Courageous Crossroads

Faith, Family, and Fallout: A Mayor’s Most Courageous Decision

Jeff Johnson

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In this powerful episode of Courageous Crossroads, Dean O’Connor—entrepreneur, mayor, and former lifelong member of a fundamentalist church—shares the most courageous decision of his life: walking away from the rigid faith he was born into. With raw honesty, Dean unpacks what it meant to grow up under strict religious rules, how leaving affected his family and identity, and why choosing truth over tradition reshaped his entire worldview. Now the president of a thriving window cleaning business and the longtime mayor of Altoona, Iowa, Dean reveals how courage, for him, is less about grand gestures and more about being honest with yourself—no matter the cost. His journey through religious deconstruction, leadership, and community service offers a rare, unfiltered look at what it means to live with integrity, lead with heart, and keep moving forward when everything familiar falls away.

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