Nate Bruns had the identity every small-town Midwest kid dreams of — state champion in football and basketball, all-conference at Findlay, top-five in program scoring history. Then two things stripped it all away: losing his best friend and teammate Ty Mescher his junior year, and getting shot twice in a random Columbus shooting two years later — one bullet two inches from costing him his leg. This episode is about what's left when the identity you built your whole life around gets taken from you, and what Nate found underneath it. Straight line to "Remember Who You Are" — and a direct challenge to leaders on why faith at work isn't a liability, it's an advantage for attracting the next generation.
0:51 – Welcome Nate, his athletic résumé at Marion Local and Findlay
3:00 – Junior year peak — academically, spiritually, on the court
5:00 – Losing Ty Mesher, what real leadership through energy looks like
10:00 – You don't have to be the loud one to lead — lead yourself first
14:00 – Senior year drift, questioning faith, "why would this happen to a great guy"
17:00 – Coach Ernst's leadership conversation — adapting style, not identity
25:00 – 2024 — the leadership shift starts to take root
27:00 – The shooting in Columbus — what actually happened
32:00 – Recovery, the infection scare, three weeks of surgeries
38:00 – Leaning into faith — the Romans 5:3-5 "God wink" moment
44:00 – Identity — athlete vs. who God made him to be
48:00 – Starting the Watch Men’s Group with Alex Kanapke
53:00 – Choosing your associations — the roommates story
57:00 – Closing challenge: faith at work is an advantage, not a risk
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