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In Today’s Issue:

* Intro to the Guest and Topic

* Core Takeaway

* Episode References

* Select Quotes

* Key Moments

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Today’s Topic & Guest:

Juan Dominguez | Ad Aeternum

Welcome back, everyone, to another episode of the Catholic Founders Podcast.

If you’ve spent any time bouncing around the Catholic part of Substack over the last few years, you have almost certainly crossed paths with the work of today’s guest. I am joined by Juan Dominguez, the founder of Ad Aeternum. A best-selling Substack publication formerly known as Simple Man.

Juan has built an incredible global community dedicated to a massive mission: helping young men recover deep virtue, shake off the epidemic of modern loneliness, and start living with radical purpose.

In this conversation, we talk about living a faithful life in this modern age. The interior life. Sharing our faith publicly. How building a business can satisfy the desire to conquer in modern times. And what to do about the AI situation (this was recorded pre Magnifica Humanitas FYI).

I really had fun chopping it up with Juan. I hope you enjoy this episode as well!

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Core Lesson:

True Catholic entrepreneurship is not false humility. It’s about us using our God-given talents to answer the calling He has for us.

Humility doesn’t mean being small. It doesn’t mean disagreeing with people when they compliment a skill you have.

Humility is recognizing where it all comes from and directing the praise towards Him.

Humility is realizing you’ve been given a mission calling, and answering it, regardless of how unworthy you feel.

Humility is what allows you to run a wildly successful business without it going to your head, because you don’t see it as yours at all.

Now, in the new AI era, it’s more important than ever that we take this responsibility seriously.

God Bless & Happy Building!

~Silas Mähner

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Key Episode References:

Creative Works & Publications

* Ad Aeternum Substack

* Ad Aeternum YouTube Channel

* Becoming Noble by Johann Kurtz

* Simple Man (Song)

* The Fountain of Youth by Dave Durand

Scripture & Parables

* “Be the light of the world” Gospel (Matthew 5:14)

* Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30)

* Isaiah 6:8

Select Quotes:

* “At times like this, the halos are hanging from the lowest branches.” - Juan Dominguez

* “Sanctity and holiness is there for the taking. It’s really up to you to decide to be one of the few ones who are a light in this world, and the encouragement and the motivation are for you to actually do it and strive to become a saint.” - Juan Dominguez

* “You are the representation of the Gospel. You are the representation of what the Catholic Church stands for. So it’s a huge responsibility to carry, even if you’re not doing it publicly, of course, especially if you’re doing it publicly, but just in day-to-day life, in the conversations that you have with other people, it’s we have that a huge burden to bear and I think we really haven’t been understanding that and taking it with the seriousness that it deserves” - Juan Dominguez

* “If you are called to build, then build and do it for the glory of God.” - Silas Mähner

* “It’s usually just a cop out and just an excuse for cowardice to not put yourself out there and try, you know, it’s way easier to just accept what is, not try to build anything better, not try to go anywhere better, not try to be better in any way.” - Juan Dominguez

* “The coward’s way out is just using this false humility, like you said, to masquerade a cowardice that keeps you from actually doing what you need, like what your duty is, and that is to put your talents to good use” - Juan Dominguez

Share your favorite quote from above!

Key Moments: (outline)

* (00:00) - Intro : Juan Dominguez frames the vital need for promoting virtue and guiding young men back to Christ.

* (00:35) - Mission Statement : Silas Mähner outlines the core objective of Catholic Founders and introduces Juan Dominguez.

* (02:23) - The Origin of Ad Aeternum : Juan discusses his background as a Colombian writer and entrepreneur growing his Substack community.

* (04:38) - Rediscovering the Faith : Juan details how a secular masculinity project unintentionally led him back to the Catholic Church.

* (07:34) - The Heavy Burden of Hypocrisy : A deep look at why mod...