Episode 170: Joshua Evarts, Author, If Jesus Smoked Cigars

What if the most valuable currency in business isn’t money, influence, or technology — but relationships?

In this episode of the Agents of Innovation podcast, host Francisco Gonzalez sits down with entrepreneur, author, community builder, and longtime technology executive Joshua Evarts to explore a career that has taken him from building and selling tech companies to working alongside U.S. forces in Iraq, revitalizing historic downtown Meridian, Idaho, and creating The Vault, an experiential cigar lounge built around authentic relationships.

Joshua shares how curiosity and a willingness to walk into unexpected rooms helped shape his entrepreneurial career, what his time in Iraq taught him about leadership, and why he believes leaders should be slow to hire, quick to fire, transparent about failure, and committed to serving the people around them.

The conversation also explores the philosophy behind Joshua’s new book, “If Jesus Smoked Cigars: Eight Lessons in Relational Leadership.” Despite the provocative title, the book isn’t really about cigars — it’s about what happens when relationships become the foundation of how we lead, build organizations, and live our lives.

Francisco and Joshua also discuss why cigar lounges can create unusually meaningful conversations, the difference between online influence and authentic relationships, and why technology, social media, and AI make real human connection more important than ever.

You can also watch this conversation on YouTube: https://youtu.be/OBJoVetfeJM

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