Gentle Art of Leadership With Matt Shoup

Emily Shoup is a 5 time returning guest, passionate advocate for women, and my beautiful wife! In this heartfelt conversation, Emily opens up about the unseen parts of personal growth—how sometimes, we must walk a path in the dark before we’re met with the beauty of sunrise. She shares what it means to say “yes” when you feel called to something, even when the outcome isn’t clear, and how simply t...

The Fuentes family, from Sevilla Spain are dear friends of mine. They are a multigenerational team of artisans and entrepreneurs, known for their timeless dedication to the craft of ceramics. With a legacy rooted deeply in passion and precision, they’ve built a reputation for curating and creating pieces that stand the test of time. In this episode, the Fuentes family shares the rich history behin...

Niki McIntosh is a Jesus follower and entrepreneur with a heart for truth, transformation, and community. Her journey is marked by seasons of deep work and reflection, where she learned the importance of putting her head down and staying faithful to the process. Niki shares how developing healthy boundaries and inviting trusted friends and family into her life has helped her stay accountable in bo...

Jonathan McGinley is a Jesus follower and the founder of Intentional Man. He is a person who lives for significance over success. In this powerful and transparent conversation, he opens up about the reality of being new in entrepreneurship and the discomfort of learning while in the trenches. After navigating a deeply personal hardship, he shares how easy it was to fall into blame, and how freeing...

Marc Mero is a Jesus follower, former WCW and WWE professional wrestler, motivational speaker, and author who has inspired millions of middle and high school aged youth with his powerful message of hope and transformation. In this episode, Marc shares incredible stories from his pro wrestling days, offering a behind-the-scenes look at life inside the ring and the challenges that came with it. He o...

Danelle Delgado is a mother, speaker, author, and entrepreneur whose journey is defined by resilience, determination, and a commitment to making an impact in the world. In this episode, she shares powerful insights on success, emphasizing that it’s often built through consistent, small, and seemingly boring steps. Danelle introduces the concept of “No Zero Days,” a practice focused on ensuring tha...

Ron Waterman is a Jesus follower, husband, father, former UFC mixed martial arts fighter, former WWE professional wrestler, and a current youth pastor, Realtor, speaker and firefighter, whose journey is marked by resilience, redemption, and faith. Ron opens up about his childhood struggles with bullying and how a teacher’s encouragement changed the trajectory of his life. Ron shares his path to be...

Steven is an entrepreneur and co-owner of Satellite Strategies, an accounting firm based in Northern Colorado. He shares practical advice all business owners must know on how to get started with accounting and why staying on top of your finances is crucial for business success. Steven emphasizes the importance of having a dedicated person in charge of finances and explains the strategic value of f...

Andrew Johnson is a Jesus follower, farmer, husband, father, and entrepreneur whose journey has been anything but conventional. Inheriting a farm, he embraced the challenges of farm life while also pursuing his passion for fitness—starting a business to help others achieve their health goals. Before fully stepping into farming and entrepreneurship, Andrew was a dancer and even worked as a dance in...

Carl is a Jesus follower, retired pastor, husband, and father and grandfather who has spent his life guiding others, especially hurting men, through faith and personal challenges. In this episode, he opens up about his journey—from his early days as a pastor of an inner city church in Chicago, to transitioning and moving to Loveland, where he eventually founded Foundations Church. Carl shares how...

Darius Bell is a husband, father, entrepreneur and content creator navigating the challenges and reality of building his new business from the ground up. In this episode, he shares the daily struggles that many entrepreneurs face and how he chooses to handle them. Darius stresses the importance of time management and why mastering the basics of your craft is essential for long-term success. We dis...

Four time guest, and my beautiful wife Emily Shoup, is back for a Valentine’s Day episode. Emily is a Jesus follower, wife, mother, beacon of light and hope for hurting women, and my right hand woman in business and life.  In this episode, we discuss the power of setting boundaries, prioritizing what truly matters, and how we are living in a season of saying “no”. We talked about the importance of...

Greg Birch is a father, speaker, and entrepreneur with a passion for self-improvement and living with intention. In this episode, Greg and Matt reflect on the powerful lessons they learned during their trip to Spain, emphasizing the importance of being present and truly experiencing life. Greg shares his thoughts on how society is too caught up in distractions while neglecting the things that trul...

Juan Quintana is a Jesus follower, husband, father and man who transformed his life against all odds. For years, he was caught in a cycle of crime, drug use, and dealing drugs. After witnessing the toll it took on his wife and children, the pain he caused his family and others, and facing the reality of being locked up, Juan knew he had to make a change. While incarcerated, he turned to the Bible,...

920 is a father, child of God, up and coming rapper, artist and entrepreneur who grew up in a home filled with his mother’s love and gospel music. As a child, his passion for music was undeniable! His mother, a pastor, attempted to shield him from hip-hop music because of the explicit content. After listening to it for the first time, he was hooked. Starting his career in Memphis, 920 honed and pe...

Adam Lunn, a former Boulder County Sheriff's Deputy, shares his profound and life-altering journey in this powerful episode. While on duty, Adam responded to a call involving a severely intoxicated young man. Following standard procedures, he and his team transported him in a vehicle that was ill-suited for the situation. Tragically, upon arrival at the station, the young man, Demetrius Shank...

Jesse Laner is a husband, father, and co-owner of Northern Colorado’s thriving real estate brokerage, C3. Interestingly, Jesse never planned on getting into real estate. The profession found him during a pivotal time in his life. In 2008, while initially exploring real estate investing, Jesse realized he needed capital to achieve his goals. This led him to the selling side of real estate—a move th...

In this powerhouse episode, I sit down with Gentle Art of Leadership’s first guest, and my longtime friend, former M & E Painting project manager, and now full-time pastor, speaker, and soon to be author, Rick Scadden. This conversation blends hilarious stories, raw honesty, and life-changing lessons as we unpack Rick's extraordinary journey from a four-time felon to a full-time pastor. W...

This week, Rocky Romano joins us on the Gentle Art of Leadership Podcast. He gets real, raw, and unfiltered about his life’s traumas and wounds that led him to a deep and ugly heroin addiction. Rocky dives deep into the emotional wounds, abandonment issues, and patterns of self-sabotage that quietly derail men’s lives. From chasing success to numbing pain with quick fixes, Rocky doesn’t hold back...

John Simmons is a husband, father, and entrepreneur . Straight out of high school, John enrolled in the army, where he developed a strong foundation of structure and resilience. Transitioning to civilian life, he worked in restaurants and experienced firsthand the dramatic shift between military service and the business world. John shares key lessons from his time in the military and how they’ve s...

Nate Shields is a husband, father, investor, and entrepreneur. Eight months after obtaining his real estate license, Nate boldly quit his traditional job, embarking on a journey of self-employment. Now, he shares invaluable advice for aspiring real estate agents, emphasizing the importance of a robust CRM system and the potential benefits of joining a team for early-career support. He candidly dis...

Terri is a wife, entrepreneur, and dedicated caregiver with a heartfelt passion for taking care of others. Her journey began in adult respite and home care, where she discovered her calling to provide compassionate, consistent care for her patients. Terri shares her story of overcoming the fear of starting her own business and emphasizes the importance of trusting the process and being patient. Sh...

Sandy Wagget is an author, wife, and entrepreneur with an incredible journey that spans Las Vegas to Colorado and beyond. After earning a math degree and becoming a teacher, she pursued her master’s degree, met her husband, and began her first venture—building websites for wedding professionals. Over time, she pivoted from websites to running a full-service marketing agency. In this episode, Sandy...

Desiree is a mother, entrepreneur, and the owner of Better Days, a thriving residential cleaning service. Her journey is one of resilience and transformation, overcoming homelessness and alcoholism to build a life of purpose and success. Desiree shares how dissatisfaction with her job led her to start cleaning homes; and opens up about the challenges of balancing personal relationships while dedic...

Kelly Fitzpatrick is an entrepreneur, veteran, and advocate for mental health. Growing up, Kelly faced unique challenges and often felt different from her parents and siblings, with these struggles intensifying after her mother was put in a medically induced coma. A year after high school, she joined the Navy, and despite various challenges, she rose through the ranks to become part of the air cre...