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  • #94 He's taking on Replit. Building Human-Centered Technology | Garren DiPasquale

    #94 He's taking on Replit. Building Human-Centered Technology | Garren DiPasquale
    2026/10/15

    Most software tools are built to capture your focus and trap your attention. In this episode, Garren DiPasquale (founder of Artifact) shares how he’s taking on dev incumbents like Replit by letting people build software with plain English specs.

    Join the Catholic Founders Guild:

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    In This Episode:

    Coding in English: Why natural language is becoming the primary interface for software creation.

    Human-Centered Tech: Applying Catholic social teaching and papal encyclicals to product design.

    Form Follows Function: Dieter Rams, the Bauhaus movement, and rejecting "AI slop."

    Why Software Fails: How internal organizational silos manifest as bad user experiences.

    Key References Mentioned:

    Magnifica Humanitas, Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical

    Dieter Rams’s Ten Principles of Good Design

    Donald Knuth & Literate Programming

    Daniel Jackson

    Standout Quotes:

    "Our mission really is centered around this question of what happens when you can code in English." — Garren DiPasquale

    "Never expose your organizational silos... because that’s what you end up seeing in a lot of software—you’re actually experiencing the backend friction of the company." — Garren DiPasquale

    Episode Sponsors & Partners:

    Bonaventure Bookkeeping: Bring peace to your financial management with bookkeeping designed by entrepreneurs who care about your mission. Connect today: Bonaventure Bookkeeping

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    Connect with Catholic Founders:

    Become a Paid Subscriber: join.catholicfounders.com

    Website: catholicfounders.com



    This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.catholicfounders.com/subscribe
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    1 時間 14 分
  • #93 Silas’ Appearance on the Prosper Podcast w/ Andreas Widmer and Rebecca Teti (Crosspost)

    #93 Silas’ Appearance on the Prosper Podcast w/ Andreas Widmer and Rebecca Teti (Crosspost)
    2026/10/11

    In this crosspost of my guesting on the Prosper Podcast with Andreas Widmer and Rebecca Teti, we jam on some of my absolute favorite topics:

    Business as a Divine Calling: Why we have to stop compartmentalizing our faith and our work, and how business can be a primary vehicle for holiness and personal growth.

    Presence-Centric Leadership: Lessons from incredible Catholic CEOs (like Dr. Daniel Tatahe) on setting aside distractions, looking people in the eye, and treating employees and customers as irreplaceable human gifts.

    Agency, Fear, and God's Providence: Why waiting in paralysis is more dangerous than taking a six-month burst of action, and how to embrace the momentum God has given you.

    If you've ever felt that pull to build something meaningful and want a practical roadmap for walking out both your faith and entrepreneurship, this conversation is for you.

    Ready to build together?

    If you're ready to put these principles into action, come join us inside the Catholic Founders Guild!

    We're building the biggest network of Catholic business owners in America, offering local chapter meetups across the country, monthly expert calls, an active community WhatsApp network, and a custom AI assistant trained on Catholic business insights.Membership is only $10/month or $100/year. Head over to join.catholicfounders.com to get plugged in.And don't forget to subscribe to my weekly newsletter, The Saintly CEO, for free spiritual and tactical advice every Monday at catholicfounders.com!



    This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.catholicfounders.com/subscribe
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    42 分
  • #92 Bringing Back The Woman's Role in Community Building | Regina Bethencourt

    #92 Bringing Back The Woman's Role in Community Building | Regina Bethencourt
    2026/10/08
    Listen on: Fio (Catholic Spotify) | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube News / Updates: * NEW! Real Estate Sub Group. We have just created a Real Estate Sub group inside of the Guild, for all folks involved in real estate. This is a great way for us to collaborate and build beautiful buildings again - to elevate the human soul. Consider this your sign to upgrade to paid! * Stuck in a business challenge? Read the latest of the Saintly CEO: Grow Your Business Through The Primary Constraint MethodJoin the Catholic Founders Guild Today(1) Launch/grow your biz, (2) Learn the Theology of Entrepreneurship, (3) Discover Community, and (4) Transform Culture by making it Catholic. 200+ members and counting.Join today for $100 a year or $10 a month.Curious? --> “What is the Catholic Founders Guild?”In Today’s Issue:* Intro to the Guest and Topic* Core Takeaway * Episode References* Select Quotes* Key MomentsFirst time here? Learn more about our mission. And don’t forget to subscribe. Today’s Topic & Guest:Regina Bethencourt | TenutoIn today’s episode we discuss, how to build a workplace where moms can thrive — the Catholic way.To do this, we enlisted Regina Bethencourt, founder of Tenuto Consulting, a creative marketing agency for mission-driven organizations.Regina started out in a traditional 9-to-5 PR firm. She watched a pregnant colleague get treated like her baby was a problem to hide, and she knew she could not raise her own children that way. So she left, started freelancing, and built the kind of work she wished existed.Today Tenuto is a team of eight offering 10, 20, and 30-hour-a-week roles alongside full-time work. Clients still get an attentive, proactive agency. Inside, moms get to be present at home in the season when their children need them most — and still be ready as professionals when that season changes.From there we go deeper: why women work differently than men, why matriarchs will be the ones to rebuild our neighborhoods, how a husband and wife run a family like a joint venture, and how to build a family brand and legacy your grandchildren will inherit.Core Lesson: “Build the work around the vocation, not the other way around.”Most companies try to fix motherhood by forcing moms to work exactly like men — 40 hours, in an office, pretending nothing at home ever interrupts the day. That does not work, and it is breaking our communities.Regina’s answer is not lower standards. It is better systems: shift coverage across the week, backups who stay up to speed on every client, and a team culture where everyone knows each other’s children and steps in with charity when life happens. Do that, and flexibility stops being a weakness. It becomes your unfair advantage.And this is bigger than one agency. If women get work that leaves room for family, they get time back for the neighborhood — for other moms, for the parish, for the human connection we have all lost.God Bless & Happy Building!~Silas MähnerHire Catholic Overseas TalentIn LatAm and the Philippines, there are millions of Catholic remote workers (across all domains) who want to work for ethical bosses.Often, they’re treated as second-class citizens or work for organizations that ask them to do questionable things. They reach out to us in search of a Catholic boss.So, we started ParacleteVA (website coming soon).With ParacleteVA, we’ll find you vetted, Catholic overseas talent who will help you move your business forward.How it works: Pay a $500 finders fee when the candidate starts and $500 if you’re still happy with them after 30 days.To get started, reach out to catholicfounders@gmail.com with what you’re looking for, and we’ll get started.Key Episode References:* Patrick Lencioni* St. Edith Stein* Well-Read Mom* 2 Timothy 1:7Select Quotes:* We need to honor the fact that a parent is bringing up children who are the next generation. ” — Regina Bethencourt* “We want to redefine how you show up professionally. And it is perfectly professional, for example, to bring a bring an infant into a call who needs to just feel their their mother's body. That is normal, that is professional.” — Regina Bethencourt* “Women can work and have their hands in many different things if we had ways to embrace that part of who a woman is. There would be more time for community, more time for doing things in the neighborhood, building more human connection.” — Regina Bethencourt* “If the husband and wife see what they are doing in raising their family as a joint venture, as like real business partners, and they say, Okay, this is your salary... That allows me to take risks.” — Regina Bethencourt* “Creating a family brand... saying, the Bethencourts right? That’s us. We are hardwork. We never say no to a challenge. We... have these value statements that help children even from a very long age, know who they are. They belong to something and there are values there...” — Regina BethencourtKey Moments...
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    56 分
  • #91 How To Buy A Business, The Catholic Way | Zach Scardino

    #91 How To Buy A Business, The Catholic Way | Zach Scardino
    2026/09/25

    Tons of founders want to skip the startup phase and buy an existing operation. It sounds appealing, but going in blind guarantees failure. Today, we are diving into the Catholic way to buy a business with Zach Scardino.

    Support the Mission & Grow Your Business

    Want to connect with 230+ Catholic business owners, solopreneurs, and side-hustlers? Become a paid subscriber to the Catholic Founders Guild to do business and grow in holiness together. Join today: join.catholicfounders.com

    In This Episode

    Zach is an expert in buy-side consulting and business acquisitions at Scardino Strategic Partners. He breaks down exactly how to build an acquisition thesis, run a coherence test on yourself, and source the best off-market deals. We discuss why you should avoid business listing sites, how to recast financials properly, and why structuring the deal matters significantly more than the purchase price.

    Core Takeaway: Merge Into Their Lane

    Eighty percent of acquired businesses fail within five years because buyers skip the post-acquisition transition steps. When you acquire a company, take the first 90 days to learn, observe, and secure the key relationships that made the business valuable in the first place. You must maintain the continuity of service, respect the previous owner's legacy, and integrate yourself into the culture with charity.

    Key Moments

    (00:00) - Learning the Catholic way to buy a business

    (00:27) - The Acquisition Thesis: Doing a SWOT analysis on yourself

    (09:59) - Owner vs. Owner-Operator: Identifying your management capacity

    (14:55) - The Coherence Test: Matching business size, financing, and income needs

    (18:10) - Finding the Deal: Why off-market direct outreach beats public listings

    (26:50) - Recasting Financials: Finding true business value

    (38:53) - Structuring the Deal: Using seller notes, earnouts, and dividends

    (45:00) - Merging Into Their Lane: Planning the transition before closing

    (53:15) - The 90-Day Rule: Why you shouldn't make sweeping changes immediately

    Episode ResourcesJoin the Catholic Founders Guild: join.catholicfounders.comConnect with Zach Scardino: Scardino Strategic Partners



    This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.catholicfounders.com/subscribe
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    1 時間 3 分
  • #90 How One Founder Encourages Blue Collar Employees To Have Higher Agency | Scott Williams

    #90 How One Founder Encourages Blue Collar Employees To Have Higher Agency | Scott Williams
    2026/09/17
    Listen on: Fio (Catholic Spotify) | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTubeNews / Updates:* 👕 Check out our Catholic Founders Online store. Featuring shirt designs fit for our lifestyle. See more of our designs here.* Register for upcoming events. Check out all of our in-person events on our Luma page.* 🎙️Listen to last week’s episode with Evan Raugust to find out how to stay virtuous while growing an online brand.How do you scale a Catholic business to over 100,000 customers without sacrificing your soul, your family, or your faith? Scott Williams, co-founder of Sock Religious and Four Marks Printing, joins the podcast to share the real-world mechanics of building a thriving enterprise anchored in Catholic Social Teaching.Support the Show & Join the GuildBecome a paid subscriber to Catholic Founders to access member-only events, active group chats, our directory, and a network of faithful business owners: https://join.catholicfounders.comWhat We Cover in This EpisodeIn-House Manufacturing: How Sock Religious scaled from a spare bedroom side project into ten industrial knitting machines.Dignity of Labor: Shifting blue-collar work away from a mindless "clock-in, clock-out" culture to empower employee agency.Overcoming Analysis Paralysis: Why God honors forward movement over endless discernment and fear of failure.Debt-Free Growth: Choosing slower, profitable scaling over chasing top-line vanity metrics.Generational Legacy: Raising entrepreneurial kids and passing on a legacy without forcing them into the family business.Key Quote“God would appreciate us to go and to try and to take one step forward, even if it isn't in the right direction, he'd rather us go in the direction we think that he's calling us to versus standing still and not moving.” — Scott WilliamsTimestamps (00:24) - Intro (04:33) - Origins of Sock Religious(08:13) - Going All In (11:59) - Four Marks Printing & In-House Manufacturing (16:17) - Navigating Failures & Knowing When to Pivot (24:07) - Catholic Social Teaching in Action (33:24) - Rethinking Growth, Debt, & Stewardship (40:23) - Generational Legacy & Raising Kids (45:07) - Unplugging for Family Life (47:35) - Rapid Fire Questions (50:09) - Outro: Leaning Into Your TalentsLinks & ResourcesJoin the Catholic Founders Guild: https://join.catholicfounders.comSock Religious: https://sockreligious.comFour Marks Printing: https://fourmarksprinting.comIf this conversation brought value to your journey, please leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share this episode with another faith-driven founder! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.catholicfounders.com/subscribe
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    55 分
  • #89 Why 1,000 Views Beats 1M For Your Business | Evan Raugust

    #89 Why 1,000 Views Beats 1M For Your Business | Evan Raugust
    2026/09/11

    Evan Raugust went from zero to over 240,000 YouTube subscribers in less than two years while working a 9-to-5. As the founder of Kingdom Media, he now helps top creators scale their channels to millions of views.

    In this episode, Silas Mähner chops it up with Evan to discuss high-stakes video production, leveraging the YouTube algorithm, finding unserved market gaps, and staying grounded in prayer and virtue amid rapid growth.

    In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

    The 5 Growth Levers: How to leverage time, money, personality, creativity, or production value.

    The Curiosity Hook: How to "dangle the candy" of curiosity to feed viewers deep, life-changing spiritual truths.

    High-Impact Strategy: Why you should stop spending 20 hours on a 10k-view video when that same energy can build a 1-million-view home run.

    Virtue & Holiness: How daily Rosaries, Confession, and Adoration prevent vanity in the creator economy.

    Timestamps:

    (00:18) – Intro: The Catholic Founders mission

    (03:07) – Evan’s background & mission to spread the Gospel online

    (05:46) – Evan’s conversion journey to Catholicism

    (07:43) – Building & scaling channels with Kingdom Media

    (15:30) – YouTube strategy & multi-skill demands for business owners

    (22:29) – Hooking viewers & delivering spiritual depth

    (26:28) – How content goes viral: Market gaps & outlier topics

    (34:08) – The 5 Growth Levers explained

    (43:40) – Living virtue & overcoming vanity as a creator

    (48:38) – Recapturing your vocation as a divine mission

    (55:46) – Rapid fire: Favorite scriptures, devotions & patron saints

    (1:00:32) – Practical reflection questions for business owners

    Join the Catholic Founders Guild Today Ready to launch or grow your business, master the theology of entrepreneurship, and build alongside 200+ Catholic founders?

    👉 Become a paid subscriber now: join.catholicfounders.com

    Key Links & Resources Mentioned:

    Evan Raugust’s YouTube Channel

    Kingdom Media Agency

    Catholic Founders Website



    This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.catholicfounders.com/subscribe
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    1 時間 5 分
  • #88 My Appearance on The Catholic Men of America Podcast (Crosspost)

    #88 My Appearance on The Catholic Men of America Podcast (Crosspost)
    2026/09/05

    We sat down with Jeff Cassman on the Catholic Men of America podcast to discuss the theology of entrepreneurship—learning how to run a business with holy ambition, prioritize human dignity, and transform the culture around us.

    Join the Catholic Founders Guild Today Ready to launch or grow your business with a Catholic mindset? Join over 200+ faithful founders today at join.catholicfounders.com.

    In This Episode:

    Origin Story: Silas’s journey from building cabinets in rural Wisconsin to renewable energy recruiting in NYC and launching Roosevelt Talent (formerly ErthSearch).

    CleanTech & Efficiency: How sustainability and efficiency are transforming manufacturing across sectors.

    The Mission of Catholic Founders: Overcoming the stigma of ambition, reclaiming wealth creation for good, and building a faithful culture.

    AI & Human Dignity: Why the rise of AI presents a massive opportunity for human-centric, moral businesses.

    The Great Adventure: Discovering your secondary vocation and answering God’s call to build.

    Key Episode References:

    Guests & Leaders: Jeff Cassman, Tom Monaghan, Dominik Taroli, Jacob Ciccarelli, and Marcellino D’Ambrosio

    Organizations: Catholic Men of America, Knights of Columbus, Ave Maria University

    Episode Sponsors & Partners:

    Our Father Constructors: Professional owner’s representation for parish and diocesan projects from $1M–$45M. Protect your capital and build with stewardship at ourfather.us.

    ParacleteVA: Hire vetted, highly qualified Catholic remote talent from overseas. Learn more or request talent by emailing catholicfounders@gmail.com.

    Connect & Support:

    Join the Guild: join.catholicfounders.com

    Website: Catholic Founders

    Merch: Official Merch Store

    Local Events: Follow our Luma Calendar for local meetups and retreats.



    This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.catholicfounders.com/subscribe
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    54 分
  • #87 Catholic Founders Should Build Hard Things That Benefit Others | Jakob Diepenbrock

    #87 Catholic Founders Should Build Hard Things That Benefit Others | Jakob Diepenbrock
    2026/09/03
    Listen on: Fio (Catholic Spotify) | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTubeDiscover why Catholic founders must build hard tech and physical manufacturing to reindustrialize America. In this episode, Silas Mähner speaks with Jakob Diepenbrock—founder of Discipulus Ventures—about shifting from B2B SaaS to real-world solutions, living out virtue in high-stakes entrepreneurship, and finding divine purpose in hard problems.Join the Catholic Founders Guild Today(1) Launch/grow your biz, (2) Learn the Theology of Entrepreneurship, (3) Discover Community, and (4) Transform Culture by making it Catholic. 200+ members and counting.Join today for $100 a year or $10 a month.Curious? --> “What is the Catholic Founders Guild?”News / Updates:* Get merch! Check our online store here. * Attend an in-person event near you --> Luma calendar.* Host a CF meetup in your area. Email us admin@catholicfounders.com.Episode Sponsors & Partners:Our Father Constructors and Associates: Expert owner's representation for parish and diocesan construction projects ($1M–$45M). Protect your capital and run your next build like a pro at ourfather.us or email cristian@ourfather.us.Tom Rooney & Matthew Mohlman: Bringing true stewardship to private markets, wealth management, and retirement plans. Schedule an estate health check today at Catholic Founders Financial.ParacleteVA: Hire vetted, overseas Catholic remote talent across all domains. Email catholicfounders@gmail.com to start your candidate search ($500 placement fee).Key Moments & Timestamps:(00:38) Intro: The hard tech revival & guest Jakob Diepenbrock(03:19) Discipulus Ventures & the hard tech residency model(04:39) Jakob’s background: Side hustles & Steve Ballmer’s family office(08:22) El Segundo: The shift toward physical manufacturing & defense(12:57) Launching the fund: From MVP accelerator to $30M Fund II(20:54) The Founder’s Advantage: Why virtue creates resilient startup teams(24:05) Solving righteous problems vs. net-negative tech(28:43) Balancing daily Mass and prayer with heavy startup demands(31:21) Finding high-achieving mentors in business and faith(35:17) Funding magnificence: The duty to execute world-altering projects(38:14) Rapid Fire: Colossians, Peter Thiel, and Palmer Luckey(47:01) Outro & ways to connectFeatured Companies, People & Resources:Companies: Discipulus Ventures, Rainmaker, Numinar, SpaceX, Anduril, OculusPeople: Steve Ballmer, Augustus Doricko, Palmer Luckey, Will O’Brien, St. Josemaria Escriva, Peter ThielBooks: The Way by St. Josemaria Escriva, Wild at Heart by John EldredgeScripture: Colossians 3:23-24Connect & Join the Community:Apply to the Discipulus Ventures CohortJoin 200+ Catholic entrepreneurs in the Catholic Founders GuildShop official apparel in the Catholic Founders StoreFollow upcoming meetups on the Luma Calendar or email admin@catholicfounders.com to host an event This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.catholicfounders.com/subscribe
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    50 分