Whole Hearted Leadership with Lantz Howard

Welcome back to the Whole Hearted Leadership with Lantz Howard. Today, Brian Kiser joins the podcast to share about his leadership identity and how to break out of operator island.

Brian Kiser grew up in the Chick-fil-A business and swore he'd never do that to his family. Years later, he was saying, "I'm doing this for my family."

Brian is the owner-operator of Chick-fil-A at the Village of North Elm in Greensboro, NC, a husband to Ashley, a dad of three, and a member of The Arena. He and Lantz talk about what a weekly date night has looked like for 15 years, why stress once put him in the hospital, the isolation leaders call "Operator Island," and why he's found more strength in the quiet with God than in the loud stuff.

If you lead a business and you're carrying more than anyone knows, this one is for you.

Learn more about The Arena and apply to join.

1. Put date night on the calendar, and let it match the season you're in.
2. Lead with open hands. The business belongs to the Lord; you're stewarding it.
3. Praise at work can numb what's breaking at home. If home isn't good, you won't be effective.
4. Isolation is a choice you can unmake. Find a safe place to say, "I need help."
5. Every leader is in an interim role. Hold the title loosely.

Ready to stop leading on operator island? Join The Arena. The Arena is a small, capped coaching brotherhood for Christian business owners and leaders who are done leading alone. We go deep into your truest identity and create an intimate marriage.

Learn more about The Arena. Seats are currently limited.

Learn more about coaching with Lantz Howard. Lantz has coached enterprise sales leaders, Silicon Valley start-ups, to the guy up the street. Get started with your own 15-minute coaching conversation today.

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*Correction: Brian's uncle Cleave was an operator, not his grandfather.

You are living in self-deception when you openly say you don't have emotions, and it is killing you, your marriage, and your organization.

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Lantz Howard is a coach for high performers, their marriage, and their spiritual leadership journey. www.lantzhoward.com

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Lantz sits down with Chris DeLeenheer — family office leader, investor, former church planter and missionary, and author of The Quiet Drift: Why Successful People lose their Way and How to Find Your Way Back — for a conversation that moves from bow hunting and endurance racing straight into the deep end: identity, sonship, and what happens when a driven man realizes his work has quietly become his worth.

Chris traces his own story from planting a church, to a season in India, to building and selling companies (including a stint with Fuego) — all while wrestling with a truth that reshaped everything: "our work is simply an arena" for God's formation, not our identity. He calls it becoming a "mystical entrepreneur" — learning to check in with the Holy Spirit before every room, every deal, every sales call, rather than walking in on performance or proving.

The conversation turns personal and honest fast: Chris talks about the moment his wife Libby told him he was "following, not leading," what it cost him to hear that, and why he now believes vulnerability — not bulletproof confidence — is what his daughters actually need to see from their dad. He closes with why he's running the seven World Marathon Majors to raise a million dollars for clean water through World Vision, and why physical discipline has become inseparable from his spiritual formation.

What You'll Hear

• [01:51] Learning to rest as an "output person" — bow hunting, snow skiing, and endurance racing as new inputs
• [06:29] The weekly date night habit and the questions that help his wife Libby process her week
• [08:04] The moment on the operating table with God: "I'm committed to being the man of your dreams"
• [10:23] From church planting to a business born in India — "a mystical entrepreneur" in the making
• [17:14] Walking into Fortune 500 boardrooms with no résumé — and calling it "the favor of a son"
• [19:00] "I'm not an entrepreneur or a family office guy — I'm a son"
• [21:24] The mystical entrepreneur practice: checking in with the Lord before every room, every call
• [22:14] Feeling too small — or too big — for the room, and why both are forms of the same arrogance
• [38:01] "Until people are sick and tired of being sick and tired, they usually don't change" — and why it doesn't have to be a crisis
• [39:26] The word God gave him before he made a dime: "I have enough rich Christians. I don't need another one."
• [42:34] A therapist's line that reframed his parenting: "Your vulnerability is your strength"
• [45:09] Libby's role as spiritual discerner in the marriage — and learning not to convince her, just be transparent
• [47:27] The hard word from Libby that changed him: "You're following, not leading"
• [48:24] Why control and scoreboards don't work in marriage — "let's outdo one another in service"
• [51:06] Running toward the seven World Marathon Majors to raise $1M for clean water through World Vision
• [52:49] Running 12 miles with his daughter — physical discipline as a shared spiritual discipline

If Chris's story stirred something in you — about letting your work become an arena for formation instead of your identity, about leading instead of following in your marriage — I'd love to help you take the next step:

For your leadership and calling → lantzhoward.com For your marriage → championhusband.com

If this conversation was encouraging to you, share it with someone you love and care about — there's probably a name that came to mind while you were listening.

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Peace and courage on your leadership journey.

Lantz sits down with Dr. Phil Schubert, president of Abilene Christian University, for a conversation that moves from daily routines and 4-mile walks with his wife Brooke into one of the most vulnerable stories this podcast has ever carried: a season, over a decade ago, when Phil's marriage ended and he found himself publicly walking into an all-staff meeting to tell 800 employees his life was falling apart.

Phil traces how his identity had been built entirely on performance and results — until the one season he couldn't fix anything for himself. Standing at a bank of mailboxes in an empty apartment, he heard God say two words that changed everything: "Stop it." What followed was a slow, redemptive rebuilding of identity, marriage, and calling — one that eventually led Phil to Jamie Winship's Living Fearless (introduced to him by Brooke) and a conviction that ACU's highest calling isn't academics, it's helping 18-to-21-year-olds find their true identity in Jesus before the world and social media form it for them.

This is a conversation about what it costs — and what it redeems — to build a life and a university on courage and humility instead of outcomes.

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• "My identity was grounded in what I could do that was noticeable to people."
• "He just said, 'Hey, stop it. Quit. You are gonna be okay. Stop what you're doing, and trust me.'"
• "Who can take the ugliest failure and the greatest disappointment, and make it into the greatest thing in your life?"
• "Pay attention to who you are — not just what you do."
• "I'm gonna build on a foundation of courage and humility."
• "God will never be disappointed in you."
• "Every aspect of joy and fulfillment is understanding your true identity and being part of God's plan for the world."

If Phil's story stirred something in you — about identity, about the seasons that break us open, about what it means to build on courage instead of outcomes — I'd love to help you take the next step:

For your leadership and calling → lantzhoward.com For your marriage → championhusband.com

If this conversation was encouraging to you, please timestamp it and send it to a friend you deeply care about. There's probably someone whose name came to mind while you were listening.

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Peace and courage on your leadership journey.

Lantz sits down with Adam Tarnow — author of The Fog of Work, former CPA, former church staff member, and now a leadership development coach and workshop facilitator — for a conversation about the specific brand of stress that hits every leader the moment they get promoted: being held accountable for results they don't fully control.

Adam walks through the "valley" his own boss drew for him decades ago — pressure from above, pressure from below, and the leader stuck in the middle — and how he spent years looking for a way out before a mentor named Randy Marshall showed him there isn't one. There's only a way through. That way through became "Control Your Controllables," a simple fill-in-the-blank operating system built on the dichotomy of control: I don't control ___, but I do control ___, so I will ___.

The conversation moves from Disney World leadership lessons to raising teenage boys who mock (and absorb) their dad's one-liners, from "awkwardophobia" to why courage — not serenity — is the thing most leaders are actually short on. It's a conversation for anyone who feels like they climbed the ladder only to find themselves stuck, stressed, and quietly looking for a villain to blame.

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• "Your story doesn't have a villain, it's just got a valley."
• "There's no way out of the valley. But there's a way through."
• "I don't need more serenity. What I need is more courage."
• "I don't control ___, but I do control ___, so I will ___."
• "The mid-level leader is the backbone of the global economy — and they are hurting."
• "It's not that you've got the answers. It's that you've got the questions."

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If you've ever climbed the ladder only to feel stuck, stressed, or quietly looking for someone to blame — this conversation is for you. Slow down, learn your story, and find someone to help you unpack it.

For your leadership and calling → lantzhoward.com For your marriage → championhusband.com

If this conversation was encouraging to you, share it with the leader — or the middle manager — who came to mind while you were listening.

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Peace and courage on your leadership journey.

Lantz sits down with Steve Cuss — founder of Capable Life, pastor at heart, and author of Managing Leadership Anxiety — for a conversation about the invisible dynamics that quietly run every room, marriage, and organization: reactivity.

Steve traces his own story from a scary, incompetent childhood through arrogant overconfidence to the catalytic moment that broke him open — becoming a 24-year-old hospital chaplain sitting with dying people. That season killed the pretense and became the seedbed for everything he now teaches leaders about family systems theory, the "well self," and why the most anxious person in the room is running the show whether anyone notices or not.

Along the way: micro-habits that reset a reactive nervous system, four simple questions that reveal the most anxious person in any group, and a candid look at 29 years of marriage to his best friend, Lisa. Steve closes with a challenge every leader needs to hear: the best asset you have to offer God's kingdom is a well self.

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• "I'm always looking to trip over God's goodness. That's kind of my goal."
• "I don't trust leaders that don't have a limp."
• "Reactivity is contagious. Unlike trauma or grief, it spreads through a room."
• "When you're bigger than human, you've pushed out the room in your soul where you attend to God."
• "Bob's not automatically evil — you're just as complicit for not confronting him."
• "You're not going to work on your marriage. You're going to work on yourself."
• "The best asset you have to offer God's kingdom is a well self."

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This work — paying attention to your own reactivity, becoming a noticer, and growing yourself up before you try to fix everyone else — is at the heart of what I do with the leaders and couples I serve.

If this conversation stirred something in you, I'd love to help you take the next step:

For your leadership and calling → lantzhoward.com For your marriage → championhusband.com

Lantz sits down with longtime friend Lyle Wells, president of Integris Leadership and a veteran executive coach who spends his days serving senior pastors, global nonprofit leaders, and CEOs. Lyle has been fired twice, coached college basketball, trained for ministry without the Greek and Hebrew, and been married to his wife Rhonda for nearly 37 years — and he brings all of it into a conversation about why leadership was never meant to be a marathon.

The conversation moves from date nights and daily diversions to burnout, identity, and what it really means to hold your purpose tightly while holding your position loosely. Lyle unpacks the four roles he plays in every coaching relationship, why 80% of the leaders who call him are "stuck" rather than "struggling," and how uniqueness and eliteness can restore a leader's sense of aliveness. It's a conversation about rhythm — going out and coming in — and why ending well matters as much as starting well.

Key Quotes

• "Life is a series of sprints, not marathons."
• "My tank is my responsibility. It's not my wife's job to fill it, and it's not my elders' job either."
• "Hold your purpose tightly. Choke the heck out of that thing. But hold your positions loosely."
• "We're really good at starting things. We're usually really bad at ending them — and ending well is just as important as starting well."
• "Struggling means we're wrestling. Stuck means hope is being lost."
• "Leadership is never meant to be harvested. It's only meant to be multiplied."
• "If it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you."

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Coach Lantz Howard

www.lantzhoward.com

Download Champion Husband Playbook: How to have More Peace, Passion, and Power in Your Marriage www.championhusband.com

In this rich and honest conversation, Lantz Howard talks with longtime friend Dr. Matt Paden, co-author of the new USA Today bestselling book The Core. Matt shares the powerful story behind the book, his major life transitions over the past two years, and why great leadership is far more about who you are than what you can do.

They explore ego vs. humility, the power of vulnerability, leading for the good of others, and how to navigate seasons of massive change in leadership, marriage, and family life.

• Character beats skills for long-term success. Skills get you the seat, but character keeps you there and sustains your influence.
• Ego out of control leads to destruction. The story of Haman vs. Mordecai in the Book of Esther shows that two people can have the exact same job — but completely different outcomes based on their character.
• Work for the good of your people. The best leaders focus on service over self-promotion. Ask: “Am I working for the good of the people I lead?”
• Vulnerability is strength, not weakness. Pretending to know everything breeds cynicism and toxicity. Admitting what you don’t know builds trust and unleashes your team.
• Leadership is messy, complex, and often lonely. Don’t try to do it alone — get a coach, build a trusted circle, and stay humble.
• Seasons of massive change are normal. Matt’s transition from higher education executive to entrepreneur, author, and company founder shows that change, while hard, can lead to rich growth.
• Strengthen your core first. When your inner life (character, humility, self-awareness) is healthy, everything else — team performance, marriage, family, and influence — improves.
• Date nights and marriage rhythms still matter in busy seasons. Even high-achieving leaders must intentionally protect time with their spouse.

Resources Mentioned:

• Buy the Book: The Core by Dr. Matt Paden & Dr. Ken Jones (USA Today Bestseller)
• Learn more about Great Days Leadership – Coaching and Consulting organization
• Subscribe to the podcast: Bad Days Leadership Podcast

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Learn more about coaching with Lantz Howard at www.lantzhoward.com

In this inspiring conversation, Lantz Howard sits down with Jacob Robinson — entrepreneur, Shark Tank alum, and founder of Dig World. Jacob shares the powerful story behind Dig World, a unique theme park where kids and adults get to operate real construction equipment. What started as a father’s response to his son Pierce’s life-changing battle with bacterial meningitis has become a joyful destination that creates lifelong memories for families.

Jacob opens up about faith, marriage, leadership, and the importance of dreaming crazy dreams while operating out of imagination instead of painful memories.

Key Topics, Quotes & Takeaways:

• How a family crisis with bacterial meningitis sparked Dig World and strengthened Jacob and Melissa’s marriage
• Dare to dream crazy dreams because it’s free — operate out of imagination, not memory
• The importance of clear communication and keeping your spouse fully in the loop while building a business
• “What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?” —
• Walk with “elephants” — surround yourself with people doing big things

Practical Takeaways:

1. Dream boldly — write down the scary dream you’re afraid to tell your spouse.
2. Choose imagination over painful memories or past criticism.
3. Prioritize radical clarity and communication in your marriage.

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To learn more about coaching with Lantz visit www.lantzhoward.com