Way Out #17: From Pastor to Serial Entrepreneur with Keith Davenport

If you wanted to script the ultimate story of a radical life pivot, you would be hard-pressed to write something more dramatic than Keith Davenport’s journey. From a conservative evangelical pastor to a progressive political candidate, and finally to a neurodivergent serial entrepreneur, Keith has completely dismantled and rebuilt his life on his own terms.In this episode of 101 Ways Out, Keith opens up about his profound transformation. He shares the historical discoveries that shifted his worldview and led him to step away from the church, and the grueling burnout he experienced managing crisis communications for a county of 600,000 people during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ultimately, it took a terrifying breaking point—and an urgent care visit for severe anxiety and undiagnosed ADHD—to push him to completely abandon the traditional career path.Today, Keith is a thriving serial entrepreneur building an ecosystem of businesses in his hometown of Gardner, Kansas. We discuss how he launched his consulting firm, Blazer Strategies, acquired Ground House Coffee using seller financing, and founded the HR tech startup MythicHire to eliminate resume bias.Update Since Recording: True to his serial entrepreneur nature, Keith has had a massive year since we sat down to record. He has stepped out of the CEO role at MythicHire to launch 030 Holding Company, a venture dedicated to acquiring small businesses using seller financing. His mission is to protect small business legacies and increase community wealth by creating jobs, increasing wages, and building profit-sharing tracks. They acquired their first business, Madison Street Threads, in October. He has also withdrawn from a planned 2026 State House run to focus entirely on his family, teaching business acquisitions at JCCC, and local advocacy—like working directly with his local police department to find humane alternatives for the unhoused.In this episode, we cover:The Courage to Pivot: How to walk away from the path you thought you were "called" to when it no longer serves you.Mental Health as a Catalyst: Navigating extreme corporate burnout, late-diagnosed ADHD, and anxiety as an entrepreneur.Acquisition Entrepreneurship: How to successfully buy a business using seller financing.Redefining Success: Why Keith chose being a good dad and husband over traditional corporate power.Connect with Keith Davenport:LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/keithmdavenport030 Holding Company: (Keep an eye out for his latest venture!)Blazer Strategies: blazerstrategies.comGround House Coffee: groundhousecoffee.comMythicHire: mythichire.comListen now to hear Keith's incredible story of finding a Way Out!