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6 Months of Dating to 15 Years of Marriage And the Year We Almost Quit

Mandate to Multiply

Release Date: 08/11/2025

Before Multiplication, God Must Rebuild the Foundation show art Before Multiplication, God Must Rebuild the Foundation

Mandate to Multiply

As we stepped into a new year, we found ourselves looking back at 2025 and realizing how much it shaped us, often in ways we didn’t fully understand at the time. It was a year that asked a lot of us. A year where things didn’t always move fast or feel productive, but where something important was quietly happening beneath the surface. In this conversation, we talk honestly about those moments when it feels like you’re doing the work but not seeing the results yet. We open up about what it really looks like when the process is preparation for the promise. From recalibrating our family...

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Inside Our Fund Investor Call: Rate Cuts, Crypto Pullbacks, & Long-Term Wealth Strategy show art Inside Our Fund Investor Call: Rate Cuts, Crypto Pullbacks, & Long-Term Wealth Strategy

Mandate to Multiply

This episode is a little different, in the best way. We’re letting you in on part of our monthly call with our investors, where we walk through what we’re seeing in the markets, how we’re navigating the swings, and what’s really happening behind the scenes inside our multi-asset fund. We’ve always believed in high transparency, so think of this as us inviting you to sit in the call with us and just listen in. We talk honestly about the shifts we saw this month, the rate cuts, the changes in liquidity, the crypto pullbacks, and how we’re making decisions from a long-term, legacy...

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When Life Feels Heavy: How To Walk Through Negative Thoughts, Hormones, & Spiritual Pressure show art When Life Feels Heavy: How To Walk Through Negative Thoughts, Hormones, & Spiritual Pressure

Mandate to Multiply

Some days just feel heavier than they should, and I want to be honest about what that looks like instead of pretending it’s all together. I talk about how easy it is to fall into comparison, isolation, or feeling like you have to hold it all together, even when life is overwhelming. I share the thoughts I wrestled with, the lies that crept in, and how it felt to hear someone say, “You’re not crazy, I’ve been there too.” This episode is a reminder that being real and vulnerable is often the doorway back to connection, clarity, and truth. I get into what it really meant to be “under...

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From Lost to Fully Alive: A Story of Faith, Courage, & Transformation show art From Lost to Fully Alive: A Story of Faith, Courage, & Transformation

Mandate to Multiply

Sometimes, the people around you can change your life in ways you never expect. I sit down with my amazing niece, Talia, to talk about her journey from chasing acceptance in college to finding real freedom and purpose through faith. We share how consistent love, prayer, and simply living your beliefs can have a lasting impact, even when you’re not trying to force anything. It’s a powerful story full of hope, showing how faith can quietly transform a life over time. Talia opens up about what it was like growing up with little faith, struggling to fit in, and feeling like something was...

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The Power of Saying Yes: Community, Flexibility, & the People Who Multiply Your Life show art The Power of Saying Yes: Community, Flexibility, & the People Who Multiply Your Life

Mandate to Multiply

What started as a last-minute trip to Florida turned into one of those “only God” moments that reminded us how important it is to stay open, flexible, and surrounded by the right people. In this episode, we’re sharing what really went down behind the scenes, from fasting and big life transitions to a surprise invitation that turned out to be exactly what our family needed. It’s a real and unfiltered look at how God moves when you follow His peace, even when the plans make zero sense. We also talk about the Hearts for Moms gala, the power of community, and the lessons we’ve learned...

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One Year Sober: Why I Quit Drinking & How It Transformed My Life show art One Year Sober: Why I Quit Drinking & How It Transformed My Life

Mandate to Multiply

Some nights, a glass of wine just feels like the easiest way to relax, have fun, or be the “fun version” of yourself. For today’s episode, it’s just me, Melissa, and I’m sharing my personal journey to a year of sobriety and what led me to finally stop drinking, even when I didn’t think I had a problem. I talk about the surprising freedom, clarity, and energy that came from saying no to alcohol, and how it’s changed everything, from my health to my social life and even my work. I’m going solo today, so it’s just me getting real and sharing my story straight from my heart. I...

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Bitcoin Basics for Kingdom Living: A Faith-Based Perspective on Digital Currencies show art Bitcoin Basics for Kingdom Living: A Faith-Based Perspective on Digital Currencies

Mandate to Multiply

The first time we heard about Bitcoin, we thought it was a scam. The second time, we brushed it off as a fad. But the third time, we realized maybe God was nudging us to pay attention to something we’d been avoiding out of fear. In today’s conversation, we’re pulling back the curtain on what Bitcoin really is, why digital currencies are worth understanding, and how to approach them without fear or hype. We’ll talk about why major institutions and even whole countries are getting involved, and why Bitcoin is often called “digital gold.” Jonathan shares his journey from being a total...

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How Losing Everything in 2008 Led to a Multi-Asset Investment Fund show art How Losing Everything in 2008 Led to a Multi-Asset Investment Fund

Mandate to Multiply

Sometimes it takes losing everything to realize what you were actually building on. Back in 2008, Jonathan watched his entire real estate portfolio collapse, and what felt like the end turned into the start of a whole new chapter. That season taught us a lot about diversification, multiple streams of income, and most of all, what it really means to steward what God puts in your hands. Looking back now, we can see how it was all preparation for what we’re doing today. In this episode, we share the story of how the Telos Investment Fund was born, not from some big plan we had years in advance,...

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Healing After Betrayal: How to Move from Hurt to Hope with God’s Help show art Healing After Betrayal: How to Move from Hurt to Hope with God’s Help

Mandate to Multiply

Betrayal cuts deep, and if you’ve ever been through it, you know it leaves more than just hurt; it lingers with shame, grief, and trust that feels broken. When we shared our story last episode, so many of you reached out and said, “I’ve been there too.” That broke our hearts, but it also reminded us we’re not alone in this. And that’s why we wanted to do this episode, because your stories, your messages, and your honesty showed us how much this conversation is needed. Today, we’re sitting down to talk honestly about the healing process and the steps that helped us move forward....

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When Betrayal Hits Home: The Story We Never Thought We’d Share show art When Betrayal Hits Home: The Story We Never Thought We’d Share

Mandate to Multiply

She lived in our home, shared our table, and became part of our family until the day it all unraveled. What started as an act of compassion toward a young, expectant mother ended in one of the deepest betrayals we’ve ever faced. In this episode, we share how it unfolded, the impact it had on our family and community, and what we’ve learned about walking through betrayal with Jesus at the center. Betrayal has a way of shaking more than just your trust; it can rattle your faith, your confidence, and even your sense of reality. We’ll talk about what betrayal tries to steal, why it hurts so...

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More Episodes

In this 15-Year Wedding Anniversary episode, we open up about the real stuff: how we dated differently, why we got engaged so fast, what helped us build a marriage that’s still standing (and thriving) today, and why purity, prayer, and purpose shaped everything. Raw, real lessons we learned from doing things God’s way, messing up plenty, and learning how to keep showing up for each other.

If you’re dating, engaged, married, or even just praying for your person, we hope this episode gives you clarity, courage, and a fresh vision for relationships rooted in God. We also talk about group dates, awkward boundaries, courting, and what actually helped us fight for each other instead of against each other when things got really difficult.

It’s the behind-the-scenes of what it looks like to choose love, grace, and growth when life throws everything at you. And if you're in a season where marriage feels more like work than wonder, just know you're not alone, and it’s not over. 

We’re still learning. Still growing. Still choosing each other. And still believing God can write a redemptive story in every season, even the really challenging ones.


Key Timestamps:
[00:00:00] Introduction
[00:02:00] The highs, lows, and what we’d change
[00:02:57] How we met, and why it was different
[00:05:13] Jonathan’s first thoughts on Melissa
[00:07:56] The first date that changed everything
[00:13:10] Why did we date differently?
[00:15:08] Choosing purity in today’s culture
[00:15:42] Courting on purpose, was it worth it?
[00:16:17] What happens when a man leads with chivalry?
[00:19:21] Group dating & what it taught us
[00:20:54] Our fast, prayer-led engagement
[00:22:58] What trusting God in marriage actually looks like
[00:24:28] Almost losing it all & finding our way back
[00:27:46] How to navigate a difficult marriage season 


Memorable Quotes:

"And while we don't live for the opinion or input of others, it is important that you don't ever give people a reason to question things or put things in their minds that isn't there." [00:19:49] – Melissa Edmiston

"It's important to expose the person that you're dating to your friends so that they might see something that you don't see." [00:20:47] – Jonathan Edmiston

 

Connect With Us:
Website: https://mandatetomultiply.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mandatetomultiply/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mandatetomultiplypodcast

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