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In this episode, Bryan Berry shares the story behind his move to Charlotte, the transplant and career shift that led him to My Purpose Plan, and how a chance meeting turned into a full-on partnership. We dig into what My Purpose Plan actually does for teams and operators, why the business ultimately narrowed its focus, and what makes a partnership genuinely work. Bryan also opens up about the people who believed in him before he believed in himself, and closes with a rapid-fire cereal-for-dinner pick. Bryan's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryankberry/ My Purpose Plan: https://www.mypurposeplan.com RJ Caswell: https://www.rjcaswell.com

In this episode, Gabe Smith shares his perspective on what he calls congruent leadership — aligning who you are, what you value, and how you lead — and how his journey from West Point and Army Infantry to executive advisory shaped it. Gabe Smith is an executive advisor and leadership coach who helps CEOs, founders, executives, and leadership teams lead with greater clarity, alignment, and confidence, whether they're navigating growth, working through a leadership challenge, or stepping back to ask whether the way they're leading is aligned with who they actually want to be. He calls that alignment congruence, also the idea at the heart of his book, Congruent: Align Who You Are, What You Value, and How You Lead Into a Life That Flows. Gabe's perspective on leadership was shaped in part by his military background. A West Point graduate and Ranger-qualified former Army Infantry Officer, he was at the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, and later led soldiers in combat operations in Mosul, Iraq. Since leaving the Army, he's spent more than two decades building organizations, leading teams, developing leaders, and advising executives at the intersection of leadership, growth, purpose, and responsibility. Today his work includes executive advisory, leadership coaching, team alignment, speaking and keynotes, and writing and teaching on congruent leadership. This episode is brought to you by QuestionFuel: https://questionfuel.ai/scorecard?rep=RJ Gabe's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabesmithwork/ Gabe's website: https://www.gabesmith.work RJ Caswell: https://www.rjcaswell.com

In this episode, Bill Cummings shares his journey from leadership in faith communities and nonprofits to leading Liminal, a branding agency serving justice-focused nonprofits. We talk about the relationships and partnerships that shape meaningful work, and what it looks like to build a career around making people's lives better. Bill loves building meaningful relationships and partnerships with the hope that people's lives are made better in the process. After serving in leadership roles for many years in faith communities and nonprofit organizations, he's now the CEO of Liminal, a branding agency that works with justice-focused nonprofits. Bill and his wife Cherie have twin adult sons and a daughter in college, and they live in Raleigh, NC. This episode is brought to you by QuestionFuel: https://questionfuel.ai/scorecard?rep=RJ Liminal: https://meetliminal.com Bill's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billkcummings/ RJ Caswell: https://www.rjcaswell.com

In this episode, Jon Lane shares how he helps donors and investors steward capital for meaningful, lasting impact at Impact Foundation — and how a path through financial planning, microfinance, and nonprofit leadership shaped a conviction that resources, values, and purpose belong together. Jon Lane is a Senior Advisor at Impact Foundation, partnering with Donor/Investors to thoughtfully steward capital for meaningful, lasting impact. With a background that bridges financial planning and global impact investing, Jon is passionate about helping individuals align their resources with their values and purpose. Jon graduated from Liberty University with a bachelor's in Business Administration (Financial Planning) and maintains both CFP® and CKA® designations. Prior to joining Impact Foundation, Jon served as an Associate Advisor at Blue Trust, where he supported clients in their stewardship journeys. He also spent time with HOPE International as Performance Analysis Manager for Microfinance, leading a team dedicated to strengthening financial institutions supporting underserved communities around the world. Jon also currently serves as board chair for UrbanPromise Latin America, supporting youth development initiatives across the region. Jon lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with his wife, Marlen. Outside of work, he enjoys running, hiking, and writing about soccer across the FIFA Concacaf region. This episode is brought to you by QuestionFuel: https://questionfuel.ai/scorecard?rep=RJ Impact Foundation: https://www.impactfoundation.org Jon's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-lane-cfp/ RJ Caswell: https://www.rjcaswell.com

In this episode, Nick Kalenichenko traces his path from data science to people-centered work. He talks about the first person who believed in him before he believed in himself, and how his story led him to start Kingdom Kickbacks and grow it into a nonprofit. Nick talks about the tension between building systems in an organization and keeping real Christian community for the person who shows up alone. He also explains why he left consulting to found Alyra Technology and compares starting a nonprofit with starting a for-profit business. Throughout, he comes back to why relationships matter in both business and ministry. To close, Nick shares his hopes for the next five years, gives advice to recent graduates trying to build community in a new city, and answers the rapid-fire question: which cereal would he pick for dinner? This episode is brought to you by QuestionFuel: https://questionfuel.ai/scorecard?rep=RJ Nick's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickkalenichenko/ Alyra Technology: https://www.alyratechnology.com WorkProduct.ai: https://www.workproduct.ai Kingdom Kickbacks: https://www.kingdomkickbacks.com RJ Caswell: https://www.rjcaswell.com