September 9, 2025 • 10 mins
In this episode of Unwritten, Trevor Barecca sits down with Garrett Bernardo to talk about how God transformed his childhood dream of professional baseball into a global mission of inspiring purpose-driven athletes.
Whether you're an athlete navigating big dreams, someone facing an identity crisis, or just curious about how faith can redefine success and purpose, this conversation will inspire you to embrace God's larger vision for your life and persevere through trials.
What You’ll Hear:
- Garrett's upbringing in a household of faith, his early ambition to play professional baseball like his father, and the identity crisis he faced when rejected from playing at the University of Maine.
- The unexpected origins of his brand, NOVUS, and its mantra "claim your crown," inspired by a childhood Bible verse (James 1:12) and a college side hustle.
- How God confirmed his call to pursue NOVUS full-time through a powerful moment at daily mass, and how the brand now outfits athletes from little leagues to professional teams, resonating with those who have overcome adversity.
Hit follow or subscribe so you don’t miss future episodes!
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Check out NOVUS here: https://wearnovus.com
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Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:06):
Welcome to Unwritten, a podcast dedicated to sharing stories,
the movement of the Holy Spirit in the world.
Today, I'm your host, Trevor Barreka, and on today's episode,
we're getting to hear from Garrett Bernardo.
I want to invite you, as always,to subscribe to the show.
This is where you're going to beguaranteed to get a story of
what God is doing in the world, and I would love for you to
receive that story, to share that story, and to be inspired
(00:28):
by that story as you go into theweek that God has in front of
you. Many young kids grow up wanting
to be a professional athlete. I shared this dream, and I think
for most of us, we love the drive, the grit, the talent, the
stakes of watching these young people perform, and we naturally
desire to emulate it. And at least that's what I
wanted when I was 16 years old, pouring sweat in the summer
(00:49):
heat, running through another round of dribbling between cones
at my neighborhood basketball court.
I didn't make it very far in that dream, but some people make
it a lot closer than others and still don't quite make the leap.
And today's story, Garrett shares with us the deep longing
and ability he had for athletic excellence, but yet the
mysterious way that God altered his dream to do something great
(01:12):
for the Kingdom and its place. Welcome to the show and
listening. My dad once told me as big as
your dreams are, gods are bigger, and he actually wrote
that in a note to me during one of the toughest trials I've been
facing in my life up to that point.
I was playing baseball at the University of Maine, and it was
(01:32):
the first time in my life that Ihad been rejected.
I was told that I wasn't going to play, I wasn't going to be on
the field, I wasn't going to be the star player.
And so that identity crisis of something that I I was clinging
to my whole life as a big part of my identity was really
stripped away. Well, growing up as a kid, I was
(01:56):
raised in a household of faith, but my my dream was to play
professional baseball. My dad played for the Texas
Rangers organization and my brothers and I really looked up
to him and wanted to be just like him.
So that was kind of what shaped our whole world.
But all along our parents embodied what a Christ centered
relationship looked like. And they, my mom said the
(02:19):
prayers with us at night and ourdad would read us the Bible
stories. And we were very fortunate to
just have so many seeds being planted in our early childhood
of the most important thing in our lives, Jesus.
Well, one of those seeds that was planted was this poster that
(02:40):
my mom bought for my brother Nick and I's childhood bedroom
that was a football poster that had the headline Never Never
Quit with a Bible verse on it. That red.
Blessed are those who persevere under trial for having stood the
test. They will receive the crown of
life that God promises to those who love him.
James 112. Little did I know the impact
(03:04):
that this Bible verse would haveon the rest of my journey.
So I'll Fast forward to my college years.
I'm playing summer ball in New Jersey with my brother Nick, and
we're subleasing an apartment from a Rutgers lacrosse player
named Scott. Well, Scott had had this side
hustle of selling tank tops to his college team mates and he
(03:25):
gifted us 3 before we left that summer to go back to Maine.
And these tank tops had a crown logo on them with the word
novice Latin for fresh or new beginnings.
And Nick and I thought that thatwas the coolest thing.
So we went back up to Maine and we start selling around the
locker room and our team mates were super generous to support
(03:46):
us in those early years and buying our product, wrapping it.
And really Nick and I started torealize, well, if we're going to
do this, we got to have a deeperpurpose and a mission.
Because we had been doing it fora couple years at that point and
I was just scribbling designs ina notebook to try to keep up
with it. But we wanted to connect to
(04:08):
something greater. If we're going to use our time
and energy towards it, we wantedto know that it would have an
impact. And that's where we started to
look at this crown that was on these tank tops.
And we were reminded of this poster in our childhood bedroom
that had a Bible verse that talked about receiving the crown
of life and living a life of passion and persevering in your
(04:32):
trials. And so that's how we ended up
coming up with our mantra, Claimyour crown.
We thought that, you know, this could be a message that didn't
just apply to athletes, but it could be a universal rally for
people to live a life of passionand, and pursue their dreams
(04:54):
with conviction and never give up and, and persevere in their
trials. And that's kind of the story
that God was, was writing with our life since young kids.
It was doing all of that and, and finding the deeper purpose
in it. And so we start to build our
brand with this mantra, claim your crown.
(05:15):
And so throughout the the college years go by and I end up
becoming a focus missionary. And for me, that was a big step
in my faith journey to take thatleap and recognize my passions
of sports and faith and be able to share that with student
athletes at Seton Hall University in New Jersey.
(05:37):
And so I'm doing that for a couple of years, but I also have
this burning desire deep down togo full time with novice God had
started, you know, to really shift my desires, but I wasn't
sure if I could take this leap of faith.
So it was the day that I needed to call focusing and tell my
(05:58):
boss at the time that I whether I was staying or leaving.
And so I go to daily Mass and the first reading that day is
blessed are those who persevere under trial for having stood the
test. They were received the crown of
life that God promises to those who love him.
And I heard that and took that as just God speaking straight to
(06:19):
my heart. So I end up moving back home and
really starting to hit the ground running with hustling,
you know, selling to my old coaches baseball uniforms and,
and creating products and, you know, long, long days of
innovating and, and trying to figure out what the next product
(06:39):
would be and, and building out an assortment that we could sell
to athletes. And Long story short, it was
that it was at that point that Ireally started to get into the
high school demographic and, andthe college space.
And all of a sudden, God is opening these doors for our
(07:01):
brand to outfit teams and athletes of all levels from, you
know, little leagues to professional athletes.
And ultimately finding that there was a common thread in the
people that were resonating withour brand.
It was people that had been toldno in their life, that had
(07:21):
failed before, that were resonating with adversity and
finding meaning through those tough times.
And so, you know, whether it wasthe Olympic athletes that gave
us a chance early on or the Super Bowl champion kickers or
the number one NBA draft pick that we've gotten to know the
(07:43):
family as he's climbed the ranks.
All these people have experienced trials in their
journeys, but they've overcome them and found their deeper
meaning and deeper purpose. And that's what claiming your
crown is all about. Now today, we've really built up
our brand with this vision to bethe premier brand for purpose
(08:05):
driven athletes and we want to inspire people to claim their
crown through living a life of passion, conviction and
perseverance. I never thought that as a kid,
this dream of playing professional baseball would play
out in outfitting teams like theColorado Rockies or the Chicago
Cubs and the Washington Nationals and the Kansas City
(08:27):
Royals are working and selling our product in pro shops like
Arrowhead Stadium or even just trying to reach the World.
Because I thought, you know, having a platform as a
professional athlete would be the only way that I do it.
Well, God took that dream and the missionary heart that he
implanted in me and allowed me to serve with focus, going on
(08:50):
mission trips to help impact theworld.
And now today we've started our own 112 project, which is our
mission outreach side of our company where we go on trips to
the Dominican Republic and we get to further that global
vision of inspiring the world toclaim their crown through
passion, conviction, perseverance.
(09:11):
So if there's one thing that I can say, it's that as big as
your dreams are, gods are so much bigger.
And that he can take that littlest seed that he planted
and those desires that you have,and he can blow them out of the
water. Thank you so much, Garrett, for
(09:33):
sharing that story with us today.
As I'm hearing this incredible story, my first reaction is just
thinking about all of the littlemoments that Garrett could have
given up and just surrendered his passion or dream and done
something else. But he didn't.
And this isn't some ultra individualistic message like
just work harder. You're going to get there.
No, it's Garrett placed his faith in God and the dream he
(09:54):
believed God had given him. And from that place he gave it
his all. And he worked really hard.
And now you can find novice products all around the world.
I'd highly recommend you check them out and also that you share
in conversation with a friend this week.
What's a dream or passion God's given you that you should be
pursuing with renewed fervor? Thanks so much for listening and
(10:15):
we hope to see you next week.
Welcome to Unwritten, a podcast dedicated to sharing stories,
the movement of the Holy Spirit in the world.
Today, I'm your host, Trevor Barreka, and on today's episode,
we're getting to hear from Garrett Bernardo.
I want to invite you, as always,to subscribe to the show.
This is where you're going to beguaranteed to get a story of
what God is doing in the world, and I would love for you to
receive that story, to share that story, and to be inspired
(00:28):
by that story as you go into theweek that God has in front of
you. Many young kids grow up wanting
to be a professional athlete. I shared this dream, and I think
for most of us, we love the drive, the grit, the talent, the
stakes of watching these young people perform, and we naturally
desire to emulate it. And at least that's what I
wanted when I was 16 years old, pouring sweat in the summer
(00:49):
heat, running through another round of dribbling between cones
at my neighborhood basketball court.
I didn't make it very far in that dream, but some people make
it a lot closer than others and still don't quite make the leap.
And today's story, Garrett shares with us the deep longing
and ability he had for athletic excellence, but yet the
mysterious way that God altered his dream to do something great
(01:12):
for the Kingdom and its place. Welcome to the show and
listening. My dad once told me as big as
your dreams are, gods are bigger, and he actually wrote
that in a note to me during one of the toughest trials I've been
facing in my life up to that point.
I was playing baseball at the University of Maine, and it was
(01:32):
the first time in my life that Ihad been rejected.
I was told that I wasn't going to play, I wasn't going to be on
the field, I wasn't going to be the star player.
And so that identity crisis of something that I I was clinging
to my whole life as a big part of my identity was really
stripped away. Well, growing up as a kid, I was
(01:56):
raised in a household of faith, but my my dream was to play
professional baseball. My dad played for the Texas
Rangers organization and my brothers and I really looked up
to him and wanted to be just like him.
So that was kind of what shaped our whole world.
But all along our parents embodied what a Christ centered
relationship looked like. And they, my mom said the
(02:19):
prayers with us at night and ourdad would read us the Bible
stories. And we were very fortunate to
just have so many seeds being planted in our early childhood
of the most important thing in our lives, Jesus.
Well, one of those seeds that was planted was this poster that
(02:40):
my mom bought for my brother Nick and I's childhood bedroom
that was a football poster that had the headline Never Never
Quit with a Bible verse on it. That red.
Blessed are those who persevere under trial for having stood the
test. They will receive the crown of
life that God promises to those who love him.
James 112. Little did I know the impact
(03:04):
that this Bible verse would haveon the rest of my journey.
So I'll Fast forward to my college years.
I'm playing summer ball in New Jersey with my brother Nick, and
we're subleasing an apartment from a Rutgers lacrosse player
named Scott. Well, Scott had had this side
hustle of selling tank tops to his college team mates and he
(03:25):
gifted us 3 before we left that summer to go back to Maine.
And these tank tops had a crown logo on them with the word
novice Latin for fresh or new beginnings.
And Nick and I thought that thatwas the coolest thing.
So we went back up to Maine and we start selling around the
locker room and our team mates were super generous to support
(03:46):
us in those early years and buying our product, wrapping it.
And really Nick and I started torealize, well, if we're going to
do this, we got to have a deeperpurpose and a mission.
Because we had been doing it fora couple years at that point and
I was just scribbling designs ina notebook to try to keep up
with it. But we wanted to connect to
(04:08):
something greater. If we're going to use our time
and energy towards it, we wantedto know that it would have an
impact. And that's where we started to
look at this crown that was on these tank tops.
And we were reminded of this poster in our childhood bedroom
that had a Bible verse that talked about receiving the crown
of life and living a life of passion and persevering in your
(04:32):
trials. And so that's how we ended up
coming up with our mantra, Claimyour crown.
We thought that, you know, this could be a message that didn't
just apply to athletes, but it could be a universal rally for
people to live a life of passionand, and pursue their dreams
(04:54):
with conviction and never give up and, and persevere in their
trials. And that's kind of the story
that God was, was writing with our life since young kids.
It was doing all of that and, and finding the deeper purpose
in it. And so we start to build our
brand with this mantra, claim your crown.
(05:15):
And so throughout the the college years go by and I end up
becoming a focus missionary. And for me, that was a big step
in my faith journey to take thatleap and recognize my passions
of sports and faith and be able to share that with student
athletes at Seton Hall University in New Jersey.
(05:37):
And so I'm doing that for a couple of years, but I also have
this burning desire deep down togo full time with novice God had
started, you know, to really shift my desires, but I wasn't
sure if I could take this leap of faith.
So it was the day that I needed to call focusing and tell my
(05:58):
boss at the time that I whether I was staying or leaving.
And so I go to daily Mass and the first reading that day is
blessed are those who persevere under trial for having stood the
test. They were received the crown of
life that God promises to those who love him.
And I heard that and took that as just God speaking straight to
(06:19):
my heart. So I end up moving back home and
really starting to hit the ground running with hustling,
you know, selling to my old coaches baseball uniforms and,
and creating products and, you know, long, long days of
innovating and, and trying to figure out what the next product
(06:39):
would be and, and building out an assortment that we could sell
to athletes. And Long story short, it was
that it was at that point that Ireally started to get into the
high school demographic and, andthe college space.
And all of a sudden, God is opening these doors for our
(07:01):
brand to outfit teams and athletes of all levels from, you
know, little leagues to professional athletes.
And ultimately finding that there was a common thread in the
people that were resonating withour brand.
It was people that had been toldno in their life, that had
(07:21):
failed before, that were resonating with adversity and
finding meaning through those tough times.
And so, you know, whether it wasthe Olympic athletes that gave
us a chance early on or the Super Bowl champion kickers or
the number one NBA draft pick that we've gotten to know the
(07:43):
family as he's climbed the ranks.
All these people have experienced trials in their
journeys, but they've overcome them and found their deeper
meaning and deeper purpose. And that's what claiming your
crown is all about. Now today, we've really built up
our brand with this vision to bethe premier brand for purpose
(08:05):
driven athletes and we want to inspire people to claim their
crown through living a life of passion, conviction and
perseverance. I never thought that as a kid,
this dream of playing professional baseball would play
out in outfitting teams like theColorado Rockies or the Chicago
Cubs and the Washington Nationals and the Kansas City
(08:27):
Royals are working and selling our product in pro shops like
Arrowhead Stadium or even just trying to reach the World.
Because I thought, you know, having a platform as a
professional athlete would be the only way that I do it.
Well, God took that dream and the missionary heart that he
implanted in me and allowed me to serve with focus, going on
(08:50):
mission trips to help impact theworld.
And now today we've started our own 112 project, which is our
mission outreach side of our company where we go on trips to
the Dominican Republic and we get to further that global
vision of inspiring the world toclaim their crown through
passion, conviction, perseverance.
(09:11):
So if there's one thing that I can say, it's that as big as
your dreams are, gods are so much bigger.
And that he can take that littlest seed that he planted
and those desires that you have,and he can blow them out of the
water. Thank you so much, Garrett, for
(09:33):
sharing that story with us today.
As I'm hearing this incredible story, my first reaction is just
thinking about all of the littlemoments that Garrett could have
given up and just surrendered his passion or dream and done
something else. But he didn't.
And this isn't some ultra individualistic message like
just work harder. You're going to get there.
No, it's Garrett placed his faith in God and the dream he
(09:54):
believed God had given him. And from that place he gave it
his all. And he worked really hard.
And now you can find novice products all around the world.
I'd highly recommend you check them out and also that you share
in conversation with a friend this week.
What's a dream or passion God's given you that you should be
pursuing with renewed fervor? Thanks so much for listening and
(10:15):
we hope to see you next week.
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