On this episode of The Leader’s Journey Podcast, Trisha talks with Mac McCarthy and Nate Pyle about how the election year has affected their congregations and the ways they are navigating that social landscape within their churches. Listen to this first of several podcasts in 2024 as they discuss the unique ways they have each worked with the leade…

Trisha and Jim continue their insightful discussion on boundaries in this week's podcast. Join them as they discuss your questions about boundaries and the benefits and struggles of implementing them in personal and professional leadership roles. Conversation Overview Flourishing Within Boundaries Boundaries and Emotional Maturity Working Within a …

Join Trisha and Jim as they discuss the importance of respecting boundaries not just for the benefit of ourselves, but for the benefit of those around us. Together they discuss the complexities of setting and keeping boundaries while maintianing healthy relationships. "Boundaries are not something we put on others, boundaries are something that we …

Join Jim and Trisha as they discuss how we as the church can embrace the paradigm shift to a new structure in a church without walls. Their insightful conversation with this week’s guest, Terry Walling, offers a unique perspective on how nomadic believers are truly helping grow the church as they act as disciples within the community. Terry Walling…

Join Jim and Trisha as they discuss the concept of being vulnerable as a leader with author and keynote speaker, Jacob Morgan. Listen as they explore how the skill of balancing vulnerability and competency can empower leaders in both personal and professional settings. Jacob Morgan is a remarkable and successful leader,keynote speaker, trained futu…

Join Jim and Trisha as they speak with pastors Ted and Jess from Evanston Vineyard Church about intentional change. Discover how their approach to transformation involves coaching, diverse perspectives, and the formation of clear, shared values. Ted Kim, who has been pastoring and ministering in churches for more than 20 years in Washington, Califo…

Being stuck in problems and situations can be a significant hindrance to your ability to effectively lead and inspire those around you. Rather than move forward, you may find yourself focused on problems that prevent you from reaching your goals. Learn to resolve those situations so that they become a source of growth. Listen in this latest podcast…

adership, shedding light on helpful practices that can guide church leaders through the shift from an attractional growth model to a missional one. Joining them on this insightful exploration is the experienced and dynamic Mac McCarthy, Lead Pastor at Crosspoint Community Church in Milwaukee. Pastor Mac McCarthy is a seasoned leader with over 15 ye…

What if leadership is mostly about paying attention? In this episode, Trisha and Jim engage in a thought-provoking conversation with their guest, Ann Kansfield. Ann delves into her personal experiences with leadership and how important a role focus and attentiveness plays. A primary task of leadership is to direct attention for ourselves and those …

Join host Jim Herrington and Dr. Michael DeRuyter in an enlightening discussion as they uncover the delicate interplay between individuality and togetherness forces within leadership environments. Dr. DeRuyter is a distinguished expert in Bowen Family Systems Theory and leadership development, offers profound insights and practical strategies to he…

In this episode, Jim and Trisha talk with Chris Field, founder of Mercy Project, author, and speaker. They dive into the significance of systems thinking for leaders, emphasizing how it can address complex problems and instill hope within their organizations. Through his own journey, Chris highlights the value of long-term commitment, warns against…

Leaders who rigorously practice rest and who learn to work from rest, not work for rest, move past performance and entitlement and can sustain healthy leadership for the long haul. This episode delves into the importance of rest, relaxation, and sabbaticals for everyone, especially leaders in various organizations. Rusty discusses the need for indi…

If we can’t or won’t engage conflict, we can’t lead effectively. It’s as simple as that. Fortunately, managing ourselves in conflict can be learned, unlearned and re-learned as we use conflict as a powerful opportunity for growth and change. We wrapped up part 1 with a question from Trisha, how do we manage ourselves and stay open hearted even when…

If we can’t or won’t engage conflict, we can’t lead effectively. It’s as simple as that. Fortunately, managing ourselves in conflict can be learned, unlearned and re-learned as we use conflict as a powerful opportunity for growth and change. Conversation Overview: What is the goal of conflict? Mental models of conflict Formative experiences with co…

Welcome back to another episode of The Leader's Journey podcast. Today we're sharing one of our favorite episodes from 2019, Quit Getting In Your Own Way. This episode is a deep dive into the complexities of leadership and the often-overlooked reality that we can be our own biggest obstacles. Whether you're a seasoned leader or just starting your l…

In this episode, we're joined by Dr. Chuck DeGroat to talk about the natural reactivity we have to anxiety. We’ve talked a lot about fight and flight, conflict and distancing, but we don’t always add two other instinctive reactions: freeze and fawn. We may aspire to peace-making but we often settle for peace keeping and people-pleasing. When we can…

We grow our emotional maturity when we see ourselves and our relationships as part of creation and stay in touch with the natural world around us. Conversation overview: Are we, humans, disconnected from nature? What is the relationship between emotional maturity and connection to the natural world? What are some practices that can bring us back in…

In this episode, we continue our series on learning to managing self in triangles. Joining us for this conversation is our esteemed guest and good friend, Steve Cuss. As a reminder, this series is exploring the idea that triangles are neither good nor bad, but they are tricky and when you can see the triangles you’re in and understand how they work…

Triangles are not good or bad….but they are tricky. We're excited to kick off our new two-part series, "Managing Self in Triangles". Our guest for this episode is Dr. Jenny Brown, the founder and executive director of the Family Systems Institute and Family Systems Practice in Sydney, Australia. Dr. Brown is the author of the insightful book, "Grow…

In this episode, Jim and Trisha look back on The Leader's Journey, discuss key lessons and express gratitude for their clients, listeners, and the growth they've experienced through their work. We hope you'll connect with this authentic conversation. Conversation Overview: Jim & Trisha discuss their history working together The context, culture, an…

Knowing and doing the right thing is hard. Staying calm and saying the course in the face of the resulting opposition can be even harder, and requires us to practice courage intentionally. In this episode, the third in our series on courage, Jim and Trisha are joined by Jessica Shults and Mac McCarthy who discuss their unique, yet similar, pastoral…

Facing trauma and pain in constructive and redemptive ways requires us to practice courage intentionally. With David Zailer, author of Death of a Fisherman, Trisha and Jim continue their series on courage. Together they discuss an important question from David’s life and book: “How will you and I grow through hardship and suffering?” Conversation O…

Podcast guest Nathan Herrington helps Jim and Trisha explore practices that can sustain courage in the third episode of a series that focuses on growing our emotional maturity. By saying yes to life on its own terms we lean into how we can learn to be courageous, and essentially more effective leaders through working on intentional focused practice…

In today’s podcast, we discuss how leaders often live in a pace that stands in the way of being able to grow our emotional maturity. Our guest, April Fiet, is a pastor and author whose book The Sacred Pulse: Holy Rhythms for Overwhelmed Souls posits that the process of slowing down helps us live into our callings by tapping into holy rhythms which …

The only way to be different is to do different—seeing our autopilot ways of being and disrupting them is the only way change happens. I rarely struggle to know what I believe the right thing to do is but I often have the inability to do the right thing…I normally know the right things about how to relate, how to do relationships, and when I get an…

As a learning community, we want to share some of our best resources with you, let you get to know our team a little better and give you a peek into what we’re learning. We hold a shared belief that, especially in a context where the pace of change is so rapid, ongoing learning that is fed by curiosity about what’s happening in our ministry context…

The gold standard of leadership is calm, principled presence in the face of challenge. This requires commitment and practice to do the inside-out work of growing a calmer self. About Nate Pyle Nate is an author, blogger and ordained pastor in the Reformed Church in America. In 2015, Nate released his first book, Man Enough: How Jesus Redefines Manh…

Learning to Surface and Test the Mental Models: Part 2 When you are leading off map, learning to surface and test the mental models—yours and those of your team—that guide your decision-making is an essential leadership skill. In this episode, we are going to name what we believe to be the dominant mental model and then compare and contrast it to w…

When you are leading off map, learning to surface and test the mental models—yours and those of your team—that guide your decision-making is an essential leadership skill. Click here to learn more about and get access to Better Together Conversation Overview What is a mental model and why is it important to know what one is? What are some biblical …

We believe that it is God’s design for men and women to collaborate as equals in the missional life. We believe living according to God’s design is a matter of justice and a matter of missional effectiveness. Learn more and get access to Better Together here. Conversation Overview How Jim & Trisha started working together Some of what we've learned…

Burning out is not an inevitable part of leadership but it is a common one; leaders can care for themselves and each other as they avoid burnout where possible, heal from burnout where necessary and use burnout to learn new ways of life. Subscribe to our newsletter Conversation Overview What is burnout? How do we distinguish between burnout, stress…

Leading from the Second Chair with Mike Bonem Leadership is not just about being in charge. The best leaders know how to use influence and relationships to lead up, down and sideways in order to shape the things they care about. Subscribe to our newsletter What is a second chair leader? "a person in a subordinate role whose influence with others ad…

Leadership is not just about being in charge. The best leaders know how to use influence and relationships to lead up, down and sideways in order to shape the things they care about. Subscribe to our newsletter Conversation Overview What are some of the frustrations and challenges that come with trying to lead in an organization where you’re not in…

In this episode, we talk with Ben Sternke and Matt Tebbe authors of "Having the Mind of Christ: Eight Axioms to Cultivate a Robust Faith". During the conversation, we explore deconstruction, how our response to it impacts those we lead, and much more! Subscribe to our newsletter Conversation Overview: Ben & Matt's Book: Having the Mind of Christ: E…

Today we're talking about what it means to be coachable and what it means to have a posture of coachability. Subscribe to our newsletter! Leaders who learn to lead through coaching and who develop a culture of coaching in their organization will effectively raise up people who can consistently be the healthiest, most effective version of themselves…

The five skills that leaders can start to work on today to become more effective leaders through coaching are deep listening, inquiry, giving clear feedback, guiding focus, and doing your own work. Subscribe to our newsletter! Leaders who learn to lead through coaching and who develop a culture of coaching in their organization will effectively rai…

Leaders who learn to lead through coaching and who develop a culture of coaching in their organization will effectively raise up people who can consistently be the healthiest, most effective version of themselves and do their best work. Subscribe to our newsletter! Conversation Overview: Leadership mental models What do we mean by coaching? Coachin…

In this episode of The Leader's Journey Podcast, Trisha and Jim are reflecting on the past two years, what they've learned, how things have changed, and what they can see differently now from a different vantage point. In part of the episode, Jim and Trisha reflect on a few podcasts and blog posts they shared during the early stages of the pandemic…

To navigate the storms in our systems it is important to be able to notice and identify them as ambient anxiety from a culture in chaos, a crisis eruption, or the conflict that shows up as a symptom of the anxiety in our system. Subscribe to our newsletter! The Leader's Journey Book Series The process of researching, studying, and writing the book …

What does our family of origin or our nuclear family have to do with how we lead? In this episode, we explore that question as we discuss the third section of our book entitled Family Patterns. The process of researching, studying, and writing the book The Leader’s Journey changed the trajectory of our lives. In this series, we are joined by our co…

To think systems, we have to give up cause-and-effect thinking. Everyone in a particular system is influencing and being influenced all the time. The process of researching, studying, and writing the book The Leader’s Journey changed the trajectory of our lives. In this series, we are joined by our co-author Dr. Robert Creech and together we’ll be …

"An effective leader, one who can galvanize individuals and groups and who has the potential to help transform society is a person who has the capacity to know and do the right thing." – The Leader's Journey The process of researching, studying, and writing the book The Leader's Journey changed the trajectory of our lives. In this series, we are jo…

How can leaders use the power they have on behalf of others and share their power with others in order to create a more just and more equitable community? We are joined by Dr. D. Z. Cofield and Deborah Pulis for this conversation. In this series, we are exploring the inherent connection between leadership and power. We hope to help leaders better u…

In this episode, we explore how trustworthy and transformative leaders carefully balance authority and vulnerability to create space for flourishing. Conversation overview What comes to mind when you think about authority? What comes to mind when you think about vulnerability? The vulnerability to tell the truth Having conviction and humility The i…

A conversation about leadership is inherently a conversation about power, and a conversation about power is inherently a conversation about conflict. In this episode, we explore how trustworthy and transformative leaders understand how power dynamics are always present in conflict and how they can be navigated wisely, creating the results we want. …

Trustworthy and transformative leaders understand the dynamics of power in their organizations and in themselves and they have developed principles and practices that help them use their own power wisely. “Power is the ability to achieve purpose, power is the ability to effect change, and we need power.” – Martin Luther King Jr. Leaders will too of…

It’s the new year and some of us have been planning our new year’s resolutions for months, some of us haven’t and feel guilty about it, and some of us very strictly don’t do resolutions. Our culture is very keen on goal-setting and yet, we wonder how effective that is. In this episode, we got our whole team together to have a conversation about goa…

We wanted the last episode of this year to be a little different. There will not be a leadership principle, and there's not going to be a question that we're trying to answer. But in this episode, I think we want to talk to each other and talk to our community as the year winds down. To give us the opportunity to reflect a little bit on this last y…

Today Jim is joined by our colleague and fellow coach, Dr. Michael De Ruyter. Mike and Jim are facilitating a learning community for 10 pastors this fall and today's podcast is a conversation between us that we prepared for one of the gatherings of this group of pastors, the topic is systems thinking and how we utilize this way of thinking and high…

How do we implement accountability strategies that are actually empowering and effective? In our efforts to lead a group of people toward a shared mission or vision, we must find ways to overcome our negative experiences with accountability and learn to hold ourselves, each other and our organizations accountable in collaborative, grace-filled and …