CrossCurrent Podcasts

To be just, the execution of Hasan cannot be about therapy or vengeance, but justice and the preservation of human dignity. 

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 Join us at the 2027 Colson Center National Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina. Register at colsonconference.org.

What if avoiding conversations about risk is actually creating more risk for your business, team, or mission?

Kristen Luidhardt sits down with strategic advisor, speaker, and author Susan Schram to explore why faith and risk are not opposites, and why courageous leaders need to make space for honest conversations about uncertainty.

Susan brings decades of experience leading global initiatives at companies including IBM and Nokia, and now works through Go to Market Impact with CEOs, boards, investors, nonprofits, and faith-based leaders to pressure-test important ideas before they stall or fail.

She explains why faith does not eliminate risk, but instead reframes how leaders approach it. She shares how underestimating the “people side” of risk can derail even strong strategies, why teams often avoid difficult conversations, and how leaders can build greater trust by openly discussing what might go wrong before problems surface.

They also unpack Susan’s six principles for pressure-testing a big idea, including clarifying why and why now, validating why you, identifying who must act, challenging assumptions, planning for multiple scenarios, and developing leaders who can adapt when circumstances change.

Susan also shares a practical “pre-mortem” exercise leaders can use to uncover hidden risks before launching an initiative.

Key Takeaways

00:00 Why Not Talking About Risk Is Risky

00:36 Meet Susan Schram

02:05 Faith and Risk Belong Together

03:32 Why God Calls Us to Plan

05:46 Why Big Ideas Stall

07:09 The People Side of Risk

08:33 Why Teams Avoid Risk Conversations

11:03 Learning From a Failed Product Launch

14:14 Courageous Leaders Talk About Risk

16:14 Pressure-Testing High-Stakes Initiatives

17:59 Susan’s Six Risk Principles

20:56 Challenge Your Assumptions

22:22 Ask “What If?” Before Launching

25:17 When Success Creates New Risk

28:17 Building Resilience Through Scenario Planning

30:03 How to Start the Risk Conversation

32:43 Fast Track Your Big Idea

33:43 The Pre-Mortem Exercise

35:35 What a Life Well Lived Looks Like

36:37 Using AI to Process Difficult Moments

39:04 Who Susan Helps

40:34 Protecting Your Next Big Idea

Resources

Fast Track Your Big Idea

https://gotomarketimpact.com/book/

Go to Market Impact

https://gotomarketimpact.com/

U.S. Christian Chamber of Commerce

https://uschristianchamber.com/

Liberty Builders Exchange

https://business.uschristianchamber.com/events/Details/liberty-builders-exchange-dinner-at-swc-2026-1700626?sourceTypeId=Hub

Susan Schramm's Risk System for Impact

https://gotomarketimpact.com/about-us/

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/libertyspenders

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/libertyspenders

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/libertyspenders

• Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-6192506

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXn-vzlA03r59neWZD0ofJA

• X: https://x.com/LibertySpenders

Connect with Kurt and Kristen Luidhardt:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/luidhardts

• Instagram: https

Marriage is such a special bond, and a beautiful gift from God. But it doesn’t come without its challenges. Dr. Dan Allender teaches how you can work with your spouse to achieve true healing from past trauma to help strengthen your marriage.

Get "The Deep-Rooted Marriage" free with your gift

Healing Begins Here: Trauma has a way of lingering, not just in memory, but in the body, in patterns of thought, and sometimes even in the way we relate to God. And yet, what has shaped you does not have to define you.

Get More Episode Resources 

Do you have a story or comment on how Focus on the Family impacted you or your family? Leave a message for Jim Daly!

If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family with Jim Daly, please give us your feedback.

Christianity can be freely proclaimed as the one true religion if citizens are allowed to freely adhere to it.

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For more resources visit breakpoint.org. 

Your family needs a good local church—but how do you know when you’ve found one?

In this episode of the Teach Them Diligently podcast, David Nunnery goes solo to share four characteristics he has learned to look for after decades of visiting, serving in, speaking at, and evaluating churches in the United States and around the world.

This isn’t intended to be an exhaustive theological checklist for church health. Instead, David offers a practical framework Christian parents can use as they consier whether a church will be a strong partner in the work of family discipleship.

You’ll hear why David looks for strong leadership, an active gospel ministry, a church centered on Scripture and Jesus Christ, and genuine Christian community—plus one surprising place he recommends parents look when evaluating the health of a church.

David also offers an important caution: churches are made up of imperfect people. Finding a healthy church doesn’t mean finding a perfect one.

If your family is searching for a church—or you’re thinking carefully about the church you’re already part of—this episode will give you practical questions to consider together.

Haven’t listened to Part 1?

Before asking how to find a good church, hear David and Leslie discuss why Christian families need the local church as a partner in discipleship.

LISTEN TO WHY YOUR FAMILY NEEDS A CHURCH

LISTEN TO WHY YOUR FAMILY’S COMMITMENT TO CHURCH MATTERS

Your family wasn’t meant to walk this journey alone.

One of the greatest gifts we can give our children is to surround them with people who love Jesus, take His Word seriously, and encourage them to follow Him.

That’s part of what makes Teach Them Diligently gatherings so special.

For three days, you’ll be surrounded by Christian families who share your desire to raise children who know and love the Lord. You’ll hear biblical teaching, find practical help for parenting and homeschooling, worship together, and build relationships with people who understand the mission you’re pursuing.

And your children will experience something important, too: They’re part of something much bigger than their own family.

Teach Them Diligently isn’t a replacement for your local church. It’s an opportunity to strengthen your family for the work God has called you to do in your home and c

️ FREE: Kingdom Writers Conference, Write with God edition on Wednesday, October 28. If God gave you a book and you've been stuck on it, join CJ and me for a free online conference where every speaker shares a different way they've learned to partner with God in their writing. Get your free ticket: https://www.trainingauthors.com/conference

Shelley reads Theodore Roosevelt's 1910 arena speech, the one about how the credit belongs to the person whose face is marred with dust and sweat, not to the critic in the stands.

It is easy to be a spectator of other people's books. Watching someone else finish, publish, and market theirs while you stay in the shadows, where nothing can go wrong and nothing can happen either.

There is no shame in having been on the sidelines. Today can simply be the day that changes. She prays over you at the end that you would step forward in his power rather than your own.

Marriage is such a special bond, and a beautiful gift from God. But it doesn’t come without its challenges. Dr. Dan Allender teaches how you can work with your spouse to achieve true healing from past trauma to help strengthen your marriage.

Get "The Deep-Rooted Marriage" free with your gift

Healing Begins Here: Trauma has a way of lingering, not just in memory, but in the body, in patterns of thought, and sometimes even in the way we relate to God. And yet, what has shaped you does not have to define you.

Get More Episode Resources 

Do you have a story or comment on how Focus on the Family impacted you or your family? Leave a message for Jim Daly!

If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family with Jim Daly, please give us your feedback.

We must continue in our commitment to uphold religious liberty.

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Download the Colson Educators app today on the Apple App Store or Google Play.