The Be Unbound Podcast

Kian Bisschop joins us for an episode we recorded just a few days before his wedding to talk about masculinity - where do we get it right, and where have we lost our way? As our culture has conversations about exposing toxic masculinity, men are left to wonder how to replace some of the cultural stereotypes and poor examples we've grown up with. Kian helps us explore the essence of biblical ma...

Sarah Shaw returns to the Be Unbound Podcast for a deep discussion about that artists play in our culture. We dive into the philosophy of art, its cultural impact, and the importance of purposeful art. Sarah shares from her experience as an artist and as an entrepreneur about how art can shape culture, moving beyond the stereotypical 'starving artist' stereotype. We loved her insights on h...

Alison Grant joins us for a special episode that offers the other side of story from her husband Scott who joined us earlier this season. Alison shares from a fresh perspective the extraordinary yet relatable journey of parenting and juggling life's unexpected changes. She shares some of the practical adaptation she's made in homeschooling each of her six children while tracing the traject...

In this episode of the Be Unbound Podcast, we have a tremendous conversation with David Hazell, co-founder of My Father's World Curriculum and a key figure in the development of micro schools. David shares his unconventional journey from spreading the gospel in Siberia and working in Bible translation to establishing an education system that challenges traditional models. With a passion for in...

In this episode of the Be Unbound podcast, we dive into another segment of our Extraordinary at Ordinary series with extraordinary conversation with Seth Showalter, a close friend and former editor of this podcast. We explore his unconventional journey post-high school and how he explored alternatives to traditional higher education. Seth shares his story, starting from working at Chick-fil-A, mov...

In this episode of the Be Unbound podcast, we talk with Unbound team member and alum, Trent Emmack. From battling a video game addiction and obesity in his teenage years to joining a football team for a complete lifestyle overhaul, Trent's story is one of resilience and transformation. Trent shares insights into overcoming challenges, the impact of making small but significant life changes, an...

This episode of the Be Unbound podcast features an in-depth interview with Tim Fisher, an alum, colleague, and friend of the Unbound team. Tim describes his life as puzzle pieces slowly coming together without knowing the full pictures. Growing up in a conservative Anabaptist community, Tim discusses how he broke away from traditional expectations by pursuing higher education and a career in finan...

Joe Denner joins us for a fantastic discussion that explores the often overlooked (and sometimes controversial) concept that business and everyday work can serve as powerful platforms for ministry. Joe talks aboout how he came to his personal realization about the sacred-secular divide and the understanding that all work under God's sovereignty can be a form of ministry. Joe Denner is an exper...

In this episode of the Be Unbound podcast, we chat special guest Dr. Matthew McDill, a seasoned parent of nine and the executive director of North Carolinians for Home Education. We discuss the nuances of parenting and discipleship, emphasizing the importance of giving children space to fail and learn. Matthew shares his personal journey of balancing academic knowledge with practical experience in...

In the latest installment of our Extraordinary at Ordinary series, this episode features one of our Unbound team members - Olivia Jacks! Olivia shares how she came to discover some of the common misconceptions about successful and impactful work, which often focus on visionary and storytelling roles while neglecting the critical work of logistics and operations. We chat with Olivia about how these...

Jace Bower talks with Jonathan and David today in another segment of our Extraordinary at Ordinary series where we highlight people who are living a seemingly ordinary life, but doing it extraordinarily well and being very faithful in it. Jace shares about his journey of discerning his call to pastoral ministry, but waiting for the right time to act on it. He wrestles through the tension of feelin...

In this episode of the Be Unbound podcast, co-hosts David Rethemeyer and Jonathan Brush tackle the controversial topic of the diminishing value proposition of higher education. We dive into the pervasive myth that not pursuing a college degree leads to low-paying, undesirable jobs, arguing that the reality today is quite different. The episode highlights statistics indicating that the cost of coll...

As you listen to our conversation with Scott Grant, you'll very quickly see why he fits our definition of "Extraordinary at Ordinary." We talk to Scott about three exceptional things that he's known for:  1) Scott is a military veteran with multiple international and domestic deployments as a helicopter pilot. 2) He's also been a chief helicopter pilot for law enforcement with...

In our latest installement of the ongoing Extraordinary at Ordinary series, we talk with Tracy Kimzey about her approach to raising kids (or rather, raising adults!). Being a mom is the one job or profession you can do that you absolutely know will change the world. The hero moms we get to work with in Unbound are often behind the scenes, they're unnoticed, they're almost always underappre...

Andrew Pudewa joins us today for a conversation about mastery and his take on what it takes to become excellent at any given thing. Andrew is a long time friend of Unbound and was the commencement speaker for Unbound's Apex program last year. He is a father of 7 and grandfather of 18. He's also the founder and director of the Institute of Excellence in Writing. At the end of our conversati...

Failure is a necessary part of success. Every successful person we look up to has walked a winding road of failure to get to where they are. John Skomski - a financial advisor, entrepreneur, and podcast host - is no exception to that. As an Unbound alum, we're excited for you to hear his story and his hard-earned wisdom.    Learn more about Unbound:  https://beunbound.us/   Hosts: Jonathan Bru...

Cohosts Jonathan and David take some time to upack the lessons they learned from Basecamp - our most recent live event for students. Basecamp brought together over 100 young adults from ages 17-22 for a week, plus several of our Unbound alumni and staff. The group learned a lot about the topic of failure through speakers and workshops, and through a series of unexpected situations, they also exper...

Cindy Cone serves as one of the board members for Unbound, and is honestly one of the primary reaons that Unbound exists today. Cindy joins the show to share a couple of stories about her connection to Unbound and a bit of her faith journey. Her incredible storytelling ability kept us engaged for our entire conversation. You'll definitely be encouraged in this latest installment of our Extraor...

Connie Ablers joins this episode of the Be Unbound Podcast to share her insights on how to parent beyond the rules and create a rich relationship with your children. For over 30 years, Connie Albers has been teaching people of all ages how to discover and use their natural strengths and gifts to succeed in virtually any situation. She is a popular speaker whose insights and humor and practical str...

James Glenn joins us this week in another installment of our Extraordinary to Ordinary series. James is a long time friend of the show. In fact, he recorded one of the very first (unreleased) episodes of the Be Unbound podcast! James is in many ways, a larger than life figure in terms of his physical fitness, his abilities, the challenges he takes on, and the life experience that he has. But James...

Derrick Kinney has a lot of insights into finances and creating value no matter what your current financial situation. He's also somebody who very intentionally invests in people and calls out the value God has given them. Derrick is best known for his work as a financial advisor and for his book, Good Money Revolution. He also shares with us about a new program he’s started called Simple Teen...

Steve Demme, a pioneer of the homeschooling movement and founder of Demme Learning, joins Jonathan and David for this episode, where he tells the story of how he and his family became involved in homeschooling, and how Demme Learning got its start. Steve also shares his testimony, a vulnerable and powerful reminder of the faithfulness and love of God. Learn more about Building Faith Families: http...

In this episode, Rhea Perry joins Jonathan and David to share a bit of her story of being a homeschool pioneer, and gives a presentation on how to maximize your God-given time and talents. Learn more about Educating for Success: https://www.educatingforsuccess.net/ Check out Jonathan's book, The Personal Triangle: https://beunbound.us/book/ Learn more about Unbound: https://beunbound.us/ Hosts...

What are the concerns and the hopes of the upcoming generation? In this week's episode, Jonathan and David are joined by Zechariah Olson and Samuel Bejarano, two students who met in Unbound's Equip program, and started a podcast together called Much Ado About Nothing. They discuss how they met and started their podcast, their perspective on AI, and what they are concerned and optimistic ab...

With a wealth of knowledge, experience, and an excellent Scottish accent, Stuart McAllister joins Jonathan and David for this episode, in which Stuart tells some of his story, and discusses some of the challenges and opportunities of sharing the gospel in modern culture. Thinking Out Loud Podcast/Ministry: https://toltogether.com/ CS Lewis Institute: https://www.cslewisinstitute.org/ Learn more ab...