The H2 Leadership Podcast

We practice what we preach. Here's proof. Alan and Jonathan pull back the curtain on H2 Leadership's biggest moves of 2025: restructuring, rebranding, and the roots work nobody sees. If you've ever wondered whether we actually live out what we teach, this episode is your answer. If you've ever wondered whether we live out what we teach, this episode is your answer.  In This Episode: Why healthy or...

As we continue our Best of series, we wanted to highlight a very timely conversation. Gordon MacDonald—author, longtime pastor, and former Chancellor of Denver Seminary—joins us to share hard-won wisdom on calling, mentoring, and spiritual friendship. Gordon’s voice has shaped generations of leaders, and this episode captures why. Through stories, insights, and honest reflection, he gives leaders...

As we close out the year, we’re highlighting several of our most listened-to conversations—episodes that continue to shape leaders long after they air. Today’s conversation between Alan Briggs and Jimmy Rollins is one of those episodes: timeless and timely. Jimmy brings honesty, clarity, and courage as he talks about race, unity, culture, marriage, and the everyday leadership choices that build tr...

If you feel frustrated, disappointed, or stuck right now, you’re not broken – you’re human. The real question isn’t “What’s wrong with me?” It’s “What needs to change, and how do I actually change it?” In this solo episode, Alan unpacks a simple but powerful idea: only the hungry change. You can’t force your kids to change, your team to change, or your friends to change. You can barely force yours...

You can have a compelling mission and a sharp strategy, but if your culture is unhealthy or unclear, your team will stay stuck. In this episode, Alan sits down with culture coach and author Jenni Catron to unpack why culture matters more than we think and how clarity becomes the foundation for trust, engagement, and healthy growth. Jenni shares her own journey from the music industry into executiv...

Most leaders expect failure to be hard — but no one warns us how disorienting success can be. In today’s episode, Alan Briggs takes us inside a live leadership session and unpacks the real, often hidden challenges that come with growth: fulfillment gaps, maturity barriers, identity drift, disorientation, burnout, and the pressure of everyone wanting a piece of your time. But this conversation isn’...

Great leaders don’t just give answers. They ask better questions. J.R. Briggs joins Alan to unpack how curiosity, coaching questions, and practical reflection rhythms build trust, unlock growth, and transform teams. Episode Summary: If you’ve ever left a conversation wishing you’d asked a better question, this episode is for you. J.R. Briggs shares the mindsets and mechanics behind powerful questi...

Most leaders don’t fail because of a lack of ideas... they fail because those ideas never leave their heads. In this episode, Alan Briggs helps leaders make the crucial shift from intuitive to intentional, showing how to build systems and filters that multiply impact and prevent burnout. If your team constantly depends on you for decisions, it’s time to get what’s in your head into theirs — so you...

Every leader has that project...The one that’s been sitting on your list for months (or years) because you don’t know where to start. In today’s episode, Alan breaks down a simple but powerful 3-step framework to help you get unstuck and finally take action on the work that matters most. Whether you’re writing a book, launching a new initiative, creating a new offering, or trying to push a big ide...

Legacy isn’t what you leave—it’s what you set in motion. In this conversation, David Green (Founder & CEO of Hobby Lobby) and Bill High (CEO of Legacy Stone) share insights from their new book, Legacy Life: Leading Your Family to Make a Difference for Eternity. Together they unpack how to think beyond success and retirement to build something that outlives you—faith, family, and purpose that m...

Misalignment sneaks up slowly—and it’s expensive. When your life, work, or team drifts out of alignment, you start feeling it: fatigue, frustration, disconnection, and eventually burnout. In this episode, Alan unpacks how to spot misalignment early and realign your wiring, your purpose, and your team before things break down. You’ll hear: The story of a coaching client who ignored the “alignment r...

We said goodbye to Stay Forth—and hello to H2 Leadership. Same mission, sharper clarity. This episode is our official announcement and a roadmap for where we’re heading: helping leaders become healthy and high impact (H2). From a beach pop-up studio in Delray Beach, we unpack: Why the name change (clarity over clever): people loved our work but didn’t always “get” the name. What H2 Leadership mean...

Ineffective leaders create dysfunction around them, but grounded, effective leaders create life, clarity, and vitality. Work is meant to bring dignity and meaning—not constant stress and confusion. In this episode, Jonathan and Alan unpack why grounded leaders are desperately needed right now and how they shape healthier, more focused, and high-impact teams. You’ll hear: The difference between bei...

Pastors and ministry leaders are carrying more than ever—and too many are doing it in silence. Dr. Mark Mayfield (author of The Mental Health Handbook for Ministry, professor, clinician, and former pastor) joins Alan to demystify mental health in the church, unpack the real difference between coaching and counseling, and give you a practical playbook for when struggles walk into your office… or sh...

Feeling called to your work is a gift — but it can also be the very thing that burns you out. In this conversation, Alan sits down with Dr. Arianna Molloy, author of Healthy Calling: From Toxic Burnout to Sustainable Work, to unpack the hidden costs of living from a deep sense of purpose. Leaders who love what they do often give until they break. Arianna calls this deep shame — the disorienting fe...

In this special episode, Alan Briggs steps away from the usual pace of life—and leadership—and invites us into a slower, deeper rhythm. Recorded on location from the island of Terceira in the Azores, Alan shares reflections from his very first pilgrimage—a spiritual journey with a physical component. What began as a walk through unfamiliar terrain turned into a profound time of rest, reflection, a...

Our phones promise connection but often choke out what matters most. Alan Briggs and Joey Odom dive into the “PID loop” of proximity, interaction, and dependence — and share practical ways to reclaim your time, creativity, and relationships from constant distraction. We all feel it. That little computer in our pocket is shaping our attention, our relationships, and even our leadership. But what if...

Every leader faces seasons of busyness, drift, and distraction. When that happens, what helps you stay the course? Your purpose. In this episode, Alan and Jonathan unpack why purpose acts like a compass — keeping you oriented, steady, and moving in the right direction when everything else feels chaotic. Alan shares his discipline of taking quarterly Think Days to step back, reflect, and regain cla...

What separates leaders people trust from leaders they just tolerate? It’s not charisma. It’s not talent. It’s self-leadership — the ability to lead yourself with consistency, clarity, and accountability before you ever try to lead others. In this episode, Jonathan Collier and Alan “Stay Forth” Briggs unpack why self-leadership is the hidden competitive advantage in today’s world, how to model it f...

Summer’s winding down, kids are heading back to school, and your weekly rhythm is about to look very different. In this episode of our H2 Leaders summer series, Jonathan and Alan define what true resilience looks like for a leader—and why it has nothing to do with “toughing it out” and everything to do with maintaining what matters most in your life. You’ll learn Alan’s 3-C framework for navigatin...

In today’s episode, Alan shares how a rare open Saturday—spent hiking into the Colorado mountains to fly-fish—quickly turned into another to-do list. He realized that our most life-giving pursuits (hobbies) are constantly at risk of becoming tasks we “have to” check off. In this conversation, Alan unpacks why hobbies are essential to flourishing, offers a framework for rediscovering them, and give...

Halfway through summer and already feeling the rush of back-to-school and end-of-year deadlines? In this episode of the H₂ Leader Summer Series, Alan Briggs and Jonathan Collier challenge the “grind-only” mentality by uncovering the power of relational leadership over mere transactions. You’ll learn: The difference between transactional (BNI-style) and relational (Coharbor-style) approaches How a...

We’re living through a hurricane of distraction—constant pings, endless opportunities, and FOMO-fueled comparison. In Episode 5 of our H2 Leader Summer Series, Alan and Jonathan unpack why today’s leaders feel overwhelmed yet under-productive, and share a simple but counter-intuitive answer: do fewer things—better. Press play to learn how to develop “healthy tunnel vision” in a scattered world, wh...

We’re halfway through summer—and if you’re like most leaders, you’re both craving a break and wrestling with guilt, unfinished to-dos, and screen addiction. In Episode 6 of our H2 Leader Summer Series, Alan and Jonathan go deep on rest as a strategic, creative, and spiritual practice—not just “doing nothing.” Learn why resting well actually multiplies your impact, how to design your unique rest rh...

In this powerful—and at times convicting—fourth episode of our H2 Leader Summer Series, Jonathan and Alan tackle emotional presence in leadership. Far too often we slip into “performance mode,” juggling screens, tasks, and to-do lists at the expense of our families, teams, and even our own well-being. Discover how a simple weekly audit in the Right Side Up Journal helps Alan pull back from the whi...