The River Foundation Podcast

Hello and welcome to The River Foundation Podcast! Today, James Lenhoff, the esteemed author of last quarter's Book of the Quarter, Living a Rich Life: The No-Regrets Guide to Building and Spending Wealth joins Dan to discuss his path from disgruntled wealth management professional to spiritually fulfilled author and CEO of half-billion dollar company Wealthquest. Together, Dan and James explore h...

Hello and welcome to The River Foundation Podcast! Today's podcast is very special, and not just because it's our first show with siblings as guests – Madison and Mitchell Harralson join Dan today to talk about their experiences with the River Foundation Scholar Program. Since Madison is just beginning her college experience as a freshman at Western Kentucky University, and Mitchell is about to gr...

Hello and welcome to The River Foundation Podcast! Two podcasts unite in today's special episode as Sarah and Erin from the Strong Women Podcast join The River Foundation's Eve Gillam during a Lunch and Learn session to discuss what being a strong woman means to them. They delve into their intentions with the podcast from personal and religious standpoints, as well as their favorite guests and pod...

Hello and welcome to The River Foundation Podcast! Today, special guest host Daniel Roberts interviews his friend and colleague Micah McElveen about the nonprofit that Micah founded sixteen years ago, Vapor Ministries. Daniel and Micah discuss the harrowing experience that led Micah to Vapor, and how and why he and his company seek to help people in need all around the world. Episode Highlights: [...

Hello and welcome to The River Foundation Podcast! Today's episode highlights a very special relationship that began over 25 years ago in the First Southern offices and has only blossomed since then. Loan Officer Mike Taylor and Credit Administration Specialist Teresa Bryant have been close friends since joining the company at nearly the same time, so much so that Mike has become a mentor and fath...

Hello and welcome to The River Foundation Podcast! Today, we hear from this year's Mission Champions, Mary Nita Thompson (Director of Operations), Mike Taylor (Commercial Lending Group Loan Officer), and Lisa Eversole (Operations Support) on the heels of their return from their recent mission trip to Lynch, Kentucky. The champions tell us about the joys and challenges of immersing themselves in a...

Hello and welcome to The River Foundation Podcast! Today, in a special "on the road" edition of the podcast, Dan is joined by Chris Davis Jr. who has just completed his first year with the First Southern family of companies as Vice President of Community Outreach in Louisville. Chris discusses what he has experienced and felt over the course of the last year working with a "part-time missional and...

Hello and welcome to The River Foundation Podcast! Today, Dan sits down with his friend and co-worker, Kay Estes, for a difficult conversation that neither of them wanted to have. Early on in the pandemic, tragedy struck Kay's family when her son succumbed to his battle with mental health, and his death left a deep hole in their hearts and lives. Today, she walks us through the pain and grief that...

Hello and welcome to The River Foundation Podcast! Today, Community President of First Southern Bank in Hopkinsville, Betsy Shelton joins Dan in the studio to discuss her illustrious careers in banking and missionary work, and how she finally managed to intertwine the two at First Southern. As a long-time staple of her community, Betsy shares why the goal that has always driven her is to help the...

Hello and welcome to The River Foundation Podcast! On today's episode, Dan is joined by Denise Henderson and her family to discuss their experience attending the Puerto Rico mission trip. Denise, her husband Levi, and her fifteen-year-old son Logan share stories and reflections about how their first missional family trip overseas opened their eyes to a new world of faith, work, giving, culture, an...

Hello and welcome to The River Foundation Podcast! Today, we're talking all things SummitCamp 2022 in this special episode. Immediately following the camp, Dan sat down with five of the event's leaders and organizers: Mark Erikson (Powered By Summit Managers) and his wife Anne, Blake Sunny and Matt Penny (Camp Coordinators and Asbury University Employees), and Jami Cervantes (River Foundation Admi...

Hello and welcome to The River Foundation Podcast! Today, Dan speaks with Jason Tucker and Pastor Seth Dinney of Steubenville Baptist Church in beautiful Monticello, Kentucky. Both are lifelong Kentuckians who have been able to extend their passion for Christ by providing an international perspective. Pastor Seth shares the story of how a humbling mission trip to China during the outbreak of 2020'...

Hello and welcome to The River Foundation Podcast! Today, Dan is joined by his friend and First Southern Family colleague of fifteen years John Brett Reynolds. John Brett details how he grew from an intern at the bank to his current role as Regional President of First Southern's Western Kentucky branches, and the joy he has found in building relationships with his co-workers along the way. Dan and...

Hello and welcome to The River Foundation Podcast! Today, Dan is joined by Vice President of Enrollment and Marketing at Asbury University, Jennifer McChord. In this lively discussion, Dan and Jennifer talk about Summit Camp, which the River Foundation and Summit Ministries have started partnering with Asbury University to host and present this year. Jennifer tells us what Summit Camp is all about...

Hello and welcome to The River Foundation Podcast! Today Dan speaks with esteemed property guru Joe Hafley in the iconic office that he has worked out of for over twenty years. In this highly educational discussion, Joe shares his wealth of experience in banking over his forty-year career, including navigating two financial crises and helping to build First Southern and River Foundation from their...

Hello and welcome to The River Foundation Podcast! Today Dan is joined for a second time by his friend of twenty years, Karen Ditto, as they discuss a big opportunity that she and the Colson Center are gearing up for. Karen is a prominent member of the Colson Fellows Program, which "equips people of strong faith with relevant skills, biblical knowledge, and a solid Christian worldview so you can n...

Hello and welcome to The River Foundation Podcast! Today Dan is joined by his good friend Joe Johnson, CPA, MBA, who not only works on the Accounting team at First Southern but has also quickly become a strong and confident leader of River Foundation's mission trips, all at the age of 25. Here, he shares how his Christian upbringing and sense of personal duty have driven him to achieve great thing...

Hello and welcome to The River Foundation Podcast! We continue our discussion today with Mary Nita Thompson as she and Dan unpack her professional journey spanning decades of banking experience. Mary Nita reflects on how the thread of "God's economy" has strengthened throughout her career no matter how the industry changed around her, and how working at First Southern in particular has served as a...

Hello and welcome to The River Foundation Podcast! Today, Mary Nita Thompson, Dan's friend and colleague of 15 years, joins him on the podcast to discuss her personal life and professional journey. On this first of a two-part series, Mary Nita shares her life story, including growing up as the daughter of a charismatic and driven father, her and her husband's extensive work as foster parents, and...

Hello and welcome to The River Foundation Podcast! Today, we are joined by Robin Cooney, the Communications Specialist on the Marketing Team for the Family of Companies. She shares the story of her journey from an aspiring journalist to an important and enthusiastic First Southern team member.  Robin lives in Wilmore, KY, with her husband Drew. They enjoy hiking, camping, being outdoors, and playi...

Hello and welcome to The River Foundation Podcast! Today, we are joined by Deacon Larry Cranfill and Father Danny Taylor from Saint Mildred Catholic Church in Somerset. Deacon Larry is the former president of First Southern's bank in Somerset and a Deacon of 25 years, and he, along with his friend and co-worker Father Danny, help spread the work of finances God's way by leading Compass studies. In...

Hello and welcome to The River Foundation Podcast! Today, we speak with Dave Blanchard and Andy Crouch of Praxis Labs, an incredible "incubator, accelerator, and kingdom laboratory" based in the heart of New York City. Dave (Co-Founder and CEO) and Andy (Partner for Theology and Culture) share their motivations to help Praxis achieve its mission of fostering and supporting businesses and business...

Hello and welcome to The River Foundation Podcast! Today, we complete our two-part series on Compass - Finances God's Way by speaking with key members of the Compass Team and Compass Champions: Denise, Jamie, John-Brett, and Eve, as they share their experiences with Compass programs. We hear how Compass's most recent offering, Building Your Finances God's Way Study, has helped shape their relation...

Hello and welcome to The River Foundation Podcast! Today, Brandon Sieben, CEO and President of Compass - Finances God's Way, joins us to kick off the year with a message of hope and encouragement as he describes some of the new and refreshed programs that Compass is offering. This is the first of a two-part episode about Compass. In the second, key members of the Compass team will describe their e...

Hello and welcome to The River Foundation Podcast! Today, we speak with Suzanne Short, Gina Mead, and Jami Cervantes from Team Care as they share with us their initiatives in HR to help employees maintain a healthy work/life balance. They describe Team Care's efforts to provide support to employees and their families through counseling, financial advising, mission trips, adoption services, team pr...