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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:
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
Hire Catholic Overseas Talent
In LatAm and the Philippines, there are millions of Catholic remote workers (across all domains) who want to work for ethical bosses.
Often, they’re treated as second-class citizens or work for organizations that ask them to do questionable things. They reach out to us in search of a Catholic boss.
So, we started ParacleteVA (website coming soon).
With ParacleteVA, we’ll find you vetted, Catholic overseas talent who will help you move your business forward.
How it works: Pay a $500 finders fee when the candidate starts and $500 if you’re still happy with them after 30 days.
To get started, reach out to catholicfounders@gmail.com with what you’re looking for, and we’ll get started.
Key Episode References:
Creative Works & Publications
Scripture & Parables
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 modern men reject the Church due to poor lived examples, and our duty to be the face of the Gospel.
(11:53) - The Rebrand Blueprint : Juan shares the business and spiritual motivations for shifting from “Simple Man” to a serious faith-based media company.
(18:39) - The AI Breaking Point : How artificial intelligence acts as a spiritual amplifier and where men must draw strict relational boundaries.
(21:05) - The Resurgence of the Human Element : A strategic look at tech layoffs, automated markets, and why uniquely human skills are poised for a comeback.
(28:19) - Anarchy vs. Chivalry : Confronting the cultural void that attracts lost young men to worldly gurus like Andrew Tate, and how Catholic leaders can fill it.
(40:05) - The Masculine Drive to Conquer : Why entrepreneurship serves as a modern frontier for men to exercise their drive to build in an orderly, creative way.
(45:18) - Cycles of Cultural Restoration : Juan envisions a hopeful future anchored in restored families, structured relationships, and traditional values.
(50:51) - The Duty of Wealth & Talents : Busting the myth of false humility, breaking down the Parable of the Talents, and competing directly against godless influence.
(55:14) - Rapid Fire Questions : Juan reveals his favorite scripture, an inspiring Colombian entrepreneur, his love for St. Francis, and the ultimate spiritual “cheat code”.
(57:13) - Outro : Silas recaps his biggest takeaways, challenges listeners to stop hiding behind cowardice, and invites founders to join the Guild.
Hire Catholic Overseas Talent
In LatAm and the Philippines, there are millions of Catholic remote workers (across all domains) who want to work for ethical bosses.
Often, they’re treated as second-class citizens or work for organizations that ask them to do questionable things. They reach out to us in search of a Catholic boss.
So, we started ParacleteVA (website coming soon).
With ParacleteVA, we’ll find you vetted, Catholic overseas talent who will help you move your business forward.
How it works: Pay a $500 finders fee when the candidate starts, and $500 if you’re still happy with them after 30 days.
To get started, reach out to catholicfounders@gmail.com with what you’re looking for, and we’ll get started.
