Core4Life: Recent Episodes
Core4Life
Core4Life is a podcast for men hosted by 4 average dudes. We're on a quest to improve and balance the 4 core pillars in our lives - beFIT, beDRIVEN, beNOBLE, and beCHILL. We'll publish and discuss content related to each of the pillars and have guests on a regular basis. Come laugh, learn, and join in the fun-tivities with us!
It's been a while but we hope you're ready for a great episode featuring Tom Chamberlin - Discipleship Pastor at Riverwood Chapel in Stow, OH. We talk through the various paths of discipleship, what it means to be a disciple, and the potential dangers of AI.
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We finish 2023 with some final thoughts on the events of the year including where we've seen God move in our lives, things that we want to focus on going into 2024, and how we plan to be "On Mission". We also discuss the recent passage of Issue 1 in Ohio. What that means for Christians and how we need to extend everyone grace while still holding firmly to Biblical truths.
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Our first three-time guest is back on the mics with us - Pastor Jarrod Williams! We kick off the episode with the classic game - 2 truths and a lie - with some pretty hilarious results.
Then we dig into some more serious topics including Alpha Course, Jarrod's recent pastoral sabbatical, counseling, and finish up the episode with some discussion on lies that we all tell ourselves.
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The Core4 are finally back together again! We sit down to discuss John Mark Comer's book, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry. It's a challenging read that pushes back against some of the prevailing attitudes in our culture right now when it comes to success, drive, and time management. Do we think hurry should be ruthlessly eliminated? Tune in to find out!
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Dan Blechschmid volunteered to serve with Samaritan's Purse on their Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) after hearing our past guest, Brock Kreitzberg, talk about the work that they were doing. He shared with us his history and heart for missions, both domestic and international, as well as some of the most impactful stories that he saw while deployed in war-torn Ukraine.
Resources:
Radical
The Unexpected Adventure
No Excuses
33 the Series
Good Works Mission
A Note from Dan:
- To my friends from Samaritan’s Purse – As said in the podcast, while I am a huge fan, I am not an official spokesperson for Samaritan’s Purse so comments in the cast do not officially represent Samaritan’s Purse the organization, but I hope you agree I tried my best to speak consistent with the mission of our great organization. Please also know that before I agreed to do the podcast, I did contact and receive permission from Samaritan’s Purse media relations and they with security to ensure that this was permitted. I pray for you and thank God for you each day, and for the amazing and selfless work that you do to share the love of Jesus Christ around the world!
- To my family, my friends, my church, and my work – I don’t think I officially said “thank you” in the pod cast. The unexpected and sheer volume of support received through hundreds of prayers, comments, texts, emails were so very much appreciated – more than you will ever know. THANK YOU does not come close to covering it but that’s all I have. Now I also have to be so bold as to ask one more thing of you. Please continue to pray for and support missionaries, mission workers, deployed Samaritan’s Purse staff for their safety, and for their continued success in sharing the love of Jesus wherever they are serving.
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The Core4 (minus one) sit down with our friend, and author, Joe Weigel, to discuss his new book and the current state of schools in the USA.
Order Joe's book here - The Critical State of Education: How Classical Education Can Defeat Critical Marxism
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The Core 4 sit down to discuss Christianity Today's The Rise & Fall of Mars Hill podcast. The group comes at the podcast from 2 different sides with some of us not having any experience with Mark Driscoll's ministry beforehand, and some of us being impacted by his ministry previously. The conversation is spirited and lively as we try to unpack the question: "Do the ends justify the means?"
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The Core4 wraps up the year by sitting down to talk through our highlights from 2022. We discuss our favorite Core4 moments, favorite books, fitness highlights, and more! We also provide a sneak peek at the 2023 Core4Life Pillar Challenge that you can jump into from anywhere! Just click this link to join our Facebook group and get in on the challenge!
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Are you afraid of flying? Do you write your "will" on a random piece of paper and sign it to make it "official" when you're traveling? Apparently you're not alone...
Listen in to this hysterical conversation with Justin and Kristin Berthiaume! We talked about listening to God's calling, chatting with door-to-door Mormons, real estate, coming back to the faith, and much more with this cool couple!
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Joey Jenkins is one of the most driven people that we know! Listen in as he talks about where that drive comes from, the challenges that he's faced in his life, how he regularly wrestles with God, and how he learned that God will straighten what satan twists.
This is a hugely impactful episode that you won't want to miss!
Resources:
Joey's Documentary - Perception | From Prison to Purpose
Joey's Book - Never Hit the Snooze Button
Vooks
Slaying the Dragon
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This is a truly inspiring episode that you don't want to miss! Our good friend, Justin Dodson, walks us through his journey from full-time college ministry to a sales job. The ups, the downs, and everything in between. If you've ever been out of a job, or felt lost at times, this episode is for you.
Justin also gives some great reading recommendations:
Hero on a Mission - Donald Miller
J-Curve - Paul Miller
Wounded - Terry Wardle
Extreme Ownership - Jocko Willink
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The Core4 is back and talking about our love/hate relationship with screen time as parents. We talk about some of the stigmas associated with screen time, how we handle it with our kids, and give some practical advice on how to "redeem" screen time for your family.
Links:
YouTube Channels
- Mark Rober
- Backyard Scientist
- Ninja Kidz
- Dude Perfect
- Smarter Every Day
- Slow-mo Guys
- Sci Show Kids
Rightnow Media
- The Creators
- Bible Man
Apps/Audio books
- Vooks
- Hoopla
Ideas other than screens
- Week or 2 of no screen time in the summer
- Hikes
- Board games: Catan Jr, Ticket to Ride Jr, Sequence, Trekking the National Parks
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The Core 4 sit down to talk about loving others even when it's difficult. God commands us to love everyone, including our enemies. We talk about why that's so hard to do sometimes and give some practical ways that we can put that into practice.
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We were honored to be able to sit down and talk with NFL Hall of Famer, Darrell Green at his charity golf outing. For those that may not know who Darrell Green is…he’s a pretty big deal. Arguably the best defensive back to ever play the game and arguably the fastest player of all time, once recording a 4.09 40 time. He was a 2x Super Bowl Champ, NFL Man of the Year, 7x pro-bowler, holding double-digit NFL records…the list goes on and on as he is one of the most decorated defensive players to ever play. But most importantly, he always stayed humble, worked extremely hard, and stayed focused on his main purpose, which was fulfilling God’s plan for his life and living for Him and not fame and fortune.
That led him to start the Darrell Green Youth Life Foundation to develop leaders by making long-term investments in children from at-risk communities. The foundation accomplishes this by supporting students academically, developing their character from a young age, raising expectations, and investing in their lives through committed mentoring relationships. My sister Heather, who we had on an earlier podcast, started this foundation in Richmond, Virginia and they have been running strong now for over 20 years.
We took the opportunity to sponsor a hole at their golf tournament this year, where we hung out all day, talking with each group and the celebrities coming through about what we’re all about here at Core4Life. We were also able to sit down with Darrell for a bit and record this podcast to hear more about his heart for the foundation. Darrell was quick to mention to us that he turns down most podcasts, but because it was my sister, he was happy to make an exception and we were very appreciative.
What's the most uncomfortable thing to talk about in church? We're guessing "sex" is at or near the top of the list you just came up with. That's why we wanted to add it to our "Confronting Challenging Issues" series.
Today the Core4 sit down to talk about sex from a Christian perspective including sex before marriage, society's view of sexuality, pornography and the damage it can cause, and God's ultimate plan for sex and intimacy in marriage.
If you haven't listened to the rest of the series, check out our episodes on Money, Drinking, and Truth.
Why is truth a challenging issue? In this episode we bring back one of our first guests, Pastor Jarrod Williams from Redemption Chapel, to discuss it.
We live in an age of "my truth", and "it's true for you but not for me." How do we approach the topic as Christians? Is there such a thing as subjective truth? Listen in as we cover those topics and more.
We got the privilege to sit down with former US Winter Olympian and American Bobsled World Champion, Brock Kreitzburg, to talk about his crazy journey through sports, the Olympics, and Hollywood and how all of that left him feeling empty and in search of what God wanted for his life and not what he wanted. That led him to full-time mission work with Samaritan’s Purse and now as Executive Director for Summit Missions in Green, OH.
You won’t want to miss this episode as we kick off season 3. If you ever have a feeling that there could be more to life than what you are currently experiencing; give this a listen and see if you might be searching for what you want for yourself and not necessarily what God wants.
Have you missed one of our episodes this season? It's ok. We forgive you.
We've had an amazing year full of fantastic guests, new experiences, and great content. We tried to boil down some of our favorite moments from this season into one episode. If you like the clips that you hear and want to listen to the full episode we've linked them below.
Thanks so much for being the best listeners!
Jerrad Lopes
Len Howser
Andy Shepperd
Rick McKee
Josh Dujanovic
Joseph Rojas
Missionaries
The Giver, The Challenger, The Peacemaker, The Individualist. Are these the latest Marvel superheroes? Nope. They're some of the types of the Enneagram personality test.
In this episode, the Core4 takes an online Enneagram test (only the most official) and then go over their results. We try to guess each others' types and have a lot of fun in the process. Whether you swear by the Enneagram or not, it definitely helps you discover some things about yourself and the people that you're closest to.
If you'd like to take the test or see what the different Enneagram types are, here are some helpful links:
Enneagram Types
The Enneagram test we took
The Core4 is back and talking about another challenging issue: Money.
Everybody wants it. Nobody likes talking about it. It can easily run or ruin your life.
Listen in as we talk through some of the stigmas of money, how we deal with it in our lives, the importance of giving, why Jesus talked about it a lot, and so much more.
Our good friend, Dan Lemoine, is back on the show talking about his new book, Fear No Food. We talk with Dan about the process of writing his book, some of the reasons behind writing it, and he gives some great tips on health and nutrition.
This is Dan's second time on the show. If you missed his first episode, check it out here - Dan Lemoine
When it comes to alcohol, how much is too much? Some Christians would say that we shouldn't drink at all. Some would say "Jesus drank wine... so let's go!"
In this episode, we talk through this challenging issue that can easily divide the church. We give our own personal experiences with alcohol, talk through our decision to feature bourbon in our first season, and much more.
As disciples of Christ, we are called to be missionaries. For most of us; that resides within the family and community around us. Listen in as we got the unique opportunity to sit down with 2 different couples who are full-time overseas missionaries and how God has specifically challenged them to make an impact for his kingdom.
Resources:
Speaking of Jesus by Carl Medearis
When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert
Reading Romans With Eastern Eyes by Jacskon W.
Perspectives on the World Christian Movement by Ralph D. Winter
We had the absolute privilege of chatting with Joseph Rojas, lead singer of Seventh Day Slumber and owner of Nashville Label Group! We talked about his weight loss journey, his family, sobriety, and the struggles that go along with it, how the band has been able to play free-to-the-public shows over the past year, and so much more.
Listen in as we dig into Joseph's life, his struggles, challenges, successes, and failures. He has an incredible heart for Jesus and palpable love for people who are struggling. We loved every minute of this interview!
Mission work is always at the top of our minds at Core4Life, whether that be at home, in our community, at our workplaces, or elsewhere. Today we got the chance to talk to Josh Dujanovic and our very own Ryan Shary after they just got back from a trip to Roblealto in Costa Rica. Listen in to hear a little more about Josh, his faith story, his huge heart for God, and how that led him to Roblealto. But also how that affects his everyday life and some practical applications for those of us that sometimes forget pretty easily.
In this Quick Hits episode, we chat with our past guest, Kory Bays, about repentance. What it means, how to do it, why it's important to us as Christians, and more.
We'll be bringing you these shorter, one-topic Quick Hits episodes every other week! Stay tuned for more great content!
DISCLAIMER
Someone (who shall remain nameless) didn't switch the mic again off of the laptop mic, so the quality of the recording is not up to Core4Life standards...our most humble apologies. However, the content from Joe was still very high quality. So join us this week as we sat down with Joe Haddad and listen in on how he started up his own company, University Tees, almost 20 years ago, which has grown to 200 people at their headquarters and 700+ people working remotely from over 300 campuses across the country. Along with the craziness of running this company, he walked us through many other things he's involved in, the challenges he's faced and how they've helped shape who he is today. All with raising a family of 4 alongside his wife Ashley. Get ready to be motivated.
Resources mentioned by Joe:
ISI Life
F3
Master Plan Coach
Fit Soul by Ben Greenfield
Success is not an Accident by Tommy Newberry
We talked with Pastor Rick McKee from Redemption Chapel about what the church is doing around racial reconciliation. We discuss some of the history, as well as how to approach the topic and have meaningful conversations and dialog around some of the hot-button issues in our culture.
We'll be bringing you these shorter, one-topic Quick Hits episodes every other week! Stay tuned for more great content!
We are blessed by some amazing wives. In today's episode, you'll get to find out more about our (waaaaay) better halves. We sit down with all of the Core4Wives - Miranda (Ryan), Sara (Mike), Laura (Matt), and Kendall (Andrew) - to get their thoughts on what it was like when we started the podcast, what the pillars mean to them, how they've seen us change through this experience, their favorite episodes, and much more!
Resources:
- Kids Bowl Free
- Pass It On - Jim Burns
- The Gospel Coalition
- Let Them Be Kids - Jessica Smartt
- How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind, Decluttering at the Speed of Life - Dana K. White
- The Minimal Mom
- Dumbing Us Down - John Taylor Gatto
Join us this week to listen in on our conversation with Kory Bays, as he walked through the challenges of starting his own business and his trials of faith through that process.
This is the final episode of a four-part Quick Hits series where we dig deeper into each of our Core4 pillars.
Today we'll talk about our beCHILL pillar. What does it mean to #beCHILL? Why did we include that as one of our core pillars?
Join us as we talk about what the pillar represents to us, how we put it into practice, and where we intend to go with it in the future.
We'll be bringing you these shorter, one-topic Quick Hits episodes every other week! Stay tuned for more great content!
We were excited to get the chance to learn more about our lead pastor, Rick McKee, from Redemption Chapel. We sat down with him and chatted about all kinds of things, including his path to faith, his time in ministry, what he loves about Redemption Chapel, and even some of the things that are difficult for him. On top of all that, he has some great tips on parenting!
This is the third of a four-part Quick Hits series where we'll dig deeper into each of our Core4 pillars.
Today we'll talk about our beNOBLE pillar. Why should we care about other people? Why did we choose to dedicate one of our pillars to helping others and taking the focus off ourselves?
Join us as we talk about what the pillar represents to us, how we put it into practice, and where we intend to go with it in the future.
We'll be bringing you these shorter, one-topic Quick Hits episodes every other week! Stay tuned for more great content!
We got the chance to sit down with Andy Shepperd, founder of a 100% volunteer-based non-profit foundation, Project Outrun that utilizes custom Nike By You shoes and project outrun signature swag to help empower kids and families to “Outrun” pediatric cancer! They just hit their 4 yr anniversary this April and have designed around 1000 pairs of shoes for kids in 27 states…Truly making kids across the country feel that “I’m not sick but my shoes are!”
Join us to hear some amazing stories from Andy about the work that Project Outrun is doing and not only the impact the organization is having on the community, but the impact the kids are having on the community and Andy specifically. It was awesome to hear about Andy’s spiritual journey toward God and faith…don’t miss out!
This is the second of a four-part Quick Hits series where we'll dig deeper into each of our Core4 pillars.
Today we'll talk about our beDRIVEN pillar. A lot of people are driven today, but what are they actually driving towards? Our goal, as Christians is to do everything we do for the glory of God and His purpose, which is why we call this episode "beDRIVEN Toward His Purpose".
Join us as we talk about what the pillar represents to us, how we put it into practice, and where we intend to go with it in the future.
We'll be bringing you these shorter, one-topic Quick Hits episodes every other week! Stay tuned for more great content!
Len Howser is one of the hosts on Cleveland's 95.5 The Fish Morning Show. Every weekday, he gets up at 3:30 am and does his best to bring joy and inspiration to Northeast Ohio listeners.
We had the privilege of sitting down and chatting with Len about his start in radio, why he does what he does, parenting, coaching, and so much more! If you want to smile today and be inspired to make a positive impact today, give this episode a listen!
This is the first of a four-part Quick Hits series where we'll dig deeper into each of our Core4 pillars.
Up first is our beFIT pillar. We call this one "beFIT for the Kingdom" because ultimately, everything we do should be to build up God's Kingdom; even our fitness.
Join us as we talk about what the pillar represents to us, how we put it into practice, and where we intend to go with it in the future.
Jerrad Lopes from Dad Tired joined us live at our recent men’s conference at Redemption Chapel. He has a wife and 4 kids, the newest being 7 weeks old. His podcast has been downloaded millions of times and has had an impact on innumerable husbands, fathers, and families.
In Season 2, instead of a new bourbon every episode, our guests will decide the beverage.
Drink: Key Lime LaCroix
beDRIVEN/beNOBLE * All Christians are part of Kingdom work and should look at our life as missionaries. * Jerrad grew up in a rough area and with an absent father but felt the call to ministry from an early age. * He has many members of his family that don’t believe in God but he believes strongly that we should pursue “hungry fish” that are wanting to know more about God. If the fish are not biting then you can move to a different spot where others may be hungrier. * Your work is paying you to carry the kingdom where you are at. * His family goal is to leave everyone that comes to their house one step closer to Christ. * He started a church with a friend but it did not work out and he dropped out of ministry and was depressed. He was even playing out details of what a divorce would look like. His wife woke up every morning to pray for him and told him that during a fight. He wrote a post about how he was feeling and it struck a tone with many other tired dads. The post went viral and he started a group for guys and a podcast. * Difference between being physically tired and your soul being weary. Being tired is part of the game for dads. If your soul is tired that’s a sign you are missing something with your relationship with God. Likely due to sin that is unconfessed or a lack of having time with God alone. He tries to take 20 minutes a day with no distractions/screens to let God speak to him. * To connect with your wife Jerrad recommends just praying with your wife a few times a week. That by itself can be a huge step in leading your family spiritually.
beFIT * Like many of us, He got sick during his first CrossFit class. * He stays active by coaching his son’s soccer and does drills and runs with them.
beCHILL * To protect his family time, he needs to say “no” a lot to opportunities. * Being a Disciple, husband, father are the only things that will go with him to the grave and he prioritizes those things in his life. * Hunter Gather Parent is a great book he just read that shifted his view of parenting.
In this episode, we recap our first season as the Core4Life Podcast. It's been a great year and there's so much we've learned, so many cool people that we've met, and so much to be thankful for. Join us as we talk through all of those things.
Drew is the owner of Drive Team, husband and father of three, former college athlete, and the man who did the most pull-ups this year in our fitness challenge.
Bourbon: E.H. Taylor
This is our first podcast in our new location in the upstairs of the Drive Team warehouse!
Drew started working at Drive Team when he was in high school. He came back to work at the company after college and is now the owner of the company.
The company’s mission is to get everyone home safely at night.
His default tends to be to work and his wife helps him find balance in work and life.
His advice for those that are aspiring to be leaders is to get to know the business inside and out and build deep relationships with those you work with.
Drew and Andrew played football together and CVCAand he went on the plan competitive baseball in college. Our bodies are made for the kingdom and to honor God with, so it’s important to stay in decent shape.
When starting a business, many people think they need a big investment and facility to make it work. Figure out what you love, solve a problem, and start with one person.
His advice to any younger entrepreneur is “if you work at getting better your clients will require you to get bigger”
As a business owner, delegation and trust is needed to build a team that can be productive and allow yourself to get time off.
A favorite family movie right now is Zootopia.
He also coaches his kids in baseball and loves to see kids learning the game and having fun. As a coach, it’s important to set the standard in what your goals are for the season. That way you can provide direction to the kids and parents if need be.
Resource recommendations:
Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle
Extreme Ownership: by Jocko Willink
Learning to Lead Like Jesus
Whisky – Alberta Premium Cast Strength Rye
Jamie is the local team leader with Athletes in Action in the Chicago Area. His mission is to make it impossible for someone to come to Chicago to play a college sport and not meet Jesus along the way. We sit down with Jamie to learn more about his ministry and heart for reaching student athletes.
Highlights
- Grew up a gym rat and still loves to play basketball and working out.
- Journey to Athletes in Action.
- Christ-followers on every team, in every sport and in every nation and Jamie’s mission in Chicago.
- Stories of how God is moving on campus and the challenges with reaching the current generation of students.
- Equipping today’s students to carry out their mission in their future careers.
- Accountability and bullpen philosophy towards mentorship.
Book recommendations & Resources
- Deep Work – Cal Newport
- Reason for God – Tim Keller
- Questioning Christianity Series – Tim Keller
- The Tech-Wise Family - Andy Crouch
- The Warmth of Other Sons – Isabel Wilkerson
- Lord of the Rings – J.R. Tolkien
- Jayber Crow – Wendell Berry
Connect with Jamie’s Ministry Link
How do we build community? How do we have an impact within our community? These are the topics that we discuss on today's Quick Hits with special guest, Michael Robertson. Michael is a long-time friend of ours and also one of our most consistent attendees for working out.
We'll be bringing you these shorter, one-topic Quick Hits episodes every other week! Stay tuned for more great content!
We have a special episode today. We're re-airing our appearance on The Triune Podcast.
We recently got the opportunity to appear on George's podcast to talk in-depth about our Core 4 pillars, how our podcast and platform came to be, some of our favorite things, and... aliens. Yep, we went there.
Give it a listen. We hope you'll enjoy it!
You win some, you lose some... but today, we talk about the losses. We got to sit down with our fantastic guest, Dave Pyper, again and he shared some great insight on how to handle loss. In this episode, we specifically talk about losses in sports, but then we get into how to apply those lessons to other areas of our lives. It's a great discussion and you'll really lose out if you don't listen.
We'll be bringing you these shorter, one-topic Quick Hits episodes every other week! Stay tuned for more great content!
Bourbon – Rebel Distillers Collection
Jeff started his career in ministry as a campus pastor then transitioned into financial services. Although his job changed, Jeff has never stopped doing ministry. For anyone thinking about how to use their career to make an impact, beyond bringing home a paycheck, this episode is for you.
beFIT
- Jeff’s history as an athlete, how he stays fit and his journey to receiving a kidney transplant.
beDRIVEN
-
Jeff shares how he worked in ministry for 9 years and then transitioned into his career as a financial coach.
-
Teaching people how to gain freedom in their finances and what the rules are to achieve in the money game.
beNOBLE
-
Family background
-
Advice on how to balance being a parent and growing a business.
-
The role transition of a parent from instructing to inspiring and the importance of living life with infectious enthusiasm.
-
The importance of apologizing to your kids and how failure frees us from the tyranny of perfection.
beCHILL
- Working out, being outside, reading and travel.
Book Recommendations
-
Success is not an Accident – Tony Newberry
-
Beyond Positive Thinking – Dr. Robert Anthony
-
Visions of Vocation – Steve Garber
We brought 3 of our friends that are competing with us in this year's Fitness Challenge on the podcast. We talked about the history of the challenge, what's happening this year, as well as bigger and better stuff that is yet to come!
Bourbon: Amador Double Barrel
Check out our video version of this podcast!
We'll be bringing you these shorter, one-topic Quick Hits episodes every other week! Stay tuned for more great content!
Bourbon: Middle West Spirits
beFIT
- Played sports growing up and loved the lessons learned through sports
- Experience with CrossFit
- Transition to working out at home
beDRIVEN
- Education background
- First job working at a local Church.
- Transitioned into sales for a local packaging company and moved into an account executive role
- Love building relationships.
beNOBLE
- Faith journey
- Family hardship
- Church life
beCHILL
- Cooking, bourbon, guns, fitness and sports, thrift shopping, prepper. Most of my time is spending time with my family and three kids.
- Podcasts – Ben Greenfield Fitness, Reasonable Faith with William Lane Craig, The Art of Manliness
- Books
- Wild at Heart – John Eldridge; Ragamuffin Gospel – Brennan Manning; Love Does, Everybody Always, Live in Grace, Walk in Love: A 365-Day Journey – Bob Goff; The Gospel Comes with a House Key – Rosaria Butterfield; Amazing Grace – Eric Metaxas; The Captain Class – Sam Walker; The Screwtape Letters, Mere Christianity, A Grief Observed – C.S. Lewis; The Millionaire Next Door & The Millionaire Mind – Thomas Stanley; 4 Hour Work Week, 4 Hour Body, 4 Hour Chef – Tim Ferris; What’s Best Next – Matt Perman; Moneyball – Michael Lewis; The Hobbit – Tolkien
None of the Core4 have the joy of parenting teenagers, yet. Luckily, our good friend Matt Lee is in the midst of parenting teen boys and is willing to share some great tips and fantastic insight. In today's episode, we talk through some of the great... and not-so-great things that come along with having teenaged children.
We'll be bringing you these shorter, one-topic Quick Hits episodes every other week! Stay tuned for more great content!
Dave is a teacher, coach for over 35 years, and the man who gave me a love for history. Married for 35 years with 4 sons and 4 grandkids.
Bourbon – No bourbon this week as we kick off our fitness 2021 challenge
beFIT
- Dave was a wrestler in high school and fell in love with the sport in 9thgrade. There is a chosen suffering in wrestling and it takes a high level of discipline to succeed.
- Chosen Suffering is a book he recommended by Ohio State coach Tom Ryan, who lost a child. Dave recently had one of his wrestlers pass away this year that rocked his team and community. As a coach, he was able to help the team through the loss of a teammate and friend. Being able to steer them to something greater than themselves was key in giving hope to the kids suffering.
- One of his favorite quotes is, “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs, ask yourself what makes you come alive because the world needs someone who is alive”
- Dave is very self-motivated when it comes to fitness and finds ways to challenge himself all the time. He set a challenge to do 20 pushups before leaving a room. Atomic Habits is a book he learned about setting systems in place to reach your goals. He took 3rd place against his team of wrestlers with 1300 pushups in 24 hours. He did 104 pushups in a row one day while on a jog.
beDRIVEN
- Dave is a teacher but is really a coach at heart.
- He loved the defensive side of basketball coaching. His philosophy was “who’s mom do we want to disappoint tonight?” with the goal of shutting them down.
- He has coached against LeBron James and John Wall. He was up at half against St. Vincent St. Marry but ended up losing the game. He has been to the final 8 in 4 different varsity sports. He has several former athletes playing professional sports now.
- As a coach, he had a unique opportunity to be involved in students’ lives and families. He once took a student home and a man was shot on the side of the road. No matter what a student’s background is by caring about them and being involved in their lives can lead to lifelong friendships. Life is about what you give to others and seeing how that comes back to you in relationships.
- Many times, people will come to you and want to know if they are ok and you have an opportunity to pour into their lives.
- Dave is a life coach. Life coaching is looking forward while counseling is looking back. Most people he is working with are from former relationships that wanted to interact and seek advice from him. Dave took courses from John Maxwell to get a certification in life coaching. You can see more about him at MB life coaching 3.0.
beNOBLE
- “Be each other’s biggest fan” is his recommendation for a healthy marriage. Never take a shot at your wife when your kids are watching. Honor her above anything else. Never allow your children to dishonor her either.
- Kids are resilient and many times don’t remember all the things you don’t do right. Focus on loving them and training them in the way they should go.
- As friends, sometimes it’s easier to have someone else speak into your kid’s life.
What convictions do you stand firm on, and when do you exhibit flexibility? This can apply to politics, parenting, social interactions, and tons of other situations. One of our favorite guests, Marc Benedict, brings that very timely topic to the table. We talk it out on today's podcast.
We'll be bringing you these shorter, one-topic Quick Hits episodes every other week! Stay tuned for more great content!
Disclaimer: Ryan messed up and chose the wrong audio input... again. The audio quality isn't the best, but the content is awesome!
Bourbon: Yellowstone Limited Edition
On today's episode, we sit down with our good friend Aaron Garrett. He brought us some of the best bourbon that we've ever had as well as some of his homemade venison jerky. He also talks about his career in the military, his time as an army chaplain, his family's experiences with adoption, his gastric bypass surgery, and a small sampling of the things that he's done in his life. From bass fishing tournaments to starting his own gutter business (Premier Gutter Services), Aaron has done a little bit of everything.
The gang has had some interesting experiences on the water. Some are great and some... not so much. Listen as we share some of our favorite nautical-themed stories. Our previous guest Jared Sylvester joins us. There's also a special cameo from one of the Core4Wives!
We'll be bringing you these shorter, one-topic Quick Hits episodes every other week! Stay tuned for more great content!
It's the most wonderful time of the year! In this special edition of the Core4Life Podcast, we sit down to talk through some of our favorite (and least favorite) things about Christmas.
Bourbon: Woodinville Private Select
Laugh along as we discuss our favorite traditions, both old and new. We share our favorite Christmas movies... and our not-so-favorite Christmas movies. We ignite the debate between real and fake tree-ers. Then finally, we jump into the real meaning of Christmas and cover practical ways that we can make it meaningful and special for ourselves and our families.
Integrity, patience, forgiveness, listening skills... Those are all fantastic traits that we'd love to pass on to our kids. But how do we do that when we struggle with those things ourselves? We sit down with our great friend and past guest, Marc Benedict, to talk through some ideas on how to instill some of those traits in our children (and maybe work on them ourselves too).
We'll be bringing you these shorter, one-topic Quick Hits episodes every other week! Stay tuned for more great content!
Disclaimer: The audio on the Core4Life side is pretty bad for this episode. Someone (Ryan) didn't set up the audio input correctly, so our side of the conversation was recorded on the built-in microphone on our laptop instead of our mixer. Luckily, Matt's side was crystal clear and he's the one you want to hear anyway!
Bourbon: Western Reserve Small Batch
Today we welcome Matt Knabe to the show. Matt is a Licensed Professional Counselor with Emerge Counseling Ministries, a talented musician who has toured and played with some big names in the industry, a husband, and a father.
- Started his music career at 15
Touring regionally
Opening for bands like Kid Rock, Matchbox 20, The Eels, Big Wreck
Always felt like he belonged on the stage with those bands * Eventually started a band called Ligion which was signed, toured nationally, and appeared on MTV
Played one show in Akron, then opened for Collective Soul
Had to quickly produce a record because radio stations were getting demands for their songs
The idea behind the name and band was unifying people. Bringing them together through music
The time with Ligion actually brought Matt further from God
A tour manager said that their antics were worse than Guns & Roses and Motley Crue back in their day * Was the touring guitarist for the band Zilch, which was made up of musicians from DCTalk's backing band
Changed their name to Sonic Flood when their first record came out
Blew up after I Want to Know You was released * Became disillusioned with some of the stuff that was going on behind-the-scenes in the Christian music touring industry * Went through a dark time where he wouldn't leave his apartment for 2 months * Out of that, he started going to counseling at Emerge and achieved some breakthroughs * His counselor asked if he ever considered doing what he does and that turned on a light bulb in Matt's mind * Started pursuing counseling and eventually came to work at Emerge * For the first couple of years he saw client after client, but this past year he also started a podcast called ExEm
We all had big dreams coming out of college... well... most of us. In this episode, we sit down with our great friend and former guest, Matt Lee, to talk through what we had planned for our life coming out of college and what we actually ended up doing in our careers.
We'll be bringing you these shorter, one-topic Quick Hits episodes every other week! Stay tuned for more great content!
Bourbon - Technically not a bourbon... and we forgot to mention it during the recording. 🤦♂ However, we were enjoying some Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey for this episode.
beFIT
Andrew grew up playing lots of sports including swimming, wrestling, and football.
He tended to get injured a lot and learned to not put his whole identity in sports.
After having kids early, he spent a long period of time not exercising and really missed being in shape. After having his 4 boys he decided to get back into lifting with the other dads in the group. Working out with a group of guys to stay accountable was key to sticking with it.
Competition and accountability are two things that keep you driven and working towards a goal.
His goal now is to bench 300 lbs after failing to hit that mark in high school.
beDRIVEN
Andrew started in financial services at the start of the great recession.
Career paths need to be owned by each employee to find there are of strength. Trying new jobs lends itself to new challenges so you can learn and grow.
He had some great bosses that knew where he was weak and could push him to grow further.
Make your boss look good and they tend to reward you and put you in a position to succeed.
Goal setting is important and gives you direction in whatever you want to accomplish.
Having someone keep you accountable and call you on your crap is the best way to grow.
beNOBLE
He was raised by great Christian parents and had a great example of his father to work hard and sacrifice for others. Looking at Jesus as an example of how to live with authentic manhood by living sacrificially.
Playing the comparison game always leads to jealousy and envy and will lead you to a place of emptiness. True joy is found by serving Jesus as your lord.
You have to choose each day who you will serve and refocus each day because we all tend to be self-focused.
He took a trip to Haiti that really opened his eyes to how people in third world countries live and how blessed we are to live in America.
He learned to embrace Gods plan for his life with his 4 kids.
beCHILL
He really enjoys traveling and has recently got to take trips to the Dominican Republic and Belize.
Mike’s lake house has been a great place to be beCill. He also joined a golf league this year to improve his game.
Some books he is reading:
Titan: the Life of John D. Rockefeller
A Splendid Exchange: How Trade Shaped the World
A Random Walk Down Wall Street
It turns out that we, as a group, are pretty accident-prone. In this episode we sit down with one of our most popular guests, Dan LeMoine, to discuss some of the worst injuries that we've had in our sporting careers and how we worked to overcome them, or 'modify' our circumstances to work around them.
We'll be bringing you these shorter, one-topic Quick Hits episodes every other week! Stay tuned for more great content!
You do not get to hear stories this encouraging every day. Jared was diagnosed with osteosarcoma going into his Junior year of college. He shares his journey through his battle with cancer and how it has shaped him and his future.
Whiskey: Long Road Distillers (Grand Rapids, Michigan) – Straight American Whiskey
01:50 - Upbringing: Transition into college and radical spiritual growth leading up to diagnosis.
08:50 - Diagnosis: Pain in his knee to the point of crawling up the stairs. October 15th, 2010 diagnosis exactly 10 years from recording.
10:30 - Met with an orthopedic surgeon and receives devastating news.
12:00 – Drive back to school and campus support.
12:45 – Osteosarcoma is found in less than 1% of adults and most common in adolescence.
16:30 – Ryder Brown Update
18:00 – “You’re going to give a year of your life to us, and then hopefully we’ll give you the rest of your life back.”
18:30 - Cancer treatment plan and limb-salvage surgery.
22:00 - Processing the diagnosis. What will life look like after cancer?
25:45 – Family impact. It takes a village and family impact.
28:40 – “What the world saw as the most destructive diagnosis, proved to be the most life-giving in my life.”
33:00 – Gospel “Good news”.
35:00 - Cancer takes things from you and gives things to you. Attitude change and perspective changed.
37:45 – beFit – Golfing and biking.
40:00 – beChill – Buckeye fan and book recommendation.
Walking with God Through Pain and Suffering - Tim Keller
The Storm Light Archives - Brandon Sanderson
Amazing Grace - Eric Metaxas
Bonhoeffer – Eric Metaxas
44:00 - Building a family and miracle baby Lucy Michelle.
51:00 – Parting advice.
In this first episode of Core4Life Quick Hits we discuss the importance of goals, what we're working toward right now in each of our core pillars and some of our best experiences with goals in the past.
We'll be bringing you these shorter, one-topic Quick Hits episodes every other week! Stay tuned for more great content!
- Bourbon – Montana Honey Moonshine
- Grew up in Hartville
- GM for Top Advantage
- Husband, Father of 3
beCHILL
- Loves to hunt
-
Recorded this podcast in his pole barn, aka the "patriot ranch"
-
Multiple deer skulls, mountain lion, warthog, rattle snake, alligator and a bear
-
Just got back from a 9 day bear hunt in Riggins, Idaho
-
Bear hunting, 2 methods – spot or bait
-
Rattlesnake - Killed 12 the first year they were there
-
Loves to bow hunt, but tough for bears because their nose is 14x stronger than a human per Jimmy. I looked it up and it’s actually 2100x stronger!!!
- Now teaching his daughter to hunt who likes it and got her first kill at 10, first shot
- Jimmy had a podcast called Whiskey Friday. As Winston Churchill would say... "Whiskey has killed more men than bullets, but most men would rather be full of whiskey than bullets."
beDRIVEN
- Some college, had his own excavating business at 22
- Flipped houses
- Started installing countertops for his wife’s business
- Became GM with about 12 employees, grew to 70 employees
- Jimmy has an entrepreneurial spirit that drives him in life
- Resources he provided:
Tools of the Titans and The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris
Jocko Willink – punch you in the mouth in life in general
Mark Driscoll – punch you in the mouth spiritually
beNOBLE
- Leading his family his a noble driving force in his life
- Gave up some of his own endeavors, entered the family business to grow up and step up
- Always had faith, but turned his life really towards Christ after a Mark Driscoll conference
- Started a church plant in Kent
beFIT
- Started to get a dad bod – started up in crossfit for 5 years
- Home gym now
Andrew is pumped to have his brother in law Ryan on the podcast today. He is a fire fighter, former gunner in the army and nationally ranked college wrestler. He is a husband and father to Andrew's 3 nephews.
Bourbon: James E Pepper 1776
beFIT
Ryan was a national ranked college wrestler. He finished 6thhis senior year at Heidelberg. He wrestled at 145 his senior year and finished at heavy weight wrestling around 245. He grew 5 inches after high school.
Some of Ryan’s worst injuries were a herniated disk in his back in college. He tore his ACL his first practice in Brazilian Jujitsu after college.
His training has evolved since college to 3 on 1 off 3 on 2 off to match his firefighter job schedule.
Lorain fire does not run EMS so he has time each morning to work out on his job. He was cramping up this past year because of overtraining so learned he needed to take some time off to recover. He learned to listen to his body more as he got older.
Listens to Macus Filly’s podcast for workout tips.
Abs are made in the kitchen and Ryan discussed the Whole 30 diet that he has done several times over the last few years. He also does intermittent fasting with and 8 hour eating window and a 24-hour fast a few times a year.
Misery loves company so include others in your fitness goals. Having someone hold you accountable to meet your goals are essential. Asking for help is not a weakness but a strength.
Going “all in” can also be helpful when trying to meet a goal.
beCHILL
To relax and take off stress Ryan works out. This helps him clear his head.
He also loves to play call of duty on Xbox.
Some books he listens to are: The Dark Tower and Harry Potter
Leadership books include: Extreme Ownership, Can’t Hurt Me, Obstacle is the Way
Bourbon – Buffalo Trace
- Executive Director and Founder of the Youth Life Foundation of Richmond (Darrell Green’s Foundation)
- Went to University of Richmond
- 3rd grade teacher in Richmond
- Started YLFR in 2002
- Married to Raymond Goodlett
- beFIT
Played lacrosse and field hockey for university of Richmond
Lifts 3x a week
Supplements with running throughout the week
Runs the Monument Avenue 10k each year
Important to stay healthy and active for kids, stress reliever, stay at the top of her game with her job and to do everything God has called her to do * beNOBLE
Quit her teaching job to start up YLFR
Always had a passion for kids who haven’t been given a fair shot
It's an after school program in poor African American and Latina communities in Richmond
There to help develop them and introduce them to God
YLFR started with 10 children in 2002
Now 14 people on staff, serve over 100 students * beDRIVEN
trust in Christ through all things, not on herself or others
Committed to daily bible reading
Community bible study
Spiritual Development Books
Built to Lastand Good to Great by Jim Collins
The One Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan – time management * beCHILL
Loves to read to girls
Chronicles of Narnia
Little Women
Play sports with the family
Loves to try new restaurants with friends and family
Acacia Restaurant
Perch
Create boundaries and delegate
COVID has actually helped bring time back into her life to spend with her girls
This is our 2nd of 4 episodes dedicated to the members of Core4Life; now coming out on episodes 10, 15, 20 and 25!
Bourbon: Eagle Rare
Background
- Mike grew up outside of Philadelphia, PA
- Great, supportive parents who have helped him develop into the man he is today
- 3 older sisters, youngest 9 years older, all married with 3+ kids
- Moved to AZ during middle school and back to Philadelphia area for High School
beFIT
- Sports was his identity growing up
- Played everything – soccer, baseball, basketball, football, tennis, golf, etc.
- Played football in college – D1 hands, D3 speed
- Tore ACL and led him down a new path
beDRIVEN
- Was able to keep the competitive juices flowing in a sales career with SpyGlass
- Worked his way up through different sales, training and management roles
- From 1000’s of dials a month to 1000’s of miles a month in his car to the 1000s of different attributes it takes to be a good manager/leader
beNOBLE
- Wife – Sara, 3 boys – Ryder – 7, Emmitt – 5, Coleman – 2
- Challenges of raising children
- Work-life balance – boundaries and expectations
- Ryder was diagnosed with a brain tumor 3.5 years ago. Mike talks about how that helped grow his faith
- Identity now fully rooted in Christ
- Redemption Chapel and CLC have played a huge part in Mike’s life
beCHILL
- Lakehouse times with friends and family
- Outdoor activities with the family
- Establishment of “funtivities”
Resources:
- Ryan Hawk Podcast on Leadership and Book: Welcome to Management
- Switch by Chip and Dan Heath about changing when change is hard
- Questioning Evangelism by Randy Newman
- Act Like Men by James McDonald
- Who do you Think you are? By Mark Driscoll
- Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus by Nabeel Qureshi
- Love Does and Everybody Always byBob Goff
- Crazy Love by Francis Chan
Bourbon:
Keith: Four Roses Single Barrel
C4L: Tom’s Foolery
Background: Keith Everette Smith is a Grammy and Dove Award winning producer, musician, husband and father living just outside of Nashville, TN. He has appeared on close to 100 contemporary Christian records playing various instruments. He tours as a “utility” performer with TobyMac and assists with song arrangements. He’s married to Christian music artist, Tasha Layton, and they have 2 children together.
- Graduated from Aurora High School
- Went to Ohio State for 1.5 years
Got in on music, not academics
Ended up going to the championship with OSU marching band * Got married after 1st year of college when he was just 20 years old * Got into music ministry while in college
Someone from his church heard him play trumpet and got him into Liberty University
Was there for 3 years and started producing music for artists * Moved to California and was Instrumental Director at Saddleback Church for 3 years
Life was most out of balance then
Working full time while also still producing on the side
Helped put together Anthem Lights
Called asking a question about moving to California and ended up getting a job offer
That job put him in a position to meet tons of people in the industry * Moved to Nashville
Been there for 11 years now
Couple months into living in Nashville and working at a church his wife left
The church loved him through the divorce process * Ended up meeting TobyMac and being asked to be in his band
Been with Toby for 5 years
Met his wife, Tasha Layton as a result
TobyMac’s first name is actually Kevin… but don’t call him that * Played lead trumpet with Denver & the Mile High Orchestra * Has recorded horns or other instruments on nearly 100 albums
LeeAnn Rimes, Josh Groban, Colony House, Lauren Daigle, Danny Gokey, and Brandon Heath just to name a few * Married to Tasha Layton for about 5 years
Have 2 children together – Levi is 3 and Lily is 6 months
They write music together, including Into the Sea (It’s Gonna Be Ok)
Song was written about their marriage, but it is speaking to so many people during this time * Likes to workout, but it’s tough during the current state of things * Sabbath is a command that we should take more seriously
Something we’re going to challenge each other to do
In this episode we sit down with Dan LeMoine, the Clinic Director of Revitalize Weight Loss & Wellness Center in Phoenix, Arizona. Dan dives into his love for the game of rugby, his experience as a missionary to the Dominican Republic and his road to becoming a foster parent.
Bourbon – Blanton’s Original Single Barrel
beFIT
Dan opens-up about his work life balance challenges as an entrepreneur. He also shares three key pillars related to health and nutrition from his experience in the health industry and several tips and tools that he uses to stay on top of his personal wellbeing. Dan also talks about how his business has become a trusted resource to the NBA’s Phoenix Suns organization.
beDRIVEN
Dan graduated with a business degree from Miami University. After a short stint playing international rugby, he began working in corporate finance which ultimately led him to make a drastic career shift that resulted in becoming an entrepreneur.
beNOBLE
Just two months after marriage, Dan and his wife Danae became missionaries in the Dominican Republic at Doulos Discovery School. Dan and the Core4Life crew share details and resources that they use to connect with God daily. We also learn about Dan and Danae’s recent journey to become foster parents. Dan dives deep and shares his inspiring faith journey.
beCHILL
Dan is an avid reader and mentions several books (listed below) that he has been using to unwind. He also shares intimate details about the sacred annual Bro-Festivus gathering that takes place once a year among his closest college rugby brothers.
Quiet Time Resources
-
Bible App YouVersion
-
50 Days of Heaven: Reflections That Bring Eternity to Light by Randy Alcorn
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Live in Grace, Walk in Love – Bob Goff
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Brain Tap
-
Dwell
Books Mentioned
-
Four Hour Workweek - Tim Ferris
-
Shoe Dog – Phil Knight
-
Open– Andre Agassi
-
The Gambler – William C. Rempel
-
Sam Walton: Made in America – Sam Walton with John Huey
-
Can’t Hurt Me – David Goggins
In this episode we sit down with Ray Goodlett, a pastor at Redemption Hill Church in Richmond, Virginia. We talk through the Core4 pillars and dive into his professional soccer career, parenting and some amazing resources for the study of American history and specifically black American history.
Bourbon – W.L Weller Special Reserve Bourbon
Background: Ray is married and has three daughters. Both of Ray’s parents are from Jamaica and from an early age Ray began playing soccer.
beFIT/beDRIVEN: Ray played college soccer at Howard, the same school that his father attended and later became a teacher. During his time at Howard, he studied Chemistry, became a captain of the soccer team and began to realize that playing at a professional level was a real possibility. After graduation in 1998, Ray began his professional soccer career playing for the Hershey Wildcats, DC United (MLS) and finishing his career with the Richmond Kickers.
beNOBLE: Ray became a Christian in college and transitioned from professional soccer to becoming a pastor after feeling called to serve God and utilize his gift of teaching. Ray and his wife Heather are dedicated to making an impact in their community of Richmond, Virginia.
Ray’s biggest driving force and motivating factor is to never breaking a promise to wife and 3 daughters. It is the upmost importance for him to say yes to kids when they ask for his time.
beCHILL: Ray loves spending time with his wife Heather and he loves to read. Resources that Ray recommends listed below.
- Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem
- Primary sourced documents
- teachingamericanhistory.org
- Anything by Frederick Douglass
- blackpast.org
- Black Rednecks and White Liberals by Thomas Sowell. Recommends reading chapter 3 - “The Real History of Slavery.”
In this episode, we talk with our good friend Marc Benedict, from Fidei Architecture. We talk through the Core4 pillars and the impact they have had on his life as a husband, father, and entrepreneur.
Bourbon: Rittenhouse Bourbon
Mark is married to Shannon and they have two children.
beDRIVEN
Mark started Fidei Architecture with another friend, Dave. They started expanding on Dave's existing side gig of designing homes and eventually built it up to the point they could leave their full-time jobs to work for themselves. He felt like he was stagnating in his career and wanted to make a change and try to start something on his own. They started off well but jobs began to stagnate and Marc ended up going back to work full time with another firm. His partner kept the firm going for another two years as the business grew and marc build a home and kept working for Fidei on the side.
Marc is a night owl and likes to get in the zone after everyone is in bed to get work done.
As a business owner, the hours you spend on the core function of the business can be equaled or exceeded by the hours you spend on the marketing and other aspects of the business.
beCHILL
To avoid burnout Marc tries to make time when he can to hang out with his friends and get quality time with his wife. Making sure he is present and not on his phone during his family time is key to having quality interactions.
beNOBLE
Marc tries to always have some hours each afternoon with his wife and kids. Quality time with them is a top priority even if it means he has to work latter into the night after everyone is in bed. He also helped coach a local high school football team but it ended up being too much time and he decided to step away to focus on his work and family.
Marc designed the new addition to Redemption Chapel and likes to partner with churches for their architecture needs.
beFIT
Marc has been doing the Keto diet and has been able to stick with it and loose 34 lbs. He adjusted his intake to eat more fat and less protein than initially recommended. Halo Top and Quest Bars are his go to snacks. Staying active working outside his house is another way he stays fit.
For every tenth episode (10, 20, 30, & 40) we'll dive in deep with a member of our own Core4. This time, Ryan talks about his life and how the 4 pillars of masculinity developed for him. Here's what he talks about:
- He grew up in the church
- Has lived in Northeast Ohio most of his life (Aurora) but lived in Kansas for 2 years and then ended up moving back to Aurora
- Went to Kent State University where he earned a degree in Computer Information Systems
- He's held various jobs including marketing and advertising but has spent the majority of his career in IT
- Has worked for companies like Mustang Dynamometer, Aleris, Real Alloy, Omnova, and Synthomer
- Got his drive from early jobs, sports, learning discipline
- Talks about the influence of CLC (Christian Leadership Concepts) and mentorship from his boss, Mark Macioce
- Getting involved with CCC Stow, now Redemption Chapel, took him to another level in his walk with Christ
- He and his wife, Miranda became a Youth Ministry Coordinators for a short period of time
- Went on a mission trip to Roblealto in Costa Rica in 2016 and then led another in 2018
- Big events in his life: His cousin died of cancer, first wife walked out of marriage, he and Miranda went through 3 years of infertility
- All of those big life events led to an understanding of suffering and apologetics, which opened the door for conversations and empathy with others
Core4Life Podcast #9 – Featuring Pete Stancato - Founder of Nosotros rock climbing gym in Lakewood and Cleveland
Bourbon: Cleveland Bourbon
beDRIVEN: Pete had worked a series of jobs before opening a rock climbing gym. From sales to social work and youth ministry he always felt that people didn’t want to talk with him. He wanted to start a business where people wanted to come together and enjoy being around each other.
Despite sending his business plan around to friend and family no one wanted to invest in his gym concept. After 7 years, his wife agreed to let him sink their savings into opening the first gym.
Treating people exceptionally well and making people feel like they belong is the main focus of the gym. He has created a space to build community and allow people to thrive in a friendly atmosphere.
beNOBLE: The Nosotros mission statement was to heal households (physical, mental, social, faithful). The Air Force incorporates faith into their four pillars of a strong airman and Pete uses the same concept for his gym as well.
To incorporate his faith, the gym has a prayer request wall that members can share requests and Pete will personally pray for each of them as well as conducting a Christmas Eve Eve service each year. Creating a non-judgmental environment to simply love others where they are at is at the core of how they gym operates.
The Cleveland location has its windows smashed during the recent protest against racial injustice. Rather than complain or stay silent he looked at the bigger picture of people hurting and tried to turn it into a positive by selling T-shirts and giving the proceeds away. Turning the other cheek and choosing love instead of anger was a much better response.
beCHILL: Pete’s goal is to be home every night from work by 5:30 to have dinner with his family. He strives to honor his family commitments and be a business man that has a great family life as well as a success in business. He does not want to repeat the same mistakes that he has seen in his family’s past.
Going forward Pete would like to work out and climb more each day. The business is still young and right now he spends much more time reading and sending emails than he would like to right now.
beFIT: Pete has a little time to lift weights during the week but has a family history of heart attacks and wants to mix in more cardio work. Pete played rugby in college and almost got paralyzed playing in California.
In this episode (recorded on Zoom during the height of Ohio's quarantine) we discuss how we've been trying to live out our Core Four pillars in quarantine.
We also begin talking through the book "Act Like Men: 40 days to Biblical Manhood"
We welcome Joe Weigel to our podcast today. He is a firefighter for Brimfield township and former CrossFit Games competitor, as well as a husband, father, and one of the most driven people we know.
Bourbon: Old Grand-Dad 114 -https://www.theoldswhiskeys.com/home
beFIT:
- After missing out on the 2010 CrossFit games Joe got to work and qualified for the National CrossFit Games finishing 15th in 2011.
- In 2012 he and his future wife qualified in the team competition finishing 2nd.
- To help put on muscle Joe used to drink a gallon of whole milk each day
beNOBLE:
- Best advice to avoid fires- don’t mess with gasoline and fires!
- Currently studying history in order to teach others the importance of our civil liberties and foundation of our American republic
- The historicity of the resurrection of Jesus was a main driver in his love to learn history
- Being skeptical by nature, the pursuit of truth is at the core of what Joe loves to research
- A very impactful book in Joes life was The Resurrection of the Son of God by N.T Wright
In this episode we finish up our discussion with Matt Lee - Ryan Homes sales manager, small business owner, and one of our great friends. We'll discuss our final two pillars: beNOBLE and beCHILL.
Find us on social media @corefourlife or visit corefourlife.com
In this episode we invite in small business owner and Ryan Homes Sales Manager Matt Lee to discuss the #beFIT and #beDRIVEN pillars and also how they've been affected since being hit by COVID-19
Follow us on social media @corefourlife or at corefourlife.com
Mike, Andrew, Ryan and Matt of Core4Life discuss how their lives and 4 pillars have been affected during COVID-19.
Follow us on social media @corefourlife or at corefourlife.com
In this episode, we cap off the 4 pillars with Jarrod Williams - Associate Pastor at Redemption Chapel in Stow, OH. Can't thank him enough for jumping on with us and providing some great content.
Show Content & Links:Redemption Chapel
Follow us on social media @corefourlife or at corefourlife.com
Another main goal of Core4Life is learning from other men who are influential leaders and role models in the workplace, with their families and in their community. In this episode, we will dive into the beFIT and beDRIVEN pillars with Jarrod and also how they've been affected during quarantine.
Follow us on social media @corefourlife or at corefourlife.com
The purpose of Core4Life is to promote growth and accountability to transform the core pillars of your life. As men, it's easy to fall into ruts in various aspects of life. In this episode, we'll dive into our 4 Pillars...beFIT, beDRIVEN, beNOBLE and beCHILL. We will also discuss how our "Core 4" came to be and how we provide each other with accountability.
Content we discussed:
Fitness Challenge Spreadsheet
Follow us on social media @corefourlife or at corefourlife.com