In this raw episode, Bri and Adrian take an honest look at what the last few months have been like. From internal battles with fear and shame to external pressures of leadership, parenting, and running a growing company, they open up about the weight they've been carrying.

This conversation covers the reality of mental health, the cycles of fear that resurface even with growth, and the paradox of showing up for others while struggling internally. It's an inside look at the cost of leadership, partnership, and authenticity when life feels overwhelming.

If you've ever faced seasons where fear, pressure, or self-doubt made you question everything, you're not alone. This episode is a reminder that resilience is forged in the fire, and authenticity often looks like admitting when life feels too heavy.

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Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review! Share your thoughts on how power and fear have played a role in your own leadership experiences.

Listen to the full conversation on your favorite platform:

We'd love to hear your thoughts! After listening, don't forget to leave a comment on YouTube, leave a review, and share your favorite takeaways on social media.

More of a visual person?

You can WATCH today's episode on our Youtube Channel:

Youtube: youtube.com/WriteNewRules

To stay connected, visit us at the following places to help as a guide for you on your journey to becoming an authentic leader!

LinkedIn: Adrian Crawford

Instagram: @writenewrules

TikTok: @writenewrules

This week on the New Rules Podcast, we flipped the script. Our incredible producer Lauren stepped in front of the mic with full permission to ask Adrian anything with no prep, no rules, no limits.

From the lighthearted "What five items would resurrect your ghost?" to the deeply personal balancing calling, insecurity, and vanity, this conversation goes everywhere: marriage, parenting, community, leadership, childhood memories, and even Lauren's obsession with fire.

It's unscripted, unfiltered, and unexpectedly vulnerable. If you've ever wondered what Adrian really thinks when he's off the cuff, this is the episode for you.

In this episode:

• Marriage lessons + parenting reflections

• What he's learned from watching his kids grow up

• Childhood imagination, courage, and calling

• Why self-doubt and waiting felt like torture

• AI, authenticity, and the future of leadership

• Community as joy and inconvenience

• Why you can't force someone's growth

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Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review! Share your thoughts on how power and fear have played a role in your own leadership experiences.

Listen to the full conversation on your favorite platform:

• Listen on Spotify (linked)

• Listen on Apple Podcasts (linked)

• Watch on YouTube (linked on lib)

We'd love to hear your thoughts! After listening, don't forget to leave a comment on YouTube, leave a review, and share your favorite takeaways on social media.

More of a visual person?

You can WATCH today's episode on our Youtube Channel:

Youtube: youtube.com/WriteNewRules

To stay connected, visit us at the following places to help as a guide for you on your journey to becoming an authentic leader!

LinkedIn: Adrian Crawford

Instagram: @writenewrules

TikTok: @writenewrules

We often hear, "Don't doubt yourself. Be confident." But what if self-doubt isn't always the enemy? What if it's a tool that, when used wisely, can actually make you sharper, more grounded, and more effective?

In this raw and honest conversation, Adrian and Bri explore the pros and cons of self-doubt… when it can hold you back, and when it can actually push you forward.

You'll hear:

• Why too much confidence can be just as dangerous as too little

• How to recognize healthy vs. unhealthy doubt

• Stories of leaders and creators who leveraged self-doubt for growth

• Practical tools to turn insecurity into insight

• How to balance confidence with humility in real life

This episode isn't about pretending you don't have doubts, it's about learning to think differently about them so they fuel your growth instead of your fear.

📲 Connect with Us:

Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review! Share your thoughts on how power and fear have played a role in your own leadership experiences.

We'd love to hear your thoughts! After listening, don't forget to leave a comment on YouTube, leave a review, and share your favorite takeaways on social media.

More of a visual person?

You can WATCH today's episode on our Youtube Channel:

Youtube: youtube.com/WriteNewRules

To stay connected, visit us at the following places to help as a guide for you on your journey to becoming an authentic leader!

LinkedIn: Adrian Crawford

Instagram: @writenewrules

TikTok: @writenewrules

In a world overflowing with hot takes, trending reels, and endless scrolling, are you actually thinking for yourself or just reacting to what the algorithm feeds you?

If you've ever felt overwhelmed by constant noise, frustrated by polarized thinking, or stuck in a loop of reacting instead of reflecting, this episode is for you. Adrian Crawford and Breezy dive deep into the discipline of critical thinking and why it's becoming a rare but essential skill for leaders, creators, and anyone navigating modern life.

We explore:

• Why groupthink is more dangerous than ever

• How anxiety and overstimulation quietly erode creativity and wisdom

• The difference between information and understanding

• How to filter, process, and apply wisdom in a fast-paced world

This isn't just a conversation, it's a challenge to stop living in the loop of consumption and start applying what you know. Because wisdom isn't found in knowing more… it's in thinking better.

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For Libsyn:

More of a visual person?

You can WATCH today's episode on our Youtube Channel:

Youtube: youtube.com/WriteNewRules

To stay connected, visit us at the following places to help as a guide for you on your journey to becoming an authentic leader!

LinkedIn: Adrian Crawford

Instagram: @writenewrules

TikTok: @writenewrules

This week's episode takes a deeply personal turn.

Adrian sits down with his daughters for a raw and reflective conversation about what it's really like to grow up watching a parent live on mission. From the moments that shaped them to the things they never said out loud until now, we explore the unseen cost of leadership at home—and what it takes to lead and love well in both public and private.

Together with Bri, they explore honest questions, emotional moments, and meaningful reflection. This is a conversation for anyone navigating purpose, leadership, and parenthood.

📲 Connect with Us:

Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review! Share your thoughts on how power and fear have played a role in your own leadership experiences.

We'd love to hear your thoughts! After listening, don't forget to leave a comment on YouTube, leave a review, and share your favorite takeaways on social media.

More of a visual person?

You can WATCH today's episode on our Youtube Channel:

Youtube: youtube.com/WriteNewRules

To stay connected, visit us at the following places to help as a guide for you on your journey to becoming an authentic leader!

LinkedIn: Adrian Crawford

Instagram: @writenewrules

TikTok: @writenewrules

In an era where performance is currency and platforms reward polished personas, how do we return to what's real?

In this episode of The New Rules Podcast, Adrian and Bri get brutally honest about… well, honesty. From pop culture moments like Love Island and social media virality to systemic mistrust in government and leadership, we trace the cultural shift that's made authenticity feel more like a performance than a practice.

We ask:

• Why do we praise vulnerability online but punish it in real life?

• What happens when we lose ourselves in the name of influence?

• Can we lead authentically in a world built on curated identity?

This episode is a raw, challenging unpacking of why honesty is now a radical act and why the leaders who choose truth over performance will shape the future.

👉 Whether you're a creative, a leader, or just someone trying to stay grounded in a noisy world, this conversation is for you.

📲 Connect with Us:

Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review! Share your thoughts on how power and fear have played a role in your own leadership experiences.

More of a visual person?

You can WATCH today's episode on our Youtube Channel:

Youtube: youtube.com/WriteNewRules

To stay connected, visit us at the following places to help as a guide for you on your journey to becoming an authentic leader!

LinkedIn: Adrian Crawford

Instagram: @writenewrules

TikTok: @writenewrules

#AuthenticLeadership #BlackLeadership #LeadershipGrowth #RealLeadership #SpiritualLeadership #FutureOfLeadership #TylerBurns #DuBoisAKeen #LeadershipSummit #NewRulesPodcast

In this powerful episode of The New Rules Podcast, recorded live at the Black Leadership Summit, Adrian and Bri are joined by two respected voices in leadership, Tyler Burns and Du'Bois A'Keen, for an unfiltered, behind-the-scenes conversation.

They don't offer platitudes or recycled leadership clichés. Instead, they get honest about the weight of responsibility, the danger of being platformed too early, and the tension between authenticity and expectation.

Together, they reflect on their personal leadership journeys, the pressure of leading while being watched, and the internal work it takes to lead with integrity, not image.

If you've ever wondered whether you're doing leadership "right" or felt like the weight of it was too much, this conversation is for you. Check out Du'Bois Here: https://www.duboisakeen.com/ Check out Tyler Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pass-the-mic/id1435500798

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Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review! Share your thoughts on how power and fear have played a role in your own leadership experiences.

We'd love to hear your thoughts! After listening, don't forget to leave a comment on YouTube, leave a review, and share your favorite takeaways on social media.

More of a visual person?

You can WATCH today's episode on our Youtube Channel:

Youtube: youtube.com/WriteNewRules

To stay connected, visit us at the following places to help as a guide for you on your journey to becoming an authentic leader!

LinkedIn: Adrian Crawford

Instagram: @writenewrules

TikTok: @writenewrules

In a world where creativity is reserved for artists and leadership is reserved for extroverts, this episode challenges both assumptions.

Adrian and Bri pull back the curtain on a deeper, more integrated view of creativity, one rooted not in flair, but in function. From basketball courts to boardrooms, from faith to finance, they explore how real creativity emerges, sometimes out of desperation. It's about solving problems, building what's missing, and refusing to wait for permission.

Together, they tackle why most people underestimate their creative potential, how fear and anxiety suppress imagination, and why black-and-white thinking keeps us from designing real solutions. They also reflect on how leadership without creativity is obsolete and why the future belongs to those who can build what hasn't existed yet.

Whether you're leading a team, building a business, or just trying to believe in yourself again, this conversation will ignite your sense of ownership and remind you: you're more creative than you think.

🎧 Subscribe for new episodes every week. 💬 Drop a comment below, what's a problem in your life you're ready to solve creatively?

📲 Connect with Us:

Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review! Share your thoughts on how power and fear have played a role in your own leadership experiences.

More of a visual person?

You can WATCH today's episode on our Youtube Channel:

Youtube: youtube.com/WriteNewRules

To stay connected, visit us at the following places to help as a guide for you on your journey to becoming an authentic leader!

LinkedIn: Adrian Crawford

Instagram: @writenewrules

TikTok: @writenewrules

We're confronting the reality of modern leadership in a politically divided, hyper-visible world.

From the ICE raids in California to increasing polarization, the episode explores what it means to lead when every move is public, every opinion is politicized, and trust in leadership is eroding. We discuss "Terrarium Leadership," a new era where leaders are fully visible, constantly observed, and expected to act with both authenticity and transparency.

They unpack:

• Why real leadership is more scarce than ever.

• What happens when influence outpaces character.

• The tension of leading when everyone is watching.

• The power (and cost) of quiet leadership in loud times.

If you've ever wrestled with the weight of responsibility or wondered how to lead when everything feels politicized — this episode is for you.

More of a visual person?

You can WATCH today's episode on our Youtube Channel:

Youtube: youtube.com/WriteNewRules

📲 Connect with Us:

We'd love to hear your thoughts! After listening, don't forget to leave a comment on YouTube, leave a review, and share your favorite takeaways on social media.

To stay connected, visit us at the following places to help as a guide for you on your journey to becoming an authentic leader!

LinkedIn: Adrian Crawford

Instagram: @writenewrules

TikTok: @writenewrules

In a culture that equates influence with volume and leadership with visibility, this episode flips the script.

Adrian Crawford unpacks a different kind of leadership—one that isn't loud, flashy, or ego-driven. It's the leadership of presence, conviction, and consistency. The kind of leadership that doesn't need to shout to be heard — because it holds the standard in silence.

This conversation explores the cost of real leadership — not the external pressure, but the internal tension of leading with integrity when it would be easier to bend. It's about the leaders who don't need the spotlight because they're committed to shaping things that last — from culture to character.

If you've ever felt like your quiet leadership doesn't count… or wondered whether your steady influence still has a place in this fast, loud world — this one's for you.

Real leadership isn't always seen. But it's always felt. 📍 Subscribe & follow for new episodes every week 💬 Drop your thoughts below — what's your take on quiet leadership?

More of a visual person?

You can WATCH today's episode on our Youtube Channel:

Youtube: youtube.com/WriteNewRules

📲 Connect with Us:

We'd love to hear your thoughts! After listening, don't forget to leave a comment on YouTube, leave a review, and share your favorite takeaways on social media.

To stay connected, visit us at the following places to help as a guide for you on your journey to becoming an authentic leader!

LinkedIn: Adrian Crawford

Instagram: @writenewrules

TikTok: @writenewrules