THE DRIVE

The Drive has officially moved.

If you’re following this older version of the show, search your favorite podcast app for The Drive with Josh Downs and follow the updated show to receive future episodes. (Look for the art work with my picture in it)

In this short transition episode, I also share what’s coming next for The Drive, including:

The Drive Resource Library — a curated collection of some of the best episodes and ideas from hundreds of archived shows, organized by topic so you can find help for the road you’re on right now.

Teach Anytime — simple, ready-to-use lessons and conversations for parents, teachers, and leaders to use with teenagers.

Short Audiobooks — focused audio experiences built around some of the strongest themes from The Drive, including worth, resilience, parenting, gratitude, purpose, and more.

The old feed may be ending, but The Drive isn’t.

Search for The Drive with Josh Downs, hit Follow, and come take the next drive with me.

What if saying “I can’t” is not an admission of defeat, but the beginning of becoming more than you are right now?

Using a powerful lesson from Kung Fu Panda 3, Josh explores why failure is not something to fear or hide. If we only attempt what we already know how to do, we will never grow beyond our current abilities. Every meaningful “I can” begins with something we once could not do.

Through the story of the unmoved rock, scripture, and practical encouragement, this episode explains the difference between accepting failure and accepting defeat. The rock may not move immediately, but the effort may be changing you—developing strength, patience, faith, and abilities that were not there before.

https://joshdowns.com/daily-devotionals

https://joshdowns.com/come-follow-me-for-teens

Are you living according to your real values—or performing the version of yourself you think other people will approve of?

In this episode, Josh explores authenticity, integrity, and the exhausting pressure of wearing a mask. Through personal reflections, practical steps, scripture, the example of Elder Neal A. Maxwell, and lessons from The Legend of Bagger Vance, he explains why each of us has a unique “authentic swing” that can become buried beneath fear, expectations, perfectionism, and the need to fit in.

You were not created to live someone else’s life. As you become more honest about your strengths, weaknesses, values, and purpose, you can stop performing for approval and begin living the life that is genuinely yours.

https://joshdowns.com/daily-devotionals

https://joshdowns.com/come-follow-me-for-teens

Growth often requires leaving what feels safe before we feel ready for what comes next.

In this episode, Josh shares the story of his family’s beloved dog Bear, the unexpected lessons he learned from two little hermit crabs, and the vulnerability required when we outgrow the comfortable “shells” of our lives. Like a hermit crab moving between shells, there are moments when we must leave what is familiar and step into uncertainty in order to grow.

We often remind ourselves that we can do hard things. But sometimes the deeper truth is that we must do hard things—because courage, faith, confidence, and strength are developed through the experiences we would rather avoid.

https://joshdowns.com/daily-devotionals

https://joshdowns.com/come-follow-me-for-teens

Everyone wants happiness, comfort, and good days—but could too much ease actually keep us from becoming who we are meant to be?

In this episode, Josh explores the powerful truth behind the phrase, “Sunshine all the time just makes a desert.” Just as plants need both sunlight and rain to grow, our lives need both joy and adversity. Through lessons from Pinocchio, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, scripture, and the natural world, Josh explains why difficult days are not always evidence that life is going wrong.

The rain will not last forever, but while it is here, it may be strengthening your roots, deepening your faith, and helping something important grow beneath the surface.

https://joshdowns.com/daily-devotionals

https://joshdowns.com/come-follow-me-for-teens

What if the setback you are facing is not the end of the story, but a redirection toward something you cannot yet see?

In this episode, Josh introduces the idea of gratitude 2.0—learning not only to be grateful for the good things in life, but to remain grateful and trusting when life does not go according to plan. Through stories of rejection, closed doors, unexpected opportunities, and his own experiences with divorce and job loss, he explores why we should be careful about labeling a difficult moment too quickly.

You may not have to call the experience good. But you can trust that God is still good—and that He can bring growth, meaning, and new possibilities from circumstances you would never have chosen.

https://joshdowns.com/daily-devotionals

https://joshdowns.com/come-follow-me-for-teens

Forgiveness does not pretend the wound never happened. It allows the wound to stop controlling what happens next.

In this episode, Josh shares the image of a splinter trapped beneath the skin and the healing ointment that eventually softened the wound enough for it to be released. He then tells the extraordinary true story of Mary Johnson, who forgave Oshea Israel—the man who killed her only son—and formed a relationship with him that transformed both of their lives.

This episode explores what forgiveness is, what it is not, why healing may take time, and how Jesus Christ can help us release anger, resentment, and pain that we cannot remove on our own. You are not weak because forgiveness is difficult. Keep applying the ointment, keep asking for help, and keep choosing to soften rather than harden.

https://joshdowns.com/daily-devotionals

https://joshdowns.com/come-follow-me-for-teens

We live in a world that celebrates individual achievement, but no one accomplishes anything entirely alone.

In this episode, Josh introduces the African philosophy of ubuntu, often expressed as, “I am because we are.” Through stories of a record-breaking high school football player, children sharing a basket of fruit, professional athletes, and the teachings of Jesus Christ, Josh explores the power of gratitude, teamwork, service, humility, and shared success.

Ubuntu reminds us that another person’s success does not diminish ours, that we rise higher when we lift one another, and that happiness grows when it is shared. Your life is uniquely yours—but it was never meant to be lived alone.

https://joshdowns.com/daily-devotionals

https://joshdowns.com/come-follow-me-for-teens

Have you ever tried to make a positive change, only to find yourself procrastinating, making excuses, becoming discouraged, or slipping back into an old habit?

Using the stock market concepts of pressure, resistance, support, and long-term investment, Josh explains why meaningful change is rarely easy—and why difficulty does not necessarily mean you are failing. Resistance is often a normal part of breaking through an old pattern and creating lasting growth.

This episode explores five practical ways to move through resistance: expect it, prepare for obstacles, remember your why, build a support team, and learn from every setback. Most importantly, Josh reminds listeners that God and the people who truly love them have taken a long position on their lives.

https://joshdowns.com/daily-devotionals

https://joshdowns.com/come-follow-me-for-teens

How do we remain true to our beliefs while treating people who believe or live differently with genuine love and respect?

In this episode, Josh explores the difference between evaluating a choice and devaluing a person. He discusses agency, religious freedom, acceptance, disagreement, and the need to defend the dignity of people whose backgrounds, beliefs, identities, or experiences differ from our own.

Through personal experiences, scripture, the words of Martin Niemöller and Joseph Smith, and especially the example of Jesus Christ, this episode offers a timely invitation: stand firmly for truth without standing above anyone else. We do not have to agree on everything to choose kindness, protect freedom, and develop the pure love of Christ.

https://joshdowns.com/daily-devotionals

https://joshdowns.com/come-follow-me-for-teens