Hear Where You Belong

"The Greatest Good You Can Do Is Reveal Someone's Riches to Themselves" | Ep. 93 with David Ask

What if the most powerful thing you could do for someone wasn't give them your advice, your money, or your time — but help them see who they already are? That's the question at the heart of this conversation, and David Ask has built his life around answering it. David is an entrepreneur, inventor, lead coach for the True North Resiliency Program, and author of the upcoming Guardians of Grit — a book for fathers raising strong, uncrushable sons anchored in identity and purpose. He's also the man who turned a simple thermostat guard into a product carried in over 3,700 retail stores — and who spent a full year showing up daily for a friend who didn't want to live anymore, not because he knew what to say, but because he knew how to stay. In Episode 93, David and Dea get into all of it — the power of hospitality as a secret weapon, what it means to set the temperature in your home, why knowing someone is the only way to truly love them, and why belonging starts the moment someone looks across a room and says: I am really glad you are here. He also shares the desk story. And if it doesn't wreck you in the best possible way, check your pulse. His favorite quote from Benjamin Disraeli will reframe everything you think generosity means. The greatest good you can do for another is not to share with them your riches, but to reveal to them their own. This one is for the fathers, the friends, the ones who show up — and the ones who are finally ready to believe they are worth showing up for. 💛 #HearWhereYouBelong, #YouBelong, #RevealTheirRiches, #GuardiansOfGrit, #TrueNorthResiliency, #DavidAsk, #BelongingMatters, #FathersAndSons, #IdentityMatters, #ShowUp, #NewEpisode, #ChristianPodcast, #PricelessAndPurposed, #SeeingSomethingSaySomething, #YouAreGodSInheritance

"You Cannot Become What You Already Are" | Ep. 92 with Rev. Ryan Wiksell

What if everything you've been striving to become… you already are? The Reverend Ryan Wiksell — Episcopal priest, church planter, and co-author of The Last Seder of James — joins Dea Irby for one of the most theologically rich and practically grounding conversations yet. Ryan shares why belonging is the one unique thing the church has to offer, how a WWII military lesson completely changed the way he thinks about reaching people, and what happened when he planted a coffeehouse church between the bars and galleries of downtown Springfield, Missouri — open mic nights, conversational sermons, and all. He also opens up about co-writing a historical novel set in a first-century Jerusalem dungeon on the last night of James, the brother of Jesus — and why the Jewish roots of our faith matter more than most Christians realize. And then there's the quote that reframes everything: you cannot become what you already are. Salvation, Ryan says, is not transformation. It is remembering. It is reclaiming. It is returning to who God made you to be all along. This one will stay with you. Here's the link to the book: https://ourfatherabraham.com/

Distinct by Design — A Cancer Survivor, AI Pioneer, and Mom's Journey to Embracing Exactly Who She Was Created to Be

What if the thing that made you feel like you didn’t fit… was actually proof you were designed to stand out? In Episode 91, I sit down with Elana Etten—and this conversation will stay with you long after it ends. She’s a mechanical engineer. A Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt. A stage 4 cancer survivor. An AI strategist. A mom to a nonverbal son who taught her a whole new language of love. But more than anything… she’s a woman who chose not to shrink. Elana shares her journey from feeling like the “in-between girl” who never quite fit, to discovering a powerful truth: she was never meant to. We talk about: ✨ Surviving stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at 35—and rebuilding a life from nothing ✨ Meeting her husband during chemo (yes, really!) ✨ Raising a neurodivergent son who redefined connection, presence, and love ✨ And why the future of AI should make us more human, not less As the founder of Identity Marketing U.S., Elana is helping leaders and entrepreneurs align who they are with how they show up—and her perspective on AI as a thought partner (not a replacement) is something every business owner needs to hear. And then… there’s the quote. The one that might just shake you awake. From A Return to Love: “Your playing small does not serve the world.” This episode isn’t just a story. It’s a wake-up call. Press play—and remember who you were created to be. 💡 #HearWhereYouBelong, #DistinctByDesign, #YouBelong, #CancerSurvivor, #AILikeAHuman, #HowToAILikeAHuman, #CognitiveFingerprint, #FractionalAIStrategist, #NeurodivergentMom, #ShineYourLight, #NewEpisode, #ChristianPodcast, #ElanaEtten, #FaithAndPurpose, #YouWereCreatedForThis

Don't You Dare Quit on Your Hardest Day — Finding Belonging, Building Community, and Shining Your Light

What do travel, retreats, the book of Acts, and a big bold personality have in common? My guest Amanda Hietter — and this conversation is one you are going to want to sit down for. Amanda is the CEO and owner of Across the Horizon Travel, a travel advisor who specializes in international group travel, retreats, and transformational experiences for entrepreneurs, pastors, coaches, and organizations. She is also the host of the Heat Up Your Retreats Podcast — and she is one of the most authentically, unapologetically herself people I have had on this show. I love her. In Episode 90, Amanda opens up about the moment she felt God calling her to create an intentional community for faith-driven entrepreneurs — a Bible study rooted in the book of Acts that started small and is growing into something way bigger than she planned. She talks about what it really takes to build a space where people feel like they truly belong — whether that's around a table, on a retreat, or in a Zoom room somewhere across the world. She also gets real about leaving corporate America as a single mom with barely a cushion of savings, trusting God with the birds and the flowers verse, and what happened when multiple people in one week told her she was too much. Her response? Pure gold. Her favorite quote — don't quit on your hardest day — hits differently when you hear the story behind it. And her daily prayer? I am still thinking about it. This episode is for every leader, entrepreneur, and dreamer who has ever been told to shrink. Don't you dare. 💛

You Don't Have to Fit In to Belong — A Square Peg's Journey to Finding Her Place in God

Have you ever spent your whole life trying to fit in — with every group, every room, every relationship — only to end up exhausted, alone at the lunch table, and still feeling like you don't quite belong anywhere? That was Val Kleppen. And what God did with that struggle will absolutely bless you. In Episode 89, I sit down with Val — wife, homeschooling mama, homesteader, bereaved mother, speaker, and host of The Motherhood Experience Podcast — and she gets beautifully honest about what it took to stop striving and start surrendering. We talk about growing up as a firstborn perfectionist trying to be everything to everyone. We talk about the moment she stopped trying to fit into everyone else's mold and discovered she already belonged — to God. We talk about her daughter Harlan, born sleeping in 2013, and how the Lord redeemed the deepest grief of her life into a ministry that has carried other bereaved families through their darkest days. And then there's the women's event story — the one where Val sat through an entire meeting thinking why am I here? — right up until the moment her hand shot up in the air and changed everything. This episode is for every woman who has ever felt like a square peg in a round hole. For every mom in the hard season. For every person who has been trying so hard to make it work that they forgot they don't have to. You may not fit. But that does not mean you don't belong. Just do the next thing. God will meet you there. 💛 #HearWhereYouBelong, #YouDontHaveToFitInToBelong, #SquarePegRoundHole, #JustDoTheNextThing, #BereavesMother, #HarlansHeart, #TheMotherhoodExperience, #FaithOverFitting, #BelongingInGod, #YouBelong