Chandler S. Bailey of Columbia, S.C. on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Chandler S. Bailey. Check out our conversation below.

Chandler S., really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
What’s bringing me joy right now is simply growing, leading, and loving my family while we keep building our lives together. My wife and I just celebrated 17 years, and this season with her has been special. We’re growing as a team, raising these kids, and really enjoying the life God is allowing us to build.

I’m also super proud of my daughter. She’s stepping into her creative lane, acting in films, and one of them — The Dreamer — is even on Amazon Prime. Watching her find her voice and walk confidently in her gift has been a blessing.

My oldest son is doing amazing as a national-level soccer player and striker in ECNL. Seeing him compete, learn discipline, and grow as a young man brings me a lot of joy — not just because he scores goals, but because I see who he’s becoming.

And my youngest son… man, watching him discover his own athletic world has been fun. He’s growing fast, picking things up naturally, and it’s exciting to see his personality and talents come alive.

With everything happening in ministry and business, nothing centers me like family. They’re my joy, my grounding, and my reminder of what matters most.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hello world, my name is Chandler S. Bailey. I’m a pastor, entrepreneur, and creative theologian who loves building things that carry purpose and make a real impact. I serve as the Assistant Pastor of Right Direction Church International, founded nearly 30 years ago by my parents, Bishop Herbert Bailey and Dr. Marcia Bailey, with campuses in Columbia, Orangeburg, and Florence, South Carolina.

I launched Chandler Bailey Media & Ministry in December 2022 to merge faith, creativity, and strategy. With a B.A. in Media Ministry, an M.A. in Christian Ministry, and ongoing doctoral studies in leadership and practical theology, my work blends theology, innovation, and real-world leadership. Our brand exists to help people grow spiritually, mentally, and professionally.

We operate through a framework we call C.A.M.M. — Consulting, Apparel, Media, and Mentorship. Through consulting, we support entrepreneurs and leaders with a prophetic edge of faith and strategic clarity. Our mentorship includes a mastermind designed to develop the total man. Our apparel line, He Came Through Drippin’, is a bold statement of faith. And our media division provides done-for-you social media management, post-production, and short-form video creation for ministries and faith-driven leaders.

One of our non-negotiables is simple: if we cannot overdeliver, we do not do it. The ministry in me requires excellence, impact, and intentionality. Everything we build is designed for longevity, sustainability, and purpose — so we can serve well, lead well, and create well while empowering people from the inside out.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
Who saw me clearly before I could see myself? Two people: my late great-uncle, Bishop Scotland Bailey, and my grandmother on my mother’s side, Delores “Deedee” Antoine. God used both of them as extensions of His love at a time when I didn’t yet recognize who I truly was.

My great-uncle Scotland Bailey was a grandfather to me and a father figure to my dad. He was the spiritual patriarch of our family, and he carried a calm, prophetic confidence about my future. He would instill in me that one day I would become a great preacher and a powerful man in ministry. I didn’t have the maturity or the belief to see that at the time — but now I’m literally walking out what he spoke over my life.

And then there was my grandmother, Deedee. She spent decades as an educator in New Jersey and was a fierce advocate for academic excellence. During a season when I was struggling academically — when the “typical framework” of school wasn’t working out for me (lol) — she would call me and tell me, “You’re a genius. I see you making A’s.” I didn’t believe her then, but those words stayed with me. Now I’m pursuing doctoral studies, creating at a high level, and using both my media background and academic training to serve people in ministry and in the marketplace.

They saw the version of me that God intended — long before I could accept it for myself. Their affirmation, faith, and love helped shape the man I am today.

When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
To be honest with you, one of the biggest breakthroughs in my life came when I stopped hiding my pain and started using it as a superpower. Growing up with ADD and ADHD, I never felt like I fit the “normal” educational mold. And honestly, society isn’t neurotypical anymore — we’re just now admitting it. What changed for me was realizing that many world-changers, inventors, entrepreneurs, and even billionaires think differently too. They don’t hide it; they harness it.

I recently taught a message on this idea: faith itself requires a neurodivergent mindset. To believe for what has never been done, you must think in ways that have never been thought. Entrepreneurs create what has never existed and place it into markets where it becomes what people always needed — and that’s innovation. That’s faith. That’s leadership.

As an adult, when my responsibilities in executive leadership increased, my ADHD resurfaced in new ways. Instead of fighting it, I embraced it. Through focus practices, diet, supplements, and grace, I learned that the way I think actually works — especially when I’m creating, building, and imagining what doesn’t exist yet.

I also stopped hiding the fact that I am a disruptor. Healthy leadership disrupts systems that no longer work. Not to be reckless or insensitive — but to move with conviction. When David disrupted the battlefield, his brothers questioned him, but he responded, “Is there not a cause?” That statement has become a philosophy for me as a pastor and entrepreneur. I’ve learned when to step into my genius, when to think differently, and when to challenge “the way things have always been.”

Because sometimes the neurodivergent mindset is exactly what God uses to break open new spaces, new ideas, and new levels of impact.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What’s a cultural value you protect at all costs?
FAMILY… nothing else to say lol

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. If immortality were real, what would you build?
If immortality were real, I’d build my own city — and then a country — simultaneously. I’ve always carried a sense of governmental leadership in my spirit, not in the political sense, but in the sense of creating order, culture, systems, and stability for generations. I’d want to shape the laws, the education, the economics, the faith culture, and the creative infrastructure of a place. Honestly, I’d probably function less like a president or a prime minister and more like a king (lol) — someone who builds with long-term vision and generational responsibility in mind.

A city or nation built under that kind of leadership would focus on faith, innovation, creativity, and human flourishing. It would be a place where people could grow, thrive, and build legacy. And immortality would allow me the time to architect something that outlives me — a culture and structure that keeps serving people long after the blueprint was drawn.

Because at the end of the day, legacy to me is simple: create something that empowers people, protects people, and gives them a foundation to become who God designed them to be.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Right Direction Ministries
Chandler Bailey Media

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Resilience
Betting on the Brightside: Developing and Fostering Optimism

Optimism is like magic – it has the power to make the impossible a reality

Highlighter Series
What’s more important to you—intelligence, energy, or integrity?

There is no one path – to success or even to New York (or Kansas).

Leadership Development
Finding & Living with Purpose

Over the years we’ve had the good fortunate of speaking with thousands of successful entrepreneurs,