Servant Leadership Podcast

Project World Impact

The Servant Leadership Podcast brings you empowering insights from successful guest leaders around the world in about 30-60 minutes. Each episode gives you easy-to-understand takeaways you can use to lead yourself and lead your team.

  1. Dallas Mavericks, Texas Rangers, and Servant Leadership with Scott Sonju

    2d ago

    Dallas Mavericks, Texas Rangers, and Servant Leadership with Scott Sonju

    Today on the Servant Leadership Podcast we welcome Scott Sonju, longtime sports executive, leadership coach, and senior advisor. Scott grew up in the sports world — his father was the founding president and general manager of the Dallas Mavericks — and he has built his own remarkable career across professional baseball, rugby, and international sports. Scott led the Frisco RoughRiders for thirteen years, where more than one hundred and twenty-five players developed before going on to play for the Texas Rangers. He helped train the Chinese national baseball team, launched the Dallas Jackals in Major League Rugby, and today teaches sports sponsorship at SMU while coaching CEOs and executives across the country. In this conversation, Scott and I talk about how blind spots show up at the highest levels of organizations and what servant leadership really looks like when you have to make the hard call. Timestamps: 00:00 Opening 00:12 Scott Sonju Intro 01:03 Welcome Scott Sonju  01:24 Scott's Journey - Growing Up In A Sports Family  02:51 Leaving Sports To Work At A Christian Camp  03:53 Early Lessons In Servant Leadership  06:19 Rest And Restoration  07:50 Jumping Back Into Sports  09:28 Creating An Amazing Fan Experience  11:12 Early Pitfalls  12:39 The Rangers' Business Model  14:15 Players Getting Called Up To The Majors  14:53 Servant Leadership - Leading Many Different Groups  17:48 Instilling Great Leadership Skills  19:39 Helping People Thrive Professionally And Personally  20:42 After The Minor Leagues  22:43 The First Chinese National Baseball Team  23:29 Launch Of The Dallas Jackals  24:36 Experience Leading In A Different Culture  27:24 Why The Shift To Rugby?  29:10 Influencers And Sports  31:01 Changing Times For College Athletes  33:29 Opportunities And Investments In College Sports  34:39 Back Into Consulting  37:02 Leadership Blindspots  39:05 Weaknesses vs. Blind Spots  41:54 360 Stakeholder Analysis  43:15 How Aware Are Leaders Today?  44:54 Overestimating Your Communication Skills  47:19 How Great Leaders Communicate Well  50:01 Lessons From Norm Sonju  51:45 As Tender As Possible, But As Firm As Necessary  53:33 Servant Leadership - Working Behind The Scenes  55:07 Servant Leadership - Being A Strong Leader  58:01 Ten Rapid-Fire Questions  1:01:50 Importance Of A Servant Leadership Podcast  1:02:45 Closing Learn more about Scott and SNS Advisory: https://www.snsadvisory.net/ Servant Leadership: URL: https://servantleadershippodcast.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ServantLeadershipPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/servantleadershippodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/servant-leadership-podcast/ X (Twitter): https://x.com/servant_podcast

    1h 3m
  2. What 30 Years in Banking Teaches About Money with Kent Lugrand

    Jun 23

    What 30 Years in Banking Teaches About Money with Kent Lugrand

    Today on the Servant Leadership Podcast we welcome Kent Lugrand, the CEO of InTouch Credit Union. For more than three decades, Kent has led InTouch Credit Union, a member-owned financial cooperative serving members in all fifty states and more than twenty countries. Under Kent's leadership, InTouch has built a national reputation for community-focused banking and has championed the fight against food insecurity by tying a portion of every loan payment and every debit card swipe to feeding families in the communities they serve. Kent leads from a posture of stewardship and humility — taking the blame when things go wrong, giving away the credit when things go right, and consistently putting the interests of the credit union members and his team ahead of his own. In this conversation, Kent and I talk about how to think about money and better understand how servant leaders should think about their finances. Timestamps: 00:00 Opening 00:42 Kent Lugrand Intro 01:31 Welcome Kent Lugrand  01:40 What Makes InTouch Credit Union Different  03:10 Why Bank With A Credit Union  04:15 Is The Movement Growing?  04:49 Kent's Journey - The Path To Credit Unions  07:00 Falling In Love With The Credit Union  07:50 The Fight Against Food Insecurity  09:24 Getting Members Involved  10:17 The InTouch Community  12:36 Investing In Your People  13:13 How InTouch Thinks About Tech  14:59 A History Of Innovation  16:42 Being A Steward Of Money  18:42 Giving God What He Is Owed  21:03 Servant Leadership - Willingness To Support The Team  23:29 Servant Leadership - Give As Much As Possible  24:40 Choosing Your Fellow Leaders  27:00 Praise In Public, Be Critical In Private  29:32 The Folly Of Expecting Perfection From Humans  30:05 There Is Always Room For Growth  31:59 You Are Still A Work In Progress  33:30 Choosing Family Over PHD  36:21 How A Credit Union Works  39:25 A Nonprofit Collective  40:25 Credit Unions vs. Publicly Traded Banks  42:49 Emotionally Driven Financial Decisions  44:15 The Lottery - A Bad Investment  45:14 Sharing Financial Wisdom  47:02 Retirement Money Comes From Savings, Not Investment  47:34 The New Generation's Differing Views On Money  48:50 People Don't Plan To Fail, They Fail To Plan  51:23 Ten Rapid-Fire Questions  54:22 Importance Of A Servant Leadership Podcast 57:17 Closing Learn more about InTouch Credit Union: https://www.itcu.org/ Servant Leadership: URL: https://servantleadershippodcast.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ServantLeadershipPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/servantleadershippodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/servant-leadership-podcast/ X (Twitter): https://x.com/servant_podcast

    58 min
  3. Peak Performance with Dr. James Hewitt

    Jun 16

    Peak Performance with Dr. James Hewitt

    Today on the Servant Leadership Podcast we welcome Dr. James Hewitt — a human performance scientist who has spent the last two decades helping the world's most demanding performers do their best work without burning out in the process. His work has taken him across nineteen Formula 1 world championships, into the offices of Fortune 500s, and onto stages all around the world. He's the author of Regenerative Performance, a book born out of his own cancer diagnosis and the realization that the "more effort, more optimization" approach he had built his career on wasn’t actually how the world’s true long-term performers operated. Join us as we talk about peak performance, burnout, and better understand why most leaders are dangerously bad judges of their own capacity. Timestamps: 00:00 Opening 00:23 Dr. James Hewitt Intro 01:06 Welcome Dr. James Hewitt 01:15 Dr. James's Journey - The Human Performance Scientist 03:33 The Cyclist Dream 05:19 A Scientific Approach 06:32 A Wrinkle In The Plan 08:19 Combining Psychological And Physical Efforts 09:31 Data Analysis Of The Human Mind 11:24 Digital Phenotyping 13:36 Single Lead ECG 16:38 Success Rate And Realistic Goals 19:01 Deconstructing The Goal To Find The Path 21:21 A Customizable Program 24:01 Our Best Ideas Come When We Least Expect Them 25:25 Regenerative Performance 27:24 Confronting Mortality 29:52 Maximize Effort AND Recovery 32:38 Servant Leadership - Increasing Capacity 34:53 The Negative Effect Of Sleep Deprivation 36:38 Avoiding Service Acting 38:19 The Wisdom Of Knowing Your Limit 39:52 Detachment Between Hours Worked And Energy Spent 41:10 Develop An Internal Dashboard 42:43 Concerns About AI Pushing "Always On" Work 45:05 3 Core Questions To Identify The Problem 46:49 Ten Rapid-Fire Questions 49:57 Importance Of A Servant Leadership Podcast 51:29 Closing Learn more about Dr. James here: https://drjameshewitt.com/ Servant Leadership: URL: https://servantleadershippodcast.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ServantLeadershipPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/servantleadershippodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/servant-leadership-podcast/ X (Twitter): https://x.com/servant_podcast

    52 min
  4. What Happens After You Hit Bottom with Paul Young

    Jun 9

    What Happens After You Hit Bottom with Paul Young

    Today on the Servant Leadership Podcast, we welcome New York Times bestselling author Paul Young. Originally written as a Christmas gift for his children, The Shack has gone on to sell more than 25 million copies, and became a major motion picture starring Sam Worthington, Octavia Spencer, and Tim McGraw. Paul's journey is anything but conventional. Raised among a Stone-Age tribe in the highlands of New Guinea, he later worked three jobs while writing The Shack on a commuter train. After twenty-six publishers rejected the book, he and two friends self-published it with just three hundred dollars in marketing — and watched it become one of the most-read books of the 21st century. The real story behind The Shack is the eleven-year unraveling that came before it — a story of failure, forgiveness, and the kind of grace that only shows up when you've stopped pretending. Join us as we talk about leading through hidden pain, the cost and freedom of forgiveness, and his long-awaited sequel, Return to the Shack. Timestamps: 00:00 Opening 00:12 Paul Young Intro 01:06 Welcome Paul Young 01:25 Paul’s Journey - A Rough Start 03:43 Bringing Troubles Into Marriage 05:21 Seeking Help And Healing 07:23 The Birth Of The Shack 09:40 Longing For Authenticity 11:19 Living Out That Authenticity 13:40 Advice For Those On The Path To Rock Bottom 15:37 Mending His Relationship With His Father 16:43 How To Live Without Expectations 19:08 Dangers Of Hiding Behind A False Persona 20:52 Being Remembered Only For Your Worst Day 23:33 The Themes Behind The Shack 25:14 From Christmas Gift To Best Seller 27:21 The Impact Of The Shack 29:07 Unrighteous Wealth Vs. Self Giving 30:54 The Film Adaptation 33:04 The Right Time To Give Away The Movie 35:11 Return To The Shack 36:57 Death Row And The Sequel 39:19 “Our Prison Is Obvious” 41:22 A Journey Into Redemption 43:54 Living A Life Of Gratitude And Forgiveness 46:15 Ten Rapid-Fire Questions 48:34 Importance Of A Servant Leadership Podcast 49:06 Closing Learn more about Paul here: https://wmpaulyoung.com/ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-paul-young-podcast/id1733287109 Preorder Return to the Shack: https://www.amazon.com/Return-Shack-Journey-into-Redemption/dp/154600887X Servant Leadership: URL: https://servantleadershippodcast.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ServantLeadershipPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/servantleadershippodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/servant-leadership-podcast/ X (Twitter): https://x.com/servant_podcast

    49 min
  5. The Moral Case for Bitcoin with Jimmy Song

    Jun 2

    The Moral Case for Bitcoin with Jimmy Song

    Today on the Servant Leadership Podcast, we welcome Jimmy Song. Jimmy is one of the most respected voices in the Bitcoin world and known to many as the Bitcoin cowboy. After years in the startup space, he made the jump into Bitcoin early and has since become a developer, educator, and author dedicated to helping people actually understand Bitcoin. He is the author of multiple books, including Programming Bitcoin, Thank God for Bitcoin, and FIAT Ruins Everything. What makes Jimmy's perspective stand out is that he does not talk about Bitcoin simply as a technology or an investment. He talks about money as a moral issue, about Bitcoin as a human rights tool, and about sound money as a form of stewardship. Join us as we talk about how Bitcoin works, why it's different from the money most of us use every day, and the practical first steps for people who want to understand Bitcoin and blockchain. Timestamps: 00:00 Opening 00:29 Jimmy Song Intro 01:21 Welcome Jimmy Song 01:29 Jimmy’s Journey - The Bitcoin Cowboy 02:54 What Is Bitcoin? 06:25 Why Make The Jump? 09:57 Bitcoin vs. Standard Currency 12:18 A Fixed Supply 14:58 How Bitcoin Holds Value 18:13 The Advantage Of An Absolutely Scarce Currency 20:21 Morals And Money 21:24 Historical Analysis Of Currency 23:41 Morality With Vulnerable Currency 28:02 Bitcoin As A Human Rights Tool 31:37 Bitcoin As A Tool For Stewardship 34:41 Faith And Bitcoin 36:21 A More Subtle Approach 37:07 Application To Sharing Faith 40:35 A Tight-Knit Community In Bitcoin 43:44 Bitcoin vs. Altcoins 45:41 Double-Edged Sword Of Centralization 47:16 Unpredictability Of Market Response 49:41 How To Get Into Bitcoin Today 53:18 Ten Rapid-Fire Questions 55:34 Importance Of A Servant Leadership Podcast 56:59 Closing Learn more about Jimmy here: https://jimmysong.org/ Servant Leadership: URL: https://servantleadershippodcast.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ServantLeadershipPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/servantleadershippodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/servant-leadership-podcast/ X (Twitter): https://x.com/servant_podcast Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, tax, or legal advice. All views and opinions expressed by the host are solely his own. Bitcoin and cryptocurrency investments are highly volatile and involve significant risk. Always do your own research and consult with a licensed professional before making any financial decisions.

    57 min
  6. The 5 Voices of Servant Leadership with Jeremie Kubicek

    May 26

    The 5 Voices of Servant Leadership with Jeremie Kubicek

    Today on the Servant Leadership Podcast, we welcome Jeremie Kubicek, co-founder of GiANT Worldwide and one of the most recognized thought leaders in the leadership development space. Jeremie is a Wall Street Journal bestselling author whose work has shaped how executives, teams, and organizations around the world think about influence, communication, and self-awareness. His books, including 5 Voices, 5 Gears, and The 100X Leader, have given leaders practical, visual frameworks to become more effective at home and at work. His newest book, The Voice-Driven Leader, takes everything he's learned about developing people and distills it into a modern playbook for leaders who want to bring out the best in the voices around them. In this episode, Jeremie unpacks how the Peace Index can transform the way you lead yourself before leading others, and what a modern, balanced approach to servant leadership actually looks like in practice. Join us as Jeremie shares why great leaders learn to both challenge and support the people around them and how great cultures are built by making sure every voice is heard. Timestamps: 00:00 Opening 00:20 Jeremie Kubicek Intro 01:23 Welcome Jeremie Kubicek 01:27 Jeremie’s Journey - Authentic Thought Leadership 02:58 Servant Leadership - The Voice-Driven Leader 04:58 The 5 Voices - Finding Your Voice 06:15 The 5 Gears 08:18 How Objective Language Mitigates Drama 10:34 The Peace Index 11:51 The 5 Components To Peace 15:47 Servant Leadership - Support Matrix 18:32 Elevating Challenge Positively 19:34 How To Avoid Being Passive 22:46 The 5 Voices And AI 24:46 Visualizing Information 27:15 The 100X Leader Toolkit 28:24 How To Narrow An Idea Into A Visual Tool 28:55 The Duality Of Influence 32:57 When Do You Adjust To Others 34:37 Implementing The 5 Voices 36:59 Avoiding A Business Inside A Business 38:57 Ten Rapid-Fire Questions 41:58 Importance Of A Servant Leadership Podcast 43:43 Closing Learn more about Jeremie or take the 5 Voices Assessment here: https://www.jeremiekubicek.com/ https://5voices.com/ Servant Leadership: URL: https://servantleadershippodcast.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ServantLeadershipPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/servantleadershippodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/servant-leadership-podcast/ X (Twitter): https://x.com/servant_podcast

    44 min
  7. The Four Pillars That Saved a University with Everett Piper

    May 19

    The Four Pillars That Saved a University with Everett Piper

    Today on the Servant Leadership Podcast, we welcome Dr. Everett Piper, President Emeritus of Oklahoma Wesleyan University and the best-selling author of Not a Day Care: The Devastating Consequences of Abandoning Truth. For seventeen years, Everett led Oklahoma Wesleyan from relative obscurity and the brink of financial collapse to a position of national recognition and influence, eliminating the school's debt, more than doubling its revenue, and completing over $17 million in capital improvements along the way. At the heart of that turnaround were his Four Ps — the Primacy of Christ, the Priority of Scripture, the Pursuit of Truth, and the Practice of Wisdom — a framework that shaped every decision he made and every challenge he faced as a leader. Everett gained national attention in 2015 when his viral essay, "This Is Not a Day Care. It's a University!," sparked a cultural conversation about courage, conviction, and what it truly means to educate the next generation. A recipient of the Jeane Kirkpatrick Award for Academic Freedom and a columnist for The Washington Times, Everett has built his life's work around leading with clarity and standing firm when it's easier to stay silent. Join us as we talk about leading with boldness, knowing when to step into the gap, and how to finish well when it's time to hand the baton to the next leader. Timestamps: 00:00 Opening 00:42 Everett Piper Intro 01:57 Welcome Everett Piper 02:51 Everett’s Journey - Road To Oklahoma Wesleyan 04:29 Turning Down The Offer 06:05 Inheriting Failure As A Blessing 07:13 Craft A Mission 09:05 Budgeting For Depreciation 10:11 Know Your Mission 11:53 The New Mission - The 4 Pillars 14:18 OKWU’s Rise To Fame 17:09 Believe In Your Sales Pitch 18:10 Meeting With The Drakes 21:25 Not A Day Care 23:25 The Controversial Chapel 25:34 Valuing Truth Over Feelings 28:14 Overwhelming Support 29:43 Servant Leadership - Love And Discipline 32:03 Tolerance And Affirmation Can Be Harmful 34:09 Application In Sports And Music 36:24 Leaving While Strong 39:19 Leading When You Are Gone 40:30 One Thing For Young Leaders 43:26 Always Look For A Broom 44:53 Ten Rapid-Fire Questions 50:42 Importance Of A Servant Leadership Podcast 53:19 Closing Learn more about Everett here: https://dreverettpiper.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@Dr.EverettPiper Servant Leadership: URL: https://servantleadershippodcast.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ServantLeadershipPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/servantleadershippodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/servant-leadership-podcast/ X (Twitter): https://x.com/servant_podcast

    54 min
  8. Untapped Potential with Brian Mueller

    May 12

    Untapped Potential with Brian Mueller

    Today on the Servant Leadership Podcast, we welcome Brian Mueller, President of Grand Canyon University — the largest Christian university in the world. Brian's path to leading GCU is one of the most unlikely stories in American higher education. A high school teacher and basketball coach turned tech-driven education executive, Brian first helped grow the University of Phoenix to 400,000 students and a $16 billion market cap. After his success at the University of Phoenix, he decided to go to Grand Canyon University, which at the time was a struggling Christian university $20 million in debt, with fewer than 1,000 students, in one of the toughest neighborhoods in Phoenix. Today, GCU has grown to over 100,000 students and invested over 2 billion dollars into the campus, which ranks among the most beautiful in the country — all while holding tuition flat for the last 17 years. What makes Brian's story truly remarkable isn't the growth, it's the why behind it. From producing 26,000 teachers and the largest nursing program in the country, to rehabbing over 600 homes and awarding 2,300 full-ride scholarships to local kids living below the poverty line, GCU has become inseparable from the community it serves. Join us as we talk about what happens when you build a university around untapped potential, why every vocation is a sacred calling, and hear how vision is one of the most important traits a leader can have. Timestamps:00:00 Opening00:31 Brian Mueller Intro01:52 Welcome Brian Mueller02:05 Brian’s Journey - Becoming The Leader Of GCU04:05 Recruiting Students At University Of Phoenix06:57 Grand Canyon Calls09:50 Servant Leadership - Accepting God’s Plan13:20 The Vast Amount Of Untapped Potential15:36 Helping Fight The Teacher Shortage18:11 Using AI To Increase World Productivity20:06 AI Programs At GCU22:03 Create Workers, Not Welfare Dependents23:04 Investing In The Community Around You25:09 Fighting The Poverty Line28:02 CityServe - Serving The Phoenix Community31:00 Sending Students Out Better Than They Came In32:35 Change The World By Changing The Workplace34:11 How To Make The Pie Bigger35:44 Growth Of The Early Church37:05 The Irresistible Christian Philosophy39:12 How To Maintain Energy Amidst Failure41:03 Modernized Programs42:39 Meeting The Needs Of Education44:21 The 360 Teacher Program46:28 Making College What It Should Be48:41 Ten Rapid Fire Questions52:17 The Importance Of Servant Leadership53:56 ClosingLearn More About GCU:https://www.gcu.edu/ Servant Leadership: URL: https://servantleadershippodcast.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ServantLeadershipPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/servantleadershippodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/servant-leadership-podcast/ X (Twitter): https://x.com/servant_podcast

    54 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
8 Ratings

About

The Servant Leadership Podcast brings you empowering insights from successful guest leaders around the world in about 30-60 minutes. Each episode gives you easy-to-understand takeaways you can use to lead yourself and lead your team.

Information

  • Creator
    Project World Impact
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    94
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Project World Impact
  • Show Website
    Servant Leadership Podcast

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