BeTempered

Raw vulnerability fills this deeply moving episode of BeTempered, where co-host Ben Spahr courageously opens up about processing a personal tragedy that has shaken his faith community to its core. When someone you’ve shared life with commits an unthinkable crime, how do you reconcile the good memories with their devastating actions? Where was God in the middle of all this heartbreak?

Ben allows listeners into the raw and uncomfortab...

What does it take to transform your deepest pain into purpose? Shawn Ruebush knows firsthand. After first sharing his life story on Episode 24 of the BeTempered podcast with hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr, Shawn took the courageous step of writing his memoir, Turning Pain into Purpose—a raw, unflinching account of tragedy, struggle, and ultimate redemption.

Shawn’s journey began with unimaginable trauma at just eleven years old, an...

What happens when a young pastor with no money but unwavering faith decides to plant a church in a town of just 1,800 people?

On this episode of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr sit down with Pastor Justin Wiegand to uncover an extraordinary story of courage, obedience, and small-town ministry. Justin’s journey takes him from making pizza dough in Kentucky to leading five thriving church campuses across rural Ohio, provin...

What happens when a successful executive's carefully constructed facade finally crumbles, revealing decades of addiction, pain, and self-deception? Doug Macias knows this journey all too well. For more than 20 years, he was trapped in cycles of alcoholism, drug abuse, and emotional isolation. His story is raw, unflinching, and proof that even the most outwardly successful lives can mask unimaginable pain.

In this episode of BeT...

What happens when a life built on fear, alcohol, and self-destruction finally crumbles? On this episode of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr sit down with Alan Bair to share a story that is as raw and honest as it is inspiring.

Alan grew up in a home overshadowed by dysfunction, where fear and insecurity became the lens through which he saw the world. Even with an elite prep school education and later an engineering degree...

What does it really take to defy the odds when nine out of ten startups fail? On this episode of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr welcome Justin Bayer, founder of Welcome to College, for a raw and inspiring conversation about perseverance, setbacks, and finding meaning in the grind of entrepreneurship.

Justin opens up about his 15-year journey building Welcome to College, a company born out of a single transformative mome...

What makes a leader? Is it the title, the position, or something deeper? In this powerful episode of BeTempered, host Dan Schmidt sits down with Tucker Perkerson to unpack the experiences, challenges, and defining moments that shaped his leadership journey—from a small-town childhood in Atlanta to making an impact in both education and corporate America.

Tucker reflects on the lessons learned growing up immersed in sports and commun...

Some stories are about survival. This one is about transformation.

In this unforgettable episode of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr welcome Ray Mackelson—a man whose life was once confined by invisible walls. For decades, anxiety ruled everything. Ray couldn’t drive more than an hour from home without facing crippling panic. Normalcy, freedom, and adventure felt like distant dreams—out of reach, beyond reason, and c...

Strength isn't pretending everything's fine—it’s having the courage to be real about what’s hard.
On Episode 64 of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr open up about how this podcast has become a journey of transformation through vulnerability—for themselves and for the community it’s building.

From a young age, especially as men, we’re taught to suppress emotion, to “man up,” and to keep going no matter what. ...

How do you find strength when your world is crumbling from the inside out?

In this powerful episode of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr sit down with Susan Preble, whose story of perseverance through hidden trauma, heartbreak, and healing will leave you breathless and forever changed.

Susan’s journey began with tragedy—when she was just 18 months old, her family car was T-boned, leaving her mother in a coma and shifting th...

Some friendships are built on shared victories, bruises, and sweat—on long bus rides and harder losses. But the deepest friendships aren’t just remembered; they return when we need them most.

In this deeply moving episode of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr reconnect with Jeff Swanson, a former University of Dayton teammate and roommate whose story is both heart-wrenching and hope-filled. What begins as a conversation bet...

What does it take to break through the walls of selfishness we’ve built around ourselves? For Dan Schmidt, it was a brutal 24-hour journey through the mountains of Georgia that stripped away every comfort and convenience of modern life.

In this powerful episode, host Ben Spahr leads a raw conversation with host Dan Schmidt about his experience in The Rite of Passage, an endurance challenge led by former Navy SEAL Chad Wright. This w...

What does true freedom really look like in our daily lives? In this thought-provoking Independence Day episode of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr welcome guest Brian Ballenger for an intimate, wide-ranging exploration of how personal discipline—and the courage to confront our own weaknesses—shapes genuine independence.

Freedom, as the trio discovers, isn’t simply about doing whatever we want or escaping life’s responsibi...

In Episode 59 Part 2 of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr sit down with Jeff Travis for a raw, unflinching conversation about faith forged in the fires of real life. Jeff opens up about his remarkable journey—from a struggling student to a reluctant pastor and, eventually, a missionary in Thailand. What begins as a familiar story of answering God’s call soon unfolds into something far deeper—a father’s desperate fight to ...

What happens when following your faith costs everything? In this powerful episode of the BeTempered podcast, Pastor Jeff Travis joins hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr for a deeply personal and inspiring conversation that traces his extraordinary journey—from childhood struggles in suburban Detroit to anti-trafficking work along the Thailand-Myanmar border.

As a young boy, Jeff battled severe reading difficulties and depression, feeli...

What does it take to walk away from a successful 23-year career to serve those society often overlooks? In this powerful and thought-provoking episode, guest Tim Pierson joins hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr to share the story of how an unexpected calling turned his life upside down—and ultimately right side up. Tim’s journey from insurance executive to full-time advocate for the homeless and addicted is a reminder that purpose oft...

What does it mean to run toward the fire instead of away from it?

For Carl Rhinehart III, that question became more than a metaphor—it became a mission. On this powerful episode of the BeTempered Podcast, Carl joins hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr to share his journey from insecurity and adversity to purpose and impact.

Growing up in Muncie, Indiana, Carl’s childhood was shaped by contradictions. He was the youngest of six in a home ...

What happens when your carefully built life suddenly crumbles? On this deeply honest and inspiring episode of the BeTempered Podcast, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr sit down with Joan Parsons, a woman whose life story is marked by unexpected heartbreak, enduring faith, and the quiet strength that comes from trusting God through life’s hardest seasons.

Joan grew up surrounded by the steady beauty of rural Ohio farmland, a childhood ...

Have you ever thought about that small line between the birth and death dates on a tombstone? That dash represents everything—your entire life, the people you loved, the choices you made, the legacy you left behind.

In this powerful episode of the BeTempered podcast, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr invite you to reflect on what it means to live a life worthy of your dash. They share the extraordinary story of Michael "Pappy&quo...