Thoughtful Technology for Every Learner with Preston Zeller

This is an authentic and thoughtful conversation about leveraging new tools and ancient wisdom to build resilience, emotional health, and deeper connections—whether you’re a longtime believer, just curious, or somewhere in between.Welcome to Spirit of EQ! In this episode, I sit down with Preston Zeller—an inspiring technologist, artist, and committed believer—to explore the fascinating intersection of faith, technology, and emotional intelligence.Preston shares the story behind Psalm Log, an app he created to deliver personalized biblical advice, using AI technology to help people navigate both their spiritual and emotional journeys.Together, we discuss the role artificial intelligence is playing in faith practice today, discussing its ethical implications, potential pitfalls, and how it can actually support reflection and personal growth—no matter your religious background.We also talk about Preston’s moving experience with grief and creativity, highlighted by his award-winning documentary, “The Art of Grieving.” Preston reveals how artistic expression can serve as a powerful outlet for healing, and why embracing creativity isn’t just for artists, but for anyone seeking to work through life’s toughest challenges.Moments04:09 AI-Assisted Journaling for Growth06:22 "Faithful AI Alliance Initiative"12:18 AI Adoption: Categories and Insights15:02 Navigating Uncertainty in Information17:49 "The Value of Authentic Writing"20:30 Sunday Christians and Spiritual Stagnation25:41 "Finding Hope Amid Struggles"29:02 "Psalm Log: Grief in Art"30:52 "Painting Grief into Mosaic"35:46 "Navigating Loss and Connection"36:40 "Grief, Discipline, and Healing"40:19 "Creative Expression for Healing"45:56 "Creativity Opens New Possibilities"47:02 "Grief, Emotions, and Healing"50:37 Approaching Gospel with Nonbelievers55:38 "Less Can Be More"57:07 Faithful AI and Biblical GuidanceHere are 3 key takeaways:AI as a Tool for Reflection & Growth: Preston emphasized that Psalm Log uses AI responsibly to supplement personal and spiritual reflection, not replace it. Technology can facilitate deeper self-awareness and biblical guidance, but it shouldn’t override the human side of processing and agency.Creativity & Grief as Catalysts for Healing: Preston’s documentary, The Art of Grieving, explores how creativity can be a powerful outlet in navigating loss. Whether through art, music, or journaling, giving emotions their “mic” leads to genuine healing and growth.Inclusivity & Impact Beyond Belief: While Psalm Log is inspired by biblical wisdom, its benefits aren’t limited to Christians. Preston noted the app is designed to help anyone—regardless of faith background—find encouragement and tools for emotional wellness.Preston Zeller sits at an unusual intersection: faith-tech founder, growth executive, documentary filmmaker, and abstract artist. As founder of Psalmlog, he's building an AI-powered biblical guidance app that helps believers access relevant Scripture for any life situation—addressing the universal Christian challenge of knowing God's Word has answers but not knowing where to look.His approach is informed by proprietary research with 200+ Christians and 15 years scaling companies from $25M to $300M ARR. As Chief Growth Officer at BatchService, he oversaw the GTM teams, leading to two successful exits. He previously led digital marketing and growth at A Cloud Guru (acquired by Pluralsight for $2B) and ZoomInfo (IPO’d).Preston brings equal depth to creative work. His documentary The Art of Grieving (2022) follows his year-long project of painting daily after his 35-year-old brother Colin died suddenly from a fentanyl overdose. The film explores grief through personal narrative, art therapy, and cultural history. It's available on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, and Tubi, and has won Best Documentary at the LA Film Awards, Bridge Film Fest, and Love Wins International Film Festival.In each episode, Jeff and Eric will talk about what emotional intelligence, or understanding your emotions, can do for you in your daily and work life. For more information, contact Eric or Jeff at [email protected] or visit their website, Spirit of EQ.You can follow The Spirit of EQ Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Android, or on your favorite podcast player.New episodes are available on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays every month!Please review our podcast Music from Uppbeathttps://uppbeat.io/t/roo-walker/deeperLicense code: PEYKDJHQNGSZXDUEWe hope you enjoy the podcast. Hopefully, you're tuning in on a regular basis. We'd love it if you would give us a great review on whatever platform you're listening to the podcast. It's so appreciative and helps us as we try to get more exposure for the work we do and the episodes that we publish. We're grateful to you as a listener. Secondly, our content is for educational purposes only. It's not intended by any stretch to diagnose or treat anything that may be occurring in your life or anyone else's life that you may be connected to through the podcast. And as always, we look forward to the next time that we're together. Take care.Spirit of EQhttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/Mentioned in this episode:Thanks for listening to Spirit of EQThis podcast was created to be a tool to primarily help you to discover and grow your EQ. Science and our own lived experiences confirm that the better we are at managing our emotions, the better we're going to be at making decisions. Which leads to a better life. And that's something we all want. We're glad that you've taken the time today to listen. We hope that something you hear will lead to a breakthrough. We'd really appreciate a review on your podcast platform. Please leave some comments about what you heard today, as well as follow and subscribe to the podcast. That way, you won't miss a single episode as we continue this journey.SEQ Development ReportThe SEQ Development Report is an innovative tool that combines emotional intelligence with one's spiritual life, distinct from religious contexts. The report helps individuals understand their connections with themselves, others, and their surroundings. It aims to identify areas in their lives that may need improvement and highlight their strengths, ultimately facilitating better navigation through life. To obtain the report, individuals need to contact Spirit of EQ via email at [email protected] and complete an online assessment that takes about 15 to 20 minutes. After the assessment, a debrief session is required to review the comprehensive information provided in the report. Spirit of EQ also offers further coaching to support individuals in their personal development journey.