You need to slow down.

So many leaders are driven by the fear of falling behind, convinced that impact requires urgency. And in the frantic pace of the modern world, we forget that God never told us to sprint ahead; he invited us to walk alongside him.

In the final episode of Season 6 of The Disrupters podcast, host Nicole Martin sits down with author, speaker, filmmaker, and VeggieTales creator Phil Vischer. In their conversation, Phil shares about the rapid rise and rapid fall of Big Idea Productions. He opens up about how speed became his idol and how slowing down has allowed God to redeem his failures. Now, as co-host of The Holy Post podcast and a storyteller for the next generation, Phil reflects on what it means to follow Jesus without being consumed by a relentless need to hurry.

Throughout their conversation, Phil warns listeners about the pressures of staying ahead and the toxic pace of modern ministry. From identity to insecurity, performance to obedience, this episode is a powerful reminder that you don’t need to impress God. You just need to patiently walk with him.

When we crucify speed, we find the joy, peace, and purpose only God’s pace can provide.

Tune in now to learn how slowing down might be the most faithful thing you can do as a leader.

This episode highlights the following themes:

• Crucifying speed in a culture addicted to hurry
• Redefining our failure and success through God’s eyes
• Obedience always outweighs outcomes

Links from the episode:

• Discover more about Phil Vischer
• Learn more about Nicole Martin
• Read Nicole Martin's book: Nailing It
• Read the transcript here

Credits:

✅Special offer: Visit ivpress.com and use the code IVPOD25 for 25% off any IVP resource mentioned in this episode.

✅Producers: Jack Reece and Travis Albritton

✅Executive Producer: Helen Lee

✅Sound Engineering: Honest Podcasts

✅Social Media Manager: Allie Noble

✅Production Assistant: Christine Pelliccio Melo

✅Podcast Art: Kate Lillard

✅Theme Song: "Something Else" by Nu Alkemi$t

Disclaimer: The comments, views, and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and/or the guests featured on the podcast and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of InterVarsity Press or InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.

Leaders are expected to meet increasingly high standards, but many are silently suffering under the pressure of constantly needing to perform. But God never called us to perform—He called us to be relational people.

In this episode of The Disrupters, host Nicole Martin is joined by Sheila Wise Rowe and Dr. Nicholas Rowe, co-authors of Healing Leadership Trauma, spiritual formation mentors, and longtime leaders in ministry and education. Sheila Wise Rowe is an award-winning author and counselor who has spent over 30 years walking alongside abuse and trauma survivors. Dr. Nicholas Rowe is the Hansen Associate Professor of Leadership at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, with decades of experience in leadership, reconciliation, and formation. Together, they offer not only practical wisdom but a deep well of spiritual insight.

Through honest reflection, they unpack how unhealed trauma fuels performance-based leadership and how many Christian leaders carry the past, present, and future like a crushing weight. They discuss how early wounds, fear of failure, and pressure to succeed can disconnect leaders from their core identity in Jesus. But when you crucify performance, what rises is something far more powerful: character rooted in truth, leadership grounded in rest, and a witness that’s not built on performance, but presence.

Tune in now to discover how surrendering performance can allow you to lead as a “human being,” not a “human doing.”

This episode highlights the following themes:

• Crucifying performance and recovering authenticity
• Healing leadership trauma across past, present, and future
• Leading others by being rooted in your identity in Christ

Links from the episode:

• Learn more about Sheila Wise Rowe and Dr. Nicholas Rowe
• Check out their book: Healing Leadership Trauma
• Learn more about Nicole Martin
• Read Nicole Martin's book: Nailing It
• Read the transcript here

Credits:

✅Special offer: Visit ivpress.com and use the code IVPOD25 for 25% off any IVP resource mentioned in this episode.

✅Producers: Jack Reece and Travis Albritton

✅Executive Producer: Helen Lee

✅Sound Engineering: Honest Podcasts

✅Social Media Manager: Allie Noble

✅Production Assistant: Christine Pelliccio Melo

✅Podcast Art: Kate Lillard

✅Theme Song: "Something Else" by Nu Alkemi$t

Disclaimer: The comments, views, and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and/or the guests featured on the podcast and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of InterVarsity Press or InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.

In a culture that promises life will go "up and to the right," we're conditioned to believe that success follows a predictable trajectory of increasing achievement and personal fulfillment. But for Christians who desire to lead more faithfully, our expectations for life and leadership must come from what God says about us, about our calling, and about his kingdom.

In this episode of The Disrupters podcast, host Nicole Martin talks with Joanna Meyer, Director of Public Engagement at the Denver Institute for Faith and Work and author of the award-winning book Women, Work and Calling. As a leader in the national Women, Work and Calling initiative, Joanna brings deep insight into how Gospel-formed expectations become the foundation for authentic calling and faithful leadership.

Nicole and Joanna explore what it means to crucify our expectations and lead from a place of flexible surrender rather than rigid entitlement. They share about their experiences as women who lead and serve in the Church, and how they’ve needed to navigate and sometimes reject the expectations that have been placed upon them in the process. Joanna shares her journey through unmet expectations, revealing how beauty and brokenness have worked together to shape her calling and deepen her relationship with Jesus. Throughout their conversation, they emphasize the difference between being faithful and being fruitful, challenging listeners to align their hopes with what God promises will be rather than their own expectation of what should be.

Tune in now to discover how to develop faithful expectations, navigate disappointment, and remain anchored in the Gospel when life doesn't go according to plan.

This episode highlights the following themes:

• The difference between being faithful and being fruitful in leadership
• How broken expectations can deepen intimacy with Christ
• Moving forward in faithfulness when life doesn't meet expectations

Links from the episode:

• Learn more about Joanna Meyer
• Check out Joanna's book: Women, Work and Calling
• Learn more about Nicole Martin
• Read Nicole Martin's book: Nailing It
• Read the transcript here

Credits:

✅Special offer: Visit ivpress.com and use the code IVPOD25 for 25% off any IVP resource mentioned in this episode.

✅Producers: Jack Reece and Travis Albritton

✅Executive Producer: Helen Lee

✅Sound Engineering: Honest Podcasts

✅Social Media Manager: Allie Noble

✅Production Assistant: Christine Pelliccio Melo

✅Podcast Art: Kate Lillard

✅Theme Song: "Something Else" by Nu Alkemi$t

Disclaimer: The comments, views, and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and/or the guests featured on the podcast and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of InterVarsity Press or InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.