about what it actually costs to go out on your own, why trust is the most important asset in a multi-location business, how the 80/20 rule applies to inventory and people management, and what three decades in retail have taught him about money, family, and finances.

Guest Information

Guest Name: Rob Fogle, Owner, Mammoth Liquors

Bio: Rob Fogle is the owner of Mammoth Liquors, a three-location retail liquor operation in Kentucky with stores in Radcliff, Cave City, and Campbellsville. Before launching Mammoth Liquors fourteen years ago, Rob spent twenty-nine years in the grocery industry building deep expertise in retail operations, vendor relationships, merchandising, and pricing. He co-owns and operates Mammoth Liquors alongside business partner Eric Hall. Rob is married to Davisa, the father of three adult children, and a soon-to-be grandfather.

Episode Outline

From Grocery to Liquor: The Decision That Started It All (00:35)

Rob traces his path from twenty-nine years in the grocery industry to the moment Hardin County voted to go wet. He saw the opportunity, talked it over with his wife Davisa, applied for a liquor license in Radcliff — and got one. The foundation he brought with him: a deep understanding of retail, vendor relationships, merchandising, and competitive pricing, including time in a Meijer liquor store that gave him early exposure to the category.

The Biggest Surprise of Business Ownership: Taxes (02:21)

Rob's most candid moment: when you stop being an employee and start writing tax checks yourself, the shock is real. Sales tax is a pass-through — you collect it and pay the state — but it still flows through the same account, and if you spend it, you still owe it. His solution was to move from quarterly to monthly payroll tax payments, so the hits were smaller and the discipline was easier to maintain. Andrew extends the point: without clear accounting systems that mark certain dollars as already spoken for, a business owner can be fooled into thinking they have money they do not have.

The First Six Months: One Man, Open to Close, Dinner in the Back Room (06:32)

For the first six months of Mammoth Liquors, Rob was the entire operation — open to close, every day. His wife would bring the kids up and they'd eat dinner in the back room. It was difficult, he says plainly, but the liquor retail business has a low failure rate, and they felt good about the decision. Looking back, it is a family story they all tell with humor. Andrew connects it to the shift from renter to owner — the moment when every paper bag on the shelf has a dollar value you personally paid for.

The Partnership: Why Trust Is the Foundation of Multi-Location Retail (08:00)

Rob and Eric Hall have been business partners for eleven-plus years across three Mammoth Liquors locations. Rob's framing of the relationship: unlike a marriage, you cannot divorce your business partner, so you had better choose right the first time and commit to flexibility and trust. Each partner has clear niches — Eric handles inventory, orders, and shrinkage monitoring; Rob handles store presence, staff relationships, and operations. With three locations and only two owners, trust in your team is not optional. Rob describes their verification approach simply: he visits stores, talks to people, and makes clear he is not an absentee owner.

The 80/20 Rule: Inventory, Personnel, and Where to Put Your Energy (12:41)

Rob applies the Pareto principle across two dimensions: eighty percent of sales come from twenty percent of the items, and eighty percent of personnel problems come from twenty percent of the people. The inventory implication is clear — never run out of your top twenty percent of SKUs. Everything else can be moved between stores or managed flexibly. Having three locations creates an advantage: items can be transferred rather than back-ordered, and the purchasing threshold for better pricing is easier to reach.

Money, Kids, and the Credit Card Conversation (21:44)

Rob describes himself as a "buy here, pay here" person: if he cannot buy it outright, he probably does not want it. He and Davisa went through Dave Ramsey's financial program roughly twenty years ago, and it reshaped how they handle money. They have passed the same philosophy to all three of their adult children — none of whom have a credit card. Rob's view on credit card debt is blunt: it is a trap that is nearly impossible to escape once you are in it. Andrew ties it to the same lesson Rob learned from a vendor: if you cannot afford the twenty-case minimum to get the right price, wait until you can.

Speed Round Highlights (23:20)

Books Mentioned

• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey — Rob notes the order of the habits surprised him — a book that rewards reading even if you think you already know it

• The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey — Rob went through the Ramsey financial program with his wife Davisa roughly twenty years ago; he credits it as a major turning point in how they manage money

• No Plan B by Lee Child — Rob's current audiobook — a Jack Reacher novel he listens to on the road between store visits

Host & Show Info

Host: Andrew Schory, Business Coach

About the Host: Andrew Schory is a business coach dedicated to helping leaders build momentum through small, intentional actions. Each episode of the Small Stones Podcast features conversations with business and thought leaders to uncover the habits and decisions that move life and business forward — one small stone at a time.

Podcast Website: smallstonespodcast.com

Community

• Rate & Review on Apple Podcasts — The most impactful way to support the show and help other listeners find it.

• Work with Andrew: Interested in one-on-one or group business coaching? Visit smallstonespodcast.com to schedule a session.

• Join the Mailing List: Get tools, insights, and episode updates at smallstonespodcast.com

Share this episode with a new or aspiring business owner who needs a grounded, honest look at what going out on your own actually costs — and what it can build if you stay the course.

Episode Summary

Twenty years ago, Nelle Thomas walked into a small living room in a low-income neighborhood in Elizabethtown and had what she describes as the biggest flop of her life. She almost didn't go back. What she built from that moment is Hope Academy for Kids — a free, holistic after-school mentoring program that now serves approximately 200 students from age four through twelfth grade, with two additional campuses and a reproducible model being adopted in other Kentucky communities.

In this episode, Andrew Schory talks with Nelle about what it means to invest in children before the problems start, why mentorship changed her own life after losing her father at fourteen, how she almost missed her calling by not wanting to get messy, and the big news she can barely contain: Hope Academy's first permanent home is almost official.

Guest Information

Guest Name: Nelle Thomas, Founder & Director, Hope Academy for Kids

Bio: Nelle Thomas is the co-founder and executive director of Hope Academy for Kids, Inc, formerly known as Mission Hope for Kids. With 35+ years of experience as a Christian educator, Nelle has dedicated her career to teaching and mentoring women, children, and youth in both Christian school and church settings.

In 2007, Nelle discovered her true passion when she began working with underprivileged children in a local neighborhood. Recognizing the need for a safe space where these children could be nurtured and mentored, she, alongside her husband of 40 years, David, set out to make a difference. After careful planning, much prayer, and lengthy discussion, Nelle's vision came to fruition with the founding of Mission Hope for Kids, a nonprofit organization, in December 2011.

Nelle's mission is to positively impact her community by investing in the lives of local at-risk children and youth. She believes that a united community, working together for the benefit of its children, can create lasting change in her own backyard.

Outside of her ministry commitments, Nelle enjoys spending time with her husband, their four grown children, and nine grandchildren. She remains actively involved in her community as a member of the Hardin County Ministerial Association and was honored with the Kentucky Missionary of the Year award in 2020. Alongside her husband, she continues to serve as a Kentucky Mission Service Corps Missionary, committed to making a lasting difference in the lives of those she serves.

Website: hopeacademyforkids.org

Social Media: Search "Hope Academy for Kids" on Facebook and Instagram

Episode Outline

What Hope Academy for Kids Actually Does (00:37)

Hope Academy is an after-school mentoring program — free to all students — serving approximately 200 young people ages four through twelfth grade in Hardin County. Nelle describes it as "the whole enchilada": educational support, emotional, physical, and spiritual care, all delivered through a network of volunteers and staff who build long-term relationships with students from enrollment through graduation. The goal is not a quick intervention but a second family — one that journeys with a child through their entire school years.

Children Are the Most Valuable Resource in a Community (02:50)

Nelle's conviction is direct: if you do not invest in children proactively, you will pay for it reactively. Generational cycles of poverty, absent fathers, early pregnancy, and disconnection from faith and work ethic do not break themselves — someone has to step in and say there is a better way. Her frame: it is far easier to raise a child than to repair a broken adult. Andrew extends the point to the question of what mentorship does to the mentor: volunteers consistently report that they came to give and came out changed.

The Living Room That Almost Didn't Happen: Don't Despise Small Beginnings (06:10)

Twenty years ago, a woman named Anna invited Nelle into her living room in the Haycraft subdivision to do a Bible study with the neighborhood kids. It was, by Nelle's own description, the biggest flop of her life — kids running in and out, no one listening. She left that night certain she would never go back. Before she got home, the Holy Spirit changed her mind. The breakthrough came not from a lesson plan but from a kitchen table and a pizza: the kids never left. They sat, they talked, they engaged. The lesson Nelle drew: these children did not want to hear about her faith; they wanted to see it. Three years later, she was busing 150 kids on Wednesday nights to a small Elizabethtown church and had outgrown the building.

The Personal Why: Losing Her Father at Fourteen (16:43)

Nelle lost her father to cancer in ninth grade. Her mother, a Spanish-speaking widow navigating language barriers alone, could not fill the gap. Nelle graduated high school with honors — and then spent years without direction, not because she lacked ability, but because she had no mentor to help her find the path. That experience of lost time and unguided potential is the engine beneath everything Hope Academy does. One in three young people in the United States is growing up without a trusted adult, she notes — and that is a very lonely world.

Building It Together: Family, Faith, and Forty-One Years of Partnership (13:36)

Nelle credits her husband as the co-founder of Hope Academy in every meaningful sense. He held a full-time job as the family's provider while Nelle took a significant pay cut to launch the nonprofit — which began $800 in the hole. She spent fourteen years at home raising four children before launching Hope Academy, and describes the transition as a natural next season: she had invested deeply in her own children, and it was time to invest in someone else's. Her family served alongside her from the beginning, modeled sacrifice, and made it work together.

What Living Life to the Fullest Actually Looks Like (19:58)

Nelle's answer comes with a story: one of Hope Academy's first graduates — a young woman whose father was in prison and whose mother had died — graduated from Central Hardin with honors in 2019, went on to WKU, and is now serving in the United States Army in a high-security role. She called Nelle to say: my success is your success. Nelle's conclusion: living life to the fullest means giving God what you have, however small it seems, and letting Him use it to make someone else's life better.

Breaking News: Hope Academy's First Permanent Home (22:47)

After thirteen years of leasing space — starting at the Von Reno Starks Community Center and later moving to their current location — Hope Academy is on the verge of securing its first permanent building. Nelle could barely contain the news at the time of recording: a formal media release was expected within a week or two. The process began in fall 2025 and has been, in her words, "crawling" — but the finish line is in sight. She expects the kids' reaction to be proof of what she already tells them: they are some of the greatest kids in Hardin County.

Speed Round Highlights (25:40)

Books Mentioned

• When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett & Brian Fikkert — On how well-intentioned help can inadvertently harm — and how to serve communities in ways that build dignity and lasting change; Nelle's most impactful read for the work she does

• The Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster — Nelle's current read — on the spiritual disciplines of prayer, fasting, and rest as rhythms that sustain a person through high-demand work

How to Support Hope Academy for Kids

• Give financially — Hope Academy is a free program funded entirely by donations. Every dollar invests directly in a child.

• Volunteer — mentors, tutors, and caring adults are the core of what Hope Academy does.

• Follow and share on social media — search "Hope Academy for Kids" and help expand the program's reach.

• Pray — for the students, the staff, the volunteers, and the new permanent building.

• Adopt the model — if you have a heart for children in your own community, Hope Academy's model is reproducible. Reach out to learn more.

Learn more and give at hopeacademyforkids.org

Host & Show Info

Host: Andrew Schory, Business Coach

About the Host: Andrew Schory is a business coach dedicated to helping leaders build momentum through small, intentional actions. Each episode of the Small Stones Podcast features conversations with business and thought leaders to uncover the habits and decisions that move life and business forward — one small stone at a time.

Podcast Website: smallstonespodcast.com

Community

• Support Hope Academy for Kids: Give, volunteer, or learn more at hopeacademyforkids.org

• Rate & Review on Apple Podcasts — The most impactful way to support the show and help other listeners find it.

• Work with Andrew: Interested in one-on-one or group business coaching? Visit smallstonespodcast.com to schedule a session.

• Join the Mailing List: Get tools, insights, and episode updates at smallstonespodcast.com

Share this episode with a parent, a volunteer, a donor, or anyone who needs a reminder that the small, messy, inconvenient first step — the one you almost didn't take — might be the most important one.

Episode Summary

Kyle Oldham has been mentored, has mentored others, and is now building a network of mentors across eight counties in Kentucky — all through the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. In this episode, Andrew Schory sits down with Kyle to trace a journey that runs from a church family in Hardin County, to a baseball diamond at Georgetown College, to athletic training at WKU, to a COVID-forced pivot, to a desperate late-night prayer that led to a phone call the very next morning. Kyle covers the moment-by-moment buildup of faith, the recurring theme of mentorship that runs through every chapter of his life, how the best coaches he has seen define success far beyond winning, and what it practically looks like to reach thousands of student-athletes across a region through volunteers, character coaches, and prayer.

Guest Information

Guest Name: Kyle Oldham, Area Director, Fellowship of Christian Athletes

Bio: Kyle Oldham is the Area Director for Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) serving eight counties in Kentucky. A lifelong athlete who played baseball at Georgetown College, Kyle went on to earn a graduate background in athletic training and sports medicine at Western Kentucky University, later working in physical therapy and sports performance coaching in the Elizabethtown area. He came to FCA after a season of prayer and discernment that brought him into full-time ministry at age 36. Kyle is a husband and father. His mission through FCA is simple and ambitious: to reach every student and every coach with the gospel and help them grow in a relationship with Jesus Christ and the local church.

Connect with FCA: Find Kyle and FCA Hardin County on social media, or reach out directly through the FCA website at fca.org.

Episode Outline

Growing Up in Faith: A Family That Spoke the Language (00:43)

Kyle grew up in a household where faith was everyday conversation — not performance. Grandparents and parents who openly shared what God was doing in their lives, a church community that reinforced it, and a mom who consistently reminded him that God loves him and he can always talk to Him. He gave his life to Christ at age eight, overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit at a church service. That foundation would anchor every decision that followed.

Georgetown College: Finding Community on Purpose (01:52)

Heading into college, Kyle's primary concern wasn't his major — it was whether he'd have the kind of biblical community he had found through Chrysalis. Within the first week at Georgetown, a man named Andy Hardin showed up to start a Bible study with the baseball team. Kyle was in. Through Campus Outreach, he was discipled in a way that moved beyond head knowledge to articulating the gospel and actually living it — a formative experience he would replicate for athletes years later.

The Watering Hole: Athletic Training at WKU (03:52)

Kyle's college mentors surprised him: instead of pushing him toward full-time ministry, they told him to go be an athletic trainer — because the world needs more intentional people in "normal" roles, not just more ministers. So Kyle went to Western Kentucky University, where he found himself at what he calls "the watering hole" — surrounded by athletes, speaking their language, building relationships. A graduate assistant baseball coach invited him to start a Bible study with the team. Ten to fifteen guys showed up each week. One of them was third baseman Casey Dykes, who gave his life to Christ during that time.

From Athletic Training to a Desperate Prayer: Finding FCA (09:52)

Kyle spent six years in physical therapy in Hardin County — a job he loved and never would have left. Then COVID hit, and he was a budget cut. He launched a sports performance business, which checked most of his boxes but pulled him away from his family during evenings and weekends. A year of prayer and a series of slammed doors led to a single desperate night of surrender: God, wherever you want me to go, I'll go. The next morning, Kyle received a call from David Bird, a multi-area FCA director who had been building a board in Hardin County for nearly a year and was looking for someone to lead it. Kyle's name had come up the night before.

The Mentorship Cycle: Being Poured Into, Then Pouring Out (17:00)

A recurring theme throughout Kyle's story is mentorship — always receiving it, always giving it, and never fully stopping either. He describes the transition not as a hand-off but as a gradual process: watch, then assist, then lead with support, then go. Andrew draws out the corollary for student-athletes: many young leaders are ready before they think they are, and the job of the leader above them is to identify that and give them room to lead, not wait until they self-nominate.

What the Best Coaches Have in Common (22:29)

Kyle's answer is built on two things: knowing what you lack and surrounding yourself with people who are strong where you are not, and being genuinely healthy at home and spiritually before you step into the gym or onto the field. The coaches who lead well off the field, he says, naturally lead well on it — because their athletes can see the real thing being lived out. Andrew connects this to his high school coach, whose restraint and personal standards created a culture the entire team adopted without being told.

What FCA Does: Huddles, Character Coaches & Reaching 5,000 Students (28:46)

Kyle's territory is eight counties and roughly 18,000 students in Hardin County alone. FCA operates entirely on a volunteer model: teachers who lead school huddles, character coaches embedded in athletic programs who can be in the dugout, on the sideline, or in the stands — all on an optional basis. In three years, FCA has reached 5,000 students and coaches across Kyle's counties. He shares a story about an exchange student from Spain whose grandfather died during football practice and a character coach who was simply there to give him a hug. Those moments, he says, are what the model is built for.

Speed Round Highlights (34:26)

Books Mentioned

• Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer — On slowing down in a culture of speed; one of Kyle's most impactful reads of the past year

• Leadership Pain by Samuel Chand — On how a leader's capacity for impact is proportional to their willingness to absorb the pain of leading people; Kyle's current read

How to Support FCA

• Volunteer as a character coach — if you are already coaching your child's team, you may be a step away from an FCA role.

• Lead or support a huddle at your local school — volunteer spots are open across multiple schools right now.

• Give financially — Bibles, volunteer training, events, and resources all require funding.

• Pray — Kyle names it as one of the two biggest needs, alongside volunteers.

• Buy donuts — kids eat a lot, and huddles run on them.

Connect with Kyle and FCA through social media or at fca.org

Host & Show Info

Host: Andrew Schory, Business Coach

About the Host: Andrew Schory is a business coach dedicated to helping leaders build momentum through small, intentional actions. Each episode of the Small Stones Podcast features conversations with business and thought leaders to uncover the habits and decisions that move life and business forward — one small stone at a time.

Podcast Website: smallstonespodcast.com

Community

• Rate & Review on Apple Podcasts — The most impactful way to support the show and help other listeners find it.

• Work with Andrew: Interested in one-on-one or group business coaching? Visit smallstonespodcast.com to schedule a session.

• Join the Mailing List: Get tools, insights, and episode updates at smallstonespodcast.com

Share this episode with a coach, a parent of a student-athlete, or anyone who has ever wondered whether the small, faithful steps they are taking right now are actually leading somewhere.

Episode Summary

René DaCosta has built and led restaurant teams on three continents — from Domino's in California to Pizza Hut and Papa John's in the UK to Dunkin', Marco's, and now BrakeTime, where he oversees QSR operations across a growing convenience store chain. In this episode, Andrew Schory and René dig into the tension between cost control and sales culture, why trust is the foundation of every high-performing team, what prospective franchisees almost always get wrong, and how René's Brazilian energy and open-door philosophy shape every room he walks into.

Guest Information

Guest Name: René DaCosta, VP of Food, Beverage & QSR, BrakeTime

Bio: René DaCosta is an experienced, energetic, and versatile executive with a proven ability to build high-performing, motivated teams and deliver sales and profit results in fast-moving environments. With deep roots in the pizza business — Pizza Hut, Papa John's, and Domino's in both the UK and USA — René has also led operations across coffee, fast food, convenience retail, and pub environments. A self-starter who balances personal drive with a genuine desire to bring out the best in people, he has lived and worked in Brazil, the UK, and the United States, adapting to diverse teams and company cultures throughout his career. He currently serves as VP of Food, Beverage & QSR at BrakeTime, where he oversees proprietary food programs alongside branded partners including Popeyes, Little Caesars, and Burger King.

Episode Outline

From Brazil to California to London: René's Career Across Three Continents (00:39)

René traces a career that spans Domino's in California, Domino's and Pizza Hut in the UK, opening the Papa John's market across England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, managing retail inside London's four major train stations, Costa Coffee, and a return to the US through Dunkin', Pizza Hut, Marco's Pizza, Shell, and now BrakeTime — a convenience store chain where proprietary food and branded QSR partners operate under the same roof.

Sales Cures All: Why a Sales-First Culture Changes Everything (03:08)

René's conviction is direct: sales is the answer to almost every cost problem. When a team operates inside a cost-control culture, it changes how team members make micro-decisions — including whether to give a customer the extra cheese they asked for. Andrew and René connect this to the lifetime value of a guest: it is always cheaper to retain a customer than acquire a new one, and every nickel-and-dime interaction chips away at the relationship. René's reframe of the Golden Rule also stands out: don't treat customers the way you want to be treated — treat them the way they want to be treated.

The Four Levers of Revenue Growth (06:36)

René lays out a clear framework: there are only four ways to grow sales in any store. Bring in new customers. Get existing customers to come in more often. Increase prices. And — the most overlooked lever — don't lose the customers you already have. His argument: businesses spend heavily on marketing to attract new guests while investing almost nothing in the training and experience that would keep them. Marketing and training budgets, he says, should move together.

Trust Is the Foundation: Leading Teams Across Cultures (08:14)

Whether in the US, the UK, or anywhere else, René's core leadership principle is the same: trust. He draws a direct parallel between trusting your customer (believe them when they say the order is wrong) and trusting your team (believe them when they say they're sick). That mutual trust, he argues, is what turns a team into a family — one where people cover each other on holidays not because they have to, but because they want to. Andrew extends the point: people are appreciating assets. The longer someone stays, the more valuable they become — and external hires always cost more because you're paying for appreciation earned somewhere else.

What to Look for Before You Sign: Franchise Ownership Advice (12:19)

René's framework for evaluating a franchise opportunity has a clear sequence: start with passion (if you don't love the industry, stop there), then do due diligence with existing franchisees by visiting their locations and asking what they like and don't like, then honestly assess whether you will be a hands-on or hands-off owner and whether the brand's model supports that. Andrew adds a sharp observation: whatever an existing franchisee describes as a challenge is almost certainly a bigger problem than they're letting on — and profit alone will never motivate you through the hard days.

Energy as a Leadership Tool: The Open-Door Philosophy (17:25)

René is candid that his energy is largely natural — Brazilian-born, shaped by a culture of warmth and celebration — but he is also deliberate about it. His door is open ninety percent of the time. When it is closed, his team knows something is different. He is aware that his energy feeds the environment around him and that a leader's mood travels fast through a restaurant. On his hardest days, he keeps those moments private, because he has seen firsthand what a manager's bad day does to a whole store's culture.

Speed Round Highlights (21:15)

Books Mentioned

• From Lucky to Smart by Kyle Krause — The story of QuikTrip and how leadership culture — not luck — drives organizational success; René's most impactful recent read

• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey — René's current re-read; he notes the "big rocks" framework hits differently at every stage of life and leadership

Host & Show Info

Host: Andrew Schory, Business Coach

About the Host: Andrew Schory is a business coach dedicated to helping leaders build momentum through small, intentional actions. Each episode of the Small Stones Podcast features conversations with business and thought leaders to uncover the habits and decisions that move life and business forward — one small stone at a time.

Podcast Website: smallstonespodcast.com

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Share this episode with a restaurant operator, a franchisee, or any leader who wants a reminder that sales culture starts with how you treat people — your team and your customers — before it shows up on a P&L.