Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: J.R. Briggs

"We don't know how to ask good questions and point to another because we're just so fixated on ourselves." - Steve Macchia

Steve Macchia and J.R. Briggs remind leaders that transformation begins by asking better, more honest questions. Their conversation invites us to slow down, listen deeply, and cultivate curiosity that leads to wiser, Spirit-led discernment. Receive the invitation to shift from having all the answers to pursuing the right questions.

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: Gary Thomas

"A simple definition of spiritual formation is that the pathway to a deeper walk with God is aligning a deep understanding of the truth about God with the truth about ourselves." – Steve Macchia

In this week's episode of The Discerning Leader Podcast, Steve Macchia shares a conversation with long-time friend Gary Thomas. In Gary's most recent book, The Life You Were Reborn to Live, he exposes twelve subtle but powerful deceptions that quietly drain joy and block intimacy with God. Steve and Gary offer practical ways we can dismantle the false beliefs that keep us from the abundant, joy-filled life God has already placed within reach.

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: Alison Cook

"To have a healthy sense of identity and focus intently on what matters most, that's what we're all longing for." - Steve Macchia

Curiosity, boundaries, healing, and integration. In Episode 10 of Season 36, Steve Macchia interviews Dr. Alison Cook as she shares wisdom and insight from these themes in her recent book "I Shouldn't Feel This Way." A psychotherapist, author, online educator and the host of "The Best of You" podcast, Alison helps other heal painful emotions, develop confidence from the inside out, forge healthy relationships, and fully live out their God-given potential.

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.

"Relational health and vitality is based on our ability to be empathetic toward one another as God has been empathetic toward us." - Steve Macchia

In Episode 36.09 of The Discerning Leader Podcast, Steve Macchia interviews Bill and Kristi Gaultiere of Soul Shepherding as they share wisdom from their recent book, Deeply Loved. Together, they discuss how the life-giving and life-changing power of empathy raises emotional intelligence, cultivates healthier emotions, heals relationships and draws us closer to Jesus.

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.

"Reading is yet another way we can notice and discern the work of God in everyday life." – Steve Macchia

Why should we read? It's a question Jeff Crosby both poses and beautifully answers through engaging personal stories, literary reflections, and spiritual insights. His rich and thought-provoking book, World of Wonders, explores how reading can be an act of worship and spiritual formation. Tune into this conversation with Steve Macchia and Jeff Crosby.

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.

"There's so much of us that is yet to be explored because we don't access our imagination." - Steve Macchia

Is it possible to experience a life of fruitful obedience when we're exhausted, anxious, and busy? In their book A Fruitful Life, Ashley and Bryce Hales help readers dive deep into the Sermon on the Mount and discover Jesus' vision of a good and fruitful life. This podcast episode, hosted by Steve Macchia, offers a rich conversation around Jesus' most famous teaching as well as the surprising and renewing power of Christian imagination.

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: Bill Simmons

"We tend to go other places…our work, our relationships, our hobbies, our attachments as opposed to simply finding our rest in God." - Steve Macchia

In this episode of The Discerning Leader Podcast, Steve Macchia welcomes Bill Simmons to share themes from his new book, The Way of Interruption: Spiritual Practice for Organizational Life. Bill is the president and CEO of Hope Rises, International. In this conversation, he shares wisodm in how letting go of control and embracing established practices can transform an organization's spiritual culture.

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: Mimi Dixon

"Let us reflect with gratitude on this movement-making piece of literature that has entered our hearts and the spiritual formation world. We are so grateful for the faithfulness of Richard Foster." - Steve Macchia

Miriam (Mimi) Dixon began her ministry in 1979 and has been building up local churches ever since. Holding both an MDiv and DMin degree from Fuller Theological Seminary, she has served in pastoral roles, on the Renovaré Board of Directors, a teacher for the Renovaré Institute, and the faculty for Next Frontiers. In this conversation with Steve Macchia, she graciously shares the influence of Richard Foster and the story behind her book Worth Celebrating: A Biography of Richard J. Foster's Celebration of Discipline.

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: Jimmy Mellado

"When we have an awareness of a need, will we run to the need? Are we going to be known for our generosity or for our stinginess?" - Steve Macchia

Steve Macchia and Jimmy Mellado connect in Episode 04 of Season 36. After serving for more than 20 years as the president of the Willow Creek Association, Jimmy has been the President and CEO of Compassion International since 2013. He and Steve discuss spiritual leadership, lessons learned as a decathlete, and the daily rhythms of surrender, restoration, rest, replenishment and communion with God.

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: Nicholas and Sheila Rowe

"We've been instructed to act justly, to love mercifully and to walk humbly with the Lord. We want to take the risk of extending friendship across the lines that have historically separated us." - Steve Macchia

In Episode 03 of Season 36, Nicholas and Sheila Rowe offer their expertise in helping leaders process painful and traumatic experiences. In their book Healing Leadership Trauma, they lay out the emotional challenges of leadership and offer encouragement, prayer, and therapeutic tools to help leaders face their pain and begin to heal. Steve Macchia hosts a rich conversation with the Rowes to offer hope for leaders feeling the weight of their past trauma, present struggles, and uncertainty of the future.

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.