Christian Leadership Podcast

As a new year begins, many leaders aren’t stepping forward with excitement, they’re stepping forward braced.In this season-opening episode of The Christian Leadership Podcast, we pause before the pressure, the planning, and the expectations of a new year to ask a deeper question:Whose hands are you in as you begin?This episode sets the foundation for 2026 and introduces the year’s theme, Anchored Leadership, leading with faith, clarity, and sustainability. Through Scripture-centered teaching, honest reflection, and a deeply personal story, we explore what it means to release control, place weight back into God’s hands, and begin the year with surrender rather than striving.You’ll be invited to reflect on:The posture you’re carrying into this yearThe weight you’ve already picked upThe kind of leadership that can be sustained without burnoutThis episode is not about doing more, it’s about being held as you lead.If you’re entering this year feeling tired, uncertain, or aware that something needs to change, this conversation is for you.True leadership begins on our knees, led by grace, strengthened in faith, and anchored in purpose.

Trust is the foundation of every great leader, and without it, influence crumbles. In this episode of the Christian Leadership Podcast, Catrenna Dawson unpacks how leaders can build lasting trust through consistent character, Christ-centered decision-making, and authentic integrity.Drawing from her 20+ years of church leadership and nearly a decade in HR, Catrenna shares practical insights, biblical truths, and a personal story of how integrity shaped her leadership journey. You’ll discover five keys to building trust that inspires confidence, fosters respect, and reflects Christ’s example in the workplace and beyond.Whether you’re leading a team, ministry, or organization, this episode will encourage you to lead with integrity that lasts and trust that points people back to God.Scripture Reference: Proverbs 11:3 – The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.Tune in, be encouraged, and remember: True leadership begins on our knees, led by grace, strengthened in faith, and anchored in purpose.

Leaders are often expected to remain neutral, composed, and steady, no matter what they carry.But behind professionalism, many HR professionals and leaders quietly hold emotional weight with no safe place to release it.In Part 2 of the HR for HR series, we explore the hidden cost of silent leadership: the emotional suppression, isolation, and quiet exhaustion that can come from always holding space for others while having nowhere to set your own burdens down.This episode is a gentle but honest conversation about what happens when neutrality turns into isolation, and why sustainable leadership requires more than strength, it requires support, safe spaces, and self-awareness.If you lead people while carrying responsibility that often goes unseen, this space is for you.In this episode, we reflect on:• The emotional weight leaders quietly carry• How professionalism can sometimes lead to isolation• Why leaders also need safe spaces to process and release• Restoring connection, clarity, and compassion in leadershipThis is HR for HR — a signature series created for HR professionals, managers, executives, and every leader who supports others while learning to care for themselves too.Follow the Christian Leadership Podcast on Spotify and share with a leader who may need this conversation.Next week in Part 3:Boundaries, burnout, and what it looks like to lead sustainably without losing your peace or your purpose.Lead well. Stay anchored. And remember, you don’t have to carry this alone.© 2026 Catrenna Dawson. All rights reserved.The Christian Leadership Podcast™ and HR for HR™ are created and hosted by Catrenna Dawson. Unauthorized use or reproduction of this content without permission is prohibited.

Leadership often looks strong on the outside, but it canfeel heavy on the inside.In this first episode of HR for HR, a signature series ofthe Christian Leadership Podcast, Catrenna Dawson creates space for an honest conversation for HR professionals and every leader who manages people.Drawing from the Book of Exodus and the leadership journeyof Moses, this episode explores what it truly means to lead when the responsibility feels unseen, the decisions are difficult, and the weight is real.In this episode, we reflect on three foundational truthsfor people leaders:·  God calls leaders based on availability, not confidence·  God requires leaders to stand for justice, even when it’s costly·  Leadership was never meant to be carried aloneWhether you work in HR, manage a team, lead a department,or carry responsibility for others, this episode reminds you that you are not weak for feeling the weight, and you are not meant to carry it in isolation.This series exists because the ones who support everyoneelse also need covering.Next week, join us for Part Two of HR for HR, where we’lltalk about the cost of neutrality and why emotional and spiritual safety matter for leaders too.If this episode resonated with you, please follow theChristian Leadership Podcast on Spotify.HR for HR is just getting started, and you don’t have to carry this alone.A faith-centered podcast for HR professionals and leadersnavigating the weight of people leadership with integrity, justice, andpurpose.© 2026 Catrenna Dawson. All rights reserved.The Christian Leadership Podcast and all associated audio and content may not be reproduced, distributed, or used for AI training or voice replication without written permission.

There is a kind of exhaustion that rest alone doesn’t fix.Not the exhaustion of doing too much, but the exhaustion of carrying too much for too long.In this bridge episode of the Christian Leadership Podcast, we pause to name a reality many leaders quietly live with: the weight that comes from leading faithfully while still healing. This is for the leaders who showed up, stayed steady, absorbed conflict, and supported others, even when the cost went unseen.Through Scripture, reflection, and prayer, we explore:the difference between being tired and being wounded while leadingwhy faithful leadership can still leave markshow naming pain without shame becomes part of healingand why God never intended caregivers to be uncared forThis episode isn’t about reopening old wounds, it’s about acknowledging what’s been carried and creating space for healing without guilt or pressure.Leading While Still Healing prepares our hearts for the upcoming HR for HR series, a conversation designed to support leaders who support others and often have nowhere to take what they carry.If you’ve been strong for a long time…If you’ve been faithful but quietly wounded…This episode is for you.Listen, breathe, and allow God to meet you at the bridge.

What happens after rest?After clarity?After God finally quiets your spirit?For many leaders, the hardest part isn’t slowing down,it’s knowing how to move forward without returning to old patterns of pressure, urgency, and burnout.In this episode, we explore what it means to re-engage leadership with peace as your guide. Not productivity. Not performance. Not fear.You’ll hear biblical insight, practical leadership wisdom, and reflective moments that help you discern:how to let peace become your measurewhy not every opportunity is an assignmentwhat quieter, steadier obedience looks like after restThis conversation is especially for leaders who carry responsibility for others, HR professionals, managers, ministry leaders, and anyone navigating people-centered work, and who want to lead faithfully without losing what God has restored.This episode is an invitation to move forward differently…anchored, discerning, and at peace.Listen in, breathe deep, and allow God to lead your next step.

Rest changes us.But what happens when leadership resumes?In this episode, we talk about the moment after rest, when responsibilities return, expectations reappear, and the pressure to lead again quietly sets in. Many leaders aren’t afraid of work. They’re afraid of returning to a version of leadership that cost them their peace, health, or closeness with God.This conversation is about leadership clarity, not productivity, not performance, but discernment. It’s about learning how to carry responsibility without carrying unnecessary weight, and how to move forward without slipping back into striving.Anchored in Matthew 11:28–30, we explore what it means to exchange burdens instead of accumulating them, and how Jesus invites leaders to lead yoked to Him, not driven by urgency or expectation.In this episode, you’ll learn:Why not everything you carried was ever assigned by GodHow to recognize when leadership weight is misalignedThe difference between God’s sustaining burden and self-imposed pressureHow discernment protects leaders from returning to exhaustionA simple 3-step Leadership Clarity Practice to help you pause, discern, and lead with peaceThis episode includes reflective pauses, a personal leadership story, guided reflection, and prayer, creating space not to rush into answers, but to gain awareness and alignment.If rest has awakened a caution in you…If you’re afraid to pick everything back up…If you’re longing to lead lighter without leading less…This episode is for you.Subscribe, rate, and share with a leader who needs clarity for the season ahead

When God Calls You to Rest Before You’re ReadyTrusting God’s Timing Over Your FearWhat do you do when God calls you to rest, but you feel like you can’t afford to stop?In this episode, we explore the tension between obedience and fear, productivity and peace, exhaustion and surrender. Many leaders struggle with rest not because they don’t value it, but because rest feels risky. We worry about falling behind, disappointing others, or losing momentum. Yet Scripture reminds us that rest is not a reward for finishing, it’s an invitation to trust.Drawing from Mark 6:31 and real-life leadership experiences, this conversation unpacks why God often calls us to rest before we feel ready, how fear can disguise itself as responsibility, and what it looks like to trust God’s timing even when it feels uncomfortable.In this episode, you’ll learn:Why rest is a spiritual act of trust, not weaknessHow fear and control can keep leaders from obeying God’s invitation to pauseWhat biblical rest looks like in seasons of pressure and responsibilityHow to release guilt and embrace God’s covering when you slow downWe’ll close with a reflection moment, prayer, and encouragement for leaders who are tired but still faithful, those who are learning that true leadership begins on our knees.If you’re weary, overwhelmed, or wrestling with the fear of stepping back, this episode is for you.

Leadership doesn’t always exhaust us because we’re doing too much, sometimes it exhausts us because of how we’re carrying what we’ve been given.In this episode, Resetting Your Leadership Posture, we continue our 2026 leadership reset by moving beyond who is holding us to how we are showing up as leaders. Even when we trust God, many of us still lead braced, shoulders tight, hearts guarded, and spirits tense.This conversation invites you to pause and reflect on the posture you’ve been leading from. Together, we explore the difference between striving and surrender, the quiet ways exhaustion disguises itself as faithfulness, and how alignment with God brings stability, not urgency.Through biblical insight, honest leadership reflection, and a guided moment of prayer and stillness, this episode creates space to soften your grip, release what was never yours to carry, and realign your leadership with grace.If you’ve been feeling weary, tense, or quietly overwhelmed, this episode is for you. In this episode, you’ll explore:Why posture matters more than position in leadershipHow striving often disguises itself as faithfulnessWhat it means to lead from alignment instead of exhaustionA guided reflection to help you reset how you carry leadership📥 Resource:Download the 7-Day Grace-Filled Leadership Reset Devotional using the link in the show notes or via christianleadershippodcast.comSubscribe and share this episode with a leader who may need this reminder today.True leadership begins on our knees, led by grace, strengthened in faith, and anchored in purpose.

Leadership requires maturity. Discernment sharpens our calling. But what happens when the weight of leadership leaves us weary?In this episode, Leading Through Weariness: Grace for the Tired Leader, we continue the journey from Episodes 20 and 21 by creating space for restoration. This conversation is for leaders who are faithful, committed, and still showing up, but quietly tired.Using Matthew 11:28–30, we explore how God never intended leadership to be carried alone, how weariness is not weakness, and how grace restores leaders who feel stretched thin. This episode offers comfort, biblical insight, personal reflection, and a reminder that rest is not a reward, it’s an invitation.As we move beyond the holiday season and toward the close of the year, this episode gently meets leaders where they are and reminds them that God sees the weight they carry and desires to renew their strength.If you’re leading while tired, this episode is for you.

In this episode, we take a powerful step beyond emotional and spiritual maturity and move into one of the most essential qualities of godly leadership: discernment.Discernment isn’t just the ability to hear God, it’s the ability to recognize His voice above fear, emotion, pressure, and expectations. It’s a spiritual rhythm built through surrender, stillness, wisdom, and obedience.Join host Catrenna Dawson as she walks you through:• What it truly means to yield your heart to God• How to quiet inner noise so you can sense His whisper• How to test what you feel through Scripture and wise counsel• Why obedience sharpens clarity and deepens spiritual maturityCatrenna also shares a personal story where God interrupted her pace to bring her into a moment of clarity she didn’t even realize she needed.Whether you're facing decisions, transitions, opportunities, or uncertainty, this episode will help you slow down, listen deeply, and step into the kind of leadership that flows from God’s direction, not personal pressure.If you're longing for clarity, confirmation, or greater spiritual sensitivity, this episode is for you.Be sure to follow and subscribe so you never miss an episode of the Christian Leadership Podcast, where faith, purpose, and leadership come together every week.

In this powerful episode, Catrenna Dawson dives into one of the most essential qualities of every great leader: maturity.Not the kind that comes with age or experience, but the kind God develops deep within us through pressure, patience, and spiritual growth.If you’ve ever felt stretched, misunderstood,triggered, or emotionally drained in your leadership, this episode will speak directly to your heart. Catrenna shares a vulnerable personal story, walks through three transformative truths, and reveals how God uses tension to shapeus into leaders who carry wisdom, restraint, and spiritual grounding.You’ll learn:Why discipline must lead your emotionsHow to respond with wisdom instead of reacting from impulseHow identity, not insecurity, shapes strong leadershipThe biblical examples that model emotional and spiritual maturityHow God matures you through everyday leadership momentsThis episode will challenge you, encourageyou, and call you higher. It’s a reminder that maturity doesn’t mean perfection, it means transformation. And God is committed to growing you into a leader He can trust with more.Tune in and be strengthened for your nextlevel of leadership.

Every leader loves the feeling of momentum, but what happens when the motivation isn’t there? When passion feels quiet, energy feels low, and the responsibilities of leadership don’t pause to let you catch your breath?In this episode, we explore the power of discipline, the anchor that keeps you steady when emotions fluctuate, seasons shift, and the fire doesn’t burn as brightly as it once did. Motivation may start the journey, but discipline sustains the assignment God placed on your life.You’ll learn:Why discipline is spiritual, not just practical.How God uses consistency to shape your character and leadership.The danger of relying solely on inspiration.How to build habits that carry you through weary seasons.What it means to remain faithful even when you don’t feel “on fire."This episode will remind you that you are not failing, you are forming. God is strengthening you for longevity, not just short-term excitement. And when you choose discipline, you choose alignment with His purpose.Tune in, take a breath, and be encouraged: you can stay the course, even when motivation fades.

Vision is the heartbeat of every great leader. It’s what lifts teams out of routine, awakens purpose, and calls people toward something greater than themselves. In this episode, Catrenna Dawson explores what it truly means to cast a God-centered vision that lasts, one that inspires, empowers, and endures beyond challenges.Through biblical truth, practical leadership principles, and real-life insight, Catrenna shares how leaders can define their vision, communicate it clearly, and shepherd their teams toward it with consistency, courage, and grace. You’ll learn how to avoid “survival-mode leadership,” how to bring clarity when things feel cloudy, and how to anchor your vision in what God has spoken, not in what circumstances show.Whether you’re leading a team, a ministry, a business, or your family, this episode will help you sharpen your focus, breathe new life into your leadership, and cast a vision people can believe in.Scripture Foundation: Habakkuk 2:2 — “Write the vision and make it plain…”Tune in and be inspired to lead with clarity, purpose, and a vision that truly lasts.

In today’s episode, we’re diving deep into what it really means to lead with conviction, not just confidence, not just charisma, but a steady, God-anchored conviction that shapes your decisions, your character, and the culture you’re called to influence.Leadership in today’s world can feel loud, unstable, and full of pressure. But conviction-led leadership calls us back to God’s truth, God’s standards, and God’s courage. It’s the quiet strength that refuses to compromise. It’s the spiritual backbone that helps you stand firm when others bend. And it’s the type of leadership that leaves a legacy long after titles and applause fade.If you’ve ever felt the tension of doing what’s right when it’s not popular, if you’ve been wrestling with decisions that require faith, boldness, and integrity, or if you simply want to grow into the kind of leader who reflects Christ in every room you enter, this episode was created for you.Let’s step into courage. Let’s step into clarity.Let’s step into conviction.

Criticism is inevitable in leadership, but how we respond to it shapes our character and influence. In this episode, we explore how to stand firm in your God-given identity when the voices around you get loud.Through biblical wisdom and personal stories, we’ll uncover how to filter truth from opinion, guard your heart without growing hard, and lead with humility and strength. If you’ve ever wrestled with insecurity, doubt, or the sting of others’ words, this episode will remind you where your true confidence comes from.Lean in as we talk about leading with grace, courage, and unshakable faith, even in the face of criticism.

Leadership can be rewarding, but it can also be exhausting. What happens when your passion starts to feel like pressure… and your calling starts to feel like a burden? In this episode, we’re talking about how to lead from a place of grace, not depletion. We’ll unpack practical ways to recognize the warning signs of burnout, realign with God’s strength, and lead without losing your soul in the process. If you’ve ever felt like you’re running on empty, this one’s for you.

In leadership, it’s easy to rely on strategy, skill, and experience, but without prayer, even the strongest leaders eventually run dry. In this powerful episode, Catrenna Dawson explores what it truly means to build a leader’s prayer life that keeps you spiritually anchored in every season.Through Scripture, practical leadership insight, and a heartfelt personal story, Catrenna shares five keys to cultivating a prayer life that moves beyond crisis moments to become a daily rhythm. You’ll learn how to:Seek God’s presence over performanceBuild daily prayer rhythms like DanielPray over people, not just problemsListen for God’s whisper in the noiseAnchor every leadership decision in prayerWhether you’re leading a team, a ministry, or your household, this episode will refresh your soul and remind you that true leadership begins on your knees.Take a moment to pause, breathe, and pray with us. This episode will both encourage and challenge you to lead differently, anchored in God’s presence.

Integrity isn’t tested in the spotlight, it’s proven in the quiet, everyday choices we make when no one else is around. In this episode of the Christian Leadership Podcast, Catrenna Dawson unpacks what it means to walk in integrity of the heart, drawing from Luke 16:10 and powerful biblicalexamples like Daniel, David, Joseph, Samson, and Job.You’ll discover: Five Leys to cultivating integrity that lastsWhy hidden seasons are God's training ground for greater influenceHow small compromises can damage credibility, and how to guard against themThe peace and blessing that come from choosing God's approval over man's applausePlus, Catrenna shares a personal story from her HR career about a moment when she had to choose between convenience and integrity, and what she learned from it.If you want to lead with character, consistency, and credibility, this episode will encourage you to stay anchored in Christ when no one is watching.Tune in now and learn how to lead with integrity of the heart.

Conflict is never easy, but as leaders, it’s unavoidable. The real question is: how do we handle it in a way that honors God? In this episode, Catrenna Dawson unpacks five biblical keys for handling conflict with humility, checking your own heart, speaking the truth in love, choosing the right timing and tone, seeking restoration, and leaving room for God to work.Through Scripture, biblical examples, and a personal story from her own leadership journey, Catrenna reminds us that correction isn’t about punishment, it’s about growth and restoration. You’ll walk away encouraged, equipped, and ready to step into tough conversations with wisdom, grace, and courage.Tune in to discover how grace-filled correction can build trust, strengthen relationships, and reflect Christ in your leadership.