Work is Calling

Samantha Larson grew up in the Chicago suburbs, the oldest of four, keeping her dad company while he prepared his sermons. But it was years later, packaging muffins on a night shift at a grocery store bakery and convinced God couldn't do much with someone who felt she'd failed at so many things, that she heard the Lord ask a simple question: "If you could do anything, what would you do?" That moment set the course for a career in soul care; residential work with teenage girls, foster care, and now case management with single moms in transitional housing.

In this episode of Work Is Calling, Wayne and Samantha explore what it means to treat difficult, draining work as a sacred calling rather than just a job. Samantha shares how she learned to expect God to show up in the middle of a workday, why she once won a resistant client's trust with coffee and doughnuts instead of harshness, and how she fought against the fear of running herself into the ground. She speaks candidly about wrestling with self-confidence and people-pleasing, the boundaries that protect her from burnout, and why she believes God has not asked her to be God.

Shea Lesline describes his own life as ordinary, but a quiet record of faithfulness is its own kind of testimony and one people need to hear. Raised in a non-Christian home in the Quad Cities, Shea came to faith through Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Young Life in his football years, though it wasn't until marriage, four kids, and a shared realization with his wife that neither of them really knew what following Jesus meant, that his faith became his own.

In this episode of Work Is Calling, Wayne Kuna and Shea explore why doing excellent work in software engineering (writing maintainable code, catching the bug before it ships, teaching the next person instead of doing everything yourself) can itself be an act of worship. Shea also reflects on the conviction behind Band of Brothers, the men's fellowship he helped start during COVID that has since grown from a handful of guys to nearly forty strong.

You already know Matthew Gosling's voice; he's behind the announcements on every episode of Work Is Calling, and the sound engineer behind how the whole show sounds. Originally from London and now settled in central Illinois with his wife and their two young sons, Matthew came to a living faith through a dark stretch in his late teens, an unexpected invitation to a conference in Hungary, and the influence of a mathematician-theologian whose teaching knocked down his doubts one at a time. What followed was a decade of working out what kingdom values actually look like away from a church or a ministry office. In his case, at an advertising agency.

In this episode of Work Is Calling, Wayne and Matthew explore what calling looks like on an ordinary client call rather than from a pulpit. Matthew recounts walking into a high-stakes meeting fully expecting to lose a client relationship over a costly mistake, and instead watching that client extend grace, citing his conduct as the reason they stayed on. He unpacks what he means by a "hope pandemic" quietly spreading through the modern workforce, why he sees Bible study as something to carry outward rather than hoard inward, and why treating your work as a calling doesn't add a layer to your life.

Ryan DeKoekKoek (also known as DK) grew up in Chino, California, surrounded by dairy farms, eventually found his way to Notre Dame's Dort University, and spent two formative years teaching at a missionary school in Japan before settling into what would become a 23-year career at Timothy Christian Schools in Elmhurst, Illinois. What started as a job he "just picked" has quietly become a deep calling lived from the inside out.

In this episode of Work Is Calling, Wayne and DK explore the long, unplanned road from career to calling, including a pivotal moment in Japan when God redirected DK's plans through an unexpected email. They discuss the danger of building your identity around status and ladder-climbing, what it looks like to find contentment before chasing achievement, and why John the Baptist may be the most underrated model of vocational surrender in scripture. DK also shares the small, daily habits that keep him anchored to the reason he shows up.

Rob Globke spent years in one of the toughest environments in sports: professional hockey. But his story is not just about competition, travel, or life on the ice. It is about how God slowly redirected a gifted athlete’s love for the game into a deeper calling. From growing up in Michigan, to playing at Notre Dame, to pro hockey in North America and Europe, Rob shares a life shaped by discipline, sacrifice, and the quiet formation of faith. Along the way, mentors, scripture, and one unforgettable bus ride in Germany helped him begin to see that the game he loved could also become a place of ministry.

In this episode of Work Is Calling, Rob and Wayne Kuna talk about what it looks like to follow Jesus in a hockey culture that often feels spiritually lonely. Rob reflects on why the sacrificial love of Christ both comforts and challenges him, and how he learned to live as a quiet witness rather than force faith on others. He also shares how Hockey Ministries International became the place where his love for hockey and his love for Jesus finally came together, why he believes there is no real divide between “spiritual” and “secular” work, and how seeing work as a calling gives you the endurance to keep going when success, money, or comfort fall short.

Kari Meyer’s story is a tapestry of bold transitions: Chicago roots, decades spent in the DC area, a career that began as a temp role and grew into global consulting leadership, and a later-life shift through grief into new arenas of real estate leadership and professional coaching. Along the way, she’s carried a consistent thread: an insistence that leadership is relational at its core, and that people flourish when they feel seen. Grounded in Psalm 87, Kari frames her energy, resilience, and purpose as something sourced in God rather than performance or outcomes.

In this episode of Work Is Calling, Kari and Wayne Kuna discuss what it looks like to treat work as a calling when you’re solving real problems, leading teams, and navigating uncertainty. Kari shares how her sense of calling formed early in her consulting years, why she believes the image of God in others should shape how leaders build teams, and how coaching becomes a “container” where truth can replace fear and limiting beliefs. They also talk daily practices (prayer, gratitude, and speaking truth before the day begins) and why curiosity is one of the most powerful tools a leader can bring into complexity.

Brian Godawa has spent his life living in two worlds at once. A screenwriter and novelist, Brian grew up in the northwest suburbs of Chicago in a religious home. After coming to faith in high school, he began to see film and story differently, not just as entertainment but as powerful vehicles for truth and worldview. Along the way he was shaped by voices like C.S. Lewis, Francis Schaeffer, Greg Bahnsen, and Michael Heiser, all of whom helped him wrestle with how art, theology, and apologetics intersect.

In this episode of Work Is Calling, Brian and Wayne Kuna explore how a love of movies became a sense of calling to be a “truth-teller” through story. Brian talks about Ecclesiastes 12 and the tension between endless books and simple obedience, why he thinks both head and heart must be converted, and why the Sermon on the Mount, especially loving your enemies, remains the hardest part of following Jesus. They also dig into his craft: how he uses appendices like Michael Crichton to ground “fantastical” biblical fiction in research, why he reads exhaustively on controversial issues, and why lies, propaganda, and the erosion of free speech grieve him so deeply. It’s a candid look at what it means to see writing, film, and imagination not as escapism, but as a serious calling from God.

Greg Thornton thought he was headed for pastoral ministry, right up until God made it clear he wasn’t. What followed was a decades-long journey in publishing, administration, and leadership at Moody Bible Institute, all shaped by a simple desire: to be known as a servant of the living God.

In this episode of Work Is Calling, Greg and Wayne Kuna talk through the unexpected ways calling takes shape over time. From feeling out of place during his exploration of pastoral studies to discovering a love for Christian publishing, Greg shares how God slowly revealed the work he was made to do. Along the way, they discuss the power of Psalms in leadership, emotional honesty in worship, what it means to carry a posture of servanthood into the boardroom, and how a childhood shaped by hard work and Scripture laid the foundation for a faithful vocational life.

What happens when the life you’ve built falls apart, and instead of retreating God calls you forward? In this episode of Work Is Calling Revisited, where we reflect on previous episode that still hold such potent truths about God's goodness in work and life, we will be exploring one such story of radical trust and faith.

Wayne Kuna sits down with Diane Salvador, a Dean of Health Sciences and a nurse of over 40 years. From her humble beginnings in rural Ohio to climbing the ranks of hospital leadership, Diane shares a vulnerable and inspiring story of being fired for telling the truth, surviving profound personal loss, and rediscovering her calling in the world of education.

Together, Wayne and Diane discuss what it means to actually trust God when the bottom falls out, why Esther’s story resonates so strongly, and what fuels her faith in the spreadsheet-filled trenches of academic leadership. With moments of humor, honesty, and raw testimony, this episode is a powerful reminder to listen for God's calling in life's detours.

What happens when you sense God's calling, not to ministry but to the boardroom? In this episode, Wayne Kuna interviews Bob Schmid, a corporate leader in credit risk management who sees his work as worship. Bob opens up about being his work in the secular marketplace, why he traded a pursuit of an MDiv for an MBA, and how his faith has shaped everything from financial roles at global leaders such as BP and NextEra Energy, to starting an adoption grant nonprofit with his wife.

With a life verse from Micah 6:8 tattooed on his arm, Bob’s story is a vivid example that faith-filled excellence, not just good intentions, can define Christian leadership in any field. Whether you’re considering a major career shift, facing leadership tension, or just wondering how to live your faith at work without alienating others, this episode will hopefully serve as a strong reminder to do your job well while pursuing God’s will in your life.