Circle of the Panda is a podcast about rising, rebuilding, and leading with purpose. Host JD Ross sits down with leaders, entrepreneurs, and everyday fighters to talk faith, business, mindset, and what it really takes to get back up when life knocks you down. Whether you’re growing your leadership, navigating challenges, or fighting your own battles, these conversations will encourage you forward and point you toward truth.
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May 27, 202632 min
Full Circle with Barrett Counterman
JD here. Just click this link to get a message to me. PeaceIn this closing episode of Circle of the Panda, JD talks with Barrett Counterman, host of the Swaggy Life Podcast, about living with cerebral palsy, honest prayer, and finding purpose when life is slow and hard. Barrett shares how he’s rebranding his show around disability, faith, and everyday struggles, and why choosing vulnerability and perseverance can turn even discouraging seasons into a full-circle story of hope.
May 26, 202615 min
Athena Dean Holtz: Part 3: It is a Journey
JD here. Just click this link to get a message to me. PeaceIn this third and final conversation with Athena Dean Holtz, the discussion explores why healing, trust, and spiritual growth are a lifelong journey rather than a quick fix. Athena shares how pain, betrayal, and unmet expectations can become places where deeper healing happens, and why suffering does not mean God has abandoned us.The episode also reflects on the importance of honesty in faith, making space for weakness, and learning to pause and ask God what to do next in the middle of hard seasons. Athena closes by pointing listeners back to the truth that God is faithful, present, and able to bring good even out of deep hurt.
May 22, 202619 min
Athena Dean Holtz: Part 2: Trust and Forgiveness
JD here. Just click this link to get a message to me. PeaceIn this second episode of a three-part series, Athena Dean Holtz shares profound insights on trust, forgiveness, and healing. The conversation explores why trusting God remains difficult even after witnessing His faithfulness, drawing parallels to the Israelites who doubted despite seeing the Red Sea part.Key TopicsMiraculous Provision: Athena recounts facing a $400 phone bill with no funds when a Vietnam veteran—himself struggling financially—knocked on her door after God told him to empty his savings account. The amount was exactly what they needed.Misused Scripture: The episode addresses how prosperity gospel twists Biblical verses, particularly explaining that the "give and it will be given to you" passage is about forgiveness, not financial prosperity.Taking Responsibility: Athena shares how she asked herself "What was my part in this tragedy?" after being deceived by a false shepherd who stole everything from her. This led to recognizing three critical failures: ignoring God's prompting to seek healing for PTSD, not learning to study Scripture in context, and dismissing red flags because she didn't trust God to provide another way.Healing Through Service: A beautiful thread emerges about caring for her dying mother during her final four months—transforming a broken, critical relationship into sacred moments of healing and reconciliation.The episode concludes with a powerful truth: "He sees, he loves, and he heals," emphasizing that trust and healing are inseparable.
May 14, 202619 min
Full Circle: Trauma, Healing, and the Faithfulness of God with Athena Dean Holtz- Episode 1
JD here. Just click this link to get a message to me. PeaceIn this opening conversation of a three-part series, host JD sits back down with Athena Dean Holtz, founder and publisher of Redemption Press, to talk about her powerful memoir, Full Circle: Coming Home to the Faithfulness of God. JD shares how he read the book in a single 24-hour period—falling asleep and waking up with Athena’s story—because it spoke so personally to his own journey, and he wanted that same impact for listeners.Athena opens up about why she finally wrote the book after years of horrific spiritual abuse, and how a close friend served as her ghostwriter, helping her weave together past radio shows, TV interviews, blogs, and personal memories into a true page-turner. She explains how that writing process became another layer of healing, forcing her to stop escaping into work and instead face deep pain she had long avoided.The conversation goes straight into the hard stuff: early childhood sexual abuse, a forced abortion as a teenager, domestic violence, and the lingering effects of unprocessed trauma. Drawing on her experience working with Vietnam veterans and their families in the late 1980s, Athena describes how trauma shapes the brain, how triggers pull us back into fight-or-flight, and why our brains often cannot distinguish between real and perceived threats.JD and Athena also wrestle with the vulnerability that comes from a genuine hunger for God, and how the enemy can exploit that longing through lies and spiritual abuse. They talk about the “gullibility of Christians,” exploring how predatory pastors and influencers can weaponize Scripture, preach feel-good “no suffering” messages, and leave people questioning whether they can trust God at all.Speaking directly to listeners who are carrying their own unresolved pain and crying out for healing, Athena urges them not to walk this road alone. She highlights the importance of finding truly safe, biblically grounded people who will lovingly point out blind spots, as well as the value of professional, Christ-centered counseling and small-group communities. Athena closes by sharing one of her ongoing prayers from the Psalms—asking God to help her not lie to herself—so she won’t stay isolated and controlled by old wounds.This episode sets the stage for part two, where JD and Athena will dive deeper into the crucial topic of trust after spiritual and emotional betrayal.
May 7, 202620 min
Dogs - Our Companions - Marilyn Doss
JD here. Just click this link to get a message to me. PeaceIn this heartwarming episode of the Circle of the Panda podcast, JD talks with long‑time friend and dog groomer Marilyn Doss about how following her love for dogs led her out of an unfulfilling office career and into work that gives her deep joy and purpose. Marilyn shares how grooming became her calling, why she prefers working with dogs over “people with attitudes,” and how she gives back by grooming shelter and rescue dogs for free as they transition into new homes.She tells the moving story of a neglected long‑haired dachshund who became the dog of her life, what it was like to lose him, and why the bond between people and dogs can feel as strong as family. Through stories of homeless individuals who feed their dogs before themselves and of matching rescued dogs with grieving owners, Marilyn paints a picture of dogs as companions, healers, and “God’s gift to humanity” who remind us what unconditional love looks like.
May 6, 202624 min
Endee Coaching Collective - Michelle Cates and Gentry Hamrick
JD here. Just click this link to get a message to me. PeaceIn this episode of the Circle of the Panda podcast, JD sits down with Gentry Hamrick and Michelle Cates, the co‑founders of Endee Coaching Collective, a neurodivergent‑led coaching business serving ADHD and autistic clients and their families. They discuss why traditional therapy alone often isn’t enough, how “in‑the‑moment” situational coaching and body‑doubling can turn everyday challenges—like cleaning a room or getting through a grocery store—into manageable wins, and why working with someone’s brain instead of against it changes everything.You’ll hear how Gentry’s lifelong ADHD experience and clinical background led to a new business model where clients choose coaches who share similar lived experience, and can even work with more than one coach to cover different needs like daily life skills, micro‑enterprise, job coaching, or athlete‑focused support. They also explain how Endee wraps around the whole family, offers fully virtual global services, and creates a genuinely safe, non‑masking space built on the belief that “your brain is not the problem—we just need better elevators, not more stairs.”
April 22, 202618 min
Shawn Robert Johnson Episode 3 - What is Next
JD here. Just click this link to get a message to me. PeaceShawn returns for his third and final appearance on the Circle of the Panda podcast to share what comes after transformation—how he’s intentionally building his next chapter after prison through faith, service, and entrepreneurship.In this episode, Shawn explains how his story has moved from “I went through all this, but…” to “I went through all this, and here’s what I’m doing now,” emphasizing growth, ownership, and forward motion. He talks about honestly assessing what he’s done well and not so well, then using those lessons to shape a purposeful life going forward.While incarcerated, Shawn wrote multiple books, including Saving Souls (youth mentorship and keeping kids out of gangs and prison), Credit to Freedom (beginner financial literacy and credit building), Rise Above (motivational speeches, poems, and quotes), In God’s Presence (prayers, spiritual poems, and scriptures with life application), and Broke into Breakthrough on men’s mental health with his “knit brothers” Charles and Sine. All of his books are available on Amazon under the name Shawn Robert Johnson, and he also shares his content across social platforms under the handle “ShawJohn1222.”Now home, Shawn is pursuing three lanes at once—public speaking, preaching, and an apparel company he co-founded with his wife called Saving Souls (SNS Synergy)—refusing to narrow his calling to one lane when he believes he’s been blessed to do multiple things. He shares a powerful sermon theme, “God Rescue Me,” drawn from 2 Kings 6:8–14, and offers business advice rooted in faith, consistency, and persistence: what you plant is what you will harvest, many people quit too early, and what we often call “failure” is really just learning ways that don’t work yet.
February 5, 202617 min
Shawn Johnson Episode 2: Staying Encouraged
JD here. Just click this link to get a message to me. PeaceHow do you stay motivated when you might still have decades left behind bars?In Part 2 of my conversation with Shawn Johnson, we go straight to the heart of what kept him moving forward while facing a 60-year sentence. Shawn shares how his relationship with God became the foundation for endurance, how he learned to pray with honesty (not performance), and why being “used” by God mattered as much as being set free.We talk about praying through disappointment, what it means to be “ready” for the next chapter, and how encouragement often comes from realizing your gifts can strengthen someone else—even in the darkest environment.This episode is for anyone who feels stuck, exhausted, or like the timeline isn’t moving. Shawn’s message is simple and powerful: it’s not about being perfect—it’s about staying faithful.
January 29, 202626 min
Shawn Johnson Episode 1: Clemency
JD here. Just click this link to get a message to me. PeaceIn this powerful episode, JD reconnects with Shawn Johnson, a man he first interviewed while Shawn was still incarcerated and serving what was effectively a life sentence. Nearly two years later, Shawn is home—his entire sentence commuted through executive clemency.Shawn shares the extraordinary journey that led to his release: the reality of being sentenced to 60 years for a self-defense case, the long road of incarceration, and the unexpected opportunity created by New Jersey’s clemency process. He opens up about the discipline of praying every night at the same time with a small group of men inside the prison, the unwavering expectation that God would answer, and the transformation that happened along the way.This conversation goes deeper than a legal victory. Shawn talks about choosing to grow instead of giving up, helping change the culture inside a maximum-security prison through faith, leadership, and service, and how one committed group of men can shift an entire environment.This episode kicks off a multi-part series catching up with Shawn and exploring what life looks like after freedom, faith under pressure, and the power of consistency, community, and hope when the odds are stacked against you.
January 8, 20261 hr 8 min
Contented Canines - Colonel Tom Kelly
JD here. Just click this link to get a message to me. PeaceIn this episode, JD sits down with Colonel Tom Kelly, a retired U.S. Army officer with over 30 years of service who found an unexpected second calling as a professional dog trainer. After transitioning out of the military, Colonel Kelly turned a growing interest in canine behavior into a purpose-driven business, Contented Canines.The conversation explores leadership, transition, and purpose—drawing powerful parallels between military experience, human growth, and dog training. Colonel Kelly shares how relationship-based training focuses on trust, relevance, and communication rather than control, and why understanding a dog’s nature is essential for helping dogs and humans live better lives together.Listeners will hear insights on finding your “why” after major life transitions, the importance of structure and calm leadership, and how modern society has unintentionally created challenges for both dogs and people. This episode is thoughtful, practical, and grounded in real-world experience, offering lessons that extend far beyond dog training.
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