LAB the Podcast

Josh Pearson is a visual artist, author, and the co-founder of Pep Rally Inc., whose work has transformed cities through large-scale public art while wrestling with deeper questions of faith, identity, creativity, and purpose. In this episode of LAB the Podcast, Josh shares his journey from the industrial landscape of Detroit to becoming one of today’s most respected contemporary artists. He opens...

In this episode of LAB the Podcast, Zach Elliott sits down with Mixed Media Artist Jing Herman, an Official America 250 Commemorative Artist, former Forbes 30 Under 30 investment banker, and creator of The Beautiful Country: 50 Flags for 250 Years. Born in Beijing and now an American citizen, Jing shares her remarkable journey from growing up under communism to discovering faith, embracing the Ame...

In this episode of LAB the Podcast, Zach Elliott sits down with acclaimed singer-songwriter Skye Peterson to explore the stories behind her newest album, Through Line. Together, they discuss growing up in Nashville, learning the craft of songwriting, why beauty matters, and how honest questions can become acts of worship. Skye shares how her songs have become a way of processing life, the role her...

In this conversation, Zach sits down with Author Patton Dodd to discuss his new book The Father You Get: And the Ones You Make, Believe In, and Become . Together they explore the fathers we’re born with, the father figures we create, our understanding of God as Father, and the ongoing journey of becoming fathers ourselves. Patton shares the deeply personal story behind the book, reflecting on a di...

In this episode of LAB the Podcast, Zach sits down with V3’s LAB Initiative Director, Christina Kruse, to discuss the ongoing fight against human trafficking and how the LAB Initiative is helping bring hope, awareness, and tangible support to survivors. Together, they reflect on the unveiling of the first Freedom Is Beautiful commissioned artwork, the growing partnership with the SAFE Alliance Tam...

In this episode of LAB, Zach Elliott sits down with Singer-Songwriter, Poet, and Author Andy Squyres for a rich conversation on faith, beauty, storytelling, suffering, doubt, and the vocation of the artist. Together, they explore the experiences that shaped Andy’s creative journey, from discovering literature as a kid to finding his voice beyond the expectations of the Christian music industry.  ...

In this episode of LAB the Podcast, Zach Elliott sits down with Author, Artist, Theologian, and Founder of Creo Arts, Dr. Winfield Bevins, for a rich conversation on beauty, imagination, spiritual formation, and the renewal of the arts within the Church. Together, they explore Dr. Bevins’ new book, How Beauty Will Save the World , and discuss why beauty matters in a disenchanted age, how the arts...

In this episode of LAB the Podcast, Zach sits down with Dominican poet Rosa Lía Gilbert to explore longing, exile, immigration, family, beauty, and the deep human desire for belonging. Through stories of the Dominican Republic, mango trees, immigration paperwork, marriage, and faith, Rosa Lía shares the journey behind her poetry collection Under the Saman Tree: Poems of Home, Longing, and Belongin...

In this Poetry Corner episode of LAB the Podcast, Zach Elliott sits down with V3 Artist, Poet, and Author Wendy Kieffer to explore The Land That Is Not by Edith Södergran. Together, they reflect on longing, beauty, transcendence, and the ache for a beloved “country” beyond this world. Through Södergran’s luminous poem, Zach and Wendy consider how poetry gives language to the deep human desire for...

What happens when one of the most emotionally resonant songwriters of our time sits down to talk about grief, beauty, anxiety, wonder, orchestras, motherhood, and the human experience? On this episode of LAB the Podcast, Zach Elliott sits down with Sleeping At Last, the musical project of Ryan O’Neal, for a deeply personal conversation about art, vulnerability, loss, and the sacredness of being hu...

In this episode of LAB the Podcast, we sit down with Author, Editor, and Founder of Image Journal , Gregory Wolfe, to explore the powerful intersection of faith, art, and culture. From pioneering conversations between artists and the Church to shaping the next generation of writers through Slant Books, Gregory invites us into a vision where beauty is not optional but essential. We unpack the idea...

In this episode of LAB the Podcast, we sit down with artist, maker, and craftsman Chris Breithaupt for a rich conversation about beauty, woodcraft, faith, and the slow work of becoming. From his early years in the Pacific Northwest to innovative work at Nike and now a life of making by hand, Chris reflects on what it means to live and create with intention. Together, we explore the spiritual depth...

In this episode of LAB the Podcast, Zach sits down with Culinary Artist Cory Miller to explore the deeper meaning behind food, hospitality, and the human longing to experience something more. From early memories around the table to training in a James Beard nominated kitchen, Cory shares how the culinary arts became more than craft... it became a window into beauty, connection, and the story behin...

In this Poetry Corner episode of LAB the Podcast, we slow down with Poet and Conservatory Artist Wendy Kieffer to explore the work of Robert Frost. Together, we step into two of Frost’s most iconic poems, “ Fire and Ice” and “ Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening ,” unpacking how something so brief can hold such depth. From desire and hate… to rest, responsibility, and the quiet pull of the “lovel...

In this episode of LAB the Podcast, Zach sits down with Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Victory Boyd to celebrate the release of her deeply personal album Confessions of a Lonely Girl . What unfolds is more than a conversation about music, it’s a journey through longing, heartbreak, healing, and the courage to remain open-hearted in a world that often tells us to close off.  Victory shares the se...

In this powerful episode of LAB the Podcast, Zach Elliott sits down with visual artist and iconographer Sasha Phillips to explore a story where art becomes far more than expression, it becomes prayer, legacy, and home. Born in Russia during the final decades of Soviet rule, Sasha inherited a sacred artistic lineage shaped by faith under persecution. What began as quiet sketches passed down through...

What happens when beauty quietly preaches? In this special LAB the Podcast: On THE ROAD episode, we step into the heart of downtown Tampa to explore a space that feels less like a building and more like a living story. Joined by longtime docent Beryl Byles, we uncover the layers of meaning woven into every detail from radiant stained-glass windows to the architecture shaped with purpose and devoti...

In this episode of LAB the Podcast, Zach Elliott sits down with Michael Barna, Tampa native, commercial real estate executive, and board member of VU VI VO (V3). Michael shares about his journey of faith, his life in business, and why he and his wife Bryn are passionate about supporting the work of V3. Together they discuss the importance of partnership behind the scenes, the role of beauty in exp...

Sehnsucht Symphony releases on all major streaming platforms on March 7. In this special episode of LAB the Podcast, the microphone flips. For the first time, host Zach Elliott takes the guest seat as Cammie Elliott leads the conversation. Together they explore the story behind Sehnsucht Symphony, the orchestral work inspired by Zach’s book Now I See . What began as a desire to express humanity’s...

Sehnsucht Symphony releases on all major streaming platforms on March 7. In this episode of LAB the Podcast, Zach Elliotts sits down with filmmaker and creative director Chris Farrell. The storyteller behind Stronger Spells, the documentary capturing the making of Sehnsucht Symphony. From a 10-year-old’s Jurassic Park moment to filming 92 musicians in Brno, Chris shares what makes a story “chemica...

In this episode of LAB the Podcast, Wendy introduces “Everyone Sang” by Siegfried Sassoon , a World War I poet known for his gritty realism and vocal protest against the horrors of war. Written at the end of the war, this poem captures a breathtaking moment of release: voices lifted, beauty arriving like a setting sun, horror drifting away, and everyone suddenly singing. Thank you for joining the...

In this episode of LAB the Podcast, Zach sits down with artist and author Josh Nadeau to celebrate the release of Heaven Meets Earth , a 40-day devotional journey through the Nicene Creed. Together, we explore why “We believe” is a powerful communal confession in a fractured age, how beauty can lead us back into rooted truth, and why recovering historic Christianity may be one of the most urgent a...

In this special ON THE ROAD episode, LAB the Podcast visits St. John’s Episcopal Church in Tampa, Florida. St. John’s is a sacred space where beauty is overflowing. From stained glass and reverent architecture to the liturgy and community life, every element invites you in to St. John’s.  We explore how beauty shapes worship, how tradition forms imagination, and how sacred spaces quietly disciple...

In this episode of LAB the Podcast, Zach Elliott sits down with artist and designer Mauricio Vega, founder of the SuperVivo Art Collective and the first commissioned artist for V3’s Freedom Is Beautiful project. Mauricio shares his life journey—from growing up under communism in Cuba, navigating scarcity and censorship,  to discovering faith, creativity, and calling in the midst of political and s...

In this episode of LAB the Podcast, Zach Elliott sits down with Kristen Bracy, Founder of iRISE Florida and Director of the Tampa Bay SAFE Alliance, during National Human Trafficking Awareness Month. Kristen brings over a decade of frontline experience in anti-trafficking work, survivor advocacy, and research, offering a deeply human, hopeful, and challenging vision of justice. This episode is a c...