Impact Nations Podcast

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Leadership can begin with a sincere desire to serve—and quietly turn into the belief that everything depends on you.
In this episode of the Impact Nations Podcast, Tim Stewart welcomes author, speaker, leadership coach, and Ezer Collective founder Jo Saxton for an honest conversation about calling, character, burnout, identity, and the hidden costs of leading others.
Jo challenges the idea that leadership is simply a position or job title. Healthy leadership is shaped by how we use our influence, how honestly we face our wounds and limitations, and whether the people around us are becoming healthier—or simply learning to imitate our dysfunction.
Together, Tim and Jo explore imposter syndrome, the pressure to be the solution, the importance of rest and trusted relationships, and what happens when leaders ignore their humanity for too long. Jo also shares candidly about her own season of exhaustion and disillusionment, why she needed to step away, and what helped her rediscover her calling.
The conversation also turns toward how churches identify and develop leaders, why charisma must never be valued above character, and whether our practices truly reflect what we claim to believe about women and leadership.

In this episode:

• Why leadership is more than a title, platform, or position
• How imposter syndrome can prevent people from developing their gifts
• Why leaders become dangerous when they believe they are the solution
• How our habits quietly shape the culture around us
• The importance of trusted friends who can tell us the truth
• What burnout, betrayal, and disappointment can cost a leader
• Why charisma should never matter more than character
• How churches unintentionally create unhealthy leadership cultures
• What meaningful investment in women leaders actually requires 
Subscribe or follow the Impact Nations Podcast so you do not miss future conversations about faith, justice, leadership, spiritual formation, and the practical work of helping people and communities flourish.
Please share this episode with a leader, pastor, colleague, or friend who may need permission to rest, tell the truth about how they are doing, or reconsider the kind of leadership culture they are creating.

Featured Resources

Jo Saxton
https://www.josaxton.com
Ezer Collective and REVIVE
Leadership development and restorative spaces for women leading across ministry, business, healthcare, education, nonprofit work, and other fields:
https://www.josaxton.com/ezer-collective/

Connect with Impact Nations

Website:
https://www.impactnations.com
Journeys of Compassion:
https://www.impactnations.com/journeys-of-compassion
All Impact Nations links:
https://linktr.ee/impact.nations
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@ImpactNations
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/impactnationsministries
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/impact.nations
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/impact-nations-international-ministries-inc
TikTok:
https://www.tiktok.com/@impact_nations
Impact Nations works alongside trusted local leaders to bring practical expressions of God’s kingdom to vulnerable communities around the world. Our partners provide clean water, medical care, food relief, vocational training, support for vulnerable women and children, and pathways toward lasting transformation.
To support this work:
https://www.impactnations.com/donate
#JoSaxton #SummerSeries2026 #ChristianPodcast #ImpactNations #HealthyLeadership #WomenInLeadership #LeadershipBurnout #ChristianLeadership

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Rescuing someone from danger can save a life. But what does it take for that person to become truly free?

In this compelling conversation, Tim Stewart welcomes Danielle Strickland—author, speaker, justice advocate, and founder of movements working for freedom, healing, and human flourishing—to explore why rescue is only the beginning of liberation.

Danielle explains why getting people out of harm must be followed by the longer work of getting the harm out of people. Together, she and Tim discuss trauma, community, prayer, justice, dignity, women in leadership, and the systems that keep people trapped. Danielle also shares what working as a brothel chaplain taught her about abandoning the role of rescuer, asking for help, and discovering mutual transformation.

In this episode:

• Why rescue is the beginning—not the finish line
• How people are gradually “unwound” from trauma and oppression
• Why community and belonging are essential to freedom
• What prayer has to do with justice
• How Jesus restored dignity by giving people agency
• What brothel chaplaincy taught Danielle about receiving help
• Why play can be part of healing from trauma
• Women, leadership, and the example of Jesus
• Why lasting freedom requires both personal and systemic transformation

If this conversation challenges or encourages you, please FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE and SHARE it with someone who would value these hope-filled discussions. Helping new listeners discover the podcast is one of the most meaningful ways you can support its growth.

FEATURED RESOURCES

🌐 Danielle Strickland
https://www.daniellestrickland.com

🔥 The Boundless Collective
https://www.boundlessenterprise.org/join-the-collective

EXPLORE IMPACT NATIONS

🌐 Website
https://www.impactnations.com

🌍 Journeys of Compassion
https://www.impactnations.com/journeys-of-compassion

❤️ Give and help families move from crisis to flourishing
https://www.impactnations.com/donate

🔗 All Impact Nations links
https://linktr.ee/impact.nations

FOLLOW IMPACT NATIONS

YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@ImpactNations

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/impactnationsministries

Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/impact.nations

LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/company/impact-nations-international-ministries-inc

TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@impact_nations

#DanielleStrickland #SummerSeries2026 #Freedom #Justice #Healing #ChristianPodcast #ImpactNations

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What if God's calling isn't something we discover in one dramatic moment, but something we live out every day?
In this episode of Summer Series 2026, Tim Stewart sits down with Dr. Susan Maros—professor at Fuller Theological Seminary, author, and leadership scholar—to unpack some of the most common misconceptions about calling, purpose, and vocation.
Together they explore how our families, churches, cultures, and life experiences shape our understanding of God's invitation. They discuss agency, leadership, women in ministry, burnout, discernment, and why faithfulness—not extraordinary achievement—is often the truest measure of a life well lived.
Whether you're discerning your next step, questioning your purpose, or simply longing to live more intentionally, this conversation offers practical wisdom and deep encouragement for every season of life.
In this episode:
 Understanding God's call in everyday life 
 Why faithfulness matters more than extraordinary success 
 Recognizing recurring patterns of purpose 
 Agency, leadership, and human flourishing 
 Women and leadership in the Church 
 Discernment through life's changing seasons 
 Becoming the person God is forming you to be 
Featured Resources
📘 Calling in Context: Social Location and Vocational Formation
https://a.co/d/09NU7yVJ
📘 Power, Agency, and Women in the Mission of God
https://a.co/d/01b4XkXo
🌐 Dr. Susan Maros
https://susanlmaros.com
🔗 Explore Impact Nations
🌐 Website: https://www.impactnations.com
🌍 Journeys of Compassion: https://www.impactnations.com/joc
❤️ Give and be part of the mission:
👉 https://www.impactnations.com/donate
🔗 All Impact Nations Links:
https://linktr.ee/impact.nations
📱 Follow Impact Nations
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ImpactNations
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/impactnationsministries
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/impact.nations
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/impact-nations-international-ministries-inc
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@impact_nations
If this episode encourages or challenges you, please follow the podcast, leave a review, and share it with others.

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Following Jesus has always been more than identifying as a Christian—it means embracing the way of Christ.
In this episode of Summer Series 2026, Tim Stewart sits down with Dr. Obery Hendricks—New Testament scholar, professor, and acclaimed author—to explore what it looks like to move beyond cultural Christianity and recover the radical vision of the Gospel.
Together they discuss the Kingdom of God, justice, discipleship, wealth, poverty, and why Jesus consistently called His followers to love their neighbors through tangible action. Dr. Hendricks invites listeners to reconsider what it means to faithfully follow Christ in a world that often adopts the language of Christianity while neglecting the teachings of Jesus.
Whether you're rethinking long-held assumptions or simply longing to follow Jesus more faithfully, this conversation offers a thoughtful challenge to rediscover the heart of the Gospel and live it out every day.
In this episode:
 Following Jesus beyond cultural Christianity 
 The biblical meaning of the Kingdom of God 
 Justice as a central theme of Scripture 
 Loving our neighbors through action 
 The Church's responsibility beyond its own walls 
 Faith that transforms communities 
 Living out the teachings of Jesus today 
Featured Resources
📘 The Politics of Jesus by Dr. Obery Hendricks
https://a.co/d/0fnBlCG0
✍️ The New Politics of Jesus (Substack)
https://substack.com/@oberyhendricks
🔗 Explore Impact Nations
🌐 Website: https://www.impactnations.com
🌍 Journeys of Compassion: https://www.impactnations.com/joc
❤️ Give and be part of the mission:
👉 https://www.impactnations.com/donate
🔗 All Impact Nations Links:
https://linktr.ee/impact.nations
📱 Follow Impact Nations
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ImpactNations
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/impactnationsministries
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/impact.nations
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/impact-nations-international-ministries-inc
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@impact_nations
If this episode encourages or challenges you, please follow the podcast, leave a review, and share it with others.

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Few teachings of Jesus challenge us more than His call to love our enemies.
In this episode of Summer Series 2026, Tim Stewart welcomes Father John Dear—Catholic priest, internationally recognized peace activist, author, and founder of the Beatitudes Center for the Nonviolent Jesus.
Together they explore what happens when we read the Gospels through the lens of peace. The conversation examines the Sermon on the Mount, the cross, loving our enemies, discipleship, nuclear weapons, restorative justice, and the Church's calling to embody the peace of Christ.
Whether this conversation confirms your convictions or challenges them, it offers an invitation to read the Gospels with fresh eyes and wrestle honestly with the teachings of Jesus.
In this episode:
 Viewing the Gospels through the lens of peace 
 The Sermon on the Mount as a guide for discipleship 
 What the cross reveals about God's character 
 Loving our enemies in a divided world 
 Gandhi, Dr. King, and Christian peacemaking 
 Practicing restorative justice 
 Following Jesus with courage and conviction 
Featured Resources
📚 Father John Dear's Books
https://johndear.org/books/
🌐 John Dear
 https://johndear.org
🌐 Beatitudes Center for the Nonviolent Jesus
 https://beatitudescenter.org
🎙️ The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast
 https://beatitudescenter.org/podcast
🔗 Explore Impact Nations:
🌐 Website: https://www.impactnations.com
🌍 Journeys of Compassion: https://www.impactnations.com/joc
❤️ Give and be part of the mission:
👉 https://www.impactnations.com/donate
🔗 All Impact Nations Links:
 https://linktr.ee/impact.nations
📱 Follow Impact Nations:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ImpactNations
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/impactnationsministries
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/impact.nations
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/impact-nations-international-ministries-inc
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@impact_nations
If this episode encourages or challenges you, please follow the podcast, leave a review, and share it with others.