What happens when life hands you a diagnosis that could change everything?

In this episode of the Take A Step Podcast, Josh sits down with chiropractor, husband, father and Child of God, Andrew St. Bernard. After years of unexplained symptoms, Andrew was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s disease in 2024—a diagnosis that forced him to confront uncertainty about his health, career, family, and future.

But instead of allowing the diagnosis to define what comes next, Andrew made a choice: ownership over victimhood.

Andrew shares how his faith has shaped his response to adversity, why he views his diagnosis as an opportunity rather than an ending, and how physical challenges like half marathons, cold plunges, and daily training help him fight to preserve what he can while he can.

Josh and Andrew also explore why hardship can produce growth, the importance of choosing your struggle, and why we aren't guaranteed the next “nine holes” of life—only the opportunity to make the most of the one we're playing today.

This conversation is a reminder that you can't always choose what happens to you. But you can choose your response, trust the next step, and keep moving forward.

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Follow Andrew on Instagram: @the.ultimate.pivot

Follow Josh on Instagram: @joshjohnstonoffical

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What happens when life doesn’t go according to plan?

In this episode of the Take A Step Podcast, Josh sits down with retired Marine Master Sergeant Bajro Buzaljko "Buzz" for a conversation about leadership, adversity, identity, faith, and letting go of control.

Buzz shares lessons from 20 years in the Marine Corps, his family’s journey to America, and the life-changing experience of learning that his daughter, Layla, had an ultra-rare genetic disorder. Together, they unpack extreme ownership, maintaining high standards, embracing adversity, and why great leadership is measured by the people you help become better.

This conversation is a reminder that success isn’t about controlling every outcome—it’s about taking responsibility for your actions, trusting through uncertainty, and using your experiences to impact others.

Connect with Buzz:
Instagram: @212_fuego

What if taking a day off actually requires more discipline than working seven days a week?

In this episode, Josh Johnston and John Szarszewsk challenge the hustle mentality and unpack the importance of Sabbath, intentional rest, and focused work. They discuss why work always finds a way to fill our time, how distractions quietly destroy productivity, and why creating space to stop can make us better leaders, spouses, parents, and professionals.

Sometimes the next step forward starts by having the discipline to stop.

What does it take to build success when there is no clear roadmap?

In this episode of the Take A Step Podcast, Josh sits down with entrepreneur and real estate investor Brandon Knox to unpack his unconventional journey from acting in New York City to building a successful real estate and investment business in Nashville.

Brandon shares how failure, calculated risk, persistence, and a willingness to keep moving helped him recognize opportunities he never could have planned for. They discuss developing a growth mindset, creating your own luck, stewarding opportunities well, building generational wealth, and redefining success around faith, family, and freedom.

If you have been waiting for the perfect plan before making your next move, this conversation is a reminder that action produces clarity.

https://bdgpartners.com/

https://bdgusa.com/

https://www.landgroupusa.com/

In this episode of The Take A Step Podcast, Josh sits down with entrepreneur Emmett Davis to unpack what it really looks like to build, buy, fail, learn, and keep moving forward.

Emmett shares his journey from cybersecurity and ministry leadership to acquiring a bakery and building a septic company from the ground up. Together, Josh and Emmett explore the realities of entrepreneurship, the power of community, learning through failure, and why your first move doesn’t require a perfect plan.

They also challenge the traditional definition of success. Instead of chasing a destination, what if success is found in the process—taking action, learning, adjusting, and becoming the person capable of reaching the goal?

If you’ve been waiting for clarity before making your next move, this conversation is your reminder: action produces clarity. Take the step.

Instagram: @iamemmettdavisjr
https://davissouthernseptic.com/

What does it really take to bet on yourself and build a life on your own terms?

In this episode of The Take A Step Podcast, Josh sits down with Calvin Favors, founder of Top Dawg Tech Solutions, to unpack his transition from the comfort of corporate America into entrepreneurship. Calvin shares how complacency pushed him to make a change, the intense preparation behind leaving his salary, and why taking action before you have everything figured out is often the key to creating clarity.

Josh and Calvin also dive into building confidence through repetition, developing conviction in what you do, creating your own “luck” by being prepared when opportunities arrive, and redefining what success actually looks like. They close with a conversation around Ikigai and the pursuit of work that combines what you love, what you're good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for.

If you know you're capable of more but have been waiting for the perfect time to move, this episode is for you.

Check out Top Dawg Tech Solutions here: https://www.topdawg.ai/

Check out the Ikigai here: https://www.wholegraindigital.com/blog/ikigai-finding-purpose-at-work/

Most people think they need clarity before they take action. But what if clarity only comes after you move?

In this episode of The Take A Step Podcast, Josh Johnston and John Szarszewski unpack The Take A Step Mentality: Action Produces Clarity. They explore the difference between being interested and truly committed, how fear keeps us stuck, and why faith gives us the confidence to move forward even when we can’t see the entire path.

Through stories about business, family, fitness, and faith, Josh and John break down why you don’t need the perfect plan to pursue meaningful growth. You need enough courage to take the next step, reflect on what it teaches you, and keep moving.

If you’ve been waiting until you have it all figured out, this episode is your challenge to start.

What do you do when life stops making sense?

In this episode, Josh Johnston unpacks the powerful truth found in Proverbs 3:5–6: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding."

Through personal stories of delayed growth as an athlete, missed opportunities during COVID, and lessons learned through life's unexpected setbacks, Josh explores why not everything is meant to be understood right away. Sometimes the greatest growth happens when we stop demanding answers and start trusting the process.

If you're walking through uncertainty, this conversation will encourage you to keep moving forward with faith, knowing that clarity often comes in hindsight.

Check out Take A Step: letstakeastep.com

At just 22 years old, Matt Phillips has grown a pressure washing side hustle into a million-dollar business with a team of more than ten employees. In this episode, Matt joins Josh to discuss what entrepreneurship really looks like behind the scenes—from building systems only when they're needed to navigating the stress of leading people, embracing failure, and staying focused on consistent progress over perfection. Together, they explore why action creates clarity, why relationships matter more than networking, and how the best leaders keep taking the next step, even when the path ahead isn't fully clear.

Connect with Matt Phillips:

🌐 Website: https://www.mattsexteriorwashing.com/
📸 Instagram: @mattphillipsbiz
🎥 YouTube: @MattPhillipsBiz

If this conversation challenged you, share it with someone who needs the reminder that clarity comes through action—not waiting.

Here's a podcast description that fits the Take A Step brand voice and stays around 100 words, based on the transcript.

Before you can steward more, you have to become more. In this episode of The Take A Step Podcast, Josh Johnston and John Szarszewski unpack what it truly means to Be the Steward—the seventh step in the Take A Step Journey.

They explore why stewardship is about far more than finances, how the Be → Do → Have framework reshapes personal growth, and why abiding in Christ produces lasting fruit. Through practical stories and leadership insights, they challenge listeners to stop chasing outcomes and start becoming the kind of person who can faithfully steward their time, talents, relationships, and opportunities with purpose.

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