Beyond the Bottom Line: Michael Leach & David Meltzer Trust God’s Plan When Everything Is Lost

·23 min·2 clips

Michael Leach recalls praying with his family on New Year's Eve as gunshots rang out in their Chicago neighborhood.

The Jesus Calling Podcast presents two distinct stories of faith intersecting with professional life. First, Michael Leach describes his childhood on Chicago's south side, where family prayers replaced New Year's celebrations due to neighborhood gunfire. He pursued sports management, working for the Chicago Bears as assistant to the head coach at age 24. Leach emphasizes lessons about connection over mere communication in leadership. He left the NFL after feeling called by God, which unexpectedly led to a role as the first-ever Chief Diversity Officer in the White House, created specifically for him by the President. Leach discusses stewarding this position through faith rather than ideology. He reveals his daily practice of starting with Jesus Calling devotionals and worship music during intense political campaigns. Second, David Meltzer shares growing up with financial insecurity in Akron, Ohio, with a single mother working multiple jobs. He achieved extraordinary success early, amassing over $100 million by age 30 but attributing happiness solely to money. In 2008, he lost everything and went bankrupt, even losing his mother's home. A conversation with his mother shifted his perspective when she said God was protecting, not punishing him. Meltzer describes hitting rock bottom personally, with substance abuse and damaged relationships. He found his calling to empower others through happiness after rediscovering faith-based values like gratitude and forgiveness. Both guests stress daily connection with God as non-negotiable, with Meltzer reading from Jesus Listens and Leach referencing years of devotional practice. The episode concludes with promotional content for other shows and services.

As heard by us

A plainspoken faith story about pressure, prayer, and trust.

Michael Leach's story is strongest when it stays with the grind of 18-hour days in Philadelphia and the small practices that anchored him: prayer, a Jesus Calling or Jesus Listens book he had carried since 2011, a Bible app plan, and praise and worship music before work began.

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Why you'd press play

For the days when your inbox feels like a brush fire, this one brings a calmer gospel.

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