“I was trying to figure out what’s my lane that I need to be saying yes to? And what are the things I would have to say no to so that I can say yes to the better things?”
Kent Chevalier’s speaking journey is anything but conventional. In this week’s episode of The Speaker Lab podcast, Grant Baldwin sits down with Kent, a longtime pastor turned Pittsburgh Steelers chaplain—who’s built his career at the intersection of faith, leadership, and personal courage.
Kent opens up about transitioning from preaching in churches to mentoring professional athletes, and how the toughest challenge wasn’t the change of audience, it was learning to truly value his craft. Like many who come from service-driven backgrounds, Kent faced the uncomfortable work of charging for his expertise, despite years spent speaking for free. He shares honestly about wrestling with guilt, setting boundaries, and deciding that his time spent away from his wife and daughters needed to be respected and compensated.
Underneath it all is a message familiar to anyone striving to turn passion into a profession: fulfillment comes from betting on yourself, even when the path feels risky. Whether he’s backstage at an NFL game or leading a business seminar, Kent’s mantra of “do it afraid” holds true. If you need a push to embrace your own next leap, Kent’s story will remind you that your purpose is bigger than any one season, and your gifts are worth every bit of what you ask!
You’ll learn:
- Kent’s role as a Pittsburgh Steelers chaplain
- Preaching new content as opposed to reusing talks
- Navigating which opportunities to accept and decline
- Challenges of charging for speaking
- Target audiences and adjusting approach based on event context
- Importance of expert positioning and business fundamentals
- And much, much more!
“I love encouraging people to embrace fear and to jump because comfort is really a robber. It’s a thief.”
