Unconventional Leaders

How do you think more creatively? Where do original ideas come from? And can success actually make you less creative? Today’s guest is cognitive scientist Dr. Liane Gabora from the University of British Columbia. We explore the psychology and science of creativity, why creative constraints can help us generate better ideas, how external validation can interfere with our creative process, and what...

A few months ago, I took a filmmaking class and was so inspired that I came home, dropped my to-do list, and spent the rest of the night watching short films on YouTube. That's how I discovered Breathing Films (and I was hooked). With millions of views on their films, filmmakers Noah Berridge and Yuli Freed have found a way to make people feel something… in just a few minutes. Today I'm joined by...

Sometimes the things we're most afraid of aren't what we think they are. After an embarrassing encounter with my own shadow and a childhood memory involving a pastor dressed as the devil, I've been thinking about what happens when we look directly at our fears. A short reflection on fear, vulnerability, and the invitation to heal. Music Credits: Bryan Parady — https://open.spotify.com/track/6tMO5U...

Dr. Yael Schonbrun is a clinical psychologist, couples therapist, and assistant professor at Brown University whose work explores the science of human understanding. In today's episode, we discuss what is happening when you are misunderstood and why learning to communicate clearly is only part of the picture. Dr. Schonbrun shares how our brains shape our perception of reality and why two people ca...

Sarah Quint is a traditional storyteller and citizen of the Mattaponi Tribe of Tsenacommacah in Virginia. Her work centers on preserving and retelling traditional Indigenous stories, as well as creating new stories for future generations. In this episode, we discuss the responsibility that comes with oral storytelling, why storytellers should not tell the “moral” of the story, and how stories conn...

Fally Klein is a Jewish educator, hypnotherapist, and breathwork facilitator whose work brings together Jewish mysticism, psychology, and constellations. In this conversation, she explains how we experience spirit through the physical body and why spiritual practices should ultimately change how we live. I also asked her about her work with Constellations, her perception on the connection between...

Keith Giles is an author and the co-owner of Quoir Publishing. He has spent years not only authoring nonfiction books around theology and deconstruction, but also helping authors get their messages out into the world. Recently, however, he opened Pink Beam Press, specifically for science fiction authors. This was not just a business decision, but an intentional choice to explore how fiction can co...

Zac Cannon is not only an award-winning storyteller, novelist, and screenwriter…he is also a pastor. His background is in film and fiction writing, but he has also spent years communicating from the pulpit. In this conversation, I wanted to ask Zac about how (and if) the intention behind storytelling changes across fiction and spirituality. We also talk about the difference between compelling an a...

On Nigel Darius ’s IG bio, he says that he is “helping the world heal…with words.” As an artist, he uses storytelling and language to foster empathy, curiosity, and human connection. In his latest book, We Say Shalom , he looks at 40 words across 15 languages to uncover their meaning, deepening our experience and connection as humans. In this conversation, we explore the responsibility that comes...

Doogie Horner is an accomplished author, illustrator, and stand-up comedian. Across each medium, he’s learned how to navigate the tension between making work you believe in and accepting when folks don’t get it. In this conversation, we discuss how to respect and develop your creative point of view without becoming closed off to feedback, why your “sketchbook should be a laboratory, not a gallery,...

Catherine Plano is an executive coach, leadership expert, author, and host of The Catherine Plano Podcast. Drawing from psychology, emotional intelligence, and decades of coaching leaders, Catherine helps people understand the patterns, beliefs, and emotional reactions that quietly shape how they experience the world. In this conversation, we explore what our emotional triggers are actually trying...

Jeremy Jernigan spent two decades in ministry, eventually leading a megachurch before walking away from the role that had defined his entire adult life. Today, through his book The Edge of the Inside, he helps people navigate the difficult space between who they've been and who they're becoming. In this conversation, we explore the psychology of identity loss, the hidden cost of bitterness, and wh...

Quique Escamilla is a Mexican Mayan-Zapotec singer-songwriter, storyteller, and cultural advocate whose work explores identity, history, and the stories we choose to preserve. Drawing from his upbringing in Chiapas, Mexico, Quique creates music that invites people to look beyond headlines and rediscover the humanity behind the issues that shape our world. In this conversation, we explore how an ar...

Tina Huffman is a landscape designer, educator, and viral content creator. After spending years building a successful marketing business, she returned to the work she felt most called to do: designing outdoor spaces that are both beautiful and intentional. Drawing from her background in horticulture, landscape architecture, and digital marketing, Tina believes great design begins long before choos...

David Francisco is a singer-songwriter whose life changed dramatically after a devastating cycling accident left him paralyzed just weeks after moving to Nashville to pursue music full-time. What followed was a years-long journey of rehabilitation, resilience, faith, and rediscovering what it means to build a meaningful life when everything you planned is suddenly taken away. In this conversation,...

Kristen LaValley is a writer, speaker, and author whose work explores the intersection of faith, trauma, and belonging. Through her books, courses, and online community, she creates space for honest conversations about spiritual struggle, mental health, identity, and what it means to rebuild a life after certainty falls apart. In this conversation, we explore the relationship between healing and s...

Stone Stafford spent more than two decades in the music industry as an artist, songwriter, producer, and trusted advisor to creators with big dreams and even bigger ambitions. But what drew me to Stone’s work wasn't his résumé…it was his philosophy of "quietly taking over." In this conversation, we explore the tension between impact and attention, why meaningful work often requires stepping away f...

Ana Urban is an ADHD coach, educator, and creator who helps people better understand their minds and build lives that work with their brains instead of against them. After being diagnosed with ADHD at nineteen, Ana spent years navigating procrastination, perfectionism, shame, and self-worth struggles before discovering a more sustainable approach to growth and personal transformation. In this conv...

Mattie Jo Cowsert is a New York-based actor, author, and storyteller whose work explores the stories we inherit (and what happens when they no longer fit). Raised in a conservative evangelical home near Branson, Missouri, where her father was a pastor, Mattie Jo spent years untangling the narratives she was handed about faith, sexuality, identity, relationships, and what it means to live a meaning...

Ciarra Jones , known online as The Gardening Theologian, blends theology, ecology, and storytelling to help people untangle inherited beliefs and cultivate a more liberated, life-giving spirituality. Drawing from her experiences in Pentecostal Christianity, academia, queerness, and gardening, Ciarra explores how systems of power shape the way we understand God, identity, belonging, and collective...

Jeremy Steele creates space for folks recovering from religious trauma to rediscover ritual, spirituality, and connection on their own terms. An ordained pastor and creator of the “Not Church” community, Jeremy works with skeptics and spiritual outsiders searching for connection without rigid dogma or fear-based theology. In this episode, Jeremy and Heather explore the psychology behind ritual, th...

Erik Ireland is known online as “your queer mountain grandpa,” where he shares stories and mindfulness practices for folks who want a little more peace and purpose. I got to sit down with him to talk about his new book, Awaken Your Myth, where he moves beneath surface-level self-improvement into identity, shadow, and the deeper forces shaping what we create. In this conversation, you’ll hear about...

In this conversation, Keith Giles and Nish Dubashia explore the emerging idea of quantum theology, where modern physics, ancient mysticism, and religious tradition begin to overlap. They rethink what Jesus meant, they confront fear-based beliefs about salvation, they ask whether reality itself is interconnected in ways we can barely comprehend, and this episode stretches the boundaries of how we u...

Cyndi Zaweski is an award-winning journalist, storytelling marketer, and entrepreneur. A little over six months ago, she made a bold move: she stopped posting on social media (yes, as a digital entrepreneur) . What happened next? Her sales jumped 176%. In this episode, she breaks down how it’s even possible…how leaning into search and her background in SEO drove consistent traffic to her offers. W...

Joshua Coburn is a marketer, creator, and storyteller…but if you ask him what he does, his answer is simple: he makes people’s lives better. Joshua shares how years of success, setbacks, and personal battles reshaped his understanding of confidence, purpose, and what actually matters. From learning that confidence is earned through adversity, to navigating the tension between strength and empathy,...