A Fiercer Delight with Matt Gordon

What do you do when you watch a 19-year-old die in a wreck, drive away thinking you failed, and learn months later he's alive?On Halloween 2025, Levi was taking his daughter to a soccer game when he came up on a vehicle ripped in half. He pulled 19-year-old Adin Smith out before the gas could ignite. Aiden had a pulse in his arms, but by the time the ambulance loaded him, it was gone. Weeks later, after losing his own dad unexpectedly at 75, a friend showed Levi a GoFundMe page that didn't make sense. Aiden was alive, his mom had been searching for the stranger who stopped, and that stranger was Levi.Levi makes a case for being a joyful worker, someone who does the thing they hate with the same zest as the thing they love. He talks about his dad's 75 years as a movie that was always going to end where it ended, not 30 minutes short. Joy, in his telling, lives on the other side of hard things, not in their absence.Plus: the moment Adin's name lit up Levi's caller ID, and the phone call that followed.Follow us today for some weekly joy.

What does it look like to chase joy when you're wired to compete, perform, and be the funniest person in the room? Sierra Michaelis joins Matt to talk about running marathons (with and without training), growing up on a cattle farm in Jackson, Missouri, and the relentless pull toward winning that's followed her since childhood.We get into the costumes she wore to embarrass her friend's middle schooler, the bits she commits to for an entire year ("Do you know who my daddy is?"), and why being roasted by your siblings might be the best gift a person can get. Sierra also opens up about a quieter thread running through her life: walking into a small Baptist church alone at 10 years old, drifting through college, and finally encountering grace at a Passion Conference right before COVID shut the world down.It's a conversation about humor as a gift, solitude as fuel, land as a long-awaited homecoming, and the strange grace of looking back and realizing the picture was painted before you ever picked up the brush.Plus: a closing quote on excellence that just might change how you think about work, play, and everything in between.Follow us today for some weekly joy.

What do you do when the wind picks up? Heather Cox joins the show in a literal windbreaker on a rainy day to talk about fighting for joy through memory care, bonus kids, and a faith that doesn't always break the wind but does something quieter and more useful.We get into how she "collects people" (her bonus daughter Sierra came over to train Hannah for basketball and never quite left, and her nephew Johnny and his wife Carly now live with them too), the Italy wedding that inspired a backyard greenhouse and a future lemon tree, and the prayer she once said about wanting another baby that turned into a story bigger than she could have written. Heather also walks listeners through this week (yes, this week) of moving her father into memory care after six or seven years of dementia, and what it looked like to pray over the room before he moved in.It's a conversation about fighting for joy on the days it doesn't come easy, the difference between the theory of faith and the lived experience of it, and why family doesn't always look the way you planned but might end up being better than you would have written.Plus: mahjong (and how to say it), protein in your morning coffee, Adirondack chairs from Walmart that somehow last eight years, and a closing line that might be the most active two-sentence philosophy in the catalog.Follow us today for some weekly joy.

Where do you go to remember who you are? Brandon Hoops joins the show to talk about mentors, mud-built memories, and a piece of family wisdom called the wilderness garden.We get into how Brandon picked up his nickname, why he flips garage sale golf clubs for fun, what it was like to mail Wendell Berry a book and get one back signed "Professor Hoops," and the spring break ski trip that nearly ended in tears (his sons' and his own). Brandon also opens up about two men who shaped him: his grandfather "Butchy Boy," who lived to 99, and John Drage, the campus minister who took him in for seven years before cancer took him five years ago.It's a conversation about creativity as the lens that brings the world into color, mentorship as a kind of love that outlasts the grave, and why his 90-year-old grandmother's hidden patch of land, a mile from the house, might be the truest picture of joy in this episode.Plus: Cubs fans in Cardinal country, the tear-soaked truth about Go Cubs Go at Wrigley, and Steinbeck's idea that every man needs a spot.Follow us today for some weekly joy.

What does it take to break a generational chain? Walt Walton joins the show to talk about the spinout that almost killed him, the verses that turned him around, and the song he wrote for the mom he lost.We get into how Alex became Walt for life, what it's like to homeschool three boys (Noah, Zeke, and Hesi) who build mud colosseums in the backyard, and the basketball scouting report on number 21 (he's a defender, four steals a game, crashes the boards). Walt also opens up about being raised by a single mother, bouncing between family homes when she went away to get clean, and the dad who eventually stepped in with a Bible.It's a conversation about laughter as healing, music as a bridge between grief and joy, and what surrender actually looks like when you've spent years trying to hold the wheel yourself. Walt talks about reading Ecclesiastes for the first time, getting baptized on Easter Sunday, and learning that some of the worst chapters of your story might be exactly what prepares you to be the chain breaker for the next generation.Plus: a comedian who voices over animal videos, why Kawhi Leonard's laugh is contagious, and the two-word philosophy Walt leaves listeners with at the end.Follow us today for some weekly joy.

What if joy is just a thing you have to walk to the creek for? Kelley Frink joins the show to talk about big medicine in the Wyoming wilderness, the lemonade truck that's worth pausing a meeting for, and the parents who named her Kelley because Kelly could also be a boy's name.We get into the family camping trips that started when her oldest was nine months old (including the Ford Explorer night and the trout in the kiddie pool), the Medicine Bow gas station with the broken vanilla-or-chocolate ice cream machine, and her mother-in-law's phrase for what happens when you're standing on top of a small mountain with no cell service: big medicine. Kelley also opens up about the fan battles in her marriage, why she suspects she's good enough at flint-spotting to actually find an arrowhead, and the day this week she paused a 2 p.m. meeting because the lemonade line was getting long.It's a conversation about happiness as a thing you find where you are rather than where you're trying to get, why returning to the same place every year does something repeating doesn't, and how the dumb little joys (a card game called Kings in the Corner, an eight-dollar flavored water) are usually the ones doing the actual work.Plus: the hot air balloon that drew an entire neighborhood out of their houses, why Matt secretly wants to go on Survivor, and a piece of advice about taking the vacation where there's no phones.Follow us today for some weekly joy.

What does it look like to live up to your middle name? Larissa Wollard joins the show to talk about the dad who named her Joy, the unrealistic expectations she puts on herself, and the laundry she absolutely does not need to fold tonight.We get into the way her dad explained her middle name (there is so little joy in the world, we wanted you to bring it), the documentary moment when Tom Brady's parents said the world is going to tear him down, our job is to build him up, and the discipline of staying soft in work that involves hard conversations. Larissa also opens up about being an Enneagram three, the people in her life who tell her to stop folding laundry and go enjoy a weekend in the car with her husband, and why getting comfortable with parts of her job would be the day she should quit.It's a conversation about the difference between reflecting and ruminating, why pursuing your self-worth from something steady might be the only way to keep choosing joy when life keeps trying to steal it, and the slow truth that you can't love in a hurry.Plus: the imaginary HOA Matt is trying to get a warning from, the slow bleed theory of gambling, and a closing two-word philosophy on how to actually live every day.Follow us today for some weekly joy.

What does it cost to slow down? Stephon Austin joins the show to talk about Buc-ee's pilgrimages, why his cousins are still his weekend plans at 37, and the dad wisdom he drops every Friday: just let the weekend come to you.We get into Stephon being born and raised in Columbia (with a strict mom whose wrath put fear in the neighborhood kids), the cousin he ran wild with on bikes who's still close, and the four-year-old son who shows up as the through line of every story. Stephon also opens up about the rough patch in 2020 that shaped his approach to fatherhood, the trip to Gulf Shores he's nervous about packing for, and a friendly snack-off with Matt that touches Girl Scout cookies (overrated, allegedly), microwaved honey buns, and a Sam's Club box of 72 fruit roll-ups that lasted three days.It's a conversation about the value of staying close to where you came from, what it looks like to be the fun parent in a structured house, and why some of the best advice for living comes wrapped in the smallest one-liners.Plus: a hot debate over whether Buc-ee's or Redmond's has the better roadside bathroom, the time Matt asked the richest guy at a sushi dinner to teach him how to eat sushi, and the dinosaur question Stephon's son asks that nobody can answer.Follow us today for some weekly joy.

Lauren Steinhoff joins Matt for a wide-ranging, funny conversation about chasing joy in everyday life, even when your palms are sweaty and the microphone is on.They get into what actually fills Lauren’s cup: deep friendships over shallow small talk, paying attention to the details people share (yes, she keeps notes), and finding small rituals that make an ordinary day feel lighter.You’ll hear about:“New boot goofin’,” study habits, and showing up even when you feel nervousWhy Lauren loves people, but hates shallow happy-hour small talkThe underrated power of remembering what matters to othersAccounting, order, spreadsheets, and the surprising overlap with ministry lifeMatt’s love-hate relationship with hugging (and the reality TV “thumb massage” thing)The Sonic “fancy water” recipe (lemon, sugar-free raspberry, Nerds) and why it counts as joyA simple close: smile more, hug if you are a hugger, and look for the nerds at the bottom of the cupIf you need a reminder that joy doesn’t have to be complicated, this one lands.Follow us today for some weekly joy.

In this episode of A Fiercer Delight, Damon sits down with Brock Bondurant to talk about chasing joy in real life and real coffee. From walking on at Mizzou as a quarterback to life as a husband and dad of two girls, this conversation is about more than coffee. It is about presence, ritual, and authentic connection in a fast, distracted culture. Brock shares what truly fills his cup today.They explore:The unlikely story of walking on at Mizzou and living out a childhood dreamWhy football shaped the first 20 years of Brock’s lifeThe joy of family and raising two young daughtersThe ritual of pour-over coffee and why it centers his dayWhy most coffee shops miss the pointThe quiet loss of connection in a distracted worldHow slowing down and “wasting time” with people may be the key to real joyIf you feel hurried, stretched thin, or disconnected, this episode is an invitation to slow down, savor something simple, and make space for real people.Follow us today for some weekly joy.

Hannah Mayse is the kind of person who keeps joy on the calendar. In this episode, Matt and Hannah talk about why she needs something to look forward to, and how that “why not?” mindset has shaped the way she lives.They hit the fun stuff, her two cats (Stormy and Luna), getting into golf during COVID after hating it as a kid, baking bagels and chocolate chip bread on a whim, and being the person who will try the thing instead of overthinking it. But the core of the episode is travel, tradition, and family. Hannah shares her big year ahead with her sister’s wedding, trips to Denver and Phoenix, and the ongoing father-daughter mission to visit every SEC stadium (with five left).Hannah also opens up about coaching middle school volleyball at Southern Boone, including the hard parts: tryouts, cuts, lineup decisions, and learning confrontation as a first-year head coach. It’s a conversation about planned joy, staying open to new identities, and building a life where you keep saying yes.Follow us today for some weekly joy.

Matt runs into our old friend Zach Mast at a coffee shop and turns it into an unplanned episode. The result is a funny, surprisingly honest conversation about where joy actually comes from when you are wired for connection.Zach shares why being around people is his fuel, and why isolation can mess with him fast. They talk about the double edge of that wiring. Zach opens up about how faith gives him a reset point so he can stop spiraling, re-center, and show up well for his family instead of demanding that they keep him okay.The conversation also goes personal. Zach reflects on a first marriage that ended, co-parenting well, and then building a new marriage and family he never expected. He talks about becoming a young dad at 25, then an “older dad” again with a six-year-old daughter, and what it is like watching a 20-year-old son and a little sister adore each other even with almost nothing in common.Along the way there are lighter joys too: mowing the lawn, concerts with his wife, music rabbit trails (Zach Bryan, Grateful Dead, Billy Strings, and more), and sports fandom as a safe place to vent. Underneath all of it is a simple theme, delight grows when you stop outsourcing your stability to other people and learn how to stay grounded, then love people well.Follow us today for some weekly joy.

In this episode of A Fiercer Delight, Matt sits down with Craig Brumfield for a wide-ranging conversation about the quiet, repeatable practices that keep joy and hope within reach. They talk about Craig’s deep love of home (a true Columbodian), how travel can be great but coming back is the real reset, and why daily rhythms matter when life starts feeling chaotic.Craig shares his “golden hour” ritual at work: journaling, planning the day, daily gratitude, and unhurried conversations before the inbox and stress hit. They dig into why structure can be a form of peace, how small habits function like a “robe” you put on each day, and what it looks like to protect that kind of replenishment when schedules get thrown off.You’ll also hear plenty of Craig’s signature references, from 80s music rabbit trails to “new boot goofing,” plus a highlight on grandparent joy. Craig opens up about being “G” to three grandkids, what that kind of love feels like, and why delight often shows up in ordinary places: your people, your routines, and your own backyard.Follow us today for some weekly joy.

Licensed professional counselor Kelly Wright sits down to talk about what it means to carry other people’s pain without losing your own joy. From early days drowning in secondhand trauma to a pivotal moment at a Dan Allender conference, Kelly explains how she learned to set boundaries, do her own work, and stay grounded while walking with others through emotional and spiritual “death and resurrection.”We talk Enneagram (she is an 8, I am probably a 9), why she loves it as a self-awareness tool, and how motivations shape the way we show up for people. Kelly shares why being near water is her “still waters” reset, how she has learned to actually prioritize replenishment, and the simple daily choices that keep her from sacrificing joy on the altar of productivity.Kelly also tells the story of her quadriplegic brother-in-law Bentley, how his life and presence shaped their family, and what it looked like to walk through his sudden death with honesty, tears, laughter, and games around the table. Along the way we get into raising adult kids who still like each other, practicing real respect at home, and how to build a tribe where grief and joy can sit at the same table.Follow us today for some weekly joy.

Matt sits down with Adam Canote for a spontaneous, joy-chasing hang that starts with a brand-new jingle and wanders into music, family, and everyday delight. Adam shares what growing up second of ten in a traveling bluegrass family taught him, why sibling voices blend the way they do, and how harmony and counterpoint make songs (and relationships) work. They swap Green Day and Pizza Hut nostalgia, debate zipper merges, confess app-ordering coffee hacks, and talk about noticing the journey rather than sprinting to the destination. It is loose, funny, and surprisingly practical! en-JOY!Follow us today for some weekly joy.

What's the difference between a foundational joy and a fun side joy? Damon Fontinel joins the show to talk about WNBA road trips, the year he got tired of paying somebody else to fix his brakes, and the night his wife paid 90 dollars to watch one quarter of basketball.We get into Damon's farm-boy upbringing in Iowa, his 37-year marriage to Paula, the 27-year-old son who lives two blocks away, and the Caitlin Clark connection that pulled them into Indiana Fever fandom hard enough to drive five hours to a game. Damon also opens up about why his wife sometimes works in the office during games because she thinks she's bad luck, the brake jobs that became a surprise meditation, and what he and Matt have figured out over years of putting events together about whether a story landed.It's a conversation about telling stories well, the difference between caring without stakes and caring about what matters, and why the people who can pour meaning into things that don't matter at all might be the same people who know exactly what does.Plus: the time-travel episode of Lost that nearly ended a marriage, why Dunkirk works on the second viewing, and a fake promo code that gets you into the fourth quarter at full price.Follow us today for some weekly joy.

Matt sits down with storyteller and Civil War–reenactor Drew Alexander to trace a surprisingly hopeful arc, from small-town ’90s roots and church community, through drifting in college, to getting sober and finding his way back to faith, purpose, and family. Drew talks about trading bar nights for books, how group counseling and a real community (“The Underground”) reshaped his days, and what it takes to safeguard joy with habits, boundaries, and better hobbies. There’s dad-life (two daughters, endless questions), why history still grabs him, and a running joke about building a stage persona for reenactments… or starting a jam band instead. If you’re rebuilding a life you actually like, this one’s for you.Follow and share if this helped you name—and protect—what brings you joy.Follow us today for some weekly joy.

What if the worst chapter of your life is the one that teaches you how to memorize the next one? Madi Carey joins the show to talk about the freshman-year car accident that nearly kept her from college, the high school theater teacher who taught her to remember through movement, and the blind date she knew within seconds was the one.We get into Madi growing up in a blended family of five sisters (a Little Women meets Modern Family ecosystem), winning a Blue Star Award her senior year for directing a scene from The King and I, double-majoring in transnational studies and faith studies (with minors in physics and theatrical studies because she just took what she loved), and the sushi date her future sister-in-law set up half as a prank that turned into a five-year courtship and a marriage to Tanner. Madi also opens up about the traumatic brain injury that took her short-term memory, the way theater gave her a safe place to grieve who she used to be, and the recent flash that hit her hardest: her ten-month-old son Callahan giggling on the floor.It's a conversation about narrative people versus episodic people, the gift of remembering where your story started so you can trust where it's headed, and the quiet faith that says the middle part is exactly where you're supposed to be living.Plus: why hibachi might be the wrong first-date move, an Atlantic article about two ways people remember their lives, and a thought on trusting the author even in the dark parts of the plot.Note: brief discussion of a past car accident and TBI recovery.Follow us today for some weekly joy.

How do you hold on to delight when your days hurt and your kids are grown? Matt sits down with Francie Green to talk about the quiet contentment of watching her daughters, Taylor and Brooke, step into adult life, the “pull up a chair” moments she doesn’t want to miss, and the honest work of choosing joy while managing chronic pain.You’ll hear:Why adult kids still need you, just in different waysHow small signals of care (a group text, a shared laugh, fresh flowers) can re-inflate a deflated dayThe faith and mindset shifts that keep fear from winning the night before a big day or tripMarriage on the long voyage: keeping the home fires burning while her husband travels to officiate SEC footballA gentle reminder from Francie: look for the light, especially on the dark days. It’s there.If this conversation encouraged you, follow the show and share it with a friend who could use a little delight today.Follow us today for some weekly joy.

On the first episode of A Fiercer Delight, Matt Gordon sits down with his friend and coworker Zach Nelson, whose story travels from a “good childhood” into addiction, treatment, and hard-won recovery. Zach shares the moment that changed everything, the unexpected joys tucked inside dark seasons, and how his life now is filled with faith, family, small acts of service and yes, pickleball and Andy’s frozen custard.It’s a conversation about hope, resilience, and the everyday practices that turn happiness into lasting joy.Follow us today for some weekly joy.