Will Andrews’ entrepreneurial journey began at age 12, when his father handed him a push mower and sent him out to cut a few neighborhood lawns.
 
What began as a childhood lesson in hard work eventually became Proscapes—a thriving Middle Tennessee landscape-management company with approximately 35 employees and nearly $5 million in projected annual revenue.
 
In this episode of The Calling and the Climb, Will shares how he chose entrepreneurship over the security of joining his father’s established business, why marriage caused him to begin treating his lawn-care work as a real company, and how years of determination and blue-collar hustle helped Proscapes grow from one mower, one trailer, and a handful of customers into a respected commercial landscaping operation.
 
Will also discusses one of the most difficult transitions for any successful entrepreneur: moving from doing the work himself to leading the people who do it. He reflects on learning to delegate, discovering that not everyone approaches work with the same drive, balancing business with marriage and fatherhood, and growing from hands-on operator into the CEO his expanding company now needs.
 
This is a conversation about work ethic, personal responsibility, calculated risk, leadership, humility, and the hunger to keep building—even after achieving more than you once imagined.
 
Learn more about Will and Proscapes:
https://proscapes-tn.com/
 
Subscribe to The Calling and the Climb for more candid conversations about faith, leadership, entrepreneurship, purpose, and the lessons learned along the climb.

What determines whether life’s hardships leave us bitter—or help us become better?

In this episode of The Calling and the Climb, Phillip Hampton sits down with Rev. Steve Drury, a pastor, author, entrepreneur, and visionary leader whose life has been devoted to serving children, churches, organizations, and communities.

Steve and his wife spent 26 years leading Tupelo Children’s Mansion, where they helped raise more than 1,000 children. Along the way, they also founded a Christian school, a maternity care center, an adoption ministry, a thrift store, and a local church.

Steve later became the founding director of The Stewardship Group for the United Pentecostal Church International and helped establish the United Pentecostal Foundation, the UPCI Church Loan Fund, and United Insurance Solutions. He has also served as a pastor and helped launch organizations including LifeSprings Ventures and Impact Junkie.

But Steve’s journey has included more than accomplishments. In this conversation, he reflects on the dreams, sacrifices, disappointments, lessons, and faith that have shaped his life—and explains how we can choose to become better rather than bitter when life does not unfold as we expected.

Steve is the author of Bitter or Better: A Life Lived With Purpose.

📖 Purchase Steve’s book on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CDZ41TSQ

Subscribe to The Calling and the Climb for more conversations about entrepreneurship, leadership, faith, purpose, and the lessons learned along the journey.

#TheCallingAndTheClimb #SteveDrury #BitterOrBetter #Purpose #FaithAndLeadership #ChristianLeadership #Entrepreneurship #LifeLessons

In this episode of The Calling and the Climb, Phillip Hampton sits down with Taylor Kovar for a conversation about faith, entrepreneurship, stewardship, and the deeper personal transformation that often comes with building and leading businesses.
 
Taylor Kovar is a CFP® professional, entrepreneur, and business leader who grew up in a converted barn where his parents taught him the value of hard work, faith, and serving others. Over the past two decades, he has built and led businesses across healthcare, finance, and technology, leading more than 300 employees along the way. Today, Taylor leads a wealth management firm, teaches Entrepreneurial Finance, and is the co-founder of BudgetGPT, a mission-driven financial tool designed to help families approach money with clarity and confidence.
 
In this conversation, Taylor reflects on two defining seasons in his journey: the shift from employee to owner, and the season after selling a business he had spent years building. He shares how carrying the weight of payroll, culture, leadership, and long-term decisions shaped him—and how letting go of a successful business forced him to wrestle with identity, purpose, and faith in a new way.
 
At the center of Taylor’s story is a powerful belief: wealth is ultimately about freedom—the freedom to serve well, lead faithfully, and walk through the doors God opens.
 
Learn more about Taylor and his work at GrowVia Group:
https://growviagroup.com/

What does it take to turn a childhood passion into a career?
In this episode of The Calling and the Climb, Phillip sits down with videographer and entrepreneur Garet Maddox, founder of Cinemaddox. Garet shares how a love for making videos as a kid eventually grew into a professional career serving clients across music, sports, churches, construction, comedy, and film.
 
They discuss the realities of freelancing, building client relationships, overcoming perfectionism, and the lessons he's learning as a young entrepreneur. Garet also shares how his faith has shaped his journey and how some of the greatest opportunities in his career were doors he never could have planned for himself.
 
Whether you're a creative professional, entrepreneur, business owner, or someone trying to discover your calling, you'll find valuable insights in Garet's story.
 
About Garet Maddox:
Garet Maddox is a full-service video producer and founder of Cinemaddox. His work spans a variety of industries including music, film and television, comedy, sports, construction, and churches. Through his work behind the camera, Garet has built a career helping organizations and individuals tell compelling stories through video.
 
Subscribe for more conversations with entrepreneurs, leaders, creators, and people pursuing their calling while navigating the climb of life and business.

#Entrepreneurship #Videography #ContentCreation #CreativeEntrepreneur #Podcast #FaithAndBusiness #TheCallingAndTheClimb #Cinemaddox

In this episode of The Calling and the Climb, Phillip sits down with entrepreneur, business strategist, and author Galen Walters to discuss his remarkable journey from financial collapse and bankruptcy to helping build and lead businesses that now serve grocery retailers around the world.

Over more than four decades in business, Galen has founded multiple companies, navigated private equity transactions, led technology ventures across several continents, and developed management systems used by organizations ranging from corporations to churches. Today, he serves as Chairman of Relationshop and continues to mentor leaders, entrepreneurs, and nonprofit organizations.

Whether you're building a business, leading an organization, or climbing through a difficult season, Galen's story is a powerful reminder that failure does not have to be the final chapter.

🎙️ The Calling and the Climb is a podcast about entrepreneurship, faith, leadership, and the lessons learned along the journey to success.

In this episode of The Calling and the Climb, Phillip Hampton sits down with entrepreneur Ryan O’Neil, founder of Curate, to talk about the real journey of building a business from the ground up.
Ryan shares how he went from failed startup experiences to launching Curate from a simple hackathon idea with only $600, eventually growing it into a multi-million dollar company. This conversation dives into the highs, lows, risks, lessons, and mindset shifts that come with entrepreneurship while you’re still “in the fight.”

Philip and Ryan cover a lot of topics from Learning through failure, Bootstrapping a startup with limited resources,  Building before everything feels perfect, and staying grounded during the climb

Learn more about Ryan and Curate: 
https://curate.co

In this episode of The Calling and the Climb, Phillip Hampton sits down with John Darby to explore what leadership looks like across multiple arenas—from public service to entrepreneurship to scaling mission-driven organizations.
John shares insights from building businesses, leading teams of over 100 employees, and navigating the challenges of growth, culture, and responsibility. The conversation dives into what it really takes to lead well, how purpose and profitability intersect, and the lessons learned along the way.

What happens the morning after you sell the business you spent 26 years building? In this episode of The Calling and the Climb, Phillip shares the unexpected journey that followed his exit—moving from relentless pressure and responsibility into a season of rest that transformed his perspective on work, faith, and purpose. From the surreal freedom of the first morning after the sale to the deeper realization that every season of life carries meaning, this conversation explores what comes after the climb and why your purpose doesn’t end just because one chapter closes.

After 26 years of building his company from the ground up, Phillip Hampton walks through the real process of selling a business From finding advisors and hiring an investment banker to navigating valuations, due diligence, letters of intent, and the emotional roller coaster of negotiating a deal. In this episode of The Calling and the Climb, Phillip shares what founders should expect when preparing to sell their company and the lessons he learned along the way. The journey culminates in a powerful full-circle moment when he signs the final paperwork in the very place where his entrepreneurial journey first began, standing on the platform of his church.

In this episode of The Calling and the Climb, Phillip Hampton shares how the momentum toward his exit strategy was suddenly disrupted by COVID and personal loss. He reflects on navigating crisis, stepping away from the business during a critical season, and the importance of building loyal leaders who can carry the vision forward when life demands your attention elsewhere.