The Leader’s Way

What do we do in seasons of destabilization and doubt, uncertainty or rupture, when we find ourselves in the proverbial spiritual "wilderness?" Sarah Bessey tells us that the site of disruption is often “an altar to encounter God, an invitation from the Spirit” to encounter God’s love anew.

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 Sarah Bessey, author of the best-selling and critically acclaimed books Jesus Feminist; Out of Sorts: Making Peace with an Evolving Faith; Miracles and Other Reasonable Things; and most recently, Field Notes for the Wilderness: Practices for an Evolving Faith.

Sarah and Brandon explore the themes of Sarah’s latest book, diving into the principles, prayers, and practices that help us navigate times of spiritual wilderness, especially for an emerging generation of Christians looking to reconnect to their faith, find inner healing, and build spiritual community.

Host: Brandon Nappi

Guest: Sarah Bessey 

Instagram: @theleadersway.podcast berkeleydivinity.yale.edu/podcast

You can support our work at https://tinyurl.com/support-transforming-leaders

By his own admission, Father Laurence Freeman came into the monastic life "kicking and screaming.”  

In this lively episode, host Brandon Nappi asks Fr. Freeman to share the story of his journey into the monastery, about his relationship with the incredible meditation teacher, John Main, and the profound ways meditation shapes our experience of the world. 

Father Freeman is a monk of the Benedictine Congregation of Monte Oliveto Maggiore. He is the director and spiritual guide of the World Community for Christian Meditation. John Main was his teacher and Fr. Laurence assisted him in establishing the foundations of the Community.  

Fr. Laurence is the author of a number of books on Christian Meditation including Light Within: The Inner Path of Meditation and Jesus: The Teacher Within. He travels extensively giving presentations and leading Christian Meditation Retreats. 

Before entering monastic life, Fr. Laurence worked with the United Nations in New York, in Banking and Journalism.  

 

Host: Brandon Nappi 

Guest: Laurence Freeman 

 

Instagram: @theleadersway.podcast 

berkeleydivinity.yale.edu/podcast 

 

You can support our work at https://tinyurl.com/support-transforming-leaders

How can the science of spirituality help us discover our true purpose in life? 

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 psychiatrist and spiritual coach Dr. Anna Yusim about the science of spirituality as a path to wholeness and healing. Weaving together teachings from Kabbalah, Buddhism, and shamanistic traditions, Dr. Yusim has developed a program that marries empirical science and spirituality to help us find more meaning, more joy, and more fulfillment in life. 

Dr. Yusim is an internationally-recognized, award-winning Stanford- and Yale-educated Psychiatrist & Executive Coach with a Private Practice in New York City, Connecticut, California and Florida. She is the best-selling author of Fulfilled: How the Science of Spirituality Can Help You Live a Happier, More Meaningful Life. With clients including Forbes 500 CEOs, Olympic athletes, A-list actors and actresses, and the Chairs of academic departments at top universities, Dr. Anna Yusim helps influential people achieve greater impact, purpose, and joy in their life and work.  

Host: Brandon Nappi 

Guest: Anna Yusim 

Instagram: @theleadersway.podcast 

berkeleydivinity.yale.edu/podcast 

 

You can support our work at https://tinyurl.com/support-transform...

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