In today’s episode of The Calling, we explore deep insights about faith, leadership, and family with Joe Evermore. Known for his innovative approach to nonprofit success and adventurous spirit, Joe opens up about how his personal and professional lives are guided by divine purpose. Listen as Joe explains the life-altering journey his family embarked on, the miraculous story behind their last name, and the profound lessons on humility and courage he learned through climbing. This conversation is sure to encourage you to pursue your God-given dreams with confidence.
Welcome, everyone, to The Calling’s radio show to all the dreamers. I’m your radio host, Dr. Chrysandra Brunson, and it is such an honor to be with all of you today. You know, at The Calling, we have realized that so many people are afraid to go after the dreams that Jesus has put on our heart because they are afraid to fail. And that is just plain wrong, because if God is giving us a dream and we’re not living it out, we are wasting it. And we do not want you or anyone else to die with regret. That’s why at The Calling, we love to inspire, empower, and equip people to, after God’s calling on their lives, to reap the best kind of eternal legacy possible to have immediate impact on ourselves and our families. We love to do this through so many different avenues, through global conferences, workshops, seminars, educational tools, but especially through this radio show where we bring on world-renowned guests to share how they’re going after God’s calling on their lives and how you can do the same. Today is no exception. We are thrilled and honored to have the one and only Joe Evermore on with us. Joe, welcome to the show.
JOE EVERMORE :
Hey, it’s good to be here. I love the enthusiasm.
CHRYSANDRA :
We’re so honored to have you, Joe, and this has been a long time coming. We just admire you so much, Joe, and you and your family are near and dear to our hearts. But to finally be on here to share how you’re going after your God-given dreams, I am just thrilled for our listeners to be able to tune in. And Joe, you have to share where you’re joining us from.
JOE EVERMORE :
Yeah, so I’m in my tree house, which is my office where I work from, which is next to my house, but it’s actually in a tree about 20 feet up. And yeah, it gives me the opportunity to kind of come out here and kind of focus. And yeah, it’s a nice place.
CHRYSANDRA :
Joe, I do have to say, I think that is the coolest spot so far of any guests of tuning in. awesome just to repeat that is a tree house a real live one and you’ll be able to hopefully see this on our socials but you can see the deer in the background and a little bit of snow and joe can you just share your name and It sounds so familiar, especially with this recent global news of you and your family. But can you just be able to refresh our listeners’ hearts and minds of some of the leadership positions that you have led thus far?
JOE EVERMORE :
Yeah. So what I do professionally is I coach nonprofits on how to raise a lot of money. And so I founded an organization in 2011 named Save the Storks. And it had a national impact and really became a major player in the pro-life movement, helped a lot of women who were kind of at the moment of decision, make a decision for life. And that was the beginning of kind of my nonprofit journey. And Now I help all sorts of nonprofits, you know, grow and thrive.
CHRYSANDRA :
And I feel like you just have this green thumb and just the Lord’s anointing automatically. We met at the National Prayer Breakfast years ago, but there’s just a zeal and anointing over you and your family and what you guys have started with your first ministry and now allowing that wisdom to go through and touch nonprofits around the world, including The Calling. We’re just so thankful for your leadership. And also, Joe, just your leadership as a family. Can you just briefly share just some of the things, dynamics of your family? We’re going to dive into that throughout our time together. But just summary version of who you Evermores are and what’s unique about you.
JOE EVERMORE :
Yeah, well, we have four boys, and if you’re going to have kids, I recommend not having four boys in a row. That’s a lot of boys. And it’s a miracle that our house doesn’t burn down. It’s always a battle. It’s always an adventure. And we are having the time of our life raising these, you know, very, very adventurous and wild boys.
CHRYSANDRA :
yes and joe recently uh can you just share what happened on the national news level of where we may have heard about your family yeah so uh we’re a climbing family so what what we have like specific rules in our home one of them is that we ask our kids to climb something every day and developing them why don’t you say that you just say it like we want you to climb something every day
JOE EVERMORE :
Well, we have a whole property full of things to climb on. That makes it a little easier. That’s one of our fun rules. But our kids, our kids are also very goal centered. And so we every year we give each kid one ginormous goal. It has to be one of the goals they have to be able to It has to be big enough they have to work on it every day. And we had our eight-year-old climb El Capitan and he climbed the free rider route. This was a rope ascent, but it was seven days of hanging on the wall, either from your fingers or from your anchors. Our tents literally like attached to the wall and hang. It was a big adventure with an eight-year-old.
CHRYSANDRA :
I think all of us, even as old adults, that would be a huge risky thing to be doing at any age and especially at eight years old. And then, Joe, you guys were also you went to Switzerland. And what what happened with that adventure?
JOE EVERMORE :
Yeah, so Sam’s goal was to climb the Matterhorn, and that was actually a two-year journey to get that done. And the Matterhorn, if you don’t know about it, first of all, it’s the most known mountain in the world. It’s captivating. It’s like this giant diamond. It’s right in the center of the Disney logo. It’s a very famous and extraordinary mountain. It’s also like you climb this ridge that’s like a knife blade of death. Wow. And it’s very, very dangerous. If you do not know what you’re doing, you would go up there and die. Like it’s a serious endeavor, just as serious as it gets. And Sam had to complete so many disciplines to be ready. And now Sam is the youngest American to climb the Matterhorn in Switzerland, which is a pretty big deal.
CHRYSANDRA :
Well, we’re going to touch so much more on that, Joe, here in a little bit. Cannot wait to hear the details of you and him doing this together as father and son and making this historic journey together. And this is just the beginning. Joe, will you just share with us, we love being able to hear dreamers’ hearts of where they started when they were little. And Joe, when you look back as a little boy, how can you see that God was dropping different seeds in your heart to be doing this today?
JOE EVERMORE :
That’s a good question. When you’re a dad, you look back at your upbringing so differently. You start reevaluating the things that you saw your parents do, you remember your parents do, you think about it differently, and you see your life differently. It’s interesting because my boys are now of the age when I started climbing. You know, I started I first times I were climbing like fourth grade and then sixth grade, it was a big step. And, you know, so I feel like those seeds were back then, like where God was putting people in my life that would invite me to, you know, learn, learn the disciplines, learn the sport that now I’ve taken to be where I am today.
CHRYSANDRA :
Is there one scenario, Joe, that you can look back that your parents were, that they said to you that really stuck to you to be the adventurous parent that you and your wife are now?
JOE EVERMORE :
There was, well, there was one time there was a camp director named Bob, Uncle Bob, and he, um, I’d signed up to be a part of this climbing trip that was kind of off the season. It was a weekend trip. And apparently, because it had rained so much, they canceled the trip. But we didn’t get the memo. And so we found a way to drive. All the bridges were out because of all of this rain. But I kept insisting to my parents, find a way to the camp. And we were the only person that made it there. And then when we got there, Uncle Bob was like, I was afraid that you’d try to come here when you didn’t get the memo because you didn’t answer the phone. And he says, so how about I just take you climbing? So it’s just like me and him instead of like this bigger group. And that really was kind of like the beginning of my climbing journey.
CHRYSANDRA :
And how old were you, Joe?
JOE EVERMORE :
Oh, this must have been like fourth or fifth grade. I was just getting started.
CHRYSANDRA :
That is incredible. In the aspect of climbing, Joe, what have you realized with just knowing about God and his nature through this incredible sport of rock climbing?
JOE EVERMORE :
Well, first of all, the Bible is completely full of rock climbers and mountain climbers. Almost every character that actually develops that character in the Scripture is climbing mountains at some point, seeking God in the mountains. And so there’s a very kind of holy thing there that we see and experience. And when you’re in the mountains, you’re very close, you’re in touch with your mortality. But what I teach my kids is that it’s about understanding what I call the smallness of our greatness. And in the mountains, you get to kind of like really exercise your strongest, greatest strength against the mountain. And really, and it’s against this higher nature, you know, and then you get to learn about the smallness of your greatness. Like you’re really, really strong, but you’re really, really small. And those two things coming together is actually, I think that’s kind of what humility really is. It’s not about shrinking yourself to be less than you are. It’s just being who you are in your greatest strength and yet accepting that you’re still really small and insignificant. That’s a better way to think about humility than trying to kind of shrink back who you are.
CHRYSANDRA :
Joe, that’s such a profound piece of wisdom, especially about humility and our normal perception of it. So thank you for realigning that and seeing that perspective on this journey, Joe, of this whole aspect of helping nonprofits go after their God-given dreams. But in this first one that you started, how did you start that nonprofit and how did it change your life?
JOE EVERMORE :
Yeah, so I went on a mission trip to New York City in 2010, and I saw a group of pro-lifers that were using a mobile medical unit, and I couldn’t believe how successful it was. It was a very cheap version of what we later built, but what it was was they were bringing a sonogram to a mom, and they were providing a service. They weren’t there to picket or to protest. They were there to provide a service to help a woman kind of see into her womb and see her baby. And when we did that, it was life-changing for these moms. For me, it was life-changing for me when I saw a woman change her mind, who was heading there to a scheduled abortion, come aboard a bus, see her baby, make a decision to carry. That was so life-changing that I said to my, which was my fiance at the time, I said, I don’t know what God has for us, but what I saw today, I feel like it was almost like shooting up. Like there was something in my bloodstream I couldn’t get enough of. I said, I think we got to do this. We got to figure out how to do this. And we have to do it with excellence. And we have to do it all over America.
CHRYSANDRA :
Pause you right there. We have to take a short break. We cannot wait what you feel like you and Ann needed to do around America. Everyone, you’re listening to Joe Evermore. We’ll be right back. Twist and shout with Lee & Co. They are the premier oldies band delivering the rock and roll vibes you’ve been missing. Great songs, great memories. Book them at LeeAndCo.com. Hi guys, this is Chrysandra Brunson, host of To All The Dreamers. I am so happy to introduce personal training, nutritional guidance, and behavioral change coaching. Healthy, happy, and heavenly for your wellness, spirit, soul, and body. Contact Mimi Kroger at healthyhappyandheavenly.com.
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CHRYSANDRA :
At Ignite Brilliance Coaching, you will get 34 years of science teaching, a decade of university level instruction, and over 10 years of instructional coaching to empower educators with the tools, mindset, and confidence to thrive. Contact Ignite Brilliance Coaching on Facebook. This is The Calling on Crawford Broadcasting, the show where marketplace leaders share their stories of faith, bridging the gap between your career and your God-given calling. Listen every weekday or become a sponsor and help other people live out their God-given calling. We are back. Thank you for listening to all the dreamers radio show. I’m your host, Dr. Chrysandra Brunson, founder and CEO of The Calling. And we have such an honor to have the one and only Joe Evermore with us. Joe, right before break, we were just hearing what you witnessed and what you told your beautiful bride at the time, Beyonce, that you guys had to do together.
JOE EVERMORE :
yeah so we basically begin this concept of like what if we could do what if we could launch these mobile medical units around the country and take the sonogram to the woman and provide her you know because what was so cool is is that like i’ve i’ve always you know been been among pro-life circles and there’s there’s lots of different like you know apologetics and debate uh that would kind of persuade someone over to your side but the miracle was it was actually the baby that would persuade the mother to carry and that was like kind of this innovation that had already been done, but then it needed to be like kind of delivered to a mom. And once we, once they figured out how to launch a stork bus, it was all over. I mean, since then they’ve launched over a hundred stork buses around the US and done a lot of good.
CHRYSANDRA :
That is phenomenal. Well, and then, Joe, you guys continue to grow. And really quick, Joe, we love a good love story. And I think the way that you asked your beautiful bride to marry you is one of the most historic and such a fun fact. Joe, will you just share real quick how you asked Anne to marry you and what has really set you guys apart, not only as a couple, but as an adventurous family?
JOE EVERMORE :
yeah so i asked ann to marry me um with uh 10 000 um square feet of blue tarp uh while skydiving and uh it was it was amazing so she saw that she was like one of the things you do as a skydiver when you’re learning to be a skydiver you have to look down out of the plane and find the spot where you’re gonna jump and she leaned out of the plane she saw this giant sign that says will you marry me and she immediately turned around and i was already on my knee with the ring out it was amazing yeah
CHRYSANDRA :
Yeah. Well, you set the bar very high. And I guess the question is, were you afraid that you were going to drop the ring with the door open?
JOE EVERMORE :
Well, we talked about actually having an extra ring and dropping that one. But we can’t all those ideas. But I wasn’t afraid of dropping it. But we did think about dropping it on purpose.
CHRYSANDRA :
Well, it just is such a perfect example, again, Joe, of how God has really allowed you to follow him fearlessly and how you and Anne have led your children to live fearlessly. And we can’t wait to hear, again, more about this recent venture of you and Sam in Switzerland. But before that, you know, Joe, we know that in encountering our callings, in different seasons in life. There’s so many different giants that try to stop us. And is there a certain situation, whether that was in the nonprofit realm or just in the climbing as a family that you thought you couldn’t continue on, but through faith, you were able to persevere?
JOE EVERMORE :
well let me tell you there are giants and enemies everywhere whatever you do whatever you do there are gonna be people that come against you that hate you that hate what you’re doing especially if it’s godly or good they will sabotage you they will you know attack your identity they will attack your you personally they will lie about you I’ve experienced all of the above with every venture that I’ve built. And there’s always, they’re always there. Like it’s not, there’s ever since the fall, like there’s no way out of this, especially if you got a big dream, if you have big ideas, if you want to change the world, like you are going to have opposition and the opposition is cruel. The opposition is ruthless. And one of the most difficult parts is pushing back, pushing through and not becoming hard and not playing on the same field as these people. That’s one of the hardest things that there is. It’s really easy to get hard and to get cruel and to get mean and to get angry. And I guess I see why some people do get angry and they get hard and they get kind of internally like sour themselves because of the constant assault.
CHRYSANDRA :
I think that is so deep. It’s such a great pulse on on walking as a disciple of Jesus. And would you just be able to is there something like a scenario that stands out a situation that you did have to encounter to not become hard?
JOE EVERMORE :
Well, I’ll tell you one thing there in my life, like there’s so many people that have come against me for everything I’ve done, like and even taking my kids climbing, like my kids have built quite a brand, a brand that they actually make some money. My my son, Sam, is trading. He’s buying tech stocks and cryptocurrencies now. But there’s all these people out there that are so offended by that they’re so like they’re so mad that he’s sponsored he’s making money that that we’re putting him on the internet things like that when i’m like when i was a kid i was like i delivered newspapers the paper route economy has dried up people every kid i know wants to be a youtuber why not guide them in that venture if that’s but if they’re capable of it But these people are so cruel. They’re so mean. And the same people that are like worried that I’m exploiting my kids will say downright lies about us and like openly attack our children and our marriage. And so we have to deal with that.
CHRYSANDRA :
Joe, I mean, just in your leadership, you really like the leader of leaders. But just like you’re saying, when people assault your inner character and your inner nuclear family, it’s like that’s one of the biggest attacks the enemy can try to throw at us. And. You guys have continued to show the most grace and love and encouragement and just this authenticity of what it really looks like to follow Jesus fiercely. So we really honor you, you evermore so much. Joe, for your last name, can you just briefly describe why that is so important?
JOE EVERMORE :
i mean a few years ago um well after having three boys all you want in the world is a girl and we finally found out that we were having a girl and that was like what we prayed for we’d hoped for and finally she’s coming that’s life-changing in itself and then we go to a sonogram appointment and a doctor basically says i’m sorry but your your baby’s going to develop normally in the womb but soon after she’s going to die And that’s pretty hard to hear. And so basically my wife fell into a dark depression and basically kind of was moving into the basement of our home. And I, you know, I was trying to rescue her and trying to get, trying to find a way to get through to her. And so I came up with this concept of like, hey, what if we just took Ember to all of our favorite places before she’s born and celebrated her that way? And we had this concept and like we started, we just put out a map and we decided to do it. We took her up all these mountains and something we do with all of our boys. And it was, it was, it ended up being like at the beginning of the journey, I was literally praying, God, is there a way that you could just miscarry this baby? Because we can’t handle this. And at the end of the journey, I was figuring out trying to pray, like, is there any way we can get more moments with our daughter? Because we fell in love with her over the course of what we call our Ember tour. And then she came. She came in November 4th of 2021. And it was by far the most transcendent experience of my life. It was like God was with us and He was sad with us. we were our whole family was changed by this little girl and she lived for an hour and six minutes out of the womb and uh it was such a transcendent experience my boys still talk about their sister almost every day and they remember her and we felt like we wanted to kind of we had this mark on our life that we felt like God had put on our life because of this girl. And we felt like we were so different that we needed a new name. We felt like God led us to this name that really represents God’s eternal nature and just the fact that we will see our daughter again. And so Evermore really is like this promise that God has given us to know our daughter. And so it was a profound change. It was a big deal to change your name. Let me tell you, it’s not something easy, especially to change it for your whole family.
CHRYSANDRA :
Well, I just thank you so much, Joe, for opening up and sharing that. And I know that it touches so much of our hearts and that we’re forever more changed. And to know how you guys are able to take one of the hardest situations anyone could ever face and to walk through it like you did is such an eternal legacy for And Joe, I don’t know where time goes. It goes by so quick, but we would love to have you back sooner than later, maybe with your with Ann and the kiddos. Would you just share real quick with us? We want to know what your wisdom is for someone who is afraid to go after God’s calling on their lives, as well as what you and Sam just did and how we can come alongside you and your amazing family in this next season.
JOE EVERMORE :
Yeah, so I think there’s a level of intentionality that you need. Like, you really got to take your dream and put it together with a plan. And then you have to sequence that plan into, like, here are the steps to get there. In the course of this conversation, we talked about enemies. And, like, you never, ever, ever make decisions based on your enemies. You need to, like… you you don’t it’s it’s just like you don’t make decisions based on your competitors you make your decision based on what is the best decision for the market what is the best decision for your customer what is the best decision for your life focus in on that like you need to There are times when you have to fight your enemies, but you don’t shut down or quit because you have opposition. Opposition comes because you’re beginning to win. You’re beginning to take ground. It’s inevitable that it’s coming. It’s something that you should be thankful for. It means that you are moving the ground. It’s something you’re going to face.
CHRYSANDRA :
Get ready for it.
JOE EVERMORE :
Yeah.
CHRYSANDRA :
And Joe, how can we come alongside you and Sam and the whole family in this upcoming venture? And we want to know what’s next. What mountain’s next?
JOE EVERMORE :
Yes. So we’re not ready to spray our next mountain yet, but we… uh if you want to follow us you can follow my son sam at samuel adventure on instagram or my or my middle son sylvan sylvan lightyear on instagram and on those pages you can also support the movie we’re making if you click on the um in the profile there’s a link to our give send go page and we’re actually making a film that’s going to be on uh angel the angel platform and so that’s a big project that like we’re making a whole documentary that’s going to be on the angel platform about raising boys with really big goals doing really hard things i think it’s going to shake the world joe this is huge and so people we can all be able to invest in it and be part of um this coming to be on that yeah yeah anyway you can join in yeah yeah
CHRYSANDRA :
well i challenge every you guys just you heard just a tad bit about joe and his amazing family but you want to sew into this family and they are truly changing the world and joe thank you so much for your example we honor and respect you so much and again welcome you all back very soon challenge everyone Go invest into this incredible documentary that will be coming out and into this family. Follow Sam and his brother. And we can’t wait for you to answer God’s calling on your dream to take the next step of faith today. Don’t let the giants get in the way. Till next time, dreamer. Keep dreaming big.
