Take Root

Sally Leist, a native of the Pacific Northwest, has worked in various career paths, including roles in business and with Young Life International and World Vision. Alongside her husband, Scott, she is currently based in Kampala, Uganda, dedicated to pursuing justice where it has been absent. In this episode, Sally delves into her most recent work, sharing both the challenges and the joy encountered in addressing the brokenness of our world.

Valeriy G. Valeriy serves as the Honorary Consul of Ukraine in Washington and Oregon, and is vice president of VS Foods and president of Goel Payment Solutions. Growing up in communist-controlled Ukraine, any discussion of God was unsafe. But God intervened in miraculous ways to introduce Valeriy and his family to His great love, and that changed everything. Valeriy lives in Bellevue, Washington with his wife and 5 children and he continues to serve an ever-growing Ukrainian population.

Levi Davenport is the president of C3 Leaders, a ministry committed to empowering business leaders to make a positive difference in the world through community, commerce, and culture- all rooted in their faith in Christ. In this interview, he shares vulnerably from his own life story, and how God has led him to this opportunity to guide business leaders in the greater Seattle area to a deeper walk of faith.

Millie Voigtlander is the founder of Adoration House, a house of worship and prayer in the University District of Seattle. In this episode, Millie shares the story of the clear calling she received to move to Seattle for the purpose of gathering people to pray, and how God provided everything needed to make that happen. Woven throughout this story is a hopeful vision for the future of Seattle- a beautiful picture of God's desire for healing and reconciliation.

Kendra VanderMeulen is currently serving as the CEO of the National Christian Foundation, the largest Christian grant maker in the world. The team at NCF mobilizes resources and inspires Biblical generosity, serving thousands of families, advisors and ministries nationwide. Kendra is a veteran of the wireless telecommunications industry, having served as an Executive Vice-President at InfoSpace and as the Senior Vice-President and General Manager of the Wireless Data Division of AT&T Wireless. Her story is one of trusting God for each step of her life, and discovering His generous love for her as He guides her into an ever deeper walk with Him.

Keith Carpenter and his wife made the difficult decision to leave their cherished home in Minnesota and embark on a mission to establish a church in one of the most challenging neighborhoods in Seattle back in 2009. The inception of Epic Life Church marked the beginning of a remarkable transformation within the community, as miracles started to unfold in abundance. In this particular episode, Keith takes us on a profound journey of faith, emphasizing the importance of trust and love. Furthermore, he sheds light on how an even grander vision materialized, giving rise to additional initiatives such as Pilgrim Coffeehouse, a food bank, and a nonprofit organization dedicated to uplifting the community and replacing darkness with hope and joy.

Dr. Gregg Glenn has had a remarkable career in the field of vaccine development and bio-technology. As the recently retired President of Research and Development at Novavax, he is a recognized innovator and leader in the fields of vaccine delivery, discovery, and translation to development. In this interview, Dr. Glenn shares incredible insight about his lifetime of work, and about how his faith has always been a guiding light.

Katie Mathews was paralyzed in a car crash at age 16, and is now a life coach for other women healing from life's traumas. She is author of the book Unparalyzed and has much to teach about what that word can mean for each of us as we release our fears to God.

Amber Cantu is the 6th generation granddaughter of Chief Seattle, and is part of the Colville confederation of 12 tribes. She is a warrior for women and children, and for her people. Amber and her husband have 5 adult children, 7 grandchildren, and are currently fostering 7 Native American children. She is working to break generational trauma and addiction by raising up the next generation to know “who” they are and “whose” they are- children of God with value and purpose. But her vision is even bigger. She is determined to create real and lasting change for her people in this generation, trusting in God for his wisdom and direction.

Barry Rowan is a Harvard Business school graduate who has held a range of C-suite roles and has been instrumental in building and transforming eight businesses, primarily in the technology and communications space. After spending nearly 40 years thinking about the integration of faith and work, Barry has authored a book entitled The Spiritual Art of Business (Connecting the Daily With the Divine). In this interview, he shares with vulnerability and wisdom what he has learned.

Evans Kaame is a graduate student at the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Washington. A student advocate, who is serving with passionate student leaders and multiple community organizations, he seeks to improve the wellbeing of students in our institutions of higher education across the state of Washington. In this podcast, he shares the incredible story of how he came from the streets of Lodwar, Kenya to the halls of a great university.

Rita Nussli is a Spiritual Director with the ministry of SoulFormation, and teaches at their Academy of Spiritual Formation and School of Spiritual Direction. Prior to this, she was the Executive Director of New Horizons for 22 years- an organization that serves homeless and street involved youth in Seattle. It was here that Rita learned the importance of personal closeness to God rather than just relying on her own skills and strength. Rita has a Masters in Social Work form the University of Washington and is an ordained pastor with the Methodist Church. In this episode, she shares her own journey of listening for God's direction and learning to grow in deeper intimacy with Him each day.

Karen Johnson is a Senior Associate with Centered, a Seattle based nonprofit whose mission is, "Raising up generations of Jesus-centered leaders." She is the director and host of the Take Root Podcast. In this episode, she shares her own story of being surprised by God. Karen’s passion is building deep relationships that are rooted in the love and grace of God. Working with young adults, marketplace and civic leaders, she seeks to build fellowship based on the reconciliation that is possible through Jesus. Karen leads a post graduate Women’s Fellows program and facilitates intergenerational discipleship groups. She earned a BSN from the University of Washington, first with a career in nursing and then teaching at Bellevue Christian High School. She worked for the Luke 12:48 Foundation for seven years before joining Centered in 2014. Karen is married, mother to three adult children, and Gramma to two precious grandsons. In this episode, Karen is interviewed by Sebastian Rogers, CEO of Peripheral Vision PDX.

Al Erisman is the Executive in Residence and the past Director for the Center for Integrity in Business in the School of Business and Economics at Seattle Pacific University. He is also executive editor of Ethix magazine, where he has interviewed business leaders from around the world on issues of ethics, values, and purpose. He led a distinguished 32 year career at Boeing, and has authored three books. In this interview, Al shares how his deep faith is at the core of who he is and everything he does.

David Bluhm has spent the last 39 years starting and growing technology companies and has been involved in over 20 start-ups that have achieved a combined high water equity value of over 36 billion dollars. Above all, the most impressive thing about David is his love for the Lord and how he shares that with young people through mentorship in business. Listen in and be encouraged!

Norma Smith has lived a life of public service. For 13 years, she served in policy as a Washington State Representative sponsoring legislation that impacted privacy, government transparency, the environment, education, behavioral health, and much more. In this episode, Norma shares how her faith in Jesus informs every aspect of life and work, even through losing the love of her life. Norma lives on Whidbey Island and is the mother of 4, and grandmother of 11.

Don Bonker is a former United States Congressman who is a world leader in international trade, security and human rights. His deep faith, humility and wisdom of many years make him a man worth listening to. Fortunately, he has written a book in which he shares from this deep well of faith and life: A Higher Calling: Faith and Politics in the Public Square. At 85 years old, this statesman is celebrating 50 years of marriage (to Carolyn) and the joys of being a father and grandfather. His life is a great example of a faith-filled journey.

Rick Newell is the founder of M.U.S.T. (Mentoring Urban Students and Teens), and the owner of Fairway Studios. In this episode, he describes God's leading to hand over the leadership of M.U.S.T. and begin a new ministry, called ROUTE 21. This ministry uses the same mentoring model to support teens as they are aging out of the foster care system, preventing these kids from falling through the cracks. Starting in high school, ROUTE 21 steps in to provide an "onramp to adulthood" through 7 years of mentoring, and the very real possibility of effecting generations to come. Rick is also the incredibly creative author of Life in the Trap (a golf comic strip), and he is passionate in his role as husband to Rebecca and dad to their 4 boys. (Note: ROUTE 21 is a branding refresh of the current name, Hope Herd. More information can be found at hopherd.org) Questions? Contact rick@hopeherd.org

Jesse Peone III is the youngest school board member ever elected in the State of Oregon. He owns 2 newspapers, a magazine, and a real estate business, is a full time MBA student at Willamette University... and he is only 27 years old. Here he shares how God intervened in his life when he was living on the streets at age 17, a hopeless soul who had lived in 50 different foster homes. Listen in to an amazing story of a life redeemed.

JJ Breilh is the Collegiate Director at the University of Washington with Fellowship of Christian Athletes. HIs passion for discipleship, love of sports, and pursuit of meaningful relationships makes him the perfect guy for this job. JJ and his wife Krista have literally moved in with the athletes they serve- living in an old sorority house in the U. District, and creating opportunities for fellowship. Just think of the ripple effects on this large campus! https://www.fcaseattle.org Vision: To see the world transformed by Jesus through the influence of coaches and athletes.