Calm and Confident Leader Podcast

Jason Stonehouse

Lead with Clarity. Conquer Stress. Maximize Your Impact. The Calm & Confident Leader Podcast helps high-performing executives, professionals, and influencers shift from reactive & overwhelmed to intentional & unshakable. The real game-changers in leadership aren’t external, they’re internal: resilience, emotional mastery, & stress-proof leadership. Hosted by Coach, Strategist, and Author Jason Stonehouse, this podcast blends 30 years of leadership with a Master’s in Counseling to deliver real, practical, and sometimes humorous insights to help you lead with clarity, courage, and confidence.

  1. Oct 28

    S4-Episode 16-What Shapes You-Jeremy Treat

    You can hit your goals and still become more distracted, impatient, and disconnected. So who is your everyday life turning you into? Host Jason Stonehouse welcomes pastor, professor, and Everyday Discipleship author Jeremy Treat to The Calm and Confident Leader for a conversation about what shapes us, often without our realizing it. This episode takes a more explicitly Christian approach to leadership and everyday life, examining how faith can shape our work, relationships, habits, and emotional health. Jason and Jeremy discuss what our phones are training us to do, the pressure to prove ourselves through achievement, and why enjoying life doesn’t have to be productive. They also explore bringing emotional struggles to God while seeking professional help, and practical ways to connect what we believe with how we actually live. Share this episode with someone who’s thinking about who they’re becoming, and subscribe to The Calm and Confident Leader for more conversations about growing from the inside out.

    S4-Episode 16-What Shapes You-Jeremy Treat

  2. Oct 20

    S4-Episode 15-Beyond Small Talk-Parfait Bassale

    Beyond Small Talk “How was your weekend?” “Good. Yours?” “Good.” Congratulations. You just had the same conversation your team has every Monday, and nobody learned a thing. Plenty of leaders spend all day surrounded by people and still feel completely alone. The meetings run fine, everyone stays polite, and nobody feels known. In this episode, host Jason Stonehouse sits down with Parfait Bassalé, leadership speaker, belonging strategist, music artist, and author of The Way of Befriending, to talk about how to get past shallow work relationships without trampling professional boundaries. Parfait explains why we’ve lost the skill of staying connected to people we disagree with, and how leaders quietly turn difficult people into problems to solve instead of people to understand. He breaks down the biases that lock us into first impressions, why curiosity is the leadership trait we fake most often, and a practical way to build a real relationship with the coworker who drives you nuts. He also gets honest about his own reflex to defend himself, traces it back to trying to prove himself to his father, and shares a simple framework for taking feedback without making it about your ego. You’ll walk away with better questions to ask your team, a new way to read your own emotional reactions, and a clear picture of what it looks like to be an unexpected friend at work. The Way of Befriending is available wherever books are sold, including audio. Connect with Parfait on LinkedIn or find him on social media at Parfait Online. If this conversation hit home, share it with a leader who’s tired of small talk, then subscribe to The Calm and Confident Leader so you don’t miss the next one.

    S4-Episode 15-Beyond Small Talk-Parfait Bassale

  3. Oct 6

    S4-Episode 14-Hidden Rules Running You-David Heaps

    You've read the books, done the offsite, and hired the coach. So why do you keep running into the same wall? It's probably not your effort. It's the rules you don't know you're following. In this episode, host Jason Stonehouse sits down with David Heaps, founder of Leadering and author of Inner Architecture. David spent years as a corporate COO before walking away to study with indigenous teachers in the Amazon for nearly eleven years, including more than 10,000 hours in silent isolation. Today he works one-on-one with founding CEOs on the patterns driving their leadership from underneath. David explains how beliefs formed in childhood quietly shape the way you lead as an adult, why blind spots show up in everyday moments long before a crisis, and why naming your pattern out loud isn't enough to change it. He walks through the four stages of seeing, describes what shifts when you stop defending a story about yourself, and gets honest about his own struggle with being seen. Along the way, Jason and David unpack the difference between real calm confidence and the kind that's just overcompensating. Want to go deeper? Visit leadering.com for David's free six-step process or to book a complimentary 90-minute Inner Architecture Audit. If this conversation hit close to home, share it with a leader who keeps hitting the same wall. And subscribe to The Calm and Confident Leader so you never miss an episode.

    S4-Episode 14-Hidden Rules Running You-David Heaps

  4. Sep 1

    S4-Episode 13-Way Back to One Another Pt2

    Everybody wants deep relationships. Almost nobody knows how to build them. In part two of this conversation, Jason Stonehouse continues the discussion with Jeff Gailey and Phil Smith, authors of The Way Back to One Another, and this time they get specific about what it actually takes. Part one named the problem. This episode gets practical. In this conversation, you'll hear: Why you have to be the one who creates community, because waiting for someone else to start it means it never starts. The oak tree story that reframes everything you think you know about independence and strength. A dead car battery at the Masters that turned into a two-year friendship, and what it teaches about the cost of showing up. Why relationships built on what you can get out of them always fall apart, and what "others focused" actually looks like in practice. The uncomfortable truth about designing your relational life on purpose instead of letting culture design it for you. If part one made you uncomfortable, this one gives you somewhere to go with it. Listen now, then subscribe so you don't miss what's next. If this one lands for you, send it to someone who needs to hear it. Life is a process. Don't do it alone.

    S4-Episode 13-Way Back to One Another Pt2

  5. Aug 25

    S4-Episode 12-Way Back to One Another-pt1

    You lead teams. You solve problems. You carry pressure other people never see. And somewhere in all of that, you might have forgotten how to actually connect with anyone. This week on the Calm and Confident Leader podcast, host Jason Stonehouse sits down with Jeff Gailey and Phil Smith, authors of The Way Back to One Another, to talk about something most leaders won't say out loud: they're relationally bankrupt. Not lonely in the dramatic sense. Just quietly disconnected, surrounded by people, and starving for real community. Jeff and Phil didn't set out to write a book about loneliness. It happened after years of traveling to developing countries and watching a kind of community most of us have never experienced firsthand. They came home asking the same question over and over: why don't we have that? In this conversation, you'll hear: Why over half of Americans report feeling lonely at least once a week, and why the U.S. ranks near the top globally. How independence, the trait we celebrate most in leaders, quietly wrecks their relationships. The sticky note story that changed how Jeff talks about his own leadership. Why vulnerability isn't the same as being an open book to everyone, and why that distinction matters if you want real friendships. If you've ever felt like you're doing this whole leadership thing alone, even with a full calendar and a full team, this episode is your mirror. Part 2 gets practical. This one gets honest. Listen now, then subscribe so you don't miss part two. And if this hit home, send it to a leader you know who needs to hear it too. Life is a process. Don't do it alone.

    S4-Episode 12-Way Back to One Another-pt1

  6. Jul 21

    S4-Episode 11-Wilderness Wanted-Noel Forlini Burt

    What if your hardest season isn't a detour, but part of your leadership development? Every leader eventually finds themselves in the wilderness. It's the season where confidence feels shaky, the strategies that used to work stop working, and the questions become bigger than the answers. Most of us assume something has gone wrong. But what if the wilderness isn't a sign of failure? What if it's where your leadership is actually being formed? In this episode of The Calm and Confident Leader, Jason Stonehouse sits down with author and spiritual formation expert Noel Forlini-Burt to explore why seasons of uncertainty are often the places where our deepest growth begins. Together they unpack the difference between the false self and the authentic self, why silence and reflection are becoming lost disciplines, and how even failure can become one of our greatest teachers. If you've ever questioned your calling, felt stuck in transition, or wondered why life isn't unfolding the way you expected, this conversation will give you a fresh perspective on what may be happening beneath the surface. In this episode you'll discover: • Why wilderness seasons are often a sign of formation, not failure • How uncertainty exposes the difference between who you pretend to be and who you're becoming • Why silence is essential for healthy leadership • Simple practices that help you create space for reflection before burnout forces you to If this episode encouraged or challenged you, would you do me a favor? Share it with another leader who could use this conversation. Your recommendation helps more people discover the podcast and reminds other leaders they don't have to navigate life's wilderness alone. And if you haven't already, be sure to subscribe to The Calm and Confident Leader so you never miss an episode. Every week, Jason Stonehouse brings practical conversations with authors, experts, and leaders to help you lead from the inside out with greater clarity, confidence, and peace. Learn more about coaching, speaking, online courses, and free leadership resources at JasonStonehouse.com.

    S4-Episode 11-Wilderness Wanted-Noel Forlini Burt

  7. Jun 23

    S4-Episode 10-Stories Shape Leaders-Connie Kwan

    Why do smart, successful leaders keep repeating the same patterns even when they know exactly what to do? What if the problem isn't a lack of discipline, motivation, or another leadership framework? What if the real issue is the story you're telling yourself about who you are? In this episode of The Calm and Confident Leader, Jason Stonehouse sits down with Connie Kwan, a five-time Chief Product Officer, former product leader at Microsoft and Atlassian, and author of the upcoming book STORYHabits. Together, they explore how the stories we carry shape our identity, our leadership, and ultimately our habits. Connie shares practical examples of leaders who transformed their behavior not by trying harder, but by discovering the deeper values and beliefs driving their actions. You'll learn why generic advice often falls flat, how emotions can reveal the stories running beneath the surface, and a simple framework for rewriting the narratives that may be holding you back. If you've ever wondered why lasting change feels so difficult, this conversation may help you uncover what's really going on beneath the habits you're trying to change. Connect with Connie:storyhabitsbook.com Connect with Jason:jasonstonehouse.com If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a leader who could benefit from the conversation. Every share helps us equip more leaders to lead with greater calm, confidence, and intention.

    S4-Episode 10-Stories Shape Leaders-Connie Kwan

  8. Jun 9

    S4-Episode 9-Winning at the Wrong Game?-Louis Markos

    What if all your success still doesn't answer the deepest questions you're carrying? Most high-performing leaders know how to solve problems, hit goals, and keep moving forward. But beneath the surface, many wrestle with questions they rarely say out loud: What if I'm winning at the wrong game? What if success still doesn't satisfy? What happens when I can't control the outcome? In this thought-provoking episode of The Calm and Confident Leader Podcast, host Jason Stonehouse sits down with renowned author, professor, and C.S. Lewis scholar Louis Markos to explore the questions that sit underneath leadership, purpose, faith, suffering, identity, and meaning. Drawing from his new book, My Apologetics Dinner Party, Louis shares insights gained from years of hosting conversations with people from every worldview imaginable. Together, Jason and Louis discuss the relationship between confidence and authenticity, why purpose alone may not fully satisfy the human heart, how leaders can remain open without abandoning critical thinking, and what faith offers in the face of pain, loss, and uncertainty. Whether you're a committed Christian, a curious skeptic, or simply a leader wrestling with life's bigger questions, this conversation will challenge you to think more deeply about who you are, why you're here, and what ultimately gives life meaning. In this episode you'll discover: • Why confidence grows from authenticity, not performance• The connection between purpose, fulfillment, and faith• What C.S. Lewis taught about desire and the search for meaning• How leaders can engage difficult conversations with humility and conviction• Why suffering raises important questions about God, purpose, and human nature• What it truly means to follow Christ beyond cultural Christianity Resources Mentioned: My Apologetics Dinner Party by Louis Markos Connect with Jason Stonehouse:https://jasonstonehouse.com If this episode encouraged you, challenged your thinking, or helped you see leadership and life from a fresh perspective, please share it with someone who would benefit from the conversation. And be sure to subscribe to The Calm and Confident Leader Podcast so you never miss an episode filled with practical wisdom, personal growth, and inside-out leadership transformation.

    S4-Episode 9-Winning at the Wrong Game?-Louis Markos
See All (74)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

Lead with Clarity. Conquer Stress. Maximize Your Impact. The Calm & Confident Leader Podcast helps high-performing executives, professionals, and influencers shift from reactive & overwhelmed to intentional & unshakable. The real game-changers in leadership aren’t external, they’re internal: resilience, emotional mastery, & stress-proof leadership. Hosted by Coach, Strategist, and Author Jason Stonehouse, this podcast blends 30 years of leadership with a Master’s in Counseling to deliver real, practical, and sometimes humorous insights to help you lead with clarity, courage, and confidence.

Information

You Might Also Like