The Guidelight

People, even non-believers, will recognize good principles. In this powerful episode, Jason Trent is with Jay Mink, an entrepreneur, M&A advisor, and Director of Outreach at the National Christian Foundation, to share insights on structuring a profitable business exit. You elevate your value when, as a leader, you start planning a business exit from the very beginning, doing diligence, creatin...

Thinking about selling your business? In this episode of The Guidelight , Jason Trent sits down with entrepreneur and M&A advisor Jay Mink, Director of Outreach at the National Christian Foundation, to talk about how to exit a business with wisdom, strategy, and purpose. They explore practical strategies for choosing the right buyer, protecting company culture, creating values-driven deals, an...

Ten years into running his insurance agency, Jason Trent felt done. Burned out. Unsure if he should sell it all and start over. In this first episode of The Guidelight , Jason shares the mentors, faith, and hard choices that shaped his leadership.  Then on a quiet walk from his barn to the house, he told God, “I can’t do this.” What happened next changed everything and turned his business into a m...

In this powerful episode of JTrent Connect, we sit down with Neil Ravenna—known by many simply as "Chef"—whose journey from executive chef at the University of Alabama to lead cook at Haywood Pathways Center is anything but ordinary. Neil shares how feeding the hungry has become a mission of the heart, why cell phone chargers matter on food trucks, and how one unexpected encounter with R...

What does it mean to give—out of abundance or out of lack? In this powerful conversation, Jason Trent sits down with Julie Cloninger, Executive Director of Haywood Pathways Center, to unpack how one invitation led her from serving food to transforming lives in Western North Carolina. Julie shares moving stories of those living on the margins and how Christ-centered connection, compassion, and dign...

Have you ever felt like your life just doesn’t line up—like something’s off-track, broken, or totally unexpected? That’s what it means to live through an outlier moment. Whether it’s financial strain, a broken relationship, a health crisis, or a battle with sin, these moments can feel like they don’t belong in your story. But they do. In this short devotional episode, Jason Trent invites you to se...

EPISODE 2: Space Rabbit Coffee — From Burnout to Boldness In this inspiring episode, Jason sits down with Michael and Susan Bartlett, founders of Space Rabbit Coffee, to unpack the story behind one of the most original small-town coffee shops in America. But this isn’t just a tale of caffeine and creativity—it’s a raw and real conversation about burnout, reinvention, and bold faith. Michael, a lon...

In the very first episode of the JTrent Connect Podcast, Jason Trent sits down with his longtime friend and ministry partner, Michael Bartlett, to talk about finding true hope through life's storms. This honest, powerful conversation explores personal trials, deep fears, and how trusting God’s bigger picture brings peace even in our darkest moments. You'll hear: How to recognize when fea...