If you’ve ever found yourself stuck in patterns you can’t explain or hitting a wall in your leadership that won’t budge—there’s a reason. In this episode of the Emotionally Healthy Leader Podcast , I explore one of the most overlooked but powerful forces shaping your life and leadership: your family of origin. The truth is, we all carry a family story. And unless we allow Jesus to meet us there—deep in those places—our leadership, relationships, and even our ability to hear God will be compromis...
Jul 08, 2025•30 min
After 30 years of wrestling with the tension between vision and limitation, I’ve come to see that how we handle limits can make—or break—our leadership. In this episode, I explore the subtle but powerful difference between good and bad limits. Bad limits are driven by fear, faulty thinking, and self-protection. But good limits? They’re gifts from God—meant to ground us, guide us, and grow us. You’ll hear how ignoring God’s limits nearly cost me everything: my marriage, my leadership, my soul. Bu...
Jun 24, 2025•31 min
👉 Download the FREE Emotionally Healthy Leader Discussion Guide at emotionallyhealthy.org/leader —--------------------------------------------------- In today’s episode, we dive deep into one of the most misunderstood and undervalued aspects of Christian leadership—leading out of your singleness. Whether you’re 25 or 75, single by calling or circumstance, you are not a problem to be fixed or a “not-yet-married” Christian waiting in the wings. You are a sign and wonder—a prophetic witness to the...
Jun 10, 2025•32 min
👉 Download the FREE Emotionally Healthy Leader Discussion Guide at emotionallyhealthy.org/leader —--------------------------------------------------- Most Christian leaders are taught to prioritize ministry first—leaving marriage, singleness, and sexuality in the shadows. But what if the loudest gospel we preach isn't from our pulpits, but from how we live out our deepest relationships? In this powerful episode, Pete Scazzero uncovers a profound, often overlooked truth: your marriage (or single...
May 27, 2025•32 min
📝 How Emotionally Healthy Are You? Take this Free Assessment to find out. https://www.emotionallyhealthy.org/mature —--------------------------------------------------- There’s no other way to lead with integrity—none—than by confronting the elephants in the room. In Part 2 of this series, I unpack the spiritual and emotional cost of avoiding the hard conversations that must happen in every church, team, and family system. I begin with a powerful parable—“The Bridge”—a vivid picture of what hap...
May 13, 2025•32 min
📝 Free Church Culture Assessment: How is your church doing in these 6 core areas? https://www.emotionallyhealthy.org/ churchhealth —--------------------------------------------------- Leadership is hard. And confronting the elephants in the room—the inappropriate behaviors, unhealthy patterns, and unresolved tensions we all want to ignore—is even harder. In today’s episode, I’ll share why true leaders must resist the temptation to avoid these challenges, and why doing so is essential for real d...
Apr 29, 2025•32 min
📝 Free Church Culture Assessment: How is your church doing in these 6 core areas? https://www.emotionallyhealthy.org/ churchhealth —--------------------------------------------------- After decades of leadership, I’ve walked through two major successions—first as Lead Pastor of New Life Fellowship Church, and now, as President of Emotionally Healthy Discipleship. In today’s episode, I pull back the curtain on what I’ve learned about leadership transitions—not from a textbook, but from the trenc...
Apr 15, 2025•40 min
👉 Take the free EHD Maturity Assessment: emotionallyhealthy.org/mature —------------------------------- Most pastors and leaders are trained to preach, strategize, and serve—but few are ever taught how to lead from a deeply anchored, differentiated self. And yet, this is the foundation for every healthy team and ministry. In today’s episode, I unpack one of the most overlooked killers of team health and mission: low differentiation. Drawing from Family Systems Theory, the leadership of David an...
Apr 01, 2025•32 min
📝 Free Church Culture Assessment: How is your church doing in these 6 core areas? https://www.emotionallyhealthy.org/ churchhealth —--------------------------------------------------- Are you leading out of true power—or false power? Far too often, we mistake activity for effectiveness, urgency for wisdom, and influence for true authority. When we operate out of false power—power rooted in our own ambition, hurry, or need for approval—we’re actually moving backward, not forward. We might look l...
Mar 18, 2025•29 min
⚡FREE WEBINAR: Join us for our next webinar – How to Build an Emotionally Healthy Church from the Ground Up – https://www.emotionallyhealthy.org/webinar/ —--------------------------------------------------- Too many pastors and leaders get caught in a subtle but deadly trap—chasing a form of power that looks impressive on the outside but leaves us spiritually hollow. It’s a trap Paul confronted head-on when facing the so-called “super-apostles” of his day. They flaunted their visions, eloquence,...
Mar 04, 2025•32 min
📍 DOWNLOAD FREE E-BOOK: “LeaderShift” - Discover the 8 Pivotal Breakthroughs of Emotionally Healthy Leaders https://www.emotionallyhealthy.org/leadershift —--------------------------------------------------- In leadership, weakness is often seen as a liability. A roadblock. Something to overcome. But what if weakness is actually the platform for God's power in your life? In this episode, we continue exploring one of the most misunderstood and countercultural truths of the gospel—God’s power is ...
Feb 18, 2025•31 min
📍 GET FREE E-BOOK: “Ancient Disciplemaking” - Your quick start guide to reclaiming the last 2,000 years of church history. https://www.emotionallyhealthy.org/ancient Most pastors and church leaders wrestle with this question: How do we measure success if not by numbers? For the next two episodes, we’re diving into one of the most radical truths of the gospel—that God’s power is made perfect not in our strengths, but in our weaknesses. Paul lived this. He was battered, abandoned, mocked, even qu...
Feb 04, 2025•31 min
📖 FREE E-BOOK: “Ancient Disciplemaking” - Your quick start guide to understanding the last 2,000 years of church history. https://www.emotionallyhealthy.org/ancient --------------------------- In today’s episode, we’re stepping into the rich, untapped wisdom of church history. As modern Christian leaders, many of us unknowingly skip over a critical part of our spiritual heritage—believing God’s work jumped straight from the Book of Acts to the Reformation or Azusa Street. This way of thinking h...
Jan 21, 2025•29 min
⚡Design a RULE OF LIFE in 60 Minutes - Join us for a free 2025 kickoff webinar with Pete Scazzero and Drew Hyun on January 15th. https://www.emotionallyhealthy.org/ruleoflife/ --------------------------- As we step into 2025, the world around us is in upheaval—artificial intelligence is reshaping how we live and lead, cultural norms are rapidly shifting, and the pressures on the church have never been greater. Economic instability, political polarization, and spiritual apathy are not just challe...
Jan 07, 2025•30 min
⚡Design a RULE OF LIFE in 60 Minutes - Join us for a free 2025 kickoff webinar with Pete Scazzero and Drew Hyun on January 15th. https://www.emotionallyhealthy.org/ruleoflife/ --------------------------- In this special Christmas reflection, Pete Scazzero unpacks the powerful words of John the Baptist: “Among you stands one you do not know” (John 1:26). As we rush through the demands of the season, it’s easy to overlook the quiet, hidden ways God reveals Himself—in the ordinary, the painful, and...
Dec 24, 2024•27 min
📣 Transform your church culture with the Emotionally Healthy Discipleship Course. Curious? Download and preview TWO full sessions from the course for FREE. https://www.emotionallyhealthy.org/preview/ --------------------------- In today’s episode, we’re tackling a powerful yet countercultural truth: God’s way is slow, small, and often weak—and that’s exactly why it’s unstoppable. So many of us are addicted to speed. We rush decisions, launch initiatives prematurely, and burn ourselves out in th...
Dec 10, 2024•33 min
🎄Christmas Sermon Prep Webinar - Join me for a FREE webinar on Dec. 5th at 2 pm ET to learn about preaching a Christmas message that deeply changes lives. https://www.emotionallyhealthy.org/sermonprep/ --------------------------- The truth is, you can’t shepherd numbers. You can only shepherd names. And yet, in a culture obsessed with metrics, many leaders feel trapped, measuring success by attendance, budgets, and fast growth rather than the flourishing of the people God has entrusted to them....
Nov 26, 2024•29 min
🕯️ Christmas Sermon Prep Webinar - Join me for a FREE webinar on Dec. 5th at 2 pm ET to learn how to craft a powerful Christmas message that deeply changes lives. (without losing your soul) https://www.emotionallyhealthy.org/sermonprep/ --------------------------- In today’s episode, we’re diving into a theme that should resonate with pastors and leaders all around the world. Reflecting on the life and ministry of John the Baptist, we’ll explore how to speak with conviction and clarity amidst a...
Nov 12, 2024•32 min
🗓️ Discover the Sabbath - Download a free e-book to learn the 4 countercultural practices of a biblical Sabbath day. https://www.emotionallyhealthy.org/sabbath/ --------------------------- Today, pastors and leaders are grappling with burnout, shallowness in discipleship, and a waning passion for God’s mission. On today’s episode, I share some insights that have transformed the way I view mission and ministry—insights rooted in Celtic Christian spirituality. Geri and I just returned from a two-...
Oct 29, 2024•29 min
⏰ DAILY OFFICE STARTER GUIDE - The Daily Office is an ancient practice to help you stop 2 - 3 times a day to quiet yourself and be with Jesus. https://www.emotionallyhealthy.org/dailyoffice --------------------------- For most leaders, success is based on numbers, influence, and impact. But the life of Elijah teaches us something different. On today’s podcast, we continue our journey in Part 2 of The Power of a Hidden Life: Leadership Lessons from Elijah. We’ll explore a profound truth often ove...
Oct 15, 2024•31 min
✅ DAILY OFFICE STARTER GUIDE - The Daily Office is an ancient practice to help you stop 2 - 3 times a day to quiet yourself and be with Jesus. https://www.emotionallyhealthy.org/dailyoffice --------------------------- In today’s chaotic and disorienting world, where leaders face intense challenges, Elijah’s life offers us profound wisdom. Whether you lead a ministry, organization, or family, Elijah’s hidden life with God speaks to the core of how we navigate leadership in tumultuous times. In 1 ...
Oct 01, 2024•30 min
✅ PREVIEW THE COURSE - Ready to introduce your church to Emotionally Healthy Discipleship? Preview our game-changing discipleship course for FREE and find the right time to run it in your church. https://www.emotionallyhealthy.org/preview --------------------------- As leaders, we have an internal drive to see our ministries flourish. We have a vision for our churches, families, marriages, and cities to experience the resurrection life of Jesus. That’s why we do what we do! Also, many of us know...
Sep 17, 2024•32 min
✅ [FREE VIDEO] Learn a 5-part framework for communicating with others https://www.emotionallyhealthy.org/community --------------------------- Staff meetings, like it or not, are a critical building block for an emotionally healthy church culture. Over the years, I have learned that staff meetings are a powerful opportunity to bring encouragement, clarify roles, and learn how to be with Jesus together. There are books written about how to have a productive or efficient staff meeting, but in toda...
Sep 03, 2024•31 min
✅ [FREE E-BOOK] LeaderSHIFT: 8 Pivotal Breakthroughs of Emotionally Healthy Leaders https://www.emotionallyhealthy.org/leadershift --------------------------- All around the world, there is an electrical charge surging through the minds and hearts of the people we lead. Our political climate has made this another difficult, yet important time to pastor and lead well. So how do we navigate politics personally AND from the pulpit without falling prey to the common traps of both sides of the aisle?...
Aug 20, 2024•32 min
✅ [FREE E-BOOK] LeaderSHIFT: 8 Pivotal Breakthroughs of Emotionally Healthy Leaders https://www.emotionallyhealthy.org/leadershift --------------------------- All around the world, there is an electrical charge surging through the minds and hearts of the people we lead. Our political climate has made this another difficult, yet important time to pastor and lead well. So how do we navigate politics personally AND from the pulpit without falling prey to the common traps of both sides of the aisles...
Aug 06, 2024•28 min
✅ [FREE E-BOOK] LeaderSHIFT: 8 Pivotal Breakthroughs of Emotionally Healthy Leaders https://www.emotionallyhealthy.org/leadershift --------------------------- As a young leader, I wanted so badly to succeed. I wanted to pastor a growing church, and preach the best sermons in town. I wanted to grow our ministries – bigger, better, and more influentual. To this end, I was told by leadership experts to develop my skills and competencies. I learned to preach and vision cast, to exegete the scripture...
Jul 23, 2024•31 min
✅ [FREE E-BOOK] LeaderSHIFT: 8 Pivotal Breakthroughs of Emotionally Healthy Leaders https://www.emotionallyhealthy.org/leadershift --------------------------- Loss, change, and transition are all around us. Yet, one of the lesser-known practices of emotionally healthy leadership is learning how to let go and transition from one season to the next. Throughout our lives there are countless endings and new beginnings that invite us to pay attention: Closing a chapter of life, Leaving one church and...
Jul 09, 2024•31 min
✅ How Healthy is Your Leadership? Take this short and free quiz to find out. // https://www.emotionallyhealthy.org/leadership-assessment/ ---------------------- Churches have all kinds of expectations of pastors and church leaders. There is a certain pressure that you must be able to cast vision, teach and preach, lead and inspire staff and volunteers, build teams, and keep ministry momentum in all areas. The problem? Everything on this list is EXTERNAL. Very few churches and pastors see their I...
Jun 25, 2024•30 min
🎯 SKILLS FOR FAMILIES: Learn a powerful 5-part conversation tool and teach your family. https://www.emotionallyhealthy.org/community --------------------------- It's time we dispel a myth...there are NO perfect parents. Geri and I have been parenting for 39 years, and we are still learning as we go. Every age and stage of life presents opportunities and challenges. The key is to continue in the direction of good parenting , even if you make mistakes along the way. Today, Geri joins me for part ...
Jun 11, 2024•40 min
🎯 SKILLS FOR FAMILIES: Learn a powerful 5-part conversation tool and teach your family. https://www.emotionallyhealthy.org/community --------------------------- Today, we're tackling a relatively untouched topic on the podcast. Parenting. Why parenting on a leadership podcast? Among your many roles as a leader, one of the most important (and difficult) relationships is parents and children. The truth is – whether biological, adopted, or spiritual children, we all are called to raise up the next...
May 28, 2024•30 min
