Category: Leadership Development

Episode 52: The Power of Story (Season 2 Finale)

Episode 52: The Power of Story (Season 2 Finale)

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 31:34 — 57.8MB)

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Everyone has a story. The real question is whether you know how to read yours.

In this Season 2 finale, Carson, Chuck, and Ingrid dig into one of the most underused tools in a mentor’s hands — story. Not storytelling as a presentation skill, but story as the lens through which we understand our own lives, and help others understand theirs.

Dan Allender puts it plainly: most people miss the deeper meaning of their own life because they don’t know how to read it. And as John McCauley adds, we’re not actually designed to read our stories accurately on our own. That’s where a mentor comes in.

The conversation covers a lot of ground: the neuroscience behind why stories stick (Dr. Paul Zak’s work on oxytocin is worth knowing about), the danger of fixed narratives — those internal scripts that quietly limit us — and the extraordinary thing that happens when a mentor believes a better story about you before you can believe it yourself. They call it “borrowed belief.” It’s one of the most honest descriptions of what good mentoring actually does.

Ingrid shares how she draws people’s stories out in practice. Carson brings the biblical frame — Jesus was, after all, history’s most effective storyteller. And the whole conversation ends with a practical challenge you can act on this week.

To our 13,000-plus listeners: Season 2 has been something. Thank you for being part of it. Season 3 is coming.

 

 

Ep. 51 The Prayer of Indifference

Ep. 51 The Prayer of Indifference

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 33:10 — 60.7MB)

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Most of us walk into our biggest decisions already knowing what we want. We just want God to agree.

That’s not prayer. That’s lobbying.

The Prayer of Indifference is an ancient spiritual practice rooted in Ignatian tradition and the Quaker pursuit of surrender. At its core, it’s the willingness to say, “Lord, I don’t want what I want. I want what you want.” Simple to say. Genuinely costly to mean.

In this episode, Carson, Chuck, and Ingrid unpack what holy indifference actually looks like in the life of a working leader. Not apathy. Not passivity. But a deep enough trust in God that you can set aside your attachments, your fears, and your preferred outcomes long enough to actually hear Him.

If you’re a business leader weighing a decision that affects your team, a pastor navigating competing loyalties, an executive who suspects their ego is doing more of the talking than they’d like to admit, or a parent at home trying to discern what faithfulness actually looks like in the daily grind of family life, this conversation is for you.

Most leaders don’t lack information when facing a hard decision. They lack freedom. Freedom from the fear of what others will think, from the pull toward comfort over calling, from the quiet pressure to choose the path with more applause.

This practice won’t make hard decisions easy. But it may make them honest.

So here’s the question worth sitting with before you press play: What would change if the outcome truly didn’t matter to you?

Ep. 50 Spiritual Authority vs. Institutional Power

Ep. 50 Spiritual Authority vs. Institutional Power

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:09 — 53.4MB)

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There’s a kind of leader who commands a room without raising their voice. And there’s another kind who needs a title to be taken seriously. They are not the same.

In this milestone 50th episode, Carson, Chuck, and Ingrid sit down with a question that cuts to the heart of every leader’s journey: Where does your authority actually come from?

Institutional power is given. Spiritual authority is grown — slowly, often painfully, through faithfulness in hidden places. But in a world that rewards platforms, metrics, and organizational rank, it’s easy to confuse the two. And that confusion has consequences — for your team, your family, and your own soul.

This conversation doesn’t offer easy answers. It asks better questions. What does it look like to lead from a place of genuine calling rather than positional leverage? What happens when your title disappears — do you still have something worth following? And how do you build the kind of authority that outlasts any role you’ll ever hold?

Whether you lead a congregation, a company, or a family — this episode is worth your time.
Ep. 49 Self Regulation – Self Leadership

Ep. 49 Self Regulation – Self Leadership

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 37:05 — 67.9MB)

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Leadership has an inside story that rarely makes the highlight reel. It’s the moment before the response. The pause before the decision. The quiet choice to lead yourself before you attempt to lead anyone else.

In this episode, Carson, Chuck, and Ingrid sit with three case studies that bring self-regulation out of the theoretical and into the real — exploring what it actually costs a leader to stay authentic under pressure, to choose patience when urgency is screaming, and to take seriously the care of the body and soul that sustains everything else.

These aren’t polished success stories. They’re honest looks at the interior life of leadership — and what happens when we neglect it.

What is your leadership costing you on the inside? And is the person you’re becoming worth following?

 

The resource we mention at the close of the episode is Leading Me: Eight Practices for a Christian Leader’s Most Important Assignment by Dr. Steve A Brown.
Ep. 48 Being a Non-Anxious Presence

Ep. 48 Being a Non-Anxious Presence

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 32:18 — 44.4MB)

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Anxiety is contagious. But so is calm. In this episode, we explore what it actually looks like for a leader to be a non-anxious presence — not by pretending everything is fine, but by being genuinely anchored when everything around them isn’t. What if the most important thing you carry into a room isn’t your strategy, but your steadiness? We unpack why anxious leaders create anxious cultures, what it costs an organization when the person at the top is always reacting, and the quiet discipline it takes to lead from a settled soul. This one will make you think honestly about what you’re really transmitting to the people around you.

Ep. 47 Failure of Heart and Nerve

Ep. 47 Failure of Heart and Nerve

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 32:30 — 44.6MB)

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What really stops leaders from leading?

It’s rarely a lack of skill or strategy. More often, it’s one of two things: a failure of the heart — losing emotional connection to your mission and people — or a failure of the nerve — lacking the courage to act when it matters most. In this episode, Carson, Chuck, and Ingrid get honest about both. They explore how heartbreak shows up as disengagement, bitterness, and spiritual exhaustion, and how nerve failure hides behind indecision, avoidance, and compromised convictions. Drawing from real leadership scenarios and biblical examples — from Elijah’s despair to Saul’s fear — they unpack the ripple effects these failures have on teams, organizations, and the leaders themselves. More importantly, they talk about the way back: reconnecting with your calling, building emotional resilience, taking small courageous risks, and surrounding yourself with people who won’t let you stay stuck.

If you’ve ever found yourself pulling back emotionally or hesitating when bold action was needed, this one’s for you.

Ep. 46 Resilience In Leaders

Ep. 46 Resilience In Leaders

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 34:33 — 63.3MB)

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Episode 46 shines a light on resilience as a major transformative force in leadership and life. Hosts Carson Pue, Ingrid Davis, and Chuck Davis redefine resilience—not just as bouncing back, but as bouncing forward, growing stronger through life’s challenges. They share heartfelt stories, practical wisdom, and spiritual insights to inspire listeners to embrace resistance as a gift that builds strength.

With themes of vulnerability, recovery, and continuous growth, this episode encourages everyone to see setbacks as stepping stones and to lead with courage, faith, and perseverance. Resilience isn’t perfection—it’s the power to keep moving forward.
Ep.45: Stewarding Suffering – Part Two

Ep.45: Stewarding Suffering – Part Two

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 34:26 — 63.1MB)

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Ep.44 began a crucial conversation about stewarding suffering—something every mentor and aspiring mentor will encounter on the journey. As we continue through the Christmas season, which beautifully reminds us of redemption emerging from hardship, we’re shifting gears to focus on practical wisdom for navigating pain as someone who guides others. Whether you’re pouring into someone else or looking to be poured into, this episode offers real-life insights and actionable tips to help you support others—and yourself—when suffering hits close to home.

In Part Two, we take the conversation from understanding suffering to actively mentoring through it. What does it look like to walk alongside someone—whether as a mentor, a friend, or a fellow traveller—when pain is raw, and answers seem distant? How can you be transparent about your own struggles without losing credibility or hope? This episode will give you practical insights, encouragement, and honest questions to help you guide others while caring for your own soul.

This episode is about discovering purpose in pain—both for yourself and those you’re walking alongside. We’ll explore how asking, “What might God be teaching me (or my mentee) in this?” can move us beyond just surviving to experiencing real redemption. Suffering doesn’t define you, nor does it define those you mentor. Still, your response—and how you help others respond—can become a legacy, offering a lighted path for anyone finding themselves in a dark valley.

We’ll share practical steps for mentors and those seeking mentorship, including insights you can apply right away:

  • Sharing your struggles with appropriate transparency to build connection.
  • Focusing on what God may be teaching you, revealing purpose within the pain.
  • Using your experience to serve and guide others with grace and empathy.

Join us as we wrap up this meaningful dialogue, inviting mentors and those seeking mentorship to gather wisdom for both your own journey and those you’re guiding. Together, we’ll find practical ways God might use our hardest seasons to grow our empathy, strengthen our faith, and help us become wiser guides for others.

Listen now to discover practical ways to mentor and be mentored through seasons of suffering. Whether you’re guiding someone through hardship or seeking wisdom for your own journey, this episode is packed with insights and tips you can use right away. Share this two-part series with a fellow mentor or mentee who could use some encouragement and hope.

Ep. 42 Moving Beyond The Enneagram

Ep. 42 Moving Beyond The Enneagram

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 32:04 — 58.7MB)

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In this thought-provoking episode of the Mentored Podcast, Carson Pue, Chuck, and Ingrid Davis explore the concept of moving beyond singular assessment tools, such as the Enneagram, Birkman, DISC, or MBTI. While these instruments can provide valuable insights into personality, behaviour, and preferences, they are not the ultimate answer to understanding or mentoring others.

As mentors, it’s crucial to avoid becoming overly reliant on any one framework. Together, we discuss the importance of adopting a more holistic and adaptable approach to mentorship. By integrating multiple perspectives and tools, mentors can better address the unique needs, goals, and growth opportunities of those they guide.

Whether you’re a seasoned mentor or just starting your journey, this episode will challenge you to expand your toolkit, think critically about assessment instruments, and focus on the bigger picture of personal and professional development.

So come and join us, as the next 30 minutes can really help you to be a better mentor and entertain you as you listen.
Ep. 39 Living With Your Feelings

Ep. 39 Living With Your Feelings

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 32:43 — 59.9MB)

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Ever notice how the most successful leaders aren’t necessarily the smartest ones in the room? They’re often the ones who’ve mastered something we rarely talk about in leadership circles—their emotions.

In this raw and insightful episode, Carson Pue, Chuck, and Ingrid Davis tackle the uncomfortable truth about emotional intelligence in leadership. Chuck opens up about his Midwestern upbringing, where feelings were seen as “unpredictable” and “no good”—a mindset that nearly sabotaged his marriage and ministry. You’ll hear Carson’s vulnerable story about his unexpected anxiety attacks and how his doctor’s refusal to prescribe medication led to a breakthrough therapy session involving… well, let’s just say dinosaur imagery played a role. Ingrid shares her research on “holistic holiness” and why ignoring our inner world stunts our spiritual growth.

The conversation explores practical strategies like the WAIT acronym (Why Am I Talking?), the difference between being an emotional thermometer versus thermostat, and why Jesus’ tears matter more than you might think. They discuss the unique challenges female leaders face with emotions and how to create healthier team cultures.

This isn’t about becoming more touchy-feely—it’s about becoming more effective. Because here’s the thing: if you can’t understand what’s happening inside you, how can you truly lead others?

Ready to explore the intersection of faith, feelings, and leadership? Listen now at mentoredpodcast.net | Subscribe on your favourite podcast platform | Share with a fellow leader who needs to hear this.

What’s one emotion you’ve been avoiding as a leader?

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