PODCAST · religion
The BeatiDudes
by The BeatiDudes
A religiously funny podcast for Christian men seeking authentic fraternity. Each week, The BeatiDudes explore life from the perspective of men seeking to follow God's will while they grow closer together in holiness and humor. TheBeatiDudes.com
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The Miracle of Mary’s Meals - Feeding Children, Fighting Despair | Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow | Episode #325
Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow joins The BeatiDudes to share the extraordinary story of Mary’s Meals. This global movement began with two brothers, a pint of beer, and a desire to help those suffering during the war in Bosnia. What started as a single aid delivery from Scotland eventually grew into an international mission that feeds more than 3 million children every school day in 16 countries. Magnus explains how the work was never really his “plan,” but a gift from God that he is still unwrapping more than 30 years later. In this conversation with Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, and Jeff Schiefelbein, Magnus reflects on the founding principles of Mary’s Meals: local ownership, buying food locally when possible, and entrusting the work to Mary, the mother of Jesus. He shares the story of Edward, a 14-year-old boy in Malawi whose only hopes were to have enough food to eat and to go to school one day. That simple statement helped ignite the vision behind Mary’s Meals: one daily meal in a place of education, meeting both an immediate need for food and a long-term need for hope. The episode also explores prayer, providence, family vocation, humility, and the strange experience of receiving public recognition for hidden acts of service. From the famous “shed” that still serves as the symbolic headquarters of Mary’s Meals to the miraculous £4,200 check that arrived at exactly the right moment, Magnus reminds listeners that God’s work often begins in small, ordinary acts of generosity. The BeatiDudes challenge listeners not just to be inspired, but to do something: pray, give, share the story, and help feed the next child waiting for hope. SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: His Way At Work Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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333
Planning My Funeral | Silas Mahner | Episode #324
Silas Mahner returns to the Tiny Table with the BeatiDudes for a lively Friday conversation full of big laughs, surprisingly deep questions, and a few strong breakfast-food opinions. Silas joins Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, and Jeff Schiefelbein as they trade updates on what they are excited about right now, from family milestones and comedy work with the Texas Rangers to Jeff’s upcoming trip to the Fearless Congress in Guadalajara. Silas also shares the joyful news that he and his wife are expecting their second child, which naturally leads the table into jokes about family size, “family buffering,” and the dangers of looking up obscure pregnancy facts. The conversation takes a meaningful turn when Jeff asks everyone to name two specific things they hope people say at their funeral. The answers reveal the heart behind the humor: a desire to be remembered for great faith, loving God with everything, being pro-life for all of life, bringing others closer to God, and leaving nothing in reserve. From there, the group reflects on defining life moments, including apparent failures, unexpected providence, consequences that became graces, and the mysterious way God prepares the future long before we can see it. Silas shares how a chain of unlikely events led from Wisconsin to New York City, then to meeting and marrying his wife from Uganda, giving him a deeper trust that God is always arranging what we cannot yet understand. The episode wraps with a lighter round on favorite breakfast foods, including biscuits and gravy, breakfast burritos, chocolate croissants, crispy bacon, over-medium eggs, and hash browns. Somewhere between funeral virtues and breakfast tacos, the BeatiDudes find the sweet spot of this Friday format: friendship, faith, absurdity, and the reminder that God is at work in both the major pivots and the small, hilarious details of life. SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: His Way At Work Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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332
Catholic Founders, Holy Risks | Silas Mahner | Episode #323
Silas Mahner joins the BeatiDudes for a conversation about Catholic entrepreneurship, vocation, risk, surrender, and what it means to build as a co-creator with God. Silas is the founder of Earth Search, a recruitment consultancy serving clean technology companies, and the creator of Catholic Founders, a podcast and Substack exploring how faith shapes the work of founders and builders. Alongside Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, and Jeff Schiefelbein, Silas reflects on the deeper purpose of business, the danger of chasing success for its own sake, and the invitation to discern the specific track God has laid out for each person. Silas shares how growing up in the middle of nowhere Wisconsin, as the oldest of eight in a large Catholic family, shaped his view of work, freedom, and entrepreneurship. Inspired by his father’s cabinet shop, his family’s maple syrup operation, and the rhythms of Catholic life, Silas began to see business as something far more meaningful than profit. For him, entrepreneurship is not only about starting companies. It is about learning to cooperate with God’s creative work, steward resources well, serve others, and stay open to the Holy Spirit’s direction. The BeatiDudes dig into the tension between planning and surrender, ambition and prudence, and risk and responsibility. Silas talks about the challenge of discerning when God is calling a founder to take a leap and when the more faithful move is to remain steady for the sake of family and responsibility. The conversation also explores failure, resilience, founder dinners, the Catholic community, and how hard moments become mile markers of growth. As usual, the Tiny Table keeps things lively with maple-syrup memories, personality-test chaos, Catholic-business reflections, and just enough nonsense to prove that the Holy Spirit can work through almost anything. SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: His Way At Work Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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331
Running Toward the Storm | Joe Masek | Episode #322
Joe Masek is back with the BeatiDudes for a powerful and deeply personal conversation about suffering, fatherhood, faith, and the mystery of learning to accept what cannot be controlled. Joe shares the story of his son Isaiah’s brain tumor diagnosis, the surgeries, hospital stays, radiation, chemotherapy, and the emotional aftermath of walking through a traumatic season as a husband and father. What begins with humor, including the unexpected origin story of “DJ Lemon Head,” quickly becomes a moving testimony about how suffering can become a place of communion, surrender, and transformation. Joe reflects on how the tools he had developed through his own healing work became essential when his family faced Isaiah’s illness. Rather than simply wanting to survive the experience, Joe describes his desire to truly live it, to be present to his son, his wife, and the reality God had allowed. He shares how holding Isaiah during painful needle sticks changed the way he imagines the Agony in the Garden, seeing the Father not as distant from Christ’s suffering, but as embracing Him through it. The conversation also explores the image of the buffalo, which runs toward the storm because the fastest way out is through. The BeatiDudes, Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, and Jeff Schiefelbein, join Joe in reflecting on the strange emotional terrain that follows great suffering, especially when the crisis has passed, but the body and soul are still processing what happened. Jeff connects Joe’s story to his own family’s journey through childhood illness, and together they speak to the importance of community, brotherhood, prayer, and refusing to suffer alone. This episode is a profound reminder that holiness is not found by escaping hardship but by receiving the grace to endure it with love, trust, and communion. Follow the Freedom Group SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: His Way At Work Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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330
Freedom From Pornography Is Possible | Joe Masek | Episode #321
Joe Masek joins the BeatiDudes for a raw, funny, and surprisingly practical conversation about one of the most common and least honestly discussed struggles in men’s lives. Joe shares the story behind The Freedom Group, the ministry he launched after years of personal battle and a breakthrough that came when he began applying neuroscience, habit formation, and real accompaniment to the problem of pornography. What follows is not a surface-level conversation about “doing better,” but a much deeper look at how men actually change, how the brain gets hijacked, and why freedom requires more than guilt, isolation, or willpower. Along the way, Joe explains why so many men are not simply chasing pleasure but searching for safety. He talks about welcoming cravings instead of merely fleeing them, paying attention to negative thought patterns, using breath as a God-given tool for regulation, and building the kind of self-awareness that makes real self-mastery possible. The conversation gets even more powerful when Joe reflects on how the tools he learned in recovery became essential during his son’s cancer journey, revealing that this battle is not just about quitting one behavior, but about becoming the kind of man who can suffer well, stay present, and choose communion over escape. With plenty of classic BeatiDudes banter mixed in, this episode gives listeners both hope and a framework. Joe brings serious conviction without shame, practical wisdom without jargon, and a message many men need to hear: freedom is real, healing is possible, and no one is meant to fight alone. Guest Joe Masek joins Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, and Jeff Schiefelbein for an episode that is equal parts hilarious, vulnerable, and deeply helpful. Follow the Freedom Group SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: His Way At Work Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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329
Prayer is GREATER than Pain | Luca Zocche | Episode #320
Luca Zocche is back with the BeatiDudes for a more personal and vulnerable conversation about suffering, bullying, identity, and the quiet way God can work through prayer and unexpected intervention. Joined by Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, and Jeff Schiefelbein, Luca shares the painful story of struggling in school, enduring years of bullying, and reaching a point where his future felt uncertain. Then, through his father’s prayers and a providential connection, everything changed when he transferred to a new school and began to flourish. What makes this episode stand out is the honesty around how deeply environment shapes a young person’s sense of self. Luca’s story is not just about improving grades. It is about the emotional weight of repeated wounds, the lies a child can begin to believe, and the healing that can begin when a person is finally seen, supported, and given a fresh start. The BeatiDudes also reflect on their own experiences with bullying, being bullied, and learning how complicated those dynamics can be. At the center of it all is a hopeful reminder that God is not limited by the lowest point in a person’s life. This episode points to the power of prayer, the importance of healthy environments, and the reality that grace can reopen a future that once looked closed. Luca’s story is a strong witness to the fact that what feels permanent in one season may be exactly where God begins the turnaround. Follow Fides Entrepreneurship SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: His Way At Work Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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Fides entrepreneurship and Fish Eggs | Luca Zocche | Episode #319
Luca Zocche is with the BeatiDudes for a funny, fast-moving, and surprisingly rich conversation about faith, entrepreneurship, failure, and purpose. Alongside Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, and Jeff Schiefelbein, Luca shares how his New York-based Catholic entrepreneurship series, Fides Entrepreneurship, grew from small gatherings in his apartment into sold-out events that bring together young professionals hungry for deeper meaning in their work and lives. The episode moves from hilarious stories about Luca’s subway injury, startup swings, and aviation journalism background to something much deeper: what happens when young people stop chasing status alone and start seeking vocation, sacrifice, and holiness. Luca reflects on the inspiration behind Fides, the Catholic leaders and entrepreneurs who have shaped him, and the kind of witness that can truly move souls in a city like New York. The BeatiDudes pull out themes of failure, perseverance, family, and the difference between appearing successful and living a meaningful life. At its heart, this episode is a call to integration. Work is not supposed to be disconnected from faith, and business excellence is not counter to vocation. Luca’s vision for Catholic entrepreneurship is not just about building businesses but about forming men and women who seek God first, serve others well, and create something worth giving their lives to. Also, fish eggs are expensive SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: His Way At Work Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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327
Adoption, Faith, and Catholic Puppets | Dr. Gregory Popcak | Episode #318
Dr. Gregory Popcak is back with the BeatiDudes for a conversation that is equal parts heartfelt, surprising, and hilarious. As he shares stories from nearly 37 years of marriage, raising a faithful family, and building a life of ministry alongside his wife, Dr. Popcak opens up about family prayer, discernment, adoption, and the beauty of pursuing God’s plan together. Along the way, Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, and Jeff Schiefelbein help uncover a story full of depth, joy, and more unexpected twists than anyone could have seen coming. This episode moves from the deeply moving story of adopting their daughter from China to the practical witness of keeping family at the center of ministry and travel. Dr. Popcak also shares about his daughter’s unique faith-filled college formation, his background in music, and the now-legendary reveal that puppetry has been part of his life for years. What starts as a conversation about the domestic church turns into a memorable look at vocation, family mission, and the kind of joyful Catholic life that makes holiness feel both real and attractive. SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: His Way At Work Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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326
Parenting with Grace | Dr. Gregory Popcak | Episode #317
Dr. Gregory Popcak joins the BeatiDudes for a rich, practical conversation on marriage, parenting, counseling, and the call to bring the Catholic faith to life in the home. Along the way, Dr. Popcak shares how decades of radio, counseling, and writing with his wife, Lisa, have helped families apply the theology of the body to everyday life, especially in parenting, relationships, and emotional health. He also reflects on how Catholic parenting must be about more than producing well-behaved kids. It must help children encounter love, virtue, and the warmth of faith inside the home itself. Dr. Popcak and the BeatiDudes, Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, and Jeff Schiefelbein also dive into some of the deeper tensions facing families right now, including reactive boundary-setting, adult children cutting off their parents, and the struggle to bring Eucharistic grace beyond Sunday Mass and into daily family life. The conversation is funny, thoughtful, and deeply grounded, offering a vision of the domestic church that is both spiritually serious and beautifully practical. Connect with Dr. Greg and Lisa Popcak SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: His Way At Work Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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325
Do Incarnate Things | Fr. Luke Rawicki | Episode #316
Fr. Luke Rawicki is back with The BeatiDudes for a funny, thoughtful, and surprisingly hopeful conversation about working with young people in today’s world. Along the way, Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, and Jeff Schiefelbein explore what Fr. Luke has learned from serving high school students, why so many teens are more open to faith than adults assume, and how real human connection still breaks through in a distracted culture. The conversation centers on the challenge and opportunity of ministering to the next generation. Fr. Luke shares how students often respond deeply when they are given authentic attention, meaningful conversation, and space away from their phones. From phone-free retreats to hallway interactions to lunchtime faith discussions, this episode highlights a powerful truth: young people are hungry for truth, relationships, and spiritual depth. In one of the strongest moments of the episode, Fr. Luke repeats advice he once received from a student that now shapes the whole discussion: “Don’t be afraid of us.” The result is a classic bonus episode filled with laughter, honest insight, and practical encouragement for parents, mentors, teachers, and anyone who wants to understand better the world young people are navigating. This one is a reminder that small talk can lead to big talk, that presence matters, and that incarnational living still changes lives. SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: His Way At Work Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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324
Called By Name | Fr. Luke Rawicki | Episode #315
Guest Fr. Luke Rawicki joins the BeatiDudes for a lively and deeply encouraging conversation about vocation, family, discernment, and the surprising ways God moves through ordinary moments. Along the way, Fr. Luke shares stories from his tight-knit family, his path through Texas A&M, and the joy of now serving young people as a priest. Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, and Jeff Schiefelbein bring the usual energy, humor, and heart as they explore how God often uses relationships, community, and even unexpected conversations to redirect a life. At the center of the episode is Fr. Luke’s powerful story of discernment. What began as a season of doubt, drifting, and uncertainty while studying architecture turned into a life-changing encounter with mercy on Divine Mercy Sunday. From there, God kept opening doors through a simple invitation, a timely conversation, and a series of confirmations that made the call to the priesthood impossible to ignore. The episode also touches on the Legionaries of Christ, the beauty of spiritual renewal, and the mission of forming apostles who can transform culture. This is a fun, faith-filled episode that reminds listeners that discernment is rarely about having every answer upfront. More often than not, it is about taking the next faithful step, staying open to grace, and trusting that God knows how to get our attention. Fr. Luke makes the priesthood feel both deeply human and deeply supernatural, and the whole conversation is a strong reminder that the Lord still calls, still pursues, and still transforms lives. SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: His Way At Work Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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323
A Catholic Converts to Catholicism | John Bishop | Episode #314
The BeatiDudes welcome John Bishop for a conversation that is equal parts hilarious, thoughtful, and deeply moving. Along the way, John shares the remarkable story of returning home to Iowa, founding Forge, and witnessing what feels like a small miracle through his father's faithful determination. With Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, and Jeff Schiefelbein bringing their usual mix of humor and heart, the episode moves from dinner plans and on-air phone calls to a rich reflection on family, vocation, and the kind of fatherhood that leaves a lasting mark. John also opens up about his own faith journey, including a season in college when he wrestled seriously with whether he believed Catholicism because it was true or simply because it was what he had inherited. His story of searching, doubting, exploring other religions, and ultimately returning to the Church offers a powerful witness for anyone who has ever struggled to make the faith their own. The conversation also highlights the importance of fathers, authentic male friendship, and the kind of community that helps raise sons into faithful, grounded men. The episode closes with a look at the mission of Forge and the practical resources John and his team are building for fathers, grandfathers, and men who want to live integrated lives at home, at work, and in the faith. It is a fun-filled bonus episode with plenty of laughs, but underneath the humor is a serious and hopeful challenge: men need formation, families need strong fathers, and the Church needs communities that help faith endure from one generation to the next. SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: His Way At Work Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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322
Forging Masculinity | John Bishop | Episode #313
John Bishop joins the BeatiDudes for a rich and hilarious conversation on masculinity, fatherhood, formation, and the urgent need for men to step into their God-given mission. Alongside Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, and Jeff Schiefelbein, John shares his journey from Iowa to seminary, Baylor, Catholic University, and FOCUS, eventually leading to his doctoral work on John Paul II’s thought and the development of what he calls a more complete vision of the “masculine genius.” From there, the conversation turns toward John’s current work through Forge, a ministry focused on building small groups of fathers and helping men become more fully alive as Catholics. The episode explores why investing in dads has such a powerful ripple effect on marriages, children, and even future generations. John also unpacks the crisis of absent men in the life of the Church, the importance of men leading with conviction, and why faithful fatherhood may be one of the most important leverage points for renewal in our culture. The heart of the episode lands on a challenging and deeply practical insight: so many of the wounds in family life and culture trace back to the silence of men. John reflects on Adam’s failure to protect, the call of fathers to affirm identity, and the way humor, fraternity, and authentic brotherhood can help men break out of shame and become who they were made to be. It is thoughtful, convicting, and full of classic Tiny Table chaos, including pig jokes, name riffs, and one very BeatiDudes ending. SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: His Way At Work Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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321
Healing and Grace | Edmundo Reyes | Episode #312
In this BeatiDudes bonus, Edmundo Reyes shares a powerful and personal reflection on healing, identity, and what it means to let God meet us in our deepest wounds. What begins as a conversation about transition and pressure becomes a much richer discussion about rejection, surrender, and the slow work of grace in a man’s life. Along the way, Edmundo opens up about the role of prayer, daily Mass, therapy, spiritual direction, and brotherhood in his journey toward greater freedom. Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, and Jeff Schiefelbein help draw out a moving reminder that healing does not always erase the wound, but it can transform it. This episode is an honest and hope-filled invitation for any man who has tried to carry too much on his own and needs a reminder that he is not alone, that he is deeply loved by God, and that real healing is possible. SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: His Way At Work Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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320
Digital Missionaries for a New Age | Edmundo Reyes | Episode #311
Edmundo Reyes joins the BeatiDudes for a rich and energizing conversation that starts with authentic fraternity at the Tiny Table and quickly moves into the deeper story of Edmundo’s life and mission. Edmundo shares his powerful conversion story, describing how a retreat at age 17 changed everything by forcing him to ask a life-altering question: What if all of this is true? From that moment on, faith stopped being cultural background noise and became the animating purpose of his life. He reflects on growing up in Mexico, discovering that the Gospel is not just something to study but Someone to believe in, and sensing an early call to communicate the best message the world has ever heard through emerging technology and media. Along the way, he also opens up about marriage, missionary work, fleeing violence in Mexico, and how God’s providence led his family to Michigan, where they found an unexpected place of peace and belonging. The conversation also explores Edmundo’s remarkable work in digital evangelization, from serving in the Archdiocese of Detroit to founding Digital Continent and helping to launch major initiatives such as Real + True and Seeking Beauty. He walks through the vision behind unlocking the beauty and truth of the Catechism for the modern world, the surprising ways the Vatican affirmed that mission, and why he believes the Church must dream bigger, build with excellence, and create what he calls digital cathedrals for a new era. Throughout the episode, Edmundo challenges listeners to stop thinking small, to see calling as an invitation from God rather than a self-made career plan, and to move with confidence when the Lord opens a door. Guest Edmundo Reyes and hosts Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, and Jeff Schiefelbein deliver an episode full of humor, wisdom, missionary urgency, and hope for what faithful creativity can do in the life of the Church. SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: His Way At Work Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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319
Set the World on Fire | Andrés Villaseñor Urrea | Episode #310
In this powerful Bonus episode of The BeatiDudes, Andrés Villaseñor Urrea returns to the Tiny Table to share a wild and deeply moving story of conversion, pride, surrender, and miraculous healing. What begins as a story about youthful rebellion, heartbreak, and ego turns into an unforgettable account of leaving college behind to join a missionary community in the Andes of Peru. Andrés opens up about woundedness, friendship, the hunger to be known, and the humbling spiritual formation that came not through platform or applause, but through silence, service, a broom, a mop, and the hidden life of obedience. Alongside the BeatiDudes Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, and Jeff Schiefelbein, Andrés reflects on holiness as becoming whole, on how God prepares us to receive the gifts He already desires to give, and on the profound mercy he encountered during a near-death illness that led to what he describes as a miraculous healing. The conversation lands on a bold challenge for every man listening: stop trying to be somebody else, ask the Lord what He wants from your life, and trust that obedience matters more than visible results. It is a funny, vulnerable, and faith-filled Bonus episode about discovering that God uses humble hands to light the world on fire. Fearless Masculinity Website SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: His Way At Work Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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318
FEARLESS Masculinity | Andrés Villaseñor Urrea | Episode #309
Andrés Villaseñor Urrea joins the BeatiDudes for a powerful, hilarious, and deeply faith-filled conversation about Fearless Masculinity, the apostolate he founded to help men rediscover their identity in Jesus Christ. Andrés shares how a simple encounter with Wild at Heart sparked a calling that eventually became a retreat movement reaching nearly 1,500 men across Mexico, Dallas, and New York City. Along the way, he shares about living in multiple countries, building retreats with spiritual, psychological, and philosophical depth, and learning that true fearlessness is not the absence of fear, but acting with courage in the middle of it. This episode also includes one of the more delightfully unpredictable Tiny Table journeys in recent memory, complete with Chili’s confusion, polyglot jokes, and the kind of side quests only the BeatiDudes can deliver. Andrés joins Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, and Jeff Schiefelbein for a conversation that is equally inspiring, convicting, and laugh-out-loud funny. The heart of this episode is Andrés’ radical witness to prayer, surrender, and trust in God’s providence. He shares story after story of bringing impossible desires to the Lord and watching doors open in astonishing ways, from launching retreats and planning a major congress in Guadalajara to unexpected encounters involving Christopher West, Jordan Peterson, and high-ranking leaders in the Church. What stands out most is not the size of the vision, but the simplicity of the posture: ask the Lord, listen closely, and move when He speaks. The BeatiDudes reflect on how easy it is to live by checklists, calendars, and control, while Andrés offers a striking reminder that God still leads, still speaks, and still calls His sons to boldness. This is an episode that will challenge listeners to pray with greater confidence, trust God more fully, and maybe even stop waiting around for “perfect conditions” before saying yes. Fearless Masculinity Website SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: His Way At Work Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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317
Child-like Trust & Heroic Virtue | Chris Vander Woude | Episode #308
Chris Vander Woude returns for a BeatiDudes bonus after a powerful Monday episode to further explore the importance of family, fatherhood, brotherhood, and the life-changing witness of people with special needs. Chris shares what it was like growing up with his brother Joseph and reflects on the example of a father who refused to place artificial limits on him. The Dudes explore how encounters with people with special needs can reshape the heart, teach patience, reveal child-like trust, and call all of us to love with greater dignity and attentiveness. The second half of the episode turns toward the lessons fathers pass down, often without realizing it. Chris reflects on his dad’s self-control, discipline, reverence for his wife, and steady witness as a husband and father. Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, and Jeff Schiefelbein each share personal stories about how their fathers modeled peace, hard work, relational presence, and grace under pressure. What emerges is a rich conversation about masculine formation, the hidden preparation behind heroic virtue, and the kind of fatherly example that shapes boys into men. This bonus episode is full of laughter, heart, and practical wisdom for men who want to live with greater love, strength, and intentionality. SUPPORT THE CAUSE FOR TOM VANDER WOUDE SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: His Way At Work Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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No Greater Love – Advancing the Cause of Canonization for Tom Vander Woude | Episode #307
Chris Vander Woude joins the BeatiDudes for one of the most moving conversations in show history, sharing the extraordinary witness of his father, Tom Vander Woude. In this episode, Chris opens up about growing up on a Virginia farm in a family of seven boys, the ordinary holiness of a quiet father, and the daily habits that formed a truly heroic man. From family rosaries on tired knees to long days of work, sports, sacrifice, and steadfast fatherhood, Chris paints the picture of a man whose life was marked by quiet faithfulness. Along the way, the conversation explores fatherhood, rightly ordered priorities, the dignity of people with Down syndrome, and the simple challenge to just do the right thing The heart of the episode centers on the day Tom Vander Woude gave his life to save his youngest son, Joseph, who has Down syndrome, and the powerful legacy that sacrifice continues to leave behind. Chris shares how his father’s story is now reaching thousands of people, how a possible cause for canonization is being explored, and why Tom’s example resonates so deeply with fathers, families, and anyone longing for a clearer picture of authentic manhood. Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, and Jeff Schiefelbein reflect on sacrifice, intercessory prayer, family leadership, and the kind of virtue that is built quietly over decades before revealing itself in a single heroic moment. This is a powerful episode about holiness in ordinary life, the beauty of family prayer, and the kind of masculine witness that calls men higher. SUPPORT THE CAUSE FOR TOM VANDER WOUDE SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: His Way At Work Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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315
From Awkward to Apostolic | Marcel LeJeune | Episode #306
Marcel LeJeune returns to the Tiny Table for a powerful and funny Friday follow-up that turns practical evangelization into a real challenge for everyday Catholic men. Building on Monday’s conversation, Marcel shares stories from Texas A&M, his years leading campus ministry, and the conviction that the Church does not exist for herself but for those who do not yet know Jesus Christ. He unpacks what it means to form apostles, not just disciples, and why spiritual dissatisfaction can actually be a grace when it pushes us to care more deeply about the souls right in front of us. Alongside Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, and Jeff Schiefelbein, this episode mixes laughter with a direct call to action: pray for the courage to see the opportunities God is already placing before you. From awkward encounters on planes and in airports to simple moments of asking someone, “How can I pray for you?”, Marcel makes the case that evangelization is often less about polish and more about faithfulness. This episode is a funny, convicting master class in taking small risks, trusting God with the results, and saying yes when the moment comes. SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: His Way At Work Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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314
Parish Renewal | Marcel LeJeune | Episode #305
Marcel LeJeune, President and Founder of Catholic Missionary Disciples, joins the BeatiDudes, starting with peak brotherhood banter and then swinging into a seriously helpful conversation about parish renewal, evangelization, and what it actually takes to change culture. Marcel shares why “fruitfulness is named before it’s numbered,” why the Church cannot rely on packaged programs to fix deep problems, and why the “human” and “pastoral” gaps in formation often leave priests and parish leaders under-skilled for the real world of listening, discipling, and leading. Along the way, Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, and Jeff Schiefelbein challenge the temptation toward mediocrity, talk about humility and growth as the foundation for leadership, and watch Marcel casually deliver an on-the-spot mini keynote that somehow lands like he had three weeks of prep. Big takeaways include Marcel’s simple A-L-A-R framework: ask, listen, assess, respond, plus a call for everyday Catholics to live an integrated life where worship fuels mission and mission flows into daily relationships. If you want to help your parish move even one degree back toward the right destination, this episode is your nudge to seek help, build the skills, and start investing in people, not just projects. SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: His Way At Work Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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313
Trauma Not Transformed is Transmitted | Ryan Foley | Episode #304
Ryan Foley joins the BeatiDudes for a powerful and honest conversation about suffering, parenting, shame, mercy, and healing across generations. The conversation lands on a deeply relatable truth: so much of our pain gets worse when we avoid it, but when we bring it to the Lord and embrace the cross with Him, the burden becomes lighter. Along with Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, and Jeff Schiefelbein, Ryan digs into the cycle of woundedness passed through families, with a compassionate look at parenting and the reality that most people are doing the best they can with what they received. Among the humor and depth of authentic fraternity, there is a strong call to mercy and healing. This conversation is a strong reminder that healing is not just personal, it is generational. Men who learn to face suffering with Christ, lead with mercy, and refuse shame can become the turning point for their families. Ryan Foley and His Way At Work continue to be meaningful partners in that mission. Call to Action If this episode helped you think differently about suffering, parenting, or healing in your own story: · Share it with a friend, husband, father, or mentor · Send it to someone walking through a hard season · Leave a comment with your biggest takeaway · Subscribe and help more men find the conversation As always, we will see you in the Eucharist. God bless. SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: His Way At Work Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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312
Jesus is the CEO | Ryan Foley | Episode #303
Ryan Foley from His Way At Work joins the BeatiDudes to talk about a bold, practical vision for Catholic business leadership: consecrating your company to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and then actually living it out. Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, and Jeff Schiefelbein unpack Ryan’s journey from military service to a decade at Covenant Eyes, and how a retreat with business owners became the bridge into helping companies stop compartmentalizing faith and start placing Christ at the center of workplace culture. This episode gets concrete fast. Ryan explains why consecration is not a one-and-done box to check, but the start of a journey that requires real structure: a caring team, a caring matrix, a caring budget, and in some cases even a chaplaincy framework that makes care part of the company’s DNA rather than a top-down emergency response. The conversation ends in the St. Michael Prayer and a rally cry for a renaissance where business owners step forward and every business can become an apostolate. Key topics • Why business may be the most influential force in culture right now • Consecration as the beginning of the journey, not the finish line • “Eternal ROI” and the mindset shift from owner to steward • The Good Samaritan as a blueprint for corporate care • What a “fully consecrated” company can look like in real life • The His Way At Work consecration kit, why it exists, and early traction • Building a caring infrastructure so care is not only top-down • The evangelization power of a visible Sacred Heart consecration in the office SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: His Way At Work Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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311
Brask to the Basics | Johnny Brask | Episode #302
Johnny Brask, co-founder of Verso Jobs, is back at the Tiny Table with the BeatiDudes for a wildly honest, surprisingly tender conversation about reversion, repentance, and the strange way God uses real-life friendships to lead us home. Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, and Jeff Schiefelbein dig into Johnny’s story that includes a literal “shed life” chapter, a faith detour through evangelical circles, and a growing hunger for something painfully simple and real: confession and the Eucharist. Johnny shares how his dad’s sobriety through the 12 steps became a turning point in his own spiritual awakening, and how his curiosity shifted from “spiritual but messy” to “Christ is Lord and I need mercy.” Along the way: Saint Augustine moments, apologetics rabbit holes, awkward barriers against Catholicism he could not explain, and a pivotal retreat in northern Minnesota featuring the most BeatiDudes combo ever: woods, sauna, river, guns, and a Catholic guy with an Ignatius Press Bible who actually lived the faith. The result is a beautiful reminder that God plays the long game, and that coming home is often a process. SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: His Way At Work Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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310
Getting Down to Brask Tax | Johnny Brask | Episode #301
Johnny Brask joins the BeatiDudes to kick off Season 7 with a fast-moving, laugh-heavy conversation that somehow includes walk-up songs for heaven, Minnesota geography debates, and the origin story of how Johnny went from a Catholic-school wild child to a founder and CRO. Along the way, you hear how a LinkedIn scroll led Johnny to The BeatiDudes, then to late-night calls with Joe, and eventually into the early grind of building Verso Jobs. The conversation gets real when Johnny shares a blunt friend moment that woke him up, and how fitness became part of his broader journey of self-betterment. Episode 301 is another showstopper featuring Johnny Brask, with Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, and Jeff Schiefelbein. SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: His Way At Work Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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309
Authentic Fraternity | Paul, Jeff, and Nick | Episode #300
In this milestone episode, the BeatiDudes come together at the Tiny Table for a time of reflection, gratitude, laughter, and honest fraternity. Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, and Jeff Schiefelbein look back at the journey, the growth, the awkward early moments, the spiritual breakthroughs, and the deep friendships formed along the way. What began as a simple idea has become a movement of men walking together in holiness. This episode is about brotherhood. The Dudes reflect on what has changed over 300 conversations, what has stayed the same, and why authentic male friendship rooted in Christ remains rare but is desperately needed. And the BeatiDudes promise to keep showing up at the Tiny Table for the next 300. Reflection Questions 1. Who are the men sitting at your Tiny Table? 2. Have you allowed yourself to be known by other men? 3. What would 300 intentional conversations do for your life? 4. Where is God inviting you to deepen fraternity this year? A Challenge for the Week Text one man today. Invite him to coffee. Start your own Tiny Table. Consistency builds brotherhood. Brotherhood builds holiness. Gratitude To every listener who has joined us for one episode or all 300, thank you. You are part of this fraternity. You are part of the story. And the story is just getting started. We will see you at the Tiny Table. And we will see you in the Eucharist. SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: His Way At Work Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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308
Why The Digital Mission Field Matters | Msgr. Lucio Adrián Ruiz| Episode #299
Msgr. Lucio Adrián Ruiz makes history as the first Vatican official to join The BeatiDudes at the Tiny Table. As Secretary of the Dicastery for Communication, Msgr. Ruiz shares a behind-the-scenes look at how the Church communicates with the world and why evangelization in the digital age is not just about producing content. With warmth, joy, and plenty of BeatiDudes banter, the conversation explores how the Church has always met people where they are, from the printing press to radio to the internet, and why understanding culture and language is essential to real mission. Msgr. Lucio introduces a powerful framework for digital missionaries rooted in Pentecost itself. The Holy Spirit sends the apostles out to preach, but the miracle is not complete unless the people understand. Evangelization requires language, timing, tone, and delivery that actually reach the heart. He challenges digital missionaries to remember a third element that is often forgotten: listening. Once a message opens a heart, there is a responsibility to accompany, to follow up, and to care for the real person on the other side of the screen. Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, and Jeff Schiefelbein reflect on their own experiences hearing from listeners who returned to Mass, pursued deeper prayer, or simply felt seen through the show. The episode closes with a beautiful prayer entrusting all digital missionaries and listeners to the Blessed Virgin Mary, reminding everyone that this work is not about platforms or personalities, but about walking together as a family on mission. We will see you in the Eucharist. SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: His Way At Work Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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307
Discernment, Love, & Contentious Donkey Talk | Aaron Frei | Episode #298
Sacred artist and stained-glass master Aaron Frei joins Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, and Jeff Schiefelbein for a wide-ranging conversation that blends theology, art, discernment, and plenty of classic BeatiDudes banter. Aaron shares his journey from studying theology at the University of Dallas to discerning monastic life with the Hungarian Cistercians, and ultimately returning to serve the Church through sacred art. The conversation explores why stained glass is uniquely powerful as an art form, relying on transmitted light rather than reflected light, and how imperfection allows beauty to shine more fully. Aaron offers rich spiritual metaphors drawn from his craft, connecting brokenness, reconciliation, and God’s grace with the way light passes through glass. Aaron also opens up about leaving the monastery, wrestling honestly with the desire for family life, and discovering that discernment is not failure but fidelity. His story includes mentoring young artists, helping churches articulate sacred beauty, and even meeting his wife through a mosaic project that never came to be, proving that God still works through cancelled plans. The episode wraps with humor, call-backs, and a challenge to listeners to be digital missionaries who do not stop at content but go to Mass, pray, and encounter Christ in the poor. Key Themes and Takeaways *Why stained glass depends on transmitted light and why imperfection increases beauty *Discernment as dating rather than a one-time irreversible decision *Learning holiness from community life, not just intellectual brilliance *How God uses brokenness to let His light shine more clearly *Sacred art as service to the Church, not personal expression alone SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: His Way At Work Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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306
Beauty is Essential, Not Ornamental | Aaron Frei | Episode #297
Aaron Frei joins the BeatiDudes for a wide-ranging and unexpectedly joyful conversation that moves from laughter and absurdity straight into beauty, meaning, and the architecture of the soul. What begins with classic BeatiDudes banter quickly settles into a thoughtful reflection on how beauty, especially sacred beauty, draws us toward God, even when we do not yet have the words for it. Aaron brings insight into the language of architecture, especially Romanesque form, explaining how structure, proportion, and physical space can preach the Gospel without saying a word. The conversation explores why beauty is not ornamental to the faith but essential to it, and how encountering beauty can reorient men who feel lost, distracted, or spiritually stalled back toward something higher. Along the way, Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, and Jeff Schiefelbein reflect on how beauty rescues us, how humor keeps us human, and why fraternity matters as we seek to live lives ordered toward eternity. Key Takeaways and Action Items • Pay attention to the beauty that already surrounds you and ask what is stirring in your heart • Notice how physical spaces influence your prayer, attention, and sense of peace • Use humor as a bridge to deeper conversation rather than a distraction from it • Invite beauty back into your daily life through music, art, architecture, or silence SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: His Way At Work Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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305
Transfigured Wounds of Victory | Brad Hubbard | Episode #296
Brad Hubbard joins The BeatiDudes for a rich and hope-filled conversation about woundedness, healing, and what it means for our lives to be transformed in Christ. Drawing from theology, lived experience, and the formation work of Encounter Ministries, Brad helps reframe wounds not as permanent stains, but as places where God’s victory can be revealed. The BeatiDudes explore how even Christ’s resurrected body still bears wounds, not as signs of defeat, but as marks of love, redemption, and triumph. Along the way, Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, and Jeff Schiefelbein lean into both deep theology and classic BeatiDudes banter, connecting inner healing, identity, prophecy, and suffering to everyday discipleship. From football heartbreak to spiritual formation, the episode keeps circling back to one core truth: healing is not about erasing the past, but about letting God reign in it. Brad also shares practical details about the formation path offered through Encounter Ministries, including the structure of their first year and an upcoming summer intensive in Dallas. This episode is equally thoughtful, practical, and joyfully human, reminding listeners that hope is always stronger than despair. SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: His Way At Work Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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304
Holy Spirit You Are Welcome Here | Brad Hubbard | Episode #295
Brad Hubbard, Campus Director for the Encounter Ministry School at St Ann, joins the BeatiDudes for a wide-ranging and deeply grounded conversation that starts with parish life and ends in the heart of Christian identity. Drawing on lived experience, Brad reflects on what it means to anticipate others' needs, how that posture can quietly transform families, and why intentionally lived faith tends to ripple outward in unexpected ways. This episode carries the easy humor and brotherly banter you expect, but it also presses into much deeper. At the center of the conversation is the idea of sonship. Brad unpacks how understanding ourselves as sons of the Father reshapes how we operate in the world. When we live from that place, humility and authority are no longer opposites. Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, and Jeff Schiefelbein explore how this truth impacts everyday life, from family leadership to spiritual confidence, and why forgetting who we are often leads to unnecessary striving. Key Takeaways Anticipating the needs of others can quietly but powerfully change hearts and families Sonship is not a soft idea but a source of real spiritual authority Knowing who you are in Christ changes how you lead, serve, and respond Humility and confidence can coexist when identity is rooted in the Father SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: His Way At Work Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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303
Ordinary Holiness | John Matthew Knowles | Episode #294
John Matthew Knowles returns to the Tiny Table alongside Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, and Jeff Schiefelbein for a wide-ranging conversation that blends laughter, memory, and a serious challenge to live the faith well. The Dudes reflect with John on World Youth Day 1993 in Denver and how that experience helped shape an entire generation of Catholic leaders, families, and communities. Paul draws out the historical and spiritual weight of those gatherings, Nick connects it to the public witness of faith in today’s culture, and Jeff brings the conversation back to how these moments land in the daily life of a Catholic man. As the episode unfolds, the focus sharpens. John presses against the idea that faith is built on mountaintop moments or Instagram-worthy experiences. The Dudes explore how real transformation comes through ordinary fidelity. Daily Mass, a consistent rosary, and regular confession become the quiet framework for a serious spiritual life. John explains that the goal is not to chase the next big thing but to show up every day. Stop waiting. Stop stopping. Start doing the Beatitudes in the most ordinary moments of your week. Key Takeaways • World Youth Day moments can ignite faith, but daily practices sustain it • The Mass is foundational and should shape every other devotion • Consistent prayer and regular participation in the sacraments help to form discipline and freedom throughout our entire lives • Public witness flows naturally from private obedience SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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302
Totally Believable: Truth Is Back | John Matthew Knowles | Episode #293
John Matthew Knowles (aka Johnny for today) drops into the Tiny Table to join Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, and Jeff Schiefelbein with the kind of calm, competent energy that makes you think, “Yep, this guy probably knows what’s happening in the Church, the culture, and the money.” Between leather jacket banter, the ongoing “strongest man in Irving” saga, and a brief detour into the crimes of “arson” and “larceny,” Johnny lays out why he’s bullish on the moment we’re living in. His view is simple and hopeful: the secular world’s promises are being exposed, creating an opening for people who genuinely want what’s true and real. Johnny shares his path from Detroit to Pennsylvania, his work in Catholic professional associations (including the Church’s fiscal leadership world), and how he stays sharp without turning into a rage-bait robot. He talks about reading broadly, listening to a diverse group of friends, and writing consistently on LinkedIn, not to build a personal empire, but to spotlight goodness and build real connections. Then the conversation turns to what matters most: the pull back toward meaning, the renewed appeal of authentic Catholic life, and the very practical reality that your kids want you more than they want the trip, the stuff, or the “better life” that costs your presence. SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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301
Have Courage, Look Left | Wayne Parkins | Episode #292
Wayne Parkins returns to the Tiny Table with a simple but challenging invitation for the Dudes. Do not let life become routine, especially when it comes to faith, work, and the people right in front of you. Wayne reflects on how joy is often hiding in plain sight and how paying attention can turn ordinary moments into unexpected encounters with grace. This episode leans into what it looks like to live faith out loud without preaching. Wayne encourages Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, and Jeff Schiefelbein to notice goodness when they see it, to ask questions, to start conversations, and to trust that God is already at work in the lives of others. Whether on a business trip, in an airport, or walking through your neighborhood, adventure begins when you choose curiosity over comfort. The episode closes with a strong reminder that every man has a story worth sharing. When you seek the good, listen well, and show up authentically, God uses those small moments to draw people together and, often, closer to Christ. SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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300
Choosing Adventure and Joy | Wayne Parkins | Episode #291
Wayne Parkins joins the BeatiDudes for a refreshingly grounded conversation about joy, not the fleeting dopamine hit kind, but the deep, lasting joy that anchors a man’s life. Wayne challenges Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, and Jeff Schiefelbein to slow down and notice the God-given things that already bring joy close to home, rather than endlessly chasing happiness elsewhere. His simple yet powerful metaphor of “looking left” invites men to step out of autopilot living and stay open to what God might be placing just beyond their routine paths. The conversation moves from practical reflection into spiritual depth as Wayne connects joy to the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Rather than leading with rules or checklists, he encourages men to find the good, because wherever authentic good is present, God is already at work. The episode closes with laughter, gratitude, and a reminder that choosing joy often means choosing presence, curiosity, and faithfulness right where you are. SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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299
Consecrate Your Business to the Sacred Heart of Jesus | Fr. Jason Huynh | Episode #290
Father Jason Huynh returns to the Tiny Table for a powerful and joy-filled conversation about consecration, spiritual authority, fraternity, and living a fully Christ-centered mission in business, family, and daily life with Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, and Jeff Schiefelbein. The Dudes revisit the recent consecration of Undivided Life to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, including a 40-month desert journey culminating on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and Father Jason unpacks what it truly means to “set something apart” for God. From priestly ministry to family leadership to entrepreneurship, Fr. Jason explains that consecration isn’t a symbolic gesture but a call to mission, sacrifice, blessing, and spiritual readiness for the battles ahead. Father Jason also reflects on how presence, vulnerability, and a shared commitment to Christ create real fraternity in the parish, the workplace, and the home. The conversation weaves humor, gratitude, and reverence with stories of community, prayer, novenas, business leadership, and sacred responsibility. Through it all, the Dudes recognize the gift of authentic brotherhood and the grace that comes when men willingly hand control back to God and allow Him to lead. Key Takeaways & Reflections • Consecration = mission, sacrifice, and spiritual authority - to consecrate a business, family, or vocation is to set it apart for God and step intentionally into leadership and blessing. • Presence is a blessing - whether as priest, husband, father, or leader, simply showing up with love and responsibility carries real spiritual weight. • Faith belongs in business - Christ-first cultures transform workplaces, communities, and relationships. • Fraternity strengthens perseverance - authentic brotherhood keeps men grounded, accountable, and ready for the journey. SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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298
Discernment and Priesthood | Fr. Jason Huynh | Episode #289
Fr. Jason Huynh, LC, joins the BeatiDudes at the Tiny Table to share how God has slowly formed him from a kid in Atlanta into a missionary priest who has lived and studied in Georgia, New Hampshire, Mexico, Spain, and Rome. He unpacks what “formation” really means, from novitiate boot camp with one pen and real penance, to a 13-year path to ordination that taught him how to be a priest who can be “black ops special forces for Christ” wherever he is sent. The conversation moves from football analogies and SEC smack talk to serious discernment as the Dudes and Father discuss the priesthood and marriage, and how good formation shapes men for both. Fr. Jason offers a simple three-step roadmap for young men discerning any vocation, while the Dudes share stories about seminary, their kids, and why every dad should at least raise the possibility of the priesthood with his sons. Along the way, they wrestle with the Benedict Option, introduce the “Irving option,” and show how living a noble life in the middle of business, media, and everyday culture can evangelize the world more effectively than hiding from it. Of course, it would not be The BeatiDudes without a ridiculous round of Blessed Are the Joke Makers that somehow ties together St. Nicholas, The Notebook, bare necks in the woods, and Roman ticks. Takeaways and Action Items • Pursue human nobility: Surround yourself with noble people, noble media, and noble habits so grace has something solid to build on. • Build a real prayer life: Move beyond emergency prayers and grow an honest daily relationship with Jesus. • Know yourself and stretch yourself: Step outside your comfort zone with things like pilgrimages, service, or new challenges to discover how God is calling you. • Dads, name the priesthood: Ask your sons if God might be calling them to be a priest or a husband, and let them know you will support either path. SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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297
Constant Conversion | Ryan Womack | Episode #288
conversion to the Catholic faith and how St. John Henry Newman changed his life. Raised Southern Baptist and steeped in Scripture, Ryan’s love for history, truth, and beauty led him into the writings of Newman, the life of the early Church, and finally into the sacraments of the Catholic Church. Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, and Jeff Schiefelbein talk with Ryan about false summits in the spiritual life, why “everyone has to convert” over and over again, and how a Benedictine abbot with a big gold chain became the first Catholic Ryan ever met. Along the way, they hit on confession, the so-called “dark ages,” and why university education without theology misses the point of the human person. If you have ever wrestled with Church history, Protestant and Catholic questions, or what it really means to live a sacramental life, this conversation will stretch your mind, stir your imagination, and invite you into a profound ongoing conversion of heart. SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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296
Fertility Truth, Cut the Baloney | Ryan Womack | Episode #287
Dr. Ryan Womack joins the BeatiDudes at the Tiny Table for a rich and surprisingly hilarious conversation about women’s health, fertility, science, theology, and the deep human longing for wholeness. Ryan walks through his unique background in literature and theology, his conversion to the Catholic faith, and how his intellectual journey prepared him to help launch Pearl Health in Dallas. This restorative reproductive medicine clinic focuses on root-cause healing rather than quick fixes. Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, and Jeff Schiefelbein help Ryan explore the cultural confusion surrounding fertility, the misunderstandings that couples face when trying to conceive, and the profound dignity of approaching medicine in accord with the natural design of the human person. The conversation shifts from humor to depth as Ryan describes the practical realities of NaProTECHNOLOGY, hormone health, diagnostics, male fertility, environmental factors, and the growing demand for physicians who practice in a life-affirming, evidence-based way. Jeff shares a deeply personal story about how functional and restorative care transformed his wife’s health and their entire family experience, underscoring the real-world impact of this approach. The result is a moving and eye-opening episode that invites listeners to rethink fertility, advocate for their families, and pursue a healthier way of living that honors both the body and the soul. SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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295
Season 5 Cold Opener MashUp | Episode 286
A merry mash-up of cold openers from Season 5 of The BeatiDudes with Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, Jeff Schiefelbein, and dozens of amazing guests. SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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294
The Moore We Are | BeatiDudes at the Meyerson | Episode #285
When nationally renowned Catholic music artist Lauren Moore returned to the stage after a harrowing battle for her life and miraculous recovery, she and her husband, Dave, knew it would be a night of celebration, praise, and memorable moments. The theme of the night was set – The Moore We Are. The entire evening turned out better than anyone could have predicted, as thousands gathered to join Dave, Lauren, and the Dallas Symphony at the Meyerson Symphony Center for an experience that is best described as the Church alive! Thanks to The Catholic Music Initiative, The BeatiDudes were brought in to host various friends, new and old, on the Red Carpet, aka, The Red Tiny Carpet Table. The pre-concert conversations turned into a rollercoaster of humorness and holiness with great guests, including Brian Asmussen, Becca Gerhart, Stephen Spies, Jacob Combo, Mike Kolker (Paul’s Father), and Andrew Gill. Be sure to follow the Catholic Music Initiative. https://www.catholicmusicinitiative.org SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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293
God Redirects the Flight Plan | Raffaele D’Apolito | Episode #284
The BeatiDudes welcome back Raffaele D’Apolito for an extended, wildly entertaining, and surprisingly profound conversation that stretches from the Vatican Valley to the virtual cockpit. Building on Monday’s episode, this deeper dive explores Raffaele’s early fascination with flight, his time at an Italian military school, and the heartbreaking moment when his lifelong dream of becoming a military pilot was grounded. What unfolds is a powerful reflection on identity, suffering, and the long view of God’s providence, told with humor, humility, and a healthy dose of Italian charm. Along the way, Raffaele shares how those early disappointments shaped his entrepreneurial journey, including years of costly mistakes, hard lessons, and eventual clarity around vocation, faith, and freedom. The conversation weaves together faith, masculinity, accountability, and ambition, reminding listeners that setbacks often become the very instruments God uses to form us. Joined by the Dudes Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, and Jeff Schiefelbein, this bonus episode is equal parts laughter and wisdom, with strong encouragement for any man wrestling with unfulfilled dreams, delayed success, or the temptation to measure God’s favor by worldly outcomes. SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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292
From Vatican to Vatican Valley | Raffaele D’Apolito | Episode #283
Raffaele D’Apolito joins the BeatiDudes for arguably the most wheels-off episode of Season 6. Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, and Jeff Schiefelbein welcome an energetic Italian guest straight from Rome, turning the Tiny Table into a cultural exchange that somehow includes pronunciation coaching, a debate over what counts as “Italian” food in America, and a running gag that peaks when Olive Garden becomes the unofficial villain of the day. Beneath the comedy, Raffaele shares what brought him to the U.S., how a pilgrimage to Rome connected him with American friends and business opportunities, and why he believes most AI projects fail when companies chase tools without first fixing the underlying processes. Raffaele also talks about his return to the faith after a season of drifting, describing how a surprisingly simple thought sparked a deeper reversion that led him back to confession, the Eucharist, and a growing love for the Traditional Latin Mass. He talks candidly about the role patience has played in his life, how he learned to stop forcing his own timeline, and how discerning relationships with clarity and peace matters more than rushing toward an outcome. By the end, he shares his vision to rebuild his company on stronger Catholic foundations and eventually establish roots in the U.S., inviting anyone interested in process-driven AI work to connect with him on LinkedIn as he builds “Cornerstone.” SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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291
Humility Evangelizes | Michael Acaldo | Episode #282
Michael Acaldo, CEO of the National Office of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA, is back at the Tiny Table with Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, and Jeff Schiefelbein to talk about humility. Michael frames humility as a clear recognition that God is in control, that any “wins” in ministry are really Christ working through the gifts He has given, and that perseverance is still a win even when outcomes do not go the way you hoped. The Dudes also explore how language matters, trading “I’m proud” for “I’m blessed,” and how humility is not an excuse to hide the light. Real humility does not seek attention, but it also does not fear being seen when it can inspire others to serve, evangelize, and follow Christ more boldly. Along the way, you get classic BeatiDudes energy: the “parish within the parish” moment, the ego acronym “edging God out,” a rapid-fire chain reaction story about daily Mass and the domino effect of holy example, and Jeff’s legendary poem about losing with a smile. The episode lands with a simple invitation: do not let “false humility” keep you from doing good or sharing good. If the Society has been a “big secret” for too long, it is time to let it be seen, not for self, but for Christ, and for the people who need hope, help, and a path forward. SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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290
Answering the Call to Serve | Michael Acaldo | Episode #281
Michael Acaldo, a Baton Rouge native and national leader with the Society of St Vincent de Paul, joins Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, and Jeff Schiefelbein for an incredibly powerful conversation. The conversation opens with Jeff sharing a deeply personal story about attending the funeral of a five-year-old child, the overwhelming grief and unexpected joy he witnessed in a vibrant, faith-filled parish brimming with large families, and the way that experience sent him home with renewed gratitude for his own children. That vulnerable moment sets the tone for an episode that blends Cajun humor, Catholic culture, and a serious call to serve Christ in the poor. Michael shares about growing up Catholic in Louisiana, where counties are called parishes and even the alligators feel sacramental. He describes powerful Eucharistic processions from the bayou to the streets of New York City. The Dudes dig into the heart of the St Vincent de Paul Society as a spiritual movement rather than just a social service agency. Michael traces the story from St Vincent de Paul and Blessed Frédéric Ozanam to modern free pharmacies, mini-loan programs that free people from predatory lending, and 90,000 Vincentians across 4,000 conferences who are hunting souls by seeing Christ in their neighbors in need. Along the way, there are puns about the bayou, improv-style commercials, and the beloved Beatitudes game “Blessed Are the Joke Makers.” Yet, the episode keeps circling back to one core truth: holiness looks like concrete acts of charity, done with humility and joy. SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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289
Advice for Fathers Facing Tough Topics | Manny Gonzalez | Episode #280
Manny Gonzalez is back with Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, and Jeff Schiefelbein for a vulnerable conversation aimed at helping fathers when approaching tough topics. Building on his powerful Monday testimony, Manny shares how his own parents walked with him through his experience of being sexually attracted to men and how they held together Catholic teaching, real human tenderness, and a long-term relationship with their son. The conversation dives into the language we use around same sex attraction, how parents can create a safe space for their kids to ask hard questions, and why waiting for one big version of “the talk” is not enough in a culture where kids encounter complex topics early and often. Manny offers concrete stories and principles that help dads speak truth without turning their children into projects, grounding everything in the reality that every son and daughter is first a beloved child of God. SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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288
Identity in Christ | Manny Gonzalez | Episode #279
The BeatiDudes, Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, and Jeff Schiefelbein, welcome Catholic speaker and evangelist Manny Gonzalez for a candid and heartfelt conversation about identity, suffering, and the mercy of God. Manny shares his powerful journey from early confusion and hidden shame surrounding same sex attraction to a dramatic encounter with the Lord that reshaped his life. His story includes years of internal conflict, strained school experiences, and a pivotal moment of honesty with his parents that revealed the Father’s love in a profound way. The Dudes explore what it means to move from fleeting happiness to lasting joy, how God meets us in the depths of our brokenness, and why authentic fraternity matters for every man pursuing holiness. Manny reflects on his time at Franciscan University, the mentors who walked with him, and the ongoing daily work of conversion and chastity. Through humor, humility, and spiritual honesty, this conversation highlights that the journey toward Christ is messy, beautiful, and meant to be shared in community. SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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287
From Apartheid to Abiding Hope | Sean Magennis | Episode #278
In this powerful episode, Sean Magennis takes the BeatiDudes deeper into the story behind his joy, warmth, and global perspective. He traces his roots back to South Africa, describing a childhood lived under apartheid with both privilege and painful awareness growing side by side. Sean shares the profound impact of Peter, the housekeeper who was legally treated as a second-class citizen, yet loved Sean and his siblings like family. At the same time, Sean opens up about the heartbreak of being sent to boarding school at age eight, crying himself to sleep and coming to understand that God would meet him in those moments. Through vivid memories of boarding school life in the Valley of a Thousand Hills, Sean recalls the friend who protected him, the daily chapel services that formed him, and the teachers who became spiritual anchors. He honors his godmother and spiritual mother, Noel Rey, and the giant wooden rosary from Medjugorje that still rests at his bedside and has carried him through dark nights. This episode becomes a moving tribute to the people who quietly shaped Sean’s faith and character, and an invitation for all of us to ask deeper questions about the stories and saints hidden in the lives of those around us. Hosted by Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, and Jeff Schiefelbein, this conversation shows the tender, tear-filled side of the BeatiDudes while still overflowing with gratitude and hope. SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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286
Scouting | Sean Magennis | Episode #277
Global executive and Scouting America leader Sean Magennis joins the tiny table to share how a life of worldwide leadership, deep friendship, and renewed faith has led him right back to serving young people. Hosts Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, and Jeff Schiefelbein walk with Sean through his years activating communities around the globe through YPO and Tiger 21, his time living and worshiping in places like Dubai, India, and Singapore, and his powerful experiences of the Church in many languages and cultures. Along the way, Sean reflects on the legacy of his late friend Rick Sapio, the grace of standing at his funeral and graveside, and how faith can remain an anchor even when our certainties and perspectives shift over time. Now serving as an executive at Scouting America, Sean explains why he believes scouting is one of the most important youth movements in the world, especially because it keeps God at the center of its mission. He shares how the Scout Oath, the EDGE method of learning, and the wood badge formation are shaping kids into articulate, grounded leaders who know how to serve, collaborate, and persevere. From multicultural outreach and trades training to Pinewood Derby dreams and alumni reengagement, Sean invites listeners to see scouting as a powerful way to invest in the next generation while staying rooted in Catholic faith, authentic fraternity, and a sense of joyful adventure. SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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285
Lourdes and the Language of Beauty | Pierre Ferragu | Episode #276
Pierre Ferragu returns to the tiny table with Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, and Jeff Schiefelbein for a powerful time of stories, song, and Marian intercession. The conversation circles around Lourdes and Saint Bernadette, beginning with Paul's own pilgrimage during the 150th anniversary of the apparitions. Jeff then shares the deeply moving bond between his son Benny and a little boy named Steven, both battling cancer, and how their stories intersected through a Lourdes healing pilgrimage and a candlelight procession. In the middle of all of this, Pierre helps the Dudes and the audience experience the heart of Bernadette the Musical through a stunning Marian song that leaves the whole table in tears. As Pierre reveals the creative story behind the musical, the Dudes reflect on the mysterious way beauty evangelizes. The song they just heard was written by a composer who does not believe; the French lyrics came from non-religious writers, and yet the result is a profoundly Catholic prayer that points directly to God. Pierre also shares stories of Jewish artists and investors who were deeply touched by Mary and Lourdes, and how this project has become a bridge between believers and nonbelievers in the entertainment world. The episode closes with Pierre praying the Hail Mary in French and the BeatiDudes sending listeners back into the world with renewed trust in the intercession of Our Lady of Lourdes and the quiet power of beauty. SUPPORT THE BEATIDUDES https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheBeatiDudes Our Partners: Sock Religious (10% Discount) Solidarity HealthShare Aquinas Wealth Advisors Lucid Private Office Divine Comedy Undivided Life Follow The BeatiDudes: BeatiDudes Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Jeff Schiefelbein on LinkedIn BeatiDudes Theme Song and Music By The Pencil Bureau Dave Moore Music
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
A religiously funny podcast for Christian men seeking authentic fraternity. Each week, The BeatiDudes explore life from the perspective of men seeking to follow God's will while they grow closer together in holiness and humor. TheBeatiDudes.com
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The BeatiDudes
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