Helping You Prosper: Redefining Wealth Beyond the Bottom Line

What does real prosperity look like when it’s not just about money? In this episode, we sit down with First Merchants Bank Jennifer Griffith and Matt Gerhardts, to explore how true success is built through relationships, trust, and long-term impact—not just bigger numbers.

From business lending to community investment in Central Ohio’s Northland area, we unpack how people-first banking creates stronger businesses, healthier cash flow, and lasting opportunity. You’ll also get practical wisdom for entrepreneurs and young professionals, including mentorship, financial habits, and simple frameworks like the 50/30/20 rule.

This conversation goes beyond finances, connecting financial literacy to mental wellness, leadership, and legacy. If you’re building something that matters—at work, at home, or in your community—this episode will challenge you to think bigger about what it truly means to prosper.

Transcript

Legacy Mindset And Cold Open

SPEAKER_02 0:05

Legacy, Sol, Space, Facts, Queen O B highlights, quick, legacy builders committed, sports, educated community, leaders committed to the wisdom players, fading forward to the next generation. If you're ready for faith-filled leadership and practical wisdom to live on purpose and finish strong, let's be a baller, legacy style.

Welcome And Why Prosper Matters

Matt’s Roots And Early Influences

SPEAKER_04 0:34

Welcome to Be a Baller Podcast. I'm your host, Coach Tim Brown. And today we'll be talking about what it really means to prosper. And I'm blessed to have with me uh uh Matt Gearhart, who's the uh 30-year banking professional and relationship manager at First Merchant Bank. And I was telling Matt, we got to be on our toes because our boss is here, Jennifer Griff, who's the regional president of First Merchants Bank. And so we got to really be on top of our game today, uh, Matt. And our conversation will basically be about turning on business lending, community leadership, and long-term relationships, all aligned with the mission of helping you prosper. This podcast today is brought to you by First Merchant Bank, which is dedicated to helping you prosper and supporting leaders who grow their businesses. So, both Matt and Jennifer, welcome to the show. Thank you. Glad to be here. This is uh you know, Matt, for you first, Matt, you uh take us back to Circleville. You know, what are the what early influences shape your work ethic and approach to leadership?

SPEAKER_00 1:37

So, you know, the circle that I grew up with, and I'm uh 57, so we're talking about the the 1970s.

SPEAKER_04 1:45

Oh, you're young, you're young, you're young, Matt. Come on, man.

SPEAKER_00 1:48

Yeah, yeah, that's all relative to him. It was actually back in the day a pretty vibrant town. You know, we had a number of industries there. There were a lot of blue-collar positions, jobs where you could earn a living wage. Uh, there were a lot of white-collar jobs. You know, the the class that uh that I was in, I graduated in 1987. We had a fairly successful group of kids graduated. Uh a number of engineers came from my class. Uh, we had a gentleman who uh went to West Point. I don't recall how long he was in the Army, but it was uh quite a while. Uh I think he actually flew helicopters. Um, yeah, it was it was a pretty good class. You know, it's it's interesting that you know, all these kids, I mean, it was it was a pretty good set of teachers as well. So there were a number of teachers that you know I would consider outstanding. Uh one unfortunately has has passed. He was my English teacher, and um his name was uh Tom Parker, and uh he was quite the character, but you have a teacher that's that passionate about teaching and you know how do you think on your own, both strategically and you know, really kind of understanding messages. I specifically remember that he read aloud, uh, Animal Farm by George Orwell. Oh wow. Yeah, and you know, quite frankly, you know, I I take things a little bit more literally than I think most do, you know, but kind of understanding that that really was was kind of an eye-opener for me. So and as far as you know, influences and leadership, you know, there there's a number of people that that I grew up and knew, and and my parents were longtime residents of of Circleville. Um my family emigrated to the area in the late 1800s. Uh they were farmers, and then uh we've had a succession of attorneys. Um, but my uncle kind of comes to mind, and he is he's an interesting guy. If you know you knew him as an attorney, you would think he was pretty gruff, and and rightfully so. I I think that that's maybe part of the job. Um, but he really does care for the community. You know, he's involved with the local historical society a number of years ago. He was the mayor, he's been the district attorney, but he's been very involved in not-for-profit work. He and my aunt and I, we uh we actually started a scholarship fund for Circleville High uh seniors uh that are going to college. So we've been doing that for over 20 years, and you know, we've poured a fair amount of uh money into it to support it and to try and help help these kids. And you know, the circle bill of my youth, it was a very safe place. I'm lucky for that. I think that can be a little dangerous in that you know what I experienced as a kid and you know, my path to, you know, it was always expected that I was gonna go to college. I I think that that in and of itself is a little bit different than the experiences of probably the majority, certainly a lot of kids uh within Columbus proper. You know, as I've I've gotten older and I I kind of think about this stuff and I think about you know what I want to do from a serving not-for-profits, that it's important to me.

Defining Prosperity Beyond Dollars

SPEAKER_04 5:04

You know, uh Jennifer, we have you on here and um and Matt as well. But uh this next question is you know, first merchant bank uses this phrase, helping you prosper. From your perspective, what does prosperity truly mean?

SPEAKER_01 5:18

It's a fantastic question. And uh I do hope all of my teammates have an answer for you. When I think about prosperity, it is such a broad term and it's a journey. We're helping you prosper without an end because tomorrow is always right around the corner, and there's always something else to tackle that can lift you up. And and while we are banks, and so we think about financial prosperity, that's certain, but we have to have a healthy community and we have to have a healthy family, and we need to have opportunities and rewards and elevation. And when I think about prosperity, it is not isolated to the dollars and cents. The prosperity is a state of mind, the state of mind that there's hope and opportunity and a reason to get up tomorrow. And and when I think about the the lifting of the communities, all of our clients and all of our teammates around us prospering because first merchants is is emanating good work.

SPEAKER_04 6:16

You know, Matt, from your perspective, being the relationship manager, how does that thing play into your work, to your role?

SPEAKER_00 6:23

Yeah, another good question. So, yeah, I I think what you know is obviously very important to me is you know, we're we're working with with companies. We're working on them for financial planning, for succession planning. You know, how how do we help the business become more profitable, uh grow sales, uh, you know, whatever the case may be. But you know, ultimately what it comes down to is when we have these banking relationships, we are helping individuals, but we're helping the companies that then employ folks. And, you know, when you kind of look at the whole picture, if a company is thriving and it's doing well, then that means that they're going to reinvest in their company, which typically means job growth. So, you know, kind of putting all those things together and really paying attention to what makes the most sense from a relationship, banking relationship standpoint, it does help a broader array of people. And we maybe don't think about that initially as a whole. I think it's it's very important and certainly something I think this bank really pays attention to is that there is a benefit kind of further on down the line from the management or ownership structure.

SPEAKER_04 7:37

Jennifer, you know, we live in this uh growing market of Central Ohio, and I know First Merchant Bank has made a commitment to that Northland area.

SPEAKER_01 7:46

Yes.

SPEAKER_04 7:47

Can you talk about that first off the reason why? And then what have you seen there that really that gets you guys excited about what's happening in that area?

SPEAKER_01 7:57

Ah, fantastic. So, yeah, so we selected Morris Road, an opportunity to expand our footprint and to enter a new neighborhood and work our hearts out to earn the trust and respect of the neighborhood and of the business owners that are up there. And when we took a look at opportunities that we felt might have been underserved by the banking industry, this one stuck out. It also is an incredibly large geography. And so the Northland community spans a large footprint. And inside that, they've organized with some great leadership inside the Northland Area Business Association, a remarkable not-for-profit known as Elevate Northland. There is the NCC, the Northland Community Council. And so you've got all of these leaders that are trying to dig in and work hard and push it. And with a little bit of financial sponsorship, we really might make a difference. So we knew that partnerships mattered. We knew that there were roots in the ground for really great organizations and agencies that cared about it. And we knew that we'd find partnerships. We can't do it alone, never tried to do it alone, got to have the partners to pull it off. And we found the partners in Northland to be incredibly valuable.

SPEAKER_04 9:17

That's awesome. You know, Matt, you've been the uh relationship manager. That's uh a diverse community that you're serving. How have you been how have you been able to uh build relationships and business and banking to be successful?

SPEAKER_00 9:33

Yeah, and I know Jennifer has heard this from me before, but uh you you like to do business with friends. And you know, maybe it's a new friend, somebody you've never met, but if you can kind of establish that that connection, um, you know, and and that that friendship and kind of have a common goal. Um I've I've found that the most successful relationships that I've worked on have the best communication. If you want to call me on a weekend, if you want to call me at night, well, if you call me after nine, I'm gonna be asleep because I go to bed early, I get up early. You know, those are the kind of relationships that I really value is that somebody trusts that I always have their best interests at heart and they want to work with us, they enjoy the friendship. I can kid with them. Jennifer knows this all too well. I like to tell a lot of jokes, so I really like to get to know people and you know, there are some inside jokes, and it's fun. When you get up in the morning and you look forward to going to work, that's successful.

Why Northland And How To Listen

SPEAKER_04 10:35

Yeah, I like that uh doing business with friends. You know, as you know, in the world, we we we sometimes talk about don't we miss don't do business with family. That's what we say in the world. That's what we say in the world.

SPEAKER_01 10:49

Yeah, it resonates a lot as we were just talking about Morse Road. Uh, because when we showed up, we had to go on a on our listening tour first to go find the people that were like-minded, who what what would our what would our network look like and maps where's what might our friend group look like? And we really had to lean hard in a listening tour to get the points of view from the audience that we wanted to serve at Metal World.

SPEAKER_04 11:14

You know, for both of you, there may be some young there are some young professionals listening, some young entrepreneurs. What financial principles should they master early?

SPEAKER_00 11:24

Listen to the people who have that kind of experience. I mean, I think if you listen to somebody who has been a veteran in your industry or, you know, within your your network and really take to heart those lessons, I think that goes a long way. I mean, everybody I think has to have their own path. And, you know, my experience with with young entrepreneurs is they they typically are very good at one thing. They might be really good at sales, they might be really good at the finance piece, they might be really good at making something, but you need a lot of different skills to be able to run a business. So having those outside advisors, having a mentor, uh, you know, working with with a good banker, with a good attorney, with a good accountant, all very important.

SPEAKER_01 12:13

I go a little more elementary and say save 20% of everything you touched, become a ridiculous saver. Make saving one of the first choices you make, and and then you're never too young to start there. Take take 20% off the top of everything that that runs through your hands and save it.

SPEAKER_04 12:34

You know, as we think about uh relationship building, how important is is relationship building and banking and business success? How important is that? We've been talking about it, but let's share with the audience. I got some bankers here, let's share with the audience on why that is so important to know your banker, to know your bank.

SPEAKER_00 12:51

You know, I I would say that's paramount because if you have good communication, you know, between the two different parties, I mean, good things happen or bad things happen to good people and can't help somebody if they don't let you in, if something is going wrong. You know, just kind of having uh that dialogue, that discussion, that support network to talk through things, whether it's a good situation or a bad, but yeah, that's that's really, really important because then you understand what's going on in the business and you can provide help.

Money Habits Young Leaders Need

SPEAKER_01 13:23

I also think that uh I was taught really young in my career anyway, that money is an emotional tool. And so, right there are it, it can create really ugly experiences, whether that's whatever, whatever that is, money is an emotional resource. And and so having to trust someone with something that you might feel so emotional about will help you push through the moments when you need to get help and advice. Otherwise, if you're living on the bell curve and you're living through algorithms and you're living through data points and and you try to sterilize your relationship, you are you're forgetting one of those really elementary thoughts that you're you're emotionally tied to your money. Whether you like it or you hate it, whether you love it or you want it, whatever it is you're looking at, you probably you have a feeling connected to your money. And and that in and of itself suggests that a relationship matters and you you don't want to be treated like a data point.

SPEAKER_04 14:27

That's good. That's a good word. That's a good word. I know both of you are committed to the community and serve on several boards throughout the community. Why isn't community involvement important for business leaders? Can you speak to some of these businesses? Why is it so important for community leaders to be on nonprofit boards or just boards?

SPEAKER_01 14:45

One of the first things that comes to mind is being present to hear what the community needs. And so typically through board work, they are mission-driven organizations that are looking to fill a gap. And it's a great way to gain a point of view around what are the gaps that we want to lean into.

SPEAKER_00 15:05

Absolutely agree with that. And it's it's interesting. I don't know that I've had a lot of mentors, but for not-for-profit, I mean, it's been a part of my life for the last 30 years. And a person I would consider my mentor when it came to not-for-profits, she she broke it down into three areas. You have family, you have work, and you have your not-for-profit work. And your not-for-profit work is the one that makes you feel good. So there's kind of a fundamental piece of it that, you know, you're you're lending your time, you're lending your talents, you're lending, you know, financial resources, your network. It's good work. I mean, if you really believe in what that organization is doing, it makes you feel good too. It makes you feel like you're contributing and different uh not-for-profits that I've worked at, I learned a lot. You know, I learn about people with you know different backgrounds, different situations. You know, some are very life-threatening. Um, I've worked with uh Women's Crisis Center, you know, and then working the last two uh boards that I've been on have been with organizations that really help kids and you know provide them with a safe place to go and uh really kind of stress the education piece and and how that can help you better your situation. That that makes me feel pretty good. I mean, I guess it's a little selfish in a regard, but it's it's fun and and I get a lot of happy feelings about it.

SPEAKER_01 16:34

Yeah, Tim, you and I have talked in the past about servant leadership. And it's I love that the team of bankers I get to lead in Columbus, Ohio want to be servant leaders. And the joy that Matt just described, what he finds that fills his bucket when he knows he's out serving the community. Well, you called it selfish, but finding joy is not selfish, but finding joy through servant leadership is a it's a gift. It's a gift we all should have.

SPEAKER_04 17:05

Uh this question is for uh both of you. Uh in your opinion, how can financial institutions help strengthen families and communities long term? And I know, I know you're in this deal for the long term in the Northern areas, not just we're gonna be here today, a couple of years, we're out. So, how can uh financial institutions help strengthen uh families and communities long term?

SPEAKER_01 17:28

It's the investment, it's not a product. So our products turn over all the time, right? The checking accounts we were selling in the 70s are not the checking accounts we're selling today. The overdraft policies of the 80s are not the overdraft policies of today, right?

SPEAKER_04 17:40

Forget overdraft, thank you.

SPEAKER_01 17:43

No, and and and so it's investment and it's the investment in the family. And so once you understand those goals, is does the family want to own a home? Does the family want to travel abroad? Does the family um dream of college for their children? Does the family uh need a new car? Whatever that is, we need to talk about it. We need to plan for it for the long term. In general, we guide about 50% of your income should cover your living, about 30% of it should be put aside for joy, and about 20% of it should be not knocked away for savings. And in general, that gets you a model, but that model is not one size fits all. So you got to invest in that family. And then in the communities, there needs to be we are we are responsible to return some of our assets to the community. We are we it has to be a reciprocal relationship. We can't just take and not provide. There has to be contribution, there has to be donation, there has to be sponsorship, there has to be allyship, there has got to be a reciprocal relationship. And so we do that in a ton of different ways, whether those are volunteer hours or direct dollars contributed to the community. But um, we measure that every single year. We measure every volunteer hour and every dollar invested.

Community Boards And Servant Leadership

SPEAKER_04 19:01

Because we kind of we're kind of coming around the corner. Let's talk about this new trend in schools, in high schools, middle schools, about financial literacy. Let's talk about why that is so important, you know, for teenagers.

SPEAKER_00 19:14

Yeah, so I I have a teenager. It it can be a little bit of a challenge. You know, certainly uh banking has changed a lot since since I was a kid. Uh, my dad was a banker. In a lot of ways, I was I was very lucky because, you know, I did have that resource, you know, and someone who could teach me that. On the board for helping hands for youth, that's a a big part of what we want to teach. We want to teach, well, we're actually extending now into elementary schools and trying to get that that message out. But certainly middle school and then high school kids is is understanding that you're responsible for your financial situation. And if you don't have kind of a background knowledge, if you don't know how to open up a bank account, if you don't know how to budget properly, you you can get in trouble. So I I think you know that's obviously a very important mission of the bank, um, and certainly a focus of some of the not-for-profit boards that I've been on and just how critically important it is having that base of knowledge and being able to apply it to your life after you leave home.

SPEAKER_01 20:23

I'll also throw out that I talked a bit about how emotional money is. And we'll just layer in a quick comment on mental health, mental health and mental stability. The lack of resource causes stress, the lack of understanding causes stress. That stress is not healthy, it's not healthy when when the answers are readily available. And so that to develop a very healthy emotional experience with money will also lean into a trajectory of stronger mental health because money is a stressor. The lack of money is a stressor, the the lack of understanding about money is a stressor. And so starting young and alleviating that one, there are plenty of other stressors in the world. Don't let that one be one of them.

SPEAKER_04 21:16

You know, and just getting practical, you guys are talking about this, but you also have done some things in the community. I have a good friend Lawrence Vandenberg, and I know he he he has a summer program and those guys. Can you talk about why that was so important to you all to connect with Lawrence and what he's doing with financial literacy for teenagers?

SPEAKER_01 21:35

Lawrence is doing a great, great work. And Lawrence is is very faith forward, and he understands we're all Christ's child. And we all sometimes need a helping hand to get out there and see things in the world that we haven't seen yet. And through the power of observation, you can you can change someone's perspective, you can change someone's Point of view, you need to see it, touch it, feel it, heal it, just you know, discover it in order to know that it could be available to you or attainable. And that's what Lawrence's summer program means to me, that he's found these incredible young scholars who are interested in more than what they already know. And so we feel fortunate that Lawrence invited us in. I mean, incredibly fortunate that Lawrence invited us in. And we also felt like trying to describe what we did for a living was pretty difficult. So when we bring the kids in, we play Shark Tank. We create simulated businesses and we talk through what a business might look like and the value of a business and a business differentiator. And right behind me here is an award-winning Shark Tank mentor, Mr. Matt Gerhart. He's been awesome. How do you have you enjoyed the summers with Lawrence?

SPEAKER_00 22:54

You you knew I was going to go there. The thing I want to add about uh about Lawrence, he he really he makes it fun for the kids. I mean, it's it's kind of a whirlwind tour of of various businesses, you know, being able to connect with uh you know business leaders, community leaders. But I I I sense, you know, certainly from the kids that that I worked with on my team, they they love it. It it is just a lot of fun. They're engaged, they're you know, using their their brains to come up with ideas, and uh it's it's really it's great to see. I I really enjoy it. And I won less.

SPEAKER_04 23:36

So that's that's you ready for TV, you're ready for high talent. As you come around the corner, uh we both of you have you both can confound on this one. When you think about legacy, what do you hope people say about the way you lead?

SPEAKER_01 23:52

I hope people remember me for my curiosity. I hope people remember the inclusivity. I hope people taught me something and I reciprocated and taught them too. I hope there's an elevation through education and and being in the same room, right? There's a power of of positive impact. And I think of myself as being able to be more successful in positive impact, the more curious I am. And for me, I hope that I hope that curiosity sticks around. I hope someone positively remembered.

Teen Financial Literacy Shark Tank

SPEAKER_00 24:30

For me, I've I've always found that the best leaders are ones that lead by example. So I like to think that you know I have a positive impact on people. Um, I think I'm definitely an optimistic kind of person. And, you know, I hope as a legacy people remember that um, you know, he he always had a good story, he uh always had a positive message. Um he was fun to work with, really good joke teller, but just an overall good person, you know, one who was was very committed trying to help his community in any way that that he could.

SPEAKER_04 25:14

That's good. Um and I want to, as we wrap up, I want to thank you all for the bank for being in the community and not just being talking about it, but really engaged, really involved in the community. And that's a nice building you guys have. I've been in, you know, it's not just any storefront bank, you know, it's it's it's the real deal. And people can feel good about uh, you know, coming in there, you know, and the service. And and one thing I just talking to different people about this whole service thing is just treating people with empathy, you know. Uh when people walk in the bill walk in there, they can feel like they are they are special, you know. And that's what we kind of lose in this country, you know, this disconnect, you know. You know, back in the day, you would know your banker, you would go to the bank, you know. Now everything's one line, and you're trying to get through to talk to somebody, you might as well forget it, you know. But just the fact that you can walk in somewhere, you know, then and I love what you said about before you guys got started, you went and talked to the community, getting to know the community, what are their needs. You know, sometimes we try to force them, we try to tell people what they need. Well, it's different, it's different the way you guys approach that.

SPEAKER_01 26:21

Thank you. I think that you can feel a focus. You know if someone is focused on you, you know if they're distracted, you know if they're fiddling and fidgeting and looking over your shoulder. And I want a hundred percent of our teammates to be focused. So when you're sitting at the table with them and you're engaged in a conversation, you are the most important person in the room. And we talk a lot about what it means to provide our attention to the community. Um, and I think that's just through extreme focus. And um, thank you for commenting on it because it means a lot.

Legacy And The Leader You Become

SPEAKER_04 26:52

Well, as today we were blessed to have a powerful conversation uh with Matt and Jennifer from First Merchant Bank. Today we learned that prosperity isn't just about numbers on a balance sheet, it's about relationships, stewardship, service, and helping others win. Whether you're building a business, leading a family, or serving your community, prosperity starts with trust and long-term vision. So thank you, Matt and Jennifer and First Merchant Bank for monitoring what it looks like to truly help people prosper financially and beyond. Today's episode encourages you to make sure you subscribe, share this episode with a young professional or business leader, and continue building your legacy the right way.

Cash Flow Tip And Closing Charge

SPEAKER_03 27:35

Business owners should consider leveraging their working capital assets like accounts receivable and inventory with a line of credit in order to maximize cash flow opportunities. A business line of credit gives you flexible access to funds when you need them most, and you only pay for what you use. It's a smart way to unlock liquidity, manage seasonal swings, and stay ready for unexpected expenses or new growth opportunities. This helping you prosper tip is brought to you by First Merchants Bank member FDIC.

SPEAKER_02 28:08

Thank you for spending time with us here on BeA Baller Podcast. Remember, legacy isn't built by accident. It's built through daily choices, faithful obedience, and intentional impact. If today's conversation encouraged you, challenged you, or spoke to your heart, share this episode with a friend, a teammate, a leader, or someone who is ready to live with purpose. That simple act of sharing helps us grow the movement and spread legacy-minded living. We want to invite you to join the legacy movement. It's more than a podcast, it's a call to action. And one of the best ways to go deeper is by grabbing your copy of the book Living a Legacy. It's a powerful resource designed to help you apply what you're hearing and start building something that truly lasts. Until next time, keep showing up, keep pointing to others, and keep building a legacy worth following. Thanks for listening. And remember, be a baller, live on purpose, leave a legacy.