Episode: A Life Worth Working | Guest: Jacob Buchholz | Pastor, Deaf Culture & Reality TV
Jacob Buchholz is a progressive pastor, a fluent signer in American, Romanian, and Russian sign language, the co-founder of a trans-denominational deaf church — and a cast member on The Snake, now streaming on Hulu.
The show cast him because he’s from a profession that uses persuasion. He went because he wanted a nationally televised platform for a more inclusive, progressive version of Christianity.
In this episode of A Life Worth Working, Jacob tells the full story: from his childhood in a deaf household where his mother led protests and ran ASL church services, to a transformative trip to Romania and Moldova that redirected his entire career, to the moment he climbed out of a shipping crate in Argentina and found out he was on a game show about manipulation.
This is a genuinely surprising episode about identity, calling, courage — and what it means to hold your values in a space that wasn’t built for them.
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About Jacob Buchholz
Jacob Buchholz is a senior pastor and reality television contestant currently featured on The Snake, now streaming on Hulu. He has served as a pastor in the United Church of Christ for over a decade and is currently leading a congregation in Claremont, California.
About the Podcast: A Life Worth Working
A Life Worth Working is hosted by Michelle Weise, a writer on the future of learning and work, and Dana Allen Walsh, an executive coach and pastor. Each week, they talk with guests who open up about the messiness, transformation, and wonder of their work lives — what they call the soul of work.
🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode. ⭐ Leave a review — it helps more people find the show. 📩 Email us: alifeworthworking@gmail.com
