Shows
BeTemperedBeTempered Episode 81 - 'Small Choices, Big Impact' with Brian Ballenger, Mark Broeker, and the WC Leads CohortWhat makes someone worth following when no one is watching. In this leadership roundtable, that question sits in the center of the table as stories unfold from classrooms, locker rooms, offices, and quiet early mornings when no one else is around to see the work.On this episode of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr sit down with guests Brian Ballenger, Mark Broeker, and members of the Wayne County Area Chamber of Commerce WC Leads Cohort to unpack leadership that is not about titles or platforms, but about service, alignment, and consistency when the spotlight is...
2025-11-2852 minBeTemperedBeTempered Episode 80 - The Journey From Addiction to Influence with Tim Clowers and the God Who Met Him ThereA locked door at 3 a.m., a voice that asked one piercing question, and a church parking lot where a bag of drugs met a trash can. Tim Clowers’ turning points do not read like safe, polished faith stories. They read like real life. On this episode of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr sit down with the Knoxville chef and creator behind Cook It With Tim to unpack an extraordinary arc, from addiction and anger after his brother’s death to Bible college, missions across 66 countries, and a calling that keeps reshaping itself through service.Tim...
2025-11-212h 06BeTemperedBeTempered Episode 79 - Aligning Business for Longevity with Erin Flynn, CEO of CladwellA great story does not skip the hard parts, and Erin Flynn refuses to. On BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr sit down with Erin to trace the real path from Indiana gym floors to Silicon Valley boardrooms. She chased a dream, ran into walls, and still chose to build a company and a life that actually fit. Her early chapters read like a crash course in grit. She graduated into the 2009 recession, rode a bus six hours a day to an unpaid internship, and turned a blog into a bridge between brands and creators. Then came her...
2025-11-141h 29BeTemperedBeTempered Episode 78 – Robert Rogers Lost His Entire Family in a Flash Flood and Still Chose to Praise GodSome stories knock the wind out of you and then hand you back your breath. On this episode of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr sit down with Robert Rogers, who in one devastating moment lost his wife and four children in a sudden flash flood and yet, in the very room where he identified their bodies, chose to lift a hand and trust God. This is not a tidy arc. It is a raw, lived map through catastrophe where scripture becomes a lifeline, counseling becomes a compass, and service becomes medicine.Robert’s story begins in...
2025-11-071h 46BeTemperedBeTempered Episode 77 - Leah Schmidt on What Matters the Most in LifeSenior year can feel like standing on a cliff’s edge, and Leah Schmidt brings us right to that moment with clarity, humor, and heart. Hosted by Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr, this conversation follows Dan’s daughter as she wraps a long soccer journey, weighs college athletics, and chooses something rarer: a future built on faith, family, and balance.From small town sidewalks to country life, 4-H chores, and the day a goat didn’t make it, Leah shows how responsibility and loss shape character long before resumes do. She walks into a new club team where...
2025-10-3156 minBeTemperedBeTempered Episode 76 - How Faith and Grit Silence Imposter SyndromeDoubt has a way of sounding smart. It whispers that you’re a fraud, that you got lucky, that someone else would have done it better. On this episode of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr challenge that voice head-on as they unpack how labels, setbacks, and perfectionism feed imposter syndrome and how faith, community, and honest storytelling cut it down to size.We start with the hard truth that many of us chase achievement while starving for fulfillment. A bank’s refusal once said, “You’re not ready,” but perseveran...
2025-10-2445 minBeTemperedBeTempered Episode 75 - What Do You Do After the Final Goodbye? Rebuilding through faith one step at a time.When someone says, “Brian’s dead,” life divides into a before and an after. For Chuck Winings, it divided twice. What began as an ordinary Super Bowl Sunday became a season of heartbreaking loss. First came the passing of his father. Soon after came the fight no family is ever ready for, when his wife Rhonda was diagnosed with triple negative metastatic breast cancer. On BeTempered, hosted by Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr, Chuck opens his heart and tells the story from the very beginning: high school sweethearts, a surprise third child, years spent...
2025-10-171h 24BeTemperedBeTempered Episode 74 - Love, Loss, and the Power of a Kept Promise with Shirley ThackerThe wind through pine branches can sound like a lullaby, or the whisper of survival. That’s where Shirley Thacker loved to sit with her husband, Rich—a farm kid turned teacher, veteran, and fighter—dreaming about the book she would someday write. In this powerful episode of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr sit down with Shirley to trace the hard and luminous arc of her life: a small Indiana farm in the 50s and 60s, a ten-year-old’s stolen safety and the silence that followed, the middle-school note that tried to erase her, and the mome...
2025-10-1055 minBeTemperedBeTempered Episode 73 - “No Peace, No Decision” – The Rule That Shaped Greg Jackson’s MinistryThe first thing Greg Jackson will tell you is simple: no peace, no decision. That quiet rule has guided him from a teen revival moment in Dayton to decades of faithful pastoring in Camden, Ohio—through false starts at the post office, a bi-vocational grind, and the messy, beautiful work of building a church that truly serves its town.In this episode of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr sit down with Greg to explore what a small, faithful life looks like when it’s lived at full strength. He shares how work...
2025-10-0358 minBeTemperedBeTempered Episode 72 - Processing Tragedy in a Divided WorldRaw vulnerability fills this deeply moving episode of BeTempered, where co-host Ben Spahr courageously opens up about processing a personal tragedy that has shaken his faith community to its core. When someone you’ve shared life with commits an unthinkable crime, how do you reconcile the good memories with their devastating actions? Where was God in the middle of all this heartbreak?Ben allows listeners into the raw and uncomfortable reality of his journey—sharing the guilt, anger, confusion, and the difficult path toward forgiveness. His honesty reminds us that walking thro...
2025-09-2643 minBeTemperedBeTempered Episode 71 – Inside Shawn Ruebush’s New Book 'Turning Pain into Purpose'What does it take to transform your deepest pain into purpose? Shawn Ruebush knows firsthand. After first sharing his life story on Episode 24 of the BeTempered podcast with hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr, Shawn took the courageous step of writing his memoir, Turning Pain into Purpose—a raw, unflinching account of tragedy, struggle, and ultimate redemption.Shawn’s journey began with unimaginable trauma at just eleven years old, an event that forever altered the course of his life. For decades, he wrestled with destructive behaviors while silently carrying the weight of his past...
2025-09-1951 minBeTemperedBeTempered Episode 70 - How God Moves in Small Communities with Pastor Justin WiegandWhat happens when a young pastor with no money but unwavering faith decides to plant a church in a town of just 1,800 people?On this episode of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr sit down with Pastor Justin Wiegand to uncover an extraordinary story of courage, obedience, and small-town ministry. Justin’s journey takes him from making pizza dough in Kentucky to leading five thriving church campuses across rural Ohio, proving the life-changing power of listening to God’s call—especially when it leads to places that many overlook.Just...
2025-09-121h 15BeTemperedBeTempered Episode 69 - Doug Macias: Finding Faith, Community, and RecoveryWhat happens when a successful executive's carefully constructed facade finally crumbles, revealing decades of addiction, pain, and self-deception? Doug Macias knows this journey all too well. For more than 20 years, he was trapped in cycles of alcoholism, drug abuse, and emotional isolation. His story is raw, unflinching, and proof that even the most outwardly successful lives can mask unimaginable pain.In this episode of BeTempered, hosted by Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr, Doug takes us back to the fracture point of his parents’ divorce at 16. That painful event set him on a path of...
2025-09-051h 51BeTemperedBeTempered Episode 68 - From Drug & Alcohol Addiction to Ultra-Marathons with Alan BairWhat happens when a life built on fear, alcohol, and self-destruction finally crumbles? On this episode of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr sit down with Alan Bair to share a story that is as raw and honest as it is inspiring.Alan grew up in a home overshadowed by dysfunction, where fear and insecurity became the lens through which he saw the world. Even with an elite prep school education and later an engineering degree, those internal struggles followed him into adulthood. When Alan discovered alcohol, it seemed like...
2025-08-291h 33BeTemperedBeTempered Episode 67 – 9 out of 10 startups fail. Mine didn’t. Justin Bayer of Welcome to College explains why.What does it really take to defy the odds when nine out of ten startups fail? On this episode of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr welcome Justin Bayer, founder of Welcome to College, for a raw and inspiring conversation about perseverance, setbacks, and finding meaning in the grind of entrepreneurship.Justin opens up about his 15-year journey building Welcome to College, a company born out of a single transformative moment—a campus tour at the University of Dayton that changed the trajectory of his life. That moment sparked the id...
2025-08-221h 34BeTemperedBeTempered Episode 66 - Lessons in Faith, Family, and Grit From the Rite of PassageWhat makes a leader? Is it the title, the position, or something deeper? In this powerful episode of BeTempered, host Dan Schmidt sits down with Tucker Perkerson to unpack the experiences, challenges, and defining moments that shaped his leadership journey—from a small-town childhood in Atlanta to making an impact in both education and corporate America.Tucker reflects on the lessons learned growing up immersed in sports and community, and how those early values carried forward into his adult life. He shares the heartbreak of suddenly losing his high school football coach, a ma...
2025-08-151h 17BeTemperedBeTempered Episode 65 – The Fight, The Mountain, and the Man Who Wouldn’t QuitSome stories are about survival. This one is about transformation.In this unforgettable episode of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr welcome Ray Mackelson—a man whose life was once confined by invisible walls. For decades, anxiety ruled everything. Ray couldn’t drive more than an hour from home without facing crippling panic. Normalcy, freedom, and adventure felt like distant dreams—out of reach, beyond reason, and completely unattainable.But then, something changed.Through a combination of nutrition, lifestyle adjustments, and a powerful reconn...
2025-08-081h 44BeTemperedBeTempered Episode 64 – Why Vulnerability Changes EverythingStrength isn't pretending everything's fine—it’s having the courage to be real about what’s hard. On Episode 64 of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr open up about how this podcast has become a journey of transformation through vulnerability—for themselves and for the community it’s building.From a young age, especially as men, we’re taught to suppress emotion, to “man up,” and to keep going no matter what. But that kind of emotional isolation can be a heavy burden. In this episode, we challenge that narrative head-on—because the truth...
2025-08-0117 minBeTemperedBeTempered Episode 63 – A Nurse, A Mother, A Survivor: Susan’s War Behind the SmileHow do you find strength when your world is crumbling from the inside out?In this powerful episode of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr sit down with Susan Preble, whose story of perseverance through hidden trauma, heartbreak, and healing will leave you breathless and forever changed.Susan’s journey began with tragedy—when she was just 18 months old, her family car was T-boned, leaving her mother in a coma and shifting the course of her life. As she grew, the trauma deepened: childhood sexual abuse, isol...
2025-07-251h 30BeTemperedBeTempered Episode 62 – Jeff Swanson: Finding Fire in the Fog of DepressionSome friendships are built on shared victories, bruises, and sweat—on long bus rides and harder losses. But the deepest friendships aren’t just remembered; they return when we need them most.In this deeply moving episode of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr reconnect with Jeff Swanson, a former University of Dayton teammate and roommate whose story is both heart-wrenching and hope-filled. What begins as a conversation between old friends quickly transforms into a profound exploration of grief, resilience, fatherhood, and the transformative power of mental toughness.
2025-07-181h 03BeTemperedBeTempered Episode 61 – Breaking the Walls of Selfishness: Dan’s Rite of Passage ExperienceWhat does it take to break through the walls of selfishness we’ve built around ourselves? For Dan Schmidt, it was a brutal 24-hour journey through the mountains of Georgia that stripped away every comfort and convenience of modern life.In this powerful episode, host Ben Spahr leads a raw conversation with host Dan Schmidt about his experience in The Rite of Passage, an endurance challenge led by former Navy SEAL Chad Wright. This wasn’t just another test of grit—without electronics, timepieces, or any knowledge of their route, nineteen strang...
2025-07-111h 41BeTemperedBeTempered Episode 60 – Real Freedom Isn’t About Doing Whatever You Want—It’s About Becoming Who You’re Meant to BeWhat does true freedom really look like in our daily lives? In this thought-provoking Independence Day episode of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr welcome guest Brian Ballenger for an intimate, wide-ranging exploration of how personal discipline—and the courage to confront our own weaknesses—shapes genuine independence.Freedom, as the trio discovers, isn’t simply about doing whatever we want or escaping life’s responsibilities. Instead, it’s rooted in self‑regulated integrity: the quiet resolve to make and keep commitments to ourselves when nobody’s watching. Brian explains, “Habits are devel...
2025-07-041h 03BeTemperedBeTempered Episode 59 Part 2 - Jeff Travis on Special Needs, Spiritual Warfare, and SurrenderIn Episode 59 Part 2 of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr sit down with Jeff Travis for a raw, unflinching conversation about faith forged in the fires of real life. Jeff opens up about his remarkable journey—from a struggling student to a reluctant pastor and, eventually, a missionary in Thailand. What begins as a familiar story of answering God’s call soon unfolds into something far deeper—a father’s desperate fight to protect his family amid cultural isolation, special needs parenting, and relentless spiritual warfare.After years of battling infertility and enduring painful adoption setbacks, Jeff and...
2025-06-271h 12BeTemperedBeTempered Episode 59 Part 1 – Battling Insecurity, Answering God’s Call, and Moving to One of the World’s Most Dangerous PlacesWhat happens when following your faith costs everything? In this powerful episode of the BeTempered podcast, Pastor Jeff Travis joins hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr for a deeply personal and inspiring conversation that traces his extraordinary journey—from childhood struggles in suburban Detroit to anti-trafficking work along the Thailand-Myanmar border.As a young boy, Jeff battled severe reading difficulties and depression, feeling like he didn’t belong in traditional academic settings. Competitive swimming became his outlet, but it wasn’t until college that everything changed. A miraculous healing experience not only restored his ability to read but ig...
2025-06-201h 41BeTemperedBeTempered Episode 58 – Answering the Call: Why Tim Pierson Left Corporate America for the StreetsWhat does it take to walk away from a successful 23-year career to serve those society often overlooks? In this powerful and thought-provoking episode, guest Tim Pierson joins hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr to share the story of how an unexpected calling turned his life upside down—and ultimately right side up. Tim’s journey from insurance executive to full-time advocate for the homeless and addicted is a reminder that purpose often begins where comfort ends.Tim grew up in a middle-class household where faith, family, and hard work shaped his...
2025-06-131h 20BeTemperedBeTempered Episode 57 – From the Sidelines to the Frontlines of Education with Carl Rhinehart lllWhat does it mean to run toward the fire instead of away from it?For Carl Rhinehart III, that question became more than a metaphor—it became a mission. On this powerful episode of the BeTempered Podcast, Carl joins hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr to share his journey from insecurity and adversity to purpose and impact.Growing up in Muncie, Indiana, Carl’s childhood was shaped by contradictions. He was the youngest of six in a home where love and trauma coexisted. While he faced domestic violence and his father’s struggles with addiction and ab...
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