Leading Simple with Rusty George

I got to have an honest conversation with Becket Cook. Becket is a speaker and author who travels around to share his story of redemption and tackle the topic of homosexuality. I’ve gotten to know Becket over the years. Recently, he came to Real Life Church to speak. I knew that I had to have him share his experience with you as well. Becket is open about his journey through being same-sex attract...

We've got something new! We are taking the best moments from our guests on the podcast and putting them together in case you missed them! This month we have some great tidbits from Brian Dodd, Kyle Costello, Sean McDowell and Justin Knowles. Enjoy the best of Leading Simple for January 2023. Special thanks to BELAY Solutions for sponsoring this week’s episode!

If you've ever wondered what the deal is with kids today, then you aren’t alone. I’ve had parents ask me questions like, "How come they are so sensitive? Why are they so lacking in motivation? Why do they struggle so much with relationships"? Well, it just so happens they are dealing with anxiety and mental illness that we have never experienced in our lifetime. I’m a dad, and I know that the teen...

I got to have a fantastic conversation with Dr. Sean McDowell. Sean is an educator and speaker, the son of evangelist Josh McDowell, and he is passionate about helping people view all areas of life through a Biblical worldview. Sean shared so many great insights about some major questions the world is asking when it comes to why faith matters. If you've ever wondered how to articulate your faith o...

It’s good to have Kyle Costello on the podcast this week. He’s a pastor, speaker, and church planter. Kyle grew up in the Mormon church as a sixth-generation Mormon, so he’s well-equipped to answer these questions and more. Kyle and I sit down to talk about his journey to faith and the upcoming church plant Kyle is building. It’s an incredible conversation, and I think you’re gonna learn a lot fro...

My next guest needs no introduction. It’s always a great time when Brian Dodd is on the podcast. Brian’s got a knack for pulling leadership lessons from sports, which is one of the reasons we get along so well. You can hear some of his past episodes here , and here . And this time around was no exception. It was incredible hearing his insights from the football playoffs, the incredible team coache...

Christmas movies are great, and of course, I have my favorites. If you missed last week’s podcast episode with Dan Angel, we discussed what makes a Christmas movie legendary. But regardless of who you ask, there is one that seems to be on everyone’s top five list, and this Christmas at Real Life, we dove into the themes behind this movie and how they can change our outlook on life. If you’ve had a...

My friend Dan Angel is back on the podcast again, and it’s an honor to have him. It made sense to have such a great film producer and writer back on the podcast and this time, we’re talking about some of the greatest Christmas movies of all time. Take a listen as Dan and I go through our favorite Christmas movies and dissect what makes a truly wonderful film for the season. It was a great time rec...

Today’s episode is a real treat. I had the chance to talk with Cheryl Ladd. You may recognize that name from several movies & TV shows, including the 1970s hit Charlie’s Angels. We sat down to talk about how she navigated through Hollywood as a young actress and how she landed her iconic role in the show. We also had the chance to dig a little deeper as Cheryl shared about her experience with...

It's the season for giving! The Christmas season has always been a time to reflect on our own sense of generosity. Generosity is something that my guest, John Rinehart, knows a little something about. John Rinehart is an author who found in his early working days that there was more to life than working to accumulate as much as possible. He had seen God’s faithfulness in his own life and took a le...

This week’s episode was a dream come true for me. I had the chance to talk with Crawford Loritts, a pastor and evangelist with an incredible legacy.  Crawford also happens to be the author of one of the best leadership books I’ve ever read (you can see some of my other leadership book recommendations here ), and we get the chance to talk a bit about it as well.  We talked through his experience le...

I had heard incredible things about Tiana Spencer as a pastor, speaker, and teacher. And I’ve got to say, I learned so much from her in our conversation. We got to talk about her love of teaching scripture and the encouragement she found to pursue it. She shared how she developed a desire for a more holistic faith. And I was moved to hear her talk about her passion for creating an emotionally heal...

We’ve had some great guests come on the podcast to talk about their experiences with church planting, like Carl Kuhl, Tim Celek, and Joseph Barkley. You can listen to their episodes here , here , and here respectively. And we’re keeping that train going with our guest today. Clint Dupin co-leads Eastown Church with his wife in San Jose, California. He gets honest with me about his experience going...

I had the chance to sit down with Shawn Lovejoy, an incredible leader and former pastor who shifted his focus from vocational ministry to developing a coaching program sure to change the lives of so many leaders. Shawn was coached by Dan Reiland, a guest on the podcast (you can listen to his episode here ), and is now coaching pastors and business leaders on how they can make the days between thei...

It’s not often that we talk politics on this podcast, so I know this will be controversial. I wanted to sit down with Theresa Brennan to help make sense of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, what it means for us, and how to better understand the variety of perspectives on this issue. I’m grateful that she took the time to sit down with me and process not just what happened, but what our responsibilit...

How can you prepare for sabotage? What does it look like to build resilience as a leader in a time of conflict and controversy?  Tod Bolsinger explores these questions and more in his book Tempered Resilience, which I loved. Now, I hadn’t had the chance to meet Tod before we recorded this episode, but I learned so much from his input into how people can lead through uncertainty. Tod is a seminary...

Drew Moore is my guest this week, and I’m so glad to have him on the podcast. Drew is the lead pastor of Canyon Ridge Church, a church in Las Vegas that has an incredible legacy. The founding pastor is my friend and friend of RLC, Mike Breaux (you can hear Mike on the podcast here ). Watching Drew's journey, I can say that I've learned so much from him about what it means to make disciples and I h...

If you've been listening to the podcast for a while, then you've heard me speak to some incredible pastors who have led their churches through different tragedies and transitions. Navigating through a crisis is no easy feat. I know on our end, we've done some things right and we've done some things wrong. But through it all, we've had these experiences that we don't feel like we should keep to our...

My guest this week is Andrew Stanley.  If his name sounds familiar, it’s just might be. His dad is Andy Stanley (you can listen to Andy on the podcast here ), and his grandfather is Charles Stanley, both well known pastors. And Andrew’s carrying on the torch of on-stage communication in a different way as a stand up comedian. I had a chance to sit down with Andy to hear more about how he got into...

I love getting to talk sports on the podcast, and man, have we had had some incredible guests this year, including Ned Yost from the Kansas City Royals and Marty Lamb from the LA Dodgers. (You can listen to my episodes with Ned and Marty here).  Today, you’ll get to hear from Kevin Burrell. Kevin is a talent scout for the Chicago White Sox. I sit down with Kevin to talk shop as he takes me through...

Monte Wilkinson is a pastor, a mentor, and one of my closest friends. I have to say that I wouldn’t be the pastor I am today without his example. He’s the lead minister at NorthEast Christian Church out in Lexington, Kentucky, and has seen a thing or two when it comes to leading a ministry. I can’t wait for you to hear the wisdom Monte shares. Take a listen to our conversation as Monte talks about...

Volunteering at church looks different in today’s landscape. How do you navigate those waters? I had the chance to sit down with Scott Magdalein for this episode to tackle that issue.  I know leaders are trying to figure out how to recruit and support their volunteers. I hope this episode is a helpful resource for you. Listen in as Scott and I talk about how to find healthy spiritual rhythms after...

Podcasts have been such a valuable part of my life.  From Craig Groeschel and Andy Stanley to Annie F Downs and my friend Michael Hinton, I’ve been able to learn from the things they’ve shared over the years. And when I started sharing my own experiences and conversations with different leaders on Leading Simple, I had no idea where we would be 217 episodes later. I’m grateful for every person who...

Leadership looks like getting comfortable with growth, taking risks, and appreciating the journey along the way. And this week, we have someone who is a living, breathing example of how to live that out that well. Dan Reiland is an author, leadership coach, executive pastor, and a legend when it comes to innovation in the world of ministry. He’s passionate about developing and empowering leaders;...

Jodi Tonarelli is my guest this week, and it's an honor to have her on the podcast.  Her background in broadcast journalism (and a lot of prayers) led her to the role of Executive Pastor at The Ridge Community Church, where Mark Weigt is the lead pastor. You can hear my conversation with Mark on the podcast here . I enjoyed hearing her take on what an executive pastor does and her journey navigati...