CASE STUDIES

In this episode of Case Studies, Casey sits down with Adam Edmunds, CEO of Entrada and former executive behind companies like Podium, Allegiance, and SilentWhistle, for an honest conversation about ambition, identity, and the emotional weight that often comes with high performance.Adam opens up about the hidden struggle behind outward success; building and selling companies, chasing relevance, and quietly battling depression while leading at the highest levels of Utah tech. He reflects on the pressure to prove himself, the danger of tying self-worth to achievement, and the wake up call that forced him to reevaluate everything from leadership to relationships to personal fulfillment.The conversation explores entrepreneurship, product-market fit, burnout, divorce, fatherhood, reinvention, and what it means to build a life rooted in gratitude instead of validation. Adam also shares lessons from scaling Entrada into one of the most important software companies in the country and why creating meaningful impact now matters more to him than titles or recognition.This episode is a powerful listen for founders, leaders, and anyone learning that success without alignment eventually comes at a cost.[00:00] Meeting face to face, finally[01:34] Gratitude for where he stands now[03:49] Blending two families[07:40] Losing his edge on a bike climb[10:29] High-functioning, undiagnosed depression[14:19] Facing the silence after leaving Podium[23:39] Spring, summer, fall, and winter[27:56] Never feeling like enough[35:18] SilentWhistle and cold-emailing CEOs[43:48] Allegiance and a broken cap table[52:17] Podium, product-market fit, and burnout[58:00] Dave's call and joining Entrada[01:07:48] Rules he broke to meet Alli[01:17:52] Faith, spirituality, and showing up[01:20:31] Basketball cards for foster kids

In this episode of Case Studies, Casey sits down again with David Butler, a teacher of world religions and guide of immersive faith based trips, for the second installment of their four part series. The discussion moves from the Maasai tribes of Tanzania to a mosque in Turkey to the streets of first century Jerusalem, tracing a consistent idea. Across every culture, language, and tradition, people are reaching for the same thing. David unpacks why grace only exists in a messy world, why failure is often the doorway rather than the disqualifier, and why Jesus's ministry ran on a kind of inefficiency that modern leaders are trained to avoid: one-on-one presence over scale. For founders and leaders who default to optimization, this is a case for slowing down, sitting with the outlier, and finding meaning in what looks unproductive. David also shares how to join him on a future Jerusalem trip. This episode is for anyone rethinking how faith, leadership, and human connection intersect, especially those wrestling with how ambition and presence coexist. Connect with David on Instagram at @mrdavebutler, or sign up to be notified about upcoming trips here

In this episode of Case Studies, Casey sits down with Jeanette Bennett – award-winning journalist, founder of Utah Valley Magazine, and now a rising leader in commercial real estate; for a compelling conversation about reinvention, resilience, and the power of quiet ambition.Jeanette opens up about her early days growing up in Idaho, her fierce internal drive that led her to become valedictorian, and how motherhood sparked the entrepreneurial fire that would define her career. With no outside funding, she sold her home to launch her first magazine; a move that would go on to shape the voice of Utah’s business community for over two decades.They explore the realities of building a company from scratch, navigating gender dynamics in leadership, and what it looks like to gracefully transition into a new chapter of influence and impact. Through it all, Jeanette reflects on listening as a superpower, the art of celebrating others, and the quiet strength it takes to lead with both confidence and humility.This conversation is packed with insight for anyone building a business, a life, or both.

In this episode of Case Studies, Casey welcomes back David Butler for the first of a four-part series exploring faith ahead of a group pilgrimage to Jerusalem. David, who leads pilgrimage experiences to the Holy Land, joins Casey to unpack what it means to know God more deeply, starting with creation itself.The conversation moves from a desert night in the Sahara staring through a telescope at two billion solar systems, to the story of Job being pointed toward the stars, to why scripture's purpose isn't a history lesson but a portrait of God's character. David and Casey talk about the strange comfort of feeling small against something vast, why the wealthy and powerful become less accessible while God becomes more so, and how a friend's grief after unexpected loss became an unexpected testimony of connection beyond death.They also get personal, about the pull toward something bigger than daily life, the discipline of belief that lets you actually move forward instead of staying stuck in fear, and what it's like walking through the literal places where these ancient stories happened. David closes by sharing how listeners can put together their own custom trip to experience it firsthand.00:00 | Intro: Recapping the last episode and the road to Jerusalem02:27 | Setting the scene: what Jerusalem actually looks like03:38 | Why Jerusalem captures the imagination04:59 | Faith as a driving force in history — for good and for harm05:41 | A night in the Sahara and 2 billion solar systems08:49 | The two creation accounts: scripture and the stars10:45 | SpaceX, the moon race, and our pull toward something bigger19:58 | Covenant Mountain: God initiating a relationship with Abraham25:08 | The Todd Peterson story: what real leadership looks like28:41 | God's promises to Abraham and the origin of "believe"32:00 | What "amen" really means36:43 | The Alex and Grant story: playing the long game as a parent38:51 | "You've been God for a long time"42:52 | Do the dead still show up? A friend's stage-four cancer and a dream52:41 | Bethlehem, the Jordan River, and the name Joshua/Jesus55:23 | Reading scripture to learn God's character, not just how to act59:10 | Tying the Old Testament to the New: Jesus as the God who heals1:03:48 | Doing his best work in ordinary, unremarkable places1:06:27 | Capernaum: the city Christ's miracles kept returning to1:09:28 | The paralyzed man lowered through the roof — healing the soul first1:14:53 | The woman with the issue of blood — 12 years overlooked1:22:09 | "Who God is, is who he'll always be" — reading scripture as pattern1:24:07 | Wrapping up: Jehovah, Jesus, and what it means for the Jerusalem trip

In this episode of Case Studies, Casey sits down with Taylor Randall, the 17th president of the University of Utah and former dean of the David Eccles School of Business. With a background as a distinguished economist and academic leader, Taylor brings deep insight into what it takes to lead major institutions through growth, innovation, and cultural transformation.He shares the leadership principles that guided his decade-long transformation of the Eccles School into a nationally recognized and fast growing business program, and discusses how those same values now shape his presidency at the University of Utah. The conversation explores how to build momentum in complex systems, why fast decision making matters, and how to lead with both humility and urgency in high stakes environments.Casey and Taylor unpack topics ranging from academic innovation and public university strategy to entrepreneurship, economics, and the future of higher education.

In this episode of Case Studies, Casey sits down with Heather and Don Van Boerum — a Utah couple whose ordinary trip to Costco became a moment that divided their lives into before and after — for an honest conversation about trauma, faith, marriage, and what it means to find joy on the other side of the unthinkable.Heather opens up about losing both legs below the knee in a parking lot accident just days before Christmas, navigating 14-plus hours of surgery, and the quiet spiritual premonition she'd had only a week before it happened. Don, a trauma surgeon who has spent his career walking into the worst moments of strangers' lives, reflects on what it was like to jump into the back of an ambulance and realize it was his wife — and the dark night he spent wandering back to the Costco parking lot wondering if they'd made the wrong call.The conversation explores the thin line between survival and loss, the choice to compete instead of collapse, the son who wrote a forgiveness card to the driver before his mom had even thought to be angry, and the kind of joy that can only be found on the other side of deep suffering. Heather and Don talk about what presence actually means, how tragedy clarified their marriage, and why four and a half years later, neither of them would trade what this experience has given them.This episode is a powerful listen for anyone navigating hardship, anyone who's ever questioned whether faith holds up under real pressure, and anyone who needs a reminder that the richest lives are rarely the ones that went according to plan.00:00 — Introduction & How They Met11:00 — Life Before the Accident11:54 — Just a Normal Day16:18 — The Moment of Impact22:32 — Don Hears It Happen25:06 — "We Have Her Limbs"33:30 — The Surgery That Lasted Until Christmas Eve36:22 — "This Is My Wife, Let's Get Going"47:42 — Choosing to Win49:44 — The Christmas Eve Surgery57:54 — "Will You Make Up My Difference?"01:03:10 — The Card01:13:00 — Beauty From Ashes01:18:23 — What We Know Now01:26:38 — Happy vs. Joy

In this episode of Case Studies, Casey sits down with Dan Snow, Berkeley PhD and Harvard Business School professor turned BYU educator; for a thoughtful conversation on identity, reinvention, and choosing a life of deep purpose over conventional success.Dan shares his journey from the factory floors of Ford to the lecture halls of Harvard, and why he ultimately walked away from the elite academic path to teach and mentor at BYU. With rare humility and clarity, he unpacks the quiet courage it takes to start over, the challenges of being “the outsider,” and what it means to build a life that actually aligns with your values.They explore leadership, legacy, and how the most meaningful growth often comes from embracing discomfort. Whether it’s navigating faith in unfamiliar environments or making high stakes career pivots, Dan’s story is a powerful reminder that status isn’t the goal, impact is.

In this solo episode of Case Studies, Casey explores one of the most influential principles of his life: keeping learning ahead of earning. Drawing from more than two decades of intentional self-education and over a million dollars invested in personal development, he shares why the greatest asset anyone can build is their own ability to create value.  Casey reflects on the mentors, books, seminars, and experiences that shaped his career, from early lessons in sales and leadership to executive education at Harvard Business School and transformational experiences with Tony Robbins. Along the way, he unpacks the concept of human life value, the power of Kaizen and continuous improvement, and why the habit of learning matters far more than any individual investment.Casey challenges listeners to think differently about personal growth and success. He makes the case that the highest-return investment is rarely a stock, a business, or a market opportunity; it’s the commitment to continuously develop new skills, expand knowledge, and increase your ability to create value. For entrepreneurs, leaders, and high performers, this episode offers a practical framework for building a life of momentum, opportunity, and long-term fulfillment through intentional learning.