Dr. Cassandra Brunson hosts Zak Ferry, Executive Director of The Lion Project, to discuss overcoming the fear of failure and pursuing your God-given calling.
Zak shares his journey from ministry and entrepreneurship to founding his nonprofit, highlighting how the necessity of providing for his wife and four children fueled his faith and courage. Learn about his “new thesis” on attracting and stewarding God’s anointing to multiply your efforts.
Discover powerful lessons on provision, surrender, and making your life count for an eternal legacy.
👉 Connect with The Lion Project and their mission to end food insecurity at thelionproject.org
00:26:00 Promotion of Gala Event and Closing Remarks
CHRYSANDRA :
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 God’s calling on their lives because they are afraid, and they are afraid to fail. And that is just plain wrong, because if God is giving you a dream and you’re not living it out, you are wasting it, and we do not want you to die with regret. That’s why at The Calling, we love to inspire, empower, and equip people after Jesus’ calling on their lives to reap the best kind of eternal legacy possible to have immediate impact on themselves and their families. We love to do this through so many different avenues, through custom tools and programs. especially through this radio show where we bring on world-renowned guests to share how they’re going after their God-given dreams and how you can do the same. And today is no exception. We have the one and only Zak Ferry on with us in studio. Zak, welcome to the show.
ZAK FERRY :
What an honor to be here, Chrysandra. Love being here. It’s awesome.
CHRYSANDRA :
We’re so happy to have you. And Zak, you are such a dear friend and your amazing family, your bride, Claire, and you guys are just such world shakers. You yourself have plunged forward and pioneered such incredible ground. Can you just share with our listeners some of the leadership roles that you’ve played so far?
ZAK FERRY :
In my career? Yes.
CHRYSANDRA :
Yeah. And currently.
ZAK FERRY :
Well, you know, I met Christ in college and was just really zealous and got a role working for starting a college ministry at Flatirons Community Church and worked for the pastor there. And we helped start a college ministry and got to see God do some really incredible things. And, you know, it was definitely a marking time in my life. And then From there, did various things. I studied architecture and planning in college, actually. And so I worked for a design, you know, design build startup and did that for a little bit. Worked for an entertainment tech company and then really felt called back into ministry and started raising support as a missionary, actually. Yeah.
CHRYSANDRA :
Really?
ZAK FERRY :
Yeah. I don’t know if you knew that, but, um, yeah, I had the opportunity to, uh, at the time it was really hard to get your 501c3 status. And so I had a friend that wasn’t using his nonprofit, offered it over and I repurposed it and raised support and started working with students at the art Institute of Colorado. And, uh, just, uh, sat at a table like this with just really brilliant, talented creatives, and they didn’t see their gifts as all that valuable. And I knew their ability to articulate story was essential for what God wanted to tell about what he’s doing in the city. And so I created a funding model to do that. I’ve been doing it for 12 years through what’s called the Lion Project. And it’s had a number of iterations over the years, but currently we’re still a media-based nonprofit. It’s amazing. And so we get to tell really cool stories of what God’s doing in the city. But we also have our own causes that we really allocate our resources to. And this year, we’re focused on food insecurity. And last year, we change our focus every few years. But we’ll probably be in this for a while because… the work is a lot and it’s really deep work and, and we really feel like we have the, uh, opportunity to erratic food insecurity in the Denver metro area and, uh, could be a template for the country. So I don’t know. We’ll, we’ll see what happens, but we’re committed to that right now and telling stories of families and kids, you know, what it looks like when they’re getting an essential, uh, need met. And, um, I could share more how we got to that, but I currently function as the executive director of the Lion Project. And I’m also a father that I get to lead my little tribe.
CHRYSANDRA :
Yes.
ZAK FERRY :
And I’m a husband and that’s probably my first priority, first calling. Yep.
ZAK FERRY :
And this is one of the greatest joys of my life. I’ve got four little kids, 10, 8, 5, and 3. Ooh. And a privilege of coaching my son’s baseball team, my oldest son’s baseball team. So it’s fun. We’re second place, making a championship run. Really?
CHRYSANDRA :
That’s incredible.
ZAK FERRY :
It really is. I don’t know what I’m doing. And how old is he? He’s 10. Yeah.
CHRYSANDRA :
That’s so exciting.
ZAK FERRY :
Yeah.
CHRYSANDRA :
The championship.
ZAK FERRY :
Yeah. We have three more weeks. Yeah. The team that’s first place, we tied with them, which is pretty cool. Okay. We had a loss along the way, but anyway. Um, and then, uh, yeah, I’ve got my daughter. So she’s my princess. I got three boys and a girl and the boys know that they want something from dad. They asked the daughter to ask the dad.
ZAK FERRY :
Cause she’s got, they know what they’re doing.
CHRYSANDRA :
Well, you probably showed them how the woman is the best way to go about that.
ZAK FERRY :
Yeah.
CHRYSANDRA :
Good job, dad.
ZAK FERRY :
Exactly. And then, you know, my five year old’s a little engineer. He’s always building things. And so that’s fun. And then my youngest is always getting, you know, just he’s a he’s just a wild mess. Hi.
CHRYSANDRA :
Well, I love you fairies so much.
ZAK FERRY :
And my wife, Claire, she’s wonderful. Oh my gosh. Going to be married 12 years in March.
CHRYSANDRA :
Oh, 12 years already. Well, it’s been a blessing because I feel like I’ve known you for a little bit longer than that. And I don’t know where time is going. And she’s like the best. She’s the best of the best. Yeah.
ZAK FERRY :
She’s a Southern gal. We kind of have this running joke that we get along so well when we first met was because I could only understand about 80% of what she would say. And the other 20% was so charming that I didn’t care.
CHRYSANDRA :
What are some of these Southern, I know we’re, we just need to know this Southern sayings real quick. Like what were, what have you learned along the way?
ZAK FERRY :
Um, you know, they use all kinds of words that I, I’m from San Diego originally. So my wife’s from Georgia, small town, 3,500 people in her town. My high school in San Diego had 3,500 people. So I was just like, cultural shocks right uh-huh but uh you know y’all is you know obviously one um she has so many sayings it’s like i have a hard time keeping up with them one of the things she’ll say is you know that boy is wide open what does that mean what does that mean means they’re just wild and like running running crazy i don’t know i think she grew up you know she grew up with horses so
CHRYSANDRA :
Oh, well, we need to have her on to give us like a lesson. A hundred percent. And so, Zak, you also are leading an incredible men’s prayer breakfast and ministry and just seeing the Lord do a really incredible work throughout Colorado.
ZAK FERRY :
Yeah. Yeah. We actually this year, it’s our eighth one. We’ve had every month we host men’s breakfast at the Denver Country Club. And it was put on my heart. I don’t know why other than like I felt really lonely in my leadership roles. And I felt like I didn’t have great opportunities to connect with other leaders and men. And I just knew incredible guys. And I’m like, you know, 40 now, which is crazy. I’m getting old.
CHRYSANDRA :
I’m getting old, Jackson.
ZAK FERRY :
it’s happening it’s young it’s young it’s happening it’s happening but uh anyway all these guys are becoming so excellent in their space and career and i just know exceptional guys so i was just wanting to bring you know denver closer and overlapping circles make make people you know make guys know each other a little bit better i always tell these guys like you all are going to be shaping the future in which we’re going to live in. And so it’s really important for you to know each other. Right. Like, so yeah, these are world changers and they’re shaping Colorado. And so I think it’s important that, you know, we get to, I don’t know, have, have community, have relationship with other men.
CHRYSANDRA :
Yeah.
ZAK FERRY :
Yeah.
CHRYSANDRA :
Well, we’re going to share towards the end of the show how men can get involved in that. And so just in diving into your your God given dreams, Zak, and truly just being obedient through all the ups and downs. Take us to the beginning of your childhood and how you started going after your dream. Like, do you looking back, can you what threads do you see that God was just knitting in you to be able to have these dreams?
ZAK FERRY :
Good question, man. So let me get the cobwebs dusted off. No, what I’ll say is I really struggled in school. I wasn’t a great learner. I had diagnosed at five, which is crazy to me with ADHD. So I was, you know, on the med drip all through elementary school. They were like, what are you doing with this kid? Put some meds in the way. But, you know, and so just slugging away through school, you always found roundabout ways to accomplish what I needed to accomplish. And I just think of things a little differently. And so I didn’t know really what I wanted to do growing up. My dad was an entrepreneur. So that name was… Love your dad. Yeah. Yeah. He says to say hi, by the way. But yeah, he had a big business in the 90s and, you know, had 8,500 employees just blowing and going. And it was really a unique opportunity to see. And then I saw his downfall because he ended up losing everything and just some bad things had happened with the state legislation and internal struggles. And I remember thinking to myself, like, um, that God doesn’t care about how big something is. He cares more about your heart. And so he wanted my dad and, and, you know, and that’s, you know, some of his story I won’t get into, but he, um, awesome guy, super creative, one of the smartest guys. And then my mom in the same, right. She’s Venezuelan and she is a little entrepreneur too. So I was always, you know, trying to make, solve problems. And I had a little, um, Growing up, I had a few little businesses that were so fun. One of them, we would go with my buddy to his grandmother’s farmland and cut… What’s it called? Shoot. Mistletoe.
CHRYSANDRA :
Oh, really?
ZAK FERRY :
We would cut mistletoe and we would sell it at the grocery store, like out in front with a little table. Oh. a marvelous idea yeah we would make our money we would need to buy presents for our family that during the holidays and it was a lot of fun we’d stay up all night cutting up a little mistletoe and putting it back anyway and then i had a photography business i would go to a little birthday parties and things and take photos with film at the time and try to sell them and yeah so that was all really fun and um but yeah i grew up in southern california i love sports was very active
ZAK FERRY :
You know, football, baseball, surfing, lacrosse, all the things.
CHRYSANDRA :
Right.
ZAK FERRY :
So I love love all that.
CHRYSANDRA :
But I love that you said with entrepreneurship, seeing how your family, your father and your mother solve problems. And that was your. Like, I think just you quoting that is such a marvelous way of knowing that we’re all meant to help solve problems. And that is being an entrepreneur. And so to say yes to that. And so, Zak, where did you see you grew up in San Diego? And then when did you come to Colorado?
ZAK FERRY :
Yeah, I was debating between Indiana. It was got into Purdue, Indiana and see Boulder. And so I ended up coming out to Colorado and Boulder.
CHRYSANDRA :
Zak, we want to hear all about that. And even though I’m a CSU fan, okay, we’re going to hear about CU. We need to take a short break, but we’ll be right back. We have the one and only Zak Berry on with us. Stay tuned. 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 :
We are back. Thank you for listening to all the dreamers radio show. I’m your host, Dr. Cassandra Brunson. And we have the one and only Zak Ferry on with us in studio live. And Zak is more than just a guest, but family, dear friend, world shaker. And you were just sharing Zak before you took a break that you were in San Diego and then moved to Boulder to see you for college.
ZAK FERRY :
yep okay and how did you how did god guide you to see you uh it was between two uh schools and you know i had this vision that i would be able to ski and snowboard in the winter and surf in the summer but uh yeah i ended up working through all those seasons but uh yeah no i ended up that’s a good idea yeah i was like this is gonna be perfect amazing um but it didn’t it did not work that way but i yeah i ended up at cu boulder studied architecture and planning almost got a minor in business um probably should have finished that but didn’t and uh yeah met met jesus at cu of all places but um but yeah really really thankful for the the journey here and this has really become home colorado’s become home been here since 03 so
CHRYSANDRA :
Yeah. Well, and that was pretty, I think you, you and some friends started a prayer night out of CU and was invited to come to a few of those. And it was very inspiring, almost a nationwide gathering. I think there was a lot of people from out of state that would come for prayer. And so thank you for your obedience in that. Zak, what would you say in just pursuing God’s calling in the different seasons? How have you been able to overcome the different giants? Like the ones that have tried to stop you? Is there a certain situation that comes to mind?
ZAK FERRY :
Yeah. Giants. Yeah. So what I would say, so it’s kind of interesting. I don’t know if I’d call them giants. I’d call them like giants. you know, uh, just a factor of necessity. Yeah. It’s really been the driving. Yeah. It’s been God’s like tool for me to move, continue moving forward. Um, you know, we got, I got started line project or yeah, in 2005 or no three, no, sorry, 2013. I’m getting my dates. And so went full time, was raising money in 2012, went full time, 13, met my wife and, um, You know, I had a, I had desire to get married, but didn’t have the money to do it. That could have been one of my giants. So, you know, anyway, I, so we, we changed up a few things. We’re able to raise more money. I was able to pay myself more, bought a ring, got on one knee and then married, you know, the love of my life, Claire. And we ended up getting pregnant pretty quick after that. OK. And so one of the giants in my own mind is just this, you know, working in a nonprofit space where it’s not like a very lucrative industry in general. But in what I’m doing is new. So it’s always been kind of challenging to explain people to grasp. It’s been hard to raise money. And so I’ve I’ve had this giant of being able to provide for my family. that has really pushed me forward. Um, you know, every day I get up with a real clear purpose of like, Hey, these four kids and wife need to eat. And I’m the, I’m the breadwinner right now. And, um, and so I gotta, I gotta show up. I gotta make this happen. And so I don’t know what you would call that. Um, but God has used the necessity to provide, to, uh, push me along and keep me going.
CHRYSANDRA :
you know no like strength in my own right it’s just been like uh a matter of this is my ministry my family’s first and i need to figure out how to how to provide so well and i think that that’s such a testimony i mean we saw that with charlie too and just his declaration of like get married have more kids than you can afford and you know like all these things i was like i got my hand right you’re like I think that is very counter, has been very counter cultural and hopefully that’s changing, but that takes a lot of faith to do that. And especially as the man, but you, so to hear that you, it has caused you to be brave and courageous and allow you to step out in faith. I think a lot of people stop and, but you’ve been able to walk forward.
ZAK FERRY :
Yeah. And God was so faithful. Like early on, Claire really wanted to get pregnant. I was very hesitant. And then I had a breakthrough with the Lord, just like a moment where he broke me and I cried a lot and was like, all right, Lord, I’m going to surrender this. And he’s been providing every kid I get. I get a little bit more money.
CHRYSANDRA :
I’m thinking of the multiplying effect. I love it.
ZAK FERRY :
Kids. Right. He wants to provide for. Right.
CHRYSANDRA :
Right. Zak, tell us what. So in this journey, what’s been one of the most. like impossible situations you’ve encountered where you’re like, that was so God, that was Jesus coming through right when I needed it or someone else needing that miracle.
ZAK FERRY :
Yeah. Um, I guess I’ll stay on provision cause I think that’s pretty relevant.
CHRYSANDRA :
Yeah.
ZAK FERRY :
Uh, last year I think it was beginning. Yeah. Like March of last year. Um, You know, I was running into payroll issues. We were having a real tough time making payroll. And I’ve had a really tough like last two years. This year hasn’t really been much of an exception, but we are getting more grants and stuff, which is great. But anyway, I like. I was on a Monday flying back from Georgia to Colorado and looking at the bank account and like, Oh, payroll is not going to happen. Like I’m, I’m waiting for checks. I’m waiting for things and it’s not coming through. And, um, my, uh, I was getting ready to call my chairman and this project I’ve been working on and had a proposal out for that. He had ghosted me for like two weeks. I didn’t think it was going to happen.
ZAK FERRY :
came through 40 grand, boom, let’s go. And like literally the last minute, wow and it was like totally the lord and you know to my best efforts uh the i you know i’ve done things i’ve done almost everything that’s not amazing for a non-profit to thrive you know i’ve learned a lot in the last 12 years and so to god’s credit he’s been taking my shortcomings and filling in the gaps and Bringing the right people at the right time and in situations like that, that were really pivotal for me.
CHRYSANDRA :
Right. Right. Well, I got goosebumps when you were saying that. And so many times we come up. in these situations, if we’re willing to be in them to need a miracle, most people don’t want to be in a situation for a miracle, but for him to do that and to know your needs. And you’re just such a champion of people going after their dreams and calling in life. And Zak, you’ve also had just in your heart, an imprint of anointing. Can you just share real briefly of that? how that’s looked and what you see coming forward for humanity and anointing and why.
ZAK FERRY :
Yeah. You know, I’ve got this new thesis in life. It’s kind of what I’m, I’m sort of equating it to is, you know, I really believe that calling so critical, not only for women, but also especially for men. And, and I think of a calling is when your gifts and passions intersect and God’s perfect will. And one thing that we live in is a culture of grinding every day. Like you got to grind, get up, do just grind away and feel like it’s super critical to work hard. There’s no, you know, I think that’s important, but I think there’s a culture of self-dependence as opposed to God dependence. And what I’ve, my thesis is, We’ll find out. But I’m like, all right. So if I’m, if I’m in God’s will for my life and I’m walking in his calling, I’ve only got 24 hours a day. Right. Just like the next guy. How do I multiply that? How do I get a competitive advantage, if you will? And I, I hate really using that word because it’s so much more than that. And, you know, counter to that. But I was like, I want to see what it would look like if I could attract God’s anointing, cultivate it and steward it well, because I really, you know, I believe God exists outside of time and he, his ability to accelerate time is like infinite. And so I want my life to count. I want it to not be a, just, um, you know, something that I regret when I’m older in life. And so I’m like, all right, Lord, here’s my life. I want, you know, Holy Spirit to do your thing. What do I need to do to like steward that well and pour my energy, resources, time, efforts into living an anointed life? And so My thesis is, is that I think if I trust God with my calling, that he’ll anoint it and make it so much greater than I could ever imagine and possibly, you know, create on my own striving or effort. Amen.
CHRYSANDRA :
That’s so powerful. Zak, we’re coming up towards the end of our show, but so happy to say that we want you back and that hopefully we will have you back sooner than later. And we’ll have a special announcement about that as well. And I think you as listeners. You want to have Zak back sooner than later, too. We want to know, though, Zak, what is your… We have just about a minute. Well, to get a hold of you. But we want to know, real quick, your piece of wisdom. Someone’s afraid to go after what God’s calling them to. What would you tell them to do?
ZAK FERRY :
Zechariah 4, 6… Says not by my might nor by my power, but by my spirit, says the Lord Almighty. And that’s really kind of where I’m at in life right now is like I’ve tried to muscle things and I’ve ruined relationships because of it. I’ve tried to. get, be strategic and bring in the right people at the right time and build my board in a certain way. And, and, and God’s just like stiffed armed me. Right. Cause it was by our might, but, uh, what I’m, where I’m at in life. And I would just encourage anybody that’s listening, like, uh, surrender to the Lord, live in this sort of, uh, dependence of it’s by your might, um, by your power, um,
CHRYSANDRA :
Yeah, I love that. So surrender, wholehearted surrender. In fact, you have a gala coming up as well. So tell us how we can find you, how we can get in touch with you. We should have talked more about this amazing gala at the Four Seasons. You guys, everyone needs to come. If you don’t have a ticket already, get a ticket. And there might even be a table available. Maybe they could squeeze one in. Um, but they are selling so quick. They always sell out and Zak, how can they do that?
ZAK FERRY :
Yep. So, uh, the lion project.org under events, we got our 2025 gala.
ZAK FERRY :
Cause Chris Sandra’s right. It’s at the four seasons, October 11th from five 30 to nine. And, uh, it’s an incredible one. It’s our 12th annual gala and the funds are going to go to eradicating food insecurity in the Denver metro area. Our big, uh, audacious, uh,
CHRYSANDRA :
It’s going to be amazing. You guys will see that online. As you’re listening, go look at it, pull over, find it, go to our social media. You’ll see the links. Thank you, Zak, so much for being on everyone. Remember, God has a unique calling for you to live out that you’re anointed to that Zak reminded us about today. Till next time, dreamer. Keep dreaming big.
