Featuring: Darian Howard
By: C.J. Stewart
The Impact Access Process is my structured approach to leveling up mentees who aren’t simply chasing opportunity — they are seeking calling. It’s a pathway that starts with curiosity, deepens with conviction, and matures into clarity, capacity, and character.
I don’t pour into everyone. I pour into the called — those who aren’t satisfied just doing baseball, but are pulled to change baseball.
I was connected to Darian Howard through our friend and LEAD supporter Danielle Bedasse of the Atlanta Braves Foundation. Many know the Howard name through Ryan Howard, yet Darian isn’t trying to live inside anyone’s legacy — he is building one of his own through service, leadership, and systems-level impact.
Darion wants to be a change agent in baseball. A catalyst. A force for good. That’s calling, not career.
Calling vs. Occupation
- An occupation is what you do to get paid.
- A calling is what you are created to do to serve.
Occupations can change.
Callings convict.
A calling begins in the heart — conviction — and is connected to the head — clarity.
The Latin root of passion means to suffer. We are most passionate about what we have suffered from or are suffering through.
With calling comes spiritual, mental, and emotional capacity — the supernatural endurance to carry responsibility others cannot see and often won’t understand.
As part of this process, Darian asked me five questions — questions he believed only I could answer.
Those questions were a gift. They forced me to pause, reflect, and respond with care and intentionality. Now, by sharing this dialogue, I can scale my impact and support others discerning calling, developing conviction, and preparing to lead.
Below are his questions and my responses.
- How can I ensure that my purpose remains rooted in service rather than achievements as I pursue opportunities within baseball?
A calling is rooted in conviction, not ambition.
Servant leadership means not thinking less of yourself — but thinking of others more than yourself. Yes, we should produce, excel, achieve — but our why must always be greater than our ego.
There are many things I want to accomplish in my lifetime. But ultimately, I want to stand before God having completed His assignment, not my personal checklist.
Achievement is not wrong. It just can’t become the driver. When achievement leads, service becomes optional. When calling leads, achievement becomes a by-product of obedience and impact.
Practical anchor:
“Lord, how can I help someone else succeed today?”
Service builds legacy. Achievement builds moments.
- What habits or disciplines separate people who are called to lead from those who are prepared to perform?
We need both:
- Called to lead
- Prepared to perform
Development works like this:
- Talent — what you do well
- Habits — what you do well repeatedly without thought
- Skill — what you do well repeatedly without thought under stress
Skills pay bills — because leadership happens in pressure.
Critical leadership skills:
- Punctuality — respecting time is respecting people
- Preparation — preparation prevents panic
- Promise-keeping — character is keeping your word even when your mood changes
Discipline means doing what must be done especially when you don’t feel like it.
Leadership demands discipline across five domains:
- Spiritual
- Mental
- Emotional
- Physical
- Relational
Daily discipline drill:
One intentional action in each domain:
- One verse or devotional
- One journal reflection
- One gratitude text
- One mile walked or stretch session
- One healthy meal decision
Small daily obedience builds great long-term capacity.
I remind myself:
“Someone’s breakthrough tomorrow depends on my discipline today.”
- How do I continue to grow in humility and faith when my path feels uncertain or delayed?
Humility: not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of others more.
Delay does not equal denial. Confusion does not cancel calling.
Faith is required when vision is known but timing is unknown.
Four questions that clarified my calling:
- What do you worry about?
- What do you cry about?
- What do you dream about?
- What brings you joy?
Vision lets you see the destination.
Faith gives you the strength to walk when you can’t see the road.
I get the credit down here.
God gets the glory up there.
- When progress feels slow, how do I balance patience and persistence without losing conviction?
- Patience — waiting without anger
- Persistence — consistent effort without quitting
Conviction isn’t fragile — when it’s true, it’s permanent. You don’t lose conviction; conviction holds you.
Most people train their body.
Some train their mind.
Few do the soul-work.
The soul is where conviction lives.
Soul Anchors
To stay rooted:
- Stillness and prayer — be quiet before God
- Scripture and study — renew your mind
- Service — conviction grows when you give
Benefits of Soul-Led Living
- Peace the world can’t steal
- Purpose adversity cannot shake
- Power beyond personal ability
Patience + Persistence + Conviction = Purpose Fulfilled.
- Within the baseball industry, how can I use my experiences and relationships to create lasting impact that goes beyond wins and losses?
Baseball does not simply need people who can manage games — baseball needs leaders who can transform systems.
The industry must evolve. It needs convicted, courageous, future-minded system-thinkers who understand:
- The game
- The business
- The culture
- The people
- The purpose
Information + experience = knowledge
Application of knowledge = power
Wins and losses matter — but the bridge between them is learning. And learning documented becomes leadership curriculum.
Lasting impact requires structure:
- Philosophy — what you believe
- Methodology — how you teach it
- Framework — where and when it applies
Clear mission. Clear measures. Clear standards. Clear accountability.
You must build with called people, not hired bodies.
People committed to winning beyond themselves, not just for themselves.
Some will advance with you.
Some you must leave behind.
That’s not personal — it’s biblical alignment.
Before athletes learn to win, they often must learn not to lose — to release the habits and environments that trained them to expect defeat.
Culture is how people act repeatedly.
Every organization needs a culture department, not just a manager. The work is shaping identity, behavior, belief, and belonging.
To create lasting impact:
- Protect your calling
- Steward your relationships
- Release what no longer aligns
- Build structures that outlive you
Trophies fade. Systems endure. People transform.
That is legacy.
Darian, baseball is your platform — not your purpose.
Your calling is bigger than wins — it’s about souls, systems, standards, and legacy.
Occupations make a living.
Callings make a difference.
God rewards faith. People reward performance. Leaders must master both.
This is only the beginning.
We go farther from here — deeper, stronger, higher.