On this episode of the On The Rise Podcast, I sit down with Robert Szewczyk, co-founder and designated broker of Rise 48 Equity, for our Faith Driven Leaders series. Robert shares his journey from growing up in communist Poland, where scarcity bred a lifelong hustle, to earning architecture degrees and building a billion-dollar multifamily portfolio. He explains how he met his partners, why the team vertically integrated, and how faith shapes the way he leads investors, employees, and residents. We go deep on housing as service, the lessons only hard markets teach, and staying honest when it's hardest. It's a candid, faith-centered look at building with integrity.

On this episode of the On The Rise Podcast, I talk with Matt Johns, managing partner of Honey Hive Capital, where he helps Christian investors put their capital to work in ways that line up with their faith. Matt traces his path from a soup kitchen and Catholic Charities into private-market finance, and explains why ESG left him searching for real, measurable outcomes. He breaks down the framework from his book Purpose Driven Capital: stewardship, empowerment, and alignment, and shows me how the "spirit behind" a real estate deal shapes how residents are treated. It's a thoughtful conversation on impact investing, community, and why no investment is truly neutral.

On this episode of the On The Rise Podcast, I sit down with Bill Haley, a Phoenix real estate professional, former headmaster, and father of ten, for our Faith Driven Leaders series. Bill shares how a sudden demotion forced him to anchor his identity in God rather than his job, why he pivoted from education into real estate, and how he and his wife Maureen lead a thriving household of twelve. He gets candid with me about walking with a son through a decade of addiction, the daily rhythms that keep his marriage first, and the legacy his father left behind. It's a grounded conversation on faith, family, and leading with character, and honestly, one I keep thinking about.

In this episode of the On The Rise Podcast's Faith-Driven Leaders Series, I sit down with my friend and hero Erik Olson. Erik is an entrepreneur, the CEO of Dignity Made, and a former humanitarian worker who spent a decade serving the poor in Iraq, Yemen, Greece, and the Philippines. He shares how a painting business in college led to a fork in the road moment in 2003 Iraq, how nine years of humanitarian work revealed that economics, not just charity, is the root solution to poverty and trafficking, and how a question he asked a coconut farmer in a bamboo hut in the Philippines became the catalyst for building a business that is transforming an entire rural community. This is a story about faith, sacrifice, proximity to the problem, and what it looks like to build something that serves people made in the image of God.

Paul unpacks a practical triangle framework for making wise decisions and shares how a triplex purchase near the University of Minnesota turned into an unexpected real estate investing journey. He also offers one of the most grounded and actionable frameworks I have heard for understanding and managing leadership anxiety.

John walks through a remarkable journey. He shares about the golf ball-sized brain tumor he faced in his early 30s, the loss of $77 million in assets during the 2009 crisis, and the business model he has come to call compassionate capitalism. It is a model built to generate market-rate returns for investors while helping apartment-dwelling renters become first-time homeowners.

Dan opens up about how a 70% pay cut and 80-hour work weeks eventually gave way to one of the most integrated, purpose-driven seasons of his life. He shares how his mentor's cancer diagnosis finally pushed him to launch the ministry idea that had been sitting in a note on his phone for years. We talk about why fear is so often false evidence appearing real, and how every business meeting can become a chance to be a pastor, a friend, and a confidant.

In 2019, my friend Cameron Clark lost his career to debilitating chronic migraines and became an unexpected stay-at-home dad. He told me he is the least successful he has ever been, and the most content. One quote cracked it open for him: when it feels like you're being buried, maybe you're being planted.

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 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 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.