Built By Faith

After 16 conversations, I felt God stirring something I couldn't ignore. What began as a podcast focused on faith-forward conversations has slowly revealed something deeper: the power of testimony. In this episode, I share why Built By Faith is pausing new guest interviews for the next several weeks and why I believe God is calling me into a quieter season of reflection, healing, and obedience. As...

A seven-day panic attack. A hospital visit. A Bible opened to Philippians 4:13. And a life that would never be the same. In this episode, professional baseball player Gabe Klobosits shares his testimony publicly for the first time. We talk about identity, anxiety, surrender, Psalm 23, purpose, obedience, and learning to trust God when the future makes no sense. A conversation about what happens wh...

Jaylon Lee plays outfield for the GlowMojis in the Cosmic Baseball League, but his journey to this moment wasn't the path he expected. After years of chasing professional baseball, Jaylon watched opportunities disappear, endured multiple releases, wrestled with financial hardship, and found himself questioning everything—including his faith. In this episode, Jaylon shares the college years that sh...

Caleb Poston shares the story of walking with his dad through a 19-month battle with cancer — from diagnosis and suffering to the final moments before he went home to Jesus. But this conversation isn’t ultimately about death. It’s about peace. The kind of peace that doesn’t make sense when someone is fighting for their life. The kind of peace that changes the people standing in the room witnessing...

At 27 years old, Alejandro Avendano underwent open-heart surgery — but even surviving that wasn’t enough to change the way he saw life. For years, Alejandro built everything through discipline, work, achievement, and self-reliance. After immigrating from Venezuela and spending nearly two decades working at Boeing, life eventually forced him to confront what happened when identity, control, and cer...

Ray “Sensei” Ortega spent years chasing the baseball dream — from independent ball to professional coaching, the Giants organization, the Savannah Bananas, and eventually Cosmic Baseball. But beneath the surface, God was shaping something deeper. In this conversation, Ray shares how adversity, surrender, influence, and faith slowly reframed the purpose behind everything he thought he was building....

Matt Kuiper shares the story behind Desert Plunge, his struggle with anxiety and mental health, and the season that forced him to surrender control and rebuild slowly through faith. This conversation explores endurance, fatherhood, mental health, cold therapy, and learning how to keep moving forward when life feels heavy. Matt opens up about panic attacks, depression, addiction, faith, marriage, a...

Sydney shares her story of growing up in a chaotic and painful environment while developing a deep and personal relationship with God from a young age. Through fear, family brokenness, and moments of desperation, she continued to run toward God — not away from Him. This conversation explores what it looks like to build real faith in the middle of real life.

He didn’t find freedom by trying harder. He found it when he finally let go. In this conversation, Luke Adams shares the moment everything changed — from carrying the pressure of performance in professional baseball to surrendering his life to God. What followed wasn’t perfection, but a new way of living rooted in trust, dependence, and freedom. Luke opens up about identity, injury, faith, and wha...

Some moments in life don’t just pass—they shape you. In this conversation, Brianna Salvatore Dueck shares what it’s been like to walk through loss, identity, and the quiet tension of trying to follow God in seasons that don’t always make sense. After losing her mom at a young age, she found herself asking a question most of us try to avoid: What can I cling to… if everything can be taken? That que...

He had everything he thought he wanted — and still felt empty. Brad Rowe shares the honest story behind the success… the divorce, the shame, the chasing, and the moment everything broke. For years, Brad was driven by performance and achievement, while quietly carrying a deeper emptiness he couldn’t explain. This conversation walks through the unraveling of that life — and the surrender that follow...

There are moments where everything catches up to you… and you finally stop holding it together. In this episode, Jerame Mudick shares the night he hit his breaking point, realizing how lost and broken he felt, crying out to God, and asking for reassurance before surrendering. What followed was a moment he still can’t explain… only that everything shifted. This conversation is about: • what it look...

Blake Prime shares his story of transformation — from living a life that appeared successful on the outside to confronting the reality of disconnection in his faith, his family, and his identity. Through moments of pain, surrender, and obedience, this conversation explores what it looks like to move from going through the motions… to truly walking with God. In this episode: • Blake’s personal test...

Some experiences don’t fit into clean explanations. In this conversation, Sam Dancer shares moments from his life that challenged everything he thought he knew about faith, identity, and what it means to encounter God. From unexplainable encounters… to everyday obedience… this is a real conversation about what faith actually looks like when it’s lived out. No performance. No pretending. Just hones...

Brandon Fuller spent nearly a decade leading worship at Sun Valley Community Church. Then God called him somewhere different, a private garage gym in Gilbert, AZ where he coaches busy parents and professionals and quietly does some of the best ministry you've never heard of. This conversation goes deep on what it actually looks like to live out your faith outside the four walls of a church. Brando...

In this episode of Built By Faith, Steve Vencl sits down with Breland for an honest conversation about rejection, resilience, and the role faith plays in shaping identity. Breland shares what it was like being released by more than a dozen teams throughout his career and the lessons he learned through perseverance, discipline, and trust in God’s plan. Through the highs and lows of sport, he discov...

This conversation marks the beginning of a new season and direction, now called Built By Faith . In this first episode of Built By Faith, Steve sits down with Daniel Champagne to talk about the quiet ways God works through unexpected seasons. After a back injury in 2020 disrupted his path in the fitness world, Daniel found himself in a season of uncertainty. What followed wasn’t a clear plan, but...

Josh Chaney set out to build the world’s best audio chair. What he didn’t expect? That chair would help people with Parkinson’s, calm autistic children, and create a new category of vibroacoustic wellness. In this conversation, Josh shares the incredible story behind Solodome , a technology that blends sound, science, and soul. We talk audio fidelity, wellness integrity, startup grit, and the unex...

After 20 years in the car business, David Maus Jr. made a bold move—he walked away from comfort, success, and security to follow God’s call. In this episode, David opens up about that decision, how his wife led him to faith, and why health, relationships, and obedience are now at the center of his life. We talk through identity, fasting, cold plunges, connection, digital ministry, and what it mean...

What does it look like to live with grit — not just grind? In this powerful conversation, Peter Nelson II(co-founder of SISU Lifestyle) opens up about the values that drive his life: faith , family , resilience , and purpose . We explore what true grit means, why “the grind” is a trap, how to build weekly systems that actually work, and the rhythms Peter uses to lead his family, relationships, and...

In this conversation, Steve and Monica Strohschein explore the multifaceted journey of life, reflecting on personal growth, the importance of empathy, and the challenges faced in sports, particularly volleyball. They discuss the impact of mental health on athletes, the significance of coaching philosophies, and the joy found in playing grass volleyball. The conversation emphasizes the need for und...

Todays episode of Steps explores the theme of purpose and balancing personal and professional responsibilities. Mitch Sadowsky discusses how his purpose is his family and providing a better life for them. He grapples with the challenge of being away from his family to work and finding a balance between his calling as a strength coach and being present for his children. Steve shares his own experie...

Colin Jonov, founder of Athletic Fortitude, shares his journey as a former athlete and how he has learned to cope with injuries and setbacks. He emphasizes the importance of channeling negative emotions into positive energy and developing a dynamic identity. Colin discusses the role of fear and other people's opinions in shaping our mindset and how he has used an alter ego to overcome challenges....

Today’s guest on Steps is Carly Wopat ( INSTAGRAM ) Carly is currently a Professional beach volleyball athlete who got her start on the indoor side of the game. In our chat we discuss her journey from an early age and her recruitment to Stanford. While at Stanford Carly suffered the loss of her twin sister, Sam. We talk about this moment in her life and how it affected her, along with how it has s...

Todays guest on Steps is Anna Rantala. Anna is a professional beach volleyball player who hails from Finland. She is one of many athletes who end up making their way to the United States each year to attend a university while participating in athletics. In our conversation we discuss her journey with this including all the highs and lows that can be associated with moving to a new country at the a...