The Leader’s Way

What does “community” actually mean? Is community something we achieve or is it something we practice? Claire Brown and Austin Sauerbrei are partners, parents, and community practitioners, living and working in small town rural America. Claire is the rector of a small Episcopal church and Austin is a community organizer with the 50+ year-old statewide nonprofit, SOCM. Their daily lives are a whirlwind of tending to relationships an...

Joseph Yoo was baptized, raised, and ordained in the United Methodist Church, and is now an Episcopalian priest and the planter of Mosaic Episcopal Church located in the suburbs of Houston, Texas. Joseph is the author of When the Saints Go Flying In: Stories About Faith, Life, and Everything in Between and is known for his dynamic presence on Instagram and TikTok, where he reflects on everything from scripture to social justice to ...

Omid Safi was raised in a Muslim family where mystical poetry, particularly “love” poetry, and spirituality, were the currency of daily life. Poetry still “perfumes” Omid's social interactions, intellectual pursuits, and his curiosity about the ways religion, love, and justice intersect. Safi is a professor of Islamic Studies at Duke University. He specializes in the study of Islamic mysticism and contemporary Islam and frequently ...

We practice meditation because the present moment is the only place where we can truly find ourselves, love others, and be loved by the divine. This is why we gather, why we sit, why we breathe together. We practice surrendering to what lies beyond our control and responding rather than reacting to life's challenges. We cultivate curiosity about what's arising within and around us, learning to do difficult things like changing and ...

What do we do with our pain? It’s an important spiritual question, and one that Brandon Nappi explores with James Kimmel, Jr., JD, on this episode of Within, a contemplative segment of The Leader's Way Podcast, that explores the convergence of mental health, art, and spirituality through authentic conversations across traditions about personal and collective transformation. James Kimmel is a violence researcher, psychiatry professo...

Lauren Jackson is a religion columnist for the New York Times where she is the associate editor and writer for The Morning, the Times's flagship daily newsletter. Over the past year, she has been deeply involved in reporting on belief. Lauren developed 'Believing,' a project that explores how we experience religion and spirituality in contemporary times. Lauren's thought-provoking columns delve into the complexities of faith, spiri...

Loretta Ross is a public intellectual, professor, activist, and author of Calling In, a collection of stories from five remarkable decades working in social justice movements, including reproductive justice, white supremacy, and women of color organizing. Loretta and Leader’s Way host Brandon Nappi go deep into conversation about why calling people in—inviting them into conversation instead of conflict by focusing on your shared va...

Host Brandon Nappi keeps the flame of curiosity alive in this edition of Within, a contemplative segment of The Leader's Way Podcast, that explores the convergence of mental health, art, and spirituality through authentic conversations across traditions about personal and collective transformation.

In this episode, Brandon welcomes Elise Loehnen, best-selling author of “On Our Best Behavior” and co-author with Phil Stutz of 'True a...

Dwight Zscheile is a professor of congregational mission and leadership at Luther Seminary, and his wife, Blair Pogue, is a priest and canon for vitality and innovation in the Episcopal Church in Minnesota. They join Leader’s Way host Brandon Nappi for a conversation about their joint passion for engaging the innovative ways the Church is renewing its commitment to community and communion by meeting people where they are.  Brandon ...

Poet and priest Spencer Reece joins Leader’s Way host Brandon Nappi for a moving conversation about the power of poetry as an act of remembrance, as a response to violence, and as a culture maker and culture keeper. Listen to Father Reece offer spontaneous recitation and remind us of the ways poetry can bring us closer to the Divine.   

Host: Brandon Nappi

Guest: Spencer Reece

Production: Goodchild Media

Instagram: @theleadersw...

We are growing in our understanding of the long-term effects trauma and moral injury can have on bodies and spirits, including those within our own congregations. In this important and tender episode, Brandon and Whitney talk with former Army Chaplain and Episcopal priest David Peters about the ways faith communities can lean on Jesus’s life story to respond with love and care to these wounds. David’s latest book, Post-Traumatic Je...

Welcome to WITHIN, a contemplative segment of The Leader's Way Podcast that explores the convergence of mental health, art, and spirituality through authentic conversations across traditions about personal and collective transformation. In this inaugural episode, Brandon talks with Joanna Penn, an award-winning New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, whose latest book, “Pilgrimage: Lessons Learned from Solo Walking Three A...

In this episode, Michelle Snyder, author, therapist, leadership coach, and the executive director of Soul Shop, speaks directly to faith leaders about the importance of talking about and tending to suicide in our communities, and training for the work of suicide prevention. Michelle talks with Brandon, Whitney, and Misty about the moment we are in, in which isolation is growing and suicide is on the rise, but faith communities have...

In this episode, Irish theologian, storyteller, poet, conflict mediator, and host of the podcast Poetry Unbound Pádraig Ó Tuama speaks of the thrilling notion that “all language can do the work of delight or terror in us.” In this conversation, Leader’s Way hosts talk with Pádraig about the complex relationship between poetry and prayer, the timeless wisdom of Meister Eckhart, and the delightful tradition of the Irish civil servant...

In this special summer episode, Brandon Nappi interviews The Rev’d Adrian Dannhauser, Rector of Church of the Incarnation in New York City and author of Ask Me for a Blessing (You Know You Need One). Adrian and Brandon dive into spiritual call and spiritual practice—from silent retreats to evangelism to the spiritual courage it takes to pray for others who may (or may not) ask for it.

Host: Brandon Nappi

Guest: Adrian Dannhauser

Pr...

What do church mission, governance, and high school theater have in common? Brandon and Hannah talk with The Rev’d Molly James, PhD., Interim Executive Officer at The Episcopal Church and Berkeley Divinity at Yale alum (’05), about the ways Church mission and institutional governance weave together to strengthen the work of The Episcopal Church. Listen as Rev’d Molly recounts lessons on leadership gleaned from her high school stage...

In this episode, Brandon talks with New York Times bestselling author, public theologian, preacher, and founder of Sojourners, The Rev’d Jim Wallis. Their conversation explores the theological implications of authoritarianism, new frames for understanding church unity, and the difference between optimism and hope.

Host: Brandon Nappi

Guest: Jim Wallis

Production: Goodchild Media

Music: Wayfaring Stranger, Theodicy Jazz Collective

A...

Hannah has news, and you have new friends! Tune in to meet guest hosts Whitney and Misty as they join Brandon in interviewing Hannah for our season finale. Why is Gregory of Nyssa’s take on salvation so different from what Hannah heard in church growing up? Are there risks in the regular ways we talk about Christian salvation? How did feminist theology help her untangle all of this? How much can we know or talk about God? And why i...