In this solo episode of the On The Rise Podcast Faith-Driven Leaders Series, I’m sharing a framework that honestly reshaped how I look at my life, my marriage, my role as a dad, and how I lead in business.

In this episode of the On The Rise Podcast Faith-Driven Leaders Series, I sit down with Brittany DeRoche. Her story is one of the most powerful and stretching conversations I’ve had on the show.

She’s a cancer survivor, a heart failure survivor, a five-time Ironman finisher, a mom of four, and the founder of Church Activation Strategies. But what stood out to me most wasn’t just the list of what she’s overcome. It’s how she’s walked through it.

We talk through the reality of facing trial after trial. At 19, she was diagnosed with a tumor the size of an ostrich egg. Years later, she went into full heart failure just days before Christmas. Then came pulmonary embolisms after a hysterectomy. And through all of it, her faith wasn’t just something she talked about. It was what carried her.

We also get into the work she’s doing now, helping churches rethink how they use their space and create sustainable revenue through strategic childcare partnerships. And more than that, what it’s looked like for her to step into what she truly believes God designed her to do.

This conversation is about resilience, surrender, and what it really means to live with purpose when life doesn’t go the way you planned.

In this episode of the On The Rise Podcast Faith-Driven Leaders Series, I sit down with Ryan Sudeck, CEO of Sage Investment Group.

Ryan walks through how Sage got started and how a pivot during COVID took them from student housing into converting distressed hotels into naturally affordable housing, all without government subsidy. We talk about why he believes the private sector, when it’s disciplined and patient, can actually solve the affordable housing crisis at scale.

In this episode of the On The Rise Podcast, host Nick Stromwall sits down with his close friend Bondo Nyembwe, an immigrant from the Democratic Republic of the Congo who has spent 25 years shaping lives as a teacher, counselor, principal, and now assistant superintendent in the Columbia Heights Public Schools. Bondo shares his remarkable journey from fleeing civil war as a teenager to becoming a faith-driven leader in American public education. He offers practical wisdom on how to integrate faith into everyday work, lead with presence and humility, build meaningful relationships, and raise the next generation with intentionality and purpose. A deeply personal and inspiring conversation.

In this episode of the On The Rise Podcast's Faith-Driven Leaders Series, host Nick Stromwall sits down with Henry Kaestner — entrepreneur, investor, co-founder of Bandwidth, Sovereign's Capital, Faith Driven Entrepreneur, and Faith Driven Investor. Henry shares his remarkable journey from Wall Street to faith-fueled entrepreneurship, including the moment at age 28 that transformed his relationship with God and the question at age 38 that completely changed how he thought about money and generosity. He unpacks what it means to lead with purpose, invest for kingdom impact, and why he believes faith-driven entrepreneurs are uniquely equipped to solve the world's greatest problems. A deeply inspiring conversation for any leader looking to integrate faith and work.

In this episode of the On The Rise Podcast, host Nick Stromwall sits down with his close friend Bondo Nyembwe, an immigrant from the Democratic Republic of the Congo who has spent 25 years shaping lives as a teacher, counselor, principal, and now assistant superintendent in the Columbia Heights Public Schools. Bondo shares his remarkable journey from fleeing civil war as a teenager to becoming a faith-driven leader in American public education. He offers practical wisdom on how to integrate faith into everyday work, lead with presence and humility, build meaningful relationships, and raise the next generation with intentionality and purpose. A deeply personal and inspiring conversation.

In this episode of the On The Rise Podcast, host Nick Stromwall sits down with his close friend Bondo Nyembwe, an immigrant from the Democratic Republic of the Congo who has spent 25 years shaping lives as a teacher, counselor, principal, and now assistant superintendent in the Columbia Heights Public Schools. Bondo shares his remarkable journey from fleeing civil war as a teenager to becoming a faith-driven leader in American public education. He offers practical wisdom on how to integrate faith into everyday work, lead with presence and humility, build meaningful relationships, and raise the next generation with intentionality and purpose. A deeply personal and inspiring conversation.

In this episode of the On The Rise Podcast, host Nick Stromwall sits down with his close friend Bondo Nyembwe, an immigrant from the Democratic Republic of the Congo who has spent 25 years shaping lives as a teacher, counselor, principal, and now assistant superintendent in the Columbia Heights Public Schools. Bondo shares his remarkable journey from fleeing civil war as a teenager to becoming a faith-driven leader in American public education. He offers practical wisdom on how to integrate faith into everyday work, lead with presence and humility, build meaningful relationships, and raise the next generation with intentionality and purpose. A deeply personal and inspiring conversation.

In this episode of the On The Rise Podcast, host Nick Stromwall sits down with his close friend Bondo Nyembwe, an immigrant from the Democratic Republic of the Congo who has spent 25 years shaping lives as a teacher, counselor, principal, and now assistant superintendent in the Columbia Heights Public Schools. Bondo shares his remarkable journey from fleeing civil war as a teenager to becoming a faith-driven leader in American public education. He offers practical wisdom on how to integrate faith into everyday work, lead with presence and humility, build meaningful relationships, and raise the next generation with intentionality and purpose. A deeply personal and inspiring conversation.

In this episode of the On The Rise Podcast, host Nick Stromwall sits down with his close friend Bondo Nyembwe, an immigrant from the Democratic Republic of the Congo who has spent 25 years shaping lives as a teacher, counselor, principal, and now assistant superintendent in the Columbia Heights Public Schools. Bondo shares his remarkable journey from fleeing civil war as a teenager to becoming a faith-driven leader in American public education. He offers practical wisdom on how to integrate faith into everyday work, lead with presence and humility, build meaningful relationships, and raise the next generation with intentionality and purpose. A deeply personal and inspiring conversation.

In this episode of the On The Rise Podcast, host Nick Stromwall sits down with his close friend Bondo Nyembwe, an immigrant from the Democratic Republic of the Congo who has spent 25 years shaping lives as a teacher, counselor, principal, and now assistant superintendent in the Columbia Heights Public Schools. Bondo shares his remarkable journey from fleeing civil war as a teenager to becoming a faith-driven leader in American public education. He offers practical wisdom on how to integrate faith into everyday work, lead with presence and humility, build meaningful relationships, and raise the next generation with intentionality and purpose. A deeply personal and inspiring conversation.

In this episode of the On The Rise Podcast, host Nick Stromwall sits down with his close friend Bondo Nyembwe, an immigrant from the Democratic Republic of the Congo who has spent 25 years shaping lives as a teacher, counselor, principal, and now assistant superintendent in the Columbia Heights Public Schools. Bondo shares his remarkable journey from fleeing civil war as a teenager to becoming a faith-driven leader in American public education. He offers practical wisdom on how to integrate faith into everyday work, lead with presence and humility, build meaningful relationships, and raise the next generation with intentionality and purpose. A deeply personal and inspiring conversation.

In this episode of the On The Rise Podcast, host Nick Stromwall sits down with his close friend Bondo Nyembwe, an immigrant from the Democratic Republic of the Congo who has spent 25 years shaping lives as a teacher, counselor, principal, and now assistant superintendent in the Columbia Heights Public Schools. Bondo shares his remarkable journey from fleeing civil war as a teenager to becoming a faith-driven leader in American public education. He offers practical wisdom on how to integrate faith into everyday work, lead with presence and humility, build meaningful relationships, and raise the next generation with intentionality and purpose. A deeply personal and inspiring conversation.