The Excel College Podcast

Chasing your calling often takes you in directions you aren't expecting, and requires courage in the face of uncertainty. Noah Sedmak, a recently graduated Political Science major, had landed his dream job working for congressmen on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. He was quickly climbing the success ladder in terms of the D.C. climate - promoted twice by the time he was twenty-six. So what led...

In this year-end episode of The Excel College Podcast, our team sits down to reflect on the past year of life here at Excel. A year full of continued recovery efforts after Helene, growth, and change, 2025 was one for the books for all areas of our community. Want a sneak peek at what 2026 holds in store? Give this episode a listen! - We're on a mission to secure America's Christ-centered...

The rapid increase of A.I. usage throughout society is something we all have to consider. A.I. is making itself known in art, in digital media, in the film industry, and in education. What does this mean for our upcoming generation of students? How do we protect what really matters, and make room for the growth of technology? Sit down with social-impact consultant, Dr. John Seel, as we unpack this...

"What is a man?" A straightforward question on paper that's loaded in today's culture, we sat down with Dr. John Seel to unpack masculinity in modern day society. Seel has a B.A. in history, business, and philosophy from Austin College; an M.Div. from Covenant Theological Seminary; and a Ph. D. in American Studies from the University of Maryland at College Park - so he knows what...

Persistence is a signal that people can trust you to get the job done, yet the younger generations struggle with this particular soft skill. Why is follow-through important? Is there ever a time to NOT persist in following through? Listen to this episode with special guest, Beth Sedmak, to grow in your awareness of your ability to follow through and start growing in persistence (and tenacity) in t...

"Are soft skills relevant in the Creative Arts?" Chris would say absolutely - and his top soft skill for the industry, he would say, is grit. Give this episode a listen as we sit down with special guest, Chris Wall, to discuss his experience in the creative industry, and all that it takes. Chris Wall is the Executive Producer and Showrunner for the animated series  The Wingfeather Saga (season 3 p...

If you haven't heard of the Peri Social House, allow us to introduce you! A boutique hotel, bar and coffee shop, as well as a cozy event and gathering space, the Peri took the town by storm (no pun intended) when it first opened last August. Since then, they've been thriving in their recovery from the hurricane last year. In this continuation of our Soft Skills series, we had the honor of...

"What you wear doesn't define you, but it does introduce you." If you've never thought about fashion as a soft skill in the marketplace, this episode is for you! Shannon and Nicole sit down and talk all things fashion in the marketplace, beginning with identity as the foundation for it all. "The way you present yourself is a way to represent who you are." How you presen...

In this 6th episode of our soft skills series, Intellum's Senior Director of Customer Marketing, Shannon Howard, sits down with Nicole Ellison to discuss how to be a good steward of your time and subsequently free up more of your time. "Are you managing your time or is it managing you?" We're on a mission to secure America's Christ-centered future through education and discip...

In this continuation of our Soft Skills series, Daniel Perea shares his definition of work ethic, how it shows up in the workplace, and how to strengthen it so you stand out to employers. We're on a mission to secure America's Christ-centered future through education and discipleship in the context of community. To learn more about our mission to America, please visit  https://www.theexcel...

In this special episode of The Excel College Podcast, we sit down with Mercury One's Executive Director, J.P. Decker. He shares his story on his experiences with being on and building great teams who were effective and impactful, and how they got there. We're on a mission to secure America's Christ-centered future through education and discipleship in the context of community. To learn more about...

Following along with our series on soft skills and why they're important, Cassadie shares about her recent talk on why attitude matters in and out of the workplace, how to recognize it in yourself, and how to "fix" it. We're on a mission to secure America's Christ-centered future through education and discipleship in the context of community. To learn more about our mission t...

Give this second episode in our latest series a listen as rev. Dr. Art Lindsley unpacks what having a calling means, and how to answer your calling as a young adult in today's world. Hint: it all starts with identity! We're on a mission to secure America's Christ-centered future through education and discipleship in the context of community. To learn more about our mission to America,...

At Excel, we teach our students soft skills as soon as they get started with us - from how to interview well with a potential employer, to time management, to networking. In this first episode, Shannon shares her story of her beginnings in corporate America, why soft skills matter just as much as the hard skills, and priorities in the workplace. "If you can't do the basic things well, nob...

"If you want to learn more about God, study the life of Jesus." Give this episode a listen to hear Deon's message to the students a couple weeks ago about the Father heart of God! We're on a mission to secure America's Christ-centered future through education and discipleship in the context of community. To learn more about our mission to America, please visit  https://www.th...

"Like the Copernican revolution that displaced Earth from the center of the universe,  today's educational upheaval is decentering the university as the sole source of intellectual formation and career preparation ." What's next for the higher education system, and how is Excel leading the charge? Listen to this episode and find out. We're on a mission to secure America's...

The things we hold dogmatically may be inconvertibly true to us, but are they wise? Are the hills we're willing to die on actually beyond the shadow of a doubt? Take a deep dive into the dogmatic form with us in this final episode of our Critical Thinking series. We're on a mission to secure America's Christ-centered future through education and discipleship in the context of community. To learn m...

How can you tell if you're being persuaded to do something? More importantly, how do you know if what you're being persuaded to do is the right thing? Give this latest episode of our Critical Thinking series a listen to take a deep dive into the Moralistic form and all the nuance of discerning what makes up a moral (or immoral) claim. We're on a mission to secure America's Christ-c...

We all have assumptions - and contrary to popular association, they aren't always a bad thing. People will play on your hidden assumptions and associations without you even realizing it. In this latest episode of our Critical Thinking series, we teach you how to uncover those hidden assumptions and detect the associations at play. We're on a mission to secure America's Christ-centered...

Have you ever felt like the victim of what we call "statistical slight of hand", where an ad presents science that's just enough out of context that they make the science work for them? Give this episode a listen as we unpack the Scientific form and all the ways it can be used (and abused). Stay tuned for the last three episodes of our Critical Thinking series in the next few weeks! We're on a mis...

Have you ever felt your emotions being swayed by something you read or watched? Do you sometimes find your decisions being swayed by those emotions? In this episode, Andrew Haak begins our journey of exploring the Critical Thinking method - beginning with the form of the Poetic, the type of argument that's built upon the basis of pulling at your heartstrings, your passions, and getting an emot...

Wouldn't you rather learn how to think for yourself , instead of having someone teach you what to think? Welcome to the Critical Thinking series with Andrew Haak! Throughout this series, you'll get a taste of what our campers and students learn throughout their whole Excel experience with our Critical Thinking curriculum. Ready to discover God's truth, discern wisely, and take Godly ac...

We dropped off the grid for a bit, along with the rest of Western North Carolina. Turns out God had more important things for us to take care of in serving our local community in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene! Let's recap the last four months and how are students and alumni banded together to serve the community, and take a look at what lies ahead for us here at Excel College. We're on...

Follow along with C7 student, Suz Bekedam, as she shares about her background in missions, her heart for women and discipleship, and how she gets to love like Christ through her job at a local pregnancy center. We're on a mission to secure America's Christ-centered future through education and discipleship in the context of community. To learn more about our mission to America, please visi...

Koehn took a deep dive into his practicum journey with Audio Engineering during a recent All Team, and it was so good we wanted to share it with you all! You can find the fruit of all Koehn's work so far on Spotify with his two recent singles: https://open.spotify.com/track/6xp6wqEept9i0rEXiuZ0Jo?si=91bcce71decf4b22 https://open.spotify.com/track/7jvbdcITaDFnIf2AREQSJF?si=496e23ac1ca34dad Inte...