Shows / The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast is a podcast all about leadership, change and personal growth. The goal? To help you lead like never before—in your church or in your business. Carey interviews top business and church leaders like Seth Godin, Adam Grant, Nancy Duarte, Simon Sinek, Cal Newport, Patrick Lencioni, Tim Keller, Annie F. Downs, Andy Stanley, Craig Groeschel, Rob Pelinka, Michael Hyatt, Christine Caine, John Mark Comer, Henry Cloud, Gordon MacDonald, Francis Chan, Lysa TerKeurst…
Episodes
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 839 | Philip Anthony Mitchell on Overcoming Jealousy, Surviving a Suicidal Season, How to Lead If Your Church Doesn't Grow (And If It Explodes), and Answering His Critics
Philip Anthony Mitchell has the number-one book in the world, but only a few years ago, he nearly quit and nearly ended his life. In a deeply candid interview…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 838 | "I Don't Want to Be That Guy": Chuck DeGroat on Shame, Burnout, the Limits of Spiritual Disciplines and the Nervous System
Chuck DeGroat has spent years helping pastors after the crisis hits. In this conversation, he explains why shame does more damage than fear, what your nervous…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 837 | The Overcorrection Against Church Growth: Andrew Hopper on Why We Shouldn't Celebrate Church Decline
Andrew Hopper saw his church plant grow to 1000 in two years, and almost nobody understood how hard that actually was. Especially when you planted at 28…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 836 | The Strengths, Weaknesses and Moral Failures of the Mega-Church Movement: Jimmy Mellado on Healthy Growth, Scale, and Lessons from an Olympian
Jimmy Mellado unpacks what the church growth movement got right and wrong from the 90s through 2010s, why concentrated power without governance breaks leaders…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 835 | How to Trust God When You Don't Understand: John Ortberg, Ann Voskamp, and Toni Nieuwhof on Wanting to Give Up and What They Would Believe If They Weren't Christians
John Ortberg, Ann Voskamp, and Toni Nieuwhof get personal about the questions faith doesn't answer easily: what they'd believe if they weren't Christians, why…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 834 | Everything You Know About Multisite Church is Wrong! What the Largest Multisite Study Ever Done Actually Found with Warren Bird and Sean Morgan
Warren Bird and Sean Morgan bust the "8,000 multisite churches" myth with real numbers from the largest multisite study ever done (there are only 1800)…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 833 | The Problem with Going Viral: Seth Godin on the Truth About Influencers, Status and Affiliation and Why You Should Avoid The Race to the Bottom in AI
Seth Godin returns to explore the problem with going viral, the truth about influencers, why you don't want to play the game of gaining more and more influence…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 832 | Building Your Personal Board of Directors: Annie F. Downs on AI Friendship vs. Real Friends and Why Christians Need to Stay in the Secular World
Annie F. Downs joins the show to talk about why every leader needs a personal board of directors and who actually belongs there. Carey and Annie discuss why AI…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 831 | Is AI Worse for Mental Health Than Social Media? Andy Stanley and Holly Goddard Interview Carey Nieuwhof
We missed what social media would do to human flourishing. We can't afford to miss what AI is about to do, especially to the next generation. Andy Stanley and…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 830 | AI Parenting Advice: James Kelly on Whether AI Is Sinful in Nature and the Killer App Trap
Faith Tech's James Kelly sits in rooms with the people building AI companies and models, and he's blunt about what that means for your kids. He unpacks the…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 829 | The Race To Replace Humans Is Already On: Will Jones' Fight To Ban Superintelligent AI and What Most Leaders Have No Idea Is Coming
The AI Frontier labs are building AI to do what YOU do, only faster and cheaper. And most leaders have no idea what's coming. Will Jones of the Future of Life…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 828 | The Giving Disruption Coming for the Church: Pat Gelsinger on AI and Mental Health
Former Intel and VMware CEO Pat Gelsinger talks about what AI is doing to us and our churches. He unpacks the mental health toll of social media (and what's…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 827 | The Questions About AI Leaders Never Ask: AI Girlfriends, Truth and Deepfakes, and Best and Worst Case Scenarios
You use AI. Have you thought about what it's doing to your church, the people you're reaching, or your soul? James (JP) Poulter flips the mic to interview…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 826 | How to Preach Through Controversial Topics: Charlie Dates on What White Preachers and Black Preachers Can Learn From Each Other and Preaching So a Dead Room Wakes Up
Charlie Dates started preaching at eight, lining up chairs in his living room. Now he's one of Chicago's most respected pastors. He joins Carey to talk about…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 825 | What Destroys Leaders: Eric Geiger on Preaching to Your Own Sins and On Disappointing Your Staff
Eric Geiger, senior pastor of Mariners Church, joins Carey to talk about what actually brings leaders down, the personal and systemic reasons for moral…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 824 | A $37 Million Building Campaign with a Church of 900 People: Aaron Graham on Big Vision and The Key to Talking About Hot Button Topics
Aaron Graham is leading a $37 million building campaign with 900 people and explains exactly how to inspire people to give to something much bigger than…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 823 | Winning Back Lost Customers: Will Guidara on Customer Service Pet Peeves, What Simon Sinek Taught Him About Speaking, and Whether AI Will Harm (or Help) Hospitality
Every leader loses customers. Few know how to win them back. Will Guidara, the restaurateur behind Eleven Madison Park and author of Unreasonable Hospitality…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 822 | Seven Signs AI Wrote Your Sermon, What Your Voice Actually Is, and New Study on AI's Impact on the Brain That Should Scare Every Pastor
Should you use AI to write your sermon? Maybe not. Three years after ChatGPT, we don't just sound the same. We're starting to think the same, or not think at…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 821 | Finding Your Voice as a Young Preacher: Tyler Staton on the Gift of Imagination and What Getting Sick Taught Him About Pace
Most young leaders try to sound like someone else long before they sound like themselves. Tyler Staton, lead pastor at Bridgetown Church, talks about finding…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 820 | Required Listening: Eric Peterson and Winn Collier on Eugene Peterson's Battle Over Not Losing HIs Soul, Workaholism, Bono and Celebrity, And the Tension to Create a Contemplative Life
In Part 3 of this summer's Required Listening, Eugene Peterson's son, Eric Peterson, and biographer Winn Collier talk about Eugene Peterson's battle to avoid…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 819 | Required Listening: Eugene Peterson on the Rhythms of a Reflective Life, The Challenges of Leading Through the 1960s, and the Origin of the Message
In Part 2 of this summer's Required Listening, Carey interviews Eugene Peterson weeks before he retired from public life. Carey talks to Eugene about the…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 818 | Required Listening: Gordon MacDonald on the View From 80 and 15 Lessons On What Really Matter in Life and Leadership
In this inaugural episode of Required Listening, Carey talks to Gordon MacDonald. For his 80th birthday, Gordon MacDonald wrote down the 15 leadership and life…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 817 | Grieving Your Ministry Wounds: Father Ronald Rolheiser and John Mark Comer on Getting Past Bitterness and Giving Your Life and Death Away
Father Ron Rolheiser has thought longer and harder about grief, aging, leadership, bitterness, and surrender than almost anyone alive. John Mark Comer joins me…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 816 | The Brutal Reality of Pastoring: John Ortberg on Leadership Pain, the Introvert's Ministry Dilemma, and Dealing With the Job You Didn't Sign Up For
John Ortberg has spent decades leading churches, writing books, and teaching leaders. But every leader has parts of the job they're not naturally good at. In…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 815 | The Death of Secularism: Matt Chandler on Why Pastors Shouldn't Wear Capes and When the Church Is All Wood and No Fire
Matt Chandler doesn't pull punches. The lead pastor of The Village Church joins Carey to talk about why wearing a cape doesn't help anyone, the death of…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 814 | Networking Without the Awkward: Michael Bungay Stanier on Better 1:1s and Building a Path No One Else Is Walking
Networking feels fake because most people do it wrong. Michael Bungay Stanier has a better way. In this conversation, MBS breaks down how to connect without…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 813 | Church Trends Update: Your Congregation Is Being Discipled 49 Hours a Week (And Not By You), The Wrong Convo About AI, Women Leaving, and the Anti-Celebrity Pastor
Six months into 2026, four church trends deserve a closer look. Algorithms are discipling your congregation 49 hours a week. AI's biggest threat isn't…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 812 | Creativity Is the Church's Lost Superpower: Al Gordon on How Stress and Algorithms Are Killing Your Imagination and How to Unlock Creativity in Your Team
Most leaders don't think of themselves as creative. Al Gordon says that's the lie keeping you stuck. Al, founder of Renaissance, lead pastor of SAINT in East…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 811 | The Myth of 10,000 Hours: David Epstein on How Creativity Actually Works and Why Constraints Set You Free
New York Times bestselling author David Epstein talks about why Malcolm Gladwell's 10000-hour rule isn't accurate, how he and Malcolm became friends, how…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 810 | The End of Anxiety? Joshua Becker on Spiritual Minimalism and When Enough is Enough
Former pastor, minimalist, and New York Times bestselling author Joshua Becker returns to the podcast. He discusses why he left ministry to pursue a fresh…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 809 | Get Past Broke Thinking In Your Church: The Lean Startup's Eric Reis on When To Take A Risk and Why Harder is Easier
New York Times bestselling author Eric Ries applies his startup philosophy to churches. Carey and Eric cover how to know when to take a risk, how to get past…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 808 | Why Leadership Is Designed to Kill You: Nicole Martin on Leading Christianity Today in a Divided, Rapidly Changing World
Nicole Martin made history as Christianity Today's first Black female CEO — and took the hits that come with it. In this conversation: the backlash, Billy…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 807 | How to Make Your Life Burnout-Proof: Burnout 20 Years Later, Part 2
Twenty years after burnout almost took him out, Carey is back with Part 2—the recovery playbook. You don't need to get back to normal. Normal is what burned…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 806 | I Was Almost Ministry Road Kill: Burn Out 20 Years Later, Part 1
Twenty years ago this month, Carey almost became ministry road kill. After 11 years of 30%+ annual growth, he burned out, hard. In Part 1 of this solo episode…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastBreaking Mental Strongholds: A Conversation with Louie Giglio, Jennie Allen, and Craig Groeschel
There's a battle happening in our minds: one that shapes how we see ourselves, our circumstances, and even God. In this episode, Carey moderates a conversation…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 805 | The Reason Your Church Isn't Multiplying and Fresh Trends in Church Planting With Dave Ferguson
The vast majority of churches are plateaued or declining, and Exponential CEO Dave Ferguson explains why most churches never grow, let alone multiply. Plus, he…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 804 | How to De-escalate an Angry Church and Leading a Ministry You Didn't Start with Rich Villodas
Carey caught up with Rich Villodas backstage at Exponential to talk about the learnable skills that keep leaders and congregations non-anxious in an angry age…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 803 | Mass-Marketed Sin, Political Warfare, and Why Your Best Staff Keep Leaving with Joel Muddamalle
Joel Muddamalle is a theologian who thinks harder about spiritual warfare than almost anyone in the church today. In this conversation: how sin got a…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 802 | How the Modern Church Was Shaped: Church Growth, Seeker Sensitive, Attractional, Missional with Todd Wilson
Most church leaders are leading inside a model they never chose and rarely understand. In this episode, Todd Wilson, founder of Exponential, walks through the…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 801 | When the Ministry Playbook Doesn't Work Anymore: Robby Gallaty and Vick Green on the Keys to Discipleship and Revival
What do you do when you run a playbook on discipleship that's worked for years, and it stops working? That led Robby Gallaty to a place of despair, and out of…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 800 | Women in Ministry: Preston Sprinkle on What the Bible Actually Says
Preston Sprinkle studied the full biblical narrative on women in ministry inductively, without an agenda. From Genesis to Paul, we discuss what he found and…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 799 | Christine Caine: The Real Reasons Women Are Done With Church
Christine Caine returns to the podcast to discuss the real reasons she thinks women are done with the church, how to get them back, why playing the Holy…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 798 |Finally Beat Sermon Deadline Procrastination: Jon Acuff on Procrastination, Building an Audience, and AI-Proofing Your Impact
Find yourself procrastinating? You're not alone. Jon Acuff explains how to finally stop procrastinating on your sermon writing and other projects. Plus, he…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 797 | Why You Shouldn't Chase Your Passion: Bill Gurley on the Delusional Factor Every Outlier Needs and How to Find a Mentor
Bill Gurley, legendary investor behind Uber, Snapchat, and Twitter, shares why "follow your passion" is dangerously misleading, what to chase instead, what the…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 796 | Best Advice For Preachers: Arthur Brooks on How To Reclaim 20 Hours of Sermon Writing Time + The Meaning of Your Life
Arthur C. Brooks attends church every single day, has sat through thousands of sermons, gives lectures and talks around the world and based on that, gives his…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 795 | A 100% Digital Church: What Mark Lutz Learned That Physical Churches Are Missing
Mark Lutz pastored a regular church for a few years. Then, as a gamer, he opened up Lux Church, a 100% ditigal church created for gamers. He explains the…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 794 | Overcoming Your Self-Limiting Beliefs and the Science Behind How Prayer Builds Resilience With Nir Eyal
How do you get past your self-limiting beliefs? Best-selling author Nir Eyal talks about the research on why some leaders see the positive while others see the…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 793 | Carl Lentz On Preaching While Having Sex Outside Marriage, How the Pressure of Church Growth Got To Him, And Warning Signs for Other Church Leaders
Former Hillsong NYC pastor Carl Lentz opens up about the factors that led to the collapse of his ministry. He discusses the core issues that led to his breach…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 792 | I Wanted to Quit Everything: Jennie Allen on Suffering, Spiritual Warfare, Lies Leaders Believe, and Not Giving Up
Jennie Allen reflects on a year like no other she's had: an ephocal global event followed by a terribly difficult sabbatical, health scares, and…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 791 | Why Church Dating Advice No Longer Works: JJ and Kait Tomlin on the Realities Single Christians Face
JJ and Kait Tomlin join the podcast to give candid advice to church leaders who, um, haven't dated in a while. It's different out there than it used to be…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 790 | Red Flags Driving Women Out of Church (and How to Fix Them) with Kadi Cole
Recent data shows that while young men are coming to church in record numbers, women are leaving. Why? Kadi Cole shares the #1 reason women are leaving church…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 789 | Beth Moore on Knowing When It's Time to Leave and Proof-Texting Scripture to Keep the Pulpit and Power
Beth Moore talks about leaving the SBC a decade ago, how to know when it's time to leave, why so many women are leaving the church, and proof-texting scripture…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 788 | Are You Marketing Revival? The Problem with Mixed Motives and Social Media in Church Leaders
In this episode, Carey asks the question of whether we're selling church growth and marketing revival on social media. As leaders, our motives are always…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 787 | Emergency Episode | Pastoring Angry People: When to Speak, When to Stay Silent, and Leading Without Losing Everyone
The cultural moment we're in isn't just tense — it's a full convulsion, and it's landing in your church every Sunday. In this emergency panel episode, Ed…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 786 | Craig Groeschel and His Therapist Join the Show: What Happens When a Leader Hits a Breaking Point
Life.Church Senior Pastor Craig Groeschel and his therapist, Dr. Wayne Chappelle, join Carey to talk about a wall Craig hit in ministry, that he thought might…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 785 | Patrick Lencioni Opens Up About His Dark Night of the Soul, How Work Can Heal You, And Leading Next Gen Leaders
Patrick Lencioni opens up about his dark night of the soul and his recent five-month sabbatical. Plus, we discuss how we go to work to heal and the joys and…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 784 | Leadership is NOT Lonely! Henry Cloud on Founderitis and Why You're More In Control Than You Think
Henry Cloud explains why leadership is not lonely, or at least, shouldn't be. Plus, we discuss why founders hang on too long and why leaders have far more…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 783 | Are We Too Critical Of the Church? John Crist Returns to Talk Cynicism, Hope, and Getting the Tonight Show
Comedian and listener favorite John Crist returns to ask if we're being too critical of the church right now. Has our cynicism gone too far? Plus, we talk…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 782 | The Problem of Mini-Celebrity Pastors: Les McKeown on Growth Barriers for Church Leaders
Leadership expert Les McKeown talks about the rise of mini-celebrity pastors, the limits that places on church growth and team development, and how to overcome…
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership PodcastCNLP 781 | John Mark Comer Goes to the Desert, Clarifies Where He Stands, and Deep Dives on a Major Challenge for Modern Discipleship
John Mark Comer talks about his 21-day venture into the desert and a silence unlike any he's known in his life. Plus, he clarifies where he stands in terms of…