Lara Casey Isaacson is a serial entrepreneur. She’s the mind behind the wildly successful companies Southern Weddings and Cultivate What Matters.

That success meant everything was great and she’d never leave, right? Wrong.

So how did she go from being the founder and CEO of two successful companies to giving it all up to be a stay-at-home homeschool mom? Well, that’s episode 19 of “That Was Stupid.”

In this episode, Lara shares her journey of building her businesses, the challenges she faced, and the importance of faith and obedience in her life. She discusses the viral moment that propelled her into the spotlight, the lessons learned from navigating entrepreneurship without a formal background, and the balance between being a mom and a business owner. She also reflects on the grief of letting go of Southern Weddings and Cultivate What Matters and announces a brand new role as CEO (chief education officer) of Faith Driven Students.

Episode highlights:

• Knowing When to Move On

• The Transformative Power of Storytelling

• Her Viral Moment and Its Impact

• Balancing Motherhood and Entrepreneurship

• Taking Time Away and Hiring Help

• Letting Go and Embracing Obedience

• The Power of Pruning

• Grief as a Catalyst for Growth

• Finding Freedom in Obedience

• New Role: Empowering Young Faith-Driven Entrepreneurs

• And more!

If you’d like to watch the video version of the podcast, it’s available at theveritasdaily.com.

Susie Bulloch was writing recipes as a side hustle in-between wrangling kids. But what was a hobby eventually turned into something bigger. Much bigger.

Susie is now the founder of Hey Grill Hey, one of the most successful barbecue websites in the country. She’s stared on Food Network, cooked with superstars Bobby Flay and Michael Symon, and runs a successful barbecue school called The Grill Squad.

Susie is now one of the most recognizable names and faces in barbecue. But how did she go from mom to mopping brisket? How did she end up on Food Network? And what did it take to make the stupid decision to go all in on her passion? Well, that’s Episode 18 of “That Was Stupid.”

In this episode, Susie talks about:

• How she got started

• What her husband did to support her dream

• Behind the scenes of filming a show for Food Network

• The COVID barbecue boom

• The risks she took to start her business

• And more!

If you’d like to watch the video version of the podcast, it’s available at readdearjon.com.

Beth Mund’s idea was as stupid as her voice is smooth: send stories to space, with actual astronauts.

Beth worked at NASA for years in public relations and fell in love with the stars as well as educating people on what’s “out there.” Her time at the space agency eventually led to the idea of partnering with space launches to send personal stories beyond the reach of gravity.

So she started a non-profit that does just that.

How? Why? What does it take to do that? And how can YOU send your actual story on one of the next missions? Well, that’s Episode 17 of “That Was Stupid.”

In this episode, Beth talks about:

• Aliens (of course)

• Her time working at NASA

• The craziest thing she ever experienced at the space agency

• How she got the idea to send stories to space

• What it’s like to start a non-profit

• What it takes to send a story to space

• The actual scientific research being conducted using her idea

• How YOU can send YOUR story to space

• And more!

If you’d like to watch the video version of the podcast, it’s available at readdearjon.com.

Carrie Sheffield vividly remembers finding her father’s writings and realizing something was wrong. Up until that point, she and her family were convinced her dad was a prophet in the LDS church. They traveled around the country, living in tents and motorhomes.

The abuse she encountered was her “normal.”

However, shortly after finding her father’s letters she found the courage to leave the cult her family had created. Not surprisingly, those she loved told her she was “stupid.” But that’s just the beginning: her father quickly “prophesied” that she would be raped for leaving.

What happened after? How did she end up becoming a Harvard-educated pundit that now appears on cable new? Well, that’s Episode 16 of “That Was Stupid.”

In this episode, Carrie talks about:

• What her family cult experience looked like

• The abuse she endured

• How her family reacted when she left

• What motivated her to rise above her circumstances

• The decision to forgive her father

• Her other “stupid” decision

• Her new book about her life, “Motorhome Prophecies”

• And more!

Be sure to read pick up Carrie’s new book, “Motorhome Prophecies: A Journey of Healing and Forgiveness.”

If you’d like to watch the video version of the podcast, it’s available at readdearjon.com.

Sarah Matzke was your typical, young, married, suburban woman. Nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, she was just starting out her life with her husband. Except, she had a secret.

She was secretly having an affair with her husband’s best friend.

That secret was eating away at her, until she eventually came clean. But was it too late for her marriage to be saved? What did she need to realize about herself? And what small compromises years earlier lead to a full-blown affair?

In Episode 15 of “That Was Stupid,” Sarah joins to talk about:

• The lies she believed

• How an eating disorder at a young age set the stage for more compromises later

• How she overcame an eating disorder

• The moment she confessed to her husband her affair with his best friend

• The journey back to restoration

• The truth she needed to replace the lies she believed for years

• Her new book detailing it all, “Desert Vineyards”

• And more!

Be sure to read pick up Sarah’s new book, “Desert Vineyards: A Story of Bulimia, Adultery, and Infertility Redeemed by Truth.”

If you’d like to watch the video version of the podcast, it’s available at readdearjon.com.

Brandon Moore had a dream. A dream he was so dedicated to that even when everything was pointing to an unhealthy obsession, he ignored it.

Until he couldn’t.

From a young age, Brandon wanted to be a professional baseball player. And as a young man, that dreamed seemed like it was going to come true. For a moment, it did. After playing college ball at the University of Arkansas, he was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers to be a pitcher.

But the dream soon turned into an unhealthy obsession. Despite injuries and all signs pointing to moving on, Brandon kept going. Eventually, that revealed what an idol he had made out of sports and how he was finding his identity in all the wrong things.

So what did he do? Well, he eventually made a drastic move: he became a pastor. Today, Brandon is the Dean of Spiritual Development and a 10th grade Bible teacher. Talk about a change! And talk about “stupid.”

In Episode 14 of “That Was Stupid,” Brandon joins to talk about:

Growing up with the dream of playing professional baseball

What it’s like to be drafted

• How something can be both good and end

• The way God showed him baseball was an idol

• Why he became a “paper boy” as an adult

• His skills as a “midwife”

• His advice to parents about youth sports

• His clinical depression

• How he ended up choosing ministry and becoming a pastor

• What it looks like to believe lies

• And more!

If you’d like to watch the video version of the podcast, it’s available at readdearjon.com.

Bryson Kessler’s life didn’t end up looking exactly like she thought it would.

After being in ministry for years, a divorce changed her trajectory. That raised a lot of questions and doubts, not only among others but a little in herself. Still, despite the setback, she found love again. She also found her purpose: a boutique that catered to women.

But finding your purpose and living it out are two different things. Building an empire isn’t easy and requires a lot of faith, as well as being willing to pivot.

In Episode 13 of “That Was Stupid,” Bryson joins to talk about:

• Her origin story, and how she dealt with the doubters after her divorce.

• How and why she started her successful boutique, Clover + Bee.

• When and how she pivoted in her business…several times.

• An unexpected pregnancy.

• The conversation that turned her into a podcast host.

• And more!

If you’d like to watch the video version of the podcast, it’s available at readdearjon.com.

Brandon Puffer had it all. He had a family, he had a World Series ring, and even though he was back in the minor leagues he was being groomed to become a coach.

One night, though, he threw it all away. After having given up alcohol completely for years, he started dabbling again. So when some of the younger players finally convinced him to spend a night out on the town, he went all in.

What happened that night is easily the most stupid decision of his life, and it led to over three years in prison, a broken marriage, and a lot of life lessons.

Today, though, Brandon is a different man. He now coaches kids, both in baseball and life. He’s written a book about his experience and he’s talking to us about his career, his decision that fateful night, and the climb back to redemption.

In Episode 12 of “That Was Stupid,” Brandon joins to talk about:

• Winning a World Series

• His past experience with alcohol and addiction, including being sober for five years before drinking again

• The night his life changed forever

• His experience in prison

• His book, “From the Bullpen to the State Pen”

• How his children dealt with his absence

• How he found redemption

• And more!

If you’d like to watch the video version of the podcast, it’s available at readdearjon.com.