In this episode, The Mentors Radio Host Tom Loarie talks with Daniel K. Epstein, author of the inspiring book and project Portraits in Faith and a world-renown behavioral marketing expert. Epstein was among the elite at Proctor & Gamble where he served as a distinguished Harley Proctor Marketer, an honor awarded to very few. On the outside and to his colleagues and friends, Epstein seemed to have the world at his feet, but inside he was unhappy. Very unhappy. For him, life had become a zero sum game in which he was constantly driven by a fear of not having enough. Ever the ultimate practical professional, he spent much of his life trying “fit into a mold” made by others. If he was told “No, you can’t,” he made it his mission to prove “Yes, I can,” and he would succeed.

Epstein seemed to have a gift for seeing life through another person’s point of view, a useful perception in top-level marketing, but he did not appreciate the depth of his gift. For him, it was just a practical marketing expertise. He also exhibited clear behaviors of a leader, but his focus was self-serving, having more, driven by fear.

Then, Daniel Epstein hit a turning point—a radical turning point. Actually, the SHTF. Pretty badly.

He didn’t want to be who he was, He didn’t know how to change. His world turned upside down. But at the same time, in his struggles, he began to discover what life and living was really about. He learned the hard way what it meant to lead. He eventually transformed into fully living a life of gratitude and service, and he beautifully captured what he learned in his book, Portraits in Faith. This is not a book about religion. It is, rather, a documenting of the spiritual experience as it manifests itself in individual’s lives, the radical transformation of mindset, understanding and appreciation of what they never saw before.

The book Portraits in Faith weaves together individual vignettes and stunning portrait photographs. In the words of one of Epstein’s mentors along his journey, famed film story-teller Ken Burns, “I was–we were (as several folks in the office crowded ’round) — completely blown away by its power and dignity, its implicit compassion and yet unblinking eye. What a wonderful project and I only wish I hadn’t been on the road for the last three and a half months because I would have been able to see this amazing project sooner.”

DANIEL K. EPSTEIN:

• BIO: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B09SJ67FX7/about
  
• WEBSITE: https://portraitsinfaith.org/
  
• BOOK: Portraits in Faith, by Daniel K. Epstein