Episode 389 – Taking Down a Global Trafficking Network | Laila Mickelwait

Episode 389 – Taking Down a Global Trafficking Network | Laila Mickelwait

Podcast episode

Episode 389 – Taking Down a Global Trafficking Network | Laila Mickelwait

She tested P*rnhub’s upload system with one video of her keyboard and a rug — and found out that all it took was an email address. No age verification. No ID. No consent check. What she discovered next would take her five years, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, and a billionaire investor to help take down.

Laila Mickelwait, Co-Founder and CEO of the Justice Defense Fund, joins Justin Forman to unpack how she uncovered the corporate empire behind P*rnhub, why going after credit card companies mattered more than any petition, and what it actually took to get Visa, MasterCard, and Discover to cut ties with one of the most trafficked websites in the world.

EPISODE NOTES

She tested P*rnhub’s upload system with one video of her keyboard and a rug — and found out that all it took was an email address. No age verification. No ID. No consent check. What she discovered next would take her five years, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, and a billionaire investor to help take down.

Laila Mickelwait, Co-Founder and CEO of the Justice Defense Fund, joins Justin Forman to unpack how she uncovered the corporate empire behind P*rnhub, why going after credit card companies mattered more than any petition, and what it actually took to get Visa, MasterCard, and Discover to cut ties with one of the most trafficked websites in the world.

This conversation covers the corporate structure of MindGeek, the human cost behind the headlines, the strategic pivot toward litigation and public pressure, and why the fight — for Laila and for the industry at large — is far from over.

About the Human Trafficking Fund: Human trafficking is the world’s worst supply chain. Disrupting it takes rescue, recovery, prevention, and root-cause work—all at once. This fund coordinates generosity across every layer of the fight.

Learn more and give: https://solving.org/trafficking/

🔗 Learn more at https://solving.org/

💰Learn more about the SWGP Giving Funds: https://solving.org/about-funds/

Chapters:

00:00 Cold open: the day the credit cards cut ties

01:11 Why podcasting has outperformed traditional media for this message

03:36 15 years in the trenches before the world was watching

05:13 The headlines that triggered the Trafficking Hub movement

06:15 The night she tested P*rnhub’s upload system

07:19 “It was not a p*rn site. It was a crime scene.”

08:54 Understanding the size of the corporation behind P*rnhub

10:12 MindGeek, hidden owners, and a $362 million loan

11:46 Self-generated CSAM and the “immortalization of trauma”

12:45 Serena’s story: from a 13-year-old’s mistake to a lawsuit

15:39 Finding the leverage point in an overwhelming problem

16:29 What the fight against Backpage.com taught her

19:23 2.3 million petition signatures and counting

22:19 The power of collective impact over solo activism

23:53 Nick Kristof’s article and Bill Ackman’s involvement

26:17 Visa and MasterCard cut ties — then P*rnhub tried to sneak back

30:26 Finding common ground across a divided culture

32:43 The secret shareholder finally named

34:51 Where the fight against P*rnhub stands today

39:34 Inside the Justice Defense Fund’s two-part strategy

45:51 How to actually get involved — the book, the petition, Team Takedown

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As a non-profit ministry we are generously supported by the donations of a few leaders to advance the movement.

Faith Driven Entrepreneur is an educational platform hosted by Faith Driven Movements, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to inspire, educate, and mobilize people to use their time, talents and other resources in the marketplace. Faith Driven Movements brings together leaders from around the world that seek to make a financial, social, environmental and spiritual impact through their business ventures. The website is intended to be an opportunity to exchange ideas for educational purposes. Faith Driven Movements is not responsible for the opinions, advice, statements, materials, presentations, data, images, videos, documentation and other information (collectively, the “Materials”) expressed or otherwise shared by guest contributors (including without limitation podcast guests, conference speakers, guest writers, participating companies and investment professionals). The Materials are for informational purposes only, and the statements, views and opinions expressed at any presentation or in any Materials are those solely of the presenter and not of Faith Driven Movements. Hosts and Guests may maintain positions in the companies and securities discussed. Further, Faith Driven Movements does not endorse or recommend any presenter, promoter, investment advisor, strategy, company or any views mentioned at any conference or in the Materials. Under no circumstances will Faith Driven Movements (or their respective trustees, directors, officers, employees, or agents) be liable for the accuracy, quality or reliability of any of the presentations or Materials, any defamatory, offensive, or illegal conduct of presenters, or any direct, indirect, incidental, special or consequential damages arising from any presentations or Materials. By visiting the site you agree to comply with the Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and Code of Conduct.

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Episode 388 – From Super Bowl Champ to Broken and Rebuilt | Trent Dilfer

Episode 388 – From Super Bowl Champ to Broken and Rebuilt | Trent Dilfer

Podcast episode

Episode 388 – From Super Bowl Champ to Broken and Rebuilt | Trent Dilfer

Trent Dilfer has seen the collision of money and college sports from every angle: as a Super Bowl-winning quarterback who earned $471 a month on scholarship, as a head coach at UAB who watched NIL rewrite the rules six weeks into his first season, and as a broadcaster who now studies the institutions trying to keep up.

On this episode of Faith Driven Entrepreneur, Trent joins host Justin Forman for a wide-ranging conversation about what happens when entrepreneurial disruption crashes into institutions that were never built to move fast — and why he believes chasing money without character is its own kind of bankruptcy.

EPISODE NOTES

A Super Bowl quarterback making $471 a month. A head coach negotiating million-dollar deals with 19-year-olds six weeks later. Trent Dilfer has lived every side of the collision between money and college sports — and he’s not convinced the “quick-fix entrepreneur” chasing a payday is winning anything that lasts.

In this episode, Trent and Justin Forman dig into why institutional leadership keeps losing ground to entrepreneurial disruption, what private equity’s arrival in college athletics might mean, and why Trent still gives credit to the conference commissioners doing it right.

Then the conversation turns personal. Trent walks through the line from Tom Landry and Reggie White to Tim Tebow that made faith a normal, bold topic in pro locker rooms — and shares, in raw detail, the loss of his five-year-old son and the peace that carried his family through it. “Our God is a master of brokenness,” Trent says. “He is the healer of the broken.”

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction: Is entrepreneurial thinking taking root in college football?

01:53 The NIL origin story: from a $471 paycheck to million-dollar deals

04:52 How fast the ground shifted underneath college athletics

07:13 A new era or a bubble about to burst?

08:45 The quick-fix entrepreneur vs. the process-driven builder

11:43 Why resources now outweigh sustainable growth

13:21 The problem with “institutional” leadership

15:50 Private equity’s collision course with college sports

18:11 Giving credit to the conference commissioners doing it right

20:10 Turning to faith: how football became a platform for the gospel

21:28 Tom Landry, Reggie White, and the Tim Tebow disruption

24:55 Forcing functions: how bold faith conversations shake things loose

26:09 Why today’s young quarterbacks face pressure Trent never did

28:51 Advice for using your platform to talk about faith

31:39 Setting the stage: the adversity Trent and his wife faced

33:00 Losing his son and finding a peace that transcends understanding

37:10 The Seattle locker room that carried the Dilfers through

39:07 Football as a modern-day “Romans Road” for the gospel

39:51 Why brokenness is where people meet Jesus

42:08 Closing thoughts: peering into brokenness instead of fearing it

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Faith Driven Entrepreneur is an educational website hosted by Faith Driven Movements (501c6) and FDM Foundation (501c3) nonprofit corporations whose mission is to inspire, educate, and mobilize people to use their time, talents and other resources in the marketplace. Faith Driven Movements brings together leaders from around the world that seek to make a financial, social, environmental and spiritual impact through their business ventures. The website is intended to be an opportunity to exchange ideas for educational purposes. Faith Driven Movements is not responsible for the opinions, advice, statements, materials, presentations, data, images, videos, documentation and other information (collectively, the “Materials”) expressed or otherwise shared by guest contributors (including without limitation podcast guests, conference speakers, guest writers, participating companies and investment professionals). The Materials are for informational purposes only, and the statements, views and opinions expressed at any presentation or in any Materials are those solely of the presenter and not of Faith Driven Movements. Hosts and Guests may maintain positions in the companies and securities discussed. Further, Faith Driven Movements does not endorse or recommend any presenter, promoter, investment advisor, strategy, company or any views mentioned at any conference or in the Materials. Under no circumstances will Faith Driven Movements (or their respective trustees, directors, officers, employees, or agents) be liable for the accuracy, quality or reliability of any of the presentations or Materials, any defamatory, offensive, or illegal conduct of presenters, or any direct, indirect, incidental, special or consequential damages arising from any presentations or Materials. By visiting the site you agree to comply with the Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and Code of Conduct.

Copyright © 2026 Faith Driven Entrepreneur. All Rights Reserved.
As a non-profit ministry we are generously supported by the donations of a few leaders to advance the movement.

Faith Driven Entrepreneur is an educational platform hosted by Faith Driven Movements, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to inspire, educate, and mobilize people to use their time, talents and other resources in the marketplace. Faith Driven Movements brings together leaders from around the world that seek to make a financial, social, environmental and spiritual impact through their business ventures. The website is intended to be an opportunity to exchange ideas for educational purposes. Faith Driven Movements is not responsible for the opinions, advice, statements, materials, presentations, data, images, videos, documentation and other information (collectively, the “Materials”) expressed or otherwise shared by guest contributors (including without limitation podcast guests, conference speakers, guest writers, participating companies and investment professionals). The Materials are for informational purposes only, and the statements, views and opinions expressed at any presentation or in any Materials are those solely of the presenter and not of Faith Driven Movements. Hosts and Guests may maintain positions in the companies and securities discussed. Further, Faith Driven Movements does not endorse or recommend any presenter, promoter, investment advisor, strategy, company or any views mentioned at any conference or in the Materials. Under no circumstances will Faith Driven Movements (or their respective trustees, directors, officers, employees, or agents) be liable for the accuracy, quality or reliability of any of the presentations or Materials, any defamatory, offensive, or illegal conduct of presenters, or any direct, indirect, incidental, special or consequential damages arising from any presentations or Materials. By visiting the site you agree to comply with the Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and Code of Conduct.

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Episode 387 – 49% of Teens Want to Start a Business | David Kinnaman | Ep. 387

Episode 387 – 49% of Teens Want to Start a Business | David Kinnaman | Ep. 387

Podcast episode

Episode 387 – 49% of Teens Want to Start a Business | David Kinnaman | Ep. 387

Half of all U.S. teenagers say they already have a business idea they’re passionate about pursuing. That’s the headline finding host Justin Forman digs into with David Kinnaman, CEO of Barna Group, in this data-rich conversation about a generation quietly gearing up to build.

EPISODE NOTES

Nearly half of America’s teenagers already have a business idea they can’t stop thinking about. David Kinnaman, CEO of Barna Group, joins Justin Forman to unpack brand-new research on what’s driving this generation of builders — and why the church has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to disciple them well.

David walks through the numbers: entrepreneurially minded teens are 85% more likely to feel hopeful about the future, 148% more likely to feel called to their work, and 88% more likely to already have a mentor. But that same drive comes with real pressure — many of these same teens feel pushed to chase goals someone else chose for them.

Drawing on the story of Daniel in Babylon, David makes the case for a “theology of influence” — preparing young people for a level of impact no one can fully predict. Justin and David also dig into what it means to raise kids in “digital Babylon,” where technology built to capture attention is quietly shaping identity long before a first business plan ever gets written.

This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Watch the full episode on YouTube or continue to stream audio on your favorite podcast platform.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction: Half of teens have a business idea

01:07 Legos, Shark Tank, and the roots of entrepreneurship

08:37 Meet Zach: raising an entrepreneurial son

10:08 The data: 49% of teens have a business idea

12:59 A theology of influence: what Daniel teaches us

19:50 Parents’ fear and the age of AI

25:50 Identity formation in a disintermediated world

30:30 Inside the numbers: hope, pressure, and calling

39:09 Why mentorship changes everything

43:46 Growing up in “Digital Babylon”

50:57 Handwritten notes and the church’s next opportunity

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Faith Driven Entrepreneur is an educational website hosted by Faith Driven Movements (501c6) and FDM Foundation (501c3) nonprofit corporations whose mission is to inspire, educate, and mobilize people to use their time, talents and other resources in the marketplace. Faith Driven Movements brings together leaders from around the world that seek to make a financial, social, environmental and spiritual impact through their business ventures. The website is intended to be an opportunity to exchange ideas for educational purposes. Faith Driven Movements is not responsible for the opinions, advice, statements, materials, presentations, data, images, videos, documentation and other information (collectively, the “Materials”) expressed or otherwise shared by guest contributors (including without limitation podcast guests, conference speakers, guest writers, participating companies and investment professionals). The Materials are for informational purposes only, and the statements, views and opinions expressed at any presentation or in any Materials are those solely of the presenter and not of Faith Driven Movements. Hosts and Guests may maintain positions in the companies and securities discussed. Further, Faith Driven Movements does not endorse or recommend any presenter, promoter, investment advisor, strategy, company or any views mentioned at any conference or in the Materials. Under no circumstances will Faith Driven Movements (or their respective trustees, directors, officers, employees, or agents) be liable for the accuracy, quality or reliability of any of the presentations or Materials, any defamatory, offensive, or illegal conduct of presenters, or any direct, indirect, incidental, special or consequential damages arising from any presentations or Materials. By visiting the site you agree to comply with the Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and Code of Conduct.

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As a non-profit ministry we are generously supported by the donations of a few leaders to advance the movement.

Faith Driven Entrepreneur is an educational platform hosted by Faith Driven Movements, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to inspire, educate, and mobilize people to use their time, talents and other resources in the marketplace. Faith Driven Movements brings together leaders from around the world that seek to make a financial, social, environmental and spiritual impact through their business ventures. The website is intended to be an opportunity to exchange ideas for educational purposes. Faith Driven Movements is not responsible for the opinions, advice, statements, materials, presentations, data, images, videos, documentation and other information (collectively, the “Materials”) expressed or otherwise shared by guest contributors (including without limitation podcast guests, conference speakers, guest writers, participating companies and investment professionals). The Materials are for informational purposes only, and the statements, views and opinions expressed at any presentation or in any Materials are those solely of the presenter and not of Faith Driven Movements. Hosts and Guests may maintain positions in the companies and securities discussed. Further, Faith Driven Movements does not endorse or recommend any presenter, promoter, investment advisor, strategy, company or any views mentioned at any conference or in the Materials. Under no circumstances will Faith Driven Movements (or their respective trustees, directors, officers, employees, or agents) be liable for the accuracy, quality or reliability of any of the presentations or Materials, any defamatory, offensive, or illegal conduct of presenters, or any direct, indirect, incidental, special or consequential damages arising from any presentations or Materials. By visiting the site you agree to comply with the Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and Code of Conduct.

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Episode 386 – Scaling Poppi: Farmers Market to $2B Pepsi Exit | Stephen Ellsworth

Episode 386 – Scaling Poppi: Farmers Market to $2B Pepsi Exit | Stephen Ellsworth

Podcast episode

Episode 386 – Scaling Poppi: Farmers Market to $2B Pepsi Exit | Stephen Ellsworth

A $2 billion exit sounds like the finish line. For Stephen Ellsworth, co-founder of Poppi, it was the start of one of the hardest seasons of his life. Stephen sits down with Justin Forman to unpack the full arc of Poppi’s story — from a Dallas farmers market and a Wyoming kitchen, to Shark Tank, to becoming one of the largest exits in beverage history when PepsiCo acquired the company.

EPISODE NOTES

A $2 billion exit sounds like the finish line. For Stephen Ellsworth, co-founder of Poppi, it was the start of one of the hardest seasons of his life. Stephen sits down with Justin Forman to unpack the full arc of Poppi’s story — from a Dallas farmers market and a Wyoming kitchen, to Shark Tank, to becoming one of the largest exits in beverage history when PepsiCo acquired the company.

Stephen gets specific about the decisions that mattered most: rewriting Poppi’s formula a week before pitching on Shark Tank, the internal fight over whether to market Poppi as a health tonic or a soda, and the moment his team turned down a $1 billion offer because the deal — and later a $1.65 billion offer — didn’t feel right. He’s just as candid about what came after the money hit the bank account: an unexpected identity crisis, isolation, and a season of learning to sit still.

The conversation closes on what’s next — a season Stephen calls “preferment,” not retirement — and how a faith that had gone dormant since his teenage years was reawakened through the entrepreneurial journey itself, from a providential tax refund to the conviction to walk away from money that didn’t align with what felt right.

Chapters:

00:00 Cold open: reflecting on a $2 billion exit

01:07 From farmers market to a $2 billion Pepsi exit

02:21 When “better for you” also has to taste good

03:43 Apple cider vinegar, marriage, and the taste breakthrough

05:30 Rewriting the formula one week before Shark Tank

06:17 From taste to nutrition: the customer journey

06:43 White cans vs. colored cans: the branding pivot

08:09 Scaling through Shark Tank and beyond

08:27 Explosive growth: $3 million to $500 million

10:15 Pepsi’s first offer — and why they walked away

12:02 The hard truth about the day after the exit

12:34 Two distinct days: signing vs. the money hitting

16:29 FDE Foundation Groups

17:27 A new season: “not retirement, it’s preferment”

20:31 The awkward gap between wealth and generosity

22:10 Setting up a Donor Advised Fund and vetting nonprofits

23:57 Bringing entrepreneurial thinking to giving

24:16 From Mormon roots to a faith reawakened by entrepreneurship

27:45 Walking away from a $1.65 billion offer

28:14 Meeting the Holy Spirit in the entrepreneurial journey

29:13 Closing thoughts and how to take action

30:25 FDE Foundation Groups closing message

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Faith Driven Entrepreneur is an educational website hosted by Faith Driven Movements (501c6) and FDM Foundation (501c3) nonprofit corporations whose mission is to inspire, educate, and mobilize people to use their time, talents and other resources in the marketplace. Faith Driven Movements brings together leaders from around the world that seek to make a financial, social, environmental and spiritual impact through their business ventures. The website is intended to be an opportunity to exchange ideas for educational purposes. Faith Driven Movements is not responsible for the opinions, advice, statements, materials, presentations, data, images, videos, documentation and other information (collectively, the “Materials”) expressed or otherwise shared by guest contributors (including without limitation podcast guests, conference speakers, guest writers, participating companies and investment professionals). The Materials are for informational purposes only, and the statements, views and opinions expressed at any presentation or in any Materials are those solely of the presenter and not of Faith Driven Movements. Hosts and Guests may maintain positions in the companies and securities discussed. Further, Faith Driven Movements does not endorse or recommend any presenter, promoter, investment advisor, strategy, company or any views mentioned at any conference or in the Materials. Under no circumstances will Faith Driven Movements (or their respective trustees, directors, officers, employees, or agents) be liable for the accuracy, quality or reliability of any of the presentations or Materials, any defamatory, offensive, or illegal conduct of presenters, or any direct, indirect, incidental, special or consequential damages arising from any presentations or Materials. By visiting the site you agree to comply with the Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and Code of Conduct.

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As a non-profit ministry we are generously supported by the donations of a few leaders to advance the movement.

Faith Driven Entrepreneur is an educational platform hosted by Faith Driven Movements, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to inspire, educate, and mobilize people to use their time, talents and other resources in the marketplace. Faith Driven Movements brings together leaders from around the world that seek to make a financial, social, environmental and spiritual impact through their business ventures. The website is intended to be an opportunity to exchange ideas for educational purposes. Faith Driven Movements is not responsible for the opinions, advice, statements, materials, presentations, data, images, videos, documentation and other information (collectively, the “Materials”) expressed or otherwise shared by guest contributors (including without limitation podcast guests, conference speakers, guest writers, participating companies and investment professionals). The Materials are for informational purposes only, and the statements, views and opinions expressed at any presentation or in any Materials are those solely of the presenter and not of Faith Driven Movements. Hosts and Guests may maintain positions in the companies and securities discussed. Further, Faith Driven Movements does not endorse or recommend any presenter, promoter, investment advisor, strategy, company or any views mentioned at any conference or in the Materials. Under no circumstances will Faith Driven Movements (or their respective trustees, directors, officers, employees, or agents) be liable for the accuracy, quality or reliability of any of the presentations or Materials, any defamatory, offensive, or illegal conduct of presenters, or any direct, indirect, incidental, special or consequential damages arising from any presentations or Materials. By visiting the site you agree to comply with the Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and Code of Conduct.

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Episode 385 – Why Most Entrepreneurs Are Lonely (And How to Fix It) | Mark Grunden & Addison Williams

Episode 385 – Why Most Entrepreneurs Are Lonely (And How to Fix It) | Mark Grunden & Addison Williams

Podcast episode

Episode 385 – Why Most Entrepreneurs Are Lonely (And How to Fix It) | Mark Grunden & Addison Williams

What happens when you stop talking about entrepreneurship being lonely — and just show people the proof? Recorded live at FDE’s annual staff retreat, Justin Forman sits down with Mark Grunden and Addison Williams to unpack real footage from Faith Driven Entrepreneur Groups meeting in living rooms, churches, and Zoom calls around the world.

EPISODE NOTES

What happens when you stop talking about entrepreneurship being lonely — and just show people the proof? Recorded live at FDE’s annual staff retreat, Justin Forman sits down with Mark Grunden and Addison Williams to unpack real footage from Faith Driven Entrepreneur Groups meeting in living rooms, churches, and Zoom calls around the world.

From a London entrepreneur now supporting a community of 260 business owners, to a 57-campus church network in Nairobi, Kenya that has folded the FDE Foundation course into its entire discipleship program, this episode is packed with evidence that community changes everything for a founder. Mark and Addison break down exactly who these groups reach — team leaders, intrapreneurs, franchisees, tech founders — and why leading one takes no certification, just a willingness to open a space.

Whether you’re an entrepreneur who’s never felt fully known in a small group, or a church leader wondering how to serve the business owners in your congregation, this conversation lays out a simple, ready-to-go next step.

Chapters:

00:00 Cold open: Why community and depth happen fast among entrepreneurs

00:59 Welcome from the annual staff retreat

01:53 Video: Real stories from FDE Groups around the world

08:18 Reflecting on the video: entrepreneurship as a lonely journey

09:47 Who FDE Groups reach: team leaders, intrapreneurs, franchisees, tech founders

12:21 Why entrepreneurs let their guard down together

15:10 Balance vs. managing priorities as an entrepreneur

17:00 Mark’s Saddleback story: the overlooked ministry

19:44 Why entrepreneurs go deep, fast

20:26 The John and Ashley Marsh story that breaks down walls

24:07 What it actually takes to lead a Foundation Group

25:44 FDE Video: how to host a group at your church

26:37 It’s accessible — no certification required

29:11 Two kinds of leaders: the “exited” and the “just a few years ahead”

30:58 Giving back: from C12 to FDE

32:55 From small group to church-wide movement

35:03 The support system behind every group

36:21 Case studies: Menlo Park Church and a 57-campus church in Nairobi

38:59 It starts with one invitation

40:07 Final encouragement: lean in and lead

41:51 Join the movement at faithdrivenentrepreneur.org

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Faith Driven Entrepreneur is an educational website hosted by Faith Driven Movements (501c6) and FDM Foundation (501c3) nonprofit corporations whose mission is to inspire, educate, and mobilize people to use their time, talents and other resources in the marketplace. Faith Driven Movements brings together leaders from around the world that seek to make a financial, social, environmental and spiritual impact through their business ventures. The website is intended to be an opportunity to exchange ideas for educational purposes. Faith Driven Movements is not responsible for the opinions, advice, statements, materials, presentations, data, images, videos, documentation and other information (collectively, the “Materials”) expressed or otherwise shared by guest contributors (including without limitation podcast guests, conference speakers, guest writers, participating companies and investment professionals). The Materials are for informational purposes only, and the statements, views and opinions expressed at any presentation or in any Materials are those solely of the presenter and not of Faith Driven Movements. Hosts and Guests may maintain positions in the companies and securities discussed. Further, Faith Driven Movements does not endorse or recommend any presenter, promoter, investment advisor, strategy, company or any views mentioned at any conference or in the Materials. Under no circumstances will Faith Driven Movements (or their respective trustees, directors, officers, employees, or agents) be liable for the accuracy, quality or reliability of any of the presentations or Materials, any defamatory, offensive, or illegal conduct of presenters, or any direct, indirect, incidental, special or consequential damages arising from any presentations or Materials. By visiting the site you agree to comply with the Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and Code of Conduct.

Copyright © 2026 Faith Driven Entrepreneur. All Rights Reserved.
As a non-profit ministry we are generously supported by the donations of a few leaders to advance the movement.

Faith Driven Entrepreneur is an educational platform hosted by Faith Driven Movements, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to inspire, educate, and mobilize people to use their time, talents and other resources in the marketplace. Faith Driven Movements brings together leaders from around the world that seek to make a financial, social, environmental and spiritual impact through their business ventures. The website is intended to be an opportunity to exchange ideas for educational purposes. Faith Driven Movements is not responsible for the opinions, advice, statements, materials, presentations, data, images, videos, documentation and other information (collectively, the “Materials”) expressed or otherwise shared by guest contributors (including without limitation podcast guests, conference speakers, guest writers, participating companies and investment professionals). The Materials are for informational purposes only, and the statements, views and opinions expressed at any presentation or in any Materials are those solely of the presenter and not of Faith Driven Movements. Hosts and Guests may maintain positions in the companies and securities discussed. Further, Faith Driven Movements does not endorse or recommend any presenter, promoter, investment advisor, strategy, company or any views mentioned at any conference or in the Materials. Under no circumstances will Faith Driven Movements (or their respective trustees, directors, officers, employees, or agents) be liable for the accuracy, quality or reliability of any of the presentations or Materials, any defamatory, offensive, or illegal conduct of presenters, or any direct, indirect, incidental, special or consequential damages arising from any presentations or Materials. By visiting the site you agree to comply with the Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and Code of Conduct.

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Episode 384 – Why Authenticity Is Your Best Marketing Move in the Age of AI | Christian Pinkston

Episode 384 – Why Authenticity Is Your Best Marketing Move in the Age of AI | Christian Pinkston

Podcast episode

Episode 384 – Why Authenticity Is Your Best Marketing Move in the Age of AI | Christian Pinkston

Join host Justin Forman for a conversation with Christian Pinkston, CEO of the PR and marketing firm Pinkston, that starts with a simple question about marketing in the age of AI and ends somewhere far deeper: a near-drowning in the Persian Gulf, a camel accident in the Egyptian desert three days later, and a voice from God that Christian says he’ll never forget.

EPISODE NOTES

A near-drowning in the Persian Gulf. A camel accident in the Egyptian desert three days later. And in between, a voice Christian Pinkston says was unmistakably God’s. The CEO of PR and marketing firm Pinkston joins Justin Forman for a conversation that starts with a question about marketing in the AI era and ends up somewhere far more personal: the 45-year identity Christian built on performance, the shame underneath it, and the grace — not the cheap kind — that rebuilt him.

Christian opens up about growing up in Texas after his parents’ divorce, the “soundtrack” of never being good enough, and how he learned to perform his way into looking impressive to everyone around him — including his own wife. He shares, in raw detail, the night in Dubai when a riptide nearly took his life, and the accident in Cairo three days later that left him unconscious with a fractured skull. It’s in a hospital bed, alone and unable to communicate with anyone around him, that he says God finally got his full attention.

Justin and Christian also talk shop: how AI has supercharged content creation while eroding trust, why story is the foundation of every real relationship in business, and why the guiding principles Christian built his marketing firm on — like “people matter most” and “exceed expectations” — trace directly back to his faith. The conversation closes with why Christian now spends his time mentoring young men, helping them find an identity rooted in Christ instead of performance.

Chapters:

00:00 A near-death encounter in the Persian Gulf

01:38 What does marketing even mean today?

03:23 Campfires, story, and the shadow it casts

04:48 How AI is reshaping — and eroding trust in — marketing

08:18 “Tell me your story”: the first question in every conversation

10:10 45 years without seeing what stood in the way

11:18 Growing up in Texas: abandonment, shame, and a false identity

13:00 The riptide: a near-drowning in Dubai

16:30 Three days later: a camel accident in the Egyptian desert

19:00 Alone in a Cairo hospital, God speaks

24:25 Naming it: shame

26:40 The blinders removed: an Old Testament parallel

27:13 Why the Holy Spirit often works through pain

28:26 How God sees you: the gospel of undeserved grace

30:31 “I was blind”: survival, performance, and addiction to being impressive

32:05 The long road to gratitude for the pruning

33:17 The call to speak to young men — and his wife’s push

36:44 Pouring into young men ever since

37:01 “The hero of that story is you. But we’re not the hero.”

40:36 Why we need to tell the stories of brokenness, not just success

42:14 Being the same man at the breakfast table and in the boardroom

45:47 Closing: the authenticity that starts here

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Faith Driven Entrepreneur is an educational website hosted by Faith Driven Movements (501c6) and FDM Foundation (501c3) nonprofit corporations whose mission is to inspire, educate, and mobilize people to use their time, talents and other resources in the marketplace. Faith Driven Movements brings together leaders from around the world that seek to make a financial, social, environmental and spiritual impact through their business ventures. The website is intended to be an opportunity to exchange ideas for educational purposes. Faith Driven Movements is not responsible for the opinions, advice, statements, materials, presentations, data, images, videos, documentation and other information (collectively, the “Materials”) expressed or otherwise shared by guest contributors (including without limitation podcast guests, conference speakers, guest writers, participating companies and investment professionals). The Materials are for informational purposes only, and the statements, views and opinions expressed at any presentation or in any Materials are those solely of the presenter and not of Faith Driven Movements. Hosts and Guests may maintain positions in the companies and securities discussed. Further, Faith Driven Movements does not endorse or recommend any presenter, promoter, investment advisor, strategy, company or any views mentioned at any conference or in the Materials. Under no circumstances will Faith Driven Movements (or their respective trustees, directors, officers, employees, or agents) be liable for the accuracy, quality or reliability of any of the presentations or Materials, any defamatory, offensive, or illegal conduct of presenters, or any direct, indirect, incidental, special or consequential damages arising from any presentations or Materials. By visiting the site you agree to comply with the Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and Code of Conduct.

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As a non-profit ministry we are generously supported by the donations of a few leaders to advance the movement.

Faith Driven Entrepreneur is an educational platform hosted by Faith Driven Movements, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to inspire, educate, and mobilize people to use their time, talents and other resources in the marketplace. Faith Driven Movements brings together leaders from around the world that seek to make a financial, social, environmental and spiritual impact through their business ventures. The website is intended to be an opportunity to exchange ideas for educational purposes. Faith Driven Movements is not responsible for the opinions, advice, statements, materials, presentations, data, images, videos, documentation and other information (collectively, the “Materials”) expressed or otherwise shared by guest contributors (including without limitation podcast guests, conference speakers, guest writers, participating companies and investment professionals). The Materials are for informational purposes only, and the statements, views and opinions expressed at any presentation or in any Materials are those solely of the presenter and not of Faith Driven Movements. Hosts and Guests may maintain positions in the companies and securities discussed. Further, Faith Driven Movements does not endorse or recommend any presenter, promoter, investment advisor, strategy, company or any views mentioned at any conference or in the Materials. Under no circumstances will Faith Driven Movements (or their respective trustees, directors, officers, employees, or agents) be liable for the accuracy, quality or reliability of any of the presentations or Materials, any defamatory, offensive, or illegal conduct of presenters, or any direct, indirect, incidental, special or consequential damages arising from any presentations or Materials. By visiting the site you agree to comply with the Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and Code of Conduct.

Copyright © 2026 Faith Driven Entrepreneur. All Rights Reserved.