Beyond the Bottom Line: Michael Leach & David Meltzer Trust God’s Plan When Everything Is Lost
Jesus Calling: Stories of Faith
Jesus Calling
4.5 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 9 April 2026
⏱️ 26 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This week, we’ll hear from Michael Leach, who went from the high-pressure, competitive world of the NFL to navigating the intense landscape of national politics, ultimately becoming the first-ever Chief Diversity Officer in the White House. Leach reveals the defining moments—from simple childhood boundaries on the south side of Chicago to faith-led decisions that cost him his seemingly secure career—that prepared him for roles he never planned.
Later in the episode, we’ll hear from entrepreneur and business leader David Meltzer. David opens up about growing up with intense financial insecurity, reaching extraordinary success—amassing over a hundred million dollars by age thirty—and the catastrophic moment he lost absolutely everything.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Past interview: Cyndi Thomson
Upcoming interview: Jon Acuff
Interview Quotes:
“I remember praying something I didn’t fully understand yet—that God would give me a life and a job that would help me change the world or my environment.” - Michael Leach
“God sets boundaries, not to limit us, but to protect and prepare us.” - Michael Leach
“Everyone communicates, but few connect. When you’re interacting with hundreds of people in high pressure environments, communication alone isn’t enough. Connection was what, for me, built trust.” - Michael Leach
“One of the best ways to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. That’s where my commitment to servant leadership was formed.” - Michael Leach
“I left the NFL only because I believe God had called me to do so. I trusted that if He called me to unfamiliar territory that He would sustain me there also. And He did. I think we should never stop learning because life never stops teaching.” - Michael Leach
“It’s through our surrendering that God does His establishing—whether it’s in our career, our finances, our marriage, or our sense of control.” - Michael Leach
“I believe that everything you consume will eventually come out of you, for better or for worse—what you listen to, what you eat, what you view, what you watch. Even though things are going to come up, He’s always going to stay up and above what’s coming your way.” - Michael Leach
“I attributed all my success to how much money I made. Though success came early for me, I was trying to fill a God-sized hole with everything but God. And money doesn’t fill that hole.” - David Meltzer
“If I could encourage anyone to make God their faith non-negotiable—whether it’s meditation or prayer, or just living in the divine direction of taking care of your sleep, your health, your family, and your faith every day—knowing that two minutes a day is worth two hours on a Sunday.” - David Meltzer
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Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel!
Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7
Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw
Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C
Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj
Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u
What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj
Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | In times like these, we all need a word of encouragement. From pastor and best-selling author Max |
| 0:04.3 | Lukato comes the Max Lucato encouraging Word podcast with over 40 years of ministry and more than |
| 0:09.4 | 145 million books sold in 50 languages. Max shares the greatest story ever told, the living |
| 0:15.3 | savior who brings hope for a lifetime through rich, biblical insight, heartfelt storytelling. |
| 0:20.1 | You'll be reminded that God is always near, always for you, and always in you. |
| 0:24.6 | Listen to the Max Lucato encouraging Word podcast, where hope meets your day. |
| 0:28.2 | Subscribe now wherever you get your podcast. |
| 0:32.5 | Life Audio |
| 0:33.6 | Join us in celebrating an incredible milestone as the beloved Jesus Calling brand reaches |
| 0:40.3 | 50 million lives impacted. As we honor the legacy of author Sarah Young, we reflect on the |
| 0:46.1 | stories from celebrities, pastors, authors, actors, singers, athletes, scholars, and everyday people |
| 0:52.3 | who have been inspired by her devotional writings. To join in the |
| 0:55.8 | celebration and to hear some of the stories of people whose faith journeys have been impacted |
| 0:59.7 | by all the writings of Sarah Young, head over to Jesus Calling.com. |
| 1:06.6 | It's through our surrendering that God does his establishing, whether it's in our career, our |
| 1:12.9 | finances, or marriage, or, you know, our sense of control. And I think that obedience is what |
| 1:18.8 | ultimately led me to the White House. Welcome to the Jesus Calling podcast. This week we'll hear |
| 1:24.8 | from Michael Leach, who went from the high-pressure competitive world of the NFL to navigating the intense landscape of national politics, ultimately becoming the first ever chief diversity officer in the White House. |
| 1:37.2 | Leach reveals the defining moments from simple childhood boundaries on the south side of Chicago to faith-led decisions that cost him has seemingly |
| 1:44.5 | secure a career that prepared him for roles he never planned. Later in the episode, we'll hear |
| 1:50.1 | from entrepreneur and business leader David Meltzer. David opens up about growing up with |
| 1:54.9 | intense financial insecurity, reaching extraordinary success, amassing over $100 million by the age of 30, |
... |
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