What does true faith look like when life gets chaotic — in business, sports, family, and culture?
In this powerful episode of Leveraging Success, Jeff Gerhart sits down with Tarik Black — former NBA forward for the Lakers and Rockets, now Senior Vice President of Business Development for an AI-powered housing firm in Los Angeles. Known as “Pastor Black” in the locker room, Tarik shares his journey from a Nation of Islam-influenced upbringing, through college depression, to a life-changing encounter with Jesus through a teammate.
Together they explore faith as reliance (not just belief), biblical order and discipline, boldness among athletes, navigating anxiety, “walking on water” moments, and why the next generation craves depth in Scripture. Tarik also shares candid hot takes on denominations, biblical marriage, and what the church needs today.
If you’re a leader, believer, or wrestling with faith in real-life storms, this conversation will challenge and encourage you.
In This Episode:
[00:00] Episode Intro: Faith, Business & Legacy with Tarik Black[03:45] Everyone Is in Sales – Including the Gospel[07:20] Tarik’s Journey: From Memphis to Kansas, Depression to Encounter[12:10] The Teammate Who Shared Jesus – Personal Connection & Holy Spirit Authority[16:55] Exploring Faiths: Nation of Islam Background & Searching for Order[21:40] Why Young People Are Turning to Scripture & the Need for Depth[26:25] The Road to Emmaus – Jesus in the Old Testament[31:05] Spiritual Temperature Rising: Bold Faith in Athletes & End-Times Urgency[35:50] Faith = Reliance, Not Just Belief – Lessons from the Sea of Galilee[40:30] Anxiety in Pro Sports, Feelings vs. Truth & Walking in Courage[45:15] Advice to His Younger Self & Coaching Himself Today[49:40] Hot Takes: Denominations, Biblical Marriage & Church Unity[54:20] NBA Leadership Lessons, Idolatry After Success & Persecution Stories[57:50] Closing Prayer & Final Thoughts
Our Guest
Tarik Black is a husband to Kennedy Raye, father of three, and a Kingdom talent worker. Basketball was the vehicle, not the destination. After transferring from the University of Memphis to the University of Kansas, Tarik surrendered his life to Christ through teammate Christian Garrett and spiritual parents Roger and Cynthia Garrett-Charles.
He played over a decade in the NBA (Lakers, Rockets) and EuroLeague, while building in parallel. In Los Angeles and Israel, he developed business acumen, co-founded companies, transacted $14M in real estate, and built an investment portfolio in venture capital, fintech, and technology.
Today he serves as SVP of Business Development at OLOS, an AI-powered multifamily development firm solving the attainable housing crisis through faith-based partnerships in Greater Los Angeles.
Notable Quotes
“Faith really means reliance, not just belief.” – Tarik Black“We’re all in sales. If I walk into a church and ask how many of us are responsible for the gospel, every hand needs to go up.” – Tarik Black“Feelings are a warning sign. They’re not a driver.” – Tarik Black“Pride is thinking anything of yourself that the Lord is not saying — low or high.” – Tarik Black
Resources & Links
Tarik Black
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tarik-black/https://www.instagram.com/tarikbblack/
Jeff Gerhart
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffgerhardt/
ResourcesThe Master’s Program – https://mastersprogram.org/Leveraging Success Podcast – https://www.leveragingsuccesspodcast.comLife Balance Assessment – https://lba.priorityliving.org/
#FaithAndBusiness #PastorBlack #LeveragingSuccess #NBAFaith #BiblicalManhood #KingdomLeadership #WalkingOnWater #RelianceOnGod #BoldFaith #ChristianPodcast
