224: Lead with Virtue | Shanon Stallard

Experiencing a shrinking parish, disengaged staff, or painful meetings that go nowhere? I hit leadership coach Shanon Stallard with three parish leadership scenarios that might sound familiar. No prep, just rapid-fire wisdom on uncovering God's vision, leading underperforming staff, and fixing bad meetings using practical tools like the POP framework. Episode Timeline: 00:00 – Introduction 00:34 – Scenario 1: A shrinking parish 01:54 – Scenario 2: Underperforming staff 03:50 – Scenario 3: Unhelpful meetings 07:17 – Final thoughts and where to connect with Shanon Resources Mentioned Lead with Virtue Petros Leadership Our Trusted Partners Faith and Family Life Catholic Ministries (FFLCM) helps Catholic parishes and dioceses transform fragmented faith formation into an integrated, family-centered pathway of lifelong discipleship. Through the Pathways Formation suite, practical resources, leader formation, and ongoing accompaniment, they equip leaders to engage families, build sustainable teams, and cultivate faith that is lived at church and at home. Alpha USA is a series of interactive sessions where people can have an open and honest faith conversation, without the pressure of having all of the answers. Alpha creates a space for all people to explore questions of faith, life, and meaning. ⭐️ Enjoying the Show? If The EquipCast is helping you navigate the realities of parish leadership, please take 60 seconds to leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your review helps other tired ministry leaders find these tools and realize they don’t have to walk this path alone! Connect & Take the Next Step: Grab Your Free Tools: Get the playbook that actually changes lives at EverydayEvangelization.org. Bring This to Your Parish: Discover strategic training and accompaniment at Anchor Consulting. Read the Book: Order your copy of A Clear Path: How to Make Missionary Disciples in Your Parish. The EquipCast is powered by Everyday Evangelization in conjunction with Anchor Consulting, delivering practical evangelization strategies and parish ministry tools to help you leave your ministry better than you found it. Copyright © 2026 Anchor Consulting. All rights reserved.

Ever feel like you’re giving everything to your ministry, but the more you lean on your strengths, the more frustrated your team becomes? Today, I sit down with former military officer, triathlete, and executive coach Shanon Stallard to unpack the hidden trap of overplaying our natural gifts when our people actually need something different. We dive into why true pastoral leadership isn't about rigid control, but cultivating the versatile virtue and self-awareness needed to love and lead well. Episode Timeline: 00:00 - Introduction 01:59 - Seasons, time zones, and summer Christmases down under 05:40 - From farm boy to army officer and pro triathlete 11:23 - When your sport breaks you: the crucible of self-leadership 13:57 - What church leaders can learn from the military 18:15 - The great man trap and why we need versatile leadership 21:30 - Putting down the hammer when what you really need is a saw 25:35 - Priests as generals and technicians: the challenge of leading volunteers 29:59 - The four skill domains every parish leader must navigate 33:54 - The leadership exercise: diagnosing your best and worst bosses 37:51 - Stepping into the gap when you feel completely unequipped 43:25 - Lead with Virtue: forming character when secular culture presses in 47:13 - Identity versus reputation: the blind spot of overplayed gifts 52:10 - Three ways to build real self-awareness 54:58 - The power of three simple words: tell me more 57:21 - Wrapping up and leaning into grace Resources Mentioned Lead with Virtue Petros Leadership Our Trusted Partners Faith and Family Life Catholic Ministries (FFLCM) helps Catholic parishes and dioceses transform fragmented faith formation into an integrated, family-centered pathway of lifelong discipleship. Through the Pathways Formation suite, practical resources, leader formation, and ongoing accompaniment, they equip leaders to engage families, build sustainable teams, and cultivate faith that is lived at church and at home. Alpha USA is a series of interactive sessions where people can have an open and honest faith conversation, without the pressure of having all of the answers. Alpha creates a space for all people to explore questions of faith, life, and meaning. ⭐️ Enjoying the Show? If The EquipCast is helping you navigate the realities of parish leadership, please take 60 seconds to leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your review helps other tired ministry leaders find these tools and realize they don’t have to walk this path alone! Connect & Take the Next Step: Grab Your Free Tools: Get the playbook that actually changes lives at EverydayEvangelization.org. Bring This to Your Parish: Discover strategic training and accompaniment at Anchor Consulting. Read the Book: Order your copy of A Clear Path: How to Make Missionary Disciples in Your Parish. The EquipCast is powered by Everyday Evangelization in conjunction with Anchor Consulting, delivering practical evangelization strategies and parish ministry tools to help you leave your ministry better than you found it. Copyright © 2026 Anchor Consulting. All rights reserved.

When Bishop Fintan Gavin was appointed to the Diocese of Cork and Ross, he inherited what so many of us in parish ministry are looking at right now: tired priests, historic churches echoing with memories, and a rapidly changing culture where the old ways of "doing church" simply don't connect anymore. It’s easy to look at those empty pews and think the story is over, but that’s not what’s happening on the ground. Across Ireland, the old ways of doing things are breaking open to reveal something fresh: packed young adult masses and 5,000 pilgrims pouring out onto rain-soaked streets behind the Blessed Sacrament. The scaffolding of cultural Catholicism might be falling away, but Jesus is very much alive. Join Bishop Fintan and me as we talk through shifting from parish maintenance to mission, learning to trust the Holy Spirit in the transition, and the quiet power of person-to-person invitation. Episode Timeline: 00:00 - Welcome: Bishop Fintan Gavin of Cork and Ross 01:57 - From Dublin to Rome: Vocation, homeless ministry, and spiritual fatherhood 09:40 - Lourdes pilgrimages: Vulnerability, healing, and Irish community 14:44 - The secular shift: Cultural Catholicism and the modern mission field 21:18 - Rebuilding post-COVID: Families of Parishes and reimagining priesthood 28:56 - Maintenance to mission: The power of one-on-one evangelization 33:08 - Carlo Acutis in Cork: Relics, adoration, and 5,000 pilgrims in the rain 37:48 - Signs of hope: The Emmaus Cafe, adult baptisms, and young adult life 43:30 - Encouragement for tired leaders: Trusting the Spirit today Resources Mentioned Diocese of Cork and Ross Our Trusted Partners Faith and Family Life Catholic Ministries (FFLCM) helps Catholic parishes and dioceses transform fragmented faith formation into an integrated, family-centered pathway of lifelong discipleship. Through the Pathways Formation suite, practical resources, leader formation, and ongoing accompaniment, they equip leaders to engage families, build sustainable teams, and cultivate faith that is lived at church and at home. Alpha USA is a series of interactive sessions where people can have an open and honest faith conversation, without the pressure of having all of the answers. Alpha creates a space for all people to explore questions of faith, life, and meaning. ⭐️ Enjoying the Show? If The EquipCast is helping you navigate the realities of parish leadership, please take 60 seconds to leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your review helps other tired ministry leaders find these tools and realize they don’t have to walk this path alone! Connect & Take the Next Step: Grab Your Free Tools: Get the playbook that actually changes lives at EverydayEvangelization.org. Bring This to Your Parish: Discover strategic training and accompaniment at Anchor Consulting. Read the Book: Order your copy of A Clear Path: How to Make Missionary Disciples in Your Parish. The EquipCast is powered by Everyday Evangelization in conjunction with Anchor Consulting, delivering practical evangelization strategies and parish ministry tools to help you leave your ministry better than you found it. Copyright © 2026 Anchor Consulting. All rights reserved.

I sat down with one of my longtime friends and mentors in ministry, Tom Quinlan, and what started as a conversation about the mechanics of parish life quickly became a masterclass in missionary courage. So many of us in ministry are completely exhausted. We run sacramental prep programs, coordinate volunteers, and check every conceivable box, only to watch young couples and families slip through our fingers the moment a sacrament is complete. We take that burden on our own shoulders, wondering what we did wrong and burning out under the lie that if we don't save the parish, nobody will. Tom cuts straight through that noise with an honest, freeing reality check: God never asked us to do the Spirit’s work. Our place is to support God’s movement. Episode Timeline: [00:00] - Introduction [06:48] - The four movements: Surrender, radical gratitude, and finding true joy [14:50] - The unvarnished reality of parish formation [21:55] - Why baptism is our greatest missed opportunity [28:16] - The holy courage to rebuild tired ministries [34:21] - "We cannot do this": Getting out of the way of the Holy Spirit [39:33] - From consumers to stakeholders [49:59] - The new Pentecost game plan: Reclaiming our missionary calling [55:34] - Permission to exhale and let God carry the work Resources Mentioned Excellence in Ministry At Home in the Heart of God Six Keys To Evangelizing Baptismal Ministry Parent Sacrament Formation Our Trusted Partners Faith and Family Life Catholic Ministries (FFLCM) helps Catholic parishes and dioceses transform fragmented faith formation into an integrated, family-centered pathway of lifelong discipleship. Through the Pathways Formation suite, practical resources, leader formation, and ongoing accompaniment, they equip leaders to engage families, build sustainable teams, and cultivate faith that is lived at church and at home. ⭐️ Enjoying the Show? If The EquipCast is helping you navigate the realities of parish leadership, please take 60 seconds to leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your review helps other tired ministry leaders find these tools and realize they don’t have to walk this path alone! Connect & Take the Next Step: Grab Your Free Tools: Get the playbook that actually changes lives at EverydayEvangelization.org. Bring This to Your Parish: Discover strategic training and accompaniment at Anchor Consulting. Read the Book: Order your copy of A Clear Path: How to Make Missionary Disciples in Your Parish. The EquipCast is powered by Everyday Evangelization in conjunction with Anchor Consulting, delivering practical evangelization strategies and parish ministry tools to help you leave your ministry better than you found it. Copyright © 2026 Anchor Consulting. All rights reserved.

With the Milwaukee Brewers making an incredible run to the World Series, all eyes are on the diamond. But behind the microphone, how does the play-by-play voice of the team keep his soul grounded in a high-visibility, high-stress career? This week, Jim Jansen sits down with Brewers broadcaster Lane Grindle to solve a problem every busy Catholic faces: how to stop separating your "work self" from your "faith self". Lane shares real-world wisdom on navigating a grueling travel schedule, surviving the intense culture of modern youth sports, and maintaining the daily disciplines needed to remain an intentional husband, father, and man of faith. Episode Timeline: 00:00 – Introduction: Meet Lane Grindle 03:36 – Lane’s journey into the Catholic Church. 06:14 – The Grace of the Reset: Why Lane goes to Confession once a week. 07:20 – Life in the Broadcast Booth 12:59 – Learning how to leave work at work. 16:47 – How sending of gratitude letters transformed Lane's spiritual life. 22:36 – How relationships build real trust in professional clubhouses. 28:59 – Athletes that Inspire Lane. 32:24 – Surviving Youth Sports: Practical advice for parents on teaching kids to dream big while keeping Mass the priority. 41:44 – Small daily habits and making holy decisions. Check out more episodes of The EquipCast at EverydayEvangelization.org! Our Trusted Partners: Faith and Family Life Catholic Ministries (FFLCM) helps Catholic parishes and dioceses transform fragmented faith formation into an integrated, family-centered pathway of lifelong discipleship. Through the Pathways Formation suite, practical resources, leader formation, and ongoing accompaniment, they equip leaders to engage families, build sustainable teams, and cultivate faith that is lived at church and at home. ⭐️ Enjoying the Show? If The EquipCast is helping you navigate the realities of parish leadership, please take 60 seconds to leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your review helps other tired ministry leaders find these tools and realize they don’t have to walk this path alone! Connect & Take the Next Step: Grab Your Free Tools: Get the playbook that actually changes lives at EverydayEvangelization.org. Bring This to Your Parish: Discover strategic training and accompaniment at Anchor Consulting. Read the Book: Order your copy of A Clear Path: How to Make Missionary Disciples in Your Parish. The EquipCast is powered by Everyday Evangelization in conjunction with Anchor Consulting, delivering practical evangelization strategies and parish ministry tools to help you leave your ministry better than you found it. Copyright © 2026 Anchor Consulting. All rights reserved.

Are you like me? You try everything you know to share your faith with the ones you love, only to feel like you hit a brick wall. Today, I want to share with you the framework that changed my approach. I sit down with Doug Schaupp, the ministry leader who co-developed the Thresholds out of his own period of deep ministry burnout. He shares so candidly about coming home, getting in the shower after another failed conversation, and feeling completely defeated. But the beauty of Doug's story is that our fruitlessness doesn't mean God has stopped working. It’s actually an invitation to trade our rigid assumptions for true, humble accompaniment. When we stop trying to "slay people with apologetics" and instead learn to listen, ask better questions, and honor where they truly are on their journey, the weight falls off our shoulders. It turns evangelization from a high-pressure sales pitch into a joyful, relational walk toward Jesus. Episode Timeline: [00:00] - Introduction [02:09] - Doug's Personal Story and Ministry Roots [07:03] - Hitting the Brick Wall and Shower Defeat [08:27] - Mapping the Journey: The Origin of the Five Thresholds [10:30] - The Unexpected Impact of the Thresholds [16:59] - Breakdown of the Five Thresholds [24:04] - Trading Rigid Assumptions for True Accompaniment [30:40] - Pathway Thinking and Creating On-Ramps for Seekers [43:27] - How to Get Started [48:19] - Ecumenical Friendship and Future Collaboration Resources Mentioned: I Once was Lost DougSchaupp.com/ Episode 94: The Thresholds of Conversion and Discipleship The Thresholds Game Our Trusted Partners Faith and Family Life Catholic Ministries (FFLCM) helps Catholic parishes and dioceses transform fragmented faith formation into an integrated, family-centered pathway of lifelong discipleship. Through the Pathways Formation suite, practical resources, leader formation, and ongoing accompaniment, they equip leaders to engage families, build sustainable teams, and cultivate faith that is lived at church and at home. ⭐️ Enjoying the Show? If The EquipCast is helping you navigate the realities of parish leadership, please take 60 seconds to leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your review helps other tired ministry leaders find these tools and realize they don’t have to walk this path alone! Connect & Take the Next Step: Grab Your Free Tools: Get the playbook that actually changes lives at EverydayEvangelization.org. Bring This to Your Parish: Discover strategic training and accompaniment at Anchor Consulting. Read the Book: Order your copy of A Clear Path: How to Make Missionary Disciples in Your Parish. The EquipCast is powered by Everyday Evangelization in conjunction with Anchor Consulting, delivering practical evangelization strategies and parish ministry tools to help you leave your ministry better than you found it. Copyright © 2026 Anchor Consulting. All rights reserved.

Diocesan offices have operated for decades with the best of intentions: launching youth rallies, running marriage retreats, and generally, drawing people to events at centralized locations. While well meaning, these events can unintentionally usurp the work of the parish. They draw people away from their faith community rather than helping them build deep relationships and make disciples in their own neighborhoods. So what if a diocese made the bold choice to stop running programs and start supporting the work happening in the parishes? Fr. Gary Kastl joins me to talk about how the Diocese of Tulsa tore down its traditional department walls to build a Parish Support team focused entirely on the parish front lines. Because a diocese shouldn't compete with its parishes for people’s time; it should equip parishes to thrive. Episode Timeline: [00:00] - Introduction and welcome [01:28] - Fr. Gary Kastl on rural Oklahoma roots and meeting Christ [04:35] - Finding a priestly vocation and asking hard questions [12:46] - Why the church exists and keeping our eye on the mission [17:18] - The problem with waiting for someone upstream to tell you what to do [22:23] - Why central chancery programs can draw focus away from local parishes [26:14] - Measuring spiritual return on investment with the widow's mite [30:32] - OCIA as the primary health metric for making new disciples [34:44] - How Tulsa dismantled office silos to build a Parish Support Team [38:50] - Shifting from asking pastors to do one more thing to offering help [44:16] - Overcoming programmatic habits through real accompaniment Resources Mentioned The Diocese of Tulsa Parish Support team Our Trusted Partners Faith and Family Life Catholic Ministries (FFLCM) helps Catholic parishes and dioceses transform fragmented faith formation into an integrated, family-centered pathway of lifelong discipleship. Through the Pathways Formation suite, practical resources, leader formation, and ongoing accompaniment, they equip leaders to engage families, build sustainable teams, and cultivate faith that is lived at church and at home. ⭐️ Enjoying the Show? If The EquipCast is helping you navigate the realities of parish leadership, please take 60 seconds to leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your review helps other tired ministry leaders find these tools and realize they don’t have to walk this path alone! Connect & Take the Next Step: Grab Your Free Tools: Get the playbook that actually changes lives at EverydayEvangelization.org. Bring This to Your Parish: Discover strategic training and accompaniment at Anchor Consulting. Read the Book: Order your copy of A Clear Path: How to Make Missionary Disciples in Your Parish. The EquipCast is powered by Everyday Evangelization in conjunction with Anchor Consulting, delivering practical evangelization strategies and parish ministry tools to help you leave your ministry better than you found it. Copyright © 2026 Anchor Consulting. All rights reserved.

We spend a lot of time searching for the next best practice or ministry tool, but what if our efforts are stalling because we have skipped the most essential step? In this hot take, I give my thoughts on why genuine renewal requires turning back to God. JD Flynn, co-founder of The Pillar, joins me to discuss why authentic evangelization flows from converted hearts. And why a collective, public witness of contrition could be precisely what unifies and revives the Church today. Episode Timeline: [00:00] – Introduction [00:36] – Why best practices are not enough without repentance [01:46] – Evangelization ad gentes versus calling God's people home [02:46] – What public and corporate repentance could look like [04:24] – Reimagining Lent as a collective witness to our neighbors [05:24] – The power of a penitential revival in the Church today Our Trusted Partners Faith and Family Life Catholic Ministries (FFLCM) helps Catholic parishes and dioceses transform fragmented faith formation into an integrated, family-centered pathway of lifelong discipleship. Through the Pathways Formation suite, practical resources, leader formation, and ongoing accompaniment, they equip leaders to engage families, build sustainable teams, and cultivate faith that is lived at church and at home. ⭐️ Enjoying the Show? If The EquipCast is helping you navigate the realities of parish leadership, please take 60 seconds to leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your review helps other tired ministry leaders find these tools and realize they don’t have to walk this path alone! Connect & Take the Next Step: Grab Your Free Tools: Get the playbook that actually changes lives at EverydayEvangelization.org. Bring This to Your Parish: Discover strategic training and accompaniment at Anchor Consulting. Read the Book: Order your copy of A Clear Path: How to Make Missionary Disciples in Your Parish. The EquipCast is powered by Everyday Evangelization in conjunction with Anchor Consulting, delivering practical evangelization strategies and parish ministry tools to help you leave your ministry better than you found it. Copyright © 2026 Anchor Consulting. All rights reserved.

Today, I talk to Bishop William Joensen of the Diocese of Des Moines, IA. I wanted to step past the formal title so you could get to know the man behind the pectoral cross, and he certainly didn't hold back. Bishop Joensen gives us a transparent look into his life and faith, sharing how a pre-med path in Iowa unexpectedly led to the priesthood and what it was like taking the helm of a diocese just months before the pandemic hit. From some fun banter about Iowa-Nebraska rivalries to his honest reflections on leadership missteps, this episode offers a rare and refreshing look into the heart, humor, and wisdom of a bishop shepherding his flock with humility. Episode Timeline: [00:00] – Introduction [04:14] – Pre-Med, Family Roots, and Discerning the Priesthood [14:07] – Friendly Rivalries and the State of the U.S. Church [22:09] – Pastoral Planning and 18 Months of Humble Inquiry [28:40] – Offering the Unvarnished Truth of the Gospel [34:01] – Respecting Subsidiarity in Parish Renewal [40:28] – Navigating Demographic Shifts and Rural Reality [47:56] – Episcopal Leadership, Prayer, and Learning from Missteps Resources Mentioned Making it Personal with Bishop William Joensen Our Trusted Partners Faith and Family Life Catholic Ministries (FFLCM) helps Catholic parishes and dioceses transform fragmented faith formation into an integrated, family-centered pathway of lifelong discipleship. Through the Pathways Formation suite, practical resources, leader formation, and ongoing accompaniment, they equip leaders to engage families, build sustainable teams, and cultivate faith that is lived at church and at home. ⭐️ Enjoying the Show? If The EquipCast is helping you navigate the realities of parish leadership, please take 60 seconds to leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your review helps other tired ministry leaders find these tools and realize they don’t have to walk this path alone! Connect & Take the Next Step: Grab Your Free Tools: Get the playbook that actually changes lives at EverydayEvangelization.org. Bring This to Your Parish: Discover strategic training and accompaniment at Anchor Consulting. Read the Book: Order your copy of A Clear Path: How to Make Missionary Disciples in Your Parish. The EquipCast is powered by Everyday Evangelization in conjunction with Anchor Consulting, delivering practical evangelization strategies and parish ministry tools to help you leave your ministry better than you found it. Copyright © 2026 Anchor Consulting. All rights reserved.

God is at work in the hearts of the people around us. His Spirit is everywhere and perfectly working long before we show up. In fact, our job is simply to ask, "Holy Spirit, what are you doing?" We get to ask, listen, and participate in what He is already doing in the lives of others. That is why I decided to sit down with Eric Chow, Director of Ministry and Outreach for the Archdiocese of Vancouver. He is a seasoned missionary with extremely practical advice for parish hospitality and personal mission. And today, he encourages us to recognize the “proximate periphery”, the mission field hidden in our daily routines, workplaces, and families. Episode Timeline: [00:00] – Introduction to Eric Chow [01:32] – Eric's personal conversion [04:50] – Lessons from Catholic Christian Outreach [05:46] – Understanding the mission field in Vancouver [11:29] – What parish hospitality could look like [17:07] – The origins and mission of the Proclaim movement [20:22] – Reaching the proximate periphery right in front of you [27:09] – Prophetic listening and partnering with the Holy Spirit [29:35] – Why outreach to the furthest away comes first [32:51] – Balancing personal mission with the call to holiness [36:31] – Living as a radical disciple while working professionally for the Church [42:49] – Passing on a missional mindset to our children [47:02] – A hopeful vision for the future of the Church [49:16] – Simple steps to start praying for and reaching your mission field Resources Mentioned Proclaim ⭐️ Enjoying the Show? If The EquipCast is helping you navigate the realities of parish leadership, please take 60 seconds to leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your review helps other tired ministry leaders find these tools and realize they don’t have to walk this path alone! Connect & Take the Next Step: Grab Your Free Tools: Get the playbook that actually changes lives at EverydayEvangelization.org. Bring This to Your Parish: Discover strategic training and accompaniment at Anchor Consulting. Read the Book: Order your copy of A Clear Path: How to Make Missionary Disciples in Your Parish. The EquipCast is powered by Everyday Evangelization in conjunction with Anchor Consulting, delivering practical evangelization strategies and parish ministry tools to help you leave your ministry better than you found it. Copyright © 2026 Anchor Consulting. All rights reserved.