Right After Breakfast

Jared Mandell is the founder of a company call JB Mandell Woodworking. Creating anything out of wood that you can imagine by hand. Picking a favorite interview is an impossible task for me. But speaking with Jared was particularly special because I related to it so closely. Like Jared, I came from a family with parents who had different religious and political backgrounds. Although positives and negatives can come out of that situation, each child handles it differently. Jared ended up choosing a Christian lifestyle and was drawn to the religion because it stood for something bigger than himself, and offered him a sense of community.  As Jared’s story unfolds he talks about the process of going from a religious man to a spiritual man, while keeping community and purpose in his life. From his tiny wood shop located in his parents garage he balances a life of isolation and meaningful community. During my time with him there were countless people who would drive by and honk, wave, or shout “hi” to Jared as they