Stephen Auth | EVP & CIO of Equities at Federated Hermes | The Missionary of Wall Street
Release Date: 10/01/2025
Leading With Grace Through Prison Fellowship | Heather Rice-Minus on Justice, Purpose, and Restoring Hope
The Wow Factor
is the President and CEO of , the nation’s largest ministry serving those impacted by incarceration. With a background in law, public policy, and justice reform, Heather has dedicated her career to helping people encounter hope, dignity, and restoration through faith and community. Through her leadership, Prison Fellowship continues to expand its mission of supporting incarcerated individuals, their families, and the churches and volunteers who walk alongside them. In this episode, Brad and Heather Rice-Minus explore the mission and impact of Prison Fellowship, the organization founded by ...
info_outline
Building Wealth Beyond Retirement | Derek Coburn on Purpose, Planning, and Redefining the Future
The Wow Factor
is a financial advisor, entrepreneur, and author of Let’s Retire Retirement, a book that challenges the traditional idea of retirement and encourages people to think more intentionally about wealth, work, purpose, and the future. Through his work, Derek helps leaders and families rethink what it means to plan well, live generously, and build a meaningful life beyond financial success. In this episode, Brad and Derek Coburn explore why the old model of retirement may no longer serve people well and how a more purposeful approach can lead to greater fulfillment. Derek shares his perspective...
info_outline
From Dairy Farm Roots to Purpose-Driven Business | Jennie Groff on Entrepreneurship, Community, and Impact
The Wow Factor
Jennie Groff is a co-founder and leader behind , a purpose-driven business rooted in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, that creates handcrafted stroopwafels while providing meaningful employment opportunities for resettled refugee women. Raised on a dairy farm, Jennie’s journey into entrepreneurship wasn’t traditional, but through faith, persistence, and a deep commitment to community, she and her husband transformed a simple idea into a growing business that blends quality products with real human impact. In this episode, Brad and Jennie Groff explore the story behind Stroopies beginnings,...
info_outline
From Rock Bottom to Rewriting Health | Steve Hochman on Purpose, Discipline, and Reversing Diabetes
The Wow Factor
Steve Hochman is a fitness entrepreneur, coach, and international bestselling author of , known for helping thousands achieve lasting fat loss and improved health without restrictive dieting. As the founder of OC Fit Body, a multi-location fitness and coaching business, Steve has spent over two decades helping clients transform their bodies and reverse chronic conditions like type 2 diabetes through simple, science-backed methods. In this episode, Brad and Steve Hochman unpack a powerful journey of adversity, breakthrough, and purpose-driven work. Steve shares his early struggles with...
info_outline
Mark Batterson | Pastor of National Community Church and Bestselling Author | The Power of “Gradually, Then Suddenly” in Faith, Leadership, and Life
The Wow Factor
Mark Batterson is the lead pastor of in Washington, D.C., and a prolific bestselling author known for his ability to blend faith, leadership, and personal growth into practical, lived-out wisdom. With more than two decades of writing and nearly 30 years of pastoral leadership, Mark has built a legacy centered on long obedience, bold vision, and unwavering trust in God’s timing. In this episode, he joins Brad to unpack the core idea behind his latest message: “gradually, then suddenly.” Brad and Mark explore the tension between patience and ambition, and why most meaningful growth...
info_outline
Josh Block | CEO of Block Imaging and Author of People Matter at Work | Building Cultures Where Team Members Thrive and Everyone Wins
The Wow Factor
Josh Block is the longtime leader of , a global healthcare equipment company known for its distinctive people-first culture and multigenerational family leadership. After unexpectedly stepping into the president’s role at just 29 years old, Josh spent the next decade and a half guiding the organization’s growth from a $30 million business into a thriving enterprise of over 425 team members. In this episode, he joins Brad to share insights from his new book, , a practical framework for helping leaders create cultures where team members feel safe, seen, and successful, and where the...
info_outline
Dr. Emerson Eggerichs | Author & Speaker | Light Bulb Moments in Marriage and the Path Back to Love and Respect
The Wow Factor
Dr. Emerson Eggerichs is a longtime marriage teacher, speaker, and author, that has helped couples for decades. A former senior pastor at Trinity Church in East Lansing, Michigan, Emerson’s work blends pastoral experience, biblical study, and real-world marriage dynamics into practical tools couples can use immediately. In this episode, he joins Brad for his third visit to this time to talk about his newest book, , a collection of insights and stories designed to bring clarity when couples feel stuck, distant, or worn down by years of misunderstanding. Brad and Emerson dig into why...
info_outline
David McDonald | Owner of Escalante Golf | Entrepreneurship, Stewardship, and Building a Golf Culture Rooted in Service
The Wow Factor
David McDonald is the owner of and a third-generation car dealer originally from Roswell, New Mexico, raised in the Denver area. A former college tennis player at the University of Oklahoma, David carries deep work ethic values shaped by family, faith, and decades of business leadership. Today, he leads Escalante Golf with a long-term stewardship mindset, building private clubs and experiences that prioritize customer service, culture, and community. Brad sits down with David to explore how Escalante Golf was born out of a simple observation: golfers, especially young golfers, weren’t...
info_outline
Dick Stricklen: Owner of Motor City Auto | Focusing on Company Culture Rather Than Profits
The Wow Factor
Dick Stricklen is the owner of Motor City Auto Center in Bakersfield, CA, a sprawling campus which includes a Buick/GMC dealership, a Lexus dealership, and a large used car & truck operation. Dick’s team devote themselves to helping and serving their customers and providing staff with the opportunity to develop their skills and interests. Dick took over the GMC dealership at the age of 19 after his father’s death and since then has followed his passion for building authentic relationships with team members and clients alike. Dick joins me on the show today to share how he started in...
info_outline
Gracie Formsma | Co-Founder of Love Gives & Storyteller for Generous Family | Calling, Vulnerability, and a Lifestyle Brand Rooted in John 3:16
The Wow Factor
Gracie Formsma is a college student at Samford University, co-founder of , a hat brand in the ecosystem. She’s also the daughter of The Wow Factor host, Brad Formsma. Originally from Michigan, Gracie moved with her family to California about a decade ago, growing up in a home shaped by faith, generosity, and the gritty reality of launching the nonprofit I Like Giving and its Generous Family initiative. Today, she brings her marketing eye, creative direction, and heart for discipleship to Love Gives, a lifestyle brand built around the simple but profound truth of John 3:16. Brad sits...
info_outlineStephen Auth is the Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer of Equities at Federated Hermes in New York City, overseeing more than $85 billion in assets. A Princeton graduate with a lifelong interest in both finance and art, Stephen is known for his strategic leadership on Wall Street and his bold work as an author, missionary, and Catholic lay leader. Alongside his wife, Evelyn, he has written books including The Missionary of Wall Street and Pilgrimage to the Museum, blending faith, story, and culture to point people toward Christ.
In this episode, Brad sits down with Stephen to talk about his journey from a working-class upbringing in Newark to Princeton, Wall Street, and ultimately to street-corner missionary work in New York City. Stephen shares how a near-death heart condition in 2002 became a turning point for his faith, leading him to deeper service and evangelization. He recounts dramatic stories from the streets of New York, the founding of the Lumen Institute, and how his eye for art became a tool for evangelization at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Along the way, Stephen offers insights on integrating faith and work, the importance of generosity, and the timeless values that anchor both investing and discipleship.
“Humility at the highs, confidence at the lows, integrity always.” – Stephen Auth
“If you got run over by a truck tonight, do you really think you’d be ready to meet the Lord? Whatever you’re doing, you don’t think you can go into the church with it—how can you go into heaven with it?” – Stephen Auth
“My problem was simple: God had given me many talents, but I had been using them for my own purposes, not His.” – Stephen Auth
This Week on The Wow Factor:
- Growing up in Newark, New Jersey, and earning a scholarship to Princeton University
- Balancing economics and art history, and how art became a lifelong passion
- Rising to Chief Investment Officer of Equities at Federated Hermes and navigating financial crises
- The heart condition in 2002 that became a spiritual wake-up call
- Confession after 20 years away and the moment of clarity: talents used for God, not self
- Founding the Lumen Institute to form Catholic business leaders
- Launching the Mission in New York City and encountering resistance, hostility, and surprising conversions
- Stories from The Missionary of Wall Street — including “Sox,” an ex-con on a drug run who stopped to pray the rosary
- Lessons from objections on the street: loneliness, unforgiveness, and the lie that “I’m not welcome back”
- Turning art tours into pilgrimages and discovering the search for God in the history of Western art
- Why faith integration makes him both a better investor and a more joyful leader
Stephen Auth’s Word of Wisdom:
Humility at the highs. Confidence at the lows. Integrity always. Those principles work on Wall Street and they work in faith and life, too.
Connect With Stephen Auth:
Connect with The Wow Factor: