On today's episode, Alan talks about goal planning, what most leaders get wrong, why most of us fail to reach our goals and how to effectively plan your goals around things that actually matter. This will set you up for wise and effective goal planning for 2023. Be sure to check out more from our episode sponsor Full Strength Network in the show notes below.  This episode is sponsored by: Full Strength Network Ministry is hard. Pastors and ministry leaders work long hours with little rest. Maybe your personal life feels exhausting because ministry drains so much energy from you. Often, we’re so busy taking care of the people in our ministries, we don’t spend the time we should taking care of ourselves. At Full Strength Network, we get it. That’s why we have created a wellbeing membership program that gives you access to confidential coaching & counseling experts, relevant wellbeing resources, and a strong community of other pastors focused on living healthy lives. Head over to www.fullstrength.org to learn more and sign up. It’s time to take back your wellbeing so you can live and lead well, and Full Strength is here to help. Connect with Full Strength: https://fullstrength.org/    

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!! On today's episode, entreprenuer, author and work researcher Jordan Raynor talks with Alan about how we've gotten work wrong, why we must recover a theology of work and why he wrote his new book The Word Before Work... and don't miss the fun lightning round. Also, be sure to check out more from our episode sponsor Full Strength Network in the show notes below.  About Jordan Jordan Raynor helps Christians respond to the radical, biblical truth that their work matters for eternity. He does this through his bestselling books (The Creator in You, Redeeming Your Time, Master of One, and Called to Create), podcast (Mere Christians), and weekly devotional (The Word Before Work)—content that has served millions of Christ-followers in every country on earth. In addition to his writing, Jordan serves as the Executive Chairman of Threshold 360, a venture-backed tech startup which Jordan previously ran as CEO following a string of successful ventures of his own. Jordan has twice been selected as a Google Fellow and served in The White House under President George W. Bush. A sixth-generation Floridian, Jordan lives in Tampa with his wife and their three young daughters. The Raynors are proud members of The Church at Odessa. Connect with Jordan The Word Before Work Website: https://jordanraynor.com/ This episode is sponsored by: Full Strength Network Ministry is hard. Pastors and ministry leaders work long hours with little rest. Maybe your personal life feels exhausting because ministry drains so much energy from you. Often, we’re so busy taking care of the people in our ministries, we don’t spend the time we should taking care of ourselves. At Full Strength Network, we get it. That’s why we have created a wellbeing membership program that gives you access to confidential coaching & counseling experts, relevant wellbeing resources, and a strong community of other pastors focused on living healthy lives. Head over to www.fullstrength.org to learn more and sign up. It’s time to take back your wellbeing so you can live and lead well, and Full Strength is here to help. Connect with Full Strength: https://fullstrength.org/    

On today's episode, Business leader and author Robert Jordan and Alan discuss 4 types of leaders, why it's helpful to know who you are and how our organizations can become more resilient.   About Robert Robert Jordan created Online Access, the first Internet-coverage magazine worldwide, landing on Inc’s 500 fastest-growing company list. After the sale of the magazine, he launched InterimExecs RED Team (Rapid Executive Deployment), matching rock star leadership with companies seeking to achieve extraordinary results. Jordan is co-author of Right Leader Right Time: Discover Your Leadership Style for a Winning Career and Company, author of How They Did It: Billion Dollar Insights from the Heart of America, and publishing partner for Start With No, Jim Camp’s bestseller on negotiation. A lifelong Chicagoan, husband & father, he shares an Instagram account with his dog Norman @Norman.clature.   Connect with Robert Book Instagram @norman.clature Purchase A Dozen Secrets to More Effective Leadership https://bit.ly/3WQUTUl Schedule a complimentary breakthrough coaching session www.stayforth.com/coaching  

Alan has a fascinating conversation with author and researcher Susan Salenger about how women's health is suffering and why women are more likely to take care of everyone else before themselves. Women even tend to view their health issues mch differently than men do. This is a huge issue that is impacting SO many families and workplaces, because it's impacting the women we love. This is a crucial listen for both men and women. About Susan I'm a non-fiction writer, an avid reader and a foodie, especially dark chocolate. For more than 25 years, my husband and I owned Salenger Films, which produced and distributed corporate training films all around the world. My new book, Sidelined: How Women Manage and Mismanage Their Health, will be published by She Writes Press in April 12th, 2022. It explores the barriers women face in getting the best medical care. It’s sometimes so difficult for women to get an accurate diagnosis and the medical community often treats women differently from men. Even in 2021, gender bias still persists. But some barriers come from women themselves. Women often put their own health last, behind the needs of their families. And illness often makes some women feel guilty for becoming ill in the first place which can lead them to make decisions they later regret. My research revealed how conflicted many women are about the medical decisions they make. After extensive interviews and research, the book highlights my findings.  Sidelined includes a valuable resource directory that offers a variety of services to help women decide the best path to follow. I was born in Los Angeles and, although I loved living there (except for the traffic and the smog), I moved up to Northern California to be with my grandchildren. I have two fabulous daughters, four incredible grandchildren, a dog named JD (Salenger), a cat named Max and, because I live in the wine country, a tiny vineyard that produces pinot noir. Connect with Susan Website: https://www.susansalenger.com/ Sidelined: https://www.susansalenger.com/excerpt Purchase A Dozen Secrets to More Effective Leadership https://bit.ly/3WQUTUl Schedule a complimentary breakthrough coaching session www.stayforth.com/coaching

On todays episode, Alan  talks with Author. Speaker. Kitchen Anthropologist, Alexandra Kuykendall about seeking out goodness amidst a world looking for what's wrong. She gives us very practical ways to find the good and true in others, ourselves and the organizations around us when we are temped to believe it's all bad. This is a timely episode! About Alexandra I like to say I’m a “kitchen anthropologist”. I stand in my kitchen and try to make sense of the world around me. From my family life to the news headlines I’m looking for where the good news of God’s grace and the reality of life here on earth intersect. How do I then offer a holy whisper with my actual life? I’m a city girl living in Denver with my husband Derek and our four daughters. Derek leads Providence Network, a transitional housing ministry to those coming out of homelessness. Whether on the soccer sidelines, at an event where I’m speaking, or walking to the neighborhood market, my hope is love God and love others in word and deed. I’m a stumbler in this effort, so I try to fall in the direction of grace. I am also an author. My books include The Artist’s Daughter: A Memoir, Loving My Actual Life: An Experiment in Relishing What’s Right in Front of Me, Loving My Actual Christmas: An Experiment in Relishing the Season, and Loving My Actual Neighbor: 7 Practices to Treasure the People Right in Front of You. I co-host The Open Door Sisterhood Podcast and mastermind retreat with my friend Krista Gilbert. I’d love to have you join us over there for continued conversations. Or you are welcome to email me here. Connect with Alexandra Website: https://alexandrakuykendall.com/ Books: https://alexandrakuykendall.com/seeking-out-goodness/ Purchase A Dozen Secrets to More Effective Leadership https://bit.ly/3TEVBlv Schedule a complimentary breakthrough coaching session www.stayforth.com/coaching  

On today's episode, Alan talks to author, church leader, and missionary James Belt, about the realities of poverty through his unlikely journey. They also dissect his book Hope Realized. Do I REALLY believe people in poverty have hope? About James. James H. Belt III is the second-generation owner and president of Belt Enterprises,Inc. A church leader and missionary, he traveled to Nicaragua in 2007, where he witnessed the realities of poverty firsthand. His experience and his commitment t0 helping others thrive inspires his hope-filled, world-changing approach to fighting poverty—one of the world’s biggest problems. While living in Nicaragua for three years, James focused on community and small-business development as the field director for NicaWorks!, an organization that creates community-led change to build a hopeful present and future for the vulnerable in Nicaragua. He helped develop NicaBike Shop, a pre-owned bike retailer in Managua, as well as Fruitvera, a commercial agriculture operation in Veracruz. He continues to work with NicaWorks! and currently serves on their management team. A graduate of Towson University, James lives in Maryland with his wife, Jennifer, two children, two dogs, and two cats. When he’s not busy volunteering, he enjoys traveling, reading, and playing sports. Connect with James www.jameshbelt.com. Purchase A Dozen Secrets to More Effective Leadership https://bit.ly/3TEVBlv Schedule a complimentary breakthrough coaching session www.stayforth.com/coaching

On today's episode, Alan interviews author and spiritual director Ruth Haley Barton about why we desperately need Sabbath today, how her sabbatical changed her and why rest is so complex AND so vital today. About Ruth Haley Barton   Ruth Haley Barton (Doctor of Divinity, Northern Baptist Theological Seminary) is founder of the Transforming Center, a ministry dedicated to strengthening the souls of pastors, Christian leaders and the congregations and organizations they serve. [www.thetransformingcenter.org] A sought-after teacher, retreat leader and trained spiritual director, Ruth is the author of numerous books and articles on the spiritual life. Educated at Northern Seminary, the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation and Loyola University Chicago Institute for Pastoral Studies, she has served on the pastoral staff of several churches including Willow Creek Community Church and is Professor of Spiritual Transformation at Northern Seminary. Connect with Ruth Books Transforming Center Purchase A Dozen Secrets to More Effective Leadership https://bit.ly/3TEVBlv Schedule a complimentary breakthrough coaching session www.stayforth.com/coaching    

On todays episode, Alan talks with his good friend Daniel Fusco about resilience, how to grow when life is brutal and how this phrase "you're gonna make it" changed his life. About Daniel Daniel Fusco is an author, a church planter, and the lead pastor of Crossroads Community Church in Vancouver, Washington. His radio program, Jesus Is Real Radio, is broadcast across the country, and his TV show, Real with Daniel Fusco, airs weekly on the Hillsong Channel. He’s written articles for CBN, Preaching Today, Relevant, and USA Today, and is a regular contributor to Roma Downey’s LightWorkers. Daniel and his wife, Lynn, have three children and live in southwest Washington. Connect with Daniel www.danielfusco.com www.facebook.com/danielfusco Join the Right Side Up Collective www.rightsideupcollective.com Schedule a complimentary breakthrough coaching session www.stayforth.com/coaching