Got questions or comments? Text them to me!

We live in a world that rewards speed, noise, productivity, and visible results. So it makes sense that a lot of us have learned how to do things for God without really slowing down to be with God.

In this conversation, Paul talks with Angela, a fellow doctoral cohort member, counselor, and woman of deep wisdom, about what it means to move beyond a checkbox faith and into a life of presence. Angela shares her story of coming to the helping professions later in life, how she bridges faith and counseling, and why intentional time with God changes the way we show up with people.

They talk about the difference between information and transformation, the contagious nature of anxiety and peace, the tension between being and doing, and why the presence of God is not a luxury for helpers, but oxygen.

This episode is especially for pastors, leaders, counselors, and caregivers, but really, it’s for anybody who knows what it feels like to be busy, spiritually dry, and hungry for something deeper.

Key takeaways

• You can do helpful things without being deeply anchored in God, but it changes the quality of your presence.
• Being with Jesus is not wasted time. It shapes what you carry into every room.
• A non-anxious, non-pushy presence is one of the greatest gifts we can offer people.
• Spiritual practices are not meant to be dry checklists but relational spaces of encounter.
• Gratitude, walking, music, Scripture, stillness, and even imagination can all become ways of meeting with God.
• Identity must inform activity, not the other way around.
• Our culture trains us to chase information, but transformation often comes through presence.
• God is not frustrated with our slowness; He is patient, present, and inviting.

Memorable lines / pull quotes

• “You can do without being, but it’s going to affect the integrity of your doing.”
• “When I’m connected with God, I feel like I have more to give.”
• “Has the good news reached your face?”
• “God has a non-pushy presence.”
• “Their quiet time was with Him.”
• “Identity informs activity.”
• “We are so busy doing things for God that we don’t even think about what we’re bringing into those things.”
• “It’s not just the fuel for the rest of your day. Jesus is going with you for the rest of your day.”

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Thanks for listening to The Reluctant Leader Podcast with Paul Jenkins! Find me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and be sure to read the stuff I'm writing on my blog.

Rather watch the video? Head over to The Reluctant Leader Podcast on my YouTube channel.

Got questions or comments? Text them to me!

Leadership pressure is unavoidable. Expectations, decisions, criticism, responsibility—it all adds weight. Most leaders spend their energy trying to reduce pressure, avoid pressure, or escape pressure.

But what if pressure isn’t just something to eliminate?

In this episode, we explore a different lens from James 1: pressure produces something in us. When handled well, the very things that squeeze leaders can actually shape their character, deepen their faith, and strengthen their endurance.

Instead of asking, “How do I get rid of this pressure?” we learn to ask a better question:

“What is God forming in me through this?”

If you're leading anything—a church, a team, a family, or a ministry—this conversation will help you see leadership pressure in a whole new light.

1. Pressure Reveals What’s Already in Us

Pressure acts like a spiritual MRI. It exposes what’s happening inside our hearts—our fears, our trust, our patience, and our insecurities. What rises under pressure shows us where God is still forming us.

2. Pressure Builds Leadership Endurance

Strength rarely grows in comfort. Just like muscles develop under resistance, leaders develop perseverance through the weight of responsibility and the challenges they face.

3. Pressure Deepens Our Dependence on God

Pressure has a way of reminding leaders that the mission isn’t sustained by our strength alone. The moments that push us hardest often pull us back toward deeper reliance on God.

James 1:2–4
“Consider it pure joy whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”

Luke 6:45
“For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”

2 Corinthians 1:8–9
“This happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God.”

Instead of asking “How do I escape this pressure?”, try asking: “What might God be producing in me through this?”

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Thanks for listening to The Reluctant Leader Podcast with Paul Jenkins! Find me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and be sure to read the stuff I'm writing on my blog.

Rather watch the video? Head over to The Reluctant Leader Podcast on my YouTube channel.

Got questions or comments? Text them to me!

What if the very thing you think is protecting you as a leader is actually holding you back?

In this episode of The Reluctant Leader Podcast, Paul sits down with Natasha Skolny, a former professional ice skater who is now a leadership coach and founder of The Leadership Cabin. It's a wide-ranging, deeply practical conversation about authenticity, nervous system regulation, resilience, and what it really takes to lead people well.

Natasha introduces the idea of “corporate armor”—the protective persona leaders put on to look competent, composed, and in control—and explains why that armor quietly erodes trust instead of building it. Together, Paul and Natasha explore why leaders are often promoted for control, but succeed long-term through connection.

The conversation moves from boardrooms to locker rooms to ice baths, unpacking:

• Why vulnerability actually increases credibility
• How control and discipline are not the same thing
• What professional athletes understand about emotional regulation
• Why breathwork, movement, and even cold plunging help leaders stay grounded
• How stored emotion shows up in surprising (and often destructive) ways
• Why the best leaders invest in coaches—and keep doing it
• How Natasha helps young women reconnect with their voice, values, and direction

This episode is honest, hopeful, and highly practical—especially for leaders who are tired of pretending they’re fine and ready to lead from a healthier place.

🔑 Key Takeaways

• Armor creates distance; humanity builds trust
• What got you here won’t get you there
• Regulation beats repression—every time
• Resilient leaders train their nervous systems, not just their skills
• You were never meant to lead alone

🔗 Connect with Natasha

• Website: theleadershipcabin.com
• LinkedIn & YouTube & Instagram

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Thanks for listening to The Reluctant Leader Podcast with Paul Jenkins! Find me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and be sure to read the stuff I'm writing on my blog.

Rather watch the video? Head over to The Reluctant Leader Podcast on my YouTube channel.

Got questions or comments? Text them to me!

In a world more connected than ever, leadership has quietly become more distant.

We have constant access to people—texts, emails, meetings, metrics—but proximity isn’t the same as presence. And when leaders begin leading from a distance, something subtle but serious happens: our decisions start to lose their soul.

In this episode of The Reluctant Leader Podcast, Paul Jenkins reflects on an often-overlooked moment in Exodus 28:30, where God instructs the high priest to wear the breastplate—the place of discernment—over the heart.

That detail is more than symbolic. It’s formative.

This episode explores why:

• Good decisions flow from a well-connected heart
• Leadership always moves in two directions—toward people and toward God
• Distance shows up first in our decisions
• Vulnerability isn’t a soft skill, but a leadership necessity

When leaders close the gap emotionally, relationally, and spiritually, people stop being projects and start being people again. Stories stay close. Pain stays human. Growth stays personal.

If you’ve been feeling cynical, sharp, or detached in your leadership, this episode offers a hopeful invitation—not to work harder, but to move closer.

Closer to God.
Closer to people.
Closer to the heart.

Key Takeaways

• You can be around people and still not be with them
• Discernment belongs near compassion, not distance
• Leadership breaks down when either people or God drift from the heart
• Vulnerability keeps decision-making human and God-honoring
• The heart must stay involved for leadership to remain effective

Scripture Referenced

• Exodus 28:30

Leadership Practice for the Month

Wear the breastplate again.
Let decisions be shaped by love.
Lead with people, not over them.

If this episode encouraged you, share it with someone you’re leading—or another leader who needs the reminder. And as always, keep giving God your best, and He’ll do the rest.

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Thanks for listening to The Reluctant Leader Podcast with Paul Jenkins! Find me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and be sure to read the stuff I'm writing on my blog.

Rather watch the video? Head over to The Reluctant Leader Podcast on my YouTube channel.

Got questions or comments? Text them to me!

In this episode, Paul sits down with Maggie Mastin — life coach, spiritual director, and director of career development at Indiana Wesleyan University — for a conversation that brings leadership back into the real world… your actual body.

They explore what happens when leaders live from the neck up, why “slowing down” is more spiritual than it sounds, and how paying attention to physical sensations can become a surprising pathway to discernment, emotional health, and Spirit-led presence.

This one is equal parts practical, pastoral, and (yes) a little funny—because apparently Paul still can’t do a British accent without getting roasted.

What you’ll hear in this episode

• Why the body often reacts before the brain can explain
• The tension between having a body and being a body
• A simple practice: noticing tightness, warmth, restlessness, or peace as “data”
• How to create slower space in leadership without getting weird about it
• A powerful moment from Paul’s church: anxiety in worship as discernment, not distraction
• Seasons of the soul: why you can’t live in “spring” forever
• The “embers and flames” metaphor for faith that sustains you over time
• What farm life teaches about patience, limits, and trust
• Why play and whimsy matter more than we admit
• Photography as a “thin place”: capturing holy moments in ordinary life

Key quotes (short and shareable)

• “Your body moves toward what you want before you can explain it.”
• “You’re not the season you’re in—but the season you’re in matters.”
• “You can’t have flame without ember.”
• “Pay attention to the tension.”

Try this today (a 60-second practice)

Before your next meeting, sermon prep session, or hard conversation:

1. Take one slow breath.
2. Ask: What’s happening in my body right now?
3. Name it without fixing it (tight, heavy, energized, restless, calm).
4. Ask: God, what are You inviting me into through this?

About Maggie

Maggie is a spiritual director, life coach, educator, and the director of career development at Indiana Wesleyan University. She helps people grow in self-awareness, discern their next steps, and live with greater integration—body, soul, and story.

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Thanks for listening to The Reluctant Leader Podcast with Paul Jenkins! Find me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and be sure to read the stuff I'm writing on my blog.

Rather watch the video? Head over to The Reluctant Leader Podcast on my YouTube channel.

Got questions or comments? Text them to me!

In this episode of The Reluctant Leader Podcast, we dig into the difference between trending right (short-term hype, emotional highs, quick wins) and right trending —the slow, often unsexy work of real growth that actually changes your life.

We even talk football.
Yes, the Carolina Panthers lost—but somehow the future feels brighter. Why? Because improvement changes perspective. And the same is true for us.

When we’re getting stronger—physically, emotionally, spiritually—it reshapes how we see setbacks, disappointments, and even losses. Progress breeds hope.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why progress matters more than perfection
• How getting physically stronger can shift your mental and emotional outlook
• The danger of confusing emotional spikes with true spiritual formation
• Why fragmentation keeps us stuck—and integration sets us free
• How spiritual and emotional health grow best when they grow together
• What Scripture has to say about endurance, growth, and becoming whole

This episode is for leaders, pastors, and everyday followers of Jesus who want more than a quick fix. It’s for those who are willing to play the long game—the Jesus way.

Because the best lives aren’t lived when everything goes right…
They’re lived when we’re right trending.

Key Scripture:

• Romans 5:3–5
• 1 Timothy 4:8
• Philippians 1:6

Listen & Subscribe

If this episode encouraged you:

• 👍 Like the episode
• 🔔 Subscribe to the podcast
• 📤 Share it with someone who needs hope rooted in progress

And as always—
Keep giving God your best, and He’ll do the rest.

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Thanks for listening to The Reluctant Leader Podcast with Paul Jenkins! Find me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and be sure to read the stuff I'm writing on my blog.

Rather watch the video? Head over to The Reluctant Leader Podcast on my YouTube channel.

Got questions or comments? Text them to me!

Emmanuel: The God Who Chose Us

Christmas reminds us that God is not just with us—
He wanted to be with us.

In this special Christmas-week episode of The Reluctant Leader Podcast, we reflect on the meaning of Emmanuel and the often-overlooked truth behind it: God didn’t come reluctantly. He came willingly.

Drawing from Philippians 2, this episode explores the humility of Jesus, the intentionality of the incarnation, and the deep comfort found in knowing that God chose proximity—not distance.

Because there’s a big difference between someone being present…
and someone wanting to be present.

In This Episode:

• Why Emmanuel means more than “God is with us”
• The difference between presence and desire in relationships
• How Philippians 2 reveals the heart behind the incarnation
• Why Jesus’ humility points to God’s longing for closeness
• What it means to be wanted by God—especially when you feel overlooked

Key Scripture:

• Matthew 1:23 – “They will call him Emmanuel (which means ‘God with us’).”
• Philippians 2:5–11 – The humility, obedience, and love of Christ

Big Idea:

God didn’t come because He had to.
He came because He wanted to.

Take a Moment:

As you move through the busyness of Christmas, pause and sit with this truth:
You are not an obligation to God.
You are loved.
You are wanted.

Next Steps:

• Share this episode with someone who needs to hear they matter
• Subscribe to The Reluctant Leader Podcast
• Leave a review—it helps others find the show

Merry Christmas from TRLP.
Keep giving God your best—and He’ll do the rest.

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Thanks for listening to The Reluctant Leader Podcast with Paul Jenkins! Find me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and be sure to read the stuff I'm writing on my blog.

Rather watch the video? Head over to The Reluctant Leader Podcast on my YouTube channel.

Got questions or comments? Text them to me!

In this episode of The Reluctant Leader Podcast, Paul unpacks a powerhouse Greek word hidden in Philippians — συναθλέω (soon-ath-LEH-oh), a term ripped straight from the ancient athletic arena. It doesn’t just mean “work hard for Jesus.” It means strive together — shoulder-to-shoulder, like teammates fighting for the same goal.

Then we take that truth straight into Christmas. When Jesus was born, He wasn’t called “God with me.” He was named Immanuel — God with us. Plural. Team language. Community hope. The incarnation is God yelling into our isolation:

This one’s for every leader feeling the grind, carrying too much weight, and wondering if they’re supposed to fight these battles by themselves. You’re not.

In this episode:

• Why Christianity isn’t a solo sport
• The gritty team-language of συναθλέω
• How Christmas pulls us into community courage
• What “Immanuel” means for worn-out leaders
• A practical reminder: joy grows when faith goes side-by-side

Key Scriptures:
Philippians 1:27 • Isaiah 7:14

Takeaways:

• Faith is shared sweat
• God came close and brought others with Him
• We fight better when we fight together

If this hits home, share it with someone on your team — encouragement multiplies when it’s passed around.

Connect:
Follow, like, and subscribe to keep the conversation going each week. And if this episode helped you today, consider sharing it with the teammate God’s placed in your life.

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Thanks for listening to The Reluctant Leader Podcast with Paul Jenkins! Find me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and be sure to read the stuff I'm writing on my blog.

Rather watch the video? Head over to The Reluctant Leader Podcast on my YouTube channel.