Every tragedy in life may result in transcendence. As we’re going through difficulties, especially today with the pandemic, we realize that these challenges are opportunities to discover things you never knew existed. On today’s show, Dr. Tracey Jones and Terri Murphy tackle a very timely subject–how to handle life’s tough times and master the gift of challenge! If you’re feeling lost or broken, tune in and discover how to refresh, replenish, and come out stronger!

It’s our responsibility to share knowledge as fellow human beings. But we’re not responsible for their actions. In this episode, Dr. Tracey Jones comes in as a guest in Ken Walls’ podcast, Breakthrough Walls. Ken is the CEO of Client Solution Innovations, which aims to “provide leading-edge technology and creative strategy to deliver measurable results to clients.” Dr. Tracey shares with Ken how her father, Charlie Tremendous Jones, used to say “you can lead a horse to the water but you can’t make him drink.” Join in the conversation to gain wise insights on leadership. You wouldn't want to miss this episode!

Motivation is a powerful force that pushes us closer to our goals, but there are times when it is not enough. To solve this, one must unlock their full potential to discover what they are really good at and where they should put their efforts into. Dr. Tracey Jones talks about how to do this with Bill Guertin, going deep on why imposter syndrome is something every leader must eliminate, the importance of getting support from your loved ones, the right time to delegate work, and why you must filter your consumption of too much information. Bill also presents two of his projects focused on bettering oneself: Stadium Gorilla and The 7 Voices In Your Head.

Aside from experience and the people around you, one of the richest sources of profound knowledge is books. Leading by reading books is indeed a good way to acquire strategies that will help improve your team and acquire values that would help inspire your followers. Award-winning radio producer and host of Read To Lead podcast Jeff Brown talks about this particular leadership style with Dr. Tracey Jones. Known for his habit of reading one book a week, Jeff shares how reading can significantly change how leaders think and act. He also explains the importance of getting feedback from others and how to design your priorities in the most effective way to actually get things done.

Leaders involved in pastoral ministry are expected to do a lot more work than others. Most of the time, they need to sacrifice many personal desires to serve their flock, even in the middle of a challenging situation like a pandemic. Dr. Tracey Jones sits down with Dr. Richmond Wandera, the President of Pastoral Discipleship Network, to look back on the accountant-turned-pastor's ministry in Uganda. Dr. Wandera shares the importance of connecting deeply with the sheep under your care to dismantle loneliness, and how pastors must always revisit their churches' purpose to reinvent them according to the demand of society. He also explains how every sheep under a pastor must be given a chance to lead on their own in order to grow, and how this small step can make churches shine brighter than ever.

Leaders are defined not only by their goals but also by their followers. Learning how to lead is not just about building your own values but also inspiring others through those same values you care for. Dr. Tracey Jones sits down with Brock Culpepper of Redeemed Ministries as he shares the right way to determine your purpose in life without ignoring the important role of serving others and how connecting more with a community helps dispel the challenges of leadership. He also shares the strategies he uses to nurture his own team and hone them to be leaders, as well as his ministerial journey that sheds light on the strengths that can be found even at our lowest points.

It is often said that you cannot give what you do not have, and that same message is true when it comes to leaders. Dr. Tracey Jones talks about the importance of self-care in leadership with Latonya Brock, the Executive Director of the Quincy Chamber in Illinois and Founder of Latonya Brock Ministries. Latonya explains why leaders must always take a breath and celebrate even the smallest victories to connect with their followers better. She also stresses that by taking care of yourself and knowing your visions clearly, being a trailblazer for your team and an agent of tremendous change is possible.

Leaders who manage startup businesses usually have a lot of things on their plate. Just a single mistake and everything can crumble even without getting the business out there. Entrepreneur and speaker Alec Stern aims to help startup business owners achieve success by sharing some effective strategies with Dr. Tracey Jones. Alec talks about keeping a diverse team that can cover different bases at once so leaders can focus on their strengths. He also explains how success can be found even outside the workplace, how to find and screen the most skilled people to add to your team, and effectively pitch your brand without wasting time and money.

Though a gratifying position, being a leader demands a lot of prices to pay to achieve success. And because of weariness and loneliness at the top, many lose their leadership focus and give up before reaching the end. Dr. Tracey Jones discusses some ways to overcome this challenge with Ann McNeill, the President and CEO of MCO Construction. Ann talks about the importance of journaling to separate ideas from opportunities and gain a clear focus on your goals. She also shares how reading books with other people helps better team building and design properly targeted goals for both your business and family.

Leaders tend to have calendars and journals chocking with goals and reminders, and there is little to no time to accomplish everything. Despite this rigid monitoring, almost nothing is getting done because of unfocused efforts, and that's why leaders should remember that less is more. Dr. Tracey Jones discusses this with the Founder of Vision Leadership Foundation, Leon Drennan, who believes that concentrating first on the things that must be done immediately can help streamline a rather bulky workload. If every leader learns how to do this, they can manage their members well, work closely with them, and have extra time to appreciate their hard work and celebrate even the smallest victories.

Leaders are not and cannot be made overnight. If anything, leadership success can only be attained through years of motivation and dedication, sprinkled with challenges and sacrifices. Dr. Tracey Jones interviews Mark Victor Hansen, who is a living example of this. The author of the best-selling book series Chicken Soup for the Soul, Mark looks back on his career's challenges and how his skills embedded in leadership made him an author publishing several books, ventured into podcasting, spent time in charity, and even licensed books. He also talks about how politics and the government affects our decision making and why writing and reading are important ingredients in making a true, effective leader.

Being a leader means not only going after a certain goal. It is also about connecting with people. As expected, not everyone in your team will agree with you, and some may even betray you. Dr. Tracey Jones sits down with world-renowned evangelist Frank Shelton in discussing how to deal with challenges that come when rising as a leader, especially when dealing with people from all walks of life. Frank emphasizes the unexpected results that come out from working even with competitors, how weariness can be used as a tool for a profound reinvention of leadership, and how the loneliness experienced by most leaders can be defeated by loyalty.

Leadership calls for a particular scope of intelligence, as leading a group of people to achieve a certain goal involves planning, innovating, and managing. Most of the time, leaders have this trait, but unlocking your genius and applying it in the right way is something many people miss. Exploring this topic with Dr. Tracey Jones is international best-selling author Michael Gelb. They talk about how geniuses must adjust their visions on a level everyone can understand, why rest is a significant part of success despite intense working days, and how to break away from unrewarding habits. Michael also looks back on the life of a real-life genius Leonardo da Vinci and explains why every aspiring leader must have a dream team of mentors to look up to.

With the internet making the world smaller and smaller every single day, people from all over have been able to exchange thoughts on the most trending topics with ease. For a leader to be effective, knowing the proper balance between opinions and social media is necessary. Speaker and author Katie Bulmer stresses the importance of this with Dr. Tracey Jones as they discuss how every opinion must always be partnered with responsibility, how to digest the online world full of personal thoughts, and why every voice must be heard, even those that consider themselves irrelevant. Katie also shares some tips on using social media in the most rewarding way and why self-encouragement is the strongest form of motivation you can get for yourself.

Every leader knows the burden of handling a lot of people and making them work together effectively. Team building is easier said than done, even if a definite objective is in place. Dr. Tracey Jones talks with speaker and author Tony Boquet about what makes leading a team more effective, such as learning how to adjust your goals depending on the people you work with and how to discover your own vision by having a clear idea of your location first. Tony also explains why strong motivation is the only way to change people and how weariness can be eliminated through the people around you – especially your family.

At certain times, leaders will find themselves at the crossroads that require them to make game-changing decisions. Whatever the decision may be, you may still face questions from various members of your team, and accepting criticism is usually a challenging task. Even if it's for the greater good, sacrifices are sometimes needed. Nonprofit executive professional Dr. Rob Harter explores this gut-wrenching part of leadership and explains how such situations can still be welcomed as chances for further learning and understanding. Sitting with Dr. Tracey Jones, Dr. Harter shares some tips on time management and how he keeps his routine as fresh and interesting as possible.

If you strive to lead in the most inspiring and effective way possible, gathering all your strength and taking a huge jump is needed. Those who want to lead must realize how huge the role they are going to play but still do everything in their power to stay within their vision and values. Dr. Tracey Jones is joined by international best-selling author Bob Burg on talking about the secrets of strong leadership. They go deep on how to go after dreams that are much bigger than anything else, achieving the dedication of non-quitters, keeping yourself in “learning mode,” and maintaining a constant character that can touch others.

The world is rapidly changing, particularly in terms of technology, and it has brought upon significant changes in business and marketing. That's why adapting in leadership is a must today, and you must be up on your feet to deal with digital advancements and innovations in working with a team. Dr. Tracey Jones talks to speaker and author Mark Amtower, dubbed as the Godfather of Government Marketing. Mark believes that every leader must continuously adapt to handling relationships with other leaders and know how or when to repurpose their strategies according to the internet's current rules. Otherwise, they will be left behind and completely fail to inspire others.

Though bound by a specific goal and vision, people within a team do not necessarily uphold the same ideals or attitudes. This makes leadership in diversity one of the most challenging aspects of directing a group towards a common goal. Despite this, the Founder of Women's Wisdom Network, Terri Murphy, believes that knowing every individual member of the team and understanding where they are coming from is key in unlocking the best leader in yourself. She shares with Dr. Tracey Jones why judging people is the last thing every leader should be doing, how to find your own co-leaders instead of followership, and why you must never push yourself past your limits just to be productive.