Caller ID

Dr. Maura Grady joins me this week as we talk about higher ed careers, but also more than that as usual. It's not just her career path to higher ed, but what she learned along the way about herself, how to not attach outcomes to identity, and what drove her to English. All of this and more in part one of a two week conversation with one of the best and smartest people you'll find anywhere. The truth is that both Maura and her husband, Tim, have taught me so many things. They've done so like all good teachers do, without judgment or "condescending me" (that's a movie quote for those of you out there, b/c Dr. Grady also teaches about such things). Also, a talk with a college professor who teaches on movies had to be dubbed with the line from the higher ed classic, Animal House. Support the showThanks for listening to Caller ID.You can follow Caller ID wherever you listen to podcasts, and if you’re enjoying the show, a quick rating or review helps more people find it.New episodes drop weekly, featuring conversations with people across disciplines who are thoughtful about their work and honest about the cost of doing it well.I’m Brandon Davis Wells and thanks for answering the call. 

If you can’t be yourself in the interview… you don’t want the job.This episode is a real conversation about authenticity, career alignment, and why so many people feel stuck in work that doesn’t fit.We get into: Red flags in interviews (on both sides)  Why people change jobs more than ever  The danger of tying identity to your title  How to actually find meaningful work No fluff. Just honest perspective.Support the showThanks for listening to Caller ID.You can follow Caller ID wherever you listen to podcasts, and if you’re enjoying the show, a quick rating or review helps more people find it.New episodes drop weekly, featuring conversations with people across disciplines who are thoughtful about their work and honest about the cost of doing it well.I’m Brandon Davis Wells and thanks for answering the call. 

Every once in a while you meet someone who reminds you that the most meaningful work does not come with a flashy title. It comes through presence, curiosity, and the ability to truly listen.Matt Trukovich is a barber, but what happens in his chair goes far beyond a haircut. From factory floors to cleaning bathrooms to running an MMA promotion, his journey is built on saying yes to opportunities others might overlook. Along the way, he has developed a philosophy rooted in purpose, empathy, and the dignity of all work.In this conversation, we explore identity, masculinity, growth, and what it means to build a life with intention. Matt shares how travel reshaped his worldview, why many men struggle with purpose, and how learning to “enjoy the toil” can change everything.This episode is about more than a career. It is about becoming the kind of person who shows up, listens well, and keeps evolving.If you have ever wondered what your work really means or where your path is heading, this one will stick with you.Support the showThanks for listening to Caller ID.You can follow Caller ID wherever you listen to podcasts, and if you’re enjoying the show, a quick rating or review helps more people find it.New episodes drop weekly, featuring conversations with people across disciplines who are thoughtful about their work and honest about the cost of doing it well.I’m Brandon Davis Wells and thanks for answering the call. 

Ashley Davis joins the Caller ID Podcast to share her journey from intern to full-time HR Generalist at School Specialty—and what the transition from college to the professional world actually feels like.In this conversation, Ashley reflects on how her internship at the Career Center for Life Calling at Ashland University helped shape her direction, the moment she realized HR—and especially recruiting—was the right fit, and how mentorship played a key role in her growth from a quiet freshman into a confident young professional.We talk about the realities of starting your first full-time job, navigating uncertainty, handling rejection, and building a resume that actually opens doors. Ashley also offers a candid perspective on Gen Z in the workplace and why young professionals deserve opportunity, not stereotypes.If you’re a student, recent graduate, or someone trying to figure out your next step, this episode will give you both clarity and encouragement.Support the showThanks for listening to Caller ID.You can follow Caller ID wherever you listen to podcasts, and if you’re enjoying the show, a quick rating or review helps more people find it.New episodes drop weekly, featuring conversations with people across disciplines who are thoughtful about their work and honest about the cost of doing it well.I’m Brandon Davis Wells and thanks for answering the call. 

In Part 2 of this conversation, B.Davis and Dr. Jason Barnhart turn to the topic of friendship and the challenge of being truly known. Drawing from Jason’s upcoming book, they explore why meaningful friendships can feel so difficult, especially for men, and how our tendency to fix rather than listen gets in the way of real connection.Jason shares personal stories about vulnerability, emotional growth, and the role friendships play in shaping who we become. They also connect friendship back to calling, showing how deep relationships are essential to understanding ourselves and living with purpose.This episode is an honest look at what it takes to build lasting, meaningful friendships and why it matters more than we often admit.Support the showThanks for listening to Caller ID.You can follow Caller ID wherever you listen to podcasts, and if you’re enjoying the show, a quick rating or review helps more people find it.New episodes drop weekly, featuring conversations with people across disciplines who are thoughtful about their work and honest about the cost of doing it well.I’m Brandon Davis Wells and thanks for answering the call. 

In this episode, B. Davis sits down with Dr. Jason Barnhart, Professor of Theology at Ashland Theological Seminary, to explore how our sense of calling is shaped over time. Jason shares his journey from youth ministry to the classroom and reflects on how theology, worldview, and life experience all play a role in forming identity.Together, they unpack what it really means to “listen to your life” and why calling is less about finding the perfect job and more about paying attention to the deeper story God is writing. This conversation touches on career transitions, imposter syndrome, and the tension between who we are and what we do.If you have ever questioned your direction or wondered how your past connects to your purpose, this episode will help you think differently about calling.Support the showThanks for listening to Caller ID.You can follow Caller ID wherever you listen to podcasts, and if you’re enjoying the show, a quick rating or review helps more people find it.New episodes drop weekly, featuring conversations with people across disciplines who are thoughtful about their work and honest about the cost of doing it well.I’m Brandon Davis Wells and thanks for answering the call. 

This week on Caller ID, I’m joined by my wife, writer Sarah Wells, on the day her new book Say One Million Times, Wow! Essays on Awe, Faith, and Family from America’s Great Outdoors (and Some Hotel Rooms) releases.But this isn’t just a conversation about a book—it’s about calling. We talk about what it looks like to build a creative life in the middle of real responsibilities, how identity gets shaped over time, and why you need to listen to your instincts and not settle for a safe road. Sarah shares the behind-the-scenes of her writing journey, the tension between vocation and family, and how awe isn’t just a feeling—it’s a way of seeing that can reframe your work, your purpose, and your everyday life.If you’re trying to figure out who you are, what you’re called to, or how to stay grounded while pursuing something meaningful, this one’s for you. Her new book Say One Million Times, Wow! Essays on Awe, Faith, and Family from America’s Great Outdoors (and Some Hotel Rooms) is available now on Amazon or  wherever books are sold. Learn more at sarahmariewells.com.Support the showThanks for listening to Caller ID.You can follow Caller ID wherever you listen to podcasts, and if you’re enjoying the show, a quick rating or review helps more people find it.New episodes drop weekly, featuring conversations with people across disciplines who are thoughtful about their work and honest about the cost of doing it well.I’m Brandon Davis Wells and thanks for answering the call. 

Firefighter. Cornell grad. Serial entrepreneur. Real estate investor. Risk-taker.Keith Saffles has lived several lives in one — and each chapter has required bold decisions, deep resilience, and a willingness to start over.In this episode of Caller ID, we dive into Keith’s journey through public service, entrepreneurship, and real estate, exploring what drives someone to repeatedly step into uncertainty and build from scratch. We talk about fear, faith, failure, timing, and the internal compass that guides big life decisions.If you’ve ever wrestled with risk, reinvention, or the tension between security and calling, this conversation will meet you right where you are.Support the showThanks for listening to Caller ID.You can follow Caller ID wherever you listen to podcasts, and if you’re enjoying the show, a quick rating or review helps more people find it.New episodes drop weekly, featuring conversations with people across disciplines who are thoughtful about their work and honest about the cost of doing it well.I’m Brandon Davis Wells and thanks for answering the call. 

Kris Mowry joins me on the show today, and we talk about the influence of growing up in rural Ohio, succeeding without a college degree, sales, faith, quitting drinking. It's a jam packed 40 minutes of wisdom, with a few laughs mixed in too. Support the showThanks for listening to Caller ID.You can follow Caller ID wherever you listen to podcasts, and if you’re enjoying the show, a quick rating or review helps more people find it.New episodes drop weekly, featuring conversations with people across disciplines who are thoughtful about their work and honest about the cost of doing it well.I’m Brandon Davis Wells and thanks for answering the call. 

What happens when God interrupts your comfortable plan? Former high school teammate and lifelong friend Art McMahon joins Caller ID to share his journey from teaching and coaching at CVCA to becoming a missionary educator in Haiti. Art and his wife Miquette survived the 2010 earthquake — a moment that tested their faith, resolve, and courage. Now serving as Director of Beulah Beach Christian Camp, Art reflects on calling, leadership, suffering, resilience, and how legacy shapes identity. This is a powerful conversation about trust, surrender, and finding purpose in unexpected places.Support the showThanks for listening to Caller ID.You can follow Caller ID wherever you listen to podcasts, and if you’re enjoying the show, a quick rating or review helps more people find it.New episodes drop weekly, featuring conversations with people across disciplines who are thoughtful about their work and honest about the cost of doing it well.I’m Brandon Davis Wells and thanks for answering the call. 

Imagine being pulled out of 5th grade because your parents didn't have a dollar to help send you to school. One dollar. This kind of thing can break you, or it can make you into the person you're called to be. On this week's episode of Caller ID, I talk with Miquette McMahon about her calling to help provide education for her native country of Haiti. We talk about the earthquake and how that impacted and changed everything. Support the showThanks for listening to Caller ID.You can follow Caller ID wherever you listen to podcasts, and if you’re enjoying the show, a quick rating or review helps more people find it.New episodes drop weekly, featuring conversations with people across disciplines who are thoughtful about their work and honest about the cost of doing it well.I’m Brandon Davis Wells and thanks for answering the call. 

Dr. Rob Pool wears many hats, Vice President of Student Affairs and Auxiliary Services at Ashland University, faith-driven leader, mentor, husband, and lifelong drummer. But in this episode of Caller ID, we strip away titles, roles, and résumés to get to the real question: Who are you when the labels are gone?Rob and I go way back — from playing in bands together to walking through leadership, faith, and life’s hardest seasons side by side. In this conversation, we dive into identity, trust, calling, and what it means to stay grounded when your job, influence, and responsibilities keep growing.This episode is about:Why your identity cannot be your jobLearning to trust when outcomes feel uncertainLeading with humility, not egoFaith, doubt, obedience, and surrenderAnd how music has remained a grounding force through every seasonIf you’ve ever wrestled with purpose, burnout, ambition, or the pressure to perform — this one will hit home.Dr. Rob Pool, thanks for taking the call.Support the showThanks for listening to Caller ID.You can follow Caller ID wherever you listen to podcasts, and if you’re enjoying the show, a quick rating or review helps more people find it.New episodes drop weekly, featuring conversations with people across disciplines who are thoughtful about their work and honest about the cost of doing it well.I’m Brandon Davis Wells and thanks for answering the call. 

Jim Pfander is the General Manager of the Akron RubberDucks and the 2025 Minor League Baseball Executive of the Year, but his journey to the GM’s chair came with real tradeoffs, sacrifices, and moments of letting go.In this episode of Caller ID, Jim and I reconnect as Ohio University classmates and broadcast program peers to talk honestly about what it takes to build a sustainable career in professional sports. From early internships with the Cleveland Indians to leadership roles across Minor League Baseball, Jim reflects on the decisions that shaped his path, including the reality that sometimes you have to give up one dream in order to chase a different, better-fitting one.This conversation isn’t just about baseball. It’s about patience, adaptability, family considerations, and the cost of saying yes, and no, along the way. Jim offers a grounded look at the business behind the dream and what success actually requires over the long haul.Whether you’re a student, a young professional, or someone wrestling with career direction and identity, this episode is a reminder that calling is rarely linear—and that the right path often emerges through sacrifice, clarity, and courage.Support the showThanks for listening to Caller ID.You can follow Caller ID wherever you listen to podcasts, and if you’re enjoying the show, a quick rating or review helps more people find it.New episodes drop weekly, featuring conversations with people across disciplines who are thoughtful about their work and honest about the cost of doing it well.I’m Brandon Davis Wells and thanks for answering the call. 

What does Kobe Bryant have to do with Shakespeare?More than you might think.In this episode of Caller ID, I sit down with Mark Rankin, a Renaissance literature and English professor whose approach to calling, identity, and excellence is shaped as much by the Mamba Mentality as it is by Milton.We talk about following your passion, but how much work that takes. We also tackle the hard work required to live at the center of ikigai, and why the most meaningful work is often the most demanding. Mark also shares how teaching 12-year-olds has made him a better college professor, and how working with college students has sharpened the way he shows up for younger learners.This is a conversation about discipline, formation, and becoming who you are called to be, even when it’s harder than you expected.Support the showThanks for listening to Caller ID.You can follow Caller ID wherever you listen to podcasts, and if you’re enjoying the show, a quick rating or review helps more people find it.New episodes drop weekly, featuring conversations with people across disciplines who are thoughtful about their work and honest about the cost of doing it well.I’m Brandon Davis Wells and thanks for answering the call. 

In this episode of Caller ID, we sit down with Dr. Jacob Sands, one of the world’s leading oncologists and an instructor at Harvard Medical School. But before all of that, there was a moment when he walked away.Dr. Sands shares how dropping out of Ohio University and traveling to Costa Rica on a whim, seeking clarity, learning from a shaman, and sitting with uncertainty, became a turning point that reshaped his sense of identity and purpose. We explore how unconventional choices, risk, and self trust ultimately guided him back to medicine with a deeper commitment to service, presence, and meaning.This is a conversation about listening to your inner voice, figuring out who you are beneath expectations, and how that self knowledge quietly impacts everything, from career decisions to relationships to the life you build.Support the showThanks for listening to Caller ID.You can follow Caller ID wherever you listen to podcasts, and if you’re enjoying the show, a quick rating or review helps more people find it.New episodes drop weekly, featuring conversations with people across disciplines who are thoughtful about their work and honest about the cost of doing it well.I’m Brandon Davis Wells and thanks for answering the call. 

In the Pilot episode, Brandon Davis Wells sets the scene for the podcast. Who we may hear from, why this podcast can be a place for learning about ourselves, our identity, and how our careers and jobs play a role in all of the above! Tune in as we get rolling to figure out how we can each continue to live into our gifts and skills as we help each other become the best versions of ourselves regardless of whether we're 18, 48, or 75! Let's rock and roll!Support the showThanks for listening to Caller ID.You can follow Caller ID wherever you listen to podcasts, and if you’re enjoying the show, a quick rating or review helps more people find it.New episodes drop weekly, featuring conversations with people across disciplines who are thoughtful about their work and honest about the cost of doing it well.I’m Brandon Davis Wells and thanks for answering the call.