Better Preach

Ryan O'Hara
  • 5.0 (48)
  • Christianity
  • Updated Weekly

A podcast focused on developing and delivering great Catholic talks.

  1. 12h ago

    116. Merit Badges for Catholic Speakers with Pete Burak

    Description It is an incredible honor to be invited to a Parish or a Conference or a Retreat Center to give a talk (or multiples talks) to a Catholic audience. Whether it is across town or across the country, it is a privilege that should never be taken for granted. And along the way - the more times you are entrusted with a microphone and a message - the more opportunities you have to level up, or better yet to be humbled, to learn, and to grow. And today is an episode to celebrate some of those unusual, hard, and/or joyful milestones along the journey. Merit Badges for Catholic Speakers - the brain child of my guest today Pete Burak. He and I share our Top 5 Merit Badges for Catholic Speakers and stick around to the end for a couple doozy Honorable Mentions. As Pete says in the episode - we are just making stuff up here, but all of it is “based on a true story”, if you know what I mean. And we want to hear from you - What Merit Badges have you earned? Which obvious ones (or not so obvious ones) did we miss? Hit me up on Instagram @betterpreach or on my website www.ryanohara.org/betterpreach - there’s a contact form there. Also, if you want to connect with Pete online, check out www.renewalministries.net Pete Burak is the vice president of Renewal Ministries, a ministry dedicated to Catholic renewal and evangelization around the world. He is a graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville and has a master’s degree in theology from Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, Michigan. Pete is a frequent speaker on discipleship and evangelization and the co-director of Pine Hills Boys’ Camp. He is a monthly columnist for Faith Magazine and the host of two podcasts: Spirit-filled Leadership and The Hour. Pete and his wife, Cait, have five children. Links For more information about the Better Preach Podcast visit: www.ryanohara.org/betterpreach Better Preach Podcast is now on YouTube. Here’s a link to the channel. Check out Ryan’s FREE course on “sharing your faith as a Catholic.” Follow Ryan on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, or Facebook Join the Better Preach email list.

  2. May 25

    115. Five Attributes of Spirit-led Speaking with Ryan O'Hara

    Description In honor of Pentecost that launched some of the greatest preaching this world has ever seen, would you agree with me that the Holy Spirit has something to say And if the Holy Spirit, as the Church says, is the principal agent of evangelization, It would stand to reason that the Holy Spirit wants to speak through you more than you want the Holy Spirit to do that. So today I wanna share five attributes of Spirit-led speaking that I think can help you evaluate your talks, as well as beg the Holy Spirit to do these things in the midst of your speaking whenever you are entrusted with a microphone. Happy Pentecost, folks. I'm so excited to share this incredible moment in the church, uh, this year with you  If you have thoughts on the show or just want to stop by and say “hi”, please fill out the contact form at www.ryanohara.org/betterpreach Links For more information about the Better Preach Podcast visit: www.ryanohara.org/betterpreach Better Preach Podcast is now on YouTube. Here’s a link to the channel. Check out Ryan’s FREE course on “sharing your faith as a Catholic.” Follow Ryan on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, or Facebook Join the Better Preach email list.

  3. May 18

    114. The Healing Power of the Good News with Heather Khym

    Description  Preaching can set the stage for the healing process to begin, to continue, and to accelerate. In my conversation with Heather Khym today, we go deep on how and why people are seeking and experiencing more healing in their lives today, how preaching helps or hinders that, the finicky interior lives of speakers and how can you share about the power of healing if you haven't had a profound experience of healing yourself. Heather Khym is a Catholic speaker, author, and ministry leader with more than three decades of experience accompanying people toward healing, renewal, and authentic discipleship. She is the co-host of the Abiding Together podcast and serves as Assistant Director of Evangelization at Franciscan University of Steubenville. Heather is the author of Abide and the award-winning Encountering Emmanuel. Known for her pastoral presence, she invites others to open their lives more fully to the work of the Holy Spirit and the transforming love of God. Please reach out on ryanohara.org/betterpreach. Would love to connect. Links For more information about the Better Preach Podcast visit: www.ryanohara.org/betterpreach Better Preach Podcast is now on YouTube. Here’s a link to the channel. Check out Ryan’s FREE course on “sharing your faith as a Catholic.” Follow Ryan on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, or Facebook Join the Better Preach email list.

    55 min

  4. 12/22/2025

    113. Highlights of 2025 & Looking Ahead to 2026 with Ryan O'Hara

    Description  In this episode I share an upcoming highlight - speaking at SEEK 2026 - as well as four of my favorite podcast moments from 2025, as well as a few things to come in 2026. Here are the three questions I asked: Which episode in Season 5 (2025) resonated most with you and why? Who should I interview in 2026? And do you have an “in” with any of the following ‘dream guests’ (Sr. Miriam Heidland, Bishop Barron, Msgr Shea, Andy Stanley, Francis Chan, or Louis Giglio) What do you think about the idea of me sharing some “Daily Reading Reflections”, occasionally, in the Better Preach Podcast feed? If you have thoughts on one or more of the above, please fill out the contact form at www.ryanohara.org/betterpreach Links For more information about the Better Preach Podcast visit: www.ryanohara.org/betterpreach Better Preach Podcast is now on YouTube. Here’s a link to the channel. Check out Ryan’s FREE course on “sharing your faith as a Catholic.” Follow Ryan on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, or Facebook Join the Better Preach email list.

    17 min

  5. 12/01/2025

    112. Why You Ramble and How to Fix It with Ryan O'Hara

    Description  Everybody rambles, all of us do. Run on sentences, tream of consciousness, and too much information. We all do it. Whether you're new to speaking or you're OG, it plagues us all. And the trick though, is recognizing it. You know when it happens, exploring the possible root causes and then figuring out what you can do to fix it. And in today's episode, we're gonna look at each of those three things: what it is, why we do it, and what we can do about it. Links For more information about the Better Preach Podcast visit: www.ryanohara.org/betterpreach Better Preach Podcast is now on YouTube. Here’s a link to the channel. Check out Ryan’s FREE course on “sharing your faith as a Catholic.” Follow Ryan on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, or Facebook Join the Better Preach email list.

    18 min

  6. 11/17/2025

    111. Prioritizing Encounter Every Time You Speak with Megan Copeland

    Description True confession - I am often in search of the perfect talk. Like Bigfoot, I know it’s out there, I catch a glimpse every once in a while, but just when I think I’m hot on the trail and figuring it out - it eludes me. But is that what we are really after?  The perfect talk?  Not only is there likely no such thing, but even if there was - what if told you that that brief prayer time at the end of your talk might be what REALLY matters.    And this isn’t something we have a whole lot of experience with, but based on this conversation today with Megan Copeland  - committing to praying towards encounter with your audience MIGHT be a game changer we’ve too often overlooked or taken for granted.   Megan Copeland is a Catholic Speaker in Austin, TX and the host of the His Beloved Catholic Podcast. She is also a wife and mom of four kids. Megan has a heart for revival and a mission to invite each person she speaks to into a lasting encounter with Jesus. Megan’s Website > https://www.hisbelovedcatholic.com/ His Beloved Podcast > https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/his-beloved-catholic-podcast/id1533376324 Girls Arise Podcast >  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/girls-arise-a-podcast-for-catholic-girls/id1612089855 Links For more information about the Better Preach Podcast visit: www.ryanohara.org/betterpreach Better Preach Podcast is now on YouTube. Here’s a link to the channel. Check out Ryan’s FREE course on “sharing your faith as a Catholic.” Follow Ryan on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, or Facebook Join the Better Preach email list.

    47 min

  7. 11/03/2025

    110: My Talk from SEEK 2025: The Grace of Praise with Ryan O'Hara

    Description  Today is a unique episode. I wanna share a talk that I gave from the SEEK 2025 conference, an Impact Session, during those days in Salt Lake City. The Grace of Praise? We don't often think of it that way, that the church in her Scriptures and in particular in her liturgy, remind us, of course, that we have a command, a duty to praise the Lord, but why? Is it good for God? Well, the liturgy kind of answers that question, and I share that today. I'll leave that as a little bit of a cliffhanger. It's good for us. And in this talk today, I share three ways that praise is God's gift to us and for our lives. Big shout out of thanks to FOCUS and the SEEK team for allowing me to republish this talk on my podcast feed. Please go check out all of the talks from Seek and other podcasts and videos and YouTube sorts of things from focus on seekreplay.com. The other thing to note is that at the end of the talk I allude to a Litany of Praise, and this was a Litany of Praise that I wrote and that I'd love to share with you. Most of us would love to grow in this gift of praise. We just don't have the vocabulary always, or the repetition or even the impetus or the encouragement to do it. Today would be that day. Praise is one of God's greatest gifts to you. - SEEK Replay - seekreplay.com - Litany of Praise - Get it here! Links For more information about the Better Preach Podcast visit: www.ryanohara.org/betterpreach Better Preach Podcast is now on YouTube. Here’s a link to the channel. Check out Ryan’s FREE course on “sharing your faith as a Catholic.” Follow Ryan on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, or Facebook Join the Better Preach email list.

    40 min

  8. 10/20/2025

    109. How to Always Evangelize When You Catechize with Dr. James Pauley

    Description You are in for a treat today…you are about to enter “evangelizing catechesis heaven”.  If there is one thing that I believe about teaching and preaching it is that “when you teach, preach!”  Catechists can no longer (and this has been true for a long time) assume that the people they are teaching have a real life relationship with Jesus.  So…all of our teaching has to be imbued with the core Gospel message.  But HOW??  How do you do this?  Well this is exactly what we dig deeply into today!  And I am pumped for you to check it out! Bio Dr. James Pauley is Professor of Theology and Catechetics and editor of The Catechetical Review at Franciscan University of Steubenville. He is the author of two books focused on the renewal of catechesis: An Evangelizing Catechesis: Teaching from Your Encounter with Christ and Liturgical Catechesis in the 21st Century: A School of Discipleship . Dr. Pauley began working as a parish catechetical leader in 1989 and has served professionally in parish, diocesan, and university catechetical formation for more than thirty years. Having received his Doctorate in Sacred Theology from the Liturgical Institute at the University of St. Mary of the Lake in 2014, he enjoys serving as a frequent speaker in dioceses and parishes nationwide on a variety of topics related to evangelization, catechesis, and the transformative sacramental encounter. Dr. Pauley is married to Katrina, and they are blessed with three daughters. Link to Evangelizing Catechesis book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1681924323/ref=mes-dp?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=DUOSP&content-id=amzn1.sym.27ff3460-3571-4b3a-9a28-9e9ebed7694a&pf_rd_p=27ff3460-3571-4b3a-9a28-9e9ebed7694a&pf_rd_r=Y2DHAC109F5MTTZJPC1R&pd_rd_wg=EQ0CO&pd_rd_r=329769cb-ccf0-4f36-8c68-ceab749dad70   Link to Liturgical Catechesis book: https://www.amazon.com/Liturgical-Catechesis-21st-Century-Revised/dp/1616716819/ref=sr_1_2?qid=1683257851&refinements=p_27%3AJames+C.+Pauley&s=books&sr=1-2&text=James+C.+Pauley Link to the Catechetical Review journal: https://franciscanathome.com/cr Links For more information about the Better Preach Podcast visit: www.ryanohara.org/betterpreach Better Preach Podcast is now on YouTube. Here’s a link to the channel. Check out Ryan’s FREE course on “sharing your faith as a Catholic.” Follow Ryan on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, or Facebook Join the Better Preach email list.

    49 min
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5
out of 5
48 Ratings

About

A podcast focused on developing and delivering great Catholic talks.

Information

  • Creator
    Ryan O'Hara
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    124
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Show Website
    Better Preach

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