Breaking the Barrier

SENT
  • 5.0 (10)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Biweekly

Most entrepreneurs and leaders keep their faith and their business in separate rooms. The best ones don't. Breaking the Barrier is a video podcast where host Nick Madden sits down with successful founders and executives who refuse to compartmentalize. Each episode draws out the real playbooks behind building companies with both excellence and conviction.

Episodes

  1. Aug 4

    Marine Officer to $11M Media Mission: The $10 Donor, Win Souls Not Arguments, No Neutral Ground.

    Episode description Christopher Check, president of Catholic Answers, sits down with Nick Madden to break down what it means to run a mission like a business — and why faith and work were never two separate fields. A former US Marine Corps artillery officer and nearly two-decade media leader, Check has helped grow the largest lay-run Catholic apologetics apostolate to its best year ever, and he talks candidly about measuring excellence by transformed lives, the stewardship owed to a widow's-mite donor, why authentic persuasion aims to win a soul and not an argument, what AI is quietly costing the craft of writing, and how leaders are formed by visible example and local, incarnate community. Check's answer isn't a hack but a discipline: refuse to let the bottom line compromise the mission, form virtue in the daily craft, lead by visible example, and build for families and local places — all ordered to one secret he names, to let all your actions be done out of love of Jesus Christ. For Catholic entrepreneurs building companies and families at the same time, it reframes the barrier between Sunday and Monday as no barrier at all: the church is the gridiron, and business is mission. Chapters 0:00  Welcome to Breaking the Barrier 0:50  Meet Christopher Check & Catholic Answers 6:00  Business is mission — there's no neutral ground 10:27  Running a mission: nonprofit vs. for-profit 20:38  Stewardship and the widow's mite 22:45  Apologetics: win a soul, not an argument 30:52  Media, atomization, and real Main Street 36:43  AI and the art of writing 48:49  Leadership by example 54:35  Why local enterprise matters 67:01  A rule of life 71:19  Rapid fire, time, and the secret of life About the guest Christopher Check is the president of Catholic Answers, the largest lay-run Catholic apologetics apostolate. A former US Marine Corps artillery officer, he spent nearly two decades in media before leading the apostolate. Resources mentioned Catholic Answers — catholic.com Connect Follow Breaking the Barrier and learn more about SENT Ventures at sentventures.com. ► JOIN THE MOVEMENT: #BESENT Learn More - https://www.sentventures.com?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=podcast_show_notes&utm_campaign=btb-podcast&utm_content=evergreen-learnmore Join us for SENT Summit 2026 in Denver, CO - https://www.sentventures.com/sentsummit2026?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=podcast_show_notes&utm_campaign=summit-2026&utm_content=evergreen-summit ______________________ ► SUBSCRIBE TO BREAKING THE BARRIER iTunes - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/breaking-the-barrier/id1886035329 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1k5gtLQcde9ihmOjpVhYnD/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=podcast_show_notes&utm_campaign=btb-podcast&utm_content=evergreen-spotify ______________________ ► FOLLOW SENT VENTURES https://www.linkedin.com/company/sententrepreneurs https://www.facebook.com/sentventures https://www.instagram.com/sentventures https://x.com/SentVentures

  2. Jul 21

    His Company made 1,000 Millionaires: ESOPs, AI, and Joy

    Joe Pomeranke sits down with Nick Madden to break down how you build a business worth a billion dollars — and then give it back to the people who built it. Over nearly two decades at Arco, Joe helped grow a design-build firm from roughly $100M to $1B+, compounding at more than 50% a year for eleven years, on one conviction: in a service business, people are your only asset. He walks through what an ESOP actually is, why he'd tell associates to bet on themselves instead of a 401k, the real difference between leadership and management, the discipline of 'managing by absence,' and why he now believes AI calls for hope, not fear.After nearly two decades building Arco from roughly a $100M into a $1B+ design-build business (growing ~50%+ for eleven years), Joe led its transition to employee ownership through an ESOP — returning the company's value to its associates (the 'thousand people millionaires,' with modeled retirement benefits about three times that). He has since moved into a season of philanthropy, investing in and mentoring entrepreneurs, having discovered in his early 40s that the real reward is joy — creating happiness in others — which he calls living heaven on earth. For Catholic founders and CEOs, it's a rare, practical look at building enterprises that serve the people inside them — and staying grounded while the tools and the money move fast.Chapters0:00 Welcome, and introducing Joe1:56 Arco, and why people are the only asset5:33 Failing fast, and the mentors who shaped him7:55 The ESOP: giving the company back to its people9:19 What an employee-owned company actually is13:50 Leadership vs. management17:02 Managing by absence19:12 The leader as steward22:00 AI, the Church, and hope over fear26:36 Patience, impatience, and love31:38 Happiness vs. joy34:55 Rapid fire and closing encouragementAbout the guestJoe Pomeranke spent nearly two decades at Arco, a national design-build company, helping grow it into a billion-dollar business before transitioning it to employee ownership. He now mentors and invests in entrepreneurs and works in philanthropy.=========Follow Breaking the Barrier and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more at sentventures.com/breaking-the-barrier.=========► JOIN THE MOVEMENT: #BESENTLearn More - https://www.sentventures.com?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=podcast_show_notes&utm_campaign=btb-podcast&utm_content=evergreen-learnmoreJoin us for SENT Summit 2026 in Denver, CO - https://www.sentventures.com/sentsummit2026?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=podcast_show_notes&utm_campaign=summit-2026&utm_content=evergreen-summit______________________► SUBSCRIBE TO BREAKING THE BARRIERiTunes - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/breaking-the-barrier/id1886035329Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1k5gtLQcde9ihmOjpVhYnD/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=podcast_show_notes&utm_campaign=btb-podcast&utm_content=evergreen-spotify______________________► FOLLOW SENT VENTUREShttps://www.linkedin.com/company/sententrepreneurshttps://www.facebook.com/sentventureshttps://www.instagram.com/sentventureshttps://x.com/SentVentures

  3. Jul 7

    Leading When It's All on Fire: The Abyss, Your Alpha, Real Freedom

    Rob Hays sits down with Nick Madden to break down what it takes to lead when everything is on fire. Rob took over as CEO of the publicly traded Ashford Hospitality Trust in April 2020 — and within a weekend furloughed 93% of nearly 13,000 associates, ran 700-room hotels with three people, watched revenue fall almost 100% in two months, and defaulted on $4.5B of mortgages across roughly 130 hotels. His father's response: "welcome to your abyss." What he did next is the point: Rob kept the company out of bankruptcy, worked his way through the debt, and led it for five more years before stepping away on his own terms — proof that the principles in this conversation actually hold up under fire. For Catholic business owners, Rob gets practical: the daily-to-quarterly planning cadence that kept him sane, why "all you can control are your inputs," the quality of attention as a near-virtue, unreasonable hospitality as a real edge, hiring the person instead of the need, and the founder filter he built to decide who to back. He closes on the line that reframes everything — "your priorities are how you spend your time" — and the freedom of seeing the four walls of your office as the material of your sanctity. ----- Download the Episode 9 LeaderGuide: https://www.sentventures.com/breaking-the-barrier/leading-when-its-all-on-fire?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast_show_notes&utm_campaign=btb-podcast&utm_content=ep09-02 ----- ► JOIN THE MOVEMENT: #BESENT Learn More - https://www.sentventures.com Join us for SENT Summit 2026 in Denver, CO - https://www.sentventures.com/sentsummit2026 ______________________ ► SUBSCRIBE TO BREAKING THE BARRIER iTunes - https://bit.ly/3O8AzOU Spotify - https://bit.ly/4c4OZHY ______________________ ► FOLLOW SENT VENTURES https://www.linkedin.com/company/sententrepreneurs https://www.facebook.com/sentventures https://www.instagram.com/sentventures https://x.com/SentVentures

  4. Jun 23

    The Addictions No One Talks About: Pride, Money, The Solo-Hero Trap

    Scott Weeman sits down with Nick Madden to break down the addictions that quietly come with ambition — pride, control, and money — and the honesty it takes to name them. Scott is the Executive Director of Catholic in Recovery, the national nonprofit he built over the last decade around a combination of the 12 steps and the sacraments. He explains why “no one enters recovery on a winning streak,” how the first three steps come down to “I can’t, God can, I oughta let him,” and the red flags that signal a disordered relationship with money — like hiding things from your spouse or your shareholders. It’s an honest conversation about the solo-hero trap, the limits of doing it all yourself, and why community — not control — is what keeps a founder whole. For Catholic business owners trying to lead without splitting their faith from their work, Scott offers a picture of the undivided life: bring your whole self, surrender what you can’t manage, and build something that outlasts you. ===== Scott Weeman's book: "Twelve-Steps-Sacraments-Catholic-Recovery" - https://tinyurl.com/12steps-sacraments Catholic Recover - https://catholicinrecovery.com/ ===== ► JOIN THE MOVEMENT: #BESENT Learn More - ⁠https://www.sentventures.com⁠⁠ Join us for SENT Summit⁠ 2026 in Denver, CO - https://bit.ly/4s9HmG3 ______________________ ► SUBSCRIBE TO BREAKING THE BARRIER⁠ iTunes⁠ - https://bit.ly/3O8AzOU⁠ Spotify⁠ - https://bit.ly/4c4OZHY ______________________ ► FOLLOW SENT VENTURES https://www.linkedin.com/company/sententrepreneurs https://www.facebook.com/sentventures https://www.instagram.com/sentventures https://x.com/SentVentures

  5. Jun 9

    The Risks No One Sees: Slave Labor, AI-Driven Crime, Redeeming Capital

    David Niccolini sits down with Nick Madden to explore a side of business few founders never see. After being invited to a founder table that included former Secret Service and U.S. Senate security leaders, David co-founded Torchstone — a risk-mitigation firm that's hit the Inc. 5000 multiple times — and later co-founded Evidentity, a data company that traced forced labor through global supply chains to more than 100 companies on the S&P 500.The conversation dives into stewardship, redeemed capital, and breaking the barrier between faith and work. ► JOIN THE MOVEMENT: #BESENT Learn More - ⁠https://www.sentventures.com⁠⁠ Join us for SENT Summit⁠ 2026 in Denver, CO - https://bit.ly/4s9HmG3 ______________________ ► SUBSCRIBE TO BREAKING THE BARRIER⁠i

  6. May 26

    From Fired to Founder: AI Disruption, 1 Billion Views, Building Media Company

    Nick Madden sits down with Rob Kaczmark to discuss the unexpected journey from getting fired from Catholic radio to building Spirit Juice Studios — a media company that now generates over 1 BILLION views and produces thousands of videos every year. Rob shares the behind-the-scenes story of the early failures, financial sacrifices, creative risks, and leadership lessons that shaped the company over nearly two decades. ► JOIN THE MOVEMENT: #BESENTLearn More - ⁠https://www.sentventures.com⁠⁠Join us for SENT Summit⁠ 2026 in Denver, CO - https://bit.ly/4s9HmG3⁠SENT Forged in the Fire eBook⁠ ______________________► SUBSCRIBE TO BREAKING THE BARRIER⁠iTunes⁠ - https://bit.ly/3O8AzOU⁠Spotify⁠ - https://bit.ly/4c4OZHY______________________► FOLLOW SENT VENTURES  / sententrepreneurs    / sentventures    / sentventures  https://x.com/SentVentures

  7. May 12

    The Executive Reset: Killing Hustle, Planning Like an Owner, Redefining “Providing”

    Professional burnout is often the result of a lack of structural discipline rather than a heavy workload. In this episode, Nick Madden and Jeremy Aranda introduce the "3:30 Stop" challenge, a practical exercise in time-blocking that forces leaders to end meetings early to review the day and plan for the next. By creating this strategic margin, executives can transition from high-intensity work to being fully present for their families, ensuring their personal lives don't become a "sacrifice" to their professional success. The discussion centers on how intentional structure and the "slow is smooth, smooth is fast" philosophy actually accelerate organizational growth.

  8. Apr 28

    From $1M/Day Losses to $300M Sale: Culture Without HR, 7-Question Filter, Your Idea Is Just an Idea

    Jeff sits down with Nick Madden to break down why culture and strategy are not separate things, the 7-question filter he uses before committing to any business opportunity, and what backward planning from a 3-year vision actually looks like in practice. Jeff draws from his experience helping lead an energy consulting firm through a turnaround that ended in a $300M sale, co-founding Undivided Life, and taking ownership stakes in organizations where his skills, network, and faith could have an outsized impact. We also hear what it cost him, personally and professionally, to refuse a client on the grounds of faith and why he has no regrets. ► JOIN THE MOVEMENT: #BESENTLearn More - ⁠⁠https://www.sentventures.com⁠⁠Join Catholic entrepreneurs in Denver Sept 8-11 - ⁠⁠https://bit.ly/4s9HmG3⁠⁠______________________► SUBSCRIBE TO BREAKING THE BARRIER⁠iTunes⁠ - https://bit.ly/3O8AzOU⁠Spotify⁠ - https://bit.ly/4c4OZHY______________________► FOLLOW SENT VENTUREShttps://www.linkedin.com/company/sententrepreneurs/https://www.facebook.com/Sentventures/https://www.instagram.com/sentventures/https://x.com/SentVentures

  9. Apr 14

    Built From Nothing: Raising Millions, The Cheat Plan, Working in Chaos

    As co-founder of Presidio, the first pro-life health insurance company in America, Bob Hogan is building a values-aligned alternative in one of the most complex and regulated industries in the country. Bob sits down with Nick Madden to unpack 100+ failed pitches, constant course correction, and what it takes to execute under pressure when nothing goes to plan. ► JOIN THE MOVEMENT: #BESENT Learn More - ⁠https://www.sentventures.com⁠ Join Catholic entrepreneurs in Denver Sept 8-11 - ⁠Learn more about SENT Summit⁠ ⁠SENT Forged in the Fire eBook⁠ ______________________ ► SUBSCRIBE TO BREAKING THE BARRIER ⁠iTunes ⁠⁠Spotify⁠ ______________________ ► FOLLOW SENT VENTURES https://www.facebook.com/Sentventures/ https://www.instagram.com/sentventures/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/sententrepreneurs/ https://x.com/SentVentures

  10. Mar 30

    No Investors, No Playbook: The Non-Negotiable for Success, People Over Everything, Execution That Wins

    Flip Howard sits down with Nick Madden to break down what actually drives long-term business growth without overcomplicating it. Flip explains why taking action beats waiting for the perfect strategy, how the right people can transform or break a company, and why most entrepreneurs overthink instead of simply executing better than their competition.Flip draws from building Lucid Private Offices to 26 locations across four states, starting with a $25,000 takeover and no outside capital, and growing it over two decades through multiple industry shifts. We also hear how his Faith has guided him through it all.  ► JOIN THE MOVEMENT: #BESENTLearn More - https://www.sentventures.com Join Catholic entrepreneurs in Denver Sept 8-11 - ⁠⁠Learn more about SENT Summit⁠⁠ SENT Forged in the Fire eBook ______________________► SUBSCRIBE TO BREAKING THE BARRIERiTunesSpotify______________________► FOLLOW SENT VENTURES https://www.facebook.com/Sentventures/ https://www.instagram.com/sentventures/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/sententrepreneurs/ https://x.com/SentVentures

  11. Mar 18

    700+ Employees and Constant Growth: No-BS Buddies, Forgiveness Mindset, Developing Potential

    Tim Lyons sits down with Nick Madden to break down what actually makes a leader effective when the stakes are high. Tim explains why every organization needs skeptics (and how to use them), how to build a set of “no-BS buddies” for real feedback, and why a “personal board of directors” might be the most underused tool in an entrepreneur’s life.Tim draws from decades at Haggar Clothing, including serving as President, where the brand’s core product was sold in roughly 4,000 retail doors and operated at nearly $500M in annual revenue. SENT Summit: https://www.sentventures.com/sentsummit2026 Become a Member: https://members.sentventures.com/signup SENT Forged in the Fire eBook: https://www.sentventures.com/#forgedinfire

    700+ Employees and Constant Growth: No-BS Buddies, Forgiveness Mindset, Developing Potential

  12. Season 1, Episode 1 Trailer

    Will You Like This Podcast?

    What does it actually look like to build a business without leaving your faith at the door? This is your first look at Breaking the Barrier, real conversations with proven entrepreneurs and founders on leadership, failure, and the practical wisdom behind building with conviction.

    Will You Like This Podcast?

Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
10 Ratings

About

Most entrepreneurs and leaders keep their faith and their business in separate rooms. The best ones don't. Breaking the Barrier is a video podcast where host Nick Madden sits down with successful founders and executives who refuse to compartmentalize. Each episode draws out the real playbooks behind building companies with both excellence and conviction.

Information

  • Creator
    SENT
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    12
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © SENT
  • Show Website
    Breaking the Barrier

You Might Also Like