Driven By with Sam Coates

In this episode, I sit down with Dana Evans—missionary, adoptive mother, and advocate—to discuss her journey of faith, calling, and resilience. She shares what led her to Russia, the challenges of adoption, and the lessons she’s learned about trust, fear, and perseverance.

Episode Highlights

• When a Calling Won’t Let Go: From childhood dreams to a leap of faith that changed her life.
• Life in Russia as a Missionary: Navigating culture shock, language barriers, and church planting. 
• An Adoption That Changed Everything: How caring for two orphans turned into a lifelong commitment.
• The Challenge of Fear and Isolation: Pushing through exhaustion and finding strength in faith.
• A New Path for Orphan Care: Helping shift Russia’s orphan care from institutions to family placements.
• Expanding the Mission Abroad: Bringing her work to Turkey, Ghana, and Kenya to help children find families.

In this episode, I sit down with Stephen Shannon—entrepreneur, investor, and family office operator—to discuss his journey across private equity, real estate, and capital management. We explore the principles behind his investment strategy, the challenges of building credibility, and the hard lessons he’s learned about leadership, trust, and execution.

Episode Highlights

• From Memphis to Texas: Navigating different markets, building networks, and embracing Texas’ economic advantages.
• A Career in Capital: Starting on Wall Street, managing family office investments, and launching his own company.
• Principles of Smart Investing: Prioritizing execution, avoiding over-engineered deals, and learning from failures.
• A Costly Business Lesson: Overcoming a failed business deal early on, a dishonest operator, and what it taught him about due diligence.
• The Secret to Strong Teams: Hiring based on strengths, trusting your team, and building a business culture from the ground up.
• How to Find Work-Life Balance: Staying grounded in faith, prioritizing family, and redefining long-term success.