Behind the Dude Perfect Story: Parenting Entrepreneurs with Purpose

What does it take to raise children who pursue Kingdom impact rather than fame and fortune? In this intimate conversation, Larry and Diann Cotton—parents of the Dude Perfect founders—pull back the curtain on the parenting journey behind one of the world's most successful entertainment brands.

From backyard basketball trick shots to a $100-300 million partnership, the Cottons share how they recognized and nurtured their children's unique gifts while keeping them grounded in faith. Discover how they navigated the tension between encouraging creativity and maintaining wisdom, celebrated individuality rather than comparison, and prayed for contentment over riches.

This episode offers profound insights for any parent raising entrepreneurial kids, revealing how to be a cheerleader without being a rescuer, how to recognize God's unique story for each child, and why the greatest investment isn't in their success—but in their soul.

Key Topics:

• Recognizing and nurturing each child's unique gifts and wiring from elementary school
• Why comparison kills creativity: Raising twins without competition
• The pivotal moment when a backyard video became a viral sensation on Good Morning America
• Parenting through the loneliness and uncertainty of entrepreneurship
• Praying Proverbs 30: "Neither poverty nor riches" for children experiencing success
• The arrow principle: Training children according to their bent and releasing them to fly
• Why ministry in the marketplace is equally as important as vocational ministry
• Helping kids own their faith publicly through testimony and platform

Notable Quotes:

"Train up a child in the way that they should go, and when they're old, they won't depart from it. That means according to their bent—you start seeing the way this child is wired and reinforce that." - Larry Cotton

"God is writing their unique story. As a parent, just come along and be in it with them—encourage them, cheer them on, no matter what we think about it." - Diann Cotton

"If you're doing it to gain wealth, fame, or attention, those things will fall apart at some point. There needs to be a higher and more long-term purpose behind it." - Larry Cotton

From Victory Lane to Life's True Finish Line: NASCAR Legend Carl Edwards on Fame, Family, and Finding God

Join host John Coleman for an intimate conversation with NASCAR Hall of Famer Carl Edwards, recorded at the Main Street Summit in Carl's hometown of Columbia, Missouri. Carl shares his remarkable journey from sweeping floors at a NASCAR truck team to becoming one of the sport's most celebrated drivers—and why he walked away from it all at the height of his career.

This episode goes beyond the back flips and victory celebrations to explore the deeper questions of identity, purpose, and what it means to truly succeed. Carl vulnerably discusses the intoxication of fame, the moment he realized he'd built his life on sand, and the divine intervention that led him to faith through an unexpected encounter on a mountaintop.

From racing with legends like Mark Martin and Jimmy Johnson to the life-changing phone call that made him rethink everything, Carl's story is a masterclass in knowing when to accelerate—and when to walk away.

Key Topics:

• Breaking into NASCAR: The entrepreneurial hustle from dirt tracks to the Cup Series
• The dark side of fame: When public image becomes an idol
• Welcome to the league: Racing against—and learning from—the sport's greatest drivers
• The retirement decision: Walking away from millions to prioritize family and faith
• Identity crisis: What happens when you lose the thing that defined you
• Finding God on a mountaintop: How a dystopian book club led to a Damascus road moment
• Raising a son who wants to race: Breaking generational patterns while honoring passion
• Stewarding resources: Wrestling with scarcity mindset and learning radical generosity

Notable Quotes:

"I had actually wet myself completely just because I was completely shaken by what I'd experienced." - Carl Edwards (on his conversion dream)

"I'm gonna keep racing for another 10 years. I'ma hit my head another 25 times. 30 years from now, I'll be on the other end of this phone. My son will be sitting on the stairs. I don't know my kids." - Carl Edwards

"If you haven't seen God walking beside you your whole life, you're blind." - Stephen Garber to Carl Edwards

From $10 to 1 Billion Prayers: How Hallow Sparked a Prayer Revolution

Join host Justin Forman for an unforgettable conversation with Alex Jones, CEO and co-founder of Hallow, the world's #1 Catholic prayer and meditation app. Starting with just $10 in a bank account, Alex and his team have facilitated over one billion minutes of prayer and reached 27.5 million downloads—all while maintaining a steadfast focus on authentic faith over business metrics.

Alex shares his raw journey from falling away from faith in college to encountering Jesus through contemplative prayer, and how a heartbreaking note from his aunt—who lost her son—convinced him that even if just one more person found hope through Hallow, it would be worth dedicating his life to. This episode explores the intersection of technology and spirituality, the courage to spend everything on a Super Bowl commercial, and why prayer isn't therapy—it's a relationship with an invisible God who transforms everything.

Key Topics:

• The miraculous growth from beta app to #1 in the App Store during Lent
• Why prayer is a relationship with God, not a self-help practice
• Partnering with Mark Wahlberg, Jonathan Roumie, and Chris Pratt authentically
• The controversial Super Bowl commercial that beat Temu's $1.5B ad budget
• Building with radical surrender: "Every good thing at Hallow has been me grasping tightly, then letting go and God doing it"
• Why excellence matters in faith-based technology
• Witnessing God save lives through prayer: from addiction recovery to suicide prevention
• Working with investors like Goodwater Capital who integrate faith and business

Notable Quotes:

"There is a crazy belief that I think there's an invisible dude here and I talk to and listen to him every day, all day, and especially in times of silence." - Alex Jones

"If we're all praying, if we are all as close to the Lord as you can be, like if we're all saints—that's the game." - Alex Jones

"Prayer is not a therapy thing. It's not a self-help thing. It's not talking to yourself. It's a relationship you have." - Alex Jones

Redefining Wealth: Beyond the Financial Scoreboard with Sahil Bloom

Join host Justin Forman for a transformative conversation with Sahil Bloom, content creator, investor, and author of The Five Types of Wealth. In an era where society increasingly questions traditional definitions of success, Sahil offers a framework that resonates across faith lines and cultural boundaries—showing entrepreneurs how to build truly wealthy lives beyond just financial metrics.

From his own journey of chasing external validation through career achievement to discovering a more holistic definition of success, Sahil shares the pivotal moment that changed everything: realizing he would only see his aging parents 15 more times. This conversation explores how ambition channeled toward service creates fulfillment, why seasons of imbalance are necessary for building, and how the questions we avoid hold the answers we seek.

Key Topics:

• The five types of wealth: time, social, mental, physical, and financial
• Why money should be the byproduct, not the goal, of entrepreneurship
• The "why" question that children ask and entrepreneurs must reclaim
• Defining "enough" through visualization of your ideal Tuesday
• COVID as society's forced zoom-out moment on wealth and success
• Truth-tellers in your life: How to cultivate and cherish them
• Seasons of unbalance that unlock seasons of balance
• The Heaven's Reward Fallacy and learning to work without validation

Notable Quotes:

"You're going to see your parents 15 more times before they're gone. That was the moment that changed everything." - Sahil Bloom

"A gold medal is a wonderful thing, but if you're not enough without it, you're never going to be enough with it." - Sahil Bloom

"The answers you seek in life are found in the questions that you avoid." - Sahil Bloom

Join host Justin Forman as he sits down with Steve Stenstrom, President of Pro Athletes Outreach (PAO), for a compelling conversation about the explosive intersection of faith and sports. After 55 years of faithful discipleship in the locker room, PAO is witnessing an unprecedented moment where athletes are boldly proclaiming Christ on the world's biggest stages—and the data reveals why this matters more than you might think.

From a women's cricket semi-final watched by 500 million people to NFL press conferences, athletes are using their platforms to declare what matters most. Steve shares why he believes pro sports represents "the greatest ROI potential on the planet" for gospel impact, reveals shocking data about unreached athletes globally, and unpacks how the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics present a once-in-a-generation opportunity for faith-driven entrepreneurs and ministry leaders to collaborate.

Join host Justin Forman with Mark Grunden and Josh Seabaugh for a pivotal conversation about the unprecedented opportunity emerging at the intersection of church and entrepreneurship. Recorded during Faith Driven Entrepreneur's staff retreat in Charleston, this episode unpacks groundbreaking Barna research revealing that society trusts entrepreneurs twice as much as pastors—and why this isn't a threat, but rather the church's greatest partnership opportunity.

Mark brings unique insight from seven years at Saddleback Church pioneering marketplace ministry, while Josh shares lessons from a decade as a campus pastor before joining FDE full-time. Together, they reveal why starting with entrepreneurs—rather than broad "faith and work" initiatives—creates sustainable momentum that cascades throughout entire congregations and communities.

Key Topics:

• Barna research reveals entrepreneurs are trusted 2X more than pastors (and 9X more than politicians)
• Why starting with "everyone who works" causes entrepreneurs to leave the room
• The difference between convening for community vs. convening for mission
• Breaking free from the "parking jacket and coffee" trap for high-capacity leaders
• Why churches need entrepreneurs more than entrepreneurs need the church
• How 250 churches are becoming hubs for faith-driven entrepreneurs in their cities
• The simple 8-week pathway any church can start this week (no cost, no catch)

Notable Quotes:

"Entrepreneurs are trusted two times more than pastors. I don't know if the influence of pastors is actually waning, but I think it's more that the impact of entrepreneurs are actually increasing because people are tired of talk in our society. They're looking for people of action." - Mark Grunden

"If you get a pastor alone, he's intimidated by the entrepreneur. If you get an entrepreneur alone, he's intimidating by the pastor, which is why I'm excited that we can be the bridge." - Josh Seabaugh

"If you start with everybody, you'll never get the entrepreneur. But if you start with the entrepreneur, everybody will follow." - Mark Grunden

Join host Justin Forman as he sits down with Mark Vroegop, President of The Gospel Coalition, for a timely conversation about the growing but often disconnected faith and work movement. Mark brings a rare dual perspective—thirty years of pastoral ministry combined with deep understanding of entrepreneurial leadership—to address why two of society's most driven groups struggle to connect.

This episode tackles the practical barriers keeping pastors and entrepreneurs apart, explores how lament and waiting can transform both business loss and leadership pressure, and offers concrete steps for churches ready to empower their entrepreneurial members beyond "parking vests and coffee." Mark vulnerably shares from his own journey through grief and gaps, providing a biblical framework for navigating the uncertainty that defines both pastoral and entrepreneurial life.

This episode of the Faith Driven Entrepreneur Podcast was filmed at the Main Street Summit, the perfect gathering for ambitious Christian entrepreneurs, executives, and business leaders seeking to deepen the integration of their faith and work. 

Learn more and sign up to be notified for Main Street Summit 2026: www.mainstreetsummit.com

Key Topics:

• Why pastors and entrepreneurs miss each other despite obvious synergies
• The demanding reality of pastoral ministry most business leaders never see
• How business leaders can provide invaluable insight churches desperately need
• Lament as a language for processing business failure, betrayal, and loss
• Waiting on the Lord: Learning to lead through gaps and uncertainty
• Building strategic plans that include space for divine intervention
• Practical pathways for pastors and entrepreneurs to bridge the divide

Notable Quotes:

"How can we help business leaders know how to be good churchmen, if you will? And from my seat as a person who's in pastoral ministry for thirty years, how can pastors do a better job of serving business leaders, especially entrepreneurs?" - Mark Vroegop

"Lament is a prayer in pain that leads to trust." - Mark Vroegop

"Waiting on the Lord is learning to live on what I know to be true about God when I don't know what's true about my life." - Mark Vroegop

Solving Big Problems Together: Uganda's Four-Pillar Model for Community Transformation

Join host Justin Forman in conversation with Andrew DeVaney, founder of As One Africa, for an inspiring discussion about what it takes to solve interconnected problems in rural Uganda. From his friendship with a rural educator to building a four-pronged model serving 50,000 patients, 4,000 students, and 5,000 farmers annually, Andrew shares how empowering Ugandans to solve Ugandan problems creates sustainable transformation.

This episode explores the power of earned revenue models over aid dependency, the importance of treating beneficiaries as customers, and why time in the game matters more than quick wins. Discover how collaboration, storytelling, and Kingdom partnership can address some of the world's most pressing challenges.

Key Topics:

• Uganda's demographic advantage: 80% under 30, 50% under 18
• The four-pillar model: schools, health centers, farms, and businesses working together
• Why "catching a thief requires sending a thief" - the power of local problem-solvers
• Earned revenue vs. aid dependency: treating beneficiaries as customers with voice
• How competition and feedback loops drive innovation and dignity
• The interconnectivity of rural poverty: education, healthcare, agriculture, and employment
• Building sustainable models that don't depend on foreign funding
• Praxis lessons: balancing venture building with soul care for long-term impact

Notable Quotes:

"The young people that are coming up, they're now being educated, they're going to school, they desire a different opportunity within the country that they live in, and expect better from their leaders." - Andrew DeVaney

"Ugandans empowering Ugandans. This is something that there's this self perpetuating feedback loop that pushes Ugandans to want to do more." - Andrew DeVaney

"Time in the game is going to be such a big deal. For entrepreneurs, for investors, for problem solvers." - Andrew DeVaney

Join host Justin Forman for a milestone conversation with Bill Yeargin, CEO of Correct Craft, as they celebrate the company's 100th anniversary. From refusing bribes that led to bankruptcy, to refusing to work Sundays during WWII, to growing from a $39 million company facing the Great Recession to surpassing $1 billion—this is a masterclass in values-driven leadership that stands the test of time.

Bill shares the dramatic "God moments" that convinced him to become the fifth CEO in five years at a broken company, and how a controversial service trip to Mexico became the turning point that saved the culture. Discover why Correct Craft sends employees around the world on company-funded mission trips, how they navigate tough stewardship decisions while maintaining strong faith values, and what it takes to build for the next hundred years.

Key Topics:

• The WWII story: Building 420 boats in 23 days without working Sundays
• Spending 20 years of profits to repay legally discharged bankruptcy debts
• Two unmistakable "God signs" that led Bill to Orlando: a house sale and a tutor's call
• Why the Mexico service trip (that everyone opposed) saved the company
• Growing from $39M to over $1 billion through culture and strategic planning
• The Culture Pyramid: Building Boats to the Glory of God, Making Life Better
• Balancing stewardship excellence with faith values in difficult decisions
• Global expansion to 70 countries—including surprising markets like Namibia
• Vertical and horizontal acquisition strategy without outside capital
• Making decisions for the next 25 years, not just short-term wins

Notable Quotes:

"I believe we're alive today as a company because of that first trip." - Bill Yeargin

"We're not just trying to help the people that we're going to serve, we're trying to help our own team too. We've seen so many lives change on our own team over the years." - Bill Yeargin

"You don't make it a hundred years by being over on God's side. You gotta do the things we're supposed to do. Trust God, honor him. Let him bless us." - Bill Yeargin

Join host Justin Forman in Nairobi, Kenya, as he sits down with Jean-Paul Nageri, co-founder of KaFresh, for an extraordinary conversation about finding divine solutions hidden in plain sight. When Jean-Paul watched his father's banana harvest spoil while waiting for traders, he didn't just see a problem—he saw a calling. What followed was a journey of "God Engineering" that led to a breakthrough preserving produce 10x longer using only natural plant oils.

This episode explores how entrepreneurs can look to creation itself for answers to massive problems, why cold storage isn't always the answer for Africa, and how one biotech solution is transforming food security for millions. From Genesis 1:29 inspiration to cutting-edge agricultural innovation, this conversation reveals how faith, science, and entrepreneurship combine to solve real-world challenges.

Key Topics:

• How watching his father lose 50% of harvests to spoilage launched an entrepreneurial journey
• The "God Engineering" discovery: unlocking preservation secrets from orange peels
• Why expensive Western solutions (cold storage) don't work for African farmers
• KaFresh breakthrough: Extending tomato shelf life from 1 week to 3+ months at room temperature
• The $1 trillion problem: Sub-Saharan Africa loses 37% of food production to post-harvest spoilage
• From synthetic chemicals to natural plant oils: reversing the globalization of food preservation
• How monks in 1800s monasteries pioneered natural food coating techniques
• Building an agricultural biotech platform: From preservation to accelerated seed germination
• Making insects "invisible" to produce instead of killing them with pesticides
• Uganda's 2 million smallholder farmers and the mindset shift that changes everything

Notable Quotes:

"I like to use the term God Engineering. He literally leaves clues, but you have to have that discernment to be able to see the clues." - Jean-Paul Nageri

"Why me, why me, why not some other big company? But that's God's plan. He normally takes the underdogs." - Jean-Paul Nageri

"Anything that is good for you should be easy to pronounce." - Jean-Paul Nageri

Beyond the Bumper Sticker: What It Really Means When God Owns Your Business

Join host Justin Forman as he sits down with Bertie Lourens, founder of a waste management company that has transformed the lives of 2,300 people across South Africa. Bertie shares his extraordinary journey from near bankruptcy to transferring majority ownership of his company to God—not as a symbolic gesture, but as a legally binding decision that fundamentally changed how he runs his business.

This episode moves beyond the bumper sticker phrase "God owns my business" to explore what actually happens when you transfer 51% of shares to a non-profit entity representing God as your majority shareholder. Bertie vulnerably shares how pride nearly destroyed everything, how two miracles gave his business a second chance, and why the most freeing decision he ever made was giving up control.

Key Topics:

• From pride to bankruptcy: How success became Bertie's greatest spiritual danger
• The radical obedience of legally transferring majority ownership to God
• Setting up Neko Capital: Making God a legal shareholder through proper structure
• How boardroom questions change when asking "What does our Shareholder want?"
• The Elon Musk thought experiment: Understanding the value proposition of divine partnership
• Why stewardship "with Him" is fundamentally different than "for Him"
• Raising children without entitlement when God owns the family business
• Breaking free from the founder's burden: The unexpected freedom of surrender

Notable Quotes:

"Whatever I do for Jesus is wrong. Whatever I do with him is right. That just changed my world." - Bertie Lourens

"I have never in my life been more free than after the moment when I transferred those shares." - Bertie Lourens

"The comfort of the security—the financial security that I have, that I can see in my future because of this—is what entraps us." - Bertie Lourens