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.

In this episode of The Calling and the Climb, Phillip Hampton and Kent Curry continue the journey toward an exit strategy by unpacking a critical season of course correction, renewed focus, and disciplined leadership. Phillip shares how setting ego aside, aligning key leaders, tightening spending, and monitoring the right metrics helped position the company for growth and marketability.
From clear directives and accountability to celebrating wins and staying focused on long-term goals, this episode explores what it really takes to lead through pressure while preparing a business for transition. And just as momentum reaches a record high, unexpected changes begin to appear on the horizon.

After building the infrastructure, capital, and model to scale, everything looked ready for a powerful exit. The strategy worked. The growth was real. But behind the wins, something was drifting. In this episode, Phillip shares the painful season when prayerful decisions led to unexpected setbacks, misalignment crept in, finances spiraled, and he had to confront bitterness, forgiveness, and the weight of leadership. This is the spiritual side of entrepreneurship — where faith is tested, focus is refined, and grace becomes essential.

In this episode of The Calling and the Climb, Phillip continues the story of how a single unexpected opportunity became the catalyst for building an exit strategy. Using the idea of known knowns known unknowns and unknown unknowns he walks through the mindset shifts decisions and faith driven moments that allowed his business to scale secure funding build the right team and step into a much bigger vision. This conversation offers practical insight and encouragement for entrepreneurs navigating growth uncertainty and the path toward a successful exit.