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The Leader’s Way

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Rating
★★★★★
5
from
20 reviews
This podcast has
96 episodes
Language
English
Date created
2023/06/02
Latest episode
2026/10/26
Average duration
56 min.
Release period
17 days

Description

The Leader's Way is a podcast for people who aren't ready to give up on the world. Hosted by Dr. Brandon Nappi, Executive Director of Leadership and Lecturer in Preaching at Yale Divinity School, the series explores conversations with intellectual entrepreneurs working at the intersection of leadership, spirituality, and theology. Featuring occasional guest hosts from the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale community, each episode examines how faith, purpose, and wisdom can shape leadership in a complex and changing world. The podcast is produced by Berkeley Divinity School, the Episcopal seminary at Yale, and has featured more than 90 conversations with thought leaders across disciplines.

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Podcast episodes

Check latest episodes from The Leader’s Way podcast


94: Culty with Sarah Edmondson
2026/10/26
In this Within episode, Brandon has a deep conversation with Sarah Edmondson, author and co-host of A Little Bit Culty. Together, they explore what it means to look honestly at ourselves, recognize red flags in high-control situations and groups, and identify the green flags that help us recognize healthy communities and constructive relationships. Through this conversation, they reflect on how we can build greater self-awareness and discern the difference between groups that empower us and those that seek to control us. Host: Brandon Nappi Guest: Sarah Edmondson Instagram: @theleadersway.podcast berkeleydivinity.yale.edu/podcast You can support our work at https://tinyurl.com/support-transforming-leaders
93: Beyond Wellness with Liz Bucar
2026/10/19
In this Within episode, Brandon has a conversation with Liz Bucar, the author of Beyond Wellness: How Restoring the Religious Roots of Spiritual Practices Can Heal Us. Their conversation invites those who may identify as spiritual but not religious to take the religious context of spiritual practices more seriously. They explore the deeper interrelationship between spirituality and religion. The conversation encourages us to consider how understanding the religious roots of spiritual practices can deepen the way we understand and experience spirituality today.   Host: Brandon Nappi Guest: Liz Bucar Instagram: @theleadersway.podcast berkeleydivinity.yale.edu/podcast You can support our work at https://tinyurl.com/support-transforming-leaders
92: Contemplative Practice as a Tool for Racial Healing with Rhonda Magee
2026/10/12
In this Within episode Brandon has a conversation with Rhonda Magee: the author of: The Inner Work of Racial Justice: Healing Ourselves and Transforming Our Communities Through Mindfulness. They discuss how to use contemplative practice as a tool for racial healing. They inquire when Spiritual practice is simply interior, then does it actually have anything important to say to the pressing needs of our time like the urgent questions of war and violence and racism and greed?   Host: Brandon Nappi Guest: Rhonda Magee   Instagram: @theleadersway.podcast berkeleydivinity.yale.edu/podcast   You can support our work at https://tinyurl.com/support-transforming-leaders
91: Spirituality and Leadership with Hitendra Wadhwa
2026/10/05
In this Within episode, Brandon speaks with Hitendra Wadhwa, the author of Inner Mastery, Outer Impact: How Your Five Core Energies Hold the Key to Success.  They discuss the class Wadhwa teaches at Columbia Business School and how his pedagogical approach is to turn his students from the outer acquisition of knowledge into the inner awakening of the soul.   Host: Brandon Nappi Guest: Hitendra Wadhwa   Instagram: @theleadersway.podcast berkeleydivinity.yale.edu/podcast   You can support our work at https://tinyurl.com/support-transforming-leaders
90: Words Matter with Austin Carty
2026/05/18
Austin Carty is a writer and pastor of Boulevard Baptist Church in Anderson, South Carolina. Before becoming a pastor, he taught high school English, and while teaching Tolstoy, heard the first call to ministry. As a minister, he continues to immerse himself in stories and words that speak to the human condition and inform how he preaches the Gospel. Austin is the author of High Points and Lows: Life, Faith, and Figuring It All Out and The Pastor’s Bookshelf: Why Reading Matters for Ministry, which received the 2023 Christianity Today Award of Merit and was named Book of the Year by Preaching magazine. In this episode of the Leader’s Way, Brandon talks with Austin about his journey to the pulpit and his new book, Some of the Words Are Theirs: The Art of Writing and Living a Sermon, which explores the ways that careful attention to the craft of writing a sermon—like careful attention to living a meaningful life—leads to greater self-awareness and humility.   Host: Brandon Nappi Guest: Austin Carty   Instagram: @theleadersway.podcast berkeleydivinity.yale.edu/podcast   You can support our work at https://tinyurl.com/support-transforming-leaders
89: Digital Evangelism with Elizabeth Riley
2026/05/11
The Rev'd Elizabeth Riley is a priest and author with a vibrant digital presence on social media platforms, particularly TikTok, where she shares everything from the Good News of the Gospel to “rage prayers." Her book, Rage Prayers, is about turning your pent-up frustrations, daily annoyances, and righteous anger into a raw and transformative dialogue with a higher power who's ready to listen. As a Fellow with the Episcopal Church Foundation, Elizabeth is especially interested in exploring ministry through digital evangelism and how digital engagement can lead to more incarnational experiences of God.  Welcome to The Leader’s Way, a podcast for people who are not ready to give up on the world. We’re glad you’re here!   Host: Brandon Nappi Guest: Elizabeth Riley   Instagram: @theleadersway.podcast berkeleydivinity.yale.edu/podcast   You can support our work at https://tinyurl.com/support-transforming-leaders
88: Revolution of the Soul with Seane Corn
2026/05/04
Seane Corn is an internationally-acclaimed yoga teacher, author, and public speaker who has been at the forefront of yoga, activism, and community service for 30+ years. Known for her social activism and impassioned teaching style, Seane is raw, honest, articulate, and spiritually inspired in her self-expression.    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.   Speaking with Leader’s Way host Brandon Nappi, Seane Corn talks about the importance of integrating one's personal faith and spirituality with the work of justice in the world. For Seane, yoga inspires and informs her activism on to global issues, including social justice, sex trafficking, HIV/AIDS awareness, and animal rights. Her first book Revolution of the Soul was published in Fall 2019. Her online program, Align With Source, has a global reach of thousands and has been a touchstone of community support.   Host: Brandon Nappi Guest: Seane Corn   Instagram: @theleadersway.podcast berkeleydivinity.yale.edu/podcast   You can support our work at https://tinyurl.com/support-transforming-leaders
87: On Happiness with Laurie Santos
2026/04/27
Laurie Santos is host of The Happiness Lab podcast and professor at Yale, where she teaches Psychology and the Good Life, Yale’s most popular course in over 300 years, with almost one out of four students enrolled. Laurie is an expert on the science of happiness and the ways in which our minds lie to us about what makes us happy. In this episode of The Leader’s Way, host Brandon Nappi talks with Laurie about how science can help us move toward happiness by offering evidence-based data about behaviors and practices that lead to human flourishing. A lot of these things we already know in our bodies and in our lives: It’s not what you believe, it’s what you do. Connection, relationships, engaging in service, leaning into contemplation and reflection and harnessing our behaviors and emotions can boost happiness. Tune in to learn more! Host: Brandon Nappi Guest: Laurie Santos Instagram: @theleadersway.podcast berkeleydivinity.yale.edu/podcast You can support our work at https://tinyurl.com/support-transforming-leaders
86: My Soul is Calling with Bonnie Piesse
2026/04/20
Bonnie Piesse is an Australian singer-songwriter, actress, soul alignment and manifestation coach and host of the podcast "Your Quantum Life." She helps conscious leaders and visionaries remember who they really are and step into their true power and light.   Bonnie is also an actress, best known for her role as ‘Star Wars’ Episode II - ‘Attack of the Clones’ and Episode III - ‘Revenge of the Sith’ and ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi.’ Part of her story is centered in the HBO docu-series "The Vow,” which chronicles the spiritual breakthrough that gave Bonnie the clarity and courage to leave, and ultimately bring down, the notorious NXIVM cult.     In this conversation with Leader’s Way host Brandon Nappi, Bonnie speaks to the incredible power of listening to your inner knowing, your intuition, even when it means taking a risk, even when it's inconvenient. “Following your intuition is not for the faint of heart,” says Bonnie, but when you are tuning into the call on your soul and taking steps to cultivate it, the world opens itself up to you. Brandon and Bonnie explore the spiritual risks and practices that can help us honor our inner knowing.   Host: Brandon Nappi Guest: Bonnie Piesse   Instagram: @theleadersway.podcast berkeleydivinity.yale.edu/podcast   You can support our work at https://tinyurl.com/support-transforming-leaders
85: The Discipline of Inspiration with Carey Wallace
2026/04/13
Carey Wallace believes inspiration is an essential and often under-explored part of the creative life. In her new book The Discipline of Inspiration: The Mysterious Encounter with God at the Heart of Creativity, Carey meditates on the ways artists have experienced and negotiated with that "creative spark" across genres and throughout history, identifying it as something beyond them. In this conversation with Leader’s Way host, Brandon Nappi, Carey suggests that while inspiration is a gift of the spirit, it can be cultivated and harnessed, as a spiritual discipline.  Welcome back 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.  Carey Wallace is the author of The Discipline of Inspiration (Eerdmans), The Blind Contessa’s New Machine (Penguin), Stories of the Saints (Workman), Psalms of Wonder (Flyaway), and The Ghost In The Glass House (Clarion). She is a popular speaker on the creative life, and works to help people from all walks of life find inspiration and build strong creative habits. She grew up in small towns in Michigan, and lives and works outside Chicago.    Host: Brandon Nappi  Guest: Carey Wallace    Instagram: @theleadersway.podcast  berkeleydivinity.yale.edu/podcast    You can support our work at https://tinyurl.com/support-transforming-leaders
84: The Wilderness of Faith with Sarah Bessey
2026/04/06
What do we do in seasons of destabilization and doubt, uncertainty or rupture, when we find ourselves in the proverbial spiritual "wilderness?" Sarah Bessey tells us that the site of disruption is often “an altar to encounter God, an invitation from the Spirit” to encounter God’s love anew. Welcome back 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 episode, Brandon Nappi talks with Sarah Bessey, author of the best-selling and critically acclaimed books Jesus Feminist; Out of Sorts: Making Peace with an Evolving Faith; Miracles and Other Reasonable Things; and most recently, Field Notes for the Wilderness: Practices for an Evolving Faith. Sarah and Brandon explore the themes of Sarah’s latest book, diving into the principles, prayers, and practices that help us navigate times of spiritual wilderness, especially for an emerging generation of Christians looking to reconnect to their faith, find inner healing, and build spiritual community. Host: Brandon Nappi Guest: Sarah Bessey  Instagram: @theleadersway.podcast berkeleydivinity.yale.edu/podcast You can support our work at https://tinyurl.com/support-transforming-leaders
83: The Light Within with Laurence Freeman
2026/03/30
By his own admission, Father Laurence Freeman came into the monastic life "kicking and screaming.”   In this lively episode, host Brandon Nappi asks Fr. Freeman to share the story of his journey into the monastery, about his relationship with the incredible meditation teacher, John Main, and the profound ways meditation shapes our experience of the world.  Father Freeman is a monk of the Benedictine Congregation of Monte Oliveto Maggiore. He is the director and spiritual guide of the World Community for Christian Meditation. John Main was his teacher and Fr. Laurence assisted him in establishing the foundations of the Community.   Fr. Laurence is the author of a number of books on Christian Meditation including Light Within: The Inner Path of Meditation and Jesus: The Teacher Within. He travels extensively giving presentations and leading Christian Meditation Retreats.  Before entering monastic life, Fr. Laurence worked with the United Nations in New York, in Banking and Journalism.     Host: Brandon Nappi  Guest: Laurence Freeman    Instagram: @theleadersway.podcast  berkeleydivinity.yale.edu/podcast    You can support our work at https://tinyurl.com/support-transforming-leaders
82: Fulfilled with Anna Yusim
2026/03/23
How can the science of spirituality help us discover our true purpose in life?  Welcome back 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 episode, Brandon Nappi talks with psychiatrist and spiritual coach Dr. Anna Yusim about the science of spirituality as a path to wholeness and healing. Weaving together teachings from Kabbalah, Buddhism, and shamanistic traditions, Dr. Yusim has developed a program that marries empirical science and spirituality to help us find more meaning, more joy, and more fulfillment in life.  Dr. Yusim is an internationally-recognized, award-winning Stanford- and Yale-educated Psychiatrist & Executive Coach with a Private Practice in New York City, Connecticut, California and Florida. She is the best-selling author of Fulfilled: How the Science of Spirituality Can Help You Live a Happier, More Meaningful Life. With clients including Forbes 500 CEOs, Olympic athletes, A-list actors and actresses, and the Chairs of academic departments at top universities, Dr. Anna Yusim helps influential people achieve greater impact, purpose, and joy in their life and work.   Host: Brandon Nappi  Guest: Anna Yusim  Instagram: @theleadersway.podcast  berkeleydivinity.yale.edu/podcast    You can support our work at https://tinyurl.com/support-transform...
81: All Things Mysticism with Volker Leppin
2026/03/16
Welcome back to the new season of The Leader’s Way, a podcast for people who aren’t ready to give up on the world. In this episode, host Brandon Nappi talks with Volker Leppin about all things mysticism, for Meister Eckhart to Francis of Assisi to Martin Luther to so much more. Dr. Leppin is a German Protestant theologian and the Horace Tracy Pitkin Professor of Historical Theology at Yale Divinity School. A historian of medieval and Reformation studies, his research focuses on scholasticism and mysticism in the late Middle Ages. He is a prolific author of 19 monographs and 11 critical editions of text, the editor or co-editor of 49 books, and the author of more than 300 scholarly articles or chapters. He is well-known for arguing that the Reformation should be understood not as a rupture, but as a transformation, one encompassing both continuity and change. His most recent book, Ruhen in Gott, Eine Geschichte der Christlichen Mystik (C. H. Beck München, 2021), emphasizes the importance of mysticism within Christianity while exploring also its interreligious potentials. Host: Brandon Nappi Guest: Volker Leppin Instagram: @theleadersway.podcast berkeleydivinity.yale.edu/podcast You can support our work at https://tinyurl.com/support-transforming-leaders
80: At the Intersection of Contemplation and Activism with Sophfronia Scott
2026/03/09
In this live-recorded episode of The Leader’s Way Podcast, Brandon interviews Sophfronia Scott, a novelist, essayist, and leading contemplative thinker, whose book The Seeker and the Monk: Everyday Conversations with Thomas Merton won the 2021 Thomas Merton “Louie” Award from the International Thomas Merton Society. In this conversation, Brandon and Sophfronia explore the powerful ways a contemplative life can infuse a life of activism, a life rooted in justice. This episode was recorded at the Berkeley Center at Yale Divinity School in front of a live audience that includes seminarians, Yale faculty, and special guests. Host: Brandon Nappi Guest: Sophfronia Scott Instagram: @theleadersway.podcast berkeleydivinity.yale.edu/podcast You can support our work at https://tinyurl.com/support-transforming-leaders

Podcast reviews

Read The Leader’s Way podcast reviews


5 out of 5
20 reviews
★★★★★
Bek3930 2026/08/16
Pleasantly surprised
I found this show after listening to an incredible YouTube interview the hosts had with (the amazing) Linn Tonstad. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but ...
★★★★★
jmangelo 2025/01/16
A Joy
I am a deacon serving in the Diocese of New York. Dozens of priests and leaders in my orbit studied at Yale. That includes our new Bishop Matthew Heyd...
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