What if the best gift you could give your kids this year is a good old 90s summer? Tyler Wilkes and I get honest about screens, playing with your kids when you're running on empty, and the house that wasn't for sale until it was.

Tyler leads First Priority of North Central Georgia, helping students launch faith clubs on middle and high school campuses. He's a former youth pastor, a dad of three little ones, and a cyclist who rode 62 miles on a borrowed bike to raise support. We sat down face to face, no Zoom, to talk about what play looks like in the thick of raising young kids and building a meaningful career.

In this episode:

• Why Tyler wants to be a "human being, not a human doing"
• How having kids exposed his selfishness, and why men don't talk about the hard seasons
• Social media, Covid, and the real human connection today's kids are missing
• Bringing back a 90s summer: a DVD player, a landline, and kicking the kids outside
• Sunrise skate sessions, quitting drinking, and why I want a weekly taste of fear
• Snack-and-a-nap wisdom from Elijah, and John Mark Comer's The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry
• The not-for-sale house, the front-porch swing that sold Tyler's home, and praying over every deal
• Surrender, King Saul vs. King David, and Proverbs 28:1

When you're building a career and raising little ones, it's easy to live on the grind and forget how to play. This conversation is a reminder that slowing down, staying present, and trusting God with the outcome isn't a luxury. It's how we stay whole.

If you're a dad or mom juggling work, faith, and a house full of noise, you'll walk away with simple ways to play more, worry less, and maybe dust off that bike in the garage.

About Tyler Wilkes

Tyler Wilkes leads First Priority of North Central Georgia, a church-based, student-led ministry that helps students launch faith clubs on middle and high school campuses, reaching roughly 75,000 students across nine counties. A former youth pastor of six and a half years, his passion for students grows out of his own mental health struggles as a teenager. Years ago he co-founded Recycled Bicycle Ministry, fixing up bikes for neighbors in need, and today he raises support through long charity rides. Tyler is a devoted husband to Heather and a dad of three young kids who loves cycling, small-town day trips, and good food.

Connect with Tyler and First Priority

• Website: https://www.firstpriorityncga.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/firstpriorityncga/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/firstpriorityncga/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyler-wilkes-934162a4/
  
  

🎙️In This Episode...
In this episode of Think in Cursive podcast, Brandon sits down with Professor Alex Enriquez, a jiu-jitsu black belt, instructor, and international competitor representing the Philippine national team.

Alex shares how years on the mats have shaped her mindset, relationships, and approach to life, from competing in Abu Dhabi with a painful, swollen foot to teaching children how to build confidence.

But this conversation goes far beyond jiu-jitsu.

Alex explains why jiu-jitsu reveals your character, how learning to fail can make you more confident, and why even a world-class athlete needs to maintain a beginner's mindset. He also shares what he's learned from growing up with hardworking immigrant parents, the coaches who helped raise him, and the young students whose lives have been transformed through training.

🎙️Timestamps:
00:00 – Competing for the Philippines: Alex Enriquez’s Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Journey
01:28 – Competing Through Pain: Alex’s Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu Tournament
05:30 – Starting Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at Age 11 and Training on the International Stage
16:23 – How Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Reveals Your True Character
22:14 – The Life Lessons of Jiu-Jitsu: Discipline, Confidence, and Self-Defense
26:58 – Alex Enriquez’s Future Goals: Opening a Jiu-Jitsu Academy and Giving Back

Creators & Guests

• Brandon Leonard - Host
• Alex Enriquez - Guest

Would you believe that the CEO of a successful real estate media company in Georgia never even finished high school?

Evan Roberts dropped out of high school, flipped burgers at McDonald’s, delivered pizza, and eventually built a successful real estate media business.

🎙️In This Episode...
Evan sits down for an honest and wide-ranging discussion about entrepreneurship, failure, creativity, faith, and building a career on your own terms.

From living in his mom’s basement and delivering pizzas to running a growing business, Evan shares what he learned by taking an unconventional path and figuring things out along the way.

Evan’s story is a reminder that there isn’t always a straight line between where you start and where you end up. You may not have the perfect education, plan, credentials, or circumstances, but you can still learn, adapt, take risks, build something meaningful, and figure it out along the way.

If you’re an entrepreneur, parent, professional, or someone trying to build a meaningful career while staying grounded in your faith and family, this conversation offers plenty to think about, or a few things you may not agree with.

🎙️Timestamps:
00:01:03 What did Evan Roberts do after he dropped out of high school?
00:07:14 How di Evan start his real estate media business?
00:20:17 Why running a business is a creative process?
00:35:12 Is college necessary for success?
00:41:05 Building a successful business

🎙️This Week's Guest Bio:
Evan Roberts is an entrepreneur and the founder of Visually Sold, a real estate media company based in Georgia. Throughout his journey, Evan has learned through failure, experimentation, self-education, and being willing to try things before he had everything figured out. Beyond entrepreneurship, Evan is a devoted husband and father who seeks to honor Christ through his work and everyday life.

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