Unconventional Leaders

Zac Cannon is not only an award-winning storyteller, novelist, and screenwriter…he is also a pastor. His background is in film and fiction writing, but he has also spent years communicating from the pulpit.In this conversation, I wanted to ask Zac about how (and if) the intention behind storytelling changes across fiction and spirituality. We also talk about the difference between compelling an audience and manipulating one, and how to communicate strong convictions while still leaving room for curiosity.WATCH EPISODES ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/heatherparady TOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE:What is the difference between telling a story and delivering a message?How do you communicate strong convictions without manipulating your audience?Does a good story need an agenda—or should you let the audience decide what it means?How do you give yourself permission to create without needing your work to serve a larger purpose?How can fiction help us understand perspectives and experiences outside our own?CONNECT WITH ZAC CANNON:Website: https://zaccannon.com/ Buy ‘Stillwater Trace’: https://zaccannon.com/books/stillwater-trace-a-novel-zac-cannon/B0H5XHW244 CONNECT WITH HEATHER:Follow Heather on IG: https://www.instagram.com/heatherparady/ Access Full Show Notes Here: https://www.heatherparady.com/blog/180

On Nigel Darius’s IG bio, he says that he is “helping the world heal…with words.” As an artist, he uses storytelling and language to foster empathy, curiosity, and human connection. In his latest book, We Say Shalom, he looks at 40 words across 15 languages to uncover their meaning, deepening our experience and connection as humans.In this conversation, we explore the responsibility that comes with using your voice: how to communicate honestly while having respect for nuance, why we should never avoid discomfort if we really want to grow, and the dangers of when we stop listening to perspectives outside our own. Nigel shares why “agreeability does not lead to authenticity,” how artists can use their unique voice to reflect culture back to itself, and why every communicator should remember that within every word, there is a world.WATCH EPISODES ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/heatherparady TOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE:As a communicator, how do you get around the limitations of language?How to communicate truth without losing nuanceHow to develop a message with depthCONNECT WITH NIGEL DARIUS:Website: https://nigeldarius.com/ His book, ‘We Say Shalom’: https://a.co/d/08qXXBd0 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nigeldarius/ CONNECT WITH HEATHER:Follow Heather on IG: https://www.instagram.com/heatherparady/ Access Full Show Notes Here: https://www.heatherparady.com/blog/179

Doogie Horner is an accomplished author, illustrator, and stand-up comedian. Across each medium, he’s learned how to navigate the tension between making work you believe in and accepting when folks don’t get it.In this conversation, we discuss how to respect and develop your creative point of view without becoming closed off to feedback, why your “sketchbook should be a laboratory, not a gallery,” and how to stay enthusiastic when you can’t control how people respond.WATCH EPISODES ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/heatherparadyTOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE:Looking at your work objectively and navigating criticism (and praise)Developing your point of view while staying open to growthStaying enthusiastic about your work when success isn’t guaranteedCONNECT WITH DOOGIE HORNER:Website: https://www.doogiehorner.com/comedyHis book, ‘The Adventures of Invisible Boy’: https://a.co/d/023ICvDaInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/doogiehorner/CONNECT WITH HEATHER:Follow Heather on IG: https://www.instagram.com/heatherparady/Access Full Show Notes Here: https://www.heatherparady.com/blog/178

Catherine Plano is an executive coach, leadership expert, author, and host of The Catherine Plano Podcast. Drawing from psychology, emotional intelligence, and decades of coaching leaders, Catherine helps people understand the patterns, beliefs, and emotional reactions that quietly shape how they experience the world.In this conversation, we explore what our emotional triggers are actually trying to tell us, why curiosity is one of the most powerful tools for personal growth, and how the stories we carry influence the way we respond to conflict, relationships, and ourselves. Catherine shares practical ways to create space between reaction and response, challenge unconscious patterns, and better understand the inner narratives driving our behavior.WATCH EPISODES ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/heatherparady TOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE:What your emotional triggers are really trying to tell youHow curiosity interrupts reactive thinkingWhy the stories you believe shape the life you experienceCONNECT WITH CATHERINE PLANO:Website: https://www.catherineplano.com.au/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catherineplano Listen to ‘The Catherine Plano Podcast’: https://open.spotify.com/show/3H8vdgXprgfHf9wrSJnPbn CONNECT WITH HEATHER:Follow Heather on IG: https://www.instagram.com/heatherparady/ Access Full Show Notes Here: https://www.heatherparady.com/blog/177

Jeremy Jernigan spent two decades in ministry, eventually leading a megachurch before walking away from the role that had defined his entire adult life. Today, through his book The Edge of the Inside, he helps people navigate the difficult space between who they've been and who they're becoming.In this conversation, we explore the psychology of identity loss, the hidden cost of bitterness, and why healing requires more than simply moving on. Jeremy shares what it took to let go of the need to defend himself, why becoming fully present to our pain is part of recovery, and how embracing the "death" of an old life can become the beginning of a more authentic one.WATCH EPISODES ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/heatherparady TOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE:How to move through bitterness without minimizing what happenedRebuilding your identity after losing the role that once defined youBeing deeply misunderstood (while following your calling)CONNECT WITH JEREMY JERNIGAN:Order ‘The Edge of Inside’: https://www.jeremyjernigan.com/edge-of-the-inside CONNECT WITH HEATHER:Follow Heather on IG: https://www.instagram.com/heatherparady/ Access Full Show Notes Here: https://www.heatherparady.com/blog/176