From the NFL to the Pulpit: How Entrepreneurs Can Outsmart Darkness and Flourish in Business

Host Justin Forman sits down with Derwin Gray — former NFL safety turned pastor and author — for a conversation that hits as hard as a blindside blitz. Derwin brings his playbook from the gridiron, the locker room, and the pulpit to reveal what entrepreneurs are most often running from — and why the answer isn't another win, another deal, or another acquisition.

Drawing on neuroscience, Scripture, and lived experience, Derwin unpacks the identity trap that snares high performers, the toxic shame-and-guilt cycle that fuels the hustle, and the one playbook that actually sets entrepreneurs free. This is not a soft conversation. This is a hard-hitting call to wholeness for people who build things.

Key Topics:

• Why idolatry is the real engine behind entrepreneur ambition — and how to recognize it in yourself
• The neuroscience behind why achievement can never heal your soul
• How Derwin's lowest NFL moment (on all fours in a hotel bathroom) became his turning point
• Why entrepreneurs are the worst — and the most beautiful — at trying to outrun their wounds
• What pastors and entrepreneurs can build together when mutual intimidation is overcome
• The scripture passages to turn to in the middle of a hard day

Notable Quotes:

"Idolatry is I'm gonna find my self-worth, I'm gonna find my being in what I do versus what God has done." — Derwin Gray

"You cannot fix your soul by accomplishing something, but there is someone who did do something to heal you." — Derwin Gray

"BUSY is an acronym for being under Satan's yoke." — Derwin Gray

Good Money: A Framework for Human Flourishing Through Your Finances

What if the way you relate to money is quietly undermining everything you're working toward? Host Justin Forman sits down with investor, author, and Harvard Business Review contributor John Coleman for a candid conversation about money, meaning, and what it actually means to flourish. Drawing on 15 years of writing on purpose and leadership — and a front-row seat to both great wealth creation and its casualties — John has written Good Money, a framework for entrepreneurs who want their finances to serve their lives, not consume them.

Together they unpack the psychology of money, the danger of the hedonic treadmill, and why setting a financial finish line isn't giving up — it's the turbocharge entrepreneurs didn't know they needed. John connects rigorous mainstream research with ancient wisdom, showing that what Scripture has always said about money is now being confirmed by Harvard, Baylor, and Gallup.

• Why only 17% of Americans find meaning and purpose at work — and what entrepreneurs can do about it
• The six areas of money every entrepreneur must master: earning, spending, giving, investing, and saving
• Hedonic adaptation: the psychological trap keeping you on a financial treadmill that never ends
• What a financial finish line actually is — and why setting one isn't quitting, it's liberating
• The research-backed case for generosity: reductions in mortality, dementia, heart attack, and stroke
• Why wealthy societies score lower on human flourishing — and what that means for faith-driven entrepreneurs
• Building accountability communities around money: spouses, advisors, kids, and close friends

“The Bible mentions money over 2,300 times. It never says money is evil, but it says the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.” — John Coleman

“I believe firmly there is no success without significance.” — John Coleman

“100% of the time is easier than 98% of the time.” — Clayton Christensen, as quoted by John Coleman

John Coleman is an investor at Sovereign’s Capital, a longtime Harvard Business Review contributor, and author of Good Money. A two-time class president (high school and college), former speech team competitor, and management consultant, John has spent 15 years writing about purpose, meaning, and human flourishing in the workplace. His work bridges rigorous academic research with the ancient wisdom of Christian tradition.

Join host Justin Forman as he sits down with Brandon West, Chief Purpose Officer and founder of PHOS Creative, in an honest conversation about what it really means to build a faith-driven business from the inside out. Brandon shares how a 12-year journey from a home office — teaching Greek, Latin, and algebra on the side — became a 24-person creative agency on a mission to cultivate flourishing in people and organizations everywhere they touch.

But this episode goes far beyond marketing strategy. Brandon opens up about the year his mom died, his team faltered, and his leadership was tested — and how that same season became the catalyst for a vision so big his leadership team laughed when he first said it out loud: launching North Central Florida's first-ever sex trafficking safe house. Today, PHOS has launched 37 care centers around the world — five years ahead of schedule.

This is a conversation about awareness and trust, excellence and authenticity, uppercase Purpose and lowercase purpose — and what happens when an entrepreneur finally asks: what if God positioned this business for something greater?

• Why excellence alone isn't enough — the case for authentic, Christ-driven branding in the marketplace
• The "Flourishing Framework": PHOS Creative's six-dimensional model for caring for team, clients, and community
• From one Compassion International child to 37 care centers: the stewardship mindset that changes everything
• How a cleaning crew employee became the first sex trafficking survivor reached in Gainesville, Florida
• Why the problems of the world can't just be someone else's fight — and how to take your first step
• The difference between ‘uppercase P’ Purpose and ‘lowercase p’ purpose — and why it matters to your team
• "It is not your business to succeed": How C.S. Lewis's words reframed how Brandon measures everything

"God has positioned this business for something greater. As we live that out and be that authentically to the world — authentically behind the scenes and then authentic in public — I do think that is where the sweet aroma of Christ begins to be so beautiful." — Brandon West

"Do for the one what you wish you could do for the many." — Brandon West (quoting a mentor)

"If you have something that's enough to chase, maybe you have enough to share." — Brandon West