In this inspiring episode, Ann sits down with Dr. Jen Bennett, an educator, author, and host of She Impacts Culture, whose career has been anything but linear. From youth ministry to entrepreneurship, from the classroom to higher education leadership, Jen’s story is a beautiful reminder that God’s calling rarely follows a straight line.

Together, Ann and Jen unpack how to recognize God’s hand in the unexpected turns of your career, the importance of rooting your identity in Christ rather than your title, and why fear often signals that you’re standing on the edge of something holy. Jen shares practical tools for discerning next steps, including a journaling exercise that can help you quiet the noise and hear God’s direction more clearly.

Whether you’re in a season of uncertainty, transition, or possibility, this conversation will remind you that God’s plans are always purposeful—and that your pivots might just be His preparation.

🔑 Three Key Takeaways1️⃣ Your career path doesn’t have to be straight to be sacred. God uses every detour, delay, and pivot to shape your character and calling.

2️⃣ Your identity isn’t your job title. When your worth is grounded in who—and Whose—you are, you can take risks without losing yourself.

3️⃣ Peace is often the green light. You may not have all the answers, but you can have peace. Trust it more than certainty.

✍️ Quote Worth Remembering“I never want to get to the end of my life and wonder what could have been if I hadn’t let fear stop me.” — Dr. Jen Bennett

📚 Resources & Mentions

• #BeWorthFollowing by Dr. Jen Bennett

• She Impacts Culture Podcast

• Miami University’s Center for L.I.F.E. — Leading the Integration of Faith & Entrepreneurship

• Faith at Work: A Practical Guide to Aligning Your Career with Who God Created You to Be by Ann Eileen Thompson
  

🎧 Listen & Share

If this episode encouraged you, share it with a friend or colleague who’s navigating a transition or discerning a new direction. Subscribe to Faith-Driven Leader wherever you listen to podcasts—and keep leading with faith, courage, and purpose.

In this powerful and practical episode, Ann sits down with Lyle Wells, president of Integrus Leadership, former pastor and college basketball coach, and author of the new book Easy to Follow: Trading Toxic Leadership for the Love of Christ.

Lyle shares a refreshingly simple framework: leadership isn’t a title—it’s a behavior that influences others and creates outcomes. Together, Ann and Lyle unpack what it truly means to lead like Jesus, exploring how diligence, humility, and service shape leaders who are both faithful and effective.

They also dive into why servant leadership is about helping others learn, grow, dare, and change, how to craft an 8–10 word mission statement that actually guides your decisions, and how to become a lighthouse leader—someone who brings direction, connection, and protection to those they lead.

If you’ve ever wondered what it looks like to model your leadership after Jesus in today’s world, this conversation will equip and challenge you to start right where you are.

🔑 Three Key Takeaways

1️⃣ Leadership is behavior, not position. The way you act—not your title—determines your influence and impact.

2️⃣ God measures diligence and service, not perfection. Faithful, persistent service is the true mark of leadership that pleases Him.

3️⃣ Clarity beats complexity. A short, memorable mission statement—what Lyle calls your “tweet or tattoo”—keeps your leadership grounded and consistent.

✍️ Quote Worth Remembering: “Jesus was easy to follow—but He wasn’t easy on His followers.” — Lyle Wells

📚 Resources & Mentions

• Easy to Follow: Trading Toxic Leadership for the Love of Christ by Lyle Wells

• Integrus Leadership — leadership training, coaching, and resources

• The Five-Day Leader by Lyle Wells

• StoryBrand by Donald Miller

• Scripture references: Deuteronomy 3:28 and Luke 9:51–56

• Bob Goff’s Writing Workshops

🙌 Connect with Ann

• ⁠Website⁠

• ⁠Instagram⁠

• ⁠LinkedIn⁠

• ⁠Join the Launch Team⁠ for Faith at Work: A Practical Guide to Aligning Your Career with Who God Created You to Be → ⁠Sign up here

In this powerful and deeply personal episode, Ann sits down with Rebecca Czerwonka—educator, writer, and certified Emotional Health Life Consultant through The Compassion Method. Together, they unpack the connection between emotional health, faith, and leadership—and how learning to meet pain with compassion can transform not only our personal lives but how we lead others.

Rebecca shares her own journey from living in a constant triggered state to discovering what it means to move from survival to abundance. You’ll hear practical wisdom on identifying triggers, understanding the four stress responses (fight, flight, freeze, and fawn), and learning to lead from a place that’s clear-minded, tender-hearted, and at peace.

This conversation is for every leader who’s tired of managing reactions and ready to experience freedom, peace, and wholeness in how they lead and love.

🗝️ Key Takeaways

• Triggers aren’t failures—they’re invitations to healing.

• Compassion bridges the gap between what we know to be true and how we show up.

• True leadership starts from the inside out: clear-minded, tender-hearted, and at peace.

  
  

🔗 Resources & LinksLearn more about The Compassion Method
Listen to the Triggered & True Podcast with Laura Duncan and Brian Freise

Connect with Rebecca Czerwonka or book a session
Connect with Ann Eileen Thompson or schedule a coaching consultation

🙌 Connect with Ann

• Website

• Instagram

• LinkedIn

• Join the Launch Team for Faith at Work: A Practical Guide to Aligning Your Career with Who God Created You to Be → Sign up here

What difference does faith make when leaders face the highs and lows of entrepreneurship? In this episode, Ann sits down with Dr. Brett Smith—professor at Miami University’s Farmer School of Business and founding director of the L.I.F.E. program (Leading the Integration of Faith & Entrepreneurship).

Brett shares how his own college story fuels his passion for equipping students to live out their faith in business, why identity can be more vulnerable in seasons of success than failure, and how rhythms of rest and resilience help leaders stay grounded. He also unpacks insights from global research on faith-driven entrepreneurship and where this growing movement is headed next.

Whether you’re leading a startup, a team inside a corporation, or simply seeking to bring your whole self to work, this conversation will encourage you to anchor your identity in Christ and see entrepreneurship through a bigger lens.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why identity in Christ steadies leaders through both wins and setbacks

• How success can be spiritually riskier than failure—and what to do about it

• The role of “permission” in creating space to think, rest, and reset

• What global research reveals about faith-driven entrepreneurs

• Where the integration of faith and business is growing worldwide
  

Links & Resources:

📘 Slow Productivity by Cal Newport

📘 Every Good Endeavor by Timothy Keller

📱 Hallow App – prayer and meditation app

🌐 Praxis – redemptive entrepreneurship community

🌐 Ocean Programs – faith-driven founder accelerator

🌐 Faith Driven Entrepreneur / Faith Driven Investor

🌐 Sovereign’s Capital and 11 Tribes Ventures – faith-aligned investment funds

Connect with Ann:

💻 anneileenthompson.com

🌐 Connect with Ann on LinkedIn

📘 Join the Faith at Work Book Launch Team: Sign up here 📅 Book a Coaching Consultation

Let’s Stay Connected: If this conversation encouraged you, share it with a friend, leave a review, or reach out. We’d love to hear what resonated with you.

What does it mean to lead with humility, courage, and purpose? In this episode, Ann sits down with Lisa Nichols—CEO and co-founder of Technology Partners, host of the Something Extra podcast, and author of the brand-new book Something Extra: Uncover Your Strengths. Unlock Your Potential. Unleash Your Impact.

Lisa shares why she defines leadership as stewardship, the pivotal moment when God whispered, “When are you going to call me?”, and how leaders can shape lives through prayerful decisions, servant leadership, and eternal perspective.

Whether you’re a seasoned executive or a faith-driven professional longing to align your work and your values, this conversation will encourage you to lean into God’s call and discover the “something extra” He’s placed in you.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why leadership is really about stewardship and influence

• How prayer can move from last resort to first response in decision-making

• Why humility, courage, and purpose are at the heart of lasting leadership

• How Lisa integrates faith into her leadership at Technology Partners

• Stories from her podcast and book that reveal timeless lessons for leaders
  

Links & Resources:

📘 Pre-order Lisa’s book: Something Extra: Uncover Your Strengths. Unlock Your Potential. Unleash Your Impact

🎙️ Listen to Lisa’s podcast: Something Extra

💎 Explore Lisa’s daughters’ jewelry business: Kindred Spirits

🌐 Connect with Lisa on LinkedIn

Connect with Ann:

💻 anneileenthompson.com

🌐 Connect with Ann on LinkedIn

📘 Join the Faith at Work Book Launch Team: Sign up here

📅 Book a Coaching Consultation

Let’s Stay Connected: If this conversation encouraged you, share it with a friend, leave a review, or reach out. We’d love to hear what resonated with you.

What does it look like to lead with your whole self—body, mind, and spirit? In this episode, Ann sits down with Dr. Dave DeMarco, a board-certified family and lifestyle medicine physician who left traditional practice to launch DexaFit Cincinnati. They explore how faith and health intersect, why restoration is central to both, and what it takes to leave your comfort zone and build something new.

Whether you’re a faith-driven professional curious about stewarding your health differently or someone sensing a nudge to pivot into your passion, this conversation is packed with insight, encouragement, and wisdom.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why your physical health is deeply connected to your faith and leadership
  

• How lifestyle medicine offers a proactive, personalized approach to care
  

• What it means to live a restored life—and help others do the same
  

• The power of seeing yourself as the project, not just the leader
  

• What stepping into your calling might require—even if it means letting go of safety
  

Links & Resources:

• 🌐 DexaFit Cincinnati – Book a scan or consultation
  

• 📸 Follow DexaFit Cincinnati on Instagram
  

• 🔗 Connect with Dr. Dave on LinkedIn: Dr. David Demarco
  

• 📘 Learn more about the 6 Pillars of Lifestyle Medicine: American College of Lifestyle Medicine
  

Connect with Ann:

• 💻 anneileenthompson.com
  

• 🎙️ Faith Driven Leader Podcast
  

• 📅 Book a Coaching Consultation
  

Let’s Stay Connected: If this episode encouraged you to think differently about your leadership, your health, or your calling, share it with a friend, leave a review, or drop us a note. We’d love to hear what resonated.

What does it really mean to be called—and how do we live that out through the complex demands of modern life?

In this powerful episode, Ann sits down with Joanna Meyer, author of Women, Work & Calling and Director of Public Engagement at the Denver Institute for Faith & Work, to explore what faith-driven leadership looks like when it’s honest, integrated, and shaped by God over time.

Together, they dive into key themes like:

• The freedom of knowing your calling is formed, not found
  

• How to cultivate vocational imagination in any season or role
  

• Why relational generosity is one of the most important gifts leaders can give
  

• And how Christian leaders can respond with grace to the real tensions of work, home, aging parents, and an ever-changing workplace
  

Whether you're stepping into leadership, navigating a transition, or simply wondering what’s next, this episode will give you both theological insight and practical encouragement.

💡 In This Episode, You'll Learn:

• How to reframe calling as a lifelong journey, not a one-time decision

• Why imagination matters for impact in both big and small ways

• How to live generously in your relationships, career, and leadership

• Encouragement for women—and men—who want to lead with integrity and faith

• • What faithful presence looks like in modern work culture

  
  

  📚 Resources Mentioned:

• • Joanna’s book: Women, Work & Calling

  • Joanna’s initiative: womenworkandcalling.com

  • Denver Institute for Faith & Work: denverinstitute.org

• LinkedIn: Joanna Meyer
  

  🔗 Stay Connected:

• • Connect with Ann: anneileenthompson.com

  • Book a coaching call: Schedule Here

• • Follow Ann on Instagram: @ann_eileen_thompson
  • Subscribe to Faith Driven Leader wherever you listen to podcasts
    
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Every leader has a culture, even if they haven't defined it. And as Jenni Catron reminds us in this powerful episode, “Your culture isn’t as good as you think it is.”

In today’s conversation, Jenni joins Faith Driven Leader to share how faith and leadership intersect when it comes to building healthy, mission-aligned teams. We unpack practical strategies from her book Culture Matters, discuss the role of clarity in trust-building, and explore why intentional culture work is a spiritual act of stewardship.

Whether you're leading a team of two or two hundred, this conversation will help you reframe culture as more than just a vibe—it’s a leadership tool worth investing in.

💡 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• How to define culture in a way that aligns with your mission and faith

  
  

• Why clarity is the foundation of trust and engagement

  
  

• How to assess your current culture—and what might be missing

  
  

• The surprising connections between Galatians 6 and workplace leadership
  

• • How to navigate career transitions with obedience and courage

  
  

  📚 Resources Mentioned:

• • Jenni’s book: Culture Matters

  • Free Culture Assessment: get4sight.com

  • Follow Jenni on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jennicatron

  • Learn more about The Foresight Group: get4sight.com

• • Jenni’s podcast: The Lead Culture Podcast
    

  🔗 Stay Connected:

• • Connect with Ann: anneileenthompson.com

  • Book a coaching call: Schedule Here

  • Follow Ann on Instagram: @faithdrivenleader

  • Subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode!

  💡 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:📚 Resources Mentioned:🔗 Stay Connected: