Seeking Excellence with Nathan Crankfield

Rachel Wong is a Catholic writer, creative, speaker and podcaster from Vancouver, Canada. Though she was born into the Catholic faith, Rachel had a re-conversion back to the faith in 2016. Since then, she's been on a beautiful journey of learning more about her faith and role as a Catholic woman, and she shares it with others through writing and speaking. Ra...

Fr. Shane Deman is the Vocations Director for the Diocese of Sioux City. He is also the host of the Outcast Catholic podcast.  Fr. Deman has a passion for meeting people where they are and leading them closer to where God calls them to be. He has a sincere love for the lost, broken, and wounded.  Check out the Outcast Catholic podcast for more great content with Fr. Deman! 

I recently had a friend of mine gracefully challenge me about a story I posted on Instagram which read "You cannot be Catholic and Pro-Choice". What I really meant was that you cannot be Catholic and pro-abortion, but I think that was sufficiently clear.  We often hear the more tolerant side of Christianity voice opinions that some of us are too judgmental and harsh on those who disagree with...

Mary Kate Knorr is one of the most bold and awesome young catholics in the game right now. She is determined to help share the Gospel as best she can, regardless of what negative reactions it draws from others.  A while back, she had some pretty hot takes on Taylor Swift's feministic positions in her songs and interviews. On this episode, Mary Kate and I discuss those and some other controver...

We all know what a STRUGGLE it can be to even find a good man or woman to date, let alone to find one's spouse. Jack and Josie have a wonderful story of how they met, fell in love, and made the most courageous commitment to one another through the Sacrament of Marriage.  We hope today's episode will fill you with hope, give you some laughs, and help you to see the ways God works in our lives to le...

Life is full of distractions. It can be incredibly difficult to keep God in your top 10 priorities, let alone the primary focus of your life.  David Patterson is a great example of what it looks like to live a God-centered life. He is an incredible man who has gone on a great journey of faith, trust, and transformation to become who he is today.  David runs the @yescatholic Instagram pag...

About a month ago, there was a very interesting blog released from the truly excellent Catholic ministry The Young Catholic Woman. This blog was titled Why I unfollowed you: An open letter to Catholic influencers. Knowing that I, myself, have had a number of frustrations with popular catholics on social media and in the big time catholic speaker circle, you can assume that I was eager to read what...

What a week! We're in for a great deal of controversy, debate, protests, and probably some riots. There will be absolute insanity for the next few months most likely.  The overturning of Roe v. Wade, what a momentous occasion. But is it too early to celebrate? Should Catholics be hesitant to support this move? What can we do to be on the right side of history? Can you be Catholic and pro-abor...

Today's guest is Kelly Ann Guest, author of Saintly Moms: 25 stories of holiness . Kelly has taken the time to research and profile 25 amazing Catholic saints who absolutely crushed the Mom game. Having ten kids herself, she knows a thing or two about what it takes to be a great mother! Not only that, but she took the time to identify a saint for each of the seven pillars of excellence! In to...

Like the vast majority of practicing Catholics, I have had a number of frustrations over the years with our Holy Father, Pope Francis. His ambiguity is frequently misrepresented and misinterpreted by secular media outlets with little to no effort from the Vatican or the Pope himself to actually clarify what he meant to say. The many occasions of such events have certainly inflicted damage both upo...

Dr. Kyle Walsh is a Catholic man dedicated to excellence in his faith, in the workplace, in the gym, and in the home. He has shown great perseverance and commitment to excellence in his life for many years.  I was excited to get a chance to sit and talk with him about the many lessons he's learned as a Catholic doctor in today's world of modern medicine, along with the wisdom he has gained th...

Integrity and Respect. We almost always look at integrity and respect in regards to our relationship to others. We desire the people we know, and even the people we don't know who know of us, to determine that we are people of integrity and worthy of their respect and admiration.  But what about self-respect? Violating your own integrity is more damaging, in many ways, to your view of yoursel...

In today's world, people are literally encouraged to divorce their spouse if they voted for a different candidate in the last presidential election. We are suffering from terrible division that is carefully crafted by politicians, the media, and the devil himself.  Sure, there are things we want to strongly agree on as Catholics and Christians, but is it possible to still disagree and ALSO ge...

IT FEELS LIKE IT'S BEEN FOREVER since I recorded a podcast. Episodes have still been coming out, but they were recorded months ago. I had a ton of thoughts, learnings, and reflections over the past month since so much has happened. Today's episode is a quick update and review of the wedding week, wedding day, and honeymoon. The bulk of the episode covers my learnings from seeing Dr. Jordan Peterso...

When I met a faithful Catholic woman who ALSO studied Ethnic Studies at University of California Berkley, I knew I had to get her on the podcast.  My friend, Kimberly Hebert, joins me to day to talk about her experience at UC Berkeley, her conversion to Catholicism, and her political journey.    She has long been sympathetic to the causes of social justice, but her time at UC Berkel...

Critial Thinking is the most important skill you can have when you're living in a world that seems to have lost its mind.    Everyone out there is trying to tell you WHAT to think, while today's guest, Kathy Gibbens, will teach you HOW to think.    She is a wife, mother, and host of the Filter It Through a Brain Cell Podcast, where she teaches you logical fallacies, cognitive b...

Converting to Catholocism is not easy. It's not easy spiritualy, emotionally, socially, or practically speaking. But it was an even tougher journey for today's guests, Clay and Cat Dimick.    This young married couple had an incredible journey home to the Catholic Church. They dealt with pushback from family, self-doubt, and struggles with Catholic teaching.    Their boldness i...

You may have heard it said that the Devil's greatest strategy is convincing people that he does not exist. If that's true, then his second best strategy must be convincing people that his weapons do not exist or that they are irrelevant.    Pornography is one of the greatest evils of our time. The addiction rates have increased rapidly over the past two decades as access to pornographic...

We hear a lot about self-care these days. Mental health, fitness, taking breaks, and many other things are promoted as ways to care for yourself. And it's important! After all, you can't give from an empty cup.  But self-care and self-love don't always seem like they ought to be a priority in the Christian life. We know God doesn't want us to simply be miserable and neglect to take care of ou...

This episode is not for the weak or easily offended. Are you looking for some motivation to really dive into your spiritual life this Lent, go harder at work, finally take your personal growth seriously, and/or just generally get your life together??  Then this episode is for you!  Fight hard out there and be your best!

Have you ever read the Litany of Humility? It's like a death sentence for your comfort and desires.  Humility is possibly the most important virtue. If pride is the root of all sin, it would follow that humility would be the solution to all sin.  Joel Stepanek has fought to become extremely well versed in the virtue of humility. He loves humility so much that he wrote a book on it! In Ch...

A great defense might not win you the game, but it’ll at least prevent you from getting your ass kicked. A couple of months ago, we talked about "financial defense", which is creating boundaries to keep your life, finances, time, and other resources, from spiraling out of control.  Now, it’s time to turn to the offense.    What are the things that actively help you to get ahead? Wel...

It's honestly hard to think about what we DID NOT talk about in this episode. Two young, black, male Army officers - one Protestant, one Catholic - both on a journey of more deeply discovering their values, political views, and life priorities - have a candid conversation about the ups and downs of life.  Corey is the co-host of Diaries of High Achievers Podcast. Corey and I have been friends...

So often in life we see people settling for the minimum. Mass one day per week, putting in the least amount of effort at work, looking to fulfill, and never exceed, any expectations in relationships, etc.  What does it look like to be average? We've spent a few weeks now talking about what mediocrity looks like in mental health, physical health, personal finance, and job satisfaction. Today,...

The CATO Institute conducted a study that concluded that 62% of Americans have political opinions that they are afriad to share.    Who can't relate to that? We've all got some opinions we are afraid to share. They could be in regards to faith, politics, and/or culture.   And many cave in to that fear. But shouldn't we embrace it instead? After all, it's one whole hell of a lot...