BeTempered
We believe that everyone has the potential to achieve greatness, and that the key to unlocking this potential is through personal development. Our podcasts are designed to help you cultivate the skills and mindset you need to achieve your goals and live the life you want.
Episodes
79 episodes
BeTempered Episode 78 – Robert Rogers Lost His Entire Family in a Flash Flood and Still Chose to Praise God
Some stories knock the wind out of you and then hand you back your breath. On this episode of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr sit down with Robert Rogers, who in one devastating moment lost his wife and four children in a s...
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Episode 78
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1:46:33
BeTempered Episode 77 - Leah Schmidt on What Matters the Most in Life
Senior year can feel like standing on a cliff’s edge, and Leah Schmidt brings us right to that moment with clarity, humor, and heart. Hosted by Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr, this conversation follows Dan’s daughter as she wraps a long soccer journ...
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Episode 77
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56:04
BeTempered Episode 76 - How Faith and Grit Silence Imposter Syndrome
Doubt has a way of sounding smart. It whispers that you’re a fraud, that you got lucky, that someone else would have done it better. On this episode of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr challenge that voice head-o...
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Episode 76
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45:43
BeTempered Episode 75 - What Do You Do After the Final Goodbye? Rebuilding through faith one step at a time.
When someone says, “Brian’s dead,” life divides into a before and an after. For Chuck Winings, it divided twice. What began as an ordinary Super Bowl Sunday became a season of heartbreaking loss. First came the passing of his fa...
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Episode 75
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1:24:42
BeTempered Episode 74 - Love, Loss, and the Power of a Kept Promise with Shirley Thacker
The wind through pine branches can sound like a lullaby, or the whisper of survival. That’s where Shirley Thacker loved to sit with her husband, Rich—a farm kid turned teacher, veteran, and fighter—dreaming about the book she would someday writ...
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Episode 74
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55:46
BeTempered Episode 73 - “No Peace, No Decision” – The Rule That Shaped Greg Jackson’s Ministry
The first thing Greg Jackson will tell you is simple: no peace, no decision. That quiet rule has guided him from a teen revival moment in Dayton to decades of faithful pastoring in Camden, Ohio—through false starts at the post office, ...
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Episode 73
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58:58
BeTempered Episode 72 - Processing Tragedy in a Divided World
Raw vulnerability fills this deeply moving episode of BeTempered, where co-host Ben Spahr courageously opens up about processing a personal tragedy that has shaken his faith community to its core. When someone you’...
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Episode 72
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43:22
BeTempered Episode 71 – Inside Shawn Ruebush’s New Book 'Turning Pain into Purpose'
What does it take to transform your deepest pain into purpose? Shawn Ruebush knows firsthand. After first sharing his life story on Episode 24 of the BeTempered podcast with hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr, Shawn took the...
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Episode 71
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51:28
BeTempered Episode 70 - How God Moves in Small Communities with Pastor Justin Wiegand
What happens when a young pastor with no money but unwavering faith decides to plant a church in a town of just 1,800 people?On this episode of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr sit down with Pastor Justin Wieg...
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Episode 70
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1:15:51
BeTempered Episode 69 - Doug Macias: Finding Faith, Community, and Recovery
What happens when a successful executive's carefully constructed facade finally crumbles, revealing decades of addiction, pain, and self-deception? Doug Macias knows this journey all too well. For more than 20 years, he was trapped in cy...
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Episode 69
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1:51:38
BeTempered Episode 68 - From Drug & Alcohol Addiction to Ultra-Marathons with Alan Bair
What happens when a life built on fear, alcohol, and self-destruction finally crumbles? On this episode of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr sit down with Alan Bair to share a story that is as raw and honest as it...
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Episode 68
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1:33:45
BeTempered Episode 67 – 9 out of 10 startups fail. Mine didn’t. Justin Bayer of Welcome to College explains why.
What does it really take to defy the odds when nine out of ten startups fail? On this episode of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr welcome Justin Bayer, founder of W...
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Episode 67
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1:34:48
BeTempered Episode 66 - Lessons in Faith, Family, and Grit From the Rite of Passage
What makes a leader? Is it the title, the position, or something deeper? In this powerful episode of BeTempered, host Dan Schmidt sits down with Tucker Perkerson to unpack the experiences, challenges, and defining moments...
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Episode 66
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1:17:23
BeTempered Episode 65 – The Fight, The Mountain, and the Man Who Wouldn’t Quit
Some stories are about survival. This one is about transformation.In this unforgettable episode of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr welcome Ray Mackelson—a man whose life was once confi...
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Episode 65
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1:44:55
BeTempered Episode 64 – Why Vulnerability Changes Everything
Strength isn't pretending everything's fine—it’s having the courage to be real about what’s hard. On Episode 64 of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr open up about how this podcast has become a journey of tra...
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Episode 64
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17:08
BeTempered Episode 63 – A Nurse, A Mother, A Survivor: Susan’s War Behind the Smile
How do you find strength when your world is crumbling from the inside out?In this powerful episode of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr sit down with Susan Preble, whose story of perseveranc...
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Episode 63
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1:30:40
BeTempered Episode 62 – Jeff Swanson: Finding Fire in the Fog of Depression
Some friendships are built on shared victories, bruises, and sweat—on long bus rides and harder losses. But the deepest friendships aren’t just remembered; they return when we need them most.In this deeply moving episode of Be...
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Episode 62
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1:03:41
BeTempered Episode 61 – Breaking the Walls of Selfishness: Dan’s Rite of Passage Experience
What does it take to break through the walls of selfishness we’ve built around ourselves? For Dan Schmidt, it was a brutal 24-hour journey through the mountains of Georgia that stripped away every comfort and convenience of modern life.I...
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Episode 61
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1:41:44
BeTempered Episode 60 – Real Freedom Isn’t About Doing Whatever You Want—It’s About Becoming Who You’re Meant to Be
What does true freedom really look like in our daily lives? In this thought-provoking Independence Day episode of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr welcome guest Brian Ballenger for an intimate, wide-ranging explo...
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Episode 60
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1:03:06
BeTempered Episode 59 Part 2 - Jeff Travis on Special Needs, Spiritual Warfare, and Surrender
In Episode 59 Part 2 of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr sit down with Jeff Travis for a raw, unflinching conversation about faith forged in the fires of real life. Jeff opens up about his remarkable journey—from a strugglin...
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Episode 59
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1:12:41
BeTempered Episode 59 Part 1 – Battling Insecurity, Answering God’s Call, and Moving to One of the World’s Most Dangerous Places
What happens when following your faith costs everything? In this powerful episode of the BeTempered podcast, Pastor Jeff Travis joins hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr for a deeply personal and inspiring conversation that traces his extr...
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Episode 59
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1:41:34
BeTempered Episode 58 – Answering the Call: Why Tim Pierson Left Corporate America for the Streets
What does it take to walk away from a successful 23-year career to serve those society often overlooks? In this powerful and thought-provoking episode, guest Tim Pierson joins hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr to share the st...
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Episode 58
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1:20:14
BeTempered Episode 57 – From the Sidelines to the Frontlines of Education with Carl Rhinehart lll
What does it mean to run toward the fire instead of away from it?For Carl Rhinehart III, that question became more than a metaphor—it became a mission. On this powerful episode of the BeTempered Podcast, Carl joins host...
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Episode 57
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1:22:40
BeTempered Episode 56 – Faith in the Rubble: Joan’s Story of Resilience
What happens when your carefully built life suddenly crumbles? On this deeply honest and inspiring episode of the BeTempered Podcast, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr sit down with Joan Parsons, a woman whose life s...
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Episode 56
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1:01:32
BeTempered Episode 55 – Filling the Dash: The Legacy of Michael “Pappy” Quinn
Have you ever thought about that small line between the birth and death dates on a tombstone? That dash represents everything—your entire life, the people you loved, the choices you made, the legacy you left behind.In this powerful episo...
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Episode 55
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21:40