The Valiant Forge

What happens when the praise you receive becomes the thing that tells you what you're worth?

Nathan Graham joins Mark Osborne for an honest conversation about ego, approval, marriage, and finding peace in Christ. Nathan calls the compliments we build our identity around “junk food for the soul,” while Mark shares how his own search for validation nearly destroyed his marriage.

Their conversation moves from growing up around ministry to examining motives, understanding grace, and recognizing what people may be searching for when they turn to escape. Nathan also shares his perspective on gaming, competition, and belonging, drawing on themes from his book, Why Won't He Just Log Off?

Together, they explore taking responsibility without becoming trapped in shame, serving your family, and finding fulfillment beyond the next achievement or compliment.

In this episode:

• Recognizing when service becomes a search for approval.
• Understanding how childhood experiences can shape our view of God.
• Examining the relationship between law, grace, and spiritual growth.
• Looking beneath gaming and escape to questions of connection and purpose.
• Finding contentment in Christ and growing through fellowship with other men.

Connect with Nathan: https://syntheticecho.com/

Explore Why Won't He Just Log Off?: https://syntheticecho.com/why-wont-he-log-off

Follow The Valiant Forge and share this episode with a man who needs the conversation.

Want to be a guest on The Valiant Forge Podcast? Send Mark Osborne a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/17432638464878159623a121d

Have you ever sat in your driveway for 20 minutes before going inside because you weren’t ready to face everything waiting for you?

Eli Brackenbury has. After his second divorce and years of trying to control the direction of his life, he was tired of swimming upstream and getting nowhere. Learning to surrender to Jesus became the beginning of a different kind of life.

In this episode of The Valiant Forge, Mark Osborne talks with Eli about the story behind Finding God at 50, rebuilding an identity rooted in Christ, and discovering purpose in the second half of life. They explore the pressure men feel to perform, the courage it takes to be vulnerable, and what faith looks like in everyday work and relationships.

Eli also shares how an unexpected relationship with his wife’s ex-husband became an opportunity for discipleship and family change.

In this conversation:

• Starting over after divorce and releasing control
• Moving from spiritual dryness toward a relationship with Jesus
• Learning to be still while continuing to move forward
• Bringing faith into work, accountability, and relationships
• Why vulnerability and masculinity can belong together
• Sharing your testimony to encourage other people

Connect with Eli and explore his books: https://elibrackenbury.com/

Book discussed: Finding God at 50

Follow The Valiant Forge for honest conversations that help men overcome life’s battles and become the men God has called them to be. Share this episode with a man who needs encouragement to start again.

Want to be a guest on The Valiant Forge Podcast? Send Mark Osborne a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/17432638464878159623a121d

How do you become unshakable when life falls apart?

Jim Burgoon knows what it means to walk through the fire. Childhood abuse, bullying, and loss led him away from God and into atheism and witchcraft. His wife's decision to follow Jesus became a turning point, leading Jim toward an honest prayer and a new direction for his life.

His faith did not make the difficult seasons disappear. Jim went on to serve in ministry, step away from pastoring to care for his wife, face financial hardship, and grieve the loss of his mother and sister.

In this episode of The Valiant Forge Podcast, Jim joins Mark Osborne to share what those seasons taught him about trusting God, facing unresolved pain, and accepting support. He also opens up about his own ongoing healing journey and the struggle to feel connected to a community.

IN THIS EPISODE

• How his wife's courage challenged his unbelief
• The damaging words he believed for years
• Self-sabotage, passivity, and living from conviction
• Facing hurt instead of burying it
• Faith, therapy, accountability, and accepting help
• Trusting God through family crises and grief
• Finding your identity in Christ
• Encouragement for anyone living through a painful season

CONNECT WITH JIM

Find Jim's coaching, podcast, and resources: https://leadwithjim.com/

THE VALIANT FORGE PODCAST

Hosted by Mark Osborne

Where God shapes ordinary men into faithful men.

Follow the show wherever you listen to podcasts, and share this conversation with someone who needs encouragement to keep going.

Interested in sharing your story on The Valiant Forge?

https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/17432638464878159623a121d

He thought he was devoted to God. But his involvement in New Age and witchcraft nearly cost him his marriage and his relationship with his children.

Jonathan Guerrero, host of The Fatherhood Challenge, joins Mark Osborne to share the testimony behind his mission to help fathers. He describes his wife’s prayers, the encounter that exposed his deception, and the forgiveness he struggled to believe could be his.

But coming out of that darkness wasn’t the end of the struggle. Jonathan still had to confront shame, loneliness, and the fear that he had destroyed too much to go home.

We also discuss feeling unqualified for God’s calling, rebuilding relationships, and why becoming a faithful father doesn’t mean becoming a perfect one.

If you’ve ever wondered whether your failures disqualify you from being used by God, this conversation is for you.

Connect with Jonathan and The Fatherhood Challenge:

https://www.thefatherhoodchallenge.com/

Subscribe to The Valiant Forge for honest conversations about faith, fatherhood, and becoming the man God has called you to be.

Want to be a guest on The Valiant Forge Podcast? Send Mark Osborne a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/17432638464878159623a121d

You can stop working and still struggle to rest. Former hospital CEO Bret Kolman joins Mark Osborne to explore the pressure to keep achieving, the difference between distraction and soul rest, and learning to surrender control to God.

Bret shares the cost of stepping away from his career, what years of mini-sabbaticals taught him, and why he encourages people to start with the time and circumstances they actually have. The conversation also explores fear, gratitude, community, and a personal regret that reminds us not to postpone the things that matter.

If you're balancing work, family, and ministry while feeling stretched thin, this conversation offers a place to reflect on what real rest could look like in your life.

Connect with Bret: https://sabbaticaltaker.com/

Book and resources — Wisdom That Leads to Soul Rest: https://sabbaticaltaker.com/wisdom_that_leads_to_soul_rest/

Share this episode with a friend, follow The Valiant Forge Podcast, and leave a review if the conversation encourages you.

Want to be a guest on The Valiant Forge Podcast? Send Mark Osborne a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/17432638464878159623a121d

How do you keep trusting God when life gives you reasons to question everything?

Michael Wright joins Mark Osborne for an honest conversation about grief, addiction, spiritual growth, and becoming a better husband and father.

Michael shares the loss of his daughter to a heroin overdose, a house fire shortly after his ordination, and a near-fatal accident he believes he should never have survived. He also opens up about twenty years of alcoholism and the moment he finally admitted, “I need to be a better dad. I need to be a better husband”—and asked for help.

Together, Mark and Michael explore what it means to move beyond going through the motions and build a faith that shapes everyday life.

In this episode:

• Trusting God through grief and unanswered questions

• Recognizing spiritual stagnation

• Why men struggle to ask for help

• Leading your family through your example

• The difference between practicing what you preach and preaching what you practice

• Finding encouragement and support when life feels overwhelming

Connect with Michael Wright:

Books, speaking, and Kingdom Conversations:

https://www.drmwright.com/

Want to be a guest on The Valiant Forge Podcast? Send Mark Osborne a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/17432638464878159623a121d

Episode chapters:

00:00 A life tested by loss and addiction

01:38 Welcome to The Valiant Forge

02:05 Meet Michael Wright

04:23 From the rodeo to the pulpit

07:21 When the church closed

11:40 Losing his daughter and trusting God through grief

14:25 A house fire and faith through trials

18:03 Breaking out of spiritual stagnation

21:09 “I should have died”

23:44 Following God into an unexpected opportunity

27:01 Church, hypocrisy, and living your faith

32:18 Welcoming a man who didn’t believe

33:42 Why men struggle to ask for help

35:49 Becoming a better leader at home

38:37 “I need to be a better dad”

40:16 Encouragement for discouraged men

42:02 Twenty years of alcoholism—and a new beginning

43:55 Final encouragement and connecting with Michael

Follow The Valiant Forge for honest conversations that help men become who God has called them to be.

How do you stay grounded in faith while pursuing a demanding career?

Talent agent and author Dr. Albert Bramante joins Mark Osborne for a conversation about faith, the struggles behind public success, and finding purpose through serving others. Albert shares his experiences of childhood illness, isolation, depression, and surviving suicide attempts, along with the unexpected path that brought him into the entertainment industry.

Together, they discuss prayer, shame, forgiveness, gratitude, community, and learning to surrender control. They also explore questions about psychology, hypnosis, and Christian faith.

For the man who feels stuck, the conversation closes with encouragement to take one small step toward becoming the man God has called him to be.

Connect with Albert:

Website: https://albertbramante.com/

Book: https://albertbramante.com/book.html

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dralbramante/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/albertbramante/

Want to be a guest on The Valiant Forge Podcast? Send Mark Osborne a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/17432638464878159623a121d

At one point, Chris LaFreniere lost touch with reality and believed he was God. Today, he’s a husband, a father, a Christian, and the author of Bipolar Is Who I Am.

Chris joins Mark Osborne on The Valiant Forge to share his experience of bipolar I disorder, substance abuse, hospitalization, and the long process of rebuilding his life. An arrest led to community service. Community service led to a church invitation. That invitation opened a door he hadn’t expected.

Together, they discuss the warning signs Chris missed, finding medication that worked for him, growing in faith, and the everyday work of marriage and fatherhood. Chris also explains why his story is about managing his condition and continuing to grow.

In this conversation:

• What psychosis and paranoia felt like for Chris
• Why the people around him began urging him to get help
• How he came to church and began following Jesus
• What he learned about becoming a husband, father, and spiritual leader
• Why there is hope and a meaningful life after diagnosis

Connect with Chris and explore his memoir, Bipolar Is Who I Am:

https://www.bipolariswhoiam.com/

If this conversation encourages you, follow The Valiant Forge and share it with someone who needs to hear it.

Want to be a guest on The Valiant Forge Podcast? Send Mark Osborne a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/17432638464878159623a121d

Has modern spirituality given old ideas a new identity? Author Tom Snow returns to The Valiant Forge to discuss manifestation, spiritual deception, the prosperity gospel, and the difference between trusting God and trying to control outcomes.

Mark shares personal experiences with insecurity, the desire for approval, and a psychic reading. Tom offers his interpretations of psychic knowledge, spirit guides, mentalists, and other spiritual phenomena, and discusses Set the Captives Free Too: Evil’s Great Masquerade: Divine Light or Deceptive Woo?

This episode includes Tom’s personal interpretations. Listeners are encouraged to weigh the conversation against Scripture.

Connect with Tom and find his books: https://just2beclear.com/

Substack: https://just2beclear1.substack.com/

The Valiant Forge helps men become who God has called them to be through honest conversations about faith, testimony, and following Jesus.

Can you know Jesus loves you and still feel you have to prove your worth? Coach and author Tony Stoltzfus shares how devastating loss changed his relationship with God, then guides Mark through a personal coaching conversation about ministry, significance, and bringing the desires of the heart to Jesus.

You can know Jesus loves you and still feel like you have to prove you're worth something.

In this episode of The Valiant Forge Podcast, Mark Osborne sits down with Christian leadership coach and author Tony Stoltzfus to explore faith, loss, and the pressure to find your value in what you do for God.

Tony shares the painful seasons that reshaped his life: a church collapse, the loss of his home in a fire, and family crises that pushed him beyond his ability to cope. He describes how those experiences changed his relationship with Jesus and loosened his need to perform.

The conversation becomes deeply personal when Mark asks Tony to coach him through his own desire to reach more men and leave a meaningful legacy. Together, they explore the needs beneath those ambitions and what it looks like to bring those needs to Jesus.

IN THIS EPISODE

• Trusting God when life does not work out as expected
• Building deeper relationships through vulnerability
• Faith in seasons of loss and limited productivity
• Moving from transactional prayer toward relationship with Jesus
• Worth, significance, ministry, and the desire to leave a legacy
• Tony's Questions for Jesus approach and a live coaching demonstration

TONY'S RESOURCES

Questions for Jesus app — listed in the app stores as Qs 4 Jesus:

iPhone/iPad: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/qs-4-jesus/id1080235784

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?hl=en_US&id=com.zqquestionsforjesus

MetaFormation: https://meta-formation.com/

The Valiant Forge Podcast

Hosted by Mark Osborne

Where God shapes ordinary men into faithful men.

Want to be a guest on The Valiant Forge Podcast? Send Mark Osborne a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/17432638464878159623a121d