The Better Together Podcast with Callie and Rosario "Roz" Picardo
Join us as we discover how to live out our faith in Jesus Christ in our relationships, churches, and communities, so that we can truly say we are "better together."
Episodes
What if church felt more like a Discord server than a pew? In this episode, we talk with Nathan Webb, aka the Nerd Pastor, founder of Checkpoint Church—a digital faith community created specifically for nerds, geeks, and gamers.
Nathan shares the origin story of Checkpoint Church, which launched in 2020 with a vision to engage Comic-Con communities but pivoted fully online during the pandemic. Today, it thrives on plat...
Has anxiety about your church’s health ever taken over a leadership meeting?
In this episode, Chad Brooks returns to share insights from his new book Is My Church Healthy?, a practical guide for assessing and revitalizing normal-sized churches. Chad introduces the Vitality Matrix, a strategic framework to help churches move from instability to sustainability using seven key markers of health—from member care to financi...
Forget everything you thought you knew about self-publishing.
In this episode of The Better Together Podcast, we sit down with pastor, author, and strategist Chad Brooks to explore what it really takes to self-publish in today’s digital world. Chad walks us through how he wrote and released his first book—Is My Church Healthy?—in just 90 days, and why self-publishing is no longer a last resort but a strategic, creative...
What if your greatest wounds could become your greatest teachers?
In this episode of The Better Together Podcast, we sit down with pastor, veteran, executive coach, and author Tony Miltenberger to talk about his upcoming book Wisdom in the Wound (releasing September 23, 2025). Tony shares how pain, failure, and disappointment aren’t detours—they can be sacred starting points for transformation.
Drawing from his own stor...
What if rest isn’t a reward for finishing your work—but the place where your real work begins?
In this episode, Rosario talks with Peter White, Anglican priest, spiritual director, and founder of The Sabbath Life, about why sabbath isn’t just for church leaders—it’s for all of us. Together, they explore how slowing down helps us become more human, not less, and how sabbath rhythms can lead to deeper joy, healing, and p...
In this episode, we sit down with pastor, entrepreneur, and author Joe Graves to explore how a spirit of innovation can breathe new life into church leadership. Joe shares candid insights from his own church planting journey—what sparked it, what surprised him, and how his entrepreneurial instincts have shaped both the triumphs and tensions along the way.
We also dive into his latest book, The Progressive Planter: A H...
In this episode, we sit down with Rev. Dustin Mailman, founding pastor of Deep Time in Asheville, North Carolina. Dustin shares the story behind this innovative faith community rooted in radical hospitality, restorative justice, and opportunities for returning citizens.
With a background in traditional ministry and a heart for creative expressions of the Church, Dustin explores what it means to build spiritual communit...
In this inspiring episode of Better Together, we sit down with Charles DiRico, the visionary behind Word on the Street—a growing network of dinner churches reaching nearly 400 people weekly. Charles shares the powerful story of how this movement began with simple meals and has grown into a vibrant ministry rooted in worship, community, and mutual transformation.
Charles discusses the evolution of dinner churches, the i...
In this episode of Better Together, I sit down with Rev. Dr. Rob Hutchinson to explore the vital role of the Holy Spirit in Christian community and decision-making. Rob shares his passion for fostering spiritually discerning church gatherings, advocating for a listen-first approach that prioritizes trust, mutual submission, and a shift in priorities toward collaborative discernment.
We discuss how churches ...
In this episode, I sit down with Travis Smith, a doctoral student researching the loneliness epidemic, a pastor, counseling center operator, and adjunct professor. We explore the deep impact of loneliness on individuals and communities, the role of faith in fostering meaningful relationships, and practical ways to cultivate authentic connection in an increasingly isolated world. Tune in for a thought-provoking convers...
Dr. John McGill, founder of We Do EQ, helps leaders grow in their emotional intelligence. One of the major currencies of leadership is trust, but there are different ways to demonstrate you are trustworthy. On this episode of the Better Together Podcast, Dr. McGill unpacks the different components of trust to help leaders grow and create cultures of trust.
How do you plan for your life, your family, and/or your organization with God? Dr. Elaine Heath is an author, speaker, retreat leader, consultant, farmer and Abbess who leads the new monastic community Spring Forest. She offers a different path from the traditional models of strategic planning and outcome-based goals that creates space for discerning God's direction. As you figure out God's leading for what ...
With the holidays, clutter, and just the daily struggle to keep a house clean, it can feel like an added weight to practice hospitality and invite others into your home. It can also be a source of shame. Author and decluttering expert, Dana K. White discovered God's grace through the struggle of a messy home, and offers both spiritual and practical insights from her new book Jesus Doesn't Care About Your Mes...
Missiologist and pastor Daniel Yang and journalist Adelle Banks are co-authors with church researcher Warren Bird of the groundbreaking work Becoming a Future Ready Church. They unpack 8 trends the Church can adjust for now to be ready for the ministry the church needs to do in 2050. They beautifully inspire hope without condemnation to equip the Church to carry the mission of Jesus Christ to the world around us.
On this episode of Better Together, we’re joined by author and ministry expert Jason Moore to explore the fascinating intersection of artificial intelligence and the church. In his latest book, AI and the Church, Jason provides a clear roadmap for church leaders navigating the rapidly changing world of AI. We dive into practical ways AI can be harnessed for ministry, from streamlining administrative tasks to enhancing...
Seedbed Publishing President, Dr. Ivan Filby, is the author of Speak Tenderly: Prophetic Ministry Seasoned with Grace. He joins the Better Together podcast to share practical tools and stories of hearing the Holy Spirit speak personally and through prophecy. If you want to learn to discern the voice of the Holy Spirit, this episode is for you.
What if God is calling you to be an unlikely hero? Author, professor, and biblical scholar Dr. Sandra Richter joins the Better Together Podcast to help us apply deep theological truths from the story of Deborah based on her new Epic of Eden bible study. While all of our podcasts are for men and women, female listeners who feel called to lead will find a mentor's voice in Dr. Richter's wisdom.
The Black Church has been studied from sociological and justice perspectives, but Professor, Preacher, Consultant and Speaker, Dr. Walter R. Stickland II noticed a missing piece: the theology that has shaped Black Christianity throughout history into the present. Like a choir with the altos missing, Strickland explains, he wants to lift up a missing part of the harmony. Join us to listen to the beautiful music of his ...
Love seems like the most over-discussed topic in Christianity, but what if we still don't fully understand it? Dr. Joe Dongell offers a fresh, deep perspective of love that is sure to ignite your passion for God once again. Join us as we learn from Dr. Dongell and his newest work The Most Excellent Way: John Wesley's Theology of Love.
What role does anxiety play in the Church? As Americans start paying more attention to mental health, what role can Christians play in the healing process? Author and professor, Rev. Dr. Michael Jordan joins the Better Together podcast to share ways laity and clergy can point people to Christ with integrity in an Age of Anxiety.
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