What if holiness and high performance didn’t compete — but completed each other?

In this episode of Catholic Founders, Silas Mahner sits down with John Johnson, the founder who’s redefining what it means to lead with holy ambition.

John runs three wildly different ventures — a data hosting company (Patmos Hosting), a classical education nonprofit (Albertus Magnus Institute), and a monk-inspired pizza shop (Via Pizzeria). But what ties them together isn’t strategy — it’s sanctity.

Before building companies, John wanted to become a monk. The prior told him,

“You’re not called to be a monk. Go get married.”

That moment became the catalyst for a mission-driven life — proving that men of faith don’t need less ambition. They need ambition that’s baptized, ordered toward Heaven, and rooted in service, not ego.

In this conversation, Silas and John dive into:
-How to build faith-driven businesses that actually scale without selling your soul

• Why “money is the least real thing” — and why mission is the new ROI
• The danger of comfort addiction among modern men
• What AI and Big Tech are really doing to the human person
• How to lead teams with dignity, faith, and freedom

John reveals how he pays baby bonuses and marriage bonuses — flipping Silicon Valley culture upside down. While tech giants pay people to avoid family life, Patmos rewards employees for choosing it.

He also shares how he bootstrapped his company from nothing, built multiple data centers without a cent of VC money, and integrated theology and virtue into every business decision.

This episode will challenge every entrepreneur, founder, and creative to rethink what success means — and how much of it can be redeemed when surrendered to God.

💡 If you’ve ever wondered:
– Can I be ambitious and still humble?
– Can faith and profit coexist?
– Can founders change the world without losing their souls?

Then this one’s for you.

Because the world doesn’t need more talk — it needs builders with eternal vision.

Listen to the full episode and subscribe for weekly conversations where faith, innovation, and entrepreneurship collide.

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