Follower of One : Missions For The Rest Of Us

Sometimes the boldest business decision is to hand the whole company back to God. Geeta Chopra left Hinduism, surrendered her startup to Jesus, and built a global Christian platform that uses technology to bless the Kingdom instead of replace it. This episode shows you what it looks like to make God your CEO, deny your flesh, and obey the Holy Spirit in the marketplace. Key Discussion Points Geeta describes growing up Hindu in the United States, praying in church parking lots as a child, and the 2015 Sunday morning the Lord woke her and told her to get up and go to church right then, one year before her baptism. She explains what she calls redemptive technology, using tools like AI to bless and prosper the Kingdom rather than prohibit or replace it, and how that conviction shapes everything the Excellence Directory does. Geeta unpacks the Excellence Directory itself, a vetted platform where Christian consumers can find faith-aligned service providers, freelancers, businesses, churches, and ministries in one faith and work ecosystem. She shares the global vision the Lord gave her in the fourth watch, giving the persecuted church in places like Nigeria, India, and Pakistan a free profile and a voice. Geeta describes what it means to make God the CEO of your business and to deny your flesh, obeying the Holy Spirit even when His direction does not match human logic. She opens up about her book, Kingdom Mindset, including the chapter on love and what God taught her through hiring a team of Muslim developers, and leaves one piece of advice, obedience. About the Guest Geeta Chopra is the founder and CEO of the Excellence Directory, a global Christian digital platform founded through her startup American Dream Enterprises LLC, and the author of Kingdom Mindset. A former Hindu who was baptized in 2016, she is a prayer minister who has dedicated her company and her life to bridging the gap between faith and the marketplace, connecting Christian professionals, businesses, churches, and ministries, including the persecuted church, around the world. Learn More Excellence Directory: https://www.excellencedirectory.com/ Kingdom Mindset (book): https://us.amazon.com/Kingdom-Mindset-Fulfill-Your-Destiny/dp/B0GJ3Z1MY7 Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/geeta-chopra  ==== Connect With Follower Of One Join us over in our Online Community(http://community.followerofone.org) Get social with us https://www.facebook.com/followerofone https://instagram.com/followerofone1 https://twitter.com/followerofone1 https://www.linkedin.com/company/follower-of-one https://plinkhq.com/i/1482955686

Joe Daly left a decade of church staff work to build a leather goods company, and he treats the business as ministry, not a step away from it. Have you ever wondered if your regular job matters to God as much as "real" ministry does? Hear how Joe Daly, founder of Daly Goods, went from 10 years on church staff to running a faith-driven leather company, and what he learned about worshiping God through everyday work. KEY DISCUSSION POINTS How Joe moved from finding his identity in sports and performance to resting in what Christ already did The three Ps he uses to run Daly Goods: quality products, people treated as image-bearers, and profit set aside to give away Why materialism is the modern idol he fears most, and how he guards against it as a business owner What servant leadership looks like day to day, including a recent season of humbling with his wife and employees His case for radical community, where a few people know your finances, marriage, and struggles with nothing off limits ABOUT THE GUEST Joe Daly is the founder of Daly Goods, a custom leather goods company in Waco, Texas, known for handcrafted bison leather journals and custom B2B gifts. He served on local church staff for 10 years before taking his kitchen-table hobby full time in 2024. His path from church work to the marketplace gives him a grounded view of living out faith on the job, driven by a message of biblical generosity. RESOURCES MENTIONED The Sacredness of Secular Work by Jordan Raynor: https://www.amazon.com/Sacredness-Secular-Work-Matters-Eternity/dp/0593193091 Every Good Endeavor by Tim Keller: https://timothykeller.com/books/every-good-endeavor Daly Goods: https://dalygoods.com/ Connect with Joe Daly on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-daly-67b31928/ *Connect With Follower Of One* Join us in our Online Community (http://community.followerofone.org) *Get social with us* https://www.facebook.com/followerofone  https://instagram.com/followerofone1 https://twitter.com/followerofone1  https://www.linkedin.com/company/follower-of-one  https://plinkhq.com/i/1482955686  ====

Sometimes saying yes to God costs you the biggest bill in your wallet. Joanne Hickox spent 15 years as a feature film accountant for the major studios before founding a ministry that has served hundreds of older adults. This episode shows you what it looks like to hear the Holy Spirit, say yes, and trust God with the cost. Key Discussion Points Joanne describes 15 years as a film accountant for the major studios, where her faith got trampled on before she found protection in the Billy Graham Organization's film division. She recounts a late-night prompting to call a friend, a director of photography in the middle of taking his own life, and how that one phone call led to his salvation. Joanne explains the moment a senior asked what she could do for her, revealing how society makes older adults needy instead of needed. She shares how a simple tithe of her time, writing cards to sick church members while working in Paris, grew into a full seniors ministry waiting for her when she got home. Joanne unpacks G3 Village, a 20 to 35 acre homestead where about 40 older adults will live together, each giving at least 10 hours of service a week and helping grow the food they eat. She gives her one piece of advice, stay in your lane, and why the job you already have is usually the lane God has already placed you in. About the Guest Joanne Hickox is the founder and executive director of Seniors on a Mission and the G3 Foundation, an ordained missionary, and the author of G3 and Me and the God Timer series. A Canadian farm girl and former feature film accountant of 15 years for the major studios, she has spent nearly three decades nurturing the lives of older adults, through day-long mission trips and now G3 Village, a housing community where independent seniors live and serve the Lord with purpose. Learn More Visit seniorsonamission.org to learn more about Joanne and her work with older adults. Find her book G3 and Me on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/G3-Purposeful-Living-Giving-Glory-ebook/dp/B0GY2C6KTC Learn more about the G3 Foundation and G3 Village: https://g3.foundation/ Connect with her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanne-hickox-50900624 ==== Connect With Follower Of One Join us over in our Online Community(http://community.followerofone.org) Get social with us https://www.facebook.com/followerofone https://instagram.com/followerofone1 https://twitter.com/followerofone1 https://www.linkedin.com/company/follower-of-one https://plinkhq.com/i/1482955686

You give everything to your career, then wonder why success feels empty. Eric Himes climbed the corporate ladder for nearly two decades, flew over 120 flights a year, and hit burnout before he found a different way to lead. This episode shows you how to build faith into your work without losing your drive. Key Discussion Points Eric describes 19 years in corporate life, 1,500 flights, and 150 to 200 nights away from home each year, before his personal life fell apart. He explains how surrendering to Christ at age 39 changed his identity and freed him from tying his worth to performance. Eric outlines the Inspired Culture framework, built to measure and grow a team's mindset weekly instead of relying on annual reviews. He names three common leadership masks, the silent sufferer, the self-reliant leader, and the workaholic, and the cost each one carries. Eric shares a client story where a leader and his wife lost over 130 pounds combined, and his branch grew to the top customer service rank in the world. The Inspired Culture Summit runs November 16 and 17, and the 50 Masks of Leadership assessment launches soon. About the Guest Eric Himes is the founder of Inspo Strategic Advising and Coaching and the creator of the Inspired Culture framework. After nearly two decades in corporate leadership, including over 120 flights a year and the personal cost of burnout, he built a new approach to leadership rooted in faith. Eric now helps leaders and organizations grow personally, professionally, and relationally through the Inspired Culture system. Learn More Visit yourpathinspired.com to learn more about Eric and the Inspired Culture.   Connect with him on LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-himes Watch The Inspired Culture TV show and podcast on YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbdc58a6oC4TbywHg7pjd1g Tune in Sundays at 7 PM Central on Now Media TV.  ==== *Connect With Follower Of One* Join us over in our Online Community(http://community.followerofone.org) *Get social with us* https://www.facebook.com/followerofone  https://instagram.com/followerofone1 https://twitter.com/followerofone1  https://www.linkedin.com/company/follower-of-one  https://plinkhq.com/i/1482955686  ====

Pastors in expensive cities often cannot afford stable housing on ministry salaries. That financial pressure quietly threatens their ability to serve. If you want to see your faith show up in practical, tangible ways at work and with your money, this episode gives you a real example of what that looks like. Key Discussion Points Nicole explains how the Aslan Housing Foundation builds down payment assistance programs for pastors, using church investors, donor-advised funds, and self-directed IRAs to fund stable housing without competing with the church's general giving. She describes a core operating value: do nothing about staff without staff. Surveys go out to both church leadership and pastoral staff before any housing strategy is built, so the people with the actual need have a voice in the solution. Nicole unpacks what she calls a triple bottom line for investors: market-rate financial returns, a stabilized ministry, and a more secure pastor and family. She talks about how she brings her faith into secular professional settings without forcing it, including sending a simple email to a real estate team in Hawaii during flooding to let them know she was praying for their safety. She and host Addison Williams discuss how Christians in any profession hold two marketplace roles: what they do with their time at work and what they do with their money outside of it. About the Guest Nicole Marie Bergeron is the founder and CEO of Aslan Housing Foundation, a California-based nonprofit that helps churches develop housing strategies for their pastoral staff. She holds a joint degree in law and public policy and spent two decades in philanthropy and social impact work before launching Aslan in 2018. Her background gives her a systems-level view of a problem most church leaders have never named out loud. Links  Website: https://aslan.org/ "Yeah, I'm Vehemently Pro-Pastor" — Nicole's essay at Faith & Leadership: read it here Nicole's writing: glittercanon.com *Connect With Follower Of One* Join us over in our Online Community(http://community.followerofone.org) *Get social with us* https://www.facebook.com/followerofone  https://instagram.com/followerofone1 https://twitter.com/followerofone1  https://www.linkedin.com/company/follower-of-one  https://plinkhq.com/i/1482955686  ==== Chapters 00:00 Cold Open and Intro 01:12 Meet Nicole Aslan, CEO 02:08 Why Pastors Need Housing Help 05:10 Spreading Awareness Word of Mouth 08:51 Building a Church Housing Strategy 13:08 From Strategy to Homeownership 17:17 Investors IRAs Triple Return 20:58 DAFs Donations Transparency 24:15 Marketplace Housing Exchange 26:07 Faith Work Collision 28:56 Sharing Faith at Work Naturally 32:43 Planting Seeds at Work 33:38 Know What You Believe 35:54 Serve People Mindset 36:47 Collaboration Over Competition 41:07 Building Pastoral Housing Market 44:08 Marketplace and Money 49:33 Be Available to God 51:59 Keep Faith Simple 59:26 Final Takeaways and Sendoff