BeTempered

dschmidt5
  • 4.9 (26)
  • SELF-IMPROVEMENT
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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.

  1. 1D AGO

    BeTempered Episode 92 - Addiction Rewired, Faith Restored with Zac Shisler

    What happens when the crash you never wanted becomes the wake up call you needed? On this week’s episode of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr sit down with Zac Shisler for one of the most raw and redemptive conversations we have had yet. Zac shares the moment everything came to a head. High behind the wheel after a speedball. Blacking out at a stop sign. Waking up to sirens, charges, and consequences he could not outrun. But the real story started years before that. A childhood marked by chaos. Alcoholism in the home. A father who left. Early drinks at a bar. A first joint at eleven that felt like relief instead of rebellion. What began as escape slowly became survival. Zac takes us deep into the neuroscience of addiction, explaining how the brain rewires and how the limbic system can scream for a fix like it is oxygen. He does not offer excuses. He offers clarity. We unpack the hard truth that treatment can stabilize you, but only transformation can sustain you. Outpatient programs checked boxes. Inpatient detox cleaned him up. But real change began when grace met grit. A church that hugged him when he still smelled like alcohol. Worship music that reached his heart before theology did. Mentors who spoke truth without shame. After losing his grandfather, Zac relapsed. Not long after, his brother lost the same fight. In a Florida rehab facility, a letter from a friend he once encouraged brought him to his knees. Surrender was not a single emotional moment. It became a daily practice. Sponsor. Meetings. Prayer. Boundaries. Cutting ties with people, places, and patterns that kept dragging him back. Now six years sober, Zac lives what we call the slow miracle of consistency. He rebuilt trust with his wife and five daughters by showing up emotionally, not just physically. He confronted hidden habits that dulled conviction and blocked intimacy. He found purpose in co-founding Recovery Chance Maintenance, a remodeling company that hires men from sober living and gives them more than work. It gives them a second shot. This episode is about addiction, responsibility, faith, relapse, restoration, and what it really means to temper your life through surrender. If you are fighting relapse, loving someone who is, or wondering if your story can still be redeemed, this conversation is for you. Listen now at https://betempered.com Support the mission at https://patreon.com/betempered Subscribe. Leave a review. Share it with someone who needs hope today. Your share might be the letter that changes a life. Support the show

    1h 51m

  2. FEB 6

    BeTempered Episode 91 - When You Stop Running and Start Rebuilding with Lisa Chandler

    Pain does not ask permission before it reshapes a life. On this episode of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr sit down with Lisa Chandler to talk about what it looks like to stop running and start rebuilding when survival has been the default for decades. Lisa’s story moves through constant childhood instability, overwhelming debt, and a traumatic brain injury from a car accident in 1984. Searching for security, she joined the Navy, only to face pregnancy, abandonment, and the reality of starting over as a single mother with almost nothing. Faith entered quietly when a church bus began picking up her daughter, but it came tangled with legalism, shame, and the belief that love had to be earned. Everything shifted when Lisa encountered a simple truth that dismantled years of striving. She was already saved. Forgiveness became necessary, not optional, and identity began to form around truth instead of past mistakes. The conversation also explores calling in everyday obedience. After restarting cosmetology from the ground up, Lisa built Off The Top Salon in Eaton, reviving a name she dreamed up years earlier and turning it into a mission. By bringing haircuts to shelters and recovery centers and training a team rooted in empathy and excellence, her work became a living expression of faith. This episode challenges common church narratives and asks what real love looks like when it shows up practically, consistently, and without conditions. If you have wrestled with shame, struggled with forgiveness, or wondered if your past disqualifies your future, this conversation offers clarity and hope rooted in lived experience. Listen to BeTempered wherever you get your podcasts. Visit https://betempered.com Support the show at https://patreon.com/betempered If this hits home, share it with someone who needs it and keep walking forward. Support the show

    1h 20m

  3. JAN 30

    BeTempered Episode 90 - Faith That Refuses to Compromise with Mandy Turner

    What if the thing you are most ashamed of becomes the bridge that helps someone else survive? That question frames this conversation as hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr sit down with Mandy Turner, a teacher, coach, photographer, and woman of deep faith whose life has been shaped by resilience, integrity, and hard decisions. Mandy’s story begins on an Ohio farm where her parents modeled discipline, budgeting, and a church-rooted sense of community. A college drop-off for her sister sparked comparison that quietly grew into anorexia and bulimia. What changed everything was not correction or control, but her mother meeting her with love, trust, and dignity. Those words became a turning point that still echoes through Mandy’s life today. That same heart for seeing people carried her into cosmetology, where she learned that helping someone feel confident can matter as much as technical skill. But years of chemical exposure took a hidden toll. Steroids masked the damage until her adrenal glands failed, forcing her to walk away from a salon family she loved and rebuild from the ground up. Reinvention led Mandy into the medical field, where a single request for her “clean” urine exposed serious ethical issues. Faced with a defining crossroads, she chose integrity and reported a physician’s misconduct, living with both the weight and peace that comes from doing the right thing. Coaching cheer revealed a deeper calling, and a last-minute flight to an interview placed her exactly where she belonged. Today, she teaches cosmetology with high standards, real-world professionalism, and a classroom culture built on trust, accountability, and safety. She also worked at Greene County Career Center, shaping students far beyond technical skills. Mandy shares how a severe corn allergy and visible scars became unexpected tools for connection, helping her reach students who struggle in silence. During long lockdown drives, photography emerged as a creative outlet and became Skip to My Lou Photography, a joyful return to her roots and a way to honor the people she lifts up. This episode is a story of faith under pressure, resilience after loss, and choosing integrity when the cost is real. If you have wrestled with self-doubt, burnout, disordered identity, or holding a moral line, this conversation offers clarity and hope. Listen, learn, and share this episode with someone who needs courage today. Visit https://betempered.com for more episodes. Support the mission at https://patreon.com/betempered. Support the show

    1h 27m

  4. JAN 23

    BeTempered Episode 89 – Sobriety Starts With Surrender After Alcohol Became the Escape with Jerry Wilson

    What starts with a fifth a night and a recliner slowly becomes absence. Jerry Wilson was still providing, still present in the house, but slipping further away behind the glass. His story does not begin with a polished plan to change. It begins with a daughter asking hard questions about death, a desperate prayer whispered in a Kroger parking lot at midnight, and a baptism that changed everything in a single breath. In this episode of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr sit down with Jerry to walk through the full arc of his story. Childhood mentors and the missing pieces they left behind. Moving to Ohio. Marriage, homebrewing culture, and a career that kept rewarding him even as his presence at home faded. Jerry shares how small nudges began stacking up until they forced a decision he could no longer avoid. The turning point came at 3 a.m. when a stranger named Thomas prayed over him and spoke identity instead of shame. That moment cracked something open and made faith feel possible instead of performative. Jerry describes waking up sober after baptism with no craving, grieving the loss of old circles, and choosing practical obedience to stay steady. Taking a pay cut to be home. Saying yes to discipleship. Serving every week. Writing prayers down to track daily provision and answered prayers. Jerry also opens up about what his family faced next. Night terrors. Spiritual warfare. Fear inside their own home. He shares how prayer brought peace back into their space and how church shifted from behavior modification to true belonging. With Dan and Ben guiding the conversation, this episode digs into rebuilding trust after addiction, letting faith fuel discipline, and how community becomes a lifeline when willpower runs out. They talk identity, mentorship, resilience, and the quiet power of showing up early to serve people you love. If you are wondering what the next right step looks like, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share this episode with one person who needs it, and leave a review to help others find stories that heal. Listen more at https://betempered.com Support the show at https://patreon.com/betempered Support the show

    1h 41m

  5. JAN 16

    BeTempered Episode 88 - From Foster Care to Police Chief Through Grit, Faith, and Belonging, with Chief Kurt Holden

    What if one sentence could change the entire direction of your life? When Chief Kurt Holden’s foster dad introduced him as “my son,” something finally settled. After years of instability and separation, that moment of belonging became the foundation that carried Kurt from a fractured childhood to leading public safety at Wright State University and earning selection to the FBI National Academy. In this episode of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr walk with Kurt through the chapters most people avoid. Being split from his brothers in foster care. Learning to scan rooms for danger instead of approval. Losing stability during his senior year and facing homelessness. Kurt shares with honesty and grit how college became shelter before it became education, and how stability turned survival into excellence. Law enforcement was never just a career path. It was shaped by childhood moments when uniformed strangers were the only ones who showed up when everything else fell apart. That calling deepened through marriage and faith. His wife saw leadership before the title and helped him move from inherited belief to a lived, grounded relationship with God. Kurt is unflinching as he talks about reconnecting with his parents. Addiction’s emptiness. A father’s humor returning just in time for goodbye. The intentional decision to fund both funerals as an act of love, release, and closure. The conversation also sits with the difficult truths of foster care. Lunch tickets that single kids out. Gifts that come with receipts. The long, uncomfortable work of forgiveness. From there, the focus shifts to leadership, wellness, and what lies ahead at Quantico. Psychology. Resilience. Practical tools that matter. A commitment to bring real support back to the officers he serves. Through it all, fatherhood reframes the story. The prayers Kurt once believed went unanswered became an invitation to become the dad he needed and to build the home he always longed for. If you have ever felt defined by one chapter instead of the full arc of your life, this conversation offers perspective, truth, and grounded hope. Listen to this episode of BeTempered, share it with someone who needs it, and support the show by subscribing and joining the community at https://betempered.com https://patreon.com/betempered Support the show

    1h 19m

  6. JAN 9

    BeTempered Episode 87 - What It Really Means to Be 'Tempered' with Mike Derringer

    Some stories do not get easier with time. They shape who you become. On this episode of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr sit down with Superintendent and educator Mike Derringer. What begins as a conversation about leadership in education quickly turns into something much deeper. Mike shares a life marked by early momentum and purpose-driven work that was later shaped by unimaginable loss. He and his wife buried two daughters, years apart, and still found a way to lead, love, and serve with integrity while carrying grief that never fully leaves. Mike walks us through his journey from agricultural education and FFA leadership into county-level service, where his Educational Service Center exists to reach students who often fall through the cracks. MD units. Nonverbal autistic classrooms. Behavior coaching. Alternative placements. Speech therapy. Mental health supports. He also names a quiet crisis many do not talk about. When kids cannot access pediatric care, they cannot attend school consistently. When they cannot attend, they cannot learn. His vision is clear. Invest locally. Build partnerships. Treat education, health, and community as one system with kids at the center. The heart of this episode comes when Mike speaks as a father, not an administrator. He describes grief not as something you conquer, but as something you carry. A sharp rock that never disappears, but one you learn to walk with. He refuses to hide it. Instead, he honors all four of his daughters by choosing to live fully in the middle. The space between birth and death. The daily choice to stay present. He talks openly about marriage as an action, faith when anger would be easier, and the strength found in what he calls a strand of three. That same belief shapes his leadership. Titles are tools, not identities. Kindness is a decision. And service still matters, even when your own heart is healing. This episode is for anyone walking through loss, leadership, or quiet perseverance. It is a reminder that resilience is not born in comfort. It is forged. Listen now, subscribe, and share this episode with someone who needs hope. Visit https://betempered.com Support the show at https://patreon.com/betempered And tell us this. Where has your life asked you to be tempered? Support the show

    1h 13m

  7. JAN 2

    BeTempered Episode 86 - Built Through Consistency, Not Applause with Jeff Schmidt

    What happens when the plan you built your life around stops working, and you choose not to walk away? This week on BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr sit down with Jeff Schmidt, Dan’s brother, for a real conversation about discipline, identity, and staying grounded when life forces a pivot. Jeff’s story begins on the farm and carries through football, education, and leadership, shaped by hard work, humility, and learning to serve when recognition disappears. Jeff talks about chasing a college football dream at Dayton, embracing his role on scout team, and the moment a simple question from his dad gave him permission to step away from the family farm and chart a new path. He opens up about leaving college the first time, returning years later with clarity, and finishing strong with a 3.8 GPA. The conversation moves into leadership and education, where Jeff shares what it was like stepping into administration, facing doubt, and learning to lead by focusing on the one student who needed him most. That same discipline carried into his personal reset through 75 Hard, dropping weight, building structure, and committing to challenges like the RAIN Ride and the Air Force Half Marathon. Faith runs through the entire episode, especially through the “coffee bean” principle Jeff lives by. Do not let the environment change you. Change the environment. From family routines to daily habits, this episode is about staying grounded, choosing discipline, and becoming who you are called to be. If you’ve ever felt stuck between who you were and who you’re becoming, this conversation will hit home. 🎧 Listen to BeTempered: https://betempered.com 🔥 Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/betempered If this episode resonated with you, share it with someone who needs a push forward and leave a review to help more people find the show. What hard thing are you choosing next? Support the show

    1h 12m

  8. 12/26/2025

    BeTempered Episode 85 - Coaching for More Than the Scoreboard with Tyler Luce

    What does it look like to coach for something bigger than a scoreboard? In this episode of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr sit down with Tyler Luce, a sixth grade social studies teacher and head varsity baseball coach at National Trail, to talk about leadership that lasts longer than a season. Tyler’s story begins in a blue collar home shaped by consistency, accountability, and family members who showed up when it mattered most. Those early influences, along with an uncle who left a lasting mark on his community, helped shape the way Tyler approaches teaching and coaching today. Whether he is in the classroom or the dugout, his focus stays the same. Build people first and let results follow. Inside the school, Tyler goes far beyond curriculum. He teaches goal setting, personal responsibility, and character, while also helping lead Hope Squad, a peer based program designed to identify mental health concerns and encourage students to speak up before things spiral. He and the guys talk about the unique pressure students face in a social media driven world, especially young girls dealing with comparison, image, and unrealistic expectations. Tyler explains how consistency and trust from one steady adult can make all the difference. On the field, he breaks down the culture he has built at National Trail and the decision that surprises most people. He does not cut seniors. If a player commits, works, and supports the team, they belong. Even if their only moment is senior night, it matters. Tyler also opens up about his own health journey, from battling self doubt to building discipline through fitness and routine, and how that process reshaped both his mindset and leadership style. Faith runs quietly through everything he does, not as a catchphrase, but as a daily choice to serve, lead with humility, and stay grounded in purpose. If you care about youth sports, mental health, and leadership that actually changes lives, this episode is for you. Listen now, subscribe for more conversations like this, and share it with a coach, teacher, or parent who is shaping the next generation. Find more episodes at www.betempered.com Show support and catch every episode LIVE at www.patreon.com/BeTempered Support the show

    1h 29m
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Ratings & Reviews

4.9
out of 5
26 Ratings

About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    dschmidt5
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    93
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 BeTempered
  • Show Website
    BeTempered

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