In this episode, B. Davis sits down with Dr. Jason Barnhart, Professor of Theology at Ashland Theological Seminary, to explore how our sense of calling is shaped over time. Jason shares his journey from youth ministry to the classroom and reflects on how theology, worldview, and life experience all play a role in forming identity.

Together, they unpack what it really means to “listen to your life” and why calling is less about finding the perfect job and more about paying attention to the deeper story God is writing. This conversation touches on career transitions, imposter syndrome, and the tension between who we are and what we do.

If you have ever questioned your direction or wondered how your past connects to your purpose, this episode will help you think differently about calling.

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New episodes drop weekly, featuring conversations with people across disciplines who are thoughtful about their work and honest about the cost of doing it well.

I’m Brandon Davis Wells and thanks for answering the call.

This week on Caller ID, I’m joined by my wife, writer Sarah Wells, on the day her new book Say One Million Times, Wow! Essays on Awe, Faith, and Family from America’s Great Outdoors (and Some Hotel Rooms) releases.

But this isn’t just a conversation about a book—it’s about calling. We talk about what it looks like to build a creative life in the middle of real responsibilities, how identity gets shaped over time, and why you need to listen to your instincts and not settle for a safe road.

Sarah shares the behind-the-scenes of her writing journey, the tension between vocation and family, and how awe isn’t just a feeling—it’s a way of seeing that can reframe your work, your purpose, and your everyday life.

If you’re trying to figure out who you are, what you’re called to, or how to stay grounded while pursuing something meaningful, this one’s for you.

Her new book Say One Million Times, Wow! Essays on Awe, Faith, and Family from America’s Great Outdoors (and Some Hotel Rooms) is available now on Amazon or wherever books are sold. Learn more at sarahmariewells.com.

Support the show

Thanks for listening to Caller ID.

You can follow Caller ID wherever you listen to podcasts, and if you’re enjoying the show, a quick rating or review helps more people find it.

New episodes drop weekly, featuring conversations with people across disciplines who are thoughtful about their work and honest about the cost of doing it well.

I’m Brandon Davis Wells and thanks for answering the call.

Firefighter. Cornell grad. Serial entrepreneur. Real estate investor. Risk-taker.

Keith Saffles has lived several lives in one — and each chapter has required bold decisions, deep resilience, and a willingness to start over.

In this episode of Caller ID, we dive into Keith’s journey through public service, entrepreneurship, and real estate, exploring what drives someone to repeatedly step into uncertainty and build from scratch. We talk about fear, faith, failure, timing, and the internal compass that guides big life decisions.

If you’ve ever wrestled with risk, reinvention, or the tension between security and calling, this conversation will meet you right where you are.

Support the show

Thanks for listening to Caller ID.

You can follow Caller ID wherever you listen to podcasts, and if you’re enjoying the show, a quick rating or review helps more people find it.

New episodes drop weekly, featuring conversations with people across disciplines who are thoughtful about their work and honest about the cost of doing it well.

I’m Brandon Davis Wells and thanks for answering the call.

Kris Mowry joins me on the show today, and we talk about the influence of growing up in rural Ohio, succeeding without a college degree, sales, faith, quitting drinking. It's a jam packed 40 minutes of wisdom, with a few laughs mixed in too.

Support the show

Thanks for listening to Caller ID.

You can follow Caller ID wherever you listen to podcasts, and if you’re enjoying the show, a quick rating or review helps more people find it.

New episodes drop weekly, featuring conversations with people across disciplines who are thoughtful about their work and honest about the cost of doing it well.

I’m Brandon Davis Wells and thanks for answering the call.

What happens when God interrupts your comfortable plan? Former high school teammate and lifelong friend Art McMahon joins Caller ID to share his journey from teaching and coaching at CVCA to becoming a missionary educator in Haiti. Art and his wife Miquette survived the 2010 earthquake — a moment that tested their faith, resolve, and courage. Now serving as Director of Beulah Beach Christian Camp, Art reflects on calling, leadership, suffering, resilience, and how legacy shapes identity. This is a powerful conversation about trust, surrender, and finding purpose in unexpected places.

Support the show

Thanks for listening to Caller ID.

You can follow Caller ID wherever you listen to podcasts, and if you’re enjoying the show, a quick rating or review helps more people find it.

New episodes drop weekly, featuring conversations with people across disciplines who are thoughtful about their work and honest about the cost of doing it well.

I’m Brandon Davis Wells and thanks for answering the call.

Imagine being pulled out of 5th grade because your parents didn't have a dollar to help send you to school. One dollar. This kind of thing can break you, or it can make you into the person you're called to be. On this week's episode of Caller ID, I talk with Miquette McMahon about her calling to help provide education for her native country of Haiti. We talk about the earthquake and how that impacted and changed everything.

Support the show

Thanks for listening to Caller ID.

You can follow Caller ID wherever you listen to podcasts, and if you’re enjoying the show, a quick rating or review helps more people find it.

New episodes drop weekly, featuring conversations with people across disciplines who are thoughtful about their work and honest about the cost of doing it well.

I’m Brandon Davis Wells and thanks for answering the call.

Dr. Rob Pool wears many hats, Vice President of Student Affairs and Auxiliary Services at Ashland University, faith-driven leader, mentor, husband, and lifelong drummer. But in this episode of Caller ID, we strip away titles, roles, and résumés to get to the real question: Who are you when the labels are gone?

Rob and I go way back — from playing in bands together to walking through leadership, faith, and life’s hardest seasons side by side. In this conversation, we dive into identity, trust, calling, and what it means to stay grounded when your job, influence, and responsibilities keep growing.

This episode is about:

• Why your identity cannot be your job
• Learning to trust when outcomes feel uncertain
• Leading with humility, not ego
• Faith, doubt, obedience, and surrender
• And how music has remained a grounding force through every season

If you’ve ever wrestled with purpose, burnout, ambition, or the pressure to perform — this one will hit home.

Dr. Rob Pool, thanks for taking the call.

Support the show

Thanks for listening to Caller ID.

You can follow Caller ID wherever you listen to podcasts, and if you’re enjoying the show, a quick rating or review helps more people find it.

New episodes drop weekly, featuring conversations with people across disciplines who are thoughtful about their work and honest about the cost of doing it well.

I’m Brandon Davis Wells and thanks for answering the call.

Jim Pfander is the General Manager of the Akron RubberDucks and the 2025 Minor League Baseball Executive of the Year, but his journey to the GM’s chair came with real tradeoffs, sacrifices, and moments of letting go.

In this episode of Caller ID, Jim and I reconnect as Ohio University classmates and broadcast program peers to talk honestly about what it takes to build a sustainable career in professional sports. From early internships with the Cleveland Indians to leadership roles across Minor League Baseball, Jim reflects on the decisions that shaped his path, including the reality that sometimes you have to give up one dream in order to chase a different, better-fitting one.

This conversation isn’t just about baseball. It’s about patience, adaptability, family considerations, and the cost of saying yes, and no, along the way. Jim offers a grounded look at the business behind the dream and what success actually requires over the long haul.

Whether you’re a student, a young professional, or someone wrestling with career direction and identity, this episode is a reminder that calling is rarely linear—and that the right path often emerges through sacrifice, clarity, and courage.

Support the show

Thanks for listening to Caller ID.

You can follow Caller ID wherever you listen to podcasts, and if you’re enjoying the show, a quick rating or review helps more people find it.

New episodes drop weekly, featuring conversations with people across disciplines who are thoughtful about their work and honest about the cost of doing it well.

I’m Brandon Davis Wells and thanks for answering the call.