PODCAST · religion
BeTempered
by dschmidt5
Real Stories. Raw Truth. Resilient Faith. BeTempered is about real people having honest conversations about the moments that have shaped their lives. Each week, we sit down with guests willing to share the good, the hard, and everything in between. We talk openly about addiction, recovery, loss, trauma, mental health, relationships, leadership, faith, purpose, and what it takes to keep moving forward when life doesn't go according to plan. At the heart of BeTempered is the belief that our struggles don't have to be wasted. Through honest conversations and resilient faith, we explore how God can meet us in the hardest seasons of our lives and use what we've been through to strengthen us, shape our purpose, and help someone else. You don't have to have it all figured out. You don't have to have a perfect story. Sometimes hearing what someone else has walked
Episodes
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BeTempered Episode 122 - Learning to Trust Without Answers with Cody Munn
Who are you when the uniform comes off and the life you planned falls apart? Cody Munn spent nearly six years in the United States Air Force. But coming home meant facing questions his military training couldn’t answer. Without the structure, responsibility, and identity he had known, what came...
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BeTempered Episode 121 - More Than a Motivational Assembly
A principal told us something we couldn’t unhear: “These kids don’t have any grit.” Not as an insult, but as a reality check. In this episode, Ben Spahr, Dan Schmidt, and Shawn Ruebush break down the BeTempered Standard, a new character-based development program designed to help students build...
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BeTempered Episode 120 – Steve Hayes Jr. Four Generations of Legacy at Hayes Arboretum
What does it look like to inherit a four-generation legacy and realize your job isn’t just to preserve it, but to make sure it survives for the next generation? Steve Hayes Jr., executive director of Hayes Arboretum in Richmond, Indiana, joins Ben Spahr and Dan Schmidt for a conversation about...
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BeTempered Episode 119 – Rondale Broome: Breaking Cycles, Finding Faith and Answering the Call
He walked into church to impress a girl. He left with a decision that would change the direction of his life. On BeTempered Episode 119, Ben Spahr and Dan Schmidt are joined by Rondale Broome, Student Pastor at Salem Church of God in Clayton, Ohio. Rondale grew up in Muncie, Indiana in a...
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BeTempered Episode 118 – Ben, Dan & Shawn: Rapid-Fire Questions and a Few Hard Truths
What starts as a lighter day in the studio quickly turns into a conversation about the things that shape who we are when nobody’s keeping score. This episode of BeTempered is a little different. No guest. No single story driving the conversation. Ben, Dan, and Shawn work through rapid-fire...
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BeTempered Episode 117 - Faith in the Middle of the Fight with Jeremy Duncan
A cancer diagnosis changes more than your health. It changes the way you see your future, your family, your faith, and the role you've always played for everyone else. On this episode of BeTempered, Ben Spahr and Dan Schmidt are joined by Jeremy Duncan, superintendent of Fayette County School...
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BeTempered Episode 116 - Finding God in the Worst Moment with Amy Cullum
Some moments divide your life into before and after. For Amy Cullum, that moment came on a dark roadside after a late-night crash involving her son, Alex. In the middle of fear and uncertainty, she heard four words she believes came from God: "Don't turn him over." She didn't know it then, but...
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BeTempered Episode 115 - The Truth About Addiction That Most People Never See with Kara Harris
Some stories remind you that addiction isn’t a lack of willpower. It’s a battle that slowly steals your identity until you no longer recognize the person staring back at you. On BeTempered Episode 115, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr welcome Kara Harris for one of the most honest conversations...
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BeTempered Episode 114 - The Weight Leaders Were Never Meant to Carry Alone with Colonel George Glaze
Some battles don't end when the mission is over. They begin when the uniform comes off. BeTempered Episode 114 brings back Colonel George Glaze for a conversation that is noticeably different from the first time he joined hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr. The confidence is still there, but so is a...
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BeTempered Episode 113 – Faith Through Life's Hardest Seasons with Mark Broeker
Five pregnancy losses will either pull you apart or force you to discover a strength you never knew you had. For Mark Broeker, that journey became one of faith, perseverance, and learning how to keep moving forward when life refuses to make sense. With Ben out this week, it's just me, Dan…
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BeTempered Episode 112 – More Than Shoes: Restoring Dignity for Children with Kris Horlacher
A kid tries to play basketball while limping, then pulls off his shoes and reveals socks soaked in blood. That single moment became the catalyst for everything Kris Horlacher would build through Shoes 4 The Shoeless. What started as one heartbreaking realization has grown into a nonprofit that…
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BeTempered Episode 111 – Beyond Wins and Losses with Coach Mark Hoffman
There are coaches who win games, and there are coaches who change lives. Mark Hoffman spent 46 years doing both, but ask the people who know him best and they’ll tell you the scoreboard was never the point. From small-town football fields to classrooms and communities across Ohio, Coach Hoff…
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BeTempered Episode 110 – Surviving Afghanistan, Searching for Purpose with Caleb Hutcheson
A lot of people can tell you what combat looks like. Fewer can tell you what happens when the war follows you home. Caleb Hutcheson spent his deployment in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, conducting route clearance missions as a combat engineer. Every day meant searching for hidden IEDs where a...
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BeTempered Episode 109 – Identity Beyond Performance with Carson Brower
What happens when the thing you've built your identity around gets taken away? Carson Brower shares a story that goes far beyond baseball. Born with VATER syndrome affecting his right arm, Carson grew up learning how to adapt, solve problems differently, and push through obstacles most people…
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BeTempered Episode 108 - From Small Town Star to Division I Reality with Mason Shrout
At five years old, Mason Shrout made a decision that most kids only dream about. He was going to play Division I basketball. What followed was years of sacrifice, long drives, early mornings, pressure, criticism, and expectations that most people never see. Mason grew from a kid in rural Ohio…
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BeTempered Episode 107 - Surviving an F-100 Fighter Jet Crash with David Wheeler
A fighter jet drops out of the clouds at 300 miles an hour, the controls stop responding, and the pilot has seconds left to decide what to do. David Wheeler lived through that moment and what happened next still challenges everything he thought he knew about life, purpose, and survival. In this...
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BeTempered Episode 106 - PTSD, Forgiveness, and the Crown of Thorns with Tony Talbert
A single decision at 100 miles per hour can ripple through families, friendships, faith, and the rest of your life. In Episode 106 of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr sit down with Tony Talbert to unpack the night a drunk driver changed everything. What started as a celebration of his...
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BeTempered Episode 105 - Living Through War and Holding Onto Faith with Kateryna Tabota
What happens when your normal life disappears overnight? In this episode of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr sit down with Kateryna Tabota to hear the real human side of the Ukraine war through the eyes of a wife, mother, and woman of faith. Her story moves from growing up in…
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BeTempered Episode 104 - 2 Years of Conversations That Changed Us
Two years later, we decided to turn the cameras around and let Brian Ballenger ask the questions. This episode pulls back the curtain on the real story behind the BeTempered podcast, how a mindset shift, a weight loss journey, and the idea of tempered glass became the foundation for something…
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BeTempered Episode 103 - From Survival to Calling with Dennis Alejo
A bowl of porridge does not look like a life plan, but for Dennis Alejo it was the first glimpse of something different. Sitting down with hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr, Dennis walks through a childhood in the Philippines shaped by hunger, instability, and survival. Introduced to alcohol at…
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BeTempered Episode 102 – When Life Cracks and Faith Rebuilds with Joe Swartzel
Some people know what to say when life is smooth. This episode is for when it isn’t. When work feels heavy, marriage feels strained, and you’re quietly asking yourself, “Is this all there is?” Joe Swartzel joins us with a story that doesn’t hide from the hard parts. A longtime bricklayer known…
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BeTempered Episode 101 - The Impact of One Voice at the Right Time with Coach Murph
Charles “Murph” Byrne didn’t become a coach because of wins. He became one because he showed up in the hardest moments when people needed someone to steady them, guide them, and refuse to let them quit. In this episode of the BeTempered Podcast, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr sit down with Murph...
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BeTempered Episode 100 - Real Stories From People Who Stopped Hiding and Started Healing
Episode 100 isn’t polished and that’s the point. This time, it’s not one guest sitting across the table. It’s a room full of people who have lived it. People who have carried addiction, trauma, loss, shame, and still chose to show up anyway. On this episode of the BeTempered Podcast, hosts Dan...
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BeTempered Episode 99 - She Looked Fine But Was Falling Apart with Cindy Lee
Cindy Lee shows up with energy, humor, and a presence that lights up the room. But behind that is a story most people would never guess. Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at 28, battling relentless fatigue, surviving a head-on crash that left her with guilt she couldn’t shake, and walking through…
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BeTempered Episode 98 - The Downward Spiral No One Talks About with Donald Reed
Rock bottom doesn’t always look like chaos. Sometimes it looks like a normal life slowly coming apart behind the scenes. In this episode, that’s exactly where the story begins before everything spirals. Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr sit down with Donald Reed, whose journey didn’t start with…
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BeTempered Episode 97 - The Reality of Addiction and the Power of Faith with Joni Reed
Some stories do not build slowly. They hit you with the reality of what trauma and addiction actually do, and they force you to sit in it before showing you what redemption can look like. Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr sit down with Joni Reed for a raw and honest conversation about a life shaped early...
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BeTempered Episode 96 - A Childhood Stolen, A Life Reclaimed with Tracy Nutt
Tracy Nutt shares the painful and powerful truth about surviving childhood sexual abuse, the manipulation that kept her silent, and the shame that followed her into school, relationships, and her mental health. Joined by hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr, Tracy opens up about the reality many...
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BeTempered Episode 95 - The 0.1% Chance That Could Save Her Life with Cheyanne Mitchell
A 0.1 percent chance can sound impossible until you hear Cheyanne’s story. In this episode, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr sit down with Cheyanne Mitchell and her aunt Maria to talk about a journey marked by resilience, faith, and the relentless hope for a second chance. Cheyanne shares what…
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BeTempered Episode 94 - Redefining Wealth Through Service with Brett Guiley
What if the most important thing you steward isn’t wealth, but identity? Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr sit down with financial planner and community builder Brett Guiley to unpack a journey rooted in small town values, deep curiosity, and the courage to step away from comfort to chase purpose. Brett...
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BeTempered Episode 93 - When Detours Become Lifelines with Dennis Liming
What starts as a foggy morning hike with his daughter turns into a life saving chain of events Dennis never could have planned. At 69, the firefighter, EMT, chaplain, and tool and die craftsman found himself facing multiple iliac aneurysms on the brink of rupture. What followed was a series of...
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BeTempered Episode 92 - Addiction Rewired, Faith Restored with Zac Shisler
What happens when the crash you never wanted becomes the wake up call you needed? On this week’s episode of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr sit down with Zac Shisler for one of the most raw and redemptive conversations we have had yet. Zac shares the moment everything came to a head....
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BeTempered Episode 91 - When You Stop Running and Start Rebuilding with Lisa Chandler
Pain does not ask permission before it reshapes a life. On this episode of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr sit down with Lisa Chandler to talk about what it looks like to stop running and start rebuilding when survival has been the default for decades. Lisa’s story moves through...
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BeTempered Episode 90 - Faith That Refuses to Compromise with Mandy Turner
What if the thing you are most ashamed of becomes the bridge that helps someone else survive? That question frames this conversation as hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr sit down with Mandy Turner, a teacher, coach, photographer, and woman of deep faith whose life has been shaped by resilience,...
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BeTempered Episode 89 – Sobriety Starts With Surrender After Alcohol Became the Escape with Jerry Wilson
What starts with a fifth a night and a recliner slowly becomes absence. Jerry Wilson was still providing, still present in the house, but slipping further away behind the glass. His story does not begin with a polished plan to change. It begins with a daughter asking hard questions about death, a...
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BeTempered Episode 88 - From Foster Care to Police Chief Through Grit, Faith, and Belonging, with Chief Kurt Holden
What if one sentence could change the entire direction of your life? When Chief Kurt Holden’s foster dad introduced him as “my son,” something finally settled. After years of instability and separation, that moment of belonging became the foundation that carried Kurt from a fractured childhood to...
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BeTempered Episode 87 - What It Really Means to Be 'Tempered' with Mike Derringer
Some stories do not get easier with time. They shape who you become. On this episode of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr sit down with Superintendent and educator Mike Derringer. What begins as a conversation about leadership in education quickly turns into something much deeper. Mike...
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BeTempered Episode 86 - Built Through Consistency, Not Applause with Jeff Schmidt
What happens when the plan you built your life around stops working, and you choose not to walk away? This week on BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr sit down with Jeff Schmidt, Dan’s brother, for a real conversation about discipline, identity, and staying grounded when life forces a...
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BeTempered Episode 85 - Coaching for More Than the Scoreboard with Tyler Luce
What does it look like to coach for something bigger than a scoreboard? In this episode of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr sit down with Tyler Luce, a sixth grade social studies teacher and head varsity baseball coach at National Trail, to talk about leadership that lasts longer than…
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BeTempered Episode 84 - 2025 The Year That Clarified Our Mission
Before Christmas rushes past, we press pause to ask better questions. What truly mattered this year? Where is God leading the mission of BeTempered? And how do we show up for people in ways that outlast trends, algorithms, and noise? Hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr reflect on a season of growth,...
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BeTempered Episode 83 - Building a Practice on Gratitude and Trust with Dr. Craig Hewitt
What if the hardest detours in life turn out to be the exact preparation you needed for a purpose you didn’t see coming? Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr sit down with Dr. Craig Hewitt, a husband, father of five, and Navy trained dentist whose path runs from a small Catholic school to Parris Island, to...
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BeTempered Episode 82 - Inside the Support Systems That Change a Child’s Trajectory with Allie Shafer
What happens when a child cannot focus in class because the lights were shut off at home, there is no food in the cupboard, or their clothes have not been washed in a week. On this episode of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr sit down with Eaton Community Schools Success Liaison Allie...
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BeTempered Episode 81 - 'Small Choices, Big Impact' with Brian Ballenger, Mark Broeker, and the WC Leads Cohort
What makes someone worth following when no one is watching. In this leadership roundtable, that question sits in the center of the table as stories unfold from classrooms, locker rooms, offices, and quiet early mornings when no one else is around to see the work. On this episode of BeTempered,...
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BeTempered Episode 80 - The Journey From Addiction to Influence with Tim Clowers and the God Who Met Him There
A locked door at 3 a.m., a voice that asked one piercing question, and a church parking lot where a bag of drugs met a trash can. Tim Clowers’ turning points do not read like safe, polished faith stories. They read like real life. On this episode of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr sit...
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BeTempered Episode 79 - Aligning Business for Longevity with Erin Flynn, CEO of Cladwell
A great story does not skip the hard parts, and Erin Flynn refuses to. On BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr sit down with Erin to trace the real path from Indiana gym floors to Silicon Valley boardrooms. She chased a dream, ran into walls, and still chose to build a company and a life...
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BeTempered Episode 78 – Robert Rogers Lost His Entire Family in a Flash Flood and Still Chose to Praise God
Some stories knock the wind out of you and then hand you back your breath. On this episode of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr sit down with Robert Rogers, who in one devastating moment lost his wife and four children in a sudden flash flood and yet, in the very room where he…
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BeTempered Episode 77 - Leah Schmidt on What Matters the Most in Life
Senior year can feel like standing on a cliff’s edge, and Leah Schmidt brings us right to that moment with clarity, humor, and heart. Hosted by Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr, this conversation follows Dan’s daughter as she wraps a long soccer journey, weighs college athletics, and chooses something...
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BeTempered Episode 76 - How Faith and Grit Silence Imposter Syndrome
Doubt has a way of sounding smart. It whispers that you’re a fraud, that you got lucky, that someone else would have done it better. On this episode of BeTempered, hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr challenge that voice head-on as they unpack how labels, setbacks, and perfectionism feed imposter...
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BeTempered Episode 75 - What Do You Do After the Final Goodbye? Rebuilding through faith one step at a time.
When someone says, “Brian’s dead,” life divides into a before and an after. For Chuck Winings, it divided twice. What began as an ordinary Super Bowl Sunday became a season of heartbreaking loss. First came the passing of his father. Soon after came the fight no family is ever ready for, when his...
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BeTempered Episode 74 - Love, Loss, and the Power of a Kept Promise with Shirley Thacker
The wind through pine branches can sound like a lullaby, or the whisper of survival. That’s where Shirley Thacker loved to sit with her husband, Rich—a farm kid turned teacher, veteran, and fighter—dreaming about the book she would someday write. In this powerful episode of BeTempered, hosts Dan...
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BeTempered Episode 73 - “No Peace, No Decision” – The Rule That Shaped Greg Jackson’s Ministry
The first thing Greg Jackson will tell you is simple: no peace, no decision. That quiet rule has guided him from a teen revival moment in Dayton to decades of faithful pastoring in Camden, Ohio—through false starts at the post office, a bi-vocational grind, and the messy, beautiful work of…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Real Stories. Raw Truth. Resilient Faith.
BeTempered is about real people having honest conversations about the moments that have shaped their lives.
Each week, we sit down with guests willing to share the good, the hard, and everything in between.
We talk openly about addiction, recovery, loss, trauma, mental health, relationships, leadership, faith, purpose, and what it takes to keep moving forward when life doesn't go according to plan.
At the heart of BeTempered is the belief that our struggles don't have to be wasted.
Through honest conversations and resilient faith, we explore how God can meet us in the hardest seasons of our lives and use what we've been through to strengthen us, shape our purpose, and help someone else.
You don't have to have it all figured out. You don't have to have a perfect story.
Sometimes hearing what someone else has walked
HOSTED BY
dschmidt5
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does BeTempered have?
BeTempered currently has 126 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is BeTempered about?
Real Stories. Raw Truth. Resilient Faith. BeTempered is about real people having honest conversations about the moments that have shaped their lives. Each week, we sit down with guests willing to share the good, the hard, and everything in between. We talk openly about addiction, recovery, loss,...
How often does BeTempered release new episodes?
BeTempered publishes regularly with 126 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to BeTempered?
You can listen to BeTempered on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts BeTempered?
BeTempered is created and hosted by dschmidt5.
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