Why Most Founders Burn Out (And How the Pivot Process Fixes It)

Don't Cling to the Position: Building a Culture of Continuity

How do you navigate a leadership transition in ministry or a faith-driven business without dropping the baton? In this episode, we dive into the painful yet crucial reality of succession planning for ministries and faith-based organizations to ensure your kingdom impact multiplies even after you step away. Every founder, pastor, and faith-driven business owner will eventually face a leadership transition, but few are truly prepared for the change. Whether you are navigating a pastoral change proactively or picking up the pieces after an unexpected exit, succession planning is fundamentally a discipleship plan . True kingdom business continuity isn't just about protecting your position—it's about learning how to handle the personal identity shifts, painful wrenchings, and surprising gifts that come with finding your next God-given assignment.Key Takeaways:• Succession is Discipleship: Why a healthily structured succession plan is actually a vital spiritual practice for mentoring the next generation of leaders.• The Identity Trap: How to separate your eternal identity in Christ from your temporary professional assignment or title.• Building Continuity: Why leadership teams should start discussing their last day on the job from their very first day.• Navigating the Pain of Change: Practical steps to transition staff members gracefully, avoiding toxic exits that damage your ministry's witness. Connect with Us:Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-business-as-mission-podcast-with-mike-baer/id1551867793Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Gp5SOOHFggJ67vPA5qxkDTiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@officialbampodcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialbampodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialbampodcast/#BusinessAsMission #BAM #MarketplaceCalling

Spiritual Warfare in Business: The 13-Year Lie That Cost Me Everything

Discover how to recognize subtle spiritual warfare in business and protect your organization from deceptive leadership traps. Learn the critical warning signs of manipulation so you can stand firm against the enemy's attacks on your calling.In this powerful episode, Redemption Press founder Athena Dean Holtz shares her raw journey of losing a $3.5 million company to a deceptive, cult-like ministry group. You will discover how unprocessed trauma and church hurt can leave Christian business owners highly vulnerable to spiritual abuse and gaslighting. By understanding how guerrilla warfare tactics operate in the spiritual realm, you will gain the insight needed to guard your heart, forgive your attackers, and experience true redemption in your life and work.Key Takeaways• The Danger of Masking Trauma with Success: How using work and business achievements as a "medication" leaves you wide open to spiritual deception.• Spotting the Red Flags of Spiritual Abuse: Recognizing how manipulators misquote scripture out of context to advance their own financial agendas.• Guerrilla Warfare in the Spiritual Realm: Why you absolutely cannot resist an enemy tactic that you do not first recognize.• The Hidden Idolatry of Wounds: A deep dive into the Hebrew meaning of Psalm 147, revealing how holding onto past pain allows it to control you instead of God.Topics Covered in this VideoSpiritual warfare in business, Christian business coaching, recovering from church hurt, recognizing spiritual abuse, faith-based business leadership, Business as Mission (BAM), overcoming deception in ministry, marketplace ministry challenges, spiritual discernment for entrepreneurs, healing emotional trauma, Christian publishing industry secrets, biblical conflict resolution. #SpiritualWarfare #ChristianBusiness #BusinessAsMission Connect with Us:Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-business-as-mission-podcast-with-mike-baer/id1551867793Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Gp5SOOHFggJ67vPA5qxkDTiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@officialbampodcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialbampodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialbampodcast/#BusinessAsMission #BAM #MarketplaceCalling

Stop Stifling Creativity: Teaching Kids Business as Mission

Can we teach child entrepreneurs to challenge the status quo and build sustainable businesses? In this episode, we dive into how intentional entrepreneurial training for kids is sparking a cultural shift that empowers the next generation to lead right now. Most traditional systems inadvertently stifle the innate creativity of young minds before they ever get a chance to launch a venture. By introducing strategic business concepts and economic responsibility during the prime development window, we can foster a global generation of problem-solvers. Discover how a simple question from a four-year-old blossomed into a nationwide movement that is rewriting local legislation and equipping families to cultivate real-world leadership skills at home. Key Takeaways• The Golden Window: Why the ages of 8 to 12 represent the absolute best, most creative developmental stage for introducing young people to business ownership.• Legislation for Innovation: Understanding "Lemonade Stand Laws" and how current grassroots efforts are working to remove restrictive legal barriers for experimental childhood ventures.• Beyond Financial Literacy: How early entrepreneurial training actively builds lifelong resilience, confidence, community connection, and active citizenship.• Co-ops and Community: Practical strategies for testing and scaling youth business curriculums within local homeschool pods, parks departments, and community groups.Topics covered in this video:Society of Child Entrepreneurs, business as mission, youth entrepreneurship curriculum, teaching kids business, lemonade stand laws, SOCE, early childhood business training, faith and business, BAM global movement, homeschool business co-op, empowering young leaders, creative problem solving for kids. #BusinessAsMission #ChildEntrepreneurs #YouthEntrepreneurship Connect with Us:Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-business-as-mission-podcast-with-mike-baer/id1551867793Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Gp5SOOHFggJ67vPA5qxkDTiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@officialbampodcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialbampodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialbampodcast/#BusinessAsMission #BAM #MarketplaceCalling

Lone Rangers in BAM: Signs of Overwhelming Stress with Curt Spigelmyre

Discover how to identify and conquer BAM practitioners burnout before it cuts your calling short. Licensed family therapist Curt Spigelmyre shares critical insights into maintaining missionary mental health while navigating the unique pressures of the marketplace.Operating a business in a foreign culture brings intense pressure, often forcing faith-based entrepreneurs into isolation. In this episode, we unpack the primary Business as Mission challenges that lead to emotional exhaustion and family strain. You will learn how your physical body signals dangerous stress levels, why independent professionals wait too long to seek support, and how to safely unpack your burdens with confidential care.Key Takeaways:• The Body Keeps the Score: How chronic headaches, respiratory issues, and stomach problems are often physical manifestations of unaddressed emotional trauma and field stress.• The "Lone Ranger" Trap: Why Business as Mission professionals face a higher risk of isolation due to security platform constraints and a lack of traditional agency member care.• The Attrition Crisis: An honest look at why highly trained practitioners are leaving the field faster than ever and how marital or family baggage follows you across borders.• Safe Confidentiality: The vital importance of finding a support network or therapist outside your immediate organization to share struggles without fear of judgment or being sent home.• Practical Soul Rest: Shifting from trying to "tough it out" alone to leaning into community and healthy spiritual rhythms.Topics covered in this video:Member care for BAM professionals, mental health for expats, signs of missionary burnout, Business as Mission entrepreneur stress, overseas business challenges, Christian counseling for missionaries, emotional health in ministry, family therapy on the mission field, preventing ministry attrition, Global Counseling Network, Paraclete Mission Group, managing stress in isolation. #BusinessAsMission #MissionaryMental Health #BAMBurnout

From Corporate Servitude to Kingdom Freedom: The Wink Movement

Discover how to practice Business as Mission by keeping God in the middle of your corporate career. Adri Dornbrack shares her journey of moving from "slavery" in Egypt to a life of freedom through faith and work integration.In this episode, HR professional Adri Dornbrack reveals how she navigated the secular corporate world without leaving her faith at the door. You will learn how to measure the "heartbeat" of an organization using a biblical corporate culture assessment and how to find peace even when you are told you "no longer fit the strategy". This conversation is a practical guide for any leader wanting to transform their workplace into a mission field through simple, consistent, and spiritual stewardship.Key Takeaways• The "God in the Middle" Philosophy: Understanding why the simplest definition of Business as Mission—no separation between work and faith—is the most powerful.• Measuring Organizational Heartbeat: Using a scorecard to monitor culture through leadership, human, process, client, and social capital.• Navigating "Locust Seasons": Finding divine restoration and peace when a business faces trials or financial loss.•The Exodus Shift: Moving from "Egypt" (self-dependence in work) to "Jerusalem" (total dependence on God).• The "God-Wink" Method: Learning to recognize divine guidance through scripture, timing, and "winks" from God in your professional life.This video explores Business as Mission (BAM) strategies for HR professionals and executives. We discuss biblical principles for business, creating a Christian corporate culture, and the Wink Movement for spiritual growth. Other topics include Christian stewardship, faith-based leadership, and overcoming career transitions with a biblical worldview.#BusinessAsMission #FaithAndWork #ChristianLeadershipSubscribe and hit the bell icon to stay updated with our latest content!Connect with Us:Website: https://thirdpathinitiative.comApple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-business-as-mission-podcast-with-mike-baer/id1551867793Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Gp5SOOHFggJ67vPA5qxkDLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikebaerFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/thirdpathinitiativeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thirdpathinitiativeAbout Third Path InitiativeThird Path Initiative exists to equip believers to build sustainable, missional businesses that bring the gospel to the least reached. Through training, storytelling, and practical tools, we mobilize and support Business as Mission practitioners around the world. Thank you for being part of the mission!Don't forget to pick up a copy of Mike Baer's books! Check the link below! ➡️ https://books.by/mike-baer#BusinessAsMission #BAM #MarketplaceCalling