Catholic Answers Live #12217 Building Catholic Companies in the Secular World - Nick Madden
May 29, 2025
Nick Madden, CEO of Red Door Escape Rooms and Sent Ventures, discusses integrating Catholic values into business. He shares insights on fostering teamwork and creativity through escape rooms. Madden reflects on navigating faith at Harvard and the challenges of maintaining authenticity in a secular environment. He emphasizes the importance of relationships over profit and illustrates how spiritual journeys reshape views on business success. The conversation highlights the new evangelization in workplaces and the role of community in supporting Catholic entrepreneurs.
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Escape Room Business Origin
- Nick Madden shares how Red Door Escape Rooms became his entrepreneurial venture after loving the escape room experience with his wife and reaching out to owners.
- He grew the business from one location to nearly 20 by creatively structuring ownership and investing personal time.
Faith Challenged at Harvard
- Harvard challenged Nick Madden's faith, making him question if he was "dumb" for being Catholic.
- Reading G.K. Chesterton's Orthodoxy gave him the courage to embrace faith intellectually and remain committed.
Chesterton's Faith Invitation
- Chesterton's analogy of a man in an asylum seeing everyone as actors reveals the limits of disproving solipsism.
- Faith offers a more beautiful, plausible worldview that invites exploration rather than confrontation.
