THIS IS THE PART NO ONE TALKS ABOUT: 

Growth as a faith leader is directly tied to your capacity to carry and process pain well. What you don’t transform, you will inevitably transmit. It will come out in your church, your team, or your family. In this episode, we go beneath the surface of leadership success and explore the real, raw process God uses to shape your soul.

Episode Summary:
Leadership isn’t just about vision-casting, strategic planning, or building platforms. It's about learning to lead through pain. In this episode, Jose shares personal reflections on leadership wounds, the loneliness of responsibility, and how God uses pain as a crucible for transformation. Drawing from Samuel Chand’s Leadership Pain, scripture, and real-world experience, this conversation exposes the often-ignored truths of the leader’s journey and how to make peace with pain instead of running from it. Whether you're a pastor, coach, creative, or organizational leader, this episode is for anyone who’s ever whispered, “I didn’t know it would hurt this much.”

Takeaways:

1. The Deeper the Pain, the Greater the Potential. “You’ll grow only to the threshold of your pain.” — Samuel Chand Pain is not the enemy of your calling; it’s often the pathway God uses. Every level of leadership requires a new level of dying to self, and many leaders quit because no one prepared them for the pain.

Reflection Question: Are you resisting what God is using to refine you?

2. Pain Is a Part of the Process. Pain reshapes your identity. Loss, betrayal, and chronic pressure force us to redefine what success really means. As Dr. Chand writes, “Pain is the classroom where God teaches His deepest lessons.” Transformation is always personal before it’s public. While God doesn't waste your pain, He won’t bypass it either.

3. You Can’t Lead Well if You Don’t Lament Honestly
Church culture often rushes to “hope” while bypassing “hurt.” Leaders need to reengage the lost discipline of lament. David wrote his most powerful psalms from caves, not castles (Psalm 142). Jesus wept before He resurrected Lazarus. True leadership honors emotion without being ruled by it.

Takeaway Practice: Try a 5-minute journaling exercise where you write honestly about your leadership wounds as a form of prayer.

Bonus Resources:

From Leadership Pain by Samuel Chand:

Spiritual Practices for Processing Pain:

This is the Perfect Listen For:

Send this to a leader who needs to hear this.
Leave a review if this hit deep.
And most importantly, don’t walk through pain alone. Let us journey with you.

If It Makes Everyone Comfortable, It’s Probably Not From God

Welcome to The Deep Dive with Jose St. Phard!
The podcast created specifically for dreamers, leaders, and changemakers.

In this episode, we're tackling a topic every dreamer faces but rarely talks about openly: criticism and misunderstanding. When you're pursuing a God-sized vision, you'll inevitably encounter skeptics, doubters, and critics. But here’s the powerful truth—it’s meant to be that way.

We dive deep into the life of Joseph (Genesis 37–50), a visionary whose God-given dreams took him on a journey filled with misunderstanding, betrayal, setbacks, and ultimately into extraordinary purpose. His story will help you understand why critics are often a sign you're on the right path, how setbacks can be setups for your purpose, and why it’s essential to believe boldly even when no one else sees your vision.

If you've ever felt pressure to shrink your dreams to fit other people's comfort zones, let this episode empower you to dream bigger, louder, and more boldly than ever before.

Key Episode Highlights:

Scriptures Explored:

Reflection for Dreamers:

Ask yourself: "Where have I been shrinking my dream to fit other people's comfort zones?" Remember—your dream isn’t just about you. It’s about all the people God will impact through you.

Action Steps:

Connect & Engage:

Remember—if your dream makes everyone comfortable, it’s probably not from God.

Let’s keep diving deep!

We’ve all chased the myth of “work-life balance” — juggling career, home, faith, and impact with a constant sense of guilt and fatigue. But what if that whole idea is upside down? Are you exhausted chasing this impossible dream? What if everything you’ve heard about balancing work and life is actually holding you back?

In this episode of The Deep Dive with Jose St. Phard, we uncover why work-life balance is a trap—and reveal the powerful rhythm God designed for you instead. Drawing from Scripture and real-life leadership experience, Jose shows how embracing a rhythm of rest hard, work easy can transform your productivity, creativity, and relationships.

What You’ll Learn:

If you’re a leader, parent, or change-maker longing for rest while creating meaningful impact, this episode is for you.

Don’t forget to LIKE, COMMENT, and SUBSCRIBE for weekly insights to help you live and lead with intention.

Share this episode with someone who needs a fresh perspective on work and rest!

Connect with Jose St. Phard:
Instagram: @iamsaintphard
Podcast Website: thedeepdivewithjose.com

Join the Community:
Podcast IG & TikTok: @thedeepdivewithjose

Episode Overview:

In this powerful episode, Jose sits down with author, digital storyteller, and cultural bridge-builder Kevin Spencer Wilson—better known as Cross Culture Kev—to explore the truth that your story isn’t just part of your journey—it’s the strategy God wants to use.

From arriving in the U.S. alone at 18 to becoming the CEO of Chai and author of The Way of Chai, Kevin shares a deeply personal journey of reinvention, resilience, grief, and grace.

Together, they dive into how suffering shapes the soul, how to reclaim your story as a leader, and why the very things you once saw as liabilities might be the superpowers God intends to use for impact.

If you’re navigating change, healing from pain, or searching for your voice in leadership—this conversation will remind you: God doesn’t waste your story. He works through it.

Topics Covered:

Scriptures Referenced

Quotes

“Grief is not the absence of joy. It’s the strongest memory of joy.”

“Art plus story equals trust.”

“You were created because you were loved—not to be loved.”

“Leadership isn’t about usefulness; it’s about belovedness.”

“Practice curiosity. Lean into community. See every person as an invitation to wonder.”

Extra Resources

 How to Go Deeper

Action Steps:

There’s one powerful skill great leaders quietly master—a hidden key to stronger connections, greater impact, and thriving organizations. In this eye-opening episode of The Deep Dive Podcast, Jose St. Phard reveals the profound yet often overlooked skill of listening. Drawing from biblical wisdom, personal leadership experiences, and compelling stories from leaders like King Solomon and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Jose shares why active, empathetic, and mindful listening can completely transform your leadership approach.

You'll discover:

This hidden skill isn’t just helpful—it’s essential. Ready to unlock the listening superpower that could transform your relationships, leadership, and community? Press play!

➡️ Subscribe and follow The Deep Dive Podcast:
YouTube | Instagram | TikTok: @thedeepdivewithjose

➡️ Connect personally with Jose:
Instagram: @iamsaintphard

For more content, visit our website www.deepdivewithjose.com and stay tuned for new episodes, resources, and exclusive insights!

Remember to subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who needs to hear this today!

Why do so many high-capacity leaders—pastors, entrepreneurs, parents, and visionaries—burn out after they've achieved success?

In this powerful episode of The Deep Dive, Jose St. Phard sits down with pastor and leadership coach Benjamin Lundquist to expose the hidden cracks in even the most accomplished leaders. Together, they explore the difference between leading strong for a season and leading well for a lifetime.

What if your greatest leadership threat isn’t failure, but success without sustainability?

This conversation is raw, honest, and necessary.

You’ll learn:

If you're building something big—but feeling stretched thin—this is your call to realign, refocus, and lead from a place of wholeness.

This episode will challenge and equip you to not just lead better—but live better.

Let’s stay connected!

Follow us and let us know what stood out to you from today’s episode:

Benjamin Lundquist — @benjaminlundquist on Instagram
Jose St. Phard — @iamsaintphard
️ The Deep Dive with Jose — @thedeepdivewithjose on Instagram & TikTok

Don’t forget to subscribe to The Deep Dive wherever you listen to podcasts—and if this helped you, leave a review and share it with someone who needs it.

Episode 2: Leading Through Anxiety: Staying Grounded When Life Feels Uncertain

Uncertainty is the context of leadership, not the exception. As leaders, we don’t get to avoid it. We’re called to lead through it. But what happens when the pressure gets to us? When anxiety builds, clarity fades, and fear clouds our ability to lead well?

In this episode of The Deep Dive with Jose, we explore what it means to lead with faith in an anxious world. You'll learn how to:

You’ll also hear biblical wisdom & practical tools for staying grounded when everything around you feels unstable.

Whether you're leading a team, a family, a church, or simply trying to stay afloat in your own life—this episode will equip you to navigate stress with spiritual confidence and emotional intelligence.

Website: www.deepdivewithjose.com
Follow on socials: @TheDeepDiveWithJose on Instagram and TikTok

Listen now, take a breath—and let’s dive deep.
And if this episode encourages you, share it with a fellow leader and leave a review.

Welcome to The Deep Dive with Jose St. Phard—This is a podcast for leaders, dreamers, and changemakers who want to make a lasting impact in the Church, in Business, and in Culture. In our very first episode, we’re diving into one of the most underrated yet essential skills for every leader: self-awareness. Why do some leaders create a lasting impact while others burn out or lose trust? Often, it comes down to how well they lead themselves. Self-awareness is a vital skill that every leader should cultivate, as it lays the foundation for effective self-leadership. 

We’ll explore:

Whether you’re leading a team, a family, or just trying to get a handle on your emotions and purpose—this episode is your blueprint to start leading from within.

Listen now—and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

Let’s stay connected!
Follow us on Instagram: @thedeepdivewithjose
Connect with Jose personally: @iamsaintphard

Share your thoughts or drop a message—we’d love to hear from you.

Leadership can be lonely. We spend our days pouring into others—teams, families, and communities—but rarely have someone pour back into us. That changes now.

Welcome to The Deep Dive—a podcast for leaders, dreamers, and changemakers who are ready to lead well, lead with integrity, and lead by faith.

I’m your host, Jose St. Phard—pastor, speaker, and coach—and this space was created with you in mind. Each week, we’ll go beneath the surface of leadership talk and dive into the heart of personal transformation. Sometimes it’ll be just us; other times, I’ll bring on guests with hard-earned wisdom and raw stories.

This podcast is for leaders who want more than survival. It’s for those who are ready to grow, thrive, and build a life that makes an impact. We’re cultivating a community of emerging leaders and changemakers who are stepping up to influence the Church, the marketplace, and the culture.

Expect conversations on:

Subscribe now and join me every week for honest, hope-filled conversations.
Follow along on Instagram: @thedeepdivewithjose and @iamsaintphard

Take a breath. Lean in. Let’s dive deep together.