The Leader’s Way

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...

Join co-hosts Brandon Nappi and Hannah Black in an engaging episode of The Leaders Way as they sit down with Linn Tonstad, Professor of Theology, Religion, and Sexuality at Yale Divinity School. In this episode, Tonstad shares her unique perspective on queer theology and how it relates to potential for social transformation. Perfect for Pride Month, this episode challenges us to envision a world with "a little less vi...

Dean Andrew McGowan joins us to further unpack shifting dynamics, changing landscapes, and the future after addressing the topic at the Episcopal Parish Network (EPN) conference. McGowan describes his observations of Australian secularization and how he sees similar dynamics arising in the United States. We talk about why church attendance is changing, the difference between hope and optimism, and consumer capitalism'...

THE Father Lizzie is back on The Leader's Way podcast, talking about her new devotional God Didn't Make Us to Hate Us. We talk about the alternative to "billboard Christianity" and how an expansive, inclusive God affects individual spirituality and corporate worship in church.

Finally, the Golden Retriever Games are back, baby. Stay 'till the end for "Holy or Horror?"

https://bookshop.org/contributors/lizzie-mcmanus-dail

Hosts: Br...

Yale Divinity School Professor Teresa Morgan shares her expertise about the Greek word “pistis,” often translated in the New Testament as “faith.” The conversation revolves around faith, trust, and faithfulness and touches on the importance of a nuanced understanding of atonement theology. Brandon challenges Morgan and Black to “Gregory or Gregory?” Tune in for an enlightening discussion that bridges the gap between ancient texts a...

The Rev'd John Burruss (The Leader's Way ’23 Fellow) and the Rev'd Mary Bea Sullivan join hosts Hannah Black and Brandon Nappi to tell the story of the Threshold Center, a vibrant space designed to address loneliness and foster connection in Birmingham, Alabama. Born from a tragic event in the life of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, the Threshold Center nurtures well-being and connection by engaging practices of the heart, body, an...

Bishop Graham Kings, Honorary Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Ely and Research Associate of the Cambridge Centre for Christianity Worldwide, joins us to delve into the possibilities of engaging creativity in ministry. We discuss the power of collaboration with artists, crafting liturgical celebrations, his project on women in the Bible, how to start a Beer and Theology gathering, traveling from Oxford to Cambridge by camel, a su...

On Being host Krista Tippett reflects on her career and tells stories never before heard on air. She contemplates her grandfather's spirituality, what she was looking for when she decided to come to Yale Divinity School, the need she saw for intelligent public conversation about spirituality and religion, and the birth story of Speaking of Faith (later On Being) during the Cold War. We consider how religious traditions can open up ...