Host: Steve Macchia, Guests: Susan Currie, Matt Scott

"I'm becoming more and more convinced that every leader needs a spiritual director." – Steve Macchia

This week's episode of The Discerning Leader Podcast, offers a thoughtful conversation about the transformative practice of spiritual direction. Steve Macchia and Susan Currie explore what spiritual direction is, how it differs from counseling, mentoring, and coaching, and why it has become one of the most meaningful practices for nurturing intimacy with God.

Susan shares her own journey into spiritual direction and explains how a spiritual director serves not as someone who fixes problems or gives answers, but as a companion who helps us attend to the presence and voice of the Holy Spirit. Along the way, the conversation explores the importance of contemplative listening, the role of silence, the gift of being deeply heard, and the value of having trusted companions for the journey of faith.

Whether you're curious about spiritual direction for the first time or looking to deepen your own practice, this episode offers wisdom, encouragement, and practical guidance for tending the health and vitality of your soul.

We've provided a 3 page Soul Care Audit that will offer you a handful of questions to consider how well you're caring for your soul. You can download the PDF here and spend some time prayerfully reflecting on your current rhythms and practices.

Join the conversation about spiritual discernment as a way of life at www.LeadershipTransformations.org and consider participation in our online and in-person program offerings. Additional LTI spiritual formation resources can be found at www.SpiritualFormationStore.com and www.ruleoflife.com and www.healthychurch.net.

Host: Steve Macchia, Guests: Rick Anderson, Matt Scott

"We all need people who believe the best in us, stand beside us when we feel like falling, and help us keep going." – Steve Macchia

If you've ever longed for deeper connection, wondered how to cultivate genuine soul friendships, or found yourself feeling isolated in leadership or life, this conversation offers encouragement and practical next steps. In this episode of The Discerning Leader Podcast, Steve Macchia is joined by friends and colleagues Rick Anderson and Matt Scott for a conversation on spiritual friendship and its impact on the health and vitality of our souls.

Together they explore the difference between surface friendship, deep friendship, and spiritual friendship—and why so many people, especially men and leaders, often experience isolation and loneliness beneath the surface. Through stories, reflections, and shared wisdom, they discuss the courage it takes to be truly known, the importance of vulnerability and trust, and how spiritual friends help us become more fully ourselves.

We've provided a 3 page Soul Care Audit that will offer you a handful of questions to consider how well you're caring for your soul. You can download the PDF here and spend some time prayerfully reflecting on your current rhythms and practices.

Join the conversation about spiritual discernment as a way of life at www.LeadershipTransformations.org and consider participation in our online and in-person program offerings. Additional LTI spiritual formation resources can be found at www.SpiritualFormationStore.com and www.ruleoflife.com and www.healthychurch.net.

Host: Steve Macchia, Guests: Marcos Leon, Matt Scott

"If we don't go to the place of owning and identifying our feelings and emotions, we won't be able to embrace both our brokenness and wholeness." – Steve Macchia

Why do so many of us struggle to name what we feel? How do family systems and early experiences shape our emotional lives? And what might happen if we stopped treating emotions as enemies and started receiving them as messengers? In this episode of The Discerning Leader Podcast, Steve Macchia is joined by Marcos Leon and Matt Scott for a conversation on emotional well-being and its profound impact on the health of our souls.

Together they explore how emotions are not obstacles to our spiritual lives but invitations into deeper awareness, healing, and communion with God.

We've provided a 3 page Soul Care Audit that will offer you a handful of questions to consider how well you're caring for your soul. You can download the PDF here and spend some time prayerfully reflecting on your current rhythms and practices.

Join the conversation about spiritual discernment as a way of life at www.LeadershipTransformations.org and consider participation in our online and in-person program offerings. Additional LTI spiritual formation resources can be found at www.SpiritualFormationStore.com and www.ruleoflife.com and www.healthychurch.net.

Host: Steve Macchia Guest: Suz Skinner, Matt Scott

"Soul care begins by creating space to listen." - Steve Macchia

If you feel spiritually weary, distracted, or hungry for deeper intimacy with God, this episode offers a gentle invitation to create space for the One who refreshes our souls.

Steve Macchia is joined by Suz Skinner and Matt Scott for a rich conversation about creating space to be with God and how that space nourishes the soul. Together they explore the many ways God meets us—in prayer closets and art studios, through journaling and gratitude, in silence, Scripture, creativity, nature, and the ordinary rhythms of daily life. This conversation invites listeners to slow down, pay attention, and rediscover that soul care is less about perfect practices and more about relational presence with God.

We've provided a 3 page Soul Care Audit that will offer you a handful of questions to consider how well you're caring for your soul. You can download the PDF here and spend some time prayerfully reflecting on your current rhythms and practices.

Join the conversation about spiritual discernment as a way of life at www.LeadershipTransformations.org and consider participation in our online and in-person program offerings. Additional LTI spiritual formation resources can be found at www.SpiritualFormationStore.com and www.ruleoflife.com and www.healthychurch.net.

In this reflective episode of the Discerning Leader podcast, Steve Macchia, Matt Scott, and Dr. Kim Alexander explore the deep spiritual practice of Sabbath rest and its impact on the soul. Moving beyond the idea of simply "stopping," they unpack what it means to truly rest—embracing surrender, trust, and delight in God's presence. Through personal stories, cultural observations, and spiritual insights, the conversation highlights the challenge of practicing Sabbath in a fast-paced, always-on world. Listeners are invited to reconsider Sabbath not as restriction, but as a life-giving rhythm of freedom, identity, and belovedness—an intentional space to be with God rather than merely doing for God.

We've provided a 3 page Soul Care Audit that will offer you a handful of questions to consider how well you're caring for your soul. You can download the PDF here and spend some time prayerfully reflecting on your current rhythms and practices.

Join the conversation about spiritual discernment as a way of life at www.LeadershipTransformations.org and consider participation in our online and in-person program offerings. Additional LTI spiritual formation resources can be found at www.SpiritualFormationStore.com and www.ruleoflife.com and www.healthychurch.net.

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: Matt Scott, Fyfe Blair

"What are the 'pillows' that allow your soul to finally rest in God?" – Steve Macchia

In this episode of the Discerning Leader Podcast, Steve Machia is joined by Matt Scott and Fyfe Blair for a rich and reflective conversation on silence and solitude. Together, they explore why these ancient practices feel so difficult in a distracted, fast-paced world—and why they remain essential for the health of our souls.

Drawing from Scripture, lived experience, and the wisdom of the Desert Fathers, this episode invites you to move beyond surface-level quiet into a deeper stillness of heart. You'll discover how silence and solitude are not ends in themselves, but pathways into a life rooted in God's presence—a life marked by what Fife calls a "cadence of grace."

If your soul feels hurried, noisy, or stretched thin, this conversation offers a gentle but honest invitation: slow down, make space, and learn again how to be with God.

We've provided a 3 page Soul Care Audit that will offer you a handful of questions to consider how well you're caring for your soul. You can download the PDF here and spend some time prayerfully reflecting on your current rhythms and practices.

Join the conversation about spiritual discernment as a way of life at www.LeadershipTransformations.org and consider participation in our online and in-person program offerings. Additional LTI spiritual formation resources can be found at www.SpiritualFormationStore.com and www.ruleoflife.com and www.healthychurch.net.

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: Matt Scott, Jeremy Stefano

"The mind must be renewed if the soul is to be transformed." – Steve Macchia

In a world saturated with distraction, misinformation, and anxiety, what we think about—and how we think—deeply shapes the condition of our soul. In Episode 03 of Season 40, Steve Macchia, Jeremy Stefano and Matt Scott unpack how examining truth, prayerful reflection, and intentional thought lead to transformation. From the renewal of the mind in Romans 12 to the call in Philippians 4 to dwell on what is true, honorable, and pure, this conversation offers a grounded and hopeful vision for cultivating a healthy inner life.

If you've ever felt mentally scattered, spiritually dry, or overwhelmed by competing voices, this episode is an invitation to slow down, reflect, and allow God to renew your mind...and restore your soul.

We've provided a 3 page Soul Care Audit that will offer you a handful of questions to consider how well you're caring for your soul. You can download the PDF here and spend some time prayerfully reflecting on your current rhythms and practices.

Join the conversation about spiritual discernment as a way of life at www.LeadershipTransformations.org and consider participation in our online and in-person program offerings. Additional LTI spiritual formation resources can be found at www.SpiritualFormationStore.com and www.ruleoflife.com and www.healthychurch.net.

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: Matt Scott and Dr. Brenda Woods

"We cannot separate the body and the soul—our bodies impact our spiritual health." – Steve Macchia

How does your physical body shape the health of your soul? In this episode, Dr. Brenda Woods joins Steve Macchia and Matt Scott as they explore the deep connection between our physical and spiritual well-being. Together, they challenge the false divide between body and soul, inviting listeners into a more holistic vision of health. With practical wisdom and gentle encouragement, they highlight the power of small, intentional choices in caring for our bodies as an essential part of tending to the soul.

We've provided a 3 page Soul Care Audit that will offer you a handful of questions to consider how well you're caring for your soul. You can download the PDF here and spend some time prayerfully reflecting on your current rhythms and practices.

Join the conversation about spiritual discernment as a way of life at www.LeadershipTransformations.org and consider participation in our online and in-person program offerings. Additional LTI spiritual formation resources can be found at www.SpiritualFormationStore.com and www.ruleoflife.com and www.healthychurch.net.

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: Matt Scott

"The soul is the only part of us that is eternal—so why do we neglect it the most?" - Steve Macchia

"How is it with your soul?" This timeless question opens the door to a deeper awareness of our life with God. In this first episode of the new season, Steve Macchia and Matt Scott explore the meaning, depth, and importance of the soul—described as the very essence of who we are and the center of our relationship with God.

As they reflect on Scripture and lived experience, they invite listeners to consider the health of their own soul and the ways it shapes every part of life. With honesty and hope, this conversation marks the beginning of a journey toward greater attentiveness, intentionality, and care for the most vital—and often neglected—part of our being.

Join the conversation about spiritual discernment as a way of life at www.LeadershipTransformations.org and consider participation in our online and in-person program offerings. Additional LTI spiritual formation resources can be found at www.SpiritualFormationStore.com and www.ruleoflife.com and www.healthychurch.net.

Featuring: Steve Macchia, Suz Skinner, Matt Scott

"Each parable of Jesus is an invitation—not just to understand, but to be transformed." - Steve Macchia

What if the parables of Jesus are not simply stories to understand—but invitations to be transformed?

In this concluding episode of Season 39: Praying the Parables of Jesus, Steve Macchia, along with Suz Skinner and Matt Scott, reflects on the final collection of parables and the deeper themes they reveal—faithfulness, righteousness, humility, and persistent prayer. Together, they explore the surprising wisdom of the shrewd manager, the courageous persistence of the widow, and the quiet humility of the tax collector—each inviting us to examine the posture of our own hearts before God.

As this journey comes to a close, the invitation remains open: to move beyond insight and information into transformation. May this sacred journey deepen your intimacy with Jesus—and awaken in you a faith that is persistent, a heart that is humble, and a life that is truly transformed.

Join the conversation about spiritual discernment as a way of life at www.LeadershipTransformations.org and consider participation in our online and in-person program offerings. Additional LTI spiritual formation resources can be found at www.SpiritualFormationStore.com and www.ruleoflife.com and www.healthychurch.net.