Why Your Calling Is Bigger Than Your Plan: Pastor Tommy Kyllonen

🔑Ready to learn how to invest in Airbnb, hassle-free? Fill out this form and our BNB Turnkey Team will reach out to you:https://e0jcghoxv59.typeform.com/to/t4BDOZGNWelcome to The Elliott Caldwell Podcast on Successful DNA — the show where driven individuals break down the habits, experiences, and mindset behind building something real. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, investor, or someone chasing your next level, this podcast uncovers what it actually takes to turn momentum into long-term success.Pastor Tommy “Urban D.” Kyllonen is the lead pastor of Crossover Church in Tampa, Florida, as well as an author, hip-hop artist, speaker, and creative entrepreneur. In this episode, Tommy shares his journey from growing up as a pastor’s kid in Philadelphia, living a double life as a teenager, rediscovering his faith at 19, and eventually being called into ministry in an urban context. What started as youth ministry through basketball leagues and hip-hop concerts grew into a movement that helped transform Crossover Church from a small church plant into a diverse, creative, multi-generational community.Tommy opens up about the leadership lessons he has learned over more than two decades as lead pastor. He talks about burnout, building team chemistry, navigating hard conversations, leading friends, knowing when people cannot grow with the organization, and why creativity has been one of the keys to reaching the next generation. He also breaks down the entrepreneurial side of church leadership, from creating new streams of income to turning a former Toys R Us into a 43,000 square foot church facility.At the heart of this conversation is a deep discussion about purpose, faith, marriage, creativity, grief, and legacy. Tommy shares why the purpose of life is to bring God praise, how his wife has supported him through decades of risk and reinvention, what losing both parents taught him about eternity, and why his future vision includes purchasing and redeveloping Crossover’s property into a mixed-use legacy project with the church at the center. This is a powerful conversation on calling, obedience, leadership, resilience, and building something that outlives you.📲 Follow Elliott on IG: @elliottcaldwell https://www.instagram.com/elliottcaldwell/  🏡 Follow The Rise Collective: @the_rise_collective_ https://www.instagram.com/the_rise_collective_/ 🌐 More about The Rise Collective: https://rise-collective.com/  🔑 Explore BnB Turnkey: https://bnb-turnkey.com/  📩 Subscribe to the STR Report newsletter: https://thestrreport.com/  📲 Find Our Guest:Learn more about Crossover Church here: https://www.crossoverchurch.org/Learn more about Pastor Tommy here: https://www.crossoverchurch.org/tommyInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/urband813/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@urband813?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pcYoutube: https://youtube.com/@urband813?si=VLjurTKXhr9ME9a7