Welcome to The Wise & Courageous Podcast, where we host conversations with women leaders about how they are seeking and engaging wisdom and courage in their leadership and work in this unique season.

“The caliber of my leadership depends upon the health and caliber of the rest of my life. I can’t show up for people unless I am in a good place personally to show up. There’s some humility with that. You can’t just run on fumes and coffee.” — Elisabeth Rain Kincaid

Elisabeth Rain Kincaid, Associate Professor of Ethics, Faith and Culture and Director of the Institute of Faith and Learning at Baylor University, joins Nancy Pedulla on The Wise & Courageous Podcast for a conversation about leadership, ethics, and faith.

How might the unexpected career path result in a richness that is unique? Elisabeth starts the story of her journey by sharing that she went to law school because she did not enjoy middle school ministry. She shares the rich gifts of the indirect path to her current role, where she lives out her own leadership while teaching and researching about leadership and ethics, and cultivating leadership with faculty in a unique program. Elisabeth explores the value of integrity and the invitation to be an integrated person. We talk about the work of integrating work and family life. Listen for her invitation to be discerning what God is calling her to engage with during the last 20 years of her career in prayer and with others and for her “aha” moment when a trusted colleague asked her, “Why are you putting out the cookies?”

For the purposes of this podcast, we are defining leadership as the stewardship of people, culture and purpose, guiding and serving others toward a shared vision or outcomes.

Welcome to the conversation!

— Nancy Pedulla

For show notes or more information please visit our article at The Well.

If you'd like to support the work of InterVarsity's Women Scholars and Professionals, including future podcasts such as this episode, you can do so at givetoiv.org/wsap. Thank you for listening!

“If at all possible, resist the dehumanizing forces that are at work in grad school and in the early days of your academic employment.” — Emily Hunter McGowin

Theologian and professor Emily Hunter McGowin joins us on the podcast to discuss the nature of family in the context of God’s kingdom.

How can we live as faithful followers of Jesus within our complex family narratives? Author and theologian Emily Hunter McGowin joins us on the podcast to discuss her recent book Households of Faith: Practicing Family in the Kingdom of God. Emily helps us to interrogate the cultural assumptions we bring into the work of family life and to consider them in light of the words of Scripture. She asserts that the Bible is far from prescriptive about the details of household life and that Scripture makes space for a variety of shapes and structures that support family connectedness. Emily challenges her readers to think carefully about the integration of community needs with personal flourishing, and she offers simple suggestions for integrating nourishing habits into the complex fabric of family life. In addition — I’m pleased to tell you that InterVarsity Press is offering a discount on Households of Faith for listeners of this podcast. Just use the code IVPWSAP25 for 25% off and free shipping when you purchase the book at ivpress.com. You can find a link to the book and the discount code in the show notes. And if you listen to the end of the credits you’ll hear an excerpt from our conversation where Emily offers her thoughts on centering lovingkindness at Christmas.

So jump right in! We're so glad you're here.

— Ann Boyd

For show notes or more information please visit our article at The Well.

If you'd like to support the work of InterVarsity's Women Scholars and Professionals, including future podcasts such as this episode, you can do so at givetoiv.org/wsap. Thank you for listening!

“Hospitality is not only external; it’s internal. Hospitality is not only inside of spaces; it’s also wherever we go.” — Laura Baghdassarian Murray

Spiritual director Laura Baghdassarian Murray joins us on the podcast to discuss the place of spiritual hospitality in our everyday lives.

How can we find authentic ways to offer and receive hospitality that can transform our lives? Author and spiritual director Laura Baghdassarian Murray joins us on the podcast to discuss her recent book Becoming a Person of Welcome: The Spiritual Practice of Hospitality. In our conversation, Laura broadens our understanding of hospitality, pointing out ways that our skills in receiving hospitality are just as important as our skills in hosting. This discussion was decidedly not about “entertaining,” but rather about finding that posture within us that welcomes and is welcomed by others through the Holy Spirit. In addition — I’m pleased to tell you that InterVarsity Press is offering a discount on Becoming a Person of Welcome for listeners of this podcast. Just use the code IVPWSAP25 for 25% off and free shipping when you purchase the book at ivpress.com. You can find a link to the book and the discount code in the show notes. And if you listen to the end of the credits you’ll hear an excerpt from our conversation where Laura offers a thoughtful suggestion for finding inner hospitality during potentially-stressful holiday gatherings.

So jump right in! We're so glad you're here.

— Ann Boyd

For show notes or more information please visit our article at The Well.

If you'd like to support the work of InterVarsity's Women Scholars and Professionals, including future podcasts such as this episode, you can do so at givetoiv.org/wsap. Thank you for listening!