The Driven Podcast

Colt Charlebois

The Driven is a podcast hosted by Colt Charlebois. Sitting down with business owners, founders, and high-capacity leaders, he uncovers the real stories behind their success — the lows, the turning points, and the faith woven through it all. Every episode follows the same arc: where it all started, what nearly broke them, the moment things shifted, and where they are now. Raw testimony from leaders who built something meaningful while carrying real weight — in business, in life, and in faith.

Episodes

  1. 6d ago

    Ep 005 | Opposition Isn't Proof You're Off Path | feat. Brandon Hayes

    You stepped out in faith. Then everything came apart. Does that mean you're off path? In this conversation, Colt sits down with Brandon Hayes to unpack the moment every faith-driven entrepreneur eventually meets: opposition that makes you feel like you've made the wrong call. Brandon shares how a decade of loyal service ended in a lawsuit, a vanished attorney, a default judgment, and a friend praying an unprecedented prayer that changed a judge's mind the same night. You'll hear why soft skills are the next commodity while everyone else chases AI, how to build a business that serves before it sells, how to actually hear God in ordinary moments, and how to walk free from offense when someone royally misuses you. Brandon also shares the one discernment question he asks himself every time opposition shows up. If you've been questioning whether obedience actually pays, this one is for you. ABOUT BRANDON HAYES Brandon Hayes is the founder of Kalos Consulting, a fractional talent and strategic hiring practice serving founders, CEOs, and leadership teams when a hire really matters. Over nearly two decades, he has helped organizations attract, assess, and retain high-performing talent through the Kalos Essentials behavioral framework, which evaluates candidates for skill, behavior, compensation alignment, and culture fit. Brandon is the original founding recruiter for Forbes.jobs and a chosen partner of the Carolina Panthers Small Business Program. He hosts the Build.Grow.Learn Conference, co-leads the OneLife Mastermind, and speaks nationally on hiring systems, leadership alignment, and decision quality in high-stakes moments. A third-generation entrepreneur, husband, and father of three, Brandon lives by Galatians 6:9, do not grow weary in doing good.

  2. Jul 3

    Ep 004 | You Are Not the Thing You Do | feat. Adam Loomis

    You spent years building the thing. What happens when the thing isn't who you are? In this conversation, Colt sits down with entrepreneur, marketing strategist, and author Adam Loomis to unpack a trap kingdom-minded builders quietly fall into: mistaking the work for the calling. Adam, a third-generation minister turned serial entrepreneur, explains why so many gifted leaders stay stuck in businesses they've outgrown, how faith turns fear into forward motion, and why perfectionism is the quiet enemy of obedience. You'll hear how AI is reshaping what a visionary can build in a week, why authentic conversation beats polished marketing, how to encourage yourself in the Lord when everything falls apart, and what to do when you don't yet know your calling. Adam also opens up honestly about bankruptcy, divorce, and the identity work that came after. ABOUT THE GUEST Adam Loomis is a marketing strategist, speaker, and author who has spent two decades helping hundreds of business owners grow through organic, relationship-first marketing. His journey started with a single question from a friend who owned a cigar shop, "Do you know anything about social media?" and grew into an approach that has reached over 300 million people through authentic engagement rather than paid ads. Adam is the author of Conversational Marketing and host of the Mondays with Adam podcast. Driven by faith and purpose, he helps entrepreneurs cut the hype and build something meaningful through marketing that actually works.

  3. Jun 26

    Ep 003 | When Loss Hits, Your Real Theology Surfaces | feat. Melissa Baker

    You can quote the verses. You can teach the truth. But when the worst day of your life arrives, what you actually believe about God will rise to the surface. In this episode, Colt sits down with biblical counsellor and author Melissa Baker for an honest conversation about functional theology, the gap between the faith we profess and the faith we live. Melissa opens up about the year that dismantled her life, when she lost her husband, her church, her job, her home, and the country she had adopted, all within twelve months. You'll learn how driven leaders tend to quietly medicate with work and status, why daily surrender matters more than ambition, what most Christians get wrong about grief, and how to stop performing the answer to "how are you?" Melissa is candid about the questions she wasn't allowed to ask and the theology she had to unlearn before she could rebuild. ABOUT THE GUEST Melissa Dawn Baker is a biblical counsellor, writer, and founder of Daughter of Grace LLC, a ministry walking with women through grief, anxiety, and the long work of rebuilding faith after loss. She is the author of To Cast My Cares, a Scripture-rooted study used by churches and individuals navigating hard seasons. Raised in a pastor's home and called with her husband to Ontario in 1980 to help plant a church, Melissa spent three decades in full-time ministry and music education across Canada before relocating to North Carolina in 2020. A dual citizen of Canada and the United States, she writes openly about the kingdoms in her own heart that had to fall, and points readers to a faithful God who brings beauty from ashes.

About

The Driven is a podcast hosted by Colt Charlebois. Sitting down with business owners, founders, and high-capacity leaders, he uncovers the real stories behind their success — the lows, the turning points, and the faith woven through it all. Every episode follows the same arc: where it all started, what nearly broke them, the moment things shifted, and where they are now. Raw testimony from leaders who built something meaningful while carrying real weight — in business, in life, and in faith.