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In this milestone 50th episode of The Reluctant Leader Podcast, Paul sits down with Benjamin Crawshaw for an honest, relatable conversation about life, leadership, and what happens when everything falls apart. Benjamin shares his powerful story of how personal failure, ministry unraveling, and a season of isolation led him to rediscover God’s grace in unexpected places — including a 5-6 year-old girls’ softball team and a student ministry of four.
The episode dives into what it means to lead when you don’t feel qualified, how God often meets us in the margins, and why true leadership isn’t about numbers or titles but about showing up authentically. Benjamin opens up about how repressing emotions eventually catches up with us, and how his journey through counseling, community, and vulnerability has reshaped his perspective on faith, leadership, and mental health.
For anyone who’s ever felt burned out, overlooked, or unsure about their next step, this episode is a needed reminder that God’s not done with you yet. Paul and Benjamin also talk about how today’s culture, especially Gen Z and Gen Alpha, craves authenticity more than ever, and why that’s the perfect environment for real conversations about faith and emotional health.
It’s a conversation full of wisdom, humor, and encouragement, perfect for leaders (reluctant or not) navigating the messy middle of life and ministry.
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🔗 Links to all the things:
To connect with Trueface, go to https://www.trueface.org/
You can contact Benjamin at benjamin@trueface.org
📙 Books we mentioned:
The Cure > https://amzn.to/3MCvF8M
Bo's Cafe > https://amzn.to/3EPnZzC
The Path > https://amzn.to/3ZbrgzR
☕️ The Starbucks Coffee Giveaway
Grab the QR code on Paul's site and use it at Starbucks to grab a coffee drink. Thanks for being a part of The Reluctant Leader Podcast community!
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Thanks for listening to The Reluctant Leader Podcast with Paul Jenkins! Find me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and be sure to read the stuff I'm writing on my blog.
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