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Meditations on Leadership with Don Carpenter: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Don Carpenter
Leadership begins within. In Meditations on Leadership with Don Carpenter, author, youth development pioneer, and relational leadership coach Don Carpenter invites you into a weekly practice of deeper reflection, personal clarity, and meaningful connection.Each episode begins with a short meditation from Don’s soon to be released book, The Inner Work of Leadership: 52 Meditations for a Life of Meaning, Courage, and Growth. From there, Don offers personal commentary and lived insights before welcoming a guest, leaders from all walks of life, to explore how that week’s theme plays out in their own professional journey. The episode closes with two powerful questions to help you pause, reflect, and grow as a leader from the inside out.Whether you’re leading a team, a classroom, a nonprofit, or your own life, this podcast is a companion for those committed to doing the inner work that sustains courageous outer change.
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- 1 weeks ago1h 0m
When Two Feet Face the Same Direction
What happens when part of us knows where we want to go, but another part is still holding back? In this episode of Meditations on Leadership, Don reflects on the hidden cost of indecision, the energy we lose when we are divided within ourselves, and what can begin to happen when clarity, intention, and action finally align. He is joined by Haley Bezon, founder of Hearty Roots, for a conversation about courage, entrepreneurship, leadership, and the difficult choices that come with building so...
- 3 weeks ago58 min
Aligned and Afraid (But Moving Anyway)
What if courage is not the absence of fear, but the willingness to keep moving while fear is still present? In this episode of Meditations on Leadership, Don reflects on the moments when fear and self-doubt collide with a deeper sense of knowing that it is time to move. He is joined by Bill Walch, whose career has spanned journalism, philanthropy, institutional leadership, global health, consulting, and nonprofit governance. Together, they explore where our ideas about courage come from, wha...
- Aug 13, 202659 min
The Cost of Being Indispensable
In this episode, Don reflects on the hidden cost of becoming indispensable, not only the toll it can take on us, but the ways it can unintentionally limit the growth, confidence, and capacity of those around us. He is joined by longtime friend Larry Bartlett, an engineer, architect, business founder, educator, mentor, and community leader whose life has been shaped by both professional accomplishment and a deep commitment to serving others. Together, they explore the tension between helping ...
- Aug 4, 202657 min
Stepping Back To Be More
What happens when leadership asks us not to step forward, but to step back? In this episode, Don reflects on the difference between doing less and being more, and on the quieter forms of leadership that emerge when we release the need to control, solve, or remain at the center. He also explores the identity shift that can come when a role ends, but the habits and weight of responsibility remain. Don is joined by Fred Adair, a CEO advisor and leadership coach with more than 25 years of experi...
- Jul 21, 20261h 3m
Accountability That Heals
What happens after we say, “I’m sorry”? In this episode, Don reflects on why an apology is only the beginning, and what it takes to rebuild trust when our behavior falls short of who we want to be. He is joined by Stephanie Welch, Executive Director of Trekkers, to explore why leaders avoid circling back, how shame and perfectionism can interfere with accountability, and what it takes to turn regret into changed behavior. Together, they consider how leaders can create cultures wh...
- Jul 14, 20261h 5m
Depth Isn’t a Number. It’s a Choice
In this episode, Don reflects on the difference between reaching people and truly knowing them, and why depth is not measured by numbers, but by the relationships we are willing to choose and sustain. He is joined by his longtime friend Kevin Moran, Director of Operations and Administration at Joseph’s House of Camden, whose life and work in Camden, New Jersey have been shaped by service, faith in action, and showing up for people living on the margins. Together, they explore what it means t...
- Jul 7, 20261h 7m
The Mission, Not My Position
In this episode, Don reflects on the discipline of slowing down when emotion is high and the consequences of a decision may last beyond the moment. He also explores the founder’s reflex to defend what we have built, and the hard but necessary shift from protecting our own position to discerning what is truly being asked of us. He is joined by his sister, Christy Carpenter, Client Service Director at Gallagher Benefit Services, for a conversation about leading with passion, building trust, ma...
- Jun 30, 20261h 7m
Maturity Takes Its Time
In this episode, Don reflects on the slow work of maturity and the ways responsibility, experience, and success do not automatically make us wiser or more grounded. He explores the difference between appearing mature and actually becoming mature, especially in the places where leadership can become tangled up in image, affirmation, and the need to prove our worth. He is joined by Ryder Scott, executive director of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension’s 4-H Learning Centers. Together...
About Meditations on Leadership with Don Carpenter
Leadership begins within. In Meditations on Leadership with Don Carpenter, author, youth development pioneer, and relational leadership coach Don Carpenter invites you into a weekly practice of deeper reflection, personal clarity, and meaningful connection.Each episode begins with a short meditation from Don’s soon to be released book, The Inner Work of Leadership: 52 Meditations for a Life of Meaning, Courage, and Growth. From there, Don offers personal commentary and lived insights before welcoming a guest, leaders from all walks of life, to explore how that week’s theme plays out in their own professional journey. The episode closes with two powerful questions to help you pause, reflect, and grow as a leader from the inside out.Whether you’re leading a team, a classroom, a nonprofit, or your own life, this podcast is a companion for those committed to doing the inner work that sustains courageous outer change.
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