The Leader’s Way

Welcome back to the new season of The Leader’s Way, a podcast for people who aren’t ready to give up on the world. In this episode, host Brandon Nappi talks with Volker Leppin about all things mysticism, for Meister Eckhart to Francis of Assisi to Martin Luther to so much more. Dr. Leppin is a German Protestant theologian and the Horace Tracy Pitkin Professor of Historical Theology at Yale Divinity School. A historian of medieval and Reformation studies, his research focuses on scholasticism and mysticism in the late Middle Ages. He is a prolific author of 19 monographs and 11 critical editions of text, the editor or co-editor of 49 books, and the author of more than 300 scholarly articles or chapters. He is well-known for arguing that the Reformation should be understood not as a rupture, but as a transformation, one encompassing both continuity and change. His most recent book, Ruhen in Gott, Eine Geschichte der Christlichen Mystik (C. H. Beck München, 2021), emphasizes the importance of mysticism within Christianity while exploring also its interreligious potentials. Host: Brandon Nappi Guest: Volker Leppin Instagram: @theleadersway.podcast berkeleydivinity.yale.edu/podcast You can support our work at https://tinyurl.com/support-transforming-leaders  

In this live-recorded episode of The Leader’s Way Podcast, Brandon interviews Sophfronia Scott, a novelist, essayist, and leading contemplative thinker, whose book The Seeker and the Monk: Everyday Conversations with Thomas Merton won the 2021 Thomas Merton “Louie” Award from the International Thomas Merton Society. In this conversation, Brandon and Sophfronia explore the powerful ways a contemplative life can infuse a life of activism, a life rooted in justice. This episode was recorded at the Berkeley Center at Yale Divinity School in front of a live audience that includes seminarians, Yale faculty, and special guests. Host: Brandon Nappi Guest: Sophfronia Scott Instagram: @theleadersway.podcast berkeleydivinity.yale.edu/podcast You can support our work at https://tinyurl.com/support-transforming-leaders

Welcome back to Within, a contemplative segment of The Leader’s Way Podcast that explores the convergence of mental health, art, and spirituality through authentic conversations across traditions about personal and collective transformation. In this episode, Brandon Nappi talks with Shabnam Mogharabi, an award-winning entertainment executive and entrepreneur who is also trained in positive psychology. Shabnam is the oldest daughter of immigrant parents from Iran and grew up wanting to tell stories that uplift, connect and shine a light on our capacity for joy. With actor Rainn Wilson, Shabnam co-founded the inspiring, mission-driven studio SoulPancake. Brandon asks Shabnam about her spiritual journey, her work as a storyteller and journalist, and the new workbook she and recently co-authored with Rainn Wilson, Soul Boom Workbook: Spiritual Tools for Living Host: Brandon Nappi Guest: Shabnam Mogharabi Instagram: @theleadersway.podcast berkeleydivinity.yale.edu/podcast You can support our work at https://tinyurl.com/support-transforming-leaders

The Reverend Dr. John F. Ross is the Executive Director of The Saint John’s Bible Heritage Program at Saint John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota, where he shepherds global engagement with the Saint John’s Bible—the first handwritten illuminated Bible in over 500 years. In this episode of The Leader’s Way, Brandon Nappi asks John to tell the story of how this artistic and beautiful Bible came to be, from the early inspirations of renowned calligrapher Donald Jackson to the Bible's commissioning by a Benedictine monastery and its subsequent travels across the world. Explore more of the history and images from The Saint John’s Bible project here: https://saintjohnsbible.org/ Host: Brandon Nappi Guest: John Ross Instagram: @theleadersway.podcast berkeleydivinity.yale.edu/podcast You can support our work at https://tinyurl.com/support-transforming-leaders

In this lively conversation, Brandon, Misty, and Whitney talk with The Most Rev'd Sean Rowe, presiding bishop and primate of The Episcopal Church. In this role, he serves as the church’s chief pastor and CEO. Known for his expertise in organizational learning and adaptive change, Rowe is committed to strengthening support for local ministry and mission. This episode offers a wide-ranging conversation, touching upon everything from the role of seminary in spiritual formation, to leadership in a church that is still becoming, to our willingness to engage with God’s imagination.   Hosts: Brandon Nappi, Whitney Kimball Coe, Misty Krasawski Guest: Sean Rowe   Instagram: @theleadersway.podcast berkeleydivinity.yale.edu/podcast You can support our work at https://tinyurl.com/support-transforming-leaders

In this tender and powerful episode, Leader’s Way host Brandon Nappi interviews Nelba Márquez-Greene, a devoted advocate for survivors of gun violence and someone who has been named one of the “Ten Women Changing the World,” according to People Magazine’s October 2019 issue. A Community Scholar at the Yale School of Public Health, Nelba also hosts the “Shared Humanity” podcast and video series, which focuses on the humans behind the headlines of gun violence in a moment in history where all too often we focus on everything but our shared humanity. Márquez-Greene seeks ways to partner with community organizations, clergy, and those looking to strengthen their response to the trauma of gun violence and injustice in our communities. Nelba would like to dedicate this episode to all clergy who have ever prayed for her and her family and all people who are in winter seasons of their souls. Host: Brandon Nappi Guest: Nelba Márquez-Greene Instagram: @theleadersway.podcast berkeleydivinity.yale.edu/podcast You can support our work at https://tinyurl.com/support-transforming-leaders

If you’re considering applying to Berkeley Divinity School at Yale, this episode is for you!   It’s the SEMINARIAN TAKEOVER episode of The Leader’s Way Podcast. Berkeley Divinity School at Yale students Whitney Kimball Coe ’26, Misty Krasawski ‘26, and Jae Kirkland Rice ’27, pull back the curtain on what it’s like to be at seminary and divinity school.    Our seminarians tell stories about how they made the decision to apply to Yale Divinity School and the questions, longings, and experiences that led them here. In this episode, we learn that there is no single path that leads a person to seminary, but many. We hear about worship at Berkeley, favorite courses, the importance of staying “prayed up,” and the ways God surprises us throughout this journey.   Learn more at the Berkeley at Yale website: https://berkeleydivinity.yale.edu/

What does “community” actually mean? Is community something we achieve or is it something we practice? Claire Brown and Austin Sauerbrei are partners, parents, and community practitioners, living and working in small town rural America. Claire is the rector of a small Episcopal church and Austin is a community organizer with the 50+ year-old statewide nonprofit, SOCM. Their daily lives are a whirlwind of tending to relationships and building muscle for faithful community engagement in their small town. With humor, candor, and wisdom honed by years of deep listening, they offer insights about the tensions and opportunities that arise when we acknowledge how intertwined we are with one another. This episode is worth watching on The Leader’s Way YouTube channel! In this interview, Austin and Claire model what it looks like to engage in thought-partnership and parenthood, passing their youngest child, Ardy, between them as they respond to host Whitney Kimball Coe’s questions about how we do the thing we call “community.” Learn more about The Rev’d Claire Brown: https://www.revclairebrown.com/ Learn more about Austin Sauerbrei’s new graphic novel, Trouble! At Coal Creek: https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/2529-trouble-at-coal-creek

Joseph Yoo was baptized, raised, and ordained in the United Methodist Church, and is now an Episcopalian priest and the planter of Mosaic Episcopal Church located in the suburbs of Houston, Texas. Joseph is the author of When the Saints Go Flying In: Stories About Faith, Life, and Everything in Between and is known for his dynamic presence on Instagram and TikTok, where he reflects on everything from scripture to social justice to pro wrestling. In this conversation, Joseph and Brandon talk about the curious and winding paths we travel as we follow the spiritual calling of our lives, and the people who, through the unfolding of their lives, teach us about God. Host: Brandon Nappi Guest: Joseph Yoo Instagram: @theleadersway.podcast berkeleydivinity.yale.edu/podcast You can support our work at https://tinyurl.com/support-transforming-leaders

Omid Safi was raised in a Muslim family where mystical poetry, particularly “love” poetry, and spirituality, were the currency of daily life. Poetry still “perfumes” Omid's social interactions, intellectual pursuits, and his curiosity about the ways religion, love, and justice intersect. Safi is a professor of Islamic Studies at Duke University. He specializes in the study of Islamic mysticism and contemporary Islam and frequently writes on liberationist traditions of Dr. King, Malcolm X, and is committed to traditions that link together love and justice.  He has delivered the keynote for the annual Martin Luther King commemoration at the National Civil Rights Museum. In this episode of The Leader’s Way, host Brandon Nappi talks with Omid about his own spiritual path, the longings we each carry for community and belonging, and Omid’s forthcoming book on the famed mystic Rumi. Host: Brandon Nappi Guest: Omid Safi Instagram: @theleadersway.podcast berkeleydivinity.yale.edu/podcast  You can support our work at https://tinyurl.com/support-transforming-leaders  

We practice meditation because the present moment is the only place where we can truly find ourselves, love others, and be loved by the divine. This is why we gather, why we sit, why we breathe together. We practice surrendering to what lies beyond our control and responding rather than reacting to life's challenges. We cultivate curiosity about what's arising within and around us, learning to do difficult things like changing and growing. Because we trust there's a limitless reservoir of strength, compassion, and resilience flowing through us at every moment.    Host: Brandon Nappi    Instagram: @theleadersway.podcast berkeleydivinity.yale.edu/podcast    You can support our work at https://tinyurl.com/support-transforming-leaders 

What do we do with our pain? It’s an important spiritual question, and one that Brandon Nappi explores with James Kimmel, Jr., JD, on this episode of Within, a contemplative segment of The Leader's Way Podcast, that explores the convergence of mental health, art, and spirituality through authentic conversations across traditions about personal and collective transformation. James Kimmel is a violence researcher, psychiatry professor, and author who explores the science of revenge, addiction, forgiveness, and violence. A breakthrough scholar, James first identified compulsive revenge-seeking as an addiction. He made the study of revenge and forgiveness his life's work after nearly committing a mass shooting as a teenager.    Host: Brandon Nappi  Guest: James Kimmel    Instagram: @theleadersway.podcast berkeleydivinity.yale.edu/podcast    You can support our work at https://tinyurl.com/support-transforming-leaders 

Lauren Jackson is a religion columnist for the New York Times where she is the associate editor and writer for The Morning, the Times's flagship daily newsletter. Over the past year, she has been deeply involved in reporting on belief. Lauren developed 'Believing,' a project that explores how we experience religion and spirituality in contemporary times. Lauren's thought-provoking columns delve into the complexities of faith, spirituality, and society. In this episode of The Leader’s Way, Lauren discusses the powerful transformation that is possible when we turn our attention to the people around us, attending to hyper-local needs, longings, and joys within our own community.   Hosts: Brandon Nappi, Misty Krasawski Guest: Lauren Jackson   Instagram: @theleadersway.podcast berkeleydivinity.yale.edu/podcast   You can support our work at https://tinyurl.com/support-transforming-leaders

Loretta Ross is a public intellectual, professor, activist, and author of Calling In, a collection of stories from five remarkable decades working in social justice movements, including reproductive justice, white supremacy, and women of color organizing. Loretta and Leader’s Way host Brandon Nappi go deep into conversation about why calling people in—inviting them into conversation instead of conflict by focusing on your shared values over a desire for punishment—is a powerful and strategic choice toward making real change. Host: Brandon Nappi Guest: Loretta Ross Instagram: @theleadersway.podcast berkeleydivinity.yale.edu/podcast You can support our work at https://tinyurl.com/support-transforming-leaders    

Host Brandon Nappi keeps the flame of curiosity alive in this edition of Within, a contemplative segment of The Leader's Way Podcast, that explores the convergence of mental health, art, and spirituality through authentic conversations across traditions about personal and collective transformation. In this episode, Brandon welcomes Elise Loehnen, best-selling author of “On Our Best Behavior” and co-author with Phil Stutz of 'True and False Magic.’ Elise is also the host of the Pulling the Thread Podcast, where she engages in deep conversations that explore the human experience and the myriad paths to personal growth. Brandon talks with Elise about her keen interest in exploring nuanced and often overlooked aspects of the human condition and her commitment to pairing rigorous research with accessible language. Want to get better at processing and wrestling with questions? Start writing a Substack, says Elise.   Host: Brandon Nappi   Guest: Elise Loehnen   Production: Goodchild Media   Instagram: @theleadersway.podcast berkeleydivinity.yale.edu/podcast   You can support our work at https://tinyurl.com/support-transforming-leaders

Dwight Zscheile is a professor of congregational mission and leadership at Luther Seminary, and his wife, Blair Pogue, is a priest and canon for vitality and innovation in the Episcopal Church in Minnesota. They join Leader’s Way host Brandon Nappi for a conversation about their joint passion for engaging the innovative ways the Church is renewing its commitment to community and communion by meeting people where they are.  Brandon talks with Dwight and Blair about their new book, Embracing the Mixed Ecology: Inherited and New Forms of Christian Community Flourishing Together, which unpacks the theological language of “mixed ecology,” and how this language can help us imagine what is possible in our church communities.   Host: Brandon Nappi Guests: Dwight Zscheile and Blair Pogue   Production: Goodchild Media   Instagram: @theleadersway.podcast berkeleydivinity.yale.edu/podcast   You can support our work at https://tinyurl.com/support-transforming-leaders

Poet and priest Spencer Reece joins Leader’s Way host Brandon Nappi for a moving conversation about the power of poetry as an act of remembrance, as a response to violence, and as a culture maker and culture keeper. Listen to Father Reece offer spontaneous recitation and remind us of the ways poetry can bring us closer to the Divine.      Host: Brandon Nappi Guest: Spencer Reece Production: Goodchild Media   Instagram: @theleadersway.podcast berkeleydivinity.yale.edu/podcast You can support our work at https://tinyurl.com/support-transforming-leaders

We are growing in our understanding of the long-term effects trauma and moral injury can have on bodies and spirits, including those within our own congregations. In this important and tender episode, Brandon and Whitney talk with former Army Chaplain and Episcopal priest David Peters about the ways faith communities can lean on Jesus’s life story to respond with love and care to these wounds. David’s latest book, Post-Traumatic Jesus: Reading the Gospel with the Wounded, offers a portrait of Jesus as living and speaking into a world that was familiar with trauma, from war to oppression to political violence, and reading the Gospels through that lens can create space for healing. Host: Brandon Nappi with Whitney Coe Guest: David Peters Production: Goodchild Media Instagram: @theleadersway.podcast berkeleydivinity.yale.edu/podcast You can support our work at https://tinyurl.com/support-transforming-leaders

Welcome to WITHIN, a contemplative segment of The Leader's Way Podcast that explores the convergence of mental health, art, and spirituality through authentic conversations across traditions about personal and collective transformation. In this inaugural episode, Brandon talks with Joanna Penn, an award-winning New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, whose latest book, “Pilgrimage: Lessons Learned from Solo Walking Three Ancient Ways,” explores the rich themes of spirituality, mental health, and personal transformation. Tune in for a conversation about the power of walking, writing, and leaning into the call on our hearts.   Host: Brandon Nappi Guest: Joanna Penn   Production: Goodchild Media   Instagram: @theleadersway.podcast berkeleydivinity.yale.edu/podcast You can support our work at https://tinyurl.com/support-transforming-leaders

In this episode, Michelle Snyder, author, therapist, leadership coach, and the executive director of Soul Shop, speaks directly to faith leaders about the importance of talking about and tending to suicide in our communities, and training for the work of suicide prevention. Michelle talks with Brandon, Whitney, and Misty about the moment we are in, in which isolation is growing and suicide is on the rise, but faith communities have something to offer.   *If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts or a crisis, please reach out immediately to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988. Host: Brandon Nappi with Whitney Coe and Misty Krasawksi   Guest: Michelle Snyder   Production: Goodchild Media   Instagram: @theleadersway.podcast berkeleydivinity.yale.edu/podcast   You can support our work at https://tinyurl.com/support-transforming-leaders