Real estate investor + FinTech founder - fellow homeschooler Andrew Carson breaks down how he got started, why slow growth wins, and the mindset shift of Extreme Ownership. Plus: a simple “Taco Bell” framework for career clarity.

What You’ll Learn

• How Andrew went from sales to full-time real estate investing
• What “off-market” deals are (and why investors chase them)
• Wholesaling vs. flipping: what’s better for beginners and why
• Hard money lenders explained (simple version)
• Branding in a business where people naturally don’t trust you
• Why “slow growth is the only growth” (and what happens with fast growth)
• A faith-based perspective on wealth: money vs. the love of money
• Andrew’s career clarity framework: Soft Skills + Hard Skills + Joy → Best-fit industries
• “Extreme Ownership” applied to life, marriage, and leadership

Where to find Andrew:

Website: https://www.ajotter.com/ and

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aj-otter/?

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/AJ-Otter/100085616541488/

In this episode, CW sits down with longtime friend JP Mathews, a counselor, family man, and Wyoming Army National Guard soldier, for a wide-ranging conversation about career direction, calling, and living with open hands.

JP walks through his unconventional journey: starting in sales (and wrestling with feeling “disingenuous”), serving in youth ministry, earning a counseling degree, working with rural students, and eventually joining the military in a later season of life. Along the way, we talk about the importance of community, the power of wise voices (especially mentors 30+ years ahead), and how your past (family dynamics, conflict, hardship, and “nonlinear” steps) can reveal the strengths God has been forming in you all along.

We also dig into goals: how to avoid analysis paralysis, how to work backwards from a vision, and how to tell the difference between a hard thing you should push through vs. a hard thing that signals a pivot.

If you’re a student, young professional, or parent trying to help someone navigate “What should I do next?”, this one will give you clarity, courage, and a few quotable one-liners you won’t forget.

How do you build a meaningful career when you’re interested in more than one thing? And how do you stay grounded when life takes you into places of real danger, real responsibility, and real purpose?

In this episode, Joel shares his incredible journey — from running a phone-repair business in high school, to earning a criminology degree, to becoming a full-time police officer who still finds time to build a tech startup and manage 20 rental properties.

Joel breaks down:

• How he chose law enforcement after wrestling with business vs. purpose
• What real police work is actually like (a LOT more diverse than you think)
• How he manages multiple careers at once using a strategic shift schedule
• Creative financing and how he acquired a portfolio of 20 rental homes
• A near-death experience on the job that changed his life
• Why his faith became the foundation that pulled him out of burnout
• How “planting seeds” in people’s lives has led to unbelievable stories
• His advice for 17–18-year-olds figuring out their first steps

This is one of the most honest, surprising, and purpose-driven career stories on the show; perfect for students, young adults, and anyone trying to understand how faith, work, and calling come together in real life.

Connect with the VoQuest Podcast

• Instagram: @VoQuestPodcast — https://www.instagram.com/voquestpodcast/
• TikTok: @VoQuest.Podcast — https://www.tiktok.com/@voquest.podcast

In this episode, Anthony Simmons, founder of AVRS Automotive, shares how he turned a lifelong love for fixing cars into a thriving, purpose-driven business.

Anthony talks about how he started with just a bag of tools and a vision, and how hard work, faith, and the right partnerships helped him grow into a full-time entrepreneur. His goal? To redefine what it means to be a mechanic by building a people-first, on-the-go auto service that customers can trust.

You’ll hear about:

• The moment he realized he could build a business around his passion
• Lessons learned from early mistakes and partnerships
• Why professionalism and integrity matter in any career
• His dream of mentoring young technicians fresh out of trade school
• How he’s creating opportunity for others while changing an industry

A great listen for students, career explorers, and anyone wondering what it looks like to build a meaningful career from the ground up.

🔗 Connect with Anthony & AVRS Automotive

• 🌐 Website: avrsautomotive.com
  
  
• 🔗 LinkTree: avrsautomotive.com/linktree
  
  
• 📸 Instagram: @avrs_automotive_
  
  
• 📘 Facebook: AVRS Automotive
  
  
• 💼 LinkedIn: Anthony Simmons
  
  

🎧 Connect with the VoQuest Podcast

• Instagram: @VoQuestPodcast
  
  
• TikTok: @VoQuest.Podcast

What does it look like to live fully in your calling while building bold ideas that shape the future?

In this episode, Nathan, a multi-passionate entrepreneur and Head of Operations at a VC-backed tech startup, joins host C.W. Elliott to talk about vocation, purpose, and faith in the startup world.

Nathan shares how he went from missionary work to leading operations at a VC-backed tech company building a distributed cloud (think: the world’s largest supercomputer without data centers). He also opens up about mentorship, life planning, and the importance of humility, gratitude, perseverance, and prayer.

You’ll learn:

• How to discern when it’s time to pivot in your career
• How to find and engage the right mentors
• Why writing a life plan can transform your focus
• How to keep faith at the center of your work - even in high-pressure environments
• Why listening and “humble curiosity” are essential to long-term success

A conversation on vocation, calling, and courage for anyone navigating life’s next step.

🔗 Connect with VoQuest Podcast

• Instagram: @VoQuestPodcast
  
  
• TikTok: @VoQuest.Podcast

Born in a 9x9 room in Lagos, Nigeria, sleeping on concrete beside six siblings, Adeola Ajayi learned early what it means to dream against all odds. In this episode, Adeola shares his powerful story from selling fruit barefoot on the streets, to earning a basketball scholarship to America at 16, to founding the AOA Impact Foundation, which now provides clean water, shoes, education, and hope to children in the very community where he grew up.

We talk about his new book, Footprints on Concrete: The Story of a Barefoot Dreamer Who Refused to Quit, the faith and perseverance that carried him through unimaginable hardship, and how he’s turning pain into purpose through his foundation’s work today.

This conversation will challenge your perspective, deepen your gratitude, and inspire you to discover your own purpose, no matter where you start.

📚 Resources Mentioned

• Adeola’s Book: Footprints on Concrete
  
  
• Book Website: FootprintsOnConcrete.com
  
  
• Foundation: AOAImpact.com
  
  

🔗 Connect with the VoQuest Podcast

• Instagram: @VoQuestPodcast
  
  
• TikTok: @VoQuest.Podcast

Shaun McDonald, NASA engineer at Johnson Space Center, dives into guidance, navigation, and control (GNC), Artemis prep, “work as worship,” and practical career tips for building a meaningful vocation.

Takeaways

• Chris DePriest has spent a decade in arboriculture, focusing on tree care and management in the great outdoors.
• Chris shares memorable experiences that highlight the dangers and rewards of his work.
• Chris's journey into arboriculture was unexpected but fulfilling, stemming from a passion for nature.
• He reflects on the importance of self-control and personal growth in his career. Parental guidance can shape career choices positively.
• Job loss can lead to valuable life lessons and new opportunities.
• Hands-on experience is crucial in finding career fulfillment.
• A gap year can provide perspective and gratitude for one's home country.
• Networking is key to discovering job opportunities.
• Proving oneself through hard work is essential in any field.
• Learning from mistakes is vital for personal and professional growth.
• Emotional intelligence is important in team dynamics.
• Finding what energizes you is crucial for career satisfaction.