Pillars of Purpose

Can your business grow without you doing everything? For years, Sid Graef believed he owned a business. In reality, he had built himself a job. In this episode of Pillars of Purpose, host Matthew Efird sits down with entrepreneur, speaker, and business builder Sid Graef to explore what it really takes to build a business that runs without depending on the owner every single day. Sid shares his rem...

What happens when heartbreak leads you away from God… and surrender brings you back? In this episode of the Pillars of Purpose Podcast, Matthew Eford sits down with Will Stowe—author, husband, father, and founder of The Chicken Box—to discuss his powerful journey of faith, purpose, and serving others. After losing his grandmother, who had been like a mother to him, Will slowly drifted away from hi...

What happens when every parent's worst fear becomes reality? In this powerful conversation, Matthew Efird sits down with Jill Sullivan to share the story of her daughter Hannah, who was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor at just 16 years old. After a year-long battle with glioblastoma, Hannah passed away in 2009—but her story didn't end there. Out of unimaginable grief, Jill and her hus...

What does biblical stewardship actually look like in everyday life? In this episode of the Pillars of Purpose Podcast, Matthew Evert sits down with Kerry Mallory of Blue Trust to discuss faith, finances, leadership, and the responsibility of managing God's resources well. Many Christians think stewardship is simply about giving, but Kerry explains why true stewardship goes much deeper. From ma...

Most fathers don't realize they're parenting on default. They love their kids. They work hard. They want to do better than the generation before them. But without a framework, many men simply repeat what they experienced growing up—whether it was good, bad, or somewhere in between. In this episode, Matthew Efird sits down with military intelligence veteran, speaker, and author Doug Androsky to dis...

What happens when a stay-at-home mom with no clear business plan starts a simple blog… and turns it into a thriving company that helps thousands of women find peace and clarity in their homes? In this powerful conversation, Organize 365 founder Lisa Woodruff shares her incredible journey from overwhelmed mom to entrepreneur, author, podcaster, and PhD graduate. Along the way, she opens up about th...

Beth Marshall never planned to become a voice for grief healing. But after the sudden loss of her mother, she found herself overwhelmed, isolated, and searching for hope. In this deeply honest conversation, Beth shares how grief changed her life, how journaling and Scripture became part of her healing journey, and why community matters so much when walking through loss. Together, Matthew and Beth...

Business owners are hearing about AI everywhere… but what does it actually mean for everyday entrepreneurs? In this episode of Market Mavericks, Matthew sits down with Ala Sahu to break down AI in a practical, understandable way for small business owners, solopreneurs, and entrepreneurs. Ala explains the “4 Levels of AI,” the difference between tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity, a...

If you’ve ever thought, “I’d invest in real estate… but I don’t have the money,” this episode will shift your perspective. In this conversation, Jay Conner breaks down how he went from relying on banks… to raising over $2 million in private money in just 90 days — without pitching, chasing, or begging for funds. We talk about: -What “private money” actually is (and how it’s different from hard mon...

Most dads want to protect their kids. But what if that’s not enough? In this episode, David Poindexter shares a powerful shift in mindset that could change how you lead your family forever: stop just protecting your kids… and start equipping them. After 40 years of marriage, raising four daughters, and working with families for decades, David breaks down what actually builds strong, confident, fai...

What do you do when everything falls apart? In this powerful episode, Aaron Chapman shares a story that will challenge how you see failure, faith, and forgiveness. From working in mines and oil fields… to building a successful mortgage career… to losing over $5.5 million, his health, and even his memory after a devastating motorcycle accident. Aaron’s journey is one of the most raw and honest stor...

What if one simple family decision could change everything? In this episode of the Pillars of Purpose Podcast, Matthew sits down with David Schnurman, author of 11 Suitcases, to unpack the bold decision that took his family from routine life in New York to living abroad in Barcelona. But this isn’t just a travel story. It’s about vision, faith, and choosing to step out of comfort—even when it’s me...

This is one of the most personal and meaningful episodes we’ve ever shared. In this special episode of the Pillars of Purpose podcast, Matthew opens up about the life of his son Noah—who lived for 57 hours—and the journey of faith, grief, and purpose that followed.
 During pregnancy, Matthew and his wife received the heartbreaking diagnosis that Noah had trisomy 13. What followed were months of an...

What if the reason your business feels stuck… isn’t strategy—but purpose? In this episode of the Pillars of Purpose Podcast, Reed Nyffeler shares how he built a $300M business across 48 states and 9 countries—starting in an industry he had zero experience in. His secret? He didn’t start with experience… he started with purpose. Inside this conversation, you’ll learn: -Why starting with purpose giv...

Most leaders don’t fail because they lack effort… they fail because they’re focusing in the wrong direction. In this episode, Matthew sits down with Dalmo Cirne, author of The Four Streams of Leadership, to break down a powerful framework that every business owner and leader needs to understand. If you’ve ever struggled with: -Building the right team -Defining your company culture -Communicating e...

What do you do when life changes in an instant? For Eric McElvenny, that moment came on December 9, 2011 — when an IED explosion in Afghanistan took his lower leg. But two weeks later, an email from his commanding officer changed everything: "Let me know when you're going to run your first marathon." That challenge sparked a “crazy goal” that would reshape Eric’s life — training for...

Success can quietly become an idol. In this episode of the Pillars of Purpose Podcast, Bryan Smith shares how a career crisis revealed something many entrepreneurs struggle with: tying identity to success. After spending years building businesses and leading in the tech world, Bryan realized his title as CTO had slowly become the foundation of his identity. When that foundation shook, it forced hi...

9/11 survivor and former Secret Service agent Darin Kinder shares how surviving the World Trade Center led him to discover God’s purpose for his life. - On September 11, 2001, Darin Kinder should have died. As a young Secret Service agent inside the World Trade Center complex, he ran toward danger — helping evacuate survivors from Tower 1. But moments before collapse, he felt led away from two veh...

If you’re a Christian business owner looking for a biblical approach to family wealth planning and generational legacy, this episode will change how you think about money forever. -- What happens to your business… your bank accounts… your family… if you’re gone tomorrow? In this powerful and practical conversation, Tyler McCart shares how a sudden family crisis in 2020 exposed major gaps in tradit...

What does it really look like to build a strong family on purpose? In this powerful and practical conversation, Nick Nickell shares the lessons he learned from nearly 50 years of marriage, raising four children, and now leading as a grandfather. From leaving a Navy career to prioritize family… To creating traditions like the “Nickell Olympics”… To navigating parenting struggles that became spiritu...

Jeff Hancher discusses effective leadership and accountability. Key Takeaways - Leadership is a "deposit/withdrawal" relationship. Leaders must first make "deposits" (coaching, personal investment) to earn the right to make "withdrawals" (tough feedback), which builds trust and enables growth. - Accountability requires a 3-part framework: 1) Clear, reasonable expectat...

Lara Silverman discusses how to find joy in suffering. Key Takeaways - Acceptance is the Path: After losing health, career, and husband, Lara Silverman found peace by accepting her permanent illness as a "thorn in the flesh" (2 Cor 12:7), shifting from demanding healing to trusting God's will. - Joy in Grief is Possible: A one-year marriage to Matt, a fellow sufferer, demonstrated th...

Nick Vipperman discusses his new book, "Switching Shoes." Key Takeaways - New Book: "Switching Shoes: The Power of Perspective" explores how a single perspective shift can instantly change emotions (e.g., anger to empathy), a phenomenon Vipperman calls "miraculous." - Origin: The book evolved from a sermon series Vipperman couldn't let go of, feeling a divine dire...

Carl Nicpon discusses preparing a business for a successful exit. Key Takeaways - Start planning an exit 3 years out. The timeline is 1 year for preparation (systems, team), 1 year for the sale process, and 1 year for post-sale transition. - Build a buyer-independent business. A buyer is buying a machine, not a person. Delegate all key functions (e.g., sales, operations) to a strong team to prove...

James Hatfield discusses scaling home service businesses and LiveSwitch's role. Key Takeaways - Scaling Strategy: Solopreneurs should scale by hiring overseas virtual assistants (~$1,700/mo) for admin, documenting all processes, and incentivizing staff with profit-sharing bonuses (not equity) to create an "owner" mindset. - LiveSwitch's Value: The platform uses a text-to-video li...