The Unshakable Life

By Jim BurgoonBusiness Religion & Spirituality Christianity Education Self-Improvement Management

The Unshakable Life episodes

August 13What If You’re Helping Too Much? with Brian Miller
What You’ll Learn In This Episode
The difference between coaching, counseling, mentoring, and giving advice

Why helping people too quickly can keep them from growing

How Christian leaders can ask better questions instead of carrying every answer

Why maturity often requires ownership, discomfort, and space

How to think about calling, desire, insecurity, and next steps

Why frameworks are helpful, but transformation requires action and accountability

Key Takeaways

✔️ Coaching and counseling are not the same thing. Counseling works with hurt. Coaching helps people take forward action.
✔️ Leaders often enable because they care. But when helping removes responsibility, it can keep people from growing.
✔️ A coaching approach helps leaders step back, ask better questions, and give people room to think, choose, and act.
✔️ Discomfort is not always a problem to fix. Sometimes it is the space where growth begins.
✔️ A hard truth does not mean a hard heart. Love can be both honest and deeply caring.
✔️ Calling is rarely a straight line. It often becomes clearer as you take faithful steps in the right direction.
✔️ The question “What do you want?” can open up powerful clarity when answered honestly.
✔️ Frameworks create awareness, but coaching helps people decide what to do with that awareness.

Timestamps & Highlights

[00:00] Welcome to the conversation with Brian Miller
[00:39] Brian’s background in pastoring, church planting, business, and coaching
[01:49] Do pastors make good coaches?
[04:08] Healthy helping versus unhealthy enabling
[08:56] Imposter syndrome, insecurity, and becoming more substantial
[15:12] Why discomfort matters for growth
[18:49] Coaching versus therapy
[23:32] Calling, direction, and the spiral path toward purpose
[27:07] The role of desire in discerning calling
[31:46] Wisdom for Christian creators, speakers, and coaches
[34:45] How to connect with Brian and Coach Approach Ministries

You can learn more about Brian, Coach Approach Ministries, their coach training programs, certifications, free resources, and newsletter here:
https://coachapproachministries.org/
Connect with Jim
🌐 Website: http://www.leadwithjim.com
🎙️ Ask a Question: https://www.leadwithjim.com/ask
📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadwithjim
▶️ YouTube: https://www.leadwithjim.live
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leadwithjim

Support & Engage with the Show
✅ Subscribe to The Unshakable Life wherever you listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | iHeartRadio
✅ Leave a 5-star review if this episode encouraged your faith.
✅ For more faith-driven leadership content, visit leadwithjim.com.

Thanks for listening!
Never miss an episode of The Unshakable Life. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. And if this conversation helped you think differently about joy, identity, or learning how to seize the day again, share it with a friend who needs the reminder that they are not stuck where they are.

Affiliate Disclosure:

Some of the links in the notes may be affiliate links, meaning we earn a small commission if you make a purchase, at no extra cost to you.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
39 min
August 06Stop Carrying Everything Yourself with Eric Dingler
Most entrepreneurs know they need help, but many still end up carrying everything themselves. They keep telling themselves it is faster, safer, or more responsible to do it alone, while their business quietly becomes limited by their own capacity.
In this episode of The Unshakable Life, Jim sits down with Eric Dingler, author of Hire to Grow, for a practical conversation about leadership, stewardship, burnout, hiring, and why business owners often become the bottleneck in what they are trying to build.
Eric shares lessons from nearly three decades of leading teams across camps, churches, nonprofits, and businesses, along with what he has learned from running companies while traveling full-time with his family. Together, Jim and Eric talk about identity, ego, accountability, emotional health, delegation, and why hiring should not be seen only as an expense, but as a way to create capacity for growth.
If you have ever felt stretched thin, afraid to let go, or stuck doing work someone else could be doing, this conversation will help you rethink leadership, support, and what it really means to steward your calling well.

In This Episode, You Will Learn
Why carrying everything yourself does not make you more faithful
How leadership capacity becomes the ceiling of your life, business, and impact
Why high-capacity leaders must learn how to give leadership away
How identity, ego, and accolades can keep entrepreneurs stuck doing everything themselves
Why burnout can be a stewardship issue before it is a time-management issue
How accountability helps leaders grow beyond isolation and blind spots
Why hiring can create capacity instead of simply adding cost
How to begin thinking about the right next hire for your business

Time Stamps
00:00 Welcome and introduction to stewardship, burnout, and leadership
01:18 Meet Eric Dingler and his background in leadership, business, and team building
03:34 Eric’s leadership development journey through years of building teams
05:42 Recognizing opportunities and becoming the leader your future team needs
07:42 Giving leadership away, emotional maturity, and the role of ego
11:17 Identity, faith, and what happens when success becomes too personal
15:10 Accountability, isolation, and why leaders need honest voices around them
18:17 Mental health, counseling, and not confusing struggle with lack of faith
21:52 Feelings, truth, and learning to lead through big emotions
25:10 Why hiring creates capacity and helps business owners get unstuck
29:05 Eric’s book Hire to Grow and the framework for building a team
32:49 How to connect with Eric and access his resources
33:41 Final thoughts and closing encouragement

Connect with Eric
🌐 Website: https://ericdingler.com
Eric’s website includes his book Hire to Grow, his podcast, resources for business owners, and an assessment to help identify which hiring myth may be keeping you stuck.
Connect with Jim
🌐 Website: http://www.leadwithjim.com
🎙️ Ask a Question: https://www.leadwithjim.com/ask
📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadwithjim
▶️ YouTube: https://www.leadwithjim.live
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leadwithjim

Support & Engage with the Show
✅ Subscribe to The Unshakable Life wherever you listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | iHeartRadio
✅ Leave a 5-star review if this episode encouraged your faith.
✅ For more faith-driven leadership content, visit leadwithjim.com.

Thanks for listening!
Never miss an episode of The Unshakable Life. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. And if this conversation helped you think differently about joy, identity, or learning how to seize the day again, share it with a friend who needs the reminder that they are not stuck where they are.

Affiliate Disclosure:

Some of the links in the notes may be affiliate links, meaning we earn a small commission if you make a purchase, at no extra cost to you.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
36 min
July 30Why Successful Leaders Still Feel Empty Inside with Kurt Bush
Many leaders do not look burned out from the outside. They are still showing up, still producing, still carrying responsibility, and still doing what everyone expects of them. But inside, they feel tired, disconnected, anxious, or unsure why success feels so hollow.
In this episode, Jim sits down with Kurt Bush, a certified Internal Family Systems Practitioner, trauma-informed coach, ordained minister, and co-founder of Brimstone Coaching Group, for a thoughtful conversation about burnout, self-awareness, imposter syndrome, church hurt, and authentic leadership.
Kurt shares why so many leaders get stuck performing instead of living from a place of wholeness. Together, Jim and Kurt talk about the cost of hustle culture, the fear of being found out, the role of self-awareness, and why one faithful step may matter more than having the whole path figured out.
If you have ever felt successful on the outside but empty on the inside, or if you are carrying pressure, fear, or self-doubt while trying to lead well, this conversation will help you slow down, reflect honestly, and begin moving toward a healthier way to live and lead.

In This Episode, You Will Learn
Why burnout often begins when leaders ignore misalignment for too long

How imposter syndrome is usually rooted in fear, not failure

Why self-awareness helps you understand what is really driving your reactions

How leaders can take one faithful step without needing the whole plan

Why coaching, therapy, friendship, and spiritual support all have a place in healing and growth

How authentic leadership begins with wholeness, not performance

Time Stamps
00:00 Welcome and meet Kurt Bush
01:30 Leadership, coaching, ministry, and self-awareness
03:22 Burnout, alignment, and imposter syndrome
06:27 The fear of being found out
09:19 Regret, remorse, and noticing what is happening inside you
10:22 Coaching, therapy, and knowing the difference
13:01 Looking successful while feeling empty
15:09 Building success without losing yourself
16:37 Identity, calling, and taking one faithful step
18:22 What if God is present even in the wrong step?
22:14 Pastoral pain, comfort, and experiencing God differently
24:32 Faith, ministry, and the cost of leadership
27:13 Church hurt, cynicism, and staying honest
30:09 Connect with Kurt and Brimstone Coaching Group

Connect with Kurt
🌐 Coaching: https://www.brimstonecoachinggroup.com/1-1coaching
🎙️ Podcast: Live Fully. Lead Authentically.
📘 Book: Live Fully. Lead Authentically.
🌐 Website: https://www.brimstonecoachinggroup.com/
Connect with Jim
🌐 Website: http://www.leadwithjim.com
🎙️ Ask a Question: https://www.leadwithjim.com/ask
📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadwithjim
▶️ YouTube: https://www.leadwithjim.live
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leadwithjim

Support & Engage with the Show
✅ Subscribe to The Unshakable Life wherever you listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | iHeartRadio
✅ Leave a 5-star review if this episode encouraged your faith.
✅ For more faith-driven leadership content, visit leadwithjim.com.

Thanks for listening!
Never miss an episode of The Unshakable Life. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. And if this conversation helped you think differently about joy, identity, or learning how to seize the day again, share it with a friend who needs the reminder that they are not stuck where they are.

Affiliate Disclosure:

Some of the links in the notes may be affiliate links, meaning we earn a small commission if you make a purchase, at no extra cost to you.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
34 min
July 23How to Say No With Love and Confidence with Tennera Lindvall
Most believers know they are called to love people well, but many quietly confuse love with overextending, overexplaining, and carrying responsibility for everyone else’s emotions.
In this 100th episode of The Unshakeable Life, Jim sits down with Tannera Lindvall, Christian Communication and Boundaries Coach and founder of Communication Architect, for a practical conversation about people-pleasing, boundaries, emotional health, and learning how to protect your yes.
Tannera shares her own journey as a recovering people pleaser and explains how saying yes to everyone can sometimes become saying no to what God has actually asked you to do. Together, Jim and Tannera talk about internal boundaries, thought patterns, fear of rejection, difficult conversations, and why healthy boundaries are not selfish, harsh, or unloving.
If you have ever felt responsible for keeping everyone happy, struggled to say no without guilt, or lost your voice trying to avoid conflict, this conversation will help you begin rebuilding healthier relationships with more clarity, courage, and grace.

In This Episode, You Will Learn
Why people-pleasing can quietly pull you away from what God has called you to do

How to recognize the fears, beliefs, and thought patterns behind an unhealthy yes

Why boundaries begin internally before they are communicated externally

How to process overwhelming thoughts with more self-awareness and grace

What it looks like to protect your yes through clear, loving communication

Why saying no can be an act of obedience, wisdom, and relational health

Time Stamps
00:00 Welcome to episode 100
01:41 Meet Tannera Lindvall and her work with communication and boundaries
04:16 People-pleasing, faith, and learning to protect your yes
09:34 Getting honest about the roots beneath your yes
14:22 Fear, emotions, and choosing truth over reaction
17:17 What boundaries really are and why they start internally
21:31 Handling chaotic thoughts with awareness, kindness, and truth
28:29 Setting external boundaries with clarity and follow-through
38:26 How to connect with Tannera and access her resources
39:43 Final encouragement for identifying your priorities and protecting your yes

Connect with Tannera
🌐 Website: https://CommunicationArchitect.org
Free resources, videos, devotionals, and practical tools for Christian communication and guilt-free boundary setting are available on her website.

Connect with Jim
🌐 Website: http://www.leadwithjim.com
🎙️ Ask a Question: https://www.leadwithjim.com/ask
📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadwithjim
▶️ YouTube: https://www.leadwithjim.live
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leadwithjim

Support & Engage with the Show
✅ Subscribe to The Unshakable Life wherever you listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | iHeartRadio
✅ Leave a 5-star review if this episode encouraged your faith.
✅ For more faith-driven leadership content, visit leadwithjim.com.

Thanks for listening!
Never miss an episode of The Unshakable Life. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. And if this conversation helped you think differently about joy, identity, or learning how to seize the day again, share it with a friend who needs the reminder that they are not stuck where they are.

Affiliate Disclosure:

Some of the links in the notes may be affiliate links, meaning we earn a small commission if you make a purchase, at no extra cost to you.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
44 min
July 16The Me Complex: How Self-Focus Is Costing Your Business with Joe Graham
Many creators and business owners do not struggle because they lack ideas. They struggle because they are stuck in their own head, trying to be perfect, trying not to be rejected, and trying to build something meaningful without learning how to actually sell it.
In this episode, Jim sits down with Joe Graham, sales leader, podcaster, husband, father, and creator of The Joseph Graham Show, for a practical conversation about faith, business, visibility, rejection, and what Joe calls the “Me Complex.”
Joe shares why focusing too much on yourself can quietly cost you connection, confidence, and momentum. Together, Jim and Joe talk about genuine friendship, church hurt, conviction, perfectionism, money, sales, systems, and why Christian creators need to stop treating their calling like an expensive hobby.
If you have ever felt called to create something, but found yourself overthinking, hiding, undercharging, or waiting until everything is perfect, this conversation will help you move forward with more courage, clarity, and ownership.

In This Episode, You Will Learn
Why genuine connection matters in faith, friendship, and business

How the “Me Complex” keeps creators stuck in overthinking and perfectionism

Why rejection, discomfort, and hearing “no” can actually help you grow

How Christian creators can build with both purpose and a healthy business mindset

Why systems, sales, and confidence are part of stewarding what God called you to create

Time Stamps
00:00 Welcome and meet Joe Graham
01:02 Friendship, church hurt, and genuine connection
04:39 Faith, conviction, and being challenged without fear
10:53 Joe’s story, sales background, and heart for helping people build
14:32 The Me Complex and the cost of over-focusing on yourself
18:35 Perfectionism, rejection, and hiding from visibility
20:29 Sales, systems, money, and building with a business mindset
25:02 Creating content that connects with people
27:25 Building confidence by getting uncomfortable
52:59 Final encouragement and close

Connect with Joe
🎙️ Podcast: The Joseph Graham Show
🌐 Website: https://joegrahamreal.com/
▶️ YouTube: The Joseph Graham Show YT
Connect with Jim
🌐 Website: http://www.leadwithjim.com
🎙️ Ask a Question: https://www.leadwithjim.com/ask
📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadwithjim
▶️ YouTube: https://www.leadwithjim.live
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leadwithjim

Support & Engage with the Show
✅ Subscribe to The Unshakable Life wherever you listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | iHeartRadio
✅ Leave a 5-star review if this episode encouraged your faith.
✅ For more faith-driven leadership content, visit leadwithjim.com.

Thanks for listening!
Never miss an episode of The Unshakable Life. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. And if this conversation helped you think differently about joy, identity, or learning how to seize the day again, share it with a friend who needs the reminder that they are not stuck where they are.

Affiliate Disclosure:

Some of the links in the notes may be affiliate links, meaning we earn a small commission if you make a purchase, at no extra cost to you.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
56 min
July 09When Your Life Looks Fine But Feels Off with Beth Robins
Many people wake up feeling like something is off. Their life may look fine on the outside, but inside they feel disconnected, tired, and unsure where their joy went. Beth Robins calls that feeling “soul vertigo.”
In this episode, Jim sits down with Beth Robins, creator of the Carpe Diem Seize the Day with a Smile movement and founder of the Seize the Day Academy, for a conversation about identity, purpose, healing, and learning how to live fully alive again.
Beth shares how a painful season of loss, transition, and identity crisis became the beginning of a deeper work in her life. Together, Jim and Beth talk about childhood patterns, self-limiting beliefs, the danger of holding on to a victim story, and what it looks like to start choosing your day with intention again.
If you have ever felt stuck, out of alignment, or quietly disconnected from the person you were created to be, this conversation will help you think differently about joy, purpose, and the choice you still have before you.

In This Episode, You Will Learn
Why many adults are still carrying fear patterns from childhood

What “soul vertigo” is and how it shows up in everyday life

How old wounds can cause you to dim your light and disconnect from your purpose

Why healing often requires letting go of independence, pride, and the victim story

How to notice what you are noticing so you can pause, recalibrate, and respond with intention

Time Stamps
00:00 Welcome and meet Beth Robins
00:37 Beth’s work, books, and Seize the Day Academy
02:02 Why childhood identity and adult purpose are connected
07:18 The story behind Seize the Day with a Smile
10:57 Healing, stubbornness, and learning to ask for help
14:06 Letting go of the victim story
17:26 Stepping into calling and alignment
20:42 Understanding soul vertigo
23:18 What to do when you have a bad day
27:52 Where to connect with Beth

Connect with Beth
🌐 Website: https://bethrobins.com
📚 Books: Search Carpe Diem Seize the Day with a Smile on Amazon

Connect with Jim
🌐 Website: http://www.leadwithjim.com
🎙️ Ask a Question: https://www.leadwithjim.com/ask
📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadwithjim
▶️ YouTube: https://www.leadwithjim.live
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leadwithjim

Support & Engage with the Show
✅ Subscribe to The Unshakable Life wherever you listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | iHeartRadio
✅ Leave a 5-star review if this episode encouraged your faith.
✅ For more faith-driven leadership content, visit leadwithjim.com.

Thanks for listening!
Never miss an episode of The Unshakable Life. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. And if this conversation helped you think differently about joy, identity, or learning how to seize the day again, share it with a friend who needs the reminder that they are not stuck where they are.
Connect with Jim
🌐 Website: http://www.leadwithjim.com
🎙️ Ask a Question: https://www.leadwithjim.com/ask
📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadwithjim
▶️ YouTube: https://www.leadwithjim.live
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leadwithjim

Support & Engage with the Show
✅ Subscribe to The Unshakable Life wherever you listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | iHeartRadio
✅ Leave a 5-star review if this episode encouraged your faith.
✅ For more faith-driven leadership content, visit leadwithjim.com.

Thanks for listening!
Never miss an episode of The Unshakable Life. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. And if this conversation helped you think differently about joy, identity, or learning how to seize the day again, share it with a friend who needs the reminder that they are not stuck where they are.

Affiliate Disclosure:

Some of the links in the notes may be affiliate links, meaning we earn a small commission if you make a purchase, at no extra cost to you.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
31 min
July 03Are You Building a Brand or Just Posting Content? with Alka Sharma
Many entrepreneurs think their biggest branding problem is visibility. They want more attention, more followers, more reach, and more recognition. But in this conversation, branding and marketing strategist Alka Sharma makes the case that visibility only works when your message is clear.

In this episode, Jim sits down with Alka Sharma for a practical conversation about personal branding, business branding, brand messaging, identity, and what it really takes to stand out in a crowded marketplace. Alka explains why your personal brand is more than a logo, color palette, or social media profile. It is the way people come to know, trust, and recognize who you are and what you represent.

Together, Jim and Alka unpack the difference between a personal brand and a business brand, why entrepreneurs need to build on a strong internal foundation, and how identity shapes how you show up in your industry. They also talk about faith, character, visibility, niche clarity, and why building a brand is not a quick fix. It is a process of becoming clear, consistent, and trustworthy.

If you are a coach, speaker, author, creator, or entrepreneur trying to build a business without losing yourself in the process, this episode will help you think more clearly about your message, your identity, and the brand you are building.

In This Episode, You Will Learn
What personal branding really means

Why brand messaging is the foundation of visibility

The difference between a personal brand and a business brand

Why entrepreneurs need clarity before they chase attention

How your identity affects your message and your brand

Why trust, credibility, and recognition are built over time

How to protect your identity when life changes

Why your personal brand should come before your company brand

How niche clarity helps you stand out in your industry

Why you do not need TikTok dances to build a strong brand

Time Stamps

00:00 Welcome and meet Alka Sharma
01:36 Why brand messaging is the foundation of visibility
02:02 Personal brand vs business brand
04:39 Why every entrepreneur needs a personal brand
06:13 Identity, faith, and rebuilding from the inside out
07:53 Alka’s journey from ballroom dancing to branding
11:46 Protecting your identity when life changes
14:06 Why the personal brand comes before the business brand
16:14 Staying authentic instead of chasing hype
18:21 Why building a brand takes time
20:11 The power of niche clarity
22:06 Alka’s vision for helping entrepreneurs build strong brands
23:18 Where to connect with Alka

Connect with Alka

📱 Instagram: @AlkaSharmaSpeaks

Connect with Jim

🌐 Website: http://www.leadwithjim.com
🎙️ Ask a Question: https://www.leadwithjim.com/ask
📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadwithjim
▶️ YouTube: https://www.leadwithjim.live
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leadwithjim

Support & Engage with the Show

✅ Subscribe to The Unshakable Life wherever you listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | iHeartRadio
✅ Leave a 5-star review if this episode encouraged your faith.
✅ For more faith-driven leadership content, visit leadwithjim.com.

Thanks for listening!

Never miss an episode of The Unshakable Life. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. And if this conversation helped you think more clearly about your identity, your message, or your personal brand, share it with a friend who is building something meaningful.

Connect with Jim
🌐 Website: http://www.leadwithjim.com
🎙️ Ask a Question: https://www.leadwithjim.com/ask
📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadwithjim
▶️ YouTube: https://www.leadwithjim.live
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leadwithjim

Support & Engage with the Show
✅ Subscribe to The Unshakable Life wherever you listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | iHeartRadio
✅ Leave a 5-star review if this episode encouraged your faith.
✅ For more faith-driven leadership content, visit leadwithjim.com.

Thanks for listening!
Never miss an episode of The Unshakable Life. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. And if this conversation helped you think differently about joy, identity, or learning how to seize the day again, share it with a friend who needs the reminder that they are not stuck where they are.

Affiliate Disclosure:

Some of the links in the notes may be affiliate links, meaning we earn a small commission if you make a purchase, at no extra cost to you.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
26 min
June 25What If the Real Problem Is Not Time or Money? with Scott Maderer
In This Episode, You Will Learn
What biblical stewardship really means

Why stewardship is about more than money

How control and pride keep people stuck

The difference between being busy and being intentional

Why the goal is not to do more, but to do the right things

How small systems can help you follow through

Why trust is a key part of building habits that last

How to make room for what matters most

Time Stamps
00:00 Intro and why alignment matters
00:33 Meet Scott Maderer and his stewardship framework
01:43 What stewardship actually means
02:36 Why churches often reduce stewardship to money
04:07 Why people struggle to give up ownership
05:42 The mindset shift from burnout to life-giving work
07:09 Closed fist vs open hand stewardship
11:23 What to do if control is hard to release
13:06 Why the problem often starts the day before
15:19 Two systems Scott uses every day
16:32 Task lists, calendars, and building trust in your system
20:20 Stewarding your time and talent well
20:47 Why busy is not a badge of honor
22:48 Stop trying to do more and start doing what matters
24:23 Intentionality, family, and living your values
26:07 Where to connect with Scott

Key Takeaways
Stewardship means managing what belongs to God, not clinging to it like an owner.

Time and money problems are often mindset and behavior problems first.

A closed hand keeps things from going out, but it also keeps new things from coming in.

Being busy does not mean you are being faithful.

Good systems help you follow through on what matters.

You do not need a perfect system. You need a system you can trust.

Intentionality is what turns values into real-life decisions.

Small steps are often the best place to start.

Connect with Scott
🌐 Website:⁠ inspiredstewardship.com/unshakablelife⁠
📱 Podcast: ⁠Inspired Stewardship⁠
📕 Book: ⁠Inspired Living ⁠

Connect with Jim
🌐 Website: http://www.leadwithjim.com
🎙️ Ask a Question: https://www.leadwithjim.com/ask
📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadwithjim
▶️ YouTube: https://www.leadwithjim.live
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leadwithjim

Support & Engage with the Show
✅ Subscribe to The Unshakable Life wherever you listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | iHeartRadio
✅ Leave a 5-star review if this episode encouraged your faith.
✅ For more faith-driven leadership content, visit leadwithjim.com.

Thanks for listening!
Never miss an episode of The Unshakable Life. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. And if this conversation helped you think differently about joy, identity, or learning how to seize the day again, share it with a friend who needs the reminder that they are not stuck where they are.

Affiliate Disclosure:

Some of the links in the notes may be affiliate links, meaning we earn a small commission if you make a purchase, at no extra cost to you.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
30 min
June 18When You Try to Control God with Phill Tague
In This Episode, You Will Learn
How people create “Jesus in their own image,” and why it collapses in hard seasons

Why control is often the hidden engine underneath a curated faith

How to spot selective surrender and soundbite theology

Why legalism can feel safe, but still keeps you from the Father’s heart

Covenant vs contract faith, and why “Lordship” is the missing step for many Christians

How to tell conviction from shame (and why it matters)

One practical first step for the overwhelmed: stop, get quiet, create margin

Time Stamps

00:00 Intro: The Jesus we imagine vs the real Jesus
00:40 Meet Phill Tague and Ransom Church
01:23 Book intro: Jesus Be the Centerfold
02:11 Worshiping an image of Jesus vs worshiping Jesus
03:30 What happens when we bend Jesus to our politics and preferences
04:12 “Swipe right” theology and why people lose faith
05:32 Control: trying to force life to go our way
07:24 Curated faith and “soundbite” Christianity
10:13 Legalism, safety, and the prodigal sons
12:28 Intimacy defined: fully known and still chosen
13:30 Covenant vs contract faith
16:10 Saved by grace, then living by works (the checkbox trap)
19:21 Conviction vs shame: “what you did” vs “who you are”
21:18 Fighting passivity and the noise of modern life
23:20 First step for the overwhelmed: stop, be still, create margin
26:26 Sabbath, sabbatical, and learning what “zero” feels like
28:19 Where to connect with Phill and get the study guide

Key Takeaways
If your faith is built on a made-up version of God, hard seasons will expose it.

Control looks spiritual until life stops cooperating.

Soundbites can sound true while slowly forming a false Jesus.

Covenant faith is not a contract. It is surrender.

Conviction points to what you did. Shame attacks who you are.

Sometimes the most spiritual first step is simply to stop and get quiet.

Connect with Phil Tague

🌐 Church: ransom.church
🌐 Website: philtag.com (book links + free study guide)

Connect with Jim
🌐 Website: http://www.leadwithjim.com
🎙️ Ask a Question: https://www.leadwithjim.com/ask
📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadwithjim
▶️ YouTube: https://www.leadwithjim.live
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leadwithjim

Support & Engage with the Show
✅ Subscribe to The Unshakable Life wherever you listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | iHeartRadio
✅ Leave a 5-star review if this episode encouraged your faith.
✅ For more faith-driven leadership content, visit leadwithjim.com.

Thanks for listening!
Never miss an episode of The Unshakable Life. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. And if this conversation helped you think differently about joy, identity, or learning how to seize the day again, share it with a friend who needs the reminder that they are not stuck where they are.

Affiliate Disclosure:

Some of the links in the notes may be affiliate links, meaning we earn a small commission if you make a purchase, at no extra cost to you.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
32 min
June 11You Built the Routine… So Why Are You Still Tired? with Michael Klassen
In This Episode, You Will Learn
Why productivity without alignment leads to exhaustion

The hidden reason high performers still feel empty

How morning routines shape your spiritual and mental direction

Why identity cannot be built on what you do

The role the community plays in the labels you carry

A simple way to audit your day and regain control

How “wrong fuel” impacts your energy, focus, and results

Why discipline is more about direction than intensity

Time Stamps
00:00 Intro: Productivity as spiritual formation
01:27 Meet Michael Klassen and the story behind 5 AM Podcast
03:20 Why 5 AM is more about mindset than a clock
05:00 If it’s difficult, there’s probably value in it
07:00 Productivity, purpose, and being created to produce
09:00 When productivity becomes identity
10:50 Breaking labels and finding identity in Christ
11:30 Why your environment shapes your outcomes
12:35 Morning routines as spiritual formation
13:30 Guarding your time and setting the tone for your day
16:10 What a real morning routine looks like
18:00 What happens when you miss it
20:00 Why high achievers still feel tired and empty 21:00 The “wrong fuel” analogy and energy drain
23:10 Practical steps to reset your life
24:00 Audit your day and rebalance your energy
26:00 Where to connect with Michael

Key Takeaways
Productivity alone cannot fix a misaligned life.

If your identity is tied to what you produce, burnout is coming.

Your morning sets the direction for everything that follows.

The wrong inputs, both physical and spiritual, will drain you fast.

Your environment shapes your identity more than you realize.

If you can measure your day, you can begin to change it.

Discipline is not punishment. It is alignment.

Real change starts with small, honest adjustments, not extreme overhauls.

Connect with Michael Klassen

🌐 Website: https://www.5ampodcast.com
📱 Social: ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠, ⁠⁠YouTube, ⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠

Connect with Jim
🌐 Website: http://www.leadwithjim.com
🎙️ Ask a Question: https://www.leadwithjim.com/ask
📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadwithjim
▶️ YouTube: https://www.leadwithjim.live
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leadwithjim

Support & Engage with the Show
✅ Subscribe to The Unshakable Life wherever you listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | iHeartRadio
✅ Leave a 5-star review if this episode encouraged your faith.
✅ For more faith-driven leadership content, visit leadwithjim.com.

Thanks for listening!
Never miss an episode of The Unshakable Life. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. And if this conversation helped you think differently about joy, identity, or learning how to seize the day again, share it with a friend who needs the reminder that they are not stuck where they are.

Affiliate Disclosure:

Some of the links in the notes may be affiliate links, meaning we earn a small commission if you make a purchase, at no extra cost to you.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
29 min

About The Unshakable Life

From the publisher's feed

Do you feel called to make a huge impact—to lead, create, and build what God has put on your heart—but find yourself feeling stuck, scattered, or spiritually off track?

Share The Unshakable Life

Sign up to save your podcasts

The Unshakable Life

The Unshakable Life episodes

About The Unshakable Life